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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a refining segment constituting at least part of a rotatable refining disk included in refining apparatus for disintegrating and refining material containing lignocellulose in a refining gap between two opposing refining disks rotatable in relation to each other. More particularly, the present invention relates to refining apparatus comprising a refining disk that includes one or more such refining segments.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Refining apparatus or disk refiners of the above-described type are used, for instance, for highly concentrated refining, CTMP, TMP, fluffing and highly concentrated grinding of sack paper and other fibrous material containing lignocellulose. They usually comprise a rotatable refining disk, mounted on a rotor, and a non-rotatable refining disk, mounted on a stator. Refining disks in this type of refining apparatus are composed of refining segments that form refining surfaces. The refining segments are replaced at regular intervals due to considerable wear. They are either mounted directly on the rotor and stator, respectively, or by means of special segment holders. A refining disk may consist of one or more annular refining segments or of several divided, radial refining segments. Refining segments may be in the form of central segments and peripheral segments, the peripheral segments being located outermost along the periphery, and the central segments being located inside the peripheral segments. Between the refining disk/surfaces on the rotor and stator, respectively, is a space in the form of a refining gap.
A serious problem with this type of refining apparatus, particularly when the apparatus first starts up, is that fiber often builds up to a pulp cake between the rotatable parts and the surrounding refiner housing. This pulp cake sometimes tends to become lodged and completely blocks transport of fibers to the outlet. Besides this obvious drawback, the build-up of pulp in the refiner housing also results in a high degree of friction along the periphery of the rotatable parts, due to the high rate of rotation, and also considerable generation of heat which may cause the fibers to carbonize, becoming so hard that the rotor is turned as by a lathe, and may cause breakdown. Even if these problems do not reach this stage, the build-up of pulp causes continuous wear on the outer part of the rotor and the segment holders of the refining disk when used, so that they may break down in the end. The heat generation may also be so high that the rotor and/or the segment holder may melt. According to conventional technology attempts to eliminate these problems entail providing the rotor itself with wings that protrude into the space between the rotor and the outer wall of the refiner housing to keep it clean. However, these wings often give rise to cavitation damage in the attachment between wing and rotor, which may lead to the wing gradually becoming dislodged, with disastrous consequences. To avoid this, regular maintenance must be undertaken, which is naturally associated with costs.
One object of the present invention is to remedy the problems mentioned above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, this and other objects have now been realized by the invention of apparatus for use as at least a portion of a refining surface of a rotatable refining disk having an outer periphery and rotatable in a predetermined direction of rotation for use in a refiner for lignocellulosic material disposed within a refiner housing, the apparatus comprising a refining segment having a periphery and being mountable on the rotatable refining disk in juxtaposition with an opposing refiner disk with a refining gap therebetween for treating the lignocellulosic material, and at least one cleaning member protruding from the periphery of the refining segment between the periphery of the refining segment and the refiner housing whereby lignocellulosic material is cleared from the outer periphery of the refining disk upon rotation thereof. Preferably, the at least one cleaning member comprises a first portion having an outer end protruding substantially radially from the outer periphery of the refining disk and a second portion disposed at the outer end of the first portion at an angle with respect to the predetermined direction of rotation and with respect to the first portion of the at least one cleaning member. In a preferred embodiment, the second portion of the at least one cleaning member is shaped to extend at least partially in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotatable refining disk.
In accordance with one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the second portion of the at least one cleaning member includes a forward portion extending in a direction along the periphery of the opposing refining disk.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the second portion of the at least one cleaning member includes a rearward portion extending in a direction along the outer periphery of the rotatable refining disk.
In accordance with another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the at least one cleaning member comprises a first portion having an outer end protruding substantially radially from the outer periphery of the refining disk, and a second portion disposed at the outer end of the first portion and extending substantially radially therefrom.
In accordance with another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the at least one cleaning member has a streamlined configuration.
In accordance with another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the at least one cleaning member comprises a unitary member separate from and attached to the refining segment.
In accordance with another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the at least one cleaning member comprises a portion of the refining segment unitary therewith.
In accordance with another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the refining segment comprises a radial refining segment.
In accordance with another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the refining segment comprises an annular refining segment and includes a pair of the cleaning members diametrically opposed to each other thereon.
In accordance with the present invention, apparatus has also been discovered for refining and disintegrating lignocellulosic material comprising first and second opposing refining disks rotatable with respect to each other, juxtaposed with a refining gap therebetween and disposed within a refiner housing, the first refining disk comprising a rotatable refining disk having an outer periphery and rotatable in a predetermined direction of rotation, a refining segment having a periphery and mounted on the rotatable refining disk, and at least one cleaning member protruding from the periphery of the refining segment between the periphery of the refining segment and the refiner housing whereby lignocellulosic material is cleared from the outer periphery of the refining disk upon rotation thereof.
The objects of the present invention are achieved by making use of a refining segment provided with at least one cleaning member for clearing away material that has collected outside the outer edge of the refining disk. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the refining segment is provided with a cleaning member instead of the actual rotor being provided with a cleaning member in the form of a wing. As mentioned above, the refining segment on the rotor is replaced at regular intervals and the cleaning member joined to the refining segment is thus also replaced long before any risk of serious damage arises.
In accordance with a preferred feature of the present invention, the cleaning member is made in one piece with the refining segment, preferably by means of casting.
The present invention has the advantage of being applicable to refining apparatus both of the “single disk” type with a rotatable refining disk and a stationary refining disk, and of the “double disk” type with two refining disk rotating against each other.
In accordance with the present invention a refining apparatus is also provided with a refining disk having such refining segments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying detailed description, which, in turn, refers to the drawings, illustrating embodiments of the present invention by way of example, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side, elevational, cross-sectional view, of a disk refiner in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial side, elevational, cross-sectional enlarged view, of a disk refiner having a refining segment in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a partial side, elevational, cross-sectional view, corresponding to FIG. 2 , but illustrating a second embodiment of a refining segment in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a top, elevational view of a refining segment in accordance with the present invention, in accordance with the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 5 is a side, elevational, cross-sectional view of the refining segment in FIG. 4 , taken along the line A—A thereof, or alternatively the refining segment in FIG. 9 below, taken along the line B—B thereof;
FIG. 6 is a side, elevational, partial cross-sectional view corresponding to FIGS. 2 and 3 , but illustrating a third embodiment of a refining segment in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a top, elevational view of a refining segment in accordance with the present invention, in accordance with the third embodiment shown in FIG. 6 ;
FIG. 8 is a side, elevational, cross-sectional view of the refining segment in FIG. 7 , taken along the line C—C thereof; and
FIG. 9 is a top, elevational view of a variant of a refining segment in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a disk refiner comprising a stationary part, stator 1 , and a rotatable part, rotor 2 , arranged in a refiner housing 3 . Refining disks, 4 and 5 , are mounted on the stator and rotor, respectively. These refining disks are generally divided into segments, known as refining segments or stator segments 6 and rotor segments 7 , respectively, forming refining surfaces. The refining segments are normally pre-fitted on segment holders, 8 and 9 , respectively, in order to enable quick exchanging, but may also be fitted directly on the rotor or stator. The number of segments may vary, as mentioned above. A rotor refining disk generally has eight, twelve or eighteen segments. Whole, i.e. undivided, refining disks are also possible, particularly in small refineries. The stator usually has refining segments corresponding to those of the rotor.
A refining gap is produced between the refining surfaces, where the material fed into the refiner is refined.
FIG. 2 illustrates a first embodiment of a refining segment in accordance with the present invention. This refining segment 7 is mounted on a segment holder 8 pertaining to a rotor 2 in the refining apparatus. The refining segment is provided at its periphery with a cleaning member 10 in the form of a “wing” to prevent and remove the pulp cake that would otherwise be formed between the rotating parts and the refiner housing. This cleaning member 10 or wing may be said to comprise a first radial holder part 11 and a second part 12 arranged at the outer end of the first part 11 and constituting the true cleaning element which is angled in the direction of rotation, preferably in a non-radial plane. Its angle in relation to the direction of rotation is preferably about 90°, and its angle in relation to the radial direction is also preferably about 90°, as illustrated in FIG. 2 . Alternatively, it may be described as forming an angle in the order of 90° in relation to the refining surface. In accordance with this embodiment, thus, the cleaning element 12 is thus angled towards the opposing refining disk. It may naturally be angled so that it is parallel with the direction of the axis of rotation, but it may also have an angle in relation to the direction of the axis of rotation. The cleaning member is preferably streamlined in order to reduce turbulence and thereby avoid cavitation. It may, for instance, have a rounded forward edge, possibly on both sides so that it is reversible. This can be seen most clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5 .
FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of a refining segment in accordance with the present invention. This refining segment 17 is provided with a wing or cleaning member 20 , here provided with a holder part 21 and two protruding portions, 22 and 23 , forming cleaning elements. One portion 23 protrudes substantially rearwards in a direction along the periphery of the refining disk on which the cleaning member is arranged and the other portion 22 protrudes substantially forwards in a direction along the periphery of the opposing refining disk.
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate in more detail a refining segment 7 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, provided with a wing-shaped cleaning member 10 . A “divided” refining segment or radial refining segment is seen here, designed to be placed along the periphery of the refining disk and which, together with a number of other segments, forms the refining disk. A radial refining segment might naturally also have cleaning members designed in accordance with the second embodiment.
FIG. 6 shows schematically a third embodiment of a refining segment 27 in accordance with the present invention, in a view analogous with FIGS. 2 and 3 . This refining segment is shown in detail in a view from above in FIG. 7 and a cross sectional view in FIG. 8 . In accordance with this third embodiment the refining segment is provided with a cleaning member 30 comprising a holder part 31 and a cleaning element 32 which here protrudes in radial direction, i.e. it is not angled in relation to the refining surfaces.
The number of refining segments having the specially designed cleaning member in accordance with the present invention may vary. In the case of radial segments it is possible to have only one segment with a cleaning member along the periphery of the refining disk, the remaining refining segments then being of standard type without cleaning members. However, to achieve good balance it may be preferable to have two refining segments with cleaning members arranged diametrically opposite each other. It is also possible to have four segments or more with cleaning members, and the remainder without.
FIG. 9 illustrates a corresponding refining segment 37 which is annular. In this case the refining segment is provided with two diametrically opposed cleaning members 40 , designed in accordance with the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . A cross section of this refining segment is as illustrated in FIG. 5 . Naturally, here also, the cleaning member might be designed as shown in FIG. 3 or in FIG. 6 .
When the refining segment is annular in shape it is also possible to have only one cleaning member. However, from the balance aspect at least two cleaning members are preferred.
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
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Apparatus for use as a portion of a refining surface of a rotatable refining disk is disclosed. The apparatus includes a refining segment having a periphery and being mountable on a rotatable refining disk in juxtaposition with an opposing refiner disk for treating lignocellulosic material in the gap between the disks, and at least one cleaner protruding from the periphery of the refining segment between that periphery and the refiner housing surrounding the refiner whereby lignocellulosic material is cleared from the outer periphery of the refining disk upon its rotation.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application discloses and claims subject matter which was disclosed in provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/552,820, filed Mar. 12, 2004.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a system for resurfacing ice skating rinks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ice skating is extremely popular in the northern states of America and is growing increasingly popular in the southern states. The demands for ice skating surfaces are becoming nearly impossible to meet. Many ice rinks have to operate 24 hours a day to meet skaters' needs. The number and availability of ice skating rinks are limited by the maintenance required to keep the quality of the ice surface in an optimum or at least satisfactory condition. Such maintenance involves eliminating ruts and the like created by the skaters, removing the resulting ice particles, removing any fallen snow accumulation (in the case of an outdoor rink), and controlling the thickness of the ice.
It is important to control the thickness of the ice. The average ice thickness on an indoor ice skating rink is about 0.75 to 1.0 inch. If, for example, a person were merely to constantly shovel away the ice powder created after an ice skating session and reapply water, the ice would eventually become too thick for the ice chillers to handle and the ice would become soft and wet.
Backyard or homemade ice rinks, ponds, and lakes are called natural ice skating surfaces. They are usually created outdoors when the temperature is constantly below 25° F. Natural ice skating surfaces rely on cold air temperatures to keep the surface frozen. Even in colder climates, ice skating surfaces cannot have thick ice because they are hard to keep frozen. Natural ice skating surfaces also have the disadvantage of not having protection from snowfall.
Typically these smaller rinks are maintained manually, by one or more persons using hand tools, such as a shovel, a wheelbarrow, a hose, and a T-shaped squeegee-like implement. This not only tends to be burdensome, labor intensive, energy-depleting, and slow, but it also may produce an uneven, unduly thick, and/or poor quality surface. As a practical matter, the long term result of these deficiencies is likely to be that the ice surface is resurfaced with insufficient frequency. Manual maintenance also requires fairly large quantities of water, and sometimes creates fog which can be a problem in enclosed rinks. As a member of a neighborhood recreation association having a 7,000 sq. ft. indoor ice skating rink, I have had personal experience in hand shoveling and resurfacing and the attending disadvantages thereof. That experience led to the present invention.
Large ice resurfacing machines such as those sold under the trademark Zamboni® or Olympia® have been used for many years for large rinks, for example regulation hockey rinks having regulation dimensions of 200 ft.×85 ft. and other rinks having an area of 19,000 to 20,000 sq. ft. These large machines are excellent for large rinks, but their initial expense, size, complexity, training, maintenance, and storage requirements render them less suitable for medium and small size rinks, such as those operated by homeowners, municipalities, recreation associations, parks, private establishments, and the like. Currently such machines of one manufacturer have a selling price in the lower $70,000 range and weigh in excess of 9,000 pounds. Also, their size limits their turning radius and maneuverability and often requires a separate building for storage. In addition, they are complex, requiring considerable skilled maintenance and operator training. Certification of an operator of one of these machines requires that he or she attend a 3-day training course. More recently, downsized versions of these machines such as the Zamboni® Model 100 and the Olympia 250® have become available, but aside from their size and weight these have many of the same shortcomings.
The Zamboni® and Olympia® and various other machines shave off a surface ice layer of a sufficient depth, which can be as much as ⅛ inch, to remove substantially all of the ruts, and then deposit water on the resulting rut-free substrate so as to create an entirely new layer of fresh ice on the substrate. The shaving produces a rather large quantity of ice particles or “snow”, which is carried away by conveyors in the machine, stored in a snow box in the machine, and later disposed of as waste.
There has been a long-felt but unmet need for an ice resurfacing machine which has the following attributes and capabilities: relatively low initial cost; compact; easily maneuverable; short turning radius; easy to maintain and repair with standard parts; operator friendly; minimum water requirements; minimum snow disposal requirements; fast; adjustable; flexible, with ice thickness reduction capability and heavy snow removal capability; providing high quality ice surfaces; suitable for ice skating rinks of any size, including small and medium size rinks; and suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to fill the above-identified need, or at least provide as many of the attributes and capabilities as possible, bearing in mind the compromises necessary to reconcile the inherent competition between them.
Rather than remove a layer of ice that is sufficiently thick to remove substantially all of the ruts and then replace it with water, the present invention removes only a thin layer of ice, leaves the ruts, fills the ruts with snow, and adds hot water to fill the interstices in the snow in the ruts and melt that snow. This leaves the ruts completely filled with water, which when frozen will provide a smooth ice surface and effectively eliminate the ruts.
The inventive approach eliminates the need for apparatus to convey large quantities of snow off the ice and into the resurfacing machine, to store it in the machine, and to haul it away. This greatly reduces the cost, size, weight, and complexity of the machine. It also conserves water. Also, the inventive machine has the capabilities of removing heavy snow and reducing ice thickness. In addition, it is easy to operate and maintain and produces an excellent ice surface. Further, it works sufficiently fast to be useful for larger rinks as well as small and medium-size rinks.
Apparatus utilizing this approach takes advantage of and enhances these and other aspects and advantages of the invention, including an integrated combination of a light towing vehicle, a compact resurfacing attachment, and a lifting and leveling assembly connecting the vehicle and the attachment.
Sales data for ice resurfacing machines according to the present invention are consistent with my belief that the invention fills a long-felt need. My company, Ragged Point Industries, sells these machines under the trademark “The Ice Wizard”. The first sale took place on Sep. 27, 2004. In the less than 6 months since then, we have sold 22 of these ice resurfacing machines, in the United States and abroad. One of these machines is being used at the ice skating rink on the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Four of them are being used at ice rinks in Saudi Arabia, and another one is being shipped to Saudi Arabia. Ours is not a large or sophisticated operation, as all of these machines were assembled by my partner and me at my personal residence, when we were (as we still are) employed full-time in our “day jobs”.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a right side elevation view of an ice resurfacing machine according to the invention, resting on an ice surface.
FIG. 2 is side section view of the resurfacing attachment shown in FIG. 1 , showing a portion of the lifting and leveling assembly.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the resurfacing attachment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , with the water spreader towel removed.
FIG. 4 is a rear view of the resurfacing attachment shown in FIGS. 1-3 .
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , but showing the invention being used in resurfacing ice.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a turn groove in an ice surface.
FIG. 7 is a section taken at 7 - 7 in FIG. 6 , with the groove filled with snow.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a slip or stop gouge in an ice surface.
FIG. 9 is a section taken at 9 - 9 in FIG. 8 , with the gouge filled with snow.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a toe pick hole in an ice surface.
FIG. 11 is a section taken at 11 - 11 in FIG. 10 , with the hole filled with snow.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Definitions
The following terms are used throughout this application in accordance with these definitions, unless a different interpretation is required by the context.
The terms “ice rink” and “rink” refer to ice having a horizontal surface used for ice skating, including recreational, professional, hockey, or figure skating, whether located indoors or outdoors, constructed or naturally occurring (such as a pond), or cooled naturally or by refrigeration.
The term “rut” refers to local, concave imperfections in the surface of an ice rink, including grooves, nicks, cracks, and gouges. (Ruts are typically caused by ice skate blades, falls, and hockey sticks.)
The term “snow” refers to particles of frozen water removed from the surface of an ice rink by scraping, including scrapings of the top layer of the ice, skater-generated snow, fallen snow, sleet, frozen rain, condensation, or other precipitation on the surface, including any liquid water mixed with them. Since “snow” includes associated liquid water, its nature will vary greatly depending upon wetness, compaction, temperature, slushiness, particle size, flowability, stickiness, etc.
The term “average thickness”, in a reference to a layer of snow being removed by a scraper blade from an ice surface, means the theoretical thickness the layer would have if the surface were perfectly and uniformly flat and level.
The term “box” is used in accordance with its dictionary definition relating to machines, e.g., an enclosing casing or part in a machine.
The term “cut”, used as a noun, means a series of passes of the machine, usually overlapping, that cover a desired rink area, as one would use that term with respect to mowing a lawn or field.
The Ice Resurfacing Machine
FIG. 1 shows an ice resurfacing machine according to the present invention resting on ice surface 10 . The machine consists of four groups of components—vehicle 12 , resurfacing attachment 14 , lifting and leveling assembly 16 connecting them, and water supply system 17 .
Vehicle 12 has wheels 18 , steering mechanism 20 , driver's seat 22 , a motor (not shown), a battery (not shown), and a standard trailer hitch receiver 24 . The particular vehicle shown is a golf cart with an electric motor. Other vehicles, such as all-terrain vehicles and tractors, may be used for outdoor rinks. As an alternative to battery power, motors powered by compressed gas such as butane or propane may be used for indoor rinks.
Water supply system 17 consists of water supply tank 26 in vehicle 12 behind driver's seat 22 . Located within tank 26 is water pump 27 , which is connected to water supply line 28 via water regulator 29 , which may be manually regulated to vary the volume of water flow. Water regulator 29 is a ball valve. Alternatively, water supply system 17 may be mounted on resurfacing attachment 14 .
As shown in FIGS. 2 , 3 , and 4 as well as in FIG. 1 , resurfacing attachment 14 includes snow box 30 , which is open at the bottom and enclosed on the remaining five sides. It may be called either a “snow box”, because of its function of generating, using, and collecting “snow”, or an “ice box”, because of its location and end product. It is made of sheet metal, but other materials such as plastic compositions may also be used. Attached to the top wall of snow box 30 is support frame 32 , which consists of welded vertical, lateral, and longitudinal square metal tubes.
Ice blade mounting bar 34 , which is shown in FIG. 2 , extends laterally across the width of box 30 and is fastened to the side walls of box 30 . Ice blade 36 , which is made of tempered steel, is bolted to mounting bar 34 by two bolts in longitudinal slots in blade 36 . The slots are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Mounting bar 34 and blade 36 are inclined at an angle of 12° to the surface of the ice. By loosening the bolts, sliding blade 36 in the slots forward or backward to a new position, and re-tightening the bolts, the height of the sharp cutting edge of the blade with respect to the bottom edges of the box may be varied. It is not possible, or necessary, to vary the height of the blade during resurfacing. Usually the edge of blade 36 will be coplanar with the bottom edges of box 30 . For a dry cut to reduce ice thickness, the blade edge will extend below the box edges by ⅛ inch or so. The slots are sufficiently long to allow the blade edge to protrude ¼ inch below the box edges.
Water distributor 38 is a tube secured to the rear wall of snow box 30 by hangers 40 . A number of aligned holes 42 spaced V 2 inch apart in the tube are aimed at the rear wall of box 30 . One end of water distributor 38 is connected to water supply line 28 at a 90° elbow.
Also attached to the rear wall of snow box 30 is towel holder 43 . Removably connected by studs to towel holder 43 are water spreader towel 44 and towel backing bar 46 , which in turn are attached to each other. This connection enables the towel and backing bar to be quickly replaced so that the towel can be allowed to dry. Spreader towel 44 is made of terry cloth, while backing bar 46 is made of stainless steel. Towel 44 lies on the ice over the width of box 30 . A spreader towel is sometimes referred to as a “mat”.
Lifting and leveling assembly 16 includes at its front end a drawbar (not shown) which engages and is removably connected to hitch receiver 24 . Post 52 is fixed to the drawbar. Pivotally connected to post 52 are central support arm 54 and two lever links 56 , which in turn are pivotally connected at their rear ends to outer support arms 60 and farther forward to the piston of hydraulic unit 58 comprising a cylinder, piston, motor, pump, and fluid reservoir. Two support bars 62 are pivotally connected at their front ends to the drawbar, at their rear ends to snow box support frame 32 , and in between to the lower ends of outer support arms 60 . By virtue of their threaded parts, the three support arms 54 , 60 are manually adjustable, and may be lengthened or shortened in turnbuckle fashion. The lifting and leveling assembly is a three point hitch, which was commercially available before the present invention was conceived.
Adjustment of support arm 54 levels the lower edges of snow box 30 from front to rear. Adjustment of support arms 60 levels the lower edges of the snow box 30 from side to side. Actuating hydraulic unit 58 to extend the piston lifts snow box 30 vertically, while actuating it to retract the piston lowers snow box 30 so that it rests on the surface of the ice.
Operation of the Ice Resurfacing Machine
The resurfacing machine may be used in three different modes—routine resurfacing mode, heavy snow removal mode, and ice thickness reduction mode. Routine resurfacing, the mode of its most frequent use, is appropriate after skaters have created snow and there has been no significant precipitation, extreme wear, or degradation. Heavy snow removal is appropriate when precipitation has fallen on an outdoor rink. Ice thickness reduction is appropriate when the thickness of the ice has become or is becoming thicker than 1 inch. It will be understood that other factors may be involved (for example, heavy snow resulting from especially vigorous skating, or falling and freezing condensation from the roof of an indoor rink) and that there is no bright line between the conditions warranting the selection of the appropriate mode. Usually, when either of the latter two modes is used, the operation will be immediately followed by a routine surfacing.
The heavy snow removal and ice thickness reduction modes are used without applying water to the surface of the ice and hence are sometimes referred to as a “dry cut”. Towel 44 is removed for either of these modes. In the routine resurfacing mode, blade 36 is adjusted and secured so that it is coplanar with the bottom edges of box 30 . In the heavy snow removal mode, blade 36 is either at that coplanar position or is adjusted and secured so that it is above the coplanar position. In the ice thickness reduction mode, blade 36 is adjusted and secured so that it is below the coplanar position.
The routine resurfacing mode is carried out as follows. The operator fills tank 26 with hot water having a temperature in the range of from about 95° F. to about 120° F. and, with the box in the raised position, drives vehicle 12 to the desired starting position on the ice. Then he or she lowers box 30 until it rests evenly on the surface of the ice, turns on pump 27 , and drives around the ice in a desired pattern. Typically the pattern is a series of slightly overlapped ovals with ever-decreasing radii, possibly with an initial swath along the longitudinal axis of the rink to avoid ending with irregularities due to turning radius limitations. If the box fills completely with snow, the operator drives to a location either on the ice or on a smooth, level surface contiguous with the ice, stops the vehicle, and raises box 30 , leaving the snow exposed on the surface, so that the “dumped” snow may be shoveled into a container such as cart, either then or later.
As so used in the routine resurfacing mode, the ice resurfacing machine depicted in the drawings will resurface about 8,000 sq. feet before box 30 fills up with snow to the extent that dumping is required. As used in either of the waterless modes, the box fills up more quickly and more frequent dumping is required. Also, the lower the position of blade 36 , the more snow is collected and the more frequently dumping is required.
Whenever the machine is stopped on the ice, water pump 27 should be turned off and box 30 should be raised. Otherwise, the hot water will melt the ice and the towel or box will stick to the ice. This is accomplished manually by “Water On/Water Off” and “Snow Box Up/Snow Box Down” controls in vehicle 12 .
In the routine resurfacing mode, with the edge of blade 36 coplanar with the bottom edge of box 30 , blade 36 will lightly scrape the surface of the ice and remove the snow already on the surface of the ice and a very thin layer of the ice. I estimate that the average thickness of this layer is about 1/32 inch, and certainly less than 1/16 inch. Blade 36 also levels the ice by removing high spots and bumps.
If necessary to generate sufficient snow to fill the ruts in the surface of the ice, blade 36 may be lowered slightly. The blade may be effectively lowered in a small increment by stopping vehicle 12 and adjusting central support arm 60 so as to lower the front of box 30 , which avoids the need to move blade 36 with respect to blade mounting bar 34 as described above.
During routine resurfacing, the operator manually controls water regulator 29 to adjust water flow as desired. Increased flow is warranted by higher vehicle speed, resurfaced areas that appear to have insufficient water, creating new ice at the beginning of the skating season, and building up low spots. Decreased flow is warranted by reduced vehicle speed (as may be necessary for turning corners) and standing water. The slower the vehicle speed, the better the quality of the ice resurfaced.
The ice resurfacing machine according to the invention requires very little maintenance. The operator needs to make sure the batteries have the proper charge and water levels. Most golf carts require a monthly water fill. The scraper blade, though it holds a good edge and is very durable, requires sharpening from time to time. Also, the individual components are relatively light and can be easily moved and handled by one or two people.
The Ice Resurfacing Method
FIG. 5 shows resurfacing attachment 14 being used to resurface ice in the routine resurfacing mode, as it is being towed toward the right. Blade 36 is scraping ice surface 10 so as to create snow 64 , most of which passes over blade 36 and proceeds to the rear of box 30 . The snow is collected at 66 in the buildup just ahead of blade 36 and at 67 at the rear of box 30 .
Meanwhile, water pump 27 pumps pressurized hot water from tank 26 , through line 28 , and into water distributor 38 . Pressurized water issuing from holes 42 in distributor 38 strikes the rear wall of box 30 and flows down its surface due to gravity and surface tension, as shown symbolically at 68 , thereby further distributing the water in the transverse direction as it falls onto ice surface 10 . Finally, towel 44 spreads the water uniformly across the surface of the ice, where it will freeze to form good ice, typically within a few minutes.
FIGS. 6 through 11 show three types of ruts commonly made in the ice by skaters. FIGS. 6 and 7 show turn groove 80 , which has a maximum depth of 80 D. FIGS. 8 and 9 show slip or stop gouge 82 , which has a maximum depth of 82 D. FIGS. 10 and 11 show toe pick hole 84 , which has a maximum depth of 84 D. FIGS. 7 , 9 , and 11 show these ruts filled with snow, as will be explained next. Normally depths 80 D and 84 D are greater than 1/16 inch, but they sometimes go as deep as 1 inch (i.e., all the way through the ice). Normally depth 82 D is less than 1/16 inch. Thus, the suffix “D” refers to the maximum depth of each of these ruts.
FIG. 5 depicts six ruts in the surface exaggeratedly at 70 , 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 79 , going from right to left. These ruts are in different locations with respect to box 30 , blade 36 , and towel 44 , but will be used here to illustrate the sequence of the inventive resurfacing method for a single rut. Rut 70 is empty, and rut 72 is empty or nearly so. Rut 74 is partly or complete filled by collected snow from 66 . Rut 76 differs from rut 74 in that its depth has been slightly reduced because a thin layer has been scraped off the surface of the ice by blade 36 . Rut 78 has been filled, or topped off, by collected snow from 67 . Such snow is shown in FIGS. 7 , 9 , and 11 at 86 , 88 , 90 . Finally, rut 79 is filled with water, since the hot water filled the interstices of and melted the snow that had filled the rut.
Specific Data
Specific data for the resurfacing machine shown in the drawings are as follows:
Dimensions
121 in. long × 48 in. wide × 54 in.
high
Weight
950 pounds
Top speed
12 mph
Capacity of water tank 26
25 gallons
Capacity of water pump 27
750 gallons per hour
Exterior dimensions of snow box 30
48 in. wide × 24 in. long × 10 in.
high
Approximate time for routine
10 minutes or less
resurfacing of 7,000 sq. ft. ice
skating rink
Reference Character Table
The following table lists the reference characters and names of features and elements used herein, with asterisks indicating groups of features and elements:
Ref.
Paragraph
Char.
Feature or element
introduced in
FIGS. shown in
10
ice surface
0027
1, 2, 5, 6-11
12
vehicle*
0027, 0028
1
14
resurfacing attachment*
0027, 0030
1, 2-5
16
lifting and leveling
0027, 0034
1
assembly*
17
water supply system*
0027, 0029
1
18
wheels
0028
1
20
steering mechanism
0028
1
22
driver's seat
0028
1
—
battery (not shown)
0028
—
—
motor (not shown)
0028
—
24
standard hitch receiver
0028
1
26
water supply tank
0029
11
27
water pump
0029
1
28
water supply line
0029
1-3
29
water regulator
0029
1
30
snow box or ice box
0030
1-5
32
snow box support frame
0030
1-5
34
blade mounting bar
0031
2
36
ice blade
0031
1, 2, 5
38
water distributor
0032
1-5
40
hangers
0032
2-4
42
holes
0032
3
43
towel holder
0033
1, 2, 3
44
water spreader towel
0033
1, 2, 4, 5
46
towel backing bar
0033
2
—
drawbar (not shown)
0034
—
52
post
0034
1
54
central support arm
0034
1
(adjustable)
56
lever links
0034
1
58
hydraulic unit
0034
1
60
outer support arms
0034
1
(adjustable)
62
support bars
0034
1
64
snow
0045
5
66
collected snow toward
0045
5
front of box
67
collected snow toward
0045
5
rear of box
68
water
0048
5
70
rut ahead of box front
0048
5
wall
72
rut just behind box front
0048
5
wall
74
rut beneath collected
0048
5
snow at 66
76
rut behind blade
0048
5
78
rut beneath collected
0048
5
snow at 67
79
rut behind towel
0048
5
80
turn groove
0047
6, 7
80D
maximum depth of turn
0047
7
groove
82
slip or stop gouge
0047
8, 9
82D
maximum depth of slip
0047
9
or stop gouge
84
toe pick hole
0047
10, 11
84D
maximum depth of toe
0047
11
pick hole
86
snow filling turn groove
0047
7
88
snow filling slip or stop
0047
9
gouge
90
snow filling toe pick
0047
11
hole
It will be understood that, while presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims. It will also be understood that the method claims are not intended to be limited to the particular sequence in which the method steps are listed therein, unless specifically stated therein or required by description set forth in the steps.
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An ice resurfacing machine for small and medium-size indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks comprises a light towing vehicle, a resurfacing attachment, and a lifting and leveling assembly connecting them. To eliminate ruts in the ice, the machine removes only a thin layer of ice by scraping, fills the ruts with “snow” created by the scraping, skating, and precipitation, and adds water to fill the rut. The cold from the base ice and/or the atmosphere freezes the water and thus eliminates the rut. The machine may also be used to remove heavy snow or reduce the thickness of the ice.
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[0001] This nonprovisional patent application claims priority to provisional patent application No. 60/404,179, filed on Aug. 16, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for transporting, storing, and retrieving fishing line. More particularly, but without limitation, the invention is directed toward a receptacle for receiving a quantity of spooled fishing line allowing for ready distribution of an amount of fishing line, or storage of the spooled line.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Fisherpersons frequently carry large quantities of spooled fishing line in tackle boxes in order to replenish the supply of line on the reel of a fishing pole. Spooled line is sold in bulk quantities, typically in the market. Of course, other volume and sized spools are available in the marketplace, with availability keyed principally to market demand.
[0006] When carrying such spools, fisherpersons encounter difficulties related to the spooled nature and massive line volume. By way of example, spools left in tackle boxes may tend to loosen their coil on the spool, resulting in a tangled, loosely wound “bird's nest”. Spools in a bird's nest may be or become severely tangled, requiring painstaking unwinding or cutting of the bird's nested line. Such unwinding and cutting is frustrating, interfering with the relaxation sought by pleasure fishers, and time consuming in a manner detrimental to the success of sports fishers. Moreover, where the tangling is remedied by cutting through the bird's nest, line is wasted. Even where the uncoiling is not so severe as to cause a tangled bird's nest, the unkempt and loosely coiled nature of the spool results in inconsistent tension exerted by the spool against the off-loading of the wound line. For fisherpersons attempting to set proper, in some cases very precise, tension on a reel of a fishing pole, the inconsistent tension may be unacceptable.
[0007] The art has developed a number of enclosures for retaining spooled coils of fishing line. Among these is a line of tackle boxes offered under the STREN® trademark, model numbers LLBOX, 01002-6, weighing in at approximately 7 lbs, and SLBOX 01001-9, weighing in at approximately 4 lbs. (Stren Catalog, 1997/1998). These tackle box-styled holders are large and are incapable of readily seating in a fisherperson's own tackle-box of choice. They are thus of limited use to fisherpersons who require or desire a special tackle box and do not want to carry multiple boxes. Furthermore and separately, the inventor has found no tackle boxes of this type that attempt to or reliably restrain the coil of the spool from loosening. Accordingly, rapid withdrawal of the line from one of these devices will cause the spool to continue to spin after the withdrawal force subsides, fostering bird's nesting and unkempt line. Bird's nests and unkempt line are also encountered following transport or storage even when excessive force is not used to unwind the spool.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention is a device and method variously and separably for transporting, storing, and retrieving fishing line as stored on a spool, limited only by the scope of the claims as ultimately allowed in this application, and in no way limited by the prior versions of the claims inserted in this provisional application which are inserted only purposes of priority and satisfaction of potential foreign filing requirements.
[0009] The exemplary embodiment of the invention as described herein is a receptacle for holding a single spooled fishing line in a manner that allows removal of the line through an opening in the receptacle. As described below, the embodiment advantageously may cause the spool to exhibit relatively consistent resistance to spinning in the receptacle. The resistance variously may reduce the likelihood of the spool unwinding in transit, and may provide an appropriate tension to allow the loading of a reel directly from the spool without need for additional tensioners. The relatively consistent resistance may be effected by selecting configurations and materials to provide friction between the ends of the spool or other locations on the spool and a resistive. In many embodiments, a surface having at least as high a coefficient of friction relative to the contacting surface of the spool as cardboard has relative to the spool works well. Some lighter weight spools may require higher friction. The resistance may also be caused by creating a snug fit between the spool and the receptacle. Other coefficients of friction or measures of resistance may be selected depending upon the tension desired to be applied to the intended reel that may be loaded thereby.
[0010] The exemplary embodiment of the invention as described herein provides a receptacle for holding fishing line. The receptacle is sized to facilitate the holding of a single spool of fishing line.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The following stated objects of the invention are alternative and exemplary objects only, and no one or any should be read as required for the practice of the invention, or as an exhaustive listing of objects accomplished.
[0012] As suggested by the foregoing discussion, an exemplary and non-exclusive alternative object of this invention is to provide a receptacle for receiving a quantity of spooled fishing line allowing for ready distribution of an amount of fishing line.
[0013] A further exemplary and non-exclusive alternative object of this invention is to provide a receptacle for receiving a quantity of spooled fishing line allowing for storage of the spooled line with resistance to uncoiling or birds nesting of the line.
[0014] A further exemplary and non-exclusive alternative object is to provide a receptacle for distributing fishing line that exhibits a relatively consistent resistance to withdrawal of the fishing line from the spool
[0015] A further exemplary and non-exclusive alternative object is to provide a receptacle for fishing line that provides a tension in resistance to the extraction of line or the loading of a fishing reel of a minimum value
[0016] A further exemplary and non-exclusive alternative object is to provide a standalone receptacle having any or all of the above stated objects.
[0017] The above objects and advantages are neither exhaustive nor individually or collectively critical to the spirit and practice of the invention, except as stated in the claims. Other or alternative objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] [0018]FIG. 1 shows a pattern layout for a receptacle capable of operating in the design of the embodiment described below.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 2 depicts a cut-away section of a receptacle capable of operating in the design of the embodiment, with focus on the areas of interaction between the spool and the receptacle in an embodiment in which the friction between receptacle and spool is primarily located at the rims of the
[0020] [0020]FIG. 3 demonstrates an alternative configuration in which friction is exerted by the receptacle against the outer ends of the spool.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 4 is a drawing of the device of the embodiment described below from the outside.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 5 is a drawing of one alternative embodiment in which the receptacle does not comprise a complete enclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The following is a detailed exemplary description of an embodiment of the invention, in a number of its various aspects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the specificity provided herein is intended for illustrative purposes with respect to an exemplary embodiment, and is not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention or claims.
[0024] Turning now to FIG. 4, the presently described alternative embodiment of the receptacle under the present invention is shown as an enclosed box 1 , having an aperture 2 for passage of fishing line 3 . The spool 5 containing fishing line 3 is deposited in the opening of the box 1 , which may be seen most clearly in FIG. 3. The spool 5 may be secured against accidental jostling from the box 1 by closing the lid 6 . The aperture 2 may advantageously be rimmed with reinforcement, such as a grommet 4 . The shown embodiment is conveniently sized to fit within a standard tackle box. It may be used as a free standing enclosure for the spool, or may be modularly deposited in operable configuration within a storage well or main enclosure of a tackle box.
[0025] Looking more particularly at the interaction of the box 1 with the spool 5 , the present embodiment shows the spool 5 contacting the box 1 at least by the spool rims 7 . As will be apparent to those reasonably skilled in the art, pulling on the line 3 from the outside of the box 1 , as it is passed through the aperture 2 , will urge the spool 5 toward the front panel 8 of the box 1 having the aperture 2 . In addition, depending upon placement of the aperture 2 and rotational direction of the line 3 on the spool 5 , the spool 5 will also be urged toward another panel of the box 1 in rotational or counter-rotational direction relative to the spool 5 . Gravity will also have effect on the urging of the spool 5 into contact with panels such that in a configuration as shown, with the spool 5 wound and placed in the box 1 in such a manner that the line emerges from the top of the spool 5 , the spool 5 will contact at least the front panel 8 and the bottom panel 9 . Withdrawal of the line 3 through the aperture 2 will cause rotation of the spool 5 , which will rotate in a direction that with perfect friction and no gravity would cause it to advance toward and climb the front panel 8 .
[0026] By means of such frictional contact in the embodiment pictured, the spool 5 also resists rotation to a degree dependent upon the amount of friction between the panels and the spool 5 . As shown, the friction exists at least between the spool rims 7 and the front panel 8 and bottom panel 9 . Greater friction will result in greater resistance to withdrawal of line 3 from the spool 5 and box 1 . In turn, greater resistance will result in an increased tension on the line 3 as it is pulled or wound onto a reel. Resistance can be increased by adding flaps, tightening the box 1 about spool 5 or other variations. Importantly, the level of tension can be set for any particular type of line to be the tension at which such type of line should be loaded onto a fishing reel (the “Loading Tension”).
[0027] As one of many alternatives, the friction may be effected by contact between the sides 10 , 11 of the receptacle and the ends of spool 5 , as shown in FIG. 3. Friction in such a system can be increased by reducing the width of the box 1 relative to the spool 5 such that the spool is more tightly “squeezed” between the side panels 10 , 11 . Further non-exhaustive alternatives for providing such friction in embodiments of the invention include rounded mating receptacles 12 matched to the approximate size of the rim 7 of the spool 5 or of the spool 5 itself, with the degree of tension depending upon the relative size chosen, such as shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the receptacles are formed from portions of the panels that are cut and bent inward. Rubber bands or other elastomeric tensioners or straps could be used. Some of these embodiments could be dynamically variably, such as by providing an adjustable securing strap, made of cardboard, rubber, or otherwise. Similarly, the level of friction and tension could be made adjustable by varying the configuration of the box 1 , such that in a first configuration friction is primarily a function of the force exhibited by the turning spool 5 against the contacting panels, and in a second configuration flaps are folded into contact with the spool 5 , such that the spool 5 is squeezed between two or more opposing sides of the box 1 . Additional alternatives may include roughening the rim 7 of the spool 5 . Still further alternatives would include providing a soft or sticky interior of the box at least at anticipated contact points, whereby the friction is increased or the resistance to rotation of the spool 5 is otherwise enhanced. Other alternatives within the spirit of the invention may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, and are not excluded from this disclosure by mere failure to call out each potential alternative.
[0028] The weight of the spool 5 also may be taken into account in identifying and creating sufficient resistance to rotation to obtain the friction and/or tension desired. The inventor has reviewed several commonly available spool sizes, which work well in the invention. Among those are spools having flange, or rim, sizes, spool widths, and approximate near-empty weights in the unloaded condition as follows:
Spool A Spool B Spool C Spool D Spool E Flange Diameter ¾″ 2¾″ 3″ 4⅞″ 6″ Width 4″ 2⅝″ 3⅞″ 4″ 4″ Weight 1 oz 1 oz 2 oz 4 oz 5 oz
[0029] Applicant believes based on current investigation that while a coefficient of friction the same as or greater than that between unfinished cardboard and smooth plastic is sufficient for relatively large weight spools (greater than one ounce), spools of one ounce or lesser weight will require either a higher coefficient of friction, or additional factors resistant to spinning (e.g., squeezing the spool, strapping it with rubber, or other methods) to exhibit the alternative tensioning effects described.
[0030] The shown embodiment eliminates or reduces the need for pretensioning the line 3 as it is applied to a fishing reel. Stated differently, the line 3 can be wound onto a reel directly from a box 1 of the shown embodiment without subjecting it to additional tension, such as may be done by pinching the line between fingers between the spool 5 and a reel. By selecting appropriate materials and combinations, a box can be provided that automatically applies an approximately identified tension to the fishing line 3 as it is applied to a reel or to any other device. Different configurations and material selections can be employed to create a bank of different boxes, each having a specified tension, for selection in use with loading various reels for various purposes.
[0031] The invention may be configured with a line holder. For this purpose in the shown embodiment the inventor uses a slit 13 at an edge of the box 1 through which the line 3 is passed for storage. Additionally, a cutter, such as a raised metallic burr or hook may be applied to the box, furthering the utility of the invention. The cutter may be metal or other material capable of holding an edge or capable of maintaining a “pinch” or notch for gripping and severing the fishing line.
[0032] In particular, but without limitation, the inventor provides as FIG. 1 a cut-diagram for the construction of box 1 . As shown in FIG. 1, solid lines are cuts, while dotted lines show areas for folding. In assembly, the template shown in FIG. 1 may be laid flat as shown. Flaps 22 and 22 A will be folded vertically, facing the assembler, to a 90 degree angle with the front panel 8 . Next, sides 23 and 23 A are folded vertically, again, facing the assembler in a 90 degree relationship with front panel 8 . This folding will cause the previously folded panels 22 and 22 A to rotate inward, such that following the action panel 8 , flap 22 and side 23 are orthogonal (as will be panel 8 , flap 22 A and side 23 A). Flaps 21 and 21 A are then folded toward the assembler until perpendicular to bottom 9 . Bottom 9 is then folded toward the assembler (carrying with it flaps 21 , 21 A, 28 , and 29 ) until it is flush against the flaps 22 and perpendicular to front panel 8 . Panels 21 and 21 A are then urged slightly interior of the planes of sides 23 and 23 A. Panel 29 is then folded further in the same direction as before, until panel 29 , bottom 9 , side 23 are orthogonal. Flaps 24 and 24 A are then folded toward the interior of the box 1 until parallel to sides 23 and 23 A, respectively. Pressure is required to force spurs 25 and 25 A into slots 26 and 26 A, respectively. At this point, assembly is substantially complete. Top 26 may be folded down to close the box for loading or storage, and may be secured in place by the tucking of flap 27 into the box and the insertion of tab 28 into opening 30 .
[0033] The invention in any or all of its aspects may be sold as a prepackaged item, or as a receptacle without spool, for filling and refilling. The inventor also suggests that the invention in all or any of its aspects could be distributed with the spool included and enclosed, with the line protruding through the aperture and secured to the outside of the box for immediately available use of the product without configuration by the end user.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
[0034] The foregoing represents certain exemplary embodiments of the invention selected to teach the principles and practice of the invention generally to those in the art such that they may use their standard skill in the art to make these embodiments or variations based on industry skill, while remaining within the scope and practice of the invention, as well as the inventive teaching of this disclosure. The inventor stresses that the invention has numerous particular embodiments, the scope of which shall not be restricted further than the claims as allowed. Unless otherwise specifically stated, Applicant does not by consistent use of any term in the detail description in connection with an illustrative embodiment intend to limit the meaning of that term to a particular meaning more narrow than that understood for the term generally.
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A receptacle for holding spooled fishing line in a manner that allows the loading of a reel directly from the spool without need for additional tensioners. The relatively consistent resistance of the embodiment may be effected by selection configurations and materials to provide friction between the ends of the spool or other locations on the spool and a resistive area of the receptacle. In many embodiments, a surface having at least as high a coefficient of friction relative to the contacting surface of the spool as cardboard has relative to the spool works well. Some lighter weight spools may require higher friction. The resistance may also be caused by creating a snug fit between the spool and the receptacle. Other coefficients of friction or measures of resistance may be selected depending upon the tension desired to be applied to the intended reel that may be loaded thereby.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] In at least one aspect, the present invention relates to methods and equipment for removing formaldehyde from partially oxidized hydrocarbons.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Methane conversion to methanol is currently in commercial operation worldwide and the classic standard technology practiced is via total oxidation using catalysts. These operations are very capital intensive, require huge pockets of methane gas and the methanol is produced through a syngas route. In addition to the need for huge capital and gas reserves, there is a large amount of carbon dioxide produced that contributes to a significant wastage of oxygen and methane itself
[0003] In order to overcome the process inefficiencies, the capital intensity and the need for huge gas reserves, an alternative process, namely partial oxidation has emerged and has been documented. This partial oxidation non-catalytic route produces valuable products: alcohols (predominantly methanol and ethanol along with higher alcohols) and aldehydes (namely formaldehyde).
[0004] Separation to recover methanol, ethanol and formaldehyde is straightforward, involves a distillation process operation and can be accomplished either in batch or continuous manner. The processing steps involve fractionating methanol and the ethanol azeotrope (95% ethanol) as two distinctive fractionating cuts, leaving behind a heel of aqueous formaldehyde (formalin) at the bottom of the still. The ethanol azeotrope is further purified to ethanol using a hydrocarbon such as xylene.
[0005] Due to the proximity of boiling points of the aqueous formaldehyde solution with the ethanol azeotrope, special care must be taken to prevent formaldehyde accumulation in the distillate while maximizing ethanol recovery. By reacting formaldehyde to different chemicals, eg urea-formaldehyde, the boiling point can be modified and separation processes simplified.
[0006] Formaldehyde is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, for this reason it is typically transported as an aqueous formaldehyde solution composed of 37% formaldehyde by weight. However, although it is encountered in a liquid solution, the formaldehyde molecule is still present and is classified as carcinogenic by the Occupational Safety and Health Association. Direct integration of the synthesis of different chemicals using formaldehyde as a feedstock within the gas-to-chemicals process facilitates product handling, eliminates toxicity issues and further permits generation of higher value products.
[0007] Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods of removing aldehydes and in particular formaldehyde from the partially oxygenated hydrocarbons.
SUMMARY
[0008] The present invention solves one or more problems of the prior art by providing in at least one aspect a method and apparatus using reactive scrubbing mediums to remove formaldehyde that is formed during the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons without altering the methanol and ethanol components that are coproduced during the non-catalytic partial oxidation. Reactive Scrubbing implies using a media to react with a molecule to form a newer molecule that will exhibit its own properties different from the original molecule.
[0009] In another aspect, a method for removing formaldehyde from a blend of partially oxygenated hydrocarbons is provided. The method includes a step of reacting a hydrocarbon-containing gas with an oxygen-containing gas in a reaction vessel to form the first product blend. The first product blend includes a blend of partially oxygenated compounds that include formaldehyde. The blend of partially oxygenated compounds is provided to a reactive scrubbing station where it is contacted with a reactive scrubbing liquid to form a reactive liquid-formaldehyde compound. The reactive liquid-formaldehyde compound is then removed from the first blend of partially reactive compounds.
[0010] In another aspect an apparatus for removing formaldehyde from a blend of partially oxygenated hydrocarbons is provided. The apparatus includes a reactor for reacting a hydrocarbon-containing gas with an oxygen-containing gas in a reactor vessel to form first product blend. The first product blend includes a blend of partially oxygenated compounds that include formaldehyde. The apparatus also includes a reactive scrubbing station in fluid communication with the reactor where the blend of partially oxygenated compounds that include formaldehyde is contacted with a reactive scrubbing liquid at the reactive scrubbing station to form a reactive liquid-formaldehyde compound.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a system for removing formaldehyde from a partially oxidized hydrocarbon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred compositions, embodiments and methods of the present invention, which constitute the best modes of practicing the invention presently known to the inventors. The Figures are not necessarily to scale. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for any aspect of the invention and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
[0013] Except in the examples, or where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction and/or use are to be understood as modified by the word “about” in describing the broadest scope of the invention. Practice within the numerical limits stated is generally preferred. Also, unless expressly stated to the contrary: percent, “parts of,” and ratio values are by weight; the description of a group or class of materials as suitable or preferred for a given purpose in connection with the invention implies that mixtures of any two or more of the members of the group or class are equally suitable or preferred; description of constituents in chemical terms refers to the constituents at the time of addition to any combination specified in the description, and does not necessarily preclude chemical interactions among the constituents of a mixture once mixed; the first definition of an acronym or other abbreviation applies to all subsequent uses herein of the same abbreviation and applies mutatis mutandis to normal grammatical variations of the initially defined abbreviation; and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, measurement of a property is determined by the same technique as previously or later referenced for the same property.
[0014] It is also to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and methods described below, as specific components and/or conditions may, of course, vary. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is used only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting in any way.
[0015] It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular form “a,” “an,” and “the” comprise plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, reference to a component in the singular is intended to comprise a plurality of components.
[0016] Throughout this application, where publications are referenced, the disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.
[0017] With reference to FIG. 1 , a schematic illustration of an apparatus for converting gas to hydrocarbons to a partially oxidized product with subsequent reactive scrubbing is provided. The process both sequesters the formaldehyde product and converts it to a less toxic, higher-value product. In a refinement, the apparatus functions in a continuous manner when in operation. The apparatus includes scrubbing vessel 100 for performing reactive scrubbing. Gas phase partial oxidation which generates the liquid products is performed in a reactor 101 which is supplied with a hydrocarbon-containing gas 10 and an oxygen-containing gas 11 . In a refinement, the reaction is operated at pressures from about 450 to 1250 psia and temperatures from about 350 to 450° C. In a refinement, reactor 101 is in fluid communication with vessel 100 via one or more conduits and stations interposed therein. Hydrocarbon-containing gas 10 and an oxygen-containing gas 11 react to form the first product blend which is a blend (i.e., a mixture) of partially oxygenated compounds that include formaldehyde. In a refinement, the first product blend includes C 1-10 alcohols and/or C 1-5 aldehydes. In another refinement, the first product blend includes an alcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, propanols, butanols, pentanols and combinations thereof, and/or aldehyde selected from the group consisting formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde and combinations thereof. In another refinement, the first product blend includes an alcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, and combinations thereof, and aldehyde selected from the group consisting formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and combinations thereof. Examples of systems and methods of performing the partial oxidation as set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,293,186; 8,202,916; 8,193,254; 7,910,787; 7,687,669; 7,642,293; 7,879,296; 7,456,327; and 7,578,981; the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In a refinement, the hydrocarbon-containing gas includes C 1-10 alkanes. In another refinement, the hydrocarbon-containing gas includes an alkane selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propanes, butanes, pentanes and combinations thereof. In another refinement, the hydrocarbon-containing gas includes an alkane selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, and combinations thereof. Examples of oxygen containing gas include molecular oxygen which may be in the form of concentrated oxygen or air.
[0018] Following partial oxidation reaction the reactant stream is rapidly cooled in a series of heat exchangers 103 and 104 to prevent decomposition of the produced oxygenates and for separation of the liquid fraction. In the absence of reactive scrubbing the alcohols and aldehydes are condensed and separated in a liquid-gas separator 102 . The raw liquid stream composed predominantly of methanol, ethanol and formaldehyde is then separated via fractional distillation 106 in which methanol and ethanol 31 are first separated from the formaldehyde/water solution (formalin) 32 and these two streams may be further processed to obtain the desired purity.
[0019] Non-converted hydrocarbon gas exiting the liquid-gas separator 102 is submitted to separation techniques for removal of undesirable non-hydrocarbon fractions which may include but are not limited to scrubbing, membrane separation, adsorption processes, cryogenic separations, or by purging a small gas fraction. The hydrocarbon gases are then recycled back to the reactor 101 with the intent of maximizing efficiency of the process.
[0020] In a variation of the present invention, a reactive scrubbing vessel 100 may be located upstream of the gas-liquid separation vessel 102 so as to maintain a higher temperature to favor reactive scrubbing. A reactive scrubbing liquid 20 (e.g. urea) is added to the reactive scrubbing vessel. The scrubbing liquid is designed to react with one or multiple fractions of the gas stream to generate higher-valued products, such as urea-formaldehyde. The reactive liquid also facilitates downstream fractional distillation due to the different boiling points of the synthesized products.
[0021] The reactive scrubbing liquid is generated by diluting the reactive substance 21 (e.g., urea) in water 22 which may be obtained from the partial oxidation process itself. This liquid solution is compressed and injected into the reactive scrubbing vessel 102 . Alternatively, liquid stream 23 may be injected into the downstream end of the reactor 101 to both react with a designed product fraction and also to quench the reaction products in order to minimize decomposition of generated oxygenates.
[0022] Differences in operating temperatures of the reactive scrubber 100 and gas-liquid separator 102 facilitate separation schemes. Alcohols are sparingly soluble in urea at temperatures exceeding 100° C. in the reactive scrubber alcohols will remain in a gaseous state to be recovered in the gas-liquid separator 102 . Formaldehyde reacting with the urea solution will be found as a liquid solution 33 in the bottom of the reactive scrubber 100 and be separated from both the gas and alcohol fractions. For reactive scrubbing at lower temperatures at which alcohols may condense, simple distillation procedures permit separation of alcohols from reactive scrubbing products (e.g., urea-formaldehyde). In a refinement, the scrubber is operated at pressures from about 450 to 1250 psia and temperatures from about 50 to 90° C.
[0023] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.
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A method for removing formaldehyde from a blend of partially oxygenated hydrocarbons is provided. The method including a step of reacting a hydrocarbon-containing gas with an oxygen-containing gas in a reaction vessel to form first product blend. The first product blend includes a blend of partially oxygenated compounds that include formaldehyde. The blend of partially oxygenated compounds is provided to a reactive scrubbing station where it is contacted with a reactive scrubbing liquid to form a reactive liquid-formaldehyde compound. The reactive liquid-formaldehyde compound is then removed from the first blend of partially reactive compounds.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present patent document claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/930,317, filed May 15, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of pumps for inflatable objects such as air mattresses and chairs. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pump for inflatable objects that includes an integrated light source.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Air pumps are commonly used on camping trips to inflate items such as chairs and air mattresses. Typically, such air pumps are battery powered and tend to be heavy, due to the weight of the batteries. For example, an air pump could require four D-cell batteries in order to provide enough power to inflate an object at a reasonable rate.
[0004] Couplings that connect the pump to the inflatable object often need to be mated carefully to avoid leaks, and during situations where inflation is required, it may be dark and difficult to properly mate the pump with the inflatable object.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A solution to this problem is to provide an air pump that can inflate various inflatable objects and also includes a light source. Furthermore, since air pumps are commonly used on camping trips where light can be scarce, it is also desirable to integrate a light source positioned such that a user could illuminate the valve on the inflatable object during inflation or deflation.
[0006] Disclosed herein is a pump for inflatable objects having a housing including an air inlet and an air outlet, a motor positioned within said housing, an impeller positioned within the housing for moving air, a light source defined on an exterior of the housing; and a reflector disposed on the housing proximate the light source.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. These drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
[0008] In the drawings:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pump embodiment including a light source;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the opposite side of the embodiment of FIG. 1 ;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a rear planar view with the cover removed showing a battery compartment of the embodiment of FIG. 1 ;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative pump embodiment including both a first light source and a second light source;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative pump embodiment including a light source;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative pump embodiment including a light source; and
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0015] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pump embodiment. The pump 10 includes a housing 12 with a first end 14 and a second end 16 . The housing 12 contains the inner workings of a common pump for the inflation of an inflatable object, such as a motor 46 (shown in FIG. 3 ) and an impeller (not shown). The construction of a typical handheld pump is described, for example, in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,822 to Robert M. Feldman which is herein incorporated by reference. Furthermore, the housing 12 includes an air inlet 18 defined on the first end 14 of the housing 12 and an air outlet 20 defined on the side 22 of the housing 12 . The illustrated embodiment also includes a handle portion 24 .
[0017] The pump embodiment also includes an integrated lamp assembly 26 defined on the handle portion 24 . The lamp assembly 26 includes a lens 28 , an array of light emitting diodes 30 (LEDs) and corresponding reflectors 32 . Additionally, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pump embodiment includes a battery compartment 34 capable of holding one or more batteries 40 to supply the motor 46 with power. Alternatively, the housing 12 could include a connection for an external power source. The pump embodiment also includes a first switch assembly 36 , and may also include a second switch assembly 38 for controlling the motor of the pump 10 and/or the LEDs 30 .
[0018] The present invention provides a single unit that can inflate and/or deflate an inflatable object and function as a flashlight. In operation, a user connects the air outlet 20 of the pump 10 to a valve on an inflatable object such as the valve disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,726 to Robert B. Chaffee, which is herein incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the pump 10 can be attached to any air inlet on an inflatable object utilizing universal adaptors such as those disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,882 to Robert M. Feldman, which is herein incorporated by reference. The pump 10 attaches to the valve at the air outlet 20 defined on the side of the housing 12 . The first switch assembly 36 is actuated to energize the motor 46 which drives the impeller (not shown). The rotation of the impeller draws air through the air inlet 18 defined on the first end 14 of the housing 12 , routes it through the interior of the housing 12 and out through the air outlet 20 into the inflatable object. The first switch assembly 36 is then actuated to deactivate the motor 46 and stop further inflation.
[0019] The pump 10 , in an alternative embodiment, could also be used to deflate an inflatable object. In the deflation configuration, the air inlet 18 of the pump 10 is attached to the valve of the inflatable object, and the first switch assembly 36 is activated. Air is drawn out of the inflatable object through the air inlet 18 of the pump 10 , routed through the interior of the housing 12 and out through the air outlet 20 into the atmosphere. Alternatively, the motor 46 could be reversible so that it could drive the impeller in the opposite direction, allowing both inflation and deflation from one configuration.
[0020] In an alternative embodiment, the air outlet 20 can include a sensor that senses when the pump is connected to a valve such as the sensing arrangement described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,363 to Robert B. Chaffee, which is herein incorporated by reference. Such a sensing arrangement could comprise a lever combined with electrical contacts. Upon connection to the valve of the inflatable object, the lever is biased into a position where it completes a circuit and activates the motor 46 . This allows auto-activation of the motor 46 when the air outlet 20 is connected to a valve of the inflatable object. In this embodiment, only a first switch assembly 36 is required, and the first switch assembly 36 allows a user to turn the LEDs 30 on or off.
[0021] The integrated lamp assembly 26 is preferably disposed on the housing 12 on or near the handle portion 24 as shown in the illustrated embodiments. This allows the user to comfortably hold the pump 10 in one hand and direct it like a traditional flashlight. Alternatively, the integrated lamp assembly 26 may be molded directly into the housing 12 . The integrated lamp assembly 26 preferably includes at least one LED 30 , a lens 28 and a reflector 32 . In the illustrated embodiments, an array of three LEDs 30 is provided, each with a corresponding reflector 32 . In operation, a user actuates a second switch 38 to energize the LEDs 30 . Light emitted from the LEDs is reflected by the reflectors 32 out through the lens 28 . A typical lamp assembly incorporating LEDs and the necessary circuitry is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,309,147 to Richard W. Martin, which is herein incorporated by reference, but any suitable lamp assembly known in the art could be used in the present invention, including incandescent or fluorescent bulbs and associated circuitry to provide power and switchability thereto. The reflectors 32 may be constructed from any suitable reflective material such as plastic with reflective coating, or polished aluminum. Other reflective materials may also be used. Furthermore, while white LEDs 30 are preferred because of their high luminescence, other colored LEDs could also be incorporated. Moreover, a single LED 30 could be used, or the LED array could include any number of LEDs 30 .
[0022] The pump 10 of the present invention may be powered by any means commonly known in the art. As shown in FIG. 3 , four D-cell batteries 40 located in the battery compartment 42 of the housing 12 power the pump. Depending on the power requirements of the motor 46 and the LEDs 30 , larger or smaller numbers of batteries could be utilized. One set of batteries 40 could power both the motor 46 and the LEDs 30 , or one set of batteries could provide power for the motor 46 while a second set of batteries provides power to the LEDs 30 . Alternatively, the pump 10 could be a rechargeable AC/DC pump, such as that disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0077153 to Timothy F. Austen et al., which is herein incorporated by reference. The circuit disclosed in the Austen publication could be adjusted to also power the LEDs 30 .
[0023] In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , a second lamp assembly 44 is integrated into the side 22 of the housing 12 proximate the air inlet 18 . The second lamp assembly 44 comprises at least one LED 30 , a lens 28 and reflectors 32 , constructed in the same fashion as the previously described lamp assembly 26 . The positioning of the second lamp assembly 44 proximate the air inlet 18 provides illumination of an inlet port of an inflatable object in low light situations. The LEDs 30 of the second lamp assembly 44 can be activated by a user through the actuation of the first switch assembly 36 , or through the actuation of a third switch assembly (not pictured).
[0024] Also, the lamp assembly 26 can have a power source that is separable and detachable from the pump, with an area on the housing 12 that would allow for attachment of the lamp assembly 26 .
[0025] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5 , in an embodiment where three LEDs 30 are shown, the two most lateral LEDs 30 , lens 28 , and reflectors 32 on the lamp assembly 26 may be positioned at an angle relative to the medial LED 30 , lens 28 , and reflector 32 such that the spectrum of light emitted by the lamp assembly is broader than the lamp assembly shown in FIG. 4 .
[0026] In FIG. 6 , the lamp assembly 26 is shown with LED 30 , lens 28 , and reflector 32 . Cut-out 48 may be integrated into the lamp assembly such that light from the lamp assembly 26 may be emitted to the side of the pump 10 . The cut-out 48 may be a clear piece of plastic or configured in a way such that light may be emitted in a first direction to the front of the pump 10 and in a second direction to the side of the pump 10 .
[0027] In yet another embodiment, the lamp assembly 26 could be mounted on a swivel (not shown), a ball joint (not shown), or a flexible gooseneck (not shown) which is in turn mounted on the housing 12 . This would allow for independent movement of the lamp assembly 26 .
[0028] It should be noted that there could be a wide range of changes made to the present embodiments without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. The first lamp assembly 26 could be repositioned to the second end 16 of the housing 12 , or any other location on the housing 12 . It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.
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A pump for inflatable objects having a housing including an air inlet and an air outlet, a motor positioned within said housing, an impeller positioned within the housing for moving air, a light source defined on an exterior of the housing; and a reflector disposed on the housing proximate the light source.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for producing a cased string bore extending from a well shaft in the horizontal direction for the installation of a filter string, in which a starter drill pipe and subsequently further drill pipes are driven into the rock mass surrounding the well shaft through an opening in the wall of the well shaft by means of a press arranged in the well shaft.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A method of the specified type is used for the sinking of wells which have long been known as “horizontal filter wells”. The Fehlmann and Preussag methods are often used to sink these wells. These methods are described in E. Bieske “Bohrbrunnen” (7 th ed., 1992, Oldenbourg, Munich, pages 19 to 23.). Both methods involve first the sinking of a perpendicular shaft which reaches down to the aquifer and serves as a starting shaft for driving the horizontal holding strings and, once the holding strings have been completed, is developed into a pump shaft. The shaft construction generally consists in this case of reinforced concrete pipes having an internal diameter of 2.0 m or more, placed one on top of another. The pipes are laid with the aid of hydraulic presses or a superimposed load. The soil infiltrating the pipes is removed. Once the desired depth has been reached, the bottom of the shaft is covered with concrete. Starting from the shaft, horizontal bores are then driven using drill pipes through openings in the shaft wall. Filter pipes are then introduced into these drill pipes before the drill pipes are removed. In the Preussag method, the filter pipes are additionally surrounded by a gravel envelope.
In the known methods, the drill pipes are driven based on the displacement principle by advancing the drill pipes while at the same time removing fine grain. The starter drill pipe is given a conical drill head which penetrates the subsoil during driving of the drill pipes. The drill head has a large number of suitably sized holes. By constantly moving the entire string of pipes, including the drill head, back and forth, the hydrostatic pressure of the groundwater pushes the drilled material into the drill head. A separating plate closes off the drill head from the inside of the drill pipes. Screwed into the separating plate are return rods through which the drilled material and water infiltrating the drill head are conveyed out toward the shaft. In difficult soil conditions, in particular in cohesive or compact formations, the transportation of the drilled material and also the loosening of the soil are assisted by additional flushing with pressurized water. The pressurized water is led through a separate flushing pipe, installed in the string of pipes, to the drill head and issues within the drill head. Once the intended string length has been reached, the return rods and the flushing rods are unscrewed from the partition between the drill head and the first drill pipe and withdrawn toward the shaft, the partition being sealed by a self-closing flap. The drill pipe, which is sealed toward the rock mass, is then available for installation of the filter pipes. Once the filter pipes have been installed and, in the Preussag method, a gravel packing introduced, the drill pipes are gradually withdrawn into the shaft. The drill head is left behind in the rock mass and lost.
The known methods have proven successful in practice. However, they can be used only in soil formations in which the drill head can be advanced and freely flushed. Stones and deposits of clay can constitute insuperable obstacles to drilling in these methods and rock formations cannot be drilled.
Also known from DE 100 29 476 A1 is a drilling device with which, starting from a start pit, a drilling device and subsequently product pipes can be driven in the horizontal direction by means of a hydraulic press unit. The drilling device comprises a shield in which a drive shaft carrying a tool disc is rotatably mounted and can be driven by a motor. Arranged after the tool disc is a cell wall comprising cells which receive drilled material removed by the tool disc. A conveying pipe which is arranged after the cell wall and has a receiving end facing the cell wall can be moved past the cells and conveys the drilled material contained in the cells successively through the product pipes and out of the start pit. The material can be conveyed with the aid of air or water which is led with excess pressure via a further pipe into the cells. This device also has the drawback that the drill head cannot be withdrawn along with the tool disc and cell wall, after completion of a string bore, through the production pipes but must rather be left behind in the string bore as a lost component of the device. Also, if the drilling device becomes damaged or blocked, it is almost impossible to carry out repairs, so it may not be possible to continue the drilling drive operation.
Also known from DE 28 29 834 is a method for drilling a bore hole in a subsoil permeated with boulders or layers of rock using a ground drilling device which consists of a cylindrical drill casing and a rock drill bit and in which the rock drill bit is introduced, with cutting tools drawn into their inner position, into the drill casing in such a way that the movable cutting tools are located below the lower end of the drill casing. Subsequently, the movable cutting tools are moved into their outer cutting position and the rock drill bit is lowered together with and at the same time as the drill casing and they are set in rotation about their common axis to drill a bore hole, the diameter of which is at least equal to the outer diameter of the drill casing. Once the drilling process has been completed, the movable cutting tools are drawn back in, so the rock drill bit can be extracted from the drill casing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to disclose a method for producing a cased string bore extending from a well shaft in the horizontal direction, which method is suitable also for soil formations, such as for example rock, and allows the drilling tools to be adapted to various locally prevailing soil formations. In addition, it should be possible to carry out the method according to the invention effectively and inexpensively while minimizing the risk of accidents.
In a method according to the present invention, a hydraulically driven drill motor having a drilling tool rotationally driven thereby is inserted into a starter drill pipe in such a way that the drilling tool protrudes from the leading end of the starter drill pipe, the drill motor is supported in the starter drill pipe by means of a clamping device engaging the starter drill pipe so as to be fixed against rotation and axial displacement therein, and the starter drill pipe is sealed after the drill motor with the aid of the clamping device,
the starter drill pipe and subsequently further drill pipes are driven into the rock mass surrounding the well shaft through an opening in the wall of the well shaft by using a drive means arranged in the well shaft, wherein the drilling tool is rotated by the drill motor,
pressurized water is supplied to the drilling tool via a flushing pipe penetrating the clamping device and the drilled material, which is crushed by the drilling tool, is conveyed toward the surface through a conveying channel and a conveying pipe, which extends through the drill pipes to the well shaft,
on reaching the final length of the string bore the drilling tool is withdrawn and a free space is formed between the drift face of the string bore and the starter drill pipe, the free space is filled and sealed by injection of an expanding, quick-setting filling compound and once the clamping device has been disengaged, the clamping device,
the drill motor and the drilling tool are removed from the drill pipes.
The method according to the invention allows, for example, when starting from a well shaft, the drilling of horizontal string bores for the gathering of groundwater through any desired soil formations, including for example rock, and effective sealing of the end of the string of pipes of the string bore without the drilling tool having to be left behind on the drift face. The method according to the invention therefore allows the use of complex drilling tools. This speeds up the drilling operation and thus helps to reduce costs.
For the purposes of drilling, use is preferably made of a drilling tool having radially movable cutting tools which produce a bore hole, the diameter of which is equal to or greater than the external diameter of the drill pipes. If the soil conditions allow the bore hole to be expanded with the aid of the starter drill pipe, use may also be made of a drilling tool which has radially immovable cutting tools and the invariable external diameter of which is not greater than the internal diameter of the drill pipes.
For injecting the expandable filling compound, the method according to the invention provides that a hollow cylindrical cartridge be filled with the filling compound and the cartridge be hydraulically driven through the conveying pipe up to the clamping device, where it is discharged through the conveying channel penetrating the clamping device and the drill motor into the free space formed before the drilling tool. For the purposes of discharging, the cartridge can contain a scraper which drives the filling compound out of the cartridge and through the conveying channel in a hydraulically driven manner. The scraper and the discharged cartridge can be withdrawn into the shaft with the aid of an entrained cable, thus allowing filling compound to be re-injected if necessary. In the method according to the invention, the filling compound used is preferably a polyurethane injection foam resin. The resin is preferably contained in a destructible container, for example a hose-type cover, which can be introduced into the cartridge. When the cartridge is discharged, the hose-type cover is destroyed and contact of the resin with the water present on the drift face or with air gives rise to a chemical reaction forming a foam body which fills and seals the free space between the starter drill pipe and the drift face.
The free space on the drift face is preferably formed as a result of the fact that the drill motor, with the drilling tool fastened thereto, is retracted into the starter drill pipe. If no suitable devices are provided for this purpose, the free space required can also be formed by retracting the entire string of pipes by the requisite degree.
According to a further proposal of the invention, pressurized water can be used to drive the drill motor and the water returning from the drill motor can be led into the channel for conveying the drilled material. Driving with pressurized water rules out the risk of the drilling region becoming contaminated. The introduction of the water return into the conveying channel assists the conveyance of the drilled material and eliminates the need to use a separate return line.
A further advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention provides that the water which is supplied to the drilling tool under excess pressure be led through an annular chamber formed between the casing of the drill motor and the starter drill pipe. This prevents the deposition in the inlet in the starter drill pipe of fine-grained drilled material which would obstruct the introduction of the drill motor into the bore hole.
Further, according to the present invention an advantageous device for carrying out the method comprises, a rotationally drivable drilling tool, a hydraulic drill motor for driving the drilling tool, a controllable clamping device by means of which the drill motor can be secured in a drill pipe and which forms a partition sealing the drill pipe, wherein the drill motor and the clamping device have a continuous, central conveying channel which has an inlet in the region of the drilling tool and can be connected at its other end to a conveying pipe.
In an advantageous embodiment, the clamping device can be connected to a traction scraper or traction devil which is movable and securable in the longitudinal direction in the drill pipe. A traction scraper of this type allows the clamping device to be disengaged and moved, together with the drill motor supported on the clamping device, relative to the drill pipe in the longitudinal direction with the aid of the traction scraper even in the event of compressive loading caused by the hydrostatic pressure of groundwater present. This is, for example, expedient in order to withdraw the drilling tool into the drill pipe. Furthermore, in the event of the drilling tool becoming damaged or the drill motor malfunctioning, the entire unit consisting of the drilling tool, drill motor and clamping device can be retracted into the shaft with the aid of the traction scraper. Particularly advantageous is an embodiment in which the clamping device is integrated into the traction scraper, i.e. forms part of the traction scraper. Obviously, the traction scraper also has a rectilinear, central through-channel, thus allowing the conveying channel to be connected to the conveying pipe and the filling compound to be injected as described hereinbefore.
In an advantageous embodiment, the traction scraper has two hydraulically actuatable clamping devices which are coupled together by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, wherein the two clamping devices and the hydraulic cylinder can be controlled independently of one another by a hydraulic controller. Such an embodiment of the traction scraper is distinguished by a simple and robust design and allows reliable supporting as well as movement of the drill motor within the string of pipes.
According to a further proposal of the invention, an advantageous embodiment of the clamping device has a substantially cylindrical clamping sleeve which is made of elastomeric material and arranged on a cylindrical support body between two flanges which are movable relative to each other, wherein the external diameter of the clamping sleeve can be radially enlarged by drawing the flanges closer together. This embodiment of the clamping sleeve allows high retention forces and ensures effective sealing on the inner wall of the drill pipes.
According to a further proposal of the invention, the drill motor can be driven with pressurized water and its return for the pressurized water can open into the conveying channel. This assists the conveyance of the drilled material.
Preferably, the conveying channel opens out in the center of the drilling tool and penetrates the drill motor and the clamping device. Furthermore, the conveying channel can have at its inlet a ring gauge, the diameter of which is approx. 10% smaller than the diameter of the conveying channel. This ensures that the conveying channel is infiltrated only by pieces of rock which are much smaller than the internal diameter of the conveying channel, thus preventing the pieces of rock from becoming stuck in the conveying channel. The cutting tools of the drilling tool are in this case arranged in such a way that only pieces of rock, the diameter of which is smaller than the opening in the ring gauge, can pass to the inlet.
According to a further proposal of the invention, the drilling tool has radially movable cutting tools which can be moved by the cutting forces into a radially outer position, the drilled bore hole having a diameter which is equal to or greater than the external diameter of the drill pipes and the cutting tools being movable into a radially inner position in which they can be drawn, together with the drill motor, through the drill pipes.
For injecting the expandable filling compound, the device has, according to a further proposal of the invention, a hollow cylindrical cartridge which can be moved with the aid of pressurized water through the conveying pipe up to the connection point of the conveying channel and the internal diameter of which corresponds to the internal diameter of the conveying channel, the cartridge containing a scraper which can be acted on with pressurized water through an opening in the base of the cartridge and which is fastened to a cable of a cable winch arranged in the shaft. This cartridge allows the filling compound to be reliably injected into the free space before the drilling tool and a plurality of injections can be carried out in succession if necessary.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described hereinafter in greater detail with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross section through the lower end of a well shaft with the drilling apparatus arranged therein in the initial phase of the production of a horizontal string bore;
FIG. 2 is a cross section through the lower end of a well shaft with a driven string bore and a means for injecting a filling compound;
FIG. 3 shows an enlarged detail of the injection region; and
FIG. 4 shows an enlarged detail of the traction scraper shown in FIG. 3 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows the bottom region of a vertical well shaft 1 comprising a shaft wall 2 formed from concrete pipes and a shaft bottom 3 covered with concrete. Provided in the shaft wall 2 is an opening 4 through which a horizontal string bore can be drilled into the soil surrounding the well shaft 1 in order subsequently to develop the string bore into a holding string of the well.
The well shaft 1 contains the equipment required to produce a string bore. A hydraulic drive means 11 is arranged on a working platform 10 and braced to the shaft wall 2 on opposite sides. The hydraulic drive means 11 comprises substantially two double-acting lifting cylinders (not shown) which are arranged parallel to each other and of which the drive force, acting in the horizontal direction, is transmitted to the respectively clamped drill pipe, in this case the starter drill pipe 13 , by means of a hydraulically actuatable clamp 12 . A submersible pump 14 arranged on the bottom 3 of the shaft below the working platform 10 conveys groundwater which enters the shaft during the drilling operation and during the subsequent development of the bore into a cesspit above ground via a riser pipe 15 .
Inserted into the starter drill pipe 13 is a drill motor 18 which drives in rotation a drilling tool 19 protruding from the starter drill pipe 13 . The trailing end of the drill motor 18 is flanged onto a traction scraper 20 . The traction scraper has two annular clamping devices 21 , 22 which are set apart from each other and secure the traction scraper in the starter drill pipe 13 . The clamping devices 21 , 22 also support the drill motor 18 in the axial direction and prevent it from rotating in the starter drill pipe 13 . The traction scraper 20 can alter its axial position within the drill pipe in that firstly one of the clamping devices 21 , 22 is loosened, its distance from the other clamping device is altered and the clamping device is then retightened and in that subsequently the same operation is performed with the other of the clamping devices 21 , 22 . In this way, the traction scraper is able to advance in the drill pipe and transport the drill motor connected thereto through the drill pipe.
The drill motor 18 and the traction scraper 20 are driven hydraulically with water which is supplied at elevated pressure by a pump arranged above ground via a pipe 23 . The returning water is led into a conveying channel 24 which centrally penetrates the drill motor 18 and the traction scraper 20 in the longitudinal direction and is connected to a conveying pipe 25 on the back of the traction scraper 20 . At the front of the drill motor 18 , the conveying channel 24 has an inlet for the drilled material removed by the drilling tool 19 . Arranged in the conveying pipe 25 , after the traction scraper 20 , is a remote-control flap 26 which can be used to seal the conveying pipe 25 . The conveying pipe 25 also leads above ground to a cesspit. A particular type of pump can be provided for conveying the drilled material upward. FIG. 1 shows a mammoth pump 27 which is fed with compressed air 28 .
The traction scraper 20 is also connected to a flushing pipe 29 through which pressurized water 30 is supplied continuously throughout the drilling process. The water 30 passes through channels in the traction scraper 20 , on the front thereof, and issues through openings 31 into an annular chamber 32 formed between the outer surface of the drill motor 18 and the inner wall of the starter drill pipe 13 . The water passes through the starter drill pipe 13 to the drilling tool 19 in order to cool the drilling tool and to convey the drillings removed during the drilling process into the conveying channel 24 and through the conveying channel and the conveying pipe 25 .
FIG. 1 shows the drilling of the string bore 5 in the initial stage, once the drilling tool 19 has penetrated a rupture disc 33 closing the opening 4 and entered the soil adjacent to the shaft wall 2 . The starter drill pipe 13 is guided in the opening 4 and sealed using a sealing means 34 . The starter drill pipe 13 is non-rotatably held in the clamp 12 and is pressed by the drive means 11 in the direction of the string bore 5 . The driving force of the drive means 11 is transmitted from the starter drill pipe 13 via the clamping devices 21 , 22 to the traction scraper 20 and therefrom to the drill motor 18 and thus to the drilling tools 19 which, driven in rotation by the drill motor 18 , enter the soil 6 under the action of the driving force.
The drilling tool 19 , shown by way of example in FIG. 1 as a roller drill bit, is provided with radially movable cutting tools 35 which, under the action of the drilling forces, are brought into their radially swiveled-out position in which the bore hole diameter produced is somewhat larger than the external diameter of the starter drill pipe 13 . The starter drill pipe 13 is therefore able to penetrate the drilled bore hole without encountering much resistance.
Once the drilling process has progressed to the stage at which the usable drive length of the starter drill pipe 13 has been used up, the drilling process is interrupted in order to join a new drill pipe to the starter drill pipe 13 . For this purpose, the flap 26 is closed and the conveying pipe 25 cut off after the flap 26 . The supply of pressurized water via the pipe 23 and the supply of flushing water via the flushing pipe 29 are interrupted and the pipe 23 and the flushing pipe 29 are also cut off. The clamp 12 is opened and returned using the drive means 11 to the starting position in order to receive a new drill pipe to be joined. Once the new drill pipe has been inserted, the clamp 12 is closed, the previously cut-off pipe connections are re-established and the flap 26 is opened again, thus allowing the drilling process with a string of pipes extended by one drill pipe to be continued as described. This process is repeated until the string bore 5 has reached the intended length and the drilling process can be terminated.
In order to allow the drilling apparatus, which is now no longer required, to be dismantled and the filter pipes to be installed, it is now necessary to seal the string of pipes lining the drilled string on the drift face of the string bore 5 . The measures and means provided for this purpose will be described hereinafter in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .
In a first step, the drill motor 18 and the drilling tool 19 are retracted with the aid of the traction scraper 20 a certain distance into the starter drill pipe 13 of the string of pipes 36 , so the drilling tool 19 is located within the starter drill pipe 13 . In this process, the radially movable cutting tools 35 are folded inward as a result of contact with the end face of the starter drill pipe 13 , so they do not impede the withdrawal of the drilling tool 19 . The movement of the traction scraper 20 is controlled in such a way that one of the clamping devices 21 , 22 is clamped at all times. This ensures that the inlet end of the string of pipes 36 ( FIG. 3 ) remains sealed by the traction scraper 20 and the groundwater present cannot infiltrate the string of pipes 36 .
As shown in FIG. 4 , each one of clamping devices 21 , 22 of the traction scraper 20 has a substantially cylindrical clamping sleeve 211 , 221 which is made of elastomeric material and is arranged on a cylindrical support body 212 , 222 between two flanges 213 , 214 ; 223 , 224 . One flange 213 , 223 of each of the clamping devices 21 , 22 forms a hydraulically actuatable piston which is movable towards the opposite flange 214 , 224 upon application of hydraulic pressure. Applying pressure to the piston shaped flanges 213 , 223 will draw the opposite flanges 213 , 214 ; respectively 223 , 224 facing a clamping sleeve 211 ; respectively 221 closer together and will radially enlarge the external diameter of the clamping sleeves and bring the clamping sleeves in retaining and sealing engagement with a surrounding drill pipe. The clamping devices 21 , 22 are coupled together by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 201 . Via conduits in the traction scraper 20 a hydraulic controller 205 controls the two clamping devices 21 , 22 and the hydraulic cylinder 201 independently of one another depending on operating commands of a drilling operator.
The withdrawal of the drilling tool 19 creates in the region of the drift face 37 a free space 38 so that the free space can be filled and sealed with an expandable filling compound. In preparation for the injection of the filling compound, the flap 26 is first closed and the conveying pipe 25 in the well shaft then cut off from the upward riser pipe.
Provided for injecting the filling compound is a hollow cylindrical cartridge 40 , the external diameter of which is adapted to the internal diameter of the conveying pipe 25 and configured so as to be able to be slid hydraulically through the conveying pipe 25 up to the connection end connected to the traction scraper 20 . The hole in the cartridge 40 has an internal diameter corresponding to the internal diameter of the conveying channel 24 , which is smaller than the internal diameter of the conveying pipe 25 , the conveying channel penetrating the traction scraper 20 and the drill motor 18 . The hole in the cartridge contains a cylindrical scraper which rests against a stop at the base of the cartridge 40 and can be acted on hydraulically through an opening in the base of the cartridge 40 . The scraper 41 is also connected to a cable 42 leading through the opening in the base of the cartridge 40 and from there through a sluice chamber 43 to a cable winch 44 . The filling compound to be injected is contained in an elongate, cylindrical container 46 made preferably of plastics material. The container 46 is introduced into the hole in the cartridge so as to precede the scraper 41 . Subsequently, the cartridge thus filled is inserted base first into the front of the sluice chamber 43 and the leading end of the sluice chamber 43 thus filled is flanged onto the conveying pipe 25 leading to the traction scraper 20 . The accordingly sealed sluice chamber 43 is connected to a pressure pipe 45 through which pressurized water can be supplied for driving the cartridge 40 . The cable 42 , which is fastened to the scraper 41 in the cartridge 40 , is guided out of the sluice chamber 43 to the cable winch 44 by a sealed guide.
In order to inject the filling compound, the flap 26 is opened and pressurized water led into the sluice chamber 43 via the pressure pipe 45 . As a result, the cartridge 40 is moved up to the end of the conveying pipe 25 that is connected to the traction scraper 20 where it is secured to the relatively narrow opening in the conveying channel 24 . In this process, the cable 42 is entrained and unwinds from the cable winch 44 . From this stage, the water pressure is able to drive forward only the scraper 41 , so the scraper leaves the cartridge 40 and, propelling in front of it the container 46 containing the filling compound, is moved along the conveying channel 24 until it is halted by a relatively narrow ring gauge 47 at the inlet of the conveying channel 24 . The container 46 is destroyed by the contact with the ring gauge 47 and pressed, together with the filling compound contained therein, through the ring gauge 47 and the drilling tool 19 into the free space 38 on the drift face 37 . A chemical reaction in conjunction with the water present causes the filling compound to expand, so the filling compound fills the free space 38 and the inlet of the string of pipes 36 up to the drilling tool 19 and then sets. Suitable filling compounds include polyurethane injection foam resins which have a large expansion volume and set very quickly.
After a period of time required for the setting of the filling compound, the sluice chamber 43 is depressurized and a test is carried out to check whether the injection has been successful. The injection has been successful if the scraper 41 remains in the injection position and there is no discernible ingress of water from the head side through the conveying pipe 25 . The scraper 41 and the cartridge 40 are then withdrawn into the sluice chamber 43 with the aid of the cable winch 44 . If the injection has not yet produced an adequate seal, it can be repeated as described.
Once the string of pipes 36 has been successfully sealed on the drift face by the expanded filling compound, the drill motor can be dismantled, along with the drilling tool and the traction scraper, from the string of pipes. For this purpose, the traction scraper 20 is hydraulically activated in such a way that it moves in stages through the string of pipes 36 to the well shaft, towing the drill motor 18 with the drilling tool 19 after it. Once it has arrived at the shaft-side end of the string of pipes 36 , the traction scraper 20 is removed, along with the drill motor 18 and drilling tool 19 , from the string of pipes 36 and stored outside the well shaft until it is reused. Subsequently, the string bore can be developed in the conventional manner with the filter pipes and gravel packing.
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In a method for producing a cased horizontal string bore extending from a well shaft, a starter drill pipe is driven into the rock mass surrounding the well shaft. A hydraulically driven drill motor is arranged in the starter drill pipe and rotates a drilling tool protruding from the leading end of the starter drill pipe. The drill motor is fixed against rotation and axial displacement by a clamping device. When the final depth of the string bore is reached, the drilling tool is retracted into the starter drill pipe by axial movement of the clamping device and a free space is formed at the drift face of the string bore. The free space is filled and sealed by injection of a quick-setting, expanding filling compound. Afterwards, the clamping device, the drill motor and the drilling tool are removed from the drill pipes.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/841,872, filed Feb. 26, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,596.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of electronic components and their improved mechanized assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For low cost fabrication and assembly of many electronic/electrical products, it is necessary to establish an efficient mechanized method of joining electronic components onto printed wiring boards and other workpieces. Currently, there exist mechanized systems to apply electrical hardware components such as pin terminals, tabs, sockets, etc. to their appropriate workpieces. But many other components continue to rely on manual assembly. For example, the machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,964 provides an apparatus with a supply strip for inserting terminals into a substrate or workpiece. The supply strip is a continuous strip of metal pins wound on a reel. To insert a pin into a printed wiring board (PWB), a pin is separated from the rest of the strip, then pressed down into the PWB. Another machine of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,357.
The current systems are used for assembling of pins or tabs or sockets into substrates. The pin insertion machines allow for insertion of different sizes of pins onto an apertured workpiece. The pins can vary in cross section and length. They can also be bent to 90° angles or kept straight. The machine is fed from a continuous supply of prenotched pins wound on a reel. The pins are fed, cut, formed and then inserted into the workpiece positioned below the inserter. The alignment of the insertion hole with the pin can be achieved by manually positioning the workpiece below the insertion head, or automatically by a computer-controlled X-Y locating table onto which PWB's are loaded. A similar type of machine can be used to insert sockets, or tabs or other components into PWB's. Any socket pattern can be machine inserted or can be inserted into a plastic housing for manual insertion. The above systems describe production systems to insert pins or sockets into substrates. It is accomplished by inserting one pin or one socket or one tab at a time.
Other prior art includes a system that inserts many pins, up to as many as 50 at one time. The idea is similar to the previous system in that a continuous supply of header mounted pin components are stored and fed from a reel. The difference is that the pins are first perpendicularly inserted into an extruded plastic header which is then stored on the supply reel. The endless electrical connector described An U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,622 is an example of one such system. A machine automatically cuts a header with a desired, pre-set amount of pins from the supply reel. An inserter head then places the header onto a PWB. While this system increases the efficiencies of some of automated component assembly, it is still not fully automated for other hardware components. Three examples follow which illustrate (and not limit) those components which up until nee have resisted mechanized assembly.
One example of a electrical component that is currently being made individually and manually assembled is an electrical shunt connector or Jumper, which is in common use today to interconnect pins to configure, for example, a printed circuit board. The plastic body of the shunt is currently individually molded, and a stamped metal conductor is inserted into the plastic body and then the completed shunt assembly is manually mounted on the PWB pins, using templates or light to properly locate the pins on which the shunt is to be assembled. The process is labor intensive, expensive and causes re-work of boards if the shunt is improperly positioned.
Another example and an important electronic component is wire end terminals. Their assembly onto wires has not been automated yet. The end terminal needs to be placed on the wire and is done so manually and individually. There is no known system that allows for the mechanized assembly of such components.
Another example is in situations where the system has inserted long rows of male metal connector pins into a PWB. Problems arise when the female connector then has to be mated. For instance, when the connector is being mated the pins might bend if the assembly is not done evenly along the axis of the pins. The problem is exacerbated when connectors are used with high pin counts. Typically, the problem of the bent pins is solved with a shrouded header that has an integrally molded pilot at either end of the header. The female connector first mates with the pilot (which is higher than the pins) and this assures that the axis of the pins and that of the connectors are properly aligned. But, the shrouded header with its integrally molded pilot is expensive, and it takes time to configure and assemble for a particular connector.
Among the common disadvantages in the assembly of the three component examples described above are the high cost and that individual handling of loose pieces are still required in the manufacture or assembly process. This is time consuming and costly. Furthermore, the expense of ordering and storing loose electronic parts is high. While the problem is particularly acute with the above described three components, there are other components whose manufacture and assembly involve similar problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A principal object of the invention is a process to efficiently mechanize the manufacturing and assembling of electronic parts.
A further object is the integration of sore aspects of the manufacturing and production so that the end product can be made more efficiently and less costly.
Another object is to avoid or minimize the need for individual handling of loose pieces in the manufacture and assembly of electrical components.
Another object of the invention is to automate the manufacture and assembly of electrical shunt connectors.
Still another object of the invention is to mechanize the process of mounting insulated posts on PWBs to serve as pilots for connectors.
A further object Is to fully automate the process of wire terminals and their assembly to wires.
These and other objectives are achieved, briefly speaking, by a novel process which involves molding an endless line of plastic parts. Where the parts have complex shapes, as in the above-described three components, a continuous injection molding process is preferably employed. The endless line of parts is wound on a reel. Once in reel form, then the known automatic machines can then be directly employed or readily modified to process at a high production rate the reeled parts. It may require several machine passes before the component or its assembly onto a workpiece is completed. Thus the reeled parts can be fed to a machine which punches holes, inserts metal parts, or performs other secondary operations on the plastic pieces, and then rereels the worked pieces. Another pass through an insertion machine can sever one or more of the parts as needed from the supply reel and mount the parts onto the appropriate workpiece. In this manner, more of the production process of the electronic components can be automated.
A feature of the invention is the initial formation of a continuous molded product on a reel. The reel can be used to hold virtually any number of plastic parts in a variety of shapes needed for a particular application. The reel is then mounted on one of the kinds of assembly, insertion or crimping machines previously described and supplies an endless line of parts that can be added to or inserted on another part aligned by the machine. Manual handling then reduces to transport of supply reel from machine to machine or to a customer provided with a similar applicator machine employing such reels for automatic assembly of the reeled components onto a PWB. Thus, the invention provides flexibility and versatility in the variety and the amount of parts to be manufactured and assembled onto their corresponding workpieces.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a shunt connector is manufactured by injection molding a continuous line of plastic body parts and winding on a first reel. The first reel is mounted on one of the automatic assembly machines which, from a supply of metal parts inserts the metal contact spring clip into each body part as it passes through the machine and is re-reeled onto a second reel. The second reel is placed on another insertion machine which then severs a plastic body part with its metal contact spring clip from the endless supply and mounts it on pin terminals of a PCB accurately positioned below.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, wire end terminals can be manufactured and crimped to lead wires. As before, an endless line of plastic parts are made by a molding process and wound on a reel. They are then fed to an assembly machine that in a secondary operation inserts the metal tube connector, and after supplying a wire, crimps the metal connector into place.
In accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the invention, a continuous row of plastic posts is molded, wound onto a reel, and then inserted in a PWB by the previously described inserter machine from a reel supply.
It is thus evident that a variety of electronic components can be efficiently manufactured and assembled by use of the reel supply of an endless line of plastic molded parts subsequently worked and re-worked in reel-supplied, automated, insertion and assembly machines to minimize the handling of loose pieces.
The process generally entails: (1) molding, (2) reeling, (3) secondary operations of assembly when required and re-reeling, (4) insertion. The assembly, insertion and crimping machines are already known and used in the art. Thus, this aspect of the invention describes a process that efficiently mechanizes the manufacturing, assembly and insertion of electrical components achieved by integrating the supply reels of continuous strips of electronic component parts. This minimizes handling, expense and time of manufacturing and assembly of electronic components.
