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This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 07/691,210 filed Apr. 25, 1991 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,598.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Dry toner electrostatic printing inks, including laser and xerographic inks, are important and growing contaminants in the area of waste paper recycling. Traditionally, paper has been printed with water or oil-based inks which were adequately removed by conventional deinking procedures. In these methods, secondary fiber is mechanically pulped and contacted with an aqueous medium containing a surfactant. Ink is separated from pulp fibers as a result of mechanical pulping and the action of the surfactant. The dispersed ink is separated from pulp fibers by such means as washing or flotation.
Conventional deinking processes have shown minimal success in dealing with dry toner electrostatic printing inks, with the necessary chemical and mechanical treatments of the furnish proving to be time consuming and often rendering a furnish which is unacceptable for many applications. The development of a deinking program for office waste contaminated with electrostatic printed copy will make this furnish more amenable to the recycling process.
The ability to recycle office waste will prove commercially advantageous and will have a significant impact on the conservation of virgin fiber resources. Although electrostatic printed waste has not reached the volume of impact printed waste commonly seen in the industry, indications are such that usage of electrostatic print is increasing steadily and that waste copies available to the recycling industry will also increase.
The present invention enhances the agglomeration and subsequent removal of electrostatic toner particles through centrifugal cleaners by using specific combinations of commercially available raw materials (solvents and surfactants). It is believed that this can be accomplished at a wide range of pH levels (5.0 to 11.0) and will render a furnish that is virtually free of electrostatic printing ink after subsequent mechanical treatment. The invention allows for the separation of ink particles and associated binder from pulp fibers, and causes the particles to agglomerate to a critical range of size and density, which affords their most efficient removal from the pulp slurry by centrifugal cleaners.
The present invention demonstrates that a combination of solvents and surfactants with low HLBs enhance the agglomeration of electrostatic toner particles, allowing removal through centrifugal cleaning and/or screening. HLB is an abbreviation for hydrophile-lipophile balance as related to the oil and water solubility of a material. A high HLB indicates that the hydrophilic portion of the molecule is dominant, while a low HLB indicates that the hydrophobic portion of the molecule is dominant. The water solubility of materials increases with increasing HLB. Traditional deinking processes utilize a wide variety of high HLB (generally greater than 10) nonionic and/or anionic surfactants or dispersants to wet and disperse ink particles to a range of size (about 0.5 to 15 microns) which allows for their most efficient subsequent removal by washing and/or froth flotation processes.
Agglomeration is anticipated to be seen at pH levels ranging from 5.0 to 11.0, with no significant deposition of ink expected to be present on pulping equipment. The advantage of this formulation is that it allows for agglomeration at an ambient pH, alleviating the need for caustic or acid tanks in the mill environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The components of the present invention comprise (1) aliphatic petroleum distillates (solvent), (2) an alkylphenoxypoly-(ethyleneoxy) ethanol (surfactant) and (3) an ethoxylated polyoxypropylene glycol (surfactant). All components are commercially available.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present inventors have discovered that the addition of a specific solvent/surfactant blend to the pulper significantly enhances the agglomeration of electrostatic toner particles, allowing for their separation from fiber through centrifugal cleaning and/or screening. This agglomeration is anticipated to be seen at pH levels ranging from 5.0 to 11.0, with no significant deposition of ink expected to be present on pulping equipment. (A pH higher than 11.0 or lower than 5.0 is also believed to be effective). The formulation allows for agglomeration at an ambient pH, alleviating the need for caustic or acid tanks in the mill environment.
The aliphatic petroleum distillates (A) are saturated hydrocarbons having carbon numbers in the range of C9-C12. The chemical structures of the remaining raw materials are as follows: ##STR1##
For the application of electrostatic toner particle agglomeration, the effective hydrophile - lipophile balance of the tested surfactants is less than or equal to 10. It is believed that the effective temperature range for the agglomeration of electrostatic toner particles is from 110°-190° F.
A beaker test method was utilized to determine the impact of various raw materials on toner agglomeration without the presence of fiber. This method allowed for the visual evaluation of toner configuration after treatment and permitted the particles to be sized using the Brinkmann Particle Size Analyzer. When raw materials were screened using this method, those demonstrating significant particle agglomeration were advanced to the Deinking/Repulping Apparatus (the pulper) for an evaluation of performance in the presence of fiber.
The experimental procedure was as follows: Approximately 0.01 grams of toner was added to a beaker containing 100 milliliters of deionized water. Each solution of toner and water was mixed on a magnetic stirrer at a pH of 7.0, a temperature of 150° F. and a contact time of 60 minutes. About 514 parts of raw material or experimental product per million parts of solution was added to the beaker. Upon completion of contact time, particle configurations were noted, and solution were filtered and held for size evaluation using the Brinkmann Particle Size Analyzer.
The pulper was then used to evaluate selected raw materials. This apparatus consists of a Waring blender jar with the blades reversed to provide a mixing action of the fibers. The stirring of the blender is controlled by a motor connected to a Servodyne controller. Temperature of the pulp in the blender is provided by a heating mat attached to a temperature controller. The typical furnish consistency in the laboratory pulper is 5%, and a stirring speed of 750 rpm is used to simulate the mechanical action of a hydropulper.
Electrostatic printed wood-free fiber was used as the furnish. Twenty pounds of raw material or experimental product per ton of fiber were added to the pulper, at a temperature of 150° F., a pH of 7.0, and a pulping time of 60 minutes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The laboratory results found in Table I demonstrate the effectiveness of the present invention. A nonylphenoxypoly(ethylineoxy) ethanol with a molecular weight of 286 and an ethoxylated polyoxypropylene glycol with a molecular weight of 3800 are preferred components.
TABLE 1______________________________________Pulper Results at 150° F,, pH 7.0, 60 Minute Pulping Time HLB of Minimum ParticleCondition Material Size (Microns)______________________________________Untreated Control 0 1-220 lbs/ton Nonylphenoxypoly- 14.2 4.5(ethyleneoxy) ethanol(Mol. Wt. 748, n = 12)20 lbs/ton Nonylphenoxypoly- 8.8 10.0(ethyleneoxy) ethanol(Mol. Wt. 396, n = 4)20 lbs/ton Nonylphenoxypoly- 4.6 15.0(ethyleneoxy) ethanol(B, Mol. Wt. = 286, n = 1.5)20 lbs/ton Ethoxylated 1.0 18.0Polyoxypropylene Glycol(C, Mol. Wt. = 3800)20 lbs/ton Formulation * 40.0(60% A: 10% B: 30% C)______________________________________ *An HLB cannot be accurately calculated for a blended formulation. Note the effectiveness of each material (e.g., B and C) in increasing laser ink particle size, as compared to the untreated control. However, the experimental formulation in its preferred ratios (60% A/ 10% B/ 30% C showed a significant increase in particle size as compared to individual components.
The effective ratio range of each of the raw materials in the formulation is believed to be:
10-60% Aliphatic Petroleum Distillates
10-89% Alkylphenoxypoly-(ethyleneoxy) ethanol
1-80% Ethoxylated Polyoxypropylene Glycol
While this invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, it is apparent that numerous other forms and modifications of this invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art. The appended claims and this invention generally should be construed to cover all such obvious forms and modifications which are within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
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A composition and method for deinking dry toner electrostatic printed wastepaper is disclosed. The composition comprises a combination of: (1) aliphatic petroleum distillates, (2) an alkylphenoxypoly-(ethyleneoxy) ethanol, and (3) an ethoxylated polyoxypropylene glycol.
The method comprises administering a sufficient amount of this combination to a sample of electrostatic printed wastepaper for which treatment is desired.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/206,424, filed Aug. 18, 2005, and entitled HEAT STABLE, FAT-BASED CONFECTIONS AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME, which claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/682,912, filed May 20, 2005, both of which are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with a new coated food product comprising a center food piece coated with a coating comprising a substantially homogeneous mixture of a fat-based, flavored composition and a particulate material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Coated food products have been prepared in the past for addition to products such as cereal and ice cream, or for eating as a stand-alone product. One example of such an add-in product is a raisin coated with cereal pieces. An example of a stand-alone product is a chocolate-covered malt ball. Prior art products are lacking in that they are not heat-stable. Thus, special care must be taken when transporting and storing these products during warm weather to prevent the product from melting and forming a messy conglomerate rather than remaining as distinct pieces. Also, eating these foods during warm weather can result in a melted mess on the eater's hands and clothes.
Prior art coated products are also relatively high in fat. This high fat content has been necessary due to shortcomings in prior art methods of forming these products. The higher fat content has been necessary to form an organoleptically pleasing product.
There is a need for a lower fat, coated food product that is also heat-stable and tasty.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes these problems by broadly novel methods of forming new heat-stable, lower fat, coated food products.
In more detail, the inventive methods comprise the steps of applying (e.g., delivering via a finely dispersed spray) a liquid coating composition and a particulate material to the outer surface of a food piece to form a final coating layer on the food piece. This can be carried out in a conventional panning device. Preferably, the liquid coating composition is applied for a time period of from about 30-90 seconds, and more preferably about 60 seconds, prior to the commencement of particulate material application. After this delay, the particulate material is applied to the food piece, with the particulate material supply source being different from the liquid coating composition source so that the particulate material and liquid coating composition originate from separate streams.
Preferably, at least a portion of the particulate material application step, and more preferably substantially all or all of this application step, is carried out simultaneous to the liquid coating composition application step. Even more preferably, the application steps end at about the same time. The application steps are preferably carried out in an atmosphere having a temperature of from about 60-95° F., and more preferably from about 70-75° F. The application process generally lasts for a time period of from about 10-15 minutes.
After the application of the liquid coating composition and particulate material has been completed (or at least within about 120, or more preferably about 30, seconds of completion), the coated food product is preferably exposed to hot air. This air should have a temperature that is at least about 30° F. higher, more preferably at least about 40° F. higher, and even more preferably from about 60-90° F. higher than the temperature at which the application steps were carried out. This would typically result in hot air temperatures of from about 100-180° F., more preferably from about 120-170° F., and even more preferably from about 130-150° F. The air is preferably delivered to the coated product at a rate of from about 800-2,500 ft 3 /min., and even more preferably from about 1,000-1,600 ft 3 /min.
After the hot air delivery step, other dry pieces can be added, if desired. Examples of such additional dry pieces include those selected from the group consisting of dried fruit, vanilla powder, cocoa powder, cookie fines, and mixtures thereof. Regardless of whether additional dry pieces are added, the bed of coated product should have a temperature of from about 70-100° F., and even more preferably from about 88-95° F. after the hot air delivery step.
Referring to the other ingredients used in the inventive process, examples of preferred food pieces include those selected from the group consisting of cereal pieces, nutmeats, bakery pieces, confection pieces (e.g., brownie cubes), fruit pieces, pretzels, and mixtures thereof. Although it will vary depending upon the specific product being formed, the food piece will generally be present in the coated product at a level of from about 30-70% by weight, and even more preferably from about 45-60% by weight, based upon the total weight of the coated product taken as 100% by weight.
The final coating on the food piece is formed from a liquid coating composition and a particulate material as described above. Although it will vary depending upon the specific product being formed, the final coating will generally be present in the coated product at a level of from about 30-70% by weight, and even more preferably from about 45-60% by weight, based upon the total weight of the coated product taken as 100% by weight.
The liquid coating composition, which along with the particulate material forms the final coating, is fat-based and can include a number of flavoring agents. All ingredients included in the liquid coating composition are preferably finely pulverized (e.g., in a 5-roll refining system) so that the average particle size of the material in the coating is less than about 0.0014 inches, and more preferably from about 0.0008-0.0012 inches.
The fat in the liquid coating composition preferably has a melting point of less than about 104° F., more preferably from about 50-100° F., and even more preferably from about 75-95° F. The liquid coating composition will include from about 27-50% by weight fat, more preferably from about 30-40% by weight fat, and even more preferably about 34% by weight fat, based upon the total weight of the liquid coating composition taken as 100% by weight. This process can be used to reduce the fat content of products made by prior art methods by at least about 50%. Suitable fats include fractionated palm kernel oil and other fractionated vegetable oils, hydrogenated soybean oil and other hydrogenated vegetable oils, non-hydrogenated oils (e.g., soybean, canola, and sunflower oils, cocoa butter), and mixtures of the foregoing.
Typical flavorings for use in the liquid coating composition include those selected from the group consisting of sweet and savory flavors (e.g., sour cream and onion), spices, chocolate flavors, cheese flavors, fruit flavors, caramel flavors, yogurt flavors, and mixtures thereof. Other ingredients that can be included in the liquid coating composition include malic acid powder, citric acid powder, lactic acid powder, lecithin, sweetening agents (e.g., sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose, maltodextrin, maltitol, sorbitol), milk powder, cocoa powder, and mixtures thereof.
The particulate material used with the inventive methods preferably comprises a homogeneous blend of fine, dry powders. The particulate material is preferably sifted through a 12-mesh screen prior to use to eliminate clumps. Thus, the average particle size of the particulate material is preferably less than about 0.007 inches, more preferably from about 0.001-0.005 inches, and even more preferably from about 0.0025-0.004 inches. Ingredients that can be included in the particulate material include monosaccharides, disaccharides, milk powder, yogurt powder, whey powder, cheese powder, spices, polyols, dried fruit powders, cocoa powder, oat fiber, polydextrose, vitamins, minerals, and mixtures thereof.
The final coating applied to the food piece will comprise a substantially homogenous blend of the liquid coating composition and particulate material. The final coating should comprise from about 30-70% by weight liquid coating composition, preferably from about 40-60% by weight liquid coating composition, and more preferably from about 45-55% by weight liquid coating composition, based upon the total weight of the final coating taken as 100% by weight. The final coating should also comprise from about 30-70%) by weight particulate material, preferably from about 40-60%) by weight particulate material, and more preferably from about 45-55% by weight particulate material, based upon the total weight of the final coating taken as 100% by weight.
Practicing the above invention will result in coated products having several unique properties. For example, the coated product will comprise less than about 10% by weight fat, preferably from about 4-9% by weight fat, and even more preferably about 7.5% by weight fat, based upon the total weight of the coated product taken as 100% by weight. The saturated fat levels will be less than about 10% by weight, preferably from about 1-9% by weight, and even more preferably about 7.5%) by weight, based upon the total weight of the coated product taken as 100% by weight. Furthermore, the trans fat levels will be less than about 1% by weight, and more preferably less than about 0.2% by weight, based upon the total weight of the coated product taken as 100% by weight.
The final coating on the coated product will have a very low total moisture content. More specifically, the total moisture in the final coating will be less than about 0.3%> by weight, preferably less than about 0.2% by weight, and even more preferably less than about 0.1% by weight, based upon the total weight of the final coating taken as 100% by weight. This moisture content is achieved without the need to subject the product to further drying steps.
The final coating on the coated product will also have a much higher melting point than that of prior art products (i.e., the inventive coatings are far more heat-stable). Specifically, the coating of the inventive products will have a melting point of at least about 125° F., preferably at least about 135° F., and even more preferably at least about 150° F. This is a significant advantage over the prior art in that prior art products suffer from the problems of the coating melting from the center piece, the coating smearing on the packaging, the food pieces sticking together, and other problems associated with coatings that melt easily. With the inventive products, the need for extra time and expense involved in special storage and handling conditions is avoided while still providing a product that is organoleptically pleasing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Examples
The following examples set forth preferred methods in accordance with the invention. It is to be understood, however, that these examples are provided by way of illustration and nothing therein should be taken as a limitation upon the overall scope of the invention.
Example 1
Preparation of Chocolate-Flavored Coating
A chocolate-flavored coating was applied to a dry, roasted whole almond. The percentages by weight of the ingredients in the coated almonds are set forth in Table 1.
TABLE 1
INGREDIENTS
% BY WT. A
Whole Roasted Almonds
40%
Dust Blend #1
30%
12X Powdered Sugar
70% B
Dextrose Powder
25%
Cocoa Powder
5%
Chocolate-Flavored Coating
29.5%
Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil
35% C
Cocoa Powder
10%
Nonfat Milk Powder
2%
Lecithin
0.45%
Flavor
0.05%
Sucrose
52.5%
Dust Blend #2
0.5%
Cocoa Powder
100% D
A Based upon the total weight of the coated almond taken as 100% by weight.
B Based upon the total weight of Dust Blend #1 taken as 100% by weight.
C Based upon the total weight of the chocolate-flavored coating taken as 100% by weight.
D Based upon the total weight of Dust Blend #2 taken as 100% by weight.
The chocolate-flavored coating was prepared by using 5-roll, chocolate refining technology to finely grind a blend of sucrose, nonfat milk powder, cocoa powder, fractionated palm kernel oil (35% of total used), and lecithin (50% of total used). A portion (40% of the total used) of the fractionated oil was added to the refined powders, and the mixture was mixed in a warm, jacketed vessel until a thick paste formed. The remaining lecithin was added to the vessel, and the product was standardized to a viscosity of 4,000 centipoise at 120° F. with the remaining fractionated oil. Typically, this viscosity will be from about 1,500 to about 12,000, and more preferably from about 3,000 to about 10,000 centipoise at 120° F. Flavor was added to the system at this point to create a vanilla or chocolate top note.
Using a ribbon blender, a fine (12×), powdered sugar and finely ground dextrose were blended together with cocoa powder to produce Dust Blend #1. Dust Blend #2 included only cocoa powder.
The coating process was carried out by adding the dry roasted whole almonds to a coating pan rotating at a speed of about 20 rpm. This pan should rotated at a speed of from about 5-30 rpm, and more preferably about 20 rpm. Once the almonds were in the pan, the liquid coating was applied through an atomizing spray nozzle. The coating was applied for 1 minute prior to adding Dust Blend #1 to the system. Dust Blend #1 was added continuously and simultaneous to the coating application. The whole process lasted about 15 minutes, and Dust Blend #1 was completely added before all of the liquid coating was sprayed into the system. This process was carried out at a temperature of about 80° F.
After the application of the liquid coating and Dust Blend #1, hot air (about 140° F.) was added to the system at a rate of about 1,000 ft 3 /min. When the bed of the product was about 95° F. (typically anywhere from about 85-95° F.), the product lost its dusty appearance and began to resemble a fat-coated confection. During the heating step, Dust Blend #2 (cocoa powder) was added to the rotating pan. The powder adhered to the surface of the coated almond, giving a pleasing chocolate hue to the product.
A gum arable solution can also be added after cooling to give the outer surface a shiny appearance, and a small amount of shellac or confectioner's glaze can be added to protect the gum solution.
Example 2
Preparation of Yogurt-Flavored Coating
A yogurt-flavored coating was applied to a cereal-based Hake. The percentages by weight of the ingredients in the coated flakes are set forth in Table 2.
TABLE 2
INGREDIENTS
% BY WT. A
Cereal Flake
40%
Dust Blend
30%
12X Powdered Sugar
75% B
Dextrose Powder
22%
Yogurt Powder
3%
Fat-Based Yogurt Coating
30%
Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil
35% C
Yogurt Powder
6%
Nonfat Milk Powder
5%
Lactic Acid Powder
0.2%
Lecithin
0.45%
Flavor
0.05%
Sucrose
53.3%
A Based upon the total weight of the coated cereal flake taken as 100% by weight.
B Based upon the total weight of the Dust Blend taken as 100% by weight.
C Based upon the total weight of the fat-based yogurt coating taken as 100% by weight.
A yogurt coating was first prepared using 5-roll chocolate refining technology to finely grind a blend of sucrose, yogurt powder, nonfat milk powder, lactic acid powder, fractionated palm kernel oil (35% of the total used), and lecithin (50% of total used). A portion (40% of the total used) of the fractionated oil was added to the refined powders, and the mixture was mixed in a warm, jacketed vessel until a thick paste formed. The remaining lecithin was then added to the vessel, and the product was standardized to a viscosity of 4,000 centipoise at 120° F. with the remaining fractionated oil. Flavor was added to the system at this point to create a vanilla top note.
Using a ribbon blender, a line (12×), powdered sugar, finely ground dextrose, and spray-dried yogurt powder were blended together to produce the Dust Blend. The coating process was commenced by adding the cereal flake to a coating pan rotating at a speed of about 18 rpm. Once the flakes were in the pan, the liquid coating was applied through an atomizing spray nozzle. The coating was applied for 1 minute prior to adding the Dust Blend to the system. The Dust Blend was added continuously and simultaneous to the liquid coating application to the (lakes. The whole process took about 12 minutes to complete, and the Dust Blend was completely added before all the liquid coating was sprayed into the system. The process temperature was about 75° F. After the application of the liquid coating and the Dust Blend, hot air (about 135° F.) was added to the system at a rate of about 1,100 ft 3 /min. When the bed of the product reached about 95° F., the product lost its dusty appearance and began to resemble a fat coated confection. The process should be completed as rapidly as possible to minimize the breakage of the flakes.
Example 3
Preparation of Chocolate-Flavored Coating
A chocolate-flavored coating was applied to an oat-based cereal ring. The percentages by weight of the ingredients in the coated rings are set forth in Table 3.
TABLE 3
INGREDIENTS
% BY WT. A
Oat Cereal Ring
50%
Dust Blend #1
25%
12X Powdered Sugar
70% B
Dextrose Powder
25%
Cocoa Powder
5%
Chocolate-Flavored Coating
24.5%
Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil
35% C
Cocoa Powder
10%
Nonfat Milk Powder
2%
Lecithin
0.45%
Flavor
0.05%
Sucrose
52.5%
Dust Blend #2
0.5%
Cocoa Powder
100% D
A Based upon the total weight of the coated ring taken as 100% by weight.
B Based upon the total weight of Dust Blend #1 taken as 100% by weight.
C Based upon the total weight of the chocolate-flavored coating taken as 100% by weight.
D Based upon the total weight of Dust Blend #2 taken as 100% by weight.
Chocolate refining technology (5-roll refiners) was used to finely grind a blend of sucrose, nonfat milk powder, cocoa powder, fractionated palm kernel oil (35% of the total used), and lecithin (50% of total used). A portion (40% by weight of the total used) of the fractionated oil was added to the refined powders, and the mixture was mixed in a warm jacketed vessel until a thick paste formed. The remaining lecithin was added to the vessel, and the product was standardized to a viscosity of 4,500 centipoise at 120° F. with the remaining fractionated oil. Flavor was added to the system at this point to create a vanilla or chocolate top note.
Using a ribbon blender, a fine (12×), powdered sugar and finely ground dextrose were blended together with cocoa powder to produce the Dust Blend #1. Dust Blend #2 included only cocoa powder.
The coating process was carried out by adding the oat cereal rings to a coating pan rotating at a speed of about 20 rpm. Once the oat rings were in the pan, the liquid coating was applied through an atomizing spray nozzle. After 1 minute of coating application, Dust Blend #1 was added continuously and simultaneous to the liquid coating application to the rings. The entire process lasted about 15 minutes, and the Dust Blend #1 was completely added before all of the liquid coating was sprayed into the system. The application process was carried out at a temperature of about 75° F., after which hot air (135° F.) was added to the system at a rate of about 1,200 ft 3 /min.
When the bed of the product was about 93° F., it began to lose its dusty appearance and resembled a fat-coated confection. During the heating step, the second dry blend of cocoa powder was added to the rotating pan. The powder adhered to the surface of the coated ring, giving a pleasing chocolate hue to the product.
After cooling of this product, a gum arabic solution can be added to give the outer surface a shiny appearance, and a small amount of shellac or confectioner's glaze can added to protect the gum solution.
Example 4
Preparation of Raspberry Yogurt-Flavored Coating
In this procedure, a raspberry yogurt-flavored coating was applied to an expanded cereal piece. The percentages by weight of the ingredients in the coated pieces are set forth in Table 4.
TABLE 4
INGREDIENTS
% BY WT. A
Expanded Cereal Piece
50%
Dust Blend #1
25%
12X Powdered Sugar
75% B
Dextrose Powder
25%
Fat-Based Yogurt Coating
24.9%
Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil
35% C
Yogurt Powder
2%
Nonfat Milk Powder
1.5%
Drum-Dried Raspberry Powder
0.5%
Malic Acid Powder
0.1%
Citric Acid Powder
0.2%
Lactic Acid Powder
0.2%
Lecithin
0.45%
Flavor
0.05%
Sucrose
60%
Dust Blend #2
0.1%
Freeze-Dried Raspberry Powder (20 mesh)
66% D
Drum-Dried Raspberry Powder (20 mesh)
34%
A Based upon the total weight of the coated piece taken as 100% by weight.
B Based upon the total weight of Dust Blend #1 taken as 100% by weight.
C Based upon the total weight of the fat-based yogurt coating taken as 100% by weight.
D Based upon the total weight of Dust Blend #2 taken as 100% by weight.
The raspberry yogurt coating was first prepared by using 5-roll chocolate refining technology to finely grind a blend of sucrose, yogurt powder, nonfat milk powder, lactic acid powder, citric acid powder, malic acid powder, dried fruit powder, fractionated palm kernel oil (35% of the total used), and lecithin (50% of total used). A portion (40% of the total used) of the fractionated oil was added to the refined powders, and the mixture was mixed in a warm, jacketed vessel until a thick paste formed. The remaining lecithin was added to the vessel, and the product was standardized to a viscosity of 4,000 centipoise at 120° F. with the remaining fractionated oil. Flavor was added to the system at this point to create a berry top note. Refining the dried fruit powder into the coating not only enhances the color, but also provides a nice, natural fruit flavor to the coating.
Using a ribbon blender, a line (12×), powdered sugar and finely ground dextrose were blended together to produce Dust Blend #1. Dust Blend #2 was made by blending various freeze-dried and drum-dried fruit powders together in another ribbon blender.
The coating process was carried out by adding the expanded cereal pieces to a coating pan rotating at a speed of about 20 rpm. Once the cereal pieces were in the pan, the liquid coating was applied through an atomizing spray nozzle. The coating was applied for about 1 minute prior to adding Dust Blend #1 to the system. Dust Blend #1 was added continuously and simultaneous to the liquid coating of the pieces. The whole process took about 10-15 minutes to complete, and Dust Blend #1 was completely added before all of the liquid coating was sprayed into the system. In this example, the application steps were carried out at a temperature of about 75° F.
After the application of the liquid coating and Dust Blend #1, hot air (140° F.) was added to the system at an air flow rate was 1,200 ft 3 /min. When the bed of the product achieved a temperature of between about 85° F. and about 95° F., the product lost its dusty appearance and began to resemble a fat-coated confection. During and after the heating step, Dust Blend #2 was added to the rotating pan. The powder adhered to the surface of the coated piece, thus giving a pleasing raspberry hue to the product.
Example 5
Preparation of Cheese-Flavored Coating
A cheese-flavored coating was applied to a pretzel piece. The percentages by weight of the ingredients in the coated pretzels are set forth in Table 5.
TABLE 5
INGREDIENTS
% BY WT. A
Pretzels
40%
Dust Blend
25%
Cheese Powder
80% B
Dextrose Powder
20%
Cheese-Flavored Coating
35%
Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil
35% C
Cheese Powder
40%
Nonfat Milk Powder
2%
Lecithin
0.45%
Flavor
0.05%
Maltodextrin
22.5%
A Based upon the total weight of the coated pretzel taken as 100% by weight.
B Based upon the total weight of the dry powder blend taken as 100% by weight.
C Based upon the total weight of the cheese coating taken as 100% by weight.
The cheese-flavored coating was prepared by using 5-roll chocolate refining technology to finely grind a blend of spray-dried cheese powder, nonfat milk powder, maltodextrin, fractionated palm kernel oil (30% of the total used), and lecithin (50%> of total used). A portion (40% of the total used) of the fractionated oil was added to the refined powders and mixed in a warm, jacketed vessel until a thick paste formed. The remaining lecithin was added to the vessel, and the product was standardized to a viscosity of 5,000 centipoise at 120° F. with the remaining fractionated oil. Flavor was added to the system at this point to create a cheddar cheese top note.
Using a ribbon blender, a line, spray-dried cheese powder and finely ground dextrose were blended together to produce the Dust Blend. The coating process was carried out by adding the pretzel pieces to a coating pan rotating at a speed of about 17 rpm. Once the pretzel pieces were in the pan, the liquid coating was applied through an atomizing spray nozzle. The liquid coating was applied for 1 minute prior to adding the Dust Blend to the system. The Dust Blend was then added continuously and simultaneous to the liquid coating application. The Dust Blend was completely added before all of the liquid coating was sprayed into the system. The coating process was carried out at a temperature of about 75° F. After the application of the coating and the Dust Blend, hot air (135° F.) was added to the system at a rate of about 1,200 ft 3 /min. When the bed of the product reached a temperature of about 95° F., the product lost its dusty appearance and began to resemble a fat-coated confection.
Example 6
Preparation of a Mixed Berry-Flavored Coating
In this procedure, an unrefined, mixed berry-flavored coating was applied to an expanded cereal piece. The percentages by weight of the ingredients in the coated pieces are set forth in Table 6.
TABLE 6
INGREDIENTS
% BY WT. A
Expanded Cereal Piece
50%
Dust Blend #1
25%
12X Powdered Sugar
70% B
Dextrose Powder
25%
Drum-Dried Strawberry Powder
5%
Mixed Berry-Flavored Coating
24.5%
Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil
35% C
Freeze-Dried Raspberry Powder
3%
Freeze-Dried Blueberry Powder
3%
Freeze-Dried Strawberry Powder
2%
Nonfat Milk Powder
4%
Lecithin
0.45%
Flavor
0.05%
Sucrose
52.5%
Dust Blend #2
0.5%
Drum-Dried Raspberry Powder
25% D
Drum-Dried Strawberry Powder
65%
Drum-Dried Blueberry Powder
10%
A Based upon the total weight of the coated piece taken as 100% by weight.
B Based upon the total weight of Dust Blend #1 taken as 100% by weight.
C Based upon the total weight of the mixed berry-flavored coating taken as 100% by weight.
D Based upon the total weight of Dust Blend #2 taken as 100% by weight.
The berry-flavored coating was prepared by blending finely powdered sucrose, nonfat milk powder, and the freeze-dried berry powders. A portion (50% of the total used) of the fractionated oil was added to the powders, and the mixture was mixed in a warm, jacketed vessel until a thick paste formed. Lecithin was added to the vessel, and the product was standardized to a viscosity of 4,000 centipoise at 120° F. with the remaining fractionated oil. Flavor was added to the system at this point to create a vanilla or berry top note.
Using a ribbon blender, a fine (12×), powdered sugar and finely ground dextrose were blended together with freeze- or drum-dried fruit powder to produce the Dust Blend #1. Dust Blend #2 comprised fruit powders only, and these powders were mixed in a ribbon blender to form Dust Blend #2.
The coating process was carried out by adding the expanded cereal pieces to a coating pan rotating at 20 rpm. Once the cereal pieces were in the pan, the liquid coating was applied through an atomizing spray nozzle. The coating was applied for 1 minute prior to adding Dust Blend #1 to the system. Dust Blend #1 was added continuously and simultaneous to the coating application step. The whole process took about 15 minutes to complete, and Dust Blend #1 was completely added before all the coating was sprayed into the system. This process was carried out at a temperature of about 75° F.
After the application of the coating and the Dust Blend #1, hot air (130° F.) was added to the system at a rate of about 1,300 ft 3 /min. When the bed of the product was about 94° F., the product lost its dusty appearance and began to resemble a fat-coated confection. During the end of the heating step, Dry Blend #2 (fruit powders) was added to the rotating pan. The powder adhered to the surface of the coated pieces, giving a pleasing berry hue to the product.
A gum arabic solution can be added to the product after cooling to give the outer surface a shiny appearance, and a small amount of shellac or confectioner's glaze can be added to protect the gum solution.
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New coated food products are provided. The products comprise a center food piece such as a nutmeat or cereal piece, and a coating surrounding the center food piece. The coating can be flavored with flavorings such as cheese, chocolate, or fruit. The coating comprises a substantially homogeneous mixture of a fat-based composition and a particulate material, which results in a stable coating that can tolerate higher temperatures when compared to prior art products while also having 50% or less of the fat content of prior art coatings.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to novel strains of Streptomyces orientalis and Streptomyces melanogenes; and the use of the strains.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are a variety of insects that cause major economic losses in agriculture and spread diseases among plants. Whitefly is one of the most notorious agricultural pests in the world. For example, in 1981, the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), caused 100 million US dollar damage in cotton, cucurbits, and lettuce in the United States. In 1986, whitefly became a problem in Florida where B. nahaci caused approximately US$2 million of damage to Florida's US$8 to 10 million poinsettia crop.
Whitefly is now known to feed on more than 500 different plants. For example, sweet potato, tomato, beans, cotton, carrot, cassava, squash, lettuce, pepper, egg plant, watermelon, and cucumber are all known hosts to the pest. It is also known that sweet potato whitefly may transmit more than 70 diseases caused by virus and microorganisms.
Silverleaf whitefly ( B. argentifolii Bellows and Perring) was first found in Taiwan in 1991. In 1995, silverleaf whitefly was responsible for 1000 hectares of agriculture losses in Taiwan.
Whitefly is very difficult to control with conventional pesticide application. Many factors contribute to the lack of control obtained with pesticides. Only few commercially available pesticides are effective against whiteflies. However, these pesticides are only effective if care is taken in a very thorough application several times a week. In addition, whiteflies spend most of their life on the undersides of leaves; therefore, growers must adjust their management practices to permit increased pesticide coverage there. The spacing of the plants must be such that the chemical spray can penetrate the canopy and reach all surfaces of the plants.
Further, the ineffective use of the chemical pesticides may be costly, and has other significant drawbacks, such as the pollution to the environment, and the potential health hazards to agricultural workers and to consumers.
Therefore, safer and more effective methods for controlling whiteflies are needed. Although biological control agents have been studied for years, to date no biological control agent has been commercially successful for the control of whiteflies.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,942,030 and 5,413,784 disclosed the utilization of fungi Paecilomyces fitmosoroseus and Beauveria bassiana in controlling sweet potato whitefly.
Streptomyces sps. have been widely used in the production of antibiotic materials. However, thus far, no Streptomyces sp. had been identified as having biopesticidal activity against whiteflies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
New strains in the Streptomyces genus, designated Streptomyces orientalis Y31014 and Streptomyces melanogenes Y31042-1, surprisingly have been found. The strains are found to be active against whiteflies.
Therefore, in the first aspect of the invention, the novel strains Streptomyces orientalis Y31014 and Streptomyces melanogenes Y31042-1 are provided.
In the second aspect of the invention, a biopesticide composition comprising the novel strains is provided.
In a further aspect of the invention, the method for controlling pests by contacting pests with the novel strains is provided.
IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MICROORGANISMS
The novel Y31014 and Y31042-1 strains were isolated from a soil sample taken form Miaoli, Taiwan, ROC. These microorganisms have been identified by the Food Industry Research and Development Institute, Shin-Chu, Taiwan, ROC as strains of Streptomyses orientalis and Streptomyces melanogenes, respectively. The methods and results are as follows:
Taxonomic and morphologic characterization was made using the methods recommended by the International Streptomyces Project (ISP) for characterizing Streptomyces species.
1. Cell Wall Analysis
Dried cells (10 mg) were put into a test tube containing 1 ml of 6N HCl, and were hydrolyzed in 100° C. for 18 hours. Hydrolysate was filtered and dried. The dry powder was dissolved in 0.4 ml of distilled water, and poured on a PTLC plate. Methanol-H 2 O-6N HCl-pyridine was used as the developing solution. Ninhydrin was then applied after an air-drying process. Diaminopimelic acid (DAP) produces a yellowish green color, while other amino acids produce a purple red color. See Komagata, et al.,“Lipid and Cell-Wall Analysis in Bacterial Systematics,” Meth. Microbiol. 19:161-207 (1987).
2. Whole Cell Sugar Analysis
Dried cells (50 mg) were put into a test tube containing 1 ml of 1N H 2 SO 4 , and were hydrolyzed in 100° C. for 2 hours. The pH of the hydrolysate was adjusted to the range of 5.0-5.5 by saturated Ba(OH) 2 . The hydrolysate was then centrifuged. The upper suspension was collected and concentrated. The concentrate was dissolved in 0.4 ml of distilled water and then poured on a filter. N-butanol-H 2 O-pyridine-toluene was uses as developing solution. Aniline phthalate was applied to develop the color of the sugars. Six-carbon sugars will result in a brown color, and five-carbon sugars will result in pink color after an air-drying process. See Komagata, et al.,“Lipid and Cell-Wall Analysis in Bacterial Systematics,” Meth. Microbiol. 19:161-207 (1987).
3. Cultural Characteristics Analysis
Cells were cultured on yeast extract-malt extract agar (ISP# 2 medium), oatmeal agar (ISP# 3 medium), inorganic salts starch agar (ISP# 4 medium), and glycerol-asparagine agar (ISP# 5 medium), respectively for 14 days to observe the vegetative mass, aerial mass, spore production and pigment production. See Shiring et al., “Methods for Characterization of Streptomyce species,” Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 16:313-340(1966).
4. Melanoid Pigment Production Analysis
Cells were cultured on tryptone-yeast extract broth (ISPM# 1 medium), peptone-yeast extract iron agar (ISP# 6 medium) and tyrosine agar (ISP# 7 medium) for 7 and 14 days respectively, to observe the melanoid pigment production. See Shiring et al., “Methods for Characterization of Streptomyce species,” Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 16:313-340 (1966).
5. Morphological Characteristics
Cells together with agar were cut from ISP# 2, 3, 4, and 5 media, dehydrated in oven, and coated with gold in an ion-coater. The morphology was studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).
6. Sugar Utilization and Physical Characteristics Analysis
Cells were cultured on ISP# 9 medium containing 1% sugar (D-glucose, L-arabinose, D-xylose, sucrose, D-fructose, raffmose, rhamnose, I-inositol, D-manmitol, cellulose, salicin) for 7 and 14 days to observe cell growth. See Shiring et al., “Methods for Characterization of Streptomyce species,” Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 16:313-340 (1966).
The results are shown in Tables 1 to 4.
TABLE 1
Cultural characteristics of Y31014
Characteristic
Medium
Growth
Substrate mycelium
Aerial mycelium
Sporulation
Soluble pigment
Yeast extract-malt
Well
Deep orange yellow
Yellowish white
Good
None
extract agar (ISP #2
medium)
Oat meal agar (ISP
Well
Brilliant yellow
Yellowish white
Moderate
None
#3 medium)
Inorganic salt agar
Well
Strong yellow
Yellowish white
Good
None
(ISP #4 medium)
Glycerol asparagine
Moderate
Brilliant yellow
Pale yellow
Poor
None
agar (ISP #5
medium)
TABLE 2
Physiological characteristics of Y31014
Cabon source
Y31014
D-glucose
+*
D-xylose
+
D-fructose
+
Sucrose
−
L-arabinose
+
Rhamnose
−
Raffinose
+
D-mannitol
+
I-inositol
+
Cellulose
−
Salicin
+
*+: positive reaction,
−: negative reaction
TABLE 3
Cultural characteristics of Y31042-1
Characteristic
Medium
Growth
Substrate mycelium
Aerial mycelium
Sporulation
Soluble pigment
Yeast extract-malt
Moderate
Strong brown
Light gray
Moderate
None
extract agar (ISP #2
medium)
Oat meal agar (ISP
Moderate
Strong yellowish
Grayish yellowish
Poor
None
#3 medium)
pink
pink
Inorganic salts starch
Moderate
Deep orange
Light gray
Poor
None
agar (ISP #4
medium)
Glycerol asparagine
Poor
Yellowish white
Light pale pink
Poor
None
agar (ISP #5
medium)
TABLE 4
Physiological characteristics of Y31042-1
Cabon source
Y31042-1
D-glucose
+
D-xylose
+
D-fructose
+
Sucrose
−
L-arabinose
+
Rhamnose
−
Raffinose
+
D-mannitol
+
I-inositol
+
Cellulose
−
Salicin
−
*+: positive reaction,
−: negative reaction
Cell Wall Amino Acid and Whole Cell Sugar Analyses
The cell wall amino acid and whole cell sugar contents of both strains Y31014 and Y31042-1 are LL-DAP, and glucose, ribose, respectively. These strains belong to chemotype IC according to the classification by Lechevalier et al., “The Chemotaxonomy of Actinomycetes,” In: Dietz, A. and D. W. Thayer (eds.) Actinomycete Taxonomy. SIM Special Publication NO. 6. USA, and are assigned to the genus Streptomyces.
Species Identification
The comparison with standard isolate of strains (Actinobase and International Journal of systematic Bacteriology) reveals that Y31014 is most related to S. orientalis, and , and Y31042-1 is mostly to S. melanogenes.
Deposition Information
The cultures of Streptomyces orientalis Y31014 and Streptomyces melanogenes Y31042-1 have been deposited with the American Type Culture Collection, (ATCC, 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110-2209, USA) on Aug. 20, 1999 in accordance with the Budapesst Treaty, and assigned the accession No. ATCC PTA-558 and PTA-557 respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides biological pure cultures of Streptomyces orientalis Y31014 and Streptomyces melanogenes Y31042-1.
It is known in the art to obtain mutants of microorganisms without altering the characteristic thereof. For instance, mutants may be obtained by treatment with physical or chemical mutagens, such as UV light, X-rays, gamma-rays and chemical such as n-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. It is also known in the art to obtain natural variants by e.g. screening cultures of the parent strain. Therefore, the invention also pertains to the mutants or variants of Streptomyces orientalis Y3 1014 and Streptomyces melanogenes Y3 1042-1 which retain the characteristics of the strains.
The novel isolates Streptomyces orientalis Y31014 and Streptomyces melanogenes Y3 1042-1 are the first known streptomycete which is highly virulent to whiteflies.
Streptomyces orientalis Y3 1014 and Streptomyces melanogenes Y3 1042-1 can attach to and subsequently penetrate the cuticle of an insect host. After penetrating the target pest's cuticle, the mycelium begins to enter the host tissues and the dying insect is filled with mycelium. Spores are produced on the external surface of the host. These spores are dispersed and capable of infecting new host insect pests.
Streptomyces orientalis Y3 1014 and Streptomyces melanogenes Y31042-1 work rapidly, with a remarkable 100 percent kill of pupal stage silverleaf whitefly within 3 to 7 days of application. Up to 70 percent of the pest can be killed at the dilution rate of 10 −3 of the cultural broth. The concentrations from about 7×10 9 to 7×10 6 CFU per milliliter of carrier can be used.
In accordance with the purpose for application, the fermented cultural broth can be used directly or formulated as compositions suitable for spraying, atomizing, dusting, spreading or pouring. For instance, the compositions can be formulated as ready-to-spray solutions, wettable-powders, suspensions, highly concentrated aqueous, oily, or other suspensions or dispersions, emulsions, oil dispersions, pastes, dusts, or granules. As with the application, the culture broth and the composition of the invention may be applied directly to the insect, the foliage of the plants, or the surroundings.
To prepare the biopesticide composition, the pure culture of the microorganism may be removed from the moisture content of the growth medium. The compositions may be prepared in a known manner, e.g. by extending the active ingredient with agriculturally acceptable carriers, auxiliaries or dilutents, such as emulsifiers, and dispersants, or surfactants, which does not inhibit the growth of the microorganism.
Carriers suitable for use in the invention include, but not limited to, ground natural or synthetic minerals, e.g. calcite, talc, diatomite, montmorillonite, attapulgite, and the like. To improve the physical properties of the compositions, highly dispersed silicates or highly dispersed absorptive polymers may be added.
Emulsifiers suitable for use in the invention include, but not limited to, nonionic and anionic emulsifiers, e.g. polyoxyethylene fatty alcohol ethers, alkylsulfonates, arylsulfonates, and the like.
Dispersants suitable for use in the invention include, but not limited to, lignosulfite waste liquors and methylcellulose, and the like.
Suitable surfactants include, but not limited to, the conventional surfactants disclosed in Mc Cutcheon's Detergents and Emulsifiers Annual, MC Publishing Corp., Glen Rock, N.J., 1988; and Encyclopedia of Surfactants, vol. I-III, Chemical Publishing Co., New York, 1980-1981.
The biopesticide composition of the invention is specific to Bemisia, and therefore can be used to treat and prevent the diseases caused by the group, e.g. aphides, leafhoppers, and whiteflies.
The fermented cultural broth of the present invention may also be applied in conjunction with a powder or granular carrier. As with spray application, the powder or granular formulation may be applied directly to the insect, the foliage of the plants, or the surroundings. To prepare the pure culture of the microorganism for mixing with the powder or granular carrier, it may be removed from the moisture content of the growth medium and combined with any other granular or powder material which does not inhibit the growth of the microorganism. Although the microorganism may be applied in conjunction with a granular carrier, application may be easier and more uniform if the carrier and the fermented cultural broth has a consistency. The biopesticide composition of the invention results in the application of a mixture which comprises the spores of the microorganism and mycelia together with a carrier. The presence of both the spores and the mycelia facilitates colonization of the target insects.
EXAMPLE 1
The Selection of the Strains Y31014 and Y31042-1
The stored microorganisms were first transferred on PDA plates and incubated at 30° C. for 7 days. One tenth of microorganism was taken from PDA plate, and inoculated to a 500 ml round bottle flask containing 100 ml NGY medium (NB 8 g, glucose 10 g, yeast extract 5 g, water 1l). The microorganism was cultivated at 30° C., 200 rpm for 24 hours. 5 ml of the culture were transferred to another 500 ml round bottle flask containing 100 ml of SSM 331 (corn starch 30 g, Supro 620 30 g, molasses 10 g, water 1l) medium and cultured for 72 hours. The culture was diluted and ready for the activity selection tests.
Two lines of silverleaf whiteflies in pupal stage were put on a stage glass, on which each line contains 5 bugs in a distance of 1 cm. 3 μl of the each diluted culture prepared as above was dropped on each bug. The stage glass was put into a 9 cm petri dish with a filter membrane containing 1 ml of water. The results were observed after 3 to 7 days with microscope.
It is found that the death rate on the first 3 days was not high. 7 days later, at the dilution rate of 10 −2 , the death rates of the bugs which are treated with the strains Y31014 and Y31042-1 were 100%. White colonies were found on the bodies of the dead whiteflies infected by the strain Y31014. The bodies infected by the strain Y31042-1, only few colonies were observed, but whole bug turned into red-brown color.
EXAMPLE 2
The Activity Studies of the Strains Y31014 and Y31042-1
To determine whether the effective material(s) caused the death of the whitefly is the antibiotic material(s) produced by the strains Y31014 and Y31042-1, or by the microorganisms per se, the following studies were proceeded.
The cultures of the strains Y31014 and Y31042-1 were centrifuged at 15000 rpm for 15 min., the supernatants and the pellets were collected separately for further tests. In addition, the sterilized cultures of the strains Y31014 and Y31042-1, or the extracts of the cultures by acetone or acetyl acetate were also prepared. These samples were applied to the whitefly as the process illustrated in Example 2. The results are shown in Tables 5 and 6.
TABLE 5
Death Rate (%)
Strain Y31014
* 250 X
500 X
750 X
1000 X
Cultural Broth
90
60
50
50
Supernatant
50
60
50
50
Pellet
90
70
70
70
Sterilized Culture
0
0
0
0
Acetone Extract
0
0
0
0
Acetyl Acetate Extract
0
0
0
0
* dilution rate
TABLE 5
Death Rate (%)
Strain Y31014
* 250 X
500 X
750 X
1000 X
Cultural Broth
90
60
50
50
Supernatant
50
60
50
50
Pellet
90
70
70
70
Sterilized Culture
0
0
0
0
Acetone Extract
0
0
0
0
Acetyl Acetate Extract
0
0
0
0
* dilution rate
As illustrated in Table 6, the biological activity of the strain Y31042-1 only showed in the cultural broth and the pellet. According to Table 5, the biological activity existed in the supernatant of the strain Y31014, however, the activity was lower and white coloines were found on the dead bodies. It is suggested that the effectual material of the cultures of the strains Y31014 and Y31042-1 is the microorganisms per se. The biological activity of the supernatant of the strain Y31014 is mostly originated from the spores which cannot be fully separated by centrifugation.
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The invention relates to isolates of Streptomyces orientalis Y31014 and Streptomyces melanogenes Y31042-1 can be effectively control whiteflies.
The invention also concerns a novel biopesticide and its use to control pests.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the burning of waste gas vented away from the site of a petroleum processing operation, including drilling and refining operational sites and, more particularly, to a remote electrical ignition and flame monitoring system and method for maintaining a flare for the burning of waste gas.
The term "waste gases" as used herein is intended to refer to gaseous substances generated during oil drilling and petroleum refining that are of insufficient value to warrant capture or collection. Waste gases include poisonous and explosive products such as hydrogen sulfide and propane, which cannot be permitted to freely escape into the air because of their hazardous and pollutionary nature.
A common method of disposing of waste gases is to burn the gases in the form of a flare as they are generated. The flare can be maintained continuously or produced intermittently depending upon the presence of the waste gases.
Waste gas flares are usually found at chemical plants, refineries, oil and gas well sites, compressor stations, offshore platforms and other locations wherein flammable materials may be discharged into the atmosphere as a by-product of some processing operation.
Due to the hazardous nature of many waste gases, the discharge point of the gases and the location of the flare is preferably at a safe, remote distance from personnel and equipment used in carrying out a drilling and refining process. Thus, waste gases are often discharged and burned at the end of vertical stacks which can rise more than 200 feet above the ground, or from the end of cantilevered venting structures on offshore drilling platforms which can extend approximately 180 feet above water.
Systems for providing waste gas flares at a waste gas disposal point are a vital part of a processing operation, and the failure to provide a flare when needed will usually lead to a total shutdown of a processing or production facility.
It is thus essential that a flare be provided when needed at a waste gas disposal site and that the presence of the flare be monitored when a burning operation is to be carried out. In some processing or refining operations, the discharge of waste gases can occur without warning and it is normal practice under these conditions to have a pilot flame burn continuously, to ignite the gases as they are vented.
A common problem in many known flame monitoring and ignition systems is their occasional failure to clearly indicate whether a pilot flame is present or absent. To offset this difficulty some operators intentionally vent an additional volume of gases through a stack to make a flare more apparent. However such practice can be dangerous to both personnel and equipment because it is difficult to measure the amount of raw gas accumulating in the stack before it reaches the flare point. Explosions can thus result.
One type of flame sensing device in present use includes a heat sensor. However heat sensing devices are subject to slow response, premature burnout due to extreme temperatures, and lightning damage. The reliability of heat sensing devices is thus questionable.
Another known flame sensing device detects the ionization of gas molecules resulting from a burning flame. The sensors used in this device are somewhat fragile and depend upon a separate source of electric current, as well as a separate conductor for operation.
Optical sensors have also been used to monitor the presence of a flare but require sensitive electronic systems that are subject to frequent failure in harsh operating environments.
In some instances, the discharge of waste gases occurs at predictable predetermined times and the ignition of such gases can be arranged to occur at such time as they are discharged.
Thus it is often desirable to have the capability of igniting a flare intermittently at a site remote from operating personnel and equipment.
One known way of igniting a flare on an as-needed basis is to use a flame-front system to ignite a pilot light which, in turn, ignites the waste gas flare. The flame-front system employs a mixture of air and gas which is purged along a pipe from the ground to the flare tip. A spark is then introduced into the pipe at the ground to ignite the gas-air mixture in the pipe. A resulting flame front of burning gases progresses along the pipe to the tip, and exits into the pilot body igniting the main gas supply.
The flame-front system is very sensitive to humidity, rain, piping orientation, and other characteristics of individual situations wherein the pipe is deployed. The flame-front system often requires numerous attempts to ignite a flame successfully and has occasionally been found to be unreliable.
When a flame-front system fails to ignite a pilot flame and the waste-gas flare, a backup procedure, such as the firing of a pyrotechnic flare from a rifle or pistol though the escaping gases may be employed. The use of pyrotechnic flares requires a skillful operator, and is seldom safe in the environment of a refinery or off-shore platform.
Known attempts to resolve the foregoing ignition problems include the use of electronic ignition systems employing a high voltage device such as a transformer to deliver a reliable spark at an igniter head. The term "high voltage" as used herein refers to voltages in excess of approximately several kilovolts. Other circuitry employed in known electronic ignition systems include relaxation oscillators or high voltage generators. Such electrical equipment, while capable of developing high voltage often cannot deliver adequate current for ignition.
Another problem in the use of electronic ignition has been the need for a long ignition cable to bring high voltage to the site of the flare. Such cables have been found to introduce substantial loss to electric signals transmitted along the cables. Consequently, some electronic units are located relatively close to an igniter electrode. Close proximity of an electronic unit to an igniter electrode subjects the electronic circuitry to tremendous amounts of heat which leads to premature failure. Furthermore, since the electronic circuitry is practically inaccessible, it is costly to repair.
A further problem of electronic ignitors is that they operate with high frequency signals, in excess of several kilohertz. Such high frequency signals are attenuated by the capacitance of an ignition cable. Thus, presently available ignition devices deploying ignition cables have a maximum operating distance limit, typically of 25 feet in optimum conditions.
It is thus desirable to provide a flame ignition and monitoring system which reliably monitors the existence of waste gas flare and which can be operated at periodic intervals to provide an ignition spark when needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, the flame ignition and monitoring system employs an electrode assembly positioned at a fuel passage for providing alternating electric current at a relatively low frequency and at a relatively high voltage. The current is provided at a frequency in the range of 40 to 400 Hz, preferably 60 Hz, and the voltage is provided in the range of 4 to 20 kilovolts, preferably 10 kilovolts.
Power for generating the alternating current is provided by a step-up transformer with an input winding coupled via a gating circuit to a supply of low voltage, in the range of approximately 60 to 120 volts AC. A computer operates the gate, which may be a thyristor, for periodically applying power to the transformer.
For example, the power may be applied as a pulse having a duration of one second, and is reapplied repetitively once every 10 seconds. This arrangement provides for continuous reignition of waste gas in the event that a flame of waste gas is blown out by a strong wind.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the transformer is provided with a further winding, serving as a monitoring winding, which provides an output current proportional to the current flowing through the electrode assembly. If the alternating current has a frequency of 60 Hz, the primary frequency component of current in the monitoring winding is also 60 Hz. By filtering out the primary component at 60 Hz, there remains in the monitoring current higher frequency components resulting from nonlinear interaction of the current with the transformer, the transmission cable, the electrode assembly and, particularly with ionized particles in the pilot flame, which ionized particles are known to introduce a rectifying action to the ignition current. The non-linear components, which include frequencies as high as six times that of the fundamental component, have the waveforms of voltage spikes.
With respect to the rectifying action of the ionized particles in the pilot flame, current which flows in the forward direction during the forward half-cycle of the alternating current tends to produce less of the foregoing spike waveforms than is produced by current flowing in the reverse direction during the reverse half-cycle of the alternating current. By counting the pulses occuring during the positive and the negative half-cycles of the alternating current, the difference in the rates of occurrence of the voltage spike waveforms is measured. In the absence of a pilot flame, the rates of occurrence of the spike waveforms will be approximately equal during the positive and the negative half cycles of current flow. However, during the presence of a pilot flame, the rates of occurrence of the spike waveforms is significantly different between the positive and the negative half cycles of current flow. This difference serves as an indication of the presence and absence of a pilot flame.
As a further feature of the invention, a relatively small amount of current, at least two orders of magnitude less than that required for ignition, is allowed to flow through the gate to the primary winding of the transformer to induce current flow through the flame. A current measuring meter is connected in circuit with the output winding of the transformer which feeds the electrode assembly, to measure the flame current. In the event of extinction of the flame, the meter registers zero current. A shunt switch bypasses the meter to protect the meter during the presence of an ignition current pulse. The current measuring meter provides a backup indication of the presence of a flame. To provide further backup indication, a phase locked loop may be applied to the filtered monitoring current to sense a frequency component thereof which is established to be present during the presence of the pilot flame. The actual frequency component has been found to depend on characteristics of the electrode assembly and the pilot housing and, accordingly, need be measured at system startup. The phase locked loop is then tuned to the pre-established value of frequency so as to provide an output logic signal indicating the presence of the flame.
The invention accordingly comprises the constructions and method hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings,
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic view of an oil drilling rig and stack for waste-gas having a pilot ignition and monitoring system incorporating one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the ignition and monitoring system of the invention;
FIG. 3 shows simplified waveforms that illustrate the monitoring function of the invention; and
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the operation of a microprocessor of FIG. 2.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A drilling station for a petroleum processing plant incorporating one embodiment of the invention is generally indicated by the reference number 10. Reference number 10 can also designate a refinery or other apparatus for the processing of oil incorporating one embodiment of the invention.
The station 10 includes a platform 12 for supporting oil drilling equipment (not shown) and a stack 14 for the venting and disposal of waste gas. A derrick for holding sections of drill pipe which is supported by the platform 12 in a known manner, is not shown to simplify the drawing.
An ignitor 16 is disposed at the top of the stack 14 for directing a pilot flame 18 across an opening 15 of the stack 14 for igniting a waste-gas flare when waste gas is present. A fuel tube 20 conducts a fuel, such as methane, to the ignitor 16 to be burned as the pilot flame 18. An electrical conductor such as an ignition cable 22 conducts an ignition current to the ignitor 16 for electrical ignition of the pilot flame 18. The ignition current is produced within a pilot flame ignition and monitoring unit 24 disposed on the platform 12. The stack 14 extends upwardly from the platform 12 to a substantial height, such as 200 feet, and the tube 20 and the cable 22 extend upward a corresponding height from the ignition unit 24.
The function of the ignition unit 24 is to apply fuel through the tube 20 for maintenance of the flame 18, and to provide an ignition current through the cable 22 to the ignitor 16 for igniting the flame 18. In addition, the unit 24 monitors the flow of electrical current through the flame 18 to determine the presence of the flame 18, and to signal operating personnel of the station 10 in the event of loss of the flame 18. The generation of the ignition current, and the monitoring of the flame current is accomplished by electrical circuitry within the unit 24.
Referring to FIG. 2, the unit 24 includes an electrical circuit 26 for supplying ignition current to the ignitor 16, and for monitoring the flow of electric current within the flame 18. The ignitor 16 has a tubular snout 28 formed of electrically conductive metal that constitutes one electrode of an electrode assembly 30 of the ignitor 16. A second electrode of the electrode assembly 30 is formed as a post 32 held by an encircling insulator 34 in an interior portion of the snout 28. Conventional means (not shown) are provided for positioning the insulator 34 and the post 32 within the snout 28.
Gaseous fuel provided by the tube 20 enters a proximal end 35 of the snout 28 in conjunction with an inflow of air at a port 36 of the snout 28. The fuel and the air, which mix within the snout 28, are ignited by a spark 38 from the ignition current, and exit as the flame 18 from a distal end 39 of the snout 28. The post 32 connects through the insulator 34 with the ignition cable 22, and the snout 28 is electrically connected to the circuit 26 by means of a ground connection 40 which connection, for example, can be an outer conductor (not shown) of the ignition cable 22.
The circuit 26 provides the ignitor 16 with both monitoring and ignition functions by coupling a transformer 42 to the ignition cable 22. The transformer 42 comprises a primary winding 44, a secondary winding 46, and a monitoring winding 48 which are coupled magnetically by a core 50. One end of the secondary winding 46 connects with a central conductor of the cable 22, and the opposite end of the secondary winding is connected by a current-measuring meter 52 to ground.
A relay 54 having a switch contact 56 is connected in parallel across terminals of the meter 52 to provide a protective bypass across the meter 52 upon closure of the switch contact 56 to protect the meter 52 during ignition of the flame 18. The protective function is initiated by energizing a coil 58 of the relay 54 to close the contact 56, the meter 52 resuming normal operations upon a deenergization of the coil 58 for opening of the contact 56.
The circuit 26 comprises a microprocessor 60 and a set of lamps connected thereto, including a lamp 62 for indicating that the flame 18 is present, a lamp 64 for indicating an absence of the flame 18, and a lamp 66 to indicate a malfunction within the monitoring process of the circuit 26.
A power supply 68 is connected by a gating element such as a triac or thyristor 70 to the primary winding 44. The power supply 68 is activated by a signal applied to the supply 68 by the microprocessor 60 via a switch 72. The supply 68 provides an alternating current and an alternating voltage to the winding 44, the voltage being in a range of approximately 50 to 150 volts at a frequency in the range of approximately 40 to 400 Hz. A typical value of voltage is 120 volts, and a typical frequency is 60 Hz. Also included within the supply 68 is a supply of DC voltage (not shown) for operation of the microprocessor 60 and other components of the circuit 26.
A further output 74 connects with a terminal of the relay coil 58, and also connects via a delay unit 76 to a control terminal of the thyristor 70. A signal provided by the processor 60 at the output 74 places the thyristor 70 in a state of conduction for coupling power from the supply 68 to the transformer 42 for igniting the flame 18. By connecting both the relay coil 58 and the thyristor 70 to the same output of the microprocessor 60, the protective bypass across the meter 52 is activated concurrently with the application of power to the transformer 42. The delay unit 76 introduces a delay of approximately one-tenth of a second to ensure that the protective bypass is secure before the thyristor 70 is placed in the conductive state.
A band reject filter 78 is serially connected between the monitoring winding 48 and an amplitude limiter 80, an output terminal of the filter 78 being connected via an amplifier 82 to an input terminal of the limiter 80. In the construction of the reject filter 78 (FIG. 2), it is convenient to use a second order band reject filter comprising two operational amplifiers with resistor-capacitor feedback networks. A connection between the amplifier 82 and the limiter 80 is designated a terminal A to facilitate identification of the location of a signal to be described subsequently with reference to FIG. 3.
In operation of the circuit 26, all currents flowing through the secondary winding 46 to the electrode assembly 30 induce a proportional monitoring current in the winding 48, which current is supplied to an input port of the filter 78. The currents in the primary winding 46 include both ignition current and a flame current which is allowed to propagate through ionized gases of the flame 18 during intervals of time, to be referred to as interpulse intervals, between pulses of ignition current.
The microprocessor 60 periodically energizes the transformer 42 by applying a periodic train of pulses to the thyristor 70. For example, the duration of the turn-on pulse of the thyristor 70 is approximately one second, and the pulse repeats every 10 seconds. During the interpulse interval of approximately nine seconds, leakage current flows through the thyristor 70 from the supply 68 to the primary winding 44. Should the leakage current be insufficient, a resistor 84, shown in phantom, may be connected in parallel with the thyristor 70. The leakage current is an alternating current which is coupled via the core 50 to appear as a flame current that propagates through the ionized gases of the flame 18 during the interpulse intervals.
The supply 80 provides a predetermined amount of voltage, and the resultant current depends, in part, upon the nature of the electrically conductive path provided by the plasma of the flame 18. The waveform of the flame current resulting from the plasma action appears also on the monitoring current in the winding 48. Due to the 60 Hz excitation, a major component of the waveform in the monitoring current occurs at 60 Hz. The filter 78 rejects the component at 60 Hz so as to pass only harmonics of the excitation current, as well as other frequency components resulting from nonlinear interaction of current with plasma.
The fundamental component is substantially larger than the higher frequency components which contain information as to the nature of the flame 18, and tends to mask this information. By rejecting the fundamental component, the filter 78 allows the remaining portion of the monitoring signal to be processed for extraction of flame information. The transformer 42 is a step-up transformer having a step-up ratio of approximately 60:1 for stepping up an input voltage of 120 volts to an output voltage of approximately 7000 volts. The step-up ratio of the transformer 42 is sufficient to provide adequate voltage for ignition of the flame 18, as well as adequate voltage for maintaining flame current during the interpulse intervals.
With reference also to FIG. 3, it should be noted that the data bearing signals outputted by the filter 78 are of relatively low amplitude, and are amplified by approximately 20 dB (decibels) by the amplifier 82, prior to further amplification and limitation by the limiter 80. The waveform of the data bearing signals varies considerably as a function of the physical characteristics, such as shape and size, of the snout 28, and as a function of the electrical characteristics of the electrode assembly 30 and the ignition cable 22, as well as the geometry of the post 32 relative to the configuration of the snout 28.
A typical configuration of the waveform is shown in the first two graphs of FIG. 3. The first and second graphs of FIG. 3 show the waveforms at terminal A for the respective conditions wherein the flame is absent and wherein the flame is present. These waveforms have a sputtering pattern of a sharp rise time followed by an exponential decay. A noteworthy characteristic of the waveform is that, in the absence of the flame, the waveform is approximately symmetrical for both positive and negative directions of current flow during each cycle of the alternating current.
The cycles of alternating current are represented in phantom by a dashed line 86 in FIG. 3 as a reference to identify the periodic nature of the data bearing waveform. The number of individual pulses shown within each cycle is dependent on the physical and electrical characteristic of a particular installation of an igniter 16, the number of pulses shown in FIG. 3 being provided simply to indicate the nature of the waveform.
A further characteristic of the data bearing waveform, which is of great use in implementing the monitoring function of the invention is shown in the second graph wherein the effect of plasma becomes evident. Since the plasma has the tendency to polarize the electrode assembly 30, and introduce a rectification action to current flowing through the flame plasma, the voltage is substantially reduced in the forward direction of current flow through the flame. Consequently, substantially fewer voltage pulses are produced during the forward direction of current flow as indicated in the second graph.
The circuit 26 is constructed of a positive branch and a negative branch for counting the number of pulses produced in each branch over a predetermined measuring interval of time so as to note whether there is substantial equality of pulses, indicating flame absence, or substantial inequality of pulses, indicating flame presence.
The foregoing pulses at terminal A can be observed during the pulsing intervals when the thyristor 70 is in a state of conduction. However, during the interpulse intervals, when the current of the secondary winding 46 is substantially lower, it is not feasible to observe these pulses. Instead, if desired, a phased locked loop (PLL) 88 may be connected between an output terminal of the limiter 80 and an input terminal of the microprocessor 60.
The loop 88 is tuned to identify a frequency component which is characteristic of the monitoring current in the presence of the flame. Due to the high gain and narrow bandwidth of the loop 88, the loop 88 can lock onto the identifying frequency component produced by the flame plasma and the frequency of the excitation voltage of the supply 68. The loop 88 is thus operative during an interval of pulsing as well as during an interpulse interval so as to provide continuous information as to the status of the flame 18.
The loop 88 outputs a logic signal to the microprocessor 60 indicating the presence or absence of the flame. Also, the meter 52 is sufficiently sensitive to provide an indication of the current in the secondary winding 46 during the interpulse intervals. Under this arrangement, the meter 52 provides data during the interpulse intervals, the loop 88 provides data continuously during pulsing intervals and interpulse intervals, and both of the branches, namely the positive branch and the negative branch, provide information as to the flame status during the pulsing intervals. The construction and operation of the positive and negative branches of the circuit 26 will now be described.
The positive branch of the circuit 26 comprises a comparator 90, a gate 92, a counter 94, and a source 96 of a reference signal. Similarly, the negative branch comprises a comparator 98, a gate 100, a counter 102, and a source 104 of reference signal. Output signals of the counters 94 and 102 are connected by a selector switch 106 to an input port 108 of the microprocessor 60. The comparator 90 receives at its input terminals an output signal of the limiter 80 and a reference signal from the source 96, the comparator 90 comparing the two signals to output a logic signal, having a value of 0 or 1, to an input terminal of the gate 92.
Similarly, the comparator 98 receives at its input terminals the output signal of the limiter 80 and a reference signal from the source 104, the comparator 98 comparing the limiter signal with the reference signal and outputting a logic signal, having a value of 0 or 1, resulting from the comparison to an input terminal of the gate 100. The gates 92 and 100 are activated concurrently during a measurement interval by an output 110 of the microprocessor 60. Pulse signals conducted via the gates 92 and 100 are counted respectively by the counters 94 and 102. The counters 94 and 102 are reset simultaneously by an output 112 of the microprocessor 60.
During operation, and with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the pulse signals of the first two graphs of FIG. 3 are amplified and limited by the limiter 80 to convert the spike-shaped waveforms to substantially rectangular waveforms of uniform amplitude, which are more readily processed by the comparators 90 and 98 than the spike-shaped waveforms. The limiter 80 operates symmetrically with respect to positive and negative values of voltage to preserve the polarity of the pulses depicted in the first two graphs of FIG. 3.
The reference signal of the source 96 has a positive value, and the reference signal of the source 104 has a negative value. The comparator 90 is activated to produce a logic-1 signal in response to the presence of positive pulses exceeding the reference signal of the source 96. Similarly, the comparator 98 is activated to output a logic-1 signal in response to negative pulses which are more negative than the negative value of the reference signal of the source 104. In this manner, the comparator 90 signals the presence of each positive pulse at terminal A, and the comparator 98 signals the presence of each negative pulse at terminal A.
For conditions wherein the flame 18 is absent, the positive and negative pulses are equally likely to occur, and the comparators 90 and 98 output a substantially equal number of logic-1 signals during a measurement interval. For conditions wherein the flame 18 is present, many of the positive pulses fail to appear, as shown in the second graph of FIG. 3 and the comparator 98 outputs more logic-1 signals than does the comparator 90 in the measurement interval. The signals outputted by the comparator 90 of the negative branch during the presence of the flame 18 are shown in the fourth graph of FIG. 3.
The microprocessor 60 establishes the duration of a measurement interval, which is preferably an integral number of cycles of the AC voltage outputted by the supply 68. The switch 72 is closed to provide the ignition and monitoring functions of the circuit 26, an opening of the switch 72 terminating these functions. Assuming that the ignition interval is one second, this encompassing a total of 60 cycles of the AC voltage at a frequency of 60 Hz, a suitable measurement interval would be 40 cycles, for example, from the eleventh cycle to the fiftieth cycle inclusive.
The microprocessor 60 provides an enable signal at the output 110 during the measurement interval to place the gates 92 and 100 in a state of conduction during the measurement interval, and to place the gates 92 and 100 in a state of nonconduction outside of the measurement interval. The counters 94 and 102 count the positive and negative pulses, respectively, and retain their output counts at the end of the measurement interval. The counts are retained until the counters 94 and 102 are later reset by a reset signal at the output 112 of the microprocessor 60.
An output 114 of the microprocessor 60 operates the switch 106 to allow the microprocessor 60 to selectively read the final counts of the counters 94 and 102 prior to the resetting of the counters 94 and 102. The microprocessor 60 compares the counts of the counters 94 and 102 to determine if the flame 18 is present or absent, and to illuminate the lamps 62 and 64 to indicate the presence and absence of flame.
The operation of the microprocessor 60 is schematically shown in the flow chart of FIG. 4. As indicated at the function block 116, the microprocessor 60 activates the output 74 (FIG. 2) to send an electrical ignition current pulse via the transformer 42 to the igniter 16. The flame 18, if present, continues to burn during the ignition pulse. The ignition pulse also provides an opportunity for monitoring the presence of the flame 18. In the event that the flame 18 has been extinguished, as by a strong wind at the top of the stack 14 (FIG. 1), the ignition current is effective to reignite the flame 18.
In a succeeding stage of operation of the microprocessor 60, represented by the function block 118, the measurement interval is started by the enable signal at the output 110. The gates 92 and 100 conduct pulses from the comparators 90 and 98 to the counters 94 and 102, respectively, to develop their respective counts during the measurement interval. The enable signal at the output 110 is terminated, as represented by the function block 120, to stop the measurement interval. Thereafter, the ignition current pulse is terminated, as represented by the function block 122, by terminating the signal at the microprocessor output 74.
The microprocessor 60 can now analyze the data. First, as generally represented by the function block 124, the counts of the counters 94 and 102 are read via the computer port 108. The microprocessor 60 determines whether the monitoring system is functioning properly by adding both of the counts, as represented by the function block 126, to ascertain, as represented by the function block 128, that some counts are present. For example, if it is presumed that there should be at least one pulse per measurement cycle, then the sum of the counts should be greater than N where N is equal to 40. If the sum is less than N, then the computer illuminates the fault lamp 66, as represented by the function block 130, and the program advances to the function represented by the block 132 for a resetting of the counters 94 and 102 prior to commencement of the next measurement interval.
If, at the function represented by the block 128, proper operation of the monitoring circuitry is noted, the program will proceed to the function represented by the block 134 wherein the counts are subtracted to provide a difference in the counts, which difference is examined as represented at the function block 136. If the count difference is approximately zero, then the flame is understood to be absent, and the lamp 64 is lit as represented by the function block 138.
After the lamp 64 is lit, the program proceeds to the function represented by the block 132 for resetting of the counters 94 and 102. At the function represented by the block 136, if a significant difference between the counts is noted, then the flame is understood to be present, and the lamp 62 is lit as represented by the function block 140, after which the program proceeds to the function represented by the block 132 for the resetting of the counters.
At the function represented by the block 136, the count difference is compared to a significant number of pulses, such as 5 or 10 pulses to obviate the possible effect of noise induced pulses in the determination of substantial equality of the counts. Accordingly, the count difference is compared to M where M has a value of, for example, 5 or 10. After the resetting of the counters as represented by the function block 132, the microprocessor 60 then waits, as represented by the function block 142, for the balance of the interpulse interval, approximately 9 seconds, at which point the program returns to the function represented by the block 116 to activate the next ignition pulse.
If it is desired to implement the phased locked loop 88, the loop 88 may be provided with a separate output indicator (not shown) or, alternatively may be employed with the logic of the microprocessor 60 as shown in phantom in FIG. 4. Beginning at the function represented by the block 130 for the lighting of the fault lamp 66, the program proceeds to the function represented by the block 144 in which the microprocessor 60 reads the output signal of the phased locked loop 88 to determine if the output signal is present. If no output signal is present, then the phased locked loop 88 has not sensed the presence of the flame 18, and the program advances to the function represented by the block 132 for resetting the counters.
In the event that the phased locked loop 88 outputs a signal indicating that the flame 18 is present, the program advances to the function represented by the block 140 for lighting the lamp 62, after which the program advances to the function represented by the block 132 for resetting the counters. In this instance, both the lamps 62 and 66 are illuminated to indicate that a fault is present in the monitoring circuitry and that, nevertheless, the phased locked loop 88 has sensed the presence of the flame 18. In this manner, the phase locked loop 88 acts as a backup indicator, together with the backup indication of the meter 52 to show that a flame is present even though the pulses of FIG. 3 have not been found.
The phased locked loop 88 is also encountered at the function represented by the block 138 wherein, after lighting the lamp 64 to indicate the absence of the flame, the program proceeds to the function represented by the block 144 for reading the output signal of the loop 88. Here too, if no output signal is found, then the program advances to function represented by the block 132 for resetting the counters.
If a signal is outputted by the phased locked loop 88 to indicate the detection of a flame 18, then the program advances to the function represented by the block 140 for lighting the lamp 62, after which the program advances to the function represented by the block 132 for resetting the counters. In this instance, both the lamp 64, indicating the absence of a flame, and the lamp 62 indicating the presence of a flame are lit. This shows that, due to a partial failure in the operation of the monitoring circuitry, an equality of the pulses of FIG. 3 has been detected (first graph of FIG. 3) indicating flame absence while the phased locked loop 88 has detected flame presence. In this instance, it is advisable to check the meter 52 as a further backup to determine if the flame is present.
Some advantages of the present invention evident from the foregoing description include a monitoring system employing two or three distinct means for monitoring the flame, thereby enhancing the reliability of the monitoring system. The use of relatively low frequency current excitation, rather than conventional high frequency current excitation, and the use of higher ignition voltage, results in reduced losses associated with capacitance of the ignition cable, and higher voltage and power availability at the electrode assembly 30 for reliable ignition of the flare.
The present ignition system has been found to provide reliable ignition of a flare at distances in excess of 1000 feet between the ignition unit 24 (FIG. 1) and the igniter 16. Thus, the circuit 26 of the ignition unit 24 can be readily serviced at easily accessible locations. A further advantage of the invention is the use of a single cable, namely the ignition cable 22, to provide both ignition and monitoring functions.
A still further advantage of the invention is that the periodic pulsing of the ignition current operates to clean the electrode surfaces of the assembly 30 of oxidation and containments in addition to reignition of a flame that might be blown out. Systems that do not have periodic pulsing capability can accummulate contaminants such as grime and bird droppings which may short out the ignition electrodes or induce undesirable chemical changes of the electrode structure.
In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.
As various changes can be made in the above constructions and method without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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A system and method for igniting and monitoring a pilot flame for a burning of waste gas, such as the waste gas of an oil refinery or drilling rig, includes a current which is pulsed periodically with pulses of approximately one-second duration of electric power resulting in the outputting of an igniter electrode assembly of typically 6000 volts AC at 20 milliamperes at an alternating current frequency of typically 60 Hz. During the presence of a pilot flame, ionization of gas takes place resulting in a rectification of ignition current. The transformer has a monitoring winding outputting a signal from which a 60 Hz component is filtered out, the remaining signal having a sequence of pulses which varies between positive and negative intervals of the alternating current excitation. Comparison of the pulses provides for an indication of flame absence in the presence of equality of the pulses, and flame presence in the presence of an ineqality of the pulses. Pulse signals appearing in harmonics of the interaction in the flame plasma show spectral components in the range of 240 to 360 Hz.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/753,837 filed Jan. 7 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/386,980 filed Mar. 12, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/339,264 filed Jan. 9, 2003, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention.
[0003] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for utilizing ultraviolet (UV) light to cure a disk-shaped product using UV-LED chips mounted in an array and providing for relative movement between the array and the disk-shaped product, thereby to cure a curable ink, coating or adhesive mounted in the disk-shaped product. The inks, coatings and adhesives have UV photo initiators which, when exposed to UV light, convert monomers in the inks, coatings and adhesives to linking polymers to solidify the curable material.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art.
[0005] Heretofore, UV-LED arrays have been proposed for curing inks, coatings or adhesives.
[0006] The prior proposals teach one to stagger rows of UV-LED's in different arrays on a panel positioned closely adjacent a product to be cured, to move the product past the array, to move the array in a generally orbital path to uniformly apply UV light on the product and to inject an inert, heavier than air or lighter than air gas in the area between the panel and the product.
[0007] Also it has been learned that different wavelengths of UV light are better suited for different thicknesses of ink, coating or adhesive and/or for different components in the ink coating or adhesive.
[0008] For example, thick polymers require longer wavelengths for curing. Surface curing requires shorter wavelengths.
[0009] Further, a common use of UV curable adhesives and coatings is in the manufacture of compact disks, CD's.
[0010] It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved UV method and apparatus for applying UV light at one or more wavelengths to a disk-shaped UV curable product to more effectively cure UV inks, coatings and adhesives in or on the product, by causing relative rotation between the UV light and the disk-shaped product.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a method and apparatus for curing an UV curable product, article, ink coating or adhesive in or on a disk including the step of or mechanisms for causing relative rotational movement between an array of UV-LED chips mounted on a panel and a disk containing the UV curable product, article, ink coating or adhesive.
[0012] Also, according to the present invention there is provided at least one staggered array of UV LED assemblies on at least one panel with the UV LED assemblies being arranged in rows with each row being staggered from adjacent rows. A mechanism is provided for causing relative rotational movement between the panel and a disk-shaped product.
[0013] In one preferred embodiment, the disk-shaped product containing the UV curable product, article or other object to be cured is arranged to rotate. A gas having a molecular weight heavier than air or lighter than air can be injected into the area of rotation of the UV curable product, article or other object having a UV ink, coating, or adhesive thereon as it rotates past a panel of arrays of UV LED assemblies.
[0014] In another preferred embodiment, the panel or a + shaped (cross-shaped) structure comprising four panels is caused to rotate relative to the disk-shaped product.
[0015] Advantageously, the method and apparatus of the present invention provide better uniformity of light application from a flat panel having an array of UV-LED's. This result can be obtained when the product and/or the light fixture is rotated relative to and across the UV light beams from the UV-LED assemblies. The rotational movement has the ability to provide enhanced uniformity. Desirably, the rotation of the UV curable product or the rotation of the light array provides outstanding uniformity of UV light and UV curing of the product.
[0016] A more detailed explanation of the invention is provided in the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a panel or substrate mounting an array of UV-LED chips positioned above a disk-shaped product, which is caused to rotate underneath the array;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the disk and panel or substrate shown in FIG. 1 and also shows a dispensing apparatus for dispensing liquid having a UV photo initiator therein onto the disk-shaped product as it rotates under the dispensing apparatus;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a + shaped (cross-shaped) arrangement of four panels each having an array of UV-LED chips mounted thereon for rotation above a disk; and
[0020] FIG. 4 is a vertical, partially sectional view of the cross-shaped panel assembly shown in FIG. 3 and shows a glass or plastic shield between the UV-LED chips in the four arrays and the disk therebeneath and also shows an auxiliary array of UV-LED chips on the side of the disk and a glass or plastic protecting shield between the auxiliary array and the side of the disk.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] A detailed description of the preferred embodiments and best modes for practicing the invention are described herein.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is illustrated therein a generally rectangular-shaped, horizontal, substantially planar or flat, fixed panel 10 mounting an array 12 of staggered, offset UV-LED chips 14 . The UV-LED chips 14 are arranged in staggered rows and mounted to the panel 10 such that the UV-LED chips 14 in one row are adjacent spaces between UV-LED chips 14 in an adjacent row. It will be understood that the array 12 shown on the upper side of the panel 10 is for the convenience of showing the array 12 and that actually, the array 12 of UV-LED chips 14 are mounted on the underside of the panel 10 . The array 12 of UV-LED chips 14 is better shown in FIG. 2 . The panel 10 can be supported by an upright vertically disposed support structure in the form of a cantilevered base 15 ( FIG. 2 ), so that the panel 10 can be positioned over a generally disk-shaped product 16 , or, simply a disk 16 . The arrow 18 in FIG. 1 indicates the direction of rotation of the disk 16 in a UV-LED chip apparatus 20 including the panel 10 for curing UV photo initiators on or in the disk 16 .
[0023] As shown in FIG. 2 , the apparatus 20 can include a support pad 22 for supporting the disk 16 . The support pad 22 can be fixed to an output shaft 24 at one end of a motor 26 . The motor 26 can be energized periodically to rotate a disk 16 placed on the support pad 22 to enable UV light from the UV-LED chip array 12 to cure an UV curable product, article, ink coating or adhesive in or on the disk 16 . Between the array 12 of UV-LED chips 14 and the disk 16 there can be positioned a glass or plastic sheet or plate 28 for protecting the UV-LED chips in the array 12 from splatter.
[0024] The UV-LED chips 14 are preferably arranged in an offset staggered array 12 on at least one panel 10 . If desired, at least one row of UV LED chips 14 can emit light in the visible light spectrum whereby a user can visually determine that power is being supplied to the array 12 of UV LED chips 14 .
[0025] Further, a heavier than air or lighter than air, non-oxygen, non-combustion supporting gas can be provided in the area between the panel and the product to enhance UV curing. Also, the gas can be circulated by a fan to enhance cooling of the UV-LED chips 14 and heat dissipating fins can be mounted on the top side of panel 10 to further enhance cooling of the UV-LED chips 14 .
[0026] Also shown in FIG. 2 , is a dispenser 30 for dispensing a liquid 38 having one or more UV photo initiators therein onto the upper surface of the rotating disk 16 . The dispenser 30 is preferably positioned above the disk 16 and can have a dispensing point 34 near the center of the disk 16 so that liquid 38 dispensed can flow by centrifugal force radially outwardly to a periphery of the disk 16 as the disk 16 rotates. At the same time, the UV curable liquid coated portion of the disk 16 passing beneath the array 12 of UV-LED chips can be cured, polymerized and solidified, by the UV light emitted from the UV-LED chips 14 .
[0027] In FIG. 3 , there is illustrated another UV-LED chip apparatus 40 for curing UV photo initiators in or on a stationary or fixed disk 16 . As shown, the apparatus 40 includes a cross-shaped or + shaped structure 42 including four rotatable, generally horizontal, substantially flat or planar portions or panels 44 , 46 , 48 and 50 , each mounting an array 52 of UV-LED chips 54 and a center panel portion 56 . In it's simplest form, the structure 40 can include at least one elongated panel 44 , 46 , 48 or 50 . The UV LED chips 54 are preferably arranged in an offset staggered array on at least one panel 44 , 46 , 48 or 50 . Also, while the arrays 52 are shown in FIG. 3 on the upper side of each panel portion 44 - 50 , it will be understood that this is only for the convenience of showing the arrays 52 and that actually, the arrays 52 are mounted on the underside of each panel portion 44 - 50 , as better shown in FIG. 4 .
[0028] In the apparatus 40 of FIG. 3 or 4 , the center panel portion 56 is shown integral or connected to the panel portions 44 - 50 having the four arrays 52 of UV-LED chips, and is mounted to a shaft 58 at one end of a motor 60 , so that the panel portions 44 - 50 and the arrays 52 can be rotated relative to the disk 16 . It will be understood that a suitable support can be provided for the disk 16 , such as a pedestal (not shown).
[0029] If desired at least one row of UV LED chips 54 can emit light in the visible light spectrum whereby a user can visually determine that power is being supplied to the array (s) 52 of UV LED chips 54 .
[0030] Further, a heavier than air or lighter than air, non-oxygen, non-combustion supporting gas can be provided in the area between the panel portions 44 , 46 , 48 and 50 and the product to enhance curing. Also, the gas can be circulated by a fan to enhance cooling of the UV-LED chips 54 and heat dissipating fins can be mounted on the top side of the panels 44 - 50 to further enhance cooling of the UV-LED chips 54 .
[0031] Advantageously, in the apparatus 40 of FIG. 4 , a glass or plastic plate 62 is positioned between the UV-LED arrays 52 mounted on the undersides of the four panel portions 44 - 50 and the top of the disk 16 . The disk 16 can have one or more UV curable photo initiators in or on the upper surface of the disk 16 .
[0032] In the apparatus 40 of FIG. 4 , there is provided at least one, generally vertically arranged, auxiliary array 64 of UV-LED chips 66 that can be mounted on a generally upright vertical panel 68 positioned adjacent the periphery of the disk 16 to provide curing light at the side or periphery of the disk 16 . Also, a plastic or glass sheet or plate 70 can be positioned between the auxiliary array 64 and the disk 16 to shield the UV-LED chips 66 from splatter.
[0033] If desired, the upright panel 68 ( FIG. 4 ) can be attached to and/or depend from one of the horizontal panel portions 44 - 50 . Alternatively, each of the horizontal panel portions 44 - 50 can have an upright panel 68 attached thereto and/or depending therefrom, with the shielding sheet or plate 70 attached to the upright panel(s) 68 in front of the array 64 .
[0034] The glass or plastic sheets described above for the apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 4 are preferably transparent or translucent, as well as rigid or semi-rigid, to provide impact-resistant light transmissive barriers to protect and shield the UV LED chips from splatter, dust, particularly, liquid containing UV photo initiators and other liquids.
[0035] The disk-shaped product or the at least one elongate panel can be rotated a predetermined number of times between two and twenty (20) to enhance polymerization and curing of the UV curable photo-initiators. Insertion and ejection mechanisms can be provided for sequentially moving a disk-shaped product onto and off of the stationary or rotatable support pad or pedestal in a mass production operation of the apparatus of the present invention.
[0036] Among the many advantages of the rotary UV curing method and apparatus of the invention are:
1. The disk-shaped product or at least one panel having an array of offset staggered UV-LED chips thereon can be rotated. 2. A transparent or translucent glass or plastic shield can be provided for maintaining the UV-LED chips free from debris. 3. A non-oxygen gas can be provided for enhancing curing and can be circulated to enhance cooling of the UV-LED chips. 4. Outstanding curing. 5. Excellent results. 6. Greater product output. 7. Super quality. 8. Fewer defective products. 9. User friendly. 10. Economical. 11. Efficient. 12. Effective.
[0049] From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the method and apparatus of the present invention have a number of advantages, some of which have been described above and others of which are inherent in the invention and examples.
[0050] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that various modifications and substitutions, as well as rearrangements of components, parts, equipment, apparatus, process (method) steps, and uses thereof, can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is only to be limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims.
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An improved rotary UV curing method and apparatus is provided to more effectively polymerize and cure an UV curable product, article, ink coating or adhesive in or on a disk. Advantageously, the improved rotary UV curing method and apparatus has a special arrangement that provides for rotational movement between an array of UV-LED chips mounted on a panel and a UV curable disk or other UV curable product, article, ink, such as a UV curable coating or adhesive, to better cure the UV photo initiators disk and product. One or more shields can also be provided to protect the UV LED chips from splatter or other objects which could otherwise damage or decrease the light emission, intensity and effectiveness of the UV LED chips.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an improvement of an overlock sewing machine. More particularly, the invention relates to an overlock sewing machine in which a mode of stitch formations, such as over-edge stitching, double chain stitching or the like, may be easily converted to each other by means of a simple stitch change-over operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A sewing machine is known which performs functions of both "chain stitching" and "over-edge stitching".
A conventional one-needle, three-thread overlock sewing machine for providing an over-edge stitch is disclosed in Japanese Patent Public Disclosure (KOKAI) No. 62-16785. The machine disclosed therein includes means for breaking off interlock relation between an upper looper and a main shaft, means for causing an oscillating shaft to which the lower looper is fixed to be reciprocally moved in the direction opposite to the direction in which material or cloth is fed, and means for releasing the shaft reciprocating means.
A conventional double chain-stitch machine is also disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Public Disclosure (KOKAI) No. 62-143483. This machine is designed to form a double chain stitch by means of a cooperative operation between a needle and a looper shaft which is reciprocal in a right-hand-left-hand direction and backward-rearward direction (laterally and longitudinally). This machine is so designed that a back and forth stroke of a looper shaft may be adjusted by adjusting a degree of inclination of an adjustment box of the machine.
The machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 62-16785 is designed so as to perform both "over-edge stitching" and "double chain stitching" by incorporating into a conventional mechanism a separate and additional mechanism for actuating one-needle and three-threads. Thus, the mechanism of such a machine is essentially complicated and has a tendency to mechanical problems. As the machine is designed to work with one needle and three threads, it is incapable of using two needles. If it is desired to use two needles in the machine, a right-hand needle must be newly incorporated thereinto. Also, the width of the needle would become wider when the right-hand needle is caught by a looper. Accordingly, it is not possible to properly catch a thread at an appropriate timing. If it is necessary to adjust a level of the needle so as to appropriately catch a thread, a cloth to be sewn would be fed forward by a feed dog before the needle is withdrawn from the cloth or material, thus causing a problem of sidewise movement of the needle.
The machine disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Public Disclosure No. 62-143483 is so designed that a stroke of reciprocal movement of a looper shaft is adjusted by an adjustment box, whereby it is difficult to set a backward or forward feed amount at zero. Accordingly, it is disadvantageous in that a position of needle catch (clearance between the needle and looper) could not be maintained so as to be constant upon a change-over operation between "over-edge stitching" and "double chain stitching". The machine also has a disadvantage in that an amount of feed in a forward or rearward direction cannot be regulated easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a main object of the invention to provide an overlock sewing machine obviates the above prior art problems.
The invention provides an overlock sewing machine which comprises a lower looper oscillating device for oscillating a lower looper, a lower looper back-and-forth/oscillating device for moving the lower looper back and forth and oscillating the same, and a motion change-over device for changing a mode of operation from that provided by the lower looper oscillating device into that provided by the lower looper back-and-forth/oscillating device, or vice versa.
The lower looper oscillating device oscillates the lower looper. The lower looper back-and-forth/oscillating device causes back and forth movement and oscillational motion of the lower looper. When the lower looper is oscillated by the lower looper oscillating device, the lower looper cooperates with the upper looper to perform "over-edge stitching". On the other hand, and when the lower looper is caused to move backwardly and rearwardly and to be oscillated by the lower looper back-and-forth/oscillating device, the looper cooperates with a needle to perform "double chain stitching". In this mode, the upper looper is not actuated. The motion change-over device changes the mode of operation from that provided by the lower looper oscillating device to that provided by the lower looper back-and-forth/oscillating device, or vice versa, by means of a simple change-over operation, whereby "over-edge stitching" or "double chain stitching" may selectively be performed, as desired.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements.
FIG. 1 is a front view of an overlock sewing machine according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the overlock sewing machine shown in FIG. 1 illustrating a lower looper oscillating device, a lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device, an upper looper oscillating device and a motion change-over device;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main portion of the motion change-over device;
FIG. 4 is a plan view, partially in section, of the lower looper oscillating device, upper looper oscillating device and lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device, when sewing is performed by over-edge stitching;
FIG. 5 is a plan view similar to FIG. 4, when a double chain-stitch or the like is formed;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a clutch mechanism wherein a first oscillation connecting mechanism is actuated to perform hem or over-edge stitching;
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the clutch mechanism wherein a second oscillation connecting mechanism is actuated to perform double chain-stitch;
FIG. 8 is a front view, partially in section, of an attachment portion whereby a back-and-forth lock arm is secured to a back-and-forth oscillating change-over frame;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of a portion of the first oscillation connecting mechanism and a back-and-forth driving mechanism;
FIG. 10a is a front view illustrating the first oscillation connecting mechanism and upper looper oscillating device, and FIG. 10b is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating how a change-over pin and a change-over pin engagement member are engaged with each other.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
With reference to FIG. 1 showing an overlock sewing machine according to the invention, the machine includes a needle 1 and lower and upper loopers 2 and 3. These loopers 2, 3 form a seam or stitches in cooperation with the needle 1. The needle 1, and upper and lower loopers 2, 3 are driven by a common driving means. The driving means includes, as known in the art, a fly wheel 4 and a main shaft 5 rotationally driven by the fly wheel 4. More particularly, the needle 1 is driven in the upward and downward directions at a desired timing or cycle when a needle bar 10 is driven by means of an eccentric cam 6, a connection rod 7 freely received by the eccentric cam, and a needle bar driving shaft 9 connected to the connection rod 7 through a connection part 8. This arrangement is well known in the art, and it is therefore believed that further explanation of such an arrangement will be unnecessary. The overlock sewing machine according to the invention includes a lower looper oscillating device 20 and lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device 21 for actuating the lower looper 2, and a motion change-over device 22 for alternatively switching the actuation between the lower looper oscillating device and lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device. The upper looper 3 is driven by an upper looper oscillating device 23.
The lower looper oscillating device 20 oscillates the lower looper 2 so as to perform an over-edging in cooperation with the upper looper 3 and the needle 1. The lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device 21 oscillates the lower looper 2 in the forward and backward directions so as to perform a double chain stitching in cooperation with the needle 1. At this time, the upper looper 3 remains immobile.
With reference to FIG. 2, construction of and mutual relationship between the lower looper oscillating device 20, lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device 21, motion change-over device 22 and upper looper oscillating device 23 are shown.
The lower looper oscillating device 20 includes a lower looper support mechanism 30 for carrying the lower looper 2, and a lower looper driving mechanism 32 for oscillating the lower looper support mechanism 30 through a first oscillation connecting mechanism 31. The first oscillation connecting mechanism 31 transmits oscillation to the lower looper 2 during over-edge stitching and roll stitching.
The lower looper support mechanism 30 includes a lower looper support arm 33 and a shaft 34 for the lower looper. The lower looper 2 is fixed to the lower looper support arm 33 at its proximal end, while the lower looper support arm is fixed to the lower looper shaft 34 at its opposite end. The shaft 34 for the lower looper is supported by a frame of the machine for rotation about the axis thereof and reciprocal movement in the longitudinal direction (see FIGS. 4 and 5). It should be noted that, in this specification, "back-and-forth movement" is meant reciprocal movement along the longitudinal direction of the lower looper shaft 34 (a direction in which a cloth, not shown, to be sewn is fed: feed direction), as shown by an arrow R in FIG. 2. On the other hand, "oscillational movement" of the looper 2 is meant reciprocal, rotational movement over an angular extension about the axis of the lower looper, as shown by an arrow S1 in FIG. 2.
The lower looper driving mechanism 32 includes a central shaft 36 rotatably carried by the frame 35 of the machine, a driving arm 37 secured to the central shaft 36 for driving the central shaft, and means 38 for oscillating the central shaft driving arm 37. The oscillating means 38 includes a lower looper connection arm 39 secured at its one end to the arm 37, and a lower looper oscillating rod 40 for connecting the lower looper connection arm 37 to the main shaft 5. Specifically, the lower looper connection arm 37 has, at the other end thereof, a ball-shaped portion 39a as shown in FIG. 4. The ball-shaped portion 39a is so received in a bearing portion 40a formed at one end of the lower looper oscillating rod 40 as to provide its spheric motion. An eccentric cam 41 is secured to the main shaft 5. The eccentric cam is rotatably received in a bearing portion 40b formed at the opposite end of the lower looper oscillating rod 40. Thus, the lower looper oscillating rod 40 is driven for reciprocal movement in the longitudinal direction, when the main shaft is rotated, so that the central axis driving arm 37 is driven for reciprocal movement (oscillational movement) about the axis of the central shaft 36 for a given angular extent, as shown by an arrow mark S2 in FIG. 2.
The first oscillation connecting mechanism 31 includes a lock change-over arm 42 positioned at one side of the central axis driving arm 37 and mounted on the central shaft 36 for rotation, a lock connection rod 44 pivotally attached to the lock change-over arm at one end thereof and secured to a shaft 43 for a lock oscillation plate at the other end thereof, and a lock oscillation plate 45 secured to the lower looper shaft 34 and carrying thereon the shaft 43 for rotational movement. Accordingly, and when the lock change-over arm 42 is oscillated around the axis of the central shaft 36, the lower looper shaft 34 is oscillationally driven by means of the lock connection rod 44, lock oscillation plate shaft 43 and lock oscillation plate 45. The first oscillation connecting mechanism 31 is designed to be engaged with and disengaged from the central driving arm 37 by means of the motion change-over device 22, the operation of which will be explained later in detail.
The lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device 21, for causing the lower looper 2 to be moved in forward and rearward directions and to be oscillated, includes a second oscillation connecting mechanism 46 for releasably engaging with the lower looper driving mechanism 32, a back-and-forth driving mechanism 47 for moving the lower looper in the forward and rearward directions, and a back-and-forth lock mechanism 48 for locking back-and-forth movement of the lower looper 2. The back-and-forth driving mechanism 47 functions as a lower looper shaft clutch to transmit reciprocating motion to the lower looper shaft 34 and to interrupt the transmission of reciprocating motion to the lower looper shaft.
A second oscillation connecting mechanism 46 transmits oscillation to the lower looper 2 during double chain stitching. The oscillation transmitted by the second oscillation connecting mechanism is different from the oscillation transmitted by the first oscillation connecting mechanism 31. The second oscillation connecting mechanism 46 includes, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, a double chain change-over arm 49 rotationally engaged with the central shaft 36 at one end thereof, and a double chain oscillating arm 50 secured to the lower looper shaft 34 at one end thereof and connected to the double chain change-over arm 49 at the other end thereof. A shaft 51 for the double chain oscillating arm 50 is secured to the other end of the double chain oscillating arm. The shaft 51 is smoothly received in a slot 49a formed in the other end of the arm 49 (see FIG. 2). The double chain change-over arm 49 is positioned on the other side of the central shaft driving arm 37, i.e., the side of the central shaft driving arm opposite to the lock change-over arm 42 of the oscillation connecting mechanism 31. Reference numeral 52 in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 designates a collar which prevents the arm 49 from moving in the axial direction of the central shaft 36.
When the arm 49 is oscillated, the lower looper shaft 34 is oscillated by means of the shaft 51 and arm 50. The arm 49 will be actuated by the motion change-over device 22 so as to be engaged with and disengaged from the central shaft driving arm 37.
The mechanism 47 for causing back-and-forth movement of the lower looper 2 includes a back-and-forth oscillating shaft 53 rotatably supported by the frame 35 for movement in the oscillating direction of the lower looper shaft 34 and in the vertical direction, means 54 for oscillating the shaft 53, and means for transmitting oscillational movement of the shaft 53 to to the lower looper shaft 34. The oscillating means 54 includes a link 56 secured to the shaft 53 at one end thereof, and a double chain oscillating rod 57 pivotally connected to the link 56 at one end thereof and connected to the main shaft 5 at the other end thereof. An eccentric cam 58 is fixed to the main shaft 5 and the cam is smoothly fitted into a bearing portion 57a formed at the other end of the rod 57. Thus, the back-and-forth oscillating shaft 53 may be oscillated through the rod 57 and link 56, when the main shaft 5 is rotationally driven.
The transmitting means 55 includes, as shown in FIG. 2, a back-and-forth oscillating arm 59 secured to the back-and-forth oscillating shaft 53 at one end thereof. a pair of rings 60, 60' secured to the lower looper shaft 34, and connection means 61 for engaging and disengaging the back-and-forth oscillating arm relative to the rings. The connection means includes a back-and-forth oscillation change-over frame 62 attached to the shaft 53, and a back-and-forth oscillating pin 63 secured to the back-and-forth oscillation change-over frame 62. The rings 60, 60' are spaced apart at a predetermined distance from one another and are fixed to the lower looper shaft 34. The back-and-forth oscillation change-over frame 62 includes a pair of spaced side plates 64, 65 and a connection plate for connecting the side plates 64, 65. In the illustrated embodiment, the arm 59 is positioned between one 64 of the side plates of the frame 62 and the lower looper shaft 34. The frame 62 is attached to the back-and-forth oscillating shaft 53 so that the side plates 64, 65 are movable in the longitudinal direction. A back-and-forth oscillating pin 63 is fixed at one end thereof to one of the side plates 64. The pin 63 extends through an elongated aperture 59a formed in the arm 59 so as to be engageable with the pair of rings 60, 60' secured to the lower looper shaft 34. In this condition, i.e., when the pin 63 is inserted between the rings 60, 60' through the elongated aperture 59a in the arm 59, oscillating motion from the back-and-forth oscillating shaft 53 is transmitted to the lower looper shaft 34 through the arm 59 and pin 63, so that the lower looper shaft, and hence the lower looper 2, is caused to initiate back-and-forth movement R.
The back-and-forth lock mechanism 48 includes a back-and-forth lock arm 67 secured to the other 65 of the side plates of the frame 62, and a back-and-forth fixing pin 68 attached to the arm 67. The back-and-forth arm 67 is formed with an aperture 70 into which a boss portion 69 and the shaft 53 are freely inserted, as shown in FIG. 8. The boss portion 69 extends through the side plate 65 and is fixed to the side plate 65 by means of a locking ring 71. Accordingly, the back-and-forth lock arm 67 is displaceable along the axis of the back-and-forth oscillating shaft 53 in response to the movement of the frame 62 so as to move toward and away from the lower looper shaft 34. Numeral 72 (FIG. 2) designates a fixed back-and-forth oscillating shaft which is fixed to the frame 35 at one end thereof and which extends through the back-and-forth lock arm 67 at the other end thereof. The fixed back-and-forth oscillating shaft 72 serves to guide the back-and-forth lock arm 67 to be displaced along the back-and-forth oscillating shaft.
The fixed back-and-forth pin 68 is fixed at one end thereof to the lock arm 67. The other end of the pin 68 is insertable between the rings 60, 60' secured to the lower looper shaft 34.
The lock arm 67 is actuated by means of the motion change-over device 22, the operation of which will be explained later in detail.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that, when the lock arm 67 is displaced to the right as viewed in FIG. 2, the back-and-forth oscillation change-over frame 62 is also displaced to the right, whereby the fixed pin 68 is inserted between the rings 60, 60', so that the pin 63 may be moved out of a space defined by the rings 60, 60'. At this moment, the lower looper shaft is disengaged from the arm 59 to remain immobile, while back-and-forth movement of the lower looper shaft is locked by means of the pin 68. On the contrary, when the arm 67 is displaced to the left as viewed in FIG. 2, the pin 68 is moved out of the space defined by the rings 60, 60' so that the pin 63 is inserted between the rings 60, 60'. At this moment, the lower looper shaft is unlocked, so that it may be moved back and forth by means of the arm 59.
It should be noted that the lower looper 2 is oscillated by means of the lower looper drive mechanism 32 and first oscillation connecting mechanism 31, while, at the same time, the lower looper 2 is moved back and forth and oscillated by means of the lower looper drive mechanism 32, second oscillation connecting mechanism 46 and back-and-forth drive mechanism 47.
The upper looper oscillating device 23 for oscillating the upper looper 3 includes a mechanism 80 for supporting the upper looper 3, a mechanism 81 for driving the upper looper driving mechanism 80, and an oscillating/releasing mechanism 82 mounted on the upper looper supporting mechanism 80 (see FIGS. 2, 4 and 5).
The upper looper supporting mechanism 80 includes an upper looper shaft 83, an upper looper oscillating arm 84 rotatably attached at one end thereof to the upper looper shaft, and an upper looper support arm 85 pivotally attached at one end thereof to a free end of the upper looper oscillating arm (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The upper looper 3 is secured to the other end of the upper looper support arm 85. The upper looper support arm 85 is guided by a slide bearing 86 for the upper looper, as shown in FIG. 1. Thus, when the upper looper oscillating arm 84 is oscillated in a direction of arrow S3 in FIG. 2, the lower looper 2 performs a predetermined oscillational movement. the upper looper shaft 83 is disposed substantially in parallel with the lower looper shaft 34 and is supported by the frame 35 of the machine for rotation (see FIGS. 4 and 5).
The upper looper drive mechanism 81 includes an upper looper drive arm 87 secured to the upper looper shaft 83, an upper looper connecting arm 88 secured at one end thereof to the arm 87, and an upper looper oscillating rod 89 connecting the arm 88 with the main shaft 5. The upper looper connecting arm 88 is formed, at the other end (i.e., protruding end) thereof, with a ball-shaped portion 90, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5). The ball-shaped portion 90 is so received in a bearing portion 91 formed at one end of the upper looper oscillating rod 89 as to provide its spheric motion. An eccentric cam 92 is secured to the main shaft 5, as shown in FIG. 10. The eccentric cam 92 is rotatably received in a bearing portion 93 formed at the other end of the upper looper oscillating rod 89. Accordingly, and when the main shaft 5 is rotated, the upper looper drive arm 87, and hence the upper looper shaft 83, becomes reciprocal about the axis thereof within a predetermined angular extent through the upper looper oscillating rod 89 and upper looper connection arm 88.
The oscillating/release mechanism 82 operates to transmit or not to transmit oscillational motion of the lower looper shaft to the upper looper oscillating arm 84. In the illustrated embodiment, the mechanism 82 includes an upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94 secured to the lower looper shaft 83, and a means 95 for engaging or disengaging the upper looper oscillating arm 84 with the upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94. The release means 95 includes an upper looper release body 96 and an upper looper release pin 97 secured to the upper looper release body 96. The upper looper release body 96 is attached to the upper looper shaft 83 so that it may be slidable along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 83. The upper looper release pin 97 is designed so as to be smoothly received in notches 84a and 94a formed in the upper looper oscillating arm 84 and upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94, respectively (see FIGS. 2 and 4). The upper release body 96 is displayed by means of the motion change-over device 22 between an oscillational position in which the upper release pin 97 is engaged with the upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94 and a non-oscillational position in which the pin 97 is not engaged with the arm 94, the operation of the motion change-over device 22 will be explained below in detail. More particularly, the upper looper release pin 97, in the oscillational position, is engaged with the upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94 and upper looper oscillating arm 84, as shown in FIG. 4, so that oscillational motion of the lower looper shaft 83 may be transmitted to the upper looper oscillating arm 84 through the upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94, whereby the upper looper 3 will be oscillated. On the other hand, the upper looper release pin 97, in the non-oscillational position, is not engaged with the upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94, as shown in FIG. 5, so that oscillational motion of the lower looper 83 is not transmitted to the upper looper oscillating arm 84. It is noted that, in the non-oscillational position, the upper looper 3 is positioned in the lowermost position.
Operation of the motion change-over device 22, which changes operation between the lower looper oscillating device 20 and the lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device 21, will be explained below.
The motion change-over device 22 includes a clutch mechanism 100 (FIG. 3) for engaging and disengaging the first oscillation connecting mechanism 31 and second oscillation connecting mechanism 46 relative to the lower looper drive mechanism 32, a lock control means 101 for displacing the back-and-forth lock arm 67 of the back-and-forth lock mechanism 48, and a release control means 102 for displacing the upper looper release body 96 of the release means 95. The clutch mechanism 100, lock control means 101 and release control means 102 are located on a frame attachment plate 103 attached to the frame 35 and are driven by means of a main change-over arm 104 of the motion change-over device 22, link means 105 and drive means 106 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
The clutch mechanism 100 includes, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a change-over pin 110 fitted into a first and second through hole 107, 108 aligned with the underside of the central shaft drive arm 37, double chain change-over arm 49 and lock change-over arm 42, respectively and into a bifurcate portion 42a of the lock change-over arm 42 (see FIGS. 2 and 6), a change-over pin engagement member 111 engageable with the change-over pin 110, and a first change-over arm 112 supporting the engagement member 111 (see FIG. 3). The engagement member 111 is fixed to the first change-over arm 112. The change-over pin 110 is arranged substantially in parallel with the central shaft 36 and is slidable within the first and second through holes and the bifurcate portion 42a. The change-over pin 110 is formed at its substantially central portion a reduced portion 110a as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The distal end surface 113a (FIG. 3) of a protruding portion 113 of the engagement member 111 is formed into a curved surface in correspondence with the outer diameter of the reduced portion 110a so as to carry the reduced portion thereon.
The lock control means 101 includes a second change-over arm 114 (FIG. 3) having one end fixed to the underside of the lock arm 67. The other end of the second change-over arm 114 is connected to the first change-over arm 112 through the first change-over lever 115 (see FIG. 3).
The release control means 102 includes an upper looper release change-over arm 116 which connects the main change-over arm 104 with the upper looper release body 96. The arm 116 is pivotally connected to the frame attachment plate 103 at its substantially central portion, and also pivotally connected to the main change-over arm 104 at its other end. An engagement pin 117 is connected to the other end of the upper looper release change-over arm 116. The engagement pin 117 is inserted in the groove 96a (FIG. 10) formed in the upper looper release body 96.
The main change-over arm 104 and first change-over arm 112 are connected to each other by a second change-over lever 118.
With the above arrangement, the main change-over arm 104 is displaced longitudinally, to drive the upper looper release body 96 through the upper looper release change-over arm 116 along the upper looper shaft 83. The first change-over arm 112 is then driven through the second change-over arm 118 to displace the change-over pin 110, and further the second change-over arm 114 is driven through the first change-over lever 115 to displace the back-and-forth lock arm 67 (see FIG. 3).
The drive means 106 for the motion change-over device 22 includes, in the illustrated embodiment, a stitch conversion dial 201 disposed behind a frame 200 of the machine (FIG. 1), a stitch conversion cam 202 (FIG. 2) fixed to a shaft of the dial 201, and a conversion lever 203 having one end engaging with the cam 202.
The link means 105 includes a rod 204 pivotally connected to the other end of the conversion lever 203 at one end thereof, a conversion drive arm 205 pivotally connected to the other end of the rod 204 at one end thereof, a bracket 206 fixed to the main change-over arm 104, and an adjustment shaft 207 connecting the arm 205 to the bracket 206.
Consequently, rotation of the stitch conversion dial 201 will longitudinally move the main change-over arm 104 through the stitch conversion cam 202, conversion lever 203 and link means 106.
In FIG. 3, a first movement of the main change-over arm 104 shown in solid line as indicated by an arrow A when performing "roll hem stitching", while a second motion or displacement of the main change-over arm shown in phantom line as indicated by an arrow mark B occurs when performing "double chain stitching".
The dial 201, cam 202, lever 203 and link means 105 are designed so that, when the dial 201 is rotated, the change-over operation between the lower looper oscillating device 20 and lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device 21, together with control for the upper looper oscillating device 23 are performed corresponding to various stitch formation, such as over-edge stitch and double chain stitch or the like. The dial 201 is preferably provided with indications representing the respective stitch formations for the convenience of selection thereof.
As will be appreciated from the foregoing, conversion of various stitch formations may be readily made by simply rotating the dial 201.
Operation of the overlock sewing machine according to the invention will be explained below.
It should be noted that, in general, the lower looper 2 is only oscillated by the lower looper oscillating device, when performing "over-edge stitching". In this case, the lower looper 2 is prevented from back-and-forth movement, while the upper looper 3 is actuated by the upper looper oscillating device 23. Accordingly, "over-edge stitching" may be performed by means of oscillational motion of the lower looper and oscillational motion of the upper looper (see FIG. 4).
When it is intended to perform "double chain stitching", the lower looper 2 is driven by the lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device 21 so as to exert both back-and-forth motion and oscillational motion. In this case, the upper looper 3 will not be oscillated. Thus, "double chain stitching" will be performed (see FIG. 5).
Operation for performing a stitching of each of the seam patterns will be explained below.
OVER-EDGE STITCHING AND ROLL HEM STITCHING
The stitch conversion dial 201 of the motion change-over device 22 is rotated to assume a position where an over-edge stitch is formed. Thus, the main change-over arm 104 is actuated in the first displacement direction A by the link means 105, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2.
The respective mechanisms and components are actuated according to the following steps. First, the upper looper release body 96 is displaced on the upper looper shaft 83 toward the upper looper oscillating arm 84 by means of the upper looper release change-over arm 116, so that the upper looper release pin 97 is received within the notch or groove 94a in the upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94. In this state, the upper looper release pin 97 is engaged with both the upper looper oscillating arm 84 and upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94, so that oscillational motion of the upper looper, caused by the upper looper drive mechanism 81, shaft 83 is transmitted to the upper looper 3 through the upper looper oscillating arm 84 and upper looper support arm 85. Thus, the upper looper will be actuated in a predetermined oscillational motion. Second, the first change-over arm 112 is displaced in a direction shown by solid line in FIG. 3 by means of the second change-over lever 118. More particularly, the change-over pin engagement member 111 urges one end of the change-over pin 110 into the bifurcate portion 42a of the lock change-over arm 42. In this state, the other end of the change-over pin 110 is disengaged from the second through hole 108 in the double chain change-over arm 49. Thus, the change-over pin 110 is received within both the first through hole 107 in the central shaft drive arm 37 and the bifurcate portion 42a of the lock change-over arm 42. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 6. In this state, the oscillational motion of the central shaft 36 caused by the lower looper drive mechanism 32 is transmitted through the central shaft drive arm 37 and first oscillation connecting mechanism 31, namely through the lock change-over arm 42, rod connection rod 44 and lock oscillating plate 45, to the lower looper shaft 34 and lower looper support arm 33, and then to the lower looper 2. Thus, the lower looper 2 performs a predetermined oscillational motion. It should be noted that, in this state, the second oscillation connecting mechanism 46 is disengaged or released, whereby motion of the central shaft drive arm 37 cannot be transmitted to the double chain change-over arm 49. This is because the change-over pin 110 is disengaged or withdrawn from the second through hole 108.
Third, the second change-over arm 114 is displaced in a direction shown by solid line in FIG. 3 to displace the back-and-forth lock arm 67 and back-and-forth oscillation change-over frame 62 to the right as viewed in FIG. 2. Then, the back-and-forth fixing pin 68 is inserted into a space between the pair of rings 60, 60' secured to the lower looper shaft 34, while the back-and-forth oscillating pin 63 is disengaged or withdrawn from the space between the pair of rings 60, 60'. Accordingly, back-and-forth motion of the lower looper is locked or prevented as mentioned above.
As explained above, the lower looper 2 only performs oscillational motion to form over-edge stitch in cooperation with the oscillational motion of the upper looper 3.
DOUBLE CHAIN STITCHING
First, the stitch conversion dial 201 is turned to assume a position where a double-chain stitch is formed. Then, the main change-over arm 104 is actuated to perform the second displacement B as shown by phantom line in FIG. 2. In this manner, the upper looper release body 96 is displaced away from the upper looper oscillating arm 84 by means of the upper looper release arm change-over arm 116, whereby the upper looper release pin 97 is disengaged or withdrawn from the change-over groove 94a in the upper looper oscillation connecting arm 94. Thus, motion of the upper looper shaft 83 is not transmitted to the upper looper oscillating arm 84, so that the upper looper 3 is not oscillated. In this state, the upper looper becomes free when positioned in the lowermost position. Then, the first change-over arm 112 is displaced in a direction shown by a phantom line in FIG. 3 by means of the second change-over lever 118. By this, the change-over pin engaging member 111 urges the other end of the change-over pin 110 into the second through hole 108 in the double chain change-over arm 49, so that the one end of the pin 110 is disengaged from the bifurcate portion 42a of the lock change-over arm 42 (see FIG. 7). At this stage, the first oscillation connecting mechanism 31 is released, while the second oscillation connecting mechanism 46 is connected with the lower looper drive mechanism 32. Accordingly, oscillational motion of the lower looper drive mechanism is transmitted to the lower looper shaft 34 through the second oscillation connecting mechanism 46, namely the double chain change-over arm 49, double chain oscillating arm shaft 51 and double chain oscillating arm 50. Thus, oscillational motion of the lower looper 2 is initiated. The second change-over arm 114, on the other hand, is displaced to the left as viewed in FIG. 2 in response to displacement of the first change-over arm 112 in the direction shown by phantom line in FIG. 3. This causes the back-and-forth oscillation change-over frame 62 to be displaced to the left as viewed in FIG. 2, whereby the back-and-forth oscillating pin 63 is inserted in the space between the rings 60, 60' which extend through the bore 59a in the back-and-forth oscillating arm 59 and are fixed to the lower looper shaft 34. At the same time, the back-and-forth fixing pin 68 becomes disengaged from a space between the rings 60, 60'. Accordingly, back-and-forth motion is transmitted to the lower looper shaft 34 through the back-and-forth drive mechanism 47.
Consequently, the lower looper 2 is moved back and forth and oscillated to contribute much to formation of double chain stitch or the like.
As stated above, the invention provides an overlock sewing machine in which it is easy to change stitch formation simply by rotating the stitch conversion dial. The lower looper oscillating device, lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device and upper looper oscillating drive are constructed independently from one another and such devices are all designed to be controlled by the motion change-over device. Accordingly, conversion of stitch formation may be made in a wider range. This feature is particularly remarkable over prior art sewing machines which requires additional devices according to different stitch. Furthermore, the lower looper oscillating device, lower looper back-and-forth oscillating device and upper looper oscillating device provides the lower looper and upper looper with a predetermined motion, respectively, thereby ensuring positive drive of the lower and upper loopers can be reliably actuated. Accordingly, this entirely eliminates trouble from sidewise needle movement, instability of needle catch, and the like as in the prior art.
The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. The invention which is intended to be protected herein should not, however, be construed as being limited only to the particular form described which is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the foregoing detailed description should be regarded as exemplary in nature and not as limiting the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the appended claims.
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An overlock sewing machine is provided with means for driving a lower looper according to a plurality of different oscillational movements independently of each other, a clutch mechanism for changing the aforementioned movements from one to the other mode, a back and forth drive mechanism for moving a lower looper back and forth, a mechanism for transmitting movement of the back and forth drive mechanism to a lower looper and releasing transmission of the movement therefrom, a lower looper oscillating means for oscillatively moving a lower looper, a mechanism for releasing oscillational movement of the upper looper therefrom, and a motion change-over device for interchanging operation between the clutch mechanism, the transmission and release means, and oscillational movement release means. The arrangement permits conversion of various stitch formations in a sewing machine to take place in a simple manner without requiring complicated adjustment.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to digital device peripheral equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to method and devices for using and positioning an electronic video screen that renders digitally store images.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Portable electronic devices have become increasingly affordable to the average consumer. With widespread usage that compactness and lightness of conventional digital electronic devices provide, many children in particular have had increased access to such devices and have become accustomed to near constant access to digital media. Accordingly, many parents have developed a willingness to employ devices that render audio and/or video programs to entertain, educate and occupy the attention of their child or children. However, when families are travelling, the maintenance and positioning of a portable electronic device for a child's benefit can require extra attention and effort by at least one the parents or attendant.
[0003] The prior art includes accessories for electronic devices that render audio and video files and which secure a portable media device. However, there remains and unmet for a peripheral apparatus that is attractive to a child, can maintain, secure and position a portable media device, and further ease a child's use and enjoyment of such a device. In particular, the prior art fails to provide methods or devices that optimally support the maintenance and positioning of portable electronic devices that present video screens for rendering digital files that store representations of visual images.
[0004] Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus and method that addresses many of the problems that have not been solved by the conventional art and more optimally supports the use and secure positioning of an electronic video screen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Towards this object and other objects that will be made obvious in light of this disclosure, a first preferred configuration of the present invention includes a portable video device support structure encased within a stuffed toy, wherein at least one of the extremities of the structure of the toy allow a user to position a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device may be enabled render digitized audio files and/or digitized video files. Various configurations of the invented toy may include a shell or case disposed between the portable device and the support structure; one or more audio speakers, e.g., directional audio speakers; and a module or element that provides electrical power to the portable video device.
[0006] Alternate preferred embodiments of the invented device may include an electric battery; one or more solar energy panels that charge the battery; an electric cord that enables charging the battery from a landline power socket; a device power cord that delivers electrical power from the battery to a device; ear buds that may couple with the portable electronic device; and one or more audio speakers that emit sound derived from the portable electronic device.
[0007] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the preferred aspects of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0008] All publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and/or materials in connection with which the publications are cited. All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety and for all purposes to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
[0009] Such incorporations include U.S. Pat. No. D574,700, titled “Ball and socket connector” (Inventor: Bevirt, Joeben; Issued on Aug. 12, 2008); U.S. Pat. No. 7,891,615, titled “Mounting apparatus using ball and socket joints with gripping features” (Inventor: Bevirt, Joeben; Issued on Feb. 22, 2011); United States Patent Application Publication No. 20100078536, titled “Hands-free device holder for securing hand-held portable electronic device with a screen” (Inventor: Galvin, Nicolette A.; Published on Apr. 1, 2010); United States Patent Application Publication No. 20070253580, titled “Carrying bag and portable comfort pillow having two headphone speakers thereon connected to a headset carrying” strap” (Inventor: Sutton, Joseph A.; Published on Nov. 1, 2007); and United States Patent Application Publication No. 20070253581, titled “Toy in the form of a stuffed toy or 3-D character toy having a headset carrying strap with two headphone speakers and an audio player built into one of the speakers” (Inventor: Sutton, Joseph A.; Published on Nov. 1, 2007).
[0010] The publications discussed or mentioned herein are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention. Furthermore, the dates of publication provided herein may differ from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0011] FIG. 1A presents a first version of the invented device coupled with and positioning an iPhone;
[0012] FIG. 1B provides a second version of the invented device further comprising a battery, a power cord to a phone; a pair of ear buds; an audio speaker at each foot pad; and solar panels;
[0013] FIG. 1C illustrates the second version of the invented device of FIG. 1B further comprising a protective device shell, a suction cup and an elastic band for maintaining the phone in a position;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a detailed exposed view of an articulating skeleton of the first version of FIG. 1A and the second version of FIG. 1B ;
[0015] FIG. 3 provides a detailed view of the battery, the power cord to the phone; the pair of ear buds; the audio speakers and the solar panels of the second version of FIG. 1B ;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a cut away view of the second version of FIG. 2 and showing the electrical elements of FIG. 1B and FIG. 3 ;
[0017] FIG. 5 is cut away view of iPhone attached to the battery of FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 coupled with the phone of FIGS. 1A , 1 B, 2 and 4 ;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a detailed sectional view of U-shaped gripping elements for the phone of FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B and FIG. 2 ;
[0019] FIG. 7 is an external view of an alternate embodiment of the second version of FIG. 1B , wherein the phone is coupled with the second version by four triangular-shaped corner connectors;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a detailed cut-away side view of the alternate embodiment of the second version of FIG. 7 showing one of the four triangular-shaped corner connectors;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a cut-away side view of the alternate embodiment of the second version of FIG. 7 showing the four triangular-shaped corner connectors, an external high friction surface, and a weighted bag;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a top view of one of the four triangular-shaped corner connectors of FIG. 7 ;
[0023] FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the second version of FIG. 1B detachably coupled a carrying strap.
DESCRIPTION
[0024] It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular aspects of the present invention described, as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims.
[0025] Methods recited herein may be carried out in any order of the recited events which is logically possible, as well as the recited order of events.
[0026] Where a range of values is provided herein, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the invention.
[0027] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the methods and materials are now described.
[0028] It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is further noted that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element. As such, this statement is intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusive terminology as “solely”, “only” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements, or use of a “negative” limitation.
[0029] Referring now to FIG. 1A , FIG. 1A presents an exemplary first version 2 of the invented device having a figurine, wherein the first version 2 is coupled with and is applied by a user to position a cellular telephone 4 (hereinafter “phone” 4 ). The phone 4 may be or comprise (a.) a digital content player having a video screen 4 A, such as an iPOD TOUCH 4G™ digital video display device as marketed by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., (b.) a digital cellular telephone having a video display capability, such as an iPHONE 4S™ digital cellular telephone as marketed by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., (c.) a MOTOROLA DROID X™ smart phone as marketed by Motorola Solutions, Inc. of Schaumberg, Ill., (d.) a MOTOROLA DROID X™ tablet computer as marketed by Motorola Solutions, Inc. of Schaumberg, Ill.; an iPAD™ tablet computer as marketed by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.; and/or (f.) other suitable digital video display device, video-enabled telephone and/or tablet computer known in the art. While the first version 2 is described herein as adapted for holding and positioning an iPHONE™ cellular telephone, it is understood that the alternate versions of the invented apparatus may be adapted, sized and shaped to hold one or more various alternate electronic devices, such as a suitable alternate tablet computer, a cellular phone, and/or a personal digital assistant known in the art.
[0030] The first version 2 includes the three-dimensional figurine 3 made with a generally soft exterior fabric 3 A, e.g., cotton, wool, rayon, or other suitable organic or inorganic material, and a internal stuffing 3 B as shown in FIG. 9 . The internal stuffing 3 B may be or comprise cotton, cotton batting, wool, and/or other suitable organic, inorganic or synthetic material known in the art.
[0031] The shape of the figurine 3 defines a head region 3 C, a body region 3 D and two individual arm appendages 3 E & 3 F, and two individual leg appendages 3 G & 3 H. The two individual leg appendages 3 G & 3 H each include a separate footpad representation element 31 & 3 J. The head region 3 C presents two ear representation elements 3 K & 3 L, two eye representation elements 3 M & 3 N, and a snout representation element 30 . The first version 2 further includes the stuffing 3 B that maintains the volume of at least the head region 3 C, the body region 3 D and the representative limb regions 3 E, 3 F, 3 G & 3 H. One or more of the limb regions 3 E, 3 F, 3 G & 3 H are adapted to secure the figurine 3 to an external object (not shown).
[0032] The stuffing 3 B is positioned within the exterior fabric 2 A and may be or comprise a soft material, e.g., cotton, wool, rayon, or other suitable organic, inorganic or synthetic material.
[0033] The phone 4 is secured and coupled to the figurine 2 by (a.) one or more U-shaped gripping elements 6 as presented more particularly in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6 ; (b.) one or more corner shaped gripping elements 8 as shown in FIGS. 7 , 8 , 9 and 10 ; and/or (c.) a friction fit protective device shell 9 , i.e., a protective case 9 of FIG. 1B .
[0034] FIG. 1B is an external view a second version 8 of the invented device further comprising an enclosed battery 12 (as shown in FIGS. 3 through 5 ), a power cord 14 leading from the battery 12 and to the phone 4 ; an audio signal cabling 16 that includes a pair of ear buds 16 A & 16 B; two separate audio speakers 18 A & 18 B individually at each foot pad 31 & 3 J; and a pair of solar panels 20 A & 20 B. It is understood that one or both audio speakers 18 A & 18 B may be directional speakers that generate sound waves having greater intensity along a single axis extending from the emitting speaker 18 A or 18 B.
[0035] The phone 4 is inserted into the friction fit protective device shell 9 and the friction fit protective device shell 9 is disposed in between the phone 4 one or more U-shaped gripping elements 6 and/or one or more corner shaped gripping elements 8 . Where the phone 4 is an iPHONE 4S™ cellular telephone, the friction fit protective device shell 9 may be a FEATHER™ friction fit cover as marketed by Incipio Technologies of Irvine, Calif., or other suitable iPHONE™ cellular telephone case or cover known on the art. Alternatively, where the phone 4 is an iPOD 4G TOUCH™ video display device, the friction fit protective device shell 9 may be a DERMASHOT™ case as marketed by INCIPIO Technologies of Irvine, Calif., or other suitable iPOD™ video display device case or cover known on the art. Still alternatively, where the phone 4 is a tablet computer, or other video display device or video-enabled cellular telephone, the protective device case 9 may be adapted to snugly fit around the phone 4 and without substantively reducing visibility of the video screen 4 A of the phone 4 of a user or observer. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second version 8 is adapted to hold an iPAD™ tablet computer and the protective device shell 9 is an iPAD SMART COVER™ protective case as marketed by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.
[0036] FIG. 1C illustrates the second version 8 further showing the friction fit shell 8 A, and further comprising an optional suction cup 9 A and an optional elastic band 9 B. The suction cup 9 A and the elastic band 9 B are attached to the protective device shell 9 . The protective device shell 9 is adapted to accept the phone 4 and maintain the phone 4 under compression and within a friction fit. In the exemplary instance where the phone 4 is an iPHONE 4S™, the protective device shell 9 may be an IPH-620 DELTA HARDSHELL CASE™ as marketed by Incipio Technologies of Irvine, Calif.
[0037] It is understood that the phone 4 defines (a.) a front face on which the video display screen 4 A is presented, and (b.) an opposite back face. The suction cup 9 A is affixed to and positioned on the protective device shell 9 and is further adapted to apply suction force against the device back face to maintain the phone 4 within the protective device shell 9 . The elastic band 9 B is adapted to cross over the device front face to maintain the phone 4 within the protective device shell 9 and without obstructing a user's view of the video screen 4 A.
[0038] FIG. 2 is a detailed exposed view of an articulating skeleton 22 of the first version 2 of FIG. 1A and the second version 8 of FIG. 1B . The skeleton 22 is formed with articulated components 22 A- 22 X. One or more articulated components 22 A- 22 X may be or comprise, or be selected from, suitable articulated elements known in the art, to include the ball and socket connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,891,615 as a connecter. Alternately, optionally or additionally, one or more components 22 A- 22 X may embody the connector design as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D574,700. The skeleton 22 in combination with two or more U-shaped gripping elements 6 and/or one or more corner shaped gripping elements 8 preferably enables the user to position the phone 4 about at least two axes of rotational motion and along at least two axes of linear motion, and more preferably within six degrees of motion, i.e., about at least three mutually orthogonal axes of rotational motion and linearly along the three mutually orthogonal axes.
[0039] In some embodiments, surfaces of one or more components 22 A- 22 X may be coated with an adhesive. With some connector materials that may be comprised within one or more components 22 A- 22 X, such as acetyl materials, Delrin, and Nylon, compounds normally used as adhesive may function as a lubricant when used in an interference fit ball and socket joint connector version of one or more components 22 A- 22 X.
[0040] The U-shaped gripping elements 6 are shown in FIG. 2 to each be connected to a separate end articulated components 22 X. Each U-shaped gripping element 6 is sized and shaped to receive the phone 4 and form a friction fit to enable the phone 4 to be gripped within one or more U-shaped gripping elements 6 while a user manually positions the skeleton 22 within three dimensional space by articulation of one or more of the articulated components 22 A- 22 X. More particularly a U-width W 1 of each U-shaped gripping elements 6 is made to be narrower that a thickness T of the phone 4 , wherein the U-width W 1 is preferably in the range of 0.001 inch to 0.2 inch narrower than the phone thickness T. Each U-shaped gripping element 6 may be or comprise a flexible metal or plastic, such as aluminum, Delrin, and Nylon, or other suitable material known in the art that will support the phone 4 in a static position, and preferably maintain the phone 4 under compressive force.
[0041] FIG. 3 provides a detailed view of elements of the second version 8 showing unobstructed front views of the battery 12 , the electrically conductive phone power cord 14 , the audio signal cabling 16 , the audio speakers 18 A & 18 B, the solar panels 20 A & 20 B, and an electrically conductive external battery cord 24 . The solar panels 20 A & 20 B, the phone power cord 14 and the external battery cord 24 are all shown in FIG. 3 in electrical connection to the battery 12 . The solar panels 20 A & 20 B collect solar energy and transform the collected solar energy into electric energy. The solar panels 20 A & 20 B are coupled by transfer cabling 20 C to the battery 12 and thereby provide electrical energy to the battery 12 . The phone power cord 14 is sized and adapted to transfer electrical power from the battery 12 and to the phone 4 . The optionally removable external battery cord 22 is sized and adapted to transfer electrical energy from an electrical power source socket (not shown) of, or electrically coupled to, (a.) a landline electrical power source (not shown), (b.) an electrical power generator (not shown), (c.) an external electrical battery (not shown), (d.) and/pr other suitable sources of electrical energy known in the art.
[0042] The earphone audio signal cabling 16 is configured for coupling with the phone 4 and is therefore shown in FIG. 3 as being unattached to any other electrical element of the second version 8 . An earphone connector 16 C is sized and adapted for insertion into an audio channel socket of the phone 4 . Additionally or optionally, a speaker cabling 18 C electrically couples each of the two speakers 18 A & 18 B to a speaker connector 18 D. The speaker connector 18 D is sized and adapted for insertion into the audio channel socket of the phone 4 .
[0043] In one exemplary embodiment of the second version 8 and/or the first version 2 , where the second version 8 is adapted to couple with an iPHONE 4S™ cellular telephone as marketed by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., the earphone audio signal cabling 16 may be or comprise APPLE iPOD EARPHONES™ as marketed by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. In the exemplary embodiment of the second version 8 and/or the first version 2 , where the second version 8 is adapted to couple with an iPHONE 4S™ cellular telephone as marketed by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., the phone power cord 14 may be or comprise APPLE DOCK CONNECTOR TO USN CABLE™ as marketed by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.
[0044] FIG. 4 is a cut away view of the second version of FIG. 2 and showing the components of FIG. 1B and FIG. 3 in place within the second version 8 . The solar panels 20 A & 20 B, the phone 4 and the external battery cord 22 are all shown in FIG. 3 in electrical connection to the battery 12 . The earphones audio signal cabling 18 and the speakers 18 A & 18 B are configured for coupling with the phone 4 and are therefore shown in FIG. 3 as being unattached to the battery 12 any other electrical element of the second version 8 .
[0045] FIG. 5 is cut away view of the phone 4 electrically coupled to both the battery 12 and the earphone audio signal cabling 16 . The phone 2 is electrically coupled to both the battery 12 and the phone 4 and transfers electrical power from the battery 12 and to the phone 4 in the configuration of FIG. 5 . More particularly, the earphone connector 16 C is shown to be electrically coupled with an audio channel socket 4 B of the phone 4 . For the purposes of illustration, the speaker connector 18 D is simultaneously indicated in FIG. 5 to be electrically coupled to a second audio output socket 4 C of the phone 4 . It is understood that where the phone 4 has only one audio output socket 4 B, that the simultaneous electrical connection of the earphone connector 16 C and the speaker connector 18 D is not enabled by the first version 2 or the second version 8 .
[0046] FIG. 6 is a detailed sectional view of one of the U-shaped gripping elements 6 of the skeleton 22 . The U-shaped gripping element 6 is attached to a last articulating element of the skeleton 22 , and is optionally at least partially layered with an elastic layer 3 P of the first version 2 that accepts the phone 4 and preferably applies compressive pressure against the phone 4 to retain the phone 4 within the U-shaped element 6 .
[0047] FIG. 7 is an external view of an alternate embodiment of the second version 8 , wherein the phone 4 is coupled with the second version 8 by four triangular-shaped corner connectors 26 . Each corner connector 26 is separately attached to a unique end connector 22 X of the skeleton 22 . In certain alternate preferred embodiments of the present invention, the protective device shell 9 is preferably simultaneously positioned within two or more U-shaped gripping elements 6 and/or two or more corner shaped gripping elements 26 .
[0048] FIG. 8 is a detailed cut-away side view of the alternate embodiment of the second version 8 showing one of the four triangular-shaped corner connectors 26 . A dotted line imposed within the representation of the corner connector 26 indicates a corner cavity 26 A into which a corner of the phone 4 may be inserted. The exemplary corner connector is adhered or affixed to an end articulated component 22 X.
[0049] FIG. 9 is a cut-away side view of the alternate embodiment of the second version 8 showing the four triangular-shaped corner connectors 26 , an external high friction surface 28 , and a weighted bag 30 . The high friction surface 28 is adapted to resist a sliding of the second version 8 along a smooth surface (not shown). The high friction surface 28 may be sown, adhered and/or otherwise coupled to an outer side of the exterior fabric 3 A.
[0050] The weighted bag 30 is adapted to support the second version 8 in an upright position, wherein the head region 3 C is maintained above the body region 3 D, the two individual arm appendages 3 E & 3 F, and the two individual leg appendages 3 G & 3 H. The weighted bag 30 includes a bag fabric 30 A that encompasses a dense material 30 B and is shaped and adapted to maintain the dense material 30 B in a combined mass and in isolation from the internal stuffing 3 B. The bag fabric 30 A may be composed of cotton, nylon, or other suitable organic, inorganic or synthetic material known in the art that may be adapted to maintain the dense material 30 B in a single, combined mass.
[0051] The dense material 30 B is preferably at least twice as dense as either the skeleton 22 and the internal stuffing 3 A, and more preferably greater than ten times as dense than either the skeleton 22 and the internal stuffing 3 A. The dense material 30 B may comprise sand, glass, plastic, glass beads, or other suitable organic, inorganic or synthetic material known in the art.
[0052] FIG. 10 is a top view of one of the four triangular-shaped corner connectors 26 . A pair of triangular walls 26 B are joined with a pair of rectangular walls 26 C to form the corner cavity 26 A. The corner cavity 26 A preferably presents a cavity width W 2 that is narrower that the thickness T of the phone 4 . The cavity width W 2 is preferably in the range of 0.001 inch to 0.2 inch narrower than the phone thickness T. One or more triangular-shaped corner connector 26 may be or comprise a flexible metal or plastic, such as aluminum, Delrin, and Nylon, or other suitable material known in the art that can be adapted to hold the phone 4 , and preferably maintain the phone 4 under compressive force.
[0053] FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the second version 8 further coupled a carrying strap 32 . A pair of detachable attachment assemblies 32 A & 32 B enable a user to alternately attach and detach the carrying strap 32 from the second version 8 . The strap 32 may be made from canvas, nylon, cotton, or other suitable flexible strapping material. The pair of detachable attachment assemblies 32 A & 32 B may be made of a metal, metal alloy, plastic, or other suitable attachment assembly materials known in the art.
[0054] The foregoing disclosures and statements are illustrative only of the Present Invention, and are not intended to limit or define the scope of the Present Invention. The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Although the examples given include many specificities, they are intended as illustrative of only certain possible configurations or aspects of the Present Invention. The examples given should only be interpreted as illustrations of some of the preferred configurations or aspects of the Present Invention, and the full scope of the Present Invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the Present Invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that the Present Invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein. The scope of the present invention as disclosed and claimed should, therefore, be determined with reference to the knowledge of one skilled in the art and in light of the disclosures presented above.
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A method and device are provided that include a support structure encased within a stuffed toy, wherein at least one of the extremities of the structure allow a user to position a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device may render digitized audio files and/or digitized video files. Versions of the toy may include a shell or case disposed between the portable device and the support structure; audio speakers; an electric battery; one or more solar energy panels that charge the battery; an electric cord that enables charging the battery from a landline power socket; a device power cord that delivers electrical power from the battery to a device; ear buds that may couple with the portable electronic device; and one or more audio speakers that emit sound derived from the portable electronic device.
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[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/849,412 filed Jan. 28, 2013, which is incorporated by reference in its' entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to cooling and chilling beverages, desserts, food items and in particular to methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems for chilling and cooling beverages, desserts and food items to selected desired temperatures by adding different mixtures of salt and calcium solutions and bags of loose ice.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
[0003] Packaged-ice, such as different weights of bagged ice has been popular to be used in portable coolers to chill canned and bottled beverages. Packaged-ice has generally become standardized over the past decades with a few popular sizes in the U.S. and around the world dominating the sales. For example, the 10 lb bag of packaged-ice is the most popular retail version of packaged-ice in the U.S., followed in descending popularity by 20 lb, 8 lb, 7 lb and 5 lb bags of packaged-ice.
[0004] In Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and other European countries, other standard sizes such as but not limited to 6 lb (2.7 kg), and 26.5 lb (12 kg) are also very popular forms of packaged-ice.
[0005] The bags of packaged-ice generally comprise loose ice cubes, chips and the like, that are frozen fresh water. The standard use of the bags of ice is having the consumer place the bag(s) loosely in cooler containers, and then adding canned and/or bottled beverages, such as sodas, waters to the coolers containing the packaged-ice.
[0006] Due to the melting properties of the fresh-water ice, canned and bottled beverages placed in ice cannot be chilled below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for any significant length of time, which is the known general freezing point.
[0007] Over the years the addition of ice-melters such as salt have been known to be used to lower the melting point of fresh-water ice. Forms of using salt have included sprinkling loose salt on packed-ice in a cooler to produce lower temperatures for certain canned and bottled beverages placed inside. Sprinkling salt has been tried with beer, since beer will not freeze at 32 degrees due to its alcohol content. However, the use of sprinkling loose salt has problems.
[0008] Due to the uneven spread of salt on ice, it is impossible to know or control precisely the resulting temperate below 32 degrees on various ice-cubes in the cooler obtained by sprinkling of salt. Salt sprinkling has inevitably resulted in some of the beverages “freezing hard” while others remain liquid and sometimes at temperatures above 32 degrees. As such, the spreading of salt or other ice-melters on packaged-ice in a cooler to obtain colder temperatures than 32 degrees is an impractical method to know and control precisely the resulting temperature of ice-cubes in a cooler environment.
[0009] Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A primary objective of the present invention is to provide methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems for chilling and cooling beverages, desserts and food items to selected desired temperatures by adding the items to different mixtures of brine solutions and bags of loose ice.
[0011] A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems for evenly chilling and cooling beverages, desserts and food items by submersing the items in an aqueous selected salinity of an ice-melter mixture, such as sodium chloride ‘salt’ and/or calcium chloride, that is combined with loose ice.
[0012] A third objective of the present invention is to provide methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems for evenly chilling and cooling alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to desired temperatures below freezing by using preselected aqueous salinity solutions of an ice-melter mixture, combined with loose ice.
[0013] A fourth objective of the present invention is to provide methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems for evenly chilling and cooling desserts by using preselected aqueous salinity solutions of an ice-melter mixture, combined with loose ice.
[0014] A fifth objective of the present invention is to provide methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems for rapidly chilling beverages, desserts and food items by reducing chill time from hours to minutes.
[0015] A sixth objective of the present invention is to provide methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems for keeping beverages, foods and desserts chilled for extended lengths of time(greater than approximately 12 to approximately 24 hours) without using an external power supply source such as electricity or fuel, below freezing. The extended periods of time are beneficial for transporting food, dessert and beverage items that take along time to transport.
[0016] A seventh objective of the present invention is to provide methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems, to be used in the creation of homemade and/or chef created ice creams or frozen desserts that require precision temperature control during freezing.
[0017] Novel aqueous solutions of a selected salinity of ice-melter (such as sodium chloride ‘salt’ and/or calcium chloride) can be poured in a pre-defined amount evenly over a known amount of bagged-ice in a cooler, creating a precisely controlled and evenly distributed temperature (within a few degrees Fahrenheit) can be obtained within the ice-solution mixture. Canned and bottled beverages (and other items) can be submerged in the precision controlled temperature ice-solution mixture to create certain desired effects only possible by chilling items to a known temperature below 32 degrees.
[0018] This aqueous solution can be sold in packages, such as but not limited to bottles, and the like, clearly delineated to be used with standardized amounts of packaged-ice in the U.S. and abroad, and in a variety of mixtures to obtain certain precision temperature ranges to create desired cooling effects on beer, beverages, ice-creams, and more.
[0019] Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0020] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a 5 lb ice bag of loose ice and 1 liter aqueous solution and cooler with SWIM mix.
[0021] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a 7/8 lb ice bag of loose ice and 1.5 liter aqueous solution and cooler of SWIM mix.
[0022] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a 10 lb ice bag of loose ice and 1.75 liter aqueous solution and cooler of SWIM mix.
[0023] FIG. 4 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 1 for a 5 lb ice bag and 1 liter aqueous solution with a cooler container.
[0024] FIG. 5 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 2 for a 7 or 8 lb ice bag and 1.5 liter aqueous solution with a cooler container.
[0025] FIG. 6 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 3 for a 10 lb ice bag and 1.75 liter aqueous solution with a cooler container.
[0026] FIG. 7 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 3 for using 2 10 lb ice bags and 2 1.75 liters aqueous solution with a cooler container.
[0027] FIG. 8 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 3 for using 4 10 lb ice bags and 4 1.75 liters aqueous solution with a cooler container.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applications to the details of the particular arrangements shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
[0029] In the Summary above and in the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally.
[0030] In this section, some embodiments of the invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments.
[0031] A list of components will now be described.
10 . 5 lb bag of loose ice 12 . loose ice in the bag 14 . 1 liter container of saline solution composition 16 . cooler housing 18 . SWIM mix 19 . products to be cooled/chilled 20 . 7 lb or 8 lb bag of loose ice 24 . 1.5 liter container of saline solution composition 26 . cooler housing 28 . SWIM mix 29 . products to be cooled/chilled 30 . 10 lb bag of loose ice 34 . 1.75 liter container of the saline solution composition 36 . cooler housing 38 . SWIM mix 39 . products to be cooled/chilled
[0048] The invention can utilize bottled, and optionally uniquely colored aqueous solutions made of varying salinities of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) or Sea Salt at specific salinities (e.g. 120-160 ‰, 180-220 ‰, 230-270 ‰, 280-320 ‰, 330-360 ‰ and others), where ‰ refers to grams per liter of water, or to grams per kilograms of water (g/kg of water).
[0049] The aqueous solutions can be contained in bottles of selected quantities (e.g. 1-liter, 1.5-liter, 1.75-liter, 2-liter, and other quantities) for the purpose of being poured over specific quantities of loose ice (5 lbs, 7 lbs, 8 lbs, 10 lbs, and other quantities, from typical bag sizes) in a typical portable beverage cooler to create a Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) within a specific temperature range below the freezing point of water (32 deg F.).
[0050] The active temperature lowering ingredient in the solution is a salt, such as but not limited to Sodium Chloride (NaCl) or Sea Salt and the like. Additionally, a catalyst agent, such as but not limited to Calcium (Ca), Calcium Citrate Ca3(C6HSO7)2, and/or other forms of Calcium can be included in the solution for reducing the aggressive corrosive characteristics of the Sodium Chloride on bare metals, leathers, and other substances.
[0051] Optional buffering additives, can also be used in the solution, such as but not limited to vegetable derivatives, such as vegetable glycerin or vegetable glycerol, food coloring, propylene glycol, flavorings, sweeteners, and the like, and any combinations thereof.
[0052] In addition, an optional deterrent additive(s) such as but not limited to Alum, extract of Lemon, orange, lime, and other strong citrus or pepper, or bitter cherries, and the like, and any combination thereof, can be added to act as a pet and child deterrent and safety agent in order to prevent ingestion of significant quantities which may prove harmful in selected applications for children, elderly, pets, and the like.
[0053] Tables 1-5 show the components of the novel aqueous solutions and their component ranges and amounts for Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) used in coolers. Each table can represent a bottled aqueous solution.
[0000]
TABLE 1
SWIM TEMPERATURE Approx. 22 F. to Approx. 24 F.
Values in grams per kilograms of water
Component
Broad Range
Narrow Range
Prefer. Amnt
Salt
Approx 40 to
Approx. 120 to
Approx. 140
Approx. 80
Approx 160
Calcium
Approx 1 to
Approx 5 to
Approx. 7.5
Approx. 40
Approx. 10
Buffer Additive
0 to Approx. 100
0 to Approx. 60
0 to Approx. 50
Deterrent
0 to Approx. 20
0 to Approx. 10
0 to Approx. 7.5
Additive
[0000]
TABLE 2
SWIM TEMPERATURE Approx. 18 F. to Approx. 21 F.
Values in grams per kilograms of water
Component
Broad Range
Narrow Range
Prefer. Amnt
Salt
Approx 60 to
Approx. 180 to
Approx. 200
Approx. 240
Approx 220
Calcium
Approx 1 to
Approx 5 to
Approx. 10
Approx. 40
Approx. 15
Buffer Additive
0 to Approx. 100
0 to Approx. 80
0 to Approx. 60
Deterrent
0 to Approx. 20
0 to Approx. 10
0 to Approx. 7.5
Additive
[0000]
TABLE 3
SWIM TEMPERATURE Approx. 15 F. to Approx. 18 F.
Values in grams per kilograms of water
Component
Broad Range
Narrow Range
Prefer. Amnt
Salt
Approx 60 to
Approx. 230 to
Approx. 250
Approx. 290
Approx 270
Calcium
Approx 1 to
Approx 10 to
Approx. 15
Approx. 60
Approx. 20
Buffer Additive
0 to Approx. 100
0 to Approx. 80
0 to Approx. 70
Deterrent
0 to Approx. 20
0 to Approx. 10
0 to Approx. 7.5
Additive
[0000]
TABLE 4
SWIM TEMPERATURE Approx. 10 F. to Approx. 13 F.
Values in grams per kilograms of water
Component
Broad Range
Narrow Range
Prefer. Amnt
Salt
Approx 60 to
Approx. 280 to
Approx. 300
Approx. 340
Approx 320
Calcium
Approx 1 to
Approx 10 to
Approx. 20
Approx. 80
Approx. 30
Buffer Additive
0 to Approx. 120
0 to Approx. 90
0 to Approx. 80
Deterrent
0 to Approx. 20
0 to Approx. 10
0 to Approx. 7.5
Additive
[0000]
TABLE 5
SWIM TEMPERATURE Approx. 6 F. to Approx. 9 F.
Values in grams per kilograms of water
Component
Broad Range
Narrow Range
Prefer. Amnt
Salt
Approx 60 to
Approx. 330 to
Approx. 345
Approx. 360
Approx 360
Calcium
Approx 1 to
Approx 10 to
Approx. 25
Approx. 100
Approx. 40
Buffer Additive
0 to Approx. 140
0 to Approx. 100
0 to Approx. 90
Deterrent
0 to Approx. 20
0 to Approx. 10
0 to Approx. 7.5
Additive
[0054] The specific SWIM temperatures allow certain desirable effects to be achieved on beverages, beer, ice-creams, smoothies, milkshake, popsicles, and cold treat emulsifiers (such as but not limited to FROSTIES® and SLURPEES®) placed in the SWIM that are impossible to achieve using ice alone or by mixing fresh water with ice in a cooler.
[0055] Effects such as 1) chilling beer to near its freezing point, 2) supercooling bottled or canned beverages, 3) creating frozen popsicles and supercooling popsicles, 4) keeping soft-serve and store bought ice-creams in perfect emulsions, and other effects require specific temperatures that are below the melting point of fresh-water ice (32 deg F.). Most of these effects require temperatures between 5 deg F. and 24 deg F., which can be achieved in a SWIM using specific salinities and volumes of Brine-Solution when mixed with standardized bags of ice.
[0056] Assuming consumers mainly utilize quanta of standardized bagged ice in their portable coolers (5 lbs, 7 lbs, 8 lbs, or 10 lbs), certain volumes of the novel aqueous solution work best in saturating these standard amounts of ice. See FIGS. 1-3 .
[0057] Assuming most consumers will immediately pour the room temperature aqueous solution over the ice, the variable that determines the initial temperature of the SWIM is the salinity of the Brine.
[0058] The novel aqueous solutions can also be color coded according to salinity, which is directly related to the resultant SWIM temperature and possible effects. The following TABLE 6 shows how the color code may be used to identify differing salinities of bottled aqueous solutions.
[0000]
TABLE 6
COLOR CODE CHART
SWIM TEMP.
SALINITY
PRODUCT
COLOR
(F.)
SOLUTION
APPLICATION
BLUE
6-9°
330-360‰
Ice Creams
GREEN
10-13°
280-320‰
Supercooling
drinks rapidly
YELLOW
15-18°
230-270‰
Supercooling
drinks
ORANGE
18-21°
180-220‰
Soft Serve Ice
Cream
RED
22-24°
120-160‰
Beer Chilling
[0059] The invention can pertain to the specific volumes, salinities, and color coding of the Solution. Blue can represent the coldest SWIM and has the highest salinity. Red can represent the warmest SWIM and the lowest salinity. Other colors, such as but not limited to clear, black, white, and other variations, can be used.
[0060] Specific volumes can be used for specific sized bagged ice; 1-liter for 5 lbs, 1.5-liter for 7-8 lbs, and 1.75-2 liter for 10 lbs. (See FIGS. 1-8 .)
[0061] The invention can pertain to any volume(s) that when mixed exactly with certain standard quantities of bagged-ice will produce a usable SWIM for submerging and supercooling reasonable and expected amounts of canned or bottled beverages per amount of bagged-ice. For example; a 10 lb bag of ice plus certain volume of the novel aqueous solution should be expected to allow up to 6 12-oz cans to be submerged in the SWIM.
[0062] Several embodiments are described below for actual applications of the novel invention that can be used with portable coolers, such as Styrofoam coolers, plastic coolers, and aluminum or metal coolers.
[0063] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a 5 lb ice bag 10 holding loose ice 12 and 1 liter aqueous solution 14 with a cooler 16 containing the Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) 18 having a specific temperature range below the freezing point of water (32 deg F.).
[0064] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a 7 or 8 lb ice bag 20 holding loose ice 22 and 1.5 liter aqueous solution 24 with a cooler 26 containing the Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) 28 having a specific temperature range below the freezing point of water (32 deg F.).
[0065] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a 10 lb ice bag 30 holding loose ice 32 and 1.75 liter aqueous solution 34 with a cooler 36 containing the Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) 38 having a specific temperature range below the freezing point of water (32 deg F.).
[0066] FIG. 4 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 1 for a 5 lb ice bag 10 and 1 liter aqueous solution 14 with a cooler container 16 . Step 1 has the cooler container 16 holding loose ice 12 . Step 2 has the aqueous solution from 1 liter container 14 being poured over the ice 12 in the container 16 . Solution in container 16 having a salinity of 350 ‰, where a Blue Colored Aqueous Solution container 16 can be used here.
[0067] Step 3 has the cooler 16 with Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) 18 inside having temperature of approximately 6 F to approximately 9 F. Step 4 has the product 19 , such as ice cream containers submersed in the SWIM 18 , being used to keep the store bought ice cream in a perfect emulsion for outdoor settings.
[0068] Specific useful temperature ranges in the SWIM can be expected to last 8 hours in a cooler per 10 lb bag of ice and 1.75 liters of solution. The temperature ranges of the SWIM can last within indoor and outdoor environments having temperatures of approximately 65 F to approximately 85 F.
[0069] Products such as store bought ice cream(in pint, quart, ½ gallon sizes, and the like) can stay at approximately 6 to approximately 9 F in a soft emulsion state perfect for consumption(though not in a soft serve state). The state can be between a not melted state and a not frozen hard state. The products that as store bought ice cream can be kept in a consistent emulsion state in most outdoor temperature settings between approximately 60 F to approximately 90 F for approximately 8 to approximately 12 hours or longer depending on the type of cooler and amount of ice used with the aqueous solution.
[0070] FIG. 5 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 2 for a 7 or 8 lb ice bag 20 and 1.5 liter aqueous solution 24 with a cooler container 26 . Step 1 has the cooler container 26 holding loose ice 22 . Step 2 has the aqueous solution from 1.5 liter container 24 being poured over the ice 22 in the container 26 . Solution in container 26 having a salinity of 250 ‰, where an Yellow Colored Aqueous Solution container 26 can be used here.
[0071] Step 3 has the cooler 26 with Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) 28 inside having temperature of approximately 15 F to approximately 18 F. Step 4 has the product(s) 29 , such as canned and bottled beverages submersed in the SWIM 28 , being used to keep the store bought beverages in a super cooled liquid state for outdoor settings where a variety of the canned and bottled beverages are supercooled but not allowed to freeze hard due to the consistent temperature of the SWIM.
[0072] The super cooled beverages can then be ‘slushed’ (nucleated) on demand by either striking the container with a hand or against an object such as a table with mild force or by placing a small crystal of ice into the supercooled beverage. The resulting slush is soft and easily consumed with or without a straw as nearly half of the beverage remains in a liquid state. This effect allows the beverage to maintain a preferred cold temperature (scientifically referred to as a ‘frigorific’ temperature) for several minutes after the initial slushing effect.
[0073] The super cooled state for beverages submerged in the SWIM will last for 8 to 12 hours or more in a single 10 lb package of ice with one 1.75 liter aqueous ice-accelerator solution in outdoor settings. The supercooled beverages remain at a temperature below freezing without freezing hard.
[0074] FIG. 6 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 3 for a 10 lb ice bag 30 and 1.75 liter aqueous solution 34 with a cooler container 36 . Step 1 has the cooler container 36 holding loose ice 32 . Step 2 has the aqueous solution from 1.75 liter container 34 being poured over the ice 32 in the container 36 . Solution in container 36 having a salinity of 250 ‰, where a Red Colored Aqueous Solution container 34 can be used here. Step 3 has the cooler 36 with Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) 38 inside having temperature of approximately 15 F to approximately 18 F. Step 4 has the product(s) 39 , such as canned and bottled beer submersed in the SWIM 38 , being used to keep the store bought beer 39 for chilling the beer to its freezing point but not allowing the beer to freeze.
[0075] The chilled beer (or other beverages) submerged in the SWIM will remain at optimal temperatures for 8 to 12 hours or more in a single 10 lb package of ice with one 1.75 liter aqueous ice-accelerator solution in outdoor settings. The beer will remain in a liquid state near or slightly below (or above) it's freezing point without freezing hard, and at up to 10 degrees below the freezing point of water (32 F). This temperature provides an optimal crispness and flavor as well as allowing the beverage to remain colder, longer during consumption. The temperatures of 22 F to 24 F are not generally low enough to cause the beer to ‘slush’ (nucleate) when opened, thereby providing the lowest possible liquid drinking temperatures for beer.
[0076] FIG. 7 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 3 for using 2 10 lb ice bags 32 and 2 1.75 liters 34 aqueous solution with a cooler container 36 . Step 1 has the cooler container 36 holding loose ice 32 from 2 10 lb bags 30 . Step 2 has the aqueous solution from 2 1.75 liter containers 34 being poured over the ice 32 in the container 36 . Solution in containers 34 can have a salinity of 200 ‰, where an Orange Colored Aqueous Solution container can be used here.
[0077] Step 3 has the cooler 36 with Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) 38 (×2) at temperatures between 18 to 21 F. Step 4 has the product(s) 39 , such as soft serve ice cream in packages submersed in the SWIM 38 , being used to keep the soft serve ice cream in a consistent emulsion state at temperatures between 18 to 21 F, and for supercooling beverages.
[0078] The super cooled beverages can then be ‘slushed’ (nucleated) on demand by either striking the container with a hand or against an object such as a table with mild force or by placing a small crystal of ice into the supercooled beverage. The resulting slush is soft and easily consumed with or without a straw as nearly half of the beverage remains in a liquid state. This effect allows the beverage to maintain a preferred cold temperature (scientifically referred to as a ‘frigorific’ temperature) for several minutes after the initial slushing effect.
[0000] The supercooled state for beverages submerged in the SWIM will last for 8 to 12 hours or more in a single 10 lb package of ice with one 1.75 liter aqueous ice-accelerator solution in outdoor settings. The supercooled beverages remain at a temperature below freezing without freezing hard. Soft-serve ice-creams such as those provided by Dairy Queen® and other ice-cream or custard stores generally require a temperature between 18 F and 21 F to maintain their soft emulsion, whereas store-bought container ice-cream will melt to liquid at these temperatures and therefore require the 6 F to 9 F temperature ice-accelerator to maintain their textures.
[0079] FIG. 8 shows the four steps of using the embodiment of FIG. 3 for using 4 10 lb ice bags 30 and 4 1.75 liters 34 aqueous solution with a cooler container 36 .
[0080] Step 1 has the cooler container 36 holding loose ice 32 from 4 10 lb bags 30 . Step 2 has the aqueous solution from 4 1.75 liter containers 34 being poured over the ice 32 in the container 36 . Solution in containers 34 can have a salinity of 200‰, where an Green Colored Aqueous Solution container can be used here.
[0081] Step 3 has the cooler 36 with Solution-Water-Ice Mix (SWIM) 38 (×4) at temperatures between 10 to 13 F. Step 4 has the product(s) 39 , such as store bought ice cream, gelatos, popsicles(frozen or unfrozen) submersed in the SWIM 38 , for supercooling beverages rapidly. Supercooling can take approximately 20 to approximately 60 minutes with the invention, and can be reduced further to approximately 5 minutes or less by article devices such as a spinning device, and the like. A timer can be used to prevent freezing. The timer can calculate time based on the SWIM temperature, size of the beverage container(s) and starting temperature(s) of the beverage container(s).
[0082] The term “approximately” or “approx.” can include +/−10 percent of the number adjacent to the term.
[0083] Although the invention references desserts such as ice-cream, other types of edible foods can be used, such as but not limited frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet, ice milk, smoothies, milk shakes, and the like, which prevents melting or hard freezing of the foods. Other types of foods can be used with the invention, such as but not limited to fish, meat, poultry, and the like.
[0084] While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.
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Methods, processes, compositions, apparatus, kits and systems for chilling and cooling beverages and desserts to selected desired temperatures by adding the beverages and desserts to different mixtures of brine solutions and bags of loose ice. The invention forms and creates an aqueous solution composition of certain salinity of ice-melter (such as sodium chloride ‘salt’ and/or calcium chloride). The composition is poured in a pre-defined amount evenly over a known amount of bagged-ice in a cooler. The result is a precisely controlled and evenly distributed temperature (within a few degrees Fahrenheit) can be obtained within the ice-solution mixture. Next, canned and bottled beverages (and other items) can be submerged in the precision controlled temperature ice-solution mixture to create certain desired effects only possible by chilling items to a known temperature below 32 degrees.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to an electric switch, in particular, for motor vehicles with a housing in which a contact lever can move between two end settings within the housing. The electrical switch is equipped with a moveable switch piece to initiate the reversing process and with at least one fixed contact. One of the two elements, namely the contact lever or the switch piece, bears a wedge profile while the other of the two elements has a switching element which senses the contour of the wedge profile during switching. In addition, the two mutually cooperating elements are pre-tensioned with respect to each other in the sensing direction and, as a rule, the sensing direction runs perpendicular to one motion direction in which the two mutually cooperating elements are displaced with respect to each other during the switching.
A switch of this kind is described, for example, in DE-OS 33 36 877, and here both the switch element and also the wedge profile are each formed by a wedge. From DE-OS 44 18 707, a corresponding switch by the applicant is known, in which the known wedge-shaped switch element was replaced by a pre-tensioned sensing roller.
With regard to the design according to DE-OS 44 18 707, it has already been proposed to exchange the wedge profile and the switching element having a curved sensing surface with each other so that the switching piece is provided with a spring tensioned wedge profile.
Therefore the invention proceeds from an electrical switch of the kind in which the contour of the wedge surface is straight. This means that the opposing force exerted by the switching piece when pressed in, is roughly proportional to the distance by which the switch piece is pressed in. Thus, upon manual operation of the switching piece, the opposing force is exerted by the switching piece against the operator increases linearly up to the point where the wedge peak is reached by the switching element. From this point on, the snap action of the switch begins, through which the contact lever is automatically brought into its second contact position. Due to the linear increase in force in the first activation phase of the switch piece, the operator is not able to tell in which region the switching point is actually reached. Thus the switch will reverse at a moment which cannot be determined precisely by the operator.
The purpose of the invention is to make clearly discernible the approach of the pressure point for the operator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In principle, the invention consists of starting from the known linear dependence of the force exerted by the switching piece with respect to the path traversed by the switching piece, and to introduce a nonlinear relationship. This non-linear relationship is achieved by means of a curved profile. In addition, due to this kind of curbed surface in certain regions, it is possible to control the speed and the acceleration at which the electrical contact are brought together. Thus, within certain limits, the collision tendency of mutually approaching contacts can be controlled, or the speed at which the contacts are brought together, can be controlled for the prevention of electric arcing.
If the goal is a non-linear increase of the opposing force of the switching piece just before reaching the pressure point, then, in a refinement of the invention, the curvature of the contour sensed from the beginning of the switch operation until the transition point is selected such that the force exerted on the switch piece increases disproportionately with respect to the path traversed by the switch piece. Of course, the principle can be applied to both wedge surfaces for a reversing switch acting in two directions, in which the contact lever makes a fixed contact in its two end settings.
A particularly simple construction is obtained by pretensioning the wedge in the switch piece in the pretension direction. Thus the design of the contact lever will be greatly simplified, so that any otherwise occurring problems will be eliminated when it is seated. In addition, the contact lever will thus be lighter, so that it is easer to accelerate and tends to rebound less.
The curvature of the wedge profile can be both convex and also concave, depending on the objectives to be achieved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
One design example of the invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to the figures in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross section from a cut-away representation of the switch;
FIG. 2 is a wedge element with wedge profile according to this invention; and
FIG. 3 is a greatly simplified and symbolic representation of the essential elements of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The switch forms a section of a manually operated sensor switch onto which a manually operated sensor can be placed. Within the switch housing 1 there are two fixed contact 2, 3, which cooperate with two moving contacts 4, 5, which are attached to one contact lever 6. The contact lever 6 is pivot mounted in a knife-edge support 7, and the free end of the contact lever 6 is configured as switching element 7. A wedge element 8 can slide horizontally in a switching piece 10 under the effect of a pretensioning spring 9. The switching piece 10 itself can be pressed in a perpendicular direction S by means of a key (not illustrated). By means of a spring (not illustrated) which acts on the lower end of the switching piece 10, the switching piece 10 can recoil automatically opposite to the direction of the arrow S after operation of the contact. In the illustrated, standard position, due to the force of the spring 9, which is transferred proportionately via a wedge profile at the free end of the wedge element 8 to the knife-edge bearing 6 by means of the switching element 10, the moving contact 5 rests with a defined force against the fixed contact 2. Now if the switching piece 10 is pressed downward in direction S, preferably manually, then the switching element 7 moves along the lower wedge surface 12 out to the wedge peak 13, and the contact force of the moving contact 5 is steadily increased. Finally, when the wedge peak 13 is reached, then due to the pretensioning spring 9 and the cooperation of wedge profile 11 and switching element 7 an oppositely directed force is exerted which strives, on the one hand, to press the switching piece 10 downward and at the same time, to pivot the contact lever 6 upward. Consequently, the moving contact 4 is set onto the fixed contact 3. Without the effect of the restoring spring (not illustrated), the switch would remain in the last-stated position, until finally the switching piece 10 was pulled back opposite to the direction of the arrow S.
Now for the invention, it is important that the wedge profile 11 not have a straight profile, but rather be curved, as is evident from FIG. 2 by the wedge element 8 shown therein. Thus, the entire wedge surface 12 consists of two single wedge surfaces 15, 16 running at a peak toward each other, with the contour of the single wedge surface 15 bulged inward (concave), and the single wedge surface 16 curved outward (convex).
FIG. 3 shows the operation of the invention in symbolic form, and the curvature of the wedge surface shown greatly exaggerated. The contours a1 and a2 show the already known profile of the wedge surfaces, in which the force exerted by the pretensioning spring 9 in the direction of the spring S depends linearly on the path traversed by the switching piece 10. Thus, the switching piece 10 moves in the longitudinal direction of the arrow S within the housing, while the contact lever 6 can pivot about the knife-edge bearing 14. In the initial position, the switch piece 10 is located in a position in which (as indicated in FIG. 3) the switching element 7 of the contact lever 6 rests at location A1 against the single wedge surface 15. Thus, the wedge element 8 is extended far under the effect of the spring 9. Now the moving contact 5 is under the proportional force of the mostly pretensioned spring 9 on the fixed contact 2. Now if the switching piece 10 is pressed manually in the direction of the arrow S, for example, then the point A1 moves along the single wedge surface 15 at an upward slant, and the wedge 8 is increasingly pressed to the left due to the effect of the switching piece 10. Due to the increasing force exerted by the pretensioning spring 9, the force pressing the contact 5 onto the contact 2 increases linearly. This continues until finally the point A0 is reached. At this moment, the conditions reverse. Now the spring 9 can relax since the switching piece 10 moves along the second single wedge surface 16 in the direction of the end point A2. The proportionate force exerted by the spring 9 onto the switching element 7 pivots the switching element simultaneously upward around the knife-edge bearing 14, so that now the moving contact 4 rests against the fixed contact 3.
The curved contours b1 and b2 according to this invention are indicated again in FIG. 3. We see that starting from the position B1, the spring tensions only slowly at first, until finally, very large path changes of the wedge element 8 to the left will occur due to small path motions of the switching piece 10, which leads to a considerable change in the force exerted by the operator per path increment. This suddenly increasing force, which ends in sudden release, means that the operator will perceive a definite pressure point so that the operator will know that the reversing process must now be quite close. The second, single wedge surface b1 is indicated greatly exaggerated in FIG. 3 with an outward curvature. Thus, the advantages of the reversing process of the contact lever 6 and thus of the reversing of the switch are attained. It is clear that the spring 9 can initially relax only slowly, so that is relaxation increases quickly in comparison to the path traversed, the closer the point B2 comes to the switching element 7. Due to this feature, the force exerted on the contact 4 can be increased, since initially a comparatively large spring force will be available, whose proportion is relatively small in the motion direction of the contact 4. At point B2 the conditions are reversed, so that the spring force will be comparatively small, while that fraction acting on the contact 4 is quite large.
In FIG. 3, a contour c is indicated which is symmetrical to the contour b2. In this case, the advantages described above with regard to b2 of an inward bulged curvature of the wedge contour for the two single wedge surfaces will take effect for the case in which the switch is operated manually in both directions, and in both directions improved pressure points should be achieved.
The invention can thus be indicated briefly below in the snap-switches known to this time, the bevels of the reverse switching components are of uniform design. Thus, up to the reversal point, a uniform force increase will occur due to the tension of the compression spring. The invention presents a switch in which the bevels of the reversing part are tailored to the particular switch characteristics. That is, when operating the switch key, on the one side of the switch piece, due to the differing designed bevel, a force increase (pressure point) is reached and when releasing the key and thus switching back, due to the radii shape (in spite of pre-tensioning of the compression spring), a uniform restoring force is achieved. Due to changing this actuation surface, almost all force-path profiles can be attained.
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A quick-break switch in which, for switching-over purposes under the spring force (1) of a switching element, the two individual wedge faces of a wedge surface are felt. In order to render the pressure point more perceptible, in particular when the switch is manually operated, the wedge faces are curved. These curves can also help to improve the switching behavior of the switch with respect to the switching process and contact-making.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to prevention of discomfort, illness or death in living organisms which may be caused by the undesired and abnormal closure of a duct or channel or other passageway through which vital fluids (gases or liquids) normally flow.
BACKGROUND ART
The Physiological and Psychological Class of Problem Addressed
Before addressing specific background art, a description of the mechanism and consequence of involuntary passageway closure in living organisms is provided.
The most common and most serious dysfunctions caused by the involuntary closure of a passageway in humans occur in a debilitating and life-threatening mode in the disease known as "sleep apnea" and as an inconvenience (in aesthetic and/or psychological senses in various degrees) for those afflicted with severe snoring. There are other human and animal afflictions also connected with the involuntary closure of vital passageways to which techniques used to alleviate or cure apnea may also pertain.
In the case of sleep apnea, what occurs is an involuntary closure of a portion of the air passageway, or windpipe (also called the "airway"), that connects the mouth to the lungs and digestive system. The upper portion of the airway (the "upper airway") consists of two passageways, the nasal airway and the oral airway. Portions of the upper airway just back of the tongue are known as the soft palate, the hypopharynx, etc. Below the tongue, these two passageways merge to become a single passageway. Portions of this lower single passageway are known as the throat, the gullet, the trachea, the pharynx, the larnyx, the thorax, the esophagus, etc. Closure commonly occurs when the patient sleeps, because then his or her muscles are in a condition of minimum tenseness, indeed in the condition of relaxation associated with sleep. In those people prone to sleep apnea, there is a tendency for a portion of the inner walls of the air passage, generally in the region just back of the tongue, to become so limp and relaxed as to have a tendency to "flap shut". At that instant, the air passage is blocked, breathing stops, air movement to the lungs ceases, and the patient begins to choke. He or she awakes in a state of panic, gasping for breath, which resumes as the throat tissues tense and tighten, thus "unflapping" the closure and thus unblocking the air passage.
The patient then resumes sleeping, but another apneic attack generally follows. For those severely afflicted, there may be as many as eight episodes per hour. When these conditions persist, patients are at best constantly drowsy during the day due to constant waking up during the night, or at worst, develop heart conditions which lead to heart attacks.
There are two locations in the upper airway where apneic episodes may occur. The rates of incidence in both locations are about equal, so that they are equally important. The first location is at the soft palate at the rear of the tongue, where it makes a boundary with the nasal airway. This may flap shut against the posterior pharyngeal region which makes up the rear wall of the throat. The second location is lower down at protruding tissue, known as the hypopharynx, in the region where the nasal and oral airways merge. It, too, can flap shut against the posterior pharyngeal tissue. The hypopharynx is integral with the subglottal tissue which moves with it as it flaps shut.
People most prone to sleep apnea are generally overweight and/or with receding jaws. Some animals, especially the bulldog and the Pekingese, are prone to sleep apnea. This accounts for the fact that bulldogs are characterized as "sleepy".
Snoring is actually a mild form of sleep apnea in that total closure and blockage of air movement does not occur, but partial blockage does. Acoustical vibrations are then set up, not dissimilar from those generated in the mouthpieces of brass musical instruments, like the trumpet or trombone. These resonate and are amplified and fortified in the throat and nose chamber and emerge as the unpleasant sounds we know as snoring.
Some authoritative references on the subject of sleep apnea are Guilleminault, C., "Diagnosis, Pathogenesis, and Treatment of the Sleep Apnea Syndromes", Springer-Verlag, Berlin 1984, Block A. J., et al., "Factors Influencing Upper Airway Closure", CHEST Vol. 86, No. 1, July 1984, p. 114, and Sullivan, C. E., et al., "Obstructive Sleep Apnea", Clinics in Chest Medicine, Vol. 6, No. 4, Dec. 1985, p. 633.
Various procedures and devices have been developed for the mitigation of the effects of apnea. These are described below:
a. Surgery
Since the involuntary closure occurs most frequently in the region of the air passage just back of the base of the tongue, it is common to remove a portion of the fleshy inner wall of the air passage in that location. This must be done while taking care not to remove an excessive amount of tissue, since the air passage must remain whole and "air tight" for breathing.
The situation is complicated by the fact that there are several functions, in addition to air conduction for breathing, which must also be fulfilled by the airway. Those additional roles, involving muscular action in the region, must not be compromised. For example, this passageway also participates in swallowing food and drink and in establishing the quality of the voice in talking and singing. Consequently, the removal of the tissue often still leaves enough flabby fleshy structure, so as still to "flap shut" during such a condition of relaxation as occurs in sleep. Thus, the success record of surgical measures is mixed at best.
While for some patients, in the near term, the desired results in alleviating apnea without damaging other throat functions are achieved surgically, with the passage of time, sleep apnea often reappears. And, in many cases, no improvement is achieved as a result of this surgical procedure. Furthermore, in all cases, there is the risk and discomfort associated with major surgery.
(b) Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
Good success in alleviating, without curing, sleep apnea has been achieved by the application of a simple hydraulic principle. It is that a flexible tubulation, which is what a human or animal air passage is, can be kept from collapsing if an internal pressure greater than the pressure on its external surface can be maintained within itself. In effect, it becomes a pressure vessel. This has been shown to be achievable, without recourse to modifying the passageway itself as with surgery, by attaching a nose mask to the face of the patient, which in turn is attached by a tubular conduit to a pump system. What is then achieved is a closed hydraulic (pulmonary) system of which the living air passage forms one integrated part. The pump is electrically energized and through the period of sleep, continuously generates positive air pressure (2-12 cm of pressure above ambient), enough to keep the air passage from collapsing, as it otherwise might.
A company which has pioneered in and markets this device is Respironics, Inc. of Monroeville, Pa.
The CPAP has been a boon to apnea sufferers, but it has certain disadvantages. It depends on being plugged into an electric system and damage to the sleeping patient can occur in the event of a power failure. It is an "active" device, in that there is no escaping the constant noise of motor sound. Most negatively, it requires the wearing of a face mask by the patient. This is a constant inconvenience, inhibiting normal body movements during sleep, as well as connubial satisfaction with a sex partner.
There are numerous literature references on CPAP, of which a representative is: F. G. Issa and J. E. Remmers, "Pathophysiology and Treatment of Sleep Apnea in Current Pulmonology", Vol. 10; Ed. Daniel Simmons, Yearbook Medical Publishers, Inc., 1989, pp. 327-352.
Various other mechanical and electrical means have been utilized to control passage of fluids in ducts and passageways in humans and they form a second category of prior art. They differ from the methods of passageway control, described above, in that they deal not with involuntary passageway closure, but rather, with undesired involuntarily staying open of the passageway when closure is required. Those that pertain here are associated with the use of magnets and are described below.
(c) Substitution for Sphincter and Sphincter-like Action
Living organisms make provision for both voluntary and involuntary control of movement of fluids and solids by use of strategically located muscles. The class of muscle that controls the passage of feces and urine is the sphincter, which is a noose-like muscle surrounding the passageway and which by tensing or relaxing can cause a region of the passageway to be either open or closed. For those who have lost sphincter function, it is possible to approximate at least the "closed" mode of the noose function. This is achieved by the placement of a pair of opposing pole magnets or of a pair one magnet and an element made of a ferromagnetic material, like iron. In either case, attracting magnetic forces cause these magnetic materials to move in the direction of each other, at the same time squeezing or clamping shut the tissue of the passageway which separates them.
These devices differ from living sphincters in what while they are capable of closing a passageway with positive force, they do not have the capability of applying similar but opposite force to compel a passageway to open. There are various design reasons for this, the most important of which is the fact that one magnet element of the magnet pair is inserted into a body aperture, or surgically implanted, while the other is placed externally in a crucial position on the outside skin and manually manipulated by the patient when the equivalent of sphincter closing is required. Removal of the external magnet removes the clamping force and the passageway opens by virtue of its own elasticity.
Numerous patents and technical papers may be found in the prior art relating to innovations and research into devices and methods based on noosing or clamping, as well as attaching, which function by utilizing mechanical forces resulting from magnetic fields generated by magnets correctly designed and oriented for these purposes. For magnetic closure action on ducts and passageways, the following patents have issued: Goldstein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,952; Allen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,175; Roth, U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,821 and Hakim, U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,390.
(d) Related Other Magnet Applications in Living Organisms
There are many other methods and devices based on use of magnets in living passageways or tissues. Applications include attachment, muscle exercise and pumping.
1. Attachment
The literature is replete with articles describing permanent magnets used for attachment of prothesis into or onto the body, such as dentures and artificial ears and holding plugs in place in urinary passages, etc. Patents describing systems and methods for attachment of external items, such as a colostomy bag or rectal or vaginal plugs are: Adair, U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,678 and Leprevost, U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,236.
2. Muscle Manipulation
A unique application is described in a paper by T. R. Colburn, et al., "Electromagnetic Method for In Situ Stretch of Individual Muscles", Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing, March, 1988, p. 145, in which an implanted magnetizable metal (not a magnet) can be made to pull or push a muscle by being placed in a suitable external magnetic field generated by an external electromagnetic coil.
3. Internal Motors and Pumps
Another class of magnet applications, that of internal motors, is represented by S. G. Kovacs, et al., "A Magnetic Energy Converter for Implantable Left Ventricular Assist Devices", Kovacs, et al., Journal of Clinical Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 4, October-December, 1982, pp. 317-322, in which an electromagnetic field is used to activate a heart pump.
All these cited patents and systems make use of the forces of magnetic attraction to achieve attachment or motor-like action or closing action for an organic passageway.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention discloses a method and device which averts the unwanted stoppage of the flow of vital fluids in animals and humans by ensuring that living passageways, prone to involuntary closure, are prevented from collapsing and closing.
In one embodiment, a small permanent magnet is implanted into a selected region of the passageway tissue. The implanted magnet moves to eliminate airway closure of the passageway through interaction with an external adjacent attached magnet. The internal magnet is implanted, or affixed, in "soft" frontal (anterior) tissue of the tubular airway wall between the mouth and the entrance into the larynx, at or near the epiglottis, opposite "hard" or rigid tissue at the rear (posterior) of the airway. The external magnet is oriented in polarity to attract the internal magnet and is worn in a position adjacent and nearly opposite the internal magnet on the external front wall of the larynx beneath the chin near the "soft" tissue. The opposite polarity magnetic forces produced by this arrangement cause the two magnets to attract and prevent the soft tissue from flapping shut against the more rigid rear wall.
In an alternate embodiment, two or more magnets are internally implanted, or affixed about the airway. Two such magnets are oriented in polarity so as to repel each other and are disposed on opposite walls of the airway. One is located on a "hard" tissue wall and the other on a "soft" tissue wall, at or near the epiglottis. The repelling force prevents closure of the airway. A third magnet is used to stabilize the other two and prevent occurrence of mechanical metastability, which would cause the air passage to be closed, instead of opened by the two magnets.
In yet another embodiment, a method and apparatus for prevention of accidental extubation of endotracheal tubes is provided which consists of a magnet incorporated into the wall of the endotrachael tube which faces the front of the throat. Another magnet with polarity, such as to attract the first magnet, is placed into a neckband which is so placed as to face the first magnet. The tube is thus held and prevented from accidental extubation with the same retentive force as is normally achieved with conventional systems using straps.
The above, and other embodiments of the invention, will now be described, in detail, with the aid of the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an anatomical schematic sectional view of the airway of a patient with a first embodiment of the invention illustrated.
FIG. 2 is a plot of magnetic force versus distance between magnets.
FIG. 3 is side view of a magnet extender in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 4 is a top view of the extender of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a patient with an alternate embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is schematic representation of the force fields in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a patient with another alternate embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of a patient with a further alternate embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of an embodiment in which a patient fitted with an endotracheal tube with magnets is shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
I. Single External Magnet Embodiment
A system consisting of a single implanted magnet which moves to eliminate airway closure (an apneaic episode) through interaction with an external attached magnet will now be described in connection with FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1, internal magnet 1 is implanted in a location adjacent the nose airway 2 most applicable for a particular patient, such as in an inner wall of the soft palate tissue 3 in the region between the larynx 4 and nasopharynx 5 above the epiglottis 30. This is across the airway 2 from hard tissue which makes up the opposing posterior pharyngeal wall 7 of the nasal airway 2. Hard tissue is essentially rigid. Internal magnet 1 has well-defined parallel pole faces, labelled "N" and "S", one of which "S" is pointed outward and downward so as to directly "oppose" the north pole N of external magnet 8. Magnet 8 is attached to the outer skin of a patient with means such as a neckband, or chin strap, 9, which extends beneath the patient's chin 66.
Magnet pole orientation is illustrated by the arrows and results in an attraction force between the implanted magnet 1 and external magnet 8. The result of this attraction force is to move anterior nasal airway wall 3 outwardly and in a direction opposite to that of airway closure to prevent occurrence of apnea.
Force fields between magnets 1 and 8 act to keep the flabby tissue of the anterior portion of the front wall 3 of the nasal airway 2 from flapping shut against the more rigid rear wall 7. That wall's rigidity is such that it can be reckoned as unmoving, making it necessary only to control the movement of the inner wall 3. The implanted magnet 1 is sufficiently small as not to be noticed by the patient during waking or sleeping hours, or when eating or speaking.
In the other most common case of apneic closure, at the location where the oral and nasal airways merge (at 6) the magnet 1, still with the same magnetic pole orientation, may be relocated to either 58 or 32 (as shown in dotted lines) depending on the individual patient's throat structure.
The force which is required to keep the airways 2 or 6 open is known to correspond with an internal incremental air pressure in the order of 5 cm of air, as has been determined by the CPAP pump pressure system. The amount of force in that system has been shown to be tolerable and not sufficient to interfere with sleep. 5 cm of pressure can be calculated to be expressed as 33 grams per inch square, a force easily exerted by a pair of small magnets as they approach each other. Such magnets are utilized and designated as 1 and 8 in FIG. 1. Preferably, state of the art magnets of the rare earth type, examples of which are of the classes of samarium cobalt and neodymium iron should be used. They have energy products in the range from 18 million to 35 million gauss/oersteds, values which make possible large forces of attraction or repulsion for magnets of very small mass.
It is known that there is an approximate inverse-cube law relationship for either attracting forces (opposite poles facing each other) or repelling forces (similar poles facing each other) between pole faces of permanent magnets. The forces increase rapidly as the magnets move closer to each other; this may be expressed as:
F=cMM'/r.sup. 3 Equation 1
where M and M' are the magnetic dipole moments of the magnets which are separated on centers by a distance, r, and c involves the physical constants.
This inverse cube relationship between force and distance may be schematically represented in the form of the graph of FIG. 2.
Thus, depending on the embodiment (those given here choose either attracting or repelling, or a combination of these), the presence of the magnets results in markedly increasing resistance to airway wall collapse and closure, as the airway walls approach each other. Forces for final closure will never exceed counteracting magnet forces, that is, a certain amount of open passageway clearance will always be maintained.
The implanted magnet may be coated with one of the accepted polymeric materials used to coat such metallic implants as heart pacemakers, such as a urethane or silicone. This will encapsulate and seal the magnet and render the assemblage compatible with living tissue and fluids, i.e., biocompatible.
As a result of its small area, the internal magnet 1 acts on a wall of the airway almost as though it is pressing at a point contact. That region of contact, and thus the region that is inhibited from collapsing, can be effectively extended by a structural element attached to the magnet and flush with its pole face. Such a device is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 as item 13. Extender 13 is a semirigid polymer structure which may be attached to the internal magnet 1 for the purpose of increasing the area over which its force can be applied to airway wall. It is shaped to conform to the inner contour of the airpipe at location of contact. It is made of a suitable polymer, such as a silicone compatible with living tissue and fluids, in accordance with the state of the art.
II. Non-External Magnet Embodiment
A system consisting of a multiple magnet array, each element of which is implanted with the result that no external magnet is required to be attached, shall now be described in connection with FIG. 5.
In FIG. 5, an array of implanted attracting magnets are shown which repel each other (illustrated by the arrows) and which thus eliminate airway closure without the use of external magnets. This embodiment is also used where one wall of the passageway is rigid and the other is soft. Implanted primary magnet 10 is located as in the embodiment of FIG. 1; it is supplemented, however, by primary magnet 14 in rigid wall 7 and by stabilizer magnet 15 outside of the airway, but implanted beneath front skin 11 of chin 66. The expression "primary magnet" is used to designate those magnets which generate the force which is expressed against passageway walls to inhibit closure. The term differentiates such magnets from those that have a secondary role, such as the "stabilizing magnets" described below.
As indicated in FIG. 5, it is possible to dispense with the inconvenience of attaching an external magnet at the cost of implanting additional magnets which operate to eliminate the need for such an external magnet. The nasal airpipe 2 is kept from closing by the fact that in this embodiment, there are now two implanted primary magnets 14 and 10, which are oriented so as to repel each other because their similar magnetic poles face each other (as in north pole facing another north pole).
This arrangement brings with it the danger of undesired primary magnet behavior of mechanical instability, or "metastability". Metastability can be eliminated by implantation of a third magnet, known as the "stabilizing magnet" 15 which operates to stabilize the system.
Magnets 10 and 14 may be located further down at 90 and 91 (as shown in dotted lines) so as to face each other across passageway 6 for the case where the susceptibility to attack is in that region. Magnet 15 will remain at about the same location, but will be slightly tilted from the nasal airway case, so as to line up with magnets 90 and 91, as shown in phantom.
When any magnets are used in an arrangement of similar poles facing each other, a condition of mechanical metastability obtains, as contrasted to the stable condition which occurs when opposing dissimilar poles face each other and the magnets have no tendency to move in any way other than directly at each other. In the metastable case, the magnets, and especially the smaller one if they are of different size, attempt to rotate 180° , so as to reverse the orientation of the smaller one to the position wherein dissimilar poles face each other.
Without the stabilizer magnet 15, it is possible, as a result of being in a metastable condition, for magnet 10 to twist the flabby soft tissue in which it is imbedded with it and then to become attracted to magnet 14, rather than to be repelled by it. Should that occur, the possible consequence is exactly the opposite of what is desired. Closure may then be forced to happen, and may even then be life threatening. As shown in the force field diagram of FIG. 6, it is the function of the stabilizing implanted magnet 15 to counteract this tendency, since it acts in the stable attracting mode (dissimilar poles facing), to keep magnet 10 in its original orientation. It makes the rotation impossible because it operates to exert a stabilizing force on magnet 10 and, at the same time, reinforces the repelling forces of the pair 14 and 10 because its attracting force acts in the same direction (to keep the airway open).
Magnet 14 may be located in one of two places. Either as shown in FIG. 5, in front of the spinal column 62, or behind it, under the skin of the back of the neck at 63, as shown in phantom.
Where neither wall of the airway is rigid, as in FIG. 7, the implantation of a second stabilizing magnet 16 is required. This then serves the purpose of providing stabilization of magnet 14 in the same manner as magnet 15 stabilizes magnet 10 in Embodiment 2. In this embodiment, both 10' and 14 require stabilization. Another example of both walls being soft and flabby may occur when the soft palate in the roof of the mouth participates in the undesired closure. This embodiment is applicable in that case, as well.
III. Non-Implant Embodiment
A removable, reusable, magnet "pill" system, which makes implantation surgery unnecessary, will now be described in connection with FIG. 8.
This is applicable in only the second apneic incident mode wherein closure takes place at the lower location 6, where the oral and nasal airways merge.
In FIG. 8, a dangling magnet 17, which is attached to one end of a thread 18, like dental floss, is shown after having been swallowed by the patient as though it were a pill. The other end of the thread is anchored to a loop 19 bonded to a tooth 40 by an orthodontic loop. Instead of implanting a magnet, such a magnet 17 is literally swallowed by the patient. It is kept in the airway 2 at the correct level by virtue of the fact that it is fastened to a fine, but strong, thread 18, the other end of which is fastened to a tooth 40, preferably a rear molar. Fastening can be accomplished with a small loop 19 to which the thread is hooked or tied. That loop, in turn, is permanently attached to the tooth by a conventional orthodontic band 42.
With practice, the patient learns to swallow the magnet, which is smaller than an aspirin tablet, and to allow it to stay in place without gagging. When external magnet 8 is affixed to the neck with neckband 9, the pill magnet 17 immediately feels the magnet force field of the magnet and rotates into its stable position of dissimilar facing poles. As shown in FIG. 8, if the external magnet 8 presents a north pole face to the airway, the pill magnet will rotate to present a dissimilar (south) pole face to it. The consequence is that the airway wall is thus pulled in the direction of the external magnet and the airway is kept from involuntarily closing.
The patient may now retire and sleep through the night without hazard of an apnea attack. In the morning when he/she awakes, the flabby tissue tenses as a result of this awakening and no apneaic attack will occur. The patient now manually pulls back the pill by pulling on the thread and disengages it from the tooth loop. He/she also takes off the attached magnet and its neckband. The described process is then repeated every time the patient again retires in order to sleep.
Although this is a regimen which the patient must go through daily, it is a simple one and far less cumbersome and unpleasant than that of attaching a CPAC face mask and pump.
IV. Electronic Sensing
An electronic sensing system for indicating and monitoring of magnet/breathing variables will now be described in connection with the invention.
The electronic system shown in FIG. 8 is a sensor, the sensing means of which is a magnet field sensitive element, such as a Hall Effect device. It is a battery powered solid state circuit 20 with a readout means 21 to indicate that magnetic locking has occurred. This electronic system is held in place by a simple attachment to the body, like a neckband 9.
Since it is possible to project a magnetic force into a living organism, in order to cause a change in function of internal magnets or ferromagnetic material, merely by attaching an external magnet to the body, such as magnet 8, then it follows that a manifestation of that force can be detected and, in that sense, become a sensing means. Magnetic field variations can be detected by a component which reacts electrically to changes in magnetic field, such as a Hall Effect device. Increased effectiveness would result from a configuration of several Hall Effect probes for improved magnetic scanning. The Hall probe(s) would be connected to a single electronic instrument. Input to that instrument's computer chip would be in the form of the field magnitudes from which magnetic field ratios could be compared with a known data base obtained from an appropriate manikin mockup. The computer will scan the magnetic field data and make the necessary computations for a number of uses. For example, it can differentiate between correct and incorrect orientations of the internal magnet, or it can register its movements as when the patient breathes (waking or sleeping), eats, or speaks. Such operation is especially critical to the preceding embodiment, since it can register that the pill magnet 17 has indeed "locked into" the correct position and orientation to ensure that it will be attracted by the external magnet 8, so as to prevent airway closure. Simple solid state circuitry 20, in FIG. 8, empowered by a small battery, then triggers a visual display, such as a small light, or a numerical liquid crystal indication, or an audible one, such as a beep. That response is provided by the indicator 21 placed in the neckband 9. Such an indication is then used as a guide for adjusting the neckband into an optimum position. In addition, it can provide monitoring of other data for other dynamic factors during sleeping, breathing, swallowing, speaking, etc., which also can be registered in the readout mechanism.
With the availability of such electronic sensing as a starting point, additional information can be monitored as a result of the movement of the magnetic element(s) in the body for any of the preceding embodiments. Natural movements associated with airway functions, such as breathing, swallowing, speaking, etc. can be motivated. In this manner, the onset of a potential apneaic attack, for example, can be foreseen and observed. In this manner, the invention becomes more than a mere passive restraint against airway closure; it becomes, in addition, an information gathering means.
While the above descriptions contain many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible.
For example, all the embodiments can be applied to many living passageways for fluids in humans and animals, in addition to the airway.
Also, while the embodiments given here describe systems employing two, three, or four magnets, all of which are deployed to provide mechanical forces acting on living tissue by the agencies of magnetic attracting or repelling forces, stabilized by auxiliary magnets where required, there is no reason not to employ more magnets than this to cope with more complex requirements. For example, the forces may be required in four positions around a passageway, rather than two, as shown in the described embodiments.
Also, the removable inserted magnet, which is swallowed by the patient as though it were a pill and retained by an attached thread, can be otherwise inserted and retained. For example, it can be inserted with a catheter through a body aperture and itself removed by inserting another magnet to which it will attach itself.
Also, where magnet implantation in the inner wall of a passageway has been described, there are instances wherein implantation in the outer wall or within the wall near or at its center, may be preferable and would not interfere with magnet action in eliminating passageway collapse and closure. Also, in some cases, surgical implantation may not be necessary at all, since the magnet will exert desired forces in the desired direction if it is merely placed adjacent to a passageway wall.
Also, to prevent undesired movements of magnets as a result of exposure to strong magnetic fields (an unlikely possibility), magnets may be surrounded, except for selected small active zones, with magnetic shielding material, such as sheaths of iron foil.
The above-described method and device will eliminate the dysfunction known as sleep apnea and is also applicable to alleviation of other human and animal ailments also caused by undesired involuntary closure of passageways.
At the same time, it is so gentle and benign in action as in no way to affect other normal functions which that passageway engages in. In addition to unobtrusively eliminating sleep apnea breathing dysfunction, it causes no observable changes in normal swallowing, either liquid or solid food, speaking or singing.
Once the magnet is in place and the surgery healed, the patient will not be aware, by reason of pain or perceptible forces, that the implant is in place.
The magnets must resist demagnetization with time or with exposure to counter polarity magnetic fields. Therefore, magnets with high coercive force ratings should be used, such as state of the art rare earth high energy product magnets.
An embodiment has been described which requires no surgery, whatever, in that the magnet will be inserted daily at bedtime, in a required location in the body through an external conduit, such as the mouth. It will be easily retrieved each morning for reinsertion before retiring the next night.
The method and device requires no active powering systems (other than if an instrumentation option is employed). Thus, there will be no requirement for attachment to an electric power source outlet and no moving parts, as with a motor or pump, and thus, no noise or vibration.
In other applications, the magnets can be inserted through a body aperture, like the vagina, the rectum, or the urinary passage, or into a blood vessel with a catheter or other such instrument, and disposed exactly in the location where the passageway closure is required to be prevented. It will be fixed in place with the correct pole orientation for either attractive or repulsive forces by the presence of other magnets. These may be either of the nature of an external attached magnet, or by an already implanted magnet or magnets. When the time comes to remove the magnet, the catheter, now bearing another magnet of suitable opposing polarity, will cause the inserted magnet to be attached to itself by virtue of its magnet force, greater than any other magnetic forces in that locality, and as the catheter is withdrawn, the inserted magnet will be withdrawn with it. Other means to clasp the magnet for withdrawal may comprise hooks or pincers.
In the embodiments described herein, at least two magnets are disposed adjacent an air passageway consisting of tubular walls of tissue. At least one region of the wall tissue is relatively soft and flabby with the resultant possibility that when not tensed, it can move inwardly, closing the air passageway. The magnets provide magnet fields which react with each other to either repel or attract the magnet adjacent the soft tissue. In one embodiment, a magnet is implanted in the soft tissue and is therefore outwardly adjacent the soft tissue. In another embodiment, the magnet is suspended in the air passageway and is radially inwardly of the soft tissue. In each of these above two embodiments, a second external magnet may be used to exert an attractive force, preventing closure.
Alternatively, where the first magnet is implanted, a second magnet implanted in a region of hard airway tissue may be employed to exert a repulsive force preventing closure. The term "adjacent", therefore, is intended to encompass magnets which are disposed in, or external to, tissue.
V. Prevention of Accidental Extubation
A new way to use magnets for attachment is shown in FIG. 9. It is for the special case in which a tube 100 is inserted into the throat of a patient having difficulty breathing due to involuntary closing of the upper airway. The patient now breathes through the tube 100. It is known as an endotracheal tube. There is a problem in that the tube has a tendency to slip out of the throat (accidental extubation). It is conventional practice to prevent this by incorporating the exterior of the tube to a structure which surrounds the mouth. That structure is fitted with straps which fasten to the patient's head with straps over the top of the skull and around the neck--a very awkward and uncomfortable arrangement. A way to achieve stability of tube position is with attaching magnets 102 and 104.
In FIG. 9, endotracheal tube 100 is shown inserted into oral airway 60 down to the combined upper airway passage 6. Magnet 102 is imbedded into a wall of endotracheal tube 100 at the distal end and oriented so that it faces a position taken up by magnet 104 on neckband 9'. Magnet 104, having opposing polarity to that of magnet 102, will attract magnet 102 and secure it so that tube 100 is not subject to extubation.
Equivalents
Although only preferred embodiments have been specifically described and illustrated herein, it will be appreciated that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible, in light of the above teachings, and within the purview of the following claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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An apparatus and method are provided which utilize either the attracting forces of dissimilar pole magnets, or the repelling forces of similar pole magnets, to keep passageways open in living organisms. These passageways might otherwise collapse and close involuntarily due to dysfunction, thus impeding flow of vital gaseous or liquid fluids. Embodiments are described for both permanently implanted and for removable magnets, which may or may not interact with externally attached magnets, thus maximizing the convenience of utilizing this system for the patient. A method of preventing accidental extubation is also described.
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[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of PCT/NZ2004/000128 and PCT/NZ2005/000047 filed 18 Jun. 2004 and 17 Mar. 2005, respectively, and published in English.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to vibrational apparatus.
[0003] The present invention relates to vibration generation (which may or may not generate sound) as might be useful, inter alia, in vibrational drilling. The invention relates to related apparatus, methods, systems and procedures.
[0004] The present invention relates to vibrational apparatus capable of providing a vibrational output for any one of a diverse range of purposes (e.g whether for the purpose of vibrating a drill string, a hopper, a powder feed line, a conveyor, or the like).
BACKGROUND
[0005] There is frequently a need to provide vibration.
[0006] Examples of use of vibration includes separation procedures reliant on the buoyancy of particulate materials in amongst other particulate materials, stripping of sand from a cast item, ground or other compaction, pile driving and drilling (including directional and/or rotary drilling).
[0007] Usually vibration is generated reliant upon the spinning of an eccentric weight or counter rotating weights. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,480 which discloses an orbital vibrator. Such orbiting mass oscillators may employ orbiting rollers which are rotatably driven around the inner race wall of a housing, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,328 to Bodine, or an unbalanced rotor, the output of which is coupled to a drill bit as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,425 to Bodine.
[0008] Other methods of creating and utilising sonic energy for application to a mandrel are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,884 (Bodine), U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,263 (Bodine), U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,299 (Bodine), U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,637 (Bodine); U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,170 (Barrow) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,169 (Barrow) and WO01/83933 (Bar-Cohen).
[0009] Japanese Patent Specification 57-179407 of Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd discloses a pile hammer employing a fluid actuator to operate in accordance to the resonance of the pile for the inherent frequency of the soil by providing a relief valve and a bypass circuit. Amplitudes of movement beyond those purely attributable to the liquid volumes are stated as being obtainable.
[0010] Another device that uses hydraulic fluid to create vibratory impact is shown in Australian Patent 479534 (A/S Moelven Brug) (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,694).
[0011] A preferred use of interest to ourselves for vibrational apparatus, but not one to which the vibrational apparatus needs be restricted, is in support of down hole drilling or boring equipment. Other uses include those hereinafter discussed.
[0012] A variety of different prior art procedures have been disclosed including our own patent specifications reliant upon down hole directional drilling apparatus capable of being controlled through the drill string. It is advanced and/or rotated from the prime mover above ground or in an excavated region of the ground.
[0013] In some applications however there is a preference to subject the drill string and the drill head to rapid vibrations thereby allowing the movement through the ground by breaking up encountered rock structures and/or compacting the surrounds thereby reducing the materials to be removed from down hole. Such procedures, whether reliant on resonance within the drill string or not, are referred to as vibrational drilling or boring.
[0014] Sonic drilling methods and apparatus are disclosed, inter alia, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,836,299, 4,548,281 and 5,417,290 which are herein incorporated by reference.
[0015] Sonic drilling is accomplished by vibrating a drill string to produce compressive and expansive waves in the drill string. The vibrations are induced in a longitudinal direction of the drill string and the drill string is preferably vibrated at a resonant frequency. The resonant frequency is dependent upon a number of factors including the length of the drill string.
[0016] The vibrational forces on the drill string causes the drill string to contract and expand in the longitudinal direction. The vibrational forces at the bottom of the drill string shear, displace and/or otherwise fracture apart the soil and/or rock particles thereby cutting through the formation.
[0017] It has also been disclosed in the art that drilling systems which employ cycloidal sonic energy as a method of drilling cause a highly effective action on the bottom and particularly the adjacent side walls of the bottom portion of a well bore by virtue of the cycloidal drilling action.
[0018] The present invention recognises an advantage is derivable in the area of vibrational drilling where it is possible to commence the generation of the vibrational head whilst in its operative connection (directly or indirectly) with the drill string. For many prior art forms of sonic or other vibrational head re-starts are difficult owing to the need to retract the drill string from against a rock face and other structure that might be binding the drill string as a whole.
[0019] Thus many vibrational apparatus rely upon the rotation of an eccentric. Others rely on pneumatics and/or hydraulics in order to reciprocate a piston which provides a direct output of the vibrational output. Such structures however, whilst disclosed for many end uses, have a downside in that where the device to which the output piston is attached has itself stalled there is a difficulty in ensuring a recommencement of the vibrational output as a consequence of the piston itself refusing to move relative to its cylinder or the equivalent.
[0020] The present invention recognises a significant advantage to be derived from the vibrational commencement point of view and/or tuning point of view irrespective of how the apparatus is mounted. This arises from the fact that we have determined that a shuttle without a direct output to the apparatus to be vibrated can itself be sufficient without impacting solid to solid (whether in conjunction with hydraulic and/or pneumatics or not) to provide the requisite output from the containment structure of a shuttle i.e one end complement of a shuttle or both such end complements of the shuttle. It is to this in one aspect therefore that the present invention is directed to at least provide the public with the useful choice.
[0021] It is an alternative or another therefore an object of one or some embodiments of the present invention to provide a vibrational head assembly and/or a vibrational head for such assembly which will provide the option of start-up without a need for retraction in such circumstances and/or separation of the vibrational head in the drill string.
[0022] It is an alternative or another object of one or some aspects of the present invention to provide a vibrational head assembly and/or vibrational head for such an assembly which enables the generation of vibrations (optionally including sonic vibrations) into a structure without a requirement for tuning to a resonant frequency of the structure for it to be vibrative. In some aspects of the present invention is envisaged that start-up can commence without striving for resonance and/or without a need for resonance being achieved notwithstanding in some embodiments of the present invention such resonance can still be achievable by adjustment of control parameters as the vibrational head assembly is being used.
[0023] In one or some other embodiments of the present invention, it is an object to provide a vibrational head and/or a vibrational head assembly not reliant upon the rotation of eccentrics but which imparts a useful vibration output that can be used in many situations or which at least provides the public with a useful choice (sonic vibrations alone generally do not develop enough energy to efficiently drill rock).
[0024] It is an alternative or another object of one or some other embodiments of the present invention to provide constructions of a fluid driven vibration head for a vibration head assembly which confers some measure of isolation of key components from the affect of excessive vibration and/or by omission of a component or components avoids difficulty from any such vibration.
[0025] It is an alternative or another object of one or more embodiments of the present invention to provide a vibration head and/or related vibration head assembly reliant upon separate fluid feeds, one for imparting the vibration and at least one for controlling, other input parameters e.g. amplitude, frequency, the valving, etc.
[0026] It is an alternative or another object of one or more other embodiments of the present invention to provide a vibration head and/or vibration head assembly which has a fluid retrieval system that takes the fluid to ambient or near ambient pressures.
[0027] It is an alternative or another object of one or more other embodiments of the present invention to provide vibration head support arrangements and/or buffers and/or linkages which provide some freedom(s) of movement between at least part of the vibration head and a supporting frame yet allows some relativity of movement therebetween.
[0028] The present invention is also directed to vibrational apparatus with a drive in and a drive out capability (owing to a driven shuttle from which vibrational output is not directly taken) and to the related methods of operation and use which will at least provide a useful choice.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0029] The present invention is adapted to provide a significant jackhammer effect which allows the device to rapidly penetrate rock formations.
[0030] The present invention is directed to vibrational apparatus able to provide a drive in and drive out in use for a connected drill string owing to reliance on a shuttle not directly outputting to the drill string.
[0031] The present invention in another aspect consists in vibrational apparatus capable of providing a vibrational output, said apparatus comprising or including
[0032] a shuttle having first and second ends,
[0033] a first complementary structure associating with the first end of said shuttle, and
[0034] a second complementary structure associating with the second end of said shuttle,
[0035] wherein there is a drive or drives to drive the shuttle alternately in each shuttling direction so that, in one direction, the first end moves away from the second complementary structure and, in the other driven shuttle direction, the second end moves away from the first complementary structure,
[0036] and wherein the output of the vibration is from one or other, or both, of said complementary structures and not directly from the shuttle itself.
[0037] Preferably said first and second complementary structures are fixed relative to each other insofar as distance is concerned.
[0038] Preferably the drive(s) of the shuttle in at least one direction, and preferably both directions, is selected from any of the forms hereinafter discussed whether it is by virtue of a direct mechanical drive through pivot links, a magnetic drive, a hydraulic drive, a pneumatic drive, a combustive drive or any alternative or combination thereof.
[0039] Preferably the drive type for the shuttle in each of its directions is the same but, in some less preferred forms of the present invention, a hybrid arrangement can be used.
[0040] Preferably the shuttling is without solid to solid high impact or impact contact.
[0041] Preferably said shuttle co-acts at least at one end with its complementary structure so as to provide a cushioning affect, e.g. by squeezing a fluid. Alternatively that can be at both ends. One or both ends of the shuttle (despite any guiding contact it may already have) can be adapted to contact part of the complementary structure only at the end of its shuttling travel or to contact some material interposed between that end of the shuttle and the complementary structure.
[0042] Preferably the vibrational output is from one of the complementary structures.
[0043] Preferably there is reliance upon the provision of an externally pressurised fluid as the sole means of empowerment of shuttle movement by being introduced so as to pressurise without further event between a complementary structure and said shuttle.
[0044] In another aspect the present invention consists in apparatus for generating a vibrational (e.g. non sonic or sonic) output, said apparatus comprising or including
[0045] a shuttle,
[0046] a first complementary member to coact with the shuttle to define a first pressurisable chamber,
[0047] a second complementary member to coact with the shuttle to define a second pressurisable chamber,
[0048] a first valving arrangement to control fluid flow into and out of the first pressurisable chamber,
[0049] a second valving arrangement to control fluid flow into and out of the second pressurisable chamber,
[0050] one or more supply (supplies) of pressurisable fluid, or adaption(s) therefor, to the shuttle whereby each of the first and second valving arrangements can allow or not allow fluid entry to the respective chamber,
[0051] one or more outtake (outtakes) of fluid, or adaption(s) therefor, whereby each of the first and second valving arrangements can allow or disallow fluid egress from the respective chamber;
[0052] wherein the valving arrangements and shuttle movement relative to the complementary member(s) is such that as the first valving arrangement allows fluid entry to the first chamber thereby to expand both the first chamber and volume of fluid therein, the second valving arrangement allows fluid egress from the second chamber thereby to allow both compression of both the second chamber and the volume of fluid therein, and so forth in an alternating shuttle moving manner,
[0053] and wherein the output is (directly or indirectly) from one or other (or both) complementary member(s) rather than the shuttle.
[0054] Optionally the timing provided by the valving arrangements can allow some overlap of supply or exhaust flows between the respective chambers.
[0055] The “shuttle” in some embodiments may be perceived as substantially static yet moving relative to the other componentry. The opposite may also be the case as are many hybrids of the two.
[0056] Accordingly “shuttle” as used herein throughout should be understood as shuttling relative to other aspects of the assembly.
[0057] In another aspect the present invention consists in apparatus for generating a vibrational output, said apparatus comprising or including
[0058] a shuttle,
[0059] a first complementary member to coact with the shuttle to define a first pressurisable chamber,
[0060] a second complementary member to coact with the shuttle to define a second pressurisable chamber,
[0061] a first valving arrangement to control fluid flow into and out of the first pressurisable chamber,
[0062] a second valving arrangement to control fluid flow into and out of the second pressurisable chamber,
[0063] one or more supply (supplies) of pressurisable fluid, or adaption(s) therefor, to the shuttle whereby each of the first and second valving arrangements can allow or not allow fluid entry to the respective chamber,
[0064] one or more outtake (outtakes) of fluid, or adaption(s) therefor, whereby each of the first and second valving arrangements can allow or disallow fluid egress from the respective chamber;
[0065] wherein the valving arrangements and shuttle movement relative to the complementary member(s) is such that as the first valving arrangement allows fluid entry to the first chamber thereby to expand both the first chamber and volume of fluid therein, the second valving arrangement allows fluid egress from the second chamber thereby to allow both compression of both the second chamber and the volume of fluid therein, and so forth in an alternating shuttle moving manner,
[0066] and wherein one, some or all of the following features are present:
(a) the first and second complementary members and shuttle relate to each other on the same axis, (b) the output is (directly or indirectly) from one or other (or both) complementary member(s) rather than the shuttle, (c) the vibrational head when used for vibrational drilling (or some equivalent) has the shuttle independent of the drill string or equivalent means to be vibrated), (d) there is no drill rod nor rod extension through the shuttle or vibrational head (thereby to enable, if desired, multiple vibrational heads to be used in delivering power to a drill string or other means to be subjected to vibration), (e) the first and second complementary members are pistons or include pistons, (f) the first and second complementary members may include pistons provided with circumferential or peripheral grooves but may or may not carrying piston rings and/or seals, (g) the valving arrangement in each instance involves a rotary valve member having ports to open or close a fixed port or fixed ports to the chamber, (h) each (or a common) valving arrangement includes a rotary valve member which includes an axial passageway to allow fluid outtake or supply (preferably outtake), (i) each valving arrangement includes a rotary valving member, such rotary valving members being operated on a common rotational axis and out of phase one with the other, (j) each valving arrangement is driven independently of the fluid supply and fluid outtake, (k) it is possible to regulate amplitude of movement of the shuttle independently of the frequency of shuttling by having a control of the valving arrangement that is independent of the pressure and/or volume of supply to and/or outtake of fluid from the valving arrangement, (l) the valving arrangement is proximate to the chamber thereby to optimise to a minimal distance between valving by the valving arrangement and the action of fluid being introduced into the proximate chamber, (i.e. to enable a shorter time for the shock wave of the input fluid to energise the piston and/or piston (preferably to enable operation at higher frequency when desired, to enable resonance at shorter stroke or amplitude, to provide higher efficiency and/or provide greater flexibility and versatility)), (m) the outtake of fluid from a chamber is not used to power the movement of the shuttle, (n) the outtakes of fluid is (are) to substantially ambient pressures prior to, if desired, such fluid being made available (e.g. by pumping) for a return to the vibrational head, (o) the fluid is primarily a liquid but may include some entrained gas (e.g. air) so as to confer some cushioning effect in the chamber, (p) the shuttle can be caused to move even if there is no movement of one or other or both of said first and second complementary means e.g. as is the case if attached to a bound drill string, (q) the vibrational head irrespective of whether or not its operation is tuned to provide resonance in a body or device (such as a drill string) directly or indirectly attached to one or other, or both, of the complementary means, can be operated with a jack hammer effect, (r) the fluid supply and/or outtake involves or is preferably to involve an accumulator, (s) the vibrational head is supported by a frame relative to which the vibrational head has at least in part some degree(s) of freedom to move, (t) the vibrational head is linked to a frame by articulating (e.g. dog bones) or other linkages to allow some movement of a complementary means relative to the frame, (u) the vibrational head is supported by a frame and is buffered so as not to pass unnecessary shock into the frame (preferably such buffering including, in conjunction with any optional suitable linkage or linkages, the use of cushioning gas bags or the equivalent) (preferably as air bags as opposed to air springs are utilised), (v) the vibrational head is supported from a frame capable of being manipulated directly or indirectly to control the disposition of the vibrational head, (w) the vibrational head is optionally carried or supported directly or indirectly by a frame which directly or indirectly [e.g. a carried carriage or slide, or support(s) for the frame as a carriage or slide] (but not linked to the vibrational head by any rigid member) has mounted at least part of an endless drive assembly for the valving arrangement(s) and/or a fluid motor for use in driving the valving arrangement(s), (x) a carriage or slide, or support(s) for a frame as a carriage or slide, carries a hydraulic motor and/or drive component (e.g. to be via a flexible drive) for rotating a drill string and/or a mandrel therefor, the vibrational head being locatable but with some freedom(s) to move by said frame, (y) drives and/or motors are to be or are, at least to some extent, substantially isolated from the vibration(s) of the vibrational head, (e.g. standoff mounts being provided therefor, belt drives, etc.).
[0092] Reference hereinafter to energising the “piston” includes alternatively and/or as well the energising of the reactive structure of the piston. Likewise reference to “piston grooves” refers also and/or instead to grooves of the piston surrounding structure (irrespective of whether carrying rings and/or seals).
[0093] Preferably the apparatus is substantially as hereinafter described but versions (less desired) may have substituted for the second complementary member (or second piston) some other arrangement to provide a driven return of the shuttle in use.
[0094] In another aspect the invention consists in a vibrational head assembly suitable for generating an output (e.g. suitable for direct or indirect vibrational input into a structure (e.g. a drill string), or other medium capable of transmitting/absorbing the vibrational input, said assembly having
[0095] a frame, and
[0096] a vibrational head carrying, carried by, substantially locating and/or substantially being located by the frame,
[0097] wherein the vibrational head has at least some freedom(s) to move relative to the frame, and/or vice versa,
[0098] and wherein the vibrational head has a shuttle and two components each component with the shuttle defining one of two variable volume chambers, the shuttle being moveable relative to each component under the action of a fluid under pressure being supplied into one variable volume chamber and being released from the other variable volume chamber, and vice versa,
[0099] and wherein the vibrational output is not or is not to be directly or indirectly from the frame nor the shuttle,
[0100] and wherein it is adapted so that if driving a drill string with the vibrational output each cycle provides a drive in and a drive out of the drill bit carried by the drill string.
[0101] This benefits, inter alia, straight line drilling in fractured formations, back reaming and/or drill string life.
[0102] In another aspect the invention consists in a vibrational head assembly for generating an output (e.g. for direct or indirect vibrational input into a drill string), said assembly having
[0103] a frame,
[0104] a vibrational head carrying, carried by, substantially locating or substantially being located by the frame,
[0105] wherein the vibrational head has a spaced pair of parts or components (“complementary members” whether unitary or otherwise) each associating with a shuttle,
[0106] and wherein the shuttle has a valving arrangement whereby a variable volume chamber can be defined by each complementary member with the shuttle as a consequence of shuttle position relative to each complementary member, such that when one chamber is at its allowed maximum volume the other is at its allowed minimum volume, and vice versa,
[0107] and wherein the shuttle is caused to move from rest with respect to said complementary members thereafter to shuttle by fluid applied into a first chamber whilst being released from the second, by fluid applied into the second chamber whilst being released from first, and so forth,
[0108] and wherein
(a) the first and second complementary members and shuttle relate to each other on the same axis, (b) the output is (directly or indirectly) from one or other (or both) complementary member(s) rather than the shuttle, (c) the vibrational head when used for vibrational drilling (or some equivalent) has the shuttle independent of the drill string or equivalent means to be vibrated, (d) there is no drill rod nor rod extension through the shuttle or vibrational head (thereby to enable, if desired, multiple vibrational heads to be used in delivering power to a drill string or other means to be subjected to vibration), (e) the first and second complementary members are pistons or include pistons, (f) the first and second complementary members may include pistons provided with circumferential or peripheral grooves but may or may not carrying piston rings and/or seals, [and/or vice versa e.g. cylinder has the grooves], (g) the valving arrangement in each instance involves a rotary valve member having ports to open or close a fixed port or fixed ports to the chamber, (h) each (or a common) valving arrangement includes a rotary valve member which includes an axial passageway to allow fluid outtake or supply (preferably outtake), (i) each valving arrangement includes a rotary valving member, such rotary valving members being operated on a common rotational axis and out of phase one with the other, (j) each valving arrangement is driven independently of the fluid supply and fluid outtake, (k) it is possible to regulate amplitude of movement of the shuttle independently of the frequency of shuttling by having a control of the valving arrangement that is independent of the pressure and/or volume of supply to and/or outtake of fluid from the valving arrangement, (l) the valving arrangement is proximate to the chamber thereby to optimise to a minimal distance between valving by the valving arrangement and the action of fluid being introduced into the proximate chamber, (i.e. to enable a shorter time for the shock wave of the input fluid to energise the piston (preferably to enable operation at higher frequency when desired, to enable resonance at shorter stroke or amplitude, to provide higher efficiency and/or provide greater flexibility and versatility)), (m) the outtake of fluid from a chamber is not used to power the movement of the shuttle, (n) the outtakes of fluid is (are) to substantially ambient pressures prior to, if desired, such fluid being made available (e.g. by pumping) for a return to the vibrational head, (o) the fluid is primarily a liquid but may include some entrained gas (e.g. air) so as to confer some cushioning effect in the chamber, (p) the shuttle can be caused to move even if there is no movement of one or other or both of said first and second complementary means e.g. as is the case if attached to a bound drill string, (q) the vibrational head irrespective of whether or not its operation is tuned to provide resonance in a body or device (such as a drill string) directly or indirectly attached to one or other, or both, of the complementary means, can be operated with a jack hammer effect, (r) the fluid supply and/or outtake involves or is preferably to involve an accumulator, (s) the vibrational head is supported by a frame relative to which the vibrational head has at least in part some degree(s) of freedom to move, (t) the vibrational head is linked to a frame by articulating (e.g. dog bones) or other linkages to allow some movement of a complementary means relative to the frame, (u) the vibrational head is supported by a frame and is buffered so as not to pass unnecessary shock into the frame (preferably such buffering including, in conjunction with any optional suitable linkage or linkages, the use of cushioning gas bags or the equivalent) (preferably as air bags as opposed to air springs are utilised), (v) the vibrational head is supported from a frame capable of being manipulated directly or indirectly to control the disposition of the vibrational head, (w) the vibrational head is optionally carried directly or indirectly by a frame which directly or indirectly [e.g. a carried carriage or slide, or support(s) for the frame as a carriage or slide] (but not linked to the vibrational head by any rigid member) has mounted at least part of an endless drive assembly for the valving arrangement(s) and/or a fluid motor for use in driving the valving arrangement(s), (x) a carriage or slide, or support(s) for a frame as a carriage or slide, carries a hydraulic motor and/or drive component (e.g. to be via a flexible drive) for rotating a drill string and/or a mandrel therefor, the vibrational head being locatable but with some freedom(s) to move by said frame, (y) drives and/or motors are to be or are, at least to some extent, substantially isolated from the vibration(s) of the vibrational head, standoff mounts being provided therefore.
[0134] Preferably the apparatus is substantially as hereinafter described but versions (less desired) may have substituted for the second complementary member (or second piston) some other arrangement to provide a driven return of the shuttle in use.
[0135] In another aspect the invention consists in a vibrational head assembly for generating an output (e.g. for direct or indirect vibrational input into a drill string), said assembly having
[0136] a frame,
[0137] as a vibrational head carrying, carried by and/or substantially locating the frame,
[0138] wherein the vibrational head has (preferably at least within bounds) at least some freedom(s) to move relative to the frame, and/or vice versa,
[0139] and wherein at least some of the mass (“the shuttle”) of the vibrational head (inclusive of at least some of said fluid) under the action of valves and a pressurised fluid supply or pressurised fluid supplies for opposing variable volume chambers defined in part in each case by the shuttle, in use, is able to shuttle with respect to two other masses of the vibration head each of which defines in part a said chamber,
[0140] and wherein it is from at least one of these other masses from which there is to be the vibrational output.
[0141] In another aspect the invention consists in a vibrational head for generating an output (e.g. for direct or indirect vibrational input into a drill string),
[0142] and wherein the vibrational head has at least one piston in a complementary cylinder moveable relative to each other to define a variable volume chamber under the action of a fluid under pressure supplied into or released from the variable volume chamber,
[0143] and wherein one, some or all of the following features are present:
the vibrational head when used for vibrational drilling (or some equivalent) has the shuttle independent of the drill string or equivalent means to be vibrated), there is no drill rod nor rod extension through the shuttle or vibrational head (thereby to enable, if desired, multiple vibrational heads to be used in delivering power to a drill string or other means to be subjected to vibration), the outtake of fluid from a chamber is not used to power the movement of the shuttle, the outtakes of fluid is (are) to substantially ambient pressures prior to, if desired, such fluid being made available (e.g. by pumping) for a return to the vibrational head, the fluid is primarily a liquid but may include some entrained gas (e.g. air) so as to confer some cushioning effect in the chamber, the vibrational head irrespective of whether or not its operation is tuned to provide resonance in a body or device (such as a drill string) directly or indirectly attached to one or other, or both, of the complementary means, can be operated with a jack hammer effect, the fluid supply and/or outtake involves or is to involve an accumulator, the vibrational head is supported by a frame relative to which the vibrational head has at least in part some degree(s) of freedom to move, the vibrational head is linked to a frame by articulating (e.g. dog bones) or other linkages to allow some movement of a complementary means relative to the frame, the vibrational head is supported by a frame and is buffered so as not to pass unnecessary shock into the frame (preferably such buffering including, in conjunction with any optional suitable linkage or linkages, the use of cushioning gas bags or the equivalent) (preferably as air bags as opposed to air springs are utilised), the vibrational head is supported from a frame capable of being manipulated directly or indirectly to control the disposition of the vibrational head, the vibrational head is carried directly or indirectly by a frame which directly or indirectly [e.g. a carried carriage or slide, or support(s) for the frame as a carriage or slide] (but not linked to the vibrational head by any rigid member) has mounted at least part of an endless drive assembly for the valving arrangement(s) and/or a fluid motor for use in driving the valving arrangement(s), a carriage or slide, or support(s) for a frame as a carriage or slide, carries a hydraulic motor and/or drive component (e.g. to be via a flexible drive) for rotating a drill string and/or a mandrel therefor, the vibrational head being locatable but with some freedom(s) to move by said frame, drives and/or motors are to be or are, at least to some extent, substantially isolated from the vibration(s) of the vibrational head, standoff mounts being provided therefore.
[0159] The present invention also consists in a vibrational head of or suitable for a vibrational head assembly of any of aforementioned kinds i.e. without a said frame. Whilst preferably the apparatus has a frame to hold the complementary members in association with the shuttle, that frame need not be a carriage on another frame e.g. the frame can be crane suspended.
[0160] In still a further aspect the present invention consists in the use of a vibrational head or a vibrational head assembly of the present invention for the purpose of providing a vibrational input into a body, media or device.
[0161] In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in a method of drilling which involves the operative use of a vibrational head or vibrational head assembly in accordance with the present invention.
[0162] In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in, in combination, a drill string and a vibrational head assembly (or components therefor) and (optionally) related linkages, hydraulic supplies etc.
[0163] Optionally a single rotary valving unit (preferably with a rotational axis substantially perpendicular to a shuttle stroke axis) can be provided.
[0164] Such an embodiment is (as in FIG. 10 hereof) is more prone to bogging down and restart difficulties. It is less preferred as shuttling can be hard to achieve at low input pressures.
[0165] Preferably such a rotary valve member has a single radiused array of openings, such openings allowing the opening of an inlet port and the regions of the valving member between such openings closing the inlet ports.
[0166] Preferably the effect for each inlet port is to “open”, “close” and “open” the inlet port with sequential openings whilst the out of phase other inlet port is respectively “closed”, “opened” and “closed” by the respective diametrically opposed closing regions of the valve member and the opening sandwiched thereby. However overlap can be allowed to some extent.
[0167] In another aspect the present invention consists in vibrational apparatus comprising or including
[0168] a piston,
[0169] a chamber assembly defining a chamber in which the piston is adapted to shuttle between stroke limits, said chamber having a chamber end region at and/or beyond each stroke limit of the piston, there being an inlet port into and an outlet port out of each chamber end region,
[0170] a fluid supply assembly associated with said chamber assembly capable of supplying a pressurised fluid or any pressurised fluid it may receive in use to the inlet ports of the chamber,
[0171] a fluid collection assembly associated with said chamber assembly to collect fluid from the outlet ports (and preferably capable of supplying that collected fluid for reuse via a said source of pressurised fluid),
[0172] a first rotary valve capable of an out of phase allowing or disallowing of fluid movement from the fluid supply assembly into each said inlet port by opening or closing same,
[0173] a second rotary valve capable of an out of phase disallowing or allowing of fluid movement from the chamber out of each said outlet port by closing or opening same,
[0174] a first drive to rotate the first rotary valve,
[0175] a second drive to rotate the second rotary valve, and
[0176] a timing link between the first and second drives such that, for each chamber end region, an inlet port will generally be open when its associated outlet port is closed, and vice versa, and such that, each state of the opening and closing of each end chamber end region is generally out of phase with the condition of the other,
[0177] wherein in use, there is or will be a vibrational output via the first assembly, the second assembly and/or an output member of or carried by the piston as a consequence of rapid piston shuttling within the chamber.
[0178] The term “drive” includes a dedicated or undedicated drive and can amount to no more than some transmission element or assembly capable of being driven (e.g. by a hydraulic or electric motor) [directly or indirectly] thereby to rotate the rotary valve(s).
[0179] The “timing link” can be and preferably is a driving link such that the drive into one drive in turn drives the other.
[0180] Preferably preferments are as previously stated.
[0181] Preferably the timing link between the drives is a belt or chain linking pulleys, sprockets, or the like.
[0182] Preferably the vibrational apparatus is adapted to be linked into a remote hydraulic circuit to supply said pressurised fluid.
[0183] Preferably the vibrational apparatus is capable of being “tuned” so as to provide desired amplitudes of movement and/or resonance outputs reliant upon a control of the pressure and/or volume of the pressurised fluid being supplied and/or a control of the timing link and drives.
[0184] Preferably the stroke axis is rectilinear.
[0185] Preferably the piston has two journaled extensions (not necessarily required to rotate but capable of sliding in the bearing or other surround).
[0186] Preferably one extension being the output member.
[0187] Preferably the inlet ports are laterally of the chamber with respect to the stroke axis.
[0188] Preferably the outlet ports are laterally of the chamber with respect to the stroke axis.
[0189] Preferably the piston (irrespective of whichever aspect of the present invention is involved) carries an output member.
[0190] In some forms of the present invention the output member can be an extension of the piston or piston assembly such that the piston proper is rectilinearly guided but there is at least one protruding end of that assembly to provide the output.
[0191] In some forms of the present invention such protruding end(s) and/or indeed the piston itself can act as a conduit for a quite separate fluid supply, e.g. it may be desirable to duct a gas, liquid or other material down and/or up from the drill string with which the output member might be associated in use, such fluids being kept distinct from the operating fluid of the vibrational apparatus.
[0192] In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in a method of vibrating a structure, assembly or member which involves associating vibrational apparatus of the present invention therewith and operating that vibrational apparatus so as to induce vibration thereof.
[0193] In yet a further aspect the present invention consists in pile driving, boring and/or drilling involving the use of vibrational apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
[0194] The present invention also consists in pile driving and/or drilling or boring assemblies of any suitable kind which includes vibrational apparatus of the present invention, e.g. can include a drill head, a drill string and a vehicle or other prime mover to supply a hydraulic fluid as the working fluid.
[0195] As used herein “shuttle” and “piston” have the broadest meanings envisaged herein with respect to what moves and what does not, etc.
[0196] As used herein the term “and/or” means “and” or “or”, or, where the context allows, both.
[0197] As used herein the term “comprises” or “comprising” can mean “includes” or “including”.
[0198] As used herein the term “(s)” following a noun can mean both the singular and plural versions of that noun.
[0199] As used herein the term “stroke limit of the piston” can refer to limits of a rectilinear stroke or any curved stroke (e.g. can include a stroke of a piston that swings about a pivot axis or other support, whether fixed or moving).
[0200] Reference herein to “out of phase” in respect of the allowing or disallowing of fluid movement from the fluid supply assembly(s) means substantially registering an opening of the rotary valve(s) to allow entrance of fluid into one end region whilst the other end region has its inlet port substantially closed by the or a rotary valve(s).
[0201] Reference herein to “out of phase” with respect to the inlet and outlet ports of the same chamber end region refers preferably, but not necessarily so, to the inlet port being closed by the or a rotary valve(s) whilst the outlet port is open.
[0202] The term “out of phase”, in any of its defined forms, is inclusive of both no overlap (i.e. no partial opening with partial closing) and some overlap.
[0203] As used herein the term “rapid” with respect to piston shuttling within the chamber refers to any speed of operation of the shuttle that will provide an output vibration of use to the application at hand and, in the case of “sonic drilling or boring”, includes at least several cycles per second. By way of example, and without limitation, the cycles/sec are preferably above 20 cycles/sec. Many hundreds of cycles/second are envisaged, e.g. up to, for example, one or several thousand cycles/second. Vibrational apparatus of the present invention operating with, for example, a hydraulic liquid as the fluid, at for example, about 200 bar (as is common for hydraulic fluid of excavators) can operate the shuttle at about 200 cycles/second.
[0204] Preferably the rapid cycling envisaged is from 20 to 500 cycles/second.
[0205] As used herein “fluid” includes a liquid (such as a hydraulic liquid—usually an oil but not necessarily so), a gas (for example, nitrogen or air) and, or mixtures of liquids and air or liquids and particulate solids or gas and particulate solids or any other suitable combination, e.g. emulsions of different liquids, mixtures of gases, etc.
[0206] The term “head” or “headed” in respect of any cylinder or chamber envisages a chamber closed by the stationary and/or movable “piston” irrespective of whether or not valving is via any one or more of a head, the cylinder and the piston.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0207] A preferred form of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
[0208] FIG. 1 is a three dimensional cutaway (the top complementary member or piston not being shown) of a preferred vibration head in accordance with the present invention having rotary valve members as part of the valving and timing arrangement for each chamber and having them aligned axially,
[0209] FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 showing at the centre line the device cutaway by the quarter sector as shown in FIG. 1 ,
[0210] FIG. 3 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 shown in elevation,
[0211] FIG. 4 is the end view AA of the apparatus of FIG. 3 ,
[0212] FIG. 5 is a section of the vibrational head shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , such section being along the centre line yet showing the device in elevation,
[0213] FIG. 6 shows a frame and ancillary apparatus assembly in accordance with the invention, there being shown an outtake mandrel for connection into the body to be vibrated by the first complementary means or directly from the first complementary means (e.g. for powering by way of example a drill string).
[0214] FIG. 7 is for an opposed piston variant (i.e. having complementary variable volume chambers) a timeline against shuttle movement under the two scenarios (A) FIG. 8 ′, FIG. 9 ′, and so forth cycling and (A) FIG. 8 , FIG. 8A , FIG. 9 , FIG. 9A , FIG. 8 , FIG. 8A , FIG. 9, 9A , FIG. 8 , and so forth cycling,
[0215] FIG. 8 ′ is a flow diagram of the apparatus shuttling to the right,
[0216] FIG. 9 ′ is a flow diagram of the apparatus shuttling to the left,
[0217] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram as in FIG. 8 ′,
[0218] FIG. 8A is a flow diagram where oil feed pressures momentarily match and reliance is placed on an accumulator in the oil system (not shown), but where the shuttle movement is a momentary precursor to the condition of FIG. 9 ,
[0219] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram as in FIG. 9 ′, and
[0220] FIG. 9A is a flow diagram as in FIG. 8A also where reliance is placed on an accumulator (the same or different—preferably different) but where the shuttle movement is a momentary precursor to the condition of FIG. 8 .
[0221] FIG. 10 is an exploded cut away drawing of a less preferred embodiment, this embodiment having a single rotary valve adapted to control the opening and closure of inlet ports but having an always open outlet port structure but of lesser opening than the inlet ports when open,
[0222] FIG. 11 is a form of the present invention having two rotary valves, one for the inlet port set and one for the outlet port set thereby not requiring any differential in size of the inlet and outlet ports,
[0223] FIG. 12 shows another broken away view of the embodiment of FIG. 11 ,
[0224] FIG. 13 shows how in one other embodiment but relying on the mechanism typified by FIG. 11 , there can be a sprocket or other drive of each rotary valve timed relative to each other by a timing belt or belts and/or an idle shaft such that input by, for example, an electric or hydraulic motor as shown has the capability of controlling the speed of rotation of both rotary valves and
[0225] FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic view of preferred apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0226] In the preferred form of the present invention there are two variable volume chambers and each operates in an out of phase manner with respect to the other such that there is a positive powering of each chamber to a larger volume under the valve controlled pressure and volume of supplied fluid thereby avoiding the need for outtakes of the fluids to provide any direct drive to diminish the volume of that same chamber otherwise than from an expanding effect on the other variable volume chamber. Preferably in use neither chamber is ever to be devoid of liquid/fluid therein.
[0227] In the arrangement as shown in FIG. 1 ,
[0228] 1 denotes a piston assembly,
[0229] 2 denotes a stationary valve block assy,
[0230] 3 denotes an O-Ring
[0231] 4 denotes a cap screw
[0232] 5 denotes a bearing block
[0233] 6 denotes a cap screw
[0234] 7 denotes a cap screw
[0235] 8 denotes a top center block
[0236] 9 denotes a bottom center block,
[0237] 10 denotes a nut,
[0238] 11 denotes a washer
[0239] 12 denotes a valve shaft
[0240] 13 denotes a spherical roller thrust bearing
[0241] 14 denotes a single lip seal
[0242] 15 denotes a synchronous drive pulley
[0243] 16 denotes a taper lock bush
[0244] 17 denotes an O-ring
[0245] 18 denotes an O-ring
[0246] 19 denotes a valve shaft bush housing assy
[0247] 20 denotes a stationary valve block spacer
[0248] 21 denotes a cap screw
[0249] 22 denotes a valve shaft bush assy
[0250] 23 denotes a cap screw
[0251] 24 denotes a piston seal rim
[0252] 25 denotes a bearing block seal rim
[0253] 26 denotes a tire
[0254] 27 denotes a bearing cage
[0255] 28 denotes an O-ring, and
[0256] 29 denotes a plastic piston spacer.
[0257] With reference to the arrangement as shown in FIG. 5 it can be seen that there is a first variable volume chamber 30 and a second variable volume chamber 31 and whilst a tire like flexible connection 32 and 33 respectively links each piston including part 34 and 35 with the shuttle 36 , the amplitude of movement envisaged is relatively small during most operations. Preferably they range from a fraction of a millimetre to several centimetres but could be more the larger the vibrational head is. The frequency can be from a few Hertz to thousands.
[0258] Each chamber is bounded by the piston part of its component 34 or 35 which preferably each includes peripheral pressure drop grooves with and/or without piston rings and/or seals. As can be seen each stationary valve block 37 or 38 is ported and coacts with a rotating valve member or rotating valve shaft 39 and 40 respectively to either allow fluid into or fluid from its proximate variable volume chamber 30 or 31 .
[0259] Axially within each rotating valve member 39 is a passageway which ports radially therefrom which is used preferably for the outtake of fluid back to a collection chamber form whence it can be returned (e.g. by pumping) as shown in FIG. 5 . The oil inlet lines are shown supply via passageways to the valving arrangement exteriorly of the rotating valving member 39 or 40 .
[0260] A separate fluid supply (not shown in FIG. 5 ) is utilised for a hydraulic motor 41 which is to operate via the member 42 and endless drive belt or the equivalent 43 for each of rotating valve members 39 and 40 . Such a hydraulic motor receives a fluid supply preferably provided separately from the volume of fluid being supplied for the purpose of energising the sonic head insofar as the shuttle movement is concerned.
[0261] As can be seen, preferably the arrangement which includes 41 , 42 and 43 , is on a slide 44 relative to a frame 45 which directly or indirectly supports the vibration head. The frame 45 itself can be arranged as a slidable carriage on a support rail or other structure 46 such that preferably it operates relative thereto within limits.
[0262] If desired the slide 44 and the rail or other structure 46 can be linked.
[0263] Alternatively the frame 45 can be suspended from, for example, a crane.
[0264] Shown in FIG. 6 is the vibrational head having a drill string mandrel or the equivalent 47 adapted to be rotated by an endless drive belt/chain or the equivalent 48 driven by a hydraulic motor 49 (separate hydraulic feed again). Optional rotation of the mandrel 47 will rotate or manoeuvre a drill string attached thereto whilst the mandrel or the equivalent 47 is vibratable (directly or indirectly) under the action of the proximate piston or complementary means of the vibrational head.
[0265] Such a proximate piston, piston assembly, or complementary means is preferably supported so as to be moveable at least in a longitudinal sense to some extent relative to the frame 45 and for this purpose some guided linkages are preferably provided. For example, links 50 and 51 on either side of the vibrational head can link by a pivot 52 or 53 to the vibrational head and by 54 and 55 to the frame 45 . At the same time limits of movement can be imposed by compression springs 56 and 57 (or air bags) in conjunction preferably with airbags 58 and 59 which provide a cushioning or damping effect between the vibrational head and the frame 45 and in turn the carriages or supports 44 and 46 .
[0266] It can be seen therefore that the linkages allow some semblance of rotation of the dog bone links whilst at the same time allowing some axial displacement of the vibrational head as a whole, yet the shuttle 36 is free of direct contact with the frame and/or the slides or carriages 44 and 46 otherwise than as a consequence of the flexible drives and the hose and/or other linkages not shown in the attached drawings.
[0267] Preferably all connections (including of hydraulics) are of flexible vibration resistance hoses connected so as to avoid involuntary disconnection.
[0268] The vibrational head of the present invention can start with a jackhammer effect even without drill string tuned for resonance. Control thereafter can be (a) speed of rotating valves (rotor) and/or (b) volume of fluid (e.g. oil). This can alter frequency yet still allow power to be added independent of drill string length. The drill string can have torque and pressure placed on it without affecting the shuttling vibrational head shuttle. This affords huge drilling control.
[0269] The independent systems for rotor control from that of the shuttle oil supply, the vibrational isolation of the vibrational head save primarily for vibrational shock, the frame within a frame arrangements, and the short distance of oil shock travel bestow significant advantages.
[0270] Operation of cycles as in FIGS. 7 to 9 A will now be described with apparatus having the flow capabilities previously described. Please appreciate where such a device as shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 A is, say, about 1.5 m (it can be any size) long the shuttle movement is of the order of, say, 0.1 mm to 15 mm (the amplitude), the parameters of operation affecting applitude. Preferred forms can be of any scale and the foregoing is representative only. Larger shuttle sizes require larger heads.
[0271] The operation can be a direct millisecond range movement as in scenario (A) referred to in respect of FIG. 7 (i.e. FIG. 8 ′, FIG. 9 ′, etc) but can instead be scenario (B) where conditions as in FIGS. 8A and 9A each requires an accumulator in the oil circuit to allow the momentary movement required to the following FIG. 9 and FIG. 8 instantaneous condition respectively.
[0272] It is envisaged that apparatus in accordance with forms of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 10 to 13 will preferably be driven by a hydraulic system from, for example, by a vehicle or a standing prime mover to which the apparatus can be linked. Preferably also there can be a diversion in the inflow to the apparatus of such pressurised hydraulic fluid through such closure and/or choke valves etc. as may be required separately to provide a hydraulic drive to the or one of the rotary valves (and thus by the timing or synchronising link in turn to the other) as well as separately the charging of the fluid alternately to each chamber end region.
[0273] Hydraulic systems typically run at from 3000 to 5000 psi whereas this invention will typically run at below 3000 psi and more preferably in the range under 2000 psi.
[0274] Preferably the pressure hoses and/or returns [most preferably the pressure input hoses] are to some extent isolated from the shuttle in order to reduce heat build up.
[0275] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 , less preferred as it may require resonance for effectiveness, the piston 60 has extensions 61 journaled so as to allow axial movement. It matters not if the piston and the journals are circular in cross section and/or whether or not they are allowed to rotate within the chamber defined by the chamber assembly 62 .