The invention also includes novel competent parts, assemblies and sub-assemblies and reels of such parts produced as intermediate or end products in the carrying out of the process of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in detail with respect to several preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an injection molding process for the plastic housing of a shunt;
FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the mold of FIG. 1 taken along the line 2--2;
FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the mold of FIG. 2 taken along the line 3--3, and also showing a part of the injection gun for injecting hot plastic into the side of the sold;
FIG. 4 shows a supply reel of the continuous plastic housing parts of shunts feeding into a metal spring clip insertion machine, to receive a metal insert, and then being rewound on another supply reel after receiving the metal insert;
FIG. 5 is a cross-section along the line 5--5 of the shunt housing of FIG. 4 showing how the metal connector piece is inserted into the housing;
FIG. 6 is a cross-section of a feed chute full of metal connectors of the machine of FIG. 4 as well as a metal connector being inserted into the plastic housing of the shunt;
FIG. 7 shows a supply reel of shunts being inserted by a second machine onto a PWB on its X-Y table;
FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-section showing how the shunt fits onto terminals on the PWB;
FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing an injection molding process for a wire end terminal;
FIG. 10 is a cross-section along the line 10--10 of FIG. 9 of the mold for the plastic housing part of the wire end terminal;
FIG. 11 is a cross-section along the line 11--11 of FIG. 10, also showing an injection gun going into the side of the mold;
FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a supply reel of the housing part of the wire end terminal going through an assembly machine and receiving the hollow metal connector part, and then being rewound onto another supply reel;
FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a chute on the machine of FIG. 12 with an endless hollow connector being cut and inserted into the plastic housing of the wire end terminal;
FIG. 14 schematically illustrates a supply reel of wire end terminals being fed into a machine for useably onto wire pieces;
FIG. 15 schematically illustrates the wire end terminal being crimped onto the wire piece;
FIG. 16 is a magnified view of the wire piece being assembled with the wire end terminal and then being cut from the supply strip;
FIG. 17 shows the end product made by the process illustrated in FIGS. 9-16, namely, a wire piece with wire end terminals on both ends.
FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing an injection molding process for a plastic pilot post;
FIG. 19 is a cross-section along the line 19--19 of FIG. 18 of the mold for the pilot post;
FIG. 20 is a cross-section along the line 20--20 of FIG. 19 also showing an injection gun going into the side of the mold;
FIG. 21 is a schematic view of a supply reel of plastic pilot post going through an insertion machine and being inserted onto a PWB on its X-Y tables;
FIG. 22 shows the cross-section of the line 22 in FIG. 21, as well as the end product made by the process illustrated in FIGS. 18-21 namely, a pilot plastic post inserted onto a board.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
To show the environment of the invention, reference is first made to FIG. 1 which illustrates the starting point of the invention, which is an injection molding process. One example is the injection molding process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,622, which is incorporated herein by reference. The preheating, plasticizing and molding is all done by the ease machine. Granules of plastic 10 are fed into an injection cylinder 19 through a hopper opening 12. The granules are then heated to a molten state 13 in the cylinder 19 by a heating jacket 14. The molten plastic is then injected by a ram 15 into mold 16 as shown in FIG. 1.
The mold 16 makes a discrete amount of plastic parts 17, all interconnected by thin plastic severable strips or webs 18. The webs 18 are also fond during the molding process. At the end of each completed strip of parts and webs, there is an end extension or web 27, the free end of which is placed back into the mold so that the next strip of parts is molded and fused onto it. This process continues after each molding step. In this fashion, an endless or continuous elongated strip of plastic parts, held together by the webs 18, can be manufactured. All of the plastic parts are connected together by the thin plastic severable pieces, or webs, except for the first and last part which have only one connecting side.
FIGS. 1-3 show the manufacture of the shunt housing 17. The shunt housings 17 are connected to one another by webs 18 as shown in FIG. 3. As each strip of parts is made, it is connected to the next strip as previously described by means of the web 18. The continuous strip of shunt housing parts 17 is then wound onto a reel 20 and fed into an assembly machine which inserts a metal spring clip 25 and rewinds the continuous shunt strip now with the metal inserts back onto another reel 21. This is shown in FIG. 4. Machines of the type described have been previously disclosed and are already on the market. Only the insertion head 23 for the shaped metal spring clips is shown in FIG. 4.
The metal spring clips 25 are supplies from a reel of continuous parts connected together by web pieces. The secondary operation of the assembly machine detaches the spring clip from its strip fed along chute 24 and inserts it into the shunt housing by a ram. FIG. 5 shows a metal spring clip 25 being inserted into a plastic shunt housing 17 on the strip. The spring clip is locked into the plastic housing by a step up lock 29 in the cavity of the housing. The step up lock 29 allows the metal insert to be easily pushed in but then difficult to remove past the step in the shunt housing. The completed shunt (with its spring clip) is wound on reel 21. For simplicity, FIG. 6 shows the spring clips 25 fed as discrete items along chute 24. But, as previously described, as is known, the spring clips can be shaped by stamping into a continuous strip, reeled, and then fed to the assembly machine of FIG. 4 from a reel. Afterwards, the reel 21 is flipped over so that the open end of the shunt piece is facing downward ready for insertion on a terminal on a PCB. The flipped reel 21' is then mounted to another machine 30 which separates the individual shunt 17 from its strip and inserts it onto a predetermined position on pin terminals of a PCB. FIG. 7 shows the shunt supply reel 21' feeding one by one the strip of shunts into the insertion head 31 of the machine to be inserted onto a PCB board 32. FIG. 7 also shows some finished shunts (now referenced 34) already inserted onto the pin terminals 35 on the PCB on an X-Y table 36 of the machine which has been positioned under the inserter head 31. FIG. 8 shows the X-Y table 36 and the PCB 32 with a shunt 34 inserted on terminals 35 at the left. FIG. 8 also illustrates a new shunt 34 in the inserter head 31 being cut along the web 18 by shear tool 37 from the continuous shunt strip and about to be inserted on the underlying terminals 35 on the PCB 32 by means of ram 38.
FIGS. 9-11 show the manufacture of the plastic housing, or insulator sleeve, part of the wire end terminal. The injection molding process previously described is used to manufacture the tapered plastic insulator of the wire end terminal 17'. The mold 16' makes a discrete amount of plastic parts 17' all interconnected by thin, severable plastic strips or webs 18'. At the end of the strip of parts there is a web extension 27' that is put in the subsequent made mold and fused to the next strip, as also previously described. FIG. 12 shows the continuous strip of plastic parts wound on a reel 40 and fed into an assembly machine head 42. As a secondary operation, the assembly machine inserts a flared hollow metal tube into the insulator sleeve to make the wire end terminal. One way to make this wire and terminal is to have loose flared hollow tube parts fed into the assembly machine by way of a hopper and then by an escapement mechanism, to line up the parts which are then fed one by one to the assembly head to be inserted into the insulated plastic part by a ram. Another way is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. A hollow piece of wire tube 43' is cut 37' from a tubular supply on a reel 39 and widened, or flared, at one end as it is inserted into the tapered part 28 of the plastic housing part 17'. The wire end terminal pieces (flared hollow wirepieces 43' inserted into tapered plastic parts 17') are now wound onto another supply reel 41. FIG. 13 shows chute 46 with the shear cutting tool 37' used to cut the hollow wire piece 43' from the endless strip of hollow wire 43. The hollow wire 43 is fed down the chute 46, cut with the shear cutting tool 37' and inserted into the tapered plastic housing part 17'. The hollow metal tube is flared at the end to fasten tightly into the insulating sleeve. The wire end terminal parts, including the tapered housing part 17' with the inserted flared hollow metal wire tube 43', connected together by webs 18', are wound onto supply reel 41.
Reel 41 is then mounted onto another insertion or crimping machine that inserts insulated wire pieces 47 into the wire end terminals 17'. The insulated wire pieces are fed to the machine after having the insulation stripped off their ends. The stripped lead wire 45 is then inserted and crimped within the wire end terminal piece. One method of achieving this is to have the insulated wires 47 already stripped at its ends 45 and fed down a chute 44 to the insertion head. FIG. 14 shows the insulated wire 47 being vertically fed down a chute 44 into the insertion head of the machine 49. The bare wire 45 at the end of the insulated wire is inserted into the wire end terminator part and crimped into place as depicted in FIG. 15. The crimping tool 48 crimps the insulated wire 47, the exposed wire 45 inside of the plastic part of the wire end terminal 17', as well as the hollow metal wire part 49' of the wire end terminal. The entire workpiece is then cut from the supply strip on reel 41 by shearing tool 37" as shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 17 shows the one of the possible end products of the just previously described process: an insulated wire piece 47 crimped into wire end terminals 17' and 43'.
Instead of the process illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, the machine can readily combine a known automatic wire stripper and known crimper. In this case, a continuous length of wire fed from a reel would have its leading end stripped, cut to length, and its trailing edge stripped and then crimped onto the terminal end as depicted in the drawings. As a further alternative, an operator can manually insert the stripped wires into each terminal as they are fed in succession to the crimping head 49.
FIGS. 18-20 shows the injection molding process for pilot plastic posts. The injection molding process bas been previously described. The mold for the pilot plastic post shows the posts each having bevelled ends 50, 50'. The base part 51 is enlarged and provided with a broad plastic band 52 spaced from the enlargement 51. FIG. 18 and FIG. 22 also show a slit 55 formed in the bottom part of the post. The slit 55 extends from the center band 52 through the enlarged part 51 and out the bottom. The slit bifurcates the base section of the post. These features are made in the same injection molding process as previously described. The mold also makes a discrete amount of the plastic parts 17", all connected to the next plastic part by a thin plastic severable strip or web 18". The last web 27" is the extension web, used for fusion with the subsequent sold to make a continuous strip. This process has been previously described. The continuous strip of parts is then wound on a supply reel 53 and fed to an insertion head 31' of an insertion machine which cuts and inserts the individual post parts into aligned holes 54 in the PCB board 32'. Note the PCB board sits raised above the X-Y table 36 so that the posts 17" can go through the PCB board and lock into place. FIG. 22 shows a shear tool 37" cutting an individual pilot post 17" from its continuous supply strip and being pushed onto a PCB 32' by a ram 38'. FIG. 22 also shows how the feature parts of the pilot plastic posts are used. The bevelled ends 50 at the bottom are used to easily align the posts while inserting. The posts are inserted in the one workpiece with the enlarged part 51 pushed through the hole 54, thus locking the plastic part 17" in place. The slit 55 in the pieces are used to form a bifurcated end which can be contracted while inserting and then will expand to keep the enlarged part locked into place. The wider band 52 acts as a stop to prevent the post from being pushed all the way through the workpiece or PCB 32'. The other bevelled end 50' protrudes above the other electronic workpieces on the PCB.
Subsequently, not shown, a header with multiple metal pins would be mounted between the two posts 17" shown in FIG. 21. The two posts would then act to guide assembly of a female connector onto the pins to prevent banding, as earlier described. Alternatively, the metal pins could be separately inserted into the PCB between the pilot posts 17".
While the invention has been described and illustrated in connection with preferred embodiments, many variations and modifications as will be evident to those skilled in this art may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the invention as set forth in the appended claims is thus not to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth above as such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
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A continuous molded electronic component assembly process in which a continuous line of components are supplied on reels for assembly and insertion. The supply reels of electronic components are made by an injection molding process, reeled and supplied to assembly and insertion machines. The assembly and insertion machines provide the means for removing, assembling and inserting the electronic components. Examples of the process, but not limited to, are shunts, wire end terminals and pilot posts.
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RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 731,036, filed Oct. 8, 1976 now abandoned, of John A. Makuch and Melvin Gordon for CONNECTOR FOR FIBER OPTIC TUBING.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed generally to connectors, and more particularly to a connector for fiber optic cable segments which provides improved and more consistent coupling of light between the segments.
In recent years fiber optic light transmission systems, wherein a single optically-conductive fiber or a multiplicity of parallel optically-conductive fibers are arranged to form a flexible light-conductive cable bundle for conveying light from one location to another, have come into increasing use, not only for providing illumination, but also for conveying data from one location to another. In the latter application a light source is modulated with data to be transmitted at one end of the cable bundle, and the data is recovered at the other end of the cable bundle by a photo-sensitive detector. Since the data is conveyed by a medium not subject to radio frequency interference or detection, such light transmission systems are particularly well adapted for high security applications, such as found in the data processing and military communications fields.
With the increasing use of fiber optic systems, the need has developed for a connector for connecting segments of light-conductive cable bundles with minimum detriment to the optical transmission path. Prior art connectors for this purpose have not been completely satisfactory, particularly where frequent connects and disconnects must be made under adverse environmental conditions, or where multiple fiber optic circuits must be connected in a single connector because of the difficulty of maintaining an accurate consistent alignment between the ends of coupled cable segments under such conditions. The present invention is directed to a connector which provides more accurate and consistent alignment of the terminal ends of fiber optic cable bundle segments under these conditions.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to prodvide a new and improved connector for light-conductive cable bundle segments.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a connector for light-conductive cable bundle segments which achieves improved and more consistent alignment between the ends of such segments.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved connector for connecting multiple pairs of light-conductive cable bundle segments with improved efficiency and consistency.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a connector for light-conductive cable bundle segments which achieves positive registration of corresponding segments to be connected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a connector assembly for joining the terminal ends of first and second segments of light-conductive cable bundles. The connector assembly comprises a receptacle including a shell having a forward mating end, and a first recess extending rearwardly from the mating end. First terminal support means including a first insert member is disposed within the first recess for positioning the terminal end of one of the cable bundle segments in a forwardly facing position. A plug including a shell having a forward mating end, and a second recess extending rearwardly from the mating end, is provided together with second terminal support means including a second insert member disposed within the second recess for positioning the terminal end of the other of the cable bundle segments in a forwardly facing position axially adjacent the terminal end of the first cable bundle segment. The terminal ends of the cable segments are maintained in axial, transverse and angular alignment to a high degree by alignment means extending between the first and second insert members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector constructed in accordance with the invention in an unmated condition;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle portion of the connector taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the plug portion of the connector taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a fiber optic termination pin utilized in the connector for terminating the ends of light-conductive cable bundle segments;
FIG. 5a is an enlarged side elevational view, partially in cross-section, of the connector in an unmated condition;
FIG. 5b is an enlarged side elevational view, partially in cross-section, of the connector in a mated condition;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the termination pin of FIG. 4 shown in conjunction with a pin removal tool;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the connector illustrating the use of the pin removal tool for removing a termination pin from the connector;
FIG. 8 is a perspecitve view of an alternate embodiment of the connector of the invention;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle portion of the connector taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the plug portion of the connector taken along line 10--10 of FIG. 8; and
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view, partially broken away, of the connector of FIG. 8 in a mated state.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the figures, and particularly to FIGS. 1-3, a connector 10 constructed in accordance with the invention includes a flange-mounted receptacle 1, and a cable-mounted plug 12. Receptacle 11 could also of course be bulkhead-mounted or cable-mounted as well without departing from the invention. The receptacle includes a generally sleeve-shaped metal shell 13 having a front or mating end for receiving plug 12, and a flange 14 rearwardly of the mating end for mounting the receptacle to a wall or bulkhead (not shown). Individual segments of light-conductive cable 15 for which interconnections are to be established by the connector enter the receptacle from the rear. A plug-receiving recesss 16 extends rearwardly from the forward end of the receptacle. An insert assembly 17 positioned within shell 13 supports the projecting ends of four female fiber optic alignment sleeves 18 forming connecting assemblies associated with respective ones of light-conductive cable segments 15.
Plug 12 includes a generally sleeve-shaped elongated cylindrical shell having a front or mating end, and a recess 20 extending rearwardly from the front end of the plug for receiving in telescoping relationship the forward end of the receptacle shell 13. Fiber optic cable segments 21 to which interconnections are to be provided extend into the rear of the connector. A generally cylindrical insert assembly 22 dimensioned for telescoping insertion into recess 16 is disposed within recess 20, and includes four axially-extending apertures 23 in which four male fiber optic connecting assemblies 24 (FIG. 3) are positioned. A locking ring 25 of conventional construction is concentrically disposed over shell 19 to provide twist-lock engagement with protuberances 26 on shell 13 when the plug and receptacle are mated, in a manner well known to the art. A plurality of locating keys 27 on the side wall of insert assembly 22 coact with keyways 28 provided on the inside wall of recess 16 to assure correct orientation between the two insert assemblies.
Referring to FIGS. 4, 5a and 5b, fiber optic cables 15 and 21 may be entirely conventional in design and construction, having an outer jacket 30 and an inner light-conducting core of a single fiber or plural fibers generally designated 31. The fiber core can be constructed either of glass or a suitable plastic material, such as that marketed under the trade name Crofon by the DuPont Company. In the latter instance each fiber in the core 31 may consist of a central strand of polymethyl methacrylate sheathed with a transparent polymer of lower refractive index. The outer jacket 30 can be formed from a polyethylene resin such as that marketed under the trade name Alathon by the DuPont Company.
Referring to FIG. 4, the ends of each of the light-conductive cable segments 15 and 21 are individually terminated by means of terminating pins 32. Each of these pins comprises a hollow generally cylindrical metal housing 33 having an axially extending bore 34 within which the fiber core 31 of the cable is disposed. A layer of adhesive such as epoxy 35 between the fiber core and the wall of the aperture holds the core firmly in place.
The end of the fiber core extends along the bore 34 of the terminating pin and is cut substantially flush with the open end of the termination to provide a flat optical coupling surface 36.
The housing 33 of terminating pin 32 includes a front portion of reduced diameter, and a rear portion of increased diameter, and an annular flange 37 between these two portions. Bore 34 has a corresponding front portion of reduced diameter and a corresponding rear portion of increased diamter joined by a transition of convenient angle or taper, the jacket 30 of the fiber optic cable abutting the tapered shoulder formed between these two portions.
Referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b, the insert assembly 17 within receptacle shell 13 is seen to consist of a disc-shaped face sealing member 40, a peripheral seal 40a, a cylindrical pin insert member 41, pin retention disc 42, and a rear grommet 43, which are preferably constructed of high temperature elastomeric materials such as, for example, plastic and rubber. The face sealing member 40 includes four apertures 44 which are aligned with four apertures 45 in insert member 41, and with four apertures 46 in retention disc 42, and with four ribbed apertures 47 in grommet 43, to provide four continuous axially-extending bore-like passageways for receiving the terminal pins associated with respective ones of the four light-conducting cable segments 15.
The insert assembly 22 within the shell 19 of plug 12 is seen to include a cylindrical insert member 50, a retention disc 51, and a grommet 52 (FIG. 5b). The insert member 50 includes an aperture 53 which is aligned with an aperture 54 in retention disc 51, and with an aperture 55 in grommet 52 to form a continuous axially-extending passageway for receiving the terminal pins associated with respective ones of the four light-conducting cable segments 21.
In accordance with the invention, accurate alignment between the terminal pins associated with respective fiber optic cables 15 and the terminal pins associated with corresponding ones of fiber optic cables 21 is maintained by means of sleeves 18 positioned within the passageways formed in insert assembly 17. The alignment sleeves, which may be formed from metal or similar rigid material, are snugly received within these apertures.
The sleeves are resiliently held in place during insertion or removal of plug 12 by means of annular flanges 61 on the outside surfaces of the sleeves. Referring specifically to FIG. 5a, the sleeve is allowed some resilient axial movement upon mating by virtue of the flange 61 being captured in recess 62 formed in the elastomeric material of face seal member 40. Thus, when terminal cable ends are brought together, tines 63 push against the rear of ring 37, the front of ring 37 bears tightly against the end of the sleeve, and the sleeve axially moves within recess 45 achieving equilibrium between similar forces associated with the other half of the mated connector pair.
The slight axial movement permits optimal alignment of both terminating ends on a per channel basis always maintaining the proper axial separation between faces 36. This movement also allows tines 63 to be freely separated from ring 37 in the unmated condition, permitting unhindered removal of the terminating pin 32 with the tool 70 of FIG. 6.
The terminal pin 32 installed on the end of each of the four fiber optic cables 15 is inserted into its respective sleeve 18 from the rear, the annular flange 37 thereon abutting the rear edge of the sleeve. The inside dimensions of sleeve 18 are such that the terminating pin assembly 32 is snugly received therein and maintained in accurate alignment with respect thereto. A pair of tines 63 projecting inwardly from the wall of aperture 46 bear against the rearwardly-facing surface of the annular flange 37 to lock the terminating pin 32 in position and foreclose axial movement thereof.
In plug 12 the terminating pin 32 of each fiber optic cable 21 is received in respective apertures 53 and 54 and locked in place by means of tines 64 which project inwardly from the walls of recess 54 against the rearwardly facing surface of the terminating pin annular flange 37. The front of the annular flange 37 bears against a shoulder formed on the rear surface of insert member 50, thereby preventing the termination pin assembly 32 from being pulled out during mating or unmating of the connector. Since no alignment sleeve is present in plug 12 the terminal pin assemblies 32 associated with fiber optic cables 21 are not rigidly held in place, but rather are free to move axially and laterally to a limited extent.
When receptacle 11 and plug 12 are mated, as shown in FIG. 5b, insert assembly 22 telescopes into recess 16 as the shell 19 of plug 12 telescopes into the end of receptacle shell 13. This causes the four alignment sleeves 18 associated with receptacle 11 to extend into respective ones of the apertures 53 of insert assembly 22, in which the termination pin assemblies 32 associated with fiber optic cables 21 are disposed. As a result, the reduced diameter portions of the terminal pins associated with cables 21 are received in respective ones of sleeves 18. The resilient mounting of the termination pins in shell 19 facilitates this by enabling the pins to readily align themselves with the approaching sleeves. As the plug and receptacle become fully mated, the end faces 36 of the two terminal pin assemblies come into close, parallel, but non-abutting relationship, for high efficiency light transfer. Since the alignment sleeves 8 determine the positions of the termination pins, misalignment of the coacting light transfer surfaces 36 is precluded.
In addition, when the connector is fully assembled as shown in FIG. 5b, the grommets 43 and 52, the face seal 40, and the peripheral seal 40a are placed in a state of compression. As a result, the connector is completely sealed from impurities or contaminants that might be encountered in the environments where the connector is to be used.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the fiber optic terminal pin assemblies 32 associated with each fiber optic cable are removable from their respective passageways by inserting a small sleeve-shaped tool 70 into the passageways from the rear. This tool, as shown in FIG. 6, serves in the case of receptacle 11 to compress tines 63 against the sidewalls of aperture 46, or, in the case of plug 12 to compress tines 64 against the sidewall of aperture 54, with the result that the pin assemblies are released and can be removed rearwardly from the connector members. This is a significant advantage since it enables individual terminal pin assemblies to be removed, as when correcting installation errors or replacing damaged connectors or components thereof.
An alternate arrangement for maintaining alignment between terminal pins in a shell-type connector is shown in FIGS. 8-11. In this embodiment a receptacle 80 is provided having an elongated shell 81 defining a recess 82 within which an insert assembly 83 is disposed having four flush-mounted fiber optic termination pin assemblies 32. The receptacle 80 is adapted to mate with a plug 84 having an elongated shell 85 defining a recess 86 within which four additional termination pin assemblies 32 are flush mounted. The shell 85 of plug 84 is dimensioned to extend in telescoping relationship over the plug-receiving portion of shell 81. Insert assemblies 87 and 88 similar to those provided in receptacle 11 and plug 12 are provided within receptacle 80 and plug 84 for holding the fiber optic termination pin assemblies in position.
Since the terminating pin assemblies 32 are positioned with their coupling surfaces 36 parallel to the exposed surfaces of the insert assemblies, the coupling surfaces of corresponding terminal pins are brought into close abutting relationship when the connector is mated, as shown in FIG. 11. To maintain the accurate alignment required between coupling surfaces 36 for good efficiency, the insert assembly 87 of the receptacle 80 includes five axially-extending alignment pins 90 which extend into respective ones of five alignment sockets 91 provided in the surface of the insert assembly 88 of plug 84. By dimensioning these elements for a snug but non-binding engagement, the surfaces of the two insert assemblies are maintained in accurate alignment at all times during their engagement, irrespective of movement of either insert with respect to its shell.
It will be appreciated that while the invention has been shown in conjunction with connectors having round shells and four interconnections, it is also possible to practice the invention in connection with a greater or lesser number of interconnections, and with shells having other shapes and sizes, including rectangular and square cross-sections.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader apsects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A connector assembly for coupling one or more pairs of fiber optic tubing cable segments comprises a mating plug and receptacle each including insert members having aligned passageways wherein the terminal ends of the fiber optic cable segments are disposed. An alignment sleeve within the passageways fixed to one insert member and slidably received by the other receives the terminal ends at respective ends of the fiber optic cable segments of the sleeve to maintain the terminal ends in axial, transverse and angular alignment.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/378,837, filed May 6, 2002, the disclosure of which application is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an attachment for the bucket of a front end loader. In particular, the invention relates to a rake-tooth bucket attachment.
The background art is characterized by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,597,374; 2,935,802; 3,034,237; 3,214,041; 3,349,933; 3,362,554; 3,643,821; 3,706,388; 3,834,567; 4,125,952; 4,411,585; 5,515,625; 5,564,885; 5,664,348; 6,092,606 and 6,209,236; and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 361,772; the disclosures of which patents are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Richey in U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,374 discloses a material handling device. This invention is limited in that back and middle transverse members and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Wolfe et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 2,935,802 disclose a multi-function attachments carrier for farm loaders and the like. This invention is limited in that a middle transverse member and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Wolfe et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,034,237 disclose another multi-function attachments carrier for farm loaders and the like. This invention is limited in that a middle transverse members and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Walberg in U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,041 discloses a scoop for front end loaders. This invention is limited in that back and middle transverse members and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Simpson et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,933 disclose a pavement lifter. This invention is limited in that at limited in that a back transverse member and at least one transverse rod substantially forward of a middle transverse member and the bucket lip not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Fortier in U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,554 discloses a rear-end hydraulic loader for a tractor. This invention is limited in that back and middle transverse members and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Viel in U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,821 discloses a front loader-type rock picker. This invention is limited in that back and middle transverse members and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Westendorf in U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,388 discloses a fork attachment for a loader bucket. This invention is limited in that at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip is not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Miller in U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,567 discloses an adapter apparatus for a tractor. This invention is limited in that a back transverse member and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Jennings in U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,952 discloses a bucket attachment. This invention is limited in that at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip is not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Quinn in U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,585 discloses a fork attachment for loader buckets. This invention is limited in that a middle transverse member and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Keigley in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,625 discloses a rake attachment with scarifying teeth for a skid loader. This invention is limited in that back and middle transverse members and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Staben, Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,885 discloses a multipurpose work attachment for a front end loader. This invention is limited in that at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip is not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Omann in U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,348 discloses a rock and material loading apparatus. This invention is limited in that back and middle transverse members and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Basler in U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,606 discloses a stone gathering apparatus. This invention is limited in that at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip is not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Omann in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,236 discloses an actuated material loader with open fence. This invention is limited in that back and middle transverse members and at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip are not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
Hulsey in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 361,722 discloses a front end loader attachment for moving rocks. This invention is limited in that at least one transverse rod forward of the bucket lip is not provided to support the teeth. Neither do embodiments of the invention incorporate teeth that are pointed on both ends.
None of the individual references or combination of references teach the invention disclosed herein.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One purpose of the invention is to enable an operator to use a front end loader, skid loader, utility tractor, all terrain vehicle (ATV) or any other power apparatus to sort unwanted material, e.g., small or large pieces of wood, rocks and waste products such as manure, from dirt and then to transfer the unwanted material into the bucket of the loader. Another purpose of the invention is to enable an operator to use a loader to level a work area while collecting unwanted material. Still another purpose of the invention is to provide an attachment for extending the reach of an existing loader and bucket to clean ditches. Another purpose is to loosen the surface of hard ground. Still another purpose is to carry materials with the bucket that would not otherwise be possible, such as round hay bales, trees, poles, etc.
One advantage of the invention is that can be quickly attached to a wide variety of front end loader buckets. Another advantage is that the teeth spacing and extension from the bucket allow the loader to be used for a wide variety of activities. Yet another advantage of the invention is its low cost. Another advantage is that the invention allows the operator better visibility to perform designated work.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention is an apparatus for attachment to the bucket of a front end loader, skip loader or any other power-operated bucket. The apparatus preferably comprises a plurality of teeth supported in a frame that attaches to the bucket of a front end loader. The placement and spacing of the teeth may vary according to dimensions of the material to be sorted. Preferably, the teeth are spaced about one and one half inches to about three and one half inches apart and more preferably about two inches apart. Preferably, the teeth are pointed at about a fifty-five degree angle. In preferred embodiments, the apparatus is fabricated from mild steel by cutting out the parts and welding them together. In other preferred embodiments, the apparatus is fabricated from high abrasive steel or high impact steel. The invention may be marketed as an attachment and/or as a bucket-attachment combination.
In use, a preferred embodiment of the invention is mounted on a bucket by placing the front end of the bucket into the metal pocket formed by the middle transverse member and bolting the member to pre-drilled holes in the lip of the bucket. Then the end brackets are connected with bolts to pre-drilled holes in the sides of the bucket. Preferably, brackets of three alternative types, short bar, long bar and triangle-shaped, are provided to allow attachment of the invention to a wide variety of buckets.
The invention is preferably operated by scooping up a mixture of wanted and unwanted material into the device by shaking the bucket and by tilting the device backward to move the unwanted material along the rakes until it reaches the bucket. The wanted material falls out of the device through the spaces between the rakes. The invention can be used to level an area by orienting the teeth at an angle to the ground and backing the skip loader up while applying downward pressure on the rake. The invention also has utility in ditch work, landscaping (e.g., removing weeds, branches, limbs, trees, grass and sod), cleaning corrals, hauling and distributing gravel on a road surface, leveling a bumpy road and hauling more material than can normally be accommodated in a bucket.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is an attachment for the bucket of a front-end loader, the bucket having a back, a bottom with a forward end (e.g., a lip) having a plurality of transverse attachment holes and sides, each of the sides having at least one bucket mounting hole, the attachment comprising: (1) a rake comprising a plurality of teeth oriented substantially parallel to one another in a row, each of the teeth having a front end, a middle portion and a back end, and each of the teeth at the ends of the row having a rake mounting hole therein; a back transverse member to which the back ends of the teeth are attached; a middle transverse member to which the middle portions of the teeth are attached, the middle transverse member forming a pocket that is configured to receive the forward end of the bucket, the middle transverse member having a plurality of transverse mounting holes therein that align with the transverse attachment holes on the forward end of the bucket for attaching the attachment to the forward end of the bucket by bolting; and at least one transverse rod perforating and supporting the teeth between the points of attachment of the middle transverse member and the front ends; and (2) two end brackets, each of the end brackets having a rake attachment hole at one extremity that aligns with rake mounting hole on one of the end teeth and a bucket attachment hole at a second extremity that aligns with the at least one bucket mounting hole on the bucket for mounting of the rake on the bucket by bolting.
In another preferred embodiment, both the front ends and the back ends of the teeth are pointed. In an alternative embodiment, only the forward ends of the teeth are pointed.
In preferred embodiments, the attachment of the disclosed invention further comprises: a plurality of transverse rods perforating and supporting the teeth between the points of attachment of middle transverse member and the front ends. Preferably, two transverse rods perforate and support the teeth between the points of attachment of the middle transverse member and the front ends.
In yet another preferred embodiment, each of the transverse rods is welded to one of the teeth at each tooth perforation. In another embodiment, each of the transverse rods pass through spacer tubes (e.g., short lengths of pipe) situated between the teeth that act to space the teeth apart. In this embodiment, each of the transverse rods is threaded on both ends to accept bolts that, when tighten, secure the rod in place.
In a preferred embodiment, the attachment of the disclosed invention further comprises: at least one spacer member that is attached to the top surface of the back transverse member to space the top of the back transverse below the bottom of the bucket, thereby orienting the teeth substantially parallel with the bottom of the bucket.
In another preferred embodiment, each bracket is substantially triangular in shape and has a rear-end attachment hole at a third extremity that aligns with a second bucket mounting hole on the bucket for mounting of the rack on the bucket by bolting. Preferably, the pocket is formed by attaching an inclined transverse member to the top edge of a lower transverse member.
In another preferred embodiment, the invention is a front end loader accessory comprising: a bucket; and the attachment disclosed herein.
In another preferred embodiment, the invention is an improved front end loader comprising: the accessory of disclosed herein; and means to manipulate the accessory (e.g., a loader having movable arms at its front end).
In yet another preferred embodiment, the invention is an accessory for a loader, the accessory comprising: (1) a bucket having a back, sides and a bottom with a forward end; (2) a rake comprising: a plurality of teeth oriented substantially parallel to one another in a row, each of the teeth having a front end, a middle portion and a back end; a back transverse member to which the back ends of the teeth are attached; a middle transverse member to which the middle portions of the teeth are attached, the middle transverse member forming a pocket that is configured to receive the forward end of the bucket and that is attached to the forward end of the bucket; and at least one transverse rod perforating and supporting the teeth between the points of attachment of middle transverse member and the front ends; and (3) two end brackets, each of the end brackets being operative to connect the rake to one of the sides of the bucket. Preferably, both the front ends and the back ends of the teeth are pointed. Preferably, the end brackets connect the two teeth at the ends of the row to the sides of the bucket.
In another preferred embodiment, the invention is an attachment for a power-operated bucket, the bucket having a back, sides and a bottom with a forward end, the attachment comprising: (1) a rake comprising: a plurality of teeth oriented substantially parallel to one another in a row, each of the teeth having a front end, a middle portion and a back end; a back transverse member to which the back ends of the teeth are attached; a middle transverse member to which the middle portions of the teeth are attached, the middle transverse member being attachable to the forward end of the bucket; and at least one transverse rod separating and supporting the teeth between the points of attachment of middle transverse member and the front ends; and (2) two end brackets for mounting of the rake on the bucket. Preferably, both the forward ends and the back ends of the teeth are pointed. Preferably, the attachment further comprises: a plurality of transverse rods perforating and supporting the teeth between the points of attachment of middle transverse member and the front ends and at least one transverse rod supporting the teeth adjacent to the back ends. Preferably, the transverse rods pass through spacer tubes situated between the teeth that act to space the teeth apart. Preferably, the transverse rods are threaded on both ends to accept bolts that, when tighten, secure the rods and the spacer tubes in place.
In another preferred embodiment, the invention is an attachment for facilitating the separation of a first material from a second material with a power-operated bucket on which the attachment is mounted, the bucket having a back, sides and a bottom with a lip, the attachment comprising: (1) a rake comprising: a plurality of teeth oriented substantially in a row, each of the teeth having a front end, a middle portion and a back end; a back transverse member to which the back ends of the teeth are attached; a middle transverse member to which the middle portions of the teeth are attached, the middle transverse member being attachable to the lip of the bucket; and at least one transverse rod separating and supporting the teeth, said at least one transverse rod being spaced substantially forward of the lip of the bucket and being operative to prevent the first material from falling between the teeth and to allow the second material to fall between the teeth when said rake is mounted on said bucket; and (2) end brackets for attaching the rake to the sides of the bucket.
Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the drawings and the ensuing description of preferred embodiments of the invention. A person skilled in the art will realize that other embodiments of the invention are possible and that the details of the invention can be modified in a number of respects, all without departing from the concept. Thus, the following drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of the invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is another perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is another perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the invention.
The following reference numerals are used to indicate the parts and environment of the invention on the drawings:
1 attachment, apparatus, device
3 bucket
5 back
7 bottom
9 forward end
11 sides
13 transverse attachment holes
15 bucket mounting hole
17 second bucket mounting hole
19 bar holes
21 rake
23 first brackets, long bar brackets, end brackets
25 teeth
27 front end
29 middle portion
31 back end
33 end teeth
35 rake mounting hole
37 back transverse member
38 first bolts
39 first lock washers
40 first nuts
41 middle transverse member
43 upper member, inclined transverse member
45 lower member, lower transverse member
47 pocket
51 forward end or lip
53 transverse mounting holes
55 rods, transverse rods
57 rake attachment hole
61 bucket attachment hole
63 second bolt
65 second lock washer
67 second nut
69 spacer member
73 top surface
75 adjustable end brackets, U-shaped brackets
77 rear-end attachment hole or slot
79 extremity
81 third bolts
83 third lock washers
85 third nuts
91 accessory
93 improved front end loader
95 bucket moving apparatus
97 rear hole
99 back-end attachment hole or slot
101 front-end attachment hole or slot
103 spacer tubes
105 flat bars
107 rake attachment holes
139 rod lock washers
140 rod nuts
141 bar lower lock washers
143 bar upper nuts
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the invention is presented. In this embodiment, attachment 1 is attachable to bucket 3 of a front-end loader (not shown). Bucket has back 5 , bottom 7 with forward end or lip 9 and sides 11 . Preferably forward end 9 is provided with a plurality of transverse attachment holes 13 and each of which sides 11 is provided with bucket mounting hole 15 and may be provided with second bucket mounting hole 17 .
Attachment 1 preferably comprises rake 21 and first brackets 23 . Rake 21 comprises plurality of teeth 25 oriented substantially parallel to one another in a row. Each of teeth 25 preferably comprises front end 27 , middle portion 29 and back end 31 . Each of end teeth 33 at the ends of the row are preferably provided with rake mounting hole 35 therein, located adjacent front end 27 of the end tooth.
Rake 21 further comprises back transverse member 37 to which back ends 31 of teeth 25 are attached and middle transverse member 41 to which the middle portions of the teeth are attached. Preferably, middle transverse member 41 comprises (preferably beveled) upper portion 43 and lower portion 45 which form pocket 47 that is configured to receive forward end or lip 51 of bucket 3 . Preferably, lower member 45 has transverse mounting holes 53 therein that align with transverse attachment holes 13 in front end or lip 51 of bucket 3 for attaching attachment 1 to forward end or lip 51 of bucket 51 by bolting with first bolts 38 (only one shown for clarity), first lock washers 39 and first nuts 40 . Rake 21 further comprises at least one transverse rod 55 that separates and supports teeth 25 (and, in some embodiments, perforates or attaches to teeth 25 ) between the points of attachment of middle transverse member 43 and front ends 27 .
Attachment 1 further comprises two end brackets 23 . Each of which end brackets 23 has rake attachment hole 57 at one extremity that aligns with rake mounting hole 35 (adjacent front end 27 ) on one of the end teeth 33 and bucket attachment hole 61 at a second extremity that aligns with bucket mounting hole 15 on bucket 3 for mounting of attachment 1 on bucket 3 by bolting with second bolt 63 , second lock washer 65 and second nut 67 .
In a preferred embodiment, attachment 1 further comprises at least one spacer member 69 that is attached to top surface 73 of back transverse member 37 to space the top surface 73 of back transverse member 37 below bottom 7 of bucket 3 . This orients teeth 25 substantially parallel with bottom 7 of bucket 3 . Preferably, pocket 47 is formed by attaching top portion or inclined transverse member 43 to top edge 87 of lower portion 47 of middle transverse member 41 .
In another preferred embodiment, adjustable end bracket 75 is provided. Adjustable end bracket 75 is substantially triangular in shape. Front-end attachment hole or slot 101 aligns with rake mounting hole 35 and back-end attachment hole or slot 99 aligns with rear hole 97 and allows bolting of one adjustable end bracket 75 to each end of rake 21 . Rear-end attachment hole or slot 77 at third extremity 79 that aligns with second bucket mounting hole 17 on bucket 3 and allows mounting of attachment 1 on bucket 3 by bolting with third bolts 81 , third lock washers 83 and third nuts 85 .
In preferred embodiment the attachment 1 further comprises plurality of transverse rods 55 perforating and attached to teeth 25 , preferably between the points of attachment of teeth 25 of middle transverse member 41 and pointed ends 27 .
In another preferred embodiment, the invention is front end loader 91 accessory comprising bucket 3 and with attachment 1 integrally attached thereto. In this embodiment, accessory 91 is sold as a complete product.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, in another preferred embodiment, the invention is an improved front end loader. In this embodiment, improved front end loader 91 is sold as a complete product that includes an embodiment of attachment 1 , bucket 3 and bucket moving apparatus 95 .
Referring to FIG. 3, another preferred embodiment of the invention is presented. In this embodiment, three transverse rods 55 are provided. Rods 55 are passed through perforations in teeth 25 and through spacer tubes 103 that are positioned between teeth 25 . The ends of rods 55 are threaded and rod lock washers 139 and rod nuts 140 are tightened to secure rods 55 in place.
Moreover, in this embodiment, both front ends 27 and back ends 31 of teeth 25 are pointed. Preferably, ends 27 and 31 of teeth 25 are pointed at an approximately fifty-five degree angle. In this embodiment, attachment 1 is attachable to sides 11 of bucket 3 by means of flat bars 105 . Preferably, rake attachment holes 107 at one end of flat bars 105 are bolted to end teeth 33 and bucket attachment holes 61 at the other end of flat bars 105 is bolted to sides 11 . Referring to FIG. 4, attachment 1 of FIG. 3 is mounted on front end loader 95 .
In use, apparatus 1 is preferably mounted on bucket 3 by placing forward end 51 of bucket 3 into metal pocket 47 formed by the portions of middle transverse member 41 and bolting member 41 to pre-drilled holes in lip 51 of bucket 3 . Then, end brackets 23 are connected with bolts to pre-bored holes in sides 11 of bucket 3 . Preferably, brackets of three types, short bar brackets 105 , long bar bracket 23 and triangular brackets 75 , are provided to allow attachment of apparatus I to a wide variety of buckets 3 .
The invention is operated by scooping up a mixture of unwanted material into device 1 , by shaking bucket 3 and by tilting device 1 backward to move the unwanted material along the rakes 25 until it reaches bucket 3 . The dirt falls out of device 1 through the spaces between rakes 25 . The invention can be used to level an area by orienting the teeth at an angle to the ground and backing the skip loader up while applying downward pressure on rake 21 . The invention also has utility in ditch work, landscaping (e.g., removing grass and sod), cleaning corrals, hauling and distributing gravel on a road surface, leveling a bumpy road and hauling more material than can normally be accommodated in bucket 3 . The invention can also be used to clean debris, sticks, weeds, sod, rocks, etc. by tilting the bucket so that the teeth are at a forty-five degree angle and lightly raking the ground. In this operation, the operator backs the loader up, pulling unwanted material into a pile that is then easily picked up.
The structure of attachment 1 is provides great improvements over bucket attachments in the background art. The presence of at least one rod 55 (and, preferably, two rods 55 ) forward of lip 51 provides transverse support and ensures that material that drops through rake 21 is not excessively long in any dimension. Brackets 23 and/or 75 increase the longitudinal strength of attachment 1 and ensure that material does not fall off the end of rake 21 . Bolts 38 securely attach rake 21 to front end 51 along the width of bucket 3 . Spacer members 69 ensure that attachment 1 is properly oriented with respect to bottom 7 of bucket 3 .
Many variations of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. Some variations include a separate rake tooth bucket attachment. Other variations call for an integral rake tooth bucket assembly. All such variations are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention.
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An apparatus for attachment to the bucket of a front end loader, skip loader or any other power-operated bucket. The apparatus comprises a plurality of teeth supported in a frame that attaches to the bucket of a front end loader. The apparatus may be used to sort unwanted material, e.g., small and large pieces of wood, rocks and waste products such as manure, from dirt and then to transfer the unwanted material into the bucket of the loader.
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ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein was made jointly by an employee of the U.S. Government and under a NASA contract and is subject to the provisions of Section 305 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, Public Law 85-568 (72 Stat. 435; USC 2457).
This is a division of application Ser. No. 199,768 filed Oct. 23, 1980, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,540.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of thermoplastics such as polyamides as matrix resins for use in composite or laminate fabrication has one major drawback, they must be processed at and have a heat distortion temperature (HDT) of at least 50° C. above the temperature at which they are to be used so that their modulus of stiffness properties will be acceptable. This problem becomes compounded when an organic fiber is to be used as the reinforcing agent with such a polymer because the fiber also has a characteristic temperature at which it begins to irreversibly lost its stiffness properties. This is generally due to a relaxation phenomenon occurring in a highly oriented fiber.
The case in point is where the fiber to be utilized (of the aromatic polyamide class) in a structural composite application has a relaxation that occurs slightly below 300° C. In order to fabricate a structural laminate with this fiber reinforcement a temperature of 280° C. should not be exceeded in order to assure maximum fiber modulus. This thermal restriction must now in turn be imposed in the resin or polymer meaning it should be processable at a temperature lower than 280° C.
Attempts to develop a polymer which would be thermally and chemically compatible with the fiber led to the development of an aromatic secondary polyamide of the following recurring structure: ##STR1## This polymer had the necessary property of a low HDT (154° C.), but the problem still existed of not being able to utilize the full thermal potential of the fiber (300° C.) because the polymer would soften at the lower temperature. The heating of this polymer to temperatures approaching the relaxation temperature of the fiber had no effect on the polymer's HDT.
There is thus a definite need in the art for an aromatic or aliphatic polyamide resin that can be cured in the region of 300° C. and have a HDT no more than 50°-70° C. below this temperature.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to develop a polyamide which can be processed at or below 300° C. due to a low HDT and then subsequently attain a higher HDT due to a chemical conversion which occurs during the thermal treatment.
Another object of the present invention is a novel polyamide which can be utilized for fabricating structural composites.
Another object of the present invention is a novel polyamide or series of polyamides which can be utilized as thermoset-thermoplastics due to a latent chemical conversion.
Another object of the present invention is a novel process of preparing a thermoset-thermoplastic molding material.
Another object of the present invention is a novel process for fabricating a structural composite which is a solvent resistant.
Another object of the present invention is a novel process for fabricating structure composites.
Another object of the present invention is a novel polymer which is soluble before thermal processing, but solvent resistant after this processing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects are attained by incorporating a latent crosslinking moiety at various levels along the backbone of an aromatic polyamide in order to produce a polymer of high molecular weight which will soften to allow processing at a relatively low temperature (154° C.) and subsequently "set-up" when treated at a higher temperature (280° C.). This type system may be referred to as a thermoplastic-thermoset resin since it initially behaves like a conventional thermoplastic and subsequently set-up through latent crosslinking sites.
These sites of latent crosslinking form the basis for the present invention. These sites were necessitated by processing restrictions not to enter into any chemical reactions during the fabrication of the thermoplastic component, and then, on heating to a more elevated temperature to form crosslinks which in turn results in a polymer system with an increased HDT and also increased resistance to solvents.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The structure of the novel system of the present invention is: ##STR2## n=several hundred repeat units where R in a given unit is --CH 3 and --CH 2 --C.tbd.CH in varying ratios from where --CH 3 is 99% and --CH 2 C.tbd.CH is 1% to where --CH 3 is 0% and --CH 2 C.tbd.CH is 100%.
In the above structure it is the --CH 2 C.tbd.CH or propargyl group that is the latent crosslinking agent which increases the polymers HDT and solvent resistance. Table I illustrates the polymers HDT change as the propargyl group is increased for the following polymer ##STR3##
TABLE I______________________________________ HDT, after treatment toR 280° C. for 15 min., °C.______________________________________(1) 100% --CH.sub.3, (Control Composition) 165 0% --CH.sub.2 --C.tbd.CH(2) 99% --CH.sub.3, 171 1% --CH.sub.2 --C.tbd.CH(3) 95% --CH.sub.3, 193 5% --CH.sub.2 --C.tbd.CH(4) 90% --CH.sub.3, 200 10% --CH.sub.2 --C.tbd.CH(5) 67% --CH.sub.3, 206 33% --CH.sub.2 --C.tbd.CH______________________________________
The improvement in solvent resistance was proven by immersing the polyamide (1) which contained no propargyl and (4) which contained 10% propargyl into various solvents after treating to 280° C. for 15 minutes. The results were as follows:
TABLE II______________________________________ Percent Propargyl in PolymerSolvent 0% 10%______________________________________Chloroform Soluble Swelling of polymer onlyCresol Mixture Soluble Swelling of polymer only______________________________________
The reaction of the propargyl group was monitored by infrared spectroscopy by following the disappearance of the .tbd.C--H absorption at 3.1 microns (wavelength)or 3025 cm -1 (frequency). The exotherms for the reaction of the propargyl were also monitored by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The exotherm in the DSC spectrum for propargyl occurred between 200°-350° C. generally centering at approximately 300° C. (maximum rate of reaction).
The polyamides were all prepared by a conventional method where an aromatic diacid chloride of the general formula ##STR4## where Ar is selected from ##STR5## is allowed to react with a bis-secondary aromatic diamine of the general formula ##STR6## where X is selected from ##STR7## and R is selected from --CH 3 and --CH 2 C.tbd.CH in a solvent such as sym tetrachloroethane.
Thus, when Ar is ##STR8## the resulting polyamide in the above process would be represented by repeating units of the formula: ##STR9##
Similarly, when Ar is ##STR10## the resulting polyamide would be represented by repeating units of the formula: ##STR11##
The propargyl containing aromatic diamines were prepared by the N,N'-dialkylation of primary aromatic diamines.
EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS
Preparation of p,p'-Bis(trifluoroacetamido)diphenylmethane
Trifluoroacetic anyhydride (105.0 g, 0.50 mol) was slowly added to 40.0 g (0.20 mol) of p,p'-diaminodiphenylmethane in 300 ml of tetrahydrofuran. The reaction mixture was refluxed 1.5 hours, then the solvent was stripped by rotary evaporation. The crude tan solid was recrystallized from chloroform/methanol to yield 77.32 g (99% yield) of the desired product, mp 229°-230° C.
Preparation of N,N'-Bispropargyl-p,p'-bis(trifluoroacetamido)diphenylmethane
To 3.7 g (0.154 mol) of sodium hydride in 20 ml of N,N'-dimethylformamide was added 20.0 g (0.0513 mol) of the trifluoroacetomide from the previous reaction. The resulting yellow dianion solution was filtered through a glass frit and 24.41 g (0.205 mol) of propargyl bromide was added. The reaction mixture was allowed to stir at room temperature for eight hours. The reaction mixture was poured into 1 N HCl and the resulting oil was extracted with ethyl acetate, dried with MgSO 4 , and concentrated. Flash chromatography gave 20.08 g (84% yield) of the desired product, mp 153°-155° C.
Preparation of N,N'-Bispropargyl-p,p'-diaminodiphenylmethane
Powdered potassium hydroxide (0.93 g, 0.0166 mol) was added to a slurry of 1.94 g (0.004 mol) of N,N'-bispropargyl-p,p'-bis(trifluoroacetamido)diphenylmethane in 100 ml of 95% ethanol. This solution was stirred at room temperature for one hour, then poured into cold water causing the crude product to precipitate. This material was recrystallized from 95% ethanol to give 1.05 g (92% yield) of the bispropargyl compound, mp 107°-108° C.
Typical Procedure for Polymerizing a Bisproparyldiamine with a Diacid Chloride
Appropriate molar portions (0.02 mol total) of diamines were weighed into a 50 ml resin kettle and dissolved in 20-25 ml of dry CHCl 3 (distilled from CaH 2 after initial washing with H 2 O to remove EtOH 3 stabilizer). Dry, powdered Ca (0.08 mol) was then added, and the reaction mixture stirred to achieve a homogeneous slurry. To the vigorously stirred suspension was added dropwise a solution of 0.02 mol of isophthaloyl chloride (ICL) in 10 ml of CHCl 3 . The reaction mixture was cooled with an ice bath to maintain the temperature at 25° C. When addition of the ICL was complete, the addition funnel was rinsed with 5 ml of CHCl 3 , which was then added to the reaction flask. At this point the reaction mixture normally had appreciable viscosity, and was allowed to stir at room temperature for 0.5 hour, heating briefly at reflux (15 min.), and then either stirred overnight or worked up immediately if the solution was very viscous. In some instances the extended reaction period seemed to increase the viscosity of the solution.
The polymer was diluted to a volume of 125 ml with CHCl 3 and filtered through a coarse-fritted funnel to remove most of the CaO. The slightly cloudy filtrate was transferred to a separatory funnel and extracted with dilute HCl, washed with water, dried (MgSO 4 ) and concentrated to 100 ml. At this point the CHCl 3 solution was quite viscous and colorless. White, fibrous polymer was then obtained by precipitation when the solution was poured slowly into either petroleum ether or hexane in a blender. The polymer was filtered, washed with petroleum ether, air dried, and then dried in vacuo at 100° C. overnight.
The above specific examples are considered illustrative of the invention and there may be modifications and variations therein that will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth herein.
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The compounds are of the class of aromatic polyamides useful as matrix resins in the manufacture of composites or laminate fabrication. The process for preparing this thermoplastic-thermoset polyamide system involves incorporating a latent crosslinking moiety along the backbone of the polyamide to improve the temperature range of fabrication thereof wherein the resin softens at a relatively low temperature (≅154° C.) and subsequently "sets-up" or undergoes crosslinking when subjected to higher temperature (≅280° C.).
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/207,707, filed May 26, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally subsea petroleum production. More specifically, the present invention relates to production riser tiebacks which connect a production riser to a high pressure wellhead housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tieback connectors are used to connect a production or drilling riser to a high pressure wellhead housing. The connector must be able to withstand very large forces to keep the riser sealed to the wellhead housing. This has required rather bulky connectors to withstand these forces.
One type of tieback connector connects to a grooved profile on the exterior of the high pressure wellhead housing. The tieback connector has a cylindrical housing that slides over the upper end of the wellhead housing. A cam member, piston, and a plurality of segments are carried in the housing. Applying hydraulic pressure to the piston strokes the cam member, pushing the dogs into engagement with the grooved profile. The housing of the connector has a fairly large diameter in order to accommodate the piston, cam member and dogs. Some production platforms are designed with relatively small holes or slots through which the connector must pass. This necessitates a connector with a smaller outer diameter.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A tieback connector comprises a passive lower locking system and an active upper locking system to exert a positive locking force on the connection between a production riser and a high pressure wellhead. The tieback connector is comprised of an outer housing which carries lower locking dogs, upper locking dogs and a piston. The piston is located above the lower end of the production riser and controls the movement of the outer housing. As the piston is stroked the outer housing cams the lower dogs into grooved profile in the wellhead housing. As the piston is stroked further the upper dogs exert a force onto the production riser that locks the riser to the wellhead housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of the tieback connector of this invention showing a locked position on the right and an unlocked position on the left.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the tieback connector in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the tieback connector in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the tieback connector in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the tieback connector in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 6 is an alternate embodiment of the tieback connector of this invention, showing a locked position on the right and an unlocked position on the left.
FIG. 7 is another alternate embodiment of the tieback connector of this invention, showing a locked position on the right and an unlocked position on the left.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1 in the drawings, the preferred embodiment of a small diameter external tieback connector 11 according to the present invention is illustrated. Tieback connector 11 is used to join a lower terminal end of a drilling or production riser 13 to a high pressure wellhead housing 15 in off shore drilling applications. Typically, the high pressure wellhead housing 15 is installed during drilling operations, and production riser 13 is attached to the wellhead housing 15 to facilitate completion and production of the well. Production riser 13 and tieback connector 11 are lowered through a slot at a surface platform (not shown). Production riser 13 includes an interior surface and an exterior surface with a riser shoulder 19 formed at a lower end of the production riser 13 . Wellhead housing 15 includes an interior surface and an exterior surface with a wellhead shoulder 21 formed at an upper end of the wellhead housing 15 . Upon connection, the wellhead shoulder 21 mates with the riser shoulder 19 , and the interior surfaces of the wellhead housing 15 and the production riser 13 form a common bore, in which production tubing is then located to deliver oil from the well to the ocean surface.
Tieback connector 11 includes a housing 25 having a generally cylindrical wall 27 with an interior surface and an exterior surface. An upper end cap 29 is rigidly attached to the housing 25 at an upper end 31 of the housing 25 , the upper end cap 29 having a passage through which production riser 13 passes. The housing 25 and upper end cap 29 slidingly engage the exterior surface of the production riser 13 . The tieback connector 11 is prevented from sliding off the lower end of the production riser 13 by several parts internal to the housing 25 that are discussed in more detail below.
A lower end 33 of the housing 25 is open to receive wellhead housing 15 during connection of the production riser 13 and tieback connector 11 to the wellhead housing 15 .
An initial connection is made by concentrically locating housing 25 relative to the wellhead housing 15 and lowering the production riser 13 until riser shoulder 19 engages wellhead shoulder 21 . A seal 41 is disposed in a groove on the interior surface of the housing 25 near its lower end 33 to prevent seawater from entering the tieback connector 11 after the initial connection is made.
After initial connection, the housing 25 of tieback connector 11 is still capable of axial movement relative to the production riser 13 and the wellhead housing 15 . The tieback connector 11 has an unlocked position in which the production riser 13 is not securely fastened to the wellhead housing 15 . While making the initial connection and immediately after the initial connection, the tieback connector 11 is in the unlocked position. The tieback connector 11 also has a locked position which results in a secure connection between the production riser 13 and the wellhead housing 15 . The tieback connector 11 is placed in the locked position before performing any completion or production operations.
The tieback connector 11 features an upper locking system 45 and a lower locking system 47 for securing the tieback connector 11 in the locked position. The lower locking system 47 is a passive locking system that provides the connection to the housing 25 . The upper locking system 45 is an active locking system that provides a locking and preloading force. The lower locking system 47 includes a locking element that may be a split ring or collet, but is preferably a plurality of lower dogs 51 and a lower dog retainer ring 53 disposed within housing 25 . Each lower dog 51 has a cylindrical curvature with a plurality of teeth 55 on an inner surface. The lower dogs 51 are arranged circumferentially around the interior of the housing 25 , with the plurality of teeth 55 adapted to mate with a plurality of grooves 59 formed on the exterior surface of the wellhead housing 15 . Typically, eight to twelve lower dogs 51 will be arranged within the housing 25 . The lower dogs 51 are held within housing 25 by the lower dog retainer ring 53 which is connected to the lower end of the production riser 13 .
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 in the drawings, a more detailed view of the lower locking system 47 is illustrated. The lower dog 51 and housing 25 are shown in the unlocked position in FIG. 2 . In FIG. 3, the lower dog 51 and housing 25 are shown in the locked position. Each lower dog 51 includes a stop shoulder 65 for mating with a landing shoulder 67 on the interior surface of the housing 25 when the tieback connector 11 is in the locked position. The stop shoulder 65 and the landing shoulder 67 are similarly inclined.
A plurality of outer grooves 71 are disposed on an outer surface of each lower dog 51 . A plurality of bands 73 are integrally located on the interior surface of housing 25 . Outer grooves 71 receive bands 73 when tieback connector 11 is in the unlocked position. Each outer groove 71 includes a conical cam surface 77 for engagement with a similarly inclined surface 79 on each band 73 . In the locked position, bands 73 mate with the outer surface of each lower dog 51 such that the plurality of teeth 55 on the lower dog 51 engage the plurality of grooves 59 on the wellhead housing 15 . Upward movement of housing 25 relative to riser 13 causes dogs 51 to move to the locked position.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 4 , and 5 , production riser 13 includes an upward facing shoulder 83 located on the exterior surface near its lower end. Upper locking system 45 includes several parts that are generally located between the upward facing shoulder 83 and upper end cap 29 . A piston 87 having an upper portion 89 , a lower portion 91 , and a pressure flange 93 is slidingly disposed in an annulus between the production riser 13 and the housing 25 . Pressure flange 93 includes an upper side 95 and a lower side 97 . Similar to the components comprising the lower locking system 47 , the piston 87 is adapted to move between a locked and an unlocked position. Seals 101 located between the production riser 13 and housing 25 and seals 103 , 105 disposed around the piston 87 form a lower chamber 109 beneath the lower side 97 of the piston 87 .
Lower portion 91 of piston 87 includes an inclined locking surface 115 . An upper locking element may be a split ring or collet, but is preferably a plurality of upper dogs 119 circumferentially disposed within the lower chamber 109 . Each upper dog 119 has a lower landing surface 121 , a lower retraction surface 123 , and an interior locking surface 125 . Each upper dog 119 also has a cylindrical curvature with a plurality of teeth 127 formed on an outer surface. The upper dogs 119 are arranged circumferentially around the interior of the housing 25 , the plurality of teeth 127 mating with a plurality of grooves 129 formed on the interior surface of the housing 25 when the tieback connector 11 is in the locked position. Typically, eight to twelve upper dogs 119 will be arranged within the housing 25 .
A load transfer ring 135 having an upper landing surface 137 rests on a step 139 formed in the outer surface of the production riser 13 . Load transfer ring 135 is disposed below upper dog 119 , the upper landing surface 137 slidingly engaging the lower landing surface 121 of the upper dog 119 . A dog retraction ring 145 has a disengagement portion 147 with a retraction surface 149 . Disengagement portion 147 is located in an annulus between the load transfer ring 135 and the housing 25 . A retainer bolt 153 passes through a passage in the load transfer ring 135 and is rigidly connected between the dog retraction ring 145 and the piston 87 . As the piston 87 moves axially between the locked and the unlocked positions, the dog retraction ring 145 also moves. The retraction surface 149 of the dog retraction ring 145 mates with the lower retraction surface 123 of the upper dog 119 as the dog retraction ring 145 moves into an unlocked position.
A primary release port 157 (FIG. 5) allows fluid communication with the lower chamber 109 . Hydraulic fluid injected into the lower chamber 109 is capable of applying an upward force to the piston 87 and a downward force to a shoulder 165 formed on the interior surface of the housing 25 .
An inner seal sleeve 171 is located above the upper side 95 of the piston 87 between the upper portion 89 of the piston 87 and the interior surface of the housing 25 . Inner seal sleeve 171 has an upper portion 173 and a lower portion 175 , the upper portion 173 abutting the upper end cap 29 . Seals 177 , 179 are disposed in the lower portion 175 of inner seal sleeve 171 . An intermediate chamber 183 is formed above the upper side 95 of the piston 87 between seals 177 , 179 and seals 103 , 105 .
A primary locking port 187 is disposed in the wall 27 of housing 25 for fluid communication with the intermediate chamber 183 . Hydraulic fluid supplied to the intermediate chamber 183 is capable of applying a downward force to upper side 95 of piston 87 .
A piston cap 191 is located in an annulus between the upper portion 173 of the inner seal sleeve 171 and the production riser 13 . The piston cap 191 is rigidly connected to the upper portion 89 of the piston 87 . Seals disposed around the piston cap 191 act in conjunction with seals 177 , 179 to form an upper chamber 193 . A secondary release port 195 is disposed in the wall 27 of housing 25 and passes through inner seal sleeve 171 for fluid communication with the upper chamber 193 . Hydraulic fluid injected into the upper chamber 193 is capable of supplying an upward force on the piston cap 191 which is transmitted directly to the piston 87 .
All of the pressure ports 157 , 187 , and 195 are connected to a series of valves and hot stab receptacles 196 . An external hydraulic pressure source 198 (schematically shown in FIG. 1) operates the connector 11 through the receptacles 196 by manipulating the valves located on top of the upper end cap 29 .
A retainer ring 197 is disposed circumferentially around the production riser 13 between the upper end cap 29 and the piston cap 191 . The purpose of the retainer ring 197 is two-fold. First, the retainer ring 197 provides a positive up stop for the piston 87 and piston cap 191 as the tieback connector 11 is being unlocked. Second, as the tieback connector 11 is being unlocked, the retainer ring 197 provides a positive down stop for the housing 25 . The retainer ring 197 engages a groove 199 in the upper end cap 29 when the housing 25 is in the unlocked position.
At least two mechanical release shafts 201 pass through the upper end cap 29 and are rigidly connected to the upper portion 89 of the piston 87 . Release shaft 201 allows the tieback connector 11 to be unlocked manually should the external hydraulic pressure source 198 fail. Release shaft 201 is adapted to be engaged by a remote operated vehicle (not shown), which would supply an upward force to the release shaft 201 in order to move the piston 87 upward.
Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the operation of tieback connector 11 is illustrated. In operation, housing 25 is concentrically aligned with the wellhead housing 15 , and the tieback connector 11 is stabbed onto the wellhead housing 15 such that riser shoulder 19 engages wellhead shoulder 21 . When initially lowered over the wellhead housing 15 , the tieback connector 11 is in the unlocked position. In the unlocked position, piston 87 is biased upward such that piston cap 191 engages retainer ring 197 . The housing 25 is biased downward by gravity when tieback connector 11 is in the unlocked position such that the groove 199 in upper end cap 29 engages retainer ring 197 . The downward bias of the housing 25 causes bands 73 of the housing 25 to align with the outer grooves 71 of the lower dogs 51 . This alignment allows the lower dogs 51 to be able to shift radially outward as the tieback connector 11 is lowered onto the wellhead housing 15 .
Tieback connector 11 is placed in the locked position by injecting hydraulic fluid through primary locking port 187 into intermediate chamber 183 . As fluid enters intermediate chamber 183 , a downward biasing force is exerted against upper side 95 of piston 87 . However, piston 87 is initially unable to move due to interferences between upper dogs 119 , housing 25 , load transfer ring 135 , and production riser 13 (see FIG. 4 ). The fluid also exerts an upward force on the lower portion 175 of inner seal sleeve 171 . Since inner seal sleeve 171 abuts upper end cap 29 , the upward force causes upper end cap 29 and housing 25 to move axially upward relative to both production riser 13 and wellhead housing 15 .
As housing 25 moves upward, a force is exerted from the biasing surfaces 79 of the housing 25 onto biased surfaces 77 of the lower dogs 51 (see FIG. 2 ). The force applied to the biased surfaces 77 causes the lower dogs to move radially inward so that the teeth 55 on the lower dogs 51 engages the grooves 59 on the wellhead housing 15 . After the lower dogs 51 have engaged grooves 59 , housing 25 continues moving upward until landing shoulder 67 engages stop shoulders 65 of the lower dogs 51 . The mating of stop shoulder 65 and landing shoulder 67 stops the upward movement of the housing 25 . At this point, the lower dogs 51 have been fully biased radially inward, and the bands 73 of the housing 25 engage the outer surface of the lower dogs 51 to hold the teeth 55 of the lower dogs 51 in engagement with the grooves 59 of the wellhead housing 15 .
With the lower dogs 51 engaging the wellhead housing 15 , a rigid link is created between the production riser 13 , the lower dog retainer ring 53 , the lower dogs 51 , and the wellhead housing 15 . This link results in a secure connection between the production riser 13 and the wellhead housing 15 .
With housing 25 biased upward, the teeth 127 of the upper dogs 119 align with the grooves 129 of the housing 25 , thereby allowing the upper dogs 119 to move radially outward. Because there is no longer an interference between the upper dogs 119 and the interior surface of the housing 25 , the force exerted by the hydraulic fluid on the upper side 95 of piston 87 causes the piston 87 to move downward. The lower portion 91 of the piston 87 exerts an outward force on the upper dogs 119 , causing the upper dogs 119 to move radially outward. The lower landing surface 121 of the upper dogs 119 slides on the upper landing surface 137 of the load transfer ring 135 as the upper dogs 119 move outward. The upper dogs 119 cease their outward movement when their teeth 127 engage the grooves 129 of the housing 25 .
Piston 87 and dog retraction ring 145 continue to move downward. Locking surface 115 of the piston 87 engages the interior locking surfaces 125 of upper dogs 119 as the piston moves downward. The relative inclines of locking surfaces 125 and locking surface 115 are such that upper dogs 119 are biased into an increasingly secure engagement with housing 25 as the piston 87 moves down. When the piston 87 is fully extended downward, the interference fit between locking surfaces 115 and 125 prevent the piston 87 from moving upward, even when hydraulic pressure in intermediate chamber 183 is relieved.
While the lower dogs 51 serve to connect production riser 13 to wellhead housing 15 , the strength of the connection is dependent upon eliminating movement of housing 25 . If the housing were to move downward, the lower dogs could become disengaged, thereby breaking the connection. Upper dogs 119 lock the housing 25 and prevent it from moving relative to production riser 13 and wellhead housing 15 . The engagement between the upper dogs 119 and housing 25 produces a preload force through load transfer ring 135 between wellhead housing 15 , riser 13 , and tieback connector 11 .
Tieback connector 11 can be unlocked in three different ways. The preferred method of unlocking the connector 11 involves injecting hydraulic fluid through primary release port 157 into lower chamber 109 . The hydraulic fluid exerts an upward force on the lower side 97 of piston 87 that is sufficient to overcome the interference fit between locking surfaces 115 and 125 . As the piston 87 moves upward, the lower portion 91 becomes disengaged from the upper dogs 119 . The upward motion of the piston 87 is accompanied by upward movement of dog retraction ring 145 . The retraction surface 149 of disengagement portion 147 comes in contact with the lower retraction surfaces 123 of the upper dogs 119 . The inclined nature of these surfaces 123 , 149 causes the dog retraction ring 145 to bias the upper dogs radially inward, thereby disengaging the teeth 127 of the dogs 119 from the grooves 129 of the housing 25 . The piston 87 continues to move up until piston cap 191 is stopped by retainer ring 197 .
After the housing 25 is “unlocked” from the upper dogs 119 , the force exerted by the hydraulic fluid on shoulder 165 causes the housing 25 to move downward. The housing 25 continues to move down until the groove 199 in upper end cap 29 engages the retainer ring 197 . The bands 73 associated with the housing 25 realign with the outer grooves 71 of the lower dogs 51 when housing 25 reaches its final downward position.
An upward force is applied to production riser 13 and tieback connector 11 to remove them from the wellhead housing. The inclined nature of teeth 55 , 59 push the lower dogs 51 radially outward as the upward force is applied. The lower dogs 51 become disengaged from grooves 59 , allowing the production riser 13 and the tieback connector 11 to be easily lifted from the wellhead housing 15 .
A second way to release connector 11 is to inject hydraulic fluid through secondary release port 195 into upper chamber 193 . The same steps of moving the piston 87 upward and moving the housing 25 downward are involved in this release operation, but the hydraulic fluid supplies force to different parts. Hydraulic fluid entering upper chamber 193 exerts an upward force on piston cap 191 which causes piston 87 to move upwards. After releasing the upper dogs 119 , housing 25 moves downward because of the hydraulic pressure exerted on the inner seal sleeve 171 .
Finally, a manual method of moving the piston 87 upward is provided. Release shaft 201 is adapted to be pulled upward by a remote operated vehicle. The vehicle would be used in the event of a hydraulic failure to disconnect the production riser 13 and the tieback connector 11 from the wellhead housing 15 . By supplying a sufficient upward force to the release shaft 201 , the piston 87 could be “pulled” upward in order to unlock the housing 25 from the upper dogs 119 . The vehicle would then be used to supply a downward force to the upper end cap 29 and housing 25 in order to unlock the lower dogs 51 .
Referring to FIG. 6 in the drawings, a tieback connector 211 according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Tieback connector 211 is similar in structure and operation to tieback connector 11 . Tieback connector 211 includes a housing 212 . A lower locking system 214 having lower dogs 215 and a lower dog retainer ring 217 is identical to that of connector 11 . The lower dogs 215 engage a wellhead housing 221 to form a connection between a production riser 223 and the wellhead housing 221 .
Tieback connector 211 also includes a primary piston 225 that is analogous to piston 87 in connector 11 . Primary piston 225 is cooperatively used with a dog retraction ring 231 to seat and dislodge a plurality of upper dogs 233 from engagement with housing 212 . Similar to upper dogs 119 used with connector 11 , upper dogs 233 are used to lock housing 212 , thereby preventing the housing 212 from moving axially and preventing disengagement of the lower dogs 215 from the wellhead housing 221 .
The primary difference between the tieback connectors 11 and 211 is that connector 211 includes a secondary release port 213 located differently from secondary release port 195 associated with connector 11 . A secondary piston 237 is located in an annulus between housing 212 and production riser 223 just beneath dog retraction ring 231 . When tieback connector 211 is in a locked position, with the upper dogs 233 engaging the housing 212 , hydraulic fluid can be injected through secondary release port 213 to an area just beneath secondary piston 237 . The hydraulic fluid exerts an upward force on the secondary piston 237 which begins to move upward, pushing both the dog retraction ring 231 and the primary piston 225 upward. As the primary piston 225 moves upward, the dog retraction ring 231 forces the upper dogs 233 radially inward and away from housing 212 , thereby allowing the hydraulic fluid to exert a downward force on a shoulder 239 to move housing 212 in a downward direction relative to production riser 223 and wellhead housing 221 . As housing 212 moves downward, the lower dogs 215 disengage the wellhead housing 221 such that the production riser 223 and tieback connector 211 can be removed from the wellhead housing 221 .
Referring to FIG. 7 in the drawings, a tieback connector 311 according to another alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Tieback connector 311 is similar in structure and operation to tieback connector 11 (FIGS. 1 - 5 ). Tieback connector 311 includes a housing 325 similar to housing 25 . An upper locking system 327 , having upper dogs 329 , load transfer ring 331 , dog retraction ring 333 and a piston 335 , that is identical to upper locking system 45 of connector 11 .
Tieback connector 311 also includes a lower locking system 337 analogous to lower locking system 47 . Lower locking system 337 has lower dogs 339 analogous to lower dogs 51 that engage wellhead housing 15 .
The primary difference between the tieback connectors 11 and 311 is that connector 311 includes a c-ring 341 and a plurality of retaining pins 343 , instead of retaining ring 53 , to hold lower dogs 339 in position. Retaining pins 343 slidingly engages an upper end of dogs 339 such that dogs 339 may move vertically relative to pins 343 . C-ring 341 is secured vertically by pins 343 and is positioned inside an upper portion of dogs 339 . C-ring 341 exerts an outward force on the upper portion of dogs 339 keeping them adjacent outer housing 325 until engaged. As outer housing 325 lowers it engages lower dogs 339 in the same manner as connector 11 , except that c-ring 341 is compressed by the engagement. This configuration prevents lower dogs 339 from interfering when connector 311 is lowered into position or removed from wellhead housing 15 .
A primary advantage of the present invention is the use of the housing to effect engagement between the lower dogs and the wellhead housing. Typically, dogs used in other connectors use a piston to directly engage the dogs. The current invention places the piston in an area surrounding the production riser. The piston is used to lock the housing, the housing being the activator of the lower dogs. The result of the above features is that the overall diameter of the connector can be substantially reduced when compared to connectors using a piston in the area near the lower dogs.
Another advantage of the current invention includes the use of two separate locking systems, each locking system being activated independently. As explained above, the lower dogs, a passive locking mechanism, serve to connect the production riser to the wellhead housing and are activated by the housing of the tieback connector without having to generate high locking forces. The upper dogs, an active locking mechanism, are used to lock the housing relative to the production riser and the wellhead housing. The upper dogs are activated by the piston.
Still another advantage of the present invention involves the multiple methods by which the tieback connector can be unlocked from the wellhead housing. Two of the methods involve using hydraulic fluid to move the piston and housing, hydraulic fluid being injected through the primary release port in one method and being injected through the secondary release port in the other. A third, manual method allows a remote operated vehicle to supply the necessary force to unlock the tieback connector.
It should be apparent from the foregoing that an invention having significant advantages has been provided. While the invention is shown in only a few of its forms, it is not just limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. Furthermore, while the invention is shown attaching a production riser to a wellhead housing, it may be used to connect a drilling riser to a wellhead housing, or almost any tubular member to any wellhead member where a secure connection and a small diameter connector are advantageous.
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A tieback connector includes a passive lower locking system and an active upper locking system to exert a positive locking force on the connection between a production riser and a high pressure wellhead. The tieback connector is composed of an outer housing which carries lower locking dogs, upper locking dogs and a piston. The piston is located above the lower end of the production riser and controls the movement of the outer housing. As the piston is stroked the outer housing cams the lower dogs into grooved profile in the wellhead housing. As the piston is stroked further the upper dogs exert a force onto the production riser that locks the riser to the wellhead housing.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/075,018, filed Feb. 18, 1998.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dental instruments. More specifically, the invention is directed to a plurality of heated orthodontic pliers with jaws having various configurations. The pliers are used for producing various configurations of bumps, logos and cuts on and pinching of a retainer fabricated from thermoplastic co-polymer blends. To achieve this end, the pliers are heated to a sufficiently high temperature and then placed on the retainer to reshape it at a specific location.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of orthodontics it is useful to form differently shaped bumps and cuts in a thermoplastic retainer in order for the dental retainer to apply appropriate corrective pressure to a patient's teeth. Another problem is the looseness of a fastener incorporated in a retainer. To this point, once the retainers are manufactured, it is difficult for the individual orthodontist to reshape the retainer to meet the changing needs of his patient. Additionally, the only known method of forming these bumps is by using a heated rod that works like a soldering iron to form a cylindrical bump in the retainer. This method is not as effective as the present invention because it can only result in limited forms of bumps. The soldering iron must be heated electrically and works effectively only on specific thermoplastic materials, rather than on all thermoplastic materials as does the present invention.
What is needed is an assortment of orthodontic pliers that are capable of easily and accurately forming different shaped ramps, imprinted logos, logo pockets, fluoride and bleach pockets, bite plates, rectangular shapes for retention of blocks on any thermoplastic retainer and pinching down on loose fasteners when heated to a sufficient temperature. This will allow orthodontists to make the minor modifications that are often necessary in a cost effective manner. A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention is provided below. No patent discloses the necessity to heat the dental pliers for forming bumps or pinching loosely held fasteners in the thermoplastic retainer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,421 issued on Jul. 23, 1996, to Thomas E. Aspel describes an assortment of dental pliers comprising a lower jaw longer or shorter than the upper jaw for removing orthodontic brackets, bands, buttons, cleats, bonding materials, and braces from teeth. The pliers are distinguishable for being limited to jaws designed for cutting and removing unwanted dental materials from the patient's teeth and to prevent luxation (tipping) of the tooth to minimize pain while using the pliers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,583 issued on Oct. 14, 1975, to Robert Hoffman describes a dental pliers having an upper jaw having an upwardly and inwardly tapered concave shaped sides and front for forming gripping edges in removing metal bands cemented to teeth and the removal of cement on teeth. The pliers are distinguishable for being limited to removal of cemented dental bands and cement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,236 issued on Mar. 7, 1995, to Suhail A. Khouri describes an orthodontic pliers for forming a wire on teeth to effect gingivally directed bends in the distal ends of the arch wire. The jaws of the pliers have perpendicular free ends which render the plier structurally distinguishable from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,935 issued on Feb. 4, 1992, to Ferdinand Kalthoff describes a multiple-purpose wire shaping and cutting tool. It further describes means of forming certain commonly known wire shapes used in the orthodontic profession. There are opposing convex and concave surfaces on its inner jaws in order for the tool to perform its intended function. One handle has a hole while the other handle has a disc-shaped guide for forming labial bows in a wire. The wire shaping tool is distinguishable for lacking any means of forming shapes in thermoplastic retainers, nor is there disclosure of any heating of the tool to facilitate wire formation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,316 issued on Apr. 17, 1973, to Louis Goldberg describes an orthodontic pliers used for bending wire into desired open or closed loop sizes, and for forming and modifying the arch curve in the wire. The pliers possess male and female conical dies (including a recess on one jaw) and a wire cutter on opposing surfaces of the inner jaws. No means of heating the pliers or use of the pliers on thermoplastics is disclosed in Goldberg. The orthodontic pliers are distinguishable for its limitation to manipulating and cutting wire.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,880 issued on Mar. 30, 1993, to Leeland M. Lovaas describes a tool for crimping a metal endodontic file. The tool has opposing convex and concave surfaces on its inner jaws to perform its intended function. Unlike the present invention, the inner surfaces of the jaws are parallel to one another when the tool is in its closed position. The file crimping tool of FIG. 8 is distinguishable because the tool cannot be used for the formation of bumps in thermoplastic retainers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,305 issued on Jan. 12, 1982, to Jacob Frajdenrajch describes a mechanical device for holding elastic articles such as small orthodontic rubber bands. One embodiment of the invention describes the device having jaws which are curved at their ends to facilitate the use of the device in tight spaces. The orthodontic tool does not suggest the use of the curved-jaw device for imparting pressure on a thermoplastic surface. Additionally, the curved jaw assembly is structurally unlike that of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,832 issued on Dec. 31, 1996, to Farrokh Farzin-Nia describes a method of fabricating orthodontic pliers and the stainless steel or titanium alloy pliers made by the process. The manufacturing process of making these pliers minimizes the grinding and cutting of the pliers once the two nearly identical halves are made into the two scissor parts. The orthodontic pliers are distinguishable for having conventional needle-nose jaws.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a heated orthodontic pliers comprising two components in a first embodiment that are subapically and pivotally joined. Each of these elongated pieces are irregular in shape, unequal in length and possess asymmetrical jaws relative to each other. The lower jaw of one plier is curved in an arc to ensure that the only part of the lower jaw of the plier that comes in contact with the thermoplastic retainer is the bump forming end of that jaw when the jaws are closed around the retainer. The heated pliers are used for producing different shaped bumps on a thermoplastic retainer. A second embodiment of pliers have equal length jaws for different purposes such as tightening the retainer about its fittings enclosed or otherwise.
To achieve the shaping of retainers, the pair of pliers are heated to a temperature range of approximately 325 to 350° F. or the appropriate softening temperature for a specific thermoplastic material, and then placed on the retainer to reshape it. It is noted that the orthodontist will wear insulated gloves when handling the heated pliers. The reshaping end of the lower jaw of the pliers can be shaped in various ways so that it will create a smooth, evenly shaped bump in the retainer that is comfortable for the patient to wear. After the bumps are created, the retainer is permitted to cool and stabilize, i.e., harden. The specially reshaped retainer may then be placed in the patient's mouth to impart corrective pressure to the desired tooth. The various configured shapes formed by the specific orthodontic pliers of the present invention are an elliptical bump, a square bump, a rectangular bump, a tear shaped bump, ramps of different sizes, circular and square logos, logo attaching apertures, fluoride and bleach pockets, horizontal and vertical hooks, a bite-plate, and square or rectangular bumps for inserting blocks for connecting the blocks with wires, tubes, elastic chains, and springs. Other uses include specially configured pliers with heated jaws of equal length for crimping encapsulated expansion screws or the like.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a pair of orthodontic pliers for the purpose of accurately forming bumps or pinching loosely encapsulated fasteners in thermoplastic retainers when the pliers are sufficiently heated to a temperature range of approximately 325 to 350° F. or the appropriate softening temperature for a specific thermoplastic material.
It is another object of the invention to be able to form the bumps of different shapes on the retainer, depending on the specific needs of the patient, by changing the shape of the bumpforming end of the jaws of the pliers having unequal length.
It is a further object of the invention to crimp encapsulated expansion screws and the like in thermoplastic retainers that make the retainer comfortable for the patient to wear with heated pliers having jaws of equal length but different configurations.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an assortment of orthodontic pliers with unequal jaw length which will provide various configured shapes as an elliptical bump, a square bump, a rectangular bump, a tear shaped bump, ramps of different sizes, circular and square logos, logo retaining apertures, fluoride pockets, horizontal and vertical hooks, a bite-plate, and square or rectangular bumps for inserting blocks for connecting the blocks with wires, tubes, elastic chains, and springs.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an orthodontic tool for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a first embodiment of an orthodontic pliers for forming a bump and a thermoplastic retainer according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the FIG. 1 pliers in an open position.
FIG. 3 is a partial side elevational view of the jaws of the FIG. 1 pliers in a closed position with the apertured jaw partially cross-sectioned to demonstrate the manner in which the jaws fit together.
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the jaws of the FIG. 1 pliers.
FIG. 5 is an elevational side view of the jaws of a second embodiment of a pliers for increasing an undercut in a thermoplastic retainer.
FIG. 6 is a partial elevational side view of the jaws of a third embodiment of a smaller ramp forming pliers required for the lower anterior teeth portion of a thermoplastic retainer.
FIG. 7A is a partial elevational side view of the jaws of a fourth embodiment of a pliers for reducing the size of an oversized ramp in a thermoplastic retainer.
FIG. 7B is an elevational front end view of the jaws of the FIG. 7A embodiment.
FIG. 8A is an elevational side view of a thermoplastic retainer depicting the logo impressed on it by a logo pliers of a fifth embodiment.
FIG. 8B is a partial plan view of the underside of the upper jaw of the pliers of the fifth embodiment.
FIG. 8C is a partial plan view of the underside of the lower jaw of the pliers of the fifth embodiment.
FIG. 8D is a partial elevational side view of the jaws of the pliers of the fifth embodiment.
FIG. 9A is a front elevational view of a thermoplastic retainer with a logo insert in a holder made by a circular logo pliers of a sixth embodiment.
FIG. 9B is a sectional elevational view of the thermoplastic retainer with the configuration made with the circular logo pliers of the sixth embodiment.
FIG. 9C is a sectional elevational view of the thermoplastic retainer with a hole made with a puncher of a smaller diameter than the circular bump with the pliers of the FIG. 9B embodiment.
FIG. 9D is a sectional elevational view of the thermoplastic retainer with a logo insert in place in the sixth embodiment.
FIG. 9E is a partial side elevational view of the jaws of the circular logo forming pliers of the sixth embodiment.
FIG. 10A is a front elevational view of the thermoplastic retainer provided with fluoride pockets made by the pliers of a seventh embodiment.
FIG. 10B is a partial plan view of the underside of the upper jaw of the fluoride pocket forming pliers of the seventh embodiment.
FIG. 10C is a partial plan view of the underside of the lower jaw of the fluoride pocket forming pliers of the seventh embodiment.
FIG. 10D is a partial elevational side view of the open jaws of the pliers of the seventh embodiment.
FIG. 11A is a front elevational view of a thermoplastic retainer with a pair of horizontal hooks for an elastic band oriented to open outwardly and made initially by ramps formed by a pliers of the eighth embodiment.
FIG. 11B is a partial plan view of the underside of the upper jaw of the horizontal hook forming pliers of the eighth embodiment.
FIG. 11C is a partial plan view of the underside of the lower jaw of the horizontal hook forming pliers of the eighth embodiment.
FIG. 11D is a partial side elevational view of the closed jaws of the eighth embodiment pliers.
FIG. 12A is a front elevational view of a thermoplastic retainer with a pair of vertical hooks open upwardly for attaching an elastic band; and the ramps made initially formed by a pliers of a ninth embodiment.
FIG. 12B is a partial plan view of the underside of the upper jaw of the ninth embodiment pliers.
FIG. 12C is a partial plan view of the underside of the lower jaw of the ninth embodiment pliers.
FIG. 12D is a partial elevational side view of the closed jaws of the ramp forming pliers of the ninth embodiment.
FIG. 13A is an elevational side view of a bite-plate portion of a thermoplastic retainer shown schematically positioned on a lower tooth; the bite-plate portion made by a bite-plate forming pliers of the tenth embodiment.
FIG. 13B is a partial plan view of the underside of the upper jaw of the tenth embodiment pliers.
FIG. 13C is a partial plan view of the underside of the lower jaw of the tenth embodiment pliers.
FIG. 13D is a partial elevational side view of the open jaws of the bite-plate forming pliers of the tenth embodiment.
FIG. 14A is an elevational front view of a thermoplastic retainer formed in two sections but joined by horizontally positioned wires, elastic chains, tubes and/or springs in blocks inserted in the rectangular or square receptacles made by the pliers of an eleventh embodiment.
FIG. 14B is a schematic side view of a portion of a thermoplastic retainer impressed with the rectangular or square receptacle containing a horizontally apertured block in the eleventh embodiment.
FIG. 14C is a partial plan view of the underside of the upper jaw of the eleventh embodiment pliers.
FIG. 14D is a partial plan view of the underside of the lower jaw of the eleventh embodiment pliers.
FIG. 14E is a partial elevational side view of the open jaws of the pliers of the eleventh embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a partial plan view of a teardrop forming pliers in a closed position of a twelfth embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a partial plan view of an inverted teardrop forming pliers in a closed position of a thirteenth embodiment.
FIG. 17A is an elevational side view of a “dolphin” beaked pliers for crimping encapsulated fasteners of a fourteenth embodiment.
FIG. 17B is a top plan view of the pliers of the fourteenth embodiment.
FIG. 17C is a sectional view of a retainer with an expansion screw being crimped by the heated dolphin beak pliers in a direction adjacent to the retainer in the fourteenth embodiment.
FIG. 18A is a partial side view of the pliers' jaws for forming a bleaching pocket in a retainer of pliers of a fifteenth embodiment. The pliers is capable of utilizing blocks of various sizes.
FIG. 18B is a partial plan view of the female jaw's underside of the pliers of the fifteenth embodiment.
FIG. 18C is a partial plan view of the underside of the male jaw of the pliers of the fifteenth embodiment.
FIG. 18D is a sectional view of a retainer on a tooth with the bleaching pocket formed by the pliers of a seventeenth embodiment.
FIG. 19 is an elevational side view of an alternative crimping pliers positioned perpendicular to a retainer in a sixteenth embodiment, wherein a partially sectioned retainer encapsulates an expansion screw on a tooth.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is a heated pair of orthodontic pliers used for forming bumps in thermoplastic retainers. In the field of orthodontics, a retainer is generally individually produced to fit an patient's mouth. However, over time a patient's needs may change, thus making it is necessary to slightly modify the retainers. The generic components of an orthodontic plier typically comprise a first handle 10 having a first jaw 14 , a second handle 12 having a second jaw 16 , which are subapically and pivotally joined by a pivot pin 18 connecting the handle and jaw assembly, as suggested by FIG. 1, which is drawn to a first embodiment pliers 20 of the present invention. A thermoplastic retainer 22 is illustrated ready for bump formation by a bump forming projection 24 of the first jaw 14 which pushes the pertinent portion of the retainer 22 into the elliptical throughbore 26 of the second jaw 16 .
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 , the first jaw 14 is curved to ensure that the only part of the first jaw 14 that comes in contact with the thermoplastic retainer 22 is the bump forming projection 24 of the first jaw 14 when the jaws are closed around the retainer 22 . It should be noted that the space between the bump forming projection 24 and the elliptical throughbore 26 shown in FIG. 4 would be the thickness of the bump in the retainer 22 .
The bump forming projection 24 of the first jaw 14 can be shaped differently depending on the shape that the orthodontist wants to create in the retainer. Alternatively, the shape of the elliptical throughbore 26 can be teardrop shaped (not shown) to create a smooth surfaced ramp (similar to ramps shown in FIGS. 6 and 13C) in the thermoplastic retainer 22 which imparts even pressure to the appropriate tooth and is comfortable for the patient to wear. The teardrop shape allows for a gradation of corrective pressure to be imparted to the desired tooth as the patient bites down. The teardrop throughbore can be inverted to apply the same sort of varying pressure as the teardrop. However, the inverted teardrop faces in a diametrically opposite direction than the teardrop of the above embodiment in order to account for the orthodontic needs of different patients.
A second embodiment directed to an undercut increasing orthodontic plier 28 is illustrated in FIG. 5 with a first jaw 14 having a square shaped projection 30 and a second jaw 16 having a square shaped blind bore 32 with a slightly larger size to accommodate the retainer 22 being shaped to form the undercut. The purpose of using this plier 28 is to increase the undercuts in the thermoplastic overlay retainer. The significance of increasing the undercuts is that the undercut holds the overlay retainer on the teeth. The increased retention prevents the retainer from being easily dislodged. There are situations where additional retention over and above that available from the plaster work model that the retainer is made from would be advantageous to the wearer.
In FIG. 6, a small ramp plier 34 is shown as a third embodiment for use on the lower anterior teeth in the retainer 22 , as the anterior teeth are smaller on the lower jaw than in the upper jaw. Thus, the ramp 36 has a longer projection 37 (nearest the end of the jaw 12 ), which when heated pushes the warmed retainer portion through a throughbore 38 , sized to exceed the dimensions of the ramp 36 , to form a correspondingly shaped ramp projection in the retainer 22 .
FIGS. 7A and 7B are directed to a fourth embodiment of an orthodontic plier 40 designed for reducing the size of an oversized ramp in a thermoplastic retainer. The oversized ramp may be pushing a tooth too far out of alignment, or, may be determined by the clinician to have been formed in the laboratory too large for proper fit and placement in the patient's mouth. Plier 40 has a shorter first jaw 14 with a slightly concave, cross-sectional surface 42 which is inserted inside the retainer 22 and which cooperates with a slightly convex, cross-sectional surface 44 of the second jaw 16 , placed against the outside the retainer 22 . The use of pliers 40 results in the saving of a new retainer.
In FIGS. 8A, 8 B, 8 C, and 8 D, a fifth embodiment of the invention is shown, wherein the bump forming end is shaped to provide an identification means on the retainer, either on the outside surface as shown, or alternatively, on the inside surface. For example, the shape can be that of a logo of a company or an ornamental design. In FIG. 8A, the square logo 46 with four equal sized segments on the outside of a retainer 22 consists of a decorative design of a circle 48 , a rectangle 50 , a triangle 52 , and a cylinder 54 . In FIG. 8B, the pliers 58 have the shorter first jaw 14 defining a protruding block 47 including raised or depressed features of logo 46 . In FIG. 8C, the longer second jaw 16 has a square blind bore 56 of slightly greater dimensions than that of the block 47 to receive the front portion of the thermoplastic retainer receiving the logo impression.
In FIGS. 9A, 9 B, 9 C, 9 D, and 9 E, a sixth embodiment of the invention shows a retainer 60 (FIG. 9A) with a circular logo insert 61 held in a circular cutout 62 made within a circular rimmed retention area 63 which was formed by a circular bump forming pliers 64 (FIG. 9 E), wherein the male jaw 14 has a circular ridge 65 at the end of the projection 66 which cooperates with the circular throughbore 67 in the female jaw 16 .
In FIG. 9B, shows a sectional profile of the thermoplastic retainer 60 showing the rim 68 formed by a peripheral ridge 65 on the male bump 66 of the male jaw 14 being inserted in the throughbore 67 of the female jaw 16 (FIG. 9 E). A specially made punch (not shown) can be used to punch out a circle having a diameter less than the depression 70 to form the internal circular flange 72 (FIG. 9C) required to cooperate with the recess 74 in the circular logo insert 61 to retain the insert in the retainer 60 as shown in FIG. 9 D.
The indicia 68 shown as “LOGO” in FIG. 9A, is representative of a plurality of items such as the patient's name, company logos, or ornamental designs. Ornamental designs can be any color, plastic or metal, or glow in the dark material. This design allows an otherwise bland clear retainer 60 to be decorated in a way that will be pleasing to pre-teenagers and teenagers. A version of this design will allow the patient to change the colors as they wish to match one's mood, fashion, or for a special occasion. The logo insert does not interfere with the functioning of the retainer 60 and does not make the retainer uncomfortable.
In FIG. 10A, a thermoplastic retainer 78 containing a plurality of fluoride pockets 76 made by a pocket forming pliers 80 of a seventh embodiment is illustrated. The pockets 76 are formed to contain a fluoride paste and have a circular shaped top portion 81 to follow the outline of the gingiva (gums) and cover the upper third region of the enclosed tooth. The reason for adding fluoride is for treating etched areas of the tooth enamel to replace lost calcium oxide molecules with fluoride molecules. The pocket depth can vary from 1 to 4 mm.
FIGS. 10B and 10C depict the undersides of the jaws 14 and 16 , respectively, of the pocket forming pliers 80 showing the pocket projection 82 in jaw 14 and the pocket shaped throughbore 84 in jaw 16 .
In FIGS. 11A, 11 B, 11 C, and 11 D, a horizontal hook forming embodiment 86 (eighth embodiment) is illustrated to provide hooks 88 oriented horizontally and opened in opposite positions for attaching an elastic band 90 horizontally (in shadow) on a retainer 92 . The horizontal hook forming pliers 94 have a shorter male first jaw 14 with an elongated perpendicular projection 96 at its end perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the jaw. The female second jaw 16 has an elongated throughbore 98 at its end having an adequate space provided for the portion of the retainer 92 being bumped. The male projection 96 is bent downward at a right angle to the male first jaw 14 to align with the throughbore 98 . The pair of elliptical shaped bumps or hooks 88 are opened up on outside edges by a dental drill for accommodating the elastic band 90 in a horizontal position.
Similarly, FIGS. 12A, 12 B, 12 C, and 12 D illustrate a vertical hook forming embodiment 100 (ninth embodiment) to provide vertically oriented hooks 102 open upwards by subsequent cutting of the top surface for attaching an elastic band 90 (in shadow) on a retainer 104 . The vertical hook forming pliers 106 have a shorter male first jaw 14 with an elongated projection 108 at its end and a female second jaw 16 with an elongated throughbore 110 at its end having space provided for the portion of the retainer 104 being bumped. The male projection 108 is formed at a right angle to the male first jaw 14 .
In FIGS. 13A, 13 B, 13 C, and 13 D, a tenth embodiment 112 of the invention shows a bite-plate forming pliers 114 for forming a horizontal ledge or bump 116 in a rear portion of a retainer 118 . As shown in FIG. 13B, the forming end or projection 120 of the shorter first jaw 14 is ramp shaped and has an inner surface 122 that extends perpendicular to the horizontal surface of the jaw 14 (FIG. 13 D), such that it forms a horizontal ledge or bump 116 in the retainer 118 (FIG. 13A) when the pliers 114 are closed thereon in cooperation with the elongated throughbore 124 in jaw 16 (FIG. 13 C). The horizontal ledge 116 provides a surface against which the lower teeth 126 can rest at some distance away from the tongue side of the upper front teeth.
In FIGS. 14A, 14 B, 14 C, and 14 D, a square or rectangular bump forming pliers 128 of an eleventh embodiment forms bumps 140 for the optional inclusion of metal or plastic blocks 132 with throughbores 134 for supporting other orthodontic fasteners such as elastic bands, wires, tubes or springs. The bumps 140 can be left unfilled with apertures 135 made in its sides as shown in FIG. 14A. A retainer 136 formed from two halves is shown with wires 138 connecting the rectangular bumps 140 . Two horizontal hooks 88 are shown as a further securement by attaching an elastic band (not shown). In FIG. 14B, a block 132 is shown in shadow inside with a throughbore 134 through the block and the bump 140 . of the longer second jaw 16 (FIGS. 14D and 14E) to form the bump 140 . Subsequently, a dental drill can form apertures 134 in the bumps 140 and the blocks 132 for attachment of the various aforementioned tensioning agents.
FIGS. 15 and 16 are drawn to a twelfth embodiment of forming teardrop bumps in a thermoplastic retainer to individually fit a patient's mouth more efficiently. In FIG. 15, the teardrop bump 148 of the shorter jaw 14 of the orthodontic pliers 150 has its pointed end 152 directed inward in the pliers. The throughbore 154 of the jaw 16 is similarly shaped but allows space 156 for the heated thermoplastic retainer. FIG. 16 depicts an inverted teardrop bump 158 forming pliers 160 with the point directed outward. It should be noted that these pliers as others can be utilized with either jaw 14 or 16 inside the retainer to produce a desired conforming bump.
FIGS. 17A, 17 B, and 17 C are directed to a fifteenth embodiment of a crimping pliers 162 . In FIG. 17A, the pliers 162 have a first top jaw 164 and a second bottom jaw 166 of equal length and both jaws shaped like a dolphin's nose with aligned narrow beaks 168 . The first top jaw 164 has a first handle 10 . The second top jaw 166 has a second handle 12 joined to the first handle 10 by a pivot pin 18 . FIG. 17B shows a top view of the pliers 162 with the aligned narrow beaks 168 . FIG. 17C depicts the crimping action of the heated pliers 162 sealing the thermoplastic retainer 22 on a lower tooth 126 at the location of an expansion screw 170 or the like. It should be noted that the beaks 168 are placed adjacent the retainer 22 for maximum crimping benefit.
FIG. 19 illustrates an alternative to the crimping of an encapsulated expansion screw 170 or the like by crimping perpendicular to the surface of the retainer 22 on a tooth 126 with the heated crimping pliers 186 as a sixteenth embodiment. In this embodiment, the first and second jaws 14 , 16 , respectively, are equal in length and similar in having an arcuate shape.
FIGS. 18A, 18 B, 18 C, and 18 D are directed to a seventeenth embodiment of a bleaching pocket forming pliers 172 for placing bleaching chemicals in the pockets 174 of a retainer 22 to bleach a tooth 126 to a lighter color. The pocket 174 should be approximately the size of the tooth being bleached. Therefore, the male projection of the first jaw 14 (FIG. 18C) should be approximately the size of the tooth being treated (FIG. 18D) in order to avoid unbleached areas being present. Consequently, as seen in FIG. 18A, an interchangeable block 176 of adequate size can be held by a screw 178 in the socket 180 of the first jaw 14 . The throughbore 182 of the second jaw 16 (FIG. 18B) can accommodate a certain tolerance in the size differences of the interchangeable block 174 . The rounded edge 184 of the block 176 coincides with the gum line for accurate bleaching.
Thus, the present invention of an assortment of bump forming and reforming heated pliers utilized by an orthodontist can economically form various configured and sized bumps to modify a thermoplastic retainer for a better fit to the teeth of a patient.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
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Orthodontic pliers comprised of two asymmetrical components that are subapically and pivotally joined in a first main embodiment. Each of these elongate pieces is irregular in shape, unequal in length and the jaws are asymmetrical jaws relative to each other. The pliers when heated are used for producing or modifying bumps on a thermoplastic retainer. One of the jaws has a throughbore or blind bore for receiving the bump forming end of the other jaw. The jaw with the bump forming end is shorter and curvilinear so that the only part of that jaw that comes in contact with the retainer is the bump forming end. Additionally, the bump forming end may be of different shapes in order to produce different shaped bumps such as ramps, logos, logo pockets, fluoride pockets, bite plates, rectangular shapes for the retention of blocks to be wired, and hooks for elastic banding, depending on the needs of the individual patients. The pliers are heated to a temperature range of approximately 325° F. to 350° F., or the appropriate temperature for a specific thermoplastic material, to facilitate the formation of the bump in the thermoplastic retainer. A second main embodiment includes a system of pliers with jaws of equal and symmetrical shape for crimping a warmed retainer having an encapsulated expansion screw.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a resonont or pulsating combustion heating apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pulsation heating apparatus in which the exhaust gas is low in noxious components, particularly carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ).
These types of pulsation heating units are known. (Refer to ATZ Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift, vo. 66, issue 2 (February 1964), pp. 31-37). They function on the following principle: By way of the suction pipe and the fuel inlet the fuel/air mixture entering the combustion chamber explodes, i.e., combusts explosively in the combustion chamber. The exhaust gas mixture takes place in the pulsation tube at approximately 100 to 130 hz., determined primarily by its length. During the negative half-cycle of the pressure fluctuation (pulsation) fuel/air mixture is sucked into the combustion chamber; during the positive half-cycle it is ignited. A stable pulsing combustion exists. The resulting heat is removed from the pulsation tube, e.g., by means heating cold air currents or heating water.
The regulation of the existing fuel/air mixture for the combustion in general is such that the air coefficient is somewhat less than 1. The air coefficient is the air/fuel ratio. It is equal to 1 in a stoichiometric combustion. In order to easily attain a steady drive even in a cold apparatus and/or at low outside temperatures, the combustion is relatively "rich", i.e., a fixed excess of fuel is used. However, the "richer" the combustion, the higher the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) and unoxidized (unburned) hydrocarbons (HC) in the exhaust gas. In order to avoid these, a "lean" combustion would then be desired, i.e., using an air coefficient greater than 1 (in other words, using excess air), thereby resulting in scarcely any difficulty at low temperatures and/or on starting. Lean combustion as well has undesirable consequences, in that the nitrogen oxide (NO x ) concentration in the exhaust gas increases. However, even if one somehow overcomes the problems of "lean" combustion at low temperatures and/or on starting and thereby lowers the CO concentration in the exhaust gas, then the lean combustion would lead to an undesirable elevation of NO x in the exhaust gas.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention lies as well in the function of producing a resonant or pulsating combustion heating unit of the type mentioned at the outset in which the concentration of carbon monoxide, on one hand, and the nitrogen oxides, on the other hand, in the exhaust gas is diminished in relation to that of the known swingfire heating units. This problem will possibly will be eliminated using simple means, namely of the type that are expected to lead to trouble-free lean combustion.
In accordance with the invention this problem is solved by the characteristics specified in claim 1. The invention is further concerned with additional advantageous developments.
Accordingly, in the invention the pulsation tube is constructed as an afterburner or late-combustion reactor. First, a combustion of a relatively rich mixture occurs in the combustion chamber which, as described, is to be sought for the purpose of steady combustion and in which, in addition, no nitrogen oxides are produced. By means of an afterburner in the pulsation tube the exhaust gas components, namely, in particular carbon monoxide (CO) and the unburned hydrocarbons (HC), are then burned in the presence of excess air, thus "lean". The noxious components contained in the exhaust gas mixture are thereby characterized in that the principal combustion in the combustion chamber proceeds so that no NO x occurs, and in that the noxious components produced thereby are eliminated by the lean late-combustion in the pulsation tube. Collectively, therefore, the concentration of both CO and NO x in the exhaust gas mixture is extremely slight. What is to be regarded, in terms of the explanation given, as "relatively" lean or rich combustions, result from determinations sought directly by the specialist. The standard (rule) is that the combustion takes place in the combustion chamber with an air coefficient of less than 1 (an excess of fuel) and in the pulsation tube with an air coefficient greater than 1 (an excess of air); for example, the air coefficient may be 0.9 in the combustion chamber and 1.1 in the pulsation tube.
In constructing the pulsation tube as an afterburner the necessary precautions must be taken to provide for a continuous supply of fresh air into the pulsation tube. This is possible by various methods. Representative examples of the invention and its advantageous improvements are illustrated hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a resonant or pulsating combustion heating apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a broken out cross-sectional view of a modification of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention showing a modified air intake and mixing means for the input to the pulsation tube.
FIG. 3 is a broken out cross-sectional view of a modification of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention showing a modified air intake and mixing means for the input to the pulsation tube.
FIG. 4 is a broken out cross-sectional view of another embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a broken cross-sectional view in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI--VI of FIG. 5 in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a broken out cross-sectional view of another embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII--VIII of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The resonant or pulsating combustion heating unit according to FIG. 1 consists of a suction pipe 1 with a check valve 50, a gas intake 2, a spark plug 3 (for start-up), a combustion chamber 4 and a pulsation tube 5, that empties into a accumulator 6 with an exhaust pipe 7. The gas intake 2 is formed by a gas intake channel 8 surrounding the suction pipe 1 with a plurality of holes (openings) through which the gas passes into the inside of the suction pipe 1. Subsequently, there is a mixing of the gas with the fresh air drawn in through the suction pipe. The gas/air mixture enters the combustion chamber 4 and explodes there, i.e., combusts explosively. The combustion is symbolized by the x's in the combustion chamber 4. The exhaust gas mixture enters the pulsation tube 5. In the pulsation tube a steady pulsing action is built up. This pulsation acts in a reverse manner into the combustion chamber 4, whereby the periodically lower pressure existing therein sucks new gas/air mixtures into the combustion chamber 4 automatically or causes an explosion of the same in the combustion chamber 4. After a start-up by activating the spark plug 3 a pulsating combustion (so-called Swingfire) is created in the combustion chamber 4.
As already previously described the problem is to guarantee the combustion as "clean" as possible, that is, to keep the carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbon (HC) and nitrogen oxide (NO x ) components as low as possible. Thereby the lower the CO component in the exhaust gas, the lower the so-called air coefficient (it is defined as the air/fuel ratio and in stoichiometric combustion is equal to 1). It is apparent in itself that to achieve the elimination of CO, a lean fuel/air mixture should be selected, accordingly, the air coefficient should be regulated to be greated than 1, for example, 1.1 or 1.2. However, this has disadvantages in that the combustion of a lean mixture at the low combustion temperatures by means of the excess air, above in the start-up phase, is very difficult to keep steady. A certain amount of reserve in the direction of a lower air coefficient is always needed in order to guarantee a steady start up at low temperatures. However, even if this problem is solved, there is still the greater disadvantage in that the greater the excess of air, the higher the nitrogen oxide concentration in the exhaust gas mixture.
The invention is currently derived from the fact that the rich combustion, accordingly, with an air coefficient of less than 1, is conducted in the combustion chamber 4. Thus, it proceeds NO x -deficient. Thereby, then yielding in the combustion chamber 4 an exhaust gas mixture with a still not optimally insignificant CO concentration. In order to avoid this, the pulsation tube is constructed so that an afterburning of the harmful components in the exhaust gas mixture formed by the combustion in the combustion chamber 4 occurs in it with the result that the carbon monoxide (CO) formed in the combustion chamber 4 is fully oxidized to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the pulsating tube.
If a continuous flow of fresh air is supplied in the area where the combustion chamber 4 becomes the pulsation tube 5, an automatic afterburning occurs, since the temperature in the pulsation tube 5 is hot enough to ignite and adequately support it.
In the representative example according to FIG. 1 the influx of fresh air to the pulsation tube 5 takes place by means of a second suction pipe 10 that empties into a gas intake channel 11, which surrounds the suction pipe 5 in the area where it empties into the combustion chamber 4. For the purpose of mixing, the pulsation tube 5 contains a constriction in the form of ring-shaped channel 12, which produces a narrowing-cross-section 13 for the passage from the short piece 5' of the pulsation tube 5 to its longer section, into which the openings 14 of the channel 12 open, so that fresh air is sucked in by the passage of the exhaust gas mixture through the narrowing cross-section 13 and subsequently in the widening cross-section 13' in the direction of the flow after the opening 14 an intensive mixing occurs, as is indicated by the curved arrow. Then, as indicated by the x's, following that, the afterburning takes place, in which the CO and HC uncombusted in the combustion chamber 4 are fully combusted. NO x therein does not form since the combustion operation of the afterburning is the catching of the residual component from the exhaust gas of the main combustion and accordingly has merely a small part in the entire combustion operation. In a pulsating combustion system the pulsation tube connecting directly to the combustion chamber in itself has the parameters especially favorable with regard to a NO x -deficient combustion, which by definition are the development of a NO x -deficient afterburning. The main limiting quantities for the formation of the nitrogen oxides are the temperature, time and pressure components of the combustion process. These are, in so far as the pulsating combustion system, optimal, so that a steady afterburning develops without further adjustments especially with respect to the dimensions of the system. For it may be of primary importance that the temperature in the pulsation tube is considerably lower than that in the combustion chamber 4 so that the prerequisite for the afterburning in the pulsation tube of the noxious CO component originating in the combustion chamber 4 does not give rise to the formation of NO x .
Thus, the pulsation tube acts as a late (combustion) reactor, in that an afteroxidation of the noxious CO exhaust gas component originating from the relatively rich combustion in the combustion chamber 4 still occurs; this makes it possible, the combustion in the combustion chamber 4 which provides from the heat balance point of view the major contribution to the heat conversion, to be accomplished extremely deficient in NO x .
Great advantages are also apparent when considering the utilization of the energy from the combustion in the use of the pulsating combustion system as a heating source. The afterburnings, when they fully combust the components of the exhaust gas mixture not fully combusted in the combustion chamber 4, increases the thermal efficiency on utilization as a heating system, the heat from the outer surface of the pulsation tube is taken off and made usable in known ways. With the invention in this way a thermal efficiency of up to 99% can be attained. Measurements indicate that the concentration of CO and NO x in the exhaust gas (at the exhaust pipe 7) fall considerably below the values of the known systems.
FIG. 2 shows a modification of the representative example according to FIG. 1. The fresh air inlet at the beginning of the pulsation tube 5 is constructed so that the cross-section of the stream beyond the passage opening 15 of the combustion chamber 4 leading to the pulsation tube 5 widens sharply. In the area of widening cross-section 16 openings 17 are provided through which the fresh air can enter from the intake channel 18 into the pulsation tube, so that it is caught in the eddy created directly behind the ridge 19 so that an intensive mixing occurs.
FIG. 3 shows a further modification of the representative example according to FIG. 1. A short section of pipe 20 connects to the combustion chamber 4, which is surrounded by an intake channel 21 and which has openings 22 through which fresh air is drawn by the passage of the exhaust air mixture. Downstream just beyond the opening 22 is provided a widening cross-section 23 which causes eddying and thereby intensive mixing.
In general, in the FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 the widening cross-section 13, 16, 23 can be defined as means for mixing the fresh air sucked in at the entrance to the pulsation tube 5 with the exhaust gas mixture passing out of the combustion chamber 4 into the pulsation tube 5. For such a mixture a number of other possibilities are known so that the structural arrangement according to FIGS. 1 through 3 is to be viewed merely as an example, though particularly simple and advantageous.
As already explained, the combustion in the pulsation tube 5 is, as the afterburner, in comparison to the combustion in the combustion chamber 4, thereby characterized in that the air coefficient is greater than 1. Accordingly, there takes place a "lean" combustion in the pulsation tube 5, while the combustion taking place previously in the combustion chamber was "rich". The fresh air intake into the pulsation tube must be designed so that an excess of fresh air is provided in such a way that a lean combustion is produced. That can be easily determined by simple examination.
FIG. 4 shows further means by which fresh air is supplied. A relatively short section of pipe 24 between the combustion chamber 4 and the pulsation tube 5 is provided with a large cross-section. The intake of fresh air takes place by means of a pipe 25 that is passed through the combustion chamber from the suction pipe 1 and ends at the point of the passage opening 24 from the combustion chamber 4 into the section 24. The eddying of the fresh air takes place with gas emerging from the combustion chamber 4 at the point of passage of the fresh air into the pipe section 24. Thereby, at the same time is shown how the arrangement of the pipe 25 by its passing through the suction pipe 1 can take place so that the mixing of the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber is favored. That occurs by means of the collars 26 on the outside of the pipe 25.
In the representative example according to FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 6, a crescent-shaped fresh air channel 27 is provided near the pulsation tube 5 at the side of the suction pipe 1, which ends with the suction pipe 1 inside the combustion chamber 4, however, in the vicinity of the passage opening 28 from the combustion chamber 4 to a section of pipe 24, which then empties into the pulsation tube in such a way that the exhaust gas mixture sucks the fresh air through the outlet openings 29 of the fresh air channel 27. The eddying or mixing of the fresh air takes place at the ridge-like transition point from the combustion chamber 4.
In a representative example according to FIG. 7, a geometric design of the suction pipe is provided to produce steric separation, that is the molecules of the fuel/air mixture are spacially separated from the fresh air molecules. This separation is produced in suction pipe 101 by separating the portion of the stream 33, formed of the fuel/air mixture, from a portion of the stream 32 which contains only fresh air not mixed with fuel. Only at the ridge 31 does a mixing of the fresh air portion of the stream not containing fuel 32 take place with the exhaust gas mixture emerging from the combustion chamber 104 into the pulsation tube 105.
In order to achieve this separation into the portions of stream 32, 33, the suction pipe 101 is curved. Then, one merely makes the use of the fact that these gas streams flowing parallel, beside one another at virtually the same velocity without some agitation mixes only slightly on their marginal surfaces; then employing the Coanda-effect, the retention of this flow is favored along the curved wall of the suction pipe. The eddying of the gas/air mixture takes place at the entrance to the combustion chamber 104 by means of the ridge 34. But, the fresh air stream 30 not exposed to the eddy is lead by means of the curved outer wall 135 of the combustion chamber 104 in the area between the transition of the suction pipe 101 into the combustion chamber 4 up to the transition into the pulsation tube 105, until it enters into the pulsation tube 105. Then it enters an eddying or mixing process at the ridge 31.
Thus for afterburning in the pulsation tube it may suffice, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, that it direct a fresh air portion of the stream from the suction pipe by way of the structural arrangement of the suction pipe, the combustion chamber and the suction pipe/combustion chamber and combustion chamber/pulsation tube transitions to pass through the combustion chamber into the pulsation tube, which does not take part in the combustion process in the combustion chamber, but mixes only on entrance into the pulsation tube with the exhaust gas mixture emerging from the combustion chamber.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.
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A resonant or pulsating combustion heating apparatus of the present invention provides a high thermal efficiency heater with low concentrations of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas. The pulsation heater is constructed to provide an afterburner or late-combustion reactor in the pulsation tube. Combustion in the combustion chamber is of a relatively rich fuel/air mixture in which no nitrogen oxides are produced. The afterburning in the pulsation tube is carried out in the presence of excess air providing late combustion to remove carbon monoxide (CO).
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Truss seats and anchor assemblies are well known in the art for anchoring trusses to concrete walls. Many such truss seats have a web upon which the truss sits that serves as a barrier to keep the wood of the truss or joist out of contact with the upper surface of the concrete protecting it from moisture.
[0002] Anchors often come in the form of elongated straps that may work in conjunction with the seat or alone. In use, a lower end of the anchor strap is embedded in the concrete of the tie beam when wet and an upper end is bent over the roof truss or wood joist so that headed nails can be passed through the anchor strap on opposite sides of the roof truss or wood joist.
[0003] One feature of securing the anchor straps to the truss seats or channels is that it maintains the assembly conveniently together until installed. In such an instance the straps can be secured to the channel by means of a rivet.
[0004] In a hurricane, it has been found that there is often a failure of the connection of the roof truss to the concrete wall, primarily due to the generally upwardly directed forces causing the roof to fly upwardly away from the tie beam or wall.
[0005] Some anchor and seat assemblies use two anchor straps riveted or otherwise adjustably connected in spaced longitudinal relation to one another with respect to the central web of the seat. Some anchor and seat assemblies are made with a channel-shaped seat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention improves on the prior art moisture barrier truss seats be improving the interface with the underlying concrete. This is accomplished by forming an improved embedment leg that has a pair of angularly-related portions that increase the surface area embedded in the concrete and provide flat faces to resist movement in four directions.
[0007] This invention is of a truss seat and anchor assembly comprising a channel length with a central web portion and upstanding spaced and substantially parallel side walls to cradle a truss and wherein two anchor straps are provided which are adjustably connected to the wall portion in longitudinally spaced relation to one another. One anchor strap is connected to one of the wall portions of the channel length and the other anchor strap is spaced longitudinally from the first anchor strap and is connected to the other of the wall portions.
[0008] The assembly can easily be transported to a job site for use in anchoring the trusses in spanning relation to walls each having an upper peripheral tie beam. At a job site, since there are often numerous workmen at a given time, if there are not enough anchor straps or alternatively, not enough channel lengths, the job is shut down and a run must be made to secure an additional supply of channel lengths or anchor straps. This invention is of an assembly wherein the two anchor straps are pre-attached to the channel by rivets or other adjustable means at spaced predetermined positions along the length of the web portion of the channel. Such attachments are provided so that delays and job shut downs are avoided as set forth above. Also, such attachments of the anchor straps to the wall portion provide predetermined spacing of the anchor straps to assure additional resistance to upward forces without fear of fracture of the wood material of the truss when nails are applied thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the anchor strap assembly of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the anchor strap assembly of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the anchor strap assembly of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the anchor strap of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the anchor strap of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the anchor strap of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the channel length of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the channel length of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 9 is an end elevation view of the channel length of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the anchor strap assembly connection of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 11 is a plan view of the sheet metal blank of the channel length of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The present invention is an improved truss seat and anchor strap assembly 1 . In its simplest form, the improved truss seat and anchor strap assembly comprises an angle length 2 , a first elongate anchor strap 11 , and a first connection means 16 .
[0021] The angle length 2 has a first end 3 and a second end 4 , and an underlayment portion 5 . The underlayment portion 5 has a first longitudinally extending edge 6 with a first wall portion 7 secured to it. The first wall portion 7 has an outer surface 8 facing away from the underlayment portion 5 . The first wall portion 7 extends longitudinally along the first edge 6 and extends upwardly from the underlayment portion 5 to define a truss support 9 therebetween. The truss support 9 is adapted to receive a truss 10 on the underlayment portion 5 and beside the first wall portion 7 .
[0022] The first elongate anchor strap 11 has an upper length 13 for fastening to the truss 10 and a lower length 15 adapted to be embedded in concrete. The first connection means 16 for connecting the first anchor strap 11 to the angle length 2 extends outwardly from the anchor strap 11 in generally perpendicular relation to the first wall portion 7 and extends through the first wall portion 7 . The first anchor strap 11 is attached to the first wall portion 7 of the angle length 2 . The upper length 13 of the first anchor strap 11 extends above the angle length 2 and the lower length 15 of the first anchor strap 11 extends below the angle length 2 , when the first anchor strap 11 is in an operative position.
[0023] The angle length 2 has a first aperture 18 in the underlayment portion 5 and the first wall portion 7 . The first aperture 18 traverses the first longitudinally extending edge 6 and has an edge 19 with an upper portion 20 in the first wall portion 7 . The angle length 2 has a first embedment leg 21 that is adapted to be embedded in concrete and has a first extended portion 22 and a second extended portion 23 . The first embedment leg 20 is formed from at least portion of the angle length 2 material removed to create the first aperture 18 . The first extended portion 22 has an outer face 24 that extends from the outer surface 8 of the first wall portion 7 . The first extended portion 22 projects from, is integrally joined to, and is at least partially co-planar with the first wall portion 7 . The second extended portion 23 is angularly related, and integrally joined, to the first extended portion 22 along a first angular juncture 25 . The second extended portion 23 has an outer edge 26 at least partially opposite the first angular juncture 25 . The outer edge 26 and the first angular juncture 25 converges toward the upper portion 20 of the edge 19 of the first aperture 18 in the first wall portion 7 . The outer edge 26 of the second extended portion 23 twists to join the upper portion 20 of the edge 19 of the first aperture 18 in the first wall portion 7 , forming a continuous edge.
[0024] Preferably, the angle length 2 is a channel length 2 and the underlayment portion 5 is a central web portion 5 . Preferably, the central web portion 5 has a second longitudinally extending edge 6 parallel to the first longitudinally extending edge 6 . Preferably, a second wall portion 7 with an outer surface 8 is secured to the second longitudinally extending edge 6 in generally parallel relation to the first wall portion 7 to define a truss cradle 9 therebetween. Preferably, the truss cradle 9 is adapted to receive a truss 10 on the central web portion 5 and between the wall portions 7 and 8 .
[0025] Preferably, the anchor strap assembly 1 includes a second elongate anchor strap 12 with an upper length 13 for fastening to the truss 10 and a lower length 15 adapted to be embedded in concrete.
[0026] The anchor strap assembly 1 preferably includes a second connection means 16 for connecting the second anchor strap 12 to the channel length 2 . The second connection means 16 extends outwardly in generally perpendicular relation to the second wall portion 7 from the anchor strap 12 and extends through the second wall portion 7 .
[0027] Preferably, the second anchor strap 12 is attached to the second wall portion 7 of the channel length 2 . The upper length 13 of the second anchor strap 12 preferably extends above the channel length 2 and the lower length 14 of the second anchor strap 12 extends below the channel length 2 when the second anchor strap 12 is in an operative position.
[0028] The first aperture 2 preferably extends into the second wall portion 7 . Preferably, the first aperture 2 traverses the second longitudinally extending edge 6 , the edge 19 of the first aperture 2 having an upper portion 20 in the second wall portion 7 . The angle length 2 preferably has a second embedment leg 21 that is adapted to be embedded in concrete and has a first extended portion 22 and a second extended portion 23 . Preferably, the second embedment leg 21 is formed from at least portion of the channel length 2 material removed to create the first aperture 18 . The first extended portion 22 preferably has an outer face 24 that extends from the outer surface 8 of the second wall portion 7 . Preferably, the first extended portion 22 projects from, is integrally joined to, and is at least partially co-planar with the second wall portion 7 . The second extended portion 23 preferably is angularly related, and integrally joined, to the first extended portion 22 along a first angular juncture 25 . Preferably, the second extended portion 23 has an outer edge 26 at least partially opposite the first angular juncture 25 . The outer edge 26 and the first angular juncture 25 preferably converge toward the upper portion 20 of the edge 19 of the first aperture 18 in the second wall portion 7 . Preferably, the outer edge 26 of the second extended portion 23 twists to join the upper portion 20 of the edge 19 of the first aperture 18 in the second wall portion 7 , forming a continuous edge.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 11 , the channel length 2 is cut from a flat sheet metal blank. Fastener openings 30 are drilled or punched through the first and second wall portions 7 , preferably three in each and preferably offset at opposite ends of the first and second wall portions 7 . When the first and second wall portions 7 are bent up along the first and longitudinally extending parallel edges 6 of the channel length 2 , the first and second embedment legs 21 are simulataneously bent down, forming the first aperture 18 . The preferred connection means 16 are strips or fingers 111 cut lengthwise from the first and second wall portions 7 by means of two slits 112 , each bent out so that an anchor strap 11 or 12 can be slipped between the connection means 16 and the outer surface 8 of a wall portion 7 in combination with a dimple 107 on the anchor strap 11 or 12 that interfaces with the longitudinal slot 106 preferably formed in the connection means 16 to hold the anchor strap 11 or 12 in place before it is fastened to the truss 10 .
[0030] As shown in FIG. 10 , the purpose of the truss seat and anchor strap assembly 1 is to adequately position an secure a roof truss 10 in an anchored relation to a tie beam 99 . The tie beam 99 is preferably formed from concrete, but another form of masonry or, in fact, any other material in which the truss seat and anchor strap assembly can be embedded, is possible. The anchor straps 11 and 12 and the embedment legs 21 are embedded within the tie beam 99 while the concrete is still wet and penetrable. In the preferred embodiment, the anchor straps 11 ans 12 are formed with openings 14 that receive fasteners 110 that are driven into the roof truss 10 .
[0031] Preferably, the first and second longitudinally extending edges 6 are reinforced by one or more gussets 27 . The central web portion 5 preferably has a fastener extension 108 at each of the first end 3 and the second end 4 .
[0032] Preferably, the lower length 15 of each of the first and second anchor straps 11 , 12 includes a terminal end zone or foot 105 and the terminal end zone or foot 105 of each of the first and second anchor straps 11 , 12 is bent out of the plane of the upper length 13 of a respective anchor strap 11 , 12 when the first and second anchor straps 11 , 12 are in an operative position.
[0033] The central web portion 5 preferably is disposed beneath and in supporting relation to a truss 10 and in supported engagement on a tie beam 99 . Preferably, the tie beam 99 is initially defined by the wet concrete in which the lower length 15 of each of the first and second anchor straps 11 , 12 are embedded.
[0034] Each of the first and second wall portions 7 preferably includes an elongate adjustment slot 106 formed therein at a juncture of each anchor strap 11 , 12 and a respective wall portion 7 to which it is adjustably attached. Preferably, each of the first and second anchor straps 11 , 12 has a dimple 107 that extends through respective wall portions 7 and through the elongate adjustment slots 106 .
[0035] Preferably, the channel length 2 is cold formed from 18 gauge G185 galvanized steel.
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A seat and anchor assembly for mounting and securing a wood joist or roof truss to a tie beam of a building including a central web portion and an upwardly extending wall portion disposed along a longitudinal edge thereof wherein a lower portion of the roof truss or joist fits within what may be considered a seat defined by the web and the upstanding wall portion. An elongated anchor strap is adjustably attached to the wall portion and is adapted to be secured by nails or like connectors to the top portion of the roof truss and further wherein the anchor strap includes a lower length disposed and adapted to be embedded in wet concrete initially defining the tie beam of the building on which the seat and truss rests.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/906,636 for Gentle Dryer, filed on Mar. 12, 2007, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to an appliance useful for the cleaning and refreshing of fabrics. In particular, the present disclosure is directed to a portable appliance useful for the cleaning, drying, and refreshing of fabrics. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to a collapsible, portable appliance, modular in its construction, so as to handle the cleaning, drying, and refreshing of fabrics in a hanging and/or laying orientation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Certain fabrics are not suitable for conventional in-home immersion cleaning processes. Home washing machines can, under certain conditions, shrink or otherwise damage silk, linen, wool, and other delicate fabrics. Consumers typically have these delicate fabric items dry-cleaned. Other fabrics are easily wrinkled and ironing of these items is a time consuming and often undesirable task. Finally, some items are often worn only for special occasions and do not require an in-depth cleaning as might be required by clothing worn all-day or during strenuous physical activity. Such items often require nothing more than “freshening up” to be suitable for re-use.
[0004] With regard to those fabrics that are typically dry-cleaned, attempts have been made to provide in-home systems that combine the fabric cleaning and refreshing of in-home, immersion laundering processes with the fabric care benefits of dry-cleaning processes. One such in-home system for cleaning and refreshing garments comprises a substrate sheet containing various liquid or gelled cleaning agents, and a plastic enclosure. The garments are placed into the enclosure together with the sheet, and then tumbled in a conventional clothes dryer.
[0005] Unfortunately, such in-home processes are designed for use in a conventional clothes dryer. Such an appliance is not always available, and they are often uneconomical. Moreover, in many locales clothes dryers are unnecessary as local weather conditions provide an adequate environment to allow for year-round outdoor drying of clothing in the sun.
[0006] Steamer cabinets have also been utilized in the past to treat fabrics with heavy doses of steam, in an effort to both cleanse and deodorize the fabrics. Unfortunately, past steam cabinets were largely uncontrolled with respect to temperature and humidity. The cabinets were generally large appliances that were not portable. Due to the large uncontrolled amounts of steam used a drying step is often required that requires additional time and energy, as well as potentially resulting in undesirable shrinkage of the garment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with the present disclosure an apparatus suitable for refreshing/cleaning, steaming, deodorizing, and/or drying cloth fabrics is disclosed. Such apparatus may generally be comprised of a base and a foldable, telescoping rigid frame designed to support a suspended collapsible enclosure. Associated with the enclosure may be a portable heater, blower assembly with integral controls, including a plurality of temperature settings.
[0008] The base may be a molded plastic base having an internal configuration for directing any moisture collected from the drying clothing into a receptacle associated therein. Additionally, the base may include an integrally formed duct and vent for directing heated air or steam from the associated heater/blower assembly into the collapsible enclosure.
[0009] The enclosure may be comprised of any suitable sturdy material for forming the outermost housing of the apparatus. Such enclosure may be constructed to include internal points of attachment at various locations along its length to support removable shelves suited for supporting garments preferably dried in a horizontal position. Alternatively, such enclosure may further include an internal, collapsible ladder-like frame of suitable material for supporting removable shelves at those points along its length that correspond to the steps of the ladder structure. The shelves may be attached in any known suitable manner, but are preferably formed about a peripheral framework to ensure that the shelves remain in a semi-rigid and supportive configuration under load. Finally, the enclosure may include either a plurality of entry ports for access to clothing at various levels within the apparatus or alternatively, the apparatus may comprise a single access port having a configuration for opening such port from either end or along the entire length of the enclosure.
[0010] The enclosure is supported by a foldable, rigid, telescoping frame. Such frame may be comprised of a pair of inverted Y-shaped, telescoping members. Each of the pair of inverted Y-shaped members may be hinged at both of the corners of the side of the base with which it is associated. When opened, the frame may be extended to its full height by using snap lock, ball and detent, or other suitable securing means for maintaining the extended telescoping members. Finally, a single rod may be used to secure the uppermost ends of the pair of inverted Y-shaped members together. Such rod may also serve as the hanging rod for clothes being treated while on a hanger device.
[0011] Once fully erected, a user may choose to incorporate the removable shelves in a manner consistent with the structure used to support such shelves. Otherwise, clothing may be introduced into the apparatus through the at least one access port for treatment. The heater/blower may be set as appropriate to the treatment selected and the access port secured to allow the apparatus to either clean, refresh, steam, deodorize, or dry the cloth fabric therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 depicts a front isometric view of the portable garment treatment apparatus of the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 2 depicts a back isometric view of the portable garment treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
[0015] FIG. 3 depicts the base of the portable garment treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
[0016] FIG. 4 depicts the base of FIG. 3 including a blower;
[0017] FIG. 5 depicts the frame system of the portable garment treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
[0018] FIG. 6 depicts the shelving system of the portable garment treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
[0019] FIG. 7 depicts the shelving support structure of the portable garment treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
[0020] FIG. 8 depicts the removable top frame member of the portable garment treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
[0021] FIG. 9 depicts a side view of the portable garment treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 in a fully expanded configuration;
[0022] FIG. 10 depicts a side view of the portable garment treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 in a partially expanded configuration; and
[0023] FIG. 11 depicts the portable garment treatment apparatus of FIG. 1 in a collapsed configuration
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] The present disclosure relates to a portable garment treatment apparatus. The garment treatment apparatus includes a collapsible enclosure supported by an expandable frame. The expandable frame can adjusted to increase or decrease the size of the enclosure, or in the alternative, can be collapsed to minimize the size of the apparatus for storage. A blower unit is attached to the apparatus to provided air into the enclosure.
[0025] Referring now to the drawing figures in which like reference designators refer to like elements, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a garment treatment apparatus 10 of the present disclosure. The garment treatment apparatus includes a base 12 having a pair of opposingly mounted telescoping frame assemblies 14 and 16 . Each frame member 14 and 16 includes a lower frame member 18 , 20 pivotally mounted to the base 12 . The lower frame members 18 , 20 are pivotable with respect to the base 12 between a substantially vertical position, for when the apparatus 10 is in use, and a substantially horizontal position, for storage of the apparatus 10 . In the horizontal position the lower frame members 18 , 20 are rotated onto the base 12 , minimizing the vertical height of the apparatus 10 .
[0026] The frame members 14 and 16 each include a first mast 22 , 24 sliding mounted to the lower frame 18 , 20 . The first masts 22 , 24 are telescoping with respect to the lower frames 18 , from a compact first position to an extended second position. A locking mechanism 26 , 28 is provided on each of the lower frames 18 , 20 for locking the position of the first masts 22 , 24 with respect to the lower frames 18 , 20 .
[0027] A second mast 30 , 32 is telescopically mounted to each of the first masts 22 , 24 . The second masts 30 , 32 are slideable with respect to the first masts 22 , 24 from a retracted first position to an extended second position. A locking mechanism 34 , 36 is provided on each of the first masts 22 , 24 for locking the position of the second masts 30 , 32 with respect to the first masts 22 , 24 .
[0028] The first and second masts 22 , 24 and 30 , 32 are selective positionable from a retracted position to an extended position. In the retracted position, the first and second masts 22 , 24 and 30 , 32 are fully retracted within the lower frames 18 , 20 , such that the lower frames 18 , 20 can be rotated to the horizontal position with respect to the base 12 . In the extended position, the lower frames 18 , 20 are rotated to a vertical position, and the first and second masts 22 , 24 and 30 , 32 are either partially or fully extended in the vertical direction.
[0029] The locking mechanisms 26 , 28 and 34 , 36 can be snap-lock or detent and ball type locking mechanisms. However, it is contemplated that other known types of locking mechanisms can be utilized to lock the travel of a masts 22 , 24 and 30 , 32 .
[0030] A collapsible enclosure 38 is mounted to and supported between that the frame assemblies 14 and 16 . The collapsible enclosure 38 can be expanded from a compact position to an expanded position. In the compact position, the enclosure 38 is folded into the base 12 , the frame assemblies 14 and 16 being rotated over the enclosure 38 . In the expanded position, the enclosure 38 is vertically raised as the first and second masts 22 , 24 and 30 , 32 are either partially or fully extended in the vertical direction.
[0031] A lower end 40 of the enclosure 38 is removable attached about the base 12 , such that as the enclosure 38 is expanded, defining an interior space, The interior space is configured for receiving the garments to be treated. A front surface 42 of the enclosure 38 includes an access panel 44 for providing access to the interior space of the enclosure 38 . The front surface 42 further includes a closure mechanism 46 for the opening and closing of the access panel 44 to the front surface 42 . The closure mechanism can be a zipper, hook and loop, or other types of know closure mechanisms. Only one access panel is depicted in the figures, however, it is contemplated that the enclosure can include one or more access panels.
[0032] A handle 48 can be provided on a top surface 50 of the enclosure 38 . The handle 48 can be utilized to facilitate the raising and lowering of the enclosure 38 .
[0033] A blower unit 52 is removable connected to the base 12 . The blower unit 52 is connected to the base 12 to provide a continual stream of air to the interior space of the enclosure 38 . The blower unit 52 can include a heating element to provide heated air to the interior space of the enclosure 38 .
[0034] The blower unit 52 can further function as a heater, humidifier, ozonator, ionizer, oderizer, dryer or steamer. The blower unit 52 can also perform a combination of the above noted functions.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 3 , the base 12 includes an indented tray 54 configured to collect moisture from garments positioned in the enclosure 38 . The bottom surface 56 of the tray 54 is provided at an incline to facilitate movement of the collected fluid toward and exit port 58 for collection in a removable collection tray 60 .
[0036] The base 12 further includes an air duct 62 , having a first open end 64 for attachment of the blower 52 . The air duct 62 extends through the bottom surface 56 of the tray 54 having a second open end 66 through which the blower 52 vents air into the enclosure 38 .
[0037] The edge 64 of the indented tray 54 can includes a lipped portion 66 for attachment of the lower end 40 of the enclosure 38 . However, is in also contemplated that other attachment mechanisms can be used, including, but not limited to, zippers, hook and loop-, snapper, and other know devices.
[0038] Referring also to FIG. 5 , that base includes extensions 68 a - d , each have a pivotally connection 70 a - d . The pivotal connections 70 a and 70 b are aligned defining an axis of rotation R 1 . The ends 18 a - b of the lower frame 18 are one each connected to the pivotal connections 70 a - b , such that lower frame 18 is rotatable about axis of rotation R 1 .
[0039] Similarly, pivotal connection 70 c and 70 d are aligned defining an axis of rotation R 2 . The ends 20 a - b of the lower frame 20 are one each connected to the pivotal connections 70 c - d , such that lower frame 20 is rotatable about axis of rotation R 2 .
[0040] The extensions 68 a - d can be hollow, such that the ends 18 a - b and 20 a - b of the lower frames 18 and 20 can be slide into the extensions 68 a - d . In this manner the lower frames 18 , 20 can be locked in the vertical position. To rotate that lower frame 18 , 20 to the horizontal position, the ends 18 a - b and 20 a - b of the lower frames 18 and 20 lifted out of the extensions 68 a - d and the lower frames 18 , 20 are rotated to the vertical position.
[0041] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 , a top frame 72 is affixed the top ends 30 a , 32 a of the second masts 30 , 32 . The top frame 72 is shaped to conform to and support the top of the enclosure 38 , where the enclosure 38 is fitted over the top frame 72 . The top frame 72 can include a hanging bar 74 , which can be utilized to support hanging garments.
[0042] A shelf system 76 is supported between the top frame 72 and the base 12 . The shelf system 76 includes support members 78 a - d extending between the top frame 72 and the base 12 . One or more shelves 80 can be position on the support members 78 a - d , where the shelves 80 provide a platform for the holding the garments. The shelves 80 can be removable attached to the support members 78 a - d , such that the shelves 80 can be removed or repositioned as needed.
[0043] Referring to FIG. 8 , the top frame 72 is removable connected to the top ends 30 a , 32 a of the second mast members 30 , 32 . The top frame 72 includes first and second extensions 82 , 84 extending downwardly. To connect the top frame 72 to the second masts 30 , 32 , the first and second extensions 82 , 84 are aligned with and inserted into the top ends 30 a , 32 a of the second masts 30 , 32 . Locking mechanisms 86 , 88 are provided at each of the top ends 30 a , 32 a , which engage and secure the first and second extensions 82 , 84 into the top ends 30 a , 32 a . To remove the top frame 72 , the locking mechanisms 86 , 88 are actuated and the top frame 72 is removed. The locking mechanisms 86 , 88 can be snap-lock or detent and ball type locking mechanisms. However, it is contemplated that other known types of locking mechanisms can be utilized to lock the top frame 72 to the second masts 30 , 32 .
[0044] As previously noted, the size of the garment apparatus 10 of the present disclosure can be selectively increased or decreased. Referring to FIG. 9 , in a fully expanded condition, the first and second masts 22 , 24 and 30 , 32 are fully extended, where the masts 22 , 24 and 30 , 32 and locking into position by locking mechanisms 26 , 28 and 34 , 36 . Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10 , in a partially expanded condition, the first masts 22 , 24 are fully extended, where the first masts 22 , 24 are locked in position by locking mechanisms 26 , 28 . The second masts 30 , 32 are un-extended, remaining nested within the first mast 22 , 24 . In is also contemplated that first second masts can be separately, partially, extended, allowing for variation in the size of the garment apparatus 10 .
[0045] Referring also to FIG. 11 , to collapse the apparatus, the first and second masts 22 , 24 and 30 , 32 are fully retracted. The second masts 30 , 32 are retracted into the first masts 22 , 24 and the first masts 22 , 24 are retracted into the lower frames 18 , 20 . The top frame 72 is detached from the end 30 a , 32 a of the second masts 30 , 32 , such that the top frame 72 and enclosure 38 can be compressed onto the base 12 . The lower frames 18 and 20 are separately rotated toward the base, such the frames 14 and 16 overlay each other on top of the collapsed enclosure 38 . The frame assemblies 14 , 16 can be held in place with locking member 80 . In the collapsed configuration, the apparatus 10 can be stored.
[0046] In use, the framed 14 and 16 are separated and rotated into a substantially vertically position. The top frame 72 is connected to the ends 30 a , 32 a of the second masts 30 , 32 . The first and second masts 22 , 24 , and 30 , 32 are selected raised and locked into place. For a fully size configuration, the first and second masts 22 , 24 , and 30 , 32 are fully extended. The access panel 44 is opened and the garments are positioned in the interior space. The garments can be positioned on the shelves 80 , or one or more of the upper the shelves 80 can be removed so that the garments can be hung from the hanging bar 74 . Upon sealing the access panel 44 , the blower unit 52 is turned on. Optionally, the heating element of the blower unit 52 can be actuated to provide heated air to the interior of the enclosure 80 . The blower unit 52 can include differing air and temperature setting for the treatment of different types of fabrics.
[0047] Upon completion of use, the garments are removed from the interior space. The collection tray 60 is removed and any accumulated moisture therein is disposed of. The apparatus 10 is then collapsed for storage.
[0048] Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, the specification.
[0049] All references cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.
[0050] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.
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The present disclosure is related to an apparatus suitable for cleaning, refreshing, steaming, deodorizing, and/or drying cloth items. Such appliance comprises a molded base form with an associated heater/blower assembly and a water receptacle, a rigid, telescoping framework hingedly affixed to the base form, and a collapsible enclosure defining a void space, and having at least one access port thereto and a plurality of removable shelves for inclusion therein.
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[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority date of provisional application Ser. No. 61/755,743 filed on Jan. 23, 2013
[0002] The present invention pertains to a printing process for shoes, an assembly process for shoes and shoes having a printed design.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Providing designs or logos on shoes such as athletic shoes or sneakers is usually accomplished after the shoe is assembled. In particular a printing process is used to adhere a design or logo to the shoe across panels of the shoe following the assembly and stitching together of each of the panels. This type of process leads to poor quality of the logo and cumbersome printing processes on surfaces that are not flat. The present invention solves such disadvantages of previous printing processes.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present invention provides a method of providing a design on a shoe comprising the steps of providing a piece of leather with the individual panels outlined on the surface of the piece and is positioned under the printer, the print design is applied to the panel and the design encompasses all elements of the designs (i.e., even the sections that are simply one color are printed on at this stage in order to maximize the efforts of one single print) the panels are then cut out and removed from the later piece and the panels are stitched together on the shoe and are lined up in such a way that yields the result of an intact uninterrupted logo/design.
[0005] In alternative embodiments, depending on how cost effective the manufacturer wants to be, the prints can be broken up into multiple stages. In other words, while the goal is to execute one print for the designs of both shoes (both the left and right foot) the manufacturer could execute one print for the left foot, and a separate one all together for the right. This stage of the process could even be more meticulously accomplished wherein the manufacturer could undertake one print for each panel of the shoe.
[0006] In an embodiment a method of assembling a shoe including a printed design is provided that comprises the steps of providing a flat material having a first designated area and a second designated area, printing a first portion of the design at the first designated area and printing a second portion of the design at the second designated area, separating the designated areas into individual panels and assembling each panel so that the first portion of the design joins the second portion of the design when each panel is arranged side by side to form an uninterrupted and complete design. The steps may include prior to the printing step that the designated areas are provided by separated panels. In an embodiment the designated areas may be located on a single sheet of material prior to separation into separate panels.
[0007] In an embodiment the flat material may include more than two designated areas and more than two portions of the design are printed across multiple designated areas and multiple panels. In an embodiment a seam is provided on a panel and no printing occurs at the seam. In an embodiment upon assembly of the panels the seam is covered by an edge of the adjacent panel and the design is uninterrupted across the paired panels. In an embodiment the flat material is one of leather and synthetic material. In an embodiment the printing is one of digital printing, screen printing, sublimation, ink jet printing, cold peel transfer, hot peel transfer and fabric dying. In an embodiment the designated areas may encompass the entire panel thereon.
[0008] The present invention also provides for a shoe having a design comprising multiple panels arranged and connected to form a shoe upper, a first portion of a design printed on a first panel, a second portion of a design printed on a second panel, the first panel having a seam formed at an edge, a first designated area provided on the first panel adjacent to the seam and terminating at the seam at a termination line running parallel and adjacent to the edge of the first panel. The first portion of the design may be printed at the designated area extending at least up to the termination line. The second panel may have a second designated area terminating at a termination edge of the material and the first portion of the design abuts the second portion of the design where the termination line abuts the termination edge in order to form a continuous, uninterrupted design. In an embodiment the first portion of the design is printed so that no portion of the design is present on the seam and all printing terminates at the termination line.
[0009] In an embodiment the first portion of the design is printed so that a portion of the design is present on the seam, but the portion printed on the seam is identical to at least a part of the second portion of the design at the termination edge of the second panel. In an embodiment the contiguous uninterrupted design extends across two panels. In an embodiment the contiguous, uninterrupted design extends across more than two panels. In an embodiment the first designated area is contained within the first panel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an assembled shoe of the present invention;
[0011] FIGS. 2-8 are plan views of individual panels of a shoe of the present invention; and
[0012] FIGS. 9-10 are plan views of paired panels being assembled depicting an assembly step of the present invention.
[0013] While the invention is amendable to various modifications and alternate forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments depicted in the drawing figures. The intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and the scope of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] FIGS. 1-10 depict a printing and assembly process for shoes. FIG. 1 is an assembled view of the shoe 10 depicting each of the panels of the shoe stitched together and with the logos/designs arranged appropriately so that they are contiguous across the panels of the shoe. The shoe includes side panels 20 a,b, rear upper panels 30 a,b, heel panel 40 , toe panel 50 , central toe panel 60 , lace upper 70 , sole 80 and deigns 110 a,b, 112 and 115 .
[0015] FIGS. 2-8 depict the panels of the shoe separated prior to assembly of the shoe as depicted in FIG. 1 . In an embodiment, the panels may be made from leather or other man-made or synthetic material. Each of the panels 20 - 70 depicted in FIGS. 2-8 are shown lying flat on a surface so that they may be easily printed on with logos or other designs. The panels may be decorated using multi-layered digital printing, screen printing, sublimation, ink jet printing, cold and hot peel transfers or fabric dying. In an embodiment the panels 20 - 70 are cut from a single piece of material. Prior to cutting and removing the panels the printing process may be undertaken on the entire flat material so that a portion of each printed design is placed in the predetermined designated area. In an alternate embodiment, the printing process may occur following cutting and removal of the panels form the entire sheet.
[0016] FIG. 2 depicts heel panel 40 . FIG. 3 depicts central toe panel 60 . FIG. 4 depicts toe panel 50 . FIG. 5 depicts lace upper 70 . FIG. 6 depicts rear upper 30 a, 30 b. FIG. 7 depicts side panel 20 a. FIG. 8 depicts side panel 20 b.
[0017] FIG. 4 depicts the toe panel 50 having logo 115 printed at the first designated area 117 a . In an embodiment, the letters that spell “EVANSTON” have been adhered to the panel 50 using a screen printing process. As the toe panel 50 is lying flat, the screen printing process may be accomplished easily and allow for the printing to adhere properly for long lasting duration of the screen printed letters.
[0018] FIGS. 7 and 8 depict side panels 20 a, 20 b. It may be understood that panel 20 a resides on the left side of the shoe as shown in FIG. 1 and panel 20 b resides on the right side of the shoe which is out of sight in FIG. 1 . Panel 20 a, as shown in FIG. 7 , has no design added thereto and is a blank panel. Likewise, FIG. 6 depicts rear panel 30 a, 30 b. It may be understood that the panels wrap around the shoe so that the left portion 30 a wraps around the left side of the shoe as depicted in FIG. 1 and portion 30 b wraps around the right side of the shoe and is out of sight in FIG. 1 .
[0019] Turning to FIG. 9 , the center panel 20 a is depicted on the left and rear panel 30 a is depicted on the right. FIG. 9 depicts these panels 20 a, 30 a after having the logo indicia 110 a , 110 b printed on each individual panel in the second and third designated areas 117 b, 117 c. In this example, the entire logo when put together will read “ETHS” (Evanston Township High School) in an uninterrupted manner. As the logo extends across multiple panels 20 a, 30 a, the printing of the logos occurs separately on each panel. For example, the letters “ET” are printed partially on panel 20 a in the second designated area 117 b. The other portions of the letters “THS” are printed on panel 30 a in the third designated area 117 c. Although in this example, the logo is comprised of alphanumeric symbols, other types of logos, such as animal caricatures or other designs, may be used on the panels. For example, the rear panel 30 a also includes an additional logo in the form of an animal footprint 112 included in third designated area 117 c . But in a similar fashion, those images, designs or indicia will be separated between the first panel 20 a and second panel 30 a, prior to joining the two panels together to form the completed, uninterrupted image or logo.
[0020] It is understood that the above processes provide for a printing process that occurs on panels of the shoe in a flat orientation to allow for easier printing and higher quality images. The present invention solves such disadvantages of previous printing processes.
[0021] The printing of the logo 110 a on panel 20 a accounts for the provision of a seam (non-printed area) 121 , so that no logo appears on the seam that will be placed under the second panel 30 a. The area between arrows x and y comprises the seam or border area 121 . In an embodiment the width of the seam between points x and y may be 1 inch to 1/32 inch. In an embodiment, the blank areas on any portion of the panels including the seam 121 , could be any other color/design that can be overlapping. For example, the seam area 121 could be black or other color or a pattern, instead of being blank. Further, the design can be permitted to run into the seam area, but the overlapping edge from the adjacent panel will compensate for the overlap of the seam on top of the design.
[0022] Turning to FIG. 10 , the panels 20 a and 30 a are shown stitched or adhered together. It can be seen that the seam 121 is covered by the edge 122 of the rear panel 30 a and the area between the arrows x-y is covered by the edge of the rear panel 30 a. By joining the panels 20 a, 30 a in such a manner, the entire logo 110 a, b is depicted in a uniform uninterrupted and combined manner, so that its proper form is depicted on the assembled shoe (also as shown in FIG. 1 ). By assembling the shoe in this fashion, it can be understood that the printing of the shoe panels can be accomplished easily and quickly while the panels are in a flattened state (either as separated panels or a single piece of material). Upon assembly of the shoe using normal assembly procedures, the shoe can be inexpensively ornamented with designs and logos that enhance the attractiveness of the shoe.
[0023] In an embodiment the shoe 10 includes multiple panels arranged and connected to form a shoe upper. Turning to FIG. 9 , a first portion of a design is printed on a first panel 110 a. A second portion of a design is printed on a second panel 110 b. The first panel has a seam 121 formed at an edge 121 a. A first designated area is provided on the first panel 20 a adjacent the seam 121 and terminates at the seam at a termination line 121 b. The first portion of the design is printed in the first designated area 117 b extending at least up to the termination line 121 b . The second panel 30 a has a second designated area 117 c terminating at a termination edge 122 of the material. The first portion of the design 110 a abuts the second portion of the design 110 b where the termination line abuts the termination edge 122 in order to form a continuous, uninterrupted design ( FIG. 10 ). The first portion of the design 117 b is printed so that no portion of the design is present on the seam 121 and all printing terminates at the termination line 121 b.
[0024] It is understood that while the above description was with respect to side panel 20 a and rear panel 30 a, the same procedure could be undertaken for each of the panels of the shoe, so that the entire shoe may have a logo covering the entire expanse of the surfaces on the shoe while the printing is done on each individual panel (or a single piece of material prior to separating into multiple panels) in a coordinated fashion, so that when the panels are assembled, the logo or design fits together as an uninterrupted whole.
[0025] In some embodiments, the process may only merge two panels to construct a complete design/logo. However, the process can in fact be used to provide a complete design over more than two panels and designated areas. In an embodiment a complete design may span for example three panels of the side of the shoe. Further a design or logo may be a uniform color or pattern applied to the panels of the shoe, in some embodiments.
[0026] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made for the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that embodiments of the invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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A shoe has a cohesive design/logo that spans the entirety of the shoe and the design is printed prior to assembly. The panels of the shoe are included on a large piece of material large enough to encompass all the panels of the shoes that will require printing. The print will cover the entire piece of leather and result in what appears to be a segmented logo. Certain areas of the print will include a seam to account for the overlap that will occur when stitching the panels together. The panels will then be cut apart and then stitched together so that the panels of the designs line up in a cohesive and recognizable fashion. The resulting shoe will be one that bears a logo/design that covers multiple panels.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/300,291 filed on Feb. 1, 2010, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to the combined practices of Network Performance Management and Mobile Device Management. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to one or more mobile hosts monitoring one or more data measurements of one or more public wireless networks from one or more terminal nodes of a network, locally storing the collected data, processing the data through an artificial intelligence engine, and periodically communicating the collected data back to a centralized data collection server where it may again be processed through an artificial intelligence engine and stored into a database so it can be viewed with a graphical and analytical front-end user interface.
[0004] 2. Discussion of Background Information
[0005] Within the last two decades, wireless networks and the surrounding ecosystem of mobile computing products have been steadily gaining in market adoption. The promises of wireless adoption include high return on investment, increased mobile worker productivity, ubiquitous public wide area networks, high network speed, and high network security. In many cases, these promises have been realized. However, in many other cases, the value gained from wireless adoption has fallen short of expectations.
[0006] For many enterprises, deployment of mobile solutions and adoption of public wireless networks have included problems such as unexpected overages and fees, dropped calls, lost connections, intermittent coverage, lower than anticipated bandwidth per mobile worker, and variations in network trust. In addition, current trends in public wireless network supply versus demand are expected to drive the elimination of unlimited pricing plans in favor of tiered pricing plans with specified usage limits. These trends will serve to exacerbate the pain currently felt by enterprises trying to manage and control expenses related to their mobile workforce. In addition, with the increased adoption of wireless networks and an increasingly mobile workforce, as well as trends in mobile broadband technology development, enterprises have found that mobile assets are fundamentally more difficult to manage than fixed assets.
[0007] Historically, enterprises have turned to network performance management tools to help control the problems listed above. Unfortunately, most existing products in the marketplace were designed for wired networks and for wireless networks that are fully controlled by the enterprise (ie private WiFi among others).
[0008] Most of the existing products in the marketplace gather performance data on the networks using data collection agents in the network infrastructure (ie routers, switches, among others). When the infrastructure is inaccessible to the enterprise, because the network is public, these tools do not work. In addition, many of the existing products in the marketplace communicate collected data back to a central server using standard protocols such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) or Netflow. While these protocols work well on traditional wired networks, they are chatty, inefficient, and result in inflated network usage costs when used on public wireless networks.
[0009] In addition standard systems developed for wired networks rely on snap shots of data being available to build historical knowledge of how a systems state varies over time. For example, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) will continually poll a device for network statistics taking a temporal snap shot of the state of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) stack at the instant of each poll. This snapshot of data is then stored on a server for future analysis. These standards based management systems have gaps in knowledge created by intermittent connectivity when running over wireless networks due to regions of low signal and connectivity errors. If a mobile device is unable to connect when a sample is requested by an SNMP management system the mobile device's state at that instant and location is lost forever and cannot be used for future analysis.
[0010] Another example demonstrating the limitations in the current state of the art for network management systems is RFC 3954 Cisco Systems NetFlow Services Export Version 9, and in particular to section “3.3—Transport Protocol.” The disclosure of RFC 3954 is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The system is designed without regard for congestion—let alone intermittent connectivity. RFC 3954 recommends a dedicated link from the data collection agent to the server specifically to avoid solving the congestion or intermittent connectivity problems. This type of system obviously cannot allow an enterprise to manage their use of public wireless networks.
[0011] Also, the performance characteristics of wireless networks are unique from wired networks in that they vary over space and time. Two points, separated by space, can and often will experience differing levels of network quality on a wireless network. Further, measurements of network quality on a wireless network for a single point in space but with measurements separated in time often vary as well. Traditional network performance management systems do not collect Geographical/Geospatial Information System (GIS) location as the data collection agents are deployed to network infrastructure hosts that are fixed in space. Traditional systems do not account for network measurements collected over time and correlated to a dynamic GIS location.
[0012] Therefore, a need exists for enterprises to collect data about devices using public wireless networks and the network performance that the device experienced over time correlated to device GIS location so that enterprises can determine problematic devices and so that enterprises can determine problematic areas of the public wireless network. Additionally a method is needed to maintain the historical knowledge of how a device's state (location, packet counts, signal strength, running applications, processes, errors etc) changes over time even when the device is in areas of poor signal strength preventing a good connection or simply is intermittently connected to a network so that historical trends can be monitored without loss of information. Additionally, a need exists to collect data about devices using public wireless networks and their network usage levels over time and location so that enterprises can control costs associated with excess usage or costs associated with under-used devices. Additionally, a need exists to collect data about highly mobile devices equipment inventories and usage patterns so that enterprises can better manage mobile assets. Additionally, a need exists to minimize bandwidth requirements of transmitting collected data to a central server so as to minimize usage cost overhead of doing so. Additionally, a need exists to facilitate analysis of the collected data to ease the burden of the above mentioned problems by making all collected data accessible in a graphical front end reporting system that provides GIS map and chart based visualizations of the correlations among the collected data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] In view of the foregoing, an aspect of the present invention is directed to provide for a network performance management system with data collection agents in the terminal nodes of the network.
[0014] Embodiments of the invention are directed to a wireless network performance management system that includes at least one collection agent for collecting data related to at least one of service coverage; service quality; and usage of public and/or private data networks for enterprise clients; and a reporting unit to graphically represent the collected data to at least one of track, troubleshoot, and analyze the one of the service coverage; the service quality; and the usage of public and/or private data networks for the enterprise clients.
[0015] According to an aspect of the present invention, data collection agents reside on Mobile Devices that represent the terminal nodes of the network.
[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, data collection agents are capable of dynamically discovering active network interfaces for wireless networks accessible to the Mobile Device.
[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, data collection agents are capable of dynamically discovering active GPS interfaces on the Mobile Device.
[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, data collection agents are capable of collecting data against multiple networks simultaneously with the multiple interfaces to similar networks (bandwidth aggregation) or to dissimilar networks (roaming).
[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, data collection agents are capable of continuing to collect data even when the Mobile Device is not connected to a network or is only intermittently connected to a network.
[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, data collection agents are resilient to network unreliability and congestion through the use of persistent buffering on the Mobile Device on which the data collection agent resides.
[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, data is collected that pertains to the Mobile Device including device name, device manufacturer, operating system version, and logged in user name, among others.
[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, data is collected that pertains to the applications and processes running on a Mobile Device including start times, end times, process ids, executable names, network flows created by the process, security contexts, protocols used, ports used, interfaces used, and IP addresses, among others.
[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, data is collected that pertains to specific network interface devices and the activity occurring on each including name, manufacture, hardware version, firmware version, driver version, phone number, maximum technology capability, technology used, home carrier, active carrier, cell tower ID, signal strength, transport layer retries, MTU sizes, packet loss, latency and jitter, and efficiency, among others.
[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention, location of a mobile device over time is collected.
[0025] According to another aspect of the present invention, all other collected data is correlated to both time and the location of the mobile device.
[0026] According to another aspect of the present invention, data collection agents are capable of varying the rate of data collection in relation to the velocity of the mobile device for the purpose of achieving a more uniform geographic data distribution
[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention, data collection agents are capable of compressing data element values over time, such as signal strength among others, using the Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm.
[0028] According to another aspect of the present invention, an anonymous reporting mode is provided by which all information that could be used to identify a user are removed from the data collection and reporting. This would include but is not limited to device name, user name, phone number, location etc.
[0029] According to another aspect of the present invention, an artificial intelligence engine is provided that is capable of monitoring environmental conditions, data collection instant values and data collection trends, evaluating the monitored values against configured rules, and triggering certain actions when the evaluated rules indicate to do so.
[0030] According to another aspect of the present invention, an artificial intelligence engine can operate on the Mobile Device, on the Server, or on both.
[0031] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided to configure artificial intelligence engine rules with billing period time-ranges, usage limits, and notification email address so as to provide automatic email warnings when usage limits are projected to be exceeded.
[0032] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided to configure artificial intelligence engine rules with billing period time-ranges and usage limits so as to provide automatic disabling of network interfaces to prevent usage and cost overages.
[0033] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided to configure artificial intelligence engine rules to inform the user that is in a region of poor coverage the nearest region of good network coverage so the user can relocate for the purpose of continuing network communications.
[0034] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for a graphical reporting user interface that provides various reports based on the data collected by the data collection agents.
[0035] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided that correlates device characteristics with network characteristics over time and location for the purpose of auditing public network billing statements, identifying and managing over-used, under-used, and problematic devices, and to troubleshoot performance problems occurring in the networks.
[0036] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided on the applications and processes in use on a Mobile Device.
[0037] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided on the percentage of total network usage caused by specific applications, processes, and users.
[0038] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided on application transaction time as they vary over time, location, cell tower, carrier, phone number, modem manufacture, device manufacture, device driver version etc to identify reasons for variations in performance.
[0039] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided on application performance such as application bytes sent and received as they vary over time, location, cell tower, carrier, phone number, modem manufacture, device manufacture, device driver version etc to identify reasons for variations in performance.
[0040] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided on the security account used to launch applications and processes.
[0041] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided on the list of flows created by applications and processes.
[0042] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided on what protocols, ports, interfaces, IP addresses, and networks are used by specific applications as they vary over time, location, carrier, cell tower.
[0043] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided on all transport layer packets and tracking the state of each TCP connection including protocol state, window size, TCP options, timestamp options, selective acknowledgment (SACK) metrics, minimum, maximum, average, and standard deviation of round trip times, retries, total bytes sent and received as they vary over time, location, cell tower, carrier, phone number, modem manufacture, device manufacture, device driver version etc to identify reasons for variations in performance.
[0044] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided tracing a device route over time overlaid on top of mapping software while indicating the variations in signal strength, technology type, error rates, transport layer performance, network layer performance and application layer performance.
[0045] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided replaying a device route over time overlaid on top of mapping software while indicating the variations in signal strength, technology type, error rates, transport layer performance, network layer performance and application layer performance.
[0046] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided that can be configured with billing period time-ranges so as to provide appropriate usage and cost projections.
[0047] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided that predicts roaming charges as indicated by device total bytes sent and received while doing international roaming.
[0048] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided that distinguishes between non billable roaming and billable roaming.
[0049] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided that indicates home network and partner networks visited by location.
[0050] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided that indicates visited cell towers.
[0051] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided and score cards for comparing performance of different carriers by time, location, modem manufacture, device manufacture, device driver version, OS types, OS version, protocol type such as IPv4 or IPv6 , and VPN type.
[0052] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided on memory consumption, CPU, semaphores, locks and other operating system resources.
[0053] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided showing location usage densities by geographic regions to report number of users, devices, and byte counts by location.
[0054] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided by protocols, such as the interne protocol version in use, e.g., IPv4 or IPv6, by location, time and carrier.
[0055] According to another aspect of the present invention, a report is provided that will list the nearest N users in the devices network by location for the purpose of knowing who is nearby to assist the user when needed.
[0056] Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method that includes collecting data related to at least one of service coverage; service quality; and usage of public and/or private data networks for enterprise clients, and graphically displaying the collected data to at least one of track, troubleshoot, and analyze the one of the service coverage; the service quality; and the usage of public and/or private data networks for the enterprise clients.
[0057] Other exemplary embodiments and advantages of the present invention may be ascertained by reviewing the present disclosure and the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0058] The present invention is further described in the detailed description which follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:
[0059] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the various components of the present invention;
[0060] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the data collection agent component of the present invention;
[0061] FIG. 3 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a data collection agent monitoring more than one network simultaneously;
[0062] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a data collection agent varying the data collection rate in correlation to the velocity of the mobile device;
[0063] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a data series over time being compressed using the Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm;
[0064] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a specific data element (RSSI) over time being compressed using the Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm;
[0065] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary configuration file, according to an aspect of the present invention;
[0066] FIG. 8 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, the correlated data elements collected by the data collection agents and stored in the central data repository;
[0067] FIG. 9 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a block diagram of an artificial intelligence engine that evaluates environmental conditions, data collection instant values, and data collection trends;
[0068] FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an exemplary configuration file for configuring the rules that drive the artificial intelligence engine;
[0069] FIG. 11 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a table of conditions for artificial intelligence rules, with associated business problems that the conditions may help to address;
[0070] FIG. 12 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a list of predicates that can qualify conditions used in artificial intelligence rules;
[0071] FIG. 13 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a list of actions that can be taken when a configured set of predicates and conditions evaluate to true while the Artificial Intelligence engine processes a rule;
[0072] FIG. 14 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a business intelligence report, derived from the data elements collected by the data collection agents over time and location that provides insight into actual data activity and predicted carrier billing levels;
[0073] FIG. 15 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a business intelligence report, derived from the data elements collected by the data collection agents over time and location that provides insight into the productivity performance of a population of mobile devices;
[0074] FIG. 16 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a business intelligence report, derived from the data elements collected by the data collection agents over time and location that provides insight into managing the asset inventory of a population of mobile devices;
[0075] FIG. 17 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a business intelligence report, derived from the data elements collected by the data collection agents over time and location that provides insight into the performance of wireless networks over space and time; and
[0076] FIG. 18 illustrates, in one exemplary embodiment, a business intelligence report, derived from the data elements collected by the data collection agents over time and location that provides insight into the location of a set of Mobile Devices over time.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0077] The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the present invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice.
[0078] The present invention is a distributed network performance management system. As such, it is composed of data collection agents located on the terminal nodes of the system and a central server comprised of a web server, a database, and an artificial intelligence engine 8 . FIG. 1 shows an overall system component diagram with Mobile Devices 1 on which the data collection agents reside, Wireless Networks 4 , 5 of which multiple networks may be simultaneously in use, a Web Server 6 that both receives collected data and provides access to the reports based on that data, a Database 7 that provides the historical data storage for the system, and an Artificial Intelligence Engine 8 that receives incoming data from the Mobile Devices 1 and reads historical data from the Database 7 to evaluate rules and take actions as warranted.
[0079] By way of example, Mobile Devices 1 can include laptops, netbooks, smartphones, handheld devices, workstations, PDAs, iPads, tablet computers, etc.. Further, wireless networks 4 , 5 can include WiFi, cellular networks technologies such as WiMax, 3G, 4G and Long Term Evolution (LTE), as well as other radio networks. Web server 6 can include Internet Information Service (IIS), Apache Tomcat, Oracle HTTP Server and others. Database 7 can include MySQL, SQL Server, dBASE, Microsoft Access, etc. Artificial Intelligence Engine 8 can include automatic system-generated notifications and alerts, policy enforcement, conditional system responses based on the nature and content of collected information.
[0080] The primary advantage to a distributed network performance management system with data collection agents located on the terminal nodes of the network is the ability to perform measurements on public networks that are neither owned nor controlled by the party operating the performance management system. The data collection agents can include software drivers, software agents, firmware, or embedded hardware (or combinations thereof) in the mobile devices. In addition, since the Mobile Devices 1 , which make up most of the terminal nodes of public wireless networks, often make use of multiple public wireless networks, the current invention is capable of monitoring the performance of multiple networks simultaneously. Further, the Mobile Devices 1 using public wireless networks are generally moving through space thereby making location a data measurement that, when correlated to other network performance measures, offers unique advantages to enterprises wishing to monitor the performance of their mobile workforce.
[0081] Terminal nodes of the mobile network are where the data collection agents are located. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a data collection agent 9 in the present invention. In FIG. 2 , the Controller 10 coordinates the actions of all of the other entities in Data Collection agent 9 , which as noted above, can be formed or implemented in hardware, software and/or firmware or an combinations thereof. The Controller 10 is the entity that receives and processes commands from the User Interface 18 . By way of non-limiting example, the User Interface 18 may be a graphical user interface on a Windows machine, Linux machine, MAC OS machine, text file, web interface or serial port, or the User Interface 18 may be a configuration file stored in a database in Mobile Device 1 or encrypted in a secure file and accessible from locations such as a secure server, another device, or a web-based interface. By way of non-limiting example, the User Interface 18 may send commands that get or set configuration, start or stop the data collection agent, view the current operational status of the various data collectors (network, system, location) and their most recently collected data, and retrieve debugging information among other possible commands.
[0082] In FIG. 2 , the Controller 10 creates and controls the Collector Manager 11 , the Data Storage Manager 14 , the Transmission Manager 12 , and the Adapter Manager 13 .
[0083] The Collector Manager 11 is responsible for controlling each of the individual collectors including the Location Collector 17 , the System Collector 15 , and each of the Network Collectors 16 . The Collector Manager 11 creates both the Location Data Collector 17 and the System Collector 15 , which run for the lifetime of data collection agent 9 . A network Collector 16 is created by the Adapter Manager 13 for each network interface created for a detected available network for Mobile Device 1 and then provided to the Collector Manager 11 . The Collector Manager 11 is responsible for periodically retrieving collected data from each of the collectors, formatting that data, and storing it in the Data Storage Manager 14 .
[0084] The System Collector 15 is responsible for collecting all system data from the Mobile Device 1 . System data includes all data that is not specific to either location of the Mobile Device 1 or to a particular network interface. By way of non-limiting example, the System Collector 15 may collect information pertaining to the applications and processes running on a Mobile Device 1 , network connection and flows associated with the applications and processes running on a Mobile Device 1 , the security principal associated with the applications and presses running on a Mobile Device 1 , the network transaction time associated with flows that are associated with the applications and processes running on a Mobile Device 1 , the protocol state, window size, TCP options, timestamp options, SACK metrics, minimum, maximum, average, and standard deviation of round trip times, retries, total bytes sent and received, the protocol type (such as, e.g., IPv4 or IPv6 or future generations thereof) for flows associated with applications or processes running on the Mobile Device 1 , the OS type and version running on the Mobile Device 1 , the virtual private network (VPN) type and version running on the Mobile Device 1 , and the memory consumption, CPU, semaphores, locks and other operating system resources that are available and in-use on the Mobile Device 1 .
[0085] Most modern operating systems, e.g., Windows, Android, Linux, IOS, OSX as well as embedded Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) systems used in automobiles, appliances and interactive telematics services such as Onstar and FleetMatics, could be used to access the information that the System Collector 15 provides. For example, the Windows operating systems provide full support and documentation for the Windows Filtering Platform. This platform can be used to acquire much of the information required by the System Collector 17 . Similar frameworks exist on other modern operating systems.
[0086] The Location Collector 17 is responsible for finding a global positioning system (GPS) device embedded within or attached to the mobile device by scanning all available serial ports. Then, using serial port sharing technology, well-known by those practiced in the arts using such standard knowledge as exists in products offered by Eltima and Fabulatech, the Location Collector 17 will retrieve incoming GPS data over the serial port and report it for correlation with all other data returned by all other collectors. This position information is reported to Web Server 6 for insertion into Database 7 for display and/or further analysis. The position information can also be forwarded to Artificial Intelligence Engine 8 for analysis and reporting additional information & conclusions, and taking action to report and inform potential users of this information. The manner of correlating the GPS and other data is by time and device, along with other device-specific and network-specific information that is collected.
[0087] The Network Collector 16 is responsible for collecting data specific to a particular network interface. While the exemplary embodiments of the invention are directed to wide area networks, it is understood that other type networks can also be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the invention. In this regard, it is understood that the Network Collector concept described in this application could be expanded by those ordinarily skilled in the art to include other network types, such as, by way of non-limiting example, LAN and WLAN networks, cellular networks, satellite networks, WiFi, WiMax, etc. without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. Often, the Network Collector will make use of Software Developer Kit (SDK) libraries, provided by networking device manufacturers, to access the information it requires. Sometimes however, the information is available through standard devices in the platform operating system. One example of a standard devices provided by the operating system is the example given above about the Windows Filtering Platform. Given a choice of equally accurate data, embodiments of the present invention may preferably use standard mechanisms in the platform operating system. Alternatively, advantageous results can also be achieved through the use of vendor SDK's. The Network Collector 16 collects information such as cell tower, phone number, modem manufacture, device manufacture, device driver version, firmware version, maximum technology capability, active technology type, roaming status, home network carrier, active network carrier, signal strength, transport layer retries, MTU sizes, packet loss, latency, jitter, efficiency, as well as bytes and packets sent and received over the network by the Mobile Device 1 . Then the Data Storage Manager 14 and the Transmission Manager 12 stores, and transmits the information at specified intervals. As noted above, network collector 16 is created for each network available to mobile device 1 . In an exemplary embodiment, Network Collector 16 can be, e.g., a WAN Collector that collects data for an available WAN network. Additionally or alternatively, a Network Collector 16 can also be created as a WiFi Collector and/or another Mobile Network Technology Collector providing similar functionality for those network types and/or other WAN Collectors for other available WAN networks.
[0088] For some user groups, the amount of information collected may be considered too much. Specifically, such user groups may have privacy concerns with the amount of data collected. For such user groups, the present invention provides for “Anonymous Mode” data collection. In this mode of data collection, the collection of all data that could be used to identify the user of the Mobile Device 1 that is collecting the data can be disabled. By way of non-limiting example, such data may include username, machine name, VPN IP Address, and location, among others. In many cases, these user groups may want more control over when “Anonymous Mode” is enabled. For these user groups, “Anonymous Mode” may be enabled/disabled for individual devices or for groups of devices based on time-of-day ranges, day-of-week ranges, and days-of-the-month ranges.
[0089] The Data Storage Manager 14 is responsible for maintaining a fast, persistent, and low-overhead data queue. It receives and stores collected data from the Collector Manager 11 . The data is stored in a FIFO (first-in-first-out) or “queue” format. When requested by the Transmission Manager 12 , the Data Storage Manager 14 provides stored data to the Transmission Manager 12 so that the data can be sent to the Web Server 6 . The Data Storage Manager 14 provides this information in a transactional manner. If the Transmission Manager 12 fails to successfully send the data to the Web Server 6 , then the stored data won't be removed from the Data Storage Manager 14 . But if the Transmission Manager 12 does successfully send the data to the Web Server 6 , then the stored data will be removed from the Data Storage Manager 14 . In addition, the Data Storage Manager 14 will maintain limits on the amount of data it will store. In one exemplary embodiment, the limits on data storage capacity are configurable. There are various ways in which the storage limit may be enforced including, by way of non-limiting example discarding the newest collected data or discarding the oldest collected data. In one exemplary embodiment, the data discard policy is configurable.
[0090] The Transmission Manager 12 is responsible for transmitting collected data from the Data Storage Manager 14 to the Web Server 6 at appropriate times. The Transmission Manager 12 maintains a minimum transmit frequency. In an exemplary embodiment, the minimum transmit frequency is configurable. If there is data to send and the minimum transmit frequency has elapsed since the last transmission, the Transmission Manager 12 will attempt to send the data to the Web Server 6 . The Web Server 6 will return a positive acknowledgement to the Transmission Manager 12 after it has stored all transmitted data thereby ensuring no data loss. All data sent by the Transmission Manager 12 is compressed by the Transmission Manager 12 and decompressed by the Web Server 6 using an industry standard compression algorithm. By way of non-limiting example, the compression and decompression algorithms may be similar to that which is described by RFC 1950, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0091] The Adapter Manager 13 is responsible for monitoring the networking interfaces that are available on the Mobile Device 1 . When the Adapter Manager 13 identifies that a network interface has become available, it creates a new instance of a Network Collector 16 and provides that instance to the Collector Manager 11 so that the Collector Manager 11 can periodically retrieve collected data from it to be stored and forwarded to both the Data Storage Manager 14 and the Artificial Intelligence Engine 19 . When the Adapter Manager 13 identifies that an existing network interface has become unavailable, it removes the associated Network Collector 16 from the Collector Manager 11 and destroys it.
[0092] The Artificial Intelligence Engine 19 is fundamentally the same entity as the Artificial Intelligence Engine 8 in FIG. 1 . The main difference between these two entities is that artificial intelligence engine 8 in FIG. 1 resides on the server and the artificial intelligence engine 19 in FIG. 2 resides in the data collection agent 9 in the Mobile Device 1 . The Artificial Intelligence Engine 8 , 19 is discussed later.
[0093] The present invention is capable of monitoring multiple networks simultaneously by creating multiple Network Collector 16 entities. In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention is deployed on a multiprocessor Microsoft Server 2008 (R2) platform yielding true simultaneous use of the networks. FIG. 3 shows, by way of non-limiting example, two Network Collector 16 entities simultaneously monitoring two networks including a Code Division Multiple Access Evolved Data Optimized (CDMA EV-DO) 20 network and a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) 21 network.
[0094] The present invention is capable of continuing to collect data measurements even when the Mobile Device is not connected to an active network or is only intermittently connected to an active network. Data will continue to be collected from all available collectors until the device is connected to an active network, at which time it will be transmitted.
[0095] By way of non-limiting example, on every Mobile Device 1 , for each collector identified by the Adapter Manager 13 , the system, location and network data can be aggregated by Collector Manager 11 and queued in Data Storage Manager 14 . The queued data can then sent by Transmission Manager 12 at specified intervals to Web Server 6 . If Mobile Device 1 is not connected to an active network at the end of such an interval, the data can continue to be stored in Data Storage Manager 14 until such time as an active network connection is detected. At that time, all accumulated data may be transmitted to Web Server 6 , through either a Wireless Network 4 , 5 , or another network interface, such as a WLAN or LAN connection. The Collection Manager 11 continues to accept data from each collector, whether Mobile Device 1 is connected to a network or not.
[0096] While the present invention is not limited to wireless networks and mobile terminal nodes of the network, this environment provides striking advantages. However, in a network environment with mobile terminal nodes, some new challenges arise.
[0097] One of the unique challenges that arise from the application of the present invention to public wireless networks and mobile terminal nodes is the lack of data uniformity that can arise from variations in the velocity of the mobile terminal nodes.
[0098] If a Mobile Device 1 collects data at a constant rate regardless of the velocity of the Mobile Device 1 , then it will collect more data points over the same geographical region when it is travelling slowly than when it is travelling quickly. And in many applications of the collected data, a more uniform geographic distribution of the collected data is more desirable. By way of non-limiting example, if the collected data were used to generate a coverage map of relative signal strength across a geographic region, then a uniform distribution of data would yield a more accurate coverage map than a geographic distribution of data with areas of dense data points where the Mobile Devices 1 were travelling slowly and more sparse data points where the Mobile Devices 1 where travelling quickly.
[0099] Therefore, the present invention has the capability to vary the data collection rate in accordance with the velocity of the Mobile Device 1 . FIG. 4 shows a Mobile Device 1 travelling for 60 minutes at 20 MPH and collecting 5 samples during that time. FIG. 4 also shows a Mobile Device 1 travelling also for 60 minutes but at a rate of 60 MPH. In this second example, 13 samples were taken. In an exemplary embodiment, a variable sampling rate, proportional to vehicle velocity, can be used to produce representative samples for a given area regardless of the speed of the devices traveling through it. Devices that are traveling at higher speeds would have a higher sampling rate than those moving more slowly. A minimum sampling rate can be used for devices that are stationary or are moving very slowly.
[0100] Another unique challenge that arises from the application of the present invention to public wireless networks and mobile terminal nodes is the need to minimize the use of network overhead. The cost of using a public wireless networks is generally directly related to the amount of data transmitted over the network. Therefore, a strong need exists to minimize the amount of network bandwidth consumed by a system intended to monitor the performance of the network.
[0101] One method employed by the present invention is to apply the Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm to many different types of data points collected over time.
[0102] The Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm is a polyline simplification algorithm. In other words, it smoothes out a line, within a specified tolerance level, so that a close approximation of the line can be retained while eliminating many of the individual data points comprising that line. Almost all data values collected over time can be graphed on an X-Y graph with the X axis being time and the Y axis being the value of the data. Therefore, the Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm can be applied to such a graph maintaining a close approximation of the data value over time with a vast reduction in the actual collected values over time.
[0103] FIG. 5 shows the concept of the Douglas Peucker reduction algorithm and FIG. 6 shows the Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm applied to the signal strength data measurement of a wireless network over time.
[0104] In Douglas-Peucker reduction, a polyline is processed recursively. On each pass, the endpoints of the line are connected and the distance between each remaining point on the line and the new line connecting the endpoints is calculated. If the distance of the furthest point is less than the specified tolerance value, then the remaining data points are discarded. Otherwise, the furthest point becomes a new vertex, new lines are drawn from it to the original endpoints, and the distance versus tolerance values are recalculated for all remaining points on the new lines. This process continues recursively until all points are within tolerance and have either been eliminated or have been made into a vertex.
[0105] Referring to FIG. 5 , graphs 31 through 35 show the evolution of a Douglas-Peucker reduction against a polyline. Graph 31 shows the original polyline with 8 data points. Graph 32 shows the first iteration of the Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm with a line being drawn between the two endpoints, the furthest point from the new line identified, and new lines being drawn to the new vertex. Graph 33 shows the second iteration in which the first segment created in graph 32 is within tolerance and the second data point in the line discarded and in which the second segment created in graph 32 has a furthest point that is out of tolerance. So a new vertex is created on the polyline. Graph 34 shows the third iteration which results in a new vertex. Graph 35 shows the final resulting line which is a close approximation of the original line but with three of the original eight data points eliminated.
[0106] Douglas-Peucker reduction can be applied to any scalar data measurement taken over time since such measurements can be translated into an XY line graph. By way of non-limiting example, some of the data elements for which Douglas-Peucker reduction is applicable include: Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), battery remaining, geographic location, data xmit/recv rates, error rates, temperature, among others.
[0107] Referring to FIG. 6 , the application of the Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm is demonstrated for the signal strength data measurement that a Mobile Device 1 experiences for a wireless network over time. Line 40 shows all of the individual RSSI measurements taken over time. Line 41 shows the line resulting from Douglas-Peucker reduction with the arrows between Line 40 and Line 41 showing the points that were retained in the Douglas-Peucker reduction. All of the original data measurements without corresponding arrows between line 40 and line 41 were discarded in the Douglas-Peucker reduction. Finally, line 42 shows the polyline translated back into the minimal subset of raw measurements required to reproduce the original trend-line of data measurements with high accuracy.
[0108] Another unique challenge that arises from the environment of the present invention is the mitigation of privacy concerns. Since the present invention collects data on end-user devices and since the present invention collects location information, both the end-users and the enterprise administrators may want to limit the amount and types of data collected so as to ensure end-user privacy. The present invention has the ability to disable the collection of data elements that might lead to end-user identification. Such data elements include location, IP Address, User Name, and Device Name, among others. By way of non-limiting example, the ability to control the collection of these data elements may be applied by device identity, geographic location, hour of day, and day of week among others.
[0109] Referring to FIG. 2 , the User Interface 18 of the data collection agent 9 on the Mobile Device 1 may be comprised of a graphical user interface offering the ability to get and set configuration settings that control the behavior of the data collection agents. It is also contemplated that one ordinarily skilled in the art may use a User Interface 18 that include a configuration file. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary embodiment of such a configuration file. In the configuration file, there are settings for enabling/disabling the data collection, enabling/disabling anonymous data collection, enabling/disabling location data collection, enabling/disabling public wireless network data collection, controlling the data collection rate, controlling the tolerance for the Douglas-Peucker reduction algorithm, controlling local data storage behavior, controlling access to the GPS devices, and specifying the manner in which to connect to the Web Server 6 .
[0110] All of the data collection agents on the Mobile Devices 1 periodically send all collected data, in compressed form, to the Web Server 6 . The primary responsibility of the Web Server 6 is to ensure that the data is reliably stored in the Database 7 . The Database 7 is the entity in the present invention that is responsible for storing all historical data collected by the data collection agents, correlating that data, and making it available to the rest of the system for later retrieval. In one embodiment, the Database 7 may be implemented as an object oriented database, but can also be implemented as a relational database or any other type of database. By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 8 shows an exemplary database entity-relationship diagram for a relational database implementation of the Database 7 . Referring to FIG. 8 , box 50 is an exemplary table where each record describes a Mobile Device 1 . As such, it contains columns representing, e.g., Device Name and a unique identifier among others. By way of non-limiting example, the unique identifier may take the form of a universally unique identifier (UUID). Box 51 is the deviceuser table where each record represents a user that has logged onto a Mobile Device 1 . The records in this table contain columns such as username and a unique identifier among others. The device table 50 and the deviceuser table 51 are both related to the deviceuserstatus table 52 . The deviceuserstatus table is a historical record of each time any deviceuser has logged onto any device. As such, it maintains timestamps as well as references to the device table 50 and the deviceuser table 51 among other columns. The device table 50 is also related to the devicetype table 54 which serves to categorize records in the device table 50 into groups of similar hardware and software platforms. By way of non-limiting example, device types may include laptops, smartphones, handhelds, workstations, among others. The device table 50 is also related to the network interface adapter table 55 . Each record in the network interface adapter table 55 represents a networking device that may be used by a particular Mobile Device 1 over a particular period of time and therefore contains columns such as timestamps, references to records from the device table 58 , and various characteristics of the networking device such as manufacturer and firmware version among others. The network interface adapter table 55 also relates to the network technology table 57 . The network technology table 57 contains records that describe types of network technologies used by cards to access public wireless networks. By way of non-limiting example, network technology types may include HSDPA, CDMA EV-DO, and GPRS among others. The network interface adapter table 55 relates to the network technology table 57 record that represents the highest technology type of which the network interface adapter record is capable. Records in the networksession table 58 represent the discrete periods of time bounded by the time that a network interface card connected to a network and the time that it disconnected from that network. All network and location measurements taken by a data collector must, by definition, fall within the bounds of a networksession 58 . Related to the networksession 58 records, are the networkstatisticslocated 59 records. These records contain statistical information for a discrete sub-period of time within a networksession 58 . These record types contain references back to the associated networksession records, timestamps, network carrier identifiers, and transmit and receive byte counts, among others. The carrier references in these records refer to the carrier table 56 . The carrier table 56 represents a particular network provider and contains identifying information about that carrier. By way of non-limiting example, the carrier table 52 may contain a NID and SID value for a CDMA network or it may contain a MCC and MNC value for GSM networks. The networkstatisticslocated 59 table is also related to the gpssegment 60 table. Whenever network measurements are collected, any location data that can be correlated with the collected data are added to the gpssegment 60 table. The network session table 58 is also related to the ApplicationStatus table 62 . Each record in the ApplicationStatus table 62 represents an instance of a running application. As such, each record contains a start time and an end time. Each record also contains a reference to the Application table 61 . The application table 61 contains a record for each unique combination of application name and version in the system. Also related to the ApplicationStatus 62 table, are the ApplicationTcpFlow 63 and ApplicationUdpFlow 64 tables. These tables represent snapshots in time of traffic statistics between two endpoints by a particular application. Therefore, each of these records refers to a record in the ApplicationStatus table 62 . Each also contains the IP address and port of the remote endpoint as well as byte and packet counts sent and received between the two endpoints during the time period represented by the current record. Periodically, the database 7 must purge its oldest data in order to control maximum resource consumption. In one embodiment, this may be performed on-demand by a system administrator. In an alternate embodiment, the system administrator may configure this to occur automatically according to a configured schedule.
[0111] Both the Mobile Device 1 and the Web Server 6 may contain an Artificial Intelligence engine 8 , 19 , respectively, which is described with the block diagram in FIG. 9 . The Artificial Intelligence Engine 8 , 19 is configured with a series of Rules 84 . Rules 84 are composed of one or more Conditions 82 and one or more Actions 83 . Conditions 82 are composed of one or more Predicates 89 , zero or more Condition Parameters 81 and one or more Condition States 80 . By way of non-limiting example, the conditions may be evaluated by the Rules Engine 85 applying Rule(s) 84 against Instant Values 86 of data measurements, Historical Trend Values 86 of collected data, Environmental Values 88 or a combination thereof.
[0112] When the Rules Engine 85 starts, it first reads all configured rules. In one exemplary embodiment, the rules may be retrieved over the network from a database or other network service. In another exemplary embodiment, the rules may be configured in a configuration file controlled on either Mobile Device 1 or downloaded to the Mobile Device 1 as needed from Server 6 . By way of non-limiting example, an exemplary configuration file is shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B depicted in XML format. In FIG. 10A , there are a series of Action 90 elements. Action 90 elements describe actions that may be taken when the Conditions 82 and Predicates 89 evaluate to true. By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 10A shows an Action 90 element that contains an Action of type “SMTP”. This type of action causes an email message to be sent. Following the Action 90 elements, the configuration file of FIG. 10A shows a series of Predicate 92 elements. Predicates 92 are used to qualify a Condition 93 but are not full Conditions 93 themselves. Next in the file, the Conditions 93 are listed. Conditions 93 contain both Configuration parameters and State parameters. Configuration parameters are specified when the rule is created. State parameters values are set when a Condition 93 is evaluated by the Rules Engine 85 ( FIG. 9 ). Finally, after the Conditions 93 , the configuration file in FIG. 10B lists a series of Rules 94 . Rules 94 are comprised of a series of references to Conditions 93 and Actions 90 . Rules 94 are also configured with Trigger and Reset messages each of which may contain state or configuration parameter values from any of the referenced Conditions 93 .
[0113] Conditions 82 and Predicates 89 represent the evaluation side of the rules engine 85 . Actions 83 represent what happens after evaluation completes. Conditions 82 are primitives in the present invention that can accept input parameters and produce output parameters. By way of non-limiting example, various examples of Conditions 82 are listed in FIG. 11 . The first example describes a condition that evaluates to true if a Mobile Device 1 has not successfully communicated with the Web Server 6 within a configurable number of minutes. By way of non-limiting example, the artificial intelligence engine 8 in the data collection agent 9 on the Mobile Device 1 may use this condition in a rule that reconfigures the data collection interval on the present invention to collect data more rapidly. Such a reconfiguration based on real-time feedback may aid troubleshooting by providing more dense data collection in problem hot-spots. Also by way of non-limiting example, the artificial intelligence engine 19 on the Web Server 6 may use this condition in a rule that sends an SMTP message to a system administrator. Other Conditions are described by way of non-limiting example in FIG. 11 including Conditions 82 to assist with troubleshooting applications running on the Mobile Device 1 , managing over and under utilization of devices and public network usage plans, detecting problems in the performance of the public network, and detecting usage patterns of company resources.
[0114] Sometimes the data set against which conditions are evaluated should be limited. This is the purpose of Predicates 89 . Non-limiting examples of predicates used in the present invention are listed in FIG. 12 . Using the example Predicates 89 in FIG. 12 , the evaluation of Conditions 82 can be limited to specific users, Mobile Devices 1 , groups of users and Mobile Devices 1 , devices using network interfaces with specific phone numbers, devices operating in a defined geographic area, devices with particular attributes or using network interface devices with particular attributes, specific days of the week or times of the day, or devices experiencing specific operating environments such as a signal strength above or below a particular threshold for a particular period of time.
[0115] Actions 83 are taken based on the evaluation of Conditions 82 and Predicates 89 . Actions 83 are executed when Conditions evaluate to true. Actions 83 may be stateful, meaning that they execute both when the conditions and predicates evaluate to true, and then again when they subsequently evaluate to false. Such stateful Actions 83 , only trigger when the evaluation state transitions from true to false or from false to true.
[0116] By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 13 describes some examples of the types of Actions 83 that are part of the present invention. Actions 83 of type SMTP send email messages. This type of Action 83 is configured with the IP Address and Port of the SMTP server as well as the “To” and “From” address, subject line, message, and any additional attachments to the email message. Actions 83 of type SMTP can also be used to send SMS messages through the SMS gateways of most major public network carriers. Actions 83 of type SNMP send a trap to a management station and are configured with the ip address and port of the management station, the community string, and the OID of the trap. Actions 83 of type ModifySystem are used to modify the configuration of the local operating environment in which the present invention is operating. Actions 83 of this type are configured with the key of the setting to change and the value to which the setting should be changed. By way of non-limiting example, this Action 83 may be used to modify the Windows Registry. Actions 83 of type ModifyConfig are used to modify the run-time configuration of the present invention. Actions 83 of this type are also configured with the key of the setting to change and the value to which the setting should be changed. By way of non-limiting example, if a condition evaluated to indicate that a Mobile Device 1 was experiencing network trouble, this Action 83 may be used to increase the data collection frequency in an effort to gather more data about the problem. Actions 83 of type ToggleRule are used to enable or disable other artificial intelligence Rules 84 and are simply configured with the identifier of the Rule 84 to be acted upon. Actions 83 of this type can be used to create complex chains of rules. Another example of a Action 83 type in the present invention is LaunchProcess. Actions 83 of this type are used to launch additional processes on the local system and are configured with the path to the image to launch, the image name, and any additional parameters to be supplied to the process. When rules are configured, the values for the configuration parameters of Action 83 may be overridden and replaced with the values of the Condition State 80 variables of conditions contained in the currently configured rule. An example of this is shown in FIG. 10 , 94 with the subject line being dynamically generated from a format string and the “deviceName” state variable of a referenced condition of the rule.