[0276] As can be seen in the embodiment of FIG. 10 there is a first chamber end region 63 and a second chamber end region 64 each accessible to an inlet port 65 and 66 respectively.
[0277] Positioned so as to rotate substantially about an axis normal to the stroke axis of the piston 60 is a rotary valve 66 having on a same radius areas of no opening 67 and openings 68 .
[0278] As can be seen one of these openings 68 (designated 68 A) is opening the pressurised liquid supply chamber 69 of the fluid supply assembly into communication with the chamber end region 63 whilst there is no such access via the second inlet port 66 into the chamber end region 64 owing to the out of phase state, i.e.; there is a region 67 holding the second inlet port 66 closed whilst the first inlet port 65 is open. The vice versa situation onwards will allow alternate charging to each chamber end region.
[0279] As shown in FIG. 10 there is a first exhaust or outlet port 70 for the chamber end region 63 and a second outlet port 71 for the chamber end region 64 . In a situation as shown in FIG. 10 where these ports are always kept open preferably means (in this case a plate having openings 72 and 73 ) other than a second rotary valve ensures that the inflow of liquid via an opening 68 and a port 65 or 66 will always be at a greater rate than there is any exhausting out via the corresponding opening 72 or 73 as part of a hydraulic return circuit.
[0280] Persons skilled in the art will appreciate how the fluid supply assembly 74 can be supplied with an infeed of a hydraulic fluid into the chamber 69 with the fluid finding its own way from there into one or other of the chamber end regions 63 and 64 and from thence via the exit ports ( 70 and 72 in one instance and 71 and 73 ) in the other instance back to the pumping system of, for example, the vehicle or prime mover with which the apparatus might be linked for return of that same hydraulic liquid back to the chamber 69 or such diversion thereof, as might be considered desirable, to a hydraulic motor for driving the rotary valve 66 .
[0281] Another form of the present invention is that shown in FIG. 12 . This has similar to FIG. 10 a piston 75 and journaled extensions 76 and 77 thereby defining chamber end regions 78 and 79 controllable by, for example, the rotary valve 80 with its openings and non openings similarly arrayed to the manner shown by reference to the embodiment of FIG. 10 . The assembly 81 with its chamber 82 is adapted to receive pressurised hydraulic liquid and to selectively allow its movement into first one and then the other of the chamber end regions 79 and 79 .
[0282] Timed to the rotation of the rotary valve 80 is a rotary valve member 83 which has the role of allowing the exhausting of hydraulic liquid from first one and then the other of the chambers 78 and 79 in an out of phase relationship to that of injection thereby to reciprocate the piston. The exhaust rotary valve 83 preferably rotates at the same speed as the rotary valve 80 and the spacings of its openings is appropriate for each outlet from the chambers 78 and 79 .
[0283] FIG. 11 best shows the arrangement of these openings with a port 84 being closed by not being aligned with an opening 85 of the input rotary valve 80 whilst an outlet port 85 of that same chamber end region 86 is aligned with an opening 87 to allow outflow into the chamber 88 of the fluid collection assembly 79 from whence it is ducted back via, for example, the excavator, for pumped recycled use.
[0284] The arrangement of FIG. 13 shows in a bench test form an electric motor 90 (ideally it would be a hydraulic motor in use) driving directly a drive assembly adapted to rotate a first rotary valve (not shown) whilst a link belt 91 through an idle shaft 92 in turn through a second link belt 93 drives the other rotary valve (not shown) thereby providing the appropriate vibrational movement (caused by reciprocation of the piston) that extends into the journaled output member 94 .
[0285] In operation therefore appropriate tuning can occur of the vibrations required. If we assume that an vehicle or prime mover has a capability of providing a substantially constant hydraulic flow and pressure into the apparatus of the present invention and there is a division of the flow so that one flow can supply a hydraulic motor to achieve rotary valve rotation whilst the other flow is to charge selectively either side of the piston under the action of the rotary valve timed or synchronised movement, a very simple control regime applies. This is far less complicated with far fewer moving parts and requiring lower tolerances than for any of the prior art procedures previously disclosed.
[0286] For example, if the inlet port at one end is shut by its rotary valve then the hydraulic liquid cannot go anywhere and nothing will happen by way of charging into that end region. Contrarily however the same will not be the case at the other end if that is in part or wholly open.
[0287] Accordingly when an input rotary valve is turned (spun) the hydraulic oil flows into the piston chamber end region and forces the piston to the end of its stroke. The rotary valve continues to turn and through its timing or synchronism with the other rotary valve, the “spent” hydraulic oil is allowed to release to exhaust. At the same time or subsequently (or both) the first rotary valve diverts oil to the other end of the piston in turn forcing the piston back.
[0288] The hydraulic drive through timing belts means that if the rotary valves in unison rotate slowly (say 10 rpm) the piston will shuttle very slowly but if both rotary valves are rotated at say 1000 rpm the piston could be moving, say, at approximately 200 times per second. Thus tuning for the various ground conditions can be achieved by the simple expediency of manipulating the speed of the synchronised rotary valves by the control of the fluid input to the hydraulic motor.
[0289] By way of an example the preferred form of the present invention with reference to a drill string vibrating apparatus adapted to attach to a drill string A.
[0290] The apparatus howsoever mounted (preferably compliantly suspended) (not shown) has end members C and D that act as a first complementary means and F and H which act as a second complementary means. These complementary means are held in a fixed relationship by the members G. The shuttle E moves back and forward within the physical bounds provided and ideally has a lesser shuttling distance to avoid impacting.
[0291] It matters not whether or not the shuttle itself acts as a piston within a bore of a complementary end or vice versa. Nor does it matter if there is no piston in cylinder relationship at all. It is the shuttling that is important howsoever caused.
[0292] With reference to FIG. 14 the following is depicted.
[0293] (A) Drill string
[0294] (B) Rotary joint/drive pulley
[0295] (C) End plate
[0296] (D) Adjacent member
[0297] (E) Shuttle
[0298] (F) Adjacent member
[0299] (G) Tie rods
[0300] (H) End plate
[0301] The purpose of the shuttle (E) is to transfer energy onto the adjacent members (D) and (F) in a reciprocal motion. This transfer of energy can be achieved by the injection of oil between the shuttle and its adjacent members with the appropriate timing to cause the shuttle to move in a reciprocal motion, thus to cause the drill string to move in a linear motion in parallel with the shuttle motion thus transferring the energy down the drill string to the bit in the most efficient manner.
[0302] The shuttle mass is the key to the transfer of the energy to the adjacent members. The change in direction of travel imparts the energy to the adjacent members. The more mass the shuttle has the greater the energy required to achieve this change in direction and is directly linked to the horse power required and therefore the more energy that can be imparted to the drill bit. The relationship between the mass of the shuttle and the total mass of the drill string being vibrated has to be considered and sized appropriately.
[0303] The shuttle action has the advantage of never being in a situation of being stalled by locking or binding of the drill string in the drill hole. The shuttle can deliver full power to the drill string or attachments that may be fitted.
[0304] The end plates and tie rods (G) (H) are the link between the adjacent members and these transfer the reciprocating energy to the drill string.
[0305] The shuttle action could be powered in different ways.
(1) The ends of the shuttle could have a piston like arrangement fitted to operate like a conventional engine with air and fuel being fed through the adjacent members with valves fitted and firing alternately to reciprocate in the same way as being fed by oil. (2) The shuttle could be moved by magnetic means. For example, ends of the shuttle could have electromagnets or rare earth magnets fitted in such an arrangement that when the shuttle (E) was rotated it would pulse of the adjacent members that were also fitted with magnets fitted in such a way that would cause the shuttle to reciprocate. (3) A mechanical cam could be fitted to the shuttle (E). This cam could be held by bearings off the adjacent members (D) and (F). Driven by preferably hydraulic motors this action would impart the energy to the adjacent members in the same way.
[0309] Hybrids of the foregoing and/or other drives can be used.
[0310] The examples above all have a common theme.
(1) The shuttle preferably never needs to touch the adjacent members in a physical sense as this would cause a spike shock wave to be generated. This would damage the drill string joints and associated down hole equipment. (2) The movement of the shuttle is never dependent on the drill string or attached equipment, being free to move in relation to the movement of the shuttle. (3) The shuttle action drives the drill string in both directions i.e in and out and in doing so allows drill bit rotation to move with very little drag on the drill bit carbides. This action is unique to this shuttle driven drill—also allows for back reaming of holes.
Other Considerations:
[0314] No other drill action involving a drifter powers the drill string out of the hole while drilling the hole “IN”. They rely on the bounce of the drill string.
[0315] A drifter hits steel on steel and in doing so causes a destructive shock wave through the drill string.
[0316] N.B A drifter is the name given to a conventional hydraulic rock drill.
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A vibrational head for vibrational drilling utilising a tunable hydraulic supply to each end of a shuttle in a housing from which the vibrational output is taken. Valving is by a rotary valve system into and out of the chamber. The system with a drive in/drive out capability enables easy restart and effective operation.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a thermally curable solder-resistant ink and a method of making the same; particularly relates to a thermally curable solder-resistant ink with low dielectric constant and low dielectric loss, and a method of making the same.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art(s)
[0004] Cover layer and thermally curable solder-resistant ink are used to protect circuits of the flexible printed circuit board. Compared to the calibration requirement for attaching a cover layer on the flexible printed circuit board, the thermally curable solder-resistant ink can be directly coated on the flexible printed circuit board. By using the thermally curable solder-resistant ink, the process of making the flexible printed circuit board can be simplified. Therefore, the thermally curable solder-resistant ink has gradually replaced the cover layer.
[0005] The commercial epoxy-based thermally curable solder-resistant ink can meet the requirement of general electronic equipments, but the commercial epoxy-based thermally curable solder-resistant ink has dielectric characteristics that cannot meet the requirement of high frequency electronic equipments. Therefore, the commercial epoxy-based thermally curable solder-resistant ink cannot be applied on high frequency electronic equipments.
[0006] To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a thermally curable solder-resistant ink with low dielectric constant and low dielectric loss and a method of making the thermally curable solder-resistant ink to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The main objective of the present invention is to provide a thermally curable solder-resistant ink with low dielectric constant and low dielectric loss that can be applied on high frequency electronic equipments, and a method of making the thermally curable solder-resistant ink.
[0008] The method of making the thermally curable solder-resistant ink in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of:
[0009] polymerizing an aliphatic diamine monomer having a long carbon chain, an aromatic dianhydride monomer, an aromatic diamine monomer having a carboxylic group, and an anhydride monomer having a carboxylic group in an aprotic solvent to obtain a polyamine acid;
[0010] cyclizing the polyamine acid to obtain a modified polyimide; and
[0011] mixing the modified polyimide and a curing agent to obtain the thermally curable solder-resistant ink.
[0012] In accordance with the method of the present invention, the long carbon chain of the aliphatic diamine monomer includes 6 to 40 carbons. In some embodiments, the aliphatic diamine monomer is hexamethylene diamine, heptamethylene diamine, octamethylene diamine, nonamethylene diamine or decamethylene diamine. The aliphatic diamine monomer having the long carbon chain has good hydrophobicity.
[0013] In accordance with the method of the present invention, the aromatic dianhydride monomer is selected from a group consisting of: 4,4-oxydiphthalic anhydride, 2,3,3′,4′-biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride, and a combination thereof.
[0014] In accordance with the method of the present invention, the aromatic diamine monomer having the carboxylic group is selected from a group consisting of: 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid, 5,5′-methylenedianthranilic and a combination thereof.
[0015] In accordance with the method of the present invention, the anhydride monomer having the carboxylic group is selected from a group consisting of: trimellitic anhydride, 1,2,4-cyclohexane tricarboxylic anhydride, and a combination thereof.
[0016] In accordance with the method of the present invention, in the step of polymerizing the aliphatic diamine monomer having the long carbon chain, the aromatic dianhydride monomer, the aromatic diamine monomer having the carboxylic group, and the anhydride monomer having the carboxylic group in the aprotic solvent to obtain the polyamine acid, the aliphatic diamine monomer having the long carbon chain is 60 to 62 weight percent (w.t. %) based on the total weight of the aliphatic diamine monomer having the long carbon chain, the aromatic dianhydride monomer, the aromatic diamine monomer having the carboxylic group, and the anhydride monomer having the carboxylic group.
[0017] In accordance with the method of the present invention, the aprotic solvent is selected from a group consisting of: n-methyl pyrrolidone, naphtha, xylene, 2-ethoxyethanol, methyl isobutylketone, and a combination thereof.
[0018] In accordance with the method of the present invention, in the step of polymerizing the aliphatic diamine monomer having the long carbon chain, the aromatic dianhydride monomer, the aromatic diamine monomer having the carboxylic group, and the anhydride monomer having the carboxylic group in the aprotic solvent to obtain the polyamine acid, the polymerization temperature ranges from 60° C. to 80° C.
[0019] In accordance with the method of the present invention, in the step of cyclizing the polyamine acid to obtain the modified polyimide, the polyamine acid is mixed with a catalyst and an organic solvent to obtain a pre-reaction solution; then the pre-reaction solution is heated to a cyclization temperature ranging from 125° C. to 175° C. to cyclize the polyamine acid and obtain the modified polyimide.
[0020] In accordance with the method of the present invention, in the step of mixing the modified polyimide and the curing agent to obtain the thermally curable solder-resistant ink, the curing agent is selected from a group consisting of: phenol novolac type epoxy resin, bisphenol A type epoxy resin, naphthalene type epoxy resin, and a combination thereof.
[0021] In accordance with the method of the present invention, in the step of mixing the modified polyimide and the curing agent to obtain the thermally curable solder-resistant ink, the weight ratio of the modified polyimide and the curing agent ranges from 20:1 to 20:30.
[0022] The thermally curable solder-resistant ink in accordance with the present invention is made from the method mentioned above.
[0023] The thermally curable solder-resistant ink in accordance with the present invention has a dielectric constant less than 3.00 and a dielectric loss less than 0.01.
[0024] By the steps of polymerizing the aliphatic diamine monomer having the long carbon chain, the aromatic dianhydride monomer, the aromatic diamine monomer having the carboxylic group, and the anhydride monomer having the carboxylic group in the aprotic solvent to obtain the polyamine acid; cyclizing the polyamine acid to obtain the modified polyimide; and mixing the modified polyimide and the curing agent to obtain the thermal solder-resistant ink, the thermally curable solder-resistant ink made from the method mentioned above has a dielectric constant less than 3.00 and a dielectric loss less than 0.01 and thereby is applicable on high frequency electronic equipments.
[0025] In addition, the thermally curable solder-resistant ink made from the method mentioned above has good electrical properties, good folding endurance, good solder resistance, good warpage resistance, good flame resistance, good acid endurance, good alkali endurance, good solvent endurance, and low water absorption rate.
[0026] Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Example 1
Fabrication of Modified Polyimide
[0027] 25 grams of aliphatic diamine monomer having a carbon chain with 36 carbons and 12 grams of 4,4-oxydiphthalic anhydride were mixed in an aprotic solvent and a first solution was obtained. The aprotic solvent comprised 60 grams of n-methyl pyrrolidone and 6.5 grams of naphtha. After the first solution was heated to and held at 70° C. for 1 hour, 1 gram of 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid was added into the first solution and a second solution was obtained. After the second solution was heated to and held at 70° C. for 1 hour, 2.5 grams of trimellitic anhydride was added into the second solution and a third solution was obtained. Afterwards the third solution was heated to and held at 70° C. for 1 hour, and a polyamine acid was obtained.
[0028] 0.2 grams of triphenyl phosphine and 15 grams of toluene were mixed with the polyamine acid and a pre-reaction solution was obtained. The pre-reaction solution was processed with cyclization under a reaction condition of 150° C. and 3 hours and an intermediate product was obtained. The intermediate product was separated into toluene, triphenyl phosphine, and a modified polyimide. Toluene served as a solvent and triphenyl phosphine served as a catalyst.
Example 2
Fabrication of Modified Polyimide
[0029] The present Example was similar to Example 1. The difference between the present Example and Example 1 was: 20 grams of the aliphatic diamine monomer having the carbon chain with 36 carbons and 12 grams of 4,4-oxydiphthalic anhydride were mixed in the aprotic solvent to obtain the first solution.
Example 3
Fabrication of Thermally Curable Solder-Resistant Ink
[0030] 40 grams of the modified polyimide of Example 1 was mixed with 0.25 grams of triphenyl phosphine, 0.5 grams of pigment, 0.15 grams of defoamer, 4 grams of flame retardant, and 3.6 grams of phenol novolac type epoxy resin, and a thermally curable solder-resistant ink was obtained. The triphenyl phosphine served as a curing agent.
Example 4
Fabrication of Thermally Curable Solder-Resistant Ink
[0031] 40 grams of the modified polyimide of Example 2 was mixed with 0.25 grams of triphenyl phosphine, 0.5 grams of pigment, 0.15 grams of defoamer, 4 grams of flame retardant and 3.6 grams of phenol novolac type epoxy resin were, and a thermally curablesolder-resistant ink was obtained. The triphenyl phosphine served as a curing agent.
[0032] Comparison 1 Commercial Thermally Curable Solder-Resistant Ink
[0033] A thermally curable solder-resistant ink whose product ID was SN-9000NH purchased from Hitachi Chemical Co., (Taiwan) Ltd was used in the present comparison. 20 grams of the base resin and 1 gram of the curing agent of SN-9000NH were mixed and stirred for 10 minutes to obtain the thermally curable solder-resistant ink of the present comparison.
[0034] Comparison 2 Commercial Thermally Curable Solder-Resistant Ink
[0035] A thermally curable solder-resistant ink whose product ID was L45CM10/H45, purchased from Team Chemical Co., (Taiwan) Ltd was used in the present comparison. 90 grams of the base resin and 1 gram of the curing agent of L45CM10/H45 was mixed and stirred for 10 minutes to obtain the thermally curable solder-resistant ink of the present comparison.
[0036] Test
[0037] Each of the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 and Comparisons 1 and 2 was coated on a 1 oz/ft 2 copper foil, and a thermally curable solder-resistant layer 15 micrometers in thickness was obtained. The copper foil and the thermally curable solder-resistant layer were baked in an oven under 160° C. for 1 hour and a cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer laminated on the copper foil was obtained.
[0038] The volume resistance, surface resistance, dielectric constant (D k ), dielectric loss (D f ), breakdown voltage, thermal decomposition temperature (T d ), coefficient of thermal expansion (C.T.E.), glass transition temperature (T g ), folding endurance, solder resistance, water absorption rate, warpage resistance, flame resistance, acid endurance, alkali endurance and solvent endurance of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer were measured and evaluated. The results were shown in Table 1 and the measurement and evaluations were as follows.
[0039] The volume resistance was measured by the method of IPC-TM-650 2.5.17.1A and by the 4339B insulation tester of Hewlett-Packard Co. under 90 volts.
[0040] The surface volume resistance was measured by the method of IPC-TM-650 2.5.17.1A and by the 4339B insulation tester of Hewlett-Packard Co. under 90 volts.
[0041] The breakdown voltage was measured by the method of ASTM D149 and by the 7474 breakdown voltage equipment of Measurement Technology Co. (Taiwan) Ltd. under 20 kilovolts/5 milliamperes (20 kV/5 mA).
[0042] The dielectric constant and dielectric loss were measured by the method of IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.1B and by the ZVB20 network analyzer of Rohde & Schwarz Co. under 10 gigahertz (GHz).
[0043] The thermal decomposition temperature was the temperature at which the weight of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer was 5.0% less than its weight measured at 300° C. The thermal decomposition temperature was measured by Pyris Diamond thermogravimetric/differential thermal analyzer of PerkinElmer Co. in a temperature range between 40° C. and 600° C. and with a temperature gradient of 20° C. per minute.
[0044] The coefficient of thermal expansion and glass transition temperature were measure by Pyris Diamond thermal mechanical analyzer of PerkinElmer Co. in a temperature range between 50° C. and 200° C. and with a temperature gradient of 20° C. per minute.
[0045] To evaluate the folding endurance, the folding times of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer was measured by HT-8636A MIT folding endurance tester of Hung Ta instrument Co. under 0.8R/500 g. The more times the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer was folded, the better the folding endurance was.
[0046] To evaluate the solder resistance, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer was preheated and soldered afloat at 300° C. for 30 seconds. If the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer was not blistering, delaminating or wrinkling, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer passed the solder resistance evaluations and had good solder resistance.
[0047] The water absorption rate was measured by the method of IPC-TM-650 2.6.2.1.
[0048] To evaluate the warpage resistance, the copper foil and the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer laminated on the copper foil were cropped into a 10 cm×10 cm sample and placed on a glass substrate. The cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer and the glass substrate were located at the opposite sides of the copper foil and the copper foil was attached to the glass substrate. The average of the distances between the four corners of the sample and the glass substrate was defined as the warpage value. The smaller the warpage value was, the better the warpage resistance was.
[0049] The flame resistance was evaluated by UL94 VTM-0. If the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer passed UL94 VTM-0, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer was regarded as having good flame resistance.
[0050] To evaluate the acid endurance, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer was immersed in 10 vol. % sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) for 30 minutes. If there was no swelling, delamination, or color change after the immersing of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer passed the acid endurance evaluation and had good acid endurance.
[0051] To evaluate the alkali endurance, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer was immersed in 10 vol. % sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for 30 minutes. If there was no swelling, delamination, or color change after the immersing of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer passed the alkali endurance evaluation and had good alkali endurance.
[0052] To evaluate the solvent endurance, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer was immersed in isopropyl alcohol (C 3 H 7 OH) and methyl ethyl ketone (CH 3 C(O)CH 2 CH 3 ) for 30 minutes. If there was no swelling, delamination, or color change after the immersing of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer passed the solvent endurance evaluation and had good solvent endurance.
[0000]
TABLE 1
the results of the Test
Example 3
Example 4
Comparison 1
Comparison 2
Volume resistance
3.72 × 10 15 Ω
3.88 × 10 15 Ω
6.80 × 10 13 Ω
4.50 × 10 14 Ω
Surface resistance
1.46 × 10 14 Ω-cm
2.52 × 10 14 Ω-cm
2.74 × 10 15 Ω-cm
6.30 × 10 13 Ω-cm
Dielectric constant
2.87
2.92
3.13
3.55
Dielectric loss
0.0040
0.0080
0.0126
0.0207
Breakdown voltage
115 volt/μm
116 volt/μm
110 volt/μm
9 volt/μm
T d
374° C.
366° C.
318° C.
360° C.
C.T.E.
236 ppm/° C.
258 ppm/° C.
316 ppm/° C.
294 ppm/° C.
T g
65° C.
63° C.
59° C.
98° C.
Folding times
2345 times
2330 times
2360 times
893 times
Solder resistance
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
evaluation
UL94 VTM-0
Passed
Passed
Not passed
Not passed
Water absorption
0.15%
0.21%
0.4%
1.3%
rate
Warpage value
Less than
Less than
Less than
Greater than
5 mm
5 mm
5 mm
5 mm
Acid endurance
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
evaluation
Alkali endurance
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
evaluation
Solvent endurance
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
evaluation (C 3 H 7 OH)
Solvent endurance
Passed
Passed
Passed
Passed
evaluation
[CH 3 C(O)CH 2 CH 3 ]
[0053] With reference to Table 1, the dielectric constants of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 were lower than 3.00 while the dielectric constants of those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2 were higher than 3.00. Also, the dielectric losses of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 were lower than 0.01 while the dielectric losses of those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2 were higher than 0.01. Thus, the dielectric losses of those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 1 and 2 were both lower than the dielectric losses of those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2. Accordingly, the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 1 and 2 were more applicable on high frequency electronic equipments than those of Comparisons 1 and 2.
[0054] With reference to Table 1, the water absorption rates of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 were 0.15% and 0.21%, respectively. The water absorption rate of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2 were 0.4% and 1.3%, respectively. Accordingly, the water absorption rates of those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 1 and 2 were both lower than the water absorption rate of those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2.
[0055] With reference to Table 1, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 passed UL 94 VTM-0 test while those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2 did not. Accordingly, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 had better flame resistance than those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2.
[0056] With reference to Table 1, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3, 4 and Comparison 1 could be respectively folded for 2345 times, 2330 times, and 2360 times, which were very close to each other, while the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant ink of Comparison 2 could only be folded for 893 times. Accordingly, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 had good folding endurance.
[0057] With reference to Table 1, the volume resistance, surface resistance and breakdown voltage of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 were higher than the volume resistance, surface resistance and breakdown voltage of those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2. Accordingly, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 had a better electrical characteristic than those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2.
[0058] With reference to Table 1, the thermal decomposition temperature (T d ) and glass transition temperature (T g ) of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 were higher than the thermal decomposition temperature (T d ) and glass transition temperature (T g ) of those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2. In addition, the coefficient of thermal expansion (C.T.E.) of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 were smaller than the coefficient of thermal expansion (C.T.E.) of that made from the thermally curable solder-resistant ink of Comparisons 1 and 2. As a whole, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 had a better thermal stability than those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2.
[0059] With reference to Table 1, the warpage values of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 were less than 5 millimeters (mm) while the warpage value of the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer made from the thermally curable solder-resistant ink of Comparison 2 was greater than 5 millimeters (mm). Thus, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 had a better warpage resistance than the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer made from the thermally curable solder-resistant ink of Comparison 2. Accordingly, compared with the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layer made from the thermally curable solder-resistant ink of Comparison 2, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 had less shrinkage, sustained a specific shape, and had better deformability.
[0060] With reference to Table 1, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 and Comparisons 1 and 2 passed solder resistance evaluation, acid endurance evaluation, alkali endurance evaluation and solvent endurance evaluation. Thus, the cured thermally curable solder-resistant layers made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Examples 3 and 4 had equivalent chemical properties to those made from the thermally curable solder-resistant inks of Comparisons 1 and 2.
[0061] Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
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A method of making a thermally curable solder-resistant ink, which comprises the following steps: polymerizing an aliphatic diamine monomer having a long carbon chain, an aromatic dianhydride monomer, an aromatic diamine monomer having a carboxylic group, and an anhydride monomer having a carboxylic group in an aprotic solvent to obtain a polyamine acid; cyclizing the polyamine acid to obtain a modified polyimide; and mixing the modified polyimide and a curing agent to obtain the thermally curable solder-resistant ink. By the steps mentioned above, the thermally curable solder-resistant ink made from the method has a dielectric constant less than 3.00 and a dielectric loss less than 0.01 and thereby is applicable to high frequency electronic equipments. Also, the thermally curable solder-resistant ink has good electrical properties, folding endurance, solder resistance, warpage resistance, flame resistance, acid endurance, alkali endurance, good solvent resistance and low water absorption.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite resolving roller having exchangeable fittings carried by a roller body and secured by a clamping ring threadedly connected to the roller body.
2. Prior Art
Because the sets of resolving rollers for open end spinning machines are heavily used during resolving of fiber sliver, the fittings are subjected to an extremely high rate of wear. Therefore, the resolving rollers must be replaced periodically.
In order to avoid replacement of the entire resolving roller, fittings have been provided on sleeves which can slide onto a roller body, and a clamping disk is screwed onto the body to hold the sleeve in place. (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2913/73).
Such prior construction has not eliminated the problem of special machining upon exchange of fittings. Because it is necessary to have very close tolerances between the resolving roller ends and the corresponding walls of the roller housing for such technological reasons as maintaining fiber-directing air currents and avoiding spaces in which fiber can lodge, it has been necessary to grind the roller ends. Such grinding has been necessary both upon initial installation and upon each exchange of fittings. Since repeated grinding reduces the roller size, the roller body, or at least the clamping disk, must be replaced frequently. It is also necessary to utilize skilled technicians and special tools for each fittings change.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a resolving roller construction which makes it economically and flexibly feasible to make frequent changes of the resolving fittings.
A companion object is to provide such roller construction that roller length can be set by unskilled personnel and without special tools.
Another important object is to facilitate greater flexibility in changing fittings to accommodate variations in sliver characteristics.
The foregoing objects can be accomplished in accordance with the present invention by interposing a resilient spreadable member between the fittings sleeve and the roller body. The clamping ring exerts axial force on the resilient member and spreads it radially to effect frictional interconnection both axially and rotationally between the roller body and the fittings sleeve throughout a range of axial adjustments of the clamping ring. Consequently, the fittings sleeve is axially secured relative to the roller body, and the sleeve and roller body will rotate without slip. Because of the resilience of the spreading member, the clamping ring which forms one end of the composite roller can be set to fix the necessary roller length without reducing the rotational power connection between the fittings sleeve and the roller body.
The resilient member can be made of various materials, but it is preferred that such member be of rubber or soft plastic to maximize the range of clamping ring axial settings. The resilient member can be made of one or more sections and can be bonded or otherwise affixed to the roller body, or to the clamping ring, or sections can be affixed to each of the body and the ring.
It is of particular advantage for the resilient member to be independent of either the roller body or the clamping ring so that it is loosely received between concentric surfaces of the roller body and the fittings sleeve. With such construction, the resilient member can be replaced easily when it is worn; rubber elements, for example, tend to lose resilience with age. Such an independent resilient member can take various forms but conveniently may be ring shaped. The roller body may have an axial section of reduced diameter for receiving the resilient ring. To ensure accurate centering of the clamping ring and spreading engagement with the resilient member, it is preferred that the resilient member be of smaller axial extent than the corresponding roller body reduced axial section. The inner surface of the clamping ring would be complemental to such reduced roller body portion and would be guided thereby for centering of the clamping ring and for applying axial pressure on the resilient member.
When the clamping ring is adjusted relative to the roller body for forming a roller of proper axial extent, the two components can be connected by one or more screws. However, it is preferred that the roller body be formed with a stepped hub. The larger diameter hub section would be externally threaded complemental to internal threads of the clamping ring. The smaller diameter hub section would provide an annular space between it and the clamping ring, which space may receive a locknut. This arrangement prevents relative tilting of the clamping ring and the roller body so that the remote ends of these components are maintained in parallel relationship constituting the composite roller ends, and the clamping ring will not bind on any portion of the fittings sleeve. Such precise centering is more difficult to maintain if a plurality of screws are used as the connecting means.
The clamping ring outer circumference preferably has a first cylindrical portion extending from its axial end forming a composite roller end to a second frustoconical portion tapered toward its resilient member engaging end. Consequently, the leading end is relieved to reduce drag and facilitate centering during assembly. The roller body portion forming the other roller end may have a radial flange to form a stop for the fittings sleeve. Similarly, a radial flange on the clamping element may embrace the other sleeve edge. In order to avoid bending the sleeve edges during assembly, such a clamping ring flange may have an annular groove for receiving the sleeve edge margin. Such groove would have a depth selected so that no axial pressure would be exerted on the fittings sleeve even when the shortest roller length is set.
An end of the resolving roller shaft projects beyond its bearing a distance sufficient to receive the resolving roller, and the shaft end is flush with the outer end of the composite roller. It is preferred that the shaft end be provided with a bore to receive a tool or a handle by which the shaft can be pulled or pushed in the axial direction for removing or replacing the shaft and the resolving roller as a unit.
With the construction of the present invention, the fittings sleeve is not mounted by axial engagement with any portion of the composite roller so that the axial length of the roller is settable to any desired axial dimension. Since the fittings sleeve is held in place by radial forces, the radial flanges on the roller body and/or on the clamping ring may be omitted as desired. The fittings sleeve is an independent unit. Consequently, if it is desired to change the fittings, only that portion of the composite roller which technologically affects the sliver, namely the fittings sleeve, need be exchanged. Even after numerous fittings changes, no replacement or substitution for the roller body or the clamping ring is necessary. For these reasons, it is practical to change fittings when the material forming the sliver is changed without reducing the life of the roller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an axial section through a resolving roller of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary axial section through a modified resolving roller according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary axial section similar to FIG. 2 but showing the resolving roller without sleeve-embracing flanges.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The resolving roller 1 is formed compositely of four principal components, namely a roller body 10, a sleeve 3 carrying fittings 30, a resilient member 4 interposed between substantially concentric surfaces of the roller body and the fittings sleeve, and a clamping ring 5 which exerts axial force to spread the resilient member radially, as described further below. A housing (not shown) conventionally closely embraces opposite ends 100 and 105 of the composite roller 1. One end of shaft 2 carries the roller body 10, which is keyed or pressed on such shaft for rotation therewith. The opposite shaft end carries a shaft driving element, such as a sheave 20. A shaft bearing 21 is interposed between the roller body shaft engaging portion and the sheave. The bearing projects through the roller housing wall and has a shoulder 210 which engages the inner side of such a housing wall to limit movement of the bearing to the left, as seen in FIG. 1. In order to position the roller end 100 closely adjacent to shoulder 210 and, therefore, to the housing wall, roller body 10 has an interior cylindrical bore 101 for receiving the end portion of bearing 21.
The outer cylindrical surface of roller body 10 is stepped in the axial direction from a large diameter end portion adjacent to its end 100 forming the inner roller end face downward to the smallest diameter section having an end face substantially coplanar with the outer end face 105 of the composite roller 1. The largest diameter section 102 forms a first roller body section which is complemental to but slightly smaller than the internal diameter of fittings sleeve 3 so that one sleeve margin can be easily slid over section 102. Stepped down from section 102 is a second, preferably frustoconically tapered, section 103. The two sections are connected by a radial riser 13. Section 103 forms the inner bearing surface for resilient member 4. Section 103 adjoins a third section 104 which forms a centering surface for clamping ring 5.
The resilient member is shown in FIG. 1 as an annular ring 4, the inside diameter of which corresponds to the smallest diameter of the tapered bearing section 103. The outside diameter of ring 4 is nearly equal to the inside diameter of fittings sleeve 3. The radially inner and outer edges of ring 4 bear respectively on tapered section 103 and an interior surface portion of sleeve 3. Roller body section 103, riser 13 and sleeve 3 form an annular compartment for ring 4, which compartment has decreasing radial extent in the direction toward riser 13. The fourth wall of the compartment is formed by the inner end 59 of clamping ring 5, which end is substantially parallel to riser 13. As clamping ring 5 is axially inserted between roller body 10 and sleeve 3, the end 59 axially presses ring 4 toward riser 13 and wedges the ring into the narrower portion of the compartment.
Ring 5 preferably has an axial extent greater than one-half of the axial extent of sleeve 3 and has an outside diameter substantially equal to the diameter of roller body section 102, namely, slightly smaller than the inside diameter of sleeve 3. The inside diameter of clamping ring 5 is substantially equal to the diameter of roller body section 104 so that in assembling the composite roller 1, section 104 guides and centers clamping ring 5. The interior margin of the clamping ring adjacent to its end 59 is relieved such as by a bevel or a notch 50 so that such end 59 can be moved inwardly past the junction between roller body portions 104 and 103.
The axial end portion of clamping ring 5 opposite resilient member engaging end 59 preferably has a radially inwardly projecting flange 51, and the roller body has a hub 12 stepped down from centering section 104. The outer face 105 of flange 51 and ring 5 defines the outer end of composite roller 1. The end face of hub 12 is substantially coplanar with or recessed from face 105 in any adjusted position of clamping ring 5 so that roller body face 100 and clamping ring face 105 define the axial extent or length of roller 1.
In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1, the assembled roller 1 is secured and its length set by countersunk screws 52 extending through clamping ring flange 51 and into registering bores in the radial riser connecting centering portion 104 and hub 12 of the roller body 10. The screws may be held in position by locking disks 53 such as lock washers or Belleville springs. The roller length is set by tightening screws 52 to move clamping ring 5 toward the resilient ring until the desired length of roller 1 is attained. Because of the taper of section 103 and the resilience of ring 4, such resilient ring will provide sufficient frictional interconnection between roller body 10 and fittings sleeve 3 throughout a range of adjusted positions of clamping ring face 105 relative to roller body face 100 so that sleeve 3 cannot shift axially and will be rotated conjointly with roller body 10 by shaft 2.
While the frictional interconnection of roller body 10 and fittings sleeve 3 effected by resilient member 4 is sufficient to prevent axial movement of the fittings sleeve relative to roller body 10 when clamping ring 5 is secured in place, if desired a radial flange 106 may be provided between roller body face 100 and sleeve guiding portion 102 as a stop to limit inward movement of sleeve 3 during assembly.
In this description, the roller end defined by roller body face 100 is referred to as the inner roller end because this end is closest to drive element 20 and assembly of the composite roller following a fittings change would commonly be effected by moving the components axially from the free end of shaft 2 toward sheave 20. Sheave 20, bearing 21 and roller body 10 may remain mounted in the operating position relative to the housing (not shown) during a fittings change. During assembly of composite roller 1, fittings sleeve 3 would be moved axially of roller body 10 until the inner sleeve margin encircles guide portion 102 and, if provided, engages stop 106. Next, resilient ring 4 would be inserted into its compartment 3, 13, 103. Then, clamping ring 5, carrying screws 52 and locking washers 53, would be inserted and moved inwardly while being centered and guided by roller body portion 104 until end 59 engages resilient member 4. Screws 52 would then be tightened until the desired spacing between roller ends 100 and 105 is set. Such setting can be made by use of a micrometer caliper or other suitable gauge so that precision assembly can be effected by a person who is relatively unskilled.
In addition to flange 106, serving as a stop for the inner edge of fittings sleeve 3, a similar flange may be provided on the clamping ring 5 adjacent to its outer face 105. Such a flange 54 is shown in FIG. 2. In order to avoid interference with the range of adjustment for clamping ring 5 to prevent axial force from being exerted on sleeve 3 and to avoid bending of flanges 106 and 54 or relative tilting of the axis of roller body 10 and clamping ring 5, an annular groove 55 is provided on the side of flange 54 adjacent to sleeve 3. Groove 55 has a depth sufficient that the edges of sleeve 3 cannot engage both flange 106 and flange 54 even when clamping ring 5 is moved farthest toward resilient member 4 corresponding to the shortest axial distance between roller ends 100 and 105. Such a flange 54 may facilitate control of the position of sleeve 3 during assembly by preventing it from sliding outwardly but it mainly serves to shield the fingers of a worker from engagement with the usually sharp fittings on sleeve 3 during assembly and disassembly of clamping ring 5. However, as shown in FIG. 3, both flanges 106 and 54 can be eliminated because they have no function after the roller is assembled. As stated above, the resilient member provides adequate control over both axial and circumferential positions of fittings sleeve 3 when clamping ring 5 is secured in place.
Because the fittings on sleeve 3 operating on sliver and the fiber resolved therefrom directly affect properties of the yarn spun from the fiber, it is important to have the capability of quickly and easily exchanging fittings upon change of the fiber material to be spun, or when a change in yarn properties to be spun from a particular type of fiber is desired. The two principal types of fittings are represented in the drawings, namely, needle fittings 30 in FIGS. 1 and 3 and tooth fittings 31 in FIG. 2. However, there are many variations and effects which can be achieved by selecting different combinations of characteristics, for example, shape and length of needles 30, needle angle, needle thickness, needle material, or, in the case of teeth 31, tooth shape, tooth inclination or angle, number of tooth tips per unit of surface area, spacing between the teeth, material and polish.
It is important that changes of fittings can be accomplished quickly not only to reduce down time when they must be replaced because of wear, but also to make it practical to adapt the fittings to changes in fiber material or yarn characteristics. Such fittings changes can be effected more quickly if the clamping ring 5 is screwed directly onto a hub of roller body 10 instead of being fastened by a plurality of screws 52. Such construction is shown on FIGS. 2 and 3 and is described more specifically with reference to FIG. 3. As before, roller body 10 has a sleeve guiding portion 102 adjacent to inner roller end face 100. The resilient member bearing surface is adjacent to and stepped down from portion 102, but such bearing surface 107 is cylindrical instead of frustoconical, and the resilient member is shown as annular plates or Belleville springs 40. There may be a single such spring or a plurality of springs 40 forming the resilient friction-connecting means between roller body and fittings sleeve 3. The outside diamter of each spring 40 is only slightly smaller than the inside diamter of sleeve 3 so that radial expansion of the springs when engaged by clamping ring 5 will be sufficient to effect the friction interconnection of members 3 and 10. The axial extent of springs 40 is substantially less than the axial extent of cylindrical surface 107 and the excess axial portion of such surface forms the centering portion complementally engageable with the inner surface of clamping ring 5.
The hub 12 of roller body 10 preferably is stepped to include a diametrally larger portion 108 and a diametrally smaller portion 110 adjacent to and encircling the free end of shaft 2. The larger hub portion 108 carries circumferential threads 109 complemental to internal threads 56 of clamping ring 5. In order to effect frictional interconnection of roller body 10 and fittings sleeve 3, resilient members 40 are expanded to engage positively sleeve 3 and roller body surface 107 by insertion of clamping ring 5 between the sleeve and the roller body. Such clamping ring, by its threads 56, is screwed onto threads 109 of hub portion 108. When the desired roller width is attained, locknut 6 having external threads complemental with clamping ring threads 56 is inserted between the clamping ring and the reduced portion 110 of hub 12. To facilitate threading rotation of clamping ring 5 and tightening of locknut 6, sockets 57 and 60 are provided in their respective outer faces to receive corresponding projections of a wrench.
If a threaded connection is desired for a roller 1 utilizing a wedging surface 103 and a resilient member 4, as shown in FIG. 1, the threaded hub portion 108 would not be directly adjacent to wedging surface 103. Instead, centering surface 104, preferably of somewhat shorter axial extent, would be provided between surface 103 and hub portion 108 to engage an unthreaded internal surface of a clamping ring 5 to assure that the axes of the clamping ring and the roller body 10 are maintained coincident when the clamping ring is threaded onto the hub. While clamping ring 5 is shown to have a cylindrical outer surface in FIG. 1, it may be provided with a frustoconically tapered inner end portion 58 adjacent to the resilient member to minimize any danger of binding in sleeve 3 while the clamping ring is being centered and locked into the selected position.
The resilient member can take various forms. In FIG. 1, it is shown as the resilient ring 4 which is wedged into its cavity 103, 13, 3. A plurality of dished or Belleville springs 40 are shown in FIG. 3 which are diametrally expanded by the axial pressure exerted by clamping ring 5. The inner end of clamping ring 5 could be extended and provided with a plurality of axial slits so that the circumference of such end portion would be flexibly expanded by the wedging surface 103. It would also be possible to eliminate the tapered portion 103 of the roller body and the cutaway 50 of clamping ring 5 and provide separate tapered rings on opposite sides of resilient ring 4, which tapered rings would be wedged toward each other as clamping ring 5 is inserted and moved into the cavity containing the wedging rings and resilient member 4.
The resilient element 4 could be made of elastomeric material, such as rubber or soft plastic, having an axial extent greater than the spacing between roller body face 13 and the inner end of clamping ring 5 when the clamping ring is set to form a roller 1 of maximum axial extent between roller end faces 100 and 105. As the resilient element is compressed axially by insertion of clamping ring 5, it will expand radially to effect the frictional interconnection between roller body 10 and fittings sleeve 3. Such a resilient member is shown in FIG. 2 as the element 41. Such a rubber or plastic element is especially economically and a wider range of roller length settings of clamping ring 5 can be effected. Such a range can be further extended by providing a spacer or extender 42 also of resilient material. This type of resilient member also permits larger manufacturing tolerances for the roller components 5, 10.
The resilient member 4, 40, or 41, 42 can be connected to the clamping ring 5 or the roller body 10 by adhesive bonding or vulcanizing. However, it is preferred that the resilient member be independent of either roller component so that it can be easily replaced as would be desirable, for example, when a rubber or soft plastic element ages and loses its resiliency.
In the foregoing description the resilient member has been described as a ring which encircles a portion of the roller body and is diametrally or radially expanded by a clamping ring which is inserted axially over the hub 12 to encircle a portion of the roller body. But this construction is not an indispensible prerequisite for achieving the object of the present invention. For example, the roller body 10 and the clamping element 5 may be substantially cylindrical and have substantially equal radii. The faces of each component which are adjacent to the resilient member would be substantially parallel. A disk shaped resilient member would be received between such parallel faces and would be compressed axially between them to effect radial expansion to engage the inner surface of fittings sleeve 3. Clamping element 5 would also be disk shaped. In this instance, the resilient member would have axially extending apertures through which the screws 52 could pass for interconnecting the roller body 10 and the clamping member 5. In some applications, a single screw 52 located at the axis of disk 5 would be sufficient to connect clamping member 5 to roller body 10 or the end of shaft 2. With a disk shaped member 5, the axial length of roller 1 can be selected over a wide range by providing disks of different thicknesses.
As indicated earlier, flange 54 on clamping ring 5 (FIG. 2) can be omitted. In such a case, it would be necessary for maintenance workers to wear heavy gloves in order to avoid injuries from fittings 30 or 31 when mounting or demounting the complete unit including roller 1, shaft 2, bearing 21 and finally the drive element shown by way of example as a sheave 20. Other means of pulling the unit may be provided as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. A bore 22 may be provided in the end of shaft 2 which extends through roller body 10 and is exposed at the face of hub 12. In FIG. 3, a concentric or eccentric recess 220 is provided at the blind end of bore 22 for receiving the hook of a pulling tool. In FIG. 1, bore 22 has internal threads 221 to receive a correspondingly threaded stem of a handle 23. If desired, a plurality of bores 22 could be provided in the outer roller end 105 or the face of hub 12. The unit can then be mounted or demounted by exerting an axial pushing or pulling force on a tool or a handle 23 inserted in a bore of bores 22.
In the foregoing description, a multiplicity of variations and constructions for achieving the results of the present invention have been disclosed whereby individual features can be combined in different ways or can be replaced by equivalent components. The common characteristics of all such combinations is that an exchangeable fittings sleeve 3 is frictionally interconnected with roller body 10 by a resilient member 4, 40 or 41, which member is radially expanded by axial force exerted by a clamping element 5 threadedly connected to the roller body. The resilient member effects such interconnection through a range of relative adjusted positions of the roller body and the clamping element. The radial connection between the roller body 10 and the fittings sleeve 3 effects both rotational and relative axial interconnection so that limiting means such as flanges 106 and 54 are unnecessary for maintaining the axial placement of the fittings sleeve. Consequently, the entire axial extent of the fittings sleeve is usable to resolve sliver and a source of crevices for entrapping fibers is eliminated.
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The peripheral fittings for resolving sliver are carried by an annular sleeve. Such sleeve is removably mounted concentrically of the resolving roller shaft by a centering roller body carried by the shaft. A resilient member is radially spread by a clamping ring to frictionally interconnect the roller body and the fittings sleeve for maintaining the sleeve in desired axial relationship and for transmitting force from the shaft and roller body to the peripheral fittings to effect conjoint rotation.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM: LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] The present invention is in the technical field of prefabricated structural parts used to create small structures. Further, the present invention is in the technical field of construction kits for small modular buildings used to house animals, or used for children's playhouses.
[0006] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0007] The prior art describes many prefabricated structures. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,787,028, 3,020,601, 4,212,130, 5,222,902, 5,921,047, 6,520,831, 7,104,221, and 7,241,198 all describe prefabricated parts and construction methods used to create small structures that can be assembled without or with minimal use of tools. Similar to many solutions found in the prior art, the present invention is inexpensive to manufacture and ship, yet sturdy enough to meet the typical requirements of small structures, such as doghouses or playhouses. Further, like the present invention, many of the structures found in the prior art can be built and taken apart without tools.
[0008] Among other improvements, the present invention improves upon the prior art by providing prefabricated parts that can be used to create differently sized buildings. Thus, a small structure can be expanded into a larger structure when needed, such as when a puppy grows into an adult dog. Another improvement is due to the puzzle-piece-like properties of the structural components; the present invention may be used as an amusement device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present Invention comprises a limited number of structural members that can be configured to construct a variety of differently sized small buildings. The structural members share a symmetry, where all members can be described using the features of one member. The structural members primarily include wall panels and right-angle corner panels, where the corner panels are equivalent to two wall panels that intersect to create a right angle corner. A plurality of female connections exist on the sides of the wall and corner panels so that the panels can be joined together to create larger wall sections. The panels are joined together using a common connector pressed into female connections. The invention includes a feature where three panels share one connector. Embodiments further Include floor sections and roof sections.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 a is a perspective view of a structure:
[0011] FIG. 1 b is a perspective view of a structure;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wall part:
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wall part;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wall part;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a wall part:
[0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a corner part;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a corner part;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a section of a wall part and a connector;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a section of a wall part and a connector;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a section of a wall part and a connector;
[0021] FIG. 11 is a cross section of a wall part and a connector;
[0022] FIG. 12 is a cross section of a wall part and a connector;
[0023] FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a section of an assembly;
[0024] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a floor part;
[0025] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a floor part;
[0026] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a floor part;
[0027] FIG. 17 is perspective view of an exploded assembly of a floor;
[0028] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a roof support part;
[0029] FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a roof support part;
[0030] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a roof support part;
[0031] FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a roof part;
[0032] FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a roof part;
[0033] FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a roof part;
[0034] FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a roof part;
[0035] FIG. 25 a is an exploded perspective view of a roof assembly;
[0036] FIG. 25 b is an exploded view of a partially installed roof assembly;
[0037] FIG. 26 is a perspective view of a mold; and,
[0038] FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a shipping and storage assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0039] Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 a shows Building 10 , a structure that can be constructed using the structural members described herein. Building 10 is a small structure relative to houses built for humans; Building 10 is the size of atypical doghouse, or a child's playhouse. Building 10 has four walls, a floor, a roof, and an opening in one of the walls so that a child or small animal, such as a dog, can enter and exit the structure. The structure shown in FIG. 1 a is but one of the many shapes of buildings that can be constructed using the structural members described in this document. For example, FIG. 1 b shows a smaller structure that can be created using the prefabricated parts discussed herein.
[0040] Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 5 , four wall pieces are shown. The wall pieces shown are rectangular pieces that have a front and back surface and four side surfaces. The four side surfaces are the smaller surfaces and can be defined as top, bottom, left and right. Arranged along the side surfaces are cavities that are evenly spaced. Cavity 15 s are created by openings on the top and bottom surfaces that are positioned in the center of the top and bottom surfaces, where the center is defined as the middle between the front and back surface. The opening has a depth, creating Cavity 15 . Cavity 15 has one opening, and can be described as a female connection, or a chamber. Edge Cavity 17 is equivalent to a Cavity 15 that is bisected by the adjacent surface. Thus, Edge Cavity 17 has an opening shared by two side surfaces adjacent to each other, such as a bottom surface and a left surface. The part of the Edge Cavity 17 's opening that is on the top or bottom surface is half of the width of the Cavity 15 's opening. The adjacent part of the Cavity 17 's opening is equal to the depth of Cavity 15 's depth. Thus, when two wall pieces are placed end to end with Edge Cavity 17 s facing each other, the result is a cavity that is the same size as Cavity 15 . Edge Cavity 17 is also referred to as a corner cavity, a bisected female connection, and a half-chamber.
[0041] FIG. 2 shows Closed-Ended Small Wall 75 , and FIG. 3 shows Small Wall 70 . Both pieces have the same outer dimensions; the only difference between the two is that Closed-Ended Small Wall 75 does not have Corner cavities 17 on one side. FIG. 4 shows Closed-Ended Big Wall 85 , and FIG. 5 shows Big Wall 80 . The wall sections shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are twice the length of the wall sections shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , and thus have more Cavities 15 . Stated differently, the Big Wall sections are equivalent to two small wall sections placed end to end. Further, the only difference between Closed-Ended Big Wall 85 and Big Wall 80 is that Closed-Ended Big Wall 85 does not have Corner cavities 17 on one side.
[0042] Referring now to FIG. 2 through FIG. 7 it is important to note the relationship between the corner pieces and the wall pieces. Dimensionally, Small Corner 50 is the equivalent of two Closed-Ended Small Wall 75 s intersecting and fused together at the closed end at a ninety-degree angle as shown.
[0043] Similarly, Big Corner 60 is dimensionally equivalent to two Closed-Ended Big Wall 85 's intersecting and joined together at a ninety-degree angle. Stated differently, the length of the side walls of Big Corner 60 and the length of Big Wall 80 are equal, and the same is true for Small Corner 50 and Small Wall 70 . Further, the matching corner pieces and wall pieces have the same number of Cavities 15 .
[0044] Referring now to FIG. 6 , Small Corner 50 is shown. Small Corner 50 is a symmetrical, ninety-degree corner piece. Small Corner 50 is equivalent to two Closed-Ended Small Wall 75 sections that are joined at the closed side at a ninety-degree angle. The top half and bottom half sections of said wall sections are mirror images of each other. Thus, like the wall sections, Small Corner 50 is symmetrical about a middle line that is halfway up the height of Small Corner 50 , and Small Corner 50 is symmetrical about the ninety degree corner angle.
[0045] Referring now to FIG. 7 , Big Corner 60 is shown. Big Corner 60 has all of the properties of Small Corner 50 , except that Big Corner 60 wall sections are is twice as long with more Cavities 15 . Further, FIG. 3 shows that the spaces between Cavities 15 are equal just like Small Corner 50 and the wall sections.
[0046] Referring now to FIG. 8 , four connectors are shown. Connector 20 is the primary connector used to build a structure. Connector 20 is shaped to fit snugly inside two Cavity 15 s when said cavities have their openings lined up. The fit of the connector inside the cavity is a tight one, thus, Connector 20 's cross section has approximately the same dimensions as the cross section of Cavity 15 . Further, Connector 20 may not have completely straight sides along its length, rather the sides may have a slight curve to allow for easier insertion and a gradual press fit connection as the connector is pressed into the cavity. In other words, the cross section of Connector 20 may vary.
[0047] Connector 20 is used to connect wall pieces and corner pieces by placing Connector 20 inside Cavities 15 and Cavities 17 . Short Connector 21 is shorter than Connector 20 , and is used when a wall piece or corner piece is connected to something other than another wall piece or corner piece, such as a floor or roof section. Fill Connector 22 is used to fill Cavities 17 when needed or as desired, further, 2 Fill Connector 22 s can be used to fill one Cavity 15 . Hollow connector 23 is shown as another embodiment of a type of connector that can be used.
[0048] Referring now to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 , connectors with ridges are shown. Rounded Ridge Connector 24 and Triangle Ridge Connector 25 are embodiments shown to demonstrate configurations where the connectors and cavities can have specific slot-and-tab shapes that match up with each other.
[0049] Referring now to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 , a top view of a connector embodiment is shown. Rounded Ridge Slim Connector 27 and Triangle Slim Connector 28 are generally smaller than the previously discussed connectors. In this embodiment, ridges are used as the primary contact surface on the connector. With this embodiment a tighter press-fit configuration is possible due to the contact surface area being reduced as compared to the previously discussed connector configurations.
[0050] Referring now to FIG. 13 , an exploded view of a constructed corner is shown. The purpose of FIG. 13 is to demonstrate the relationships between the wall, corner and connector pieces when said pieces are used to construct a building.
[0051] Referring now to FIG. 14 , FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 , three floor pieces are shown. All three floor pieces are squares with a side length equal to the length of Big Wall 80 . FIG. 14 shows Center Floor 100 , with Double Cavities 18 centered on each side surface. Double Cavities 18 have twice the length of Cavities 15 , and fit two Connector 20 s side by side. FIG. 15 shows Side Floor 110 that has Double Cavities 18 centered on three sides, and Short Cavities 19 along the edge of the side that does not have a Double Cavity 18 . Short Vertical Cavities 19 have a cross section that is the same as the opening used to create Cavity 15 , but the depth of Short Vertical Cavity 19 is less than the depth of Cavity 15 . Short Vertical Cavity 19 , Cavity 15 , and Short Connector 21 are used to connect wall, corner and floor pieces. Thus the length of Short Connector 21 is equal or slightly less than the combined depths of Short Vertical Cavity 19 and Cavity 15 . Short Vertical Cavities 19 are positioned on the edges of Side Floor 110 to line up with Cavities 15 of Big Wall 80 . Also identified in FIG. 15 is a Short Vertical Cavity 19 that is not positioned on the edge that can be used for additional building configurations. Referring now to FIG. 16 , Corner Floor 120 is shown. Corner Floor 120 has Double Cavities 18 on two adjacent sides and Short Vertical Cavities 19 on the other two sides as shown.
[0052] Referring now to FIG. 17 , an exploded assembly is shown to illustrate one embodiment of a floor assembly.
[0053] FIGS. 18 through 20 show roof support elements. Generally, the roof support elements and connectors are used to create a beam that extends from the top of one wall to the top of the wall opposite to it. FIG. 18 shows Roof Support End 200 that connects to the top of a corner or wall piece using Short Connector 21 and a vertical cavity that extends from the top surface through the bottom surface. An additional vertical cavity is shown that can be used for differently sized building, or to create an overhang. A horizontal cavity is shown that is equivalent to Cavity 15 on the end Roof Support End 200 that is used to connect the piece to another piece using Connector 20 . FIG. 19 shows Roof Support Long Extension 220 that has vertical cavities in the center and horizontal cavities at both ends. FIG. 20 shows Roof Support Short Extension 230 that has a single horizontal cavity extending from end to end.
[0054] FIGS. 21 through 24 show roof elements. Generally, the roof element have a flat surface and extensions that extend from the flat surface that fit into the cavities on the top of the wall sections, corner sections and roof support elements. FIG. 21 shows Narrow Roof End 300 that has a flat section on top that creates a section of roof, and from that roof section extends a section that has the same cross-sectional dimensions as the connectors so that the piece can be placed into a Cavity 15 or two Cavity 17 s. FIG. 22 shows Roof Center 310 that is used when a wall or corner cavity is not available. Roof Corner 320 is shown in FIG. 23 that has features for use over corner pieces. Said features include extensions that fit into Cavities 15 or 17 are arranged at 90 degrees with respect each other. FIG. 24 shows Wide Roof End 330 that has two extensions for Cavities 15 or 17 and smaller extensions that fit into the vertical cavities of the roof extensions.
[0055] FIG. 25 shows an exploded assembly view of a possible configuration for a roof assembly. The roof support elements and connectors create beams that extend from wall to wall and are attached to said walls with connectors. The roof elements are placed to that one continuous surface exists ocer the area bounded by the walls and corner sections.
[0056] In the preferred embodiment, the parts shown in the preceding figures are made of plastic. Further, the preferred manufacturing process for said parts is plastic-injection molding. FIG. 26 shows Plastic Injection Mold 400 that is a possible configuration of a device that can be used to create a short wall section.
[0057] Referring now to FIG. 27 , a possible shipping and storage configuration is shown. One of the advantages of the invention is that it can be stored and shipped easily. In the preferred embodiment a box-like shipping container is not needed, rather the structural components create a shipping container that can be wrapped and shipped. Further, if the intended structure is approximately 2½ feet tall, as would be ideal for a doghouse, the shipping item would only be 8 inches tall, and less than 3 feet wide.
[0058] The advantages of the present invention include, without limitation, a construction kit for a small structure that is made of a small number of pieces. The structures that can be created using the kit are ideal for pets or small children. Assembling the structures and taking it apart is fun and easy, so the kit can be used as an amusement device. Further, floor and roof options create a structure that can house an animal outdoors and provide shelter from the elements. In the preferred embodiment the pieces are made of plastic, thus the structure is inexpensive, and easy to clean. The pieces can fit together during storage and shipping to that the footprint of the storage or shipping item is small in relation to the structure that can be built, and because the preferred embodiment is made of plastic, the shipping is inexpensive relative to other heavier materials.
[0059] In broad embodiment, the present invention is construction kit for a small structure.
[0060] While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.
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The preferred embodiment is a construction kit for small structures that can be built without tools and used as a shelter for animals, or an amusement device for people. In one embodiment, the kit includes two sizes of wall pieces and two sizes of corner pieces that connect to create a solid structure capable of withstanding the elements of nature. The wall and corner pieces have cavities that are arranged on the top, bottom and sides of the pieces. The pieces connect to each other using common connectors that fit snugly into the cavities. The pieces can be used to create a variety of differently sized and shaped structures. The preferred embodiment further comprises pieces that are used to create a roof structure and a floor structure that connect to the wall and corner pieces using connectors and said cavities. In the preferred embodiment the pieces are made of plastic using plastic-injection manufacturing processes. The pieces of a kit used to create a structure can be shipped and stored in a small volume relative to the size of the structure that can be created.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to location systems, and more particularly relates to a location display system for indicating the relative position of a vehicle to mile post markers on a highway.
THE PRIOR ART
Citizens band radios are commonly used in a large number of vehicles. Such radios are used by the vehicle operators to report accidents along the highway and to provide communications between vehicles regarding weather conditions, road conditions and the like. When reporting accidents or other conditions along a highway, it is important that the citizens band radio operator be able to specifically identify a particular location along the highway. A common technique for providing such a location identification is by identifying the closest mile post marker, such markers being located at periodic intervals along many highways. These mile post markers are each provided with a unique identifying number and may be spaced apart by quarter mile or mile intervals.
In the past, to know a particular location, vehicle operators have been required to remember the number of the mile post marker just passed by the vehicle or the operators have had to wait until the next mile post marker is passed. In addition, the vehicle operator has been required to remember whether or not the numbers on the mile post markers are incrementing or decrementing in order to provide an accurate indication of the vehicle location. Because of these requirements on the vehicle operator, mile post markers have not been completely satisfactory as a method for providing location information and erroneous and delayed location information has thus sometimes resulted from use of such markers. A need has thus arisen for a system to enable a vehicle operator to have a continuous display to the vehicle's location with respect to the nearest mile post marker.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatical illustration of a highway having mile post markers and showing a typical accident scene wherein it is important to be able to specifically identify a location relative to mile post markers;
FIG. 2 is a prospective view of a location display system in accordance with the present invention; and
FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram of the present system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, a diagrammatic illustration of a typical utilization of the present invention is shown. A divided highway 10 is shown which is typical of most interstate and state highways in that mile post or mileage markers are placed along the highway to enable highway drivers to locate their position along the route. For example, mileage marker or mile post 12 representing mile number 483 and mile post 14 representing mile number 484 are spaced at a mile interval along the highway 10. In some cases, the mile posts are spaced apart by one quarter mile. The present invention allows the driver of an automobile 16 to immediately and accurately report the location of the automobile collision 18 over his citizens band radio.
With the present invention, the driver of automobile 16 need not remember the last mile post he has driven past, nor must he wait until reaching the next mile post in order to report an accident somewhere between mile post 483 and mile post 484. Any delay by the driver of automobile 16 in ascertaining the exact location of the collision 18 and broadcasting the location over his citizens band radio lengthens the time in which emergency aid can be dispatched to the victims of the collision. By utilizing the mile post location display system of the present invention, the driver can easily determine the exact location of the collision 18 by viewing the console unit 20 (FIG. 2) which shows the collision to have occurred at mile number 483.5, or midway between mile post 483 and mile post 484.
Referring to FIG. 2, the console unit 20 includes a mileage marker display 22 and a keyboard 24. Keyboard 24 corresponds in general to those of the well known pocket calculators, such as those manufactured and sold by Texas Instruments, Incorporated, Dallas, Tex., under the designation Electronic Calculator TI-2500. The keyboard 24 includes ten push-buttons 26 thereon representing the numerals 0-9, so that the console unit 20 can be preprogrammed with the desired mile post number by the user. The keyboard 24 also includes pushbuttons 28 and 30 which are used to program whether the mile post markers are increasing or decreasing in number as the driver approaches them. These push-buttons, 26, 28 and 30, together with a push-button 32 representing a decimal point, are used in the preprogramming step to be subsequently described.
The keyboard 24 further includes a clear push-button 33 used to reset the console unit 20 before beginning a new journey or when a new highway is entered. An on/off power control switch 34 is mounted on the front of the console unit 20 for controlling the power supplied through terminal 36 located at the side of the console unit 20. Terminal 36 is interconnected to the electrical supply system on the automobile for supplying power to the system. Terminal 36 is also interconnected to a pulse transducer system, to be subsequently described, for supplying an input signal to the console unit 20.
The console unit 20 further includes a display 22 which provides an array of digits 38 with a movable decimal point 40 and a plus or minus sign shown at 42. The digits 38 are common seven-segment type digits and may be formed from light emitting diode arrays, liquid crystals or other suitable low power consumption display units.
To operate the location display system of the present invention the automobile operator will initially depress the clear push-button 33 to initialize the system to receive data. While driving on the interstate highway, the automobile operator will note at least two mileage posts that are driven past. It is necessary to observe two such mileage posts to determine whether the mileage post markers are decreasing or increasing in number as the automobile operator approaches them. Upon determining, for example, that the mileage posts are increasing in magnitude, the operator will depress push-button 28 to indicate a plus sign in the display 22 at 42 and to program the arithmetic operation performed by the system to be addition. The operator will then depress the necessary push-buttons 26 to preprogram the console unit 20 with the number indicated on the next approached mile post indicator. The operator will depress the push-buttons 26 at approximately the point at which his automobile is parallel to the mile post, in order to synchronize the console unit 20 with the mile posts along the highway. Thereafter, the console unit 20 will be incremented by tenths of a mile to indicate to the automobile driver his location along the highway relative to the mile posts. This information may be relayed to others via a citizens band radio.
In addition to the above-mentioned use, the automobile operator can also use the present system to record the number of miles traveled in a given journey. The operator will initially program the console unit 20 by depressing the pushbutton 26, representing the numeral 0, to indicate the start of the journey and push-button 28 to indicate the addition function. Thereafter, the pulse transducer network will cotinuously increment the console unit 20 to display the elapsed mileage traveled from the beginning of the journey. The console unit 20 can then be cleared by depressing push-button 33 to begin recordation of elapsed mileage in a subsequent journey.
The console unit 20 may also include an arithmetic division function which can be utilized to calculate miles traveled per gallon of gasoline consumed. The automobile operator will utilize the console unit 20 to calculate the lapsed mileage traveled between gasoline fill-ups. The divide function push-button will then be depressed and the number of gallons of gasoline needed to travel that distance will be entered using push-buttons 26. The calculator 50 within the console unit 20 will then perform the division function and the resulting miles traveled per gallon of gasoline will be displayed on the display 22.
Referring to FIG. 3, a detailed block diagram of the present system is shown. The system utilizes a calculator 50, which may be a one-chip calculator unit that is internally programmed by the manufacturer, for example, Model TMS 1802 manufactured by Texas Instruments, Incorporated. Input to the calculator 50 is supplied by a pulse transducer system 52, which provides a continuous input measured in tenths of a mile traveled by the automobile from an initial starting point.
The pulse transducer system 52 comprises a pulse transducer 54, which may be actuated by gears rotated by the vehicle odometer cable, or by a wheel or other part of the vehicle which rotates according to the speed of the vehicle. Transducer 54 may comprise any one of a number of conventional magnetic, electrical or mechanical transducers which generate electrical pulses proportional to the rotation of the vehicle wheels. For example, a magnet may be mounted on a wheel of the vehicle and a magnetic sensor, adjustable for wheel size, may be mounted to the vehicle frame. The magnetic sensor is operable to generate pulses in response to the magnetic field of the magnet as the magnet rotates past the sensor. The pulses generated by pulse transducer 54 are fed to a pulse forming network 56, where the pulses are formed, shaped and if necessary amplified. The output of the pulse forming network 56 is supplied to the pulse counter 58 which is adjustable to produce an output electrical signal and to recycle upon the accumulation of pulses corresponding to the predetermined distance of one-tenth mile. The output of the pulse counter 58 is supplied to an impulse counter driver 60, whose output signal is applied to the Z input terminal of calculator 50.
The calculator 50 includes a group of input signal terminals 62 denoted as T1-T11 with corresponding signal lines t1-t11. A group of output terminals 64 denoted as A-H with corresponding signal lines a-h is also included within the calculator 50. Electrical input signals from keyboard 24 are supplied to the calculator 50 through terminals X and Y. Further inputs to the calculator 50 include an input at terminal 66 from the clock pulse generator 68, which is used to gate each operation of the calculator 50. Power is supplied by the power supply 70 through input terminals 72 and 74. The circuitry for the display 22 is also shown in FIG. 3 and is interconnected to terminals 62 and terminals 64. One of the light emitting diodes comprising the display 22 is illustrated, it being understood that the other light emitting diodes comprising the display 22 are similarly interconnected within the system.
When the calculator 50 is energized and operating, it generates a plurality of sequentially occurring pulse signals which are identified using the terminal designations T1-T11. The signals T1-T11 occur individually, that is, only one of the signals T1-T11 is "on" or positive at any one time, all the remaining ones of signals T1-T11 being "off". The signals T1-T11 occur in sequence at a high rate and after each of the signals has occurred, the signals repeat, again occurring individually and in the same sequence.
The signals T1-T11 appearing at terminals 62 are applied to the keyboard 24 along their respective lines t1-t11. All of the switches 80 of the keyboard 24 are normally open, single pole, single throw switches and are manually operable by means of the push-buttons 26 on keyboard 24. FIG. 3 illustrates the push-buttons representing numerals 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8, and it will be understood that the remaining push-buttons are similarly interconnected to the calculator 50. None of the signals T1-T11 applied to the keyboard 24 from the calculator 50 normally pass therethrough to the calculator 50 input terminals X and Y. However, when a particular one of the switches 80 of the keyboard 24 is closed, the circuit is completed between a predetermined one of the input signal lines t1-t11 between the calculator and keyboard 24 and the output line of terminal X. Closure of one of the function pugh-buttons 28, 30, 32 or 33 completes a connection between the signal lines t5, t6, t8 and t11, respectively, generating an input to the calculator 50 at terminal Y. The electrical signals applied to terminals X and Y are thus representative of the push-button switches being depressed.
Simultaneously with the occurrence of one of the input signals T1-T11, the calculator 50 generates signals at its output terminal A-H along signal lines a-h which are applied to the light emitting diodes of the display 22 at terminals A'-H' respectively. One such light emitting diode 84 and its related circuitry is illustrated in FIG. 3, the remaining diodes being omitted for clarity of illustration. Light emitting diode 84 includes input terminals 85 and is interconnected to the remaining diodes through signal buss lines 86a -86h. Light emitting diode 84 includes eight segments, 84a -84g, which can be illuminated to form numerals 0-9, and segment 84h which can be illuminated to form the decimal point 40 (FIG. 2). Each segment 84a-84h can be selectively illuminated or extinguished by generating the proper signal combination at the output terminals A-H of calculator 50 thereby forming the digits 0-9 and the decimal point. For example, the digit "7"is formed by segments 84a, 84b, and 84c.
As previously stated, each light emitting diode 84 includes a plurality of input terminals 85 and also includes common terminals 88. Coupled between the common terminals 88 of the light emitting diode 84 and the input signal lines t1-t11 via terminals T1'-T11', respectively, is a group of digit driver amplifiers 90, the remaining digit driver amplifiers being omitted for clarity of illustration. Each of the digit driver amplifiers 90 includes a common load output terminal as at 92 coupled in common to a ground terminal as at 94.
All of the similar segments 84a -84h of the light emitting diodes 84 are coupled in common. That is, all the segments 84a are connected via buss 86a, all the segments 84b are coupled together via buss 86b. Similarly, all the similar segments 84c-84h are connected in common via busses 86c-86h, respectively. Coupled between busses 86a-86h and the output signal lines a-h are a plurality of segment driver amplifiers 96, the remaining amplifiers being omitted for clarity of illustration. Each of the segment driver amplifiers 96 is provided with a load input terminal at 98, all input terminals 98 being connected in common to a supply buss 100. Power supply buss 104 from the power supply 70 is also connected to supply buss 100.
Segment driver amplifiers 96 are operable between "on" and "off" conditions, they being rendered "on" in response to reception of respective ones of signals A-H via input terminals A'-H' and rendered "off" in absence thereof. When segment driver amplifiers 96 are on, they complete an electrical path between their load input terminals 98 and respective ones of segment busses 86a-86h, respectively and thereby apply the supply potential to the respective segments 84a-84h of the light emitting diodes 84.
Digit driver amplifiers 90 are also operable between "on" and "off" conditions. When in the "on" or conductive condition, the digit driver amplifiers 90 complete an electrical circuit between their terminals 88 and the ground buss 92 and, conversely, when in an "off" condition, disconnect the respective input terminals 88 from the ground buss 92. Digit driver amplifiers 90 are rendered "on" and "off", respectively, in response to reception of or absence of one of signals T1-T11 at input terminals T1'-T11'.
To complete an electrical circuit through a particular one of the light emitting diode segments 84a-84h of the light emitting diodes 84, it is necessary that the particular segment driver amplifiers 96 coupled to the segment be "on" and the particular digit driver amplifiers 90 coupled to the light emitting diodes 84 must be "on".
Since input signals T1-T11 occur individually in sequence, it is apparent that only a single one of the digit driver amplifiers 90 will be in an "on" condition at any one time. It will also be apparent that a particular group of signals A-H will render predetermined ones of segment driver amplifiers 96 "on" at any one time.
For example, it will be seen that upon the occurrence of signal T8 at terminal X, there simultaneously occur output signals A-H generated by calculator 50. Correspondingly, these signals render the digit driver amplifier 90 connected to terminal T8' "on" and segment driver amplifiers 96 corresponding to terminals A'-G' "on". The remaining digit driver amplifiers 90 corresponding to terminals T1'-T7' and T9' remain "off". Under these conditions, supply potential will be applied to segments 84a-84g of the light emitting diode 84 and common terminal 88 thereof will be coupled to ground. This in turn will produce a flow of current through segments 84a-84g of the light emitting diode 84 thereby illuminating these segments to display the decimal digit "8". In a similar manner during the occurrence of signals T1-T7 and T9, and using the output signal groups generated by the calculator 50 at terminals A-H, the digits 1-7 and 9 will be displayed on the light emitting diodes 84 respectively
Thus it can be seen that the illumination of a particular digit on a particular one of light emitting diodes 84 is the result of the simultaneous reception of a particular one of the input signals T1-T9 and a particular group of output signals A-H. The segments of only one of the diodes 84 will be illuminated at any one instant since only one of the diodes 84 will at any instant be coupled to ground by the digit drivers 90.
Calculator 50 operates to perform the desired arithmetic operation according to the input function signal appearing at terminal Y. The output signal of the transducer system 52 is applied to the Z input terminal of calculator 50. The automobile operator will initialize the calcultor 50 by depressing the required push-buttons 26 on keyboard 24, thereby generating electrical input signals at terminal X and terminal Y. The initial mile post designation will then appear on the display 22 as previously described. Thereafter, the calculator 50 will either add or subtract the input signal received at terminal Z from the transducer system 52 responsive to the distance traveled by the vehicle from the initial mile post designation received at terminal X. The result of this reoccurring arithmetic calculation will then be displayed on the display 22, which represents the current location of the automobile by simultaneously turning "on" selective ones of segment driver amplifiers 94 and digit driver amplifiers 90 to illuminate the light emitting diode segments 84a-84h.
Whereas the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various changes and modifications will be suggested to one skilled in the art, and it is intended to encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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This specification discloses a mile post location system particularly useful with a vehicle having a citizens band radio. The system includes a keyboard having switches which are representative of numbered digits, such that the vehicle operator may input an initial mile post designation indicative of the present location of the vehicle. The keyboard further includes switches to enable the vehicle operator to input incrementing or decrementing instructions. A computer circuit is responsive to the operation of the keyboard switches in order to store the initial mile post designation and the incrementing or decrementing instructions. A transducer is responsive to the distance traveled by the vehicle in order to generate and apply signals to the computer circuit. In response thereto, the computer circuit causes the initial mile post designation to be incremented or decremented in accordance with the stored instructions. A display is responsive to the computer circuit for displaying to the vehicle operator the last mile post passed by the vehicle in order to enable the vehicle operator to broadcast his present location on the citizens band radio.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/566,485, filed Dec. 4, 2006, which is a nonprovisional patent application of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/845,833, filed Sep. 19, 2006, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/816,842, filed Jun. 27, 2006, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/794,164, filed Apr. 24, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/761,402, filed Jan. 23, 2006, each of which are incorporated herein by reference and priority of which is claimed.
Priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/845,833, filed Sep. 19, 2006, incorporated herein by reference, is hereby claimed.
Priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/794,164, filed Apr. 24, 2006, incorporated herein by reference, is hereby claimed.
Priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/816,842, filed Jun. 27, 2006, incorporated herein by reference, is hereby claimed.
Priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/761,402, filed Jan. 23, 2006, incorporated herein by reference, is hereby claimed.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for holding or securing the leg of a patient during knee arthroscopy surgery and any other medical procedures that require immobilizing of a patient's leg. More particularly, the present invention relates to a leg restraining apparatus that is connectable to an operating room table and that holds the patient's leg above the knee during knee surgery or like medical procedures. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for restraining the leg of a patient above the knee wherein a specially configured restraining member is equipped in one embodiment with an inflatable bladder that interfaces between the restraining member and the patient's leg and in other embodiments, cradles the leg both above and below and in other embodiments, provides an interlocking ratcheting mechanism that enables a surgeon to selectively tighten the device around the patient's leg.
2. General Background of the Invention
During numerous medical procedures, the leg of a patient must be restrained. For example, a patient's leg must be restrained during knee surgery.
There is a prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,892 issued to Gary Krietman that discloses a leg restraint device adapted for orthopedic examinations and operating procedures that provides a firm support for a portion of a patient's limb while the limb or joint is manipulated or stressed. The restraint includes a rigid frame which defines a partially enclosed area within which the patient's limb is inserted. The enclosed area of the frame accommodates a blood pressure type air bag cuff which is secured to the frame by a fastener. Restraintive force is applied to the limb and monitored by pressurizing the air bag to a controlled level. In one embodiment, the partially enclosed area is shaped as an inverted “U” and with the operating table providing the bottom closure. In a further embodiment, the frame includes a horizontal weigh which extends along the operating table and terminates at an upward laterally curved jaw. An adjustable medially curved jaw is positioned along the weigh. After the adjustable jaw has been positioned, the air bag is pressurized to restrain the limb.
The present invention is an improvement of the device shown in the Krietman patent 4,766,892.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The method and apparatus of the present invention incorporates the use of a polycarbonate materials combined with a air bladder to fixate the leg for the purposes of a medical procedure, such as knee arthroscopy and other procedures that include but are not limited to EP studies, vascular intervention via catheters, where the leg is required to remain immobile to facilitate the medical procedure.
The apparatus of the present invention is unique in its concept and structural design, incorporating proprietary structural ridges and support biases, to provide the stiffness and strength characteristics to withstand a minimum of 50 lbs lateral force when flexing valgus and varus angle pressure on the knee joint for arthroscopic knee surgery exposure.
The present invention utilizes an intricate design of Celstran ridges, supports, cross members, and diagonal supports.
The apparatus of the present invention is designed to be both a “disposable leg restraint”, and/or a re-useable device in those markets that are not suited for a disposable device. The device weighs between 1 and 1.5 lbs, and is made of about 60% glass polycarbonate material(s).
The present invention is light weight, can be disposable, and negates any cross contamination potential for infection and affords direct access to all points of the knee joint. The apparatus of the present invention provides ease of use and set-up, cost effectiveness by avoiding re-sterilization, cleaning, and administrative costs such as record keeping and liability costs.
The apparatus of the present invention does not act as a tourniquet, and allows for continuation of procedure during long cases requiring release of tourniquet, permits limited blood flow-safety factor. The apparatus of the present invention provides enhanced patient comfort and safety via air bladder that insures equal distribution of stress forces. The apparatus of the present invention can be sterile draped and is readily removable during surgical procedure (w/o breaking sterility) extending operative field.
The apparatus of the present invention can be manufactured as a single molded piece and/or a two section piece incorporating a metal stem (SS/titanium/etc) attached to a polycarbonate arc that supports the air bladder cushion system for immobilizing the leg.
The materials can comprise 60% long strand glass and polycarbonate plastics (e.g. Celstran PA66-GF60-02-BK) and can be produced in a variety of colors (black, natural, yellow, red, blue).
An optional bottom attachment can be used to connect the proximal portion of the arc and the distal end of the arc, in the event that it might be required to provide addition stiffness to the overall brace. The attachment would be passive, merely clipping into place, and supporting additional lateral force, should it be needed.
The present invention incorporates a unique approach to fixating the leg via two methods. In a first method, a base (e.g. Celestran) with interlocking teeth on both sides of the base engage two semi circular pieces that complete the encirclement of the leg, around a circular foam padding (adjusts for size). The operator merely tightens the encircling pieces to the desired tension/fixation position by pressing inward and engaging the next set of teeth on the ends of the two encircling pieces.
The tension of encirclement increases the engagement on the teeth since all the pressure is outward keeping the teeth well engaged into one another. To release, one merely pulls upward on the piece with the handle, and the system of encirclement releases pressure totally, allowing for the removal of the device after the procedure. The attached CAD drawings clearly depict the construction and design of the device, alluding to the unique structural supports required to withstand the lateral pressures of knee surgery requirements.
In a second procedure and embodiment, a base that is somewhat larger and more encompassing than “a” provides a more stabilizing structure to attach a ridged belt that serves to encircle the leg, pass through a geared mechanism that has a locking pin to immobilize the gear and fix the belt at the desired point of tension/fixation.
The tension on the belt is achieved by merely pulling downward/outward on the belt as it passes thru the gear and out of the base housing, and at the desired tension is fixed by engaging the locking pin to the gear. This locks the belt in place, and it can not be released without disengaging the locking pin.
The ridged belt can be padded with a foam pad between the belt and the patients leg. Either of these devices can be manufactured as “disposable” devices, and re-useable devices for those markets that do not lend themselves to disposable products. The foam pads would be a disposable item helping to eliminate the potential for cross contamination and/or infection on both embodiments. These devices can be manufactured as a single base portion with the above described attachments/components, and are unique in design and concept for fixating a leg for the purposes of providing leg stability for medical procedures such as arthroscopic knee surgery and any other medical procedures that require the use of keeping the leg immobile (such as EP studies, vascular catheter intervention-angioplasty and/or stent placement). The first embodiment involves the use of an air bladder and does not totally encircle the leg tension. The second embodiment does in fact encircle the leg and does perform a limited tourniquet effect, while not employing the air bladder. Both embodiments are for practical purposes, aside of design and mechanical function, provide the same features, benefits and advantages. Both can be disposable in nature or re-useable as well. The re-useable model in both embodiments would incorporate a disposable feature. The “air bladder” could be a disposable item. The foam pad would be a disposable item. When designated as a single use device, the entire device would be disposed of after each use.
The present invention includes a limb restraining apparatus for use in combination with a table upon which a patient is resting, comprising: a restraining member removably attached to the table, the restraining member being an integrally molded plastic member having a curved underside concave portion that is positioned to cradle the patient's leg from a position above the patient's leg; the restraining member preventing substantial movement of the patient's limb while allowing movement and manipulation of a distal limb section; a flexible support attached to the concave portion of the restraining member; and the upper surface of the restraining member being a convex surface that is reinforced with a plurality of webs that intersect to form acute angles.
Preferably, flexible support is an inflatable cuff.
Preferably, the present invention further comprises a cradle that removably fits the restraining member, the cradle having an upwardly facing concavity that cradles the patient's leg from below.
Optionally, the restraining member is of a polycarbonate material.
Optionally, the restraining member is of a glass polycarbonate blend.
Optionally, the restraining member is of in excess of 50% long strand glass and polycarbonate plastic material.
Preferably, the cuff includes an inflation stem, the restraining member including an aperture, the stem extending through the aperture to facilitate inflation.
The present invention includes a method of accessing areas of a limb joint for insertion and manipulation of arthroscopic instruments during anthroscopic examination or surgery, the method comprising the steps of: confining a first zone of a limb with a restraining member that has a downwardly facing concavity that covers the top and at least part of the sides of the limb, said restraining member including on the inside an air bag cuff, the first zone being positioned between the patient's body and the joint, said restraining member including on the outside a plurality of structural ridges that form multiple acute angles; immobilizing the air bag cuff; inflating the cuff to a minimum predetermined pressure to restrain the first zone from movement; monitoring and maintaining the inflating pressure while stressing the limb joint, the stressing of the joint being attained by applying forces to a second zone of the limb, the second zone being spaced from the joint in a direction away from the patient's body.
Preferably, the limb is a leg, the joint comprising a knee joint, the first zone comprising a portion of a thigh, the step of immobilizing the air bag cuff comprising immobilizing the cuff adjacent the top and opposite sides of the thigh.
Preferably, the confining step includes positioning the cuff only around the top and sides of the thigh, the underside of the thigh being free of contact with the inflated cuff.
Preferably, the joint is stressed by applying rotational stress to the second zone relative to the first zone.
Preferably, the step of immobilizing the cuff comprises fixing the cuff with respect to a rigid frame, the frame being operatively positioned to overlie the air bag cuff, the fixing step comprising peripherally securing the cuff to the frame, the frame being spaced from the first zone.
The present invention includes a method of restraining a portion of a limb of a patent resting upon a surgical table for orthopedic examination and operating procedures upon a joint of the limb, the method comprising the steps of: providing a restraining member having a rigid support that surrounds the top and sides of the limb to be restrained, said restraining member having an upper convex surface reinforced with a plurality of intersecting ridges and a lower concave surface that engages a patient's leg, and an inflatable cuff on the lower curved surface; registering the restraining member with a first zone of the limb, the first zone being spaced from the joint in a direction towards the patient's torso by adjustably anchoring the rigid support means to the table at a selected position along the length of the table, the support means being out of direct contact with the limb; peripherally confining the first zone of the limb except for an underside portion of the first zone resting upon the surgical table with the inflatable cuff; applying restraintive force to the first zone by inflating the cuff to a pressure while immobilizing portions of the cuff spaced from the first zone of the limb with the rigid support means; monitoring and maintaining the inflated pressure of the cuff for the duration of the operating procedure; and separating portions of the joint to permit the insertion and manipulation of arthroscopic instruments by applying controlled forces to a second zone of the limb, the second zone being spaced from the joint in a direction away from the first zone.
Preferably, the cuff includes an outer periphery, the step of inflating and immobilizing the cuff includes the step of anchoring the cuff to the restraining member.
Preferably, the restraining member includes a plastic frame having a depending leg, the step of anchoring including anchoring the restraining member to the table by inserting the flange into a slot which provided on the table.
The present invention includes a method of stabilizing and rendering immobile the thigh area of a patient for cardiovascular intervention procedures involving the placement of catheters and/or instruments in the patient's cardiovascular system via the femoral arterial vessel, whereby catheter placement and maintenance of position is vital to successful angioplasty intervention and/or placement of arterial stents.
The present invention includes a limb restraining apparatus for use in combination with a table upon which a patient is resting, comprising: a restraining member removably attached to the table, the restraining member being an integrally molded plastic member having a curved underside concave portion that is positioned to cradle the patient's leg from a position above the patient's leg; the restraining member preventing substantial movement of the patient's limb while allowing movement and manipulation of a distal limb section; a flexible belt attached to the restraining member, the belt extending about 360 degrees for encircling and holding a patient's leg; and interlocking portions of the belt enabling the belt to adjust to legs of differing sizes.
Preferably, the belt has multiple sections.
Preferably, the belt has interlocking toothed portions.
Preferably, the belt has a handle at one end portion for enabling tension to be applied to the belt.
Preferably, the belt has belt teeth on a surface of the belt and further comprising a toothed wheel on the restraining member that engages the belt teeth.
Preferably, the toothed wheel can be rotated to tighten or loosen the belt about a patient's leg.
Preferably, the belt has teeth on a belt outer surface, the belt having an inner surface that engages the patient's leg.
Preferably, there is a locking device that locks movement of the belt and wheel in a selected position.
Preferably, the locking device comprises aperatures on the wheel and a locking pin that can interlock with a selected one of the aperatures.
The present invention includes a tourniquet in order to lower the position of the tourniquet from the high thigh to proximal to the knee joint, thus reducing potential tissue and vascular damage caused by the tourniquet on the upper thigh area.
The present invention can be used for procedures including ACL repairs, arthroscopy meniscus repair, and vascular intervention.
The present invention includes a single device with no moving parts and/or attachments. The present invention does not require added bottom support. The present invention can be used on various patients, including small school soccer players, older athletes, adults and elderly (both slim and obese).
In the present invention, a surgeon can use the device for quick case repairs. Using the device of the present invention, a surgeon can perform a surgery in a seated position. The present invention saves time and costs. Patients benefit from the comfort and stability of the present invention. There is less operative time and lower costs associated with use of the present invention. One other advantage is that the apparatus of the present invention standardizes the arthroscopic procedure approach for every patient. The device is easy to set up and avoids MCL tears during surgery that would occur using another apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3 - 3 of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 is a top view taken along lines 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a close-up perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention illustrating a different construction for the restraining member;
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention illustrating a different construction for the restraining member;
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention illustrating a different construction for the restraining member;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 16 is a sectional elevation view of the second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a fragmentary sectional view of the second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of the second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; and
FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken along lines 21 - 21 of FIG. 19 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1-10 show the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention designated generally by the numeral 10 in FIG. 8 .
Leg restraint apparatus 10 is shown in use in FIG. 8 with a standard operating room table 11 having an upper surface 12 that is receptive of a patient 13 . During certain types of orthopedic examination procedures or surgeries, it is necessary to restrain or immobilize a patient's leg 14 . A locking mechanism 15 is used in combination with table 11 to hold the leg 14 of a patient 13 . The locking mechanism 15 includes a body 16 that is mounted to the table 11 . The body 16 provides a vertical slot 17 intersected laterally with an internally threaded opening 18 that is receptive of threaded set screw 19 . In this fashion, restraining member 20 or 20 A or 20 B can be inserted into slot 17 and then clamped and rigidly held to body 16 when set screw 19 is tightened relative to body 16 . Operating room tables 11 typically have instrumentation holders for varied apparatus that slide along table rails for positioning, then clamped down in accordance with the patient's height/size.
The restraining member 20 , 20 A, 20 B can include a vertical or mounting flange 22 to which is integrally attached a thickened section 23 and a curved section 21 . The restraining member 20 , 20 A, 20 B is of a disposable plastic material, such as of injection molded plastic.
Curved section 21 provides an upper surface 24 that is reinforced with a plurality of longitudinal webs 25 and a plurality of diagonally positioned webs 26 . Lower surface 27 of curved section 21 is preferably smooth, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . As seen in FIG. 2 , flange 22 has inner surface 22 a and outer surface 22 b . Thickened section 23 has surfaces 23 a , 23 b , 23 c . Surfaces 22 a , 23 b form a first obtuse angle. Surfaces 22 b , 23 c form a second obtuse angle that is larger than the first obtuse angle.
The first obtuse angle created by surfaces 22 a and 23 b can be preferably 121°-125°, and most preferably 123°. The second obtuse angle created by surfaces 22 b and 23 c can be preferably 141°-145°, and most preferably 143°. This is preferably the angle range at which the thickened section 23 can be molded and therefore maintain the required rigidity and strength of the brace arc. A different angle could be used based on the different size of the overall arc/brace required, for example, to accommodate smaller or larger leg mass based on the size of a person. Adjusting the angle to a greater or a smaller angle would result in a reduced or increased arc facilitating the overall size of the brace and its use with different leg sizes. This variation of angle ranges would allow for extreme sizes and possibly rigidity and strength issues when made with hybrid materials.
The angles as specified herein fit approximately 95% of the population due to the design and use of the air bladder/tourniquet technique. The design is further unique in that this angle arc interface allows for a singular device to address such a large population of patients requiring no further adjustment in order to perform the surgical procedures of meniscectomy and/or ACL repair. Furthermore, it allows for the implementation of a technique that does no require a tourniquet by applying partial restrictive pressure to blood vessels via the air bladder, combined with cold saline, to perform meniscus repairs (the air bladder does not circumvent the patient limb/leg). The aspect that the air bladder does not circumvent the limb is also unique, as other devices with air bladders and/or foam padding circumvent the limb.
Opening 28 extends between the upper surface 24 and lower surface 27 . The leg restraining member 20 provides sides 29 , 30 that are preferably flat and generally parallel.
In FIGS. 3-10 , restraining member 20 is provided with an inflatable bladder 31 . The bladder 31 can be supplied with air through a valve 32 . As indicated by arrow 33 in FIG. 5 , valve 32 can extend through opening 28 . Inflatable bladder 31 can be attached to restraining member 20 using adhesive 34 as indicated by arrow 35 in FIG. 5 .
Inflatable bladder 31 can be attached to restraining member 20 using a hook and loop or Velcro® type connection, the hook fasteners 36 being attached for example to inflatable bladder 31 while the loop fasteners 37 are provided on the curved surface 27 of restraining member 20 . Arrow 38 in FIG. 7 illustrates an attachment of bladder 31 to restraining member 20 using a hook fastener 36 and loop fastener 37 connection.
In FIGS. 11-13 , other arrangements of a restraining member are shown. In FIG. 11 , restraining member 20 A provides an ell shaped flanged member 40 that is separate from curved section 21 , the parts 21 , 40 being joined with a connection 39 that is formed by a plurality of openings 41 in flanged member 40 that align with openings 43 through flanges 45 , 46 of curved section 21 . The parts 21 and 40 being secured with one or more bolted connections that can include a plurality of bolts 42 and nuts 44 as shown in FIG. 11 . Slot 47 provides a space in between the flanges 45 , 46 that is receptive of flange member 40 .
In FIGS. 12 and 13 , the restraining member 20 B is first threaded through a leg cradle 48 having a projection 49 that cooperates with and connects to a socket 50 provided on the restraining member 20 B. In FIG. 13 , the connection has been complete, the vertical flange 22 of restraining member 20 B extending through opening 73 of cradle 48 and then being connectable to the body 16 as with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-10 .
FIGS. 14-18 show another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, designated generally by the numeral 51 .
Leg restraining apparatus 51 provides a vertical flange 52 that is connectable to the vertical slot 17 of body 16 using threaded set screw 19 and internally threaded opening 18 as with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-13 . In FIG. 14 , a cradle 53 has a flat underside that can be rested upon upper surface 12 of operating room table 11 . Cradle 53 provides a concavity 55 defined by curved surface 56 of cradle 53 . Cradle 53 provides a curved slot 57 that is receptive of belt 58 . The belt 58 can include multiple belt sections 69 , 70 .
A belt free end portion 59 forms a connection with another belt free end portion 60 . Outer surface 61 of each belt section 69 , 70 can be provided with transverse grooves 62 for increasing belt 58 flexibility. Each belt section 69 , 70 has an inner surface 63 that is generally smooth and curved as shown. However, the inner surface 63 of each belt 58 or belt section 69 , 70 can also be provided with transverse grooves 64 as shown.
The belt free end portion 60 provides a handle 65 that enables a user to tighten the free end portion 60 relative to the free end portion 59 . In that regard, the free end portion 59 provides upwardly facing teeth 66 , while the free end portion 60 provides downwardly facing teeth 67 as shown in FIGS. 14-18 . If the belt 58 is formed of multiple belt sections 69 , 70 , the curved slot 57 can provide teeth at 74 that form a connection with the teeth 71 , 72 of the belt sections 69 , 70 .
In FIGS. 15-16 , the patient's leg 14 is shown secured within the belt sections 69 , 70 . A donut shaped pad 68 can be placed as an interface between the belt sections 69 , 70 and cradle 53 and the patient's leg 14 .
FIGS. 19-21 show another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. In FIGS. 19-20 , leg restraining apparatus 75 provides a vertical flange 76 that is integrally attached to cradle 77 . Cradle 77 provides a flat surface or underside 78 that can rest upon the operating room table 11 upper surface 12 . Cradle 77 provides a concavity 79 defined by curved surface 80 . The curved surface 80 can extend a full 180 degrees as shown in FIG. 20 or can be less than 180 degrees as shown in FIG. 19 . An ell shaped channel 81 extends through cradle 77 as shown in FIG. 19 . Channel 81 extends to pinion gear 82 and then exits via outlet 96 . The free end portion of belt 84 can be gripped at d-ring 89 by a user as shown in FIG. 19 , illustrated schematically by the arrow 97 . Belt 84 is a toothed belt, having a toothed surface 87 that engages teeth 83 of pinion gear 82 . Belt anchor pin 85 anchors belt 84 to cradle 77 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 . Belt anchor pin 85 is secured to pin opening 86 , also extending through an opening at an end portion of the belt 84 .
Pinion gear 82 has a gear shaft 90 that is mounted to opposing sides of cradle 77 as shown in FIG. 21 . Locking pin 91 can be used to form an interlocking connection with an opening 95 in gear plate 94 that is attached to and rotates with pinion gear 82 . Locking pin 91 can provide a knob 92 and spring 93 . The spring 93 normally holds the locking pin 91 in a locking position as is shown in FIG. 21 . Knob 92 enables a user to pull the pin away from pinion gear 82 for unlocking the pinion gear and enabling a user to tighten the belt 84 . When a user releases the knob 92 , spring action provided by spring 93 thrusts the locking pin 91 back into engagement with one of the openings 95 in plate 94 of gear 82 .
The embodiment of FIGS. 19-21 can also be used with a donut shaped pad 68 , as is shown in FIGS. 15-16 .
The following is a list of parts and materials suitable for use in the present invention.
PARTS LIST
Part Number
Description
10
leg restraint apparatus
11
operating room table
12
upper surface
13
patient
14
leg
15
locking mechanism
16
body
17
vertical slot
18
internally threaded opening
19
threaded set screw
20
restraining member
20A
restraining member
20B
restraining member
21
curved section
22
vertical flange/mounting flange
22a
inner surface
22b
outer surface
23
thickened section
23a
surface
23b
surface
23c
surface
24
upper surface
25
longitudinal web
26
diagonal web
27
lower surface
28
opening
29
side
30
side
31
inflatable bladder
32
valve
33
arrow
34
adhesive
35
arrow
36
hook fastener
37
loop fastener
38
arrow
39
connection
40
flanged member
41
opening
42
bolt
43
opening
44
nut
45
flange
46
flange
47
slot
48
leg cradle
49
projection
50
socket
51
leg restraining apparatus
52
vertical flange
53
cradle
54
flat underside
55
concavity
56
curved surface
57
curved slot
58
belt
59
free end portion
60
free end portion
61
outer surface
62
transverse groove
63
inner surface
64
transverse groove
65
handle
66
teeth
67
teeth
68
pad
69
belt section
70
belt section
71
teeth
72
teeth
73
opening
74
teeth
75
leg restraining apparatus
76
vertical flange
77
cradle
78
flat underside
79
concavity
80
curved surface
81
ell shaped channel
82
pinion gear
83
tooth
84
belt
85
belt anchor pin
86
pin opening
87
toothed surface
88
smooth surface
89
d-ring
90
gear shaft
91
locking pin
92
knob
93
spring
94
gear plate
95
opening
96
outlet
97
arrow
All measurements disclosed herein are at standard temperature and pressure, at sea level on Earth, unless indicated otherwise. All materials used or intended to be used in a human being are biocompatible, unless indicated otherwise.
The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.
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An improved method and apparatus for restraining a patient's leg during knee surgery or similar procedure features and improved restraining member that is attachable to an operating room table. The restraining member has a lower concave portion that engages the upper portion and sides of the patient's leg. The restraining member has an upper convex portion that is reinforced with a plurality of ridges. The concave portion can be fitted with an inflatable bladder. The concave portion in other embodiments is fitted with a belt arrangement that enables different degrees of constriction to be imparted to the leg.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to exercise devices and is particularly concerned with exercise devices that provide for jumping and rebounding off of a taut, spring-suspended flexible surface.
2. Prior Art
Trampolines and ini-type trampolines having rebound surfaces for exercise purposes, have long been known and used. The structures used in the past have generally comprised a taut, flexible sheet material suspended at its periphery with resilient supports. These previously known structures have generally been used by persons jumping on them and using the taut, resiliently suspended surface to achieve a rebound action in a vertical direction. Rebound devices have also been provided in the past in which a single rebound surface may be angled so that a person jumping against the surface will rebound at a desired angle.
More recently, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,531, it has been proposed to use a pair of spaced apart mini-trampolines, interconnected by a pair of rails and with angles rebound surfaces as an exercise device.
So far as we are aware, there has not previous to our invention, been known a rebound device having a single rebound sheet that will provide a pair of angular opposed surfaces that will permit a user to jump from one surface to the other surface and to be rebounded back and forth between the surfaces.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Principal objects of the present invention are to provide an exercise device having a pair of rebound surfaces formed from a single rebound sheet extending angularly from a common central area and supported such that a user can rebound from one surface to the other surface and back. Such rebounding from surface to surface, permits a user to perform jumping exercises, back and forth, without a substantial vertical leap, thereby allowing the structure to be used even in a room having a low ceiling. An exercise device having a pair of rebound surfaces angled, as described, also permits the user to perform exercises that are particularly adapted to exercising the muscles used by a snow skier, waterskier, or skater. The use of a single rebound sheet to form the pair of rebound surfaces permits use of a collapsible support structure to facilitate storage and transportation of the unit.
FEATURES OF THE INVENTION
Principal features of the invention include a support frame that is pivoted at a center section and that has a pair of outer frames adapted to extend upwardly and outwardly from a center line and to be supported by foldable legs.
Other features of the invention include the use of a single rebound sheet to form the pair of rebound surfaces, and the use of folding legs to allow the structure to be compactly folded for the storage and the like.
Still another feature of the invention is the use of a support post, removably attached to the frame, that may be grasped by a user in practicing rebound activities on the device.
Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings, disclosing a presently preferred embodiment of the invention.
THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exercise device of the invention;
FIG. 2, a fragmentary perspective view, taken within the lines 2--2 of FIG. 1, and showing the coupling arrangement at the center of the structure;
FIG. 3, an exploded fragmentary perspective view, taken within the lines 3--3 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4, a fragmentary section view taken on the lines 4--4 of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings:
The exercise device of the invention, shown generally at 10, comprises a pair of rebound surfaces 11 and 12, that are formed from a single sheet 13 of flexible material such as reinforced nylon. A seam 14 is formed around the periphery of the sheet 13 and D-rings 15 are spaced around the periphery of the sheet 13 and project from the seam 14.
A pair of U-shaped frames 18 and 19 provide support for the sheet 13. Frame 18 includes a pair of legs 20 and 21, interconnected at one of their ends by a web 22. Similarly, frame 19 includes legs 24 and 25, interconnected at one of their ends by a web 26.
The legs 24 and 25 are pivotally connected to the other ends of the legs 21 and 22, as best shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the legs 20 and 21 are inside legs 24 and 25 and legs 20 and 24 are pivotally connected and legs 21 and 25 are pivotally connected by a bolt 27. A spacer washer 27a is positioned between each pair of legs and serves as a bearing during pivoting of the legs, as will be further described.
The legs 20 and 21 are each curved at their free ends to form center legs 28 for the unit and a protective cap 29 is provided for the end of each leg.
The free ends of legs 24 and 25 extend slightly beyond the bolts 27 and are also capped with a protective cap 30.
Bolts 27, as previously explained, extend as pivot axis through the ends of legs 20 and 24 and 21 and 25 and then are threaded into the ends of a center pipe 31.
The sheet 13 passes beneath the pipe 31 and is stretched taut around its edges by springs 32, each having one end attached to a U-shaped frame 18 or 19 and its other end attached to a D-ring 15.
As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, folding legs 34 and 35 are respectively attached to the U-shaped frames 18 and 19. Each folding leg includes a pair of tubular side members 36 and 37 with each pair interconnected at ends thereof by a tubular ground member 38 and each ground member has a pair of spaced apart pads 39 mounted thereon. The pads 39 are crimped onto the ground member 38 and rotate thereon.
The other ends of the side member 36 and 37 are each pivotally connected to a leg of a U-shaped member 18 or 19. An ear 40 is provided adjacent each said end of the side members and a corresponding ear 41 projects from a sleeve 42 that is telescoped over and secured to a leg 20, 21, 24 and 25 such that bolts 45 inserted through matching ears 40 and 41 serve as pivot shafts for the pivoted connection between the folding legs and the U-shaped frames 18 and 19.
Each sleeve 42 is slidable along a leg of a U-shaped frame and is locked in desired position by a pair of set screws 46 and 47 that are threaded through the sleeve and into engagement with the leg. With the ears 40 and 41 interconnected the legs 34 and 35 pivot between a use position, as shown in FIG. 1, wherein the ends of the side members 36 and 37 abut the legs 20, 21, 24 and 25 and the side members form substantially right angles with the legs 20, 21, 24 and 25 and a folded position wherein the side members 36 and 37 rest against the legs 20, 21, 24 and 25.
For storage or carrying, the legs 34 and 35 are placed in their folded positions and the U-shaped frames are pivoted together to place the rebound surfaces 11 and 12 in a face-to-face relationship.
In use, the legs are moved to the position of FIGS. 1 and 3 and the sleeves 42 are positioned along their associated legs to set the rebound angle of the rebound surfaces 11 and 12. A user may then jump back and forth between the surfaces 11 and 12.
As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a support-T 50 may be provided for grasping by a user of the device, while exercising. The support-T includes a tubular support post 51 and a cross-bar 52 on an upper end thereof. Protective caps 53 are provided on opposite ends of cross-bar 52. A slot 54 is formed in a bottom end of the support post and extends diametrically fully across the member.
Leg 20 has a post 35 affixed thereto. One end of post 55 is welded or otherwise affixed to the leg 20 at a lower end thereof and the other end 55b projects upwardly therefrom. The support-T is positioned by telescoping support post 51 over the post 55 and is locked against turning by positioning slot 54 over the leg 20.
With the support-T positioned as described, the cross-bar 52 may be grasped by a user of the exercise device. A protective cover 60 may be placed over center pipe 31.
Although a preferred embodiment of our invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is by way of example and that variations are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, which subject matter we regard as our invention.
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An exercise device having opposed angled rebound surfaces that will fold flat together, and support structure for the surfaces that will also fold compactly. The device also includes adjustable legs which allow angular relation between the rebound surfaces. The adjustment structure includes a lock and sleeve bracket which moves longitudinally on the frame member to accomplish the angular adjustment.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to ammonia-free cleaning compositions for cleaning microelectronic substrates, and particularly to such cleaning compositions useful with and having improved compatibility with microelectronic substrates characterized by sensitive porous and low-κ and high-κ dielectrics and copper metallization. The invention also relates to the use of such cleaning compositions for stripping photoresists, cleaning residues from plasma generated organic, organometallic and inorganic compounds, and cleaning residues from planarization processes, such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), as well as an additive in planarization slurry residues.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Many photoresist strippers and residue removers have been proposed for use in the microelectronics field as downstream or back end of the manufacturing line cleaners. In the manufacturing process a thin film of photoresist is deposited on a wafer substrate, and then circuit design is imaged on the thin film. Following baking, the unpolymerized resist is removed with a photoresist developer. The resulting image is then transferred to the underlying material, which is generally a dielectric or metal, by way of reactive plasma etch gases or chemical etchant solutions. The etchant gases or chemical etchant solutions selectively attack the photoresist-unprotected area of the substrate. As a result of the plasma etching process, photoresist, etching gas and etched material by-products are deposited as residues around or on the sidewall of the etched openings on the substrate.
Additionally, following the termination of the etching step, the resist mask must be removed from the protected area of the wafer so that the final finishing operation can take place. This can be accomplished in a plasma ashing step by the use of suitable plasma ashing gases or wet chemical strippers. Finding a suitable cleaning composition for removal of this resist mask material without adversely affecting, e.g., corroding, dissolving or dulling, the metal circuitry has also proven problematic.
As microelectronic fabrication integration levels have increased and patterned microelectronic device dimensions have decreased, it has become increasingly common in the art to employ copper metallizations, porous, low-κ and high-κ dielectrics. These materials have presented additional challenges to find acceptable cleaner compositions. Many process technology compositions that have been previously developed for “traditional” or “conventional” semiconductor devices containing Al/SiO 2 or Al(Cu)/SiO 2 structures cannot be employed with copper metallized low-κ or high-κ dielectric structures. For example, hydroxylamine based stripper or residue remover compositions are successfully used for cleaning devices with Al metallizations, but are practically unsuitable for those with copper metallizations. Similarly, many copper metallized/low-κ strippers are not suitable for Al metallized devices unless significant adjustments in the compositions are made.
Removal of these etch and/or ash residues following the etch and/or ashing process has proved problematic. Failure to completely remove or neutralize these residues can result in the absorption of moisture and the formation of undesirable materials that can cause corrosion to the metal structures. The circuitry materials are corroded by the undesirable materials and produce discontinuances in the circuitry wiring and undesirable increases in electrical resistance.
The current back end cleaners show a wide range of compatibility with certain, sensitive dielectrics and metallizations, ranging from totally unacceptable to marginally satisfactory. Many of the current strippers or residue cleaners are not acceptable for advanced interconnect materials such as low-κ and high-κ dielectrics and copper metallizations. Additionally, the typical alkaline cleaning solutions employed are overly aggressive towards low-κ and high-κ dielectrics and/or copper metallizations. Moreover, many of these alkaline cleaning compositions contain organic solvents that show poor product stability, especially at higher pH ranges and at higher process temperatures.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is, therefore, a need for microelectronic cleaning compositions suitable for back end cleaning operations which compositions are effective cleaners and are applicable for stripping photoresists, cleaning residues from plasma process generated organic, organometallic and inorganic materials, and cleaning residues from planarization process steps, such as chemical mechanical polishing and the like. This invention relates to compositions that are effective in stripping photoresists, preparing/cleaning semiconductor surfaces and structures with good compatibility with advanced interconnect materials and copper metallizations.
It has been discovered that ammonia (NH 3 ) and ammonia-derived bases such as ammonium hydroxide and other salts (NH 4 X, X═OH, carbonate, etc.) are capable of dissolving/corroding metals such as copper through complex formation. Thus they are poor choices to be used in semiconductor cleaning formulations when compatibility with porous, low-κ and high-κ dielectrics and copper metallizations are required. These compounds can generate ammonia through equilibrium process. Ammonia can form complex with metals such as copper and result in metal corrosion/dissolution as set forth in the following equations.
NH 4 X⇄NH 3 +HX (Equation 1)
Cu+2NH 3 →[Cu(NH 3 ) 2 ] + →[Cu(NH 3 ) 2 ] 2+ (Equation 2)
Thus, ammonium hydroxide and ammonium salts can provide nucleophilic and metal-chelating ammonia (NH 3 ) through the equilibrium process described in Equation 1, particularly when other bases such as amines and alkanolamines are added. In the presence of oxygen, metals such as copper can be dissolved/corroded through complex formation with ammonia, as described in Equation 2. Such complex formation can further shift the equilibrium (Equation 1) to the right, and provide more ammonia, leading to higher metal dissolution/corrosion.
Generally, sensitive low-κ dielectrics degrade significantly under strong alkaline conditions. Ammonia and ammonia derived bases also show poor compatibility with sensitive dielectrics, such as hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) and methyl silsesquioxane (MSQ). Again, they can provide ammonia and/or other nucleophiles, and thus lead to reaction/degradation of sensitive dielectrics.
It has been discovered that non-ammonium producing strong base alkaline cleaning formulations containing non-nucleophilic, positively charged counter ions (such as tetraalkylammonium) in steric hindered amide solvents show much improved compatibility with sensitive porous, low-κ and high-κ dielectrics and copper metallization. The preferred solvent matrices are resistant to strong alkaline conditions, due to steric hindrance effects and/or low or no reactivity to nucleophilic reactions (with respect to nucleophiles such as hydroxide ions). The improved dielectric compatibility is partially achieved due to the absence of undesireable nucleophiles in the compositions. Good compatibility with copper metallization is achieved by selective use of certain copper-compatible steric hindered amide solvents. These components can be formulated into semi-aqueous to practically non-aqueous (organic-solvent based) cleaning solutions or slurries.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The novel back end cleaning composition of this invention will comprise one or more of any suitable non-ammonium producing strong base containing non-nucleophilic, positively charged counter ions and one or more of any suitable steric hindered amide solvent stable under strong alkaline conditions. Among the suitable non-ammonia producing strong bases containing non-nucleophilic, positively charged counter ions suitable for use in the cleaning compositions of this invention there may be mentioned tetraalkylammonium hydroxides of the formula:
[(R) 4 N + ] p [X] −q
where each R is independently a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, preferably alkyl or hydroxy alkyl of from 1 to 22, and more preferably 1 to 6, carbon atoms (R≠H); and X═OH or a suitable salt anion, such as carbonate and the like; and p and q are equal and are integers of 1 to 3. Suitable strong bases also include KOH and NaOH. Cleaning compositions containing the non-ammonium producing strong bases containing non-nucleophilic, positively charged counter ions show much improved compatibility with low-κ dielectrics and copper metallization. Ammonia-free tetraalkylammonium hydroxides (TAAH) are very strong bases, yet they have been discovered to provide surprisingly improved low-κ compatibility compared to cleaning compositions with ammonium hydroxide. Especially preferred are tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, choline hydroxide and tetramethyl ammonium carbonate.
While previous attempts to control or inhibit metal corrosion have involved careful controlling of pH and/or using corrosion inhibiting compounds, such as benzotriazole (BT), at relatively low concentrations of <2% by weight, it has been discovered that unexpected, significant improvement in controlling copper metal corrosion can be provided to the cleaning compositions of this invention when one or more steric hindered amide solvent is employed. Any suitable steric hindered amide solvent may be employed in the cleaning compositions of this invention. Preferred as such steric hindered amide solvents are hindered acyclic and hindered cyclic amides of the formulae
R 1 CONR 2 R 3
and
where n is a numeral of from 1 to 22, preferably 1 to 6; and R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 and R 8 are each independently selected from H, alkyl (substituted or unsubstituted), preferably alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and aryl (substituted or unsubstituted), preferably aryl of from 3 to 14 carbon atoms, with the proviso the at least one of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 and at least one of R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 and R 8 is not hydrogen.
Some suitable examples of such steric hindered amide acyclic solvents include, for example, acetamide, dimethyl formamide (DMF), N,N′-dimethyl acetamide (DMAc), benzamide and the like. Some suitable examples of steric hindered cyclic amides include, for example, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), 1,5-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidinone, 1,3dimethyl-2-piperidone, 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)2-pyrrolidinone, 1,5-dimethyl 2-piperidone and the like.
The cleaning compositions of this invention containing the non-ammonium producing strong bases can be formulated into aqueous, semi-aqueous or organic solvent-based compositions. The non-ammonium producing, strong bases containing non-nucleophilic, positively charged counter ions can be used with steric hindered amide solvents alone or in combination with other stable solvents, preferably one or more polar organic solvents resistant to strong bases and that do not contain unhindered nucleophiles, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), sulfolane (SFL), dimethyl piperidone, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, 2-(methylamino)ethanol, 3-(dimethylamino)-1,2-propanediol and the like. The cleaning composition may also optionally contain organic or inorganic acids, preferably weak organic or inorganic acids, hindered amines, hindered alkanolamines, and hindered hydroxylamines and other corrosion inhibitors, such as benzotriazole, catechol, glycerol, ethylene glycol and the like. The cleaning compositions may also contain any suitable surfactants, such as for example dimethyl hexynol (Surfynol-61), ethoxylated tetramethyl decynediol (Surfynol-465), polytetrafluoroethylene cetoxypropylbetaine (Zonyl FSK), (Zonyl FSH) and the like. Thus, a wide range of processing/operating pH and temperatures can be used in effectively removing and cleaning photoresists, post plasma etch/ash residues, sacrificial light absorbing materials and anti-reflective coatings (ARC). It has also found that some of this type formulations are particularly effective to clean very difficult samples which contain tantalum in their structure, such as tantalum (Ta) or tantalum nitride barrier layers and tantalum oxides.
Any suitable metal ion-free silicate may be used in the compositions of the present invention. The silicates are preferably quaternary ammonium silicates, such as tetraalkyl ammonium silicate (including hydroxy- and alkoxy-containing alkyl groups generally of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl or alkoxy group). The most preferable metal ion-free silicate component is tetramethyl ammonium silicate. Other suitable metal ion-free silicate sources for this invention may be generated in-situ by dissolving any one or more of the following materials in the highly alkaline cleaner. Suitable metal ion-free materials useful for generating silicates in the cleaner are solid silicon wafers, silicic acid, colloidal silica, fumed silica or any other suitable form of silicon or silica. Metal silicates such as sodium metasilicate may be used but are not recommended due to the detrimental effects of metallic contamination on integrated circuits. The silicates may be present in the composition in an amount of from about 0 to 10 wt. %, preferably in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 5 wt. %.
The compositions of the present invention may also be formulated with suitable metal chelating agents to increase the capacity of the formulation to retain metals in solution and to enhance the dissolution of metallic residues on the wafer substrate. The chelating agent will generally be present in the compositions in an amount of from about 0 to 5 wt. %, preferably from an amount of from about 0.1 to 2 wt. %. Typical examples of chelating agents useful for this purpose are the following organic acids and their isomers and salts: (ethylenedinitrilo)tetraacetic acid (EDTA), butylenediaminetetraacetic acid, (1,2-cyclohexylenedinitrilo)tetraacetic acid (CyDTA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DETPA), ethylenediaminetetrapropionic acid, (hydroxyethyl)ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA), N,N,N′,N′-ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonic) acid (EDTMP), triethylenetetraminehexaacetic acid (TTHA), 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (DHPTA), methyliminodiacetic acid, propylenediaminetetraacetic acid, nitrolotriacetic acid (NTA), citric acid, tartaric acid, gluconic acid, saccharic acid, glyceric acid, oxalic acid, phthalic acid, maleic acid, mandelic acid, malonic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, catechol, gallic acid, propyl gallate, pyrogallol, 8-hydroxyquinoline, and cysteine. Preferred chelating agents are aminocarboxylic acids such as EDTA, CyDTA and EDTMP.
The cleaning compositions may also optionally contain fluoride compounds in cleaning composition, such as for example, tetramethylammonium fluoride, tetrabutylammonium fluoride, and ammonium fluoride. Other suitable fluorides include, for example fluoroborates, tetrabutylammonium fluoroborates, aluminum hexafluorides, antimony fluoride and the like. The fluoride components will be present in an amount of from 0 to 10 wt. %, preferably from about 0.1 to 5 wt. %.
The cleaning compositions of this invention will generally comprise from about 0.05 to about 30 wt. % of the non-ammonium producing strong base; from about 5 to about 99.95 wt. % of the steric hindered amide solvent component; from about 0 to about 95 wt. % water or other organic co-solvent; from about 0 to 40 wt. % steric hindered amines or alkanolamines; about 0 to 40 wt. % organic or inorganic acids; about 0 to 40 wt. % metal corrosion inhibitor compounds such as benzotriazole, catechol, glycerol, ethylene glycol and the like; from about 0 to 5% wt. % surfactant; form about 0 to 10 wt. % metal ion free silicate; from about 0 to 5 wt. % metal chelating agent; and from about 0 to 10 wt. % fluoride compound.
Examples of these types of formulations are set forth in the following Table 1.
TABLE 1
COMPOSITION_PARTS BY WEIGHT
COMPONENT
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
DMPD
32
16
16
20
50
16
H 2 O
32
32
32
32
TMAH
16
16
16
10
10
10
10
16
TEA
16
15
CyDTA
0.2
SFL
16
30
HEP
50
NMP
50
EDTMP
0.4
DMPD = dimethyl piperidone
TMAH = 25% tetramethylammonium hydroxide
TEA = triethanolamine
CyDTA = trans-1,2-cyclohexanediamine tetraacetic acid
SFL = sulfolane
HEP = 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone
NMP = N-methyl pyrrolidinone
EDTMP = ethylenediamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid)
The copper etch rates for cleaning Compositions D, E, F G and H of Table 1 are demonstrated by the etch rate data in the following Tables 2 and 3. The etch rate was determined utilizing the following test procedure.
Pieces of copper foil of approximately 13×50 mm were employed. The thickness of the foil pieces was measured. After cleaning the foil pieces with 2-propanol, distilled water and acetone and the foil pieces are dried in a drying oven. The cleaned, dried foil pieces were then placed in loosely capped bottles of preheated cleaning compositions of the invention and placed in a vacuum oven for a period of from two to four hours at the indicated temperature. Following treatment and removal from the oven and bottles, the cleaned foils were rinsed with copious amounts of distilled water and dried in a drying oven for about 1 hour and then permitted to cool to room temperature, and then the etch rate determined based on weight loss or weight change.
The results are set forth in Tables 2 and 3.
TABLE 2
Cu Etch Rate (Å/hour) at 70-75° C.
Composition
(24 hour test)
D
<10
E
<10
F
<10
G
<10
TABLE 3
Cu Etch Rate (Å/hour) at 65° C.
Composition
(24 hour test)
H
1
The cleaning capability of compositions of this invention is illustrated in the following tests in which a microelectronic structure that comprised a wafer of the following structure, namely, PR/ARC/CDO/SiN/Cu Dual Damascene (post trench etch) where PR=“photoresist and ARC=anti-reflective coating, was immersed in cleaning solutions for the indicated temperature and time, were then water rinsed, dried and then the cleaning determined by SEM inspection. The results are set forth in Table 4.
TABLE 4
Composition and
Process Conditions
Cleaning Performance
Substrate Compatibility
Composition H
100% Clean; Removed
Compatible with Cu and
75° C., 20 min
all the PR, ARC and
CDO
residues
With the foregoing description of the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of thereof. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated and described.
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Ammonia-free cleaning compositions for cleaning microelectronic substrates, and particularly to such cleaning compositions useful with and having improved compatibility with microelectronic substrates characterized by sensitive porous, low-κ and high-κ dielectrics and copper metallization. Cleaning compositions for stripping photoresists, cleaning residues from plasma generated organic, organometallic and inorganic compounds, and cleaning residues from planarization processes. The cleaning composition contain one or more non-ammonium producing strong base containing non-nucleophilic, positively charged counter ions and one or more steric hindered amide solvents.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is entitled to the benefit of, and claims priority to, provisional patent application 61/053,054 filed May 14, 2008, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. The present disclosure invention is related in general to cable systems and, in particular, to wireline cables.
[0003] Typical wireline cable designs consist of a cable core of one or more insulated conductors (packed in an interstitial filler in the case of multiple conductors) wrapped in cabling tape followed by the application of two armor wire layers. The armor wire layers are applied counterhelically to one another in an effort to minimize torque imbalance between the layers. These armor wires provide the strength needed to raise and lower the weight of the cable and tool string and protect the cable core from impact and abrasion damage. In an effort to provide additional protection against impact and abrasion damage, larger-diameter armor wires are placed in the outer layer. Torque imbalance between the armor wire layers, however, continues to be an issue, resulting in cable stretch, cable core deformation and significant reductions in cable strength.
[0004] In pressurized wells, gas can infiltrate through gaps between the armor wires and travel along spaces existing between the inner armor wire layer and the cable core. Grease-filled pipes at the well surface typically provide a seal at the well surface. As the wireline cable passes through these pipes, pressurized gas can travel through the spaces between the inner armor wires and the cable core. When the cable then passes over and bends over a sheave, the gas may be disadvantageously released.
[0005] Typical wireline designs have approximately 98% coverage with each layer of armor wire. If the coverage is too low, the armor wires may disadvantageously move along the cable and the cable may have loose wires.
[0006] Torque for a layer of armor wire can be described in the following equation.
[0000] Torque=¼ T ×PD×sin 2α Where:
T=Tension along the direction of the cable PD=Pitch Diameter of the Armor Wires α=Lay angle of the wires
[0011] Referring now to FIG. 1 , since the outer armor wire layer 12 of the cable 10 carries more loads and has a larger pitch diameter, the torque generated by the outer armor wire layer 12 (indicated by an arrow 13 ) is generally larger than the torque generated by inner armor wire layer 14 (indicated by an arrow 15 ), which disadvantageously results in torque imbalance for the cable 10 .
[0012] Torque imbalance in the cable 10 is disadvantageous because a cable core 16 may deform into the interstitial spaces between the inner armor wires 14 , reducing the diameter of the cable 10 . The cable 10 may disadvantageously have more stretch and the core 16 may be damaged. As the diameter of the cable 10 is reduced, the pitch diameter of inner armor 14 has a larger percentage reduction than the pitch diameter of outer armor 12 , which may further complicate torque imbalance.
[0013] It is desirable, therefore, to provide a torque-balanced and damage resistant wireline cable.
SUMMARY
[0014] An embodiment of a wellbore cable comprises a cable core, at least a first armor wire layer comprising a plurality of strength members and surrounding the cable core, and at least a second armor wire layer comprising a plurality of strength members surrounding the first armor wire layer, the second armor wire layer covering a predetermined percentage of the circumference of the first armor wire layer to prevent torque imbalance in the cable. Alternatively, the predetermined percentage comprises about 50 percent to about 90 percent of the circumference of the first armor wire layer. Alternatively, the strength members of the second armor wire layer comprise at least one stranded armor wire member. Alternatively, the cable further comprises at least one layer of a polymeric material surrounding the cable core, the first armor wire layer and at least a portion of the second armor wire layer. The polymeric material may bond to the first armor wire layer, the second armor wire layer, and the cable core. The cable core further may comprise a polymeric insulating layer and the polymeric material may bond to the insulating layer of the cable core.
[0015] Alternatively, the cable further comprises a polymeric jacket forming an outer layer of the cable, the jacket bonded to at least the outer strength members. The polymeric jacket may comprise a fiber-reinforced polymer. Alternatively, the cable core comprises one of a monocable, a coaxial cable, a triad cable, and a heptacable. Alternatively, a diameter of the strength members in the outer armor wire layer and the inner armor wire layer are substantially equal. Alternatively, a diameter of the strength members in the outer armor wire layer is greater than a diameter of the strength members in the inner armor wire layer. Alternatively, at least one of the conductors of the cable core comprises an optical fiber.
[0016] An embodiment of a wellbore cable comprises at least three conductors each comprising a cable core encased in a polymeric jacket, at least one armor wire layer disposed against the cable core at a lay angle, and a polymeric layer encasing the at least one armor wire layer, the conductors cabled together helically at a lay angle opposite the lay angles of the respective strength members to prevent torque imbalance in the cable. Alternatively, torque balance between the cables is achieved by adjustments in the opposing lay angles of the armor wires and the completed cable. Alternatively, the cable further comprises a polymeric jacket encasing each of the three cables. Alternatively, the cable further comprises a soft polymer central element disposed between the three cables. Alternatively, a diameter of a circle passing through the centers of each of the conductors is approximately the same size as the individual diameter of each of the three conductors. Alternatively, the cable cores comprise at least one of a monocable, a coaxial cable, a triad cable, and a heptacable. Alternatively, at least one of the cable cores comprises an optical fiber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a is a radial cross-sectional view of a prior art wireline cable;
[0019] FIGS. 2 a through 2 d are radial cross-sectional views of an embodiment of a cable.
[0020] FIGS. 3 a through 3 d are radial cross-sectional views of an embodiment of a cable.
[0021] FIGS. 4 a through 4 d are radial cross-sectional views of an embodiment of a cable.
[0022] FIGS. 5 a through 5 d are radial cross-sectional views of an embodiment of a cable.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Referring now to FIGS. 2 a through 2 d, an embodiment of a cable is indicated generally at 200 . FIGS. 2 a - 2 d show a cable 200 a, 200 b, 200 c, and 200 d, respectively. The cables 200 a, 200 b, 200 c and 200 d comprise damage-resistant outer armor wires 202 , which may advantageously be applied to any basic wireline cable configuration or core. In non-limiting examples, FIG. 2 a shows a monocable cable core with stranded wires 206 a, FIG. 2 b shows a coaxial cable core 206 b, FIG. 2 c shows a heptacable cable core 206 c, and FIG. 2 d shows a triad cable core 206 d having multiple cable conductors as part of the core 206 d. The conductors forming the cable cores 206 a, 206 b, 206 c, and 206 d may be any combination of (but not limited to) monocables, coaxial cables, copper conductors, optical fibers (such as those shown in FIG. 2 d ) or the like and be insulated with any suitable polymeric material or materials as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. As shown in FIGS. 2 a - 2 d, the inner armor layer 204 carries more load since its pitch diameter is smaller than outer armor layer 202 .
[0024] The outer armor wires 202 shown in FIGS. 2 a - 2 d are sized similarly to the inner armor wires 204 but the layer of the outer armor wires 202 covers a predetermined percentage of the circumference of the inner armor wires 204 in order to prevent torque imbalance in the cable 200 . The predetermined percentage of coverage may be, but not limited to, about 50% to about 90% coverage of the circumference of the inner armor wire layer 204 , which is smaller than the percentage coverage of the armor wire layers 12 and 14 shown in the prior art cable 10 in FIG. 1 . The predetermined percentage of coverage may be, but not limited to, about 50% to about 90% coverage of the circumference of the cable cores 206 a, 206 b, 206 c, and 206 d, which is smaller than the percentage coverage of the armor wire layers 12 and 14 and cable core 16 shown in the prior art cable 10 in FIG. 1 . This smaller percentage of coverage of the outer armor wires 202 with respect to the inner armor wires 204 advantageously maintains the torque-balance of the cable 200 a - 200 d and increases the ability of the outer armor wires 202 to withstand abrasion damage. In a non-limiting example, the number of armor wires in the inner armor layer 204 and the number of armor wires in the outer armor layer 202 are equal, providing a predetermined coverage in direct relation to the respective diameters of the individual armor wires 202 and 204 and radial spacing of the armor wire layers 202 and 204 . The predetermined coverage may be selected by a number of factors which may include, but are not limited to, the size and/or diameter of the cable 200 a - 200 d, the size and/or diameter of the cable core 206 a - 206 d, the size and/or diameter of the individual members of the armor wire layers 202 and 204 , and the radial spacing between the armor wire layers 202 and 204 . The inner armor wires 204 may cover a predetermined percentage of the circumference of the cable core 206 a - 206 d that may be, but is not limited to, about 98% to about 99% of the circumference of the cable core 206 a - 206 d.
[0025] A polymeric insulating material 208 may be disposed on the inner armor wire layer 204 , the cable core 206 a, 206 b, 206 c, and 206 d and a portion of the outer armor wire layer 202 and may bond the armor wire layers 202 and 204 to the cable core 206 a - d, including the insulating layer of the cable core 206 a - d. The insulating material 208 may be formed from any suitable material such as, but not limited to, the following: polyolefin or olefin-base elastomer (such as Engage®, Infuse®, etc.); thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) such as Santoprene® and Super TPVs and fluoro TPV (F-TPV); silicone rubber; acrylate rubber; soft engineering plastics (such as soft modified polypropylene sulfide (PPS] or modified Poly-ether-ether-ketone [PEEK]); soft fluoropolymer (such as high-melt flow ETFE (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene) fluoropolymer; fluoroelastomer (such as DAI-EL™ manufactured by Daikin); and thermoplastic fluoropolymers. The radial thickness of the insulating material 208 and thus the radial spacing between the armor wire layers 202 and 204 may be varied to achieve torque balancing of the cables 200 a - 200 d and/or prevent torque imbalance of the cables 200 a - 200 d, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
[0026] FIGS. 3 a - 3 d show the of cables of FIGS. 2 a - 2 d having an outer jacket 320 bonded to the insulating material 208 to form a jacketed cable 300 a, 300 b, 300 c, and 300 d that correspond, respectively, to cables 200 a, 200 b, 200 c, and 200 d. Referring now to FIG. 3 , there are shown embodiments of torque-balanced cables 300 a, 300 b, 300 c, and 300 d that comprise the cables shown in FIGS. 2 a - 2 d having with damage-resistant outer armor wires with a bonded outer jacket 320 . By providing the bonded outer polymeric jacket 320 over the embodiments shown in FIG. 2 , the cable is preferably more easily sealed at the well surface. The outer jacket 320 may comprise any suitable material such as, for example, carbon-fiber-reinforced Tefzel®, carbon-fiber-reinforced ETFE (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene) fluoropolymer or similar suitable material that is applied over the outer armor wire layer, bonding through the gaps in the outer strength members 204 , which creates a totally bonded jacketing cable system 300 a - 300 d. The addition of the fiber-reinforced polymer 320 also provides a more durable outer surface. The outer jacket 320 may be bonded to the insulating material 208 and/or to the outer armor wires 202 .
[0027] FIGS. 4 a - 4 d show the of cables of FIGS. 3 a - 3 d comprising optional stranded wire outer armor wire layers 420 to form cable embodiments, indicated generally at 400 a, 400 b, 400 c, and 400 d. As an option to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 a - 2 d and 3 a - 3 d described above, any solid armor wire 202 or 302 in the outer layer may be replaced with similarly size stranded armor wires 420 . The replacement of solid armor wire 202 with stranded armor wires 420 makes the cable 400 a, 400 b, 400 c, and 400 d more flexible. In addition, the stranded armor wires 420 have more friction and bonding with the jacket 320 and the jacket 320 over the stranded wires 420 also protects the small individual elements from abrasion and cutting.
[0028] Embodiments of the cables 200 a, 200 b, 200 c, 200 d, 300 a, 300 b, 300 c, 300 d, 400 a, 400 b, 400 c, and 400 d have a lower coverage, from about 50% to about 90%, in the outer armor layer 202 . The cables maintain the size and durability of outer strength members 202 while creating torque balance between inner armor layers 204 and the outer armor layers 202 . The weight of the cables is reduced because of the lower coverage percentage. The cable is preferably a seasoned cable and requires no pre-stress and also has less stretch. Because all interstitial spaces between the armor wires 202 and 204 are filled by polymers 208 and 320 , the cables need less grease for the seal (not shown) at the well surface (not shown). Embodiments of the cables may comprise an outer layer of polymer 320 to create a better seal.
[0029] Embodiments of the cables 200 a, 200 b, 200 c, 200 d, 300 a, 300 b, 300 c, 300 d, 400 a, 400 b, 400 c, and 400 d minimize the problems described above by filling interstitial spaces among armor wires and the cable core with polymers 208 and 320 , by using large diameter armor wires but a low coverage (50% to 90%) for the outer armor layer to reach torque balance, and by using a triad configuration, discussed in more detail below.
[0030] The polymeric layers 208 and/or 320 provide several benefits including, but not limited to, filling space into which the inner armor wire might otherwise be compressed thereby minimizing cable stretch, keeping cable diameter while cable at tension, reducing torque since the reduction in pitch diameter is minimized, eliminating the space in the cable along which pressurized gas might travel to escape the well, protecting the cable core from damage caused by inner armor wires, cushioning contact points among armor wires to minimize damage caused by armor wires rubbing against each other, sitting low coverage outer armor wires to avoid loose wires, and produces seasoned alloy cables.
[0031] The low coverage (about 50% to about 90%) of armor wire in the outer layer 202 or 420 provides several benefits including, but not limited to, maintaining torque balance, maintaining the size and durability of outer armor wires 202 or 420 , and lowering the weight of the cable by reducing the coverage of the armor wire 202 or 420 .
[0032] Referring now to FIGS. 5 a - 5 d, there is shown an embodiment of a torque-balanced triad cable configuration 520 in which the armor wire may be any kind of strength member. The cable may be constructed as follows:
[0033] As shown in FIG. 5 a, individual conductors 500 may be constructed with a copper, optical fiber or other conductor or conductors 502 at the center contained in a hard polymeric insulation 504 . Armor wires 506 may be cabled helically in a direction indicated by an arrow 507 over the polymer 504 and a second layer of softer polymer 508 is extruded over the armor wires 506 .
[0034] As shown in FIG. 5 b, preferably three conductors 500 , as shown in FIG. 5 a, are cabled together at a lay angle, indicated by an arrow 509 , opposite to that of the lay angle 507 of the armor wires 506 in the individual conductors 500 . Alternatively, a central member 510 with soft polymer insulation 512 is placed at the center of the three conductors 500 .
[0035] As shown in FIG. 5 c, when the three conductors 500 are cabled together, the soft polymer 512 on the central element deforms to fill the interstitial space between the three conductors 500 . The diameter of a circle passing through the centers of each of the three conductors 500 (indicated by an arrow 514 ) is preferably approximately the same size as the individual diameter of each of the three conductors 500 , which allows the cable to achieve torque balance by slight adjustments in the opposing lay angles of the armor wires 506 and the completed cable 500 .
[0036] As shown in FIG. 5 d, a final hard polymeric jacket 516 , which may be pure polymer or short-fiber-amended polymer or another suitable material, is extruded over the cabled conductors 500 to complete the cable 520 .
[0037] The cable 520 comprises a low weight torque balanced cable in a triad cable configuration. This embodiment comprises only one layer of armor 506 in each conductor 500 of the triad cable. The lay direction of the armor wire 506 is preferably opposite to the lay direction of the triad 509 to reach torque balance. The triad configuration of the cable 520 provides several benefits including, but not limited to, keeping torque balance of the cable 520 , minimizing the contact points of armor wires to minimize damage caused by armor wires 506 rubbing against each other, and lowering the weight of the cable 520 by using only one layer of armor wire 506 in each conductor 500 .
[0038] The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood as referring to the power set (the set of all subsets) of the respective range of values. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.
[0039] The preceding description has been presented with reference to presently preferred embodiments of the invention. Persons skilled in the art and technology to which this invention pertains will appreciate that alterations and changes in the described structures and methods of operation can be practiced without meaningfully departing from the principle, and scope of this invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description should not be read as pertaining only to the precise structures described and shown in the accompanying drawings, but rather should be read as consistent with and as support for the following claims, which are to have their fullest and fairest scope.
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An embodiment of a wellbore cable comprises a cable core, at least a first armor wire layer comprising a plurality of strength members and surrounding the cable core, and at least a second armor wire layer comprising a plurality of strength members surrounding the first armor wire layer, the second armor wire layer covering a predetermined percentage of the circumference of the first armor wire layer to prevent torque imbalance in the cable.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates to a method for the extraction of vanadiumpentoxide, V 2 O 5 , from a source containing vanadium.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Vanadiumpentoxide, V 2 O 5 , is mainly used as a catalyst in the chemical industry and for the production of ferrovanadium.
[0003] In the past there has been a great interest to recover vanadium or vanadium oxide from different sources. In particular, different routes for selective pre-oxidation of vanadium from raw iron has received much attention and e.g. EP 235 291, EP 134 351, U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,355 and GB 1 281 203 discloses recovery of vanadium oxide from molten metal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The general object of the present invention is to provide an alternative production route for the extraction of vanadium from various sources in the form of vanadium pentoxide. This and other objects are achieved by means of a method as defined in claim 1 . Preferred embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.
[0005] The present inventors have found that it is possible to extract vanadium in the form of in the form of vanadium pentoxide, V 2 O 5 , by evaporation of this oxide. To be specific, the claimed method includes the steps of:
providing a source containing vanadium, if necessary, converting at least part of the vanadium in said source to V 2 O 5 , thereby providing a source of V 2 O 5 , heating the source to a temperature of at least 1000° C., evaporating V 2 O 5 from the heated source and recovering the evaporated V 2 O 5 .
[0011] The invention is defined in the claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Basically any vanadium containing source can be used in the claimed method. However from a practical point of view the vanadium containing source is suitably selected from the group of: ore, slag, ash and V 2 O 5 formed by roasting vanadium-sulphide from spent petroleum refining catalysts since these are the most important sources. If the vanadium in said source is not in the form of vanadium pentoxide, V 2 O 5 , then it is necessary to convert at least part of the vanadium to V 2 O 5 In most cases all vanadium is converted to V 2 O 5 This is done by roasting the sulphide or by oxidation of the lower oxides (V 3+/ V 4+ ) to pentoxide (V 5+ ).
[0013] Preferably the ore is selected from the iron sands, magnetite, hematite, titani-ferrous magnetite and vanadium-titanium magnetite; the slag is selected from converter slag, submerged arc furnace slag, ladle slag and slag obtained by selective oxidation of vanadium from raw iron; and the ash is selected from petroleum coke ash, in particular fly ash and boiler ash.
[0014] The evaporation is promoted by an oxidizing atmosphere and the evaporation increases with increasing partial pressure of oxygen such that oxygen-enriched air and pure oxygen results in higher evaporation ability than in air.
[0015] Evaporation can take place from a solid and/or a liquid V 2 O 5 —containing source. A major source of supply is slag from the steel industry. In this case the slag should be liquid and an oxidizing gas is preferably blown into or through the liquid slag bath held at 1200° C. to 1900° C., preferably 1450° C. to 1700° C. The slag normally comprises at least three of the following components CaO, MgO, MnO, SiO 2 , TiO 2 , FeO x and VO x , wherein x indicates that the oxides need not be stoichiometric and that more than one valence state may present. Vanadium can have three valence states: V 3+ , V 4+ and V 5+ . High slag basicities stabilizes higher vanadium oxidation states such that one should expect V 4+ /V 5+ to be the predominant redox-pair.
[0016] Ash, such as petroleum coke ash can optionally be mixed with one or more of components selected from CaO, MgO, MnO, SiO 2 , TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and FeO x and subjected to at least partly melting wherein the ash/slag mixture is liquid or solid-liquid mixture and held at 1200° C. to 1900° C., preferably 1450° C. to 1700° C. and wherein oxygen or oxygen enriched air is blown through the slag bath for generation and evaporation of V 2 O 5 .
[0017] Evaporation of V 2 O 5 from a solid vanadium-containing source is a feasible alternative, in particular when using ore. The Swedish magnetite ore for instance contains about 1.5% V. In one preferred embodiment magnetite ore is roasted to hematite at a temperature in the range of 1100-1300° C. by using oxygen as a carrier gas in a fluidized bed reactor. In this case, the temperature should be adjusted to lay just under the softening temperature of the vanadium containing iron ore in order to avoid problems with sticking. As an alternative to oxygen, air or oxygen enriched air containing 22-99% oxygen may be used.
[0018] As a precursor for the source of V 2 O 5 , it is possible use vanadium-sulphide, V 3 S 4 , from spent catalysts. V 3 5 4 is deposited in high amounts on petroleum refining catalysts for desulphurization. When these catalysts are spent said sulphide can be converted to oxide by a roasting treatment and thus provide a source of V 2 O 5 . The roasting can be performed by conventional methods known in the art. The roasting of V 3 S 4 and the evaporation of V 2 O 5 may be performed in a single step by oxidizing the V 3 S 4 at temperatures of at least 1000° C., so that V 2 O 5 is evaporated as it is formed.
[0019] The evaporated V 2 O 5 is recovered by subjecting the V 2 O 5 containing gas to condensation. Any type of condensation can be used. A conventional cold trap may be used.
EXAMPLE 1
[0020] Vanadium containing slag from the production of high alloyed tool steels was treated according to the invention. The slag had the following composition in weight percent; 5% V 2 O 5 , 37.5% CaO, 20% FeO, and 37.5% SiO 2 .
[0021] The slag was split in two samples. The samples were heated in air under laboratory conditions in a platinum crucible at 1853K respectively 1873K during 120 minutes. The exit gas from the furnace was cooled, filtered and formed oxide particles were collected. For the sample heated to 1823K 80% by weight of V 2 O 5 was recovered. For the sample heated to 1873K 90% by weight of V 2 O 5 was recovered. The purity of the vanadium pentoxide was over 95% by weight.
EXAMPLE 2
[0022] Pet coke slag was heated in an alumina crucible and melted in an electric arc furnace. The slag had the following composition expressed in weight percent; 42.8% V 2 O 3 , 12.5% CaO, 10.7% FeO, 7.4% Al 2 O 3 and 26.6% SiO 2 .
[0023] The slag was heated in the furnace from room temperature to a temperature of 1480° C. Air was blown into the liquid slag. This resulted in an oxidation of FeO to Fe 2 O 3 and of V 2 O 3 to V 2 O 5 . The slag was kept liquid under oxidizing conditions for 400 minutes. The reaction was found to be faster with oxygen blowing. The exit gas was condensed in a cold trap.
[0024] The amount of V 2 O 5 found in the cold trap was equivalent to 92% by weight of the original amount in the pet coke slag. The purity of the vanadium pentoxide was over 98% by weight.
EXAMPLE 3
[0025] A Swedish magnetite ore containing 95% Fe 3 O 4 , 1.5% V 2 O 5 and the residual mainly SiO 2 was heated in an alumina crucible for two hours at 1623K under a flow of oxygen enriched air containing 50% oxygen. The content of V 2 O 5 in the magnetite ore decreased after 2 hours processing from 1.5% to 0.3%. The purity of the vanadium pentoxide was 95% by weight.
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The invention relates to a method for the extraction of vanadium from various sources in the form of vanadiumpentoxide, V 2 O 5 , from a source containing vanadium. The method includes the steps of: providing a source of V 2 O 5 , heating the source to a temperature of at least 1000° C., evaporating V 2 O 5 from the heated source and recovering the evaporated V 2 O 5 .
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/412,585 filed on Mar. 27, 2009 (Now U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,936), which claimed priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/072,177 filed Mar. 28, 2008. The entirety of both U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/412,585 and U.S. Patent Application No. 61/072,177 are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Disclosure
The invention relates generally to jack stands for vehicles and specifically to universal jack stands that can be used with a variety of vehicle jacks and jack stands that support a vehicle at a common jacking location with the jack.
2. Related Technology
Elevating a portion of a vehicle typically involves using some sort of jack. For example, many automobiles carry a scissor-type jack to elevate a portion of the automobile in order to change a tire. The jack is placed under a portion of the frame of the automobile and the jack is slowly raised until a platform on the jack engages the frame of the automobile. Thereafter, a user uses the principle of leverage to elevate a portion of the frame. Often, more than one location on the frame needs to be elevated so that a user can repair a portion of the automobile that is only accessible from the bottom. Because most standard jacks are movable, so that the jack may be easily moved to many different portions of the frame, a vehicle supported solely by the jack may be unstable and unsafe to work under. For this reason, a user may place a jack stand under the frame and lower the jack so that the vehicle is supported on the jack stand instead of the jack itself. The jack stand is typically a stable platform for supporting the vehicle. Because the jack and jack stand have individual and separate support structures, the jack stand and jack typically cannot support the vehicle at same location on the frame. This can cause a problem when a manufacturer designates only certain locations as jacking locations. Generally, vehicle manufacturers reinforce certain locations on the frame of a vehicle so that those certain locations can support a portion of the weight of the vehicle when the vehicle is elevated with a jack (hereinafter these locations on the vehicle frame are referred to as “jacking locations”).
Generally, jack stands are pyramid-shaped structures having three or four sides and an adjustable support platform disposed in the top of the jack stand. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,548 discloses a more or less typical jack stand including four sides that form the shape of a pyramid, a telescoping support member extending from a top portion of the pyramid and a curved horizontal support, often having a U-shape, at the top of the telescoping support member to cradle a portion of the vehicle frame. The support member is often adjustable with a ratchet type mechanism. Problems occur with placement of this type of platform as only certain parts of the frame or undercarriage can fit in the curved horizontal support. While a jack stand is usually more stable than a jack, the jack stand cannot support the vehicle at the same point that is occupied by the jack. As a result, the jack stand often must be placed a considerable distance away from the jacking location in order to find a portion of the frame or undercarriage that is compatible with the top of the support platform, necessarily requiring a higher jacking elevation to accommodate the jack stand location.
In order to solve this problem, systems have been designed to elevate the vehicle with the jack stand itself. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/00999745 discloses a three stage jack stand. A lift collar on the top of the jack stand is elevated by a specially designed unique power unit. The power unit includes a pair of lift arms that engage a lower portion of the lift collar on the jack stand. When the jack stand is placed under a vehicle, the lift arms on the power unit move upward to engage a bottom of the lift collar on the jack stand. The lift collar fully supports and elevates the vehicle at all times during the jacking process. One drawback to this type of arrangement is that the jack stand and the power unit are specially designed for one another. Thus, this type of jack stand and power unit are not compatible with contemporary vehicle jacks, such as scissor jacks, floor jacks or racing jacks. Moreover, this type of power unit is not compatible with typical jack stands and/or may be too tall to fit under some vehicles.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
In one embodiment, a jack stand for a vehicle includes a plurality of walls joined together to form a body, the body being hollow. A base is formed by lower edges of the walls and a top surface joins top edges of the walls. One of the walls includes a wall opening and the top includes a top opening, the wall opening and the top opening extending towards one another, meeting proximate the top edge of one of the walls, thereby forming a single, continuous opening extending from the top into one of the walls.
In another embodiment, a combination of a jack stand and a jack pad are disclosed. The jack stand includes a plurality of walls joined together to form a body, the body being hollow. A base is formed by lower edges of the walls and a top surface joins top edges of the walls. One of the walls includes a wall opening and the top includes a top opening, the wall opening and the top opening extending towards one another, meeting proximate the top edges of one of the walls, thereby forming a single, continuous opening extending from the top into one of the walls. An upturned lip surrounds at least a portion of the top opening. The jack pad includes an upper support portion having a downturned rail disposed along a perimeter of the upper support portion. The jack pad also includes an extension extending downward from the jack pad, the extension being separated from the downturned rail by an inverted slot. When the jack pad rests on the upturned lip of the jack stand, the upturned lip is disposed in the inverted slot.
A method of elevating a portion of a vehicle is also disclosed. The method includes providing a jack, removably placing a jack pad on one end of the jack and placing the jack and jack pad under the vehicle. The jack is extended until the jack pad contacts and elevates a portion of the vehicle. A jack stand is provided that includes a plurality of walls joined together to form a hollow body. A top surface joins the top edges of the walls, the top surface including an opening. At least one wall also includes an opening. The opening in the top surface and the opening in the at least one wall extend towards one another joining together proximate the top edge of the at least one wall, thereby forming a single, continuous opening. The jack stand is positioned around the jack so that a portion of the jack is at least partially located within the hollow body. The jack is lowered until the jack pad is supported by a top portion of the jack stand. The jack stand is removed, the vehicle being supported by the jack pad and jack stand.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which:
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a jack stand and jack pad constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure and mated with a typical racing-type floor jack.
FIG. 2 is side perspective view of the jack stand, jack pad and racing-type floor jack of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the jack stand of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a jack stand constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the jack stand of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of another alternate embodiment of a jack stand and jack pad constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the jack stand and jack pad of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the jack stand and jack pad of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 9 is a back elevational view of the jack stand and jack pad of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 10 is a top view of the jack stand and jack pad of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the jack stand and jack pad of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the jack stand and jack pad of FIG. 7 taken along line 12 - 12 of FIG. 7 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The disclosed jack stands are simple to manufacture and compatible with most typical vehicle jacks, such as, for example, scissor jacks, floor jacks, racing jacks, etc. The components may be manufactured from strong, rugged materials, such as steel, aluminum, titanium, composite materials, or any other metal or non-metal material that is capable of supporting the weight of a vehicle. The disclosed jack stands may be manufactured by molding or welding or any other appropriate manufacturing technique. The disclosed jack stands overcome the problems in the prior art by allowing a single jacking location to be utilized by both the jack and the jack stand. In this manner, the disclosed jack stand prevents damage to vehicles caused by supporting the vehicles in non-approved jacking locations. Moreover, the disclosed jack stand is adaptable to manufacturer's proprietary jacking locations by including an interchangeable jack pad for use on both the jack and the jack stand.
Turning now to FIG. 1 , a typical racing style floor jack 10 is illustrated in a mated position with a jack stand 30 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure. Additionally, a jack pad 60 is illustrated resting on a top surface 32 of the jack stand 30 . The floor jack 10 may include a frame 12 supporting a lifting arm 14 . The lifting arm 14 may be mechanically or hydraulically actuated. The lifting arm 14 is extendable to an elevated position, as shown in FIG. 1 and retractable to a stowed position in which the lifting arm 14 lays in an essentially horizontal position adjacent the frame 12 . The floor jack 10 may also include a plurality of wheels 16 to facilitate movement of the floor jack 10 from one location to another location. The floor jack 10 may also include a handle 18 for a user to grasp manipulate the floor jack 10 .
The jack stand 30 includes one or more side walls 34 , a pair of front walls 36 and a back wall 38 . The front walls 36 , side walls 34 , and back wall 38 form a pyramid-like body 40 having a hollow center portion 42 . The hollow center portion 42 is sized to receive at least a portion of the floor jack 10 . For example, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3 , the hollow center portion 42 receives part of the lifting arm 14 and frame 12 of the floor jack 10 . The generally planar top 32 may be slightly recessed with respect to top edges of the side walls 34 , front walls 36 , and back wall 38 forming a ridge or lip 44 along the top 32 of the body 40 . The ridge or lip 44 prevents the jack pad 60 from sliding off of the jack stand 30 as will be discussed hereinafter. The top 32 also includes a top opening 46 sized to allow a portion of the lift arm 14 to extend upward, through the top opening 46 . The front walls 36 are spaced apart from one another forming a front opening 48 . The front opening 48 and the top opening 46 join together to form a single opening that extends from the top 32 all the way through the front 35 of the body 40 and to the bottom 37 of the jack stand 30 . This single opening allows a portion of the floor jack 10 to be inserted into the hollow center portion 42 of the jack stand 30 . Moreover, the lifting arm 14 of the floor jack 10 may be extended or retracted while the floor jack 10 is partially disposed in the hollow center portion 42 . The jack stand 30 may optionally include one or more adjustable feet 50 for leveling the jack stand 30 on uneven surfaces.
The jack stand 30 may also include a plurality of lower windows 52 and 54 in the side and back walls. The window 54 in the back wall 38 may be sized to allow front wheels or roller 16 of the floor jack 10 to extend outward from the hollow center portion 42 ( FIG. 2 ). In this way, the floor jack 10 can be inserted into the jack stand 30 to a greater degree than otherwise possible without the window 54 . This facilitates locating the floor jack 16 and lift arm 14 at least partially inside the jack stand 30 so that the jack pad 60 can be lowered onto and at least partially supported by the top surface 32 of the jack stand 30 . Moreover, the jack stand 30 may include one or more side openings 54 that may function as handles when moving the jack stand 30 . The jack stand 30 may also optionally include one or more shelves 56 . The shelf 56 may be generally parallel to the top 32 and may join the front walls 36 , the side walls 34 and the back wall 38 . The shelf 56 may serve to structurally strengthen the body 40 when the jack stand 30 is supporting a vehicle. Additionally, the shelf 56 may serve as a tool or jack pad 60 storage location. The shelf 56 may optionally include a front cut out portion 58 to allow a deeper insertion of the floor jack 10 into the hollow center portion 42 .
The jack pad 60 rests on a free end of the lifting arm 14 or the top 32 of the jack stand. The jack pad 60 is removable from either the lifting arm 14 or the top 32 . The jack pad 60 generally rests on the higher of the lifting arm 14 and the top 32 . The jack pad 60 includes an upper support portion 62 that engages the vehicle and a flange 64 . While a circular jack pad 60 is illustrated, the jack pad 60 can take on virtually any shape, such as triangle, square, rectangle, polygon, oval, etc. The jack pad 60 and the top opening 46 in the jack stand 30 are made so that the jack pad 60 can be at least partially supported on the top 32 of the jack stand 30 . The jack pad 60 also includes a lower support portion 66 that rests on a free end of the lifting arm 14 . The lower support portion 66 may include one or more recessed areas (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) that fit over a portion of the free end of the lifting arm 14 to stabilize the jack pad 60 on the lifting arm 14 .
In operation, a user places the jack pad 60 on the free end of the lifting arm 14 . The floor jack 10 is then placed under the vehicle at an appropriate, or manufacturer designated, jacking location. The lifting arm 14 is elevated until the upper support portion 62 engages the jacking location on the vehicle. The lifting arm 14 is then raised further to elevate a portion of the vehicle. Once the lifting arm 14 elevates the portion of the vehicle to a desired height, the jack stand 30 is placed beside the floor jack 10 and pushed under the vehicle with the front 35 of the jack stand facing outward. The jack stand 30 may then be moved laterally behind the floor jack 10 to align the front opening 48 with the floor jack 10 . The jack stand 30 may then be pulled outward such that the floor jack 10 penetrates the front opening 48 , the jack stand 30 surrounding a portion of the floor jack 10 . When the jack stand 30 is positioned such that the free end of the lifting arm 14 and the jack pad 60 are centered in the top opening 46 , the lifting arm 14 may be lowered sufficiently so that the flange 64 of the jack pad 60 contacts the top 32 of the jack stand 30 . As the lifting arm 14 is lowered further, the flange 64 and the top 32 prevent the jack pad 60 from being lowered with the lifting arm 14 . Thus, the jack pad 60 becomes fully supported by the top 32 and disengaged from the lifting arm 14 . The vehicle is now fully supported by the jack stand 30 instead of the floor jack 10 . As the lifting arm 14 is lowered to the point where the free end of the lifting arm 14 clears the lower support portion 66 of the jack pad 60 , the floor jack 10 may be removed from the jack stand 30 . Throughout the entire jacking process, the same jacking location is used to support the vehicle on the floor jack 10 and the jack stand 30 . In this way, a user can be sure that the jacking location is structurally strong enough to support the vehicle because the user is using a manufacturer recommended jacking location. Moreover, the disclosed jack stand is compatible with most common jacks.
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a second embodiment of a jack stand 130 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure. Elements in FIGS. 4 and 5 that correspond to like elements in FIGS. 1-3 are numbered exactly 100 greater than the elements in FIGS. 1-3 . The jack stand 130 includes two substantially planar front walls 136 , two substantially planar side walls 134 and one substantially planar back wall 138 . The walls 136 , 134 , and 138 may be made of metal plates, such as steel, aluminum or titanium, that are welded together along side edges of the walls 136 , 134 , 138 . Alternatively, the walls 136 , 134 , 138 can be cast or otherwise formed together as a single piece. Alternatively, the walls 136 , 134 , 138 may be formed by taking a single plate of material and cutting or bending the plate of material to shape the walls 136 , 134 , 138 . The walls 136 , 134 , 138 form a quadrilateral pyramid-like body 140 with a flat top 132 . While the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is generally quadrilateral, the body 140 could be trilateral or any polygonal shape. The body 140 includes a top opening 146 and a front opening 148 that join one another to form a single opening.
The embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 in that the body 140 includes a plurality of circular openings 154 . The circular openings 154 on the side walls 134 may function as handles when transporting the jack stand 130 . The circular openings 154 in both the side walls 134 and the back wall 156 reduce the amount of material required to form the body and thus reduce overall costs to manufacture the jack stand 130 . Additionally, the circular openings 154 may distribute forces through the side walls 134 and back wall 138 similar to the way an arch distributes forces.
The embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 also includes cutout portions 159 on the front walls 136 . These cut out portions 159 also reduce the amount of material required to manufacture the jack stand 130 and the cut out portions 159 make more room for the jack (not shown) to enter the hollow center portion 142 .
The angle of the side walls 134 with respect to the top 132 may vary according to the overall size of the jack stand 130 and the amount of space between a vehicle jacking location and a vehicle wheel. The angled side walls 134 allow the jack stand 130 to be placed closer to a vehicle wheel because the wider portion of the jack stand 130 is located below the widest part of the wheel when the vehicle is raised. Additionally, the pyramid-like shape of the body 140 allows the jack stand 130 to be nested for shipping or storage with other like jack stands 140 .
FIGS. 6-12 illustrate yet another embodiment of a jack stand 230 and a jack pad 260 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure. Elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 6-12 that correspond to elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 are numbered exactly 200 greater that the elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 .
The jack stand 230 includes a two step outer wall structure. For example, the side walls 234 include a first sidewall portion 234 ′ and a second side wall portion 234 ″ connected by a fillet 270 . The first sidewall portion 234 ′ is generally planar, much like the side walls 134 and 34 of the embodiments of FIGS. 1-5 . However, the second side wall portion 234 ″ is more vertically oriented and more rounded. The more vertical orientation leads to less of a spreading force when the jack stand 230 is carrying the load of a vehicle that is elevated. Moreover, as best seen in FIG. 12 , the second side wall portion 234 ″ terminates in a raised lip 272 that forms the top 232 of the jack stand 230 . Much like the second side wall portion 234 ″, the raised lip 272 is rounded. Rounding the top portion of the jack stand 230 minimizes or reduces the possibility that the bottom of the vehicle will contact the jack stand 230 during lowering of the vehicle onto the jack stand 230 . The raised lip 272 surrounds the top opening 246 ( FIG. 11 ) except in the vicinity of the front opening 248 .
The jack pad 260 (shown without an upper support portion 62 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) includes a downturned outer rail 274 and an inner extension 276 . The downturned rail 274 and inner extension 276 are joined by an inverted slot 278 . The inverted slot 278 is sized and shaped to receive the raised lip 272 of the jack stand 230 . Thus, when the jack pad 260 is in place on the top 232 of the jack stand 230 , the outer rail 274 surrounds the raised lip 272 and prevents the front opening 248 from spreading apart due to loading of the top 232 of the jack stand 230 when the jack stand 230 is supporting a raised vehicle. Thus, the jack pad 260 of the embodiment of FIGS. 6-12 structurally reinforces the front opening 248 of the jack stand 230 . The outer rail 274 also prevents the jack pad 260 from sliding off of the jack stand 230 . Additionally, the inner extension 276 includes an angled guiding surface 280 . The angled guiding surface 280 centers and guides the jack pad 260 into the top opening 246 when the jack pad 260 is lowered onto the jack stand 230 .
The jack pad 260 may also include a recessed bottom portion 282 . The recessed bottom portion 282 is sized and shaped to receive a free end of the lifting arm 14 of the floor jack 10 (not shown in FIG. 12 ). A top surface 284 of the jack pad 260 includes a mating feature, such as an upper recessed portion 286 . The mating feature can receive an upper support portion 62 ( FIG. 1 ) which can be formed to mate with any proprietary jacking location on a vehicle. For example, the recessed portion 286 could receive an upper support portion 62 ( FIG. 1 ) sized to receive and seat a button formed on the bottom of a vehicle. In another embodiment, the mating feature could receive an upper support portion 62 ( FIG. 1 ) formed as a slot sized to receive a pinched weld in the bottom of a vehicle. Still further, the mating feature could receive an upper support portion 62 ( FIG. 1 ) formed as a button to slide into a slot formed on the bottom of a vehicle. In this way, a user can jack virtually any type of vehicle, regardless of the particular configuration of the jacking location, by simply changing the upper support portion 62 or jack pad 260 . For example, when jacking vehicles with very low ground clearance, a thin upper support portion 62 may be required so that the jack 210 and jack pad 260 can fit underneath the vehicle.
The jack stand 230 may include one or more strengthening features on an inside of the body 240 , such as a reinforcing rib 290 . The reinforcing rib 290 may extend across a portion of the back wall 238 , or a portion of the side walls 234 . The reinforcing rib 290 may also extend across more than one wall. The reinforcing rib 290 may resist the tendency of the body 240 to spread when loaded due to the body 240 shape and the front opening 248 .
The disclosed jack stands may be used in conjunction with virtually any type of jack. For example, as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the disclosed jack stands may be used in conjunction with scissor-type jacks, commercial floor jacks, racing floor jacks, etc. In addition the disclosed jack stands can be used to support virtually any type of vehicle, such as automobiles, motorcycles, boats, aircraft, etc.
Although certain jack stands have been described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, while the invention has been shown and described in connection with various preferred embodiments, it is apparent that certain changes and modifications, in addition to those mentioned above, may be made. This patent covers all embodiments of the teachings of the disclosure that fairly fall within the scope of permissible equivalents. For example, the jack stand may take on virtually any shape and/or size provided that it is capable of supporting a vehicle as described herein. Many other variations of the invention may also be used without departing from the principles outlined above. Accordingly, it is the intention to protect all variations and modifications that may occur to one of ordinary skill in the art.
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A jack stand for a vehicle includes a plurality of walls joined together to form a body, the body being hollow. A base is formed by lower edges of the walls and a top surface joins top edges of the walls. One of the walls includes a wall opening and the top includes a top opening, the wall opening and the top opening extending towards one another, meeting proximate the top edge of one of the walls, thereby forming a single, continuous opening extending from the top into one of the walls.
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[0001] The present application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/605,779 filed on Nov. 28, 2006 which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/814,267, filed Jun. 16, 2006, which application is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to decorative lighting and in particular to a liquid motion lamp.
[0003] Liquid motion lamps, commonly called “lava lamps” have been known since the 1960s. Such lamp is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,396 for “Display Devices.” The '396 patent describes a lamp having globules of a first liquid suspended in a second liquid, wherein the first liquid has a thermal expansion coefficient providing sufficient expansion, and therefore reduction in density, such that the first liquid is heavier than the second liquid at a lower temperature, and lighter than the second liquid at a higher temperature. The temperatures may be, for example, 45 degrees Centigrade and 50 degrees Centigrade. The first and second liquids are contained in a clear container having a heat source at the bottom, and as a result, the first liquid is heated, rises within the second liquid, cools, and drops back to the bottom of the container. At least one of the liquids is preferably colored, and provides an entertaining motion for an observer. Lamps such as described by the '396 patent are typically small and are sold as a sealed unit.
[0004] Unfortunately, known lamps often exhibit erratic behavior because of temperature fluctuations. The internal lamp temperature fluctuates with ambient temperature and the liquids fail to behave as intended. Further, high temperatures can cause the liquids to break down.
[0005] Recently, liquid motion lamps have gained popularity, and there is a desire to use such lamps in various commercial settings, for example hotel lobbies, clubs, lounges, etc. There is a desire that such lamps used in a commercial setting be substantially larger than known liquid motion lamps, but shipping such large lamps filled with liquid results in a high probability of damage and high shipping costs. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/856,457 filed Jun. 1, 2004 by the present applicant discloses a liquid motion lamp which may be shipped dry, and filled with a liquid at it's final destination. The dry shipment thus makes large liquid motion lamps much more practical. However, such large lamps are being used in luxurious settings where the appearance of the motion in the lamps is very important, and the large lamps may not behave consistently due to temperature fluctuations, particularly with tall lamps, for example, over five feet high. If the temperature is not carefully controlled, the desired visual affects may not be achieved. For example, too high of temperatures may cause the first liquid to remain near the top of the container, and cause clouding. Too low of temperatures will result in the first liquid failing to rise a desired amount. The '457 application is herein incorporated by reference.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a control system for a liquid motion lamp. The control system maintains the proper temperature of liquids in the lamp to provide desired motion within the lamp, and reduces sensitivity to ambient temperature. The lamp preferably includes two heating elements, a first element generally providing lighting and heat, and a second heating element such as a heat blanket, resistive glass coating, or a submerged ring, for initial heating or for when additional heat is required for proper operation of the lamp. A sensor measures the temperature of the liquid inside the lamp, and the control system controls the heat sources to maintain the temperature within operating limits.
[0007] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid motion lamp including a container, a base portion, a first liquid suitable for residing in the container, a second liquid suitable for residing in the container, a first heat and light source, a second heat source, a temperature sensor, and a control system. The first liquid is a solid at room temperature, a liquid at a lower operating temperature, and a liquid at a higher operating temperature. The second liquid is a liquid at room temperature, wherein the first liquid has a lower density than the second liquid at the higher operating temperature and a greater density than the second liquid at the lower operating temperature. The base portion resides substantially below the container and the first heat and light source resides within the base portion. The second heat source is configured to be in thermal cooperation with the second liquid when the lamp is in use. The sensor measures the temperature of the second liquid and the control system receives measurements from the sensor and controls the first heat source and the second heat source.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0008] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 is liquid motion lamp according to the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the liquid motion lamp.
[0011] FIG. 3A shows the liquid motion lamp with a base cover raised to gain access to a first heating element and a control system.
[0012] FIG. 3B shows the liquid motion lamp with a base cover raised and with the first heating element removed.
[0013] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the liquid motion lamp taken along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 , showing a second heating element.
[0014] FIG. 4A is a detailed view of the bottom portion of the cross-sectional view of the liquid motion lamp taken along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 , showing bottom sealing details and a second heat source comprising a circular heating element suitable for immersion in the second liquid.
[0015] FIG. 4B is a detailed view of a bottom portion of the cross-sectional view of the liquid motion lamp taken along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 , showing bottom sealing details and a second heat source comprising a heat blanket residing on the exterior of the container.
[0016] FIG. 4C is a detailed view of a bottom portion of the cross-sectional view of the liquid motion lamp taken along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 , showing bottom sealing details and a second heat source comprising a resistive coating residing on the interior of the container.
[0017] FIG. 4D shows the liquid motion lamp with an external control connected to the lamp by wiring.
[0018] FIG. 5A shows the liquid motion lamp with a temperature sensor residing above a first liquid residing in the bottom of the container portion.
[0019] FIG. 5B shows the liquid motion lamp with a temperature sensor residing on an outer surface of the container.
[0020] FIG. 5C shows the liquid motion lamp with a temperature sensor residing proximal to the top of the container.
[0021] FIG. 6 describes a method for controlling the liquid motion lamp.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a high level view of a control circuit for the liquid motion lamp.
[0023] FIG. 8 is a micro controller element of the control circuit.
[0024] FIG. 9 is a power controller element of the control circuit.
[0025] FIG. 10 is a power supply element of the control circuit.
[0026] FIG. 11A is a sensor element of the control circuit.
[0027] FIG. 11B is an alternative embodiment of the sensor element of the control circuit.
[0028] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0029] The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.
[0030] Liquid motion lamps, or lava lamps, are well known as small home decorative lighting. U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,396 for “Display Devices,” U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,156 for “Display Devices,” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,576 for “Novelty Lamp,” describe such lamps. A detailed description of liquids used in such lamps is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,283 for “Liquid compositions for display devices.” Construction of a large liquid motion lamp is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/856,457 filed Jun. 1, 2004 by the present applicant. The '396, '156, '576, and '283 patents are herein incorporated by reference. The '457 application was incorporated by reference above.
[0031] Although basic home lava lamps have become commonplace, large versions for commercial use have not been entirely practical for various reasons. The liquid motion lamp 10 shown in FIG. 1 overcomes these obstacles. The lamp 10 includes a top piece 12 , a container 14 , and a base portion 19 including a base cover 16 and a base flange 18 . The container 14 is preferably transparent and more preferably made from boro silicate glass or any clear stable plastic, for example, acrylic or poly carbonate. The top piece 12 , base cover 16 , and base flange 18 are preferably made from cast aluminum. The container 14 preferably extends into the base portion 19 , and preferably, at least part of the base portion 19 is below the bottom of the container 14 .
[0032] The container 14 diameter D 1 is preferably between six inches and 36 inches, the base cover diameter D 2 is preferably between approximately one inch and approximately two inches greater than the container diameter D 1 , and the base flange diameter D 3 is preferably between approximately two inches and approximately twelve inches greater than the container diameter D 1 . The overall height H 1 of the lamp 10 is preferably between approximately three feet and approximately nine feet, and the height H 2 of the visible portion of the container 14 is preferably between approximately two feet and approximately six feet While the primary advantages of the present invention are directed to a lamp 10 having the preferred dimensions, any lamp including the present invention described herein is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. A perspective view of the lamp 10 is shown in FIG. 2 .
[0033] A lamp 10 intended for use in a commercial setting, for example, hotel lobbies, clubs, lounges, etc., may be much larger and heavier than known lava lamps. As a result, it is not practical to lift or move the lamp 10 to replace a heat source which has failed or to adjust controls 40 . To address replacement of the heat source, the base cover 16 is vertically moveable along an arrow 20 as shown in FIG. 3A . With the base cover 16 raised, a first heat source 22 and the control 40 are accessible. The heat source 22 is preferably also a light source, and is more preferably an incandescent light bulb. The heat source 22 is electrically and mechanically connected to a socket 24 . A view of the lamp 10 with the heat source 22 removed is shown in FIG. 3B . The container 14 is preferably supported by supports 26 residing between the base flange 18 and the container 14 . There are preferably three supports 26 , and a container base 15 proximal to the bottom of the container 14 . The supports 26 connect to the base portion 15 , and the container 14 is held by the base portion 15 . While a first heat source 22 comprising a single light (for example an incandescent bulb) is shown in FIG. 3A , the first heat source 22 may also comprise one, two, three, or more lights, for example, a single 450 watt bulb or three 150 watt bulbs for a large lamp, or a single 150 watt bulb for a small lamp.
[0034] A cross-sectional view of the lamp 10 taken along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 4 . A second heat source comprising a heating coil 28 a is shown inside the container 14 , and a thermal sensor 42 is supported by a sensor arm 44 attached to the heating coil 28 a . The heating coil 28 a is preferably an approximately 350 watt (for a small lamp) to approximately 1,000 watt (for a large lamp) heat coil and is substantially concealed (e.g., not visible from the side) when the base cover 16 is in place. The top piece 12 comprises a round cover 12 a for the container 14 and a short cylindrical portion 12 b for positioning the top piece 12 on the container 14 . The top piece 12 is preferably fabricated from the same material as the base cover 16 and the base flange 18 , and preferably provides a moisture proof seal to the container 14 .
[0035] The sensor 42 is preferably a Resistive Thermal Device (RTD) sensor, but may be any electronic, electro mechanical or non-contact infared temperature or thermal optical device. An example of a suitable sensor 42 is an LM34 manufactured by National Semiconductor in Santa Clara, Calif. Another suitable sensor 42 is a series 5100 Hermetically Sealed Immersion-Type Thermostat made by Airpax in Frederick, Md.
[0036] The sensor arm 44 is preferably made from a thermally conductive material, and attaching the sensor arm 44 to the heating coil 28 a provides a thermally conductive path between the heating coil 28 a and the thermal sensor 42 . If the lamp is turned on without liquid in the lamp, the heating sensor 42 will be rapidly heated by heat conducted by the sensor arm 44 , and an overheated condition may be detected and the lamp turned off before damage to the lamp occurs.
[0037] Although liquid motion lamps may function properly with a fixed amount of heat provided to the liquids, in general, the best visual effects are not obtained if the temperature of the liquids falls outside an intended temperature range. The temperature of the second liquid at the base of the lamp must be sufficient to heat the first liquid to a temperature where the density of the first liquid is less than the density of the second liquid so that the first liquid rises to near the top of the container, and the temperature of the second liquid at the top of the container must be low enough to cool the first liquid to a temperature where the density of the first liquid is greater than the density of the second liquid so that the first liquid falls proximal to the bottom of the container. If the temperature of the second liquid in the base is low, the first liquid will not be heated sufficiently to rise proximal to the top of the container, and if the temperature of the second liquid in the top of the container is too high, the first liquid will remain proximal to the top of the container. In particularly, large and/or tall lamps the temperature of the second liquid must be carefully controlled to maintain proper behavior of the second liquid.
[0038] To provide the desired behavior of the first liquid, the lamp 10 according to the present invention includes a control circuit 40 . The control circuit 40 may reside in the base of the lamp (see FIGS. 4-4C ), or be located outside the lamp (see FIG. 4D ). The control circuit is preferably a programmable control circuit 50 as described in FIGS. 7-11B , however, the control circuit may simply comprise a variable resistance sensor, for example a bi-metal device, and relays controlled by the variable resistance sensor to control the heaters 22 , 28 a , 28 b , and 28 c (see FIG. 4A-4C ). The present invention may also be practiced without a second heat source, thereby impacting the start-up time, but not necessarily the operation of the lamp 10 .
[0039] Sensor wires 46 electrically connect the sensor 42 to the control circuit 40 providing temperature measurements, first heater wires 30 a connect the heater 22 to the control circuit 40 providing power to the heater 22 , and second heater wires 30 b connect the heater 28 a to the control circuit 40 providing power to the heater 28 a . Wires 32 provide electrical power to the control circuit 40 .
[0040] A detailed view of a bottom portion of the cross-sectional view of the liquid motion lamp 10 taken along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 4A showing bottom sealing details. The base 15 surrounds and supports the bottom of the container 14 . The container base 15 includes a shelf 15 ′ reaching under a lower edge of the container 14 to provide vertical support. A sealing material 29 resides between vertical walls of the base 15 and the container 14 , and between the bottom edge of the container 14 and the shelf 15 ′. The base 15 cooperates with a base ring 15 a to sandwich a container bottom 14 a . Seals, which are preferably O-rings 17 , reside between the bottom 14 a and the base 15 and between the bottom 14 a and the base ring 15 a . The supports 26 (see FIGS. 3A , 3 B) are preferably attached to the base 15 using support studs 26 a , passing through the base ring 15 a , thereby joining the base ring 15 a to the base 15 , and compressing O-rings 17 . The container bottom 14 a is preferably fabricated from a transparent material to pass light from the heat source 22 into the container 14 , and the container bottom 14 a is more preferably made from the same material as the container 14 . A recess 15 c in the base 15 and base ring 15 a provide space for the wires 30 b and 46 to pass downward inside the base cover 16 .
[0041] A detailed view of a bottom portion of the cross-sectional view of a liquid motion lamp 10 a taken along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 4B , with a second heat source comprising a heat blanket 28 b . The blanket 28 b preferably resides between the base 15 and the container 14 , and is preferably potted in the sealant 29 . The heating blanket 28 b is preferably an approximately 350 watt (for a small lamp) to approximately 1,000 watt (for a large lamp) heating blanket. The lamp 10 a is otherwise similar to the lamp 10 .
[0042] A detailed view of a bottom portion of the cross-sectional view of a liquid motion lamp 10 b taken along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 4C , with a second heat source comprising a resistive coating 28 c on the interior of the container 14 . The resistive coating 28 c is preferably an approximately 350 watt (for a small lamp) to approximately 1,000 watt (for a large lamp) resistive coating. The lamp 10 b is otherwise similar to the lamp 10 .
[0043] A detailed cross-sectional view of a liquid motion lamp 10 c taken along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 4D , with the control circuit 40 residing outside the lamp 10 . The control circuit 40 may reside at any distance from the lamp which is compatible with the power requirements of the heaters and with the sensor signal from the sensor 42 , and wherein the heater wires 30 a and 30 b do not have excessive resistance. The lamp 10 b is otherwise similar to the lamp 10 .
[0044] When the lamp 10 is in use, the container 14 is substantially filled with two immiscible liquids. The lamp 10 is shown in cut-away in FIG. 5A with the first liquid 34 residing in the bottom of the container 14 , which first liquid 34 is preferably a solid at room temperature and preferably reside behind the base cover 16 when solidified, and is preferable below the heating element 28 a when solidified. The second liquid (not shown) is preferably liquid at room temperature and more preferably comprises water.
[0045] A lamp 10 d including a surface mounted temperature sensor 42 a is shown in FIG. 5B . The sensor 42 a is preferably mounted on an outside surface of the container 14 and positioned behind the base 15 . When such sensor 42 a is used, the temperature measurements are slightly lower (for example, approximately five degrees Fahrenheit) than the measurements made by a sensor immersed in the second liquid and using the coil heater 28 a , and may be slightly higher than the measurements made by sensor immersed in the second liquid and using the heat blanket 28 b or the resistive coating 28 c . Temperature settings for the control circuit 40 are adjusted accordingly.
[0046] A lamp 10 e with the temperature sensor 42 residing proximal to the top of the container 14 is shown in FIG. 5C . The surface mounted sensor 42 a may similarly be mounted inside the cylindrical portion 12 b (see FIG. 4 ).
[0047] The first liquid 34 has greater density than the second liquid at room temperature. When heated to operating temperature, the first liquid 34 becomes less dense than the second liquid and rises in the container 14 , thereby creating liquid motion. As the first liquid 34 rises in the container 14 , the first liquid 34 cools sufficiently to become more dense than the second liquid, and thus drops back to the bottom of the container 14 where the first liquid 34 is again heated. The lamp preferably operates at between approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit and approximately 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
[0048] An exemplar first liquid 34 is a paraffin based thermally expansive material, and preferably a combination of chlorinated paraffin and paraffin. The paraffin is preferably a low melting temperature paraffin, and more preferably a low oil content paraffin, and most preferably a less than three percent oil content paraffin, also known as a scale wax. The paraffin is preferably a low melting temperature paraffin to allow a low operating temperature for the lamp. A surfactant is preferably added to the container to reduce surface tension of the liquids, and a binder is preferably added to prevent the paraffin and chlorinated paraffin from separating. The surfactant is preferably a high cloud point surfactant, and the binder is preferably Polyboost binder made by Hase Petroleum Wax Co. in Arlington Heights, Ill.
[0049] While the lamp described in FIGS. 4-5C includes a first and a second heater, a lamp with only a single heater, a temperature sensor, and a temperature control is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. Further, both large lamps and desk top lamps including at least one heater, a temperature sensor, and a temperature control is intended to come within the scope of the present invention.
[0050] A method for controlling the liquid motion lamp 10 is described in FIG. 6 . The lamp is turned on at step 200 . The temperature Ts of the liquid in the container is measured at 202 . Ts is compared to a lower temperature T 1 at step 204 . If Ts is less than T 1 , full power is provided to the second heater at step 206 , and the control logic returns to step 202 to again measure the temperature Ts. If Ts is not less than T 1 , the second heater is turned off and power is provided to the first heater at step 208 . The temperature Ts is again measured at step 209 . After power is provided to the first heater, the sensor temperature Ts is again compared to the lower temperature threshold T 1 at step 210 , and if Ts is less than T 1 , power is again provided to the second heater at step 212 and the temperature Ts is again measured at step 209 after a very short time period. In this instance, the power may be a single power level, one of a plurality of discrete power levels selected based on the difference between Ts and T 1 , or may be a variable power lever which is a function of T 1 -Ts. For example, power may be either full power, or half power, based on Ts.
[0051] If Ts is not less than T 1 at step 210 , the power to the second heater is turned off at step 213 and Ts is compared to a second temperature T 2 at step 214 . If Ts is less than T 2 , temperature Ts is again measured at step 209 . If Ts is greater than T 2 at step 214 , and Ts is less than Tmax at step 218 , power is reduced to the first heater at step 216 and the temperature Ts is again measured at step 209 . If Ts is greater than T 2 , at step 214 and Ts is greater than Tmax at step 218 , an over temperature condition has been detected and all power is removed from the lamp at step 220 . The first heating element is preferably the lamp 22 and the second heating element is preferably the heater 28 .
[0052] The temperature control methods regulate the liquids in the container to reach and maintain a temperature within a range preferred for the general operating temperature of the lamp. In general, the lower the temperature, the less chemical reactions that occur and at higher temperatures, for example, above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a slow but continual break down of both the first liquid (generally a wax and its constituent components) and the surfactant and additives which reside in the water phase of said display takes place. The basic function of the lamp operates on the expansion and contraction of heated first liquid. The hotter the first liquid (and second liquid), the greater tendency of the said first liquid to rise, and in some cases, stay at top of said lamp. Too low of temperature creates a stall condition and the first liquid will remain at bottom of the lamp, and in some cases, re-solidify into a non-flowing solid. Preferably, the lamp is operated below 120 degree Fahrenheit, and more preferably T 1 is approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit and T 2 is approximately 120 degree Fahrenheit. To maintain a preferred temperature, the second heater may be turned on to half power if Ts is below approximately 114 degrees Fahrenheit, and the second heater may be turned on to full power if Ts drops below 110 degrees Fahrenheit. More preferably, the heaters are provided power to maintain a three degrees Fahrenheit operating range (i.e., hysteresis). Tmax is preferably approximately 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
[0053] Heating the second liquid initially as described in steps 202 - 206 is preferred because melting the first liquid (e.g., the wax) first may result in undesired cooperation of the first liquid and the second liquid.
[0054] The method described in FIG. 6 may be performed with an arrangement of bi-metal strip temperature sensors and relays, with an off the shelf programmable controller, or with a custom programmable circuit. An example of a suitable off the shelf controller is the model CT 15 controller made by Minco Products, Inc. In Minneapolis, Minn.
[0055] A high level view of a custom control circuit 50 for the liquid motion lamp is shown in FIG. 7 . The circuit 50 includes a power supply 52 , a sensor data processor 54 , a micro controller circuit 56 and a power controller 58 . The power controller 58 preferably includes at least one triac for regulating a flow of current to the heater and light. Household or commercial AC power (for example, either 120 volt or 240 volt) is provided to the circuit 50 through wires 32 . The power supply 52 receives the AC power through the wires 32 (see FIGS. 4 , 4 A, 4 B, 4 C, and 4 D) connected to an AC plug 60 , and one of the wires 32 may include an in-series fuze F 1 . The power supply 52 provides a 5 volt DC power signal 62 to the micro controller circuit 56 and to the sensor data processor 54 and a zero cross signal 62 to the micro controller circuit 56 .
[0056] The sensor data processor 54 provides 5 volt DC power to the temperature sensor 42 and a ground connection, and receives a first temperature signal T 1 from the sensor 42 through a second connector J 2 . A second temperature signal T 2 may optionally be received through the connector J 2 . The sensor data processor 54 provides a temperature measurement signal 64 to the micro controller circuit 56 .
[0057] The power controller 58 receives the AC power from the AC plug 60 and also receives a heater control signal 66 and a lighting control signal 68 from the micro controller circuit 56 . A current feedback signal 70 representing the current provided to the heater 28 or the light 22 is provided to the micro controller circuit 56 from the power controller 58 . The power controller 58 provides power to the light 22 through wires 30 a and to the heater 28 through wires 30 b.
[0058] A detailed diagram of the micro controller circuit 56 of the control circuit 50 is shown in FIG. 8 . The micro controller circuit 56 includes a micro controller 57 . A suitable micro controller 57 is a model number MC68HC908AP16 MicroController Unit (MCU) made by Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. | Terminals for a microprocessor 57 of the micro controller circuit 56 are described in Table 1 and a similar MCU may be used with appropriate connections.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Terminal
Signal
1
PTB6/T2CH0
2
VREG
3
PTB5/T1CH1
4
VDD
5
OSC1
6
OSC2
7
VSS
8
PTB4/T1CH0
9
IRQ
10
PTB3/RxD
11
RST
12
PTB2/TxD
13
PTB1/SCL
14
PTB0/SDA
15
PTC7/SCRxD
16
PTC6/SCTxD
17
PTC5/SPSCK
18
PTC4/SS
19
PTC3/MOSI
20
PTC2/MISO
21
PTC1
22
PTC0/IRQ2
23
PTA7/ADC7
24
PTA6/ADC6
25
PTA5/ADC5
26
PTA4/ADC4
27
PTA3/ADC3
28
PTA2/ADC2
29
PTA1/ADC1
30
PTA0/ADC0
31
VREFL
32
VREFH
33
PTD7
34
PTD6
35
PTD5
36
PTD4
37
PTD3
38
VSSA
39
VDDA
40
PTD2
41
PTD1
42
PTD0
43
PTB7
44
CGMXFC
[0059] Pins on the micro controller 57 are connected as follows. Pins 1 , 3 , 10 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 40 , 41 , and 42 are not connected to elements of the micro controller circuit 56 . The remaining pins are connected to:
[0060] Pin 2 is connected to ground through a 1 μf capacitor C 10 .
[0061] Pin 4 is connected to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 .
[0062] Pin 5 is connected to a second pin of a connector J 3 of a clock 59 .
[0063] Pin 6 is connected to the clock 59 .
[0064] Pin 7 is connected to ground.
[0065] Pin 8 is connected to the zero cross signal 63 .
[0066] Pin 9 is connected to through a diode D 1 (current toward pin 9 ) to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 .
[0067] Pin 11 is connected through a 100K resister R 15 to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 .
[0068] Pin 14 is connected through a 10K resister R 19 to ground.
[0069] Pin 20 is connected to the lamp out signal 66 (see ( FIG. 7 ).
[0070] Pin 21 is connected to the heater out signal 68 (see ( FIG. 7 ).
[0071] Pin 23 is connected to the sensor data signal 64 from the sensor data processor 54 .
[0072] Pin 25 is connected to the current input signal 70 (see FIG. 7 ).
[0073] Pin 27 is connected through a 1K resister R 40 and a 10K resister R 38 to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 .
[0074] Pin 28 is connected through a 10K resister R 13 to ground.
[0075] Pin 29 is connected through a 22K resister R 16 to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 .
[0076] Pin 30 is connected through a 22K resister R 11 to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 .
[0077] Pin 31 is connected to ground.
[0078] Pin 32 is connected to ground through in-parallel 1 μf capacitor C 13 and 0.1 μf capacitor C 12 .
[0079] Pin 34 is connected to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 through in-series 560 ohm resister R 17 and red LED D 10 (current toward pin 34 ).
[0080] Pin 37 is connected to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 through in-series 560 ohm resister R 12 and yellow LED D 7 (current toward pin 37 ).
[0081] Pin 38 is connected to ground.
[0082] Pin 39 is connected to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 .
[0083] Pin 43 is connected to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 through in-series 560 ohm resister R 5 and red LED D 9 (current toward pin 43 ).
[0084] Pin 44 is connected to an RC circuit.
[0085] A detailed diagram of the power controller 58 of the control circuit 50 is shown in FIG. 9 . The power controller 58 receives AC power through wires 32 and the 5 volt DC power signal 62 from the power supply 52 . The power controller 58 includes two high power triacs TR 1 and TR 2 utilizing phase power control to control the flow of electricity to the first heat source 22 (preferably a lamp) and to the second heat source 28 a , 28 b , or 28 c (see FIGS. 4A , 4 B, 4 C) through wires 30 a and 30 b respectively. The concept of phase angle control is to apply only a portion of the ac waveform to the load. Once fired, the Triac will conduct until the next zero crossing. The average voltage is proportional to the shaded area under the curve. The phase angle is measured from the trigger point to the next zero crossing to provide precise control. Suitable triacs TR 1 and TR 2 are model BTA24-600BW triacs made by Snubberless & Standard in Carrollton, Tex.
[0086] The triacs TR 1 and TR 2 are controlled through isolators U 5 and U 4 respectively which isolate the high power switched by the triacs from the low voltage control circuit. Preferably, the isolators U 5 and U 4 are optoisolators, for example, model MOC3022 optoisolators made by Fairchild Semiconductor in South Portland, Me.
[0087] The optoisolators U 4 and U 5 receive the heater and lamp control signals 66 and 68 through bias resistor transistors Q 3 and Q 4 . An example of suitable bias resistor transistors Q 3 and Q 4 is a model MUN5211 made by On Semiconductor in Phoenix, Ariz.
[0088] A second transformer T 2 is connected in series with the AC power output to the heater 28 and the lamp 22 and the resulting signal is processed by the power controller 58 to provide current sensing. The sensed current signal is provided from the transformer T 2 to an operational amplifier U 2 and a rectifier comprising a switching diode D 12 (for example a model RLS4148 switching diode made by ROHM Co. in Piano, Tex.), a 4.7K resister R 20 , and a 10K resister R 18 . The operational amplifier U 2 is preferably a general purpose operational amplifier, for example, a model LMV321 made by National Semiconductor in Santa Clara, Calif. Output of the rectifier (the diode D 12 ) is filtered using the resister R 20 and a 1 μf capacitor C 14 to provide a filtered output 70 . The filtered output 70 is connected to channel 5 (pin 25 ) of the Analog to Digital converter on the micro controller 57 . Software uses the filtered signal 70 to determine the health of the heater and the Lamp circuit.
[0089] A detailed diagram of the power supply 52 of the control circuit 50 is shown in FIG. 10 . The power supply section 52 has two functions: provide the 5 volt DC signal for all of the circuits; and an AC line synchronization pulse for zero crossing circuit in the power controller 58 (see FIG. 9 ). A first transformer T 1 is used as a step down transformer providing an eight volt AC signal and diodes D 2 and D 3 and 1000 μf capacitor C 1 form a full way rectifier to provide a rectified DC power signal. An example of a suitable transformer T 1 is a model SB2816-1614 made by Tamura Corp. with US offices in Temecula, Calif.
[0090] A 5V linear voltage regulator U 6 with a 1000 μf capacitor C 17 used as an output filter capacitor and a 0.33 μf capacitor C 3 as high frequency rejection capacitor to provide the 5 volt DC power signal 62 . Diodes D 4 and D 5 produce a full waveform on the base of a first NPN general purpose transistor Q 1 , the collector of Q 1 goes low at every 180 of the 60 Hz input cycle. A 10K resistor R 4 , 0.01 μf capacitor C 6 , 100K resister R 6 and second NPN general purpose transistor Q 2 form a narrow pulse generator which is synchronized with the 60 Hz AC line frequency. The narrow pulses are used by the microprocessor 57 to generate the appropriate phase delay pulses to fire the triac devices TR 1 and TR 2 (see FIG. 9 ) used to control the power provided to heater and the lamp. An example of a suitable transistor Q 1 is a model MMST3904 made by ROHM in Piano, Tex.
[0091] A diode D 8 is connected to the 5 volt DC power signal 62 providing a Green LED used as power available indicator.
[0092] A detailed diagram of the sensor data processor 54 of the control circuit 50 is shown. The lamp 10 preferably includes a very accurate solid-state temperature sensor 42 embedded with the heater element in the Lava lamp, which sensor 42 is preferably a Resistive Thermal Device (RTD) sensor. Output of the sensor 42 is filtered through a first low pass filter F 1 formed by a 4.7 K ohm resister R 31 and a 0.33 μf capacitor C 16 . The low pass filter provides a very steep roll off to reduce noise in the system. An operational amplifier U 1 A is used as a multiply by two amplifier and very high impedance load for the filter. Output from the amplifier UA 1 passes through a second filter F 2 formed by a 10K ohm resister R 30 and a 0.33 μf capacitor C 11 to reduce or eliminate high frequency noise passed to the analog to digital converter inside the microprocessor 57 .
[0093] Large lamps including the control circuit 40 also pose problems in blending the first liquid and in shipping. These issues are addressed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/856,457, filed Jun. 1, 2004, for “LIQUID MOTION LAMP” filed by the applicant of the present invention and incorporated above by reference.
[0094] While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
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A control system for a liquid motion lamp maintains the proper temperature of liquids within the lamp to provide desired motion within the lamp, and reduces sensitivity to ambient temperature. The lamp preferably includes two heating elements, a first element for initial heating, such as a heat blanket, resistive glass coating, or a submerged ring, and a second heating element generally providing both heat and lighting. A sensor measures the temperature of the liquid inside the lamp and the control system controls the heat sources to maintain the temperature within operating limits.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is related to a pigment dispersant this is useful in a cathodic electrocoating composition.
The coating of electrically conductive substrates by an electrodeposition process (also called an electrocoating process) is a well known and important industrial process. Electrodeposition of primers to automotive substrates is widely used in the automotive industry. In this process an autobody or an auto part, is immersed in a bath of an electrocoating composition containing an aqueous emulsion of film forming polymer and acts as an electrode in the electrodeposition process. An electric current is passed between the article and a counterelectrode in electrical contact with the aqueous emulsion until a desired thickness of coating is deposited on the article. In a cathodic electrocoating process, the article to be coated is the cathode and the counter-electrode is the anode.
Resin compositions used in the bath of a typical cathodic electrodeposition process also are well known in the art. These resins typically are made from a polyepoxide which has been chain extended and then an adduct is formed to include amine groups in the resin. Amine groups typically are introduced through reaction of the resin with an amine compound. These resins are blended with a crosslinking agent and then neutralized with an acid to form a water emulsion which is usually referred to as a principal emulsion.
The principal emulsion is combined with a pigment paste, coalescent solvents, water, and other additives to form the electrocoating bath. The electrocoating bath is placed in an insulated tank containing the anode. The article to be coated is the cathode and is passed through the tank containing the electrodeposition bath. The thickness of the coatings that is deposited on the article being electrocoated is a function of the bath characteristics, the electrical operating characteristics, the immersion time, and the like.
The resulting coated article is removed from the bath after a set period of time and is rinsed with deionized water. The coating on the article is cured typically in an oven at a sufficient temperature to produce a crosslinked finish on the article.
Cathodic electrocoating compositions, resin compositions, coating baths, and cathodic electrodeposition processes are disclosed in Jerabek et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,253 issued Nov. 25, 1975; Wismer et al. U.S. Pat No. 4,419,467 issued Dec. 6, 1983; Belanger U.S. Pat No. 4,137,140 issued Jan. 30, 1979 and Wismer et al. U.S. Pat No. 4,468,307 issued Aug. 25, 1984.
Pigments are a necessary component in a typical electrocoating automotive primer composition. Pigment dispersants are used to disperse the pigment in the composition and keep the pigment dispersed in the composition and thus are a very important part of any electrocoating composition. Useful pigment dispersants for cathodic electrocoating compositions are disclosed in Gebregiorgis et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,393 issued Jul. 7, 1992, Gebregiorgis et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,507 issued Aug. 7, 1990 and Gebregiorgis U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,903 issued May 26, 1992.
In the process for forming pigment dispersions for cathodic electrocoating compositions, primary pigment particles are separated from agglomerates or aggregates of these particles; accluded air and absorbed water are displaced and the surface of the pigment is coated with the pigment dispersant. Ideally, each primary particle which has been mechanically separated during the dispersion process, also is stabilized against flocculation. If the pigment particles are not properly dispersed and stabilized in the composition, the advantages built into the pigment by the manufacturer may be lost. For example, the pigment may settle in the electrodeposition bath which can result in loss of corrosion protection of the substrate. In addition, appearance of a film deposited by the electrodeposition process and the operating characteristics of an electrocoating bath may be adversely affected by inadequate pigment dispersion. The better the pigment dispersant used in a coating composition or electrocoating bath, the less dispersant is required and the pigment to binder ratio can be increased in the composition. This can result in a savings on dispersant costs, improved processability, and a lower VOC (Volatile Organic Content) of the electrocoating bath.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A pigment dispersant that is useful in a cathodic electrocoating composition is prepared by bringing into contact the following compounds: a cyclic alkylene urea amine, a polyepoxide and a dialkanol amine.
An electrocoating composition containing the pigment dispersant also is part of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
By using the novel pigment dispersant in coating compositions and in particular in electrocoating compositions, higher pigment to binder weight ratios can be used in the composition. With the novel pigment dispersant, the pigment to binder ratio can be increased to 12:1 which is a surprisingly unexpected four fold improvement over current commercial dispersants in which the pigment to binder ratio is about 3:1. In addition, the use of the novel pigment dispersant allows for the elimination of solvents in the coating compositions which heretofore conventionally have been used. The pigment dispersant does not contain an onium salt group which can break down during the grinding process used to form the pigment dispersions.
In addition to the above, the novel pigment dispersant has the following advantages: (1) it is water dispersible when reacted with an organic acid, (2) it has a low viscosity, (3) it has excellent mechanical stability and will not break down in a typical pigment dispersion process or in an electrocoating bath, (4) it forms coatings with very good corrosion resistance, excellent chip resistance and (5) the electrocoat bath has improved throwing power.
The novel pigment dispersant is not only useable in electrocoating compositions but is potentially usable in a variety of different coatings such as coatings applied by spraying, roller coating, dip coating, electrostatic spraying and the like. The pigment dispersant has been primarily developed for cathodic electrocoating applications and the remainder of the specification will be directed to these applications but this should not be interpreted to limit the scope of other potential applications for the novel pigment dispersant.
The pigment dispersant is the reaction product of a cyclic alkylene urea amine, a polyepoxide such as an epoxy hydroxy polyether resin and a dialkanol amine. The constituents are blended together usually in the presence of a solvent and heated to about 75°-150° C. until the epoxide equivalent weight approaches infinity. To form a water dispersible product the product is reacted with an organic acid such as lactic acid, acetic acid and formic acid.
Typically useful cyclic alkylene urea amines are cyclic ethylene urea amine, cyclic propylene urea amine, cyclic methylene urea amine and the like.
Typically useful epoxy hydroxy polyether resins are epoxy resins of diglicidyl ether and Bisphenol A such as Epon® 828, Epon® 1001 and Epon® 1002 F having epoxy equivalent weights of 188, 500 and 650 respectively. Other useful epoxy resins include aliphatic epoxides and epoxidized alkoxylated styrenated phenols.
Typically useful dialkanol amines are dimethanol amine, dimethanol amine, dipropanol amine, methanol ethanol amine, dibutanol amine and the like.
The pigment dispersant has the following formula: ##STR1## R 1 is an aromatic or cycloaliphatic group and R 2 and R 3 are individual alkylene groups having 1-4 carbon atoms.
The pigment dispersant is used to form a pigment paste which is blended with the principal emulsion, coalescing solvents, water and other additives to form an electrocoating composition. The pigment paste is prepared by grinding or dispersing a pigment in the pigment dispersant; optional ingredients such as wetting agents, surfactants, and defoamers are added. The additive can be added to the paste. After grinding, the particle size of the pigment should be as small as practical, generally, the particle size is about 6-8 determined by using a Hegman grinding gauge. The pigment dispersant generally is used in amounts of about 1-15% by weight, based on the weight of the binder of the electrocoating composition.
Pigments that are used include titanium dioxide, carbon black, iron oxide, clay and the like. Pigments with high surface areas and oil absorbencies should be used judiciously because these can have an undesirable affect on coalescence and flow of the electrodeposited coating.
Most principal emulsions used in the electrocoating composition which are the binder of the composition comprise an aqueous emulsion of an epoxy amine adduct blended with a cross-linking agent and which has been neutralized with an acid to form a water soluble product. Generally, a metal catalyst is added to a blend of the epoxy amine adduct and crosslinking agent.
Useful epoxy amine adducts are generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,467 which is incorporated herein by reference.
Preferred crosslinking agents are also well known in the prior art and are aliphatic, cycloaliphatic and aromatic isocyanates such as hexamethylene diisocyanate, cyclohexamethylene diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanates, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate and the like. These isocyanates are prereacted with a blocking agent such as oximes, alcohols, or caprolactams which block the isocyanate functionality, i.e., the crosslinking functionality. Upon heating the blocking agents separate, thereby providing a reactive isocyanate group and crosslinking occurs. Isocyanate crosslinkers and blocking agents are well known in the prior art and also are disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,467.
The cathodic binder resin of the epoxy amine adduct and the blocked isocyanate are the principal resinous ingredients in the electrocoating composition and are usually present in amounts of about 40 to 60 percent by weight of epoxy amine adduct and 60 to 40 percent by weight of blocked isocyanate.
The electrocoating composition can contain optional ingredients such as wetting agents, surfactants, defoamers and the like. Examples of surfactants and wetting agents include alkyl imidazolines such as those available from Ciba-Geigy Industrial Chemicals as "Amine C", acetylenic alcohols available from Air Products and Chemicals as "Surfynol 104". These optional ingredients, when present, constitute from about 0.1 to 2.0 percent by weight of binder solids of the composition.
Optionally, plasticizers can be used to promote flow. Examples of useful plasticizers are high boiling water immiscible materials such as ethylene or propylene oxide adducts of nonyl phenols of bisphenol A. Plasticizers are usually used at levels of about 0.1 to 15 percent by weight binder solids.
The electrocoating composition is an aqueous dispersion. The term "dispersion" as used within the context of this invention is believed to be a two-phase translucent or opaque aqueous resinous binder system in which the binder is in the dispersed phase and water the continuous phase. The average particle size diameter of the binder phase is about 0.1 to 10 microns, preferably, less than 5 microns. The concentration of the binder in the aqueous medium in general is not critical, but ordinarily the major portion of the aqueous dispersion is water. The aqueous dispersion usually contains from about 3 to 50 percent preferably 5 to 40 percent by weight binder solids. Aqueous binder concentrates which are to be further diluted with water when added to an electrocoating bath, generally have a range of binder solids of 10 to 30 percent weight.
Besides water, the aqueous medium generally contains a coalescing solvent or solvents. Useful coalescing solvents include hydrocarbons, alcohols, polyols and ketones. The preferred coalescing solvents include alcohols, polyols and ketones. Specific coalescing solvents include monobutyl and monohexyl ethers of ethylene glycol, and phenyl ether of propylene glycol. The amount of coalescing solvent is not unduly critical and is generally between about 0.1 to 15 percent by weight, preferably about 0.5 to 5 percent by weight based on total weight of the binder solids.
The following examples illustrate the invention. All parts and percentages unless otherwise indicated are by weight. The examples disclose the preparation of the novel pigment dispersant, a pigment paste made from the dispersant and a cathodic electrocoat bath made from the pigment paste and a typical binder resin.
The binder used in the electrocoating bath is a basic amine epoxy adduct blended with a blocked isocyanate crosslinker and neutralized with an acid. These cathodic electrodepositable binder resins are well known in the prior art. The particular binder used in this example is disclosed in Example 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,467 and will be referred to hereafter as the '467 binder resin.
EXAMPLE
Preparation of pigment dispersant resin: Neutralized polyepoxide/diethanol amine/cyclic ethylene urea amine adduct.
This neutralized adduct was prepared by charging the following ingredients into a reactive vessel equipped with a mixer, heating source and a nitrogen sprayer:
______________________________________Ingredients Grams Solids______________________________________Epon ® 828 epoxy resin of a diglycidyl 400.0 400.0ether of Bisphenol A having anequivalent weight of about 188 fromShell Chemical CompanyDiethanol amine 111.7 111.7Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether 128.0Cyclic ethylene urea amine 140.8 140.888% Aqueous Lactic Acid Solution 217.5 191.5Deionized Water 1413.0 2411.0 844.0______________________________________
The Epon® 828, diethenol amine and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether were charged into a reaction vessel and heated with a nitrogen sparge to 66° C. to initiate an exotherm with a peak temperature of 99° C. The reaction mixture was held at 99° C. for 30 minutes. The temperature was cooled to 66° C. and then the cyclic ethylene urea amine was added. An exothermic reaction raised the temperature to 99° C. The reaction mixture was held at 99° C. until an epoxy equivalent weight approaching infinity was obtained. The reaction mixture had an amine equivalent weight of 412 (theoretical amine equivalent weight of 411). To this reaction mixture, a solution of 88% lactic acid solution and deionized water were added and mixed for 10-15 minutes to disperse the resin. The resulting pigment dispersant resin dispersion had a resin solids content of 35%.
Preparation of the pigment paste from the pigment dispersant.
A pigment paste using the pigment dispersant resin prepared above was prepared as follows:
______________________________________Ingredients Grams Solids______________________________________Pigment Dispersant Resin Dispersion 238.0 83.3(prepared above)Clay pigment 54.2 54.2Lead Silicate pigment 62.5 62.5Titanium dioxide pigment 258.4 258.4Carbon black pigment 8.3 8.3Dibutyl Tin Oxide 33.3 33.3Deionized Water 345.3 1000.0 500.0______________________________________
The above ingredients were ground in zirconium media to a Hegman No. 7 to 7.5. The resulting paste had a 50% solids content, a pH of 7.13, and a pigment to binder ratio of 5:1.
Preparation of an electrocoating composition from pigment paste.
A cationic electrodeposition bath was prepared as follows:
______________________________________Ingredients Grams Solids______________________________________'467 binder resin 1737 608Pigment Paste (prepared above) 384 192Deionized Water 1879 4000.00 800.00______________________________________
To the 1737 grams of '467 binder resin, 1879 grams deionized water was added with mixing followed by 384 grams of the pigment paste. This electrodeposition bath had a pH of 6-6.5, had a solids content of 20% and a pigment to binder ratio of 0.25/1.0. Phosphated panels were coated at 280 volts for 135 seconds at a bath temperature of 30° C. The wet film was baked at 162° C. for 30 minutes to form a dry, smooth film having a film thickness of 2.0-30 microns. The cured film withstood 200 methylethyl ketone (MEK) double Rubs. Also, the cured film was scribed and the 20 cycle corrosion performance test results were excellent.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE
Preparation of polyepoxide-cyclic ethylene urea amine adduct.
An Epon® 828/cyclic ethylene urea amine adduct was prepared from the following ingredients.
______________________________________Ingredients Grams Solids______________________________________Epon ® 828 (prepared above) 387 387Cyclic ethylene urea amine 260 260Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether 162 809 647______________________________________
The Epon® 828, cyclic ethylene urea amine and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether were charged to a reaction vessel described above and heated with a nitrogen sponge to about 66° C. to initiate an exothermic reaction having a peak temperature of about 93° C. The reaction mixture was held at 90° C. until an epoxy equivalent weight approaching infinity was obtained. The theoretical amine equivalent weight of this adduct (80% solids) was 405.
Neutralization of polyepoxide-cyclic ethylene urea amine adduct.
500 grams of the above adduct and 126 grams of an aqueous solution of 88% lactic acid were charged to a reaction vessel and mixed for 10-15 minutes. Then, 1074 grams of deionized water were added to disperse the adduct. A neutralized pigment dispersant resin dispersion was formed having a 30% solids content.
Preparation of the pigment paste from the neutralized pigment dispersant.
A pigment paste using the above neutralized pigment dispersant resin was prepared as follows:
______________________________________Ingredients Grams Solids______________________________________Pigment Dispersant Resin Dispersion 277.7 83.3(prepared above)Clay pigment 54.2 54.2Lead Silicate pigment 62.5 62.5Titanium dioxide pigment 258.4 258.4Carbon black pigment 8.3 8.3Dibutyl tin oxide 33.3 33.3Deionized water 305.6 1000.00 500______________________________________
The above ingredients were ground in zirconium media to a Hegman No. 7 to 7.5. The resulting paste had a 50% solids content and a pigment to binder ratio of 5:1.
Preparation of an electrocoating composition from the pigment paste.
A cationic electrodeposition bath was prepared as follows:
______________________________________Ingredients Grams Solids______________________________________'467 binder resin 1737 608Pigment Paste (prepared above) 384 192Deionized Water 1879 4000.00 800.00______________________________________
The deionized water was added with mixing to the '467 binder resin and was followed by the addition of the pigment paste. The resulting bath had a pH of 6.0-6.5, a solids content of 20% and a pigment to binder ration of 0.25/100.
Phosphated steel panels were electrocoated in this bath at 250 volts for 135 seconds at a bath temperature of 30° C. The wet films were baked at 162° C. for 30 minutes to produce dry, smooth films having a film thickness for 25-30 microns. The cured film withstood only 200 double rubs with methyethyl ketone.
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A pigment dispersant that is useful in a cathodic electrocoating composition is prepared by bringing into contact the following compounds: a cyclic alkylene urea amine, a polyepoxide and a dialkanol amine; this pigment dispersant has an advantage of allowing for the high pigment to binder ratios and minimizes the volatile organic content (VOC) in the electrocoating composition.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a selective drive apparatus, and more particularly, to a tape cartridge loading/unloading apparatus which is used for selectively carrying out a cartridge loading/unloading operation and a tape loading/unloading operation of the cartridge in magnetic tape recorders.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Magnetic tape recorders, for instance, video tape recorders, audio tape recorders, etc. are provided with a tape cartridge loading/unloading mechanism which loads a tape cartridge automatically when it is slightly inserted into the tape cartridge inserting slot. Tape cartridge loading mechanism operates to carry a tape cartridge automatically from the tape cartridge inserting slot and load it on the reel turntable and, inversely, carry a tape cartridge loaded on the reel turntable to the tape cartridge inserting slot (unloading). The tape loading operates to pull the tape out of the tape cartridge loaded in the reel turntable and form a tape running route by bringing it into contact with a magnetic head, and restore the tape from this state into the tape cartridge.
In conventional magnetic tape recorders, the driving mechanisms are operated through use of exclusive motors for the tape cartridge loading and tape loading. Further, a system for tape loading using a separate capstan motor for tape carrying is also considered. However, if many motors are used, magnetic tape recorders become heavy and expensive. This system, however, has problems in that a complicated switching mechanism is needed and it is difficult to make recorders small and to get a high speed operation.
As described above, conventional magnetic tape recorders become heavy and expensive because many motors are used. Further, if a capstan motor is used to perform partial loading in order to reduce the number of motors, a complicated switching mechanism becomes necessary and it is not possible to make magnetic tape recorders small and get high speed operation. In addition, while stability is important for a capstan motor, its driving force is important for the loading operation and therefore, it is used for a different purpose.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a selective drive apparatus, such as a tape cartridge loading/unloading apparatus, which is simple in structure and capable of connecting one motor with multiple driving objects.
In order to achieve the above object, a selective drive apparatus includes a motor, a shaft which is driven by the motor, a worm gear which is mounted on the shaft in such a manner that it rotates together with the shaft but freely moves axially along the shaft, a first power transmission mechanism which is driven by meshing with the worm gear when the worm gear is at the first axial position on the shaft and the shaft is rotated in a first rotating direction, a first stopper interlocked with the first power transmission mechanism for keeping the worm gear at the first axial position until the first power transmission mechanism is driven by a fixed amount and thereafter for allowing axial movement of the worm gear, a second stopper which keeps the worm gear at a second axial position on the shaft, a second power transmission mechanism which is driven by meshing with the worm gear when the worm gear is at the second axial position and rotated in the first rotating direction, and a third stopper which interlocks with the second power transmission mechanism when the worm gear is at the second axial position and is rotated in a second rotating direction, wherein the third stopper keeps the worm gear at the second axial position until the second power transmission mechanism is driven by a fixed amount and then allows the worm gear to return to the first axial position.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings, which are hereby incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the tape cartridge loading/unloading apparatus according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a section taken on line P--P in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3 through 16 are corresponding plan views and sections for explaining the operation of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIGS. 17a and 17b are side and end elevations showing the worm gear shown in FIGS. 1 through 16; and
FIGS. 18a and 18b are end and side elevations showing the worm shaft shown in FIGS. 1 through 16.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the FIGS. 1 through 18. Throughout the drawings, like or equivalent reference numerals or letters will be used to designate like or equivalent elements for simplicity of explanation.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a first embodiment of the tape cartridge loading/unloading apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a motor 20 is mounted on a main chassis 22 of a magnetic tape recorder and fixed by a mounting device composing of parts 24, 26, 28 and 30. The rotary motor shaft 32 of the motor 20 is positioned in a first axial position to rotate in the inclined direction against the plane surface of the main chassis 22 and a worm shaft 34 is coaxially connected to the rotary shaft 32.
This worm shaft 34 is extending to the back of the main chassis 22 through an opening defined in the main chassis.
The motor shaft 32 is connected to the worm shaft 34. One end of the worm shaft 34 is supported by a bearing 36. The other end of the worm shaft 34 is supported by another bearing 38 fixed to the main chassis 22.
A worm gear 40 is mounted to the worm shaft 34 in such a manner that the worm gear 40 rotates together with the worm shaft 34 but is axially movable freely. Shown in FIG. 17 are the side and front views of the worm gear 40. FIG. 18 shows the front and side views of the worm shaft 34. There is a groove formed axially on the circumference of the worm shaft 34. A projecting part provided in the shaft hole of the worm gear 40 goes into this groove. Thus, the worm gear 40 rotates together with the worm shaft 34 but the worm gear 40 is axially movable freely.
Further, the worm gear 40 is housed in a worm gear box 42 which is in a body with the worm gear. This worm gear box 42 allows the worm gear 40 to rotate but is able to move axially together with the worm gear 40. The worm gear box 42 is provided with a pin 44 which projects toward the main chassis 22 and is inserted into an opening 46 defined in the main chassis 22 so as to prevent the worm gear box 42 from rotating and to keep the worm gear 40 at a second axial position when the worm gear box 42 moves in the direction of arrow C together with the worm gear 40.
Shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is the first axial position of the worm gear 40. It is possible to connect a different power transmission mechanism to the worm gear 40 for every axial position.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show the worm gear 40 kept at the first axial position. A worm gear 48 is meshing with the worm gear 40. This worm gear 48 is mounted in a freely movable state to an unillustrated sub-chassis which is vertically mounted on the top of the main chassis 22. The rotary plane surface of the worm gear 48 is perpendicular to the plane surface of the main chassis. Rotation of the worm gear 48 can be transmitted to a gear 50 via gears 52 and 54. These gears 50, 52 and 54 are also mounted to the sub-chassis in a way that they are freely rotatable.
An arm 56 projects from the rotary circumference of the gear 50. When this arm 56 moves in the direction of arrow E, the tape cartridge holder of the tape cartridge loading mechanism on the main chassis 22 is moved.
On the rotary surface of the gear 52, there is a cam groove 58 formed into which a pin 60 provided at the free end of an arm 62 is inserted so as to change over the rotating position of the arm 62 when the gear 52 rotates a fixed number of turns. The arm 62 is also mounted to the sub-chassis by a shaft 64.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show the state when the tape cartridge loading starts. When the worm shaft 34 is rotated by the motor 20 in the direction of arrow B, the worm gear 48 turns in the direction of arrow D and the arm 56 turns in the direction of arrow E. Movement of the arm 56 is transmitted to the tape cartridge holder, and a tape cartridge is loaded on the reel turntable (the tape cartridge loading). In this case, the worm shaft 34 tries to move in the direction of arrow C (axially) as load of the worm gear 48 is applied to it when it rotates in the direction of arrow B, but its movement is restricted because the end of arm 62 is kept run against the worm gear box 42. This restriction is released when the gear 52 turns by the fixed number of turns and the arm 62 is positioned by the cam groove 58 at a shifted position (when the tape cartridge loading is completed).
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the situation when the tape cartridge loading has been completed. Under this condition, the arm 62 allows the worm gear 40 to move in the direction C.
When the worm shaft 34 is further rotated in the direction B from this state, the worm gear 40 moves in the direction C. Then, the worm gear 40 is shifted from the state meshing with the worm gear 48 to the state meshing with a gear 66. This worm shaft 34 can be made when a distance between the gears 48 and 66 and the axial length of the worm gear 40 are selected properly.
The gear 66 is one of the parts composing the second power transmission mechanism and rotation of this gear is transmitted to a cam disk 68 via a gear 70. The gears 66 and 70 are mounted to the main chassis 22 in a freely rotatable state so that their rotary surfaces are nearly parallel with the main chassis 22. The cam disk 68 is also mounted to the main chassis 22 in a freely rotatable state, and is able to form a tape running route by pulling out the tape from the tape cartridge loaded position (near the reel turntable) to a drum having a rotary magnetic head (the tape loading).
FIGS. 5 and 6 show the condition immediately before the tape loading starts.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show the tape loading condition. When the motor 20 further turns the worm shaft 34 in the direction B, the pin 44 of the worm gear box 42 runs against the edge of the opening 46 and keeps the worm gear 40 at the second axial position (FIG. 8). Thus, rotation of the worm gear 40 is fully transmitted through the gear 66 to the cam disk 68, which is then rotated in the direction of arrow (FIG. 7).
There is a cam groove 72 formed on the cam disk 68 and a pin 74 of an arm 76 is inserted into the cam groove 72. The arm 76 is supported by a shaft 78 in a freely rotatable state. The shaft 78 is supported by a mounting base (not illustrated) on the main chassis 22. Rotation of the arm 76 is transmitted to one end of an intermediate arm 80. This intermediate arm 80 is mounted to the main chassis 22 in a freely rotatable state by a shaft 82, and another end of this arm 80 can be connected to the worm gear box 42 which is at the second axial position. FIG. 7 shows the state of the arm 80 connected to the worm gear box 42. FIGS. 1, 3 and 5 are the state before their connection.
Rotation of the worm gear 40 is transmitted to the cam disk 68 through the gear 66 and the tape loading is carried out. Movement of the worm gear 40 in the direction C is controlled by the pin 44. Thus, the tape loading is thus completed.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show the state where the unloading operation is carried out. In the unloading operation, the motor 20 turns in a direction reverse of that in the loading operation. When the worm gear 40 turns in the direction of arrow H, the gear 66 turns in the direction of arrow J and the cam disk 68 turn in the direction of arrow K. At this time, the worm gear 40 tries to move in the direction of arrow I as a force in that direction is applied by load from the gear 66 but its movement is restricted because the arm 80 is connected to the worm gear box 42 and the second axial position is maintained.
FIGS. 11 and 12 show the state where the tape unloading has been completed. Under this state, the arm 80 and the worm gear box 42 are disconnected by the action of the cam groove 72. When the worm gear 40 is further turned in the direction H in this state, the worm gear 40 moves in the direction I. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the worm gear 40 comes to mesh with the worm gear 48 at the first power transmission mechanism side. Further, when the worm gear 40 is turned in the direction H, the worm gear 48 is turned and the unloading of a tape cartridge is started. FIGS. 15 and 16 show the state when the worm gear 40 turns at the first axial position, the worm gear 48 turns in the direction of arrow L and the gear 106 turns in the direction of arrow N. That is, the arm 56 returns to the original position shown in FIG. 2. Thus, a tape cartridge is returned from the loaded position on the reel turntable to the tape cartridge inserting slot. Further, the arm 62 also returns to the original position and the first axial position of the worm gear 40 can be maintained.
According to the present invention described above, an apparatus in simple structure can use a single motor to switch multiple driving objects. Further, a less expensive apparatus can be provided because a single motor for transmission of power is used.
As described above, the present invention can provide an extremely preferable tape cartridge loading/unloading apparatus.
While there have been illustrated and described what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teaching of the present invention without departing from the central scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention, but that the present invention include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
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A selective drive cartridge loading/unloading apparatus connects one motor with multiple driving objects. A worm gear is mounted on the motor shaft in such a manner that it rotates together with the shaft and can move axially along the shaft. The worm gear meshes with different power transmission mechanisms when it is at different points along the shaft.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to novel parenteral solutions containing 3-diethylaminoethoxybenzoylbenzofurans having the following structural formula: ##STR1## wherein R 1 is alkyl, R 2 is hydrogen or methyl, NR 3 is dimethylamino, diethylamino, dipropylamino, piperidino, pyrrolidino or morpholino, and Y and Y 1 are hydrogen, iodo- or bromo-. More particularly, the present invention relates to a parenteral solution suitable for intravenous administration containing as active ingredient 2-n-butyl-3-(3,5-diiodo-4-β-N-diethylaminoethoxybenzoyl) benzofuran (hereinafter amiodarone).
Amiodarone has been approved in an oral tablet form (CORDARONE®) for the treatment of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias in the United States since 1985. This drug is useful not only in treating these arrhythmias but also in treating less severe ventricular arrhythmias and many supraventricular arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation and reentrant tachyarrhythmias involving accessory pathways.
To treat arrhythmias, the compound may be administered in oral dosage forms such as in the form of a 200 mg tablet, or it may be administered in the form of an intravenous solution. Please see, for example, Escoubet, B. et al., "Suppression of Arrhythmias Within Hours After Single Oral Dose of Amiodarone and Relation to Plasma and Myocardial Concentrations", Am. J. Cardiol., (1985), 55:696-702, Mostow et al., "Rapid Suppression of Complex Ventricular Arrhythmias With High-Dose Oral Amiodarone", Circulation, (1986), 73:1231-8, Morady et al., "Intravenous Amiodarone in the Acute Treatment of Recurrent Symptomatic Ventricular Tachycardia", Am. J. Cardiol., (1983), 51:156-9 and Kadish et al. "The Use of Intravenous Amiodarone in the Acute Therapy of Life-Threatening Tachyarrhythmias". Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, (1989), 31:4, 281-294.
Amiodarone is practically insoluble or slightly soluble in an aqueous solvent. Hence, it is difficult to formulate a dosage form suitable for intravenous administration. To aid the dissolution in water, for example, a surfactant has been suggested. Thus, the prior art intravenous dosage form for this compound termed I.V. Cordarone, comprises amiodarone dissolved in a solvent comprising polysorbate 80 available under the tradename Tween-80, and benzyl alcohol. Prior art intravenous solutions of amiodarone will be designated IV Cordarone herein.
However, the use of this dosage form is highly undesirable because it exhibits deleterious cardiovascular effects attributable to the detergent. For example, Torres-Arrault et al. reported in Journal of Electrocardiology, 17 (2), 1984, pp 145-152 that Tween-80 is a potent cardiac depressant and causes hypotension in a dog. See also Gough et al., "Hypotensive Action of Commercial Intravenous Amiodarone and Polysorbate 80 in Dogs", Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, (1982), 375-380.
Kosinzki, et al., Am. J. Cardiol., (1984) 4: 565-70 report that intravenous amiodarone (IV Cordarone) can result in significant impairment of left ventricular performance in patients with pre-existing left ventricular dysfunction. After acute intravenous bolus administration, patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction greater than 0.35 experienced improved cardiac performance due to both acute and chronic peripheral vasodilation. However, patients with a lower ejection fraction developed a 20% decrease in cardiac index and clinically significant elevation of right heart pressures after acute bolus administration.
Remme et al., Am. Heart J., (1991) 122: 96-103 report that intravenous amiodarone caused a 15% reduction in blood pressure and an 18% increase in heart rate, and a progressive reduction in contractility (V max ) with a rise in left ventricular and diastolic pressure.
Bopp et al., J. Cardio. Pharmacol., (1985) 7: 286-289 report that IV cordarone caused a decrease in the ejection fraction, an increase in pulmonary wedge pressure and a 15% decrease in dP/dt, and a 12% decrease in left ventricular work.
Each of the above three references discuss the effects of intravenous amiodarone (IV Cordarone), i.e., amiodarone solubilized for intravenous administration using polysorbate 80 and benzyl alcohol.
The present invention provides a parenteral solution of amiodarone which overcomes these disadvantages.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Prior art is replete with the preparation and use of amiodarone. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,248,401 issued Apr. 26, 1966 describes the preparation of 3-diethylaminoethoxybenzoyl benzofurans the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Physicians' Desk Reference, 1992, page 2446 under tradename Cordarone®, provides the prescribing information relating to the oral form of this important product.
The Torres-Arrault, Taska and Gough articles described above set forth the hypotensive effects following intravenous administration of IV Cordarone (amiodarone in Tween-80).
The article "Intravenous Amiodarone", Clinical Progress in Electrophysiology and Pacing, (1986), 4:5, page 433 concludes that "Amiodarone, when administered intravenously, appears to have a rapid onset of action causing profound hemodynamic and electrophysiological effect.".
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to parenteral solutions comprising as an active ingredient a 3-diethylaminoethoxybenzoyl-benzofuran with the following structural formula: ##STR2## wherein R 1 is alkyl, R 2 is hydrogen or methyl, NR 3 is dimethylamino, diethylamino, dipropylamino, piperidino, pyrrolidino or morpholino and Y and Y 1 are identical and represent hydrogen, iodo or bromo. More particularly, the present invention relates to a parenteral solution suitable for intravenous administration containing as an active ingredient an effective anti-arrhythmic amount of 2-n-butyl-3-(3,5-diiodo-4-β-N-diethylaminoethoxybenzoyl) benzofuran (amiodarone) in a sterile solvent comprising an acetate buffer having a Ph from about 3.5-3.8, i.e., an amiodarone-acetate buffer solution.
The present invention also includes within its scope a method for producing such a solution.
FIG. 1A is a print-out showing the results of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) performed on a sample of amiodarone in acetate buffer. The large peak is the amiodarone peak.
FIG. 1B is a print-out showing the results of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) performed on a sample of IV Cordarone (amiodarone in polysorbate 80). The narrow spike is the polysorbate 80 peak and the large peak is the amiodarone peak.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided parenteral solutions containing as an active ingredient 3-diethylaminoethoxybenzoyl benzofuran having the following structural formula: ##STR3## wherein R 1 is alkyl of 1-6 carbon atoms, R 2 is hydrogen or methyl and R 3 is dimethylamino, diethylamino, dipropylamino, piperidino, pyrrolidino or morpholino, and Y 1 and Y 2 are hydrogen, iodo or bromo. In particular, the present invention relates to a parenteral solution suitable for intravenous administration comprising as an active ingredient an effective anti-arrhythmic amount of a selected substituted benzofuran, i.e., amiodarone in a vehicle which is described more fully below.
In a typical practice of the present invention, amiodarone Hcl, which may be purified and crystalline, is dissolved in a buffer system comprising a weak acid and a salt of the weak acid, and more particularly a combination of acetic acid and sodium acetate having a Ph below 4 and in particular at a range of about 3.5 to 3.8 and a molar concentration of about 0.05 to about 0.1M. An effective anti-arrhythmic amount of amiodarone, e.g., about 25-75 mg/ml, is mixed together with the buffer and heated to a temperature not to exceed about 75° C., i.e., from about 60° to 75° C. and preferably from about 60° to 65° C. until solution is complete. Thereafter, the resulting solution is cooled to room temperature, sterilized by known means, e.g., ultrafiltration or ethylene oxide treatment, and packaged into vials suitable for dispensing as parenteral products.
The preparation thus obtained was found, quite surprisingly, to remain in solution, which of course is an important attribute for a product for intravenous administration. In fact, the product shows remarkable stability when stored at room temperature over a 4 month period without the formation of turbidity or precipitate.
The solution thus formulated is indicated for the treatment of life-threatening, sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation without the fear of the undesirable side effects observed with the administration of a solution of amiodarone in Tween-80. As with any potent drug, the dosage must be individualized by the treating clinician.
In order to further illustrate the practices of the invention, the following examples are included.
EXAMPLE 1
Solubilization of Amiodarone in An Aqueous Solution
The vehicle for dissolving amiodarone consists of about 0.05 to 0.1M acetate buffer with the Ph in the range of about 3.5 to 3.8. As an example, to make a 50 mg/ml amiodarone solution, one ml of the buffer is added to 50 mg of the compound in a vial and the preparation is mixed using a mixer such as a Vortex mixer. Next the preparation is heated in a water bath such that the contents of the vial (buffer and amiodarone) does not exceed about 75° C., i.e., from about 60° to 75° C. and preferably from about 60° to 65° C. The preparation is then cooled to room temperature. Amiodarone dissolved in the new vehicle remains in solution at room temperature in concentrations of about 25 to 50 mg/ml for an extended period of time. Amiodarone which initially went into solution when heated in a 0.2M acetate buffer in the same pH range, formed a gel after cooling. On the other hand, a buffer (0.1M acetate) to which physiologic saline solution was added (0.9% NaCl) formed a precipitate when cooled to room temperature. In phthalate buffer (0.1M, pH 3.5 to 3.8) a precipitate formed when the heated solution cooled. Heating in phosphate buffer (0.1M, pH 3.5 to 3.8) dissolved the compound, while upon cooling gel formation occurred at all pH's.
EXAMPLE 2
Characteristics and Attributes of the Preparation of Example 1
The most important characteristic of the amiodarone-acetate buffer preparation is that amiodarone remains in solution. To analyze solution stability, solutions of about 25 to 75 mg/ml, preferably about 25 mg/ml, amiodarone were prepared as described in Example 1 and maintained at room temperature. The solutions were examined periodically over a period of four months following preparation; the solutions remained perfectly clear, i.e., no sign of turbidity or precipitate. However, at a pH above 4.0 a gel formed at room temperature.
Evaluation of the amiodarone-acetate buffer solution developed through this process demonstrates that the physical and chemical properties of amiodarone remain unchanged as determined by HPLC. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the peak of amiodarone dissolved in polysorbate 80 (Tween-80) (FIG. 1B) is identical to the peak observed for the amiodarone HCl in the acetate buffer of the present invention (FIG. 1B). The tween-80 peak of the former preparation is clearly visible, this being the only difference between the two HPLC tracings.
EXAMPLE 3
Biologic Activity: Anti-Arrhythmic Activity
The activity of amiodarone that is relevant here is the drug's anti-arrhythmic action. A standard method of determining this activity is to ligate the left anterior descending coronary artery of the rat and record the arrhythmic activity with and without anti-arrhythmic drug pretreatment. The effects of increasing doses of the of the IV Cordarone was evaluated following coronary occlusions with the administration of the drug intravenously 15 minutes before coronary occlusion. While ventricular premature contraction (VPC) frequency was only suppressed at the highest doses, the frequency and severity of the most serious arrhythmias, ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) are suppressed in a dose dependent fashion (Table 1). Amiodarone prepared according to Example 1 studied at the same range of doses caused a similar decrease in VPC frequency, as well as VT and VF incidence (Table 2). This dose-dependent suppression of arrhythmias seen with amiodarone is significantly different than that seen with the saline control group. The amiodarone-acetate buffer preparation (maintained at room temperature for two months) was equally effective as that of a freshly prepared solution. Thus the preparation of the present invention demonstrated long term biologic stability.
TABLE 1______________________________________Antiarrhythmic Effects FollowingCoronary Occlusion (Rat) With IV Cordarone VPC/30 min VT Events VF Events______________________________________Saline (no 226 ± 96 17 ± 9 5 ± 5amiodarone) 0.5 mg/kg (n = 5) 222 ± 30 17 ± 5 2 ± 1 1 mg/kg (n = 5) 145 ± 29 15 ± 30 0.6 ± 2 3 mg/kg (n = 5) 82 ± 45 5 ± 6 0.3 ± 0 5.0 mg/kg (N = 5) 208 ± 121 4 ± 5 010.0 mg/kg (N = 5) 129 ± 135 3 ± 5 020.0 mg/kg (N = 5) 200 ± 100 1 ± 3 0______________________________________
TABLE 2______________________________________Antiarrhythmic Effects Following CoronaryOcclusion (Rat) With Amiodarone-Acetate BufferPreparation of Example 1 VPC/30 min VT Events VF Events______________________________________ 5.0 mg/kg (N = 6) 97 ± 66 5 ± 4 010.0 mg/kg (N = 5) 111 ± 58 3 ± 3 020.0 mg/kg (N = 5) 38 ± 14 0 0______________________________________
EXAMPLE 4
Biologic Activity: Additional Cardiovascular Attributes of the New Preparation
Effects on Contractility
The new preparation according to the present invention is endowed with certain unique cardiovascular properties. Thus, the new preparation shows considerably less depressant cardiac contractile effects than the IV Cordarone solution. Studies on cardiac contractility were carried out as follows:
Groups of 5 or 6 rats, 450-550 grams were used. Rats were anesthetized with pentobarbital, 60 mg/kg IP. When the rats were anesthetized, the heart was exposed. The heart was suspended in a pericardial cradle and a Walton-Brody strain gauge was sutured to the left ventricle. The strain gauge arch was sutured into place in such a way as to stretch the left ventricle approximately 50%.
The effects of the amiodarone preparations were determined in two ways: fixed dosage and increasing dosage.
Effects on Contractility: Fixed Dosage Method
The protocol for the fixed dosage method was as follows: rats received one fixed dosage (6 rats per group) of amiodarone-acetate buffer solution or IV Cordarone. Measurements were made with the Walton-Brody strain gauge and compared between the groups receiving amiodarone-acetate buffer solution and IV Cordarone. This model has previously been shown to be reasonably valid as an indicator of left ventricular depression induced by various negative inotropic agents, including antiarrhythmics.
The results of this study are shown in Table 3A. These results indicate that the degree of change (depression) of cardiac contractility was significantly less for amiodarone-acetate buffer preparation than IV Cordarone at all doses.
TABLE 3A______________________________________Comparative Effects of Amiodarone-Acetate BufferAnd IV Cordarone on Cardiac Contractility: Fixed Dosage % Change in Cardiac Contractility.sup.1 (mean ± standard deviation) 5 mg/kg 10 mg/kg 20 mg/kg______________________________________IV Cordarone -25 ± 12 -29 ± 8 -36 ± 19n = 6Amiodarone-Acetate 0.8 ± 11 3 ± 10 -17 ± 11Buffer Solutionn = 6______________________________________ .sup.1 Percentage change from the baseline (before drug) determined using a Walton Brody Strain Guage Arch sutured to the left ventricle. Negative numbers represent a decrease in contractility and positive numbers an increase.
Effect on Contractility: Increasing Dosage
The percentage change from three independent baseline determinations was measured from the strain gauge excursion at 3 incremental doses of amiodarone. Measurements were made at baseline and at 15 minutes following injection. Another 15 minutes was allowed before the next higher dose was injected.
The results obtained are shown in Table 3B below. These results demonstrate that the new amiodarone preparation causes significantly less depression in cardiac contractility than IV Cordarone. This is a major difference between the preparations which may enable amiodarone in the new vehicle to be administered to sicker patients having more impaired left ventricular function.
TABLE 3B______________________________________Comparative Effects of Amiodarone-Acetate BufferSolution and IV Cordarone on Cardiac Contractility:Increasing Dosage % Change in Cardiac Contractility (mean ± standard deviation) 5 mg/kg 10 mg/kg 20 mg/kg______________________________________IV Cordarone -34 ± 12 -38 ± 7.5 -48 ± 7.4n = 5Amiodarone-acetate -15 ± 7.7 -14 ± 10 -16 ± 10buffer solutionn = 5______________________________________
Effects on Blood Pressure
The effects of an amiodarone-acetate buffer solution prepared according to the invention were contrasted with IV Cordarone in terms of hypotensive action. Amiodarone-acetate buffer solution causes a slight change in blood pressure unlike the IV Cordarone which caused a profound lowering of arterial blood pressure following intravenous administration. The protocol for this study is as follows.
Amiodarone in acetate buffer solution, was compared to IV Cordarone using rats anesthetized with pentobarbital (60 mg/kg). A cannula was inserted into the left carotid artery and attached to a calibrated Stathem P-23 DB Transducer. Blood pressure was recorded from the transducer.
The systolic and diastolic blood pressures are determined before and after the administration of increasing doses of the amiodarone-acetate buffer preparation, or IV Cordarone. Following administration of the investigational agent and observation of change in blood pressure, 15 minutes was allowed for baseline blood pressure to be achieved again, following which increasing doses of the agent are administered.
______________________________________Total Number of Animals Used: 8 RatsWeight: 450-550 grams eachAmiodarone-acetate buffer solution: 4IV Cordarone: 4______________________________________
the changes in blood pressure found with the different preparations are listed in Table 4.
TABLE 4______________________________________The Comparative Effects of IV Cordarone andAmiodarone-Acetate Buffer Solution onSystolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure(mean ± S.D.)IVCordarone 3.0 mg/kg 5.0 mg/kg 10 mg/kg 20 mg/kg______________________________________Change in -20 ± 8 -21 ± 12 -36 ± 11 -33 ± 7Systolic BP(% changefrom base-line)Change in -11 ± 8 -19 ± 5 -20 ± 9 -31 ± 13Diastolic BP(% changefrom base-line)Amiodarone-acetate buffersolutionChange in 0 ± 3 -3 ± 8 -8 ± 15 -13 ± 12Systolic BP(% changefrom base-line)Change of 8 ± 10 -5 ± 9 -15 ± 17 -10 ± 7Diastolic BP______________________________________
From the above data, it can be summarized that IV Cordarone causes greater depression in blood pressure during IV dosing of the amiodarone acetate buffer solution prepared in Example 1. This difference is directly attributable to the presence of polysorbate 80/benzyl alcohol in the IV Cordarone preparation.
The Electrophysiologic Effect of Amiodarone
Amiodarone in acetate buffer solution prepared according to the invention was compared to IV Cordarone. In this model, animals were anesthetized with pentobarbital (60 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (i.p.). The animal was connected to an electrocardiogram (ECG) and the ECG obtained at baseline and then at 5 minute intervals throughout the experimental period. Following administration of drug, an ECG was recorded every 5 minutes for the ensuing 30 minutes. The heart rate, PR, QRS and QT intervals were determined from the surface ECG recorded at 50 mm/sec. A continuous recording of the ECG is stored on magnetic tape.
______________________________________Total Number of Animals Used: 30 Rats (Sprague Dawley)Weight: 450-550 grams eachAmiodarone-acetate buffer solution: 15(5 at each dosage increment)IV Cordarone: 15(5 at each dosage increment)______________________________________
Results: Neither IV Cordarone nor the amiodarone in acetate buffer solution caused significant dose dependent alterations in either the PR, QRS or QT intervals in this rat model.
Also, following administration of increasing doses of amiodarone-acetate buffer solution or IV Cordarone, PR, QRS and QT intervals were observed for 30 minutes. No significant differences in these parameters was noted between amiodarone-acetate buffer solution and IV Cordarone. There was however, a significant difference in terms of reduction in heart rate.
Toxicity of Amiodarone in Acetate Buffer Solution Compared with IV Cordarone
Toxicity of amiodarone in acetate buffer was compared with IV Cordarone. To determine the intravenous toxicity of the amiodarone-acetate buffer solution, a rat model was employed with continuous EKG monitoring. The amiodarone-acetate buffer solution was administered intravenously in doses of 10 mg/kg at 3 minute intervals to the point of death. The same procedure was carried out with IV Cordarone. Whereas the average dose of the amiodarone-acetate buffer solution to produce death was 50 mg/kg, the average for IV Cordarone was 35 mg/kg (Table 5). The enhanced safety of the new preparation is a significant property. One of 6 animals died with amiodarone-acetate buffer solution when 50% of those receiving an equal amount of the IV Cordarone were dead due to the heart stopping (asystole) or ventricular fibrillation. (See Table 5 below.) At a dose which was lethal to all rats in the IV Cordarone group only 50% of those receiving the amiodarone-acetate buffer solution died (Table 5).
TABLE 5______________________________________Toxicity (Lethality) of Amiodarone in Acetate BufferPreparation Compared with IV Cordarone DeterminedBy Cumulative Dosing in the Rat Amiodarone-acetate IV Cordarone number bufferDose (mg/kg) of deaths (%) number of deaths (%)______________________________________10 0 (0) 0 (0)20 0 (0) 0 (0)30 1 (17) 0 (0)40 4 (66) 1 (17)50 6 (100) 3 (50)60 5 (83)70 6 (100)______________________________________
EXAMPLE 6
Preparation of An Intravenous Dosage Form
A solution prepared according to Example 1 is sterilized, sealed using a sterile ultrafiltration membrane, and packaged into a sterile glass ampule and sealed under aseptic conditions giving a dosage form suitable for intravenous injection and containing about 25-50 mg/ml of amiodarone.
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Disclosed herein are parenteral solutions containing 3-diethylaminoethoxybenzoyl-benzofurans, such as amiodarone, in acetate buffer useful in the treatment of arrhythmias.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to seats, and particularly relates to seats of the type employing a sheet metal contoured pan upon which a resilient foam cushion is assembled. Such seats are commonly employed on industrial equipment, tractors, riding lawnmowers and the like.
In the past, seats of the above type are fabricated by supporting a foam cushion upon a sheet metal seat pan wherein the cushion lower surface closely conforms to the pan, and a retainer is utilized at the pan and cushion peripheries to mechanically assemble the cushion to the pan. The retainer is usually in the form of a pinch rim or bead of a U cross sectional configuration which receives the cushion cover and pan and mechanically holds these components in contiguous relationship. This mode of assembly is troublesome and expensive, and during use the retainer may work loose of the pan causing disassembly of the seat components.
It is known to mold resilient cushions to a seat pan or support, and it is also known to extend the foam about the edge of the pan. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,893,476; 3,669,498; 3,833,260 and 4,103,966 disclose seat constructions wherein the cushion extends adjacent, and partially about, the pan periphery, but these seat constructions are of a molded type, and the cushion is not separately assembled to the pan.
It is an object of the invention to provide a seat assembly utilizing a metal pan and a resilient foam cushion wherein the cushion is mechanically connected to the pan without requiring separate retainer or assembly structure.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a seat assembly utilizing a pan and a foam cushion wherein the cushion is self-connecting to the pan, and the seat assembly basically consists of only the pan and cushion, eliminating additional retainer assembly components.
Another object of the invention is to provide a seat assembly employing a pan and flexible foam cushion wherein the cushion is of such configuration adjacent its periphery that the cushion "snaps on" the pan, and the cushion configuration includes a hook and lip configuration to produce the desired self-attachment function.
Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient synthetic foam cushion of such configuration that the cushion is self-attachable to a seat pan by a "snap-on" connection.
In the practice of the invention a contoured sheet metal pan includes a peripheral edge, and a synthetic foam cushion rests upon the upper surface of the pan to provide the seating surface. The cushion usually includes a cover, such as of vinyl.
The cushion is provided with a peripheral region of foam which is shaped to extend about the pan periphery, and this cushion peripheral region is formed with a hook and lip configuration wherein the lip extends "inwardly" toward the pan and is so shaped as to closely embrace the pan peripheral edge. In this manner the cushion is "snapped on" the pan, and the cushion is maintained in its assembled relationship to the pan solely by the hook and lip shape of the cushion periphery itself.
The peripheral region of the cushion is such that sufficient foam material exists at the hook and lip region to impart to the cushion peripheral region the necessary strength and resistance to deformation to permit the cushion to achieve a firm mechanical relationship to the pan. During assembly the cushion is stretched to distribute the cushion over the pan and permit the lip to be pushed over the pan edge, and the natural resiliency of the cushion material causes the cushion to closely conform to the upper surface and periphery of the pan.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The aforementioned objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is an elevational, sectional view of a seat assembly in accord with the invention,
FIG. 2 is an elevational, sectional view of a seat pan, per se, and
FIG. 3 a perspective view of the underside of a seat assembly in accord with the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A seat assembly in accord with the concepts of the invention consists of two components, a sheet metal pan 10, and a resilient foam cushion 12. The pan 10 is formed in the desired configuration and will usually includes a bottom portion 14, a back portion 16, which often extends, at least partially, along the sides of the seat as at 18, and a front portion 20. The pan is provided with a peripheral edge 22, and as will be appreciated from FIG. 2, the configuration of the pan adjacent the edge will vary in accord with the portion of the pan to which the periphery is associated. For instance, the peripheral region 24 adjacent the back 16 is relatively planar, while the peripheral portion 24 at the pan front edge 26 is of a generally inverted U cross-sectional configuration. The pan upper surface 28 will directly engage the cushion, while the pan bottom surface often has brackets or weldments attached thereto, not shown, for affixing the pan to vehicle support structure. The pan is normally formed of sheet metal by a stamping and drawing process, but the pan could be formed of other materials, including rigid synthetic material compositions.
The cushion 12 is basically formed of a synthetic foam, such as blown urethane, as is commonly employed in the vehicle seat art. Basically, the cushion is of a general configuration corresponding to the pan with which it will be used, and the cushion includes a lower surface 30 of a configuration complementary to the pan upper surface 28. The thickness of the cushion may vary throughout its form, ribs are often defined in the foam upper surface, and a vinyl cover 32 is bonded to the cushion upper surface, and for the purpose of this invention, the vinyl cover is considered as being integral with the cushion material and extends over the foam surface and peripheral region thereof.
The cushion peripheral region 34 is formed with a hook portion 36 terminating in a lip 38. As will be appreciated from FIG. 1, the hook portion 36 extends over the peripheral regions of the pan 10, and accordingly, is of a configuration complementary to the pan peripheral configuration. The inner surface 40 of the hook portion is shaped to closely engage the pan peripheral portion, and accordingly, the cushion inner surface 30 will vary to conform to the variable shape of the pan peripheral region. The lip 38 extends "inwardly" from its associated hook portion 36 a sufficient distance to provide a groove 42 into which the pan peripheral edge 22 is received. The inward extension of the lip 38 is sufficient to prevent inadvertent release of the cover from the pan, and as will be appreciated from FIG. 2, the "thickness" dimension through the hook portion 36 between the groove 42 and the cushion cover is sufficient to fully pad the pan edge 22 and impart to the hook portion sufficient mechanical strength to permit the hook to maintain its shape even though the cushion may be under slight tension due to its being stretched and assembled to the pan.
To assemble the cushion 12 to its pan the hook portion 36 is deformed slightly to "open" the groove 42, and the cushion is slipped over the pan periphery to receive the pan edge 22 into the cushion groove 42. Due to the complementary configuration between the pan and cushion peripheral regions, the cushion, once it has been "snapped on" the pan, there may be a slight tension in the cushion, but the same is not necessary to maintain proper assembly. Of course, due to the resilient nature of the foam forming the hook and lip configuration of the peripheral portion 34, the cushion will intimately "grip" the edge of the pan and a firm mechanical interconnection between the cushion and pan is achieved.
If the cushion, or its cover, is damaged, and the cushion is to be replaced, the cushion lip 38 may be "pulled back" away from the pan periphery releasing the cushion from the pan, and a new cushion very quickly assembled to the pan.
The invention permits assembly of the aforedescribed type of seat to be very readily accomplished with a minimum of components, and replacement of the cushion can be achieved by the vehicle owner without special skills. Of course, the density, strength and resiliency of the cushion material must be sufficient to produce the desired mechanical relationship between the cushion peripheral region and the pan periphery, and the fact that the peripheral region of the cushion extends over the pan throughout its form produces a very attractive seat.
In its preferred form, the hook portion 36 and lip 38 extend continuously about the periphery of the cushion, and is associated continuously with the periphery of the pan. However, it is within the scope of the invention to include the formation of hook and lip portions at spaced locations about the cushion periphery to achieve the desired seat assembly.
It is appreciated that various modifications to the inventive concepts may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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The invention pertains to a seat utilizing a resilient synthetic foam cushion wherein the peripheral region of the cushion includes a hook and lip configuration snapping over the seat pan peripheral edge to permit self-assembly of the cushion to the seat pan without requiring additional assembly components.
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BACKGROUND
This invention relates to a pollution control system and method for a gas compressor driven by an internal combustion engine.
Gas compressors are used in the oil and gas industry to increase the fluid pressure in the flow lines for the oils and gases. Many of these compressors are driven by internal combustion engines which are often powered by natural gas.
However, the exhaust, or flue, gases from the engine are usually vented to atmosphere causing excessive noise and particulate pollution. Also, since the combustion process is less than completely efficient, unspent fuel from the engine is also vented to atmosphere.
Therefore, what is needed is a system for reducing this type of pollution and recover the unspent fuel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The drawing is a diagrammatic view of an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the reference 10 refers, in general to a natural gas compressor connected in a main flow line 12 consisting of one or more pipes, conduits, risers, etc. The compressor 10 can be of any conventional type, such as a screw type, a rotary type, or the like.
It is understood that the flow line 12 extends from a gas well (not shown) and that gases recovered from the well pass in the flow line in the direction indicated by the flow arrows. The gases thus flow from the well, through the flow line 12 , and to the compressor 10 , which functions to compress the gases. The compressed gases then pass from the compressor 10 through the flow line 12 for some downstream treatment that will be described, before the gases pass to their ultimate destination.
The compressor 10 is driven by an internal combustion engine 14 in a manner to be described, and a branch line 12 a extends from the flow line 12 upstream of the compressor 10 to the engine to pass a portion of the gases flowing in the flow line to the engine for powering the engine in a conventional manner. The engine 14 is conventional and, as such, generates products of combustion including exhaust, or flue gases. Also, since the combustion process in the engine 14 is less than completely efficient, unspent fuel, primarily in the form of hydrocarbons, is also present in the exhaust.
The engine 14 is connected by a drive shaft 16 to the compressor 10 so that, when activated, the engine 14 drives the compressor 10 in a conventional manner. The engine 14 has an inlet for receiving the gases from the branch line 12 a which serve as fuel to power the engine, and an outlet for discharging the products of combustion and the unspent fuel. A pipe, or conduit, 20 connects the outlet of the engine 14 to the flow line 12 upstream of the compressor 10 and downstream from the branch line 12 a . The pipe 20 passes the above products of combustion and any unspent fuel from the engine 14 to the flow line 12 where they are mixed with the well gases flowing through the flow line. The mixture thus passes into the compressor 10 and is compressed before the compressed mixture exits the compressor via the flow line 12 .
The compressed mixture exiting from the compressor via the flow line 12 can be treated prior to being routed to its ultimate destination, or end user. For example, the H 20 , C 02 and/or nitrogen from the products of combustion, and/or the unspent fuel in the mixture can be separated from the remaining portion of the mixture, such as by resin re-absorption, or the like and thus recaptured for reuse or disposal. This can be done in any conventional manner and at any convenient location, such as by a separator 22 connected to the output of the compressor 10 , at the ultimate destination, or at a gas processing plant, a cryogenic plant, or the like, located between the compressor and the ultimate destination.
Thus, the products of combustion from the engine 14 are not discharged into the atmosphere, but rather are mixed with the well gases being processed, thus avoiding any noise or particle pollution of the atmosphere. Also, the products of combustion can be separated from the mixture before the mixture is passed to the end user. Further, the unspent fuel, primarily in the form of hydrocarbons, from the engine 14 is not wasted, but rather is added to the product gases in the line 12 for use by the end user.
It is understood that variations may be made in the foregoing without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the particular designs of the compressor 10 and the engine 14 can be varied. Also, the engine 14 can be powered by fuel, such as diesel or gasoline, from a source other than the line 12 . Further, the branch line 12 a and the pipe, or conduit, 20 can be connected to the line 12 at locations that are different from those shown in the drawings. Still further, the products of combustion from the engine 14 can be separated from the remaining portion of the above mixture before the mixture is compressed. Moreover, the terms “flow line”, “branch line”, “pipe”, “riser”, and “conduit” have been used interchangeably, and it is understood that all refer, in general, to any device that permits the flow of fluid therethrough.
Although only one exemplary embodiment has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many other variations and modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiment described above without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures.
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A pollution control system and method for a compressor for compressing gas, according to which a combustion engine is connected to the compressor for driving the compressor, and the products of combustion from the engine are passed into the flow line connecting the source of the gas to the compressor.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an improved cell for use in an improved impact attenuation device used to protect vehicles from striking concrete abutments, sign posts, guard rails and the like along the nation's highways and especially at the intersection of an exit lane of the highway.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is an increasing need to provide an attenuator for use along highways and the like, either in front of abutments or between highway lanes, that crashing vehicles can safely be arrested and kept from impacting superstructures, barriers and the like which are adjacent thereto.
The Federal Highway Administration has approved many specific crash barrier systems for such highway application. Among these systems are the so-called steel drum and High-Dry Cell sandwich systems which dissipate energy, primarily through a sacrificial crushing of the structure thereof. The other approved systems generally fall within a class of crash cushions which dissipate energy largely by momentum transfer.
Such cushion-type crash barrier systems have been employed along the nation's highways since the 1960's. Such systems are intended to provide impact protection for obstacles such as roadway gores, tunnel entrances, as well as bridge and freeway abutments.
One such cushion-type barrier is that of Walker, Ford & Meinzer in U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,055, issued May 30, 1972 for an energy absorbing device using a block of vermiculite to dissipate or transform the impact energy by the disintegration of the vermiculite cell block.
Another crash cushion known to Applicant is that disclosed in Meinzer U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,115 which is also vermiculite based.
Such crash cushions can be used in various attenuating devices such as those disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,115 patent, and in the patent of Walker U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,187 issued Mar. 16, 1976, among others.
There exists, therefore, a need for an improved crash cushion, capable of energy dissipation and with which significant quantities of energy absorption can be realized at relatively low crushing force. There also exists a need for an improved energy attenuation device that would employ such an improved crash cushion.
It is, therefore, an object of the instant invention to provide an improved vehicular impact absorption system which utilizes a new crash cushion.
It is another object to provide an improved, economical and practical impact absorption system particularly suited for use in protecting structures situated along the highway.
It is another object to provide in an impact absorption system having a plurality of aligned crash cushions with the capability of protecting highway abutments from impacting vehicles.
It is a further object to provide in a vehicular impact absorption system a cushion which is reliable in operation, economic to fabricate and easy to install and maintain.
A still further object is to provide a crash cushion having increased compressibility over prior art cushions.
These and other objects and advantages are achieved through the use of an impact absorption system characterized by a plurality of aligned crash cushions, each cushion of the plurality being formulated from a unique combination of urethane foam forming reactants disposed in a container.
These and other objects will become more readily apparent with references to the following description and claims in light of the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a right side elevational view of the impact barrier of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the barrier of this invention.
FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof showing a plurality of the novel crash cushions of the invention in locus of utilization.
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the cell of this invention with portions removed for ease of understanding.
FIG. 5 is a view taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a detail perspective view of one portion of this invention.
FIG. 7 is a graphic illustration comparing crash test data of a plot of crash versus G force for a prior art cell and the crash cushion cell of this invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a portion of this invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a portion of this invention.
FIG. 10 is a cutaway perspective view of a third embodiment of a portion of this invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel impact attenuator to be mounted on a concrete slab or to a concrete roadway comprising a plurality of upstanding header plates, having a pair of normally and rearwardly disposed flanges on the ends of the vertical edges thereof. Each of said headers is interconnected by two corrugated guard rails to the next header, one rail on the right and one on the left side.
The device rides within a track impact of a car with the nose of the device, the crash cushions resting on flanges between any pair of headers are crushed substantially without rebound thereby safely stopping the impacting vehicle.
The novel attentuator is intended to function using the novel crash cushion or cell of this invention. This cell is a filled urethane foam cell surrounding a specifically configured wire mesh therein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference number 10 indicating the impact attentuator of this invention and the designator 38 indicating the novel crash cushion that is mounted within the impact attenuator of this invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, device 10 is disposed along side a highway in protective relation with a concrete abutment 15. Such abutment would be situated at the intersection of an exit lane with the main highway, especially when said highway is elevated. It is of course, to be understood that the invention herein may be utilized to prevent impact with any type of abutment such as sign posts, lights, and the like, all within the concept of this invention.
The system 100 comprises the novel structure 10 in conjunction with novel crash cushion 38 as is best seen from a review of FIG. 3. In the embodiment shown herein, a plurality of crash cushions 38A B, and C are shown. It is recognized that the device 10 of this invention, can be used with but one or as many as may be desired of said crash cushions. The system 100 includes the three crash cushions designated 38A, B and C, which are disposed in axial alignment resting on flanges 35 mounted on each header 23 on the front and rear sides thereof. Reference is made specifically to FIG. 6 wherein one pair of said flanges can be seen on the rear side of said header 23. Reference is also made to FIG. 4 which shows the mounting bolts 36 extending through suitable apertures in a pair of said mounting brackets 35. For ease of understanding, no headers are shown in FIG. 4. It is to be understood that each of the crash cushions employed herein is of a similar design even though not necessarily of similar configuration shapewise, or dimension. For ease of manufacture, however, uniform cushions which are readily interchangeable with each other are suggested. Thus a detailed description of but a single crash cushion or cell as the term is frequently used in the trade, is deemed sufficient for complete understanding of that aspect of the invention.
In brief, a proposed cell 38 comprises a container or box 46 housing a filled urethane foam 43 in which there is embedded a basket 45. Various means are contemplated for the manufacture of said cell, the details on the chemistry of said cell are set forth elsewhere in this Application.
The system 100 of this invention may be erected in front of an abutment designated 15 in FIG. 1, or some other impediment to the safety of an oncoming vehicle's occupants. System 100 comprises device 10 mounted on a concrete pad 14, which pad may form part of the road bed, if the highway is also made of concrete or which base 14 may be embedded within the roadway material if said roadway material is asphalt for instance. Device 10 is seen to be as indicated above, mounted on a base 14. Device 10 comprises a plurality of headers 19, the plurality being the number of cells and 1 since there is one header at the front and rear of the array and one between each adjacent cell, as best seen in FIG. 6. Said headers are interconnected by a pair of lateral beams, one mounted on each side of said header. Each lateral buffer beam 12 is a conventional, longitudinally corrugated metal member of sufficient length to extend from flanges 21 of one header rearwardly to the corresponding flange on the same side of the next adjacent spaced apart header. Thus as can be seen in FIG. 3, each of said beams commencing at header 19B are overlapped a short distance such that they can be interconnected by shear bolts 39 between the first lateral beam 12 and the second of such beams, as well as said first and second beams being connected to said flanges 21 by main bolts 37. FIG. 2 shows main bolt 37 securing the first pair of rearwardly disposed lateral beams or guard rails attached to header 19A flange 21. Upon impact, shear bolts 39 are broken, thereby allowing guard rails 12 which are overlapped, to telescope inwardly as is desired for the dissipation of energy.
Each header 19 includes a main plate 23 and a pair of spaced flanges normal to said plate along the elevation edges thereof, upon said main plate are mounted on at least one side thereof, brackets 35 upon which crash cushions 38 rest in their operable position. Obviously, plates 19A and the last such header only include such mounting brackets on one side thereof. At the bottom of flange 21, there is drilled an aperture 25 through which apertures is inserted pin 27. Pin 27 is disposed parallel to said main plate 23, and a portion of said pin extends beyond each of said flanges 21 on said headers. Pin 27 is welded or otherwise suitably attached to said header 19. The two equally extending portions thereof 28 are seen to be disposed within the slot 31 of guide rail 29 without touching any portion of said guide rail.
The interconnection of each of said header 19 with its next adjacent header, by lateral beam 12, which each of said headers being potentially slidably mounted within guide rail 29, permits each header to telescope or move toward the next adjacent header only upon impact with the device, since the lateral beams are mounted in overlapping relationship one upon another commencing from the second header going rearwardly. The headers are seen, therefore, to be fixedly secured to each other thereby allowing a uniformly sized crash cushions to be disposed between each of said headers to further absorb the energy of impact upon soft nose 40 which is secured to the front side of headers 19A. Nose 40 may comprise a solid block of polyurethane elastomeric material which upon impact, will absorb the energy from the vehicle, and which will have insufficient resiliency to bounce the vehicle rearwardly back toward the line of traffic. If desired, instead of elastomeric material being employed, the nose 33 may comprise a structure fashioned like crash cushion 38 but suitably secured to the front side of main plate 23, said front beside proximal arrow 41 in FIG. 6. Nose 33 may be secured in any conventional manner as by adhesion with a suitable glue to main plate 23, See FIG. 1, or by bolting.
The lateral beams are secured to the headers by shear bolts which are destroyed by being shorn off by the compression forces on the cell, upon impact by a vehicle.
CRASH CUSHION
The crash cushion of this invention as can be seen from FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, comprises a generally rectangular box having front and back ends 50, top and bottom opposed walls 49 and a pair of opposed sidewalls 48. Box 46 may be made of fiberglass, or other plastic material that is ruptureable upon impact, and is therefore, preferably not made of metal. Disposed within said box is a wire basket or core of once inch± mesh, tubular or square in shape, the open ing to said tube abutting the inner sides of end walls 50 per FIG. 5. Preferably, the elevation of sidewalls 48 and the width of the ends 50 are the same such as to present a container that appears square from a front viewing as per FIG. 5. Preferably the wire mesh tube has as its diameter, a dimension equal to the inside diameter of box 46 which, if square shaped in vertical cross-section would permit four points of tangency between said tubular basket 45 and said sidewalls 48. Again, reference is made to FIG. 5. The interior of said box 46 is filled with a rigid polyurethane foam material of a nature to be described below.
For ease of manufacture, it is seen that several ways of manufacturing the crash cushion of this invention are contemplated. The first mode requires the provision of a suitable container having the mesh basket disposed therein. Preferably the basket comprises one inch to two inch mesh of steel, aluminum, or a satisfactory plastic. The box 46 is formed of all walls but one, usually one of the end walls, which last wall can be sealed adhesively or by heat, to the balance of box 46, after insertion of the mesh basket 45. A suitable hole is drilled into said box, and the foam forming materials added for formation of an in place polyurethane foam. An alternate mode contemplates the foaming within a conventional mold of the urethane reactants and the required basket placed around the material after the removal of the preformed block from the mold and before its subsequent disposition within box 46. It is seen, however, that close tolerances will be required in order to have a tight fit of a preformed foam rectangular cube for insertion in box 46. Other modes of forming the crash cushion of this invention include using a cardboard box as the mold for the foam forming, sealing the cardboard box, and applying a suitable sealant material such as a paint, for weatherability of the cardboard box, the use of the weatherized box itself as the actual crash cushion. Still other modes of manufacture for the crash cushion are seen to exist and are within the skill of the art.
The term "basket" as utilized herein is intended to include both of a mesh basket and a self supporting structure of wire, glass fibre, or plastic fibre, open at least one end. Such a basket must be capable of being embedded into the filled foam during the foam forming process, or being capable of being wrapped around a foam block with a close fit such as to contain the foam within the basket. If an external structure is used, it must be loose enough not to crush the foam, yet tight enough to be held in place. The same is true for an externally applied mesh basket of any of the above materials. For that matter, interlaced wires spot welded at the crossover points, and formed to match the size and shape of a preformed block of foam can also be used, both for overwrapping, or for being foamed over such as to be embedded in the foam.
While a single helical winding is cheaper, it is also within the scope of the invention to use a plurality of spaced apart bands that are secured one to another by a few crossbands normal thereto to give rise to a rigid structure. For such a structure as this, wire, plastic or glass filaments may be employed.
The use of a wire mesh basket is most preferred, due to its ease of handling, low cost and ready availability.
While the use of banding techniques are known in the crash cushion art, specifically U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,055 the intent of that patent was to permit portions of the cell structure to escape between the bands upon the crushing to the cell by impact. Applicant herein, teaches away from such philosophy, as he desires to contain the foam within the basket to prevent portions of foam material from escaping upon crushing of the cell, to achieve his desired result of energy absorption without injury by the crushing of the urethane foam cells of the crash cushion (cell).
Reference made be made to FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 which illustrate several modes of basket used in conjunction with the foam. Thus FIG. 8 has a basket of interconnected straps or bands 45a bound by cross bands 45b to from a basket, 45 which is overlaid on a preformed foam block 43. FIG. 9's basket is a helical winding. FIG. 10 depicts a wire mesh basket embedded in a block of foam, ready for insertion into a fibreglass box. Obviously the rigid structures depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be sized smaller for use in the embedding foaming technique, while the wire mesh basket can also be used for external application to a preformed foam block.
The polyurethane foam employed for this invention is a filled polyether based urethane foam of two pound density.
In accordance with the process for this invention, the polyether, the blowing agent, and an organic isocyanate compound are mixed together in any suitable device and after the components are completely mixed and before any substantial chemical reaction has occurred, the mixture is discharged or otherwise removed from the mixing zone and placed in box 46 or a suitable mold as the case may be, where chemical reaction between the components can proceed. Alternatively, the polyether and the organic isocyanate compound can be injected through a two tube gun into the reaction zone such that intimate mixing occurs as the two components are ejected through the nozzle and after the reactants have had the opportunity to interact, a foam will form in the mold. As previously indicated, a filler is added to the foam components, which have to be added as an a and b composition through a gun. A portion of the filler is added to each component. Otherwise, the filler is added to the mixture at the time of intimate mixing prior to the chemical reaction.
Mention may be made of talc, dolomite and diatomaceous earth as suitable fillers for the urethane foam used in this invention. The ratio of filler to reactant is within the range of fifteen to thirty percent by weight, with about twenty percent being preferred for the preferred filler commercially available talc. Any suitable polyether having terminal hydroxal groups and which has a molecular weight suitable for use in foam forming compositions may be employed. The polyether may be a linear compound prepared by the condensation of an alkaline oxide or by condensation of alkaline oxide with a glycol. Typical alkaline oxides include ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. In addition, other foam forming polyethers such as polyalkaline ether glycols prepared by the polymerization of such compounds as tetrahydrofuran as well as products prepared from the reaction of trihydroxy and dihydroxy compounds with suitable alkaline oxides are contemplated. A molecular weight range from about 1,000 to 6,000 is preferred for the polyether component used in this invention. Polyethylene 2,000 MW, polybutylene glycol 3,000 MW, a suitable amount of water equal to 1 MW H 2 O/1NCO group is suggested for chain extensions and cross linking.
Any suitable organic dyisocyanate and polyisocyanate may be used in preparing the foam of this invention. For example, 1,5-napthaleyne dyisocyanate, para-phenylene dyisocyanate, hexa-methalene dyisocyanate and para-phenelene dyisocyanate, and any of the commercially available tryisocyanate compounds are contemplated. However, 2,4- and 2,6-tolylene dyisocyanate are preferred as they are readily available commercially. The use of NCO terminated prepolymers for "one shot" processes are also contemplated herein.
Any suitable blowing agent such as the Freons™ as manufactured by E. I. DuPont, DeNemours are contemplated for use herein. Other conventional blowing agents may also be employed.
It is within the skill of the art to alter the ingredients utilized herein to achieve the desired characteristics of the foam, namely a two pound density rigid foam, which upon impact, will display little or no memory, and as such will absorb the energy from impact with the dissipation of gas by the rupturing of the foam cells. As will be discussed elsewhere herein, the crash cushion of this invention ruptures, upon the absorption of impact energy, but the cushion stays together due to the presence of the internal wire mesh basket.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that other ingredients conventional in the polyurethane foam forming art, may also be included within the formulation. The exact formulation herein forms no part of this invention, Applicant's discovery being the fact that a filled foam of the two to six pound density forms an excellent crash cushion when used in conjunction with a device that maintains the integrity of the cushion, namely wire basket 45.
Applicant is aware of the fact that other foam forming materials such as styrene beads and non-filled urethane foams as well as vermiculite materials have been used previously or may have been suggested for use in crash cushions. Various problems have been found to be associated with such cushion forming materials, primarily, the memory or such materials to rebound to their original demensions upon recovery from impact. On the other hand, the foam of this invention absorbs the impact and crushes with little or no rebound.
Crash cushions formulated from polyurethane over an inter meshed basket as prepared in accordance with this invention, were compared with crash cushions prepared according to the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,115 issued July 18, 1978 with respect to the ability to absorb energy and its compressibility. In addition, the crash cushions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,055 were also considered. The structure of the aforementioned '055 patent is sixty percent usable compressibility that of the '115 patent is seventy to seventy five percent compressibility and that of the instant Application approximately ninety percent compressibility. Reference is made to FIG. 7 which compares a twelve inch sample in thickness of both the vermiculite crash cushions used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,115 and the crash cushion of this invention. It is seen that the crush extended for a twelve inch sample in thickness eight by eight, that is suitably sized for the testing equipment, that the G force level is approximately even spread across all the way until past ten inches of the twelve inch sample at which point the curve rises. On the other hand, for a seven by eleven vermiculite sample, the curve rises just past five inches of crush. The x axis represents the compressibility while the y axis is set forth in G forces. For this example, the Ke applied was 2,464 ft. lbs. which simulates the impact of an automobile against the crash cushion of both the prior art and this invention.
USE AND OPERATION
The operation of the described embodiment is deemed to be readily apparent, however, for the sake of clarity, it will be discussed in brief.
When the system 100 is assembled as shown in FIG. 3 with the track being secured to the concrete base by pins 13 and the plurality of crash cushions 38 being placed in operative position upon two pairs of opposed mounting brackets 35 the system 100 is ready for use. The vehicle in most instances will impact against nose 40. As nose 40 absorbs the impact, the first header 19A is urged rearwardly along the guide rail 29 and the first set of shear bolts 39 adjoining lateral beams 12 from header 19A to the second set of guard rails in an overlap configuration are sheared, thereby permitting the first set of guard rails to telescope and flex outwardly whereby header 19A is directed toward 19B. Structural integrity of the system is maintained since lateral beam (guard rail) joining header 19A is also secured to 19B. This junction tends to aid header 19A in being slidably moved rearwardly in the direction of arrow 41 along the guide rail 29. Note that the guide rail channels face each other.
Substantially simultaneously, since the gap between the rear side of header 19A and the front end wall of the first crash cushion 38 is very slight, the impact energy is directed to crash cushion 39. The individual cushions begin to collapse under a compressive force. Energy is dissipated at a controlled rate determined in part, by the number of headers and the number of crash cushions employed in the system 100. In practice, is has been found that a system employing three cushions with corresponding four headers, provides good stopping results with little or no damage to either the abutment intended to be protected as well as do as little damage as possible to the occupants of the vehicle. After the first crash cushion has been compressed, it will be urged toward front wall of the header 19B which in turn will impact upon the second cushion 38 while the second set of shear bolts 39 are severed and the second set of guard rails are deformed outwardly in an accordian pleat configuration. This chain of events will continue from cushion to cushion until all the energy from the impact of the vehicle has been absorbed.
Even if the impact of the vehicle is not head on into nose 40 but rather is a glancing blow to the side or is head on to the side of the device 10, it is believed that the configuration of the system 100 with device 10 being movably compressible within track 29 coupled with the high compressibility of the crash cushion of this invention, that the system can absorb such blows with minimal damage to the occupants of the vehicle. Thus, the framework of the device 10 will not be readily dislodged sideways upon such a glancing or side initial impact from the vehicle.
Actual high speed crash tests of the structures of the nature disclosed herein, have demonstrated that the system 100 remains the substantially self contained even after severe frontal or glancing impact. The system is effective to reduce the speed of the impacting vehicle quite promptly and does not require any special servicing in order to be restored to operability once the impacting vehicle has been removed. It is seen, therefore, that the system of this invention affords a greatly improved arrangement for maintaining safe conditions against impact for abutments and other structures along the highway.
Once the impacting vehicle has been removed, should any headers need replacement, they are removed from the track, new ones inserted in their place, and new guard rails 12 bolted in overlapping fashion as shown in FIG. 3 from header to header. Only the first and last headers lack a pair of guard rails bolted thereto in accordance with the construction of this invention. A new nose 40 is adhesively applied or otherwise anchored to the leading edge of the first header 19A. Replacement cells 38 are placed on mounting brackets 35 and the whole system 100 is ready for operation again within several hours of the accident, with all work being done by relatively unskilled personnel.
When setting up replacement cells, or at the time of first setup, care should be taken to see that the ends of wire or filament used for external baskets are turned inward and inserted into the foam, as an extra safety precaution, and to prevent possible damage to the box 46. Care should preferably be taken to ensure that the successive coilings are not overly spaced apart, as such would act contrary to applicant's desire of foam containment.
It is seen that there has been disclosed herein a new crash cushion, for use in a new impact attenuator. It is recognized, however, that prior art crash cushions could be employed with the structure of device 10, but superior results are gained by using the novel crash cushions with the device of this invention. On the other hand, it is recognized that other types of cells can be employed within the structure of device 10 of system 100. However, it must be recognized that prior art cells are generally heavier for similar dimensions, and as such, are more difficult to restore by one or two man crews. This is especially true, when one recognizes the fact that a typical crash cushion is approximately 24"×24"×36" deep.
As is readily apparent, as the headers are urged toward each other upon impact, the crash cushions collapse at a decreasing rate as the impact energy is dissipated. Due to the fact that each of the cells collapses independently of all the preceeding cells, the vehicle imbeds itself into the system 100 and thus is captured and prevented from rebounding back onto the roadway as its motion is arrested. The arresting is carried out by the combination of the unique structure of device 10 as well as by the nature of the compressible crash cushion employed herein which cushion has little or no resiliency.
Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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An impact attenuator for installation along highways particularly at exit lanes from limited access roads is disclosed. The impact attenuator features the use of one or a plurality of novel crash cushions formed of polyurethane foam having a structure therein to help maintain the integrity of structure. The reinforcement may be a wire basket disposed therein. The attenuator is a device having a plurality of telescoping crash sections that nest upon impact.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 103,319 as filed on Dec. 14, 1979, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,822 issued Sept. 1, 1981 and entitled "Underspoil Slurry Haulage".
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hauling of material from a surface mine has always posed a problem. Normally, trucks are used but the use of trucks leads to the construction of extensive roadways which results in minerals being left under the road. Furthermore, roads are expensive to build and maintain. Several systems have been proposed to eliminate the use of roads such as, for example, underspoil conveyors and underspoil truck haulage systems. Such systems are described in an article appearing in the publication "Coal Age", April 1976, pages 116-125. One problem, however, with both of the above systems is the extensive tunneling that must be constructed in order to support a pathway for trucks or a sheltered enclosure for a conveyor. Furthermore, such systems require ventilation since men and machines will be inside the tunnels. In the case of a truck of conveyor breakdown the entire passageway may be plugged for an extensive period of time necessitating the closure of the mine during that period of time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention discloses a unique use of a slurry haulage system wherein the slurry pipes are placed from the surface to the bed where the mineral has been removed. As mining progresses the slurry pipes are covered by the overburden. Several slurry pipes which include both water and slurry pipes are laid in pairs and spaced along the strip or trench being mined. When the slurry haulage system reaches the maximum length it can extend, it is disconnected and reconnected to the next adjacent pair of pipes. The previous pipes are then extended across the trench and temporarily plugged. As each set of pipes is used and disconnected it likewise is extended across the trench previously mined. When a new trench adjacent the old trench is begun to be mined, the first set of slurry pipes is uncovered and the slurry haulage system connected to it. The mining then progresses as it did with the first trench. When the mining is completed, the slurry pipes are abandoned with only the surface connection being filled and plugged for safety purposes. The remainder of the pipe is well beneath the ground and should pose no hazard environmentally.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a surface mining layout in the process of being mined with a slurry haulage system illustrating the invention and
FIG. 2 shows an alternate method for connecting the slurry pipes illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a top-plan view in idealized form of a contour mining operation wherein the present invention is utlized, and
FIG. 4 is a section taken along lines 4--4 of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to all the figures, but in particular to FIG. 1, a surface mine is shown with part of the overburden removed and with the slurry pipes positioned in accordance with the invention. The overburden 10 is generally removed by a drag shovel 11 down to a mineral deposit 12 which is being mined for purposes which may, for example, be coal; however, other minerals near the surface could be mined in precisely the same manner. Generally in a mine of this type a first trench referred to by arrow 13 is dug by removing the overburden and depositing it on the ground at a location such as 14. The mine generally progresses in the direction of arrow 15 in the embodiment illustrated. Once the mining has progressed to face 16 a second strip or trench 17 is commensed. For illustrative purposes in describing the invention, a third strip 18 is illustrated as mined. Normally, however, 18 would not be mined until strip 17 is completed. The invention, however, is not limited to mining in single strips and is quite adaptable to more than one strip being mined at a time if the overburden can be properly disposed of in the interim. Normally once strip 13 is mined out bulldozers or other similar equipment will move the overburden onto the mined out area as illustrated so that reclamation of the land can progress. As described in the prior art, the mineral is generally removed by trucks and hauled to a disposal area for shipment or further processing such as washing, cleaning and separating of the coal from shale or other unburnable elements. Such processing is clearly known in the prior art and will not be further discussed.
In order to carry out the features of this invention, a pair of slurry pipes 20 and 21 are laid along the surface of the earth until a point where the pipes 22 and 23 are buried into the ground and sloping down to the floor of the mineral being mined. An area large enough to accommodate a slurry haulage system 25 is mined out and the system installed on the floor of the mine. Normally the haulage system would be connected to the terminous 26 and 27 of pipes 20 and 21, respectively. The slurry haulage system useful in the carrying out of this invention is well-known and already described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,425 entitled "Mobile Slurry Handling System" by Eric H. Reichl. The mineral 12 is normally mined by a shovel 30 and deposited in a slurry hopper system 31 where the mineral is sized and mixed with water which is then pumped through one of the pipes 22 or 23 to a processing area 32 whereas in the prior art the coal is separated from the water and the coal processed in the usual manner. The water is returned to the mine and reused to form a slurry at hopper 31. Hopper 31 is also well-known and completely described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,936 entitled "Apparatus for Crushing Solids in a Liquid Medium" by Eston F. Petry and Ronald W. Umphrey. Once mining has progressed past the point where the haulage system can extend it will be disconnected from the terminations 26 and 27 of pipes 22 and 23 and connected to pipes 22a 23a at their terminous 26a and 27a as is illustrated in FIG. 1. Additional pipes 22b and 23b which have previously been laid will be utilized once the slurry haulage system has progressed to the point where it is fully extended. Once the slurry haulage system 25 is disconnected from the terminations 26 and 27 of pipes 22 and 23, extensions 40 and 41 are added to pipes 22 and 23, respectively, to the edge of the mined out section 17. Thus pipe extensions 40 and 41 would terminate at locations 42 and 43, respectively. The surrounding area around and over the pipes can be filled in with overburden as is illustrated in the previous strip 13. Continued mining such as strip 18 will result in added sections or extensions 44 and 45 to pipes 40 and 41, respectively. As the extensions are added it becomes necessary to boost the pressure in the pipes. To accomplish this, a boosting station generally referred to by arrow 46 can be set on the floor of the mined out area and, as illustrated in FIG. 1, may be a cement box 47. It could also be a circular metal enclosure or any suitable enclosure having strength sufficient to be surrounded by dirt and rock once the overburden is dumped around it. A suitable booster pump 48 can be mounted at the bottom of enclosure 47 of if desired the pipes can be extended to the top of the enclosure and the booster pump placed on the surface. As previously mentioned, pipes 44 and 45 will have some form of caps or closures 49 and 50, respectively, to prevent dirt, etc. from entering the pipe until a new strip is being cut. Suitable valves 54 and 55 can be incorporated to selectively operate whichever pipe is currently being utilized.
Referring to FIG. 2 an alternate method is shown instead of adding pipes 22a and 23a, a pair of pipes 55' and 56 can be added to pipes 22 and 23 and these pipes can be extended in the direction that the mining is progressing so that as the haulage system reaches the full distance it can be extended, sections 55' and 56 can be added having a length equal to the spacing between pipes 22 and 22a. Extensions 40 and 41 would similarly be added so that overburden could be placed on top of the slurry pipes. The system illustrated in FIG. 2 has a disadvantage that longer runs will be required for the slurry piping. Furthermore, additional bends or elbows will be required which normally have a higher wear problem. Also additional boosters will be required due to the additional length of the slurry piping system.
Once the area being mined is completed the booster pumps such as booster pump 48 is removed and the enclosure filled with dirt. Pipes 22 and 23 may be cut off below the surface and filled rendering the system compatible with most requirements for ecology. The above-described system has many advantages over the prior art. Slurry haulage systems are economical and safe. No tunnels are required which pose a problem both to men and equipment. No movement of materials is passing through tunnels which could result in plugging of tunnels in case of accident or stoppage of conveyors or trucks. Once the system is abandoned underspoil tunnels must be filled in in some manner or torn out. The weight of the overburden renders it virtually impossible to salvage the tunnels by removing them; therefore, they must be filled which is itself an expensive undertaking.
In some other types of surface mining, the pit or trench does not move in a two-dimensional fashion, but in one direction only. An example of such mining is the contour stripping of coal seams as they may move around a hillside slope. FIG. 3 illustrates such contour seam stripping. Thus, a single pit, trench or bench 60 extends around a mountainside having high ground 62 and downslope lower ground 64.
In present practice, mining around the outcrop coal seam necessitates later reclaiming of the top soil and the subsurface spoil must be moved aside and piled for extended periods. The entire length of the pit or bench floor 66 is exposed for a considerable time as haulage trucks must travel along the bench floor 66 to gain passage around the hill to a designated dump point. After an entire contour length or area is stripped, the spoil and top soil are then replaced and only then is reclamation begun.
The present invention obviates the necessity for the truck haulage as a slurry line is continually laid on bench floor 66 adjacent the high side, and the slurry and water lines are then progressively covered with spoil from the mining operation advance. Such technique serves to greatly reduce the necessity for temporary spoil storage as well as to reduce the need for excessive and repeated soil movement.
As shown also in FIG. 4, a contour stripping bench 60 may proceed around a hillside as mining proceeds through the outcrop portion of a coal seam 68. As the mining machinery proceeds, a water line 70 and slurry line 72 are laid down on the bench floor 66 adjacent the high wall, i.e., toward the higher elevation. The slurry line 72 and water line 70 extend over a selected distance to a preparation facility 74, and booster pumps may be included as needed along the slurry/water lines, depending on the distance of transport. Thus, FIG. 3 illustrates at least one booster pump 76 in slurry line 72.
The mining machinery 78 works in a mining area 80 as the equipment advances in the direction of arrow 82. Mining machinery 78 includes the similar equipment as shown in FIG. 1, i.e., mining machine or shovel 30, slurry hopper system 31 and an extensible slurry haulage system 25 in connection with slurry line 72. As mining machine 78 advances, the spoilage earth 84 is replaced in the bench 60 to essentially fill in the bench cut. More effective top soil replacement can then also be carried out as desired.
It may also be desirable to leave unfilled those areas 86 of bench floor 66 where slurry booster pumps may be located. In such a system, the pipes 70 and 72, deeply buried against the high wall, can be abandoned at the end of the mining strip. The pipes 70 and 72 should be sized in diameter to be thick enough to last for the duration proportional to the amount of coal to be pumped therethrough. Thus, those sections of pipe nearest the preparation facility 74 would have thicker walls to provide optimum operation.
It is obvious that other arrangements of pipes would be required if a different mining system is utilized over that specifically disclosed and the invention is not so limited as to be specific to any particular mining method. It is also obvious that more than one face can be operated at one time and that under these conditions more than one haulage system can be incorporated.
It is obvious that modifications and changes can be made to the invention and still be within the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the specification and appended claims.
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An improved mining method for a surface mine has pairs of slurry and water pipes placed from a processing area on the surface to the floor of the mine beneath the mined out material, pairs of pipes (slurry and water) are spaced along the mining trench. A slurry haulage system is connected to the water and slurry pipes at the beginning of the mining operation. As the mining progresses and the haulage system reaches its maximum capabilites, it is disconnected and connected to the next set of pipes and the first set or pair of pipes is extended the width of the mined trench. The overburden is placed on top of the pipes as the mining progresses.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When a sewing machine needle is to be changed, or a thread is to be set in the eye of the needle, the presser foot of the sewing machine is lifted, and its pressing action released, by lifting a presser foot lifting lever and the presser foot lifting lever is rotated outward around a presser bar to provide enough space for an operator to perform the aforementioned manual tasks.
Under such circumstances, the usual practice has been to design the sewing machine so as not to start even if the operator unintentionally attempts to start it. The sewing machine is designed so that the presser bar guide bracket is engaged with the needle bar preventing the sewing machine from starting. The needle bar is stopped by the presser bar guide bracket.
In conventional sewing machines, if the presser foot is pressing, by means of its presser spring, the workpiece against the machine bed for stitching, and if the workpiece is thick in whole or part, the presser foot is raised up to the same level as if lifted by the presser foot lifting lever and the presser bar guide bracket is derailed from its guide slit. Under such conditions, the presser foot tends to rotate outward around the presser bar because of machine vibration or due to the outward component of the work feeding force. As a result, the needle bar strikes against the presser bar guide and the parts are damaged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved sewing machine presser foot apparatus.
The apparatus, according to the invention, prevents the presser foot from rotating around the presser bar and is provided in association with the movement of the presser foot lifting lever. Thus, when the presser foot is in idle position (the presser foot lifting lever being in lifted position), the presser foot is easily rotated outward to provide enough space for changing the needle or setting the thread.
When the presser foot is active and pressing the workpiece during stitching (the presser foot lifting lever being in lowered position), even if the presser foot is raised to the same level as if lifted by the presser foot lifting lever, the presser foot is prevented from rotating around the presser bar. Thus, problems often experienced during stitching are eliminated. Additionally, when the presser foot is in idle condition and is rotated outward to provide enough space for needle change or thread setting, the presser foot is prevented from moving downward even if the operator mishandles the presser foot lifting lever.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention, wherein:
FIG. 1A is a partially sectional view of the sewing machine when the presser foot is in operating position;
FIG. 1B is a section view along line 1B--1B in FIG. 1A;
FIG. 1C is a section view along line 1C--1C in FIG. 1B;
FIG. 2A is a partially sectional view of the sewing machine when the presser foot is in idle position;
FIG. 2B is a section view along line 2B--2B in FIG. 2A;
FIG. 2C shows the presser bar guide bracket of FIG. 2B when rotated outward;
FIG. 3A is a partially sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the invention showing the presser foot in operating position;
FIG. 3B is a section view along line 3B--3B of FIG. 3A;
FIG. 3C is a perspective view of an action lever;
FIG. 4A is a partially sectional view of another alternative embodiment of the invention showing the presser foot in idle position;
FIG. 4B is a section view along line 4B--4B in FIG. 4A; and
FIG. 4C shows the presser bar guide of FIG. 4B when rotated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention will herein after be explained. A presser bar 1 is movably sustained by a machine frame so as to move up and down and also to rotate freely. A presser foot 2 is fixed to the lower end of the presser bar 1. A presser bar guide bracket 3 is fixed at the middle of the presser bar 1, and its upper surface is pressed by a presser spring 4 which is inserted between the machine frame and the presser bar guide bracket 3. Thus, the presser foot is urged to press down on a workpiece.
A presser foot lifting lever 5 is designed such that when the presser foot lifting lever 5 is in its lower position, the presser foot is pressing down on the workpiece and when the presser foot lifting lever 5 is in its upper position, the presser foot is lifted and separated from the machine bed 6". The presser spring 4 is still pressing down on the presser foot 2. The presser foot lifting lever 5 is sustained rotatably to a shaft 8 which is fixed to the machine frame. The presser guide bracket 3 has two stoppers 3a, 3b (refer to FIG. 1B), and stoppers 3a, 3b are radially equidistant from the center of presser bar 1.
Guiding device 9 consists of guide surfaces 11, 12 which face each other and hold the stopper 3a between them, so that stopper 3a moves up and down along its surfaces, and guide surface 13 extends upwardly from guide surface 11. A stopper 14 is located on the backside of guide surface 13. The highest point 12a of guide surface 12 is lower than the stopper 3a when the presser foot bar lifting lever 5 is lifted and the presser foot is in idle position. The presser foot lifting lever provides a cam 15 which causes the presser foot to be in operating or idle position and a projection 16 extends outward (refer to FIG. 1A). The cam 15 is positioned to contact with the bottom surface of the presser bar guide bracket 3. The projection 16 prevents the presser foot 2 from rotating outward by contacting side 17 of the presser bar guide bracket 3 when the presser foot is in operating position.
Referring to FIG. 2A, when the presser foot 2 is in idle position, it is rotated outward (e.g., for change of the needle). The projection 16 is positioned adjacent to the bottom surface of the presser bar guide bracket 3 with cam 15 defining the position of the presser bar guide bracket. Thus, the position of the presser foot lifting lever 5 in idle position is defined.
The projection 16 and the side 17 constitute a first apparatus for preventing the presser bar 1 from rotating around the longitudinal axis of the presser bar. Projection 16 ahd the presser bar guide bracket 3 constitute a second apparatus for preventing the presser bar 1 from moving downward.
Referring to FIGS. 2B and 2C, numeral 18 denotes a needle bar connection which is connected to the driving source so as to cause the needle bar to move up and down. The presser bar guide bracket 3 is lifted by the cam 15 which is connected to the presser foot lifting lever 5. With this lifting action, the presser foot 2 is lifted, with the presser bar resisting against the force of the presser spring 4, and the presser foot is released from pressing the workpiece against the bed.
Thus, the stopper 3a can be rotated clockwise (refer to FIG. 2B) with the presser bar guide bracket 3 until the stopper 3b contacts with the stopper 14 (refer to FIGS. 2B, 2C). The presser foot 2 is rotated outward to provide enough space for needle change or thread setting. In this case, if the start switch is pressed by mistake, the needle bar connection 18 is stopped by the needle bar guide bracket 3 (refer to FIG. 2C), and the sewing machine will not start operation.
Referring to FIG. 2C, the presser foot 2 is shown in idle position and when the presser foot 2 is rotated outside, if the presser foot lifting lever rotates clockwise (refer to FIG. 2A), the projection 16 contacts with the bottom surface of the presser bar guide bracket 3. Since the bottom surface of the presser bar guide bracket is positioned covering the adjacent top of projection 16, the presser foot lifting lever 5 will not rotate.
Referring to FIG. 1A showing the presser foot 2 in operating position, as the presser foot lifting lever 5 is rotated clockwise downward, the presser bar guide bracket 3 is lowered by the force of presser spring 4 in accordance with the curvature of cam 15. Thus, the presser foot 2 presses against the machine bed 6. In this case, the stopper 3a is positioned between guide surface 11 and guide surface 12 and the presser foot 2 is positioned non-rotatably around the presser bar while stitching is conducted.
While stitching a very thick workpiece, the presser foot 2 is raised and the bottom surface of the stopper 3a is lifted higher than the top surface 12a of the guide surface (refer to FIG. 1A). The presser foot 2 does not rotate since the rotation of the presser bar guide bracket is stopped by projection 16 and the guide surface 13, and accordingly the presser foot 2 does not rotate this far because the presser foot lifting lever 5 is not in idle position. (The presser foot lifting lever 5 as yet being unlifted.)
Referring to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, another embodiment of this invention will be explained. The same numerals as in the previous preferred embodiment are used where the parts are functionally similar. Referring to FIG. 3C, an action lever 20 consists of a vertical plate 20a and a horizontal plate 20b. One end of the vertical plate 20a is rotatably sustained to the presser bar guide bracket 3 by a horizontal shaft 21 which is pivoted to the presser bar guide bracket 3.
The end of the vertical plate 20a is positioned on the cam 15 and the stopper 3a is positioned above the cam 15. When the presser foot lifting lever 5 is lifted to set idle position of the presser foot, the action lever 20 will be raised by the cam 15, with the presser bar guide bracket 3, and the bottom surface 20c of the vertical plate 20a will be moved higher than the top 12a of the guide surface 12. When the presser foot is in operating position, the bottom surface 20c is positioned with the stopper 3a between guide surface 11 and guide surface 12. When the presser foot is lifted, the presser foot 2 can be rotated outward (refer to FIG. 3B), and when the presser foot 2 is in operating position, the presser foot is lowered. Even if the presser foot 2 is raised up to idle position by a thick workpiece as shown in FIG. 3A, the action lever 20 rotates clockwise around the shaft 21 by itself by means of gravity and a portion of the vertical plate 20 a enters between guide surface 11 and guide surface 12. Thus, the rotation of the presser foot 2 is stopped.
In this embodiment, the action lever 20 and the guide surface 12 constitute a preventive apparatus for presser foot 2 from rotating around the presser bar 1 when workpiece is very thick and raises the presser foot 2 to the same position as if lifted by the presser foot lifting lever 5.
Referring to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C, another embodiment of the invention is explained. The same numerals as in the previous preferred embodiments are again used where the parts are functionally similar.
Referring to FIG. 4A, a channel slit 22 is provided at the top of the portion of cam 15. Referring to FIG. 4C and FIG. 4B, a projection 21 is provided at the bottom surface of the presser bar guide bracket 3. This circumferentially shaped projection 21 engages with the channel slit 22 and when the presser foot 2 rotates around the presser bar 1, the projection 21 passes through the channel slit 22.
Referring to FIG. 4B, when the presser foot 2 is positioned in normal direction, the projection 21 is not in contact with the channel slit 22 and the presser foot lifting lever 5 can be rotated as needed. Referring to FIG. 4C, when the presser foot 2 is rotated outward, the projection 21 enters in the channel slit 22 and the presser foot lifting lever 5 does not rotate.
In this embodiment, the channel slit 22 and the projection 21 constitute a preventive apparatus for preventing the presser foot 2 from moving downward. In this embodiment, the presser foot lifting lever 5 does not provide projection 16 of the previous embodiment, but it will be appreciated that this projection 16 can be also be adapted to this embodiment.
It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments of the invention are illustrative only and that modifications thereof may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
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An apparatus for lifting the presser foot of a sewing machine prevents the bar guide bracket from rotating outward even when the presser foot is unintentionally raised due to a thick workpiece. As an additional safety interlock, the presser bar guide bracket is prevented from dropping down when the presser foot is rotated to provide space for changing the needle or setting the thread.
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This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 07/992,309, filed Dec. 21, 1992, abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vector fields implicitly contain a large amount of data not directly nor easily observable. In engineering applications, vector fields can represent magnetic, electrical, fluid and gas velocity fields as well as various displacement and strain fields. Several techniques exist in computer graphics to assist scientists and engineers in understanding the phenomena behind the analyzed data. One technique called streamlines creates trajectories of massless particles that move along the field. The trajectories are generated using standard techniques by solving differential equations that have right side derivatives equal to the sample vectors of the vector field under investigation.
Another technique called hedgehogs represents the vector field by drawing oriented scaled lines along the vectors of a vector field. Most techniques, except hedgehogs, require the solution of differential equations to generate the appropriate imagery. The solution of differential equations can be time consuming, especially if the original field data is given on a non-structured grid. In the case of the hedgehog technique, the graphics representation is simple and fast. However, if the field data is sampled at more than a few hundred points in the 3-D space, its visual representation on a 2-D computer display can be difficult to understand. If particles are used to simulate the motion along the streamlines, the efficiency of the technique is drastically reduced as the number of particles increases. Another drawback of techniques relying on streamlines is the computational errors that increase with the length of the trajectories. This can produce misleading and inaccurate representations.
In computer graphics, color, texture, and transparency are usually used to enhance visual perception of displayed images. For example, vectors in the hedgehog method can be colored differently based on the vector length. Transparency and texture are more often used to display surfaces and solids. Transparency allows one to view simultaneously two or more objects, one in front of the others. Texture is typically used to present naturally looking surfaces when they simulate real life objects such as wood, grass, buildings, etc., and also to enhance motion perception when one object is moving in front of another. In the last case, texture provides an additional frame of reference for local motion detection.
In the past, one application of color in computer graphics has been to indicate movement and velocity. This has been done through the use of color map cycling. The technique relies on the ability to quickly update a hardware color map to produce the effect of movement in a still raster image. Current graphics supercomputers typically do not rely on color maps to generate screen images, but they do have the ability to perform texture mapping. This ability can be utilized in a similar manner to color map animation, with additional benefits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention a method for visualizing 2-D or 3-D vector data is provided. One dimensional texture maps comprise multiple segments of visible and invisible elements. Each texture map varies from the others in such a way that upon applying a time sequence of the texture maps to the vector field and displaying the textured vectors, a visual effect of small line segments moving along the individual vectors is achieved. The method utilizes existing texturing capabilities on most graphic processors. Visible elements have a positive intensity and non-zero transparency for black backgrounds and a positive transparency and non-zero intensity for non-black backgrounds. Invisible elements have zero transparency. A fading effect is achieved by varying the intensity of visible elements for black backgrounds and varying transparency for non-black backgrounds. Each texture map is applied proportionally to the size of the individual vector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims, the invention, both as to organization and content, will be better understood and appreciated, along with other objects and features thereof, from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawing, in which:
The sole FIGURE is a graphical representation of the texture maps used in the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A computer implemented method is provided for displaying a representation of a 2-D or 3-D vector field on a graphics processor. The graphics processor must be one with texture mapping capabilities. The method is not limited to any particular graphics processor or texture mapping facility but is equally applicable to any graphics processor or texture mapping facility. The graphics processor should include a memory for storing vector data representing a vector field.
The present invention is a method which utilizes existing texture mapping capabilities on many graphics processors in a novel way in order to better visualize vector fields. The result of this novel use of texturing allows one to get a better visual "feel" for such phenomena as blood flow within vessels or air flow around an object. The visual effect is one of small line segments emanating away from the source of the vector, and in one embodiment to be described, small line segments both moving away from the source and fading in intensity.
The sole FIGURE is a graphical representation which shows the texture maps which are used to practice the invention. The FIGURE is meant only to illustrate the principle of the invention as texture maps are not actually stored in a computer in the format shown, however, the FIGURE along with the description to follow would enable one skilled in the art to practice the present invention.
Referring now to the FIGURE, 16 1-D texture maps are shown. These texture maps are created in accordance with the present invention. Texture map 10 is the first and texture map 20 is the last. The texture maps run horizontally and are stacked vertically. Each texture map consists of 64 texture elements having a specific alpha and intensity value, ttii, where tt and ii are hexadecimal values ranging from 0 to 255. Each texture element in the FIGURE corresponds to a length of 1/64 of the total texture map. In the hexadecimal number system, each t and i is one of {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, f}. The alpha value (tt) is used by a graphics processor to specify the transparency of a rendered object and the intensity value (ii) is used to attenuate an object's color. The 64 texture elements elements of texture map 10 in the FIGURE can be written in the following form:
ffff(6), 00ff(10), ffcf(6), 00ff(10), ff8f(6) , 00ff(10) , ff4f(6) , 00ff(10)
Pattern ttii (n) corresponds to n consecutive texture elements having an alpha value of tt and an intensity value of ii. Thus, for example, in texture map 10, the first pattern, ffff, corresponds to a visible element with full intensity; 00ff corresponds to an invisible element (intensity therefore does not matter); ffcf corresponds to a visible element of intensity equal to 207 (cf in hex). The intensity value is a decreasing number but the actual values used herein are for illustration only and any decreasing set of numbers on the relevant scale can be chosen for intensity as long as they are decreasing in magnitude.
It can be seen from the FIGURE that each texture map after the first texture map 10 is created by right-shifting the preceding texture map by a fixed number (one in the FIGURE) of texture elements. Texture elements in the right-most positions of the texture maps wrap around to the left-most positions as they are shifted off of the texture map. As explained above, the preferred embodiment of the present invention uses visible segments that are decreasing in intensity. It can be seen from the FIGURE that the texture maps are divided into sections of a length equal to a visible segment and an invisible segment within which section, all visible segments for the ordered sequence of texture maps have equal intensity values.
Once the texture maps are created as shown in the FIGURE and as just described, they are then sequentially applied (e.g., one at a time) to the vectors and after each application, the vectors are displayed on the graphics computer. This step of applying and displaying is repeated any number of times to create the desired visual effect.
Given a two or three dimensional vector field to be displayed, the above-described texture maps are applied to the individual vectors according to the following algorithm: ##EQU1## This code is written in the C programming language and includes two pseudo code descriptions for assigning textures and displaying the vector field. Assigning a texture to a vector in the present invention where only intensity is varied, comprises varying the intensity of the displayed vector (a line segment) along its length proportionally according to the texture map being assigned. The effect of applying the above algorithm is a set of small line segments emanating from the vector field points and moving along the vectors in the vector field and fading away. It is the time-varying nature of the texture mapping which creates this effect. The size of the texture maps, the number of segments in the texture maps, the ratio of the visible to invisible segments in the texture maps (6 to 10 in the example shown in the FIGURE) and the number of texture maps can all be varied. The essential aspects of the present invention are the change of the texture maps (e.g. the right shifting of the pattern seen in the FIGURE) and the presence in them of transparent, or invisible segments which produce the smooth motion effect. Texture maps with constant visible segment intensities could be used, but will not result in the fading effect which is desirable. For non-black backgrounds, the present method would vary transparency tt instead of intensity ii.
To apply texture maps to the rendered vectors, the vectors must be assigned texture coordinates. The present inventive method treats texture maps as having a 2-D range of (0,0) to (1,0). A texture coordinate of (0,0) is assigned to the origin of all the vectors. That is the point in space from which the vector data was calculated or obtained. The end point of the vector is assigned a texture coordinate of (1,0). Its location is determined by the origin of the vector plus the vector quantity multiplied by a user defined constant for all vectors. Thus the magnitude of the displayed vector is linearly proportional to the magnitude of the vector data. By applying the same texture map to all displayed vectors regardless of magnitude one can indicate the magnitude or velocity of the vector data through the apparent velocity of the animated texture maps.
For example, after iterating through the above pseudo code loop sixteen times we will have drawn the display vectors sixteen times with different texture maps. Using the sample texture maps in the accompanying diagram, the effect on one display vector will be to have four dashes move along the display vector away from its origin while slowly fading out. It does not matter how long the display vectors are, within sixteen iterations the four dashes will move one fourth of the distance along the display vector. So for longer display vectors the dashes will move faster. The velocity of these dashes is determined by the magnitude of the display vector which in turn is linearly proportional to the original magnitude of the vector data.
The advantages of the present inventive method over conventional 3-D vector field visualization techniques are several. The continuous motion of the vector field allows one to view a 3-D vector field much more clearly than a static picture does, especially when the number of vectors exceeds several hundred. The method of the present invention is extremely efficient in that no solutions of differential equations are required for computing particle trajectories and since the geometry of the vector field is not changing, the display of thousands of vectors can be done in real time. Since this technique simulates stream particles without actually using them, the accumulated errors associated with iteratively calculating particle trajectories are not encountered. Also as mentioned above, the texture maps can be modified so as to produce different effects. The present invention can also be applied to vector fields by introducing several vector fields, one for each individual time step, and masking all non-current vector fields with transparent textures.
Another variation of the present method is application of randomization to the texture coordinate assignments. Instead of assigning texture coordinates (0,0) and (1,0) to start and end points of all vectors in the vector field one may select for each vector a small random number "r" in the range 0<r<0.2 and assign texture (r,0) to start point and (r+0.8,0) to the end point of the vector. This procedure will decrease the pulsing nature of the motion.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is realized that modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A method for visualizing vector fields uses texture mapping for the vectors to create an animated vector field. Vectors are textured with one dimensional texture maps composed of alternating visible and invisible segments. Successively applied texture maps differ from each other in order to create a moving line effect on the vectors being visualized. A fading effect is further provided by varying the intensity of the visible segments.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of, and claims priority to, PCT/CN2015/097539 filed on Dec. 16, 2015, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201510097522.2 filed on Mar. 5, 2015. The disclosures of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In recent years, light emitting diode (LED) has been widely applied and plays an increasingly more important role in various fields like display system, lighting system and automobile tail light. The LED with AlGaInP-based light-emitting layer has high internal quantum efficiency. However, external quantum efficiency of conventional LED has been restricted by many factors, like internal total reflection, metal electrode blocking and light absorption by GaAs semiconductor material. For those LEDs growing over light-absorption substrates, a good part of light is finally absorbed by the substrate. Therefore, for those conventional LED structures, external quantum efficiency remains low even internal photoelectric converting efficiency is high. Methods to improve LED light extraction efficiency include thinning window layer, surface roughening, transparent substrate, inverted pyramid structure, etc.
SUMMARY
[0003] The present disclosure provides a light emitting diode that effectively enhances external extraction efficiency thereof
[0004] Technical approaches of the present disclosure can include: a light-emitting diode (LED), comprising a light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer, a transparent dielectric layer, a transparent conductive layer and a metal reflective layer, wherein, the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer has a first surface and a second surface that are opposite to each other, comprising an n-type semiconductor layer, a light emitting layer and a p-type semiconductor layer; the transparent dielectric layer is located on the second surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer and is in direct contact with the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer, inside which are conductive holes; the transparent conductive layer is located on one side surface of the transparent dielectric layer that is far from the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer; the metal reflective layer is located on one side surface of the transparent conductive layer that is far from the transparent dielectric layer; and refractivity of the transparent dielectric layer is less than that of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer and the transparent conductive layer. In this present disclosure, the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer can be equivalent to a high-refractivity layer, the transparent dielectric layer can be equivalent to a low-refractivity and high-transmittance layer; and the transparent conductive layer can be equivalent to a high-refractivity and high-transmittance conductive layer. The three layers form a reflectivity-enhancing system. Further, the transparent conductive layer and the metal reflective layer form an omni-directional reflector structure.
[0005] In some embodiments, refractivity of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer, the transparent dielectric layer and the transparent conductive layer is r1, r2 and r3 respectively, with relationship satisfying: r2<r3<r1.
[0006] In some embodiments, roughness of the second surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer is less than that of the first surface. In some embodiments, the second surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer is a surface at one side of the n-type semiconductor layer.
[0007] In some embodiments, the transparent dielectric layer is doped with foaming particles which generate gas bubbles when heated, thereby reducing refractivity of the transparent dielectric layer and achieving scattering effect. This enhances the total reflection probability of the interface between the emitting epitaxial layer and the transparent dielectric layer. In some embodiments, the foaming particles are selected from any one of CaCO 3 , BaCO 3 , Ca (HCO 3 ) 2 , Na 2 CO 3 , NaHCO 3 or their combinations.
[0008] In some embodiments, the transparent conductive layer has good adhesiveness and bridges the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer and the metal reflective layer. This increases interface strength and avoids the metal reflective layer from stripping off the epitaxy. In some preferred embodiments, the transparent conductive layer is a sputtered ITO material layer (S-ITO for short), and the metal reflective layer is an Ag reflector. As the S-ITO and the Ag reflector are well adhesive to the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer, and would not have chemical reaction with the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer under high temperature, the smoothness of the interface between the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer and the transparent conductive layer is not affected. Therefore, this improves mirror reflectivity and further enhances light extraction rate of LED. In some preferred embodiments, the S-ITO is in molecular state and distributes on the transparent dielectric layer in granular shape. Preferred thickness is 10-100 A, within which, the film is not yet formed and is in molecular state with least light absorption. In addition, the S-ITO is distributed on the surface of the transparent dielectric layer in granular shape, thereby having little effect on mirror smoothness.
[0009] In some embodiments, the first surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer has a plurality of roughened patterns in honeycomb structure appearing in regular hexagon. This roughened structure has high utility rate of space and effectively enhances light extraction rate. In some embodiments, the honeycomb structure is hemispherical.
[0010] The present disclosure also provides a fabrication method of light emitting diode, mainly comprising the steps below: a light emitting diode fabrication method, comprising: 1) forming a light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer on the growth substrate, which comprises at least an n-type semiconductor layer, a light emitting layer and a p-type semiconductor layer; 2) fabricating an electrode on the p-side surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer, and annealing to form ohmic contact; 3) bonding a temporary substrate on the p-side surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer; 4) removing the growth substrate, and exposing the n-side surface; 5) consecutively forming a transparent conductive layer and a metal reflective layer and annealing to form ohmic contact on the n-side surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer; 6) bonding a substrate on the metal reflective layer and removing the temporary substrate. In this fabrication method, thermal treatment is done before substrate bonding to form n-side ohmic contact and p-side ohmic contact. As a result, thermal treatment is not required after evaporation of the metal reflective layer, which may loss luminance.
[0011] In another aspect, a light-emitting system is provided including a plurality of the LEDs. The light-emitting system can be used for lighting, signage, display, etc.
[0012] Other features and advantages of various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the following specification, and it is believed that such features and advantages will become more obvious in the specification or through implementations of this invention. The purposes and other advantages of the present disclosure can be realized and obtained in the structures specifically described in the specifications, claims and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and constitute a part of this specification, together with the embodiments, are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. In addition, the drawings are merely illustrative, which are not drawn to scale.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the light emitting diode structure in accordance with Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of portion B in FIG. 1 .
[0016] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of fabricating the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0017] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a first step of a manufacturing process for the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0018] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a second step of a manufacturing process for the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0019] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a third step of a manufacturing process for the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0020] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a fourth step of a manufacturing process for the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0021] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a fifth step of a manufacturing process for the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0022] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a sixth step of a manufacturing process for the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0023] FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the light emitting diode structure in accordance with Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.
[0024] FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing the light emitting diode structure in accordance with Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 12 shows the roughened pattern of the first surface of the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 11 .
[0026] FIG. 13 shows a single hemispherical roughened pattern of the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 11 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The light emitting diode structure is described in detail with reference to the schematic diagrams, to help understand and practice the disclosed embodiments, regarding how to solve technical problems using technical approaches for achieving the technical effects. It should be understood that the embodiments and their characteristics described in this disclosure may be combined with each other and such technical proposals are deemed to be within the scope of this disclosure without departing from the spirit of this invention.
[0028] FIG. 1 shows the light emitting diode according to the first preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, comprising from bottom to up: a substrate 100 , a metal bonding layer 110 , a metal reflective layer 120 , a transparent conductive layer 130 , a transparent dielectric layer 140 , and a light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer 150 , wherein, the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer 150 comprises a first semiconductor layer 151 , a light emitting layer 152 and a second semiconductor layer 153 . When the first semiconductor layer 151 is a p-type semiconductor, the second semiconductor layer 153 can be an n-type semiconductor with different electrical property. On the contrary, when the first semiconductor layer 151 is an n-type semiconductor, the second semiconductor layer 153 can be a p-type semiconductor with different electrical property. The light emitting layer 152 is between the first semiconductor layer 151 and the second semiconductor layer 153 , which can be a neutral -type, a p -type or an n -type semiconductor. When the applied current passes through the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer, the light emitting layer 152 emits light. When the light emitting layer 152 is made of nitride-based material, blue or green light will be emitted; when made of AlInGaP-based material, red, orange or yellow light in amber color will be emitted. In this embodiment, the first semiconductor layer 151 is an n-type semiconductor, and the second semiconductor layer 153 is a p-type semiconductor. The light emitting layer 152 is made of AlGaInP-based material. Above the second semiconductor layer 153 is a GaP window layer.
[0029] Specifically, the metal reflective layer 120 is a high-reflectivity material layer, and Ag reflector is preferred. Due to poor adhesiveness of the Ag reflector and the epitaxy, the transparent conductive layer 130 can be an ITO material layer that is well adhesive to both the epitaxy and the Ag reflector. This improves adhesive strength and forms an ODR system with the mirror. In some embodiments, for the transparent conductive layer 130 , S-ITO is preferred, and preferred thickness is 10-100 A, within which, the ITO film is not yet formed and is distributed on the surface of the transparent dielectric layer 140 in modular state. As the S-ITO is well adhesive to the epitaxy, and would not have chemical reaction with the epitaxy under high temperature, which may damage mirror smoothness and affect reflectivity. The transparent dielectric layer 140 is composed of a silicon dioxide material layer 141 , inside which are conductive holes 142 . The conductive holes can directly be filled with transparent conductive materials, or be composed of an n-GaAs layer 142 a and an n-type ohmic contact layer 142 b ; FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of B in FIG. 1 .
[0030] In this embodiment, the transparent conductive layer 130 and the metal reflective layer 120 form an omni-directional reflective structure. A transparent dielectric layer 140 is added between the transparent conductive layer 130 and the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer 150 , wherein, the transparent dielectric layer 140 is a low-refractivity and high-transmittance layer, and the refractivity is less than that of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer and the transparent conductive layer. The transparent conductive layer 130 and the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer 150 form a reflectivity-enhancing system, which also serves as an n-type current blocking layer.
[0031] In general, in a light emitting epitaxial structure, roughness of the n-side bottom surface is less than that of the p-side upper surface. Taking AlGaInP material as an example, the growth substrate is often made of GaAs, and roughness Ra of the n-side bottom surface can be equivalent to that of the GaAs substrate, which is about 0.174 nm, and roughness Ra of the p-side surface is about 3.56 nm. When light enters the optically thinner medium from optically denser medium, a smooth surface is more prone to total reflection than a roughened surface. In the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 1 , the first semiconductor layer is an n-type semiconductor, adjoining to the omni-directional reflective structure. In this omni-directional reflective system, roughness of the interface between the optically denser medium (the first semiconductor layer 151 ) and the optically thinner medium (the transparent dielectric layer 140 ) is small. Therefore, downward light emitted from the light emitting layer is much more likely to be totally reflected back to the inside part of the epitaxy, thus significantly enhancing light extraction rate of LED.
[0032] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the light emitting diode as shown in FIG. 1 , mainly comprising steps below: S 01 : forming a light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer on the growth substrate, which comprises at least an n-type semiconductor layer, a light emitting layer and a p-type semiconductor layer; S 02 : fabricating an electrode on the p-side surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer, and annealing to form ohmic contact; S 03 : bonding a temporary substrate on the p-side surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer; S 04 : removing the growth substrate, and exposing the n-side surface; S 05 : consecutively forming a transparent conductive layer and a metal reflective layer and annealing to form ohmic contact on the n-side surface of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer; S 06 : bonding a substrate on the metal reflective layer and removing the temporary substrate Detailed descriptions will be given to the fabrication method of the light emitting diode with reference to FIGS. 4-10 .
[0033] With reference to FIG. 4 , consecutively form an InGaP blocking layer 002 , an n-type GaAs ohmic contact layer 003 , an n-type semiconductor layer 151 , a light emitting layer 152 , a p-type semiconductor layer 153 and a window layer 154 via epitaxial growth on the GaAs substrate 001 .
[0034] With reference to FIG. 5 , fabricate a p-electrode 160 on the surface of the window layer 154 , and form ohmic contact via thermal treatment.
[0035] With reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , bond a temporary substrate 005 via the bonding layer 004 on the surface of the window layer 154 , and remove the GaAs substrate 001 and the InGaP blocking layer 002 to expose the surface of the n-type GaAs ohmic contact layer 003 .
[0036] With reference to FIG. 8 , define a conductive area on the surface of the n-type GaAs ohmic contact layer 003 , and remove the n-type GaAs ohmic contact layer 003 in the non-conductive area via etching. Form n-type ohmic contact metal on the n-type GaAs ohmic contact layer in the conductive area; and form a transparent dielectric layer 140 in the non-conductive zone; next, form an ITO layer as the transparent conductive layer 130 via sputtering on the transparent dielectric layer 140 ; then, form an Ag reflector as the metal reflective layer 120 on the transparent conductive layer 140 , and finally form an n-side ohmic contact through thermal treatment. The metal reflective layer is located at the n-side surface of the light emitting layer. Due to lattice match of the n-side material layer and the GaAs substrate, the surface would be particularly smooth during crystal growth, and roughness is significantly less than that of the p-side surface.
[0037] With reference to FIG. 9 , bond a conductive substrate 100 on the surface of the metal reflective layer via the bonding layer 110 , and remove the temporary substrate 005 .
[0038] In this fabrication method, thermal treatment is done before substrate bonding to form n-side ohmic contact and p-side ohmic contact. As a result, thermal treatment is not required after evaporation of the Ag reflector, which may loss luminance.
[0039] FIG. 10 shows the light emitting diode according to a second preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the transparent dielectric layer 140 is doped with foaming particles 143 which generate gas bubbles when heated, such as CaCO 3 , BaCO 3 , Ca(HCO 3 ) 2 , Na 2 CO 3 , NaHCO 3 , thereby reducing refractivity of the transparent dielectric layer 140 and achieving scattering effect. This enhances the total reflection probability of the interface between light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer 150 and the transparent dielectric layer 140 . Wherein, the method for which foaming particles generate gas bubbles when heated would only change the refractivity of the transparent dielectric layer 140 without affecting smoothness of the transparent dielectric layer 140 . Therefore, it would not affect smoothness and reflectivity of the mirror. In some embodiments, these foaming particles 143 are distributed at the side of the transparent dielectric layer 140 near the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer 150 .
[0040] FIG. 11 shows the light emitting diode according to a third preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, form a roughened pattern in honeycomb structure on the surface of the window layer 154 , appearing in regular hexagon as shown in FIG. 12 . This structure has high utility rate of space. On this basis, the roughened light-emitting area is larger than the surface area, resulting in high extraction rate. Specifically, an ideal honeycomb structure is a hemispherical structure as shown in FIG. 13 . The diameter and depth should meet the requirements below: T: thickness of window layer 154 , R: radius of surface 3D pattern; d: etching depth of 3D pattern; T max : maximum roughening depth, with relationship of four parameters satisfying: T max <d<T−T max , 3u≦R<T−T max , R≦d<T −T max .
[0041] Although specific embodiments have been described above in detail, the description is merely for purposes of illustration. It should be appreciated, therefore, that many aspects described above are not intended as required or essential elements unless explicitly stated otherwise. Various modifications of, and equivalent acts corresponding to, the disclosed aspects of the exemplary embodiments, in addition to those described above, can be made by a person of ordinary skill in the art, having the benefit of the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure defined in the following claims, the scope of which is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalent structures.
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A light-emitting diode (LED) structure and a fabrication method thereof effectively enhance external extraction efficiency of the LED, which includes: a light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer, a transparent dielectric layer, and a transparent conductive layer forming a reflectivity-enhancing system; and a metal reflective layer. The light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer has opposite first and second surfaces, and includes an n-type semiconductor layer, a light emitting layer, and a p-type semiconductor layer. The transparent dielectric layer is on the second surface, inside which are conductive holes. The transparent conductive layer is located on one side surface of the transparent dielectric layer distal from the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer. The metal reflective layer is located on one side surface of the transparent conductive layer distal from the transparent dielectric layer. Refractivity of the transparent dielectric layer is less than that of the light-emitting epitaxial laminated layer and the transparent conductive layer.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to routing of circuits in a network. More particularly, the invention encompasses a method and an apparatus for routing circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network. The invention further includes multiple schemes for routing circuits with dynamic self-adjusting link weights in a SCN (Switched Communication Network). The network could consist of optical, ATM, FR, or IP/MPLS switches and cross-connects.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The problems with communication congestion, such as decrease in available bandwidths, failure and restoration of communication routes are all well known in the art. There are many solutions that have been proposed and some have been implemented. For example, one solution calls for an external method to periodically analyze the static link weights and adjust these link weights, through provisioning, to modify the path selection process.
Also, the current routing protocols always pick the shortest—that is, least cumulative (static)—link weight path with available capacity. Communication ties are typically broken in arbitrary but fixed order. Thus, if there are two (diverse) paths, say between New York and Washington, D.C., one of these will be consistently chosen over the other and all service will ride on this path. The other or the second path will be designated as the restoration path and restoration capacity will be maintained in the network along this path. A failure in the first path would take out all the circuits from New York to Washington, D.C. However, if some of these circuits were on the second path, the failure would have impacted fewer circuits. Furthermore, this also leads to a highly imbalanced network.
This invention overcomes the problems of the prior art. The invention is a dynamic method and apparatus for adjusting link weights so that the routing of circuits will adapt as links fill up in the Switched Communication Network. This will lead to a more balanced network and fewer circuits would be affected by individual network failures, resulting in better restoration performance.
PURPOSES AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a novel method and an apparatus for routing circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network.
Therefore, one purpose of this invention is to route circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network.
Another purpose of this invention is to provide restoration in a very efficient and economical manner.
Still another purpose of this invention is to create a highly balanced network.
Yet another purpose of this invention is to utilize all the links within the network.
Still yet another purpose of this invention is to monitor the available bandwidth of the links in the network and, when the bandwidth falls below a specific threshold, to implement this invention.
Therefore, in one aspect this invention comprises a method for routing circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network, comprising the steps of:
(a) calculating a new “administrative” weight for each link in a network based on provisioned administrative weight of said link and at least one additional parameter, and
(b) calculating the route of the circuit using the new “administrative” weight.
In another aspect this invention comprises a method for routing circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network, comprising the steps of:
(a) calculating a new “administrative” weight for each link in a network based on provisioned administrative weight of said link, wherein the new “administrative” weight of said link is different than the provisioned administrative weight of said link, and
(b) using the new “administrative” weight to calculate the route for the circuit.
In yet another aspect this invention comprises an apparatus for routing circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network, comprising:
administrative weight of said link and at least one additional parameter, and
(b) means for using the new “administrative” weight to calculate the route for the circuit.
In still another aspect this invention comprises an apparatus for routing circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network, comprising:
(a) means for calculating a new “administrative” weight for each link in a network based on provisioned administrative weight of said link, wherein the new “administrative” weight of said link is different than the provisioned administrative weight of said link, and
(b) means for using the new “administrative” weight to calculate the route for the circuit.
In still yet another aspect this invention comprises a program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for routing circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network, the method steps comprising:
(a) calculating a new “administrative” weight for each link in a network based on provisioned administrative weight of said link and at least one additional parameter, and
(b) calculating the route of the circuit using the new “administrative” weight.
In yet another aspect this invention comprises a program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for routing circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network, the method steps comprising:
(a) calculating a new “administrative” weight for each link in a network based on provisioned administrative weight of said link, wherein the new “administrative” weight of said link is different than the provisioned administrative weight of said link, and
(b) using the new “administrative” weight to calculate the route for the circuit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of the invention believed to be novel and the elements characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not drawn to scale. Furthermore, like numbers represent like features in the drawings. The invention itself, however, both as to organization and method of operation, may best be understood by reference to the detailed description which follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an exemplary network which is used to illustrate the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a link between two switches and their characteristics.
FIG. 3A uses the exemplary network of FIG. 1 and provides characteristics for all the links and switches.
FIG. 3B is an exemplary flow diagram to illustrate the circuit establishment process of the prior art.
FIG. 3C illustrates the routing scheme results of the prior art.
FIG. 4 is an exemplary flow diagram to illustrate the circuit establishment process with new weights using the present invention.
FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the present invention using a first method of the invention.
FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate the present invention using another method of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention makes the link weight used in path calculations a function of the (static) link weight and the total and the currently available capacities of the link. All these three pieces of information are either already contained in link-state advertisements used by known routing protocols, or can be obtained by simple enhancements. This invention takes advantage of the fact that as the available capacity of the link weight changes (increases or decreases), the paths using this link become less desirable. The available capacity could be expressed as a percentage of the total capacity of the link. This will force the shortest path to become longer as more services are provisioned and will cause (previously) longer paths to become more attractive and to be eventually used, resulting in a better-balanced network.
FIG. 1 is an exemplary switch setting up the circuit 10 which is used to illustrate the present invention. The switch setting up the circuit 10 has a plurality of switches (SW) 101 – 106 and a plurality of point-to-point communication links 201 – 207 , as more clearly illustrated in FIG. 1 . In a typical switch setting-up the circuit 10 , switches 101 – 106 are connected with point-to-point communication links 201 – 207 —for example, OC48 (Optical Carrier level 48), OC12, OC3, DS3 communication links, to name a few. One can also have multiple links between a pair of switches (not shown). It is preferred that each link 201 – 207 is bi-directional, and with potentially different characteristics in each direction. For example, each link could have different bandwidth (BW) and administrative weight between each direction. For the sake of simplicity, the invention will be illustrated assuming that all the links have the same characteristics in either direction. Switches 101 – 106 can also automatically discover network and set up circuits using known link-state routing and signaling protocols. Examples of such switches are optical switches, ATM switches, FR switches, and IP/MPLS routers, and examples of protocols are OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), PNNI (Private Network-to-Network Interface), MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching), to name a few, or the switches can be provisioned with network information. Multiple links can also be grouped into an “aggregated link” to ease burden of link-state protocol. Circuits are established between a pair of switches and the circuit could traverse multiple switches in between. The (service) route of the circuit is the set of links (and switches) on which it is set up.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a link between two switches—for example, 101 and 102 —and their characteristics. For ease of understanding, the rest of the invention will be described in terms of optical switches and OC48 links between switches. The point-to-point communication link 201 connects switch 101 and switch 102 to each other. There may be other parallel links and/or switches between switch 101 and switch 102 , and/or between switches 103 – 106 and links 202 – 207 ; but for the ease of understanding the invention they are not being discussed. Suffice it to say that this invention equally applies to those links and/or switches.
For the purpose of understanding this invention, let us assume that the link 201 comprises two component OC48 lines; therefore the bandwidth (BW) in the direction from switch 101 to switch 102 would be 96 STS1 (Synchronous Transport Signal level 1) slots (2×OC48). The bandwidth in the direction from switch 201 to switch 101 would be 96 STS1 slots (2×OC48). Let us also assume that the administrative weights in the direction from switch 101 to switch 102 total 200, and the administrative weights in the direction from switch 102 to switch 101 total 200. Let us also assume that the available bandwidth in the direction from switch 101 to switch 102 would be 10 STS1 slots, and the available bandwidth in the direction from switch 102 to switch 101 would be 10 STS1 slots. This also implies that the existing circuits are using 86 STS1 slots (96−10).
Administrative weights are typically provisioned by a network administrator for each link in the two end switches when the link is turned up. The administrative weights reflect the cost of the link and are typically a function of the length of the link. The administrative weight can also be changed (by the network administrator) while the link is operational. Furthermore, the available bandwidth on a link depends on the total bandwidth of the link minus the bandwidth used by the circuits provisioned on the link.
Now referring to FIGS. 3A , 3 B and 3 C, where FIG. 3A uses the exemplary network of FIG. 1 and provides characteristics for all the links and switches. For the purposes of illustration, let us assume that the administrative weights, bandwidth and the available bandwidth for each of the links are as shown in FIG. 3A . It should be appreciated that each switch number 101 – 106 keeps track of the available bandwidth of all its links. Each of the switch advertises this information (along with the total bandwidth, administrative weights, etc.) in link-state advertisements (LSAs). This is a standard practice and is used by most, if not all, of the routing protocols known in the art. Each switch number 101 – 106 collects LSAs from all other switches and, on the basis of the information therein, compiles information such as that shown in FIG. 3A . The table shown in FIG. 3A is for illustrative purposes only, and the exact method could vary from vendor to vendor, and protocol to protocol. The standard process of establishing a new circuit is to first find the shortest route for the circuit. Here the term “shortest” is defined as the least cumulative administrative weights of the links in the route. The route must also have sufficient available bandwidth for the circuit.
FIG. 3B is an exemplary flow diagram to illustrate the circuit establishment process of the prior art. At step 401 the switch setting up the circuit 10 constructs a graph of switches and links based on the information in LSAs. At step 402 the switch setting up the circuit 10 prunes the graph of all links with insufficient available bandwidth to carry the circuit. Steps 401 and 402 can be combined into a single step. Also, step 402 can be performed before step 401 . At step 405 the switch setting up the circuit 10 runs a shortest path algorithm, such as the Dijkstra algorithm, on the remaining graph to obtain a route for circuit. At step 406 the switch setting up the circuit 10 signals to all the switches along the route or links to establish the circuit. For the sake of simplicity, this circuit establishment process does not show what is done if any of the steps cannot be performed; however, those steps are all well known in the prior art. It should be appreciated that step 406 is a complex step and may involve multiple activities.
FIG. 3C illustrates the routing scheme results of the prior art obtained from FIGS. 3A and 3B . Therefore, based on the administrative weights in FIG. 3A , there are three routes for a circuit from switch 101 to switch 103 . The length of a route is the sum of the administrative weights of the links in the route. The three different routes from switch 101 to switch 103 are illustrated in FIG. 3C . Now when the circuit establishment process illustrated in FIG. 3B is utilized, then for an STS1 or STS3 circuit, Route 1 will be chosen. However, for an STS12 circuit, Route 2 will be chosen as link 201 will be pruned in step 402 , due to insufficient available bandwidth to carry the circuit.
It is well known that the aim of capacity planning is to provision adequate network capacity over time to accommodate demand for circuits in the future. This is an ongoing process, and the gist of the process is to estimate needed capacity based on demand forecasts or on estimates of how fast capacity is being consumed. The exact process is not relevant to this invention, except for the fact that capacity is continually augmented as it is used up.
For example, the demand forecast may be for an equivalent of 20 STS1s in the near future on link 201 . This clearly exceeds the available bandwidth on link 201 of 10 STS1s. Consequently, the size of link 201 has to be augmented by adding another OC48 line to it.
Furthermore, in case of a network failure of a link or switch, circuits that include the failed link/switch in their routes also fail and have to be restored. The process is to find a new (restoration) route for each failed circuit that circumvents the failed portion of the network. The switches will transmit information of the failure using known routing protocols. The failed links and switches are deleted from the network graph and a new route is calculated using the process in FIG. 3B . It is also important to note that restoration is a serial process. Thus, the larger the number of failed circuits in a switch, the longer it takes to restore all the circuits.
Most networks that are in use also have requirements that certain classes of circuits must be restored in the event of network failures. Thus, to plan for a possible failure of link—for example, link 203 —alternate routes have to be calculated for all circuits that ride on link 203 and adequate restoration capacity must be provisioned on the links that make up these routes.
For example, say that there are nine circuits on link 203 with a total bandwidth of STS 28. Link 203 has three component OC48 lines for a total bandwidth of STS 144, leaving STS 116 as the available bandwidth, as illustrated in FIG. 3A . Let us say that the alternate routes for these circuits are such that six circuits (bandwidth=STS 21) go over link 201 and three circuits (bandwidth=STS 7) go over link 205 . There may be other links in the alternate routes as well. Thus, the restoration capacity planning process needs to provide for spare capacity on link 201 of at least STS 21 and on link 205 of at least STS 7. The restoration capacity will be in addition to capacity provided for future service demands. Thus planning for restoration capacity is a complicated process. The above example is a simplification of the actual process and has been used here for the purposes of illustration only. Also, it is not relevant to the invention what process and algorithms are employed for service and restoration capacity planning, except for the fact that spare network capacity is continually deployed in the network for future service demands and for restoration.
The current art of establishing new service circuits, restoring failed circuits, and for planning both the service and restoration capacity leads to unbalanced loading on the network. To illustrate this problem of the prior art, say that there is a high demand for circuits between switches 101 and 103 in the network. This demand comes over time. Using the process illustrated in FIG. 3B , the demand would initially be routed on the shortest route, which would be over links 201 and 202 . As the capacity of links 201 and 202 gets used up, the capacity planning process augments the capacity of these links. In addition, the restoration capacity planning process requires some spare bandwidth on these links for restoring circuits on other routes. Additional circuits between switches 101 and 103 , in most, if not all, cases would get routed on the shortest route, which would be link 201 and link 202 , as there generally is sufficient spare capacity on these links. In order to plan for the restoration of these circuits, since they all ride on links 201 and 202 , restoration capacity would be planned for on alternate routes. The two alternates routes are shown in FIG. 3C , as Route 2 and Route 3 , and between them they must have sufficient spare capacity to restore all restorable circuits on link 201 and link 202 . Since Route 2 is shorter than Route 3 , it will be the preferred restoration route and the major portion of the restoration capacity will be allocated to this route resulting in (a) a lot of service demand on links 201 and 202 , (b) a lot of spare restoration capacity on links 203 and 204 , and (c) some restoration capacity on links 205 , 206 and 207 .
Now, if either of the links 201 or 202 fail, then all circuits between switches 101 and 103 will fail and all of the restorable circuits will have to be restored on alternate routes. This is not good from the point of view of restoration speed, as switches 101 and 103 will have a large number of circuits to restore all at once, and it will be longer before all circuits come up again. However, if some of these circuits were distributed onto Route 2 (links 203 , 204 ), then there would be a better balanced situation in the network, and a failure of links 201 and 202 would affect fewer circuits, leading to significantly better restoration times. However, there are no automatic ways in the prior art to balance or distribute circuits between alternate routes. This is because the shortest route is always chosen in these methods. One of the avenues available to a network administrator would be to manually change the administrative weights of the links to make a previously longer route appear shorter in terms of the new administrative weights. This would be considered very risky as it would involve a lot of manual provisioning with unpredictable effects. However, this invention overcomes these and other problems of the prior art and provides an automatic way of adjusting administrative weights to better balance the network load.
FIG. 4 is an exemplary flow diagram to illustrate the circuit establishment process with new weights using the present invention. At step 801 the switch setting up the circuit 10 constructs a graph of switches and links based on the information in LSAs. At step 802 the switch setting up the circuit 10 prunes the graph of all links with insufficient available bandwidth to carry the circuit. Steps 801 and 802 can be combined into a single step. Also, step 802 can be performed before step 801 . At step 804 the network chooses a method based on circuit class and/or bandwidth requirements and calculates new weights for all the links. At step 805 the switch setting up the circuit 10 runs a shortest path algorithm, such as the Dijkstra algorithm, on the remaining graph and uses new link weights to obtain a route for the circuit. At step 806 the switch setting up the circuit 10 signals to all the switches along the route or links to establish the circuit. For the sake of simplicity, this circuit establishment process does not show what is done if any of the steps cannot be performed; however, those steps are all well known in the prior art. It should also be appreciated that step 806 is a complex step and may involve multiple activities.
This invention allows the network to calculate a new “administrative” weight for each link and to use the new “administrative” weights each time a route calculation is done. The new “administrative” weight for a link is basically based on the provisioned administrative weight of the link and other link characteristics, such as the bandwidth, available bandwidth, etc., and the circuit characteristics, such as class of circuit, bandwidth needed, etc.
FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the present invention using a first method of the invention, where:
utilization( U )=(bandwidth−available bandwidth)/bandwidth,
thus U (utilization) will be a fraction between 0 and 1.
Using the first method, the
New “administrative” weight=administrative weight+ Y *administrative weight where Y=U−T if U> or =T, and where Y=0 if U<T.
And, where T (threshold) is a number between 0 and 1.
For the purposes of illustration let us say that T is set at 0.5 for each link, which is a threshold number to be set by a network administrator for each link. Using the information from FIG. 3A , the formulas of the first method, and a threshold of 0.5, FIG. 5A shows the new “administrative” weights, along with the utilization (U) and the variable Y for each of the links 201 – 207 .
The cumulative new weight (length) for the three different routes from switch 101 to switch 103 , using the first new weight method, are illustrated in FIG. 5B . As one can see in FIG. 5B , Route 2 has a cumulative new weight (length) of 600 , which is now a shorter route than Route 1 which now has a cumulative new length (weight) of 682 . This will cause new circuits between switches 101 and 103 to take Route 2 and avoid the situation where all circuits were taking Route 1 . As more circuits take Route 2 , the utilization of links on Route 2 will increase, causing their new weights to increase as well; and eventually Route 1 or another route will again be the best choice. Comparing FIG. 5B with FIG. 3C one can clearly see that the first method of this invention will make the new “administrative” weight of a link higher than the provisioned administrative weight as the utilization of the link increases above an arbitrarily pre-set threshold. For the purposes of illustration, the pre-set threshold for the first method was arbitrarily set at 0.5.
Thus, this invention provides an automatic way of balancing the load or the utilization of the links in the network. Using the new weights (lengths) obtained from the first method of this invention also provides an automatic way of making circuits take a slightly longer path (in terms of the provisioned administrative weights) when the utilization of the links in the shortest route becomes high. This invention can also be implemented based on the class of the circuit and/or the bandwidth needed. For example, new “administrative” weights may only be calculated for the less important class of basic circuits, but not for the more important class of premium circuits.
FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate the present invention using another method of the invention, where:
New “administrative” weight=administrative weight− Z
where:
Z=M*available bandwidth if, M*available bandwidth<V*administrative weight, and
Z=V*administrative weight if, M*available bandwidth > or =V*administrative weight.
The multiplier (M) is a number, such as 2, and the threshold (V) is a pre-selected number between 0 and 1, such as 0.3.
For the purposes of illustration, let us say that the threshold V is set at 0.3 for each link, which is a threshold number to be set by a network administrator for each link, and the multiplier (M) is set at 2. Using the information from FIG. 3A , the formulas of the second method, and a threshold of 0.3, FIG. 6A shows the new “administrative” weights, along with the utilization (U) and the variable Z for each of the links 201 – 207 .
The cumulative new weight (length) for the three different routes from switch 101 to switch 103 , using the second new weight method, are illustrated in FIG. 6B . As one can see in FIG. 6B , Route 2 has a cumulative new weight (length) of 420 , which is now a shorter route than Route 1 which now has a cumulative new length (weight) of 450 . This will cause new circuits between switches 101 and 103 to take Route 2 and avoid the situation where all circuits were taking Route 1 . As more circuits take Route 2 , the utilization of links on Route 2 will increase, causing their new weights to increase as well. Eventually, Route 1 or another route will again be the best choice. Comparing FIG. 6B with FIG. 3C one can clearly see that the second method of this invention will make the new “administrative” weight lower or more attractive than the provisioned administrative weight as the product of the available bandwidth of the link and an arbitrary multiplier increases until an arbitrarily pre-set threshold is reached. For the purposes of illustration, the pre-set threshold for the second method was arbitrarily set at 0.3 times the provisioned administrative weight.
One can clearly see that the second method of this invention is also an automatic way of balancing the load or utilization of links in the network, like the first method.
This invention is applicable to other MPLS-based IP (Internet Protocol) networks and the traditional ATM and Frame Relay (FR) networks as well. This invention can also be used with any communication network with switches capable of establishing circuits—for example, Frame Relay switches, ATM switches, IP/MPLS routers, Optical switches, digital and optical cross-connects, to name a few.
While the present invention has been particularly described in conjunction with a specific preferred embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will embrace any such alternatives, modifications and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.
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The present invention relates generally to routing of circuits in a network. More particularly, the invention encompasses a method and an apparatus for routing circuits using dynamic self-adjusting link weights within a network. The invention further includes multiple schemes for routing circuits with dynamic self-adjusting link weights in a SCN (Switched Communication Network). The network could consist of optical, ATM, FR, or IP/MPLS switches and cross-connects.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of rapidly reworking color filters, and more particularly, to a method of completely removing non-polar R/G/B colorants of a color filter array by utilizing a PAD-PI type negative photoresist, plasma clean process and solvent clean process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is an optical electronic device used to transform light into an electronic signal. Applications of the charge-coupled device include monitors, transcription machines and cameras etc. However, due to high cost and large dimensions of the charge-coupled device, there are limitations in applications of the charge-coupled device. To overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, a CMOS photodiode is therefore produced. Because the CMOS photodiode is produced by utilizing traditional semiconductor fabrication, the dimensions and production cost of the CMOS photodiode are reduced. Additionally, the CMOS photodiode can be applied in personal computer cameras and digital cameras.
Whether image sensing equipment is composed of a CCD or a CMOS photodiode, incident light must be divided into a combination of rays with different wavelengths, such as red light, blue light and green light. For example, yellow light can be divided into a combination of 50% blue light and 50% green light. As a result, an optical sensing device needs a filtering array to divide incident light. A color filter is made of a photosensitive resin and is patterned by utilizing a photolithography process and an etching process. Then, the color filter is colored by dyes. Directly utilizing a photoresist containing dyes may also serve as the color filter.
As errors occur in fabricating a color filter array, the color filter array needs to be removed completely. Usually, the color filter array is removed by utilizing a plasma cleaning process. However, after the color filter array is aligned in a photolithography process, molecules of dyes in the color filter array perpetrate a cross-linking reaction to form polymers with larger molecular weight. As a result, the color filter array cannot be removed completely by utilizing the plasma cleaning process.
In general, a positive photoresist is removed by utilizing solutions composed of N-methyl-2pyrrolidone (NMP) and acetone, or by utilizing the plasma cleaning process and a solvent cleaning process. Before the color filter array is aligned in a photolithographic process, the color filter array can be removed completely by a color filter array (CFA) development solution. However, after the color filter array is aligned in a photolithographic process, the color filter array cannot be removed completely by the CFA development solution. The color filter array is a negative photoresist, which contributes to a cross-linking reaction in an exposing process. The cross-linked color filter array cannot be removed completely by utilizing the NMP solution, the development solution and the plasma ash cleaning process. As a result, it is necessary to develop a method of completely removing the cross-linked color filter array.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide a method of rapidly removing non-polar R/G/B colorants of a color filter array.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method to remove a color filter array rapidly. The color filter array composed of non-polar colorants is formed on a silicon nitride layer. A cracking pre-treatment is performed to decompose cross-linked polymers in the non-polar R/G/B colorants into small molecules. A plasma ash cleaning process is performed subsequently in order to oxidize the non-polar R/G/B colorants. Then, a solvent cleaning process is performed.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a cracking pre-treatment is utilized to decompose the cross-linked polymers in the non-polar R/G/B colorants into small molecules. The cracking pre-treatment utilizes a PAD-PI development solution, which is a negative photoresist development solution comprising methoxy-2-propyl-acetate. The PAD-PI development solution can effectively decompose cross-linked polymers into small molecules, which can be removed by a plasma ash cleaning process and a solvent cleaning process.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment which is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a flow chart of removing non-polar R/G/B colorants of a color filter array according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Please refer to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a flow chart 10 of a method of removing non-polar R/G/B colorants of a color filter array according to the present invention. The color filter array composed of non-polar R/G/B colorants is formed on a silicon nitride (SiN) layer of a filter. As shown in FIG. 1, a CFA optical alignment 12 of the color filter array is performed. Then, a cracking pre-treatment 14 is performed on the color filter array, which fails in the CFA optical alignment 12 . The cracking pre-treatment 14 is utilized in order to decompose cross-linked polymers in the non-polar R/G/B colorants of the color filter array into small molecules. The cracking pre-treatment 14 rinses the color filter array in a non-polar development solution, using a time for rinsing of tens of seconds. A plasma ash cleaning process 16 is performed to oxidize the non-polar R/G/B colorants. Then, a solvent cleaning process 18 is performed to complete the method of removing non-polar R/G/B colorants of a color filter array.
In the present invention, a positive photoresist development solution, a PAD-PI development solution containing methoxy-2-propyl-acetate, and an NMP solution are utilized in the cracking pre-treatment 14 . According to experimental results, when utilizing the positive photoresist development solution and the NMP solution, there still exists residue of the color filter array after performing the plasma ash cleaning process 16 and the solvent cleaning process 18 . However, when utilizing the PAD-PI development solution, there exists no residue of the color filter array after performing the plasma ash cleaning process 16 and the solvent cleaning process 18 .
Because the PAD-PI development solution is a non-polar solution, it can decompose the cross-linked polymers in the R/G/B colorants of the color filter array into small molecules. However, positive photoresist development solution is a polar solution and the NMP solution is between a polar and a non-polar solution and both of them cannot decompose the cross-linked polymers in the R/G/B colorants of the color filter array into small molecules.
As a result, the cracking pre-treatment 14 is the most important step in removing the color filter array. The cracking pre-treatment 14 rinses the color filter array in the PAD-PI development solution. When rinsing time is longer, decomposition of the cross-linked polymers is more complete and it is easier to remove the color filter array. Rinsing time typically ranges between 45 and 100 seconds, optimally 90 seconds. After performing the plasma ash cleaning process 16 utilizing oxygen-containing plasma and the solvent cleaning process 18 utilizing a non-polar solvent of ST26S, the color filter array can be removed completely in a short time. Additionally, the solvent cleaning process 18 can utilize commercial ACT935 or EKC270 cleaning solvent.
The above mentioned color filter array is not covered by a planar layer. Therefore, the cracking pre-treatment 14 and the plasma ash cleaning process 16 only need be performed one time to remove the color filter array completely. However, as the planar layer is coated on the color filter array, the color filter array cannot be completely removed by utilizing the cracking pre-treatment 14 and the plasma ash cleaning process 16 only one time. As a result, the cracking pre-treatment 14 and the plasma ash cleaning process 16 have to be performed more than one time.
A color filter array covered by a planar layer comprises a silicon nitride layer, a color filter array composed of non-polar R/G/B colorants formed on the silicon nitride layer, a planar layer composed of borophosphoslicate glass (BPSG) formed on the color filter array and a micro-lens layer formed on the planar layer. The non-polar R/G/B colorants comprise negative photoresist containing acetate resin.
In the present invention, when the color filter array is covered by the planar layer and the micro-lens layer, the cracking pre-treatment 14 and the plasma ash cleaning process 16 have to be performed more than one time to remove the color filter array completely. First, the cracking pre-treatment 14 is performed. The plasma ash cleaning process 16 utilizing oxygen plasma is performed for about 50 seconds. Then, the cracking pre-treatment 14 and the plasma ash cleaning process 16 are repeated at least one time. Then, the solvent cleaning process 18 utilizing non-polar ST26S solvent is performed. At this point, removal of the non-polar R/G/B colorants, the planar layer and the micro-lens layer is completed. The cracking pre-treatment 14 rinses the color filter array in the PAD-PI development solution containing methoxy-2-propyl-acetate. Rinsing time is between 45 and 100 seconds. As a result, the non-polar R/G/B colorants, the planar layer and the micro-lens layer can be removed in 2.5 hours.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
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A method of removing non-polar colorants of a color filter array rapidly from a bottom layer starts by performing a cracking process to decompose cross-linked polymeric molecules of non-polar R/G/B colorants to smaller fragments. A plasma cleaning process is performed to oxidize the cracked non-polar R/G/B colorants. Then, a solvent cleaning process is performed by using a non-polar solvent to remove the non-polar R/G/B colorants from the bottom layer.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on a prior copending provisional application Ser. No. 60/649,374, filed on Feb. 1, 2005, the benefit of the filing date of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e).
BACKGROUND
[0002] Large numbers of older oil wells in the U.S. bypassed relatively thin oil-bearing formations, whose recovery was not economical at the time those wells were drilled. Production of oil from formations that were thus bypassed represents a significant opportunity in an era of higher oil prices. Many of these previously bypassed zones are now being reworked. Oil production from thin zones and depleted older producing zones is commonly accompanied by substantial water production. Hydraulic fracturing is the principal technique for stimulating production from thin zones and depleted fields. This technique typically results in a pair of vertical wing fractures extending into the formation. In thin zones or depleted formations, the fractures commonly intersect water-bearing formations, resulting in the recovery of oil cut with water. The cost of separating the oil from the recovered oil and water mixture, and disposing of the water, is significant.
[0003] Jet drilling rotors are capable of drilling porous rock such as sandstone, with low thrust and zero mechanical torque. These tools can be made very compact, enabling the tools to conform to a small bend radius. Ultra-short radius jet drilling offers the potential to drill production holes entirely within the oil- or gas-bearing volume of a producing formation, or within a previously bypassed formation, such as those noted above. This approach should minimize the amount of water recovered with the oil, while simultaneously enabling the recovery of oil from a relatively large area.
[0004] Lateral completion wells in thin producing zones with good vertical permeability provide the greatest potential for increased production relative to vertical wells. The target formations for lateral drilling are typically relatively thin (i.e., ranging from about 2 to about 10 meters in thickness) formations that were bypassed in existing production wells. Jet drilling tools provide effective drilling at minimal thrust in permeable oil and gas producing formations, but may not effectively drill through impermeable cap-rock. The objective when drilling such formations is to drill a curved well within the formation thickness, implying the need to drill around a short radius curve having a minimum radius of about 1 meter (40 inches). Working within such a tight radius cannot be achieved using small diameter steel or titanium coiled tubing without exceeding the elastic yield of the tubing and generating a set bend that prevents subsequent straight hole drilling. Composite tubing capable of elastic bending through a small bend radius is available (for example, from Hydril Advanced Composites Group of Houston, Tex.). Unfortunately, such composite tubing generally exhibits maximum pressure ratings of about 35 MPa (˜5000 psi), which is too low for many jet drilling objectives. Wire-wound high-pressure hose capable of bending though a short radius is also available (for example, from the Parflex Division of the Parker Hannifin Corporation in Ravenna, Ohio). Unfortunately, such wire-wound high-pressure hose is very flexible, and will buckle if employed to drill lateral completion wells. It would therefore be desirable to provide a hose assembly configured to deliver high-pressure jetting fluid to a jet drilling tool, where the hose assembly is sufficiently flexible to pass through a short radius curve without damage or acquiring a permanent set, yet is stiff enough to drill a long lateral extension without buckling or locking up in the hole.
SUMMARY
[0005] Disclosed herein is a sleeved hose assembly configured to facilitate the drilling of a long lateral extension through a short radius curve without buckling. As noted above, conventional wire-wound high-pressure hoses are not configured to exhibit transverse moduli sufficient to prevent such buckling from occurring during the drilling of a long lateral extension. The sleeved hose assembly disclosed herein includes both a wire-wound high-pressure hose having a transverse stiffness insufficient to prevent such buckling from occurring, and a sleeve having a transverse stiffness that is sufficient to prevent such buckling from occurring. The wire-wound high-pressure hose is inserted into the sleeve to achieve a sleeved hose assembly having a transverse stiffness sufficient to prevent buckling. As disclosed in greater detail below, a critical buckling load can be determined for a particular drilling application. Based on the critical buckling load that is thus determined, an adequate sleeve material can be selected. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the sleeve material exhibits a transverse modulus of at least about 10 GPa. It should be recognized however, that such a figure is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting. Carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites can be used to provide the sleeve, although other types of reinforcing fibers, such as fiberglass or aramid fiber, may be employed. The use of composite sleeve materials also reduces the weight and sliding friction resistance of the sleeved hose assembly, which allows drilling of longer laterals before buckling occurs. Because the composite material retains its elasticity, it will straighten upon exiting the curve, allowing straight drilling of lateral holes.
[0006] Also disclosed herein is a method for drilling a short radius curve using such a sleeved hose assembly and a method for drilling a lateral borehole using such a sleeved hose assembly.
[0007] Another aspect of this novel approach is directed to a method for drilling an ultra-short radius curve using a rotating jetting tool with a bent housing. The method includes the steps of selecting a wire-wound high-pressure hose capable of withstanding a fluid pressure required to operate the rotating jetting tool that will be used to drill the ultra-short radius curve. A sleeve is selected that is capable of jacketing the wire-wound high-pressure hose. The wire-wound high-pressure hose is then inserted into the sleeve to achieve a sleeved hose assembly. A drill string including the sleeved hose assembly and the rotating jetting tool is assembled, and the drill string is inserted into a borehole. The jetting tool incorporates a bent housing to facilitate drilling of the curved hole. A pressurized fluid is introduced into the sleeved hose assembly to energize the rotating jetting tool. The rotating jetting tool is then used to drill the short radius curve.
[0008] The method for drilling the lateral borehole includes the steps of selecting a wire-wound high-pressure hose capable of withstanding a fluid pressure required to operate a drilling tool to be used to drill the lateral drainage borehole, wherein a transverse stiffness of the wire-wound high-pressure hose is insufficient to prevent buckling of the wire-wound high-pressure hose during lateral drilling. A sleeve is selected that is capable of jacketing or encompassing the wire-wound high-pressure hose, and having a transverse stiffness sufficient to prevent buckling of the wire-wound high-pressure hose when jacketed/encompassed by the sleeve during lateral drilling. The wire-wound high-pressure hose is then inserted into the sleeve to achieve a sleeved hose assembly. A drill string is assembled that includes the sleeved hose assembly and a straight drilling tool, and the drill string is inserted into a borehole. A pressurized fluid is introduced into the sleeved hose assembly to energize the drilling tool, and the drilling tool is used to drill the lateral drainage borehole, without danger of the wire-wound high-pressure hose buckling during the lateral drilling.
[0009] Alternatively, a mechanism may be incorporated into the bent housing, which causes it to straighten when subjected to a change in pressure or axial load. For example, the housing could incorporate a knuckle joint that bends at high load, enabling the tool to drill a curve, but then straighten at a lower load, enabling straight hole drilling. Exemplary (but not limiting) high load (or high pressure) conditions can range from about 1000 psi to about 10,000 psi, while exemplary (but not limiting) low load (or low pressure) conditions can range from about 0 psi to about 500 psi. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that such a pressure/load actuated bendable housing can be configured to predictably respond to various pressure/load conditions.
[0010] Because such ultra-short radius curves are particularly useful for drilling lateral extensions in relatively thin producing zones, additional desirable steps include selecting a sleeve having a transverse stiffness sufficient to prevent the wire-wound high-pressure hose from buckling during the short radius curve drilling, and drilling lateral extensions beyond the short radius curve.
[0011] This Summary has been provided to introduce a few concepts in a simplified form that are further described in detail below in the Description. However, this Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
DRAWINGS
[0012] Various aspects and attendant advantages of one or more exemplary embodiments and modifications thereto will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 (Prior Art) schematically illustrates a conventional wire-wound high-pressure hose that is sufficiently flexible to be used for lateral drilling, but which is not stiff enough to be used for lateral drilling without buckling;
[0014] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a sleeved hose assembly that includes a wire-wound high pressure hose encompassed in a structural sleeve configured to prevent buckling of the sleeved hose assembly during lateral drilling;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the sleeved hose assembly of FIG. 2 ;
[0016] FIG. 4A schematically illustrates placement of a whipstock assembly in a vertical well;
[0017] FIG. 4B schematically illustrates milling of a window in the casing of a vertical well;
[0018] FIG. 4C schematically illustrates spooling of the sleeved hose assembly into the well;
[0019] FIG. 4D schematically illustrates a spring-biased housing of a rotary jetting tool being bent as it is loaded against a whipstock;
[0020] FIG. 4E schematically illustrates drilling of a short radius curve, with the spring-biased housing of the rotary jetting tool of FIG. 4D in the bent position;
[0021] FIG. 4F schematically illustrates drilling of a straight lateral hole, with the spring-biased housing of the rotary jetting tool of FIG. 4D in the straight position;
[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates a rotary jet drill incorporating a bent housing being used to drill a short radius curved hole;
[0023] FIG. 6 illustrates a rotary jet drill incorporating a straight housing being used to drill a straight lateral hole;
[0024] FIG. 7A schematically illustrates a spring-biased housing in a straight configuration;
[0025] FIG. 7B schematically illustrates a spring-biased housing in a bent configuration; and
[0026] FIG. 8 schematically illustrates a spring-biased housing being bent by a whipstock.
DESCRIPTION
[0000] Figures and Disclosed Embodiments are Not Limiting
[0027] Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced Figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and Figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
[0028] Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a Prior Art wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 . In its simplest form, a wire-wound hose includes an inner rubber or plastic hose 12 encapsulated by a metal sheath (preferably of wire or metal braid). Wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 includes two spiral-wound wire layers 14 and 16 , and an outer protective layer 18 . Additional spiral wound layers may be employed to provide higher pressure capacity. The material used to implement protective layer 18 generally depends upon the intended use of the wire-wound hose. When the wire-wound hose is intended to be used in corrosive environments, protective layer 18 typically comprises a polymer. When the wire-wound hose is intended to be used in environments where abrasion resistance is important, protective layer 18 typically comprises a layer of steel braid. Significantly, protective layer 18 in conventional wire-wound hoses is not intended to provide significant structural support. That is, the prior art does not teach or suggest that the material used for protective layer 18 should exhibit sufficient stiffness to enable wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 to be used for lateral drilling applications without buckling.
[0029] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a sleeved hose assembly 22 specifically configured to facilitate the drilling of short radius lateral wells. Significantly, sleeved hose assembly 22 can be used with high-pressure fluids, is sufficiently flexible to achieve short radius bends (i.e., bends having a minimum radius of curvature of about 1 meter), and exhibits sufficient stiffness to prevent buckling during lateral drilling. Essentially, sleeved hose assembly 22 is achieved by jacketing wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 within a separate sleeve 20 , where sleeve 20 comprises a material that exhibits a transverse stiffness sufficient to prevent buckling during lateral drilling. A particularly preferred material for sleeve 20 is a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite. Critical buckling loads for drilling applications and the transverse moduli required to enable lateral drilling without buckling are discussed in greater detail below. While carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites represent a particularly preferred material for implementing sleeve 20 , it should be recognized that such a material is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting. Other materials having a sufficient transverse stiffness (as discussed in detail below) can also be beneficially employed. Particularly preferred materials will provide the required transverse stiffness, and will also be sufficiently flexible to traverse a short radius curve (i.e., a curve having a minimum radius of curvature of about 1 meter, and a maximum radius of up to about 10 meters).
[0030] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of sleeved hose assembly 22 , including wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 and sleeve 20 inside a lateral bore 36 . Preferably, wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 supports or enables pumping of fluid at pressures from about 20 MPa to about 400 MPa (i.e., from about 3,000 to about 60,000 psi).
[0031] An exemplary deployment sequence for the sleeved hose assembly is schematically and sequentially illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4F . Referring to FIG. 4A , the sleeved hose assembly is preferentially deployed using a relatively low-cost workover rig 40 , equipped with tools 43 for pulling and setting oil and gas production tubing. A first step, schematically illustrated in FIG. 4A , involves lowering a whipstock 42 mounted on a distal end of tubing 41 (preferably jointed tubing) into a well 28 . The jointed tubing has an inside diameter that is equal to, or slightly larger than, the diameter of the lateral to be drilled, which helps to stabilize the sleeved hose assembly in the tubing and provides a high velocity flow path that helps facilitate transport of the cuttings liberated during drilling. Whipstock 42 is lowered to the desired depth, oriented azimuthally, and suspended in the well. If the well is cased at the depth of the desired lateral, a window may be milled into the casing using a hydraulic motor 45 and a mill 44 equipped with a knuckle joint 46 to allow milling of a relatively short window, as is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4B . Power for milling is supplied by a pump 47 . If the well is not cased, this step (i.e., the window milling step shown in FIG. 4B ) is not required.
[0032] FIG. 4C schematically illustrates sleeved hose assembly 22 and a jet drill 34 (i.e., a rotary jetting tool) being spooled into well 28 from a reel 48 . Jet drill 34 is disposed at a distal end of sleeved hose assembly 22 . The proximal end of sleeved hose assembly 22 is then attached to a high pressure tubing 26 , which is then tripped into well 28 by workover rig 40 , as is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4D . When jet drill 34 encounters whipstock 42 , a spring-biased housing 37 (details of which are provided below) is forced to bend. Bending is indicated on the surface by a decrease in the weight, which can readily be detected at workover rig 40 . Drilling fluid is then supplied to jet drill 34 via a high-pressure pump 24 (through high pressure tubing 26 and sleeved hose assembly 22 ), which causes spring-biased housing 37 to lock in the bent position. Once the pressure at the jet drill 34 reaches a level required to drill, the bend in spring-biased housing 37 will enable a short radius curved path 30 to be drilled, as is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4E . The tubing (high pressure tubing 26 , sleeved hose assembly 22 , spring-biased housing 37 , and jet drill 34 ) is advanced through a distance equal to an arc required to incline the drill to a desired inclination (90 degrees for the case illustrated in FIG. 4E ), to allow drilling of a horizontal lateral.
[0033] At this point, high-pressure pump 24 is stopped, so that the pressure in high pressure tubing 26 , sleeved hose assembly 22 , and jet drill 34 decreases. The tubing (high pressure tubing 26 , sleeved hose assembly 22 , spring-biased housing 37 , and jet drill 34 ) is then un-weighted and pulled up slightly, to allow the bend in spring-biased housing 37 to straighten. Once the bend in spring-biased housing 37 is removed, the now straight housing enables: a lateral well extension 32 to be drilled, as is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4F . The process can be repeated multiple times without tripping sleeved hose assembly 22 out of well 28 . Once the lateral well extension is complete, sleeved hose assembly 22 , spring-biased housing 37 , and jet drill 34 are retracted into the jointed tubing 41 . Whipstock 42 can then be repositioned at any desired depth or azimuth. Tubing hangers (not specifically shown) can be used to suspend high pressure tubing 26 in jointed tubing 41 . Both strings (i.e., the first string comprising high pressure tubing 26 , sleeved hose assembly 22 , spring-biased housing 37 , and jet drill 34 , and the second string comprising jointed tubing 41 ) can then be indexed upwards by a single joint. An outer tubing joint can next be disconnected to expose an inner tubing joint. The inner tubing can be hung in the outer tubing, and the two upper joints of the tubing can be removed. Jet drilling can then resume, generally as shown in FIGS. 4D and 4E . This procedure is intended to be exemplary, and other related procedures will be apparent to those skilled in the art of handling concentric jointed tubing.
[0034] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates short radius curved hole 30 being drilled by jet drill 34 , which is attached to sleeved hose assembly 22 by spring-biased housing 37 (shown here in a bent configuration), generally as discussed above with respect to FIG. 4E . The radius of curvature of the hole will be defined by three points of contact, including jet drill 34 , the outer diameter of spring-biased housing 37 , and a point of contact somewhere along sleeved hose assembly 22 . Those skilled in the art of directional drilling will recognize that stabilizers (preferably two) can be incorporated along the housing to define additional contact points, in order to define the radius of curvature more accurately.
[0035] FIG. 6 schematically illustrates lateral well extension 32 (a straight lateral hole) being drilled by rotary jetting tool 34 , which is attached to sleeved hose assembly 22 by spring-biased housing 37 (shown here in a straight configuration), generally as discussed above with respect to FIG. 4F . Because the jet drill face is larger in diameter than the sleeved hose assembly, this configuration will tend to drill a hole with a slight upwards bend. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a stabilizer may be incorporated on the housing if a truly straight hole is desired.
[0036] FIG. 7A schematically illustrates spring-biased housing 37 in a straight configuration, while FIG. 7B schematically illustrates spring-biased housing 37 in a bent configuration. These Figures enable details of a preferred embodiment of spring-biased housing 37 to be visualized. This embodiment enables spring-biased housing 37 to transition from a curved or bent configuration (to enable the drilling of a curved hole) to a straight configuration (to enable drilling of a straight hole, such as a lateral extension) without pulling the assembly out of the hole. In such an embodiment, spring-biased housing 37 incorporates a knuckle joint 50 that includes a ball and a socket with internal flow passages. In these Figures, spring-biased housing 37 is shown with rotary jet drill 34 attached to its distal end. A spring 51 biases knuckle joint 50 to be straight when the tool is lying horizontally and is attached to the sleeved hose assembly. Alternative spring configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The spring is sufficiently compliant that a side load on the nozzle head will cause the joint to bend as shown in FIG. 7B . For example, the spring can be sized to allow the knuckle joint to bend when the tool is forced at a load in excess of about 100 lbf into the angled whipstock shown in FIGS. 4A-4F (i.e., whipstock 42 ). The knuckle joint allows the tool to bend in the direction of the whipstock. When internal pressure is applied to the knuckle joint while it is bent, friction between the ball and socket is sufficient to lock the joint in the bent position. When pressure is applied to the knuckle joint while it is straight, friction between the ball and socket will lock the joint in the straight position.
[0037] FIG. 8 schematically illustrates spring-biased housing 37 being bent by a whipstock 42 , generally as discussed above with respect to FIG. 4D . As jet drill 34 exits jointed tubing 41 , it is deflected to the side by the slope of whipstock 42 . When high pressure tubing 26 providing fluid to sleeved hose assembly 22 is substantially un-pressurized, the side load will cause spring biased housing 37 to bend. Exemplary (but not limiting) high load/high pressure conditions causing spring biased housing 37 to lock in a position can range from about 1000 psi to about 10,000 psi, while exemplary (but not limiting) low load/low pressure conditions enabling spring biased housing 37 to bend can range from about 0 psi to about 500 psi.
[0000] Exemplary Properties of the Sleeved Hose Assembly
[0038] The critical buckling load for a tube in a horizontal well (expressed in Newtons (N)) is defined as:
F crit = 2 E I w r ,
where E is the transverse stiffness of the tube material in Pascals (Pa), I is the beam section moment of inertia in m 4 , w is the weight of the tube per unit length (expressed in N/m), and r is the radial clearance between the tube and the borehole (expressed in meters).
[0039] Steel wire-wound hose (i.e., wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 ) is used to provide mass, w, which helps to stabilize sleeved hose assembly 22 against buckling. In an exemplary preferred embodiment, sleeve 20 is formed of a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite material. The composite sleeve provides a substantially higher transverse stiffness obtained from the product of modulus, E, and moment of inertia, I, than is available from wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 alone. The composite sleeve (i.e., sleeve 20 ) also reduces the clearance, r, between the sleeve assembly and the borehole. In one particularly preferred exemplary embodiment, sleeved hose assembly 22 exhibits the following properties:
TABLE 1 Exemplary Properties of Sleeved Hose Assembly Wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 outer diameter 25 mm Wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 inner diameter 13 mm Wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 submerged weight 3.1 N/m Wire-wound high-pressure hose 10 pressure capacity 180 MPa Composite sleeve 20 inner diameter 25.4 mm Composite sleeve 20 outer diameter 33 mm Composite sleeve 20 transverse modulus 10 GPa Minimum bend radius 762 mm Lateral Hole diameter 44 mm Critical buckling load 1548 N
[0040] It should be recognized that the above identified properties are intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting. A rotary jet drill of this size may require 200 N of axial thrust for effective drilling. The additional thrust is used to overcome the frictional resistance due to the submerged weight of the sleeved hose in the borehole. Assuming a sliding friction coefficient of 0.5, this assembly could be used to drill an 800 m lateral without buckling.
[0041] Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred form of practicing it and modifications thereto, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that many other modifications can be made to the present invention within the scope of the claims that follow. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of the invention in any way be limited by the above description, but instead be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
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A sleeved hose assembly for lateral jet drilling through an ultra-short radius curve. The sleeved hose assembly includes a wire-wound high-pressure hose inserted inside a reinforcing sleeve. In general, wire-wound high-pressure hoses exhibit transverse moduli that are insufficient to resist buckling forces encountered during lateral drilling. A sleeve is selected to encompass a wire-wound high-pressure hose and to exhibit a transverse stiffness sufficient to prevent the combination of the wire-wound high-pressure hose and the sleeve (i.e., a “sleeved hose assembly”) from buckling during lateral drilling. Also disclosed are a method for drilling a lateral borehole using such a sleeved hose assembly, and a method for drilling an ultra-short radius curve using such a sleeved hose assembly. In a particularly preferred exemplary embodiment, the sleeve includes a fiber reinforced epoxy composite having a transverse modulus of about 10 GPa.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a U.S. National Stage application of International PCT Application No. PCT/EP2007/007882 filed on Sep. 10, 2007, which claims benefit of German Application No. DE 10 2006 046 369.2 filed on Sep. 29, 2006, the contents of each are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention is directed to resolution-enhanced luminescence microscopy and particularly to a method in which a luminescing sample to be examined is illuminated by excitation radiation and an image of the sample that has been excited to luminescence is obtained. The invention is further directed to a microscope for resolution-enhanced luminescence microscopy of a sample, means for exciting luminescence which irradiate the sample with excitation radiation, and means for acquiring an image of the excited sample.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Luminescence microscopy is a typical field of application of light microscopy for examining biological samples. For this purpose, certain dyes (phosphors or fluorophores, as they are called) are used for specific tagging of samples, e.g., of cell parts. As mentioned, the sample is illuminated by excitation radiation and the luminescent light that is excited in this way is acquired by suitable detectors. For this purpose, the light microscope is usually provided with a dichroic beamsplitter combined with blocking filters which split off the fluorescence radiation from the excitation radiation and enable separate observation. This procedure makes it possible to display individual, differently colored cell parts in the light microscope. Naturally, more than one part of a specimen may also be dyed simultaneously with different dyes attaching themselves specifically to different structures of the specimen. This process is known as multiple luminescence. Samples which luminesce, per se, that is, without the addition of dye, can also be measured.
[0004] In the present context, and as a general rule, luminescence is used as an umbrella term for phosphorescence and fluorescence and embraces both processes.
[0005] Further, it is known to use laser scanning microscopes (LSM) for the examination of samples which shows only those planes situated in the focal plane of the objective in a three-dimensionally illuminated image by means of a confocal detection arrangement (called a confocal LSM in this case) or a nonlinear sample interaction (called multiphoton microscopy). An optical section is acquired and the recording of a plurality of optical sections at different depths of the sample then makes it possible by means of a suitable data processing device to generate a three-dimensional image of the sample which is composed of the different optical sections. Accordingly, laser scanning microscopy is suitable for examining thick specimens.
[0006] Naturally, a combination of luminescence microscopy and laser scanning microscopy in which a luminescing sample is imaged at different depth planes by means of a LSM is also used.
[0007] In principle, the optical resolution of a light microscope and of a LSM is diffraction-limited by physical laws. Special illumination configurations such as the 4Pi arrangement or arrangements with standing wave fields are known for optimal resolution within these limits. In this way, the resolution can be appreciably improved over a conventional LSM particularly in axial direction. Further, the resolution can be increased by up to a factor of 10 over a diffraction-limited confocal LSM by means of nonlinear depopulation processes.
[0008] In recent years, a number of such techniques have been proposed or developed which allow optical microscopy, particularly with LSM, to operate with a resolution beyond the conventional Abbe diffraction barrier [see Y. Garini, B. J. Vermolen and I. T. Young, “From micro to nano: recent advances in high-resolution microscopy”, Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 16, 3-12 (2005)]. In this connection, there is a basic distinction between nearfield and farfield methods, the latter being especially relevant because of their applicability to three-dimensional imaging in the field of biomedicine.
[0009] In conventional fluorescence microscopy with a given numerical aperture (NA) and excitation wavelength, the above-mentioned nonlinear relationship between the intensity of the exciting light and that of the emitted light must be produced in order to break the Abbe barrier of transmissible spatial frequencies in a significant way [see R. Heintzmann, T. M. Jovin and C. Cremer, “Saturated patterned excitation microscopy—a concept for optical resolution improvement”, JOSA A 19, 1599-1609 (2002)]. This is achieved, for example, by means of multiphoton microscopy [see W. Denk, J. H. Strickler and W. W. Webb, “Two-photon fluorescence scanning microscopy, a concept for breaking the diffraction resolution limit”, Science 248, 73-76 (1990)].
[0010] Other approaches include the methods of ground state depletion (GSD) [see U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,911 or S. W. Hell and M. Kroug, “Ground-state-depletion fluorescence microscopy: a concept for breaking the diffraction resolution limit”, Appl. Phys. B 60, 495-497 (1995)] or stimulated emission depletion (STED) by Hell et al. [see DE 4416558 C2 S. W. Hell and J. Wichmann, “Breaking the diffraction resolution limit by stimulated emission; stimulated-emission-depletion fluorescence microscopy”, Opt. Lett. 19, 780-782 (1994); T. A. Klar, E. Engel and S. W. Hell, “Breaking Abbe's diffraction resolution limit in fluorescence microscopy with stimulated emission depletion beams of various shapes”, Phys. Rev. E 64, 066613 (2001); V. Westphal and S. W. Hell, “Nanoscale Resolution in the focal plane of an optical microscope”, PRL 94, 143903 (2005)]. The common principle is based on the use of a distribution of excitation intensity and of saturation intensity in the sample, each of which is structured in such a way that the maximum of the former coincides with an interference minimum of the latter. A saturated excitation of the triplet state (hereinafter: GSD) or a saturated de-excitation of the fluorescing state (hereinafter: STED) makes it possible to deliberately quench the fluorescence of molecules which are not located in the immediate vicinity of the interference minimum. The radiation then proceeds only from the interference minimum. The up-conversion fluorescence depletion technique established by Iketaki et al. functions in a similar way [see T. Watanabe, Y. Iketaki, T. Omatsu, K. Yamamoto, M. Salkai and M. Fujii, “Two-point separation in super-resolution fluorescence microscope based on up-conversion fluorescence depletion technique”, Opt. Exp. 24, 3271-3276 (2003)].
[0011] DE 19908883 A1 proposes a direct saturation of the fluorescence transition as a nonlinear process. The enhanced resolution is based on a periodically structured illumination of the sample so that there is a transfer of high object space frequencies in the range of the optical transfer function of the microscope. The transfer can be achieved through costly postprocessing of data by computer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a luminescence microscopy method and a luminescence microscope by which enhanced resolution is achieved without resorting to a plurality of wavelengths or costly postprocessing of data by computer.
[0013] This object is met according to the invention by a resolution-enhanced luminescence microscopy method in which a sample is excited to emission of luminescence radiation by irradiation with excitation radiation and an image of the luminescing sample is acquired, wherein a first partial volume of the sample is irradiated by a first laser radiation field of the excitation radiation and a second partial volume of the sample is irradiated by a second laser radiation field of the excitation radiation, wherein the first partial volume of the sample and the second partial volume of the sample overlap partially but not completely, only the first laser radiation field is modulated with a first frequency, and luminescence radiation is detected from the first partial volume of the sample with modulation filtering so that luminescence radiation from the second partial volume of the sample is suppressed.
[0014] The above-stated object is further met though a resolution-enhanced luminescence microscope with means for irradiating a sample with excitation radiation for exciting the emission of luminescence radiation and means for acquiring images of the luminescing sample, wherein the means for irradiating with excitation radiation have means for irradiating a first partial volume of the sample with a first laser radiation field and means for irradiating a second partial volume of the sample with a second laser radiation field, wherein the first partial volume of the sample and the second partial volume of the sample overlap one another partially but not completely, the means for irradiating the sample with the first laser radiation field have a modulator which modulates the first laser radiation field with a first frequency, and the means for acquiring images detect luminescence radiation from the first partial volume of the sample with modulation filtering so that the luminescence radiation from the second partial volume of the sample is suppressed by the filtering.
[0015] Like GSD or STED, the method according to the invention and the corresponding arrangement are single-point techniques in which resolution is enhanced beyond the resolution of the laser radiation field irradiation by the nonlinear cooperation of at least two laser radiation fields. Similar to DE 19908883 A1, direct saturation of the fluorescence transition can be applied as a nonlinear process. But simultaneous occupation of the triplet state no longer necessarily has negative results. It is essential that the fluorescence generated by the excitation laser and the fluorescence generated by the saturation laser are separated from one another by modulation marking (MMF: Modulation Marked Fluorescence) and suitable frequency-sensitive and/or phase-sensitive detection.
[0016] Accordingly, two laser radiation fields are radiated in according to the invention for increasing resolution. One of these two laser radiation fields is modulated. This laser radiation field is referred to hereinafter as center beam, center radiation or center laser radiation. A second laser radiation field whose radiation is not linearly modulated is radiated in so as to overlap this first laser radiation field but not completely cover it. This second laser radiation field will be referred to hereinafter as the side laser radiation or side laser beam. The two laser radiation fields are preferably structured in such a way that the maximum of the center laser beam coincides with the interference minimum of the side laser beam. In principle, the resolution is improved over the resolution at which the center laser beam and side laser beam are coupled in.
[0017] The approach according to the invention is a further development of the known GSD and STED methods. However, it has some advantages over these methods which will be described briefly:
[0018] GSD is based on a saturation of the triplet state and therefore requires molecules with a high rate of intersystem crossing. There is no such limitation in modulation-marked fluorescence because neither the side laser beam T 1,0 excitation nor the side laser beam S 1,0 excitation has an effect on the signal generated by the center laser beam. In the former case, there is no fluorescence, whereas in the latter case no modulated fluorescence occurs.
[0019] A drawback of the GSD method is the relatively long pixel dwell time required during scanning for image generation. In the first place, this is necessary to achieve the stationary equilibrium needed for triplet saturation (approximately 10 μs). In the second place, an initial relaxation of all molecules back into the ground state is required following the detection of a point for detecting the adjacent point (again approximately 10 μs). According to the invention, a saturation of the triplet state is not necessary, so that shorter dwell times can be used whose bottom limits are basically determined by the periods of the center laser beam modulations.
[0020] The intensities required within the framework of the invention are lower than those in STED.
[0021] A substantial advantage of the invention is the flexibility in the choice of dye. While the intersystem crossing required in GSD is limiting, the STED method requires molecules which allow the most efficient possible de-excitation of the S 1,0 state. By contrast, the invention makes it possible to use almost any dye whose level diagram corresponds approximately to that shown in FIG. 1 . Optimization of the reaction rates (e.g., with respect to moderately longer fluorescence lifetimes) is advantageous, but does not present a fundamental limitation of the method. It must be emphasized that the essential modification with respect to conventional techniques is to be found more in the type of excitation and detection than in the choice of the sample to be examined (in stark contrast to DE 10325460 A1, for example).
[0022] In the STED experiments realized up to the present, two wavelengths are required, whereas the invention works with only one wavelength. It is not necessary to use a plurality of dichroic beamsplitters. Accordingly, a relatively simple construction can be used.
[0023] In STED experiments, it generally makes sense to use intensive pulsed lasers because the population of the excited state should be decreased in the side laser beam area before fluorescence tales place. In contrast, the invention can work with cw lasers irradiating simultaneously. However, it is advantageous to delay the irradiation by the center laser beam with respect to the side laser beam by approximately 10 ns because an extensive depopulation of the ground state has already taken place by then (see FIG. 7 ). In some circumstances, it is also possible to realize the modulation in the form of a pulsed laser.
[0024] The modulation-marked fluorescence (MMF) according to the invention makes it possible to improve high-resolution optical imaging to an even greater degree. It presents an alternative to the two single-point methods GSD and STED which are already known. As in these known methods, the method according to the invention also works with at least two laser radiation fields (center laser beam and side laser beam). However, whereas the aim in GSD and STED is to completely suppress the fluorescence in the side laser beam area, in MMF the center sample area and the laterally excited sample area are distinguished, e.g., by modulated center laser beam excitation followed by phase-sensitive detection of the signal of interest, and can therefore be separated. The use of a modulation-frequency-sensitive detection, e.g., by means of lock-in technology, is a central aspect for this purpose. Marked fluorescence in the side laser beam area, i.e., excitation through photons of the center laser radiation field, can be avoided by means of an unbalanced intensity ratio between the laser radiation fields and a saturated depopulation of the ground state. A substantial advantage of MMF over the known methods of GSD and STED is the freedom of choosing the fluorophor and the possibility of operating the center laser and side lasers at the same wavelength.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] The invention is described more fully by way of example in the following with reference to the drawings.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows, by way of example, an energy diagram of a dye molecule or of a sample which is used within the framework of the invention;
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a possible intensity distribution for a side beam and a center beam in the method according to the invention and in the device according to the invention;
[0028] FIG. 3 shows, by way of example, a schematic for a device according to the invention;
[0029] FIG. 4 shows the intensity ratio between the center beam and side beam for different embodiment forms of the invention;
[0030] FIG. 5 shows the equilibrium population as a function of the radiated laser beam intensity for a dye that can be used, for example, within the framework of the invention;
[0031] FIG. 6 shows the equilibrium population of the ground state along a normalized coordinate during irradiation by the side laser beam in the method according to the invention for three different possible peak intensities;
[0032] FIG. 7 shows a diagram similar to that shown in FIG. 6 for other dye parameters; and
[0033] FIG. 8 shows the population of the ground states and excited states as a function of the illumination period in a particular embodiment form of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] The typical arrangement, known per se, of the lowest energy level for a fluorescing dye molecule is shown schematically in FIG., 1 . Usually photons of energy hv excite the molecules from state S 0,0 (approximate vibrational ground state in the lowest electronic state) to a vibration-excited vibronic state S 1,v . Conversely, stimulated emission is, of course, also possible. Starting from S 1,v , a fast vibrational relaxation takes place in state S 1,0 and subsequently, as competing processes, either fluorescence or the transition to the triplet state T i,v with subsequent phosphorescence.
[0035] The excitation is carried out, according to the invention, by at least two different light fields which are arranged in the same way as the excitation laser radiation field and the saturation laser radiation field in the known GSD or STED method. The use of lasers seems sensible but generally does not represent a limitation of the method.
[0036] FIG. 2 shows possible Airy intensity distributions of the laser radiation fields along the normalized coordinate v=kr*N.A. (where NA is the aperture, k is the wave number 2 π/λ, and r is the radial distance from the center). The fields are designated in the following as center beam and side beam. They can have the same wavelength.
[0037] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment form of the device which in this case is constructed similar to a Mach-Zehnder. A beamsplitter 2 divides the light into a center beam path 4 and a side beam path 3 after a light source 1 . A unit for spatial beam shaping 5 is located in the side beam path 3 . This unit can comprise, e.g., an annular aperture which is imaged on the sample 10 . Other possibilities are described, for example, in T. A. Klar, E. Engel and S. W. Hell, “Breaking Abbe's diffraction resolution limit in fluorescence microscopy with stimulated emission depletion beams of various shapes”, Phys. Rev. E 64, 066613 (2001). Of course, two separate beam sources can also be used.
[0038] A modulation unit 6 is provided for the center beam path 4 , which is not subjected to spatial beam shaping, and modulates this beam with a frequency f c . After overlapping, the two beams are focused in the sample 10 in a diffraction-limited manner. An objective 9 is used for this purpose. In addition, the focus is displaced in two dimensions by a scan unit 8 .
[0039] Consequently, the overlapping of the center beam and side beam shown in FIG. 2 takes place at different locations in the sample 10 . The fluorescence excited in this way is recorded by a detector 12 , e.g., a confocal detector, via the objective 9 , scan unit 8 and a preferably dichroic beamsplitter 7 . A control unit (not shown) controls the operation of the device.
[0040] It is crucial that the fluorescence signal measured in this way can be associated with the respective beam 3 , 4 by taking into account the modulation, i.e., the fluorescence is marked correspondingly. This is achieved by making use of modulation effects. In the simplest case, the side beam, for example, is not modulated (f s =0), while the intensity of the center beam varies sinusoidally with a frequency f c typically from 1-100 MHz, for which purpose the modulation unit 6 is introduced in the center beam path. The fluorescence signal generated by the center beam is then likewise modulated with the frequency f c . This effect corresponds among others to that which is also applied in the phase method for measuring fluorescence lifetimes (see, e.g., M. J. Booth and T. Wilson, “Low-cost, frequency-domain, fluorescence lifetime confocal microscopy”, J. Microscopy 214, 36 (2004)). Alternatively, the side beam and center beam are each modulated with frequencies f s and f c , where f s ≠f c .
[0041] The modulation frequency f c can be optimized in accordance with the dye. When detection is carried out in a phase-sensitive manner by means of a lock-in amplifier ( 13 ) at frequency f c as is shown by way of example in FIG. 3 , the fluorescence signal generated by the center beam is extracted. Molecules which, in contrast, are excited (also) by the side laser beam show a non-modulated fluorescence and therefore do not contribute to the signal at the output 14 . In order to further strengthen this effect, a polarization-sensitive detection can also take place making use of the fluorescence polarization.
[0042] In an arrangement corresponding to FIGS. 2 and 3 , a resolution in the molecular range can be achieved when it is ensured that the probability that molecules located in a sample area in which the side laser has an intensity other than zero will be excited by the side laser beam is as high as possible. In this connection, it does not matter whether the state excited by the side laser beam has singlet characteristics or triplet characteristics. It is important only that the intensity of the radiation emitted by the molecules excited by the side laser beam is not modulated with frequency f s and is therefore suppressed by the lock-in method. The lock-in technique is, of course, only one example of a phase-sensitive or frequency-sensitive detection method.
[0043] The above-mentioned condition can be met, for example, when the side laser beam 5 has an intensity of sufficient magnitude that a saturation of the fluorescence transition occurs in the sample 10 . In case of a two-level system S 0,0 / 1,v as in FIG. 1 , in which there are no vibrational states or triplet states and the fluorescence is stimulated or tales place spontaneously proceeding from S 1,v the population N 1,v =1−N 0,0 o of the S 1,v state in stationary equilibrium is expressed by:
[0000]
N
1
,
v
∝
N
p
,
s
2
N
p
,
s
+
k
fluo
σ
,
[0000] where N p,s is the photon flux (of the side laser beam 5 ) and σ is the absorption cross section of the optical transfer. The intensity of the fluorescence radiation is proportional to N 1,v by which the nonlinear relationship between the intensity of the exciting light and that of the emitted light which was mentioned above as necessary for high resolution can be directly verified. For very high photon fluxes, equal occupation of the states and, therefore, saturation is achieved. Further, when the intensity of the modulated center laser beam 4 is very much smaller compared to the side laser beam 5 (i.e., N p,s >>N p,c ), the probability of fluorescence excitation by the center laser beam 4 differs substantially from zero only at the interference minimum. This state of affairs is shown clearly in FIG. 4 , where the ratio I c /I s (center beam intensity to side beam intensity) is plotted as a function of the normalized coordinate v corresponding to the intensity curves shown in FIG. 2 . Three different ratios of the respective integral intensities are taken into account. It will be seen that there is only a very low probability of excitation by the center laser beam 5 with an integral ratio of 0.01 (i.e., the side laser beam 4 is 100 times stronger than the center laser beam 5 ) in the range of 1 v 1>1. In this case, localized molecules correspondingly show hardly any modulated fluorescence and are consequently suppressed during modulation-frequency-sensitive detection. This mechanism accordingly achieves an increase in resolution beyond the diffraction boundary.
[0044] In a further development, the vibration levels of the individual electronic states shown in FIG. 1 are included in the overlapping. The triplet state will continue to be left out of consideration for the time being (k ISC =0). In order to determine occupation of the individual states during irradiation by the side laser beam 4 , rate equations can be solved for different laser intensities in a first approximation (leaving aside coherence terms). FIG. 5 shows the population of states S 0,0 and S 1,0 (N 0,0 and N 1,0 , respectively) as a function of the laser beam intensity. By way of example, an absorption cross section of s=10 −16 cm −2 , a vibrational relaxation rate of k vib =(10 −12 s) −1 and a fluorescence rate of k fluo =(2*10 −9 s) −1 were recorded. Values were shown for the stationary equilibrium which is always achieved after an illumination period of about 10 ns. The sum of all of the populations is scaled to 1. It will be seen that the ground state for intensities greater than 100 MW/cm 2 is almost completely depopulated. Further, the curves shown in FIG. 6 can be derived from the N 0,0 o curve shown in FIG. 5 and demonstrate the depopulation of the ground state generated by the side laser beam as a function of coordinate v. An intensity profile corresponding to FIG. 2 with three different peak intensity values (intensity at maximum: 2 MW/cm 2 , 20 MW/cm 2 , 200 MW/cm 2 ) was assumed. A saturation effect leading to a constriction of the ground state population can be seen clearly at the interference minimum. Now, if, in addition, the modulated center laser is radiated in at a low intensity, the modulated excitation is substantially limited to the range of v=0. In this case, there is an interplay between the depopulation effect and the above-mentioned circumstances of the different excitation probabilities ( FIG. 4 ).
[0045] Naturally, the specific shape of the curves in FIG. 6 depends among other things on the properties of the selected fluorophor or sample 10 . The example above is based on a fluorescence lifetime of 2 ns. A more efficient saturation (and, therefore, lower intensities) can be realized by using dyes with longer lifetimes. FIG. 7 corresponds to FIG. 6 and assumes a lifetime of 10 ns. It can clearly be seen that a flattening of the population curve occurs already at 20 MW/cm 2 .
[0046] In a real system, the condition of a vanishing intersystem crossing is generally not entirely met. In this connection, typical rates of K ISC =(10 −6 s) −1 and k Ph =(2*10 −6 s) −1 are assumed such as those documented for rhodamine 6G (see M. Heupel, “Fluoreszenzspeltroskopie als neue Messmethode zur höchstempfindlichen Untersuchung transienter Zustände”, dissertation, Uni-Siegen (2001)). FIG. 8 shows how the populations of states S 0,0 , S 1,0 and T 1,0 (see FIG. 1 ) change within 1 μs under these conditions assuming an irradiation intensity of 20 MW/cm 2 . Roughly this illumination period is necessary in order to detect a modulation in the range of several tens of MHz. It will be seen that the lowest excited singlet state and the triplet state are occupied approximately equally at the selected parameters during the time period shown here. In stationary equilibrium, the occupation shifts in favor of the triplet state, whose population in this example is approximately twice as high. In this case, the ground state is extensively depopulated. The extent of the depopulation often depends less on the illumination period than on the laser intensity that is used. When using a side laser beam profile as shown in FIG. 2 , a saturation effect similar to that in FIG. 6 or 7 results again. Since the occupation of the triplet state is often linked with a photobleaching process by singlet oxygen (see C. Eggeling, A. Volkmer and C. A. M. Seidel, “Molecular Photobleaching kinetics of Rhodamine 6G under the conditions of one- and two-photon induced confocal fluorescence microscopy”, ChemPhysChem 6, 791-804 (2005)), a rather short exposure period seems to be advantageous. However, it must be ensured that the modulations of the center laser beam 5 remain detectable, i.e., a sufficient quantity of fluorescence cycles is required.
[0047] It should be mentioned that laser radiation field arrangements and modulation schemes other than those described above are also conceivable. For example, the fluorescence of molecules can be detected in the area of overlap between two laser radiation fields by applying lock-in detection with the sum frequency or difference frequency f s +f c or f s −f c , respectively (in this case, the designations center field and side field may no longer apply under certain circumstances). When two simple (partially overlapping) Airy profiles are selected, a resolution similar to that in point spread autocorrelation function imaging can be achieved [see G. J. Brakenhoff and M. Müller, “Improved axial resolution by point spread autocorrelation function imaging”, Opt. Lett. 21, 1721-1723 (1996)].
[0048] While the invention has been illustrated and described in connection with currently preferred embodiments shown and described in detail, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and practical application to thereby enable a person skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
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The invention is directed to a resolution-enhanced luminescence microscopy method in which a sample is excited to the emission of luminescence radiation through irradiation by excitation radiation, and an image of the luminescing sample is acquired. A first partial volume of the sample is irradiated by a first laser radiation field of the excitation radiation, and a second partial volume of the sample is irradiated by a second laser radiation field of the excitation radiation. The first partial volume of the sample and the second partial volume of the sample overlap one another partially but not completely. Only the first laser radiation field is modulated with a first frequency, and luminescence radiation is detected from the first partial volume of the sample with modulation filtering so that luminescence radiation from the second partial volume of the sample is suppressed.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a non-provisional application of and claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/942,404 filed on Jun. 6, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO APPENDIX
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The inventions disclosed and taught herein relate generally to uninterruptible power supplies; and, more specifically, relate to paralleled, multi-moduled uninterruptible power supplies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) are employed in an ever-increasing variety of situations where a constant source of power is desired. A typical UPS includes a rectifier section that converts alternating current energy (“AC”) into direct current energy (“DC”). The rectifier section is configured to be coupled to an AC power source, such as a public utility. An inverter section is coupled to the rectifier section and converts DC energy into AC energy, and thereby provides AC energy at an output of the UPS. The UPS may further include, or be coupled to, a backup source of power, such as a battery bank that can feed either AC or DC energy to the UPS when the primary power source is off-line or when the rectifier/inverter sections are disabled.
UPSs also typically include a bypass circuit to bypass the rectifier/inverter sections and couple the primary AC power source directly to the output bus of the UPS. The bypass circuit, which may be a static switch, can be used, for example, to provide an economy mode of operation and/or to provide power to the load when either or both of the rectifier or inverter sections are damaged or inoperative.
It is known that UPS bypass circuits may create problems in applications using multiple UPSs in parallel to feed a common load, such as a load bus. For example, if the UPS bypass circuit is closed, energy may be backfed from the common load bus through the closed bypass circuit onto the primary power source or into the UPS' power module.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0288826 purports to disclose a method and apparatus for UPS bypass monitoring and control in which the “status of a bypass source of parallel-connected UPSs is determined from a load share when a loading of the parallel-connected UPSs meets a predetermined criterion. Status of a bypass source of the parallel-connected UPSs is determined from a bypass source voltage when the loading of the parallel-connected UPSs fails to meet the predetermined criterion. The loading may include an aggregate loading, and failure of a bypass source of a UPS may be identified responsive to detecting that a load share of the UPS is less than a predetermined proportion of the aggregate loading. Alternatively, failure of the bypass source may be identified by detecting that a bypass voltage fails to meet a predetermined criterion. Bypass circuits of the UPSs may be controlled responsive to a load share and/or a bypass source voltage.”
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0221523 purports to disclose “a method for controlling an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for servicing a load. The UPS has a bypass feed path operable in parallel with an inverter feed path, the bypass feed path being engagable with the load via a first switch, and the inverter feed path and being engagable with the load via a second switch. The method includes: generating a paralleling detection signal indicative of the bypass feed path operating to service the load in parallel with the inverter feed path; and, in response to the presence of the paralleling detection signal, modifying a control signal to an inverter such as to drive toward equalization the bypass current and the inverter current. As a result, and in response to the two paths operating to service the load in parallel, the method tends to cancel circulation current generated between the bypass feed path and the inverter feed path.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0184160 purports to disclose a parallel operation method for an uninterruptible power supply apparatus, “the method being also capable of conducting a parallel non-redundancy operation of uninterruptible power supply apparatuses and having a bypass circuit incorporated therein without using an additional common circuit. In the parallel operation method for uninterruptible power supply apparatus of operating in parallel a plurality of uninterruptible power supply apparatuses, each having two operational modes including a bypass feeding mode and an inverter feeding mode, an off instruction for the AC switch is produced in the respective uninterruptible power supply apparatuses which are operated in parallel. The off instruction is produced based on a detection result showing coincidence of a pattern of (pattern coincidence detecting circuits 1002 , 2002 ) the bypass feeding signal which is active during the bypass feeding state and a pattern of a ready signal which becomes active when the inverter feeding is ready for conducting.”
The inventions disclosed and taught herein are directed to an improved method and apparatus for bypassing the rectifier/inverter sections of a UPS and/or the entire UPS system for purposes of performing maintenance on the UPS or discrete components of the UPS.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the invention, a method of isolating an uninterruptible power supply system is provided that comprises bypassing an inverter section of the power supply to couple primary power to a load bus; and, thereafter, isolating the power supply by simultaneously uncoupling the power supply from the load bus and coupling the primary power to the load bus.
A further aspect of the invention comprises, an uninterruptible power supply system having an uninterruptible power supply comprising a power module coupled to a first power source and an internal bypass circuit coupled to a second power source, both of the power module and the internal bypass selectively couplable to a load bus; a system bypass circuit coupled to either the first or second power source and selectively couplable to the load bus; and means for sequencing the system bypass circuit so that the system bypass circuit is coupled to the load only after the internal bypass is coupled to the load bus.
Other and further aspects of the invention, including various embodiments, will become apparent upon reading the following detailed disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates certain functional and structural aspects of an UPS suitable for use with the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates paralleled UPSs utilizing a maintenance bypass according the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates the systems of FIG. 2 in which the UPSs have been set to internal bypass.
FIG. 4 illustrates the system of FIG. 2 in which the system has been set to maintenance bypass.
FIGS. 5 a and 5 b illustrate a UPS for use with the present invention having an automatic internal bypass feature.
FIG. 6 illustrates a UPS system having a maintenance bypass with an automatic internal bypass feature.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The Figures described above and the written description of specific structures and functions below are not presented to limit the scope of what I have invented or the scope of the appended claims. Rather, the Figures and written description are provided to teach any person skilled in the art to make and use the inventions for which patent protection is sought. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that not all features of a commercial embodiment of the inventions are described or shown for the sake of clarity and understanding. Persons of skill in this art will also appreciate that the development of an actual commercial embodiment incorporating aspects of the present inventions will require numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve the developer's ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Such implementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are not limited to, compliance with system-related, business-related, government-related and other constraints, which may vary by specific implementation, location and from time to time. While a developer's efforts might be complex and time-consuming in an absolute sense, such efforts would be, nevertheless, a routine undertaking for those of skill in this art having benefit of this disclosure. It must be understood that the inventions disclosed and taught herein are susceptible to numerous and various modifications and alternative forms.
Particular embodiments of the invention may be described below with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods. It will be understood that each block of the block diagrams and/or operational illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or operational illustrations, can be implemented by analog and/or digital hardware, and/or computer program instructions. Such computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, ASIC, and/or other programmable data processing system. The executed instructions may create structures and functions for implementing the actions specified in the block diagrams and/or operational illustrations. In some alternate implementations, the functions/actions/structures noted in the figures may occur out of the order noted in the block diagrams and/or operational illustrations. For example, two operations shown as occurring in succession, in fact, may be executed substantially concurrently or the operations may be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts/structure involved.
Computer programs for use with or by the embodiments disclosed herein may be written in an object-oriented programming language, conventional procedural programming language, or lower-level code, such as assembly language and/or microcode. The program may be executed entirely on a single processor and/or across multiple processors, as a stand-alone software package or as part of another software package.
Lastly, the use of a singular term, such as, but not limited to, “a,” is not intended as limiting of the number of items. Also, the use of relational terms, such as, but not limited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “upper,” “lower,” “down,” “up,” “side,” and the like are used in the written description for clarity in specific reference to the Figures and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appended claims.
The inventions disclosed and taught herein comprise systems and methods of controlling one or more UPSs by providing a system bypass circuit in addition to any internal bypass associated with each UPS. Closing the system bypass circuit allows the one or more UPSs to be serviced or otherwise taken off line. The systems and methods may comprise placing each UPS into internal bypass prior to placing the UPS system into system bypass. Further, the systems and methods may comprise automatic bypassing and/or restricted bypassing as desired, such as by forcing one or more of the UPSs to go into internal bypass when one or more covers are removed. Additionally or alternately, engaging the system bypass feature may require that one or more of the individual UPSs is placed in internal bypass first. While there are an infinite number of embodiments that utilize one or more of these inventions, a few specific embodiments are discussed below.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional UPS 10 comprising a power module having a rectifier section 20 and an inverter section 30 . It will be understood that a primary power source (not shown), such as line utility, may supply the UPS at primary input 12 . The Primary AC power is rectified to DC power, which is communicated, such as by a DC bus 22 , to the inverter section 30 , where the DC power is inverted to a form of AC power. Not shown in FIG. 1 is a back up power source, such as one or more batteries, that can feed the inverter section 30 when the primary power source is offline. Also illustrated in FIG. 1 is internal bypass 14 , which, as the name implies, bypasses the power module 20 , 30 of the UPS. The internal bypass 14 is structured to communicate AC power, such as from the primary power source (or a secondary power source), to power output 16 of the UPS. Also illustrated in FIG. 1 is switch 40 that allows the power output to source from power module 20 , 30 (as shown in FIG. 1 ) or from the internal bypass 14 . It will be understood the switch 40 may comprise a mechanical switch, such as a breaker, an electronic switch such as an SCR, or any number of other devices adapted to transfer power as described herein.
Turning now to FIG. 2 , a first embodiment of an uninterruptible power supply system 100 utilizing aspects of the present invention is illustrated. A first UPS 10 a is shown and another UPS 10 n is shown to represent a plurality of paralleled UPSs 10 a through 10 n . For purposes of this disclosure, UPSs 10 a through 10 n are illustrated to be identical, but it will be appreciated that non-identical UPSs can be paralleled with the present invention as well. This embodiment of the UPS system 100 shows power input 12 a through 12 n drawing power from a primary power source 50 and the bypass circuits 14 a through 14 n drawing power from a bypass power source 52 . In certain embodiments and/or applications, the primary power source 50 and bypass power source 52 may comprise the same source, such as a line utility. Illustrated in FIG. 2 is system or maintenance bypass 60 that connects a power source, such as primary power 50 or bypass power 52 to the load bus 70 . The system bypass 60 comprises a switch 62 , shown in the opened condition. The UPS system 100 also comprises load bus switches 64 a through 64 n , which are shown in the closed condition. Although the bypass switch 62 , and the load bus switches 64 a through 64 n are illustrated as separate switches, it will be appreciated that a single multi-pole switch, whether mechanical or electronic or a combination thereof, may be used as well. The system of FIG. 2 is shown in the normal operating mode of the UPS system in which power from the primary source 50 is passed through the power modules 20 a - n , 30 a - n through the load bus switches 64 a though 64 n and on to the load bus 70 . Bypass switch 62 as well as the internal bypass circuits 14 a through 14 n are in the opened condition.
FIG. 3 illustrates the UPS system 100 in internal bypass mode. As can be seen, UPS switches 40 a through 40 n have been activated such that the power modules of the paralleled UPS have been bypassed. Power from the bypass power source 52 (which may be the same as primary power source 50 ) is passed through to the load bus 70 via load bus switches 64 a through 64 n . Activation of the UPS switches 40 a through 40 n may be accomplished by any known means, including wired or wireless activation or mechanical activation, remotely or directly.
FIG. 4 illustrates the UPS system 100 in system bypass mode. As can be seen, UPS switches 40 a through 40 n have been activated such that the power modules of the paralleled UPS have been bypassed. Thereafter, system switch 62 and load bus switches 64 a through 64 n are closed and opened, respectively, simultaneously or substantially simultaneously so that power on the load bus 70 is substantially uninterrupted. In this condition, power from the bypass power source 52 (which may be the same as primary power source 50 ) is passed through to the load bus 70 via bypass switch 62 thereby bypassing all of the paralleled UPSs, including their power modules 20 a - n , 30 a - n . Activation of the system switch 62 and the load bus switches 64 a through 64 n may be accomplished by any known means, including wired or wireless activation or mechanical activation, remotely or directly.
It will be appreciated that once the UPS system illustrated in FIG. 4 is placed in system bypass mode, one or more bypassed UPSs may be removed or otherwise serviced. It will also be appreciated that by requiring each targeted UPS, such as UPSs 10 a through 10 n , to be placed into internal bypass prior to engaging the system bypass 12 , potentially damaging or harmful back feed is thereby prevented or minimized.
FIGS. 5 a and 5 b illustrate aspects of a preferred UPS for use with the present inventions. UPS 80 comprises a power module 82 (comprising a rectifier section and an inverter section), an internal bypass 84 and a UPS switch 86 , as discussed previously. In addition, UPS 80 comprises one or more contacts or switches 88 , such as mechanical micro-switches, adjacent selected covers or panels 90 . The switch 88 communicates with UPS switch 86 so that a change in state of switch 88 causes a change in state of UPS switch 86 . For example, a switch 88 may be placed adjacent a primary access panel 92 , such that removal of the panel by, for example, a service technician, causes a change in state of switch 88 , such as from opened to closed or vice versa. This change in state is communicated, preferably electronically, to UPS switch 86 , which causes switch 86 to change state correspondingly. In a preferred embodiment of UPS 80 , removing the panel 92 causes the UPS switch to place the UPS 80 into bypass mode, as illustrated in FIG. 5 b.
FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred UPS system 200 comprising a plurality of paralleled UPSs 80 (only one shown for clarity) such as described above with respect to FIG. 5 . FIG. 6 also illustrates system bypass 100 comprising a switch 102 , such as described previously. The system bypass switch 102 may preferably comprise a mechanical breaker switch having multiple poles corresponding to the number of paralleled UPSs. In this configuration, the system switch 102 also comprises load bus switches 102 a through 102 n (not shown). It will be appreciated that the system switch 102 may be adapted such that when switch 102 is open, the load bus switches 102 a - n are closed, and vice versa. Also shown in FIG. 6 is system switch interlock 104 , which may comprise a bar, panel, or other physical structure that impedes or prevents actuation of system switch 102 . The system bypass is also disclosed to comprise an interlock switch 106 , such as mechanical micro-switch. When the interlock 104 is moved or removed, the switch 106 changes state and causes the UPS switches 86 a through 86 n (not shown) to enter the internal bypass condition. Thereafter, actuation of the system bypass switch 102 cause the UPS to go into system bypass without producing damaging backfeed on the UPS power modules.
Other and further embodiments utilizing one or more aspects of the inventions described above can be devised without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example, a suitable programmed controller can stage the internal bypass functions followed by the system bypass function. Further, the various methods and embodiments of the present invention can be included in combination with each other to produce variations of the disclosed methods and embodiments. Discussion of singular elements can include plural elements and vice-versa.
The order of steps can occur in a variety of sequences unless otherwise specifically limited. The various steps described herein can be combined with other steps, interlineated with the stated steps, and/or split into multiple steps. Similarly, elements have been described functionally and can be embodied as separate components or can be combined into components having multiple functions.
The inventions have been described in the context of preferred and other embodiments and not every embodiment of the invention has been described. Obvious modifications and alterations to the described embodiments are available to those of ordinary skill in the art. The disclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the invention conceived of by me, but rather, in conformity with the patent laws, I intend to fully protect all such modifications and improvements that come within the scope or range of equivalent of the following claims.
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A system and method of isolating an uninterruptible power supply system is disclosed that comprises bypassing an inverter section of the power supply to couple primary power to a load bus; and, thereafter, isolating the power supply by simultaneously uncoupling the power supply from the load bus and coupling the primary power to the load bus.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/793,858, filed on Mar. 15, 2013.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to remote keyless vehicle access systems, and more particularly to distributing codes for remote keyless vehicle access systems to use.
BACKGROUND
Wireless signal transmitter-receiver systems are employed in a variety of security systems and remote activation systems. Remote access devices are generally used in the automotive industry to activate and deactivate vehicle access systems. Remote access devices can also perform other tasks including remote starting, locking and unlocking doors, unlatching trunk decks or tail gates, opening windows or doors and operating convertible top mechanisms.
An original remote access device may use a code generator capable of generating a very large number of unique codes to operate with a unique vehicle access system. These codes work with certain vehicle types.
3rd parties might want to build replacement remote access devices, but they might not know the code generator's algorithm or seed.
SUMMARY
One aspect of the invention features a method for distributing a sequence of access codes to a plurality of users. The method comprises storing a set of sequences of access codes, wherein each sequence of access codes of the set can be programmed for use by a remote access device with an access system of a specific type. The method also comprises providing a first sequence of access codes to a first remote access device of a first user to remotely operate a vehicle having the specific type of access system. The method also comprises providing the first sequence of access codes to a second remote access device of a second user to remotely operate a second vehicle having the specific type of access system.
Another aspect of the invention features a server comprising one or more processors and a memory system configured to store a set of sequences of access codes, wherein each sequence of access codes of the set can be programmed for use by a remote access device with an access system of a specific type. The server is configured to provide a first sequence of access codes to a first remote access device of a first user to remotely operate a first vehicle having the specific type of access system. It is also configured to provide the same first sequence of access codes to a second remote access device of a second user to remotely operate a second vehicle having the specific type of access system.
Particular implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented so as to realize one or more of the following advantages: This invention allows manufacturers of remote access devices and distributors of sequences of access codes to more efficiently distribute the sequences of access codes into remote access devices. They can provide fewer codes to a greater number of remote access devices with minimal risk of the remote access devices interfering with each other.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a system for distributing sequences of access codes.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for distributing sequences of access codes.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for determining which sequence of access codes to distribute.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another method for determining which sequence of access codes to distribute.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another method for determining which sequence of access codes to distribute.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for deciding when to start using the distribution methods.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for distributing indexes of a sequence of access codes.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a system 100 for distributing sequences of access codes. A service provider for remote access devices may store sets of sequences of access codes. Each set contains sequences of access codes that work with certain types of vehicles, e.g., a particular year, make, model, and trim. A server 101 stores the sets of sequences of access codes in a memory. Vehicle owners will request from the server a sequence of access codes that will work with the owner's particular type of vehicle. The server can use one or more processors to process the request and make any necessary decisions.
The server will distribute the sequences of access codes through a communication network 103 such as the internet. The server downloads the sequences into remote access devices 105 [ a - c ]. Remote access device 105 a downloads a first sequence of codes compatible for operation with vehicle access system 107 a of a first type of vehicle. Remote access device 105 b downloads a different sequence of codes compatible for use with a vehicle access system 107 b for the same type of vehicle. Remote access device 105 c downloads a different sequence of codes compatible for use with vehicle access system 107 c for a different type of vehicle.
Because remote access devices 105 a and 105 b share the same sequence of access codes, they risk operating each other's vehicle access system. Sometimes, a vehicle registration can reduce or eliminate this risk when the vehicle access system registers an ID of the remote access devices that it allows access from, but not every vehicle access system has this capability. Distributing different sequences of access codes, such the different sequence of access codes to remote access device 105 c , will also reduce or eliminate the risk of cross-operation.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart 200 of a method for distributing sequences of access codes. A server stores 201 a set of sequences of access codes that a remote access device can use to operate an access system of a particular type of vehicle. In some examples, the server stores a set of sequences of access codes that a remote access device can use to operate a certain type of access system that can be used with multiple vehicles. The server receives requests 203 from remote access devices needing to work with an access system of the particular type of vehicle.
The server determines 205 which sequences to provide to which remote access devices. To make the determination, the server can use any of the methods later disclosed, e.g., as shown by the later flowcharts of FIGS. 3-6 . Sometimes, it may provide a sequence that it did not previously provide to another remote access device.
The server decides to provide 207 sequence #1 to a first remote access device. It may also provide 209 sequence #1 to a second remote access device after determining remote access device #2 will not likely interfere with the operation of remote access device #1. It may provide 211 sequence #3 to a third remote access device.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart 300 of a method for determining which sequence of access codes to distribute based on location. A vehicle owner sends a request to a server to download a sequence of access codes compatible with the owner's vehicle type onto the vehicle owner's remote access device. A server receives 301 the request and identifies the set of sequences of access codes that work with the owner's vehicle type.
The server may request 303 location information about the vehicle, the owner, or the remote access device. The server uses the location information to determine 305 if the remote access device is or will be used at least a minimum threshold distance away from other remote access devices using a certain sequence. The minimum distance can be a distance such as 1 mile or 1,000 miles. Alternatively, it can be based on a geographic boundary, such as by state, zip code, city, country, etc.
If the distance between the remote access devices exceeds the minimum threshold distance, the server can provide 307 the same certain sequence of access values that it previous provided for use to a different vehicle access device for use with a different owner's vehicle. If the distance between the remote access devices does not exceed the minimum distance threshold, then the server provides 309 a new sequence of access values for download into the requesting owner's remote access device, the new sequence of access values having not been previously provided to a different owner to download into a different remote access device.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 of another method for determining which sequence of access codes to distribute. A vehicle owner sends a request to a server to download a sequence of access codes compatible with the owner's vehicle type onto the owner's remote access device. A server receives 401 the request and identifies the set of sequences of access codes that work with the owner's vehicle type.
The server may request location information about the vehicle, the owner, or the remote access device. The server uses the location information to determine 403 if the vehicle, vehicle's owner, or remote access device reside in a densely populated area. It may also determine if other vehicles, owners, or access devices that have used a certain sequence of vehicle access codes reside in a densely populated area. If yes, then the server may set 405 a high threshold distance, e.g., 1000 miles or a certain state. If no, then a server may set a low 407 threshold distance, e.g., 100 miles or a county, city, or zip code boundary.
The server then decides 409 if the distance between the remote access device and other remote access devices exceed the minimum threshold distance. If the minimum distance threshold is met, then the server can provide 411 a same sequence of access values that it previous provided for use to a different vehicle access device for use with a different owner's vehicle. If the distance threshold is not met, then the server provides 413 a new sequence of access values for download into the requesting owner's remote access device, the new sequence of access values having not been previously provided to a different owner to download into a different remote access device.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 of another method for determining which sequence of access codes to distribute. A vehicle owner sends a request to a server to download a sequence of access codes compatible with the owner's vehicle type onto the vehicle owner's remote access device. A server receives 501 the request and identifies the set of sequences of access codes that work with the owner's vehicle type.
The server uses time information, e.g., the time of the request, to determine 503 if a minimum amount of time elapsed since the server last provided a certain sequence to a different access device. The minimum elapsed time can be, for example, 1 year or 10 years. The minimum elapsed time may be set differently for users at different locations, e.g. based on distance or population density.
If the elapsed time exceeds the minimum amount of time, the server can provide 507 the same certain sequence of access values that it previous provided for use to a different vehicle access device for use with a different owner's vehicle. If the elapsed time does not exceed the minimum amount of time, then the server provides 509 a new sequence of access values for download into the requesting owner's remote access device, the new sequence of access values having not been previously provided to a different owner to download into a different remote access device.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart 600 of a method for deciding when to start using the distribution methods. A vehicle owner sends a request to a server to download a sequence of access codes compatible with the owner's vehicle type onto the owner's remote access device. A server receives 601 the request and identifies the set of sequences of access codes that work with the owner's vehicle type.
The server checks 603 if it previously provided all of the sequences in the set to other access devices of other vehicle owners. If not, the server provides 607 a previously unused sequence to the vehicle access device of the requesting owner. If so, then the server can provide 605 a previously used sequence of access codes. In doing so, the service may ensure that it did not provide a different owner same sequence of access codes within a minimum distance or time, e.g., by using methods in FIGS. 3-5 .
FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 of a method for distributing indexes of a sequence of access codes. A vehicle owner sends a request to a server to download a sequence of access codes compatible with the owner's vehicle type onto the owner's remote access device. A server receives 701 the request and identifies the set of sequences of access codes that work with the owner's vehicle type.
The server may decide 703 to provide a previously used sequence to the access device of the owner, e.g., by using methods in FIGS. 3-5 . Having done so, it may also provide 705 an reference index to the remote access device of the requesting owner. The remote access device begins issuing codes from the sequence at the position in the sequence specified by the reference index.
For example, a sequence of access codes may contain 200,000 access codes. The server may have previously provided to an access device the sequence of access codes with a reference index to start at the first access code. Now, the server provides to the access device of the requesting owner the same sequence of codes with a reference index to start at a different point, e.g., the 100,000th code.
Alternatively, the server may distribute the index in other ways, such has incrementally, algorithmically, or randomly. Examples of algorithms include calculating the farthest unused index and calculating an expected index that a previous user may be currently using. For example, a user starting at the first index of a sequence may, on average, increment 5 indexes per day and reach index 5000 after 1000 days, so a second user given the same sequence can be given the first index again, but not the index of 5000.
Techniques for distributing the indexes can employ variations of the methods used for distributing sequences shown in FIGS. 3-7 .
A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the information requested or used in the determinations may comprise information about a vehicle's location, a vehicle owner's location, or an expected use location instead of location about the remote access device. The various methods shown by the figures can be varied and rearranged, and they can be used in parallel, sequence, or combination with the methods shown by other figures. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
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A method for distributing a sequence of access codes to a plurality of users, comprising comprises storing a set of sequences of access codes, wherein each sequence of access codes of the set can be programmed for use by a remote access device with an access system of a specific type. A same sequence of access codes is provided to both a first remote access device of a first user and to a second remote access device of a second user.
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BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of rotary-wing aircraft having gimbaled rotor hubs.
2. Description of Related Art
Consumer demand is increasing for rotary-wing aircraft to provide more thrust, higher speeds, and carry heavier loads and/or heavier fuselages. For example, there is a demand for more powerful tilt-rotor aircraft. Of course, where performance criteria such as those listed above are to be increased, the functional systems of the rotary-wing aircraft must be improved to provide the desired resultant performance enhancements. The rotor hub drive system is one of the many functional systems which requires improvement in order to meet the demand for improved rotary-wing aircraft performance.
Rotor hub drive systems often are/include constant-velocity drive systems, or homokinetic drive systems, which have been in use for a very long time. There are numerous successful designs of constant-velocity drive systems for various types of rotary-wing aircraft. Constant-velocity drive systems are typically designed for transferring torque, or rotational force, from a first rotating member to a second rotating member, where the first rotating member may not be coaxial with the second rotating member. Constant-velocity drive systems are particularly well suited for use in rotary-wing aircraft as a means of transferring torque from a rotating mast to a rotor hub, especially where the rotor hub is gimbaled to the rotating mast. Two such constant-velocity drive systems are taught by Zoppitelli et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,313.
Zoppitelli et al. teach a first constant-velocity drive system where a torque-splitting mechanism (see Zoppitelli et al. FIGS. 2-6) is associated with a two-gimbal device (see Zoppitelli et al. FIGS. 7 and 8) for driving in rotation and tilting (with respect to a mast) a rotor hub. Zoppitelli et al. also teach a second constant-velocity drive system where the same torque-splitting mechanism drives a rotor hub in rotation via drive links and where the rotor hub is gimbaled to the mast by a gimbal means comprising half of a flapping thrust bearing (see Zoppitelli et al. FIGS. 9 and 10). In the second constant-velocity drive system, the differential mechanism drives the hub in rotation via drive links while the hub is connected to the mast with a tilting means comprising a flapping thrust bearing.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a tilt-rotor, rotary-wing aircraft incorporating a constant-velocity drive system as taught by Zoppitelli et al. is illustrated. Tilt-rotor aircraft 17 is shown in an airplane mode of flight operation. When aircraft 17 is in an airplane mode, wings 19 (only one shown) are utilized to lift fuselage 21 in response to the action of rotor systems 23 (only one shown). Rotor-blades of rotor systems 23 are not shown. Two nacelles 25 (only one shown) each substantially enclose a constant-velocity drive system 27, obscuring constant-velocity drive system 27 from view in FIG. 1. Of course, each rotor system 21 is driven by associated engines (not shown), one engine housed within each nacelle 25.
Referring now to FIGS. 2-6, Zoppitelli et al. teach a differential torque-splitting mechanism fitted to a rotor mast, for driving in rotation the hub of a convertible aircraft tilting rotor, as described above with reference to FIG. 1.
In FIGS. 2-6, mast 29 of the rotor, driven by its base (not shown) in rotation about its longitudinal axis Z-Z, supports, a differential mechanism, designated as a whole by number 31. This mechanism 31, which belongs to the means for constant-velocity drive of the rotor hub, mainly comprises an assembly of three discs coaxial about the axis Z-Z and placed one on top of the other along this axis, a central disc 33 of which is arranged axially between the other two discs 35 and 37, one of which, arranged axially between central disc 33 and a seating shoulder 39, annular, peripheral and projecting radially toward the outside on shaft or mast 29, is termed an inner disc 35, as it is arranged along the axis Z-Z at the base end of mast 29, and therefore toward the inside of the convertible aircraft structure, while third disc 37, termed the outer disc, is arranged axially between central disc 33 and an axial preload device 41, fitted along a threaded portion of mast 29, to provide axial stacking (along Z-Z) of the three discs 33, and 37 of the assembly with preloading, under the conditions and for the reasons which are explained below.
Central disc 33 is made integral in rotation with mast 29 by internal axial splines 43 in its central bore, which are engaged with external axial splines on a cylindrical splined portion 29a of mast 29, to transmit the torque. As can also be seen in FIG. 7, central disc 33 has a central portion 45, between two cylindrical journals 47 and 49 at the axial ends, which is extended radially toward the outside by four spider arms 51 each drilled with two cylindrical bores 55 side by side and with parallel axes. The four spider arms 51 are diametrically opposite in twos, and regularly distributed over the periphery of central portion 45 of central disc 33.
Each of the inner 35 and outer 37 discs comprises a peripheral portion respectively 57 and 59, which is offset axially toward central portion 45 of central disc 33 and surrounds inner axial journal 47 (the lower one in the drawings) or respectively outer axial journal 49 (the upper one in the drawings) of the latter, and each of the peripheral portions 57 and 59 respectively of inner disc 35 and of outer disc 37 also has, projecting radially toward the outside, four spider arms respectively 61 and 63, also diametrically opposite in twos and regularly distributed over the periphery of said peripheral portions 57 and 59, and each also drilled with two bores respectively 65 and 67 side by side and with parallel axes, and of the generally the same diameter as bores 55 in central disc 33.
Moreover, inner disc 35 supports two drive pins 69, of generally cylindrical shape with a circular cross-section, with axes contained within a radial (relative to the axis Z-Z) plane, and which project toward the outside of the inner disc and occupy diametrically opposite positions, each being between two spider arms 61 of disc 35, and at the same time offset axially toward central portion 45 of central disc 33, so that they can be housed in one of the cut-away portions, delimited at the periphery of this central portion 45 of central disc 33, between two spider arms 51 of disc 33, (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Similarly, outer disc 37 has two drive pins 71, of the same cylindrical form with a circular cross-section and of the same size as pins 69 and also diametrically opposite and projecting toward the outside of peripheral portion 59 of disc 37, while being at the same time offset axially toward central portion 45 of central disc 33, so that they can each be housed in one of the four cut-away portions delimited by spider arms 51 on the periphery of central disc 33 and alternating in a circumferential direction about the axis common to these three discs 33, 35 and 37, with drive pins 69 of inner disc 35.
The three discs 33, 35 and 37 are placed one on top of the other axially so that at rest spider arms 51, 61 and 63 are directly above each other, and bores 55, 65 and 67 aligned between one disc and another, as shown in the left-hand half-view in FIG. 4, so that, in each of the eight groups of three bores 55, 65 and 67 aligned in this way, there can be housed one respectively of eight connecting pins 73, distributed in this way, over the periphery of the three discs, in four assemblies of two adjacent connecting pins 73, radially at the same distance from the axis Z-Z of mast 29, and distributed regularly in four pairs of connecting pins 73, diametrically opposite in twos and along two diametral planes perpendicular to each other, as shown in FIG. 2.
Each connecting pin 73 has its longitudinal geometrical axis A-A substantially parallel to the axis Z-Z of mast 29, and is hinged in each of the three corresponding spider arms 51, 61 and 63 by one respectively of three ball joint connections 75, 77 and 79 which are centered on the axis A-A. As shown in the right-hand half-view in FIG. 4, each connecting pin 73 is a pin with triple ball joints, with a central ball joint 81 with a larger diameter than that of two end ball joints 83, of the same diameter, each of ball joints 81 and 83 being a laminated ball joint retained radially (relative to the axis A-A) inside a cylindrical laminated bearing 85 (for the central ball joint connection 75) and 87 (for each of the end ball joint connections 77 and 79), cylindrical laminated bearings 85 and 87 being substantially coaxial about the geometrical axis A-A of corresponding connecting pin 73. For this reason, each connecting pin 73 is in the form, viewed from the outside, of a cylindrical sleeve divided axially into three parts placed one on top of the other and slightly spaced apart from each other, with a radial collar at the upper end (see FIG. 7) and each enclosing three ball joint connections 75, 77 and 79 offset along the axis A-A.
After the eight connecting pins 73 are installed, central disc 33, integral in rotation with mast 29, is a driving disc for inner disc 35 and outer disc 37, which are driven discs of mechanism 31, and each of which can drive in rotation, about the axis Z-Z, and by its two corresponding drive pins 69 or 71, at least one of driving devices connected to the hub to cause the latter to rotate, which are each hinged to the hub, so as to drive the latter in rotation, from the rotation of mast 29.
For the reasons explained below, in order to allow relative rotation, about the axis Z-Z of rotation of mast 29, between each of driven discs 35 and 37, on the one hand, and on the other, driving disc 33 and mast 29, each of driven discs 35 and 37 is mounted, in its portion which surrounds mast 29, axially between two radial annular bearings 89, surrounding mast 29 and substantially coaxial about the axis Z-Z of the latter. Thus the central portion of driven discs 35 is fitted between an inner radial bearing 89, seated against shoulder 39 of mast 29, and an outer radial bearing 89 seated against the inner axial end of journal 47 of driving disc 33, while the central portion of the other driven disc 37 is fitted between a radial bearing 89, seated against the outer end face of journal 49 of driving disc 33, and another radial bearing 89 with loads applied axially, in the direction which applies axial preloading to the stack of three discs 33, 35 and 37 and of four bearings 89, by axial preload device 41 which, in these drawings, is shown schematically as consisting of a nut 91 screwed around the externally threaded portion 29b of mast 29.
In addition to radial annular bearings 89, which may be plain but are preferably each a cylindrical laminated bearing, as shown, or possibly truncated cone-shaped, comprising at least one vulcanized elastomer washer between two metal washers, two axial bushings 93 are provided to facilitate relative rotation between each of driven discs 35 and 37, on the one hand, and on the other mast 29 and driving disc 33. One of two bushings 93 is fitted between peripheral portion 57 of driven disc 35 and journal 47 of driving disc 33, while the other axial bushing 93 is fitted between peripheral portion 59 of other driven disc 37 and other journal 49 of driving disc 33. These two axial bushings 93 are also substantially coaxial about the axis Z-Z of mast 29.
In FIGS. 2-6, differential mechanism 31 is such that two drive pins 69 of driven disc 35 are not only diametrically opposite relative to the axis Z-Z, but project radially toward the outside of driven disc 35, perpendicularly to the axis Z-Z, and coaxial about a first diametral axis X-X of mechanism 31 and of mast 29, so that pins 69 constitute a first diametral drive arm integral with driven disc 35. Similarly, the two drive pins 71 of driven disc 37, also diametrically opposite relative to the axis Z-Z and perpendicular to the latter, overhanging and projecting radially toward the outside of driven disc 37, and coaxial about a second diametral axis Y-Y of mechanism 31 and which at rest is perpendicular to the first diametral axis X-X and converging with the latter on the axis Z-Z, constitute a second diametral drive arm, integral in rotation with driven disc 37 and, when mechanism 31 is at rest, perpendicular to the first diametral drive arm formed by pins 69.
This differential mechanism 31 is compatible with a double-gimbal device 96, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for a rotor in which this double-gimbal device 96 constitutes both the driving means and the tilting means placed between differential mechanism 31 on the one hand and, on the other, a rotor hub supporting blades, and which is thus mounted so as to pivot about any flapping axis intersecting the axis Z-Z of mast 29 and extending in any direction about this axis Z-Z, so that the hub, and therefore the rotor, can be driven in rotation about a geometrical axis inclined in any direction about the axis Z-Z of mast 29.
Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, double-gimbal device 96 comprises a first gimbal 97, substantially in the shape of an octagon (viewed in plan) mounted so as to pivot relative to mast 29 by two first bearings 101a, 101b which may be plain cylindrical bearings or, preferably, bearings consisting of cylindrical, conical, and/or where appropriate spherical laminated elements. A second gimbal 99, also substantially octagonal in shape, and arranged above first gimbal 97, is mounted so as to pivot in a similar manner by two second bearings such as 103a (the other one is not visible), of the same type as bearings 101a and 101b so that second gimbal 99 can pivot relative to mast 29.
The two gimbals 97 and 99 are thus each driven in rotation by one respectively of driven discs 35 and 37, themselves driven by mast 29 and driving disc 33, about the axis Z-Z of mast 29, while being mounted so as to pivot each about one respectively of the two axes, normally perpendicular, X-X and Y-Y.
In addition, the first gimbal 97 is hinged to a casing or hub body by two first ball joint connections such as 107a (see FIG. 8), preferably comprising laminated ball joints, each combined with a cylindrical or conical laminated bearing, and which are diametrically opposite relative to the axis Z-Z of mast 29, and each centered on the second diametral axis Y-Y, being retained in two small sleeves 105 coaxially about the axis Y-Y on gimbal 97, in the neutral or rest position of the rotor, the two first ball joint connections such as 107a remaining centered substantially in a diametral plane, defined by the axis Z-Z and by the second diametral axis Y-Y, when first gimbal 97 is pivoted about the first diametral axis X-X.
In a similar manner, second gimbal 99 is hinged to a hub body by two second ball joint connections 109a and 109b, also preferably comprising laminated ball joints combined with cylindrical or conical laminated bearings and, diametrically opposite relative to the axis Z-Z and each centered, at rest or in the neutral position of the rotor, on the first diametral axis X-X, while being retained in small sleeves 111 coaxial about the axis X-X on gimbal 99, these second ball joint connections 109a and 109b remaining substantially centered in a diametral plane defined by the axis Z-Z and the first diametral axis X-X when second gimbal 99 is pivoted about the second diametral axis Y-Y.
In this embodiment, a rotor hub is connected to mast 29 by two crossing gimbals 97 and 99, hinged to the inside of the hub by ball joint connections, preferably laminated such as 107 a and 109 a, 109 b , and hinged so as to pivot about the two perpendicular diametral drive arms 69-69 and 71-71, at rest, by bearings 101 a, 101 b and such as 103 a , according to an arrangement at the same time constituting a mechanism for tilting the hub and the blades, allowing pivoting of the hub as a whole about any flapping axis intersecting the axis Z-Z of mast 29 and running in any direction about the axis Z-Z, and a mechanism giving constant velocity drive of the hub and of the blades about a geometrical axis of rotation of the hub, which may be inclined in any direction about the axis Z-Z of mast 29 by causing gimbals 97 and 99 to pivot about their respective diametral axes X-X and Y-Y. The torque is transmitted between mast 29 and the hub by two transmission trains each comprising mast 29, the central disc 33, one respectively of the driven discs 35 and 37, and therefore gimbal 97 or 99 pivoting on driven disc 35 or 37, the corresponding two bearings 101a, 101b or such as 103b, the corresponding two ball joint connections such as 107a or 109a, 109b and the hub.
With a pivoting device of this type with two gimbals 97 and 99, it is known that tilting of the rotor disc and therefore of the hub relative to the axis Z-Z of mast 29 induces a cyclic relative rotation of these two gimbals 97 and 99, at a frequency of 2Ω (where Ω is the frequency of rotation of the rotor), the two gimbals 97 and 99 performing rotation movements in opposite directions and of equal amplitude about the drive axis and in a plane perpendicular to this drive axis. The differential mechanism 31 compensates kinematically for this cyclic relative rotation of the two gimbals 97 and 99, by means of the connecting pins 73, linking driven discs 35 and 37 to driving disc 33, and which are inclined slightly while accompanying the rotation of driven discs 35 and 37 in opposite directions about the axis Z-Z of mast 29. At the same time, the static torque transmitted by mast 29 to two gimbals 97 and 99 is split by driving disc 33 between two driven discs 35 and 37, by means of connecting pins 73. This capability of the differential mechanism 31 to allow any relative movement of two gimbals 97 and 99 in the plane perpendicular to the drive axis eliminates the hyperstatic characteristics of a device in which the tilt mechanism with two gimbals would be directly connected to mast 29.
The constant velocity characteristics are thus obtained by the kinematic compatibility between the tilting and drive means using two gimbals 97 and 99, by means of differential mechanism 31.
Transmission of the loads from the rotor (lift and coplanar loads) to mast 29 is provided, from the hub to mast 29, via two gimbals 97 and 99 which, in opposite directions, transmit the torque from mast 29 to the hub. The radial annular bearings 89 and axial bushings 93, allowing relative rotation between driven discs 35 and 37 (connected to gimbals 97, 99) and driving disc 33 connected to mast 29, assist in transmitting the lift load and the coplanar loads, the lift also being transferred through the presence of axial preload device 41 with elastic deformation of the stack of three discs 33, 35 and 37 and of four annular radial bearings 89 against shoulder 39 on mast 29.
While the constant-velocity drive systems taught by Zoppitelli et al. may be suitable for smaller, lighter, less powerful rotary-wing aircraft, significant limitations become apparent when the constant-velocity drive systems taught by Zoppitelli et al. are considered for use in larger, heavier, more powerful rotary-wing aircraft. For example, in order to increase the torque transfer capability of a constant-velocity drive system taught by Zoppitelli et al., the overall size of the torque-splitting mechanism would necessarily increase. Additionally, since the two-gimbal device associated with the torque-splitting mechanism substantially envelopes the torque-splitting mechanism, the overall size of the two-gimbal device would also necessarily increase. It is desirable to configure the rotating components of rotor systems to remain as close to the axis of rotation of the mast as possible to minimize undesirable resultant forces. Clearly, increasing the size of the torque-splitting mechanism and the two-gimbal device taught by Zoppitelli et al. is not desirable and does not provide a satisfactory solution for providing a constant-velocity drive system for a larger, heavier, more powerful rotary-wing aircraft.
While the above described rotor hub advancements represent significant developments in rotor hub design, considerable shortcomings remain.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, the invention itself, as well as, a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side view of a prior art tilt-rotor aircraft having a constant-velocity drive system as taught by Zoppitelli et al;
FIG. 2 is top view of a differential mechanism of the constant-velocity drive of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken at cutting line III of FIG. 2 , of the differential mechanism of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken generally near cutting line IV of FIG. 2 , of the differential mechanism of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 5 is an exploded oblique view of the differential mechanism of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 6 is an oblique view of the differential mechanism of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 7 is an exploded oblique view of the differential mechanism and a double-gimbal device of the constant-velocity drive system of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 8 is an oblique view of the differential mechanism and a double-gimbal device of the constant-velocity drive system of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 9 is front view of a tilt-rotor rotary-wing aircraft having an constant-velocity drive system according to the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a constant-velocity drive system according to the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an alternate embodiment of a constant-velocity drive system according to the present invention;
FIG. 12 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of a constant-velocity drive system according to the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a side view of the differential torque-splitting mechanism of the constant-velocity drive system of FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 14 is a top view of the double-gimbal mechanism of the constant-velocity drive system of FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 15 is a top view of the differential torque-splitting mechanism of the constant-velocity drive system of FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 16 is a simplified schematic cross-sectional view (taken at cutting line D-D of FIG. 15 ) of the differential torque-splitting mechanism of the constant-velocity drive system of FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 17 is a simplified schematic cross-sectional view (taken at cutting line C-C of FIG. 15 ) of the differential torque-splitting mechanism of the constant-velocity drive system of FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 18 is an oblique view of an alternative embodiment of a triple joint pin of an alternative embodiment of a differential torque-splitting mechanism according to the present invention; and
FIG. 19 is an oblique view of an alternative embodiment of a constant-velocity drive system according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention is an improved constant-velocity drive system for a rotary-wing aircraft which provides improved torque transfer while minimizing negative dynamic characteristics. While specific reference is made to using the present invention with tilt-rotor rotary-wing aircraft, the present invention may alternatively be used with any other rotary-wing vehicle/craft.
FIG. 9 depicts a tilt-rotor, rotary-wing aircraft incorporating the constant-velocity drive system of the present invention. FIG. 9 illustrates a tilt-rotor aircraft 201 in an airplane mode of flight operation. When in airplane mode, wings 203 are utilized to lift craft body 205 in response to the action of rotor systems 207 , 209 . Each rotor system 207 , 209 is illustrated as having four rotor-blades 211 . Each of nacelles 213 , 215 (along with associated spinning covers 216 ) substantially enclose a constant-velocity drive systems 217 , obscuring constant-velocity drive systems 217 from view in FIG. 9 . Of course, each rotor system 207 , 209 is driven by an engine (not shown), each substantially housed within one of nacelles 213 , 215 .
Referring now to FIG. 10 in the drawings, a simplified schematic view of a constant-velocity drive system 217 according to the present invention is illustrated. Constant-velocity drive system 217 is adapted to operate in a manner substantially similar to the constant-velocity drive system of Zoppitelli et al. Constant-velocity drive system 217 generally comprises a differential torque-splitting mechanism 219 , a gimbal mechanism 221 , and at least two linking means 223 , 225 . Differential torque-splitting mechanism 219 and gimbal mechanism 221 are associated with a rotor mast 227 , which is configured for rotation about a central axis R-R of rotation of mast 227 . Mast 227 comprises an inboard portion 229 and an outboard portion 231 . As assembled for operation, and therefore being associated with an engine and/or a transmission linkage between the engine and mast 227 , inboard portion 229 is located nearer the engine and/or a transmission linkage than is outboard portion 231 . Differential torque-splitting mechanism 219 is located nearer inboard portion 229 than is gimbal mechanism 221 while gimbal mechanism 221 is located nearer outboard portion 231 than is differential torque-splitting mechanism 219 .
Generally, differential mechanism 219 serves substantially the same function as differential torque-splitting mechanism 31 as taught by Zoppitelli et al. and gimbal mechanism 221 serves substantially the same function as double-gimbal device 96 also taught by Zoppitelli et al. Since differential mechanism 219 and gimbal mechanism 221 are substantially displaced from each other along mast 227 , linking means 223 , 225 are used to connect differential mechanism 219 and gimbal mechanism 221 . Linking means 223 , 225 are adapted to complement and interface with differential torque-splitting mechanism 219 and gimbal mechanism 221 in a manner such that each linking means 223 , 225 is a portion of at least two independent force transfer paths, allowing differential mechanism 219 to kinematically compensate for the cyclic relative rotation experienced by gimbal mechanism 221 while linking means 223 , 225 share in transferring the static torque from differential mechanism 219 to gimbal mechanism 221 . This capability of differential mechanism 219 to allow any relative movement of at least two portions (not shown) of gimbal mechanism 221 in a plane perpendicular to axis R-R eliminates the hyperstatic characteristics of a device in which a tilt mechanism with two gimbals is directly connected to a mast. As further assembled for operation, gimbal mechanism 221 is attached to a rotor hub (not shown) for driving the rotor hub in rotation.
Referring now to FIG. 11 in the drawings, a simplified schematic view of a constant-velocity drive system 233 according to the present invention is illustrated. Constant-velocity drive system 233 is substantially similar to constant-velocity drive system 217 in function. However, constant-velocity drive system 233 differs from constant-velocity drive system 217 in that differential torque-splitting mechanism 219 is located nearer outboard portion 231 than is gimbal mechanism 221 while gimbal mechanism 221 is located nearer inboard portion 229 than is differential torque-splitting mechanism 219 .
While constant-velocity drive systems 217 , 233 differ, each represent an improvement upon constant-velocity drive system 27 of Zoppitelli et al. insofar as each constant-velocity drive system 217 , 233 provides a desirable constant-velocity drive system capable of transferring increased torque loads without radially expanding (about the axis of rotation of the mast) the physical size of the differential torque-splitting mechanism or the gimbal mechanism. This is accomplished generally by displacing (along the axis R-R of rotation of the mast) the differential torque-splitting mechanism from the gimbal mechanism. By displacing the differential torque mechanisms from the gimbal mechanism, the input of the constant-velocity drive system (torque transfer from the mast to the differential torque mechanism) is necessarily displaced (along the axis of rotation of the mast) from the output of the constant-velocity drive system (torque transfer from the gimbal mechanism to an associated rotor hub).
Referring now to FIGS. 12-17 in the drawings, a constant velocity drive system 301 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Constant-velocity drive system 301 comprises a differential torque-splitting mechanism 303 (shown in more detail in FIGS. 13 and 15 - 17 ) and a double-gimbal mechanism 305 (shown in FIGS. 12 and 14 ) which together function to provide the benefits also provided by constant-velocity drive system 217 . Differential torque-splitting mechanism 303 comprises a central driving disk 307 adapted to be integral in rotation about an axis of rotation S-S with a mast 309 . Differential torque-splitting mechanism also comprises an inner driven tube 311 and an outer driven tube 313 . Inner driven tube 311 comprises a base portion 315 , a riser portion 317 , and drive arm portions 319 . Similarly, outer driven tube 313 comprises a base portion 321 , a riser portion 323 , and a drive arm portion 325 .
Base portions 315 and 321 are substantially shaped as disks located generally normal to axis of rotation S-S. Inner driven tube 311 and outer driven tube 313 are concentrically located about axis of rotation S-S, with inner driven tube 311 being located between outer driven tube 313 and mast 309 . As shown more clearly in FIGS. 15 and 16 (where FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view taken at axis/cutting line D-D of FIG. 15 and where FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view taken at axis/cutting line C-C of FIG. 15 ), base portions 315 and 321 cooperate with central driving disk 307 , through the use of triple joint pins 327 . Hence, triple joint pins 327 allow for relative rotation, about the axis of rotation S-S of mast 309 , between each of inner driven tube 311 and outer driven tube 313 . Triple joint pins 327 each comprise three ball joints, a central joint and two end joints (not labeled for clarity), where for each triple joint pin 327 a central joint is associated with central driving disk 307 and the two remaining end joints are associated with bases 315 , 321 . Inner base portion 315 is located above central driving disk 307 and outer base portion 321 is located below central driving disk 307 in this embodiment. Of course, other necessary bearings, axial preload devices, bushings, and/or interface components are integrated into differential torque-splitting mechanism 303 as necessary, and the integration of such is known to those ordinarily skilled in the art, and may be applied to the current embodiment in light of the present teachings.
Riser portions 317 and 323 are substantially shaped as tubes extending from base portions 315 , 321 , respectively, along axis of rotation S-S. Riser portions 317 , 323 serve substantially the same function as linking means 223 , 225 of FIGS. 10 and 11 , and are configured for transferring torque from base portions 315 , 321 to drive arm portions 319 , 325 , respectively. Riser portions 317 , 323 are sized and shaped to be generally located as close to axis S-S as practicable while retaining any required space between mast 309 and riser portion 317 and between riser portion 317 and riser portion 323 .
Drive arm portions 319 and 325 generally comprise cylindrical pin-like protrusions extending from riser portions 317 , 323 , respectively, and extending radially away from axis of rotation S-S. Drive arm portions 319 , 325 generally serve as the interfaces between each of inner driven tube 311 and outer driven tube 313 , respectively, and double-gimbal device 305 . As shown most clearly in FIG. 15 , drive arm portions 319 are located along an axis D-D while drive arm portions 325 are located along an axis C-C, generally perpendicular to each other, and both generally perpendicular to axis of rotation S-S.
As shown in FIG. 14 , double-gimbal mechanism 305 comprises a first gimbal 329 and a second gimbal 331 . First gimbal 329 comprises gimbal arms 333 and gimbal joints 335 while second gimbal 331 comprises gimbal arms 337 and gimbal joints 339 . Double-gimbal device 305 is adapted for connection to the inside of a rotor hub (not shown) through ball joints (not shown) incorporated into the four gimbal joints 335 , 339 located most radially outward from axis S-S. In a manner substantially similar to double-gimbal device 96 of FIGS. 7 and 8 , double-gimbal mechanism 305 constitutes a mechanism for tilting the rotor hub and attached blades, allowing pivoting of the hub as a whole about any flapping axis intersecting the axis S-S and running in any direction about axis S-S, and a mechanism giving constant velocity drive of the rotor hub and of the blades about an axis of rotation of the rotor hub, which may be inclined in any direction about the axis S-S by causing gimbals 329 and 331 to pivot about their respective axes D-D and C-C.
Drive arm portions 319 are adapted for flexible connection to and for driving second gimbal 331 . Specifically, drive arm portions 319 are connected to gimbal joints 339 ′ along axis D-D. Similarly, drive arm portions 325 are adapted for flexible connection to and for driving first gimbal 229 . Specifically, drive arm portions 325 are connected to gimbal joints 335 ′ located along axis C-C. As clearly shown in FIG. 13 , since inner driven tube 311 is located concentrically within outer driven tube 313 , appropriately sized cut-away portions 341 are present on riser portion 323 to allow passage of drive arm portions 319 for connection with double-gimbal mechanism 305 .
Now referring to FIG. 18 , an alternate embodiment of a portion of a triple joint pin according to the present invention is illustrated. While triple joint pins 327 are described as comprising three ball joint portions, it will be appreciated that the triple joint action of the drive pins may be retained even while replacing one of the three joints with a joint type other than a ball joint. Specifically, triple joint pin 401 comprises a central cylindrical joint portion 403 and two end ball joint portions 405 . Cylindrical joint portion 403 is arranged coaxially with axis Q-Q. Ball joint portions 405 are arranged centered and displaced along axis P-P. Axes Q-Q and P-P are substantially perpendicular. Triple joint pin 401 is preferably oriented such that axis Q-Q extends generally radially from axis of rotation S-S. Triple joint pin 401 would provide similar interaction between a central drive disk, an inner driven tube, and an outer driven tube as triple joint pins 327 , but would offer improved ability for triple joint pin 401 to translate along axis Q-Q and rotate about axis Q-Q. Of course the necessary additional and/or different bearing configurations for interfacing triple joint pin 401 with a central drive disk, an inner driven tube, and an outer driven tube (or other similar force fight mechanisms) is known to those ordinarily skilled in the art, and may be applied to the current embodiment in light of the present teachings.
Referring now to FIG. 19 , a constant-velocity drive system according to the present invention is illustrated. Constant-velocity drive system 501 generally comprises a differential torque-splitting mechanism 503 , a double-gimbal device 505 , and drive arms 507 for transferring torque from differential torque-splitting mechanism 503 to double-gimbal device 505 . Differential torque-splitting mechanism 503 is substantially similar in form and function to differential mechanism 31 , but drive pins 509 are adapted for connection to drive arms 507 rather than directly to double-gimbal device 505 . Further, double-gimbal device 505 is substantially similar to double-gimbal device 96 , however, double-gimbal device 505 does not substantially envelope differential torque-splitting mechanism 503 , but rather, double-gimbal device 505 is substantially displaced along an axis W-W (the axis of rotation of a mast 511 ) away from differential torque-splitting mechanism 503 . While drive arms 507 are irregularly-curved shaped members, alternative embodiments of drive arms may be shaped and sized in a myriad of ways while still adequately transferring torque without undesirable deformation of drive arms. Specifically, drive arms 507 are adapted to connect to drive pins 509 of differential torque-splitting mechanism 503 at one end and to drive joints 513 of double-gimbal device 505 at the remaining end. Generally, the path of torque transfer of constant-velocity drive system 501 is substantially similar to that of constant-velocity drive system 27 , but with torque additionally being transferred through drive arms 507 so as to allow connection between axially displaced differential torque-splitting mechanism 503 and double-gimbal device 505 .
It is apparent that an invention with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present invention is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.
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An aircraft rotor constant-velocity drive system having a differential mechanism that includes a drive disk configured to be integral in rotation with a mast, an upper member at least partially located above the drive disk, a lower member at least partially located below the drive disk, and at least one link connecting the upper member and the lower member to the drive disk such that the drive disk drives the upper member and the lower member in rotation with the drive disk and that the upper member and the lower member are allowed to rotate differently with respect to the drive disk. The link having opposing end joints and a central joint that pivotally engages the drive disk. The system also having a gimbal device configured to drive a rotor hub and to allow gimbaling of the rotor hub with respect to a mast.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the manufacture of anhydrous alkali dithionites (hydrosulfites) by reacting an alkaline formate, an alkali metal agent, and sulfur dioxide in an alcohol/water solvent. It particularly relates to improving this process by producing a dust-free product.
In the process for the manufacture of alkali metal dithionites from an alkali metal salt of formic acid, an alkali metal hydroxide, carbonate or bicarbonate, and sulfur dioxide, the product precipitates in an alcohol/water solution. Upon completion of the dithionite reaction, the product is separated from the reaction filtrate, also termed the mother liquor, by filtration. The filter cake is washed with alcohol to remove the adhering filtrate, and the product is dried. The alcohol in both the filtrate and the wash alcohol is purified for re-use by distillation.
It is well known in the manufacture of dithionites that a portion of the dithionite product decomposes during the course of the reaction to form thiosulfate. Furthermore, this decomposition is autocatalytic with respect to thiosulfate; as the concentration of thiosulfate increases, so does its rate of formation.
It is also known that certain organic compounds are capable of reacting with or complexing thiosulfates. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,216 describes a method in which certain organic compounds are added during the course of producing dithionites to react with thiosulfate and thus minimize the decomposition reaction. These thiosulfate-reactive compounds include epoxy compounds such as ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butyl and isobutyl oxide, epichlorohydrin, and epibromohydrin as well as halogenated hydrocarbons of the general formula RX or XRD, where R is an alkyl group of carbon number 1 to 8, or an allyl, methallyl, or ethylallyl group, and X is a halogen.
When such thiosulfate-reactive compounds are added to a batch reactor, they destroy thiosulfate ions as they are being formed within the reaction vessel and minimize destruction of the sodium dithionite product. The yield of anhydrous sodium dithionite is thereby increased. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,216 is herein incorporated by reference. This invention relates to an improvement in the process of U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,216.
When sodium hydrosulfite (sodium dithionite) is produced from sodium formate, sulfur dioxide and an alkali method compound such as sodium hydroxide, the resulting dry product is obtained in high yield with a good purity and with excellent throughput and productivity. The product sodium hydrosulfite does contain, however, a variable quantity of small particles described as dust. While sodium hydrosulfite is not toxic, the dust is irritating and objectionable to those handling the material both at the manufacturing end and the user end. A certain amount of dust is typical of all sodium hydrosulfite made via any of the many sodium formate based processes as reported in the patent literature. (U.S. Pat. No. 3411875, 4126716, 4081521, 3917807, 3714340, 3897544, 4017593, 3826818, 3947559.) Microscopic examination of the sodium hydrosulfite particles reveals that, rather than being single crystals, they are agglomerates of a large number of much smaller, needle-like, individual crystals. Because of this configuration, the particles are relatively fragile. The many needle-like protrusions from the central mass are easily broken off, creating dust. The various manufacturing steps of filtering, drying, blending, conveying and packaging are performed in as gentle a manner as possible, yet result in a quantity of dust in the final packaged product that is somewhat variable, batch-to-batch.
No instrumental method of testing for "dustiness" has been found that correlates well with the "dustiness" perceived by a person handling the material. As a result, a means of quantifying the perceived dust has been devised and is described as follows:
1. Four standards varying from very little dust (No. 1) to very dusty (No. 4) were prepared and placed in glass jars with ample head space so that on inversion of the jar the suspended dust could be observed.
2. An identical quantity in an identical jar of a sample to be tested could then be inverted simultaneous with the various standards so that the perceived dust could be compared. In this way the sample could be rated on a numerical scale of from No. 1 to No. 4.
Both pilot plant and plant production batches are generally rated in the No. 2 to No. 4 dust categories, with a far lesser number of batches falling in the No. 1 category.
It has been found that the crystal habit of the product sodium dithionite is substantially modified by the addition of certain water soluble polymers to the reactor in which the sodium hydrosulfite is synthesized and crystallized. This crystal habit modification is such that the normally needle-like individual crystals become more-or-less cubical, and of a much larger size. Single crystals are still in the minority, but the bulk of the particles consist of a relatively small number of cubical crystals firmly bonded together. The resulting product is physically robust, and much less subject to mechanical attrition than the sodium hydrosulfite produced in the absence of the polymer. As a result, dust in the final product is minimal or non-existent; all products are rated as No. 1 or better with respect to dust.
While this discovery is unique to the manufacture of sodium dithionite via the formate process, it is not without precedent. Crystal habit modification owing to the addition of small quantities of a wide variety of substances to the mother liquor from which the crystals derive has long been known and practiced. There is a large body of literature--textbooks, journal articles, patents, and trade brochures--describing the results of such additions, but none shed light on why the phenomenon exists, nor give guidance towards selecting a material which will produce the desired result. The closest chemical to sodium hydrosulfite found in any of the literature is zinc dithionite crystallized via an evaporative process. U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,289 describes the use of a polyacrylamide of molecular weight 400,000 to 5,000,000, or gum resins of molecular weight 300,000 to 9,000,000, or nonionic polymers of ethers of cellulose of molecular weight 500,000 to 4,000,000 to alter the crystals of zinc dithionite. These polymers must be used in conjunction with glycerine and via a procedure specific to the production of zinc dithionite. None of the mentioned polymers were found to be of any benefit in reducing the dustiness of sodium dithionite. Not only does the crystal form of sodium dithionite differ from that of zinc hydrosulfite, but the conditions of crystallization in the respective manufacturing processes are so totally different that it would not be expected that crystal habit modifiers effective for the one would be effective for the other.
Various classes of compounds, other than polymers, suggested in the literature as being effective in specific cases were tested. These classes included surfactants, dispersants and salts other than sodium hydrosulfite. None shown any benefit.
Of all the water soluble polymers tested, one class, acrylics, showed excellent promise in both modifying the crystal habit and reducing the dustiness of the product. By acrylics is meant the polymers of acrylic acid, acrylamide, and various acrylates and methacrylates. In this class of polymers, those of molecular weight greater than about 200,000 are of no benefit. The greatest benefit is derived from those acrylic polymers of molecular weight less than about 60,000.
In using these acrylic polymers in the pilot plant, it was further discovered that the results achieved in reducing the dustiness of the product sodium hydrosulfite could be further improved by modification of the standard batch operating procedure. There are three major raw material streams to be fed to the sodium hydrosulfite synthesis reactor. These are a methanol solution of sulfur dioxide, a water solution of sodium hydroxide or other alkali, and a water solution of sodium formate. Past practice has been to start the sodium formate stream first, followed by a simultaneous start of the sodium hydroxide and sulfur dioxide streams. More consistently low dust values were achieved, however, when the sodium formate and sulfur dioxide streams were first started simultaneously, followed by initiation of the sodium hydroxide feed, or when the sodium formate stream was started first, followed sequentially by first the sulfur dioxide stream, then the sodium hydroxide stream. Either of these modes of operation produce temporarily a more acid condition within the reactor. It is believed that this greater acidity delays nucleation to some extent, and enables an essentially perfect repeatability from batch to batch in yielding a dustless sodium hydrosulfite product.
When this procedural change is involved without using one of the water soluble acrylic polymers, little or no benefit accrues to the product dust. Using an acrylic polymer without the procedural change results always in an improved dust number for the product, but the improvement is somewhat variable. The combination of the two, procedural change and addition of an acrylic polymer, results always in an essentially dust-free product.
The minimum quantity of the water soluble acrylic polymer that has been found necessary to achieve optimum results is 50 ppm based on the entire contents of the sodium dithionite synthesis reactor at the completion of a batch. Up to 200 ppm gives equally good results. Quantities less than 50 ppm are definitely of benefit, but the dustiness of the product increases as the concentration of polymer decreases below 50 ppm. The preferred concentration range is 50 to 200 ppm. Quantities in excess of 200 ppm may, of course, be used, but no additional benefit accrues to using this excessive amount, and there is an economic penalty.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a method for producing dust-free sodium dithionite via the formate process.
It is another object to modify the crystal habit of the product sodium dithionite such that the resulting particles are physically robust and will not suffer attrition owing to various handling operations.
It is another object to accomplish the above objectives without detriment to the yield or assay of the product sodium dithionite.
In accordance with these objects and the principals of this invention, it has been discovered that the addition of a water soluble acrylic polymer to the reactor prior to commencing the reaction will accomplish the objectives. The water soluble acrylic polymer may be of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, sodium methacrylate, acrylamide, various acrylates or various methacrylates. The molecular weight of the selected polymer may be as high as 200,000, but is preferably less than 60,000 and most preferably from 5000 to 40,000. The quantity of polymer to be used is preferably in the range of about 50 ppm to about 200 ppm based on the total weight of material within the reactor at the conclusion of a batch.
It has further been discovered that a modification of the standard batch operating procedure enhances the results achieved through use of the water soluble acrylic polymer. The modification consists of starting the sodium formate and sulfur dioxide feed streams first and simultaneously, followed by start of the sodium hydroxide feed stream, or starting the sodium formate feed first, followed sequentially by the sulfur dioxide feed, then the sodium hydroxide feed, as compared to the previous practice of starting the sodium formate feed stream first followed later by the simultaneous start of the sulfur dioxide and sodium hydroxide feed streams. The enhancement of the results achieved is that each and every batch will give optimal performance with the procedural modification as opposed to always good, but somewhat variable performance without the procedural modification.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As a basis for comparison, dust number evaluations for products from each of the two commercial plants which operate in the conventional mode were gathered. In addition, dust number evaluations for products from the pilot plant operated in both the conventional mode and using the modified operational procedure were gathered. These data are listed in Table I as Examples 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Examples 5 through 15 in Table I demonstrate the preferred embodiment of the invention as used in the pilot plant, while Example 16 shows the preferred embodiment as used in the plant. Each of these examples shows the results achieved in reducing the dustiness of the product sodium dithionite through addition of an acrylic polymer to the synthesis reactor along with first starting the sodium formate feed stream, next starting the sulfur dioxide feed stream, followed by start of the sodium hydroxide feed stream, or by simultaneous start of the sodium formate and sulfur dioxide streams followed by start of the sodium hydroxide feed. In each of the examples where polymer was used, the polymer, as a 20% solution in water, was added to the methanol charged to the synthesis reactor prior to commencing flow of the various raw material feed streams. The quantity of 20% polymer solution was that required to yield the desired concentration of polymer based on the total contents of the reactor at the conclusion of the batch. Example 17 demonstrates the somewhat erratic results achieved with the conventional operating procedure. The dust number reported, 1.3, is the average of seven individual batches of dust number 1 0, 1.5, 1.0, 2.0,, 1.5, 1.0, 1.0.
TABLE I__________________________________________________________________________REDUCTION OF SODIUM DITHIONITE DUSTExampleProduct Operating Polymer Polymer Conc. DustNumberSource Procedure Type M.W. ppm Number__________________________________________________________________________1 Plant #1 Conventional None -- -- 2.92 Plant #2 Conventional None -- -- 3.33 Pilot Plant Conventional None -- -- 3.14 Pilot Plant Modified None -- -- 3.05 Pilot Plant Modified Acrylamide 5000 200 1.06 Pilot Plant Modified Acrylamide 5000 100 1.07 Pilot Plant Modified Acrylamide 5000 50 1.08 Pilot Plant Modified Acrylic Acid 1000 50 1.09 Pilot Plant Modified Part Neutralized 2000 50 1.0 Acrylic Acid10 Pilot Plant Modified Acrylic Acid 7000 50 1.011 Pilot Plant Modified Acrylic Acid 8000 50 1.012 Pilot Plant Modified Sodium 10,000 50 1.0 Methacrylate13 Pilot Plant Modified Sodium 30,000 50 1.0 Acrylate14 Pilot Plant Modified Acrylate 60,000 50 1.515 Pilot Plant Modified Acrylamide 200,000 50 1.516 Plant #2 Modified Acrylamide 5,000 50 1.1417 Pilot Plant Conventional Acrylamide 5,000 50 1.3__________________________________________________________________________ Identify of Polymers Used In Examples 5-17 #5, #6, #7, #16, #17 American Cyanamid Co., Cyanamer P35. #8 Celanese Corp., Celcatex 5501A #9 Colloids Inc., Colloid 142 #10 Celanese Corp., Celcatex 5007A #11 Colloids Inc., Colloid 117 #12 Colloids Inc., Colloid 239 #13 Celanese Corp., Celcatex 3540N #14 Colloids Inc., Colloid 202 #15 American Cyanamid Co., Cyanamer A370
It is to be noted that many water-soluble polymers were tried and the following table is a list of those which are not effective in producing a dust-free product.
LIST OF POLYMERS THAT ARE NOT EFFECTIVE
Separan NP-10, Dow Chemical Co.
Polyacrylamide, N.W. 1,500,000
Cyanamer P-250, American Cyanamid Co.
Polyacrylamide, M.W. 5,000,000
Percol 726, Allied Colloids, Inc.
Polyacrylamide, M.W. 11,000,000
Cyanamer P-21, American Cyanamid Co.
Acrylamide Co-Polymer, M.W. 200,000
Cellosize QP-3L, Union Carbide Corp.
Hydroxyethyl cellulose, M.W. 100,000
Cellosize QP-4400H, Union Carbide Corp.
Hydroxyethyl cellulose, M.W. 650,000
Polyox N-10, Union Carbide Corp.
Polyethylene Oxide, M.W. 100,000
Polyox 303, Union Carbide Corp.
Polyethylene oxide, M.W. 7,000,000
Mirapol WT, Miranol Chemical Co., Inc.
Ureylene Quaternary Ammonium, M.W. 2,200
Corcat P-12, Cordova Chemical Co.
Polyethylene imine, M.W. 1,200
Corcat P-18, Cordova Chemical Co.
Polyethylene imine, M.W. 1,800
Corcat P-150, Cordova Chemical Co.
Polyethylene imine, M.W. 10,000
Corcat P-600, Cordova Chemical Co.
Polyethylene imine, M.W. 60,000
XA-1010, Cordova Chemical Co.
Polyethylene imine, M.W. 600
XA-1007, Cordova Chemical Co., Polyethylene imine, M.W. 300
Dequest 2000, Monsanto Chemical Co.
Aminotri (methylenephosphonic acid), M.W. 299
Dequest 2010, Monsanto Chemical Co.
1-Hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-diphosphonic acid, M.W. 206
Dequest 2060, Monsanto Chemical Co.
Diethylenetriaminepenta-(methylenephosphonic acid), M.W. 573
Belperse 161, Ciba-Geigy Corp.
Polyphosphinopropenoioc acid, M.W. ?
Belclene 200, Ciby-Geigy Corp.
Polymaleic acid, M.W. 500-1,000
Belclene 400, Ciba-Geigy Corp.
Acrylamidosulfonic acid co-polymer, M.W. 5,000
The following procedures illustrate a conventional Pilot Plant operation, a modified Pilot Plant operation where the order of feeds is changed, a conventional plant operation and a modified plant operation where the order of feed is changed.
Please note that the main difference between the Pilot Plant and the commercial operation is that the caustic is mixed with some sodium formate in the Pilot Plant while they are fed as separate streams in commercial operation.
CONVENTIONAL PILOT PLANT OPERATION PROCEDURE
To a 100-gallon reactor, 150 pounds of distilled recovered methanol containing methyl formate and sulfur dioxide was added as a first feed. Next, as a second feed, 5 pounds of 96% sodium formate dissolved in 4 pounds of water were added to the reactor. The reactor contents were heated to 50° C. with agitation. At this temperature, a third feed, consisting of 310 pounds of distilled recovered methanol, of the same composition as the first feed and containing sulfur dioxide of a quantity such that in the first and third feeds there would be a total of 201 pounds of sulfur dioxide, began to be fed to the reactor. The feed rate was controlled so that 80% of its total amount was fed to the reactor in 65 minutes. The fourth feed consisted of 127 pounds of 96% sodium formate, 104 pounds of water, and 67 pounds of 99% sodium hydroxide. The fourth feed was started simultaneous with the third feed, and its feed rate was controlled so that it was fed in its entirety in 65 minutes. A fifth feed of 3.3 pounds of pure ethylene oxide was started simultaneously with the fourth feed. Its feed rate was controlled so that it was fed in its entirety in 195 minutes.
Owing to the exothermic nature of the reaction, the mixture self-heated to 84° C. over a 15-minute period. Temperature control was then initiated to maintain 84° C. throughout the course of the reaction. Owing to the evolution of carbon dioxide, the reactor pressure increased to 40 psig during this 15-minute period, and pressure control was then initiated to maintain 40 psig throughout the course of the
The vented carbon dioxide left the reactor through condensers and a scrubber which was fed at a rate of 0.34 pounds/minute with essentially pure recovered methanol. When the fourth feed terminated, the rate of feed of the third feed was reduced so that the remaining 20% was fed over an additional 65 minutes. At the conclusion of this feed, an additional 65-minute period was allowed for the reaction to go to completion, at which time the ethylene oxide feed ended. The reactor contents were cooled to 73° C. and were discharged to a filtering apparatus wherein the mother liquor was separated from the crude product which was then washed with 190 pounds of essentially pure recovered methanol. The filter cake was vacuum dried to yield the anhydrous product.
MODIFIED PILOT PLANT OPERATION PROCEDURE USING POLYMER
To a 100-gallon reactor, 150 pounds of distilled recovered methanol containing methyl formate and sulfur dioxide was added as a first feed. To this was added the appropriate quantity of a 20% water solution of the polymer. Next, as a second feed, 5 pounds of 96% sodium formate dissolved in 4 pounds of water was added to the reactor. The reactor contents were heated to 50° C. with agitation. At this temperature, a third feed, consisting of 310 pounds of distilled recovered methanol, of the same composition as the first feed and containing sulfur dioxide of a quantity such that in the first and third feeds there would be a total of 201 pounds of sulfur dioxide, began to be fed to the reactor. The feed rate was controlled so that 80% of its total amount was fed to the reactor in 67.6 minutes. The fourth feed consisted of 127 pounds of 96% sodium formate, 104 pounds of water, and 67 pounds of 99% sodium hydroxide. The fourth feed was started 2.6 minutes after the third feed, and its feed rate was controlled so that it was fed in its entirety in 65 minutes. A fifth feed of 3.3 pounds of pure ethylene oxide was started simultaneously with the fourth feed. Its feed rate was controlled so that it was fed in its entirety in 195 minutes.
Owing to the exothermic nature of the reaction, the mixture self-heated to 84° C. over a 15-minute period. Temperature control was then initiated to maintain 84° C. throughout the course of the reaction. Owing to the evolution of carbon dioxide, the reactor pressure increased to 40 psig during this 15-minute period, and pressure control was then initiated to maintain 40 psig throughout the course of the reaction.
The vented carbon dioxide left the reactor through condensers and a scrubber which was fed at a rate of 0.34 pounds/minute with essentially pure recovered methanol. When the fourth feed terminated, the rate of feed of the third feed was reduced so that the remaining 20% was fed over an additional 65 minutes. At the conclusion of this feed, an additional 65-minute period was allowed for the reaction to go to completion, at which time the ethylene oxide feed ended. The reactor contents were cooled to 73° C. and were discharged to a filtering apparatus wherein the mother liquor was separated from the crude product which was then washed with 190 pounds of essentially pure recovered methanol. The filter cake was vacuum dried to yield the anhydrous product.
PLANT CONVENTIONAL OPERATION PROCEDURE
An initial charge of 1000 gallons of distilled recovered methanol was placed in the synthesis reactor and heated to 50° C. with agitation. Three major raw material streams were to be fed to the reactor: 5680 lb of sodium formate as a 60% solution in water, 8670 lb of sulfur dioxide as a 43% solution in methanol, and 2770 lb of sodium hydroxide as a 73% solution in water. The sodium formate feed was started first with the feed rate adjusted to feed the entire quantity in 68 minutes. After three minutes the sulfur dioxide and sodium hydroxide feeds were started. The sodium hydroxide rate was controlled to feed the entire batch quantity in 65 minutes, ending simultaneous with the sodium formate feed. The sulfur dioxide feed rate was controlled to feed only 80% of the batch total in 65 minutes. Ethylene oxide was also added to the reactor to control decomposition. The total quantity was 120 lb, fed at a rate controlled to complete this feed in 195 minutes.
Owing to the exothermic nature of the reaction, the mixture self-heated to 84° C. over a 15-minute period. Temperature control was then initiated to maintain 84° C. throughout the course of the reaction. Owing to the evolution of carbon dioxide, the reactor pressure increased to 40 psig during this 15-minute period, and pressure control was then initiated to maintain 40 psig throughout the course of the reaction.
The vented carbon dioxide left the reactor through condensers and a scrubber which was fed at a rate of 1.5 gallons/minute with essentially pure recovered methanol. At the end of 65 minutes, the rate of feed of the sulfur dioxide solution was reduced so that the remaining 20% was fed over an additional 65 minutes. At the conclusion of this feed, an additional 65-minute period was allowed for the reaction to go to completion, at which time the ethylene oxide feed ended. The reactor contents were cooled to 73° C. and were discharged to a filtering apparatus wherein the mother liquor was separated from the crude product which was then washed with 1200 gal of essentially pure recovered methanol. The filter cake was vacuum dried to yield the anhydrous product.
PLANT MODIFIED OPERATION PROCEDURE USING POLYMER
An initial charge of 1000 gallons of distilled recovered methanol was placed in the synthesis reactor and heated to 50° C. with agitation. To this was added the appropriate quantity of a 20% water solution of the polymer. Three major raw material streams were to be fed to the reactor: 5680 lb of sodium formate as a 60% solution in water, 8670 lb of sulfur dioxide as a 43% solution in methanol, and 2770 lb of sodium hydroxide as a 73% solution in water. The sodium formate and sulfur dioxide feeds were started simultaneously, with the sodium formate feed rate controlled to feed the entire batch amount in 67.6 min., and the feed rate of the sulfur dioxide controlled to feed 80% of the batch amount also in 67.6 min. After 2.6 min the sodium hydroxide feed was started with its feed rate controlled so that the entire batch amount was fed in 65 min., ending simultaneous with the sodium formate feed. Ethylene oxide was also added to the reactor to control decomposition. The total quantity was 120 lb, fed at a rate controlled to complete this feed in 195 min.
Owing to the exothermic nature of the reaction, the mixture self-heated to 84° C. over a 15-minute period. Temperature control was then initiated to maintain 84° C. throughout the course of the reaction. Owing to the evolution of carbon dioxide, the reactor pressure increased to 40 psig during this 15-minute period, and pressure control was then initiated to maintain 40 psig throughout the course of action.
The vented carbon dioxide left the reactor through condensers and a scrubber which was fed at a rate of 1.5 gallons/minute with essentially pure recovered methanol. At the end of 65 minutes, the rate of feed of the sulfur dioxide solution was reduced so that the remaining 20% was fed over an additional 65 minutes. At the conclusion of this feed, an additional 65-minute period was allowed for the reaction to go to completion, at which time the ethylene oxide feed ended. The reactor contents were cooled to 73° C. and were discharged to a filtering apparatus wherein the mother liquor was separated from the crude product which was then washed with 1200 gal of essentially pure recovered methanol. The filter cake was vacuum dried to yield the anhydrous product.
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There is disclosed a method for the production of dust-free sodium dithionite from the reaction of a alkaline formate sulfur dioxide and an alkaline metal agent in the presence of a thiosulfate reactive compound by introducing a water-soluble polymer having a molecular weight less than 60,000 and delaying the start of the alkaline metal agent until the sodium formate and the sulfur dioxide have begun to be introduced into the reactor.
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CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/925,378, filed Sep. 8, 1997, no U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,575, entitled “Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) Access to a Communication Service Platform.”
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to telecommunications systems and, more particularly, to a system that provides Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) access to a communications services platform.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A number of different communications services are available to a customer, including local telephone service, long distance telephone service, automatic routing service, cellular telephone services, voice mail messaging service, facsimile messaging service, paging service, and the like. Unfortunately, each such service requires a unique telephone number. As a result, the customer must manage the multiple telephone numbers and not confuse the mapping of telephone numbers to services. This confusion is enhanced by each of the services being separately billed such that a customer receives separate billing statements for each of the services. Unfortunately, accessing communications services like those described above are not generally available by single number DDD access.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides direct distance dialing (DDD) access to a platform that provides multiple communications services. The platform may provide, for example, voice mail services, paging services, automatic routing services, facsimile messaging services and other services. The billing for calls that are handled by the platform is shared between the caller and the subscriber. The caller will be charged as if the caller attempted to place a call to the subscriber at the subscriber's home location (i.e., at the location dialed by the caller). The other charges associated with the call will be assessed to the subscriber of services that are provided by the platform.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a method is practiced in a telecommunications network that has a switch for routing calls and a platform that provides multiple communications services on behalf of a subscriber. A call is received at the switch from a caller that was initiated as a DDD call by dialing a DDD number. The switch performs a translation of the DDD number to a value for accessing the platform. The call is routed from the switch to the platform using the translated value.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the telecommunications network includes a platform for providing multiple communications services on behalf of the subscriber. The telecommunications network also includes a selected switch that receives a call from a caller who dials a DDD telephone number to place a call to the subscriber. The switch includes a translator for translating the DDD telephone number to a translated value for use in routing the call. The telecommunications network also includes routing switching for using the translated value to route the call to the platform.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a method is practiced in a telecommunications network that has a platform for providing multiple communications services on behalf of a subscriber. The method is concerned with billing a call that is initiated from a caller to the subscriber but that is serviced by the platform. The caller is charged for calling the subscriber, whereas the servicing performed by the platform is charged to the subscriber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described relative to the following figures.
FIG. 1 depicts a communications services platform that is suitable for practicing the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the steps that are performed by the communications services platform in servicing a call.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the steps performed in the general call flow for the illustrative embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates the call flow when a caller dials a long distance DDD number and the call is directed to a subscriber's alternate destination.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates the steps that are performed for the call flow depicted in FIG. 4 .
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the steps that are performed to realize billing for the call flow of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 7 illustrates the call flow when a caller dials a long distance DDD number and the call is directed by the platform to the subscriber's home.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the steps that are performed to realize the call flow depicted in FIG. 7 .
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating how billing is realized in the call flow of FIG. 7 .
FIG. 10 illustrates a call flow when a caller dials a long distance DDD number that is directed to a voicemail/faxmail platform (VFP).
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the steps that are performed to realize the call flow depicted in FIG. 10 .
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the steps that are performed to bill a call for the call flow depicted in FIG. 10 .
FIG. 13 illustrates the call flow when a caller dials a local DDD number and the platform redirects the call to a subscriber's alternate destination.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the steps that differ from those depicted in FIG. 3 for the call flow of FIG. 13 .
FIG. 15 depicts the call flow when a caller dials a local DDD number and the platform directs the call to a subscriber's home location.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) access to a communications services platform. The communications services platform provides multiple communications services, which may include automatic routing services, voicemail services, facsimile services, paging services and other services. The platform may be accessible not only by DDD access, but also may be accessible by toll-free 800/888 numbers, virtual private network (VPN) number accessed and by remote computer access, such as by intranet, extranet, or Internet.
The exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides consolidated billing to a subscriber for the multiple communications services that are provided by the platform. The exemplary embodiment allows billing to the caller for non-toll-free access to the platform. As such, the subscriber only pays for the portion of the call that is extended from the original DDD destination to the final destination. The caller pays for the portion of the call from the point of call origination to the original DDD destination. The caller will only pay for the call that they know they are making but is still able to reach the subscriber at another destination.
DDD is the standard method for placing long distance calls to North American destinations. A DDD telephone number is typically ten digits for long distance calls and seven digits for local calls. The exemplary embodiment of the present invention allows a DDD number to be dialed to access the platform in a fashion that is indistinguishable from dialing a DDD number to place a call anywhere else. The exemplary embodiment of the present invention also allows international DDD dialing.
A “platform” refers to a computer, computing resources or other mechanisms that provide communications services, such as voice mail services, electronic mail services, facsimile services, paging services, call screening services, and automatic routing services. A “subscriber” refers to a person for whom that platform provides services. A “caller” refers to a person or other entity that initiates a call to the platform to attempt to reach the subscriber.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a system architecture for the communications services platform. This system architecture is part of a larger telecommunications network as will be described in more detail below. The single telephone number that provides access to the subscriber may be accessed both by the subscriber and by a caller that is attempting to reach the subscriber. The platform 10 includes an automated call distributor (ACD) 18 for performing switching functions and providing access to the platform. The ACD 18 routes incoming calls to components within the platform to ensure that the calls are properly handled. The ACD 18 may be a conventional digital matrix switch that includes programs for performing call queuing and distribution. A suitable switch for the ACD 18 is the Northern Telecom DMS- 100 .
The platform 10 includes an application processor (AP) 46 that assists the ACD 18 . The AP 46 may be a dedicated computer system that provides intelligent application processing for the ACD 18 . The AP performs functionality that may be off-loaded from the ACD 18 to enable the ACD to focus on performing the switching and queuing functions required by the platform. The AP 46 is coupled to the ACD 18 via an ISDN implementation of a switch/computer application interface (SCAI) link 30 .
The platform 10 includes an automated response unit (ARU) 20 that provides voice response and menu routing functions to a caller. The ARU 20 facilitates caller input via selection of dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) digits, such as by pressing keys on the telephone keypad. The ARU 20 may provide various automated menus through which the caller may navigate to reach a desired service. The ARU 20 includes a network audio server (NAS) 22 that is a server computer with a voice telephony interface to the ACD 18 . The NAS 22 is linked to the ACD 18 via multiple voice trunks 23 and, in general, provides an audio interface to a caller. ARU 20 includes an automated call processor (ACP) 24 . The ACP 24 provides intelligent call processing functions for the ARU 20 . The ARU 20 handles all initial inbound calls for the platform 10 . The ARU 20 , the AP 46 and other components may be interconnected via a local area network (LAN) 26 , such as an Ethernet network. The ACP 24 operates by executing scripts that take callers through a series of menus. The ACP 24 accepts caller input, makes decisions based upon the caller input, and performs actions, such as a transfer of calls to destinations, in order to provide services. The ACP 24 prompts the NAS 22 to play prompts to callers, to gather DTMF digit input, to play various recorded messages and to direct the caller to other destinations. A high-grade mid-range computer, such as the IBMRS/6000 or an alpha-based server may be used to implement the ACP 24 .
Scripts executed by the ACP 24 determine what communication services are provided to a caller, and the ACP provides those services by commanding the NAS 22 to transfer calls to the appropriate service providers. The scripts executed by the ACP 24 may be customized for a subscriber by using a subscriber profile's input data. The subscriber profile is stored for use by the platform, and specifies what services are available to a subscriber.
The platform 10 may include one or more operator consoles at which operators are stationed. The operator consoles 28 are specialized workstations that may include telephone facilities, such as a head set and a telephone key pad. The operators at the operator consoles 28 may perform much of the same functionality that is provided by the ARU 20 .
The platform 10 may include a voice mail/fax mail platform (VFP) 32 for collecting, storing and managing voice mail messages and facsimile messages. The telephone switching network 14 is connected to the VFP 32 via Feature Group D (FGD) trunks 33 . Calls that require voice mail messages or facsimile messages are transferred to the VFP 32 from the area 20 with the assistance of the ACD 18 and the switching network 14 .
The platform 10 may include multiple network implementation distribution servers (NIDS) 27 , 34 , and 36 . Each of these NIDS 27 , 34 , and 36 may be implemented as a separate computer system. They may be redundant and each may serve the role of storing database information, including subscriber profiles. In general, the ACP 24 submits database queries to the NIDS 27 , 34 , and 36 to obtain data or subscriber profiles. Subscriber profiles may be used to determine what scripts to play to a caller and to determine what destination telephone numbers and mailbox identifiers are to be used. The NIDS 27 , 34 , and 36 may also be interconnected via a token ring LAN 38 . This LAN 38 may be used for updates that are made to subscriber profiles and keep the databases stored on the various NIDS 27 , 34 , and 36 consistent with a centralized profile database that is maintained by the mainframe profile management system 40 . This system 40 is implemented on the dedicated mainframe or other suitable computer system.
The platform 10 may include a web server 42 that is connected to the token ring LAN 38 to provide a web site for subscriber access over a network 44 , such as an intranet, the Internet, or an extranet. The web server 42 is described in more detail in copending application entitled “SYSTEM FOR INTERNET-BASED PROFILE MANAGEMENT IN A SINGLE NUMBER COMMUNICATIONS SERVER,” which is assigned to a common assignee with the present application and which is explicitly incorporated by reference herein.
The call originator 12 depicted in FIG. 1 represents the origination of a call to the platform 10 . This call may be from a subscriber or a caller that is seeking to reach the telephone number that is assigned to the subscriber. The call may also originate from a non-human source, such as a facsimile machine or computer. The call reaches a switch network 14 of the service provider in any of a number of different ways, including local exchange carrier, private line, dedicated access line or international carrier. The switch network 14 routes the call to the ACD 18 via a release link trunk (RLT) 16 . The RLT 16 is a voice trunk that may be released from a call when the extended back to the switch network 14 by the ACD 18 .
The platform is described in more detail in copending application entitled “SINGLE TELEPHONE NUMBER ACCESS TO MULTIPLE COMMUNICATION SERVICES,” which is assigned to a common assignee and which is explicitly incorporated by reference herein.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other platforms may be utilized to practice the present invention. The platform depicted in FIG. 1 is intended to merely illustrative.
FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of the steps that are performed in processing a call that is received by the platform 10 . Initially, it is determined whether a facsimile tone is detected so as to determine whether the call initiated from the facsimile source, such as a facsimile machine or a computer system (step 50 in FIG. 2 ). In such a case, the platform enables a facsimile connection to be realized so that a facsimile message may be sent to the subscriber from the caller (step 52 in FIG. 2 ). The platform allows an override feature to be set by the subscriber so that a guest caller does not have the option of choosing what communications services are to be applied by the platform. Instead, the override dictates how the call will be routed. Thus, in step 54 , it is determined whether the override is set, and if the override is set, the appropriate routing is performed (step 56 in FIG. 2 ). If the override is not set, a guest menu is played that allows the user to choose a number of different options and the platform receives user selection, such as by the user pressing a key associated with an option (step 58 in FIG. 2 ). If the caller chooses to speak to the party (step 60 in FIG. 2 ), the appropriate routing is performed to connect the caller with the party (step 62 in FIG. 2 ). If the caller chooses to leave a voice mail message (see step 64 in FIG. 2 ), a voice mail is recorded and stored in the subscriber's voice mail box (step 66 in FIG. 2 ). The caller may also choose to send a facsimile message (see step 68 in FIG. 2 ). In such a case, the platform receives the facsimile message and stores it for the subscriber (step 70 in FIG. 2 ). The caller may additionally choose to send a page to the subscriber (see step 72 in FIG. 2 ). In such a case, the page to the subscriber from the caller is initiated (step 74 in FIG. 2 ). Lastly, a subscriber may gain access to a number of subscriber options by entering a pass code (see steps 76 and 77 in FIG. 2 ). Subscriber options allow the subscriber to configure communications services that are available via the platform.
The discussion below will now focus on the details of providing DDD access to the platform in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 provides a flowchart of the steps that are provided during the call flow for a DDD access to platform 10 . FIG. 3 will be described in conjunction with FIG. 4 which depicts components that are involved in processing the call. Initially, a caller 134 dials a DDD number for a subscriber from a location within a local exchange carrier (LEC) to attempt to access the subscriber (step 100 in FIG. 3 ). The call passes to LEC switch 136 (step 102 in FIG. 3) that resides within calling area 130 (see arrow 135 in FIG. 4 ). The LEC switch 136 routes the call to the inter-exchange carrier (IEC) that is selected by the caller 134 so that the call is routed to IEC switch 140 (step 104 in FIG. 3; see arrow 138 in FIG. 4 ).
The IEC switch 140 creates a call detail record (CDR) that is used to bill the caller for the non-toll-free access portion of the call to the platform 10 (step 106 in FIG. 3 ). The caller is billed for a standard dial-one long distance call from calling area 130 to calling area 132 in which the subscriber's home 148 is located. The amount that the caller is charged is determined by the caller's selected IEC. When the caller places the call, the caller is aware of the billable nature of the call, based upon the DDD number that the caller dials. One of the benefits of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is that it enables the caller to reach the subscriber in an unknown calling area 180 while still being billed for a long distance call to the calling area 132 that the DDD number reflects. As will be described in more detail below, the extension is billed to the subscriber's platform account.
The IEC switch 140 routes the call over the IEC network 142 to an IEC switch 144 ; i.e., switch 144 routes the call to LEC switch 146 within calling area 132 as indicated by arrow 145 in FIG. 4 (step 108 in FIG. 3 ). The LEC switch 146 performs a standard switch table query to yield a number translation (step 110 in FIG. 3 ). In particular, the originally dialed DDD phone number is translated to a second DDD phone number that is unique to the subscriber. The second number is for forwarding the call to the platform 10 . The LEC switch 146 then uses this second DDD number to route the call to an IEC switch 150 along with a carrier identification code (CIC) to designate the network from which the call originated (step 112 in FIG. 3; see arrow 147 in FIG. 4 ). The LEC switch 146 generates a special CIC that designates the call as a call that is destined to the platform 10 .
The IEC switch 150 receives the call and issues a query to the data access point (DAP) 154 as indicated by arrow 152 (step 114 in FIG. 3 ). The DAP 154 is a computer hardware/software platform that performs dialed number translations and provides enhanced call routing functions. The IEC switch 150 sends a query message based on the special CIC code that was forwarded from the LEC switch 146 . The DAP 154 returns a translation to the IEC switch 150 (step 116 in FIG. 3 ). Specifically, the DAP 154 translates the DDD number that was provided from the IEC switch 150 to a physical network address for the platform 10 . Alternatively, the IEC switch 150 may perform the DAP query based upon call destination that is identified by the dialed DDD number instead of based upon the special CIC that is provided.
The IEC switch 150 uses the translation that is provided by the DAP 154 to redirect the call over IEC network 156 to an IEC bridging switch 158 (step 120 in FIG. 3 ). The IEC switch 150 may forward the originally dialed number in an initial address message (IAM) that is forwarded with the call to the IEC bridging switch 158 . The IEC switch 150 also creates a CDR for the call to hold billing information for the call. The CDR is passed to the IEC bridging switch 158 . As will be described in more detail below, the CDR will be marked as unbillable and dropped in downstream billing (step 118 in FIG. 3 ).
The IEC bridging switch 158 routes the call to the platform as indicated by arrow 160 in FIG. 4 . The IEC bridging switch also creates an operator service record that is similar to a CDR and replaces the CDR for calls that are routed to the platform 10 . The OSR is routed with the call to the platform 10 (step 122 in FIG. 3 ). The OSR is merged into a single billing record with a billing detail record that is created by the platform 10 .
The platform 10 receives the call and information and services the call (step 124 in FIG. 3 ). As was described above, the platform 10 may service the call in a number of different fashions.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates the steps that are performed in the instance where the platform 10 redirects the call to a subscriber's alternate destination. In such an instance, the platform 10 queries the DAP 154 in instances where the call is to a VPN, a special area code or other number that requires routing translation. The DAP returns the translation as indicated by arrow 164 in FIG. 4 (step 182 in FIG. 5 ). The platform 10 is accessed to a subscriber profile that identifies the alternate destination to which the call should be routed. A query to the DAP 154 provides this routing information and thus, the call may be extended from the platform 10 to an IEC bridging switch 158 as indicated by arrow 166 in FIG. 4 (step 184 in FIG. 5 ). The IEC bridging switch 158 receives the extended call and routes the call over the IEC network 168 to an IEC switch 170 (step 186 in FIG. 5 ). The IEC switch 170 routes the call to an LEC switch 174 within the calling area 180 that holds the subscriber's alternate destination 178 as indicated by arrow 172 in FIG. 4 (step 188 in FIG. 5 ). The LEC switch 174 then routes the call to the subscriber's alternate destination 178 as indicated by arrow 176 in FIG. 4 (step 190 in FIG. 5 ).