[0117] Once the Rules Engine 85 ( FIG. 9 ) determines the currently configured set of Rules 84 , it creates instances of Condition objects. Condition objects are supplied with any configured input parameters when they are created as well as interfaces to acquire the inputs for Historical Trend Values 86 , Instant Values 87 , and Environmental Values 88 . In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the interface for Historical Trend Values 86 represents an interface to the historical Database 7 . In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the interface for Historical Trend Values 86 represents in interface to the local data storage for data that has not yet been sent by the Mobile Device 1 to the Web Server 6 . In yet another exemplary embodiment, the interface for Historical Trend Values 86 may be null. A null interface would mean that those input values are disabled and any artificial intelligence rule that requires such inputs will result in error. This may be useful when the Artificial Intelligence engine 8 is on the Mobile Device 1 and network usage concerns preclude using database input in Condition and Predicate evaluation. Instant values may be derived from the current data collection cycle on the Mobile Device 1 or from incoming messages from Mobile Devices 1 on the Web Server 6 . Environmental Conditions may be derived from the system data collector 15 , incoming messages from Mobile Devices 1 on the Web Server, or directly from the operating system itself.
[0118] Then, on the configured interval, the Rules Engine 85 will iterate through the configured Rules 84 requesting that each one evaluate all contained Predicates 89 and Conditions 82 . The Rules Engine 85 then proceeds to fire any Actions 83 when the Conditions 82 and Predicates 89 evaluate to true or when the rule is stateful and the Conditions 82 and Predicates 89 evaluate back to false after having previously evaluated to true.
[0119] The Artificial Intelligence engine 8 , 19 has the ability to interact with other systems through some of its Actions 83 to create additional value. For example, the ModifyOS and LaunchProcess Actions 83 can both be used to interact with systems as described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,778,260, 7,602,782, 7,574,208, 7,346,370, 7,136,645, 6,981,047, 6,826,405, 6,418,324, 6,347,340, 6,198,920, 6,193,152, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US2010/0046436, US2009/0307522, US2009/0083835, US2007/0206591, US2006/0203804, US2006/0187956, US2006/0146825, US20060046716, US2006/0023676, US2006/0009213, US2005/0237982, US2005/0002419, US2004/0264402, US2004/0170181, US2003/0017845, US2005/0223115, US2005/0223114, US2003/0120811, and US2002/0122394, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. In this manner, users can be allowed to dynamically and automatically control the behavior of their Mobile VPN and Policy Management systems according to instant data measurements, data measurement trends, and environmental conditions.
[0120] All of the data measurements that are collected by the data collection agents 9 on the Mobile Devices 1 are periodically sent to the Web Server 6 to be stored in the Database 7 . The Database 7 stores all of the historical data measurements in a correlated data model. One exemplary embodiment of the correlated data model is shown in FIG. 8 . The present invention makes all of the historical data measurements stored in the Database 7 available for analysis through a series of business intelligence reports.
[0121] Business Intelligence reports are provided to analyze business concerns. By way of non-limiting example, some of the business concerns that can be addressed by applying analysis to the correlated data capture from data collection agents on Mobile Devices 1 in the present invention include monitoring the actual and predicted cost of public network use by a population of Mobile Devices 1 , analyzing the productivity of a population of Mobile Devices 1 , and managing the inventory of Mobile Devices 1 and their associated network interface devices. Additional non-limiting examples include geographical maps with overlays of the collected data. By way of non-limiting example, the present invention can provide overlays of the locations of Mobile Devices 1 over time and the reported signal strength and other performance measures of public networks over space and time. In addition, the present invention provides for data correlation between the geographical maps and the business intelligence reports such that each may be filtered by the data elements comprising the other. In accordance with embodiments, various business intelligence tools, such as those available from QlikTech (QlikView) and Microsoft (BING Maps) can be utilized in their ‘off-the-shelf’ state to plot, display and analyze the data collected by the participating Mobile Devices 1 of the disclosed system and method. Further, this information can be combined in accordance with an exemplary embodiment to interchange filtering information thereby enhancing the applicability and value of the displayed information.
[0122] By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 14 shows an exemplary business intelligence report to analyze public wireless network plan use among a population of Mobile Devices 1 . In this report, Filters 100 allow the reports to show only information that pertains to particular devices, users, phone numbers, applications, among others. Chart 101 shows Mobile Devices 1 that have under-utilized their public wireless network plan. Chart 102 shows a distribution of network use across all public network carriers in use by the Mobile Device 1 population. Charts 103 and 104 both show the amount of network use by Mobile Device 1 while using a network interface that was roaming and possibly incurring additional charges. Chart 105 shows actual and projected data usage by Mobile Device 1 . And Chart 106 shows the amount of network errors encountered by the population of Mobile Devices 1 .
[0123] Also by way of non-limiting example, FIG. 15 shows an exemplary business intelligence report to analyze the productivity of a population of Mobile Devices 1 . In this report, Filters 110 allow the reports to show only information that pertains to particular devices, users, phone numbers, applications, among others. Chart 111 shows the applications that were most in use. Chart 112 shows the amount of network errors that are occurring by carrier. Chart 113 shows the trend over time of network technology use by the population of Mobile Devices 1 . And Chart 114 shows the amount of compression that the Mobile Devices are experiencing with their VPN provider.
[0124] Also by way of non-limiting example, FIG. 16 shows an exemplary business intelligence report to manage the equipment inventory for a mobile device population. In this report, Filters 120 allow the reports to show only information that pertains to particular devices, users, phone numbers, applications, among others. This report is a table with Columns for Device Name 128 , User Name 127 , Phone Number 126 , Carrier 125 , Manufacturer 124 , Model 123 , Operating System 122 , and Last Used Timestamp 121 .
[0125] Also by way of non-limiting example, FIG. 17 shows an exemplary geographical report with data overlay showing information like carrier name and signal strength over space and time. Filters 130 allow the reports to show only information that pertains to particular devices, users, phone numbers, applications, among others. The performance data is plotted over the geographical map as indicated in 131 .
[0126] Also by way of non-limiting example, FIG. 18 shows an exemplary geographical report with data overlay showing the location of a Mobile Device over time. Filters 140 allow the reports to show only information that pertains to particular devices, users, phone numbers, applications, among others. The device location as well as the network performance experienced by the device along its route is plotted over the geographical map as indicated in 141 .
[0127] Although the invention has been described with reference to several exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the words that have been used are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention in its aspects. Although the invention has been described with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed; rather, the invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods, and uses such as are within the scope of the appended claims.
[0128] In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, the methods described herein are intended for operation as software programs running on a computer processor. Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to, application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement the methods described herein. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the methods described herein.
[0129] It should also be noted that the software implementations of the present invention as described herein are optionally stored on a tangible storage medium, such as: a magnetic medium such as a disk or tape; a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk; or a solid state medium such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile) memories. A digital file attachment to email or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the invention is considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution medium, as listed herein and including art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations herein are stored.
[0130] Although the present specification describes components and functions implemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to such standards and protocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switched network transmission and wireless networking represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocols having the same functions are considered equivalents.
[0131] Moreover, it is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.
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A wireless network performance management system and method. The system includes at least one collection agent for collecting data related to at least one of service coverage; service quality; and usage of public and/or private data networks for enterprise clients, and a reporting unit to graphically represent the collected data to at least one of track, troubleshoot, and analyze the one of the service coverage; the service quality; and the usage of public and/or private data networks for the enterprise clients.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The process and the apparatus in accordance with the present invention concern hot shaping by plastic deformation of metal alloys by means of a pressing tool.
This process and apparatus concern in particular metal alloys which have a high level of resistance to deformation at elevated temperatures, in association with a low degree of ductility. They also concern metal alloys which have a relatively low level of resistance to deformation at the shaping temperature but which after shaping have numerous surface flaws which are harmful from the point of view of subsequent use thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
The method of extrusion is known, which permits a large number of metals or metal alloys to be shaped by means of a pressing tool.
That method is known to consist of subjecting a billet formed by a metal or metal alloy and disposed in a container, also referred to as the pressing pot, to the thrust force of a pressing piston, with the billet having been preheated to the desired temperature. By virtue of a sufficient pushing force, the billet is extruded through a die which is connected to the end of the container. Bars are produced by the extrusion of solid billets. It is also possible to effect extrusion of hollow billets, that is to say billets which have a hole passing entirely therethrough. That situation involves using a piston provided with a needle or mandrel which engages into the hole in the billet and into the die. As in the case of a solid billet, it is possible to extrude the hollow billet which has been suitably preheated by virtue of a sufficient thrust force so as to cause flow thereof by plastic deformation between the needle or mandrel and the die, in the form of a tube.
It is also known that it is possible to effect an expansion operation prior to extrusion of a hollow billet. The aim of that expansion operation, which is also performed by hot shaping using a pressing tool, is to increase the diameter of the hole without a major loss of material prior to the extrusion operation. For that purpose the hollow billet which is preheated to a suitable temperature is disposed in a container without a die and a needle or mandrel which is of a larger diameter than the hole in the billet is pushed into the hole by the pressing piston. That results in an increase in the diameter of the hole and in most cases an increase in the length of the billet, the outside diameter of which is limited by virtue of that of the container. The billet is therefore driven back in the opposite direction to the direction of displacement of the needle or mandrel.
The extrusion operation and also the expansion operation if included are effected at temperatures which depend on the characteristics of the metals or metal alloys used. In the case of refractory or stainless steels, and other refractory alloys, the shaping temperature range exhibits a lower limit which in most cases is of the order of 900° C., both in regard to extrusion and expansion. Glasses are almost exclusively used as a lubricant, the composition of the glasses being adjusted so that they present the appropriate degree of viscosity, in the temperature range in which extrusion or expansion of a given metal alloy is to be effected.
Although glass-base lubricants thus permit a very large number of metals or metal alloys to be extruded, there are however metal alloys including stainless or refractory steels which remain unsuitable for hot shaping under those conditions. They are metal alloys forming part of the category comprising at least one base component belonging to the group including Fe, Ni, Co and Mo, the hot shaping of which, under the conditions which have just been defined, remains very difficult. Among such metal alloys, mention may be made of refractory alloys and in particular those comprising substantial additions of elements such as chromium and tungsten. Any major plastic deformation of the latter alloys, by extrusion or expansion, is accompanied by the formation of cracks which are often deep and which can make the product useless or at least can involve serious losses of material. For other metal alloys which fall in the same category, which is the case in particular of ferritic chromium steels, in spite of enjoying a relatively low level of resistance to deformation and lubrication which is adapted to the extrusion or expansion temperature, it is found that the resulting product suffers from many surface flaws such as encrustations or inlays which in most cases mean that the product cannot be used as it is. It would then be necessary to carry out expensive preparation or repair operations on the wall surfaces of such products, which is for example particularly difficult and expensive when considering the inside surfaces of tubes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The attempt has been made to develop a process and an apparatus for effecting hot shaping by extrusion and, if appropriate, also by expansion, of such metal alloys, by suppressing both the formation of cracks and the formation of surface flaws of the types which have just been described above. The process and the apparatus in accordance with the present invention make it possible to achieve such results.
The process is applied generally to shaping at a temperature which is at least equal to 900° C. by extrusion or by expansion generally followed by an extrusion operation by means of a pressing tool, of a solid or hollow billet of a metal alloy including at least one base component belonging to the group comprising Fe, Ni, Co and Mo. The metal alloys to which the process is applied essentially comprise within the category which is defined in that way, stainless or refractory steels as well as alloys other than steels which are refractory and/or resistant to corrosion.
In accordance with the process according to the invention, there is produced an external tubular metal sleeve whose dimensions are such that it can surround with clearance the external lateral wall of the billet.
A covering layer of at least one compound comprising at least oxygen and at least one metal from the group comprising Al, Ca, Mg, Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, Cr, Ta and Nb is deposited on one at least of the two walls of the billet and the external sleeve, which will be in facing relationship. The thickness of the covering layer is at least 0.05 mm and its melting temperature is higher than the temperature for shaping by extrusion or by expansion.
The billet is then surrounded by the external sleeve and then the front end of the billet is directly or indirectly fixed with respect to the corresponding end of the external sleeve, the other end of the sleeve being free in parallel relationship with the axis of the billet with respect to the rearward end zone thereof. The assembly which is produced in that way is then heated at a temperature which is at least equal to 900° C. and which is suited to the characteristics of the metal alloy which constitutes the billet, and then the extrusion operation or the expansion operation is effected by means of a pressing tool, the sleeved billet being disposed in a container, with the use of a suitable lubricant such as a glass.
Preferably the billet, its sleeve and the container are of a rotationally symmetrical shape.
Preferably, in the case of a hollow billet, prior to expansion and/or prior to extrusion, in addition to the external sleeve an internal tubular metal sleeve is also prepared, which is suitable for being disposed in the hole in the billet so that it can be surrounded by the internal wall surface of the hole, with clearance; a covering layer formed by at least one compound comprising at least oxygen and at least one metal from the group comprising Al, Ca, Mg, Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, Cr, Ta and Nb is deposited on one at least of the two wall surfaces which will be disposed in facing relationship of the hole in the billet and the internal sleeve. The thickness of the covering layer is at least 0.05 mm and its melting temperature is higher than the temperature for shaping by expansion and/or extrusion; the internal sleeve is mounted within the hole in the billet and the front end of the billet is indirectly or directly fixed with respect to the corresponding end of the internal sleeve, the other end of which remains free in the axial direction.
Extrusion or expansion of the billet which is covered in that way is then effected, in the manner already described, with the sleeved billet having been preheated to a suitable temperature which is at least equal to 900° C. and the pressing piston being provided with a needle or mandrel of dimensions which are suited to the extrusion or expansion operation which is to be carried out. The sleeved billet is likewise disposed in a container, the end of which comprises a die in the case of an extrusion operation. It does not have a die when the operation to be performed is an expansion operation.
Advantageously, when it is proposed that a hollow billet is to be subjected to an expansion operation, the hole which is formed through the billet is produced in such a way that it has a flare portion at the front of the billet. After positioning of a front plate which is itself provided with an orifice substantially in line with the flare portion of the hole in the billet, and at least one external sleeve, the expansion operation is effected by introducing the front end of a needle of a diameter which is larger than that of the hole in the billet into the hole, from the front flared end of the billet, by means of the pressing tool, the front end of the needle comprising an engagement zone of smaller diameter, while the sleeved billet is itself disposed in a container whose internal diameter is preferably a little larger than the external diameter of the external sleeve. A suitable lubricant such as a glass is used.
When, in accordance with the invention, extrusion of a billet is effected, the billet which is provided with at least one external sleeve is introduced into a container in such a way that its front end is directed towards the extrusion die, with the piston of the pressing tool applying its thrust force to the rearward end of the billet directly or indirectly against a rearward plate which is itself fixed with respect to the rear of the billet.
When extrusion of a hollow billet is effected, the piston is provided with a needle or mandrel which penetrates into the hole in the billet, extrusion taking place between the needle or mandrel and the die. Preferably also, the billet comprises a rearward plate apertured with a hole which is aligned with the hole in the billet so that the needle or mandrel passes through the hole in the rearward plate and then that in the billet, with the piston applying its thrust force to the rearward plate which is itself fixed with respect to the rear of the billet. Lubrication is effected in known manner for example by a glass of suitable viscosity.
The invention also concerns an apparatus for shaping a hollow or solid billet of a metal alloy, at a temperature which is at least equal to 900° C., by means of a pressing tool, by extrusion or by expansion generally followed by an extrusion operation. In accordance with the invention the metal alloy which forms the billet comprises at least one base component belonging to the group comprising Fe, Ni, Co and Mo. Still in accordance with the invention, within the above-defined range of composition, the metal alloy forming the billet is a stainless or refractory steel or an alloy, other than steel, which is refractory or resistant to corrosion. The apparatus comprises at least one external tubular metal sleeve which surrounds with clearance the external lateral wall of the billet, at least one of the two walls in facing relationship of the billet and the sleeve being provided with a covering layer of at least one compound comprising at least oxygen and at least one metal from the group comprising Al, Ca, Mg, Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, Cr, Ta and Nb. The thickness of the covering layer is at least 0.05 mm and its melting temperature is higher than the extrusion or expansion temperature intended for the billet. A first front connecting means directly or indirectly provides for a connection between the front end of the billet and the corresponding end of the external sleeve, the other end of the sleeve being free in parallel relationship with the axis of the billet with respect to the rearward end zone thereof. Preferably the first connecting means comprises at least one annular weld bead.
Advantageously, the covering layer used is an alumina-base layer which can be produced for example by spraying using an oxyacetylene torch.
Advantageously, a front plate is disposed at the front of the billet, the first front connecting means thus directly or indirectly forming the connection between the front plate, the front of the billet and the external sleeve. Advantageously also the billet is extended at the rear by a rear plate, at least one rear connecting means providing a connection between the rearward end of the billet and the rear plate, the length of the external sleeve being so determined that at least a part of the lateral wall of the rear plate is not covered by the sleeve.
Preferably the billet, at least the external sleeve and the front and rear plates if the latter are used are of a rotationally symmetrical shape.
When the billet is hollow, it preferably comprises an internal tubular metal sleeve, the external wall of which is surrounded with clearance by the lateral wall of the axial hole which passes through the billet. At least one of the two walls in facing relationship of the billet and the sleeve is provided with a covering layer of at least one compound comprising at least oxygen and at least one metal from the group comprising Al, Ca, Mg, Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, Cr, Ta and Nb, the melting temperature of that layer being higher than that intended for the expansion operation or the extrusion operation and the thickness of the layer being at least 0.05 mm. A second front connecting means such as at least one annular weld bead permits a connection to be made directly or indirectly between the front end of the billet and the corresponding end of the internal sleeve, the other end of which is free with respect to the rearward end zone of the billet.
Advantageously, the sleeve or sleeves are made of a non-alloyed or weakly alloyed steel. For certain uses, in particular for the extrusion of a billet of ferritic chromium steel, an external sleeve of austenitic stainless steel is advantageously used.
Advantageously also, the front plate is of a metal or alloy whose resistance to plastic deformation is lower than that of the billet, under the temperature conditions under which the hot shaping operation is performed.
The rear plate is preferably of a metal or alloy whose resistance to plastic deformation is greater than that of the front plate under the conditions of temperature under which the hot shaping operation is performed.
The following examples and drawings will permit the main features of the process and the apparatus in accordance with the invention to be better appreciated, without limiting same.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view in section of a solid billet provided with the apparatus according to the invention,
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view in section of a hollow billet provided with the apparatus according to the invention for a direct extrusion operation,
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view in section of a hollow billet provided with the apparatus according to the invention for an expansion operation.
Example 1: this Example concerns using the process and the apparatus according to the invention for producing a bar by extrusion of a solid billet of refractory alloy.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view in section of a solid rotationally symmetrical billet 1 of refractory alloy, with its axis indicated at X1--X1 and a container 75. A front plate 2 which is also rotationally symmetrical with respect to the same axis bears against the front end 3 of the billet 1. A rear plate 4 which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the same axis bears against the rearward end 5 of the billet. A sleeve 8 surrounds the rotationally symmetrical wall 9 of the billet. Its length is limited so that it covers only approximately half the rear plate 4. A first front connecting means comprises an annular weld 6 which connects the billet 1 to the front plate 2 and an annular weld 10 which connects the front end of the sleeve 8 to the front plate 2. The rearward end 11 of the sleeve 8 leaves exposed a part of the rotationally symmetrical wall surface of the rear plate 4. A rear connecting means comprises an annular bead 7 connecting the rear plate 4 to the billet 1. By virtue of the radial clearance 12, the sleeve can slide on the billet with a relative movement in parallel relationship with the axis X1--X1 from its front end 10 which constitutes the only fixed attachment point thereof. Deposited on the sleeve is a covering layer 76 of a compound comprising oxygen and a metal in the above-defined group. In the present case, the layer is made of alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) which was deposited by a known oxyacetylene torch spraying method. The layer remains solid at the extrusion temperature, while breaking up and thus preventing welding by diffusion of the sleeve to the billet during the extrusion operation, which therefore facilitates relative movements of the sleeve and the billet. It also reduces thermal losses at the wall of the billet which thus retains its ductility. By virtue of that combined action on the part of the sleeve and the covering layer deposited thereon, it is found that the bar obtained by extrusion of a billet prepared in the above-indicated manner is devoid of cracks or splits of greater or lesser depth, and has an excellent surface condition.
In that way, extrusion is effected in respect of a solid billet 1 of a Ni-base refractory alloy, Hastelloy C276 (Registered Trade Mark of Cabot), the composition of which is approximately as follows, in percent by weight: Cr 15; Mo 16; W 4; Fe 5.5; and Ni balance.
An external sleeve 8 of mild steel in accordance with the standard A37 (French Standard) is used. The front plate 2 is of stainless steel in accordance with standard Z 2 CN 18-10 and the rear plate 4 is of Z 2 CND 17-12 (also a French Standard), so as to present a higher level of resistance to plastic deformation than the front plate. In the cold condition the clearance between the sleeve coated with its layer of alumina and the billet is approximately 1 to 1.5% of the radius of the billet to take account of the coefficient of expansion of C276, which is almost double the coefficient of expansion of A37.
The extrusion operation is performed at a billet temperature of about 1200° C. Lubrication is effected continuously in known manner by means of a glass of a composition which is suited to those temperature conditions. In that way it is possible, by using dies of suitable configuration, to produce bars of various, circular or non-circular sections, with degrees of reduction of the order of 4 to 8, or greater.
After extrusion the bar produced remains covered by the sleeve which has been thinned down. In fact, the steel A37 constituting the external sleeve is suited to plastic deformation up to temperatures which are much lower than those at which the alloy C276 is still transformable. That explains why the sleeve can undergo plastic deformation without the formation of cracks in the course of the extrusion procedure although the presence of the layer of alumina limits the flow of heat away from the billet towards the sleeve and therefore promotes a substantial reduction in the temperature of the sleeve due to a flow of heat through the container. Moreover the result of the length of the sleeve which is voluntarily reduced so that prior to extrusion it covers only a part of the rear plate is that the thrust force of the piston is applied solely to the billet by way of the rear plate. That results in extrusion through the die being initiated under optimum conditions, the sleeve being stretched over its entire length from its region 10 in which it is connected to the front plate 2 and therefore indirectly to the front of the billet.
The layer of alumina constitutes a highly effective barrier to diffusion of the elements which make up the sleeve, in particular carbon, towards the billet.
By virtue of the layer of alumina also, the sleeve is not welded to the bar and various mechanical, chemical or other means may be used to remove it. In particular it can be widened by transverse rolling in the case of a bar of circular section, thus facilitating stripping the sleeve from the bar. It is also possible to dissolve it selectively by suitably selected acid baths. In certain cases, prior to removal of the sleeve, it is also possible to carry out cold reduction operations, for example by rolling, hammering or drawing, making use of the ductility of the sleeve. It is possible to make those operations easier to perform by subjecting the sleeve to a treatment for fixing a lubricant by a suitable process such as phosphatation.
As stated hereinbefore, after removal of the sleeve, with or without an additional cold reduction operation, the product has an excellent surface condition which is smooth and without crasks and without flaws such as encrustations or the like.
Example 2: This Example concerns use of the process and the apparatus according to the invention for producing a tube by extrusion of a hollow billet.
FIG. 2 is a view in section of a hollow billet 21 which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis X2--X2, and provided with an axial hole 22. An annular front plate 23 which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis bears against the front end 24 of the billet. An annular rear plate 25 which is also rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis of the billet bears against the rearward end 26 thereof. An external sleeve 27 surrounds the external wall surface 29 of the billet. An internal sleeve 28 is surrounded by the internal wall surface 30 of the axial hole 22. A first front connecting means comprises an annular weld 36 which connects the billet 21 to the front plate 23 and an annular weld 31 which connects the front end of the external sleeve 27 to the front plate 23. A second front connecting means comprises an annular weld 32 connecting the front end of the internal sleeve 28 to the front plate 23. A rearward connecting means is formed by an annular weld 35 connecting the plate 25 to the billet 21.
A hollow billet of that kind is made of alloy INCO 718 (Registered Trade Mark of Huntington), the composition of which is substantially as follows, in percent by weight: Ni+Co 52; Cr 18; Mo 3; Nb 5; and Fe 19. The outside diameter of the billet is 206 mm and it has an axial hole which is 110 mm in diameter. It is covered with an external sleeve 27 and an internal sleeve 28 of steel A36, of a thickness of 5 mm.
The front and rear plates are made from stainless steel of the same compositions as those used in Example 1. On the face which is towards the corresponding lateral wall of the billet, each of the two sleeves is covered with a layer of alumina 76 which is 0.3 mm in thickness and which is produced by spraying. In order to take account of the ratio between the coefficient of expansion of INCO 718 which is close to that of Hastelloy C276, and the coefficient of expansion of A37, that ratio being close to 2, a radial clearance in the cold condition of about 1.5 mm is provided at 33 between the external sleeve and the billet and a radial clearance, also in the cold condition, of about 0.5 mm, is provided at 34 between the internal sleeve and the billet. As shown in FIG. 2, the two sleeves are of a length such that their rearward ends cover only approximately half the rear plate 25. Thus when the piston applies its thrust force to the rear plate and upon initiation of extrusion of the billet which is sleeved in that way between the die and the needle or mandrel which is carried by the piston and which is 95 mm in diameter, the two sleeves are stretched over their entire length from their regions in which they are connected to the front plate, the layer of alumina promoting relative movements by sliding between the sleeves and the surfaces of the billet which are towards same. After preheating of the sleeved billet to 1100° C., the extrusion operation is performed in a container which is of an inside diameter of 232 mm and which is provided with a die producing a rough-extruded tube which is about 125 mm in outside diameter. As in the case of the first example, lubrication is effected in per se known manner by means of a glass which is deposited in powder form on the side walls of the sleeved and preheated billet and within the axial hole in the billet. After extrusion and removal of the external and internal sleeves, for example by selected dissolution in a suitable acid, the result obtained is a tube with an excellent surface condition which is smooth and without cracks and free from other flaws such as encrustation. As in the case of Example 1, it is found that the presence of the layer of alumina between the sleeves and the billets prevents the formation of diffusion zones. The tube produced is about 123 mm in outside diameter, with a thickness of 13 mm, corresponding to a reduction ratio of about 5.3 as between the initial section of the billet and the section of the tube produced.
Example 3: The process and the apparatus according to the invention are used for expansion prior to extrusion of a hollow billet.
FIG. 3 diagrammatically shows a view in section of a hollow billet 41 which is rotationally symmetrical and made of a refractory alloy, with the axis thereof being indicated at X3--X3. An annular front plate 42 which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis bears against the front end 43 of the billet. An annular rear plate 44 which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis bears against the rearward end 45 of the billet. The hollow billet comprises an axial hole 46 which is rotationally symmetrical and which passes entirely through the billet. At the front of the billet, the hole has a flared entrance zone 47 which permits engagement therein of the needle or mandrel 48 which will be pushed through the hole 46 by the pressing tool (not shown). In accordance with the invention the external and internal sleeves 49 and 50 respectively cover the external and internal side walls 51 and 52 respectively of the billet, with radial clearances at 53 and 54. A first front connecting means comprises an annular weld 55 connecting the billet 41 to the front plate 42 and an annular weld 56 connecting the front end of the external sleeve 49 to the front plate. A second front connecting means comprises an annular weld 57 connecting the front end of the internal sleeve 50 to the front plate 42. A rear connecting means is formed by an annular weld 58 connecting the rear plate 44 to the billet 41.
In that way a hollow billet 41 of Hastelloy C276 of a composition identical to that set forth in Example 1 is expanded. The sleeves 49 and 50 which are 5 mm in thickness are of steel A37 and the front and rear plates 42 and 44 are respectively made of the same stainless steels as the front and rear plates 2 and 4 used in Example 1. Each of the two sleeves 49 and 50 is covered on its face which is towards the corresponding lateral wall surface of the billet with a layer of alumina 76 which is produced by spraying and which is 0.3 mm in thickness. The outside diameter of the billet is 250 mm. The radial clearance 53 in the cold condition between the external sleeve 49 and the billet is 1.8 mm and the radial clearance 54 in the cold condition between the internal sleeve 50 and the billet is 0.5 mm. The length of the two sleeves is so limited that their rearward end covers only approximately half the thickness of the rear plate 44. The diameter of the cylindrical portion of the hole 46 is 60 mm and the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the needle or mandrel 48 is 120 mm. The billet 41 which is sleeved in that way is preheated to 1200° C. and disposed in a container 75 with an inside diameter of 270 mm, after the outside wall surface of the external sleeve 49 and the inside wall surface of the internal sleeve 50 have been covered with a layer of glass powder of suitable composition. The needle or mandrel 48 is then pressed through the hole 46 in the billet 41 by means of a pressing tool to cause expansion of the billet. At the same time that produces an increase in the inside diameter of the billet and elongation thereof in the opposite direction to the direction of displacement of the needle or mandrel. A second operation, still in accordance with the invention, comprises extruding the billet which is expanded in that way. The extrusion operation can be carried out using the same sleeves or with those sleeves being replaced by fresh sleeves. When the sleeves are replaced in that way, the surfaces of the billet which has been subject to the expansion operation are found to have an excellent surface condition.
Example 4: The process and apparatus according to the invention are also used for hot shaping of billets of ferritic chromium stainless steel such as in particular the steel containing 17% of chromium, stabilised with titanium, and the steel containing 29% of Cr and 4% of Mo, also stabilised with titanium.
Tests have revealed the possibility of producing tubes by extrusion and/or expansion of hollow billets. Preferably, a single external sleeve of stainless steel of type Z 2 CN 18-10 is used, the front end thereof being directly connected to the front end of the billet by an annular weld bead. The sleeve which is 5 mm in thickness is internally covered with a layer of alumina which is 0.3 mm in thickness. The radial clerance in the cold condition between the sleeve and the billet is limited to 0.5 mm. The front plate and the internal sleeve are of no use having regard to the low level of resistance to deformation of that steel at the extrusion temperature. The rear plate is made of steel Z 2 CND 17-12 whose resistance to deformation is greater than that of the steel of the billet at the extrusion temperature.
It is also possible to effect piercing of a solid billet of ferritic steel containing 17% of chromium of type Z 2 C 17 Ti (French Standard) of an outside diameter of 200 mm. After a rear plate and a sleeve covered with a layer of alumina have been set in position, the sleeved billet is heated to 1050° C., covered with a glass of suitable viscosity and disposed in a container.
A piercing operation is then performed, to produce a diameter of 106 mm, by means of an axial punch. After controlled reheating, the billet is disposed in a container provided with a die for producing a tube of an outside diameter of 118 mm. The billet is pushed through the die by means of a pressing tool comprising a piston provided with a needle or mandrel which is adapted to the diameter of the hole in the billet. After extrusion the external sleeve is removed from the tube, for example by transverse rolling. The glass which is present on the internal surface of the tube is removed by known mechanical means. It is found that the tube produced in that way which is about 116 mm in outside diameter and 96 mm in inside diameter exhibits an excellent surface condition free from flaws such as cracks, encrustation or the like.
In the case of ferritic steel, the advantage of the process according to the invention is that of ensuring that the material which is of low plastic strength in the hot condition does not conform to the surface imperfections of the container.
The process and the apparatus according to the invention can be applied to a large number of metal alloys. A very large number of variations may thus be made in regard to carrying out the process or designing the apparatus, without departing from the scope of the invention.
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The process and apparatus concern hot shaping by plastic deformation of metal alloys by means of a pressing tool.
The process comprises effecting extrusion of a billet which is covered by at least one external sleeve, by a pushing force applied by means of a pressing tool, through a die. A thin layer of at least one compound comprising oxygen and at least one metal is deposited on one of the facing walls of the sleeve and the billet. The billet is preheated before being put into the container for the extrusion operation. Lubrication is effected by a lubricant such as a glass. The process is applied to the extrusion of solid or hollow billets of refractory alloys and also other alloys which involve difficulties in shaping them.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] (a) Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a dual changeable combination lock, and more particularly to a combination lock that has the dual changeable functions.
[0003] (b) Description of the Prior Art
[0004] A conventional combination lock is based on driving the internal toothed wheels by the dials, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,548, wherein the internal toothed wheels can control the movement of the shackle, and the lock opening combination of the dials can be changed by the engagement and disengagement of the internal toothed wheels with the dials.
[0005] However, the conventional combination lock has only one set of lock opening combination and cannot provide another set of lock opening is combination. Therefore, there is a need for improvement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The primary object of the present invention is to provide a dual changeable combination lock in which are disposed internal toothed wheels and external toothed wheels each engaging with each dial, wherein the internal toothed wheels can control the movement of the shackle, and the external toothed wheels can control the motion of the switch button, and two sets of separately and independently set lock opening combinations are provided by the engagement and disengagement of the internal and external toothed wheels with the dials.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention in a locking position.
[0008] FIG. 1-1 is atop view of FIG. 1 .
[0009] FIG. 1-2 is a top view of a first embodiment of the present invention when reaching a first correct opening combination.
[0010] FIG. 1-3 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention when reaching a first correct opening combination and pulling out the shackle.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention when reaching a second correct opening combination.
[0012] FIG. 2-1 is a top view of FIG. 2 .
[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention before changing the combination numbers.
[0014] FIG. 3-1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention when a new first correct opening combination can be set.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention when changing to a new second open combination in a second manner.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a front view of a second embodiment of the present invention in a full locking position.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention when reaching a first correct opening combination.
[0018] FIG. 6-1 is a top view of FIG. 6 .
[0019] FIG. 6-2 is a side view of FIG. 6 .
[0020] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention when locking a first opening combination and opening a second opening combination.
[0021] FIG. 7-1 is a top view of FIG. 7 .
[0022] FIG. 7-2 is a side view of FIG. 7. 5
[0023] FIG. 7-3 is a side view of FIG. 7 when opening the box cover.
[0024] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention in a full locking position.
[0025] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention when reaching a first correct opening combination.
[0026] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention when a new first opening combination can be set.
[0027] FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention when reaching a second correct opening combination.
[0028] FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention is when changing to a new second opening combination of a second correct opening combination.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] A combination lock according to present invention comprises: a housing 10 and a plurality of dials 40 , all the dials 40 being arranged in a single row, each of the dials 40 being capable of rotating with respect to the housing 10 , the dials 40 having two opening combinations, the two opening combinations being able to be mutually independent and changed into new opening combinations respectively, and the two new opening combinations also being able to be mutually independent.
[0030] In a first embodiment of the present invention: Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1 - 1 , a combination lock according to the present invention in a locking position comprises: a housing 10 , a shackle 20 , a button 30 , a plurality of dials 40 , a plurality of internal toothed wheels 50 and a plurality of external toothed wheels 60 , wherein the internal teeth 42 of the dials 40 mutually engage with the external teeth 52 of the internal toothed wheels 50 , the external teeth 41 mutually engage with the external toothed wheels 60 , the shackle 20 has thereon protrusions 21 which is not aligned with the notches 51 of the internal toothed wheels 50 , and the button 30 has thereon a sleeve 31 for sleeving on the shackle 20 and has therein insert blocks 32 for passing through the notches 61 of the external toothed wheels 60 ;
[0031] The sleeve 31 on the button 30 is sleeved on the shackle 20 and the insert blocks 32 within the button 30 are not aligned with the notches 61 of is the external toothed wheels 60 so that the button 30 cannot be pushed downwardly and the lock is locked.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1-2 , the dials 40 reach a first correct opening combination, and the protrusions 21 of the shackle 20 are aligned with the notches 51 of the internal toothed wheels 50 . Referring to FIG. 1-3 , the shackle 20 can be pulled out of the housing 10 .
[0033] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 2 - 1 , when the lock reaches a second correct opening combination, the notches 61 of the external toothed wheels 60 are aligned with the insert blocks 32 of the button 30 . At this time, the button 30 and the sleeve 31 are pushed downwardly, and the insert blocks 32 of the button 30 can pass through the notches 61 of the external toothed wheels 60 and compress the spring 11 at their lower ends so that the shackle 20 disengage from the sleeve 31 of the button 30 and the lock is opened.
[0034] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 3 - 1 , the first opening combination of the present invention is changed into a new opening combination. The locked shackle 20 in FIG. 1 is pulled out and then rotates at 90°. The shackle 20 is pressed downwardly and the protrusions 21 of the shackle 20 can press the internal toothed wheels 50 to move downwardly and contract the spring 12 so that the external teeth 52 of the internal toothed wheels 50 disengage from the internal teeth 42 of the dials 40 and then the dials 40 are rotated to change to a new open combination. When the force applied to the shackle 20 is cancelled, the spring 12 will push the internal toothed wheels 50 upwardly to engage with the dials 40 , thus obtaining a new first opening combination.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 4 , the second opening combination of the present invention is changed into a new opening combination. When the dials 40 show the opening combination, a sharp object is pushing the changeable switch 13 to move the external toothed wheels 60 upwardly and compress the return spring 14 thereabove so that the external toothed wheels 60 disengage from the external teeth 41 of the dials 40 . Because the notches 61 of the external toothed wheels 60 are locked by the insert blocks 32 of the button 30 , the external toothed wheels cannot rotate. At this time, the dials 40 are rotated to change the combination numbers. When the sharp object that applies force to the changeable switch 13 is removed, the return spring 14 will push the external toothed wheels 60 downwardly to engage with the external teeth 41 of the dials 40 , thus obtaining a new second opening combination.
[0036] In summarization of the foregoing description, the new first opening combination and the new second opening combination can be mutually independent. The internal toothed wheels 50 and the external toothed wheels 60 each can disengage from the dials 40 so as to change the respective new opening combinations.
[0037] In a second embodiment of the present invention: Referring to FIG. 5 , the housing 10 of the combination lock according to the present invention is provided with a box 70 . The shackle 20 extends into the housing 10 into a locking state. The button 30 beside the box 70 is located at the upper position and the box 70 is in a locking state.
[0038] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 6 - 1 and 6 - 2 , the dials 40 reach a first correct opening combination, and the shackle 20 can be pulled out to open the lock.
[0039] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 7 - 1 and 7 - 2 and 7 - 3 , when the shackle 20 is in a locking state, the button 30 is pushed downwardly and the snap fitting 33 of the button 30 is not buckled with the buckling block 711 on the box cover 71 of the box 70 so that the box cover 71 at the front edge of the box 70 can be opened around the axis 712 as a center of the bottom to receive keys or belongings.
[0040] In a third embodiment of the present invention: Referring to FIG. 8 , a lock for a computer has two L-shaped shackles 22 , 23 locking the lock hole B 1 of a to be locked article B, and the two shackles 22 , 23 are shaft coupled at their lower ends to pressing blocks 221 , 231 respectively, wherein one pressing block 221 is propped at its lower portion against the back up plate 241 on the upper portion of the lock rod 24 , the other pressing block 231 is propped against the upper portion of the switch button 30 , a changeable switch 242 is provided at the bottom of the housing 10 .
[0041] Referring to FIG. 9 , the dials 40 use a first opening combination to open the lock, and the pressing block 231 is pressed downwardly to compress the spring 25 and move the lock rod 24 downwardly so that the shackle 23 can be tilted to disengage from the lock hole B 1 of the article B and then the lock is opened. Referring to FIG. 10 , the dials 40 show the first opening combination. If it is desired to change the combination numbers, a sharp object is pushing the changeable switch 242 to drive the internal toothed wheels 50 to move upwardly and the external teeth 52 of the internal toothed wheels 50 disengage from the internal teeth 42 of the dials 40 . Accordingly, the dials 40 can be rotated to change to a new combination numbers.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 11 , the dials 40 use a second opening combination to open the lock, and the pressing block 221 presses down on the button 30 and compresses the spring 11 so that the shackle 22 can be tilted to disengage from the lock hole B 1 of the article B and then the lock is opened. Referring to FIG. 12 , the dials 40 are at the second opening combination. If it is desired to change the combination numbers, a sharp object is pushing the changeable switch 13 to move the external toothed wheels 60 upwardly and compress the return spring 14 thereabove so that the external toothed wheels 60 disengage from the external teeth 41 of the dials 40 . Because the notches 61 of the external toothed wheels 60 are locked by the insert blocks 32 of the button 30 , the external toothed wheels cannot rotate. Accordingly, the dials 40 can be rotated to change to a new combination numbers.
[0043] As is apparent from the foregoing, the present invention provides a dual changeable combination lock, in the housing of which are disposed internal and external toothed wheels each capable of engaging with or disengaging from each dial to provide two sets of changeable numbers. The above two sets of numbers can be separately set and mutually independent, so it is impossible to predict another set of combination from one set of combination. Various structures can be derived from the button to be adapted to different functions.
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A dual changeable combination lock comprises a housing in which are disposed internal and external toothed wheels each engaging with or disengaging from each dial, wherein the internal toothed wheels can control the shackle and the external toothed wheels can control the switch button. Besides providing the combination changing function of a common combination lock, the above lock can provide another set of separately and independently set changeable numbers by the interaction between the button and the external toothed wheels.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for the production of heat softenable materials and more particularly relates to apparatus for the production of felted mat or blankets of mineral fibers.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Heretofore blankets of mineral fibers have been produced by various techniques involving the formation and attenuation of fibers from a molten mass and the collection of those fibers, usually on a continuously moving foraminous belt in the form of an endless screen or chain surface. The attenuation of fibers has been accomplished by a rotary process wherein a molten stream of the material to be fiberized impinges upon a rotating surface and flows therefrom as fine fibers under the influence of centrifugal force and gas flow to a fiber collection conveyor. Rotary process fibers are relatively short and therefore less desirable for some applications than those fibers produced by gas attenuation. In the gas attenuation process filaments are exuded and/or drawn from a molten supply of materials and subjected to a high velocity gas blast to be attenuated. One technique involves drawing the material to solid filaments, primary filaments, and directing a gas blast of a temperature to remelt the filaments generally normal to the primary filament path of travel.
In both the rotary and gas blast processes of producing fibers the equipment required has been of a nature which severely limited the range of product which could efficiently be produced on a given machine. In general the past developments have been directed to means for producing fiber in quantities which could be incorporated in practical products at commercially acceptable rates and cost. R. H. Barnard U.S. Pat. No. 2,565,941 which issued Aug. 28, 1951 for "Method and Apparatus for Producing Laminated Materials" discloses a plurality of drawing chambers for producing glass fibers attenuated by the gas blast method. These fibers are collected in collecting chambers from which they issued and are laid down in succession on a conveyor. The output of the Barnard arrangement was limited since the quantity of fiber issued from each forming chamber under the impetus of gravity and the attenuating gas blast was quite limited.
Fiber output for the gas blast attenuated processes has been increased by utilizing a large number of fiber attenuators arranged to deposit the attenuated fibers on a collection conveyor on the opposite side of which negative pressure is maintained to draw the fibers to the collection conveyor. Forming tubes have been utilized to direct the fibers from their spaced attenuators to the more confined collection region as shown in Labino U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,236 for "Apparatus for Making Mats of Blown Mineral Fibers" which issued Feb. 5, 1963. Such process are limited by the effective fiber directing suction which can be maintained on the fiber receiving face of the collection conveyor as the fiber blanket builds since the blanket becomes an impediment to the gas flow which entrains the fibers.
One means of incresing the negative pressure where the entraining gas flow is restricted by previously deposited fibers is to provide separate suction boxes behind the fiber collection conveyor as in W. F. Rea U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,698 for "Process and Apparatus for Producing Fibrous Mats." In this arrangement a first fiber former has a collection chamber across the bottom of which is passed a fiber collection conveyor backed by a suction box. The fiber collection conveyor then advances the blanket to a position where a septum or reinforcement material is laid upon the blanket and then to a second fiber former having a separate collection chamber and suction box. While the second suction box can be controlled as to its negative pressure, the constraints of reduced pressure due to the impediment to gas flow of the previously deposited blanket and septum remain as limits on the fiber depositing capacity of the system.
Another form of apparatus for formation of composite fiber blanket is suggested in Slayter U.S. Pat. No. 2,457,784 wherein it is proposed that a plurality of mats be fed to a station where they are juxtaposed and manipulated to interfelt their fibers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the formation of blankets of mineral fibers. Apparatus for forming a plurality of blankets of mineral fibers includes means for attenuation of molten mineral fibers, means incorporating those fibers into a stream of entraining gas, and means for collecting those fibers in a collection chamber upon a collection conveyor. This apparatus avoids the constraint of the ultimate thickness or density of the blanket on gas flow through the blanket since discrete blanket portions can be formed in independent blanket forming modules and then combined in an in-line operation without adversely effecting those other discrete blanket portions formed for incorporation of the blanket products. Each uncured blanket portion can be formed with its own characteristics as to fiber composition and size, binder and additives. The components of the ultimate blanket are combined on a transfer conveyor extending adjacent the in-line oriented modules. Septa which are impervious to gas flow can be introduced between blanket portions and the blanket portions, and where desired, septa are juxtaposed at spaced blanket receiving stations on the transfer conveyor without the need to draw a flow of gas through the underlying material on the transfer conveyor.
More particularly, the illustrative embodiment discloses a five module machine for manufacture of glass fiber blanket or mat arranged to develop vertical streams of entraining gas and attenuated glass fibers in each module. The gas of the streams pass through a horizontal collecting conveyor to suction box below while fibers accumulate on the conveyor. All modules are aligned and their collection conveyors issue blankets of glass fibers at the same side of the respective modules and in the direction of alignment so they are released at spaced delivery stations to spaced mat receiving stations of a transfer conveyor extending beneath all modules. The lamination of the module blankets is accomplished by placing the blankets of successive modules on the juxtaposed blankets of preceding modules along the line orientation and travel of the transfer conveyor. The uncured resin binder of the several juxtaposed blankets binds them into a unitary blanket when the laminate is subjected to further processing.
Blanket modules are arranged for cooperation without interference with each other so that they each operate without adverse affects on the product of other modules by virtue of their orientation relative to each other. Shields prevent unwanted material from one module contacting portions of the blanket ultimately produced by the machine. Cleaning liquid is applied to the collecting conveyors of individual modules within shrouds or hoods which confine it and shields protect the partially assembled final blanket from fluid retained by the collecting conveyors after they leave the hood.
Individual modules can be shut down and started without interferring with machine production since the unattenuated primary fibers issued during such transistions are collected and removed from the modules by a scrap transfer system.
Each module can be arranged with multiple sections whereby sets of fiber formers, attenuators and forming tubes direct gas entrained fiber into a common forming chamber. Vertically drawn primary fibers are attenuated by generally horizontally directed hot gas blasts and the attenuted fibers and entraining gas are turned downward to a vertical flow path for collection in a blanket or mat on a generally horizontal collection conveyor. A suction box beneath the foraminous conveyor can be baffled and provided with suction means for the individual baffled sections arranged for greater negative pressure beneath that portion of the conveyor at the downstream end of the conveyor travel across the collection chamber, thereby insuring adequate gas flow through the greater thickness of fiber at that end.
As the collection conveyor carries the blanket from the collection chamber of each module it passes it to a delivery station above that module's blanket receiving station of the transfer conveyor. The transfer conveyor is divided into sections to lend flexibility to the machine whereby blankets requiring less than the output of all modules can be issued from both ends of the machine by reversing portions of the transfer conveyor. Utilization means such as curing ovens, presses, tube forming apparatus or other known apparatus for the processing of mineral fiber blankets containing uncured binder are located at the output end or ends of the transfer conveyor and receive the uncured blanket laminate for further processing.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus according to this invention with portions broken away and support structural details eliminated to facilitate illustration of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an end view of the appartus of FIG. 1 with portions removed to illustrate the blanket issuing end of a typical module with portions brokenn away to reveal details.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 represents a machine according to this invention wherein a plurality of mat forming modules 11 are arranged in tandem and in convenient mat transfer relationship to a transfer conveyor 12 upon which several mats issuing from modules 11 can be juxtaposed. The modules and their elements will be designated by lower case letter suffixes where appropriate with five modules considered and identified from right to left in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a through e. Module 11c has been broken out of FIGS. 1 and 2 to facilitate illustration. Each module is made up of a fiber forming means 13 from which molten mineral fibers are exuded and drawn by pull rolls 14. In the example the fibers are of glass and are derived by melting bodies of glass such as marbles in pots 13 to which they are fed on a demand basis, i.e. as they are required to maintain a desired head of marbles and molten glass within the pots. However, it is to be appreciated that fiberizable minerals other than glass can be employed and the molten material can be supplied to the fiber formers from other sources such as flow channels from the forehearth of a furnace in which batch materials are melted and refined, all by means not shown.
All modules are of similar form. They are arranged to attenuate fibers and expose them to a binder during their transport to a collection conveyor 15. Advantageously, they are cooled and their velocity is reduced during their transport to the conveyor so that the binder does not cure to any significant degree on the collection conveyor and the fibers impinge upon the conveyor with passage into the conveyor interstices minimized. The mat or blanket 16 thus formed on the conveyor is passed to the transfer conveyor 12. Advantageously, the transfer conveyor is located below the modules 11 so that is passes uncured blanket 16 from preceding modules 11 beneath succeeding modules along the machine. Effective fiber collection is maintained by a liquid wash of the collection conveyor 15 at washer 17. The machine is operative with one or more modules shut down or held in a standby relationship in which primary fibers are issued but not attenuated as during transition from a running state to a shutdown state.
In order to maintain product quality, the tranfer conveyor is protected from contaminants from the modules by shields 18 and a primary fiber scrap collection system 19 conveys the fibers which are not attenuated to a suitable receptacle for reuse or other disposition.
Five modules are illustrated for the machine of FIG. 1. The machine is therefore adapted to produce a blanket or mat end product 21 issuing at its left end as viewed in FIG. 1 which has up to five layers of mat which can be of desired different types and amounts of fibers and different types and/or amounts of binder materials located through the thickness of the mat in any desired sequence or relative orientation. For example, if a product having coarse outer fibers and fine inner fibers is desired, modules a and e can be arranged to produce mat 16 of coarse fibers while one or more of modules b, c and d produce mat 16 of fine fibers. Further, the machine can be arranged for the introduction of other types of fibers or materials to be intermixed with the fibers being created either in a distribution of such fibers or materials as the mat 16 is formed in the individual modules 11 or as laminated structures with septa 22b between layers. These septa can be impermeable to gas since they are not interposed in the gas stream which entrains the fibers to transport them to the collection conveyor 15. Rather, they can be supplied from coils 23b mounted on and introduced from the shafts 24b.
Efficient utilization of the equipment embodied in the machine of the present invention dictates maximum flexibility in its operation. In addition to the variants available by control of individual module output and selective septa incorporation in the composite mat 21, the machine lends itself to split output wherein mat is issued from both ends. As shown in FIG. 1, each module of the machine can be provided with a section 25 of the transfer conveyor 12 having a turning roller 26 on a head shaft 27 and a turning roller 28 on a tail shaft 29 in conjunction with a bidirectional drive 31 coupled to the head shaft. The collection conveyor and transfer conveyor flight can be made up of chain links or wire mesh making continuous lengths of flexible screen surface. When all are driven in a direction to move the upper flight from right to left as viewed in FIG. 1, the composite product of all modules in operation issues an uncured mat 21 at the left. However, if a mat 21 requires less than the output of the five modules of the exemplary machine and if operable modules are available to the right of that module issuing the lowermost mat strata 16 to the transfer conveyor 12, then those available modules 11 can be employed to produce product simultaneously with the operation issuing mat 21 at the left. This is accomplished by reversal of the transfer conveyor section for the available modules so that their upper flights 25 are driven from left to right. Under such circumstances, with modules c, d and e contributing to mat 21 issuing to the left, the mat from modules a and b will follow the path shown in phantom as at 33 onto transfer conveyor sections 25 beneath modules a and b and issue at the rightmost turning roller 28a. Board forming equipment, tube forming equipment, forming presses or mat curing ovens, represented schematically as 30 and 32 at the left and right and ends of transfer convey 12, can be located at the issuing end or ends of transfer conveyor to receive and process the mat further in an in-line operation.
Compactness of the line is enhanced by the arrangement directing the flight of fibers in each module along a generally vertical path. Raw materials are admitted to each module from above and the fiber and resin binder in an uncured blanket form issue downwardly.
Glass marbles are supplied to the modules from a receptacle, not shown, feeding an elevator 34 which may be of the chain and bucket type. A marble conveyor 35 distributes the marbles to hoppers 36 each of which supplies the pots 13 of a module 11. Conveyor 35 can be of the form of a trough 37 having a continuous belt 38 on its bottom as best seen in FIG. 3 and having branched chutes 39 to direct marbles to spaced points of entry to hoppers 36. From the hopper 36, marbles are directed by individual chutes 41 to the pots 13 in which they are melted.
Primary filaments 42 of glass issue from orifices (not shown) in the bottom of pots 13 and are drawn by pull rolls 14 so they extend across the face of attenuation burners 43 which direct their high temperature effluent at a high velocity toward the open mouth 44 of forming tubes 45. A curtain of parallel, closely spaced primary filaments is thus developed across the width of the apparatus over a region generally corresponding to the width of the collecting conveyor 15 by passing them over a guide bar 40. The primaries are resoftened to drawing temperature in the burner effluent and are attenuated horizontally to fine fibers entrained in the effluent. Fiberization occurs in the first portion of travel of the effluent beyond the cantelevered primary filament ends and the fibers are solidified by ambient air inspirated by the motion energy of the burner effluent within a fraction of an inch of the filament ends.
The attenuated fibers and the entraining burner effluent are delivered to the mouth 44 of forming tube 45, of such opening size as to control the amount of air inspirated with a minimum of turbulance introduced into the blast stream. This relationship is based upon the burner capacity. Typically, a 1 million B.T.U. per hour burner 43 having an orifice 1/2 inch high and 81/2 inches wide is accommodated by a forming tube mouth 71/2 inches high and 14 to 16 inches wide spaced about 6 inches from the orifice.
The blast stream flow is enhanced for the typical grouping of six or seven burners 43 across a 96 inch forming tube 45 by fairings 47 in the form of a rolled lip. Laminar flow is retained while turning the effluent, inspirated air and entrained fiber from horizontal to vertical flow by maintaining the cross section of tube 45 around an inner radius of about 18 to 24 inches and by minimizing any back eddy effect at the tube exit 48 by a straight vertical section of a length of at least six times the radius of the inner curve.
The hot gas blast an entrained fiber discharge from tube 45 into a forming chamber 49 above the fiber collecting conveyor 15 and an underlying suction box 51. Binder is mixed into the stream as a liquid spray from headers 50 adjacent the forming tubes exits 48. In order to maximize exposure of the fiber to cooling ambient the exit 48 of tube 45 is located a substantial distance from the collection conveyor 15. Ambient air flow in chamber 49 is confined to that generally paralleling the hot gases. That is it is introduced along side the forming tube exit 48. A broad area is provided over the collecting conveyor for the withdrawal of air in order to afford a low velocity, high volume flow thereby enhancing the cooling off the fiber without subjecting it to mechanical working in turbulent gas streams. Advantageously, the lower lips of the upstream and downstream walls 52 and 53 of the forming chamber 49 are arranged in close proximity to the conveyor 15 and can be provided with seal rolls (not shown) at those apertures through which the continuous conveyor is passed to prevent ingress of air at the level of the conveyor. Air is impelled through the system by one or more fans 55 connected through ports 56 in the wall of suction box 51 to a suitable exhaust stack 57.
A chain form of conveyor 15 has been found effective wherein its upper flight is passed over rollers 58 and 59 and is supported in sliding relationship on a grill 61 above suction box 51. A blanket 16 of fiber is taken off conveyor 15 at a mat delivery station at roller 59 and the conveyor is passed through suitable cleaning apparatus 17 over a run 62 to remove adhering fiber and binder which may have been carried over from the blanket 16. It is then returned to roller 58 by a pass beneath suction box 51.
Free flow of ambient air is provided to the open top of the forming chamber 49. Thus, where catwalks 63 are provided they are formed of open gratings. If additives are to be incorporated in the blanket, they are introduced into the fiber stream from forming tubes 45 with apparatus (not shown) and techniques which minimize the diversion or disruption of the stream. Multiple forming tubes 45 are employed with construction of the stream of hot gas and fibers introduced at their entrances 44 minimized and with their exits disposed transverse of the direction of advance of conveyor 15 and spaced in that direction so that the streams are weighted toward the entry end of collection conveyor 15. This arrangement in conjunction with the restriction of air inspirated by the burner and tube design enables the flow of the effluent and fiber in a vertically downward direction with minimum tubulence and with the fiber in an open, free-flowing condition. Ambient air is introduced by the combined action of inspiration by the flow from forming tubes 45 and the suction on box 51.
During passage downward through chamber 49 the effluent and ambient air mix gradually and approach the same velocity with a minimum turbulence or mechanical action on the fiber. The fiber passes essentially in straight line flow to the conveyor with ambient air gradually mixed. Reduction of the temperature in the mat collected on conveyor 15 is enhanced by a binder spray as a curtain spray.
Two or more fiber forming sections can be employed to advantage where greater densities of fiber are to be collected. Such sections utilize the features of a uniform cross section forming tube as tubes 45 of FIG. 1. While the tubes can be arranged to feed individual forming chambers (not shown) with individual plenums, it has been found that by suitable spacing of the elements certain portions and the functions accomplished therein can be combined as by employing a common suction box 51 or a common forming chamber 49 in whole or in part. In multiple stage operations a substantial improvement in binder retention in the collected mat is realized in the later stages since the mat of the first and subsequent stages if any acts as an efficient filter for the binder entrained from the following fiber stream or streams.
The illustrated modules 11 are provided with a baffle 46 to divide the suction boxes into sections or chambers 51A and 51B and individual fans 55A and 55B for each chamber afford maximum flexibility of adjustment of the suction imposed on the felted mat of fibers as it builds. The forming chamber of this embodiment is common to an A and B stage forming tubes while the A and B suction boxes are in registry with the respective tubes along the path of flight of fibers to the collecting conveyor. In this arrangement the fan 55A for the A section is driven by motor 63 through a direct belt drive 64 and control of the vacuum drawn is by a damper (not shown) in the exhaust stack 57A. The B section fan 55B is driven through a variable speed drive 66 from motor 67 to belt drive 68 whereby a greater range of adjustment of the vacuum drawn is available.
In order to maintain control of fiber collection, the collecting surface or chain forming collecting conveyor 15 continuously is cleaned of fiber and binder. A rotating washer head 69 contained within an upper casing 71 directs a plurality of high velocity streams of liquid, which can be water where aqueous binders are used in the mat, against that surface of the collecting chain which was its underside during its travel across the bottom of the collecting chamber. The collecting chain is inverted at this time so that gravity augments the back flush of the sprayed liquid to carry the fibers and binders from the chain and into a collecting or drain hood 72 coupled to a suitable drain conduit 73 extending transverse of the machine module alignment to a suitable collecting means (not shown). Shield 18 protects the blanket on transfer conveyor 12 from cleaning liquid or debris which might drop from the washer unit 17 and the return flight of the conveyor chain 15.
Operation of collection conveyors 15 is matched to transfer conveyor 12 so that the speeds do not diverge and subject the blankets 16 to stress as they are passed from the conveyor 15 to conveyor 12 or between sections of conveyor 12. A main drive motor 74 of the variable speed type drives a line shaft 75 to takeoff stations for the several conveyors which comprise variable speed drives 76 for conveyors 15 and 31 for sections of conveyor 12. Where appropriate for reverse operation of sections of conveyor 12 drives 31 can incorporate selectively operable reversing means. Chain and sprocket couplings are provided between the drives 76 and 31 and drive shafts for the conveyors as chains 78 from drives 76 to drive roller 79 and chains 81 from drives 31 to drive rollers 26 of the sections of conveyor 12. The variable speed drives 76 and 31 afford means of trimming the surface speed of the conveyor flights to compensate for variations in the gearing, sprockets and drive chains whereby the desired relationships, usually uniform speed in all cooperating units, can be established and maintained.
The range of variation of the product of this apparatus can be appreciated from a consideration of the available variations. The number of blanket lamina incorporated in the final product is limited only by the number of modules 11 of the machine. While a single source of glass marbles for supplying all modules is shown, it is to be appreciated that different glass compositions can be fed to the hoppers 36 of the several modules to produce glass fibers having different compositions. The pull rate of the fibers and the attenuators can be adjusted to produce different fiber sizes from each module or even a blend of fiber sizes in the blanket from a single module as where the A and B sections of the fiber formers and attenuators are adjusted for such differences. Binder and additives can be changed from blanket to blanket by control of the supply to binder spray manifold 50 to each module of each module section. A mixture of septa can be introduced for such purposes as reinforcement, as a reflector of heat, and/or as a gas or vapor barrier.
During shutdown and start up of modules a quantity of primary fibers are produced which are not of the quality required for controlled attenuation. These primaries are disposed of without disruption of other modules or the blanket passing beneath the module generating them by permitting them to drop into a trough 82 below the fiber forming pots 13. An auger conveyor 83 is fitted into the semi-cylindrical bottom 84 of trough 82 to advance scrap primary filaments to a chute 85. From chute 85 the scrap is deposited on a belt 87 formed as a trough within casing 86. The belt is driven to carry the scrap to a discharge chute 88 from which it is deposited in a suitable receptacle not shown.
The blanket 16 produced during the period the primary fibers are being positioned in a suitable array across guide bar 40 and the attenuation burners are placed in operation is frequently of inferior quality. Such blanket 16 is excluded from the transfer conveyor 12 and the blankets thereon which make up the composite product 21 by a door 89 which is pivoted at 91 so that it can be shifted to rest on stop 92 and intercept the out of standard blanket 16 on its travel from the blanket issuing station of conveyor 15 to the blanket receiving station of transfer conveyor 12. The blanket intercepted by door 89 is removed from between the modules 11 by suitable means or manually. When the curtain 42 of primary fibers has been formed, when the attenuation burners have been brought up to their proper output, and when the blanket issuing from collection conveyor 15 meets stanndards the door 89 is pivoted around its pivot 91 to the position illustrated for each module in FIGS. 1 and 2 to clear the path between the issuing and receiving stations.
While the arrangement of in-line fiber blanket forming modules each having its own suction box, and each requiring suction of the fiber stream through only the blanket developed in its module is particulrly advantageous for the production of thick high density blankets, or blankets with septa forming gas barriers, where the fiber stream is vertical and the lamination of blanket portions is on a horizontal conveyor from horizontal collection conveyors, it is to be understood that the machine can be modified without departing from its spirit. Thus, the fiber can be attenuated by the rotary process rather than by gas blast attenuation. Fiber collection can be on an essentially vertical flight of a collection conveyor. The transfer conveyor can be located other than below the blanket forming modules. However, the hot gas attenuation with laminar flow maximized produces superior staple fibers in that they are longer and less abraded as deposited on the collection screen and thus result in a stronger blanket. Further, the vertical flow through the open faced collection chamber reduces fiber velocity to increase the cooling in flight so that the blanket temperature does not rise to the cure temperature of the binder and the low velocity of impingement of fibers on the collectin conveyor minimizes fiber penetration into the conveyor interstices. While collection conveyor cleaning by other than washing techniques might be employed, the thorough cleaning afforded by washing enhances control and thus blanket quality significantly. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the preferred embodiment disclosed lends itself to modifications within the concept of this invention and therefore is to be read as illustrative of the invention and not in a limiting sense.
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A machine for forming mineral fibers into mats or blankets comprising a plurality of modules each including primary fiber formers, fiber attenuation means, binder applicators, and fiber collectors to produce continuous lengths of mat. A common conveyor is adapted to receive the mats of each module at spaced mat receiving stations along its length. The common conveyor receives the uncured mats in juxtaposition to each other and conveys them to stations for further processing. Each module is adapted to operate and be taken off or put on line without disruption of the operation of the other modules. Each includes a scrap conveyor for primary fibers, a fiber collection conveyor cleaning means for the conveyor and a suction box all of which are shielded from the common conveyor to avoid contamination of the mat on the common conveyor. Flexibility is afforded by the modules since combined fiber layers of different fiber characteristic, with different additives and binders, with interlayers or septa including septa which is gas impermeable, and in a wide range of densities and thickness can be produced on an in-line basis. Output can be split so that one or more modules are arranged to produce a mat for a first product while one or more other modules are producing a mat for a second product. A split, bidirectional common conveyor is utilized to optionally issue mat from one or both ends of the machine.
Fiber attenuation by gas blast is preferred for the modules and is arranged to direct the fibers vertically downward to a horizontal fiber collection conveyor at a low velocity and low enough temperature to avoid curing the binder for the fibers on the collection conveyor. A liquid reverse flush of the collection conveyor removes fibers and binder which adhere to the conveyor surface.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] Institutions that track clients throughout the process of a client activity often rely on employees to manually input data as the client is tracked through the activity. Clients and employees, being human however, are prone to error when providing or entering data. For example, a client may misstate a home address or the employee may mis-enter that address into a record keeping system or enter it into the wrong input box in the record keeping system. Providing machine readable codes (e.g., a one- or two-dimensional barcode, radio frequency identifiers (RFID), or microchips) may help alleviate mis-provision and mis-entry, although it is not infallible, as machine reading errors can still occur and the data are still prone to non-entry, for example, when the employee forgets to ask for information. When data are improperly or not entered, sub-processes comprising a process may be left incomplete, which will increase the difficulty in completing the process or prevent conditional sub-processes from being correctly included/excluded from the process, especially when the client is no longer available to provide the data. For example, if the employee fails to input client address information, follow up communications with the client (e.g., test results, billing, future marketing) may be impossible to complete.
[0002] Institutions wish to both monitor the ability of employees to fulfill the requirements of process tracking after the fact, and to monitor the process in real-time to prevent errors from occurring or to prompt the employees to fix the errors before problems develop from those errors. The auditing (during or post-procedure) process when automated, however, is often processor intensive and transmission heavy; requiring large amounts of data to be passed back and forth between systems and multiple calls to databases to verify that the data have been properly entered.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0003] The present disclosure provides systems and methods for improving the functionality of systems used for generating customized user interfaces for tracking client activities within an institution. By customizing the user interfaces for process tracking according to the present disclosure, a more efficient automated auditing process (both during and post-procedure) and a better user experience for manual entry of process steps are provided.
[0004] In the use case of tracking a process during the activity, as data are entered, they are sent to a repository (such as a database), and a user interface is generated (or updated) to contain the information related to the client and the status of tasks comprising the procedures. Historic data are also used from the repository to error check input data as data entry occurs and customize the user interface, based on historical user data, to better guide the user through the tasks of the activity.
[0005] In the use case of determining how a user has performed historically regarding process tracking (relating to manual entry of data and the requesting thereof), the status of tasks comprising client activities that a given operator has entered data for are aggregated on a per-operator basis. By aggregating historical data on a per-user basis, the institution is enabled to identify best practices, the need for additional training or safeguards, and inconsistencies in its data, and the system is able to customize the user interface for the given user, based on the historical user data.
[0006] In both use cases, the process tracker uses historic data in conjunction with newly entered data and processing already being run by a cloud-based system to improve the auditing process to use fewer computing resources. Aspects of systems and methods described herein may be practiced in hardware implementations, software implementations, and in combined hardware/software implementation. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts; it is not intended to identify all features or limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various aspects and examples of the present invention. In the drawings:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example environment in which a process tracker may be implemented;
[0009] FIGS. 2A-2C are example user interfaces for tracking the process of a client activity;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for tracking the process of a client activity;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for determining how an operator has performed historically regarding process tracking; and
[0012] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating physical components of an example computing device with which aspects may be practiced.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While aspects of the present disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the present disclosure, but instead, the proper scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Examples may take the form of a hardware implementation, or an entirely software implementation, or an implementation combining software and hardware aspects. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example environment 100 in which a process tracker 135 may be implemented. In the example environment 100 , the components managed by the institution include one or more user workstation(s) 110 in communication with an internal repository 120 , which in turn is in communication with the components managed outside of the institution. The components managed outside of the institution (e.g., a cloud-based system) include a workflow system 130 , which includes the process tracker 135 , and one or more external repository(ies) 140 , which may be managed by the party that manages the workflow system 130 or by a third party.
[0015] In various aspects, the user workstations 110 are implemented as various computing devices that are used by users at the institution to enter client data, to track and view the client as activities and services are proved to the client. Such computing devices include, but are not limited to: desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the like, which may be shared by multiple operators or specific to a given operator. The components of computing devices are discussed in greater detail in regard to FIG. 5 .
[0016] The internal repository 120 is representative of a central server, or other computing device, that provides centralized management of records within the institution, such as, for example, a Document Management System (DMS), a Hospital Information System (HIS), or an inventory/customer management database. The internal repository 120 may be communicated with the user workstations 110 via direct data links or a network, such as for example, a Local Area Network (LAN) or a distributed network (e.g., the Internet or a Virtual Private Network (VPN) via the Internet). In various aspects, the internal repository 120 may be omitted, or the user workstations 110 may communicate with the internal repository 120 in parallel to communicating with the workflow system 130 managed externally from the institution instead of communicating with the workflow system 130 serially via the internal repository 120 as illustrated.
[0017] The workflow system 130 is illustrative of a computer system external to the institution (i.e., managed by a different party) that provides data processing services to the institution. Institutions use data processing services to receive Software as a Service (SaaS), via a thin client (e.g., a web browser) on the user workstations 110 (allowing for inexpensive computing devices to be used as terminals and reduced infrastructure to be maintained by the institution) and to employ the provider's expertise in various areas (e.g., information security, payment processing, regulatory navigation, hardware maintenance) for which the institution lacks operational capabilities or expertise. By outsourcing data processing services related to workflow management to the workflow system 130 , historic data held by different institutions (optionally) and the provider can be fed back into the services rendered to the first institution without the need to retransmit those data or to process those data multiple times, thus improving the efficiency of the institution's systems and the provider's systems.
[0018] As data are input by a user and transmitted to the workflow system 130 for processing, the processing results and historic data related to the inputted data are used to update the user interfaces (UI) that are transmitted for display on the user workstation 110 . In one example, after inputting a client's address, the workflow system 130 will run an address verification check (determining whether the address exists and whether historic data verify that the client resides at that address) and a UI will be updated to include the result of that verification check (pass, fail, user attention required, etc.) and, additionally or alternatively, the UI will be updated to include controls for the next data to be input by the operator.
[0019] The process tracker 135 , as a part of the workflow system 130 , improves the auditing and process tracking capabilities, and efficiencies thereof, of the workflow system 130 , and by extension the institution's systems. By providing the controls for inputting additional data in the Uls and additional dialogs and displays, the tasks that comprise a procedure are tracked for the responsible users, and the procedure tracking process is guided by the process tracker 135 . For example, an institution may look up how a user has performed historically regarding process tracking via the UI elements added throughout the client activity and whether the data entered match historic data known to the workflow system 130 . In another example, using historic data, the process tracker 135 will select the tasks that comprise a procedure to presentation in the UI in an order that is influenced by the historic performance of the user.
[0020] To illustrate, consider an institution that has frequently requested emergency contact information for client, but the users have not supplied such information to the workflow system 130 for a variety of reasons (forgetfulness, the client not supplying the information, etc.). The process tracker 135 is operable to rearrange the UI, asking more prominently for the contact information to be input (to reduce user forgetfulness). For example, completed tasks may be moved to a bottom of a UI to show tasks still requiring user input in a higher position in the UI, or historically skipped tasks (within the institution or specific to the user) may be presented with larger controls or earlier in a list of tasks (or via modal dialogs when the controls are normally non-modal). Similarly, potential tasks may be hidden until the inputted or historical data indicate that the potential tasks are actually part of the procedure. For example, contact information for a guardian of the client may be optionally requested when the client is a minor (e.g., shown by inputted data of a birth date) or known by historic data to have a guardian. For example, a client with dementia may be recalled as having a guardian based on inputted identifiers (e.g., name, social security number (SSN), client number) that match historic data which include records of client activities that include guardian information. A percentage of tasks comprising a procedure may also be inserted into the UI to show that some data have not been successfully inputted, and a relative quantity thereof.
[0021] The process tracker 135 also provides for the ability to track which tasks were presented to users so that an auditing process for operators completing data entry does not need to process whether missing data from a non-presented tasks need to be treated as operator error. For example, if a client has no guardian information associated with the client's records, this will be treated as operator error when the request was presented to the operator, but not when the request was not presented to the operator (e.g., when the process tracker 135 determined that the client has no need of a guardian).
[0022] In various aspects, the process tracker 135 includes functionality in the UI for the user to manually note erroneously presented UI elements and for presented tasks controls to be automatically marked as un-presented when a condition that caused the tasks to be presented is withdrawn. For example, when a user inputs a birthdate for the client with a typographical error that indicates that the client is a minor (but in reality is not) and fixes the typographical error, a dialog for guardian information may initially be included in the UI (based on the condition of the clients age) and then withdrawn in response to the corrected birthdate, in which case the process tracker 135 will treat the task as not having been presented to the operator for purposes of auditing. Similarly, UI elements may include an option for users to manually clear a task, such as, for example, when a client does not have the requested information (or will not provide it). A manually cleared task may be marked with a tag (e.g., ‘no data’, ‘delay for later collection’) by the workflow system 130 to differentiate tasks that have been manually cleared (and/or a reason for manually clearing the task) from tasks that have not been addressed yet and/or forgotten.
[0023] The one or more external respository(ies) 140 include computer devices and computer readable storage media accessible via the workflow system 130 that are controlled by the party providing the workflow system 130 or by a third party. In various aspects, the external repositories 140 include the internal repositories 120 of other institutions that have agreed to share data (e.g., a referring office from a different institution, a remote or satellite office within an institution, a public or governmental institution) as well as the databases and servers controlled by the workflow system 130 to provide services to the institution. Data held in the external repositories 140 are used by the workflow system 130 to provide the historical data that allow for process tracking with reduced computing resources needed for an auditing process during a procedure or after the procedure.
[0024] Communications between the various components of FIG. 1 may done via structured communications. For example, if the institution were a medical institution, structured communications may include documents formatted according to the HL7 standard (e.g., admission/discharge/transfer (ADT) communications, schedule information unsolicited (SIU) communications, or A04 transmission for intake, A08 transmission for updates) or an electronic data interchange (EDI) transaction (e.g., EDI-270 requests or EDI-271 responses). These communications may be encrypted or unencrypted in addition to any encryption used over a communications channel (e.g., a VPN). For example, communications between the workstation 110 and the internal repository 120 may be unencrypted, but communications between the internal repository 120 and the workflow system 130 may be encrypted. One of ordinary skill in the art will be familiar with potential algorithms to apply to encrypt the communications.
[0025] FIG. 2A is an example UI 201 tracking the process of a client activity. Via the UI 201 , the user is enabled to enter data regarding a client, view data regarding the client, and track the process of the client through the activity. The UI 201 is generated and transmitted by the workflow system 130 to the user workstation 110 , and although various controls and displays are shown and discussed in relation to FIG. 2A , one of skill in the art will recognize that some illustrated elements are not discussed and that additional elements, and arrangements thereof, are also possible; the elements discussed herein are provided as non-limiting examples. As will be appreciated, the UI 201 and the elements thereof are generated and updated by the cloud-based system (e.g., workflow system 130 ).
[0026] The dashboard UI 201 includes an information display area 230 that includes information regarding a given client activity, the current phase or status of processing, and navigation controls 210 , operable to move the dashboard UI 201 to different phases of processing and/or to different client activities. In various aspects, the navigation controls 210 include directional buttons (e.g., Previous or Next) for navigating to a previous/next patient or a previous/next phase in an ordered list of patients or phases. In other aspects, the navigation controls 210 include tabs, displaying all (or a displayable subset) of the available client activities or phases, from which a user may select. In yet other aspects, a search feature will be included with the navigation controls 210 so that a user may type all or a portion of a name for a client or phase and navigate to that client's activity or phase. As will be appreciated, the navigation controls 210 may be implemented to limit navigation based on context. For example, in a first phase of an ordered list of phases, a “Previous” navigation control will not be provided, not be selectable, or will be “grayed out.”
[0027] As illustrated, a process indicator 220 is provided in the UI 201 to indicate to a user how far along the tasks related to a client activity are in process. As will be appreciated, a client activity may be completed or closed out independently of the tasks that are related to it. For example, a client activity may last for a predetermined length of time (e.g., a half hour appointment) and a portion of the related tasks may be left incomplete after the client activity has ended. In another example, a client activity may be closed out as completed when a designated task is marked as complete, such as “provide the check,” may mark the end of a client activity in a restaurant, even if the “ask client about dessert” task has not been completed. In yet another example, a client activity may be incomplete, but all of the related tasks may be completed, such as, all the steps for a car's oil change have been completed, but the driver has not picked up the vehicle. The process indicator 220 therefore displays a percentage for the collective competition of the tasks comprising a client activity independently from the completion of the client activity.
[0028] As illustrated, the collective completion of the tasks is displayed as a percentage and a status bar (reflective of that percentage in relative area of the process indicator) and the percentage is determined based on the number of tasks that were both presented to the user and determined to have been completed for a given client activity (as a numerator value) against the total number of tasks presented to the user (the sum of tasks presented and completed, presented and in progress, presented and not started, presented and completed but with an alert as a denominator). The completion status of the client activity may simultaneously be displayed in the process indicator 220 via color cues of the progress bar and/or the background. For example, a client activity that is still in process may have a progress bar (or background) of an associated process indicator 220 that is a first color (e.g., green, blue), whereas a client activity that is complete may have a progress bar (or background) of an associated process indicator 220 that is a second color (e.g., red, yellow).
[0029] The status of the tasks used in calculating the percentage of tasks completed for a given client activity will be known to the cloud-based system that generates the UI in which the process indicator 220 is displayed without the need for the system to receive additional data or requiring user interaction. The data that the user has inputted, or that the cloud-based system has access to from historic data, are used to automatically update the statuses of various tasks and client activities. For example, as data are received, the cloud-based system will run various transactions on those data (e.g., verifying consistency of the input data to historic data, querying external systems to validate the input data) and will track which of the tasks have been presented to the users and which tasks have been completed by the users to automatically update the process indicator 220 without requiring further transmissions or user input.
[0030] Also illustrated in the information display area 230 are various task summary controls 240 a - c (collectively, task summary controls 240 ). Each task summary control 240 is related to a single task or grouping of tasks, and may be optimized for display in the UI 201 by the could-based system based on historical user data. For example, the third task summary control 240 c is illustrated as larger than the other task summary controls 240 in the display area to prioritize its display, which may be based on historical user data indicating that the user has previously failed to complete the associated task. Tasks may be prioritized (or deprecated) for display in the UI 201 based on historical user data in various aspects by changing a relative size of an associated task summary control 240 , an order of the task summary controls 240 , a color of an associated tasks summary control 240 , applying/removing animation effects (e.g., flashing, blinking, strobing, bouncing, pulsing) to a task summary control 240 , applying/removing an icon indicating the task's importance, or including the tasks as a dialog in the UI 201 .
[0031] FIG. 2B is an example dialog 202 in a UI 201 tracking the process of a client activity. Via the dialog 202 , which may be modal or non-modal, the user is provided additional detail on the process of the client activity. The dialog 202 is generated and transmitted by the workflow system 130 to the user workstation 110 , and various controls and displays are shown and discussed in relation to FIG. 2B , although one of skill in the art will recognize that some illustrated elements are not discussed and that additional elements, and arrangements thereof, are also possible; the elements discussed herein are provided as non-limiting examples.
[0032] As illustrated, the dialog 202 includes a process indicator 220 , which displays the collective completion of the tasks that comprise a client activity, as discussed in regard to FIG. 2A , as well as a task summary table 250 , showing details related to the tasks. For example, a status, name, update time, and responsible/last known user may be displayed for each task related to a client activity. The status of the tasks may be summarized via task status indicators 260 , such as in-progress task status indicators 260 a , a completed task status indicator 260 b , a not started task status indicator 260 c , or an alert state task status indicator 260 d . One of skill in the art will appreciate that the illustrated task status indicators 260 are presented as non-limiting examples and that more or fewer categories with different presentations may be provided in other aspects.
[0033] Manual task controls 270 are provided in the dialog 202 for the users to add tasks, acknowledge tasks, mark tasks as complete, mark tasks as incomplete, change responsible users for a given task (i.e., to reassign a task), edit data inputted for a task, clear alerts, to add a new task to the client activity, to remove a task from the client activity, etc., to provide control of individual tasks and the client activity. Manual task controls 270 may be provided or not provided based on the context of a selected task in the task summary table 250 . For example, a manual task control 270 may be provided to mark an in progress task as complete based on its status, but a manual task control 270 to mark the same task as incomplete may be omitted based on its current status of not being complete.
[0034] The dialog 202 also includes various dialog controls 280 to affect or acknowledge the data presented in the dialog 202 . For example, buttons to close without applying changes, close and apply changes, apply changes without closing, to maximize, minimize, or transfer the dialog 202 to another screen may be provided.
[0035] FIG. 2C is an example tracking UI 203 tracking multiple client activities. As will be appreciated, when multiple client activities are shown, they may be shown as dialogs within a different UI or as a separate UI, and may be grouped by client activity type, time period, users, or clients. In various aspects, when a user requests a report, the tracking UI 203 will be displayed. For example, when requesting a report on a given type of client activity, all of the client activities, and a summary thereof, will be displayed in the tracking UI 203 . In another example, when requesting a user efficacy report for a given user, a tracking UI 203 will display the client activities which the user is associated with and the tracking UI 203 will be organized accordingly and may include a summary of how well the user has completed tasks for client activities that are marked as completed in the cloud-based system.
[0036] FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method 300 for tracking the process of a client activity via component tasks. Method 300 begins at OPERATION 310 , where input data are received from the user by the cloud-based system used for process tracking. In various aspects, the initial input data include a name (or other Personally Identifiable Information (PII)) regarding the client, a name or category of the client activity, and may include a user identifier or the identity of the user may be known to the cloud-based system based on a login to the system (e.g., stored in a cookie, a token, correlated with a user workstation 110 address (e.g., a machine access code (MAC) address, an internet protocol (IP) address).
[0037] Method 300 proceeds to OPERATION 320 , where the input data are incorporated into the optimization of the UI. The input data are used to determine which tasks are related to the client activity so that their associated UI elements may be presented to the user. The related tasks are sub-activities to the client activity, for example, input data that specify a client activity of “oil change” will indicate tasks of “drain oil,” “replace oil cap,” “change oil filter,” and “add new oil,” whereas input data that specify a client activity of “colonoscopy” would specify different tasks (related to performing a colonoscopy). The plurality of tasks that are determined by the cloud-based system to be related to the client activity may be defined by the institution, and influenced by the input data for presenting or not presenting optional tasks. For example, an institution may define a client activity for “student registration” that will include different optional tasks depending on the grade or age of the student. For example, all students may be presented with the task of “select class schedule,” but only students who have input an age over fifteen in their input data are presented the optional task of “verify desire for parking permit.” Similarly, users who inputted a first response to a branching task may be presented with additional or different subsequent tasks than users who inputted a second response. For example, users who responded positively the task of “verify desire for parking permit,” may be presented with a task of “provide license and vehicle information” whereas users who responded negatively may not be presented the task of “provide license and vehicle information.” One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other client activities with different associated tasks than the above examples are possible and that the above examples are non-limiting.
[0038] Method 300 then proceeds to DECISION 330 to determine whether historic data are available. As will be appreciated, historic data fall into two categories: historical client data, which are related to previous data regarding the client known to the institution, the workflow system 130 , or outside parties; and historical user data, which are related to the past performance and roles of the user. For example, historical client data may include input data from a previous client activity, the results of validations previously performed by the cloud-base system, etc. As will also be appreciated, when the process tracking is first activated, or in the event of limited network connectivity, the historic data may not be available. If historic data are available based on the input data, method 300 proceeds to OPERATION 340 , otherwise method 300 proceeds to OPERATION 360 .
[0039] At OPERATION 340 , historic data are retrieved by the cloud-based system from various repositories based on the input data. The historic data are retrieved from internal repositories 120 and external repositories 140 based on matching information from the input data to the records stored in the repositories. For example, based on a client name submitted with the input data, previous client activities related to the current client stored by the repositories will be retrieved, so that when additional input data are submitted, they may be checked at OPERATION 350 for consistency between entries. In another example, a user role or user history is retrieved based on a matching user identity so that the user will only be presented with tasks within a given user role or so that tasks that the user has historically not completed by the conclusion of the client activity may be prioritized in the UI so that the user does not forget to complete those tasks. Historical user data include data regarding an individual user and how that user has performed in process tracking, as well as data aggregated for all users within a given class or role within the institution. For example, a given technician at a hospital may be noted by individual historical user data as often failing to complete a given task, or the technicians in general may be noted as often failing to complete the given task so that the UI may be optimized to prioritize the given task to ensure that it is completed.
[0040] Proceeding to OPERATION 350 , the cloud-based system determines, based on a comparison between and within the input data and the historical client data, whether to include any alerts in the generation of the UI. For example, when the input data include a data field (e.g., a client address) that is also included in the historical client data (e.g., a previously entered client address) that does not match the historical client data, an alert may be generated. In another example, when the input data include data fields that are mutually exclusive or do not match the client activity (e.g., input data for a client over the age of majority includes guardian information, a client noted as male is scheduled for a client activity limited to female clients) an alert may be generated. In yet another example, when historical client data include inconsistent information (e.g., multiple addresses), an alert may be generated. Alerts are provided to draw the user's attention to a particular data element, and in various aspects may require the user to clear or acknowledge the alert before the user is permitted to continue processing the client.
[0041] At OPERATION 360 , a UI is generated by the cloud-based system for display on the user workstation 110 . As will be appreciated a base UI may be provided to the user to prompt the user to input the initial input data, but as input data are received and historic data are retrieved, the base UI may be replaced or updated with a customized layout that is optimized to the client activity and to the user.
[0042] To optimize the Uls, the historical user data are used to prioritize or deprecate tasks that are to be displayed to the user as part of the client activity. For example, if a user has historically left a given task incomplete, that task may be prioritized in the UI over unprioritized tasks such that it is shown as larger than tasks of lower priority, shown earlier in a sequence of tasks than tasks of lower priority (e.g., higher in a vertical list of tasks in the UI, leftward in a horizontal list of tasks in the UI), with a different color, with an animation effect (e.g., flashing, blinking, strobing, bouncing, pulsing), or with an icon indicating its importance. Deprecating a task may involve removing the features added to prioritize the task in the UI (e.g., color, animation, position, inclusion of an icon, increased size, dialog windows) or applying further features, such that it is shown as smaller than tasks of higher priority, shown later in a sequence of tasks than tasks of higher priority, or with a different color. As users complete tasks, those tasks may be deprioritized (i.e., deprecated), and their prominence in the UI lessened. For example, a completed task may be moved in the display of the UI from its initial position to behind the last uncompleted task in a customized order (e.g., the last task in the sequence of the client activity, the task least likely to be left incomplete by the user) or shrunk in the UI so that the next highest priority tasks may grow in size within a given display area of the UI.
[0043] At OPERATION 370 the UI is transmitted to the user from the cloud-based system and method 300 returns to OPERATION 310 , where the user may input additional input information, leading to the updating and further optimization of the UI, or the conclusion of method 300 .
[0044] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method 400 for determining how an operator has performed historically regarding process tracking. Method 400 begins at OPERATION 410 , where the cloud-based system receives a request for a user efficacy report. In various aspects, the request specifies one or more users on whom the efficacy report will be generated as well as time ranges (e.g., date 1 to date 2 , the last n months) from which to gather historical user data and specific client activities or tasks to examine or ignore. As will be appreciated, the request may be made by the user or by a different user (e.g., a supervisor), and the cloud-based system may limit access to user efficacy reports to certain individuals based on policies set by the institution.
[0045] Proceeding to OPERATION 420 , the cloud-based system identifies the client activities that have been completed. As will be appreciated, a client activity may be marked as completed even when not all of the related tasks are completed. For example, a client activity related to an emergency room visit may be completed when a patient leaves the emergency room, regardless of whether the tasks for intaking client information were completed. Continuing the example, the patient may be rushed to the emergency room, and tasks for “schedule room,” “triage,” “assign physician,” “determine blood type,” and “treat patient” may be completed, but tasks for “reach out to emergency contact persons,” “contact chaplain,” and “identify patient” may be skipped or left incomplete at the time that the patient leaves the facility. Therefore, at OPERATION 430 the cloud-based system will tally the tasks related to completed client activities that have been presented to the user but are incomplete, that is, those task that have additional statuses of “in-process,” “not started,” or that are complete but associated with an alert.
[0046] In various aspects, the institution may indicate some alerts that, if associated with a completed task, will cause that task to be included (or excluded) from the tally of incomplete tasks made in OPERATION 430 . For example, continuing the emergency room illustration above, a user who intakes the patient may input a placeholder name of “John Doe” for an unresponsive patient, which completes the task, but results in two example alerts. The first alert indicates that the name “John Doe” is recognized as a placeholder name (e.g., “John Doe,” “Jane Roe”), and although it satisfies the terms of a task for name input, it is unlikely to be the patient's actual name, and is therefore tracked with a status of “completed but associated with an alert”, and may be tallied with incomplete tasks. The second alert indicates that the input given name of “John” might be short for “Johnathan,” but would not result (on its own) in a status of “completed but associated with an alert” that would cause the task to be tallied with incomplete tasks. Instead, the second alert is excluded from causing the completed task from being counted in the tally because a patient's given name may actually be “John,” and the alert is only provided to ensure the user verifies the correct given name (e.g., that is not a nickname) is input for the patient. Institutions may specify various alerts that cause a completed task to be counted (or not counted) with the tallied incomplete tasks, and the above is provided as a non-limiting example.
[0047] Method 400 then proceeds to OPERATION 440 , where the user efficacy report is generated. As will be appreciated, the report may be formatted according to various styles and document types or may be included in a UI generated by the cloud-based system. At OPERATION 450 , the user efficacy report is transmitted from the cloud-based system to the requestor, and method 400 concludes.
[0048] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating physical components of an example computing device with which aspects may be practiced. The computing device 500 may include at least one processing unit 502 and a system memory 504 . The system memory 504 may comprise, but is not limited to, volatile (e.g. random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile (e.g. read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, or any combination thereof. System memory 504 may include operating system 506 , one or more program instructions 508 , and may include sufficient computer-executable instructions for a process tracker 135 , which when executed, perform functionalities as described herein. Operating system 506 , for example, may be suitable for controlling the operation of computing device 500 . Furthermore, aspects may be practiced in conjunction with a graphics library, other operating systems, or any other application program and is not limited to any particular application or system. This basic configuration is illustrated by those components within a dashed line 510 . Computing device 500 may also include one or more input device(s) 512 (keyboard, mouse, pen, touch input device, etc.) and one or more output device(s) 514 (e.g., display, speakers, a printer, etc.).
[0049] The computing device 500 may also include additional data storage devices (removable or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated by a removable storage 516 and a non-removable storage 518 . Computing device 500 may also contain a communication connection 520 that may allow computing device 500 to communicate with other computing devices 522 , such as over a network in a distributed computing environment, for example, an intranet or the Internet. Communication connection 520 is one example of a communication medium, via which computer-readable transmission media (i.e., signals) may be propagated.
[0050] Programming modules, may include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that may perform particular tasks or that may implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, aspects may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable user electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Aspects may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, programming modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
[0051] Furthermore, aspects may be practiced in an electrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit using a microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements or microprocessors (e.g., a system-on-a-chip (SoC)). Aspects may also be practiced using other technologies capable of performing logical operations such as, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including, but not limited to, mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition, aspects may be practiced within a general purpose computer or in any other circuits or systems.
[0052] Aspects may be implemented as a computer process (method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product may be a computer storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. Accordingly, hardware or software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) may provide aspects discussed herein. Aspects may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by, or in connection with, an instruction execution system.
[0053] Although aspects have been described as being associated with data stored in memory and other storage mediums, data can also be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or a CD-ROM, or other forms of RAM or ROM. The term computer-readable storage medium refers only to devices and articles of manufacture that store data or computer-executable instructions readable by a computing device. The term computer-readable storage media do not include computer-readable transmission media.
[0054] Aspects of the present invention may be used in various distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network.
[0055] Aspects of the invention may be implemented via local and remote computing and data storage systems. Such memory storage and processing units may be implemented in a computing device. Any suitable combination of hardware, software, or firmware may be used to implement the memory storage and processing unit. For example, the memory storage and processing unit may be implemented with computing device 500 or any other computing devices 522 , in combination with computing device 500 , wherein functionality may be brought together over a network in a distributed computing environment, for example, an intranet or the Internet, to perform the functions as described herein. The systems, devices, and processors described herein are provided as examples; however, other systems, devices, and processors may comprise the aforementioned memory storage and processing unit, consistent with the described aspects.
[0056] The description and illustration of one or more aspects provided in this application are intended to provide a thorough and complete disclosure the full scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art and are not intended to limit or restrict the scope of the invention as claimed in any way. The aspects, examples, and details provided in this application are considered sufficient to convey possession and enable those skilled in the art to practice the best mode of the claimed invention. Descriptions of structures, resources, operations, and acts considered well-known to those skilled in the art may be brief or omitted to avoid obscuring lesser known or unique aspects of the subject matter of this application. The claimed invention should not be construed as being limited to any embodiment, aspects, example, or detail provided in this application unless expressly stated herein. Regardless of whether shown or described collectively or separately, the various features (both structural and methodological) are intended to be selectively included or omitted to produce an embodiment with a particular set of features. Further, any or all of the functions and acts shown or described may be performed in any order or concurrently. Having been provided with the description and illustration of the present application, one skilled in the art may envision variations, modifications, and alternate embodiments falling within the spirit of the broader aspects of the general inventive concept provided in this application that do not depart from the broader scope of the present disclosure.
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Tracking the process of a client activity via an electronic system involves the provision of user interfaces by which data are communicated to user. Optimizing the generation of these user interfaces in a cloud-based system reduces processing resources required by the cloud-based portion, improves the user experience on the local portions, and improves the data collected by users. Using, as described herein, historical data known to the cloud-based portion related to both the user and the client, the user interfaces are updated to show progress of the activity and to organize the tasks for the given user in an optimal arrangement. Reports may also be generated regarding the efficacy of the users in shepherding the activity to completion in a more efficient manner. Various user interface elements are integrated into the cloud-based system for quick provision of activity and task statuses to the user.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to propulsion and specifically to a method of producing propellant-less thrust using mass fluctuation.
2. Prior Art
Aerospace propulsion technology to date has rested firmly on simple applications of the reaction principle: Creating motion by expelling propellant mass from a vehicle. A peculiar, overlooked relativistic effect makes it possible to induce large, transient rest mass fluctuations in electrical circuit components [Woodward, J. F. (1990), "A New Experimental Approach to Mach's Principle and Relativistic Graviation [sic]" Found. Phys. Lett. 3, 497-506; (1992), "A Stationary Apparent Weight Shift from a Transient Machian Mass Fluctuation" Found. Phys. Left. 5, 425-442]. An innovative implementation of this effect is to make engines that accelerate without the expulsion of any material whatsoever. This can be done because when the effect is combined with a pulsed thrust in appropriate circumstances, stationary forces can be produced [Woodward, J. F. (1992) "A Stationary Apparent Weight Shift from a Transient Machian Mass Fluctuation" Found. Phys. Lett. 5, 425-442; (1994), "Method for Transiently Altering the Mass of Objects to Facilitate their Transport of Change their Stationary Apparent Weights" U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,864, U.S. GPO, January 25; (1997b) "Mach's Principle and Impulse Engines: Toward a Viable Physics of Star Trek?" invited paper for the 1997 NASA "Breakthrough Propulsion Physics" workshop at the Lewis Research Center, August 12-14]. "Impulse engines" are achieved without any moving parts (in the conventional sense). The concepts involved are supported by experimental results already in hand. It is therefore desirable to create methods of configuring components that optimize these devices and increase their practical utility.
The transient mass fluctuation effect upon which the method of this invention (and the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,864) depends is predicated upon two essentially universally accepted assumptions. First, from general relativity theory: Inertial reaction forces in objects subjected to accelerations are produced by the interaction of the accelerated objects with a field, (produced chiefly by the most distant matter in the universe)--they are not the immediate consequence of some inherent property of the object alone. And second: Any acceptable physical theory must be locally Lorentz-invariant; that is, in sufficiently small regions of space-time special relativity theory (SRT) must obtain. Using standard techniques of physical and mathematical analysis, these assumptions lead, for a particle of matter with rest mass density ρ 0 in a universe like ours (with essentially constant matter density when considered at the large scale) when accelerated by an external force, to the equation for the gravitation field potential φ in terms of its local sources: ##EQU1##
In this equation G is the Newtonian constant of universal gravitation, c is the vacuum speed of light, and P 0 is the local rest-mass density. Details of the derivation of this field equation can be found in Woodward, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1997a and 1997b [Woodward, J. F. (1990), "A New Experimental Approach to Mach's Principle and Relativistic Graviation [sic]" Found. Phys. Lett. 3 497-506; (1992), "A Stationary Apparent Weight Shift from a Transient Machian Mass Fluctuation" Found. Phys. Lett. 5, 425-442; (1995), "Making the Universe Safe for Historians: Time Travel and the Laws of Physics" Found. Phys. Lett. 8, 1-39; (1997a), "Twists of Fate: Can We Make Traversable Wormholes in Spacetime?" Found. Phys. Lett. 10, 153-181; (1997b), "Mach's Principle and Impulse Engines: Toward a Viable Physics of Star Trek?" invited paper for the 1997 NASA "Breakthrough Propulsion Physics" workshop at the Lewis Research Center, August 12-14. The equation is at least approximately valid for all relativistic theories of gravity.
In stationary circumstances, where all terms involving time derivatives vanish, the field equation above reduces to Poisson's equation, and the solution for φ is just the sum of the contributions to the potential due to all of the matter in the causally connected part of the universe, that is, within the particle horizon. This turns out to be roughly GM/R, where M is the mass of the universe and R is about c times the age of the universe. Using reasonable values for M and R, GM/R is about c 2 . In the time-dependent case we must take account of the terms involving time derivatives on the right hand side of this equation. Note that these terms either are, or in some circumstances can become, negative. It is the fact that these terms can also be made very large in practicable devices with extant technology that makes them of interest for rapid space time transport, the chief area of application of impulse engines.
Since the predicted mass shift is transient, large effects can only be produced in very rapidly changing proper matter (or energy) densities produced by accelerating matter. From the point of view of detection of the effect, this means that the duration of any substantial effect will be so short that it cannot be measured by usual weighing techniques. If however, we drive a periodic mass fluctuation and couple it to a synchronous pulsed thrust, it is possible to produce a measurable stationary effect [Woodward, J. F. (1992), "A Stationary Apparent Weight Shift from a Transient Machian Mass Fluctuation" Found. Phys. Lett. 5, 425-442; (1994), "Method for Transiently Altering the Mass of Objects to Facilitate their Transport of Change their Stationary Apparent Weights" U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,864, U.S. GPO, January 25 ; (1996b), "A Laboratory Test of Mach's Principle and Strong-Field Relativistic Gravity" Found. Phys. Lett. 9, 425-442]. Consider, for example, the generic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in which a stationary net force is produced by generating a periodic mass fluctuation in a capacitor array (CA) and synchronously causing the length of a piezoelectric force transducer (PZT) to oscillate so that the inertial reaction force of the accelerating CA on the PZT and enclosure (E) is added to the weight of the assembly which is detected by the depression of the steel diaphragm (D) measured by the position sensor (S), all of which is located in a thick walled aluminum case c mounted on a seismically isolated table. Here a mass fluctuation is produced in the CA by driving them with an AC voltage. While the mass of the CA fluctuates, the PZT causes a synchronous, oscillatory acceleration of the CA. The inertial reaction force F felt by the PZT [and the enclosure (E) in which it is mounted] will be the product of the instantaneous mass of the CA times the acceleration of the CA induced by the PZT. If the mass fluctuation and acceleration are both sinusoidal and phase-locked at the same frequency, then their product yields a phase-dependent, time-independent term--a stationary force.
The magnitude of this stationary force is calculated in detail in Woodward, 1992, 1994, 1996b and 1997b. If we drive an oscillation in a PZT arranged like that in FIG. 1 with amplitude δl 0 at a frequency of 2ω, assume that the mass of the CA is small compared to that of the enclosure E so that the excursion of the PZT accelerates the CA only and allow for a phase angle δ between δm 0 and δl 0 , the time averaged inertial reaction force <F>=<δm(t)a(t)> detected by the sensor S (as a change in equilibrium position due to the change in the force on the diaphragm spring D) is:
<F>=-2ω.sup.2 δ1.sub.0 δm.sub.0 cos ⊖.
δm 0 is the amplitude of the mass fluctuation induced when a sinusoidal voltage of angular frequency ω is applied to the capacitors. That is, the application of the voltage to the capacitors leads to an instantaneous power P=P 0 sin(2ωt) in the circuit, leading to a mass fluctuation:
δm(t)=(φωP.sub.0 /2nGρ.sub.0 c.sup.4)cos(2ωt)=δm.sub.0 cos(2wt).
The reality of the effect involved here and its implementation in producing stationary forces has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments [Woodward, 1996b, 1997b and below]. In this work δl 0 was a few angstroms (easily achieved with normal PZTs). When P 0 ≅250 watts, ω≅8.8×10 4 (14 kHz), and cos ⊖≅±1, forces on the order of tens of dynes or more were produced in the apparatus. In practice one takes the difference between runs adjusted so that cos ⊖≅-1. Results obtained at 14 kHz with a device of this sort are shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 displays the averaged results obtained with a device like that is shown in FIG. 1 where a capacitor array with a total capacitance of 0.02 microfarads mounted between piezoelectric transducers that produce an excursion of several hundred Angstroms was run at a power frequency of 28 kiloHertz during the time interval 7 to 12 seconds out of the 20 second data acquisition interval, resulting in a net force of about ninety five milligrams (dynes) when the data acquired for relative phases 180 degrees apart were differenced. The traces for the averages of the two phase settings are those that show large changes in the active interval. The heavy trace is that for 0 degrees of phase and the light trace that for 180 degrees of phase. The difference of these traces is the heavy trace that roughly vertically bisects the plot. These results were obtained with the case evacuated to a pressure of less than 15 mm of Hg. At 5 seconds into a data acquisition cycle the CA is powered up. In the 7 to 12 second interval both the CA and PZT are active. And at 14 seconds the CA is switched off. Typically one to two dozen such cycles are taken in a run with the phase ⊖ switched back and forth by 180 degrees in alternating cycles of data. When the averages for the two phases are differenced, they produce the displayed differential weight shift. It is forces of the sort just described that can be used to make impulse engines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The simplest impulse engine consists of electrical devices in which transient mass fluctuations can be induced by suitable electrical currents (capacitors with material dielectrics or inductors with material cores) affixed to force transducer(s) that produce the synchronous pulsed thrust needed to generate stationary forces on the object to which they are attached (likely a vehicle of some sort). A more efficient design employs two devices in which mass fluctuations are driven mounted on the ends of a force transducer, as in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the principle of the method of two element impulse engines, the elements in which the periodic mass fluctuations are driven being inductive L and capacitative C elements of a resonant circuit mounted on the ends of a force transducer that expands and contracts at the frequency of the mass fluctuations yielding a net force, and thus net motion, in the indicated direction when the phase of the mass fluctuation relative to the force transducer oscillation is that shown. When the mass fluctuations in the two devices are 180 degrees out of phase, the stationary forces produced by each device are in the same direction, doubling the output of the engine. This arrangement has the added advantage that the two devices can be made the capacitative and inductive components of a resonant circuit driven by a single power supply. A resonant circuit allows one to minimize the amount of external power required to drive the electrical oscillation in the circuit (after the circuit has been initially activated) that produces the mass fluctuations. Since the phase of the power flow in the capacitative and inductive elements differs by 180 degrees, the relative phase of the mass fluctuations automatically satisfy the requirement of an impulse engine. The relative phase of the mass fluctuations and the force transducer oscillations is then adjusted to maximize the stationary force produced by the engine.
The straight-forward elaborations of U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,864 just discussed are all predicated on the supposition that transient mass fluctuations are driven with appropriate periodically varying (AC) electrical signals in discrete inductive or capacitative circuit elements. Those circuit elements are then set into motion by a separate, discrete force transducer, for example, a piezoelectric device or the equivalent driven with a separate AC electrical signal [suitably phase-locked to the power waveform of the signal driving the transient mass fluctuations in the other discrete component(s)]. The crux of the invention here disclosed is to simplify systems of this sort by using the force transducer(s) as the source of the motion needed to produce the inertial reaction force(s) that cause the net thrust, and at the same time drive the required mass fluctuation(s) in the same force transducer(s).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described herein by reference to the scientific basis in observation, theory, and experiment on which rests the full range of useful application of the invention and by reference to the annexed drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of an apparatus in which a stationary net force is produced by generating a periodic mass fluctuation in a capacitor array CA and synchronously causing the length of a piezoelectric force transducer PZT to oscillate;
FIG. 2 displays the averaged results obtained with a device like that is shown in FIG. 1 where a capacitor array with a total capacitance of 0.02 microfarads mounted between piezoelectric transducer that produce an excursion of several hundred Angstroms was run at a power frequency of 29 kiloHertz during the time interval 7 to 12 seconds out of the 20 second data acquisition interval;
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the principle of the method of two element impulse engines;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a single active component impulse engine;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of electrical circuitry required to generate the phase-locked, phase adjustable electrical signals that produce the desired thrust;
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section diagram of a multiple active element impulse engine employing two force transducers (FT) affixed to the ends of a rod (R);
FIG. 7a displays results obtained with the device that produced the results shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 7b displays the sensor oscillation amplitudes, obtained by rectifying and filtering the AC coupled part of the total (AC and quasi-DC) sensor signal, corresponding to the results shown in FIG. 7a;
FIG. 8 displays the results obtained with the device that produced the vacuum results shown in FIG. 2, but with atmospheric pressure present in the case;
FIG. 9a displays the quasi-stationary force sensor traces and their difference obtained with Device 1 operating with atmospheric pressure in the case;
FIG. 9b displays the quasi-stationary force sensor traces and their difference obtained with Device 1 operating with the case evacuated;
FIGS. 9c-9d displays the oscillation amplitude traces and their difference that correspond to the traces presented in FIG. 9a;
FIG. 10a displays the quasi-stationary force sensor traces and their difference obtained with Device 2 operating with atmospheric pressure in the case;
FIG. 10b displays the quasi-stationary force sensor traces and their difference obtained with Device 2 operating with the case evacuated;
FIG. 10c displays the oscillation amplitude traces and their difference that correspond to the traces presented in FIG. 10a;
FIG. 10d displays the oscillation amplitude traces and their difference that correspond to the traces presented in FIG. 10b;
FIG. 11a displays the quasi-stationary force sensor traces and their difference obtained with Device 2 operating with a larger applied voltage to the PZT than that used for FIG. 10 with atmospheric pressure in the case;
FIG. 11b displays the quasi-stationary force sensor traces and their difference obtained with Device 2 operating with the case evacuated;
FIG. 11c displays the oscillation amplitude traces and their difference that correspond to the traces presented in FIG. 11a;
FIG. 11d displays the oscillation amplitude traces and their difference that correspond to the traces presented in FIG. 11b;
FIG. 12a displays the results obtained with a device similar to Device 2 run with the apparatus oriented vertically (with atmospheric pressure in the case);
FIG. 12b displays the results obtained with the apparatus oriented horizontally corresponding to those in FIG. 12a for vertical orientation;
FIG. 13 is a photo showing the device comprises of a stack of PZT disks clamped between a brass base plate and an aluminum cap used to obtain the results presented in FIGS. 13 and 14;
FIGS. 14a-14d present the component and summed waveforms (FIGS. 14a and 14c), used to excite the device shown in FIG. 13 yielding results (shown in FIGS. 14b and 14d) respectively at the 50 Watt power level; and
FIG. 15 displays the results obtained with the device shown in FIG. 13 run at higher power (about 100 Watts).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Force transducers come in a variety of forms. We shall be interested in those where time varying electromagnetic fields are applied to material cores. Capacitive transducers of this sort are exemplified by (but not limited to) piezoelectric devices; and inductive transducers are exemplified by (but not limited to) solenoidal devices. In both cases, when a time varying electromagnetic field is applied to these devices, energy is stored in the dielectric or magnetizable cores by the polarization of the material. Such polarization induces the acceleration of the constituents of the core material and accordingly a transient mass fluctuation ensues in the core. When a periodic, say sinusoidal, electromagnetic field is applied to one of these devices at some well defined frequency ω, a transient mass fluctuation with frequency 2ω is driven in the core material. Since the frequency of the mass fluctuation is twice the frequency of the signal driving the excursion of the transducer, no stationary thrust is generated in the transducer by the interaction of the mass fluctuation with the excursion at the fundamental frequency. (That is the reason why the devices we have explored to this point have been designed with components where the mass fluctuations and mechanical excursions were generated in discrete components).
If, however, the driving signal excited a second harmonic excursion in a force transducer (through, for example, electrostriction in the case of a piezoelectric device), then the interaction of this excursion with the induced mass fluctuation will produce a net thrust if the phase relationship of the mass fluctuation and second harmonic excursion is such that cos ⊖ for <F>in the above expression is not equal to zero. Since the mass fluctuation is phase-locked with respect to the driving signal, the relative phase of the second harmonic excursion and mass fluctuation cannot be simply adjusted. So, while the amplitude of such an effect can be adjusted by changing the amplitude of the driving signal, it cannot be explored by adjustment of the relative phase of the excursion and mass fluctuation. And such an effect, if present in a given transducer, might be far smaller than possible because cos ⊖ might be inadjustably close to zero. Similarly, because a single frequency driving signal is used, the relative amplitudes of the second harmonic excursion and mass fluctuation cannot be adjusted.
The key aspect of the method of this invention is that a mass fluctuation may be driven in a force transducer by applying an electromagnetic signal of one particular frequency and at the same time an excursion that takes place at the frequency of the mass fluctuation needed to produce a stationary thrust can be induced by applying another electromagnetic signal at twice the frequency of the first to the transducer with suitable (and adjustable) relative phase and amplitude. This may be achieved, for example, by applying an AC electrical voltage signal to the force transducer(s) that consists of the sum of two (or more) simple sinusoidal waveforms, (at least) one being twice the frequency of the other and suitably phase-locked to the power (voltage times current) waveform that results from the lower frequency signal. (In optimized devices waveforms with more than two simple sinusoidal wave components may prove desirable). The transducer(s) to which such complex waveforms are delivered is (are) then affixed to the device upon which the generated thrust is to be exerted in such a way that the transducer and mounting apparatus are strongly mechanically resonant at the higher of the two frequencies, but not resonant at the lower of the two frequencies.
As a purely illustrative, non-limiting example of this method, consider the simplest possible system of this sort shown in FIG. 4. A force transducer (FT, for example, one (or more) piezoelectric crystal disk(s)) is affixed to a short, rigid, elastic rod (R), which is in turn affixed to some massive object (MO, for example, some device such as a vehicle) upon which the thrust generated in the FT and R is to act. The physical properties and dimensions of the FT and R are chosen so that the lowest frequency mechanical resonance in the FT and R along the vertical axis in FIG. 4 that passes through the FT and R occurs at the higher of the two voltage frequencies used to excite the FT. (To optimize this device, the dimensions of the FT and R should also be chosen so that only the mechanical extension mode in them is excited at this frequency. That way energy is not sinked into oscillatory modes that do not contribute to the generated thrust). So disposed, only a very modest voltage signal at the mechanical resonance frequency need be applied to produce large excursions of the FT.
In order to generate the thrust in the system FT/R/MO, all that needs to be done is to apply a very large voltage signal, tuned to half the mechanical resonance frequency, to the FT. Since the mechanical resonance frequency is designed to be the lowest frequency mode of oscillation, this large voltage signal will not drive a strong mechanical oscillation in the device, notwithstanding that a strong piezoelectric response can be expected in the FT. But the fluctuating power will induce a large oscillatory transient mass fluctuation in the FT at twice the frequency of the applied voltage signal. The resulting mass fluctuation, being at the mechanical resonance frequency of the FT and R, if large enough, may be expected to excite a mechanical oscillation at that frequency. The resulting mechanical oscillation will be phase-locked to the power waveform of the low frequency component of the voltage signal. Depending on the details of the dimensions of the device that determine the phase relationship between the mass fluctuation and the mechanical excursion it excites, the application of the low frequency voltage signal to the FT and R may, or may not, result in the production of a stationary thrust on the MO.
To insure that a steady thrust is generated in the FT and R and to facilitate its control, a voltage signal at the mechanical resonance frequency is applied to the FT simultaneously with the low frequency voltage signal that induces the transient mass fluctuation in the FT. While the high frequency voltage signal must be phase-locked to the power waveform of the low frequency voltage signal, their relative phase can be easily adjusted by conventional electronic circuitry (i.e., "phase shifters"). Accordingly, the phase of the mechanical oscillation (controlled by the high frequency voltage signal) and the transient mass fluctuation (controlled by the low frequency voltage signal) can be manipulated to maximize, minimize or reverse the thrust applied to the MO by a simple phase adjustment of the two voltage signals before they are summed. (The amount of thrust generated can also be controlled by adjusting the amplitude(s) of the voltage signal(s) delivered to the FT). A block diagram of generic electronic circuitry that, in conjunction with a generic device like that of FIG. 4, will achieve this performance is shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the chief electrical circuitry required to generate the phase-locked, phase adjustable electrical signals that, combined in a summing amplifier and then further amplified in a power amplifier, are applied to the FT of FIG. 4 produce the desired thrust. Since the devices driven operate at or near mechanical resonance, the signal generator must be stable to about a part in one hundred thousand. The output of the frequency doubler must likewise be stable and free from any low frequency modulation.
With careful design, the various energy losses that occur in any realization of this method, all of which may be expected to ultimately be thermalized, can be minimized, but they cannot be entirely eliminated. Since the materials used to make force transducers are temperature sensitive, their performance being sharply and often irreparably degraded by elevated temperatures, provision must be made for adequate cooling of impulse engines. This may be achieved in several ways. For example, if the engines must operate in vacuum, then Peltier junction devices can be applied to them. But in most circumstances vacuum operation should not prove necessary. For even in a vehicle in the vacuum of outer space, since no propellant is expelled by impulse engines, they can be located anywhere within a craft and cooled by a suitable transfer fluid that carries the heat to convenient radiators mounted on the exterior of the craft.
The method disclosed here in the simplest of circumstances can be further articulated and optimized in a number of ways. We give two purely illustrative and non-limiting examples of such optimizations/articulations. First, the force transducer(s) should be made part(s) of electrically resonant circuits by the addition of properly tuned inductive or capacitative circuit elements and resistive losses in the(se) circuit(s) should be minimized. These steps will reduce both waste heat generated and the power required to run the engine. (The electrical resonance frequency should be that for the low frequency voltage signal since the high frequency signal is the second harmonic of that signal and will automatically be resonant).
Second the "dumbbell" configuration of FIG. 3 can be used with modification. In particular, the inductive and capacitative circuit elements in which transient mass fluctuations are driven in that configuration can be replaced by force transducers driven by the multiple frequency waveforms of the present method, and the force transducer located between the now force transducers on the ends can be eliminated, as in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section diagram of a multiple active element impulse engine employing two force transducers(FT) affixed to the ends of a rod (R) which when excited by the high frequency signals applied to the transducers causes the transducer to undergo accelerations that produce a net force because of the transient mass fluctuation caused in the transducer by low frequency voltage signals with appropriately adjusted phases so that the mass fluctuations are 180 degrees out of phase. Also shown is a mid-point mount connecting the engine to the massive object (MO) to be acted upon. The mechanical structure between the force transducers becomes the resonant rod of FIG. 4, attached at its mid-point to the massive object to which the thrust is to be applied. The mass fluctuations in the two force transducers are adjusted to be 180 degrees out of phase and electrically resonant circuits are used to optimize a device of this sort.
EMPIRICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Evidence that the method here disclosed can be applied to practical scale situations is present in the results shown in FIG. 2. The device used to obtain these results was one with a separate CA and PZT. The experimental protocol employed to obtain the results was the differencing of cycles of data taken with the phase of the CA power waveform, initially fixed with respect to the PZT oscillation waveform, switched between the initial setting and one that differed by 180 degrees. This subtraction method permitted the elimination of systematic effects and errors that were insensitive to the relative phase of the CA and PZT. One of those systematic effects removed by this protocol was the obvious change in the force (in this case weight) registered by the force sensor when the PZT was switched on, plainly present for both phases in FIG. 2. This behavior is made plain in FIG. 7a where results are shown for two power levels of a simple sinusoidal voltage applied to the PZT in this device (that is, the CA was not activated at all). (Indeed, investigation of the origin of this systematic effect contributed to the conceptualization of the method here disclosed.) FIG. 7a displays results obtained with the device that produced the results shown in FIG. 2. Here, however, the capacitor array (CA) was not activated and the two traces that are differenced were produced by changing the amplitude of the voltage signal driving the PZT. Those amplitudes were chosen so that the behavior approximately mimicked the results shown in FIG. 2.
Setting aside the cause of the force produced when the PZT was activated, the sort of scalling one might expect is seen to be present. The larger the amplitude of the voltage signal, the larger the magnitude of the effect seen. And the larger should be the amplitude of the force sensor oscillations. The rectified AC coupled force sensor signals corresponding to the traces in FIG. 7a are displayed in FIG. 7b. FIG. 7b displays the sensor oscillation amplitudes, obtained by rectifying and filtering the AC coupled part of the total (AC and quasi-DC) sensor signal, corresponding to the results shown in FIG. 7a. Note that the zero-phase (heavy trace) quasi-DC signal corresponds to the larger oscillation amplitude, as expected if the effect scales with the power applied and the response of the spring diaphragm (D in FIG. 1) is approximately linear. (AC coupling removes any DC component of the signal, that is, any stationary force, so the rectified AC signal is proportional to the amplitude of mechanical oscillation of the sensor induced by the operation of the device. The sensor oscillation amplitude signals were not absolutely calibrated, so they are only identified as "oscillation units". These units, among the various results presented here, however, are always the same). As one would expect, the sensor oscillation amplitude is larger for the higher voltage signal delivered to the PZT. But the question remains: Are the observed effects produced by transient mass fluctuations coupled to mechanical excursions of parts of the apparatus? Or are they actually attributable to conventional sources?
THE REALITY OF TRANSIENT MASS FLUCTUATIONS
Inquiring into the cause of the forces recorded in FIG. 7a reveals three possibilities. They are: 1) Thrusts originating in acoustical coupling of the device to the enclosing case in which it resides; 2) Non-linear response of the force transducer, especially the diaphragm spring; and 3) A genuine effect. Other sources of spurious effects are ruled out by the protocols described in Woodward, 1996b and 1997b. Among those protocols one is particularly important; the shorting out of the CA and the placement of an equal capacitance elsewhere in the circuit so that all of the normal running conditions could be mimicked without inducing the mass fluctuation in the CA. When this was done, the differential effect in FIG. 2 disappeared as expected. (The stationary thrusts produced by activation of the PZT, however, were still present [and equal]).
Acoustical coupling effects are easily excluded as the source of the forces by evacuating the enclosing case, thus removing the bulk of the coupling medium. Indeed, the results displayed in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8 were all obtained with a case pressure of less than 15 mm. of Hg. The results shown in FIG. 2 differ insignificantly from those obtained at atmospheric pressure, in otherwise identical circumstances, presented in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 displays the results obtained with the device that produced the vacuum results shown in FIG. 2, but with atmospheric pressure present in the case. Since the results for vacuum and atmospheric pressure differ insignificantly, it follows that the differential effects present in both instances cannot be attributed to acoustic coupling of the parts of the device to the rest of the apparatus. It follows that although acoustic coupling might be important in some apparatuses, in this apparatus, run under these conditions, it is not. The cause of both the differential thrust effect and the effect proper to the PZT must be sought elsewhere. Non-linear behavior of some sort is a likely candidate, for non-linearly coupled systems can produce unusual behavior. In the case of this apparatus, however, such non-linearity must occur in the force sensor, for non-linear behavior elsewhere in the system, by the conservation of momentum, cannot generate net thrusts.
When oscillatory motion is present, spring non-linearity can produce spurious force signals that might be mistaken for a genuine effect. Non-linearity effectively means that the spring constant ceases to be a constant and becomes a function of the distance through which the spring is compressed. Consequently, the mean position of the end of the loaded spring when in oscillation is not the same as that for simple static loading. Moreover, the mean position will be a function of the amplitude of the oscillation. For a linear spring the static and oscillatory mean positions are the same (irrespective of the amplitude of any oscillation). Other non-linear effects (for example, oscillatory displacement of the magnetoresistive elements of the force sensor from the region of the sense magnetic field where their response is linear) will also result in effects proportional to the amplitude of the driven oscillation. (The basic linearity of the position sensor and the bridge circuit used were more than adequate). As shown in FIG. 7b, activation of the PZT does induce an oscillation in the spring; one that is proportional to the amplitude of the voltage applied to the PZT. The question to be answered is: Does the resulting thrust detected, and its change with the applied voltage amplitude, arise from spring (or other) non-linearity in the force sensor, or a genuine mass fluctuation effect coupled to a second harmonic excursion induced in the PZT?
The answer to the question sought here is provided by inspecting the behavior of the oscillation amplitudes corresponding to the differential effects produced in air and vacuum for devices of the type already described. This is possible because the spring diaphragm of the force sensor responds to oscillations differently in vacuum as opposed to air. But in both air and vacuum its response to stationary forces remains the same. This behavior is a consequence of the normally sealed diaphragm having two No. 70 AWG holes drilled in its periphery to allow the interior and exterior pressures to equalize when the case is evacuated. The holes are so small that although pressure equalization takes place with a time constant of a second or so, for oscillations at frequencies of tens of kiloHertz, when air is present in the diaphragm it is unable to flow through the holes quickly enough to equalize as the oscillation proceeds. As a result, the air acts as a supplementary spring, changing the oscillatory response of the force sensor (from that in a vacuum) while leaving the response to quasi-stationary forces unchanged. Consequently, if the differential effects seen arise from non-linearities in the force sensor, then they should change in proportion to the change in the oscillatory behavior of the force sensor when the system is run in air and vacuum.
To demonstrate that force sensor non-linearities do not contaminate the results that show the presence of the mass fluctuation effect, we present data obtained with two different devices run in both air and vacuum in otherwise identical circumstances. The data for Device 1 is displayed in FIGS. 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d. FIGS. 9a and 9b show the quasi-stationary response in air and vacuum respectively. FIG. 9c presents the (AC coupled) force sensor oscillation amplitude that corresponds to panel A, and panel D the oscillation amplitude corresponding to panel B. Inspection of FIGS. 9c and 9d reveals that when the CA was switched on at 5 seconds into the cycles, a small oscillation was set up in the spring. (The deviation from the initial quiescent state was in opposite directions for the two phases because the reference signal for the lockin amplifier that rectifies these signals is the source voltage signal for the PZT which did not change when the relative phase of the PZT and CA power waveforms were shifted by 180 degrees). When the PZT was switched on at 7 seconds and additional, much larger oscillation was set up in the spring.
Comparing the total oscillation amplitudes (with both the CA and PZT on) in FIGS. 9c and 9d, we see that the amplitude in vacuum (FIG. 9d) is smaller than that in air (FIG. 9c) by about 40 percent, as expected. Comparison of the differential quasi-stationary forces in FIGS. 9a and 9b (the heavy traces that roughly bisect the diagrams) should reflect this behavior if force sensor non-linearities are their cause. But the measured differential effect in vacuum (FIG. 9b) is about 20 percent larger, rather than 40 percent smaller, than the effect in air (FIG. 9a). This is precisely the opposite of expectation on the force sensor non-linearities hypothesis. (The larger quasi-stationary effect in vacuum can be accounted for by the excursion of the CA/PZT assembly not being damped by the presence of air in the case).
The conclusion that force sensor non-linearities are not the cause of the differential quasi-stationary signals seen in FIGS. 9a-d are corroborated by results obtained with a second, similar device. When run in approximately comparable circumstances, the results displayed in FIGS. 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d were obtained. The details differ from FIGS. 9a-9d. There is a 30 percent decrease in oscillation amplitude in vacuum instead of 40 percent. And there is only a 5 percent increase in the quasi-stationary differential effect in vacuum rather than 20 percent. But the basic behavior remains inconsistent with the force sensor non-linearities hypothesis. This is yet more starkly apparent in FIGS. 11a-11d, the counterpart of FIGS. 10a-10d for a higher power signal applied to the PZT with this device. Here the oscillation amplitude decrease in vacuum is about 70 percent rather than 30 or 40 percent. Yet the differential quasi-stationary forces in both air and vacuum are about 100 milligrams (dynes).
Further corroboration of the conclusion that force sensor non-linearities are not the cause of the differential quasi-stationary forces detected can be found in the details of the data presented in FIGS. 9-11. For example, in FIG. 9d (Device 1) the differential oscillation amplitude trace (that roughly bisects the panel) reveals that when both the CA and PZT were activated, the total oscillation amplitudes for the two phases were essentially identical. This, on the non-linearities hypothesis, requires that no differential quasi-stationary force effect be present in FIG. 9b, but the effect is there nonetheless. Similarly, in FIG. 11d (Device 2, high power) we find that the smaller oscillation amplitude (heavy trace) corresponds to the larger quasi-stationary effect (heavy trace) in FIG. 11b. This is precisely the opposite of expectation on the non-linearities hypothesis. So the conclusion that the quasi-stationary effect is not due to force sensor non-linearities is warranted. Since no other spurious effect accounts for the observed effect, by exclusion we may infer that it arises from transient mass fluctuations.
Another test of the genuiness of the stationary force effect can be conducted by running the apparatus in a horizontal orientation and comparing the results obtained with those produced when the apparatus is run in its normal vertical orientation. Should the effect depend on some subtle coupling to local objects, one would expect the measured effect to change. But if the effect is genuine, it should be independent of the local orientation of the apparatus since the mass fluctuation effect is generated by an interaction with the uniformly distributed distant matter in the universe. The results of such a test (for yet another device than those mentioned so far similar to Device 2) are displayed in FIGS. 12a and 12b. The magnitude of the differential effect is essentially the same for both orientations, corroborating the predicated orientation independence.
PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION OF THE METHOD
Force transducers, PZTs in particular, activated by complex waveforms as disclosed here, should produce thrusts as described above. The device shown in FIG. 13 was constructed to demonstrate the feasibility of the disclosed method. The device consists of a stack of PZT disks 0.75 inches in diameter by about 0.75 inches thickness mounted on a brass plate (that is bolted to the weighing suspension of the device depicted schematically in FIG. 1). To avoid thermal degradation of the mechanical performance of the PZT, it is clamped to the brass plate with an aluminum disk and six machine screws. Power is delivered to the PZT via a twisted pair of stranded 26 AWG copper wires. The resonant rod (R) of FIG. 4 is the suspension that connects the PZT assembly with the spring diaphragm located in the bottom of the case. The case corresponds to the massive object (MO) of FIG. 4.
The voltage waveforms that were applied to the device shown in FIG. 13 and produced large effects, are displayed in FIG. 14 along with the differential forces produced when the power used was about 50 Watts. Typically, the amplitude of the high frequency component of the signal was a fifth or less of the amplitude of the low frequency component (as shown). Since the power in each frequency component is proportional to the square of the voltage amplitude, almost all of the power delivered to the PZT went into the low frequency component driving the mass fluctuation. Results obtained when the device was driven with a signal of roughly 100 watts power are presented in FIG. 15. The low frequency, high power component of the voltage signal that drives the transient mass fluctuation in the PZT was activated at 5 seconds in each data cycle. At 7 seconds into each data cycle the high frequency, low power component of the voltage signal was switched on. The voltage waveform used was that in FIG. 14a. (The sequence of phase alternation here, however, was reversed, so the differential trace is inverted with respect to that in FIG. 14b). Differential thrusts of about 400 dynes (0.4 grams) were produced at this modest power level. With optimization and appropriate scaling one should be able to significantly increase the thrusts.
FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS RELATING TO THE METHOD
In an ideal impulse engine the circuits containing the fluctuating mass element(s) and the force transducer(s) would be completely lossless. That is, in a two element engine like that shown in FIG. 3, the LC circuit would be superconducting and the cores of the L and C would not thermalize any of the energy periodically transiently stored in them. Thus, once activated, the energy flow in this circuit that produces the mass fluctuations, would continue indefinitely without attenuation. (Since this will not be true in a real engine, as mentioned above, provision must be made for the disposal of waste heat). Likewise, an ideal force transducer, once activated, like a lossless spring, should continue to oscillate with constant amplitude forever, notwithstanding that the mass(es) on its end(s) may be fluctuating periodically. (As with the LC circuit, since ideal behavior can at best only be approximated, losses may be expected, resulting in waste heat that will have to be disposed of).
The ideal, completely lossless impulse engine reveals an issue that should be addressed: Once activated, an ideal impulse engine will continue to produce an accelerating force without diminution of the activating energy and therefore without the need of continuing delivery of energy to the engine from local sources. Viewed locally, the engine seems to violate both the conservation of momentum and energy because it can cause the acceleration both of itself and any unconstrained massive body to which it may be attached. (Note that such violations do not occur in an engine where the fluctuation of the masses of the elements on the ends of the force transducer are effected by the transport of some mass back and forth between the elements. In this case the inertial reaction produced by the mass transport precisely compensate the forces that would otherwise produce impulse engine behavior).
Impulse engines work because the mass fluctuations in the inductive and/or capacitative components do not depend on the passing of mass back and forth between them. Rather, the origin of the mass fluctuations in each of the elements (notwithstanding that they may be electrically coupled) is in a field interaction with chiefly the most distant matter in the universe. This is apparent from the fact that the transient source terms (in the field equation presented above) that account for the mass fluctuations arise from the interaction between accelerated local objects and the field that causes inertial reaction forces. That field is the gravitational interaction with cosmic matter. Various considerations [Woodward, J. F. (1996a), "Killing Time" Found. Phys. Lett. 9, 1-23] suggest that the momentum and energy transfer conveyed by this field involved in impulse engines take place as retarded and advanced effects traveling at the speed of light along the future lightcone [Woodward, 1997b]. The presence of advanced effects (that propagate backward in time) make the transfer appear instantaneous. In effect, an impulse engine pushes off the matter located along the future lightcone through an inertial/gravitational interaction. In so doing, positive energy and momentum flow backward in time along the future lightcone to the engine.
A few technical details, critical to the successful implementation of the method here disclosed, deserve mention. First, since the method only works when all of the forces generated in the engine behave as described above, ensuring as nearly ideal, rigid mechanical contact between the various components of the engine is essential. Particularly important in this connection is the sparing and very careful use of adhesives. They can easily degrade mechanical joints and produce serious acoustic impedance mismatches that can compromise engine efficiency. For this reason, whenever possible mechanical fasteners should be used. Second, since the mass fluctuation effect scales with the frequency of the applied voltage signal, operation at high frequency is desirable. When the operation frequency exceeds five kiloHertz in engines more than several centimeters in length, however, acoustic waves reflected in the engine (and objects to which the engine is attached) may interfere with the primary engine excitations and degrade, perhaps dramatically, engine performance. Accordingly, the engine (and any object to which it is attached) must be designed to minimize unwanted reflected sound waves. This may be accomplished by using surfaces that greatly attenuate acoustic energy reflections or by shaping surfaces to reflect acoustic energy in a selected direction which precludes interference with primary engine excitations.
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Mach's principle and local Lorentz-invariance together yield the prediction of transient rest mass fluctuations in accelerated objects. These restmass fluctuations, in both principle and practice, can be quite large and, in principle at least, negative. They suggest that exotic space time transport devices may be feasible, the least exotic being "impulse engines", devices that can produce accelerations without ejecting any material exhaust. Such "impulse engines" rely on inducing transient mass fluctuations in conventional electrical circuit components and combining them with a mechanically coupled pulsed thrust to produce propulsive forces without the ejection of any propellant. The invention comprises a method of producing propellant-less thrust by using force transducers (piezoelectric devices or their magnetic equivalents) attached to resonant mechanical structures. The force transducers are driven by two phase-locked voltage waveforms so that the transient mass fluctuation and mechanical excursion needed to produce a stationary thrust are both produced in the transducer itself.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to cellular radio systems.
In a typical known cellular radio system a mobile radio unit in a cell communicates via a radio channel with the cell's base station, which in turn communicates with a fixed, land-based switch connected to the landline telephone system. When the mobile radio unit moves from one cell to another adjacent cell, a handover must be performed, in which the mobile ceases communicating with the old cell's base station on a first channel and begins communicating with the new cell's base station on a second, different channel. This handover process causes a disruption in communication to and from the mobile unit. This disruption is normally experienced in the form of an audio mute. Since the background noise is often quite high in a mobile environment, a mute is usually quite obvious. The coverage area of cellular radio systems heretofore has been such that the cell size has been sufficiently large to produce only occasional mutes which are not objectionable to most users. However, as cells shrink in size (as they are expected to do with digital cellular radio systems) handovers will occur much more frequently and the consequent mutes will become proportionately more disruptive to communication.
In existing digital cellular systems it is known to employ a "fill-in" function in the event of missing speech blocks or as a result of decoding errors or "stolen" speech blocks used for data. In such a known system a "fill-in" audio signal is extrapolated (using one of a variety of, known algorithms) from an immediately preceding audio signal for a period of up to some 320 milliseconds to fill in for missing audio.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cellular radio system and method for use in such a system wherein handover disruption may be reduced.
In one preferred form there is provided audio handover means in a cellular radio communication system covering a plurality of cells and having a plurality of base station radios each serving a respective cell, a population of user radios which may communicate on radio channels with the plurality of base station radios in the plurality of cells, and a central controller linked to the plurality of base station radios for communicating messages between the central controller and the population of user radios,
the handover means causing one of the user radios to cease communicating on a first channel in a first cell and to begin communicating on a second channel in a second cell adjacent the first cell, the handover means comprising:
fill-in means for generating a fill-in message extrapolated from a message of the one of the user radios on the first channel and for communicating the fill-in message when the one of the user radios has ceased communicating on the first channel;
validating means, responsive to signals on the second channel, for detecting when the one of the user radios begins communicating on the second channel; and terminating, responsive to the validating means, means for terminating the fill-in message when the one of the user radios begins communicating on the second channel, thereby reducing handover disruption.
The fill-in messages may be digitized audio messages. The terminating means may employ a timer to allow the fill-in message to terminate at substantially the same time as the one of the user radios begins communicating on the second channel. Alternatively, the fill-in message may be directly terminated in response to the one of the user radios beginning to communicate on the second channel.
In another preferred form there is provided data handover means in a cellular radio communication system covering a plurality of cells and having a plurality of base station radios each serving a respective cell, a population of user radios which may communicate on radio channels with the plurality of base station radios in the plurality of cells, and a central controller linked to the plurality of base station radios for communicating messages between the central controller and the population of user radios,
the handover means causing one of the user radios to cease communicating on a first channel in a first cell and to begin communicating on a second channel in a second cell adjacent the first cell, the handover means comprising:
means for generating and transmitting to the central controller a control signal when the one of the user radios is not validly communicating a message on the second channel in the second cell; and
terminating means for terminating the control signal and for transmitting to the central controller message information from the one of the user radios when the one of the user transceivers begins validly communicating a message on the second channel in the second cell.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Two cellular radio systems, and methods for controlling handovers therein so as to reduce handover disruption, in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGS. 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c) are schematic block diagrams of part of a first cellular radio system showing communication paths used prior to, during, and after a handover; and
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of part of a second cellular radio system showing communication paths used prior to, during, and after a handover.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1(a), a first digital cellular radio telephone system 100 supports a population of cellular radio telephones, such as mobile cellular radio telephone 102, which can move in and between cells of the system. A first cell of the system has a base terminal radio transceiver 104 which transmits radio messages to and receives radio messages from cellular radio telephones (such as mobile radio telephone 102) in its cell, on predetermined radio channels under the control of a central controller 106, including a timer 107. The base terminal radio transceiver 104 communicates its cell's messages to and from the central controller 106 via an associated transcoder 108 (which may take the form of a conventional digital signal processor or DSP) which performs the necessary encoding and decoding (such as interleaving/de-interleaving, time-division multiplexing/de-multiplexing, convolutional coding/decoding, bit-rate conversion, etc.) to allow the first cell's messages to be satisfactorily carried between the central controller 106 and the base terminal radio transceiver 104. The transcoder 108 is provided with a timer 110 and an extrapolator 112, whose function will be described hereafter.
A second cell of the system has a base terminal radio transceiver 114 which transmits radio messages to and receives radio messages from cellular radio telephones (such as mobile radio telephone 102) in its cell, on predetermined radio channels under the control of the central controller 106. Like the base terminal radio transceiver 104, the base terminal radio transceiver 114 communicates its cell's messages to and from the central controller 106 via an associated transcoder 116, analogous to the transcoder 108 associated with the base terminal radio transceiver 104 in the first cell. The transcoder 116 is provided with a timer 118 and an extrapolator 120. The central controller 106 communicates messages from radio telephones in the first and second cells and a switching center (not shown) connecting to a land-line telephone system (also not shown). Audio messages are transmitted in digitized form between the mobile radio telephone 102 and the base terminal transceivers 104 and 114 to provide better audio quality.
When the mobile radio telephone 102 is exclusively in the first cell and is in use, audio messages are transmitted from the mobile radio telephone 102 to the base terminal radio transceiver 104 and from the base terminal radio transceiver 104 (via the transcoder 108) to the central controller 106 along path 122. At the same time, audio messages are transmitted from the base terminal radio transceiver 104 to the mobile radio telephone 102 and from the central controller 106 (via the transcoder 108) to the base terminal radio transceiver 104 along path 124. The audio messages between the mobile radio telephone and the base terminal radio transceiver 104 are carried in duplex on the same radio channel, assigned under the control of the central controller 106. When the mobile radio telephone 102 moves out of the first cell and into the second cell, its audio messages are switched, under the control of the central controller 106, so that audio messages are transmitted from the mobile radio telephone 102 to the base terminal radio transceiver 114 and from the base terminal radio transceiver 114 (via the transcoder 116) to the central controller 106 along path 126, and audio messages are transmitted from the base terminal radio transceiver 114 to the mobile radio telephone 102 and from the central controller 106 (via the transcoder 116) to the base terminal radio transceiver 114 along path 128. The audio messages between the mobile radio telephone 102 and the base terminal radio transceiver 114 are carried in duplex on the same radio channel, assigned under the control of the central controller 106. The radio channel used for the audio messages of the mobile radio telephone 102 in the first cell is different from the radio channel used for the audio messages of the mobile radio telephone 102 in the second cell.
Handover of the mobile radio telephone 102 from the first cell to the second cell is achieved in the following manner. When the mobile radio telephone 102 is in the first cell and begins to move out of the first cell towards the second cell, the central controller 106 commands the mobile radio telephone 102 to cease transmitting on the first channel. At the same time the central controller 106 also sets up a three-party "conference" call for audio messages to the mobile 102 by switching audio messages from the central controller to the mobile radio telephone so that the messages are transmitted both by the base terminal transceiver 104 on the first channel in the first cell and by the base terminal transceiver 114 on the second channel in the second cell. The central controller 106 at the same time also commands the transcoder 108 associated with the base terminal transceiver 104 in the first cell to start the timer 110, and to generate and transmit to the central controller 106, in place of audio messages from the mobile radio telephone 102, fill-in audio extrapolated from the audio messages most recently received from the mobile radio telephone 102. The fill-in audio messages are generated digitally from the digitized audio most recently received from the radio telephone 102 on the first channel. The generation of predicted audio fill-in messages is well known and understood by those skilled in the art and need not be described in further detail. The mobile radio telephone immediately initiates a procedure of "handshaking" with the base terminal transceiver 114 in the second cell in order to validate its presence in the second cell, but no audio path from the mobile radio telephone is yet established. This condition is shown in FIG. 1(b).
The mobile radio telephone 102 continues to move out of the first cell and enters the second cell. On completion of the "handshake" validation procedure, the mobile radio telephone 102 begins transmitting its audio messages in the second cell on the second channel and these are communicated to the central controller 106 along the path 126. "Handshake" validation procedures are well known and understood by those skilled in the art and need not be described in further detail. The transcoder 108 continues to generate and transmit fill-in audio until the timer 110 reaches a predetermined count, at which time the fill-in audio message is terminated. The central controller 106 then terminates the three-party "conference" call for audio messages from the central controller 106 to the mobile radio telephone 102, leaving audio messages between the mobile radio telephone 102 and the central controller 106 supported only on the second channel in the second cell along the paths 126 and 128. This condition is shown in FIG. 1(c).
The predetermined value to which the timer 110 is allowed to count before the fill-in audio is terminated is chosen so that the fill-in audio is terminated only after the mobile radio telephone 102 begins transmitting its audio messages on the second channel in the second cell, so as to avoid a gap between the end of fill-in audio and audio transmitted from the mobile radio telephone 102 on the second channel in the second cell.
It will be appreciated that in this way the party being called from the mobile radio telephone 102 perceives little or no disruption in audio messages from the mobile radio telephone 102, since the called party will receive fill-in predicted audio during the time the handover is occurring and will receive new audio when the handover has been completed.
It will be appreciated that if the audio path switch is timed (e.g. controlled by the timer 107 in the central controller) and can be made to occur at substantially the same time as new audio is transmitted on the second channel in the second cell, the three-party "conference" call used in the above example may be eliminated.
In an alternative method to that described above of operating the first cellular radio system, handover of the mobile radio telephone 102 from the first cell to the second cell is achieved in the following manner. When the mobile radio telephone 102 is in the first cell and begins to move out of the first cell towards the second cell, the central controller 106 commands the mobile radio telephone 102 to cease transmitting on the first channel. At the same time the central controller 106 also commands the transcoder 108 associated with the base terminal transceiver 104 in the first cell to generate and transmit to the central controller 106, in place of audio messages from the mobile radio telephone 102, fill-in messages extrapolated from the audio messages most recently received from the mobile radio telephone 102. In this alternative method of operation, the central controller 106 does not set up a three-party "conference" connection, nor does it initiate the timer 110 in the transcoder 108.
The mobile radio telephone 102 continues to move out of the first cell and enters the second cell. The mobile radio telephone initiates a procedure of "handshaking" with the base terminal transceiver 114 in the second cell in order to validate its presence in the second cell. The initiation of this "handshake" validation procedure is communicated to the central controller 106, which then initiates the timer 107 in the central controller 106. On completion of the "handshake" validation procedure, the mobile radio telephone 102 begins transmitting its audio messages in the second cell on the second channel and these are communicated to the central controller 106 along the path 126. Meanwhile, the transcoder 108 generates and transmits fill-in audio. When the timer 107 reaches a predetermined count, the central controller 106 then completes the handover switching at that time, and terminates the fill-in audio generated by the transcoder 108, leaving audio messages between the mobile radio telephone 102 and the central controller 106 supported only on the second channel in the second cell along the paths 126 and 128.
The predetermined value to which the timer 107 is allowed to count, in this alternative method of operation, before the fill-in audio is terminated is less than that for the transcoder timer 110 in the method of operation described above since the central controller timer 107 is now initiated later than was the transcoder timer 110. This later initiation of the central controller timer 107 allows the much more reliable prediction of the remaining interval of time before the mobile radio telephone 102 begins transmitting its audio messages on the second channel in the second cell, since this is now simply the time between initiation of the "handshake" validation procedure and the initiation of true audio transmission. Thus, it will be appreciated that this alternative method of handover affords more reliable reduction of handover disruption.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a second digital cellular radio telephone system 200 supports a population of cellular radio telephones, such as mobile cellular radio telephone 202, which can move in and between cells of the system. A first cell of the system has a base terminal radio transceiver 204 which transmits radio messages to and receives radio messages from cellular radio telephones (such as mobile radio telephone 202) in its cell, on predetermined radio channels under the control of a central controller 206. The base terminal radio transceiver 204 communicates its cell's messages to and from the central controller 206 via an associated transcoder 208 (which may take the form of a conventional digital signal processor or DSP) which performs the necessary endcoding and decoding to allow the first cell's messages to be satisfactorily carried between the central controller 206 and the base terminal radio transceiver 204. The transcoder 208 is provided with a control signal generator 210 and an extrapolator 212, whose function will be described hereafter
A second cell of the system has a base terminal radio transceiver 214 which transmits radio messages to and receives radio messages from cellular radio telephones (such as mobile radio telephone 202) in its cell, on predetermined radio channels under the control of the central controller 206. Like the base terminal radio transceiver 204, the base terminal radio transceiver 214 communicates its cell's messages to and from the central controller 206 via an associated transcoder 216, analogous to the transcoder 208 associated with the base terminal radio transceiver 204 in the first cell. The transcoder 216 is provided with a control signal generator 218 and an extrapolator 220. The central controller 206 communicates messages from radio telephones in the first and second cells and a switching center (not shown) connecting to a land-line telephone system (also not shown). Audio messages are transmitted in digitized form between the mobile radio telephone 202 and the base terminal transceivers 204 and 214 to provide better audio quality.
When the mobile radio telephone 202 is exclusively in the first cell and is in use, audio messages are transmitted from the mobile radio telephone 202 to the base terminal radio transceiver 204 and from the base terminal radio transceiver 204 (via the transcoder 208) to the central controller 206. At the same time, audio messages are transmitted from the base terminal radio transceiver 204 to the mobile radio telephone 202 and from the central controller 206 (via the transcoder 208) to the base terminal radio transceiver 204. The audio messages between the mobile radio telephone and the base terminal radio transceiver 204 are carried in duplex on the same radio channel, assigned under the control of the central controller 206. When the mobile radio telephone 202 moves out of the first cell and into the second cell, its audio messages are switched, under the control of the central controller 206, so that audio messages are transmitted from the mobile radio telephone 202 to the base terminal radio transceiver 214 and from the base terminal radio transceiver 214 (via the transcoder 216) to the central controller 206, and audio messages are transmitted from the base terminal radio transceiver 214 to the mobile radio telephone 202 and from the central controller 206 (via the transcoder 216) to the base terminal radio transceiver 214. The audio messages between the mobile radio telephone 202 and the base terminal radio transceiver 204 are carried in duplex on the same radio channel, assigned under the control of the central controller 206. The radio channel used for the audio messages of the mobile radio telephone 202 in the first cell is different from the radio channel used for the audio messages of the mobile radio telephone 202 in the second cell.
Handover of the mobile radio telephone 202 from the first cell to the second cell is achieved in the following manner. When the mobile radio telephone 202 is in the first cell and begins to move out of the first cell towards the second cell, the central controller 206 commands the mobile radio telephone 202 to cease transmitting on the first channel. At the same time the central controller 206 also switches audio messages to the mobile 202 so that the messages are transmitted both by the base terminal transceiver 204 on the first channel in the first cell and by the base terminal transceiver 214 on the second channel in the second cell. The central controller 206 at the same time also commands the transcoder 208 associated with the base terminal transceiver 204 in the first cell to generate and transmit to the central controller 206, in place of audio messages from the mobile radio telephone 202, fill-in audio extrapolated from the audio messages most recently received from the mobile radio telephone 202. Also at the same time the central controller 206 commands the code signal generator 218 in the transcoder 216 associated with the base terminal radio transceiver 214 to generate and transmit to the central controller 206 and predetermined code signal (e.g. a constant, known PCM value).
The mobile radio telephone 202 continues to move out of the first cell and enters the second cell. The mobile radio telephone initiates a procedure of "handshaking" with the base terminal transceiver 214 in the second cell in order to validate its presence in the second cell and, on completion of the "handshake" validation procedure, the mobile radio telephone 202 begins transmitting its audio messages in the second cell on the second channel. When the base terminal transceiver 214 receives audio messages on the second channel, it terminates the generation and transmission of the control signal by control signal generator and, in its place, communicates the received audio to the central controller 206. As soon as the central controller 206 begins to receive from the base terminal transceiver 214 audio instead of the control signal, it commands the extrapolator 212 in the transcoder 208 associated with the base terminal radio transceiver 204 to terminate the fill-in audio and completes the handover switch, leaving audio messages between the mobile radio telephone 202 and the central controller 206 supported only on the second channel in the second cell.
It will be appreciated that in the system of FIG. 2 high synchronicity of switching between fill-in and true audio is reliably achieved without dependence on timers and predetermined timing periods since the switching is directly responsive to the reception by the base terminal transceiver 214 of audio on the second channel in the second cell.
It will be appreciated that in this way the party being called from the mobile radio telephone 202 perceives little or no disruption in audio messages from the mobile radio telephone 202, since the called party will receive fill-in predicted audio during the time the handover is occurring and will receive new audio without significant delay when it is available.
As explained above, when the messages transmitted by the mobile radio telephone 202 are audio messages, during handover when "real" audio is missing the audio can be predicted by extrapolation to produce a fill-in audio signal which can be used in place of missing audio to minimize handover disruption. However, if the messages transmitted by the mobile radio telephone 202 are data messages, it is not possible satisfactorily to extrapolate or predict for missing audio during handover. In this case, the system of FIG. 2 is made to operate in an analogous manner to that described above, but during a handover from the first cell to the second cell the extrapolator 212 is not made to generate and transmit a fill-in signal. In all other respects the handover is conducted in the same manner as that described above, with the code signal generator 218 in the transcoder 216 generating and transmitting to the central controller 206 a control signal until the mobile radio telephone 202 begins transmitting messages on the second channel in the second cell. In this way handover disruption of data messages is minimized, since the transmission gap (during which the mobile radio telephone 202 does not transmit data while being handed over from the first cell to the second cell) is kept to a minimum.
It will be appreciated that although in the above examples the extrapolators 112, 120, 212 and 220 and the timers 110 and 118 have been described as being located within their associated respective transcoders, these components could alternatively be located at the respective central controller or at any other convenient location.
It will also be understood that the central controller 106 or 206 could be implemented in a conventional base site controller or mobile switching center, or its functions could be divided between a base site controller and a mobile switching center.
It will be appreciated that various other modifications or alternatives to the above described embodiment will be apparent to the man skilled in the art without departing from the inventive concept.
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A handover technique in a cellular radio communication system (100) for handing over a radio (102) from a first channel in a first cell to a second channel in a second cell, the technique comprising generating a fill-in message extrapolated from a message of the radio on the first channel and communicating the fill-in message when the radio has ceased communicating on the first channel; and terminating the fill-in message when the radio begins communicating on the second channel, thereby reducing handover disruption. The messages may be digitized audio messages. A timer (110, 118) may be employed to allow the fill-in message to terminate at substantially the same time as the radio begins communicating on the second channel. Alternatively, the fill-in message may be directly terminated (FIG. 2) in response to the radio beginning to communicate on the second channel. If the messages are data messages, no fill-in message is generated and the handover is completed directly (FIG. 2) in response to the radio beginning to communicate on the second channel.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The subject invention is directed to a breather for a driveline component that utilizes a body portion and a resilient member that cooperate to block lubricating fluid from exiting the breather.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Breathers are used to release air pressure, which builds up during operation, from within a housing for driveline components such as axles, transfer cases, and transmissions. One problem with current breathers is that the breathers provide a leakage path for lubricating fluid contained within the housing. This leaking can be generated by several different operational modes, such as pumping, splashing, and spattering caused by internal driveline components enclosed within the housing. Air flow rate, fluid temperature, changes in operational speed, etc. can also affect leakage amounts.
Several different solutions have been proposed to address this problem but have had limited success. One solution provides a breather body that is threaded into the housing with one end extending outwardly from the housing and an opposite end being flush with an internal wall of the housing. The breather body has an internal bore that includes a pair of baffles offset from each other to block lubricating fluid from exiting the bore. During operation a thick film of fluid bridges an opening to the internal bore at the internal wall of the housing. This thick film of fluid causes fluid to collect at the breather location, which is undesirable. The baffles prevent some but not all of the lubricating fluid from exiting the breather.
Mesh screens have also been used in place of baffles to prevent fluid from exiting the breather. These mesh screens have a tendency to clog and do not allow fluid to drain back into the housing.
Another solution provides a breather body with a tube that extends into the housing cavity. The tube has the same problems identified above. A thick film of fluid bridges an opening at an internal end of the tube, which results in fluid being drawn to the breather. Further, the tube does not prevent fluid that is splashed or splattered in a direction toward the tube from exiting the breather.
Thus, there is a need for a breather that can prevent lubricating fluid from exiting the breather under harsh operating conditions while still allowing air to vent as needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A breather for a driveline component includes a rigid body portion attached to a housing and a resilient member supported by the body portion. The body portion and the resilient member cooperate to prevent lubricating fluid from exiting the breather while still allowing air to vent from the driveline component through the breather as needed.
In one disclosed embodiment, the breather includes an extension portion attached to the rigid body portion and extending into a housing cavity, the extension portion has a non-uniform cross-sectional area and includes an extension bore that receives the resilient member. The rigid body portion has an internal bore that extends from a first body end to a second body end with the first body end extending outwardly from the housing and the second body end being fixed to the housing. The extension bore extends through the extension portion from a first extension end to a second extension end. The first extension end is received within the internal bore and is fixed to the second body end. The second extension end extends inwardly into the housing cavity.
The resilient member comprises a conical spring that has a first spring end defining a first spring diameter and a second spring end defining a second spring diameter that is less than the first spring diameter. The first spring end is seated between the body and the extension portion and the second spring end is unsupported within the extension bore.
In one example configuration, the extension member is made from a rigid material and includes a plurality of removed areas and a plurality of slats at the second extension end. Each removed area is separated from an adjacent removed area by one of the plurality of slats to define a crowned tip.
The subject invention provides a unique breather for driveline components such as axles, transfer cases, transmissions, etc., which prevents lubrication leakage even under severe operating conditions while still allowing air to be vented as needed. 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.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a view of an axle assembly with a breather incorporating the subject invention.
FIG. 1B is a schematic view of a driveline component with a breather incorporating the subject invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the breather of FIGS. 1A and 1B .
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an alternate embodiment of a breather incorporating the subject invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1A shows an axle 10 having a housing 12 with a central carrier portion 14 and a pair of housing legs 16 . A breather 18 is installed on the axle housing 12 at the central carrier portion 14 . The central carrier portion 14 is a typical location for the breather 18 to avoid interference with mounting of suspension components (not shown) on the housing legs 16 . However, locating the breather 18 at the central carrier portion 14 subjects the breather 18 to high levels of lubricating fluid. Internal carrier components such as a pinion gear, ring gear, and differential gear assembly (not shown) can splash, splatter, or pump lubricating fluid in a direction toward the breather 18 . With traditional breather configurations, the splatter, splash, and pump modes of operation can cause fluid lubricant to leak outwardly of the breather 18 .
The subject invention provides the breather 18 within a unique configuration that prevents lubricating fluid L from exiting the breather 18 even under the harshest operating conditions. While the breather 18 is beneficial for axles 10 , it should be understood that the subject breather 18 could also be used on other driveline components 20 as shown in FIG. 1B . These other driveline components 20 could comprise transmissions, transfer cases, drop boxes, independent wheel end drive units, etc.
A preferred embodiment of the breather 18 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2 . The breather 18 includes a body 30 having an internal bore 32 extending from a first body end 34 to a second body end 36 . The breather 18 is attached to a housing wall 38 having a breather bore 40 that receives the second body end 36 . The first body end 34 extends outwardly from an external surface 42 of the housing wall 38 and the second body end 36 is fixed to the housing wall 38 at the breather bore 40 . The second body end 36 is recesses within the breather bore 40 as shown, however, the second body end 36 could also be flush with or extend just beyond an inner surface 44 of the housing wall 38 .
The second body end 36 preferably has a threaded outer surface that is threadably engaged within the breather bore 40 . The body 30 includes a flange portion 46 that is spaced apart from the external surface 42 of the housing wall 38 .
The internal bore 32 has a first portion 50 defined by a first diameter D 1 and a second portion 52 defined by a second diameter D 2 . The first portion 50 extends from within the flange portion 46 , which is located between the first 50 and second 52 portions, to an opening 54 at the first body end 34 . The second portion 52 extends from the flange portion 46 to the second body end 36 .
A cap 56 covers the opening 54 at the first body end 34 . The cap 56 is cup-shaped and is crimped at 58 around lip portion 60 of the first body end 34 to engage a neck portion 62 . The lip portion 60 has a greater diameter than the neck portion 62 but a smaller diameter than the flange portion 46 .
The cap 56 encloses a disc member 64 and a spring 66 . The spring 66 biases the disc member 64 against the opening 54 . This prevents dirt, debris, water, etc. from entering the internal bore 32 . When air pressure builds up within the housing 12 , the pressure overcomes the spring force exerted by spring 66 to move the disc member 64 away from the opening 54 to allow air to be vented or released through the internal bore 32 to atmosphere. The configuration of the spring 66 and associated spring force can be varied to meet venting needs associated with different applications.
Preferably, the disc member 64 is made from a felt material, however, other materials such as Viton® for example, could also be used. One concern with breather operation is vacuum relief on cool-down. Felt material is preferred because it allows pressure to equalize to zero gage pressure.
The breather 18 also includes an extension 70 that is received within the internal bore 32 at the second body end 36 . The extension 70 includes an extension bore 72 that extends from a first extension end 74 to a second extension end 76 . The first extension end 74 includes an outer surface 78 with a lip portion 80 . The lip portion 80 is preferably received within a groove 82 formed within the second portion 52 of the internal bore 32 in a snap-fit. While a snap fit attachment is preferred, other attachment methods such as press-fitting, for example, could also be used.
The extension bore 72 includes a first portion 84 defined by a diameter D 3 and a second portion 86 defined by a diameter D 4 , which is greater than diameter D 3 . The first portion 84 is received within the internal bore 32 and the second portion 86 extends inwardly beyond the inner surface 44 of the housing wall 38 . The extension 70 has a wall thickness t that is defined at the location of the diameter D 4 of the second portion 86 . The diameter D 4 of the second portion 86 is preferably made as large as possible, and the diameter D 4 plus two times the wall thickness t is approximately equal to a minor thread diameter of a threaded portion of the second body end 36 . The wall thickness t is made as small as possible. This allows the second portion 86 to have as great an internal diameter as possible while still allowing external assembly through the breather bore 40 . The extension 70 is pre-installed within the body 30 to form the breather 18 , which is then inserted through the breather bore 40 in the housing wall 38 .
The second extension end 76 extends to a distal tip 88 that has a crowned configuration. The crowned configuration comprises a plurality of removed areas 90 (only one is shown in FIG. 2 ) and a plurality of slats 92 that are orientated in an alternating pattern. Each slat 92 is separated from an adjacent slat 92 by a removed area 90 . This alternating pattern preferably extends circumferentially about the distal tip 88 . Each slat 92 preferably tapers from a pointed end to a wider base portion as shown, however, other slat configurations could also be used.
A resilient member, shown generally at 94 , is received within the extension bore 72 . The resilient member 94 preferably comprises a conical spring 96 having a first spring end 98 defined by a first spring diameter S 1 and a second spring end 100 defined by a second spring diameter S 2 that is less than the first spring diameter S 1 . The extension bore 72 includes a third portion 102 that tapers to an increased diameter relative to the diameter D 3 to form an extension spring seat 104 . The body 30 includes a ledge portion that forms a body spring seat 106 . The first spring end 98 is held between the extension 70 and body 30 at the spring seats 104 , 106 such that the conical spring 96 cannot fall out of the extension 70 .
The second spring end 100 is unsupported within the extension bore 72 . The conical spring 96 forms a discontinuous surface with spring coils catching splash particles to prevent the particles from reaching the disc member 64 . The discontinuous surface prevents capillary action and reduces oil collection at the extension 70 .
In this configuration, the body 30 is preferably made from a steel material and the extension 70 is preferably made from a plastic material, however, other materials could also be utilized to form the body 30 and extension 70 . By forming the body 30 from steel, temperature variations have less effect on the breather 18 .
Also, instead of being separately formed as shown in FIG. 2 , the body 30 and the extension 70 could be formed as a single piece component 110 as shown in FIG. 3 . One end 112 of the single piece component 110 would extend outwardly from the housing 12 and the opposite end 114 could be recessed with the breather bore 40 , flush with the inner surface 44 of the housing wall 38 , or extend beyond the inner surface 44 of the housing wall 38 . The single piece component 110 includes a bore 116 that at least partially receives the resilient member 94 . The resilient member 94 blocks fluid particles in the manner described above.
The subject breather 18 provides a unique configuration that provides several beneficial features. The breather 18 includes a large inner bore diameter in both the second extension end 76 and the second body end 36 , which overcomes a capillary effect allowing fluid to drain to sump within the housing 12 . Further, the large diameter prevents pumping of fluid out of the breather 18 , especially at low temperatures when viscosity is high.
The crowned configuration at the distal tip 88 of the extension 70 breaks surface tension of fluid film and prevents fluid L from pumping out of the breather 18 under pressure. Also, at higher temperatures, the viscosity of the fluid L is lower and a splash leak mode is more prevalent. The crowned configuration limits an angle of trajectory of fluid particles toward the disc member 64 . The limits are a function of the length of the extension 70 and the diameter of the extension bore 72 . Longer extensions or smaller bore diameters decrease the angle of trajectory. To prevent pumping, i.e. to reduce the capillary effect, the extension should be as long as possible with an inner bore diameter that is as large as possible.
The disc member 64 and spring 66 within the cap 56 cooperate to prevent water and debris ingress as well as reducing oil misting and allowing positive and negative relative pressure equalization. The conical spring 96 inside the extension 70 catches splash particles and prevents fluid L from reaching the disc member 64 . The discontinuous surface of the conical spring 96 reduces capillary action at the spring and allows fluid L to drain to sump. The conical spring 96 operates better than traditional mesh screens, which have a tendency to clog.
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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A breather for a driveline component such as an axle, for example, includes a rigid body portion attached to an axle housing, an extension portion attached to the rigid body portion and extending into a housing cavity, and a conical spring supported by the extension portion. The rigid body portion has an internal bore that extends from a first body end to a second body end with the first body end extending outwardly from the axle housing and the second body end being fixed to the axle housing. The extension portion has a non-uniform cross-sectional area, and includes an extension bore with a large internal diameter. The conical spring is received within the extension bore and cooperates with the extension to prevent lubricating fluid from exiting the breather while still allowing air to vent through the breather as needed.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/961,398, filed Oct. 12, 2004 which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/966,754, filed Oct. 1, 2001 which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/365,369, filed Jul. 30, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/873,384, filed Jun. 11, 1997, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to methods of fabrication of nitride read only memory (NROM) cells and arrays.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] FIG. 1 , to which reference is made, illustrates a typical prior art NROM cell. This cell includes a substrate 10 in which are implanted a source 12 and a drain 14 and on top of which lies an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) structure 16 having a layer of nitride 17 sandwiched between two oxide layers 18 and 20 . On top of the ONO structure 16 lies a gate conductor 22 . Between source 12 and drain 14 is a channel 15 formed under ONO structure 16 .
[0004] Nitride section 17 provides the charge retention mechanism for programming the memory cell. Specifically, when programming voltages are provided to source 12 , drain 14 and gate conductor 22 , electrons flow towards drain 14 . According to the hot electron injection phenomenon, some hot electrons penetrate through the lower section of silicon oxide 18 , especially if section 18 is thin, and are then collected in nitride section 17 . As is known in the art, nitride section 17 retains the received charge, labeled 24 , in a concentrated area adjacent drain 14 . Concentrated charge 24 significantly raises the threshold of the portion of the channel of the memory cell under charge 24 to be higher than the threshold of the remaining portion of the channel 15 .
[0005] When concentrated charge 24 is present (i.e. the cell is programmed), the raised threshold of the cell does not permit the cell to be placed into a conductive state during reading of the cell. If concentrated charge 24 is not present, the read voltage on gate conductor 22 can overcome the much lower threshold and accordingly, channel 15 becomes inverted and hence, conductive.
[0006] U.S. application Ser. No. 08/861,430 filed Jul. 23, 1996 and owned by the common inventor of the present invention describes an improved NROM cell, which is programmed in one direction and read in the reverse direction.
[0007] It is noted that the threshold voltage Vth of NROM cells is generally very sensitive to the voltages Vdrain and Vgate provided on the drain 14 and on the gate 22 , respectively. Furthermore, U.S. application Ser. No. 08/861,430 selects the voltages Vdrain and Vgate are selected in order to ensure that the charge trapped in a portion of the nitride layer 17 remains localized in that portion.
[0008] Read only memory cells, including a nitride layer in the gate dielectric (NROM) are described, inter alia, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,168,334 to Mitchell et al. and 4,173,766 to Hayes.
[0009] Mitchell et al. describe two processes to produce the NROM cells. In the first process, bit lines are first created in the substrate, after which the surface is oxidized. Following the oxidation, the ONO layers are added over the entire array. Polysilicon word lines are then deposited in rows over the ONO layers. Unfortunately, when an oxide layer is grown (typically under high temperature), the already present bit lines will diffuse to the side, an undesirable occurrence which limits the extent to which the cell size can be shrunk.
[0010] In the second process, the ONO layers are formed over the entire array first, on top of which conductive blocks of polysilicon are formed. The bit lines are implanted between the blocks of polysilicon after which the ONO layers are etched away from on top of the bit lines. Planarized oxide is then deposited between the polysilicon blocks after which polysilicon word lines are deposited. Mitchell et al. utilize a planarized oxide since such can be deposited rather than grown. Mitchell et al. cannot grow an oxide over the bit lines since such an oxidation operation would also grow oxide over the polysilicon blocks and the latter must be left with a very clean surface in order to connect with the polysilicon word lines. Unfortunately, planarized oxide is not a clean oxide nor does it seal around the edges of the ONO sections. Furthermore, the planarized oxide adds complexity and cost to the process.
[0011] Hayes et al. describe an NROM cell having only an oxide-nitride (ON) layer. The cells in the array are created by forming layers of oxide, nitride and polysilicon (the latter to produce the gate) one after another and then patterning and etching these layers to form the on cells. The uncapped nitride in each cell does not hold charge well in both the vertical and lateral directions. Due to hole and hot electron conduction within the nitride, the charge to be stored will flow vertically towards the gate covering it unless the nitride is thick and will flow laterally in the nitride in response to lateral electric fields.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0012] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of fabricating NROM cells and NROM cell arrays with improved data retention.
[0013] There is therefore provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of fabricating an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) layer in a memory cell to retain charge in the nitride layer. The method includes the steps of forming a bottom oxide layer on a substrate, depositing a nitride layer and oxidizing a top oxide layer, thereby causing oxygen to be introduced into the nitride layer.
[0014] Alternatively, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method includes the steps of forming a bottom oxide layer on a substrate, depositing a nitride layer, oxidizing a portion of a top oxide layer thereby causing oxygen to be introduced into the nitride layer and depositing a remaining portion of the top oxide layer, thereby assisting in controlling the amount of oxygen introduced into the nitride layer.
[0015] Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method includes the steps of forming a bottom oxide layer on a substrate, depositing a nitride layer, depositing a portion of a top oxide layer and oxidizing a remaining portion of the top oxide layer, thereby causing oxygen to be introduced into the nitride layer.
[0016] There is provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for improving the charge retention in a nitride layer of a memory chip. The method includes the steps of depositing a nitride layer and introducing oxygen into the nitride layer.
[0017] Alternatively, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method includes the steps of depositing a nitride layer, controlling the thickness of the deposited nitride layer and introducing oxygen into the nitride layer.
[0018] Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method includes the steps of forming a bottom oxide layer on a substrate, depositing a nitride layer at a thickness approximate to the final thickness after fabrication, depositing a portion of a top oxide layer and oxidizing a remaining portion of the top oxide layer, thereby assisting in controlling the introduction of oxygen into the nitride layer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:
[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a prior art NROM memory cell;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the NROM memory chip after an oxide-nitride-oxide layer has been laid down;
[0022] FIG. 3A is a schematic illustration in top view of a bit line implant mask;
[0023] FIG. 3B a cross section of a portion of the memory array of the chip of FIG. 2 after the mask of FIG. 3A is laid down and after etching away the exposed portions of the ONO layer leaving part of the bottom oxide layer;
[0024] FIG. 3C shows the cross section of FIG. 3B after an implant of an impurity to form the bit lines in the memory array portion of the chip of FIG. 3B ;
[0025] FIG. 4 shows in cross section the memory array portion of the chip of FIG. 3C after oxidation of the bit lines;
[0026] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an ONO protect mask for the memory array and periphery sections of the chip; and
[0027] FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic illustrations of the memory array portion of the chip of the present invention after a polysilicon or polysilicide layer 60 has been laid down, in top and side views, respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] Reference is now made to FIGS. 2, 3A , 3 B, 3 C, 4 , 5 , 6 A and 6 B, which illustrate the NROM fabrication method of the present invention. Similar reference numerals herein refer to similar elements. It is noted that the present invention covers the fabrication of the entire chip, which includes the NROM memory array portion and the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) periphery devices.
[0029] In the following discussion, the process of etching a layer, which includes placing photoresist on the layer, placing a mask on the photoresist, etching wherever the mask is not and removing the photoresist, will not be detailed.
[0030] The method begins with a standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) initial process for preparing the substrate 10 including N well formation and field oxide formation. A screen oxide layer is then grown (not shown) on substrate 10 after which it is removed, typically with a wet etch thereby to remove any residual nitride at the edge of the field. A typical thickness of the screen oxide layer is 200-400 Å.
[0031] Substrate 10 is then overlaid with an ONO layer. A bottom oxide layer 30 is grown over substrate 10 typically to a thickness of between 50 Å and 150 Å in a low temperature oxidation operation. A typical oxidation temperature is about 800° C. but it can vary between 750-1000° C. A preferred thickness of the bottom oxide layer 30 is 80 Å.
[0032] A nitride layer 32 is then deposited over bottom oxide layer 30 to a thickness of between 20 Å and 150 Å where a preferred thickness is as thin as possible, such as 10 Å-50 Å. Applicant notes that a thin layer of the nitride prohibits lateral movement of the charge retained within the nitride, and hence, it is beneficial to control the thickness of nitride layer 32 .
[0033] Top oxide 34 is then produced either through oxidation of the nitride (i.e. growing of the oxide), or by deposition or by a combination thereof. It is noted that top oxide 34 consumes nitride during oxidation, where typically half of the oxide thickness comes from the consumed nitride. Thus, if it is desired to have a top oxide which is 100 Å thick, the nitride layer 32 should be at least 50 Å thicker than the final desired nitride thickness, with this extra nitride being for consumption in the formation of the top oxide layer.
[0034] It is also noted that, during oxidation of top oxide layer, some of the oxygen is introduced into the non-consumed nitride layer.
[0035] Ultimately, as is described hereinbelow, nitride layer 32 is transformed into nitride section 17 , which provides the charge retention mechanism for the memory cell. Nitride, particularly due to its structure, traps the electrons, which are introduced into nitride section 17 . Oxygen however, is a better insulator than nitride and helps to minimize the lateral movement of electrons in nitride layer 32 . It is thus an important element for effective retention of the charge. It is therefore noted that one of the factors effecting the quality of retention ability of nitride section 17 is the concentration of oxygen within nitride layer 32 . The oxygen concentration is defined as the percentage of oxygen atoms relative to the nitride atoms, irrespective of the type of molecule in which the oxygen atoms are found. The concentration can range from a low of 10% to a high of 80%.
[0036] Hence, in order to produce a retention layer, which provides effective charge retention, it is recommended to introduce a high percentage of oxygen into the nitride Nonetheless, if the oxi-nitride composition is too oxygen rich, even though nitride is essentially an oxidation barrier, a run-away situation is produced whereby nitride layer 32 absorbs too much oxygen and ceases to act as a barrier for oxygen diffusion. In such an instance, the oxygen introduced into the oxygen rich nitride layer 32 reaches the silicone oxide layer 18 , and become SIO2.
[0037] In summary, in order to produce a nitride section 17 with maximum retention qualities, it is desirable to make nitride layer 32 as thin as possible, with the maximum oxygen concentration, without inducing a run-away situation. Consequently, it is critical to control the fabrication the ONO structure, and specifically, the manner in which the top oxide 34 is produced.
[0038] The top oxide is typically of a thickness of between 50 Å and 150 Å. Three alternative operations for creating a top oxide 34 of 100 Å are described hereinbelow.
[0039] The first method involves depositing nitride layer 32 of approximately 150-160 Å, growing 120-130 Å of top oxide 34 , (which includes consuming 60-65 Å of nitride layer 32 ) and removing 20-30 Å of oxide layer 34 during cleaning. Since a large portion of nitride layer 32 is consumed, it is difficult to control the amount of oxygen introduced into nitride layer 32 . Thus, in order to avoid a possibility of run-away conditions in the nitride layer, it is essential to “leave” a thicker nitride layer. This alternative produces a thicker nitride layer; however it provides for high introduction of oxygen into the nitride and is a simple process to perform.
[0040] The second method involves depositing nitride layer 32 at a thickness of approximately 60 Å, growing a thin layer of oxide layer 34 (approximately 40 Å) while consuming about 20 Å of nitride, depositing 80-90 Å and removing 20-30 Å during cleaning. Since depositing oxide is a quicker process than growing oxide, this alternative is quicker than the first alternative and it offers marginally better control over the amount of oxygen introduced into nitride layer 32
[0041] It is noted that the longer the oxidation process continues the greater the effect on previously produced layers. Therefore, in order diminish the effect on previous layers, it is desirable to create the top oxide layer as quickly as possible.
[0042] The third method involves depositing nitride layer 32 at a thickness close to the preferred final thickness, such as 20 Å, depositing 100-110 Å of oxide, growing 2-5 Å of oxide and removing 20-30 Å of oxide during cleaning. When growing oxide after it has been deposited, the deposited layer acts as a barrier between the growing oxide and nitride layer 32 . Hence, the oxygen is introduced slowly into nitride layer 32 . This alternative is slower than the previous alternatives; however, it provides a thin nitride layer and a more controlled manner for regulating the introduction of oxygen into the nitride layer.
[0043] The process by which the nitride and top oxide layers are generated depends on the ability of the manufacturing facility to control the thickness and composition of the layers of the ONO structure.
[0044] At this point, the entire substrate 10 is covered with an ONO layer, as shown in FIG. 2 . The next step involves depositing a bit line mask 40 (typically photoresist 42 patterned in a well known manner), whose layout within the memory array portion of the chip is shown in FIG. 3A , to create the bit lines, forming lines of sources and lines of drains. FIG. 3B illustrates a portion of the resultant chip within the memory array portion with the photoresist 42 patterned. FIG. 3B is a side view (similar to FIG. 2 ) with the columns 42 of the bit line mask in place. Photoresist columns 42 define the areas where the bit lines are not to be implanted (i.e. the locations of the channels 15 ( FIG. 1 )).
[0045] Prior to implanting the bit lines, the top oxide and nitride layers 32 and 34 , respectively, are etched away from the areas between columns 42 . The etch operation is typically a dry etch which might also etch a portion 44 of bottom oxide layer 30 which is between columns 42 , leaving portion 44 with a predetermined thickness, such as 50 Å. The etch operation produces oxide sections 18 and 20 and nitride section 17 under each column 42 .
[0046] After the etch operation, bit lines 12 are implanted ( FIG. 3C ) in the areas between columns 42 . A typical implant might be 2-4×1015/cm2 of Arsenic at 50 Kev. It will be appreciated that this is a self-aligned implant in which the bit lines are self-aligned to the ONO structures.
[0047] The photoresist layer 42 is then removed and bit line oxides 50 ( FIG. 4 ) are then thermally grown over the bit lines 12 in an oxidation operation. At the same time, side oxides 51 , typically of 30 Å, are grown along the sides of nitride layers 17 to improve data retention within the nitride layers. The oxidation typically occurs in the range of 800° C. to 950° C. but preferably at the lower side of this range to minimize the diffusion of the bit line impurity while maximizing the thickness of the thermal oxide. This lowers the bit line capacitance. The oxidation temperature also activates the implanted bit line impurities.
[0048] Thus the typical oxidation process is a low temperature oxidation of about 800° C. which, on a P-substrate, normally is continued for a time sufficient to grow the equivalent of 100 Å of thermal oxide. On the chip of the present invention, however, top oxide sections 20 will not significantly increase in thickness during the bit line oxidation due to the close presence of nitride sections 18 while oxide layer 44 over the bit lines 12 will increase significantly due to the presence of Arsenic in the bit lines 12 . The result is that the bit line oxides 50 are typically very thick, such as 500 Å thick, thereby lowering the bit line capacitance.
[0049] It will be appreciated that the present invention separates the creation of bottom oxide sections 18 (and thus, of the entire ONO structure 16 ) from the creation of bit line oxides 50 . Bottom oxide sections 18 are created over the entire away as part of creating the ONO structures. Bit line oxides 50 are created during the bit line oxidation operation and this oxidation does not significantly affect the oxide layers in the ONO structures. Furthermore, bit line oxides 50 are self-aligned to the ONO structures and, since the oxidation operation is at a relatively low temperature, bit lines 12 do not significantly diffuse into substrate 10 during the oxidation operation.
[0050] It will further be appreciated that the ONO layers have been laid down on the entire chip and thus, are present in the periphery. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ONO layers can be utilized as thick gate oxides in the portions of the periphery where thicker oxides are needed. Thus, if two gate dielectric thicknesses are required in the periphery, the present invention provides one gate dielectric using the ONO layers and the second, thinner gate dielectric can be produced in a separate gate oxide production step. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5 , a single mask 52 can be utilized to mark both the locations 54 of the thick gate oxides as well as to protect the memory array (area 56 ) while etching and oxidizing the periphery.
[0051] Mask 52 can be utilized in one of two alternative ways. In the first embodiment, a threshold level adjustment implant for the peripheral transistors is performed after mask 52 is laid down and patterned. This provides the periphery with a threshold level different from that of the memory array area 56 . In the second embodiment, the threshold level adjustment implant is performed on the entire chip prior to laying down mask 52 . In this embodiment, mask 52 serves only to mark the locations where the ONO layers are to be removed.
[0052] Specifically, in the first embodiment, after mask 52 is laid down, the threshold voltage level adjustment is performed. This procedure involves implanting boron through the ONO layers into the portions of the periphery of the chip not covered by mask 52 . Typically, there are two adjustment steps, one each for the n-channel and p-channel transistors. It will be appreciated that, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the adjustment implant is performed through the ONO layers since they are not yet capped and thus, do not block the implant operation. It will further be appreciated that, for the threshold adjustment procedure, the to-be-removed ONO layers act as a sacrificial oxide (e.g. an oxide grown for an implant operation and immediately thereafter removed).
[0053] Following the threshold voltage adjustment procedure, the ONO layers on the unmasked portions of the chip are removed. Initially, a dry oxide etch is utilized to remove top oxide 34 and nitride 32 layers after which a wet etch is utilized to remove bottom oxide layer 30 . Following removal of mask 52 , a gate oxide (not shown) of typically 100-150 Å is thermally grown over the entire chip. Due to the presence of nitride in the memory array, the gate oxide step does not significantly affect the thickness of top oxide 20 . However, this step creates gate oxides for the transistors in the periphery.
[0054] It will be appreciated that the gate oxide thickness is thus independent of the thicknesses of the bit line oxide 50 and top oxide 20 .
[0055] In a second embodiment, mask 52 is laid down after the gate and threshold voltage level adjustment procedure is performed. Thus, the memory array portion of the chip also receives threshold level adjustments. With mask 52 in place, the ONO layers on the unmasked portions of the chip are removed, as described hereinabove. Once again, the ONO layers act as a sacrificial oxide, eliminating the necessity for the additional sacrificial oxide operations.
[0056] Finally, following removal of mask 52 , a gate oxide is grown over the entire array, creating gate oxides in the periphery only.
[0057] Following the gate oxide growth step, a polysilicon layer, which will create word lines for the memory array portion and will create gates for the periphery transistors, is laid down over the chip. If desired, a low resistive silicide, as is known in the art, can be deposited over the polysilicon layer in order to reduce its resistivity. This creates a “polysilicide” layer. A typical total thickness of the polysilicide might be 0.3-0.4 μm. As indicated by FIG. 6A , the polysilicide or polysilicon layer is then etched using a mask into word lines 60 within the memory array. Typically the word line etch also etches at least the top oxide 20 and the nitride 17 from between the word lines 60 . This improves the charge retention of the memory cells by isolating the nitride layers 17 of each transistor.
[0058] FIG. 6B illustrates one row of the resultant memory array in side view. The polysilicide or polysilicon layer 60 lies on top of the ONO structures 16 ( FIG. 4 ), thereby forming the gates 22 ( FIG. 1 ) of the NROM cells. Bit line oxides 50 are thick enough to isolate neighboring ONO structures 16 .
[0059] The memory chip is then finished in the standard ways, including a side wall oxidation step (typically a self-aligned step), a lightly doped drain (Ldd) implant procedure into the CMOS periphery only and a spacer deposition. FIG. 6A illustrates the location of the spacers 62 as being along the sidewalls of the polysilicon word lines 60 . The Ldd typically requires separate masks for the n-channel and p-channel periphery transistors.
[0060] It will be appreciated that, in the present invention, the thicknesses of the various elements of the NROM cell are generally independent of each other. For example, the thicknesses of the bottom oxide, nitride and top oxide layers are typically selected as a function of the desired operation of the memory array, the bit line oxide is independent of the thickness of bottom oxide ONO structure and the gate oxide of the periphery is independent of the other two oxide (i.e., the bit line oxide and the bottom ONO oxide) thicknesses.
[0061] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims which follow:
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A method of fabricating an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) layer in a memory cell to retain charge well in the nitride layer includes the steps of forming a bottom oxide layer on a substrate, depositing a nitride layer and oxidizing a top oxide layer, thereby causing oxygen to be introduced into the nitride layer. Another method includes the steps of forming a bottom oxide layer on a substrate, depositing a nitride layer and oxidizing a portion of a top oxide layer, thereby causing oxygen to be introduced into the nitride layer and depositing a remaining portion of the top oxide layer, thereby assisting in controlling the amount of oxygen introduced into the nitride layer. A further method includes the steps of forming a bottom oxide layer on a substrate, depositing a nitride layer, depositing a portion of a top oxide layer and oxidizing a remaining portion of the top oxide layer, thereby causing oxygen to be introduced into the nitride layer.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to jet propulsion systems for personal watercraft. In particular, the invention relates to a fixed inlet adapter system that is hydrodynamically designed to achieve optimum performance at both low and high watercraft speeds.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Jet drives for personal watercraft typically have an engine driven jet pump located within a duct in the hull of the watercraft. A jet of water exits rearward of the watercraft to propel the watercraft. An inlet opening for an intake housing is positioned on the underside of the watercraft and allows sea water to flow to the pump in the duct. The jet pump generally consists of an impeller and a stator located within the duct followed by a nozzle. The impeller of the pump is driven by the engine and provides energy to the flow of sea water through the pump. The sea water then flows through the stator and the nozzle before exiting rearward through a generally tubular rudder that can rotate to steer the watercraft.
An inlet adapter is typically used to adapt the intake housing to the hull on the bottom of the watercraft. The inlet adapter closes off the bottom of the watercraft yet allows sea water to pass through the inlet opening into the pump. The inlet adapter usually has a screen, grate or tines to keep debris from flowing through the inlet opening into the pump. Inlet adapters also act as safety guards.
The inlet adapter is hydrodynamically critical with respect to processing sea water flowing into the jet pump. The inlet adapter should be able to perform satisfactorily over a wide range of operating speeds. For instance, the inlet adapter should allow water into the pump easily when the watercraft is still or moving slowly because the operator may want to accelerate the watercraft. When the watercraft is still or moving slowly, the pump is sucking sea water into the impeller, and blowing accelerated sea water rearward through the nozzle and rudder to accelerate the watercraft. At high speed, on the other hand, the watercraft is actually moving faster than the water flowing into the pump. At high speeds, an excessive amount of sea water can enter the intake housing through the inlet opening and can become resistance or drag on the watercraft, therefore preventing the watercraft from achieving maximum top speed. For overall performance, it is important to allow as much sea water as possible through the inlet opening at slow speeds, and restrict the flow of sea water through the inlet opening at high speeds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a fixed inlet adapter system having a hydrodynamic design to facilitate optimum watercraft performance at both high speeds and low speeds. The invention reduces drag on the watercraft at high speeds, yet allows optimum sea water intake when the watercraft is still or at slow speeds.
An inlet adapter in accordance with the invention is attached to the underside of the watercraft. The inlet adapter provides an inlet opening having a fixed size which leads to the intake duct for the pump. The upstream wall of the inlet adapter slopes gradually upward towards the intake duct. The inlet adapter has a crescent-shaped downstream wall which in addition to the upstream wall helps direct the flow of water uniformly towards the pump impeller. The lower edge of the inlet opening is radiused along the downstream wall and along the sidewalls of the inlet adapter. The radiused edge allows for maximum water intake when the watercraft is stopped or moving at relatively slow speeds.
A plurality of tines extend longitudinally from the upstream wall of the inlet adapter rearward to cover the inlet opening. Preferably, the tines are not structurally connected to the downstream edge of the inlet opening. The tines can be integral with the inlet adapter or can be part of a detachable tine assembly. Each tine has a face that is exposed to the flow of sea water flowing into the inlet opening. At least the aft portion of the tines has an exposed face that is blunt, preferably flat. While the blunt face does not substantially reduce fluid flow through the inlet opening at relatively low speeds, the blunt face substantially restricts the amount of water flowing in through the inlet opening at relatively high speeds. The primary purpose of the blunt face on the tines is to hydrodynamically restrict the flow of sea water into the inlet opening when the watercraft is moving forward at a speed faster than the impeller can pump the sea water.
Each tine preferably has a pair of converging side surfaces extending generally upward from the blunt tine face. The converging side surfaces help to maintain a laminar (or at least less turbulent) flow as the water flows beyond the tines into the intake duct towards the pump. Facilitating a laminar flow through the intake duct helps to improve pump efficiency.
In another aspect, the invention provides a hydrodynamic downward bulge adjacent the downstream edge of the inlet opening. The hydrodynamic downward bulge creates a low pressure region that reduces stagnation in front of the downstream edge of the inlet opening. The hydrodynamic bulge reduces drag on the watercraft that can develop due to water accumulating in front of the downstream edge of the inlet opening when the watercraft is moving forward at relatively high speeds.
Other features and advantages of the invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art upon inspecting the following drawings and description thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating a personal watercraft.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a jet pump assembly for propelling the watercraft in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the jet pump assembly shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the jet pump in FIG. 2 showing an inlet adapter in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing an inlet adapter in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 6 is a detailed view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a detailed view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is a detailed view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 9 is a detailed view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 10 is a detailed view taken along line 10--10 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 9 illustrating another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a personal watercraft 10. The personal watercraft has a hull 12 and a deck 14, both preferably made of fiber reinforced plastic. A driver and/or passenger riding on the watercraft 10 straddles a seat 16. The driver steers the watercraft 10 using a steering assembly 18 located forward of the seat 16.
An engine compartment 20 is located between the hull 12 and the deck 14. A gasoline fueled internal combustion engine 22 is located within the engine compartment 20. A fuel tank 24 is located forward of the engine 22. The engine 22 receives fuel from the fuel tank 24 through a fuel line 26. The engine 22 has an output shaft 25 that is coupled to a jet pump located rearward of the engine 22 generally in the vicinity shown by arrow 26.
FIGS. 2-4 show a jet pump 26 using an inlet adapter system 28 in accordance with the invention. The pump 26 includes an intake housing 30 that is attached to the hull 12 using fasteners 32. The intake housing 30 has an inlet opening 36 that provides a path for sea water to flow into an intake duct 34 located within the intake housing 30. Sea water flows upward and rearward through the intake duct 34 to an impeller 38. The impeller 38 is rotatably driven by a drive shaft 40. The drive shaft 40 passes through a drive shaft opening 42 in the intake housing 30, and is coupled to the engine output shaft 25 via coupler 44. The preferred intake housing 30 is disclosed in detail in copending patent application No. 08/710,868 entitled "Intake Housing For Personal Watercraft" by James R. Jones, and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
The impeller 38 rotates within a wear ring 46. The wear ring 46 is attached rearward of the intake duct 34 in the intake housing 30. A stator 48 is attached rearward of the wear ring 46. The impeller 38 is supported by a journal beating 50 in the stator 48. A nozzle 52 is attached rearward of the stator 48. The wear ring 46, the stator 48, and the nozzle 52, are attached to the intake housing 30 using attachment bolts 53 extending through outer flanges in the intake housing 30, the wear ring 46, the stator 48, and the nozzle 52.
The impeller 38 accelerates sea water flowing through the intake housing 30 as the impeller 38 rotates within the wear ring 46. The stator 48 has several stationary vanes 49, preferably seven (7) vanes, to remove swirl from the accelerated sea water. The preferred stator 48 is disclosed in detail in copending patent application Ser. No. 08/710,869, entitled "Stator And Nozzle Assembly For A Jet Propelled Personal Watercraft", by James R. Jones, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. The flow area through the stator 38 is preferably converging. When the sea water exits the stator 48, it flows through nozzle 52 and continues to converge. Sea water exiting nozzle 52 can be directed by rotating rudder 54 about a vertical axis to steer the personal watercraft 10. Rudder 54 is rotated by actuating steering arm 55.
A reverse bucket 56 is mounted to the rudder 54 along a horizontal axis 58. Referring in particular to FIG. 2, an actuating arm 60 is connected to a flange 62 on reverse bucket 56. The reverse bucket 56 can be moved into the down or reverse position 64 (illustrated in phantom in FIG. 2) by pulling on actuating arm 60. In a similar fashion, reverse bucket 56 can be raised by pushing actuating arm 60 rearward.
An exhaust adapter 64 is mounted to the top surface of the inlet housing 30. The exhaust adapter 64 receives engine exhaust from the engine 22 and guides the exhaust into the intake housing 30 around the intake duct 34. Cooling water is bled to the engine 22 from the stator 48 through nipple 66. Cooling water returns from the engine to the exhaust adapter 64 through nipple 68.
A siphoning tube 70 attached through the nozzle 52 provides a venturi effect to siphon water within the bilge of the watercraft 10. Tube 70 is connected through the top of the intake housing 30 using fitting 72, and another tube 74 attached to fitting 72 is connected to a bilge member 76 having a screened opening located in the bilge of the watercraft 10. A siphon brake is provided in the tube 74 to prevent the watercraft 10 from inadvertent flooding when the watercraft 10 is at rest.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the inlet adapter system 28 includes an inlet adapter plate or base 78, a ride plate 80, and a plurality of tines 82, 84, 86, and 88 that extend longitudinally from the inlet adapter base 78 rearward to cover the inlet opening 36. Inlet adapter plate 78 is attached to the hull 12 of the watercraft 10 using fasteners 94. Fasteners 94 are secured through mounting flanges 95. The mounting flanges 95 are generally flush with the hull 12 of the watercraft 10. The ride plate 80 is attached to the hull 12 of the watercraft 10 using fasteners 96. The ride plate 80 is generally flush with the hull 12 of the watercraft 10. The drawings show the inlet adapter base 78 and the ride plate 80 as being separate parts, however, it may be desirable that the inlet adapter plate 78 and the ride plate 80 be integral parts. The tines 82, 84, 86 and 88 are preferably integral components of a tine assembly 90 that is secured to the adapter plate base 78. The tine assembly 90 can be secured to the adapter plate base 78 using fasteners 92. The adapter inlet base 78 is preferably made of aluminum, but injection molded plastic as well as other materials may be suitable. The tine assembly 90 is preferably made of stainless steel, however, it can also be made of another suitable material such as injection molded plastic or aluminum. The ride plate 80 is preferably made of stamped aluminum. Alternatively, the tine assembly and the inlet adapter plate 78 may be a singular integral part. FIG. 11 illustrates an inlet adapter plate in which the tine assembly 90 is integral with the inlet adapter plate 78. The integral adapter plate 78 and tine assembly 90 shown in FIG. 11 would preferably be made of injection molded plastic.