In order to better appreciate how billing is performed in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is helpful to consider how the call depicted in FIG. 4 is billed. FIG. 6 is a flowchart that illustrates the steps that are performed to realize the billing for the call of FIG. 4 . It should be appreciated that these steps need not be performed in the sequence depicted in FIG. 6 . The caller 134 is billed based upon the CDR that is created by IEC switch 140 for a long distance call that is placed from the caller in calling area 130 to the subscriber's home location 148 in calling area 132 (step 192 in FIG. 6 ). A portion of the call leg from the LEC switch 146 to the platform 10 is not billed (step 194 in FIG. 6 ). In particular, the CDR that is created by the IEC switch 150 is marked as unbillable based upon the special CIC generated by LEC switch 146 or based upon the platform destination that is identified by the translated DDD number. The call that is extended from the platform 10 to the subscriber's alternate destination 178 is billed to the subscriber's platform account (step 196 in FIG. 6 ). This extended call is based on standard long distance rates from calling area 132 to calling area 180 . If the extended call is a VPN call, the call is billed at VPN rates. Any additional charges for paging, facsimile, voice mail or routing services performed by the platform 10 are also assessed to the subscriber's platform account (step 198 in FIG. 6 ).
FIG. 7 shows an example where the call is not routed to the subscriber's alternate destination but rather is routed by the platform back to the subscriber's home location 148 . FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the steps that are performed to direct the call to the subscriber's home location 148 after the call has reached the platform 10 . The platform 10 queries the DAP 154 as needed and, in such instances, the DAP 154 returns a translation to the platform (step 204 in FIG. 8 ). The call is extended by the platform 10 to the IEC bridging switch 158 as indicated by arrow 166 in FIG. 7 (step 206 in FIG. 8 ). The IEC bridging switch 158 routes the call over the IEC network 156 to the IEC switch 158 as indicated by arrow 200 in FIG. 7 (step 208 in FIG. 8 ). The IEC switch 158 routes the call to the LEC switch 146 within the subscriber's LEC as indicated by arrow 159 in FIG. 7 (step 210 in FIG. 8 ). The LEC switch 146 then routes the call to the subscriber's home 148 as indicated by arrow 201 in FIG. 7 (step 212 in FIG. 8 ).
FIG. 9 is a flowchart that illustrates the steps that are performed to complete billing when the call flow is like that depicted in FIG. 7 . The caller is billed for a long distance call to the subscriber's home location 148 based upon the CDR that is created by IEC switch 140 (step 214 in FIG. 9 ). Once again, the call leg that extends from the LEC switch 146 to the platform 10 is not billed. The CDR created by IEC switch 158 is marked as unbillable (step 216 in FIG. 9 ). Any charges that are accrued for extension of a call from the platform 10 to the subscriber's home location 148 are assessed to the subscriber's platform account (step 218 in FIG. 9 ). Such charges become part of the BDR created by the platform 10 .
The platform 10 may also direct the call to a voicemail/faxmail platform (VFP) so that the caller 134 may leave a voicemail message or a facsimile message for the subscriber. FIG. 10 depicts an instance wherein the call is directed to one of multiple VFPs 220 , 222 or 224 . It should be appreciated, that the caller may be the subscriber. The VFP is described in more detail in the copending application entitled “SINGLE TELEPHONE NUMBER ACCESS TO MULTIPLE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES,” which was referenced above. FIG. 11 is a flowchart that illustrates the steps that are performed by the exemplary embodiment of the present invention after the call has reached the platform 10 to direct the call to one of the VFPs 220 , 222 or 224 . Additionally, the platform 10 may query the DAP 154 as needed so that the DAP returns a translation that the platform may utilize (step 230 in FIG. 11 ). The platform 10 determines that the call needs to be transferred to one of the VFPs (step 232 in FIG. 11 ).
The steps that are next performed depend upon which VFP 220 , 222 or 224 is to receive the call. If the call is to be routed to VFP 224 , the platform 10 simply routes the call to VFP 224 that has a direct connection with the platform 10 (step 234 in FIG. 11 ). In contrast, if the call is to be routed to VFP 220 or VFP 222 , the platform 10 must extend the call by attaching the call to IEC bridging switch 158 indicated by arrow 166 in FIG. 10 (step 236 in FIG. 11 ). The platform 10 outpulses the telephone number for the VFP 220 or 222 for the IEC bridging switch 158 . The IEC bridging switch 158 then routes the call over the IEC network 168 to IEC switch 170 (step 238 in FIG. 11 ). If the call is to be routed to an IEC VFP or a private VFP 222 , the IEC switch 170 routes the call to the IEC or private VFP 222 as indicated by arrow 226 in FIG. 10 (step 240 in FIG. 11 ). On the other hand, if the call is to be routed to an LEC VFP 220 , the IEC switch 170 routes the call as indicated by arrow 172 in FIG. 10 to the LEC VFP 220 within calling area 180 (step 242 in FIG. 11 ).
FIG. 12 indicates how billing is performed when the call flow follows one of the scenarios depicted in FIG. 10 . The caller is billed for a call from calling area 130 to calling area 132 based upon the CDR that is created by IEC switch 140 (step 250 in FIG. 12 ). The call leg from the LEC switch 146 to the platform is not billed (step 252 in FIG. 12 ). The call, if any, from the platform 10 to the VFP is charged to the subscriber's platform account (step 254 in FIG. 12 ). Any services provided by the VFP and the platform 10 are charged to the subscriber's platform account (step 256 in FIG. 12 ). The VFPs 220 , 222 or 224 are capable of creating a BDR for the services that are provided and the charges associated with this BDR are incorporated into a same invoice as the charges created by the platform BDR.
The above examples have includes instances wherein the caller 134 initiates a long distance DDD call rather than a local DDD call. FIG. 13 depicts the call flow for an example wherein the caller 134 dials a local DDD number to attempt to reach the subscriber but the platform 10 redirects the call to the subscriber's alternate destination 178 within another calling area 180 . The call flow differs from that depicted in FIG. 3 with respect to the steps shown in FIG. 14 . Specifically, instead of step 100 in FIG. 3, the caller 134 dials a local DDD number (step 262 in FIG. 14) that lies within the same calling area 130 as the subscriber's home 148 . The LEC switch 136 , instead of routing the call to IEC switch 140 , routes the call to LEC switch 146 as indicated by arrow 260 in FIG. 13 (step 264 in FIG. 14 ). The call flow then continues at step 110 of FIG. 3 . In such an example, the caller is billed in a fashion like that depicted in FIG. 6 except that the caller is not billed for a long distance call as in step 192 in FIG. 6 .
FIG. 15 depicts an example of the call flow in which the call is initiated by dialing a local DDD number to access the subscriber of the subscriber's home 148 , where the subscriber's home lies within the same calling area as the caller 134 . The call flow is largely like that depicted in FIG. 7 except that the LEC switch 136 directs the call to LEC switch 146 rather than IEC switch 140 . The billing is like that depicted in FIG. 9 except that the caller is not billed for the call from the subscriber's location based upon a CDR or IEC switch 140 (see step 214 in FIG. 9 ).
While the present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the intended scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
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Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) access is provided for a communications services platform. A caller may dial a local DDD number or a long distance DDD number to access the communications services platform. A platform may provide a plurality of different communications services, including voicemail services, paging services, automatic routing services, and facsimile messaging services. Expenses associated with servicing the call are partitioned between a caller and a subscriber of the communications services platform in an intuitive and reasonable fashion.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a digital device configured to store, and provide access to, data entries based on considering data entry chronology (age) and usage. It also relates more generally, to a method of storing, and providing access to, digital data entries based on considering data entry chronology and usage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Information is becoming increasingly available and being provided for use with digital devices. For example, computers connected to the internet have access to a large volume of information, much of which can be stored on the computer. In the case of the emerging mobile society, increasing travel has resulted in an increased number of information sources available to individuals, for example, information derived from day to day business and/or social activities. Each of these sources generate information which can conveniently be stored on portable digital devices such as laptop/palmtop computers and mobile phones.
It is increasingly possible to have affordable large capacity digital storage devices. In addition, it is also possible to have relatively small sized digital devices which have comparatively large memory capacities compared to equivalent sized devices of a few years ago. Nevertheless, the storage medium used by digital devices have a finite storage capacity, which can be increasingly filled with the wealth of information which is becoming available. Solutions are required to allow more information to be stored on smaller devices and thus address the issue of the finite capacity of storage media.
Solutions exist which effectively provide more available space for a given finite capacity storage device by compressing the data on the storage device. Thus, the data occupies comparatively less space on the storage media, leaving more available space for further data. However, compressed data needs to be de-compressed before it can be accessed, thus resulting in relatively slow data access.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a digital device comprising data storage means to store digital data entries, chronometer means arranged to provide chronological information to the device, and data entry arrangement means to manipulate data entries, wherein the data entry arrangement means is configured to utilize the chronometer means to provide a chronological data entry coding to data entries based on the chronological sequence in which the data entry is stored on and accessed from the data storage means, and wherein the data entry arrangement means is further configured to analyze the data entry chronological data coding and based on the coding, compress the data entry during a data entry compression cycle.
In the case where the data entry is written to the storage means for the first time, the chronological code corresponds to the date and time on which the entry was made. In the case of subsequent access of the data entry, the chronological code is changed to refer to the subsequent access. During a data entry compression cycle, the data entry arrangement means analyzes one or more data entry chronological codes and determines whether or not (or to what extent) the or each associated data entries should be compressed. So, for example, a data entry which was stored some time ago, and not accessed at all, would have an old chronological data coding and, as such, would be compressed. However, a data entry which has been accessed recently would remain un-compressed and be ready for relatively speedy retrieval.
One way of allowing user access to the data entries is, of course, to arrange the data entry arrangement means to provide the data entries stored on the memory means, based on chronology and usage to a user of the digital device. Accordingly, access of data entries is also be based on data entry chronology and/or usage.
The present invention therefore minimizes the effect of relatively slow data access of compressed data and, at the same time, makes efficient use of the capacity of the data storage means. This is done by configuring the digital device to compress data entries based on data entry chronology and usage that is the invention compresses data based on when the data was accessed and also when it was stored on the storage means.
The data entry compression cycle may occur after a set interval of time, for example, after one day. Of course, the set interval of time may be held fixed or varied over a period of time. An example of the latter case is an initial data entry compression cycle occurring after one day, and the following data entry compression cycle occurring after a further two days. Accordingly, the data arrangement means would be arranged to run a data entry compression cycle after a set interval of time.
However, an effective way of managing the memory capacity of the data storage would be to base the data compression cycle on when the total data, or recent data entries, on the storage means occupy a certain proportion of the capacity of the data storage means, for example 5% of the total capacity of the storage means. Accordingly, the data entry arrangement means is arranged to run the data entry compression cycle when data entries occupy a certain proportion of the capacity of the data storage means.
A single data entry or, alternatively, a number of data entries may be compressed by the data entry arrangement means during a data entry compression cycle. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to compression of data entries occurring in batches.
It is important to note that the invention does not exclude compression of all data entries by default, for example, by the data entry arrangement means being configured to compress all data entries by default. However, upon subsequent use of a data entry, the coding provided to the data entry is changed by the data entry arrangement means and thus, during the next data compression cycle, the data may be compressed to the same, or preferably a differing degree.
In one embodiment, the size of a data entry may be considered in determining whether to compress the data entry. In such a case, the data entry arrangement means may be configured to consider the size of the data entry. So, for example, a large data entry may always be compressed by default whereas a relatively small data entry may be left un-compressed.
The same compression rate may be used for all data entry compressions. However, in an alternative embodiment, the device may be configured to vary the data entry compression rate based on the degree of data entry usage. So, for example, a data entry which has not been used for a while, but when used, was used quite frequently, is not compressed as much as compared with a data entry which wasn't used that frequently when in usage. If the size of the data entry is also to be taken into consideration, a data entry which occupies a large memory space but which is often used may be compressed to a limited degree, or not at all, whereas a data entry which is hardly used at all, regardless of the size of the data, may be compressed to a relatively high degree. In all such cases, the data entry arrangement means may be configured to utilize a data entry chronological coding designed so as to represent a particular compression rate for a particular chronology/usage. In this way, the invention considers how often data entries have been used and does not just consider when the data entry was last accessed.
It may be that a data entry remains un-used, or is moderately used, between compression cycles. In such cases, the data entry arrangement means may be configured to compress such a data entry to a greater degree during a subsequent data entry compression cycle, which may or may not be the next data entry compression cycle. This process may occur during a number of subsequent data entry compression cycles such that the data entry is progressively compressed to a greater degree.
To further release memory capacity, the digital device may be configured such that a data entry which has not been accessed for a pre-determined period of time, for example 6 months, is removed from the storage means. This may be by means of deletion from the storage means or transfer to an archive on a separate storage means. This separate storage means may be provided on a separate device which may, or may not, have the same configuration of the device of the claimed invention. Accordingly, the invention does not require the user to replenish the capacity of the storage means by wilfully remembering to remove old, unused data entries.
In a further embodiment, the data entry may be removed from the storage means following progressively increasing compression. This may, for example, be once the data entry has been compressed to a maximum, or pre-determined, level due to a lack of usage.
Each data entry may consist of a number of data fields (or portions), and each data field may contain data of differing detail and complexity. For example, in the case of a individual's personal details, one field would be the individual's name, another the address, and another a map to provide visual guidance as to where the person lives. One of the data entry fields may also be a sound file. As these fields contain information of varying complexity, they would occupy a corresponding differing amount of memory space when stored on the data storage means. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the data entry arrangement means may be arranged to compress a portion of such a data entry. Preferably, this portion is the portion of the data entry which would occupy a relatively large amount of memory space on the storage means. The compressed portions of the data entry may also be removed from the data entry storage means, as described above, possibly for retrieval later. This is a way of essentially trimming down the data entry over a period of time.
The digital device would preferably be configured to leave a portion of the data entry which allows a user to easily identify the data entry un-compressed, for example a heading/title, as such a data entry field would not occupy a large amount of space. In cases where a data entry does not have a heading or other such field which easily identifies the data entry, the digital device would preferably be configured to allow the user to provide such information.
In a further embodiment, the digital device may be arranged to store data entries of a particular usage and chronology in different areas of the data entry storage means. For example, recent data entries may be stored in a separate area of the storage means compared to old data entries. Data entries of a particular compression rate/ratio may also be stored in separate regions of the storage means. It may be that storage is provided not just in a separate area/region of a storage means, but in separate storage means altogether. This may be achieved by configuring the data arrangement means to use the chronological data code to identify the data entries of differing chronology and usage and thereby determine where the particular data entry should be stored. For example, chronological data entry codes could be devised to indicate specific compression ratios. Accordingly, if the digital device is configured to know that a particular chronological data entry code corresponds to a particular compression ratio, and that all the data entries compressed to the same ratio are located in the same region, knowledge of the location of this region will reduce data entry access time as a search of the entire data storage means would not be required. Such arrangements would also cluster wear and tear to particular areas/regions of one or more storage means.
In another embodiment, the digital device may comprise positioning means which registers where the device is in a particular geographical locality, and the data arrangement means is configured to associate the positional information provided by the positioning means with the chronological data entry codes. The positioning means may provide geographical information at the global or local scale. For example, the positional information may provide information concerning floor level, building level, street level, town level, metropolitan level, country level etc. Such arrangements would be able to identify data entries based not only on chronology and usage, but also on locality. Thus, it is possible to retrieve a data entry based firstly on a particular locality/area and secondly based on chronology and usage, or vice versa. So, for example, a user is able to travel from a first country to a second country and be able to easily access information which the user accessed when they were last in the second country. Similarly, a user could travel at street level, and when arriving at a particular street, easily access information which last accessed when the user was on the same street for example provide a list of items last purchased from a grocery store.
In another embodiment still, the data arrangement means may be arranged to allow user selected data entries to be compressed during a data compression cycle. This allows a user to interact with the device and initiate data entry compression of specific data entries. This may be done, for example, when a user knows that a data entry will not be required for a while. The user may also be able to select a particular compression rate and/or particular portions of a data entry for compression.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of storing digital data comprising providing a data entry chronological coding to a data entry based on the chronological sequence in which the data entry is stored and accessed, analyzing the data entry chronological coding and, based on the coding, compressing the data entry during a compression cycle.
Obviously, the provision of data entries which have been stored by the method are included as an embodiment of the method.
Various embodiments of a digital device have been discussed above which utilize variations to the aforementioned method of storing digital data. Such methods of storing digital data are also within the scope of the invention. For example, the degree of compression may be varied based on chronology and/or usage, data entries may be progressively compressed and ultimately removed. Portions of data entries may also be compressed and removed. Data entries may also be stored, and therefore provided, based on geographical location.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described with reference to the following figure in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of data entries comprising a number of fields;
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation illustrating the scenario of a business person using a phone according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A communications device (not shown), in this case a phone, carries a number of data entries 1 . Upon user request, the phone is arranged to display one or more data entries 1 . FIG. 1 represents data entries 1 , each having a primary heading field 2 , and a number of sub-fields 3 , 4 , 5 associated with the primary heading field 2 . In the case shown in FIG. 1, the primary heading field 2 is a telephone number or an individual's name, and the associated sub-fields are text fields 3 , sound fields 4 and picture fields 5 . More than one sub-field in the same category (text, sound, picture) can be associated with a corresponding primary heading field 2 , as shown in FIG. 1 for the picture field 5 . The sub-fields 3 , 4 , 5 may also be associated with one another so that, for example, all the sound files are categorized together. The association, in the present example, is also by geographical locality. The association of data fields is generally represented in FIG. 1 by lines 10 .
The operation of the phone is best represented by considering the example of a business person who periodically visits a number of clients located in a number of different cities and countries. Consider the situation where the business person arrives in a country Z after a period of 6 months to visit a number of clients A, B, C located in different cities M, N, O respectively. Clients D, E, F in city M are not being visited on this occasion. Clients P, Q, R in country Y were visited over 6 months ago and the corresponding data entries have not been accessed since. This scenario is represented in FIG. 2 .
Upon arrival in country Z, the phone prioritizes data entries 1 based on chronology, usage and locality. This is done by a data entry compression cycle being automatically initiated upon arrival in the country. However, it should be borne in mind that the data compression cycle may be conducted upon leaving a particular region/country or, more generally, upon change in region/country. Therefore, all data entries 1 concerning clients, P, Q, R in country Y are compressed and phone memory space is cleared resulting in increased memory space available for the current business trip. The phone is also configured to compress portions of a data entry. In this case, the phone has been configured so that all data fields 3 , 4 , 5 for any data entries 1 which have not been accessed for 6 months are compressed. Sound and picture fields 4 , 5 are also compressed as a matter of course, unless they have been accessed in the last week.
In addition, the phone is configured so that only those data entries which have not been accessed or stored on the phone in the last month are compressed. Therefore, data entries concerning clients D, E, which haven't been accessed in the last month, are also compressed. In fact, data entries for clients D, E were compressed to 50% during a previous data entry compression cycle, so they are further compressed to 25% during the current data entry compression cycle. Client F is actually no longer a client of the business person, and thus the corresponding data entry has not been accessed for a year. Accordingly, this data entry has been through a number of data entry compression cycles and is now compressed to a maximum rate. The user is notified of this by the phone and is given three options; remove client F data entry to an archive on the phone, transfer the data entry to the business person's personal computer back at the office, or delete the data entry altogether. The business person makes the last selection and the data entry for client F is deleted. However, if the business person had chosen one of the options which do not permanently delete the data entry, then the phone is configured to be able to recall the data entry back from the archive on the phone or from the business person's personal computer. Recall of the date entry may also be from any suitable telephone network device.
To access the data entries for clients A, B, C, the business person is initially provided only with the heading field 2 for each of the data entries 1 . The text data field 3 for client A contains recent e-mail correspondence, some of which was accessed in the last week, others which have not been accessed for three weeks. The text data field 3 for client B contains e-mails which have not been accessed for 3 weeks. As a data entry compression cycle was completed upon arrival, the text data fields 3 for clients A, B which were accessed over a week ago have been compressed. However, the e-mail correspondence of last week with client A has not been compressed and is available for relatively quick access.
The data entry 1 for client A also contains sound and picture fields 4 , 5 . The sound field 4 contains dictated notes and the picture field 5 contains two presentations to be given to client A. The first of these presentations is relatively short and thus occupies a relatively small amount of space in the phone's memory. However, the second of these presentations is very large. Both of these picture fields 5 , and the sound field 4 , have been accessed in the last week. Accordingly, the data fields 4 , 5 remain un-compressed and available for quick access. However, the phone may be configured such that, as one of the presentations is very large, it is compressed by 50% during the data entry compression cycle. The same may be true for the sound field 4 .
The business person completes the visit with client A in city M and then visits client B in city N. The person knows that he or she will not require the data entry 1 for client A for a while, and thus initiates a data compression cycle for this data entry. Alternatively, the phone may be configured to automatically compress the data entry for client A upon arrival at city N. In the case where the large presentation in picture data entry field 5 has already been compressed by 50%, the picture data entry field 5 is now compressed to 25%.
During his visit with client B, the client provides directions to and information on a scenic park S which is conveniently located between cities N and O. This is sent to the phone of the business person as a text and picture data fields 3 , 5 . Upon receipt by the phone, the business person is requested by the phone to provide a heading data field 2 for the text and picture data field 3 and 5 . Following completion of the visit with client B, the business person travels to city O to visit client C, but makes a stop over to visit scenic park S using the directions that were received from client B.
In summary, the phone is configured to consider a number of factors in determining whether, and to what extent, a data entry should be compressed. These primarily include data entry chronology and usage. One embodiment also considers geographical locality. Embodiments of the invention are also advantageously configured to progressively compress and remove data entries following lack of use.
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The present invention provides a storage means to store digital data entries, chronometer means arranged to provide chronological information to the device, and data entry arrangement means to manipulate data entries, wherein the data entry arrangement means is configured to utilize the chronometer means to provide a chronological data entry coding to data entries based on the chronological sequence in which the data entry is stored on and accessed from the data storage means, and wherein the data entry arrangement means is further configured to analyze the data entry chronological data coding and based on the coding, compress the data entry during a data entry compression cycle.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Cross references to related application, 08/432,559, filed May 1, 1995, (attorney docket 6500 AUS) relates to the general field of the present invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the determination of the content of specified oxygenated components in a variety of liquids, particularly the concentrations of various alcohols and ethers in hydrocarbon liquids.
Recent U.S. government environmental legislation has resulted in stringent regulatory agency guidelines for product makeup for the chemical and petroleum industries. The guidelines require light control of the chemical composition of these industries' products particularly the composition of gasoline. The oxygenate content of gasoline has received particular attention, with the requirement that reformulated gasolines contain between 2.0 and 2.7 percent by weight of oxygen it is possible to estimate the volume percentage of oxygenate, or the total weight percentage of oxygen in blended gasolines, based on known or estimated blend compositions, level and purity of oxygenate addition. However, it is not always possible to obtain the information required for an accurate calculation. Because it is likely that governmental regulation of the chemical composition of various products and fuels will increase in the future, efficient chemical, refined, and blending operations will require improved analytical procedures to insure compliance with the guidelines.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Prior patents related to the analysis of aromatics in hydrocarbon streams include U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,745 to Maggard, issued Oct. 16, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,714 to Maggard, issued Jun. 29, 1993, U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,546 to Maggard, issued Sep. 7, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,785 to Maggard and Welch, issued Sep. 8, 1992; international application WO 93/24823, published Dec. 9, 1993.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,188 to Maggard, issued Sep. 20, 1994, teaches the determination of octane generally, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,189 to Maggard, issued Sep. 20, 1994, teaches the determination of hydrocarbon groups by group type analysis.
Prior art teachings of the determination of oxygenated species can be found in prior literature and patents. A preferred technique is gas liquid chromatography with Oxygen Flame Ionization Detection (OFID), wherein a sample is injected into a partitioning column swept by an elutriating inert gas, e.g., 5% hydrogen in helium. Separated oxygenates in effluent from the partitioning column are converted to carbon monoxide by a cracking reactor, and then to methane by a methanizer. A flame ionization detector detects the several methane bands so produced from each of the oxygenates. The elapsed time for elutriation through the system is measured for the methane band representing each oxygenate. Non-oxygenated hydrocarbons do not interfere with this analysis because they are converted to elemental carbon and deposited on the catalyst contained in the cracker. The OFID procedure and apparatus used for this analysis are illustrated hereinafter in Example 5 and FIG. 4.
Conventionally, the percentages of each of the individual oxygenated compounds is determined in weight percent total oxygen, and volume percent of each oxygenate as required. An example of this procedure is that taught by Wasson ECE Instrumentation, Inc. (1305 Duff Drive Suite 7, Fort Collins, Colo. 80524, Operations Manual Serial Number 930931). Although precise, gas chromatography is time consuming and labor intensive, and the considerable lag time involved can result in unacceptable cost when productions errors occur.
Recently, near-infrared (NIR) spectrophotometric analysis has been used to perform oxygenate analysis. U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,965 to Maggard teaches the determination of oxygenate content in gasolines and other hydrocarbon fuels, with selection of wavelength ranges and data preprocessing to minimize the temperature dependence of the calibrations.
As far back as 1948, Raman spectroscopy was considered for determination of aromatics content in hydrocarbon mixtures (U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,121). For a variety of reasons, however, extensive use of this procedure as a quantitative technique has not occurred to the degree of mid-IR or near-IR absorbance/reflectance spectroscopic methods. One reason for this may be that a significant limitation of Raman spectroscopy has been the presence of interfering fluorescence signals (with the exception of aviation fuel) due to excitation by visible lasers.
Recently, FT-Raman spectrometers have been developed which eliminate the fluorescence problem in many cases by exciting in the NIR spectral region. This capability has sparked renewed interest in the use of Raman spectroscopy in the analysis of petroleum samples. For example, Shope, Vickers and Mann (Appl. Spectrosc., 1988, 42, 468) have demonstrated that when analytes are present in liquid mixtures as minor components, Raman spectroscopy is a viable quantitative technique. Using NIR-FT-Raman spectroscopy in combination with multivariate analysis techniques, Scasholtz, Archibald, Lorber and Kowalski (Appl. Spectrosc., 1989, 43, 1067) have demonstrated that quantitative analysis of percentage of fuel composition is possible for liquid fuel mixtures of unleaded gasoline, super-unleaded gasoline, and diesel fuels. In addition, Williams and co-workers (Anal. Chem., 1990, 62, 2553) have shown that NIR-FT-Raman spectroscopy in combination with multivariate statistics can be used to determine gas oil octane number and octane index. Chung, Clarke, and others have shown that Raman spectroscopy can be used in the quantitative analysis of aviation fuel in the determination of general hydrocarbon makeup, aromatic components, and additives (Appl. Spectrosc., 1991, 45, 1527; J. of Raman Spectrosc., 1991, 22, 79).
Recently, Allred and McCreery described an NIR dispersive Raman instrument utilizing a GaAIAs NIR diode laser, a single-stage imaging spectrograph, CCD detection, and a fiber-optic probe (Appl. Spectrosc., 1990, 44, 1229; Appl. Spectrosc., 1993, 46, 262) for benzene and KNO 3 analysis. More recently, Cooper and co-workers have demonstrated (Spectrochimica Acta, 1994, 50A, 567) that low-cost CCD detection is feasible for remote fiber-optic Raman detection. While NIR technique is a viable analytical method for the majority of oxygenated species, the spectral similarity of the oxygenates in the NIR absorbance region make quantitation of individual compounds difficult with NIR when more than one compound is present in significant concentrations. Accordingly, there has remained and for a more effective procedure tier measurement of oxygenates in a variety of liquids, particularly in fuels. The invention addresses this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the invention relates, in one embodiment, to a process for preparing an analytical model for analyzing specified liquid mixtures for the presence and concentrations of certain oxygenated hydrocarbon compounds. Broadly, in this process, multiple samples of liquid mixtures each comprising one or more of certain oxygenates in varying known or determined concentrations are irradiated with near infrared or other radiation, producing scattered Raman radiation omitted from each sample mixture. As used herein, the expressions "known concentration" or "known concentrations" indicate merely that the content of a particular mixture is known or defined, as, for example, by making up the mixture, or by appropriate analysis, which may be before or after the irradiation of the samples. The wavelengths present in the scattered light are characteristic of the molecules present, and the intensity of the scattered light is dependent on their concentrations. The Raman scattered radiation omitted from the respective samples is collected and then dispersed or transformed into spectra with intensities representing the chemical composition of the components of the mixtures of said samples and the concentrations of said components. Multivariate analysis or other mathematical manipulation is performed on some or all of the spectra, or mathematical functions thereof; e.g., to derive a regression model representative of mixtures containing one or more of the specified compositions. The resulting model is useful, as described more fully hereinafter, in analyzing a variety of liquid mixtures, particularly hydrocarbon liquids or mixtures, for the presence and concentrations of oxygenated hydrocarbons.
A variety of oxygenates may be speciated, but the invention is particularly suited to determining the presence and concentrations of alcohols and ethers, more preferably methanol, ethanol, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) and tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME). The model is especially useful for analyzing oxygenate-containing hydrocarbon mixtures, such as petroleum liquids or mixtures, or synthetic petroleum mixtures. Fuels (including reformulated gasolines) may be analyzed as described hereinafter. In one specific aspect of this embodiment, the multiple samples of liquid mixtures, each comprising or containing one or more oxygenates in varying predetermined concentrations, may be prepared as synthetic petroleum mixtures for the analysis. The respective samples of the mixtures are then, as described supra, radiated individually with near-infrared radiation, producing scattered Raman radiation emitted from each sample mixture, and arc analyzed in the manner described.
In a second aspect of this embodiment, samples of oxygenate-containing liquid are recovered from a suitable source, such as a chemical plant stream or refinery stream. In a manner similar to that described previously, the respective samples of the mixtures are radiated individually with near-infrared radiation, producing scattered Raman radiation emitted from each sample mixture. Prior or subsequent to irradiation, at least a portion of the samples are analyzed by suitable conventional analysis, such as chromatographic analysis, to determine the nature and concentrations of the various components of interest in the samples. Based on the known concentrations and the spectra obtained, a model is produced, in the manner described previously, this model being based, to great advantage, on actual plant or refinery stream concentrations from the source or site chosen. As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, this procedure can produce an analytical model which eliminates having to perform conventional analysis more than once in the plant or refinery setting.
The use of the models produced, of course, is the great advantage of the invention. Accordingly, the invention, in another embodiment, relates to a process tier determining the concentration of one or more oxygenates, in a specified liquid sample, comprising irradiating the liquid sample with near infrared radiation, producing scattered Raman radiation emitted from said sample. The Raman scattered radiation emitted from the sample is collected, transferred, and dispersed or transformed into spectral intensities corresponding to the chemical composition of the components of the sample and concentration of said components. The concentrations of one or more oxygenates present are then determined by processing the spectral intensities from the sample according to the models previously mentioned, with the proviso or understanding that the source radiation wavelength in this embodiment is the same as or is correlated to that employed in establishing the models. As those skilled in the art will be aware, a sample may be static or dynamic, i.e., may vary over time. The terms "sample" or "samples", in this context, include flowing streams of such mixtures, which are particularly preferred for real-time control of processes in response to frequent analysis according to the invention. Temporal discrimination of a dynamic stream requires that spectra be acquired during a finite time interval. The shorter the interval, the higher temporal resolution of the changing concentration. Thus, spectra may be acquired over a very short time (seconds), or over a longer time (minutes), the term "spectra" herein encompassing also a single spectrum. Again, only selected portions of the spectra obtained need be processed, as will be evident to those skilled in the art; language hereinafter indicating processing of spectra is to be understood to indicate processing of all or of selected spectral regions. The speed of analysis obtainable by the present invention (less than one minute) enables on-line control response times not possible with past prior art chromatographic methods. The determination or different components may be made simultaneously and nearly continuously, providing on-line (or at-line) analysis without the need to return samples to control laboratories in refineries.
The invention thus provides, particularly with the use of modern fiber optics, a quick and efficient method of monitoring the concentration of an oxygenated hydrocarbon, such as MTBE, on-line, and the monitoring system may be coupled, in the most preferred aspects of the invention, with a computer and other equipment to regulate the parameters of a process, e.g., to control the concentration of a particular component, e.g., MTBE, in the liquids, such as hydrocarbon fuels, produced or to feed-forward the compositions of starting materials being fed to a process.
I. General Statement of the Invention
According to the invention, concentrations of oxygenates in various liquids, including hydrocarbon fuels, can be determined with great accuracy, e.g., ±0.2% wt or better, from a remote location using fiber-optic Raman spectroscopy with near-infrared laser excitation, utilizing multivariate regression analysis.
II. Utility of the Invention
This invention will find its greatest application in the petroleum refining industry, the techniques described being useful to monitor and control the amounts of individual oxygenate species in gasoline.
Another preferred application is the regulation of the required oxygenate content for reformulated the in gasoline blending systems using a blending program such as Ashland Petroleum's BOSS™ (Blend Optimization and Scheduling System), Chevron's GINO (Gasoline In-line Optimization), Oil Systems, Inc., MG Blend, or other similar blending optimization programs. Blending systems for use with the present invention, to provide blends having desired species analysis, can be of conventional design, usually involving the use of proportioning pumps or automatic control valves which control the addition rate for each of a series of components fed from different tanks or other sources. A preferred blending system comprises, for example, a system wherein a signal controls the feeding and blending of streams, including one or more which contains an oxygenate, into a common zone, whereby a product having a desired oxygen content is produced. A computer receiving the output signal from the spectrometer used to determine the concentration of a given oxygenate can readily process the information to not only provide the oxygenate analysis in the finished blended hydrocarbon, e.g., gasoline, but also to provide the target blend at minimum cost, given the relative costs or species analysis enhancement values of all streams being fed to the blending system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates schematically the fuel blending process described in Example 1.
FIG. 2 of the drawing schematically illustrates a suitable Dispersive Raman apparatus, with fiber optic probe, for carrying out embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 3a schematically illustrates a suitable FT-Raman apparatus for carrying out embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 3b schematically illustrates a suitable FT-Raman apparatus, equipped with a fiber optic probe, for carrying out embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates an OFID chromatogram of a typical gasoline spiked with several oxygenates and an internal standard for use as a standard sample to calibrate the chromatograph for oxygenate analysis by the prior art chromatographic technique of Example 5. In FIG. 4, detector signal is plotted on the vertical axis as a function of time (in minutes), which is on the horizontal axis.
FIG. 5 contains FT-Raman spectra for fifty-one non-fluorescing MFBE gasoline samples used as a validation set in Example 4, for statistical analysis of calibrations.
FIG. 6 contains FT-Raman spectra for five fluorescing MTBE gasoline samples used as a validation set in Example 4, for statistical analysis of calibrations.
FIG. 7 contains FT-Raman spectra (fingerprint region) for methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-propanol, MTBE and 2-butanol.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The source of radiation used to produce the Raman scattering will be varied according to the liquid treated. In the case of oxygenate-containing liquids (and other non-fluorescing liquids), the type of radiation source may be varied considerably, and a laser of suitable visible wavelength may be used. With petroleum liquids or other fluorescing samples, however, laser systems of near infrared wavelength are preferred. Despite the lower degree of fluorescence obtained by choosing a near-infrared laser, highly colored samples may still fluoresce and interfere with Raman shifts corresponding to the fingerprint ("FP") region (i.e., about 1900-175 cm -1 ). It is still possible to obtain Raman information in the C-H stretch ("CH") region (i.e., about 3300-2500 cm -1 ) using a Fourier Transform spectrometer; and oxygenate determination is still possible. In addition to the spectrometers specifically discussed hereinafter, other suitable dispersive and Fourier Transform spectrometers are available and may be used. The number of samples utilized for the model will vary with the application and desire for accuracy. For example, in the case of a synthetic fuel mixture, from 20 to 50 samples will be adequate, with more or less being used as desired or needed.
In the case of dispersive Raman spectroscopy, if a Fabry-Perot type diode laser is used for laser excitation, "mode hopping" may occur. This may be minimized by keeping the excitation laser, over the course of operations, in constant current mode while its temperature is stabilized. Mode hopping causes frequency shifts or line broadening in the Raman spectra. Since mode hopping of diode lasers is a function of both temperature and drive current, use of a diode laser in constant power mode often forces the drive current into regions of instability at given temperatures, thus inducing a mode hop. Since the spectra may be acquired over a one-minute integration period, the average change in laser intensity while in constant current mode over a total integration period is typically very small. Diode lasers with either internal or external gratings, e.g, distributed Bragg reflector diode lasers, are preferred over Fabry-Perot diode lasers since diode lasers with internal or external gratings eliminate mode hopping.
Table A lists preferred, more preferred and most preferred dispersive Raman spectral regions for determining the components according to the invention. Table B lists preferred, more preferred and most preferred FT-Raman spectral regions for determining specific components according to the invention.
TABLE A__________________________________________________________________________HIGH CORRELATION DISPERSIVE RAMANSPECTRAL REGIONSComponent Units Preferred More Preferred Most Preferred__________________________________________________________________________Methanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3127-2733, 2964-2814, 1900-175 1682-959 1477-1014Ethanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3151-2668, 2955-2895, 1900-175 1535-851 1324-8661-propanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3059-2673, 2958-2858, 1900-175 1573-400 1477-4462-propanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3079-2681, 2995-2860, 1900-175 1557-323 1473-8001-butanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3087-2660, 2961-2859, 1900-175 1657-309 1475-3822-butanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3101-2624, 2990-2861, 1900-175 1650-301 1477-481isobutanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3079-2681, 2995-2860, 1900-175 1557-323 1473-800tert-butanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3070-2690, 3000-2898, 1900-175 1530-300 1470-320tert-amyl alcohol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3070-2690, 3000-2898, 1700-175 1530-300 1470-320methyl tert-butyl cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3278-2510, 3011-2791,ether (MTBE) 1900-175 1661-196 892-466ethyl tert-butyl ether cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3278-2510, 3011-2791,(ETBE) 1900-175 1661-196 892-466tert-amyl methyl cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3278-2510, 3011-2791,ether (TAME) 1900-175 1661-196 892-466diisopropyl ether cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3079-2681, 2995-2860,(DIPE) 1900-175 1557-323 1473-800__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE B__________________________________________________________________________HIGH CORRELATION FT-RAMAN SPECTRAL REGIONSComponent Units Preferred More Preferred Most Preferred__________________________________________________________________________Methanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3127-2733, 2964-2814, 1900-175 1682-959 1477-1014Ethanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3151-2668, 2955-2895, 1900-175 1535-851 1324-8661-propanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3059-2673, 2958-2858, 1900-175 1573-400 1477-4462-propanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3079-2681, 2995-2860, 1900-175 1557-323 1473-8001-butanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3087-2660, 2961-2859, 1900-175 1657-309 1475-3822-butanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3101-2624, 2990-2861, 1900-175 1650-301 1477-481isobutanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3079-2681, 2995-2860, 1900-175 1557-323 1473-800tert-butanol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3070-2690, 3000-2898, 1900-175 1530-300 1470-320tert-amyl alcohol cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3070-2690, 3000-2898, 1700-175 1530-300 1470-320methyl tert-butyl cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3278-2510, 3011-2791,ether (MTBE) 1900-175 1851-196 892-466ethyl tert-butyl ether cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3278-2510, 3011-2791,(ETBE) 1900-175 1661-196 892-466tert-amyl methyl cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3278-2510, 3011-2791,ether (TAME) 1900-175 1661-196 892-466diisopropyl ether cm.sup.-1 3300-2500, 3079-2681 2995-2860,(DIPE) 1900-175 1557-323 1473-800__________________________________________________________________________
Correlation of the spectra to the species concentrations of interest is accomplished using multivariate analysis. As utilized herein, the form "multivariate analysis" is understood to include all types of multivariate statistical analysis, with the procedures known as partial least squares (PLS), principal component regression (PCR), multiple linear regression (MLR) by classical or inverse least squares being preferred. MLR, PCR and PLS can be performed without any data preprocessing, or (alternatively), using several different data preprocessing techniques including: derivative (Savitzky and Golay, Anal. Chem 1964, 36, 1627), normalization, mean centering, variance scaling, autoscaling (mean-centering followed by variance scaling), and range scaling. Calibrations may also be made based on Raman intensity differences, whereby the intensity spectrum for a blendstock prior to oxygenate addition, is subtracted from the intensity spectrum of the same blendstock after the oxygenate is added. Using a single-beam instrument with data storage capability, a spectrum of the unoxygenated blendstock may be acquired for use as the reference, prior to running the samples. This technique is especially useful when undesirable interferences are present in spectral regions used in the calibrations. Spectral subtraction was used by Tackett, U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,581, liar double-beam, NIR measurements of physical properties of hydrocarbons, with a reference hydrocarbon placed in the reference beam. Care was taken in the instrument design to ensure that the sample and reference cells were maintained at the same temperature. This was necessary to eliminate any artifacts due to the temperature dependence of NIR measurements. Raman measurements are not affected by temperature, providing an additional advantage to the use of the Raman technique for such measurements.
By the MLR method, a Raman analyzer determines the concentration or other property of interest for the sample, based on calibrations which set forth in the equation below, the constants k(0), k(1), k(2), . . . , k(m), for m wavenumbers at which Raman intensity is measured:
Value of Interest=k(0)+k(1)×f(A.sub.1)+k(2)×f(A.sub.2)+. . . +k(m)×f(A.sub.m)
Where
k(0)=bias coefficient
k(i)=coefficient for wavenumber i
f(A i )=Raman intensity, a derivative of intensity with respect to wavenumber, or some other function of the intensity at wavenumber i, for i=1, 2, . . . , m (wavenumbers 1, 2, . . . , m).
By the PCR method, each spectrum (or one or more portions) in the calibration sample set is represented as an n-dimensional vector, where n is the number of points to be used in each spectrum. To each point is associated a wavenumber at which Raman intensity was measured. Each vector is broken down into one or more components, plus an error vector to account for variation not explained by the components. By this mathematical treatment or "decomposition," the spectrum is represented as the weighted vector sum of the components plus the error vector. Each successive component accounts for the variation remaining in the calibration set, after subtracting the weighted contributions of all preceding components. The coefficients in the weighted sums (also known as "scores") are then correlated with the properties of interest (i.e., species concentrations) using multilinear regression. PLS is similar to PCR in that the spectra are decomposed in components ("latent variables"). However, by the PLS method, the spectra are weighted by the species concentrations prior to the decomposition step. The regression is accomplished during the decomposition, making a separate regression step unnecessary. There are two PLS methods in common use: PLS-1, which calculates a separate set of scores for each species concentration; and PLS-2, which, as does PCR, calculates a single set of scores for all species of interest. More detailed information on these methods can be found in the literature (Geladi, P. and B. R. Kowalski, Partial Least-Squares Regression: A Tutorial, Anal. Chim. Acta 1986, 185, 1-17).
A cross validation of the data is used to evaluate the quality of the calibration by leaving out one spectrum at a time while performing a partial least squares regression on the remaining spectra and using the resultant regression to predict the value for the left-out spectrum. Alternatively, spectra for a separate set of samples not included in the calibration set, may be used for independent validation.
Outlier diagnostics (Thomas and Kaaland, Anal. Chem. 1990, 62, 1091) are used to generate leverage plots for the different spectra for each partial least squares regression analysis. The leverage of each spectral sample is indicative of how much of an effect each sample has on influencing the regression model. The leverage plots are useful for detecting artifacts (due to mode hopping, back-scattering of Raman modes from the excitation fiber into the collection fiber, cosmic rays or sampling errors).
Results from MLR, PLS or principal component analysis can be used directly or incorporated into a neural network to obtain the final model. Neural networks are discussed in several publications, including Long, J. R., V. G. Gregoriou, and P. J. Gemperline, Anal. Chore. 1990, 62, 1791-1797. Use of PCA and PLS scores as inputs to neural networks are discussed by Borggaard, C. and H. H. Thordberg (Anal. Chore. 1992, 64, 545-551).
As indicated, the procedures of the invention are applicable to any liquid mixture containing one or more oxygenates. However, the invention is most adapted to use with petroleum mixtures, such as gasolines, aviation libel, and diesel fuels. As used herein, the term "synthetic fuel mixture" means a prepared mixture of refinery components to cover the composition range in actual fuel blends.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
EXAMPLE 1
(Invention Controlling a Fuel Blender)
FIG. 1 represents a control scheme for an on-line blender in a refinery, with both feed-forward and feedback control loops, utilizing Raman spectral analysis of oxygenate levels to provide control.
In FIG. 1, the use of multistreaming, whereby the component streams are switched sequentially to a single probe, using valves, is illustrated. However, multiplexing, whereby a probe is located at each control point, or a combination of both, can also be used. In a multistreaming operation such as that illustrated in FIG. 1, component streams 410, 420, 430, 440, 450 and 460 are sequentially routed to the sample cell or sample in line probe of Raman spectrometer 470 which analyzes each stream for properties or components of interest, e.g., wt % oxygen. An output signal for each stream (proportional to wt % oxygen) is then transmitted to optimizing software such as GINO. The GINO software, resident in blending computer 480, then continuously analyzes the signal, optimize and update the blend recipe in response thereto, and downloads the updated recipe to Blend Ratio Control (BRC) software which is resident in Distributed Control System (DCS) 490. The BRC software is capable of controlling DCS 490 which in turn may adjust the position of valves 405, 415, 425, 435, 445, and 455 to change the flow rates of component streams 410, 420, 430, 440, 450 and 460, respectively.
Another Raman spectrometer 500 can also be used in a feedback mode. That is, a slip stream 465 of the finished blend is directed to the sample probe or sample cell of Raman spectrometer 500, which analyzes the finished blend for wt % oxygen and other components of interest. DCS 490 then receives the feedback signal from Raman spectrometer 500 in the same manner as it receives the feed-forward signals from Raman spectrometer 470. The DCS 490 is configured to allow direct control of valves 405, 415, 425, 435, 445 and 455 by the feedback control loop to override the recipe established by the feed-forward control loop when necessary.
Raman spectrometer 500 may be the same instrument as Raman 470, with feed-forward and feedback functions operating in a multiplexing or multistreaming mode.
In each the following examples 2 through 4, a model is formulated, utilizing the sampling and multivariate analysis procedure described herein, for the liquid or liquids to be monitored. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in the individual processes described, a radical change in liquid content, as for example, the substitution of a substantially different feedstock, e.g., substitution of oil shale liquid for Arabian light, would require derivation of a new model representing the ranges of variation of that feed.
EXAMPLE 2
(Oxygen levels by Dispersive Raman Spectroscopy PLS Calibration)
In order to describe the invention more fully, reference is made to FIG. 2. The setup shown is analogous to that described in the aforementioned McCreery et al publication, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Accordingly, there is shown a radiation source 1, in this case a GaAIAs DBR diode laser (Spectra Diode Labs) which emits radiation in the near infrared. The radiation is filtered with dielectric band pass filter 2 (Janos) and is sent into the proximal end 3 of the excitation fiber 4 (200 micron quartz fiber optic, Polymicro). The probe tip 5 consists of the distal ends of the excitation fiber 4 and a parallel collection fiber 6, both fibers being sealed into a stainless steel tube 7 with epoxy and the ends polished. At the probe tip 5, the laser energy exits the excitation fiber 4 and the Raman scattered light thus produced is collected by the distal end of the parallel collection fiber optic 6. Light from the proximal end 8 of the collection fiber 6 is collimated with an f/2 plano-convex NIR reflection coated lens 9 and then filtered with a 850 nm holographic notch filter 10 (Kaiser Optical) to remove Rayleigh scattering before focusing the Raman signal with an f/4 lens 11 onto the slits (60 micron slit width) of an image corrected 1/4 meter spectrograph 12 (Chromcx). A 300 groove/mm grating blazed at 1 micron was used to disperse the Raman signal. A ST6UV charge coupled detector (CCD) 13 (Santa Barbara Instruments Group) thermoelectrically cooled to -35 C was used to detect the dispersed signal. The detector 13 consists of 750 horizontal pixels (12 micron widths)×350 vertical pixels. The pixels are binned on chip by two in the horizontal direction and by 350 in the vertical direction giving a total of 375 superpixels. According to the invention, Raman spectra are acquired by placing the probe tip 5 directly into a sample which is provided in container or vessel 14 and integrating over 60 seconds for a size perspective, the fiber-optic length for fiber 4 is 2 meters from the laser to the probe tip, and the length of fiber 6 is 3 meters from the probe tip to the spectrograph 12.
All spectra arc recorded the same day over a four hour period during which the diode laser setting (805 nm) remains constant and the room temperature remains constant at 23° C. The incident power from laser 1 at the sample is ˜50 mW, and the spectral resolution for the described system is ˜10 cm -1 . Spectral processing and partial least squares regression analysis are performed using Pirouette multivariate soilware (Infometrix) or QuantIR (Nicolet). Values for wt % oxygen were calculated based on oxygenate addition levels.
In the case of probes which utilize lengthy fibers, e.g., several meters, a second dielectric band pass filter will be required near the distal end of excitation fiber 4. For example, approximately one-half meter from the distal end of excitation fiber 4, the fiber may be cleaved, and the laser beam may be collimated with a lens, directed through a band pass filter, and refocused with a second lens into the other cleaved end of excitation fiber 4.
Table C is a statistical summary for Dispersive Raman PLS calibrations for ethanol and MTBE in synthetic gasoline mixtures. Calibration weight percentage values for calibration were determined by calculation from oxygenate addition levels. Listed for each calibration are number of calibration standards, number of PLS factors, Standard Error of Validation, wavenumber range and range of data for each component.
TABLE C__________________________________________________________________________Summary of PLS Factors for Dispersive Fiber-optic Ramanof Ashland Petroleum Synthetic Gasoline Mixtures SEV.sup.1 Wave-number Range of # of # of (Wt % or Range DataSpeciesCalibration Standards Factors Vol %) (cm.sup.-1) (Wt % or Vol %)__________________________________________________________________________EthanolWt % 10 4 0.377 1534.5-851.8 0.000-4.486OxygenEthanolVol % 10 4 1.14 1534.5-851.8 0.00-12.00EthanolMTBE Wt % 36 5 0.244 1661.0-685.9 0.3594-3.2026Oxygen__________________________________________________________________________ .sup.1 SEV is the square root of the sum of the squares of the residuals divided by (n - k - 1), where n is the number of standards in the model and k is the number of factors in the model. Performed using "leave one out" technique.
Similarly, calibrations may be made for other oxygenates commonly found in hydrocarbon fuels, including such species as methanol, tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME), diisopropyl ether (DIPE), and other oxygen-containing hydrocarbons.
EXAMPLE 3
(Oxygen levels by FT-Raman Spectroscopy--PLS Calibration)
Alternatively (FIG. 3), a FT-Raman (Fourier transform, near-infrared, Raman spectrometer) may be used, wherein the grating is replaced by a Michelson interferometer or other device capable of producing an interferogram from the Raman scattered light from the sample. By appropriate software, the Fourier transform of the interferogram is calculated to produce the spectrum. In the FT-Raman spectrometer, shown in 3a, the petroleum sample 4 in a glass container is placed in a holder in compartment 5. The sample is then irradiated with near infrared radiation (wavelength 1064 nm) from a Nd:YAG laser 1, using mirror 2, through an opening in parabolic collection mirror 3. Mirror 3 collects the scattered Raman and Rayleigh radiation at 180 degrees and collimates it for optimum collection efficiency. The collimated beam is sent to interferemeter 6, filtered with a holographic notch filter 7 (to remove the Rayleigh scattered laser light) and finally detected by a high-purity, germanium detector 8.
Alternatively, the FT-Raman spectrometer can be coupled to a fiber-optic probe for remote sampling. In this configuration (FIG. 3b), the laser beam from laser 1 is focused by lens 2 into the proximal end of excitation fiber 3. The distal end of excitation fiber 3 delivers the laser radiation to the remote sample 4. The Raman and Rayleigh scattered light is then collected by a collinear collection fiber 5 which delivers the radiation back to the spectrometer. The radiation exits the collection fiber 5 and is collimated by lens 6. As before, the collimated beam is sent to interferometer 7, filtered by holographic notch filter 8, and detected by detector 9.
In the case of probes which utilize lengthy fibers, e.g., several meters, a dielectric band pass filter will be required near the distal end of excitation fiber 3. For example, approximately one-half meter from the distal end of excitation fiber 3, the fiber may be cleaved, and the laser beam may be collimated with a lens, directed through a band pass filter, and refocused with a second lens into the other cleaved end of excitation fiber 3.
The spectra of both configurations are substantially the same with the exception that the fiber-optic configuration results in a slightly lower intensity signal. Although FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the use of single fiber excitation and collection, those skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple fiber excitation and collection, with the optic fibers properly angled is preferred, such equipment being known.
Table D is a statistical summary for FT-Raman calibrations for ethanol and MTBE in synthetic gasoline mixtures. Listed for each calibration are number of calibration standards, number of PLS factors, Standard Error of Validation, wavenumber range and range of data for each component. Calibration weight percentage values for calibration were determined by calculation from oxygenate addition levels.
TABLE D__________________________________________________________________________Summary of PLS Factors for FT-Ramanof Ashland Petroleum Synthetic Gasoline Mixtures SEV.sup.1 Wave-number Range of # of # of (Wt % or Range DataSpeciesCalibration Standards Factors Vol %) (cm.sup.-1) (Wt % or Vol %)__________________________________________________________________________EthanolWt % 10 5 0.345 3150.6-2669.4, 0.00-4.486Oxygen 1534.5-851.8EthanolVol % 10 4 0.87 3150.6-2668.4, 0.00-12.00Ethanol 1534.5-851.8MTBE Wt % 77 4 0.143 3277.9-2510.3, 0.182-3.288Oxygen 1850.8-196.1__________________________________________________________________________ .sup.1 SEV is the square root of the sum of the squares of the residuals divided by (n - k - 1). where n is the number of standards in the model and k is the number of factors in the model. Performed using "leave one out" technique.
Similarly, calibrations may be made for other oxygenates commonly found in hydrocarbon fuels, including such species as methanol, tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME), diisopropyl ether (DIPE), and other oxygen-containing hydrocarbons.
EXAMPLE 4
(Oxygen Levels by FT-Raman Spectroscopy--MLR Calibration)
Table E is a statistical summary for FT-Raman MLR calibrations for ethanol and MTBE in synthetic gasoline mixtures. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed on intensities or their first derivatives at the wavenumbers indicated in Table E, for Raman spectra collected using the procedure and apparatus described previously in Example 3. For the MTBE calibrations, additional samples without oxygenate were included in the calibrations, for a total of 155 calibration samples. Calibrations were made using the fingerprint region (1900-175 cm-1), the C-H stretch region (3300-2500 cm- 1 ), or both (indicated respectively by "FP", "CH", or "both" in Table E).
Also shown in Table E for each calibration are number of calibration standards, wavenumbers used, coefficient of determination (R 2 ), Standard Error of Estimate, pretreatment method, and range of data for each component (calculated for this calibration set by conventional well-known statistical techniques).
TABLE E__________________________________________________________________________Summary of MLR Calibration for FT-Ramanof Ashland Petroleum Synthetic Gasoline Mixtures Region (FP or CH): Wave- SEE.sup.1 Range of # of numbers R (Wt % or Pretreatment Data (Wt %SpeciesCalibration Standards used (cm.sup.-1) squared Vol %) Method or Vol %__________________________________________________________________________EthanolWt % 10 FP: 886.5, 1303.1 0.9986 0.068 none 0.000-4.486OxygenEthanolWt % 10 CH: 2915.3 0.9777 0.247 none 0.000-4.486OxygenEthanolWt % 10 Both: 2915.3, 0.9954 0.120 none 0.000-4.486Oxygen 963.5EthanolVol % 10 FP: 1303.1, .9984 0.19 none 0.00-12.00Ethanol 886.5EthanolVol % 10 Both: 2934.6, .9982 0.20 none 0.00-12.00Ethanol 890.4MTBE Wt % 156 FP: 728.4, 535.5 .9914 0.090 none 0-3.2616OxygenMTBE Wt % 156 CH: 2811.1, .9829 0.128 first derivative 0-3.2616Oxygen 2830.4__________________________________________________________________________ .sup.1 SEE is the Standard Error of Estimate, or the root mean square value for deviations between results by the calibration and those by the primary method, for samples in the calibration set.
Two separate sets of spectra (from five fluorescing samples and from 51 non-fluorescing samples) arc used as prediction sets for validation of the two MTBE wt % oxygen calibrations described in Table E, the first calibration being based on the FP region, and the second being based on the CH stretch region. Samples used in the prediction sets were not included in the calibrations. For both calibrations, the same pretreatment used for the calibration is applied to the prediction sets. The intensities (or pretreatment functions thereof) are then used as independent variables in the multiple linear regression equations obtained from the calibration set. The intensity or pretreatment fiction value at each wavenumber is multiplied by its respective weighting constant, and the products arc summed with the bias constant to provide a weighted value which is characteristic of the predicted weight percentage of oxygen. Both sample sets are used to validate both calibrations, tier a total of four validations. Table F contains the results as measured by the Standard Error of Prediction (SEP), which is the root mean square value for deviations between results by the calibration and those by the primary method, for samples not in the calibration set.
For the non-fluorescing prediction set, it can be seen in Table F that there is good agreement between actual values and those predicted by the calibration, as indicated by the standard errors of prediction for both the FP and the CH calibrations. The standard errors of prediction for the fluorescing prediction set show that fluorescence interferes severely with the FP calibration. However, even when the samples fluoresce, it is seen that the CH calibration with first derivative pretreatment can be used with satisfactory results.
TABLE F______________________________________Validation of MTBE Weight Percent Oxygen CalibrationsValidation (Prediction) Calibration Standar Error ofSample Set Wave numbers Prediction (SEP)______________________________________Non-fluorescing FP: 728.4, 535.5 0.1230Non-fluorescing CH: 2811.1, 2830.4 0.1835Fluorescing FP: 728.4, 535.5 5.7033Fluorescing CH: 2811.1, 2830.4 0.1299______________________________________
Similarly, calibrations may be made for other oxygenates commonly found in hydrocarbon fuels, including such species as methanol, tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME), diisopropyl ether (DIPE), and other oxygen-containing hydrocarbons.
EXAMPLE 5
(Comparative with Species Analysis Using Conventional Gas Liquid Chromatography)
The chromatogram for a synthetic gasoline mixture containing five oxygenates used in gasoline blending, is shown in FIG. 4, was obtained using a Hewlett Packard Model 5890 temperature programmed gas chromatograph with a methyl silicone capillary column (fused silica, 60M×0.25 mm i.d., df=0.1 uM), and a Wasson ECE OFID detector consisting of a cracker, methanizer and a flame ionization detector Chromatographic conditions were adjusted according to the standard methods established by the instrument manufacturer and Wasson ECE Instrumentation, Inc. This prior art method is useful for the determination of individual species as well total wt % oxygen, and can serve as the primary method for calibration of the Raman instruments used in the present invention. However, as shown by the time elapse in FIG. 4, this method is slow. FIG. 4, is an OFID chromatogram of a typical gasoline spiked with five oxygenates and an internal standard. Retorting to FIG. 4, the order for elution of the peaks is: Methanol 1; Ethanol 2; MTBE 3; ETBE 4; 1,2-Dimethoxyethane (internal standard) 5; TAME 6; and artifact 7. The elutriation time for the last fractions is about 20 min, a much slower analysis time as contrasted to an analysis time of less than one minute for on-line Raman analysis. The OFID procedure requires sample weighing and running of each sample in duplicate. Also, a predetermined amount of an internal standard of known oxygenate content must be added manually to each sample. Finally, a quality control standard must be run by this method every 12 hours or after every set of five duplicate samples, whichever occurs first, according to Federal Register Vol. 59 No. 32 (Feb. 16, 1994), Section 80.46, paragraph g (oxygen and oxygenate analysis), p. 7828. The OFID method is thus seen to be too slow for efficient use in closed loop control for many refinery processes.
EXAMPLE 6
(Illustrations of Raman Spectra for some Oxygenates of lnterest)
FIG. 5 contains Raman spectra for the fifty-one non-fluorescing samples used for validation in Example 4. It can be seen that both the CH region and the FP region is suitable for quantitative analysis. Of particular interest in these spectra is a Raman band at 728.4 cm -1 , characteristic of symmetric O-CC 3 stretching. This band shows a strong correlation with wt % oxygen in gasoline blends containing MTBE (R=0.9514, SEE=0.299 wt % oxygen).
FIG. 6 contains Raman spectra for the five fluorescing samples used for validation in Example 4. It can be seen in FIG. 6 that fluorescence interferes significantly in the FP region, but only slightly in the CH region. It can be seen by this illustration and by the standard errors of prediction in Table F for fluorescing validation samples, that calibrations based on the CH region provide an alternative when calibrations based on the FP region cannot be used when fluorescence is present.
FIG. 7 contains the fingerprint regions of the FT-Raman spectra for seven oxygenates and (for reference) a spectrum for a typical, regular-grade gasoline with no oxygenate. Included in FIG. 7, arc methanol spectrum 1, ethanol spectrum 2, 1-propanol spectrum 3, 2-propanol spectrum 4, 1-butanol spectrum 5, 2-butanol spectrum 6, and MTBE spectrum 7, and gasoline spectrum 8. Referring to FIG. 7, it is seen that distinct features are present in the spectra, particularly in the FP region. Unique features in each oxygenate spectrum, not present in the gasoline spectrum, enable the creation of calibration models capable of distinguishing various oxygenates.
Modifications
Though fundamental bands have been recited, overtones and derivatives of both overtones and fundamental bands may sometimes be substituted if of sufficient strength. This invention can control other refinery and chemical process units, e.g., MTBE, and can also be part of a simultaneous on-line determination of several species and properties (e.g., research and motor octane, benzene, aromatics, etc.).
Specific compositions, methods, or embodiments discussed are intended to be only illustrative of the invention disclosed by this specification. Variations on these compositions, methods, or embodiments are readily apparent to a person of skill in the art based upon the teachings of this specification and are therefore intended to be included as part of the inventions disclosed herein. For example, surface-enhanced Raman, ultraviolet-Raman and Hadamard transform Raman techniques can also be used.
Reference to documents made in the specification is intended to result in such patents or literature being expressly incorporated herein by reference.
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Oxygenated hydrocarbons can be predicted within ±0.2% wt or better, using Raman NIR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis, with optional fiberoptics multistreaming. The resulting signal can be used to control concentration of such compounds in product to desired levels.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a pivoting swimming pool tool device including a pivot mechanism, a frame member, and a net to allow a person to remove large quantities of surface debris from a swimming pool.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a pivoting swimming pool tool device that allows a person to remove large quantities of surface debris from a swimming pool.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a pivoting swimming pool tool device according to the invention including a pivot mechanism, a frame member, and a net.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the pivoting swimming pool tool device of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a front view of the pivoting swimming pool tool device of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a front cross section view of the pivoting swimming pool tool device of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 5 shows a stopper member attached to the frame member.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1 , pivoting swimming pool tool device 100 is shown comprising pivot mechanism 110 frame member 120 , and net 130 . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 , pivot mechanism 110 comprises shaft 112 , attachment device 114 , pivot member 116 , first hinge member 118 a , and second hinge member 118 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 , frame member 120 comprises main frame member 122 , first hinge attachment member 124 a , and second hinge attachment member 124 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 , shaft 112 can pivot in a left direction and in a right direction by way of pivot member 116 (see FIG. 3 ). In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 , shaft 112 can move in a forward direction and in a backward direction by way of first hinge member 118 a and second hinge member 118 b (see FIG. 2 ). In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 , shaft 112 can be attached to a longer pole using attachment device 114 . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 , net 130 is attached to main frame member 122 .
In certain embodiments, shaft 112 comprises a rigid material selected from the group consisting of metal, plastic, and combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, shaft 112 comprises a hollow tubular member having an outside diameter between about 1 inch and about 1 1/16 inches. In certain embodiments, shaft 112 comprises length between about 3.5 inches and about 4.5 inches. In certain embodiments, main frame member 122 comprises a rigid material selected from the group consisting of metal, plastic, and combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, main frame member 122 comprises an oval shaped member. In certain embodiments, pivot member 116 comprises a standard bolt pivot member known to one skilled in the art. In certain embodiments, net 130 comprises an ultra-fine netting material to ensure collection of all sizes of debris.
Referring now to FIG. 2 , pivoting swimming pool tool device 100 is shown comprising pivot mechanism 110 , frame member 120 , and net 130 . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2 , pivot mechanism 110 comprises shaft 112 , attachment device 114 , pivot member 116 , first hinge member 118 a , and second hinge member 118 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2 , frame member 120 comprises main frame member 122 , first hinge attachment member 124 a , and second hinge attachment member 124 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2 , shaft 112 can move in a forward direction and in a backward direction by way of first hinge member 118 a and second hinge member 118 b . The movement of shaft 112 allows a variety of angles when a person is cleaning out debris from a pool.
Referring now to FIG. 3 , pivoting swimming pool tool device 100 is shown comprising pivot mechanism 110 , frame member 120 , and net 130 . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3 , pivot mechanism 110 comprises shaft 112 , attachment device 114 , pivot member 116 , first hinge member 118 a , and second hinge member 118 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3 , frame member 120 comprises main frame member 122 , first hinge attachment member 124 a , and second hinge attachment member 124 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3 , shaft 112 can pivot in a left direction and in a right direction by way of pivot member 116 . The movement of shaft 112 allows a variety of angles when a person is cleaning out debris from a pool.
Referring now to FIG. 4 , a front cross section view of pivoting swimming pool tool device 100 is shown comprising pivot mechanism 110 , frame member 120 , and net 130 . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4 , pivot mechanism 110 comprises shaft 112 , attachment device 114 , pivot member 116 , first hinge member 118 a , and second hinge member 118 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4 , frame member 120 comprises main frame member 122 , first hinge attachment member 124 a , and second hinge attachment member 124 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4 , first hinge member 118 a fits within first hinge attachment member 124 a . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4 , second hinge member 118 b fits within second hinge attachment member 124 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4 , first hinge member 118 a moves within first hinge attachment member 124 a and allows shaft 112 to move in a forward direction and in a backward direction (see FIG. 2 ). In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4 , second hinge member 118 b moves within second hinge attachment member 124 b and allows shaft 112 to move in a forward direction and in a backward direction (see FIG. 2 ).
Referring now to FIG. 5 , pivoting swimming pool tool device 100 is shown comprising pivot mechanism 110 , frame member 120 , and net 130 . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 5 , pivot mechanism 110 comprises shaft 112 , attachment device 114 , pivot member 116 , first hinge member 118 a , and second hinge member 118 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 5 , frame member 120 comprises main frame member 122 , first hinge attachment member 124 a , and second hinge attachment member 124 b . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 5 , stopper member 510 is attached to frame member 120 . Stopper member 510 keeps shaft 112 from bending beyond stopper member 510 when a person is using pivoting swimming pool tool device 100 . A person can remove stopper member 510 if he/she desires to have shaft 112 move without any member stopping the movement.
Various modifications of the invention, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Each reference cited in the present application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims.
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The present invention is directed to a pivoting swimming pool tool device including a pivot mechanism, a frame member, and a net to allow a person to remove large quantities of surface debris from a swimming pool.
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REFERENCE
[0001] This application is a continuation of PCT/US 2008/066247 filed Jun. 9, 2008 which is based on and claims priority to European Patent Application Ser. No. 07011313, filed Jun. 8, 2007, U.S. Provisional Patent. Application Ser. No. 60/937,779, filed Jun. 29, 2007, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/937,933, filed Jun. 29, 2007, which are all hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to medical devices configured to wirelessly communicate with remote electronic devices, and more specifically to pairing and authenticating one or more medical devices and one or more remote devices for subsequent secure wireless communications.
BACKGROUND
[0003] It is generally known to provide for wireless communications between a medical device, such as an ambulatory medical device, and a remote electronic device. It is desirable with such arrangements to configure the medical device and the remote electronic device in a manner that provides for secure wireless communications between the two devices. It is further desirable in systems that may include a plurality of medical devices and/or a plurality of remote electronic devices to configure one or more of the medical devices and one or more of the remote electronic devices in a manner that provides for secure wireless communications between various combinations of the devices.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present invention may comprise one or more of the features recited in the attached claims, and/or one or more of the following features and combinations thereof. A method for authenticating a medical device and a remote electronic device that are placed in communication range relative to each other may comprise generating at least a portion of a PIN code by one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, capturing the at least a portion of the generated PIN code with the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, checking authentication of the PIN code, which is based at least in part on the captured at least a portion of the generated PIN code, by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, generating at least one strong key by one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, sending the at least one strong key encrypted to the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, checking authentication of the sent at least one strong key by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, and upon successful authentication of the PIN code and the at least one strong key, storing the at least one strong key in a memory of the medical device and in a memory of the remote electronic device.
[0005] In one illustrative embodiment, generating at least a portion of a PIN code may comprise generating a complete PIN code by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device. Capturing the at least a portion of the generated PIN code comprises capturing the complete PIN code with the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device. Checking authentication of the PIN code comprises checking authentication of the captured complete PIN code by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device. In an alternate embodiment, the method may further comprise generating at least another portion of the PIN code by the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, and forming by the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device a complete PIN code based on the at least a portion of the PIN code and the at least another portion of the PIN code. In this embodiment, checking authentication of the PIN code may comprise checking authentication of the complete PIN code by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device.
[0006] In one illustrative embodiment, capturing the at least a portion of the generated PIN code may comprise displaying the at least a portion of the generated PIN code by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, and instructing via a display of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device manual input of the at least a portion of the generated PIN code into the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device. In an alternative embodiment, capturing the at least a portion of the generated PIN code may comprise one of sending the at least a portion of the generated PIN code by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device to the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device and retrieving the at least a portion of the generated PIN code by the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device from the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device.
[0007] The method may further comprise exchanging respective device identification codes between the medical device and the remote electronic device. The respective device identification codes may, for example, be exchanged between the medical device and the remote electronic device following authentication of the at least one strong key.
[0008] Upon non-successful authentication of either of the PIN code and the at least one strong key, in one illustrative embodiment, the method may return to the step of generating at least a portion of a PIN code by one of the medical device and the remote electronic device. In an alternative embodiment, a message may be displayed on at least one of the medical device and the remote electronic device indicating that the authentication was not successful and the method may return to the step of displaying the at least a portion of the generated PIN code by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, upon non-successful authentication of either of the PIN code and the at least one strong key.
[0009] The method may further comprise restarting the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device upon successful authentication of the PIN code and the at least one strong key.
[0010] The method may further comprise performing a pairing phase prior to executing any of the steps of the method for authenticating. In one illustrative embodiment, the pairing phase may comprise setting the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device in a pairable mode in order to be discoverable by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, setting the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device in a pairing mode, performing a device discovery inquiry by the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, displaying discovered devices resulting from the device discovery inquiry, upon user selection from the displayed discovered devices of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, pairing the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device with the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, upon successful pairing generating a link key on the medical device and on the remote electronic device, storing the link key and a virtual address of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device in a memory of the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, and storing the link key and a virtual address of the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device in a memory of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, and connecting the medical device and the remote electronic device together.
[0011] In one illustrative embodiment, BlueTooth® may be used as a communication protocol for communication between the medical device and the remote electronic device during the pairing phase.
[0012] The method may further comprise filtering discovered devices resulting from the device discovery inquiry prior to displaying the discovered devices such that only discovered devices that are in the pairable mode are displayed for user selection. Alternatively or additionally, the method may further comprise filtering discovered devices resulting from the device discovery inquiry prior to displaying the discovered devices by comparing the discovered devices to entries of a predefined device list and displaying only the discovered devices that match entries on the predefined device list.
[0013] The method may further comprise requesting authentication of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device selected from the displayed discoverable devices. For such authentication, the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device and the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device may each provide a fixed PIN code.
[0014] The method may further comprise performing a binding phase after executing all of the steps of the method for authenticating. The binding phase may comprise sending service versions of all operating modes of the remote electronic device by one of the medical device and the remote electronic device to the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, upon a determination by the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device that the sent service versions are compatible with corresponding service versions stored in the memory of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, storing a pass flag in a memory of the medical device and in a memory of the remote electronic device, and upon a determination by the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device that at least one of the sent service versions is not compatible with a corresponding one of the service versions stored in the memory of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, removing the at least one strong key from the memory of the medical device and from the memory of the remote electronic device.
[0015] A method may be provided for pairing a medical device and a remote electronic device that are placed in communication range relative to each other. The method may comprise setting one of the medical device and the remote electronic device in a pairing mode, performing a device discovery inquiry by the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, displaying discovered devices resulting from the device discovery inquiry, upon user selection from the displayed discovered devices of the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, pairing the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device with the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, upon successful pairing generating a link key on the medical device and on the remote electronic device, storing the link key and a virtual address of the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device in a memory of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, and storing the link key and a virtual address of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device in a memory of the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device, and connecting the medical device and the remote electronic device together.
[0016] Illustratively, BlueTooth® may be used as a communication protocol for communication between the medical device and the remote electronic device.
[0017] The method may further comprise filtering discovered devices resulting from the device discovery inquiry prior to displaying the discovered devices such that only discovered devices that are in the pairable mode are displayed for user selection. Alternatively or additionally, the method may further comprise filtering discovered devices resulting from the device discovery inquiry prior to displaying the discovered devices by comparing the discovered devices to entries of a predefined device list and displaying only the discovered devices that match entries on the predefined device list.
[0018] The method may further comprise requesting authentication of the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device selected from the displayed discoverable devices. For such authentication, the one of the medical device and the remote electronic device and the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device may each provide a fixed PIN code.
[0019] A method may be provided for binding a medical device and a remote electronic device that are placed in communication range relative to each other. The method may comprise sending service versions of all operating modes of the remote electronic device by one of the medical device and the remote electronic device to the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, upon a determination by the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device that the sent service versions are compatible with corresponding service versions stored in the memory of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, storing a pass flag in a memory of the medical device and in a memory of the remote electronic device, and upon a determination by the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device that at least one of the sent service versions is not compatible with a corresponding one of the service versions stored in the memory of the other of the medical device and the remote electronic device, removing the at least one strong key from the memory of the medical device and from the memory of the remote electronic device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a diagram of one illustrative embodiment of an abstract interconnection layer model for wireless communications between a medical device and a remote electronic device.
[0021] FIG. 2 shows a diagram illustrating pairing and authentication carried out between one or more medical devices and one or more other medical devices and/or one or more remote electronic devices.
[0022] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of one illustrative embodiment of a pairing process for pairing a medical device with a remote electronic device.
[0023] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of one illustrative embodiment of an authentication process for authenticating the medical device and the remote electronic device following a pairing process such as that illustrated in FIG. 3 .
[0024] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of one illustrative embodiment of a binding process that may follow the authentication process of FIG. 4 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to a number of illustrative embodiments shown in the attached drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same.
[0026] The following co-pending patent applications are incorporated herein by reference: PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US 2008/066288, entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING AN AMBULATORY MEDICAL DEVICE and having attorney docket no. 5727-205462, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US 2008/066262, entitled COMBINATION COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND MEDICAL DEVICE FOR COMMUNICATING WIRELESSLY WITH A REMOTE MEDICAL DEVICE, and having attorney docket no. 5727-205463, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US 2008/066331, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING AND DELIVERING A DRUG BOLUS, and having attorney docket no. 5727-205464, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US 2008/066267, entitled LIQUID INFUSION PUMP, and having attorney docket no. 5727-205465, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US 2008/066299, entitled USER INTERFACE FEATURES FOR AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE, and having attorney docket no. 5727-205466, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US 2008/066248, entitled DEVICE AND METHODS FOR OPTIMIZING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN A MEDICAL DEVICE AND A REMOTE ELECTRONIC DEVICE, and having attorney docket no. 5727-204710/WP-24993PCT, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/130,855, entitled DEVICE AND METHODS FOR OPTIMIZING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND A MEDICAL DEVICE, and having attorney docket no. 5727-204710/WP-24993US.
[0027] Referring now to FIG. 1 , a medical device 1 and a remote electronic device 2 are shown along with one illustrative embodiment of an abstract interconnection layer model for wireless communications between the two devices 1 and 2 . The medical device 1 may be, for example, an ambulatory medical device, although the medical device 1 may alternatively be or include a non-ambulatory medical device. Examples of such an ambulatory medical device 1 may include, but should not be limited to, one or any combination of a medication delivery device such as an infusion pump, a glucose meter, a body fluid analyte sensor system including one or more subcutaneous and/or implanted body fluid analyte sensors, a remote terminal representing a remote infusion pump display on which data from the infusion pump is displayed to a user, or the like. The remote electronic device 2 may be or include, but should not be limited to, a conventional personal data assistant (PDA) device, an application specific remote electronic device that may be hand-held, attachable or mountable to clothing, configured to be worn by a person such as on or about a limb or portion thereof, on or about a head or portion thereof, or on or about a body or portion thereof, attachable to a key ring, or the like, a portable wireless communication device with an on-board glucose meter, a smart phone, a personal computer (PC), a laptop, notebook or similar computer, or the like. In one specific embodiment, which should not be considered to be limiting in any way, the medical device 1 is an insulin infusion pump and the remote electronic device is a hand-held, diabetes management unit. The functionality of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 may also be reversed, i.e., the medical device 1 may be one of the above devices mentioned as examples for a remote electronic device 2 and the remote electronic device 2 may be one of the above devices mentioned as examples for a medical device 1 .
[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, the medical device 1 includes a wireless communication module 3 and the remote electronic device 2 also includes a wireless communication module 4 . The wireless communication modules 3 and 4 communicate with each other wirelessly via a communications layer 5 . The wireless communication modules 3 and 4 each include a dedicated conventional processor connected to a conventional wireless transmitter and a conventional wireless receiver, or to a conventional wireless transceiver. The wireless communication modules 3 and 4 are illustratively configured to communicate with each other using any conventional wireless medium including, for example, but not limited to radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), microwave, inductive coupling, or the like. The communications layer 5 may likewise be any conventional communications layer that supports the chosen wireless medium. In one specific example, which should not be considered limiting in any way, the communication modules 3 and 4 are each configured to communicate via RF according to conventional a BlueTooth® radio frequency communications protocol, and the communications layer 5 is accordingly a conventional BlueTooth® communications layer through which the communication modules 3 and 4 may communicate.
[0029] The medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 each further include a conventional control unit 6 and 7 respectively. Illustratively, the control units 6 and 7 may be or include a conventional microprocessor, although either or both of the control units 6 and 7 may alternatively include other conventional control circuits. The medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 each further include a user interface 8 and 9 respectively. Illustratively, the user interfaces 8 and 9 are conventional visual display units, each of which may be or include a conventional liquid crystal display (LCD), one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), a vacuum fluorescent display or the like, although this disclosure contemplates embodiments in which either or both of the user interfaces are or include a conventional audible device configured to be responsive to one or more control signals to produce one or more audible sounds, a conventional tactile device configured to be responsive to one or more control signals to produce a tactile signal that may be perceived, i.e., felt, by a person near or in contact with the device carrying the tactile device, and the like.
[0030] To provide for secure communications between the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 , the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 are mutually authenticated according to a process that will be referred to herein as pairing and authentication. In embodiments in which the wireless communication modules 3 and 4 are BlueTooth® communication modules as described above, the pairing and authentication process illustratively includes three phases: (1) pairing, (2) authentication and (3) binding. In this embodiment, the pairing and authentication process, as will be described hereinafter, will be considered successful only after all three of the phases are consecutively and successfully executed. In alternate embodiments, however, it will be understood that not all three phases of the above-described pairing and authentication process may be required. For example, in some embodiments the binding process may be omitted, and the pairing and authentication process may include only the first two phases. In certain other embodiments in which the wireless communication modules 3 and 4 are not BlueTooth® communication modules, the pairing process may be omitted and/or the binding phase may be omitted, in which case the pairing and authentication process may include only the second and third phases, the first and second phases or in some cases just the second phase. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the number and combination of the three phases of the pairing and authentication process that may be used will typically be dictated by the particular application and will depend, at least to some extent, on the desired level of security with which successfully paired and authenticated devices will thereafter communicate. While the remainder of this disclosure will describe a system in which successful completion of all three phases of the pairing and authentication process are required, it will be understood that in alternate embodiments successful execution of fewer and different combinations of the three phases may alternatively define successful completion of the pairing and authentication process as just described.
[0031] The pairing phase of the pairing and authentication process takes place between the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 via the communication layer 3 as described above. In the pairing phase, a trusted relationship between the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 is established as will be described in detail hereinafter. Following successful pairing according to the pairing phase, the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 are wirelessly connected by a security and transport layer 10 . Physically, the security and transport layer 10 may form a single layer as illustrated in FIG. 1 , or may instead be partitioned into a security layer and a separate transport layer.
[0032] In either case, the authentication phase of the pairing and authentication process takes place between the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 via the security portion of the security and transport layer 10 . When the pairing and authentication process is successfully completed and the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 thereafter communicate wirelessly in a secure manner, the transport portion of the security and transport layer 10 is illustratively used for error recognition and retransmission of data. Following successful authentication according to the authentication phase, a secure link is established between the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 , and data can be transmitted between the two devices 1 and 2 via an application layer 11 .
[0033] The binding phase of the pairing and authentication process takes place between the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 via the application layer 11 . Following successful completion of the binding phase, the pairing and authentication process is complete, and the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 may thereafter communicate wirelessly in a secure manner. Secure transmission of data between the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 does not occur until a secure data transmission link is established according to the pairing and authentication process just described.
[0034] In the embodiment illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 1 , the pairing and authentication process is carried out between only one medical device and one remote electronic device 2 to provide for secure wireless communication between only the two devices 1 and 2 . In alternative embodiments, as illustrated by example in FIG. 2 , the medical device communication system may include any number, N, of medical devices, 1 I - 1 N , where N may be any positive integer, and any number, M, of remote electronic devices, 2 I - 2 M , where M may be any positive integer. In this embodiment, a multiple pairing process 15 is supported in which a single one of the medical devices 1 J (J=1 to N) may be paired and authenticated with any one or more of the M remote electronic devices, 2 I - 2 M , and/or with one or more of the remaining N-1 medical devices, 1 I - 1 N , a single one of the remote devices 1 K (K=1 to M) may be paired and authenticated with any one or more of the N medical devices and/or with one or more of the remaining M-1 remote electronic devices, 2 I - 2 M , any subset of the plurality of medical devices, 1 I - 1 N , may be paired and authenticated with any subset of the plurality of remote electronic devices, 2 I - 2 M and/or with one or more of the remaining medical devices, 1 I - 1 N , or any subset of the plurality of remote electronic devices, 2 I - 2 M , may be paired and authenticated with any subset of the plurality of medical devices, 1 I - 1 N and/or with one or more of the remaining remote electronic devices, 2 I - 2 M . Using this extended approach, a medical device communication system may be established in which one or more medical devices, 1 I - 1 N , may be configured for secure communications with one or more remote electronic devices, 2 I - 2 M and/or with any one or more of the remaining medical devices, 1 I - 1 N .
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 3 , a flowchart is shown of one illustrative embodiment of a pairing process for pairing a medical device 1 with a remote electronic device 2 . Although the pairing process is illustrated and will be described in the context of a single medical device 1 and a single remote electronic device 2 , it will be understood that the pairing process of FIG. 3 may be carried out between one or more medical devices and one or more remote electronic devices, between one or more medical devices and one or more other medical devices, and/or between one or more remote electronic devices and one or more other remote electronic devices. In any case, the flowchart of FIG. 3 is partitioned into the various entities and device/electrical components that carry out the various acts of the pairing process. Thus, for example, a person 12 conducting the pairing process will carry out some of the acts, the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 will carry out some of the acts with the aid of the user interface 8 , the communications module 3 of the medical device 1 will carry out some of the acts, the communications module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 will carry out some of the acts and the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 will carry out some of the acts with the aid of the user interface 9 .
[0036] Illustratively, a precondition for the pairing process of FIG. 3 , in embodiments in which the pairing and authentication process may be carried out only between a single medical device 1 and a single remote electronic device 2 , is that on the side of the medical device 1 no remote electronic device 2 is currently paired. Step 20 denotes the start of the pairing process, and thereafter at step 21 the medical device 1 and the remote device 2 are placed in range relative to each other by a user 12 for wireless communication and connection, although this disclosure contemplates embodiments in which the pairing process and/or the subsequent authentication process and/or the subsequent binding process may be carried out, at least in part, via a wired connection and/or via an alternate wireless connection, i.e., other than via the communication modules 3 and 4 .
[0037] In step 22 the remote electronic device 2 is set into pairable mode, which begins the pairing phase. The pairing phase is illustratively optional, and this disclosure accordingly contemplates embodiments in which the pairing phase is omitted from the overall pairing and authenticating process. In any case, the user 12 illustratively sets the remote electronic device 2 into pairable mode by pressing a specific key, a combination of keys or a specified sequence of keys on the remote device 2 on power up, or by entering a specific key, a combination of keys or sequence of keys or entering a specific pairing menu, after power up. Pressing the specific key or keys activates a specific pairing firmware on the communication module 4 as well as on the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 . The communication module 4 then sets the remote electronic device 2 in step 23 in pairable mode, i.e., in the mode of being device inquirable and connectable, in order to be discoverable by the medical device 1 . At step 24 , the control unit 7 illustratively (and optionally) controls the user interface 9 of the remote device 2 to display a message indicating that the pairing process, or that the pairing and authentication process, has begun, e.g., a message such as “Starting Pairing and Authentication Process” or a similar message. Thereafter at step 25 , the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 attempts to communicate with the medical device 1 via the transport portion of the security and transport layer 10 . Communication via the transport portion of the security and transport layer 10 will, however, not be possible until successful completion of the pairing phase, i.e., upon successful pairing of the communication modules 3 , 4 of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 .
[0038] In step 26 the medical device 1 is set into pairing mode. Illustratively, the user 12 sets the medical device 1 into the pairing mode by selecting a corresponding pairing menu which is displayed on the user interface 8 of the medical device 1 under the control of the control unit 6 , or by pressing a specific key, a combination of keys or a specified sequence of keys on the medical device 1 . The control unit 6 of the medical device 1 then starts the actual pairing process in step 27 and instructs the communication module 3 of the medical device 1 in step 28 to initiate and perform a remote device discovery inquiry. In one illustrative embodiment, the communication module 3 searches during the remote device discovery inquiry for potential pairable remote electronic devices 2 in range, and obtaining in the process the virtual addresses of the communication modules 4 of any remote electronic devices 2 in range. In step 29 the discovered remote electronic devices 2 are illustratively filtered in one embodiment so that only pairable remote electronic devices 2 , i.e., remote electronic devices 2 that are set in the pairable mode, are found. Alternatively or additionally, the discovered remote electronic devices may be filtered such that only devices with a special configuration, e.g., a special address, a friendly or service name, that offers a special service(s), etc., are found. In any case, other electronic devices, which are not aimed at being connected with the medical device 1 , can be filtered out. In step 30 the communication module 3 sends the found remote electronic devices 2 , i.e., the virtual or special address, friendly name, service name, special service(s), etc., of the found remote electronic devices 2 , to the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 .
[0039] The control unit 6 of the medical device 1 checks in step 31 if any remote electronic devices 2 have been found during the remote device discovery inquiry of steps 28 - 30 . If no remote electronic devices 2 have been found, the control unit 6 illustratively controls the user interface 8 of the medical device 1 to display in step 32 a message indicating that no remote electronic devices were found during the remote device discovery inquiry, e.g., a message such as “No remote devices found” or a similar message. With no remote devices to pair with, the pairing process then ends. If, on the other hand, one or more remote electronic devices 2 have been found during the remote device discovery inquiry, the control unit 6 then controls the user interface 8 of the medical device 1 at step 33 to display the one or more discovered, pairable remote electronic devices 2 as a list on the user interface 8 . Illustratively, although not necessarily, friendly names of the found remote electronic devices 2 are displayed on the user interface 8 at step 33 , wherein the such friendly names may contain, in whole or in part, the serial numbers or other identification codes of the discovered remote electronic devices 2 .
[0040] Thereafter in step 34 , the user 12 selects a remote electronic device 2 from the list of discovered remote devices 2 that is displayed on the user interface 8 of the medical device 1 . The control unit 6 of the medical device 1 then sends identifying information of the selected remote electronic device 2 , e.g., the address of the communication module of the remote electronic device 2 that has been selected, to the communication module 3 in step 35 , and thereafter at step 36 the control unit 6 instructs the communication module 3 of the medical device 1 to begin pairing with the communication module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 by requesting authentication.
[0041] Alternatively, the medical device 1 may not be operable at steps 27 - 36 to scan for, and select from, potential pairable remote electronic devices 2 in range, and instead the control unit 6 may be operable to control the user interface 8 to request the user to manually provide an identifying information, e.g., a virtual address, to the control unit 6 , e.g., via a keypad or other conventional data entry mechanism, of a particular remote electronic device 2 that is to be paired with the medical device 1 .
[0042] Pairing between the communication module 3 and the communication module 4 begins at steps 36 and 37 respectively, and is conducted on the communications layer 5 . The communication modules 3 , 4 of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 are both prompted at steps 38 and 39 respectively to provide a PIN code. Illustratively, the PIN code is a fixed code that is hard-coded on each of the communication modules 3 , 4 . Alternatively, the PIN code for each module 3 , 4 may be stored in a memory of the respective control units 6 , 7 , or otherwise provided to the communication modules 3 , 4 from an external source. The PIN codes may generally comprise any number of alphanumeric characters, purely numeric characters, purely alphabetic characters, purely symbolic characters or any combination thereof. The communication module 3 initiates pairing with the communication module 4 by requesting authentication with the PIN code. In step 40 , the communication module 3 sends the pairing result to the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 , the pairing result comprising the identity, e.g., the communication address, of the remote electronic device 2 based on the PIN code provided by the control module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 . In steps 41 , 42 , 43 the control unit 6 and the communication module 3 of the medical device 1 , and the communication module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 , each check if the pairing has been successful, i.e. if the identity, e.g., the communication address, of the other device 2 , 1 , has been authenticated successfully. On successful authentication, i.e. on successful pairing, the communication modules 3 , 4 of the medical device 1 and of the remote electronic device 2 respectively each generate a unique link key or a plurality of link keys and store the link key or keys and the communication address of the other device 2 , 1 locally in a memory of the medical device 1 and of the remote device 2 , respectively (steps 44 and 45 ). Illustratively, the local memory in each device 1 , 2 in which the link key or keys and the communication address of the other device 2 , 1 are stored is a non-volatile memory such that the stored information will be retained in the respective memories until overwritten. Alternatively, the local memory in each device 1 , 2 in which the link key or keys and the communication address of the other device 2 , 1 are stored may be a volatile memory, in which case the pairing process, including the exchange and storage of the link keys and communication addresses, will be required after device power up.
[0043] If the pairing has not been successful in steps 41 , 42 and 43 , then the control unit of the medical device 1 is operable in step 46 to control the user interface 8 to display a message indicating that the pairing process was not successfully completed, e.g., a message such as “Process not successful” or other message. At step 48 , the communication module 3 of the medical device 1 transitions to an idle state, and in step 47 the control unit 6 exits the pairing menu displayed on the user interface 8 of the medical device 1 and powers off the communication module 3 . After steps 47 and 48 , the pairing process within the medical device 1 ends. In the remote electronic device 2 , the communication module 4 reacts to the unsuccessful pairing determination by setting the remote electronic device 2 back into pairable mode, i.e. by returning to step 23 , in order to be again discoverable by the medical device 1 .
[0044] Upon successful pairing and link key storage the communication module 3 of the medical device 1 makes itself wirelessly connectable via the communication layer 5 in step 49 . Then in step 50 the communication module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 attempts to establish a wireless connection with the communication module 3 of the medical device 1 . A wireless connection via the communications layer 5 , using a conventional communication protocol, e.g., BlueTooth® communication protocol or other desired communication protocol, is then actually established in step 51 . The medical device 1 and the remote device are then wirelessly connected (item 52 ), and with the pairing of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 completed wireless communication between the two devices 1 , 2 is then possible via the communication layer 5 .
[0045] In the pairing process described with reference to FIG. 3 , the communication module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 was first put into a pairable mode by the user 12 , and the control unit 6 and communication module 3 of the medical device 1 thereafter controlled the pairing process. In alternative embodiments, the communication module 3 of the medical device 1 may instead be put into a pairable mode by the user 12 , and the control unit 7 and communication module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 may thereafter control the pairing process. In either case, while the pairing process has been described as occurring between a device that has been put in the pairing mode, e.g., a menu-driven pairing mode, and another device that has been put in a pairable mode, e.g., a discoverable device, by a user 12 , this disclosure contemplates embodiments in which a license or certificate is required to put a device in the pairable mode. In such embodiments, the license or certificate would carry a serial number, communication address, a combination thereof or the like which would be required to identify the device for pairing. Alternatively still, such a license or certificate may carry all or part of the PIN code, or information relating to the PIN code, and in this embodiment a device could be put in a pairing mode or be put in a pairable mode, but the pairing process could not be completed without the PIN code or PIN code information.
[0046] In any case, the pairing and authentication process is continued in step 53 with the authentication phase, the authentication phase being depicted in FIG. 4 as a schematic representation in the form of a flowchart. As with FIG. 3 , the various steps/items of the flowchart of FIG. 4 are illustratively carried out by a combination of the user 12 , the control unit 6 and user interface 8 of the medical device 1 , the communication modules 3 and 4 of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 respectively and the control unit 7 and user interface 9 of the remote electronic device 2 . Item 53 represents the completed pairing phase, and after completion of the pairing phase the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 is able to establish wireless communication with the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 via the transport portion of the security and transport layer 10 in steps 54 and 55 . Then, the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 are then connected via the transport portion of the security and transport layer 10 (item 56 ). Thereafter in step 58 , the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 illustratively generates a PIN code and in step 59 the control unit 6 controls the user interface 8 on the medical device 1 to display the generated PIN code. Illustratively, the PIN code may be purely numeric, purely alphabetic, purely symbolic or any combination thereof, and may have any desired character length. In any case, the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 then waits for subsequent authentication of the remote electronic device 2 .
[0047] In step 60 , the control unit 7 of the remote device 2 controls the user interface 9 to display a suitable message prompting the user 12 to provide the PIN code that is currently displayed on the user interface 8 of the medical device 1 to the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 , e.g., by manually entering the currently displayed PIN code into the remote electronic device 2 via a keypad or other conventional information input mechanism. In step 61 the user 12 reads the PIN code displayed on the user interface 8 of the medical device 1 and provides in step 62 the PIN code to the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 . In alternative embodiments, the PIN code generated by the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 may instead be provided to the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 by a mechanism other than manual entry by the user 12 . For example, the PIN code may be exchanged between the two devices 1 , 2 via a suitable wireless data exchange mechanism, e.g., RFID or the like, or via a wired connected between input and output data ports of the control unit 7 and the control unit 6 respectively. In other alternate embodiments, the complete PIN code may not be generated solely by the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 , and may instead be generated in part by the control unit 6 and in part by the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 . In such cases, the control unit 7 may be operable to assemble or otherwise determine the complete PIN code based on the portion of the PIN code generated by the control unit 6 and provided to the control unit 7 via any of the mechanisms described above and also based on the portion of the PIN code generated by the control unit 7 . In such cases, the complete PIN code will not be known by the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 until it is wirelessly transmitted, via the communication modules 4 and 3 respectively, by the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 back to the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 .
[0048] In steps 63 and 64 , the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 and the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 check the authentication of the PIN code that was provided to the control unit 7 as described above. For authentication of the PIN code the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 generates a signature from the generated PIN code, for example by applying a symmetric encryption method such as AES, DES, IDEA, Blowfish or other symmetric or non-symmetric encryption method. The control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 also generates a signature based on the entered PIN code, for example by applying the same encryption as the medical device 1 . The control unit 6 of the medical device 1 attaches the signature to a data packet and sends it to the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 via the communication modules 3 , 4 using the transport portion of the security and transport layer 10 . The control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 then checks if the signature which is attached to the sent data packet is the same as the signature it has generated itself. If the signatures are the same, then authentication of the PIN code has been successful.
[0049] The control unit 6 of the medical device 1 then generates one or more strong keys. The control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 may request delivery of such one or more strong keys from the medical device 1 . In alternative embodiments both devices 1 and 2 may each generate one or more strong keys. In any case, the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 encrypts the one or more strong keys it has generated, for example by applying a symmetric encryption method such as AES, DES, IDEA, Blowfish or other symmetric or non-symmetric encryption method, and sends the one or more encrypted strong keys to the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 via the communication modules 3 , 4 using the transport portion of the security and transport layer 10 . The control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 then decrypts the one or more encrypted strong keys received from the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 . Upon successful authentication of the one or more strong keys, the strong key exchange phase is completed. The control units 6 and 7 thereafter use the strong keys to generate and check the signatures for each data packet sent between the devices 1 and 2 . The control units 6 and 7 exchange device identification information, e.g., device serial numbers or other device identification codes. Alternatively, the control units 6 and 7 may exchange device identification information at other times during the pairing and authentication process. In any case, other authentication methods can be applied alternatively or additionally to either of the authentication of the PIN code and the authentication of the one or more strong keys.
[0050] Each control unit 6 , 7 of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 respectively checks in steps 65 and 66 if the authentication process performed in steps 63 and 64 has been successful. On successful authentication the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 , the control unit 6 and the control unit 7 each store in steps 67 and 68 the one or more strong keys in a memory of the respective device 1 , 2 . In one embodiment, the memories in which the one or more strong keys are stored are non-volatile. In alternative embodiments, the memories in which the one or more strong keys are stored are volatile, in which case the authentication phase illustrated in FIG. 4 must be executed at each power up of the devices 1 , 2 . In still other alternative embodiments, the one or more strong keys may be stored in the memory of either device 1 , 2 in encrypted form. In any case, the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 and the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 may each also control their respective user interfaces 8 , 9 to display a message in steps 67 and 68 indicating that the authentication process has been successful. In some embodiments, such as in embodiments in which the binding phase or process of FIG. 5 is omitted, the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 may also control the user interface 9 at step 68 to prompt the user 12 to restart the remote electronic device 2 , and/or the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 may control the user interface 8 to prompt the user 12 to restart the medical device 1 , although a restart of the medical device 1 and/or remote electronic device 2 may be omitted in other embodiments.
[0051] If at steps 65 and 66 the control units 6 and 7 of the devices 1 and 2 respectively determine that the authentication process was not successful, the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 illustratively loops back to step 63 and the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 illustratively controls the user interface 9 to display at step 70 a message indicating that the wrong PIN code was entered and then controls the user interface 9 to display at step 71 the previously entered PIN code before looping back to step 60 . The user 12 then has an opportunity to correct an incorrectly entered PIN code, and the process then proceeds as described above. In an alternate embodiment, step 70 does not advance to step 71 but instead loops back to step 58 where the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 is operable to generate a new PIN code after which the authentication process proceeds as described above.
[0052] If at step 66 the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 determines that a power off of the remote electronic device has been requested or a timeout has occurred without user intervention following an unsuccessful authentication attempt, the control unit 7 is operable at step 72 to power off the remote electronic device 2 . If at step 65 the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 determines that the user 12 has exited the process or a timeout has occurred after an unsuccessful authentication attempt, the control unit 6 instructs the communication module 3 at step 74 to disconnect from the communication module 4 . Thereafter in steps 75 and 76 , the communication modules 3 and 4 disconnect from each other, thereby resulting in disconnection of the communications layer 5 (item 77 ). Following step 74 , the control unit 6 instructs the communication module 3 at step 78 to unpair from the communication module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 , after which the communication module 3 unpairs from the communication module 4 at step 79 . Following step 78 , the control unit 6 also illustratively controls the user interface 8 of the medical device 1 at step 80 to display a message indicating that the authentication process was not successful. Thereafter at step 81 the control unit 6 controls the user interface 8 to exit the pairing and authentication menu and to then power off the communication module 3 .
[0053] In the authentication process described with reference to FIG. 4 , the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 generated the PIN code and thereafter the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 controlled authentication of the PIN code entered into the remote electronic device 2 and controlled authentication of one or more strong keys that were generated by the control unit 6 . In alternative embodiments, the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 may instead generate the PIN code and the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 may control authentication of the PIN code and thereafter control authentication of the one or more strong keys.
[0054] In any case, the pairing and authentication process is continued in step 69 with an optional binding phase, the binding phase being depicted in FIG. 5 as a schematic representation in the form of a flowchart. The various steps/items of the flowchart of FIG. 5 are illustratively carried out by a combination of the control unit 6 and user interface 8 of the medical device 1 , the communication modules 3 and 4 of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 respectively and the control unit 7 and user interface 9 of the remote electronic device 2 . Item 69 represents the completed authentication phase, and after completion of the authentication phase the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 is able to establish wireless communication with the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 via the application layer 11 in steps 85 and 86 . The medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 are then connected via the application layer 11 (item 87 ). Thereafter in steps 88 and 89 , the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 illustratively requests the service version of one operating mode of the remote electronic device 2 from the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 . In this embodiment, a version number or code of instructions that are stored in a memory of the remote electronic device 2 and executable by the control unit 7 to operate the remote electronic device 2 in accordance with the one operating mode is stored in the memories of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 . The control unit 6 of the medical device 1 is operable at step 88 to provide the version number or code of the one operating mode of the remote electronic device 2 to the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 , which is then operable at step 90 to compare the sent version number or code with the corresponding version number or code stored in the memory of the remote electronic device 2 . If the two version numbers or codes match, the binding process advances to steps 91 and 92 .
[0055] In steps 91 and 92 , the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 illustratively requests the service version of another operating mode of the remote electronic device 2 from the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 . As with the previous operating mode, a version number or code of instructions that are stored in a memory of the remote electronic device 2 and executable by the control unit 7 to operate the remote electronic device 2 in accordance with the another operating mode is stored in the memories of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 . The control unit 6 of the medical device 1 is operable at step 92 to provide the version number or code of the another operating mode of the remote electronic device 2 to the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 , which is then operable at step 93 to compare this sent version number or code with the corresponding version number or code stored in the memory of the remote electronic device 2 . If these two version numbers or codes match, the binding process advances to step 94 where the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 generates a pass code, and thereafter at step 95 the control unit 7 sets a binding flag in a memory of the remote electronic device 2 . In one embodiment, the control unit 7 is operable to set the binding flag in a non-volatile memory of the remote electronic device 2 . Alternatively, the control unit 7 may be operable at step 95 to set the binding flag in a volatile memory of the remote electronic device 2 , in which case the binding phase of FIG. 5 must be repeated with each power up of the remote electronic device 2 . On the other hand, if either of steps 90 or 93 result in a mismatch of the version numbers or codes, the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 generates a fail code at step 96 .
[0056] The pass/fail information is sent by the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 in steps 94 and 96 to the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 via the application layer 11 , which is received by the control unit 6 in step 97 . Thereafter in step 98 , the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 processes the pass/fail information and if the pass code was generated in step 94 the control unit 6 sets a binding flag in a memory of the medical device 1 in step 99 and thereafter controls the user interface 8 in step 100 to display a message indicating that the binding phase was successful. In one embodiment, the control unit 6 is operable to set the binding flag in a non-volatile memory of the medical device 1 . Alternatively, the control unit 7 may be operable in step 99 to set the binding flag in a volatile memory of the medical device 1 , in which case the binding phase of FIG. 5 must be repeated with each power up of the medical device 1 . If, on the other hand, the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 determines in step 98 that the fail code was generated in step 96 the control unit 6 controls the user interface 8 in step 101 to display a message indicating that the binding phase was not successful.
[0057] Following either of steps 95 and 96 , the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 is operable in step 102 to instruct the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 to disconnect the application layer 11 , and in steps 102 and 103 the control units 6 and 7 together disconnect the application layer 11 (item 104 ). Following step 103 , the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 is operable in step 105 to instruct the communication module 3 to disconnect from the communication module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 . Thereafter in steps 106 and 107 , the communication modules 3 and 4 disconnect from each other, thereby resulting in disconnection of the communications layer 5 (item 109 ). Also following step 105 , the control unit 6 is operable in step 108 to remove the authentication data, e.g., the one or more strong keys, from the memory of the medical device 1 . Thereafter in step 110 the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 instructs the communication module 3 to unpair from the communication module 4 of the remote electronic device 2 , after which the communication module 3 unpairs from the communication module 4 at step 111 .
[0058] If the pass code was set at step 94 , the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 is operable following step 102 to control the user interface 9 to display in step 112 a message indicating that the binding process was successful. If, on the other hand, the fail code was set in step 96 , the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 is operable following step 102 to remove in step 113 the authentication data, e.g., the one or more strong keys, from the memory of the remote electronic device 2 . Thereafter in step 114 , the control unit 7 is operable to control the user interface 9 of the remote electronic device 2 to display a message indicating that the binding process was not successful.
[0059] If the binding process of FIG. 5 is successfully completed, the process advances to step 115 which indicates that the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 are authenticated for future use and communication and connection via the application layer 11 after power up. For future communication the one or more strong keys are used, which is stored in the memories of the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 .
[0060] In the binding phase of FIG. 5 as just described, the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 was operable to compare service version numbers or codes for two different operating modes of the remote electronic device 2 . In one example embodiment, which should not be considered limiting in any way, the two different operating modes may be a command mode in which the remote electronic device 2 computes a recommended therapy to be administered by the medical device, e.g., an amount of a drug to be infused or otherwise delivered, and a remote terminal mode in which the remote electronic device 2 is operable to control the operation of the medical device 1 in real time. It will be understood that the binding phase illustrated in FIG. 5 may alternatively be configured to compare service version numbers or codes for more, fewer and/or other operating modes of the remote electronic device, and modifications to the illustrated process to accomplish this would be a mechanical step for a person of ordinary skill in the art. It will be further understood that information exchanged between the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 via the application layer 11 during the binding phase may alternatively or additionally be encrypted using any conventional encrypting techniques.
[0061] In the binding phase described with reference to FIG. 5 , the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 controlled comparisons of the service version numbers or codes and setting of the corresponding pass and fail codes. In alternative embodiments, the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 may instead control the comparisons of the service version numbers or codes and setting of the corresponding pass and fail codes.
[0062] It will be understood that the pairing and authentication process described herein will typically be initiated before the first connection between a medical device 1 and a remote electronic device 2 in order to enable secure communication between the medical device 1 and the remote electronic device 2 . The process will also typically be performed upon replacement of either the medical device 1 or the remote electronic device 2 .
[0063] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the foregoing drawings and description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected. For example, throughout the pairing and authentication process described herein, the control unit 6 of the medical device 1 controls portions of the process and is therefore the master in such portions of the process while the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 is the slave in such portions of the process, and the control unit 7 of the remote electronic device 2 controls other portions of the process and is therefore the master in such other portions of the process while the control unit 6 is the slave in such other portions of the process. As discussed hereinabove, this disclosure contemplates alternate embodiments in which the master/slave relationships of the control units 6 and 7 are reversed in whole or in part during one or more phases of the pairing and authentication process.
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A method for authenticating a medical device and a remote electronic device may include generating a PIN code by one device, capturing the generated PIN code with the other device, checking authentication of the PIN code, which is based at least in part on the captured PIN code, by the one device, generating a strong key by the one device, sending the strong key encrypted to the other device, checking authentication of the sent strong key by the one device, and upon successful authentication, storing the strong key in a memory of the one device and the other device. The roles of the medical device and the remote electronic device may be reversed in the authenticating method. The authenticating method may be preceded by a pairing process and/or followed by a binding process.
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This application is a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 10/797,830 filed Mar. 10, 2004 now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved fascia and soffit structure for buildings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The fascia is that part of a building where the roof terminates. Typically, most residences and relatively small commercial or industrial establishments utilize a sloping roof. The roof structure includes a plurality of rafters upon which a solid material such as plywood or the like is placed. Subsequently, a weatherproofing component is applied on top thereof, the weatherproofing component typically being asphalt tiles although metal, shakes, other types of tiles, and composite materials have all been known to be utilised.
At the point where the rafters terminate, a fascia is installed and extends along the ends of the rafters. Typically, the fascia may comprise a wooden member and/or a metal member secured to the rafter ends. Typically, the metal member has an L-shaped configuration which extends along the fascia and inwardly towards the soffit portion of the eaves.
A soffit structure is generally utilized to provide ventilation to the air space under the roof. Typically, the soffit will comprise a piece of metal or plastic having apertures therein to permit the passage of air into the air space. A second outlet such as a roof vent is provided to encourage the flow of air therethrough.
The arrangement of the fascia and soffit has essentially not changed for many years. The fascia will usually comprise a wooden strip nailed along the ends of the rafters and this is then covered by a metal or plastic fascia member. However, it is also known to only use the metal or plastic fascia.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an integrated fascia and soffit structure.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fascia and soffit system comprising a fascia component, a soffit component, and a soffit support structure, the fascia component comprising a first member and a second member, the first member having an upper section designed for securement to an upper surface of a roof member, a drip edge formed at an extremity of the upper section, a transition section extending inwardly and downwardly from the first section, and a lower section extending vertically downwardly from the transition section, the lower having first cooperative locking means on an inner side thereof, the second member comprising a fascia member having second cooperative locking means extending outwardly from an upper portion of the fascia member, an inwardly extending flange arrangement at the bottom end of the generally planar portion assigned to an abut and a joining soffit, the soffit support structure comprising a first member having a central vertical section, a support element extending outwardly from a lower portion of the central vertical section, a retaining structure located proximate an upper portion of the central vertical section, a second member having a second member central section adapted to lie adjacent the central section of the first member, the second member having engaging means located at a lower portion of the central section, the engaging means being designed to engage the support element of the first member, the second member having a second portion extending upwardly and outwardly to abut a soffit, the arrangement being such that the second member central section is retained between the retaining structure of the first member and the support element of the first member.
The first member of the soffit support structure is designed to be secured to a substrate and to retain and support the second member which in turn supports the soffit. As such, the first member will have a section which is designed to lie adjacent to a vertical structure such as the building wall and will also have a section which is designed to lie underneath the soffit.
The first member, in order to fulfill its function as a means of securing and retaining the second member, has to ensure that the second member remains securely retained in position, preferably without the use of any fastening members.
To this end, the first member may be secured either through the vertical portion to an adjacent wall or alternatively along the horizontal portion to the underside of the roof structure. If desired, the first member could be secured to both of the structures. The means for fastening the first member may include all the conventional methods including the use of mechanical fastening members, adhesives, etc.
The second member has a first section which is designed to be secured to and retained by the first member, and a second section which is designed to support the soffit.
The first section is designed to be retained by and secured to the first member and preferably is retained by means of a slight compression thereof. To this end, the first section of the second member has its upper and lower portions engaged by the first member. Conveniently, this is accomplished by engaging means located at a lower portion of the first section and which engaging means seat on the lower support element of the first member while an upper portion is retained within a channel formed at an upper portion of the vertical section of the first member.
The fascia system of the present invention would typically be manufactured from a sheet metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy which can easily be formed into various configurations by known methods. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to use other materials such as a plastic material which could be extruded or otherwise formed into the desired configurations.
As aforementioned, the fascia system includes a first member and a second member, the first member being secured to the building structure and being designed to support the second member in a desired position.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first member has an upper section which is designed for securement to the roof; the upper section would conventionally be secured to the top of the sheet material attached to the rafters—i.e. plywood or other composite products. The means of securing may be any conventional including adhesives and/or mechanical securement means such as nails and screws.
The upper section preferably includes a first portion which is secured to the roof as aforementioned and a second portion which will extend outwardly from the roof edge and which second portion is slightly angled with respect to the first portion. It is the second portion which will terminate in a drip edge.
There is also provided a lower section which includes a generally vertically extending portion designed to lie adjacent the fascia's structure. A transition section extends between the drip edge and the vertically extending portion. In this respect, from the drip edge, there is preferably provided a segment which extends upwardly to thereby define the drip edge and which will then extend downwardly to the generally vertically extending portion.
The generally vertically extending portion will have a first cooperative locking means associated therewith. Although many such cooperative locking means can be envisaged, one of the simpler structures will include a formed hook and recess engagement as will be discussed hereinbelow.
The second member is the portion which covers the fascia. At the upper end, the second member is provided with a second cooperative locking means designed to engage with the first cooperative locking means. Conveniently, as aforementioned, this may be provided by a plurality of hooks or projections extending outwardly from the second member and which are designed to engage within recesses or other supports of the first cooperative locking means. An advantage of such an arrangement is that they may easily be provided by conventional metal forming equipment well known in the art.
Preferably, the first and second cooperative locking means are adjustable with respect to each other such that they may be engaged in different positions. By so doing, a arrangement is provided for differing fascia heights.
The second member, as aforementioned, actually forms or covers the fascia and as such, is substantially plainer in nature although certain embossing or spacing projections may be provided as will be discussed with respect to the preferred embodiment.
At the lower end, the second member is provided with an inwardly extending portion which is designed to abut the soffit structure of the building. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the lower portion of the second member is formed to have a recess at a lower extremity defined by the lower portion of the vertically extending wall and the inwardly extending portion. This recess may be utilized to accommodate a tensioning member which is secured to the roof structure and which engages the lower portion of the second member. To this end, the tensioning member will, as aforementioned, be secured to the roof structure and have a downwardly extending portion designed to seat within the aforesaid recess. Preferably, the tensioning member has a certain resilience and to this end, may be provided with a sinusoidal portion to provide the desired resiliency.
The soffit structure S is preferably that shown and described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10/780,193, the teachings of which are hereby incorporated by reference. However, it will be appreciated that other structures might be employed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the support structure for a soffit in conjunction with a soffit and a fascia system;
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view thereof;
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the first member of the support structure;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view thereof;
FIG. 5 is a side-sectional view of the second member of the soffit support; and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view thereof;
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the structural components of the housing structure being removed and showing the adjustability of the system;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the upper member of the fascia system;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view thereof;
FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the lower member of the fascia system according to the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view thereof;
FIG. 12 is side elevational view of a tensioning member which can be utilized in the fascia system of the present invention; and
FIG. 13 is a perspective view thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The fascia and soffit system of the present invention is generally designated by reference numeral 10 and includes a fascia component generally designated by reference numeral 110 , a soffit structure generally designated by reference numeral 12 and a soffit support component generally designated by reference numeral 15 .
The soffit support component of the present invention includes a first member generally designated by reference numeral 14 ( FIG. 3 ). First member 14 has a vertical wall section 16 which, at its upper end, terminates in an upper bight 18 . Extending downwardly from upper bight 18 is a second vertical section 20 which likewise terminates in a lower bight 22 . As may be seen in FIG. 3 , a channel 17 is thus formed between sections 16 and 20 . Channel 17 has an inwardly tapered configuration.
From lower bight 22 , first member 14 has an upwardly extending section 24 which terminates in a horizontal section 26 .
As may be best seen in FIG. 3 , at the lower end of vertical wall section 16 , there is provided a flange 28 for reasons which will become apparent hereinbelow.
A second member of the soffit support is generally designated by reference numeral 30 and includes a second member central section 32 having an upper bight 34 . As may be best seen in FIG. 5 , tabs 36 are formed within central section 32 and extend rearwardly thereof.
At the lower end of central section 32 , there is provided an arcuate section generally designated by reference numeral 38 and which in turn continues as a diagonally extending side wall generally designated by reference numeral 40 . Side wall 40 terminates in a horizontal section 42 which in turn continues as an inwardly turned horizontal section 46 through bight 44 .
In use, first member 14 is suitably secured to a structure either by a means of vertical section 16 or horizontal section 26 by suitable means (not shown). Subsequently, central section 32 of second member 30 is inserted in channel 17 with tabs 36 resting on flange 28 . Naturally, flange 28 could be angled upwardly to better engage tabs 36 . The sizing is such that the top of central section 32 is frictionally engaged within channel 17 and securely held thereby. A downwardly extending pressure is put on tabs 36 .
In so doing, soffit 12 is then supported by the horizontal sections 42 and 46 .
The fascia component of the present invention is generally designated by reference numeral 110 and includes a first upper member designated by reference numeral 112 and which will now be referred to.
First upper member 112 includes a first upper section generally designated by reference numeral 111 and which includes a planar portion 114 which is designed to lie adjacent to a roof structure R such as is employed in a conventional house. In this respect, it will be understood that under normal circumstances, planar portion 114 will lie on the roof under the shingles or other similar roof covering.
From planar portion 114 , upper section 111 includes a downwardly inclined portion 116 which is angled with respect to planar portion 114 and which terminates in a drip edge 118 .
From drip edge 118 , first upper member 112 has a transition section 115 comprising an upwardly and inwardly extending portion 120 which ensures the proper formation of the drip edge 118 . Subsequently, there is provided a second downwardly inclined portion 122 which terminates in a lower section which comprises an outer vertical wall 124 . The material forming first upper member 112 then is folded to have an inner vertical wall 126 which is formed with a plurality of recesses 128 .
A second lower member generally designated by reference numeral 130 has an upper portion 132 with a plurality of hook-shaped projections 134 formed therein
Second lower member 130 also includes a main planar portion generally designated by reference numeral 136 and which has formed therein a plurality of spacer projections 138 . At its lower end, second lower member 130 has an inwardly extending flange portion generally designated by reference numeral 140 . Inwardly extending flange portion 140 has a first horizontal section 142 which joins an arcuately upwardly concave portion 144 . There is thus formed a cavity generally designed by reference numeral 145 . At the end of arcuate section 144 , there is provided a diagonally upwardly extending section 146 which terminates in a horizontal end portion 148 .
As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 7 , there is also provided a spacer and tensioning member 150 . Spacer and tensioning member 150 is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 includes an upper planar portion 152 , and a sinuous spring section generally designated by reference numeral 154 and which includes a plurality of arcuate sections in an overall S-shaped configuration. Sinuous section 154 terminates in a bottom section generally designated by reference numeral 156 and which is designed to seat within cavity 145 .
In use, and referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , first member 12 is installed in a position on roof R with planar portion 114 being secured thereto by suitable means (not shown). This thus provides a drip edge 118 with vertical portions 124 and 126 lying parallel to a fascia board F.
Spacer and tensioning member 150 may then be secured in the position to fascia board F and subsequently, second member 130 is hung in a position and supported by first member 112 . In this regard, hook shaped projections 134 are engaged within recesses 128 of first member 112 . Spacer and tensioning member 150 seats within cavity or a pocket 145 of second member 130 and maintains a tension on second member 130 to ensure hook shaped projections 134 remain engaged within recesses 128 . Inwardly extending flange portion 140 is arranged to engage a soffit S and support one edge thereof.
As seen in FIG. 7 , the structure of the present invention provides for adjustability. Thus, a first member 112 may assume different positions depending upon the particular engagement of projections 134 with recesses 128 .
It will be understood that the above described embodiment is for purposes of illustration only and that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from spirit and scope of the invention.
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A fascia and soffit system having a fascia component, a soffit component and a soffit support structure, the fascia component comprising first and second members which are adjustable with respect to each other to permit different heights, the soffit having a plurality of apertures formed therein to permit air passage, the soffit support structure comprising first and second members which are retained in position by an interlocking system.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to certain substituted benzenesulfonylazides (I) and processes for their preparation. ##STR2## The compounds are useful as a diazo transfer reagent, for examples: ##STR3## wherein R and R' are, inter alia, alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, heterocyclic, aralkyl, lower alkoxy, and alkylthio; ##STR4## A particularly preferred embodiment of I is p-dodecylbenzenesulfonylazide (R°=CH 3 (CH 2 ) 11 --); ##STR5##
As a diazo transfer reagent, I compares favorably in reaction efficiency with conventionally known diazo transfer reagents but I offers a safety advantage--shock stability and nonexplosiveness. This contrasts with certain azide diazo transfer reagents that are shock sensitive and explosive. In fact, the popular diazo transfer reagent p-tosylazide has the explosive power and shock sensitivity of TNT.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The preparation of 1 and a suggestion of its utility as a diazo transfer reagent is given below. With regard to its utility, European Patent Application 79101307.1 (filed 1 May 1979; Publication No. 0007973) is incorporated herein by reference. It is understood that the present diazo transfer reagent 1 can be employed in the diazotization reaction of European Patent Application 79101307.1. The following examples demonstrate this representative utility and describe the preparation of 1. All temperatures are in °C.
EXAMPLE 1
Step A
Preparation of p--C 12 H 25 --benzenesulfonylchloride ##STR6## To 50 g (0.153 mole) of technical p--C 12 --H 25 (C 6 H 4 )SO 2 H is added 18.25 g (0.119 mole, 11.1 ml.) of phosphorous oxychloride. The mixture is stirred magnetically while the flask is heated in an oil bath at 75°-80° C. for 1 hr. During this period of heating, the bulk of gaseous HCl evolves at a manageable rate.
Stirring is continued while the flask is heated at reflux with the oil bath maintained at 105°-110° for 16 hrs. The mixture is cooled to room temperature and with the aid of 100 ml of EtOAc, 50 ml of water and 50 g of ice is transferred to a separatory funnel. The EtOAc layer is washed successively with 100 ml portions of ether, 5% NaHCO 3 and water. Before discarding, each aqueous extract is shaken in another separatory funnel with 50 ml of EtOAc. Emulsions are broken by adding 5 ml portions of saturated salt solution.
The first water wash required one(1)-5 ml. portion of salt solution; the bicarbonate wash two (2); and the last water wash five (5). With careful separation the water content by KF was reduced to less than 1%. The volume of aqueous extract and discard are measured as a check on the dryness of the final EtOAc solution.
The EtOAc extracts are combined and dried by stirring over 10 g of anhydrous sodium sulfate and 5 g of ammonium sulfate. Lumps of solid should not be allowed to form. The mixture is filtered through a sintered glass funnel precoated with Celite and the cake is washed with EtOAc. If the EtOAc extract is not dry it may filter very slowly at this point. The solution is concentrated in vacuo and pumped. The ratio of the content to the volume of the still should be about 1:10. At higher ratios (for example, 1:5), foaming may be a problem. Alternatively two acetone flushes may be employed. The IR spectrum and tlc behaviour of the concentrate are checked at this point.
On a miniplate (Si Gel G), p--C 12 H 25 --benzenesulfonylchloride, eluted with 1:4 CH 2 Cl 2 --hexane, exhibits an Rf of 0.36-40 at room temperature. Material chromatographed over Si Gel G yields the following elemental analysis:
Calcd: C, 62.68; H, 8.47; Cl, 10.28; S, 9.30; O, 9.28. Found: C, 62.78; H, 8.31; Cl, 10.18; S, 9.34; O, 9.39 diff.
The oily concentrate of the desired p--C 12 H 25 benzenesulfonylchloride (2) amounts to 49.57 g (93.8% yd). It is a liquid.
No further purification is needed for the next step.
Step B
Preparation of p--C 12 H 25 benzenesulfonylazide (1) ##STR7##
The sulfonyl chloride (2) 49.57 g., 0.1437 mole) of the previous step is dissolved in 248 ml of acetone and to the solution is added 11.75 g. (0.181 mole) of granular NaN 3 . Any lumps of NaN 3 should be broken up. The mixture is stirred at room temperature overnight.
By tlc the reaction is 90% complete in 1 hr. and complete in 2 hrs. On a miniplate (Si Gel G), p--C 12 H 25 benzenesulfonylazide (1), eluted with 1:4 CH 2 Cl 2 --hexanes, exhibits an Rf of 0.18-0.22 at r.t.
The mixture is carefully concentrated in vacuo to avoid foaming and pumped. Alternatively the mixture may be flushed twice with hexanes. The mixture is taken up in hexanes and mixed with 100 g. of silica gel G and filtered thorugh 148 g. of additional silica gel G. The first eluate of ca. 200 ml. of hexanes is discarded. This eluant by tlc contains fast running impurities and a small amount of product. The eluate is changed to 1:4 CH 2 Cl 2 --hexanes and 3,000 ml. collected (u.v. positive). The concentrate of this eluate yields 38.73 g of 1 (72.0% yield) and is essentially a single spot on tlc.
Analysis for: C 18 H 29 N 3 O 2 S (351.52). Calc: C, 61.50; H, 8.32; N, 11.95; S, 9.12; O, 9.10. Found: C, 61.67; H, 8.26; N, 12.17; S, 9.44.
EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of (3S, 4R)-3-[(R)-1-Hydroxyethyl]-4-[3-(4-nitrobenzyl)-oxycarbonyl-2-oxo-3-diazopropyl]azetidin-2-one ##STR8##
Triethylamine (132 mg, 1.3 mmol) is added by syringe to a mixture of (3S, 4R)-3-[(R)-1-hydroxyethyl]-4-[3-(4-nitrobenzyl)-oxycarbonyl-2-oxopropyl]azetidin-2-one, 3, (253 mg. [0.72 mmol]) and p-dodecylbenzenesulfonylazide (295 mg, 0.84 mmol) in dry acetonitrile (6 ml) at 0° C. When addition is complete the cooling bath is removed and the reaction mixture is stirred at room temperature for 1 hour. The mixture is then diluted with ethyl acetate (50 ml) and filtered. The filtrate is concentrated in vacuo and the residue is chromatographed on a short silica gel column (ethyl acetate) to yield 2.
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Disclosed are substituted benzenesulfonylazides (I) which are useful as diazo transfer reagents. ##STR1## R°=C 12 H 25
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to methods and compositions suitable for the treatment of drinking water collected from condensation so as to reduce the microbial contamination while preserving the potability of the water. More specifically, a simple, inexpensive method and composition are provided for reducing microbial contamination of drinking water produced from condensation which preserves the taste and potablilty of the water while being capable of simple unattended operation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Methods of producing high quality drinking water in a portable unit by condensation of dew from ambient air are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,221 issued to LeBleu et al on Sep. 23, 1997 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,504 issued to LeBleu on Dec. 8, 1998 teach a portable non-attended potable water generator enclosed in a decorative case. U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,459 issued to Harrison on Sep. 10, 1996 similarly teaches a water making apparatus which produces potable water from the moisture in atmospheric air.
[0003] One of the more troubling problems with producing high quality drinking water from condensation, yet one of the most important, concerns the control of microbial contamination. Without satisfactory disinfection of drinking water numerous problems can result. For example, the typhoid and cholera epidemics which were common throughout American cities in the last century were caused by poor disinfection. EPA's Science Advisory Board concluded in 1990 that exposure to microbial contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa (e.g., Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium ) was likely the greatest remaining health risk management challenge for drinking water suppliers.
[0004] It has also been recently learned that there are specific microbial pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium , that are highly resistant to traditional disinfection practices. In 1993, Cryptosporidium caused 400,000 people in Milwaukee to experience intestinal illness. More than 4,000 were hospitalized, and at least 50 deaths have been attributed to the disease. There have also been cryptosporidiosis outbreaks in Nevada, Oregon, and Georgia over the past several years. Because of these problems disinfection has long been recognized as an essential part of the art of producing drinking water.
[0005] There are currently two main commercial ways of treating microbial contamination in drinking water.
[0006] Chlorine is the standard form of treatment used in municipal systems. However, chlorine is a toxic substance and must be used under strict controls which would be difficult to implement in a portable, non-attended device. It also imparts a bad taste to water, and can react with naturally-occurring materials in the water to form unintended organic and inorganic byproducts which may pose health risks. Stronger oxidizing agents than chlorine can also be used such as ozone or iodine, but these are also difficult to implement, may impart bad tastes, and can cause the formation of halogenated organics.
[0007] Ultraviolet (UV) lights have become the main treatment method for rural residential and commercial systems, and the previously referenced patents to LeBleu and Harrison teach the control of microbial contamination in water collected from condensation by employing a bacteriostatic loop employing UV light. UV light has a number of practical difficulties, however, such as the difficulty of determining the correct size of the UV light and problems associated with contamination. Levels of hardness, iron, manganese, humic and fumic acid, tannins and other materials must be minimal to avoid staining on the lamp's internal sleeve which can shield bacteria from the UV rays. Most importantly, UV lights have been found in practice to be ineffectual for use with water produced from condensation. Although the failure mechanism is not precisely known, it is perhaps because the pathogens involved are dissimilar from those found in natural water where UV light has been found to be more effective.
[0008] In addition to the methods of disinfection which rely on chlorine or UV light, a number of other methods of disinfection have been proposed. The use of filtration has been proposed, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,073, although this would not be practical in an unattended device.
[0009] The use of electrical water purification using an ionization chamber or chambers and electrodes of various alloys, including silver and copper, has been proposed to control algae and bacteria. Prior patents dealing with the problem of electrical water purification include U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,253 issued to Hayes et al on Jun. 25, 1985. Hayes et al teaches the use of electrodes of a copper/silver/nickel alloy. The reference, which is contemplated mainly for swimming pools and other outdoor water storage areas, is directed to removal of algae and bacteria without the use of chlorine; however, the presence of silver in drinking water may lead to health problems. Like the previous Hayes et al reference, U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,114 issued to Hayes on Jul. 14, 1987 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,207,060 issued to McKay on Mar. 27, 2001 teach the use of silver and copper/silver alloyed electrodes, or copper or zinc electrodes. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,263,114 and 4,328,084 issued to Shindell disclose the use of electrodes to destroy organic matter, especially in swimming pools and spas. However, the addition of excess sodium to drinking water may be detrimental to human health.
[0010] Treatment of household drinking water by passing the water through a bed of activated charcoal impregnated with or having oligodynamic silver or other bactericide adsorbed thereon is known from the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,290, patented May 6, 1952, U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,073 patented Mar. 22, 1966, U.S. Pat. No. 3,268,444, patented Aug. 27, 1968, U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,130, patented Jun. 15, 1971, and the references cited therein. In addition, the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has conducted experiments and constructed apparatus for treating spacecraft water with silver ions for biocidal and virucidal purposes. Reference to this work is cited in U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,296, and teach the biocidal virucidal effects of silver ions in a very pure distilled or deionized water.
[0011] There is a need for a simple, inexpensive method and composition for reducing microbial contamination of drinking water produced from condensation. Such should preserve the taste and quality of the water while being inexpensive and capable of simple, unattended operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and composition which simply and inexpensively reduces the microbial contamination of drinking water produced from condensation while preserving the taste and quality of the water. The apparatus produces biologically safe and palatable drinking water from condensate by contacting the water with a biocide in an apparatus designed to reduce contamination to acceptable levels. The biocide is a disinfectant composition made from a zeolite which is subjected to hydrothermal ion exchange modification to produce a material capable of controlled release of zinc ions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the flow process of an apparatus in accordance with the teaching of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows the performance of the ion exchange process.
[0015] FIG. 3 shows the performance of the biocide composition in NaCl solution.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are described in detail herein specific preferred embodiments of the invention. The descriptions are an exemplification of the principles of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated.
[0017] With reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a general schematic illustration of one embodiment of the instant invention consisting of a closed loop water treating system which includes a dehumidifier 060 which produces water from condensation of air which is collected in a bottom tank 010 . When the bottom tank 010 is full, the magnetic level control 080 will send a signal to the microprocessor 070 which in turn will send a signal to activate the pump 020 . From the bottom tank 010 the water is pumped thru the biocide 030 and then the water is delivered to the top holding tank 040 . A level control 090 will detect when the tank 040 is full, whereupon the level control 090 will send a signal to the microprocessor 070 to stop the pump 020 . The microprocessor 070 sends a signal every six hours to the recycling valve 050 to recycle the water from the top holding tank 040 to the bottom tank 010 to prevent growth of bacteria in the water. The conductivity sensor 100 may be any commercially available device well known in the art which measures the conductivity of the water such that if the quality of the water changes, the output of the conductivity sensor 100 will change, and the microprocessor 070 will detect the change in the conductivity sensor 100 and will stop the pump 020 and send an alarm signifying that the quality of the water may not be safe for consumption.
[heading-0018] Description of the Biocide
[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the biocide consists of a zeolite which is specially treated to induce biological activity, as described below.
[0020] The zeolite can be any zeolite selected from among those which are well known in the art. In a preferred embodiment the zeolite is clinoptilolite, a naturally occurring volcanic mineral, which is a hydrated alummino-allicate with infinite three-dimensional frameworks of silicon-oxygen (SiO4) tetrahedra. The material is available from Bompahi Mexico City mined at a deposit in Coahuila Mexico. The ziolite contained in the mineral is a clinoplilolite-heulandite, hydrated aluminum silicate which chemical crytolilote composition is
(Na 1.84 K 1.76 Mg 0.2 Ca 1.24 )(Si2 9.84 Al 6.16 O 72 ) 21.36 H 2 O
[0022] Mineralogical composition: Ca—K—Na-hydrated alumino silicate
[0023] Mineralogical analysis (XRD)
[0024] Clinoptilolite min. 75%
[0025] (Calcium-Potassium-Sodium type, Si/Al 5.4) with minor feldspar
[0026] (5%) and montmorillonite (4%)
[0027] Pore volume: 0.34 cm 3 /cm 3
Physical properties (typical) Specific density 1.4-1.6 g/cm3 Bulk density 0.6-0.8 g/cm3 Hardness 3.5-4 (Mohs scale) Alkaly stability 7-11 pH Acid stability 7 pH Moisture content <2 Absorbing gases NH3, H2S Colour Greenish, Gray
Preparation and Activation
Screening
[0030] In a preferred embodiment the zeolite is first screened to produce a desired particle size. In one embodiment particle sizes of less than 0.091 mm are selected. In another embodiment particle sizes of between 1 and 3 mm are selected. In yet another embodiment particle sizes of 3 to 10 mm are selected.
[heading-0031] Purification
[0032] In one embodiment following screening the zeolite is purified by washing with distilled water at a temperature of from 115 to 120 degrees F. following which the pH is measured and adjusted as necessary to 7.0 by the addition of any nontoxic acid or base. This process is repeated from 1 to 5 times.
[heading-0033] Activation
[0034] In a preferred embodiment the zeolite is activated by hydrothermal ion exchange modification which imparts zinc ions into the structure of the zeolite. In one embodiment the previously described clinoptilolite is treated by boiling in a solution of ZnSO4 . 7H2O for a period sufficient to incorporate sufficient zinc into the clinoptilolite. The actual concentration of ZnSO4.7H2O is selected from within the range of 1 to 10% by weight of ZnSO4.H20 so as to be sufficient to impart the desired biological activity while minimizing the concentration of zinc in the finished water and preventing staining of the apparatus. The boiling time may be from 2 hours to 15 hours. In a preferred embodiment the boiling time is 10 hours.
[heading-0035] Results
[heading-0036] Ion Exchange Properties
[0037] A chemical analysis showed that zinc exchanges with calcium in the clinoptilolite even though the selectivity of this zeolite is lower for zinc ions. However, the hydrothermal conditions established for the exchange reaction increase the zinc incorporation to the clinoptilolite structure.
[0038] The release of Zn from the biocide was studied in two different systems: 1) a drinking water system, and 2) a NaCl (0.9%) dissolution (pH 5.8) to approach a simple biological media.
[0039] FIG. 2 shows the measured performance of the different cat ions in the exchange process of the biocide when the biocide was placed in a column containing a 20-cm-long bed of biocide, with diameter of 2 cm, and drinking water was passed through. The ion exchange study showed that Zn2+ ions are mainly exchanged from the biocide by Ca2+ and in lower proportion by Na+ ions present in water. The amount of Zn released from the clinoptilolite structure to the drinking water was lower than 10 ppm, which meets the typical requirement for drinking water. This Zinc content suffices to produce a bactericide effect.
[0040] An exchange study using a NaCl dissolution demonstrated that it is the clinoptinolite that controls the release of Zn ions from the biocide. FIG. 2 shows the plot of Zinc content in the NaCl dissolution vs. exchange time after the contact between the biocide and NaCl dissolution and the velocity of Zn ions release from the biocide. The plotting was adjusted to the Higuchi model confirming the controlled released of Zn ions by the zeolitic material.
[heading-0041] Biological Properties
[0042] A study was conducted using the biocide of the instant invention. Table 1 shows the results of a microbiological test conducted using drinking water—without chlorine—contaminated with Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Notice how the number of colony unit formation was reduced within the first 2 to 5 hours of contact with the biocide and without stirring the system. A comparison of the biocide and chlorination treatments showed that the biocide is equally effective for the elimination of microbiological contamination.
TABLE 1 Bactericide effect of biocide of instant invention against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 in drinking water COLONY UNIT FORMATION Time Biocide Biocide Biocide [hours] [0%] [5%] [10%] 0 81 × 103 1 × 102 5 × 10 2 10 × 103 8 × 10 5 × 10 5 29 × 103 10 5 24 71 × 103 80 10 48 92 × 103 89 × 102 3 × 102
Conclusions
[0044] The results obtained in all the studies lead to the main conclusion that the instant invention provides a controlled release of zinc ions to the biological media and water, and has the desired disinfectant result. A chemical analysis of the activated clinoptilolite indicates that zinc exchanges with the naturally occurring calcium even though the selectivity is lower for the zinc ions.
[heading-0045] Experimental Analysis
[0046] An evaluation of the invention was performed to test its effectiveness and efficiency by installation on a commercially available unit, a Model No. LA1 available from Liquid Air, 249 E. Ocean Blvd., Ste. 1010 , Long Beach, Calif. 90802. The tested unit consists of a portable, potable-water generator for producing high-purity liquid water by condensation of dew from ambient air. An enclosed heat absorber cools the filtered air below its dew point and collects droplets of condensate into a closed system. The collected liquid dew is further treated in a bacteriostatic loop consisting of a UV light to destroy living organisms followed by a carbon filter and 1 micron filter. The water is recycled through the bacteriostatic loop every 3 hours.
EXAMPLE 1
[0047] The test unit equipped with the standard UV light system followed by a carbon filter and 1 micron filter was placed in an environment simulating that of a typical home and observed for a period of time, with the following results.
[0048] Mar. 27, 2003: Unit placed in service.
[0049] Mar. 16, 2003: Water tanks observed to be contaminated with slime and algae. Unit replaced.
[0050] May 21, 2003: Water tanks again contaminated with slime and algae. Unit replaced.
[0051] Jun. 23, 2003: Water tanks again contaminated with slime and algae. Unit replaced.
[0052] Jun. 30, 2003: Test unit was modified to include the present invention in place of the UV light, Carbon filter and 1 micron filter, (the UV light, Carbon filter, and 1 micron filter were removed) and the system was placed in service in the same environment, with the following results:
[0053] No slime or algae was observed and the following measurements were obtained:
DATE HETEROTROPHIC PLATE COUNT Jul. 3, 2003 NA Jul. 7, 2003 NA Jul. 8, 2003 NA Aug. 4, 2003 NA Aug. 5, 2003 2 Aug. 11, 2003 5 Aug. 25, 2003 7 Sep. 15, 2003 1
EXAMPLE 2
[0054] A test unit similar to that described in Example 1 equipped with the standard UV light, carbon filter and 1 micron filter was placed in a typical office environment (temperature 74 to 78 degrees F., humidity 44 to 56%). The unit was placed in service on Jun. 28, 2003 with the following results:
DATE HETEROTROPHIC PLATE COUNT Jul. 3, 2003 108000 Jul. 8, 2003 32000 Jul. 8, 2003 35680
[0055] The test unit was modified to include the present invention in place of the UV light system, carbon filter, and 1 micron filter, and the unit was returned to the same typical office environment (temperature 74 to 78 degrees F., humidity 44 to 56%, with the following results
DATE HETEROTROPHIC PLATE COUNT Aug. 4, 2003 46 Aug. 5, 2003 NA Aug. 11, 2003 25 Aug. 25, 2003 NA Sep. 15, 2003 NA
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Disclosed is a method and composition useful for controlling microbial contamination in drinking water produced from condensation. The composition comprises a zeolite which is modified to introduce zinc by hydrothermal ion exchange. The method comprises passing drinking water produced from condensation through a column packed with the modified zeolite.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Brake control devices for preventing locking or sliding of vehicle wheels when the brakes are applied by an operator are well known. Such devices have included means for automatically controlling the release and reapplication of the wheel brake. Such "anti-lock" devices have been used in automotive vehicles such as trucks, trailers and buses, as well as in railway cars.
One such anti-locking system relating to trailers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,051 issued Oct. 21, 1980. A copending application assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, which illustrates and describes a system and sensing valves of the types which may be used in connection with the present invention is "Anti-Locking Mechanism", Pat. No. 4,281,881 issued Aug. 4, 1981.
While the systems described in the aforementioned patent and application have proven satisfactory, the rates at which the sensing valves connect and disconnect the braking pressures during lock up is sometimes not consistent. It is desirable in some cases to control the frequency at which the brakes are switched on and off during "lock up" conditions. Also, it is desirable that the pressures controlling such on and off switching of brakes during "lock up" be relatively constant.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an anti-lock system for a vehicle wheel in which improved means are provided for releasing the brake on the wheel during a lock-up condition.
It is a further object of this invention to provide improved means for switching on and off the braking of the wheels of a vehicle during a lock up condition.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a novel means for switching on and off the braking of the wheels of a vehicle at relatively uniform rates during skid conditions.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a source of braking pressure is responsive to the application of service pressure to apply pressure to the brake of a vehicle wheel. A valve, adapted to be open or closed, is connected between the source of service pressure and a variable control means which controls the amount of braking pressure applied. A wheel speed sensor comprising an on-off valve is connected to respond to the speed of the vehicle. The wheel sensor opens when the deceleration of the vehicle wheel exceeds a predetermined limit to produce a series of fixed amplitude fluidic pulses to switch on and off the valve leading from the service pressure to the variable control valve thereby switching on and off the braking pressure from being applied.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent and suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, from a reading of the following specification and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representative of a braking system for a trailer, embodying the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is a portion of the system illustrated in FIG. 1, partly in block diagram form, along with a mechanical anti-lock system, in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The components found in conventional systems will be described briefly for a better understanding of the invention. Such a system is described in detail in the aforementioned patent.
As is well known, there are primary and emergency pressure tank systems included in most trailers. The emergency tank system is charged by air pressure from the tractor's system through an emergency supply line.
When the air pressure from the tractor reaches a valve, generally referred to as a ratio relay valve, it charges the emergency tank, various hoses and the emergency side of the mechanical spring brakes. It also charges the primary tank.
When the pressure in the emergency tank reaches a predetermined level, such as 60 psi, the spring brakes begin to react and a shuttle valve in the ratio relay valve permits the air pressure to charge a primary tank. Generally, the spring brakes are completely released at a higher pressure, for example, 90 psi.
Application of the parking brake or loss in the emergency line pressure will generally cause the pressure of the ratio relay valve to be relieved, and the air pressure is exhausted from the emergency brake hoses and spring brakes. When the pressure falls below 60 psi, the mechanical spring brakes are automatically applied.
When the spring brakes are released and service brakes are applied by an operator in the tractor, air pressure will flow from a source within the tractor through the service line into the service system of the trailer.
The service pressure is applied to a relay valve which permits the air pressure in the primary tank to be applied to the service brakes.
Release of the service brakes causes the air pressure in the service line to be exhausted causing the relay valve to release the delivery air pressure from the service sides of the brake chambers to release the service brakes.
Referring particularly to FIG. 1, a brake system 10 of a two axle trailer includes a pair of front brake assemblies 12 and 14 and a pair of rear brake assemblies 16 and 18. All the brake assemblies illustrated may be of the conventional type. For example, each of the assemblies include a parking brake chamber 20 and a service brake chamber 22.
The main air pressure from the tractor is applied to an emergency or supply line 24. As air pressure reaches a ratio relay valve 26, it is directed to charge an emergency tank 28 and to hoses 30, 32, 34 and 36 which are connected to the parking brake chambers 20 of the brake assemblies 12, 14, 16 and 18, respectively. With no pressure in the parking brake line or hoses 30, 32, 34 and 36, the brakes are mechanically applied and the trailer cannot be moved.
When the pressure in the emergency tank 28 and hoses 30, 32, 34 and 36 reach a predetermined pressure, for example, 60 psi, the parking brake springs (not illustrated) in the parking brake chambers 20 begin to release the brakes. As the pressure reaches 60 psi, a shuttle valve in the ratio relay valve 26 allows air pressure to charge a primary tank 38 through a line 40. The pressure in the tank 28 continues to raise to about 90 psi, for example. When the pressure in the primary tank 38 reaches 90 psi, the spring brakes are fully taken off and the trailer may be moved. As previously mentioned, application of the parking brake or loss in the supply line pressure will cause the pressure from the relay valve 26 to be relieved to thereby exhaust the air pressure from the parking brake chambers and thus mechanically reapply the spring brakes.
With the spring brakes released, application of the service brake, resulting from an operation inside the tractor will cause air pressure to be applied into the system from the tractor to the trailer through a service line 42. The service line 42 is normally at zero pressure until the service brakes are applied.
When the service brakes are applied, the relatively large volume of the primary tank 38 is applied to the service chambers 22 of the brake assemblies 12, 14, 16 and 18 through a relay valve 44. The service pressure is applied to the relay valve 44 through slave valve 46. The slave valve 46 is held open during normal operation by pressure and closes under a lock-up condition of the wheels of the vehicle, as will be subsequently described in greater detail. One side of the ratio relay valve 26 leading to a line 45 serves as an anti-compounder. This is not related to the invention, but anti-compounding generally permits service pressure from adding to the supply pressure and prevents possible rupture of other components involved.
Pressure from a pilot line, to be described, normally maintains the slave valve 46 open. Greater service pressure which is applied by the operator to the brake pedal, for example, will cause more pressure to pass from the primary tank 38 through the relay valve 44 to the service brakes 22 through lines 48, 50, 52, 54, 56 and 58. Basically, the relay valve 44 may include a diaphragm disposed to receive pressure from the service line 42. Greater pressure on this diaphragm permits greater pressure to flow through the valve 44 from the primary tank 38 to the service brake chambers 22. When the driver or operator removes his foot from the pedal or other service pressure control mechanism, the pressure in the service line 42 drops and the pressure against the diaphragm in the relay valve 44 is released to prevent pressure from passing from the primary tank 38 to the service brake chambers 22.
The anti-lock mechanism involving the present invention includes means for utilizing fluid pulses of predetermined amplitudes and rate to open and close for short time periods the normally open slave valve 46 to prevent pressure in the service line 42 from reaching the relay valve 44. With no service pressure applied to the relay valve 44, the pressure from the primary tank 38 to the service brake chambers 22 will be blocked. As a result, no pressure will be applied through the lines 48, 50, 52, 54, 56 and 58 to the service brake chambers 22 of the brake assemblies 12, 14, 16 and 18.
The slave valve 46 is normally held open by what will be referred to hereinafter as pilot pressure at line 60 which is applied to a fluidic pulser circuit 64 through a direct path and through an orifice device 66. The pressure in line 60 is connected to anit-lock device or wheel sensors, generally indicated by a block 62, to be described in connection with subsequent figures. The line 60 is connected to the sensors 62 through the fluidic pulser circuit 64 which reacts to the sensors during lock-up to produce fluidic pulses, the details of which are shown and described in connection with FIG. 2. The anit-lock devices or valves are connected to rotate with the wheels of a trailer, for example. Pressure to the lines 60 and 72 is supplied through the valve 26 from the emergency tank 28. The conduit 72 is connected to the slave valve 46 to provide pressure and to maintain it open.
The wheel sensors 62, which may be inertia valves are connected through the pulser 64 and line 72 to the slave valve 46 and are normally closed during normal braking operation. However, during "lock up" one or more of the wheel sensors open and the pressure which keeps the slave valve open is relieved causing the slave valve 46 to close and prevent the service from being applied from the service line 42 to the relay valve 44. Under these circumstances, braking pressure as applied from the primary tank 38 to the service brake chambers 22 is caused to drop off and escape through the appropriate exhaust ports in the relay valve 44 (not illustrated). After unlocking of the wheels occur, the inertia valves or sensors (in block 64) closes and normal braking operations may be resumed.
The inertia valves or sensors may be considered as valves which, when closed, maintain the pilot pressure in line 72 and allows the slave valve 46 to assume its normally open position. When the inertia sensors or valves open, the pilot pressure drops and the slave valve 46 closes. Closing of the slave valve 46 also permits any service pressure accumulated in the relay valve 44 to exhaust by ports not illustrated. When the wheel of the vehicle comes back up to speed, the inertia sensors or valves close permitting the pilot lines to repressurize. When the pilot lines are repressurized to about 40 psi, for example, the slave valve 46 opens to allow service pressure to resume flowing into the relay valve 44 thus permitting a reapplication of pressure from primary tank 38 to service brake chambers 22.
Referring to FIG. 2, the wheel sensors 62, which include switching means adapted to open and close, are normally closed when the vehicle, with which they are associated is moving during normal operating conditions and no brakes are being applied. Under these conditions, the pressure is built up in the sensor line 76 by pressure from line 60 passing through the device 66 which has a pressure limiting orifice therein. During normal travel, there would, for example, be a pressure built up approximately 40 psi that fill the lines from the sensors 62 up to a fluid an EXCLUSIVE OR element 80.
The OR element 80 comprises a two-way check valve including one way check valves 79 and 81. The direction of fluid flow through the OR gate is dependent upon the side of the valve which has the lower pressure. For instance, because the wheel sensors 62 are closed, there is pressure built up in the line 76 which causes fluid pressure to pass through the valve 79 of the OR element, through the line 72 to the valve 46. Pressure will not pass through the valve 81 to a frequency generator valve 82 because this check valve is closed.
When the driver of the vehicle applies the signal pressure or pedal pressure to the service line 42, pressure passes through the slave valve 46 and into the valve 44 to cause normal pressure to be applied to the brakes. When the driver releases his foot from the brake pedal, pressure at the line 42 drops and the slave valve 46 remains open.
In the anti-skid system of the type described in the aforementioned patent, when the normally closed wheel sensors 62 sense a skid, the associated valves or wheel sensors open. This causes a pressure drop in the line 76 leading to the valve 79 of the OR element 80 and the normally closed slave valve 46. Pressure in the line 76 exhausting at the wheel sensors 62 and closing of the slave valve 46 has the same effect as if the operator has released the brake pedal and no pressure to the brakes will be applied from the valve 44 and the wheels of the vehicle will spin up.
As the wheels spin up, the wheel sensors 62 close and the pressure will build up again in the line 76 to about 40 psi. The pressure will then again open the normally closed slave valve 46 and reapply pressure to valve 44 to permit brake pressure to be applied. Basically, the system thus far described is similar to the system of the aforementioned patent. The present invention refers to the addition of a fluid pulsing system to produce fluid pulses to control the switching on and off of the braking operating during lock up.
When the wheel sensor 62 senses skid conditions, they open. This causes a pressure drop in the line 76 up to the slave valve 46. However, with the pulsing system added, this pressure drop also reduces the pressure on the normally open NOT element valve 84. Thus, when the wheel sensors 62 open as a result of a skid condition, the pressure drops at the slave valve 46 and at the same time causes a pressure drop at the normally open NOT element valve.
When the normally open NOT element closes, pressure from the line 86 passes through the NOT element 84 into the frequency generator valve 82. Such frequency or impulse generators are known and commercially available. When the frequency generator 82 is pressurized, it creates pressure pulses internally which pass through valve 81 of the OR element 80. The reason for this is that the pressure on the valve 70 of the OR element 80 is reduced because the wheel sensors are open to drop the pressure in line 76.
When pressure pulses are developed by the frequency generator 82, they flow through the OR element 80 into the top of the slave valve 46 and pulses this valve on and off. The pressure pulses through the valve 81 cannot flow down stream to the wheel sensors 62 because the OR element 80 acts as a two-way check valve with the valve 79 blocking the pulses. The OR element permits pressure to flow in one or the other direction and the fluid cannot flow in both directions at the same time.
The pulsing from the frequency generator 82 continues until the wheel sensors 62 are closed for a sufficient period of time to cause the system to revert back to its original state. This would take place, for example, when the wheel sensors 62 are closed after the skid or lock up of the wheels is over. When normally non-braking operation is resumed, the 40 psi pressure flowing through the orifice device 66, at a controlled rate, will again build up at the normally opened NOT element 84 and in the line 76 leading to the wheel sensors 62. The main condition which turns off the pulsing system is the build up of pressure at the normally open NOT element 84. This prevents the air flowing from the line 60 to the frequency generator 82.
When the wheel sensors 62 are closed, there is 40 psi pressure in the lines 76 and 72. The 40 psi pressure can flow through the OR element 80 toward the slave valve 46 but the pressure cannot flow through the OR element 80 toward the frequency generator 82 because of its internal design of the generator. Consequently when the wheel sensors 62 are closed, the normally closed slave valve 44 is open and the normally open NOT element 84 is closed.
When the normally open NOT element is closed, pressure cannot flow from the line 86 into the frequency generator. When one of the wheel sensors open and senses skid, the pressure in the line 76 drops to zero. This initially causes slave valve 46 to close because the pressure on the slave valve 46 reduces. At the same time, pressure drops off at the normally open NOT element 84. When the pressure on top of the normally open NOT element 84 reduces, this valve shuttles and pressure from a second pressure source, i.e., the line 86, flows through the NOT element 84 and into the frequency generator 82. When the frequency generator 82 is pressurized internally because of this design, it generates fluidic pulses. The frequency generator 82 may include a needle valve 83 which may be used to vary the frequency rate of the generator 82. Once the frequency generator is pressurized, it generates pressure pulses through the valve 81 of OR element 80. These pulses will flow through the OR element 80 to the slave valve 46. The pulses open and close will stop and start the service air from flowing into the valve 44.
The various air logic control devices are well known and available commercially. One company manufacturing such control devices is Miller Fluid Power, 7N015 York Road, Bensenville, Illinois, 60106. This and other companies make valves which operate as OR and NOT elements as well as frequency fluid pulse generators.
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An anti-locking system controls the service braking pressure for controlling the application of pneumatic braking pressure applied to a wheel vehicle. A valve responsive to the speed of the wheel causes actuation of a fluid pulse generator to generate fluid pulses of predetermined amplitudes and frequency to switch the braking pressure on and off when the vehicle wheel becomes locked.
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PRIORITY DATA
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/EP02/10356, filed on Sep. 16, 2002, which International Application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 101 45 854.1, filed on Sep. 17, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for cleaning an inner pipe inserted into a gas- or oil-producing well. During gas or oil production, impurities are deposited onto the inner wall of the inner pipe that lines a gas or oil-producing well. In order to ensure efficient flow of the gas or oil the deposited impurities need to be removed on a consistent basis.
Thus far, impurities have been removed by the application of chemical agents to the inner to the inner wall of the inner pipe which results in the loosening of clinging grime. For many reasons, however, the use of the chemicals to remove the impurities is less than satisfactory. For example, such chemicals are a burden on the environment and can be harmful to users of the chemicals, e.g., the cleaning personnel. In addition, the use of chemicals to remove the impurities not only is time consuming but also requires the requires the cessation of flow of the gas or oil through the pipe which hampers production.
In view of the aforementioned disadvantages associated with chemical cleaning, attempts have been made to mechanically remove the impurities from the inner pipe using mechanical devices, e.g., whereby spray nozzles are introduced into the inner pipe. However, these spray nozzles did not have the necessary mechanical stability and reliability to accomplish the removal of the impurities from the inner pipe in an economical way.
In use, the mechanical devices are difficult to access and monitor and are subjected to high temperatures and atmospheres having high moisture content. Moreover, the mechanical devices are expected to function in dirt, sand, rocks, fluids and in work spaces that cramped while bearing extreme impact loads in the horizontal and transverse direction. Traditional mechanical devices have not been suitable for removing the impurities from the inner pipe for the following reasons: (1) the bearings of the mechanical devices are easily damaged due to overly small dimensioning and impact strain, as well as penetration of dirt; (2) the seals of the mechanical devices fail due to abrasion by foreign particles; (3) the rotors of the mechanical devices break due to excessive loading, lateral forces, and dynamic impact loading; (4) the components of the mechanical devices easily fragmented and broken; and (5) the brake system of the mechanical devices are exposed to excessive heat. In addition to the aforementioned drawbacks, the use mechanical devices can result in the fouling of the wall of the inner pipe and the clogging of the inner pipe, e.g., when so-called bridges form, in which particles of dirt are baked together in a layer which substantially closes off the cross section of the inner pipe. When bridges form, tools other than the mechanical devices, e.g., drills, must be used to unclog the inner pipe thereby adding costs to the impurity removal process.
Therefore, a need exists for a mechanical device having a compact design that functions efficiently in the aforementioned extreme conditions, e.g., a work space having small diameters and without the aforementioned problems associated with traditional mechanical devices.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Broadly, the invention comprises a device for cleaning an inner wall which comprises a rotatable nozzle head. Extending axially into the nozzle head is a central feed borehole. Depending from the central feed borehole is at least one slanted cleaning nozzle. An outer sleeve is rotatably mounted to the nozzle head and has an inwardly conically tappering inner thread into which a hollow rod can be screwed. The hollow rod provides a conduit through which a medium, usually water, is flowed to the central feed borehole and also can serve as a holder for the cleaning mechanism.
In one aspect, the invention also comprises at least two rotation nozzles which are disposed at opposite sides of the central feed borehole. Their exit axes lie at a distance from the center axis of the nozzle head. As the medium is flowed through the central feed borehole and out through the rotation nozzles, a torque is produced when the emerging medium contacts opposite sides of the inner wall thereby rotating the nozzle head.
The rotation nozzles also serve to clean the wall of the inner pipe. Preferably, the rotation nozzles are disposed so that the emerging jet of medium impinges perpendicularly on the wall of the inner pipe.
In another aspect of the invention, the nozzle head is formed as a shaft in extension wherein an axially extending feed borehole is provided through which the medium can be introduced into the cleaning and rotating nozzles.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the shaft is rotatably mounted in an outer sleeve and the outer sleeve is joined, e.g., threaded, to the hollow rod. The outer sleeve has an inner thread opposite the nozzle head into which an outer thread of the hollow rod can be screwed.
In another aspect of the invention, the threaded shaft of the hollow rod is conical in shape, like the inner thread of the outer sleeve, thereby facilitating the attachment and detachment of the hollow rod from the outer sleeve.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the device includes at least one rinsing nozzle which is arranged such that it is stationary with respect to the rotating nozzle head and lies within the outer sleeve. The rinsing nozzle functions as an axial drive for the overall cleaning mechanism by virtue of their recoil and expel the sludge loosened by the cleaning nozzles and the rotation nozzles. When more than one rinsing nozzle and cleaning nozzle is used, the rinsing nozzles, as with the cleaning nozzles, are preferably uniformly distributed about the circumference of the central feed bore.
By mounting the nozzle head or the adjoining shaft in the outer sleeve, which can be relatively thin-walled, relatively large-sized bearings, which can withstand large forces, are used to ensure suitable operation of the device in harsh environments.
In one aspect of the invention, the shaft and the nozzle head are constructed to form a single piece whereby the shaft of the single piece is enclosed by the outer sleeve.
The shaft is secured in the outer sleeve at several points, e.g., with shoulders or radial securing elements, preferably screws, in order to prevent disassociation of the nozzle head from the outer sleeve.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a shoulder of an inner ring, bearing against the shaft and an intermediate sleeve, transmits axial hydraulic forces. The shaft is screwed into both the intermediate sleeve and the inner ring lying above it. Upon fracture of the shaft at its weakest cross section, between the connection areas with the intermediate sleeve and the inner ring, the front part of the shaft will be held by the shoulder of the intermediate sleeve, resting against a bearing. If the next larger cross section breaks beneath the connection to the intermediate sleeve, the radial securing screws will hold the front fragment against the stationary outer sleeve.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a water outlet through which water is supplied from the central feed borehole is disposed in the transitional region between the outer sleeve and the nozzle head. The flow of water through the water outlet provides a water film in the transitional region, which is in the form of a gap, thereby preventing dirt from the outside from entering this gap and thus into the connection region between the shaft and the outer sleeve. This provides a seal which protects the bearing behind it. This seal is protected against penetration of dirty water or mud by the film which forms a barrier.
In another aspect of the invention, at least two water outlets are provided. The water outlets are uniformly distributed about the circumference of the central feed bore and can be directed in a manner such that they are parallel to the rotation nozzles, i.e., transverse to the lengthwise axis of the device, or optionally parallel to the rinsing nozzles such that they are upwardly slanted when in the functional position.
In yet another aspect of the invention, at least two water outlet openings are provided and are arranged eccentrically to produce a force which supports the recoil of the rotation nozzles.
In another aspect of the invention, a combination of water outlets is provided wherein upwardly slanted nozzles are combined with eccentrically arranged nozzles.
In another aspect of the invention, a vortex brake is disposed between the shaft and the outer sleeve in order to adjust the rotational speed of the nozzle head. The vortex brake comprises annular magnets that are fully encapsulated and stationary thereby forming a stator. The outer housing is comprised of a magnetic material, preferably a stainless steel. Escaping leakage water is taken through the gap occurring between the stator formed by the magnets and the inwardly-located rotor such that the vortex brake can be efficiently cooled.
In order to match the speed of the nozzle head to a particular circumstance the braking torque of the vortex brake can be changed. To change the braking torque of the vortex brake, rings, which enclose the rotor of the vortex brake (the inner ring) and against which the stator thrusts, can be inserted or removed thereby altering the axial position of the stator relative to the rotor and, thus, the overlap region between the two.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a central plunger is provided in the nozzle head. The central plunger is adapted for axial movement and at the front end thereof protrudes beyond the nozzle head. The plunger, which is spring-loaded, is forced axially into the nozzle head against the spring force by the pressure force of the medium when, for example, a blockage has occurred in the inner pipe of the gas- or oil-producing well.
In this case, when the plunger is inserted, the plunger body closes the supply openings to the cleaning nozzles and the medium is guided to jet nozzles, which are grouped at the front end of the nozzle head around the plunger exit opening. The water emerging at high pressure loosens the blockage and then the plunger is moved back into its original position by the compression spring and the pressure force of the medium. The cleaning nozzles are again released and the jet nozzles are closed.
In order to damp the impacts occurring during the operation of the device, which can contribute to significant wear on the cleaning mechanism, the shaft of the nozzle head is comprised of at least two parts, one of which that is joined to the nozzle head and is adapted for axially movement relative to the other part. A damping chamber is provided between the two parts wherein the water functions as a damping agent.
In another aspect, the invention comprises seals disposed between the shaft and the outer sleeve to protect the interior bearings. However, the seals can be omitted if the bearings used are corrosion proof and are lubricated with water, e.g., the water used to cool the vortex brake.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is longitudinal sectional view of the upper half of a device embodying the invention;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lower half of the device shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is longitudinal sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 1 ; and
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of yet another alternative embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the device for cleaning an inner wall has a rotating nozzle head 1 and an outer sleeve 3 rotatably mounted in the nozzle head 1 . At one end of the nozzle head 1 , the outer sleeve 3 is provided with an inwardly conically tapering inner thread 11 into which a hollow rod can be screwed. The hollow rod guides a medium under pressure, e.g., water, through a central feed borehole 4 . The central feed borehole 4 extends axially into the nozzle head 1 .
The nozzle head 1 comprises at least two cleaning nozzles 5 which are, preferably, uniformly distributed within the nozzle head. The nozzle head 1 passes into a shaft 2 , which is mounted in the outer sleeve 3 , for which bearings 10 are provided in the form of two radial and two axial bearings, the latter preferably of cylindrical roller bearing type.
In another embodiment of the invention, additional cleaning nozzles (not shown) are directed centrally and diagonally relative to the lengthwise axis within the nozzle head in a like manner as that shown for the cleaning nozzles 5 excepting that the additional cleaning nozzles are positioned such that they are slanted upwardly in the opposite direction from the downwardly slanted cleaning nozzles 5 .
The nozzle head 1 has rotation nozzles 6 which are disposed in pairs eccentrically opposite to each other and directed to the sides of the nozzle head 1 . The axes of the rotation nozzles 6 make a right angle with the lengthwise axis of the nozzle head 1 . The oppositely directed positioning of the rotation nozzles 6 provides a torque when the water is flowed through rotation nozzles which torque places the nozzle head 1 in rotation.
Bearings 10 are protected by a seal in the direction of the nozzle head 1 which thrusts against the outer sleeve 3 and the against the shaft 2 .
A gap 8 is provided between the end face of the outer sleeve 3 and the nozzle head 1 for facile turning of the nozzle head 1 . A water outlet 7 , which is supplied with the water, via the feed borehole 4 , builds a liquid barrier in the gap 8 thereby preventing dirt from inner pipe from entering into the area of the seal 9 .
At the end of the outer sleeve 3 opposite the nozzle head 1 there are rinsing nozzles 12 placed diagonally to and in the opposite direction of the cleaning nozzles 5 . The water under pressure emerges from these rinsing nozzles 12 in a like manner as the cleaning nozzles and rotation nozzles resulting in a repulsion that produces an axial driving of the device and carries away the dirt loosened by the cleaning nozzles 5 .
Referring to FIG. 2 , a vortex brake 13 is shown which produces a constant rotational speed of the nozzle head 1 . The vortex brake 13 is comprised of an inner ring 15 which is secured to the shaft 2 thereby functioning as a rotor. The outer diameter of the inner ring 15 is the same size as or larger than that of the shaft 2 . This ensures axial securing of the nozzle head 1 in the event that the fasteners, e.g., the screw fastenings, which secure the nozzle head 1 or the shaft 2 in the outer sleeve 3 are tom off. Fully encapsulated magnets 14 axially surround at least a portion of the inner ring 15 to form a stator. The operation of the vortex brake 13 can be influenced by rings 16 which surround the inner ring 15 and support the magnets 14 . The number of rings 16 will determine the overlap surface of the magnets 14 and the inner ring 15 thus changing the resistance to turning of the inner ring 15 .
A gap 17 is formed between the magnets 14 and the inner ring 15 and the magnets 14 and the rings 16 through which leakage water is guided for purposes of cooling and carried to the outside via an exit opening 26 .
In another embodiment of the invention, the rinsing nozzles 12 are arranged in the vicinity of the nozzle head 1 such that the rinsing nozzles 12 will rotate with the nozzle head 1 upon rotation of the nozzle head 1 .
Referring to FIG. 3 , an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in which the nozzle head 1 has an axially moveable, centrally disposed, spring-loaded plunger 18 comprised of a plunger body 28 , having an end which protrudes from the end face of the nozzle head 1 . At the opposite end of the plunger there is disposed a compression spring 20 having one end which thrusts against the bottom of a recess 27 in the nozzle head 1 and having another end thrusted against the plunger body 28 . The plunger body 28 is adapted to move axially in the recess 27 .
Jet nozzles 19 which, like the cleaning nozzles 5 , are directed in an outwardly diagonal manner, are disposed concentrically to the plunger 18 .
In operation, when the plunger 18 encounters an obstacle, such as a blockage in an inner pipe of a gas- or oil-producing well, the device will continue to advance axially relative to the nozzle head 1 pushing the plunger 18 inwardly against the force of the compression spring 20 . The feed channels to the cleaning nozzles 5 and optionally the rotation nozzles 6 , which otherwise communicate with the feed borehole 4 via channel boreholes 22 , will then be closed by the plunger body 28 , while a flow to the jet nozzles 19 will be opened up, whereupon the water flowing from the feed borehole 4 will be taken via channel boreholes 21 to the jet nozzles 19 . When the force acting on the plunger 18 ceases, for example by of the blockage due to the water emerging from the jet nozzles 19 , the plunger will be pushed by virtue of the spring force and the pressure force of the medium into its non-operating position wherein the jet nozzles 19 are closed. In the non-operating position, the passageway to the cleaning nozzles 5 and rotation nozzles 6 is again opened up since the channel boreholes 22 are aligned with the feed channels going to the cleaning and rotation nozzles.
In an alternative embodiment, a central nozzle can be provided instead of, or in combination with, the jet nozzles 19 for eliminating blockages in the inner pipe.
Referring to FIG. 4 , another embodiment of the device is shown wherein the shaft 2 comprises two shaft parts 23 , 24 . The shaft parts 23 , 24 are connected such that each part can move axially relative to one another but are prevented from twisting relative to one another. In this configuration, the shaft 2 functions as a single piece.
In the vicinity of the feed borehole 4 , between the two shaft parts 23 , 24 , a chamber 25 is formed which communicates via a damping gap 30 with a damping chamber 29 such that both chambers are filled with water during operation.
When an impact load acts on the nozzle head and thus on the shaft part 24 , the shaft part 24 is moved axially relative to the shaft part 23 while at the same time expelling water into the damping chamber 29 through the damping gap 30 into the chamber 25 thereby achieving an optimal shock-absorbing action.
In event of an accident, neither the nozzle head 1 nor the parts of the shaft 2 must enter the producing well being cleaned. In event of a fracture of the shaft 2 in the smallest shaft cross section 35 , above a screw fastening region with an intermediate sleeve 33 , the shaft is no longer held by the inner ring 15 . In this situation, the broken pieces are held on the stationary outer sleeve 3 by the intermediate sleeve 33 and its shoulder 36 , which thrusts against one of the bearings 10 , the axial bearing, and in which the shaft 2 is screwed.
If the shaft 2 breaks in the middle cross section 34 , beneath the connection to the intermediate sleeve 33 , the remaining pieces are held via radial securing elements 37 , which can be comprised of radially arranged screws, which are fastened in the outer sleeve 3 and which project into a groove 31 of the rotating nozzle head 1 , so that the largest shaft cross section 32 determines the risk of a loss.
Although the present invention has been shown and described with a preferred embodiment thereof, various changes, omissions and additions to the form and detail thereof, may be made therein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A device for cleaning an inner pipe which comprises a nozzle head comprised of a feed borehole axially disposed therein, at least two rotation nozzles communicating with the feed borehole, at least two cleaning nozzles communicating with the feed borehole and a shaft. A rinsing nozzle communicates with the feed borehole and extends upwardly at an angle from the longitudinal axis of the feed borehole. The shaft is received in an outer sleeve whereby when the device is inserted into an inner pipe and a medium is flowed through the borehole and out of the rotation nozzles a force is generated when the medium emerging from the rotation nozzles contacts the wall of the inner pipe which force causes the nozzle head to rotate.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to impellers having removable and replaceable vanes. While such impellers are primarily intended for use with kinetic pumps, the impellers may also be used with other varieties of pumps as well as other applications as will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Centrifugal pumps are perhaps the most common type of pump in operation today. With many different configurations available, centrifugal pumps are widely-used because of their design simplicity, high efficiency, wide range of capacity and head, smooth flow rate and ease of operation and maintenance. Centrifugal pumps use one or more impellers, which attach to and rotate with the pump shaft. This provides the energy that moves fluid through the pump and pressurizes the fluid to move it through a piping system. The pump therefore converts mechanical energy from a motor to energy of a moving fluid. A portion of the energy goes into kinetic energy of the fluid motion, and some goes into potential energy, represented by fluid pressure or by lifting the fluid, against gravity, to a higher altitude. As used herein, the term fluid is intended to encompass liquids and gases of varying densities, as well as liquids and gases containing solids. The matter flowing through a pump is also called the pumpage.
[0003] A centrifugal pump works by directing fluid in the system into the suction port of the pump and from there into the inlet of the impeller. The rotating impeller then moves the fluid along the spinning vanes, at the same time increasing the velocity energy of the fluid. The fluid then exits the impeller vanes and moves into the pump volute or diffuser casing, where the velocity of the fluid is converted into pressure through a diffusion process. The fluid is then guided into the discharge port of the pump and from there out into the system, or on to the next stage in the case of a multi-stage pump.
[0004] Centrifugal pumps are used in a variety of circumstances and conditions. They are often used for lower viscosity fluids and high flow rates. However, they may also be used with moderate and higher viscosity fluids or pumpage containing solids. They are typically used across many residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal applications. For example: commercial and residential building services, including pressure boosting, heating systems, fire protection sprinkler systems, drainage, and air conditioning; industry and water engineering, including boiler feed applications, water supply (municipal, industrial), wastewater management, irrigation, sprinkling, drainage and flood protection; chemical and process industries, including chemicals, hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals, cellulose, petro-chemicals, sugar refining, food and beverage production; and secondary systems, including coolant recirculation, condensate transport, cryogenics, and refrigerants—to name a few.
[0005] It should be appreciated that no single centrifugal pump will meet all needs. It should also be appreciated that under current state of the art practices, it is impractical for pump manufacturers to design and build a custom pump for each customer's particular end use application. Rather, most pump manufacturers will offer a finite line of pumps offering varying performance characteristics. The line of pumps typically comprises a number of differently sized pump casings, a number of differently sized pump motors, and typically a single impeller design that can be used with each pump casing. The impeller may be modified, such as by trimming its vanes, to shift the performance characteristics of an individual pump. In addition, there is a practical limit to the number of different pump casings, pump motors and impellers a manufacturer will stock. Accordingly, situations arise where a specific pump manufacturer does not stock a pump that meets the needs of a specific customer's end use application. For example, available impeller, motor and pump casings may not achieve the desired flow rate and/or head requirements, or these requirements may be achieved but at a low or unacceptable efficiency. As a result, the manufacturer will attempt to trim an existing impeller to meet the customer's performance needs. If the manufacturer is unable to modify the impeller in a way that achieves the customer's requirements, the customer may ultimately purchase the pump from another manufacturer and the first contacted manufacturer loses a sale.
[0006] Many factors are important when designing or selecting a pump. Among these factors are efficiency, flow rate and head. The importance of pump efficiency is directly related to the use of energy and, therefore, cost to operate. Friction produced by bearings and other mechanical components, such as seals, stuffing box, etc., adversely affect pump efficiency, but the impeller and volute have the greatest influence on efficiency. For any given impeller, it is known that the head it produces varies as the square of a change in speed. Generally speaking, head is the height at which a pump can raise a fluid. Double the speed and the head increases by a factor of four. If the speed is held constant, the same rule holds true for a change in its diameter. In other words, double the diameter of the impeller and the head increases by a factor of four. The fluid flow through an impeller follows a similar rule but its change is directly proportional to the impeller speed or diameter. Accordingly, doubling the speed or diameter of the impeller doubles the fluid flow. A change in rotational speed of an impeller is in reference to the peripheral speed of a point on its outer most circumference. It is this speed that determines the absolute maximum head and flow attainable by any impeller. The head produced by an impeller is almost entirely dependent upon its peripheral velocity but, flow is influenced by several other factors. The width and depth of the vanes and the diameter of the impeller center opening or eye are important considerations as they determine the ease with which some volume of water can pass through the impeller. Other factors such as vane shape also influence an impeller's performance.
[0007] The shape and spacing of the impeller vanes also have a large effect upon efficiency. Ideally, a pump would have as many vanes as possible that fit within the casing, but the physical constraints of the casing typically limits the number of vanes to between 5 and 7 and even fewer for pumps that handle larger solids.
[0008] Deeper vanes will produce high flow. Conversely, shallower vanes and deep expeller vanes will increase head. Any pumping application is balancing between obtaining the flow required at the correct head. Adding depth to the pumping vane will increase overall flow, but possibly drop the pressure capability. Adding depth to the expeller vane will increase the overall pressure capability but possibly drop flow capacity. Deeper expeller vanes can also increase head by a reduction of pressure applied to the seal. Putting aside designing and manufacturing a custom impeller for each end user's specific needs which would be costly and take too long to produce, current pump manufacturers have, at best, a limited ability to vary the relative depth of pumping vanes and expeller vanes, and almost no ability to vary vane curvature, vane configuration or orientation, or vane count. To the contrary, present manufacturers typically are limited to a finite and small number of fixed impeller designs for each pump casing sell. As used herein, the terms vane or impeller vane refers to the vanes on the same side of the back plate as the intake port, and the term expeller vane refers to the vanes on the side of the back plate opposite the intake port.
SUMMARY
[0009] The apparatus and methods explained in the present disclosure have advantages over current practices. In contrast to current practices, the performance of an individual centrifugal pump may be altered and enhanced in ways heretofore unavailable. The performance benefit may address a single parameter, such as head, flow rate, power consumption, efficiency, pressures applied to the seal or sealing mechanisms, radial forces applied to the shaft to then redirect runout tolerance on the seal mechanism, or a combination of such parameters for a given fluid pumping application. Alternatively, the benefit may address repurposing of a specific pump for a different fluid or end use application compared to the original design and use of the pump.
[0010] As one example, an impeller for use with a centrifugal pump is provided with one or more removable vanes. The pump casing has an internal chamber of fixed dimension. One end of a shaft extends into the chamber and the opposite end of the shaft is connected to a motor for purposes of rotating the shaft. The impeller is mounted to the end of the shaft inside the chamber. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the impeller comprises a back plate having at least one radially extending slot extending through the thickness of the back plate in the axial direction, where the axial direction is defined by the orientation of the shaft. The radial direction is defined as a direction away from the shaft. More commonly, a plurality of such slots are formed in the back plate. Each slot has a first end located proximate an inner radial position of the back plate and a second end located at an outer radial position proximate the perimeter edge of the back plate. Alternatively, each radially extending slot may comprise a plurality of slot segments intermittently discontinued or interrupted by a portion of the back plate. In addition, a removable vane is configured to seat within each radially extending slot or plurality of slot segments and connect to the back plate. The vane may be physically configured in a way to engage or interfit with the back plate for purposes of securing each vane to the back plate, an inner hub may be used to secure the vane relative to the back plate, as well as secure the back plate to the shaft, and other mechanical means may be used to secure the vane relative to the back plate, or a combination of one or more of these methods may be used to secure the vane relative to the back plate. Additionally, the centrifugal force generated by the rotating impeller may be used, in combination with the interconnecting structure of the vane and back plate, to assist in securing the vanes relative to the back plate. Regardless, each vane is removable and replaceable. As another aspect of the present disclosure, each vane may extend completely through the back plate to form both impeller and expeller vanes and the extent to which the vane extends through the back plate is variable. Alternatively, the slots may not extend completely though the back plate, but the vanes still configured to nest in a slot and be secured relative to the back plate. Being able to substitute vanes having different profiles or shapes, including modifying the vane impeller depth and/or expeller depth in a design, adds flexibility to meet end user requirements. There are many factors that go into optimizing an impeller design. As noted, one advantage of impellers consistent with the present disclosure is the flexibility to tailor the pumping vane depth, and corresponding expeller vane depth if appropriate, to meet hydraulic conditions. The ability to vary the depth of the impeller vanes as well as the expeller vanes provides manufacturers and end users the ability to match performance requirements for a particular application, including flow and head requirements, to given conditions. The ability to vary other aspects of the impeller as described herein provide even greater flexibility to achieve performance requirements.
[0011] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a single back plate, with a non-variable set of slots may be used in combination with a variety of differently configured vanes to alter and enhance the performance parameters of an impeller and, more particularly, the pump in which the impeller is installed. For example, while using the same back plate a second set of vanes may be substituted for a first set of vanes to alter the performance of the pump. The second set of vanes may have a different height, profile, shape, thickness, surface characteristic and/or be made from different material. The material may be a metal, alloy or composite, where the composite is thermosetting or thermoplastic. The material may have different degrees of surface smoothness, from rough to smooth, including grooved or channeled. The individual vanes may be straight or curved, the extent of curvature may vary, and/or the vanes may have a complex three-dimensional curvature. Further still, a variety of differently shaped vanes may be used on a single impeller. The vanes may be firm or have varying degrees of pliability or flexibility. For example, if a specific stiffness is required, the vanes could be metal of an appropriate thickness to achieve the stiffness, or the vanes could be made of composite material with the composite fibers oriented axially. Such a vane would be stiff in the axial direction and pliable in the radial direction. Radial pliability allows the vanes to be bent into a desired curved shape. The shape of a vane may also vary in the axial direction. The vanes could also be custom designed and shaped to proximate the dimension of the pump chamber for enhanced performance characteristics appropriate to the application. Alternatively, the vanes could be designed to be slightly longer in the axial direction than fits within the chamber such that the inner surface of the chamber physically wears down the vane height to a near perfect fit.
[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, the back plate may also be subject to variation. Thus, the number of slots, the curvature of the slots and the orientation of the slots can change. For example, one back plate may have one slot to hold one vane, another may have three slots to hold three vanes, another may have five slots, or seven slots or more. Further still, the orientation of the slot relative to the back plate may change such that the vanes are generally perpendicular to the back plate or sloped relative to the back plate. In addition, the orientation of the slots may be configured to vary the curvature of the vanes. Further still, the back plate may be manufactured flat or may be manufactured to a given curvature. By using curvature in the back plate, greater stiffness can be achieved with reduced material usage, or greater overall stiffness and performance can be created with the same material. In general, utilizing a simple geometrical curvature can increase stiffness by as much as ten times more. Using back plate curvature as a stiffening technique can reduce material usage and cost, and/or help increase performance capabilities. Along the same lines, stiffening ribs may be added to one or both sides of the back plate to add rigidity and permit use of a thinner back plate. The ribs may be radially positioned, like spokes on a wheel, curved - parallel to the path of a vane, or have a more complex profile.
[0013] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, multiple back plates may be used with a single set of vanes, while still achieving the variability noted above. For example, adding a second back plate may reconfigure an open impeller into a closed impeller and provide the performance characteristics associated with closed impeller configurations. Alternatively, two or more back plates may be used with the vanes extending through both of the back plates. The resulting configuration would be a hybrid impeller that has characteristics of both an open and closed design simultaneously. In addition, multiple back plates used simultaneously will provide added support to the vanes, permitting the vanes to be made thinner and/or perhaps less expensively, thereby providing cost savings, as well as achieving variability in performance.
[0014] As a further alternative, the back plate material may be plastic, depending upon the end use of the impeller. For example, if the fluid is air, a plastic impeller could be more suitable that a metal or composite impeller and cost significantly less.
[0015] Further aspects of the present disclosure allow for self-adjusting or floating vanes. For example, a set of vanes could be designed to purposefully wear against the inside surface of the chamber. When initially installed, the vanes would extend axially in both directions relative to the back plate. As the vanes wore against the inside surface of the chamber on the impeller side of the back plate, the vanes would slide axially or adjust relative to the expeller side of the back plate. Thus, the expeller portion of the vanes would gradually decrease while the impeller portion of the vanes would maintain generally the same height or axial length.
[0016] While one aspect of the present design is to reduce cost and production time by allowing manufacturers to maintain inventory of back plates and vanes of varying configurations, the concepts of the present disclosure also enhance custom design in a more cost effective fashion. For example, if a specific end use application requires a particular flow rate, peak efficiency and peak efficiency flow, once these parameters are determined, an impeller having such performance parameters may be readily constructed from existing inventory or by only manufacturing a set of vanes to combine with an existing back plate, thereby avoiding costly and time consuming casting or manufacturing processes associated with the back plate.
[0017] As another example, aspects of the present disclosure allow rapid transition of pump performance simply by replacing impeller vanes. In one example, an existing pump installed at a chemical processing facility and designed for use with caustic chemicals has a casing with a three inch intake and a two inch discharge. The original impeller provides a maximum flow rate of 220 gallons per minute, a peak efficiency of fifty-five percent and a peak efficiency flow of 170 gallons per minute. But business reasons compel the facility operator to change the performance characteristics to a maximum flow of 470 gallons per minute, a peak efficiency of seventy percent and a peak efficiency flow rate of 315 gallons per minute, while using a ten horsepower motor due to physical space constraints. Using the concepts of the present disclosure, the new performance parameters are achievable. A new impeller may be quickly and efficiently assembled and installed in an existing pump casing to change the performance parameters of the pump to meet the new requirements with minimum downtime and without the delay of designing and manufacturing a new custom impeller. As a second example, the concepts of the present disclosure permit a manufacturer to stock a plurality of differently configured back plates having a variety of differently oriented and configured slots, and also stock a plurality of differently configured removable vanes that are configured to fit within the slots and form an impeller when assembled. As a result, a manufacturer, upon learning of a customer's pumping conditions and requirements, may quickly assemble an impeller that meets the customer's needs. The manufacturer would select a specific back plate from the plurality of back plates in stock, and would select a set of vanes from the plurality of vanes in stock. The components would be assembled and the finished impeller mounted on a shaft and installed in a pump casing. The design and construction flexibility afforded by the aspects of the present disclosure provide manufacturers and end users a significant improvement over traditional pump design and construction methods.
[0018] As a result of the foregoing, the concepts of the present disclosure eliminate the impediment of trying to meet a customer's needs by trimming an existing impeller, and provide accelerated implementation of new performance capabilities, with an enhanced range of performance for existing pumps casings and motors. The concepts of the present disclosure also extend the life of existing pumps, resulting in cost savings to the pump operator. The concepts of the present disclosure also expand and enhance performance across a manufacturer's product line and across an end user's inventory. It should be further appreciated that all of the foregoing concepts may be implemented individually or in any combination as needed for any given conditions.
[0019] The concepts of the present disclosure have applicability to kinetic pumps and positive displacement pumps. Within kinetic pumps there are special effect, centrifugal, and regenerative turbine pumps. Within centrifugal pumps there overhung impellers, impellers between bearings, and turbine type pumps.
[0020] These and other advantages will be apparent from the disclosure of the invention(s) contained herein. The above-described embodiments, objectives, and configurations are neither complete nor exhaustive. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the invention are possible using, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.
[0021] Further, the summary of the invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the summary of the invention, as well as, in the attached drawings and the detailed description and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended to either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this summary. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description, particularly when taken together with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of these inventions.
[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a centrifugal pump with a portion of the casing removed.
[0024] FIG. 2A is a perspective of an impeller with removable vanes according to one aspect of the present disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 2B is a top plan view of the impeller of FIG. 2A .
[0026] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an impeller made according to one aspect of the present disclosure.
[0027] FIG. 3B is a top plan view of the impeller of FIG. 3A .
[0028] FIG. 4 is a perspective of an impeller made according to one aspect of the present disclosure.
[0029] FIG. 5 is a partial exploded perspective view of the impeller of FIG. 4 .
[0030] FIG. 6A is an exploded cross-sectional plan view of an impeller and removable vane according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0031] FIG. 6B is a partially assembled view of the impeller of FIG. 6A .
[0032] FIG. 6C is a fully assembled view of the impeller of FIG. 6A .
[0033] FIG. 6D is an enlarged plan view of an exemplary cutout as illustrated in FIG. 6A .
[0034] FIG. 7A is a top plan view of an optional secondary back plate according to one aspect of the present disclosure.
[0035] FIG. 7B is a top plan view of an impeller incorporating the optional back plate of FIG. 7A .
[0036] FIG. 8A is a top plan view of an optional secondary back plate according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0037] FIG. 8B is a top plan view of an impeller incorporating the optional back plate of FIG. 8A .
[0038] FIG. 9 is an exploded plan view of an impeller assembly incorporating two optional secondary back plates according to one aspect of the present disclosure.
[0039] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a partially assembled impeller according to one aspect of the present disclosure with a single removable vane secured relative to a back plate.
[0040] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an impeller assembled within a pump casing according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0041] FIG. 12A is a plan view of an impeller according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0042] FIG. 12B is a plan view of an impeller according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0043] FIG. 12C is a plan view of an impeller according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0044] FIG. 13A is a top plan view of a removable impeller vane according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0045] FIG. 13B is an elevational plan view of the removable vane of FIG. 13A .
[0046] FIG. 13C is a top plan view of a removable impeller vane according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0047] FIG. 13D is an elevational plan view of the removable vane of FIG. 13C .
[0048] FIG. 13E is a top plan view of a removable impeller vane according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0049] FIG. 13F is an elevational plan view of the removable vane of FIG. 13E .
[0050] FIG. 14A is a plan view of an impeller back plate and vane according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0051] FIG. 14B is a plan view of an impeller back plate and vane according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0052] FIG. 14C is a plan view of an impeller back plate and vane according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0053] FIG. 14D is a partial elevation view of an impeller back plate and vane according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0054] FIG. 14E is a perspective view of an impeller made according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0055] FIG. 14F is a top plan view of an impeller made according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0056] FIG. 14G is a partial elevation view of an impeller back plate and vane according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0057] FIG. 15 is a plan view of a composite vane made according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0058] FIG. 16A is a top plan view of an impeller made according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0059] FIG. 16B is a partial elevation view of the impeller of FIG. 16A , taken along ling 16 B- 16 B.
[0060] FIG. 17A is a plan view of an impeller made according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0061] FIG. 17B is a plan view of an impeller made according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0062] FIG. 18A is a plan view of an impeller made according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0063] FIG. 18B is a perspective view of the impeller of FIG. 18A .
[0064] FIG. 19A is a top plan view of an impeller according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0065] FIG. 19B is a cross sectional view of the impeller of FIG. 19A taken along line 19 B- 19 B.
[0066] FIG. 20 is a top plan view of an impeller back plate according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0067] FIG. 21A is a cross sectional view of an impeller installed within a pump casing according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0068] FIG. 21B is an enlarged partial view of an exemplary cutout as illustrated in FIG. 21A .
[0069] FIG. 22A is a cross sectional view of an impeller in a first state according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0070] FIG. 22B is a cross sectional view of the impeller of FIG. 22A in a second state according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0071] While the following disclosure describes the invention in connection with those aspects presented, one should understand that the invention is not strictly limited to these aspects. Furthermore, one should understand that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and that in certain instances, the disclosure may not include details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention, such as conventional details of fabrication and assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0072] Turning to FIG. 1 , one embodiment of a centrifugal pump 10 is illustrated with a portion of the casing 12 removed to reveal internal structures. The casing has a first opening 14 to receive a rotary shaft 16 . The shaft is rotated by a motor (not shown) and supported by bearings 20 . An impeller 22 is affixed to the end of the shaft 16 and is positioned in an interior chamber 24 of the casing 12 . The casing further includes an intake opening 26 that is in fluid communication with the chamber 24 and a discharge port 28 which is also in fluid communication with the chamber 24 . In operation, the motor rotates the shaft 16 and impeller 22 . Rotation of the impeller 22 causes fluid to be drawn into the chamber 24 through the intake opening 26 and expelled out of the discharge port 28 .
[0073] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate one embodiment of an impeller made according to aspects of the present disclosure. The impeller comprises a back plate 30 and three curved vanes 32 a - 32 c . The vanes 32 a - 32 c are removable from the back plate 30 . A multi-sided aperture 34 is formed in the center of the plate 30 for connecting to the shaft 16 . Here the aperture 34 has five sides. The vanes have a curved profile and a height that decreases as the vane moves from an inner radial location to an outer radial location on the back plate 30 . As illustrated, the vanes are oriented generally perpendicular to the back plate 30 .
[0074] A second embodiment of an impeller made according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B . Here, the impeller has six removable vanes 32 a - 32 f . The curvature of the vanes 32 may be the same as or different from the curvature of the vanes shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B . In addition, the varying height profile of the vanes 32 a - 32 f may be the same as or different from that illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B .
[0075] FIG. 4 illustrates another impeller made according to aspects of the present disclosure. Here, five removable vanes 32 a - 32 e are utilized.
[0076] Turning to FIG. 5 , a back plate 30 is shown having slots 36 formed through the entire thickness of the back plate 30 . The slots are designed to receive and secure vanes 32 . As illustrated in this embodiment, three slot segments 36 a , 36 b and 36 c , form a discontinuous slot 36 interrupted by portions 18 of the back plate. The vane 32 may have a pre-set curvature that matches the orientation of the slot segments 36 a , 36 b and 36 c , or the vane may be made from a flexible material that allows it to be bent or curved during installation to fit within the slots 36 . An individual slot 36 may comprise one or more slot segments. The vane has a radial inner edge 38 and a radial outer edge 40 . Here, the use of the term “radial” is in reference to a position relative to the back plate 30 . Thus, a radial inner position is closer to the aperture 34 than a radial outer position. A radial outer position is closer to the perimeter edge 42 of the back plate 30 . Each vane 32 also has an axial outer edge 44 and an axial inner edge 46 . Here, the term “axial” is in reference to the orientation of the pump shaft 16 . The axial outer edge 44 is typically located closer to the intake opening 26 and a further distance from the back plate 30 than the axial inner edge 46 . The axial inner edge 46 of a vane 32 is located farther from the intake opening 26 and closer to the back plate 30 .
[0077] With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6A, 6B and 6C , an explanation of how a vane 32 is interconnected to a back plate 30 according to one aspect of the invention will be described. A tab 48 extends from the radial inner edge 38 of the vane 32 . The tab 48 is spaced axially outwardly from the axial inner edge 46 by a distance d 1 that is the same or substantially the same as the thickness of the back plate 30 . The tab 48 has an axially outer edge 50 and an axial inner edge 52 . Two “L”-shaped cutouts 54 are formed along the axial inner edge 46 of the vane 32 . A similarly shaped cutout 56 is formed at the intersection of the radial outer edge 40 and axial inner edge 46 of the vane 32 . As shown in FIG. 6D , each of the cutouts form an axial channel 58 , a radial channel 60 and a tab 62 . Each of the tabs 62 have an axial length Li equal to or substantially the same as distance d 1 . The radial channel 60 has a radial inner most surface 66 .
[0078] As seen by the sequence provided by FIGS. 6A-6C , a vane 32 is aligned over the slot segments 36 a , 36 b and 36 c in the back plate 30 . FIG. 6A is a cross-section of the back plate 30 taken through and including slot segments 36 a , 36 b and 36 c . Although the slot segments are depicted in FIG. 5 as being curved, it should be appreciated that slot segments 36 a , 36 b and 36 c may be in the form of a differently shaped curved line or a straight line. The vane may be pre-curved to fit into the slot segments or may be bent in place to fit into the slot segments. The vane is inserted into and through the slots as shown in FIG. 6B , and then moved to the left as shown in FIG. 6C . As a result, the back plate is captured between the tabs 62 and the axial outer edge 64 of the L-shaped cutouts 54 and 56 . The axial outer edge 68 of the tabs 62 engage the lower surface 70 of the back plate 30 , and the axial outer edge 64 of the cutouts 54 and 56 engage the upper surface 72 of the back plate 30 . As shown in FIG. 6C , the hub 74 has a first portion 76 that is secured to the shaft 16 and is configured to receive the second portion 78 . When the first portion is joined to the second portion, the tab 48 and back plate 30 are captured between the first portion 76 and second portion 78 to secure radial inner edge 38 of the vane 32 .
[0079] When the pump is operating and the impellers rotating about the shaft, a centrifugal force will also act on the vanes 32 and assist in securing each vane relative to the back plate. More specifically, with reference to FIG. 6C , the vane 32 will be forced to the left such that the back plate 30 will be secured between surfaces 64 , 66 and 68 of the radial channel 60 . For added securement, the back plate may include grooves (not shown) that capture and secure the edges of the vane proximate surfaces 64 , 66 and 68 .
[0080] Also for enhanced securement, secondary or additional back plates 80 and 82 may optionally be included for securing the vanes 32 relative to the back plate 30 . FIGS. 7A and 7B show optional additional back plate 80 which would be positioned on the axial outer surface 72 of the back plate 30 , and FIGS. 8A and 8B show the optional additional back plate 82 which would engage the inner axial surface 70 of the back plate 30 . Additional back plate 80 is formed with shoulders 84 to abut the radial inner edge 38 of each of the vanes 32 , as well as overlap tab 48 of the vane 32 . Secondary or additional back plate 82 includes outwardly extending radial arms 86 separated by channels 88 . The axial inner edge 46 of the vanes fit in the channels 88 , and the radial arms 86 lie in the space between adjacent vanes 32 .
[0081] An exploded view of an impeller assembly according to one aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 9 . It should be appreciated that the additional back plate 80 could also be positioned on the opposite side of the back plate 30 , and additionally back plate 82 could also be used on both sides of the back plate 30 . Further still, the additional back plate 30 could be differently configured. For example, the arms 86 could have a different length or could vary in length on a single back plate.
[0082] FIG. 10 further illustrates the relative position of optional additional back plates 80 and 82 relative to a single vane 32 and hub 74 . The back plate 30 is omitted for clarity. The tab 48 is captured and secured by the additional back plates 80 and 82 , together with the first and second portions 76 and 78 of the hub 74 .
[0083] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a fully assembled impeller 22 positioned in the chamber 24 of a pump casing 12 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. As illustrated, a portion of each vane 32 extends axially outwardly from the back plate 30 such that the axial outer edge 44 of the vane is positioned adjacent the inner surface 84 of the chamber 24 . A second portion of each vane 32 extends axially inward from the back plate 30 and forms the expeller portion 90 of the impeller 10 . It should be appreciated that the vanes 32 may be configured and built to orient at different positions relative to the back plate 30 according to different embodiments of the present invention. More specifically, for a given internal chamber 24 , the vanes 32 may be designed to provide different impeller vane depths and expeller vane depths using the same back plate to vary the performance specifications of a specific pump casing. FIG. 12A illustrates an embodiment in which the majority of the axial length of the vanes 32 is positioned on the axial outer side of the back plate 30 and a relatively small portion of the vanes 30 , forming the expeller, are positioned on the axial inward side of the back plate 30 . FIG. 12B shows more of the vanes 32 extending through the back plate 30 to enhance the expeller portion 90 . FIG. 12C shows even more of the axial length of the vanes 32 extending through the back plate 30 and forming the expeller portion 90 .
[0084] FIGS. 13A-13F show variety of vane curvatures. FIGS. 13A and 13B show a vane having a significantly curved profile. FIGS. 13C and 13D show a vane 32 having a less curved profile. FIGS. 13E and 13F show a straight vane. It should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the embodiments of the present invention allow for vanes of an infinite range of curvatures from flat to significantly curved, and of constant radial curvature or complex curvatures as may be required to meet pump operating conditions. It is contemplated by the embodiments of the present application that for any given internal chamber of a specific casing, different back plates 30 may be made to operate in association with the existing shaft to provide a wide variety of different numbers of vanes and a different number of vane configurations, including but not limited to vane impeller and expeller depths, vane curvatures, vane profile, and angular orientation relative to the back plate.
[0085] According to aspects of the present disclosure, the configuration of the vanes 32 may also vary to achieve desired performance characteristics. FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C illustrate the principal that the replaceable impeller vanes may vary in the axial direction. FIG. 14A illustrates a vane 32 with an axial outer edge 44 with a large degree of slope in the radial direction. FIG. 14B shows an impeller vane 32 with an axial outer edge 44 with a moderate degree of slope in the radial direction. FIG. 14C shows an impeller vane 32 with an axial outer edge 44 that has a flat or no slope. Although the vanes 32 depicted in FIGS. 14A-14C are straight, they may also have a two dimensional curve in the radial direction and/or have a more complex three dimensional curvature. More specifically, the vanes 32 are curved in the radial direction, from inner radial edge 38 to outer radial edge 40 , and in the axial direction as illustrated by the sloped vane shape along the outer axial edge 44 . It should be further appreciated that all of the edges of a vane, the axial outer edge 44 , the axial inner edge 46 , the radial inner edge 38 and radial outer edge 40 may vary in slope or profile, wherein the shape may include cutouts or other non-uniformities that alter fluid flow.
[0086] Examples of vanes 32 with a complex configuration or curvature are illustrated in FIGS. 14D-14G . FIG. 14D illustrates an aspect of the present disclosure where the slot 36 is formed at an angle relative to the back plate 30 such that one surface 32 a is positioned at an acute angle relative to the back plate and a second surface 32 b is positioned at an obtuse angle relative to the back plate. FIG. 14E illustrates an impeller with a three dimensional complex shape, where the vanes 32 are curved radially and axially. For example, the axial outer edges 44 are laid over or “dog eared.” Also, two differently configured sets of vanes 32 ′ and 32 ″ alternate on the back plate. The radial length of one set of vanes 32 ′ is staggered relative to the length of the second set of vanes 32 ″. FIG. 14F illustrates a top plan view of an impeller where the vanes 32 are identical, but each vane has a complex configuration. Complex in this context means the vane has curvature in three dimensions, not just two dimensions as illustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13C . Complex vanes provide further performance alternatives.
[0087] It should also be appreciated that the shape or configuration of the replaceable vanes 32 may vary from the profiles as shown in the accompanying Figures. The reasons to alter vane profiles are for performance and efficiency of a particular pump, and to accommodate different pumpages. Thus, a single back plate may be utilized with different sized and shaped vanes in different chambers of different casings or one of a variety of back plates may be selected and combined with a variety of vane styles to meet end use applications.
[0088] In another aspect of the invention, the replaceable vanes may be made from metal, composite materials or plastic. Vanes may also be made thicker or thinner. A vane 32 having increased thickness is shown in FIG. 14G . Vanes may also be made with varying surface smoothness or roughness, and may include grooves or other surface effects to assist in moving the pumpage. If made from composite materials, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the primary fibers of the composite material may be aligned in the axial direction. With the primary fibers so aligned, the vane will have desirable stiffness in the axial direction, yet will have flexibility in the radial direction along the length of the vane. FIG. 15 illustrates this concept. In this manner, the vanes will be sufficiently pliable to adapt to more than one curved configuration such that a single vane may be utilized with multiple back plates having differently configured slots. It should also be appreciated that the composite fibers may be differently oriented to achieve different results in vane characteristics.
[0089] FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate a further aspect of the present disclosure. Here, the back plate 30 may be made from thinner material, or from plastic or composites as the end application allows. Ribs 94 are formed in the back plate to add rigidity. The ribs 94 may be oriented radially straight as illustrated in FIG. 16A , or they may follow the curvature of the vanes 32 or some other curvature. The ribs 94 may also be formed on one or both surfaces 70 and 72 of the back plate.
[0090] All of the impellers described thus far are open impeller designs. FIGS. 17A and 17B show further aspects of the present disclosure. In FIG. 17A , the configuration of impeller 10 utilizes dual back plates 30 and 30 ′. Dual back plates provide added support and rigidity to the impeller by providing support to the vanes 32 at multiple locations along the axial length of the vanes. By providing increased support, the individual back plates 30 and 30 ′ may be constructed using less material, and the individual vanes 32 may also be constructed using less material or have a thinner profile, made from less expensive material or less rigid metals or carbon fibers, thereby saving cost while maintaining performance. FIG. 17B shows an alternative design with the back plates 30 and 30 ′ spaced further apart. Also, the expeller vanes 90 are deeper compared to FIG. 17A . The configuration illustrated in FIG. 17B , and to a lesser extent in FIG. 17A , is a hybrid design. In other words, these configurations combine performance characteristics of both open and close impeller designs.
[0091] Impellers according to the present disclosure can also be made with a closed impeller design such as shown in FIGS. 18A-18B . Here, an end plate 96 is configured to enclose the axial outer edges 44 of the vanes 32 to provide a closed impeller configuration. The end plate 96 includes a central aperture 98 to allow intake of fluids. The end plate 96 may be configured so as to connect to the end of shaft 16 utilizing an internal hub, or alternatively may be configured to attach to the axial outer edge 44 of the vanes 32 themselves, such as by the locking arrangements shown in FIGS. 6A-6C .
[0092] FIGS. 19A and 19B illustrate a further aspect of the present disclosure. As shown, the back plate 30 has a curved or concave profile. The curved profile provides additional structural rigidity to the back plate, allowing it to be made from less rigid or thinner materials, resulting in potential cost savings. Also, the perimeter edge 42 of the back plate 30 need not be circular. For example, a scalloped perimeter edge where cutouts are formed along the perimeter edge may reduce axial thrust by reducing surface area of the back plate.
[0093] FIG. 20 shows a further aspect of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the aperture 34 ′ is a “D”-shape rather than the pentagon shape shown in other embodiments. It should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the center aperture can have a variety of configurations sufficient for securement to the shaft 16 . According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the vanes 32 may be designed to float or move relative to a back plate 30 . FIG. 21A is a cross-sectional view of such an embodiment. A vane 32 is positioned within the chamber 24 . Cutouts 100 are formed along the axial inner edge 102 . Here, as more clearly shown in FIG. 21B , the cutouts 100 are generally “S” or “Z” shaped to engage and secure the back plate 30 . The cutouts 100 include an axially oriented channel 104 having an axial length that allows the vane 32 to move relative to the back plate 30 in the axial direction. FIGS. 22A and 22B illustrate the concept that over time the axial outer edge 106 of the vane 32 wears against the inner surface 108 of the chamber 24 . Over time the vane 32 will decrease in axial length due to the wear, but the vane will automatically reposition itself relative to the back plate 30 such that the outer axial edge 106 remains in contact with the interior surface of the chamber while the axial inner edge 102 increasingly separates from the inner surface of the chamber 24 to form a gap 110 . As also illustrated, the hub 112 is configured with an inner notch 114 to fixedly secure the perimeter edge 42 of the back plate and an axially extended outer notch 116 to allow the tab 118 at the inner radial edge 120 of the vane 32 to float relative to the hub 112 . The hub 112 may comprise multiple component pieces interconnected during assembly in order to secure the vane and back plate. In this manner, the vane is allowed to float and maintain contact with the inner surface of the chamber to provide a best case for efficiency and permit longer life for the impeller vanes 32 .
[0094] In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that one may dismantle and existing pump and change the vanes to thereby transform an existing pump into something better. However, the ability to design and produce quickly the a more perfect impeller for a given application is an equally if not more important benefit. The more perfect impeller design being the design that achieves the desired flow and head at the lowest power draw or highest efficiency and at the lowest part cost. For a given pump application, the more perfect impeller may be designed and manufactured more quickly and effectively, giving the end user or customer significantly improved if not optimal performance and service
[0095] The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the invention are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.
[0096] While various embodiments of the safety system present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. Other modifications or uses for the present invention will also occur to those of skill in the art after reading the present disclosure. Such modifications or uses are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.
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The present disclosure relates to impellers with removable and replaceable vanes, and methods of constructing such impellers. According to aspects of the present disclosure, a plurality of impeller back plates are provided with differently configured slots to receive removable vanes. In addition, a plurality of differently configured vanes are disclosed which may be connected to the plurality of impeller back plates. As a result, the desired performance characteristics of a pump based upon end use applications may be efficiently and quickly achieved by combining appropriately configured vanes and back plate into a desired impeller providing the desired characteristics, together with a particular pump casing and motor.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a compression release valve for a combustion piston engine, said valve including a housing with a chamber having an inlet connected to the combustion chamber of the engine and an outlet connected to the atmosphere or a space separated from the combustion chamber.
Compression release valves are used in combustion engines to reduce the required starting effect, especially for engines being equipped with manually operated starting devices, e.g. chain sawes and the like, but also for engines having electrically operated starting equipment, since said equipment in such a case can have less dimensions.
A conventional design of a known compression release valve defines a valve that is opened manually before the engine is started and closed automatically when the engine has started. A drawback in such an arrangement is that the valve must be easily accessible, this is not always effected in a simple way, e.g. in the case of engine units that are carried on the back. A further drawback is that the manual operation of the valve constitutes an extra working moment that makes the preparations for starting of the engine more long-winded.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,933 a fully automatic compression release valve is previously known, said valve including a bimetal disc that assumes a curved shape when the engine is started and the disc is heated. With the aid of the combustion pressure a venting hole is sealed, said venting hole emanating from the combustion chamber. Thus, it is a question of using the change in shape of the bimetal, said change being dependent upon the temperature, and also secure sealing by the combustion pressure. As regards the structural design of the compression release valve according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,933 it should be observed that the bimetal disc does not directly adjoin the combustion chamber but via a venting hole. This means that the reaction of the bimetal disc will be delayed both in sealing and opening of the venting hole. Due to the fact that gases from the combustion chamber during running of the engine heat the cast aluminium that holds the bimetal disc it seems very likely that after the engine is shut off it takes a certain time before the compression release valve opens. This is important since shut off and restart of the engine often takes place in immediate cronological order.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks discussed above in the known automatic compression release valve discussed above. This is achieved by a compression release valve that has been given the characteristics of the appending claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention a compression release valve for a combustion piston engine, which has a cylinder and a combustion chamber, includes a housing separate from the cylinder and having a chamber, and an element at least partly received in the chamber and having an end portion directly exposed in the combustion chamber. The housing also has at least one hole that connects the chamber to a space separated from the combustion chamber and a passage which connects the chamber to the combustion chamber. The element is made out of a material having a different coefficient of thermal expansion than the material that the housing is made out of so that upon rise of the temperature in the combustion chamber, a relative displacement between the element and the housing occurs which seals the passage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Below a number of embodiments of the invention will be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein;
FIG. 1 is an elevational view, in partial cross-section, of a portion of a cylinder of an engine which includes a compression release valve according to the present invention;
FIGS. 2a and 2b are enlarged views of a portion of the compression release valve of FIG. 1 wherein dimensional changes are exaggerated for clarity reasons;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view, in partial cross-section, of an alternative embodiment of the compression release valve of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4a and 4b are enlarged views of a portion of the compression release valve of FIG. 3 wherein dimensional changes are exaggerated for clarity reasons;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view, in partial cross-section, of a further embodiment of the compression release valve of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 6 is an elevational view, in partial cross-section, of still a further embodiment of the compression release valve of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The compression release valve 10 shown in FIGS.1 and 2a, 2b includes a housing 12 having a threaded socket 14 that is received in a correspondingly threaded hole in a cylinder wall 16 of a, in FIG. 1 partly shown, cylinder 18 of a combustion piston engine. The housing 12 includes a chamber 20 that is connected to the combustion chamber 22 of the engine via an opening 24. The chamber 20 is connected to the atmosphere via a number of radial holes 26 in the housing 12.
In the chamber 20 a bulb/valve element 28 is received, said bulb/valve element 28 being provided with a cone 30 at its end facing towards the opening 24, said cone 30 cooperating with the opening 24. The end of the bulb/valve element 28 facing away from the opening 24 is received in a recess in a plug 32, the free surface of said end abut an insulation disc 34 in the recess. The insulation disc is made out of a material having a low coefficient of thermal conductivity, e.g. glass. The plug 32 is received in the housing via a thread connection.
The housing 12 is made out of a material having low coefficient of heat expansion, e.g. lower than 2×10 -6 /C°. A suitable material for the housing 12 is the nickel steel Invar (36% nickel). The bulb/valve element 28 is made out of a material having a high coefficient of heat expansion, e.g. in the magnitude of 26×10 -6 /C°. A suitable material for the bulb/valve element 28 is magnesium or another light metal having a relatively high melting point.
The device described above functions in the following way. When the engine is not running the bulb/valve element 28 assumes the position shown in FIG. 2a, i.e. the cone 30 does not seal against the opening 24 but there is a gap between the bulb/valve element 28 and the opening 24, said gap preferably being in the magnitude of 0.1-0.2 mm. This means av evacuation area of 1-3 mm 2 depending on the dimensions of the valve, said dimensions being adapted to the cylinder volume of the engine. In FIG. 2a the dimensions of the gap are exaggerated for clarity reasons.
When the motor is to be started, either manually or with the aid of a starter motor, a certain gas flow can pass through the gap between the opening 24 and the cone 30 and then via the chamber 20 and the radial holes 26 out into the atmosphere. This means that the compression decreases and the engine is turned easier, regardless if it is carried out manually or by a motor. When the engine has started there is, due to the combustion, immediately a very rapid heating of the bulb/valve element 28 since the cone 30 is directly exposed against the combustion chamber 22. The bulb/valve element 28 thereby expands axially, the cone 30 seals against the opening 24 since the axial expansion of the housing 12 is essentially less than that of the bulb/valve element 28. As indicated in FIG. 2a and 2b also a radial expansion of the bulb/valve element 28 takes place. In the figures the radial expansion of the cone is most appearent. However, the dimension relations must be such that no contact occurs between the periphery of the cone 30 and the inner wall of the chamber 20.
In this connection it should be pointed out that the width of the gap is of great importance. As soon as the engine is not running the gap must be sufficiently small to give sufficiently high compression to start the engine and simultaneously the gap must be sufficiently large to avoid a too high compression in the starting moment.
As long as the engine is running the bulb/valve element 28 is subjected to a very strong heat exposure with very few possibilities to carry off the heat due to the fact that the isolation disc 34 is manufactured out of a material having a low coefficient of thermal conductivity. Further the contact of the cone 30 against the opening 24 is along a circle line, this also giving rise to small possibilities of carrying off the heat from the bulb/valve element 28 to the housing 12.
Since the combustion in the combustion chamber 22 takes place at a temperature of 700-800° C. the bulb/valve element is exposed to this temperature. As soon as the combustion ceases, i.e. when the engine has come to a stop, there is instantly a drastic lowering of the temperature in the combustion chamber 22 down to about 200° C. Consequently the gap between the opening 24 and the cone 30 is re-created in a very short time, i.e. a few seconds. This means that the compression release valve according to the invention in principle always functions even in case of very quick re-starting.
The embodiment described in FIG. 3, 4a and 4b of a compression release valve 10' differs from the one described above through the design of the bulb/valve element 28', the plug 32' and the insulation disc 34'. The remaining details are in principle identical with the details of the embodiment described above and therefore said details have been given the same reference numerals.
The bulb/valve element 28' has in principle the shape of a shim having a circular cross-section in a plane transverse to the longitudinal extension of the bulb/valve element 28'. A pigot 29' of the bulb/valve element 28' is located in the opening 24, said pigot 29' having the aim of displacing the exposure surface closer to the combustion chamber 22. The remaining part of the bulb/valve element 28' has a diameter that exceeds the diameter of the opening 24, this being a guarantee that the bulb/valve element 28' is retained in the chamber 20. The diameter of the bulb/valve element 28' is adapted to the diameter of the chamber 20 in such a way that when the engine is not running there is a gap between the bulb/valve element 28' and the wall of the chamber 20, see FIG. 4a. The dimensions of said gap are exaggerated for clarity reasons.
The gap has the effect that the pressure increase that occurs in the combustion chamber when the engine is started, either manually or via the starter motor, elevates the bulb/valve element 28' somewhat, see FIG. 4a, in order to admit gas to flow out through the opening 24 and bypass the bulb/valve element 28', said gas being discharged to the atmosphere via the radial holes 26.
When the engine has started there is instantly, through the combustion, a very rapid heating of the bulb/valve element 28' due to the fact that the spigot 29' is directly exposed towards the combustion chamber 22. The bulb/valve element 28' then expands and the radial expansion brings about that the periphery of the bulb/valve element 28' will sealingly contact the wall of the chamber 20, see FIG. 4b. In the disclosed embodiment the bulb/valve element 28' is designed with two axially separated sealing surfaces. This is only an example of different sealing arrangements that are possible. There is also an axial expansion that not is used for sealing purposes in this embodiment.
The materials of the housing 12 and the bulb/valve element 28', as well as the gap and the evacuation area are preferably the same as for the embodiment described above. Thus the function of the re-start described in connection with said above embodiment is also pertinent for the embodiment according to FIGS. 3, 4a and 4b.
In this connection it should be pointed out that for both the described embodiments a sealing against the pressure in the combustion chamber 22, i.e. the pressure in the combustion chamber 22 does not support the sealing but is rather acting to abrogate the sealing. Within the scope of the invention it is possible to have a sealing arrangement that is designed in such a way that the pressure in the combustion chamber supports the sealing in connection with the thermal expansion, i.e. sealing is effected when the bulb/valve element is allowed to expand in a direction away from the combustion chamber 22. In such a case it is likely that a spring is acting on the bulb/valve element to maintain a gap when the engine is not running.
The embodiment of the compression release valve 10" disclosed in FIG. 5 includes a housing 12" made out of a material having a relatively seen high coefficient of heat expansion while the bulb/valve element 28" is made out of a material (Invar) having a relatively seen low coefficient of thermal expansion, i.e. the coefficient of thermal expansion for the housing 12" is essentially higher than that of the bulb/valve element 28".
As is evident from FIG. 5 the housing 12" is received in the wall 16" of the cylinder 18", said housing 12" being surrounded by an insulation 13" that to a great extent prevents heat transmission from the housing 12" to the wall 16" of the cylinder 18".
The housing 12" has a chamber 20" that is partly the location of the bulb/valve element 28". At its end facing towards the combustion chamber the bulb/valve element 28" has a cone 30". Said cone 30" cooperate with the open end 24" of the chamber facing towards the combustion chamber. When the engine is not running there is a gap between the open end 24" and the cone 30". The end of the bulb/valve element 28" that is facing away from the combustion chamber is secured in the wall 16" of the cylinder, e.g. by a thread connection. A channel 26" extends from the chamber 20" to the atmosphere.
The embodiment according to FIG. 5 functions in such a way that when the engine is not running the valve assumes the position of FIG. 5, i.e. compression gases are discharged via the open end 24", the chamber 20" and the channel 26" to the atmosphere. As soon as the engine starts a rapid axial thermal expansion of the housing 12" will take place, the open end 24" seals against the cone 30". It should be noted that the sealing is effected through linear contact and more specifically through a circle line. Thereby the heat transmission from the housing 12" to the cone 30" is reduced.
When the engine comes to a stop there is a rapid decrease in temperature in the combustion chamber and the gap between the open end 24" and the cone 30" is re-established almost instantly.
According to the embodiments described above the compression release valve is located in the cylinder. Within the scope of the invention it is also possible that the compression release valve is located in the piston as is the case in FIG. 6.
In the embodiment according to FIG. 6 the valve housing 12'" is received in the upper part of the piston, said housing 12'" in the disclosed embodiment being threadily connected to the piston. A bulb/valve element 28'" is received in a chamber 20'" in the housing 12'". The bulb/valve element 28'" has one end exposed towards the combustion chamber 22'" while the other end contacts an insulation disc 34'" also received in the chamber 20'". The insulation disc 34'" is made out of a material having a low coefficient of thermal conductivity, e.g. glass.
The insulation disc 34'" contacts in its turn a support disc 35'" that is provided with axial slots 26'" in its periphery to effect evacuation of gases from the combustion chamber before the engine has started and the valve is closed. The support disc 35'" is carried by a locking ring 36'" that is received in a groove in the valve housing 12'".
The compression release valve according to FIG. 6 functions principially in the same way as the valve of the embodiment according to FIG. 1, i.e. when the engine has started the bulb/valve element 28'" expands axially and a collar 29'" of the bulb/valve element 28'" seals against a seat 31'" provided in the cavity 20'" of the housing 12'". It should be pointed out that the space receiving the exhaust gases when the compression release valve is open constitutes the bearing space of the crank shaft (the crankcase). However, this functions in an excellent way since the pressure in this space is considerably lower than the pressure in the combustion chamber.
Significant for the compression release valve according to the present invention is that the housing 12;12';12";12'" is made out of a uniform material and that the bulb/valve element 28;28';28";28'" is made out of a different uniform material.
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The present invention relates to a compression release valve (10;10';10";10'") for a combustion piston engine, said valve including a housing (12;12";12'") with a chamber (20;20';20'") having a passage (24;24";24'") in direct connection with the combustion chamber (22;22") of the engine and outlet means (26;26";26'") connected to the atmosphere or a space separated from the combustion chamber (22;22"). The compression release valve according to the present invention is characterized by being fully automatic. The function of the compression release valve is based on the fact that the valve includes elements of material having different coefficients of thermal expansion.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a diffuser system for centrifugal compressors in which the air that is discharged from the rotating impeller is turned both radially and axially with fewer losses. More particularly, the present invention relates to a diffuser having improved diffuser recovery by minimizing boundary layer build-up that would otherwise partially block the diffuser flow passageway, and also one having reduced total pressure loss.
Centrifugal compressors are often utilized in gas turbine engines to raise the pressure of the incoming air before it enters a combustion chamber, within which the air is mixed with fuel and the fuel-air mixture is ignited to provide output power in the form of jet thrust or shaft horsepower. Such compressors generally include a rotatable, disk-like impeller that has on its upstream face a plurality of substantially radially-extending impeller blades. The impeller is contained within a casing that defines an inlet opening at the hub of the impeller and an outlet opening adjacent the impeller periphery. Between the impeller periphery and the compressor outlet opening there is provided a diffuser for receiving the air that is centrifugally discharged from the rotating impeller at a high velocity, to convert the kinetic energy of the air leaving the impeller into increased static pressure, and simultaneously to turn the airflow from a substantially tangential direction, relative to the impeller, to one that has a major velocity component in the axial direction of the compressor.
It has been found that much of the efficiency losses of centrifugal compressors occur in the diffuser system. Those losses arise as a consequence of the need to reduce the velocity of the air that leaves the rotating impeller, and the need to remove from the flow stream the high degree of swirl by turning the flow stream into a generally axial direction. Simultaneously, the flow is turned from a radially outward direction, at which it leaves the impeller periphery, to a generally inward direction toward the compressor longitudinal axis, so the high pressure air can be introduced at a relatively low velocity into the combustor that is axially downstream of the compressor.
With respect to the velocity reduction, the Mach number of the flow at the impeller exit is generally in the transonic range, from about 0.9 to about 1.2, and that Mach number must be reduced at the combustor inlet to a value typically of about 0.1. Along with the velocity reduction, the swirl from the impeller periphery, which can be an angle of the order of from about 65° to about 76°, is reduced so that it is not greater than about 5° at the combustor inlet. Additionally, the airflow must be turned from a generally radially outward flow direction to a substantially axially and radially inward flow direction, which oftentimes involves turning the airflow through an angle of from about 90° to about 140°.
Those velocity and directional changes are generally accomplished by providing a diffuser in which the air flows through a diverging passageway to reduce the velocity, an axisymmetric bend to turn the flow from radially outward to substantially axial, and also a deswirler cascade of turning vanes to turn the flow into an axial direction. In the course of slowing and redirecting the airflow, the diffuser and deswirler systems contribute losses that are largely inherent in such arrangements, and also additional losses that occur as a result of build-up of a boundary layer within the diffuser, which operates to constrict the flow through the diffuser and thereby reduce its efficiency.
The present invention serves to improve the efficiency of centrifugal compressor diffusers by reducing aerodynamic blockage to improve diffuser recovery, and by reducing the total pressure loss by providing a diffuser expansion area ratio that is substantially an optimum value.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a diffuser is provided for a centrifugal compressor that includes an impeller rotatably carried within a casing. The diffuser includes a plurality of diffuser passageways that have their respective longitudinal axes disposed tangentially to an imaginary circle that has its center coincident with the impeller axis. The diffuser passageways include a diffuser inlet region that commences adjacent the impeller periphery, a diffuser throat region that is downstream of the diffuser inlet region, and a diffuser outlet region that is downstream of the diffuser throat region. The diffuser passageways are each bounded by a pair of circumferentially spaced diffuser panels having respective leading edges adjacent the impeller periphery and that lie on a diffuser leading edge circle. The diffuser panels also have trailing edges that are spaced radially outwardly of and circumferentially offset from the leading edges and that lie on a diffuser trailing edge circle. At least one ridge is provided that extends substantially longitudinally relative to and within the diffuser inlet region between the impeller periphery and the diffuser leading edge circle. The at least one ridge also extends inwardly into the diffuser passageway and is positioned between and is spaced from the leading edges of adjacent diffuser panels. The ridges serve to mix air that leaves the impeller and that enters the diffuser passageway to reduce boundary layer build-up upstream of the diffuser throat region.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the diffuser outlet regions include splitter vanes that divide the flow adjacent the exit to the diffuser outlet region. Providing such splitter vanes permits a larger overall expansion ratio in the region in which the splitter vanes are provided. Moreover, the splitter vanes serve as deswirler vanes to reduce the tangential flow component of the air that exits from the diffuser.
In accordance with further aspect of the present invention, deswirler splitter vanes can be provided in the deswirler section of the compressor outlet to aid in efficiently turning the flow into an axial direction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The structure, operation, and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of one known form of centrifugal compressor.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the centrifugal compressor shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view of a centrifugal compressor showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal cross-sectional view of the centrifugal compressor diffuser section of the compressor shown in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through two adjacent diffuser panels for the diffuser shown in FIG. 4 .
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view looking aft from the compressor inlet and showing a pair of diffuser panels and downstream deswirler vanes.
FIG. 7 is an orientation diagram showing the direction of the engine axis and other directions for the structure shown in FIG. 6 .
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view looking forward from a point downstream of the compressor discharge.
FIG. 9 is an orientation diagram showing the direction of the engine axis and other directions for the structure shown in FIG. 8 .
FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of an EDM electrode for forming a diffuser passage of the type shown in FIGS. 4, 5 , and 6 .
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 11 — 11 of FIG. 10 .
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 12 — 12 of FIG. 10 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, there is shown one form of known centrifugal compressor 10 suitable for use in an aircraft gas turbine engine. Compressor 10 includes an impeller disk 12 that carries a plurality of generally radially-extending impeller blades 14 that radiate outwardly from a central hub 16 . A drive shaft 18 extends through hub 16 and is drivingly coupled with a turbine (not shown) that is driven by heated combustion products from combustion that occurs in a combustor (not shown) positioned between the compressor and the turbine.
Radially outward of impeller disk 12 and in longitudinal alignment with outermost edges of the respective impeller blades 14 is a diffuser 20 that is defined by a plurality of curved, radially positioned, partially overlapped but tangentially spaced panels 22 that define diffuser passageways 24 therebetween. The inlets of diffuser passageways 24 each open to and communicate with the annular space at the outer periphery of impeller disk 12 , and the outlets of diffuser passageways 24 open to and communicate with respective discharge openings 26 provided in an outer casing 28 . Discharge openings 26 have connected thereto a respective elbow 30 that serves to turn the flow from a swirling, rotational direction to a circumferentially-arranged series of axially-rearwardly-directed flows that are adapted to flow into the gas turbine combustor (not shown).
In the operation of the centrifugal compressor, impeller disk 12 is rotated, in a clockwise direction as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, so that air is drawn into the impeller at an annular area at central hub 16 that is sometimes referred to as the “eye” of the compressor impeller. When impeller disk 12 is rotated, impeller blades 14 impart rotational motion to the incoming air, which is directed radially outwardly along impeller blades 14 by virtue of centrifugal force. When the air within the impeller reaches the outermost radial ends of impeller blades 14 , at the periphery of impeller disk 12 , the air has an absolute velocity, relative to the compressor longitudinal axis, that is in a direction that extends angularly relative to impeller disk 12 . Thus, the air leaving the impeller has a radial velocity component as well as a tangential velocity component, which together provide a resultant velocity vector that is at an angle that can be of the order of from about 65° to about 76°.
The swirling air that leaves blades 14 of the rotating impeller flows into the respective diffuser passageways 24 , which by virtue of their diverging flow area reduce the absolute velocity of the air, thereby transforming part of the kinetic energy of the air into higher static pressure. The reduced velocity air is then turned through an angle greater than 90° and flows into the combustor.
Although shown as having a plurality of circumferentially-spaced discharge openings 26 and interconnected elbows 30 , the compressor outlet area can be so configured that the air leaving the diffuser flows instead into an annulus with interiorly positioned flow straightening vanes (not shown), to turn the flow from the transverse, generally tangential direction to a substantially axial direction.
An embodiment of an improved centrifugal compressor diffuser that has a high efficiency, by virtue of incorporating elements that operate to reduce the flow losses that frequently occur in the prior art diffuser structures, is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A stationary diffuser housing 32 is positioned radially adjacent the exit openings of impeller blades 14 to receive the airflow as it leaves the impeller. Diffuser housing 32 includes a plurality of diffuser passageways 34 , each of which extends as a tangent to an imaginary circle that has its center coincident with the impeller axis. Each of diffuser passageways 34 is in partially overlapped relationship with adjacent diffuser passageways, similar to the diffuser passageway positioning shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and thus the longitudinal cross-sectional views of FIGS. 3 and 4 each show portions of two adjacent, partially overlapping diffuser passageways 34 .
Positioned radially outwardly of diffuser housing 32 is an annular casing 36 that is defined by a curved outer wall 38 and a corresponding curved inner wall 40 that is spaced radially inwardly of outer wall 38 . Outer and inner walls 38 , 40 together define an outlet flow passageway 42 that is of annular, axisymmetric form. Flow passageway 42 serves to turn the airflow leaving the diffuser passageways 34 so that the radial velocity component of the airflow is turned through an angle greater than 90°, to flow in a generally axial direction relative to the compressor longitudinal axis.
Flow passageway 42 also includes a plurality of generally radially extending and circumferentially spaced turning vanes 44 that are provided to turn the flow that exits from diffuser passageways 34 into a substantially axial direction from the generally tangential direction of the flow as it leaves the respective diffuser passageways 34 and flows through outlet passageway 42 .
A diffuser passageway 34 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 5, which is a fragmentary, transverse cross-sectional view through diffuser housing 32 . FIG. 5 shows one pair of adjacent, spaced diffuser panels 46 that define therebetween a diffuser flow passageway 34 . It should be understood that diffuser housing 32 includes a plurality of diffuser panels that are substantially equally circumferentially distributed within the diffuser housing. Each diffuser panel 46 includes a leading edge 48 that extends in a generally axial direction relative to the compressor longitudinal axis, and the several diffuser panel leading edges lie on an imaginary circle that has a radius R 1 as shown. The impeller periphery has a smaller radius R 2 that results in an annular gap between the impeller periphery and the diffuser panel leading edges 48 , the gap having a radial dimension R 1 -R 2 . Within the annular gap are a series of axially-extending ledges 50 , each of which is a partial extension of the leading edge 48 of a diffuser panel 46 , but which extends only partially across the entire axial dimension of diffuser panel 46 , as best seen in FIG. 6, and can have an axial extent of up to about 25% of the height of diffuser panel 46 . The purpose of ledges 50 is to provide a projection that extends into the flow stream for disrupting the boundary layer as the flow stream passes from the impeller to between diffuser panels 46 , and thereby cause the formation of flow vortices that enhance mixing of the boundary layer and the main flow field.
Diffuser passageway 34 includes a diffuser inlet region 52 that extends from the impeller periphery to a constant cross-sectional area diffuser throat region 54 . Because ledges 50 do not extend completely across the flow passageway, diffuser inlet region 52 is not a completely bounded passageway. Diffuser throat region 54 , on the other hand, is a bounded passageway, and the constant area throat portion can extend for a longitudinal distance of about 50% of the passageway width. Immediately downstream of diffuser throat region 54 is a first diffusion region 56 , within which the axially-extending diffuser wall surfaces defined by diffuser panels 46 diverge from each other in a downstream direction. The included angle of divergence between adjacent diffuser wall surfaces in first diffusion region 56 is selected to be an included angle of the order of from about 6° to about 8°, to provide sufficient velocity reduction of the consistent with minimal accompanying pressure loss due to flow separation from the diffuser wall surfaces, which could occur if the divergence angle were significantly larger. As shown in FIG. 5, the trailing edges 58 of diffuser panels 46 lie on a circle having a radius designated by R 4 .
Positioned within diffuser inlet region 52 is a ridge 60 that extends substantially linearly and into diffuser inlet region 52 . Ridge 60 is positioned at a point within diffuser passageway 34 intermediate adjacent ledges 50 . Ridge 60 extends from a point adjacent to but radially outward from the impeller periphery into the diffuser inlet region for a length L to terminate at a point upstream of the diffuser throat region. As shown in FIG. 5, the downstream end of ridge 60 lies inwardly of an imaginary circle having a radius R 1 and passing through diffuser panel leading edges 48 , as shown in FIG. 5 .
As also shown in FIG. 5, positioned downstream of first diffusion region 56 is a second diffusion region 62 . Within second diffusion region 62 is a flow divider 64 that extends inwardly of an imaginary circle having a radius R 4 and passing through the diffuser panel trailing edges 58 adjacent the downstream exit opening of the diffuser. Flow divider 64 extends into second diffusion region 62 , and its leading edge lies on an imaginary circle having a radius R 3 that is smaller than radius R 4 . The imaginary circle having the radius R 3 thus divides the diffusion region into a first, upstream diffusion region 56 that extends from the diffuser throat region to points that lie on the circle having the radius R 3 . The region downstream and outward of the imaginary circle having the radius R 3 and lying between that circle and the imaginary circle having the radius R 4 defines second diffusion region 62 .
First diffusion region 56 has a divergence included angle that defines a first diffusion region. Within second diffusion region 62 , diffuser panels 46 have opposed surfaces that diverge outwardly at a greater divergence included angle, to thereby define a diffusion region where the overall rate of area expansion is greater than that of the first diffusion region. However, because flow divider 64 extends into second diffusion region 62 , the effective divergence included angles in each portion of second diffusion region 62 can be made to be no larger than that of first diffusion region 56 . As a result, the rates of area expansion in each diffusion region can be maintained at a desirable value for optimum diffusion with lower losses. Thus, more effective conversion of the flow velocity into pressure head can be achieved, and in a shorter length diffuser to thereby result in a smaller frontal area for the compressor casing, which is a desirable attribute in an aircraft engine application.
Flow divider vanes 64 are the upstream portions of turning vanes 44 . As shown in FIG. 4, turning vanes 44 extend within outlet passageway 42 for turning the flow from a generally tangential direction relative to the compressor longitudinal axis into a substantially axial direction relative to that axis.
FIGS. 6 and 8 show in three-dimensional form the diffuser passageway defined by diffuser panels 46 and turning vanes 44 that extend into the diffuser passageway. Also shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 are splitter vanes 66 that are provided in the downstream region of outlet passageway 42 . Splitter vanes 66 serve to further divide the flow into additional flow streams and to assist in turning them into a substantially axial direction.
The orientation of the elements in FIG. 6 is based upon FIG. 7, which shows the direction of the compressor axis 68 , the compressor radial direction 70 , and the tangential direction 71 for the several elements shown in FIG. 6 . Similarly, FIG. 9 shows for FIG. 8 the directions along which the compressor axis 68 lies, the radial direction 70 , and the tangential direction 71 .
The diffuser passageway shown in FIG. 5 can be formed by an EDM electrode 72 that is shown in perspective view in FIG. 10 . Electrode 72 is an elongated body that includes a rearwardly diverging portion 74 for forming the diffusion sections 56 and 62 of the diffuser passageway, a constant area throat portion 76 for forming the throat area of the diffuser passageway, and a forwardly converging portion 78 for forming the diffuser inlet region. Inwardly extending ridges 60 within inlet region 52 of the passageway can be formed by providing recesses 80 in the electrode surface in forward converging portion 78 . As best seen in FIGS. 11 and 12, ridges 60 are formed by opposed recesses 80 in the electrode, the recesses having curved sides that join to define a cusp 82 that extends into the forward diverging portion of the electrode. As shown in FIG. 11, the recess height tapers along the electrode axis so that the recess bottom is substantially parallel to the electrode axis. Also as shown in FIG. 11, in the downstream region adjacent to the constant area throat portion 76 , the depth of recess 80 rapidly diminishes to zero at a point immediately upstream of the constant area throat region.
Those skilled in the art will thus appreciate that the present invention as hereinabove disclosed and as shown in the several drawings can provide improved and more efficient operation of a centrifugal compressor diffuser.
Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended to encompass within the appended claims all such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention.
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A diffuser for a centrifugal compressor in which the diffuser has a plurality of passageways that each include a diffuser inlet region, a diffuser throat region, and a diffusion region. Within the diffuser inlet region are positioned pairs of opposed ridges that disrupt the boundary layer growth and minimize aerodynamic blockage at the throat region. The diffusion region includes a first diffusion region downstream of the throat region and that has a first area expansion ratio, and the second diffusion region that includes flow dividers to allow a total area expansion rate within the second diffusion region that is about twice that of the area expansion rate in the first diffusion region.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to aluminum extruded tubing for automotive applications.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Vehicle manufacturers are implementing lighter, stronger materials, such as aluminum alloys to meet emission reduction goals, meet fuel economy goals, reduce manufacturing costs, and reduce vehicle weight. Increasingly demanding safety standards must be met while reducing vehicle weight. One approach to meeting these competing interests and objectives is to hydro-form high strength aluminum alloy tubular blanks into strong, lightweight hydro-formed parts.
[0003] Aluminum tube types include seam-welded tube, extruded seamless tube, and extruded structural tube. Seam-welded tube and extruded seamless tube are expensive. Extruded structural tubes are lower in cost because they are formed in a continuous mill operation having a greater line and material utilization efficiency than extruded seamless tubes and seam-welded tubes.
[0004] Extruded structural tubes are formed by extruding an aluminum billet through an extrusion die at a high temperature and at high pressure. Discontinuous material flow across the section of the shape occurs when the flowing aluminum separates in the mandrel plate and re-converges in the cap section. A weld line, or joining line, is created where the flowing aluminum re-converges to form the extruded shape. Extruded structural tubes may have two or more weld lines that are an artifact of the porthole extrusion process.
[0005] Hydro-forming complex parts may require a series of bending, pre-forming, hydro-forming, piercing and machining operations. Bending and hydro-forming aluminum tubes is not currently in use in high volume production operations. (i.e., more than 100,000 units/year) Aluminum intensive vehicles (AIVs) are envisioned that use metal forming methods consistent with current conventional automotive manufacturing methods.
[0006] The above challenges and other challenges are addressed by this disclosure as summarized below.
SUMMARY
[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an extruded aluminum alloy tube for hydroforming into an automotive body component includes a wall defining a closed perimeter. The wall includes weld seams disposed in the wall and running longitudinally along the tube. An extruded pip is disposed on the wall and runs longitudinally along the tube and between the seams. The pip is parallel to the seams and is configured to identify a location of the seams for alignment of the tube during manufacturing.
[0008] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method is disclosed for forming an aluminum alloy vehicle body component. An aluminum alloy billet is extruded into an aluminum tube that includes longitudinal weld seams formed in a sidewall of the tube during extrusion. A weld seam locating pip is also formed on a sidewall of the tube during extrusion. The pip is substantially parallel to the weld seams and is used to locate the weld seams during manufacturing of the body component. The pip may be disposed between the weld seams.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded diagrammatical view of a porthole extrusion die made according to one embodiment of this disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of an extruded tube formed by the porthole extrusion die shown in FIG. 1 .
[0011] FIG. 2A is a detail view of a pip feature on the tube.
[0012] FIG. 2B is a detail view of a pip feature on the tube according to an alternative design.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a rotary draw bending tool.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of a hydroforming die in the open position.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the hydroforming die of FIG. 4 in the closed position.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a fragmented perspective view of a hydro-formed vehicle body component.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a fragmented elevation view of a truck cab with the body panels removed.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating one example of a method of forming a hydro-formed body component that includes a pip locating feature.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The illustrated embodiments are disclosed with reference to the drawings. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are intended to be merely examples that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. The specific structural and functional details disclosed are not to be interpreted as limiting, but as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to practice the disclosed concepts.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 1 , a porthole extrusion die 10 is shown that includes a container 12 . The container 12 includes a cavity 14 defining a cavity surface 16 . A mandrel plate 18 is received within the cavity 14 . The mandrel plate 18 includes an outer ring 20 and central element 22 that are connected to each other by a plurality of webs 24 . The outer ring 20 is disposed against the cavity surface 16 . The central element 22 includes an extended portion that projects axially in the downstream direction. The outer ring 20 , the central element 22 and the webs 24 define a plurality of openings 26 .
[0021] The extrusion die 10 also includes a cap 30 . The cap 30 , when installed is disposed inside the cavity 14 and adjacent to the mandrel plate 18 on the downstream side of the mandrel plate 18 . The cap 30 defines an opening 32 . The extended portion projects into the opening 32 . The extended portion 34 includes an inside diameter (ID) forming surface 36 . Forming surface 36 includes a marking element 28 . The cap 30 includes an outside diameter (OD) forming surface 38 . The ID forming surface 36 and the OD forming surface 38 cooperate to define an orifice though which the extruded tube exits the die 10 .
[0022] The aluminum alloy billet 40 is extruded at high temperature and pressure through the extrusion die 10 . In a first stage, the billet 40 is extruded through the mandrel plate 18 . The mandrel plate 18 separates the billet 40 into a plurality of tube sections 42 as the billet passes through the openings 26 .
[0023] In a second stage, the forming surfaces 36 , 38 cause the tube sections 42 to re-converge at the cap 30 forming a structural tube 44 . Re-convergence of the tube sections 42 creates weld seams 48 where the tube sections are joined to each other. (The weld seams are not welds in the traditional sense but rather are seams where pressure and heat forces two metal bodies together.) The marking element 28 creates a pip 52 in the aluminum as the aluminum passes over the forming surface 36 . The pip 52 is formed near in time with the formation of the weld seams and is located at a fixed position relative to the weld seams. Forming the pip 52 and the weld seams 48 near in time ensures a constant spatial relationship between the weld seams 48 and the pip 52 despite any twisting of the tube 44 that may occur during extrusion. The pip 52 is a locating feature that allows a person or machine to determine weld seam location.
[0024] As illustrated, the marking element 28 is located on the ID forming surface 36 and the pip 52 is located on an interior surface of the tube. Alternatively, the marking element may be located on the OD forming surface 38 and the pip 52 may be located on an exterior surface of the tube.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 2 , the aluminum alloy, porthole extruded, structural tube 44 is shown. The tube 44 may be a circular tube with a hollow circular center or may be another shape. The tube includes a sidewall 46 that has an interior surface 54 and an exterior surface 56 . The weld seams 48 are formed in the sidewall 46 . The weld seams 48 extend longitudinally along the length of the tube 44 and completely through the sidewall 46 . The pip 52 is disposed on the interior surface 54 . The pip 52 runs longitudinally along the length of the tube 44 . The pip 52 may be located between the weld seams 48 or may be located on one of the weld seams. The pip 52 and the seams 48 are substantially parallel to each other in a fixed spatial relationship. The pip 52 , as shown, is disposed on the interior surface 54 but the pip 52 may be disposed on the exterior surface 56 . The location and size of the pip 52 is determined by the location and size of the marking element 28 . The pip 52 as shown is enlarged for better visibility in the drawing.
[0026] The pip 52 may be a raised portion of the sidewall 46 as is shown in FIG. 2A . The raised pip 52 may be a ridge formed into the sidewall 46 . The ridge is formed by a recessed marking element 28 . For example, the marking element 28 may be a groove machined into the ID forming surface 36 . During extrusion, aluminum is forced into the groove forming the ridge.
[0027] Alternatively, the pip 53 may be a recessed portion in the sidewall 46 as is shown in FIG. 2B . The recessed pip 53 may be a groove formed into the sidewall 46 . The groove is formed by a raised marking element 28 . For example, the raised marking element may be a tooth disposed on the ID forming surface 36 . During extrusion, the tooth cuts a groove into the aluminum.
[0028] The structural tubes 44 are formed into a finished part by hydroforming the tube into a desired shape. Prior to hydroforming the tubes may go through a series of processes such as pre-bending, pre-forming and cutting. The weld seams have slightly different material properties than the rest of the tube. Consistent placement of the weld seams is necessary to ensure a consistent finished part in mass production. Damage can occur if the weld seams are not placed in a proper location during processing. For example, the tube can crack, split or blowout if misaligned in the hydroforming die. Aside from the problem of potential physical part damage, it is very desirable to provide an extruded tube that has consistent properties. Having final parts with different weld seam locations can lead to inconsistent part performance. For example, the weld seam location can affect the strength of the part. To mitigate this issue, the weld seams must be placed in the appropriate position within the manufacturing dies. Unlike steel tubes, that have visible welds, the weld seams on extruded aluminum tubes are almost undetectable with the naked eye and are very difficult to locate.
[0029] The pip 52 is a locating feature that allows a person or machine to determine locations of the seam welds without being able to see the seams. The pip can be identified by a person with the naked eye and can be identified by an optical scanner or eddy current machine. The pip and weld seam are formed during extrusion and have a fixed spatial position relative to each other. By knowing the location of the pip, the location of the weld seams can be determined. The location, size, type and shape of the pip may vary. The pip 52 may also be used to measure the amount of twist that is occurring during the extrusion process. Different amounts of twist are desired for different extrusion operations. The pip provides an convenient visible indicator that can be monitored during the extrusion process to ensure that proper twist is occurring.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 3 , a rotary draw bending tool 62 is shown. The tube 44 may go through a series of pre-bending stages to roughly shape the part prior to hydroforming so that the tube 44 will fit into the die. The tube 44 must be properly aligned in the bending tool 62 . If the weld seams 48 are not properly aligned during the pre-bending phase, then they will not be properly aligned during hydroforming. The pip 52 is used to properly align the tube 44 in the bending tool 62 . For example, the pip 52 is aligned with markings located on the bending tool 62 when the tube is loaded in the tool 62 . Alternatively, a robot may be programed to place the pip 52 in a specific location relative to the tool 62 . After proper alignment, the tube 44 is bent to form a pre-bent tube 66 . The pre-bent tube 66 may be pre-formed before hydroforming. The pre-forming may take place after the tube 44 is pre-bent.
[0031] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , a hydro-forming die 64 is shown. The die 64 includes a first die half 68 and a second die half 70 . The pre-bent tube 66 is loaded into the hydro-forming die 64 between the first and second die halves 68 , 70 . End plugs (not shown) are inserted into the open ends of the tube 44 . A pressurizing medium (such as water) is pumped into the tube 66 to pressurize the interior of the tube. The die halves are clamped together to form a hydro-formed part 72 . The tube 66 may be hydro-pierced in the hydroforming die 64 . In another embodiment, the pre-bent tube 66 is pre-formed prior to hydroforming.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 6 , the hydro-formed part 72 is shown to have weld seams 48 at specific locations. For example, the seams are located away from holes and curved portions of the part 72 . The pip 52 may be utilized throughout the pre-bending and hydroforming stages to ensure that the weld seams are in the design locations. Alternatively, the pip 52 may only be used at selected stages. For example, the pip may only be used at the pre-bending stage and thereafter the bends on the tube may be used to locate the weld seams. Proper alignment of the weld seams provides repeatable final parts with uniform strength, characteristics and performance. Variations in weld seam location may cause undesirable variations in the manufacturability, dimensional, or functional performance of the final product.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 7 , a side view of a truck cab 74 is shown with the body panels removed. The cab 74 includes a hydro-formed roof rail 76 . The roof rail 76 is a porthole extruded structural tube that may be manufactured using the previously described die and manufacturing process. The roof rail 76 attaches to the cab 74 at the hinge pillar 78 and at additional locations. The roof rail 76 provides rigidity to the cab and supports the body panels. The roof rail 76 must be strong to provide acceptable performance as tested in roof-crush, side impact, and other tests. Proper alignment of the weld seams in an extruded tube assures uniform strength and reduced variation in part performance.
[0034] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of forming an aluminum body part for a vehicle. References to the components parts in the following description of the method are illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7 . At step 100 an aluminum alloy structural tube 44 is formed with a porthole extrusion die 10 . The extrusion die 10 forms weld seams 48 in a sidewall 46 of the tube 44 . The extrusion die 10 also forms a pip 52 in the sidewall 46 of the tube 44 near in time with the formation of the weld seams 48 . For example the pip 52 and the weld seams 48 are formed essentially simultaneously. The tube 44 is extruded in a continuous operation. The tube 44 may be stretched after extrusion. At step 102 , the extruded structural tube 44 is cut into desired lengths. At step 104 the tubes 44 are aligned in a bending tool 62 using the pip 52 to place the weld seams 48 at a desired location relative to the bending tool 62 . The tube 44 is pre-bent with the tool at step 106 . The pre-bent tube 66 is placed into a hydroforming die 64 and hydro-formed into a finished part 72 at step 108 . Alternatively, the pre-bent tube is pre-formed prior to hydroforming. The finished part 72 is then installed onto a vehicle, such as a truck, at step 110 .
[0035] The embodiments described above are specific examples that do not describe all possible forms of the disclosure. The features of the illustrated embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosed concepts. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation. The scope of the following claims is broader than the specifically disclosed embodiments and also includes modifications of the illustrated embodiments.
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An extruded aluminum alloy tube for hydroforming into an automotive body component includes a wall defining a closed perimeter. The wall includes weld seams disposed in the wall and running longitudinally along the tube. An extruded pip is disposed on the wall and runs longitudinally along the tube. The pip is parallel to the seams and is configured to identify a location of the seams for alignment of the tube during manufacturing.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a filing under 35 U.S.C. §371 and claims priority to international patent application number PCT/EP2008/066895 filed Dec. 5, 2008, published on Jun. 11, 2009, as WO 2009/071665, which claims priority to patent application number 0723725.8 filed in Great Britain on Dec. 5, 2007.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus and an in-situ method for detecting cellular DNA damage. The invention is particularly suited for use in Comet assays and for automation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Damage to the integrity of a cell's DNA may occur through a variety of mechanisms. DNA breakage may be caused through chemical reaction as a result of ingestion or absorption of a drug or other chemical agent which reacts with DNA (Exon, J. H., J. Toxicol. Environ. Health B Crit. Rev., (2006), 9(5), 397-412). Alternatively DNA damage may be induced by via physical means, such as exposure to ionising radiation (Brendler-Schwaab, S. et. al. Mutat. Res., (2004), 566(1), 65-91), either alone, or in combination with a chemical agent by a photochemical mechanism. Any such DNA damage has the potential to lead to an inheritable defect in the genetic information carried by a cell and hence to potentiate the development of cancer.
[0004] Regulatory guidelines require that all registered drugs undergo assessment for DNA damage in a panel of assays. These assays include measurement of gene mutation in bacteria and determination of DNA damage in mammalian cells in-vitro and in-vivo. The assays are typically extremely time consuming and expensive to perform ($50,000/compound), and thus tend to be restricted to the end of the drug discovery process. Estimates of the cost of failure or inability to accurately predict toxicity early in drug development have been put as high as $8 billion/year, around 30% of all drug failure costs (Cambridge Healthtech Advances Life Sciences Report December 2004: Toxicogenomics and Predictive Toxicology: Market and Business Outlook). In addition to testing of new drugs, there is increasing regulatory activity to extend testing to other chemicals and materials, such as food dyes and cosmetics that are intended for human consumption or use, or which may be indirectly or accidentally consumed or ingested (OECD guideline for the testing of chemicals, draft proposal for a new guideline 487, June 2004).
[0005] In addition to testing newly developed drugs and other chemicals for induction of DNA damage there is increasing evidence that environmental factors may contribute to DNA damage, including diet (Young, G. P., Forum Nutr., (2007), 60, 91-6), pollution (Moller, P., Basic Clin. Pharmacol. Toxicol., (2006), 98(4), 336-45), and occupational exposure to mutagens (Faust, F. et. al., Toxicology (2004), 98(1-3), 341-50). The potential for a wide range of chemical, physical and physiochemical mechanisms to induce DNA damage requires that methods are available for screening and monitoring of individuals at risk (Lee, E. et. al., Toxicol. Sci., (2004), 81(1), 121-32) by analysis of DNA damage in blood, cell or tissue samples taken from such individuals.
[0006] The Comet assay is a single cell electrophoresis assay for detection of DNA damage in mammalian cells (Ostling, O., Johanson, K. J., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., (1984), 123(1), 291-8). Exposure of cells to compounds inducing DNA damage may produce single or double strand breaks in genomic DNA as well as chemical modifications. In the Comet assay treated cells are embedded in agarose, lysed, and treated with alkali to denature DNA. Subsequent electrophoresis leads to migration of fragmented DNA and/or relaxation of chromatin away from the nucleus, thereby producing the appearance of a Comet (from which the assay is named) which is imaged by fluorescence microscopy. The amount of DNA liberated from the head of the Comet into the tail is quantified as a measure of DNA damage.
[0007] The Comet assay has become widely used for assessing genotoxicity (DNA damage with the potential to lead to a heritable deletion or mutation) as it is very sensitive, provides single cell statistics and requires only small samples of cells. The assay is most commonly carried out using lymphocytes, but recent developments have focussed on the use of cells which may be obtained using minimally invasive procedures such as buccal cells from mouth swabs (Szeto, Y. T., et. al., Mutat. Res., (2005), 578(1-2), 371-81).
[0008] There is a current move within genotoxicity testing towards greater use of the Comet assay, as it is perceived as being equally sensitive to the in-vitro micronucleus assay, while providing higher specificity towards test compounds (Witte, I. et. al., Toxicol. Sci., (2007), 97(1), 21-6). Increasing the use of the Comet assay will generate a requirement for more efficient, higher throughput Comet assays to replace current laborious and subjective manual processing and analysis methods.
[0009] The Comet assay detects DNA damage by electrophoresis of cellular DNA. Cells to be tested are harvested by centrifugation and resuspended in buffer solution. Cells are combined with a molten solution of low melting point agarose and spread on a microscope slide. The agarose suspension of cells is then cooled and allowed to set. The slide is then immersed in a lysis solution to break open the cells and the cellular DNA is denatured by immersion of the slide in an alkaline solution. This lysis and denaturation procedure removes most of the cellular components except nuclear structural proteins and DNA which remain as discrete nucleoids. Following DNA lysis, the slide is washed several times with electrophoresis buffer and the slide transferred to a horizontal electrophoresis apparatus and subjected to an electric current. At this stage, any small DNA fragments resulting from damage to the cell DNA migrate in the electric field away from the bulk DNA which is retained in the nucleoids. Following electrophoresis, the slide is fixed in ethanol, stained for DNA using a fluorescent DNA binding dye and visualised by microscopy. Cells in which DNA damage has occurred show a staining pattern of a bright nucleoid head with a tail of DNA fragments trailing in the direction of electrophoresis.
[0010] Since the first use of the Comet assay a range of protocols using different lysis and denaturation reagents have been developed, and semi-automated image analysis is taking the place of manual scoring, although such automation does not constitute very high-throughput at 50 samples/day (Frieauff, W. et. al., Mutagenesis (2001) 16(2), 133-7). Some attempts have been made to adapt cell treatment steps of the protocol to the use of 96 well plates (Kiskinis, E. et. al., Mutagenesis (2002), 17(1), 37-43); however assays continue to be carried out using microscope slides for electrophoresis and imaging, the preparation of which limits the potential throughput of the assay.
[0011] US publication number 2003/0175821 describes an apparatus for microscopic Comet assay comprising a light-tight box, a stage and stage movement motors located within the box adapted to hold at least one slide. The apparatus is furnished with fluorescence illumination and a CCD image sensor for recording images of cells stained with a fluorescent compound. Additionally, the apparatus comprises an automated algorithm for measurement of the comet head and tail intensity, so as to define a tail moment value indicative of the presence or absence of DNA damage. While this method provides an improvement over manual scoring of Comet assays, the method still uses microscope slides for electrophoresis separation of DNA and is therefore subject to most of the throughput limitations of traditional Comet assay methods.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,548 describes the use of gel inserts comprising a solidified liquid such as agarose suitable for use in an electrophoretic method. Lysed cells entrapped within a matrix formed by the solidified liquid and macromolecules such as DNA or intact chromosomes derived from the lysed cells may be advantageously used in electrophoretic separations. The gel inserts are placed directly in a suitable support medium and subjected to one or more electric fields to separate the macromolecules. However this method is intended for use with DNA separations of genomic DNA specifically for the purpose of avoiding physical damage to the DNA by shearing caused by pipetting of DNA solutions, and does not relate to handling of samples for measurement of DNA damage, nor to high-throughput analysis of DNA.
[0013] Consequently there is a need for an apparatus and a method for performing DNA damage assays by the Comet method which allow rapid quantitative analysis, are robust and do not rely on subjective interpretation, and which can be carried out at high-throughput and low cost to maximise the utility of the methods for screening.
[0014] Recent developments in high-content screening (HCS) platforms, such as IN Cell Analyzer 1000 (GE Healthcare), have allowed automation of image acquisition and data analysis for cell based assays and therefore have significant potential to automate testing for DNA damage. Automation of these assays and the subsequent reduction in time and cost, through the removal of manual scoring, has the potential to allow larger numbers of samples to be tested. Within the pharmaceutical industry, this advance has the potential to allow testing of new chemical entities at an earlier stage in drug development than possible with traditional approaches, with associated savings by highlighting compounds causing DNA damage prior to expenditure of time and resources in medicinal chemistry programs. In other areas, such as in the development of new dyes for foodstuffs, cosmetics and other domestic products, the availability of lower cost automated DNA damage assays will serve to offset rising costs associated with increased testing demanded by regulatory authorities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] In one aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for determining DNA damage in cells, the apparatus comprising a multiwell plate such as a microtitre well plate, said plate comprising an array of wells held in fixed relationship with each other and each well having an axis, side walls, and a base and wherein said well is provided with electrode pairs disposed therein; and wherein there is provided means for parallel connection of said electrode pairs to an external voltage supply. The apparatus of the invention is particularly suitable for conducting Comet assays.
[0016] In a second aspect, the invention provides an in-situ method for determining DNA damage in cells by the use of the apparatus as defined herein, the method comprising:
a) providing cells to be tested in one or more wells of the apparatus as defined herein in the presence of a fluid medium; b) optionally exposing the cells to a test agent; c) overlaying the cells with an immobilising matrix; d) treating the cells with a cell lysis and a denaturation reagent so as to provide a matrix comprising denatured cellular DNA; e) contacting the denatured cellular DNA with an electrophoresis solution; f) applying a voltage to electrodes in said one or more wells under conditions to cause electrophoretic separation of DNA fragments; g) contacting said DNA fragments with a staining agent; and h) using detection means to observe a pattern of DNA fragments.
[0025] The present invention therefore provides a high-throughput, automated assay for detecting DNA damage in cells derived from a variety of tissue and cell types, by use of the apparatus as described herein. The method of the invention is particularly suitable for conducting Comet assays. The Comet assay is a single cell based technique that enables the detection and/or quantitation of DNA damage. Use of the apparatus as described herein, therefore provides a convenient platform for high-throughput testing of agents for mutagenic activity in-vitro and in-vivo, and for high-throughput monitoring of cells and tissues for DNA damage caused by environmental factors.
[0026] Suitably, the side walls of the wells of the multiwell plate are opaque and the base of each well of the multiwell plate is optically transparent.
[0027] Preferably, each well of the multiwell plate is furnished with one electrode pair having positive and negative electrodes.
[0028] In one embodiment, the base of each well comprises means for orienting cell positioning to aid in analysis of DNA comets. Thus, the base plate of each well may comprise an array of structural features, such as micro-channels and/or pits which serve to orientate cells such that the distribution of cells over the surface of the base is non-random.
[0029] The multiwell plate may include a plate lid that, in one embodiment, supports the electrodes and electrical connection means for applying an electrophoretic current to each well. In one embodiment, the positive and negative electrodes disposed within each well are located to be at the same level one with the other, so as to achieve electrophoresis in a plane parallel with the base of the vessel.
[0030] In an alternative embodiment, the electrode pairs are orientated such that positive and negative electrodes are on a different plane relative to the base of the well in order to achieve electrophoretic separation of DNA fragments in a direction which is not parallel to the base of the well.
[0031] In one embodiment, the positive and negative electrodes comprise straight bars which may be attached to opposite sides of the well.
[0032] In another embodiment, the electrodes may be curved to conform to the curvature of the walls of the wells, thus producing a varying field strength across the well, due to the differences in electrode separation at different positions in the well.
[0033] In a further embodiment, the base plate of the multiwell plate comprises an array of electrode pairs extending through the plate, the electrode pairs being held in fixed relationship one pair with another and wherein each electrode pair is located so as to fit within a separate well of the multiwell plate.
[0034] Suitably, the multiwell plate contains an array of 24-, 48-, 96-, or 384-wells.
[0035] In one embodiment, a test agent is contacted with cells that have been pre-dispensed into one or more wells of the multiwell plate. In another embodiment, cells or tissue taken from human or animal subjects may be tested for DNA damage arising from exposure to mutagens and/or other agents of environmental origin, e.g. analysis of DNA damage in blood cells or other isolated cells.
[0036] The test agent may be a chemical agent, such as a drug, a food dye, a hormone, a toxin, an alkylating agent, an oxidising agent, a carcinogen, or a mutagen. Other agents include physical effects such as electromagnetic radiation (e.g. UV, X-ray, microwave), β − radiation and heat.
[0037] Suitably, in the method according to the second aspect, an immobilising matrix is added to the cells following exposure to the test agent. Suitably, the matrix comprises an isotonic aqueous gel or polymer solution which may be added to live cells under conditions of temperature that do not damage cells. Examples of suitable matrices include, but are not limited to, low melting point agarose (LMPA) and temperature responsive polymers. LMPA may be prepared as a low percentage solution, suitably 0.2-2% (w/v), preferably 0.5%-1% (w/v), in an isotonic buffer such as phosphate buffered saline. To immobilise cells, an LMPA solution is melted at 37° C. and added to cells in wells of the apparatus of the current invention. Temperature responsive polymers with reverse temperature phase change characteristics may also be used, wherein the polymer is liquid at low temperature and solid at higher temperature. Suitable temperature sensitive polymers include CYGEL™ (Poly-methyl-oxirane, Biostatus) which is liquid at 0°-4° C. and solid at temperatures of 15° C. and above. Such polymers may be added to wells of the apparatus as a cooled solution and allowed to set at room temperature.
[0038] The cell lysis reagent is preferably a detergent, which may be cationic, anionic, zwitterionic or non-ionic in nature. Examples of suitable detergents include dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB); cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC); benzethonium chloride (BZC); sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), and N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propane sulphonate (DDAPS). DTAB, CPC and BZC are cationic surfactants; DDAPS is a zwitterionic surfactant and SDS is an anionic surfactant. The use of these detergents as cell lysis agents is well known in the field. Typical concentrations of the active agent are in the range of 0.4-4% w/v.
[0039] Suitable staining agents suitable for staining DNA and DNA fragments may be selected from well known classes of DNA-binding dyes, for example ethidium bromide (EtBr), propidium iodide, DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole), YOYO®-1 iodide, TOTO®-3 and Acridine Orange. (See “A Guide to Fluorescent Probes and Labeling Technologies”, 10 th Edition, Molecular Probes Inc.). Preferred DNA staining dyes are those that fluoresce in the red region of the spectrum.
[0040] Suitably, detection of patterns of labelled DNA fragments is accomplished using an automated microscope with an objective lens of sufficient magnification to resolve individual cells. Preferably, lenses of 2× to 60× magnification may be used; more preferably lenses of 4× to 20× magnification.
[0041] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the use of an apparatus for determining DNA damage in cells, the apparatus comprising a multiwell plate, the plate comprising an array of wells held in fixed relationship with each other and each well having an axis, side walls, and a base and wherein the well is provided with electrode pairs disposed therein; and wherein there is provided means for parallel connection of said electrode pairs to an external voltage supply. This aspect is particularly suited for determining DNA damage in cells using the Comet assay.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0042] FIG. 1 shows a 96-well plate suitable for electrophoretic separation of DNA fragments and microscopy imaging according to the first aspect;
[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates the positioning of a curved pair of electrodes within the wells of a multiwell plate; and
[0044] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which the base plate of each well contains an array of micro-channels etched into the surface of the base.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0045] FIG. 1 shows a diagram of a 96-well plate [ 1 ] suitable for electrophoretic separation and microscopy imaging of DNA fragments (e.g. Packard View Plate, Packard). The plate [ 1 ] comprises an array of wells having optically transparent bases [ 2 ] which can be used to provide an array of separate vessels in which to carry out Comet assays. Cells are added to the wells [ 2 ] and where required, incubated with a test agent for an appropriate time period to allow potential DNA damage activity of the test agent to occur. Cells are overlaid with a suitable matrix to immobilise the cells. Cells are then treated with lysis and alkaline denaturation solutions by adding solutions to the wells, incubating and decanting. The wells of the plate are then filled with electrophoresis buffer, typically TBE (45 mM Tris-Borate, 1 mM EDTA pH 8.3) buffer and a moulded plastic plate lid [ 3 ] placed over the 96 well plate. The plate lid [ 3 ] supports electrodes and electrical connections suitable for applying an electrophoretic current to each well of the 96 well plate for the purposes of separating DNA fragments from the nucleoid bodies of the cells under study. One side of the plate lid [ 3 ] is furnished with an electrical connector [ 4 ] leading to a first insulated power rail running the length of the plate lid [ 5 ]. The power rail [ 4 ] is connected in parallel to a series of electrodes [ 6 ] supported on moulded pins pointing downwards from the underside of the lid [ 3 ] and spaced such that when the lid [ 3 ] is placed on the plate [ 1 ] an electrode [ 6 ] is located in each well. Similarly, on the opposite side of the plate lid [ 3 ] there is a second electrical connector [ 7 ] and a second power rail provided to support a second series of electrodes [ 8 ] which are spaced so as to enter the wells of the plate and provide electrode pairings with the opposing electrodes connected to the first power rail [ 5 ]. Connection of the electrodes through the connectors [ 4 ] and [ 5 ] to a suitable power supply (e.g. EPS 3501 XL, GE Healthcare) and application of a suitable voltage (e.g. 1 volt/cm electrode separation) results in current flow between the electrode pairs in each well and subsequent migration of DNA fragments resulting from any DNA damage in the cells.
[0046] The design and disposition of the electrodes within the wells may be varied to achieve different patterns of electrophoretic separation of DNA fragments from nucleoid bodies. For example, electrodes may be oriented to be at the same level within the wells so as to achieve electrophoresis in a plane parallel with the bottom of the plate. Such an orientation of electrodes is useful where it is desired to have all DNA fragments migrating in a single plane such that when the DNA is stained, all comets may be imaged in focus in a single image. Alternatively, the electrodes may be orientated such that positive and negative electrodes are on a different plane relative to the base of the plate in order to achieve electrophoretic separation of DNA fragments in a direction which is not parallel to the base of the plate. Such an electrode orientation may be advantageous where the density of cells (i.e. the number of cells/well) brings cells into close proximity such that electrophoresis in a plane parallel to the base of the plate would lead to overlapping of stained DNA comets. Orientating the electrodes on different planes will generate DNA comets which point upwards from the plate base at an angle determined by the voltage field between the electrodes and the shape of the electrodes. DNA comets orientated away form the base of the apparatus may be analysed by confocal or pseudo-confocal imaging by acquisition of two or more images in planes parallel to the plate base and analysing DNA intensity in three dimensional reconstructions based on the planar images. Alternatively, DNA intensity may be measured in a single image acquired using confocal or pseudo-confocal imaging to out of plane fluorescence such that only DNA that has migrated into the imaging plane is visualised.
[0047] Varying the shape of the electrodes may also be used to change the pattern of separation of DNA comets from cells immobilised in the wells of the plate of the current invention as desired to achieve efficient separation and analysis. For example, where both electrodes are orientated in the same plane, electrodes may comprise straight bars on opposite sides of the well such as to induce a voltage field comprising parallel force lines between the electrodes across the well resulting in parallel orientation of DNA comets during electrophoresis. Alternatively, the electrodes may be curved to conform to the curvature of the well walls producing a varying field strength across the well due to the differences in electrode separation at different positions in the well. The latter design of electrodes may be advantageous where it desired to have a range of DNA comet lengths within the test sample to be able select regions for analysis where comets from closely spaced cells are non-overlapping.
[0048] Where electrodes are situated on different planes within the wells, in order to achieve upwards migration of DNA fragments away from the base of the plate, the electrodes may be orientated on opposite sides of the wells and at different heights so as to achieve an angled separation relative to the plane of the plate. For example, electrodes of the same size and shape may be placed on opposite sides of the well such that one electrode is at the base of the well and the second electrode is half way up the well. Application of a separation voltage to such electrodes will result in migration of DNA fragments producing comets at an angle of approximately 45° to the plane of the plate allowing comets arising from closely spaced cells to be resolved. Alternatively, electrodes may comprise a ring shaped electrode in the base of the plate and a point electrode situated above the base of the plate. In this electrode orientation, DNA migration is upwards from the base of the plate towards the central point electrode following a cone shaped voltage field producing DNA comets angled up from the base plate towards a common point. To produce vertically orientated DNA comets suitable for analysis by single plane imaging at a defined height above the plate base, electrodes may comprise rings placed at the base of the well and at a distance above the base of the well. Such electrodes will induce a uniform barrel shaped voltage field within the well, thereby causing migration of DNA fragments in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the plate. Consequently, optical sectioning using confocal or pseudo-confocal imaging may be used to image migration of DNA fragments to a pre-selected height above the base of the plate and hence determine the number of cells in the sample in which DNA damage has occurred.
[0049] The detection of patterns of labelled DNA fragments may be accomplished using high-throughput automated instruments incorporating a charge coupled device (CCD) imager (such as an area imager) to image all of the wells of the multiwell plate. Thus, to quantify DNA damage, the plate lid [ 3 ] is disconnected from the power supply and removed, the electrophoresis buffer decanted and DNA stained with a suitable fluorescent stain (e.g. Acridine Orange, Ethidium Bromide, DAPI, TOTO®-3, or YOYO®-3) and the plate imaged using a high throughput automated microscope (e.g. IN Cell Analyzer 1000, GE Healthcare) using fluorescence excitation and emission filters suitable for the DNA stain used. Acquired images are analysed using suitable image analysis software (e.g. IN Cell Investigator, GE Healthcare) to segment images, identify regions of DNA staining and make appropriate quantitative measurements (e.g. comet tail intensity, length and moment) to determine the amount of DNA damage in each sample under test.
[0050] In a further embodiment, the electrode pairs may be integrated into and extend through the plate base forming the multiwell plate such that electrodes are located within each well upon welding the flat base plate to a multi-well injection moulded upper. Techniques for manufacturing multi-well imaging plates using optically transparent glass or plastic bases and optically opaque well uppers are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,647 (Corning) describes a method of making a multi-well plate involving joining a top plate that has been extruded and has a plurality of open ended channels, with a bottom plate that is substantially flat. The top plate forms the sidewalls of the wells of the plate and the bottom plate forms the bottoms of the wells. In this embodiment of the current invention ( FIG. 2 ) an optically transparent glass or plastic base plate [ 8 ] comprises a regular array of discrete well areas [ 9 ]. Each well area comprises electrode pairs [ 11 ] and [ 13 ], wherein the individual electrodes are connected to common rails [ 10 ] and [ 12 ] thereby allowing parallel connection of the electrodes to an external power supply for electrophoresis to provide a voltage across the electrodes to permit the separation of DNA damage fragments and the generation of DNA comets [ 14 ]. Electrodes may be fabricated by application of metal foil or by screen printing using conductive ink. The shape and size of the electrodes may be configured to achieve the desired voltage field shape and hence the desired orientation of DNA comets as described for the first embodiment. Methods for printing conductive materials onto glass and plastic are well known and characterised. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,192,752 (ACEA) describes the application of electrodes to the base of multi-well plates for the purposes of performing impedance measurements on living cells.
[0051] Once fabricated, the base is attached to a bottomless well plate in order the form the assay apparatus. In this embodiment, optionally, the sides of the wells may be etched, roughened or chemically treated to promote adhesion of LMP agarose to prevent movement of the agarose gel during lysis and denaturation. The disposable plate may be supplied with a matching re-usable lid for the purposes of connecting the plate to a suitable power supply. The lid may comprise additional features with similar functionality as the lid of a conventional horizontal electrophoresis tank, e.g. power leads, safety interlocks etc. Comet assays may be performed using apparatus according to this embodiment the invention essentially as hereinbefore described. Thus, cells are placed in the wells of the plate, immobilised in a gel and processed using appropriate reagents as previously described. Application of an appropriate voltage to the plate results in separation of DNA fragments from nucleoid bodies in a plane parallel to the base of the plate allowing DNA comets to be may be imaged by high throughput automated microscopy.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 3 , the base of each well may comprise means for orienting cell positioning to aid in analysis of DNA comets. Thus, the base plate [ 15 ] may comprise micro-channels, grooves [ 16 ], or other structures such as pits or channels which serve to orientate cells [ 17 ] such that the distribution of cells over the surface is non-random. The spacing and/or periodicity of the structures are selected to provide an optimum cell spacing for analysis, i.e. to separate cells in the direction of electrophoresis such that DNA comets are non-overlapping. Immobilisation of cells [ 17 ] in structures [ 16 ] when cells are overlaid with agarose [ 18 ] and subjected to electrophoresis by voltage applied to electrodes on either side of the well base [ 19 ] leads to DNA comet formation orientated perpendicular to the structure direction [ 20 ] where the separation of the structures ensures that the comet [ 20 ] will not be obscured by a comet arising from a cell behind it in the electrophoretic field [ 17 ].
[0053] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that further variations of the apparatus and method as described herein are possible which fall within the scope of the present invention providing means for in-situ DNA comet analysis. For example, further variations in electrode design, configuration and orientation are possible, including but not limited to, the use of more than two electrodes per well. Multiple electrode configurations are widely used for pulsed field analytical separation of DNA (Lai, E. et. al., Biotechniques (1989), 1, 34-42) wherein voltage is applied to multiple electrodes in sequence in order to control the direction of migration of DNA to yield a longer effective separation distance. Application of multiple electrodes to the method of the current invention combined with automated switching of voltage may be used to improve DNA comet separation, both within and between DNA comets by controlling separation in 3 dimensions.
[0054] Similarly, there is considerable scope for variation in substrate patterning approaches for controlling the spacing and orientation of cells on the base of the apparatus. Current techniques for fabricating and coating cell growth and attachment surfaces provide many approaches to defining cell position and spacing on surfaces (Hasirci, V. and Kenar, H. 1 Nanomed., (2006), 1(1), 73-90) which may be used in the apparatus of the present invention for controlling cell to cell spacing for optimal DNA comet analysis.
[0055] The apparatus and method of the current invention provide a significant enhancement in speed, efficiency and throughput of Comet assays when compared to the prior art. By allowing parallel processing of assay samples in wells of multi-well plates and enabling in-situ electrophoresis of DNA in the same wells, methods employing the present apparatus will obviate the need for many of the operations, including centrifugation of cell suspensions and application of agarose cell suspensions to microscope slides, used in traditional Comet assay protocols. Since all procedures for each test sample are carried out in the same well from gel immobilisation to imaging, the method of the present invention is compatible with automation using automated liquid handling and robotics.
[0056] In addition to throughput and efficiency advantages over prior art methods, the present invention provides means for carrying out Comet assays in-situ rather on disaggregated cells or cells in suspension. Conventional Comet assay protocols require cells for analysis to be suspended in a solution of gel, typically low melting point agarose. This confers two disadvantages. Firstly, when cells are analysed by electrophoresis and imaging, the cells are dispersed randomly at different depths within the agarose. As a consequence, at any given plane some DNA comets will be in focus while others will be out of focus making quantitative analysis by imaging difficult. Secondly, since cells need to be in suspension to mix with agarose, analysis of adherent cells in culture, or cells from tissue entails disruption of the sample, typically by enzyme treatment, to yield a cell suspension thereby destroying the morphological and population distribution of the sample.
[0057] In the method of the present invention Comet assays may be performed in-situ on cell cultures grown in the wells of the apparatus. Cells may be immobilised in agarose and treated without removal from the growth substrate allowing DNA damage as measured by the Comet assay to be correlated with other cellular parameters measurable by automated microscopy, or study of differential DNA damage in different sub-populations of cells within the sample. An additional advantage of the method is that since cells may be overlaid with agarose in-situ while attached to the base of wells, the depth of agarose is minimised to that needed to cover the cells, hence constraining electrophoretic separation of DNA to a thin plane compatible with imaging.
[0058] Alternatively the method may be used for analysis of DNA damage in tissue sections in-situ. By placing thin sections of frozen tissue in the wells of the apparatus of the present invention and overlaying with agarose, the method of the present invention may be used to study the occurrence of DNA damage in different cells within the tissue. Variations in electrode design and disposition described above may be used to optimise the direction of electrophoresis to enable analysis of closely packed cells in tissue sections to be achieved.
[0059] Alternatively the method may be used for analysis of DNA damage in blood cells or other isolated cells taken from animal or human subjects for evaluation of test or environmental agents. By placing cells in the wells of the apparatus and subjecting the plate to centrifugation, cells to be tested may be distributed as a monolayer in the base of the wells and then overlaid with an immobilising matrix.
[0060] It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any one embodiment may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, and may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other of the embodiments, or any combination of any other of the embodiments. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described above may also be employed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.
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The invention relates to an apparatus and an in-situ method for detecting cellular DNA damage. The invention is particularly suited for use in Comet assays and for automation of such assays. The apparatus comprises a multiwell plate, the plate comprising an array of wells held in fixed relationship with each other and each well having an axis, side walls, and a base and wherein the well is provided with electrode pairs disposed therein; and wherein there is provided means for parallel connection of the electrode pairs to an external voltage supply.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a differential gain and differential phase compensator circuit for a video signal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a differential gain and differential phase compensator circuit for a video signal suitable for use with a video tape recorder of a direct recording system employing more than two video heads more than two.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As the video tape recorder (VTR) of this kind, there is proposed such a VTR of two-phase recording system which employs a plurality of video heads, for example, four video heads to record a video signal on a tape in two-phase recording way. According to the two-phase recording system, the frequency of a record signal is lowered to a half (1/2.) Therefore, in a video signal S1 (see FIG. 1A), video signals S2 and S3 appearing within successive two 1H intervals (interval in one period of a horizontal synchronizing signal) are respectively expanded twice in timebase. And, the timebase-expanded video signals S2 and S3 (see FIGS. 1B and 1C) are alternately recorded on a tape in turn by two video heads (namely, A head and B head).
When the video signal is recorded on the tape at each one scanning line by alternately driving a plurality of video heads in turn, the characteristics of signal paths through the respective video heads are different from one another so that differences appear in a signal distortion such as gain change, phase change, frequency characteristic change and the like. As a result, when the recorded signal is reproduced, the characteristic regarding a reproduced image changes at each scanning line so that the picture quality of the reproduced image is inevitably deteriorated considerably on the whole.
Particularly when there is any change in the white level regarding the whole of the video signal, the brightness on the picture screen is also changed at each scanning line. Moreover, when the level of the chroma signal in the video signal is changed, the depth of color on the picture screen is also changed at every scanning line. Furthermore, when the phase of the chroma or color signal is changed, the hue on the picture screen is also changed at each scanning line. At any rate, a so-called line crawling phenomenon occurs on the picture screen and hence a stripe pattern appears on the picture screen.
Moreover, when the timebases of the signals reproduced by the A head and the B head are not exactly coincident with each other, a so-called hue change occurs at each scanning line so that color shades are caused to change.
Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, in the art there is proposed a method in which the whole of the video signal is successively superimposed with a pilot signal and then recorded to thereby give the pilot signal with a signal distortion which is exerted on the video signal upon recording. Upon reproducing, this pilot signal is extracted, the signal distortion which is effected on the video signal is detected by detecting various distortions exerted on the pilot signal and the reproduced video signal is compensated for on the basis of the detected results so that the signal distortion exerted upon expanding and recording can be removed.
However, according to the compensation method thus proposed, since the pilot signal is superimposed upon the whole of the video signal, as the frequency of the pilot signal, it is necessary to select the frequency outside the frequency region of the video signal. As a result, the frequency region of the record signal on the tape must be secured over a wide range. As compared with a case in which upon constructing the circuitry of the VTR each circuit is designed by only considering the improvement of the characteristic of the video signal, the above previously proposed method brings about the result that the video signal is deteriorated. And, in this case, since the tape speed must be raised, the tape consumption amount must also be increased.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved differential gain and differential phase compensator circuit for a video signal.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a differential gain and differential phase compensator circuit for a video signal which can obviate the defects inherent in the conventional method in which pilot signals are successively superimposed upon the whole area of the video signal.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a differential gain and differential phase compensator circuit for a video signal which can surely compensate for a distortion which is effected on a video signal upon recording without extending the frequency region of a record signal.
It is still further object of the present invention to provide a differential gain and differential phase compensator circuit for a video signal which is suitable for use with a video tape recorder of a direct recording system having more than two video heads.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for recording a video signal having luminance and chrominance signals by using a plurality of rotary transducing heads on a recording tape, moved longitudinally by a drive mechanism, comprising the steps of:
expanding a time axis of said video signal as long as N times, dividing said time axis expanded video signal to N channels; and
inserting first and second pilot signals having a predetermined frequency alternately in a predetermined position of a horizontal blanking period of said divided video signal, a DC voltage level of said first and second pilot signals being near white peak level and near black level respectively.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an apparatus for recording a video signal having luminance and chrominance signals on a recording tape comprising:
means for expanding time axis of said video signal;
means for dividing said expanded video signal into a plurality of channel video signals;
means for producing first and second pilot signals having a predetermined frequency and DC. voltage level, said DC. voltage level of said first and second pilot signals being different each other; and
means for adding said first and second pilot signals alternately in a horizontal blanking period of said plurality of channel video signals respectively.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for reproducing a video signal having luminance and chrominance signals from a recording tape by using a plurality of transducing heads, said video signal being recorded by processing a time axis expansion, division to a plurality of channel video signals and insertion of a pilot signal, said pilot signal having at least two forms of pilot signals and being inserted in a predetermined position of a horizontal blanking of said expanded and divided video signals respectively and alternately, said at least two forms of pilot signals having different DC voltage levels respectively, comprising:
means for reducing a time base error of said reproduced video signals;
means for combining said plurality of channel video signals to one channel video signal;
means for reproducing said at least two pilot signals; and
means for compensating a chroma level and chroma phase of said one channel video signal in response to said reproduced at least two pilot signals.
The other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings through which the like references designate the same elements and parts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A to 1C are respectively signal waveform diagrams used to explain a two-phase recording system;
FIGS. 2A to 2D are respectively signal waveform diagrams showing video signals in which pilot signals are inserted;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a video signal compensator circuit according to the present invention; and
FIGS. 4 and 5 are respectively schematic circuit diagrams showing the detailed construction of the video signal compensator circuit shown in FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
Two-phase timebase expanded video signals S2 and S3 recorded on a tape shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C are reproduced by A head and B head, respectively. Here, the video signals reproduced by the A head and the B head are referred to as a first channel reproduced signal and a second channel reproduced signal, respectively.
The first and second channel reproduced video signals are of signal systems in which pilot signals P1 and P2, each having a mean level at a white level position or black level position are inserted into a video signal S11 shown in FIG. 2A at a part of the horizontal blanking interval W thereof, for example, the time position of the front porch as shown in FIGS. 2B or 2C. And, the extended video signal S11 in which the pilot signals P1 and P2 are inserted for each channel is alternately recorded on a tape in turn.
In the case of this embodiment, the frequencies and phases of the pilot signals P1 and P2 are selected so as to be synchronized with a burst signal B placed at the back porch of a horizontal synchronizing signal H. Moreover, the relation between the time position of the horizontal synchronizing signal H and that of the burst signal B is selected to be a known value, and the burst signal B and the horizontal synchronizing signal H can be substituted with each other, whereby the construction of a reproduced signal processing system can be simplified.
First and second channel reproduced video signals S21 and S22 reproduced from the tape by the A head and the B head as described above are respectively supplied to first and second channel reproduced signal input terminals 2 and 3 of a video signal compensator circuit 1 shown in FIG. 3.
The video signal compensator circuit 1 is adapted to latch the first and second channel reproduced signals S21 and S22 converted into the form of digital data having a predetermined sampling time interval in a sample data taken-in or latch circuit 4. The sample data latch circuit 4 includes, as shown in FIG. 4, a sample data memory 5 in which the first and second channel reproduced signals S21 and S22, supplied thereto through analog-to-digital (A/D) converter circuits 6 and 7, are written in response to write signals S23 and S24 generated from a timing control circuit 8 and from which the written signals are read out in response to a read signal S25 from the control circuit 8 under the timebase being compressed.
The timing control circuit 8 includes, as shown in FIG. 4, write signal generator circuits 9 and 10. The write signal generator circuits 9 and 10 are adapted to extract the burst signal B from the first and second channel reproduced signals S21 and S22 (see FIGS. 2B and 2C) and generate the write signals S23 and S24 which occur with a predetermined angle relative to the burst signal B and have the frequency 4 f SCR which is, for example, four times the subcarrier frequency f SCR (=1/2f SC ) of the burst signal B contained in the timebase-extended video signal S11. The write signals S23 and S24 each consist of a signal which contains the sampling timing and address useful for storing the sampled data of the first and second channel reproduced signals S21 and S22 at each sampling timing. The write signals S23 and S24 are respectively supplied to the A/D converter circuits 6 and 7 and the sample data memory 5, and further a memory control circuit 11 provided in the timing control circuit 8. Thus, in the sample data memory 5 are stored the sample data of the reproduced signals S21 and S22 in which the pilot signals P1 and P2 of white level or black level are inserted at every first and second channels in response to the burst signal and the horizontal synchronizing signal at the timing of 4 f SCR .
The data stored in the sample data memory 5 is read out therefrom in response to the read signal S25 from the memory control circuit 11 which is driven by a read clock signal S26 generated from a read clock generator circuit 15 provided in a speed error control circuit 14 which is provided in the timing control circuit 8. The speed error control circuit 14 includes, as shown in FIG. 4, a speed error memory 16 which stores a phase difference between the write signals S18 and S19 sent from the write signal generator circuits 9 and 10 and a reference signal S27 obtained from the memory control circuit 11 in response to the read clock signal S26. The stored output from the speed error memory 16 is integrated in an integral circuit 17 to form a speed error signal S28. This speed error signal S28 is added with a chroma phase detecting signal S29, supplied from a chroma phase detecting circuit 19 (refer to FIG. 3), in an adding circuit 18, which added output S32 then is supplied to a phase shifter circuit 20. The phase shifter circuit 20 is supplied with a reference subcarrier frequency signal S31 of the frequency f SC generated from a reference signal generator circuit 21 based on a station reference signal S30 to thereby shift the phase thereof in response to the output signal S32 from the adding circuit 18 so that the read clock generator circuit 15 generates the read clock signal S26 which has the phase thus shifted.
In the speed error control circuit 14 constructed as mentioned above, although the phase of the write signals S18 and S19 in response to the first and second channel reproduced signals S21 and S22 stored in the speed error memory 16 is changed in accordance with the change of the tape speed upon reproducing, the phase shift amount corresponding to the integrated value of the tape speed is supplied to the phase shifter circuit 20 so that in the phase shifter circuit 20 the phase of the reference signal S31 can be controlled to follow the phase of the write signals S18 and S19. Thus, based upon the reference signal S31 having no timebase fluctuation and obtained from the reference signal generator circuit 21, the read clock signal S26 of the subcarrier frequency having a phase corresponding to the phase of the first and second channel reproduced signals S21 and S22 can be produced from the read clock generator circuit 15.
The correcting signal S29 supplied to the adding circuit 18 in the speed error control circuit 14 from the chroma phase detector circuit 19 has the level corresponding to the shift amount when the phase of a chroma signal C (refer to FIG. 3) of the first and second channel reproduced signals S21 and S22 supplied now is displaced from the reference value and, then fed to the adding circuit 18 in the mode which cancels the shift amount as will be described later. Consequently, the output terminal of the read clock generator circuit 15 delivers the stable read clock signal S26 in which the phase shift caused when the chroma signals C in the reproduced signals S21 and S22 are displaced from each other is corrected.
This read clock signal S26 is supplied to the memory control circuit 11 to sequentially specify the addresses of the sample data stored in the sample data memory 5 while to read the sample data therefrom. The read clock signal S26 is further supplied to a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter circuit 22 provided at the output terminal of sample data memory 5 so that the sample data therefrom is delivered as the video signal of the analog value through the D/A converter circuit 22, a video gain control circuit 23 and further a chroma gain control circuit 24 and then delivered as a video output signal S33 of the video signal compensator circuit 1.
Since the frequency f SCR of the write signals S18 and S19 (accordingly, S23 and S24) is selected to be the half the subcarrier frequency f SC (f SCR =1/2f SC ), the video output signal S33, in which the timebases of the first and second channel reproduced signals S21 and S22 were extended upon recording is compressed to the half.
In the case of this embodiment, the memory control circuit 11 generates a channel mode signal S35 indicating the channel number of the data now being read out from the sample data memory 5 on the basis of the read clock signal S26 and the write signals S23 and S24.
The video gain control circuit 23 and the chroma gain control circuit 24 are controlled by a video gain correcting circuit 25 and a chroma level correcting circuit 26 (refer to FIG. 3) which are driven in response to the luminance signal Y and the chroma signal C contained in the video output signal S33.
That is, the video output signal S33 is supplied to a luminance/chroma separating circuit 31 (see FIG. 4) which then separates the luminance signal Y and the chroma signal C. The chroma signal C is supplied to the chroma level correcting circuit 26 and a chroma phase correcting circuit 27 (shown in FIG. 5), while the luminance signal Y is supplied to a pilot sample circuit 32. The pilot sample circuit 32 is supplied with a sample signal S37 generated from the reference signal generator circuit 21 in the timing control circuit 8.
As shown in FIG. 2D, the sample signal S37 is the sample pulse which is generated in the interval in which the pilot signal P1 or P2 is inserted. Consequently, a sample value signal S38 of pulse form is provided in the sample pilot circuit 32 by sampling the luminance signal Y indicative of the white level and the black level at time position in which the pilot signal P1 or P2 is inserted in response to the sample signal S37 and then is delivered to the video gain correcting circuit 25 and a white level-black level detecting circuit 33.
The video gain correcting circuit 25 is adapted to correct the level of the video output signal S33 sequentially read out from the sample data latch circuit 4 so as to be matched with the reference value by detecting the difference of the white level thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, in the video gain correcting circuit 25, the sample value signal S38 is supplied through an input side switching circuit 34 to hold circuits 35 and 36 each formed of a capacitor and held therein. The voltage thus held is compared with a reference voltage of a reference voltage source 37, and a correcting signal S39 formed of analog voltage corresponding to the difference between the voltage held and the reference voltage is supplied through an output side switching circuit 38 to the video gain control circuit 23. The input side switching circuit 34 is supplied with a white level-black level detecting signal S40 generated from the white level-black level detecting circuit 33. When the content thereof indicates the black level detection, the movable contact d of the switching circuit 34 is held in position at a neutral contact b thereof. While, the input side switching circuit 34 is supplied with the channel mode signal S35 delivered from the memory control circuit 11 in the timing control circuit 8. When the content of the signal S35 indicates the first channel or the second channel, the movable contact d of the switching circuit 34 is switchably connected to either of the first and second channel side contacts a and c. On the other hand, the output side switching circuit 38 is supplied with the channel mode signal S35. When the content thereof indicates the first or second channel, the movable contact g of the switching circuit 38 is changed in position to the first or second channel side fixed contact e or f.
Thus, in the video gain compensator circuit 25, if the pilot signal P1 of the white level is inserted when the first or second channel signal of the video output signal S33 arrives the DC level value of the luminance signal Y is held in the hold circuit 35 or 36 through the input side switching circuit 34 and the compensating signal S39 which lowers the gain of the video signal when its held voltage is higher than the output voltage from the reference voltage source 37 and which raises the gain of the video signal when the held voltage is lower than the output voltage is delivered through the output side switching circuit 38.
As shown in FIG. 4, the white level-black level detecting circuit 33 includes a comparator circuit 41 which is supplied with a reference voltage of the level corresponding to the level between the white level and the black level from a reference voltage source 40. Thus, the white level-black level detecting circuit 33 generates a white level-black level detecting signal S40 which becomes logic H when the level of the sample value signal S38 is white level and logic L when it is black level.
In the chroma level compensator circuit 26, as shown in FIG. 5, an envelope detector circuit 43 receives the chroma signal C which is derived from the luminance/chroma separator circuit 31 and supplies its envelope output to a sampling circuit 44 which is operated by the pilot sample signal S37. Thus, at the output terminal of the sampling circuit 44 appears a sample value signal S41 of pulse form which is provided by sampling the DC level value substantially corresponding to the level of the pilot signal P1 or P2. This sample value signal S41 is respectively held by way of a hold change-over switching circuit 45 in a first channel black level holding circuit 46, a second channel black level holding circuit 47, a first channel white level holding circuit 48 and a second channel white level holding circuit 49.
The hold change-over switching circuit 45 is supplied with the channel mode signal S35 and the white level-black level detecting signal S40 and then selectively supplies the sample value signal S41 of the sampling circuit 44 to the holding circuits 46 to 49 corresponding to the channel number and the white-black level which are specified by the combination corresponding to the contents of the channel mode signal S35 and the white level-black level detecting signal S40. The first and second channel black level holding circuits 46 and 47 are connected to first and second input terminals f and g of a first read specifying change-over switching circuit 50, while the first and second channel white level holding circuits 48 and 49 are connected to first and second input terminals i and j of a second read specifying change-over switching circuit 51. The switching circuits 50 and 51 are operated in gang with each other in response to the channel mode signal S35 so that when the content of the channel mode signal S35 is the first channel mode, they respectively deliver through their movable contacts h and k the voltages held in the first channel black level and white level holding circuits 46 and 48 to comparator circuits 52 and 53, while when the content of the channel mode signal S35 is the second channel mode, they supply respectively the voltages held in the second channel black level and white level holding circuits 47 and 49 to the comparator circuits 52 and 53.
The comparator circuits 52 and 53 are supplied with a reference voltage from a common reference voltage source 54 and deliver respective difference output voltages to an adding circuit 55. Thus, in the adding circuit 55, informations regarding the amplitudes of the black level and white level signals of the first channel and second channel are added together and then supplied to the chroma gain control circuit 24 as a chroma gain compensation signal S42. The chroma gain control circuit 24 is adapted to operate in such a manner that after the chroma signal in the video signal fed from the video gain control circuit 23 is separated from the luminance signal and the amplitude of the chroma signal is adjusted, this chroma signal is superimposed upon the luminance signal and then the video signal is delivered as the video output signal S33. Thus, the amplitude of the pilot signal contained in the chroma signal is controlled together with the chroma signal and compensated so as to equal the value corresponding to the reference voltage supplied from the reference voltage source 54 in the chroma level compensating circuit 26.
In addition to the construction thus made, a multiplier circuit 56 is connected to the output side of the comparator circuit 53 located at the white level side of the chroma level compensator circuit 26, which then multiplies a difference output S43 of the comparator circuit 53 with the luminance signal Y. As a result, an output signal S44 from the multiplier circuit 56 amends the value of the chroma level compensation signal S42 in response to the level of the luminance signal Y made when the level of the pilot signal P1 inserted into the white level is displaced from the reference voltage of the reference voltage source 54. By the way, in the signal processing system where a video signal is recorded on a tape and reproduced therefrom, a distortion amount of the amplitude of the video signal when the video signal is generally changed from the black level to the white level changes in the nonlinear way. As a result, the amplitude distortion of the pilot signal P1 at the white level becomes different from that of the amplitude of the pilot signal P2 at the black level (becomes large or small). Accordingly, in the case of FIG. 5, the multiplier circuit 56 is adapted to multiply the difference output S43 with the luminance signal Y in such a way that the compensation amount based on the sampled value regarding the pilot signal P1 of the white level is determined on the basis of the black level so as to cancel out the nonlinear influence.
In the chroma phase compensator circuit 27 (19 in FIG. 3), as shown in FIG. 5, the chroma signal C separated by the luminance/chroma separator circuit 31 is supplied to a phase comparator circuit 61 which then generates a phase difference signal S51 between the above chroma signal C and the reference subcarrier signal S31 from the reference signal generator circuit 21 (see FIG. 4). This phase difference signal S51 is held through a hold change-over switching circuit 62 in a first channel black level holding circuit 63, a second channel black level holding circuit 64, a first channel white level holding circuit 65 and a second channel white level holding circuit 66, respectively.
Similarly as described in the chroma level compensator circuit 26, the hold change-over switching circuit 62 is supplied with the channel mode signal S35 and the white level-black level detecting signal S40 and then allows the phase difference signal S51 from the phase comparator circuit 61 to selectively be supplied to the holding circuits 63 to 66 specified by the combination corresponding to the contents of the channel mode signal S35 and the white level-black level detecting signal S40. The first and second channel black level holding circuits 63 and 64 are respectively connected to first and second input terminals f and g of a first read specifying change-over switching circuit 67, while the first and second white level holding circuits 65 and 66 are respectively connected to first and second input terminals i and j of a second read specifying change-over switching circuit 68. The switching circuits 67 and 68 are operated in gang with each other in response to the channel mode signal S35 so that when the content of the channel mode signal S35 is the first channel mode, they allow the voltages held in the first channel black level and white level holding circuits 63 and 65 to be delivered through their movable contacts h and k to comparator circuits 69 and 70, while when the content of the channel mode signal S35 is the second channel mode, they allow the voltage held in the second channel black level and white level holding circuits 64 and 66 to be delivered to the comparator circuits 69 and 70.
The comparator circuits 69 and 70 are supplied with a common reference voltage, for example, earth potential, from which the respective difference signals are supplied to an adding circuit 71. Thus, informations regarding the phases of the black level and white level of the pilot signals P2 and P1 at the first and second channels are added together at the adding circuit 71 and then supplied therefrom to the adding circuit 18 in the speed error control circuit 14 as the chroma phase compensation signal S52 so that the phases of the pilot signals P1 and P2, namely, the phase of the chroma signal is compensated to equal the value corresponding to the ground potential which is the reference voltage.
In addition to the construction mentioned as above, also in the case of the chroma phase compensator circuit 27, a multiplier circuit 72 which receives the luminance signal Y as its one multiplying output is connected to the output side of the white level side comparator circuit 70 similarly as described in the chroma level compensator circuit 26. In consequence, in the signal processing system where the video signal is recorded on the tape and reproduced therefrom, the nonlinear distortion amount of the phase of the video signal when the video signal is changed from the black level to the white level can be compensated for by changing the difference signal at the white level side in response to the luminance signal Y.
With the construction mentioned above, when the first and second channel reproduced video signals S21 and S22 (see FIGS. 2B and 2C) reproduced from the tape arrive at the sample data latch circuit 4, the sample data are stored in the sample data memory 5 by the write signals S23 and S24 generated from the write signal generator circuits 9 and 10 (shown in FIG. 4) on the basis of the burst signal B. The data stored therein is compressed in timebase, read out in turn by the read clock signal S26 from the read clock generator circuit 15 in the speed error control circuit 14, and then delivered sequentially through the video gain control circuit 23 and the chroma gain control circuit 24 as the video output signal S33.
The speed error control circuit 14 is operated in such a manner that the phase of the read clock signal S26 is followed to those of the write signals S23 and S24 by driving the phase shifter circuit 20 to make the phase difference among the phase of the reference subcarrier signal S31 generated from the reference signal generator circuit 21 and the phases of the read clock signal S26 and the write signals S23 and S24 zero, thus preventing the timebase of the read clock signal S26 from being fluctuated.
On the other hand, in the video gain compensator circuit 25 (see FIG. 4), when the video signal of one field in which the pilot signals are inserted into the first channel and second channel white levels is read out from the sample data memory 5, the level value of the luminance signal Y at the interval in which the pilot signal is inserted is obtained from the pilot sample circuit 32 and then held in the holding circuits 35 and 36. And, by the use of the voltages held therein, the gain of the video gain control circuit 23 is compensated for to be equal to the level corresponding to the reference voltage of the reference voltage source 37. When the reference voltage common to the first and second channels is employed, the level of the video signal is compensated for so as to make the levels of the luminance signals of the first and second channels equal to each other. Thus, such a level compensation is possible that a line crawling phenomenon is not caused on the reproduced picture, By the way, when the luminance signals of the video signals of one field in the first and second channels become inconsistent with one another, the brightness of the scanning line is different at every other scanning line, and a stripe pattern appears conspicuous. However, according to the construction mentioned above, it is possible to prevent such phenomenon from occurring in advance.
At the same time, the amplitudes of the pilot signal P1 or P2 portion of one field interval in which the white level or black level pilot signal is inserted in the first or second channel are held in the holding circuits 46 to 49 in the chroma level compensator circuit 26 (see FIG. 5), respectively. The voltages thus held are added together in the adding circuit 55 as the difference signal against the reference voltage of the reference voltage source 54 regarding both of the channels of the black level and white level at every first or second channel, which then are supplied to the chroma gain control circuit 24 as the compensation signal S42. Thus, the amplitude of the pilot signals P1 and P2 is compensated to become the value corresponding to the reference voltage. Thus, the chroma signal C separated by the luminance/chroma separator circuit 31 (see FIG. 4) is compensated for. As a result, the depth of the colors on the picture screen can be made uniform on the whole.
Further, at the same time, the chroma signal C is compared with the reference subcarrier signal S31 by the phase comparator circuit 61 in the chroma phase compensator circuit 27 (see FIG. 5). And, the voltage corresponding to the phase difference therebetween is held in the holding circuits 63 to 66, respectively. The voltages thus held are added together in an adding circuit 71 as the difference signal against the reference voltage (in this case, the earth potential) regarding both the channels of the black level and white level at each first or second channel, and the added signal is then delivered to the adding circuit 18 in the speed error control circuit 14 (see FIG. 4) as the chroma phase compensation signal S29. Thus, the phase shift amount of the phase shifter circuit 20 in the speed error control circuit 14 is controlled in such a manner that the phase of the pilot signals P1 and P2 and accordingly the chroma signal may become the value corresponding to the reference voltage, and then the read clock signal S26 having the phase corresponding thereto is generated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent in advance a phenomenon in which the hue changes at each scanning line on the picture screen.
According to the video signal compensator circuit 1 as described above with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, on the basis of the stable reference subcarrier signal S31, it is possible to read out from the sample data memory 5 the video output signal S33 which includes the chroma signal of the phase changing to follow the change of the phase of the burst signal contained in the first and second channel reproduced video signals. As a result, the amplitudes and the phases of the pilot signals P1 and P2 inserted into the horizontal blanking interval can be compensated for to become equal to the reference values determined by the chroma level compensator circuit 26 and the chroma phase compensator circuit 27. Accordingly, even when the distortion occurs in the amplitude and phase of the chroma signal upon expanding the timebase of the video signal just as in, for example, two-phase system, the compensation therefor can be made by compensating for the amplitude and phase of the pilot signal inserted into a part of the horizontal blanking interval.
While in the above the frequency of the pilot signal is selected to be the value same as that of the subcarrier of the chroma signal, if that frequency is selected to be a different value, the same effect as mentioned above can be achieved.
While in the above embodiment the pilot signal is inserted into the white level and black level positions, if the pilot signal is inserted into a desired position according to the necessity, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be achieved.
As set forth above, according to the present invention, since the pilot signal is inserted into the positions of the white level and the black level in a part of the horizontal blanking interval, even if the frequency within the range of the frequency band of the video signal is assigned to the pilot signal, such pilot signal can be extracted surely. Accordingly, without expanding the frequency band range, the amplitudes and phases of the reproduced video signal or chroma signal can be compensated for to equal to the reference values and thus a picture having a good quality can be reproduced.
The above description is given on a single preferred embodiment of the invention, but it will be apparent that many modifications and variations could be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the novel concepts of the invention, so that the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims only.
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A method for recording a video signal having luminance and chrominance signals by using a plurality of rotary transducing heads on a recording tape moved longitudinally by a drive mechanism, in which the time axis of the video signal is extended as long as N times, the time axis expanded video signal is divided to N channels, and first and second pilot signals having a predetermined frequency are alternately inserted into a predetermined position of a horizontal blanking period of the divided video signal. In this case, the DC voltage level of the first and second pilot signals is selected near the white peak level and near the black level respectively.
An apparatus for recording a video signal having luminance and chrominance signals on a recording tape is also disclosed which includes a circuit for expanding the time axis of the video signal, a divider for dividing the expanded video signal into a plurality of channel video signals, a circuit for producing first and second pilot signals having a predetermined frequency and DC voltage level, the DC voltage level of the first and second pilot signals being different each other and an adding circuit for adding said first and second pilot signals alternately in the horizontal blanking period of the plurality of channel video signals respectively.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which forms an image on recording medium, and in which a cartridge having at least a photosensitive drum is removably mountable.
[0002] In the field of an image forming apparatus which uses an electrophotographic image formation process, it has been a common practice to employ a process cartridge system, which integrally places an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and means for processing the electrophotographic photosensitive member, in a cartridge which is removably mountable in the main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. A process cartridge system makes it possible for a user to maintain an electrophotographic image forming apparatus by him- or her-self, that is, without relying on a service person. Thus, it can drastically improve an image forming apparatus in operability. Therefore, this system has come to be widely used in the field of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
[0003] The operation of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is as follows: First, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the peripheral surface of an electrophotographic photosensitive drum by scanning the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum with a beam of light projected from a laser, an LED, an ordinary lamp, or the like, while being modulated according to the information of an image to be formed. Then, this electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing apparatus. Then, the developed latent image, that is, the image formed of developer, on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum is transferred onto recording medium to form an image on the recording medium.
[0004] There have been known various types of an image forming apparatus which employ a process cartridge such as the one described above. One of them has been known as an electrophotographic color image forming apparatus of the so-called inline type, which employs multiple process cartridges which are sequentially arranged in parallel in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. As one of the structural arrangements for precisely positioning multiple process cartridges relative to the main assembly of an image forming apparatus, there is the one disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application 2001-242671. According to this document, the left and right plates in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus are provided with slots (V-shaped cut) for precisely positioning the photosensitive drum of each process cartridge. More specifically, the lengthwise end portions of the photosensitive drum are fitted with a pair of bearings, one for one. Each of the pair of bearings is kept under the pressure from a torsional coil spring (pressure applying member) so that the peripheral surface of each bearing is kept pressed upon the edges of the corresponding slot, whereby the photosensitive drum remains precisely position relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. Further, one end of the torsional coil spring is provided with a V-shaped projection. Thus, as the process cartridge is inserted into the main assembly, this V-shaped projection comes into contact with the bearing, being thereby rotated while resisting the force applied thereto by the bearing. Then, as the cartridge is inserted further, the bearing is made to ride over the V-shaped projection of the torsional coil spring. Then, as soon as the bearing rides over the V-shaped projection, the V-shaped projection presses, and keep pressed, the bearing upon the edges of the abovementioned slot (V-shaped cut).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It has become a common practice to install a process cartridge (process cartridges) in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus before packaging the image forming apparatus for shipment. This practice, however, creates a problem. That is, the preciseness in the positional relationship between the photosensitive drum in a process cartridge and the main assembly of an image forming apparatus is extremely important. Thus, an image forming apparatus has to be delivered to a user, with the photosensitive drum remaining precisely positioned relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. In recent years, however, the reduction in image forming apparatus size, and the reduction in the distribution cost for an image forming apparatus, have reduced in size the box in which an image forming apparatus is placed for distribution, and also, have resulted in the simplification of the box. Since the smaller the packing box, the easier to handle during distribution, which results in the rough handling of the package. Therefore, it has become necessary to design such a process cartridge that is virtually immune to the shocks to which it is subjected during distribution, and also, such a cartridge holding method and a cartridge positioning method that are immune to the shocks. For example, in the case of a color image forming apparatus, the positional deviation of its photosensitive drum results in the formation of unsatisfactory images (image suffering from color deviation). Thus, it is extremely important that the photosensitive drum in a process cartridge which is installed in an image forming apparatus prior to the distribution of the apparatus is kept precisely positioned relative to the main assembly during the distribution.
[0006] The present invention is a result of further development of the prior art described above. Thus, its primary object is to provide a combination of an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge, which is capable of keeping the cartridges and the photosensitive drum therein in the same state, in terms of the accuracy with which the cartridge and photosensitive drum are positioned relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, as they are when the cartridge is mounted into the main assembly, even if the image forming apparatus is subjected to external shocks.
[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, wherein a cartridge including at least a photosensitive drum is detachably mountable to said image forming apparatus, said image forming apparatus comprising a first abutting portion, provided in an upstream side with respect to a mounting direction in which the cartridge is moved in its longitudinal direction to be mounted to said apparatus; a first urging means, provided in an upstream side with respect to the mounting direction, for urging, when the cartridge is mounted to said apparatus, the cartridge, in a direction crossing with a center axis of the photosensitive drum to position the cartridge in the crossing direction; a second abutting portion, provided in a downstream side with respect to the mounting direction; and a second urging means, provided in a downstream side with respect to the mounting direction, for urging, when the cartridge is mounted to said apparatus, the cartridge, in a direction crossing with the center axis of the photosensitive drum to position the cartridge in the crossing direction, wherein said first abutting portion and said second abutting portion are disposed opposite from each other with respect to a plane including the center axis.
[0008] These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the image forming apparatus in one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and shows the general structure of the apparatus.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the image forming apparatus, shown in FIG. 1 , and the process cartridges therefor, and shows the method for mounting or dismounting the process cartridge, and the method for mounting a sheet feeder cassette.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of one of the process cartridges 7 supported in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , at a vertical plane which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 , as seen from the direction indicated by one of the arrow marks in FIG. 2 .
[0012] FIG. 4( a ) is a schematic plan view of the front plate 33 of the image forming apparatus 100 , as seen from the front side of the main assembly of the apparatus 100 , and FIG. 4( b ) is a schematic plan view of the rear plate 34 of the image forming apparatus 100 , as seen from the front side of the main assembly of the apparatus 100 .
[0013] FIG. 5( a ) is a schematic view of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ) of the front plate 33 , and the adjacencies of the portion 36 , as seen from the front side, and FIG. 5( b ) is a schematic view of the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ) of the rear plate 34 , and the adjacencies of the portion 38 , as seen from the front side.
[0014] FIG. 6( a ) is a schematic sectional view of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ), and the portion of the photosensitive drum 1 , which is in the adjacencies of the portion 36 , at a vertical plane which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 , and FIG. 6( b ) is a schematic sectional view of the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ), and the portion of the photosensitive drum 1 , which is in the adjacencies of the portion 38 , at a vertical plane which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 .
[0015] FIG. 7 is a partially sectional view of the handle portion of the process cartridge 7 when the process cartridge 7 is in its image formation position in the main assembly.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the handle portion of the process cartridge 7 when the process cartridge 7 is in its image formation position in the main assembly.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] Hereinafter, one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the appended drawings. The measurements, materials, and shapes of the structural components of the image forming apparatus which will be mentioned in the following description of the preferred embodiment, and the positional relationship among the structural components, are not intended to limit the present invention in scope, unless specifically noted.
[0018] First referring to FIG. 1 , the general structure of the image forming apparatus in the preferred embodiments is described. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the a color laser printer 100 , which is a form of an image forming apparatus which is compatible with the present invention, and shows the general structure of the printer 100 . This color laser printer 100 is a multicolor image forming apparatus which employs multiple cartridges which are removably mountable in the main assembly of the apparatus in the roughly horizontal direction.
[0019] There are four photosensitive drums ( 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d ) in the color laser printer 100 in FIG. 1 . Further, the color laser printer 100 has also a charging means 2 , a laser scanner 3 , a developing means 4 , a transferring means 12 , a cleaning means 8 , etc., listing from the first of the image forming means in terms of the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 1 , which are in the adjacencies of the peripheral surface of each of the four photosensitive drums 1 . The charging means 2 ( 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , and 2 d ) uniformly charges the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 . The laser scanner 3 forms an electrostatic latent image on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by projecting a beam of laser light while modulating the beam according to the information of the image to be formed. The developing means 4 ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , and 4 d ) develops the electrostatic latent image into a visible image (formed of toner) by adhering toner to the electrostatic latent image. The transferring means 4 ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , and 4 d ) transfers the visible image (image formed of toner) on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 onto an intermediary transfer belt 12 (intermediary transferring member). The cleaning means 8 ( 8 a , 8 b , 8 c , and 8 d ) removes the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the image transfer. These means make up an image forming means.
[0020] The charging means 2 ( 2 a - 2 d ), developing means 4 ( 4 a - 4 d ), and cleaning means 8 ( 8 a - 8 d ), which are means for processing the photosensitive drum 1 ( 1 a - 1 d ), are integrally placed, along with the photosensitive drum 1 ( 1 a - 1 d ), in a cartridge to make a process cartridge 7 ( 7 a - 7 d ), which is removable mountable in the main assembly of the color laser printer 100 .
[0021] The four process cartridges 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , and 7 d are the same in structure, but are different in the color in which they form an image. That is, the process cartridges 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , and 7 d use yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) toners (developers), respectively. Further, the process cartridges 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , and 7 d are made up of development units 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , and 4 d , and cleaner units 5 a , 5 b , 5 c , and 5 d , respectively.
[0022] The development units 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , and 4 d have development rollers 24 a , 24 b , 24 c , and 24 d , developer application rollers 25 a , 25 b , 25 c , and 25 d , and toner containers, respectively.
[0023] The cleaner units 5 a , 5 b , 5 c , and 5 d have photosensitive drums 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d , charge rollers 2 a , 2 b , 2 d , and 2 d , drum cleaning blades 8 a , 8 b , 8 c , and 8 d , and waster toner containers, respectively.
[0024] The photosensitive drums 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d , each of which is an image bearing member, are made up of a hollow cylindrical member (metallic cylinder, for example), and a photosensitive layer formed on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical member by coating the peripheral surface of the hollow cylindrical member with an organic photoconductive substance (OPC). The photosensitive drum 1 is rotatably supported by its lengthwise ends, by a pair of flanges, one for one. It is rotated in the clockwise direction, indicated by an arrow mark in the drawing, by the force transmitted to one of its lengthwise ends from a motor (unshown). The photosensitive drum 1 is in the portion of each process cartridge, which will be the top portion of the cartridge when the cartridge is in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus.
[0025] Each of the charging means 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , and 2 d is an electrically conductive roller. The charging means 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , and 2 d are in contact with the photosensitive drums 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d , respectively. The peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged by placing the charge roller 2 in contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and applying charge bias to the charging means 2 from an electrical power source (unshown), while the photosensitive drum 1 is rotated.
[0026] The laser scanner 3 , which is an exposing means, is directly below the space for the group of process cartridges 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , and 7 d . It scans the peripheral surface of each of the four photosensitive drums 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d to form a latent image which reflects image formation signals, on the peripheral surface of each photosensitive drum 1 .
[0027] Each of the development units 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , and 4 d is made up of a toner storage portion, a development roller, etc. The toner storage portions of the development units 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , and 4 d , one for one, store yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) toners, respectively. Each development roller is positioned so that its peripheral surface is virtually in contact with the peripheral surface of the corresponding photosensitive drum 1 . It is rotated by a driving portion (unshown). As development bias is applied to the development roller by a development bias power source while it is rotated, the latent image is developed.
[0028] The photosensitive drums 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d are charged by the charge rollers 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , and 2 d , and then, an electrostatic latent image is formed on each of the four photosensitive drums 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d by the laser scanner 3 . Then, the four electrostatic latent images are developed in reverse by the development units 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , and 4 d , one for one; toner is adhered to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 in the pattern of the electrostatic latent image. Thus, toner images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) colors are effected on the photosensitive drums 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d , respectively.
[0029] The intermediary transfer belt unit 12 has an intermediary transfer belt 12 e , which is in the top portion of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus and is in contact with each of the four photosensitive drums 1 . The intermediary transfer belt 12 e is an endless belt. It is suspended and tensioned by a driver roller 12 f and a tension roller 12 g . The tension roller 12 g provides the intermediary transfer belt 12 e with a preset amount of tension, by pulling the intermediary transfer belt 12 e in the direction indicated by an arrow mark E. There are transfer rollers 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , and 12 d , which are within the loop, which intermediary transfer belt 12 e forms. They oppose the photosensitive drums 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d , respectively. To the transfer rollers 12 , transfer bias is applied by a bias applying means (unshown).
[0030] The four toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d , one for one, are transferred (first transfer) onto the intermediary transfer belt 12 e by the application of bias to the first transfer rollers 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , and 12 d , respectively. More specifically, the toner images on the photosensitive drums 1 are sequentially transferred (first transfer) onto the intermediary transfer belt 12 e , starting from the one on the photosensitive drum 1 a , so that the four monochromatic toner images, different in color, are placed in layers on the intermediary transfer belt 12 e . The layered four monochromatic toner images are conveyed to a second transferring portion 15 .
[0031] A sheet feeding apparatus 13 has: a sheet feeder cassette 11 , in which multiple sheets S of recording medium are storable; a feed roller 9 which feeds sheets S, one by one, into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 ; and a pair of sheet conveying rollers 10 which convey further each sheet S after the feeding of the sheet S into the main assembly. Incidentally, “recording medium” means an object on which an image can be formed by an image forming apparatus. It includes ordinary paper, OHP sheet, and the like.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1 , the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, and the sheet feeder cassette 11 , are structured so that the cassette 11 can be pulled out of the main assembly in the frontward direction of the main assembly. If it is necessary to supply the main assembly with sheets S of recording medium, a user is to pull the sheet feeder cassette 11 out of the main assembly, and fill the cassette 11 with sheets S of recording medium. Then, the user is to insert the cassette 11 into the main assembly to complete the process of supplying the main assembly with the sheets S of recording medium. As the cassette 11 is inserted into the main assembly, the sheets S come under the pressure from the feed roller 9 . As an image forming operation begins, each sheet S is fed into the main assembly while being separated from the rest in the cassette 11 by a separation pad 23 (frictional separation system). After being fed into the main assembly by the sheet feeding apparatus 13 , each sheet S is conveyed to the second transferring portion 15 by a pair of registration roller 17 .
[0033] The second transferring portion 15 is made up of the driver roller 12 f and a second transfer roller 16 , which are kept pressed against each other with the presence of the intermediary transfer belt 12 e between them. As transfer bias is applied to the second transfer roller 16 by a bias applying means (unshown), the layered four monochromatic toner images, different in color, on the intermediary transfer belt 12 e , are transferred together (second transfer) onto the sheet S of recording medium, which is being conveyed through the second transferring portion 15 .
[0034] A fixing portion 14 , which is a fixing means, fixes the transferred toner images on the sheet S to the sheet S by applying heat and pressure to the toner images.
[0035] Designated by a referential code 14 a is a fixation belt, which is cylindrical and is guided by a belt guiding member 14 c which has a heat generating means, such as an ordinary heater, attached to the belt guiding member 14 c with adhesive or the like. Designated by a referential code 14 b is an elastic pressure roller, which is kept pressed against the belt guiding member 14 c by a preset amount of pressure, with the presence of the fixation belt 14 a between the pressure roller 14 b and belt guiding member 14 c . Thus, there is a fixation nip N, which is preset in width, between the fixation belt 14 a and elastic pressure roller 14 b . As the pressure roller 14 b is rotated by a driving means (unshown), the cylindrical fixation belt 14 a is rotated by the rotation of the pressure roller 14 b , while being heated by the heater (unshown) within the belt guiding member 14 c . With the temperature of the fixation nip N having increased to a preset level, the sheet S on which a layered unfixed toner images are present, is conveyed from the image forming means into the fixation nip N, that is, the interface between the fixation belt 14 a and pressure roller 14 b , with the image bearing surface of the sheet S facing upward, that is, facing the fixation belt 14 a . Thus, the sheet S is conveyed through the fixation nip N with the image bearing surface of the sheet S remaining in contact with the outward surface of the fixation belt 14 a , while remaining tightly pinched between the fixation belt 14 a and pressure roller 14 b.
[0036] While the sheet S of recording medium is conveyed through the fixation nip N, remaining in contact with the fixation belt 14 a which is being rotated, the layered unfixed monochromatic toner images on the sheet S become fixed to the sheet S by being heated by the heat from the heater which is on the inward side of the fixation belt loop. After the fixation of the toner images to the sheet S, the sheet S is discharged by a pair of discharge rollers 20 into a delivery tray 21 .
[0037] Meanwhile, the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of photosensitive drum 1 ( 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d ) after the first transfer of the toner images is removed by the cleaning blade 8 a , 8 b , 8 c , and 8 d , respectively, and is recovered into the waste toner contains of the cleaner units 5 a , 5 b , 5 c , and 5 d , respectively.
[0038] As for the toner remaining on the intermediary transfer belt 12 e after the second transfer, that is, the toner image transfer onto the sheet S, is removed by a transfer belt cleaning apparatus 22 , and is recovered into a waste toner recovery container (unshown), through a waste toner conveyance passage.
[0039] Next, the portions of the structure of the color laser beam printer 100 , which is related to the mounting of the process cartridge 7 into the main assembly of the printer 100 , and the removal of the cartridge 7 from the main assembly, are described. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the image forming apparatus, four cartridges 7 (three of which are in main assembly of printer, whereas one is being pulled out of main assembly), and sheet feeder cassette 11 , and shows the method for mounting the process cartridges 7 , method for removing the process cartridges 7 , method for mounting the sheet feeder cassette 11 , and method for removing the sheet feeder cassette 11 .
[0040] It is from the front side of the color laser printer 100 that the sheet feeder cassette 11 is mounted into the printer 100 to supply the printer 100 with the sheets S of recording medium; the process cartridges 7 are mounted into, or removed from, the main assembly of the image forming apparatus; and the sheet S of recording medium is collected after the printing of an image on the sheet S. The printer 100 is structured so that each of the process cartridges 7 is to be mounted into, or removed from, the main assembly of the printer 100 in the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 in the process cartridge 7 , and also, from the front side of the main assembly. Here, the “front side” of the main assembly of the printer 100 means the side on which a user is to be when mounting the cartridge 7 , that is, the upstream side of the printer 100 in terms of the direction in which the cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly. The “rear side” of the main assembly of the printer 100 means the opposite side of the main assembly from the “front side” of the main assembly, that is, the downstream side of the main assembly in terms of the direction in which the cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly.
[0041] Next, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the portions of the structure of the main assembly of the color laser printer 100 , which support the process cartridges 7 , are described in detail.
[0042] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of one of the process cartridges 7 supported in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , at a vertical plane which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 , as seen from the direction indicated by one of the arrow marks in FIG. 2 . Referring to FIG. 3 , the lengthwise end portions of the photosensitive drum 1 are fitted with a pair of bearings 31 and 32 , one for one, which are made of low friction (slippery) resin and are rotatable relative to the photosensitive drum 1 . That is, the bearings 31 and 32 support the photosensitive drum 1 in such a manner that the photosensitive drum 1 is rotatable in the process cartridge 7 . The bearings 31 and 32 are prevented by E-rings from moving in the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . Here, the “lengthwise” direction of the photosensitive drum 1 means the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 , that is, the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is mounted into, or removed from, the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 .
[0043] The main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with a pair of metallic plates 33 (front plate) and 34 (rear plate), which come into contact with the peripheral surface of the bearing 31 and the peripheral surface of the bearing 32 , respectively, as the process cartridge 7 is mounted into the main assembly. In terms of the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly in the direction parallel to the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 , the front plate 33 is on the upstream side of the main assembly, whereas the rear plate 34 is on the downstream side of the main assembly. The front plate 33 and rear plate 34 are in connection with each other. More specifically, the bottom portion of the front plate 33 is in connection with the bottom portion of the rear plate 34 through a bottom plate (unshown) with which the main assembly is provided. The left, center, and top portions of the front plate 33 are in connection with the counterparts of the rear plate 34 through a stay (unshown) with which the main assembly is provided. The bottom plate and stay are formed of metal as are the front and rear plates 33 and 34 . They make up a part of the frame of the image forming apparatus 100 by being connected to each other with small screws.
[0044] FIG. 4( a ) is a schematic plan view of the front plate 33 of the image forming apparatus 100 , as seen from the front side of the main assembly of the apparatus 100 . Referring to FIG. 4( a ), the front plate 33 , which is a part of the aforementioned frame, has an opening 35 through which the process cartridges 7 are mounted into, or removed from, the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 . The top edge of this opening 35 (which is perpendicular to lengthwise direction of photosensitive drum 1 ) has four cartridge positioning slots 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ). The four cartridge positioning slots 36 , which hereafter will be referred to simply as a cartridge positioning first slot, correspond to the process cartridges 7 ( 7 a - 7 d ), one for one. More specifically, the cartridge positioning first slot 36 is in the form of a V-shaped cut (upside-down V). Thus, it is the portions 36 a and 36 b of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 , which correspond to the left and right portions of a letter V, that precisely position the lengthwise front end of the process cartridge 7 . As the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , the peripheral surface of the bearing (circle drawn in double-dot chain line in FIG. 4( a )) of the process cartridge 7 comes into contact with the left and right edges 36 a and 36 b of the process cartridge positioning first slot 36 , whereby the process cartridge 7 is precisely position relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , in terms of the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the process cartridge 7 .
[0045] FIG. 4( b ) is a schematic plan view of the rear plate 34 of the image forming apparatus 100 , as seen from the front side of the main assembly of the apparatus 100 . Referring to FIG. 4( b ), the rear plate 34 , which also is a part of the aforementioned frame, has four openings 37 ( 37 a - 37 d ) into which the process cartridges 7 ( 7 a - 7 d ) fit, respectively, by their lengthwise end portion, as they are mounted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 . The bottom edge of each of these openings 37 (which is perpendicular to lengthwise direction of photosensitive drum 1 ) is the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a - 38 d ), which hereafter will be referred to simply as a cartridge positioning second slot 38 . The four cartridge positioning second slots 38 correspond to the process cartridge 7 ( 7 a - 7 d ), one for one. More specifically, in terms of the vertical direction, the cartridge positioning second slot 38 is positioned so that after the mounting of the process cartridge 7 into the main assembly, it would be on the opposite side of the process cartridge 7 from the V-shaped (upside-down V) cartridge positioning first slot 36 . Thus, as the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , the peripheral surface of the bearing 32 (circle drawn in double-dot chain line in FIG. 4( b )) of the process cartridge 7 comes into contact with the bottom edge of the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a - 387 d ), whereby the rear end of the process cartridge 7 is precisely position relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 in terms of the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the process cartridge 7 , and is supported by the cartridge positioning second slot 38 .
[0046] That is, as the process cartridge 7 is mounted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , the bearings 31 and 32 fitted around the lengthwise ends of the photosensitive drum 1 , one for one, come into contact with the cartridge positioning first and second slots 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ) and 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ), whereby they are supported and precisely positioned relative to the main assembly by the cartridge positioning first and second slots 36 and 38 . In other words, the photosensitive drum 1 ( 1 a - 1 d ) in the process cartridge 7 ( 7 a - 7 d ) is supported by the front and rear plates 33 and 34 , which are the parts of the frame of the image forming apparatus 100 , in such a manner that the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 in each process cartridge 7 becomes parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 in each of the other process cartridges 7 . The cartridge positioning first and second slots 36 and 38 are the same in shape, and are symmetrically positioned with reference to a flat plane p which coincides with the axial line CL (central axial line). Not only does this structural feature allow the bearings 31 and 32 to be the same in external diameter (bearings 31 and 32 may be identical in shape and diameter), but also, ensures that the photosensitive drums 1 ( 1 a - 1 d ) are more precisely positioned relative to the main assembly, in parallel to each other, than they can be in the main assembly of any of the image forming apparatuses in accordance with the prior arts.
[0047] The cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ) is the edge portion of the hole of the metallic member (front side plate), which is a part of the frame of the image forming apparatus 100 . In terms of the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is mounted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , it is on the front side of the main assembly. The cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ) also is the metallic member (side rear plate), which also is a part of the frame of the image forming apparatus 100 . It is on the rear side of the main assembly. That is, each of the two cartridge positioning slots 36 and 38 is the edge portion of the hole punched through the front (rear) plate of the main assembly during a stamping process. The use of a stamping method for the manufacture of the cartridge positioning first and second slots 36 and 38 ensures that the front and rear plates are precisely processed, and therefore, that the process cartridge 7 and the photosensitive drum 1 therein are precisely positioned relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , which in turn minimize the image forming apparatus in color deviation.
[0048] The cartridge positioning first and second slots 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ) and 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ) are the same in shape and are perfectly symmetrically positioned relative to each other with respect to the flat plane p which coincides with the axial line CL of the photosensitive drum 1 , as described above. This structural feature, however, is not intended to limit the present invention in scope. That is, the two slots 36 and 38 do not need to be exactly the same in size, nor perfectly symmetrically positioned relative to each other with reference to the flat plane p. In other words, as long as the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 is structured so that the cartridge positioning first and second slots 36 and 38 are oppositely positioned with respect to the flat plane p, it is not mandatory that they are shaped, sized, and positioned as described above. Incidentally, the flat plane p in this embodiment is horizontal. However, as long as the cartridge positioning first and second slots 36 and 38 can be positioned as described above relative to each other with respect to the flat plane p, the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 does not need to be structured so that the flat plane p is horizontal; it may be structured so that the flat plane p is slanted.
[0049] Next, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , the method for pressing, and keeping pressed, the process cartridge 7 is described.
[0050] FIG. 5( a ) is a schematic view of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ), that is, the cartridge positioning slot of the front plate 33 , and the adjacencies of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 , as seen from the front side. Referring to FIG. 5( a ), the front plate 33 , which is the upstream plate in terms of the aforementioned cartridge insertion direction, has a first pressing means which presses the process cartridge 7 in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 in the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the photosensitive drum 1 to precisely position the process cartridge 7 (photosensitive drum 1 ) relative to the main assembly in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge positioning first slot 36 . The first pressing means is made up of a front lever 39 , a tensional spring 41 , etc., which will be described later. The front lever 39 is the very portion with which the bearing 31 engages.
[0051] The front plate 33 is provided with a fulcrum shaft 61 , which was attached to the front plate 33 by crimping, and is in the adjacencies of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ). The aforementioned front lever 39 is fitted around the fulcrum shaft 61 , by one (first end portion) of its lengthwise end portions, so that the front lever 39 can be rotationally moved around the fulcrum shaft 61 . The front lever 39 is formed of slippery resin, and has a spring anchoring portion 40 , which is roughly at the center of the front lever 39 in terms of the lengthwise direction of the front lever 39 . It is with this spring anchoring portion 40 that the bottom end of the aforementioned tension spring 41 is in engagement, whereas the other end of the tension spring 41 is in engagement with a spring anchoring portion 42 , with which the front plate 33 is provided. Thus, the front lever 39 remains under the pressure which works in the direction to rotate the front lever 39 in the counterclockwise direction about the fulcrum shaft 61 . The second end of the front lever 39 is in a hole 62 of the front plate 33 , and being thereby held by the front plate 33 while remaining under the pressure applied in the direction perpendicular to the cartridge positioning first slot 36 by the tension spring 41 .
[0052] FIG. 6( a ) is a schematic sectional view of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ), and the portion of the photosensitive drum 1 , which is in the adjacencies of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 , at a vertical plane which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . Referring to FIG. 6( a ), the front lever 39 has a boss 43 , which is an integral part of the front lever 39 and is roughly at the center of the front lever 39 in terms of the lengthwise direction of the front lever 39 . The shape and position of the boss 43 is such that the boss 43 fits in a hole 44 of the process cartridge 7 . When the process cartridge 7 is properly in its image formation position in the main assembly, the attitude of the front lever 39 is such that the front lever 39 is slightly tilted in the clockwise direction. Also when the process cartridge 7 is properly in its image formation position in the main assembly, the boss 34 is in the hole 44 of the process cartridge 7 . That is, as the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly, the boss 43 of the front lever 39 fits into the hole of the process cartridge 7 , whereby the front lever 39 comes under the pressure applied thereto by the tension spring 41 in the direction perpendicular to the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ). Thus, the bearing 31 is placed in contact with the edges of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ), whereby it is precisely positioned relative to the main assembly.
[0053] FIG. 5( b ) is a schematic view of the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ), that is, the cartridge positioning slot of the rear plate 34 , and the adjacencies of the cartridge positioning second slot 38 , as seen from the front side. Referring to FIG. 5( b ), the rear plate 34 , which is the downstream plate in terms of the aforementioned cartridge insertion direction, has a second pressing means which presses the process cartridge 7 in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 in the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the photosensitive drum 1 to precisely position the process cartridge 7 (photosensitive drum 1 ) relative to the main assembly in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge positioning second slot 38 . The second pressing means is made up of a rear lever 46 , a tensional spring 48 , etc., which will be described later. The rear lever 46 is the very portion with which the bearing 32 engages.
[0054] The rear plate 34 is provided with a fulcrum shaft 45 , which was attached to the rear plate 34 by crimping, and is in the adjacencies of the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ). The rear lever 46 is fitted around the fulcrum shaft 45 so that it can be rotationally moved about the fulcrum shaft 45 . It is above the opening 37 . It has a boss 50 which projects downward from the roughly center of the bottom side of the rear lever 46 , in terms of the lengthwise direction of the rear lever 46 . It has also a boss 47 , which projects upward from the roughly center of the top side of the rear lever 46 . The boss 47 is fitted with a compression spring 48 . The top end of the compression spring 48 is in a spring seat 49 , which is an integral part of the rear plate 34 . The spring 49 remains compressed, whereby it continuously applies pressure to the rear lever 46 . Thus, the rear lever 46 remains under such pressure that works in the direction to rotate the rear lever 46 about the fulcrum shaft 45 in the clockwise direction. The other end of the rear lever 46 is in a hole 63 of the rear plate 34 , being therefore held by the rear plate 34 while remaining pressed by the pressure from the compression spring 48 in the direction perpendicular to the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ).
[0055] FIG. 6( b ) is a schematic sectional view of the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ), and the portion of the photosensitive drum 1 , which is in the adjacencies of the cartridge positioning second slot 38 , at a vertical plane which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . Referring to FIG. 6( b ), the position of the bearing 32 is such that it is in contact with the bottom surface (projection 50 ) of the rear lever 46 . When the process cartridge 7 is in its proper position for image formation in the main assembly, the attitude of the front lever 39 is such that the rear lever 46 is slightly tilted in the counterclockwise direction, applying thereby pressure upon the process cartridge 7 . That is, as the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly, it engages with the rear lever 46 , causing thereby the bearing 32 to be subjected to the pressure applied by the compression spring 48 in the direction perpendicular to the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ). Therefore, it is assured that the bearing 32 is placed in contact with the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ), being thereby precisely positioned relative to the main assembly.
[0056] As the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , one (bearing 31 ) of its lengthwise ends is pressed upward (which is perpendicular to cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b )) by the front lever 39 , whereby it is placed in contact with the cartridge positioning first slot 36 , as described above. As for the other lengthwise end (bearing 32 ) of the process cartridge 7 , as the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly, it is pressed downward (which is perpendicular to cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ) by the rear lever 46 , whereby it is placed in contact with the cartridge positioning second slot 38 , which is on the opposite side of the process cartridge 7 from the cartridge positioning first slot 36 in terms of the vertical direction. This is how the process cartridge 7 is precisely positioned relative to the frame (front and rear plates 33 and 34 ) of the main assembly.
[0057] Next, referring to FIGS. 6( a ) and 6 ( b ), the positional relationship of each lever and each cartridge positioning slot relative to the process cartridge 7 , and the movement of the process cartridge 7 , which occurs as the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , are described.
[0058] First, the positional relationship of each lever and each cartridge positioning slot relative to the process cartridge 7 is described. Referring to FIG. 6( a ), the position of the front lever 39 is such that when the process cartridge 7 is in the main assembly, the front lever 39 is above the process cartridge 7 . The position of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 is such that when the cartridge 7 is in the main assembly, the cartridge positioning first slot 36 is above the photosensitive drum 1 which is in the top portion of the process cartridge 7 . Next, referring to FIG. 6( b ), the position of the rear lever 46 is such that when the process cartridge 7 is in the main assembly, the rear lever 46 also is above the process cartridge 7 . The position of the cartridge positioning second slot 38 is such that when the cartridge 7 is in the main assembly, the cartridge positioning second slot 38 is below the photosensitive drum 1 which is in the top portion of the process cartridge 7 .
[0059] Next, the operation for mounting the process cartridge 7 into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 is described. The process cartridge 7 is to be inserted into the main assembly from the right-hand side in FIGS. 6( a ) and 6 ( b ), in such a manner that it is guided by cartridge insertion guides (unshown) of the main assembly.
[0060] As the process cartridge 7 is inserted, the bearing 31 ( FIG. 6( a )), which is on the front side of the main assembly, comes into contact with the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ) by its guiding surface 66 . At this point in time, the bearing 31 is not under the pressure from the tension spring 41 , and therefore, there is virtually no friction between the bearing 31 and cartridge positioning first slot 36 . Then, as the process cartridge 7 is inserted further into the main assembly, the boss 43 of the front lever 39 comes into contact with the edge of the hole 44 of the process cartridge 7 , causing the force from the tension spring 41 to begin to press the bearing 31 in the direction perpendicular to the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ), via the front lever 39 . Thus, this force from the tension spring 41 creates friction between the peripheral surface of the bearing 31 and the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ), and also, between the boss 43 and the wall of the hole 44 . Therefore, the process cartridge 7 is set in the main assembly (precisely positioned relative to the main assembly) while being subjected to these frictions.
[0061] As for the rear end portion (rear side) of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , as the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly, the guiding surface 65 of the bearing 32 ( FIG. 6( b )) comes into contact with the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ). At this point in time, roughly half of the weight of the process cartridge 7 rests on the cartridge positioning second slot 38 . Therefore, there is friction between the bearing 32 and the cartridge positioning second slot 38 , although the friction is very small. Then, as the process cartridge 7 is inserted further into the main assembly, the slant surface of the projection 50 of the rear lever 46 comes into contact with the slant surface 65 of the bearing 32 . From this point in time on, the force from the compression spring 48 acts in the direction perpendicular to the cartridge positioning second slot 38 . This force from the compression spring 48 , which is acting in the direction perpendicular to the cartridge positioning second slot 38 (rear plate 34 ) generates friction between the peripheral surface of the bearing 32 and the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ), and between the peripheral surface of the bearing 32 and the bottom surface of the rear lever 46 . This friction functions as resistance.
[0062] Because of the above described positional relationship among these portions, that is, the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is supported, and the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is pressed, the upstream lengthwise end of the process cartridge 7 is pressed in the direction opposite to the direction in which the downstream lengthwise end of the process cartridge 7 is pressed. In other words, the direction in which the upstream lengthwise end of the process cartridge 7 is pressed against the cartridge positioning first slot 36 is opposite to the direction in which the downstream lengthwise end of the process cartridge 7 is pressed against the cartridge positioning second slot 38 . Therefore, the process cartridge 7 is precisely positioned, and remains precisely position, relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 .
[0063] The above-described structural arrangement makes it possible to minimize the pressure applied to the process cartridge 7 at the deepest (rearmost) end portion of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 . That is, the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ) faces upward with respect to the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the photosensitive drum 1 . That is, the process cartridge 7 remains subjected to the gravity. Therefore, the amount of force which the compression spring 48 is required to generate has only to be the difference between the amount of the force necessary to precisely position, and keep precisely positioned, the process cartridge 7 relative to the main assembly, and roughly half of the weight of the process cartridge 7 . In other words, the above-described structural arrangement can minimize the amount of force necessary to insert the process cartridge 7 into the main assembly.
[0064] That is, because of the above described structural arrangement, the combination of the image forming apparatus 100 and the process cartridge 7 in this embodiment is significantly smaller in the amount of the friction generated between the bearing 32 , that is, the rear bearing, and the rear lever 46 when the process cartridge 7 is mounted into, or removed from, the main assembly of the apparatus 100 . Therefore, the combination is significantly smaller in the amount of force necessary for the process cartridge 7 to be mounted into, or removed from, the main assembly, being therefore significantly better in the handling of the process cartridge 7 when the process cartridge 7 is mounted into, or removed from, the main assembly than any combination of an image forming apparatus ( 100 ) and a process cartridge ( 7 ) in accordance with any of the prior arts.
[0065] An additional benefit of this structural arrangement is that it can minimize the amount of impact to which the photosensitive drum 7 may be subjected during its distribution. More specifically, in the case of a combination of an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge structured in accordance with the prior arts, the process cartridge is precisely position relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus by being pressed in only one direction perpendicular to the direction in which it is mounted into the main assembly. Therefore, when an image forming apparatus in accordance with the prior arts happened to be dropped during its distribution, the amount of shock to which the process cartridge was subjected was substantial, causing sometimes the process cartridge to be significantly displaced, which sometimes resulted in the damages to the process cartridge.
[0066] In comparison, in the case of the combination of the image forming apparatus and process cartridges in this embodiment, if a shipment package which contains the combination happens to be dropped, the bearing 31 is temporarily separated from the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ) against the force from the tension spring 41 as the package hits the ground. Then, the bearing 31 is subjected to the shock which is generated as it is placed back in contact with the cartridge positioning first slot 36 by the force from the tension spring 41 .
[0067] On the other hand, the lengthwise rear end portion (which corresponds to rear end portion of apparatus) of the process cartridge 7 is supported by the cartridge positioning second slot 38 (rigid portion), which is on the opposite side from the cartridge positioning first slot 36 . Therefore, it does not change in position even if a shipment package which contains the image forming apparatus which contains the process cartridges happens to be dropped. Instead, the process cartridge 7 changes in attitude, that is, it rotationally moves about the cartridge positioning second slot 38 (which corresponds to rear end portion of process cartridge 7 ) in such a manner that its front end displaces by an amount larger than the amount by which the other portion of the process cartridge 7 . Thus, the process cartridge 7 in this embodiment is significantly smaller in the amount by which it is displaced when a shipment package which contains the image forming apparatus 100 in which the process cartridge 7 is present is dropped, being therefore significantly smaller in the amount of shock to which it is subjected when it is restored in position, than a combination of an image forming apparatus and process cartridges in accordance with the prior arts.
[0068] Further, in this embodiment, the rear end of the process cartridge 7 (which corresponds to rear end of image forming apparatus) does not displace in the direction perpendicular to the rear cartridge positioning second slot 38 , being therefore significantly smaller in the amount of displacement which might occur in the direction parallel to the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum 1 if the image forming apparatus is subjected to a substantial amount of shock, than the combination of an image forming apparatus and process cartridges in accordance with the prior arts.
[0069] That is, in this embodiment, as the process cartridge 7 is mounted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , it is precisely positioned relative to the main assembly in such a manner that even if the image forming apparatus 100 is subjected to a substantial mount of shock, the process cartridge 7 is unlikely to be affected by the shock. Therefore, in the case of the combination of the image forming apparatus 100 and process cartridge(s) 7 in this embodiment, even if a shipment package which contains the image forming apparatus 100 in which the process cartridges 7 have been precisely positioned is subjected to external shock during the distribution of the package, each of the process cartridges 7 , and the photosensitive drum 1 in each process cartridge 7 , remain precisely positioned relative to the main assembly.
[0070] Further, even if the process cartridge in the image forming apparatus 100 in a shipment package is subjected to upward impact, that is, even if a shipment pack which contains the image forming apparatus 100 in which the process cartridge 7 has been precisely position is dropped upside down, all that occurs to the process cartridge 7 is that the direction of the force to which the process cartridge 7 is subjected becomes opposite to the direction of the force to which the package is dropped in the normal attitude. Therefore, the amount of shock to which the process cartridge 7 is subjected is just as small as the amount of shock to which the process cartridge 7 is subjected when the package is dropped in the normal attitude. Therefore, the photosensitive drum 1 remains precisely positioned relative to the main assembly.
[0071] If a shipment box which contains the image forming apparatus 100 happens to fall with the left or right side of the box facing downward, the process cartridge 7 might shifts in position. However, the state of contact between the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ) and the bearing 31 , and the state of contact between the cartridge positioning second slot 38 ( 38 a and 38 b ) and the bearing 31 , remains unchanged. Therefore, the shock to which the process cartridge 7 is subjected is not as large as when the shipment box falls in the normal attitude or upside down.
[0072] Further, the above described image forming apparatus in this embodiment employs multiple process cartridges, and it is roughly in the roughly horizontal direction that the cartridges are mounted into, or removed from, the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. It has: the transfer unit which is in the top portion of the main assembly, and has the endless belt which is in contact with all of the photosensitive drum 1 ; and the exposing means which is in the bottom portion of the main assembly, and forms a latent image on each photosensitive drum 1 by exposing the photosensitive drum 1 . Because it (multicolor image forming apparatus; color image forming apparatus) is structured as described above, it is superior to a multicolor image forming apparatus in accordance with the prior arts, in terms of how a user has to handle a process cartridge during the mounting or removal of the process cartridge.
[0073] Next, referring to FIG. 7 , the structure of the handle of the process cartridge 7 is described. FIG. 7 is a partially sectional view of the process cartridge 7 , as seen from the left side of the image forming apparatus, when the process cartridge 7 is in its image formation position in the main assembly.
[0074] Referring to FIG. 7 , the process cartridge 7 has a handle 51 , which is at the front end of the process cartridge 7 , that is, the upstream end of the process cartridge 7 in terms of the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is inserted into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 . This handle 51 is an integral part of the shell portion of the process cartridge 7 . The handle 51 is L-shaped in cross section. The shape of the handle 51 was determined based on the direction in which the cartridge positioning first slot 36 ( 36 a and 36 b ) faces, and the direction in which the front lever 39 presses upon the process cartridge 7 (bearing 31 ).
[0075] That is, the handle 51 is shaped so that when a user mounts or removes the process cartridge 7 , the back of the user's hand faces the same direction as the direction (indicated by arrow mark in FIG. 7 ) in which the front lever 39 presses upon the process cartridge 7 (bearing 31 ). In this embodiment, the front lever 39 presses the process cartridge 7 upward (indicated by arrow mark in FIG. 7 ). Therefore, the handle 51 is L-shaped in cross section, as shown in FIG. 7 , so that all that is necessary for the user to do to remove the process cartridge 7 from the main assembly of the image forming apparatus is to place his- or her hand on the handle 51 , and pull the handle 51 in the rightward of FIG. 7 , by hooking the portion of the handle 51 , which is parallel to the surface of the cartridge shell, with his- or her fingers.
[0076] That is, the process cartridge 7 is structured so that the handle 51 is on the front surface (upstream side in terms of cartridge insertion direction) of the process cartridge 7 , and is positioned so that when the process cartridge 7 is positioned to be mounted or removed, it will be below the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 , and also, so that its recess faces toward the direction of the cartridge positioning first slot 36 .
[0077] Because the handle 51 is structured and positioned as described above, as a user pulls the process cartridge 7 in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 to remove it from the main assembly, the process cartridge 7 is subjected to only a small amount of horizontal force, or a small amount of force which is slightly offset from the horizontal direction; there is generated no upward force which acts on the process cartridge 7 .
[0078] That is, when the process cartridge 7 is pulled outward for the removal from the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , the amount of pressure by which the bearing 31 is pressed upon the cartridge positioning first slot 36 does not increase, and therefore, the friction between the cartridge positioning first slot 36 and bearing 31 does not increase. The amount of force necessary to remove the process cartridge 7 from the main assembly does not change regardless of how the process cartridge 7 is pulled and/or the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is pulled. That is, the combination of the image forming apparatus 100 and process cartridges 7 in this embodiment is stable in the amount of force necessary to remove the process cartridges 7 from the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , being therefore superior to a combination of an image forming apparatus and process cartridges in accordance with the prior arts, in terms of the requirement regarding how the process cartridges have to be handled when they need to be removed from the main assembly.
[0079] Further, the tension spring 41 is designed so that the amount of force it generates is the smallest amount necessary to precisely position the process cartridge 7 relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 . Therefore, the image forming apparatus in this embodiment is smaller in the amount of force necessary to remove the process cartridge 7 from the main assembly of the image forming apparatus than an image forming apparatus in accordance with the prior arts.
[0080] In comparison, the amount by which the rear end portion of the process cartridge 7 (rear end of apparatus) is affected by the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is pulled to be removed from the main assembly is small. That is, the distance between the handle 51 and the cartridge positioning second slot 38 is substantial as shown in FIG. 8 . Thus, even if downward force is applied to the process cartridge 7 by a user as the user pulls the process cartridge 7 to remove the process cartridge 7 , the downwardly applied force turns into such a force that causes the process cartridge 7 to be rotationally moved about the cartridge positioning second slot 38 . Therefore, the downwardly applied force has little effect upon the friction between the cartridges positioning second slot 38 and bearing 32 .
[0081] Further, when it is necessary to mount the process cartridge 7 into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , the front surface of the handle 51 is to be pressed in the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is to be mounted. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the front surface 52 a of the handle 51 has a preset angle (5° in this embodiment) relative to the vertical direction.
[0082] Therefore, as a user presses the front surface 52 a of the handle 51 to mount the process cartridge 7 in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 , the process cartridge 7 is subjected to the horizontal force and a small amount of force which is slightly downwardly angled relative to the horizontal direction, with the presence of no upward force. Therefore, the image forming apparatus in this embodiment is smaller in the amount of force necessary to mount the process cartridge 7 into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus than any of the image forming apparatuses in accordance with the prior arts.
[0083] Further, in this embodiment, the front surface 52 of the handle 51 is tilted by a preset angle. However, this structural feature in this embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in scope. For example, the front surface 52 may have a curvature. What is essential here is that the front surface 52 is shaped and/or angled so that as the front surface 52 is pressed by a user, the force applied to the surface 52 by the user reduces the friction between the cartridge positioning first slot 36 and bearing 31 (applied force does not increase the friction between the cartridge positioning first slot 36 and bearing 31 ) so that the process cartridge 7 can be reliably mounted.
[0084] The force applied to the front surface 52 of the handle 51 by a user to mount the process cartridge 7 as described above has little effect upon the friction between the cartridge positioning second slot 38 and bearing 32 which are in the rear end portion of the main assembly.
[0085] By structuring the handle 51 of the process cartridge 7 as described above, it is possible to reduce, and also, make stable, a combination of an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge in the amount of force necessary to mount the process cartridge into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, and to remove the process cartridge from the main assembly.
[0086] Further, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus is structured so that as the bearings 31 and 32 of the photosensitive drum 1 come into contact with the cartridge positioning first and second portions 36 and 38 (slant edges of the V-shaped cut) of the corresponding metallic side plate of the main assembly, the process cartridge 7 is precisely positioned relative to the main assembly. Therefore, the combination of the image forming apparatus and the process cartridge therefor in this embodiment is superior to any of a combination of an image forming apparatus and process cartridge therefor in accordance with the prior arts, in terms of the preciseness with which the process cartridges are positioned relative to the main assembly, amount of force necessary to mount or remove the process cartridge, and reliability with which a process cartridge can be mounted or removed.
[0087] The preceding embodiment of the present invention was described with reference to the multicolor image forming apparatus (color image forming apparatus) which employs four process cartridges which are removably mountable in the main assembly of the apparatus. However, the embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in scope. That is, the number of the process cartridges to be employed by an image forming apparatus is optional. Further, the type of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to a color image forming apparatus. That is, the present invention is also applicable to a monochromatic image forming apparatus.
[0088] Further, a “cartridge having at least an image bearing member” means such a process cartridge as the above described process cartridge that is removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus, and contributes to the process for forming an image on recording medium. The process cartridge described above comprised: an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (image bearing member); at least one processing means among the charging means, developing means, and cleaning means; and a cartridge in which the photosensitive drum and one or more processing means were integrally placed so that they can be removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus. In other words, a “process cartridge” includes a cartridge which integrally contains a photosensitive drum and a developing means (processing means) and is removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus. It includes also a cartridge which integrally contains a photosensitive drum, a charging means, and a developing means or cleaning means and is removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus. Incidentally, a “processing means” is a means for processing a photosensitive drum.
[0089] Further, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention described above, the exposing means was a laser scanner. However, the exposing means does not need to be limited to a laser scanner. For example, it may be an LED array or the like. That is, even though the image forming apparatus in the preferred embodiment of the present invention described above was a laser printer, the present invention is also applicable to an LED printer or the like. Moreover, the application of the present invention is not limited to a plain image forming apparatus. For example, the present invention is also applicable to a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a word processor, etc., and a multifunction image forming apparatus capable of performing a combination of the functions of the preceding image forming apparatuses. The application of the present invention to these image forming apparatuses yields the same effects as those described above.
[0090] Further, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention described above, the endless belt of the belt unit was an intermediary transfer belt (intermediary transfer member), that is, a belt on which a toner image is temporarily transferred. However, the compatibility of the present invention is not limited to a transfer belt unit. For example, the present invention is also compatible with an image forming apparatus which employs a conveyance belt unit, that is, a belt unit which uses an endless belt for conveying recording medium onto which a toner image is transferred. The application of the present invention to such an image forming apparatus also yields the same effects as those described above.
[0091] According to the present invention, it is possible to precisely position a process cartridge relative to the main assembly of an image forming apparatus in such a manner that even if the image forming apparatus is subjected to an external shock while the image forming apparatus contains a process cartridge precisely positioned relative to the main assembly of the apparatus, the process cartridge is unlikely to be affected by the shock. In other words, the present invention makes it possible to provide a combination of an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge, which can keep the process cartridge, and the image bearing member therein, precisely positioned relative to the main assembly even if the combination is subjected to an external shock while the combination is being distributed, with the process cartridge being precisely positioned relative to the main assembly, in the main assembly.
[0092] While the invention has been described with reference to the structures disclosed herein, it is not confined to the details set forth, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purposes of the improvements or the scope of the following claims.
[0093] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 017580/2010 filed Jan. 29, 2010 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
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An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, wherein a cartridge including at least a photosensitive drum is detachably mountable to said image forming apparatus, said image forming apparatus includes a first abutting portion, provided in an upstream side with respect to a mounting direction in which the cartridge is moved in its longitudinal direction to be mounted to said apparatus; a first urging means, provided in an upstream side with respect to the mounting direction, for urging, when the cartridge is mounted to said apparatus, the cartridge, in a direction crossing with a center axis of the photosensitive drum to position the cartridge in the crossing direction; a second abutting portion, provided in a downstream side with respect to the mounting direction; and a second urging means, provided in a downstream side with respect to the mounting direction, for urging, when the cartridge is mounted to said apparatus, the cartridge, in a direction crossing with the center axis of the photosensitive drum to position the cartridge in the crossing direction, wherein said first abutting portion and said second abutting portion are disposed opposite from each other with respect to a plane including the center axis.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to a form unit and its method of manufacture that is used when pouring concrete when building a concrete building, and to a concrete building that is constructed using the concrete-building construction form.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Conventionally, when building a concrete building, after the foundation has been formed, many vertical reinforcements and horizontal reinforcements are arranged in a box-like shape on top of the foundation, and then after wooden or metal forms are arranged on the inside and outside of these vertical and horizontal reinforcements, concrete is poured onto the forms and hardened, then by removing the forms, the walls and partitions of the concrete building are completed, and finally the work of finishing these walls and partitions is
[0005] However, in the case of constructing a concrete building using this kind of conventional method, the following problems that need to be improved remain.
[0006] In other words, before pouring the concrete, it is necessary to perform the work of putting reinforcing bars in place, and then placing the forms on both sides of these reinforcing bars, then after the poured concrete has hardened, it is necessary to perform the work of removing the forms.
[0007] Therefore, since it is necessary to perform work inside and outside the wall, scaffolding 2 is assembled on the outside of the concrete building 1 to be constructed, as shown in FIG. 16, and this scaffolding 2 is used to perform the outside work.
[0008] In order to do this, space must be maintained on the outside of the concrete building 1 to be constructed in order to assemble the scaffolding 2 , and the area of the floor space of the concrete building 1 becomes smaller by the amount of this space.
[0009] In other words, the width L1 of the scaffolding 2 requires at least 50 cm, and when there are other buildings on the sides of the building site, the outer wall must be constructed 50 cm inside the building site on one or both sides of the building site from the other buildings, and thus the constructed floor space is reduced by this amount.
[0010] Moreover, since the concrete wall after removing the forms is bare, waterproofing must be performed for the outer surface.
[0011] Also, it is necessary to apply an insulating material to the inner surface of the wall in order to insulate the inside and outside, then to cover this insulating material by applying an interior-wall material such as plasterboard, and to apply cloth as in interior material, so there is a problem in that the entire work process becomes prolonged.
[0012] As described above, in the conventional construction method, insulating material is applied to the inside wall, which is inside insulation construction, and the outside temperature being transmitted by way of the floor slabs and ceiling slabs, creating the so-called ‘heat bridge’ phenomenon, which causes condensation inside the walls.
[0013] Moreover, when applying the interior material to the surface of the inside wall, a chemical substance such as adhesive is used, which not desirable from a health aspect.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Taking the problems of the prior technology into consideration, it is the object of this invention is to make it possible to greatly reduce the working time, increase the floor space of the building and to make it possible to easily use outside insulation construction.
[0015] The concrete-building construction form unit of this invention comprises form panels that consist of a faceplate that is rectangular in shape and has a specified thickness, a concrete layer that is laminated to and integrated with one of the surfaces of this faceplate, and metal supports that are anchored in the concrete layer; and where a pair of the form panels are arranged such that sides with the metal supports face each other, and both form panels are connected together by connecting the space between metal supports with metal connectors to form a space between these panels for pouring the concrete, such that each of the form panels is integrated with the concrete poured into this concrete-pouring space to form a wall of a concrete building.
[0016] In this way, it possible to construct the form by stacking the concrete-building construction form units, and the wall is constructed by pouring concretes in this form.
[0017] Also, the front and back surfaces of the formed wall is covered by the faceplates of the concrete-building construction form unit so finishing the front and back surfaces of the wall is omitted, and as a result, the work time is greatly shortened.
[0018] Moreover, the work of raising the concrete-building construction form unit can be performed on the inside of the concrete building being constructed, so there is no need to set up scaffolding on the outside, thus the space of the building lot can be used to the maximum, and the floor space of the concrete building can be increased.
[0019] Furthermore, the inner surface of the formed wall is covered by the faceplate, so there is no need to performed interior processing, and therefore the use of chemical substances such as adhesive is greatly suppressed, which prevents bad health effects on the tenants.
[0020] Also, outside insulation construction can be easily performed by installing insulating material to cover the laminated concrete layer on one of the form panels, and thus condensation inside the room is suppressed.
[0021] The metal supports protrude from the concrete layers and comprise a cylindrical connecting section in which the metal connectors fit, and an anchor section that is formed in a radiating shape at the base of the connecting section and is anchored in the concrete layer; and these metal supports and metal connectors are connected at the connecting section by fastening pins that penetrate through in the radial direction, and this makes it possible to easily assemble the concrete-building construction form unit; and also when moving the form panels from the factory to the construction site, the form panels can be moved being placed very close together, thus improving the transport efficiency.
[0022] Also, the thermal conductivity of the metal connectors is reduced by forming them into a cylindrical shape having a small cross-sectional area, and this makes it possible to suppress heat from being transferred between the inside and outside of the wall.
[0023] Moreover, the metal connectors are such that the reinforcing rods anchored in the poured concrete are placed on them, and by installing fastening pins that secure the positions of the reinforcing rods, the work of installing the reinforcing rods can be performed at the same time when assembling the concrete-building construction form unit, and this simplifies the work of installing the reinforcement.
[0024] By installing frame members on the pair of parallel edge sections of the pair of connected form panels for forming opening sections in the concrete building, it is possible to easily install window frames or doors.
[0025] Furthermore, this invention is characterized by a manufacturing device for manufacturing the concrete-building construction form unit that comprises form panels consisting of a faceplate that is rectangular in shape and has a specified thickness, a concrete layer that is laminated to and integrated with one of the surfaces of this faceplate, and metal supports that are anchored in the concrete layer; and where the faceplate is contained in the manufacturing device, and the manufacturing device comprises: a formation mold that is open at the top for pouring in the concrete to cover the faceplate, and a support plate that is fastened to the edges of the opening of the formation mold and that holds the metal supports, and where there is an opening in the center of this support plate for pouring in the concrete.
[0026] When forming the form panel with this kind of manufacturing device, it is easy to pour the concrete on top of the faceplate through the opening in the support plate, and to firmly anchor the metal supports into the concrete layer.
[0027] Also there are pressure pieces on the support plate that are located such that they run along both side surfaces on the inside of the formation mold, and are positioned parallel with and separated from the faceplate contained in the formation mold by a specified space, and these pressure pieces press the surface of the concrete poured into the formation mold to make that surface smooth.
[0028] In this way, when the concrete-building construction form unit is located at an opening such as a window or entrance of the concrete building, there is a good fit with the support frame for installing the window frame or door frame for this opening section, and thus the support frame can be firmly installed.
[0029] Moreover, the construction method for the concrete building of this invention is a method of constructing a concrete building using concrete-building construction form units comprising form panels that consist of a faceplate that is rectangular in shape and has a specified thickness, a concrete layer that is laminated to and integrated with one of the surfaces of this faceplate, and metal supports that are anchored in the concrete layer; and where a pair of the form panels are positioned such that the surfaces having the metal supports face each other, and the space between the metal supports is connected using metal connectors to connect the form panels of the concrete-building construction form unit; and where after a plurality of the concrete-building construction form units are arranged in the horizontal direction such that they surround the vertical reinforcements that are separated at specified intervals in the horizontal direction, the work of placing horizontal reinforcements on the metal connectors of these concrete-building construction form units is performed gradually in the vertical direction to create the form, and then concrete is poured into the space formed by these concrete-building construction form units, and by connecting a plurality of concrete-building construction form units together, the outer walls and partition walls are formed.
[0030] When constructing a concrete building with this kind of construction method, by putting the horizontal reinforcements into place at the same time as putting the concrete-building construction form unit into place, the work of constructing the forms and the work of installing the horizontal reinforcements are performed at the same time, and this makes it possible to shorten the work time.
[0031] Also, by placing faceplates on the inside and outside of the concrete building that is constructed, it is possible to omit finishing processes for the inside and outside sections, and from this aspect as well, it is possible to shorten the work time.
[0032] Moreover, by inserting the concrete-building construction form units from the horizontal side between the installed vertical reinforcements and rotating them horizontally such that the vertical reinforcements are surrounded between the concrete-building construction form units, the work of stacking the concrete-building construction form units can be performed from the side of the vertical reinforcements, and this simplifies the work of installing the concrete-building construction form units, and thus makes it possible to simplify the work of constructing the concrete building.
[0033] Also, by putting insulating material on the concrete layer that is positioned on the outside side of the concrete-building construction form unit, it is possible to easily construct a concrete building having outside-insulation construction.
[0034] Furthermore, the concrete building of this invention is a concrete building that uses concrete-building construction form units comprising form panels that consist of a faceplate that is rectangular in shape and has a specified thickness, a concrete layer that is laminated to and integrated with one of the surfaces of this faceplate, and metal supports that are anchored in the concrete layer; and where a pair of the form panels are positioned such that the surfaces having the metal supports face each other, and the space between the metal supports is connected using metal connectors to connect the form panels of the concrete-building construction form unit; and where a plurality of vertical reinforcements are installed on the foundation of the concrete building such that they are spaced apart at specified intervals, and after a plurality of the concrete-building construction form units are arranged in the horizontal direction such that they surround the vertical reinforcements, the work of placing the horizontal reinforcements on the metal connectors of these concrete-building construction form units is performed gradually in the vertical direction to create the form, and then concrete is poured into these concrete-building construction form units, and by connecting a plurality of concrete-building construction form units together, the outer walls and partition walls are formed.
[0035] With this concrete building, it is possible to effectively use the building site to obtain a building with a large floor space, as well as it is possible to obtain a building that little effect on health due chemical substances.
[0036] Also, the faceplates are natural stone, stucco, or terra cotta, and are appropriately selected according to the purpose.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0037] [0037]FIG. 1 is a pictorial drawing showing the form unit of this invention.
[0038] [0038]FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-section view of the major parts of the form unit of this invention.
[0039] [0039]FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-section view of the manufacture device for the form panels of this invention.
[0040] [0040]FIG. 4 is a top view of the manufacture device for the form panels of this invention.
[0041] [0041]FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-section view of the manufacture device for the form panels of this invention.
[0042] [0042]FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B show the form unit of this invention, where FIG. 6A is a front view and FIG. 6B is a horizontal cross-section.
[0043] [0043]FIG. 7 shows the form unit of this invention, and is a horizontal cross-section view of the end section of the form unit that is located at an opening section of the concrete building.
[0044] [0044]FIG. 8 is a drawing showing the process of the construction method for the concrete building of this invention.
[0045] [0045]FIG. 9 is a drawing showing the process of the construction method for the concrete building of this invention.
[0046] [0046]FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are drawings showing the process of the construction method for the concrete building of this invention.
[0047] [0047]FIG. 11 is a drawing showing the process of the construction method for the concrete building of this invention.
[0048] [0048]FIG. 12 is a pictorial drawing of part of construction of the concrete building of this invention during construction.
[0049] [0049]FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-section view of the slab formation used in the concrete building of this invention.
[0050] [0050]FIG. 14 is a simplified vertical cross-section view of an example of the concrete building of this invention.
[0051] [0051]FIG. 15 is a simplified vertical cross-section view of a concrete building using the form unit of this invention.
[0052] [0052]FIG. 16 is a simplified cross-section view of an example of a prior concrete building.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0053] In order to explain the invention in more detail, the invention will be explained with reference to the supplied drawings.
[0054] [0054]FIG. 1 is a pictorial drawing showing the exterior of the concrete-building construction form unit 10 of an embodiment of the invention.
[0055] This concrete-building construction form unit 10 (hereafter referred to as the form unit) comprises form panels 14 that consist of a rectangular-shaped faceplate 11 having a specified thickness, a concrete layer 12 that is integrally laminated to one of the surfaces of the faceplate 11 and metal supports 13 that are anchored in the concrete layers 12 ; and as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of form panels 14 are arranged such that the surfaces on which the metal supports 13 are located face each other, and both form panels 14 are connected by connecting the space between the metal supports 13 using metal connectors 15 , and this forms a concrete-pouring space S between these form panels 14 , and the form panels 14 are integrated with the concrete (C) that is poured into this concrete-pouring space S to form a wall of the concrete building (B).
[0056] More particularly, the faceplates 11 are made of marble, granite, sandstone, stucco or terra cotta, and are formed into a rectangular shapes where the vertical (short side)×horizontal (long side) dimensions are 200 mm×400 mm, and the thickness is approximately 10 mm.
[0057] Also, the concrete layers 12 that are laminated to these faceplates 11 have a contour shape that is identical to the faceplates 11 , and have a thickness of approximately 15 mm.
[0058] Moreover, it is possible to use a combination of mutually different materials for the faceplates 11 that are located on the outside of the concrete building B and for the faceplates 11 that located on the inside, and the dimensions of the form panels 14 can be changed according to the installation location with respect to the wall that is formed; for example, the length of the long side can be 200 mm and the panels 14 can be squared having vertical x horizontal dimensions that are 200 mm×200 mm.
[0059] As shown in FIG. 2, the metal supports 13 protrude from the concrete layers 12 and comprise a cylindrical connecting section 13 a in which the metal connector 15 fits, and a anchor section 13 b the is formed into a radiating shape on the base end of the connection section 13 a and is anchored inside the concrete layer 12 ; and the metal supports 13 and metal connectors 15 are connected by a connecting pin 16 that installed such that it penetrates through the fitting section in the radial direction.
[0060] Also, in this embodiment, the metal connectors 15 are formed into a cylindrical shape, and as shown in FIG. 2, are such that the reinforcing bars 17 (hereafter referred to as horizontal reinforcement) that are embedded in the poured concrete C are placed on them, and there are fastening pins 18 for positioning the horizontal reinforcements 17 .
[0061] Furthermore, insulating material 19 is located on the inside surface of one of the form panels 14 such that it covers the laminated concrete layer 12 .
[0062] This insulating material 19 is made of an non-woven cloth made of inorganic fiber such as glass wool, and is formed having a thickness of about 20 mm and an external contour shape that nearly matches that of the concrete layer 12 and face plate 11 .
[0063] On the other hand, the width of the space (concrete-pouring space S) that is formed inside the pair of form panels 14 that are connected by the metal connectors 15 between the insulating layer 19 and the concrete layer 12 is set to be approximately 180 mm.
[0064] Also, in the case of a form unit 10 having a longwise dimension that is set at 400 mm, there are four sets of metal supports 13 and metal connectors 15 , which are located symmetrically around the center point of the faceplates 11 , and they are spaced apart by approximately 170 mm along the long side and approximately 100 mm along the short side.
[0065] Moreover, in the case of a form unit 10 having a square shape, there are two sets of metal supports 13 and metal connectors, which are located symmetrically around the faceplates 11 on one side, and they are spaced apart by approximately 100 mm.
[0066] On the other hand, the form panels 14 are manufactured by a manufacturing device 20 such as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5.
[0067] In other words, this manufacturing device 20 comprises: a formation mold 21 in which the faceplate 11 is stored and which is open at the top where the concrete is poured in to cover this faceplate 11 ; and a support plate 22 that is held by the pair of parallel edges of the opening of the formation mold 21 and supports the metal connectors 13 ; and where there is a pouring inlet 23 formed in the center section of this support plate 22 through which the concrete is poured.
[0068] At the positions on the support plate 22 where the metal supports 13 are mounted, fastening rods 24 protrude in the direction toward the bottom surface of the formation mold 21 , and these fastening rods 24 fit with the connecting sections 13 a of the metal supports 13 , and the metals supports 13 are fastened to the fastening rods 24 so that they can be removed, by fastening pins 25 (see FIG. 5) that penetrate in the radial direction through these fitting sections.
[0069] Also, when the metal supports 13 are fastened to the support plate 22 , they are supported such that the anchor sections 13 b are suspended above the bottom surface of the formation mold 21 by a specified distance (for example 10 mm, or equal to the thickness that the faceplates 11 are inserted in the formation mold 21 ).
[0070] Moreover, pressure pieces 26 are formed on the support plate 22 along both side surfaces inside the formation mold 21 (side surfaces other than the sides that fasten to the support plate 22 ), and located such that they are parallel and separated from the faceplate 11 contained inside the formation mold 21 by a specified distance (a distance that is a little less than the thickness of the poured concrete); and these pressure pieces 26 press the surface of the concrete that is poured into the formation mold in order to make that surface smooth.
[0071] Next, the procedure for using this kind of manufacturing device 20 to manufacture the form panels 14 will be explained.
[0072] First, the formation mold 21 is set so that the opening section is at the top, and the faceplate 11 is inserted inside it; also the metal supports 13 are fastened to the fastening rods 24 that are located on the support plate 22 with the fastening pins 25 .
[0073] Next, the support plate 22 is mounted to the formation mold 21 such that it covers the opening.
[0074] With this operation, the pressure pieces 26 of the support plate 22 are located at both side sections of the formation mold 21 such that they are above the bottom surface of the formation mold 21 by a specified distance, and the metal supports 13 are supported such that the anchor sections 13 b are above and separated from the bottom surface of the formation mold 21 by a specified distance, or are held such they come in contact with the rear surface of the faceplate 11 that is inserted into the formation mold 21 .
[0075] From here, the concrete is poured through the pouring inlet 23 in the support plate 22 , such that its front surface is located such that it comes in contact with the pressure pieces 26 that are located inside the formation mold 21 .
[0076] By doing this, the concrete layer 12 is formed on the rear surface side of the faceplate 11 , and the ends of the anchor sections 13 b of the metal supports 13 are embedded in the concrete layer 12 , and the connecting sections 13 a protrude out at a specified length; also both side sections of the concrete layer 12 are pressed by both pressure pieces 26 such that form panel 14 having a smooth surface 12 a is formed as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.
[0077] On the other hand, the form unit 10 shown in FIG. 1 is formed by connecting together the form panels 14 that are formed as described above by connecting the metal supports 13 using the metal connectors 15 , and as shown in FIG. 7, a frame member 27 is mounted on the ends of form units 10 , where an opening section (a window, door etc.) of the concrete building is to be located, in order to form the opening section.
[0078] The frame member 27 is formed out sheet metal into a cylindrical shape, and by using the smooth surfaces 12 a that are formed on the inside ends of the form panels 14 , it is located such that it has surface contact with the form panels 14 ; also it is secured by connecting the metal supports 13 , which are located such that they protrude toward the inside of the form units 10 , to the metal connectors 15 using the connecting rods 28 .
[0079] Next, the work of constructing a concrete building (B) using form units 10 , which are formed in this way, will be explained.
[0080] First, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of vertical reinforcements 29 are set up and spaced apart at specified intervals (this interval is normally set at 200 mm) on the foundation Z of the concrete building (B).
[0081] This foundation Z is formed by pouring concrete into the concrete-pouring spaces that are formed inside a plurality of form units that are arranged in the horizontal direction and that have the same shape as the form unit 10 and whose width of the concrete-pouring space is nearly the same as the entire width of the form units 10 used for forming the walls.
[0082] Next, a form unit 10 is placed with the insulating material 19 on the outside, and as shown in FIG. 9, is placed such that it is vertical; and by inserting the form unit 10 between the vertical reinforcements 29 and rotating the form unit 10 90-degrees, the vertical reinforcements 29 are surrounded by the form panels 14 , then the form unit 10 is placed on top of the foundation Z.
[0083] This work is performed gradually in the horizontal direction, and as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the first layer of form units 10 are put in place.
[0084] Next, as shown in FIG. 11, on the inside of the form units 10 that have been put in place in the horizontal direction, horizontal reinforcements 17 are placed on the metal connectors 15 that connect the form panels 14 , and by fastening the fastening pins 18 in the metal connectors 15 as shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal reinforcements 17 are temporarily secured between the fastening pins 18 and the vertical reinforcements 29 .
[0085] By performing the work described above gradually moving upward, the form units 10 are stacked upward to a specified height and width, and the horizontal reinforcements 17 are put in place.
[0086] Next, by pouring the concrete C into the concrete-pouring space S that is formed on the inside of the form units 10 that have been stacked up as described above and hardened, the outer wall and partitions are constructed as shown in FIG. 12.
[0087] Here, after performing the work of stacking the form units 10 along the outer wall and partitions according to the floor plan of the lower floor, a truss-shaped slab member 31 is placed on these form units 10 as shown in FIG. 13, and the internal space of the slab member 31 and the concrete-pouring space S of the form units 10 are connected together, and by the concrete C continuously flowing from the inside of the slab member 31 to the concrete-pouring space S of the form units 10 , it is possible to construct the walls and ceiling at the same time.
[0088] Furthermore, a frame member 27 is fitted on the end section of the form unit 10 that is located at the opening section of the concrete building B, and this frame member 27 is temporarily secured by the connecting rod 28 , and by the concrete C, which is poured inside the concrete-pouring space S of the formed unit 10 and the inside of the slab member 31 , continuously flowing to the inside of the frame member 27 , all of these members are integrated as one.
[0089] The concrete building (B) is constructed in this way, and by performing the work of stacking the form units 10 on one side of the wall or the like being constructed, it is possible to perform this work from inside the building site.
[0090] Also, by covering the inner and outer surface of the wall being constructed with faceplates 11 that are located on the inside and outside of the form panels 14 , the exterior work and interior work of the wall is completed at the same time as construction of the wall.
[0091] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, when constructing the concrete building B, there is no need to set up scaffolding around the building side, and even when there are other buildings or structures near the building site, the construction location of the wall can be set almost right up to the outside of the building site.
[0092] This makes it possible to increase the floor space of the concrete building B being constructed.
[0093] Moreover, in the case of a wall that is constructed as described above, when pressure is applied to the poured concrete C in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 15, that pressure is supported by both form panels 14 by way of the metal connectors 15 and metal supports 13 , and as a result, the strength of the wall itself is increased, which improves the resistance to earthquake.
[0094] On the other hand, as described above, faceplates 11 are integrated with the inner and outer surfaces of the constructed wall, so there is no need of interior or exterior processing, and particularly, there is no need for applying cloth for the interior as was necessary in prior construction, and this greatly reduces the amount of chemical substance used.
[0095] As a result, damage to health due to chemical substances, such as in the case of allergies to chemical substances, is suppressed.
[0096] Also, insulating material 19 is placed on the inside of the concrete layer 12 that is on the outer surface side of the form unit 10 , so outside-insulation construction is used for the concrete building B being constructed, and the concrete C that is poured inside the form unit 10 plays the role of a heat-accumulating layer, and this makes it possible to efficiently perform air conditioning inside.
[0097] Moreover, by using outside-insulation construction as described above, condensation on the inner wall surface is prevented, and this prevents the occurrence of mold inside, and from this aspect, a sanitary condition on the inside is maintained.
[0098] Also, by using natural stone such as marble or granite or an inorganic material for the faceplates 11 that are integrated with the concrete layers 12 , the waterproof characteristics of that material can be utilized, making possible to easily form a bathroom, bathtub, Jacuzzi, or kitchen sink.
[0099] On the other hand, by integrating frame members 27 with the opening sections of the concrete building B, it is possible to easily install window frames and doors; and by forming smooth surfaces 12 a on both sides of the concrete layer 12 , the frame members 27 can be smoothly connected with the form units 10 , and as a result, the window frame or door can be firmly secured.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0100] As described above, with this invention, when constructing walls and partitions of a concrete building, all of the work can be performed from the inside of the building, and there is no need to set up scaffolding on the outside of the building being constructed, so even when there are other buildings or the like around the building site, it is possible to construct a building using all of the building site.
[0101] Also, it is possible to complete the interior processing and exterior processing at the same time as the wall is constructed, so it is possible to greatly shorten the work time; and since there is no need to apply cloth, which uses chemical substances, a concrete building that is human friendly can be obtained.
[0102] Moreover, it is possible to easily use outside-insulation construction for the concrete building, and thus it is possible to prevent condensation on the inside, and from this aspect as well, a concrete building that is human friendly can be obtained.
[0103] [0103]FIG. 15
[0104] Pressure
[0105] Typhoon
[0106] Earthquake
[0107] Ground pressure
[0108] Soil pressure
[0109] Water pressure
[0110] Tensile strength
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A pair of form panels each consisting of a faceplate, a concrete layer integrally laminated to one surface of the faceplate, and a metal supports erected in the concrete layer are disposed so that the surfaces on the side where the metal supports are installed are opposed to each other, and the metal supports are connected by using metal connectors, thereby connecting both form panels and defining a concrete-pouring space there between, the form panels being integrated by concrete poured in this concrete-pouring space so as to form a wall for the concrete building; thus a concrete building can be obtained which requires a short construction period, has a wide floor area and is friendly to the human body.
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This application is a division of application Ser. No. 392,497, filed Aug. 11, 1989, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an all-steel clutch having at least one eccentric pack of spring plates which holds the clutch halves axially at a distance in the unloaded condition.
All-steel clutches of the kind specified have of course many applications. As a rule such clutches have an annular disc pack which is disposed in one plane and connected in the peripheral direction alternately to the flanges of the clutch halves. This enables the all-steel clutch to absorb an axial offsetting or even an angular offsetting, without any appreciable rotational offsetting taking place. However, for particular applications, for example, to the adjustment of the circumferencial register of the plate cylinder of a rotary printing machine, angular changes take place due to load fluctuations which cannot be compensated, due to the rotational rigidity of the prior art all steel clutches.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to so design an all-steel clutch of the kind specified that the clutch halves can be adjusted in angle of rotation in relation to one another.
This problem is solved in an all-steel clutch of the kind specified by the features wherein the pack of spring plates is inclined by an acute angle in relation to the axial normal plane, and associated with the coupling halves is an adjusting device by means of which the axial distance between the clutch halves can be adjusted.
Due to the inclined position of the pack of spring plates, the axial movement of the two clutch halves in relation to one another produces rotations of the two clutch halves in relation to one another, whereby changes of angle in the machines to be driven caused by load fluctuations can be compensated. Even with short axial adjusting movements a comparatively large angular adjustment can be achieved, in dependence on the inclined position of the pack of spring plates.
The operation of the all-steel clutch according to the invention can be optimized if the angle is between 30° and 60°, preferably 45°.
If a number of packs of spring plates are provided which are inclined to the same hand in the peripheral direction, the operation of the clutch according to the invention becomes independent of the weight of the clutch halves, since they are fixed statically in relation to one another. A particularly simple construction is achieved if the starting and terminating point of the pack of the spring plates are each connected to one clutch half.
To prevent the packs of spring plates from expanding in a clutch thus constructed, an anti-expansion device is provided which is formed, for example, by a jacketing, preferably a sheet metal jacketing, enclosing the pack of spring plates. The gap between the sheet metal jacketing and the pack of spring plates can be filled with a plastics, more particularly in rubber, thus preventing the expansion of individual plates without any reduction in the bending-resilient properties of the pack thereof.
In another way of preventing the expansion of the resilient plates, the anti-expansion device is formed by a compression spring which encloses the pack of spring plates and bears prestressably against its starting and terminating point. In case of compressive loading, the resilient plate remains stretched until the adjusted compressive force of the spring is exceeded.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the all-steel clutch according to the invention, the pack of spring plates is formed by two packs of resilient plates which are inclined to the same hand and one end of each of which is attached to a common point on one clutch half, the other ends being attached at different points on the other clutch half. By the subdivision of the pack of resilient plates into two component packs of plates, one pack absorbs the compressive loading, and the other pack the tensile loading, and vice versa. The result is a particularly robustly constructed all-steel clutch.
To achieve an axial movement of the clutch halves in relation to one another, an adjusting device can be provided which is actuable from outside, so that the required angle of rotation can be provided by adjustment of the axial travel.
In a further, preferred embodiment of the invention, associated with the clutch halves are further, serially connected clutch halves axially held at a distance from one another in the unloaded condition by further packs of spring plates. This combination of the approach according to the invention with a further clutch provides a clutch unit adapted in an optimum manner to the required operational conditions.
For example, the further pair of clutch halves is formed by a known disc clutch having a closed annular disc pack connected in the peripheral direction alternately to the flanges of the particular further clutch halves. Since this known annular disc pack permits axial yielding of this part of the clutch, as a result the axial path of displacement introduced via the adjusting device can be compensated to produce the angular adjustment of the clutch halves in relation to one another.
If in such a clutch unit consisting of two component clutches an angular offsetting occurs between the driving and driven shafts, the result may be the excitation of rotary oscillations. To prevent this undesirable behaviour, the flanges of the further clutch halves connected by the closed annular disc pack can be additionally adjusted via a coupling member to a fixed axial distance between such flanges.
To damp torque peaks and counteract resulting oscillations, according to another embodiment of the invention the flanges connected by the closed annular disc pack can be axially coupled with adjustable prestressing via an additional spring element. The prestressing of the additional spring element is so adjusted as to produce between the clutch halves via the axial spring travel an adjusting angle corresponding to the particular torque.
Lastly, another preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the further pair of clutch halves has further component packs of spring plates oppositely inclined in the axial normal half in relation to the component packs of spring plates of the clutch halves. The opposite inclination of the packs of spring plates produces an addition of the angles of rotation for the same axial displacement. For example, for the same axial operation of the adjusting device, with two identical but oppositely inclined packs of spring plates the angle of rotation is doubled in comparison with the single construction.
In particular applications, if the coupling halves cannot be axially adjusted in relation to one another directly via the adjusting device, the embodiment of the all-steel clutch is such that the clutch halves are enclosed by a pressure-tight casing, and an inlet valve is provided which experiences pressure for the axial adjustment of the clutch halves. The construction according to the invention can also be applied pneumatically by means of the medium, for example, air disposed inside the pressure-tight casing and compressible via the operation of the valve.
The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings, which illustrate seven embodiments thereof, and wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the invention, FIG. 1a being a partially diagrammatic cross-section, FIG. 1b a diagrammatic elevation taken along the line 1b--1b in FIG. 1a, FIG. 1c is a section taken along the line 1c--1c in FIG. 1b, during the compressive loading of the pack of spring plates 7a, FIG. 1d showing a variant of the embodiment of FIG. 1c, FIG. 1e showing a variant of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1d, and FIG. 1f being a section taken along the line C--C in FIG. 1e.
FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2a being a partial elevation taken along the line 2a--2a in FIG. 2b, and FIG. 2b showing a cross-section,
FIG. 3 is a section through a third embodiment of the invention,
FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention in cross-section, taken along the lines C--D and A--B in FIG. 2b,
FIG. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of the invention in cross-section, taken along the lines A--B and C--D in FIG. 2b,
FIG. 6 shows a sixth embodiment of the invention in cross-section, taken along the lines A--B and C--D in FIG. 2b, and
FIG. 7 shows a seventh embodiment of the invention in cross-section.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The first embodiment, shown in FIG. 1, illustrates the simplest construction of a clutch according to the invention having an adjustable angle of rotation. Clutch halves 1, 2 each connected to a hub 3, 4 and a shaft 5, 6 are coupled via a pack 7 of spring plates, each pack being attached to one of the two clutch halves, for example, by means of a screwed connection. The pack of resilient plates is on the one hand disposed eccentrically--i.e., outside the centre point of the clutch halves--, and on the other hand inclined to the axial normal plane of the clutch. The angle of inclination is about 45. With a change of distance between the clutch halves 1, 2, they rotate by a predetermined angle in relation to one another.
For reasons of symmetry, for example, four such packs of spring plates 7a-7d, as shown in FIG. 1b, are advantageously distributed over the periphery of the clutch halves 1, 2. As a result, the construction is independent of the weight of the clutch parts.
In this first embodiment of the invention, either exclusively tensile stressing or exclusively compressive stressing acts on the packs of spring plates 7a-7d, in dependence on the direction of rotation. To prevent the expansion of the individual plates of the pack in the latter case, as shown diagrammatically, for example, in FIG. 1c, according to the invention the pack of spring plates 7a is enclosed with a spiral compression spring 8 which bears against the particular connecting points on one or other of the clutch halves 1, 2 and is acted upon by a prestressing as shown in FIG. 1d. The compression spring 8 prestresses the pack of spring plates 7a in the sense of expansion, thus preventing the expansion or arching of the individual plates, as long as the compressive force of the spring 8 is not exceeded.
As an alternative to the anti-expansion device shown in FIG. 1d, FIG. 1e illustrates how the pack 7a of spring plates is enclosed with a sheet metal jacket 9, the cavity between the sheet metal jacket and the pack of spring plates being filled with a rubber-like material 10. This also prevents individual plates from expanding when the pack 7a is subjected to compressive loading. Due to the rubber-filled jacketing, the bending-resilient properties of the plates remain preserved.
The second embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in FIGS. 2a and 2b, comprises a serial connection comprising a clutch arrangement wherein clutch halves 13; 14 are connected via component packs of resilient plates 17, 17a, 17b inclined to the axial normal plane, and further clutch halves 19, 20 are connected via a closed annular disc pack 22 which is connected in the peripheral direction alternately to the flanges of the further clutch halves 19, 20. The further clutch half 20 is connected to a shaft 21 to be driven. The part of the clutch with the inclined component packs of spring plates 17a, 17b is connected via a hub 13a to the driving shaft 15, the hub 13a being connected unitarily to an external ring 13b. Each end of the component packs of spring plates 17a, 17b is connected to the external ring 13b, each other end being connected jointly at a point to the clutch half 14. Three component packs of spring plates 17a, 17b, 17a', 17b' and 17a", 17b" are disposed distributed over the periphery.
The coupling half 14 is connected to a shaft 16 via an adjusting device 18 constructed in the form of an axially displaceable bearing. The shaft 16 is connected to the further clutch half 19 via a flanged connection. The clutch arrangement described operates as follows:
If the adjusting device 18 is so acted upon from outside that the axial distance between the shafts 16 and 15 is changed, this axial movement is converted into an angular movement which rotates the clutch halves 14, 13b in relation to one another. This angular movement is caused on the one hand by the eccentric arrangement of the component packs of spring plates 17a, 17b and on the other hand by their inclined position in relation to the axial normal plane of the clutch. With the illustrated angle of inclination of the component packs of spring plates 17a, 17b of about 45°, the axial movement of the adjusting device is converted in an optimum manner into the angular movement. The axial movement of the adjusting device 18 is compensated by the axial clearance which the clutch connection 19, 20, 22 can absorb, since the closed annular disc pack 22 can yield axially.
As a result, the distance between the shafts 15 and 21 can be kept constant even with a corrected angle of rotation.
The divided construction of the pack of spring plates 17a, 17b ensures that, for example, when the clutch half 14 makes an axial movement in the direction of the clutch half 13, a tensile force acts on one pack of spring plates 17a, 17a', 17a" (FIG. 2a), a compressive force acting on the other component pack of spring plates 17b, 17b', 17b" (FIG. 2a). This applies in the converse manner if the clutch half 14 makes a movement away from the clutch half 13. As shown in FIG. 2a, in each case three pairs of component packs of spring strips are provided on the periphery, but it is also possible to provide only two, or more than three such pairs of component packs of spring plates.
The third embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 3 differs from the second embodiment only by the feature that the clutch half 13 of the clutch part with the inclined packs of the spring plates 17a, 17b is so constructed that a non-rotatable intermediate tube 13c is provided. Via this intermediate tube 13c the hub 13a connected to the driving shaft 15 is non-rotatably connected to a hub 13d associated with the shaft 16. As a result, the structural components 13a, 13d, 13c form a compact unit to which one end of each of the component packs of spring plates 17a, 17b is connected at different points. The points are so selected that the component packs of spring plates 17a, 17b have the same inclination and are connected via each of their other ends to a common point on the other clutch half 14. The other clutch half 14 is again connected to the shaft 16, which can be displaced axially via a bearing 18 with an adjusting device (not shown).
Operation corresponds to that of the second embodiment; the arrangement is laterally inverted in relation to FIG. 2b, but otherwise the references correspond to those thereof.
The fourth embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 4, differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2b by the feature that a further clutch 23a, 23b, 23c is connected to the shaft 15 connected to the hub 13a. This clutch comprises clutch halves 23a, 23c and an interconnecting annular disc pack 23b, which is closed, like the annular disc pack 22 of the further clutch arrangement 19, 20, 22. The shaft 15 is connected to the clutch arrangement 23a, 23b, 23c via an intermediate bearing 15b. Provided parallel with the annular disc pack 23b is a coupling member 25 via which the coupling halves 23a, 23c can be fixed as regards axial distance.
The fifth embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 5, differs from the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2b only by the feature that provided in the zone of the further clutch 19, 20, 22, between the flanges of the clutch halves 19, 20 connected via the closed annular disc pack 22, is an additional spring element 27 whose prestressing can be adjusted. The spring element 27 bears on the one hand against the rear side of the shaft 21 and on the other hand against a recess 26 in the flange of the further clutch half 19. By the rating of the prestressing force of the spring 27, the amount of adjustment and angle of rotation between the clutch halves 13 and 14 can be adapted to a particular torque, thus damping torque peaks.
FIG. 6 shows a sixth embodiment of the invention which, completing the second embodiment (FIG. 2b) has a closed casing 28 which encloses the clutch halves 13, 14 of the all-steel clutch with the inclined annular disc packs 17a, 17b. Sealing rings 29 are provided for sealing against outside pressure. Via a valve 30 a compressible medium, for example, compressed air can be so introduced into the inside of the casing 28 that the axial distance of the clutch halves 14, 13 from one another can be varied by changing the internal pressure in the casing 28. As a result, the effect of the adjusting device 18 can be obtained pneumatically.
The seventh embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 7 comprises two identical clutch parts, each of which corresponds to the right hand clutch shown in FIG. 2b. The clutch parts are so connected to the component packs of the spring strip 17a, 17b that they are disposed relative to the axial normal plane inclined to the opposite hand from the component packs of spring plates 17c, 17d. The adjusting device 18 already described is disposed between the clutch parts. When an axial adjustment is performed by the adjusting device 18, for the same axial travel the adjusting angle between the clutch halves 13a and 13a' is increased to twice the value in comparison with the adjusting angle of only one such clutch arrangement. This embodiment will therefore be selected if a large rotational offsetting is required for only a small axial adjustment.
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An all-steel clutch having at least one eccentric pack of spring plates which holds the clutch halves axially at a distance in the unloaded condition and is so inclined by an acute angle to the axial normal plane that a slight axial displacement of the clutch halves in relation to one another produces a comparatively large angular offsetting, thereby enabling angular displacements caused by loading to be compensated.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and improved method of, and apparatus for, equipping profiles or sectional shapes formed of elastic masses, such as typically for instance rubber, with a support or covering of velour bands in one working operation. In the context of this disclosure there is to be understood under the expression "velour bands" or equivalent terminology, all elongate carriers or supports of fibers or the like which are similar in form to velour bands.
Sealing profiles formed of plastic masses, such as for instance rubber, are predominantly employed in the automotive industry, and specifically are utilized as so-called channel profiles.
Such profiles or sectional shapes usually are present in the form of a substantially U-shaped member arranged within a metallic rail, and internally of the U-portion of such member a glass pane or window can travel up and down. On the one hand, such profile serves for sealing against undesirable entry of water and, on the other hand, it serves the purposes of protecting the glass and of excluding disturbing noises.
Between the rubber and the glass there must be provided a layer having good sliding properties, since if there is direct contact with the rubber, when in a dry state, there exists too great adhesion, and the window pane can only be moved with the application of a large force.
Approximately fifteen years ago these profiles were fabricated in a manner such that the actual rubber profile was extruded and thereafter there was manually adhesively bonded the velour bands or the like. However, with present day labor costs such fabrication technique has become much too costly.
Attempts have been made to find another solution and there was found a so-called flocking technique. During flocking the profile which previously has been separately extruded from rubber is coated or sprayed in a special throughpass chamber or compartment with an adhesive solution, after which it travels continuously through a tunnel where the small velour fibers are electro-statically emplaced in the form of individual threads of about 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters length and perpendicularly anchored in the adhesive solution. A heating operation then ensures the drying and vulcanization of the adhesive solution, which likewise is carried out in a continuous throughpass operation.
Although in the early stages this fabrication technique was not accepted by the automobile manufacturers, because the anchoring of the velour fibers or threads was not satisfactory, nonetheless after a number of years the automobile industry decided to adopt the flocked profiles or sectional shapes, particularly since with time there could be discovered better adhesive solutions.
The reason for this change to flocked profiles predominantly was the question of costs. Even today the automobile factories would still prefer to use the prior fabricated profiles or sectional shapes which were manually equipped with the velour bands, and specifically for the following reasons:
Due to the numerous up-and-down movements of the side windows of automobiles, the velour bands become worn with time, giving rise to direct contact between the glass of the window pane and the rubber. Consequently, after a certain amount of time the window panes become increasingly difficult to move, because of the direct contact of the window pane glass with the rubber and the resultant adhesion. In fact, it has been found that with time the window panes even become jammed and cannot be moved at all. When using the earlier fabricated profiles or sectional shapes which employed fabricated velour bands, composed of a woven substrate band having woven therein the velour fibers, even after the natural wearing away of the velvet-like velour bristles or fibers a direct contact with the rubber could nonetheless be avoided. Since the fabric band has an appreciably greater wear resistance than the free velour bristles or fibers, there was insured a much longer longevity of the profile and easy motion of the window panes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of, and apparatus for, equipping profiles or sectional shapes formed of rubber or other elastic masses again with the heretofore conventionally employed velour bands or the like, under economically feasible conditions, these velour bands comprising a woven carrier band and velour threads or fibers embedded therein.
Another important object of the present invention aims at the provision of a new and improved method of, and apparatus for, equipping profiles formed of elastic masses with velour bands in an extremely reliable, accurate and economical fashion.
Yet a further significant object of the present invention aims at the provision of a new and improved construction of apparatus for equipping profiles or sectional shapes formed of elastic masses with velour bands or the like, which apparatus is relatively simple in construction and design, economical to manufacture, extremely reliable in operation, and not readily subject to breakdown or malfunction, and which requires a minimum of maintenance and servicing.
Now in order to implement these and still further objects of the invention, which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the method aspects of the present development are characterized by the features that, following the formation of the elastic profile, and specifically, during such time as the material of the profile is still in a heated condition, a velour band is applied by means of the underside of its carrier band to the profile and pressed against the profile. Thereafter, there is accomplished vulcanization of the profile which is covered with the velour band.
Preferably, with this method the operations are continuously performed, and the pressing of the band at or into the still plasticized mass of the profile is automatically accomplished by passing the composite through a constricted portion. Vulcanization is advantageously carried out through the use of heated air.
As already alluded to above, the invention is not only concerned with the aforementioned method aspects, but relates to a new and improved construction of apparatus for the performance thereof. Generally speaking, the inventive apparatus is manifested by the features of a guide element provided for at least one velour band or the like, this guide element being provided with openings corresponding to the profile or sectional shape to be fabricated. The guides for the bands with the profile openings combine or unite towards the outlet, and this combined throughpass is constricted in such a manner that the carrier band of the velour band is pressed into the outer layer of the profile or sectional shape while it is still in a heated condition.
According to a particularly advantageous construction the guide portion for the velour band or bands as well as the combined or united end section of the band and profile guide are constructed as a mountable or assembly component. This renders possible, with the slightest expenditure, post-fitting existing presses or extruders used for the fabrication of the previously described profiles or sectional shapes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a total schematic view of an installation for fabricating profiles or sectional shapes and equipped with an auxiliary apparatus according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the injection disk or nozzle of the press or extruder structure shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the injection disk or nozzle of the press or extruder structure shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 schematically illustrates in an enlarged view an insert element used in the injection disk or nozzle of the arrangement of FIGS. 2 and 3;
FIG. 5 is an end view of the insert element of the showing of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is a sectional view through a rubber profile or sectional shape equipped with velour bands or tapes.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Describing now the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is illustrated an exemplary embodiment of an installation for the fabrication of rubber profiles or sectional shapes, which are equipped at least in part with velour bands or tapes or the like. The press equipment 1, an extruder for instance, comprises a filling funnel 2 and the actual injection disk or nozzle 3. The extruded profile or sectional shape 4, following its exit out of the extruder 1, is conducted through a vulcanization device 5, and the profile or sectional shape 4 is previously, i.e. at the outlet or exit side 3a of the spray or injection head 3b, equipped with a velour band or tape 8 or equivalent structure, by means of an auxiliary device 6 which is mounted at the injection disk or nozzle 3. This velour band 8 is continuously wound-off of a supply roll 7.
FIGS. 2 to 5 show details of the construction of the injection disk of nozzle 3 (FIGS. 2 and 3) and the construction of the insert member or insert means 6 (FIGS. 4 and 5) which is to be inserted into such injection disk 3.
Finally, in FIG. 6 there is shown, on an enlarged scale, a sectional view through a rubber profile or sectional shape, as the same can be fabricated, for instance, with the equipment shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 and which is provided with three velour bands or tapes 9, 10 and 11.
As to the insert element or part 6, which is to be secured at the recess 12 of the injection disk 3, for instance by means of threaded bolts or equivalent structure, there will be seen from the showing of FIGS. 4 and 5 the three channels 13, 14, 15 for the throughpassage of the velour bands 9, 10 and 11, respectively.
The previously described method and the related apparatus and extrusion equipment (injection head/injection disk) fulfill the desires of the automobile manufacturer as to application of a rubber layer with velour bands, composed of a tightly woven fabric layer serving as a carrier band equipped with the velour bristles or fibers, while affording more favorable fabrication costs that with the heretofore described technique of the prior art where such bands were manually adhesively applied to the profiles or sectional shapes.
Hence, both the installation and the investments are appreciably more justifible economically, and it is possible to fabricate the finished profiles or sectional shapes covered with the velour bands, while employing a throughpass process which works in a continuous manner and requires very few operating personnel. The continuous vulcanization advantageously is accomplished with heated air, and worm presses (extruders), which are already known in the art from the rubber industry, also can be employed.
A metallic disk, serving as the injection disk 3 (which functions as a die, extrusion disk or nozzle) is constructed with a hollow chamber or compartment 12' such that upon passage of the plastic rubber mass through the injection or extrusion disk 3, the desired profile shape is formed.
At the outlet side or outlet 3a, where the profile or sectional shape 4 leaves the injection disk 3, the latter has formed therein a recess 12 in which there can be placed and laterally threadably fixed the insert element 6 which serves as the guide means for the velour bands 8. This insert element 6 can be composed, for instance, of a number of parts or sections, something which is advantageous if a plurality of velour tapes which are to be attached are not uniformly disposed horizontally, but are located at different angles with respect to the center of the profile or sectional shape.
The insert element 6 is provided with the milled or machined portions forming the channels 13, 14 and 15 of a size enabling exact lateral guiding of the infed velour bands 9, 10 and 11. The recesses forming the band guide channels 13, 14, 15 can also have a different configuration, for instance can be concave, convex or disposed at a certain angle or along a curved line.
The velour bands 9, 10 and 11 are fed from the top into the machined guide channels 13, 14 and 15 and at the lower region thereof contact against the plastic mass of the formed profile or sectional shape 4, and specifically come into contact with the profile at the side of the fabric band. These tapes or bands are then again withdrawn at the lower region of the insert element 6, and by virtue of the material flow of the effluxing profile or sectional shape 4 there are entrained the velour bands 9, 10 and 11. As can be seen, therefore, the insert element 6 cooperates with the injection disk 3 to define a path along which the velour bands are fed into contact with the profile 4.
These velour bands 9, 10 and 11, due to the constricted configuration of the throughguide arrangement, are fixedly pressed and anchored in the surface of the plastic and still unvulcanized profile material mass, and the profile material mass penetrates into the voids or recesses of the fabric material of the bands and thus fixedly retains the bands snugly seated against the related profile or sectional shape 4, as best seen by referring to FIG. 6.
In order to obtain a good bond or connection between the fabric of the velour bands 9, 10 and 11 and the plastic mass of the profile or sectional shape 4, the fabric bands previously can be prepared in a conventional manner so that they have good adhesion and compatability with the rubber profile.
The insert element 6 for the infed velour bands 8 can be attached movably to the injection disk 3 (extrusion or extruder disk) such that the pressure of the fabric upon the plastic mass can be varied. Consequently, it is possible to vary the penetration of the plastic mass into the fabric band, which might be necessary under circumstances when working with correspondingly hard or completely soft and fluent or readily flowable mixture of the plastic mass.
After the exit from the injection disk 3 the now snugly interconnected parts, namely the profile or sectional shape formed of a plastic mass and the velour bands, pass through a vulcanization oven of conventional design, for instance working with heated air or microwaves or in another suitable manner. At the end of this continuous and generally known throughpass vulcanization device 5 the formed profile or sectional shape which is covered with the velour bands 9, 10 and 11 is in a condition where it can be cut to length or wound up.
Instead of using a fixed insert element 6 it is possible to employ, for instance, one or a number of rotating rolls, whose milled band guide channels or machined guide portions can be differently constructed, for instance flat, concave, convex or disposed at a certain angle or along a curved line.
While there are shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.
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Profiles or sectional shapes formed of elastic masses, especially rubber, are equipped with velour bands or tapes. The application of the velour bands is accomplished in the already formed profile which is still in a heated state, by slightly pressing the band carrier into the mass. The apparatus utilizes a guide element operatively associated with an injection disk or nozzle of an extruder, in order to deposit the velour band into the material at the extruder outlet. The profiles thus formed are used as sealing profiles in the window guides in the automotive industry.
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RELATED APPLICATION
This is a division of application Ser. No. 09/562,519 filed May 1, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,515,090.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with novel anionic substantially biodegradable and substantially water soluble polymers and derivatives thereof which have significant utility in agricultural applications, especially plant nutrition and related areas. More particularly, the invention is concerned with such polymers, as well as methods of synthesis and use thereof, wherein the preferred polymers have significant levels of anionic groups. Additionally, the preferred polymers also include significant levels of alcohol groups. The most preferred polymers of the instant invention include recurring polymeric subunits made up of vinylic (e.g., vinyl acetate or vinyl alcohol) and dicarboxylic (e.g., maleic acid, itaconic acid, anhydrides, and other derivatives thereof) moieties. The polymers may be complexed onto ions and/or mixed with or coated with phosphate-based fertilizers to provide improved plant nutrition products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lignosulfonates, polyacrylates, polyaspartates and related compounds have become known to the art of agriculture as materials that facilitate nutrient absorption. All of them suffer from significant disadvantages, which decrease their utility in comparison to the art discussed herein and limit performance.
Lignosulfonates are a byproduct of paper pulping; they are derived from highly variable sources. They are subject to large, unpredictable variations in color, physical properties, and performance in application areas of interest for this invention.
Polyacrylates and polymers containing appreciable levels thereof can be prepared with good control over their composition and performance. They are stable to pH variations. However, polyacrylates have just one carboxylate per repeat unit and they suffer from a very significant limitation in use, namely that they are not biodegradable. As a result, their utility for addressing the problems remedied by the instant invention is low.
Polyaspartates are biodegradable, but are very expensive, and are not stable outside a relatively small pH range of about 7 to about 10. They usually have very high color, and incorporate amide groups, which causes difficulties in formulating them. Additionally, polyaspartates have just one carboxylate per repeat unit and are therefore not a part of the present invention.
Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry, 24(5):485-489 (1951) teaches the preparation of maleic anhydride-vinyl acetate copolymers in benzene and acetone with benzoyl peroxide initiators. It further discloses the addition of above copolymers to water, wherein the polymer gradually self-hydrolyzes to a complex mixture containing units of maleic acid, vinyl alcohol, vinyl acetate, lactones, free acetic acid, and other species. Deficiencies of this teaching include undesirable presence of lactone, which decreases number of dicarboxylic groups. In addition, no use for polymers is taught or suggested.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,268,491 and 3,887,480 teach preparation of maleic acid-vinyl acetate copolymers in water-based solutions using redox-based initiators in a certain pH range. The approaches described in these patents are highly problematic. Only redox-type initiators are claimed to be useful. A fixed pH range restricts the practice. Only a narrow range of copolymers composed exclusively from the monomers of maleic acid and vinyl acetate are taught. The process of U.S. Pat. No. 3,268,491 is deemed to be non-commercial by U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,480 which described improved processes but uses over 17% by weight of redox initiator; such processes are very wasteful, have high environmental impact, and are not cost effective.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,191,048 and 5,264,510 teach copolymerization of acrylic acid, maleic acid, and vinyl acetate with subsequent hydrolysis by base. Again, several important deficiencies are evident. Among these are the exclusive use of base hydrolysis and preferred embodiments of invention incorporating monocarboxylic acids. Only terpolymers are disclosed. Furthermore, the intended uses of the compositions are very restricted and in no way teach, suggest or imply utility of the enumerated and contemplated compositions for the purposes of the present invention.
It will thus be seen that the prior art fails to disclose or provide polymers which can be synthesized using a variety of monomers and techniques in order to yield end products which are substantially biodegradable, substantially water soluble, and have wide applicability for agricultural uses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above and provides a new class of anionic polymers having a variety of uses, e.g., for enhancing takeup of nutrient by plants or for mixture with conventional phosphate-based fertilizers to provide an improved fertilizer product. Advantageously, the polymers are biodegradable, in that they degrade to environmentally innocuous compounds within a relatively short time (up to about 1 year) after being in intimate contact with soil. That is to say that the degradation products are compounds such as CO 2 and H 2 O or the degradation products are absorbed as food or nutrients by soil microorganisms and plants. Similarly, derivatives of the polymers and/or salts of the polymers (e.g. ammonium salt forms of the polymer) also degrade within a relatively short time, during which significant fractions of the weight of the polymer are believed to be metabolized by soil organisms.
Broadly speaking, the anionic polymers of the invention include recurring polymeric subunits made up of at least two different moieties individually and respectively taken from the group consisting of what have been denominated for ease of reference as A, B and C moieties. Thus, exemplary polymeric subunits may be AB, BA, AC, CA, ABC, BAC, CAB, or any other combination of A moieties with B and C moieties. Moreover, in a given polymer different polymeric subunits may include different types or forms of moieties, e.g., in an AB recurring polymeric unit polymer, the B moiety may be different in different units.
In detail, moiety A is of the general formula
moiety B is of the general formula
and moiety C is of the general formula
wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 7 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of H, OH, C 1 -C 30 straight, branched chain and cyclic alkyl or aryl groups, C 1 -C 30 straight, branched chain and cyclic alkyl or aryl C 1 -C 30 based ester groups (formate (C 0 ), acetate (C 1 ), propionate (C 2 ), butyrate (C 3 ), etc. up to C 30 ), R′CO 2 groups, and OR′ groups, wherein R′ is selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 30 straight, branched chain and cyclic alkyl or aryl groups; R 3 and R 4 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of H, C 1 -C 30 straight, branched chain and cyclic alkyl or aryl groups; R 5 , R 6 , R 10 , and R 11 , are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of H, the alkali metals, NH 4 and the C 1 -C 4 alkyl ammonium groups, Y is selected from the group consisting of Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn, Cu, Ni, V, Cr, Si, B, Co, Mo, and Ca; R 8 and R 9 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of nothing (i.e., the groups are non-existent), CH 2 , C 2 H 4 , and C 3 H 6 , at least one of said R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 is OH where said polymeric subunits are made up of A and B moieties, at least one of said R 1 , R 2 and R 7 is OH where said polymeric subunits are made up of A and C moieties, and at least one of said R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and R 7 is OH where said polymeric subunits are made up of A, B and C moieties.
As can be appreciated, the polymers of the invention can have different sequences of recurring polymeric subunits as defined above (for example, a polymer comprising A, B and C subunits may include the one form of A moiety, all three forms of B moiety and all three forms of C moiety). In the case of the polymer made up of A and B moieties, R 1 -R 4 are respectively and individually selected from the group consisting of H, OH and C 1 -C 4 straight and branched chain alkyl groups, R 5 and R 6 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals.
The most preferred polymers of the invention are made up of recurring polymeric subunits formed of A and B moieties, wherein R 5 and R 6 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of H, Na. K, and NH 4 and specifically wherein R 1 , R 3 and R 4 are each H, R 2 is OH, and R 5 and R 6 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of H, Na, K, and NH 4 depending upon the specific application desired for the polymer. These preferred polymers have the generalized formula
wherein R 5 and R 6 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of H, the alkali metals, NH 4 and C 1 -C 4 alkyl ammonium groups (and most preferably, H, Na, K and NH 4 depending upon the application), and n ranges from about 1-10000 and more preferably from about 1-5000.
For purposes of the present invention, it is preferred to use dicarboxylic acids, precursors and derivatives thereof for the practice of the invention. For example, terpolymers containing mono and dicarboxylic acids with vinyl esters and vinyl alcohol are contemplated, however, polymers incorporating dicarboxylic acids were unexpectedly found to be significantly more useful for the purposes of this invention. This finding was in contrast to the conventional teachings that mixtures of mono and dicarboxylates were superior in applications previously suggested for mono-carboxylate polymers. Thus, the use of dicarboxylic acid derived polymers for agricultural applications is unprecedented and produced unexpected results. It is understood that when dicarboxylic acids are mentioned herein, various precursors and derivatives of such are contemplated and well within the scope of the present invention. Put another way, copolymers of the present invention are made up of monomers bearing at least two carboxylic groups or precursors and/or derivatives thereof. The polymers of the invention may have a wide variety of molecular weights, ranging for example from 500-5,000,000, more preferably from about 1,500-20,000, depending chiefly upon the desired end use.
In many applications, and especially for agricultural uses, the polymers of the invention may be mixed with or complexed with a metal or non-metal ion, and especially ions selected from the group consisting of Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Mo, V, Cr, Si, B, and Ca. Alternatively, polymers containing, mixed with or complexed with such elements may be formulated using a wide variety of methods that are well known in the art of fertilizer formation. Examples of such alternative methods include, forming an aqueous solution containing molybdate and the sodium salt of polymers in accordance with the invention, forming an aqueous solution which contains a zinc complex of polymers in accordance with the present invention and sodium molybdate, and combinations of such methods. In these examples, the presence of the polymer in soil adjacent growing plants would be expected to enhance the availability of these elements to these growing plants. In the case of Si and B, the element would merely be mixed with the polymer rather than having a coordinate metal complex formation. However, in these cases, the availability of these ions would be increased for uptake by growing plants and will be termed “complexed” for purposes of this application.
The polymers hereof (with or without complexed ions) may be used directly as plant growth enhancers. For example, such polymers may be dispersed in a liquid aqueous medium and applied foliarly to plant leaves or applied to the earth adjacent growing plants. It has been found that the polymers increase the plant's uptake of both polymer-borne metal nutrients and ambient non-polymer nutrients found in adjacent soil. In such uses, plant growth-enhancing amounts of compositions comprising the above-defined polymers are employed, either in liquid dispersions or in dried, granular form. Thus, application of polymer alone results in improved plant growth characteristics, presumably by increasing the availability of naturally occurring ambient nutrients. Typically, the polymers are applied at a level of from about 0.001 to about 100 lbs. polymer per acre of growing plants, and more preferably from about 0.005 to about 50 lbs. polymer per acre, and still more preferably from about 0.01 to about 2 lbs.
In other preferred uses, the polymers may be used to form composite products where the polymers are in intimate contact with fertilizer products including but not limited to phosphate-based fertilizers such as monoammonium phosphate (MAP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), any one of a number of well known N—P—K fertilizer products, and/or fertilizers containing nitrogen materials such as ammonia (anhydrous or aqueous), ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, urea, ammonium phosphates, sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, nitrate of soda, urea formaldehyde, metal (e.g. zinc, iron) ammonium phosphates; phosphorous materials such as calcium phosphates (normal phosphate and super phosphate), ammonium phosphate, ammoniated super phosphate, phosphoric acid, superphosphoric acid, basic slag, rock phosphate, colloidal phosphate, bone phosphate; potassium materials such as potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate, potassium phosphate, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate; calcium materials, such as calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium nitrate; magnesium materials, such as magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, magnesium hydroxide; sulfur materials such as ammonium sulfate, sulfates of other fertilizers discussed herein, ammonium thiosulfate, elemental sulfur (either alone or included with or coated on other fertilizers); micronutrients such as Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, and other micronutrients discussed herein; oxides, sulfates, chlorides, and chelates of such micronutrients (e.g., zinc oxide, zinc sulfate and zinc chloride); such chelates sequestered onto other carriers such as EDTA; boron materials such as boric acid, sodium borate or calcium borate; and molybdenum materials such as sodium molybdate. As known in the art, these fertilizer products can exist as dry powders/granules or as water solutions.
In such contexts, the polymers may be co-ground with the fertilizer products, applied as a surface coating to the fertilizer products, or otherwise thoroughly mixed with the fertilizer products. Preferably, in such combined fertilizer/polymer compositions, the fertilizer is in the form of particles having an average diameter of from about powder size (less than 0.001 cm) to about 10 cm, more preferably from about 0.1 cm to about 2 cm, and still more preferably from about 0.15 cm to about 0.3 cm. The polymer is present in such combined products at a level of from about 0.001 g to about 20 g polymer per 100 g phosphate-based fertilizer, more preferably from about 0.1 g to about 10 g polymer per 100 g phosphate-based fertilizer, and still more preferably from about 0.5 g to about 2 g polymer per 100 g phosphate-based fertilizer. Again, the polymeric fraction of such combined products may include the polymers defined above, or such polymers complexed with the aforementioned ions. In the case of the combined fertilizer/polymer products, the combined product is applied at a level so that the polymer fraction is applied at a level of from about 0.001 to about 20 lbs. polymer per acre of growing plants, more preferably from about 0.01 to about 10 lbs polymer per acre of growing plants, and still more preferably from about 0.5 to about 2 lbs polymer per acre of growing plants. The combined products can likewise be applied as liquid dispersions or as dry granulated products, at the discretion of the user. When polymers in accordance with the present invention are used as a coating, the polymer comprises at least about 0.01% by weight of the coated fertilizer product, more preferably the polymer comprises at least about 5% by weight of the coated fertilizer product, and most preferably comprises at least about 10% by weight of the coated fertilizer product.
Additionally, use of polymers in accordance with the present invention increases the availability of phosphorus and other common fertilizer ingredients and decreases nitrogen volitilization, thereby rendering ambient levels of such plant nutrient available for uptake by growing plants. In such cases, the polymer can be applied as a coating to fertilizer products prior to their introduction into the soil. In turn, plants grown in soil containing such polymers exhibit enhanced growth characteristics.
Another alternative use of polymers in accordance with the present invention includes using the polymer as a seed coating. In such cases, the polymer comprises at least about 0.01% by weight of the coated seed, and more preferably comprises at least about 5% by weight of the coated seed, and still more preferably comprises at least about 10% by weight of the coated seed.
In general, the polymers of the invention are made by free radical polymerization serving to convert selected monomers into the desired polymers with recurring polymeric subunits. Such polymers may be further modified to impart particular structures and/or properties. A variety of techniques can be used for generating free radicals, such as addition of peroxides, hydroperoxides, azo initiators, percarbonate, per-acid, charge transfer complexes, irradiation (e.g., UV, electron beam, X-ray, gamma-radiation and other ionizing radiation types), and combinations of these techniques. Of course, an extensive variety of methods and techniques are well known in the art of polymer chemistry for initiating free-radical polymerizations. Those enumerated herein are but some of the more frequently used methods and techniques. Any suitable technique for performing free-radical polymerization is likely to be useful for the purposes of practicing the present invention.
The polymerization reactions are carried out in a compatible solvent system, namely a system which does not unduly interfere with the desired polymerization, using essentially any desired monomer concentrations. A number of suitable aqueous or non-aqueous solvent systems can be employed, such as ketones, alcohols, esters, ethers, aromatic solvents, water and mixtures thereof. Water alone and the lower (C 1 -C 4 ) ketones and alcohols are especially preferred, and these may be mixed with water if desired. In most instances, the polymerization reactions are carried out with the substantial exclusion of oxygen, and most usually under an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon. There is no particular criticality in the type of equipment used in the synthesis of the polymers, i.e., stirred tank reactors, continuous stirred tank reactors, plug flow reactors, tube reactors and any combination of the foregoing arranged in series may be employed. A wide range of suitable reaction arrangements are well known to the art of polymerization.
In general, the initial polymerization step is carried out at a temperature of from about 0° C. to about 120° C. (more preferably from about 30° C. to about 95° C. for a period of from about 0.25 hours to about 24 hours and even more preferably from about 0.25 hours to about 5 hours. Usually, the reaction is carried out with continuous stirring.
After the initial polymerization, the products are recovered and hydrolyzed so as to replace at least certain of the ester-containing groups on the polymer with alcohol groups, thereby providing the polymers defined previously. Generally, the hydrolyzing step involves the addition of an acid or base to the polymerized product in the presence of water. Polymers comprising monomers with vinyl ester groups (polymers formed at least in part from A moieties) need to have sufficient base added to neutralize all of the carboxylic acid groups and form a substantial number of alcohol groups from the precursor vinyl ester groups. Thereafter, the completed polymer may be recovered as a liquid dispersion or dried to a solid form. It is important to note that both acid and base hydrolysis are useful in practicing the present invention so that under appropriate conditions, sufficient acid must be added in order to form a substantial number of alcohol groups. Additionally, in many cases it is preferred to react the hydrolyzed polymer with an ion such as Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Mo, V, Cr, and Ca to form a coordinate metal complex. Techniques for making metal-containing polymer compounds are well known to those skilled in the art. In some of these techniques, a metal's oxide, hydroxide, carbonate, salt, or other similar compound may be reacted with the polymer in acid form. These techniques also include reacting a finely divided free metal with a solution of an acid form of a polymer described or suggested herein. Additionally, the structures of complexes or salts of polymers with metals in general, and transition metals in particular, can be highly variable and difficult to precisely define. Thus, the depictions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and it is contemplated that desired metals or mixtures of such are bonded to the polymer backbone by chemical bonds. Alternatively, the metal may be bonded to other atoms in addition to those shown. For example, in the case of the structure shown herein for the second reactant, there may be additional atoms or functional groups bonded to the Y. These atoms include, but are not limited to, oxygen, sulfur, halogens, etc. and potential functional groups include (but are not limited to) sulfate, hydroxide, etc. It is understood by those skilled in the art of coordination compound chemistry that a broad range of structures may be formed depending upon the preparation protocol, the identity of the metal, the metal's oxidation state, the starting materials, etc. Alternatively, acid hydrolysis may be performed followed by a reaction to form a complex with a previously enumerated metal. In yet another alternative method, the polymer may be isolated and subsequently formulated in such a way that the hydrolysis reaction occurs in situ, in the soil or during mixture with a fertilizing composition. In this alternative method, unhydrolyzed polymer is added to soil or fertilizer compositions of appropriately low or high pH such that when contacted by water, a microenvironment of low or high pH is produced. It is within this microenvironment that hydrolysis occurs and alcohol groups are formed. In the case of Si and B ions, the polymer is merely mixed with these ions and does not form a coordinate complex. However, the availability of these ions to growing plants is increased.
In more detail, the preferred method for polymer synthesis comprises the steps of providing a reaction mixture comprising at least two different reactants selected from the group consisting of first, second, and third reactants. The first reactant is of the general formula
the second reactant is of the general formula
and the third reactant is of the general formula
With reference to the above formulae, R 1 , R 2 and R 7 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of H, OH, C 1 -C 30 straight, branched chain and cyclic alkyl or aryl groups, C 1 -C 30 straight, branched chain and cyclic alkyl or aryl C 1 -C 30 based ester groups (formate (C 0 ), acetate (C 1 ), propionate (C 2 ), butyrate (C 3 ), etc. up to C 30 ), R′CO 2 groups, and OR′ groups, wherein R′ is selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 30 straight, branched chain and cyclic alkyl or aryl groups; R 3 and R 4 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of H, C 1 -C 30 straight, branched chain and cyclic alkyl or aryl groups; R 5 , R 6 , R 10 and R 11 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of H, the alkali metals, NH 4 and the C 1 -C 4 alkyl ammonium groups, Y is selected from the group consisting of Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Mo, V, Cr, Si, B, and Ca; R 8 and R 9 are individually and respectively selected from the group consisting of nothing (i.e., the groups are non-existent), CH 2 , C 2 H 4 , and C 3 H 6 , at least one of said R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 is OH where said polymeric subunits are made up of A and B moieties, at least one of said R 1 , R 2 and R 7 is OH where said polymeric subunits are made up of A and C moieties, and at least one of said R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and R 7 is OH where said polymeric subunits are made up of A, B and C moieties.
Selected monomers and reactants are dispersed in a suitable solvent system and placed in a reactor. The polymerization reaction is then carried out to obtain an initial polymerized product having the described recurring polymeric subunits. Thereupon, the initial polymer product is hydrolyzed to the alcohol form. Put another away, the general reaction proceeds by dissolving monomers (e.g., maleic anhydride and vinyl acetate) in a solvent (e.g., acetone). The amount of monomers incorporated can be either equimolar or non-equimolar. A free radical initiator is then introduced and copolymerization takes place in solution. After the reaction is complete and substantially all monomer has been reacted, the resulting solution is a maleic anhydride-vinyl acetate copolymer. Of course, if all monomers have not undergone polymerization, the resulting solution will contain a small portion of monomers which do not affect later use of the polymer. The solution is concentrated and subjected to hydrolysis (either in situ or by performing a hydrolysis reaction during manufacture) with a sufficient amount of base (e.g., NaOH) in the presence of water. This base neutralizes a substantial majority of the carboxylic acid groups and converts a substantial majority of the polymer's acetate groups into alcohol groups. The anhydride groups are converted to carboxylic acid sodium salt groups arranged in groups of two on the backbone of the polymer. The resulting copolymer is then isolated by conventional methods such as precipitation.
Again, it is important to note that the aforementioned methods and procedures are merely preferred methods of practicing the present invention and those skilled in the art understand that a large number of variations and broadly analogous procedures can be carried out using the teachings contained herein. For example, acid hydrolysis can also be used followed optionally by formation of various derivatives or the hydrolysis may be carried out naturally in soil under sufficient moisture and pH conditions. The acid hydrolysis isolates the polymers of the present invention in a substantially acid form which renders them highly versatile and useful. These polymers may be used as is (in the acid form) or further reacted with various materials to make salts and/or complexes. Furthermore, complexes or salts with various metals may be formed by reacting the acid form with various oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, and free metals under suitable conditions. Such reactions are well known in the art and include (but are not limited to) various techniques of reagent mixing, monomer and/or solvent feed, etc. One possible technique would be gradual or stepwise addition of an initiator to a reaction in progress. Other potential techniques include the addition of chain transfer agents, free radical initiator activators, molecular weight moderators/control agents, use of multiple initiators, initiator quenchers, inhibitors, etc. Of course, this list is not comprehensive but merely serves to demonstrate that there are a wide variety of techniques available to those skilled in the art and that all such techniques are embraced by the present invention.
Another alternative method involves taking an aqueous solution of, for example, caustic and stirring it in a suitable container. Next, an acetone reaction mixture containing, for example, acetone and a copolymer of maleic anhydride with vinyl acetate is added to the caustic solution. Throughout this addition, the polymer going into the caustic solution will experience a high pH and have the acetate groups hydrolyzed to the alcohol form. In acid-base titrations such as this, at the point where one reagent is just exhausted, a very sharp pH change usually takes place with minimal addition of the second reagent. Therefore, in this reaction, just enough acetone-polymer reaction solution is added to bring the apparent pH of the now final polymer product-acetone-water mixture to about 7. At this time, the mixture is subjected to reduced pressure distillation to remove acetone. The result is an aqueous solution at a neutral pH that contains the desired polymer. From this solution, it may be isolated by a variety of ways, including but not limited to precipitation, spray drying, simple drying, and etc. The only side effect of a reaction of this type is that a small fraction of the polymer is going to contain acetate groups which are not hydrolyzed to alcohol.
The foregoing description is useful in instances where polymers in accordance with the present invention, upon dissolution in water, give a solution that is alkaline. In many cases, this alkalinity is not a problem as the solution pH can be adjusted to neutral or acidic with a suitable mineral or organic acid. However, the formulation of this powder into some liquid formulations containing metals is problematic. High-pH solutions of metal salts tend to form insoluble metal hydroxides that precipitate and/or exhibit other behaviors that are undesirable from the point of view of formulation ease and convenience, as well as nutrient availability. One way to remedy this problem, other than as described in the preceding paragraph, is to add a mineral or organic acid to the aqueous solution of polymer salt in order to bring the pH close to neutral.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following examples set forth techniques for the synthesis of polymers in accordance with the invention, and various uses thereof. It is to be understood that these examples are provided by way of illustration only and nothing therein should be taken as a limitation upon the overall scope of the invention.
EXAMPLE 1
Acetone (111 ml), maleic anhydride (20 g), vinyl acetate monomer (19 ml), and the radical source initiator di-tertbutyl peroxide (2.4 ml) were stirred together under inert gas (such as nitrogen or argon) in a reactor. The reactor provided included a suitably sized glass spherical flask equipped with a magnetic stirrer, an inert gas inlet, a contents temperature measurement device in contact with the contents of the flask, and a removable reflux condenser. This combination of materials was heated in a hot water bath with stirring at an internal temperature of about 70° C. for five hours. At that point, the contents of the flask were evaporated (by removing the condenser with continued heating) to a thick oil, and 100 ml of water was added. Then, 18 g of granular sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was added to the above dispersion. The resulting mixture was heated again to about 100° C. and allowed to reflux for about two hours. The mixture was then allowed to evaporate by removal of the condenser to a slightly viscous mass. This mass was precipitated by adding the evaporated mixture to about 0.5 liters of ethanol while stirring was continued. The solids were recovered and then dried. The resulting product was a white-colored powder. These reactions proceeded as follows:
EXAMPLE 2
This reaction was carried out similarly to that of Example 1. However, in this case the following quantities of ingredients were used: acetone (50 ml), maleic anhydride (44 g), vinyl acetate monomer (42 ml), and di-tertbutyl peroxide (8.3 ml). This mixture was heated in a hot water bath with stirring at an internal temperature of about 70° C. for five hours. The contents of the reactor flask were then evaporated to a thick oil and 100 ml of water was added. Next, 57 g granular NaOH was added. This mixture was heated again to about 100° C. and allowed to reflux for about one hour. After refluxing, the mixture evaporated to a slightly viscous mass. This mass was precipitated by adding it, with stirring to 0.9 liters of ethanol. The solids were then recovered and dried. The resulting product was a tan-colored powder.
EXAMPLE 3
This reaction was also carried out as in Example 1. However, the following quantities of ingredients were used: acetone (273.0 ml), maleic anhydride (49 g), vinyl acetate monomer (46 ml), and di-tertbutyl peroxide (5.9 ml). This mixture was heated in a hot water bath with stirring at an internal temperature of about 70° C. for five hours. The contents of the flask were then evaporated into a thick oil (once again by removing the condenser), and 250 ml of water was added. Following the water addition, 63 g of granular NaOH was added. The resulting mixture was heated to about 100° C. again, and allowed to reflux for about one hour. This mixture was then evaporated to a slightly viscous mass. The mass was precipitated with stirring into about 2 liters of ethanol. Solids were recovered and dried and the product was a very bright white powder.
EXAMPLE 4
In this example, copper was complexed with the polymer isolated in Example 1. Five grams of the Example 1 polymer was mixed with 50 g (dry weight) of ion exchange resin (strong acid macro reticular, 4.9 meq/gram dry) which had been soaked in water until the mixture was fluid. The acid form of the polymer was then washed out with several aliquots of water. The resultant water-polymer mixture was then mixed with 6 g of CuSO 4 pentahydrate. The aqueous solution containing the copper complex was then evaporated to dryness and the material was collected.
EXAMPLE 5
One gram of the polymer prepared and isolated in Example 1 was dissolved into 20 ml of room temperature water. 1.3 g sodium bisulfate was added to this dispersion with stirring. While stirring was continued, 0.5 g of ferric sulfate (Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ) tetrahydrate was added slowly with stirring. This product was isolated by evaporating the water from the solution to dryness. Thereafter, the isolated dry material was collected. The resultant product was an iron complex of the polymer of Example 1.
EXAMPLE 6
In this example, 1 g of the polymer prepared and isolated in Example 1 was added to 20 ml of room temperature water. Sulfuric acid (98%) was added to the dispersion with stirring, until the pH dropped to about 2. 1.5 g of manganese dichloride tetrahydrate was added slowly to the dispersion with vigorous stirring. The material (a manganese complex of the Example 1 polymer) was then evaporated to dryness and the material was collected.
EXAMPLE 7
Five grams of the polymer prepared and isolated in Example 1 was dissolved in 100 ml of water. Sulfuric acid (98%) was added until the pH dropped to about 2. 7 g of zinc sulfate heptahydrate was added slowly with vigorous stirring to the dispersion. The resulting solution had the product (a zinc complex of the Example 1 polymer) isolated by evaporating the water to dryness and was collected thereafter.
EXAMPLE 8
Water (30 g), and maleic anhydride (20 g) is put into the reactor with stirring under inert gas, such as nitrogen or argon. During this time, the anhydride is converted to the acid form. Di-tertbutyl peroxide (2.4 ml) is added to the flask. The resulting mixture is heated and refluxed until the reflux head temperature gradually rises to about 100° C. At this point, vinyl acetate monomer (19 ml) is gradually added to the reaction at about the same rate that it is consumed. The reaction is carried out until substantially all monomer is consumed. The product of this synthesis is then hydrolyzed as in Example 1. This example demonstrates that the preferred polymerization may be carried out in an aqueous medium.
EXAMPLE 9
The product of the reaction described in Example 8 is refluxed overnight at about 100° C. and then subjected to a short-path distillation under inert atmosphere in order to remove the acetic acid hydrolysis product. Due to the high temperature and high product concentration, lactone formation is minimized, and the fraction of dicarboxylic acid functional groups that are available is maximized. The desired product is isolated by spray-drying the aqueous solution to give a white amorphous powder.
EXAMPLE 10
This example is similar to that described in Example 8; however, water is replaced with a 1:1 (w/w) mixture of water and ethanol. 20 g of maleic anhydride is added to this mixture. Next, di-tertbutyl peroxide (2.4 ml) is added to the reactor and the resulting mixture is heated to reflux until the reflux head temperature rises to about 100° C. Vinyl acetate monomer is then gradually added to the reaction at about the same rate it is consumed. Once again, 19 ml of vinyl acetate monomer is used. The reaction is carried out until substantially all of the monomer is consumed. The resulting product is then refluxed overnight and subjected to a short-path distillation under inert atmosphere in order to remove the acetic acid hydrolysis product. Once again, due to the high temperature and high product concentration, lactone formation is minimized and the fraction of dicarboxylic acid functional groups is maximized. The desired product is then isolated by spray-drying the aqueous solution to give a white amorphous powder.
EXAMPLE 11
This Example demonstrates that the polymerization may be carried out using UV free radical initiation instead of peroxide. Water (30 g) and maleic anhydride (20 g) is mixed in the reactor under inert gas. A 10 watt lamp emitting UV radiation at the 190-210 nm wavelength range is immersed in the reaction vessel. The mixture is heated to reflux until the reflux head temperature gradually rises to about 100° C., at which point 19 ml of vinyl acetate monomer is gradually added to the reaction at about the same rate as it is consumed. The reaction is carried out until substantially all of the monomer is consumed. Once synthesis (copolymerization) is substantially complete, the resultant product is hydrolyzed as in Example 1.
EXAMPLE 12
In this example, polymerization is carried out using UV free radical initiation in a mixture of organic solvent and water. The experiment is carried out as in Example 11, but water is replaced with a 1:1 (w/w) mixture of water and ethanol. The isolation and hydrolysis procedures are substantially the same as those used in Examples 8 and 9.
EXAMPLE 13
In this example, the procedure of Example 8 is carried out except that 1 ml of hydrogen peroxide (30% w/w) is used instead of di-tertbutyl peroxide.
EXAMPLE 14
This example demonstrates acid hydrolysis in an aqueous medium. To the product of the reaction described in Example 8, 0.2 g 98% of sulfuric acid is added and the mixture is refluxed overnight at about 100° C. Next, the mixture is subjected to a short-path distillation under inert gas to remove the acetic acid hydrolysis product. Due to the acidity, high temperature and high product concentration, lactone formation is minimized, and the fraction of dicarboxylic acid functional groups is maximized. The product is isolated by spray drying the aqueous solution to give a white amorphous powder.
EXAMPLE 15
An aqueous solution composed of 40 g water, 11.6 g maleic acid and 8.1 g zinc oxide is formed. The oxide slowly reacts and dissolves to give zinc maleate derivative solution. This is used as a monomer source in a polymerization such as that described in Example 8 where equimolar amounts of maleate and vinyl acetate were used. After that, a hydrolysis is performed using the procedures described in Example 14. The reaction proceeded as follows:
EXAMPLE 16
An aqueous solution composed of 40 g water, 11.6 g maleic acid, and 11.5 g manganese carbonate is prepared. The carbonate slowly reacts and dissolves to give manganese maleate derivative solution. This manganese maleate solution is used as a monomer source in a polymerization such as that described in Example 8, wherein equimolar amounts of maleate and vinyl acetate were used. After that, a hydrolysis is performed using the procedures described in Example 14. The reaction proceeded as follows:
EXAMPLE 17
An aqueous solution composed of 40 g water, 11. g maleic acid, and 5.6 g very fine iron dust is formed. The metal slowly reacts and dissolves to give iron maleate derivative solution. This solution is used as a monomer source in a polymerization reaction such as that described in Example 8, wherein equimolar amounts of maleate and vinyl acetate were used. After that, a hydrolysis is performed using the procedures described in Example 14. This reaction proceeded as follows:
EXAMPLE 18
A continuous reactor is provided including an in-line motionless tube mixer, pumps, thermostatted tubes, and associated valves, fittings, and controls. Maleic anhydride (50% w/w in acetone), vinyl acetate and di-tertbutyl peroxide are pumped into the in-line tube mixer and then into the thermostatted tube. The mixture's residence time in the tube is about 3 hours. The tube temperature is about 70° C. The flow rates are: maleic anhydride solution—100 g/min; vinyl acetate—43 g/min; and di-tertbutyl peroxide—3 g/min. Hydrolysis is performed using the procedures described in Example 14.
EXAMPLE 19
Aqueous dispersions containing 10, 50 and 100 ppm of the copper, manganese and zinc copolymers formed in Examples 4,6 and 7 were applied to the foliage of plum, maple and sweetgum trees, respectively, in order to obtain substantially uniform foliage coverage. Prior to this application, the trees visually exhibited characteristic deficiency symptoms for each of the three micronutrients. This treatment alleviated the visual symptoms of the micronutrient deficiency in about 7-10 days.
EXAMPLE 20
Bluegrass was treated with aqueous dispersions of the iron copolymer from Example 5 (20, 50 and 100 ppm concentrations of iron copolymer) and compared to an untreated control which received no iron copolymer. These foliar iron treatments were applied at three different times as pretreatments before bluegrass was harvested. Photos of the plants were taken two weeks after the last treatment. The results (Table 1) clearly show that the bluegrass responded to the iron copolymer application. The total harvest weights for each of the three iron copolymer bluegrass test groups were at least twice that of the control bluegrass. As the amount of copolymer applied increased, harvest weight also increased.
TABLE 1
Bluegrass Response to Varying Concentrations of Fe Copolymer
Harvest Wts (g)
Fe Copolymer Concentration Applied
Harvest
0 ppm
25 ppm
50 ppm
100 ppm
1
0.3
1.6
1.8
2.1
2
1.8
2.9
2.1
2.0
3
1.4
2.5
3.6
3.9
Total
3.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
EXAMPLE 21
In this example, the effect of iron copolymer treatment on Lisintus was determined. The iron copolymer of Example 5 was used for this experiment. The first control group of plants received no iron copolymer treatment, the second group was foliarly treated with an aqueous dispersion containing 50 ppm of the iron copolymer on three different occasions before harvest, and the third group was similarly treated with an aqueous dispersion containing 100 ppm iron copolymer three times before harvest. The Lisintus was harvested and analyzed (by digestion followed by atomic absorption spectroscopy) for iron concentration, and by SPAD meter to determine photosynthetically active chlorophyl levels. The results of this experiment are given in Table 2 which shows that application of iron copolymer resulted in a higher iron concentration in the Lisintus leaves. However, the amount of iron copolymer applied to the Lisintus did not have an appreciable effect on ultimate iron concentration (i.e. SPAD meter readings between Lisintus treated with 50 ppm iron copolymer and 100 ppm iron copolymer did not differ significantly). Therefore, the most efficient treatment may occur at levels below 50 ppm.
TABLE 2
Iron Concentration and SPAD Meter Readings of Lisintus Leaves
Treated with Foliar Applications of Iron Copolymer
Treatment
Fe Uptake (ppm)
SPAD Meter Readings
Control
146
29.5
50 ppm
276
63.7
100 ppm
309
64.1
EXAMPLE 22
In this experiment, different amounts of the copolymer formed in Example 1 were used in conjunction with phosphate fertilizer in soil, in order to test the effect of using the polymer with the fertilizer. In particular, the test was conducted on ryegrass grown in growth bags. The growth bags contained soil, water and a conventional, commercially available 8-14-9 N PK liquid fertilizer. One growth bag (the control) had no copolymer added. One bag labeled 0.5× was treated with a fertilizer mixture containing 25 ppm of the copolymer (the copolymer was added to the liquid fertilizer prior to addition thereof to the growth bags). The bag labeled 1× was treated with a liquid fertilizer mixture containing 50 ppm of copolymer. The fertilizer solution in the growth bags were replenished uniformly on an as-needed basis. After the grass was harvested, it was dried and weighed. Results of this experiment are given in Table 3 which shows no response to the 0.5× copolymer application. The 1× copolymer application resulted in a 25% increase in dry weight.
TABLE 3
Effects of Copolymer with Liquid Fertilizer on Resulting Plant Growth
Treatment
Average Shoot Weight
1 X Copolymer and Liquid Fertilizer
33.0
.5 X Copolymer and Liquid Fertilizer
25.0
Control - Liquid Fertilizer Only
24.9
EXAMPLE 23
In this test, the copolymer from Example 1 was tested with phosphate fertilizers in high phosphate-fixing soils in corn growth tests. The test was designed to determine the effect of the copolymer on the plant availability of phosphate based fertilizer in the soil. For this experiment, monoammonium phosphate (MAP) was tested although it is understood that similar results would occur with any phosphate based fertilizer.
Two soils were utilized in the study, an acid soil (pH 4.5-4.7) from Sedgewick County, Kans. and a calcareous soil (pH 8.0-8.3) from the vicinity of Tribune, Kans. The acid soil is high in available P but owing to the high exchangeable Al and Fe content of the soil, P availability is limited. The calcareous soil was lower in available P.
Containers (flats) approximately 75 cm×40 cm were used for the study. These flats held approximately 8 kg of soil filled to a depth of approximately of 7.5 cm, and allows planting in rows with band placement of the fertilizer material, beside the row or in seed contact if desired. Multiple rows within each container were used as replications. The containers served as individual treatment for each crop and were rotated to eliminate any possible variables of light and/or temperature.
Corn was used as the test crop. The seeds were planted in rows, thinned to a constant population per row. Only a single variety of corn was used for each crop. Corn was taken to approximately the 6-leaf stage before the whole plant was harvested for dry weight and plant composition analysis. In the corn test, four plants per row per replication were used, thinned back from ten plants.
Conventional Cargill MAP fertilizer was used, with the fertilizer being coated with the copolymer product of Example 1 at rates of 1 g copolymer/100 g MAP (P1×) and 2 g copolymer/100 g MAP (P2×). The MAP particles were sized prior to copolymer application to insure that the individual particles were of approximately the same size. In all instances, a single rate of application of 20 ppm phosphorus calculated as P 2 O 5 was employed. In addition, a no-phosphorus control was also included in the study for each crop on each soil. Other nutrients were supplied at constant rates.
The fertilizer-copolymer MAP product was applied in a banded fashion with a constant number of phosphate material particles utilized per row (63 particles per each 10 inch row section). This procedure placed the experimental products close to the rows for maximum availability in the phosphate-fixing conditions, and allowed comparison of the effect of the copolymer with each phosphorus fertilizer.
After harvesting, the plants were tested for dry weight, phosphorus concentration and phosphorus uptake. SAS was utilized to analyze variance of the data.
TABLE 4
Phosphorus Materials Evaluation - Corn
Material
Dry Wt. (g)
P. Concentration (%)
P Uptake
Control
5.18
0.827
43.2
P1X
8.90
0.996
88.7
P2X
9.55
1.043
99.6
LSD .05
2.47
0.177
31.8
EXAMPLE 24
In this test, the effects of polymers on nitrogen volitilization was tested. A urea was sized by screening to a uniform size and was treated to form a 5% by weight coating of a polymer in accordance with the present invention. The coating was prepared by solubilizing 5 grams of polymer in 3 ml of water. The mixture was then added uniformly to 95 g of urea. To the mixture, 7 g of clay was added which dried the mixture and provided a clay coating. The mixture was then applied to soil for comparison. There were two polymers tested, one which was 50% calcium and 50% hydrogen saturated and the other which was 100% calcium saturated. Each of these polymer mixtures were compared to an untreated urea. Soil samples were taken and cumulative nitrogen losses were determined after 16 days.
As shown in Table 5, coating the urea with clay or a polymer and clay combination greatly reduced nitrogen volatilization. Untreated urea lost 37.4% of its total nitrogen. The polymers, calcium/hydrogen mixtures and calcium alone, lost only 20.6% and 19.5% respectively. Unexpectedly, the polymer combination significantly reduced nitrogen volatilization.
TABLE 5
Ammonia Loss as a Percentage of Total Nitrogen Applied
Replicate
Replicate
Replicate
Treatment
1
2
3
Average
Urea
33.3
41.3
37.7
37.4
Urea/Clay/5% Polymer
19.0
19.3
23.7
20.6
50% H, 50% Ca saturated
Urea/Clay/5% Polymer
17.1
21.7
19.5
19.5
100% Ca saturated
EXAMPLE 25
This experiment determined the effects of polymers in accordance with the invention on phosphorus fertilizer availability. An acid soil (pH 4.7) and a calcareous soil (pH 7.8) treated as in Example 23 were collected. These soils were chosen for their P fixing characteristics, preformed by Fe and Al in the acid soil and Ca in the calcareous soil. All treatments involved four replication. Soil samples were collected from the area of banded P beside the corn row after the plants had been harvested. The phoshporus material was MAP (although it is understood that all fertilizers should have similar results) with and without an experimental coating of 1.0% on the exterior of the MAP particles. The coating was prepared using the procedures described above in Example 24. Phosphorus rates were 5, 10 and 20 ppm P205 banded beside the seed (1 inch to the side, 1 inch below) of corn in flats containing 7 kilograms of soil. Composited cores from each treatment were processed and analyzed using conventional testing procedures. A single weak acid extractant (Bray P-1) was utilized for both the acid and calcareous soils. The P fertilizer had been in contact with the soil for approximately 5 weeks at the time of sampling.
Results of this experiment are given below in Table 6. Coating MAP with the experimental product produced consistently higher soil test P values indicating that the extractability of the P was increased. Therefore, normal soil P fixation had not progressed as rapidly in the presence of the polymer. The results from the acid soil displayed more differentiation that those of the calcareous soil, perhaps due to the tendency of the weak Bray extractant to react with free calcium carbonate in the calcareous soil. Plant growth data also demonstrated similar indications of greater P availability.
Thus, polymers in accordance with the present invention have significant effects on P availability from ammonium phosphate fertilizers. Furthermore, these polymers may be of substantial value in improving P use efficiency from applied fertilizers on both acid and calcareous soils with P fixation capacities.
TABLE 6
Polymer Effects on Soil Test P
Soil Bray-1 P
Concentrations
Treatment
ppm P
No P Control, Acid Soil
76
5 ppm P205, MAP Control, Acid Soil
121
10 ppm P205, MAP Control, Acid Soil
117
20 ppm P205, MAP Control, Acid Soil
151
5 ppm P205, MAP Experimental, Acid Soil
195
10 ppm P205, MAP Experimental, Acid Soil
190
20 ppm P205, MAP Experimental, Acid Soil
220
LSD 0.10, Acid Soil
26
No P Control, Calcareous Soil
76
5 ppm P205, MAP Control, Calcareous Soil
96
10 ppm P205, MAP Control, Calcareous Soil
110
20 ppm P205, MAP Control, Calcareous Soil
156
5 ppm P205, MAP Experimental, Calcareous Soil
164
10 ppm P205, MAP Experimental, Calcareous Soil
159
20 ppm P205, MAP Experimental, Calcareous Soil
102
LSD 0.10 Calcareous Soil
38
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Biodegradable anionic polymers are disclosed which include recurring polymeric subunits preferably made up of vinylic and dicarboxylic monomers such as vinyl acetate or vinyl alcohol and maleic anhydride, itaconic anhydride or citraconic anhydride, or combinations thereof. Free radical polymerization is used in the synthesis of the polymers, which are then hydrolyzed to replace ester groups with alcohol groups. The polymers may be complexed with ions and/or mixed with fertilizers or seed to yield agriculturally useful compositions. The preferred products of the invention may be applied foliarly, to seeds, to fertilizer, or to the earth adjacent growing plants in order to enhance nutrient uptake by the plants.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to polypeptide formulation for use as a vaccine for the prevention and control of Staphylococcal infections in mammals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The gram-positive bacteria Staphylococci normally inhabiting skin and mucous membranes in humans, gains access to internal tissues during injury/surgery and causes infection. The bacterium has a characteristic propensity of invading skin and adjacent tissues at sites of prosthetic medical devices, including intravascular catheters, cerebrospinal fluid shunts, hemodialysis shunts, vascular grafts and extended-wear contact lenses (Lowy 1998, Foster 2004). The important pathogens are coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative Staphylococcus epidermidis . They cause a variety of diseases ranging from skin diseases, wound sepsis, mastitis to life threatening endocarditis, osteomyelitis, chronic lung infections in human and animals. They are responsible for 1-9% cases of bacterial meningitis and 10-15% cases of brain abscesses (Foster 2004). Mortality due to Staphylococci bacteremia is approximately 20-50% due to emergence of drug resistance including resistance to Methicillin and Vancomycin (Enright 2002, Mongodin 2003). Staphylococci are the leading cause of community acquired and nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections associated with prolonged hospitalization (Franklin 2003).
[0003] Staphylococcus virulence is multifactorial, mediated by a number of virulence factors such as alpha, beta, gamma and delta-toxins, toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST), enterotoxins, leucocidin, proteases, Staphylokinase, coagulase and clumping factor (Jin 2004, Martin 2003). To initiate invasive infection, Staphylococcus adheres to extracellular matrix substrates and eukaryotic cells by virtue of different surface proteins (“adhesins”) (Peacock 2002). These surface proteins produced by Staphylococcus are designated as MSCRAMMs (microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules). These bind specifically to biological substrates such as serum proteins, IgG, fibronectin (Fn), fibrinogen (Fg), vitronectin, thrombospondin, thereby masking the bacterium from host's immune system (Hartford 1999, Harris 2002). These surface proteins can also bind to collagen, laminin, glycosaminoglycans and elastin from extra cellular matrix (Snodgrass, 1999) of a wounded tissue or an injured vessel wall, bone sialoprotein, binds to platelets (Siboo 2001) and to non-biological substrates like medical devices (catheters, shunts, pacemakers). All these interactions contribute to colonization of host tissues, but the importance of each of these binding functions in different infections is still unclear (Theresa 1999).
[0004] Continued emergence of resistance to antibiotics has incited the need for alternative strategies for the prevention and treatment of Staphylococcal diseases. Vaccination has proved relatively unsuccessful against the common mammalian commensal bacteria Staphylococci, despite almost a century of experimentation (Michie 2002). Several researchers have attempted to produce killed, attenuated, fixed or lysed S. aureus vaccines and/or to isolate capsular polysaccharides or cell wall components, which will induce immunity to S. aureus . Nevertheless none of these attempts have been successful. Toxoids induced high antibody titers in several studies, but proved to be unsuccessful vaccine candidates as they induced adverse reactions. The development of polysaccharide antigenic components of the Staphylococcal capsule is complicated by the myriad of strains prevalent in the community. Ali Fattom et al (1996) (Nabi Pharmaceuticals) developed a vaccine (StaphVAX) by linking the polysaccharides type 5 and type 8 purified from S. aureus to a carrier protein (a nontoxic form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin) and demonstrated 56% protection against S. aureus in patients receiving hemodialysis (Shinefield H. 2002). Like previous vaccines, this vaccine also could not provide prolonged protection against invasive Staphylococci even though it had greater efficacy and fewer side effects. Ing-Marie Nilsson et al (1998) demonstrated that vaccination with a recombinant version of the collagen adhesin, protected mice against heterologous challenge of S. aureus . Dr Gerald Pier et al (1999) demonstrated vaccination with purified surface polysaccharide PNSG (poly-N-succinyl Beta-1-6 glucosamine) on S. aureus protected mice against a challenge of S. aureus.
[0005] But as of present, there is no vaccine in the market providing full protection against Staphylococcal infections (Michie 2002). Vaccine strategies targeting microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMM) are viable approaches to impede bacterial adherence, prevent colonization, and minimize hematogenous dissemination, thereby halting the inception and progression of infection. Therefore, in search of a novel vaccine candidate, the surface proteins of S. aureus and S. epidermidis were analyzed in-silico. As adherence is the critical step in pathogenesis, the available completed genome sequences in public database of S. aureus and S. epidermidis strains were analyzed in-silico for previously unknown/uncharacterized Staphylococcal adhesins. Here we report immunization of mice with recombinant protein from S. aureus having role in adhesion and autolytic property, giving protection against heterologous challenge of S. aureus and S. epidermidis.
[0006] The Following Patients Could Benefit from Vaccine against S. aureus and S. epidermidis : Surgical patients undergoing lengthy cardiac and orthopedic procedures, trauma and burn patients, Patients receiving an implanted medical device or prosthetic, newborns whose immune systems are not yet developed, individuals in long-term care, kidney dialysis patients.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0007] FIG. 1 . Showing the shading of conserved amino acids of Aaa protein of S. aureus (SEQ ID NO.2) and the homologues gene Aae of S. epidermidis genes done by TEXSHADE (Biology WorkBench) at 50% identity threshold.
[0008] FIG. 2 . Domain analysis of Aaa gene by Pfam (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Software/Pfam/). This protein has 3 LysM domains between residues 4-47, 68-111 and 135-178 and 1 CHAP domain between residues 191-311.
[0009] FIG. 3 . Represents analysis of purified protein in SDS PAGE (15%), Lane 1 shows the migration pattern of protein molecular weight markers and lane 2 shows purified protein.
[0010] FIG. 4 . Agarose gel showing the presence of autolysin adhesin gene in S. aureus and S. epidermidis (A). S. aureus clinical isolates and ATCC strains contain the Aaa gene needed for autolysin adhesin synthesis. PCR performed on chromosomal DNA from 4 clinical isolates and 3 ATCC stains of S. aureus . Lane 1-4 clinical isolates from hospitalized patients isolated from bacteremia, intra vascular catheter, kidney dialysis patient, femur, respectively and were resistant to Methicillin; lane 5, ATCC 25923; lane 6, ATCC 33591; lane 7, ATCC 29737 (B) S. epidermidis clinical isolates and ATCC strains contain the Aae gene needed for autolysin adhesin synthesis. PCR performed on chromosomal DNA from three clinical isolates and two ATCC stains of S. epidermidis . Lane 1-3 clinical isolates from hospitalized patients isolated from bacteremia, post operative wound infection, endocarditis respectively; lane 5, ATCC 12228; lane 6, ATCC 35547; lane 7, molecular weight markers; Primers were designed to amplify a 930 base pair fragment corresponding to mature protein.
[0011] FIG. 5 . Zymogram showing the bacteriolytic activity of Aaa. SDS-PAGE of His6-tagged Aaa purified from E. coli (lane 2 and 3). The separation gel (10%) contained heat-inactivated S. aureus cells (0.2%) in lane 2 and heat inactivated S. epidermidis cells (0.2%) in lane 3 as a substrate for autolysin. Bacteriolytic activity is visible as a clear zone in both S. aureus and S. epidermidis , after incubation in phosphate buffer at 37° C. The arrow indicates Aaa-associated bacteriolytic activity. Molecular weight marker is shown in Lane 1.
[0012] FIG. 6 . Showing Western blots of purified autolysin adhesin of S. aureus with pooled sera of mice infected with S. aureus and pooled sera of human infected with S. aureus . Lane 1, the positions of molecular mass markers (kD); lane 2, pooled sera patient; lane 3, pooled sera healthy adult; lane 4, negative control-pooled sera of children (6 to 18 months) showing no band; lane 5, pooled sera of mice infected with S. aureus ; lane 6, pooled healthy mice sera showing no band. Bands indicate production of antibodies against autolysin adhesin of S. aureus when human or mice exposed to S. aureus . Arrow indicates a 34 kD band corresponding to autolysin adhesin.
[0013] FIG. 7 . Represents protective efficacy of recombinant protein. Active immunization of mice with recombinant protein provides protection against challenge with S. aureus and S. epidermidis . Bars indicate log mean CFU per pair of kidneys in mice immunized with protein Aaa (solid bars) or with an irrelevant protein BSA (speckled bars). Challenge species and doses in CFU per mouse is given below each group; N=10 mice per group. The challenging strains were S. aureus ATCC 25293 in group A; S. aureus ATCC 33591 in group B; Clinical isolate of MRSA (Femur bone) in group C; S. epidermidis ATCC 12228 in group D.
[0014] FIG. 8 . Shows IgG antibody titers obtained in pooled sera of mice (8) immunized intraperitoneally with protein Aaa. Animals were immunized with 2 doses of 100 μg of protein. Blood samples were obtained at 2 weeks interval for 1-9 weeks after the final immunization.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The present invention relates to a vaccine for staphylococcal infection. The invention provides vaccine for Staphylococcal infection in mammals in general and human beings and or cattle in particular. The invention also provides a recombinant and highly immunogenic protein, more specifically surface antigen from S. aureus , which can be used as an antigenic molecule in a vaccine composition. Further, the said protein is having staphylolytic activity. The recombinant protein of the invention discussed here comprises repeats of LysM domains, which exhibit peptidoglycan binding property and CHAP (cysteine, histidine-dependent amido hydrolases/peptidases) domain that exhibits peptidoglycan cleaving property. Further, the invention provides a method for isolation and purification of the said recombinant protein. The composition of the protein in pharmacologically and pharmaceutically acceptable carrier/adjuvant/stabilizer is also given. The pharmaceutical composition of the said protein is immunogenic and is effective as a vaccine against Staphylococcal infections in the animal model. An immunodiagnostic method was also developed for the diagnosis of Staphylococcal infections. The protein is a potential candidate for prophylactic and diagnostic purposes.
ABSTRACT
[0016] The present invention relates to recombinant polypeptide formulation for use as a vaccine for the prevention and control of Staphylococcal infections in mammals. The invention also describes a process for cloning and expression of the said protein antigen from Staphylococci. The pharmaceutical composition of the said protein is immunogenic and is effective as a vaccine against Staphylococcal infections. An immunodiagnostic method was also developed for the diagnosis of Staphylococcal infections. The protein is a potential candidate for prophylactic and diagnostic purposes.
STATEMENT OF INVENTION
[0017] Accordingly the present invention provides an antigenic composition of the protein comprising of amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or comprising any one of the mutants and variants thereof, whereas the mutants and variants include at least one of the following: deletion(s), and/or domain replacement(s) of the amino acids responsible for protein-protein interactions, and/or cell wall targeting and to be used as a vaccine for prevention and control of Staphylococcal infections
[0018] A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the amino acid sequence consists of SEQ ID NO: 3
[0019] A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the amino acid sequence consists of SEQ ID NO: 4
[0020] A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the amino acid sequence consists of SEQ ID NO: 5
[0021] A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the amino acid sequence consists of 3 LysM domains and one CHAP domain
[0022] A recombinant DNA construct comprising: (i) a vector, and (ii) at least one nucleic acid fragment encoding amino acid sequences according to claim 1 or their mutants and/or variants thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The present invention relates to development of a recombinant protein vaccine from S. aureus , useful for inducing immunity for the prevention and treatment of Staphylococcal infections. The invention further relates to isolation of the protein and purification of the said protein for immunization against the infections associated with S. aureus and S. epidermidis . The invention reveals that protein is also useful for producing antibodies for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. The instant invention is based on the finding that the protein identified and expressed in S. aureus strain having role in adhesion and is highly immunogenic. The invention further provides method of using purified protein as suitable vaccine candidate. The protein that is expressed and purified under the present invention is identifiable as Accession no GI22217975/EMB CAC80837 (Refer SEQ ID NO: 2 and SEQ ID NO: 3) corresponding to the DNA sequence Accession no GI22217974/EMB AJ250906 (Refer SEQ ID NO: 1) from S. aureus in NCBI database. The above gene and protein sequences have been engineered to reduce or abolish potential protein-protein interactions with cellular and extracellular proteins such as the sequences described in SEQ ID NO: 4 and in SEQ ID NO: 5. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions of protein that can be used as vaccine. The present invention also describes a method of eliciting antigen specific immune response by immunization
[0024] The present invention is based on cloning and expression of gene Aaa (SEQ ID NO: 1) encoding a adhesin/autolysin. The gene encodes a protein of 334 amino acids, with 3 repeats of LysM domains that exhibit peptidoglycan binding property, one CHAP domain exhibiting peptidoglycan cleaving property and a typical Gram-positive signal peptide suggesting that the protein is a cell wall protein. Because bacterial adherence is the first critical step in the development of most infections, it is an attractive target for the development of novel vaccines. To determine if adhesion based vaccine could prevent S. aureus infection, mice were actively immunized with recombinant protein and challenged intravenously and intraperitoneally with S. aureus . And the immunized mice showed reduced or no colony forming units when kidneys were processed.
[0025] An ELISA method has been developed for the assay of the protein and could be used as diagnostic method for the detection of the antigen or the antibodies to this protein in infected samples.
[0026] The following figures and examples are included for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Example 1
[0027] in-silico Analysis: The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of both Aaa (Autolysin/adhesin of S. aureus —SEQ ID NO:2) and Aae (Autolysin/adhesin of S. epidermidis ) were aligned and compared by CLUSTALW and TEXSHADE at Biology Workbench 3.2 (http://workbench.sdsc.edu/) and showed they are very similar as shown in FIG. 1 . The Aaa amino acid sequence was submitted to Pfam version 17.0 (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Software/Pfam/) for domain analysis. Pfam domain analysis showed Aaa protein contains 3 repeats of LysM domains and 1 CHAP domain as shown in FIG. 2 . The LysM (lysin motif) domain is about 40 residues long and present between the residues 4-47, 68-111 and 135-178. It is found in a variety of enzymes involved in bacterial cell wall degradation and has a general peptidoglycan binding function. The CHAP domain (cysteine, histidine-dependent amido hydrolases/peptidases) is about 120 residues long and present between residues 191-310. CHAP domain is involved in amidase function and many of the proteins having CHAP domain are involved in cell wall metabolism of bacteria. The servers Signal P 3.0 (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/SignalP/), Target P 1.1 server (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/TargetP/) and PSORT version 6.4 (http://www.psort.org/) predicted protein Aaa has signal peptide of 25 residues and is located on cell wall.
Example 2
[0028] Bacterial Strains, Growth Conditions and Vectors: E. coli strain DH5α was used for DNA manipulations and E. coli vector pET11b used for cloning and expression of the autolysin adhesin gene. The recombinant proteins were expressed in E. coli BL21 DE3 RIL. Staphylococci strains used in animal experiments were S. aureus (MSSA) ATCC 25923 , S. aureus (MRSA) ATCC 33591, clinical isolate of S. aureus (Methicillin resistant—MRSA) from the femur of a hospitalized patient and S. epidermidis ATCC 12228. These S. aureus and S. epidermidis strains were cultured on blood agar for 24 h, then grown in tryptic soy broth containing 5% filtered serum till late log phase, harvested, washed, diluted in PBS to an appropriate concentration and viable counts were determined by pour-plate method for inoculation in mice. The E. coli strains containing the pET15b or pET11b vectors were selected on Luria-Bertani (LB)-broth/agar containing 50 ug/ml ampicillin. S. aureus and S. epidermidis strains were grown in Vogel Johnson agar containing 0.1% potassium tellurite.
Example 3
[0029] Cloning and Sequencing of the Gene Encoding Protein antigen: All DNA manipulations were performed using standard methods. Genomic DNA was isolated from S. aureus (ATCC 25293) according to Lindberg et al (1972). Oligonucleotides were designed to amplify the gene fragment corresponding to mature protein of S. aureus autolysin adhesin (Aaa) gene (Accession no AJ250906.1 gi|22217974; contained within SEQ ID NO:1; the mature protein sequence is SEQ ID NO:3). The sequence of the forward primer used for amplification by PCR is: 5′CGAGCTCCATATGGCTACAACTCACACAGTAAAAC3′ and reverse primer sequence: 5′CGCTCGAGGGATCCTTATTAGTGATGGTGATGGTGATGGTGAATATATCTAT AATTATTTAC 3′. Nucleotide sequence corresponding to 6 Histidine tag was included in reverse primer. The amplified gene product was purified from agarose gel, digested with the restriction enzymes Nde1 and BamH1 and ligated by T4 DNA ligase into pET11b vector cleaved with the same restriction enzymes. The ligated vector was transformed into E. coli DH5α strain by CaCl 2 method. Clone was confirmed by DNA sequencing by dideoxy chain termination method using the ABI PRISM 310 DNA sequencing machine. The PC-gene program (Intelligenetics) was used for the handling of the sequences. Plasmid containing Aaa gene was isolated and transformed into E. coli BL21 (λDE3) RIL strain for expression of the target protein.
[0030] The gene encoding the protein sequences described in SEQ ID NO: 4 and SEQ ID NO: 5 were designed after deletion of the potential protein-protein interaction sites of the Aaa gene encoding the protein of SEQ ID NO: 3. The gene encoding protein sequences as in SEQ ID NO: 4 and SEQ ID NO: 5 were synthesized at GenScript Corporation, USA. The ORF encoding the engineered proteins have been cloned into EcoR1 and BamH1 site of pGS100 vector under the control of heat inducible promoter and have been transformed in E. coli BL21 (λDE3) RIL.
Example 4
[0031] Protein Expression and Purification: Overnight cultures of E. coli BL21 DE3 RIL cells harboring the recombinant plasmid pET11b were diluted 1:50 in 1 liter of Luria Broth containing 50 μg/ml ampicillin. E. coli cells were grown at 37° C. with shaking to get an A600 of 0.6, whereupon the expression of the target protein by T7 polymerase was induced by the addition of isopropyl-1-thio-b-D-galactopyranoside (IPTG) to a final concentration of 1 mM. Cells were harvested after 4 hr by centrifugation at 8,000 rpm for 10 min. The bacterial pellets were resuspended in buffer A (50 mM Phosphate Buffer, 0.5 M NaCl, pH 8.0, 4 M Urea, 1% Triton X 100, 1 mM PMSF). The cells were lysed by sonication at 15 microns amplitude for duration of 60 sec with an interval of 60 sec on ice for 30 cycles and the bacterial lysates were centrifuged at 12,000 g for 30 min to remove bacterial debris. As the target protein formed inclusion bodies, the cell lysate pellet were washed twice with the same buffer excluding PMSF and washed twice with the same buffer excluding Urea and Triton X 100 to remove them.
[0032] The pellet containing target protein was solubilised by suspending it in 10 volumes of 50 mM Phosphate Buffer, 0.5 M NaCl, 6 M Urea, pH 8.0, and kept on stirrer. After 4 hrs of solubilisation, centrifugation was carried out at 12,000 rpm for 30 min. The supernatant containing soluble proteins was filtered through a 0.4 μm membrane and retained for further purification. The recombinant proteins were purified by immobilizing on Ni-NTA metal affinity chromatography. A column containing Ni-NTA matrix, connected to a FPLC system, was equilibrated with buffer A containing 50 mM Phosphate Buffer, 0.5 M NaCl, 6 M Urea, pH 8.0. After equilibration, the supernatant was applied to the column and the column was washed with 10 bed volumes of buffer. Subsequently, the column was eluted with buffer B containing, 50 mM Phosphate Buffer, 0.5 M NaCl, 6M Urea, pH 8, 20-200 mM imidazole. The elutions were monitored for protein by checking absorbance at 280 nm and peak fractions were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) ( FIG. 3 ).
Example 5
[0033] Occurrence of autolysin adhesin in S. aureus and S. epidermidis : The presence of the autolysin adhesin gene in various clinical strains of S. aureus and S. epidermidis was determined by PCR. The clinical strains were isolated form the patients suffering from sepsis, device associated infections, skin infections, renal dialysis infections, etc. The protein autolysin (Aaa) adhesin was found to be present in all the six strains of S. aureus completed genome sequences and in two strains of S. epidermidis completed genome sequences. Presence of the autolysin adhesin gene in the clinical isolates of S. aureus and S. epidermidis was confirmed by PCR as shown in FIG. 4 . This shows that the autolysin adhesion (Aaa) protein is expressed in majority of the S. aureus and S. epidermidis strains.
Example 6
[0034] Assay of Peptidoglycan Hydrolytic Activities—zymographic assay: The staphylolytic activity of the Aaa protein was determined by performing a zymogram on a 10% SDS-PAGE gel as per the method described earlier with slight modifications. Briefly, 12% SDS-polyacrylamide gel was prepared containing 0.2% (w/v) heat killed S. aureus cells as substrate. The recombinant purified protein was loaded and electrophoresis was carried out at 20 mA constant current using a vertical slab gel electrophoresis assembly (Hoefer miniVE) at 4° C. Following the electrophoresis, the gel was washed thoroughly with cold distilled water containing 0.1% Triton X 100 and the gel was incubated overnight at 37° C. in 0.1 M Tris-HCl (pH 8.0) buffer. Similar assay was carried out with S. epidermidis as a substrate. Lytic bands in the translucent gel were visualized as clear bands against a blue background in an indirect light as shown in FIG. 5 .
Example 7
Immunodiagnostic Method for the Detection of Staphylococcal Infections
[0035] ELISA: Sera from mice and humans were tested for antibodies against Aaa autolysin adhesin recombinant protein by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Microtiter wells were coated with purified protein (1 mg/ml) in 100 μl coating buffer (100 mM sodium carbonate, pH 9.2) per well and incubated overnight at 4° C. Additional protein binding sites were blocked with 2% (wt/vol) bovine serum albumin (BSA) in 200 μl/well of in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS-10 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7.4, containing 0.13 M NaCl) at room temperature for 1 hr and washed five times with PBST (0.1% Tween 20 in PBS). 100 μl of Mice and Human sera specimens diluted in PBST were added to different wells and incubated for 1 hr at 37° C. Unbound antibody was removed by washing the wells five times with PBST. For detection of bound antibody, 100 μl of Horse Radish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG antibody diluted to 1:8,000 in PBST and 100 μl of Horse Radish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-human IgG antibody diluted to 1:8,000 in PBST were added in respective wells and incubated for 1 hr at 37° C. After washing the wells, Antigen-Antibody complexes were quantified by measuring the conversion of the substrate o-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride (OPD) and H 2 O 2 , to colored product by the conjugated enzyme, at OD 492 nm on a micro-plate reader (Bio-Rad). Both groups of infected mice and human showed positive results in ELISA. This indicates antibodies against the protein autolysin/adhesin of S. aureus would be produced in-vivo, and is immunogenic.
Example 8
[0036] Western Blot: Recombinant protein was run on a 12% SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions and then electroblotted onto nitrocellulose membrane for 2 h at 200 mA using transfer buffer, CAPS buffer, pH 8.3. The membrane was then treated with a solution containing 5% (wt/vol) dried skim milk in PBS for 1 hr, followed by three washing with PBS and then incubation with high titer sera raised against the protein in mouse diluted 200 fold in PBS containing 0.05% Tween 20 (positive control), and pooled sera from S. aureus infected mice, pooled sera from S. aureus infected human and control mouse and human sera for 1 hr at 37° C. Membranes were then washed three times in PBST and subsequently incubated for 1 hr at 37° C. in 2,000-fold-diluted horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG in PBST, horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-human IgG in PBST respectively. After washing, the membrane was treated with chromogenic substrate Diamino Benzedene (DAB) and H 2 O 2 . Control mouse and control human sera did not show any bands where as positive control and S. aureus infected mice and human showed positive bands corresponding to the target protein as shown in FIG. 6 . This indicates that antibodies are produced in mice and humans, against the protein when infected with S. aureus.
Example 9
[0037] Opsonophagocytic assay: To determine whether antibodies produced against protein Aaa are effective in mediating the killing of S. aureus , an in vitro opsonization assay was done. Assay was done by a modified protocol of McKenney D 2000. Purified protein Aaa was injected into rabbit to get hyperimmune sera, a rich source of antibodies against the protein. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils were prepared from fresh blood collected from healthy adult rabbit. A total of 25 ml rabbit blood was mixed with an equal volume of dextran-heparin-sulfate buffer (20 g of Dextran 500/liter, 65.6 g of heparin sulfate/liter, 9 g of sodium chloride/liter) and incubated at 37° C. for 1 h. The upper layer containing leukocytes was collected, and hypotonic lysis of the remaining erythrocytes was accomplished by resuspension in 1% NH 4 Cl. Subsequent wash steps were performed with RPMI with 15% fetal bovine serum. The polymorphonuclear neutrophil count was adjusted to 4×10 6 neutrophils per ml. The complement source (guinea pig complement) was adsorbed with S. aureus to remove antibodies that could react with the target strain. After overnight growth in tryptic soy broth, S. aureus cells were centrifuged, the pellet resuspended in 1 ml of PBS. The opsonophagocytic assay was performed with 100 μl of leukocytes, 100 μl of bacteria (adjusted to 2×10 7 /ml PBS), 100 μl of the high titer serum dilution and 100 μl of the complement source. The reaction mixture was incubated on a rotor rack at 37° C. for 90 min; samples were taken at time zero and after 90 min. Each tube was sonicated for 5 sec at 4 W and then diluted in tryptic soy broth containing 0.5% Tween and plated onto Vogel Johnson agar plates. Tubes lacking any serum and tubes with normal rabbit serum were used as controls. The assay was done by test serum showed reduced number of colonies compare to control assay. These showed antibodies against protein Aaa are effective in mediating the killing of S. aureus by phagocytes.
Example 10
Development of Vaccine Formulation and Efficacy Studies
[0038] The recombinant purified protein along with above mentioned PBS, adjuvant is mixed with at least one of the following stabilizers used in the concentration range of 0.05% to 5%, such as polyols (Mannitol, Sorbiltol, Glycerol), sugars (Lactose, Trehalose, Sucrose), human serum albumin, amino acids (Glutamate, arginine, histidine).
[0039] Immunization and challenging of Mice: Purified, filter sterilized recombinant autolysin adhesin protein (final concentration of 0.2 mg/ml) and BSA of same concentration was suspended in sterile PBS (Phosphate Buffered Saline—10 mM Phosphate Buffer containing 0.13M Sodium Chloride, pH-7.4) containing 0.5 mg/ml Aluminum hydroxide (an adjuvant). Vaccine formulation comprising 500 μl of the emulsion containing the purified protein (1-1000 micrograms) as antigen was injected into mice (4 groups of mice containing 18 in each groups A, B, C, D) intraperitonealy (i.p.) on day 0 and 500 μl of BSA suspension injected in to 4 groups of mice containing 15 in each groups:—Control A, Control B, Control C, Control D. On day 14 a booster dose of the protein was injected to Groups A, B, C and D and BSA were injected in control groups. Challenging was done with four different strains of Staphylococci at sub lethal dose to quantify the bacterial vegetation. 10 mice in groups A and A control were challenged by injecting 3.4×10 8 cells of ATCC MSSA per mouse via i.v. 10 mice in groups B and B control were challenged by injecting 3.8×10 8 cells of ATCC MRSA per mouse via i.v. 10 mice in groups C and C control were challenged by injecting 3.2×10 6 cells of Clinical MRSA per mouse via i.v. 10 mice in groups D and D control were challenged by injecting 4×10 8 cells of ATCC S. epidermidis per mouse i.v. 5 mice in all groups were removed and kept in separate cages at the time of challenging and sera was collected form these mice after 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 weeks after last immunization to assay specific IgG antibodies against autolysin adhesin. These experiments were also repeated with intraperitoneal inoculation of S. aureus.
Example 11
[0040] Bacterial Investigation: After 72 hrs of challenging, all mice were sacrificed, dissected and kidneys were removed aseptically for bacterial investigations. Kidneys were washed with ethyl alcohol and sterile PBS to remove surface attached bacteria and homogenized separately in a sterile pestle mortar. To quantify the bacteria 10 fold serial dilution was carried out till a dilution of 10 −5 in sterile PBS. 1 ml of 10 −3 to 10 −5 dilutions were plated by pour plate method using Vogel Johnson agar (VJ agar) containing 1% Potassium Tellurite and incubated at 37° C. Colony forming units (cfu) were counted after 36 hr and 48 hrs of incubation. For identification of peritoneal vegetation, 2 ml of sterile PBS was injected into the peritoneal cavity of each mouse, the abdomen of each mouse was massaged for 2 min, and a sample of the lavage fluid was drawn by a syringe and cultured in cooked meat media. Blood culture also was done for identifying any systemic infection. Bacteria were also tested for catalase and coagulase activity.
[0041] All the animals used in this study survived S. aureus and S. epidermidis challenge. The number of bacteria in the kidneys from mice vaccinated and non vaccinated controls were as follows: positive controls demonstrated 1.0 up to 8.1×10 6 cfu per pair of kidney per mouse; mice challenged with 3.4×10 8 cells of MSSA ATCC 25923 (Group A) demonstrated 0 up to 7×10 2 cfu per pair of kidney with only 2 out of 10 mice showed mild infection; mice challenged with 3.8×10 8 cells of MRSA ATCC 33591 (Group B) demonstrated 0 up to 5.1×10 4 cfu per pair of kidney with only 3 out of 10 mice showing mild infection; mice challenged with 3.2×10 6 cells of Clinical MRSA (A multi drug resistant strain isolated from femur bone of a hospitalized patient) (Group C) demonstrated 0 up to 9×10 3 cfu per pair of kidney with only 3 out of 10 mice showing mild infection and mice challenged with 4×10 8 cells of S. epidermidis ATCC 12228 (Group D) demonstrated 0 up to 1×10 4 cfu per pair of kidney with only 2 out of 10 mice showing mild infection. The number of bacteria (cfu)/pair of kidneys in each animal analyzed is shown in table 1. Sera samples were tested for antibody titer after 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 weeks after last immunization and demonstrated very high titer even 9 weeks after immunization as shown in FIG. 8 .
[0000]
TABLE 1
Animal infection model
Groups showing CFU from pair of kidneys
Mice
S. No
A
Control A
B
B Control
C
Control C
D
Control D
1
0
2 × 10 6
0
2 × 10 6
0
1.5 × 10 6
0
2.5 × 10 6
2
0
1 × 10 6
2 × 10 3
2.7 × 10 6
0
1.6 × 10 6
0
2.5 × 10 6
3
0
1 × 10 6
0
2.9 × 10 6
0
1 × 10 6
0
2 × 10 6
4
0
1 × 10 6
0
2.8 × 10 6
9 × 10 3
1.4 × 10 6
0
2.4 × 10 6
5
5 × 10 2
6.1 × 10 6
3.3 × 10 4
2.7 × 10 6
0
1 × 10 6
0
2.2 × 10 6
6
7 × 10 2
9 × 10 6
0
2.2 × 10 6
8 × 10 3
1.5 × 10 6
2 × 10 3
2.4 × 10 6
7
0
1 × 10 6
0
2 × 10 6
4 × 10 3
1.4 × 10 6
0
2.5 × 10 6
8
0
1 × 10 6
5.1 × 10 4
2.6 × 10 6
0
1.6 × 10 6
0
1.9 × 10 6
9
0
1 × 10 6
0
1.9 × 10 6
0
1.4 × 10 6
0
1.8 × 10 6
10
0
8.1 × 10 6
0
2 × 10 6
0
1.2 × 10 6
1 × 10 4
2 × 10 6
CFU—Colony Forming Unit; 1-10 indicate the Mouse identification.
[0042] Fisher test was applied to determine the significance of the differences between vaccinated and control groups. The reduction of the bacterial count in kidneys from immunized mice was significant. Kidneys from 80% of the immunized mice in group A, 70% in groups B and C did not show the presence of bacteria after S. aureus challenge and 80% of the immunized mice in group D did not show the presence of bacteria after S. epidermidis challenge as shown in table 2. Each group log mean CFU is significantly different from the mean CFU of control group as shown in table 3. From the means, we can see that the infection is much higher among mice in control group than that of the vaccinated groups as shown in FIG. 7 . The difference between the controls groups (Control A-D) and the vaccinated groups (Group A-D) were statistically significant as shown in table 4.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Frequencies and Percentages of mice based on infection status
Infected
Not Infected
Group
N
%
N
%
A
2
20.0
8
80.0
Control A
10
100.0
0
0.0
B
3
30.0
7
70.0
Control B
10
100.0
0
0.0
C
3
30.0
7
70.0
Control C
10
100.0
0
0.0
D
2
20.0
8
80.0
Control D
10
100.0
0
0.0
[0000]
TABLE 3
log Mean CFU
Group
log cfu mean
A
0.55441
Control A
6.2949
B
1.25271
Control B
6.37116
C
1.14594
Control C
6.12779
D
0.7301
Control D
6.34326
[0000]
TABLE 4
Test of proportions for Vaccinated group and Control group
Proportion of mice
Proportion of mice
Groups
in Vaccinated group
in Control group
p-value
A Vs. Control A
0.20
1
0.0007
B Vs. Control B
0.30
1
0.003
C Vs. Control C
0.30
1
0.003
D Vs. Control D
0.20
1
0.0007
Example 12
Immunotherapeutics Development and Assay
[0043] Balb/c mice were hyper immunized with the recombinant purified Aaa protein by intraperitoneal route of immunization. Specific hyperimmune sera was used for purification of IgG fraction by protein G column. The purified IgG was used for passive immunization of Balb/c mice (Test group n=8) that were subsequently challenged with 10 8 cfu of S. aureus ATCC MSSA strain. The control group (Conrtol group n=8) were injected equal volume of the vehicle in lieu of IgG fraction.
[0044] Both the groups were observed for the mortality for 48 hours. The test group (n==8) survived the S. aureus challenge. However 100% mortality was observed in control group (n=8) of animals.
EQUIVALENTS
[0045] The foregoing written specification is considered to be sufficient to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention. The present invention is not to be limited in scope by examples provided, since the examples are intended as a single illustration of one aspect of the invention and other functionally equivalent embodiments are within the scope of the invention. Various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and fall within the scope of the appended claims. The advantages and objects of the invention are not necessarily encompassed by each embodiment of the invention.
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The present invention describes method of preparation and use of polypeptide vaccine formulation for prevention and control of Staphylococci mediated infections in human, bovine and other mammals, using recombinant DNA technology.
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The present invention relates to the general technical field of apparatuses for cutting up or longitudinally cleaving the carcasses of slaughtered animals, and more particularly it relates to automated cleaving apparatuses for use with a conveyor system from which carcasses hang vertically.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Of all of the operations to which the carcasses of slaughtered animals are subjected, be they pigs, cattle, or sheep, the stage in which the carcass is cut longitudinally is particularly important. The carcass needs to be cut longitudinally into two portions which are accurately equal, so as to obtain two half-carcasses in which the ratio of meat to bone is equivalent.
In the past, attempts have been made to satisfy this accurate cutting requirement by providing guidance systems for guiding the cutting instrument along the backbone of the animal. Thus, application DE-A-2 600 766 describes a cutting apparatus comprising a cleaving carriage guided vertically on a main frame so as to be capable of moving vertically and having two guide elements and a cutting instrument firmly mounted thereon. The guide elements are fixed at the ends of supports, and they comprise an outside guide constituted, for example, by a pair of wheels for resting against the outside face of the animal's back and thus being guided along its backbone; and an inside guide likewise constituted by a pair of wheels resting against the inside face of the animal and against its backbone, facing the wheels of the outside guide. By virtue of this assembly, it is possible to maintain the cutting implement in a substantially central position along the backbone.
This type of cutting apparatus generally provides two substantially equal half-carcasses. However, in operation, it is observed that these apparatuses suffer from major deterioration in the quality and accuracy of the cut as time goes on leading to carcasses being cut up asymmetrically. Continuous and prolonged use of such apparatuses gives rise, because of the assembly clearances of the various parts of the apparatus and the deformation or wear to which the cutting instrument is subjected, to a loss of the vertical symmetry of the original assembly as existed between the cutting instrument and the guide elements. This loss of symmetry causes the carcass to be cut up asymmetrically.
In addition, since these apparatuses are designed solely for performing symmetrical cutting operations, they are incapable of performing other types of cutting as required, in particular, by the controlled asymmetrical cutting that occurs when performing a "bacon" type cut.
An object of the invention is to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art and to solve the problem of controlling the accuracy of cutting up.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cutting up apparatus enabling good cutting accuracy to be retained in spite of the wear and the deformation to which the guide elements and cutting instruments are subjected.
Another object of the invention consists in providing a cutting up apparatus including elements necessary for obtaining cuts of controlled symmetry or asymmetry.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cutting up method enabling the symmetry with which a carcass is cleaved to be controlled and adjusted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention satisfies these objects by providing a cutting up apparatus for cleaving the carcass of a slaughtered animal, in particular for use with a pig carcass, the apparatus comprising:
a cleaving carriage movably mounted on a frame to move back and forth in a cleavage-defining direction;
a cleaving guidance system fixed to the cleaving carriage and comprising an outside guide element for resting against the outside back face of the carcass and preferably against the backbone of the animal, and an inside guide element mounted at the end of a support beam fixed to the cleaving carriage, said element being intended to rest against the inside face of the carcass facing the outside guide element; and
a cutting instrument fixed to the cleaving carriage and suitable for cleaving the carcass during motion of the cleaving carriage along the cleaving direction;
wherein:
the support beam is fixed to the cleaving carriage via a pivot mount enabling the support beam to pivot angularly about a pivot axis extending parallel to the cleaving direction; and
adjustment means are interposed between the cleaving carriage and the support beam to adjust the angular position of the support beam about the pivot and to lock it in position.
The cutting up method of the invention is a method of cutting up the carcass of a slaughtered animal by cleaving it longitudinally using a cutting up system defining a cutting up plane, the method comprising:
moving the cleaving carriage to a working position in contact with the carcass;
putting the cleaving guidance system into position by placing inside and outside guide members in contact with the backbone of the animal carcass; and
adjusting the position of the cutting up plane relative to the carcass by adjusting the angular position of a support beam for supporting the inside guide member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An embodiment of the invention is described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a general side view of a cutting up apparatus together with a hanging animal carcass;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a support beam of the invention;
FIGS. 3 and 4 show the support beam of FIG. 2 as seen respectively from beneath and in section on line IV--IV of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing one particular way of controlling the motion of the support beam,; and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a variant embodiment including an actuator and an excentric.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a general view of a cutting up assembly 1 for cutting up a slaughtered animal by cleaving the carcass 2 longitudinally along a direction F, the carcass being brought to the cutting up assembly 1 by a conveyor rail 3 from which the animal is hung by its hind legs.
The carcass 2 as shown diagrammatically is a pig carcass, however it is obvious that the invention is equally applicable to carcasses of other types of animal, and in particular to sheep, cattle, and horse carcasses.
The cutting up assembly 1 comprises a main frame 4 on which a cleaving carriage 5 is mounted in such a manner as to be capable of sliding vertically. Vertical sliding of the cleaving carriage 5 may be ensured by a set of vertical slideways 6, running members 7, and cables 8.
The cleaving carriage 5 is also mounted on a secondary frame 9 in such a manner as to be capable of sliding horizontally. By virtue of these two sliding options, the guide carriage 5 is capable, in conventional manner, firstly of occupying a working position in contact with the carcass to be cut up when the carcass is presented to the cutting up assembly 1, and secondly of subsequently cutting up the carcass longitudinally as the carriage slides vertically.
A cutting instrument is securely mounted on the cleaving carriage 5, and in the example shown it is constituted by two blades 11 and 12 which are articulated relative to each other by means of an excentric device (not shown in FIG. 1). Other cutting instruments could naturally be envisaged without going beyond the scope of the invention.