The inlet adapter plate 78 has an upstream wall 98 that slopes gradually upward from the bottom of the hull 12 even before the upstream wall 98 progresses rearward to the base of the tines 82, 84, 86 and 88, see FIG. 4. The upstream wall 98 is therefore recessed above the mounting flanges 95. The base of the tines 82, 84, 86 and 88 are located at a position above the level of the bottom of the hull 12. The tines 82, 84, 86 and 88 extend slightly downward as the tines extend rearward.
The inlet adapter plate 78 also has a downstream wall 100 (FIG. 11) that is generally crescent-shaped. The inlet adapter plate 78 has converging sidewalls 102 that extend from the upstream wall 98 to the crescent-shaped downstream wall 100.
The bottom of the downstream wall 100 and the intersection of the mounting flanges 95 and the sidewall 102 defines a peripheral edge 106 of the inlet opening 36 that is bullet-shaped. Referring in particular to FIG. 5, middle tines 84 and 86 are longer than outer tines 82 and 88 to correspond with the shape of the peripheral edge 106 of inlet opening 36. Note that the downstream ends of the tines 82, 84, 86 and 88 do not attach to the downstream of the inlet opening 36, thereby preventing debris from catching on the tines 82, 84, 86 and 88 as water flows through the tines into the intake duct 34.
The peripheral edge 106 of the intake opening 36 is radiused to promote the free flow of water into the inlet opening 36, especially at low speeds. Refer now in particular to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 which are sectional views of the peripheral edge 106 of the inlet opening 36 taken at the locations indicated in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 shows that the peripheral edge 106 at the sidewall 102 of the inlet opening 36 is radiused, thus allowing water to more easily flow into the inlet opening 36 when the watercraft 10 is stopped or moving at slow speeds. Likewise, FIGS. 6 and 7 show a peripheral edge 106 at the downstream wall 100 of the inlet opening 36 being radiused.
FIGS. 6 and 7 also show a hydrodynamic bulge 108 that is adjacent the downstream edge 106 of the inlet opening 36. The purpose of the hydrodynamic bulge 108 is to hydrodynamically create a region of low fluid pressure below the downstream edge 106 of the inlet opening 36, especially at higher speeds. Creation of the low pressure region by the hydrodynamic bulge 108 reduces the amount of water accumulating against the downstream edge 106 of the inlet opening 36 at high watercraft speeds by pulling any such accumulated water downward. The hydrodynamic bulge 108 reduces the amount of water resistance or drag at the downstream edge 106 of the inlet opening 36, and therefore improves performance at high watercraft speeds. The hydrodynamic bulge 108 is most severely defined near the centerline of the ride plate 80 immediately downstream of the inlet opening 36. The bulge 108 tapers to be smaller in size as the bulge 108 extends around the downstream edge 106 of the intake opening 36 towards the edges by the sidewalls 102. FIG. 7 specifically shows that the hydrodynamic bulge 108 is smaller at an intermediate location.
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a first embodiment of tines 82, 84, 86 and 88. FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross--sections of the tine 82 as indicated in FIG. 5, however, the other tines 84, 86 and 88 have generally the same configuration. Each tine 82, 84, 86 and 88 has a face 110 that is exposed to the flow of sea water flowing into the inlet opening 36. FIG. 9 shows that the tine is tapered near an upstream edge of the inlet opening 36. That is, the tine sidewalls diverge as the tine progresses upward towards the base 90. This provides increased strength at the location where the tines attach to the base 90. In FIG. 9, the exposed tine face 110 is rounded. The rounded tine face 110 as well as the tapered sidewalls 111 facilitate easy water flow over the tines 82, 84, 86 and 88 into the inlet opening 36 when the personal watercraft 10 is stopped or moving at a slow speed. FIG. 10 illustrates a cross--section through the tine 82 further downstream in a location where the tine is directly covering the inlet opening 36. The face 110 of the tine 82 in the region directly covering the inlet opening 36 is blunt, preferably fiat. The blunt face 110 shown in FIG. 10 effectively blocks excess water from entering through the inlet opening 36 when the watercraft 10 is traveling at relatively high speeds (e.g., at speeds above about 28 mph) which is typically when sea water enters the inlet opening faster than the impeller can pump in conventional personal watercraft without use of the invention. It has been found that the blunt face 110 shown in FIG. 10 on the tines 82, 84, 86 and 88 does not substantially affect the flow of water into the intake opening 36 at relatively slow speeds. However, as the speed of the watercraft increases, the tine face 110 progressively restricts the flow of water into the intake duct 34. Referring in particular to FIG. 10, each of the tines has a pair of converging side surfaces 112 extending upward from the exposed face 110 of the tine 82. The purpose of the converging side surfaces 112 is to promote laminar flow within the intake duct 34 of the intake housing 30 as the water flows towards the impeller 38 of the pump.
FIG. 12 illustrates another tine configuration. FIG. 12 is a cross-section corresponding to the cross-section shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 12, the tine 82a has a blunt exposed face 110a even at a location upstream of the inlet opening 36. Further downstream where the tine 82 is directly covering the inlet opening 35, the cross-section would preferably be similar to that shown in FIG. 10. While the configuration shown in FIG. 12 may somewhat restrict water flow into the inlet opening 36 when the watercraft 10 is moving at relatively slow watercraft speeds, the configuration in FIG. 12 provides additional water flow restriction through the inlet opening 36 at relatively high watercraft speeds.
From the above discussion, it should be understood that the inlet opening 36 is fixed in size. However, the invention provides several hydrodynamic features that effectively restrict excessive flow of sea water into the inlet opening 36 when the watercraft is moving forward at relatively high speeds (e.g., speeds faster than the impeller 38 can pump the sea water).
It is recognized that various alternatives and modifications of the invention are possible in accordance with the true spirit of the invention. Such modifications or alternatives should be considered to be within the scope of the following claims.
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An inlet adapter for a personal watercraft jet propulsion system is hydrodynamically designed to achieve optimum performance at both low and high watercraft speeds. The inlet adapter provides an inlet opening having a fixed geometry. A plurality of tines extend from the inlet adapter rearward to cover an inlet opening through which water is pumped to a jet propulsion system. The aft portion of each tine has an exposed face that is blunt, preferably flat. The blunt face restricts water flow through the inlet opening at relatively high speeds, thereby improving high speed performance. The tines are also designed to facilitate laminar flow as the flow of water passes the tines en route to the jet propulsion system. In another aspect, the invention provides a hydrodynamic bulge downstream of the downstream edge of the inlet opening. The hydrodynamic bulge draws sea water accumulating in front of the downstream edge of the inlet opening downward when the watercraft is moving at relatively high speeds, thus reducing drag on the watercraft.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to memory devices and more particularly to flash erase EEPROM memories.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electrically erasable programmable read only memories (EEPROMs) are well known in the art. EEPROMs, like other memory devices, include a plurality of memory cells, each capable of storing a single binary digit (bit). The binary value stored in each cell is programmed to a logical zero or logical one value by placing an appropriate charge on the floating gate of a MOS transistor forming the cell. By altering the charge stored on the floating gate, the threshold voltage required to be applied to the control gate of the floating gate transistor is changed to either a voltage level representing a logical one or a voltage level representing a logical zero. When the memory cell is accessed for reading, a voltage is applied to the control gate which is greater than the threshold voltage associated with a logical one but less than the threshold voltage associated with a logical zero. In this manner, with a read signal applied to the control gate, the floating gate transistor turns on if it stores a logical one, but remains off if it stores a logical zero. A sense amplifier, well known in the art, is used to determine if the transistor is on or off.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a typical prior art EEPROM. The circuit of FIG. 1 allows for flash erasure of all bits stored in the memory array, that is to say the cells are written on a bit-by-bit, or word-by-word basis, the array is read on a word-by-word basis, and the array is erased by erasing all cells simultaneously to the logical one state. As shown in FIG. 1, flash erase EEPROM circuit 100 includes a plurality of row lines 101-1 through 101 N, and a plurality of columns or "bit lines" 102-1 through 102-M. Associated with each combination of row line and bit line is one of floating gate memory cell transistors 105-1-1 through 105-N-M. The control gates of each memory cell transistor 105-1-1 through 105-N-M are connected to their associated row lines 101-1 through 101-N. The drains of each memory cell transistor are connected to their associated bit lines. The sources of each memory cell transistor are connected in common to the drain of erase transistor 112, as is more fully described later.
Power is supplied to each bit line 102-1 through 102-M through column select transistors 104-1 through 104-M, each receiving an appropriate column select signal on their gate leads 103-1 through 103-M, respectively. The entire block of array transistors 105-1-1 through 105-N-M is selected by block transistor 106 receiving a block select signal (for example, a decoded signal based on one or more most significant address bits, with the least significant address bits defining individual memory cells within the block) applied to its gate lead 107. When block select transistor 106 is turned on, the block containing memory cells 105-1-1 through 105-N-M is selected and when one or more column select transistors 104-1 through 104-M are turned on, desired ones of bit lines 102-1 through 102-M are selected. This enables the appropriate voltages to be applied to desired ones of bit lines of 102-1 through 102-M.
For example, a programming voltage VPP (typically 12 volts during programming and 17 volts during erasure) is selectively applied to selected bit lines when programming/erase control circuitry 119 provides a signal to the gate of programming/erase transistor 108 causing transistor 108 to conduct. Similarly, during the read operation, the voltage level of a selected bit line is applied via transistor 110 to sense amplifier 111 in order to determine the value of the bit stored in a selected memory cell.
The operation of circuit 100 in the programming, reading, and erasure modes is depicted in Table 1. During programming, memory array transistors are written individually by selectively addressing desired rows and columns. Thus, a selected row receives a voltage (typically approximately 14 volts) thereby enabling the memory transistors within the row to turn on. At the same time, deselected rows each receive a logical zero, preventing the memory transistors of the deselected rows from turning on. For those memory cells within the selected row which are to store a logical one (floating gate uncharged, relatively low control gate threshold voltage), their associated bit lines receive a logical zero by causing their associated column select transistors 104-1 through 104-M to remain off. In other words, columns whose memory cells are to store a logical one are deselected. Conversely, columns associated with memory cells which are to store a logical zero are selected by turning on their associated column select transistors 104-1 through 104-M, and programming/erase control circuitry 119 causes transistor 108 to turn on, thereby applying programming voltage VPP to the selected columns. This action causes the memory transistors which are to store a logical one to turn on and, with a relatively high voltage VPP applied to their drains, 0 volts on their sources, and a high voltage (typically 14 volts) applied to the control gate, cause hot electrons to be injected from the drain to the floating gate, thereby increasing the control gate threshold voltage to that threshold voltage associated with a logical zero.
During reading of circuit 100, individual memory cells are selected by an appropriate combination of column select and row select signals, allowing the data stored in the selected memory cell to be detected by sense amplifier 111. Thus, for example, to read the data stored in memory cell 105-1-1, row line 101-1 is selected by applying voltage VCC of approximately 5 volts with row lines 101-2 through 101-N being deselected by applying zero volts. Bit line 102-1 is selected by causing column select transistor 104-1 to turn on, while deselecting bit lines 102-2 through 102-M by causing column select transistors 104-2 through 104-M to be turned off. During the read operation, programming/erase transistor 108 is turned off, and a reference voltage VREF (typically 2.5 volts) is applied to the gate of pass transistor 110. This causes the voltage on the selected bit line 102-1 to be applied to the input lead of sense amplifier 111, which in turn provides an output signal indicating whether the selected memory cell 105-1-1 stores a logical zero or a logical one.
When memory cell 105-1-1 stores a logical one, its control gate threshold voltage is less than the read voltage applied to row line 101-1, and thus memory cell transistor 105-1-1 is turned on pulling the input lead of sense amplifier 111 low through transistors 110, 106, 104-1, 105-1-1, and 112. Conversely, when memory cell 105-1-1 stores a logical zero, its control gate threshold voltage is greater than the read voltage applied to row line 101-1, memory cell transistor 105-1-1 does not turn on, and the input lead of sense amplifier 111 is not pulled low. Thus, sense amplifier 111 can detect the two possible values of the bits stored by the memory selected for reading.
During erasure, memory cells 105-1-1 through 105-N-M are "flash" erased, i.e., all erased simultaneously such that they store logical zeros. This is accomplished by applying 0 volts to the row lines connected to the control gates of the memory transistors, a high voltage (typically 17 volts) to the bit lines connected to the drains of the memory cell transistors, and leaving the erase line, which is connected to the sources of the memory cell transistors, floating.
Of importance, during programming and erasing of memory cells 105-1-1 through 105-N-M, a relatively high voltage VPP is applied to selected bit lines 102-1 through 102-M. This requires all transistors between VPP terminal 120 and bit lines 102-1 through 102-M, as well as transistor 110 located between VPP terminal 120 and the input lead of sense amplifier 111, to be fabricated to ensure they will not break down due to the use of the relatively high voltage VPP. MOS transistors utilized in this fashion, when subjected to relatively high voltages, are subject to gated diode breakdown which, of course, must be eliminated if the device is to operate properly and be reliable over a long period of time. A gated diode is a PN junction located under the gate electrode. When the gate electrode is grounded, the breakdown voltage of the gated diode is much lower than the breakdown voltage of the gated diode when the gate is not grounded. Furthermore, the gated diode breakdown voltage is lower with thinner gate oxides and shallower junctions depths. In order to prevent such gated diode breakdown problems, these transistors are typically formed utilizing a relatively thick gate oxide (typically 350 Å thick) as compared with the relatively thin gate oxide utilized by the peripheral transistors in the speed path, such as the transistors (not shown) of sense amplifier 111, and the transistors of the address buffers, also not shown, which typically have gate oxide thicknesses on the order of 250 Å. While the use of thick gate oxide satisfies the requirement that these transistors be impervious to breakdown problems when a high programming/erasure voltage VPP is applied, it has a deleterious effect of decreasing the gain of these transistors, which in turn decreases their switching speed. A decreased switching speed of any transistors located between sense amplifier 111 and the memory array transistors 105-1-1 through 105-N-M decreases the speed of operation of the device, clearly an undesirable feature.
FIG. 2 is a top view of a pair of typical prior art EEPROM memory cells including N+ drain diffusion 201, which is connected via electrical contact 202 to metallization layer 203. Cell 200 also includes a first layer of polycrystalline silicon 204 which serves as the floating gate of the EEPROM memory transistor, and a second layer of polycrystalline silicon 205 which serves as the control gate and which forms part of a row line. As described above with regard to the schematic diagram of FIG. 1, programming, reading, and erasure of cell 200 is all performed from the drain 201 side of the memory cell.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the teachings of this invention, speed of an EEPROM device is enhanced by utilizing a unique circuit design and operating method which obviates the need for applying a high programming or erase voltage in the path between the memory array and sense amplifier. In accordance with the teachings of this invention, such high programming and erase voltages are applied, as needed, directly to the memory array, thereby allowing all transistors which carry signals from the memory array to the sense amplifier to be fabricated as low voltage devices, thereby increasing their speed of operation and thus the speed of operation of the memory device as a whole. By applying the relatively high programming and erase voltages to the source of the memory transistors, and reading from the drain of the memory transistors, the source and drain, as well as associated circuitry, are fabricated to optimize their intended functions.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of a preferred exemplified embodiment of the invention and upon reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a typical prior art flash erase EEPROM device;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a typical prior art EEPROM cell;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of an EEPROM cell constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a flash erase EEPROM constructed in accordance with the teaching of this invention; and
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a flash erase EEPROM constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a memory device 400 constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a pair of EEPROM memory cells constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention in which a first layer P1 of polycrystalline silicon forms floating gate 304 located near source 306, rather than near drain 301. In this embodiment, reading is performed from the drain 301 side of memory cell 300, and programming and erasing performed from the source 306 side of memory cell 300.
Referring now to FIG. 4, memory device 400 includes row lines 401-1 through 401-N, bit lines 402-1 through 402-M, column select transistors 104-1 through 104-M, and memory array transistors 405-1-1 through 405-N-M. Block select transistor 406 is utilized to access the block of memory cells 405-1-1 through 405-N-M. In contrast to the prior art, as depicted in FIG. 1, memory cell transistors 405-1-1 through 405-N-M are fabricated such that their floating gates are located near their sources, rather than near their drains. This allows high programming and erase voltages to be applied to the sources of memory array transistors 405-1-1 through 405-N-M, thereby precluding the application of high programming/erase voltage VPP from block select transistor 406 and column select transistors 104-1 through 104-M and pass transistor 410. Therefore these transistors located between bit lines 402-1 and 402-M and sense amplifier 411 need not be fabricated to ensure a high breakdown voltage; thus these transistors can be fabricated utilizing a relatively thin (typically approximately 250 Å) gate oxide ensuring high gain and fast switching speed.
It is desirable to increase the read current through a selected memory cell during the read operation in order to provide faster speed of operation and a greater noise immunity. The read current is dependent on the drain saturation voltage V DSAT , which is defined as:
V.sub.DSAT ≃V.sub.GS -V.sub.T ;
where:
V DSAT =the drain saturation voltage;
V GS =the gate-to-source voltage; and
V T =the threshold voltage.
In prior art devices, where the floating gate is located near the drain, the read current is limited by the floating gate voltage, which is typically 60 to 70% of the control gate voltage. However, in accordance with the teachings of this invention, by placing the floating gate close to the source rather than the drain as in the prior art, the read current through the selected memory cell during the read operation is increased since the saturation voltage V DSAT is increased since the drain is influenced by the control gate voltage, rather than the lesser floating gate voltage. By increasing the read current, reading speed is increased. It has been determined that placing the floating gate near the source rather than near the drain increases the read current by about 10 to 15 percent.
In accordance with the teachings of this invention, increased speed is also provided due to the fact that column read voltages may be increased, thereby additionally providing increased read current through a selected array transistor, without risking undesirable "soft" writes of the memory cell being read, since the higher read voltage is applied to the drain which is not located near the floating gate. As is well known, over a large number of read cycles, undesirable charging may cause a cumulative charge to be placed on the floating gate of a deselected transistor, thereby causing a "soft" write.
Furthermore, utilizing the memory array transistors of this invention, more P+ (e.g., Boron) ion implants need not be made to the drains of the memory array transistors as is often the case in prior art structures for enhancing the ability to program the cell, since having a P+N+ junction rather than a P-N+ junction increases the maximum field at the junction leading to greater hot electron generation. However, such ion implants can be used on the source side of the memory array transistors where, in accordance with the teachings of this invention, programming occurs by charging the floating gate. By avoiding ion implants on the drains of the memory array transistors, bit line capacitance is reduced, thereby increasing reading speed.
In one embodiment of this invention, the P type field implant is not performed near the source of the memory cell transistors, thus increasing the gated diode breakdown voltage of the source junction, which in turn allows greater voltages to be applied to the source in order to improve the performance of the Fowler Nordheim electron tunneling between the source and the floating gate, as well as decreasing susceptibility of the junction to breakdown. As is well known, Fowler Nordheim tunneling is independent of temperature and is effective only at high electric fields (typically 7 to 10 Megavolts per centimeter). Such a pull back of the field implant in order to improve Fowler Nordheim tunneling from the drains was not possible in the prior art since the pull back of the field implant would have to be performed around the drains of the memory array transistors, which would undesirably degrade the isolation between bit lines and have a deleterious effect on the ability to program memory array transistors due to increased leakage currents leading to lower programming currents.
Programming of a selected memory array transistor is performed by applying programming voltage VPP to a selected row line while holding deselected row lines at zero volts, and applying programming voltage VPP through transistor 443 to the sources of all memory array transistors. A selected column is grounded by turning on its associated column select transistor, and block select transistor 406 and transistor 421. This causes electrons to be tunneled from the source to the floating gate of the selected transistor.
In the embodiment of FIG. 5, programming set transistors 432-1 through 432-M and programming reset transistors 423-1 through 423-M are utilized to minimize the potential for soft programming cells along the selected row line but along deselected columns, which are left floating and thus may be undesirably charged by current flowing from its source to its drain.
In the embodiment of FIG. 5, such soft writing is avoided by precharging the deselected bit lines, thereby preventing current from flowing through deselected memory array transistors, which in turn prevents any amount of charging of the floating gates of deselected transistors during the programming of a selected memory array transistor. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, programming a selected memory array cell, for example transistor 405-1-1, is performed by first applying a PRGSET signal to lead 432, thus turning on precharge transistors 432-1 through 432-M which apply a predefined voltage (for example, 10 volts) to bit lines 402-1 through 402-M, respectively. The PRGSET signal then goes low, turning off transistors 432-1 through 432-M while leaving bit lines 402-1 through 402-M precharged. Transistor 421 is then turned on, thereby causing selected bit line 402-1 to be discharged through conducting column select transistor 104-1 and block select transistor 406. The deselected columns 402-2 through 402-M remain precharged since their column select transistors 104-2 through 104-M are turned off. Source pull down transistor 442 is turned off, and programming voltage VPP is applied through transistor 443 to the sources of all memory array transistors 405-1-1 through 405-N-M. Selected memory array transistor 405-1-1 conducts current from its source to its drain, thereby placing a charge on its floating gate. However, the remaining, deselected memory array transistors do not conduct current since their drains are connected to precharged bit lines 402-2 through 402-M, thereby preventing any charge from being introduced to their floating gates and preventing soft write errors. When memory array transistor 405-1-1 has been programmed, transistor 443 is turned off and transistor 442 is turned on, thereby connecting the sources of memory array transistors 405-1-1 through 405-N-M to be connected to ground. Bit lines 402-2 through 402-M are discharged by applying a PRG reset signal to lead 422, thus turning on reset transistors 423-1 through 423 M. In an alternative embodiment, reset transistors 423-1 through 423-M are not used, and the bit lines are discharged by enabling all column select transistors 104-1 through 104-M while transistor 421 is turned on.
Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings of this application that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.
TABLE 1______________________________________ProgrammingRow line (control gate) selected: 14 volts deselected: 0 voltsbit line (drain) logical 1: 0 volts (column deselected) logical 0: VPP = 9 volts (column selected)erase line (source): 0 voltsReadingRow line (control gate) selected: VCC (5 volts) deselected: 0 voltsbit line (drain) precharged to V.sub.ref -V.sub.T (typically 1.5 volts) logical 0 stored: pulled low by array transistor, by at least 0.2 volts from pre- charged level logical 0 stored: not pulled low by array transistorerase line (source): 0 voltsErasureRow line (control gate): 0 voltsbit line (drain): 17 voltserase line (source): Floating______________________________________
TABLE 2______________________________________ProgrammingRow line (control gate) selected: VPP = 14 volts deselected: 0 voltsbit line (drain) logical 0: selected: approximately 0 volts deselected: approximately 9 volts volts logical 1: 0 voltserase line (source): VSP = 9 voltsReadingRow line (control gate) selected: VCC (5 volts) deselected: 0bit line (drain) logical 0 stored: 2 volts logical 1 stored: 1.8 voltserase line (source): 0ErasureRow line (control gate): 0 voltsbit line (drain): Floatingerase line (source): VEE = 17 volts______________________________________
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An EEPROM device provides increased speed and less susceptibility to soft writes during reading and programming operations. A unique circuit design and operating method obviates the need for applying a high programming or erase voltage in the path between the memory array and sense amplifier. Such high programming and erase voltages are applied, as needed, directly to the memory array, thereby allowing all transistors which carry signals from the memory array to the sense amplifier to be fabricated as low voltage devices, thereby increasing their speed of operation and thus the speed of operation of the memory device as a whole. By applying the relatively high programming and erase voltages to the source of the memory transistors, and reading from the drain of the memory transistors, the source and drain as well as associated circuitry are fabricated to optimize their intended functions.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to method and apparatus for gaze tracking using short coherence length interferometry (also referred to as optical coherence tomography).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The most commonly used methods in the prior art for gaze tracking an eye (also referred to as measuring or monitoring the fixation direction of the eye) entail: (a) illuminating the eye using one of two methods and (b) acquiring and processing a video image of the illuminated pupil. In the first method of illuminating the eye, known as the "bright-pupil method," a light source is positioned so that it is nearly coaxial with respect to a line between a video camera and the eye. As a result, the pupil appears in the video image to be brightly lit. In the second method of illuminating the eye, known as the "dark-pupil method," the light source is positioned so that it is substantially off-axis with respect to the line between the video camera and the eye. As a result, the pupil appears in the video image to be dark when compared with the iris and other surrounding features. When using either of these two methods of illuminating the eye, another source of light, a point source, is located at a distance that is large when compared with the radius of curvature of the cornea. An image of the point source of light (referred to in the art as a corneal reflex) appears in the video image as a bright spot in the region of the pupil.
As is well known in the art, if the eye rotates, both the corneal reflex and the pupil move, but at different rates, whereas, if the eye merely translates, both the corneal reflex and the pupil move at the same rate. Thus, the relative distance between the corneal reflex and the center of the pupil is a measure of rotation angle or fixation angle of the eye. As a consequence of this, the most commonly used methods in the prior art for gaze tracking of the eye (measuring or monitoring the fixation direction of the eye) entail finding the center of the pupil. Typically, this is done by locating several points on the pupil/iris boundary and using straightforward geometry to determine the center of the pupil.
Since the corneal reflex is extremely bright and small, it is a straightforward matter to locate it. However, problems are frequently encountered in determining the center of the pupil. In the bright-pupil method, difficulties arise if the pupil is small. In such a case, the illuminated pupil will be rather dim and the contrast between the pupil and the iris will be low because the brightness of the pupil varies inversely as the square of the pupil diameter. Further difficulties arise in the bright-pupil method if the eye requires substantial refractive correction. In such a case, the brightness distribution in the pupil will be nonuniform, which nonuniformity creates problems in locating the pupil edges. In the dark-pupil method, difficulties arise if the contrast is low. Such low contrast occurs, for example, if the cornea or the lens act as diffuse scatters due to natural aging of tissues or the presence of cataracts. Further, depending on the wavelength of the illumination and natural pigment variations, the brightness of the iris may be naturally low. In either case, the pupil/iris contrast may be too low to determine the center of the pupil accurately.
A less frequently used method of gaze tracking the eye (monitoring or measuring the fixation direction of the eye) requires imaging features on the fundus of the eye, for example, the papilla (nerve head) or a distinctive pattern of blood vessels. Difficulties arise in this method because of cloudiness of the ocular media.
All of the above-described prior art methods rely on feature discrimination which arises from differential brightness of reflected light. However, these prior art methods make no distinction between reflected light originating from a structure of interest and reflected light originating from all scattering centers anterior to the structure of interest. This ambiguity results in loss of information. Furthermore, information about axial location of scatterers, i.e., depth of scatterers in the eye, is either nonexistent, or at best (using stereo optics) is difficult to extract.
In light of the above, there is a need for a method and apparatus for gaze tracking the eye which overcome the above-described problems in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Advantageously, embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for gaze tracking an eye utilizing short coherence length interferometry, also known as optical coherence tomography ("OCT"), which overcome the above-described problems in the prior art. In particular, an embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for gaze tracking an eye which comprises: (a) an optical coherence tomography (OCT) apparatus; (b) scanning means for scanning across a predetermined portion of the eye with optical output from the OCT apparatus; (c) analysis means for analyzing detection signals output from the OCT apparatus to determine a location of a feature of the eye; (d) illumination means for producing a reflection of radiation from a cornea of the eye (corneal reflex); (e) detecting means for determining a location of the corneal reflex; and (f) the analysis means further comprising means, responsive to the location of the feature and to the location of the corneal reflex, for gaze tracking.
As will be set forth in detail below, OCT advantageously solves many of the problems described in the Background of the Invention because it discriminates on the basis of both reflection and axial location. Thus, structures differing in depth by at least a few tens of microns may be distinguished, even if their reflectances are similar. As a consequence, even in the case of a severe cataract, it is possible to locate the pupil/iris boundary. Also, corneal scattering and scattering in the aqueous (except very near the pupil) does not affect the depth discrimination.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE
FIG. 1 shows, in pictorial form, an embodiment of a gaze tracking apparatus which is fabricated in accordance with the present invention, which embodiment includes an optical coherence tomography ("OCT") apparatus;
FIG. 2A shows, in pictorial form, a front view of an eye which illustrates a scan of OCT radiation across the pupil/iris boundary of the eye;
FIG. 2B shows, in pictorial form, a cross section of the eye which illustrates the scan of the OCT radiation across the pupil/iris boundary of the eye;
FIG. 2C shows, in graphical form, a plot of depth for an OCT output signal exceeding a predetermined amplitude as a function of distance along the scan of the OCT radiation across the pupil/iris boundary of the eye;
FIG. 3 shows, in pictorial form, a scan pattern of OCT radiation for acquiring data from an eye; and
FIG. 4 shows, in pictorial form, a fiber optic embodiment of the OCT apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows, in pictorial form, an embodiment of gaze tracking apparatus 100 which is fabricated in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, gaze tracking apparatus 100 comprises optical coherence tomography apparatus 30 ("OCT apparatus 30"), OCT apparatus 30 will be discussed in detail below in conjunction with FIG. 4.
As shown in FIG. 1, OCT radiation 400 is output from optical fiber 31 of OCT apparatus 30. In accordance with the present invention, OCT radiation 400 has a short temporal coherence length and is substantially spatially coherent. As further shown in FIG. 1, OCT radiation 400 output from optical fiber 31 is collimated by lens 32 and the collimated radiation is input to scanner 33. As shown in FIG. 1, scanner 33 comprises scanning mirrors 33 1 and 33 2 which are orthogonally mounted (having orthogonal axes of rotation), galvanometer driven, scanning mirrors. Scanning mirrors 33 1 and 33 2 are mounted on a pair of motors (not shown), which pair of motors are operated under the control of computer 70 through scanner electronics 35 in a manner which is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Since the mirrors are orthogonally mounted, any two-dimensional scan path can be generated by driving each motor with an appropriate voltage waveform. OCT radiation 425 is output from scanner 33 and is focused by scanning lens 34. In accordance with the present invention, scanning lens 34 has a focal length f and, as shown in FIG. 1, scanner 33 is placed substantially in the back focal plane of scanning lens 34. OCT radiation 425 is focused by scanning lens 34 and is reflected by beamsplitter 40 towards eye 11. In accordance with the present invention, and as will be described below, OCT radiation 425 is comprised of wavelengths substantially in the near infrared and, as a result, beamsplitter 40 is fabricated in accordance with methods which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art to be reflective in the near infrared.
As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, scanner 33 and scanning lens 34, under control of computer 70, cause a focused spot of OCT radiation to scan (traverse a predetermined trajectory across) the plane of the pupil of eye 11. As is also well known, the OCT radiation is reflected from eye 11 and the reflected OCT radiation is transmitted back along the path described above to OCT apparatus 30. Finally, output from OCT apparatus 30 is applied as input to computer 70 for analysis to determine the center of the pupil of eye 11.
The following, in conjunction with FIGS. 2A-2C, describes the analysis performed by computer 70 to determine the center of the pupil of eye 11. In accordance with the present invention, as has been described above, a point source of OCT radiation is scanned transversely across a structure of interest, for example, the pupil/iris boundary of eye 11. FIG. 2A shows a front view of eye 11 which illustrates a scan of OCT radiation across the pupil/iris boundary of eye 11 and line 300 in FIG. 2A represents the scan-path of the OCT radiation across the pupil/iris boundary. FIG. 2B shows a cross section of eye 11 and line 310 in FIG. 2B represents the scan-path of the OCT radiation across the pupil/iris boundary. Finally, FIG. 2C shows, in graphical form, a plot of depth for an OCT output signal exceeding a predetermined amplitude as a function of distance along the scan of the OCT radiation across the pupil/iris boundary. As is known, in accordance with the principles of OCT, OCT radiation is reflected from all scatterers along the path of the OCT radiation in the axial direction, i.e., a direction into eye 11. In OCT apparatus 30, the OCT radiation reflected from eye 11 interferes with OCT radiation from a reference path within OCT apparatus 30. The length of the reference path is varied periodically and the length of the reference path is known accurately (see the description of OCT apparatus 30 which is provided below in conjunction with FIG. 4). As is well known, the OCT output signal from OCT apparatus 30 is generated only when the length of the path of the OCT radiation reflected from features of eye 11 is equal to the length of the reference path (to within a length corresponding to the OCT radiation temporal coherence length). Thus, the depth of features of eye 11 can be determined at all depths in the axial direction at a given point in the transverse scan. As one can readily appreciate from FIG. 2C, since the iris is roughly 500 microns thick at the pupil/iris boundary, the change in depth for features below the pupil plane occurs rather abruptly. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, FIG. 2C shows that the scan of OCT radiation provides an easily identifiable signature when the scan crosses the pupil/iris boundary.
Assuming the pupil to be circular, at least three, but preferably more, transverse scans of OCT radiation across the pupil/iris boundary are performed. The data from each scan are analyzed to determine spatial coordinates which represent the pupil/iris boundary. Such analysis entails determining a position at which there is a change in depth which exceeds a predetermined amount. Then, the spatial coordinates are used in accordance with geometrical methods which are well known in the art to determine the boundary of the pupil by, for example, fitting a circle through the spatial coordinates of the pupil boundary. Finally, the center of the pupil is determined in accordance with methods which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art from the fitted circle. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a raster-type scan is used, i.e., multiple horizontal scans, each scan extending completely across the pupil. However, in practice it is required that the measurements be completed in no more than, for example, 1/10 of a second to avoid errors due to eye movement. Further, if the precise location of the eye is not known, the actual scan range should be several pupil diameters. These requirements, coupled with a mechanical limit on the maximum possible velocity of the reference scanner, may make it difficult to perform a raster scan quickly enough.
FIG. 3 shows, in pictorial form, a scan pattern of OCT radiation for acquiring data from an eye in an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In accordance with this alternative embodiment, a coarse-scan pattern consisting of a grid of points 350 is used to locate the pupil approximately. Depth information is collected at each point of grid 350. These data can be collected rather rapidly, even if the scan length of the reference path of OCT apparatus 30 is substantial. Except possibly when the eye is accommodating strongly, the depth of the center of the eye lens is such that it is below the iris. In accordance with the present invention, the depth of the points in measurement grid 350 are examined to identify a set of neighboring points which have a greater depth than that of surrounding points. As shown in FIG. 3, crosses indicate depths approximately 300-500μ below that of the surrounding tissue. In accordance with the present invention, the set of neighboring points within circle 360 locate the pupil to within an error equal to the grid spacing. The pupil, and its edge, are located, for example, by fitting a circle to encompass the set of neighboring points. Then, having located the pupil and its edge, a second set of short, linear scans of OCT radiation are made in the region of the pupil edge only, with preferably a reduced range for scan length of the reference path in OCT apparatus 30. This alternative embodiment is advantageous in that it reduces the total scan time substantially.
In another embodiment of the present invention, gaze tracking is performed by locating features on the fundus of eye 11. In this embodiment, an additional lens is needed to focus the scanning spot onto the retina. Two easily identifiable features are the papilla (the optic nerve head) and the foveola (the pit in the center of the fovea). Both of these features are characterized by significant (hundreds of microns) depth differences compared with surrounding tissue and can be found readily by a scan of OCT radiation in the manner described above. In this embodiment, as the eye rotates, i.e., changes its gaze angle, a given feature on the fundus moves a distance determined by the eyeball radius. Specifically, the change in gaze angle is given by:
sin θ=D/R (1)
where θ is the gaze angle, D is the distance the given feature moves, and R is the eyeball radius. In practice, θ and D are related by a calibration procedure in which the subject eye fixates in a known direction and then fixates in a second known direction. Then, θ is given as the angle between the two known directions and D is measured. From this, a calibration for eqn (1) is readily determined as a scale factor for D. In accordance with such an embodiment of the present invention, a two-dimensional grid is scanned to search for these features. In order to provide an appropriately sized grid, the grid spacing used should be no more than 1/4 to 1/2 of the lateral size of the features to be located. As those of ordinary skill in the art readily appreciate, the present invention is not limited to use of the papilla and the foveola and may include other identifiable features such as, for example, a distinctive pattern of blood vessels.
Referring back to FIG. 1, light source 63 outputs radiation having a wavelength which is different from the wavelength of the OCT radiation, for example, a light emitting diode. Radiation from light source 63 is reflected by 50--50 beamsplitter 50 towards eye 11. The light from source 63 is: (a) imaged by the cornea of eye 11, acting as a convex spherical mirror; (b) reflected by beamsplitter 50; (c) focused by focusing lens 62; and (d) detected by detector 61, for example, a video camera. In accordance with the present invention, focusing lens 62 focuses the pupil plane of eye 11 onto detector 61. Then, an output image from video camera 61 is applied as input to computer 70. The image from video camera 61 includes an image of radiation from light source 63 which was reflected from the cornea of eye 11. The image of the reflected radiation appears in the video image as a bright point of light which is referred to as the corneal reflex. The location and center of the corneal reflex is determined by computer 70 in accordance with methods which are well known in the art. In accordance with the present invention, light source 63 may be made sufficiently bright that it will also serve to illuminate the pupil plane of eye 11. Then, in accordance with the present invention, when detector 61 is a video camera, its output will show a pupil image as well as the corneal reflex (a typical LED for use in fabricating embodiments of the present invention would illuminate an area approximately one inch in diameter at a distance of approximately one foot).
Arrow 12 shown in FIG. 1 shows a fixation direction of eye 11. For example, in a clinical setting a patient would be asked to focus on light source 73 which is situated on a line that is coincident with the direction of arrow 12. Light from source 73 can be seen as it passes through beamsplitters 50 and 40.
As is known in the prior art, a change in the relative separation of the center of the corneal reflex and the center of the pupil is a measure of a change in gaze direction. In particular, the relationship of gaze angle to the location of the corneal reflex and the center of the pupil is given by the following formulae:
sin θ.sub.x =(x.sub.cr -x.sub.p)/(A-a) (2)
sin θ.sub.y =(y.sub.cr -y.sub.p)/(A-a) (3)
where (θ x , θ y ) are angles of eye rotation produced by changes in x and y, respectively; (x cr , y cr ) are the x and y coordinates, respectively, of the location of the center of the corneal reflex; (x p , y p ) are the x and y coordinates, respectively, of the location of the center of the pupil; and [(x cr -x p ), (y cr -y p )] are the distances in x and y, respectively, between the two centers; A is the distance from the center of rotation of eye 11 to the outer corneal surface (˜13.3 mm); and a is the radius of curvature of the outer surface of the cornea˜8 mm.
Since the center of the corneal reflex and the center of the pupil are measured by different detector systems, it is important to calibrate each system to the same distance scale. In other words, it is necessary to know what change in the rotation angle of mirrors 33 produces a given millimeter change in OCT radiation spot position at eye 11 and what change in the position of the corneal reflex image at detector 61 corresponds to the same millimeter change in the location of the corneal reflex at the eye. This calibration is done experimentally or by calculation, in accordance with methods which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, knowing the lens focal lengths and spacings. Also, note that, only changes in the relative separation between the center of the corneal reflex and the center of the pupil are meaningful in eqns (2) and (3). As a result, it is necessary to calibrate the entire system for a patient's eye. In practice, since the properties of a given eye may not be precisely known, θ and the distance between the two centers of eqn (2) and (3) are related by a calibration procedure in which the subject eye fixates in a known direction and then fixates in a second known direction. Then, for each of eqn (2) and (3), θ is given as the angle between the two known directions and the distance between the two centers is measured. From this a calibration for eqns (2) and (3) is readily determined as a scale factor for the distance between the two centers.
FIG. 4 shows, in pictorial form, a fiber optic embodiment of OCT apparatus 30. As shown in FIG. 4, OCT apparatus 30 comprises CW radiation source 220, for example, a superluminescent laser diode having an output centered substantially at 850 nm. Output from source 220 is coupled into optical fiber 230 and is separated into two beams by 50/50 coupler 240. The output from 50/50 coupler 240 is coupled into optical fibers 31 and 270, respectively. The output from fiber 270 is imaged by lens 280 onto reference mirror 290 and output from fiber 31 is directed to transverse scanning apparatus 33. The output from transverse scanning apparatus 33 is directed to impinge upon eye 11 in the manner described in detail above. Then, radiation reflected from eye 11 is coupled back into fiber 31 and superimposed by 50/50 coupler 240 with radiation reflected from reference mirror 290 and coupled back into fiber 270. Superimposed radiation output from 50/50 coupler 240 is coupled into fiber 265. As is known, there is interference between radiation reflected from the eye 11 and radiation reflected from reference mirror 290 (the reference path) if the optical path difference is smaller than a length corresponding to the temporal coherence length of radiation source 220. Reference mirror 290 is moved with a substantially constant velocity by means which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the an (not shown) and, as a result, the interference is detected as a periodic variation of a detector signal obtained by photodetector 275, the periodic variation having a frequency equal to a Doppler shift frequency which is introduced by moving reference mirror 290 with the constant velocity. The output from photodetector 275 is demodulated by demodulator 285, the demodulated output from demodulator 285 is convened to a digital signal by analog-to-digital converter 295 (A/D 295), and the output from A/D 295 is applied as input to computer 70 for analysis. The signal input to computer 70 is bandpass filtered and the output from the bandpass filter is an oscillating signal pulse with a typical frequency of about 100 kHz and a pulse length which corresponds to the coherence length of light source 220. The output from the bandpass filter is further filtered, for example, by a root mean square filter to obtain the envelope of the signal pulse produced by photodetector 275. Next, an output signal from the root mean filter is applied as input to a trigger unit, for example, a Schmitt trigger, to derive a timing signal from the output of the root means filter. The timing pulse is used to store the position of reference mirror 290 at the moment of the trigger pulse. The position of mirror 290 corresponds to the length of the reference path which is equal to the optical path length of the sample beam. The interference signal vanishes as soon as the optical path difference between radiation reflected from the object and radiation reflected from reference mirror 290 becomes larger than a length corresponding to the temporal coherence length of source 220.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description has been presented for the sake of illustration and description only. As such, it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. For example, modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching which are considered to be within the spirit of the present invention. Thus, it is to be understood that the claims appended hereto are intended to cover all such modification and variations which fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.
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Apparatus for gaze tracking an eye utilizing short coherence length interferometry, also known as optical coherence tomography ("OCT"). An embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for gaze tracking an eye which includes: (a) an optical coherence tomography (OCT) apparatus; (b) a scanning apparatus for scanning across a predetermined portion of the eye with optical output from the OCT apparatus; (c) an analysis apparatus for analyzing detection signals output from the OCT apparatus to determine a location of a feature of the eye; (d) an illumination apparatus for producing a reflection of radiation from a cornea of the eye (corneal reflex); (e) a detection apparatus for determining a location of the corneal reflex; and (f) the analysis apparatus further includes an apparatus which is responsive to the location of the feature and to the location of the corneal reflex for gaze tracking.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compatible ternary polymer mixtures comprising polycarbonate polymers, polyalkylene terephthalate polymers, and methacrylate copolymers, which mixtures are compatible with polyesters and with polycarbonate.
2. Discussion of the Background
The modification of plastics of the polycarbonate (PC), polyester (PE), and polyester carbonate type, to render them impact resistant is well known (U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,699). Such modified plastics are used as molding compounds, e.g. for injection molding of parts for housings, bumpers, etc. Modifying-agents with a core-and-shell structure have proved particularly effective.
For polyesters, polymeric core-and-shell modifiers have been employed having core material comprised of alkyl acrylate and shell material comprised of alkyl methacrylates and/or styrene copolymers.
For addition to polycarbonates, ABS copolymers, or acrylate modifiers have been used, preferably with styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers in the outermost graft shell.
There are also on the market blends comprised of polycarbonate and polybutylene terephthalate, containing acrylate modifiers, wherein the core of the modifier comprises butyl acrylate and the shell comprises methyl methacrylate and/or styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers.
Compatible blends comprising polyesters and polyaryl acrylates are proposed in unpublished DE-40 03 088.1.
The principal claimed subject matter of EP 297,285 comprises transparent thermoplastically processible binary polymer mixtures comprised of polycarbonates and of methacrylate copolymers, wherein the methacrylate copolymers are comprised of the following:
95-5 wt. % of methyl methacrylate, and
5-95 wt. % of (meth)acrylate esters with cyclic group in the ester moiety.
Not withstanding the few successes in producing transparent thermoplastic compositions, technical experience with mixtures comprised of disparate polymers was summarized relatively early with the statement, "Miscibility is the exception, immiscibility is the rule" (see Kirk-Othmer, 1982, "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology", 3rd Ed., pub. J. Wiley, Vol. 18, p. 460). Despite a growing number of counter-examples discovered in recent years, the above statement is characterizing experience in this area of technology which still represents the expectations of those skilled in the art.
It is not by chance that interest in compatible polymer mixtures has grown recently. As a rule, compatible polymer mixtures have the advantage of being transparent To the extent they are comprised of thermoplastics, they generally have good thermoplastic processibility. In addition, they frequently open up new possibilities for reusability and recycling.
Due to the uniform composition, the mechanical properties are generally adjustable, reproducible, and quite advantageous. However, the prospect of obtaining industrially usable compatible polymer mixtures in ternary mixed systems must be deemed unfavorable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Nonetheless it has been discovered, surprisingly, in connection with the present invention, that certain ternary mixtures of thermoplastic polymers form compatible transparent polymer alloys PL.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a compatible ternary mixture of thermoplastic polymers. The object of the present invention is provided for by polymer alloys PL comprised of the following components:
A) 0.1-99.9 wt. %, preferably 50-95 wt. %, of a polyester-polycarbonate mixture comprised of:
a.1) 0.1-99.9 parts by weight (pbw), preferably 10-50 pbw, of a polyester, and
a.2) 99.9-0.1 pbw, preferably 90-50 pbw, of a polycarbonate; and
B) 99.9-0.1 wt. %, preferably 5-50 wt. %, of a poly(meth)acrylate PA containing 20-100 pbw, preferably 50-95 pbw, of units of at least one monomer of formula I ##STR2## where R 1 represents hydrogen or methyl, R 2 represents a C 1-6 alkyl group or a group --(CH 2 ) n --QR 3 ,
where
n represents zero or a number in the range of 2-6, and
Q represents oxygen or a group --NR 4 , and
R 3 and R 4 each independently represents hydrogen or a C 1-4 alkyl group; and
A represents a C 1-4 alkylidene group or a group --(CH 2 ) m --O--,
where
m is a number from 2 to 6, and
q is zero or 1,
with the condition that the sums of the wt. % and pbw figures are, respectively, 100 wt. % and 100 pbw.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the context of the present invention, "polyesters" have the customary definition of polycondensation products of hydroxycarboxylic acids, or of polyhydric alcohols (diols or polyols), with polybasic carboxylic acids (dicarboxylic acids or polycarboxylic acids). (See Kirk-Othmer, 1982, "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology", 3rd Ed., pub. J. Wiley, Vol. I8, pp. 549-594.) They are represented by general formula II:
--(O--R--CO).sub.m -- (II)
where R represents a suitable hydrocarbon group; or preferably they are represented by formula II-A: ##STR3## where R' represents a C 2-8 alkylene group or a C 3-3 cyclic alkylene group, and
R" represents an aryl group, particularly a phenyl or naphthyl group, and
m and r in formulas II and II-A each represents a number corresponding to weight average a molecular weight Mw of the polymers in the range 10×10 3 <Mw ≦200×10 3 Dalton. The determination of the molecular weight Mw is carried out, as a rule, via the solution viscosity η sp /C (in units of cm/g), measured by a capillary viscometer.
In particular, the polyesters may be represented by formula II-A': ##STR4## where s represents a number from 2 to 6, and
m has the above-designated meaning.
The final degrees of saturation of the polymers correspond to those commonly found in, e.g., commercial products.
Of particular industrial interest are the polyesters of formula II-A' wherein s=2 or 4 or 6, particularly s=2 (polyethylene terephthalate, PET) and s=4 (polybutylene terephthalate, PBT).
As a rule, the polyesters based on terephthalic acid contain<10 wt. % isophthalic acid.
It should be emphasized that the polyesters used are generally commercially available and if necessary or desirable, these may contain additives which are per se known, e.g. nucleation agents, pigments, flame-proofing agents, etc.
The term "polycarbonate" (PC, according to DIN 7728 Tl) in the present context has the customary definition of the formal polycondensation products of
diols, particularly 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl alkanes (bisphenols), with
carbonic acid.
The molecular weight Mw of the polycarbonates is generally in the range of 20,000-60,000. (See Kirk-Othmer, 1982, "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology", 3rd Ed., pub. J. Wiley, Vol. 18, pp. 479-494; Schnell, H., "Chemistry & Physics of Polycarbonates".)
As a rule, the polycarbonates can be represented by formula III: ##STR5## where R"' and R IV each independently represents hydrogen, linear or branched C 6-12 alkyl group, or a C 6-12 aryl group, and t represents a number corresponding to a molecular weight Mw of the polymer in the range of 2-6×10 4 . The dynamic glass transition temperature Tg (dyn) is generally about 160° C. (see "Kunststoff-Handbuch", pub. Carl Hanser Verlag, Vol. IX, p. 310; and Kirk-Othmer, 1982, 3rd Ed., J. Wiley, Vol. 18, pp. 479-497). The preparation of polycarbonates is described in, U.S. Pat. No. 1,999,835 and Brit. Pat. 772,627.
The homo- and copolymers PA are manufactured according to known methods. (See Rauch-Puntigam, H., and Voelker, Th., 1967, "Acryl- und Methacrylverbindungen", pub. Springer-Verlag.) While it is possible to employ anionic polymerization or group transfer polymerization (see also Webster, O. W., et al., 1983 J. Am. Chem. Soc., 105, 5706), the preferred manufacturing technique is radical polymerization. One may also employ polymerization in the mass, solution polymerization, or emulsion polymerization.
The monomers which are candidates for producing the polymers PA are per se known:
One might mention, as monomers of formula I: phenyl (meth)acrylate and C 1-6 alkyl-, C 1-6 alkoxy-, and C 1-6 alkylamine substituted derivatives of phenyl (meth)acrylate; particularly, p-methoxyphenyl (meth)acrylate. Also, N,N-dialkylamino-substituted phenyl (meth)acrylates, e.g. p-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl methacrylate.
Also of interest are (alkoxy)phenyl methacrylates not directly bound to the (meth)acryloyl group, e.g. phenoxyethyl methacrylate (A=--CH 2 --CH 2 --O--). To be emphasized, however, are alkoxyphenyl (meth)acrylates, particularly methoxyphenyl methacrylate, and also phenyl methacrylate.
The polyaryl (meth)acrylates may also be comprised of a variety of types of monomer units, preferably those of formula I. To the extent that the polymers PA are not exclusively comprised of monomer units of formula I, other esters of (meth)acrylic acid may be used as comonomers, particularly those of formula IV: ##STR6## where R 1 ' represents hydrogen or methyl,
R 5 represents a C 1-12 aliphatic group, or a C 2-8 alkyl group which is substituted with a group X,
where
X represents an --OH, --OR 6 , or --NR 7 R 8 group,
where
R 6 represents a C 1-6 alkyl group or a C 1-6 alkoxy group,
R 7 represents hydrogen or a C 1-6 alkyl group, and
R 8 represents a C 1-6 alkyl group, or R 7 and R 8 together form a 5- or 6-membered ring, preferably saturated, which includes another nitrogen or an oxygen; or
styrene or p- or α-methylstyrene.
In the radical polymerization method one may preferably use the customary radical initiators, e.g. peroxide initiators, particularly organic peroxy compounds, or azo compounds, in amounts of 0.01-1 wt. % (based on the weight of the monomers). The molecular weight regulators used may be, e.g., the customary sulfur regulators, in the known advantageous concentrations, e.g. 0.01-2 wt. % (based on the weight of the monomers).
The molecular weights Mw of the polymers PA are, as a rule, >3,000, generally in the range 10,000-2,000,000, preferably 20,000-300,000 (as determined by light scattering) (see Mark, H. F., et al., 1987, "Encyclopedia of Polymer Science & Engineering", 2nd Ed., pub. J. Wiley, Vol. 10, pp. 1-19). In choosing the monomer components which may be used as comonomers in preparing the polymers PA, one should take into account that the glass temperature (Tg) of the resulting polymer does not crucially affect the technical applicability of the overall system PL.
Another embodiment of the present invention comprises polymer mixtures PL' which are comprised of:
5-95 wt. % of component (A) as described above in connection with the polymer alloys PL;
C) 95-5 wt. % of an impact strength modifying agent PC which is a mixed polymer comprising at least two phases, which mixed polymer is comprised of:
c.1) 20-90 pbw of a possibly crosslinked polymer PB with a glass temperature Tg ≦10° C., preferably ≦-10° C.; and
c.2) 80-10 pbw of a polymer PA' which is at least partly covalently bonded (generally at least 5 wt. %) to component (c.1), is compatible with component (A) (comprised of polycarbonate and polyester), and corresponds in its composition to polymer PA of component (B).
Another embodiment of the invention comprises a copolymer PD, comprised of:
d.1) 99-50 wt. % of units of a monomer of formula I as described above in connection with (B), and
d.2) 1-50 wt. % of units of a comonomer with UV-absorbing groups, and/or a polymer comprised of:
d.3) 99-50 wt. % of units of a monomer of formula I as described above in connection with (B), and
d.4) 1-50 wt. % of a low molecular weight UV-absorber, wherein said copolymer is applied in coatings over the polyester-polycarbonate mixtures according to (A), for stabilization against UV light.
The impact strength modifying agent PC in the polymer mixtures PL' is, according to the definition, a two-phase mixed polymer, the component PA' of which (c.2) can be manufactured analogously to the above-described polymers PA.
The component PB is generally crosslinked, and provides a rubber-like phase, which are per se known, preferably in the region of molecular weights Mw of 10 4 -10 7 Dalton. (See, e.g., Vollmert, B., 1982, "Grundriss der makromolekularen Chemie", pub E. Vollmert-Verlag, of Karlsruhe, ol. IV, pp. 129 ff.) Accordingly, PB is, e.g., polybutadiene, polyisoprene, or another polyolefin, e.g. EPDM, or is a polyacrylate, e.g. polyethyl-, polybutyl-, or poly-2-ethylhexyl acrylate. In a particularly preferred case, one begins with a core-and-shell latex wherein the latex core (diameter 100-500 nm) is comprised of the elastomer, e.g. crosslinked polybutadiene or crosslinked polybutyl acrylate. A shell of polyaryl acrylate is grafted onto this core. (For graft polymerization, see Houben-Weyl, 1987, "Methoden der Organischen Chemie", pub. Georg-Thieme-Verlag, [Vol.] E20, Part 1, pp. 626 ff.)
Such core-and-shell lattices can be used as impact strength modifiers for component (A), after water is removed from the latex by, e.g., spray drying. In such an arrangement the elastomer (e.g. the polybutyl acrylate) is connected to component (A) via the polyacrylate PA'. Such polymer mixtures have good processibility, and can contribute significantly to the impact strength (measured by the notched bar impact test) of the component (A).
The copolymer PD is, according to definition, comprised of units of the monomer of formula I and comonomers with UV-absorbing groups according to (d.2), such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,870 and EP 0,368,094. In general, the copolymers PD have molecular weights Mw in the range of 5,000 to 5,000,000. Polymerizable UV-absorbers which might be mentioned as examples are 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)-5-methacrylamido-benzotriazole and 2-hydroxy-4-methacryloxybenzophenone. (See also Houben-Weyl, 4th Ed., pub. Verlag Chemie, Vol. 15, pp. 256-260.)
The low molecular weight UV-absorbers according to (d.4 are also per se known. Thus, the polymerizable compounds according to (d.2) may be used advantageously in their monomeric forms in the copolymers PD, as low molecular weight UV-absorbers. Additional UV-absorbers with molecular weight Mw<5000 are 2-hydroxy-4-n-octoxybenzophenone, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone, 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl)benzotriazole, and other derivatives of 2-hydroxybenzophenone or benzotriazole; as well as 2,4-dihydroxybenzoyl-furan, phenyl salicylate, resorcinol disalicylate, resorcinol mono- and dibenzoate, benzyl benzoate, stilbene, and β-methylumbelliferone and its benzoate. Numerous other UV-absorbers are known and are commercially available. Particularly preferred are UV-absorbers of low volatility at the processing temperature, i.e. those with a molecular weight which is as high as possible. In the concentration selected, the UV-absorber would be distributed maximally homogeneously in the polymer.
The characterization of the inventive polymer mixtures PL as compatible mixtures is according to recognized criteria (see Kirk-Othmer, loc. cit., Vol. 18, pp. 457-460; and Brandrup-Immergut, 1975, "Polymer Handbook", 2nd Ed., pub. Wiley Interscience, Vol. III, p. 211):
i) When optical methods are used, one observes in the inventive polymer mixtures PL a single index of refraction which is between those of the two polymer components (A) and (B).
ii) The polymer mixtures PL have a single glass transition temperature Tg (which is between those of the polymer components).
As another test of the miscibility of polymers, one employs the existence of a "lower critical solution temperature" (LCST). A LCST represents the phenomenon whereby during heating, the formerly clear mixture separates into phases and becomes optically cloudy. This phenomenon is clear proof that the original polymer mixture consisted of a single homogeneous phase in equilibrium.
Further, polymer mixtures can display the phenomenon of an "upper critical solution temperature" (UCST). In the opposite behavior as that with an LCST, such polymer mixtures are compatible (single-phase) at higher temperatures, and are incompatible (displaying phase separation) at lower temperatures (see Olabisi, O., Robeson, L. M., and Shaw, M. T., 1979, "Polymer-Polymer Miscibility", pub. Academic Press; and Kirk-Othmer, loc. cit., pp. 457-460; and Ger. Pat. App. P 37 08 428.3). With the present polymer mixtures PL it is preferred to have the LCST phenomenon.
Production of the Mixtures PL
The compatible polymer mixtures can be produced by various methods: e.g., by intensive mechanical intermixing of components (A) and (B) in the melt, in an extruder, or etc.; or by solution-casting from a common solvent, as so-called "solution-cast polyblends" (see Kirk-Othmer, 1982, "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology", 3rd Ed., pub. J. Wiley, Vol. 18, pp. 443-478). Also, polymer (A) may be dissolved in the mixture of the monomer(s) of the other polymer, (B), wherein polymer (B) is then produced in the presence of polymer (A). Also, the polymer mixture PL may be produced from common precipitation agents. There are no restrictions on the type of mixture. As a rule, one first produces mixtures of components (A) and (B), wherein advantageously one begins with solids in the form of, e.g., bead or granulate of the polymer(s), employing slow mixing apparatus such as, e.g., a drum mixer, an open-wheel-type mixer, and a double chamber plow-type mixer. The slow mixing apparatuses produce a mechanical mixture without disturbing the phase boundaries (see "Ullmanns Encyclopaedie der technischen Chemie", 4th Ed., pub. Verlag Chemie, Vol. 2, pp. 282-311). This is followed by thermoplastic processing involving homogeneous mixing in the melt, with the use of heatable mixing apparatuses at suitable temperatures for the purpose, e.g. 150° C.--about 300° C., in kneader mixers or preferably extruders, e.g. single- or multi-screw extruders, or possibly extruders with oscillating screws and shear bars (e.g. the Bussco kneader). By this method one can produce a uniform granulate (e.g. hot-chopped granulate, cubic granulate, or round granulate). The particle size of the granules is in the range 2-5 mm here.
Advantageous Effects
The inventive ternary polymer mixtures PL are of interest to industry merely on the basis of their compatibility, although they may have other advantageous properties as well. The inventive polymer mixtures are ordinarily highly transparent and colorless. It is apparent that if one forms alloys with homopolymers or copolymers of monomers of formula I, in amounts >20 wt. %, in mixtures of partially crystalline polyesters and polycarbonates, one can appreciably reduce the degree of crystallinity of the polyesters. This is beneficial to the transparency and to the mechanical properties of the flowable polycarbonate-polyester compositions.
Another interesting application possibility is provide by modifying the low temperature notched-bar-test impact strength of polycarbonate-polyester mixtures by means of adding high impact phases (polymer mixtures PL') which preferably comprise crosslinked elastomers onto which a compatible hard phase PA' is grafted which phase PA' has a composition corresponding to that of the polymer PA. Further, there is an industrially significant possibility afforded by the invention whereby polymers from the monomers of formula I or with a content of statistically distributed low molecular weight UV-absorbers are used as coating layers for the UV-labile polycarbonate-polyester blends according to (A).
Having generally described this invention, a further understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.
The following Examples serve to illustrate the invention. Unless stated otherwise the product MAKROLON® 3100 of Bayer AG was used as the polycarbonate component, and the polybutylene terephthalate VESTODUR® 1000 of Huels AG with a crystallinity of 30% was used as the polyester component.
The compatibility was determined by the criterion of the existence of an LCST (see Paul, D. R., 1985, "Polymer Blends & Mixtures", pub. Martinus Hijhoff Publishers, of Dosdrecht and Boston, pp. 1-3). For this purpose, the cloud point T tr was determined experimentally, e.g. using a Kofler heating apparatus (see 1950 Chem. Ing. Teghnik 289).
EXAMPLES
Example 1
80 wt. % of polycarbonate was mixed in a mixing extruder with 10 wt. % of polybutylene terephthalate and 10 wt. % of a copolymer of methyl methacrylate (50 pbw) and phenyl methacrylate (50 pbw). The result was a clear melt and a clear, amorphous blend having a cloud point (LCST) of about 170° C.
Example 2
80 wt. % of polycarbonate was mixed with 10 wt. % of polybutylene terephthalate 1000 and 10 wt. % of polyphenyl methacrylate, analogously to Example 1. Again the melt and the blend were clear. The blend had an LCST of about 180° C.
Example 3
80 wt. % of polycarbonate was mixed with 10 wt. % of polybutylene terephthalate and 10 wt. % of a copolymer of p-methoxyphenyl methacrylate (50 pbw) and methyl methacrylate (50 pbw). The transparent blend had an LCST of about 180° C.
Example 4
70 wt. % of polycarbonate was mixed with 20 wt. % of polybutylene terephthalate and 10 wt. % of polyphenyl methacrylate. The extruded blend was transparent to translucent, and had an LCST of about 140°-150° C.
Example 6
60 wt. % of polycarbonate was mixed with 20 wt. % of polybutylene terephthalate and 20 wt. % of a copolymer of phenyl methacrylate (50 pbw) and methyl methacrylate (50 pbw). The melt was clear, and the extruded blend was translucent, with LCST about 140° C.
Example 6 (Comparison Example)
90 wt. % of polycarbonate was mixed with 10 wt. % of polybutylene terephthalate, according to Example 1. The resulting blend wa translucent. No de-mixing indicative of compatibility (i.e. an LCST) could be established.
Example 7 (Comparison Example)
80 wt. % of polycarbonate was mixed with 20 wt. % of polybutylene terephthalate. The resulting blend as translucent to opaque. Again no de-mixing of the blend could be detected.
Example 8
65 wt. % of polycarbonate was mixed with 20 wt. % of polybutylene terephthalate and 15 wt. % of a graft copolymer of EPDM and methyl methacrylate/phenyl methacrylate (weight ratio 33:34:33), analogously to Example 1. The resulting blend was opaque (based on the difference in index of refraction between the elastomer phase and the matrix phase), but had high gloss (indicating compatibility between the graft branch and the matrix phase, and therefore indicating good bonding of the elastomer phase) and good flexural toughness.
Example 9
Production of a core-and-shell modifying agent by emulsion polymerization
In a 7-L reaction vessel (Witt vessel), an emulsion comprised of 2925 g H 2 O, 1940 g butyl acrylate, 9.75 g allyl methacrylate, 5 g C 15 -paraffinsulfonate sodium salt, and 0.004 g FeSO 2 was produced, was heated to 40° C., and was reacted with 1.9 g K 2 S 2 O 8 and 1.4 g Na 2 S 2 O 5 .
After 45 min the mixture was heated to 80° C. and over a period of 2 hr an emulsion comprised of the following components was added dropwise: 325 g methyl methacrylate, 318.5 g phenyl methacrylate, 6.5 g methyl acrylate, and 3.9 g 2-ethylhexylthioglycolate, in: 975 g H 2 O, 2 g C 15 -paraffinsulfonate sodium salt, and g K 2 S 2 O 8 . For the final polymerization, the resulting dispersion was maintained at 80° C. for 1 hr. The solids content was 40 wt. % and the solid was isolated by freeze coagulation.
The core radius was 64 nm and the shell radius was 74 nm. The comonomer ratio in the hard phase (shell) was (wt. %) 50:49:1, methyl methacrylate to phenyl methacrylate to methyl acrylate.
Example 10
66.7 wt. % of polycarbonate was mixed with 20 wt. % of polybutylene terephthalate and 13.3 wt. % of a core-and-shell modifying agent according to Example 9. The resulting blend had the following properties:
VST-B (C) (DIN 5346) 118° C.
Impact strength (in notched bar test) ##STR7##
E-modulus (mPA) (DIN 53457) 2190 ,
Elongation at failure (%) (DIN 53455) 165%.
Melt viscosity (Pa.sec) , 260° C., 5 N 375.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
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The invention relates to ternary polymer alloys comprised of thermoplastic polymers which alloys are comprised of the following components:
A) 0.1-99.9 wt. % of a polyester-polycarbonate mixture comprised of:
a.1) 0.1-99.9 parts by weight (pbw) of a polyester, and
a.2) 99.9-0.1 pbw of a polycarbonate; and
B) 99.9-0.1 wt. % of a poly(meth)acrylate ester PA containing 20-100 pbw of units of at least one monomer of formula I ##STR1## where R 1 represents hydrogen or methyl, R 2 represents hydrogen a C 1-6 alkyl group or a group --(CH 2 ) n --QR 3 ,
where
n represents zero or a number in the range 2-6, and
Q represents oxygen or a group --NR 4 , and
R 3 and R 4 mutually independently represent hydrogen or a C 1-4 alkyl group; and
A represents a C 1-4 alkylidene group or a group --(CH 2 ) m --O--,
where
m is a number from 2 to 6, and
q is zero or 1 wherein the sum of the wt. % of components (A) and (B) is 100% and the sum of the pbw figures of components (a.1) and (a.2) is 100 pbw.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to copending U.S. patent. application Ser. No. 08/741,289, entitled “ALIGNMENT ELEMENT FOR MULTIPLE CHANNEL SIGHT AND METHOD”; copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08,741,614, entitled “RETICLE ASSEMBLY FOR OPTICAL SIGHT”; copending U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 08/741,883, entitled “CHANNEL SELECTOR FOR MULTIPLE CHANNEL SIGHT”; copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/741,481, entitled “MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR OPTICAL SIGHT”; copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/741,920, entitled MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR IMAGE INTENSIFIER TUBE IN OPTICAL SIGHT”.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to optical sights, and more particularly to a protective window for an optical sight.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Day/night sights would typically be used by military and law enforcement personnel to aim weapons used in both day time and night time conditions. Typically, a day/night sight includes an objective lens, a reticle and an eyepiece in series with parallel day and night channels. A channel selector may be used to alternatively direct an image of a target into the day or night channel.
In a day/night sight, the objective lens and the eyepiece may be telescopic to provide a magnified image of the target. The day channel generally uses ambient light to generate an image of the target. The image may be projected to the reticle during day time use to be viewed by the user. The night channel generally includes an image intensifier to generate an illuminated image of the target. The illuminated image may be transmitted to the reticle during night time use to be viewed by the user. The reticle may include markings for aiming the weapon.
A problem with day/night and other types of sights is dust enclosed within the sight. The dust may interfere with the user's view of a scene. This is especially true of telescopic sights that may magnify the dust.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a need has arisen in the art for an improved optical sight. The present invention provides a protective window that substantially eliminates or reduces the disadvantages and problems associated with prior optical sights.
In accordance with the present invention, a sight may comprise an optical component to transmit an image of a scene. A protective window may be disposed proximate to an internal side of the optical component. The protective window may be sealed to the internal side of the optical component to obstruct dirt from contacting the internal side of the optical component.
In one embodiment of the invention, an image intensifier tube may comprise a projecting end to project an intensified image of a scene. A protective window may be disposed between the projecting end of the image intensifier tube and an image plane. The protective window may be sealed to the projecting end to obstruct dirt from contacting the projecting end.
In another embodiment of the invention, a reticle assembly may include a protective window for a reticle. The protective window may be disposed between the reticle and a scene. The protective window may be sealed to the reticle to obstruct dirt from contacting the reticle.
Important technical advantages of the present invention include providing an improved sight. In particular, dirt enclosed within the sight is collected at a plane that is out of focus with a viewing or an image plane. Accordingly, the image of the scene may be viewed and magnified with little or no interference from dirt in the sight.
Still another important technical advantage of the present invention includes providing an improved image intensifier tube. In particular, a protective window may be sealed to a projecting end of the image intensifier tube. The protective window may collect dirt at a plane that is out of focus with the projecting end. Accordingly, the projecting end may be viewed and magnified with little or no interference from dirt that has settled within the sight.
Yet another important technical advantage of the present invention includes providing an improved reticle assembly. In particular, a protective window may be sealed to a reticle. The protective window may collect dirt at a plane that is out of focus with the reticle. Accordingly, the reticle may be viewed and magnified with little or no interference from dirt in the sight.
Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of a telescopic day/night sight mounted to A weapon in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of the optical components of the sight of the FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mirror assembly for selectively directing light into the day or night channel of the sight of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the mirror pivot assembly of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a exploded view of a mounting system for an image intensifier tube of the night channel of the sight of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the mounting system for the image intensifier tube of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 7 is a perspective view with portions broken away of a housing for securing lenses of the sight of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of a clamping assembly for securing lenses housing of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a mirror assembly for selectively directing the image of the day or night channel to a reticle assembly of the sight of FIG. 1;
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the mirror assembly of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the reticle assembly of the sight of FIG. 1;
FIG. 12 is a top plan view with portions broken away of the reticle assembly of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a top plan view of an alignment element of the sight of FIG. 1;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a pair of prisms of the alignment element of FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of the alignment element of FIG. 13; and
FIG. 16 is an exploded view of a mounting assembly of the sight of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The preferred embodiments of the present invention and its advantages are best understood by referring now in more detail to FIGS. 1 - 16 of the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a multiple channel sight 20 for aiming a weapon 22 . The multiple channel sight 20 may be used by persons such as law enforcement and military personnel to aim the weapon 22 in disparate conditions. The weapon 22 may be a rifle or any other type of weapon system that fires an aimed projectile or aimed beam such as a laser. The multiple channel sight 20 may also be used for surveillance when not mounted on the weapon 22 .
In one embodiment, the multiple channel sight 20 may be a day/night sight that can be operated in day and night conditions. As shown by FIG. 1, the day/night sight 20 may include an objective lens assembly 24 at a forward end 26 , a body section 28 covered by a housing 30 and an eye piece 32 at a rearward end 34 . As used herein, the term “forward” designates a direction toward an object to be observed and the term “rearward” designates a direction toward a user of the day/night sight 20 .
Controls 36 for operating the day/night sight 20 may be disposed on an exterior 38 of the housing 30 . Preferably, the controls 36 are located at the top of the housing 30 so that they may be reached and manipulated with either hand of the user. Individual controls may have unique identifying embossments that allow the user to readily distinguish between the controls 36 in the dark by feel.
A channel selector switch 39 may also be disposed on the exterior 38 of the housing 30 . As described in detail below, the channel selector switch 39 may operate a channel selector to direct an image of a scene through one of the channels of the sight 20 .
An azimuth adjusting screw 40 and an elevation adjusting screw 42 for bore sighting corrections may also be provided on the exterior 38 of the housing 30 . The azimuth adjusting screw 40 allows bore sighting to be adjusted for wind speed and direction. The elevation adjusting screw 42 allows bore sighting to be adjusted for gravitational effects.
A protective eye guard 44 may be provided at the rearward end 34 of the sight 20 . The protective eye guard 44 may be shaped to fit around the user's eye to prevent ambient light from interfering with the user's view of the image generated by the sight. The protective eye guard 44 also prevents light generated by the sight 20 from being visible outside the sight 20 .
FIG. 2 illustrates optical components for one embodiment of the day/night sight 20 . The objective lens assembly 24 may collect an image of a scene. The image collected by the objective lens assembly 24 may be directed into a night channel 54 or a day channel 56 . As described in detail below, the night channel 54 may electronically intensify the image of the scene. The intensified image may be projected onto a common reticle assembly 58 . There, the image may be viewed by the user through an eyepiece 60 . As also described in detail below, the day channel 56 may relay the image of the scene onto the reticle assembly 58 . There, the user may view the image through the eyepiece 60 .
The day/night sight 20 may include a channel selector to alternatively direct the image of the scene into the night channel 54 or the day channel 56 . In one embodiment, the channel selector may include a first mirror assembly 64 and a second mirror assembly 66 . In this example, the first mirror assembly 64 may be disposed between the objective lens assembly 24 and entrances of the night and day channels. The second mirror assembly 66 may be disposed between exits of the night and day channels and the reticle assembly 58 .
An optical bench (not shown in FIG. 2) may be provided for mounting the optical components in the sight 20 . The optical bench may be one or more frames or other internal structures to which components may by mounted. The optical bench may include predefined pathways, recesses, and openings for securing the optical components in a proper spatial relation. It will be understood that the design of the optical bench will vary with the configuration and the optical components of the sight 20 .
In FIG. 2, the night channel 54 is located above the day channel 56 when the sight 20 is in an upright position. It should be understood that the sight 20 may be configured with the day channel 56 positioned above the night channel 54 . Additionally, the day channel 56 may be positioned along side the night channel 54 .
The objective lens assembly 24 of the sight 20 may be a variable zoom assembly or a single field of view assembly. For a variable zoom embodiment, the objective lens assembly 24 may include a plurality of lenses positioned along an optical axis 75 . In accordance with conventional practice, the radius of curvature of a lens will be defined as positive if the center of curvature lies rearward of the lens and will be defined as negative if the center of curvature lies forward of the lens along the optical axis. A lens will be defined as converging if the lens focusing power causes parallel light rays to converge and will be defined as diverging if the lens focusing power causes parallel light rays to appear to originate from a virtual focus.
For the embodiment of FIG. 2, the objective lens assembly 24 may include an objective lens 80 followed by a positive converging lens 82 , a pair of negative diverging lenses 84 , a positive diverging lens 86 and a focusing lens 88 . It should be understood that additional or disparate lenses may be used within the sight 20 in accordance with the present invention.
From the objective lens assembly 24 , the image of the scene passes along the optical axis 75 to the first mirror assembly 64 . As described in more detail below, the first mirror assembly 64 may include a swingable or flip-flop mirror 100 rotatable between a night position 102 and a day position 104 . In the night position 102 , the mirror 100 does not intercept the optical axis 75 . Accordingly, the image of the scene passes through the first mirror assembly 64 into the night channel 54 .
In the day position 104 , the mirror 100 intercepts the optical axis 75 to deflect the image of the scene into the day channel 56 . In one embodiment, the entrance of the day channel 56 is normal to the optical axis 75 . In this embodiment, the mirror 100 may intercept the optical axis 75 at a forty-five (45) degree angle to direct the image into the entrance of the day channel 56 .
FIGS. 3 - 4 illustrate one embodiment of the first mirror assembly 64 . As shown by FIG. 3, the first mirror assembly 64 may comprise an annular frame 110 having a central aperture 112 . The frame 110 may be secured to the optical bench (not shown in FIG. 3) with the central aperture 112 disposed along the optical axis 75 . The central aperture 112 allows the image of the scene to pass through the frame 110 when the mirror 100 is in the night position 102 (FIG. 2 ).
A support 114 for mounting the mirror 100 may be rotatably coupled to the frame 110 in the central aperture 112 . The support 114 may rotate about an axis 116 normal to the optical axis 75 . The mirror 100 may be mounted to the support 114 for rotation about the axis 116 . Accordingly, the mirror 100 may swing or flip-flop between the night position 102 (FIG. 2) and the day position 104 (FIG. 2 ).
An arm 117 may be coupled to the support 114 for rotating the first mirror assembly 64 between the night position 102 and the day position 104 . The arm 117 may be mechanically or electrically coupled to the channel selector switch 39 . The channel selector switch 39 may rotate the first and second mirror assemblies 64 and 66 together to their respective night and day positions.
A pivot shaft 118 may be fixably coupled to the support 114 to provide the axis 116 of rotation. The pivot shaft 118 may be a thin metal rod. The pivot shaft 118 may include opposed ends 120 extending from the support 114 for connection with the frame 110 .
As show by FIG. 4, the frame 110 may include a trough 122 to receive each of the opposed ends 120 . The troughs 122 may extend in alignment with one another on opposite sides of the aperture 112 . In one embodiment, the troughs 122 may be formed in the frame 110 . In this embodiment, the troughs 122 may be formed by a router or similar tool capable of forming the troughs 122 along a straight line. The troughs 122 may have substantially parallel sidewalls 124 and a furrowed bottom 126 . It will be understood that the troughs 122 may be of other shapes and configurations capable of receiving the opposed ends 120 .
Each end 120 of the pivot shaft 118 may be disposed in one of the troughs 122 . A plate 128 may be coupled to the frame 110 across each trough 122 to secure the ends 120 of the pivot shaft 118 in the troughs 122 . The frame 110 may include a cavity 130 across each trough 122 to receive the plates 128 . The cavities 130 may be sized to receive the plates 128 such that a top 132 of the plates 128 is flush with a surface 134 of the frame 110 .
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the plates 128 may contact the ends 120 of the pivot shaft 118 to control a shifting torque of the mirror 100 relative to the frame 110 . The shifting torque is the torque necessary to shift the mirror 100 between the night position 102 and the day position 104 . The desired shifting torque may be a balance between allowing the mirror 100 to smoothly move between the night and day positions and preventing the mirror 100 from accidentally moving between the night and day positions.
In one embodiment, the ends 120 of the pivot shaft 118 may extend above the troughs 122 for contact with the plates 128 . It will be understood that the ends 120 of the pivot shaft 118 and the plates 128 may otherwise contact one another within the scope of the present invention. For example, a portion of the plates 128 may extend into the troughs 122 for contact with the ends 120 of the pivot shaft 118 . In such an embodiment, the portion of the plates 128 extending into the troughs 122 may be a non integral insert (not shown).
The shifting torque of the mirror 100 may be controlled by regulating the friction caused by the contact between the plates 128 and the ends 120 of the pivot shaft 118 . In one embodiment, the plates 128 may each be adjustably coupled to the frame 110 by a pair of screws 136 . In this embodiment, friction caused by contact between the plates 128 and the ends 120 of the pivot shaft 118 may by regulated by tightening or loosing the screws 136 . It will be understood that the plates 128 may be otherwise adjustably coupled to the frame 110 within the scope of the present invention.
Returning to FIG. 2, with the mirror 100 in the night position 102 , the image of the scene passes from the objective lens assembly 24 through the first mirror assembly 64 into the night channel 54 . In the night channel 54 , the image may be received by an image intensifier tube 150 disposed along the optical axis 75 . The image intensifier tube 150 may convert the image of the scene into an electron pattern. The image intensifier tube 150 may be inverting or non-inverting. The electrons may be multiplied and transmitted onto a phosphor screen. The phosphor screen may generate an intensified image corresponding to the image of the scene. The intensified image may be projected to the reticle assembly 58 where it can be viewed by the user through the eye piece 60 .
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the image intensifier tube 150 may be mounted to the optical bench for selective rotation. Rotation of the image intensifier tube 150 rotates any offset of the intensified image generated by the image intensifier tube 150 . An offset of the intensified image may be caused by an offset between the mechanical and optical axis of the image intensifier tube 150 . Accordingly, the image intensifier tube 150 may be rotated until any offset of the intensified image at the reticle assembly 58 lies along a direction from which the intensified image can be adjusted to center. As described in more detail below, the offset of the intensified image may be centered along a direction of the reticle assembly 58 by adjusting the second mirror assembly 66 . In one embodiment, the second mirror assembly 66 may center the offset of the intensified image along a vertical direction of the reticle assembly 58 . It will be understood that the second mirror assembly 66 may be configured to instead center the intensified image along another direction of the reticle assembly 58 .
FIGS. 5 - 6 illustrate one embodiment of a mounting assembly 152 for rotatably mounting the image intensifier tube 150 to the optical bench (not shown in FIG. 5 ). As shown by FIG. 5, the mounting assembly 152 may comprise an annular housing 154 having a central aperture 156 to receive the image intensifier tube 150 . In one embodiment, the housing 154 may be fixably secured at a forward end 155 to the optical bench with the central aperture 156 disposed along the optical axis 75 . In this embodiment, the housing 154 may be secured to the optical bench by a pair of screws (not shown) each threaded through a tab 157 of the housing 154 into the optical bench.
A retainer 158 for engaging the image intensifier tube 150 may be rotatably coupled to the housing 154 . It will be understood that the housing 154 and retainer 158 may be otherwise coupled to one another and to the optical bench so long as the image intensifier tube 150 is selectably rotatable relative to the optical bench. For example, the housing 154 may be rotatably coupled to the optical bench and the retainer 158 fixably coupled to the housing 154 .
In one embodiment, the retainer 158 may be rotatably coupled proximate to a rearward end 159 of the housing 154 . In this embodiment, the retainer 158 may comprise a rounded slide 160 . The rounded slide 160 may have a circumference slightly smaller than that of the central aperture 156 in order to fit easily, but not loosely, and to be rotatable within the central aperture 156 . It will be understood that the retainer 158 may be otherwise coupled to the housing 154 within the scope of the invention.
As shown by FIG. 6, the slide 160 may include a socket 166 sized to frictionally receive the image intensifier tube 150 . The socket 166 may have an aperture 167 through which the intensified image may be projected. An alignment pin 168 may extend from the socket 166 for engagement with a mating hole (not shown) of the image intensifier tube 150 . The alignment pin 168 may index an opening 170 of the slide 160 with electrical contacts 172 of the image intensifier tube 150 . Accordingly, the slide 160 will only engage the image intensifier tube 150 when the opening 170 is aligned with the electrical contacts 172 . The alignment pin 168 may also insure that the image intensifier tube 150 rotates with the slide 160 .
An insert 174 may be fitted into the opening 170 to secure the electrical contacts 172 in proper relation to one another for engagement with a plug (not shown). The plug may provide power and control for the image intensifier tube 150 . The plug may be secured along a rearward side of the slide 160 by a strain relief member 176 . The strain relief member 176 prevents the plug from interfering with projection of the intensified image. It will be understood that the plug may be otherwise secured within the scope of the invention.
A locking device 177 may selectively secure the image intensifier tube 150 relative to the optical bench. In one embodiment, the locking device 177 may be a locking ring 178 . The locking ring 178 may have a threaded exterior adapted to engage a threaded section 179 of the housing 154 . The locking ring 178 may be tightened against the slide 160 to fixably secure the image intensifier tube 150 between the slide 160 and the optical bench. Conversely, the locking ring 178 may be loosened against the slide 160 to allow the image intensifier tube 150 to be rotated between the slide 160 and the optical bench.
Accordingly, the slide 160 may be rotated about the optical axis 75 to rotate the image intensifier tube 150 until any offset of the intensified image is vertically in line with the center of the reticle assembly. The locking ring 178 may then be tightened against the slide 160 to secure the image intensifier tube 150 relative to the optical bench. As previously described, the second mirror assembly 66 may then be adjusted to vertically center the intensified image at the reticle assembly 58 .
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a protective window 180 may be sealed to a projection end 182 of the image intensifier tube 150 . The projection end 182 projects the intensified image to the reticle assembly 58 . The protective window 180 may shield the projection end 182 from dirt that has settled within the sight 20 . As used herein, the term “dirt” means soiling substances such as dust, oils, and the like that are capable of interfering with the user's view of the image.
As shown in FIG. 6, the protective window 180 may be sealed directly to the projecting end 182 of the image intensifier tube 150 . The projecting end 182 may be a phosphorous screen. The protective window 180 may be sealed to the projecting end 182 , a shoulder spaced apart from the projecting end 182 , a spacer ring, or the like. The protective window 180 may be sealed with a known adhesive for optical surfaces or the like.
The protective window 180 shields the projection end 182 of the image intensifier tube 150 by collecting dirt at a plane 184 that is out of focus with the projection end 182 . Accordingly, the intensified image may be viewed and magnified with little or no interference from dirt that has settled within the sight 20 . The distance between the projection end 182 and the collecting plane 184 may be varied by adjusting the thickness of the protective window 180 or of a spacer ring.
From the image intensifier tube 150 , the intensified image may be propagated through the night channel 54 by one or more optical components. For the embodiment shown by FIG. 2, the night channel may include a first lens set 200 disposed along the optical axis 75 and a second lens set 202 disposed along a second optical axis 205 normal to the optical axis 75 . A ninety degree prism 206 may direct an image beam from the optical axis 75 to the second optical axis 205 .
The first lens set 200 may include a negative converging lens 210 , a positive diverging lens 212 and a positive converging lens 214 . The second lens set 202 may include a positive diverging lens 216 and a positive converging lens 218 . It should be understood that additional or disparate lenses may be used with the first and second lens sets 200 and 202 .
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the lenses may be clamped in a direction perpendicular to their optical axis. Perpendicular clamping prevents the lenses from moving along the optical axis during the clamping process. Such movement along the optical axis may distort the image of the scene at the reticle assembly 58 .
FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a lens assembly 220 for housing lenses of the first lens set 200 . As shown by FIG. 7, the lens assembly 220 may include an annular housing 222 having a central aperture 224 . The central aperture 224 allows the image of the scene to pass through the housing 222 and be acted upon by the lenses. The housing 222 may be secured to the optical bench with the central aperture 224 disposed along the optical axis 75 .
For the first lens set 200 , a spacer 226 may be placed between the lens 210 and the lens 212 to position the lenses 210 and 212 at a desired distance from one another. Lens 214 may be positioned directly next to lens 212 . The lenses 210 , 212 and 214 and the spacer 226 may be secured in the housing 222 with a known adhesive or the like. It will be understood that other methods may be used to secure the lenses and spacer in the housing 220 . For example, the lenses and spacer may be secured in the housing 222 by retainers, locking rings, detents and the like capable of clamping the lenses and spacer together between ends of the housing 222 .
FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of a clamping assembly 230 for clamping the lens assembly 220 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis 75 . As shown by FIG. 8, the clamping assembly 230 may include a clamp 232 having a surface 234 adapted to engage a periphery 236 of the lens assembly 220 . The clamp 232 may be tightened to secure the lens assembly 220 between the clamp 232 and a stop 238 .
In one embodiment, the clamp 232 may comprise a brace 240 and a screw 242 . The brace 240 may include the surface 234 adapted to engage the periphery 236 of the lens assembly 220 . The periphery 236 of the lens assembly 220 may be the annular housing 222 . In this case, the surface 234 may have a concave shape adapted to engage the annular housing 222 .
The screw 242 may engage a threaded section 244 of the optical bench and contact the brace 240 opposite the surface 234 . The stop 238 may be a section of the optical bench opposite the screw 242 . The screw 240 may be adjustable in the direction of the stop 238 to secure the lens assembly 220 within the optical bench.
It will be understood that lenses 216 and 218 of the second lens set 202 may be secured in a lens assembly as described above in connection with FIG. 7 . It will be further understood that the lens assembly of the second lens set 202 may be clamped in the direction perpendicular to the second optical axis 205 as described above in connection with FIG. 8 .
Referring back to FIG. 2, the intensified image may pass from the night channel 54 to the second mirror assembly 66 . As described in more detail below, the second mirror assembly 66 may include a swingable or flip-flop mirror 250 rotatable between a night position 252 and a day position 254 . In the night position 252 , the mirror 250 may intercept the second optical axis 205 of the night channel 54 to direct the intensified image to the reticle assembly 58 . The reticle assembly 58 may be disposed along a third optical axis 255 . In one embodiment, the third optical axis 255 may be normal to the second optical axis 205 . In this embodiment, the mirror 250 may intercept the second optical axis 205 at a forty-five (45) degree angle to direct the intensified image to the third optical axis 255 . In the day position 254 , the mirror 250 does not intercept a third optical axis 255 . Accordingly, an image of the day channel 56 may pass through the second mirror assembly 66 to the reticle assembly 58 .
FIGS. 9 - 10 illustrate one embodiment of the second mirror assembly 66 . As shown by FIG. 9, the second mirror assembly 66 may include a support 260 rotatably coupled to the optical bench. The support 260 may rotate about an axis 262 normal to the third optical axis 255 . The mirror 250 may be mounted to the support 260 for rotation about the axis 262 . Accordingly, the mirror 250 may swing or flip-flop between the night position 252 (FIG. 2) and the day position 254 (FIG. 2 ).
An arm 263 may be coupled to the support 260 for rotating the second mirror assembly 66 between the night position 252 and the day position 254 . The arm 263 may be mechanically or electrically coupled to the channel selector switch 39 . As previously described, the channel selector switch 39 may rotate the first and second mirror assemblies 64 and 66 together to their respective night and day positions.
As best shown by FIG. 10, a pivot assembly 264 may be fixably coupled to the support 260 to provide the axis of rotation 262 . In one embodiment, the pivot assembly 264 may comprise a first insert 266 and a second insert 268 . The first and second inserts 266 and 268 may be press fit into opposite edges 270 of the support 260 . The first and second inserts 266 and 268 may have opposed recess ends 272 in alignment with one another. The outer edge of the recess ends 272 may be substantially flush with the edges 270 of the support 260 .
A ball 274 may engage each of the recessed ends 272 . In one embodiment, the balls 274 may be sized to sit in the recessed ends 272 . In this embodiment, the recessed ends 272 may be cone-shaped. It will be understood that the recessed ends 272 may have a different shape or configuration so long as the ends are capable of engaging the balls 274 .
A holder assembly 276 may engage each of the balls 274 . In one embodiment, each holder assembly 276 may include a recessed end 278 to engage one of the balls 274 . As with the recessed ends 272 of the inserts 266 and 268 , the recessed ends 278 of the holder assemblies 276 may be cone-shaped. It will be understood that the recessed ends 278 of the holder assemblies 276 may have a different shape or configuration so long as the ends are capable of engaging the balls 274 .
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the holder assemblies 276 may be adjustable along the axis 262 of rotation of the support to control a shifting torque of the mirror 250 relative to the optical bench. A shifting torque is a torque necessary to shift the mirror 250 between the night position 252 and the day position 254 . The desired shifting torque may be a balance between allowing the mirror 250 to smoothly move between the day and night positions and preventing the mirror 250 from accidentally moving between the day and night positions.
In one embodiment, the holder assemblies 276 may each comprise a bushing 280 and an adjustment screw 282 . The recessed end 278 for engaging the ball 274 may be disposed at an end of the adjustment screw 282 . The bushing 280 may be mounted in the optical bench along the axis of rotation 262 of the support 260 . The adjustment screw 282 may engage the bushing 280 along the axis of rotation 262 .
Each of the adjustment screws 282 may be threaded to adjustably engage the bushing 280 . Accordingly, the adjustment screws 282 may be tightened or loosened against the balls 274 . The shifting torque of the mirror 250 may be controlled by regulating the tension on the balls 274 caused by the adjustment screws 282 .
The adjustment screws 282 may each include a smooth bore section 284 press fit into smooth bore cavity 286 of the bushing 280 . The press fit prevents the support 260 from shifting from the axis of rotation 262 due to play in the threads of the bushings 280 and the adjustment screws 282 .
Referring back to FIG. 9, the second mirror assembly 66 may include an alignment screw 288 to control the angle at which the mirror 250 intercepts the second optical axis 205 . The alignment screw 288 may contact the back of the support 260 . The alignment screw 288 may raise the mirror 250 to reduce the angle at which the mirror 250 intercepts the second optical axis 205 . This adjustment will vertically raise the intensified image at the reticle assembly 58 . Conversely, the alignment screw 288 may lower the mirror 250 to increase the angle at which the mirror 250 intercepts the second optical axis 205 . This adjustment will vertically lower the intensified image at the reticle assembly 58 .
With the mirror 250 in the night position 252 , the intensified image may be directed to the reticle assembly 58 . At the reticle assembly 58 , the intensified image may be projected onto a reticle 300 (FIG. 11 ). As described in more detail below, the reticle 300 may include a targeting pattern 301 for aligning the sight 20 with a target. The position of the targeting pattern 301 may be adjusted in the reticle assembly 58 to compensate for wind speed, wind direction, and gravitational effects. Typically, the necessary reticle adjustment increases with the distance to the target.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the reticle assembly 58 may allow for increased adjustment of the reticle 300 . This increase permits the user of the sight 20 to aim the weapon 22 at more distant targets. Adjustment of the reticle 300 may be increased by disposing sliding components of the reticle assembly 58 in slots with sidewalls that form the control surfaces for the sliding components. Accordingly, additional space need not be set aside in the reticle assembly 58 for installing control surfaces of the sliding components.
FIGS. 11 - 12 illustrate one embodiment of the reticle assembly 58 . As shown by FIG. 11, the reticle assembly 58 may comprise a substantially annular housing 302 with a substantially round inside surface 304 and a bottom 306 . The inside surface 304 may include a first side 310 and an opposed second side 312 . The inside surface 304 may also include a third side 314 and opposed fourth side 316 between the first and seconds sides 310 and 312 . The bottom 306 of the housing 302 may have an extended aperture 308 . The extended aperture 308 may be substantially square in shape with rounded corners.
A pair of opposed side walls 318 may be formed at the bottom 306 of the housing 302 along the third and fourth sides 314 and 316 . The opposed side walls 318 may form a first slot 322 . A pair of ways 320 may define the opposed side walls 318 . Accordingly, the first slot 322 may extend between the first side 310 and the second side 312 of the inside surface 304 .
A cross slide 330 may be disposed in the first slot 322 . The cross slide 330 may be substantially rectangular in shape and have an elongated aperture 332 . The elongated aperture 332 may be substantially rectangular in shape with rounded corners.
The cross slide 330 may have substantially parallel edges 334 slidably engaging the ways 320 of the housing 302 . The ways 320 function as control surfaces for the cross slide 330 . Accordingly, the cross slide 330 may slide along the ways 320 between the first side 310 and the second side 312 of the housing 302 .
The cross slide 330 may have opposed ends 336 facing the first and second sides 310 and 312 of the housing 302 . The ends 336 may be rounded to substantially conform to the shape of the first and second sides 310 and 312 . This allows the cross slide 330 to slide toward the first side 310 until it is substantially flush with that side and to slide toward the second side 312 until it is substantially flush with that side. Accordingly, the cross slide 330 may slide a maximum distance within the housing 302 .
A second slot 340 may be formed in the cross slide 330 . The second slot 340 may be substantially normal to the first slot 322 . Accordingly, the second slot 342 may extend between the third side 314 and the fourth side 316 of the housing 302 . The second slot 340 may have an open end 342 , an opposite closed end 344 and opposed side walls 346 . A pair of ways 348 may define the opposed side walls 346 .
A reticle holder 350 may be disposed in the second slot 342 of the cross slide 330 . The reticle holder 350 may include a base 352 , a viewing aperture 354 and a projection 356 extending from the base 352 around the viewing aperture 354 . The viewing aperture 354 may be substantially round in shape.
The base 352 of the reticle holder 350 may have substantially parallel edges 358 slidably engaging the ways 348 of the cross slide 330 . The ways 348 function as control surfaces for the reticle holder 350 . Accordingly, the reticle holder 350 may slide along the ways 348 between the third side 314 and the fourth side 316 of the housing 302 .
The base 352 of the reticle holder 350 may have opposed ends 360 facing the third and fourth sides 314 and 316 of the housing 302 . The ends 360 may be rounded to substantially conform to the shape of the third and fourth sides 314 and 316 . This allows the reticle holder 350 to slide toward the third side 314 until it is substantially flush with that side and to slide toward the fourth side 316 until it is substantially flush with that side. Accordingly, the reticle holder 350 may slide a maximum distance within the cross slide 330 .
The projection 356 may include an intermediate section 362 and an enlarged head 364 . The enlarged head 364 may include a top recess 366 sized to receive the reticle 300 . The reticle 300 may be substantially square in shape with rounded corners. The reticle 300 may be secured in the recess 366 with an optical adhesive or the like. It will be understood that the reticle 300 may be otherwise secured in the recess 366 within the scope of the invention.