The carcass 2 is positioned relative to the cleaving carriage 5 by a guidance system 13 comprising an outside element and an inside element. The term "outside" is used to refer to the outside or back surface of the animal carcass 2, whereas the term "inside" is used to refer to surfaces inside the envelope of the animal, i.e., for example, surfaces in contact with its gastric cavities.
The inside guide element in which the invention is more particularly embodied, is mounted at the end of a support beam 19 fixed to the cleaving carriage 5, and it comprises a guide body 21 which is constituted, for example, by two pairs of wheels 22 and 23.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show a preferred, but non-limiting example of the way in which the inside guide element is mounted on the cleaving carriage 5.
The cross-section of the support beam 19 preferably varies from one end to the other. Thus, the front portion 25 supporting the guide body 21 has a cross-section which, for example, increases transversely while going away from the guide body 21. The front portion 24 continues with a substantially middle portion which constitutes a reinforcing zone 25. The beam 19 is advantageously provided at this point with a cross-section which increases progressively in directions which are radial relative to the longitudinal axis of the support beam 19. The end portion 26 may merely comprise a zone of rectangular cross-section whose thickness decreases from the reinforcement zone 25 followed by a portion of constant thickness or otherwise, e.g. a channel section portion.
The support beam 19 is securely mounted on the guide carriage 5 by means of a beam support block 27 which is likewise fixed to the guide carriage 5. Assembly is performed by means of a pivoting assembly 28 enabling the support beam 19 to occupy different angular positions about the pivot axis X--X'. Advantageously, the beam support block 27 is made in such a manner as to have a cut-out 29 in its front end directed towards the guide body 21 with the support beam 19 being engaged therein and having top and bottom edges respectively 30 and 31 constituting a fork 32.
Each of the edges 30 and 31 is provided with an orifice 33 for enabling the pivoting assembly 28 to be installed, with the pivot preferably occupying the reinforcement zone 25 of the support beam 19. Various types of pivoting assembly could be used, and in FIG. 4 a pivot is shown comprising two sleeves 34 and 35 lining respective ones of the orifices 33 in the fork 32 and constituting bearing surfaces for two stub axles 36 and 37 fixed on the support beam 19 by means of screws, for example.
The support beam 19 may be pivoted about the axis X--X' of the pivot 29 and may be locked in position thereabout by various types of control and adjustment means, and FIGS. 2 and 5 show two preferred embodiments thereof.
FIG. 2 shows a variant constituted by an excentric together, for example, with a cam 38 driven by a drive member 39, e.g. an electric motor, and mounted to rotate excentrically on the drive shaft of the motor on the end portion 26 of the support beam 19. The cam 38 bears against the end of the beam support block 27 opposite from its end having the fork 32, where it is received in a slot 40 constituting a cam guide path 41.
FIG. 5 shows a variant in which an actuator 42 is mounted to bear against a side flange 43 extending vertically from the end portion of the beam support block 27. The rod 44 of the actuator 42 bears against the end portion 26 of the support beam 19 and is preferably directed along a direction which is orthogonal to the axis X--X'.
Applying the same principle, it is also possible to rotate the support beam 19 angularly by means of micrometer screws mounted directly or otherwise to bear against the beam 19 through the beam support block 27.
Similarly, without going beyond the scope of the invention, it is possible to invert the assembly of the controlling moving element (i.e. cam or actuator rod) which would then bear against the support beam 19 or against the beam support block 27, as the case may be. Means are also provided for remotely controlling the moving control element.
FIG. 6 shows another variant of the assembly associating an actuator and an excentric rotary cam. The rotary cam 38 may be mounted similarly to the variant shown in FIG. 2, i.e. bearing against a cam path 41a formed in a slot in the beam support block 27. The assembly constituted by the cam 38 and the motor 39 is fixed on a displaceable block 47 having a side flange 43 on which an actuator 42 having a rod 44 is mounted. The displaceable block 45 is mounted, for example, to slide relative to the beam support block 27 and the rod 44 bears against the end of the support beam 19. In this way, it is possible to control the angular position of the support beam 19 in two steps, initially by means of rapid rotation through large amplitudes corresponding to adjusting the position of the actuator 44 approximately (arrows A and B), and subsequently in performing finer adjustments by means of the rotary cam 38 causing the block 45 to move (arrows A+ and B+).
The support beam 19 is initially mounted in such a manner that its vertical plane of symmetry coincides with the longitudinal cleaving plane defined by the cutting instrument. In the normal operating position, the pairs of wheels 17, 22, and 23 are thus, in theory, disposed symmetrically about the backbone 18.
The cutting up apparatus operates as follows.
With an animal carcass 2 held stationary in front of the cutting up apparatus, the cleaving carriage 5 is moved to its working position by sliding horizontally and vertically, and simultaneously the cleaving guide members, in this case the wheels 17, 22, and 23 are put into place against the backbone 18 of the carcass 2. If during previous cleaves it has been observed that the longitudinal cut of the carcass is asymmetrical relative to the theoretical mid-cleavage plane, or alternatively if it is observed that the cleaving plane defined by the cutting instrument does not coincide with the vertical plane of symmetry of the inside guide member, the angular position of the support beam 19 is adjusted by actuating its control means, in particular the excentric cam 28, the actuator rod 44, or the micrometer screw, as the case may be. The excentric cam 28 acting on the cam path 41, or the rod 44 acting on the support beam 19 then exerts thrust or traction in direction A or B (FIG. 5) causing the support beam 19 to pivot. It is locked in position by the drive member 39 or 42.
Depending on the position of the pivot 28 on the support beam 19, the angular pivot amplitude of the inside guide body 21 is accentuated to a greater or lesser extent in a direction a or b opposite to the direction A or B, as the case may be.
The inside guide body 21 is thus repositioned in such a manner that the assembly clearances of the various parts of the cutting up apparatus, or the wear on the cutting portions of the cleaving device are taken up. It is thus possible at any moment in a manner which is particularly simple and quick to correct any possible asymmetry in the cleaving of a carcass by remote control and without interrupting abattoir throughput.
In addition, when it is necessary to cleave carcasses asymmetrically, e.g. in order to provide a "bacon" cut, the angular position of the support beam 19 is adjusted so that the guide body 21 in association with the cutting instrument ensures that the carcass is cleaved asymmetrically along a desired cleavage plane.
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Apparatus for cutting up carcasses in an abattoir, and in particular for cleaving them in two, comprises: a support beam securely mounted on a cleaving carriage via a pivot mount enabling the beam to pivot angularly about a pivot axis extending parallel to the cleaving direction; and adjustment means interposed between the cleaving carriage and the support beam to adjust the angular position of the beam about its pivot, and also to lock it in position. The apparatus is suitable for cutting up or cleaving in two the carcasses of slaughtered animals.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 316,397 filed Dec. 18, 1972 now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to vehicles provided with a steering wheel and steerable wheels and more particularly to an arrangement for limiting the steering power in hydraulic servo-steering systems having a control valve.
PRIOR ART
It is known that the servo-steering systems of prior art were equipped with steering valves (or control valves) having four control edges. These control valves served the purpose of supplying the working space of a servo motor, which, in general, had areas of equal sizes. One working space was always connected with the reversal, (or back flow), when the other was in communication with the pressure source. Reaction members were provided with areas mostly of equal sizes and functioning on the same lever arms, in so far as the reaction areas were not anyway identical with the front areas of one or a plurality of control pistons. In an arrangement of this type, the cut-off tuning of the torque dynamometer, etc., is simply made by the respective, alternating pressures in the reaction chambers. Accordingly, it was easy to realize steering power definitions (or limitations). It sufficed to limit the pressure in the reaction chambers to the desired degree. This limitation was, for example, accomplished by means of pressure reducing valves (German Pat. No. 1,050,672) which were switched between the working space and reaction chamber.
It was proved that such arrangements are unsuitable for servo-steering systems having a control valve of the three way three positions type. The reason for this is the fact that the reaction chamber which is arranged for the working space having the smaller effective area, as well as the working space itself is always stressed from the substantially constant presure of the pressure source. The off tuning of the torque dynamometer is made only by means of the alternating pressure in the other reaction chamber.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide for means which limit the off-tuning in one as well as in the other direction.
The solution of this problem is accomplished through the combination of the following characteristics:
The working space of the preferably larger effective areas of the servo motor is connected with the respective reaction chambers by means of a restrictor;
the working space of the preferably smaller effective area of the servo motor or the pressure source is connected with the reaction chamber of the preferably larger effective area, by means of a pressure release valve, which opens when the pressure falls below a certain predetermined level in the reaction chamber or when the pressure exceeds a certain pressure difference between the working space and the reaction chamber; and
the reaction chamber of the preferably larger effective area of the servo-motor is connected with the reversal of a pressure limitation valve, which prevents the exceeding of a predetermined upper pressure in the reaction chamber occurring.
Suitably, the pressure reducing valve represents a pressure drop valve which effects a constant pressure difference ΔP. When at the pressure-limitation valve, provided there is a pressureless bypass, the identical pressure difference ΔP is adjusted and if in addition, the ratio of the effective areas is 2:1, the identical maximum reaction forces can be obtained for both directions. Naturally, in this case it requires that
2·ΔP>P.sub.p , and on the other hand
ΔP<P.sub.p ,
whereby ΔP represents the pressure difference and p p represents the pressure in each working space assigned to the smaller areas.
This invention is explained in greater detail in its structure and functional method in the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an arrangement in which the control piston of the steering (control) valve is in itself provided with reaction areas,
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an arrangement for a control valve provided with one control piston having only one reaction area, as well as with a separate reaction piston with an opposite effect.
FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the connection between the power on the servo-motor and reaction power.
FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a pressure drop valve, and
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the mutual adjusting of the pressure limitation valve and the pressure reducing valve.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A pump 1 conveys a pressure medium into a pressure pipe or line 2 which leads to a connection member P 1 of a control valve 3 as well as to a connection member P 2 of the servo -motor 4. The control valve is provided with a housing 5 which, in its interior, is provided with a bore or cylinder 6 for receiving a control piston 7. The control piston 7 is provided with two axially spaced shoulders 9 and 10 separated by a shank 8 of reduced diameter. Attached to the shoulder 10 is an activator rod 11 which is connected with one section of an at least two-part power transmission device (not shown) between the steering wheel and the steerable wheels. The housing 5 of the control valve 3 is connected with the other section of such transmission. The activation is made on the basis of a small relative movement between the two parts. The production of this relative movement has nothing in common with the present invention and is, for this reason, not illustrated in the present invention and is, for this reason, not illustrated in detail.
The connection member P 1 leads to an annular space 13 provided between the rod 11 and the wall of the bore 6. The space 13 is delimited at one side by the annular face of the shoulder 10 which functions as a reaction area F 1 . In a central position of the control piston 7, the shoulders 10 separates an annular slot or groove 14, which surrounds the shoulder 10 from the space 13 as well as from an annular space 15 located between the reduced shank 3 and the wall of the bore 6. A connection member T 1 leads into the annular space 15, and the connection member T 1 is connected with a drain pipe 16. The free front area of the shoulder 9 functions as a reaction are F 2 and delimits a reaction chamber 17, which is provided with a connection means A 2 .
The control piston thus functions as a force comparator which compares the forces caused by the pressures in the reaction chamber 17 and the annular space 13 in combination with the reaction areas F 2 and F 1 for the relay of a steering sensation to the steering wheel via the rod 11.
A pipe 18 leads from the connection means A 2 , into which pipe is inserted a restrictor 19, to a connection member A 1 which communicates with annular groove 14. An additional pipe 20 leads from the connection means A 1 or from the pipe 18, and the pipe 20 communicates with a supply reservoir. A pressure limitation valve 21 is mounted in the pipe 20. A further pipe 22 branches from the pressure pipe 2 and continues via a pressure release valve 23 to the connection member A 2 .
The servo-motor 4 consists of a cylinder 24 in which slides a piston 26 having a piston rod 25. The servo motor functions as a support means of the manual steering power on one section of the power transmission device (not shown) or is switched in parallel to the same. The connection means P 2 leads to an annular working space 27 provided by the piston rod 25 and the wall of the cylinder 24, with the working space 27 being delimited by a smaller effective area f 1 of the piston 26. The larger effective area f 2 of the piston 26 delimits a working space 28 with which a connection member A 3 connected with the pipe 18 communicates. A pressure limitation valve 29 connected to the pressure pipe 2 serves for limiting the pressure in the entire system. The ratio of the reaction areas as well as the ratio of the effective areas is:
F.sub.2 : F.sub.1 =f.sub.2 : f.sub.1 =2:1.
In order to explain the function, it should be assumed that the pressure limitation valve 29 is set to 100 bar. The pressure difference Δ P ab on the pressure reducing valve 23, as well as the pressure difference Δ p ab on the pressure limitation valve 21 would be 70 bar. The respective pressures in the chamber 17, and the system communicating therewith would be indicated p A , while the pressure in the annular space 13 and the system communicating therewith would be p p . In the illustrated respective position of a straight-ahead drive, a pressure of 50 bar developes in the working space 28 as well as in the chamber 17. If the servo-motor 4 is in balance and no resulting forces are affecting the control piston 7, then
50 · f.sub.2 = 100 ] f.sub.1, as well as
50 · F.sub.2 = 100 · F.sub.1.
If the control piston 7 is moved to the left in connection with a steering function, then pressure medium flows from connection member P 1 to connection member A 1 and from there at first via the connection member A 3 into the working space 28, in which takes place a pressure accumulation in accordance with the forces which have to be counteracted. This pressure accumulation moves, by means of pipe 18 and the restrictor 19, to the connection member A 2 and thence into the chamber 17. If one assumes that the pressure in the chamber 17 amounts not to 60 bar, and the manual power which is equal with the resultant reaction power on the control piston 7, and indicated by R H , then there results the following equation:
R.sub.H = 60 · F.sub.2 - 100 · F.sub.1
= 120 · F.sub.1 - 100 F.sub.1
=20 F.sub.1.
IF F 1 indicates an area unit, the manual power amounts then only to 20 power units. If the pressure in the chamber 17 has increased to 70 bars, one receives
K.sub.Hmas = 70 F.sub.2 - 100 F.sub.1
= 40 F.sub.1.
If the pressure tries to increase further, the pressure limitation valve 21 opens and retains the pressure constant at 70 bar. The pressure in the space 28 can naturally increase further and, in an extreme situation, may reach 100 bar. This situation may be seen in FIG. 3. It will be noted that the manual power may be seen in FIG. 3. It will be noted that the manual power at first increases proportionally to the power K M on the servo-motor 4 and continues from there horizontally. In order to prevent an excessive outflow of pressure medium from the space 28 by means of the pressure limitation valve 21, the restrictor 19 is provided for pipe 18. This restrictor 19 permits a very rapid pressure equalization below the pressure limit of 70 bar since it is only then possible that extremely small quantities can pass through, as a result of the controlling movements of control piston 7. The crosscut of these quantities can be measured accordingly small so that when pressure variations develop, also only small quantities can escape. If, in a reverse manner, the control piston 7 is moved to the right, it produces the connection A 1 -T 1 so that a pressure drop develops in the space 28 as well as in the chamber 17. When the pressure drop is 10 bar, namely, at P A =40 bar, this results in the following manual power:
K.sub.H = 100 · F.sub.1 - 40 · F.sub.2
= 20 F.sub.1.
If the pressure drops further to 30 bar, there is obtained:
K.sub.max = 100 F.sub.1 - 30 · F.sub.2
= 40 F.sub.1.
Each further drop in pressure results in the opening of the pressure release valve, which is adjusted to a pressure difference of P p - P A = 100 - 30 = ΔP zu = 70 bar.
The opening effects a flow from the pipe 22 into pipe 18 in such a way that a dynamic pressure develops at the restrictor 19, whereby the dynamic pressure does not fall below the value of 30 bar. This fact holds true naturally as long as the pump 1 conveys, or the pressure storage has stored pressure.
It is noticed that in both steering directions, the steering power is limited to the equal value. In general the following is obtained for this value:
K.sub.Hmax = (2 · ΔP.sub.zu - P.sub.p) · F.sub.1, or
K.sub.Hmax = (2 · ΔP.sub.ab - P.sub.p) · F.sub.1.
in view of the above considerations.
ΔP.sub.zu = ΔP.sub.ab
the identical value is indeed obtained in both directions.
FIG. 2 differs from FIG. 1 in that control valve 30 is provided with a control piston 31 having only one reaction area F 1 . The reaction area F 2 is arranged on a separately arranged reaction piston 32, which, like the control piston 31, is activated by means of a rotatable lever 34 via thrust rods 33 and 33', in such a manner that the reaction piston 32 is in counteracting relationship with the control piston 31. The control piston 31 is provided with three axially spaced shoulders 35, 36, and 37 which are separated by shanks 38, and 39 of reduced diameters. The connection member T 1 empties into an annular space 40 surrounding the shank 38, while the connection member Phd 1 empties into an annular space 41 surrounding the shank 39. The central shoulder 36 closes the connection member A 1 in a center position of the control piston 31. The thrust rod 33' affects the shoulder 35, while the free front area of the shoulder 37 functions as the reaction area F.sub. and delimits a reaction space 42. The control piston 31 and the reaction piston 32 thus function in combination with the rotatable lever 34 as a torque comparator which compares the torques acting on the lever 34 and caused by the pressures in the reaction chamber 17 and the reaction space 42 affecting the reaction areas F 2 and F 1 for the relay of a steering sensation to the steering wheel. Into the space 42 leads a connection member P 1 ', connected with the pressure pipe 2. The additional sections of the arrangement are referenced with the same numerals as in FIg. 1, insofar as they fulfill the same functions. Since the mode of operation is substantially the same, reference is made to the description of FIG. 1.
In order to explain the function of the embodiment of FIG. 2, it should be assumed that the pressure limitation valve 28 is set to 100 bar. The pressure difference Δ P ab on the valve 23, as well as the pressure difference Δ P ab on the pressure limitation valve 21 would be 70 bar. The respective pressures in the chamber 17, and the system communicating therewith would be indicated P A , while the pressure in the reaction space 42 and the system communicating therewith would be P p . In the illustrated respective position of a straight-ahead drive, a pressure of 50 bar develops in the working space 28 as well as in the chamber 17. If the servo-motor 4 is in balance and no resulting forces are affecting the control piston 31, then
50 · f.sub.2 = 100 · f.sub.1, as well as
50 · F.sub.2 = 100 · F.sub.1.
If the control piston 31 is moved by a clockwise turn of the lever 34 in connection with a steering function, then pressure medium flows from connection member P 1 to connection member A 1 and from there at first via the connection member A 3 into the working space 28, in which takes place a pressure accumulation in accordance with the forces which have to be counteracted. This pressure accumulation moves by means of pipe 18 and the restrictor 19, to the connection member A 2 , and thence into the chamber 17. If one assumes that the pressure in the chamber 17 amounts now to 60 bar, and the manual torque which is equal with the resultant reaction torque on the lever 34, and indicated by M H , then there results the following equation, in which a indicates the length of the arms of the lever 34:
M.sub.H = 60 · F.sub.2 · a -100 · F.sub.1 · a
= 120 · F.sub.1 · a - 100 · F.sub.1 · a
= 20 F.sub.1 · a
If F 1 indicates an area unit, the manual torque amounts then only to 20 torque units. If the pressure in the chamber 17 has increased to 70 bars, one receives
M.sub.max = 70 F.sub.2 · a - 100 F.sub.1 · a
If the pressure tries to increase further, the pressure limitation valve 21 opens and retains the pressure constant at 70 bar. The pressure in the space 28 can naturally increase further and, in an extreme situation, may reach 100 bar. This situation may be seen in FIG. 3. It will be noted that the manual torque at first increases proportionally to the power K M on the servo-motor 4 and continues from there horizontally. In order to prevent an excessive outflow of pressure medium from the space 28 by means of the pressure limitation valve 21, the restrictor 19 is provided for pipe 18. This restrictor 19 permits a very rapid pressure equalization below the pressure limit of 70 bar since it is only then possible that extremely small quantities can pass through, as a result of the movements of reaction piston 32. The crosscut of these quantities can be measured accordingly small so that when pressure variations develop, also only small quantities can escape. If, in a reverse manner, the control piston 31 is moved by a counterclockwise rotation of the lever 34, it produces the connection A 1 -T 1 so that a pressure drop develops in the space 28 as well as in the chamber 17. When the pressure drop is 10 bar, namely, at P A =40 bar, this results in the following manual torque:
M.sub.H = 100 · F.sub.1 · a - 40 · F.sub.2 · a
= 20 F.sub.1 · a
If the pressure drops further to 30 bar, there is obtained:
M.sub.Hmax = 100 F.sub.1 · a -30 · F.sub.2 · a
= 40 F.sub.1 · a
Each further frop in pressure results in the opening of the pressure release valve, which is adjusted to a pressure difference of P p - P A = -30 = Δ P zu = 70 bar.
The opening effects a flow from the pipe 22 via the chamber 17 into pipe 18 in such a way that a dynamic pressure develops at the restrictor 19, whereby the dynamic pressure does not fall below the value of 30 bar. This fact holds true naturally as long as the pump 1 conveys, or the pressure storage has stored pressure.
It is noticed that in both steering directions, the steering torque is limited to the equal value. In general the following is obtained for this value:
M.sub.Hmax = (2 · Δ P.sub.zu --P.sub.p) · F.sub.1 · a or M.sub.Hmax = (2 · Δ P.sub.p) · F.sub.1 · a
In view of the above considerations,
Δ P.sub.zu - ΔP.sub.ab
the identical value is indeed obtained in both directions.
Possibly the simplest form of a pressure release valve 23 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The valve includes a ball 44 biased by a spring 43, with the ball resting on a valve seat 45. The ball 44 is stressed by the pressure of the inflowing pressure medium in the direction of the opening, while in the closing direction, the pressure of the outflowing pressure medium supports the force of the spring 43. The pressure difference depends on the initial stress of the spring 43. If no pressure exists at the outlet, such a valve may then also be utilized as a pressure limitation valve 21. It is obvious, that valves of identical functions with control pistons are suitable. The valves may thereby, of course, be adjusted by changing the initial stress of the spring.
FIG. 5 illustrates diagrammatically the mutual adjusting of the pressure limitation valve 21 and the pressure release valve 23. An adjustment mechanism 50 affects a lever arm 51 on which are supported spring element 52 of the valve 21 and spring element 53 of the valve 23 at opposite sides of pivot 54. If the spring constants of the spring element 52 are referenced C, and the spring constant of the spring element 53 referenced C 2 , then the lever arms a and b between the power communication points of the elements 52 and 53 and the power communication point 54 will react in an opposite manner than the inherent spring constants, namely:
(a/b) = (C.sub.2 /C.sub.1.
A pressure-reducing valve or a pressure-ratio valve may be inserted in place of a pressure release valve. The mounting of such valves, however, is only recommended release valve. The mounting of such valves, however, is only recommended when the pressure p p can be accepted as constant. With regard to the embodiments, the present invention may also be utilized for servo-steering systems pg,19 with control valves which have no reaction areas, but which are provided with one or two special reaction members. Furthermore, the spatial arrangement of the control valve and servo motor is of no importance insofar as the necessary pipe connections are available for the installing of valves. Under these considerations, even integrated embodiments may be realized. The activation of the control valve on the basis of a relative movement of two parts being arranged to move towards each other, can be obtained in many different ways. It is, however, of a subordinate importance within the frame of the instant invention. Finally, it should be understood that the illustrated pipe connections, and partially also the connections, may be of different arrangement or connected in a different manner, as long as the individual systems in themselves remain in communication.
In contrast to the illustrated embodiments, it is furthermore possible to utilize also servo-motors with identical effective areas. It is then, however, necessary to install a pressure convertor in the working space between the pressure source and the work space which is not controlled by the control valve, whereby the pressure converter reduces the pressure.
In the claims, the term "piston means" has reference to the -- control piston 7 -- in FIG. 1 and the -- control piston 31 and reaction piston 32 -- in FIG. 2.
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An arrangement for limiting the steering-power in hydraulic servo-steering systems provided with a valve of the type of a three-way three positions valve for controlling a pressure flow from a pressure source to a working space of a preferably higher effective area of a servo-motor or from the working space to a return flow, in which the working space of a preferably lesser effective area is always connected with the pressure source, and the reaction areas with hydraulic reaction areas serve for signalling back a steering sensation to the steering wheel, which reaction areas are arranged to the various effective areas of the servo-motor, and, in combination with respective lever arms, etc., and/or respective reaction areas define a torque dynamometer, etc.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 475,909 filed Feb. 6, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,326.
BACKGROUND
Swimming pools and hydrotherapy spas frequently are made of concrete or gunnite cement with a plaster finish. In the construction of such pools and spas, the plumbing first is put in place; and the various fittings are attached to the terminal ends of the plumbing pipes for construction into the walls of the pool. Such fittings include "in-floor" housings for pool cleaning heads, as well as the housings for return fittings, such as the eyeball fittings used with spas and many pools.
Although the fitting housings are intended to be imbedded in the concrete and plaster of the pool walls and floors, it is important not to splash either cement or plaster into the fitting interiors. This requires the workmen who pour and finish the concrete and plaster surfaces to be extremely careful when working around the fittings. Frequently, cement or plaster gets into the internal threads on a return eyeball fitting, for example; and this cement or plaster must be removed from these threads when the eyeball and retaining ring are put into the fitting for subsequent use. This results in additional labor costs. If any cement or plaster residue remains in the fitting, it can damage the bearing surfaces between the fitting and rotatable eyeball. This impairs adjustability and hastens wear of the eyeball.
If the eyeball and retaining ring are placed in such a fitting during the cement and plaster construction phases of the building of the pool, the spilled-over cement or plaster can splash onto the surface of the eyeball. Again, this can result in impaired adjustability and accelerated wear. Frequently, it is necessary to remove the retaining ring and the eyeball and to clean all of the surfaces thoroughly, followed by reassembly prior to the actual use of the pool.
To prevent concrete and plaster from splashing into the interior of an open fitting or one in which the retaining ring and eyeball are in place, it is possible to close the open end of the fitting with duct tape or similar material during the concrete and plastering stages of construction. Although this effectively prevents the intrusion of concrete or plaster into the fitting, time still is consumed for placing the tape over the fitting, followed by the subsequent removal of the duct tape after the construction is completed.
It is desirable to provide a temporary cover for the return fitting of a pool or spa which is placed on the fitting prior to the concrete and plaster stages of construction and which is quickly and simply removed upon completion of construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved pool and spa fitting structure.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved return fitting for a pool or spa.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a breakaway cap for the retainer ring of a return fitting for pools and spas.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an improved breakaway cap for temporarily closing the opening of the return fitting for a pool and spa during construction.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention, a retaining ring for a return fitting used in spas and pools has a releasable cover cap temporarily over it for closing the return fitting during construction. After completion of construction, the releasable cover cap is removed from the retaining ring.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a portion of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged top view of a detail of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 5A is a partial cross-sectional view of the assembled embodiment of FIG. 1 in place at a first stage of construction;
FIG. 5B is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 5A at a second stage of construction;
FIG. 5C illustrates the embodiment of FIGS. 5A and 5B in a fully assembled view showing the result of the final stage of installation of the embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 6A and 6B are partial cross-sectional views of another embodiment of the invention in different stages of construction;
FIG. 7 is a top view of the embodiment of FIGS. 6A and 6B;
FIGS. 8A and 8B are partial cross-sectional views of a third embodiment of the invention in different stages of construction;
FIG. 9 is a top view of the embodiment of FIGS. 8A and 8B; and
FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference now should be made to the drawing in which the same reference numbers are used through the different figures to designate the same or similar components. A return water pipe 10, of the type typically used for swimming pools and spas to return water to the pool or spa after it is circulated from the filter, is illustrated. Such return pipes are located at one or more locations, generally in the side walls, of the pool or spa. Spas, in particular, use "eyeball" fittings which are capable of adjusting the direction of the flow of water passing out of the return pipe 10. Such a fitting includes a portion 11 which is attached to the end of the return pipe 10. Since the pipes 10 and the fitting portion 11 typically are made of PVC plastic, these components are welded together with a suitable solvent in most installations. The fitting also includes a main body portion 13, which is ribbed on the external surface to cause it to be secured against turning in the concrete wall of the pool or spa in which it is installed. The portion 13 has internal threads 15 extending inwardly from the open end to terminate at a concave section 17 which comprises a spherical bearing surface. This surface 17 is made to mate with or engage the outer spherical surface of an "eyeball" 20, which has a hollow cylindrical passage through it. This passage is shown most clearly in FIGS. 5A, 6A and 8A.
A standard eyeball return fitting then includes a retaining ring, such as the retaining ring 22 shown in FIG. 1, to hold the other side of the spherical eyeball 20 in place. The ring 22 is externally threaded to mate with the internal threads 15 of the fitting housing 13. The retaining ring 22 also has an opening through it which is at least as large as the opening through the eyeball 20. In addition, the inner surface of the ring 22 adjacent the opening is a section of a sphere which mates with the outer spherical surface of the eyeball 20 to provide a bearing surface 23 opposite the surface 17 located in the fitting 13.
In use, the retaining ring 22 is turned into snug engagement with the eyeball 20 to hold the eyeball 20 between the surface 17 and 23 in a desired position. If movement of the eyeball 20 to a different rotational position is desired, the retaining ring 22 is rotated to release the pressure on the eyeball 20 to permit adjustment of the position of the eyeball 20. Once this has been accomplished, the ring 22 once again is turned to tightly engage the surface 23 against the eyeball 20.
It is readily apparent that the rotation of the ring 22 in a clockwise direction causes it to move inwardly to clamp the eyeball 20 between the surfaces 17 and 23, while rotation of the ring 22 in a counter-clockwise direction tends to move the ring outwardly from the interior of the fitting 13 to release the eyeball 20. The effect of this is a telescoping motion, the direction of which is dependent upon the direction of rotation of the ring 22.
Typical eyeball fitting retaining rings, such as the ring 22, include a pair of spaced-apart projections 25 located on diametrically opposite sides of the retaining ring 22, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The apparatus which has been described thus far is standard and well known. A problem with such a fitting however, is that during the installation of the fitting in the wall of a cement pool to which a plaster finish coat is added, cement and plaster debris can enter into the fitting. If the retaining ring and eyeball 20 are not installed until later, such debris can clog the threaded portion 15 of the housing 13. If the retaining ring and eyeball 20 are installed, the plaster can get into the eyeball 20 itself and on the bearing surface 23 to impair the operation of the fitting when it is subsequently used.
In order to overcome the problem mentioned above, the otherwise standard eyeball fitting and retainer ring 22 has been modified, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5, to form the retaining ring 22 with a releasable or breakaway cap or cover 30 for the purpose of closing off or sealing the open end of the housing 13 of the fitting attached to the end of the water return pipe. The projections 25 have been modified to form a depression 27 in each of them, as illustrated most clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3. The cap 30 then is integrally formed as part of the same plastic casting that is used to form the retaining ring 22 and projections 25 by attaching it to the projections 25 through a thin, weakened or frangible portion 33 and 35 surrounding each of the projections 25. This is illustrated most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4. These areas of weakening are shown in FIG. 4 by the sharp notches or grooves 33 and 35 around the projections 25.
The portion of the cover 30 on the outside of the projections 25, or to the outside of the weakened areas 33 and 35, constitutes a flange 31 which extends all the way around the outer periphery of the cap 30. As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 5A, the flange 31 of the cap 30 overlies the open end of the threaded portion of the housing 13. Thus, when the retaining ring is rotated, either by hand or with a tool having a pair of spaced-apart projections for fitting into the depressions 27, to the position shown in FIG. 5A, the cap 30 and flange 31 completely cover the open end of the fitting 13. This protects the fitting against the intrusion of any concrete or plaster into the fitting. It also permits the entire fitting to be preassembled into the position shown in FIG. 5A for delivery to the construction site, thereby ensuring that contaminants and debris do not enter the fitting at any time during construction. As is readily apparent from FIG. 5A, the eyeball 20 is not tightly wedged between the surfaces 17 and 23, but is loosely retained in place.
After the concrete 40 of the pool wall has set, a plaster layer 45 is added to bring the pool surface flush with the end of the fitting 13 and to provide the desired finished look to that pool surface. Typically, the plaster 45 is applied by hand. Since the cap 30 and the flange 31 on it completely cover the opening in the fitting, the workman applying the final plaster stage does not need to be concerned about any plaster getting into the inside of the fitting 13.
Once the plaster 45 has been brought out to the level shown in FIG. 5B, a tool is inserted into the recesses 27 to rotate the retaining ring 22 in a clockwise direction. This causes it to move inwardly to seat the eyeball 20 in place where it is wedged between the bearing surfaces 17 and 23. As the retaining ring 22 moves inwardly, the pressure on the flange 31 caused by the open end of the fitting 13 is sufficient to break the cap 30 and flange 31 away from the projections 25 at the weakened areas 33 and 35. When this occurs, the cap 30 simply falls away, as illustrated in FIG. 5C. The retaining ring 22 and the eyeball 20 then are fully installed in place in a conventional manner. In fact, once the cap 30 has broken away, the entire structure has the appearance of a conventional eyeball fitting with a retaining ring in it.
Another embodiment, accomplishing the same purpose as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 5, is shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 7. This alternative embodiment is for a preassembled eyeball fitting in which the eyeball 20 is preinstalled and held in place by the retaining ring 23 of an otherwise standard fitting. A cap 50 has a main central portion 50 secured by means of a frangible web or weakened area 54 about its periphery to an outer ring 53. The circumference of the composite cap, including the outer ring 53, is equal to the outer circumference of the housing 15 of the eyeball fitting. After the fitting has been preassembled, the outer ring 53 of the cap is bonded by a welded joint or otherwise at 56 to the outer edge of the housing 13 of the fitting. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the central portion 50 is attached throughout almost the entire circumference to the outer ring 53 through the weakened area 54.
At two diametrically opposite points, however, a pair of tabs 60 and 61 form an integral connection between the parts 50 and 53 without the weakened areas 54. These tabs 60 and 61 are very narrow, and operate as pivot points during the removal of the cap.
As shown in FIG. 6A the entire eyeball assembly is installed in the pool wall 40 prior to the plastering stage which adds the plaster layer 45. The plaster 45 is finished flush with the ring 53 of the temporary cap. Consequently, the entire assembly may be troweled into place and smoothed adjacent the ring 53 without any concern for getting any plaster into the fitting, since the central portion 50 of the cap, weakened area 54, and ring 53 totally seal the end of the housing 13 during this stage of construction.
After plastering has been completed, the end of the trowel, a hammer, or other suitable tool is used to strike the cap 50 at the point 60 shown in FIG. 7 to tilt it or pivot it about the somewhat stronger pivot tabs 60 and 61 in the manner shown in FIG. 6B. The weakened or frangible areas 54 break to sever the cap in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6B. The central portion 50 of the cap then may be pryed away to complete breaking of the tabs 60 and 61 to remove it. Once this has been accomplished, the eyeball fitting may be adjusted in a conventional manner.
FIGS. 8 through 10 illustrate a third embodiment of the invention which may be employed. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 through 10, a cap 70 has an outer circumference equal to the outer circumference of the housing 13 comparable to the other embodiments which have been described. There are no areas of weakening in this cap 70, however. Instead, a thin frangible slot 74 is formed in the center of the cap 70. During construction this slot 74 is covered with a thin web of the same material out of which the cap 70 is made, so that the entire end of the housing 13 is covered when the plaster layer 45 is formed in the pool.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 8 through 10, however, the underside of the cap 70 has a pair of diametrically opposed, spaced-apart, hook-like projections 70 and 72 extending from it. These projections are dimensioned to fit inside a shoulder typically formed on the front of the inner surface of an eyeball 20. The cap then is captivated by the eyeball 20, as illustrated in FIG. 8A. After the plastering step is completed, a screwdriver 80 or similar tool is pushed into the slot 74 to break the thin web covering this slot. This is shown in FIG. 8B. After the screwdriver 80 is inserted, it then may be rocked to pry the projections 71 and 72 away from the eyeball 20. The cap 70 then is discarded, as with the other embodiments.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a metal disk 58 also is illustrated as molded into or embedded into the center of the cap 50. This metal disk or its equivalent may be used with all of the embodiments to facilitate locating the caps in the event the fittings are covered over with a thin layer of plaster during the plastering operation. Any suitable metal detector can be used to locate the cap. Obviously, once the cap has been located, it can be removed in accordance with the various techniques which have been described, depending upon the type of cap which has been used.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention is to be considered as illustrative of the invention and not as limiting. Various changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.
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A retaining ring of an eyeball return fitting of the type used in swimming pools and spas is provided with a releasable or breakaway cover cap. The cap closes the end of the return fitting during construction. This permits the finish work for the cement and plaster stages of the pool construction to be effected without the danger of cement or plaster getting into the fitting during construction. After construction has been completed, the cap is released and drops away, carrying with it any cement or plaster which may have hardened on it during construction.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to intraocular lenses, and in particular, to accommodating intraocular lenses capable of focusing on objects located at various distances therefrom.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The natural lens of a human eye is a transparent crystalline body, which is contained within a capsular bag located behind the iris and in front of the vitreous cavity in a region known as the posterior chamber. The capsular bag is attached on all sides by fibers, called zonules, to a muscular ciliary body. At its rear, the vitreous cavity, which is filled with a gel, further includes the retina, on which light rays passing through the lens are focused. Contraction and relaxation of the ciliary bodies changes the shape of the bag and of the natural lens therein, thereby enabling the eye to focus light rays on the retina originating from objects at various distances.
[0003] Cataracts occur when the natural lens of the eye or of its surrounding transparent membrane becomes clouded and obstructs the passage of light resulting in various degrees of blindness. To correct this condition in a patient, a surgical procedure is known to be performed in which the clouded natural lens, or cataract, is extracted and replaced by an artificial intraocular lens. During cataract surgery, the anterior portion of the capsular bag is removed along with the cataract, and the posterior portion of the capsular bag, called the posterior capsule, is sometimes left intact to serve as a support site for implanting the intraocular lens. Such lenses, however, have the drawback that they have a fixed refractive power and are therefore unable to change their focus.
[0004] Various types of intraocular lenses having the capability of altering their refractive power have been suggested in an effort to duplicate the performance of the natural lens within the eye. Such accommodating intraocular lenses, as they are known in the art, have a variety of designs directed to enable the patient to focus on, and thereby clearly see, objects located at a plurality of distances. Examples may be found in such publications as U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,509, U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,966, U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,641, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,494.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,302 discloses an accommodating intraocular lens for implantation in the posterior chamber of the eye. This lens comprises a short tubular rigid frame and transparent and resilient membrane attached thereto at its bases. The frame and the membranes confine a sealed space filled with a gas. The frame includes flexible regions attached via haptics to the posterior capsule. Upon stretching of the capsule by the eye's ciliary muscles, the flexible regions are pulled apart, thereby increasing the volume and decreasing the pressure within the sealed space. This changes the curvature of the membranes and accordingly, the refractive power of the lens.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,171 discloses an accommodating intraocular lens which is contained inside an encapsulating rigid shell so as to make it substantially insensitive to changes in the intraocular environment. The lens is adapted to be implanted within the posterior capsule and comprises a flexible transparent membrane, which divides the interior of the intraocular lens into separate front and rear spaces, each filled with a fluid having a different refractive index. The periphery of the rear space is attached to haptics, which are in turn attached to the posterior capsule. Upon stretching of the capsule by the eye's ciliary muscles, the haptics and hence this periphery is twisted apart to increase the volume of rear space and changes the pressure difference between the spaces. As a result, the curvature of the membrane and accordingly, the refractive power of the lens changes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention suggests an accommodating lens assembly having an optical axis and being adapted to be implanted in a posterior chamber of an eye having a capsular unit located therein. The assembly comprises a rigid haptics element adapted to secure said assembly within said posterior chamber outside said capsular unit, the element being transparent at least in a region around said axis. The assembly further comprises a resilient body adapted to operate as a lens with a radius of curvature, when pressed up against said region of the rigid element by an axial force applied thereto by said capsular unit, whereby a change in said force causes a change in said radius of curvature.
[0008] The term “capsular unit”, as it is used in the present description and claims, refers to the posterior capsule, the zonules, and the ciliary body, which are interconnected and act in unison, forming in accordance with the present invention, a kind of cable whose varying tension provides the axial force applied to and utilized by the lens assembly of the present invention to achieve accommodation.
[0009] The assembly of the present invention is directed to substitute for a natural lens after its removal from the eye, not only by enabling the eye to see after implantation of the assembly, but also by enabling it to accommodate and thereby bring into focus objects located at a continuum of distances. In order to achieve the latter, the assembly is designed to be fixed in the posterior chamber, with the resilient body axially abutting the posterior capsule. The resilient body may be attached to the haptic element or may simply be held in place up against the element by the tension of the capsular unit.
[0010] The lens assembly of the present invention utilizes the natural compression and relaxation of the capsular unit to impart an axial force on the resilient body in order to cause it to act as a lens whose radius of curvature, and therefore the refractive power it provides, varies depending on the magnitude of the force. In this way, the lens assembly cooperates with the natural operation of the eye to accommodate and enable the eye to clearly see objects at different distances.
[0011] The haptics element of the assembly according to the present invention may adopt any of a variety of designs known in the art, e.g. it may be curved or it may be in the form of a plate, which spans a plane essentially perpendicular to the optical axis of the assembly. In addition to said region, the haptics element may be completely transparent. Said region of the element may be in the form of a transparent component, such as a clear panel or another lens which may have such a curvature and index of refraction as to enhance the accommodating capability of the lens assembly.
[0012] The haptics element may have a hollow space formed in its transparent region. This hollow space is adapted to allow said resilient body to bulge through said space in response to said force. This enables the lens assembly to provide a range of refractive power (i.e. the accommodating capability) depending on the bulge's radius of curvature, which is determined and may be varied by the magnitude of the force applied by the capsular unit.
[0013] The haptics element of the lens assembly of the present invention is adapted to securely fix the assembly in front of the capsular unit in the posterior chamber of the eye. It is essential that the haptics element maintain a substantially immovable position. To this end, the haptics element is preferably adapted to be fixed to the scleral wall of the eye in two or more places in the regions between the iris and the ciliary body. To achieve the latter, the haptics element preferably comprise anchoring means, such as in the form of teeth. One example of such means is described in co-pending Israel patent application no. 141529.
[0014] Implantation of the lens assembly in accordance with the present invention may be achieved using equipment and techniques that are conventional and well known in the art. However, in order to facilitate the implantation and anchoring of the assembly in the eye, the haptics element of the assembly of the present invention preferably also includes at least one extendible member at its periphery. For example, the haptics element in the form of a plate discussed above may have a telescoping end which is only extended after the assembly has been inserted into the eye and has been positioned at the anchoring site. This extendible member may also be provided with anchoring means attached thereto. The extendible member serves to keep the assembly small enough to insert into the eye until its securing is desired. The extendible member, such as the telescoping end, may be passive or may be spring biased being compressed to enable implantation and released to maintain anchoring by a resisting force.
[0015] The haptics element of the lens assembly in accordance with the present invention may be made of a variety of possible rigid materials suitable for invasive medical use and known in the art to be used in the formation of haptics.
[0016] The resilient body of the accommodating lens assembly in accordance with the present invention may be made of any suitable deformable material, such as silicone or hydrogel, having an index of refraction different from the gel within the eye. The resilient body must not necessarily be made of a single component or material. For example, the body may be in the form of a sac filled with a fluid or gel. However, in the case of such a sac, for example, it is essential the periphery of the body be made with a unitary material so that the fluctuating internal pressure of the eye does not affect the sac in an anisotropic manner, which would unpredictably affect the vision provided by the assembly.
[0017] The resilient body of the accommodating lens assembly in accordance with the present invention may have a variety of shapes so long as the shape has or is able to achieve a radius of curvature and thereby perform as a lens. For example, in the case when the haptics element is curved and solid (i.e. is devoid of a hollow space in said region), the resilient body may have such shapes as a sphere which, when pressed against its haptics element, takes on the shape of a double convex lens. Also, if the haptics element is flat like a plate, for example, the planar side of a hemispherical resilient body may be pressed up against it to act as a plano-convex lens. As another example, if the haptics element is flat and comprises a hollow space, such as an aperture or a cavity, the resilient body having a bi-planar shape, such as that of a solid circular disc, may be pressed up against the element since the force applied by the capsular unit will cause it to bulge into the aperture or cavity and attain, thereby, a radius of curvature.
[0018] The accommodating lens assembly in accordance with the present invention may further comprise a rigid piston member, which sandwiches said resilient body between it and said haptics element, and which is designed to be pushed by said force and, in response, to cause said resilient body to take on a desired curved shape. The piston member is transparent at least in a region around said axis and is movable along said axis with respect to said element. One or both of said haptics element and said piston member have a hollow space in their transparent region to allow said resilient body to bulge through said space in response to said force.
[0019] The hollow spaces formed in the haptics element and/or the piston member in preferred embodiments of the lens assembly in accordance with the present invention, may have various designs such as circular blind or through holes. Preferable, these spaces are large enough that their periphery is far from the optical axis so as not to substantially affect light passing thereabout by causing diffraction and other such undesired optical effects. Also, in order to minimize such optical disturbances, if a hollow space is formed within the piston member, the haptics element may be devoid of such a space and vice versa.
[0020] The piston member of the accommodating lens assembly of the present invention may be made of any of a variety of rigid biocompatible materials. The piston member may also have any of a variety of designs, such as a plano-convex design with the convexly curved side abutting the capsular unit so as to contribute to the range of refractive power which may be achieve by the assembly. Clearly, in the latter case, the transparent region of the piston member, like the resilient body, must have an index of refraction different from the natural gel surrounding the assembly when implanted in the eye. The radius of curvature and the index of refraction of the piston member may be adjusted and chosen in numerous ways to arrive at lens assemblies having various ranges of refractive power and degrees of sensitivity to the force applied by the capsular unit.
[0021] The advantages provided by the accommodating lens assembly of the present invention abound, particularly because of it is designed to be positioned in the eye completely outside of the posterior capsule. One advantage, for example, is that the lens assembly does not undesirably stretch and consequently harm the capsule. Also, the lens assembly does not need to conform to the size or shape of the capsule, and is therefore free to take on a larger variety of designs. Furthermore, the capsule is sometimes damaged during the surgery to remove the natural lens, but the lens assembly of the present invention does not require that the capsule be completely intact in the form of a bag but merely that it remain reliably connected as part of the capsular unit. Another advantage arising from the lens assembly being positioned outside of the posterior capsule is that it remains unaffected by the permanent and unpredictable constriction that the capsule inevitably undergoes due to scarring following the surgery for removal of the natural lens.
[0022] In addition to the above, the lens assembly of the present invention offers advantages such as a simple and inexpensive construction. The lens assembly of the present invention also provides the ability to accommodate within a vast range of refractive power, including the full range provided by the natural eye. Also, the lens assembly provides means for varying its sensitivity in response to the force applied by the capsular unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0024] [0024]FIG. 1A is a plan view of an accommodating lens assembly in accordance with the present invention;
[0025] [0025]FIG. 1B is a side view of the accommodating lens assembly shown in FIG. 1A;
[0026] [0026]FIG. 2A shows the accommodating lens assembly of FIGS. 1A and 1B as implanted in an eye;
[0027] [0027]FIG. 2B shows the accommodating lens assembly of FIGS. 1A and 1B in operation after it has been implanted in an eye as in FIG. 2A;
[0028] [0028]FIG. 3A is a plan view of another embodiment of an accommodating lens assembly in accordance with the present invention;
[0029] [0029]FIG. 3B is a side view of the accommodating lens assembly shown in FIG. 3A;
[0030] [0030]FIG. 4A shows the accommodating lens assembly of FIGS. 3A and 3B as implanted in an eye;
[0031] [0031]FIG. 4B shows the accommodating lens assembly of FIGS. 3A and 3B in operation after it has been implanted in an eye as in FIG. 4A;
[0032] [0032]FIG. 5A shows yet another embodiment of an accommodating lens assembly in accordance with the present invention as implanted in the eye;
[0033] [0033]FIG. 5B shows the accommodating lens assembly of FIG. 5A in operation in the eye.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] The subsequent description and figures refer to different examples of an accommodating lens assembly of the present invention and its functional position as implanted in a human eye E. As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 4 A, 4 B, 5 A, and 5 B, the eye E, which is filled with natural gel (not shown) having an index of refraction of about 1.3, comprises a scleral wall S, an iris, and a retina R (not shown). The eye E further includes a ciliary body CB, from which extend zonules Z connected to a posterior capsule PC. These last three parts of the eye E constitute the capsular unit 1 .
[0035] One example of an accommodating lens assembly in accordance with the present invention adapted for implantation within the eye E is shown in FIG. 1A in plan view and in FIG. 1B from a side view. The accommodating lens assembly 2 has an optical axis A-A and comprises a rigid haptics plate 4 having a first lens 6 made of a rigid material having an index of refraction higher than that of water. The plate 4 further includes a telescoping haptics member 8 , which is slidably biased in grooves 8 a so as to be extendible in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis A-A. The plate 4 and the telescoping member 8 have teeth 9 projecting therefrom for anchoring the first lens assembly 2 within the eye E.
[0036] The lens assembly 2 further comprises a silicone ball 10 attached to the plate 4 so as to be located on the axis A-A. The silicone ball 10 also has an index of refraction higher than that of water.
[0037] As is shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the haptics plate 4 of the assembly 2 is anchored, using the teeth 9 , to the eye's scleral wall S at two locations between the ciliary body CB and the iris I. The anchoring is done by first inserting the teeth 9 on the plate 4 to the desired point in the scleral wall S, and then extending the telescoping member 8 until its teeth 9 enter the opposing side of the scleral wall S. The silicone ball 10 directly contacts the capsular unit 1 , which is stretched around the ball 10 and transforms it into a second piano-convex lens 10 ′ as shown in FIG. 2A with a radius of curvature R 1 .
[0038] In operation, upon contraction and relaxation by muscles of the ciliary body CB, tension in the capsular unit 1 will change and a variable force proportional to the tension will be applied to the silicone ball 10 along axis A-A. FIG. 2B shows an increase in tension in the capsular unit 1 compared to FIG. 2A upon relaxation of the ciliary body CB. The increase in tension applies a forward force along the axis in the direction of the iris I. This force causes the lens 10 ′ to further deform and increase its radius of curvature from R 1 to R 2 . This increase in radius will enable the eye E to focus on nearby objects by adjusting the assembly's focal plane until it resides on the retina R. Clearly, the reverse may be done in which the ciliary body contracts, reducing the radius to focus on objects at farther distances from the eye E.
[0039] Another example of an accommodating lens assembly 22 for implantation within a human eye E in accordance with the present invention is shown in a preferred embodiment in FIG. 3A in plan view and in FIG. 3B from a side view.
[0040] The accommodating lens assembly 22 has an optical axis B-B and comprises a rigid haptics plate 24 , similar to that included in the lens assembly 2 , and having a circular aperture 26 . The plate 24 further includes a telescoping member 28 , which is slidably biased in grooves 28 a so as to be extendible. The plate 24 and the telescoping member 28 have teeth 29 projecting therefrom for anchoring the lens assembly 22 within the eye. The plate further includes a hollow, central cylindrical tube portion T extending around axis B-B. The tube portion T is concentric with the aperture 26 but has about double the diameter.
[0041] The accommodating lens assembly 22 further comprises a silicone disc 30 received within the tube portion T so as to occupy only a part of its axial dimension. The disc 30 has an index of refraction higher than that of water.
[0042] The lens assembly 22 also includes a rigid, plano convex lens 31 having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the tube portion T but greater than that of the aperture 26 . The lens 31 , which is designed to function like a piston by transferring an applied force to the disc 30 , is received within the tube portion T to fill the space left unoccupied by the disc 30 and to press, with its planar face, the disc 30 up against the plate 24 . The plano-convex lens 31 has a fixed radius of curvature and an index of refraction higher than that of water.
[0043] [0043]FIGS. 4A and 4B show the haptics plate 24 of the assembly 22 anchored, using the teeth 29 , to the eye's scleral wall S at two locations, each being between the ciliary body CB and the iris I. The silicone disc 30 is sandwiched between the haptics plate 24 and the lens 31 , which directly contacts the capsular unit 1 with its convex side.
[0044] In operation, upon contraction and relaxation by muscles of the ciliary body CB, tension in the capsular unit 1 will change and apply a force to the lens 31 along axis B-B. FIG. 4B shows an increase in tension in the capsular unit 1 compared to FIG. 4A, which occurs upon relaxation of the ciliary body CB. This increase in tension applies a forward force on the lens 31 along the axis in the direction of the iris I. The applied force pushes the lens 31 , which functions like a piston and presses, in turn, on the silicone disc 30 , causing it to protrude from the aperture 26 in the form of a bulge 35 having a radius of curvature depending on the force. The bulge 35 serves to add to the refractive power afforded by the convex curvature of lens 31 . In this way, using the lens assembly 22 , the eye E is given the ability to focus on nearer objects by changing the magnitude of the applied force and hence the radius of the bulge 35 until the object is focused on the retina R.
[0045] Yet another example of a lens assembly 42 in accordance with the present invention for implantation into the eye E is shown in a preferred embodiment in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The lens assembly 42 is similar to the lens assembly 2 in that it comprises a haptics plate 44 with an aperture 45 , which is occupied by a rigid lens 46 , similarly to lens 6 in FIG. 1A. Furthermore, the lens assembly 42 comprises a piston member 51 . However, the piston member 51 has a cylindrical cavity 52 formed therein, into the silicone disc 50 is adapted to bulge. The member 51 is adapted transfer an axial force applied by the capsular unit 1 to silicone disc 50 sandwiched between the member 51 and the plate 44 . In this way, the piston member 51 is similar to plano-convex lens 31 shown e.g. in FIG. 4A, but differs in that it does not have the additional ability to operate as a lens.
[0046] In operation, the piston member 51 of the lens assembly 42 transfers the axial force, created thereon by changes of tension in the capsular unit 1 , to the silicone disc 50 , causing it to form a bulge 54 , which protrudes back into the cavity 52 . The bulge 54 has a radius of curvature whose value varies depending on the magnitude of the force. As in the previously described embodiment, the bulge 54 serves to provide the assembly 42 with a refractive power, whose magnitude can be varied by the force applied by the capsular unit 1 and controlled by the contraction and relaxation of muscles in the eye's ciliary body CB.
[0047] It should be understood that the above described embodiments constitute only examples of an accommodating lens assembly for implantation into the eye according to the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art. For example, while implantation of the lens assembly in humans is described, the assembly may clearly also be applicable to other animals. Clearly, any and all possible permutations and/or combinations of different features as described above are within the scope of the present invention.
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An accommodating lens assembly having an optical axis and being adapted to be implanted in a posterior chamber of an eye having a capsular unit located therein. The assembly comprises a rigid haptics element adapted to secure the assembly within the posterior chamber outside said capsular unit. The element is transparent at least in a region around the axis. The assembly further comprises a resilient body adapted to operate as a lens having a curved surface when pressed up against the region of the haptics element by an axial force applied thereto by the capsular unit. A change in this force causes a change in a radius of curvature for the curved surface.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] A mounting bracket for installing the cruise control module on a vehicle, when no such mounting provision has been previously available.
BACKGROUNG OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Some vehicles have not been designed to accept cruise control. There is not a designated place to mount the cruise control module on these vehicles. This cruise control module mounting bracket invention allows some cruise control modules to be mounted on specific vehicles that the mounting bracket is designed for.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The herein described cruise control module mounting bracket is one part of an installation kit containing multiple parts, to mount the vehicle manufacturer's electronic “brain”/throttle control, commonly know as the cruise control module. The cruise control module itself is not part of this invention. This invention is unique in that it uses the cruise control module already available from the vehicle manufacturer for their other models, but not offered on all models. As an example: Harley Davidson offers cruise control for its' “touring” models only, not for its' other models; Softail, Dyna, Vrod, or Sportster. This invention, cruise control module mounting bracket, will enable the cruise control module to be mounted on some or all of these and other vehicle models relevant to each mounting bracket design. This invention, the cruise control module mounting bracket is not currently available anywhere.
BREIF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a general example of the cruise control module mounting bracket, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, not to scale. Shape and dimensions will vary depending on brand and model of vehicle, and vehicle manufacturer's vendor supplying the cruise control module.
[0005] FIGS. 2 through 9 are detailed examples of the cover showing various views and dimensions of the preferred embodiment. However size and shape will vary depending on the specific application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
[0007] Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms and employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation.
[0008] The following paragraphs describe the cruise control module mounting bracket.
[0000] The Bracket
[0009] In a preferred embodiment the bracket will be shaped from a material such as steel, aluminum, plastic, fiberglass or other material so as to form shape that will enable fastening the cruise control module to the bracket and the bracket to the vehicle. The specific order of the fastening could be either fasten the bracket to the vehicle first and then fasten the cruise control module to the bracket, or fasten the cruise control module to the bracket and then fasten the bracket to the vehicle.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment the cruise control module will be fastened to the mounting bracket with bolts and the bracket then fastened to the vehicle with bolts. In an alternative embodiment, any method of fastening such as but not limited to screws, rivets, glue, etc. may be used and fastening in any order may be used.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is an example of a preferred cruise control mounting bracket front view, but is only representative of one of many designs that will be readily apparent that may be designed for specific installation requirements, depending of specific vehicle manufacturer, vehicle model or year of manufacturer, or manufacturer's vendor that supplies the cruise control module(s).
[0012] FIG. 2 is an example of a side view of the cruise control module mounting bracket.
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The present invention is a cruise control module mounting bracket designed to fasten a cruise control module to a vehicle, when no such mounting provision has been previously available.
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This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/140,646, filed Oct. 21, 1993 now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates dye mixtures. The mixtures are particularly useful in optical recording layers and elements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Optical recording materials for storing information are known. One of the currently popular forms of optical storage of information is the compact disk or CD. Digital information is stored in the form of marks or with low specular reflectivity pits on an otherwise reflective background. In this format, the optical information is most often in the form of read only memory or ROM. Optical information is not usually recorded in real time but rather is produced by press molding. In a typical process, the optical recording substrate is first press molded with a master containing the digital information to be reproduced. The thus formed information is then overcoated with a reflective layer and then with an optional protective layer. In those areas having the deformations or pits, the specular reflectivity is lower than in those areas not having the deformations.
It is desirable to produce optical recording media which, when recorded in real time, produces a record that mimics CD-ROM on read out. Read out is at about 780 nm. In this manner, information can be added to the CD and the CD can be used on a conventional CD player.
One recently disclosed system of this type is the so called "Photo CD". In this system, conventional photographic film is first processed in a conventional manner. Then, the images from the film are digitized and the digital information is recorded in a CD readable form on an optical recording material. Images can then be played back by means of a CD type player on a conventional television. Since the Photo CD is not recorded to its capacity in a single session, or played back only once, long time multi session recording and play back capacity is needed. Thus, the need for very stable recording materials.
One method for forming a recordable element that mimics conventional injection pressed CD elements is to provide a support having thereon, in order, a layer of a dye that absorbs recording radiation and generates the needed change in the specular reflectivity and a reflective layer. Exposure of the recording layer through the support by the recording beam heats the recording layer to an extent that it is said that the surface of the heat deformable support just adjacent to the recording layer surface is deformed and the dye or dyes are changed to reduce specular reflectivity. Materials of this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,618, European Patent Application 0,353,393 and Canadian Patent Application 2,005,520.
Commercially useful materials of the type described in these references have stringent requirements. One of these requirements is the long term stability of the recorded information on the Photo CD disks. So the materials used for the Photo CD disks must have very good light stability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a dye mixture having:
a) a real index of refraction of at least 1.8 in the 780 to 790 nm region of the spectra;
b) an imaginary index (k) between 0.3 and 0.02 in the 780 to 790 nm region of the spectra;
c) a metallized azo dye comprising an azo group linking a substituted 3-hydroxy-pyridine nucleus to a phenyl nucleus wherein the phenyl nucleus has an alkoxy or thioether substituent at its 2-position; and
d) at least a second dye.
The dye(s) d) are one or more dyes selected from the group consisting of cyanines, indoanilines, oxazines, azos, squaryliums, metallized azos, formazans or tetraazacyanines or any other dye or dyes that when mixed with the metallized azo ether dye give the desired indices as calculated with a computer program based on the method of D. A. G. Bruggeman described in Ann. Phys. (Leipzig) 24 (1922), page 636.
The dye mixtures have good indices and excellent light stabilities. The mixtures have excellent recording sensitivities and produce recordings at lower powers than the metallized azo ethers dyes or thioether dyes when used by themselves.
The invention also provides optical recording elements having a transparent substrate bearing a recording layer that, in turn is overcoated with a light reflecting layer, wherein the recording layer comprises a dye mixture of this invention.
This invention also provides a method for recording optical information comprising the steps of:
providing an optical recording element comprising, in the following order, a light transmitting substrate a recording layer containing a dye and a light reflective layer wherein the recording layer contains a dye mixture according to this invention;
focusing an information modulated laser beam on the recording layer thereby forming a pattern of different specular reflectivities in the element.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Representative metallized azo dye ethers useful in the invention are included within the general formula (I); ##STR1##
wherein;
R represents alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, amino, alkylamino, substituted or unsubstituted benzylamino;
R 1 represents hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms;
R 2 and R 4 each independently, represent, hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, halogen, SO 2 R 8 or SO 2 NR 9 R 10 wherein R8, R9 and R10, each independently, represent alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted benzyl, aryl of 6 to 10 carbon atoms or a heteroaryl of 5 to 10 carbon atoms;
R 1 and R 2 or R 3 and R 4 , taken together with the atoms to which they are attached, may form an aromatic ring;
R 3 and R 6 , each independently, represents hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms or halogen;
R 5 is an electron withdrawing group;
R 7 represents alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkenyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted benzyl, aryl of 6 to 10 carbon atoms, heteroaryl of 5 to 10 carbon atoms, heteroarylmethyl of 6 to 10 carbon atoms or --(CH 2 ) n Y wherein n is an integer from 1 to 5 and Y is a cyano or COOR 8 ;
X represents oxygen or sulfur; and
M is a divalent metal ion.
The electron withdrawing groups for R 5 , are conventional negative Hammett sigma value groups disclosed in Lange's Handbook of Chemistry 14th edition, James A. Dean, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 9.1-9.7 (1992). Preferably, the electron withdrawing groups are nitro, cyano, SO 2 R 8 or SO 2 NR 9 R 10 . R 8 , R 9 and R 10 are defined above.
In the descriptions above, hetero- refers to thienyl and furyl; aromatic ring refers to isoquinoline. Alkyl can be a straight or branched chain group having up to about 10 carbon atoms such as methyl, ethyl or isopropyl. Alkoxy can be, for example, ethoxy or butoxy. Aryl can be, for example, phenyl, aminophenyl or propionylaminophenyl. Heteroaryl can be 2-thienyl. Also various substituents on the these groups are contemplated. For example, alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkenyl group can be substituted with one or more alkoxy, alkoxycarbonyl, aryloxy, aryloxycarbonyl, carbamoyl, sulfamoyl, acylamino, sulfonylamino, halogen, ureido, hydroxy, carbamoyloxy, alkoxycarbonylamino, cyano, thiocyano or carboxy groups.
Various divalent metals are contemplated for M, illustrated above. Such divalent metals are copper, zinc, or nickel and others that are known to promote writability and a sufficient index of refraction.
Representative compounds within structure I are presented in Table I. In this table M represents nickel.
TABLE I__________________________________________________________________________ ##STR2##DyeNo. R R.sup.1 R.sup.2 R.sup.3 R.sup.4 R.sup.5 R.sup.6 X R.sup.7__________________________________________________________________________1 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.32 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.2 CHCH.sub.23 NHCH.sub.2 Ph CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.34 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR3##5 NH.sub.2 H SO.sub.2 NHCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.36 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H F NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.37 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR4##8 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 COOCH.sub.2 CH.sub.39 NH.sub.2 H CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR5##10 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H S CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 COOCH.sub.2 CH.sub.311 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR6##12 NH.sub.2 H CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR7##13 NH.sub.2 H CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR8##14 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR9##15 CH.sub.3 ##STR10## H H NO.sub.2 H S CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 COOCH.sub.2 CH.sub.316 CH.sub.3 ##STR11## H H ##STR12## H S CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CN17 NH.sub.2 H CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.318 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR13##19 NH.sub.2 H CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.320 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.2 CHCH.sub.221 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 ##STR14## H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR15##22 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR16##23 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR17##24 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H S ##STR18##25 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR19##26 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.2 CHCHCH.sub.327 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR20##28 NH.sub.2 H CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.329 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.2 CHCH.sub.230 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR21##31 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O CH.sub.2 CHCHCO.sub.2 CH.sub.332 NH.sub.2 H CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.2 H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR22##33 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 H F NO.sub.2 H O ##STR23##34 NH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 ##STR24## H H NO.sub.2 H O ##STR25##__________________________________________________________________________
The dyes of Structure I, including those of Table 1, are prepared by first alkylating a 2-hydroxy-4-nitroaniline with the an organic halide having the R 7 substituents defined above was carried out either in DMF or acetone using potassium carbonate as a base to form an ether alkoxy derivative. The latter derivative is diazotized and coupled with a substituted 5-bromo-3-pyridinol. Bromine is displaced with sulfinate to form a 5-alkyl sulfonyl-6-(2-alkoxy-phenylazo)-3-pyridinol. The latter is metallized with a divalent metal salt complex. The following preparatory example is presented to illustrate the general method in more detail.
PREPARATORY, EXAMPLE OF COMPOUND 11, TABLE 1
First 2-hydroxy-4-nitroaniline (8 g) was placed in a round bottom flask together with DMF (80 ml), potassium carbonate (8.7 g) and potassium iodide (0.1 g) and the mixture heated at 80° with stirring. Benzyl chloride (3.5 g) was added dropwise and heating continued for 4 hours. At the end of this time the mixture was added to ice and stirred vigorously. After the product solidified it was filtered off and washed with dilute sodium hydroxide solution followed by water. The nmr spectrum of the dried material was in accord with 2-benzyloxy-4-nitroaniline.
Next, the 2-benzyloxy-4-nitroaniline was diazotized with nitrosylsulfuric acid in a mixture of acetic and propionic acids. After 2 hours any excess nitrous acid was destroyed by the addition of urea and the diazo solution was added to a solution of 2-amino-5-bromo-3-hydroxy-4-methylpyridine (6 g) in methanol (300 ml.) containing sodium acetate (30 g) below 5°. [a.k.a. coupling process] When dye formation was complete the solution was diluted with water and the product, 2-amino-6-(2-benzyloxy-4-nitrophenylazo)-5-bromo-3-hydroxy-4-methylpyridine filtered off.
The above bromo compound was dissolved in DMF (100 mL) and treated with sodium methanesulfinate (2 g) and the mixture stirred for five hours. The product was isolated by pouring the mixture into water containing sodium nitrate (20 g) and filtering off the precipitated material. The dried dye material had an nmr spectrum in accord with the proposed structure.
The dye (was added to methanol (60 mL) and nickel acetate (0.63 g) added in portions with stirring while heating the solution at gentle reflux for 30 minutes. The solution was allowed to cool and the product filtered off. The absorption max in acetone was 613 nm and the extinction coefficient was 9.23×10 4 .
Other dyes of table 1 were prepared using similar procedures except for except for compounds 8, 10, 15, 16 and 24. For these five compounds the first step of the above described general procedure was altered. Instead thioether and ether substituted amine compounds were prepared by procedures known to those skilled in the art and then subjected to the remaining steps of the general process.
Representative dyes of Table 1 were mixed with at least a second dye, selected from those classes of dyes referred to hereinbefore, to produce the inventive mixtures of Table 2. The invention contemplates mixtures comprising one or more dyes selected from such classes.
TABLE 2__________________________________________________________________________Dye MixturesMix- Table Added Refractiveture 1 Dye Dye Ratio Index atNo. No. No. Structure of Added Dye(s) Dyes 788__________________________________________________________________________ nm1 14 B-1 ##STR26## 4/1 ##STR27##2 14 B-2 ##STR28## 4/1 ##STR29##3 14 B-3 ##STR30## 9/1 ##STR31##4 14 B-4 ##STR32## 4/1 ##STR33##5 14 B-5 ##STR34## 4/1 ##STR35##6 14 B-6 ##STR36## 1/1 ##STR37##7 14 B-6 As above 1/2 calc. 2.57-0.04i8 5 B-1 ##STR38## 4/1 ##STR39##9 23 B-1 As above 4/1 calc. 2.23-0.06i10 12 B-1 As above 4/1 calc. 2.13-0.05i11 26 B-1 As above 4/1 calc. 2.45-0.08i12 27 B-1 As above 4/1 calc. 2.31-0.06i13 28 B-1 As above 4/1 calc. 2.5-0.06i found 2.387-0.10i14 29 B-1 As above 4/1 calc. 2.41-0.06i15 18 B-1 As above 4/1 calc. 2.3-0.05i found 2.26-0.03i16 34 B-1 As above 4/1 calc. 2.34-0.05i17 11 B-1 As above 1/2 calc. 2.7-0.14i found 2.60-0.05i__________________________________________________________________________
The optical recording elements of the invention comprises a light transmitting, typically pregrooved substrate, with the metallized azo dye recording layer overlaying the substrate and a light reflective layer overlaying the light absorptive layer. A protective layer overlays the light reflective layer. The preferred embodiment is that of a writable compact disc (CD). The write and read lasers are of the laser diode type and operate in the infrared region between 775 and 800 nm.
Recording is accomplished by focusing an information (alphanumeric or image) modified laser beam on the azo dye recording layer. The result causes a pattern of change in the specular reflectivity of the element. This pattern constitutes the recorded information. This pattern, when scanned by the read laser, is seen as a pattern of reflectivity modulation that is converted back into the recorded information by playback electronics. For the preferred CD format, the element is written with a diode laser emitting between 775 and 800 nm and read with a diode laser emitting between 775 and 800 nm. With the CD format it is preferred that the metallized azo dye be selected so that the real part of the complex refractive index (N) of the unwritten light absorptive layer measured with 788 nm light source is not less than 1.8 and the imaginary part (k) is not greater than 0.15.
The substrate may be any transparent material that satisfies the mechanical and optical requirements. Generally the substrate is pregrooved with groove depths from 20 nm to 250 nm, groove widths 0.2 to 1 μm and a pitch of 1 to 2 μm. The preferred material is polycarbonate. Other useful materials include glass, polymethylmethacrylate and other suitable polymeric materials.
The preparation of the optical recording element of the invention is achieved by spin coating of the dye mixture by itself, or with other addenda from a suitable solvent onto a transparent substrate. For coating, the dye mixture with or without addenda is dissolved in a suitable solvent so that the dye is 20 or less parts by weight to 100 parts of solvent by volume. The dye recording layer of the element is then overcoated with a metal reflective layer under reduced pressure by resistive heating or a sputter method and finally overcoated with a protective resin.
Coating solvents for the dye recording layer are selected to minimize their effect on the substrate. Useful solvents include as alcohols, ethers, hydrocarbons, hydrocarbon halides, cellosolves, ketones. Examples of solvents are methanol, ethanol, propanol, pentanol, 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropanol, tetrachloroethane, dichloromethane, diethyl ether, dipropyl ether, dibutyl ether, methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve, 1-methyl-2-propanol, methy ethyl ketone, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone, hexane, cyclohexane, ethylcyclohexane, octane, benzene, toluene, and xylene. Other less desirable solvents include water and dimethylsulfoxide. Preferred solvents are hydrocarbon solvents and alcohol solvents since they have the least effect on the preferred polycarbonate substrates. Mixtures of solvents can also be used.
The reflective layer can be any of the metals conventionally used for reflective layer in optical recording layers. Useful metals can be vacuum evaporated or sputtered and include gold, silver, aluminum, copper and alloys of such metals thereof.
The protective layer over the reflective layer is similarly conventional for this art. Useful materials include UV curable acrylates. For more information on protective layers see James C. Fleming's Optical Recording in Organic Media: Thickness Effects, Journal of Imaging Science, Vol. 33, No. 3, May/June 1989, pages 65-68.
The element of the invention can have prerecorded ROM areas as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,618. The surface of the substrate can have a separate heat deformable layer as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,388. Other patents relating to recordable CD type elements are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,009,818; 5,080,946; 5,090,009; 4,577,291; 5,075,147; and 5,079,135.
The following examples demonstrate the utility of the dyes of the invention in optical recording elements.
EXAMPLES 1-6
A polycarbonate disc substrate having a thickness of 1.2 mm, an outer diameter of 120 mm and an inner diameter of 15 mm with a spiral groove on its surface with a width of 0.4 um, and a depth of 0.08 um and a pitch of 1.6 um, was made by injection molding.
To form the light absorptive layer 1.0 part by weight of a Table 2 dye mixture (2, 3, 4 and 6) or a Table 1 dye alone (1 and 5) was dissolved with stirring at room temperature in 1 hour with 40 parts of 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropanol by volume. Then the solution was filtered through a 0.2 u filter. The solution was coated on the surface of the substrate by spin coating to an overall optical density as shown in Table 3 at 671 nm. It was dried at 80° C. for 15 minutes.
Then a gold reflective layer was deposited by resistive heating on the entire surface of the disc to about 1200 A thickness. A lacquer (DAICURE FD-17™ from Dainippon Inc. Chemical) was applied by spin coating onto the gold layer to a thickness of 7 to 11 um. It was UV cured with an `H` bulb using a fusion system cure at 3000 W/2.5 cm power for 15 seconds.
To test the optical disc thus obtained a test system consisting of an optical head with a 788 nm laser, a 0.5 NA lens, phase tracking, and 1/2 aperture focusing was used. The optics used circularly polarized light to reduce laser feedback effects. Recording and play back were carried out with the same laser at 5.6 m/s rotational speed. The read power was kept at 0.6 mW. Single frequency was recorded with a 3.5 micron mark length at 14 mW write power, through 30 Kz filter, forming marks of lower reflectivity than the unmarked area when examined with a light source emitting at 788 nm light. When the marks were read with the read laser, for these dye mixtures CNRs (carrier to noise ratio) as shown in Table 3 were obtained.
The improved performance with the mixtures of table 2 is shown in Table 3 by comparing the CNR-s (Carrier to Noise Ratios) produced on recording at 14 mW write power with Table 1 dyes by themselves and with the mixtures of Table 2. The CNR-s for each of the Table 2 mixtures recording layers was higher than the recording layers prepared with a Table 1 dye alone.
TABLE 3__________________________________________________________________________ Table 2 Table 1 Added % Groove CNR (dB)Ex. Mixture Dye Dye Optical Reflectance 14 MWNo. No. No. No. Density Index 788 nm 5.6 m/s 788 nm__________________________________________________________________________1 0 14 None 1.35 2.2-0.021 69 272 1 14 B-1 0.88 2.3-0.05i 67 593 4 14 B-4 1.03 2.2-0.05i 68 614 5 14 B-5 1.42 2.3-0.05i 75 605 0 5 None 1.67 2.1-0.02i 71 156 8 5 B-1 0.91 2.3-0.05i 72 55__________________________________________________________________________
In the following examples 7-20 the same disk substrate solvent, solution concentration, filter, spin coater, drying conditions, gold deposition process, lacquer layer application and testing procedure was used as in examples 1-6.
EXAMPLE 7
The dye mixture consisted of 0.9 part of dye 14 and 0.1 part of dye B-3. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.37 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 42 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 8
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 8 and 0.2 part of dye B-1. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 0.97 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 55 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 9
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 23 and 0.2 part of dye B-1. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.4 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 66 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 10
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 12 and 0.2 part of dye B-1. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.1 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 55 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 11
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 26 and 0.2 part of dye B-1. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.37 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 65 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 12
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 27 and 0.2 part of dye B-1. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.47 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 62 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 13
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 28 and 0.2 part of dye B-1. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.34 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 57 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 14
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 29 and 0.2 part of dye B-1. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.27 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 52 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 15
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 28 and 0.2 part of dye B-1. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.42 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 56 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 16
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 34 and 0.2 part of dye B-1. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.37 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 65 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 17
The dye mixture consisted of 0.5 part of dye 14 and 0.5 part of dye B-6. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.34 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 61 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
EXAMPLE 18
The dye mixture consisted of 0.8 part of dye 14 and 0.2 part of dye B-6. The dye was coated on the grooved surface of the substrate to an overall optical density of 1.47 at 671 nm. When writing with 14 mW write power a 60 dB CNR was obtained on reading.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A dye mixture is disclosed. The mixture is useful in recording layers of optical recording elements. The mixture has:
a) a real index of refraction of at least 1.8 in the 780 to 790 nm region of the spectra;
b) an imaginary index (k) between 0.3 and 0.02 in the 780 to 790 nm region of the spectra;
c) a metallized azo dye comprising an azo group linking a substituted 3-hydroxy-pyridine nucleus to a phenyl nucleus wherein the phenyl nucleus has an alkoxy or thioether substituent at its 2-position; and
d) at least a second dye.
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RELATED APPLICATION DATA
The present invention claims priority to Japanese Patent Document No. P2000-298902 filed on Sep. 29, 2000. The above referenced Japanese Patent Document is incorporated by reference to the extent permitted by law.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrochemical device and a method for the preparation thereof.
Since the time of Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, fossil fuels, such as gasoline, kerosene, coal, or the like, have been used not only as an energy source for vehicles, but also as an energy source for power generation. Fossil fuels have allowed the human race to enjoy many benefits such as a higher standard of living, advances in industrial development, and the like. However, continued use of fossil fuels risks severe environmental destruction. Furthermore, there exists fear and uncertainty over the possibility of the depletion of fossil fuel sources, so much so that the stable supply of fossil fuels over the long term is in question.
Hydrogen is contained in water and exists abundantly on the earth, and since it has a large chemical energy contained per unit weight and, in use as an energy source, does not emit noxious gases or gases possibly contributing to global warming, it is desirable as an energy source, one which is clean and moreover plentiful in supply.
Research advances relating to a fuel cell, capable of recovering electrical energy from hydrogen continue to be developed. In this regard, expectations are high for the application of fuel cells to large scale power generation, on-site self-generation of power, a power source for an electric vehicle, or the like.
Typically, an electrical energy generating device for gathering electrical energy from hydrogen (i.e., a fuel cell) can include a hydrogen electrode, fed with hydrogen, and an oxygen electrode, fed with oxygen. Hydrogen fed to the hydrogen electrode is dissociated into a proton and electrons, by a catalytic action, with the electrons being collected by a current collector of the hydrogen electrode. The proton is transported towards the oxygen electrode. The electrons fed to the hydrogen electrode are transported through a load to the oxygen electrode. Meanwhile, oxygen fed to the oxygen electrode is bound to the proton and to the electrons, transported from the hydrogen electrode, to generate water. Thus, an electromotive force is produced between the hydrogen and oxygen electrodes thereby causing current to flow in the load.
In order to produce an electromotive force across the hydrogen and oxygen electrodes, hydrogen needs to be dissociated into the proton and electrons on the hydrogen electrode, while the proton, electrons and oxygen must react on the oxygen electrode to yield water. Thus, a catalytic layer for promoting dissociation of the proton and the electrons of hydrogen is needed in the hydrogen electrode, while a catalytic layer for promoting the linkage of the proton, electrons and oxygen is needed in the oxygen electrode.
The catalytic layers bring about the aforementioned action by contacting with hydrogen in the hydrogen electrode, and by contacting with oxygen in the oxygen electrode. Thus, in order for the catalytic layers to operate effectively, the catalyst contained in the catalytic layer needs to contact efficiently with hydrogen or oxygen. Thus, if the contact efficiency between the catalyst contained in the catalytic layer and the hydrogen or oxygen is low, the catalytic action achieved is insufficient in comparison with the amount of the catalyst used.
The aforementioned problem concerning energy inefficiency occurs not only in the hydrogen or oxygen electrodes of a typical fuel cell, but also in a gas diffusion electrode used in other typical electrochemical devices, such as an air cell, or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An advantage of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an electrochemical device in which the catalyst and the feed gas may contact effectively with each other in order to elevate or enhance energy efficiency.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides an electrochemical device having a high catalyst utilization efficiency including a gas diffusion electrode formed of a carbonaceous (i.e. formed primarily of carbon) material and having a catalyst formed on at least a portion of the surface thereof defining a first surface region and a second surface region, and a proton conduction unit (i.e., an electrode film, an electrolyte film, or other suitable materials and structures thereof) provided in contact with the first surface region. Preferably, the amount of the catalyst formed on the first surface region is lesser than the amount of the catalytic layer formed on the second surface region. Thus, the catalyst utilization efficiency is increased appreciably, thereby rendering it possible to elevate the energy efficiency of the electrochemical device.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the amount of the catalyst deposited on the surface area of the carbonaceous material facing the proton conduction unit is smaller than the amount catalyst on the surface area of the carbonaceous material facing a flow channel for the feed gas. Thus, the amount of the catalyst contacting the proton conduction unit is effectively minimized, thereby enabling the total amount of the catalyst that is applied to the carbonaceous material to react more effectively with the gas diffusion electrode. Accordingly, an electrochemical device with improved energy efficiency is provided.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the electrochemical device is a fuel cell.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the electrochemical device is an air cell.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the carbonaceous material includes a number of aggregates of fiber-like carbon (i.e., a fibrous material composed of carbon).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the fiber-like carbon contains at least needle-like graphite (i.e., a graphite material having a fibrous structure composed of, for example, finely-sized fibers).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the fiber-like carbon contains at least carbon nano-tubes (i.e. a carbon material having a tubular structure, or other suitable structure).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the catalyst includes a material such as, platinum, platinum alloys, palladium, magnesium, titanium, manganese, lanthanum, vanadium, zirconium, nickel-lanthanum alloys, titanium-iron alloys, iridium, rhodium, gold, the like and combinations thereof.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for the preparation of an electrochemical device. Preferably, the method includes the steps of providing a sheet, or other suitable structure of a carbonaceous material, forming a catalytic layer upon a first portion of the sheet of carbonaceous material, and applying a proton conduction unit on a second portion of the surface sheet of carbonaceous material.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a carbonaceous material is provided in the form of a sheet, layer, thickness, film, the like or other suitable structure and a catalytic layer is formed, using a gas phase film-forming method, upon a portion of the carbonaceous material, while a proton conduction unit is bonded to a portion of the carbonaceous material. The portion of the sheet of carbonaceous material contacting the proton conduction unit is lesser in the amount of the catalyst deposited thereon than the portion not contacting the proton conduction unit, such that the section of the catalytic layer actually contacting the proton conduction unit is effectively minimized, thereby enabling the total amount of the catalyst and the feed gas to contact more effectively with each other in order to produce an electrochemical device improved in energy efficiency.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the carbonaceous material is fiber like carbon.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the carbonaceous material contains at least needle-like graphite.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the carbonaceous material contains at least carbon nano-tubes.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the step of providing the sheet of carbonaceous material includes the step of introducing the fiber-like carbon into a liquid suspension for filtration thereof to form the sheet of carbonaceous material.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the gas phase film-forming method is a sputtering method.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the gas phase film-forming method is a vacuum vapor deposition method.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the gas phase film-forming method is a pulse laser deposition method.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a sheet of a carbon-based material is applied to the sheet of carbonaceous material.
In an embodiment, the carbon-based material can be different than, substantially similar to, or identical to the sheet of carbonaceous material
In an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to improve the mechanical strength of the carbonaceous material in a sheet or other suitable form.
According to the present invention, in which the gas diffusion electrode is formed by a number of aggregates of fiber-like carbon, and the portion of the fiber-like carbon covered by the proton conduction unit is covered with the catalyst in a lesser amount than the exposed portion of the fiber-like carbon, the catalyst utilization efficiency may be improved appreciably to improve the energy efficiency of the electrochemical device.
In another embodiment, an electrochemical device can include a gas diffusion electrode having a carbonaceous material that has a catalytic layer formed on at least a portion thereof and a proton conduction unit contacting the gas diffusion electrode such that at least a portion of the carbonaceous material is embedded within the proton conduction unit, wherein the amount of the catalytic layer is lesser in the embedded portion than in a portion of the carbonaceous material that is not embedded within the proton conduction unit.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description of the Invention and the Figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a structure of a fuel cell in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional illustration of an interface between a proton conduction unit and at least one of an oxygen electrode and a hydrogen electrode in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration a structure of an air cell in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a structure of a fuel cell in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In general, the fuel cell includes an oxygen electrode 1 , a hydrogen electrode 2 serving as a fuel electrode, and a proton conduction unit 3 composed of an electrolyte film, electrode film, or other suitable material or structure thereof, the proton conduction unit being sandwiched between the oxygen electrode 1 and the hydrogen electrode 2 . Preferably, the oxygen electrode 1 is formed by an electrode substrate 4 , formed of a fiber-like carbon aggregate, and a catalytic layer 5 formed on its surface. Preferably, the hydrogen electrode 2 is formed by an electrode substrate 7 , formed of a fiber-like carbon aggregate, and a catalytic layer 6 formed on its surface. In an embodiment, the catalytic layers 5 , 6 may be formed of a material such as, platinum, platinum alloys, palladium, magnesium, titanium, manganese, lanthanum, vanadium, zirconium, nickel-lanthanum alloys, titanium-iron alloys, iridium, rhodium, gold, the like and combinations thereof. Of the aforementioned materials, platinum and platinum alloys are preferred.
In an embodiment, a cathode lead 8 is derived from the electrode substrate 4 of the oxygen electrode 1 , while an anode lead 9 is derived from the electrode substrate 7 of the hydrogen electrode 2 . The cathode lead 8 and the anode lead 9 are connected to a load (not shown). On the oxygen electrode 1 , air 10 is supplied from an inlet 11 to a flow channel 12 so as to be discharged at an exit port 13 , whereas, on the hydrogen electrode 2 , hydrogen 15 supplied from a hydrogen supply source 14 is supplied via an inlet 16 to a flow channel 17 so as to be discharged at an exit port 18 .
In an embodiment, hydrogen 15 supplied from the inlet 16 to the flow channel 17 flows through the electrode substrate 7 to reach the catalytic layer 6 and is dissociated by the catalytic action into a proton and electrons. The electrons migrate through the electrode substrate 7 towards the anode lead 9 so as to be supplied to the load (not shown), while the proton migrates through the proton conduction unit 3 towards the oxygen electrode 1 . On the opposite side, oxygen 10 fed via inlet 11 to the flow channel 12 flows through the electrode substrate 4 to reach the catalytic layer 5 and is bound, by the catalytic action, with the proton supplied from the proton conduction unit 3 and with the electrons supplied from the load (not shown) via cathode lead 8 , to yield water. Thus, the fuel cell is able to produce the desirable electromotive force.
In an embodiment, the proton conduction unit 3 is composed of a film or other suitable material or structure that prevents permeation of hydrogen 15 and allows for transmission of the proton therethrough. Preferably, the material of the proton conduction unit 3 , is based on a carbonaceous material that forms a matrix structure, into which proton dissociating groups are introduced. “Proton dissociating groups” are functional groups from which a proton may be dissociated by electrical dissociation.
In an embodiment, the carbonaceous material of the proton conduction unit 3 , can include any suitable material primarily composed of carbon. However, it is necessary that, following introduction of the proton dissociating groups, the ion conductivity be higher than the electronic conductivity. The carbonaceous material that forms the matrix structure of the proton conduction unit can include, for example, carbon clusters, an aggregate of carbon atoms, a carbonaceous material containing carbon nano-tubes, other suitable materials or combinations thereof.
In an embodiment according to the present invention fullerenes, carbon clusters having fullerene structures exhibiting open ends on at least a portion thereof, or carbon clusters exhibiting diamond structures, are desirable. Of course, any suitable material exhibiting ionic conductivity higher than electronic conductivity following introduction of the proton dissociating groups may be used.
In an embodiment, as the carbonaceous material forming the matrix structure of the proton conduction unit 3 , fullerene is preferred. Preferably, a material derived from fullerene, into which are introduced proton dissociating groups, such as —OH, OSO 3 H, —COOH, —SO 3 H, —OPO(OH) 2 groups, the like and combinations thereof are used as the material for the proton conduction unit 3 .
In an embodiment, a material different from the carbonaceous material as previously discussed, for example, perfluorosulfonic acid resin or the like may be used as the material of the proton conduction unit 3 .
In an embodiment, the hydrogen supply source 14 may be a hydrogen tank, a hydrogen occlusive alloy, a carbonaceous hydrogen-occlusive material, or the like. The carbonaceous hydrogen-occlusive material can include, for example, fullerene, carbon nano-fibers, carbon nano-tubes, carbon soot, nano-capsules, buckyonions, carbon fibers, the like and combinations thereof.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional illustration of an interface between the proton conduction unit 3 and the oxygen electrode 1 or the hydrogen electrode 2 . In an embodiment, the electrode substrates 4 , 7 forming the oxygen electrode 1 and the hydrogen electrode 2 , respectively, are made up of a number of fiber-like carbons 30 , carrying a catalyst 31 on its surface. The fiber-like carbons 30 contacting the proton conduction unit 3 are partially embedded within the material of the proton conduction unit 3 . In the so embedded portions, the amount of the catalyst is lesser than that in the non-embedded portion. Preferably, the catalyst 31 is not formed in the embedded portions, although it is difficult, in practice, to eliminate the catalyst 31 completely from the embedded portions. Therefore, it is sufficient if the amount of the catalyst 31 be effectively minimized in the embedded portion.
In an embodiment, the oxygen electrode 1 or the hydrogen electrode 2 is formed by a plural number of aggregates of fiber-like carbon 30 , with the catalyst 31 being formed on their surfaces. Since the amount of the catalyst 31 formed is smaller in the portions of the fiber-like carbon 30 covered by the material of the proton conduction unit 3 than in the non-embedded portions, the catalyst utilization efficiency is high. Thus, the portions of the fiber-like carbon 30 not covered by the proton conduction unit 3 are not contacted with oxygen 10 nor with hydrogen 15 , such that if the catalyst 31 is formed on these portions, the role of the catalyst is not performed. Therefore, in an embodiment according to the present invention, the amount of the catalyst 31 formed in the embedded portion is effectively minimized, thereby increasing the utilization efficiency of the catalyst 31 and improving the energy generating efficiency of the fuel cell.
In an embodiment, a method is provided for preparing the oxygen electrode 1 and the hydrogen electrode 2 , a filter having a preset surface area and a liquid suspension containing fiber-like carbon. The fiber-like carbon may be enumerated by carbon nano-tubes, needle-like graphite, the like and combinations thereof. If carbon nano-tubes are selected as the fiber-like carbon, there is raised a difficulty in that, even though the carbon nano-tubes are extremely fine fiber-like material and hence are liable to be entangled together, gas permeability is lowered due to high density of the carbon nano-tubes. If the needle-like graphite, which is in the form of fibers thicker than the carbon nano-tubes, is selected as the fiber-like carbon, there is raised a difficulty in that the fibers are less liable to be entangled together, even though the gas permeability is sufficient. Therefore, in an embodiment, it is desirable that the fiber-like carbon to be mixed into the liquid suspension be a mixture at a preset ratio of the carbon nano-tubes and the needle-like graphite, the like and combinations thereof.
In an embodiment, the carbon nano-tubes are a tubular carbonaceous material having a diameter less than approximately a few nm, typically about 1.2 to about 1.7 nm, and may be of two known types, that is single-walled carbon nano-tubes, made up of a single-layer tube (SWCNT), and multi-walled carbon nano-tubes (MWCNT) having two or more concentric layers. There is no particular limitation to the length of the carbon nano-tubes, which may typically be about a few μm. The carbon nano-fibers are carbon nano-tubes having a particularly large diameter, with the diameter being typically about a few nm, with the giant carbon nano-fibers being of a diameter reaching about 1 μm. In an embodiment, “carbon nano-tubes” include carbon nano-fibers.
In an embodiment, the carbon nano-tubes may be generated by an arc discharge method employing a graphite rod.
In an embodiment the filter filters out the liquid suspension and collects the carbon nano-tubes, needle-like graphite, the like and combinations thereof. Preferably, a filter formed by glass fibers or the like is employed. In an embodiment, the liquid suspension is mixture containing water, alcohols, such as methanol or ethanol, toluene, and a trace mount of sodium hydroxide added thereto. Sodium hydroxide prevents flocculation of the carbon nano-tubes and the needle-like graphite.
In an embodiment the liquid suspension is filtered using the filter thereby depositing a mixture of the carbon nano-tubes and the needle-like graphite on the film surface. Since the carbon nano-tubes and the needle-like graphite are both of the fiber-like quality, the numerous carbon nano-tubes and the needle-like graphite become entangled together and unified on the fiber surface to form a sheet of carbonaceous material. In order to form the catalyst 31 effectively, the sheet of carbonaceous material is desirably as thin in thickness as possible insofar as the mechanical strength of the sheet itself is thereby not lowered. The aggregate of the sheet carbon nano-tubes and the needle-like graphite formed on the filter surface is peeled from the filter surface and introduced into a sputtering chamber.
In the sputtering chamber, the catalyst 31 is formed by the sputtering method on the aggregate of the sheet-like carbon nano-tubes. The catalyst may be formed of a material exemplified by platinum, platinum alloys, palladium, magnesium, titanium, manganese, lanthanum, vanadium, zirconium, nickel-lanthanum alloys, titanium-iron alloys, iridium, rhodium, gold, the like and combinations thereof. Of the aforementioned materials, platinum and platinum alloys are preferred.
Using the sputtering method, the catalyst 31 is formed only on the portion of the aggregate of the sheet of carbon nano-tubes exposed to the target. Thus, the portion of the aggregate of the sheet of carbon nano-tubes lying in the “shade” of sputtering is not coated with the catalyst 31 . The surface of the sheet facing the target in sputtering and the sheet surface opposite thereto are termed a “front surface” and a “rear surface” of the sheet, respectively.
The rear surface of the sheet is then coated with the same proton conducting material as that used in the proton conduction unit 3 . For example, if a material obtained on introducing a proton dissociating group —OH into fullerene (fullerenol) is used as the material of the proton conduction unit 3 , fullerenol is also used to coat the sheet. Thus, the oxygen electrode and the hydrogen electrode 2 are formed.
The proton conduction unit 3 is sandwiched by the rear surfaces of the oxygen electrode 1 and the hydrogen electrode 2 , and an inlet 11 , a flow channel 12 and an outlet 13 for air 10 are formed on same side as the oxygen electrode 1 , while an inlet 16 , a flow channel 17 and an outlet 18 for hydrogen 15 are formed on the same side as the hydrogen electrode 2 . Thus, a fuel cell in an embodiment according to the present invention is formed.
In an embodiment, the catalyst 31 is sputtered on the sheet surface, yet the catalyst 31 is substantially not deposited on the rear surface of the sheet. Thus, if the oxygen electrode 1 and the hydrogen electrode 2 are each formed by this sheet and the proton conduction unit 3 is sandwiched by the rear surfaces of these sheets to form the fuel cell, it is possible to reduce the amount of the catalyst 31 in the portion of the aggregate of fiber-like carbon 30 forming the oxygen electrode 1 and the hydrogen electrode 2 that is covered by the proton conduction unit 3 , thereby raising the utilization efficiency of the catalyst 31 and hence the energy producing efficiency of the fuel cell related to the amount of the catalyst 31 used.
FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration a structure of an air cell in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In general, the air cell includes an air electrode 21 , an anode 22 and an electrolyte 23 sandwiched between the air electrode 21 and the anode 22 . The air electrode 21 is formed by an electrode substrate, formed by an aggregates of fiber-like carbon and a catalytic layer formed on its surface. The anode 22 is formed by a zinc sheet approximately 100 μm in thickness. A cathode lead 24 is derived from the electrode substrate of the air electrode 21 , while an anode lead 25 is derived from the anode 22 , both leads 24 , 25 being connected to a load (not shown). The air electrode 21 , anode 22 and the electrolyte 23 are sandwiched by Teflon®, or the like, sheets 26 a , 26 b , about 3 mm in thickness, with the Teflon sheets 26 a , 26 b being secured together with bolts 27 a , 27 b . A number of air openings 28 are formed in the Teflon sheet 26 b for supplying air to the air electrode 21 . The air openings 28 are about 1.5 mm in diameter.
In an embodiment, the air cell is prepared by forming a catalytic layer, in accordance with the aforementioned methods, on the surface of the aggregates of fiber-like carbon to form the air electrode 21 . The reverse surface of the air electrode 21 is coated with a gelated aqueous solution of zinc chloride, as an electrolyte 23 , to a thickness of approximately 50 μm, and the anode 22 is bonded in position. Using the Teflon sheets 26 a , 26 b , both sides of the resulting unit are tightly clamped together and made fast with the bolts 27 a , 27 b . Thus, an air cell in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is formed.
In an embodiment, in the air cell, a reaction proceeds in the air electrode 21 and in the anode 22 and are indicated, respectively, by the formula (1) and by the formula (2):
O 2 +2H 2 O+4 e − →4OH − (1)
Zn+2OH − →Zn(OH) 2 +2 e − (2)
Thus, the reaction indicated by the formula (3) on the whole to produce the targeted electromotive force:
½O 2 +Zn+H 2 O→Zn(OH) 2 (3)
In the air cell of an embodiment, the amount of the catalyst formed is smaller in the portion of the fiber-like carbon covered by the electrolyte 23 than in the portion thereof not covered in this manner, thereby improving the catalyst utilization efficiency significantly. The result is that the air cell of the present invention can be improved in energy efficiency.
The present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments described herein and may be suitably modified without departing from its scope. For example, as described above, the sputtering method is used as a method for forming the catalyst on the surface of the sheet-like aggregate of fiber-like carbon. However, in an embodiment, the method of forming the catalyst on the surface of the sheet-like aggregate of fiber-like carbon is not limited to the sputtering method. Thus, other methods, such as other gas phase film-forming methods, for example, a vacuum vapor deposition method, a pulse laser deposition method, the like and combinations thereof may also be used.
As described above, the sheet of the aggregates of fiber-like carbon, carrying the catalyst, is directly used as the oxygen electrode 1 and the hydrogen electrode 2 . In an embodiment, a carbon sheet may be bonded to the sheet surface to form the oxygen electrode 1 or the hydrogen electrode 2 . Since the sheet of the aggregates of fiber-like carbon 30 is desirably as thin in thickness as possible, as described above, it may be feared that the physical strength of the sheet falls short. If a carbon sheet is bonded on the sheet surface, it may be possible to increase its strength. If the catalyst 31 is formed on the surface of the sheet of the aggregate of fiber-like carbon 30 by sputtering and filtration is then carried out using a liquid suspension containing the fiber-like carbon 30 , the aggregates of fiber-like carbon 30 may be further deposited on the sheet surface to form the oxygen electrode 1 and the hydrogen electrode 2 .
Moreover, as described above, the hydrogen gas is used as the fuel gas of the fuel cell. However, as the fuel gas, gases obtained on vaporizing methanol, for example, may be used in place of the hydrogen gas. For example, the reaction indicated by the formula (4):
CH 3 OH+H 2 O→CO 2 +6H + +6 e − (4)
and the reaction indicated by the formula (5):
6H + +{fraction (3/2)}O 2 +6 e − →3H 2 O (5)
proceed in the anode fed with the gas obtained on vaporizing methanol and in the oxygen electrode 1 (cathode) fed with air, respectively, so that, on the whole, the reaction indicated by the formula (6):
CH 3 OH+{fraction (3/2)}O 2 →CO 2 +2H 2 O (6)
proceeds to produce the targeted electromotive force.
It should be noted that, upon vaporizing methanol as the fuel gas, carbon dioxide is yielded, in addition to water.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the hereafter appended claims.
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An electrochemical device and a method for the preparation thereof, the electrochemical device having a high catalyst utilization efficiency including a gas diffusion electrode formed of a carbonaceous material and having a catalyst formed on at least a portion of its surface, and a proton conducting film provided in contact with one surface of the gas diffusion electrode, wherein the amount of the catalyst formed on the surface of the carbonaceous material contacting the proton conducting film is lesser in amount than on the surface of the carbonaceous material that is not contacting the proton conducting film, thereby appreciably increasing catalyst utilization efficiency and rendering it possible to elevate the energy efficiency of the electrochemical device.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a high-voltage winding for voltage transformers and, in particular, to a high-voltage winding equipped with several component coils of decreasing diameter which are connected in series and arranged one after the other along an axial direction and with a number of connecting elements each for connecting together respective adjacently arranged component coils.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In one known high-voltage winding of the above type, the connecting elements are formed by connecting bridges distributed around the circumferences of the component coils. In this winding, the component coils are, preferably, impregnated with an impregnating resin, and the connecting bridges are formed by the impregnating resin in the same operation. Moreover, in this winding, electrical connections for connecting respective adjacent component coils are disposed within the interiors of the connecting bridges.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-voltage winding of the above type which can be manufactured at a lower cost than presently known high-voltage windings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the above and other objectives are accomplished in a winding of the above type by forming each of the connecting elements of the winding as a metallic or metallized plastic cylindrical member provided with a slot for preventing the formation of a short-circuited turn and having a first portion which surrounds the one of its respective adjacent coils having the smaller diameter and a second portion which supports the one of its respective adjacent component coils having the larger diameter.
With the high-voltage winding of the invention configured as aforesaid, shielding rings which have heretofore been provided on the component coils at their outer and inner circumferences in order to obtain a uniform voltage distribution are no longer needed, as their function is now assumed by the cylindrical members. The aforesaid members, therefore, serve not only as mechanical connecting elements for the component coils, but also form at the same time capacitors, by means of which a uniform voltage distribution and a favorable resonance behavior of the winding can be achieved. In addition, these members can act, with appropriate design, to control the field in order to avoid regions of high electric field strength. Moreover, the lack of need for the use of separate shielding rings permits the winding of the invention to be produced at lesser cost than conventional windings requiring such shielding rings.
It is further advantageous in the high-voltage winding of the invention to metallically connect the coil ends of each adjacent pair of coils to the cylindrical member associated with such coils. In this manner, separate connecting lines need not be provided between adjacent pairs of component coils to connect the component coils electrically in series, as the respective cylindrical member associated with the coils is now also utilized for this purpose. As a result, a further reduction in the manufacturing cost of the winding is realized.
Each of the cylindrical members of the high-voltage winding of the invention can be configured as right circular cylinder, if the adjacent component coils associated with the cylindrical coils are such that the outer diameter of the component coil of smaller diameter is at most as large as the inner diameter of the component coil of larger diameter. In general, however, for the purpose of obtaining a low stray impedance and favorable utilization of the electric strength of the insulating gas, the outer diameter of each component coil of smaller diameter will be larger than the inner diameter of its adjacent component coil of larger diameter. In such case, each cylindrical member will generally be flared out along its first portion surrounding a component coil.
The component coils of the high-voltage winding of the invention can be constructed in a number of different ways. Thus, if the second portion of each of the cylindrical members is to be used as a coil form, each component coil can be wound on the second portion of its respective cylindrical member, while the first portion of the member surrounds the respective adjacent component coil of smaller diameter, when the individual component coils are assembled together to form the winding. In this case, the cylindrical members also function as a coil forms, so that the manufacturing costs are further reduced, due to the even farther-reaching multiple utilization of the members.
However, advantageously, the component coils of the high-voltage winding of the invention may also each be formed as a separate structural part or unit. In such case, the first portions of the cylindrical members can be fastened to their respective component coils by clamp connections and the second portions of the members can be pressed against the interiors of their respective component coils by expansion connections. Separate formation of the component coils may be advantageous particularly for manufacturing reasons.
More particularly, formation of a component coil as a separate structural unit can be realized in an advantageous manner by winding with each wire turn of circular wire, strips of insulating material in the form of a plastic foil with a width corresponding to the width of the component coil, where the thickness of the plastic foil is made such, in view of the diameter of the circular wire, that the ratio of diameter to thickness is more than 50. Such a component coil can be manufactured relatively easily, as the circular wire can be wound continuously together with the plastic foil. It is a further advantage of a component coil formed in the aforesaid manner that the plastic foil surrounds the individual turns of wire with a tight fit, so that there is no danger that the outermost turns of wire might slip out of the component coil.
Particularly in cases where the component coils are to be formed as separate or self-supporting units, it is advantageous to subject each component coil to a heat treatment. The shrinkage forces on the plastic foil generated by such treatment thus result in the formation of a compact, self-supporting coil.
To achieve a linear capacity distribution over the high-voltage winding of the invention, it is further advantageous to configure the component coils such that the coils of increased diameter have a decreased width. However, to realize the simplest possible fabrication of the winding of the invention, it appears more advantageous to employ component coils of equal winding cross section and to further provide the winding with an electrode which is supported by the component coil with the largest diameter and which is tapered downwardly toward or is flared outwardly from the component coil with the smallest diameter. Equal capacities are then obtained by shaping only this one electrode accordingly, while the individual component coils have the same winding cross section.
For manufacturing reasons, it may also be advantageous in some cases to again use component coils with equal winding cross section but to choose the axial length of the cylindrical members so that members whose first portions surround coils of increasing diameter having decreasing axial lengths. In this case, it is also advantageous to provide a cylindrical electrode which extends over almost the entire coil assembly and is supported by the component coil with the largest diameter. Moreover, in order to support the portion of the cylindrical members protruding beyond their respective component coils, simple disk supports which present fields of cylindrical symmetry may be used.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other features and aspects of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGS. 1-4 show cross section views of various embodiments of windings in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows in cross section a high-voltage winding 1 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The winding 1 comprises the component coils 2, 3, 4 and 5 of decreasing diameter which are arranged one after the other in the direction of the winding axis 6. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 1 in going from left to right along the winding axis 6, the diameters of the coils 2 to 5 are decreased in such a manner that each component coil has an outer diameter which is equal to the inner diameter of the preceding coil.
The aforesaid coils 2 to 5 are connected by right circular cylindrical members 7 to 9. More particularly, each cylindrical member 7 to 9 connects adjacent ones of the component coils 2 to 5 in such a manner that a first portion of each cylindrical member surrounds a coil of smaller diameter and a second portion of that cylindrical member carries or supports the adjacent coil of larger diameter. Thus, for example, the cylindrical member 8 has a first portion 11 which surrounds the component coil 4 and a second portion 10 which supports the larger diameter immediately adjacent component coil 3. Likewise, the cylindrical member 7 has a first portion 12 which surrounds the component coil 3 and a second portion 13 which supports the immediately adjacent larger diameter coil 2.
If the component coils 2 to 5 are to be manufactured as separate structural units or parts, then the cylindrical members 7 to 9 may be fastened to the insides of their respective component coils, for example, through expansion connections. Additionally, the cylindrical members may be connected to the outsides of their respective component coils by clamp connections. The cylinders 7 to 9, thus serve as connecting elements thereby permitting the realization of a self-supporting coil assembly.
To avoid the need to employ connecting leads between the component coils, the ends of adjacent coils can be metallically connected to the cylindrical member associated with such coils. Thus, as shown, the coils 2 and 3 are connected at the points 14 and 15 to their associated cylindrical member 7. In this manner, the component coils can be connected in series via the cylindrical members 7 to 9.
The component coil 5, which has the smallest diameter, is mounted on an additional cylindrical member 16, which is tied to ground potential. The component coil 2, which has the largest diameter supports an electrode 17 which extends over almost the entire axial length of the winding. In cooperation with the cylindrical members 7 to 9, the electrode 17 ensures that there is a largely uniform capacity distribution and, as a result, also a largely uniform surge voltage distribution over the length of the winding.
The embodiment of the high-voltage winding of the invention shown in cross section in FIG. 2 also comprises several component coils of decreasing diameter 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 which are mechanically connected to each other via cylindrical members 25, 26, 27 and 28. As the component coils 20 to 24 are not arranged so that the outer diameter surface of each coil is aligned with the inner diameter surface of the preceding coil of larger diameter, the first portions 29, 30, 31 and 32 of the cylindrical members are concially flared so as to be albe to surround, respectively, the component coils 21 to 24. In this embodiment the cylindrical members can also be fastened to the inner and outer diameter surfaces of their respective component coils by expansion and clamp connections, respectively. Also, in this case, cylindrical members 25 to 28 are utilized to electrically connect the individual component coils to each other, as the ends of the adjacent component coils associated with each cylindrical member are metallically connected to that member.
To obtain a capacity distribution as uniform as possible over the high-voltage winding, the component coil 20 of largest diameter supports a cylindrical electrode 33. If the winding is to be used in connection with a cascade transformer, a secondary or overcoupling winding can be arranged within the electrode 33. The component coil 24 with the smallest diameter is arranged on a further electrode 34, which is grounded.
In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the individual component coils of the high-voltage winding are formed as trapezoidal coils 40, 41, 42 and 43. These coils are connected to each other mechanically and electrically by slotted cylindrical members 44, 45 and 46, the cylindrical members being arranged in a similar manner as already discussed in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2. In order to obtain a particularly uniform capacity distribution, and, therefore, surge voltage distribution, the axial length of the cylindrical members 44 to 46 is reduced in going from cylindrical members surrounding coils of smaller diameter to cylindrical members surrounding coils of larger diameter. Thus, the cylindrical member 46 surrounding the coil of smallest diameter has the longest axial length and the cylindrical member 44 surrounding the coil of largest diameter has the shortest axial length. The cylindrical members 45 and 46 are supported by disk supports 48, shown only schematically, along portions 49 and 50 thereof which extend beyond the component coils, 41 and 42. In this embodiment, the cylindrical members 44 to 46 in conjunction with a cylindrical electrode 51 supported by the component coil 40 of the largest diameter, ensure that there is a particularly good equalization of the capacity and surge voltage distribution.
Another arrangement for obtaining particularly advantageous uniform capacity and surge voltage distributions is shown in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 4. In this arrangement, the component coils 60, 61, 62 and 63 are connected to each other mechanically and electrically via the cylindrical members 64 to 66 in the same manner as in the embodiment of FIG. 2, but provision is further made for an electrode 67. The latter is supported by the component coil 60 of largest diameter and can be flared outwardly from or tapered downwardly toward the component coil 63 of smallest diameter, in order to obtain a uniform voltage distribution.
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A high-voltage winding for use with voltage transformers wherein the winding is provided with a plurality of component coils of decreasing diameter arranged one after the other along an axial direction and with a number of connecting elements for connecting adjacent ones of the aforesaid coils, each of which connecting elements comprises a cylindrical member having a first portion which surrounds the one of its associated adjacent coils having the smaller diameter and a second portion for supporting the one of its associated adjacent coils having the larger diameter.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/365,409 filed on Jul. 22, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present disclosure is related to fluid handling systems for ultracentrifuges. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to a self-contained mobile work station that supports automated filling and fractionation of fluids to and from ultracentrifuges.
2. Description of Related Art
[0003] The processing of many fluid products by ultracentrifuge is performed in a sterile environment and/or an aseptic environment to protect the product and/or the manufacturing personnel from contamination. Such fluid products can include, but are not limited to, pharmaceutical products (e.g., medicines and vaccines), food products, biological products, biochemical products, chemical products, nanoparticles, viral particles, viral vectors, and any combinations thereof.
[0004] During such processing, it is known to fill the ultracentrifuge with the materials for processing and collection the fluid product during or after the processing. In some instances, the filling and/or collection can be performed during or after certain process steps and/or at certain time intervals. In other instances, the filling and/or collection can be performed after the processing is complete. Further, it is often necessary to clean and sterilize the flow paths in the system before and/or after processing, which can be accomplished by pumping certain fluids and/or gases through the system. The filling and/or collection and/or supply of cleaning fluids, as well as other fluid movement processes through the system, are individually and collectively referred to herein as “fluid handling”.
[0005] Importantly, the fluid handling is a critical activity and creates a potential risk of contaminating the product and/or the sample, as well as potentially exposing the operator to hazardous conditions.
[0006] Accordingly, it has been determined by the present disclosure that there is a need for systems and methods that can provide improved fluid handling.
SUMMARY
[0007] A fluid handling system is provided that self-contained mobile work station that supports automated filling and fractionation of fluids to and from ultracentrifuges and other vessels, containers, or processing devices.
[0008] In some embodiments, the system includes a plurality of pinch valves that allows for routing of fluid, pumps for flow and direction, an inline refractometer for fractionation/monitoring and disposable flow, pressure and temperature transducers for process monitoring.
[0009] In other embodiments, the system includes one or more preprogrammed control programs and/or includes modifiable control structures that allow for the creation of customized methods for automation of various flow sequences such as sanitization, rinsing, filling, fractionation and other custom methods. The system can be easily integrated with a customer's network and/or industrial controllers (e.g., programmable logic controllers or PLC's) and can utilize upstream and downstream inputs and outputs via a software interface such as, but not limited to, Open Platform Communications (OPC).
[0010] A fluid handling system is provided that includes a controller, a plurality of valves, a pump, and an interface in communication with the controller. The valves can be operatively connected with a conduit to along a flow path. Each of the valves is controlled by the controller for selective movement between a first position and a second position. The first position closes the flow path, while the second position opens the flow path. The pump can be operatively connected with the conduit and the is controlled by the controller for selective pumping of fluid through the flow path. The interface allows selective definition of the flow path through the valves.
[0011] In some embodiments, the fluid handling system is a self-contained workstation.
[0012] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the conduit is flexible conduit, the valves are pinch valves, and the pump is a peristaltic pump. The pinch valves and the peristaltic pump are configured for operative connection to the flexible conduit.
[0013] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the fluid handling system further includes a sensor selected from the group consisting of a flow sensor, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor, a refractometer, and any combinations thereof, wherein the interface is configured to selectively define the flow path through the sensor.
[0014] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the fluid handling system further includes a refractometer controlled by the controller, the refractometer is an inline device that measures the state of the fluid through a transparent portion of the conduit, wherein the interface is configured to selectively define the flow path through the refractometer.
[0015] In some embodiments, the state of the fluid measured by the refractometer is an index of refraction and/or a temperature.
[0016] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the fluid handling system further includes at least one additional device controlled by the controller, the at least one additional device being selected from the group consisting of a pressure sensor, a flow transducer, a scale, and any combinations thereof, wherein the interface is configured to selectively define the flow path through the at least one additional device.
[0017] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the controller is a programmable logic controller (PLC).
[0018] In some embodiments, the interface is configured to allow visual programing of the PLC.
[0019] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the valves each include a light. The light is controlled by the controller to provide a visual indication of a state of each valve of the plurality of valves. The state is selected from the group consisting of whether the fluid path is open or closed, whether the conduit is to be installed in a particular valve, and combinations thereof.
[0020] A pinch valve for opening and closing a fluid path in a conduit is also provided. The pinch valve includes a solenoid, a pinch valve head, and a light. The solenoid is moveable between a first position and a second position. The pinch valve head is operatively connected to the solenoid and configured to be operatively connected to the conduit so that that movement of the solenoid to the first position causes the pinch valve head to pinch the conduit closing the fluid path and so that movement of the solenoid to the second position causes the pinch valve head to release the conduit opening the fluid path. The light is secured to the pinch valve head to provide a visual indication of a state of the pinch valve. The state is selected from the group consisting of whether the fluid path is open or closed, whether the conduit is to be installed in the pinch valve head, and combinations thereof.
[0021] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the solenoid is selected from the group consisting of an electro-mechanical solenoid, a pneumatic solenoid, and any combinations thereof.
[0022] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the solenoid includes a first portion configured to be housed in a workstation and a second portion configured to extend from the workstation, the pinch valve head being operatively connected to the second portion.
[0023] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the pinch valve further includes a first seal configured to seal the solenoid to the workstation.
[0024] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the light is a light emitting diode (LED).
[0025] In other embodiments alone or with one or more of the aforementioned or later mentioned embodiments, the light includes a cover secured to the pinch valve head by a second seal.
[0026] The above-described and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, drawings, and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a fluid handling system according to the present disclosure in use with an ultracentrifuge;
[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of a system architecture of the fluid handling system of FIG. 1 ;
[0029] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fluid handling system of FIG. 1 ;
[0030] FIG. 4 is a magnified view of the fluid handling system of FIG. 1 ;
[0031] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a pinch valve according to the present disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 6 is a schematic depiction of program interface illustrating a pre-programmed mode of operation;
[0033] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method programming interface process;
[0034] FIG. 8 is a schematic depiction of program interface illustrating the method programming mode of operation;
[0035] FIG. 9 is a schematic depiction of program interface illustrating the method programming mode of operation; and
[0036] FIG. 10 is a schematic depiction of a state editing mode of operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0037] Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a fluid handling system according to the present disclosure is shown and is generally referred to by reference numeral 10 .
[0038] Advantageously and as described in more detail herein, system 10 supports a plurality of pinch valves for routing of fluid, pumps for flow and direction, an inline refractometer for fractionation/monitoring and disposable flow, pressure and temperature transducers for process monitoring. System 10 includes software that includes pre-programmed operations and allows for the creation of customized methods for automation of various flow sequences such as sanitization, rinsing, filling, fractionation and other custom methods. Moreover, system 10 is configured to integrate with the customer's network and can utilize upstream and downstream inputs and outputs via OPC.
[0039] System 10 is illustrated in use with an ultracentrifuge 12 , which includes a control cabinet 14 and a rotor/tank system 16 . System 10 is self-contained workstation 18 that supports automated filling and fractionation of fluids to and from ultracentrifuge 12 by, for example, communicating with control cabinet 14 of the ultracentrifuge 12 . It should be recognized that system 10 is illustrated by way of example only in use with ultracentrifuge 12 . Of course, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for system 10 to find use with any vessels, containers, or processing devices.
[0040] Workstation 18 is compact and, preferably, configured to be mobile and/or configured for use in an industrial cleanroom environment. For example, workstation 18 can be made of stainless steel 303/304 and can be configured to meet or exceed standards such as, but not limited to, NEMA 4× an IP65. Workstation 18 can, in some embodiments, allow the position of the front panel to be adjusted with respect to the support legs. Thus, system 10 via the configuration of workstation 18 provides an ergonomic and compact design to fit even in a small clean room and to be able to pass through a commonly used egress doorway as small as 32 inches, is configured to easy cleaning by, for example, hand wiping, and provides all controls sufficient for activation via personnel wearing personal protective equipment (e.g., two Latex/Nitrile gloves).
[0041] Thus, system 10 includes a computer 20 for communicating with ultracentrifuge 12 and/or any other customer network 22 in a wired and/or wireless manner.
[0042] Systems 10 includes, resident on workstation 18 , computer 20 in communication with a programmable logic controller (PLC) 24 . Computer 20 includes an OPC communication software 26 resident thereon for wired and/or wireless communication with customer network 22 , PLC 24 , and one or more human-machine-interface (HMI) 28 . HMI 28 can be any interface such as, but not limited to, a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, printer, display screen, speaker, notification device (e.g., lights, alarm, etc.), tablet, laptop, buttons, or any other interface.
[0043] Additionally, computer 20 includes a fluid handling control software interface 30 resident thereon, which advantageously allows the operator to control PLC 24 to operate one or more devices 32 in a pre-programmed mode of operation, program system 10 using method programming process, operate system 10 using a state editing mode of operation, and any combinations thereof, which will be described in more detail below. Devices 32 can include sensors, pumps, valves, lights, data collection, and others.
[0044] System 10 is illustrated in FIG. 2 by way of example having specific communication protocols (e.g., Ethernet, USB, etc.) among computer 20 , customer network 22 , PLC 24 , HMI 28 , and devices 32 . Of course, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for system 10 to communicate among the various components in any desired manner.
[0045] System 10 , by separating the control of devices 32 via PLC 24 from the communication with HMI 28 via computer 20 allows for redundancy within the system. For example, failure of HMI 28 during use will not cause failure or ceasing of operations by computer 20 or workstation 14 . Rather, a user can simply access computer 20 and PLC 24 via connection of another HMI.
[0046] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4 , system 10 will be described in more detail.
[0047] System 10 is configured to fluidly communicate with ultracentrifuge 12 via conduit 40 . Conduit 40 can be disposable, reusable, and combinations thereof. System 10 includes, as one or more of devices 32 , an array of pinch valves 42 controlled by PLC 24 to selectively open and close conduit 40 . Here, conduit 40 at least in the portions acted upon by valves 42 is configured as resilient tubing. In the illustrated embodiment, system 10 includes thirteen normally closed pinch valves 42 , but of course it is contemplated by the present disclosure for system 10 to support any desired number or configuration of valves.
[0048] System 10 further includes, as one or more of devices 32 , a pump 44 controlled by PLC 24 to pump fluid through conduit 40 . In some embodiments, pump 44 can be a peristaltic pump that acts on conduit 40 in a known manner. In this embodiment, conduit 40 at least in the portions acted upon by pump 44 is configured as resilient tubing.
[0049] System 10 further includes, as one or more of devices 32 , a refractometer 46 controlled by PLC 24 to detect a state of fluid in conduit 40 . In some embodiments, refractometer 46 can be an inline device that senses the state of fluid in conduit 40 . Conduit 40 can be configured, at least in the region of refractometer 46 , to have transparency sufficient for measurement of the fluid. The state of fluid measured by refractometer 46 can include, but is not limited to, index of refraction and temperature.
[0050] System 10 further includes, as one or more of devices 32 , one or more of a pressure sensor 48 , a flow transducer 50 , and a scale 52 controlled by PLC 24 to detect a state of fluid in conduit 40 .
[0051] Of course, it should be recognized that devices 32 are described above as by way of example. However, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for system 10 to have any desired number or configuration of devices 32 controlled by PLC 24 as necessary for the particular use of the system.
[0052] Accordingly, system 10 is configured for control of flow when loading rotor 16 with, for example, water for injection (WFI), gradient materials, analyte materials, process materials, sampling and/or unloading of the rotor materials during fraction collection, and others. In this manner, system 10 can be easily configured to allow the user to fill collection devices 54 in communication with conduit 40 such as, but not limited to, reservoirs, jars, bottles, bags, and the like.
[0053] System 10 can load collection devices 54 according to variables such as, but not limited to, refractive index, volume, mass, time, a particular event or detected state of control cabinet 14 , rotor 16 , system 10 , fluid in conduit 40 , and others.
[0054] In this manner, system 10 , having computer 20 resident thereon, operates independent from, but in communicating with ultracentrifuge 12 or a plurality of centrifuges.
[0055] However, it is also contemplated by the present disclosure for system 10 to operate dependently with ultracentrifuge 12 . For example and referring again to FIG. 2 , it is contemplated by the present disclosure for computer 20 and OPC communication software 26 resident thereon to be present in control cabinet 14 of ultracentrifuge 12 instead of workstation 18 . In this embodiment, computer 20 can be in wired and/or wireless communication with PLC 24 of workstation 18 .
[0056] The construction and operation of each of the valves 42 is described in more detail with respect to FIG. 5 .
[0057] Valve 42 includes a solenoid 60 controlled by PLC 24 . Solenoid 60 can be an electro-mechanical solenoid, a pneumatic solenoid, or others. Solenoid 60 is housed partially within workstation 18 and extends through one or more openings 62 in the workstation for operative coupling with conduit 40 .
[0058] Valve 42 further includes a pinch valve head 64 positioned outside of workstation 18 and operatively connected to solenoid 62 so that movement of the solenoid by PLC 24 causes the head to pinch conduit 40 to close the fluid path in a first position or to release the conduit to open the fluid path in a second position. Openings 62 in workstation 18 are sealed or otherwise closed by head 64 and, in some embodiments, first seal 66 .
[0059] In embodiments where conduit 40 is disposable, the conduit is preferred to be made entirely of a soft resilient tubing. However, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for conduit 40 , even when disposable, to have one or more sections formed of rigid tubing—with the portions of the conduit at valves 42 and/or pump 44 having sufficient flexibility and resiliency to function in the intended manner. Moreover, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for conduit 40 to be rigid tubing with in communication with valves 42 , which can be any non-pinch valve design configured for operation by solenoid 60 such as, but not limited to ball valves, needle valves, cup valves, and the like.
[0060] Valve 42 can further include one or more lights 68 (only one shown) in communication with PLC 24 . Light 68 can be a light emitting diode (LED) or any other light device. Light 68 can include a cover or protective lens 70 secured to head 64 by a second seal 72 . Light 68 can be controlled to provide a visual indication as to when the valve is open or closed.
[0061] For example, light 68 can be controlled to be on (i.e., illuminate) when valve 42 is in the first position and can be controlled to be off (i.e., not illuminated) when the valve is in the second position. Of course, this operation can be reversed in some embodiments.
[0062] In other embodiments, light 68 can illuminate in two different colors representative of the first and second positions, respectively. In still other embodiments, light 68 can include two different lighting elements that illuminate in different colors representative of the first and second positions, respectively.
[0063] It should be recognized that valve 42 is described as using light 68 to indicate only first and second positions of the valve, namely where the on and off state of the light corresponds to the open and closed states of the valve. Of course, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for valve 42 to be configured so that light 68 illuminates proportionally with respect to the state of the valve, namely with an intensity or number of lights corresponding the proportion of openness of the valve.
[0064] In some embodiments, light 68 can be controlled directly by the position of solenoid 60 , while in other embodiments the light can be controlled by PLC 24 .
[0065] In this manner, system 10 is configured to provide the user with a visual indication—viewable from a distance such as from outside the clean room— of the flow path through the system during use.
[0066] Additionally, and in some embodiments where it is necessary to install disposable conduit 40 , system 10 can be controlled to illuminate the valves 42 into which the conduit is to be installed. Furthermore, PLC 24 can be controlled so that the view of the flow path on HMI 28 mirrors that of lights 68 .
[0067] In some embodiments, head 64 includes a conduit receiving opening 74 into which conduit 40 can be removably received.
[0068] System 10 can be configured to operate in a pre-programmed or main mode 80 , which is illustrated with reference to FIG. 6 . Here, system 10 can include one or more pre-programmed control schemes resident on computer 20 and/or PLC 24 . In the illustrated example, a user can select—via HMI 28 —the use of pre-programmed mode 80 and once selected can select a particular program 82 shown as a “load buffer/gradient” program from among a plurality of different the pre-programmed control schemes.
[0069] In response, to selection of program 82 , HMI 28 can illustrate to the user the operation of system 10 and PLC 24 can control devices 32 according to the program. When lights 68 are present, PLC 24 can also provide the visual indication of the state of valves 42 .
[0070] In this way, the normal operation of system 10 can be selected by the user during the pre-programmed mode 80 . Here, the user can, for example, enter via HMI 28 unique batch identifying information, which system 10 can compare to information present on customer network 22 related to the batch, and can either load program 82 based on information from the customer network or allow the operator to continue upon verification of proper batch information. Once the desired program 82 has been selected and commenced, system 10 can—where installation of conduit 40 is required—will open valves 42 and/or light lights 68 to prompt the operator to install the conduit. After confirmation of proper setup, system 10 as controlled by PLC 24 will control devices 32 according to program 82 .
[0071] System 10 can also be configured to operate in a method programming mode 84 , which is illustrated with reference to FIGS. 7-9 . Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it has been determined by the present disclosure that the language necessary for PLC 24 to operate devices 32 can be difficult to understand and/or program. Thus, method programming mode 84 advantageously provides a way for the operator to program PLC 24 using software 26 resident on computer 20 and, not, via the PLC language. Mode 84 provides a visual method of programming tasks into system 10 .
[0072] Here, the method editor of programming mode 84 allows the user to list sequential operations or steps of a particular desired program 86 . This is a dynamic method editor the user can change, and is not hard coded so that the operator can define the control steps of devices 32 . Programming mode 84 allows the operator to create, edit and disable programs 86 . While working on a method, system 10 allows the operator to add, insert, delete or reorder the steps 88 of program 86 while providing a visual indication via HMI 28 of the various device 32 and their states of operation. Upon completion of programming mode 84 , computer 20 will store the program 86 and control PLC 24 to execute the program to control devices 32 as desired.
[0073] System 10 can also be configured to operate in a state editing mode 90 , which is illustrated with reference to FIG. 10 . Here, the operator can select the state editing mode 90 from the main sequence editor ( FIG. 6 ). Here, any programs 82 that were selected or programs 86 that were designed can be manually overridden by the operator. For example, FIG. 10 illustrates manual overrides via state editing mode 90 of pump 44 . Although illustrated with respect to pump 44 , it is contemplated by the present disclosure for editing mode 90 to find use with the control of any device 32 within system 10 .
[0074] It should also be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “upper”, “lower”, and the like may be used herein to modify various elements. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.
[0075] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, 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 present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the present invention.
[0000]
PARTS LIST
system 10
ultracentrifuge 12
control cabinet 14
rotor/tank system 16
self-contained workstation 18
computer 20
customer network 22
programmable logic controller (PLC) 24
communication software 26
human-machine-interface (HMI) 28
fluid handling control software interface 30
devices 32
conduit 40
pinch valves 42
pump 44
refractometer 46
pressure sensor 48
flow transducer 50
scale 52
collection devices 54
solenoid 60
openings 62
pinch valve head 64
first seal 66
light 68
cover or protective lens 70
second seal 72
conduit opening 74
pre-programmed or main mode 80
particular program 82
method programming mode 84
particular desired program 86
steps 88
state editing mode 90
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A fluid handling system is provided that includes a controller, a plurality of valves, a pump, and an interface in communication with the controller. The valves can be operatively connected with a conduit to along a flow path. Each of the valves is controlled by the controller for selective movement between a first position and a second position. The first position closes the flow path, while the second position opens the flow path. The pump can be operatively connected with the conduit and the is controlled by the controller for selective pumping of fluid through the flow path. The interface allows selective definition of the flow path through the valves.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the structure of a nickel-plated metal terminal of an electrical connector which is spot-welded to an electrical conductor.
In general, the metal terminals of an electrical connector are plated with gold, silver, tin or nickel to prevent an increase in contact resistance caused, for instance, by corrosion. However, the relationship between the plating material and the spot welding operation have not been sufficiently understood.
It has, however, been found that, among the plating materials, nickel greatly affects spot welding conditions. More specifically it has been determined that spot welding conditions change with changes in the thickness of the nickel plating. This may give rise to defective welds represented by insufficient weld depth and cracking.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to eliminate the above-described difficulties accompanying a conventional spot-welding of a nickel-plated metal terminal.
The foregoing object and other objects of the invention as will be apparent from the following description of the invention, have been achieved by the provision of a metal terminal to be spot welded which is first plated with nickel and then plated with gold, tin or silver, and which has the part thereof to be spot welded to a metal part not plated with nickel.
The nature, principle and utility of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawing:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first example of a spot welding nickel-plated metal terminal according to this invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the metal terminals spot-welded to the conductors of a flat cable;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a sectional view, respectively, showing a second example of the metal terminal according to the invention; and
FIGS. 5 and 6 are a perspective view and a sectional view, respectively, showing a third example of the metal terminal according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A first example of a spot welding nickel-plated metal terminal according to this invention is as shown in FIG. 1. The flat metal terminal 10 comprises a part 11 plated with nickel and a part 12 not plated with nickel. As shown in FIG. 2, the metal terminal 10 is connected, for example, to a flat-type conductor 21 of a flat cable 20 by spot welding. The conductor 21 is covered by an insulator 22.
The reason why nickel plating effects spot welding conditions is not precisely known yet. However, it is believed to be based on the Peltier effect.
The following Table 1 indicates spot welding currents where phosphor bronze terminals which are first plated with nickel and then plated with gold are spot-welded to a tin-plated flat-type copper wire:
TABLE 1______________________________________Gold platingThickness 1.05 μmNickel plating None 0.8 μm 1.5 μm 2 μmThicknessSuitable spot 1.25 kA 1.30 kA 1.40 kA 1.53 kAwelding current______________________________________
As is apparent from Table 1, above, the suitable spot welding current depends on the nickel plating thickness. According to the ordinary manufacturing specifications for electrical connectors for electrical appliances, the tolerance of the nickel plating thickness is generally more than ±0.5 μm. This means that different spot welding currents must be provided for different electrical terminals. As this is not practical, the manufactured electrical terminals fluctuate in spot welding strength and external appearance.
Accordingly, the nickel plating which adversely affects an electrical terminal as described above is, according to the teachings of this invention not applied to at least the part of the terminal to be spot welded so that the spot welding operating can be achieved with high reliability. The electrical terminal's contact part, which is essential for the connector, can be plated with nickel in the usual manner. Therefore, the connector with the electrical terminals thus plated with nickel has the same electrical reliability as prior connectors.
For a full understanding of the invention, the following concrete examples of the spot welding nickel-plated metal terminal of the invention will be described.
EXAMPLE 1
As shown in FIG. 1, a phophor bronze terminal 10 having a thickness of 0.5 mm comprises: a spot welding part 12, which is not plated with nickel, of about 5 mm in length from the end; and a remaining part plated with nickel to a thickness of 1 μm. The metal terminal thus formed is spot-welded to a tin-plated flat-type copper conductor 21 of a flat cable 20, as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, a reference numeral 22 designates an insulator.
EXAMPLE 2
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a phosphor bronze terminal 30 having a thickness of 0.5 mm comprises: a spot welding part 32, which is not plated with nickel, of about 5 mm in length from the end; and a remaining part 31 which is plated with nickel to a thickness of 1 μm as indicated at 31-1, and then plated with gold, tin or silver as indicated at 31-2. The electrical terminal thus formed is spot welded to a conductor of a flat cable as shown in FIG. 2.
EXAMPLE 3
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a phosphor bronze terminal 40 having a thickness of 0.5 mm comprises: a spot welding part 42, which is not plated with nickel, of about 5 mm in length from the end; and a remaining part 41. The remaining part 41 is plated with nickel to a thickness of 1 μm as indicated at 43, and then the terminal is plated, in its entirety, with gold, tin or silver as indicated at 42. The metal terminal thus manufactured is spot-welded to a conductor of a flat cable as shown in FIG. 2. In FIGS. 5 and 6, reference numeral 43 designates a nickel base plating; 42, a single-layer finish plating part; 41, a double-layer plating part; and 45, the terminal's base metal.
As was described above, the spot welding part of the metal terminal according to the invention is not plated with nickel. This will stabilize the spot welding conditions. That is, the spot welding strength is made substantially uniform, and the spot welding part is prevented from being cracked. In other words, the metal terminal can be spot-welded with high quality. On the other hand, the contact part of the terminal can be plated in the usual manner. Therefore, the metal terminal of the invention is high in electrical contact characteristics. Thus, employment of the metal terminals of the invention for connecting cables and connectors in the signal transmission path of a computer will minimize connector failures.
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A nickel-plated metal terminal to be spot welded has a contact part plated with nickel and a spot welding part to be spot welded to a metal part not plated with nickel thereby improving the weld characteristic of the spot welded terminal.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus for displaying images and characters and, more particularly, to a matrix display apparatus which divides a pixel into sub-pixels to display multicolor and multi-gradation.
2. Related Background Art
Conventional matrix displaying apparatuses are capable of dividing a single pixel into sub-pixels so that multi-values are displayed using the pixel. As shown in FIG. 12 , when the area of a single pixel is divided in a ratio of 3 to 2, the pixel is capable of displaying four values 0%, 40%, 60% and 100%. Also, when the area of a pixel is divided in a ratio of 1:1:1 and red, green and blue color filters are placed over the divided areas, eight colors can be displayed. When pixels are divided in an appropriate ratio, they are capable of displaying 2 N colors or 2 N gradations, where N is the number of pixels divided.
Because each pixel is divided into sub-pixels in the same ratio, when the above conventional apparatus displays a single piece of information using a plurality of pixels, there are a plurality of sub-pixels of the same color and gradation in a single display unit. Therefore, the number of gradations which can be displayed is much fewer than 2 N . In other words, the conventional ratio at which a single pixel is divided into sub-pixels is inappropriate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the problem of the above conventional display apparatus. The object of this invention is therefore to provide a display device capable of displaying more colors and gradations than in the conventional apparatus when a single piece of information is displayed using a plurality of pixels.
To achieve the above object, this invention provides a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising: pixels each having one sub-pixel or a plurality sub-pixels on a matrix electrode including scan electrodes and information electrodes, the area of one sub-pixel in one pixel being different from the area of another sub-pixel in an adjacent pixel.
The area of one pixel may be made different from that of an adjacent pixel, thus making it possible to make the area of one sub-pixel different from that of another. Alternatively, all pixels may have the same area, and the ratio of dividing one pixel into sub-pixels is made different from that of dividing another. This makes it possible to make the area of one sub-pixel different from that of another.
The display apparatus can be used as a color display apparatus by arranging color filters on the sub-pixels in each pixel. This invention may be applied to liquid crystal display apparatuses, particularly those having crystals, such as ferro-electric crystals, between the scan and information electrodes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a waveform chart of drive signals used by the display apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing when the display apparatus transmits the drive signals;
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 10; and
FIG. 12 is a view showing the conventional method of displaying gradations through the division of a pixel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Pixels, each composed of one or more sub-pixels, are formed on a matrix electrode including scan and information electrodes. The area of one sub-pixel in one pixel is different from the area of another pixel in an adjacent pixel. The present invention is therefore capable of increasing the number of gradations displayed when a single piece of information is displayed using a plurality of pixels.
Embodiment 1 and Comparison Example 1
A description will be given of the first embodiment of this invention, in which the ratio at which one pixel is divided is made different from the ratio at which an adjacent pixel is divided. Thereby the area of one sub-pixel is made different from the area of another. This makes it possible to display more colors than in the conventional apparatus.
FIG. 1 shows a liquid crystal display apparatus in accordance with the first embodiment of this invention. The display apparatus comprises a liquid crystal display device 101, a scan signal drive circuit 102, an information signal drive circuit 103, a scan signal control circuit 104, and a drive control circuit 105. The display apparatus further comprises an information signal control circuit 106, a thermistor 108 for measuring the temperature of the display device 101, and a temperature sensing circuit 109 for measuring the temperature of the display device 101 on the basis of an output from the thermistor 108. The display device 101 has a matrix electrode composed of scan electrodes 201 and information electrodes 202, both shown in detail in FIG. 2. The information signal drive circuit 103 applies an information signal to the liquid crystal through the information electrodes 202. The information signal includes a plurality of pulses, each having a control phase portion and an auxiliary phase portion. The scan signal drive circuit 102 applies a scan signal to the liquid crystal through the scan electrodes 201. The scan signal has phase pulses which compensate for at least one pulse in the auxiliary phase of the information signal. A ferroelectric liquid crystal is disposed between the scan electrodes 201 and the information electrodes 202. Numeral 107 denotes a graphic controller. Data is transmitted from the graphic controller 107 and input via the drive control circuit 105 to the scan signal control circuit 104 and the information signal control circuit 106. The data is converted into address data by the scan signal control circuit 104 and into display data by the information signal control circuit 106. The temperature of the display device 101 is input through the thermistor 108 to the temperature sensing circuit 109, and then input as temperature data to the scan signal control circuit 104 through the drive control circuit 105. The scan signal drive circuit 102 generates the scan signal in accordance with the address and temperature data and then applies it to the scan electrodes 201 of the display device 101. The information signal drive circuit 103 generates the information signal in accordance with the display data and then applies it to the information electrodes 202 of the display device 101.
FIG. 4 shows the waveform of drive signals (scan and information signals) used by the display apparatus, and FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing when the display apparatus transmits the drive signals.
FIG. 2 shows in detail the liquid crystal display device 101. In FIG. 2, numeral 211 denotes a pixel, serving as a minimum display unit, formed where the scan electrode 201 intersects with the information electrodes 202. All pixels have the same area. A sub-pixels 212, serving as a minimum lighting unit, can be formed inside each pixel by dividing each information electrode 202. Red, green and blue filters 203 are disposed over the sub-pixels. Odd-numbered pixel along the scan electrode 201 are divided into red, green and blue in a ratio of 3/10:3/10:4/10, and even-numbered pixels are divided into red, green and blue in a ratio of 36/100:36/100:28/100. The liquid crystal display device 101 shown in FIG. 1 has 1024 scan electrodes 201 and 3840 (1280×3) information electrodes 202. It is provided with 1310720 (1280×1024) color pixels, each composed of three sub-pixels.
FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the display device 101. Numeral 301 denotes an analyzer, and 307 a polarizer. They are disposed using crossed-Nicol. Numerals 302 and 306 denote glass substrates; 303, a ferroelectric liquid crystal; 304, a protecting film; 305, a light-intercepting metal; and 308, a spacer.
Table 1 shows colors that the display unit has when the graphic controller 107 transmits 1280×1024 pieces of information, that is, when one piece of information is transmitted to one pixel. To compare this embodiment with a conventional apparatus, comparison example 1. Table 2 shows colors displayed by the conventional apparatus in which each pixel is divided into red, green and blue in a ratio of 1/3:1/3:1/3. In this case, since each pixel serves as one display unit, each display unit has one sub-pixel on which red, green and blue filters are disposed. Eight colors can be displayed regardless of the ratio at which pixels are divided. The number of displayed colors in this embodiment agrees with that of the comparison example, both conforming to the following equation:
2.sup.3 =8.
In all Tables a white circuit (◯) indicates that the color is lit, whereas a black circuit () indicates that the color is not lit.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________ EMBODIMENT 1 (ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR ONE PIXEL) ODD-NUMBERED PIXEL EVEN-NUMBERED PIXEL LIGHT STATUS LIGHT STATUSDISPLAYED RED GREEN BLUE GRADATION (%) RED GREEN BLUE GRADATION (%)COLOR (30%) (30%) (40%) RED GREEN BLUE (36%) (36%) (28%) RED GREEN BLUE__________________________________________________________________________1 • • • 0 0 0 • • • 0 0 02 ◯ • • 30 0 0 ◯ • • 36 0 03 • ◯ • 0 30 0 • ◯ • 0 36 04 ◯ ◯ • 30 30 0 ◯ ◯ • 36 36 05 • • ◯ 0 0 40 • • ◯ 0 0 286 ◯ • ◯ 30 0 40 ◯ • ◯ 36 0 287 • ◯ ◯ 0 30 40 • ◯ ◯ 0 36 288 ◯ ◯ ◯ 30 30 40 ◯ ◯ ◯ 36 36 28__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE 2__________________________________________________________________________ COMPARISON EXAMPLE 1 (ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR ONE PIXEL)DISPLAYED LIGHT STATUS GRADATION (%)COLOR RED GREEN BLUE RED GREEN BLUE__________________________________________________________________________1 • • • 0 0 02 ◯ • • 33.3 0 03 • ◯ • 0 33.3 04 ◯ ◯ • 33.3 33.3 05 • • ◯ 0 0 33.36 ◯ • ◯ 33.3 0 33.37 • ◯ ◯ 0 33.3 33.38 ◯ ◯ ◯ 33.3 33.3 33.3__________________________________________________________________________
When the graphic controller 107 transmits 640×1024 pieces of information, the number of displayed colors in this embodiment differs from that of the conventional example, the comparison example. In this case, two pixels serve as one display unit. Each display unit of this embodiment has two sub-pixels of different sizes on which red, green and blue filters are disposed, whereas each display unit of the conventional example has two sub-pixels of the same size, on which red, green and blue filters are disposed. Table 3 shows displayed colors of this embodiment, and Table 4 shows those of the conventional example.
TABLE 3__________________________________________________________________________ EMBODIMENT 1 (ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR TWO PIXELS) LIGHT STATUS ODD-NUMBERED PIXEL EVEN-NUMBERED PIXELDISPLAYED RED GREEN BLUE RED GREEN BLUE GRADATION (%)COLOR (15%) (15%) (20%) (18%) (18%) (14%) RED GREEN BLUE__________________________________________________________________________ 1 • • • • • • 0 0 0 2 ◯ • • • • • 15 0 0 3 • ◯ • • • • 0 15 0 4 ◯ ◯ • • • • 15 15 0 5 • • ◯ • • • 0 0 20 6 ◯ • ◯ • • • 15 0 20 7 • ◯ ◯ • • • 0 15 20 8 ◯ ◯ ◯ • • • 15 15 15 9 • • • ◯ • • 18 0 010 ◯ • • ◯ • • 33 0 011 • ◯ • ◯ • • 18 15 012 ◯ ◯ • ◯ • • 33 15 013 • • ◯ ◯ • • 18 0 2014 ◯ • ◯ ◯ • • 33 0 2015 • ◯ ◯ ◯ • • 18 15 2016 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ • • 33 15 2017 • • • • ◯ • 0 18 018 ◯ • • • ◯ • 15 18 019 • ◯ • • ◯ • 0 33 020 ◯ ◯ • • ◯ • 15 33 021 • • ◯ • ◯ • 0 18 2022 ◯ • ◯ • ◯ • 15 18 2023 • ◯ ◯ • ◯ • 0 33 2024 ◯ ◯ ◯ • ◯ • 15 33 2025 • • • • ◯ • 18 18 026 ◯ • • • ◯ • 33 18 027 • ◯ • • ◯ • 18 33 028 ◯ ◯ • • ◯ • 33 33 029 • • ◯ • ◯ • 18 18 2030 ◯ • ◯ • ◯ • 33 18 2031 • ◯ ◯ • ◯ • 18 33 2032 ◯ ◯ ◯ • ◯ • 33 33 2033 • • • • • ◯ 0 0 1434 ◯ • • • • ◯ 15 0 1435 • ◯ • • • ◯ 0 15 1436 ◯ ◯ • • • ◯ 15 15 1437 • • ◯ • • ◯ 0 0 3438 ◯ • ◯ • • ◯ 15 0 3439 • ◯ ◯ • • ◯ 0 15 3440 ◯ ◯ ◯ • • ◯ 15 15 3441 • • • ◯ • ◯ 18 0 1442 ◯ • • ◯ • ◯ 33 0 1443 • ◯ • ◯ • ◯ 18 15 1444 ◯ ◯ • ◯ • ◯ 33 15 1445 • • ◯ ◯ • ◯ 18 0 3446 ◯ • ◯ ◯ • ◯ 33 0 3447 • ◯ ◯ ◯ • ◯ 18 15 3448 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ • ◯ 33 15 3449 • • • • ◯ ◯ 0 18 1450 ◯ • • • ◯ ◯ 15 18 1451 • ◯ • • ◯ ◯ 0 33 1452 ◯ ◯ • • ◯ ◯ 15 33 1453 • • ◯ • ◯ ◯ 0 0 3454 ◯ • ◯ • ◯ ◯ 15 0 3455 • ◯ ◯ • ◯ ◯ 0 33 3456 ◯ ◯ ◯ • ◯ ◯ 15 33 3457 • • • ◯ ◯ ◯ 18 18 1458 ◯ • • ◯ ◯ ◯ 33 18 1459 • ◯ • ◯ ◯ ◯ 18 33 1460 ◯ ◯ • ◯ ◯ ◯ 33 33 1461 • • ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 18 18 3462 ◯ • ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 33 18 3463 • ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 18 33 3464 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 33 33 34__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE 4__________________________________________________________________________ COMPARISON EXAMPLE 1 (ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR TWO PIXELS) LIGHT STATUS ODD-NUMBERED PIXEL EVEN-NUMBERED PIXELDISPLAYED RED GREEN BLUE RED GREEN BLUE GRADATION (%)COLOR (16.7%) (16.7%) (16.7%) (16.7%) (16.7%) (16.7%) RED GREEN BLUE__________________________________________________________________________ 1 • • • • • • 0 0 0 2 ◯ • • • • • 16.7 0 0 3 • ◯ • • • • 0 16.7 0 4 ◯ ◯ • • • • 16.7 16.7 0 5 • • ◯ • • • 0 0 16.7 6 ◯ • ◯ • • • 16.7 0 16.7 7 • ◯ ◯ • • • 0 16.7 16.7 8 ◯ ◯ ◯ • • • 16.7 16.7 16.7 9 ◯ • • ◯ • • 33.3 0 010 ◯ ◯ • ◯ • • 33.3 16.7 011 ◯ • ◯ ◯ • • 33.3 0 16.712 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ • • 33.3 16.7 16.713 • ◯ • • ◯ • 0 33.3 014 ◯ ◯ • • ◯ • 16.7 33.3 015 • ◯ ◯ • ◯ • 0 33.3 16.716 ◯ ◯ ◯ • ◯ • 16.7 33.3 16.717 ◯ ◯ • ◯ ◯ • 33.3 33.3 018 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ • 33.3 33.3 16.719 • • ◯ • • ◯ 0 0 33.320 ◯ • ◯ • • ◯ 16.7 0 33.321 • ◯ ◯ • • ◯ 0 16.7 33.322 ◯ ◯ ◯ • • ◯ 16.7 16.7 33.323 ◯ • ◯ ◯ • ◯ 33.3 0 33.324 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ • ◯ 33.3 16.7 33.325 • ◯ ◯ • ◯ ◯ 0 33.3 33.326 ◯ ◯ ◯ • ◯ ◯ 16.7 33.3 33.327 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 33.3 33.3 33.3__________________________________________________________________________
As seen from Tables 3 and 4, this embodiment is capable of displaying 64 colors compared with 27 colors of the conventional example. The number of displayed colors of this invention is 64, which conforms to the following equation:
2.sup.6 =64
In general, the closer the area ratio of sub-pixels in one pixel to that of sub-pixels in an adjacent pixel, the more consistent display is when finely gradated images are displayed and one pixel serves as a display unit. However, displaying gradation is not smooth when non-finely gradated images are displayed and a plurality of pixels serve as a display unit. It is therefore necessary to determine the area of each sub-pixel and the ratio of dividing it into areas when image quality is considered and both finely gradated and non-finely gradated images are displayed.
Embodiment 2 and Comparison Example 2
A description will now be given of the second embodiment of this invention, in which the area of one pixel is made different from that of an adjacent pixel, and the area of one sub-pixel is made different from that of another. It is thus possible to display more gradations than in the conventional display apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the second embodiment of this invention. It is the same as the first embodiment except for a liquid crystal display device 601.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the liquid crystal display device 601. Numeral 711 denotes a pixel, serving as a minimum display unit, formed where the scan electrode 201 intersects with the information electrodes 202. Numeral 712 denotes a sub-pixel formed by dividing the information electrode 202 in a ratio of 3:1. In this embodiment, even-numbered pixels along the scan electrode 201 have 90% area with respect to odd-numbered pixels. The liquid crystal display device 601 has 1024 scan electrodes 711, 2560 (1280×2) information electrodes 712 and 1310720 (1280×1024) pixels, each composed of two sub-pixels.
FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view of the liquid crystal display device 601. It is substantially the same as the liquid crystal display device of the first embodiment except that the color filter 203, the protecting film 304 and the light-intercepting metal 305 are not provided.
Table 5 shows colors that the display unit has when the graphic controller 107 transmits 1280×1024 pieces of information. For comparison purposes, Table 5 also shows colors displayed by a conventional apparatus (comparison example 2) in which all pixels have the same area. In such a case, this embodiment and the comparison example have each four gradations, thus conforming to the following equation:
2.sup.2 =4
TABLE 5__________________________________________________________________________ EMBODIMENT 2 COMPARISON ODD-NUMBERED PIXEL EVEN-NUMBERED PIXEL EXAMPLE 2DISPLAYED LIGHT STATUS GRADA- LIGHT STATUS GRADA- LIGHT STATUS GRADA-GRADATION 75% 25% TION 75% 25% TION 75% 25% TION__________________________________________________________________________1 • • 0 • • 0 • • 02 • ◯ 25 • ◯ 25 • ◯ 253 ◯ • 75 ◯ • 75 ◯ • 754 ◯ ◯ 100 ◯ ◯ 100 ◯ ◯ 100__________________________________________________________________________
When the graphic controller 107 transmits 640×1024 pieces of information, two pixels serve as one display unit. Each display unit has four sub-pixels of different areas, whereas each display unit of the conventional example, comparison example 2, has two sub-pixels of the same area. Table 6 shows displayed colors of this embodiment and the conventional example.
TABLE 6__________________________________________________________________________EMBODIMENT 2DIS- LIGHT STATUS COMPARISONPLAYED ODD-NUMBERED EVEN-NUMBERED EXAMPLE 2GRADA- PIXEL PIXEL GRADA- LIGHT STATUS GRADA-TION 39.5% 13.2% 35.5% 11.8% TION 37.5% 12.5% 37.5% 12.5% TION__________________________________________________________________________1 • • • • 0 • • • • 02 • • • ◯ 11.8 • • • ◯ 12.53 • ◯ • • 13.2 • ◯ • ◯ 254 • ◯ • ◯ 25 • • ◯ • 37.55 • • ◯ • 35.5 • • ◯ ◯ 506 ◯ • • • 39.5 • ◯ ◯ ◯ 62.57 • • ◯ ◯ 47.3 ◯ • ◯ • 758 • ◯ ◯ • 48.7 ◯ • ◯ ◯ 87.59 ◯ • • ◯ 51.3 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 10010 ◯ ◯ • • 52.711 • ◯ ◯ ◯ 60.512 ◯ ◯ • ◯ 64.513 ◯ • ◯ • 7514 ◯ • ◯ ◯ 86.815 ◯ ◯ ◯ • 88.216 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 100__________________________________________________________________________
As apparent from Table 6, the conventional example is capable of displaying 9 gradations, while this embodiment is capable of displaying 16 gradations, which conform to the following equation:
2.sup.4 =16
Embodiment 3 and Comparison Example 3
A description will now be given of the third embodiment of this invention, in which the area of one pixel is made different from that of an adjacent pixel. This makes the area of one sub-pixel different from that of another. It is thus possible to display more gradations than in the conventional display apparatus.
FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the third embodiment of this invention. It is the same as the first embodiment except for a liquid crystal display device 901.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the liquid crystal display device 901. In FIG. 10, numeral 911 denotes a pixel, serving as a minimum display unit, formed where the scan electrode 201 intersects with the information electrode 202. The pixel 911 is a sub-pixel serving as a minimum lighting unit. In this embodiment, odd-numbered pixels along the scan electrode 201 have 90% area with respect to even-numbered pixels. Odd-numbered pixels along the information electrode 202 have 80% area with respect to even-numbered pixels. In other words, the areas of four adjacent pixels are divided in a ratio of 100:90:80:72.
FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view of the liquid crystal display device 901. It is substantially the same as that of the second embodiment.
When the graphic controller 107 transmits 1280×1024 pieces of information, each pixel displays only binary values black and white in the same manner as in comparison example 3, conventional example, in which all pixels have the same area.
When the graphic controller 107 transmits 640×512 pieces of information, four pixels serve as one display unit having four sub-pixels of different areas. The display unit of the comparison example 3, conventional example, has four sub-pixels of the same area. Table 7 shows displayed colors of this embodiment and the conventional example.
TABLE 7__________________________________________________________________________ COMPARISON EMBODIMENT 3 EXAMPLE 3 LIGHT STATUS GRADA- GRADA-DISPLAYED a b c d TION LIGHT STATUS TIONGRADATION 29.2% 26.3% 23.4% 21.1% (%) 25% 25% 25% 25% (%)__________________________________________________________________________1 • • • • 0 • • • • 02 • • • ◯ 21.1 • • • ◯ 253 • • ◯ • 23.4 • • ◯ ◯ 504 • ◯ • • 26.3 • ◯ ◯ ◯ 755 ◯ • • • 29.2 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 1006 • • ◯ ◯ 44.57 • ◯ • ◯ 47.48 • ◯ ◯ • 49.79 ◯ • • ◯ 50.310 ◯ • ◯ • 52.611 ◯ ◯ • • 55.512 • ◯ ◯ ◯ 70.813 ◯ • ◯ ◯ 73.714 ◯ ◯ • ◯ 76.615 ◯ ◯ ◯ • 78.916 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 100__________________________________________________________________________
where a, b, c and d in Table 7 correspond to sub-pixels a, b, c and d shown in FIG. 10.
As seen from Table 7, the conventional example is capable of displaying 5 gradations, whereas this embodiment is capable of displaying 16 gradations, which conform to the following equation:
2.sup.2 =16
As has been described above, the area of one sub-pixel in one pixel is different from that of another sub-pixel in an adjacent pixel. Therefore, this invention is capable of displaying more colors and gradations than the conventional display apparatus when a single piece of information is displayed using a plurality of pixels.
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A display apparatus has pixels arranged along rows and columns in which each pixel is defined by a pair of opposed electrodes. The pixels are provided by sub-pixels with color filters of different colors wherein integral light quantities of the same color sub-pixels of adjacent pixels are different. The display apparatus is capable of selecting a first display operation in which a single pixel is displayed as one display unit, as well as a second display operation in which at least two adjacent pixels are combined to form one display unit.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention involves an optical near-field probe with an optical (light) waveguide and a tip manufactured by micro-engineering that is attached to a carrier component. The invention also includes a process for manufacture of an optical near-field probe.
Optical near-field probes are used in scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM), as is described for example in "Near-field Optics: Light for the World of NANO" in J. Vac.Sci. Technol., B (12) 3, pages 1441-1446 (1994).
Optical near-field microscopy is based on the scanning of a surface using an optical aperture in order to reach resolutions better than the Abbe-limit. From App. Optics, vol. 34, no. 7, pages 1215-1228 it is known, for example, to use pointed glass fiber ends, which obtain a small aperture by vapor deposition of a metal layer. Optical signal detection alone has the disadvantage, however, that no separation of topographical and optical effects is possible. For the separation of these two effects it is necessary to adjust the glass fiber tip during scanning to a constant distance of several nanometers from the sample surface, which is possible only at a considerable adjustment expense in known near-field probes because of their method of construction. Furthermore, there is the risk without distance control that during scanning the glass fiber tip or the sample surface will become damaged.
In order to improve both of these aspects, shear force detection was developed, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,854, for example. Shear force detection functions as a distance control, in order to adjust the distance between fiber tip and sample surface to a constant value. To do this, the glass fiber end is generally shifted by forced oscillations of a piezo ceramic element in constant oscillations parallel to the sample surface. The oscillation of the glass fiber end is damped in proximity to the sample surface, such that this damping becomes larger the closer the glass fiber tip is to the sample surface. In order to measure the damping of the oscillation, the glass fiber end is generally illuminated using a laser diode mounted orthogonally to the plane of oscillation, such that the changing shadow of the glass fiber modulates the intensity on a photodetector. This intensity modulation corresponds to the mechanical oscillation amplitude and functions electrically rectified as an input signal for a control circuit. Using a signal of the control circuit, another piezo ceramic element is controlled which shifts the distance of the sample surface to the glass fiber end to such an extent that an externally prescribed target value is obtained. In this way, the sample surface can be scanned by the tip, and the distance between tip and sample can always be followed or adjusted to a constant value.
For this it is necessary, among other things, that the near-field probe have a suitably large angular freedom on the one hand, i.e. that it can be brought to the sample without a large adjustment expense, and on the other hand, that it be constructed to be as thin as possible because the material thickness determines the damping and thus the resolution. Furthermore, it is desirable to construct the near-field probe in a way such that it can be manufactured as a mass-produced product.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,790 to manufacture the optical near-field probe from two components, namely glass fibers and tips. The disadvantage of the device described there consists in that the glass fiber is arranged at a distance to the membrane and thus to the near-field tip, so that an intermediate space is present which entails light losses that can only be avoided if the intermediate space is filled with a lens or an immersion liquid. Furthermore, the mounting of the near-field tip of this type is so voluminous that it cannot be used for shear force detection. In particular, it is not possible without a considerable adjustment expense to approach the tip to the sample surface, because a probe slope of only ±1°, relative to the normal line to the sample plane is allowed. With a larger probe slope edge areas of the probe would sit on the sample surface. Furthermore, the oscillation behavior for shear force detection is poor because of the large mass of the mounting structure on the fiber end, i.e., the probe has a small oscillation quality.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,520 a near-field probe is known which is not, however, suitable for optical application purposes, but instead is used specially for conductivity measurements. To manufacture probes suitable for this, a glass pipette is taken as a start, on the end of which a membrane with a hollow tip is mounted. In the hollow tip an electrolyte is introduced for example, which is connected to a detection device via a suitable electric connection. This near-field probe is set directly onto the sample surface, so that the conductive material in the tip of the probe contacts the sample. In order to prevent damage, the membrane must be mounted in such a way that it is also flexible after being attached to the pipette and can be oscillated. For the membrane and the tip non-transparent materials are used. Near-field probes of this type cannot be used either for scanning near-field optical microscopy or for shear force detection, because on the one hand, the pipette is too rigid for this, and on the other hand, the membrane is fixed in its oscillation. Damage to the membrane is easily possible.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is thus an optical near-field probe which has only a small mass and small light losses, has as large an angular freedom as possible, so that the adjustment expense is smaller when the near-field probe is used, and has an oscillation behavior which can be adjusted via the properties of the optical waveguide. It is also an object of the invention to make available a process for manufacturing such a near-field probe which is suitable for mass production.
This object is achieved by an optical near-field probe having an optical waveguide made of a rigid material and a micro-engineered tip attached to a carrier component mounted on a light emission surface of the optical waveguide. The carrier component has a single membrane, which is transparent at least in an area of the tip, and the dimensions of the membrane, at least in one direction in the plane of the membrane, are no greater than the diameter of the optical waveguide. The process for manufacturing the optical near-field probe includes the steps of providing an optical waveguide made of rigid material, providing a tip manufactured by micro-engineering on a membrane, positioning the membrane with the tip over a light emission surface of the optical waveguide, and attaching the membrane to the light emission surface. Advantageous embodiments are described hereinafter.
The carrier component has only one membrane, transparent at least in the area of the tip, which is mounted on the light emission surface of the optical waveguide. The membrane is thus preferably connected to the light emission surface of the optical waveguide without intermediate space and only by an adhesive layer, so that neither an immersion liquid nor a projection lens are necessary between the tip and the optical waveguide, in order to keep the light losses low.
By making the optical waveguide of rigid material, the membrane is affixed to the optical waveguide and can thus, without more, not be damaged. Preferably, the optical waveguide consists of a glass fiber or a polymer fiber.
The optical waveguide and membrane with tip can be manufactured separately, so that mass production is made possible. Moreover, on the whole, a compact, space-saving arrangement is created.
Contributing also to this compact design of the near-field probe is that the dimensions of the membrane, at least in one direction in the membrane plane, are less than or equal to the diameter of the optical waveguide. In this direction a large angular freedom is obtained, with the advantage that the adjustment expense of the near-field probe in the corresponding plane is clearly smaller. If the membrane is in total less than or equal to the diameter of the optical waveguide, a considerable reduction of the adjustment expense is obtained. The optical near-field probe can then also be brought to the sample without a large adjustment expense, even if it should be inclined by about ±10° from the normal line to the sample surface.
If the near-field probe should also be used for the shear force detection, then more total space is also available for the respective oscillation direction and the oscillation detection.
Furthermore, the membrane does not influence the oscillation behavior of the near-field probe because of its small mass, so that the oscillation properties are determined exclusively by the optical waveguide used. Other carrier components, which could disadvantageously affect the oscillation behavior or restrict the angular freedom of the near-field probe, are not provided. A near-field probe having a large oscillation quality and thus excellent topographical resolution is obtained.
The membrane consists preferably of at least one layer. This layer can have a transparent inner material arranged in the center, which is surrounded by an outer material, which can be transparent or non-transparent. The thickness of the layer is advantageously smaller than the core diameter of the optical waveguide.
It may be necessary under the circumstances, depending on the manufacturing process of the near-field probe, to manufacture the membrane from several layers of different materials, which must also all be transparent at least in the area of the tip, or to make the membrane thicker than the core diameter of the optical waveguide. In the last case, it is advantageous if the membrane layer has an inner and an outer material which is constructed, corresponding to the optical waveguide, from a core material and a sheathing material. In this process, the dimensions are selected corresponding to the dimensions of the optical waveguide, so that the light coming out of the core of the optical waveguide enters directly into the core area of the membrane layer, and thus no or only slight dispersion light losses can occur.
According to a further embodiment, the inner material of the membrane can be an integral component of the tip. According to a still further embodiment, the entire membrane can be an integral component of the tip, such that essentially a distinction must be made between two embodiments. According to one embodiment, tip and membrane are preferably manufactured in a micro-engineering manner in a combined manufacturing step. Membrane and tip are manufactured from the same transparent material in this case. The other embodiment provides for non-transparent membranes, preferably a metal membrane, which is formed at the center into a tip in which a hole is located. This metal tip can be hollow or filled with a transparent material.
To position the tip on the optical waveguide, optical processes can be applied. However, the possibility also exists to provide locating elements on the membrane and/or the optical waveguide. Especially for the manufacture of an integral component, the possibility presents itself for forming locating elements onto or into the side of the membrane facing away from the tip. These locating elements preferably comprise at least one recess and/or at least one projection. These recesses or projections can engage corresponding locating structures of the optical waveguide, which are provided on its light emitting surface. When the membrane and optical waveguide are joined together, the tip is thus positioned and adjusted in a simple way over the core of the optical waveguide.
Locating elements, which are either removed after attaching the membrane or which engage the outer perimeter of the optical waveguide and at least partially surround it, can also be provided only on the membrane.
According to a further embodiment, the recess in the membrane can extend up to the inside of the tip, whereby this recess can be constructed, for example, in a cone shape. For centering, a tip is also then provided, corresponding to the core of the optical waveguide, which engages in this recess.
In order to be able to replace the tip, for example a pressure adherent, material, which must also be transparent, is preferably used for the adhesive layer.
The process is thus characterized in that an optical waveguide made of a rigid material is used, that the tip is manufactured on a membrane or together with the membrane as an integral unit by micro-engineering, and that the membrane with the tip is positioned over the light emission surface of the optical waveguide and then attached the light emission surface. This positioning can occur by mechanical or optical means.
For the positioning of the unit comprising the tip and the membrane using optical means according to one embodiment, this unit is first positioned over the light emission surface, and light is beamed into the optical waveguide which comes out of the light emission surface of the optical waveguide. The light penetrating through the tip is captured by a suitable optical device. By targeted shifting of the membrane or the optical waveguide the intensity of the light passing through the tip changes. When the intensity maximum is reached, the tip is optimally positioned with regard to the core of the optical waveguide. Finally, both structural components are connected to each other.
Another possibility for positioning provides that an image processing system is arranged over the tip where preferably a membrane is used which has a diameter that is smaller than or the same size as the diameter of the optical waveguide. The membrane and the optical waveguide are shifted in relation to each other until the membrane or the tip is aligned coaxially to the light emitting surface of the optical waveguide. Finally, the membrane and the optical waveguide are connected to each other.
In order to make the handling of the membrane easier in this process, the membrane is provided with membrane strips which preferably project out over the edge of the light emitting surface of the optical waveguide, so that a suitably large area is available for grasping the membrane. In order to separate the membrane from the projecting components, tear away positions or break-off positions are provided. After the adhering, the transparent membrane rips under mechanical stress at these positions, so that the adhered membrane does not project beyond the diameter of the optical waveguide and thus can not impair the angular freedom when approaching the sample.
Instead of using an optical process for positioning, the possibility also exists for using mechanical means, i.e. locating elements, which are provided on the membrane and/or the optical waveguide. The locating elements mounted on the membrane can either stay on the membrane or be separated later, depending on their construction.
The optical waveguide can be etched on its light emitting surface in order to manufacture at least one projection and/or a recess. In the manufacture of the membrane a suitable recess and/or a suitable projection is formed therein or thereon. During the joining of membrane and optical waveguide these locating structures act together for positioning the tip. It is also possible to chamfer the outer edge of the sheathing of the optical waveguide, for example by polishing, and to provide corresponding slanted surfaces on the membrane.
As the optical waveguide a glass fiber or a polymer fiber is preferably used. Since the optical waveguide determines the mechanical damping behavior of the near-field probe, as thin an optical waveguide as possible is desirable. A glass fiber offers the advantage that the optical waveguide can be thinned out, for example by etching, only in the sheathing area, whereby the core area preferably maintains its diameter.
The membrane is preferably adhered to the optical waveguide. The adhesive can be omitted, if a material is used for the membrane which merely needs to be placed on the light emitting surface of the optical waveguide and is held there by adherent forces.
Customarily, the membranes are manufactured from silicon nitride. A polymer material can also be used for the membrane according to a further embodiment. If the polymer material has a lower softening point or melting point than the optical waveguide, then the optical waveguide can be heated to a temperature above the softening point of the polymer material, and then the membrane is placed on the surface of the optical waveguide. In this operation, the side of the polymer membrane facing away from the tip is softened or melted in a surface region, so that the membrane adheres to the light emitting surface of the optical waveguide. This process can be used particularly if glass fibers are involved for the optical waveguide.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate the manufacture of an optical near-field probe according to a first embodiment form of the invention;
FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show near-field probes according to further embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 7 shows the positioning of the tip using an optical device;
FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate the manufacture of a near-field probe according to a further embodiment of the invention; and
FIGS. 11 to 17 show near field probes with different locating structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1, a plan view of the light emitting surface 9 of an optical waveguide 2 is depicted, over which a transparent membrane 11 is arranged as a carrier component 10, whose thickness is smaller than the core diameter of the glass fibers. The membrane 11, which carries the tip 40, has a circular shaped middle part 18 with a diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the optical waveguide 2. Membrane strips 14a and 14b extend laterally and transition into side parts 15a and 15b, which are advantageous for handling and are detached at the two tear away positions 12 after adhering the membrane 11.
As depicted in FIG. 2, which shows a section along the line II--II through the device shown in FIG. 1, the tip is provided with a metallic coating 41 which extends in the radial direction over the surface of the membrane 11, so that essentially the area of the core material 3 of the optical waveguide is covered. In this way, dispersion light from the optical waveguide 9 is prevented from exiting past the tip 40 out of the transparent membrane 11. The membrane 11 is connected at its middle part 18 and at its strips 14a and 14b via a transparent adhesive layer 8 to the S light emitting surface 9 of the optical waveguide 2. Below the side parts 15a and 15b cone-shaped locating elements 16a, 16b are attached. By the slanted surfaces 17a, 17b of the locating elements 16a, 16b, which extend up to the edge region of the sheath 5 of the optical waveguide, the optical waveguide 2 is centered in a simple manner when the membrane 11 and optical waveguide 2 are joined together.
After the adhering, the side parts 15a, 15b with the locating elements 16a, 16b are separated and the near-field probe 1 shown in FIG. 3 is obtained. The membrane 11 does not project outside in relation to the optical waveguide 2, so that the angular freedom of the near-field probe 1 is not impaired.
In FIGS. 4 to 6, further embodiments of the near-field probe 1 are depicted. According to FIG. 4, the membrane 11 consists of a layer 50, which has two materials. In the center of the layer 50, the transparent inner material 52 is located, which is surrounded by an outer material 51. In the embodiment shown here, the dimension of the inner material corresponds to the dimension of the core material 3 of the optical waveguide 2. The materials 51 and 52 can consist of a core and a sheathing material corresponding to the construction of the optical waveguide 2. A further possibility consists in that the material 52 is transparent and the outer material 51 is non-transparent.
In FIG. 5 an embodiment is depicted in which the core material 52 is an integral component of the tip 40. The tip 40 and core material 52 thus consist of the same material. The diameter of the inner material 52 is somewhat larger than the diameter of the core material 3 of the optical waveguide 2.
In FIG. 6, an embodiment is depicted in which the membrane 11 and tip 40 are constructed as an integral structural component. In this case, a material is involved which is not transparent for the wavelength used in the near-field probe. Preferably, a metal membrane 11 is used, into which a hole is made while simultaneously protuberating the membrane material. In this way, a tip 40 is formed which is either hollow or filled with a transparent material.
Depicted in FIG. 7 is the positioning of the tip 40 over the core 3 of the optical waveguide 2 using an optical process. Over the light emitting surface 9 of the optical waveguide 2 a membrane 11 is arranged at a distance, the membrane having a square middle part instead of a round middle part 18, which transitions directly into the strip 14a,b, on which the side parts 15a,b are formed. On the upper side of the membrane 11, the tip 40 is attached and has a pyramid shape. On the side parts 15a,b, the membrane 11 is grasped and can be shifted in two directions in the membrane plane. Below the optical waveguide 2 an illuminating device 30 is arranged, which beams light into the core material 3 of the optical waveguide 2. From the tip 40 only a small portion of the light emitted from the light emission surface 9 is let through, and this light is evaluated by a detection device above the tip 40. Of this detection device only a microscope lens 31 is depicted in FIG. 7. If the tip is located in the prescribed position at the center above the core 3 of the optical waveguide 2, the measured intensity will be at a maximum. Thus, the positioning of the tip 40 can be performed by the intensity evaluation. After the optimal position has been reached, the adhesive is applied to the light emission surface 9 and the membrane 11 is connected to the optical waveguide 2.
In the FIGS. 8 to 10, a further embodiment of the membrane 11 is depicted, wherein the FIG. 9 illustrates a section along the line IX--IX of the arrangement shown in FIG. 8. The middle part 18 of the membrane 11 has the same diameter as the optical waveguide 2, where between the middle part 18 and the strips 14a,b, break-off positions 13 are provided. After attaching the middle part 18 to the light emission surface 9 of the optical waveguide 2 using an adhesive layer 8, the strip 14a with the side part 15a and the strip 14b with the side part 15b are separated at the break-off positions 13. The elements 19a,b function in this embodiment not for positioning but instead only to improve handling. The finished near-field probe 1 is seen in FIG. 10.
In FIGS. 11 and 12 an embodiment with locating elements is depicted. The carrier component 10 consists of a membrane 20, which is an integral component of the tip 40. In the center of the membrane 20 a cone-shaped recess 21 is formed, which extends to the inside of the tip 40. A corresponding counterpiece in the form of a core tip 4 is constructed on the emission surface 9 of the optical waveguide 2. The core tip 4 is preferably manufactured by etching. As can be seen in FIG. 12, the cone angle of the recess 21 is somewhat larger than the cone angle of the core tip 4, so that the centering of the membrane 20 on the optical waveguide 2 is made easier.
In FIGS. 13 and 14 a further embodiment is depicted, wherein the membrane 20 is likewise an integral component of the tip 40. On the underside of the membrane 20 in the edge region a ring-shaped projection 22 having a triangular cross-section is provided, which engages in a corresponding ring-shaped recess 6 in the area of the sheathing material 5 of the optical waveguide 2. The adhered membrane 20 can be seen in FIG. 14.
In FIG. 15 a membrane 20 can be seen, likewise as an integral component of the tip 40, which has a ring-shaped projection 23 in the outer edge area, which acts together with the chamfered surface 7 of the optical waveguide 2. This chamfered surface 7 is manufactured by polishing. The finished near-field tip 1 can be seen in FIG. 16.
In FIG. 17 a near-field probe 1 is depicted in which the membrane 11 projects out in partial areas in relation to the light emitting surface 9 and has curve-shaped locating elements 16c on the underside, which partially encompass the outer side of the sheathing material 5.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
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An optical near-field probe (1) includes a carrier component (10), which carries a tip (40), and has only one membrane (11, 20), transparent at least in the area of the tip (40), which is mounted on the light emission surface (9) of an optical waveguide (2) that is made of a rigid material such as glass or plastic. The dimensions of the membrane (11, 20), at least in one direction in the membrane plane, are less than or equal to the diameter of the optical waveguide (2). To position the tip (40) over the core (3) of the optical waveguide (2), optical methods can be used or the membrane and optical waveguide can be provided with locating elements.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to automatic shutoff valves, particularly of the type used for beer dispensers.
The dispensing of beer, as well as similar operations for soft drinks and other liquids, employs compressed gases, carbon dioxide in the case of beer and soft drinks. Typically there is a large container, such as a beer keg, containing liquid. A tube extends from the top of the container to near the bottom thereof. There is a special coupling at the top of the container which admits the pressurized gas and allows the liquid to be discharged from the tube. In the case of beer, the coupling is typically connected to a tap at the bar by means of a long hose.
Problems are encountered however when the container is empty or near empty. Eventually the level of liquid drops below the bottom of the tube in the container. This causes gas to be forced out the tube, through the hose and to the tap at the bar. The container is then replaced with a full keg of beer or the like, but foaming occurs until the hose has been purged of gas by a fresh supply of liquid. This causes a considerable loss of time at the bar in pouring out the foam and wastage of beer which has been converted to the foam.
Automatic shutoff valves has been devised to stop the flow of fluids from the container once the supply of beer or other liquid in the container has been exhausted. An example of such a valve is found in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,927 to Stott. These valves include a chamber, typically a transparent one, which has a float therein. There is a valve member on the bottom of the float. There is an opening in the chamber for admitting liquid from the container. The valve has an outlet for the liquid which is connected to an opening located in a valve seat at the bottom of the chamber. When the chamber is full of liquid, the float rises above the bottom of the chamber, allowing the liquid to be discharged through the opening at the bottom of the chamber toward the outlet. However, when gas is received from the container into the chamber, the float is no longer supported and drops, allowing the valve member to close the opening and preventing further fluid (gas or liquid) from being discharged from the valve.
However, certain problems have been encountered with prior art automatic shutoff valves of this type. Often these valves seem to work satisfactorily when used only intermittently. However, under some conditions they have been found to stop functioning satisfactorily, preventing an outflow of liquid from the container even when the container is not empty. These problems usually arise when the liquid is dispensed quickly and repeatedly. This occurs, for example, in bars dispensing high quantities of beer.
One reason why this has occurred is that, under the conditions discussed above, the float can be sucked down towards the valve seat, causing the valve member to close off the valve seat and stopping the flow of liquid. This can occur, for example, when the flow of liquid is repeatedly stopped and started, for example due to turning the tap on and off at the bar in the case of beer dispensers. It is believed that this practice causes the float to bob up and down. The inertia of the float in the downward direction, together with the suction created by the liquid being discharged from the bottom of the chamber, can bring the float close enough to the valve seat so the valve member becomes jammed therein. Once this occurs, the pressure of liquid entering the chamber from the container keeps the valve member in place and prevents a further outflow of beer or other liquid.
In order to alleviate this problem, it has become a practice to make the chambers of the valves vertically elongated such that the float floats well above the valve seat and the discharge opening during normal operation. In this way, the valve member does not come close enough to the valve seat to be sucked into it.
However this has lead to another problem. These relatively long automatic shutoff valves are then too high to fit under many counters, for example, when installed on the top of a beer keg. Moreover, they are subject to damage when connected to a keg of beer, or other container, if installed thereon. Accordingly, many such automatic valves are mounted at a position remote from the container, such as on a wall, and connected to the container by a hose. This is disadvantageous because it means that gas can fill this hose before the flow of liquid is stopped by the automatic shutoff valve. When the keg of beer, or other container, is replaced, the gas in this hose must still be purged before normal dispensing can recommence.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved automatic shutoff valve for beer kegs or the like which overcomes the deficiencies and problems associated with the prior art.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved automatic shutoff valve for beer kegs or the like which inhibits the valve from stopping an outflow of liquid during normal operation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved automatic shutoff valve of this type which has a relatively low height and therefore can be conveniently mounted directly on the tops of kegs of beer or other such containers.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an improved automatic shutoff valve which is simple in construction, economical to produce and reliable in operation.
In accordance with these objects, there is provided an automatic shutoff valve of the type having a body with an inlet, an outlet and an interior chamber. The chamber has a top and a bottom with an opening on the bottom. The outlet communicates with the opening. There is a float within the chamber. The float has a valve member configured to close the opening when the float is at the bottom of the chamber. The valve is characterized by means for directing a flow of liquid from the valve onto the float and towards the top of the chamber. For example, the means may include a conduit extending from the inlet into the chamber and having a discharge end adjacent to the float.
The conduit may include a tube within the chamber extending from the bottom thereof towards the top thereof. The discharge end is at the top end of the tube and preferably is angled towards the float.
The float may also have a portion opposite the discharge end of the conduit which is positioned to be in a stream of fluid discharged therefrom. The portion of the float may be a flange thereon. For example, where the float is cylindrical, the flange may be annular.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of an automatic shutoff valve according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the float and the discharge tubes thereof;
FIG. 3 is a bottom plan of the valve, partly broken away; and
FIG. 4 is a simplified, partly schematic elevation of an apparatus for dispensing beer or other such liquids according to an embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1 this shows an automatic shutoff valve 10 which includes a body 12 including a mounting member 14 and a hollow, cylindrical portion 16. The mounting member has a center 18, a bottom 20 and a top 22. There is a female threaded recess 24 at the top thereof. The recess has a bottom 26. A downwardly tapering valve seat 28 is located on the bottom of the recess at the center of the member.
The mounting member has a female threaded inlet connector 30 on bottom 20 and to a first side thereof, which is the left side from the point of view of FIG. 1. This female connector 30 is used to connect the valve to a source of liquid such as to a keg of beer. The mounting member 14 also has a male threaded outlet connector 32 used to connect the valve to a supply line leading to a mechanism for discharging the liquid from the container, such as a tap at a bar in the case of beer.
In this example a female connector 34 is shown releasably connected to the male connector 32. The connector 34 includes a nut 36 rotatably received on a hose connector 38 in the conventional manner. There is a first passageway 40 extending from the valve seat 28 to the outlet connector 32. This includes a first portion 42 extending downwardly from the valve seat at the center of the member and a second portion 44 extending radially outwards to the outlet connector 32.
The mounting member 14 also includes a second passageway 46 which extends through the member from the inlet connector 30. This passageway is curved about the center 18 of the member and the valve seat 28 as seen in FIG. 3. The second passageway is separated from the first passageway 40 by curved wall 48 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3.
There are two openings 50 and 52 on the bottom 26 of the recess as shown best in FIG. 3. These openings are on opposite sides of the valve seat and are spaced-apart therefrom. The passageway 46 extends from the inlet connector 30 about the center of the member to each of these openings.
A pair of discharge tubes 54 and 56, shown best in FIG. 2, extend perpendicularly upwards from the bottom 26 of the recess from the openings 50 and 52. These tubes have bottom ends, for example bottom end 58 of tube 56 shown in FIG. 1, which are connected to the bottom 26 of the recess 24. The tubes are on opposite sides of the valve seat 28 and have tops 62 and 60 angled towards the center 18 of the mounting member as seen in FIG. 2. The tops serve to discharge liquid entering the valve from the connector 30. The tops of the tubes each have a deflector plate 65 which extends inwardly from the outside of each tube part way towards the inside. In this example each deflector plate extends about 1/3 the distance across the inside of each tube. The deflector plates are generally semi-circular in shape when seen from above.
The portion 16 of body 12 of this embodiment is preferably transparent for visual check on its contents. It is made of a food grade polymer, for example. The portion 16 has a chamber 64 therein which is generally cylindrical, having a narrow neck 66 adjacent top 68 thereof. There is a male threaded portion 70 adjacent bottom 72 of this portion of the body which is threadedly and releasably secured to the female threaded recess 24 of the mounting member. An O-ring 73 is compressed therebetween to provide adequate sealing. There is a longitudinal bore or opening 74 in the neck 66. There is also a manually operable vent 76 at the top of this portion of the body on the side of the neck 66. The vent includes a female fitting 78 on the side of the neck and a bore 80, of a reduced section, extending inwardly from the female fitting. A passageway 82 extends from the bore to the chamber 64. The vent includes a valve body 84 with a male threaded end 86 threadedly received in the female fitting 78. An O-ring 88 is compressed between the valve body and the female fitting for sealing purposes.
There is a hose fitting 90 extending downwardly from the valve body 84. There is a first passageway 92 extending through the valve body which is aligned with bore 80. There is another passageway 94 extending from passageway 92 through the hose fitting 90.
There is a valve seat 96 within the valve body along passageway 92. A valve member 98, a disk in this example, is normally biased towards the valve seat 96 by a coil spring 100 located within the bore 80. The valve member 98 is connected to a shaft 101 extending slidably through passageway 92 with a button 102 on the opposite end thereof exterior to the valve body 84. An O-ring 99 is located between the valve member 98 and the valve seat 96 for sealing purposes.
There is a float 110 received within chamber 64 which is free to move up and down depending upon the liquid level within the chamber. In this example the float is generally cylindrical with a hollow interior 112. In this example the float has a bottom projection 114 which is also cylindrical, but of reduced section. A conical valve member 116, equipped with an O-ring 118, is located at the bottom 120 of the float. The float in this example is of a material with a lower specific gravity then the liquid, such as polyethylene for beer.
The float has the bore or opening 122 on top 124 thereof which extends through an interior sleeve 126. A guide shaft 128 extends slidably through the opening 122 into the interior 112 of the float. The shaft 128 also extends slidably and sealingly through the opening 74 in the neck of the portion 16 of body 12. There is an 0-ring 129 and a plastic retainer ring 131 to provide the sealing. The shaft extends along the center line of the body, which is vertical from the point of view of FIG. 1, the operational position of the valve, and through center 18 of the mounting member 14. The shaft 128 keeps the float centered so that the valve member 116 is above valve seat 28 of the mounting member. The valve member can move downwardly onto the valve seat or upwardly away from the valve seat by movement along the shaft 128. The shaft 128 has a bottom 130 with an enlarged, head-like portion 132 thereon. The shaft also has a top 134 with a knob 136 fitted tightly thereon. The knob has an inwardly directed pin 138 on the inside thereof as seen in FIG. 1.
Neck 66 of portion 16 of body 12 has a first slot 140 which extends downwardly from top 68. There is a second slot 142 which communicates with the bottom of slot 140 and extends circumferentially part way about the neck 66. The pin 138 is slidably received within the slots.
The float 110 has a portion, namely a flange 111, positioned to be in the streams of liquid 61, 63 discharged from the tubes 54 and 56. The angled top ends 60, 62 of the tubes and their deflector plates 65 serve as means for directing the flows 61, 63 of directly onto the float flange 111 and towards the top of chamber 64.
Referring to FIG. 4, in use the valve 10 is installed on top of a liquid container such as beer barrel 150. Its female inlet connector 30 is threadedly received on the top of a conventional tapping head 152 provided with a handle 154. A conduit 156 supplies compressed carbon dioxide to the tapping head via connector 158 in the conventional manner. The carbon dioxide from conduit 156 passes through the tapping head into the beer barrel 150 and forces beer upwardly through tube 160 into the tapping head and into the automatic shutoff valve 10. The liquid is discharged from outlet connector 32 of the automatic shutoff valve and passes through a hose 170 to a beer tap 180 or other valve or dispensing device depending upon the nature of the liquid being dispensed.
Operation
After the valve 10 has been installed on top of the tapping head 152 as described above, initially it will be filled with air, so float 110 would be adjacent to the bottom of the chamber 64 with valve member 116 located within the valve seat 28, preventing beer from exiting the valve towards the outlet connector 32. Button 102 is pushed, allowing gas to leave the chamber so it fills with beer. Knob 136 is then rotated slightly clockwise such that pin 136 moves about slot 142 to the bottom of the vertical slot 140. The knob is then pulled upwardly towards the position shown in FIG. 1. This causes enlarged portion 132 of shaft 128 to contact the bottom of sleeve 126 and raise the float so that the valve member 116 is above the valve seat as shown in FIG. 1. Because the float has been lifted off of the valve seat, the beer can flow downwardly through the valve seat and out the connector 32 through hose 170 to tap 180. The air and some foam must be removed by opening the tap for the initial installation only.
Once the chamber has been filled with beer, the float is normally held above the bottom of the chamber by the buoyancy of the float itself Knob 136 is pushed down and rotated so pin 138 is locked in slot 142 to keep pressure in the chamber from forcing shaft 128 and the knob upwards. When the beer is being dispensed, however, there is a tendency sometimes for the float to be sucked down towards the valve seat 28, shown in FIG. 1, as the beer passes outwardly through this opening. However in this improved type of valve the beer being discharged from the tubes 54 and 56, as shown in FIG. 2, impacts upon the flange 111 of the float, keeping the float above the outlet and allowing the flow of liquid to continue.
Once the keg is near empty, gas rises up tube 126 and enters the chamber of the valve, allowing the float to drop and contact the valve seat 28, blocking gases from entering the hose 170. The beer keg is then replaced and the chamber filled with beer by opening the vent 76 and pulling upwardly on the knob 136.
It will be understood by someone skilled in the art that many of the details provided above are by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is to be interpreted with reference to the following claims.
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An automatic shut-off valve for regulating the flow of beer or other liquid from its container, whereby a float is kept away from the outlet by directing some of the liquid upwardly against the float while most of the liquid is being discharged. The discharge of liquid is usually accompanied by a suction about the outlet which tends to suck the float downwardly to seal the outlet prematurely. By the present valve and the location of the float during discharge of liquid, premature sealing is minimized.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a golf club swing teaching aid, and particularly to the provision of an elongated tubular sleeve adapted to be worn by a golfer on his or her leading arm to restrain bending of the arm at the elbow during club backswing. If a golfer unduly bends his or her leading arm during backswing of the club, the primary effect is rotation of the club face away from the initial square position of the face at ball address. Thus, bringing the face back to the required square position is attainable only with great difficulty. Once the downswing of the club has been initiated, centrifugal force tends to keep the leading arm straight and therefore minimization of bending of the leading arm is most critical during the backswing. In particular, the teaching aid comprises an elongated inflatable tubular sleeve adapted to be worn by the golfer on his or her leading arm in disposition extending above and below the crease of the golfer's elbow.
An alarm assembly is provided on the sleeve which includes mechanism for emitting a signal discernable by the golfer indicative of bending of his or her arm to an undesirable extent during club backswing and downswing until the ball has been struck. The alarm assembly includes movable components whose relative positions are selectively adjustable by the golfer to infinitely vary the extent the golfer may bend his or her leading arm during backswing before the alarm signal is emitted.
The arm-bending restraint afforded by the inflatable sleeve is also infinitely variable by the golfer by changing the degree of inflation of the sleeve. Variation of the amount of inflation of the sleeve also has an affect on operation of the alarm actuating components. Accordingly, the golfer may precisely adjust the amount of bending of his or her leading arm that is permitted during backswing of a golf club swing before the alarm is actuated. The golfer is therefore encouraged to keep his or her leading arm straighter and straighter during backswing as his skill level progresses by successively making the alarm more and more sensitive to arm bending excursions during backswing of the club.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide a tubular inflatable leading arm-stiffening device for use as a golf swing training aid. U.S. Pat. No. 2,943,859 to Koski et al. illustrates and describes an inflatable tubular sheath adapted to be placed on the golfer's leading arm in overlying relationship to the crease of his or her elbow. An air valve is provided for allowing air to be blown into the tubular sheath to inflate the arm-stiffening device. The advantage of the Koski et al. device is said to be said the ease with which it may be donned and taken off, and assertedy can be left on for a long time without causing reduced blood circulation in the wearer's arm. Koski et al. do not provide an alarm for alerting a golfer to the fact that his or her leading arm has been bent to an undesirable extent, or allow arm flexure during follow-through.
The Bittner U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,065 relates to a golf swing training device wherein an audible or visual alarm is provided indicating that the golfer has allowed his or her leading arm to bend to an undesirable extent. The electrically actuated alarm of the '065 patent has an elongated metal contact strip affixed to a member adapted to be secured to the golfer's arm above the elbow, and another electrical contact on a member adapted to be positioned on the golfer's arm below the elbow. When the golfer allows his leading arm to bend to a degree that the two contacts engage one another, a light bulb or audible buzzer, or both, are actuated. Bittner does not provide structure for selective variation of the extent of bending of the elbow that may take place before the alarm is activated.
In Buzan U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,478, the patentee discloses a flexible sleeve adapted to be placed over the golfer's leading arm in spanning relationship to his or her elbow. A magnet is provided on the lower end of the sleeve. An elongated arm member is pivotally affixed to the normally uppermost end of the sleeve and extends downwardly along the length thereof. This arm member has a piece of metal which normally engages and is held against the magnet when the golfer's arm is straight. However, when the golfer allows his or her arm to unduly bend, the metal member is forced away from the magnet, thus indicating that the golfer has bent his elbow. An audible sound is produced when the member affixed to the upper part of the sleeve shifts away from its magnetic support. No means is provided for adjusting the amount of bending of the golfer's arm that may take place before there is an indication of excessive arm bend.
Poggioli U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,276 describes and illustrates an arm-bend indicator for use by golfers wherein a two-piece device is connected across the elbow of the golfer's leading arm. Relative motion between the pieces allows bending of the elbow so that the golfer's normal swing will be neither confined or restricted. In response to relative motion caused by bending of the golfer's elbow an audible ball-and-socket sounding device announces to the golfer that his arm has bent at the elbow. This sounding device includes a ball audibly disengageable from a mating socket. There is no means for adjusting the point at which the ball-socket alarm actuated during bending of the golfer's arm.
Wasley U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,042 discloses a bent-arm audible signaling device for golfers comprising a strip of stiff, flexible spring material of concavo-convex configuration. When applied to a golfer's leading arm across his or her elbow, the device produces an audible signal much like a snap action toy "cricket" when the golfer has bent his her elbow to a point where the elongated, transversely curved member bends in the middle.
Degrogatis U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,709, Korzenowski U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,457, and Steffes U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,539 also show arm-stiffening devices for use by a golfer in order to restrain bending of his or her leading arm, but these devices do not incorporate alarms for alerting the golfer to the fact that there has been an undue bending of the leading arm at the elbow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns a golf club swing teaching aid which includes an elongated inflatable tubular sleeve adapted to be worn by a golfer on his or her leading arm to encourage the golfer to avoid bending the leading arm at the elbow during backswing of the club, thus assuring straighter balls upon downswing of the club. In particular, the teaching aid incorporates an alarm assembly on the tubular sleeve which emits a signal discernable by the golfer that his or her leading arm has been bent at the elbow to an undesirable degree during backswing. The alarm alerts the golfer to the fact that his or her leading arm has been allowed to bend to an undesirable extent during backswing and if not corrected will result in an errant ball hit. Thus, the golfer is sensitive to the fact that no alert should be heard during any part of the backswing; the audible alarm should be emitted and therefore heard only after ball impact in that it is proper procedure for the leading arm to be allowed to bend at the elbow during swing follow-through. During backswing and during follow-through, bending of the leading arm at the elbow will cause the alarm to be sounded but the alarm should be initiated and heard only during follow-through if the golfer has swung the club properly during backswing, downswing and follow-through. Once the golfer hears the alarm signal, only after the ball has been struck, he or she can then allow their eyes to shift from the impact zone to the ball flight path.
The alarm assembly includes telescopically interconnected first and second components and means adjustably mounting the components on the sleeve in a location such that one of the components extends above the golfer's elbow while the second component extends below the elbow crease. Electrically actuated mechanism is provided within the telescopically joined components which is operable to emit an audible arm when the two components are caused to move toward one another to a predetermined extent as a result of the golfer bending his or her arm at the elbow. The two telescopically interconnected components are adjustably secured to the sleeve so that the golfer may select the amount of bending of his or her elbow that may take place before the audible arm is generated. Furthermore, by virtue of the fact that the user of the teaching aid may selectively control the degree of inflation of the tubular sleeve around his or her arm, variation of the stiffness of the tubular sleeve also has an influence on the extent of telescoping of the alarm components carried by the sleeve, thus permitting control by the user of the amount of arm bending permitted before the alarm is actuated.
The foregoing is of importance in that the teaching aid may be selectively adjusted by the golfer as his or her skills improve with practice. For example, use of the teaching aid by a novice golfer might mandate adjustment of the alarm assembly to delay activation of the alarm even though some degree of arm bending is taking place during swinging of the golf club. However, as the golfer becomes more proficient and is able to swing the club with less and less undesirable bending of the leading arm at the elbow during backswing, the sensitivity of the alarm can be increased accordingly and proportionally to the golfer's improved swing development.
In addition, the elongated inflatable tubular sleeve of this invention desirably has a non-inflatable area that normally overlies the elbow crease of the golfer's leading arm which is of greater flexibility than the surrounding inflated portion of the sleeve thereby offering less resistance to bending of the elbow during follow-through. The telescopically joined alarm housing components are mounted on the tubular sleeve across the non-inflatable area thereof to assure accurate sensing of bending of the golfer's arm at the elbow, in that any bending of the elbow that occurs is not restrained by inflated portions of the sleeve that would otherwise overlie the elbow crease.
Infinite adjustment within limits of the relative positions of the alarm housing components is afforded by virtue of the fact that each of the housing components has a Velcro strip along the length thereof strategically positioned to engage a corresponding Velcro strip affixed to the body of the tubular sleeve adjacent the non-inflatable area of the sleeve. As a consequence, the user of the teaching aid may readily adjust the telescopic positions of the alarm housing components one with respect to another by simply pulling each housing component away from its Velcro fastener and then relocating the components in desired relative positions.
The alarm assembly of the telescopic aid desirably takes the form of electrically actuated mechanism including two separable contacts, each joined to a respective alarm housing component and connected to a power source and an audible alarm unit respectively, so that when the two components are shifted toward each other to a predetermined extent during bending of a golfer's elbow, the contacts are brought into interengagement, thus activating the alarm. This construction is simple in nature, substantially fool-proof, and provides infinite adjustability of alarm activation as previously indicated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a golfer with the improved golf club swing teaching aid of this invention in its normal position on his leading arm;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a golf club swing teaching aid constructed in accordance with the preferred concepts of the present invention and which includes an inflatable tubular sleeve and an alarm assembly mounted thereon, and also showing in exploded form a helpful hints card adapted to be carried within a pocket on the sleeve of the aid, along with a tube that is usable by the golfer to inflate the sleeve;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the golf club swing teaching aid hereof as shown in FIG. 2, and with the golfer's arm being illustrated diagrammatically inside of the tubular sleeve of the aid;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertically cross-sectional view through the alarm assembly of the present invention which is shown mounted in place on the tubular sleeve on the aid as shown in FIG. 3; and
FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A golf club swing teaching aid is broadly designated by the numeral 10 in the drawings and includes an elongated inflatable tubular sleeve 12. As depicted in FIG. 1, sleeve 12 is adapted to be worn by a golfer 14 on his or her leading arm 16 in generally surrounding and conforming relationship thereto and in a position such that the sleeve extends above and below the inner crease 18 of golfer's elbow 20 (FIG. 3). In the case of a right-handed golfer, the left arm is the weaker or leading arm during swinging of the golf club 22. The opposite is true for a left-handed golfer.
Inflatable tubular sleeve 12 is preferably formed of two initially rectangular wall-defining members 24 and 26 of flexible material which are joined along the upper edges 28 as well as along lower edges 30 (FIG. 3) and the longitudinally extending edges 32 (FIG. 5) which cooperate to define a cavity 34 therebetween. It is to be seen from FIG. 3 that the wall members 24 and 26 are made up of flexible panels that result in the tubular sleeve 12 formed therefrom being of smaller cross-sectional diameter at the lower end 12a than at the upper end 12b of the sleeve.
A conventional air valve 36 is provided on the outer surface of wall member 24 and communicates with the cavity 34. Valve 36 may be of the type having a shiftable tubular valve element 38 that normally seals the interior of cavity 34 from ingress or egress of air but that may be pulled outwardly by the users of sleeve 12 to communicate the interior of cavity 34 with the surrounding atmosphere. In the case of aid 10 an auxiliary flexible plastic tube 40 (FIG. 2) is provided so that the golfer may place the tube over element 38 and pull the element out of the valve housing 42 so that he or she can blow air into sleeve 12 and inflate the latter to a predetermined extent. Return of the valve element 38 to its initial retracted position within housing 42 reseals cavity 34 against exit or entry of air.
Wall members 24 and 26 making up sleeve 12 are of dimensions such that when joined at edges 28, 30 and 32 to define the tubular sleeve 12, the sleeve extends a substantial part of the length of the golfer's arm 16 from a point above the wrist to a point just below the golfer's arm pit as is evident from FIG. 1. It is preferred that the sleeve be of a length such that it extends from a point one to two inches above the golfer's wrist pivot point to a level of at least no more than about four inches below the arm pit. It is contemplated that sleeves 12 of different lengths be made available for golfers of different heights.
Sleeve 12 is optionally provided with a non-inflatable area broadly designated by the numeral 44 in FIGS. 2 and 3. The non-inflatable area is desirably of generally circular configuration and comprises a 3 or 4 inch diameter insert in a circular opening 46 through the normally forwardmost part of sleeve 12. It can be seen from FIG. 3 that circular opening 46 is defined by suitable joinder of adjacent, aligned circular margins 48 of wall members 24 and 26. A circular section 50 of flexible sleeve-defining material is integrally connected to the circular margins of wall members 24 and 26 presenting opening 46. Section 50 is desirably formed of two-ply material presenting alternate peaks 52 and valleys 54 which cooperate to present side-by-side parallel corrugations 56 which are oriented with the longitudinal lengths of peaks and valleys 52 and 54 respectively in generally perpendicular relationship to the elongated, longitudinal axis of sleeve 12 extending along the length thereof.
Although section 50 has been shown in FIG. 3 as being of separate material from wall members 24 and 26, it is to be appreciated that the corrugated section 56 may be made up of the same material as wall members 24 and 26 and thereby integral therewith, with the circle defining opening 46 being presented by the outer margin of the corrugated area 50. Furthermore, if desired, the corrugated section or area 50 may be omitted from sleeve 12 in certain applications thereof.
When the golfer dons sleeve 12, the corrugated flexible area 50 should be over the crease 18 of the golfer's arm 16 in disposition such that the upper and lower parts of margins 48 are equidistant from the center of the circular area 50.
An alarm assembly broadly designated 58 is adjustably mounted on sleeve 12 in overlying relationship to corrugated area 50, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, within an open-top, upright, rectangular pocket 60 that is secured to and also overlies the outermost face of wall member 24. Pocket 60 has a rear panel 62 secured to the outer surface of wall member 24 directly above the uppermost and lowermost margins 48 defining opening 46, as well as an outer panel 64 which is joined to rear panel 62 along the side margins of the latter, as well as along the bottom margin thereof.
The alarm assembly includes a pair of tubular housing components 66 and 68 which are disposed in telescopic relationship as is most evident from FIG. 4. An elongated, upright strip 70 of Velcro fastening material is secured to the outer face of rear panel 62 adjacent the top 60a thereof midway between the side margins of pocket 60, while upright housing component 66 has an elongated strip 72 of Velcro fastening material thereon adapted to releasably engage Velcro strip 70. In like manner, an elongated strip 74 of Velcro fastening material is secured to the outer face of rear panel 62 in proximal relationship to the bottom 60b of pocket 60 and releasably connects with an elongated strip 76 of Velcro fastening material secured to the lower part of housing component 68. The Velcro fasteners thereby serve to releasably affix the alarm assembly 50 within pocket 60.
Housing component 66 serves to mount an alarm signal device 78 which for example may be a piezo crystal actuated auditory alarm which emits an audible tone when a direct current is supplied to the device. A pair of contacts 80 and 82 are operably attached to and electrically connected to piezo device 78. It can be seen from FIG. 4 that contact 82 is desirably of greater length than contact 80. Furthermore, contact 82 has a curved contact end 84 while contact 80 is provided with an inclined contact segment 86 at the outer extremity of the same.
Lower housing component 68 serves to mount an electrical power supply which for example may take the form of two AA batteries 88 and 90. A removable plug 92 in the lower end of housing component 68 permits replacement of batteries 88 and 90 as required. A conductive element 94 carried by the inner surface of plug 92 normally engages spring means 96 which is interposed between the lowermost contact of the battery 90 and conductive element 94. An elongated conductor 98 extends along the length of housing component 68 from a point of engagement with conductive element 94 and into the interior of housing component 66 for engagement with contact end 84 of contact 82. The upper wall 100 of housing component 68 in normal closing relationship to the latter, serves to support a hook-shaped conductor 102 which extends upwardly into the interior of tubular housing component 66. The lowermost end of conductor 102 has an extension 104 thereon which is disposed to engage the upper terminal of battery 88. The hook portion 106 of conductor 102 is strategically located to complementally engage contact segment 86 of contact 80 when the housing components 66 and 68 move toward one another to a predetermined extent. Spring 108 within housing component 68 between the upper wall 110 thereof and wall 100 of housing component 68 serves to bias housing component 66 in a direction away from housing component 68. Interengageable shoulders 112 and 114 on housing component 66 and 68 respectively prevent relatively movement of the housing components in a direction away from one another beyond the positions thereof illustrated in FIG. 4.
Desirably, a series swing tips 116 to the golfer using sleeve 12 are printed, embossed or otherwise provided on the outer face of wall member 24 directly below pocket 60 and the area 50. Exemplary tips may for example be the terms "RELAX, STANCE, ARM STRAIGHT, LOOSEN GRIP, EASY SWING", which are in the order that the golfer should follow in preparing to swing club 22. It is also noteworthy that the words constituting swing tips for the golfer are at an angle such that the individual can readily read the text when he or she addresses the ball as depicted in FIG. 1.
Another open-top pocket 118 may if desired be placed on the outer surface of wall member 24 to the side of valve 36 adjacent the top of the sleeve for receipt of a "Helpful Hints" card containing further elaborations of the swing tips 116 that are provided on the lower part of the sleeve 12.
It is preferred that the inner wall member 26, or at least the innermost surface thereof, be constructed of a rubberized fabric which precludes the inner surface thereof from sticking or otherwise adhering to the skin of the golfer during donning or removal of the sleeve 12 from the golfer's arm, and particularly as a result of perspiration on the golfer's arm during hot weather use. The rubberized fabric may be in the form of an inner layer on wall member 26 or be an integral part and constitute the material from which inner wall member 26 is fabricated. Furthermore, the line of joinder 32 of wall members 24 and 26 extending longitudinally of sleeve 12 is preferably located on the backside of sleeve 12 in direct opposition to section 50 and alarm assembly 58.
In operation, the golfer places sleeve 12 while in an uninflated condition over his or her leading arm 16 in the position thereof as shown in FIG. 1 with the non-inflatable area 50 of sleeve 12 and associated alarm assembly 58 in directly overlying relationship to the crease 18 of the leading arm 16. It is to be understood in this respect that as the golfer introduces his or her leading arm into the uninflated sleeve 12, the sleeve should be turned on the leading arm to an extent that the tips 116 are readily observable by the golfer while in a ball address position, and the crease 18 of the golfer's arm is substantially in the middle of area 50, i.e., equidistantly spaced from the upper and lower margins 48 defining opening 46 of sleeve 12.
The golfer then uses plastic tube 40, which may for example be conveniently stored in pocket 118, to blow air into the cavity 34 of sleeve 12 through tubular valve 38 which has been pulled outwardly out of valve housing 42. It is noteworthy in this respect that the golfer may selectively control the amount of air which he or she blows into the interior of the inflatable sleeve 12. The amount of inflation of sleeve 12 controls to a certain extent the degree of bending of the golfer's leading arm that may take place at the elbow during backswing of the golf club 22.
If, during backswing of the golf club 22 by the golfer, he or she allows the leading arm 16 to bend at the elbow, such bending movement causes the housing components 66 and 68 to move toward one another against the bias of spring 108. If such relative movement toward one another of the housing components 66 and 68 is of such magnitude as to cause the hook portion 106 of conductor 102 to engage the contact segment 86 of contact 80, a circuit is completed between batteries 88 and alarm device 78 by virtue of the fact that contact end 84 of contact 82 remains in engagement with conductor 98 regardless of the relative positions of housing components 66 and 68 with respect to one another. Completion of the electrical circuit to piezo alarm device 78 causes an audible signal to be emitted which can readily be heard by the golfer. It can be seen in this respect that the golfer, as a result of hearing the alarm signal, may immediately restraighten his or her leading arm thereby allowing the housing components 66 and 68 to move away from each other under the influence of spring 108 thereby deactivating the alarm upon disengagement of contacts 80 and 102.
By virtue of the provision of Velcro fastening means for securing housing components 66 and 68 within pocket 60, the golfer may readily vary the extent of bending of his or her leading arm that may take place during backswing before an audible alarm is initiated. For example, viewing FIG. 3, if either or both of the Velcro strips 72 and 74 are repositioned on associated strips 70 and 74, the relative positions of housing components 66 and 68 may be varied. The greater the degree of telescoping of housing component 68 and housing component 66, and the closer the positions of contact 80 and conductor 102 are when the golfer's arm is in a straight condition, the lesser the degree of bending of the arm that is permitted before an audible alarm is sounded.
Thus, the golfer may selectively position housing components 66 and 68 in closer relationship than the fully extended locations thereof as depicted in FIG. 4 to cause the piezo alarm to be activated sooner than would otherwise be the case as a result of bending by the golfer of his or her leading arm. The golfer may want to start his or her practice with the housing components 66 and 68 in their outermost positions as shown in FIG. 4, either during first learning of the game, or even at the beginning of a practice session if he or she is a more experienced golfer, and then progressively move the housing components 66 and 68 toward one another so that the audible alarm is sounded with less and less bending of the leading arm occurring.
It is further of note that corrugated section 50 does not restrain desirable bending of the golfer's arm during follow-through that would otherwise occur if the sleeve was fully inflated throughout its cylindrical extent. The result is a more precise indication of bending of the golfer's leading arm during swinging of club 22 without undesirable impairment of arm bending during follow-through. It is to be recognized in this respect though that the extent of inflation of sleeve 12 also controls actuation of alarm assembly 58 in that the greater the degree of inflation, the more the golfer's arm is restrained against bending. Thus, the provision of corrugated section 50 and the fully adjustable mounting of alarm assembly 58 on sleeve 12 within pocket 60 permits the golfer to selectively adjust the compressive force of the sleeve on his leading arm in conjunction with selective adjustment of the relative positions of housing components 66 and 68. Each of these adjustments, i.e., the degree of inflation of sleeve 12, and the relative positioning of housing components 66 and 68 is infinite within the adjustment limits.
It is preferred that the housing components 66 and 68 be located such that when fully extended as shown in FIG. 4 and releaseably secured to the interior of pocket 60 as depicted in FIG. 3, that the piezo device 78 be activated to emit an audible tone when the golfer's leading arm has been allowed to bend during backswing through an arc of no more than about 20°. The housing components 66 and 68 may be provided with graduated indicia on the outer faces thereof which may be used by the golfer to selectively position the housing components in relative positions that are directly related to angular degrees of bending of the golfer's arm at which an audible sound is emitted by device 78. For example, the indicia may indicate degrees of arm bend from 0° to 20° in increments of no more than 5° with 10° to 15° being indicative of an intermediate level of play, and 0° to 10° reflecting a more advanced swing skill level. Thus, suitable markings may be provided in association with the audible alarm to indicate that an arm bend of no more than 20° is "good", no more than 10°-15° is "better", and no more than 5° is "best".
In lieu of tubular valve 38, a compressible pump bulb valve of conventional construction may be provided along with an air release valve communicating with the interior of the cavity 34. The bulb valve is of the type whereby the user can simply manually depress the bulb thereby forcing air from the atmosphere into cavity 34 via the inlet of the bulb valve. Upon release of the bulb the latter returns to its initial configuration and thereby pulls air into the interior thereof, which is then introduced into the interior of the sleeve cavity upon finger compression of the bulb. It is contemplated in this respect that the bulb may if desired be constructed to similar a golf ball and thereby have a series of small dimples in the spherical body of the bulb.
Similarly, the air release valve may alternately be provided on wall member 24 to permit air to be evacuated from cavity 34 may be of the bulb type which when manually compressed allows air to leak out of the sleeve cavity. In this instance, the sphere may also be configured to simulate a golf ball with small depressions therein, and may be of a different color than the compression bulb at the opposite end of sleeve 12. The compression bulb may be white in an exemplary embodiment of sleeve 12, while the air release valve bulb may be colored green.
In a further alternative embodiment of the invention, the piezo device 78 may be replaced with a micro-processor operated electronic device which emits a verbal message such as "your arm is bent", or any other desired message to alert the golfer the leading arm has been allowed to bend to an undesirable extent.
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A golf club swing teaching aid is provided having an elongated inflatable tubular sleeve adapted to be worn by the golfer to restrain bending of the golfer's leading arm during backswing. An alarm assembly which emits an audible signal is mounted on the sleeve for alerting the golfer that his or her leading alarm has been allowed to bend to an undesirable extent during backswing of the golf club. Means is provided for adjustably mounting the alarm actuating components of the alarm assembly on the sleeve so that the golfer may select the degree of bending of his or her leading arm that may take place during backswing of a golf club before the audible alarm is sounded. Selective adjustment by the golfer of the degree of adjustment of the sleeve also has an effect on the timing of the audible alarm. The audible alarm is initiated upon normal bending of the leading arm during swing follow-through thus alerting the golfer to the fact that he or she can now allow their eyes to leave the ball impact zone and focus on the ball flight path. The sleeve has a non-inflated area at the arm crease which allows substantially unimpeded arm bending at the elbow during follow-through so that the golfer is not restrained from executing a normal technique throughout the swing.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine and, more specifically, to employing low-density, high-temperature resistant, inorganic spheroids to insulate a double-walled exhaust pipe of an automobile or other motorized vehicles.
With the advent of more and more plastic and electronic components on motorized vehicles, particularly automobiles, it is becoming more important to insulate these items from the hot exhaust system. Presently, individual components or specific areas of the car are protected by heat shields or insulation, or are located a sufficient distance from the exhaust system to avoid heat. Heat shields or insulation can be costly when the item to be protected is large, such as a plastic gasoline tank, and it is not always feasible or practical to locate such items away from the exhaust system. A more economical approach is to insulate the source of the heat. In this case, the exhaust pipe which carries and is heated by the exhaust gas.
Insulating the exhaust pipe can also have other advantages. Catalytic converters must reach a certain temperature before they "light off" or begin to oxidize carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. Insulating the exhaust pipe between the exhaust manifold and the catalytic converter minimizes heat loss and therefore decreases the time for "light off" to occur. This is very important when the car is first started, especially in cold weather, to satisfy the increasingly stringent air quality standards.
A major difficulty has been to insulate the pipe effectively, easily and economically. Ceramic fiber has been used to insulate exhaust pipes. However, since the ceramic fiber by itself is fragile and its heat insulation property is drastically reduced as it picks up moisture, it must be protected. This requires sheet metal shells to be affixed around the fiber insulation which is expensive, increases the number of parts, and can be a source of noise and rattles. In addition, the fiber may present a hazard if its escapes and becomes airborne because of metal shell breakage or corrosion during the life of the vehicle.
Double-walled exhaust pipes have been employed as a means of insulating hot exhaust gas from vehicle components. A double-walled pipe consists of a pipe within a pipe with a small annular air gap between them. Unfortunately, in many cases, it does not reduce the temperature sufficiently, and can be a source of noise, since the outer pipe is not sufficiently constrained. There have been attempts at filling this space between the two pipes with mineral powder as in European Patent Application 0 285 804 A1. Because of the dusting and caking nature of such powder, it is difficult to apply and to apply uniformly. The powder also adds significant weight to the exhaust system and must be carefully sealed against moisture absorption which has a deleterious effect on insulation properties.
It is an object of this invention to produce an economical, light-weight, low-noise, thermally-insulated, double-walled pipe system that overcomes the difficulties of previous exhaust systems. It is a further object of this invention to provide an insulated exhaust system which in the event of a catastrophic failure such as pipe breakage or corrosion would have a minimum impact on the environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a double-walled exhaust pipe containing a uniform annular air space or gap between the outside diameter of the inner pipe and the inside diameter of the outer pipe, an annular flange is welded to each end of the pipe, and the entire annular volume between the pipes is filled with low-density, high-temperature resistant, inorganic spheres or spheroids. By high-temperature is meant at least 500° C.
Useful size range (diameter) of the above spheroids is from about 0.2 mm to about 15.0 mm. The spheroidal shape is important to ensure that the low density material readily flows into the annular gaps. Spheroids below about 0.2 mm are more difficult to handle and are more likely to dust and become airborne during the filling process. Maximum spheroid diameter is governed largely by the size of the annular gap, since the spheroid diameter must not be larger than this gap. This means for automotive applications, the spheroids must be generally smaller than 15 mm. Any size or combination of size ranges can be used without departing from the scope of this invention.
The great advantage of the spheroidal shape is the ability of the spheroids to flow freely in filling the space between pipes. This means a uniform packaging with no air gaps or spaces that would deleteriously affect the thermal and acoustical insulation properties of the pipe assembly. The spheroidal shape also allows the spheroids to slide relative to one another as the inside pipe heats up and expands relative to the outside pipe. If the internal pressure becomes too great, the spheroids can fracture to relieve pressure. Surprisingly, when these spheroids fracture, they are not reduced to powder which would allow this material to settle or compact and thus reduce its effectiveness as an insulation material. Rather, they fracture in large pieces so as to continue to occupy essentially the same volume.
The low bulk density of the spheroids, approximately 0.2-0.5 g/cc, keeps the weight of the assembly low, which is important to maintain power and minimize fuel consumption. The inert and non-fibrous nature of these spheroids produces a minimal impact on the environment should the spheroids escape due to a damaged or deteriorated pipe. The inorganic composition ensures that they will not melt or decompose when exposed to the high temperatures of an exhaust system. Because they are also impervious to water they will not absorb moisture, even if the pipe is improperly sealed.
The size of the annular gap formed in the double-walled exhaust pipe can be varied. In general, the larger the gap the greater the acoustical and heat insulation. For most exhaust systems, a gap of from 3 to 15 mm is satisfactory.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a section of the double-walled exhaust pipe of the invention containing low-density, high-temperature resistant, inorganic spheroids; and
FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the exhaust pipe of FIG. 1 showing the low-density, high-temperature resistant, inorganic spheroids.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawing, insulated, double-walled exhaust pipe 10 comprises an inner pipe 12 of stainless steel or other heat and corrosion resistant material, an outer pipe 14 of similar construction, and, low-density, high-temperature resistant, inorganic spheroids 16 which occupy the annular gap between the two concentric pipes and the annular flanges 18 which serve to contain the low-density spheroidal insulation as well as to supply a means of attaching the pipe to an exhaust manifold, muffler, or the like.
The inner pipe 12, the outer pipe 14, and the annular flanges 18 are typically made of stainless steel. However, when exhaust temperature is lower, less expensive steel or steel alloys may be used. The annular gap occupied by the spheroids 16 can be varied. Increasing the gap decreases the heat and noise that can be transmitted to the outside pipe. For normal exhaust conditions, a gap of from 3 to 15 mm is sufficient. In the drawing the pipes are round and concentric, but could be any shape or one shape inside a pipe of a second shape without departing from the scope of this invention.
The double-walled exhaust pipe 10 can either be straight or have one or more bends in it. Depending on the wall thickness and rigidity of the pipe and the compressive strength of the spheroids used, the pipe can be bent either before or after the spheroids are inserted. If the spheroids are to be added after the pipe is bent, then the annular gap between the pipes is usually filled with sand during bending to maintain a uniform annulus. The sand is then removed and replaced with the low-density, inorganic spheroids 16.
The low-density, inorganic spheroids 16 are preferably in the 0.2-0.5 g/cc bulk density range. Individual spheroids can range from as small as 0.2 mm diameter to as large as 15 mm diameter. The larger spheroids may be used when the space between the inner and outer pipe is sufficiently large. Spheroids of 0.6-1.4 mm diameter in a gap of 3 to 10 mm are preferred for normal automobiles exhaust pipes.
The preferred composition of the spheroids is sodium silicate and clay, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,810 which is assigned to the present assignee and is incorporated herein by reference. These spheroids are low cost, impermeable to water, and are thermally stable to 1100° C. They are commercially available from 3M Company under the tradename Macrolite Ceramic Spheres. Other suitable materials may include hollow glass spheres, alumina-silica spheres, or other low density, inorganic spheres as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,480 or low density, metal oxide spheres such as zirconium oxide, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, aluminum oxide, and silicon oxide, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,136. If the exhaust gas temperature is sufficiently low, hollow glass spheres can also be used.
The above Macrolite ceramic spheroids 16 comprise:
A. a continuous phase made of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum phosphate (AlPO 4 ), sodium silicate (Na 2 Ox 1 SiO 2 ) and potassium silicate (K 2 Ox 2 SiO 2 ); and
B. an insolubilizing agent, which combines with the continuous phase during firing to make the continuous phase insoluble in water; said fired, hollow spheroids having a cellular shell.
x 1 is the molar ratio of silica (SiO 2 ) to soda (Na 2 O) and
X 2 is the molar ratio of silica to potassium oxide (K 2 O).
The spheroids are typically in the range of about 0.2 to 15 mm diameter with bulk densities of about 0.2 to 0.5 g/cc, and are stable to at least 600° C. The shell of the spheroids is cellular, and it can be made from inexpensive raw materials such as sodium silicate (continuous phase) and clay (insolubilizing agent).
Typically, the spheroids are made by mixing sodium silicate with clay (e.g., hydrated Kaolinite) to form a pliable, plastic mass or paste. This mass is formed into pellets ranging from about 2 to 10 mm in size. These pellets are expanded to from 1.5 to 2.0 times their original size by heating (e.g. 150°-200° C.), often in the presence of a parting agent. The expanded pellets which have now taken on a spheroidal shape are further heated or fired to 400° C. in a furnace during which the clay reacts with the sodium silicate to make it insoluble in water. Other insolubilizing agents which can be used instead of clay are: iron oxide, titanium dioxide, alumina trihydrate (Al 2 O 3 .3H 2 O) and zinc oxide. Spheroids made with these compounds should be fired at temperatures of at least 600° C. generally in the range of 600° to 1000° C.
In the above-described process, typical composition ranges are:
weight percent water in the paste: 35-45%
weight ratio of SiO 2 :Na 2 O: 2.75-3.65
weight ratio of silicate solids to clay: 0.8-3
The effect of the latter two variables on product density is as follows:
as SiO 2 :Na 2 O ratio increases, density increases; and
as the ratio of silicate solids to clay increases, density decreases
For potassium silicates, the ratio x 2 is typically in the range 2.5-4.
To demonstrate the utility of this invention the following examples were prepared.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE AND EXAMPLES 1-3
A 30.5 cm section of a double-walled exhaust pipe was formed using an inner stainless steel pipe having an outer diameter of 4.76 cm and an outer stainless steel pipe having an inside diameter of 6.03 cm, resulting in an annular gap between them of about 6.35 mm. The wall thickness of each pipe was about 1.6 mm. The pipes were welded on one end to a connecting annular flange. Thermocouples were attached to the outside of both the inner and outer pipe spaced 180° apart (four thermocouples total) at midlength of the pipe to record the temperature of each pipe. The double-walled pipe was then connected to a natural gas burner which had a temperature controller that could control the temperature of the gas entering the inner pipe.
The double-walled pipe was first tested (comparative Example) with the annular gap empty. The outlet end of the annular gap was sealed with a small ring of ceramic fiber to simulate minimal natural convection conditions. The inlet gas temperature was controlled at 950° C. Flow rate was approximately 5 m 3 /min. The pipe temperatures were allowed to stabilize for 1/2 hour before they were recorded. After recording temperatures for the empty annular gap, the annular gap was filled (Example 1) with Macrolite ceramic spheres, sphere type ML 357, available commercially from 3M Company. The outlet end of the annular gap was again sealed with ceramic fiber and the same flow rate and inlet gas temperature was used. The pipe temperatures were again allowed to stabilize for 1/2 hour before recording. This procedure was followed two more times with sphere type ML 714 (Example 2) and sphere type ML 1430 (Example 3) Macrolite ceramic spheres, respectively. Temperature results are shown in Table I below:
TABLE I__________________________________________________________________________Heat-Insulation Properties of Double-Walled Exhaust Pipe Material In Sphere Average Temp. Average Temp.Example Annular Gap Diameter Inner Pipe Outer Pipe__________________________________________________________________________Comparative None -- 727° C. 475° C.1 ML 357 5.7-2.8 mm 786° C. 416° C.2 ML 714 2.8-1.4 mm 794° C. 403° C.3 ML 1430 1.4-0.6 mm 792° C. 390° C.__________________________________________________________________________
As can be determined by analyzing the data obtained for the examples of this invention in Table I, the heat insulation provided by the low-density, inorganic spheroids lowers the temperature of the outer pipe by as much as 85° C. while maintaining a higher inner pipe temperature by as much as 65° C. Thus, not only is the outer pipe cooler to protect vehicle parts from heat, but a higher gas temperature can be delivered to a catalytic converter for quicker "light off".
The durability of the double-walled exhaust pipe was then tested by welding a cap on the pipe containing the Macrolite ML 1430 ceramic spheres and shaking it at an acceleration of 10 Gs and a frequency of 100 Hz with an inlet gas temperature at 950° C. for two hours. The vibrations were supplied by an electromechanical vibrator made by Unholtz-Dickie Corp. After testing, pipe cap was removed. There was no evidence of volume reduction. The spheres were then poured out of the gap and examined. There was no sign of any of the spheres breaking down to powder.
The invention has been described using low-density, high-temperature resistant, inorganic spheres to insulate a double-walled pipe, but alternatively they could also be used to help reduce heat and noise from a muffler or catalytic converter by utilizing a similarly filled double-walled gap surrounding the outside of these items. Likewise, multiple gaps could be provided by using additional walls.
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 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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A double-walled cylinder in the form of an exhaust pipe, muffler, or catalytic converter is provided less heat or sound conductive in its radial direction by filling the annular gap between the inner and outer cylinder with low-density, high-temperature resistant, inorganic spheroids.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/894,759, filed on Jun. 5, 1992, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical semiconductor device in the form of an optical semiconductor device formed from a plurality of light-emitting diodes arranged in set intervals which displays specific data by ON and OFF combinations, and, in particular, to an optical semiconductor device which can display data clearly, irrespective of changes in the amount of incident external light or of the position of a person viewing the display.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, an optical semiconductor device as a display unit formed from light-emitting diodes in a plurality of locations arranged in matrix form can display specified data when the light-emitting diodes are set to ON or to OFF. At the present time, such an optical semiconductor device is widely used both indoors and outdoors as a display device such as a display panel in which a specific number of light-emitting diodes are combined.
For example, these display devices are installed on the shoulder of a highway to provide road data for drivers, or the like, or are installed in railway stations to provide passengers with a guide to the departure and arrival times of the trains. FIG. 1A is a plan view of an optical semiconductor device 1 used as a display unit for a conventional display device. This display device 1 is fabricated from nine light-emitting diodes 2.
The light-emitting diodes 2 are arranged in a peripheral member 3 in a systematic matrix form. A resin 4 is filled between the light-emitting diodes 2 of the peripheral member 3 to secure the light-emitting diodes 2 in the peripheral member 3. FIG. 1B is a sectional view along a line A--A' of the optical semiconductor device 1 of FIG. 1.
For example, a plurality of optical semiconductor devices 1 are combined and arranged in one plane, for example, to form a display device for information in a railroad station as stated above. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a display device 7 used as a display unit, formed by combining a plurality of conventional optical semiconductor devices 1. FIG. 2B is a sectional view along a line B-B' of the display device 7 shown in FIG. 2A.
In the display device 7 shown in FIG. 2A, for example, in the case of an outdoor installation, the sunlight shines directly onto the light-emitting diodes 2, which are, specifically, LED lamps. In this case, it is difficult to distinguish whether the LED lamps 2 are illuminated or extinguished, so, as a result, there is the problem that the displayed data cannot be understood. Conventionally, to solve this problem, a louver 5, for example, is provided in one part of the peripheral member 3 of the optical semiconductor device 1, as shown in FIG. 1B, so that external light does not shine directly onto the LED lamp 2.
As a result, when the LED lamp 2 is extinguished it is difficult for external light to be directed onto the LED lamp 2 or the resin 4 and there is a large difference between the amount of light from the light-emitted diode 2 when the light-emitting diode 2 is lighted and the amount of light from the resign 4 in the optical semiconductor device 1 when the diode 2 is extinguished. Specifically, the clarity of contrast in the total optical semiconductor device 1 is large. Accordingly, a good display is possible.
However, the optical semiconductor device 1 is arranged in matrix form to form the display device 7, and when a long louver 5 is provided in the peripheral member 3 to restrain the effect of external light, the visibility in the display device 1 in the vertical direction in particular is lost. For this reason, there are cases where the louver 5 must be short, depending on the location at which the display device 1 is installed and the magnitude of the display portion. For example, in the case of a display device utilizing the optical semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, there are occasions when the LED lamp 2 is difficult to see when viewed from the B direction. For this reason, the louver 5 must be short.
In such a case, the louver 5 cannot block out a sufficient amount of external light, and when the LED lamp 2 is illuminated or extinguished, the contrast in a specific direction is poor.
In addition, the resin 4 used for setting the light-emitting diode 2 in the peripheral member 3 normally has a low viscosity. Specifically, in the case where a high viscosity resin is used, it is run into the perimeter of the light-emitting diode 2 and cured to avoid the production of cavities at the periphery of the light-emitting diode 2. However, when a low viscosity resin is used a mirror-like surface is formed. As a result, external light directed onto the surface of the resin 4 is reflected in a specific direction so that it is impossible to understand the display data.
As a countermeasure for such inconveniences, the reflection of external light from the LED lamp 2 can be restrained to a certain extent by changing the shape of the LED lamp 2. However, no effective countermeasure has as yet been found for the resin problem.
As explained above, in a conventional optical semiconductor device 1 utilizing a display device which is mainly for outdoor application, a long louver 5 for blocking out the light provided to the peripheral member 3 cannot be used, therefore external light is strongly reflected from the surface of the resin 4 which is filled into the peripheral member 3. This gives rise to the drawback that the optical semiconductor device, specifically, the display device, is difficult to see.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide, with due consideration to the drawbacks of such conventional devices, an optical semiconductor device constructed so that incident light from an external source is not reflected in a specific direction, thus improving the contrast, which is the difference between the degree of brilliance when a display device is lighted and the degree of brilliance when the display device is extinguished, and, in addition, to provide an optical semiconductor device which has a display function whereby the viewer can correctly and clearly recognize the displayed data.
As a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, an optical semiconductor device comprises:
a substrate;
a plurality of light-emitting diodes disposed in a specific arrangement on the substrate;
a peripheral member for housing the substrate and the light-emitting diodes;
a first layer filled between the substrate in combination with the peripheral member, and the light-emitting diodes, for securing the light-emitting diodes between the substrate and the peripheral member; and
a second layer formed on the first layer,
wherein:
minute irregularities are formed on the second layer so that external light directed onto the exposed surface of the second layer is diffusedly reflected.
As another preferred embodiment according to the present invention, an optical semiconductor device comprises:
a substrate;
a plurality of light-emitting diodes disposed in a specific arrangement on the substrate;
a peripheral member for housing the substrate and the light-emitting diodes;
a layer filled between the substrate in combination with the peripheral member, and the light-emitting diodes, for securing the light-emitting diodes between the substrate and the peripheral member; wherein:
minute irregularities are formed on the layer so that external light directed onto the exposed surface of the layer is diffusedly reflected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1A is a plan view of a conventional optical semiconductor device.
FIG. 1B is a sectional view along a line A--A' of the optical semiconductor device 1 shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2A is a plan view of a conventional display device used as a display unit, formed by combining a plurality of optical semiconductor devices shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 2B is a sectional view of the display device shown in FIG. 2A.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of an optical semiconductor device of the present invention.
FIG. 4A is a plan view of the optical semiconductor device shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 4B is a sectional view of a second layer 15 of the optical semiconductor device shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 4C is a plan view of a first layer 14 of the optical semiconductor device shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of an optical semiconductor device of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of an optical semiconductor device of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a fourth embodiment of an optical semiconductor device of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a fifth embodiment of an optical semiconductor device of the present invention.
FIG. 9 shows a modified example of a projection section of the first embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Other features of this invention will become apparent in the course of the following description of exemplary embodiments which are given for illustration of the invention and are not intended to be limiting thereof. An embodiment of the present invention will now be explained, based on the drawings.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of an optical semiconductor device of the present invention.
In FIG. 3, a plurality of light-emitting diodes, for example, a plurality of LED lamps 12 in an optical semiconductor device 10, connected to a printed substrate 11 are arranged in the form of a matrix and housed in a peripheral member 13, and a first layer of resin 14 is filled in to enclose one part of the periphery of the LED lamp 12. In addition, a light dispersion member 15 is formed as a second layer and joined to the first layer of resin 14 as a special feature of this first embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, with the exception of its light-emitting portion, one part of the periphery of the LED lamp 12 is formed of a two-layer laminated structure made up of the first layer of resin 14 and the second light dispersion member layer 15.
Next, the method of forming this first embodiment of the optical semiconductor device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, and FIG. 4C.
FIG. 4A is a plan view of the optical semiconductor device shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the light dispersion member 15 as the second layer of the optical semiconductor device shown in FIG. 3; and FIG. 4C is a sectional view of the first layer of resin 14 as the first layer of the optical semiconductor device shown in FIG. 3. An opening 16H is provided in each of the four corners of the first layer of resin 14 through which a projection 16 of the second layer light dispersion member 15 is inserted.
On the light dispersion member 15 as the second layer of this laminated structure, as shown in FIG. 4B, a surface 15A opposite to the surface joined to the resin 14, specifically, the surface in contact with the atmosphere, is formed by a process which provides minute irregularities.
Various processing methods can be given, but, for example, in one method, resin as the light dispersion member 15 is injected softened on one surface of a metal die with minute granulated particles attached.
With the light dispersion member 15 formed in this manner, prior to the first layer of resin 14 being filled between the light-emitting diodes 12 in the peripheral member 13, the projections 16 provided on the surface of the light dispersion member 15 are inserted under pressure into the resin 14 and temporarily secured, after which they are fully secured in the resin 14 as a result of the curing process, and are securely positioned in the peripheral member 13.
As described above, the exposed surface 15A of the light dispersion member 15 is processed as an irregular surface. Therefore, external light directed onto the surface of the light dispersion member 15 is diffusedly reflected, not reflected in one specific direction. Further, if the second layer light dispersion member 15 is black it will absorb the external light so that the amount of reflected light from the second layer surface 15A can be reduced.
As a result, when the LED lamps 12 are extinguished, even when external light enters the optical semiconductor device, the reflected light over the entire optical semiconductor device is restrained, and the difference in the amount of light from the entire device between the periods when the LED lamps 12 are illuminated and the periods when the LED lamps 12 are extinguished is improved. Accordingly, in a display device formed by arranging this type of optical semiconductor device 10 in matrix form, there are no problems of the device being difficult to see, as with a conventional display device, and a clear display can be obtained.
Further, in the first embodiment, the light dispersion member 15 is formed from resin, but the present invention is not restricted to this construction, and the light dispersion member 15 may, for example, be formed of metal. In addition, a filler member as the resin 14 of the first layer and a filler member as the light dispersion member 15 of the second layer may also be joined by, for example, an adhesive, without providing projections 16 in the rear surface of the filler member as the light dispersion member 15 of the second layer.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of an optical semiconductor device of the present invention. Reference numerals in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 which are the same as reference numerals in FIG. 1 designate identical or corresponding parts. Further explanation of these parts is therefore omitted here.
The special features of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5 are as follows. With the exception of its light-emitting portion, one part of the periphery of the LED lamp 12 is filled with a resin 17, and the exposed surface 17A of this resin 17 is processed to provide an irregular surface.
As a method for directly processing the surface 17A of the filled member of the resin 17 or the like, there is the processing method whereby, when, for example, the filled resin 17 is in a softened state, a tape-shaped cloth is applied by pressure to the surface 17A of the resin 17. After the resin 17 has hardened, the mesh pattern of the cloth is transferred to the resin surface 17A by removing this cloth, so that minute irregularities are provided to the surface. In the resulting optical semiconductor device 20, the resin 17 having an irregular surface processed by a method of this type, can obtain the same type of results as a filled member as in the previously-described optical semiconductor device 10 of the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of an optical semiconductor device of the present invention.
An optical semiconductor device 30 as shown in FIG. 6, which is the third embodiment of the present invention, has the following features.
In contrast with the optical semiconductor device 20 of the above-described second embodiment, by scattering a black resin 19 formed of minute granules as a second layer onto a surface 18A of a filler resin 18 directly after the resin 18 has been filled in, the layer of black resin 19 produces irregularities in the resin surface 18. In this type of embodiment it is also possible to obtain the same effects as in the optical semiconductor devices 10, 20 of the previously-described embodiments, and the same type of effect is obtained even if the granules are removed after scattering.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a fourth embodiment of an optical semiconductor device of the present invention. An optical semiconductor device 40 as shown in FIG. 7, which is the fourth embodiment of the present invention, has the following features. In contrast with the optical semiconductor device 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a resin member 22 is formed as a second layer from a high-viscosity resin, and the exposed surface 22A of the resin member 22 is processed to give an irregular surface.
Any of the previously-described methods can be applied to form these irregularities. Other methods which can also be used include, for example, applying a resin into which has been blended minute glass or silica granules. In addition, the second layer may be formed from a metal formed into the shape of glass granules.
This method can also be used with the previously-described embodiments. The same type of effect can be obtained in this embodiment of the optical semiconductor device of the present invention as in the previously-described optical semiconductor device 10, 20, 30. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an optical semiconductor device 50 of a fifth embodiment of the present invention. A filler resin 24 made from, for example, a white resin may be used on the bottom of the first layer in the drawing to increase the light reflectance. In this case, the light emitted from the sides and bottom of the light-emitting diodes can be recovered at a front surface 12F of each light-emitting diode, and the degree of brightness of the light-emitting diode is intensified.
As a result, the displayed data can be easily understood. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a position L1 of a pellet 29 must be set at a small distance from a position L2 which is the height of the boundary between the first and second layers.
In the optical semiconductor device 10 of the first embodiment of the present invention, the projections 16 and the openings 16H for securely joining the first layer of resin 14 and the second layer 15 were cylindrical.
However, the embodiment is not limited to this shape. As shown in FIG. 9, the cross-section of the projection 26 of the second layer 28 opposing the first layer of resin may be, for example, triangular to strengthen the joint between the first and second layers.
When the first resin layer 27 of this embodiment is completely cured, a stronger bond is obtained between the second layer 28 and the first resin layer 27 than between the first layer of resin 14 and the second layer 15 of the optical semiconductor device of the previously-described first embodiment. Therefore, these layers can be peeled apart only with difficulty.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, when the display device in which the light-emitting diodes are arranged in matrix form is fabricated, a louver may be provided on the peripheral member 13 to the extent that the data cannot be missed when seen from an angle.
From the foregoing explanation, by means of the present invention, the exposed surface of the filler resin filled into the peripheral member in which the light-emitting diodes are housed is formed from a layer which can scatter or absorb the incident light. Therefore, the reflection in a specific direction of external light incident on the exposed surface of the filled member can be restrained.
As a result, an optical semiconductor device can be provided which easily and clearly displays recognizable data over the entire device by the illumination and extinction of the light-emitting diodes.
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An optical semiconductor device having a substrate; a plurality of light-emitting diodes disposed in a specific arrangement on the substrate; a peripheral member for housing the substrate and the light-emitting diodes; a first resin layer formed on an area of said substrate within the peripheral member and not occupied by said light-emitting diodes, for securing the light-emitting diodes between the substrate and the peripheral member; and a second resin layer formed on the first resin layer, wherein: minute irregularities are formed on the second resin layer so that external light directed onto the exposed surface of the second resin layer is diffusedly reflected.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an r.p.m. regulator of a fuel injection pump for internal combustion engines, and more particularly to an r.p.m. regulator of a fuel injection pump including a pivotably mounted control lever intended to actuate a fuel quantity setting member of the fuel injection pump and engaged by a control spring system including a preloaded control spring disposed between a setting lever and a control lever and acting in opposition to an r.p.m. dependent force in the tensile direction.
Such idle r.p.m. regulators and peak r.p.m. regulators are used for vehicular engines in order to prevent a strong load thrust as the accelerator is depressed. These regulators control only the idle running and the maximal full load revolutions. The revolution region and load region lying in between is controlled directly by means of the accelerator pedal and the regulator mechanism. The regulator spring is pre-stressed and effects a rapid reduction regulation as the maximal full load revolutions magnitude is exceeded.
According to the given injection quantity characteristic determined by the inlet and control cross-sectional areas, a so-called adaptation is desired for some pumps. Such an adaptation is desired when, in the partial load region, that is to say, between the idle running and the full load, the injection quantity increases more with the increasing revolutions than does the actual requirement, which creates unstable regulation regions with jerking vehicular motion and drifting of the engine.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide a regulator of the above type which avoids the disadvantages cited.
It is another object of the invention to develop an r.p.m. regulator in which the quantity of fuel injected increases slightly with the revolutions at full load, whereas in the partial load region the quantity of fuel injected remains constant at given revolutions for a given constant accelerator position which decreases slightly with an increase of the revolutions.
This objective is accomplished, according to the present invention, due to the fact that in the above-cited regulator the pressure spring serves as the adapter spring and its excursion is limited by a projection, and the regulator spring is deformed in correspondence to the pre-stressing for the reduction regulation, after the adapter spring has completed its available stroke, terminated by the limiting projection.
The invention will be better understood as well as other objects and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a partial section through a fuel injection pump with a single reciprocating and simultaneously rotating pump piston which also serves as a distributor and including the governor mechanism according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an operational graph of the regulator according to the invention;
FIG. 3 shows the spring mechanism depicted in FIG. 1 of this invention in an enlarged scale; and
FIG. 4 shows another spring mechanism in an enlarged scale of a second embodiment of this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The disposition of parts and the method of operation of the regulator according to the present invention is described below using the example of a distribution pump of known construction. A housing 1 of a fuel injection pump for multi-cylinder internal combustion engines contains a drive shaft 2. This drive shaft 2 is coupled to a frontal cam plate 3 which has as many cams 4 as the number of cylinders of the associated internal combustion engine. The cam plate 3 is moved by locally fixed rollers 5 and by the rotation of the drive shaft 2. This motion results in a reciprocating and simultaneously rotating motion of a pump piston 8 coupled with the frontal cam plate 3 and pressed onto the cam plate 3 by a spring (not shown). The pump piston 8 is displaceable within a cylindrical bushing 9 which is closed on top and is inserted into the housing 1. The bushing 9 is provided with a cylinder bore 10 which encloses a working chamber 11. From the working chamber 11, an axial bore 12 communicates with a chamber 13 which, in turn, communicates through a line 14 with the bore 10 of the cylinder bushing 9. The axial bore 12 can be closed by a valve member 15 loaded in the direction of the working chamber 11. The connecting line 14 can be connected in sequence with pressure lines 20 terminating in the bore 10 through an annular groove 17 on the periphery of the pump piston 8 and through an axially oriented distributor groove 18 which is connected thereto. The pressure lines 20 are evenly distributed about the cylinder bore 10 and correspond to the number of cylinders of the internal combustion engine to be supplied with fuel. At each pressure stroke of the pump piston 8, fuel is delivered through the axial bore 12, the chamber 13, the connecting line 14 and the distributor groove 18 to one of the pressure lines 20. During the suction stroke, fuel flows from a suction chamber 24 through a supply line 23 terminating in the bore 10 and through one longitudinal groove 22 of a plurality of such grooves into the working chamber 11. The grooves 22 are equal in number to the number of cylinders of the engine and are similarly configured on the periphery of the pump piston. During the suction stroke of the pump piston 8, the rotation thereof interrupts the connection between the supply line 23 and the longitudinal grooves 22, so that the entire fuel quantity delivered by the pump piston can be supplied to the pressure lines.
For the purpose of regulating the delivered fuel quantity, the working chamber 11 can be connected with the pump suction chamber 24 through an axial blind bore 26 in the pump piston 8 and further through a transverse bore 27 intersecting the blind bore 26. Cooperating with the transverse bore 27 is a fuel quantity setting member 28 in the form of a sleeve slidable on the pump piston 8, where the position of the sleeve determines the point in time at which the upward motion of the pump piston 8 opens the transverse bore 27 and creates a connection between the working chamber 11 and the pump suction chamber 24. From this point on, the pump delivery is interrupted. Thus, the displacement of the sleeve 28 can be used to determine the quantity of fuel which is supplied for injection.
The supply of fuel to the pump working chamber is affected by a fuel pump 32 which aspirates fuel from a supply reservoir through a supply channel 33 into the suction chamber 24. In order to obtain an r.p.m. dependent pressure, a bypass of the fuel pump 32 contains a connecting line 34 with a throttle location 35. The size of the throttle opening can be changed by a piston 36 whose rear face is actuated by a spring 37 and also by the fuel pressure prevailing at the suction side of the pump, and whose front surface is actuated by the fuel pressure prevailing in the supply channel 33.
The change in the injected fuel quantity is effected by setting the sleeve 28 by means of a control lever 41 whose spherical head 42 engages a recess 43 within the sleeve 28. The control lever 41 is mounted on a shaft 45 serving as a fixed pivotal point. The position of this shaft can be changed by means which are not shown, for example, by an eccentric means in order to obtain a basic setting. Fastened to the extreme opposite end of the control lever 41 is a control spring mechanism 47 whose detailed construction is shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The other end of the control spring mechanism connects via a connecting bolt 49 with a setting lever 69 which is rigidly mounted on an actuating shaft 53. The shaft 53 passes through a sealed bore 51. The shaft 53 can be externally rotated by a further lever 52, fixedly disposed thereon.
Located between the fastening point of the control spring mechanism 47 and the shaft 45 is the point of contact of a centrifugal force governor sleeve 56 which is slidingly displaced by flyweights 59 on a governor shaft 58. The flyweights 59 are located in sheet metal pockets 60 fixedly mounted on a gear 61 carried by the governor axis. The gear 61 is driven by a drive gear 63 rigidly connected with the drive shaft 2, and the flyweights 59 are driven by the sheet metal pockets 60 which, in turn, are driven by the gear 61. The flyweights 50 are moved radially outward corresponding to the r.p.m. and their protruding nose-shaped parts 64 lift the centrifugal force governor sleeve 56. Thus, when the governor sleeve 56 contacts the control lever 41, the r.p.m. dependent centrifugal force is transmitted by lever action to the control lever and against the force of the control spring mechanism 47. In order to keep the distance between the point of contact of the centrifugal force transmitted by the governor sleeve 56 and the shaft 45 constant at all times, this point contains a sphere 65 pressed into the control lever 41.
As soon as the clockwise moment around fixed pivot point 45 provided by the centrifugal force exceeds the counterclockwise moment due to the control spring mechanism 47, the sleeve 28 is moved downwardly in a direction which reduces the fuel injection quantity. This process takes place until an equilibrium of forces again prevails at the control lever 41.
FIG. 2 represents a functional graph of the regulator according to the present invention, wherein the quantity of fuel injected and delivered to the engine is plotted along the ordinate and the r.p.m. are plotted along the abscissa. As previously described, the regulator comprises an idling r.p.m. and peak r.p.m. regulator, i.e., the quantity of injected fuel is rapidly reduced as the idle revolutions or the peak revolutions, respectively are exceeded. In the r.p.m. region lying therebetween, the quantity of fuel injected is arbitrarily variable via the accelerator pedal and the actuating lever 52, along with a regulator-derived influence according to the r.p.m. magnitude n. Whereas the curve I corresponds to the reduction regulation for idling, the curve II corresponds to the reduction regulation for the highest r.p.m. magnitude at a given quantity of fuel injected. Thus the quantity of fuel starts to decrease as the r.p.m. n 1 is exceeded during idling, i.e., at idle position of the actuating lever 52, whereby the r.p.m. is again decreased, until a constant idling r.p.m. is attained.
The curve III shows the course of the reduction regulation of the fuel quantity Q at peak revolutions and in which the reduction regulation for lesser apportioned fuel quantities takes place at higher r.p.m. n than for greater apportioned fuel quantities. The apportioned fuel quantity depends, as detailed above, upon the given momentary loading of the engine. If a motor vehicle is traveling uphill, for example, the accelerator is depressed farther, i.e., more fuel is supplied than during operation of the vehicle on level ground. The same applies to vehicular acceleration, for which similarly more fuel is supplied than at constant speed. The curve III represents the behavior of the quantity of fuel with respect to the r.p.m. of the engine when the actuating lever 52 is set to the maximal fuel quantity setting. As apparent herefrom, the fuel quantity increases with an increase in the r.p.m. The reduction regulation then takes place at the r.p.m. magnitude n 3 , which is the maximal r.p.m. magnitude for this given load condition. This behaviour characteristic of the fuel load quantity is desirable for many internal combustion engines. On the other hand, this behavior characteristic is not desired for lesser apportioned fuel quantities, namely for the partial load region. Since the injected quantity of fuel increase is greater than the actual requirement quantity curve, unstable regulation regions are created which lead to jerkiness in operation of the vehicle as well as spurious drifting of the engine. Hence, in the partial load region, it is not the curve IV, represented by a dashed line and running parallel to the curve III, which is desired, but rather a fuel quantity alteration proportional to the r.p.m. according to the characteristic curve V, wherein the fuel quantity remains constant, respectively decreases slightly, with an increase of the r.p.m. The quantity thereby lies under the actual requirement quantity with an increase of the r.p.m. For each given position of the actuating lever 52 between idling and peak r.p.m., characteristic curves of the fuel versus the r.p.m. are thus generated which run parallel to the curve V, above the curve V with the larger set quantities and below the curve V with the lesser set quantities. This kind of decrease of the fuel quantity with an increase of the r.p.m. is achieved by the fact that the length of the spring mechanism 47 increases in the partial load region with an increase of the r.p.m. so that the sleeve 28 is displaced in the direction of the cam disc and the quantity of fuel injected is consequently decreased. This change is obtained by means of a so-called adapter spring, which experiences a uniform excursion change per unit of r.p.m. change in the intermediate r.p.m. region. However, at full load this adapter spring must be disabled in order to arrive at the course of the characteristic curve III from that of the characteristic curve V.
In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3 two spacedly arranged springs 85 and 86, respectively, encircle a rod 67 and are confined for axial movement by a yoke 68, one end of which is secured by a bolt 49 to a lug or setting lever 69 and therethrough to the actuating lever 52 via the shaft 53. The arms 70 of the yoke 68 extend parallel to the axis of rod 67 and possess inwardly extending hooked ends 71. Abutting these ends is a dish-shaped spring support member 73 which includes a perforated collar 74 that is penetrated by the actuating rod 67. At the juncture of the arms 70 there is disposed a further dish-shaped spring support member 75 having a generally similar perforated collar 76. The actuating rod 67 is guided through the collars 73, 75 and its terminus 77 abuts the base 78 of the yoke 68. Adjacent to the end 77 of the rod 67 there is provided an annular groove 79 into which a guard ring 80 is squeezed. The lower dish-shaped spring support member 75 includes a cylindrical recess 81 into which the guard ring 80 is received.
Located between the spring support members 73 and 75, and similarly penetrated by the rod 67, is a third spring support member 83 which, as in the other spring support members, includes an element 84 which includes oppositely disposed seating surfaces arranged to receive springs 85 and 86, respectively. The adapter spring 85 is positioned between the spring support member 73 and the seat provided on support member 83 and the regulator spring 86 is located between the spring support member 83 and the perforated collar 75. In order to assure a sufficient pre-stressing of the regulator spring 86, the spring support member 83 is arranged to thrust against a guard ring 87 that is disposed in an annular groove 88 provided in the actuating rod 67. The spring support member 83 thus has a degree of freedom only in the direction toward the spring collar 75 by reason of the elongated sleeve which has a bore 89. The element 84 of the spring support member 83 includes an integral elongated sleeve 90 which limits the excursion of the adapter spring 85. In addition, the adapter spring 85 is designed and constructed to be stiffer than the regulator spring 86.
During the rise of the r.p.m. in the partial load region, the adapter spring 85 is compressed, so that toward the end of the r.p.m. range, that is to say, shortly prior to the start of the reduction regulation, the spring support members 73 and 83 are brought into abutment. Only subsequent to such abutment of said elements can the regulator spring 86 be compressed during the further rise of the r.p.m. On the other hand, at the full load state, that is when the accelerator pedal is fully depressed, the element 84 is initially pushed toward the spring support member 73. In other words, the adapter spring is disabled and the centrifugal force mechanism of the regulator begins to compress the spring 86 at the r.p.m. magnitude n 3 , as a result of which the sleeve 28 is displaced in the direction which brings about a diminution of the quantity of fuel injected.
As evident from FIG. 1, the actuating rod 67 is coupled to the regulator lever 41 by means of a head 91 and a spring 92 is interposed between the head 91 and the regulator lever 41. In this view, the regulator is in the starting position, that is, the spring 92 pushes the end of the regulator lever 41 away from the head 91. This results in the sleeve 28 being pushed upward as far as possible, so that the path of the bore 27 in pump piston 8 is now comparatively long, that is, an extra large quantity of fuel is now conveyed to the engine, As soon after starting as the idling r.p.m. magnitude is reached the spring 92 is also compressed. However, the end of the regulator lever 41 is not brought into abutting engagement with the head 91. That only happens when the idle running r.p.m. magnitude is exceeded.
In a further embodiment of this invention which is depicted in FIG. 4, two spacedly arranged spring systems are arranged in tandem and are coupled together by means of the actuating rod 67'. However, in this construction the regulator spring 86' comprises one spring system and the idling spring 92' and the adapter spring 85' comprise the second spring system. Thus it is possible to achieve a simpler spring adjustment that is independent of the regulator spring 86'.
The system which contains the regulator spring 86' is, in principle, constructed like the system depicted in FIG. 3 except for the omission of the spring support member 83 and the adapter spring 85. Spring support members 73' and 75' constrain the regulator spring 86'. In the second spring system, the idling spring 92' is carried within a preforated pot 93 through which extends an actuator rod 67', the upper free end of which is provided with an annular groove that is provided with a ring which supports a retainer for a spring assembly as will now be explained.
The pot includes an annular flange that is received in a recess in lever 41' and an idling spring 92' which encircles rod 67' is interposed between the base of the pot 93 and a flange 94 of a perforated hub 95, the axial elongation of which hub serves as the excursion limit of the idling spring 92'. In a mirror image disposition to this first spring support 94 there is a further spring support 97 which also has a hub shaped interior against which the adapter spring 85' thrusts. The axial elongation 97 serves to limit the excursion of this hub by cooperating with the retainer 98 against which the adapter spring 85' abuts. The second spring support 98 thrusts against a guard ring 99 lying in an annular groove 100 adjacent to the end of the connecting rod 67'. The perforated pot 93 is situated in a bore of the regulator lever 41'. As in the embodiment of FIG. 3, after starting of the engine, the idling spring 92' is compressed first, until the hub 95 butts against the pot base. Subsequent thereto, in the region of partial load, the adapter spring 85' is compressed according to the given r.p.m. magnitude until, at full load, the hub 97 then butts against the spring dish 98. The regulator spring 86' then becomes effective for the r.p.m. reduction at the earliest at the r.p.m. magnitude n 3 during the full load state.
Tension springs can also be utilized instead of pressure springs. The decisive characteristic is that the adapter spring is disabled near the end of the partial load region.
The foregoing relates to preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, it being understood that other embodiments and variants are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, the latter being defined by the appended claims.
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An improved r.p.m. regulator of a fuel injection pump for internal combustion engines includes an improved control spring mechanism. The control spring mechanism is connected to one end of a control lever which in turn is connected at its other end to a fuel supply quantity setting member. The control lever serves to actuate the fuel supply quantity setting member in accordance with the forces applied to the control lever by the control spring mechanism and an r.p.m.-dependent force applying structure which applies a force to the control lever in opposition to the force applied by the control spring mechanism. The control spring mechanism in one embodiment of the invention includes axially aligned tandem springs mounted between the control lever and a setting lever, a first connecting member and a second connecting member. In another embodiment of the invention a single spring is mounted between the control lever and a setting lever and tandem springs are mounted adjacent to one end of the second connecting member in a perforated pot that is associated with the control lever.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to increasing the compression in one cylinder commencing its compression stroke by utilizing the residual energy or pressure of the exhaust gases in a complemental cylinder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine, the cycle consists of a suction or intake stroke which draws air or a mixture of fuel and air into the cylinder, depending upon whether the fuel is drawn in through a carburetor or is injected. The drawing in of the fuel/air mixture develops a vacuum which typically amounts to 21 inches.
The cycle also includes a compression stroke during which the mixture of air and fuel is compressed within a combustion chamber which gradually reduces in size; and a power stroke following ignition of the charge, the pressure in the cylinder on completion of the power stroke typically being in excess of approximately 45 psi. The final stroke of the cycle is the exhaust stroke which expels the burned charge from the cylinder. Since four piston strokes are required to complete a cycle, there is one power stroke for each two revolutions of the crankshaft and, in engines having an even number of cylinders, the cylinders are arranged in complemental pairs. For each pair, ignition occurs alternately at intervals of 360 degrees of crankshaft rotation, with the pistons of the cylinders thus reciprocating in unison in the same direction, but on different strokes.
It is known to interconnect a complemental pair of cylinders whose pistons are reciprocating in unison in the same direction but on different strokes, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,302, issued July 5, 1977. However, the system of that patent was designed to provide fuel injection. The interconnecting conduit was connected to a source of fuel and the higher pressure existing in a cylinder on its power stroke was utilized to inject fuel through the conduit into a complemental cylinder beginning its compression stroke.
Interconnection of a pair of complemental cylinders is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,804, issued Aug. 17, 1976. In that case, interconnection was for the purpose of utilizing the residual energy of the exhaust gas of one cylinder to supercharge the other cylinder. However, scavenging of the connecting conduit was proposed to be accomplished by providing integral passageways in the pistons. Scavenging air from a blower was applied to the passageway in one piston for passage through the connecting conduit, and for discharge through the passageway in the complemental piston. The system thus required specially formed pistons and no suggestion was made respecting prevention of what would appear to be relatively high rates of air flow past the piston skirts and into the crankcase.
Thus, there appears to be no teaching in the prior art of a system for utilizing, without radically modifying the structure of the pistons, the residual energy of exhaust gases in one cylinder to supercharge a complemental cylinder whose piston is reciprocating in unison with the first cylinder, but on a different stroke, thereby to improve compression and consequently engine fuel economy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a fuel conserving engine improvement is provided for a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine which includes at least a pair of complemental first and second cylinders having pistons which reciprocate in unison in the same direction, but on different strokes.
The invention includes conduit means which extend between the pair of complemental cylinders through openings uncovered by the pistons at the bottom of their intake and power strokes, respectively, allowing higher pressure exhaust gases from one cylinder to flow into the other cylinder. Blower means are provided to draw crankcase gases from a crankcase gas collection area for discharge into the conduit means. This provides a positive pressure which prevents lubricating oil and exhaust gases from collecting in the conduit means when the conduit openings in the cylinders are uncovered by the pistons during their upward movement. The blower means includes a check valve to prevent reverse flow of exhaust gases from the conduit means to the blower of the blower means when the pistons are at the bottom of their strokes.
The foregoing arrangement allows the higher pressures of the cylinder completing its power stroke to flow through the conduit means to the complemental cylinder which is about to commence its compression stroke, thereby changing the pressure in the latter cylinder from a negative pressure to a significantly higher pressure, and thus producing a higher pressure in the cylinder on completion of its compression stroke. Significant savings in fuel are achieved by the system, largely due to such improved compression.
Various modifications and changes may be made with regard to the foregoing detailed description without departing from the spirit of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partially diagrammatic front elevational view of a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial transverse cross-sectional view of the area adjacent one of the cylinder walls, and particularly illustrating one method of mounting the end of a conduit in fluid communication with the interior of the cylinder;
FIG. 3 is a view substantially identical to FIG. 2, but illustrating a modified arrangement for providing fluid communication between the cylinder and the conduit;
FIG. 4 is a partially schematic transverse cross-sectional view of the engine and fuel conserving engine improvement of FIG. 1, illustrating the pair of complemental pistons upon completion of their compression and exhaust strokes, respectively; and
FIG. 5 is a view substantially identical to FIG. 4, but illustrating the cylinders upon completion of their intake and power strokes, respectively.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, there is illustrated a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine 10 having an even number of complemental cylinders, only cylinders 12 and 14 being illustrated for simplicity. Although the invention is described in connection with an Otto cycle engine, it is also adapted for use with Diesel engines. Likewise, it is adapted for use with engines having carburetors or the like, or with engines provided with fuel injection.
In a four-stroke cycle engine, the complemental cylinders 12 and 14 are characterized by pistons 16 and 18 which reciprocate in unison in the same direction on different strokes. That is, when the piston 16 is moving upwardly on its compression stroke, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the piston 18 is moving in the same relative direction, but on its exhaust stroke. This is because ignition takes place in alternation at intervals of 360° of crankcase revolution.
The cylinders 12 and 14 are each characterized by a cylindrical wall 20 and a cylinder head 22 which, together with the upper surface of the associated piston 16 or 18, define a working space or combustion chamber 24 into which fuel is drawn or injected, depending upon whether the engine is of a carburetion or fuel injection type.
Exhaust or spent gases are forced out of each cylinder upon upward movement of its piston through an exhaust stroke, the gases exiting through a usual exhaust valve or the like, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
The associated engine components, such as the crankshaft 26, crank throws 28 and 30, and associated piston rods 32 and 34 are of conventional construction and are only generally illustrated for schematically indicating a typical arrangement of the usual engine components.
The engine 10 is characterized by an interior space or crankcase 36 adjacent the crankshaft 26, as seen in FIG. 1 within which is located lubricating oil for the engine. Gases from the crankcase 36 rise and collect within spaces inside the upper portion of the engine, such as the rocker arm cover or crankcase gas collection area 38 shown in FIG. 1. The particular location and character of the area 38 within which such crankcase gases collect is not important to the present invention and the term "crankcase gas collection area" is used in a general sense to denote any area in the engine within which the crankcase gases are collected for recirculation to the crankcase 36, intake manifold (not shown) or the like by usual smog control equipment.
According to the present invention, a conduit means is provided which includes a conduit 40 in communication with the interior of the cylinders 12 and 14 by means of openings 42 provided in the respective cylinder walls 20.
As best seen in FIG. 5, the openings 42 are uncovered by the pistons 16 and 18 at the bottom of their intake and power strokes, respectively, whereby exhaust gases in the combustion chamber 24 above the piston 18 are enabled to flow through the conduit 40 and into the combustion chamber 24 above the piston 16. Typically, the pressure in the cylinder 14 at the end of its power stroke is somewhat above 45 psi, while the pressure in the cylinder 12 at the end of its intake stroke is approximately 21 inches of vacuum.
The positive pressure in the cylinder 14 supercharges the cylinder 12 so that the pressure in the cylinder 12 just before it begins its compression stroke is significantly higher. Thus, by virtue of the present arrangement, the cylinder 12 begins its compression stroke at a higher pressure than the 21 inches of vacuum that would otherwise exist.
Once the pistons 16 and 18 move downwardly beyond the openings 42, the openings 42 are in communication with the crankcase 36. In the absence of any means for keeping clear or scavenging the openings 42 and the conduit 40, lubricating oil and exhaust gases would tend to collect on them. Oil is constantly scraped toward the openings 42 by the reciprocating action of the pistons. Without any means to keep oil out of the conduit 40, such oil would be forced into the combustion space of one of the cylinders when the pair of pistons approached the bottom of their intake and power strokes, respectively, and a smokey, smoggy exhaust and attendant high oil consumption would result.
To prevent this, a blower means is provided which includes a blower 44 in fluid communication with the conduit 40 by means of a connecting conduit 46 which includes a check valve 48. Operation of the blower 44 at a relatively low pressure, such as four psi, develops a positive pressure in the conduit 40 sufficient to flush out or scavenge the conduit 40 of any collections of exhaust gases and lubricating oil. Such gases and oil pass into the crankcase 36 each time the skirts of the pistons 16 and 18 clear the openings 42 during their upward travel. The check valve 48 prevents passage of exhaust gases and oil into the blower 44 when the pistons 16 and 18 are in the lower positions illustrated in FIG. 5.
The intake side of the blower 44 is connected to the crankcase gas collection area 38 by means of a conduit 50, as seen in FIG. 1, whereby the gases are continually recirculated through the crankcase. In the absence of such communication with the collection area 38, the blower 44 would otherwise develop excessive pressures in the crankcase 36 which would force fumes and crankcase gases through crankcase breather openings, breather pipes and the like or, in the case of modern engines which are sealed for smog control, the excess pressure could become great enough to damage the smog control system.
A conduit 40 having an inside diameter of approximately 1/8 of an inch has provided satisfactory results, although larger diameters would be equally or even more effective.
Through use of the present invention, the fuel economy of an automobile equipped with a 230 horsepower Chevrolet six-cylinder engine has been increased from approximately 15 miles per gallon to approximately 25 miles per gallon, the blower 44 being driven off the usual automobile air conditioning system.
FIG. 2 illustrates one method of installing the conduit 40 through openings 42 in the cylinders. As seen, the inner end of the conduit 40 is threadably disposed through a threaded opening provided in the cylinder wall 20 of the cylinder 12, the conduit 40 passing through a suitable opening 52 provided in an engine wall 54 provided in spaced relation to the wall 20 to define an intervening coolant space 56, as is well known to those skilled in the art. The outer extremity of the conduit 40 is welded or otherwise connected in sealing relation to the outside of the wall 54 to prevent coolant leakage. This method of installing the conduit 40 enables the invention to be fitted to already manufactured conventional engines. However, care must be exercised in the drilling, tapping and welding operations to avoid damage to the engine.
FIG. 3 illustrates another method of installing the conduit 40. In this embodiment, the engine is initially fabricated to integrally include not only the walls 20 and 54, but also an interconnecting core or section 58. The section 58 provides an area through which an opening 42a can easily be drilled, the outer end of the opening 42a being threaded to receive the conduit 40. This arrangement contemplates a slight modification of the structure of the engine block during the manufacture, but it greatly simplifies the provision of an opening 42a and the connection of the conduit 40 without any possibility of leakage of coolant from the space 56 into either the cylinder 12 or through the wall 54.
It is contemplated that an additional increase in pressure in the cylinder commencing its compression stroke, that is, the cylinder 12 of FIG. 5, can be provided, if desired, by altering the valve timing. Thus, for example, the usual camshaft (not shown) can be altered to delay the opening of the exhaust valve of cylinder 14, and to close the intake valve of cylinder 12 sooner. Such an alteration, preferably coupled with employment of a larger inner diameter conduit 40, would result in the exhaust gases of cylinder 14 being applied to the conduit 40 for a longer period of time before the exhaust valve of cylinder 14 opens to allow exhaust gases to leave the cylinder 14 on commencement of its exhaust stroke. In similar fashion, the earlier closing of the intake valve for the cylinder 12 permits a greater build-up in pressure in that cylinder, from the gases flowing into it from the conduit 40, without having those gases escape through the intake valve. Of course, the intake and exhaust valve timing of the other cylinders would be correspondingly modified, as will be apparent, the discussion of cylinders 12 and 14 in the operating conditions illustrated in FIG. 5 merely being exemplary.
Provision of the conduit 40 to interconnect a pair of complemental cylinders, and thereby utilize the higher exhaust pressures in one cylinder to augment the initial pressure of the other cylinder on its intake stroke, has significantly improved fuel economy of the engine, and provision of a blower taking its suction from a crankcase collection area further has eliminated any tendency for lubricating oil and crankcase gases to foul the conduit openings.
Various modifications and changes may be made with regard to the foregoing detailed description without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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A fuel conserving engine improvement for a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine of the type which includes at least a pair of complemental cylinders whose pistons reciprocate in unison, but on different strokes. The improvement includes a conduit providing communication between the combustion chambers of the cylinders through openings which are uncovered by the pistons at the bottom of their strokes whereby exhaust gases flow from the cylinder whose piston is completing its power stroke to the cylinder whose piston is about to begin its compression stroke. A blower operating through a check valve pulls gases from the crankcase and circulates such gases through the conduit for discharge into the crankcase when the conduit openings are uncovered after upward movement of the pistons.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 60/376,159, filed Apr. 26, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to N-substituted-heteroaryloxy-aryl-spiro-pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione metalloproteinase inhibitors and to pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment of inflammation, cancer and other disorders.
The compounds of the present invention are inhibitors of zinc metalloendopeptidases, especially those belonging to the class of matrix metalloproteinases (also called MMP or matrixin).
The MMP subfamily of enzymes currently contains seventeen members (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-10, MMP-11, MMP-12, MMP-13, MMP-14, MMP-15, MMP-16, MMP-17, MMP-18, MMP-19, MMP-20). The MMPs are most well known for their role in regulating the turn-over of extracellular matrix proteins and as such play important roles in normal physiological processes such as reproduction, development and differentiation. In addition, the MMPs are expressed in many pathological situations in which abnormal connective tissue turnover is occurring. For example, MMP-13 an enzyme with potent activity at degrading type II collagen (the principal collagen in cartilage), has been demonstrated to be overexpressed in osteoarthritic cartilage (Mitchell, et al., J. Clin. Invest., 97, 761 (1996)). Other MMPs (MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-12) are also overexpressed in osteoarthritic cartilage and inhibition of some or all of these MMPs is expected to slow or block the accelerated loss of cartilage typical of joint diseases such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
It is recognized that different combinations of MMPs are expressed in different pathological situations. As such, inhibitors with specific selectivities for individual MMPs may be preferred for individual diseases.
Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors are well known in the literature. Hydroxamic acid MMP inhibitors are exemplified in European Patent Publication 606,046, published Jul. 13, 1994. Several pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione MMP inhibitors are referred to in PCT publication WO 98/58925, published Dec. 30, 1998. PCT publication WO 00/47565, published Aug. 17, 2000 refers to certain aryl substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione MMP inhibitors. U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 09/635,156, filed Aug. 9, 2000 (which claims priority to U.S. Provisional application 60/148,547 filed Aug. 12, 1999) refers to heteroaryl substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione MMP inhibitors. United States Provisional Applications entitled “Triaryl-Oxy-Aryl-Spiro-Pyrimidine-2,4,6-Trione Metalloproteinase Inhibitors”; “N-Substituted-Heteroaryloxy-Aryloxy-Pyrimidine-2,4,6-Trione Metalloproteinase Inhibitors”; and “Triaryloxy-Aryloxy-Pyrimidine-2,4,6-Trione Metalloproteinase Inhibitors”, all filed Apr. 26, 2002, refer to certain pyrimidine-2,4,6-triones. Barbituric acids and methods for their preparation are well known in the art, see for example Goodman and Gilman's, “ The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics,” 345-382 (Eighth Edition, McGraw Hill, 1990). Each of the above referenced publications and applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 10/047,592, filed Oct. 23, 2001 (which claims priority to U.S. Provisional application No. 60/243,389 filed Oct. 26, 2000) refers to heteroaryl substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione MMP inhibitors. United States Non-provisional application Ser. No. 10/032,837, filed Oct. 25, 2001 (which claims priority to U.S. Provisional application 60/243,314, filed Oct. 26, 2000) refers to heteroaryl substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione MMP inhibitors. Each of the above referenced applications refer to certain heteroaryl substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione MMP inhibitors containing N-methylazetidinyl or N-methylpiperidinyl. Each of the above referenced applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to compounds of the formula:
wherein ring X is a 5-7 membered heterocyclic ring selected from the group consisting of:
wherein each dashed line represents an optional double bond;
wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 4 )heterocyclyl; wherein each of said R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl may be optionally substituted by one to three substituents independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, —(C═O)—OH, —(C═O)—O—(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —(C═O)—NH 2 , —(C═O)—NH—(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —(C═O)—N[(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 —N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; wherein each of said R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl may be optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent with one to three substituents per ring independently selected from F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, —(C═O)—OH, —(C═O)—O—(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —(C═O)—NH 2 , —(C═O)—NH—(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —(C═O)—N[(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl]2, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 —N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; wherein each of said R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl may optionally be substituted on any ring nitrogen atom able to support an additional substituent with one to two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl and (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-(C═O)—; wherein each of said each of said R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl may be also optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting two additional substituents with one to two oxo groups per ring; A is (C 6 -C 10 )aryl or (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl; wherein said A (C 6 -C 10 )aryl or (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl may be optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; Y is selected from the group consisting of a bond, —O—, —S—, >C═O, >SO 2 , >S═O, —CH 2 O—, —OCH 2 —, —CH 2 S—, —SCH 2 —, —CH 2 SO—, —CH 2 SO 2 —, —SOCH 2 —, —SO 2 CH 2 —, >NR 14 —, [N(R 14 )]CH 2 —, —CH 2 [N(R 14 )]—, —CH 2 —, —CH═CH—, —C≡C—, —[N(R 14 )]—SO 2 — and —SO 2 [N(R 14 )]—; R 14 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl; B is a (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl containing at least one nitrogen atom; wherein one ring nitrogen atom of B is bonded to one carbon atom of G; wherein said B may be optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl; G is (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or R 15 —(CR 16 R 17 ) p —; p is an integer from zero to four; wherein said G (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl may be optionally substituted by one to three substituents independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, —(C═O)—OH, —(C═O)—O—(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —(C═O)—NH 2 , —(C═O)—NH—(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —(C═O)—N[(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 —N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; R 15 is selected from the group consisting of (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl; wherein each of said R 15 (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl may be optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to three substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 —N—, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy, —(C═O)—OH, —(C═O)—O—(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —(C═O)—NH 2 , —(C═O)—NH—(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, and —(C═O)—N[(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 ; wherein each of said R 15 (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl may be also optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting two additional substituents with one to two oxo groups per ring; wherein each of said R 15 (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl may optionally be substituted on any ring nitrogen atom able to support an additional substituent independently selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl and (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-(C═O)—; each of R 16 and R 17 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl; or R 16 and R 17 may optionally be taken together with the carbon to which they are attached to form a 3 to 8-membered carbocyclic ring; with the proviso that the group —B—G is not methylazetidinyl or methylpiperidinyl; or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
The present invention also relates to the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of compounds of the formula I. The acids which are used to prepare the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of the aforementioned base compounds of this invention are those which form non-toxic acid addition salts, i.e., salts containing pharmacologically acceptable anions, such as the hydrochloride, hydrobromide, hydroiodide, nitrate, sulfate, bisulfate, phosphate, acid phosphate, acetate, lactate, citrate, acid citrate, tartrate, bitartrate, succinate, maleate, fumarate, gluconate, saccharate, benzoate, methanesulfonate, ethanesulfonate, benzenesulfonate, para-toluenesulfonate and pamoate [i.e., 1,1′-methylene-bis-(2-hydroxy-3-naphthoate)]salts.
The invention also relates to base addition salts of formula I. The chemical bases that may be used as reagents to prepare pharmaceutically acceptable base salts of those compounds of formula I that are acidic in nature are those that form non-toxic base salts with such compounds. Such non-toxic base salts include, but are not limited to those derived from such pharmacologically acceptable cations such as alkali metal cations (e.g., potassium and sodium) and alkaline earth metal cations (e.g., calcium and magnesium), ammonium or water-soluble amine addition salts such as N-methylglucamine (meglumine), and the lower alkanolammonium and other base salts of pharmaceutically acceptable organic amines.
The compounds of this invention include all stereoisomers (e.g., cis and trans isomers) and all optical isomers of compounds of the formula I (e.g., R and S enantiomers), as well as racemic, diastereomeric and other mixtures of such isomers.
The compounds of the invention may also exist in different tautomeric forms. This invention relates to all tautomers of formula I.
The compounds of this invention may contain olefin-like double bonds. When such bonds are present, the compounds of the invention exist as cis and trans configurations and as mixtures thereof.
Some compounds of formula I contain chiral centers and therefore exist in different enantiomeric forms. This invention relates to all optical isomers, enantiomers, diastereomers and stereoisomers of the compounds of formula I and mixtures thereof. The compounds of the invention also exist in different tautomeric forms. This invention relates to all tautomers of formula I. Those skilled in the art are well aware that the pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione nucleus exists as a mixture of tautomers in solution. The various ratios of the tautomers in solid and liquid form is dependent on the various substituents on the molecule as well as the particular crystallization technique used to isolate a compound.
Unless otherwise indicated, the term “substituent” or “substituents” refers to a replacement of at least one atom of an individual member of a variable (e.g., R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 ) of the compound of the formula I by another atom or group of atoms. For example, an (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl substituent may replace a hydrogen atom of the R 1 (C 6 -C 10 )aryl.
Unless otherwise indicated, the term “(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl” or “(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl”, as well as the (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl or (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl component of other terms referred to herein (e.g., the “(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl component of (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-O—), may be linear or branched (such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, iso-butyl, secondary-butyl, tertiary-butyl) hydrocarbon chain of 1 to 4, or 1 to 6, carbon atoms.
Unless otherwise indicated, the term “halo” means fluoro, chloro, bromo or iodo.
Unless otherwise indicated, the term “(C 2 -C 6 )alkenyl” means straight or branched hydrocarbon chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms having at least one double bond including, but not limited to ethenyl, 1-propenyl, 2-propenyl (allyl), iso-propenyl, 2-methyl-1-propenyl, 1-butenyl, or 2-butenyl.
Unless otherwise indicated, the term “(C 2 -C 6 )alkynyl” is used herein to mean straight or branched hydrocarbon chain of 2 to 6 carbon atoms having one triple bond including, but not limited to, ethynyl (—C≡C—H), propynyl (—CH 2 —C≡C—H or —C≡C—CH 3 ), or butynyl (—CH 2 —CH 2 —C≡C—H, or —CH 2 —C≡C—CH 3 , or —C≡C—CH 2 CH 3 ).
Unless otherwise indicated, the term “(C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl” refers to a mono or bicyclic carbocyclic ring of 3 to 7 carbon atoms including, but not limited to, cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl and bicyclo[2.2.1]heptanyl; wherein said (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl may optionally contain 1 or 2 double bonds including, but not limited to, cyclopentenyl, cyclohexenyl and cycloheptenyl.
Unless otherwise indicated, the term “(C 6 -C 10 )aryl” refers to an aromatic ring such as phenyl, naphthyl, tetrahydronaphthyl, or indanyl.
Unless otherwise indicated, the term “oxo” refers to a carbonyl group (i.e., ═O).
Unless otherwise indicated, the term “(C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl” refers to aromatic or multicyclic rings wherein at least one ring is aromatic, wherein said aromatic or multicyclic rings contain one or more heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of O, S and N. Examples of (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl include, but are not limited to, benzimidazolyl, benzofuranyl, benzofurazanyl, 2H-1-benzopyranyl, benzothiadiazine, benzothiazinyl, benzothiazolyl, benzothiophenyl, benzoxazolyl, chromanyl, cinnolinyl, furazanyl, furopyridinyl, furyl, imidazolyl, indazolyl, indolinyl, indolizinyl, indolyl, 3H-indolyl, isoindolyl, isoquinolinyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, naphthyridinyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, phthalazinyl, pteridinyl, purinyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazolyl, pyrrolyl, quinazolinyl, quinolinyl, quinoxalinyl, tetrazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, thienyl, triazinyl and triazolyl. Unless otherwise indicated, the foregoing (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl can be C-attached or N-attached where such is possible.
Unless otherwise indicated, such as in the above definitions of the heterocyclic ring X and B, the term “(C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl” refers to a ring containing 1 to 10 carbon atoms and 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of N, O and S. Examples of (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl include, but not limited to, 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexanyl, 3-azabicyclo[4.1.0]-heptanyl, azetidinyl, dihydrofuranyl, dihydropyranyl, dihydrothienyl, dioxanyl, 1,3-dioxolanyl, 1,4-dithianyl, hexahydroazepinyl, hexahydropyrimidine, imidazolidinyl, imidazolinyl, isoxazolidinyl, morpholinyl, oxetanyl oxazolidinyl, piperazinyl, piperidinyl, 2H-pyranyl, 4H-pyranyl, pyrazolidinyl, pyrazolinyl, pyrrolidinyl, 2-pyrrolinyl, 3-pyrrolinyl, quinolizinyl, tetrahydrofuranyl, tetrahydropyranyl, 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridinyl, tetrahydrothienyl, tetrahydrothiopyranyl, thiomorpholinyl, thioxanyl or trithianyl. Unless otherwise indicated, the foregoing (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl can be C-attached or N-attached where such is possible. For example, piperidinyl can be piperidin-1-yl (N-attached) or piperidin-4-yl (C-attached).
In one embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula a):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In one embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula a 1 ) (i.e. the heterocyclic ring X of formula a), wherein in the heterocyclic ring X the dashed line is a double bond):
and wherein each of R 1 and R 4 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula b:
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula b 1 ) (i.e. the heterocyclic ring X of formula b), wherein in the heterocyclic ring X the dashed line is a double bond):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 4 , and R 5 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula c):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula c 1 ) or c 2 ) (i.e. the heterocyclic ring X of formula c), wherein in the heterocyclic ring X the dashed line is a double bond):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula d):
wherein each of R 10 and R 11 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl; and R 9 is selected from hydrogen and (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula e):
wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 10 and R 11 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl; and R 9 is selected from hydrogen and (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula f):
wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 5 , R 6 , R 10 and R 11 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl; and R 9 is selected from hydrogen and (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula g):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula g 1 ) (i.e. the heterocyclic ring X of formula g), wherein in the heterocyclic ring X the dashed line is a double bond):
and wherein each of R 1 and R 4 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula h):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula h 1 ) (i.e. the heterocyclic ring X of formula h), wherein in the heterocyclic ring X the dashed line is a double bond):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 4 , and R 5 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula i):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula i 1 ) or i 2 ) (i.e. the heterocyclic ring X of formula i), wherein in the heterocyclic ring X the dashed line is a double bond):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula j):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 5 , R 6 , R 10 , and R 11 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula k):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 10 , and R 11 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula k, (i.e. the heterocyclic ring X of formula k), wherein in the heterocyclic ring X the dashed line is a double bond):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 5 , R 8 , R 10 , and R 11 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula I):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula l 1 ) or l 2 ) (i.e. the heterocyclic ring X of formula I), wherein in the heterocyclic ring X the dashed line is a double bond):
and wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 ) aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 1 ) heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula m):
and wherein R 9 is selected from hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 1 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula n):
and wherein R 9 is selected from hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula o):
and wherein each of R 10 , R 11 , and R 12 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkenyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkynyl, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In each of the above embodiments of the invention, no more than a total of one of the R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 in any one ring X [i.e., ring a), a 1 ), b), b 1 ), c), c 1 ), C 2 ), d), e), f), g), g 1 ), h), h 1 ), i), i 1 ), i 2 ), j), k), k 1 ), l), l 1 ), l 2 ), m), n), and o)] may be (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of each of the above embodiments of the invention, one or two of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 and R 8 is a group other than hydrogen.
In a preferred embodiment of each of the above embodiments of the invention, each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 is independently selected from hydrogen and (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl.
In another preferred embodiment of each of the above embodiments of the invention, one or two of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 is a group other than hydrogen.
In a more preferred embodiment of each of the above embodiments of the invention, each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 is hydrogen.
In another embodiment of the invention, A is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl selected from the group consisting of benzimidazolyl, benzofuranyl, benzofurazanyl, 2H-1-benzopyranyl, benzothiadiazine, benzothiazinyl, benzothiazolyl, benzothiophenyl, benzoxazolyl, chromanyl, cinnolinyl, furazanyl, furopyridinyl, furyl, imidazolyl, indazolyl, indolinyl, indolizinyl, indolyl, 3H-indolyl, isoindolyl, isoquinolinyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, naphthyridinyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, phthalazinyl, pteridinyl, purinyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazolyl, pyrrolyl, quinazolinyl, quinolinyl, quinoxalinyl, tetrazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, thienyl, triazinyl and triazolyl, wherein said (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl is optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; preferably A is selected from the group consisting of imidazolyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl and pyrazolyl; more preferably A is pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridyl or pyrimidinyl; most preferably A is pyridinyl. Within each of the aforesaid embodiments, Y is selected from the group consisting of a bond, —O—, —S—, —CH 2 —, >SO 2 , —OCH 2 — and —CH 2 O—; preferably Y is —O—, —OCH 2 — or —CH 2 O—; more preferably Y is —O—.
In another embodiment of the invention, A is (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, such as phenyl or naphthyl; preferably A is phenyl. Within each of the aforesaid embodiments, Y is selected from the group consisting of a bond, —O—, —S—, —CH 2 —, >SO 2 , —OCH 2 — and —CH 2 O—; preferably Y is —O—, —OCH 2 — or —CH 2 O—; more preferably Y is —O—.
In another embodiment of the invention, A is substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy.
In another embodiment of the invention, B is a monocyclic saturated (5- to 7-membered)-heterocyclic ring containing at least one nitrogen atom selected from the group consisting of pyrrolidinyl, imidazolidinyl, pyrazolidinyl, piperidinyl, morpholinyl, thiomorholinyl, and piperazinyl; wherein said B may optionally be substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, B is a monocyclic saturated (5- to 7-membered)-heterocyclic ring containing at least one ring nitrogen atom fused to an aromatic six membered ring, such as indolinyl or isoindolinyl; wherein said B may optionally be substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the group —Y—B—G has the formulae selected from the group consisting of
preferably selected from the group consisting of
more preferably selected from the group consisting of
In another embodiment of the invention, B is a monocyclic partially saturated (5- to 7-membered)-ring containing at least one nitrogen atom, such as 2-pyrrolinyl, 3-pyrrolinyl, imidazolyl, 2-imidazolinyl, or 2-pyrazolinyl; wherein said B may optionally be substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, B is a partially saturated (5- to 7-membered)-heterocyclic ring containing at least one nitrogen atom fused to an aromatic six membered ring, such as 3H-indolyl; wherein said B may optionally be substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, B is a monocyclic aromatic (5- to 6-membered)-heterocyclic ring containing at least one nitrogen atom, such as tetrazolyl, pyrrolyl, imidazolyl, pyrazolyl, or triazolyl; wherein said B may optionally be substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy, (C 6 -C 10 )aryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the group —Y—B—G has the formulae selected from the group consisting of
preferably selected from the group consisting of
In another embodiment of the invention, B is an aromatic (5- to 6-membered)-ring containing at least one nitrogen atom fused to an aromatic six membered ring, such as indolyl, isoindolyl, 1H-indazolyl, benzimidazolyl, and purinyl; wherein said B may optionally be substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy, (C 1 -C 10 )aryl, (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl, (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl and (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl; preferably selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxyl; and wherein the group —Y—B—G has the formulae selected from the group consisting of
preferably selected from the group consisting of
more preferably selected from the group consisting of
In another embodiment of the invention, both A and B are substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; preferably selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, CN, methyl, and methoxy.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, either A or B is unsubstituted.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, both A and B are unsubstituted.
In another embodiment of the invention, Y is a bond, —O—, —S—, —CH 2 —, >SO 2 , —OCH 2 — or —CH 2 O—.
In another embodiment of the invention, Y is —O—, —OCH 2 — or —CH 2 O—; preferably Y is —O—.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl; wherein said G (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl may be optionally substituted by one to three substituents independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 -N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; preferably selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; more preferably selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; most preferably selected from the group consisting of F, CN, OH, perfluoromethyl, methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, cyclopentyloxy, and cyclohexyloxy.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to three substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 —N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; and wherein said (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl may be also optionally substituted on any ring carbon atoms capable of supporting two additional substituents with one to two oxo groups per ring.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is (C 1 -C 10 )aryl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to three substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 -N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; preferably G is phenyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to three substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; more preferably G is phenyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one substituent per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, methoxy, methoxymethyl, methoxyethyl, and cyclopentyloxy.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is unsubstituted (C 6 -C 10 )aryl; preferably G is unsubstituted phenyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl selected from the group consisting of benzimidazolyl, benzofuranyl, benzofurazanyl, 2H-1-benzopyranyl, benzothiadiazine, benzothiazinyl, benzothiazolyl, benzothiopshenyl, benzoxazolyl, chromanyl, cinnolinyl, furazanyl, furopyridinyl, furyl, imidazolyl, indazolyl, indolinyl, indolizinyl, indolyl, 3H-indolyl, isoindolyl, isoquinolinyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, naphthyridinyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, phthalazinyl, pteridinyl, purinyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazolyl, pyrrolyl, quinazolinyl, quinolinyl, quinoxalinyl, tetrazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, thienyl, triazinyl and triazolyl; wherein said (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl is optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; preferably G is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl selected from the group consisting of imidazolyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl and pyrazolyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; more preferably G is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl selected from the group consisting of pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridyl and pyrimidinyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, methoxy, methoxymethyl, methoxyethyl, and cyclopentyloxy; most preferably G is pyridinyl, pyrazinyl, or pyridazinyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, methoxy, methoxymethyl, methoxyethyl, and cyclopentyloxy.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is unsubstituted (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl selected from the group consisting of benzimidazolyl, benzofuranyl, benzofurazanyl, 2H-1-benzopyranyl, benzothiadiazine, benzothiazinyl, benzothiazolyl, benzothiophenyl, benzoxazolyl, chromanyl, cinnolinyl, furazanyl, furopyridinyl, furyl, imidazolyl, indazolyl, indolinyl, indolizinyl, indolyl, 3H-indolyl, isoindolyl, isoquinolinyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, naphthyridinyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, phthalazinyl, pteridinyl, purinyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazolyl, pyrrolyl, quinazolinyl, quinolinyl, quinoxalinyl, tetrazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, thienyl, triazinyl and triazolyl; preferably G is unsubstituted pyridinyl, pyridazinyl, or pyrazinyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to three substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 -N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; and wherein said (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl may be also optionally substituted on any ring carbon atoms capable of supporting two additional substituents with one to two oxo groups per ring.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is R 15 —(CR 16 R 17 ) p —; wherein p is an integer from one to four, preferably from one to two; and wherein each of R 16 or R 17 is independently hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, or isopropyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is R 15 —(CR 16 R 17 ) p —; wherein p is an integer from one to four, preferably from one to two; and wherein R 16 and R 17 are taken together with the carbon to which they are attached to form a 3 to 8-membered carbocyclic ring selected from the group consisting of cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, cyclooctyl, cyclopentenyl, and cyclohexenyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl-(CR 16 R 17 ) p —; wherein p is an integer from one to four, preferably from one to two; wherein said (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl is optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to three substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 -N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; wherein said (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl may be also optionally substituted on any ring carbon atoms capable of supporting two additional substituents with one to two oxo groups per ring; and wherein each of R 16 and R 17 is independently hydrogen.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is (C 6 -C 10 )aryl-(CR 16 RR 7 ) p —; wherein p is an integer from one to four, preferably from one to two; wherein said (C 6 -C 10 )aryl is optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to three substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 -N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; and wherein each of R 16 and R 17 is independently hydrogen.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl-(CR 16 R 17 ) p —; wherein p is an integer from one to four, preferably from one to two; wherein said (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl is selected from the group consisting of benzimidazolyl, benzofuranyl, benzofurazanyl, 2H-1-benzopyranyl, benzothiadiazine, benzothiazinyl, benzothiazolyl, benzothiophenyl, benzoxazolyl, chromanyl, cinnolinyl, furazanyl, furopyridinyl, furyl, imidazolyl, indazolyl, indolinyl, indolizinyl, indolyl, 3H-indolyl, isoindolyl, isoquinolinyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, naphthyridinyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, phthalazinyl, pteridinyl, purinyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazolyl, pyrrolyl, quinazolinyl, quinolinyl, quinoxalinyl, tetrazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, thienyl, triazinyl and triazolyl; wherein said (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl is optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; preferably said (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl is selected from the group consisting of imidazolyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, oxazolyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl and pyrazolyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; more preferably said (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl is selected from the group consisting of pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridyl and pyrimidinyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one or two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, methoxy, methoxymethyl methoxyethyl, and cyclopentyloxy; most preferably said (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl is pyridinyl or pyridazinyl optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to two substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, methoxy, methoxymethyl, methoxyethyl, and cyclopentyloxy; and wherein each of R 16 and R 17 is independently hydrogen.
In another embodiment of the invention, G is (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl-(CR 16 R 17 ) p —; wherein p is an integer from one to four, preferably from one to two; wherein said (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl is optionally substituted on any of the ring carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to three substituents per ring independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )perfluoroalkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl, —NH 2 , —NO 2 , (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl-NH—, [(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl] 2 -N— and (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyloxy; and wherein said (C 1 -C 10 )heterocyclyl may be also optionally substituted on any ring carbon atoms capable of supporting two additional substituents with one to two oxo groups per ring; and wherein each of R 16 and R 17 is independently hydrogen.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula j), k) or l), as defined above; wherein A is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl selected from the group consisting of pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridyl and pyrimidinyl; more preferably A is pyridinyl; most preferably A is pyridin-2-yl or pyridin-3-yl; and Y is selected from the group consisting of a bond, —O—, —S—, —CH 2 —, >SO 2 , —OCH 2 — and —CH 2 O—; more preferably Y is —O—, —OCH 2 — or —CH 2 O—; most preferably Y is —O—.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X has the formula j), k), or l), as defined above; wherein A is (C 1 -C 10 )heleroaryl selected from the group consisting of pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyridyl and pyrimidinyl; more preferably A is pyridinyl; most preferably A is pyridin-2-yl or pyridin-3-yl; most preferably wherein the pyridinyl taken together with the X ring and the group —Y—B—G has the formulae:
wherein Y is a bond, —O—, —S—, —CH 2 —, >SO 2 , —OCH 2 — or —CH 2 O—; preferably Y is —O—, —OCH 2 — or —CH 2 O—; more preferably Y is —O—.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X the formula j), k), or l), as defined above; A is pyridinyl, preferably wherein the pyridinyl together with the X ring and the group —Y—B—G has the formula j″), k″) or l″) as defined above; Y is —O—; B is a monocyclic partially saturated (5- to 7-membered)-ring containing at least one nitrogen atom; G is (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, preferably propyl or isopropyl, optionally substituted on any of the carbon atoms capable of supporting an additional substituent by one to three F, Cl, Br, CN, OH, methoxy, cyclopentyloxy and cyclohexyloxy.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X the formula j), k), or l), as defined above; A is pyridinyl, preferably wherein the pyridinyl together with the X ring and the group —Y—B—G has the formula j″), k″) or l″), as defined above; Y is —O—; B is a monocyclic aromatic (5- to 6-membered)-heterocyclic ring containing at least one nitrogen atom; G is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, preferably pyridinyl, pyrazinyl or pyridazinyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X the formula j), k), or l), as defined above; A is pyridinyl, preferably wherein the pyridinyl together with the X ring and the group —Y—B—G has the formula j″), k″) or l″), as defined above; Y is —O—; B is an aromatic (5- to 6-membered)-heterocyclic ring containing at least one nitrogen atom fused to an aromatic six membered ring, preferably 1H-indazolyl, 2H-indazolyl, or benzimidazolyl; G is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, preferably pyridinyl, pyrazinyl or pyridazinyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X the formula j), k), or l), as defined above; A is pyridinyl, preferably wherein the pyridinyl together with the X ring and the group —Y—B—G has the formula j″), k″) or l″), as defined above; Y is —O—; B is an aromatic (5- to 6-membered)-heterocyclic ring containing at least one nitrogen atom fused to an aromatic six membered ring, preferably 1H-indazolyl, 2H-indazolyl, or benzimidazolyl; G is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl-(CR 16 R 17 ) p —; wherein p is one and each of R 16 and R 17 are independently hydrogen.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X the formula j), k), or l), as defined above; A is pyridinyl, preferably wherein the pyridinyl together with the X ring and the group —Y—B—G has the formula j″), k″) or l″), as defined above; Y is —O—; the group —Y—B—G has the formulae selected from the group consisting of
G is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, preferably pyridinyl, pyrazinyl or pyridazinyl.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X the formula j), k), or l), as defined above; A is pyridinyl, preferably wherein the pyridinyl together with the X ring and the group —Y—B—G has the formula j″), k″) or l″), as defined above; Y is —O—; the group —Y—B—G has the formulae selected from the group consisting of
G is (C 1 -C 11 )heteroaryl, preferably pyridinyl, pyrazinyl or pyridazinyl.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the heterocyclic ring X the formula j), k), or l), as defined above; A is pyridinyl, preferably wherein the pyridinyl together with the X ring and the group —Y—B—G has the formula j″), k″) or l″), as defined above; Y is —O—; the group —Y—B—G has the formulae selected from the group consisting of
G is (C 1 -C 10 )heteroaryl, preferably pyridinyl, pyrazinyl or pyridazinyl.
Other compounds of the invention are selected from the group consisting of:
1-[6-(1-Isopropyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-y]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Isopropyl-2H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 4-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-indazol-2-yl}-benzonitrile; 1-{6-[2-(2-Hydroxy-ethyl)-1-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(2-Ethoxy-ethyl)-1-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl)-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridin-3-yl-2H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-2H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 6-{7-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-benzo[b]azepin-1-yl}-nicotinonitrile; 6-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-2,3-dihydro-indol-1-yl}-nicotinonitrile; 1-[6-(2-Pyridin-3-yl-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 6-{6-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-3,4-dihydro-2H-quinolin-1-yl}-nicotinonitrile; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-4-yl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 6-{6-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-3,4-dihydro-1H-isoquinolin-2-yl}-nicotinonitrile; 6-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-1,3-dihydro-isoindol-2-yl}-nicotinonitrile; 6-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-indazol-1-yl}-nicotinonitrile; 6-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-indazol-2-yl}-nicotinonitrile; 1-[6-(2-Pyridin-4-yl-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-4-yl-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridin-4-yl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridin-3-yl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-4-yl-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-4-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-4-yl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridin-4-yl-2H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-p-Tolyl-2H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-p-Tolyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-2H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-(6-[2-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridin-2-yl-2H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridin-2-yl-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(3-Methoxy-propyl)-2H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridazin-3-yl-2H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Isopropyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Isopropyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Isopropyl-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Isopropyl-2H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Isopropyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridin-2-yl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-y]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridazin-3-yl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Isopropyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-Pyridazin-3-yl-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(3-Methoxy-propyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(3-Methoxy-propyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-2H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Isopropyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(3-Methoxy-propyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-2-yl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridazin-3-yl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Isopropyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(2-p-Tolyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 4-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-indazol-2-yl}-benzonitrile; 1-{6-[1-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 4-{6-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-3,4-dihydro-1H-isoquinolin-2-yl}-benzonitrile; 4-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-2,3-dihydro-indol-1-yl}-benzonitrile; 1-{6-[1-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-isoquinolin-6-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 4-{6-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-3,4-dihydro-2H-quinolin-1-yl}-benzonitrile; 1-{6-[1-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 4-{7-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-benzo[b]azepin-1-yl}-benzonitrile; 4-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-1,3-dihydro-isoindol-2-yl}-benzonitrile; 1-{6-[1-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-p-Tolyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 4-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-benzoimidazol-1-yl}-benzonitrile; 1-{6-[1-(3-Methoxy-propyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-p-Tolyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-7-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[2-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridazin-3-yl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-2-yl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinolin-6-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 4-{5-[5-(6,8,10-Trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-indazol-1-yl}-benzonitrile; 1-[6-(1-p-Tolyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridazin-3-yl-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridazin-3-yl-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridazin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-2-yl-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-2-yl-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-2-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(3-Methoxy-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(3-Methoxy-propyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(3-Methoxy-propyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-{6-[1-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 1-[6-(1-p-Tolyl-1H-benzoimidazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; and 1-[6-(1-p-Tolyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
Preferred compounds of the invention are selected from the group consisting of:
1-{6-[1-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; 4-{5-[5-(6,8,10-trioxo-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]dec-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yloxy]-indazol-1-yl}-benzonitrile; 1-[6-(1-pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; and 1-[6-(1-methyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione; or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
The present invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of a condition selected from the group consisting of connective tissue disorders, inflammatory disorders, immunology/allergy disorders, infectious diseases, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, eye diseases, metabolic diseases, central nervous system (CNS) disorders, liver/kidney diseases, reproductive health disorders, gastric disorders, skin disorders and cancers and other diseases characterized by metalloproteinase activity in a mammal, including a human, comprising an amount of a compound of formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof effective in such treatments and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
The present invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of a condition which can be treated by the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases in a mammal, including a human, comprising an amount of a compound of formula I effective in such treatment and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
The present invention also relates to a method for the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases in a mammal, including a human, comprising administering to said mammal an effective amount of a compound of formula I.
The present invention also relates to a method for treating a condition selected from the group consisting of connective tissue disorders, inflammatory disorders, immunology/allergy disorders, infectious diseases, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, eye diseases, metabolic diseases, central nervous system (CNS) disorders, liver/kidney diseases, reproductive health disorders, gastric disorders, skin disorders and cancers and other diseases characterized by matrix metalloproteinase activity in a mammal, including a human, comprising administering to said mammal an amount of a compound of formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof effective in treating such a condition.
The present invention also relates to a method for the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases or other metalloproteinases involved in matrix degradation, in a mammal, including a human, comprising administering to said mammal an effective amount of a compound of formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
The present inventors have also discovered that it is possible to identify inhibitors of formula I with differential metalloprotease activity (preferably MMP-13 inhibitory activity). One group of preferred inhibitors of formula I the inventors have been able to identify include those which selectively inhibit MMP-13 preferentially over MMP-1. The compounds of the invention also possess selectivity over a related group of enzymes known as reprolysins, such as TACE and aggrecanase. Another group of preferred inhibitors of formula I the inventors have been able to identify include those which selectively inhibit MMP-13 preferentially over MMP-1 and MMP-14. Another group of preferred inhibitors of formula I the inventors have been able to identify include those which selectively inhibit MMP-13 preferentially over MMP-1 and 12. Another group of preferred inhibitors of formula I the inventors have been able to identify include those which selectively inhibit MMP-13 preferentially over MMP-1, 12 and 14. Another group of preferred inhibitors of formula I the inventors have been able to identify include those which selectively inhibit MMP-13 preferentially over MMP-1, 2, 3, 7, 9 and 14. Most preferred compounds of the invention selectively inhibit MMP-13 preferentially over any two or more of MMP-1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 12 and 14 and mammalian reprolysins.
The present invention also relates to a method for treating a medical condition of the type that is characterized by the destruction of articular cartilage in a mammalian subject, which method comprises administering to the subject having said condition a therapeutically effective amount of a suitably substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione, wherein said suitably substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione exhibits: i) a ratio of MMP-1 IC 50 /MMP-13 IC 50 of about 50, and ii) a ratio of MMP-14 IC 50 /MMP-13 IC 50 of about 50; wherein said MMP-1 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-1 assay; wherein each of said MMP-13 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-13 assay; and wherein said MMP-14 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-14 assay.
The present invention also relates to a method for treating a medical condition of the type that is characterized by the destruction of articular cartilage in a mammalian subject, which method comprises administering to the subject having said condition a therapeutically effective amount of a suitably substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione, wherein said suitably substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione additionally exhibits iii) a ratio of MMP-12 IC 50 /MMP-13 IC 50 of about 50; wherein said MMP-12 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-12 assay; and wherein said MMP-13 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-13 assay.
The present invention also relates to a method for treating a medical condition of the type that is characterized by the destruction of articular cartilage in a mammalian subject, which method comprises administering to the subject having said condition a therapeutically effective amount of a suitably substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione, wherein said suitably substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione additionally exhibits iv) a ratio of MMP-2 IC 50 /MMP-13 IC 50 of about 50, and v) a ratio of MMP-3 IC 50 /MMP-13 IC 50 of about 50; vi) a ratio of MMP-7 IC 50 /MMP-13 IC 50 of about 50, and vii) a ratio of MMP-9 IC 50 /MMP-13 IC 50 of about 50; wherein said MMP-2 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-2 assay; wherein said MMP-3 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-3 assay; wherein said MMP-7 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-7 assay; wherein said MMP-9 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-9 assay; and each of said MMP-13 IC 50 is measured by a recombinant MMP-13 assay.
The present invention also relates to a method for treating a medical condition of the type that is characterized by the destruction of articular cartilage in a mammalian subject, which method comprises administering to the subject having said condition a therapeutically effective amount of a suitably substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione, wherein said suitably substituted pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione exhibits an MMP-13 IC 50 of less than about 100 nM, preferably of less than about 50 nM; more preferably of less than about 20 nM.
The term “treating”, as used herein, refers to reversing, alleviating, inhibiting the progress of, or preventing the disorder or condition to which such term applies, or one or more symptoms of such disorder or condition. The term “treatment”, as used herein, refers to the act of treating, as “treating” is defined immediately above.
“Connective tissue disorders” as used herein refers to disorders such as degenerative cartilage loss following traumatic joint injury, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, Paget's disease, loosening of artificial joint implants, periodontal disease and gingivitis.
“Destruction of articular cartilage” as used herein refers to connective tissue disorders resulting in articular cartilage destruction, preferably joint injury, reactive arthritis, acute pyrophosphate arthritis (pseudogout), psoriatic arthritis, or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, more preferably osteoarthritis.
“Inflammatory disorders” as used herein refers to disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, chondrocalcinosis, gout, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, and cachexia.
“Immunology/allergy disorders” as used herein refers to disorders such as organ transplant toxicity, allergic reactions, allergic contact hypersensitivity, autoimmune disorders such as those disorders associated with granulomatous inflammation/tissue remodeling (such as asthma), immunosuppression and sarcoid.
“Infectious diseases,” including those mediated by viruses, bacteria, fungi or mycobacterial infection, as used herein refers to disorders such as septic arthritis, AIDS, fever; Prion diseases, myasthenia gravis, Malaria, sepsis, hemodynamic shock and septic shock.
“Respiratory diseases” as used herein refers to disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (including emphysema), acute respiratory distress syndrome, asthma, hyperoxic alveolar injury and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and other fibrotic lung diseases.
“Cardiovascular diseases” as used herein refers to disorders such as atherosclerosis including atherosclerotic plaque rupture; aortic aneurysm including abdominal aortic aneurysm and brain aortic aneurysm; congestive heart failure; myocardial and cerebral infarction; stroke; cerebral ischemia; coagulation and acute phase response; left ventricular dilation; post ischemic reperfusion injury; angiofibromas; hemangiomas; and restenosis.
“Eye diseases” as used herein refers to disorders such as aberrant angiogenesis, ocular angiogenesis, ocular inflammation, keratoconus, Sjogren's syndrome, myopia, ocular tumors, corneal graft rejection, corneal injury, neovascular glaucoma, corneal ulceration, corneal scarring, macular degeneration (including “Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) including both wet and dry forms), proliferative vitreoretinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.
“Metabolic diseases” as used herein refers to disorders such as diabetes (including non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, insulin resistance, diabetic ulceration).
“Central Nervous System” (CNS) disorders as used herein refers to disorders such as head trauma, spinal cord injury, Inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, neuro-degenerative disorders (acute and chronic), Alzheimer's disease, demyelinating diseases of the nervous system, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, peripheral neuropathy, pain, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, nootropic or cognition enhancement, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, migraine, depression and anorexia.
“Liver/Kidney diseases” as used herein refers to disorders such as nephrotic syndromes such as glomerulonephritis and glomerular disease of the kidney, proteinuria, cirrhosis of the liver and interstitial nephritis.
“Reproductive Health disorders” as used herein refers to disorders such as endometriosis, contraception (male/female), dysmenorrhea, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, premature rupture of fetal membranes and abortifactant.
“Gastric disorders” as used herein refers to disorders such as colonic anastomosis and gastric ulcers.
“Skin disorders” as used herein refers to disorders such as skin aging, pressure sores, psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, radiation damage, tissue ulceration, decubital ulcers, epidermolysis bullosa, abnormal wound healing (topical and oral formulations), burns and scleritis.
“Cancers” as used herein refers to disorders such as solid tumor cancer including colon cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and prostrate cancer, tumor invasion, tumor growth tumor metastasis, cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx (lip, tongue, mouth, pharynx), esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, liver and biliary passages, pancreas, larynx, lung, bone, connective tissue, skin, cervix uteri, corpus endometrium, ovary, testis, bladder, kidney and other urinary tissues, eye brain and central nervous system, thyroid and other endocrine gland, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, multiple myeloma and hematopoietic malignancies including leukemias and lymphomas including lymphocytic, granulocytic and monocytic.
The subject invention also includes isotopically-labelled compounds, which are identical to those recited in Formula I, but for the fact that one or more atoms are replaced by an atom having an atomic mass or mass number different from the atomic mass or mass number usually found in nature. Examples of isotopes that can be incorporated into compounds of the invention include isotopes of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, —O—, phosphorous, fluorine and chlorine, such as 2 H, 3 H, 13 C, 14 C, 15 N, 18 O, 17 O, 31 P, 32 P, 35 S, 18 F and 36 Cl, respectively. Compounds of the present invention, prodrugs thereof and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of said compounds or of said prodrugs which contain the aforementioned isotopes and/or other isotopes of other atoms are within the scope of this invention. Certain isotopically-labelled compounds of the present invention, for example those into which radioactive isotopes such as 3 H and 14 C are incorporated, are useful in drug and/or substrate tissue distribution assays. Tritiated, i.e., 3 H and carbon-14, i.e., 14 C, isotopes are particularly preferred for their ease of preparation and detectability. Further, substitution with heavier isotopes such as deuterium, i.e., 2 H, can afford certain therapeutic advantages resulting from greater metabolic stability, for example increased in vivo half-life or reduced dosage requirements and, hence, may be preferred in some circumstances. Isotopically-labelled compounds of Formula I of this invention and prodrugs thereof can generally be prepared by carrying out the procedures disclosed in the Schemes and/or in the Examples and Preparations below, by substituting a readily available isotopically-labelled reagent for a non-isotopically-labelled reagent.
This invention also encompasses pharmaceutical compositions containing prodrugs of compounds of the formula I. This invention also encompasses methods of treating or preventing disorders that can be treated or prevented by the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases or the inhibition of mammalian reprolysin comprising administering prodrugs of compounds of the formula I. Compounds of formula I having free amino, amido, hydroxy, sulfonamide or carboxylic groups can be converted into prodrugs. Prodrugs include compounds wherein an amino acid residue, or a polypeptide chain of two or more (e.g., two, three or four) amino acid residues which are covalently joined through peptide bonds to free amido, amino, hydroxy or carboxylic acid groups of compounds of formula I. The amino acid residues include the 20 naturally occurring amino acids commonly designated by three letter symbols and also include, 4-hydroxyproline, hydroxylysine, demosine, isodemosine, 3-methylhistidine, norvalin, beta-alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, citrulline, homocysteine, homoserine, ornithine and methionine sulfone. Prodrugs also include compounds wherein carbonates, carbamates, amides and alkyl esters, which are covalently, bonded to the above substituents of formula I through the carbonyl carbon prodrug sidechain. Prodrugs also include dimers of compounds of formula I.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the compounds of the invention are useful in treating a diverse array of diseases. One of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that when using the compounds of the invention in the treatment of a specific disease that the compounds of the invention may be combined with various existing therapeutic agents used for that disease.
For the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, the compounds of the invention may be combined with agents such as TNF-α inhibitors such as anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies (such as infliximab, D2E7 and CDP-870) and TNF receptor immunoglobulin molecules (such as etanercept), ICE inhibitors, MEKK1 inhibitors, COX-2 inhibitors such as celecoxib, rofecoxib, valdecoxib and etoricoxib; low dose methotrexate, lefunimide, steroids, glucosamines, chondrosamines/sulfates, gabapentin, A-agonists, IL-1 process and release inhibitors, IL-1 receptor antagonists such as Kineret®, CCR-1 antagonists, hydroxychloroquine, d-penicilamine, auranofin or parenteral or oral gold.
The compounds of the invention can also be used in combination with existing therapeutic agents for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Suitable agents to be used in combination include standard non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (hereinafter NSAID's) such as piroxicam, diclofenac, propionic acids such as naproxen, flubiprofen, fenoprofen, ketoprofen and ibuprofen, fenamates such as mefenamic acid, indomethacin, sulindac, apazone, pyrazolones such as phenylbutazone, salicylates such as aspirin, COX-2 inhibitors such as celecoxib, valdecoxib, paracoxib, etoricoxib and rofecoxib, analgesics, steroids, glucosamines, chondrosamines/sulfates, gabapentin, A-agonists, IL-1 process and release inhibitors, CCR-1 antagonists, LTD-4, LTB-4 and 5-LO inhibitors, p38 kinase inhibitors and intraarticular therapies such as corticosteroids and hyaluronic acids such as hyalgan and synvisc.
The compounds of the present invention may also be used in combination with anticancer agents such as endostatin and angiostatin or cytotoxic drugs such as adriamycin, daunomycin, cis-platinum, etoposide, paclitaxel, docetaxel and alkaloids, such as vincristine and antimetabolites such as methotrexate.
The compounds of the present invention may also be used in combination with cardiovascular agents such as calcium channel blockers (such as amlodipine and nifedipine), lipid lowering agents such as statins (such as lovastatin, atorvastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin), adrenergics such as doxazosin and terazosin; fibrates, beta-blockers, Ace inhibitors (such as captopril, lisinopril, fosinopril, enalapril and quinaprill), Angiotensin-2 receptor antagonists such as losartan and irbesartan; nitrates, CCB's, diuretics such as digitalis and platelet aggregation inhibitors. The compounds of the present invention may also be used in combination with plaque rupture preventitive agents such as statins, zithromax, NSAIDs including aspirin, heparin, urarfarin, abciximab, TPA and platelet Inhibitors. The compounds of the present invention may also be used in combination with stroke treatment agents such as NIF, NHEI's and CCRIR antagonists.
The compounds of the present invention may also be used in combination with CNS agents such as antidepressants (such as sertraline), anti-Parkinsonian drugs (such as deprenyl, carbadopa, L-dopa, dopamine receptor agonists such as ropinirole, pergolide and pramipexole; MAOB inhibitors such as selegiline and rasagiline, catechol-O-methyltrasferase inhibitors such as tolcapone, A-2 inhibitors, dopamine reuptake inhibitors, NMDA antagonists, Nicotine agonists, NK-1 inhibitors, dopamine agonists and inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase) and anti-Alzheimer's drugs such as donepezil, tacrine, COX-2 inhibitors, propentofylline or metryfonate.
The compounds of the present invention may also be used in combination with osteoporosis agents such as roloxifene, droloxifene, lasofoxifene or fosomax and immunosuppressant agents such as FK-506 and rapamycin.
The compounds of the present invention may also be used in combination with agents for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as PDE-IV inhibitors, steroidals such as fluticasone, triamcinolone, budesonide, budesonide and beclomethasone, anticholinergics such as ipratropium, sympathomimetics such as salmeterol, albuterol and Xopenex, decongestants such as fexofenadine, loratadine and cetirizine; leukotriene antagonists such as zafirlukast and motelukast; and mast cell stabilizers such as zileuton.
The compounds of the present invention may also be used in combination with agents for the treatment of skin disorders such as tretinoin, isotretinoin, steroids such as cortisone and mometasone, antibiotics such as tetracycline, antifungals such as clotrimazole, miconazole and fluconazole and PDE-IV inhibitors.
The compounds of the present invention may also be used in combination with agents for the treatment of diabetes such as insulin, including human or humanized insulin and inhaled insulin, aldose reductase inhibitors, sorbitol dehydrogenase inhibitors, antidiabetic agents such as biguanides such as metformin; glitazones, glycosidase inhibitors such as acarbose, sulfonylureas such as glimepiride and glipizide; and thiazolidinediones such as pioglitazone, rosiglitazone and trogliazone. Preferred combinations are useful for treating the side effects of diabetes such as retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy, preferably retinopathy.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following reaction Schemes illustrate the preparation of the compounds of the present invention. Unless otherwise indicated each of A, Y, B, G, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , R 16 , and R 17 in the reaction Schemes and the discussion that follows is defined as above.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following reaction Schemes illustrate the preparation of the compounds of the present invention. Unless otherwise indicated each of A, Y, B, G, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , R 16 , and R 17 in the reaction Schemes and the discussion that follows is defined as above.
Scheme 1 refers to the preparation of compounds of the formula I. Referring to Scheme 1, compounds of formula I, wherein the heterocyclic ring X has the formulae a-n (i.e., a compound of the formulae Ia-In, respectively):
can be prepared by reacting a compound of the formulae IIIa-IIIn, respectively:
wherein L 1 and L 2 are leaving groups such as alkoxy, preferably methoxy, ethoxy or benzyloxy, more preferably methoxy or ethoxy, with a urea of formula II (i.e., H 2 N—(CO)—NH 2 ) in the presence of a suitable base in a polar solvent. Suitable bases include alkoxide bases, such as sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, or potassium tert-butoxide, preferably sodium ethoxide; or hydride bases, such as sodium hydride. Suitable solvents include dimethyl sulfoxide, tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide, or alcohols (such as ethanol), preferably tetrahydrofuran or dimethylformamide. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 90° C., preferably about 20° C. to about 80° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 5 minutes to about 8 hours.
A compound of formulae IIIa-IIIl, respectively, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formulae IVa-IVl, respectively:
wherein L 1 and L 2 are leaving groups such as alkoxy, preferably methoxy, ethoxy or benzyloxy, more preferably methoxy or ethoxy and wherein L 3 is a suitable leaving group, such as halo, para-tolylsulfonyloxy (OTs), or methylsulfonyloxy (OMs), preferably halo, such as bromo or iodo, with a suitable base in a polar solvent. Suitable bases include tertiary amines, such as triethylamine. Other suitable bases include a strongly basic macro-reticular resin or gel type resin, such as Amberlyst 400® resin (hydroxide form). Suitable solvents include alcoholic solvents, preferably ethanol. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about −10° C. to about 50° C., preferably about 20° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 6 hours to about 36 hours.
A compound of formulae IIIm-IIIn, respectively, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formulae IVm-IVn, respectively:
wherein L 3 is a suitable leaving group, with a suitable base in a polar solvent according to methods analogous to the preparation of the compounds of formulae IIIa-IIIi in the foregoing paragraph. Suitable leaving groups of the formula L 3 include halo, para-tolylsulfonyloxy (OTs), or methylsulfonyloxy (OMs). Preferably L 3 is halo, such as chloro. Suitable solvents include tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide and alcohol. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 50° C., preferably about 20° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 4 hours.
A compound of formulae IVa-IVi, respectively, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula VI with a compound of general formula
L 3 —(X′)—L 4 (V)
(i.e., a compound of formulae Va-Vi, respectively):
wherein each of L 3 and L 4 is a suitable leaving group, such as halo, para-tolylsulfonyloxy (OTs), or methylsulfonyloxy (OMs). Preferably L 3 is halo, such as bromo, chloro or iodo. Preferably L 4 is chloro or fluoro. Optionally, the aforementioned reaction may be conducted in the presence of a tertiary amine base, such as N,N-dimethylaniline or pyridine, in the presence of a suitable solvent, such as a hydrocarbon solvent (benzene or toluene), tetrahydrofuran or methylene chloride. The aforementioned reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 20° C. to about 90° C., preferably about 50° C. to about 80° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 30 minutes to about 6 hours.
Preferably, the aforementioned reaction is conducted in an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent, such as benzene or toluene, in the absence of the aforementioned base.
A compound of formulae IVj-IVl, respectively, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula VI with a compound of formula:
L 3 —(X′)—L 4 (V)
(i.e., a compound of formulae Vj-Vl, respectively):
wherein each of L 3 and L 4 is a suitable leaving group, such as halo, para-tolylsulfonyloxy (OTs) or methylsulfonyloxy (OMs), according to the methods analogous to those described in the preparation of the compounds of formulae IVa-IVi in the foregoing paragraph. Preferably L 3 is chloro, bromo, or iodo. Preferably L 4 is chloro, bromo, or iodo. Preferably, the reaction is performed in the presence of a suitable base, such as sodium hydride or cesium carbonate. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 50° C., preferably about 20° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 30 minutes to about 12 hours.
Compounds of formulae IVm-IVn, respectively, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula VI with a compound of formula
L 3 —(X′)—L 4 (V)
(i.e., a compound of formulas Vm-Vn, respectively):
wherein each of L 3 and L 4 is a suitable leaving group, such as halo, para-tolylsulfonyloxy (OTs) or methylsulfonyloxy (OMs), according to the methods analogous to those described in the preparation of the compounds of formulae IVa-IVi in the foregoing paragraph. Preferably L 3 is halo, such as chloro. Preferably L 4 is halo, such as chloro. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 80° C., preferably about 0° C. to about 40° C./The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 30 minutes to about 8 hours.
Alternatively, compounds of formulae IVd, IVe and IVf, respectively, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula VI with a compound of formula
(X′)—L 3 (V)
(i.e., a compound of formulae Vd′, Ve′ and Vf′, respectively):
wherein L 3 is preferably halo, most preferably chloro, bromo, or iodo. Optionally, the aforementioned reaction can be conducted in the presence of a tertiary amine base in a suitable solvent. Suitable bases include N,N-dimethylaniline or pyridine. Preferably, the aforementioned reaction is conducted in the absence of any aforementioned base. Suitable solvents include hydrocarbon solvent (benzene or toluene), tetrahydrofuran, or methylene chloride, preferably aromatic hydrocarbon solvent, such as benzene or toluene. The aforementioned reaction is conducted at a temperature of about 20° C. to about 90° C., preferably about 50° C. to about 80° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 30 minutes to about 6 hours.
Alternatively, compounds of formulae IVm and IVn, respectively, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula VI with a compound of formula
(X′)—L 3 (V)
(i.e., a compound of formulae Vm′ and Vn′, respectively):
wherein L 3 is preferably halo, most preferably chloro. The aforementioned reaction can be conducted optionally in the presence of a tertiary amine base in a suitable solvent. Suitable bases include N,N-dimethylaniline or pyridine. Preferably, the aforementioned reaction is conducted in the absence of any aforementioned base. Suitable solvents include a hydrocarbon solvent (benzene or toluene), tetrahydrofuran or methylene chloride, preferably aromatic hydrocarbon solvent, such as benzene or toluene. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about −10° C. to about 50° C., preferably about 0° C. to about 30° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 30 minutes to about 12 hours.
A compound of formula VI can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula H 2 N—A—Y—B—G with a compound of the formula VII:
wherein L 1 and L 2 are leaving groups, such as methoxy, ethoxy, or benzyloxy; preferably ethoxy; and L 5 is a leaving group, such as halo, para-tolylsulfonyloxy (OTs) or methylsulfonyloxy (OMs); preferably halo; most preferably chloro or bromo. The aforesaid reaction can be performed either neat or in the presence of a suitable solvent, preferably neat, in the presence of a suitable base. Suitable solvents include tetrahydrofuran or dimethylformamide. Suitable bases include a weak tertiary amine base, preferably tertiary aniline bases, most preferably N,N-dimethylaniline. Preferably, the aforementioned reaction is conducted at a temperature of about 23° C. to about 100° C., preferably about 50° C. to about 90° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 30 minutes to about 24 hours.
In the aforesaid reactions, each of the compounds of formulae IVj-IVl may be isolated, but are preferably carried on to the next step without isolation. Thus, in Scheme 1, the compound of formulae IIIj-IIIl is preferably prepared in a one-pot preparation from a compound of the formula VI.
If the compounds of the formulae IVj-IVl are not isolated, the suitable solvent for the one-pot preparation is dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, or alcohol. Preferably, the one-pot preparation is conducted in the presence of a suitable base, such as sodium hydride, triethylamine or an alkoxide base. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 40° C. to about 90° C., preferably about 60° C. to about 80° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 15 minutes to about 12 hours.
The compounds of formula H 2 N—A—Y—B—G are commercially available or can be made by methods well known to those skilled in the art. Alternatively, the compounds of formula H 2 N—A—Y—B—G can be prepared as described in Scheme 3.
A compound of the formula VII can be made by methods well known in the art such as those described in PCT Patent Publication WO 98/58925 or reviewed in The Organic Chemistry of Drug Synthesis , D. Lednicer and L. A. Mitscher, Volume 1, pages 167 to 277 and references therein. Each of the above referenced publications and applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Compounds of the formula II are commercially available or can be made by methods well known to those skilled in the art.
Scheme 2 refers to the preparation of a compound of the formula I, wherein the heterocyclic ring X has the formula o, i.e., a compound of formula Io. Referring to Scheme 2, a compound of formula Io:
can be prepared by reacting a compound of the formula IIIo, wherein L 1 and L 2 are leaving groups, with a urea of formula II (i.e., H 2 N—(CO)—NH 2 ) in the presence of a suitable base in a polar solvent. Suitable leaving groups include methoxy, ethoxy, or benzyloxy, preferably ethoxy. Suitable bases include alkoxide bases, such as sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide and potassium tert-butoxide, preferably sodium ethoxide. Suitable solvents include tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide, or alcohols (such as ethanol), preferably tetrahydrofuran or dimethylformamide. The aforesaid reaction is conducted at a temperature of about 20° C. to about 90° C., preferably about 50° C. to about 80° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 5 minutes to about 8 hours.
A compound of formula IIIo can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula IVo, wherein L 3 is a leaving group, with a suitable base in a polar solvent. Suitable leaving groups include alkoxy (such as methoxy, ethoxy, or benzyloxy) or halo; preferably methoxy or ethoxy. Suitable bases include alkoxide bases, preferably sodium methoxide or sodium ethoxide. Suitable solvents include alcohols, preferably ethanol. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 90° C., preferably of about 60° C. to about 90° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 36 hours.
A compound of formula IVo can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula VI with the compound of formula Vo:
wherein L 6 is a suitable leaving group, in a suitable solvent. Suitable L 6 includes alkoxy or halo, such as chloro; preferably alkoxy; more preferably methoxy or ethoxy. Optionally, the aforesaid reaction may be conducted in the presence of a suitable tertiary amine base, such as triethylamine, N,N-dimethylaniline, or pyridine. Suitable solvents, include hydrocarbon solvents (benzene or toluene), tetrahydrofuran, or methylene chloride, preferably tetrahydrofuran. Preferably, the aforementioned reaction is conducted in tetrahydrofuran or dimethylformamide, in the presence of the aforementioned suitable tertiary amine base. The aforesaid reaction may be conducted at a temperature of about 20° C. to about 90° C., preferably about 50° C. to about 80° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 30 minutes to about 6 hours.
In the aforesaid reactions, a compound of formula IVo may be isolated, but is preferably carried on to the next step without isolation. Thus, in Scheme 1, a compound of formula IIIo is preferably prepared in a one-pot preparation from a compound of the formula VI.
If the compounds of the formulae IVo are not isolated, the suitable solvent for the one-pot preparation is dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, or alcohols, preferably alcohol, such as ethanol. The aforesaid one pot preparation is suitably conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 70° C., preferably about 23° C. to about 60° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a time period of about 30 minutes to about 24 hours.
A compound of formula VI can prepared by reacting a compound of formula H 2 N—A—Y—B—G with a compound of the formula VII as described Scheme 1.
Scheme 3 refers to the preparation of compounds of the formula H 2 N—A—Y—B—G, which are intermediates useful in the preparation of compounds of formula I in Schemes 1 and 2. Referring to Scheme 3, compounds of formula H 2 N—A—Y—B—G can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula VII with a reducing agent in the presence of a suitable acid in a polar protic solvent. Suitable reducing agents include tin II chloride. Suitable acids include hydrochloric acid. Suitable solvents include an alcoholic solvent, water, or mixtures thereof, preferably a mixture of ethanol and water. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 40° C. to about 100° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 to about 12 hours.
Alternatively, the compounds of formula H 2 N—A—Y—B—G can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula VIII with hydrogen gas, at a pressure between atmospheric pressure and 50 psi, in the presence of a catalyst and a polar solvent. Suitable catalysts include a palladium or platinum catalyst, preferably Adams catalyst (i.e., platinum oxide), or palladium adsorbed on charcoal. Suitable solvents include an alcoholic solvent, preferably methanol. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 20° C. to about 50° C., preferably about 23° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 30 minutes to about 6 hours.
A compound of the formula VIII, wherein Y is —O—, —S—, —CH 2 S—, —CH 2 O—, >NR 14 , —CH 2 [N(R 14 )]— or —SO 2 [N(R 14 )]—, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula XI, wherein the group L 7 is fluoro or chloro, with a compound of the formula:
G—B—Y—H (IX)
wherein Y is —O—, —S—, —CH 2 S—, —CH 2 O—, >NR 14 , —CH 2 [N(R 14 )]— or —SO 2 [N(R 14 )]—, in the presence of a base in a polar aprotic solvent. Suitable bases include an alkali metal hydride base; preferably sodium hydride. Suitable solvents include dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran or 1,2-dimethoxyethane; preferably dimethylformamide. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 40° C. to about 140° C., preferably about 80° C. to about 120° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for about 1 hour to about 24 hours.
Alternatively, the aforesaid compound of formula VIII, wherein Y is —O—, —S—, —CH 2 S—, —CH 2 O—, >NR 14 , —CH 2 [N(R 14 )]— or —SO 2 [N(R 14 )]—, can be prepared in presence of an alkali metal hydroxide base, preferably potassium hydroxide, optionally in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst, such as a quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salt, preferably tetrabutylammonium bromide, in an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent. Preferably the solvent is benzene or toluene. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 120° C., preferably at about 23° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for about 1 hour to about 12 hours.
A compound of formula VIII, wherein the group Y is in an oxidized state, i.e., >SO 2 , >S═O, —CH 2 SO—, —CH 2 SO 2 —, SOCH 2 — or —SO 2 CH 2 —, can be prepared by reacting a corresponding compound of formula VIII, wherein the group Y is in a corresponding lower oxidation state, with a suitable oxidizing agent in a solvent. The corresponding lower oxidation state for each compound of formula VIII, wherein the group Y is >SO 2 and >S═O is a compound of formula VIII, wherein the group Y is S. The corresponding lower oxidation state for each compound of formula VIII, wherein the group Y is —CH 2 SO 2 — and —CH 2 SO— is a compound of formula VIII, wherein the group Y is —CH 2 S—. The corresponding lower oxidation state for each compound of formula VIII, wherein the group Y is —SO 2 CH 2 — and —SOCH 2 — is a compound of formula VIII, wherein the group Y is —SCH 2 —. Suitable oxidizing agents include a peroxy acid, preferably peracetic acid, or an organic peroxide, preferably m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid or tent-butyl hydroperoxide. Suitable solvents include methylene chloride or alcohol, such as ethanol. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about −10° C. to about 30° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for about 1 hour to about 8 hours.
A compound of the formula VIII, wherein Y is —OCH 2 —, —SCH 2 — or —[NR 14 ](CH 2 )—, respectively, can be prepared by reacting a compound of the formula X, wherein the group L 7 is L 8 —CH 2 — and wherein the group L 8 is halo, such as chloro, bromo, iodo, mesyloxy (MsO), or tosyloxy (TsO), with a compound of formula:
G—B—M—H (IX)
wherein the group M is —O—, —S—, or —NR 14 , respectively, in the presence of a base in a polar aprotic solvent. Suitable bases include an alkali metal carbonate base, preferably potassium carbonate or cesium carbonate. Suitable solvents include dimethylformamide or tetrahydrofuran. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 23° C. to about 80° C., preferably about 20° C. to about 50° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for about 1 hour to about 24 hours.
A compound of the formula VIII, wherein Y is >C═O, —CH═CH— or —C≡C—, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula XI, wherein the group L 7 is dihydroxyborane; zinc halide, such as zinc chloride; or trialkyl tin, such as tributyl tin, with a compound of the formula:
G—B—Y—L 9 (IX)
wherein Y is >C═O, —CH═CH— or —C≡C—; and wherein the group L 9 is halo; preferably chloro, bromo or iodo; in the presence of a catalyst in a solvent. Suitable catalysts include a palladium or nickel catalyst, preferably tetrakis triphenyl phosphine palladium (0) (Pd(PPh 3 ) 4 ). Suitable solvents include toluene, tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide, or dimethylsulfoxide.
The aforesaid reaction can be facilitated by the presence of a copper salt, such as cuprous iodide or cuprous bromide. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 23° C. to about 110° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 24 hours.
Alternatively, a compound of the formula VIII, wherein Y is —C≡C—, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula XI, wherein L 7 is halo or triflate, preferably bromo or iodo, with a compound of the formula:
G—B—Y—H (IX)
in the presence of a base, such as a trialkylamine base, preferably triethylamine and a palladium catalyst, preferably Pd(PPh 3 ) 4 in a solvent. Suitable solvents include tetrahydrofuran or dimethylformamide. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 23° C. to about 60° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 24 hours.
Compounds of the formulae IX (i.e., compounds of the formulae G—B—Y—H, G—B—M—H, or G—B—Y—L 9 ) are either commercially available or can be prepared by methods as described in Scheme 4. Referring to Scheme 4, compounds of formula IX (i.e., G—B—Y—H) can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula XII, wherein Z is a suitable protecting group, such as methyl, benzyl or silyl derivative, with an appropriate protecting group removing agent in the presence of a solvent.
When the Z protecting group of the compound of formula XII is methyl, the suitable protecting group removing agents include quaternary ammonium halide salts, such as a quaternary ammonium iodide salt, preferably tetrabutylammonium iodide. The aforesaid reaction is conducted in the presence of a Lewis acid and a polar aprotic solvent. Suitable Lewis acids include boron halide Lewis acid, preferably boron trichloride. Suitable polar aprotic solvents include chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent, preferably methylene chloride. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about −78° C. to about 50° C., preferably about −78° C. to about 23° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hours to about 24 hours, preferably about 1 hours to about 6 hours.
When the Z protecting group of the compound of formula XII is benzyl, the suitable protecting group removing agents include H 2 gas (between 10 psi and 500 psi, preferably 50 psi). The aforesaid reaction is conducted in the presence of a suitable catalyst in a suitable solvent optionally in the presence of acid. Suitable catalysts include Pd/C or Pd(OH) 2 on carbon. Suitable solvents include a polar solvent, preferably methanol or ethanol. Suitable acids include acetic acid. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at about 20° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for about 1 hour to about 48 hours, preferably about 6 hours.
When the Z protecting group of the compound of formula XII is trialkylsilyl, preferably tert-butyldimethylsilyl, the suitable protecting group removing agents include a fluoride containing agent. The aforesaid reaction is conducted in the presence of a polar aprotic solvent. Suitable fluoride containing agents include tetrabutyl ammonium fluoride. Suitable polar aprotic solvents include tetrahydrofuran. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at about 0° C. to about 50° C., preferably at about 20° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 24 hours, preferably about 4 hours.
Compounds of the formulae XII, wherein G is alkyl, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula XIII, wherein Z is a benzyl or methyl group, with an alkylating agent, in the presence of a base and a polar aprotic solvent. Suitable alkylating agents include alkyl halide or alkyl sulfonate ester, preferably an alkyl iodide. Suitable bases include an alkali metal hydride, preferably sodium hydride, or an alkali metal carbonate, preferably potassium carbonate. Suitable polar aprotic solvents include DMF, N,N-dimethyl acetamide or NMP, preferably DMF. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 100° C., preferably about 0° C. to about 50° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 24 hours, preferably about 1 hours to about 6 hours.
Compounds of the formulae XII, wherein G is aryl, can be prepared by reacting a compound of formula XIII, wherein Z is a benzyl or methyl group, with an arylating agent, in the presence of a base and a polar aprotic solvent, optionally in the presence of a catalyst. Suitable arylating agents include aryl halide, aryl tosylate; preferably aryl fluoride, aryl bromide or aryl iodide. Suitable bases include an alkali metal hydride, preferably sodium hydride, or an alkali metal carbonate, preferably potassium carbonate. Suitable polar aprotic solvents include DMF, N,N-dimethyl acetamide or NMP, preferably DMF. Suitable catalysts include copper catalysts such as copper (I) or copper (0) catalyst, preferably Cu 2 O or copper bronze. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 180° C., preferably about 160° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 24 hours, preferably about 6 hours to about 24 hours.
Other suitable arylating agents include aryl boronic acid. Such arylating agents are used in the preparation of compounds of the formula XII, wherein G is aryl, in the presence of copper (II) catalyst, a base, and a water scavengers, in polar aprotic solvent. Suitable catalysts include Cu(OAc) 2 . Suitable bases include amines, such as tertiary amines or aromatic amines, preferably triethylamine or pyridine. Suitable water scavenger include 4A molecular sieves. Suitable polar aprotic solvents include methylene chloride or DMSO. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted under an atmosphere of air or dry oxygen at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 50° C., preferably about 23° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 21 days, preferably about 12 hours to about 2 days.
Compounds of the formulae XII, wherein G is heteroaryl, can be prepared by reacting compounds of formula XIII, wherein Z is a benzyl or methyl group, with a heteroarylating agent, in the presence of a base and a polar aprotic solvent, optionally in the presence of a catalyst. Suitable heteroarylating agents include heteroaryl halide, preferably heteroaryl fluoride, heteroaryl chloride, or heteroaryl bromide. Suitable bases include an alkali metal hydride, preferably sodium hydride, or an alkali metal carbonate, preferably potassium carbonate. Suitable polar aprotic solvents include DMF, N,N-dimethyl acetamide or NMP, preferably DMF. Suitable catalysts include copper catalysts such as copper (I) or copper (0) catalyst, preferably Cu 2 O or copper bronze. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 180° C., preferably about 80-160° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 24 hours, preferably about 1 hours to about 8 hours.
Other suitable heteroarylating agents include heteroaryl boronic acid. Such heteroarylating agent is used in the preparation of compounds of the formula XII, wherein G is heteroaryl, in the presence of copper (II) catalyst, a base, and a water scavengers, in polar aprotic solvent. Suitable catalysts include Cu(OAc) 2 . Suitable bases include amines, such as tertiary amines or aromatic amines, preferably triethylamine or pyridine. Suitable water scavengers include 4A molecular sieves. Suitable polar aprotic solvents include methylene chloride or DMSO. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted under an atmosphere of air or dry oxygen at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 50° C., preferably about 23° C. The aforesaid reaction can be conducted for a period of about 1 hour to about 21 days, preferably about 12 hours to about 2 days.
Compounds of the formulae XI and XIII are either commercially available or are well known and can be prepared by methods known to those skilled in the art.
The compounds of the formula I, which are basic in nature, are capable of forming a wide variety of different salts with various inorganic and organic acids. Although such salts must be pharmaceutically acceptable for administration to animals, it is often desirable in practice to initially isolate a compound of the formula I from the reaction mixture as a pharmaceutically unacceptable salt and then simply convert the latter back to the free base compound by treatment with an alkaline reagent, and subsequently convert the free base to a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt. The acid addition salts of the base compounds of this invention are readily prepared by treating the base compound with a substantially equivalent amount of the chosen mineral or organic acid in an aqueous solvent medium or in a suitable organic solvent such as methanol or ethanol. Upon careful evaporation of the solvent, the desired solid salt is obtained.
The acids which are used to prepare the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of the base compounds of this invention are those which form non-toxic acid addition salts, i.e., salts containing pharmacologically acceptable anions, such as hydrochloride, hydrobromide, hydroiodide, nitrate, sulfate or bisulfate, phosphate or acid phosphate, acetate, lactate, citrate or acid citrate, tartrate or bitartrate, succinate, maleate, fumarate, gluconate, saccharate, benzoate, methanesulfonate and pamoate [i.e., 1,1′-methylene-bis-(2-hydroxy-3-naphthoate)] salts.
Those compounds of the formula I which are also acidic in nature, are capable of forming base salts with various pharmacologically acceptable cations. Examples of such salts include the alkali metal or alkaline-earth metal salts and particularly, the sodium and potassium salts. These salts are all prepared by conventional techniques. The chemical bases which are used as reagents to prepare the pharmaceutically acceptable base salts of this invention are those which form non-toxic base salts with the herein described acidic compounds of formula I. These non-toxic base salts include those derived from such pharmacologically acceptable cations as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, etc. These salts can easily be prepared by treating the corresponding acidic compounds with an aqueous solution containing the desired pharmacologically acceptable cations and then evaporating the resulting solution to dryness, preferably under reduced pressure.
Alternatively, these salts may also be prepared by mixing lower alkanolic solutions of the acidic compounds and the desired alkali metal alkoxide together and then evaporating the resulting solution to dryness in the same manner as before. In either case, stoichiometric quantities of reagents are preferably employed in order to ensure completeness of reaction and maximum product yields.
Biological Assays
The ability of the compounds of formula I or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts (hereinafter also referred to as the compounds of the present invention) to inhibit metalloproteinases or mammalian reprolysins and, consequently, demonstrate their effectiveness for treating diseases characterized by metalloproteinase activity may be shown by the following in vitro and in vivo assay tests.
MMP Assays
MMP-13 selective inhibitors may be identified by screening the inhibitors of the present invention through the MMP fluorescence assays described below and selecting those agents with MMP-X/MMP-13 inhibition IC 50 ratios of 100 or greater and potency of less than 100 nM, where MMP-X refers to one or more other MMPs.
Non-selective collagenase inhibitors as used herein, unless otherwise mentioned, refer to agents which exhibit less than a 100 fold selectivity for the inhibition of MMP-13 enzyme activity over MMP-X enzyme activity or a potency of more than 100 nM as defined by the IC 50 results from the MMP-13 and MMP-X fluorescence assays described below.
The ability of collagenase inhibitors to inhibit collagenase activity is well known in the art. The degree of inhibition of a particular MMP for several compounds has been well documented in the art and those skilled in the art will know how to normalize different assay results to those assays reported herein. The following assays may be used to identify matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors.
Inhibition of Human Collagenase (MMP-1)
Human recombinant collagenase is activated with trypsin. The amount of trypsin may be optimized for each lot of collagenase-1 but a typical reaction uses the following ratio: 5 μg trypsin per 100 μg of collagenase. The trypsin and collagenase may be incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes then a five fold excess (50 mg/10 mg trypsin) of soybean trypsin inhibitor is added.
Stock solutions (10 mM) of inhibitors may be made up in dimethylsulfoxide and then diluted using the following scheme:
10 mM→120 μM→12 μM→1.2 μM→0.12 μM
Twenty-five microliters of each concentration may then be added in triplicate to appropriate wells of a 96 well microfluor plate. The final concentration of inhibitor may be a 1:4 dilution after addition of enzyme and substrate. Positive controls (enzyme, no inhibitor) may be set up in wells D7-D12 and negative controls (no enzyme, no inhibitors) may be set in wells D1-D6.
Collagenase-1 may be diluted to 240 ng/ml and 25 μl is then added to appropriate wells of the microfluor plate. Final concentration of collagenase in the assay may be 60 ng/ml.
Substrate (DNP-Pro-Cha-Gly-Cys(Me)-His-Ala-Lys(NMA)-NH 2 ) may be made as a 5 mM stock in dimethylsulfoxide and then diluted to 20 μM in assay buffer. The assay may be initiated by the addition of 50 μl substrate per well of the microfluor plate to give a final concentration of 10 μM.
Fluorescence readings (360 nM excitation, 460 nm emission) may be taken at time 0 and then at 20 minute intervals. The assay may be conducted at room temperature with a typical assay time of 3 hours.
Fluorescence versus time may be then plotted for both the blank and collagenase containing samples (data from triplicate determinations is averaged). A time point that provides a good signal (at least five fold over the blank) and that is on a linear part of the curve (usually around 120 minutes) may be chosen to determine IC 50 values. The zero time may be used as a blank for each compound at each concentration and these values may be subtracted from the 120-minute data. Data may be plotted as inhibitor concentration versus % control (inhibitor fluorescence divided by fluorescence of collagenase alone×100). IC 50 's may be determined from the concentration of inhibitor that gives a signal that is 50% of the control.
If IC 50 's are reported to be less than 0.03 μM then the inhibitors may be assayed at concentrations of 0.3 μM, 0.03 μM and 0.003 μM.
Inhibition of Gelatinase (MMP-2)
Human recombinant 72 kD gelatinase (MMP-2, gelatinase A) may be activated for 16-18 hours with 1 mM p-aminophenyl-mercuric acetate (from a freshly prepared 100 mM stock in 0.2 N NaOH) at 4° C., rocking gently.
10 mM dimethylsulfoxide stock solutions of inhibitors may be diluted serially in assay buffer (50 mM TRIS, pH 7.5, 200 mM NaCl, 5 mM CaCl 2 20 μM ZnCl 2 and 0.02% BRIJ-35 (vol./vol.)) using the following scheme:
10 mM→120 μM→12 μM→1.2 μM→0.12 μM
Further dilutions may be made as necessary following this same scheme. A minimum of four inhibitor concentrations for each compound may be performed in each assay. 25 μL of each concentration may be then added to triplicate wells of a black 96 well U-bottomed microfluor plate. As the final assay volume may be 100 μL, final concentrations of inhibitor may be the result of a further 1:4 dilution (i.e. 30 μM→3 μM→0.3 μM0.03 μM, etc.). A blank (no enzyme, no inhibitor) and a positive enzyme control (with enzyme, no inhibitor) may be also prepared in triplicate.
Activated enzyme may be diluted to 100 ng/mL in assay buffer, 25 μL per well may be added to appropriate wells of the microplate. Final enzyme concentration in the assay may be 25 ng/mL (0.34 nM).
A five mM dimethylsulfoxide stock solution of substrate (Mca-Pro-Leu-Gly-Leu-Dpa-Ala-Arg-NH 2 ) may be diluted in assay buffer to 20 μM. The assay may be initiated by addition of 50 μL of diluted substrate yielding a final assay concentration of 10 μM substrate. At time zero, fluorescence reading (320 excitation; 390 emission) may be immediately taken and subsequent readings may be taken every fifteen minutes at room temperature with a PerSeptive Biosystems CytoFluor Multi-Well Plate Reader with the gain at 90 units.
The average value of fluorescence of the enzyme and blank may be plotted versus time. An early time point on the linear part of this curve may be chosen for IC 50 determinations. The zero time point for each compound at each dilution may be subtracted from the latter time point and the data then expressed as percent of enzyme control (inhibitor fluorescence divided by fluorescence of positive enzyme control×100). Data may be plotted as inhibitor concentration versus percent of enzyme control. IC 50 's may be defined as the concentration of inhibitor that gives a signal that is 50% of the positive enzyme control.
Inhibition of Stromelysin Activity (MMP-3)
Human recombinant stromelysin (MMP-3, stromelysin-1) may be activated for 20-22 hours with 2 mM p-aminophenyl-mercuric acetate (from a freshly prepared 100 mM stock in 0.2 N NaOH) at 37° C.
10 mM dimethylsulfoxide stock solutions of inhibitors may be diluted serially in assay buffer (50 mM TRIS, pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 10 mM CaCl 2 and 0.05% BRIJ-35 (vol./vol.)) using the following scheme:
10 mM→120 μM→12 μM→1.2 μM→0.12 μM
Further dilutions may be made as necessary following this same scheme. A minimum of four inhibitor concentrations for each compound may be performed in each assay. 25 μL of each concentration may be then added to triplicate wells of a black 96 well U-bottomed microfluor plate. As the final assay volume may be 100 μL, final concentrations of inhibitor may be the result of a further 1:4 dilution (i.e. 30 μM→3 μM→0.3 μM→0.03 μM, etc.). A blank (no enzyme, no inhibitor) and a positive enzyme control (with enzyme, no inhibitor) may be also prepared in triplicate.
Activated enzyme is diluted to 200 ng/mL in assay buffer, 25 μL per well may be added to appropriate wells of the microplate. Final enzyme concentration in the assay may be 50 ng/mL (0.875 nM).
A ten mM dimethylsulfoxide stock solution of substrate (Mca-Arg-Pro-Lys-Pro-Val-Glu-Nva-Trp-Arg-Lys(Dnp)-NH 2 ) may be diluted in assay buffer to 6 μM. The assay may be initiated by addition of 50 μL of diluted substrate yielding a final assay concentration of 3 μM substrate. At time zero, fluorescence reading (320 excitation; 390 emission) may be immediately taken and subsequent readings may be taken every fifteen minutes at room temperature with a PerSeptive Biosystems CytoFluor Multi-Well Plate Reader with the gain at 90 units.
The average value of fluorescence of the enzyme and blank may be plotted versus time. An early time point on the linear part of this curve may be chosen for IC 50 determinations. The zero time point for each compound at each dilution may be subtracted from the latter time point and the data then expressed as percent of enzyme control (inhibitor fluorescence divided by fluorescence of positive enzyme control×100). Data may be plotted as inhibitor concentration versus percent of enzyme control. IC 50 's may be defined as the concentration of inhibitor that gives a signal that is 50% of the positive enzyme control.
Inhibition of Human 92 kD Gelatinase (MMP-9)
Inhibition of 92 kD gelatinase (MMP-9) activity may be assayed using the Mca-Pro-Leu-Gly-Leu-Dpa-Ala-Arg-NH 2 substrate (10 μM) under similar conditions as described above for the inhibition of human collagenase (MMP-1).
Human recombinant 92 kD gelatinase (MMP-9, gelatinase B) may be activated for 2 hours with 1 mM p-aminophenyl-mercuric acetate (from a freshly prepared 100 mM stock in 0.2 N NaOH) at 37 C.
10 mM dimethylsulfoxide stock solutions of inhibitors may be diluted serially in assay buffer (50 mM TRIS, pH 7.5, 200 mM NaCl, 5 mM CaCl 2 , 20 μM ZnCl 2 , 0.02% BRIJ-35 (vol./vol.)) using the following scheme:
10 mM→120 μM→12 μM→1.2 μM→0.12 μM
Further dilutions may be made as necessary following this same scheme. A minimum of four inhibitor concentrations for each compound may be performed in each assay. 25 μL of each concentration is then added to triplicate wells of a black 96 well U-bottomed microfluor plate. As the final assay volume may be 100 μL, final concentrations of inhibitor may be the result of a further 1:4 dilution (i.e. 30 μM→3 μM→0.3 μM→0.03 μM, etc.). A blank (no enzyme, no inhibitor) and a positive enzyme control (with enzyme, no inhibitor) may be also prepared in triplicate.
Activated enzyme may be diluted to 100 ng/mL in assay buffer, 25 μL per well may be added to appropriate wells of the microplate. Final enzyme concentration in the assay may be 25 ng/mL (0.27 nM).
A five mM dimethylsulfoxide stock solution of substrate (Mca-Pro-Leu-Gly-Leu-Dpa-Ala-Arg-NH 2 ) may be diluted in assay buffer to 20 μM. The assay may be initiated by addition of 50 μL of diluted substrate yielding a final assay concentration of 10 μM substrate. A zero time fluorescence reading (320 excitation; 390 emission) may be immediately taken and subsequent readings may be taken every fifteen minutes at room temperature with a PerSeptive Biosystems CytoFluor Multi-Well Plate Reader with the gain at 90 units.
The average value of fluorescence of the enzyme and blank may be plotted versus time. An early time point on the linear part of this curve may be chosen for IC 50 determinations. The zero time point for each compound at each dilution may be subtracted from the latter time point and the data then expressed as percent of enzyme control (inhibitor fluorescence divided by fluorescence of positive enzyme control×100). Data may be plotted as inhibitor concentration versus percent of enzyme control. IC 50 's may be defined as the concentration of inhibitor that gives a signal that is 50% of the positive enzyme control.
Inhibition of MMP-13
Human recombinant MMP-13 may be activated with 2 mM APMA (p-aminophenyl mercuric acetate) for 1.5 hours, at 37° C. and may be diluted to 400 mg/ml in assay buffer (50 mM Tris, pH 7.5, 200 mM sodium chloride, 5 mM calcium chloride, 20 μM zinc chloride, 0.02% brij). Twenty-five microliters of diluted enzyme may be added per well of a 96 well microfluor plate. The enzyme may be then diluted in a 1:4 ratio in the assay by the addition of inhibitor and substrate to give a final concentration in the assay of 100 mg/ml.
10 mM stock solutions of inhibitors may be made up in dimethyl sulfoxide and then diluted in assay buffer as per the inhibitor dilution scheme for inhibition of human collagenase (MMP-1): Twenty-five microliters of each concentration may be added in triplicate to the microfluor plate. The final concentrations in the assay may be 30 μM, 3 μM, 0.3 μM and 0.03 μM.
Substrate (Dnp-Pro-Cha-Gly-Cys(Me)-His-Ala-Lys(NMA)-NH 2 ) may be prepared as for inhibition of human collagenase (MMP-1) and 50 μl may be added to each well to give a final assay concentration of 10 μM. Fluorescence readings (360 nM excitation; 450 emission) may be taken at time 0 and every 5 minutes for 1 hour.
Positive controls may consist of enzyme and substrate with no inhibitor and blanks consist of substrate only.
IC 50 's may be determined as per inhibition of human collagenase (MMP-1). If IC 50 's are reported to be less than 0.03 μM, inhibitors may be then assayed at final concentrations of 0.3 μM, 0.03 μM, 0.003 μM and 0.0003 μM.
Collagen Film MMP-13 Assay
Rat type I collagen may be radiolabeled with 14 C acetic anhydride (T. E. Cawston and A. J. Barrett, Anal. Biochem., 99, 340-345 (1979)) and used to prepare 96 well plates containing radiolabeled collagen films (Barbara Johnson-Wint, Anal. Biochem., 104, 175-181 (1980)). When a solution containing collagenase were added to the well, the enzyme cleaves the insoluble collagen which unwinds and would thus solubilized. Collagenase activity may be directly proportional to the amount of collagen solubilized, determined by the proportion of radioactivity released into the supernatant as measured in a standard scintillation counter. Collagenase inhibitors may be, therefore, compounds which reduce the radioactive counts released with respect to the controls with no inhibitor present. One specific embodiment of this assay may be described in detail below.
For determining the selectivity of compounds for MMP-13 versus MMP-1 using collagen as a substrate, the following procedure may be used. Recombinant human proMMP-13 or proMMP-1 may be activated according to the procedures outlined above. The activated MMP-13 or MMP-1 may be diluted to 0.6 μg/ml with buffer (50 mM Tris pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 10 mM CaCl 2 , 1 μM ZnCl 2 , 0.05% Brij-35, 0.02% sodium azide).
Stock solutions of test compound (10 mM) in dimethylsulfoxide may be prepared. Dilutions of the test compounds in the Tris buffer, above, may be made to 0.2, 2.0, 20, 200, 2000 and 20000 nM.
100 μl of appropriate drug dilution and 100 μl of diluted enzyme may be pipetted into wells of a 96 well plate containing collagen films labeled with 14 C-collagen. The final enzyme concentration may be 0.3 μg/ml while the final drug concentration is 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100, 1000 nM. Each drug concentration and control may be analyzed in triplicate. Triplicate controls may be also run for the conditions in which no enzyme may be present and for enzyme in the absence of any compound.
The plates may be incubated at 37° C. for a time period such that around 30-50% of the available collagen may be solubilized. The time period may be determined by counting additional control wells at various time points. In most cases around 9 hours of incubation may be required. When the assay has progressed sufficiently, the supernatant from each well may be removed and counted in a scintillation counter. The background counts (determined by the counts in the wells with no enzyme) may be subtracted from each sample and the % release calculated in relation to the wells with enzyme only and no inhibitor. The triplicate values for each point may be averaged and the data graphed as percent release versus drug concentration. IC 50 's may be determined from the point at which 50% inhibition of release of radiolabeled collagen may be obtained.
To determine the identity of the active collagenases in cartilage conditioned medium, assays may be conducted using collagen as a substrate, cartilage conditioned medium containing collagenase activity and inhibitors of varying selectivity. The cartilage conditioned medium may be collected during the time at which collagen degradation may be occurring and thus may be representative of the collagenases responsible for the collagen breakdown. Assays may be conducted as outlined above except that instead of using recombinant MMP-13 or recombinant MMP-1, cartilage conditioned medium may be the enzyme source.
IL-1 Induced Cartilage Collagen Degradation From Bovine Nasal Cartilage
This assay may use bovine nasal cartilage explants which are commonly used to test the efficacy of various compounds to inhibit either IL-1 induced proteoglycan degradation or IL-1 induced collagen degradation. Bovine nasal cartilage is a tissue that is very similar to articular cartilage, i.e. chondrocytes surrounded by a matrix that is primarily type II collagen and aggrecan. The tissue may be used because it: (1) is very similar to articular cartilage, (2) is readily available, (3) is relatively homogeneous and (4) degrades with predictable kinetics after IL-1 stimulation.
Two variations of this assay may be used to assay compounds. Both variations may give similar data. The two variations may be described below:
Variation 1
Three plugs of bovine nasal cartilage (approximately 2 mm diameter×1.5 mm long) may be placed into each well of a 24 well tissue culture plate. One ml of serumless medium may be then added to each well. Compounds may be prepared as 10 mM stock solutions in dimethyl sulfoxide and then diluted appropriately in serumless medium to final concentrations, e.g., 50, 500 and 5000 nM. Each concentration may be assayed in triplicate.
Human recombinant IL-1a (5 ng/mL) (IL-1) may be added to triplicate control wells and to each well containing drug. Triplicate control wells may be also set up in which neither drug nor IL-1 may be added. The medium may be removed and fresh medium containing IL-1 and the appropriate drug concentrations may be added on days 6, 12, 18 and 24 or every 3-4 days if necessary. The media removed at each time point may be stored at −20° C. for later analysis. When the cartilage in the IL-1 alone wells may have been almost completely resorbed (about day 21), the experiment may be terminated. The medium may be removed and stored. Aliquots (100 μl) from each well at each time point may be pooled, digested with papain and then analyzed for hydroxyproline content. Background hydroxyproline (average of wells with no IL-1 and no drug) may be subtracted from each data point and the average calculated for each triplicate. The data may be then expressed as a percent of the IL-1 alone average value and plotted. The IC 50 may be determined from this plot.
Variation 2
The experimental set-up may be the same as outlined above in Variation 1, until day 12. On day 12, the conditioned medium from each well may be removed and frozen. Then one ml of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing 0.5 μg/ml trypsin may be added to each well and incubation continued for a further 48 hours at 37° C. After 48 hours incubation in trypsin, the PBS solution may be removed. Aliquots (50 μl) of the PBS/trypsin solution and the previous two time points (days 6 and 12) may be pooled, hydrolyzed and hydroxyproline content determined. Background hydroxyproline (average of wells with no IL-1 and no drug) may be subtracted from each data point and the average calculated for each triplicate. The data may be then expressed as a percent of the IL-1 alone average value and plotted. The IC 50 may be determined from this plot. In this variation, the time course of the experiment v shortened considerably. The addition of trypsin for 48 hours after 12 days of IL-1 stimulation likely releases any type II collagen that may have been damaged by collagenase activity but not yet released from the cartilage matrix. In the absence of IL-1 stimulation, trypsin treatment may produce only low background levels of collagen degradation in the cartilage explants.
Inhibition of TNF Production
The ability or inability of the compounds or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof to inhibit the production of TNF may be shown by the following In vitro assay:
Human Monocyte Assay
Human mononuclear cells may be isolated from anti-coagulated human blood using a one-step Ficoll-hypaque separation technique. The mononuclear cells may be washed three times in Hanks balanced salt solution (HBSS) with divalent cations and resuspended to a density of 2×10 6 /ml in HBSS containing 1% BSA. Differential counts may be determined using the Abbott Cell Dyn 3500 analyzer indicated that monocytes ranged from 17 to 24% of the total cells in these preparations.
180 μl of the cell suspension may be aliquoted into flat bottom 96 well plates (Costar). Additions of compounds and LPS (100 ng/ml final concentration) may give a final volume of 200 μl. All conditions may be performed in triplicate. After a four hour incubation at 37° C. in an humidified CO 2 incubator, plates may be removed and centrifuged (10 minutes at approximately 250×g) and the supernatants removed and assayed for TNF α using the R&D ELISA Kit.
Aagrecanase Assay
Primary porcine chondrocytes from articular joint cartilage may be isolated by sequential trypsin and collagenase digestion followed by collagenase digestion overnight and may be plated at 2×10 5 cells per well into 48 well plates with 5 μCi/ml 35 S (1000 Ci/mmol) sulfur in type I collagen coated plates. Cells may be allowed to incorporate label into their proteoglycan matrix (approximately 1 week) at 37° C., under an atmosphere of 5% CO 2 .
The night before initiating the assay, chondrocyte monolayers may be washed two times in DMEM/1% PSF/G and then allowed to incubate in fresh DMEM/1%. FBS overnight.
The following morning chondrocytes may be washed once in DMEM/1%PSF/G. The final wash may be allowed to sit on the plates in the incubator while making dilutions.
Media and dilutions may be made as described in the Table below.
Control Media
DMEM alone (control media)
IL-1 Media
DMEM + IL-1 (5 ng/ml)
Drug Dilutions
Make all compounds stocks at 10 mM in DMSO.
Make a 100 μM stock of each compound in DMEM in 96
well plate. Store in freezer overnight.
The next day perform serial dilutions in DMEM with
IL-1 to 5 μM, 500 nM and 50 nM.
Aspirate final wash from wells and add 50 μl of
compound from above dilutions to 450 μl of IL-1 media
in appropriate wells of the 48 well plates.
Final compound concentrations equal 500 nM, 50 nM
and 5 nM.
All samples completed in triplicate with Control and IL-1
alone samples on each plate.
Plates may be labeled and only the interior 24 wells of the plate may be used. On one of the plates, several columns may be designated as IL-1 (no drug) and Control (no IL-1, no drug). These control columns may be periodically counted to monitor 35 S-proteoglycan release. Control and IL-1 media may be added to wells (450 μl) followed by compound (50 μl) so as to initiate the assay. Plates may be incubated at 37° C., with a 5% CO 2 atmosphere.
At 40-50% release (when CPM from IL-1 media were 4-5 times control media) as assessed by liquid scintillation counting (LSC) of media samples, the assay may be terminated (9-12 hours). Media may be removed from all wells and placed in scintillation tubes. Scintillate may be added and radioactive counts are acquired (LSC). To solubilize cell layers, 500 μl of papain digestion buffer (0.2 M Tris, pH 7.0, 5 mM EDTA, 5 mM DTT and 1 mg/ml papain) may be added to each well. Plates with digestion solution may be incubated at 60° C. overnight. The cell layer may be removed from the plates the next day and placed in scintillation tubes. Scintillate may be then added and samples counted (LSC).
The percent of released counts from the total present in each well may be determined. Averages of the triplicates may be made with control background subtracted from each well. The percent of compound inhibition may be based on IL-1 samples as 0% inhibition (100% of total counts).
The compounds of the present invention that were tested all have IC 50 's in at least one of the above assays of less than 100 μM preferably less than 100 nM. Certain preferred groups of compounds possess differential selectivity toward the various MMPs or ADAMs. One group of preferred compounds possesses selective activity towards MMP-13 over MMP-1. Another preferred group of compounds possesses selective activity towards MMP-13 over MMP-1, MMP-3 and MMP-7. Another preferred group of compounds possesses selective activity towards MMP-13 over MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-7 and MMP-17. Another preferred group of compounds possesses selective activity towards MMP-13 over MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-9 and MMP-14 Another preferred group of compounds possesses selective activity towards MMP-13 over MMP-12 and MMP-14.
For administration to mammals, including humans, for the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases, a variety of conventional routes may be used including oral, parenteral (e.g., intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous), buccal, anal and topical. In general, the compounds of the invention (hereinafter also known as the active compounds) will be administered at dosages of about 0.1 and 25 mg/kg body weight of the subject to be treated per day, preferably from about 0.3 to 5 mg/kg. Preferably the active compound will be administered orally or parenterally. However, some variation in dosage may necessarily occur depending on the condition of the subject being treated. The person responsible for administration may, in any event, determine the appropriate dose for the individual subject.
The compounds of the present invention may be administered in a wide variety of different dosage forms, in general, the therapeutically effective compounds of this invention may present in such dosage forms at concentration levels ranging from about 5.0% to about 70% by weight.
For oral administration, tablets containing various excipients such as microcrystalline cellulose, sodium citrate, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate and glycine may be employed along with various disintegrants such as starch (and preferably corn, potato or tapioca starch), alginic acid and certain complex silicates, together with granulation binders like polyvinylpyrrolidone, sucrose, gelation and acacia. Additionally, lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate, sodium lauryl sulfate and talc may often very useful for tabletting purposes. Solid compositions of a similar type may also be employed as fillers in gelatin capsules; preferred materials in this connection also include lactose or milk sugar as well as high molecular weight polyethylene glycols. When aqueous suspensions and/or elixirs are desired for oral administration, the active ingredient may be combined with various sweetening or flavoring agents, coloring matter or dyes and, if so desired, emulsifying and/or suspending agents as well, together with such diluents as water, ethanol, propylene glycol, glycerin and various like combinations thereof. In the case of animals, they may be advantageously contained in an animal feed or drinking water in a concentration of 5-5000 ppm, preferably 25 to 500 ppm.
For parenteral administration (intramuscular, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous and intravenous use) a sterile injectable solution of the active ingredient may usually be prepared. Solutions of a therapeutic compound of the present invention in either sesame or peanut oil or in aqueous propylene glycol may be employed. The aqueous solutions should be suitably adjusted and buffered, preferably at a pH of greater than 8, if necessary and the liquid diluent first rendered isotonic. These aqueous solutions may be suitable intravenous injection purposes. The oily solutions may be suitable for intraarticular, intramuscular and subcutaneous injection purposes. The preparation of all these solutions under sterile conditions may be readily accomplished by standard pharmaceutical techniques well known to those skilled in the art. In the case of animals, compounds may be administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously at dosage levels of about 0.1 to 50 mg/kg/day, advantageously 0.2 to 10 mg/kg/day given in a single dose or up to 3 divided doses.
The active compounds of the invention may also be formulated in rectal compositions such as suppositories or retention enemas, e.g., containing conventional suppository bases such as cocoa butter or other glycerides.
For intranasal administration or administration by inhalation, the active compounds of the invention may be conveniently delivered in the form of a solution or suspension from a pump spray container that may be squeezed or pumped by the patient or as an aerosol spray presentation from a pressurized container or a nebulizer, with the use of a suitable propellant, e.g., dichlorodifluoromethane, trichlorofluoromethane, dichlorotetrafluoroethane, carbon dioxide or other suitable gas. In the case of a pressurized aerosol, the dosage unit may be determined by providing a valve to deliver a metered amount. The pressurized container or nebulizer may contain a solution or suspension of the active compound. Capsules and cartridges (made, for example, from gelatin) for use in an inhaler or insufflator may be formulated containing a powder mix of a compound of the invention and a suitable powder base such as lactose or starch.
For topical ocular administration, direct application to the affected eye may be employed in the form of a formulation as eyedrops, aerosol, gels or ointments, or can be incorporated into collagen (such as poly-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate and co-polymers thereof), or a hydrophilic polymer shield. The materials may also be applied as a contact lens or via a local reservoir or as a subconjunctival formulation.
For intraorbital administration a sterile injectable solution of the active ingredient is usually prepared. Solutions of a therapeutic compound of the present invention in an aqueous solution or suspension (particle size less than 10 micron) may be employed. The aqueous solutions should be suitably adjusted and buffered, preferably at a pH between 5 and 8, if necessary and the liquid diluent first rendered isotonic. Small amounts of polymers may be added to increase viscosity or for sustained release (such as cellulosic polymers, Dextran, polyethylene glycol, or alginic acid). These solutions may be suitable for intraorbital injection purposes. The preparation of all these solutions under sterile conditions is readily accomplished by standard pharmaceutical techniques well known to those skilled in the art. In the case of animals, compounds may be administered intraorbitally at dosage levels of about 0.1 to 50 mg/kg/day, advantageously 0.2 to 10 mg/kg/day given in a single dose or up to 3 divided doses.
As with the other routes of administration and corresponding dosage forms described herein, dosage forms intended for oral administration may be also suitably formulated to provide controlled-, sustained- and/or delayed release of the active ingredient. Typically, these would include delayed-release oral tablets, capsules and multiparticulates, as well as enteric-coated tablets and capsules which prevent release and adsorption of the active ingredient in the stomach of the patient and facilitate enteric delivery distal to the stomach, i.e., in the intestine. Other typical oral dosage forms may include sustained-release oral tablets, capsules and multiparticulates which provide systemic delivery of the active ingredient in a controlled manner over a prolonged period of time, e.g., a 24-hour period. Where rapid delivery of the active ingredient is required or desirable, a controlled-release oral dosage form may be prepared in the form of a fast-dissolving tablet, which would also preferably include highly soluble salt forms of the active ingredient.
The following Examples illustrate the preparation of the compounds of the present invention. Melting points were uncorrected. NMR data were reported in parts per million (δ) and are referenced to the deuterium lock signal from the sample solvent (deuteriochloroform unless otherwise specified). Commercial reagents were utilized without further purification. Chromatography refers to column chromatography performed using 32-63 mm silica gel and executed under nitrogen pressure (flash chromatography) conditions. Room or ambient temperature refers to 20-25° C. All non-aqueous reactions were run under a nitrogen atmosphere for convenience and to maximize yields. Concentration at reduced pressure or in vacuo means that a rotary evaporator was used.
EXAMPLE 1
1-{6-[1-(4-FLUORO-PHENYL)-1H-INDAZOL-5-YLOXY]-PYRIDIN-3-YL}-1,7,9-TRIAZA-SPIRO[4.5]DECANE-6,8,10-TRIONE
To a flame dried flask is added ethanol (6 mL) and freshly cut sodium metal (62.4 mg, 2.71 mmol). The solution is stirred until homogenous. Recrystallized urea (98 mg, 1.63 mmol) is added and the solution is stirred at room temperature for 5 minutes. 1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester (0.54 mmol) is added, and the solution is heated to 80° C. for 30 minutes, then cooled to 50° C. and stirred for 16 hours. The reaction is then quenched by the addition of 10 mL water, and 1N hydrochloric acid is added to adjust the pH to 5. The aqueous layer is extracted with ethyl acetate (3×20 mL). The combined ethyl acetate layers are washed with saturated sodium chloride, dried with magnesium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under vacuum to produce crude product. This material is chromatographed on silica gel (ISCO MPLC purification, 30 minutes, 50-100% ethyl acetate gradient, Biotage flash 40s column) to provide 1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione.
Preparation 1: 1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-pyrrolidine-2.2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester
1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester is prepared by dissolving 2-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-ylamino}-malonic acid diethyl ester (9.25 mmol) in dimethylformamide (90 mL), followed by addition of 1,3 dibromopropane (938 μL, 9.25 mmol) and cesium carbonate (6 grams, 18.5 mmol). The reaction mixture is stirred for approximately 24 hours to 48 hours. The mixture is filtered through celite, and then concentrated under vacuum while heating to 55° C. to remove the dimethylformamide (azeotroping with toluene). The crude product obtained is chromatographed on silica gel (ISCO MPLC purification, 40 minutes, 0-50% ethyl acetate gradient, Biotage flash 40m column) to provide the title compound.
Preparation 2: 2-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-ylamino}-malonic acid diethyl ester
2-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-ylamino}-malonic acid diethyl ester is prepared by combining 6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-ylamine (11.4 mmol), bromodiethylmalonate (11.4 mmol), and N,N-dimethylaniline (11.4 mmol) in a flame dried flask and heated to 70° C. for 3.5 hours. The mixture is cooled to room temperature, adsorbed to silica gel and chromatographed (gradient elution, ethyl acetate-hexanes) to afford the title compound.
Preparation 3: 6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-ylamine
To a solution of 1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-(5-nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1H-indazole (0.28 g, 0.79 mmol) in 10 mL of methanol was added 10 mL of ethyl acetate and 30 mg of platinum (IV) oxide. After shaking under 50 psi of H2 for 3 h, the mixture was filtered through a pad of Celite and concentrated in vacuo, affording 0.25 g of 6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-ylamine as a colorless solid. 1 H NMR (CD 3 OD, 400 MHz): δ 8.96 (d, 1H, J=2.8 Hz), 8.58 (dd, 1H, J=2.8, 9.2 Hz), 8.25 (s, 1H), 7.6-7.8 (m, 3H), 7.66 (1H, d, 2.4 Hz), 7.3-7.2 (m, 3H), 7.19 (d, 1H, J=9.2 Hz) ppm.
Preparation 4: 1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-(5-nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1H-indazole
To a solution of 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1H-indazole (1.0 g, 3.9 mmol) in 15 mL of DMSO was added copper (II) acetate (0.71 g, 3.9 mmol), powdered 4A molecular sieves (0.2 g), 4-fluorophenylboronic acid (0.60 g, 4.3 mmol) and triethylamine (2.7 mL, 20 mmol). The resulting mixture was stirred under an oxygen atmosphere for 3 days. After filtering through a plug of Celite and silica gel, the mixture was concentrated in vacuo, adsorbed to silica gel, and purified by column chromatography eluting with 0-20% ethyl acetate-hexanes, affording 0.28 g of 1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-5-(5-nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1H-indazole as a colorless syrup. 1 H NMR (CD 3 OD, 400 MHz): δ 8.17 (s, 1H), 7.7-7.8 (m, 3H), 7.61 (d, 1H, J=2.8 Hz), 7.39 (d, 1H, J=2.0 Hz), 7.30 (m, 2H), 7.22 (m, 2H), 6.77 (1H, d, J=8.8 Hz) ppm.
Preparation 5: 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1H-indazole
To a mixture of 2-methyl-4-(5-nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-phenylamine (10 g, 41 mmol), potassium acetate (17 g, 160 mmol), acetic anhydride (17 g, 160 mmol) and toluene (140 mL) at 80° C. was added isoamyl nitrite (9.6 g, 82 mmol) dropwise via an addition funnel. After stirring for 24 h at 80° C., the mixture was filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo. The residue was treated with methanol (120 mL) containing 12 mL of concentrated ammonium hydroxide. After refluxing for 2 h, the mixture was cooled to room temperature and was concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by silica gel chromatography eluting with ethyl acetate-hexane to afford 2.2 g of 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1H-indazole as an orange solid. 1 H NMR (CD 3 OD, 400 MHz): δ 8.96 (d, 1H, J=2.4 Hz), 8.56 (dd, 1H, J=2.8, 9.2 Hz), 8.05 (s, 1H), 7.60 (1H, d, 8.8 Hz), 7.56 (m, 1H), 7.21 (dd, 1H, J=2.0, 8.8 Hz), 7.13 (d, 1H, 9.2 Hz) ppm.
Preparation 6: 2-Methyl-4-(5-nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-phenylamine
To a mixture of m-cresol (25.8 g, 0.21 mol), 2-chloro-5-nitropyridine (30 g, 0.18 mol) and ethanol (600 mL) was added potassium hydroxide (12 g, 0.21 mol). The resulting mixture was stirred for 12 h at reflux. After removing the ethanol in vacuo, the mixture was triturated with 0.1 M aqueous NaOH, filtered, and the solids were washed with 0.1 M NaOH and water, affording 43 g of 2-methyl-4-(5-nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-phenylamine. 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 , 400 MHz): δ 9.05 (d, 1H, J=3.2 Hz), 8.47 (dd, 1H, J=2.8, 9.2 Hz), 6.97 (d, 1H, J=9.2 Hz), 6.8-6.9 (m, 3H), 2.26 (s, 3H) ppm.
EXAMPLE 2
4-{5-[5-(6,8,10-TRIOXO-1,7,9-TRIAZA-SPIRO[4.5]DEC-1-YL)-PYRIDIN-2-YLOXY]-INDAZOL-1-YL}-BENZONITRILE
To a flame dried flask is added ethanol (6 mL) and freshly cut sodium metal (62.4 mg, 2.71 mmol). The solution is stirred until homogenous. Recrystallized urea (98 mg, 1.63 mmol) is added and the solution is stirred at room temperature for 5 minutes. 1-{6-[1-(4-Cyano-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester (0.54 mmol) is added, and the solution is heated to 80° C. for 30 minutes, then cooled to 50° C. and stirred for 16 hours. The reaction is then quenched by the addition of 10 mL water, and 1N hydrochloric acid is added to adjust the pH to 5. The aqueous layer is extracted with ethyl acetate (3×20 mL). The combined ethyl acetate layers are washed with saturated sodium chloride, dried with magnesium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under vacuum to produce crude product. This material is chromatographed on silica gel (ISCO MPLC purification, 30 minutes, 50-100% ethyl acetate gradient, Biotage flash 40s column) to provide 1-{6-[1-(4-Cyano-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione.
Preparation 1: 1-{6-[1-(4-Cyano-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester
1-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-yl}-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester is prepared by dissolving 2-{6-[1-(4-Fluoro-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-ylamino}-malonic acid diethyl ester (9.25 mmol) in dimethylformamide (90 mL), followed by addition of 1,3 dibromopropane (938 μL, 9.25 mmol) and cesium carbonate (6 grams, 18.5 mmol). The reaction mixture is stirred for approximately 24 hours to 48 hours. The mixture is filtered through celite, and then concentrated under vacuum while heating to 55° C. to remove the dimethylformamide (azeotroping with toluene). The crude product obtained is chromatographed on silica gel (ISCO MPLC purification, 40 minutes, 0-50% ethyl acetate gradient, Biotage flash 40m column) to provide the title compound.
Preparation 2: 2-{6-[1-(4-Cyano-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-ylamino}-malonic acid diethyl ester
2-{6-[1-(4-Cyano-phenyl)-1H-indazol-5-yloxy]-pyridin-3-ylamino}-malonic acid diethyl ester can be prepared by combining 4-[5-(5-Amino-pyridin-2-yloxy)-indazol-1-yl]-benzonitrile (11.4 mmol), bromodiethylmalonate (11.4 mmol), and N,N-dimethylaniline (11.4 mmol) in a flame dried flask and heated to 70° C. for 3.5 hours. The mixture is cooled to room temperature, adsorbed to silica gel and chromatographed (gradient elution, ethyl acetate-hexanes) to afford the title compound.
Preparation 3: 4-[5-(5-Amino-pyridin-2-yloxy)-indazol-1-yl]-benzonitrile
To a solution of 4-[5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-indazol-1-yl]-benzonitrile (0.79 mmol) in 10 mL of methanol was added 10 mL of ethyl acetate and 30 mg of platinum (IV) oxide. After shaking under 50 psi of H2 for 3 h, the mixture was filtered through a pad of Celite and concentrated in vacuo, affording 0.25 g of 4-[5-(5-Amino-pyridin-2-yloxy)-indazol-1-yl]-benzonitrile.
Preparation 4: 4-[5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-indazol-1-yl]-benzonitrile
To a solution of 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1H-indazole (1.0 g, 3.9 mmol) in 15 mL of DMSO is added copper (II) acetate (0.71 g, 3.9 mmol), powdered 4A molecular sieves (0.2 g), 4-cyanophenylboronic acid (4.3 mmol) and triethylamine (2.7 mL, 20 mmol). The resulting mixture is stirred under an oxygen atmosphere for 3 days. After filtering through a plug of Celite and silica gel, the mixture is concentrated in vacuo, adsorbed to silica gel, and purified by column chromatography eluting with 0-20% ethyl acetate-hexanes, affording 4-[5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-indazol-1-yl]-benzonitrile.
EXAMPLE 3
1-[6-(1-PYRIDIN-3-YL-1H-INDAZOL-5-YLOXY)-PYRIDIN-3-YL]-1,7,9-TRIAZA-SPIRO[4.5]DECANE-6,8,10-TRIONE
To a flame dried flask is added ethanol (6 mL) and freshly cut sodium metal (62.4 mg, 2.71 mmol). The solution is stirred until homogenous. Recrystallized urea (98 mg, 1.63 mmol) is added and the solution is stirred at room temperature for 5 minutes. 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester (0.54 mmol) is added, and the solution is heated to 80° C. for 30 minutes, then cooled to 50° C. and stirred for 16 hours. The reaction is then quenched by the addition of 10 mL water, and 1N hydrochloric acid is added to adjust the pH to 5. The aqueous layer is extracted with ethyl acetate (3×20 mL). The combined ethyl acetate layers are washed with saturated sodium chloride, dried with magnesium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under vacuum to produce crude product. This material is chromatographed on silica gel (ISCO MPLC purification, 30 minutes, 50-100% ethyl acetate gradient, Biotage flash 40s column) to provide 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione.
Preparation 1: 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester
1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-y]-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester can be prepared by dissolving 2-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-ylamino]-malonic acid diethyl ester (9.25 mmol) in dimethylformamide (90 mL), followed by addition of 1,3 dibromopropane (938 μL, 9.25 mmol) and cesium carbonate (6 grams, 18.5 mmol). The reaction mixture is stirred for approximately 24 hours to 48 hours. The mixture is filtered through celite, and then concentrated under vacuum while heating to 55° C. to remove the dimethylformamide (azeotroping with toluene). The crude product obtained is chromatographed on silica gel (ISCO MPLC purification, 40 minutes, 0-50% ethyl acetate gradient, Biotage flash 40m column) to provide the title compound.
Preparation 2: 2-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-ylamino]-malonic acid diethyl ester
2-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-ylamino]-malonic acid diethyl ester can be prepared by combining 5-(5-Amino-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazole (11.4 mmol), bromodiethylmalonate (11.4 mmol), and N,N-dimethylaniline (11.4 mmol) in a flame dried flask and heated to 70° C. for 3.5 hours. The mixture is cooled to room temperature, adsorbed to silica gel and chromatographed (gradient elution, ethyl acetate-hexanes) to afford the title compound.
Preparation 3: 5-(5-Amino-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazole
To a solution of 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazole (0.79 mmol) in 10 mL of methanol was added 10 mL of ethyl acetate and 30 mg of platinum (IV) oxide. After shaking under 50 psi of H2 for 3 h, the mixture was filtered through a pad of Celite and concentrated in vacuo, affording 0.25 g of 5-(5-Amino-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazole
Preparation 4: 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazole
To a solution of 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1H-indazole (1.0 g, 3.9 mmol) in 15 mL of DMSO is added copper (II) acetate (0.71 g, 3.9 mmol), powdered 4A molecular sieves (0.2 g), 3-pyridylboronic acid (4.3 mmol) and triethylamine (2.7 mL, 20 mmol). The resulting mixture is stirred under an oxygen atmosphere for 3 days. After filtering through a plug of Celite and silica gel, the mixture is concentrated in vacuo, adsorbed to silica gel, and purified by column chromatography eluting with 0-20% ethyl acetate-hexanes, affording 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazole.
EXAMPLE 4
1-[6-(1-METHYL-1H-INDAZOL-5-YLOXY)-PYRIDIN-3-YL]-1,7,9-TRIAZA-SPIRO[4.5]DECANE-6,8,10-TRIONE
To a flame dried flask is added ethanol (6 mL) and freshly cut sodium metal (62.4 mg, 2.71 mmol). The solution is stirred until homogenous. Recrystallized urea (98 mg, 1.63 mmol) is added and the solution is stirred at room temperature for 5 minutes. 1-[6-(1-Pyridin-3-yl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester (0.54 mmol) is added, and the solution is heated to 80° C. for 30 minutes, then cooled to 50° C. and stirred for 16 hours. The reaction is then quenched by the addition of 10 mL water, and 1N hydrochloric acid is added to adjust the pH to 5. The aqueous layer is extracted with ethyl acetate (3×20 mL). The combined ethyl acetate layers are washed with saturated sodium chloride, dried with magnesium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under vacuum to produce crude product. This material is chromatographed on silica gel (ISCO MPLC purification, 30 minutes, 50-100% ethyl acetate gradient, Biotage flash 40s column) to provide 1-[6-(1-Methyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-1,7,9-triaza-spiro[4.5]decane-6,8,10-trione.
Preparation 1: 1-[6-(1-Methyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester
1-[6-(1-Methyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-yl]-pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester can be prepared by dissolving 2-[6-(Methyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-ylamino]-malonic acid diethyl ester (9.25 mmol) in dimethylformamide (90 mL), followed by addition of 1,3 dibromopropane (938 μL, 9.25 mmol) and cesium carbonate (6 grams, 18.5 mmol). The reaction mixture is stirred for approximately 24 hours to 48 hours. The mixture is filtered through celite, and then concentrated under vacuum while heating to 55° C. to remove the dimethylformamide (azeotroping with toluene). The crude product obtained is chromatographed on silica gel (ISCO MPLC purification, 40 minutes, 0-50% ethyl acetate gradient, Biotage flash 40m column) to provide the title compound.
Preparation 2: 2-[6-(1-Methyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-ylamino]-malonic acid diethyl ester
2-[6-(1-Methyl-1H-indazol-5-yloxy)-pyridin-3-ylamino]-malonic acid diethyl ester can be prepared by combining 5-(5-Amino-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-methyl-1H-indazole (11.4 mmol), bromodiethylmalonate (11.4 mmol), and N,N-dimethylaniline (11.4 mmol) in a flame dried flask and heated to 70° C. for 3.5 hours. The mixture is cooled to room temperature, adsorbed to silica gel and chromatographed (gradient elution, ethyl acetate-hexanes) to afford the title compound.
Preparation 3: 5-(5-Amino-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-methyl-1H-indazole
To a solution of 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-methyl-1H-indazole (0.79 mmol) in 10 mL of methanol was added 10 mL of ethyl acetate and 30 mg of platinum (IV) oxide. After shaking under 50 psi of H2 for 3 h, the mixture was filtered through a pad of Celite and concentrated in vacuo, affording 0.25 g of 5-(5-Amino-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-methyl-1H-indazole.
Preparation 4: 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-methyl-1H-indazole
To a solution of 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1H-indazole (1.0 g, 3.9 mmol) in 15 mL of DMF is added sodium hydride (3.9 mmol) and methyl iodide (20 mmol). The resulting mixture is stirred at room temperature to 50° C. for 1-6 hours. The mixture is diluted with water, extracted 3× with ethyl acetate, and the combined organic layers are dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. Purification by column chromatography eluting with ethyl acetate-hexanes, affords 5-(5-Nitro-pyridin-2-yloxy)-1-methyl-1H-indazole.
While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to certain particular embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations, changes, modifications, substitutions, deletions, or additions of procedures and protocols may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, effective dosages other than the particular dosages as set forth herein above may be applicable as a consequence of variations in the responsiveness of the mammal being treated for any of the indications with the compounds of the invention indicated above. Likewise, the specific pharmacological responses observed may vary according to and depending upon the particular active compounds selected or whether there are present pharmaceutical carriers, as well as the type of formulation and mode of administration employed and such expected variations or differences in the results are contemplated in accordance with the objects and practices of the present invention. It is intended, therefore, that the invention be defined by the scope of the claims which follow and that such claims be interpreted as broadly as is reasonable.
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The present invention relates to N-substituted-heteroaryloxy-aryl-spiro-pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione metalloproteinase inhibitors of the formula
wherein ring X is a 5-7 membered heterocyclic ring, and wherein A, Y, B, and G are as defined in the specification; and to pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treating inflammation, cancer and other disorders.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/176,448, filed May 7, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. This application is a continuation in part of and claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Design patent applications 29/336,730, filed on May 7, 2009, 29/360,364, filed on Apr. 23, 2010, 29/346,787, filed on Nov. 5, 2009; 29/346,784, filed on Nov. 5, 2009, 29/346,788, filed on Nov. 5, 2009, 29/346,785, filed on Nov. 5, 2009, and 29/346,786, filed on Nov. 5, 2009, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to a fabric or other material used for body gear and other goods having designed performance characteristics, and in particular to methods and apparatuses that utilize a pattern of heat managing/directing elements coupled to a base fabric to manage heat through reflection or conductivity while maintaining the desired properties of the base fabric.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Currently, heat reflective materials such as aluminum and mylar typically take the form of a unitary solid film that is glued or otherwise attached to the interior of a garment, such as a jacket. The purpose of this layer is to inhibit thermal radiation by reflecting the body heat of the wearer and thereby keeping the garment wearer warm in colder conditions. However, these heat reflective linings do not transfer moisture vapor or allow air passage, thus they trap moisture near the body. Because the application of a heat reflective material impedes the breathability and other functions of the underlying base fabric, use of heat reflective materials during physical activity causes the inside of a garment to become wet, thereby causing discomfort and accelerating heat loss due to the increased heat conductivity inherent in wet materials. Further, these heat reflective coated materials impair the ability of the material to stretch, drape, or hang in a desired fashion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.
[0005] FIG. 1A illustrates an upper body garment such as a coat having a lining of base material with heat directing/management elements disposed thereon, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0006] FIGS. 1B-1E illustrate various views of examples of patterned heat directing/management elements disposed on a base fabric or material, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0007] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate examples of patterned heat directing/management elements disposed on a base fabric, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0008] FIGS. 3A-3E illustrate examples of patterned heat directing/management elements disposed on a base fabric, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0009] FIG. 4 illustrates an upper body garment such as a coat having a lining of base material with heat directing/management elements disposed thereon, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0010] FIG. 5 illustrates an upper body garment such as a coat having a lining of base material with heat directing/management elements disposed thereon, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0011] FIG. 6 illustrates an upper body garment such as a coat having a lining of base material with heat directing/management elements disposed thereon, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0012] FIG. 7 illustrates an upper body garment such as a coat having a lining of base material with heat directing/management elements disposed thereon, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0013] FIGS. 8A-D illustrate various views of a patterned heat management material as used in a jacket, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0014] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a patterned heat management material as used in a boot, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0015] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a patterned heat management material as used in a glove, where the cuff is rolled outward to show the lining, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0016] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a patterned heat management material as used in a hat, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0017] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a patterned heat management material as used in a pair of pants, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0018] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a patterned heat management material as used in a sock, in accordance with various embodiments;
[0019] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a patterned heat management material as used in a boot, in accordance with various embodiments; and
[0020] FIGS. 15A and B illustrate two views of a patterned heat management material as used in a reversible rain fly ( FIG. 15A ) and as a portion of a tent body ( FIG. 15B ), in accordance with various embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0021] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scopes of embodiments, in accordance with the present disclosure, are defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
[0022] Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments of the present invention; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent.
[0023] The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of embodiments of the present invention.
[0024] The terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.
[0025] For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “A/B” or in the form “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, and C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “(A)B” means (B) or (AB) that is, A is an optional element.
[0026] The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “in embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present invention, are synonymous.
[0027] In various embodiments a material for body gear is disclosed that may use a pattern of heat management material elements coupled to a base fabric to manage, for example, body heat by directing the heat towards or away from the body as desired, while still maintaining the desired transfer properties of the base fabric. For example, referring to FIGS. 1B-1E , in one embodiment, a plurality of heat management or heat directing elements 10 may be disposed on a base fabric 20 in a generally non-continuous array, whereby some of the base fabric is exposed between adjacent heat management elements. The heat directing function of the heat management elements may be generally towards the body through reflectivity or away from the body through conduction and/or radiation or other heat transfer property.
[0028] The heat management elements 10 may cover a sufficient surface area of the base fabric 20 to generate the desired degree of heat management (e.g. heat reflection toward the body to enhance warmth, or heat conductance away from the body to help induce cooling). A sufficient area of base fabric may be exposed to provide the desired base fabric function (e.g., stretch, drape, breathability, moisture vapor or air permeability, or wicking).
[0029] In accordance with various embodiments, the base fabric may be a part of any form of body gear, such as bodywear (see e.g. FIGS. 1 A and 4 - 13 ), sleeping bags (see e.g. FIG. 14 ), blankets, tents (see e.g. FIG. 15B ), rain flys (see e.g. FIG. 15A ) etc. Bodywear, as used herein, is defined to include anything worn on the body, including, but not limited to, outerwear such as jackets, pants, scarves, shirts, hats, gloves, mittens, and the like, footwear such as shoes, boots, slippers, and the like, sleepwear, such as pajamas, nightgowns, and robes, and undergarments such as underwear, thermal underwear, socks, hosiery, and the like.
[0030] In various embodiments, single-layer body gear may be used and may be comprised of a single layer of the base fabric, whereas other embodiments may use multiple layers of fabric, including one or more layers of the base fabric, coupled to one or more other layers. For instance, the base fabric may be used as a fabric lining for body gear.
[0031] In various embodiments, the array of heat management elements may be disposed on a base fabric having one or more desired properties. For example, the underlying base material may have properties such as air permeability, moisture vapor transfer and/or wickability, which is a common need for body gear used in both indoor and outdoor applications. In other embodiments, the separations between heat management elements help allow the base material to have a desired drape, look, and/or texture. In some embodiments, the separations between heat management elements my help allow the base material to stretch. Suitable base fabrics may include nylon, polyester, rayon, cotton, spandex, wool, silk, or a blend thereof, or any other material having a desired look, feel, weight, thickness, weave, texture, or other desired property. In various embodiments, allowing a designated percentage of the base fabric to remain uncovered by the heat management material elements may allow that portion of the base fabric to perform the desired functions, while leaving enough heat management material element surface area to direct body heat in a desired direction, for instance away from or toward the body of a user.
[0032] For example, the heat management elements may be positioned in such a way and be made of a material that is conducive for directing heat generated by the body. In one embodiment, the heat management elements may be configured to reflect the user's body heat toward the user's body, which may be particularly suitable in cold environments. In another embodiment, the heat management elements may be configured to conduct the user's body heat away from the user's body, which may be particularly suitable in warmer environments.
[0033] In various embodiments, the base fabric may include heat management elements disposed on an innermost surface of the body gear such that the elements are disposed to face the user's body and thus are in a position to manage body heat, as discussed above (e.g. reflect heat or conduct heat). In some other embodiments, the heat management elements may be disposed on the exterior surface of the body gear and/or base fabric such that they are exposed to the environment, which may allow the heat management elements, for example, to reflect heat away from the user, while allowing the base fabric to adequately perform the desired functions. In some embodiments, the heat management elements may perform these functions without adversely affecting the stretch, drape, feel, or other properties of the base fabric.
[0034] In some embodiments, the heat management elements may be an aluminum-based material (particularly suited for reflectivity), copper based material (particularly suited for conductivity). or another metal or metal alloy-based material. Non-metallic or alloy based materials may be used as heat directing materials in some embodiments, such as metallic plastic, mylar, or other man-made materials, provided that they have heat reflective or conductive properties.
[0035] In various embodiments, the heat management elements may be permanently coupled to the base fabric in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to gluing, heat pressing, printing, or stitching. In some embodiments, the heat management elements may be coupled to the base fabric by frequency welding, such as by radio or ultrasonic welding.
[0036] In various embodiments, the heat directing properties of the heat management elements may be influenced by the composition of the base fabric or the overall construction of the body gear. For example, a base fabric may be used that has significant insulating properties. When paired with heat management elements that have heat reflective properties, the insulative backing/lining may help limit any conductivity that may naturally occur and enhance the reflective properties of the heat management elements. In another example, the base fabric may provide little or no insulative properties, but may be coupled to an insulating layer disposed on the side of the base fabric opposite the heat directing material elements. The separate insulation layer may help reduce the potential for heat conductivity of the elements and enhance their reflectivity. In some embodiments, the heat management elements may become more conductive as the air layer between the garment and the wearer becomes more warm and humid. Such examples may be suitable for use in cold weather applications, for instance.
[0037] In various embodiments, a base fabric may be used that has little or no insulative properties. When paired with heat directing elements that are primarily configured to conduct heat, as opposed to reflecting heat, the base fabric and heat-directing elements may aid in removing excess body heat generated in warmer climates or when engaging in extreme physical activity. Such embodiments may be suitable for warm weather conditions.
[0038] In various embodiments, the heat management material elements may be applied in a pattern or a continuous or discontinuous array defined by the manufacturer. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1E , heat management material elements 10 , may be a series of dot-like heat reflective (or heat conductive) elements adhered or otherwise secured to the base fabric 20 in a desired pattern. Such a configuration has been found to provide heat reflectivity and thus warmth to the user (e.g., when heat reflective elements are used), or, in the alternative, heat conduction and thus cooling to the user (e.g., when heat conductive elements are used), while still allowing the base fabric to perform the function of the desired one or more properties (e.g. breathe and allow moisture vapor to escape through the fabric in order to reduce the level of moisture build up).
[0039] Although the illustrated embodiments show the heat management material elements as discrete elements, in some embodiments, some or all of the heat management material elements may be arranged such that they are in connection with one another, such as a lattice pattern or any other pattern that permits partial coverage of the base fabric.
[0040] In various embodiments, the configuration or pattern of the heat management elements themselves may be selected by the user and may take any one of a variety of forms. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2B , 3 A- 3 E, and 4 - 6 , the configuration of the heat management elements 10 disposed on a base fabric 20 used for body gear may be in the form of a variety of geometrical patterns (e.g. lines, waves, triangles, squares, logos, words, etc.)
[0041] In various embodiments, the pattern of heat management elements may be symmetric, ordered, random, and/or asymmetrical. Further, as discussed below, the pattern of heat management elements may be disposed on the base material at strategic locations to improve the performance of the body wear. In various embodiments, the size of the heat management elements may also be varied to balance the need for enhanced heat directing properties and preserve the functionality of the base fabric.
[0042] In embodiments, the density or ratio of the surface area covered by the heat management material elements to the surface are of base fabric left uncovered by the heat management material elements may be from about 3:7 (30%) to about 7:3 (70%). This range has been shown to provide a good balance of heat management properties (e.g., reflectivity or conductivity) with the desired properties of the base fabric (e.g., breathability or wicking, for instance). In particular embodiments, this ratio may be from about 4:6 (40%) to about 6:4 (60%).
[0043] In various embodiments, the placement, pattern, and/or coverage ratio of the heat management elements may vary. For example the heat management elements may be concentrated in certain areas where heat management may be more critical (e.g. the body core) and non existent or extremely limited in other areas where the function of the base fabric property is more critical (e.g. area under the arms or portions of the back for wicking moisture away from the body). In various embodiments, different areas of the body gear may have different coverage ratios, e.g. 70% at the chest and 30% at the limbs, in order to help optimize, for example, the need for warmth and breathability.
[0044] In various embodiments, the size of the heat management elements may be largest (or the spacing between them may be the smallest) in the core regions of the body for enhanced reflection or conduction in those areas, and the size of the heat management elements may be the smallest (or the spacing between them may be the largest) in peripheral areas of the body. In some embodiments, the degree of coverage by the heat management elements may vary in a gradual fashion over the entire garments as needed for regional heat management. Some embodiments may employ heat reflective elements in some areas and heat conductive elements in other areas of the garment.
[0045] In various embodiments, the heat management elements may be configured to help resist moisture buildup on the heat management elements themselves and further enhance the function of the base fabric (e.g. breathability or moisture wicking). In one embodiment, it has been found that reducing the area of individual elements, but increasing the density may provide a better balance between heat direction (e.g. reflectivity or conductivity) and base fabric functionality, as there will be a reduced tendency for moisture to build up on the heat management elements. In some embodiments, it has been found that keeping the surface area of the individual heat management elements below 1 cm 2 can help to reduce the potential for moisture build up. In various embodiments, the heat management elements may have a maximum dimension (diameter, hypotenuse, length, width, etc.) that is less than or equal to about 1 cm. In some embodiments, the maximum dimension may be between 1-4 mm. In other embodiments, the largest dimension of a heat management element may be as small as 1 mm, or even smaller.
[0046] In some embodiments, the topographic profile of the individual heat management elements can be such that moisture is not inclined to adhere to the heat management element. For example, the heat management element may be convex, conical, fluted, or otherwise protruded, which may help urge moisture to flow towards the base fabric. In some embodiments, the surface of the heat management elements may be treated with a compound that may help resist the build up of moisture vapor onto the elements and better direct the moisture to the base fabric without materially impacting the thermal directing property of the elements. One such example treatment may be a hydrophobic fluorocarbon, which may be applied to the elements via lamination, spray deposition, or in a chemical bath.
[0047] In various embodiments, the heat management elements may be removable from the base fabric and reconfigurable if desired using a variety of releasable coupling fasteners such as zippers, snaps, buttons, hook and loop type fasteners (e.g. Velcro), and other detachable interfaces. Further, the base material may be formed as a separate item of body gear and used in conjunction with other body gear to improve thermal management of a user's body heat. For example, an upper body under wear garment may be composed with heat management elements in accordance with various embodiments. This under wear garment may be worn by a user alone, in which case conduction of body heat away from the user's body may typically occur, or in conjunction with an insulated outer garment which may enhance the heat reflectivity of the user's body heat.
[0048] In various embodiments, the heat management elements may be applied to the base fabric such that it is depressed, concave, or recessed relative to the base fabric, such that the surface of the heat management element is disposed below the surface of the base fabric. This configuration may have the effect of improving, for example, moisture wicking, as the base fabric is the portion of the body gear or body gear lining that engages the user's skin or underlying clothing. Further, such contact with the base fabric may also enhance the comfort to the wearer of the body gear in applications where the skin is in direct contact with the base fabric (e.g. gloves, mittens, underwear, or socks).
[0049] FIGS. 8-15 illustrate various views of a patterned heat management fabric used in a variety of body gear applications, such as a jacket ( FIGS. 8A-D ), boot ( FIG. 9 ), glove ( FIG. 10 ), hat ( FIG. 11 ), pants ( FIG. 12 ), sock ( FIG. 13 ), sleeping bag ( FIG. 14 ), tent rain fly ( FIG. 15A ) and tent ( FIG. 15B ). Each of the body gear pieces illustrated include a base material 20 having a plurality of heat management elements 10 disposed thereon.
[0050] While the principle embodiments described herein include heat management elements that are disposed on the inner surface of the base fabric, in various embodiments, the heat management material elements may be used on the outside of body gear, for instance to reflect or direct heat exposed to the outside surface of the gear. For instance, in some embodiments, base fabric and heat reflective elements, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 1B-3E , may be applied to an outer or exterior surface of the body gear, such as a coat, sleeping bag, tent or tent rain fly, etc in order to reflect heat away from the user.
[0051] In some embodiments, the body gear may be reversible, such that a user may determine whether to use the fabric to direct heat toward the body or away from the body. An example of such reversible body gear is illustrated in FIG. 15A . In this embodiment, the heat management elements may be included on one side of a tent rain fly. In one embodiment, the rain fly may be used with the heat management elements facing outward, for example in hot weather or sunny conditions, in order to reflect heat away from the body of the tent user. Conversely, in cold weather conditions, for example, the tent rain fly may be reversed and installed with the heat management elements facing inward, toward the body of a user, so as to reflect body heat back toward the tent interior. Although a tent rain fly is used to illustrate this principle, one of skill in the art will appreciate that the same concept may be applied to other body gear, such as reversible jackets, coats, hats, and the like. FIG. 15B illustrates an example wherein at least a portion of the tent body includes a fabric having a plurality of heat management elements disposed thereon. In the illustrated embodiment, the heat reflective elements are facing outward and may be configured to reflect heat away from the tent and thus away from the body of the tent user. In other embodiments, the elements may be configured to face inward.
[0052] Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments in accordance with the present invention may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments in accordance with the present invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.
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Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to body gear having designed performance characteristics, and in particular to methods and apparatuses that utilize an array of heat managing elements coupled to a base material to direct body heat while also maintaining the desired transfer properties of the base material. In some embodiments, the heat managing material elements include heat management elements that reflect heat or conduct heat, and may be directed towards the body of a user or away from the body of the user.
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This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 03/041,396 filed Mar. 31, 1993 now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for carrying out easy, fast and accurate three-dimensional measurement of the deformation of damaged vehicles.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Reconstruction is often required to evaluate the causes and circumstances of an accident involving one or many vehicles.
The deformation of the damaged vehicles is one parameter that is scrutinized in this process. The amount of deformation can be one way of assessing severity of the accident but can also be used to calculate velocity change and mean acceleration. Also, the location of the deformation is indicative of, for example, the trajectory of the vehicles upon impact.
Three-dimensional deformation of the damaged vehicles are measured and these data are entered into a computer. The program compares these measurement data to corresponding data of the same non damaged vehicles to reconstruct the accident.
The collection of field data concerning vehicle deformation is, however, time consuming. The deformation measurement is normally taken manually with a low precision and few measurements taken. Need has therefore arisen for less time consuming manual deformation measurement techniques with higher precision.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is therefore to propose a technique for easily, rapidly and precisely measuring on the site of the accident the deformation of the damaged vehicle(s).
Another object of the present invention is to provide a deformation measuring apparatus enabling the reconstruction of crime scenes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for measuring on the site of an accident a three-dimensional deformation of the body of a damaged vehicle, comprising:
a reference frame comprising a first elongated straight frame portion to be installed in the proximity of the deformation of the damaged vehicle, with a known spatial relationship between this first frame portion and a non deformed part of the vehicle body, the first frame portion defining a first axis of a first three-dimensional coordinate system; and
a device for measuring distances between the first frame portion and the body of the damaged vehicle in the region of the three-dimensional deformation, by measuring distances along second and third axes of the first three-dimensional coordinate system.
In accordance with preferred embodiments of the apparatus according to the present invention, (a) the body of the damaged vehicle defining a second three-dimensional coordinate system, the first straight frame portion is to be installed parallel to a first axis of that second coordinate system, and (b) the reference frame comprises a second elongated straight frame portion to be installed parallel to a second axis of the second coordinate system, coplanar with the first frame portion.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of measuring on the site of an accident a three-dimensional deformation of the body of a damaged vehicle, comprising the steps of:
installing a first elongated straight frame portion of a reference frame in the proximity of the deformation of the damaged vehicle, with a known spatial relationship between this first frame portion and a non deformed part of the vehicle body, the straight frame portion defining a first axis of a first three-dimensional coordinate system; and
measuring distances between the first frame portion and the body of the vehicle in the region of the three-dimensional deformation, by measuring distances along second and third axes of the first coordinate system.
According to preferred embodiments of the method of the invention, (a) the body of the damaged vehicle defining a second three-dimensional coordinate system, the first elongated straight frame portion is to be installed parallel to a first axis of that second coordinate system, (b) the method comprises (i) the step of installing a second elongated straight frame portion of the reference frame parallel to a second axis of the second coordinate system, and measuring a slope of that second frame portion, (ii) the step of measuring the position of the first elongated straight frame portion with respect to a non deformed reference point of the vehicle's body, and (iii) the step of measuring the height of the first elongated straight frame portion above the ground.
The objects, advantages and other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non restrictive description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the appended drawings:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus according to the present invention for carrying out three-dimensional measurement of the deformation of damaged vehicles, comprising a reference frame formed of interconnected tube sections;
FIG. 2a shows a first method of assembling tube sections of the reference frame of FIG. 1 end to end;
FIG. 2b shows a second method of assembling tube sections of the reference frame of FIG. 1 end to end;
FIG. 3 shows a first method of assembling tube sections of the reference frame of FIG. 1 perpendicular to each other;
FIG. 4 shows a second method of assembling tube sections of the reference frame of FIG. 1 perpendicular to each other;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a tripod used to support the reference frame at a given height above the ground, the tripod comprising a clip to grasp a tube section of the reference frame and the clip being mounted on the tripod according to a first method;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the clip of FIG. 5 mounted on the tripod according to a second method;
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a measuring tape that can be installed on the reference frame;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of first and second elongated measuring members for measuring distances between the reference frame and the damaged vehicle;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a digital level mounted on the first elongated measuring member of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of a carrier block sliding along the first elongated measuring member and on which the second elongated measuring member is mounted;
FIG. 11 is a top plan view showing the measuring tape of FIG. 7 installed on the reference frame for measuring the position of the first elongated measuring member on that reference frame.
FIG. 12 is a side elevational view illustrating another application of the apparatus according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The apparatus according to the invention, for measuring deformations of damaged vehicles is generally identified by the reference 10 in FIG. 1 of the appended drawings.
The apparatus 10 first comprises a reference frame 11 installed in the proximity of the body 53 of the damaged vehicle 200 to establish a first three-dimensional coordinate system. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame 11 comprises a longitudinal, elongated straight frame portion 12, a first transversal, elongated straight frame portion 13, and a second transversal, elongated straight frame portion 14.
A plurality of tube sections 15-18, having a circular cross section and made of aluminum, are assembled end to end to form the elongated frame portion 12. FIGS. 2a and 2b show how the tube sections 15 and 16 are connected together. Referring to FIG. 2a, the tube section 15 is formed with an externally threaded end 19 of smaller diameter. Tube section 16 comprises an internally threaded tubular end 20 in which the externally threaded end 19 can be screwed to connect the tube sections 15 and 16 end to end. When the end 19 is screwed into the end 20, an annular flat surface 21 of tube section 15 abuts against a corresponding annular flat surface 22 of tube section 16 to align the tube sections 15 and 16 with each other. Tube section 15 further comprises a shoulder 201 which fits in a counter bore 202 of tube section 16 to center the aligned tube sections 15 and 16 on the same longitudinal axis.
In FIG. 2b, the externally threaded end 19' of smaller diameter of tube section 15 is conical. The internally threaded tubular end 20' of tube section 16 is also conical whereby the conical threaded end 19' can be screwed therein to connect the tube sections 15 and 16 end to end. When the end 19' is screwed into the end 20' the annular flat surface 21' of tube section 15 still abuts against the corresponding annular flat surface 22' of tube section 16 to align the tube sections 15 and 16 with each other. Tube section 15 again comprises the shoulder 201' which fits in the counter bore 202' of tube section 16 to center the aligned tube sections 15 and 16 on the same longitudinal axis.
The advantage of the conical threaded ends 19' and 20' is that the assembly of tube sections 15 and 16 is faster.
Obviously, the pair of tube sections 16 and 17 as well as the pair of tube sections 17 and 18 are assembled end to end as described hereinabove in relation to FIGS. 2a and 2b and tube sections 15 and 16.
The transversal frame portion 14 is formed of a pair of tube sections 23 and 24, circular in cross section and made of aluminum. Tube sections 23 and 24 are assembled end to end as described in FIGS. 2a and 2b with reference to tube sections 15 and 16.
The proximate end 25 of tube section 24 is, as illustrated in FIG. 3, of smaller diameter and externally threaded. The corresponding end of the tube section 15 is formed with a transversal, internally threaded tubular element 26 in which the threaded end 25 can be screwed to connect tube section 24 perpendicular to tube section 15. When the end 25 of tube section 24 is screwed into the tubular element 26, an annular flat surface 27 of tube section 24 abuts against a corresponding annular flat surface 28 of tubular element 26 to orient the frame portion 14 perpendicular to the frame portion 12. Tube portion 24 is formed with a shoulder 203 that fits into a counter bore 204 of the tubular element 26 to make these tube portion 24 and tubular element 26 coaxial.
The transversal frame portion 13 also includes of a pair of tube sections 29 and 30, circular in cross section and made of aluminum. Tube sections 29 and 30 are assembled end to end as described in FIGS. 2a and 2b in relation to tube sections 15 and 16.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the proximate end 31 of tube section 29 is welded perpendicular to a channel section 32, made of aluminum. More specifically, the end 31 of tube section 29 is welded or threaded perpendicular to the outer face of a side wall 33 of the channel section 32. The U-shaped cross section of the channel 32 is reversed whereby it can be placed on the frame portion 12, more specifically on the tube section 18. When the frame portion 13 has been appropriately positioned, a pair of thumbscrews 34 and 35, having respective knurled heads 36 and 37, are screwed in threaded holes (not shown) of the side wall 33 until their free ends (not shown) apply a pressure to the outer surface of the tube section 18 through a small aluminum plate (not shown) to prevent tube section 18 to be damaged by the screws 34 and 35. Frame portion 13 is then mounted on frame portion 12.
As can be appreciated, frame portion 13 can be easily displaced along frame portion 12 by unscrewing the thumbscrews 34 and 35, displacing the channel section 32 along frame portion 12 (see arrows 219) and tightening the screws 34 and 35.
Frame portions 12, 13 and 14 are supported above the ground by means of tripods 38, 39, 40 and 41 (FIG. 1). As illustrated in FIG. 5, each tripod 38-41 comprises a telescopic central column 42 comprising a vertical tube section 43 sliding into a sleeve 44. When the longitudinal position of the tube section 43 has been adjusted, it is blocked in the sleeve 44 by means of a thumbscrew 45. The upper end of the tube section 43 is provided with a generally semicircular frame grasping clip 46, made of A.B.S. (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) or of high density molecular plastic. Clip 46 includes a cylindrical extension 47 inserted in the upper end of tube section 43 and blocked therein by means of a screw 205, driven in a hole of tube section 43. Clip 46 is flexible to grasp any tube section 15-18, 23-24, or 29-30. As can be easily appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the clips 46 enable fast mounting and withdrawal of the frame 11 on and from the tripods 38-41.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the semicircular clip 46 is attached to the upper end of the tube section 43 by means of a rivet 206. For that purpose a small circular disk or plate 207 is welded or otherwise fixed in the tube section 43 to receive the rivet 206.
The height of the frame 11 can be adjusted by sliding longitudinally the tube section 43 in the sleeve 44 and then locking the tube section 43 in the sleeve 44 through screwing of thumbscrew 45. Each tripod 38-41 also comprises three telescopic legs 48, 49 and 50 to carry out this function. Each telescopic leg comprises an outer tube section such as 51 and an inner rod such as 52 sliding in the tube section 51 and that can be blocked in the tube section 51 by means of a thumbscrew such as 208. The telescopic legs 48, 49 and 50 also enable to install the tripods 38-41 vertical on an uneven ground.
The longitudinal frame portion 12 is installed parallel to the longitudinal axis 209 of the damaged vehicle 200, of which the three-dimensional deformation is to be measured. The vehicle body 53 also defines a transversal axis 210 and a vertical axis 211 forming with longitudinal axis 209 a second, three-dimensional coordinate system of the vehicle 200. To place the frame portion 12 parallel to the longitudinal axis 209, frame portion 12 is first positioned parallel to the vertical plane of symmetry of the vehicle 200, including the longitudinal axis 209. This can be made by measuring distances between frame portion 12 and a non deformed part of vehicle 200. When at least one tire of the vehicle is flat, frame portion is then centered on the rear 54 and front 55 wheels on the right side of the vehicle 200 (see the example of FIG. 1). When all the tires of the vehicle are inflated, the inclination of the ground can be measured and the same inclination given to the longitudinal frame portion 12. The transversal frame portions 13 and 14 are then oriented parallel to the transversal axis 210 of the vehicle 200. Other methods can obviously be contemplated to position adequately the frame portions 12, 13 and 14 parallel to the axis 209 and 210. Of course, the height of the frame portions 12-14 is adjusted by means of the tripods 38-41.
In the case of a deformation at the front right corner 56 of the body 53 of the vehicle 200, the frame 11 is placed so as to provide a non deformed reference point of the body 53, such as the rear right corner 57 of the vehicle 200. The measurements of deformation will be made from this reference point, as described hereinbelow.
Tripod 38 can be eliminated and the transversal frame portion 14 attached to the bumper 58 of the vehicle 200. The reference point is then the rearmost point of the vehicle 200.
The apparatus according to the invention further comprises a measuring tape 64 (FIGS. 7 and 11), made of fiberglass material, and provided with underneath semicircular PVC clips such as 65 distributed along the tape 64. Tape 64 is mounted on the tubular frame portion 12 by means of the clips 65 to measure the distance between the rear reference point and the longitudinal axis of the transverse frame portion 13, defining a first axis 212 (FIG. 1) of the above mentioned second three-dimensional reference system. The tape 64 is then installed on the transversal frame portion 13, as schematically shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, to be used upon measurement of the deformation of the front right corner 56 of the vehicle's body 53.
FIGS. 8-11 illustrate the device, used in combination with the transversal frame portion 13, to measure the deformation of the right front corner 56.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, this deformation measuring device first comprises an inverted channel section 66, made of aluminum and placed on the transversal frame portion 13 whereby that channel section 66 will guide the deformation measuring device along that channel section.
The lower end of another channel section 67, also made of aluminum, is welded perpendicular to the top surface 68 of the channel section 66. Although the channel sections 66 and 67 are perpendicular to each other, the width of channel section 67 is oriented in the same direction as the width of channel section 66. The bottom of channel section 67 is graduated (see 69 in FIG. 9) for the purpose of measuring the vehicle's deformation. The channel section 67 defines a second axis 213 of the second three dimensional reference system.
A digital level 93 is mounted at the upper end of the channel section 67 by means of an aluminum channel section 94 and an angular aluminum member 95 welded together and to the channel section 67 to form a seat 97 for the level 93. A spring member 96, made of A.B.S. (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) or of high density molecular plastic, enables longitudinal sliding of the digital level 93 in the seat 97 to insert and withdraw that level in and from that seat. However, the pressure applied by the spring member 96 is sufficient to retain the digital level 93 in the seat 97 upon measuring the three-dimensional deformation.
The function of the level 93 is to maintain the axis 213 (FIG. 8) in a vertical plane including the axis 212 (FIG. 1) while measuring the vehicle deformation.
Referring back to FIG. 8, a rule carrier 70 slides into a first elongated measuring member in the form of a channel section 67. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the carrier 70 first comprises a sliding block 71 fitting into the channel section 67. The block 71 comprises concave cuts 72 and 73 whereby only end surfaces 74-77 contact the inner wall surface of the channel section 67. The block 71 further comprises two coplanar deep end slots 78 and 79 parallel and closer to the block surfaces 74 and 75, respectively. A first hole 80 interconnects block surface 76 with the slot 78, and a second hole 81 interconnects block surface 77 with the slot 79. Holes 80 and 81 are threaded to receive threaded bolts 82 and 83, respectively. It is important that the threaded bolts 82 and 83 be completely inserted in the holes 80 and 81 to cause no interference upon sliding of the surfaces 76 and 77 on the inner wall surface of the channel section 67.
A rubber rod 84 is introduced in hole 80 between the threaded bolt 82 and face 86 of the slot 78. In the same manner, a rubber rod 85 is inserted in hole 81 between the threaded bolt 83 and face 87 of the slot 79. Adequate adjustment of the threaded bolts 82 and 83 in the holes 80 and 81 will cause the rubber rod 84 to produce a spring force to apply with a given pressure sliding surfaces 74 and 76 to the inner surface of the channel section 67. This will also compress the rubber rod 85 to generate a spring force applying pressure on the sliding surfaces 75 and 77 of the block 71 to the inner surface of the channel section 67. The pressure generated by the rubber rods 84 and 85 enables easy upward and downward movement (see arrows 214) of the block 71 in the channel section 67 but will be sufficient to retain the block in place upon measuring the three-dimensional deformation.
Bolted to the exposed front face 88 of the block 71 is a transparent plastic front plate 89 (FIG. 8). Horizontal upper and lower plastic bars 90 and 91 are interposed between the front plate 89 and the front surface 88 of the block 71 to define between these plate 89 and block 71 a passage 98 in which a graduated rule 92 is capable of sliding (see arrows 218). As can be seen in FIG. 8, the lower and upper bars 90 and 91 include concave cuts 100 and 101, respectively, to reduce friction between the edges of the rule 92 and the bars 90 and 91. A pair of slots 102 and 103 are further cut in the upper bar 90 to produce a spring action applying pressure to the upper edge 104 of the rule 92. This pressure enables longitudinal sliding of the rule 92 in the passage 98, but produces a retaining friction on rule 92 to prevent or reduce undesired movement of that rule.
The rule 92 is therefore perpendicular to the channel section 67 and defines the third axis 215 of the second three-dimensional coordinate system.
To measure the three-dimensional deformation of the front right corner 56 of the vehicle body 53, frame portions 12, 13 and 14 are first installed following the above described procedure.
The reference point (for example the right rear corner 57 of the damaged vehicle 200) for the deformation measurement is established. It is important that the reference point corresponds to a non damaged part of the vehicle body 53.
Rule 92 (FIG. 8) is withdrawn from its passage 98 and the vertical distance, along axis 211 of the vehicle 200, between this reference point of the vehicle body 53 and the longitudinal and central axes of the frame portion 12, 13 and 14 is measured using this rule 92. Rule 92, withdrawn from its passage 98, is also used to measure the distance parallel to the transversal axis 210 (FIG. 1) between the reference point and the longitudinal axis of the frame portion 12.
Measuring tape 64 (FIG. 11) is then installed on frame portion 12 by means of the clips 65, and the longitudinal distance between the reference point and the axis 212 (FIG. 1) of the frame portion 13 is measured.
Tape 64 is then displaced onto the frame portion 13 by means of the clips 65. The tape 64 is positioned on the frame portion 13 so that the measurement of the position of the channel section 66 along that frame portion 13 is taken relative to the reference point.
The channel section 66 is then placed on the frame portion 13 as illustrated in FIG. 8 and the position of that channel section 66 is determined by means of the tape 64. The carrier 70 is displaced vertically along the channel section 67 and the distance between the axis 215 and the axis 212 of the second coordinate system is measured by means of the graduations 69, these graduations 69 being positioned on the channel section for that purpose. The channel section 67 is positioned in a vertical plane passing through the axis 212 defined by the frame portion 13 by means of the digital level 93 mounted in the seat 97. The rule 92 is finally displaced longitudinally in the passage 98 until end 216 (FIG. 8) is in contact with the damaged region of the body 53 of the vehicle 200 (see FIG. 1). The graduations 217 on the rule 92 are designed for measuring the distance between the axis 213 (FIG. 8) and the damaged region of the vehicle body 53. The operations described in this paragraph are repeated to cover all the damaged region of the vehicle 200.
The measurement data are entered in a computer programmed to reconstruct the accident as discussed in the preamble of the present specification. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the above described measurements will enable the computer to transpose the deformation from the second three-dimensional coordinate system (axes 212, 213 and 215) in the first three-dimensional coordinate system (axes 209, 210 and 211). For that purpose, the computer must know the dimensional characteristics of a non damaged vehicle identical to vehicle 200. This processing forms no part of the invention and will not be further described.
Although three-dimensional deformation of the front right corner 56 is measured in the illustrated example, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the apparatus 10 according to the present invention can be displaced around the vehicle 200 to measure a three-dimensional deformation of any portion of the body 53.
Preferably, all the elements of the apparatus according to the invention are made of materials resisting to corrosion.
When the transversal frame portions 13 and 14 are dismantled, elongated frame portion 12 can be used to measure the slope of the ground on the site of the accident. For that purpose, the digital level 93 is withdrawn from its seat 97 and is attached to the frame portion 12 by means for example of screws 104 and 105 (see FIG. 12). This can be used for example during installation of the reference frame 11, to adjust the slope of frame portion 12 to that of the ground, as described hereinabove.
Elongated frame portion 12 can also be used as a pole to help a person in difficulties, for example a person who fell into the water.
Moreover, a two- or three-dimensional angle measuring device 300 (FIG. 1), attached to the end of rule 92 shall measure the angle of a bullet hole 301 in the body 53 of the vehicle 200 to enable to determine the trajectory and origin of the bullet.
Therefore, the apparatus in accordance with the present invention has at least four applications.
Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of a preferred embodiment thereof, this embodiment can be modified at will, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and nature of the subject invention. For example, the apparatus 10 can be used to measure deformations of damaged vehicles other than automobiles.
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An apparatus for measuring on the site of an accident the three-dimensional deformation of a damaged vehicle comprises a reference frame and a distance measuring device. The reference frame comprises a first straight frame portion installed in front of the vehicle parallel to the transversal axis thereof, a second elongated straight frame portion installed on the side of the vehicle parallel to this vehicle's longitudinal axis, and a third elongated straight frame portion installed at the rear of the vehicle parallel to the transversal axis. When the deformation is situated in front of the damaged vehicle, the first frame portion defines a first axis of a three-dimensional coordinate system, the second axis of this coordinate system being located in a vertical plane in which the first elongated frame portion is lying. The distance measuring device measures distances between the first frame portion and the body of the damaged vehicle in the region of the three-dimensional deformation, by measuring distances along the second and a third axis of the three-dimensional coordinate system. The distance measurements along with knowledge of the spatial relationship between the first frame portion and the non deformed part of the vehicle body give very accurate information about the three-dimensional deformation of the vehicle.
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BACKGROUND
Flexible pipes currently used in offshore oil and gas fields for the transport of fluids underwater between the subsea wellhead and the surface facilities are designed to retain a circular cross-section when subject to external hydrostatic pressure. This is usually achieved by the inclusion of metallic layers which extend around and support a polymer fluid barrier layer and which resists collapsing under the external hydrostatic pressure. However, for deep water applications, the strength and the weight of the metallic layers required to resist collapse becomes a limiting factor in flexible pipe design.
Also, in these designs the innermost barrier layer is designed to contain the fluid or gas. Thus, when the pipe collapses or is squashed, the barrier wall will experience excessive localized over-bending, which can cause structural damage to the barrier layer and result in failure of the pipe.
Therefore, what is needed is a flexible pipe that can tolerate relatively high hydrostatic pressure yet eliminate the disadvantages of the metallic layers discussed above while avoiding potential structural damage to the barrier layer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a pipe according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 2A , 2 B, 3 and 4 are enlarged transverse sectional views of the pipe of FIG. 1 , depicting various collapsed modes.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the pipe of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a pipe according to an alternate embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the reference numeral 10 refers, in general, to a pipe according to an embodiment of the invention. The pipe 10 is designed to receive a fluid at one end for the purpose of transporting the fluid. The pipe 10 includes a barrier layer 12 and an inner layer 14 disposed within the barrier layer in a coaxial relation thereto, with the inner layer normally conforming to the corresponding inner surface of the barrier layer in an abutting relationship, for the entire length of the latter layer.
The barrier layer 12 can be fabricated from a material that has reasonable ductility and elasticity such as a plastic or elastic polymer. The material forming the inner layer 14 can also be a plastic or elastic polymer, and preferably is selected so that it has sufficient ductility to survive after being subjected to large strain levels a number of times, and sufficient elasticity to tend to recover from a collapsed state when the pipe is repressurized.
The wall thickness of the inner layer 14 relative to the wall thickness of the layer 12 is selected so that damage to the barrier layer 12 is prevented when both the barrier layer and the inner layer are collapsed in response to a hydrostatic load placed on the pipe. For example, and assuming the layers 12 and 14 are fabricated from a polymer material as discussed above, their relatively thicknesses are selected so that, when the pipe 10 collapses under a hydrostatic load, a maximum strain on the layer 12 will occur that is no greater than approximately 7% which is below the value that will cause damage to the barrier layer for most polymer material. Thus, the thickness of the inner layer 14 relative to the thickness of the layer 12 is selected to limit the bending of the outer layer to within safe levels of strain. In this context, it is understood that the thickness of the inner layer 14 relative to the barrier layer 12 can vary from a value in which the former is less or greater than the latter based on the relative dimensions of the layers 12 and 14 and the material of the layers. Thus, the relative thicknesses of the layers 12 and 14 shown in the drawing are for the purposes of a non-limitative example only.
FIGS. 2A and 2B depict the pipe 10 after application of an external pressure to the barrier surface of the barrier layer 12 sufficient to collapse the pipe. In the case of FIG. 2A , one area of the pipe 10 has collapsed, whereas in FIG. 2B , diametrically opposite portions have collapsed. In both cases, the outer radius R of the inner layer 14 forms a cushion that limits the bending of the barrier layer 12 at an area where the maximum strain on the barrier layer normally occurs. The thickness of the inner layer 14 is selected so that the maximum possible bending of the barrier layer 12 is limited to an amount less than the bending that would cause strain on the barrier layer sufficient to damage it.
If the external pressure acting on the pipe 10 remains sufficiently high after the initial collapse shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B , then the pipe may be further forced into a post-buckled mode shown in FIG. 3 . In this situation, one portion of the barrier layer 12 and the inner layer 14 (in the example shown, the upper halves of the layers) attain maximum deformation, and the collapse is such that the flow path through the inner layer 14 is completely closed. As in the situation of FIGS. 2A and 2B , the collapsed inner layer 14 forms a cushion with round radii R which limit the maximum possible bending of the barrier layer 12 and thus protect it from damage.
The collapse of the pipe 10 can also result in small gaps G at two ends of the cross section of the pipe, as shown in FIG. 4 . As in the situation of FIGS. 2A and 2B , the collapsed barrier layer 12 and inner layer 14 form a cushion with round radii R where the maximum strain on the barrier layer occurs. However, due to the gaps G, the radii R will be greater than the radii R in the example of FIG. 3 . As a result, relative lower strain is expected on the barrier layer 12 . By taking this phenomenon into consideration, the relative thickness of the inner layer 14 (and therefore the ratio of the inner layer thickness over the thickness of the barrier layer 12 ) can be reduced from a value used when the gaps G are not present.
In each of these situations, the inner layer 14 can suffer localized structural damage, such as crazing or localized yielding, especially after several collapses, but this damage will not affect the function of the pipe and can be tolerated. When the inner layer 14 is, in fact, damaged, it functions as a sacrificial layer.
The accumulation of permeated fluid and/or gas in the interface between the barrier layer 12 and inner layer 14 can cause separation between the barrier layer 12 and inner layer 14 prior to collapse of the pipe 10 . This separation could result in an undesirable collapse mode other than those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 since the inner layer 14 may not be able to protect the barrier layer from over-bending and subsequent structural damage. A technique to eliminate this accumulation and thus to insure that the pipe 10 collapses properly to the collapse modes (shapes) shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is depicted in FIG. 5 .
Specifically, a series of small radially-extending and axially and angularly-spaced holes 14 a are formed through the inner layer 14 in any known manner, such as by drilling. During operation, the holes 14 a will promote the flow of the trapped fluid/gas from the interface F, and into the interior of the inner layer 14 as shown by the solid arrows. This is caused by two effects—a “vacuum” effect due to low pressure at the inner side of the holes 14 a which is generated by the flowing fluid/gas inside the inner layer 14 in the direction shown by the dashed arrow, and a “squeezing” effect as the internal flow pressure (with possible external pressure on the outer surface of the inner layer 12 ) pushes the inner layer 14 and the barrier layer 12 against each other. This flow through the holes 14 a avoids separation of the barrier layer 12 and inner layer 14 so that they will thus remain in contact in their designed, abutting, coaxial configuration, thus avoiding the undesirable separation and enabling the pipe 10 to return from its collapsed condition to its normal condition shown in FIG. 1 .
The pipe 10 thus can tolerate relatively high hydrostatic pressures while eliminating the disadvantages of the metallic layers discussed above and avoiding potential structural damage to the barrier layer. In addition, the pipe 10 can be wound on a storage reel in a collapsed, substantially flat form, an advantage from a storage and transportation standpoint.
A pipe 20 according to an alternate embodiment is shown in FIG. 6 and is designed to receive a fluid at one end for the purposes of transporting the fluid. The pipe 20 includes a barrier layer 22 and an inner layer 24 which are identical to the barrier layer 12 and the inner layer 14 , respectively, of the previous embodiment. Thus, the inner layer 24 is disposed in the barrier layer 22 in a coaxial relation thereto, with the inner layer normally conforming to the corresponding inner surface of the barrier layer in an abutting relationship, for the entire length of the barrier layer.
A protective layer 26 extends over the barrier layer 22 , a reinforcement layer 28 extends over the protective layer 26 and an additional protective layer 30 extends over the layer 28 . Although only one layer 26 , 28 , and 30 are shown, it is understand that additional layers 26 , 28 , and 30 can be provided. The protective layers 26 and 30 can be made from plastic or elastic polymer, or plastic or elastic polymer tapes with or without reinforcement fibers. The reinforcement layer(s) can be made from metallic or composite strips with or without interlocking.
The pipe 20 thus enjoys all of the advantages of the pipe 10 and, in addition, enjoys additional protection and reinforcement from the layers 26 , 28 , and 30 .
It is understood that variations may be made in the foregoing without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the pipe can be provided with one or more protective layers and/or one or more reinforcement layers extending over the outer layer.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
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A collapse tolerant flexible pipe and method of manufacturing same according to which an inner tubular layer is provided within an outer tubular layer in a coaxial relationship thereto. The inner layer maintains the maximum allowable strain on the outer layer below a value that will cause damage to the outer layer when the pipe collapses.
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BACKGROUND
The present disclosure relates to the field of computers, and specifically to computers having multiple circuit boards. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to communicatively coupling circuit boards in a computer system.
BRIEF SUMMARY
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a radial optical data interchange packaging comprises a central core; a plurality of central core photo transceivers emerging from an exterior side surface of the central core; a mother board coupled to the central core, wherein the mother board is perpendicularly oriented below and abutting the central core; a plurality of retention slots on the mother board, wherein the retention slots radially extend away from the central core; and a plurality of cards held by the retention slots, wherein each of the plurality of cards comprises a set of card photo transceivers that optically communicate with the central core photo transceivers.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an optical rack comprises a first mother board and a second mother board, wherein the first mother board is inter-coupled to the second mother board by a first central core and a second central core, and wherein the first mother board is perpendicularly oriented below and abutting the first central core and the second mother board is perpendicularly oriented below and abutting the second central core; a plurality of central core photo transceivers emerging from exterior side surfaces of the first and second central cores; a plurality of retention slots on the first and second mother boards, wherein the retention slots radially extend away from the first and second central cores; and a plurality of cards held by the retention slots, wherein each of the plurality of cards comprises a set of card photo transceivers that optically communicate with the central core photo transceivers on the first and second central cores.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer system comprises an optical rack that comprises: a first mother board and a second mother board, wherein the first mother board is inter-coupled to the second mother board by a first central core and a second central core, and the first mother board is perpendicularly oriented below and abutting the first central core and the second mother board is perpendicularly oriented below and abutting the second central core; a plurality of central core photo transceivers emerging from exterior side surfaces of the first and second central cores; a plurality of retention slots on the first and second mother boards, wherein the retention slots radially extend away from the first and second central cores; and a plurality of cards held by the retention slots, wherein each of the plurality of cards comprises a set of card photo transceivers that optically communicate with the central core photo transceivers on the first and second central cores.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts details of an exemplary computer that may be utilized by the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary optical rack holding multiple mother boards;
FIG. 3 illustrates additional detail of a mother board, cards on the mother board, and a central core that is photo electrically coupled to the cards;
FIG. 4 depicts additional detail of the photoelectric coupling of the cards to the central core; and
FIG. 5 illustrates additional detail of the central core.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.
Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including, but not limited to, wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).
Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
With reference now to the figures, and in particular to FIG. 1 , there is depicted a block diagram of an exemplary computer 102 , which may be utilized by the present invention. Note that some or all of the exemplary architecture, including both depicted hardware and software, shown for and within computer 102 may be utilized by a card 206 (shown in FIG. 2 ) and/or an optical link chip 302 (shown in FIG. 3 ).
Computer 102 includes a processor 104 that is coupled to a system bus 106 . Processor 104 may utilize one or more processors, each of which has one or more processor cores. System bus 106 is coupled via a bus bridge 112 to an input/output (I/O) bus 114 . An I/O interface 116 is coupled to I/O bus 114 . I/O interface 116 affords communication with various I/O devices, including an optical interface 130 . Optical interface 130 comprises an array of optical transducers 128 used to optically communicate digital and/or analog information to and from the computer 102 . In one embodiment, optical interface 130 is an integral component of processor 104 , thus providing a very high speed communication between the optical transducers 128 and a core (not depicted) of the processor 104 . A system memory 136 , which is defined as a lowest level of volatile memory in computer 102 , includes additional higher levels of volatile memory (not shown), including, but not limited to, cache memory, registers and buffers. Data that populates system memory 136 includes computer 102 's operating system (OS) 138 and application programs 144 . Such data may be from a non-volatile memory 120 (e.g., read only memory—ROM, programmable ROM—PROM, etc.), or such data may be directly downloaded from an external source (not shown), or such data may be from a local hard disk drive, CD-ROM drive, etc. (also not shown).
OS 138 includes a shell 140 , for providing transparent user access to resources such as application programs 144 . Generally, shell 140 is a program that provides an interpreter and an interface between the user and the operating system. More specifically, shell 140 executes commands that are entered into a command line user interface or from a file. Thus, shell 140 , also called a command processor, is generally the highest level of the operating system software hierarchy and serves as a command interpreter. The shell provides a system prompt, interprets commands entered by keyboard, mouse, or other user input media, and sends the interpreted command(s) to the appropriate lower levels of the operating system (e.g., a kernel 142 ) for processing. Note that while shell 140 is a text-based, line-oriented user interface, the present invention will equally well support other user interface modes, such as graphical, voice, gestural, etc.
As depicted, OS 138 also includes kernel 142 , which includes lower levels of functionality for OS 138 , including providing essential services required by other parts of OS 138 and application programs 144 , including memory management, process and task management, disk management, and mouse and keyboard management.
Application programs 144 include an optical interface control program (OICP) 148 . OICP 148 includes code for implementing the processes described below, including those described with FIGS. 2-5 .
The hardware elements depicted in computer 102 are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather are representative to highlight essential components required by the present invention. For instance, computer 102 may include alternate memory storage devices such as magnetic cassettes, digital versatile disks (DVDs), Bernoulli cartridges, and the like. These and other variations are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
With reference now to FIG. 2 , an exemplary radial optical data interchange packaging is depicted as one or more components of optical rack 202 , as described herein. Optical rack 202 is shown holding multiple mother boards, including the labeled mother board 204 . Each mother board supports multiple cards, including labeled card 206 . These cards may be server blades (e.g., computer 102 shown in FIG. 1 ), power supplies, memory cards, input/output cards, etc. Each card may be dedicated to single function, such as processing, memory, input/output functions, etc., or a card may be a multifunctional card (e.g., a server blade). Similarly, each mother board may be dedicated to holding a single type of card (e.g., only memory cards), or various mother boards may hold different types of cards (e.g., a combination of server cards, memory cards, I/O cards, etc.).
As depicted in FIG. 2 , the cards (including labeled card 206 ) extend radially away from a central core 208 , thus minimizing communication distances. Each central core (e.g., central core 208 ) is able to optically communicate with other central cores, as described further herein. Thus, the optical rack 202 comprises optical communication between different books/racks/floors/layers (e.g., areas in which a different mother board is located) as well as among various cards, including cards on a same mother board as well as cards on different mother boards. In one embodiment, central core 208 is a cylinder having a circular cross section, as depicted in FIG. 2 . In other embodiments, central core 208 has a square, rectangular, oval, or other geometric cross section.
Referring now to FIG. 3 , additional detail of mother board 204 , cards (e.g., card 206 ) on mother board 204 , and central core 208 is presented. Each card (e.g. card 206 ) is mounted on its edge in a retention slot 304 . In one embodiment, each retention slot 304 provides only mechanical support for a card 206 . In another embodiment, a retention slot 304 provides additional electrical support for a card 206 , including power, ground, etc.
FIG. 4 presents an enlarged view of the middle of FIG. 3 , and presents additional detail of arrays of photo transceivers, including those depicted as central core photo transceiver 402 and card photo transceiver 404 , that carry data and clock information from the cards to the central core 208 . Note that the central core photo transceivers (including element 402 ) emerge from an exterior side surface of the central core 208 . The array of card photo transceivers (including element 404 ) are mounted to an edge of the card 206 , and mate up against the central core photo transceivers for optical communication connection. The central core 208 , as depicted in FIG. 5 , also features an array of optical transceivers on the top and bottom sides, including the depicted inter-core optical transceiver 502 . These inter-core optical transceivers provide an interconnect between books/drawers/layers/mother boards in the system housed by the optical rack 202 (shown in FIG. 2 ) in order to pass clock and data.
Note that the optical transceivers (elements 128 in FIG. 1 , elements 402 and 404 in FIG. 4 , and element 502 in FIG. 5 ) may be any of various types of optical transceivers. For example, in one embodiment an optical transceiver may simply be a terminating end of an optic fiber, which may be outfitted to feature multiple laser diodes of differing wavelengths to provide multiple communications channels per element. In one embodiment, an optical transceiver may comprise a light emitting diode that responds to a current from a metal wire. In one embodiment, a transceiver may comprise any type of photoreceptor (e.g., a photo resistor, a photo diode, a photo transistor, etc.) that responds to light inputs in a known and consistent manner. Thus, the transceivers described herein may be any combination of metal wire, optic fiber, and/or optic interfaces used to optically communicate information, both digital as well as analog.
Returning to FIG. 3 , note that an optical link chip (OLC) 302 is oriented within the central core 208 . OLC 302 controls the routing of signals to various cards via various photo transceivers. That is, within central core 208 are multiple optic fibers and/or metal wires. Signals coming through these fibers/wires are directed to the OLC 302 , which then sends the signal to the appropriate photo transceivers, including elements 402 , 502 and, indirectly, 404 (depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 ) as described herein. Thus, a signal may be directed to a particular card via OLC-selected pairs of central core photo transceivers 402 and card photo transceivers 404 . Similarly, OLC 302 can direct inter-core/layer communication by directing signals between inter-core optical transceivers 502 . This inter-core/layer communication is achieved by passing light signals through holes (not shown) that have been drilled into the mother boards.
Utilizing the features described herein, one embodiment of the present disclosure is an innovative architecture to provide a central optical interconnect between processor books (sets of cards on different mother boards) in a supercomputing environment. The architecture described herein provides increased speed for communication between cards, and eliminates problems that accompany high-speed copper-based signaling. This results in a reduction of complications resulting from the issues related to signal integrity and electromagnetic compatibility. The architecture described herein also simplifies the physical design layout process, requiring fewer signal layers. Arranged in a radial fashion, the edge of each processor card is outfitted with an array of optical transceivers. These communicate with a central core, which is outfitted with an array of optical transceivers for each processor card.
As described in one embodiment herein, optical transceivers are also placed on the top/bottom of the central core to provide an optical communication link between drawers. As noted in the illustrations of the present disclosure, the drawer's planar may be of a rectangular shape. Placement of the high speed computing and communication channels (including wiring, optic fibers, optical transceivers, etc. described herein) central to the machine in which the radial optical data interchange packaging is housed allows lower electromagnetic emissions (EME) since higher speed transitions off the mother boards via copper to optical conversion or electronics switching is located close to the center of the circuit board (drawer board). This allows board attenuation to occur as signal energy drops as one moves away from the center of communication.
To provide the maximum amount of bandwidth, each optical element in the array may be outfitted with several laser diodes and photodiodes of varying wavelengths. This enables multiple channels of communication for each element. Note that in one embodiment, if optical transceivers are integrated within the processor itself (e.g., OLC 302 ), the proximity of the modules to the central core avoids the copper between the processor and optical modules at the card to core edge.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of various embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Having thus described embodiments of the invention of the present application in detail and by reference to illustrative embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.
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A radial optical data interchange packaging comprises a central core; a plurality of central core photo transceivers emerging from an exterior side surface of the central core; a mother board coupled to the central core, wherein the mother board is perpendicularly oriented below and abutting the central core; a plurality of retention slots on the mother board, wherein the retention slots radially extend away from the central core; and a plurality of cards held by the retention slots, wherein each of the plurality of cards comprises a set of card photo transceivers that optically communicate with the central core photo transceivers.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to improvements in the manufacture of expandable stents and, more particularly, to new and improved methods and apparatus for direct laser cutting of stents in providing stents of enhanced structural quality.
Stents are expandable endoprosthesis devices which are adapted to be implanted into a patient's body lumen, such as a blood vessel or coronary artery, to maintain the patency of the artery. These devices are typically used in the treatment of atherosclerotic stenosis in blood vessels, coronary arteries, and the like.
In the medical arts, stents are generally tubular-shaped devices which function to hold open a segment of a blood vessel or other anatomical lumen. Stents are very high precision, relatively fragile devices and, ideally, the most desirable stents incorporate a very fine precision structure cut from a very small diameter, thin-walled cylindrical tube. In this regard, it is extremely important to make precisely dimensioned, smooth, narrow cuts in the thin-walled tubing in extremely fine geometries without damaging the narrow struts that make up the stent structure. Prior art stents typically are cut by a laser and held by collet in a computer controlled machine that translates and rotates the stent as the laser cuts through the outer surface of the metal tubing. In order to stabilize the stent tubing, typically a bushing surrounds the stent tubing and is positioned between the laser and the collet holding the stent. Prior art bearings or bushings create a small amount of friction between the stent tubing and the bearing which can cause slight imperfections in the laser cutting process as the stent tubing is moved relative to the bearing.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3 , a typical prior art laser assembly is shown in which a laser beam is used to cut a pattern in stent tubing. The stent tubing is mounted in the collet of a CNC controller which will move the stent tubing in a translational and rotational direction while the laser beam cuts through one wall of the stent tubing to form a pattern. As shown, a bushing is used to support the stent tubing between the collet and the laser beam (or proximal to the laser beam). The prior art bushings typically support the stent tubing, however, because the inner diameter of the support bushing is closely matched to the outer diameter of the stent tubing, there is some amount of drag or friction between the bushing and the stent tubing. The control system must supply sufficient force to overcome the inertia of the tubing and the drag caused by the interface between the bushing and the stent tubing, and at the same time accurately position the stent tubing for laser cutting. It is therefore a goal to reduce cutting errors due to sticking and choppiness in the movement of the stent tubing and to improve yields.
Accordingly, the manufacturers of stents have long recognized the need for improved manufacturing processes and to reduce the amount of friction between the bearing and the stent tubing during the laser cutting process. The present invention fulfills these needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general terms, the present invention provides a new and improved method and apparatus for direct laser cutting stents by enabling greater precision, reliability, structural integrity and overall quality.
The present invention provides an improved system for producing stents with a fine precision structure cut from a small diameter, thin-walled, cylindrical tube. The tubes are typically made of stainless steel, other biocompatible materials, or biodegradable materials, and are fixtured under a laser and positioned utilizing a CNC machine to generate a very intricate and precise pattern. Due to the thin wall and the small geometry of the stent pattern, it is necessary to have very precise control of the laser, its power level, the focus spot size, and, importantly, the precise positioning of the laser cutting path.
In keeping with the invention, a stent tubing is held in a collet in a CNC machine so that the stent tubing is able to rotate and translate relative to a fixed laser beam. In order to support the stent tubing, a bearing or bushing supports the stent tubing just proximal to the laser beam (between the collet and the laser beam). In this manner, the stent tubing is prevented from sagging or deflecting away from the laser beam, which would otherwise create inaccuracies in the cut stent pattern. In the present invention, a fluid bearing includes a housing having a gas inlet port and a fluid inlet port on its outer surface. A bearing is positioned within the housing and the bearing has multiple blades that are aligned with the gas inlet port on the housing. The bearing is free to rotate within the housing without touching the housing. The gas inlet port is positioned to inject a high pressure gas on the blades in order to impart a high speed rotation of the bearing within the housing. The fluid inlet port on the housing is positioned to inject fluid onto an inner surface of the bearing so that as the bearing rotates at high speed, a thin film of fluid adheres to the inner surface of the bearing. The stent tubing is inserted through an inner diameter of the bearing so that the bearing supports the stent tubing just proximal of the laser beam. As the bearing rotates at high speed, on the order of about 1,000 to 10,000 rpm (or higher), the film of fluid adheres to the inner surface of the bearing so that the film of fluid is between the inner surface of the bearing and the outer surface of the stent tubing. Since the bearing is rotating at high speed and a film of fluid is formed between the inner surface of the bearing and the outer surface of the stent tubing, the stent tubing is centered within the bearing thereby creating a near frictionless environment as the stent tubing translates and rotates relative to the laser beam. The fluid film has very low friction and will not place a significant resistive load on the stent tubing as the collet or CNC system rotates and translates the stent tubing relative to the laser beam.
The advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of exemplary embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view depicting a prior art laser cutting assembly for cutting a pattern in stent tubing.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art bushing used to support stent tubing during a laser cutting operation.
FIG. 3 is a partial elevational view of a prior art laser cutting assembly in which a bushing receives the stent tubing for support during a laser cutting process.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a laser cutting assembly in which a fluid bearing is used to support stent tubing during a laser cutting process.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view depicting a fluid bearing assembly for use in supporting stent tubing during a laser cutting process.
FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view depicting a fluid bearing for supporting stent tubing during a laser cutting process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In keeping with the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 4-6 , a laser cutting assembly 10 includes a CNC controller 12 and a laser beam assembly 14 . The laser beam assembly is well known in the art and includes numerous components such as a focusing lens, coaxial gas jet, and the laser beam itself. The laser cutting assembly 10 also includes a collet 16 , which is well known in the art, and is used for the purpose of holding a stent tubing 18 and moving the stent tubing in a translational and rotational direction. The stent tubing 18 is mounted in the collet 16 and the stent tubing extends away from the collet so that it is positioned directly under the laser beam assembly 14 . Typically, the laser beam assembly, and the laser beam itself, remain stationary during the stent cutting process, while the stent tubing translates and rotates while the laser beam removes material from the tubing.
In further keeping with the invention, a fluid bearing 20 is provided to support the stent tubing 18 . More specifically, the fluid bearing includes a housing 22 that will be anchored at one end so that the housing is stationary and firmly supports the stent tubing. The housing has a gas inlet port 24 and a fluid inlet port 26 on its outer surface 28 . Depending upon the specific requirements, more than one gas inlet port 24 and fluid inlet port 26 can be provided and spaced along the outer surface 28 of the housing 22 . Typically, the multiple gas inlet ports or fluid inlet ports would extend in alignment circumferentially around the outer surface 28 of the housing 22 . A bearing 30 is contained within the housing 22 so that the bearing can rotate at high speed within the housing without hitting or touching the walls of the housing. The bearing 30 has one or more blades 32 that are positioned in grooves 33 in the housing 22 which align with the gas inlet port 24 . When high pressure gas is injected into gas inlet port 24 , the gas will impinge on the blades 32 thereby causing the bearing 30 to rotate at high speeds. For example, it is contemplated that the bearing 30 will rotate at speeds between 1,000 rpm up to 10,000 rpm. In another embodiment, it may be appropriate for the bearing 30 to rotate at speeds between 10,000 rpm up to 100,000 rpm.
With reference in particular to FIG. 6 , the bearing 30 has one or more fluid channels 34 that will allow fluid to pass from the fluid inlet port 26 into a cavity 36 and through the fluid channels 34 onto the inner surface 38 of the bearing 30 .
In use, the present invention provides a low friction fluid film between the bearing and the stent tubing so that the amount of friction between the bearing and the stent tubing is substantially reduced from the prior art devices. Again, referring to FIGS. 4-6 , a fluid is injected through fluid inlet port 26 on the housing 22 and a high pressure gas is injected through gas inlet port 24 , also on housing 22 . The high pressure gas impinges on the blades 32 which cause the bearing 30 to rotate at a high speed as previously disclosed. As the bearing 30 rotates at high speed, the fluid is forced from the fluid inlet port into cavity 36 where it can flow through fluid channels 34 in the bearing 30 and onto the inner surface of the bearing 38 . As the bearing 30 rotates at high speeds, the shear between the bearing and the fluid will cause a film of fluid to adhere to the bearing inner surface 38 and this film will separate the outer surface 40 of the stent tubing 18 from the bearing 30 . The fluid film has a very low coefficient of friction, and accordingly will not place a significant resistive load on the stent tubing as the collet 16 attempts to rotate and translate the stent tubing relative to the laser beam. Further, the high rotational speeds of the bearing 30 , in conjunction with the film fluid that adheres to the inner surface 38 of the bearing, act to center the stent tubing 18 relative to the bearing 30 . This further allows the laser beam to precisely cut the stent pattern so that a more accurate stent pattern can be reproducably manufactured.
In one embodiment, the space between the blades 32 and the grooves 33 in the housing 22 may be sufficient to allow the high pressure gas to be directed toward the stent tubing. This serves several purposes including allowing the gas to exhaust from the bearing 30 , thereby allowing more gas to be injected to drive the bearing rotation. Further, as the gas exhausts, it may exert a pressure in the direction opposite to the flow of fluid along the stent tubing thereby forcing fluid out of the space between the bearing 30 and the stent tubing 18 in only one direction. This will prevent contamination of the region opposite to the exit location, namely where the laser is cutting the pattern in the stent tubing.
In an alternative embodiment, the blades 32 may be either flat fins or have a tilted configuration such as the blades found in a turbine (not shown). In either configuration, the grooves 33 that receive the blades 32 will be configured to accommodate the blades as the bearing 30 rotates. Further, the blades also can have a curved configuration and still provide the rotational forces on the bearing as described. In one embodiment, the blades have a rectangular shape and are substantially flat fins.
The fluid used with the present invention can be water, saline or any thin oil such as a mineral oil. Further, the high pressure gas typically will be air.
The housing 22 can be formed from any rigid material such as stainless steel, while the bearing 30 is formed from a low friction material such as a polymer, including such polymers such as PTFE.
It will be apparent from the foregoing that the present invention provides a new and improved method and apparatus for laser cutting stents thereby enabling greater precision, reliability and overall quality in forming precise stent patterns in stent tubing. Other modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except by the appended claims.
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A fluid bearing assembly provides support to stent tubing while the stent tubing is undergoing laser cutting to form a stent pattern. The fluid bearing assembly supports the stent tubing and provides a fluid barrier between the bearing and the stent tubing thereby providing nearly frictionless movement between the support bearing and the stent tubing.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the insulation materials processed with fire retardant chemicals, which are widely used in the construction industry, specifically, fire-resistant cellulose materials. Building insulation materials are needed to increase thermal performance, while satisfying constraints such as durability, cost, dimensional limits, and environmental, safety, and health concerns. Building insulation materials are used to improve energy savings, fire resistance, sound proofing, and comfort. They are manufactured from mineral fibers, fiberglass, plastic foam, and cellulose materials. Fiberglass insulation is the most widely used residential and commercial buildings in the developed world. Today, this product is coming under scrutiny. Some concerns have been raised regarding the harm from inhaling airborne dispersed fiberglass, which has been found to be potentially carcinogenic.
[0002] The second most used insulation product is one that is polyurethane-based. Today, it is well known that human exposure to isocyanate, benzene, and methylene chloride at polyurethane foam manufacturing plants increases the risk of developing cancer; suffering adverse effects on the heart, central nervous system, and liver; irritating the skin, eyes, respiratory system; and acquiring chemical pneumonia.
[0003] Several studies have concluded that cellulose insulation produced from recycled paper is the least polluting and most energy efficient and healthy material. Cellulose insulation production consumes about 20-40 times less energy than mineral fiber insulation materials. More importantly, cellulose has a thermal conductivity of approximately 0.026 W/m° K., while standard fiberglass has 0.040 W/m° K. This means that cellulose has a 35-38% larger R-value than fiberglass with same thickness, which translates to better insulation properties.
[0004] Several methods exist to produce cellulose pulp, but most are intended for paper, textile, and plastic production because they are more profitable businesses than insulation production. These same methods would be extremely expensive for producing building insulation material. Thus, building cellulose insulation is produced from recycled materials instead of from cellulose pulp. Currently, only 7% of building insulation materials is produced from cellulose. Raw materials used for producing cellulose insulation may range from recycled newspaper, paperboard, and cardboard. These materials are processed to manufacture a finely divided material with a very low-bulk density.
[0005] To improve the fire-resistant properties of the cellulose material during production, the raw materials are treated with fire retardant substances that are traditionally applied in powder or liquid solution forms.
[0006] Over one hundred patents for producing cellulose insulation from newspapers have been issued since 1949. Some of the fire retardant substances used include ammonium phosphates, ammonium sulfates, carbonates, boric acid, sodium tetraborate and mixtures thereof. For example, cellulose insulation materials and fire retardant substances are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,168,175, 4,224,169, 4,342,669, 4,349,413, 4,595,414, 5,455,065, and 5,534,301.
[0007] The increment of the cellulose production is well based according to the functionality of this material; however, the increase of the production of the cellulose materials is limited by the availability of the paper residuals since the paper production is the major consumer of this raw material. According to “The Recycler's Handbook,” “a ton of paper made from 100% wastepaper, instead of virgin fiber, saves 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water and 60 pounds of air-polluting effluents, 4100 kwh of energy, three cubic yards of landfill space and taxpayer dollars, which would otherwise be used for waste-disposal costs.” In contrast, using recycled paper to produce insulation material is neither the most economical nor the best environmental solution.
[0008] The present invention gives a solution for producing building cellulose insulation material from agricultural waste and/or agricultural byproducts such as, in a preferred embodiment, sugar cane bagasse, which is the fiber component of the sugar cane stalk remaining after the extraction of sugar cane juice. Byproducts that can be used for the production of fire resistant cellulose material include sugarcane bagasse, guayule bagasse, and other vegetative residuals from the extractive processes of oils, resins, wax, and aromatic components. The apparatus of the invention is based on an innovative process that separates the cellulose fibers from the bagasse material and simultaneously treats them chemically to add the fire-retardant characteristics to produce a low cost and environmentally safe insulation material.
[0009] The basis of the present invention is an apparatus for a closed process or method that integrates all major processes for pulp production. This process or method was developed not to produce pulp, but instead, to separate and stabilize the cellulose fibers using chemicals, which later are neutralized to form the fire-retardant and fungi-resistant compounds. These compounds will remain in the cellulose insulation to add fire-retardant characteristics. Thus, this method does not generate waste and gives a high economic effect. This method serves as an option to stop or diminish the utilization of harmful insulation materials. This method serves to reuse a wide group of agricultural byproducts, and agricultural wastes, which alter the ecological equilibrium at the disposal regions. A preferred embodiment of the method uses sugar cane bagasse, which is the fiber component of the sugar cane stalk remaining after the extraction of the sugar cane juice. Byproducts that can be used for the production of fire resistant cellulose material include sugarcane bagasse, guayule bagasse, and other vegetative residuals from the extractive processes of oils, resins, wax, and aromatic components. The present innovation represents an important advance in the state of art of cellulose insulation materials, giving a formulation and benign process for producing thermal insulation.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention provides an apparatus for producing a low cost insulation from cheapest raw material, by using a minimal amount of process steps and production machinery, conforming a low cost technology-manufacture process. It provides an apparatus for producing a fire resistant cellulose insulation product, which is characterized by a high degree of safety with minimal environmental impact, and which meets all applicable government regulations. The apparatus produces a fire resistant cellulose insulation product that is characterized by a low bulk density, high degree of fiber rigidity, stability, non-toxic, sound proofing, high R value, and fungi resistance.
[0011] These benefits are achieved through the exclusive use of the innovative apparatus for simultaneous separation of the cellulose fibers and formation of the insulation material from agricultural by products such as, in one embodiment, sugar cane bagasse which accomplishes the following tasks: mixing the washed bagasse particles with milled paper and cardboard residuals in a primary aqueous solution of chemicals to facilitate the separation and preservation of the cellulose fibers, and neutralizing the mixture in a secondary aqueous solution to produce and precipitate the fire-retardant and fungi-resistant compounds.
[0012] The neutralized mixture contains within it the cellulose fibers soaked in fire retardant chemicals. The material can then be compressed and strained to form insulation board panels, insulation compressed cakes or desired end forms of insulation material.
[0013] The invention produces a fire resistant cellulose insulation material using a minimal amount of steps using relatively low cost components. This technology does not have byproducts or rejected products and offers a method to separate the cellulose fibers from bagasse and simultaneously treats them chemically to add the fire-retardant characteristics generating none residuals. Moreover, the chemical processes traditionally calculated for the reactors, in the present invention take place on the system of reactor-conveyers giving a high economic effect. The claimed apparatus serves as an example having high ecological significance. The apparatus does not generate residuals and works as an option to stop the incineration of the bagasse, which contaminates the environment. Finally, the present invention represents an advance in the art of cellulose insulation manufacture, and provides many economic, safety, quality control, and other benefits compared with the previous reported technology and cellulose materials, as discussed below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the apparatus of the present invention in a preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] [0015]FIG. 1 involves a schematic illustration of the apparatus of the present invention in a preferred embodiment.
[0016] Referring now to the numbered elements in FIG. 1, the present invention in a preferred embodiment, comprises the following:
[0017] 1. Cutter mill, to reduce the bagasse that all of the particles thereof are capable of passing through a sieve within 15 -20 mm of diameter.
[0018] 2. Bath-I, to wash the reduced material from the remnant sugar and lignin.
[0019] 3. System to add and control the used chemicals to the operational Baths.
[0020] 4. Conveyer, special designed as described in FIG. 2.
[0021] 5. Hammer mill, to reduce the paper and cardboard residuals that all of the particles thereof are capable of passing trough a sieve within 5×5 mm. According to the present invention, other cellulose-containing materials can be incorporated into the residuals, and the type of mill and sieve can be varied depending on needs.
[0022] 6. Bath-II, to mix the reduced bagasse and paper particles in aqueous solution, and chemically treat the mixture to accelerate the cellulose separation process.
[0023] 7. Conveyer, analogue to (4).
[0024] 8. Bath-III, to neutralize the mixture, produces, and precipitates the fire-retardant and fungi-resistant components on the surface of the cellulose material.
[0025] 9. Conveyer, analogue to (4).
[0026] 10. Water recycling system.
[0027] 11. Filter-press, to partially dry the material. Two systems work together in parallel: the first, to perform the insulation panels, and the second, to perform cakes.
[0028] 12. Conveyer to transport the panels and/or compressed cakes. The panels and cakes are transported on the conveyer into dryer.
[0029] 13. Dryer. This is a tunnel kiln calculated to work with electric energy and/or solar energy, depending on the weather conditions.
[0030] 14. Hammer mill, to reduce the dried material to a disperse state for blowing application. For this application in the press-filter were previously prepared the insulation cakes.
[0031] 15. Conveyor to transport the pulverized material to the desired packaging device.
[0032] 16. One or more packaging devices.
[0033] The baths are specially designed to satisfy the technological exigency of the present invention. The baths are equipped with temperature control, agitation, peristaltic pump and filtration devices. They are connected to the water recycling station, and to the system for chemical control. The dryer is a phenomenal ecological installation calculated to have permanent heat airflow for removing the humidity of the material. For the cloudy days, the solar installation is equipped with air extractor, ventilator and electrical heating to be use optionally.
[0034] [0034]FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the apparatus for producing insulation material comprising a reactor-conveyor system build with baths and conveyers with progressive cavity screw for continuous mechanical, thermo-mechanical and chemical treatment of the cellulose. Referring now to the numbered elements in FIG. 2, the apparatus, in a preferred embodiment, comprises:
[0035] 1. Bath-I, to wash the reduced material from the remnant sugar and lignin.
[0036] 2. Bath-II, to mix the reduced bagasse and paper particles in aqueous solution and treat the mixture chemically to facilitate the cellulose fiber separation and conservation.
[0037] 3. Bath-III, to neutralize the cellulose mixture and precipitate the fire-retardant and fungi-resistant compounds.
[0038] The baths are connected between them through the conveyers. The conveyors are enclosed and have an Archimede's screw or progressive cavity screw to transport and separate the cellulose fibers. The baths and conveyers are designed for the thermo mechanical and chemical treatment. The conveyers are built to be able to recycle and reuse the chemical solution, and to facilitate the continuous process during the transportation of the material from one technological step to another. By this procedure the cost of the processes are reduced.
[0039] All concentration percentages described below refer to percent by weight of overall mixture. With reference to FIG. 1, the bagasse is milled (1) that all of the particles thereof are capable of passing through a sieve within 15-20 mm of diameter. Later, the material is transported to the Bath-I (2), where the material is washed. In Bath-I, the thermo-mechanical treatment is performed at 50-70 Celsius degrees. The amount of the bagasse particles oscillates between about 20% and about 25% of the water. After strong agitation, the reduced bagasse particles are more dispersed and the lignin and sugars are separated as byproducts. The separated cellulose fibers are carried to Bath-II ( 6 ) on a conveyor ( 4 ). The conveyor is enclosed and has an Archimede's screw or progressive cavity screw that continue separating the cellulose fibers. The screw continue grinding the fibers and separating the cellulose. The lignin liquor is recuperated and returned back to the Bath-I to continue washing the bagasse. Periodically, the liquor is removed to the water station ( 10 ) for recycling or used for vinegar production in parallel station. Chemical treatment will take place in Bath-II to complete the separation of the cellulose fibers. Different chemicals can be used depending of the processing history of the bagasse used for producing insulation material, also depending of the most appropriate fire-retardant component to be produced.
[0040] Preferred Chemicals
[0041] Table 1 below shows examples of the chemical substances used to facilitate the separation of the cellulose and corresponding group of substances for neutralization that can be used to produce the fire-retardant components.
TABLE 1 Chemical substance for cellulose Chemical substance Resulting Example separation for neutralization fire-retardant agent 1 Sodium Boric acid Sodium borate salts hydroxide 2 Sodium carbonate Boric acid Sodium borate salts 3 Aluminum Sulfuric acid Aluminum sulfate hydroxide 4 Sulfuric acid Aluminum Aluminum sulfate hydroxide 5 Sulfuric acid Ammonia Ammonium sulfates compound 6 Phosphoric acid Ammonia Ammonium compound phosphates
[0042] To facilitate the explanation of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, hereto is described the caustic treatment and neutralization with boric acid solution. However the scope of the present invention is not limited to the described example and was developed for the caustic and acid types of cellulose treatment, as well as for the acid and basic neutralization processes.
[0043] Following the above declared, in Bath-II the treatment is performed by using sodium hydroxide solution prepared at about 9% to about 15% of normal concentration. Also, the hydroxide solution serves to prevent the possible decomposition of cellulose and hemicellulose of the bagasse. In addition, in Bath-II the bagasse fibers are mixed with the finely divided particles of paper and cardboard. This recycled paper material was previously milled into the hammer mill ( 5 ) and it is continuously transported to the Bath-II. The recycled paper and/or cardboard are added in about 10% to about 50% of the bagasse concentration. In Bath-II the chemical substances are impregnated into the cellulose fibers. The total weight of the cellulose mixture should not exceed about 25% of the sodium solution to guarantee an efficient agitation process and sufficient impregnation. To facilitate the mixing process about 5% to about 8% of sodium carbonate is added to the mixture. Thus, chemicals will be added as needed by automated system ( 3 ) in order to keep a constant concentration level in Bath-II.
[0044] After strong agitation, the mixture of dispersed cellulose materials impregnated in sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate is carried into Bath-Ill ( 8 ) for neutralization. The velocity of the conveyer (7) and its inclination angle is calculated to carry out an equivalent ratio of cellulose mixture and sodium solution (about ½ of the both substances).
[0045] In FIG. 2 is shown the reactor-conveyer system. Boric acid solution is added to Bath-III ( 8 ) as need for the neutralization process.
[0046] The following equations show the chemical reactions of the treatment conducted in Bath-III to neutralize the caustic treated fibers and add fire-retardant compounds:
4H 2 O+2 Na(OH)+4H 3 BO 3 →Na 2 B4O 7 *10H 2 O+H 2 O. (1)
[0047] In addition, sodium borate production during the neutralization of boric acid with sodium carbonate trough reactions ( 2 ), ( 3 ), and ( 4 ), gives the final reaction (5):
Na 2 CO 3 +4H 3 BO 3 →Na 2 B 4 O 7 +H 2 CO 3 +5H 2 O, (2)
H 2 CO 3 →H 2 O+CO 2 , (3)
Na 2 B 4 O 7 +10 H 2 O→NaB 4 O 7 *10H 2 O, and (4)
Na 2 CO 3 +4H 3 BO 3 +4H 2 O→Na 2 B 4 O 7 *10H 2 O+CO 2 . (5)
[0048] The neutralization reaction forms the fire-retardant and fungi-resistant compounds making them remain embedded in the insulation material (according previous example: Na2B4O7*10H2O). It is not necessary to wash the fibers, thus, low water is consumed and waste is not generated. Furthermore, due to the slightly slanted slope of conveyors, excess chemicals drip back into the baths to be reuse. The fire retardant compounds are precipitated on the cellulose fiber components as a result of the reaction between the chemicals as they are processed in Bath-II and Bath-III. This results in a high level of dispersion of fire-retardant components with strong affinity to the cellulose fiber structure.
[0049] The concentration of the boric acid is calculated to produce a full neutralizing reaction, the pH and concentration of this liquor during the reaction is controlled electronically to have exact amount of the reagents. The boric acid is added in the amount of about 8% to about 15% of the total weigh of the cellulose mixture per times unit of the process. The continuous control of the concentration is very important because from the previous processed cellulose mixture was formed a sodium borate compounds which serves as seed for the continuous formation of the sodium borate salts, including sodium tetra borate. This is a continuous process calculated on the basis of discrete cycles at constant velocity of repetition.
[0050] To facilitate the neutralizing reaction, ammonium sulfate is added at about 2% to about 4% of the cellulose material. This salt serves as a catalyst reagent to accelerate the reactions and facilitate the impregnation process of the fire retardant compound to the surface of the cellulose fibers. To facilitate the mixing process about 0.01% to about 0.05% of palm oil is added to the mixture. The produced cellulose material in this technological step is strongly controlled.
[0051] Later, the material will be transported ( 9 ) into the filter-press system ( 11 ). Any chemical compound discharged during press drying process is collected and returned to Bath-III.
[0052] A filter-press ( 11 ) is used to form a cakes or panels, depending of the type of the used filter-press. The conformed material is transported on the conveyer ( 12 ) to the drier ( 13 ). This is a ecological tunnel kill calculated to work in any season, geographically situated to receive the most intense radiation to satisfy high energy efficiency. The architectural roof slope is specially designed for the airflow convection from the heat zone to the cold zone, where the water is recuperated by condensation. The solar drier is also provided with electric heater and ventilators for the clouds days. After the drying process the panels are transported to the packaging department. The panels that do not qualify during the quality control are transported to the hammer mill ( 14 ), where they are milled together with the insulation cakes prepared specially for the production of the high disperse insulation product. At the end, this fine fibrous material is packaged into bags.
EXAMPLE
[0053] 100 Kg of the sugar cane bagasse was milled with the Hammer Mill to 15-20 mm particle diameter and washed at 60-Celsius degree into a Bath-I strongly agitated for approximately 10 minutes. The amount of the bagasse particles oscillates between about 20% and about 25% of the mixture. Later the partially separated cellulose fibers were transported to the Bath-II through the conveyer by dripping the remnant sugar and lignin solution to the Bath-I. The screw of the conveyer continues grinding the fibers and separating the cellulose from the remnant liquor. In Bath-II the cellulose fibers were caustic treated using sodium hydroxide solution prepared at about 9% to about 15% of normal concentration. Subsequently, 40 Kg of the recycled cardboard were added to the Bath-II and mixed with the sugarcane cellulose fibers. The total weight of the cellulose mixture is about 25% of the sodium solution. To facilitate the mixing process about 5% to about 8% of sodium carbonate is added to the mixture. After 10 minutes of strongly agitation, the mixture was transported to the Bath-Ill. From Bath-II to the Bath-III, the velocity of the conveyer and its inclination angle is calculated to carry out an equivalent ratio of cellulose mixture and sodium solution. The measured ratio was approximately 40-60%. The amount of the sodium hydroxide plus sodium carbonate impregnated into the cellulose material was about 7% of the total cellulose weight.
[0054] Boric acid solution was added to Bath-II for the neutralization process. The neutralization at 40-50 Celsius degree during 15 minutes required about 100 liter of boric acid solution from about 12% to about 20% of concentration. To facilitate the neutralizing reaction, ammonium sulfate is added at about 2% to about 4% of the cellulose material. This salt serves as a catalyst reagent to accelerate the reactions and facilitate the impregnation process of the fire retardant compound to the surface of the cellulose fibers. To facilitate the mixing process about 0.01% to about 0.05% of palm oil is added to the mixture. The produced cellulose material in this technological step was strongly controlled. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the inorganic composition of the material show a formation of the family borate compounds, including the sodium tetra borate (Na2B4O7*10H2O). The microscopic analysis of the dried cellulose fibers prepared in this example shows that borate salts are strongly fixed and well dispersed on the surface of the fibers, thus the effectiveness of the fire-retardant compound is notably higher than the case of traditionally aspersion of these compounds to the insulation materials.
[0055] The processed material in Bath-II was dried into a filter-press to form sample of panels. In addition, the conformed and dried material was pulverized for blowing application. In both cases high quality results, were attained.
[0056] By using the named processes, the produced insulation material has a bulk density of 29 Kg/m3. The insulation product experimentally produced in accordance with the invention meets all the applicable government requirements for the fire resistant material, including those stated in ASTM C-739.
[0057] The present invention involves numerous advantages attainable to the agricultural byproducts that can be used for the production of fire resistant cellulose material include sugarcane bagasse, guayule bagasse, cellulose-containing farming wastes and byproducts and other vegetative residuals from the extractive processes of oils, resins, wax, and aromatic components.
[0058] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respect only as illustrative and not restrictive and the scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
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An apparatus for production of fire-resistant cellulose material from agricultural byproducts containing cellulose fiber, comprising a first bath for washing said agricultural byproduct cellulose fiber material, a second bath for receiving and mixing said washed agricultural byproduct cellulose fiber material with an effective amount of an aqueous solution suitable for separating said cellulose fibers, conveyer means disposed between said first bath and said second bath for receiving said separated cellulose fibers and moving washed said cellulose fibers to said second bath, and a third bath for receiving and mixing said mixture of separated cellulose fibers produced in said second bath with an effective amount of an aqueous solution suitable for neutralizing said mixture and for producing a fire retardant chemical precipitated on the surface of said cellulose fibers, and conveyer means disposed between said second bath and said third bath for receiving said separated cellulose fibers and moving said separated cellulose fibers to said third bath.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 032,641 filed Mar. 31, 1987, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of international application No. PCT/US86/00315 filed Feb. 19, 1986 which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 703,833 filed Feb. 21, 1985, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Technical Field
This invention relates to thermoplastic polymer blends and shaped articles made therefrom, e.g., by injection molding, which are receptive and adherent to preparative, protective and/or decorative coatings, e.g., automotive paints. (The term "paint" as used herein includes all types of coatings such as primers, surface treatments, adhesives, sealants, enamels, paints and the like which can be applied to the surface of an article made from the compositions of the present invention.)
Description of Background Art
Polymer blends which can be formed or shaped into lightweight and durable articles useful, for example, as automobile parts, toys, housings for various types of equipment, and the like are well known in the art. Unfortunately, with polymer blends derived from components such as polyethylene, polypropylene and rubber, it is difficult to paint articles formed therefrom so that the paint securely and durably adheres to the surface. The problem of paint adhesion is of particular concern in the case of articles made of blends derived from thermoplastic olefin ("TPO") compositions of the type disclosed, for example, in Kawai, U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,065 and Fukui et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,412,016 and 4,439,573 which are incorporated herein by reference.
In particular, TPO compositions which are mechanical blends of synthetic rubber and polyolefins, such as polypropylene and polyethylene, are used for fabricating lightweight and durable products for use in the automotive industry and in various other applications. Because articles made from TPO compositions have gained acceptance in the automotive industry as substitutes for steel bumpers, body parts and the like, it is important to be able to paint such articles so that there is little visible difference between them and the metallic parts of the vehicle.
The utility of TPO blends would be expanded in automotive and other applications if the adhesion of paints to articles made from such blends were improved. Such other applications include flocked sheets for trunk liners and decorative rub strips which are currently being made of other plastics such as polyvinylchloride ("PVC") to which paints adhere better.
Unfortunately, articles made from polymer compositions containing substantial amounts of polyethylene (and/or polypropylene) and rubber are often difficult to paint so that the paint adheres permanently to them. In particular, most paints will either not initially adhere to the product or else peel or chip away under normal field use or high humidity conditions, or in the presence of fuels or solvents.
Various methods have been tried to make articles having substantial amounts of polypropylene and/or rubber therein more paint receptive. The use of primers or adhesion promoters as chlorinated polyolefins, and plasma surface treatment or other electronic surface treatments are examples. However, these prior methods for increasing the paint receptivity of such articles are costly and time consuming. The use of chlorinated polymers to promote adhesion between the surface of the article and the paint as disclosed for example, in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,573 is required in state-of-the-art automotive applications; but even so, the gasoline and solvent resistance of painted TPO parts pretreated in this way has only been marginally acceptable.
It is therefore apparent that a need exists for polymer compositions that can be used to form paint receptive, durable and lightweight shaped articles which do not require surface pre-treatment.
Polymer blends derived from TPO have been used for film and packaging applications, as taught, for example, in Yoshimara et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,303. Also, while prior compositions of polyolefins and copolymers of ethylene and ethylenically unsaturated carboxycic acids and ionomers have been used for improved ink adhesion and lacquer bonding, such compositions did not possess the physical properties needed for molding applications nor do they possess the high humidity resistance or high level of paint adhesion of the blends of the present invention. The present invention features the use of components which makes possible blends that are particularly suitable for injection molding. Such blends, when molded, exhibit remarkable and unexpected improvements in receptivity toward certain paints, including automotive paints, without sacrificing the other desirable properties of TPO blends.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide polymer blends that are useful for making lightweight, durable articles having paint receptive and adherent surfaces.
Another object of the invention is to provide lightweight and durable shaped articles made from polymer blends according to the invention and having paint receptive surfaces.
Another object is to provide durably painted shaped articles made from polymer blends according to the invention. Another object is to provide methods for producing compositions in the form of polymer blends, shaped articles made from such blends having paint-receptive surfaces, and durably painted shaped articles.
Yet another object is to provide coating systems, coating additives and surface treatments suitable for use with the compositions and articles of the invention.
These and other objects of the invention as well as the advantages thereof can be had by reference to the following description and claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing objects are achieved according to the present invention by the discovery of compositions useful for forming functional and decorative shaped articles such as automobile bumpers, bumper skirts, trims, wheel covers, fenders, and the like that are coatable with paint systems including those used in the automotive industry, such painted articles exhibiting excellent paint appearance and durability.
More particularly, the invention includes thermoplastic compositions comprising:
(a) about 2 to 25 weight percent of a copolymer having a melt index of between 0.5 and 1500 and derived from
(i) about 70 to 95 weight percent of ethylene and
(ii) about 5 to 30 weight percent of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid;
(b) about 3 to 50 weight percent of an elastomeric copolymer derived from
(i) ethylene and
(ii) a C 3 to C 12 alpha-olefin;
(c) about 0 to 55 weight percent of a crystalline polymer having a melt flow rate of up to about 30 and selected from
(i) a homopolypropylene,
(ii) a polypropylene onto which has been grafted up to about 12 weight percent of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, and
(iii) a copolymer of
(1) propylene and
(2) up to about 20 mole percent of a C 2 to C 12 alpha-olefin;
(d) about 5 to 50 weight percent of an inorganic filler; and
(e) about 10 to 35 weight percent of
(i) homopolyethylene or
(ii) a copolymer of
(1) ethylene and
(2)
(A) a C 3 to C 12 alpha-olefin, or
(B) a salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, or
(C) an ester of an unsaturated carboxylic acid.
Component (a) is a thermoplastic copolymer of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and ethylene having a melt index ("MI") (ASTM D-1238 @190° C.) range of 0.5 to 1500 with the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid comonomer weight percent ranging from 5 to 30 weight percent. Additional monomers can be polymerized into this copolymer. These copolymers can also contain low levels of metallic salts of unsaturated carboxcylic acids such as sodium or zinc salts.
Component (b) is a thermoplastic elastomeric random copolymer of ethylene with at least one alpha-olefin having from 3 to 12 carbon atoms such as polypropylene and 1-butene. This elastomer can be further copolymerized with a small amount of one or more polyunsaturated hydrocarbons such as 1,4-butadiene, isoprene, 1,4-hexadiene, ethylidene norbornene, and the like. In these component (b) copolymers, the ethylene content desirably falls in the range of from 20 to 90 mole percent, preferably from 40 to 90 mole percent, and most preferably from 65 to 85 mole percent. The elastomer can also be selected from copolymers of styrene and butadiene. Less preferred but also suitable are polyisoprene, bromobutyl rubber, and nitrile rubber. A combination of these elastomers can also be used.
The density of these elastomeric copolymers should be between about 0.85 and 0.92 g/cm 3 and typically is about 0.90 to 0.92 g/cm 3 , with a density of 0.91 g/cm 3 being especially preferred. The crystallinity in the rubbery zone generally ranges from substantially amorphous to low partial crystallinity on the order of not more than 30% crystallinity as determined by X-ray analysis.
Especially preferred as component (b) is a copolymer of ethylene and propylene and which can, if desired, have incorporated therein a small amount of a diene. The elastomer possesses a melt index (ASTM D-1238 @190° C.) of from 0.1 to 10, preferably from 0.2 to 6.
Component (c) is a crystalline homopolymer or one or more crystalline copolymers of propylene with to about 20 mole percent ethylene or other alpha-olefin having up to about 12 carbon atoms. For applications where large parts are injection molded, the melt flow rate ("MFR") (ASTM D-1238 Condition L @230° C.) of component (c) is preferably between 5.0 and 30.0, preferably from about 8.0 to 20.0. For small parts, MFR's of less than 1.0 are suitable.
In some cases random and block copolymers of propylene and ethylene can be used to modify physical properties. A particularly useful example of this is polypropylene which has been graft polymerized with up to about 12 weight percent acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. Such copolymers assist dispersing of the components in the blend and increase the flexural moduli of articles molded therefrom.
Component (d) is an inorganic finely divided filler such as talc, mica, glass, or silica, or mixture of fillers. Talc and milled glass are the preferred fillers.
Component (e) is a polyethylene or a copolymer of ethylene produced by a medium or low pressure process and having a density ranging from 0.88 to 0.97 g/cm 3 . Suitable copolymers are commercially available. The comonomers can be alpha-olefins having from 3 to 12 carbon atoms. Other suitable ethylene copolymers are ionomers made by converting the carboxylic acid functional groups in copolymers of ethylene and ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids to metallic salts such as sodium or zinc salts, as typified by DuPont's Surlyn resins. Also suitable, albeit less desirable, are ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymers. Component (e) desirably possesses a melt index in the range of 0.1 to 20.
The foregoing compositions of the present invention have excellent paintability, a broad range of stiffness values and high impact and tensile strengths suitable for automotive applications such as bumpers, fenders, facias and wheel covers. The polymer compositions of this invention can be molded or otherwise formed or shaped to produce articles that are lightweight, durable, and have surfaces that are paint receptive whereby the articles can be painted and the paint cured at temperatures exceeding 250° F. and the paint coat will adhere to the articles to produce a durable and attractive finish. Compositions formulated in accordance with the invention can withstand elevated temperatures as high as 250° F. and above. A composition withstands such a temperature when it does not thermally degrade, as by charring, or distort in shape to the point where it is not usable for its intended function (including fitting with other parts) at that temperature or when cooled down.
In addition to the aforementioned required components, other compatible polymers, fillers, reinforcing agents, pigmenting agents, stabilizers and the like can be added to the composition. For example, processing aids such as metal carboxylates, improve paint adhesion. Also found to improve paint adhesion is the use of titanate coupling agents on the fillers.
It has also been discovered that paints which adhere best to articles made of the present compositions are those containing active substituents which react with the carboxylic acid functional group of the ethylene-acrylic acid and ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers of component (a). Examples of such active paint constituents include epoxy resins, carbodiimides, urea resins, melamine-formaldehyde resins, enamines, ketimines, amines, and isocyanates. These and other paint constituents capable of reacting with carboxylic acid functional groups are well known in the paint and coatings industry and have been used not only to impart adhesion of the paint to substrates but also to react with free carboxylic acid groups to prevent undesirable acid catalyzed reactions.
Polymer compositions useful for producing shaped, paint receptive motor vehicle parts such as wheel covers, for example, are molded from a blend of components (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e). Various other compatible polymers, fillers, reinforcing agents, stabilizers and pigment materials can be added to the polymer composition with the resulting polymer blend being formable (e.g., by injection molding) into shaped articles that have highly paint receptive surfaces.
The preferred component (a) copolymers are ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers ("EAA") and ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers ("EMAA"). These include conventional ethylene and acrylic acid copolymers and ethylene and methacrylic acid copolymers, or mixtures or blends thereof. Such materials are usually produced by the free radical copolymerization of ethylene with acrylic acid or ethylene with methacrylic acid. The resulting copolymers have carboxylic acid groups along the backbone and/or side chains of the copolymer. Ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers or ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers preferred for use in the invention have at least about 5 percent by weight of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid monomer units in the polymer chain. Copolymers having lower acid content can be also be used, although this is less desirable; for example, higher homologs of the above described ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers such as ethylene-ethacrylic acid or ethylene propacrylic acid copolymers can be used.
The melt index of the ethylene acrylic acid or ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers is in the range of about 0.5 to 1500. The preferred melt index is between about 5 and 300, and most preferably between about 10 to 300. A melt index between about 5 and 300 is preferred for large part injection molding applications. For applications where small parts are molded and/or more tensile strength or impact strength is needed, melt indices of 0.5 to 5 are preferred. For such small part applications the melt index of components (b), (c), and (e) should also be low to facilitate dispersion during compounding.
Component (a) is required at a minimum of about 2 weight percent and a maximum of about 25 weight percent to achieve acceptable initial paint adhesion. The preferred range is 5% to 20% for good humidity resistance. Above 25%, impact strength of most blends is adversely affected.
Component (b), the elastomer component of the instant invention, can be any elastomer that is compatible or can be rendered compatible with the other ingredients of the blend. For example, the elastomer component can be ethylene-propylene, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer, styrene-butadiene-styrene, acrylonitrile-butadiene, bromobutyl rubber, etc. The term "compatible" is intended to mean that when the components of the blend are combined, the resultant blend can be molded, extruded or otherwise formed or shaped into commercially useful articles.
A wide range of elastomers can be used. The primary requirements are (1) the elastomer should be of a low enough viscosity so that it can be dispersed into component (e) and/or component (c). The use of fillers and coupling agents renders chemically dissimilar components compatible enough to be suitable in many cases. Elastomers which offer the best compromise of cost and performance are the ethylene-propylene rubbers and styrene-butadiene rubbers. The optimum melt viscosity of the elastomer varies with the melt viscosity of the other components. Generally, as the melt indices of components (a), (c), and (e) are reduced, so should the melt index of the elastomer be reduced to maintain an optimum balance of paint adhesion and physical properties.