As previously discussed, the reticle 300 may include the targeting pattern 301 . The targeting pattern 301 may be cross-hairs. It will be understood that other targeting patterns may be used that are capable of aligning the sight 20 with the target.
A first notch 368 and a second notch 370 may be formed in the head 364 . The notches 368 and 370 may extend from the reticle 300 to an exterior 372 of the head 364 . A reticle light 374 may be disposed in the first notch 368 . The reticle light 374 may illuminate the targeting pattern 301 during night time use. A status indicator 376 may be disposed in the second notch 370 . In one embodiment, the status indicator 376 may activate to alert the user of a low battery status. The reticle light 374 and the status indicator 376 may be light emitting diodes (LED). Power and control for the reticle light 374 and the status indicator 376 may be provided by a flex circuit 378 . The flex circuit 378 allows the reticle light 374 and the status indicator 376 to be moved with the reticle 300 . The flex circuit 378 may extend from the reticle holder 350 down a groove 379 of the housing 302 of the reticle assembly 58 .
An annular cover 380 may clamp over the enlarged head 364 to secure the reticle light 374 and the status indicator 376 in the first and second notches 368 and 370 . The cover 380 may include an aperture 384 substantially matching the shape and size of the reticle 300 . The aperture 384 allows the reticle 300 to be viewed from the eye piece 60 without interference from the cover 380 .
A guide ring 390 may be disposed about the intermediate section 362 of the projection 356 . The guide ring 390 may sit on the ways 320 of the first slot 322 . It will be understood that the guide ring 390 may be otherwise secured in the housing 302 as long as the guide ring 390 is positioned about the intermediate section 362 .
The guide ring 390 may include a guide 392 to define an area in which the reticle holder 350 , and thus the reticle 300 , may be adjusted. The guide 392 may be substantially square in shape with rounded corners. The corners may be rounded in conformance with a diameter of the intermediate section 362 . Accordingly, the intermediate section 362 may fit substantially flush against the corners of the guide 392 to maximize movement of the intermediate section 362 in the guide 392 .
The guide ring 390 may include an alignment pin 394 . The alignment pin 394 may engage a mating hole 396 formed in one of the ways 320 of the first slot 322 . The alignment pin 394 may index the guide 392 with the extended aperture 308 of the housing 302 , the elongated aperture 332 of the cross slide 330 and the viewing aperture 354 of the reticle holder 350 . Accordingly, as the reticle holder 350 is moved within the cross slide 330 and the cross slide 330 is moved within the housing 302 , the viewing aperture 354 continually overlaps the elongated aperture 332 and the elongated aperture 332 continually overlaps the extended aperture 308 . As a result, an image may be projected onto the reticle 300 no matter the position of the reticle 300 in the reticle assembly 58 .
An intermediate washer 396 may be disposed between the guide ring 390 and the reticle holder 350 . The intermediate washer 396 may reduce friction between the guide ring 390 and the reticle holder 350 . In one embodiment, the intermediate washer 396 may be constructed of Teflon. It will be understood that the intermediate washer 396 may be constructed of other materials capable of reducing friction between sliding members.
A locking ring 398 may secure the guide ring 390 , intermediate washer 396 , reticle holder 350 and cross slide 330 in the reticle housing 302 . The locking ring 398 may be threaded to engage threads 400 of the housing 302 . The locking ring 398 may be tightened to a point where the reticle holder 350 and the cross slide 330 move smoothly but not loosely within the reticle housing 302 .
As best shown by FIG. 12, a first spring element 410 may be disposed between an end of the cross slide 330 and the first side wall 310 of the housing 302 . The first spring element 410 may comprise a pair of springs 412 . The springs 412 may bias cross slide 330 away from the first side 310 of the housing 302 . Similarly, a second spring element 414 may be disposed between the closed end 344 of the second slot 340 and the base 352 of the reticle holder 350 . The second spring element 414 may comprise a pair of springs 416 . The springs 416 may bias the reticle holder 350 away from the closed end 344 of the second slot 340 which is proximate to the third side 314 of the housing 302 .
A first push rod 420 may contact the cross slide 330 opposite the springs 412 . The first push rod 420 may contact a strike plate 422 disposed in the cross slide 330 . The strike plate 422 may prevent wear and tear on the cross slide 330 by an end of the first push rod 420 .
The first push rod 420 may be adjustable relative to the housing 302 . The first push rod 420 may position the cross slide 330 at a desired position in the first slot 322 by overcoming the bias of the springs 412 . The combination of the first push rod 420 and the springs 412 may allow the cross slide 330 to be easily adjusted within the first slot 322 and may also retain the cross slide 330 at its desired position in the first slot 322 . The first push rod 420 may be coupled to the azimuth adjusting screw 40 provided on the exterior 38 of the sight housing 30 .
A second push rod 424 may contact the reticle holder 350 opposite the springs 416 . The second push rod 424 may contact an elongated strike plate 426 disposed in the base 352 of the reticle holder 350 . The elongated strike plate 426 may prevent wear and tear on the base 352 of the reticle holder 350 by an end of the second push rod 424 .
The second push rod 424 may be adjustable relative to the housing 302 . The second push rod 424 may position the reticle holder 350 to a desired position in the second slot 340 by overcoming the bias of the springs 416 . The combination of the second push rod 424 and the springs 416 may allow the reticle holder 350 to be easily adjusted within the second slot 340 and may also retain the reticle holder 350 at its desired position in the second slot 340 . The second push rod 424 may be coupled to the elevation adjusting screw 42 provided on the exterior 38 of the housing 30 .
Returning to FIG. 11, a protective window 430 may be sealed to the reticle 300 in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. The protective window 430 may shield the reticle 300 from dirt that has settled within the sight 20 . As previously described, the term “dirt” means soiling substances such as dust, oils and the like that are capable of interfering with the user's view of the image at the reticle 300 .
The protective window 430 may disposed in the viewing aperture 354 of the reticle holder 350 . The protective window 430 may be sealed in the viewing aperture 354 with a known adhesive for optical surfaces or the like.
The protective window 430 shields a reticle 300 by collecting dirt at a plane 432 that is out of focus with the eye piece's 60 view of the reticle 300 . Accordingly, the reticle 300 may be viewed and magnified with little or no interference from dirt that has settled within the sight 20 . The distance between the reticle 300 and the collecting plane 432 may be varied by adjusting the position of the protective window 430 in the viewing aperture 354 of the reticle holder 350 .
As previously described, the image projected onto the reticle 300 may be viewed by the user through the eye piece 60 . For the embodiment shown by FIG. 2, the eye piece 60 may magnify the image of the reticle 300 . In this embodiment, the eye piece 60 may comprise a negative diverging lens 440 , a positive diverging lens 442 and a positive converging lens 444 . The lenses may be adjusted relative to one another by a zoom ring 446 mounted on an exterior of the eye piece 60 . It will be understood that additional or disparate lenses may be used for the eye piece 60 .
Returning now to the first mirror assembly 64 , when the mirror 100 is in the day position 104 , the image of the scene 52 may be directed into the day channel 56 . In the embodiment shown by FIG. 2, the day channel 56 may include a 90 degree prism 450 to direct the image beam to the third optical axis 255 . A first lens set 452 and a second lens set 454 may be disposed in the day channel 56 along the third optical axis 255 . An alignment element 456 may be disposed along the third optical axis 255 between the first lens set 452 and the second lens set 454 .
The first lens set 452 may include a negative converging lens 460 , a positive diverging lens 462 and a collimating lens 464 . The second lens set 454 may include a collimating lens 466 . The collimating lenses 462 and 466 may collimate the image beam as it travels through the alignment element 456 .
The lenses of the first and second lens sets 452 and 454 may be secured in a lens assembly as described above in connection with FIG. 7 . The lens assemblies for the first and second lens sets 452 and 454 may be clamped in a direction perpendicular to the third optical axis 255 as described above in connection with FIG. 8 .
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the alignment element 456 may deviate the image of the day channel 56 into alignment with the intensified image of the night channel 54 at the reticle 300 . The alignment element 456 may be a Risley prism. Accordingly, the user may switch the sight 20 between the night channel 54 and the day channel 56 without need of realigning the reticle 300 . It will be understood that the alignment element 456 may be used instead in the night channel 54 to deviate the intensified image into alignment with the image of the day channel 56 at the reticle 300 .
As shown by FIG. 13, the alignment element 456 may comprise a housing 470 having a central aperture 472 . A first annular frame 474 and a second annular frame 476 may be disposed in the central aperture 472 of the alignment element 456 . The first annular frame 474 and the second annular frame 476 may rotate independently of one another and of the housing 470 .
In one embodiment, the first annular frame 474 may include a circular recess 478 along an outside surface for receiving a circular lip 480 of the housing 470 . The first annular frame 474 may rotate about the circular lip 480 of the housing 470 . An inside surface 482 of the first annular frame 474 may abut an inside surface 484 of the second annular frame 476 . The second annular frame 476 may be secured in the housing 470 by a retainer 486 . The outside surface of the second annular frame 476 may include a circular recess 488 for receiving a lip 490 of the retainer 486 . The second annular frame 476 may rotate about the circular lip 490 of the retainer 486 . The retainer 486 may be threaded to engage a threaded section 491 of the housing 470 .
The first annular frame 474 may include a first prism 492 . The second annular frame 476 may include the second prism 494 . In one embodiment, the first prism 492 may have a flat back 496 and an angled face 498 . The second prism 494 may have a flat back 500 and an angled face 502 . Preferably, the flat backs 496 and 500 of the first and second prisms 492 and 494 face one another. Accordingly, the prisms 492 and 494 may rotate in substantially parallel planes. This may allow the first and second prisms 492 and 494 to be placed in closely together without interfering with one another during rotation.
As shown best by FIG. 14, the first prism 492 and the second prism 494 may be of the same power. In this embodiment, the first and second prisms 492 and 494 may have a combined power of zero when rotated opposite one another and a power of twice that of either one when rotated parallel with one another. Rotation of one prism relative to the other will deviate the image along a straight line at the reticle 300 . Rotation of the prisms together will rotate the image at the reticle 300 . Accordingly, the image of the day channel 56 may be deviated to any point on the reticle by rotating the prisms 492 and 494 in concert, individually, or in some combination.
The power of the prisms 492 and 494 may be varied depending on the design and configuration of the sight 20 . Prisms 492 and 494 of a greater power will allow greater deflection of the image beam at the reticle 300 . Prisms 492 and 494 of a lesser power will allow greater accuracy in deflecting the image beam at the reticle 300 .
As shown best by FIG. 15, an adjustment device 506 for rotating the first annular frame 474 may comprise a threaded screw 508 for engaging a plurality of teeth 510 formed on a periphery 512 of the first annular frame 474 . The threaded screw 508 may include an enlarged head 514 at a top end and an fixed nut 516 at an opposed end. The threaded screw 508 may be positioned in operative relation with the teeth 510 of the first annular frame 474 by recesses 518 and 520 formed in the housing 470 . Accordingly, rotation of the threaded screw 508 may rotate the first annular frame 474 , and thus the first prism 492 .
A clamping assembly 530 may be provided for fixably securing the first annular frame 474 after the image has been aligned at the reticle 300 . In one embodiment, the clamping assembly 530 may comprise a brace 532 and a screw 534 . The brace 532 may include a surface 536 adapted to engage the periphery 512 of the first annular frame 474 . For the embodiment of FIG. 15, the surface 536 may have a concave shape adapted to fit substantially flush against the teeth 510 of the periphery 512 .
The screw 534 may engage a threaded section of the frame 470 and contact the brace 532 opposite the surface 536 . The screw 534 may be adjustable in the direction of the first annular frame 474 to secure the brace 532 against the first annular frame 474 .
Although not shown by FIG. 15, it will be understood that the second annular frame 476 may include an adjustment device for rotating the second annular frame 476 as described above in connection with the first annular frame 474 . Additionally, a clamping assembly may be provided for securing the second annular frame 476 as described above in connection with the first annular frame 474 .
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the sight 20 may be mounted to the weapon 22 with non-integral members. The non-integral members allow the sight 20 to be designed independently of the weapon 22 . Accordingly, the sight 20 may be of a modular design that can be mounted to a weapon 22 with non-integral members configured for that weapon.
FIG. 16 illustrates one embodiment of a mounting assembly 550 for mounting the sight 20 to the weapon 22 . As shown by FIG. 16, the mounting assembly 550 may comprise a first foot 552 operatively associated with a first clamp 554 and a second foot 556 operatively associated with a second clamp 558 . As described in more detail below, the feet 552 and 556 may be permanently secured to a bottom 560 of the sight 20 and may engage a rail 562 of the weapon 22 with the aid of the clamps 554 and 558 . It will be understood that the clamps may be reversed within the scope of the invention.
The first foot 552 may include a top 563 adapted to engage a first mounting section 564 of the bottom 560 of the sight 20 . A tab 566 may extend across the top 563 of the first foot 552 in a direction substantially parallel to the rail 562 . A recess 568 may be formed in the first mounting section 564 to receive the tab 566 .
A side 570 of the first foot 552 may be adapted to engage a first edge 572 of the rail 562 . An opposite side 574 of the first foot 552 may be adapted to engage a second edge 576 of the rail 562 in combination with the first clamp 554 . The first clamp 554 may be coupled to the opposite side 574 of the first foot 552 by a locking screw 580 and a nut 582 . The locking screw 580 may be press fit into an aperture 584 formed in the side 570 the first foot 552 and extend from the opposite side 574 of the first foot 552 . The projecting portion of the locking screw 580 may be threaded to receive the nut 582 .
The second foot 556 may include a top 586 adapted to engage a second mounting section 588 of the bottom 560 of the sight 20 . A tab 590 may extend across the top 586 of the second foot 556 in a direction substantially normal to the rail 562 . A recess 592 may be formed in the second mounting section 588 to receive the tab 590 .
A side 594 of the second foot 556 may be adapted to engage the first edge 572 of the rail 562 . An opposite side 596 of the second foot 556 may be adapted to engage the second edge 576 of the rail 562 in combination with the second clamp 558 . The second clamp 558 may be coupled to the opposite side 596 of the second foot 556 by a locking screw 598 and a nut 600 . The locking screw 598 may be press fit into an aperture 602 formed in the side 594 the second foot 556 and extend from the opposite side 596 of the second foot 556 . The projecting portion of the locking screw 598 may be threaded to receive the nut 600 .
The locking screw 598 may include a brace 604 for engagement with a recoil groove 606 of the rail 562 . The brace 604 may prevent the sight 20 from sliding along the rail 562 in response to the recoil of the weapon 22 . In one embodiment, the brace 604 may be formed from a portion of the locking screw 598 .
The rail 562 may be a Weaver rail as shown by FIG. 16 . It will be understood that feet 552 and 556 and the clamps 554 and 558 may be configured to engage other types of rails 562 in accordance with the invention.
The first foot 552 may be initially coupled to the first mounting section 564 of the sight by a screw 608 . Similarly, the second foot 556 may be initially coupled to the second mounting section 588 of the sight 20 by screws 610 . It will be understood that pins and coupling devices may be used in the place of the screws 608 and 610 .
Preferably, the screws 608 and 610 are slightly loose when the feet 552 and 556 are initially coupled to the sight 20 . This allows the sight 20 to move slightly when engaged to the rail 562 . The engagement of the tab 566 with the recess 568 allows the forward portion of the sight 20 to move parallel to the rail 562 . The engagement of the tab 590 with the recess 592 allows the rearward portion of the sight 20 to move normal to the rail 562 . This movement prevents the sight 20 from twisting or binding when the feet and clamps are secured to the rail 562 , which may cause the night and day channels 54 and 56 to become unaligned.
After the feet and clamps feet are secured to the rail 562 , the feet may be permanently secured to the bottom 560 of the sight 20 . In one embodiment, the feet may be permanently secured with an adhesive and by tightening the screws 608 and 610 . It will be understood that the feet may be otherwise permanently secured to the sight 20 .
The optical bench, housings, and frames of the sight 20 may be made of aluminum. Aluminum may be preferred because it is lightweight and relatively inexpensive. Additionally, aluminum is easy to machine and finish. It will be understood that the optical bench, housings, and frames may be made from other types of materials that are strong and lightweight.
The lenses, windows, prisms and other optical components of the sight 20 may be made of BK7 glass which is relatively inexpensive and well known in the art. It will be understood that the optical components may be made from other types of glass or polymers operable to transmit the image of the scene 52 . Preferably, the individual components include an anti-reflection coating to prevent reflections from interfering with the image displayed on the reticle assembly 58 .
Although the present invention has been described with several embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the present invention encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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The invention comprises a protective window for an optical sight. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an optical sight ( 20 ) may comprise an optical component ( 182, 300 ) transmitting an image of a scene. A protective window ( 180, 430 ) may be disposed approximate to an internal side of the optical component ( 180, 300 ) to obstruct dirt from contacting the internal side of the optical component.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a system having a software component which runs in a personal computer and a hardware component or adapter used to connect industry standard PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) cards which are standard expansion cards, providing features like LAN interface, modem, fax, flash EE-PROM, disk and the like, having a size, signal paths and power requirements according to industry standard specifications, to the parallel or printer port of the personal computer. The PCMCIA standard enables computers, usually portable or laptop computers which have PCMCIA slots, to obtain this additional functionality by inserting a suitable PCMCIA card into an empty PCMCIA slot and install whatever software may be required to take advantage of the functionality provided by the added hardware. While such PCMCIA cards provide this additional functionality in an industry standard manner, not all computers include the necessary PCMCIA slots into which a PCMCIA card may be installed. The present invention allows all personal computers which utilize a standard parallel printer port, which is used by nearly all personal computers, to utilize PCMCIA cards. Further, even personal computers which include one or more PCMCIA slots may require additional PCMCIA slots to obtain desired functionality. The present invention may also be used with computers with PCMCIA capability to provide a mechanism which allows for the installation of additional PCMCIA cards so long as a parallel printer port is available.
In the prior art, there are examples of interface units which enable computers without PCMCIA slots to utilize PCMCIA cards. However, such prior art interface units do not have the capability of functioning with all industry standard PCMCIA cards. Such prior art interface schemes are typically limited to interfacing only data storage cards because they utilize a "pipe" mechanism which can transfer a stream of data, but cannot access control registers and the like which are utilized by many PCMCIA cards such as LAN cards, modem cards and fax cards. The present invention utilizes a mechanism which enables direct access to each I/O or memory address on a PCMCIA card independently. This is done by transferring an I/O or memory address in a PCMCIA card via the data lines of the parallel port, decoding this address, and providing the decoded address to the PCMCIA card. As a result, application software which accesses the PCMCIA card can run without modification. All that is needed is add-on code which captures and re-routes accesses generated by the application software to the parallel port. This add-on code captures the I/O instructions targeted at the I/O device associated with the PCMCIA card and replaces them with sequences of instructions routed through the parallel port. Unlike prior art solutions, the present invention utilizes a combination of software and hardware to enable the use of I/O device PCMCIA cards while maintaining compatibility with the card hardware and software. By way of contrast, prior art solutions can only transfer a stream of data using specific drivers for storage device PCMCIA cards.
Another feature of the present invention is the generation of an internal ISA-like bus to handle card interrupts. This means that interrupts generated by the PCMCIA card are sensed by the internal bus of the invented parallel port interface unit, and then translated by the invented parallel port interface unit so that the host microprocessor services the interrupt.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the relationship of the invented PCMCIA card to parallel port adapter to a personal computer, a printer and PCMCIA cards.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of an implementation of PC parallel port interface 11.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of an implementation of PC interface 31.
FIG. 4 is an illustration of an implementation of bus controller 33.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of an implementation of address generator 35.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of an implementation of data path 37.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a slot interface unit according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of suitable add-on code for adapting an application running in a personal computer to use the invented parallel port interface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring first to FIG. 1, the present invention is the combination of a parallel port interface 11, printer interface 13 and a PCMCIA slot interface unit 15 which operate together to enable signals from a personal computer 17 which are output through a parallel port 19 to be selectively sent to a printer 21 or PCMCIA slot 23 into which is inserted a PCMCIA card 25.
Personal computer 17 is a conventional personal computer having a parallel port 19 which is usually used to connect a printer 21. Parallel port 19 is often referred to as a printer port. A suitable personal computer would be an IBM PC with a 386 or faster processor.
The printer 21 is a standard printer such as a HP Laserjet which is usually connected directly to the printer port. The invented interface circuit 11 is connected to printer port 19 and, in one mode, operates as a printer pass-through port so that printer 21 can be used as if the invented parallel port interface were not present.
Parallel port interface 11 is connected to the parallel port (printer port) of PC 17 for data input/output. If the personal computer is equipped with a Fast Parallel Port (also known as Enhanced Parallel Port), then the parallel port interface will make use of its faster speed, thus providing better performance.
Parallel port interface 11 contains the circuits required to translate parallel port signals to multi-device bus signals required by PCMCIA cards. Since the parallel port does not include address signals which enable it to be concurrently connected to multiple devices, it is characterized as a single end pipe. That is, personal computer 17 transfers data to/from a single device, without the ability to access multiple register devices which would require address signals. Parallel port interface unit 11 "talks" with personal computer 17 via this single end pipe. Via this port, personal computer 17, through suitable software, provides encoded address information through parallel port 19, as well as control signals, and sends/receives data information. Parallel port interface unit 11 "talks" to an internal bus 27 using commonly used bus handshake (similar to an ISA bus), which means that address signals are provided, and data is transferred to the addressed device controlled by the control signals.
This mechanism is supported by personal computer 17 software which transfers address, data and control signals in the appropriate sequence via the parallel port.
Parallel port interface unit 11 can support different types of parallel ports, e.g., a uni-direction parallel port, a bi-direction parallel port, and/or an enhanced parallel port.
As shown in FIG. 2, parallel port interface 11 utilizes five sub-units as follows:
1 Internal bus 27
2 PC interface 31
3 Bus controller 33
4 Address generator 35
5 Data path 37
Internal Bus 27
Internal bus 27 includes address, data, and control signals and serves as the channel between parallel port interface 11 and PCMCIA slot interface units 15 in a commonly used bus mechanism. A specific PCMCIA card and registers within the PCMCIA card are selected by the address signals, then data is transferred via data signals controlled by control signals. In one embodiment, a subset of the ISA bus architecture as shown in Table I is used:
TABLE I______________________________________Signal Description______________________________________SAO:SA16 System Address BusLA17:LA23 Latched Address BusSDO:SD7 Data busIRQ2:IRQ5 Interrupt requests 2, 3, 4 and 5IRQ7 Interrupt request 7IRQ9:IRQ12 Interrupt requests 9, 10, 11 and 12IRQ14:IRQ15 Interrupt requests 14 and 15AEN Address EnableBALE Bus Address Latch EnableIOCHRDY Input/Output Channel ReadyIOCS16 Input/Output Channel Select 16IORD Input/Output Read CommandIOWD Input/Output Write CommandMEMCS16 Memory Channel Select 16 BitMEMRD Memory ReadMEMWR Memory WriteSBHE3 System Bus High Enable 3SYSCLK System ClockZEROWS Zero Wait StateCLK Clock______________________________________
A person skilled in the field will be familiar with these ISA bus signals and understand their corresponding uses.
PC Interface 31
PC interface 31 decodes commands and control signals sent by PC 17 through parallel port 19. Parallel port 19 is typically a port with 25 pins which can work in various modes such as uni-directional, bi-directional or enhanced parallel port. For example, in bi-directional mode, there are 17 active signals as follows: 8 bi-directional data lines, 4 control lines (output) and 5 status lines (input). Table II below shows the various signals available from parallel port 19 in bi-directional mode.
TABLE II______________________________________Bus Pin Signal Description______________________________________Data 2-9 D0:D7 Data signals 0-7Control 14 ALF Auto Line FeedControl 16 Init Printer InitializeControl 1 Strobe Data StrobeControl 17 Select.sub.-- In Printer SelectStatus 11 Busy Printer BusyStatus 10 Ack Data Accepted AcknowledgeStatus 12 Paper.sub.-- End Printer Out of PaperStatus 13 Select.sub.-- Out Printer Select AcknowledgeStatus 15 Error Printer Error______________________________________
Upon sensing an access to local printer 21 (e.g., by Select -- In signal, pin 17, being active), PC interface 31 provides a direct connection between parallel port 19 and printer interface 13. This direct connection, which switches the 17 signals from parallel port 19 between printer interface 13 and PCMCIA slot interface unit 15 is accomplished by well known prior art mechanisms, such as tri-state buffers 16 as shown in FIG. 3.
Upon sensing an access to a device other than the local printer access (e.g., by the Select -- In signal, pin 17, being inactive and the Strobe signal on pin 1 being active), the 17 signals from parallel port 19 are decoded by PC interface 31 to be data, address or control. An example of such decoding would be to utilize the signals on pins 14 (ALF) and 9 (D7). For example, when the signal on pin 14 is low, the signals are decoded as data; when the signal on pin 14 is high and the most significant bit of the data (pin 9) is low, the signals are decoded as address; when the signal on pin 14 is high and the most significant bit of the data (pin 9) is high, the signals are decoded as control.
Thus, one or more of parallel port 19 signals can be selected to distinguish between actual data and commands. Other signals can be selected to indicate the specific command. For example, as previously noted, the parallel port signal ALF (pin 14) can be used to indicate a command and some of the data signals can be used to indicate specific commands. Command examples are: Configure (set the invented parallel port interface unit to a specific mode), Access -- 365 -- register (handle PCMCIA slot by accessing PCMCIA slot interface unit 15), Access -- IO -- register (access a specific register within a PCMCIA card such as a LAN card). The specific meaning of each command to a card register depends on the application and the functionality of the card. However, for the purpose of this description and understanding of the present invention, the details regarding specific commands which may be utilized by a particular PCMCIA card are not important.
Combinatorial logic 20 within PC interface 31 is used to decode the specific command and activate selection signals SC, SA and SD according to the command which has been specified. Selection signals are latched in latch devices 18. This is done so that data accesses that follow the commands are sent to the correct device.
By way of example:
If the combinatorial logic senses the command "Access -- IO -- register" (for example, if the signal on pin 14 is asserted while the four most significant bits of D0:D7 are 1100 2 ), the combinatorial logic activates the "select address" (SA) signal which is input to address generator 35, so that subsequent transfers of data will load address registers in address generator 35. This will generate address signals on internal bus 27.
If the combinatorial logic senses a command to generate a specific control signal to the internal bus (for example, if the signal on pin 14 is asserted while the four most significant bits of D0:D7 are 1000 2 ), the combinatorial logic activates the "select control" (SC) signal which is input to bus controller 33, so that subsequent accesses load control registers in bus controller 33.
If the combinatorial logic senses a data transfer (for example, if the signal on pin 14 is not asserted), the combinatorial logic activates the "select data" (SD) signal which is input to the data path, so that subsequent accesses load data registers in data path 37.
The specifics of a suitable implementation of the combinatorial logic 20 used by PC interface 31 may be by using a PAL, ROM decoder or other such mechanism and should be readily apparent from this description to persons skilled in the art.
Then, proper data, address or control signals are generated by data path 37, address generator 35 or bus controller 33, and translated to signals meaningful to internal bus 27 by data path 37, address generator 35 or bus controller 33 respectively which perform the necessary translation as described below.
Bus Controller 33
Bus controller 33 generates the ISA control lines with correct timing similar to the ISA bus architecture standard, the differences being that a typical ISA cycle uses a control signal such as Memory-Read (MEMRD) signaling the target device, and then the target device signaling back with a control signal such as IO-CHANNEL-READY (IOCHRDY). The signaling back tells the bus master that data is ready on the bus, there has been enough time to respond, and it is ready to be sampled. However, in the present invention, signaling back is not needed, as by the time the PC software attempts to read the data back, the data is certain to be valid.
However, there are a few control signals from the PCMCIA card that go back to the PC through the parallel port that are used. For those signals, control information is encoded and transferred as data. An example is "telling" the PC which specific IRQ signal has gone active. This is done by the PC "polling" encoded information as data. The interrupt event itself is detected by the PC by polling, or by signaling as described below.
When bus controller 33 senses the "select control" (SC) signals from PC interface 31, it determines the specific control generated by reading D0:D7, and generates the required control signals on internal bus 27, such as IORD, BALE or the like from Table I. This may be accomplished by simple decoding of coded control signals and generating the required control signal accordingly. Bus controller 33 may be implemented by a register 41 and decoder 43 as shown in FIG. 4. The rising edge of the SC pulse latches three of the data signals (e.g., D0:D2) into the register. The contents of the register determines the state of the bus controller. M/IO corresponds to memory or I/O access. DIR corresponds to read or write action (direction) and ALE corresponds to address latch enable. The decoder decodes the actual bus controller signals from the above mentioned states, and generates the signal output qualified by the delayed SC pulse. The signal BALE (bus address latch enable) is asserted to indicate an ISA-like address cycle. IORD is asserted to indicate an ISA-like I/O read cycle. IOWR is asserted to indicate an ISA-like I/O write cycle. MEMRD is asserted to indicate an ISA-like memory read cycle. MEMWR is asserted to indicate an ISA-like memory write cycle.
Bus controller 33 operates to transfer signals placed on internal bus 27 by a PCMCIA card in slot interface unit 15 to parallel port 19 as follows.
All interrupt request (IRQ) signals placed on internal bus 27 are connected to interrupt encoder 44 within bus controller 33. Interrupt encoder 44 is a simple priority encoder with tri-state outputs.
Interrupt handling requires two mechanisms:
(a) informing the PC software which specific IRQ line is activated.
(b) interrupting the PC software when any of the IRQ signals is activated.
These two mechanisms are described below:
A. Informing The PC Software Which Specific IRQ Line Is Activated:
With reference to FIG. 4 interrupt encoder 44 encodes the sequential number of the highest priority IRQ signal which is active. The encoded binary number is output to the data lines via tri-state outputs.
When a INT-RD (read interrupt) command is issued by software, decoder 43 activates the signal INT -- CTL. As a result, the next bus controller access will cause the interrupt encoder to open its tri-state outputs. In this manner, the encoded binary number of a pending interrupt can be read through the data lines.
B. Interrupting The PC Software When Any Of The IRQ Signals Is Activated:
Interrupting the PC software when any of the IRQ signals is activated can be done by polling, or by signaling.
If it is done by polling, the PC software is not signaled, but periodically checks for pending interrupts. For this purpose, it uses the above mentioned mechanism (informing the PC software which specific IRQ line is activated) periodically, not only to determine which specific IRQ is activated, but also to determine if any IRQ signal is activated at all.
If it is done by signaling, then when any of the IRQ signals is activated, interrupt encoder 44 activates the INT signal, which goes to PC interface 31. Within tri-state buffer 16, the ACK status line of the parallel port is activated whenever the INT signal is active. the PC parallel port is programmed by software to interrupt the PC software when ACK is activated.
The manner in which decoder 43 decodes SC, M/IO, DIR and ALE to generate IORD, IOWR, MEMRD, MEMWR, BALE INT -- CTL is shown in the following truth-table:
__________________________________________________________________________SC M/IODIR ALE INT.sub.-- RD IORD IOWR MEMRD MEMWR BALE INT.sub.-- CTL__________________________________________________________________________0 x x x x 0 0 0 0 0 01 x x x 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 x x 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 01 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 01 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 01 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 01 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0__________________________________________________________________________
In the foregoing truth-tsble, positive logic is used, x is don't care, the lines of the table corresponding to the following conditions respectively: no select, interrupt read, ALE, I/O Read, I/O Write, memory read and memory write.
Address Generator 35
The address generator 35 generates a PCMCIA card address for placement on internal bus 27. Address signals are changed by a command from the parallel port as decoded by PC interface 31. Upon sensing "select address" (SA) signals from PC interface 31, address generator 35 loads internal address registers via D0:D7 signals. When the full address is ready, address information is then placed on internal bus 27 by enabling a tri-state buffer. Address generator 35 may be implemented by a decoder 45, a set of counters 47 as shown in FIG. 5. The address is generated in the counters with parallel port latches. The decoder may be implemented by combinatorial logic which decodes an operation code placed on data bus D0:D7 which decodes as one of Increment (INCR), Load or Preset.
If the operation code decodes as "Increment" (e.g., X), then the next SA pulse will generate an "increment" pulse for the counters. This is done by decoding the specific combination (X) and qualifying the decoded signal by the SA signal. This will cause the address to increment.
If the operation code decodes as "Preset" (e.g., Y), then the next SA pulse will generate a "parallel load" pulse for the counters. This is done by decoding the specific combination (Y) and qualifying the decoded signal by the SA signal. This will cause a predefined address (such as the address of the PCMCIA slot interface unit 15) to be loaded into the counters 47 via their parallel load inputs (in this case, the counters serve as a data latches).
If the operation code decodes as "Load" (e.g., Z), then an internal 4-state counter is preset. The following four SA pulses will cause data from D0:D7 to be loaded into four portions of counters 47 (one after the other), via their respective parallel load input. This is done by using the outputs of the 4-state counter to select one of the address counters to be loaded at a time. Then the counter remains locked in a non-active state.
To increase performance, an optional "auto-address-increment" mode can be implemented so that consecutive addresses can be accessed faster. This is done using a counter device in address generator 35 that increments the addressed location placed on internal bus 27 by one after each data access.
Data Path 37
Data path 37 assembles and disassembles bytes to words and nibbles as follows. Parallel printer port 19 can read in nibbles in a unidirectional mode. Thus, byte disassembling is needed. In a similar way, access to a 16 bit ISA card may require that two bytes be assembled to word length data and vice-versa. Data path 37 may be implemented by an 8-bit bi-directional buffer 51, and MUX 53 as shown in FIG. 6. Bi-directional buffer direction is controlled by the DIR control signal (from bus controller 33) and enabled by the SD signal. This enables normal 8-bit bi-directional data transfer. To read 3 or 4-bit nibbles via parallel port status lines (for uni-directional mode), an 8 to 3 or an 8-to-4 MUX 53 is used to select which nibble of the internal bus ID0:ID7 is read and transferred to the parallel port status lines. The MUX is controlled by data bits of the data bus, e.g., D1 and D2.
A 16-bit internal bus may also be used in which case the 8-bit bi-directional buffer 51 should be replaced by a 16-bit bi-directional buffer-latch. This means that each 16-bit transfer from the parallel port to the internal bus is done as follows: first, the least significant 8 bits are latched into a latch. Then the most significant 8 bits are transferred via the 16-bit buffer, thus directing all 16 bits to the internal bus. To transfer 16 bits from the internal bus to the 8-bit parallel port, the first least significant 8 bits are read via the 16-bit buffer while latching the most significant 8 bits in a latch. Then, the most significant 8 bits are read from the latch. This mechanism expedites transfer as only one transfer is done on the internal bus. When a 16-bit internal bus is used, the MUX is a 16-to -4 (or 16 to 3) instead of a 8-to-4 or 8 to 3. In this case the MUX is controlled by 2 or 3 data bits, e.g., D1, D2, D3.
PCMCIA Slot Interface Unit 15
In the described embodiment, one PCMCIA slot interface unit 15 supports two PCMCIA slots 23. This is accomplished by using an Intel 82365SL IC which is capable of controlling two slots. However, the invention is capable of controlling one, two or more PCMCIA slots per PCMCIA slot interface unit by using a differently designed PCMCIA slot interface unit. The details concerning such different design should be readily apparent to persons skilled in the field of the invention and are not needed for a complete understanding of the invention.
The 82365SL controls the external transceivers (XCVR) and external buffers (BUFF) of PCMCIA slot interface unit 15 as shown in FIG. 7 to provide electrical isolation between the two PCMCIA slots and internal bus 27. The 82365 also provides all the required functions to implement PCMCIA protocol, including translating of address space and controlling the power supply for the PCMCIA slots. FIG. 7 shows a typical implementation of PCMCIA slot interface unit 15 using a 82365SL IC.
A PCMCIA slot 23 is supported by a PCMCIA slot interface unit 15 which translates PCMCIA standard slot signals to/from the internal bus. Each PCMCIA slot, and I/O or memory address within a slot, is addressed through the internal bus.
Printer Interface 13
Printer interface 13 drives a printer 21 through a connected cable when the printer is active. When control is taken from the printer and transferred to another device, the printer is disabled with a command (e.g., NIL which operates to keep all printer signals in their previous state). This is implemented using latch devices and line drivers, the specifics of which are well known in the art and are not needed for a complete understanding of the invention.
To enable an application program running in personal computer 17 to access the functionality of a PCMCIA card, add-on code should be loaded in the memory of PC 17 (e.g., as a TSR program) to provide a translation service which translates PCMCIA accesses to data, commands and addresses transferred via the parallel port. This addition may be made by another program running in the personal computer which intercepts accesses to PCMCIA devices from the application program and replaces each access with a sequence of transfers via the parallel port. FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a suitable program for this purpose. This program is activated by an "exception handler" which is activated upon capturing of an I/O instruction targeted to the specific I/O address space.
The program operates by capturing all input and output instructions directed to an address in a PCMCIA address space (block 51). Then, if the port is being used for a print operation, that print operation is suspended to free the port (block 53). The PCMCIA address is then disassembled into nibbles of 7 bits or 4 bits each (block 51) and then each nibble is sent with an "Out Address" command to the parallel port (block 55). Then a command is sent to the parallel port to assert BALE (block 57) which causes the address latch on the PCMCIA card or controller to open. Then BALE is deasserted which causes the latches to close and latch the address (block 59).
If the captured I/O instruction is an input instruction, processing proceeds as follows.
1. A command is output to start read cycles (assert IORD) (block 61);
2. Bytes of data coming from the parallel port are read (block 63);
3. A command is output to end the read cycles after a sufficient delay to read data (block 65);
4. The read data is stored in the destination specified in the input instruction (block 67);
5. The printer operation is resumed if it had been previously suspended (block 69);
6. The TSR program returns control to the operating system (block 71).
If the captured I/O instruction is an output instruction, processing proceeds as follows.
1. A command is output to start a write cycles (block 73);
2. Bytes of data from the source specified by the output instruction are output to the parallel port (block 75);
3. A command is output to end the write cycles asserting IOWR and deasserting IOWR after a delay (block 77);
4. The printer operation is restarted if it had been previously suspended (block 69);
5. The TSR program returns control to the operating system (block 71).
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An interface circuit used to connect industry standard PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) cards to a personal computer via a standard parallel printer port. The invention utilizes a mechanism which enables direct access to each I/O or memory address on a PCMCIA card independently. This is done by transferring an I/O or memory address in a PCMCIA card via the data lines of the parallel port, decoding this address, and providing the decoded address to the PCMCIA card. As a result, application software which accesses the PCMCIA card can run without modification. All that is needed is add-on code which captures and re-routes accesses generated by the application software to the parallel port. This add-on code captures the I/O instructions targeted at the I/O device associated with the PCMCIA card and replaces them with sequences of instructions routed through the parallel port. Another feature of the present invention is the generation of an internal ISA-like bus to handle card interrupts. This means that interrupts generated by the PCMCIA card are sensed by the internal bus of the invented parallel port interface unit, and then translated by the invented parallel port interface unit so that the host microprocessor services the interrupt.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 14,071, filed Feb. 22, 1979 now abandonded.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein was made in the course of work under a grant or award from The Department of the Army.
This invention relates generally to textile quality yarns which are highly sorptive for organic vapors, aerosols, mists, solutes and noxious or harmful substances that are generally in these forms. More particularly, the invention relates to yarns that incorporate active sorptive materials within the fiber structure, and methods of fabricating such fibers.
A principal object of this invention is to produce filaments of polymeric composition incorporating sorptive materials, which may be incorporated in multifilament yarns having properties suitable for textile uses generally. Such properties include, for example, a denier satisfactory for fabric handle, adequate strength and durability. It is desirable that the fibers retain the sorptive constituents through use and cleaning, and that the sorptive properties may be renewed by cleaning processes.
An object of the invention is to provide fibers containing sorptive media, that is, species capable of taking up a significant percentage of the weight of such media in organic vapors or solutes, for use as protective clothing, coverings or the like. For this purpose it is important not only that the sorptive media are present in an active form, but also that the media comprise a significant percentage of the weight of the fibers in which they are contained.
As previously noted, it is important that the sorptive materials are securely retained within the body of the fibers so as not to be dislodged in ordinary usages. This in turn imposes a requirement upon the polymeric material comprising the fibers, namely, that such material must permit the ready diffusion of materials to be sorbed, so as to have ready access to the sorptive constituents.
In some cases, it is further desirable that the polymeric yarns have a hydrophobic property. This property, while permitting the passage of water vapor, will not permit the passage of liquid water; hence, body sweat, composed primarily of water and salts that attack some active sorptive materials, may be excluded.
Past efforts at incorporating sorptive materials in polymeric fibers or film-forming polymers have been characterized by the achievement of undesirably low levels of sorption capacity. One of the problems has been that when such sorptive materials as active carbon particles have been loaded in polymers, difficulties have arisen in spinning and drawing the filaments except at relatively low levels of carbon loading. As a result, carbon loading under ten percent has been frequently accepted as a limit for spun solid fibers. Another problem is that even this limited loading has been rendered partially ineffective by the fact that the polymer occludes access to the internal pore structure of the sorptive particles.
Sorbent fibers composed entirely of carbon have been produced, and while some of these do not exhibit the problems of occlusion mentioned above, they are very friable and thus not suitable for ordinary or typical textile uses.
Hollow tubules filled with powdered activated carbon and other sorbent substances have been described in the literature for use in blood purification. The tubules described, for example cellulose acetate, comprise non-porous materials having a degree of permeability to blood components. Sorption appears to depend upon the solubility and diffusion of the blood components through the tubule walls. The tubules are undrawn and have substantial outer diameters between 35 and 60 mils. These tubules also appear to be unsuitable for ordinary or typical textile uses.
With a view to achieving the above-mentioned objects and overcoming the limitations of the prior art, this invention features fine denier yarn filaments each comprising a microporous, hollow polymeric sheath, the lumen of the sheath containing a core of active sorptive material, the sorptive material comprising a significant portion of the weight of the fiber and being in a highly active sorptive state.
The invention also includes methods of fabricating such filaments, which are adapted to porosify the wall of the sheath and to prevent the occlusion of the sorptive filler by the polymer. According to this method, a particulate sorptive material is dispersed in a liquid carrier to form a slurry, the slurry forming a continuously extrudable core. A blend is separately prepared by melt-blending the polymer such as polypropylene with a pore-forming material such as paraffin wax. The blend and slurry are then pumped and metered in separate streams into a needle-in-orifice type multifilament hollow fiber spinneret to form the composite filaments. The filaments are then drawn in one or more further steps.
According to further features, the slurry and blend are respectively prepared in a manner to ensure extrudable properties through the spinneret.
After the filament is formed, the product is extracted in one or more steps for removal of the carrier liquid forming the slurry, and of the pore-forming material. This extraction porosifies the wall of the sheath and regenerates or reactivates the sorptive material.
Further features of the product and process comprise particular features and steps, as well as compositions and combinations of materials and processes hereinafter described.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The drawing depicts a needle-in-orifice spinneret in schematic form for purposes of illustrating the general method of forming sorbent-cored textile filaments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The drawing schematically depicts in cross section a spinneret body 12 having an orifice 14. A fitting 16 is provided for connection to a polymer extruder. A needle 18 having an open end 20 situated centrally of the orifice 14 is adapted for connection to a source of core slurry under suitable pressure. In operation, a blend 22 of polymer and pore-forming material is extruded to form a sheath 24 having a lumen 26, and this lumen is simultaneously filled with a slurry 28 comprising particulate sorptive material in a liquid carrier.
In a preferred example, the slurry is made by dispersing in a colloid mill active carbon particles, pulverized to less than 325 mesh, in triethylene glycol. Preferably, the carbon is added progressively during the milling until it comprises approximately 25 percent by weight of the total slurry. The slurry is then sieved with the aid of a brush through an 80-mesh screen in order to remove any large particles that might obstruct the flow of the slurry through the needle 18. The triethylene glycol is chosen as an extractable vehicle that will suitably carry the carbon particles, and as a liquid having a sufficiently high boiling point to prevent flashing in the needle 18, that is, vaporization in the presence of the heated polymer blend 22. It may also be preferred in some cases to heat the slurry to above the extrusion temperature of the blend. For example, with a polypropylene and wax blend, the slurry is preferably heated to 180 degrees C. under a nitrogen gas sweep in order to remove any low boiling constituents such as water and ethylene glycol.
A melt blend is separately prepared suitably for extrusion and comprises polypropylene and a paraffin wax having a melting point of approximately 55 degrees C., the wax comprising for example 30 percent by weight of the total blend. The wax is chosen for its ability to separate out of the polymer upon cooling, and thereby to leave voids or pores that are mutually interconnected after subsequent extraction of the wax.
The blend and the slurry are then pumped and metered in separate streams to the connections 16 and 18, and extruded at approximately 170 degrees C. In this example the orifice 14 has a diameter of 0.070 inch and the inner diameter of the needle 18 is approximately 0.015 to 0.020 inch. A multifilament yarn is produced by a 12-hole multifilament spinneret of the type described. The extruded hollow filament 24 with the blend forming the wall or sheath and the slurry forming the core is spun down a 15-foot cooling stack, and taken up in a conventional manner with a melt spin draw exceeding a ratio of 10:1, preferably about 100:1 or greater.
Preferably, in the above example utilizing polypropylene and paraffin wax, the yarn is then further "cold drawn" 5:1 at a temperature below the melting point of the polypropylene, preferably about 100 degrees C., in a water bath at approximately 350 feet per minute take-up speed. This cold drawing step may be to a ratio anywhere between 2:1 and 20:1, as desired.
After the drawing steps, the filaments are subjected to extraction for removal of the carrier forming the slurry, in this case triethylene glycol, and the pore-forming material, in this case paraffin wax. The extraction may be carried out either before or after the yarn is processed into a fabric. It has been found that the yarns must be restrained against longitudinal shrinkage during extraction to limit the degree of shrinkage.
A preferred method of extraction comprises a first step consisting of a room temperature pentane wash to extract the wax from the fiber walls, and thereby to porosify the walls. In a subsequent step, the fibers are subjected to a boiling methanol wash to extract most of the triethylene glycol from the core. This wash readily reaches and removes this vehicle through the porous fiber wall, thereby reactivating the carbon particles.
In some cases, a further extraction step may be performed. This comprises an extraction with pentane to remove the last traces of triethylene glycol from the core. For example, the fibers or fabric may be subjected to a plurality of rapid alternate pentane and methanol or pentane and boiling water washes, these washes effectively extracting all of the wax and triethylene glycol from the fibers and allowing the entire extraction procedure to be carried out continuously.
Yarns produced according to this invention are multifilament yarns, the denier per filament having a value anywhere in the range of 2 to 30. Excellent results have been obtained at deniers of 6 to 7 per filament. The diameter of the individual filaments, after drawing as described in the above example, is approximately 0.002 inch, whereas if they were ordinary solid and dense polypropylene filaments, they would have deniers around 16. Filament diameters between 0.001 and 0.01 inch may be produced in the practice of this invention. The lower deniers achieved result from the microporous character of the filament sheath as well as the low bulk density of the active carbon in the core. The bulk density of the carbon powder used to form the slurry in the above example is approximately 0.25 gram per cubic centimeter. In textile applications, the denier of the filaments appears satisfactory for fabric handle. In fabrics, the yarns may be plied two or more times to attain greater coarseness while retaining the high surface area of fine filaments.
Tenacity values of yarns produced according to the above example vary between 2.1 and 2.8 grams per denier, with elongations to break between 20 percent and 30 percent. It was observed that samples that had undergone high shrinkage during extractions had lower tenacities with correspondingly higher elongations.
The porosity of the yarns produced according to the above example was substantial as compared with previously known yarns. The permeability rate for organic substances such as carbon tetrachloride and methanol was more than ten times higher than for water vapor, the rate of water vapor measuring about 3,000 grams per square meter-day. The permeability rate was measured by spinning hollow filaments from the polymer-diluent blend under the same conditions as described above for the sorbent filled hollow fibers. After extraction the hollow filaments were filled with water or the organic fluid of test, sealed at the ends and the rate of weight loss measured as the contained fluid passed through the walls and evaporated. The higher permeability rate for organic liquids would be expected for a hydrophobic material such as polypropylene. Because of this hydrophobic character, although water vapor passes through the walls, liquid water does not. In clothing applications, this has the advantage that laundering can be accomplished without deactivating the active carbon in the core, and also it tends to prevent body sweat, composed primarily of water and salts, from affecting the sorbency of the fibers. Such salts may attack and tend to deactivate some active carbon fiber systems.
The absorption capacity of the yarns for carbon tetrachloride is generally about 40 percent of the original weight of the yarns, and on some samples it has reached 60 percent. In general, higher percentages are attained with higher carbon loading of the filaments and optimum control of extraction and drawing conditions. Dynamic absorption measurements have also shown high sorption characteristics for the described yarns.
In the practice of this invention the sorptive material comprises a large percentage of the weight of the fibers. For example, activated carbon may comprise between 20 and 70 percent by weight of the fiber, the process being otherwise the same as that described above in the preferred example.
Materials other than those described in the particular example above may be substituted if desired. For example, although active carbon is a frequently preferred sorptive material for many applications, other sorptive materials such as silica gel or any of the molecular sieve type materials in common use may be substituted.
Also, other carriers for the sorptive particles may be substituted for the triethylene glycol, subject to the desired properties including resistance to vaporization in the needle 18, extractability through the microporous wall of the filament and general suitability of the slurry for flow and extrusion through the needle. For example, molten paraffin wax may be used as a carrier for the carbon, with carbon loadings to 30 percent or higher. In such case the pentane extraction of the carrier for the carbon and the pore-forming material in the sheath occurs simultaneously, since both of these components comprise wax.
The slurry may in some cases contain a binder for the sorptive particles in addition to the carrier. For example, the slurry may comprise active carbon, polypropylene as a binder and a paraffin wax carrier. In this case a high level of carbon activity has been attained with polypropylene comprising as much as 18 percent by weight of the slurry.
Likewise, other polymers may be substituted for the polypropylene as the polymeric material comprising the porous sheath. These may be selected from any of the materials hitherto employed in the manufacture of polymeric fibers if adapted for melt blending, spinning and drawing in the manner hereinabove described.
Satisfactory pore-forming materials may include crystallizable compounds of various types or other compounds which will separate into discrete phases on cooling, which compounds are familiar to those skilled in this art, as well as the wax described. These pore forming materials should have compatibility with the polymer at extrusion temperatures. The pore forming material selected may comprise anywhere from 5 to 50 percent by weight of the melt blend.
Fabrics made according to this invention can be regenerated after use by methods that are well known. For example, they may be subjected to steam which will remove phenols as well as other toxic substances that may have been absorbed by the fibers.
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Textile-quality multifilament yarns that are highly sorptive for organic vapors, mists and solutes are described. Each filament comprises a microporous polymeric sheath filled with a core of sorptive material. In a multifilament spinneret having a hollow needle in each orifice, a slurry containing the sorptive material is supplied to each needle, and a blend of a polymeric material and a pore-forming material is supplied to the orifice externally of the needle. The spun composite fibers are drawn and subsequently extracted to porosify the sheath and to activate the sorptive property of the cores.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention involves a control mechanism for a tridimensional cam. A tridimensional cam receives two independent variables and provides one or more functions of these two variables. The device according to the invention can thus, for example, be used in a turbomachine regulating system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The regulation of a turbojet requires a complex computer, one of the many capabilities of which is to calculate one or several functions of multiple variables. These can be various physical parameters, such as temperatures, flow rates, the operating speed of the turbine, etc.
There exist, of course, various types of computers capable of calculating functions of multiple variables, notably a purely electronic computer. These present the disadvantage of accepting only input values of an electrical nature, whereas the control mechanism according to the present invention accepts input values (the variables) of a fluid nature (hydraulic or pneumatic) while the output value (the function) is a translation movement which is easily convertible into a value of another given physical nature.
The control mechanism of a tridimensional cam according to the present invention is characterized by the fact that the tridimensional cam is made of a single piece with a contoured but essentially cylindrical surface and a cylindrical bore, and that this cam is displaced relative to at least one sensor by means of a composite jack which produces independent movements of the cam both around the rotational axis of the system for one of the values, in translation in the direction of this axis for the second value.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,210, applied for on June 17, 1958, describes the combination, in the same fixed cylinder, of a piston transmitting rectilinear movements to a rod, with a sort of rotary jack having two chambers wherein filling one or the other of these chambers with a pressurized fluid causes the rotation of a sleeve which is immobilized relative to translational movement of the aforesaid rod, but which rotates as one piece with the rod.
This existing mechanism, which has a linear-action jack combined with a rotary jack, could be used as a basis for implementing the present invention, by mounting the tridimensional cam (i.e. specifically the cylindrical part onto which the cam is mounted or tooled) on the end of the rod of the composite jack which projects from the jack housing. The resulting version, which might be useful in certain applications, would, however, be insufficiently compact in the regulator of a turbojet, since the cam and its sensor would have to be mounted on the extension of the fixed cylinder of the composite jack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a preferred version of the mechanism according to the present invention, which also has a linear-action jack combined with a rotary jack, there is a fixed axle on which there is at least one radial flange, a rotary-jack cylinder mounted so as to turn freely on the fixed axle and its flange, at least two leakproof chambers, each of which has two radial partitions, one formed by the fixed flange and the other being part of the rotating cylinder, and a linear-action jack cylinder which is longer than the rotating cylinder and which is mounted so as to slide freely on the rotating jack while turning freely on the fixed axle in order to form at least one leakproof chamber with them. The cylindrical cam is tooled or mounted on the exterior cylindrical surface of the linear-action jack, and means are supplied to independently and selectively fill the chambers of both the rotary jack and the linear-action jack with a pressurized fluid.
This version of the invention has particular advantages especially since the tridimensional cam and the corresponding sensor are placed exactly on the level of the composite jack, particularly that of the linear-action jack, which considerably reduces the size of the resulting mechanism as compared with that of the mechanism using the composite jack according to U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,210 cited above.
The control mechanism of a tridimensional cam according to the present invention is adapted to many applications, even outside the computer field, as shall be explained below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a theoretical diagram in which a preferred embodiment has been depicted in cross-section along the axial plane, taken along line I--I of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a cross-section view taken along line II--II of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the invention, in partial cross-section on the axial plane taken along line III--III of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 4 is a cross-section view taken along line IV--IV of FIG. 3 and which shows an alternate embodiment of a sensor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the theoretical diagram of FIGS. 1 and 2, reference number 1 designates a fixed axle, opposite ends of which are fixed, respectively, in supports 2a and 2b. The fixed axle has two external radial flanges, 1a and 1b, diametrically opposed to each other. Reference number 3 designates a rotary jack cylinder which is mounted to turn freely on fixed axle 1 and its flanges, 1a and 1b, and which also has two internal radial flanges, 3a and 3b, diametrically opposed to each other and cooperating with fixed axle 1, between flanges 1a and 1b, so as to form four leakproof chambers 3A to 3D (FIG. 2). The leakproofness of these four chambers is assured by sealing means, which need not be described in detail, at the contact surfaces of the external flanges 1a and 1b of fixed axle 1 and the internal cylindrical surface of rotary jack 3; contact surfaces between internal flanges 3a and 3b of the aforementioned rotary jack 3 and fixed axle 1, between its flanges 1a and 1b; contact surfaces between axle 1 and boreholes 3c and 3d, tooled into the two end walls of rotary jack 3; and contact surfaces between the internal faces of the end walls of rotary jack 3 and the ends corresponding to flanges 1a and 1b of axle 1. These existing hermetic sealing means are chosen, obviously, in such a way as to permit free rotation of rotary jack 3 around axle 1 and its flanges 1a and 1b. Reference number 4 designates a linear-action jack cylinder, which is longer than rotating jack 3, and which is mounted to slide freely on rotary jack cylinder 3 and to turn freely on fixed axle 1, so as to form therebetween two leakproof chambers 4A and 4B. The leakproofness of these two chambers is assured by existing means, chosen so as to permit free rotation of cylinder 4 on fixed axle 1, at boreholes 4a and 4b, which are located in its end walls while reference number 5 designates a catch-pin which rotationally immobilizes cylinder 4 relative to jack 3 while permitting such to slide freely against jack 3.
Each pair of chambers 3A-3C and 3B-3D is linked by a conduit 6A or 6B to two points of access into a hydraulic servo-control 7x, of which two other access points are linked respectively to a source of pressurized hydraulic liquids and to a drain conduit V. The servo-control 7x has, as well, an opening to receive the first variable x, which can be introduced in an appropriate but essentially arbitrary physical form (mechanical displacement, fluid pressure, electrical input, etc.). As seen in FIG. 1, each of the conduits 6A and 6B cross, respectively, fixed axle 1 in directions basically axial, and the supports 2a and 2b. Similarly, conduits 8A and 8B link, respectively, chambers 4A and 4B to two access points of a servo-control 7y, which has two other openings also connected to source S and to the drain conduit V and which has an input y applied in an appropriate but largely arbitrary physical form.
In the embodiment illustrated, the lateral surface of cylinder 4 of the linear-action jack has been machine tooled, or has been cast with tridimensional contours which together constitute a tridimensional cam wherein the surface contours of this cam can be detected by sensors such as 10a and 10b.
The mechanism according to the present invention, which has just been described, works as follows.
Supposing for example that the respective initial positions of rotary jack 3 and of linear-action jack 4 are such that chambers 3A, 3C, and 4A have essentially no volume, or at least minimal volume. Conventionally these initial positions of the two jacks can correspond to fixed but arbitrary values of variables x and y, for example, their 0 value. If, for example, variable x increases from its initial value, servo-control 7x establishes direct links, on the one hand, between the source of pressurized hydraulic fluid S and conduit 6A, and, on the other and, between conduit 6B and drain conduit V; the pressurized hydraulic fluid that reaches chambers 3A and 3C through conduit 6A exercises driving torque in the same direction (clockwise in FIG. 2) on the internal flanges 3a and 3b of the rotary jack cylinder 3, which is thereby caused to rotate around fixed axle 1 until, for example, variable x ceases to increase; the initial volumes of the two chambers 3A and 3C are thus increased, beginning at their respective minimal values, up to final values, respectively proportional to the increase in variable x, while, simultaneously, the volumes of chambers 3B and 3D, which initially were maximal, have each been reduced in the same proportion. A corresponding fraction of the hydraulic liquid in chambers 3B and 3D is forced back through conduit 6B and servo-control 7x towards drain conduit V.
If, starting from the value reached previously, variable x decreases, servo-control 7x immediately connects chambers 3A and 3C with drain V and chambers 3B and 3D with hydraulic liquid source S, so that rotary jack cylinder 3 turns in the opposite direction until variable x ceases to decrease. When the second variable y increases over its initial value, servo-control 7y links, on the one hand, chamber 4A through conduit 8A to pressurized hydraulic liquid source S and, on the other hand, chamber 4B through conduit 8B to drain V. The pressurized hydraulic liquid introduced into chamber 4A exercises a resulting axial force on its internal right wall (on FIG. 1) which has the effect of making linear-action jack cylinder 4 slide relative to rotary jack 3 and axle 1, also toward the right in FIG. 1. The result is a decrease in the volume of chamber 4B compared to its initial value, which was maximal. Part of the hydraulic liquid contained in chamber 4B is forced back through conduit 8B towards drain V. When variable y ceases to increase, jack 4 is immobilized at a distance from its initial position which is essentially proportional to the increase in variable y; if variable y decreases, jack 4 moves to the left in FIG. 1. In addition, linear-action jack 4 has been set in rotation by rotary jack 3, and it is obvious that each sensor such as 10a, which is fixed relative to axle 1, will pick up at any given moment cylindrical coordinates relative to the tridimensional cam, which are respectively proportional to the momentary values of variables x (for the peripheral coordinate) and y (for the axial coordinate). If the tridimensional cam carried on the lateral surface of jack 4 has been proportioned so that its radial dimension, z, is a determined mathematical function f (x, y) of variables x, y, we see that the value detected by fixed sensor 10a, which varies linearly with radial coordinate z, is effectively proportional to the value of function f (x, y) for the momentary values of variables x, y applied to the corresponding input values of servo-controls 7x and 7y.
In the practical version of the invention which is shown in detail on FIGS. 3 and 4, are shown, with the same reference numbers as in FIGS. 1 and 2, the different parts and elements described above, with the exception of the servo-controls 7x and 7y. It has been shown, however, in FIGS. 3 and 4, three bars 9a, 9b, and 9c, the right-hand ends of which (in FIG. 3) are of one piece with a sleeve 9, to the inside of which is fixed the corresponding end of fixed axle 1. This sleeve itself is equipped, on its right end, with three tabs, such as 9A, through which pass screws, such as 11A, serving to attach the whole control mechanism to, for example, a wall 12. The left-hand ends of the three support bars 9a to 9c are also connected at the corresponding end of fixed axle 1 to a transversal piece 13. To at least one of these support bars, for example bar 9a, is attached by means of clamps 14a and 14b a sensor (10) which, in the embodiment shown, has a rod 10A mounted to slide in a radial direction, and fixed in relation to fixed axle 1, so that the end of rod 10a of sensor 10 is applied elastically against the surface of the tridimensional cam, which is formed by the external lateral surface of cylinder 4.
As shown schematically in FIG. 4, sensor 10 can, in one alternative embodiment, have a lever 10B articulated around an axle which is fixed relative to fixed axle 1; this lever is pulled back elastically so that the sensor can follow the contours of the cam.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described but includes all its variants. The number of radial flanges, both internal and external, on fixed axle 1 and on rotary jack 3, can be varied; each part 1 and 3 can have, for example, one flange, so as to form only 2 chambers in the rotary jack. The linear-action jack 4 can be of a simple type, as long as existing means of return are applied. Of course, at least one of the two jacks 3 and 4 can be operated using compressed air. The number and design of the various sensor such as 10 (FIG. 3) can vary as well. In the case of a sensor equipped with a sliding rod such as 10A (FIG. 3) or a lever such as 10B (FIG. 4), the sliding rod or the lever can operate on a transducer which transforms its rectilinear movements into another physical value, of an appropriate nature, for example an electrical value.
It has been supposed in the above description that the input values x and y were single-variable functions. Of course the present invention would not be essentially changed if the input values x and/or y were functions obtained from a generator of multiple-variable functions, and especially if one and/or the other input value x and y were the output of one (or several) tridimensional cams.
The control mechanism of a tridimensional cam according to the present invention can be adapted to applications other than the one described above, and, especially, all the applications of purely mechanical tridimensional cams. In particualr, it is possible for variables x, y to change over time in such a fashion that the fixed sensor "explores" the tridimensional cam following a continuous, regular trajectory, for example in a spiral or following generative functions linked by the arcs of a spiral, so that the variation over time of the output value of the sensor is representative of the sweeping of the surface of the tridimensional cam; such a mechanism could be used for example for the reproduction or copying of a complexly formed part, using either the part itself, if it is of essentially cylindrical shape, or using a cylindrical model of the part, or a flat model sufficiently supple to be applied to a rigid cylindrical surface.
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A cylinder (3) is positioned to rotate on a fixed axle (1) in such a way that several leakproof chambers (3B, 3D) are formed: a second, longer cylinder (4) is positioned to slide along the first (3) and to turn on the fixed axle (1) in such a way that several leakproof chambers are formed (4A, 4B). Communicating pressurized fluids into the various chambers makes the cylinders (3, 4) turn a distance proportionate to a value x, and can make the second cylinder move axially along the first cylinder a distance proportionate to another value y; these values x and y being derived from several variables and sensors (10a to 10d) "read" the surface contours of the second cylinder (4), representing, for example, a function f (x,y).
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Patent Application No. 10 2015 104 646.6, filed Mar. 26, 2015, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to a dispensing device for a fluid with a fluid channel and a chamber arrangement in which a valve element that interacts with a dispensing opening is movably disposed.
[0004] 2. Discussion of Background Information
[0005] Dispensing devices of this kind serve, for example, to dispense fluids that contain medical or cosmetic active substance solutions. The fluids are, for example, to be delivered to the nose, mouth or eyes of a user. For this purpose, the fluids are transported to the dispensing opening through the fluid channel and the chamber arrangement. The valve element movably disposed in the chamber arrangement serves to dispense a predetermined fluid quantity in a controlled manner.
[0006] For the purpose of dispensing a predetermined fluid quantity, the valve element interacts with the dispensing opening. In a closed state, the valve element can thereby seal the dispensing opening against an outflow of the fluid, for example. A stroke of the valve element places the element in an open state. In the open state, a fluid quantity can then pass out of the dispensing opening.
[0007] However, the following problem thereby results, particularly when the dispensing device is used as a “dropper”: A merely small stroke of the valve element results in the fluid exiting the dispensing opening at high speed. This is detrimental to a controlled and predetermined dispensation of the fluid in the form of drops. In particular, a use of the dispensing device for eye drops would not come into consideration here.
[0008] The usage for medical fluids places an additional demand on the dispensing device. In this case, a contamination of the fluid by foreign matter between the valve element and the dispensing device must be avoided to the greatest possible extent. In particular, a contamination of this type cannot be allowed to continue into the fluid channel. As a result of this, the dispensing device would be unusable for the usage for medical fluids.
SUMMARY
[0009] Embodiments of the invention provide a dispensing device for a fluid, which enables a low-contamination dispensation of the fluid in the form of drops.
[0010] According to embodiments, a dispensing device of the type named at the outset includes a chamber arrangement that comprises at least one sealing element that creates a seal against the valve element during a first predetermined stroke of the valve element.
[0011] An actuation of the valve elements then does not result in the fluid already being able to exit the dispensing opening during a small stroke of the valve element. The fluid is thus also not accelerated in the small opening of the valve element. During the entire first predetermined stroke, the sealing element ensures that the fluid cannot pass through the valve element. Accordingly, as a result of the first predetermined stroke, a certain fluid quantity collects in the fluid channel and chamber arrangement. It can also be avoided that contamination will continue past the valve element into the chamber arrangement or the fluid channel.
[0012] It is thereby preferred that the sealing element closes a fluid path from the chamber arrangement to the dispensing opening during the first predetermined stroke. The fluid channel opens into the chamber arrangement. The path of the fluid through the fluid channel continues in the fluid path in the chamber arrangement. This fluid path is interrupted by the sealing element during the first predetermined stroke of the valve element. The interruption of the fluid path causes the fluid to be held in the chamber arrangement. There results a collection of a certain fluid quantity in the chamber arrangement, which quantity cannot, however, proceed to the dispensing opening.
[0013] For this purpose, it is advantageous that the sealing element unblocks the fluid path during a stroke (or a further stroke) of the valve element that is larger than (and a continuation of) the first predetermined stroke. After a certain fluid quantity has collected in the chamber arrangement, the stroke of the valve element will exceed the first predetermined stroke. As the fluid path for the fluid is unblocked by the sealing element when the first predetermined stroke of the valve element is exceeded, the sealing element no longer creates a seal against the valve element, whereby the fluid path for the fluid is unblocked. The fluid can then be transported to the dispensing opening via the fluid path. The fluid quantity can be dispensed in the form of a drop.
[0014] It is preferred that the valve element comprises a space, in particular at least one groove, which forms a part of the fluid path. The fluid is transported from the chamber arrangement to the dispensing opening on the fluid path along the valve element. However, the space is only unblocked after the stroke of the valve element has exceeded the first predetermined stroke. In this manner, it is ensured that the fluid does not need to pass through a narrow fluid path. An unintended acceleration of the fluid as it passes through the valve element can thus be avoided. A controlled dispensation of the fluid is rendered possible. An uncontrolled spurting of the fluid out of the dispensing opening is avoided. The space, which forms a part of the fluid path, can in particular be embodied as at least one groove. A controlled transport of the fluid is possible. An ingress of larger foreign matter particles can be avoided. A contamination of the fluid path can thus be minimized.
[0015] It is preferred that the chamber arrangement comprises a valve chamber and a nozzle chamber, wherein the sealing element seals the nozzle chamber against the valve chamber. A spatial division of the chamber arrangement is achieved. In the valve chamber, the collection of fluid occurs during the first predetermined stroke of the valve element. Because of the sealing element, the fluid cannot exit the valve chamber during the first predetermined stroke. However, once the stroke of the valve element exceeds the first predetermined stroke, the fluid path is unblocked. The fluid can be transported from the valve chamber into the nozzle chamber. By the spatial separation of the valve chamber and the nozzle chamber, an additional barrier is created against the ingress of foreign matter. The contamination of the dispensing device can be minimized.
[0016] Here, it is preferred that a valve seat, in which the valve element is movably disposed and which comprises the sealing element, is disposed between the valve chamber and the nozzle chamber. On the one hand, the valve seat serves to spatially separate the valve chamber and the nozzle chamber. On the other hand, it serves to accommodate the valve element. The valve seat then advantageously also comprises the sealing element; this element can, for example, be disposed between the valve element and valve seat. It is possible to embody the valve seat and the sealing element in a single piece. The fluid path is disposed between the sealing element and/or valve seat and the valve element.
[0017] It is likewise preferred that the fluid path opens into the nozzle chamber, which includes the dispensing opening. The fluid is transported via the fluid path. The fluid quantity that has collected in the nozzle chamber thereby first passes through the space of the valve element. After the valve element has been passed through in this manner, the transport of the fluid continues into the nozzle chamber via the fluid path. The nozzle chamber thereby has a larger volume than the space. During the transport of the fluid from the valve chamber into the space, the fluid has been accelerated. The volume of the space is smaller than the volume of the valve chamber. When the fluid flows from the space into the nozzle chamber, the fluid is decelerated by expanding into the volume of the nozzle chamber. The fluid quantity reaching the nozzle chamber in this manner can then exit the dispensing opening in a controlled manner. For this purpose, the nozzle chamber comprises the dispensing opening. A dispensation of the fluid in the form of drops is rendered possible.
[0018] It is also preferred that the sealing element is embodied as at least one sealing lip and bears against the valve element during the first predetermined stroke. A fluid-tight contact between the sealing element and the valve element occurs. A reliable seal between the sealing element and the valve element and between the valve chamber and the nozzle chamber is achieved. During a stroke of the valve element that is larger than the first predetermined stroke, the contact of the sealing element with the valve element ends. The space enters between the sealing element and the valve element. A pass-through opening is thus opened between the valve chamber and the nozzle chamber. The fluid quantity collected in the valve chamber can pass through the sealing element and enter the space. The fluid is transported from the valve chamber into the nozzle chamber and ultimately to the dispensing opening.
[0019] Still further, it is preferred that, during a second predetermined stroke, the valve element seals the dispensing opening. In particular, during the second predetermined stroke, the sealing element keeps the fluid path from the chamber arrangement to the dispensing opening closed. Thus, during this second predetermined stroke, the valve element interacts with the dispensing opening in such a manner that it seals the opening in a closed state. Thus, the valve element is at least partially accommodated in the nozzle chamber. In this closed state, the ingress of foreign matter into the nozzle chamber can thus be avoided. A contamination of the dispensing device is likewise avoided. During a stroke (or further stroke) of the valve element that is larger than (and a continuation of) the second predetermined stroke, the valve element unblocks the dispensing opening so that fluid located in the nozzle chamber can exit through the dispensing opening. However, in this state, it is preferred that an exiting of the fluid through the dispensing opening is still to be avoided. In this manner, the sealing element closes the fluid path from the chamber arrangement to the dispensing opening during the second predetermined stroke so that no fluid can reach the nozzle chamber from the valve chamber. However, once the stroke of the valve element has exceeded the first predetermined stroke, the sealing element unblocks the fluid path between the valve chamber and the nozzle chamber so that a controlled dispensation of the fluid in the form of drops is then possible.
[0020] Here, it is preferred that the first predetermined stroke constitutes a multiple of the second predetermined stroke. In this manner it is on the one hand achieved that a fluid quantity sufficient to form drops can collect in the valve chamber. On the other hand, it is ensured that the dispensing opening is completely unblocked by the valve element. The transport of the fluid through a narrow opening between the valve element and the dispensing element can thus be avoided. An acceleration of the fluid during the dispensing is avoided. A dispensation of the fluid in the form of drops is rendered possible.
[0021] Embodiments are directed to a dispensing device for a fluid that include a fluid channel; a chamber arrangement including at least one sealing element; a dispensing opening; a valve element configured to be movably disposed within the chamber arrangement and to interact with the dispensing opening; and at least one sealing element, arranged within the chamber arrangement, that is configured to create a seal against the valve element during a first predetermined stroke of the valve element.
[0022] According to embodiments of the invention, the at least one sealing element can be configured so that, during the first predetermined stroke, a fluid path from the chamber arrangement to the dispensing opening can be closed. In a further stroke of the valve element, which exceeds the first predetermined stroke, the fluid path can be unblocked by the at least one sealing element. Further, the valve element may include a space, which forms a part of the fluid path, and the space can include at least one groove.
[0023] In accordance with other embodiments, the chamber arrangement may further include a valve chamber and a nozzle chamber, and the at least one sealing element can be configured to seal the nozzle chamber against the valve chamber. Further, the dispensing device can include a valve seat, in which the valve element can be movably disposed and which may include the at least one sealing element. The valve seat may be arranged between the valve chamber and the nozzle chamber. Moreover, a fluid path, which is selectively blockable by the at least one sealing element, can be opened into the nozzle chamber, in which the dispensing opening is arranged.
[0024] According to still other embodiments, the at least one sealing element can be formed as at least one sealing lip that is configured to bear against the valve element during the first predetermined stroke.
[0025] Still further, the valve element can be configured so that, during a second predetermined stroke of the valve element, the dispensing opening may be sealed and the fluid path from the chamber arrangement to the dispensing opening may be closed. The first predetermined stroke can constitute a multiple of the second predetermined stroke. Further, the first predetermined stroke can include the second first predetermined stroke.
[0026] In embodiments, the dispensing device may further include a liner channel extending between the fluid channel and the chamber arrangement. Further, a crown can be arranged at a transition from the liner channel to the chamber arrangement.
[0027] Embodiments of the invention can be directed to a method of dispensing a fluid from the above-described dispensing device. The method includes guiding the fluid from the fluid channel to the chamber arrangement, whereby the fluid in the chamber arrangement displaces the valve element relative to the at least one sealing element; and during the first predetermined stroke, maintaining a seal of the at least one sealing element against the valve element.
[0028] In accordance with still yet other embodiments of the present invention, during a second predetermined stroke of the valve element, which is part of the first predetermined stroke of the valve element, the method may further include blocking the dispensing opening. Further, during a stroke of the valve element that exceeds the second predetermined stroke, the method can include opening the dispensing opening. Moreover, in a stroke of the valve element that exceeds the second predetermined stroke but does not exceed the first predetermined stroke, the method may further include blocking a flow path of the fluid from the chamber arrangement to the dispensing opening. Still further, in a stroke of the valve element that exceeds the first predetermined stroke, the method may further include opening a flow path of the fluid from the chamber arrangement to the dispensing opening.
[0029] Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method of dispensing a fluid. The method includes guiding a fluid from the fluid supply to a valve chamber, whereby the fluid in the valve chamber displaces the valve element relative to the at least one sealing element; during the first predetermined stroke of the valve element, maintaining a seal between the valve chamber and a nozzle chamber; during a second predetermined stroke of the valve element, which is a part of the first predetermined stroke, blocking a dispensing opening in the nozzle chamber with at least a part of the valve element; during a stroke of the valve element that exceeds the second predetermined stroke but not the first predetermined stroke, unblocking the dispensing opening in the nozzle chamber while preventing a flow of the fluid from the valve chamber to the unblocked dispensing opening; and during a stroke of the valve element that exceeds the first predetermined stroke, opening a flow of the fluid from the valve chamber to the nozzle chamber so that the fluid is dispensed through the unblocked dispensing opening.
[0030] Other exemplary embodiments and advantages of the present invention may be ascertained by reviewing the present disclosure and the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] The present invention is further described in the detailed description which follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:
[0032] FIG. 1 shows a dispensing device for a fluid with a valve element in a closed state;
[0033] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of a chamber arrangement of the dispensing device for a fluid with the valve element in the closed state;
[0034] FIG. 3 shows a dispensing device for a fluid with the valve element in an open state; and
[0035] FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the chamber arrangement of the dispensing device for a fluid with the valve element in an open state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0036] The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the present invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice.
[0037] FIG. 1 shows a dispensing device 1 for a fluid. Dispensing device 1 comprises a head base part 2 that is disposed on a snap-on element 3 . A cone 4 extends from head base part 2 into an enclosure 5 through the snap-on element 3 in an axial direction. Cone 4 interacts with an enclosure spring 6 in enclosure 5 . Cone 4 comprises a fluid channel 7 . Fluid channel 7 extends towards head base part 2 in the axial direction.
[0038] Fluid channel 7 continues into a liner channel 8 in head base part 2 . This liner channel 8 is disposed between head base part 2 and a liner 9 .
[0039] Liner channel 8 opens into a chamber arrangement 10 . This chamber arrangement 10 comprises a valve chamber 11 . A space 12 thereby frees a fluid path from valve chamber 11 to a nozzle chamber 13 . Nozzle chamber 13 comprises a dispensing opening 14 . Dispensing opening 14 is embodied in the form of a calotte 15 .
[0040] A valve element 16 is disposed in the chamber arrangement 10 . This element comprises a first sealing lip 17 in valve chamber 11 . At an end of valve element 16 opposite of first sealing lip 17 , valve element 16 is embodied in the shape of a cylinder 18 . Valve chamber 11 is divided into two regions by first sealing lip 17 . The fluid path of liner channel 8 continues into a first region of valve chamber 11 . This first region of valve chamber 11 is spatially separated from a second region of valve chamber 11 by first sealing lip 17 . The second region of the valve chamber 11 comprises a head spring 19 .
[0041] Between valve chamber 11 and nozzle chamber 13 , a valve seat 20 is disposed. This valve seat 20 comprises at least one crown 21 . Crown 21 is disposed at the transition from liner channel 8 to valve chamber 11 . Furthermore, valve seat 20 comprises a sealing element 22 .
[0042] The embodiment of the dispensing device 1 described above is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 . Identical features are thereby provided with the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 thereby illustrates a state of the dispensing device 1 in which the valve element 16 is disposed in a closed state. FIG. 3 , on the other hand, shows the same dispensing device 1 , in which the valve element 16 is disposed in an open state.
[0043] A functional principle of the dispensing device 1 will now be explained in greater detail with the aid of FIGS. 2 and 4 .
[0044] To dispense the fluid, a user moves head base part 2 towards snap-on element 3 in the axial direction. As a result, cone 4 is moved against the spring force of enclosure spring 6 in the interior of enclosure 5 . The volume in a pump chamber of enclosure 5 thereby decreases. The pump chamber is formed by the space surrounding enclosure spring 6 . The transported fluid quantity is determined by a stroke of cone 4 inside the pump chamber. The dosage of a predetermined fluid quantity is hereby rendered possible. By the resulting overpressure, the fluid is displaced into fluid channel 7 from the pump chamber. The fluid is transported along fluid channel 7 in an axial direction. The transport of the fluid continues in or along liner 9 through liner channel 8 . At an axial end of liner channel 8 , the fluid ultimately passes through crown 21 and enters valve chamber 11 .
[0045] A certain fluid collection in the valve chamber 11 occurs. As more fluid collects in the valve chamber 11 , the pressure of the fluid on valve element 16 increases. More particularly, the first region of valve chamber 11 , i.e., above valve element 16 , can thereby be sealed against the second region of the valve chamber 11 , i.e., below valve element 16 , in which head spring 19 is disposed, by first sealing lip 17 . Furthermore, valve chamber 11 is sealed against nozzle chamber 13 by sealing element 22 . Thus, the fluid collecting in valve chamber 11 displaces valve element 16 against the spring force of head spring 19 .
[0046] Before the displacement of valve element 16 against the spring force of head spring 19 takes place, cylinder 18 seals outlet opening 14 . This seal is achieved, for example, by a positive fit. The possibility of a contamination of nozzle chamber 13 can be avoided.
[0047] The fluid entering valve chamber 11 displaces valve element 16 against spring force of head spring 19 , resulting in a stroke of valve element 16 . After a further stroke, e.g., a second predetermined stroke, of valve element 16 , cylinder 18 unblocks dispensing opening 14 . However, at this point, sealing element 22 still bears against valve element 16 in a fluid-tight manner so that the fluid located in valve chamber 11 cannot enter space 12 . Space 12 can be embodied, as in the exemplary embodiment, as a groove in valve element 16 . A still further stroke of valve element 16 continues until sealing element 22 reaches space 12 , whereby valve element 16 in total can be understood to have traveled a first predetermined stroke. Therefore, during the first predetermined stroke, sealing element 22 creates and maintains a seal against valve element 16 .
[0048] The stroke of valve element 16 can be continued so as to exceed the first predetermined stroke, whereby an overlap of sealing element 22 with space 12 occurs. In this arrangement, sealing element 22 then unblocks a fluid path from valve chamber 11 to nozzle chamber 13 via space 12 . The fluid located in valve chamber 11 can enter space 12 and can then be transported through space 12 into nozzle chamber 13 . In the exemplary embodiment shown, the first predetermined stroke is embodied as a multiple of the second predetermined stroke. In this manner, it is achieved that cylinder 18 has completely unblocked dispensing opening 14 after a stroke that is larger than the first predetermined stroke.
[0049] The volume of valve chamber 11 is larger than the volume of space 12 . As a result, the fluid is accelerated upon entering space 12 . This acceleration is undesired, since a controlled dispensation of the fluid in the form of drops is intended. For this reason, nozzle chamber 13 , which has a larger volume than space 12 , is disposed after space 12 in the transport direction of the fluid in the fluid path. The fluid accelerated in space 12 can thus expand in nozzle chamber 13 , resulting in the fluid being decelerated. Nozzle chamber 13 then comprises dispensing opening 14 . The fluid can pass out of dispensing opening 14 along calotte 15 in the form of drops.
[0050] On the one hand, the dispensation of the fluid in the form of drops by dispensing device 1 is hereby rendered possible. On the other hand, a contamination of dispensing device 1 with foreign matter can be avoided to a great extent.
[0051] The contamination of the dispensing device 1 is avoided on the one hand by the sealing of the dispensing opening 14 by cylinder 18 in a closed state of valve element 16 . The spatial separation of nozzle chamber 13 and valve chamber 11 by valve seat 20 also serves this purpose. Sealing element 22 prevents an ingress of foreign matter from nozzle chamber 13 into valve chamber 11 during the first predetermined stroke, i.e., during a stroke that is smaller than the first predetermined stroke. During a further stroke, which is larger than and a continuation of the first predetermined stroke, sealing element 22 unblocks the fluid path so that fluid from valve chamber 11 enters space 12 and, subsequently, nozzle chamber 13 . Foreign matter potentially located in nozzle chamber 13 is thus washed out. This matter cannot reach valve chamber 11 through space 12 against the fluid flow. A contamination of dispensing device 1 can thus be avoided to a large extent.
[0052] It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular elements, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.
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Dispensing device for a fluid and method for dispensing fluid from dispensing device. Dispensing device includes a fluid channel; a chamber arrangement including at least one sealing element; a dispensing opening; a valve element configured to be movably disposed within the chamber arrangement and to interact with the dispensing opening; and at least one sealing element, arranged within the chamber arrangement, that is configured to create a seal against the valve element during a first predetermined stroke of the valve element.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a calibration device for mass flow meters and a method for calibrating a mass flow meter using such a calibration device, and more particularly, to a calibration device having at a test piece measuring section, a device for creating a flow of a medium through the test piece measuring section and a temperature-measuring device in the test piece measuring section for detecting the temperature of the medium and a method for calibrating a mass flow meter using such a calibration device.
2. Description of Related Art
Calibration devices of the above-mentioned type have been known for a long time from the related art. Calibration serves the purpose of detecting the deviation of the measurement of the mass flow meter test piece from a standard value provided by the calibration device in order to calibrate the mass flow meter test piece using the deviation. Such calibration devices are also used in the calibration of mass flow meters, wherein, the conformity with certain accuracy requirements is approved by certified institutes, such as, for example, the German Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. The requirement of calibration and repeated calibration of a mass flow meter results in part from the field of application of mass flow meters, for example, the transportation of oil for custody transfer in which only calibrated mass flow meters may be used.
Additionally, a high accuracy is always desired from a technical perspective. In particular, regarding high-grade fluid or gaseous goods, such as crude oil and natural gas, there is a large interest, from the distributors point of view, that the amount to be delivered and only that amount is actually delivered, and from the purchasers point of view, that the requested amount, especially at least the requested amount, is received. Measurement tolerances always impact one of the parties in trade and they usually impact the distributor.
The standard value with which the measurement of the mass flow meter test piece is compared can exist in the form of a standard measuring device, which is also placed in the test piece measuring section. In this manner the standard measuring device is subjected to the same flow as the mass flow meter test piece to be calibrated arranged at a distance away in the test piece measuring section. This is valid, in particular in gaseous media, insofar as other variables influencing the mass or volume flow within the medium are stationary, or at least are stationary for as long as the standard measuring device and the mass flow meter test piece have carried out their measurement under the same conditions. Normally, calibration devices also include pressure measuring devices, since, in particular in gaseous media, the pressure has a large influence on the density of the medium. Thus, pressure represents an important variable for such mass flow meters that are based on the measurement of the flow speed of the medium, as is the case in, for example, with the use of ultrasonic mass flow meters, as opposed to measuring devices that allow a direct conclusion about the mass flow due to their measuring principle, for example, in Coriolis mass flow meters.
Often, a standard value is also implemented as a volumetric standard value in which a geometrically measured reference volume, for example, in the form of a plunger system, is pushed in the volume of the test piece measuring section in a certain time such that the flow can be adjusted very accurately using the test piece measuring section.
The temperature-measuring device in the calibration device, mentioned above, is necessary or advantageous for an accurate calibration for different reasons. Firstly, the exact detection of the temperature of the medium is of interest for calibrating mass flow meter test pieces at different operating temperatures. Secondly, the temperature of the medium also substantially influences the calibration device. For example, geometric measurements of the tube system of the calibration device are dependent on the temperature of the medium, in particular thermal expansion or contraction.
It is known from the related art to detect the temperature of the medium with high accuracy using invasive temperature probes, i.e., temperature sensors that extend into the volume flowing through the test piece measuring section. Generally, temperature probes are used that are based on changes in electrical impedance, for example, platinum temperature sensors that are arranged in the tip of a measuring tube extending into the flow of the medium. In this instance, temperature measurement occurs with high accuracy. However, the invasive temperature probe has the disadvantage that the flow at the measurement point and downstream from the measurement point have substantial disturbances such that the flow in the calibration device cannot be produced as steadily, in total, as is necessary for a highly accurate measurement. A further disadvantage is that an invasive temperature-measuring device only provides selective temperature information, which does not allow the measurement of temperatures changing along a flow profile, i.e., the identification of a temperature profile. This can be avoided by measuring the temperature with temperature probes at different points in the flow profile or in a flow cross-section. However, this is very disadvantageous because the number of disturbances induced in the flow to be measured is then increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus a primary object of the present invention to provide a calibration device for mass flow meters with which the disadvantages in the calibration devices known from the related art can be avoided. In particular, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a calibration device for a disturbance-free as possible and highly-accurate detection of the temperature of the flowing medium.
The primary object is achieved in an aspect of the invention that includes a calibration device with a temperature-measuring device that is designed as an ultrasonic temperature-measuring device. Consequently, the temperature of the medium is determined using the speed of an emitted ultrasonic signal in the medium. The ultrasonic temperature-measuring device does not extend into the flow cross-section of the test piece measuring section, and thus the flow in the test piece measuring section is essentially unaffected by the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device.
In ultrasonic temperature measurement the sonic velocity within a medium depends on the temperature of the medium. This relationship is applied such that when one is provided with a known path length of the ultrasonic signal from the sender to the receiver, the temperature of the medium can be deduced from the measurement of the running time.
The advantage initially achieved from the use of an ultrasonic temperature-measuring device for determining the temperature of the medium is that the flow remains uninfluenced for the most part. This advantage is achieved because the flow is not disturbed, as opposed to temperature measurement in the related art which generally involves an invasive temperature-measuring device.
A further advantage of the use of an ultrasonic temperature-measuring device is that it determines a changing temperature of the medium practically immediately. The measuring time is solely the time in which the ultrasonic signal needs to proceed through the signal path in the test piece measuring section, wherein such a signal path typically runs perpendicular to the direction of flow. Thus, the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device also allows for the detection of quick temperature changes of the medium.
A further advantage of the use of an ultrasonic temperature-measuring device is that an average temperature value over the path of the ultrasonic signal in the test piece measuring section is detected rather than only a temperature at one point within the flowing medium being detected. An average temperature value over the path of the ultrasonic signal in the test piece measuring section is detected because the ultrasonic signal is always propagated with a speed corresponding to a temperature of the medium in areas of different temperature and the running time of the ultrasonic signal acting as the actual measured value automatically describes the average temperature along the signal path of the ultrasonic signal.
The ultrasonic temperature-measuring device is preferably provided in the test piece measuring section where the mass flow meter test piece to be calibrated is inserted. More preferably, the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device is provided on the incoming end of the mass flow meter test piece. Additionally, it can also be advantageous to provide an additional ultrasonic temperature-measuring device at the outgoing end of the mass flow meter test piece in the test piece measuring section. Accordingly, changes in temperature in close proximity to the mass flow meter test piece can be identified and taken into account.
According to a another aspect of the invention, it is provided that an invasive reference temperature-measuring device and an associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device are arranged adjacent to one another in the calibration device. This arrangement provides for the flow in the test piece measuring section in the area of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device and in the area of the mass flow meter test piece to be essentially unaffected by the invasive reference temperature-measuring device. Thus, the ultrasonic speed in the medium can be determined with the reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device at the medium temperature determined using the invasive reference temperature-measuring device.
The above-mentioned another aspect of the invention has substantial advantages. Due to the adjacent arrangement of the invasive reference temperature-measuring device and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device, it is possible to detect a reliable correlation between the ultrasonic speed and the temperature of the same medium, which is used in the calibration device. For this reason, it is not necessary to use mathematical/physical relations that describe the temperature dependence of the ultrasonic speed in the medium, since such relations are not even known in some circumstances for a specific medium or, at any rate, are not known well enough. There is also no longer the necessity to have exact knowledge of the medium with which the measurement is carried out, since the relation between sonic velocity and medium temperature is determined metrologically in the calibration device itself.
When it is said that the invasive reference temperature-measuring device and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device are arranged adjacent to one another, it is meant that they are arranged as close to one another as possible, so that the measurement given by them is practically always related to one and the same section of the flowing medium. For this reason, the probability is decreased that, in the case of a temporal change of the temperature of the medium, this change has already been detected by one of the reference measuring devices, while the other of the two reference measuring devices could not have yet noticed this change within the medium. Preferably, the invasive reference temperature-measuring device is arranged downstream from the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device so that disturbances induced in the flow from the invasive reference temperature-measuring device do not affect the reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device.
When it is further discussed that the flow in the test piece measuring section in the area of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device and in the area of the mass flow meter test piece is essentially not influenced by the invasive reference temperature-measuring device, it is meant that disturbances in the flow induced by the invasive reference temperature-measuring device at the location of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device and at the location of the mass flow meter test piece to be calibrated are practically dissipated, e.g., the turbulent kinetic energy of the flow is dissipated to at least 90% after the invasive reference temperature-measuring device at the location of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device and at the location of the mass flow meter test piece.
The great advantage of equipping the calibration device according to the invention with an invasive reference temperature-measuring device and an associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device is then achieved when the relation obtained from the reference measurement between the ultrasonic speed v ref in the medium and the medium temperature T ref is the basis for the temperature measurement with the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device in the test piece measuring section. Because, in this aspect, the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device, which is preferably located close to the mass flow meter test piece, is best calibrated to the special temperature dependency of the sonic velocity in the medium currently being used within the calibration device.
There are various possibilities for arranging the reference measuring devices in the calibration device such that the ultrasonic measuring device and the mass flow meter test piece remain as much undisturbed as possible. According to another aspect of the invention, it is provided that the invasive reference temperature-measuring device and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device are arranged in the test piece measuring section. For example, the invasive reference temperature-measuring device and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device, can be arranged downstream from the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device and the mass flow meter test piece. Alternatively, the reference measuring devices can be arranged a predetermined distance upstream from the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device and the mass flow meter test piece such that the disturbances created by the invasive reference temperature-measuring device do not affect the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device and the mass flow meter test piece.
According to an alternative aspect of the inventions, it is provided that a by-pass to the test piece measuring section is implemented in the calibration device and the invasive reference temperature-measuring device and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device are arranged in the by-pass. Due to the by-pass to the test piece measuring section, it is essentially possible to channel off medium flowing from the test piece measuring section and to examine it with the invasive reference temperature-measuring device and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device. This enables the reference measurement and the measurement in the flow of the test piece measuring section, in which the mass flow meter test piece to be calibrated is located, to be locally de-coupled, which prevents a mutual influencing of the reference measurement and the measurement in the test piece measuring section.
It has been seen to be of particular advantage when the by-pass can be de-coupled in terms of flow from the test piece measuring section by means of stop valves, i.e., the by-pass can be opened and closed to the test piece measuring section. Therefore, when the by-pass is closed a reference measurement can also occur with a large as possible flow-related de-coupling from the test piece measuring section.
According to a particularly preferred aspect of the invention, it is provided that the by-pass forms a by-pass loop. In particular, a conveying device and/or a heating device and/or a cooling device for the medium are provided in the by-pass loop. This opens up a plurality of possibilities for carrying out reference measurements independently of the occurrences in the test piece measuring section, since the flow in the by-pass loop and in the test piece measuring section are influenced independent of one another. The medium in the by-pass loop can be circulated with the conveying device, which is usually designed as a pump. In particular, it is ensured that a homogeneous state of the medium is regulated within the by-pass loop. More specifically, a constant temperature is regulated. The temperature of the medium can be influenced by the conveying device but also with the use of the above-mentioned heating or cooling devices. In this manner, a plurality of reference measurements can be easily carried out parallel to the test piece measuring section, so that the correlation v ref =f(T ref ) between the ultrasonic speed v ref in the medium and the medium temperature T ref can be very accurately and easily determined, also, in terms of time, parallel or before the measurements on the mass flow meter test piece.
The tasks derived are accomplished by a method for calibrating a mass flow meter with the above-described calibration device, wherein the calibration device has at least one test piece measuring section, into which the mass flow meter test piece to be calibrated can be inserted, at least one device for creating a flow of a medium through the test piece measuring section and at least one temperature-measuring device in the test piece measuring section for detecting the temperature of the medium. The temperature-measuring device is further designed as an ultrasonic temperature-measuring device, an invasive reference temperature-measuring device and an associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device that are arranged adjacent to one another in the calibration device in such a manner that the flow in the test piece measuring section in the area of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device and in the area of the mass flow meter test piece are essentially not influenced by the invasive reference temperature-measuring device.
Thus, with the reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device, the ultrasonic speed v ref in the medium can be determined using the medium temperature T ref determined by the invasive reference temperature-measuring device. According to the method of the invention, it is provided that a measurement of the ultrasonic speed by means of the reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device and a measurement of the medium temperature by means of the invasive reference temperature-measuring device are carried out in the calibration device and the relation v ref =f(T ref ) between the ultrasonic speed v ref in the medium and the medium temperature T ref obtained from these measurements forms the basis for the temperature measurement with the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device in the test piece measuring section.
As has already been described referring to the calibration device according to the invention, the advantage of this approach is that a highly accurate reference measurement can be carried out in the calibration device with the medium, which is also used for calibrating the mass flow meter test piece. Additionally, a quick measurement of the temperature can be carried out in the test piece measuring section averaged over the signal path of the ultrasonic signal, also in the immediate proximity of the mass flow meter test piece, wherein a maximum accuracy of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device is given by using the relation v ref =f(T ref ) found via the reference measurement.