The following is a list of commercially available elastomers which are suitable for use in the invention:
______________________________________Name Type Supplier______________________________________Polysar 306 Ethylene-Propylene PolysarPolysar X2 Bromobutyl Rubber PolysarKrynac 19.65 Nitrile Rubber PolysarNordel 2722 Ethylene-Propylene-Hexadiene DuPontVistalon 719 Ethylene-Propylene ExxonKraton G 11650 Styrene-Ethylene-Butadiene Shell StyreneStereon 840 A Styrene-Butadiene FirestoneGE 7340 Hydrogenated Styrene-Butadiene Goldsmith & EggletonNatsyn 2200 Polyisoprene Goodyear______________________________________
The elastomer component is used at levels ranging from 3 to 50 weight percent. The preferred range is about 10 to 40 weight percent. Below 3 weight percent paint adhesion and durability are poor.
The polypropylene component (c) of the present invention includes conventional polypropylenes having melt flow rates (ASTM D-1238 Condition L @230° C.) of desirably from about 0.1 to about 30 and preferably from about 0.8 to 30. Polypropylenes having melt flow rates in this range can be blended effectively with the other components to produce polymer compositions that can be effectively molded or extruded, or otherwise shaped to produce low cost, lightweight articles that are paint receptive. The polypropylene component of the invention can be either a homopolymer of propylene or it can be a copolymer of propylene. When a copolymer of propylene and ethylene is utilized as the polypropylene component, the copolymer can either be a random or block copolymer or a graft copolymer such as described above.
When the polypropylene component of the invention is increased beyond about 75 weight percent of the total composition, initial paint adhesion becomes unacceptable, although physical properties for most applications begin to deteriorate beyond about 55 weight percent polypropylene. For some random copolymers of polypropylene and ethylene, good initial adhesion can be achieved up to 85 weight percent thereof in the blend; however, the physical properties begin to suffer beyond 50-55 weight percent of the blend.
The minimum level of component (c) is dictated by the oven bake temperature. To withstand a bake temperature of 180° F., no polypropylene is required if HDPE is used in component (e). Additionally, the HDPE may be crosslinked by electron beam radiation or by chemical means to reduce sagging or distorting at high bake temperatures. To withstand oven bake temperatures of 250° F. most compositions will require at least about 30% of component (c) with a minimum of 9% being homopolymer or 13% being a highly crystalline block copolymer or a graft copolymer.
The filler, component (d) can be used from about 5 to 50 weight percent. Basic fillers or fillers which can react with the carboxylic acid functional groups tend to reduce paint adhesion. Neutral or non-reactive fillers such as mica, glass, silica talc, or phosphate fiber do not suffer these drawbacks and are able to control flexural modulus and to aid in dispersion of the various components. Talc is the preferred filler because of its ability at low concentrations to impart high flexural modulus to injection molded articles.
The filler is necessary to achieve maximum paint adhesion and resistance to humidity. The preferred range for achieving acceptable humidity resistance of painted parts is 5-50 weight percent. Most preferred for overall properties is 8 to 45 weight percent.
Polyethylene and polyethylene copolymers of component (e) are used primarily to help disperse the rubber and the ethylene and ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymers, and also to help achieve desirable physical properties such as tensile strength and impact strength. This component is also necessary to achieve acceptable humidity resistance. For most automotive applications, a weight range of 5 to 40 weight percent is preferred. Most preferred is 5 to 25 weight percent. For high flexural modulus products, HDPE is preferred. For articles having low flexural moduli, ionomer resins are preferred.
The melt index of component (e) is between about 0.1 and 20, and preferably between about 0.8 and 2.0 for injection molding applications.
Various other materials can be incorporated into the polymer blends of the invention. Such materials can include other compatible polymers, pigments, dyes, processing aids, antistatic additives, surfactants and stabilizers generally used in polymeric compositions. Particularly useful for improving humidity resistance of these blends are styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers and a wide variety of cationic surfactants. These minor components are each used at less than 2.0 weight percent and preferably less than 1.0 weight percent. They afford greater latitude for optimizing physical properties while also maintaining good paint adhesion.
It will of course be understood that mixtures of various materials that fall within the aforementioned recitations of components and proportions can also be used. For example, the polypropylene component of the invention can be a blend or a mixture of various polypropylenes such as a blend of homopolypropylene with various propylene copolymers.
The blending or mixing of the various components of the invention can be carried out using conventional mixing equipment such as Banbury mixers, as well as extrusion mixing equipment. It will be understood that the polymer blends of the instant invention can be blended and then pelletized for easy storage, shipment and subsequent use.
The polymer blends of the invention can be made into useful articles by any known means such as by extrusion, injection molding, blow molding, or thermoforming. The preferred method is injection molding.
Photomicrographic analysis of cross-sections of injection molded articles made from the present polymer blends indicates the existence of a polymer matrix having co-continuous phases within it. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that such morphology stems from the relatively low levels of crystalline polyproplylene and high levels of filler in these blends. Polymer blends containing low amounts of filler or which have been inadequately mixed exhibit a laminar morphology in a to the co-continuous phases. This laminar morphology, which is usually observed in photomicrographs of surfaces of impacted specimens, gives acceptable paint adhesion and physical properties only if the thickness of the individual layers or lamellae remains small. When the thickness of such layers becomes greater, impact strength and paint adhesion are both reduced. The preferred morphology is believed to be a combination of co-continuous and laminar phases with the latter being kept to a minimum. This type of morphology is achieved and can be controlled by the use of fillers and the careful selection of the viscosities of the polymer components.
Once the blends have been formed into shaped articles, the latter can be coated with conventional paints, preferably those containing ingredients that will react sufficiently with the carboxylic acid groups in the blend or be of sufficiently high molecular weight so as to anchor themselves in the polymer matrix of the blend. As mentioned previously, such components can include melamine-formaldehyde resins, epoxides, carbodiimides, enamines, ketimines, amines, isocyanates or any material that has functional groups capable of reacting with carboxylic acids groups.
The shaped articles can also be pre-treated with additives that will react with the carboxylic acid prior to painting for the purpose of improving paint adhesion. Such treatment can include primers such as epoxy or urethane primers and their components. The paint will adhere to the article to form a durable and tough finish that will resist peeling, chipping, high humidity conditions and gasoline. It has been found that the polymer blends of this invention are especially useful for producing finished articles that are painted with urethane-polyester paints, such as PPG Industries Durethane 700 HSE (High Solids Enamel).
The preferred paint system is cured with melamine-formaldehyde cross-linking agents such as Cymel 303 made by American Cyanamid Corp., or other urea resins. Such paints require baking temperatures of about 250° F. Although lower bake temperatures can be used to crosslink the coating, a minimum temperature of 250° F. is usually required to effect the reaction between the carboxylic acid of the substrate and the malamine formaldehyde resin of the paint.
The composition of the paint system is important. Certain additives pigments tend to poison the reaction by being absorbed onto the acidic substrate and thereby preventing the desired reaction from occurring. Uniform results are achieved by using a primer having none of the undesirable additives. The primer can then be top-coated with a variety of paint systems.
If the paint system is chosen carefully, a single coating (without primer) can achieve excellent results on articles made according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following three formulations illustrate polymer blends of the present invention having different flexural moduli:
______________________________________ A B C______________________________________12 MFR polypropylene 12.0 11.1 2.0ethylene - methacrylic 13.0 13.0 10.0-3.0acid copolymer, 25 MIEP rubber, low ethylene 22.0 17.0 12.0-5.0styrene-maleic anhydride 0.6 0.6 0.6copolymerhigh density PE 5.0 20.0 20.0talc 10.0 20.0 45.021/2% ethylene-propylene 19.0 10.0 0.0random copolymeracrylic acid grafted PP 8.0 8.0 10.0-20.0nucleating agent 0.15 0.15 0.15quaternary ammonium 0.3 0.3 0.3surfactantantioxidants 0.4 0.4 0.4titanate coupling agent 0.025 0.0 0.0Surlyn 9020 10.0 0.0 0.0______________________________________
The formulation in column A represents polymer blends having flexural moduli ranging from 40,000 psi to 90,000 psi. Column B is for a polymer blend having moduli ranging from 90,000 psi to 190,000 psi. Column C illustrates blends having moduli ranging from 190,000 psi to about 300,000 psi.
To demonstrate the paint receptive properties of articles made from the polymer blends of this invention, several non-limiting examples are given below. In all of the examples, the various polymer blends are prepared by combining the stated components in the amounts indicated and then subjecting them to intensive mixing in a Banbury mixer or in an extruder. After the mixing step, the blends are injection molded to form test plaques measuring approximately 3"×6"×0.125".
In preparing the test plaques for painting, the surfaces of the plaques are first wiped clean with methylethylketone (MEK). After the MEK has evaporated from the surface, the test plaques are painted with PPG Industries Durethane HSE 9440 enamel by spraying the paint in two passes to coat entirely the plaque surface with each pass. A 1.5 to 2 minute flash time is allowed between each of the passes. The dry film thickness of the paint is between about 1.5 to about 1.8 mils. Durethane HSE 9440 paint is a high solids elastomeric enamel that is composed of a polyester urethane backbone. Following the application of both coats of the paint to the surface of the test plaques, the plaques were cured by baking at 250° F. for 30 minutes.
Four separate tests are made to evaluate the paint receptive qualities of the test plaques.
TEST I
In the first test, paint adhesion after 24 hours is evaluated by taking a test plaque and, using a razor knife, cutting X-shaped cross hatch marks through the paint film to the surface of the plaque. Thereafter, Permacel P-703 tape is applied to the cut area while pressing the tape down with a fingernail or by rubbing the backside of the tape with a pencil eraser. The tape is then removed by rapidly pulling the tape at a 90° angle to the surface to the test plaque. Following the removal of the tape, the plaque surface is examined for paint removal. The number of squares removed divided by the total number of squares in the cross hatch area (usually 25) is reported. This first test is used as a quick screening method to evaluate various blends and various paint systems.
TEST II
In the second test to evaluate paint adhesion, a solvent resistance test is utilized. This solvent resistance test has been referred to in the automotive industry as the "Fisher-Body" method. In conducting the test, a painted plaque is immersed in a mixture of 55% naphtha and 45% toluene. Following immersion in the naphtha-tolulene mixture for 10 seconds, the test plaque is removed and dried in the air for 20 seconds. During the drying cycle, scratches with a fingernail or dull knife are attempted over the painted surface. The solvent resistance test is repeated for a number of cycles wherein the test plaque was alternately dippled in the naphtha-toluene for 10 seconds and then allowed air dry for 20 seconds while the scratching is carried out. Any paint removal resulting from such scratching terminates the test. The results of the solvent resistance test are given in the number of cycles occurring until there is a removal of the paint from the test plaque.
TEST III
The third test evaluates the adhesion of paint to the polymer blends of this invention under conditions of high humidity using test plaques that were painted in accordance with the above-mentioned procedure. The painted plaques are placed in a humidity chamber that has been maintained at 100% humidity at 38° C. The plaques are removed after 96 hours of exposure and examined for blisters, dulling of paint or any change in paint appearance. Thereafter, a razor knife is used to cut X-shaped cross hatches through the paint film to the surface of the plaque and Permacel P-703 tape was applied to the cut area while pressing down with a fingernail or rubbing the backside of the tape with a pencil eraser. The tape is then removed by rapidly pulling the tape at a 90 degree angle to the surface of the test plaque. Any removal of the paint from the cut area is reported as a fraction of the total number of squares in the cross hatch area. In carrying out this humidity resistance test, the examination of the appearance of the plaques and adhesion of paint thereto is carried out within 10 minutes after the removal of the test plaque from the humidity chamber.
TEST IV
The fourth test measures the force in lbs./in. to peel a 1" wide strip of coating from the test plaques. The test is begun by pressing a 1" wide strip of tape onto the painted surface. A scribe along each side of the tape is made in the opposite direction of pull. The delamination of the paint from the plaque is initiated by raising the leading edge of the paint with a sharp metal blade. Once started, tape is attached to the backside of the delaminated paint and secured to the traversing clamp of an Instron unit. Using an Instron with a load cell of 0-20 lbs. the paint is pulled at a 90° angle to the plaque. Using coating thicknesses of 1.5-2.0 mils, values up to 5.0 lbs/in. are measured. Test I, a method used by the automotive industry to evaluate paint durability, gives paint delamination at adhesion levels up to 0.7 lbs/in. In some cases, however, paints that had adhesion values of only 0.3 lbs/in. passed Test I. This appears to be caused by the tendency of the razor blade to force the coating into some of the softer substrates, thereby making it more difficult for the tape to pull it free.
Using the automotive industry guidelines, adhesion levels of 0.8 lbs/in. or greater are considered as being highly durable.
In most of the following examples, it was not possible to separate the paint from the substrate by any means.
EXAMPLES
Chart I demonstrates the importance of the inorganic filler to achieving good humidity resistance of painted parts.
__________________________________________________________________________CHART I__________________________________________________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Random 38.0 35.0 30.0 26.0 -- -- -- --Copolymer 2-3% EthylenePolypropylene 12 MFR Homopolymer 12.1 12.1 12.1 12.1 42.2 37.2 32.2 22.2Ethylene-Propylene Elastomer, 1.5 27.0 27.0 27.0 27.0 16.0 16.0 16.0 16.0MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid 17.0 17.0 17.0 17.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nucrel 925Milled Glass -- 3.0 8.0 12.0 -- -- -- --High Density Polyethylene 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.00.960 g/cc, 1.0 M.I.Styrene-Maleic Anhydride 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6CopolymerQuaternary Ammonium Surfactant 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2Polypropylene Acrylic Acid -- -- -- -- 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0Graft CopolymerTalc -- -- -- -- 0 5 10 20Gardner Impact -30° C., In. Lbs 280 280 256 264 256 256 256 256ASTM D-3029Tensile Strength, 1/8" Thick 1,800 1,700 1,500 1,400 2,600 2,600 2,500 2,500Bar, PSIFlexural Modulus, PSI ASTM D 790 58,000 63,000 59,000 58,000 135,000 140,000 145,000 150,000Peel Strength Test IV ("NP" Means NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NPPaint Cannot Be Removed)Solvent Resistance Test II >20 >20 >20 >20 >20 >20 >20 >20Humidity Resistance Test III Blisters Blisters Pass Pass Large Large Small Pass Fail Fail Blis. Blis. Blis.Intial Adhesion Test I Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass__________________________________________________________________________
Chart II demonstrates the importance of the polyethylene and copolymers of ethylene for physical properties and for paint adhesion.
__________________________________________________________________________CHART II__________________________________________________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Random 22.2 27.2 -- -- --Copolymer 2-4% EthylenePolypropylene 12 MFR Homopolymer 9.0 9.0 55.2 50.2 35.2Ethylene-Propylene Elastomer, 1.5 22.0 27.0 21.0 21.0 21.0MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid 13.0 13.0 8.0 8.0 8.0Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nucrel 925High Density Polyethylene 5.0 5.0 -- 5.0 20.00.960 g/cc, 1.0 M.I.Styrene-Maleic Anhydride 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6CopolymerQuaternary Ammonium Surfactant 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2Polypropylene Acrylic Acid 8.0 8.0 5.0 5.0 5.0Graft CopolymerTalc 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0Suryln 9020 Ionomer Resin 10.0 -- -- -- --Copolymer of EthyleneGardner Impact -30° C., In. Lbs 320 280 280 200 240ASTM D-3029Tensile Strength, 1/8" Thick 1800 1600 2400 2300 2200Bar, PSIFlexural Modulus, PSI ASTM D 790 71,000 65,000 150,000 147,000 141,000Peel Strength Test IV "NP" Means NP NP NP NP NPPaint Cannot Be RemovedSolvent Resistance Test II P P P P PHumidity Resistance Test III P F F F P Blisters Blisters BlistersInitial Adhesion Test I P P F(4) F(2) P__________________________________________________________________________
Chart III demonstrates the importance of the melt index of the ethylene-methcrylic acid copolymer for optimizing paint adhesion in any one blend composition.
__________________________________________________________________________CHART III__________________________________________________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Random 27.0 27.0 27.0 27.0 27.0 27.0 27.0Copolymer 2-4% EthylenePolypropylene 12 MFR Homopolymer 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0Ethylene-Propylene Elastomer, 1.5 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid 17.0 -- -- -- 9.0 9.0 9.0Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nucrel 925Ethylene-Acrylic Acid Copolymer -- 17.0 -- -- 8.0 -- --300 M.I. Primacor 5981High Density Polyethylene 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.00.960 g/cc, 1.0 M.I.Styrene-Maleic Anhydride 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6CopolymerQuaternary Ammonium Surfactant 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4Ethylene-Methacrylic Acid Copolymer -- -- 17.0 -- -- 8.0 --14.0 M.I. Nucrel 714Ethylene-Methacrylic Acid -- -- -- 17.0 -- -- 8.0Copolymer 3.0 M.I. Nucrel 403Talc 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0Flexural Modulus, PSI ASTM D 790 43,000 35,000 46,000 45,000 39,000 43,000 44,000Initial Adhesion Test I P P P F(3) P F(6) F(7)__________________________________________________________________________
Chart IV gives examples of high flexural modulus compositions which possess a high receptivity toward automotive paints. At least 2.5% by weight of an ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer or ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer is required to achieve good initial paint adhesion to parts molded from these compositions.
______________________________________CHART IV______________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Ran- -- -- -- --dom Copolymer 2-4%EthylenePolypropylene 12 MFR 11.7 11.9 11.9 11.9HomopolymerEthylene-Propylene Elastomer, 12.0 17.0 17.0 17.01.5 MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid 5.0 5.0 2.5 --Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nucrel 925Milled Glass -- -- -- --High Density Polyethylene 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.00.960 g/cc, 1.0 M.I.Styrene-Maleic Anhidride 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.5CopolymerQuaternary Ammonium Sur- 0.3 0.6 0.6 0.6factantPolypropylene Acrylic Acid 20.0 20.0 22.5 25.0Graft CopolymerTalc 45.0 40.0 40.0 40.0Gardner Impact -30° C., In. 116 144 145 154Lbs ASTM D-3029Tensile Strength, 1/8" Thick 2500 2200 2200 2300Bar, PSIFlexural Modulus, PSI 356,000 224,000 229,000 250,000ASTM D 790Solvent Resistance Test II >20 >20 >20 >20Humidity Resistance Test III P P F F Small BlistersInitial Adhesion Test I P P P F______________________________________
Chart V demonstrates that good initial paint adhesion can be achieved using high levels of crystalline polypropylene homopolymers and copolymers.
______________________________________CHART V______________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Ran- 75.0 85.0 -- -- --dom Copolymer 2-4% EthylenePolypropylene 12 MFR -- -- 70.0 76.0 78.0HomopolymerEthylene-Propylene Elastomer, 15.6 7.5 20.1 14.1 13.11.5 MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid 8.0 6.1 8.5 8.5 7.5Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nurel 925Styrene-Maleic Anhydride 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0CopolymerQuaternary Ammonium Sur- 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4factantInitial Adhesion Test I P P P P F______________________________________
Chart VI demonstrates that certain ionomer resins such as DuPont Surlyn can be used as a substitute for component (A) in some cases. Surlyn resins are based upon copolymers of ethylene and methacrylic acid. Different grades are manufactured by reacting to varying degrees the carboxylic acid with either sodium or zinc salts. Such resins with very low sodium or zinc concentrations probably perform in a manner similar to the unneutralized resins. The Surlyn resins evaluated here did not provide acceptable humidity resistance, probably because of high levels of sodium and zinc salts. Also unlike the ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers in component (A), low 1.0-2.0 M.I. Surlyn resins were required to achieve any level of adhesion at all. High M.I. resins Surlyn 8660 (10.0) and Surlyn 9970 (14.0 resulted in little or no initial adhesion.
__________________________________________________________________________CHART VI__________________________________________________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Random 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1Copolymer 2-4% EthylenePolypropylene 12 MFR Homopolymer 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0Ethylene-Propylene Elastomer, 23.9 23.9 23.9 23.9 23.9 23.9 23.9 18.9 18.91.5 MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid -- -- -- -- -- -- 15.0 10.0 10.0Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nucrel 925Milled Glass 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0High Density Polyethylene 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.00.960 g/cc, 1.0 M.I.Styrene-Maleic Anhydride 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6CopolymerQuaternary Ammonium Surfactant 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4Surlyn 8020 15.0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --Surlyn 8528 -- 15.0 -- -- -- -- 10.0 --Surlyn 8660 -- -- 15.0 -- -- -- -- -- 10.0Surlyn 9020 -- -- -- 15.0 -- -- -- -- --Surlyn 9721 -- -- -- -- 15.0 -- -- -- --Surlyn 9970 -- -- -- -- -- 15.0 -- -- --Flexural Modulus, ASTM D-790, PSJ 36,000 44,000 44,000 38,000 44,000 40,000 41,000 45,000 44,000Initial Adhesion Test I P P F P P F P P PHumidity Resistance Test III F F F F F F P P P__________________________________________________________________________
Chart VII demonstrates the use of LDPE and HDPE in several formulas. To modify physical properties paint adhesion is maintained so long as the melt index of the PE is in the range of 0.1 to 20.0 and preferably 0.8 to 10.0.
__________________________________________________________________________CHART VII__________________________________________________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Random 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0Copolymer 2-4% EthylenePolypropylene 12 MFR Homopolymer 11.1 11.1 11.1 11.1 11.1 11.1 11.1Ethylene-Propylene Elastomer, 1.5 17.0 17.0 17.0 17.0 17.0 12.0 7.0MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nucrel 925Union Carbide SLGA 1041 LLDPE 0 3.0 5.0 8.0 10.0 5.0 10.0High Density Polyethylene 20.0 17.0 15.0 12.0 10.0 20.0 20.00.960 g/cc, 1.0 M.I.Styrene-Maleic Anhydride 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6CopolymerQuaternary Ammonium Surfactant 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3Polypropylene Acrylic Acid 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0Graft CopolymerTalc 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0Gardner Impact -30° C., In. Lbs 296 312 304 312 288 256 224ASTM D-3029Tensile Strength, 1/8" Thick 2300 2100 2000 1900 1800 2300 2300Bar, PSIFlexural Modulus, PSI ASTM D 790 150,000 143,000 128,000 116,000 112,000 160,000 177,000Peel Strength Test IV "NP" Means NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NPPaint Cannot Be RemovedSolvent Resistance Test II P P P P P P P PHumidity Resistance Test III P P P P P P P PInitial Adhesion Test I P P P P P P P P__________________________________________________________________________
Chart VIII demonstrates the use of a styrene-butadiene elastomer as component B.
__________________________________________________________________________CHART VIII__________________________________________________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Random 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0Copolymer 2-4% EthylenePolypropylene 12 MFR Homopolymer 11.1 11.1 11.1 11.1 11.1Ethylene-Propylene Elastomer, 1.5 17.0 7.0 -- 12.0 --MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nurel 925Styrene-Butadiene Copolymer 58% -- -- -- 5.0 17.0Styrene Milled GlassHigh Density Polyethylene 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.00.960 g/cc, 1.0 M.I.Styrene-Maleic Anhydride 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6CopolymerQuaternary Ammonium Surfactant 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2Polypropylene Acrylic Acid 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0Graft CopolymerTalc 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0Styrene-Butadiene Copolymer 30% By 0 10.0 17.0 -- --W.T. Styrene Mooney Visocity 25-35Gardner Impact -30° C., In. Lbs 296 240 192 272 88ASTM D-3029Tensile Strength, 1/8" Thick 2500 2600 2900 2400 2700Bar, PSIFlexural Modulus, PSI ASTM D 790 176,000 196,000 201,000 173,000 206,000Peel Strength Test IV "NP" Means NP NP NP NP NPPaint Cannot Be RemovedSolvent Resistance Test II P P P P PHumidity Resistance Test III P P P P PInitial Adhesion Test I P P P P P__________________________________________________________________________
Chart IX demonstrates the performance of blends having little or no polypropylene component.
______________________________________CHART IX______________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Random -- --Copolymer 2-4% EthylenePolypropylene 12 MFR Homopolymer -- --Ethylene-Propylene Elastomer, 1.5 15.0 15.0MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid 13.0 13.0Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nurel 925Milled Glass -- --High Density Polyethylene 41.2 41.20.960 g/cc, 1.0 M.I.Styrene-Maleic Anhydride 0.6 0.6CopolymerQuaternary Ammonium Surfactant 0.2 0.2Polypropylene Acrylic Acid -- 10.0Graft CopolymerTalc 30.0 20.0Gardner Impact -30° C., In. Lbs 320 320ASTM D-3029Tensile Strength, 1/8" Thick 2500 2300Bar, PSIFlexural Modulus, PSI ASTM D 790 151,000 143,000Peel Strength Test IV "NP" Means NP NPPaint Cannot Be RemovedSolvent Resistance Test II P PHumidity Resistance Test III P PInitial Adhesion Test I P P______________________________________
Chart X demonstrates that elimination of the adhesion promoter results in painted parts having dramatically improved gasoline and solvent resistance.
______________________________________CHART X______________________________________Polypropylene 12 MFR Homopolymer 32.0 32.0 32.0 32.0Ethylene-Propylene Elastomer, 1.5 15.0 15.0 28.0 28.0MFR 70% EthyleneEthylene-Methacrylic Acid 13.0 13.0 -- --Copolymer, 25 M.I. Nurel 925Milled Glass -- -- -- --High Density Polyethylene 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.00.960 g/cc, 1.0 M.I.Talc 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0Adhesion Promoter + Top Coat x xTop Coat Only x xSolvent Resistance Test II 3 20 3 3Humidity Resistance Test III P P P FInitial Adhesion Test I P P P F______________________________________
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Thermoplastic compositions and articles made therefore which have a high receptivity toward automotive paints comprises components (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e), wherein, for example
2%-25% (a) is a copolymer of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and ethylene,
3%-50% (b) is an elastomer comprising an ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymer,
0%-55% (c) is a crystalline homopolymer or copolymer of propylene,
5%-50% (d) is an inorganic filler, and
10%-35% (e) is polyethylene or a copolymer of ethylene and an alpha-olefin.
Such articles, when injection molded, exhibit flexural moduli in the range of 30,000 to 400,000 psi and have excellent paintability, a broad range of stiffness values and high impact and tensile strengths suitable for automotive applications such as bumpers and facias and wheel covers.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/735,133, filed on Dec. 10, 2012; which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to the synthesis of ITQ-32 and use of the resultant molecular sieve as an adsorbent and a catalyst for organic conversion reactions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] ITQ-32 is a molecular sieve having a two-dimensional pore system comprising cages linked through windows of 8-membered rings of tetrahedrally coordinated atoms. Although the widest cross section of the large cages is circumscribed by 12-rings, these 12-rings can only be accessed by diffusion through the 8-ring channels. ITQ-32 has been assigned the framework type IHW by the Structure Commission of the International Zeolite Association.
[0004] ITQ-32 is of interest for the separation of small molecular species like carbon dioxide and methane because of the small dimensions of its pores (3.5 Å×4.3 Å). This and other separations using ITQ-32 are described in, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0202416.
[0005] The characteristic X-ray diffraction pattern of ITQ-32 and its synthesis in the presence of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyldecahydrocyclobuta[1,2-c;3,4-c′]dipyrrolidinium and 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cations as organic structure directing agents are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,582,278. However, the synthesis mixtures described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,582,278 require the presence of fluoride ions, which in commercial scale operations is disadvantageous in that they may lead to extra safety and cost considerations. There is, therefore, interest in synthesizing ITQ-32 in the absence of fluoride ions.
[0006] According to the present invention, it has now been found that ITQ-32, particularly in a borosilicate form, can be prepared in the absence of fluoride. The fluoride-free synthesis can be effected using 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium as the organic structure directing agent. The synthesis can be accomplished in the absence of alkali metal cations thereby obviating the need for ion-exchange of the product after calcination to remove the occluded organic structure directing agent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In one aspect, the invention resides in a molecular sieve having the structure of ITQ-32 and, in its as-synthesized form, being substantially free of fluoride ions.
[0008] In one embodiment, the molecular sieve comprises 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cations in its pores.
[0009] In one embodiment, the as-synthesized molecular sieve has a composition comprising the molar relationship qQ + :xX 2 O 3 :SiO 2 (normalized to -1.0 silica content) wherein 0<q≦0.06, 0≦x≦0.05, Q + comprises a 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cation, and X comprises a trivalent element, such as at least one of aluminum, boron, chromium, gallium, and iron, desirably including or being boron.
[0010] In a further aspect, the invention resides in a process for producing a molecular sieve having the structure of ITQ-32, the process comprising: (i) preparing a synthesis mixture capable of forming said molecular sieve and comprising water, a source of silica, a source of a trivalent element (X), and a source of 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cations (Q + ), said synthesis mixture being substantially free of fluoride ions and having a composition, in terms of molar ratios, within the following amounts: SiO 2 /X 2 O 3 from about 2 to about 100; Q + /SiO 2 from about 0.02 to about 1.0; and H 2 O/YO 2 from about 10 to about 60; (ii) heating said mixture under crystallization conditions comprising a temperature of from about100° C. to about 200° C. and a time from about 1 day to about 28 days until crystals of said molecular sieve are formed; and (iii) recovering said molecular sieve from step (ii).
[0011] In one embodiment, the synthesis mixture comprises a source of chloride ions, desirably such that the Cl − /SiO 2 molar ratio of said synthesis mixture is (non-zero and) up to about 0.3.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 shows the powder XRD patterns of the as-made and calcined forms of the borosilicate ITQ-32 produced in Example 2.
[0013] FIG. 2 provides SEM images of the borosilicate ITQ-32 produced in Example 2. Magnification increases from left to right and top to bottom within the four images.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Described herein is a process for the synthesis of the molecular sieve ITQ-32 from a synthesis mixture which is substantially free of fluoride ions and optionally may contain other halide ions, particularly chloride ions. As used herein, the term “substantially free of fluoride ions” means that the synthesis mixture contains less than 100 wppm, e.g., less than 50 wppm, less than 25 wppm, less than 10 wppm, or no measurable quantity, of fluoride ions.
[0015] The present synthesis employs 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cations as a structure directing agent, and the processes described herein can produce ITQ-32 material having, in its as-synthesized form, a composition comprising the molar relationship: qQ + :xX 2 O 3 :SiO 2 , wherein 0<q≦0.06, 0≦x≦0.05, Q + comprises a 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cation, and X comprises a trivalent element, such as at least one of aluminum, boron, chromium, gallium, and iron. In one embodiment, boron is present in the as-synthesized molecular sieve, either alone or in combination with one or more other trivalent elements, such as aluminum. It should be understood that the molar relationship above was normalized to the content of the silica component, such that the (absent) coefficient for silica is meant to be ˜1.0.
[0016] In its as-synthesized form, the ITQ-32 produced by the present process can exhibit an X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum including the characteristic peak maxima listed in Table 1 below.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Two-theta (degrees) ± 0.3
Relative Intensity (100 × I/Io)
7.3
m-s
8.8
vs
9.7
w
16.4
w-m
19.6
s
20.2
s-vs
21.0
s-vs
21.9
vs
24.2
m
26.0
m
27.0
m-s
27.5
m
[0017] After calcination to remove the organic material Q + occluded in its pores, the ITQ-32 produced by the present process can have an XRD pattern including the characteristic peak maxima listed in Table 2 below.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Two-theta (degrees) ± 0.3
Relative Intensity (100 × I/Io)
7.4
s-vs
8.9
vs
9.7
w
12.9
w
19.3
w
20.3
w-m
20.9
m
22.0
m
24.3
w
26.0
w-m
27.1
m
27.6
w
[0018] The X-ray diffraction data reported herein were collected with a Panalytical X'Pert Pro diffraction system with an Xcelerator multichannel detector, equipped with a germanium solid state detector, using copper K-alpha radiation. The diffraction data were recorded by step-scanning at 0.02 degrees of two-theta, where theta is the Bragg angle, and using an effective counting time of 2 seconds for each step. The interplanar spacings, d-spacings, were calculated in Angstrom units, and the relative intensities of the lines, I/I o is the ratio of the peak intensity to that of the intensity of the strongest line, above background. The intensities are uncorrected for Lorentz and polarization effects. The relative intensities are given in terms of the symbols “vs”=very strong (60-100%), “s”=strong (40-60%), “m”=medium (20-40%), and “w”=weak (0-20%). In certain cases, some (select) or all weak peaks listed may have non-zero intensities.
[0019] The ITQ-32 described herein can be produced from a synthesis mixture comprising water, a source of silica, a source of a trivalent element (X), and a source of 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cations (Q + ), wherein the synthesis mixture can be substantially free of fluoride ions and can have a composition, in terms of molar ratios, within the following amounts:
[0000]
Reactants
Useful
Preferred
SiO 2 /X 2 O 3
2-100
8-30
Q + /SiO 2
0.02-1.0
0.025-0.6; and
H 2 O/YO 2
10-60
15-40.
[0020] Suitable sources of silica in the above mixture can include, but are not necessarily limited to, colloidal suspensions of silica, precipitated silicas, alkali metal silicates, tetraalkyl-orthosilicates, silicon hydroxides, silicon oxy-hydroxides, and the like, and combinations thereof. Suitable sources of the trivalent element X can depend on the relevant trivalent element(s) employed but, in the case of boron, can include but are not necessarily limited to boric acid, sodium borate, potassium borate, boron oxide, and combinations thereof. Suitable sources of aluminum, when present, can include but are not necessarily limited to hydrated alumina (also called aluminum hydroxides), aluminum oxide, aluminum oxy-hydroxides, water-soluble aluminum salts such as aluminum nitrate, and combinations thereof
[0021] Suitable sources of Q + can include the hydroxides, halides (e.g., chloride, bromide, and/or iodide), and/or other salts of the relevant quaternary ammonium compound.
[0022] In some embodiments, the synthesis mixture can comprise a source of chloride ions, for example such that the Cl − /SiO 2 molar ratio of said synthesis mixture can be (non-zero and) up to about 0.3.
[0023] Though the pH of the synthesis mixture may not necessarily be critical, it can be highly dependent on the combination of various different components in the synthesis mixture. While pH values can extend from 7.5 to 14, it can sometimes be difficult to attain relatively high yield and/or relatively high purity at lower pH values in the synthesis mixture. Nevertheless, in certain embodiments, the pH of the synthesis mixture can be relatively low, e.g., from 8 to 10, while still allowing substantially fluoride-free ITQ-32 product to be effectively made.
[0024] In some embodiments, the synthesis mixture may also include seeds of a molecular sieve material, such as ITQ-32 from a previous synthesis, e.g., in an amount from about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt % or from about 0.5 wt % to about 5 wt % of the synthesis mixture. Additionally or alternately, when seeds such as ITQ-32 seeds are present in the synthesis mixture, they can be present in an amount from about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt % or from about 0.5 wt % to about 5 wt % of the silica component of the synthesis mixture.
[0025] Crystallization of ITQ-32 from the synthesis mixture described herein can be carried out at static or stirred conditions in a suitable reactor vessel (e.g., polypropylene jars or Teflon™-lined or stainless steel autoclaves) at a temperature from about 100° C. to about 200° C., such as from about 140° C. to about 180° C., for a time sufficient for crystallization to occur at the temperature used (e.g., from about 12 hours to about 100 days, from about 1 day to about 7 days, or from about 2 days to about 20 days). Thereafter, the crystals can be separated from the liquid and recovered. It should be appreciated that not all of the trivalent element present in the synthesis mixture may be transferred to the framework of the molecular sieve, such that the SiO 2 /X 2 O 3 molar ratio of the ITQ-32 product may indeed be higher than that of the synthesis mixture. The same can be true with one or more other components of the synthesis mixture.
[0026] Using the synthesis mixture and processes described herein, it is possible to synthesize ITQ-32 that may not only be substantially free of fluoride ions in its as-synthesized form, but that can also contain less than 25 wt % (e.g., contain less than 20 wt %, contain less than 15 wt %, contain less than 11 wt %, or be substantially free) of large pore molecular sieve/zeolite materials (such as ZSM-12), e.g., as measured by XRD techniques. Large pore molecular sieve/zeolite materials, as used herein, have a microporous structure with at least one pore opening cross-sectional dimension being greater than 6 Å. As used herein, the term “substantially free of large pore” materials means that the product contains less than 10 wt %, e.g., less than 8 wt %, less than 6 wt %, less than 5 wt %, less than 4 wt %, less than 3 wt %, or no detectable quantity by XRD techniques), of large pore materials, which can include, but are not necessarily limited to, ZSM-12 and the like. Being a relatively large pore molecular sieve, ZSM-12 can be a relatively undesirable impurity when ITQ-32 is used for adsorption applications. Indeed, it is additionally or alternately possible to synthesize ITQ-32 product using the synthesis mixture and/or processes described herein so as to attain less than 25 wt % (e.g., less than 20 wt %, less than 15 wt %, less than 11 wt %, less than 10 wt %, less than 8 wt %, less than 6 wt %, less than 5 wt %, less than 4 wt %, less than 3 wt %, or no detectable quantity) of impurity (non-ITQ-32) phases, e.g., by XRD techniques.
[0027] In one embodiment, the ITQ-32 product synthesized by the present process can comprise silicon and boron in an atomic ratio (Si/B) of greater than 7, e.g., greater than 8.
[0028] The as-synthesized ITQ-32 product may also be subjected to treatment to remove and/or decompose all or part of the organic directing agent Q used in its synthesis. This can be conveniently accomplished by thermal treatment, in which the as-synthesized material can be heated to a temperature of at least about 370° C. for at least 1 minute and generally not longer than 20 hours. While subatmospheric pressure can be employed for the thermal treatment, atmospheric pressure can be desired for reasons of convenience. The thermal treatment can be performed at a convenient and effective temperature, e.g., up to about 925° C. The thermally treated product, especially in its metal, hydrogen, and ammonium forms, can be particularly useful as an adsorbent and/or in the catalysis of certain organic (e.g., hydrocarbon) conversion reactions.
[0029] The present synthesis of ITQ-32 can be accomplished in the absence of alkali metal cations, thereby obviating the need for ion-exchange of the product after thermal treatment to remove any occluded structure directing agent. However, depending on the X 2 O 3 /SiO 2 molar ratio of the material, any cations in the as-synthesized ITQ-32 can be replaced in accordance with techniques well known in the art, e.g., by ion exchange with other cations. Preferred replacing cations can include, but are not necessarily limited to, metal ions, hydrogen ions, hydrogen precursor (e.g., ammonium) ions, and mixtures thereof. Particularly preferred cations can include those that can tailor the catalytic activity for adsorption and/or for certain hydrocarbon conversion reactions (e.g., hydrogen, rare earth metals, and/or one or more metals of Groups 2-15 of the Periodic Table of the Elements). As used herein, the numbering scheme for the Periodic Table Groups is as disclosed in Chemical and Engineering News, 63(5), 27 (1985).
[0030] ITQ-32, as produced herein, may be intimately combined with a hydrogenating component, such as molybdenum, rhenium, nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese, and/or noble metal (such as platinum and/or palladium), where a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation function may be desirable to perform. Such component can be in the composition by way of co-crystallization, exchanged into the composition (to the extent a trivalent element, e.g., boron, is present in the structure), impregnated therein, and/or intimately physically admixed therewith. Such component can be impregnated in/on to the composition, e.g., in the case of platinum, by treating the silicate with a solution containing a platinum metal-containing ion. Thus, suitable platinum compounds for such purpose can include chloroplatinic acid, platinous chloride, and/or various compounds containing the platinum amine complex.
[0031] The present molecular sieve, when employed as an adsorbent and/or as a catalyst, can generally be at least partially dehydrated. This can be done, e.g., by heating to a temperature from about 120° C. to about 400° C. (e.g., from about 200° C. to about 370° C.) in an atmosphere such as air, nitrogen, etc., and at atmospheric, subatmospheric, or superatmospheric pressures for an appropriate time (e.g., from about 15 minutes to about 48 hours). Dehydration can alternately be performed at room temperature (˜20-25° C.) merely by placing the ITQ-32 in a vacuum, but a longer time may be required to sufficiently dehydrate.
[0032] The ITQ-32 described herein can be particularly useful as an adsorbent in separating a first component, such as carbon dioxide, from a gaseous mixture comprising the first component and an additional second component, such as methane.
[0033] Additionally or alternately, the present invention can include one or more of the following embodiments.
Embodiment 1
[0034] A molecular sieve having the structure of ITQ-32 and, in its as-synthesized form, being substantially free of fluoride ions.
Embodiment 2
[0035] The molecular sieve of embodiment 1, which comprises silicon and boron in an atomic ratio (Si/B) greater than 8:1.
Embodiment 3
[0036] The molecular sieve of embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, wherein the molecular sieve is substantially free of large pore molecular sieve materials, such as ZSM-12.
Embodiment 4
[0037] The molecular sieve of any one of the previous embodiments, further comprising 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cations in its pore structure.
Embodiment 5
[0038] The molecular sieve of embodiment 4, which has a composition comprising the molar relationship: qQ + :xX 2 O 3 :SiO 2 , wherein 0<q≦0.06, 0≦x≦0.05, Q + comprises a 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cation, and X comprises a trivalent element (e.g., comprising at least one of aluminum, boron, chromium, gallium, and iron, such as comprising at least boron and/or aluminum).
Embodiment 6
[0039] A process for producing a molecular sieve having the structure of ITQ-32 and/or a molecular sieve according to any one of the previous embodiments, the process comprising: (i) preparing a synthesis mixture capable of forming the molecular sieve and comprising water, a source of silica, a source of a trivalent element (X), and a source of 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium cations (Q + ), the synthesis mixture being substantially free of fluoride ions and having a composition wherein: an SiO 2 /X 2 O 3 ratio is from about 2 to about 100; a Q + /SiO 2 ratio is from about 0.02 to about 1.0; and an H 2 O/YO 2 ratio is from about 10 to about 60; (ii) heating the mixture under crystallization conditions comprising a temperature of from about 100° C. to about 200° C. and a time from about 1 day to about 28 days until crystals of the molecular sieve are formed; and (iii) recovering the molecular sieve from step (ii).
Embodiment 7
[0040] The process of embodiment 6, wherein the synthesis mixture comprises a source of chloride ions.
Embodiment 8
[0041] The process of embodiment 7, wherein the synthesis mixture exhibits a (non-zero) Cl − /SiO 2 molar ratio up to about 0.3.
Embodiment 9
[0042] The process of any one of embodiments 6-8, wherein the synthesis mixture also contains seeds, e.g., from about 0.01 wppm to about 10000 wppm seeds or from about 100 wppm to about 5000 wppm seeds.
Embodiment 10
[0043] The process of embodiment 9, wherein the seeds comprise a crystalline material having the structure of ITQ-32.
Embodiment 11
[0044] The process of any one of embodiments 6-10, further comprising removing and/or decomposing at least part of the organic material from the molecular sieve crystals recovered in step (iii).
Embodiment 12
[0045] A molecular sieve produced by the process of any one of embodiments 6-11.
Embodiment 13
[0046] A process for separating a first component from a gaseous mixture comprising said first component and a second component, the process comprising contacting the gaseous mixture with the molecular sieve of any one of embodiments 1-4 or 12.
Embodiment 14
[0047] The process of embodiment 13, wherein the first component comprises carbon dioxide and the second component comprises methane.
[0048] The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the following Examples and the accompanying drawings.
EXAMPLES
[0049] In the Examples, the alpha test is a measure of molecular sieve acidic functionality and is described together with details of its measurement in U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,218, and in J. Catalysis, Vol. VI, pp. 278-287 (1966).
Example 1
[0050] A reaction mixture was prepared in a sealed 1-mL stainless steel reactor vessel with the following mole ratios using boric acid as the boron source, Ludox™ AS-40 as the silica source, and substantially no fluoride ions: SDA/Si≈0.2; Si/B≈5; HCl/Si≈0.10; and H 2 O/Si≈35. 4,4-dimethyl,1-cyclohexylpiperazinium hydroxide was used as the structure directing agent (SDA).
[0051] The reaction mixture was heated in a convection oven under tumbling conditions (˜30 rpm) for about 28 days at ˜160° C. The sample was worked up by a series of three centrifugations and washings with deionized water. Powder XRD of the product appeared to indicate substantially pure phase ITQ-32.
Example 2
[0052] First, ˜5.1 grams deionized water were added to ˜2.20 grams of 1,1-dimethyl-4-cyclohexylpiperazinium hydroxide (29.2%) inside a Teflon™ liner for a ˜23-mL steel Parr autoclave. Next, ˜0.19 grams boric acid was added to the solution and mixed manually with a spatula until near dissolution. In the next step, ˜1.50 grams of 1 N HCl and then ˜2.25 grams of Ludox™ AS-40 were added to the solution and mixed to create a relatively uniform suspension having the same molar ratios as the reaction mixture of Example 1. About 0.04 grams of seeds from the Example 1 product were added. The liner was then capped, sealed inside the ˜23-mL autoclave, and heated to ˜160° C. under tumbling conditions (˜50 rpm). After about 14 days of heating, the reaction was quenched, and the solids were isolated by filtering through a Buchner funnel, washing with deionized water, and drying in a vacuum oven at ˜60° C. The yield of solid product was ˜1.02 grams. Powder XRD of the product appeared to indicate substantially pure phase ITQ-32. FIG. 1 shows the powder XRD patterns of the as-made and calcined forms of the product of Example 2. FIG. 2 shows SEM images of the product of Example 2.
[0053] The calcined form of the product of Example 2 was heated inside a muffle furnace from ambient temperature (˜20-25° C.) to about 400° C. at a heating rate of ˜4° C./min under a nitrogen atmosphere, heated to about 600° C. at a heating rate of ˜4° C./min in air, and then maintained at about 600° C. in air for about another 2 hours. The calcined product was then measured with nitrogen physisorption and the data were analyzed using the t-plot method. The micropore volume was determined to be ˜0.16 cm 3 /g, and the external (mesopore) surface area was determined to be about 52 m 2 /g.
Example 3
[0054] Example 2 was repeated, except that ˜0.023 grams of aluminum hydroxide and ˜0.06 g of the products seeds from Example 2 were included in the synthesis mixture. The yield of solid product after about 14 days crystallization was ˜1.05 grams, and powder XRD of the product appeared to indicate substantially pure phase ITQ-32. This sample was calcined and then alpha tested for n-hexane cracking activity. The alpha value of the sample was determined to be ˜6.
Example 4
[0055] Example 2 was repeated, except that no 1 N HCl was added. Additional deionized water was added to maintain the same H 2 O/Si level. After ˜8 days of heating, the product appeared (by XRD) to be substantially pure phase ITQ-32.
Example 5
[0056] Example 4 was repeated, except that ˜0.018 grams of sodium chloride was included in the synthesis mixture. After ˜7 days of heating, the product appeared (by XRD) to be substantially pure phase ITQ-32.
Example 6
[0057] Example 3 was repeated, except that ˜0.033 grams of aluminum hydroxide was included in the synthesis mixture to give an initial Si/Al ratio of ˜35 and an initial Si/B ratio of ˜5. After ˜9 days of heating, the product appeared (by XRD) to comprise predominantly ITQ-32 with a minor gibbsite impurity.
Example 7
[0058] Example 2 was repeated, but without boron and with sufficient aluminum hydroxide included in the synthesis mixture to give an initial Si/Al ratio of ˜20. The product appeared (by XRD) to be amorphous after heating for ˜17 days.
[0059] Although the present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments, it is not so limited. Suitable alterations/modifications for operation under specific conditions should be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is therefore intended that the following claims be interpreted as covering all such alterations/modifications as fall within the true spirit/scope of the invention.
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The present invention relates to molecular sieves having the structure of ITQ-32 is synthesized from a reaction mixture substantially free of fluoride ions and comprising 4,4-dimethyl, 1-cyclohexyl-piperazinium cations in its pore structure, as well as methods of making such molecular sieves and methods of using them.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a turbo compound engine of a vehicle, which is capable of recovering the energy of exhaust gas as expansion work of a power turbine and transmitting the recovered energy to a drive shaft such as a crank shaft of the engine by a gear train, so as to rotate the power turbine in a reverse sense upon deceleration of the vehicle in order to obtain braking effort. In particular, it relates to a turbo compound engine provided with a gear train having a clutch to absorb a large load produced when the power turbine is rotated in reverse sense.
Recently in Japan, turbo compound engines which recover exhaust gas energy from the engine as supercharging energy of a turbo charger and exhaust gas energy from the turbocharger as diabatic expansion energy of a power turbine have been developed.
In such turbo compound engines, the power output performance, fuel consumption rate, and gain of the engine are improved by raising expansion ratios of the turbo charger and the power turbine. On the other hand, however, it remains a problem to secure an adequate braking effort (for example, by means of exhaust brake) to counterbalance the increased power output of the engine. In other words, the braking effort against the engine suffers a decrease because of increased turbocharged pressure, so that a main brake (i.e., foot brake) must be manipulated in order to offset the relative decrease of entire braking force. Guaranteeing sufficient braking force is important not only for the maneuverability and safety of the vehicle (engine brake force of approximately more than 60% of the rated output power is required), but also for utilizing the turbo compound engine more effectively.
Thereupon, the present assignee has proposed a "Turbo Compound Engine" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 61-228107 (228107/1986).
In this proposal, as shown in FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings, a power turbine a for recovering the exhaust gas energy is disposed in an exhaust passage b1 of a vehicle, and a fluid passage c3 is connected to an exhaust passage b2 upstream of the power turbine a so as to bypass the power turbine a. A fluid passage switching means e is provided at the junction of the exhaust passage b1 and the fluid passage c so that it may close the passage b1 upstream of the fluid passage c while opening the fluid passage c when the vehicle is in a deceleration mode and the driving power is transmitted from the crankshaft d to the power turbine a.
This construction makes it possible for the power turbine to recover the exhaust gas energy from the engine so as to utilize the recovered energy as driving energy of the engine during normal driving.
During exhaust braking and when the clutch of the vehicle is engaged, the fluid passage switching means e closes the exhaust passage b1 upstream of the fluid passage c while connecting the passage b2 to the passage c with the junction of the two passages being throttled. At the same time, the rotation of the crankshaft d is transmitted via one of the gear trains to the power turbine a, with the rotation reversed by the gear train. Accordingly, the power turbine a, which is originally designed for energy recovery, performs pumping work i.e., the power turbine compresses the air from the exhaust passage b2 into the fluid passage c. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a large braking effort including motor friction of the engine, negative work upon pumping work by the power turbine, and the exhaust braking force during exhaust braking.
However, the power turbine rotates at a revolution speed ranging from 80,000 to 100,000 r.p.m. during normal driving of the vehicle, and the rotation energy at such a rotating speed is equivalent to the moment of inertia (polar moment of inertia of area) of the flywheel of the normal engine. Hence, when the rotation of the power turbine is switched from normal rotation to reverse rotation, considerable amount of energy has to be consumed somewhere between the crankshaft and the power turbine.
It has been learned through experimentation that the magnitude of the energy becomes maximum when it takes relatively short time (2-3 seconds) from the beginning of the reversing until the power turbine reaches its maximum speed in reverse sense. Thus, what is needed is a turbo compound engine which can absorb the energy by certain means disposed between the crankshaft and the power turbine.
When the rotation of the power turbine is reversed the following shortcomings appear unless the energy is absorbed (in a case where elements between the power turbine and the crankshaft are sufficient in strength).
(1) The vehicle skids momentarily.
(2) An anti-driving force upon skidding exerts an extremely large load on the driving system of the vehicle.
(3) An abnormal abrasion of tires, and brake pads or shoes occurs.
(4) Comfortableness in riding is deteriorated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of this invention is to provide a turbo compound engine including two gear trains for connection of a power recovering turbine disposed in the exhaust line of the engine with the output shaft of the engine so that the transmission direction of the driving power may be reversed and a temporarily rapidly increasing large load may not be produced upon switching of the gear trains into a reverse mode, whereby duration of the drive power transmitting system and driveability of the vehicle are improved.
The turbo compound engine of the present invention includes power reversing means in the gear train connecting the output shaft of the engine with the power turbine, the power reversing means having a hydraulic clutch which slips upon connection of the hydraulic clutch so that the large energy produced when the power turbine is rotated in a reverse sense by the hydraulic clutch.
In order to accomplish the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a turbo compound engine including a planetary gear in a gear train connecting the crankshaft to the power turbine upon connection of the hydraulic clutch so that the planetary gear may reverse the rotation from the crankshaft.
During deceleration of the vehicle, when the hydraulic clutch is engaged the power turbine is rotated in reverse sense by the planetary gears. While the power turbine is between normal rotation and reverse rotation, slippage occurs in the hydraulic clutch, whereby energy produced between the crankshaft and the power turbine is absorbed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a preferred embodiment of a turbo compound engine according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart for the turbo compound engine of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a related art.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A preferred embodiment of the turbo compound engine of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates an engine of a vehicle (not shown), 2 the intake manifold of the engine 1, and 3 the exhaust manifold of the engine 1.
As depicted in FIG. 1, an exhaust gas passage 4a is connected to the exhaust manifold 3, and to the intake manifold 2 there is connected an intake-air passage 5. A turbine 10a of the turbocharger 10 is disposed at an intermediate point in the exhaust passage 4a while the compressor 10b of the turbocharger 10 is disposed in the intake passage 5. In an exhaust passage 4b downstream of the turbocharger 10, a power turbine 12 is disposed for recovering the exhaust gas energy. A fluid passage 25 is branched from the exhaust gas passage 4b between the power turbine 12 and the turbine 10a of the turbocharger 10 and connected to the passage 4c downstream of the power turbine 12. At the junction of the passage 4b and the fluid passage 25 upstream of the power turbine 12, there is provided a passage switching means 30 for closing the fluid passage 25 while throttling the passage 4b to a predetermined degree. The switching means 30 is constructed in such fashion that it has at least two switching positions. An external atmosphere conduit 7 is connected the exhaust passage 4c connection gate fluid passage 25 to the outlet port 6 of the power turbine 12. At the intersection of the passage 7 and 4c there is disposed switching means 31, which opens the external atmosphere conduit 7 upon closing of the exhaust gas passage 4c. Moreover, an exhaust brake valve 32 is provided in the passage 4b between the switching valve 30 and the turbine 10a.
Now, gear trains for connecting the power turbine 12 to the crankshaft 15 will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 1, an output gear 16 is disposed at the end 13a of the shaft 13 of the power turbine 12, and planetary gears 17a and 17b are engaged therewith. The planetary gears 17a and 17b are engaged with a ring gear 18 which rotates together with an input pump wheel 21b of a fluid coupling 21 provided with a locking-up mechanism 21a. In other words, the output gear 16 is connected to the fluid coupling 21 via the planetary gear mechanism 19 including the planetary gears 17a and 17b, so that the rotation of the power turbine 12 is transmitted to an output pump wheel 21c of the fluid coupling 21. The epicyclic gear 19 is employed because it has a large moderating ratio and a high transmission efficiency. To the output pump 21c there is fixedly provided a gear 20 which rotates with the pump 21c, and to the crankshaft 15 there is fixedly provided a crankshaft gear 23.
Another epicyclic gear 40 for connecting the crankshaft 23 with the gear and for rotating the power turbine 12 in both normal and reverse senses will now be explained.
The epicyclic gearing 40 comprises a sun gear shaft 42, a sun gear 41, a ring gear 44 engaged with plural planetary gears 43 at intervals in the circumferential direction thereof and surrounding circumferentially the sun gear 41, and a carrier 45 for maintaining the relative relationship of position between the planetary gear 43 and the sun gear 41 at constant while rotating the planetary gear 43 around the sun gear 41 autorotationally as well as revolutionally.
Now, the epicyclic gear 40 will be explained in depth.
The sun gear shaft 42 is provided with a first transmission gear 46 engaged with the crankshaft gear 23 at one end thereof, and supports said carrier 45 via a bearing 47 near the other end thereof. On the other hand, the ring gear 44 is provided with a second transmission gear 48 engaged with the gear 20. The second transmission gear 48 includes a hollow shaft 49 housing a part of the sun gear shaft 42 between the first and second trnsmission gears 46 and 48. The hollow shaft 49 rotates about the shaft 42 and is provided with a one way clutch 50. The one way clutch 50 connects the first transmission gear 46 with the shaft 49 only when drive power is transmitted from the gear 46 to the crankshaft 15. The carrier 45 includes a clutch element 51 extending radially outwardly.
The direction of rotation of the epicyclic gear 40 is controlled by hydraulic clutch means 55. In this embodiment, the clutch means 55 includes a hydraulic clutch 56 which can be connected to clutch element 51 so as to stop the carrier 45 furing engagement, a pump 57 supplying working oil to the hydraulic clutch 56, a valve 59 disposed in a working oil conduit 58 connecting the pump 57 with the hydraulic clutch 56, and a controller 60 controlling the valve 59.
An ON-OFF signal from a clutch switch 62 of the engine 1, an ON-OFF signal from an accelerator switch 63, a rotating speed signal from rotating speed sensor 61 of the engine 1, and a brake control signal from a brake control switch 64 are input to the controller 60 while control signals are output from the controller 60 to the switching valves 30 and 31, the exhaust brake valve 32, a lock-up mechanism 21a of a fluid coupling 21, and the valve 59. The brake control switch 64 of the illustrated embodiment has an OFF position, a position 1, and a position 2. At position 1 the controller 60 outputs a command signal to fully close the exhaust brake valve 31 only, and at position 2 the same outputs a command signal to close the exhaust passage 4c while opening the air inlet passage 7, a command signal to actuate the switching valve 30 of the fluid passage 25 to a predetermined extent for throttling, a command signal to fully close the valve 59 of the hydraulic clutch 56, and a command signal to cancel locking-up of the locking-up mechanism 21a. When the brake control switch 64 supplies an instruction to the controller 60 for the OFF position, the controller 60 supplies command signals to the switching valve 30 for full closing of the fluid passage 25, to the switching valve 31 for full closing of the external atmosphere duct 7, to the locking-up mechanism 21a for locking-up, and to the valve 59 for full closing so as to allow the hydraulic clutch 56 to be free from the clutch element 51.
Now control by the controller 60 during deceleration of the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
In the controller 60 during normal driving, a determination is made as to whether the accelerator switch 63 is OFF at step 70, if the clutch switch 62 is ON at step 71, and if engine revolution speed is equal to or higher than 700 r.p.m. at step 72. When answers at the steps 70, 71, and 72 are all YES, the controller 60 thinks that the vehicle is decelerated, and then following steps are executed. First, the exhaust brake valve 32 is fully closed at step 73 so as to increase the exhaust gas pressure, then it is determined whether the brake control switch 64 is in position 2 or not. If answer at step 74 is NO, the program returns to the step 70, and repeats the above-mentioned procedures. If one of the answers during steps 70 through 72 is NO, which means that the brake control switch 64 is turned off, the program jumps to step 82. If the answer at step 74 is YES, the controller 60 sends a command signal to the locking-up mechanism 21a of the fluid clutch 21 for cancelling of locking-up as stated in the box labeled 75. Then, the controller sends a command signal to the valve 30 at the step 76 so that fluid passage 25 may be throttled to a predetermined extent while sending a signal at the step 77 to valve 31 so as to close the exhaust passage 4c and open the external atmosphere duct 7. The valve 59 is closed upon a command signal at step 78.
Referring back to FIG. 1, as the valve 59 is closed, the clutch element 51 and the hydraulic clutch 56 are connected to each other. Thereupon, drive power of the crankshaft 15 is transmitted from the crankshaft gear 23 via the first transmission gear 46 and the planetary gear 43 to the sun gear 41 with the rotation being reversed. After that, the drive power is transmitted from the sun gear 41 to the gear 20 while reversing the rotation again. Then the power is transmitted to the epicyclic gear 19 via the fluid coupling 21. The rotation is reversed at the epicyclic gear 19 and the rotative power is transmitted to the power turbine 12, so that the power turbine 12 is rotated in a direction opposite to its direction during normal driving of the vehicle, whereby air is sucked through the duct 7 and the power turbine 12 functions as an air compressor. In addition to the normal exhaust brake, energy consumed by compressing the air by the power turbine serves as braking effort against the engine 1. Therefore, a large braking effort can be applied to the engine 1. At the same time, it is possible to adsorb the energy produced upon reversing the power turbine by constructing the clutch element 51 and the hydraulic clutch 56 in such fashion that sufficient slip may occur between the clutch element 51 and the hydraulic clutch 56.
Referring to FIG. 2 again, it is determined if connection of the hydraulic clutch 56 has lasted three minutes at the step 79. When the answer is NO, the steps 75 through 78 are repeated, so that heat generation in the hydraulic clutch 56 is limited to a predetermined extent and unduly large braking effort is not applied to the engine 1 at one occasion. When the answer at the step 79 is YES, the lock-up mechanism 21a starts functioning. Then, if the brake control switch 64 is still ON at the step 81, i.e., if the control switch 64 is in either position 1 or position 2, the above described control for deceleration is repeated. This repetition of deceleration control makes it possible to gradually reduced the engine rotating speed while suppressing load against the hydraulic clutch 56. When the answer at the step 81 is YES, the control for normal driving is performed. More specifically, the controller 60 outputs command signals to the valves 30, 31 and 59, so as to turn off the hydraulic clutch 56 and close the fluid line 25 and the air duct 7. Thereupon, the power turbine 2 starts rotating in a normal sense with the exhaust gas, so as to recover the energy of the exhaust gas, and the rotative power of normal rotation direction is transmitted to the crankshaft 15 via the planetary gear 29, and other gears 20, 48, 46, and 23.
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A turbo compound engine comprising an engine having an output shaft and an exhaust line, a power recovering turbine disposed at the exhaust line, a gear train connecting the power recovering turbine with the output shaft of the engine, and a power reversing mechanism including a hydraulic clutch provided with the gear train, so that energy utilized by the power turbine may serve as braking effort against the vehicle upon switching of the power reversing mechanism, and a large load may not be applied to the gear train all at once by allowing the hydraulic clutch to slip during a certain period from the switching of the power reversing mechanism, thereby protecting the drive power transmission system of the vehicle and improving driveability.
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This application is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 333,928, filed Dec. 23, 1981 now abandoned.
Reference is made to microfiche appendix which sets forth a computer program listing including that which is applicable to the present invention. Included are 1 microfiche containing a total of 39 frames. Cross reference is made to related application Ser. No. 331,931 "Electric Vehicle Current Regulator", assigned to General Electric Company and filed currently herewith.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to dc electric motor current regulators and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for regulating electrical braking current in a dc electric traction motor.
In present day electric vehicles, electronic power regulators are used to control the torque, or speed, developed by the electric traction motors. Typically, the regulator comprises a time-ratio or chopper circuit which varies the power developed by the motors by controlling the percentage of time that the motors are connected directly to a power source. For maximum mobility, the power source is a battery, which limits the available power to the motors. The regulator also includes apparatus responsive to accelerator position for varying the mark-space ratio of the chopper circuit.
In order to reduce the rate of wear of mechanical brakes in electric vehicles such as forklifts or other industrial trucks, it is common practice to implement some form of electrical braking. A common form of electrical braking is dynamic braking or plugging in which the motor armature is short-circuted by a diode and motor field current, and therefore, torque is regulated by the chopper circuit. In general, low level of field current generates a relatively high magnitude of armature current. Regulation to a desired braking torque under these conditions tends to be inefficient since the armature current is so large with respect to field current that armature reaction disturbs the normal field flux control of armature current. Because such a low level of field current excitation at higher armature velocities produces very large magnitudes of armature current, the control of initiation of plugging becomes relatively critical.
When a chopper circuit is used to control motor current, the transition from a motoring mode to a braking mode typically requires that the chopper circuit switch from a relatively high percent on-time to a relatively low percent on-time. A typical transition might be from a 95 percent on-time per cycle to a one percent on-time per cycle. The low mark-space ratio at plug initialization sometimes caused cogging or jerking due to double pulsing, a condition resulting from one current pulse bringing the plug current almost to a desired level followed by a second pulse forcing a large current overshoot. Part of the reason for double pulsing comes from the fact that the control loops are slightly unstable due to a large time delay between armature current and machine flux. The chopper applies voltage to the field winding while armature current is being monitored. By the time armature current reaches the desired value, field current, and therefore machine flux, has increased above the level necessary to generate the desired armature current thus causing a torque overshoot. To some extent, the plug current regulating problem stemmed from the need to be able to use the same current sensor in both motoring and braking modes of operation. The typical current sensor filtering to provide an indication of average current and in electric vehicle applications might respond to a point at about 80 percent up on the ripple curve, i.e., the typical approach is to attempt to regulate the current peaks. In these applications, transient voltage spikes resulting from the chopping action in the inductive circuit have high values which affect the accuracy of the control system.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved current regulating system for electrical brakes of a dc electric motor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a plug current regulating system for a dc electric motor switching regulator control system which reduces jerking torque on the motor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a plug current regulating system for a dc electric motor switching regulator control system which avoids double or multiple pulsing of the motor.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a plug current regulating system for a dc electric motor switching regulator control system which responds to absolute values of armature current without filtering.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A current regulator is implemented in a microcomputer control system in which a switching regulator operating in a time-ratio control mode regulates current to a dc electric traction motor. When electrical braking is desired, the control system terminates gating signals to the switching regulator and automatically transitions to the braking mode in which a switching regulator operating in a time-ratio control mode regulates current to a dc electric traction motor. When electrical braking is desired, the control system terminates gating signals to the switching regulator and automatically transitions to the braking mode in which the time-ratio of conducting to non-conducting time is immediately set at a very low percent. Current regulation is thereafter achieved by only responding to armature current readings taken at a predetermined time interval after termination of the conducting time of the regulator. Preferably, the control system includes a comparator for comparing desired braking current to actual braking current, which comparator is used, after the predetermined time, to initiate the next conducting time interval of the regulator when actual current falls below desired current. In this arrangement, the system regulates on the valleys of the braking current waveform thus eliminating the phase lag problems caused by inductive transients.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its advantages and objects thereof may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of DC electric motor power circuit;
FIG. 2 is a graphical representation of the torque/speed characteristics of a DC motor with constant voltage excitation;
FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of the torque/speed characteristics of a DC motor with constant current excitation;
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a DC motor control system in accordance with the concepts of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of the torque/speed characteristics of a DC motor controlled in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a microcomputer implemented control system in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an expanded block diagram of the microcomputer system of FIG. 6;
FIGS. 8-15 represent flow diagrams for software implementation of the control system of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a graphical representation of the operation of the disclosed system in a plugging mode.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The principal elements in a power circuit of a battery powered direct current series motor control system are shown in FIG. 1. A battery 10 is connected to a positive power bus 11 through contactor tips 12. A time ratio control power modulating circuit (chopper) 14 connects bus 11 to a field winding 16 and an armature 18 of a series motor. A flyback diode 17 connected across the series combination of field 16 and armature 18 provides a motor current path when chopper 14 is non-conductive. In operation the main line contactor tips 12 are closed and the power supplied to the series motor is regulated by the time ratio or mark-space ratio of the electronic chopper 14. In an electric vehicle application, the operator must control the time ratio output of the chopper 14 through position of an accelerator pedal (not shown) and rely upon the relationship between the accelerator pedal position and mark space ratio to control vehicle torque or speed.
The characteristic curves for a typical traction motor are illustrated in FIG. 2 where the abscissa is torque and the ordinate is speed. The curves 20, 22, 24 and 26 represent the torque/speed relationship of a series traction motor with varying levels of applied voltage. Curve 26 represents the characteristic for high value of applied voltage and curve 20 represents the characteristic for a lower level of applied voltage. In a typical traction motor application, such as a battery powered forklift truck which operates at speeds so low that wind is a negligible factor, the torque required to move the truck at any velocity is independent of velocity and based only upon the rolling friction coefficient, the tires, the gross weight of the vehicle and the gear ratio. Characteristic curve 28 is typical of the load characteristic required to drive such a vehicle at various speeds. Since for a given value of battery potential, the voltage applied to the motor is simply a product of the percent conduction time of chopper 14 and battery potential, then characteristic curves 20, 22, 24, and 26 could also be available as direct functions of the chopper mark-space ratio. In the usual electric vehicle application, the accelerator pedal position is translated directly into mark-space ratio, i.e., 100 percent pedal would correspond to 100 percent conduction time, 50 percent pedal would correspond to 50 percent conduction time and 10 percent depression of the accelerator pedal would correspond to 10 percent conduction time. Thus, the balancing speed, which is represented by the intersection of the load curve 28 and percent on-time speed torque characteristics 20, 22, 24 and 26 each corresponding to a particular pedal depression, determines the speed of the motor. With full pedal depression, the motor accelerates up to the maximum speed determined by the intersection of curves 26 and 28. With a lesser pedal depression corresponding to characteristic curves 24, 22 or 20, the speed is correspondingly less. It is therefore possible to regulate the speed of the vehicle. However, note at very low speed one obtains very high torque for a very small pedal depression. For example, in characteristic curve 24, which possibly corresponds to only 30 or 40 percent pedal depression, one obtains a torque far in excess of that required to move a vehicle. In addition, in practice the electronic chopper 14 is limited in maximum current by a current protection system and, in a typical system, 30 percent battery voltage supplied to the motor is sufficient to reach the maximum current level capability of the electronic chopper. Thus at close to zero speed, all of the torque control would be confined to the first 30 percent of accelerator pedal depression thereby tending to make the pedal very sensitive over that range and unresponsive over 70 percent of its range.
Other systems for controlling the torque in an electric vehicle make motor current rather than voltage, directly proportional to accelerator pedal position. The characteristics one would obtain from such a control are illustrated in FIG. 3 where the abscissa is torque and the ordinate again is speed. The outer envelope 26 is the motor torque/speed curve with maximum applied voltage. Characteristic curves 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 are the torque speed curves at five different levels of constant motor current. Considering, for example, the operation on characteristic curve number 30, which might correspond to a 20 percent depression of the accelerator pedal, the system would provide 20 percent of the maximum capability of the chopper 14 at a very low voltage. As the motor speed increases, it would continue to operate on this same curve moving vertically away from the torque axis with the motor terminal voltage increasing as speed increases to counterbalance the effect of the motor generated EMF and maintain the voltage difference necessary to keep that level of current flowing through the armature and field resistances. Eventually, as the speed increased, it would reach a point where full battery voltage must be applied to the motor in order to maintain that desired level of current. This point corresponds to the intersection of the characteristic curve 30 on the outer envelope 26. The curve designated 48 represents the characteristic load curve for a heavy traction type vehicle where windage is not a factor. It will be appreciated that the current regulated type of control system has very good performance at low speed since any increase in pedal depression from 0 to 100 percent transitions along the torque axis through characteristic curves 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38, where 38 corresponds to the maximum current capability of the electronic chopper 14. Thus, the full current, i.e., torque, capability of chopper 14 corresponds to full pedal depression of the accelerator. However, since the load characteristic curve 48 is parallel to the pedal characteristic curves 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38, for a given weight of vehicle there is no one given pedal position which will maintain any fixed speed but rather there will be one pedal position which exactly balances the tractive effort necessary to maintain a constant speed of the vehicle.
For example, if balancing torque occurs at 75 percent pedal depression when the vehicle is traveling at 5 miles per hour, 75 percent pedal depression will also maintain vehicle speed at 10 miles per hour. Thus, in the upper speed region, accelerator pedal sensitivity is similar to that in the voltage control system at lower speeds providing poor operator "feel".
Referring now to FIG. 4 there is shown a functional block diagram of a regulator system according to the present invention. An accelerator 50 provides a current reference signal on line 52 and a voltage reference signal on line 68. The signal on line 52 is a current reference which is directly proportional to accelerator depression, i.e., 100 percent accelerator depression provides 100 percent output in current reference which corresponds to the maximum capability of the power source. The signal on line 52 is coupled to an input terminal of a current limit circuit 54 which may reduce the current reference signal in the event of an over-temperature or other monitored condition. The signal output of current limit circuit 54 is coupled via line 56 to a control acceleration circuit 58 which limits the rate of increase of the current reference signal from a present value to a new value. The signal output from the control acceleration circuit 58 is coupled via line 60 to an input terminal of a summing junction 64. The signal on line 60 is compared to the measured motor current in summing junction 64.
A filter circuit 66 has an input terminal connected to an output terminal of junction 64. Filter circuit 66 limits the rate of increase of the signal from junction 64. Connected to the filter circuit 64 is a limit circuit 70 which is designed to restrict the signal output of the filter circuit 64 on a percentage basis to be equal to or less than the percent pedal depression corresponding to the voltage reference signal on line 68. In other words the signal output from filter circuit 66 cannot exceed the percent of its range represented by the percent of accelerator pedal depression, i.e., if the accelerator pedal is depressed 50 percent, then the signal from filter circuit 66 cannot exceed 50 percent of its maximum value. The limit circuit 70 is controlled by the voltage reference signal on line 68 from accelerator 50.
The signal from circuit 66 is provided via line 71 to an oscillator 72 whose mark-space ratio corresponds to the percent on-time represented by the signal on line 71 i.e., when the signal on line 71 attains 50 percent of its maximum value, the oscillator 72 provides a 50 percent mark-space ratio output signal. The signal from oscillator 72 is coupled to a power amplifier 74 which regulates current in motor 76. Motor current is sensed and a signal representative thereof is coupled via line 62 to summing junction 64.
The regulator system outlined in FIG. 4 is thus comprised of a reference generating section including accelerator 50, current limit circuit 54 and control acceleration circuit 58 which generates a current reference signal on line 60 proportional to pedal depression with maximum current limits subject to the power and temperature limits of the power unit. The rate at which the current reference can be increased is constrained by the control acceleration circuit 58 to a constant rate and since the torque of a dc traction motor is proportional to current, the rate of torque increase is a constant. This tends to provide a better responsiveness independent of speed. The pedal depression also generates a motor voltage limit reference signal which is proportional to pedal depression to limit the maximum motor voltage to a value proportional to pedal depression. A current regulating loop comprised of filter circuit 66 which responds to the difference between the current reference signal on line 60 and the measured motor current signal on line 62 for adjusting the oscillator 72, and power amplifier 74 regulate current in motor 76. The effect of voltage limit circuit 70 is to shift the control mode from current to voltage regulation to improve the speed control at higher speeds.
The operation of the regulator of FIG. 4 may be better evaluated by reference to FIG. 5 where torque is once again the abscissa and speed the ordinate. The transition line 98 delineates the division of the torque-speed plane between voltage and current regulation. The vertical lines 82, 84, 86, and 88 represent the constant current outputs at 100, 75, 50 and 25 percent pedal depression, respectively. The characteristic lines 80, 90, 92 and 94 represent the constant voltage torque/speed curves at 100, 75, 50 and 25 percent of battery voltage respectively. The vertical dashed line 96 is the required load torque representing the tractive effort necessary to overcome the rolling friction for a given vehicle weight. If the vehicle was initially assumed to be at rest, and speed assumed to be equal to zero and the pedal depressed 25 percent, corresponding to the current line 88, the vehicle would not move since the developed torque would be less than the load torque. Should the pedal be depressed to 50 percent corresponding to the current line 86, the developed torque would exceed the load torque and the vehicle would begin to move. As the speed increases, the motor terminal voltage will also increase to the value necessary to maintain 50 percent current. When a speed is reached which corresponds to the intersection of characteristic line 86 with characteristic line 98, the motor terminal voltage will reach 50 percent battery voltage corresponding to a markspace ratio of 50 percent. The voltage limit circuit 70 will then limit the mark-space ratio to 50 percent forcing continued acceleration to follow the constant motor voltage line 92 to the intersection with load torque line 96. The intersection point is referred to as the balancing speed point since the developed torque exactly balances the load torque. If the accelerator pedal is then depressed completely, the torque will increase along the line 100, with the rate of torque increase dictated by the control acceleration circuit 58, until the mark-space ratio reaches 100 percent or full battery voltage is applied to the motor terminals. The vehicle will accelerate at a rate proportional to the differe between the lines 80 and 96 until the near balancing speed represented by the intersection between lines 80 and 96 is reached. If the accelerator pedal is then relaxed and again completely depressed, the motor torque will first be reduced to zero and thereafter increased to the value corresponding to the intersection of lines 80 and 96 with the rate of increase determined by the control acceleration circuit 58.
Although the functional block diagram of FIG. 4 is believed sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the present invention, reference is now made to FIG. 6 wherein there is illustrated a preferred implementation of the invention using a microprocessor based arrangement. The basic power circuit for the DC motor comprising armature 18 and field winding 16 includes a variable mark-space ratio chopper circuit 14 and a key switch 12 which serve to connect the motor across the battery 10. Preferably chopper circuit 14 comprises a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) chopper circuit including a controllable commutation circuit and associated commutating capacitor. A typical chopper is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,959 issued July 30, 1974 and assigned to General Electric Company. The free-wheeling diode 17 provides a path for inductive current when chopper circuit 14 switches to a non-conductive state. A plugging diode 102 connected in reverse parallel with armature 18 provides a reverse current path to prevent self-excitation during electrical braking.
The field winding 16 is arranged to be connected in either a forward or reverse direction in series with armature 18, where forward and reverse refer to the direction of rotation of the motor armature 18, by means of contacts F1, F2 and R1, R2. The contacts F1, F2, R1 and R2 are shown in their normal de-energized state. Control of contacts F1 and F2 is through a contactor actuating coil 104 while contacts R1 and R2 are controlled by a contactor actuating coil 106. The coils 104 and 106 are connected across the battery 10 by means of respective contactor driver circuits 108 and 110. The driver circuits 108 and 110 may be in the form illustrated in co-pending application Ser. No. 299,047 filed Sept. 3, 1981 and assigned to the General Electric Company.
The control functions are implemented in a central processing unit (CPU) 112 which includes the necessary hardware such as counters, registers, memory units and microprocessors for performing those functions described in FIG. 4. The CPU 112 is connected to perform selected safety checks by monitoring the status of a seat switch 114, a brake switch 116 and forward and reverse direction switches 118 and 120. The accelerator 50 also provides an input signal indicative of the percent accelerator pedal depression to the CPU 112. Motor armature current sensing is provided by a sensor 122 connected in series with armature 18.
Referring now to FIG. 7, the CPU 112 is shown in more detail. A microcomputer 124 is coupled via an address bus 126 and a data bus 128 to a plurality of input/output interfaces. The microcomputer 124 preferably comprises a type 6502 microprocessor available from Rockwell International Corp., a type 74LSI38 address decoder available from Texas Instruments, Inc., and addressable random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM) sufficient for program storage and storage of intermediate and computed or monitored variables. Intel Corp. types 2114 and 2716 are suitable for RAM and ROM, respectively.
A first signal conditioning circuit 130 is connected to receive the armature current signal from sensor 122. The signal conditioning circuit 130 adjusts the amplitude of input signals to a level compatible with the apparatus connected to its output terminals, in this instance an analog to digital (A/D) converter 132. A/D converter 132 may be, for example, a type ADC0816 available from National Semiconductors, Inc. The digitized output signals from A/D converter 132 are coupled onto the address and data busses 126 and 128 under control of the microcomputer 124. In addition to the armature current signal, the accelerator pedal position signal and various current limit signals are also coupled to the microcomputer 124 through signal conditioning circuit 130 and A/D converter 132.
A second signal conditioning circuit 134 provides an interface between microcomputer 124 and those system signals which are of a binary nature, i.e., those signals representative of switches being open or closed or of the system being in a propulsion or braking mode of operation. An input/output (I/O) interface circuit 136 couples the signals from signal conditioning circuit 134 to the address and data busses 126 and 128. The I/O circuit may be, for example, a type 6522 available from Rockwell International Corp. As illustrated, the signal conditioning circuit 134 monitors the status of seat switch 114, brake switch 116, forward direction switch 118 and reverse direction switch 120. A plug signal developed by a comparator 138 is also monitored by circuit 134. The plug signal is provided during electrical braking and switches between a first state when motor armature current is greater than the desired magnitude of plug current and a second state when motor armature is less than the desired magnitude of plug current.
Command signals developed by the microcomputer 124 are coupled through an I/O interface 140 and signal conditioner 142 to the control devices, e.g., the forward/reverse contactor driver circuits 108 and 110 and the switching devices within chopper circuit 14. The I/O interface 140 may also be a Rockwell International type 6522 device. The signal conditioning circuit 142 is a driver amplifier and level shifting circuit of a type well known in the art.
Also connected to the address and data busses 126 and 128 is a digital to analog (D/A) converter circuit 144 whose function is to provide an analog output signal representative of the desired magnitude of braking current during electrical braking or "plugging." The D/A circuit 144 may be a type AD558 available from Analog Devices, Inc. The signal from D/A circuit 144 is coupled to an input terminal of comparator 138 for comparison to the actual motor current signal. It will be noted that the motor current signal is conditioned or scaled in signal conditioning circuit 130 before being coupled via line 146 to an input terminal of comparator 138. Functionally, the microcomputer implemented regulator circuit of FIGS. 6 and 7 operates substantially as shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 4. Appendix A represents the software program for implementing the functions described in the functional block diagrams. Referring now to FIGS. 8 et seq., there is shown a more precise flow diagram of the current regulator function. In the motoring mode the regulator routine is entered at REGLN 150. Whenever a contactor, such as the forward or reverse contactors, is energized, it is desirable to inhibit the regulator function in order to avoid oscillations which might be caused by contact tip bouncing. The regulator routine includes a provision for setting a tip bounce timer during the first pass through the routine. During the inhibit interval, typically about twenty milliseconds, only current update functions are permitted, i.e., no gating pulses to the chopper 14 are generated. During each pass, the routine checks the status of a tip bounce flag to determine if the timer has timed out. If the tip bounce flag is set indicating that the timer has not timed out, the routine goes into a secondary loop at REGL13 to be described infra. If the tip bounce flag is not set the routine checks to determine if the drive motor is currently energized, i.e., if chopper circuit 14 has been operating, by checking the status of a flag (initial turn on flag) which is set when gating signals are supplied to chopper circuit 14. If the motor has not been energized, the routine branches into a zero set mode and sets the current reference to zero or an initialized condition and then returns to the main routine.
Since the normal current limit function is distinct from the plug current limit function, the routine checks whether the system is in an electrical braking, i.e., plug, mode or a propulsion mode. If the plug flag is set, the routine branches into a plug regulation mode (PREG) to be described infra. In the propulsion mode, motor current is read at the same time during each chopping cycle of chopper circuit 14. A flag (MTR. CUR. READ) is set during that time to inhibit regulator operation for a time period, approximately 100 microseconds, sufficient to allow the reading to be taken and settled before it is sampled. The flag is cleared at the end of each reading cycle. When the routine detects that the flag has been cleared, thus indicating that a new reading is available, the routine sets the READ flag for the next cycle. If the READ flag is set when this point in the routine is reached, the routine is exited (REGXIT) for the present cycle.
MOTOR CURRENT<0 is intended to eliminate amplifier drifts at or near zero motor current. Since motor current should always be a positive value, this step checks that value and, if it is positive, saves the value for future use. If negative, motor current is set to zero and saved.
Beginning at FIG. 9 a motor current reference value (TOTAL REF.) equal to the sum of the accelerator pedal reading plus a creep reference is compared against a maximum current limit. The pedal reading may be limited, as previously described, by the controlled acceleration or current limit functions. The creep reference is a small offset reference value intended to keep strain on gearing in the vehicle without any pedal depression so as to minimize gear slap at start-up. If the motor current reference value is greater than the maximum permitted value, e.g., 800 amperes, the reference is set to 800 and the routine continues. If the reference value is less than 800 amperes, the routine proceeds using the actual value.
Several comparisons next occur for determining whether the desired motor current, i.e., the reference value, exceeds various current limit functions. One step compares the reference value against a commutation limit reference (CLREF) which varies as a function of percent on time of chopper circuit 14. Another step compares the reference value against a predetermined maximum current limit (CL) value. The smaller of the CLREF or CL determines the magnitude of error signal in the event that the reference value exceeds either or both of them. If the reference value is less than CLREF or CL, the error signal is computed to be the difference between the controlled acceleration value (CAREF) and the motor current reading.
The next step is essentially a dead band check, i.e., if the error value is less than a predetermined minimum, e.g., plus or minus 10 amperes, a jump is made to a later point in the routine. The jump avoids a filter circuit and prevents oscillations for small errors. If the error is outside the dead band, a determination of error polarity is necessary. The polarity check (ERROR FLAG NEGATIVE) directs a complement of negative errors (the actual value is in two's complement form) in order to compute a new motor current reference value equal to the old value minus the error. Positive errors are added directly to the old value to obtain the new value. A digital filter smooths the computed new motor current reference value to prevent step-function changes.
ERROR FLAG NEGATIVE is used again for the purpose of determining the polarity of the error value in order to determine whether to increment or decrement the old reference value. For a positive error, if the new reference value is less than or equal to the old reference value, the old value is incremented and saved as the new value. If the new reference value is greater than the old value, the new value is substituted for the old value. For a negative error, the old value is decrement if the new reference value is equal or greater than the old value. Otherwise, the new reference value is substituted for and becomes the old value.
Before applying the new reference motor current value to control the chopper circuit 14, this value is compared with the voltage limit value established by the accelerator pedal position. Referring to FIG. 11 if the new current reference value exceeds the accelerator position value, the new value is set at the accelerator position value. Otherwise, the new value is applied directly to compute the off-time and the on-time of chopper circuit 14. The computed off-times and on-times are then used to generate gating signals for the switching devices in the chopper circuit 14.
Once the off-time and on-time have been computed, their ratio is then used to calculate CLREF, i.e., the commutation limit reference described supra. Note that the regulator routine is also entered at this point if the error value computed earlier had been less than the predetermined value, i.e., the exit at REGLIO enters the routine after calculation of on-time and off-time. It will be apparent that for small errors, e.g., less than two amperes, the previously used on and off-times are again suitable for controlling chopper circuit 14.
After computation of the times for energizing the circuit 14, the routine checks to determine if this is the first time that the circuit 14 has been energized. If an initial turn-on flag is set, the routine exits (REGXIT) to the executive program to perform other functions. Otherwise, the routine continues by setting the tip bounce flag.
Referring to FIG. 12, if the tip bounce timer has timed out, the contact tips are detected to be closed and the tip bounce timer set flag is set, then the routine proceeds to clear the tip bounce and tip bounce timer set flags and to set the chopper 14 initialize flags. The chopper 14 is then initialized, in FIG. 13, by gating the switches to provide an initial commutating charge on the commutating capacitor. Charging of the capacitor is verified before providing signals to gate the main SCR switch in the chopper into conduction for the previously calculated on-time to thereby supply power to the motor.
If the flag is set in any of the above checks in FIG. 12 so as to indicate that the monitored condition is negative, the routine exits back to the executive program momentarily rather than wait for the monitored condition to clear. The routine clears the tip bounce timer set flag before exiting if the tips are closed and the timer flag is set. If the tips are not closed, the tip bounce timer set flag and tip bounce timer flag are set before exiting.
A try-again function is provided in the event that the commutating capacitor doesn't indicate a charge after first initialization.
Referring briefly to FIG. 8, it will be recalled that the regulator routine early checks to determine whether the system is in a propulsion or an electrical braking, i.e., plugging, mode of operation. The regulator routine exit at PREG causes a jump to a plugging regulator sub-routine whose flow diagram is illustrated in FIG. 14. The plugging function is implemented by sensing that the direction switches 118 and 120 have been cycled. The logic function is established in the CPU 112 such that once the percent on-time for chopper circuit 14 has exceeded a predetermined value, e.g., twelve percent, CPU 112 remembers which direction the vehicle is being propelled, i.e., which contactor 104 or 106 is energized. If the direction switch is then moved to energize the other contactor, a plug flag is set. A set-up time for plugging is provided by de-energizing the CPU 112 clock oscillator when the direction switch passes through neutral.
The regulator function is, to a certain extent, interrupt driven. The routine is serviced on a time basis from the executive program but has selected flag conditions, such as have been described above, which inhibit regulator operation. In the plug mode one such interrupt is the output signal from comparator 138 (see FIG. 7). If the relationship between the relative value of current called for by accelerator 50 and the actual sensed armature current has not changed since the last regulator cycle, the present cycle is inhibited. In addition, if the comparator 138 switches before a predetermined minimum time has elapsed since the last gating pulse to chopper 14, the interrupt from comparator 138 is ignored. This last feature prevents double pulsing, i.e., a situation wherein the first current pulse through chopper 14 forces motor current to just below the desired level and the second pulse forces a large overshoot current causing a cogging or jerking effect in electrical braking.
Although plugging current can be regulated in the same manner as motoring current, i.e., by varying both the conducting time and non-conducting time of the chopper 14, the relatively low percent on-times required to maintain a desired braking effort permit simplification of the control of chopper 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the on-time of chopper 14 has been chosen to be a fixed value of 500 microseconds. Motor plugging current is then regulated by varying the off-time. However, as stated previously, a minimum off-time, e.g., three milliseconds, is provided before another on-time is permitted. These relative values establish a maximum percent on-time of about fourteen percent. Preferrably, plugging is cancelled before the maximum percent on-time is reached. In actual measurements, the onset of plugging at a relatively high speed might yield a percent on-time as low as one-half percent. By the time the vehicle slows to about fifteen percent speed, the percent on-time will have increased to only about three to four percent. However, between fifteen percent speed and zero, the plugging current must increase dramatically to maintain braking torque. It, therefore, becomes desirable to terminate plugging when the percent on-time reaches about twelve percent and to thereafter switch to motoring mode with its normal current limit.
The detail plugging routine is given in Appendix A. The flow diagram of FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 illustrate the process described supra. If the initialization flag is set when the routine is entered, a jump is made to the calculation steps (PREG1) for establishing and computing current values. Otherwise the initializing values are loaded into the respective timers and associated latches. The 500 microsecond on-time is loaded followed by loading of a 65 millisecond timer. This latter timer provides a plug cancel function by keeping track of the total off-time. (For the present system, it is assumed that plug should be cancelled if the off-time is less than 3.7 milliseconds, which corresponds to 12 percent on-time). The D/A convertor 144 is also initialized at zero amps.
After initialization, the plug current limit is calculated as a function of PLPR (plug limit pot reference) and acceleration position. The calculated limit is then compared to the last calculated limit value to determine if there has been a change, i.e., if the accelerated has been moved to call for more or less braking effort. If the values are the same, the plugging exits to REGL20 in the regulator routine (FIG. 11). If the limit values are different, the reference is either increased by a fixed amount or decreased by a fixed amount. The D/A convertor 144 is then loaded with the new value and the subroutine exited to the normal regulator routine for generation of gating signals and calculation of off-times.
Increasing or decreasing the current limit values by fixed amounts tends to smooth the braking effort to minimize cogging. Exemplary values have been chosen to be a five ampere increase and a fifteen ampere decrease. After a decrease, the routine checks to assure that negative currents are not computed and sets the convertor 144 to zero if negative values are detected.
The flow diagram of FIGS. 8-15 in conjunction with Appendix A is believed to provide a complete disclosure of a presently preferred form of current regulator in accordance with the present invention. It will be apparent that various modifications of the microcomputer implemented version of the invention are possible without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that the appended claims not be limited to the detailed implementation but cover all such modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A plug current regulator for a dc electric traction motor propelled vehicle, implemented using a microcomputer for controlling a time-ratio switching regulator, provides a substantially smooth electrical braking function by applying relatively short time duration current pulses to build up braking current, followed by a relatively long time duration in which current pulses are inhibited. Current regulation is provided by comparing motor current to a desired braking current and generating an update signal when actual current drops below desired current. Filtering is minimized by sampling motor current at a time interval occurring relatively long after a current pulse is supplied to the motor.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/797,865 filed Nov. 26, 1991, now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a decanter centrifuge for efficient separation of solid and liquid components from a slurry.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART
Decanter centrifuges are sedimentation centrifuges used in clarification, dewatering and classification for the mixture of solids and liquid (slurry). Generally, the decanter centrifuge has a screw conveyor in a rotating bowl. The decanter centrifuge has a structure allowing solids, from a slurry introduced from a slurry feeding pipe inserted into the screw conveyor, to be sedimented on the inner surface of the rotating bowl due to centrifugal force. The solids are then scraped toward one end of the rotating bowl to be discharged by the screw conveyor rotating at a predetermined speed different from that of the rotating bowl. Simultaneously, separated liquid is discharged from another end of the rotating bowl by liquid pressure generated due to centrifugal force.
In conventional apparatus heretofore employed in decanter centrifuges of the above kind, dip weirs (baffles) are generally not provided. If the dip weirs are provided in such a device, efficient dewatering can not be attained. However, some decanter centrifuges provided with dip weirs have been proposed.
(a) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-169550 discloses a decanter centrifuge where a dip weir for cake-lay is provided and many blades are formed between the dip weir and a cake discharge port in order to obtain an orifice effect.
(b) Japanese Patent Application No. 62-43745 discloses a decanter centrifuge provided with a dip weir near a clarified liquid discharge port. Therefore, even if solid particles are attached on bubbles of separated water so as to float, the solid particles are prevented from being discharged due to the dip weir.
(c) Japanese Patent Application No. 1-19941 discloses a decanter centrifuge having a baffle disposed at the border between a conical portion and a straight shell. Then, the baffle can be rotatively adjusted to change a clearance between the baffle and a bowl so that efficient concentration can be performed.
(d) Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 57-35849 discloses a decanter centrifuge having a baffle disposed at the border between a conical portion and a straight shell. Then, the conical portion and the straight shell can be separated clearly with the baffle so that efficient dewatering can be performed in the conical portion.
In each such conventional centrifuge, the baffle or the dip weir is provided in order to improve liquid-solids separating efficiency in the conical portion, while the straight shell has a mechanism for transporting the solids using conveyor means. Thus, in the conventional centrifuge, the straight shell does not have any mechanism for improving the efficiency for concentrating a feed solution or for efficiently dewatering a solids cake. Therefore, in the prior art, the water content in the cake depends on the degree of centrifugal force .produced in the straight shell, the length of the residence time of the feed solution in the straight shell, and the efficiency of dewatering of the feed solution in the conical portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a centrifuge with a straight shell with has a mechanism for improving the efficiency for dewatering a solids cake. According to the present invention, a decanter centrifuge is provided which comprises:
a rotating bowl, having a solids discharge port and a clarified liquid discharge port;
a screw conveyor, which comprises a straight shell and a conical portion and which is formed coaxially with the rotating bowl so as to be included in the rotating bowl,
wherein the rotating bowl and the screw conveyor are rotated in the same direction at different speeds while a feed fluid which is to be separated into a solid component and a liquid component is introduced into a ring-shaped space formed between the rotating bowl and the screw conveyor and is continuously separated into the solid and liquid components by application of a centrifugal force whereby the solid component is discharged from the solid discharge port and the liquid component is discharged from the clarified liquid discharge port;
a slurry feeding port, provided at a wall of the straight shell of the screw conveyor and from which the feed solution is fed to the ring-shaped space;
at least one dip weir, fixed to the external periphery of the wall of the straight shell on the solid discharge port-side away from the slurry feeding port, while there is a distance between the external periphery of the dip weir and the internal periphery of the rotating bowl; and
an overflow hole, which is formed at the internal periphery-side of the dip weir so that the liquid goes through the overflow hole, while the external peripheral edge of the overflow hole locates closer to the rotating axis of the screw conveyor compared with the external edge of the clarified liquid discharge port or the internal edge of a weir board provided on the clarified liquid discharge port.
Preferably, plural number of dip weirs are fixed to the external periphery of the wall of the straight shell of the screw conveyor and the dip weirs have the overflow holes respectively so that the overflow hole decreases in the length on the radius direction as the dip weir locates closer to the solid discharge port.
When plural number of dip weirs are provided, it is also preferable that the distance between the external periphery of the dip weir and the internal periphery of the rotating bowl be reduced the closer the dip weir is located to the solid discharge port.
Further, the conical portion of the screw conveyor is provided so as to connect to the solid discharge port-side end of the straight shell of the screw conveyor and if the external edge of the dip weir locates closer to the rotating axis of the screw conveyor compared with the periphery of the straight shell-side end of the conical portion, this end substantially acts as the dip weir.
The operation of the present invention is explained with reference to FIG. 1.
At least one dip weir 32, 33 is fixed to the external periphery of the wall of the straight shell 3A of the screw conveyor 3 on the solid discharge port-side away from the slurry feeding port 35 formed on the wall of the straight shell 3A. There are predetermined separations between the external peripheries of the dip weirs 32, 33 and the internal periphery of the rotating bowl 2. At least one overflow hole 32a, 33a is formed at the internal periphery of each dip weir 32, 33 so that the liquid passes therethrough. The external peripheral edges of the overflow holes 32a, 33a are located closer to the axis of the screw conveyor 3 than the internal edge of a weir board 10 provided on the clarified liquid discharge port 8.
When a slurry, e.g., a sludge, is introduced from the slurry feeding port 35 into the ring-shaped space formed between the rotating bowl 2 and the screw conveyor 3 and is sedimented toward the internal surface of the rotating bowl 2 by means of the centrifugal force, the concentration of solid matter in the sludge is higher at the internal surface thereof of the rotating bowl 2 than at the rotating axis. Force is applied by the device to the solid constituent so that it is moved toward the solid discharge port 9, e.g., with the screw conveyor 3. In this situation, the solid constituent passes as a layer through the space formed between the first dip weir 32 and the rotating bowl 2 against the resistance, whereby a consolidation force is applied to the solid layer. Accordingly, only a heavy layer, which has a relatively large solid content and a small water content, can go through the first dip weir 32. After going through the first dip weir 32, this heavy layer resides for a time between the first dip weir 32 and the screw blade 30 disposed at the solid discharge port-side of the first dip weir 32. In this resident time, a centrifugal force is applied to the heavy layer so that the separation of a light watery portion from the heavy layer is further advanced. Thus, the separated water is passed through the overflow hole 32a to be returned toward the slurry feeding port 35. Thus, due to the provision of the first dip weir 32 having a overflow hole 32a, the solid layer can be consolidated, while the watery slurry having a large water content can be returned so that only the heavy layer is moved toward the solid discharge port 9.
The same operation is carried out again for the heavy layer reaching the second dip weir 33, so that the heavy layer is further dewatered. The final liquid-solids separation is attained at a space formed between the straight shell-side peripheral end of the conical portion 3B and the rotating bowl 2. The concentrated or dewatered cake is thus continuously discharged from the solid discharge port 9.
The water content in the solid layer decreases in the successive stages of the dip weirs 32, 33, as the solid layer is transferred closer to the solid discharge port 9. The external peripheral edges of the overflow holes 32a, 33a are located closer to the rotating axis of the screw conveyor 3 then is the internal edge of the weir board 10 provided on the clarified liquid discharge port 8.
Accordingly, a watery slurry having a large water content is returned toward the clarified liquid discharge port 8. These phenomena are carried out in the field of the centrifugal force before and after the dip weirs 32, 33. Therefore, the liquid layer having a large water content is returned back toward the liquid discharge port 8 with the screw conveyor 3 as if a force is applied to separate the highly liquid portion from the dewatered solid layer.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross section of a decanter centrifuge related to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line II--II of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the essential part of a decanter centrifuge related to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross section showing the structure of the essential part of a decanter centrifuge related to the present invention;
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the structures of essential parts of conventional centrifuges.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below.
As shown in FIG. 1, the decanter centrifuge related to the present invention has a structure as stated below.
A rotating bowl 2 and a screw conveyor 3 are included in a casing 1. The rotating bowl 2 is rotated with a predetermined rotative speed by a rotational torque provided by a driving motor (not shown) through a bearing 22 by means of a pulley and a pulley belt drum 21. Another rotational torque is applied to turn the screw conveyor 3 through a gear unit 4 to a shaft end portion 6 supported by a bearing 5. Thus, the screw conveyor 3 and the rotating bowl 2 can be rotated in the same direction with a predetermined differential rotative speed.
The above rotating bowl 2 is provided with an annular side wall 20 at one end of its longitudinal direction while its another end is totally open. The mixture of liquid and solids, such as sludge, can be fed through a feed pipe 7 inserted through the center portion of the side wall 20 with some allowance. A ring-shaped clarified liquid discharge port 8 is formed at the internal periphery of the side wall 20. A ring-shaped weir board 10 is formed so as to cover the clarified liquid discharge port 8 partly in order to control the level of the clarified liquid. Thus, only the clarified liquid can be discharged from the discharge port 8. At the opposite side of the clarified liquid discharge prot 8 an annular clearance formed between the rotating bowl 2 and the screw conveyor 3 is used as a solid discharge port 9.
The screw conveyor 3 comprises a straight shell 3A and a conical portion 3B at the solid discharge end. A partition wall 34 is provided in the straight shell 3A so as to cross it substantially at its center. Due to this partition wall 34, the direction of flow of the introduced slurry can be changed to the radially outward. A slurry feeding port 35 is formed in the side wall of the straight shell 3A so that the slurry can be fed through a ring-shaped space formed between the rotating bowl 2 and the screw conveyor 3. Screw blades 30 are fixed to the external periphery of the wall of the straight shell 3A so as to encircle the straight shell 3A. Due to these screw blades 30, the solids from the slurry are moved from the slurry feeding port 35 toward the solid discharge port 9. See FIG. 1.
A first dip weir 32 and a second dip weir 33 are fixed to the external periphery of the wall of the straight shell 3A so as to encircle the straight shell 3A on the solid discharge port-side away from the slurry feeding port 35. As best seen in FIG. 1, each of the dip weirs 32, 33 is located within the space occupied by the screw blades 30, i.e., within the axial span of this space, to be between the axial locations of the slurry feeding port 35 and the solids discharge port 9. There is a predetermined radial separation provided between the external periphery of each of the dip weirs 32, 33 and the internal periphery of the rotating bowl 2. Overflow holes 32a, 33a are formed adjacent the internal peripheries of the dip weirs 32, 33 respectively so that the liquid from the slurry goes through the overflow holes 32a, 33a. The external peripheral edges of the overflow holes 32a, 33a are located closer to the axis of the screw conveyor 3 than is the internal edge of the weir board 10 provided on the clarified liquid discharge port 8. If the weir board 10 is not provided, the external peripheral edge of the overflow hole 32a, 33a is located closer to the axis of the screw conveyor 3 then is the external edge of the clarified liquid discharge port 8. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the distance l 2 between the external edge of the second dip weir 33 and the rotating bowl 2 is shorter than the distance l 1 between the external edge of the first dip weir 32 and the rotating bowl 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the overflow hole 33a of the second dip weir 33 locates closer to the rotational axis than does the overflow hole 32a of the first dip weir 32.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conical portion 3B has the shape of truncated cone tapered toward the solid discharge port 9. The screw blades 31 are fixed to the external periphery of the wall of the conical portion 3B so that the above-mentioned centrifugally sedimented/consolidated solids are transformed to the form of a cake. As shown in FIG. 4, the distance l 3 between the straight shell-side peripheral end of the conical portion 3B and the rotating bowl 2 is smaller than the distance l 2 . In summary: l 3 <l 2 <l 1 .
Next, the operation of the liquid-solids separation with the centrifuge having the structure described above will be explained with reference to FIG. 3 where its structure is shown schematically.
The slurry, such as sludge, is introduced from the slurry feeding port 35 into the space formed between the rotating bowl 2 and the screw conveyor 3 and is sedimented toward the internal surface of the rotating bowl 2 by means of the centrifugal force. In this case, the concentration of the solid layer is higher on the internal surface-side of the rotating bowl 2 than near the rotation axis. Then, a force is applied to the solid layer, so that the solid layer can be transferred toward the solid discharge port 9, with the screw conveyor 3. The solid layer goes through the space of radial dimension "l 1 " formed between the first dip weir 32 and the rotating bowl 2 against resistance, whereby a consolidation force is applied to the solid layer. Therefore, only a heavy layer, which has a large solid content and a small water content, can go through the first dip weir 32. After going through the first dip weir 32, this heavy layer passes between the first dip weir 32 and the screw blade 30 disposed at the solid discharge port-side of the first dip weir 32. During this passage, a centrifugal force is applied to the heavy layer so that the separation of the relatively light watery potion from the heavy and more solid layer is further advanced. Thus, the separated light portion overflows through the overflow hole 32a to be returned toward the slurry feeding port 35. Thus, due to the provision of the first dip weir 32 having the overflow hole 32a, the solid layer can be consolidated, while the slurry portion having a relatively large water content can be returned so that only the heavy layer can be moved toward the solid discharge port 9.
Next, the same operation is carried out for the heavy layer reaching at the second dip weir 33 so that the heavy layer is further dewatered. The final liquid-solids separation is attained at the space formed between the straight shell-side peripheral end of the conical portion 3B and the rotating bowl 2. The concentrated or dewatered cake is thus continuously discharged from the solid discharge port 9.
The water content in the solid layer decreases in stages in passing the dip weirs 32, 33, as the solid layer is moved closer to the solid discharge port 9. The external peripheral edge of the overflow hole 32a, 33a is located closer to the rotating axis of the screw conveyor 3 than is the internal edge of the weir board 10 provided on the clarified liquid discharge port 8. These phenomena are carried out in the field of the centrifugal force before and after the dip weirs 32, 33. Therefore, the liquid layer having a large water content is flowed back toward the liquid discharge port 8 with the screw conveyor 3 as if a force is applied to the liquid layer by the dewatered solid layer.
The separated liquid overflows via the overflow holes 32a, 33a of the dip weirs 32, 33 and the weir board 20 provided on the clarified liquid discharge port 8 and is discharged from port 8.
On the other hand, in the conventional centrifuges, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the above-mentioned consolidation effect felt by the solid layer, as described, can not be performed, because no dip weir is provided on the straight shell 3A.
In FIG. 1, when the level of the overflow hole 33a of the second dip weir 33 is the same or lower compared with the level of the solid discharge port 9, the partition wall 37 can be used as a third dip weir.
In use of the present invention, one dip weir is often enough. However, three or more dip weirs can be provided. The shape of the overflow hole can be selected optionally. Each dip weir if preferably fixed to the straight shell 3A by welding so as not to be removed. Alternatively, when the dip weir is ring-shaped and its internal periphery has a larger diameter than that of the straight shell 3A, it can be fixed to the straight shell 3A with a stay member. In this case, the overflow hole is also ring-shaped.
The benefits of the present invention are appreciated more clearly by considering examples of data based on tests.
In the following examples, mixed raw sewage sludge was used. Each applied decanter centrifuge had a bowl diameter of 460 mmO and a bowl length of 1200 mmL. The examples were performed with thee kinds of decanter centrifuges; two kinds of conventional apparatuses and one apparatus per the present invention.
First, one embodiment of the present invention is compared with the conventional apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 5, the first conventional apparatus has a dry zone in the conical portion and a dip weir or another equipment like this is not provided in the screw. As shown in FIG. 6, the second conventional apparatus has a partition wall 37 at the inlet of the conical portion 3B and a dry zone is not provided.
On the other hand, in the apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, two dip weirs are provided in the straight shell 3A. The partition mechanism is provided at the inlet of the conical portion 3B, as in the second conventional apparatus. The distance l 1 between the first dip weir 32 and the rotating bowl 2 was 50 mm. The distance l 2 formed between the second dip weir 33 and the rotating bowl 2 was 35 mm. The distance l 3 between the partition wall 37 and the rotating bowl 2 was 30 mm. On the condition that the level of the external edge of the solid discharge port is standardized, the weir levels are determined as follows. The overflow level of the external peripheral edge of the overflow hole 33a of the second dip weir 33 is the same as the standard, the overflow level of the external peripheral edge of the overflow hole 32a of the first dip weir 32 is 1.5 mm below the standard (-1.5 mm) and the level of the external edge of the clarified liquid discharge port is 3 mm below the standard (-3 mm).
With the above three kinds of the decanter centrifuges, the mixed raw sewage sludge was dewatered in each. The results obtained are shown in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Sludge Water Concen- Throughput Content in Recovery tration (%) (m.sup.2 /H) Cake (%) Rate (%)______________________________________Conventional 2.2-2.4 6 79-81 98-99Apparatus 1 8 80-82Conventional 6 77-79 98-99Apparatus 2 8 78-80Present 6 75-77 98-99Apparatus 8 76-78______________________________________
It is clear from Table 1 that the centrifuge of the present invention shows the following effects. Comparing with the first conventional apparatus, on the condition that the throughput is the same, the water content in the cake can be decreased by about 4% with the apparatus of the present invention. On the condition of the same water content, much sludge can be processed by more than about 30%. Then, comparing with the second conventional apparatus, on the condition that the throughput is the same, the water content in the cake can be decreased by about 2% with the apparatus of the present invention. Given the same water content, more sludge can be processed, by more than approximately 30%.
Next, for the apparatus of the present invention, if the conditions such as the number of dip weirs, provision of the overflow holes, and the overflow level of the weir are changed, the corresponding dewatering efficiency is changed as shown in Table 2 below.
The operation conditions are stated below:
______________________________________Sludge The mixed raw sewage sludgeSludge concentration 2.5 to 2.6%Throughput 6 m.sup.2 H.______________________________________
TABLE 2__________________________________________________________________________Dip Weir Level of Weir Distance Water Content Recovery Overflow (mm) (mm) in Cake RateApparatus Numbers Location Hole h.sub.1 h.sub.2 l.sub.1 l.sub.2 (%) (%)__________________________________________________________________________No. 1 1 B X -- 1.5 -- 35 77.9 98.1No. 2 1 B ◯ -- 1.5 -- 35 76.2 98.4No. 3 2 A, B X 1.5 1.5 50 35 76.9 98.2No. 4 2 A, B ◯ 1.5 1.5 50 35 74.5 98.7No. 5 2 A, B ◯ 0 0 50 35 77.0 99.0__________________________________________________________________________ Note; A indicates the position A shown in FIG. 4. B indicates the position B shown in FIG. 4. X indicates that the dip weir does not have the overflow hole. ◯ indicates that the dip weir has at least one overflow cavity. h.sub.1 indicates the level of the external edge of the clarified liquid discharge port. h.sub.2 indicates the level of the external edge of the overflow hole of the first dip weir.
Comparing with the centrifuge which does not have the overflow hole, the centrifuge which has the overflow hole can be used for more efficient dewatering. Thus, the water content in the cake can be decreased by about 2.0%. This effect can be obtained regardless of the number of dip weirs.
Although overflow holes are provided, when there is no difference between the levels of the weirs (see the data for Table 2) the water content in the cake is increased as compared with the case where there is level difference. Therefore, it i understood that the liquid layer with a large water content is returned toward the clarified liquid discharge port due to this difference in the locations of the overflow.
Comparing with the centrifuge provided with single dip weir, the centrifuge provided with two dip weirs can be used for more efficient dewatering.
In this disclosure, there are shown and described only the preferred embodiments of the invention, but, as aforementioned, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein.
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A decanter centrifuge enables separation of solid and liquid components from a feed solution containing suspended solids by application of centrifugal force. The decanter centrifuge has at least one disc-like dip weir fixed to the outside surface of a cylindrical portion of a screw conveyor on a solid component discharge port side located away from a feed solution supply port. A predetermined distance is provided between the outermost periphery of the dip weir and the adjacent internal surface of a coaxially rotating outer shell or bowl. An overflow hole is formed adjacent the internal periphery of the disc-like dip weir to pass liquid and the outermost edge of the overflow hole is located closer to the rotational axis of the screw conveyor than the outermost edge of a liquid component discharge port. The liquid component in the incoming feed solution is thus reduced efficiently, as the feed solution passes through the centrifuge, by the separation action facilitated by the disc-like dip weir having the overflow hole.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a tunnel oven for making thermoshrinking material films packages.
[0002] The invention also relates to a packaging method for providing packages, the method being carried out in the inventive tunnel oven.
[0003] More specifically, the field of the invention is that of the tunnel ovens used for making thermoshrinking material film packages, for example for packaging bottles, cans and the like.
[0004] Prior systems for packaging articles in general, such as bottles, cans and so on, in thermoshrinking plastic material films, provide to use heated tunnel ovens, inside which the packages as preliminarily enveloped by the mentioned thermoshrinking film are conveyed.
[0005] The oven tunnel is heated by hot air jets, oriented against the articles to be packaged.
[0006] The size of the tunnel oven is so selected as to be compatible to the size of the articles to be packaged, to provide an efficient heating and thermoshrinking process.
[0007] The above mentioned prior solutions are however affected by several drawbacks.
[0008] At first, the thermoshrinking plastic material films have usually an uneven thickness, which is conventionally modified by the application of decorations or advertisement patterns, which are randomly printed on the film surfaces.
[0009] Thus, the aspect of the obtained packages is frequently altered, thereby reflecting an unproper packaging process.
[0010] Furthermore, the requirement of designing the oven tunnels with a size related to that of the articles to be packaged represents a great limitation preventing the same oven from being used for articles of different size, i.e. having a size different from that for which the tunnel oven has been constructed.
[0011] A further drawback of the tunnel ovens of the prior art is that the film material enveloping the packaged articles tend to adhere to the chain conveying means of the oven, thereby hindering a proper hot air flow, and leaving undesired marks on the bottoms of the packaged articles, and, moreover, undesirably depositing plastic material debris on the oven conveying chains.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to improve prior tunnel ovens, for making packages devoid of surface unevennesses to be used for a broad range of the article to be packaged size.
[0013] The above aim, as well as yet other objects, are achieved by tunnel oven and packaging method as respectively defined by claims 1 and 23 .
[0014] Preferred embodiments of the tunnel oven and packaging method according to the present invention are defined by the subclaims.
[0015] With respect to the prior art, the tunnel oven and packaging method according to the present invention provide the advantage of providing thermoshrinking material packages devoid of surface unevennesses, and of even aspect, owing to the use of controlling means for controlling the air flows.
[0016] The invention provides moreover that it allows to process, in the same tunnel oven, packages of differently sized articles.
[0017] Furthermore, the provision of control systems for controlling the temperature of the air flow and for cleaning the article conveying chains, provides packages devoid of surface defects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The tunnel oven and packaging method according to the present invention will be disclosed in a more detailed manner hereinafter with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, which is illustrated, by way of an indicative, but not limitative example, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, where:
[0019] [0019]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the overall tunnel oven according to the present invention;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the tunnel oven shown in FIG. 1;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 3 illustrates a detail of the cleaning device for cleaning the chain conveying means of the tunnel oven shown in FIG. 1;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the tunnel oven of FIG. 1, with the top covering removed therefrom, in order to show the hot air bottom flow outlets;
[0023] [0023]FIG. 5 is a broken away view of the tunnel oven of FIG. 1, specifically showing the deflection outlets or ports for deflecting the hot air top flows toward the oven fan;
[0024] [0024]FIG. 6 illustrates the arrangement of the hot air side outlets of the tunnel oven shown in FIG. 2;
[0025] [0025]FIG. 7 illustrates the conveying device for conveying the hot air flows to the top portion of the tunnel oven;
[0026] [0026]FIG. 8 illustrates the arrangement of the cooling fans of the chain conveying means at the front portion of the tunnel oven shown in FIG. 1;
[0027] [0027]FIG. 9 illustrates a modified embodiment of the tunnel oven shown in FIG. 8;
[0028] [0028]FIG. 10 illustrates a detail of a control device for controlling the bottom air flows of the oven tunnel shown in FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The tunnel oven according to the present invention has been generally indicated in FIG. 1 by the reference number 1 .
[0030] Said tunnel oven comprises a bottom supporting base 2 , supporting a covering element 3 defining, with said base 4 , the thermoshrinking chamber 4 of the tunnel oven.
[0031] Said bottom base 2 comprises a chain conveyor 5 , provided for receiving a plurality of articles 6 to be packaged (in FIG. 1 said articles comprising bottles) which are preliminarily enveloped by a thermoshrinking material film 7 .
[0032] Immediately under the package 16 bearing surface, a plurality of fans 8 are provided on the chain conveying means 5 .
[0033] As is clearly shown in FIG. 4, the fans are arranged outside the covering element 3 and are designed for cooling down the chain conveying means 5 , thereby preventing the chain conveying means for achieving the thermoshrinking temperature of the film 7 .
[0034] The control means for controlling the hot air flows exiting the bottom portion of the tunnel oven and directed to the packages are shown in FIGS. 4, 8 and 10 .
[0035] More specifically, said hot air flow control means comprise a plate 9 , including a plurality of holes or slots 10 , said plate extending through the overall length of the tunnel oven 1 .
[0036] With said plate 9 are associated slider elements 11 , preferably in a overlapping relationship with respect to said plate, said slider elements adjoining one another in a slidable manner and comprising a plurality of holes 12 or perforations, registering with the holes 10 of said plate 9 .
[0037] The slider elements 11 on the plate 9 are driven, in the direction of the arrows F of FIG. 8, by a driving mechanism including corresponding shafts 13 and levers 14 , and in turn driven by corresponding driving knobs 15 .
[0038] Preferably, the driving knobs 15 controlling the displacement of the slider elements or drawers 11 are independently arranged on the base 2 , at both walls and on the two ends of the tunnel oven 1 .
[0039] Thus, by operating the mentioned driving knobs, it is possible to achieve two different positions of the slider elements or drawers 11 on the plate 9 and, more specifically:
[0040] 1. a full opening position in which the holes 10 of the plate 9 are fully opened, and the holes 12 of the slider elements 11 are brought into registration with said holes 10 , and
[0041] 2. a fully closing position, in which the holes 10 of the plate 9 , with the slider elements 11 are arranged so that the holes 12 thereof are fully offset with respect to the holes of said plate 9 .
[0042] In this connection it should be apparent that it would be possible to achieve intermediate adjustments, providing a partial closure of the holes 10 of the plate 9 .
[0043] The bottom base 2 of the tunnel 1 comprises a covering element 3 on which are mounted hot air circulating fans 17 .
[0044] As is clearly shown in FIG. 2, the fans 17 cause air to be directed inside the gap 18 of the covering element 3 , in which are arranged resistances 19 for heating said air.
[0045] The thus heated air flow is oriented toward the base 2 and is upward directed, starting from the bottom 20 of the thermoshrinking chamber 4 , by passing through the holes of the plate 9 and of the slider elements 11 .
[0046] The air flow provided by said fans 17 is also oriented in the direction of the perforated top plate 21 and perforated top slider element 22 assembly, having a construction and an arrangement analogous to those of the bottom plate 9 and bottom slider elements 11 , as thereinabove disclosed.
[0047] In particular, the top slider elements or drawers 22 comprises, at a respective end portion thereof, knobs 23 for driving said slider elements in the direction of the arrows F of FIG. 5, thereby closing, in a partial manner, the holes of the plate 21 for allowing air to enter the thermoshrinking chamber 4 .
[0048] In order to provide the air flow exiting from the bottom base 2 with a profile like that of the package 16 , the top slider elements 22 are so driven as to close the side surfaces of the plate 21 , while leaving open the central portion of said plate, corresponding to the position of the package 16 .
[0049] In this connection it should be apparent that the number of slider elements or drawers which are left open will depend on the size of the packages or number of the simultaneously processed packages.
[0050] For some applications, in which the top region of the packages 16 must not be affected by an excessive heat, the holes of the top plate 21 are fully closed by the slider elements 22 , and the air upward flowing from the bottom base 2 will be discharged through the openings 25 formed through the top portion of the side walls 24 of the covering element 3 .
[0051] In the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , the air flow provided by the fans 17 is partially deflected by a baffle 26 , driven by a corresponding knob 27 , provided on the side walls 24 at the rear portion of the tunnel oven 1 , or processed packages outlet portions.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 2, the fans 17 draw air from the thermoshrinking chamber in the direction indicated by the arrows 29 , at a further fan 28 .
[0053] Then, as is shown in FIG. 7, the drawn air flow is at the start conveyed into a cyclone 30 and being then conveyed from the latter, by deflecting walls 31 , through the overall length of the gap 18 of the covering element 3 (see the arrows 32 of FIG. 2).
[0054] The top plate 21 and top slider element 22 system (see FIG. 5) can be arranged, at an adjustable height above the bottom base 2 supporting the chain conveying means 5 , by supporting brackets 33 which can slide in slots 34 formed on said side walls 24 .
[0055] The adjusted in height position of the plate 21 and of the slider elements 22 is locked by locking screws (not shown), operating between the walls 22 and brackets 33 .
[0056] This height is selected depending on the size of the packages 16 to be processed in the tunnel oven.
[0057] The cleaning of the chain conveying means 5 is performed by the cleaning device shown in FIG. 3.
[0058] This cleaning device comprises a rotary brush 35 arranged at the package 16 inlet region.
[0059] For providing an efficient cleaning of the chain conveying means 5 , the cleaning brush 35 is advantageously adapted to rotate in a direction opposite to the sliding direction of the conveying chain.
[0060] The driving of the cleaning brush 35 is at a temporary driving and is controlled by a pneumatic cylinder 36 driving a brush supporting lever 37 .
[0061] The lever 37 supports moreover a gear wheel 38 coupled to the brush 35 and engaging with a corresponding gear wheel 39 for driving the chain conveying means.
[0062] Thus, as the lever 37 is driven, the two gear wheels 38 and 39 are mutually engaged, thereby causing the cleaning brush 35 to be moved toward the conveying chain 5 , to contact the latter.
[0063] The driving of the cylinder 36 is controlled by a preset controlling program.
[0064] Advantageously, on the package 16 outlet section, are provided a plurality of IR lamps 40 , arranged on the side walls 24 of the covering element 3 , as shown in FIG. 9.
[0065] If a plurality of packages arranged on a plurality of rows are supplied, then the lamps 40 will be also arranged between a row of packages and another row thereof.
[0066] The mentioned lamps operate to concentrate the heat on the side walls of the packages, requiring a great amount of heat as necessary for properly extend the film.
[0067] The invention, as disclosed and shown in the figures of the accompanying drawings, is susceptible to several modifications and variations, without departing from the scope of the following claims.
[0068] Thus, for example, the plurality of bottom slider elements 11 and top slider elements 22 can be replaced by a single bottom slider element and a single top slider element, even arranged under the related plate, respectively 9 and 21 .
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A thermoshrinking tunnel oven for making thermoshrinking plastic material film packages comprises a bottom plate and a top plate having openings for allowing thermoshrinking hot air to pass therethrough, the cross-sections of the openings being controlled by perforated sliders which are independently slidably mounted on the plates.
With respect to conventional tunnel ovens, the inventive tunnel oven and method have the advantage that they provide thermoshrinking material packages of even aspect and devoid of unevennesses.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Applicant claims the benefit of priority to provisional application No. 60/376,778 filed Apr. 29, 2002; herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing cured (i.e., crosslinked) ethylene acrylate elastomer or polyacrylate elastomer. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of an aqueous solution of hexamethylene diamine (HMDA) as a curative agent for ethylene/alkyl acrylate copolymer and poly(alkyl acrylate) copolymer containing a mono alkyl ester cure-site termonomer.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is generally known in the art to cure a terpolymer of ethylene, an alkyl acrylate, and a mono alkyl ester cure-site monomer with hexamethylene diamine carbamate (HMDAC) to produce vulcanized elastomer. The resulting ethylene acrylate elastomers exhibit a combination of mechanical toughness, low brittle point, low oil swell, and a high level of heat aging resistance that is particularly conducive to certain commercial automotive applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,588 describes and claims the curing of random copolymer derived from the polymerization of ethylene, an alkyl acrylate (e.g., methyl and ethyl acrylate) and a monoester of maleic acid (e.g., methyl, ethyl, and propyl 1,4-butene-dioic acid). This reference discloses and claims the use of 1.5 parts of HMDAC per 100 parts by weight of the terpolymer containing the mono ester cure-site monomer along with other ingredients being blended on a roll mill followed by a press-curing step for 30 minutes at 180° C. at a total pressure of about 40,000 psig. The reference teaches that hexamethylene diamine can be used as the vulcanizing agent but does not teach the use of an aqueous solution of HMDA.
In a companion U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,472 filed on the same day, an elastomeric composition having good scorch resistance is taught involving an acrylic ester/butenedioic acid monoester dipolymer or an ethylene/acrylic ester/butenedioic acid monoester terpolymer which is crosslinked with a vulcanizing agent and at least one vulcanization accelerator. Hexamethylene diamine carbamate, tetramethylenepentamine (TEPA), and hexamethylene diamine are employed as the curing agent during vulcanization. However, there is again no disclosure of the use of an aqueous solution of HMDA. Similarly, it is also generally known that polyacrylate elastomers typically involving two or more alkyl acrylates (e.g., ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate and 2-methoxyethyl acrylate) copolymerized with a small amount of butene dioic acid monoalkyl ester cure-site termonomer can be crosslinked during curing by the use of various diamines such as HMDA and HMDAC, see for example Japanese patent application JP 2000-44757.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,043 an elastomeric composition derived from an ethylene/methyl or ethyl (meth)acrylate copolymer having a third cure-site involving 4-(dialkylamino)-4-oxo-2-butenoic acid termonomer is taught by employing a diamine curing agent. Again HMDA is identified as an alternative to HMDAC but no disclosure of the use of an aqueous solution of HMDA is present.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,851, the use of an aqueous 88% hexamethylene diamine solution is employed as a curing agent for curing a polyacrylate, ethylene/acrylate copolymer or ethylene/acrylate/methacrylate terpolymer wherein no monoester cure-site monomer is present.
The problem with the above methodology for curing is that HMDAC is a relatively expensive crosslinking agent and even though it is a minor constituent it represents a significant cost and HMDA is relatively corrosive and difficult to handle with a melt/freeze point of about 40° C. As such, an alternate methodology and low cost alternative crosslinking agent would be potentially advantageous.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-mentioned problems, it has now been discovered that an aqueous solution of HMDA can advantageously be used as the curative agent to crosslink both ethylene acrylate (AEM) type elastomer and polyacrylate (ACM) type elastomer having small amounts of butene dioic acid monoalkyl ester cure-site monomer present. It has now been discovered that even in the presence of the water of solution the conventional press-curing and secondary heat-curing steps produce elastomer properties essentially indistinguishable from those resulting from the use of HMDAC as the curative agent. Conveniently, commercially available HMDA aqueous solution (typically at about 70/30 weight ratio) can be employed as a substitute for HMDAC to be blended directly with the gum rubber copolymer, or such a solution can be mixed with and/or deposited on an additional additive such as carbon black, silica, di-ortho-tolyl guanidine (DOTG) or the like prior to blending with the polymer.
Thus the present invention provides in a process for making a crosslinked ethylene acrylate elastomer or a polyacrylate elastomer involving the steps of blending a curative agent with an ethylene/alkyl acrylate copolymer containing a monoalkyl ester of a 1,4-butene-dioic acid cure-site termonomer or with a polyacrylate copolymer containing a monoalkyl ester of a 1,4-butene-dioic acid cure-site termonomer and optionally other additives and then press-curing at elevated temperature and elevated pressure for sufficient time to crosslink the copolymer followed by an optional post-cure heating at ambient pressure to further cure the elastomer, the specific improvement comprising the step of blending an aqueous solution of hexamethylene diamine with the copolymer as the curative agent. The present invention further provides an improved process as described above wherein the aqueous solution of HMDA and water is converted to a dry liquid concentrate before it is added to the mixer. The dry liquid concentrate can be made from several different fillers including carbon black, fumed silica, precipitated silica or other mineral fillers. Preferably the additive to which the aqueous solution is added prior to blending with the copolymer is carbon black or silica.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In this disclosure, the term “copolymer” is used to refer to polymers containing two or more monomers. The use of the term terpolymer and/or termonomer means that the copolymer has at least three different comonomers. “Consisting essentially of” means that the recited components are essential, while smaller amounts of other components may be present to the extent that they do not detract from the operability of the present invention. The term “(meth)acrylic acid” refer to methacrylic acid and/or acrylic acid, inclusively. Likewise, the term “(meth) acrylate” means methacrylate and/or acrylate.
Ethylene acrylate (AEM) elastomers and polyacrylate (ACM) elastomers having small amounts of a butene dioic acid monoalkyl ester cure-site monomer present are widely used in the automotive industry because of their excellent resistance to lubricating oils and greases, heat and compression set resistance, mechanical toughness and low brittle point. As such, they are well suited for gaskets and seals, various types of automotive hoses, spark plug boots, and similar engine compartment rubber components. Typically a blend of the uncrosslinked (i.e., unvulcanized gum rubber) copolymer and diamine curing agent along with various fillers and other additives is subjected to a press-curing step at sufficient time, temperature and pressure to achieve covalent chemical bonding and crosslinking. Commercially, the practiced curing agent for AEM elastomer production is hexamethylene diamine carbamate (HMDAC).
The novel process according to the instant invention involves the use of an aqueous solution of hexamethylene diamine (HMDA) as the curing agent. It has now been discovered that an aqueous solution of HMDA can be employed either directly as a curative agent or employed to make a HMDA concentrate by depositions on an additive substrate.
Contrary to what may be expected, commercially available aqueous blends of HMDA and water (typically at a 70/30 weight ratio) can be employed as a direct substitute for HMDAC with a net effect of adding only about 0.5 pph (parts per hundred) of water to the resulting elastomer, essentially without affecting the critical properties of the elastomer.
The advantages and benefits of such an improved process for curing ethylene acrylate (AEM) and polyacrylate (ACM) elastomers are considered significant. An aqueous solution of HMDA represents a far more economical alternative relative to the use of HMDAC. Also, HMDA is preferably employed in an aqueous solution rather than as a solid because as a pure solid it is a corrosive material with a melt/freeze point of 40° C.
The aqueous solution of HMDA employed in the improved process of the instant invention can generally be any such solution provided that sufficient HMDA is employed to achieve the desired crosslinking and the quantity of water does not influence the final properties of the elastomer. Preferably, a concentrated solution of HMDA is employed wherein the HMDA is the major component. Conveniently a commercially available solution of typically 70/30 weight ratio HMDA/H 2 O is employed.
Optionally, the aqueous solution of HMDA can be mixed or deposited onto one or more fillers or additives thus forming a concentrate. This concentrate can then be conveniently employed as the curing agent source during the manufacture of the elastomer by blending the copolymer to be cured with the concentrate.
For purposes of this invention the phrase “a monoalkyl ester of a 1,4-butene-dioic acid cure-site termonomer” refers to and includes any unsaturated dicarboxylic acid or derivative thereof that after polymerization results in contributing a succinic acid type moiety along the backbone of the terpolymer which can ultimately be monoesterified. As such, the monoalkyl esters of maleic acid and fumaric acid are preferred. The most preferred monomers are monomethyl maleic acid and monoethyl maleic acid. The above phrase also includes the homologs of maelic acid such as itaconic and mesaconic acid monoalkyl esters.
For purposes of the present invention an amide modification of the cure-site monomer such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,043 (herein incorporated by reference) is to be considered equivalent to the monoalkyl ester of a 1,4-butene-dioic acid cure-site termonomer. As such vulcanizable elastomeric copolymers comprising an ethylene/methyl or ethyl (meth) acrylate/4-(dialkylamino)-4-oxo-2-butenoic acid copolymer and/or methyl or ethyl(meth) acrylate copolymer with 4-(dialkylamino)-4-oxo-2-butinoic acid termonomer and elastomeric compositions containing the same are felt to be amenable to the benefits associated with the process of the instant invention.
Preparation of the copolymers or manufacture of AEM elastomer of the present invention will be conducted as disclosed by Greene et al. for the preparation of ethylene/acrylate/1,4-butenedioic acid ester terpolymer in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,883,472 and 3,908,588 and cited references therein, all hereby incorporated herein by reference. In particular, the copolymerization can be carried out in a pressure reactor at temperatures ranging from 90° to 250° C., preferably 130° to 180° C., and pressures ranging from 1600 to 2200 atmospheres (160 to 220 MPa), preferably 1800 to 2100 atmospheres (182 to 210 MPa). The polymerization will be run as a continuous process wherein the total conversion of monomers to polymer is 5 to 18 weight percent, preferably 10 to 16 weight percent. Unreacted monomer may be recirculated. The melt index of the terpolymers of the present invention will range from 0.1 to 50 dg/min., preferably 0.5 to 20 dg/min. Similarly, the preparation of the copolymers for manufacture of ACM elastomer of the present invention will be conducted as disclosed by Greene in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,851 and cited references therein (all hereby incorporated herein by reference), provided that the cure-site 1,4-butenedioic acid ester termonomer be present.
The alkyl acrylates useful in their preparation typically are selected from methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate when ethylene is a comonomer (i.e., AEM elastomer). In such cases the methyl acrylate is preferred and comprises from about 40 to 75 weight percent of the terpolymer, preferably from 50 to 70 weight percent. The monoalkyl ester of 1,4-butene-dioic acid function as the cure-site monomer and comprises from about 0.5 to 10.0 weight percent of the terpolymer. In the AEM type elastomer the ratio of comonomers can be selected to influence the final properties. Thus good low temperature properties are derived from the non-polar ethylene monomer, while the polar methyl acrylate monomer provides the oil and fluid resistance. Similarly the relative amount of cure-site monomer influences the degree of crosslinking and resulting rheological and mechanical properties. Similarly, in the case of the poly alkyl acrylate polymer system (i.e., ACM elastomer) the alkyl acrylates usually employed are methyl or ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate and 2-methoxy ethyl acrylate along with 1,4-butene dioic acid ester cure-site monomer. Again, the respective relative amounts of each can be selected such as to influence the properties of the resulting elastomer as generally known in the art.
The terpolymers of the present invention can also be compounded in non-black formulations and vulcanized in the presence of peroxide curing systems such as discussed by Greene in U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,588. In such systems, the polymers possess the added advantage of improved tensile properties.
The vulcanizates of the present invention may also contain an antioxidant system based on a phosphorus ester antioxidant, a hindered phenolic antioxidant, an amine antioxidant, or a mixture of two or more of these compounds. The phosphorus ester compound can be, for example: tri(mixed mono- and dinonylphenyl) phosphite, tris(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) phosphate, high molecular weight poly(phenolic phosphonates), and 6-(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxy)benzyl-6H-dibenz[c,e][1,2]oxaphosphorin-6-oxide.
The hindered phenolic compounds include, for example, the following: 4,4′-butylidenebis(6- t -butyl-m-cresol), 1,3,5-trimethyl-2,4,6-tris-(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl) benzene, 2,6-di-t-butyl-dimethylamino- p -cresol, and 4,4′-thiobis-(3-methyl-6-t-butyl-phenol).
Suitable amine antioxidants include, among others, the following: polymerized 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline; N-phenyl-N′-( p -toluenesulfonyl)-p-phenylenediamine; N,N′-di(β-naphthyl) p-phenylene diamine; low temperature reaction product of phenyl (β-naphthyl) amine and acetone; and 4,4′-bis(α, α-dimethylbenzyl)-diphenylamine.
The proportion of the antioxidant compound in the vulcanizing composition is 0.1 to 5 parts per 100 parts of polymer, the preferred proportion being 0.5 to 2.5.
The antioxidant improves the heat aging of the compositions. The antioxidant effect is usually quite low below the preferred range and impractically low below the broad range recited above. Above the higher limits, little additional improvement is observed, and there may be adverse effects on the state of cure.
It is often desirable to add fillers to reduce cost and to improve mechanical properties. A typical vulcanized composition will usually contain about 10 to 40 volume percent of fillers, for example, carbon black, barium sulfate, magnesium silicate, or silica. Other conventional fillers can also be used. The preferred proportion of the fillers is 15 to 25 volume percent, and also depends on the reinforcing effect of the individual fillers. Below the lower limit, the improvement of tensile properties is quite low, while above the upper limit, the viscosity of the compound is too high and the hardness of the cured compound is too high. Also the percent elongation may be too low.
The ingredients of the vulcanizable composition can be mixed in conventional equipment, such as a two-roll mill or a Banbury mixer. The vulcanizate may be formed and press-cured using conventional procedures at about 170° to 210° C. for about 3 to 60 minutes.
The amount of aqueous HMDA solution used in this vulcanization process is about 0.06 to 0.30 mole of amino function per kilogram of polymer, preferably 0.12 to 0.22 mole per kilogram. Below the lower limit, the polymer tends to be undercured; while above the upper limit, the polymer tends to have impractical low elongation and poor heat aging resistance. It is to be noted that the aqueous HMDA, solution can include various branched isomers and homologs of HMDA, provided they too are water soluble. The vulcanization can also include various vulcanization accelerators belonging to the following classes:
1. alkali metal salts of weak inorganic acids and alkali metal hydroxides; 2. alkali metal salts of weak organic acids, alkali metal alcoholates and phenolates; 3. quaternary ammonium and quaternary phosphonium hydroxides, alcoholates, phenolates, halides, and salts with weak acids; 4. tertiary amines; 5. guanidine, aryl- and alkylguanidines; and 6. heterocyclic, tertiary amines.
Examples of class (1) accelerators include sodium, potassium, and lithium hydroxides, phosphates, carbonates, bicarbonates, borates, hydrogen phosphates, and dihydrogen phosphates. The preferred accelerator is sodium hydroxide. The amount of a class (1) accelerator is 0.02 to 0.2 mole per kilogram of polymer; the preferred amount is 0.06 to 0.10 mole per kilogram.
Representative class (2) accelerators are sodium methoxide, potassium stearate, sodium and potassium isopropoxides, potassium laurate, sodium or potassium phenoxides, benzoates, or salts of lower aliphatic acids, e.g., acetates, and formates. The preferred accelerator is potassium stearate. About 0.02 to 0.2 mole of the accelerator per kilogram of polymer is be used, the range of 0.06 to 0.10 mole per kilogram being preferred.
Class (3) accelerators include, for example, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, (C 8 H 17 —C 10 H 21 ) 3 (CH 3 )NCl (sold under the trade name, Aliquat 336, by General Mills, Chemical Div., Kankakee, Ill.), benzyltriphenylphosphonium chloride, tetrabutylammonium methoxide, and tetrabutylammonium stearate. The preferred compounds are tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and (C 8 H 17 —C 10 H 21 ) 3 (CH 3 )NCl. These accelerators are used at a level of 0.01 to 0.1 mole per kilogram of polymer, preferably 0.02 to 0.05 mole per kilogram of polymer.
Tertiary amines representative of class (4) accelerators include triethylenediamine, N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,4-butanediamine, N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-2,6-diaminophenol, and N,N-dimethylaminoethanol. Triethylenediamine is the preferred accelerator in this class. About 0.01 to 0.1 mole of accelerator of this class per kilogram of polymer is used, the range of 0.02–0.05 mole per kilogram being preferred.
Representative class (5) accelerators include tetramethylguanidine, tetraethylguanidine diphenylguanidine and di-ortho-tolyl guanidine. The level of application of class (5) accelerators is 0.01 to 0.12 mole per kilogram of polymer, preferably 0.02 to 0.09 mole per kilogram. The preffered accelerators are diphenylguanidine and di-ortho-tolyl guanidine
Typical class (6) accelerators include imidazole, pyridine, quinoline, and N-phenylmorpholine. The preferred amine of this class is imidazole. Class (6) accelerators are used in amounts of 0.02 to 0.09 moles per kilogram of polymer.
Two or more accelerators as defined herein may be used.
The preferred accelerators are those of classes (4) and (5), above, because they have the minimum effect on compound scorch (premature curing at low temperature) and on the heat resistance of the vulcanizates.
The following examples are presented to more fully demonstrate and further illustrate various aspects and features of the present invention. As such, the showings are intended to further illustrate the differences and advantages of the present invention but are not meant to be unduly limiting.
EXAMPLE 1
For comparative evaluation a series of four different blends was prepared and tested. In each respective run a commercial grade of a random ethylene/methyl acrylate copolymer (41% by weight ethylene and 55% methyl acrylate) having 4 weight % methyl hydrogen maleate termonomer present as the cure-site monomer (sold under the tradename Vamac® by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company) was employed. Runs 1 and 3 employed 1.5 parts per weight HMDAC per 100 parts of the Vamac terpolymer as the curative agent. Runs 2 and 4 employed 1.55 parts by weight HMDA in the form of a 70/30 HMDA/water solution (pH≈12) as the curative agent. The 1.5 pph HMDAC and 1.55 pph of the 70/30 HMDA/H 2 O used the same molar amount of curative. Runs 1 and 2 also employed the standard level of 4 parts by weight per 100 parts of Vamac® of di-ortho-tolyl guanidine (DOTG) which is the accelerator for the cure while runs 3 and 4 did not use DOTG as the accelerator. Each run further included 60 parts by weight carbon black along with antioxidants and other additives. Details of the respective compositions and resulting data are presented in Table 1.
The respective starting ingredients were blended on an OCC Banbury mixer using an upside down mix procedure and a dump temperature of 100° C. followed by further mixing on a two-roll mill at about 25° C. to achieve a homogeneous mixture. Vulcanized slabs of 75 mils (0.075 inch or 1.9 mm) inch thick were prepared by press-curing the blended mixtures for 5 minutes at 175° C. at a pressure of about 1,100 psig. The vulcanizates were then post-cured at 175° C. for four hours at ambient pressure.
As seen in the data, the rheology of compounds 1 and 2 and the cured physicals for compounds 1 and 2 are essentially the same.
Also the rheology of compounds 3 and 4 and the cured physicals for compounds 3 and 4 are essentially the same. DOTG makes significant improvements in the cure rate and the physical properties of the conventional HMDAC cure. The HMDA/H 2 O cure also benefits from using DOTG as an accelerator.
TABLE 1
Properties of Compounds made with HMDA/H 2 O and also
with and without DOTG
Run Number
1
2
3
4
Vamac
100
100
100
100
Carbon Black, N550
60
60
60
60
TP-759
10
10
10
10
Stearic Acid
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
Vanfre VAM
1
1
1
1
Armeen 18D
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
Naugard 445
2
2
2
2
Diak #1
1.5
1.5
70 HMDA/30 H 2 O
1.55
1.55
DOTG
4
4
0
0
Total PPH
180.5
180.55
176.5
176.55
Rheology of Compounds
Mooney Viscosity
ML(1 + 4) @ 100° C.
36
36
43
43
Mooney Scorch - 121° C.
Minimum Viscosity - MU
13.2
13.1
15.5
15.4
t10 - metricminutes
12.8
13.1
14.9
15.4
t18 - metricminutes
18.8
19.7
MDR summary at 177, 1°
arc
ML, lbf-in
0.56
0.56
0.68
0.67
MH, Ibf-in
22.1
23.1
14
13.6
TS2, metric minutes
0.85
0.84
1.35
1.36
t50, m minutes
2.4
2.5
4.1
4.1
t90, m minutes
10.1
10.9
16.7
16.8
Physical properties
after cure
5 min in Press cure at
175° C.
4 Hours of Post cure at
175° C.
Hardness Shore A
65
64
67
66
Modulus at 100%
775
860
725
722
Elongation psi
Tensile Strength, psi
2322
2442
2343
2342
% Elongation
314
293
289
293
Compression set 168
23.5
22.3
44.9
48.2
hrs/150° C.
Age 1 week at 175 C. in air
Hardness Shore A
69
75
70
66
Modulus at 100%
893
975
694
636
elongation psi
Tensile strength psi
2371
2223
1882
1841
% Elongation
280
270
288
290
Change in Hardness, points
4
11
3
0
% change in 100% modulus
15.2%
13.4%
−4.3%
−11.9%
% change in tensile
2.1%
−9.0%
−19.7%
−21.4%
% change in elongation
−10.8%
−7.8%
−0.3%
−1.0%
Age 6 weeks at 150° C.
in air
Hardness Shore A
69
73
69
68
Modulus at 100%
884
936
802
740
elongation psi
Tensile strength psi
2168
2091
1937
1884
% Elongation
277
298
304
316
Change in Hardness, points
4
9
2
2
% change in 100% modulus
14.1%
8.8%
10.6%
2.5%
% change in tensile
−6.6%
−14.4%
−17.3%
−19.6%
% change in elongation
−11.8%
1.7%
5.2%
7.8%
EXAMPLE 2
In a manner analogous to that of Example 1, a series of six additional runs was performed and tested. Run 1 is the control. Runs 2 and 3 use a silica carrier for the HMDA/H 2 O solution. Runs 4 and 5 use carbon black as the carrier for the HMDA/H 2 O solution. Run 6 uses DOTG as the carrier.
The concentrates were prepared by blending the HMDA/H 2 O solution with the dry silica, carbon black or DOTG. They were mixed in a beaker with a stirring rod. The silica compounds were still free flowing compounds after the addition of the HMDA/H 2 O and were very easy to add to the Banbury. The carbon black mixture used in run 4 (2 to 1 ratio of black to HMDA/H 2 O) was relatively easy to add to the Banbury. However, the carbon black mixture used in run 5 (1 to 1 ratio of black to HMDA/H 2 O was difficult to add to the mixture because it was a “pasty” consistency. The concentrate used in run 6 was a blend of 4 parts of DOTG and 1.55 parts of HMDA/H 2 O (standard cure level). This concentrate was also “pasty” and difficult to feed to the Banbury. The resulting data are presented in Table 2.
TABLE 2
Properties of Compounds made with HMDA/H 2 0 Deposited
on Additive Before Blending With Polymer
Run Number
1
2
3
4
5
6
Vamac
100
100
100
100
100
100
Black, N550
60
56.85
58.45
56.85
58.45
60
TP-759
10
10
10
10
10
10
Stearic Acid
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
Vanfre VAM
1
1
1
1
1
1
Armeen 18D
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
Naugard 445
2
2
2
2
2
2
Diak #1
1.5
33 HMDA/H2O, 67 Silica (A)
4.7
50 HMDA/H2O, 50 Silica (B)
3.1
33 HMDA/H2O, 67 Black
4.7
(C)
50 HMDA/H2O, 50 Black
3.1
(D)
27.9 HMDA/H2O, 72.1
5.55
DOTG (E)
DOTG
4
4
4
4
4
0
Total PPH
180.5
180.55
180.55
180.55
180.55
180.55
Rheology of Compounds
Viscosity, ML (1 + 4) @ 100° C.
35.2
35.2
34.5
33.4
34.8
31.5
Mooney Scorch - 121° C.
Minimum Viscosity - MU
11.8
12.2
11.6
11.4
11.3
10.7
t3 - metric minutes
7.7
7.7
7.8
7.9
7.9
7.7
t10 - metric minutes
12.8
13.1
13.3
13.4
13.3
13.1
t18 - metric minutes
18.8
20.3
20.3
19.8
20.2
18.8
MDR summary at 177, 1° arc
ML, lbf-in
0.52
0.54
0.52
0.51
0.54
0.51
MH, lbf-in
22.1
23.1
23.5
21.3
24.2
20.5
tS1, metric minutes
0.65
0.64
0.65
0.65
0.66
0.64
tS2, metric minutes
0.85
0.84
0.86
0.86
0.86
0.84
t10, m minutes
0.88
0.88
0.91
0.91
0.93
0.84
t50, m minutes
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.6
2.7
2.3
t90, m minutes
9.3
11.5
11.2
10.7
11
10.2
Slope, (0.9*MH-ML + 2)/(t90-
2.53
2.09
2.19
2.10
2.29
2.13
tS2)
Slope, (0.5*MH-ML + 2)/(t50-
13.8
13.4
13.0
11.9
12.6
13.7
tS2)
Physical properties after cure
5 min in Press cure at
175° C.
4 Hours of Post cure at
175° C.
Hardness, Shore A
67
66
67
69
68
67
Modulus at 100%
826
813
869
877
893
748
Elongation, psi
Tensile Strength, psi
2293
2323
2421
2397
2439
2385
% Elongation
294
286
281
276
279
319
Die C tear, pli
204
207
210
203
186
195
Compression set 168
20.3
21.1
19.1
17.4
20.9
20.4
hrs/150° C.
EXAMPLE 3
In a manner analogous to and using the same procedures of Example 1, a series of five additional blends using two different polyacrylate (ACM) type elastomers (i.e., AR-12 and AR-14, commercially available from Zeon Corporation, Japan) known to be cross-linkable with the HMDAC/DOTG cure system was prepared and tested. Run 1 was performed using HMDAC/DOTG curative system and runs 2 and 4 used HMDA/water plus DOTG curative system and run 5 HMDA/water deposited/dispersed on precipitated silica plus DOTG. Run 3 did not employ a diamine curative agent. The resulting data presented in Table 3 establish that the aqueous HMDA curative agent of the instant invention is operative for polyacrylate (ACM) type elastomers.
TABLE 3
Properties of Compounds made with HMDA/H 2 0 and/or
HMDA/H 2 0 Deposited on Additive Before Blending With Polyacrylate
(ACM) Polymer
RUN NUMBER
1
2
3
4
5
AR 12
100
100
100
AR 14
100
100
Carbon Black, N550
55
55
55
55
55
Stearic Acid
1
1
1
1
1
Vanfre VAM
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
Armeen 18D
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
Naugard 445
2
2
2
2
2
Struktol WB 222
2
2
2
2
2
Diak #1
0.6
0.0
70 HMDA/30 H2O
0.62
0.62
Concentrate*
0.96
DOTG
2
2
2
2
2
Total PHR
163.6
163.62
163.0
163.62
163.96
Rheology of Compounds
Mooney Viscosity
ML (1 + 4) @ 100° C.
46.6
45.5
38.7
46.2
46.3
Mooney Scorch -
121° C.
Initial Visc - MU - 1 min
27.8
27
24.5
26.2
26.5
preheat
Minimum Viscosity -
22.8
21.7
18.2
23.2
21.7
MU
t3 - metric minutes
6.76
7.01
4.43
6.75
t10 - metric minutes
9
9.43
6.07
9.23
t18 - metric minutes
10.2
10.6
7.27
10.58
MDR summary at 177,
1° arc 30 minutes
ML, lbf-in
2.26
2.28
2.19
2.6
2.28
MH, lbf-in
15
15.4
13.4
15
tS1, metric minutes
0.48
0.46
0.53
0.47
tS2, metric minutes
0.64
0.62
0.83
0.63
t10, m minutes
0.52
0.51
0.55
0.51
t50, m minutes
1.72
1.7
2.91
1.68
t90, m minutes
8.32
8.62
14.4
8.54
Slope, (0.9*MH-(ML +
1.20
1.20
0.55
1.17
2))/(t90-tS2)
Slope, (0.5*MH-(ML +
3.0
3.2
1.0
3.1
2))/(t50-tS2)
Physical properties after
cure
5 min in Press cure at
175° C.
4 Hours of Post cure at
175° C.
Hardness
61.5
59.9
34.5
61.3
59.6
Modulus at 100%
498
544
52
861
549
Elongation
Tensile Strength, psi
1461
1516
1423
1395
% Elongation
232
219
138
209
Die C tear, pli
106
101
31
73
113
Compression set 168
12.8
12.4
90.7
21.5
14.6
hrs/150° C.
*Concentrate is 65% of 70/30 HMDA/H2O and 35% precipitated silica
Having thus described and exemplified the invention with a certain degree of particularity, it should be appreciated that the following claims are not to be so limited but are to be afforded a scope commensurate with the wording of each element of the claim and equivalents thereof.
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An improved method of making an ethylene acrylate (AEM) elastomer or a polyacrylate (ACM) elastomer wherein an aqueous solution of hexamethylene diamine (HMDA) is employed as the curative agent rather than hexamethylene diamine carbamate (HMDAC). The HMDA reacts with the curative-site monomer derived from the monoalkyl ester of a 1,4-butene-dioic acid in the presence of water, producing (i.e., after press-curing and any secondary heat-curing) a crosslinked elastomer with properties essentially indistinguishable from that produced using HMDAC as the curative agent. Advantageously, the aqueous solution of HMDA can be blended directly into the compound or it can be deposited on an additive such as silica or carbon black prior to blending. Elastomers produced by the improved method according to the present invention are particularly useful in automotive applications requiring oil resistant compositions.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This Application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/021,011 filed on 4 Feb. 2011, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/961,465 filed on 20 Dec. 2007 and now U.S. Pat. No. 7,883,109. Each of these references is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to influencing airbag inflation using a duct.
Known airbag systems protect vehicle occupants by absorbing forces generated during collisions, for example. Many airbag systems are used in conjunction with other vehicle safety systems, such as seatbelts. Safety systems protect occupants located in various positions within the vehicle.
In particular, airbag designs within some safety systems protect both “in-position” occupants and “out-of-position” occupants. Typically, during a collision, an “in-position” occupant directly strikes a contact face portion of the airbag, whereas an “out-of-position” occupant does not directly strike the contact face. Balancing protection of “in-position” occupants with protect of “out-of-position” occupants is often challenging. Through the contact face, the airbag absorbs forces from the occupant that are generated during the collision.
Generally, it is desirable to provide a softer airbag during the initial stages of airbag deployment. It is also often desirable to provide a harder airbag when the airbag is fully deployed and when the occupant is an “in-position” occupant. As known, occupants may move between the “out-of-position” occupant position and the “in-position” occupant position. Many airbags include vents for changing the softness or the hardness of the airbag as the airbag deploys, but the occupant position does not affect airflow through the vents.
SUMMARY
An exemplary airbag assembly includes an airbag and a duct having an duct opening for venting gas. The duct has a first position and a second position. The duct is configured to direct less gas out of the airbag when in the second position than when in the first position. A tether kinks about the duct to move the duct from the first position to the second position. The inflating causes the tether to kink about the duct.
Another exemplary airbag assembly includes an airbag and a duct. A portion of the duct is moveable from a first position to a second position. A clamping tether clamps the duct to move the duct from the first position and the second position. The duct directs more gas out of the airbag in the first position than in the second position.
An exemplary airbag inflation method includes directing fluid outside an interior of an airbag using a duct and inflating the airbag to clamp a tether about the duct to lessen said directing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description:
FIG. 1A shows a side view of example “out-of-position” occupants within a vehicle.
FIG. 1B shows a side view of an example “in-position” occupant within a vehicle.
FIG. 2A shows a partially schematic top view of an example airbag assembly having an airbag in a partially expanded position.
FIG. 2B shows another partially schematic top view of the FIG. 2A airbag assembly having the airbag in a fully expanded position.
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a duct portion of the FIG. 2A airbag assembly.
FIG. 4A shows a partially schematic top view of another example airbag assembly having an airbag in a partially expanded position.
FIG. 4B shows a partially schematic top view of the FIG. 4A airbag assembly having the airbag in a fully expanded position.
FIG. 5A shows a partially schematic top view of yet another example airbag assembly having an airbag in a partially expanded position.
FIG. 5B shows a partially schematic top view of the FIG. 5A airbag assembly having the airbag in a fully expanded position.
FIG. 6 shows a partially schematic top view of yet another example airbag assembly having an airbag in a fully expanded position.
FIG. 7 shows a partially schematic top view of yet another example airbag assembly having an airbag in a fully expanded position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1A illustrates “out-of-position” occupants 20 within a vehicle 28 . As known, “out-of-position” occupants 20 can tend to crowd the airbag deployment area 32 more than an “in-position” occupant 24 shown in FIG. 1B .
In this example, the “out-of-position” occupants 20 are undesirably located near an airbag deployment area 32 . By contrast, the “in-position” occupant 24 desirably provides clearance for an airbag to expand from the airbag deployment area 32 . As generally known, providing a harder airbag is often desired for the “in-position” occupant 24 , but not desired for the “out-of-position” occupants 20 .
Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B , an example airbag assembly 50 includes an airbag 54 having at least one duct 58 . A duct opening 62 or duct vent at an end of the duct 58 permits gas 78 movement from the duct 58 . An airbag inflator 66 , represented schematically here, generates gas 78 , which is moved into another end of the duct 58 and into the interior portion of the airbag 54 . Accordingly, the airbag inflator 66 moves gas 78 that both inflates the airbag 54 , and gas 78 that escapes outside of the airbag 54 through the duct opening 62 . The duct 58 and the airbag 54 are secured adjacent the airbag inflator 66 .
The duct opening 62 extends outside the airbag 54 through the duct opening 62 when the airbag 54 is partially deployed, but not when the airbag 54 is fully deployed. As the airbag 54 inflates, the duct opening 62 moves inside the airbag 54 . Distance d 1 in FIG. 2A and greater distance D 1 in FIG. 2B represent example distances between an airbag opening 82 and the attachment points of the duct 58 and the airbag 54 near the airbag inflator 66 . The duct 58 is too short to extend the duct opening 62 outside the airbag 54 through the airbag opening 82 after the airbag 54 is inflated some amount.
Moving the duct 58 within the interior of the airbag 54 changes the location of the duct opening 62 . In this example, filling the airbag 54 with gas 78 from the duct opening 62 hardens the airbag 54 . As known, hardening the airbag 54 is generally desired during the later stages of deployment, not when the airbag 54 initially deploys. Accordingly, the example assembly 50 pulls the duct opening 62 within the airbag 54 as the airbag 54 approaches the fully deployed position of FIG. 2B , which ensures that the gas 78 moving from the duct opening 62 does not contribute to expanding the airbag 54 during initial deployment of the airbag 54 or when the “out-of-position” occupant of FIG. 1A limits movement of a contact face 74 portion of the airbag 54 .
The airbag 54 has softer characteristics during the earlier stages of deployment, say the first 20 milliseconds of deployment, because some of the gas 78 vents to the outside environment through the duct opening 62 . As known, softer characteristics of the airbag 54 are desired for “out-of-position” occupants 20 and during initial stages of airbag deployment. Associating the position of the contact face 74 with the characteristics of the airbag 54 facilitates accommodating the “out-of-position” occupant 20 and the “in-position” occupant 24 .
Referring now to FIG. 3 , the duct 58 includes a duct mouth 68 for receiving gas 78 from the airbag inflator 66 ( FIG. 2A ). The shape of the duct 58 tends to direct air from the mouth 68 toward the duct opening 62 . The duct 58 is flexible and foldable with the airbag 54 in the airbag deployment area 32 ( FIG. 1A ) when the airbag 54 is not inflated. A person skilled in this art would know how to direct gas 78 into both the duct 58 and the interior portion of the airbag 54 and how to design a suitable duct 58 for incorporation into the airbag assembly 50 .
In the example of FIGS. 4A and 4B , the duct 58 attaches directly to an interior surface of the airbag 54 , which closes the duct opening 62 ( FIG. 3 ) to prevent venting gas 78 from the duct 58 outside the airbag 54 . Instead, gas 78 fills the duct 58 forcing the sides of the airbag 54 outward in directions Y. Filling the duct 58 forces the sides of the airbag 54 outward during the early stages of airbag 54 deployment. Without the duct 58 , the sides of the airbag 54 move outward as the interior of the airbag 54 fills, rather than as the interior of the duct 58 fills. In this example, the airbag 54 may include discrete vents 64 for venting gas 78 directly from the interior of the airbag 54 . As known, discrete vents 64 help soften the deploying airbag 54 .
Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B in another example, the interior of the airbag 54 may include at least one tether 70 for moving the duct 58 relative the airbag 54 . As shown, the tether 70 secures the duct 58 to an interior surface 72 of the airbag 54 . In this example, one end of the tether 70 attaches to the interior surface 72 of the airbag near a contact face 74 of the airbag 54 opposing the airbag inflator 66 , and another end of the tether 70 attaches directly to the duct 58 . The ends of the tether 70 are respectively sewn to the interior surface 72 of the airbag 54 and the duct 58 , for example. Accordingly, moving the interior surface 72 of the airbag 54 moves the tether 70 , which moves the duct 58 .
The airbag opening 82 within the airbag 54 facilitates moving the duct 58 relative other portion of the airbag 54 . In this example, moving the contact face 74 moves the tether 70 , which pulls the duct 58 inside the airbag 54 . Ordinarily, the contact face 74 is the portion of the airbag 54 for contacting an occupant 20 , 24 ( FIGS. 1A-1B ). Thus, in this example, the tether 70 does not pull the duct 58 fully inside the airbag 54 until the contact face 74 extends sufficiently away from the airbag deployment area 32 . Distance d 2 in FIG. 5A and greater distance D 2 in FIG. 5B represent example distances between the airbag opening 82 and the attachment location of the tether adjacent the contact face 74 .
The contact face 74 of the airbag 54 moves further as the airbag 54 deploys. As known, during deployment of the airbag 54 , the “out-of-position” occupant 20 of FIG. 1A would strike the contact face 74 of the airbag 54 sooner than the “in-position” occupant 24 of FIG. 1B . Moving the contact face 74 increases the distance between the contact face 74 and the attachment point of the tether 70 to the duct 58 . Limiting movement of the contact face 74 , such as with the “out-of-position” occupant 20 of FIG. 1A , would prevent or otherwise limit movement of the tether 70 and the duct 58 , and would cause the duct 58 to continue to vent outside of the airbag 54 until the occupant 20 moves to permit expansion of the contact face 74 .
Moving the duct 58 within the airbag 54 does permit some gas 78 to escape from the airbag 54 through the airbag opening 82 . However, the duct 58 provides a more direct path between the gas 78 from the airbag inflator 66 and the outside of the airbag 54 . Thus the amount of the gas 78 moving from the airbag inflator 66 and through the duct opening 62 , is greater than the amount of gas 78 moving from the airbag inflator 66 to the interior of the airbag 54 and through the airbag opening 82 when the duct 58 is fully within the airbag 54 .
In the FIG. 6 example, the airbag assembly 50 include at least one clamping tether 86 that closes the duct 58 to restrict flow of gas 78 through the duct opening 62 during the latter stages of airbag 54 deployment. In such an example, the clamping tether 86 kinks the duct 58 as the contact face 74 moves away from the airbag deployment area 32 . As previously described, moving the airbag contact face 74 away from the airbag deployment area 32 moves the tether 86 , which, in this example, causes the tether 86 to kink the duct 58 . In this example, the duct 58 does not move within the airbag opening 82 . Stitches 87 may secure the duct 58 relative the airbag 54 .
Kinking the duct 58 with the tether 86 restricts flow through the duct 58 . As a result, gas 78 that would formerly move outside the airbag 54 through the duct opening 62 stays within the airbag 54 . As previously described, providing more air or more gas 78 to the interior of the airbag 54 hardens the airbag 54 . As flow through the duct 58 is blocked, the airbag inflator 66 directs gas 78 formerly directly through the duct 58 directly into the interior of the airbag 54 .
In the example of FIG. 7 , the tether 86 pulls a flap 94 on the duct 58 , which permits gas 78 to escape through an aperture 98 within the duct 58 into the interior of the airbag 54 . Accordingly, as the contact face 74 expands, the tether 86 opens the aperture to direct more gas 78 into the interior of the airbag 54 . A hook and loop fastener may secure the flap 94 over the aperture 98 until the tether 86 opens the flap 94 .
Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
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An exemplary airbag assembly includes an airbag and a duct having an duct opening for venting gas. The duct has a first position and a second position. The duct is configured to direct less gas out of the airbag when in the second position than when in the first position. A tether kinks about the duct to move the duct from the first position to the second position. The inflating causes the tether to kink about the duct.
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BACKGROUND
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for reversing well kill operations. More specifically, this invention provides a composition and method to displace killing fluids from a wellbore with naturally flowing oil or gas.
Background of the Invention
At various points in the lifetime of a well, it may be necessary to end the flow of oil, gas, and other reservoir fluids from the reservoir to the wellbore. This kind of operation is commonly referred to as a well kill. Well kills of producing wells typically involve pumping a high density kill fluid into the wellbore. The density of the kill fluid exerts sufficient pressure to prevent fluids from flowing from the reservoir into the wellbore. Kill fluids have the advantage of suppressing well production without the need for continued control from the surface.
Another advantage of using kill fluids to stop production is that such a well kill is reversible. When the well kill involves a heavy mud set in the wellbore, the reversal of the well kill requires the heavy mud to be removed. Typical removal operations involve pumping a gas into the wellbore at a high pressure. The pressure of the gas acts to remove the heavy mud from the wellbore. In some operations, the heavy mud is removed from the wellbore by being forced into the reservoir. This method is cheap, but runs the risk of causing damage to the reservoir. In an alternate method, coiled tubing is inserted into the wellbore. The high pressure gas is inserted through the coiled tubing, circulates out the bottom of the coiled tubing, and lifts the heavy mud up out of the wellbore. The coiled tubing method does not run the same risk to the reservoir, but requires more equipment making it a more expensive reversal option.
A well kill with injected gas is advantageous, because the injection gas is usually a cheap, inert gas such as nitrogen. The injected gases themselves do not prevent the flow of reservoir fluids into the wellbore allowing production to begin promptly upon removal of the kill fluid.
A method with the advantages of injected gas and the minimized risk to the reservoir of coiled tubing and without the operating costs of coiled tubing would be preferred.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for reversing well kill operations. More specifically, this invention provides a composition and method to displace killing fluids from a wellbore with naturally flowing oil or gas.
In one aspect of the present invention, a reaction apparatus for providing reactants from a surface to a wellbore to create a generated gas when the reactants undergo a reaction in situ to affect a density of a fluid in the wellbore is provided. The reaction apparatus includes a reaction housing, the reaction housing includes a first reactant cell, the first reactant cell having a passing side and being fully enclosed within the reaction housing, where the first reactant cell is configured to contain a first reactant, a second reactant cell, the second reactant cell having a passing side and being fully enclosed within the reaction housing separate from the first reactant cell, where the second reactant cell is configured to contain a second reactant, a mixing chamber, the mixing chamber being fully enclosed within the reaction housing, being in fluid communication with the passing side of the first reactant cell and the passing side of the second reactant cell, where the mixing chamber is configured to allow the first reactant and the second reactant to mix, a first passage, the first passage in fluid communication with the passing side of the first reactant cell and with the mixing chamber, the first passage configured to allow the first reactant to pass from the first reactant cell to the mixing chamber, a second passage, the second passage in fluid communication with the passing side of the second reactant cell and with the mixing chamber, the second passage configured to allow the second reactant to pass from the second reactant cell to the mixing chamber, and an outlet, the outlet positioned in the mixing chamber, where the outlet is configured to allow the generated gas from the reaction in the mixing chamber to escape the mixing chamber when a reaction pressure in the mixing chamber exceeds a wellbore pressure in the wellbore. The reaction apparatus also includes a line, the line configured to move the reaction housing from the surface to the wellbore, wherein the line contains a plurality of electric cables, each of the plurality of electric cables being configured to transmit a signal to and from the reaction apparatus, and a reel, the reel configured to guide the line into and out of the wellbore.
In certain aspects of the present invention, the reaction apparatus further includes a settling area in the mixing chamber, the settling area configured to collect non-gaseous by-products from the reaction. In certain aspects of the present invention, the settling area includes a dump valve, the dump valve configured to release the non-gaseous by-products into the wellbore, wherein the dump valve is in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables. In certain aspects of the present invention, the reaction apparatus further includes a first port in the first passage, the first port configured to allow the first reactant to pass from the first reactant cell to the mixing chamber at a predetermined mark, and a second port in the second passage, the second port configured to allow the second reactant to pass from the second reactant cell to the mixing chamber at the predetermined mark, where the first port and the second port are in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables. In certain aspects of the present invention, the first reactant is NH 4 Cl and the second reactant is NaNO 2 and the generated gas is nitrogen. In certain aspects of the present invention, the reaction apparatus further includes a temperature gauge, the temperature gauge in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables, and a pressure gauge, the pressure gauge in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables. In certain aspects of the present invention, the reaction apparatus further includes a density gauge mounted externally to the reaction apparatus, the density gauge being in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables to transmit the density of the fluid in the wellbore to the surface.
In a second aspect of the present invention, a method for providing reactants that undergo a reaction to produce a generated gas in situ in a wellbore to affect a density of a fluid in the wellbore is provided. The method includes the steps of positioning a reaction housing into the wellbore using a line, the line including a plurality of electric cables, each of the plurality of electric cables being configured to transmit a signal to and from the reaction housing, the reaction housing including a first reactant cell, the first reactant cell containing a first reactant, a second reactant cell, the second reactant cell containing a second reactant, a mixing chamber, the mixing chamber in fluid communication with the first reactant cell through a first passage, the first passage including a first port, the mixing chamber in fluid communication with the second reactant cell through a second passage, the second passage including a second port, and an outlet, the outlet positioned in the mixing chamber. The method further including the steps of opening the first port in the first passage at a predetermined mark to allow the first reactant to pass from the first reactant cell into the mixing chamber, opening the second port in the second passage at the predetermined mark to allow the second reactant to pass from the second reactant cell into the mixing chamber, allowing the first reactant and the second reactant to react in the mixing chamber to generate gas, where the generated gas increases a reaction pressure, increasing the reaction pressure in the mixing chamber until the reaction pressure exceeds a wellbore pressure in the wellbore, and opening the outlet when the reaction pressure exceeds the wellbore pressure, where opening the outlet releases the generated gas into the wellbore such that the generated gas mixes with the fluid in the wellbore and affects the density of the fluid.
In certain aspects of the present invention, the first reactant reacting in the mixing chamber is NH 4 Cl and the second reactant reacting in the mixing chamber is NaNO 2 and the generated gas is nitrogen. In certain aspects of the present invention, the method further includes the step of accumulating non-gaseous by-products from the reaction in a settling area in the mixing chamber situated below the outlet. In certain aspects of the present invention, the method further includes the step of dumping the non-gaseous byproducts into the wellbore through a dump valve, where the dump valve is in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables. In certain aspects of the present invention, the method further includes the steps of measuring a temperature using a temperature gauge, and measuring a pressure using a pressure gauge, where the temperature gauge and the pressure gauge being in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables. In certain aspects of the present invention, the method further includes the step of measuring the density of the fluid in the wellbore using a density gauge mounted externally to the reaction housing, the density gauge being in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables to transmit the density of the fluid in the wellbore to a surface.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a method for reversing a well kill operation using a kill fluid in a wellbore is provided. The method including the steps of placing a reaction housing into the wellbore using a line, the line including a plurality of electric cables, each of the plurality of electric cables being configured to transmit a signal to and from the reaction housing, the reaction housing including a first reactant cell, the first reactant cell containing a first reactant, a second reactant cell, the second reactant cell containing a second reactant, a mixing chamber, the mixing chamber in fluid communication with the first reactant cell through a first passage, the first passage including a first port, the mixing chamber in fluid communication with the second reactant cell through a second passage, the second passage including a second port, and an outlet, the outlet positioned in the mixing chamber. The method further including the steps of opening the first port in the first passage at a predetermined mark to allow the first reactant to pass from the first reactant cell into the mixing chamber, opening the second port in the second passage at the predetermined mark to allow the second reactant to pass from the second reactant cell into the mixing chamber, allowing the first reactant and the second reactant to react in a reaction in the mixing chamber to produce a generated gas, wherein the generated gas increases a reaction pressure, increasing the reaction pressure in the mixing chamber until the reaction pressure exceeds a wellbore pressure in the wellbore, opening the outlet when the reaction pressure exceeds the wellbore pressure, wherein opening the outlet releases the generated gas into the wellbore, and altering a density of the kill fluid in the wellbore, wherein the density of the kill fluid is altered by mixing with the generated gas, such that the kill fluid rises up from the wellbore.
In certain aspects of the present invention, the first reactant reacting in the mixing chamber is NH 4 Cl and the second reactant reacting in the mixing chamber is NaNO 2 and the generated gas is nitrogen. In certain aspects of the present invention, the method further includes the step of accumulating non-gaseous byproducts from the reaction in a settling area at the bottom of the mixing chamber situated below the outlet. In certain aspects of the present invention, the method further includes the step of dumping the non-gaseous byproducts into the wellbore through a dump valve, wherein the dump valve is in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables. In certain aspects of the present invention, the method further includes the steps of measuring a temperature using a temperature gauge and measuring a pressure using a pressure gauge the temperature gauge and the pressure gauge being in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables. In certain aspects of the present invention, the method further includes the step of measuring the density of the fluid in the wellbore using a density gauge mounted externally to the reaction housing, the density gauge being in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of electric cables to transmit the density of the fluid in the wellbore to a surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following descriptions, claims, and accompanying drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only several embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the invention's scope as it can admit to other equally effective embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a schematic of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present
FIG. 4 is a sectional perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While the invention will be described with several embodiments, it is understood that one of ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate that many examples, variations and alterations to the apparatus and methods described herein are within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention described herein are set forth without any loss of generality, and without imposing limitations, on the claimed invention.
Referring to FIG. 1 , a schematic view of an embodiment of reaction apparatus 100 is provided. Reaction housing 102 attached to line 104 is positioned in wellbore 106 using reel 110 stationed on surface 108 . Surface 108 is any location from which drilling operations are conducted. Surface 108 can include the earth's surface or a platform surface. Line 104 can be any line, cable, wire, or tubing capable of moving reaction housing 102 from surface 108 into wellbore 106 . Line 104 can be single-strand or multistrand. Line 104 can be braided. In some embodiments of the present invention, line 104 is a slickline. In some embodiments of the present invention, line 104 is a wireline.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, line 104 contains electric cables. The electric cables connect elements of reaction housing 102 to monitoring systems, process control systems, electricity sources, or combinations thereof. The electric cables transmit signals between systems at surface 108 to reaction housing 102 .
Wellbore 106 is any wellbore in connection with a reservoir where a kill operation was performed. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the kill operation was performed as a necessary as part of the overall hydrocarbon production plan.
Reel 110 is any device that stores, transports, spools, and unspools line 104 . In some embodiments, reel 110 includes equipment necessary to communicate electronically with reaction housing 102 . In some embodiments of the present invention, the electric cables of line 104 connect elements of reaction housing 102 to reel 110 .
Reaction housing 102 can be positioned at any point in wellbore 106 in consideration of the configuration of wellbore 106 , the reservoir, and the properties of the kill fluid. Reaction housing 102 can be any material that can maintain structural integrity under the temperature and pressure in wellbore 106 and is non-reactive with the kill fluid, the generated gas, and the hydrocarbons in the reservoir. The dimensions of reaction housing 102 are dictated by the internal components, described with reference to FIG. 2 herein and by the diameter (size) of wellbore 106 . Dimensions, as used herein includes measurements for size and volume, i.e., length, height, width, depth, thickness, and also shape.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, reaction housing 102 is connected to coiled tubing, with the coiled tubing connected to a supply source on surface 108 .
With reference to FIG. 1 as described above, FIG. 2 provides a cross-sectional perspective view of reaction housing 102 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As provided in FIG. 2 , reaction housing 102 includes first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 , the reactant cells. First reactant cell 10 is configured to contain the first reactant. Second reactant cell 12 is configured to contain the second reactant. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the reactant cells isolate the reactants from each other. In some embodiments of the present invention, first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 are two separate chambers. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 are separated by a partial partition (not shown) that does not extend the full height of the reactant cells. First reactant cell 10 is fully enclosed within reaction housing 102 . Second reactant cell 12 is fully enclosed within reaction housing 102 . The dimensions of first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 are determined by the quantity or volume of the reactants and by the diameter (size) of wellbore 106 . Alternately, the diameter (size) of the production tubing can be used to size reaction housing 102 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the reactant cells are sloped to channel the reactants to a place within the reactant cell. The reactant cells are designed to withstand the pressure and temperature of wellbore 106 . In some embodiments of the present invention, first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 are the same in size, shape, and configuration. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 are different in size, shape, and configuration. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the exterior of first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 forms part of reaction housing 102 . In at least on embodiment of the present invention, the exteriors of the reactant cells contact the interior of reaction housing 102 . The materials of construction for the reactant cells are chosen for compatibility with the reactants.
The first reactant and the second reactant, the reactants, are chosen to react together to generate gas as at least one of the reaction products. The reactants can be salts, acids, or combinations thereof. The generated gases can include nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and combinations thereof. The first reactant and the second reactant can be solid, liquid, gas, or combinations thereof. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the reactants are solids. The reaction of the present invention can produce non-gaseous by-products.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the first reactant is ammonium chloride (NH 4 Cl), the second reactant is sodium nitrite (NaNO 2 ). The reactants react according to the following equation:
NH 4 Cl+NaNO 2 →NaCl+2H 2 O+N 2
The generated gas is nitrogen (N 2 ) and the non-gaseous by-products are sodium chloride (NaCl) and water (H 2 O).
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the first reactant is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ), the second reactant is acetic acid (CH 3 CO 2 H). The reactants react according to the following equation:
NaHCO 3 +CH 3 CO 2 H→C 2 H 3 NaO 2 +H 2 O+CO 2
The generated gas is carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and the non-gaseous by-products are sodium acetate (C 2 H 3 NaO 2 ) and water (H 2 O).
In at least one embodiment, a third reactant is included in mixing chamber 50 . In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the third reactant is a catalyst.
Reaction housing 102 further includes first passage 30 and second passage 32 . First passage 30 connects passing side 20 of first reactant cell 10 with mixing chamber 50 . Second passage 32 connects passing side 22 of second reactant cell 12 with mixing chamber 50 . First passage 30 and second passage 32 can be connected to induce contact of the reactants prior to mixing chamber 50 , as shown in accordance with FIG. 2 . In at least one embodiment of the present invention, first passage 30 and second passage 32 are not connected, such that the reactants pass directly from the reactant cells to mixing chamber 50 without first coming into contact, as shown in accordance with FIG. 3 . One of skill in the art will appreciate that the physical dimensions, including the shape and length, and the interconnectedness of first passage 30 and second passage 32 can be configured to accommodate the need for contact prior to mixing chamber 50 , the composition of the reactants, or for any reason as desired within the scope of the invention.
First passage 30 is configured to allow the first reactant to pass from first reactant cell 10 to mixing chamber 50 . First passage 30 can be in any configuration that allows a material to pass from first reactant cell 10 to mixing chamber 50 . Exemplary configurations for first passage 30 include a length of pipe, a length of tubing, or a machined chute. First passage 30 can be at any angle between passing side 20 and mixing chamber 50 . The diameter, or width, of first passage 30 can be configured to limit the rate at which the first reactant passes from first reactant cell 10 to mixing chamber 50 . In at least one embodiment of the present invention, passing side 20 and first passage 30 are designed such that the first reactant passes from first reactant cell 10 to mixing chamber 50 due to gravity. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, reaction housing 102 is in the absence of first passage 30 , such that the first reactant passes directly from passing side 20 to mixing chamber 50 .
Second passage 32 is configured to allow the second reactant to pass from second reactant cell 12 to mixing chamber 50 . Second passage 32 can be in any configuration that allows a material to pass from second reactant cell 12 to mixing chamber 50 . Exemplary configurations for second passage 32 can be a length of pipe, a length of tubing, or a machined chute. Second passage 32 can be at any angle between passing side 22 and mixing chamber 50 . The diameter, or width, of second passage 32 can be configured to limit the rate at which the second reactant passes from second reactant cell 12 to mixing chamber 50 . In at least one embodiment of the present invention, passing side 22 and second passage 32 are designed such that the second reactant passes from second reactant cell 12 to mixing chamber 50 due to gravity. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, reaction housing 102 is in the absence of second passage 32 , such that the second reactant passes directly from passing side 22 to mixing chamber 50 .
First passage 30 includes first port 40 . First port 40 controls the passage of the first reactant from first reactant cell 10 to mixing chamber 50 . First port 40 is configured to allow the passage of the first reactant at the predetermined mark. The predetermined mark can be a physical location within wellbore 106 , a measure of time after reaction housing 102 is positioned within wellbore 106 , or at a predetermined wellbore pressure in wellbore 106 . Exemplary devices for use as first port 40 include valves, nozzles, swing arms, gates, or combinations thereof. First port 40 can be electrically controlled, pneumatically controlled, pressure controlled, or combinations thereof. First port 40 can be manually controlled or can be controlled by a process control loop, wherein the occurrence of one state triggers an action in first port 40 . One of skill in the art will appreciate that the design of first port 40 depends on the state of the first reactant and the configuration of first passage 30 and mixing chamber 50 . In some embodiments of the present invention, first port 40 is connected to an electric cable which is connected to reel 110 on surface 108 .
Second passage 32 includes second port 42 . Second port 42 controls the passage of the second reactant from second reactant cell 12 to mixing chamber 50 . Second port 42 is configured to allow the passage of the second reactant at the predetermined mark. Second port 42 can be any device that can control the passage of second reactant from second reactant cell 12 to mixing chamber 50 . Exemplary devices for use as second port 42 include valves, nozzles, swing arms, or gates. Second port 42 can be electrically controlled, pneumatically controlled, or pressure controlled. Second port 42 can be manually controlled or can be controlled by a process control loop, wherein the occurrence of one state triggers an action in second port 42 . One of skill in the art will appreciate that the design of second port 42 depends on the state of the second reactant and the configuration of second passage 32 and mixing chamber 50 . In some embodiments of the present invention, second port 42 is connected to an electric cable which is connected to reel 110 on surface 108 .
Mixing chamber 50 provides space for the reaction between the first reactant and the second reactant. As the reaction proceeds, the generated gas pressurizes mixing chamber 50 to the reaction pressure. Mixing chamber 50 is designed to maintain structural integrity under the pressure and temperature of wellbore 106 . Mixing chamber 50 is designed to maintain structural integrity under the reaction pressure of the generated gas. The materials of construction selected from mixing chamber 50 are chosen to be compatible with the reaction products. The dimensions of mixing chamber 50 are designed to facilitate the reaction between the reactants, to build up the pressure of the generated gas, and to provide a space for the non-gaseous byproducts to accumulate.
Outlet 54 allows the generated gas to escape from mixing chamber 50 into wellbore 106 . Mixing chamber 50 includes at least one outlet 54 , alternately one outlet 54 , alternately two outlets 54 , alternately three outlets 54 , alternately four outlets 54 , alternately more than four outlets 54 . Exemplary devices for use as outlet 54 include valves, nozzles, swing arms, and gates. Outlet 54 can be electrically, mechanically, or pneumatically controlled. Outlet 54 can be automatically controlled by a process system or require manual manipulation. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, outlet 54 is a pressure relief valve. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, mixing chamber 50 includes two outlets 54 . Outlet 54 can be located in any part of mixing chamber 50 , which allows the generated gas to escape into wellbore 106 . In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, outlet 54 is a check valve that can be controlled mechanically or electrically. In an alternate embodiment, outlet 54 is a relief valve rated for the pressure at which the relief valve is to open.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, mixing chamber 50 includes settling area 52 . Settling area 52 collects the non-gaseous by-products from the reaction of the reactants. Settling area 52 can have any configuration that allows for the collection of nongaseous by-products. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, settling area 52 has sloped sides (not shown). Settling area 52 can be configured to hold the non-gaseous by-products or to expel them. In some embodiments of the present invention, settling area 52 is located so that none of non-gaseous by-products are expelled through outlet 54 . In at least one embodiment of the present invention, dump valve 56 is located in settling area 52 . Dump valve 56 provides the egress for the non-gaseous by-products from mixing chamber 50 . Exemplary devices for use as dump valve 56 include valves, swing arms, and gates. Dump valve 56 can be electrically controlled, pneumatically controlled, pressure controlled, or combinations thereof. Dump valve 56 can be manually controlled or can be controlled by a process control loop, wherein the occurrence of one state triggers an action in dump valve 56 . In one embodiment of the present invention, dump valve 56 opens to wellbore 106 , such that the non-gaseous by-products are expelled into wellbore 106 .
It will be appreciated by one skill in the art that other configurations of first reactant cell 10 , second reactant cell 12 , mixing chamber 50 , first passage 30 , and second passage 32 can be considered to accommodate the reactants, the reaction, and the reaction products. In at least one embodiment of reaction apparatus 100 , as shown with reference to FIG. 4 and with reference to elements described herein, reaction housing 102 contains only first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 . First reactant cell 10 contains the first reactant and second reactant cell 12 contains the second reactant. First passage 30 allows the first reactant to pass from passing side 20 through first port 40 into second reactant cell 12 .
Reaction housing 102 includes sensors for pressure, temperature, and density. The sensors are connected to the electric cables in line 104 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the electric cables transmit signals from the sensors to reel 110 on surface 108 . The signals transmitted through the electric cables can be used in a process control system to control the functions of reaction housing 102 and reaction apparatus 100 . In some embodiments of the present invention, reaction housing 102 includes a pressure gauge externally mounted to reaction housing 102 . In some embodiments of the present invention, a density gauge is externally mounted to reaction housing 102 . In some embodiments of the present invention, a temperature gauge is externally mounted to reaction housing 102 . In some embodiments of the present embodiments of the present invention, a pressure gauge is internally mounted in mixing chamber 50 . In some embodiments of the present invention, a pressure gauge with an orifice is installed to capture flow rate measurements through outlet 54 .
A method is herein provided. In a first step, reaction housing 102 is loaded with the first reactant in first reactant cell 10 and the second reactant in second reactant cell 12 . First port 40 and second port 42 are closed to prevent the passage of the first reactant and the second reactant into mixing chamber 50 . In at least one embodiment of the present invention, first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 are pressurized to a pressure commensurate with the pressure of wellbore 106 .
Once loaded, reaction housing 102 is positioned within wellbore 106 . In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, line 104 is unspooled from reel 110 to lower reaction housing 102 into wellbore 106 . Reaction housing 102 is positioned within wellbore 106 at the predetermined mark. The predetermined mark can be a physical location within wellbore 106 , such as a depth from surface 108 or a distance from the terminal point of wellbore 106 . The predetermined mark can be a measure of time, such that reaction housing 102 is moved within wellbore 106 until the measure of time is reached. The predetermined mark can be a wellbore pressure within wellbore 106 as measured by a pressure gauge externally mounted to reaction housing 102 .
When the predetermined mark is reached, first port 40 in first passage 30 is opened. Opening first port 40 allows the first reactant to enter first passage 30 and pass into mixing chamber 50 . Second port 42 in second passage 32 is opened. In one embodiment of the present invention, each port, first port 40 and second port 42 , opens upon reaching the predetermined mark. In one embodiment of the present invention, first port 40 opens, then second port 42 opens after first port 40 is opened, but prior to first reactant cell 10 being empty of the first reactant. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, first port 40 opens, then second port 42 opens after first port 40 closes. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, second port 42 opens before first port 40 opens.
After both first reactant cell 10 and second reactant cell 12 are empty or substantially empty of the reactants, first port 40 and second port 42 close. The first reactant and the second reactant are both in mixing chamber 50 . The first reactant and second reactant react in mixing chamber 50 and generate the generated gas. The generated gas increases the reaction pressure in mixing chamber 50 .
When the reaction pressure exceeds the wellbore pressure, outlet 54 opens and releases the generated gas into wellbore 106 where the generated gas mixes with the fluid in wellbore 106 . In some embodiments, outlet 54 continuously allows the generated gas to escape from mixing chamber 50 into wellbore 106 . In some embodiments of the present invention, outlet 54 is designed and controlled to allow intermittent releases of the generated gas from mixing chamber 50 . An intermittent release of the generated gas can be based on the reaction pressure in mixing chamber 50 , a length of time, or any other factor. The mixing of the generated gas and the fluid decreases the density of the fluid. A decrease in the density of the fluid causes a decrease in the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the fluid in wellbore 106 . Once enough generated gas has mixed with the fluid, the density will be decreased enough to lift the fluid from wellbore 106 to surface 108 . In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the fluid is the kill fluid.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the mixing of the generated gas with the fluid in wellbore 106 reduces the density of the fluid with a negligible effect on the viscosity. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the generated gas mixes with the fluid in wellbore 106 in the absence of reservoir or formation fluids.
The method described herein can be repeated at the same predetermined mark, or at a second predetermined mark within wellbore 106 , until the fluid has been removed from the wellbore 106 . In at least one embodiment of the present invention, reaction housing 102 is reloaded.
Although the present invention has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made hereupon without departing from the principle and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims and their appropriate legal equivalents.
The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event or circumstances can or may not occur. The description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not occur.
Ranges may be expressed herein as from about one particular value, and/or to about another particular value. When such a range is expressed, it is to be understood that another embodiment is from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value, along with all combinations within said range.
Throughout this application, where patents or publications are referenced, the disclosures of these references in their entireties are intended to be incorporated by reference into this application, in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which the invention pertains, except when these references contradict the statements made herein.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the words “comprise,” “has,” and “include” and all grammatical variations thereof are each intended to have an open, non-limiting meaning that does not exclude additional elements or steps.
As used herein, terms such as “first” and “second” are arbitrarily assigned and are merely intended to differentiate between two or more components of an apparatus. It is to be understood that the words “first” and “second” serve no other purpose and are not part of the name or description of the component, nor do they necessarily define a relative location or position of the component. Furthermore, it is to be understood that that the mere use of the term “first” and “second” does not require that there be any “third” component, although that possibility is contemplated under the scope of the present invention.
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A reaction apparatus for providing reactants from a surface to a wellbore to create a generated gas when the reactants undergo a reaction in situ to affect the density of a fluid in the wellbore, the reaction apparatus comprises a reaction housing, the reaction housing comprises a first reactant cell configured to contain a first reactant, a second reactant cell configured to contain a second reactant, a mixing chamber, configured to allow the first reactant and the second reactant to mix, a first passage configured to allow the first reactant to pass from the first reactant cell to the mixing chamber, a second passage configured to allow the second reactant to pass from the second reactant cell to the mixing chamber, an outlet configured to allow the generated gas from the reaction to escape the mixing chamber, a line comprising a plurality of electric cables, and a reel.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/358,436 and 60/358,400, both filed Feb. 22, 2002, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/418,355, filed Oct. 16, 2002, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
This application is related but does not claim priority to the following U.S. provisional applications that were filed on Feb. 22, 2002: No. 60/358,362; No. 60/358,390; No. 60/358,394; No. 60/358,395; No. 60/358,396; No. 60/358,397; No. 60/358,398; and No. 60/358,439 and any non-provisional patent applications claiming priority to the same.
This application is also related but does not claim priority to U.S. provisional application No. 60/358,737, which was filed on Feb. 25, 2002, and any non-provisional patent applications claiming priority to the same. The entirety of the subject matter of these applications is incorporated by reference herein.
This application is also related to but does not claim priority to U.S. Design application Ser. No. 29/155,964 filed on Feb. 22, 2002, and U.S. Design application Ser. No. 29/156,028 filed on Feb. 23, 2002.
This application is also related to but does not claim priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/346,188 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/346,189 which were filed on Jan. 17, 2003. The entirety of the subject matter of these applications is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a three-wheel vehicle, more particularly, to a concentric intermediate sprocket assembly for a three-wheel vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
The three-wheel vehicle of the present invention is significantly improved over the straddle-type three-wheel vehicles with two front wheels and one rear wheel that are found in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,470 discloses a three-wheel vehicle with two front wheels and a single rear wheel having a body formed by an ATV (all terrain vehicle) frame carrying two front fenders, one rear fender, and a straddle-type seat. An engine is supported on the frame but is exposed to the exterior of the vehicle body. The 470 patent also discloses a vehicle with a trailing arm assembly that rotatably supports the rear wheel for suspension movement relative to the frame. The trailing arm includes a pair of arm portions that extend on opposite sides of the rear wheel. The arm portions are joined to a single forwardly extending arm portion that is pivotally supported on the frame about a pivot axis. In addition, the 470 patent also discloses a sprocket supported by the trailing arm assembly at a point between the pivot axis and the end of the trailing arm assembly. The sprocket is supported on an intermediate shaft and engages a first endless chain driven by an output shaft of the engine. The intermediate shaft includes another sprocket on an outer end that engages and drives a second endless chain that drives the rear wheel. An output shaft of the engine drives the second endless chain that is connected between the output shaft and the intermediate shaft. As the intermediate shaft is on the trailing arm and the output shaft is on the frame, the lengths of the endless chains will vary as the trailing arm is displaced relative to the frame.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0017765 A1 discloses a three-wheel vehicle, including two front wheels and a single rear wheel, based on a snowmobile frame. The rear wheel is driven by an endless drive chain that extends between a sprocket on the rear wheel and a sprocket connected to a drive shaft. The drive shaft sprocket is connected to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) of an internal combustion engine by a endless chain.
Prior art three-wheel vehicles, such as the one described in the 470 patent, suffer from a number of shortcomings. For example, transmitting power from the engine to the rear wheel on vehicles, especially those that rely on a chain drive, poses particular difficulties. Specifically, if the drive chain is connected between the output shaft of the engine and the rear drive wheel and the distance from the engine output shaft to the drive wheel is particularly long, as the rear suspension flexes under stress, the chain length varies. This may cause difficulties, especially if the rear suspension collapses due to a significant extent. In particular, if the rear swing arm collapses toward the frame a sufficient distance, the chain tension may become sufficiently relaxed (i.e., slack) that the chain may disengage from the sprocket attached to the engine output shaft or the sprocket attached to the axle on which the rear wheel is disposed. Alternatively, if the rear swing arm extends a sufficient distance from the frame, a sufficient amount of tension may be applied to the chain to cause it to break.
As another example, the position of the drive shaft and the drive shaft sprocket of the 765 application publication is not adjustable and slack or tension that develops in the chain between the rear wheel sprocket and the drive shaft sprocket or in the chain between the drive shaft sprocket and the CVT may not be compensated for.
A CVT is considered to be superior to a traditional geared transmission because, unlike a traditional gear box that provides four or five separate gears, a CVT provides an infinite number of “gears.” As a result, CVT's are much more efficient at transmitting torque from the engine to the driven wheel.
Although the three-wheel vehicle disclosed in the 765 application publication includes a CVT, as the vehicle is based on a snowmobile frame, the output shaft of the CVT is placed above the drive shaft of the engine for connection to the endless track propulsion system of the snowmobile. Upon conversion of the snowmobile to the three-wheel vehicle, the output shaft of the CVT is connected to the drive shaft sprocket through a chain, which decreases the efficiency of the CVT to drive the rear wheel of the three wheeled vehicle.
The difficulties associated with chain drives for vehicles, especially three-wheel vehicles, has created a need for an improved construction where the chain driving the rear wheel is not subjected to excessive tension or slack and is driven with the highest possible efficiency by the engine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An aspect of the present invention is a three-wheel vehicle including a frame, an engine supported by the frame, a pair of front wheels supported by the frame, a single rear wheel, a swing arm rotatably supporting the rear wheel at a first end and pivotally connected to the frame at a second end at a pivot point; concentric sprocket assembly attached to the frame at the pivot point, the concentric sprocket assembly including a sprocket and a rotary member, a first transmission element operatively connecting an output shaft of the engine and the rotary member, and a second endless flexible transmission element operatively connecting the sprocket to the rear wheel to drive the rear wheel.
Another aspect of the present invention is a three-wheel vehicle wherein the rear swing arm is forked shaped and includes fork members and the concentric sprocket assembly is fixed to one of the fork member laterally outward of the fork member. A further aspect of the invention is a three-wheel vehicle wherein the rear swing arm is forked shaped and includes fork members and the concentric sprocket assembly is fixed to one of the fork member laterally inward of the fork member.
Another aspect of the present invention is a three-wheel vehicle wherein the rotary member of the concentric sprocket assembly is a pulley of a CVT that is operatively connected to an output shaft of the engine by the first endless flexible transmission element which is a belt. It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a speed reducing mechanism between the sprocket and the pulley. It is still a further aspect of the present invention that the speed reducing mechanism is a gear box. It is still a further aspect of the invention that the speed reducing mechanism is a second sprocket coaxial with the sprocket and a third sprocket coaxial with the rotary member, the third sprocket having a smaller diameter than the second sprocket and connected to the second sprocket by an endless chain.
Another aspect of the present invention is a three-wheel vehicle including an eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the concentric sprocket assembly along a longitudinal axis of the swing arm. It is a further aspect of the invention that the eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism is indexable among a plurality of positions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present invention as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description which is to be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
FIG. 1 is front view of a three-wheel vehicle according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a right side view thereof;
FIG. 3 is a top view thereof;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a frame assembly according to the present invention, as viewed from the rear left side;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the frame assembly, as viewed from the forward left side;
FIG. 6 is a left side view of the frame assembly;
FIG. 7 is a top view of the frame assembly;
FIG. 8 is a rear view of the frame assembly;
FIG. 9 is a schematic left side view of the rear suspension system connected to the frame assembly and rear wheel according to the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of the connection of the rear swing arm to the frame and the concentric intermediate sprocket assembly;
FIG. 11 is a top view of the rear swing arm, including the rear wheel and the concentric intermediate sprocket assembly of FIG. 10 connected thereto;
FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of the connection of the rear swing arm to the frame and a concentric intermediate sprocket assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a top view of a rear swing arm, including the rear wheel and the concentric intermediate sprocket assembly of FIG. 12 connected thereto according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 14 is a top view of a rear swing arm, including the rear wheel and the concentric intermediate sprocket assembly of FIG. 12 connected thereto according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a top view of a rear swing arm, including the rear wheel and the concentric intermediate sprocket assembly of FIG. 12 connected thereto according to another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 16 is a top view of a rear swing arm, including the rear wheel and the concentric intermediate sprocket assembly of FIG. 12 connected thereto according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a top view of a rear swing arm and a concentric intermediate sprocket assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 18 is a top view of a rear swing arm and a concentric intermediate sprocket assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Before delving into the specific details of the present invention, it should be noted that the conventions “left,” “right,” “front,” “rear,” “up,” and “down” are defined according to the normal, forward travel direction of the vehicle being discussed. As a result, the “left” side of a vehicle corresponds to the left side of a rider seated in a forward-facing position on the vehicle.
FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a three-wheel vehicle 10 according to the present invention. Left and right laterally spaced front wheels 30 , 32 , with left and right tires 34 , 36 , are supported by a front suspension system 600 . The front suspension system 600 is supported by a frame assembly 300 (FIG. 4 ). A steering assembly 50 is mounted to the frame assembly 300 and includes a handlebar mechanism 52 that is operatively connected to the front wheels 30 , 32 to steer the vehicle 10 . The steering assembly 50 is preferably a progressive steering system.
A rear wheel 56 and tire 58 are supported by a rear suspension system 60 . For purposes of the following description, it should be appreciated that the rear wheel 56 may be include a single rim or may include a multi-rim arrangement having a rigid connection between the rims to form the wheel. It should also be appreciated that each rim accommodates a tire. In the case of a multi-rim arrangement, the plurality of rear tires may be in contact with one another or spaced from each other or a combination of spaced and touching. An engine 66 is supported by the frame assembly 300 and operatively connected to the rear wheel 56 to power the vehicle 10 . A cushioned straddle-type rider seat 70 is mounted to the frame assembly 300 between the forward wheels 30 , 32 and the rear wheel 56 .
Referring to FIGS. 4-8 , the frame assembly 300 of the vehicle 10 includes left and right laterally spaced rear suspension plates 310 , 312 . The rear suspension plates 310 , 312 generally form vertically and longitudinally extending reinforced plates. The suspension plates 310 , 312 are preferably made of a strong light material such as cast aluminum. Left and right laterally extending swing arm pivot bores 314 , 316 are centrally disposed on each suspension plate 310 , 312 to accommodate pivotal mounting of a rear swing arm 400 ( FIG. 9 ) of the rear suspension system 60 .
Laterally-spaced left and right upper spars 320 , 322 extend upwardly and forwardly from upper forward portions of the left and right rear suspension plates 310 , 312 , respectively. The upper spars 320 , 322 arc slightly upwardly as they progress forwardly to provide an attractive shape to the frame assembly 300 when viewed from the side. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the outer sides of the right upper spar 322 is visible from the right side of the vehicle 10 . The left upper spar 320 is similarly visible from the left side of the vehicle 10 .
An engine cradle assembly 330 extends forwardly from the lower front ends of the rear suspension plates 310 , 312 . The engine cradle assembly 330 includes a rear engine support cross brace 334 that extends laterally between the lower front ends of the left and right rear suspension plates 310 , 312 . Laterally spaced left and right lower rear engine anchors 336 , 337 extend forwardly from the rear lower engine support cross brace 334 .
The engine cradle assembly 330 also includes left and right lower spars 338 , 340 having rearward portions 342 , 344 that are connected to the lower forward ends of the left and right rear suspension plates 310 , 312 , respectively. The lower spars 338 , 340 extend forwardly and laterally inwardly from their respective rearward portions to their forward portions 346 , 348 . A laterally extending support leg bracket 360 is connected to the forward portions 346 , 348 of the lower spars 338 , 340 . The left and right lower spars 338 , 340 and the engine support cross brace 334 generally form a triangle when viewed from above.
The engine cradle assembly 330 further includes a forward engine cradle plate 370 that is connected to a forward portion of the support leg bracket 360 . The plate 370 generally extends vertically and laterally and includes several small bends along lateral fold lines that improve the rigidity of the plate 370 . Left and right forward engine anchors 374 , 376 extend rearwardly and upwardly from the plate 370 .
A seat support assembly 420 is connected between the rear suspension plates 310 , 312 . The seat support assembly 420 includes left and right longitudinal legs 424 , 426 . The longitudinal legs 424 , 426 include forward portions that are connected to forward upper portions of the suspension plates 310 , 312 , respectively, laterally inwardly from where the left and right suspension plates 310 , 312 are connected to the spars 320 , 322 . Left and right upper rear engine anchors 326 , 328 are formed at the intersection between the forward portions of the longitudinal legs 424 , 426 and the suspension plates 310 , 312 .
A forward laterally extending seat frame cross brace 430 is connected between the forward portions of the longitudinal legs 424 , 426 . A rear suspension link 432 is connected between rearward portions of the longitudinal legs 424 , 426 . Left and right suspension support links 440 , 442 extend upwardly and rearwardly from the upper rearward portions of the rear suspension anchor brackets 310 , 312 to the rearward portions of the longitudinal legs 424 , 426 . Consequently, the rear suspension plates 310 , 312 , the suspension support links 440 , 442 , and the longitudinal legs 424 , 426 generally form triangles when viewed from the side.
The engine 66 is mounted to the forward engine anchors 374 , 376 , the upper rear engine anchors 326 , 328 , and the lower rear engine anchors 336 , 337 . As the engine 66 is attached to the frame assembly 300 at three different places, as viewed from the side, the engine 66 itself adds structural rigidity to the frame assembly 300 by providing a structural connection between a front suspension sub-frame 380 and the rear suspension plates 310 , 312 . The engine 66 is operatively connected to a CVT or other type of transmission. The engine 66 and the CVT or transmission are operatively connected to the rear wheel 56 .
Referring to FIGS. 9-11 , the rear suspension system 60 includes a rear swing arm 400 pivotally attached to the frame assembly 300 by a swing arm axle 700 that passes through the swing arm pivot bores 314 , 316 of the rear suspension plates 310 , 312 , respectively. A concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 720 is supported on one end of the swing arm axle 700 .
Referring to FIG. 10 , an output shaft 67 of a transmission operatively connected to the engine 66 has a sprocket 68 fixed thereto that engages an endless chain 69 . The endless chain 69 engages and drives the intermediate concentric sprocket assembly 720 . The concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 720 engages an endless chain 80 that engages and drives a sprocket 57 attached to the rear wheel 56 . The sprocket 57 is connected to a rear wheel axle 59 . Either or both chains 69 and 80 may be replaced by any mechanical transmission member, for example, an intermediate drive shaft.
As shown in FIG. 11 , the rear swing arm 400 is in the shape of a fork and includes left and right tubular fork members 402 , 404 . A plate 401 is attached to the rear swing arm 400 , for example by welding, between the forks 402 , 404 to strengthen the rear swing arm 400 . A transverse bar 262 is rotatably mounted between the fork members 402 , 404 . A dual plate extension bracket 264 is fixedly connected to the transverse bar 262 . The bracket 264 is connected to one end of a shock absorber of the rear suspension system 60 .
The tension of the endless chain 80 may be adjusted by a chain tension adjustment mechanism 30 . The chain tension adjustment mechanism 30 includes a block 31 placed within the tubular fork members 402 . The block 31 includes an aperture in a central portion through which the rear wheel axle 59 passes. A cap 32 is connected to the end of the tubular fork member 402 and fixed thereon, such as by welding. A threaded member 33 is threaded through the cap 32 and threadedly engages the block 31 . Turning of the threaded member 33 moves the block 31 toward and away from the cap 32 along a slot 403 in the tubular fork member 402 .
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the intermediate concentric sprocket assembly 720 includes a laterally outer sprocket 721 , a laterally inner sprocket 722 , a bearing 724 supported in a bearing housing 728 , and an eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism 723 . An end of the swing arm axle 700 is received in the bearing 724 . The bearing housing 728 is rotatably supported by the bearing 724 . The sprockets 721 and 722 are spaced from one another and connected to a spacer member 729 . The spacer member 729 is connected to the bearing housing 728 for rotation therewith around the bearing 724 . Although the sprockets 721 and 722 are shown with equal diameters, it should be appreciated that the sprockets may have different diameters.
The eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism 723 is rotatably supported on the swing arm 400 and has an eccentric surface that engages a periphery of the bearing housing 728 . Rotation of the eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism 723 causes the bearing housing 728 to move along the longitudinal axis of the swing arm 400 . Movement of the bearing housing 728 toward the output shaft 68 will loosen the chain 69 and tighten the chain 80 . Movement of the bearing housing 728 toward the rear wheel 56 will tighten the chain 69 and loosen the chain 80 . Loosening or tightening of the chain 80 can be accommodated or compensated for by adjustment of the chain tension adjustment mechanism 30 described above.
The position of the eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism 723 may be set by an indexing bolt 725 that is selectively placed in one of a plurality of holes or notches 726 in the eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism 723 . The indexing bolt 725 threadedly engages a portion of the swing arm 400 . It should be appreciated that other indexing mechanisms may be used and that an eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism having an infinite number of positions may also be used.
As shown in FIGS. 9-11 , the outer sprocket 721 engages and drives the chain 69 and the inner sprocket 722 engages and drives the chain 80 . It should be appreciated that the outer sprocket 721 may engage and drive the chain 80 and the inner sprocket 722 may engage and drive the chain 69 .
By supporting the intermediate concentric sprocket assembly 720 on the swing arm axle 700 , the length of chain 80 remains constant regardless of the up and down displacement of the rear wheel 56 , unlike prior art vehicles in which the sprocket assembly is supported such that the sprocket assembly is movable with respect to the vehicle frame, which causes a lengthening or shortening of the chain length as the vehicle suspension is displaced. In the vehicle 10 according to the present invention, as the rear wheel 56 and the swing arm 400 are displaced, no slack is developed in the chain 80 and the possibility of the chain 80 disengaging from either sprocket 57 or sprocket 722 is significantly reduced. No tension is developed in the chain 80 as the rear wheel 56 is displaced and the possibility of chain breakage is significantly reduced as the rear wheel 56 and swing arm 400 are displaced.
Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13 , an alternate embodiment of the concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 820 is used with a CVT connected to the engine 66 . A pulley 868 of a CVT is connected to an output shaft 867 of the engine 66 and drives a pulley 821 of the CVT through an endless belt 869 . The concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 820 includes an eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism 823 , a bearing 824 that receives an end of the swing arm axle 700 and a bearing housing 828 that is adjustable along the longitudinal axis of the swing arm 400 by rotation of the eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism 823 . A sprocket 822 drives the chain 80 that is connected between the sprocket 822 and the rear wheel sprocket 57 to power the rear wheel 56 .
As the pulleys 868 and 821 are driven directly by the output shaft of the engine 66 , it is necessary to reduce the speed of the pulley 821 transmitted to the sprocket 822 . A gear box 829 , preferably including a planetary gear set, is connected between the pulley 821 and the sprocket 822 to reduce the speed transmitted to the sprocket 822 and provide a reverse “gear.”
The tension in the chain 80 may be adjusted by the eccentric chain tension adjustment mechanism 823 . When the tension in the chain 80 is reduced by moving the sprocket 822 towards the rear wheel 56 , the tension in the belt 869 increases as the pulley 821 moves away from the pulley 868 . Conversely, when the tension in the chain 80 is increased by moving the sprocket 822 away from the rear wheel 56 , the tension in the belt decreases as the pulley 821 moves toward the pulley 868 . It is apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that a belt tension adjustment mechanism is necessary to compensate for changes in the tension in the belt 869 of the CVT as the tension in the chain 80 is adjusted by the eccentric chain tension adjusting mechanims 823 .
Referring to FIG. 14 , a further embodiment of a concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 920 according to the present invention includes a sprocket 922 and a pulley 921 of a CVT operatively connected to the engine 66 . A gear box 929 reduces the speed transmitted to the sprocket 922 from the pulley 921 and provides a reverse gear. The concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 920 is placed laterally inward of the fork member 402 .
Referring to FIG. 15 , a further embodiment of a concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 1020 according to the present invention includes a sprocket 1022 and a pulley 1021 of a CVT operatively connected to the engine 66 . There is no speed reduction or reverse gear between the pulley 1021 and the sprocket 1022 .
Referring to FIG. 16 , a further embodiment of a concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 1120 according to the present invention includes a sprocket 1122 and a pulley 1121 of a CVT operatively connected to the engine 66 . There is no speed reduction or reverse gear between the pulley 1121 and the sprocket 1122 . The concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 1120 is placed laterally inward of the fork member 402 .
Referring to FIG. 17 , a further embodiment of a concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 1220 according to the present invention includes a pulley 1221 of a CVT operatively connected to the engine 66 . A sprocket 1224 is fixed on a shaft 1225 with the pulley 1221 . The shaft 1225 is supported at both ends by bearings 1226 that are attached to the frame assembly 300 or engine 66 or both. A sprocket 1223 is operatively connected to the sprocket 1224 by an endless chain 1227 . The sprocket 1223 has a larger diameter than the sprocket 1224 and speed reduction is provided between the sprockets 1224 and 1223 . A sprocket 1222 is operatively connected to the rear wheel 56 by the endless chain 80 and the rear wheel sprocket 57 to drive the rear wheel 56 .
Referring to FIG. 18 , a further embodiment of a concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 1320 according to the present invention includes a pulley 1321 of a CVT operatively connected to the engine 66 . A sprocket 1324 is fixed on a shaft 1325 with the pulley 1321 . The shaft 1325 is supported by a bearing 1326 that is attached to the frame assembly 300 or the engine 66 or both. A sprocket 1323 is operatively connected to the sprocket 1324 by an endless chain 1327 . The sprocket 1323 has a larger diameter than the sprocket 1324 and speed reduction is provided between the sprockets 1324 and 1323 . A sprocket 1322 is operatively connected to the rear wheel 56 by the endless chain 80 and the rear wheel sprocket 57 to drive the rear wheel 56 . The concentric intermediate sprocket assembly 1320 is placed laterally inward of the tubular fork member 402 .
Although not shown in FIGS. 14-18 , it should be understood that the concentric intermediate sprocket assemblies 920 , 1020 , 1120 , 1220 and 1320 each include an eccentric chain tension adjusting mechanism that adjusts the position of the sprockets 922 , 1022 , 1122 , 1222 and 1322 , respectively, the adjust the tension in the endless chain 80 . It should also be appreciated that the CVT's of FIGS. 13-18 may be any other type of transmission, for example an automatic transmission.
The foregoing illustrated embodiments are provided to illustrate the structural and functional principles of the present invention and are not intended to be limiting. To the contrary, various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
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A three-wheel vehicle has two forward steered wheels and one rear powered wheel operatively connected to an engine disposed on a frame assembly. A straddle-type seat is disposed between the forward and rear wheels. A rear swing arm is pivotally connected at a first end to the frame at a pivot point and rotatably supports the rear wheel at a second end. A concentric sprocket assembly having first and second sprockets is attached to the swing arm at the pivot point. A transmission member operatively connects an output shaft of the engine and the first sprocket and a second endless flexible transmission member is operatively connnected between the rear wheel and the second sprocket. An eccentric endless flexible transmission member tension adjustment mechanism is attached to the swing arm to move the concentric assembly sprocket relative to a longitudinal axis of the swing arm.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to crutches, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved crutch tip to provide a novelty and psychological relief when mounted to a crutch organization.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Crutch tips of the prior art are available for enhanced frictional contact with a support surface when an individual utilizes a crutch for ambulatory activity. Crutch tip structure is typically of a conical organization, but upon prolonged usage of crutches by individuals, it is desirable to provide psychological relief by providing a novelty crutch tip. Examples of prior art crutch structure may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,915 to Zabielski wherein a crutch tip is provided of an enlarged disk structure for securement to a lowermost end of a crutch organization.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,334 to Semanchik, et al. sets forth a crutch-type organization utilizing a tip or foot member of anatomically similar configuration to that of a human foot.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,289,685 to Parker sets forth a lower crutch tip organization for a conventional crutch tip or a platform utilizing a plurality of such crutch tips.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,698 to Buchalter wherein the tip of a cane or crutch structure is formed of a cylindrical segment, with a lowermost end for enhanced frictional engagement with a ground surface, with the crutch pivotally mounted to the cylindrical segment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,283 to Tritle, Jr. wherein a crutch tip utilizes a convex lower surface for securement to a bottom of a crutch tip to engage sand and the like in use of the crutch.
As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a new and improved replacement crutch tip method wherein the organization provides psychological relief, and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of crutch tip structures now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a replacement crutch tip method wherein the same mounts a conventional shoe to a lowermost end of a crutch tip for psychological relief and respite from prolonged usage of a crutch organization. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved replacement crutch tip method which has all the advantages of the prior art crutch tips and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention provides a method of securing and enhancing a crutch tip for entertainment, wherein a shoe is provided with a conical plug removed from the shoe defining a conical opening therein, wherein the conical opening is coaxially aligned with a shoe opening aligned overlying the conical opening. A conical crutch tip is adhesively mounted with the conical opening and assembled to an associated lower terminal end of a crutch leg.
My invention resides not in any one of these features per se, but rather in the particular combination of all of them herein disclosed and claimed and it is distinguished from the prior art in this particular combination of all of its structures for the functions specified.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved replacement crutch tip method which has all the advantages of the prior art crutch tips and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved replacement crutch tip method which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved replacement crutch tip method which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved replacement crutch tip method which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such replacement crutch tip methods economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved replacement crutch tip method which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved replacement crutch tip method wherein the same provides a convenient and readily securable manner of securing a show structure to a lowermost terminal end of an associated crutch leg.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is an orthographic side view, taken in elevation, of a prior art crutch structure.
FIG. 2 is an isometric illustration of a further prior art crutch structure.
FIG. 3 is an isometric illustration of a crutch structure utilized by the instant invention.
FIG. 4 is an isometric illustration of a preliminary step in the invention removing a conical plug from a shoe sole.
FIG. 5 is an isometric illustration of a further step of the instant invention in securing the crutch tip to the shoe sole.
FIG. 6 is an isometric illustration, partially cut-away, illustrating the association of the crutch and shoe structure subsequent to assembly thereof.
FIG. 7 is an isometric illustration of the instant invention securing a plurality of cleat members to the sole structure of the shoe.
FIG. 8 is an isometric illustration of the instant invention illustrating the free standing characteristic of the crutch organization upon final assembly of the organization.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 6 thereof, a new and improved replacement crutch tip method embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numerals 11-26 will be described.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art crutch structure 1, wherein a central support leg 2 mounts a disk member 2a at a lowermost end thereof, with a shelf 3 pivotally mounted to the leg 2 underlying a hand support member 4. FIG. 2 illustrates a further prior art crutch structure 5, wherein a telescoping leg 6 mounts an anatomical similar foot structure 7 at a lowermost end thereof.
More specifically, the replacement crutch tip method 10 of the instant invention essentially comprises the providing of a crutch member 11, including an upper support 12 overlying and spaced from a lower support 12a, wherein the supports are integrally mounted to span spaced upper crutch legs 13. The upper legs 13 converge to a longitudinally aligned support leg 14 that terminates at a lowermost terminal end mounting a conical tip 15. The conical tip includes a cylindrical bore 15a to receive the lowermost terminal end of the support leg 14 therewithin. The conical tip 15 includes a frictional lower surface for frictional contact with the ground and the like for use of the crutch organization. A shoe 16 is provided, with the shoe 16 including a show upper defining a shoe entrance opening 20. A shoe sole 17 is coextensively mounted to the lower terminal end of the shoe upper of the associated shoe 16.
Initially, a conical bore 18 is formed through the shoe sole 17 in coaxial alignment with the shoe entrance opening 20. The conical bore 20 is defined by the removal of a conical plug 19, wherein the conical bore 18 is defined by a complementary configuration to that of the conical tip 15 to complementarily receive the tip therewithin. Reference to FIG. 5 illustrates the use of an adhesive layer 21a applied to an exterior surface of the conical tip 15 from associated adhesive or glue container 21. The plug 15 is then inserted within the conical bore 18 permitting the adhesive 21a to cure and fixedly secure the conical tip 15 to the shoe sole 17. Subsequently, the lower terminal end of the support leg 14 is reinserted within the cylindrical bore 15a of the conical tip to provide the completed organization. If desired, as illustrated in FIG. 7, a matrix of conical cleat members 21 formed with threaded shanks 23 may be threadedly secured orthogonally relative to the shoe sole 17 to provide enhanced engagement with various ground surfaces such as sand, turf, and the like. FIG. 6 further indicates that the shoe upper includes an upper shoe terminal end 30 formed with a first hook and loop fastener surface 31 mounted adjacent the upper terminal end to an interior surface of the shoe upper. The first hook and loop fastener surface cooperates with the second hook and loop fastener surface mounted in a surrounding relationship relative to the support leg 14. This permits securement of the upper terminal end relative to the support leg to enhance orientation of the shoe relative to the support leg.
FIG. 8 illustrates the completed organization in a free-standing mode, wherein the enhanced surface support of the shoe sole 17 permits convenience in the vertical storage and positioning of the crutch structure when not in use.
It should be understood that various shoes and the like may be replaceably mounted to the lower terminal end of the support leg 14 to include such items as dress shoes, slippers, and the like dependent upon a social function or need of the user of the organization to permit that individual to selectively associate a particular shoe to a particular social function.
As to the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention, the same should be apparent from the above disclosure, and accordingly no further discussion relative to the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention shall be provided.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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A method of securing and enhancing a crutch tip for entertainment and psychological relief, wherein a shoe is provided with a conical plug removed from the shoe defining a conical opening therein, wherein the conical opening is coaxially aligned with a shoe opening aligned overlying the conical opening. A conical crutch tip is adhesively mounted with the conical opening and assembled to an associated lower terminal end of a crutch leg.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a method of checking a blending plant for textile staple fibres of different types, in which each type is supplied by a fibre metering unit each to a blending device and in which the fibres blended therein are supplied to a storage device, and in which during the supply times the fibre quantity supplied to the storage device is somewhat greater than the fibre quantity taken off from this storage device, and as a consequence the fibre supply to the storage device is interrupted during repeated time intervals, the metering units during such time intervals delivering fibres individually and consecutively, which fibres are used for checking the fibre quantity supplied by the metering units during the normal blending operation.
Plants operating according to such a method are known in practical spinning mill use. They are used for fibre blends composed of fibres of different types or kinds. A blend e.g. of natural and man-made fibres, or fibres of different colours or different qualities can be processed. It is important in this process that the fibre blends as well as yarns or twisted threads processed therefrom are uniform. The fibres delivered from the blending plant, or tufts are to represent a blending proportion, which is within sharply defined tolerance limits. If e.g. a base material for the production of clothing articles is processed, deviations from the tolerance limits can present a breach of legal requirements.
The checking methods already known, in which the checking is effected during the time intervals, during which the fibre supply to the storage device or to the reserve chute is interrupted, show as a disadvantage of relatively great imprecision. The cause for this is seen in that the fibre quantity supplied by an individually operating metering unit during the start-up and running-out phases of the supply deviates considerably from the fibre quantity supplied during normal operation at constant values. If the imprecision caused by these deviations are to be eliminated, the disadvantage of a prolonged measuring time is to be incurred. Thus, more fibre material is to be used for the measuring operation, and the measurements can be effected less frequently. Thus the checking operation is of reduced quality and becomes more expensive.
In such cases, in which only one check is effected per working shift, the individually operated metering unit can be running during a relatively long period of time, in such a manner that the deviations from the fibre quantity of constant value occurring during the start-up and running-out phases no longer are of substantial influence. In this case, however, a standstill period of the machine arranged subsequent to the blending plant during the checking operation is to be incurred.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention a sufficient precision of the blend proportion is to be ensured in simple manner, and the disadvantages mentioned are to be eliminated in that during such part time periods within repeated time intervals, during which a constant fibre supply rate prevails, the fibres supplied are transported to a quantity measuring device and are measured.
The apparatus for implementing the method comprises a blending plant, which contains a plurality of fibre metering units and a blending device arranged subsequently thereof, and a storage device, the apparatus comprising a first branching device and a quantity measuring device. The apparatus is characterized in that between the first branching device and the quantity measuring device a second branching device is provided for branching the fibres to the quantity measuring device as desired.
According to the invention a very reliable and precise checking is effected of different types of fibres or fibre flocks, in such manner that the fibre quantities supplied by the fibre metering units to the blending device are metered exactly corresponding to the values preset and are maintained constant, and that thus the blend proportion is maintained precisely. Owing to the much shorter measuring time the machines processing the blended fibres further do not have to be stopped for effecting the checking operation, i.e. checking can be effected while these machines are operated in the normal manner. As compared to the method, in which one single check is effected per shift, the individual checks according to the present invention can be effected at much shorter time intervals. This presents the substantial advantages, that deviations from the values pre-set are detected sooner, and that additionally also deviations extending over relatively short periods of time can be detected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above, will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an inventive apparatus,
FIG. 2 is a view showing details of the arrangement for measuring the fibre quantity supplied by a individually operated metering unit, and
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the operating sequence of the checking operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 comprises two or more fibre metering devices 11 (11.1 and 11.2), to which, as indicated by arrows 12, fibre material mainly consisting of fibre flocks, but also containing individual fibres, is supplied.--In the description and in the claims the fibre material consisting of fibre flocks and of individual fibres is referred to as "fibres" throughout.--The metering units 11 are designed in such a manner, that they supply during operation always a constant and settable weight quantity of fibres per time unit. To each metering unit 11 fibres of a determined type are supplied, fibres of different types being supplied to the different metering units 11.1 and 11.2. The fibre quantities supplied per time unit by the different metering units 11 generally are chosen differently. As an example of a practical application, a supply of 67% cotton on the metering device 11.1 and a supply of 33% polyester on the metering unit 11.2 can be chosen, the percentage figures indicating the weight ratio of the respective fibre quantities supplied per time unit. In most practical applications two or four metering units 11 are in operation subsequent. Subsequently to, or downstream from, the metering units a blending device 13, and thereafter a first branching device 14 are provided. From said branching device 14 the fibres are transferred, if the branching device 14 is in its through position, to a storage device 15, and from there to subsequent further processing machines, e.g. to cards 16. In another switched position of the first branching device 14 the fibres are branched off to a second branching device 17, by which they are either transmitted, to a receiver 18, when the branching device 17 is in its straight-thru condition or position, or to a quantity measuring device 19, e.g. a balance, when the branching device 17 is in a "diverting" condition or position.
The arrangement comprising the elements 17, 18 and 19 is used for measuring the fibre quantities supplied by the fibre metering units 11 and is shown in greater detail again in FIG. 2. In the example shown a pneumatic fibre transport via ducts is assumed to be used. The fibre ducts designed as tubes 25 and 26 lead from the second branching device 17 to the quantity measuring device 19, and to the receiver or recipient 18, respectively. The quantity measuring device 19 is designed as a balance in such a manner that the fibres supplied to it can be weighed using a weighing device 27. An evaluating device 30 is connected via an electric connection 29 with the weighing device 27. It is provided with a keyboard 31 for information input values, an information or data output point 32 and a display 33.
For keeping the cards 16 operating without interruption the storage device 15 at all times must contain fibre material. In order to ensure this, somewhat more material is supplied to it during the supply times, than is used by the cards 16. The storage device 15 is provided with a signal device 20, which transmits a signal if the minimum and the maximum filling level of the storage device 15 is reached. Control of the filling level can e.g. be effected by photocell light barriers provided in the storage device 15 or by the weight exerted by the fibres. The signals generated by the device 20 are transmitted to a control device 34, which can be e.g. located in the evaluating device 30.
In operation of the plant shown in FIG. 1 one type each of fibres is supplied at all times to each of the fibre metering units 11. The fibres delivered by each of the metering units 11 are transported to the blending device 13, where they are blended intimately. If the fibres, as assumed in this example, are transported pneumatically via tubes, automatic blending is obtained in the tube fed by the metering units 11 in such manner that this tube functions as a blending device. In normal operation the branching device 14 is set such that the blended fibres are transported to the storage device 15 and from there to the machines for further processing, such as e.g. the cards 16.
Using the keyboard 31 the data for the desired production corresponding to the desired blending proportion are fed into the evaluating device 30 where they are stored.
As soon as a signal from the storage device 15 indicates that the maximum filling level is reached therein the fibre metering units 11 are stopped. Thereupon a flushing time period follows during which fibres still present in the fibre transporting ducts can be transported into the storage device 15. If now a checking operation is programmed, the branching device 14 is switched from the through position to the branching-off position, and simultaneously the unit to be checked, e.g. the metering unit 11.1 is started in such manner that only this unit delivers fibres. The fibres are transported via the branching devices 14 and 17 to the receiver or recipient 18. After a short start-up time, after which the corresponding fibre metering unit 11.1 has reached again its normal production rate, the branching device 17 is switched from its through position to its branched-off position, in such a manner that the fibres no longer are transported into the receiver or recipient 18, but are guided to the quantity measuring device 19. The duration of fibre supply to the quantity measuring device 19 is pre-set at the beginning with the input-data fed using the keyboard 31. Upon completion of this time duration of fibre supply to the quantity measuring device 19 the branching device 17 again is switched to its through position directing the fibres towards the receiver or recipient 18. Simultaneously the individually operated fibre metering unit 11.1 is brought to a standstill. As soon as upon a second flushing time period fibres still remaining in the fibre duct are eliminated, also the branching device 14 is switched back to its through position leading to the storage device 15 in such manner that the plant is ready again to resume the normal operation. The plant is re-activated as soon as the signalling device 20 transmits the signal indicating the minimum filling level in the storage device 15.
Weighing of the material deposited in the quantity measuring device 19 can be effected automatically, the weight measured being indicated on the display 33. The weight of the fibres which are brought into the quantity measuring device 19 from the various units 11 during the respective checking operations also can be continuously printed onto an information tape at the information or data output point 32.
The operating sequence described above is also shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3 for better clarity. The time elapsed is plotted horizontally. The solid lines indicate that the corresponding device is in operation. As shown in FIG. 3, during normal blending operation (before the time moment t1) the metering units 11 and the cards 16 are in operation. The branching device 14 is in its through position 14d leading to the storage device 15. Upon stopping of the metering units 11 the branching device 14 remains in its through position (14d) leading to the storage device 15 during the first flushing time period, extending from the time moment t1 to the time moment t2. Upon completion of this flushing time period at the time moment t2 the branching device 14 is switched in such manner that the fibres are branched-off in the direction (14s) to the branching device 17. This latter branching device 17 at this moment in time is in its through position (17d) leading to the receiver or recipient 18. Furthermore, if e.g. the unit 11.1 is to be checked, this unit is restarted.
At the time moment t3 the branching device 17 is switched to its branched-off position (17s) in such manner that the fibres are directed to the quantity measuring device 19. The supply of fibres to the quantity measuring device 19 is effected during the part time interval between the time moments t3 and t4 within the time interval extending from the time moment t1 to the time moment t7. The branching device 17 is switched back to the through position (17d) at the time moment t4. At the time moment t5 the metering unit 11.1 is stopped again, whereupon fibres remaining in the fibre ducts are flushed into the receiver or recipient 18, which is terminated at the time moment t6.
As soon as at the time moment t7 the signalling device 20 transmits the signal indicating that the minimum filling level has been reached, the metering units 11 are restarted and the branching device 14 is switched back to its through position (14d) leading to the storage device 15 at the latest at this time moment t7.
In the lower part of FIG. 3 additionally a fibre quantity F supplied by the metering unit 11.1 is indicated. It is visualized how this quantity increases from the start of the unit 11.1 from the time moment t2 on, and decreases again from the time moment t5 on as the unit is brought to a standstill. Additionally the fibres FM delivered during simultaneous operation of both units 11.1 and 11.1 is indicated.
In an already known checking method, already mentioned, for checking the metering units, the whole fibre quantity delivered by them during a given time interval, i.e. the fibre quantity F indicated in the application example at the bottom, is weighed, and as a time interval the time period extending from the time moment t2 to the time moment t6 is chosen. In this procedure the imprecision of the measurement caused by the increasing and decreasing fibre quantities supplied during the start-up and stopping phases (from t2 to t3 and from t5 to t6 respectively) is incurred if this checking procedure is applied. In another checking procedure, elimination of the deviation, caused by the imprecise measurement during the start-up and the stopping phases, is aimed at by chosing relatively large fibre quantities to be used for the checking measurement, in such a manner that this imprecision compared to the total quantity of fibres becomes practically irrelevant. A checking operation according to this latter procedure, however, cannot be effected without interruption of the operation of the cards 16 or of another subsequent machine.
According to the present invention the fibre quantity taken out for measurement now is limited to the part time or partial time interval between the time moments or time t3 and t4. As the fibre quantity supplied per time unit remains constant throughout this whole part time or partial time interval, no deviations whatsoever from the effective fibre quantity delivered by the metering unit to be checked occur during this part time interval (t3 to t4) upon which the measurement is based actually.
For visualizing the situation if different blend proportions are applied, it is to be assumed in the following, that two fibre metering units 11.1 and 11.2 supply 300 kg fibres per hour, and that the time duration corresponding to the part time interval between the time moments t3 and t4 is 12 seconds. Under these conditions (300 kg×12 s)/3600 s=1 kg
fibres are supplied in normal operation during 12 seconds. At a blending proportion of 50% each, during 12 seconds each metering unit supplies 500 g fibres in such manner that during each checking operation 500 g fibres are supplied to the quantity measuring device 19.
At another blending proportion, of 85% and 15% respectively, one of the metering units supplies 850 g, and the second metering device supplies 150 g of fibres per weighing operation, i.e. during a time interval of 12 s. These quantities are called charges. If charges of the same weight are desired for the checking operations, the pre-set measuring times (fed as input values to the keyboard 31 of the evaluating device 30) at a total measuring time of 24 seconds for both units 11.1 and 11.2 are to be chosen as 3,6 s for the unit supplying 85% of the fibres and as 20,4 s for the unit supplying 15% of the fibres.
The values indicate the approximate limits of the variations of the blending proportion, for which the present invention is particularly suited.
In summary, then, there has been disclosed according to the invention, a method of checking the rate of supply of textile fibres in a plant in which supply of fibres on a main supply path is occasionally interrupted, the supply of fibres being restarted during a period of interruption of supply on the main supply path and being diverted to an auxiliary path for checking, the check occurring only after the supply rate on said auxiliary path has risen to a level equal to a normal level for continuous operation. Thus, transient effects due to restarting of the supply do not affect the check.
The apparatus for performing the method may comprise diverter means for selectively diverting a supply of fibres from a main supply path to a first auxiliary supply path or a second auxiliary supply path, one of which auxiliary supply paths leads to a checking device. The diverter means may comprise a first diverter for selectively diverting supply from said main supply path to a branch path therefrom, and a second diverter for selectively diverting supply from said branch path to one or other of said first and second auxiliary paths.
While there are shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims. Accordingly,
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A method of, and apparatus for, checking a plant for blending textile staple fibres of different types, which are supplied by fibre metering units. The supply of fibres to the storage device is interrupted during repeated time intervals. According to the invention the fibres supplied by an individually operated fibre metering unit, supplying a constant quantity, during part time intervals within the time intervals are transported to a quantity measuring device and are measured.
The present invention permits very reliable and precise checking of the fibre quantities supplied by the fibre metering units in such a manner that a desired blending proportion can be maintained precisely. The machines fed from the storage device can be maintained operating during the checking periods, i.e. at all times. The checking operations thus can be effected within relatively short time intervals in such manner that deviations from a pre-set desired value are detected early and that also relatively short-term deviations can be detected.
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This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/955,515, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,938, filed Oct. 21, 1997, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to electric motors and more specifically to a motor with an external rotor and a method for assembling the motor.
Motors with external rotors or “inside out motors” of the type to which the present invention generally relates have magnetic elements mounted on a rotor. These magnetic elements may include permanent magnets and/or electromagnets. A stator located inside the magnet elements includes a bearing for rotatably mounting a rotor shaft on the stator so that the rotor may rotate relative to the stator as a result of the magnetic interaction of the magnetic elements and magnetic fields generated by energizing windings of the stator. Typically, only one or two windings are wound on a bobbin of an inside out motor. Pole members provided around the bobbin, between the magnetic elements and the windings, direct the magnetic flux generated by the energized windings to improve the performance of the motor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally, a method for assembling an inside out motor generally includes the steps of stacking a plurality of laminations together to form a pole member. A stator is molded around the pole member so that an end of the pole member is located adjacent an exterior surface of the molded stator. An electrically conductive magnet wire is wound around the molded stator adjacent the pole member to form a winding of the motor.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for molding a stator for use in an inside out motor includes stacking laminations together to form a pole member. The stator is molded around the pole member so that an end of the pole member is located adjacent an exterior surface of the molded stator. An electrically conductive magnet wire is wound around the molded stator adjacent the pole member.
Other objects and features of the invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 vertical cross section of an inside out motor of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross section of the motor taken in the plane of line 2 — 2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective of a pole member of the motor of the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a bottom plan of a stator of the motor.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, an inside out motor constructed according to the principles of the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 . The motor 10 generally comprises a stationary assembly or stator (generally designated 12 ), a rotating assembly or rotor (generally designated 14 ) rotatably mounted on the stator, a control housing (generally designated 16 ) attached to the stator, and a mount (generally designated 18 ) connected to the control housing for mounting the motor on equipment (not shown).
The stator 12 of the motor 10 includes a generally cylindrical bobbin 20 having a channel 22 extending circumferentially around it. A base 24 is formed at one end of the bobbin 20 for connecting the bobbin to the control 10 housing 16 . As illustrated in FIG. 4, the bobbin base 24 includes four tabs 26 having holes 28 through which connectors (not shown) such as screw fasteners or rivets may be installed to connect the base to the control housing 16 . Alternatively, the bobbin base 24 may be connected to the control housing 16 by heat staking or by ultrasonic welding. A generally annular rim 30 extending around the base 24 centers the housing 16 on the base. Two opposing latches 32 extending from the base 24 connect a circuit board 34 to the base 24 for controlling the operation of the motor 10 . Although the bobbin 20 may be made of other materials without departing from the scope of the present invention, the bobbin of the preferred embodiment is made of an injection molded, electrically insulating polymeric material.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, four laminated pole members 40 are molded into the bobbin 20 for directing magnetic flux through the motor 10 as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Although these members 40 may be made of any magnetically soft material (i.e., material having a high magnetic permeability within a range of about 5000 gauss/oersted to about 7000 gauss/oersted) without departing from the scope of the present invention, the pole members of the preferred embodiment are made of motor steel.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the pole members 40 are formed by stacking thin sheets of material or laminations together in a conventional manner. The sheets may be secured together in the stack using any suitable method such as by welding. Other methods for securing the sheets together include forming interlocks (not shown) on the sheets. Each sheet is provided with an oxide layer on its surface which resists the passage of electrical current between the sheets. Although other constructions are envisioned, the pole members 40 of the preferred embodiment are constructed so that they have two spaced-apart legs 46 extending from a cross-piece 48 . The bobbin 20 is injection molded around the pole members 40 so that the legs 46 extend radially outward from the cross-piece 48 . Moreover, one of the legs 46 is positioned on each side of the channel 22 . The pole members 40 are constructed so their inner surfaces 42 and outer surfaces 44 are generally arcuate as shown in FIG. 2 to conform to the shape of the rotor and stator 14 , 12 , respectively. There may be more or fewer pole members 40 depending on the number of magnetic poles desired for the motor 10 . A four pole motor is illustrated in a preferred embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, each pole member 40 is molded inside the bobbin 20 so that a portion 50 of the bobbin extends between the legs 46 of the pole member to electrically insulate the pole member from two windings (collectively designated 52 ) which are circumferentially wound around the bobbin between the legs of the pole member. The windings 52 of the preferred embodiment are made from copper wires wound in the channel 22 of the bobbin 20 . Although two windings 52 are used in the preferred embodiment, a single winding or more than two windings may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. The windings 52 are electrically connected to the control board 34 by conventional means.
A bearing 54 is molded into the bobbin 20 so it extends along a central axis A of the bobbin for rotatably receiving the rotor 14 . Preferably, the bearing 54 is made from a powdered metal and is impregnated with a lubricant so it is self-lubricating over the entire life of the motor 10 . Although the bearing 54 of the preferred embodiment is molded into the bobbin 20 , it is envisioned that a bearing could be attached to the bobbin by other means, such as by press fitting or adhesive bonding, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, it is envisioned that any bearing 54 may be located between the stator 12 and rotor 14 to permit the rotor to freely rotate with respect to the stator.
The rotor 14 comprises a bell 60 having an interior surface 62 defining an interior space 64 , a shaft 66 having a longitudinal axis extending into the interior space, and two permanent magnetic strip elements 68 mounted on the rotor for directing a magnetic flux within the interior space of the rotor. The bearing 54 has a central longitudinal hole 70 which has a smaller diameter at each end than in the middle so the rotor shaft 66 only contacts the bearing near the ends of the hole. This arrangement provides solid support for the rotor 14 at two spaced locations and minimizes the overall contact area between the shaft 66 and the bearing 54 . The shaft 66 is received through the bearing 54 and retained in position so that each of the pole member legs 46 is spaced radially inward from and at least partially aligned with one of the magnetic elements 68 .
Although magnetic elements 68 having fewer or more pole pairs are envisioned as being within the scope of the present invention, each of the magnetic elements of the preferred embodiment has four pole pairs extending circumferentially around the interior space 64 of the rotor 14 . In contrast, each sheet in the pole members 40 lies in a plane which is parallel to the flux paths of the magnetic fields generated by the windings 52 . Therefore, the pole members 40 facilitate magnetic flux while inhibiting eddy currents.
The rotor shaft 66 is mounted on the rotor bell 60 by a cast insert 80 made of a mounting material (e.g., a zinc alloy). The insert 80 around the shaft 66 forms a spacer for operatively engaging the bearing 54 to axially space the rotor bell 60 from the bearing and stator 12 . Other mounting means may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. A disk 82 made of low friction material such as nylon or phenolic is disposed between the insert 80 and the bearing 54 to reduce friction between the insert and bearing.
In the preferred embodiments, the motor 10 is electronically commutated and is controlled by the printed circuit board 34 mounted on bobbin base 24 . The control devices mounted on the circuit board 34 have not been illustrated in the drawings for clarity. As an example and not by way of limitation, the control circuitry may be a capacitively powered motor and constant speed control as described in co-assigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/761,748, filed Dec. 5, 1996, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The pole members 40 are asymmetrical as shown in FIG. 2 because the sheets at one end are offset inward from the other sheets. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the asymmetry of the pole member 40 causes the rotor 14 to come to rest at a position where the poles of the permanent magnet strip elements 68 on the rotor 14 are not positioned halfway between adjacent poles of the stator 12 . Further, the air gap 72 between the pole members 40 and the permanent magnet strip elements 68 is asymmetrical. Accordingly, a reluctance torque is produced during startup which urges the rotor 14 to rotate in a desired direction.
A preferred application for the inside out motor of the present invention is to drive a fan (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, a cup-shaped hub 90 of the fan fits over the rotor bell 60 and is integrally formed with fan blades. A shroud 92 attached to the control housing 16 by four struts 94 (only two struts are visible in FIG. 1) is provided to attach the motor 10 to the equipment being cooled. Thus, it may be seen that the shroud 92 provides the sole means of support for the motor 10 . The struts 94 are formed to hold the motor and fan rigidly against pitch and yaw motion, but to permit some small, dampened roll motion.
The inside out motor 10 of the present invention may be rapidly and accurately assembled from its component parts. The pole members 40 are formed by stamping the C-shaped sheets from magnetically soft sheet material, and stacking the sheets together as described above. Four of the pole members 40 are positioned in a mold along with a bearing 54 and plastic is injected into the mold around the members and bearing to form the bobbin 20 . The bobbin 20 is preferably molded from a suitable polymeric material and wound with one or more windings 52 . When more than one winding 52 is used, the windings may be bifilar or wound one over the other in a layered arrangement. In the illustrated embodiment, there are two windings 52 , the terminal ends of which are received in respective connector portions (not shown) of the bobbin 20 .
The rotor shaft 66 is attached in the interior space 64 of the rotor bell 60 with the insert 80 leaving the spacer formed from the mounting material. The permanent magnet strip elements 68 formed as annular strips of magnetized material are mounted on the interior surface 62 of the rotor bell 60 . However, there may be separate magnets (not shown) spaced around the interior surface 62 of the rotor bell 60 without departing from the scope of the present invention. The magnetic elements 68 are magnetized to have eight distinct poles spaced around the element. In this preferred embodiment, the poles of the magnet elements 68 are circumferentially offset with respect to each other. The angle of offset is preferably about 10°-15° for the eight pole motor of the illustrated embodiment. It is to be understood that other angles of offset are also envisioned as being within the scope of the present invention.
The fan is formed in a suitable manner, such as by molding the hub 90 and fan blades as one piece from polymeric material, and fitted over the rotor bell 60 . The hub 90 is secured to the rotor bell 60 in a suitable manner such as by heat staking, snap fitting or press fitting. The low friction disk 82 is placed on the rotor shaft 66 , which is then inserted through the hole 70 in the bearing 54 of the stator. A C-clip 96 is snapped onto a grooved distal end of the rotor shaft 66 to secure the shaft in the bearing 54 .
The printed circuit board 34 for the motor 10 is attached to the bobbin base 24 without the use of fasteners. More specifically, the circuit board 34 has a pair of diametrically opposed notches (not shown) in its periphery which are aligned with snap latches 32 formed in the base 24 . The elasticity of the latches 32 permits them to flex outwardly as the circuit board 34 is pushed toward the base 24 , and the resiliency of the latches causes them to snap radially inwardly so that they overlie the circuit board to hold it on the base. As the printed circuit board 34 is mounted on the bobbin base 24 , electrical connections for the windings 52 are made. The control housing 16 and mount 18 are them attached to the base 24 by fasteners are described above.
In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.
As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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A method for assembling an inside out motor includes the step of stacking a plurality of laminations together to form a pole member. A stator is molded around the pole member so that an end of the pole member is located adjacent an exterior surface of the molded stator. An electrically conductive magnet wire is wound around the molded stator adjacent the pole member to form a winding of the motor.
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