Preferable another aspect of the above-mentioned method exists in that the relation between the ultrasonic speed v ref in the medium and the medium temperature T ref is obtained in the by-pass after the by-pass is flooded with the medium present in the test piece measuring section and then the by-pass is de-coupled in terms of flow from the test piece measuring section by means of the stop valves. Using this approach, the temperature dependency of the ultrasonic speed can be detected very accurately in the by-pass and particularly without running the risk that the reference measurement influences the actual calibration process.
Since the temperature measurement by means of the invasive reference temperature-measuring device is particularly highly accurate, but comparably slow, a preferred aspect of the method provides that a stationary temperature state of the resting or also flowing medium is watched for in the by-pass. In particular a stationary state in view of the medium temperature determined with the reference temperature-measuring device before the relation v ref =f(T ref ) between the ultrasonic speed v ref in the medium and the medium temperature T ref is determined and approved for use in the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device in the test piece measuring section. The stationary state of the medium can be detected because successive reference measurements have to fall below a pre-determined maximum change threshold so that the reference measurement is accepted as such and goes into the revealed relation between the ultrasonic speed in the medium and the medium temperature.
It is of particular advantage that the relation between the medium temperature and the sonic velocity within the medium exists in the form of a characteristic curve, wherein further influencing factors, such as pressure, for example, can be taken into account. Insofar, it is provided in a preferred embodiment of the invention that multiple temperatures are adjusted subsequently in the by-pass, in particular while using a conveying device and/or a heating device and/or a cooling device for the medium provided in the by-pass or by-pass loop and multiple relations v ref =f(T ref ) between the ultrasonic speed v ref in the medium and the medium temperature T ref are obtained. In particular, the medium pressure is also measured and noted for every detected correlation.
The present invention is described in the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompany drawings which show, by way of non-limiting examples, exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a calibration device known from the related art;
FIG. 2 shows a schematic calibration device according to an embodiment of the invention with an ultrasonic temperature-measuring device;
FIGS. 3 a & 3 b show a schematic calibration device according to another embodiment of the invention with a reference measuring device in the test piece measuring section;
FIGS. 4 a & 4 b show a schematic calibration device according to another embodiment of the invention with a reference measuring device in a by-pass to the test piece measuring section;
FIG. 5 shows a further schematic representation of another embodiment of the calibration device according to the invention; and
FIG. 6 shows a schematic section of another embodiment of the calibration device according to the invention with attention to the particular design of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1 , a known calibration device 1 from the related art is shown schematically. The calibration device has a test piece measuring section 2 in which a mass flow meter test piece 3 to be calibrated can be inserted and is presently inserted. The calibration device 1 additionally has a device 4 for creating a flow of a medium through the test piece measuring section 2 . By way of non-limiting example, the device 4 can be a pump. Furthermore, the calibration device 1 has a temperature-measuring device 5 in the test piece measuring section 2 that is in immediate proximity to the mass flow meter test piece 3 . The temperature measuring device 5 serves to detect the temperature of the medium.
The temperature-measuring device 5 in FIG. 1 is an invasive temperature-measuring sensor that extends into the volume of the test piece measuring section 2 . For example, the temperature-measuring device 5 can be designed as an enclosed PT100 resistance element. The temperature measurement is particularly highly accurate with such an invasive temperature receiver. However, the invasive temperature receiver has the disadvantage that the measurement only occurs at points in a small section of the flow cross-section. Furthermore, the invasive temperature receiver has the additional disadvantage that the flow is influenced by the sensor extending into the volume of the test piece measuring section 2 , so that disturbances 6 are induced in the practically interference-free flow downstream from the temperature-measuring device 5 .
The calibration device 1 also has a pressure sensor 7 , which is provided on the circumference of the tube wall of the test piece measuring section 2 , but does not extend into the volume of the test piece measuring section 2 . The pressure is, in particular for gaseous media, an essential variable for determining the mass flow and for determining the pressure-dependent parameters of the medium.
The temperature-measuring device 5 is provided very close to the mass flow meter test piece 3 , so that an exact impression of the temperature conditions of the medium can be obtained in immediate proximity of the mass flow meter test piece 3 .
Also, calibration device 1 generally has a standard measuring device, wherein the results of the mass flow meter test piece 3 are compared with the measurements of the standard measuring device. In other known calibration devices, a volumetric standard is used, for example in the form of a plunger system, in which a defined flow can be adjusted, in which the plungers of the volumetric standard displace a certain medium volume in a certain time and press through the test piece measuring section. This is not shown in detail here, since these details are not important for essential points of the calibration device 1 according to the invention.
A calibration device 1 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 2 and differs from the calibration device 1 known from the related art according to FIG. 1 in that the temperature-measuring device 5 is designed as an ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 . Consequently, the use of an ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 enables the calibration device 1 to obtain a medium temperature that is determined using the speed of an emitted ultrasonic signal in the medium. The ultrasonic signals emitted from the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 moves in the medium practically without disturbance. It is important that the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 does not extend into the flow cross-section of the test piece measuring section 2 , so that the flow in the test piece measuring section 2 is essentially not influenced by the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 .
The advantage of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 and its use in immediate proximity to the mass flow meter test piece 3 is that the information about the ultrasonic speed, and thus, about the temperature, is present practically without delay. This advantage is achieved because a sensor and its casing do not have to be heated first by the medium e.g., an invasive temperature-measuring device of the related art, rather the medium is measured practically by itself using the propagation speed of the acoustic noise.
A further advantage of using the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 is that the running time of the ultrasonic signal is always measured via the signal path. Consequently, the running time is measured automatically and the average temperature along the signal path is determinable. Thus, the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 does not only give a selective impression of the temperature, but rather provides an average overall temperature via the signal path. The signal paths of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 implemented and shown here run substantially perpendicular to the flow of the medium within the calibration device 1 .
However, by using the ultrasonic temperature-measuring devices 8 for determining the temperature of a medium there can be a problem in that the relationship between the medium temperature and the ultrasonic speed in the medium is very dependent on the medium used. Consequently, the relationship has to be known in order to obtain the speed, and thus, the temperature in the medium, as a result of measuring the running time of the ultrasonic signal.
Accordingly, in the calibration devices 1 according to FIGS. 3 a - 5 , it is provided that an invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 and an associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 are arranged adjacent to one another in the calibration device 1 , so that the variables medium temperature T ref and ultrasonic speed v ref can be detected metrologically by the reference measuring devices 9 and 10 practically at one location; “adjacent to one another” is to be understood in this sense.
The reference temperature-measuring device 9 and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 are additionally arranged in the calibration device 1 in such a manner that the flow in the test piece measuring section 2 in the area of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 and the area of the mass flow meter test piece 3 is essentially not influenced by the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 . For example, the reference temperature-measuring device 9 and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 can be arranged a predetermined distance upstream or downstream from the area of the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 and the area of the mass flow meter test piece 3 . Thus, the ultrasonic speed v ref in the medium at the medium temperature T ref determined by the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 is determined with the reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 .
This configuration for measuring the medium temperature T ref and the ultrasonic speed v ref allows for the advantages of the highly exact invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 , which is arranged away from the mass flow meter test piece 3 , and the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 , to be combined with the quick ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 that makes an average via the cross-section in the proximity of the mass flow meter test piece 3 to be calibrated. This advantage is achieved because the relationship between the medium temperature and the ultrasonic speed can be determined in the medium via the reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 provided adjacent to the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 .
The invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 are arranged downstream from the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 and the mass flow meter test piece 3 to be calibrated in FIG. 3 a . However, the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 are so far away from the mass flow meter test piece 3 that the disturbances 6 in the flow induced by the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 are practically dissipated in the area of the mass flow meter test piece 3 to be calibrated and the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 .
In contrast, the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 are arranged downstream from the mass flow meter test piece 3 in the calibration device 1 according to FIG. 3 b , so that the induced disturbances 6 cannot easily make their way to the area of the mass flow meter test piece 3 to be calibrated and the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 . The calibration devices 1 according to FIGS. 3 a and 3 b are designed such that the relation v ref =f(T ref ) between the ultrasonic speed v ref in the medium and the medium temperature T ref obtained from the reference measurement forms the basis for the temperature measurement with the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 in the test piece measuring section 2 , i.e. this relationship is taken into account in the evaluation of the signal running times obtained by the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 , which is indicated in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b by the curvy arrow.
In practice, the calibration device 1 has an evaluation unit not shown here, in which the measurement data for the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 , the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 are centrally detected and further processed as described above. In the embodiments according to FIGS. 3 a and 3 b , the influence-free arrangement of the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 is implemented in that both reference measuring devices 9 and 10 are arranged in the test piece measuring section 2 and arranged practically with enough distance to the mass flow meter test piece 3 and the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 in the test piece measuring section 2 so that the reference measurements and the calibration measurements can be carried out simultaneously. If the reference measurement is to be carried out with the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 for determining the relation v ref =f(T ref ), then the measurement is to be carried out using the entire calibration device 1 .
Most of the flow tubes of the calibration device 1 are shown only as lines in FIGS. 4 and 5 . It is provided in the calibration devices 1 according to FIGS. 4 a , 4 b and 5 that a by-pass 11 to the test piece measuring section 2 is implemented. The invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 and the associated reference ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 10 are arranged in the by-pass 11 ; only this part of the tube system is shown two-dimensionally.
Further, it is provided in the calibration device 1 that the by-pass 11 can be de-coupled from the test piece measuring section 2 in terms of flow by means of stop valves 12 , 13 and 14 . The operation of the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 in the by-pass allows a very simple, effective and far-reaching isolation of the reference measurement from the measurement in the test piece measuring section 2 . This is particularly the case when the stop valves 12 and 13 prevent any flow-related interaction between the by-pass 11 and the test piece measuring section 2 .
The design of the by-pass 11 shown in FIG. 4 b is of particular advantage, in which the by-pass 11 forms a by-pass loop, in which a conveying device 15 in the form of, by way of non-limiting example is a pump, and a combined heating and cooling device 16 and 17 for the medium are provided. Using a by-pass loop that is designed in such a manner, it is possible to always mix and homogenize the medium such that a stationary state of the medium can be set in the by-pass 11 . The stationary state of the medium allows for the invasive reference temperature-measuring device 9 , which is highly accurate, but slow, to obtain a stationary temperature measurement, so that correlations between the medium temperature T ref and the ultrasonic propagation speed v ref in the medium can be determined with high accuracy. These correlations can be determined for different temperatures and dependent on other parameters, such as the pressure P of the medium, for example, so that characteristic curves can be gathered for the quick ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 practically de-coupled from the test piece measuring section 2 with the by-pass loop, indicated in the value table with v ref,i T ref,i . The shown by-pass 11 is loaded with the medium at regular intervals in the test piece measuring section 2 , so that it is always guaranteed that the medium used in the test piece measuring section 2 for calibration is also the medium forming the basis for the reference measurements in the by-pass 11 .
The calibration device 1 according to FIG. 5 shows a test piece measuring section 2 designed as a test piece measuring section loop, which additionally has a combined heating and cooling device 18 and 19 for the medium. Furthermore, a mass flow meter 20 is also provided as a working standard. In this manner, the calibration device 1 can be operated practically at any flow and state of the medium, which allows for a comprehensive calibration of the mass flow meter test piece 3 . As can be seen in FIG. 5 , multiple ultrasonic temperature-measuring devices 8 a , 8 b , 8 c and 8 d are arranged in the direction of flow spaced from one another in the test piece measuring section 2 , so that a temperature curve within the test piece measuring section 2 can be detected. This is of particular interest when, for example, the changing geometry of the calibration device 1 , in particular caused by temperature influences, has to be compensated.
In FIG. 6 , it is shown schematically that the ultrasonic temperature-measuring device 8 has multiple ultrasonic measuring paths 20 a , 20 b and 20 c through a cross-section of the test piece measuring section 2 in the test piece measuring section. The ultrasonic measuring paths 20 a , 20 b and 20 c run radially or parallel through the cross-section of the test piece measuring section. For this reason, it is possible in the case of the radial ultrasonic measuring paths 20 a , 20 b and 20 c to measure the average of the entire flow cross-section, wherein simultaneously layering effects within the flow, in particular layering effects due to gravitation, can be taken into account practically. The alignment of the parallel measuring paths 20 a , 20 b and 20 c allow, in turn, specific boundary current effects to be acknowledged and taken into account in further measurements.
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A calibration device for mass flow meters including a test piece measuring section into which the mass flow meter test piece to be calibrated can be inserted, a device for creating a flow of a medium through the test piece measuring section and a temperature-measuring device positioned in the test piece measuring section for detecting the temperature of the medium. The temperature-measuring device is position in the flow such that the flow is disturbed as little as possible, while at the same time being capable of highly-accurate detection of the temperature of the flowing medium. In particular, the temperature-measuring device is an ultrasonic temperature-measuring device that is configured to emit an ultrasonic signal into the medium and determine the temperature of the medium by measuring a speed of the emitted ultrasonic signal.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates in general to a device for securing and protecting a fuel transducer module in relation to a fuel tank.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A fuel transducer module is a common element in a fuel storage vessel, such as a fuel tank utilized in a vehicle. A fuel tank is a vessel having at least one filler opening and at least one outlet. Because the fuel tank is often mounted deep within the structure of a vehicle, and hence, not readily accessible or visible to the operator, a fuel level sensing unit or transducer is typically installed in the tank to transmit, electrically or mechanically, an indication of the quantity of fuel remaining in the tank.
[0003] Because each opening in the fuel tank presents the opportunity for spillage or leakage, it is desirable to minimize the number of openings therein, and accordingly, fuel tank designs may utilize a unified transducer module which includes conduits for fuel and fuel vapors. The module fits over or within an opening in the tank, and is secured to the tank by appropriate seals to prevent leakage.
[0004] In a typical mounting installation for a fuel transducer module, a “hard point” or anchor is permanently affixed to the tank. Typical of such attachment points is an imbedded or encapsulated ring, commonly referred to as an “E-ring” which may be molded into a plastic tank or welded to a metal tank. Such an E-ring typically surrounds a circular opening in the tank, and the fuel transducer module is engaged therewith. To hold the fuel transducer module in position on the tank in relation to the E-ring, a locking ring is provided which engages the E-ring and typically captures a flange on the fuel transducer module between the locking ring and the surface of the fuel tank. Typical of such installations is a fuel-sending unit and locking ring as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,463, issued to Seizert, et al., and described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0021271, to Tratnik.
[0005] A typical fuel transducer module presents one or more electrical connectors, usually in the form of an electrical union comprised of a socket and a plurality of conductors disposed in each. The transducer module also typically contains one or more fuel conduits or vents which communicate with the interior of the fuel tank.
[0006] In recent years, vehicle crashworthiness standards have evolved which include regulations and engineering specifications designed to reduce the likelihood of fire or explosion in the event of a vehicular accident. In particular, a great deal of attention has been paid to fuel tank design, with due consideration to the positioning of the fuel tanks in vehicles, and the reduction of risk of damage to the fuel tank and its components in a collision.
[0007] Because elements of the fuel transducer protrude outward from the surface of the fuel tank, it is desirable that those components be protected from impact during a collision. As a result, guards have been developed to surround the fuel transducer module, thereby offering a measure of protection against damage to the components of the module during a collision.
[0008] Existing guards utilize either a stamped or drawn construction. These guards have a plurality of openings which allow electrical wiring and tubing to be connected from the vehicle in which the fuel tank is mounted to the fuel transducer module. The guards are typically mounted to the fuel tank or locking ring using threaded fasteners, such as studs.
[0009] The design of currently known guards, however, presents certain practical limitations during fuel tank assembly and repair operations. Attachment of a guard utilizing threaded fasteners is time-consuming, and the manufacture of locking rings containing threaded fasteners is expensive. Additionally, currently known guards require the removal of the electrical connectors, fuel and vent lines from the transducer during the assembly or repair process.
[0010] It is desirable, therefore, to provide a fuel-sending unit protective cover which can be easily attached to and removed from the fuel tank without the need for fasteners or tools, which is simple to manufacture and affordable, and which simplifies vehicle assembly and repair by being installable and removable without disturbing the electrical, fluid and vent connections between a vehicle and its installed fuel tank.
[0011] It is an object of the present invention, to provide a protective guard to surround a fuel transducer module, and to protect said module against damage from external forces.
[0012] It is further an object of the present invention to provide a guard which is easily formed from a single piece of material.
[0013] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a guard which is easily and securely attached to a fuel tank and fuel transducer mounting ring without the need for fasteners, such as nuts, bolts or studs, and which can be affixed to a fuel tank without the use of numerous tools.
[0014] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a guard for a fuel transducer module which is easily installed and removed from a fuel tank, while allowing the fuel transducer module to remain in place, and without requiring disconnection of conduits or electrical wiring harnesses from the transducer.
SUMMARY
[0015] A fuel-sending unit protective cover is provided for protecting a fuel transducer module mounted to a fuel tank. The protective cover is associated with a locking ring. The locking ring engages the E-ring permanently secured to a fuel tank, by rotational engagement of the locking ring with one or more tabs protruding from the E-ring. A plurality of slots is provided on the locking ring to engage the tabs of the E-ring, and a fuel transducer module is captured between the surface of the fuel tank and the E-ring.
[0016] A cover body with a plurality of descending legs is configured to engage ascending legs on the E-ring. The distal ends of the descending legs are provided with feet, which, in turn, engage spring clips mounted to the ascending legs of the locking ring. The body of the cover is provided with a socket for engagement with an installation and removal tool.
[0017] The feet of the cover engage detents in the spring clips preventing unintentional rotation of the cover in relation to the E-ring. The cover and its associated legs are configured so that the legs do not interfere with the fuel transducer module when the cover is installed or removed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fuel transducer module associated with a locking ring, as taught in the prior art.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a side view of the present invention in engagement with a locking ring, as positioned on a fuel tank.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the surface of a fuel tank to which is attached a conventional E-ring.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the present invention in partial engagement with the locking ring of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the protective cover and locking ring of the present invention in substantial engagement.
[0024] FIG. 5A is a detailed view of a first portion of the locking ring engaged with the protective cover.
[0025] FIG. 5B is a detailed view of a second portion of the locking ring engaged with the protective cover.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The environment in which the invention operates is depicted generally at FIG. 1 . A fuel tank 12 , typically constructed of either metal or plastic, is formed in the configuration of a generally closed vessel having a top, bottom, and sides. As depicted in FIG. 1 , an attachment area 14 it is designated on one surface of the fuel tank 12 (usually a top surface) onto which a fuel transducer module 20 will be mounted. Typically, this area 14 of the fuel tank 12 is substantially flat and smooth. An opening is formed in the fuel tank 12 to accommodate portions of the fuel transducer module 20 including associated conduits 22 and fuel-level measuring elements (not shown). The transducer module 20 is also typically equipped with an electrical union 24 in the form of a socket equipped with a plurality of electrical conductors, designed to engage with a mating electrical plug (not shown). The transducer module 20 contains multiple conduits 22 for transmission of fuel, air and fuel vapors to and from the interior of the fuel tank 12 . All of the conduits 22 and electrical unions 24 are mounted to a unitary body, and the entire transducer module 20 is typically pre-manufactured and appropriately configured for the particular fuel tank installation of the type common to motor vehicles. It will be appreciated that fuel transducer modules 20 of this type are designed to be fully pre-assembled prior to installation on the fuel tank 12 .
[0027] The fuel transducer module 20 body is typically cylindrical, having the necessary strength and thickness to provide sufficient mechanical support to the conduits 22 and electrical union 24 mounted to the upper surface of the module 20 , as well as to the conduits 22 and transducer elements mounted to and through the bottom of the transducer module 20 .
[0028] With further reference now to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , the placement of the fuel transducer module 20 in relation to the fuel tank 12 will be best understood. To facilitate attachment, the fuel tank 12 is provided with an attached or embedded ring 40 , commonly referred to as an E-ring, and typically manufactured of metal appropriately formed and stamped. The E-ring 40 has an annular body 44 , and protruding therefrom at a plurality of locations around the circumference of the E-ring 40 is a series of tabs 46 . Each tab 46 has an upwardly extending ascender 48 , and a horizontal extension 50 which extends inwardly toward the center of the E-ring 40 substantially parallel to the upper surface of fuel tank 12 . Although FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 depict an E-ring 40 of the type generally embedded within a molded plastic tank, it will be appreciated that E-ring 40 can be mounted to the upper surface of the tank 12 as well. For attachment of E-rings 40 to metal tanks, it is known to utilize fasteners or welding to secure the E-ring 40 to the tank 12 , where it functions in substantially the same fashion as an E-ring 40 which is embedded in a molded plastic tank 12 . The E-ring 40 so configured and attached creates the basic point of attachment for the fuel transducer module 20 , when used in conjunction with an appropriate locking ring.
[0029] A locking ring 60 of the type utilized in the present invention is depicted in FIGS. 2 , 4 , 5 and in detail in FIGS. 5A and 5B . The locking ring 60 comprises an annular body having a central aperture 64 . The outer circumference of the central aperture 64 is turned upward, creating a lip 66 . The lip 66 is provided with a plurality of plateaus 67 and ramp sections 65 which extend upward from the annular body portion at a height above the height of the remaining circumferential lip 66 . Also extending upward from the circumferential lip 66 is a plurality of feet 70 a - c , each comprising an ascender 68 , a toe portion 72 , a heel portion 71 and a slot 74 . The plurality of slots 74 associated with said plurality of ascenders 68 are open in the same circumferential orientation as shown in FIG. 4 , to allow insertion of a cover element which will be described in detail herein.
[0030] The body of the locking ring 60 is further provided with a plurality of arcurate openings 80 , each said arcurate opening 80 having a wide portion 82 and a narrow portion 84 . The width of the wide portion 82 of each said arcurate opening 80 corresponds to the width of the tab extension 50 of the E-ring tab 46 , so that the locking ring 60 may fit over the tab extensions 50 when the locking ring 60 wide portion 82 of the arcurate opening 80 is aligned with the tab extension 50 of the E-ring tabs 46 . As depicted in FIG. 2 , once the locking ring 60 has been placed over the E-ring tabs 46 , it will rest substantially on the upper surface of the transducer 20 and of the fuel tank 12 . In this embodiment, a gasket 38 , preferably in the form of an O-ring, is placed between the annular body of the locking ring 60 and the upper surface of the fuel tank 12 , so as to be positioned between the bottom of the fuel transducer module 20 and the upper surface of the fuel tank 12 , thereby creating a fluid-tight seal between said fuel transducer module 20 and said fuel tank 12 .
[0031] The fuel transducer module 20 body is formed with an annular lip 29 having a diameter larger than the diameter of the central aperture 64 of the locking ring 60 . Accordingly, placement of the locking ring 60 over the module 20 , and over the E-ring tabs 46 establishes the initial position for securing the fuel transducer module 20 to the upper surface of the fuel tank 12 . In this configuration, the locking ring 60 is ready for rotation in the direction R.
[0032] From FIGS. 2 , 3 and 4 , it will be appreciated that the annular body of the locking ring 60 , adjacent to the narrow portion 84 of the arcurate openings 80 , is provided with a plurality of protrusions 86 . As the locking ring is rotated in direction R, the ascenders 48 of the tabs 46 of the E-ring 40 pass into the narrow portion 84 of the arcurate openings 80 of the locking ring, and at the same time tab extensions 50 engage the protrusions 86 of the locking ring 60 . The height of the ascenders 48 of the tabs 46 of the E-ring 40 is selected to result in engagement between the tab extensions 50 of the E-ring 40 with the protrusions 86 adjacent the arcurate openings 80 of the locking ring 60 . This engagement urges the locking ring 60 downward, toward the E-ring 40 , with the annular lip 29 of the fuel transducer module 20 captured under the annular body 62 of the locking ring 60 , and simultaneously compressing the gasket 38 between the annular lip of the fuel transducer module and the upper surface of the tank 12 . Detents 52 formed in the tab extensions 50 of the E-ring 40 frictionally engage the protrusions 86 adjacent to the narrow portions 84 of the arcurate openings 80 , preventing counter-rotation of the locking ring 60 in relation to the E-ring 40 .
[0033] To facilitate the rotational engagement above described, the locking ring 60 is provided with a plurality of cutouts 76 around its circumference which are designed to engage with a cooperative installation tool (not shown). This tool is provided with a plurality of engaging fingers and a central socket of the type adapted to engage a square drive ratcheting wrench. By placement of the fingers of the tool in the cutouts 76 of the locking ring 60 , and by application of torque in the direction R, the locking ring 60 can be rotated conveniently into the locked configuration, after which the tool may be removed.
[0034] At this stage in the installation process, the transducer module 20 is secured to the mounting surface of the fuel tank 12 by the locking ring 60 and its engagement with the E-ring 40 . With reference now to FIGS. 2 , 4 , 5 , 5 A and 5 B, securement of the protective cover 100 of the present invention will be fully understood. The protective cover 100 comprises a formed element having a body 102 and a plurality of legs 104 , each of said legs 104 having formed therein a foot 106 . In plan view, it will be appreciated that the legs 104 of the cover 100 are oriented as follows: two of the legs 104 are positioned substantially in diametric opposition, with a third leg 104 positioned approximately at an angle of approximately 60° (ø 1 ) to a first one of the legs 104 , and at an angle of approximately 120° (ø 2 ) to a second one of said first legs 104 . This configuration leaves a substantially semi-circular opening (ø 3 ) unimpeded, thereby allowing installation of the cover 100 even though the fuel transducer module 20 and its conduit and wiring already in place and connected. The cover 100 with its associated body 102 and legs 104 , provides protection to the fuel transducer module 20 in the event of a catastrophic impact to the fuel tank area surrounding the module. Each leg 104 of the cover is formed at its proximal end as a portion of the body 102 , and is bent substantially normal to the body 102 , thereby creating a descending leg 104 element to engage the locking ring 60 . At the distal end of each leg 104 is formed a foot 106 having a heel 108 and a guide 110 designed to engage the locking ring 60 in a manner to be described. Ridges 87 are formed in feet 106 to engage spring elements 79 a - c as herein described.
[0035] Each foot 70 a - c of the locking ring 60 has a heel 71 , a toe 72 and a slot 74 . Affixed between the heel 71 and the toe 72 are clips 77 a - c , utilizing fasteners 69 , such as rivets. The clips 77 a - c are formed of a resilient material, such as spring steel. The clips 77 a - c each have a spring element 79 a - c formed therein. One end of each spring element 79 a - c is provided with a V-shaped detent 75 . Impressed within one surface of the V-shaped detent 75 c is an impression 88 . This impression engages a gap 78 formed in foot 106 . At the distal end of each spring clip 77 a - c an upward turned tang 73 is provided to allow engagement of a tool to lift the spring element 79 a , if necessary for removal of the cover.
[0036] Complimentary to the locking ring feet 70 a - c are cover element feet 106 , each of which is provided with a ridge 87 and a guide 110 . The guide 110 is oriented downwardly, and is configured to engage the outer circumference of the lip 66 of the locking ring 60 . The guides 110 , collectively, therefore, serve to guide and position the cover into juxtaposition with the locking ring 60 . Each foot 106 has a ridge 87 formed therein. As shown in FIG. 5A , at least one of the foot 106 associated with at least one leg 104 of the cover 100 is provided with a gap 89 formed in ridge 87 . This gap 89 engages the impression 88 formed in the spring element 79 a of the clip 77 a , effectively locking the spring element 79 into the upturned portion of the ridge 87 .
[0037] To install the cover 100 in relation to the locking ring 60 , the cover 100 is placed on the locking ring 60 so that the undersides of the feet 106 rest on the upturned lip 66 of the annular body of the locking ring 60 , with the feet 106 of the cover adjacent to the feet 70 of the locking ring 60 . The cover is then rotated in direction R, bringing the feet 106 of the cover into the slots 74 of the locking ring feet 70 . This rotation also brings the feet 106 of the cover into engagement with the spring elements 79 of the clips 77 . Further rotation of the cover 100 in direction R brings the detents 75 of the spring elements 79 into engagement with ridges 87 on the cover feet 106 . Simultaneously, the guides 110 of the cover feet 106 serve to guide and position the cover 102 into alignment with the lip 66 of the locking ring 60 . Once fully engaged, the detent of the spring elements 79 locks the cover 100 into the desired positional relationship with the locking ring 60 .
[0038] In one embodiment, the upper section of the protective cover is provided with a socket 120 configured to engage a typical square drive ratchet-type wrench to allow the cover 100 to be rotated into locked relationship with the locking ring 60 by providing the necessary mechanical advantage to impart the necessary torque to the cover 100 .
[0039] By virtue of the angular relationship of the legs of the cover 100 , the cover 100 can be installed on and removed from the locking ring 60 without the necessity of disconnecting any of the electrical or fluid connections associated with the fuel transducer module 20 .
[0040] The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment according to the present invention are provided for the purposes of illustration only, and not for purposes of limitation, the invention being defined by the claims:
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A fuel sending unit protective cover assembly is disclosed, for protecting the fuel transducer module mounted to a fuel tank. The protective cover is associated with a locking ring. The locking ring engages the E-ring permanently secured to a fuel tank, by rotational engagement of the locking ring with one or more tabs protruding from the E-ring. The cover body with a plurality of descending legs is configured to engage ascending legs on the E-ring. The cover body is configured to permit installation and removal of the protective cover from the fuel tank without removal or disconnection of fluid conduits and electrical wiring.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for seaming can ends to cylindrical cans which have been filled with contents.
One known can end seaming machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,929,339. A can after it has been filled with contents is delivered by a belt conveyor, then turned by a timing table, and a can end is placed on the can while the can is being turned and guided by a feed turret. Thereafter, the can is turned by a clincher turret while at the same time the end hook of the can end and the flange of the can are clinched by a clincher mechanism, after which the can end is finally fixed to the can by a double seamer mechanism.
When the filled can is turned by the timing table, the direction of feed of the can is continuously varied, thereby applying centrifugal forces to the contents of the can. At the time the can end is placed over the can, the can is speeded up by the feed turret and hence the contents of the can are subjected to inertia. When the can is turned by the clincher turret while the can end is being clinched to the can, the direction of feed of the can is also varied, and centrifugal forces are imposed on the contents of the can. The higher the speed at which the can is fed, the more difficult it becomes to prevent the contents from jumping out of the can.
According to the current practice in the can making industry, can ends are seamed to cans at a rate of 1,400 to 1,500 cans per minute. When the can end seaming process is performed at such a high speed, it is entirely impossible to prevent the contents from being thrown out of the can under the inertia and centrifugal forces produced at the high feed speed and the varying direction of feed.
If the seaming rate is increased while allowing the contents out of the cans, then the rate of production of cans is increased, but a large quantity of thrown-out contents is wasted and the cost of manufacture of the cans is increased.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,118 discloses an apparatus for seaming a can end to a filled can while the can is being horizontally supported and linearly fed at a predetermined speed. According to the disclosed apparatus, the end hook of the can end and the flange of the can are pressed against a linear clincher, and the can end is seamed to the can by rolling the can end and the can along the clincher.
However, the apparatus does not have means for pressing the can end to the can when the can end is crimped onto the can. Therefore, the can end may not reliably be crimped onto the can at times. Another problem is associated with the present trend for the reduction of the thickness or gauge of can ends and cans from the standpoint of providing a saving of the can material. When the end hook of a can end of reduced thickness and the flange of a can of reduced thickness are pressed against the linear clincher to crimp the can end onto the can, the can end and the can tend to be deformed under pressure, and the can end may not be reliably seamed to the can .
The same problem occurs when a metal can end is to be seamed to a can made of a thin plastic sheet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for seaming a can end to a cylindrical can which has been filled with contents, reliably at a high speed while preventing the contents from being thrown out of the can.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for seaming a can end to a can reliably at a high speed even if the can end and the can are made of a thin material.
To achieve the above objects, there is provided in accordance with the present invention an apparatus for seaming a can end to a filled cylindrical can, comprising: can feed means for supporting the bottom of the can rotatably about its own axis and feeding the can linearly along a travel path at a predetermined speed; can end holder means for detachably holding the can end directly above said can feed means and holding the can end rotatably about its own axis; can end feed means for moving said can end holder means to feed the can end in synchronism with the can which is fed by said can feed means; lifting/lowering means for lowering said can end holder means to hold the can end held by said can end holder means against an open end of the can; seaming means extending linearly along said travel path for pressing an end hook of the can end and a flange of the can while the can end against which the can end is held is being fed by said can feed means; and drive means for rotating said can end holder means and said can feed means to roll the can end and the can along said seaming means to seam the can end to the can while the end hook of the can end and the flange of the can are being pressed by aid seaming means.
The can end holder means and said can feed means are rotatable about an axis aligned with the axis of the can when the can end is held against the can.
With the above arrangement, the filled can is horizontally and rotatably supported by the can feed means and fed linearly. While the can is being thus fed, the can end removably held by the can end holder means is lowered by the lifting/lowering means and placed on and held against the can. The flange of the can and the end hook of the can end are then pressed against the seaming means and each other, and rolled along the seaming means and clinched together in synchronism with the feeding of the can and the can end b the can feed means and the can end feed means.
Therefore, the can is linearly and horizontally fed at a prescribed speed until the can end has been provisionally or fully crimped on the can, and the speed an direction of feed are not changed before the can end is crimped to the can.
The speed at which the can and the can end are fed and the speed at which they are rolled can be synchronized by rotating the can end holder means and the can feed means. Thus, the flange of the can and the end hook of the can end can be pressed against the seaming means without substantial slippage.
According to the present invention, moreover, the drive means comprises rotative drive mean for rotating the can end holder means in synchronism with the feeding of the can by the can feed means.
The rotative drive means rolls the can and the can end simultaneously along the seaming means in synchronism with the feed thereof, thus reducing the force tending to press the can end and the can against each other. The flange of the can and the end hook of the can end can therefore be pressed against the seaming means with almost no slippage.
The rotative drive means comprises a pinion gear coaxial with said axis of the can end holder means, and a rack extending along the seaming means for mesh with the pinion gear.
The rotative drive means rolls the can and the can end dependent on the speed at which they are fed by the can feed means and the can end feed means.
Further according to the present invention, the drive means rotates the can feed holder means and the can feed means.
More specifically, the drive means comprises first rotative drive means for rotating the can end holder means and second rotative drive means for rotating the can feed means in synchronism with the rotation of the can end holder means.
The first rotative drive means comprises a first pinion gear coaxial with the axis of the can end holder means, and a first rack extending along the seaming means for mesh with the first pinion gear, and wherein the second rotative drive means comprises a second pinion gear coaxial with the axis of the can feed means, and a second rack extending along the travel path for mesh with the second pinion gear.
The rotative drive means thus arranged will roll the can and the can end simultaneously along the seaming means in synchronism with the feed thereof, so that the force tending to press the can end and the can together is reduced. Therefore, the flange of the can and the end hook of the can end can be pressed against the seaming means without substantial slippage.
In order to hold the first pinion gear and the first rack and the second pinion gear and the second rack in reliable mesh with each other, the first rotative drive means further comprises a first rail extending from an end of the first rack upstream thereof in the travel path, and a first slidable surface coaxial and rotatable with the first pinion gear for positioning the first pinion gear into a position for mesh with the first rack when the first slidable surface engages and slides on the first rail, and the second rotative drive means further comprises a second rail extending from an end of the second rack upstream thereof in the travel path, and a second slidable surface coaxial and rotatable with the second pinion gear for positioning the second pinion gear into a position for mesh with the second rack when the second slidable surface engages and slides on the second rail.
For reliable mesh between the pinion gears and the racks, the first rotative drive means further comprises a first tooth integral and rotatable with the first pinion, and a first engagement member positioned upstream of an end of the first rack in the travel path for rotating the first pinion gear into a position for mesh with the first rack when the first tooth engages the first engagement member, and the second rotative drive means further comprises a second tooth integral and rotatable with the second pinion, and a second engagement member positioned upstream of an end of the second rack in the travel path for rotating the second pinion gear into a position for mesh with the second rack when the second tooth engages the second engagement member.
To effect reliable mesh between the pinion gears and the racks, the first rotative drive means comprises a first pinion gear integral and coaxial with the axis of the can end holder means, and a first rack extending parallel to the seaming means and including a portion with which the first pinion gear starts to mesh, the portion being elastically swingable horizontally, and the second rotative drive means comprises a second pinion gear integral and coaxial with the axis of the can end holder means, and a second rack extending parallel to the seaming means and including a portion with which the second pinion gear starts to mesh, the portion being elastically swingable horizontally.
Furthermore, the first rotative drive means comprises a first roll integral and coaxial with the axis of the can end holder means and having a high coefficient of friction, and a first rail extending parallel to the seaming means and having a high coefficient of friction for frictionally engaging the first roll, and the second rotative drive means comprises a second roll integral and coaxial with the axis of the can end holder means and having a high coefficient of friction, and a second rail extending parallel to the seaming means and having a high coefficient of friction for frictionally engaging the second roll.
The can feed means comprises first can feed means for horizontally supporting the can and feeding the can linearly along a feed path at a predetermined speed, and second can feed means movable on a substantially elliptical endless track having a pair of arcuate tracks and a pair of straight tracks, one of the arcuate tracks extending progressively closer tangentially to the feed path and being joined to the first can feed means, one of the straight tracks extending downstream in the feed path, the second can feed means horizontally supporting the can received from the first can feed means and feeding the can along the straight tracks, the second can feed means being positioned downwardly of the can end feed means and movable in synchronism with the can end feed means.
The the second can feed means and the can end feed means comprise a plurality of feed blocks connected endlessly, each of the feed blocks comprising the can end holder means in an upper portion and a rotatable support table in a lower portion which is part of the second can feed means, the feed blocks being movable along the substantially elliptical track.
The can end holder means and the support table have axes of rotation in the feed block which are aligned with the axis of the can.
The can end holder means is vertically movable with respect to the feed block and normally urged to move upwardly, and means for engaging the can end holder means therealong to lower the can end holder means.
Each of the feed blocks has a first leading guide roller and a second trailing guide roller positioned in juxtaposed relation for guiding the feed block along the substantially elliptical track, the arrangement being such that when the guide rollers are on one of the straight tracks or one of the arcuate paths, the guide rollers are guided along one track and the first guide roller moves from the arcuate track into the straight track, when the second guide roller is in the arcuate track, the first guide roller is guided into an arcuate track extending outwardly of the straight track, when the second guide roller moves from the arcuate track into the straight track and the first roller is in the straight track, the second guide roller is guided into the straight track, when the first guide roller moves from the straight track into the arcuate track and the second guide roller is in the straight track, the first guide roller is guided into a straight track extending inwardly from the arcuate track, when the second guide roller moves from the straight track into the arcuate track and the first guide roller is in the arcuate track, the second guide roller is guided into an arcuate track extending outwardly from the straight track.
Since the can which has been fed by the first can feed means is further fed by the second can feed means, the can be rolled simply by providing the second can feed means with means for rotating the can. Therefore, the seaming apparatus is made small in size.
Because the second can feed means and the can end feed means are moved progressively closer tangentially to the feed path of the first can feed means, the can is transferred from the first can feed means to the second can feed means without changing the speed of feed of the can.
With the second can feed means and the can end feed means being in the form of an endless chain of feed blocks which are movable, both of the means can be moved by a common drive means and made relatively small in size, and the path of movement thereof may include partial arcuate paths.
Where the can end holder means and the support table are rotatable about one axis, they are rendered simple in construction.
The vertically movable can end feed means can be lifted and lowered as the feed blocks are moved.
The first guide rollers and the rails for guiding the feed blocks allow the feed blocks to be moved smoothly along the rails, and prevent the feed blocks from colliding with each other when they are moved from the arcuate track to the straight track or from the straight track to the arcuate track.
The seaming means can provisionally crimp the can end onto the can with a provisional crimping groove thereof, and then crimp the can end as first and second crimping stages of a double-seaming process. Alternatively, the seaming means may have a first crimping groove for a double-seaming process for crimping the can end as the first crimping stage without provisionally crimping the can end, and then preferably crimp the can end as the second crimping stage.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a can manufacturing system including a seaming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged fragmentary plan views of the seaming apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged rear elevational view of a portion of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 3;
FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views taken along line IX--IX of FIG. 8;
FIGS. 11 and 12 are views showing operation of rotative drive means;
FIGS. 13 through 15 are fragmentary cross-sectional views showing operation of seaming means;
FIGS. 16 and 17 are perspective views showing other rotative drive means; and
FIG. 18 is a schematic plan view of a seaming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 schematically shows a can manufacturing system including a seaming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for double-seaming can ends or covers Y to cans X which are successively supplied from a filling apparatus A by which the cans X are filled with contents.
The seaming apparatus, generally indicated at B, includes a first can feed means 1 for linearly feeding filled cans X from the filling apparatus A horizontally at a predetermined speed, a second endless can feed means 2 rotatable along a substantially elliptical path for feeding cans X, a can end feed means 3 disposed above the second can feed means 2 in confronting relation thereto for feeding can ends or covers Y, a can end holder means 4 for holding can ends Y on the can end feed means 3, a first seaming means 5 disposed parallel to a forward feed path of the second can feed means 2 for feeding cans X linearly, and a second seaming means 6 disposed parallel to a return feed path of the second feed means 2 for feeding cans X linearly.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the first can feed means 1 extends linearly from a discharge area of the filling apparatus A to a region where the first can feed means 1 lies parallel to the second can feed means 2. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first can feed means 1 has a rotatable endless chain 7 and a plurality of fingers 8 mounted at equally spaced intervals on the endless chain 7 for gripping the barrels of cans X at front and rear sides thereof with respect to the direction of feed along the first can feed means 1. The fingers 8 are vertically swingable for gripping and releasing the cans X.
As shown in FIG. 4, the endless chain 7 is slidably guided on a guide rail 9. As described later on, when can ends Y are clinched on cans X, the fingers 8 are held against a rail 10 and moved upwardly to disengage from the cans X.
The first can feed means 1 has a support plate 11 extending along the endless chain 7 for horizontally supporting cans X. When the endless chain 7 is actuated by a drive unit (not shown), the fingers 8 mounted on the endless chain 7 move cans X slidably on and along the support plate 11 while gripping the cans X. The support plate 11 is cut out or recessed at 12 in its region parallel to the first seaming means 5. In this region, the cans X are supported and fed by the second can feed means 2.
As shown in FIG. 4, the can end holder means 4 which is rotatable and vertically movable has seaming chucks 13 for holding respective can ends Y. A rotative drive means 14 is disposed along the outer periphery of the can end holder means 4 for rotating each of can ends Y.
The second can feed means 2 has support tables 15 for horizontally placing cans X respectively thereon and supporting them rotatably. A rotative drive means 16 which is of the same structure as the rotative drive means 14 is disposed along the outer periphery of each support table 15.
The can end feed means 3 which is positioned above the second can feed means 2 in confronting relation thereto is integrally joined to the second can feed means 2 through feed blocks 17 (described later).
The feed blocks 17 are coupled to an elliptical endless chain 18 at spaced intervals and hence are movable along an elliptical path by the endless chain 18 (see also FIGS. 2 and 3). The feed blocks 17 are moved in the same direction and at the same speed as the first can feed means 1 in the region where the feed blocks 17 are arrayed parallel to the first can feed means 1. In the region parallel to the first can feed means 1, the feed blocks 17 are successively moved along an arcuate path progressively closer tangentially to the first can feed means 1 and then travel parallel to the first can feed means 1, after which the feed blocks 17 are moved along an arcuate path progressively away from the first can feed means 1. The feed blocks 17 run parallel to the first can feed means 1 along the recess 12 of the support plate 11.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, can ends Y are supplied to the can end feed means 3 by a can end supply turret 19, and can ends Y are supplied to the can end supply turret 19 by a can end supply device 20.
As shown in FIG. 4, each of the feed blocks 17 has a support portion 23 of a substantially C shape as viewed in side elevation, the support portion 23 having an upper horizontal portion 21 and a lower horizontal portion 22 integrally therewith. The support portion 23 is detachably coupled by bolts 23b, 23c to a support plate 23a fixed to the endless chain 18.
The can end holder means 4 is supported by the upper horizontal portion 21 of each feed block 17. The can end holder means 4 is rotatably mounted by bearings 25, 26, 27 on the lower end of each support shaft 24 extending vertically through the upper horizontal portion 21. A cam roller 28 rotatably mounted on an upper side portion of the support shaft 24 is vertically movable by being guided by a cam rail 29 to lift and lower the can end holder means 4 supported by the upper horizontal portion 21. Each of the seaming chucks 13 of the can end holder means 4 has a suction means on its lower end for attracting a can end Y. The suction means applies attractive forces from a suction device (not shown) to the can end holder means 4 through a suction duct 30 (described later) on the upper end of the can end feed means 3. An air socket 33 communicating via a passage 32 defined in the support shaft 24 with a central opening 31 in the can end holder means 4 is slidably held against the suction duct 30 in communication therewith.
The air socket 33 is vertically movably mounted on a support rod 34 on an upper portion of the support shaft 24. The air socket 33 is normally biased against the suction duct 30 by a spring 35 disposed around the support rod 34.
The support table 15 of the second can feed means 2 for supporting cans X is disposed on the lower horizontal portion 22 of the support portion 23. The support table 15 is rotatably mounted by a bearing 37 on a support shaft 36 supported by the lower horizontal portion 22 in coaxial alignment with the support shaft 24 of the can end holder means 4 on the upper horizontal portion 21.
Each of the feed blocks 17 is supported on a rail plate 42 by means of guide rollers 38, 39, 40, 41 mounted in vertically confronting relationship on a substantially central area of the back of the support portion 23. Each feed block 17 is supported by a rail 45 having a guide groove receiving guide rollers 43, 44 supported on a pair of support shafts of different heights which are mounted on an upper back of the upper horizontal portion 21 and also by a rail 47 having a guide groove receiving a guide roller 46 mounted on the lower horizontal portion 22.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the lower backs of the support portions 23 of the respective feed blocks 17 are interconnected by the endless chain 18, which is actuated by a drive unit (not shown) through sprockets 48, 49 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
As illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 6, the feed blocks 17 are guided along the rail plates 42 that are endlessly joined to each other and also along the rails 45, 47 which are similarly endless. The rail plates 42 guide the feed blocks 17 to move in their forward travel along an arcuate path progressively tangentially toward the first can feed means 1, then to run parallel to the straight first can feed means 1 along the recess 12 of the support plate 11, thereafter guide the feed blocks 17 along an arcuate path progressively away from the first can feed means 1, after which the rail plates 42 guide the feed blocks 17 in their return travel along a straight path and then along an arcuate path toward the forward travel path.
When the rollers 43, 44 are positioned on a straight track 45a and an arcuate track 45b which are aligned with the track of the endless chain 18, the rail 45 guides the rollers 43, 44 along one track while transversely restricting them. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in a transition area l 1 where the feed blocks 17 move from the arcuate track 45b from the straight track 45a, the guide groove in the rail 45 has a straight track 45c in its upper portion near the bottom of the guide groove, and a curved track 45d in its lower portion near the opening of the guide groove, the curved track 45d extending outwardly of the straight track 45c. The leading roller 43 of each feed block 17 travels along the lower track 45d as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, whereas the trailing roller 44 moves along the upper track 45d as indicated by the imaginary line in FIG. 8 and as shown in FIG. 10.
As shown in FIG. 8, in a transition area l 2 where the feed blocks 17 move from the straight track 45a to the arcuate track 45b the guide groove in the rail 45 has a curved track 45e extending outwardly of the arcuate track 45b. When the rollers 43, 44 move through the transition area l 2 , the leading roller 43 runs along a track 45f which is an extension of the straight track 45a, whereas the trailing roller 44 moves along the curved track 45e.
Therefore, in the transition area from the straight track 45a to the arcuate track 45b and the transition area from the arcuate track 45b to the straight track 45a, each of the feed blocks 17 can smoothly be moved while being guided by the rail 45.
As shown in FIGS. 2 through 5, the cam rails 29 are integrally mounted on the first seaming means 5 and the second seaming means 6 parallel thereto at positions where the cam rollers 28 of the feed blocks 17 are moved. The cam rails 29 serve to guide the cam rollers 28 in the direction in which the feed blocks 17 are fed, and also to guide vertical movement of the seaming chucks 13 through the support shafts 24. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cam rails 29 are supported by a beam 50 extending therebetween and can be vertically moved together by a handle 51 mounted on a screw rod threaded through the beam 50.
When can ends Y are to be seamed to cans X of a different height, the feed blocks 17 are detached from the endless chain 18, and other feed blocks 17 with the distance between the can end holder means 4 and the support table 15 matching the height of the new cans X are mounted on the endless chain 18. Then, the handle 51 is turned to vertically move the beam 50 to bring the cam rails 29 and the seaming means 5, 6 into a new seaming position.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the suction duct 30 is positioned over and along the path of movement of the air sockets 33 of the respective feed blocks 17. As shown in FIG. 7, the suction duct 30 has a number of circular holes 52 defined in the lower plate thereof at spaced intervals for communication with the air sockets 33.
As shown in FIG. 2, the first seaming means 5 is linearly disposed in the region where the feed blocks 17 run along the rail plates 42 parallel to the recess 12 in the support plate 11. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 4, the first seaming means 5 has a first crimping groove 53 and a second crimping groove 54 which are joined lineary to each other for seaming the end hook of a can end Y to the flange of a can X, the first and second crimping grooves 53, 54 being positioned along the forward travel path along which cans X are linearly fed by the second can feed means 2.
As shown in FIG. 5, the second seaming means 5 has a third crimping groove 55 extending linearly along the return travel path along which cans X are linearly fed by the second can feed means 2.
As shown in FIG. 4, the rotative drive means 14, 16 serve to roll the flange of a can X and the end hook of a can end Y while pressing them against the first and second seaming means 5, 6 when the can X and the can end Y are gripped by each seaming chuck 13 of the can end holder means 4 and each support table 15 of the second can feed means 2.
The rotative drive means 14 comprises a first pinion gear 56 disposed fully around the upper outer periphery of the seaming chuck 13, and a first linear rack 57 extending along the first and second seaming means 5, 6 for mesh with the first pinion gear 56.
The rotative drive means 16 comprises a second pinion gear 58 disposed coaxially with the support shaft 36 of the support table 15, and a second linear rack 59 extending along the first and second seaming means 5, 6 for mesh with the second pinion gear 58.
When each of the feed blocks 17 move along the first and second seaming means 5, 6, the first and second pinion gears 56, 58 are rotated by mesh with the first and second racks 57, 59, respectively, to rotate the seaming chuck 13 and the support table 15, as shown in FIG. 4. Upon rotation of the seaming chuck 13 and the support table 15, the can end Y and the can X which are gripped between the seaming chuck 13 and the support table 15 are also rotated.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the rotative drive means 14 comprises a plurality of first teeth 60 equally spaced circumferentially and projecting radially outwardly from a tubular body coaxially rotatable with the first pinion gear 56, and a plurality of slidable flat surfaces 61 disposed above and rotatable with the first teeth 60.
A first rail 63 is positioned in a region where the first slidable flat surfaces 61 pass, and extends horizontally from an end of the first rack 57 upstream thereof in the direction in which cans X and can ends Y are fed. One at a time of the first slidable flat surfaces 61 is turned into a position along the first rail 63 upon engagement with the first rail 63. In response to such turning movement of the first slidable flat surface 61, the first pinion gears 56 are positioned for smooth mesh with the first rack 57.
The first teeth 60 are located downwardly of the centers of the respective first slidable flat surfaces 61, the first teeth 60 being integral with the teeth of the first pinion gear 56.
A first engagement member 62 is disposed in a region where the first teeth 60 pass and between the first rack 57 and the first rail 63 for engaging the first teeth 60.
As described above, when one of the first slidable flat surfaces 61 is engaged and turned by the first rail 63, the first pinion gear 56 is positioned for mesh with the first rack 57. Thereafter, one of the first teeth 60 engages the first engagement member 62. As the first tooth 60 moves in the feeding direction, the engagement between the first engagement member 62 and the first tooth 60 causes the first pinion gear 56 to rotate on and start meshing with the first rack 57.
The rotative drive means 16 is of the same structure as the rotative drive means 14 as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 11. More specifically, the rotative drive means 16 comprises a plurality of second teeth 64 equally spaced circumferentially and projecting radially outwardly from a tubular body coaxially rotatable with the second pinion gear 58, and a plurality of slidable flat surfaces 65 disposed above and rotatable with the second teeth 64. The rotative drive means 16 also includes a second engagement member 66 and a second rail 67.
The same structures as the first rail 63 and the first engagement member 62 and the second rail 67 and the second engagement member 66 for guiding the first and second gears 56, 58 into mesh with the first and second racks 57, 59 are disposed upstream of ends of second racks 59 of the second seaming means 6 in the feeding direction, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. Denoted at 68 is a third rail engageable by the first slidable flat surfaces 61, 69 a third engagement member engageable by the first teeth 60, 70 a fourth rail engageable by the second slidable flat surfaces 65, and 71 a fourth engagement member engageable by the second teeth 64.
The seaming apparatus B thus constructed will operate as follows:
Cans X are filled with contents by the filling apparatus A, and then each gripped between two fingers 8 of the first can feed means 1 and linearly fed on the support plate 11.
Can ends or covers Y are supplied from the can end supply device 20, and then fed from the can end supply turret 19 to the can end feed means 3 of the respective feed blocks 17. In the position where a supplied can end Y is transferred to the can feed means 3, the opening 31 of the can end feed means 4 is connected to the suction duct 30 through the passage 32 and the suction socket 33, as shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, the can end Y is attracted to the can end holder means 4 under a vacuum developed in the opening 31.
Each feed block 17 with the can end Y held on the can end holder means 4 is turned by the endless chain 18 which travels along the substantially elliptical path so as to move from the straight track 45a into the arcuate track 45b. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the guide roller 43 on the feed block 17 moves along the inner straight track 45f at the inlet of the arcuate track 45b. Then, the guide roller 44 enters the track 45e extending outwardly of the straight track 45a. Thereafter, the guide rollers 43, 44 roll on along the arcuate track 45b and then into straight track 45a along which the feed block 17 will move along the forward travel path. At the inlet of the straight track 45a, the rail 45 has the outwardly extending track 45d in its lower portion and the straight track 45c in its upper portion which is identical to the track of the endless chain 18, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Thus, the guide roller 43 moves along the lower track 45d in the rail 45. At the same time that the guide roller 43 starts moving linearly, the guide roller 44 moves linearly along the upper track 45c in the rail 45. Therefore, when the feed block 17 goes from the straight track 45a to the arcuate track 45b or from the arcuate track 45b to the straight track 45a, it is smoothly turned while being guided by the rail 45.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the feed blocks 17 are guided by the guide rollers 38, 49, 40, 41, 43, 44 along the rail plates 42 and the rails 45, 47, and moved by the endless chain 18 progressively closer to the first can feed means 1 and then into a position parallel to the first can feed means 1. Each can X fed by the first can feed means 1 is transferred onto one of the support tables 15 of the second can feed means 2 at the recess 12 of the support plate 11 while being gripped by a pair of fingers 8. The can X as it is gripped by the fingers 8 is placed on the support table 15. Even if the first and second can feed means 1, 2 run at different speeds, the can X is accurately placed centrally on the support table 15 by the fingers 8. When the can X has been transferred to the second can feed means 2, the fingers 8 are engaged and moved upwardly by the rail 10, thus releasing the can X.
When the can X is thus transferred to the second can feed means 2, one of the first slidable flat surfaces 61 of the can end holder means 4 engages the first rail 63 and is turned thereby into the position parallel to the first rail 63, whereupon the first pinion 56 is positioned for mesh with the first rack 57. Thereafter, one of the first teeth 60 engages the engagement member 62. Upon further angular movement of the first tooth 60 out of engagement with the engagement member 62, the first pinion gear 56 is rotated into smooth mesh with the first rack 57. Likewise, one of the second slidable flat surfaces 65 coupled to the support tables 15 engages the second rail 67 to position the second pinion 58 for mesh with the second rack 59. One of the second teeth 64 then engages the second engagement member 66 and further turns out of engagement therewith to rotate the second pinion gear 58 smoothly into mesh with the second rack 59.
During this time, the can end holder means 4 is lowered by the can rail 29 through the cam roller 28. The first pinion gear 56 is also lowered while being kept in mesh with the first rack 57. The can end Y held by the can end holder means 4 is placed on and pressed against the can X on the support table 15.
As the feed block 17 is turned while feeding the can end Y and the can X, the seaming chuck 13 of the can end holder means 4 and the support table 15 of the second can feed means 2 are rotated in synchronism with the feed of the can end Y and the can X, thus rotating the can end Y and the can X. In the forward travel path of the second can feed means 2, the support table 15 linearly feeds the can end Y and the can X while rotating them. Simultaneously, as shown in FIG. 13, the end hook of the can end Y is pressed into the first crimping groove 53 of the first seaming means 5 and rolled and clinched on the flange of the can X. Then, the end hook of the can end Y is further pressed into the second adjoining crimping groove 54 of the first seaming means 5 and clinched on the flange of the can X.
Thereafter, when the feed block 17 is moved away from the first can feed means 1, the can X with the can end Y seamed thereto is fed by the second can feed means 2. While being gripped by the can end holder means 4 and the support table 15, the can X and the can end Y are linearly fed, and at the same time the flange and the end hook are pressed into the third groove 55 of the second seaming means 6 and clinched together. The can X and the can end Y are finally double-seamed as shown in FIG. 15.
The can X which has been closed by the seamed can end Y is then discharged from an outlet path 73 by means of a discharge turret 72 (FIG. 1).
Rotative drive means according to other embodiments for rotating cans and can ends will be described below.
FIG. 16 shows the manner in which first and second rotative drive means 74, 75 according to another embodiment are operated. The first rotative drive means 74 which is associated with the can end holder means 4 comprises a first pinion gear 76 disposed fully around the outer periphery of each of the seaming chucks 13, and a first linear rack 77 extending along the first and second seaming means 5, 6 for mesh with the first pinion gear 76. The first rack 77 has a swingable portion 77a made of an elastic material such as soft synthetic resin, for example, and elastically swingable horizontally, the swingable portion 77a being positioned in an area where the first pinion gear 76 starts to mesh with the rack 77. The swingable portion 77a has a free upstream end in the feeding direction.
The second rotative drive means 75 which is associated with each support table 15, i.e., the second can feed means 2, comprises a second pinion gear 78 disposed fully around the lower outer periphery of each of the support tables 15, and a second linear rack 79 extending along the first and second seaming means 5, 6 for mesh with the second pinion gear 78. The second rack 79 has a swingable portion 79a made of an elastic material such as soft synthetic resin, for example, and elastically swingable horizontally, the swingable portion 79a being positioned in an area where the second pinion gear 78 starts to mesh with the rack 79. The swingable portion 79a has a free upstream end in the feeding direction.
When the pinion gears 76, 78 are not angularly positioned for smooth mesh with the respective racks 77, 79 at the time they should be brought in mesh with each other, the swingable portions 77a, 79a are elastically swung horizontally backwards away from the pinion gears 76, 78. When the pinion gears 76, 78 are then angularly positioned for mesh with the respective racks 77, 79, the swingable portions 77a, 79a spring back to allow the pinion gears 76, 78 to mesh smoothly with the racks 77, 79.
FIG. 17 illustrates first and second frictionally rotatable rotative drive means 80, 81 according to still another embodiment of the present invention, the first and second rotative drive means 80, 81 being associated respectively with the can end holder means 4 and the second can feed means 2. The first rotative drive means 80 comprises a first roll 82 coaxial and rotatable with each of the seaming chucks 13 and having a high coefficient of friction, and a first rail 83 of a high coefficient of friction extending along the first and second seaming means 5, 6 for frictionally engaging the first roll 82. The first roll 82 and the first rail 83 have respective layers of polyurethane resin for frictionally engaging each other. The first roll 82 and the second rail 83 are pressed against each other progressively more strongly from their upstream sides when they are to be frictionally engaged. The second rotative drive means 81 also comprises a second roll 84 coaxial and rotatable with each of the support tables 15 and having a high coefficient of friction, and a second rail 85 of a high coefficient of friction extending along the first and second seaming means 5, 6 for frictionally engaging the second roll 84. The second roll 84 and the second rail 85 are of the same structure as the first roll 82 and the first rail 83.
The rolls 82, 84 of the first and second rotative drive means 80, 81 frictionally engage rails 83, 85, respectively, and are rotated frictionally through engagement therewith. Since the rolls 82, 84 and the rails 83, 85 frictionally engage each other, they do not suffer from a timing error or meshing failure which would otherwise be caused by pinions and racks.
In the above embodiments, a can end Y and a can X are rotated in unison with each other by the first and second rotative drive means. However, a means for rotating at least the can end holder means only may be employed to press the end hook of a can end Y and the flange of a can X against the seaming means without slippage and to clinch them.
FIG. 18 shows a seaming apparatus B' in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention. The seaming apparatus B' is of basically the same construction as the seaming apparatus B except that a second seaming device E is provided in addition to the seaming means 5, 6.
Those parts shown in FIG. 18 which are identical to those of the seaming apparatus B are denoted by identical reference numerals, and will not be described in detail.
The seaming apparatus B' is suitable for use with cans X having a lower buckling strength. The seaming apparatus B' double-seams can ends Y to cans X with the first seaming means 5, the second seaming means 6, and the additional second seaming device E.
The second seaming device E is of the same structure as a conventional seaming device. The second seaming device E is connected to a transfer unit F for receiving cans X with can ends Y seamed thereto from the seaming apparatus B' and transferring the cans X to the second seaming device E. Therefore, the second seaming device E receives the cans X with the seamed can ends Y from the seaming apparatus B' through the transfer unit F.
In the seaming apparatus B', a can end Y is progressively clinched to a can X by the first seaming means 5 along the forward travel path of the can end feed means 2 and the second can feed means 3, and then the can end Y is further clinched to the can X by the second seaming means 3 along the return travel path of the can end feed means 2 and the second can feed means 3. The can end Y is additionally clinched to the can X by the second seaming device E. Thus, the can end Y is double-seamed to the can X.
According to the seaming apparatus B', the can end Y is clinched to the can X at three separate locations. Since the can end Y is crimped or deformed to a smaller extent per unit amount of movement with respect to the can X in each of the first and second seaming means 5, 6 and the second seaming device E, the can end Y is progressively seamed to the can X. Consequently, the can end Y can be crimped while holding the can end Y and the can X under smaller pressure, and the can end Y can be crimped with higher accuracy.
In the illustrated embodiments, the can end Y is double-seamed to the can X. However, the can end Y may be provisionally clinched by the seaming means in preparation for a double-seaming process. After the can end Y has been provisionally clinched to the can X by the seaming apparatus of the invention, since the can X is already closed by the can end Y, the can end Y may subsequently be seamed to the can X by a conventional seaming apparatus. Alternatively, the can end Y may be provisionally clinched to the can X and also clinched to the can X as a first step of the double-seaming process, by the seaming means of the present invention.
Although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it should be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
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An apparatus for seaming a can end to a filled cylindrical can includes can feed device for supporting the bottom of the can rotatably about its own axis and feeding the can linearly along a travel path at a predetermined speed. A can end holder member is provided for detachably holding the can end directly above the can feed device and holding the can end rotatably about its own axis. A can end feed member is provided for moving the can end holder member to feed the can end in synchronism with the can which is fed by the can feed device. A lifting/lowering member is provided for lowering the can end holder member to hold the can end held by the can end holder member against an open end of the can. A seaming device is provided and extends linearly along the travel path for pressing an end hook of the can end against a flange of the can while the can end against which the can end is held is being fed by the can feed device. The can end holder member and the can feed device are rotated to roll the can end and the can along the seaming device to seam the can end to the can while the end hook of the can end and the flange of the can are being pressed by the seaming device.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and a method to remove a liner. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method to remove the liner from a cylinder of an engine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Conventional combustion, reciprocating engines are widely used as automotive engines. A conventional engine (single-cycle, two-cycle and others) is typically composed of an engine or cylinder assembly having one or more cylinders therein. A piston is slidably disposed in the cylinder and moves reciprocally within the cylinder. A cylinder head at one end of the cylinder closes the cylinder assembly. The cylinder head typically contains the valves (intake and exhaust) and the spark plug. A combustion chamber is defined by an inner wall of the cylinder, a top surface of the piston, along with the cylinder head.
[0003] During combustion, the piston moves reciprocally within the cylinder and eventually can wear down the inner walls of the cylinder. Cylindrical shaped liners have been developed to line the walls of the cylinder to increase the life of the cylinder. The liner may have coolant rings on its outer surface to form an annulus between the outer walls of the liner and the inner walls of the cylinder to provide a flow path for cooling liquid or air during combustion. When the liner is worn below a predetermined thickness, it can be replaced with another liner. However, over the course of the liner's life, the coolant rings may melt or other contaminants may harden and make it difficult to remove the liner by hand.
[0004] In order to remove a conventional liner, the cylinder head is removed from the cylinder assembly. A conventional liner remover is comprised of a cylindrically shaped rubber component that can be inserted into the liner and then compressed to expand and frictionally engage the liner to remove it from the cylinder. Because the components are rubber, the rubber tends to disintegrate over time or melts if the liner is still hot from a combustion event. Further, the rubber component can only be compressed to a certain point, thus it is limited to a certain diameter of liner and requires many liner removers to be on hand due to different sizes of liners in different engines. The liner can also become greasy due to contact with the fuel mixture or oil in the cylinder or the cooling rings around the liner can melt, thus making it difficult to remove the liner with the rubber components.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method to remove the liner that will not disintegrate over time, that can be adapted to any size liner, and can be expanded to better grip the liner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Embodiments of the present invention generally provide for an improved method and liner removing assembly that can positively engage the liner and remove the liner from a cylinder of an engine.
[0007] In one embodiment, the liner removing apparatus can include a wedge coupled to a first end of a rod. At least one collet is provided and is capable of receiving at least a portion of the wedge and the rod. A plate can be coupled to the at least one collet and at least one nut. The at least one nut may be threadedly attached to the rod, which may have a lifting member mountable to a second end. Additionally, the apparatus can further include a first thrust bearing assembly that is at least partially enclosed by the plate and a retaining ring. A bridge that can support a second thrust bearing assembly is also provided, along with a second nut coupled to the second thrust bearing assembly. The apparatus can be made from a non-resilient material such as an alloy and can be selected from a group consisting of titanium, chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, tin, tungsten, platinum, gold, lead, steel, and a combination thereof. Additionally, the apparatus can be made from a polymer. Further, the at least one collet can have at least one flange at an end and can have at least one annular groove having at least one ring on its annular surface. The rod may be at least partially threaded along its outer surface. The lifting member can include an eyehook having at least one guiding member to guide a hook to a central portion and can be mounted by a pin received in the second end of the rod.
[0008] In a second embodiment, a liner remover assembly can include a wedge fastened to a first end of a rod, at least two or more collets forming a cavity capable of receiving at least partially the wedge and the rod, a plate coupled to the at least two or more collets and the rod, the plate at least partially enclosing a first thrust bearing assembly and a retainer ring, a first nut threaded to the rod, a bridge coupled to the rod, a second nut threaded to the rod, and a second thrust bearing assembly disposed between the second nut and the bridge. Additionally, the assembly can include a lifting member coupled to a second end of the rod. The at least two or more collets may have on its outer surface at least one annular groove to receive at least one ring and having at least one flange at an end. The assembly can be made from a non-resilient material such as an alloy and the alloy can be selected from a group consisting of titanium, chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, tin, tungsten, platinum, gold, lead, steel, and a combination thereof. The assembly can also be made from a polymer or a combination of alloy and polymer. Further, the lifting member may include an eyehook having at least one guiding member to guide a hook to a central portion of the eyehook.
[0009] A method of removing a liner from a cylinder in a combustible engine is also provided and can include inserting a liner removing assembly into the cylinder, the assembly comprising a wedge coupled to a first end of a rod and at least one collet to engage the liner, rotating a first nut to move the rod and the wedge in a first direction, engaging the liner by moving the at least one collet axially with the wedge, and rotating a second nut to move the liner from the cylinder. The method can also include lifting the liner removing assembly from the cylinder and removing the liner from the cylinder. The liner removing assembly preferably includes a plate at least partially enclosing a first thrust bearing assembly, a second thrust bearing assembly disposed between a bridge and the second nut, and a lifting member fastened to a second end of the rod.
[0010] A liner removing apparatus may include a means for supporting the liner removing apparatus, a means for gripping the liner in a cylinder, and a means for lifting the liner. Additionally, the means for supporting the liner removing apparatus can include a bridge. The means for gripping the liner may include a rod having a wedge at a first end, at least one collet capable of receiving at least partially the rod and the wedge, a first nut threaded to the rod and coupled to a plate, and a first thrust bearing assembly disposed at least partially in the plate. The means for lifting can preferably includes a second thrust bearing assembly disposed between a second nut and the bridge, the second nut threaded to the rod, and a lifting member coupled at a second end of the rod.
[0011] 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 below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
[0012] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0013] As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a liner remover assembly.
[0015] [0015]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the liner remover assembly engaging a liner from the cylinder.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 3 illustrates the removal of the liner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] [0017]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a liner remover assembly 10 . The assembly 10 is shown having three major portions. The first portion or gripping portion 11 is designed to engage the liner 70 in a cylinder assembly 75 (partially shown). The second portion or the securing portion 12 helps place the assembly 10 over the cylinder assembly 75 and provides support during removal of the liner 70 . The third portion or the removal portion 14 assists in the removal of the liner 70 from the cylinder assembly 75 .
[0018] The gripping portion 11 can preferably include a conical shaped wedge 15 , a rod 60 , at least one collet 20 , a plate 35 , a first thrust bearing assembly 42 , and a first nut 50 . The wedge 15 can be any shape so long as it able to engage the liner 70 as required. The wedge 15 can preferably be made from a metal, an alloy such as titanium, chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, tin, tungsten, platinum, gold, lead, steel or similar materials. However, the wedge 15 may also be made from a polymer or a combination of polymers. The wedge 15 can be solid or at least partially hollowed (as shown) so long as it is strong enough to cause the collet 20 to engage the liner 70 as required. The wedge 15 can be threaded and/or welded at a first end 17 of the rod 60 . The rod 60 has one or more threads on its outer surface. The collet 20 as used herein may be anything that has one surface that can mate with the liner 70 and another surface that can mate with the wedge 15 . The collet 20 can be solid or at least partially hollowed so long as it is strong enough to engage the liner 70 as required. One or more collets 20 may be provided and can form a cavity 23 to receive the wedge 15 and the rod 60 , however, preferably there are two collets 20 , and more preferably there are four collets 20 . The inner surface of the collet 20 and the outer surface of the wedge 15 are complementary to each other to provide maximum contact with each other. The collet 20 can preferably be made from a metal, an alloy such as titanium, chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, tin, tungsten, platinum, gold, lead, steel or similar materials. However, the collet 20 can also be made from a polymer or a combination of polymers that can engage and grip the liner 70 . The collet 20 may have on the outer surface at least one or more annular grooves 32 to receive one or more rings 30 . Rings 30 bind the collets 20 together until they are expanded radially by the wedge 15 . A flange 25 is provided at one end of the collet 20 to mate with an upper surface of the cylinder assembly 75 and preferably allows the collet, the wedge 15 and a portion of the rod 60 to enter the liner 70 .
[0019] The gripping portion 11 also includes the plate 35 that may be annularly shaped and can encapsulate the first nut 50 and the first thrust bearing assembly 42 . The first thrust bearing assembly 42 can further include a retaining ring 40 , and a first thrust bearing 41 that can be disposed between a first set of washers 37 . The first thrust bearing assembly 42 may serve to decrease the friction between the plate 35 and the first nut 50 , thereby making it easier to turn or torque the first nut 50 . The plate 35 may be coupled to the collets 20 to prevent the collets from travelling in an axial direction when the first nut 50 is rotated in a first direction, thereby moving the wedge 15 and rod 60 in an axial direction. The plate 35 may be solid or may have apertures or slots therein for viewing into the cylinder 75 . Additionally, the plate 35 may be any shape so long as it prevents the movement of the collets 20 axially when required. The first nut 50 , the annular plate 35 , and the first thrust bearing assembly 42 are threaded or coupled to the rod 60 .
[0020] In the gripping operation, a torquing apparatus such as a wrench, pliers or similar apparatus (not shown) torques (or turns) the first nut 50 in the first direction causing the first end 17 of rod 60 and the wedge 15 to move towards the first nut. This movement causes the wedge 15 to move further into the cavity 23 and forces the collets 20 radially outward to engage the liner 70 as shown in FIG. 2. The first nut 50 can be torqued in the first direction, as required, to force the collets 20 to expand radially and grip the liner 70 . Additionally, the collets 20 can be expanded radially to fit various sizes of liners 70 , thereby decreasing the number of liner remover assemblies 10 required to be available at the shop.
[0021] The securing portion 12 can include a bridge 45 that can be constructed and arranged to mate with an upper surface of the cylinder assembly 75 . The bridge 45 may include a platform 47 and at least one supporting member 49 , but preferably has two or more supporting members. The bridge 45 can provide the initial support for the assembly 10 when it is placed on the cylinder assembly 75 . Additionally, the bridge 45 can assist in the removal of the liner 70 from the cylinder assembly 75 by providing support for a second nut 55 to rotate the rod 60 which lifts the gripping portion 11 and the liner 70 . The bridge 45 can preferably be from a metal or an alloy such as titanium, chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, tin, tungsten, platinum, gold, lead, steel or similar materials. However, the bridge 45 can also be made from a polymer or a combination of polymers that are capable of withstanding the force required to lift the liner 70 from the cylinder assembly 75 . Additionally, the bridge 45 and the support members 49 may be annular in shape or any other shape so long as it provides support as described above.
[0022] The removal portion 14 can include a second thrust bearing assembly 51 , a second nut 55 and a second end 80 of the rod 60 . The second thrust bearing assembly 51 may be positioned between the second nut 55 and the bridge 45 , and can include a second set of washers 39 having a second thrust bearing 48 disposed between the washers. The second end 80 of rod 60 can be adapted to receive a lifting member such as an eyehook 90 (FIG. 2), which can be attached to a conventional hook and chain. The second end 80 can further include an aperture to receive a pin 65 therein. The pin 65 can secure the eye hook 90 to the rod 60 . The eye hook 90 can be attached at all times or attached when it is needed such as to lift a heavy liner 70 or stuck liner that requires additional force. The second nut 55 and the second thrust bearing assembly 51 can be threaded or coupled to rod 60 .
[0023] In the removal operation (FIG. 3), the torquing apparatus can be applied to the second nut 55 in the first direction, which rotates the rod 60 , causing the gripping portion 11 , and liner 70 , to move axially towards the second nut. The torquing can continue until the liner 70 is removed at least partially from the cylinder assembly 75 or at a point where the liner can be removed by hand or other means.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the liner remover assembly 10 engaging a liner 70 from the cylinder assembly 75 . The liner remover assembly 10 is placed on an upper surface of the cylinder assembly 75 and the collets 20 , wedge 15 and a portion of the rod 60 is inserted into the cylinder to engage the liner 70 . The first nut 50 is torqued, thereby causing the rod 60 and the wedge 15 to move axially and forcing the collets 20 to move radially outward and engage the liner 70 .
[0025] [0025]FIG. 2 also illustrates an alternative embodiment of the liner remover assembly 10 wherein a lifting member such as a handle or an eyehook 90 is attached to the second end 80 of the rod 60 . The eye hook 90 is constructed and arranged for use with a hand or other devices such as a hook and chain. The eyehook 90 can include a central region 95 capable of receiving a hook (not shown) or similar devices. The central region 95 can be partially defined by a first guiding member 100 and a second guiding member 102 that converge at point 105 . The guiding members 100 , 102 can guide a hook to point 105 if the hook is initially placed on either guiding member 100 , 102 . By having the hook at point 105 , the liner remover assembly 10 can be balanced and the liner 70 can be lifted with minimal swaying.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 3 illustrates the removal of the liner 70 . The second nut 55 has been torqued by the torquing apparatus (not shown) causing the rod 60 to travel in the direction indicated by the arrow. Once the liner 70 is moved passed a certain point in the cylinder assembly 75 , it can be easily removed. The collets 20 can be disengaged from the liner 70 by rotating the first nut 50 in a second direction, thereby allowing the liner to be removed by hand, pliers or similar devices. Alternatively, a hand (human) or hook can be used to grab the eyehook 90 and lift the entire liner remover assembly 10 along with the engaged liner 70 from the cylinder assembly 75 . Additionally, all the components described above and herein can be made from a polymer, a metal or an alloy such as titanium, chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, tin, tungsten, platinum, gold, lead, steel or any combination thereof.
[0027] The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirits and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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A novel apparatus and method to engage a liner in an cylinder of an engine is provided. A wedge and rod are utilized as part of a liner remover assembly to move at least one collet axially to engage the liner. In a preferred embodiment, a novel eyehook is provided at an end of the rod to assist in the pulling of the liner from the cylinder.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a portable stove that operates using a liquid fuel of alcohol and water that can be diluted to concentrations as low as 50% alcohol by volume.
[0003] 2. Background of Invention
[0004] The present invention represents a novel liquid fuel stove. Conventional stoves do not operate properly or at all when the fuel mixture used in those stoves exceeds 20% water by volume. This is because when the fuel used by conventional liquid stoves contains 20% or greater water by volume the stove fails to generate enough heat to boil water or cook food. Presently there are no devices available that allow for the effective use of stove fuel containing greater than 20% water by volume.
[0005] However, the present invention allows the fuel to contain up to approximately 50% water by volume while still functioning as a stove, generating enough heat to boil water or cook food. The present invention is designed to generate efficient heat with a fuel mixture of approximately 40% water and 60% ethanol by volume, but is fully functional with alcohol fuels containing up to approximately 50% water by volume. Methanol may also be used as an addition to or as a substitute for the ethanol.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a cooking stove that operates with a liquid fuel containing alcohol and up to 50% water by volume is provided. The device may consist of a portable structure, a freestanding structure, or a structure that can be integrated into a domestic or commercial kitchen countertop. The device may contain a grill, one or more burners, a body, a fuel tank, a fuel filter, a fuel line, a fuel restrictor and a fuel valve.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the device.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the device.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the frame of the device.
[0011] FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective cutaway view of the frame of the device.
[0012] FIG. 6 is a side perspective cutaway view of the frame of the device.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a top view of the inner portion of the frame.
[0014] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the fuel tank of the invention and portions of the fuel distribution system.
[0015] FIG. 9 is a front view of the fuel tank of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 10 is an exploded side view of the engine assembly of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 11 is a side view of the engine assembly of the invention.
[0018] FIG. 12 is a perspective cutaway view of the chimney of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 13 is a side view of the chimney of the invention.
[0020] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the turbine of the invention.
[0021] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the insulator of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the deflector of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The device [ 10 ] is shown generally in FIGS. 1-6 . The device [ 10 ] has a frame [ 12 ], a fuel tank [ 14 ] and an engine assembly [ 16 ]. As described below, the fuel tank [ 14 ] fits within the frame [ 12 ], and the engine assembly [ 16 ] is located within the frame [ 12 ]. In addition, a grill [ 18 ] may be placed on a top surface [ 20 ] of the frame [ 12 ] in a position above the engine assembly [ 16 ].
[0024] The frame [ 12 ] is illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 . As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the frame [ 12 ] includes an inner portion [ 22 ] and an outer portion [ 24 ]. The outer portion [ 24 ] includes a void [ 26 ]. The inner portion [ 22 ] includes a top edge [ 28 ] which is secured to the outer portion [ 24 ] at a perimeter of the void [ 26 ], thereby forming a recess [ 30 ] within the frame [ 12 ]. The void [ 26 ] and the top edge [ 28 ] are shown to be rectangular; however, other shapes, such as round, square and oval, are also contemplated. Other means for forming the recess [ 30 ] are also contemplated. The recess [ 30 ] has a recess bottom [ 32 ] and recess walls [ 34 ]. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the recess bottom [ 32 ] includes one or more depressions [ 36 ] on the recess bottom [ 32 ]. The depressions [ 36 ] may have depression walls [ 38 ] which slope to a depression bottom [ 40 ]. One or more fuel distribution nozzles [ 42 ] may be attached to the frame [ 12 ] through the depression walls [ 38 ] to distribute fuel into the depression [ 36 ]. One or more fuel distribution nozzles [ 42 ] may be used for each depression [ 36 ].
[0025] The recess walls [ 34 ] may also include one or more vents [ 44 ]. The vents [ 44 ] may be on one or more recess walls [ 34 ], and one or more vents [ 44 ] may be on each recess wall [ 34 ] having a vent [ 44 ]. The vents [ 44 ] may be formed from the recess walls or they may be placed in holes made in the recess walls [ 34 ].
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the outer portion [ 24 ] of the frame [ 12 ] also has frame outer portion side walls [ 46 ] and a frame outer portion back wall [ 48 ]. Outer frame vents [ 50 ] may be located on one or more of the frame outer portion side walls [ 46 ] or the frame outer portion back wall [ 48 ] or both.
[0027] The outer portion [ 24 ] of the frame [ 12 ] may also include a fuel tank access door [ 52 ] located at a top end [ 54 ] of the outer portion of the frame [ 12 ]. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a cutout [ 56 ] may be made near the top end [ 54 ] of the outer portion [ 24 ] of the frame [ 12 ] so that the amount of fuel in the fuel tank [ 14 ] may be observed. A transparent or translucent pane, with or without markings to show the level of fuel in the fuel tank [ 14 ], may be inserted in the cutout [ 56 ]. In addition, one or more fuel flow controls [ 58 ] may be placed upon the frame [ 12 ], and may be located on a front surface [ 60 ] of a control panel [ 62 ] on the outer portion [ 24 ] of the frame [ 12 ]. On the back surface [ 64 ] of the control panel [ 62 ] may be located a fuel distributor [ 66 ] and one or more fuel valves [ 68 ], The fuel valves [ 68 ] are accessible by the user and are in mechanical connection with the fuel flow controls [ 58 ] or restrictors and are controlled by the fuel flow controls [ 58 ]. The fuel distributor [ 66 ] and the fuel valves [ 68 ] may be attached to the back surface [ 64 ] of the control panel [ 62 ] by one or more clamps [ 69 ] or by other equivalent means known in the art.
[0028] The fuel tank [ 14 ] is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 8 and 9 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the fuel tank [ 14 ] is shaped to fit within the frame [ 12 ] between the inner portion [ 22 ] and the outer portion [ 24 ] of the frame [ 12 ]. The fuel tank [ 14 ] may be annular as illustrated, or it may be of some other shape, such as C-shaped or have an elongated shape. The fuel tank [ 14 ] may be attached to the frame by friction or by securing clips or some other means known in the art. The fuel tank [ 14 ] may include projections [ 70 ] to help it stay secured to the interior of the frame [ 12 ]. The fuel tank [ 14 ] may also comprise a second projection [ 71 ] corresponding to a cutout in the outer frame so that the interior of the fuel tank [ 14 ] may be viewed while maintaining the profile of the frame [ 12 ].
[0029] A fuel filter [ 72 ] may be attached to the fuel tank [ 14 ] as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8 , and may be attached to the fuel tank [ 14 ] by a fuel filter tube [ 74 ]. Alternatively, the fuel filter [ 72 ] may be attached directly to the fuel tank [ 14 ] at a point on the fuel tank [ 14 ] where fuel is filtered before flowing from the fuel tank [ 14 ]. The direct attachment may be made by a screw fitting with complementary threads between the fuel filter and the tank. Also, other means for connecting the fuel filter and the fuel tank are contemplated. The fuel distributor [ 66 ] may be attached to the open end of the fuel filter [ 72 ] so that filtered fuel is distributed to the fuel distribution nozzles [ 42 ] within the depressions [ 36 ] in the frame [ 12 ]. One or more fuel tank lines may connect the fuel tank [ 14 ] to one or more fuel distributors [ 66 ] through the fuel filter [ 72 ]. One or more fuel distribution lines distribute fuel from the fuel distributor [ 66 ] to one or more fuel valves [ 68 ], and one or more fuel outlet lines distribute fuel from the fuel valves [ 68 ] to the fuel distribution nozzles [ 42 ]. The flow of fuel may be from gravity or by means of a fuel pump.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 2 , located within the recess [ 30 ] is an engine assembly [ 16 ] for combustion of the fuel. The engine assembly is located within the depression [ 36 ] on the recess bottom [ 32 ]. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the engine assembly [ 16 ] comprises a central chimney [ 78 ], a turbine [ 80 ], an insulator [ 82 ] and deflector [ 84 ]. There may also be an insulation blanket layer [ 86 ] between the turbine [ 80 ] and the insulator [ 82 ].
[0031] The chimney [ 78 ] is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 . The chimney [ 78 ] has a generally cylindrical shape having a top end [ 88 ] and a bottom end [ 90 ]. The bottom end [ 90 ] has at least one chimney fin [ 92 ] extending outward from a circumference of the chimney [ 78 ]. In addition, there may be one or more transverse cuts [ 94 ] located on the chimney fin [ 92 ] generally at a middle portion of the chimney fin [ 92 ]. The bottom end [ 90 ] of the chimney [ 78 ] also may include one or more vents [ 96 ] to allow air to flow into the chimney [ 78 ].
[0032] The turbine [ 80 ] is shown in FIG. 14 . The turbine [ 80 ] has a top side [ 98 ] and a bottom side [ 100 ]. The top side [ 98 ] and the bottom side [ 100 ] of the turbine [ 80 ] are open. The turbine [ 80 ] has a top side hole [ 102 ] in the top side [ 98 ] in a size and shape complementary to the size and shape of the outside of the chimney [ 78 ] for receiving the chimney [ 78 ]. The turbine [ 80 ] may also have one or more turbine fins [ 104 ] and turbine slots [ 106 ] located at the bottom side [ 100 ] of the turbine [ 80 ]. A plurality of inward facing turbine fins [ 104 ] may be spaced around the bottom side [ 100 ] of the turbine [ 80 ], providing a passage for air from outside the turbine [ 80 ] to inside the turbine [ 80 ] through the turbine slots [ 106 ]. The bottom side [ 100 ] of the turbine [ 80 ] may also include a securing mechanism for attachment of the turbine [ 80 ] to the recess bottom [ 32 ]. One securing mechanism may be one or more J-lock tabs [ 108 ] and corresponding slits [ 110 ] in the recess bottom [ 32 ], as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 . Other means for securing the turbine [ 80 ] to the recess bottom [ 32 ] known in the art, such as a turbine depression in the recess bottom to allow a press fitting of the turbine onto the recess bottom [ 32 ], are also contemplated. In addition, the bottom side [ 100 ] of the turbine [ 80 ] may include a lip [ 112 ] to minimize air flow into the turbine [ 80 ] from anywhere other than the turbine slots [ 106 ]. The turbine [ 80 ] may be generally bowl shaped and may have the top side [ 98 ] with a smaller radius than the bottom side [ 100 ].
[0033] An insulator [ 82 ] is shown in FIG. 15 . The insulator [ 82 ] may be generally conical in shape, and of a size so that it may fit over the turbine [ 80 ] during operation. The insulator [ 82 ] has an insulator top end [ 114 ] and an insulator bottom end [ 116 ]. Both ends are open. The insulator top end [ 114 ] has an opening [ 118 ] sized to allow the chimney [ 78 ] to pass through and extend above the insulator top end [ 114 ] during operation.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 15 , the insulator [ 82 ] may include insulator bottom end tabs so that the insulator bottom end [ 116 ] may be mechanically connected to the bottom side [ 100 ] of the turbine [ 80 ] through having the bottom end tabs [ 120 ] placed in the turbine slots [ 106 ]. Other means for connecting the turbine [ 80 ] directly or indirectly with the insulator [ 82 ] are also contemplated. In addition, the insulator [ 82 ] may include insulator top end tabs [ 122 ] so that the top end [ 114 ] of the insulator [ 82 ] may attach to the bottom end of the deflector [ 84 ] as described below. Other means for connecting the deflector with the insulator are also contemplated.
[0035] A deflector [ 84 ] is shown in FIG. 16 . The deflector [ 84 ] is open at both ends and is generally conical in shape. The deflector [ 84 ] may be placed in inverted orientation with respect to the insulator [ 82 ], as shown in FIG. 10 . The deflector [ 84 ] has a top portion [ 124 ] and a bottom portion [ 126 ]. The top portion of the chimney [ 88 ] that extends above the top portion of the turbine [ 98 ] and the top portion of the insulator [ 114 ] passes through an opening in the bottom portion of the deflector [ 126 ]. The bottom portion of the deflector [ 126 ] may be attached to the top portion of the insulator [ 114 ] by having the top end tabs [ 122 ] of the insulator [ 82 ] extend into the opening in the bottom portion of the deflector so that the deflector and the insulator are held together by friction. Other means for connection are also considered. Alternatively, the insulator and the deflector may be formed into a single piece.
[0036] In addition, as shown in FIG. 10 the insulation blanket layer [ 86 ] between the turbine [ 80 ] and the insulator [ 82 ] may also be conical in shape so it may fit between the turbine [ 80 ] and the insulator [ 82 ]. The insulation blanket layer [ 86 ] may be made from ceramic wool or an equivalent material to provide improved insulation.
[0037] In operation, the turbine, insulation, insulator, deflector, and chimney may be assembled prior to placement within the frame. These components may all also be secured in their respective orientations each with the other. Also, the stove may be made operational through the use of an extended lighter [ 128 ], as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0038] The combustion engine assembly may be attached to the recess bottom through hooks, welding, or other means.
[0039] Alternatively, a fuel tank may be located outside the frame but otherwise connected to the fuel distribution system of the invention so that the stove may be operated.
[0040] Also, in operation, initial fuel may be placed in the bowl by opening the fuel control and allowing a predetermined amount of fuel to flow from the fuel tank to the depression. Alternatively, flowing fuel may be brought to the depression, and the user may ignite the fuel as it flows into the depression.
[0041] In another embodiment of the device, the device can be built into a countertop.
[0042] In yet another embodiment of the device, legs can be attached to the lower part of the body of the device to elevate the device for ease of use by the end user.
[0043] There has been described a new and useful stove, it is apparent that those skilled in the art may make numerous modifications and departures from the specific embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.
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The invention relates to a stove that operates using liquid fuel of alcohol and water that can be diluted to concentrations as low as 50% alcohol by volume.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a 371 of International PCT Application PCT/FR2013/051463 filed Jun. 24, 2013, which claims priority to French Patent Application No. 1258261 filed Sep. 5, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates to a pressurized fluid container and the process for the fabrication thereof.
[0003] The invention relates more particularly to a pressurized fluid container, in particular a pressurized gas cylinder, comprising a body forming a leaktight storage volume for fluid, a first end of the body comprising an orifice, a second end of the body comprising a foot attached to the body, the body being composed of a metallic material, of a metal alloy or of aluminum.
[0004] Pressurized gas containers or cylinders are subjected to standards such as international standard ISO 9809. These high-pressure containers (normally for pressures greater than 60 bar) are said to be “seamless” since their construction is based on the shaping, usually by hot pressing, of a sheet or billet or tube for obtaining a “monolithic” container. Recourse to welding for obtaining the container is indeed not permitted over the whole of its surface for this type of construction.
[0005] Depending on the design of the container, the base of the container may be of concave or convex shape. The convex base geometry may enable the production of a container that is comparatively lighter than a concave-based container of the same storage volume. A container suitable for being carried, transported or moved by a user often needs to be placed in a vertical position. Thus, a convex-based container must therefore be generally equipped with a foot, attached to its base, in order to enable the vertical support thereof.
[0006] Such a foot must make it possible to avoid in particular external stresses (impacts, friction, etc.). This is because these mechanical stresses may damage the external coating of the container and result in corrosion problems. The foot must also have a shape that prevents the stagnation of water or moisture which are aggravating corrosive factors. Indeed, the joining of a foot to a container may result in infiltrations of water or moisture between the body of the container and the foot. This embrittlement factor may have serious consequences in terms of safety.
[0007] In order to minimize this risk, it is known to carry out a check of the possible corrosion of the container before each filling thereof. This may be carried out, for example, by removing the foot and carrying out a visual inspection. However this requires a process that is onerous and expensive on an industrial scale.
SUMMARY
[0008] One objective of the present invention is to overcome all or some of the drawbacks of the prior art raised above.
[0009] For this purpose, the container according to the invention, furthermore in accordance with the generic definition given in the preamble above, is essentially characterized in that the foot comprises a metallic material, a metal alloy or an aluminum alloy having an electronegativity according to the Pauling scale greater than the electronegativity of the material making up the body.
[0010] Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may comprise one or more of the following characteristics:
[0011] the body consists of steel having an electronegativity according to the Pauling scale of between 1.7 and 2, the foot comprising a material having an electronegativity according to the Pauling scale of between 1.2 and 1.6;
[0012] the foot is composed of at least one of the following materials: an aluminum alloy, zinc or magnesium;
[0013] the body is composed of aluminum, of an aluminum alloy or of titanium and in that the foot is composed of magnesium;
[0014] the foot is composed of plastic coated with a metallic material, a metal alloy or aluminum having an electronegativity according to the Pauling scale of greater than the electronegativity of the material making up the body;
[0015] the foot ( 3 ) is attached to the body by adhesive bonding;
[0016] the second end of the body is convex, the foot being adhesively bonded over 5% to 25%, and preferably 10% to 15% of the surface area of the second convex end of the body;
[0017] the foot comprises a flared upper end which converges in the direction of the second end of the body;
[0018] the foot comprises a lower end folded back toward the central part of the foot;
[0019] the second end of the body is at least partly housed in a volume delimited by the foot, the foot having a mass of between 20% and 50% of the mass of the portion of the second end of the body covered by the foot.
[0020] The invention may also relate to any alternative device or process comprising any combination of the characteristics above or below.
[0021] The invention also relates to a process for fabricating a pressurized fluid container, in particular a pressurized gas cylinder, from a body made of a metallic material, of a metal alloy or of aluminum, the body forming a leaktight storage volume for fluid and being provided with an orifice located at a first end, the process comprising a step of attaching, to a second end of the body, a foot comprising a metallic material, a metal alloy or an aluminum alloy having an electronegativity according to the Pauling scale greater than the electronegativity of the material making up the body.
[0022] According to other possible distinctive features:
[0023] the foot is attached to the body by adhesive bonding;
[0024] the foot and the body are painted before or after the adhesive bonding of the foot to the body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] For a further understanding of the nature and objects for the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are given the same or analogous reference numbers and wherein:
[0026] FIG. 1 represents a schematic and partial cross-sectional view, illustrating an example of a gas container according to the invention,
[0027] FIGS. 2 to 5 represent perspective and schematic views respectively illustrating four possible embodiments of feet for a fluid container according to the invention,
[0028] FIG. 6 represents a perspective and vertical cross-sectional view of the foot from FIG. 5 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] FIG. 1 schematically represents a pressurized fluid container, in particular a pressurized gas cylinder. This container comprises a body 1 , for example which is cylindrical, forming a leaktight storage volume for fluid. A first shoulder-shaped end of the body 1 comprises an orifice 2 intended to receive for example a valve. A second end of the body 1 is convex and comprises a foot attached to the body 1 . Conventionally, the body 1 is composed of or consists of a metallic material, a metal alloy or aluminium.
[0030] According to one advantageous distinctive feature, the foot 3 comprises or consists of a metallic material, a metal alloy or an aluminum alloy having an electronegativity according to the Pauling scale greater than the electronegativity of the material making up the body 1 .
[0031] In this way, the foot 3 acts with respect to the body 1 as an anode which is corroded as a priority, thus protecting the body 1 of the container from possible risks of corrosion. Specifically, in the event of the presence of aggressive liquid such as water, the most electronegative metal will be corroded while the most electropositive metal will be protected according to the principle of galvanic protection.
[0032] For example, if the body 1 of the container is made of steel having an electronegativity (EN) of 1.8 according to the Pauling scale, the foot 3 may be chosen preferably to be made of an aluminum alloy (electronegativity EN=1.6), or of any other element or alloy that is more electronegative than the steel (according to the Pauling scale for example), such as for example zinc (EN=1.6) or magnesium (EN=1.3).
[0033] In the case where the body 1 of the container is made of aluminum (EN=1.6), the foot 3 may be composed of magnesium (EN=1.3). In the case where the body of the container is made of titanium (EN=1.5), the foot 3 may be composed of magnesium (EN=1.3).
[0034] According to one possible variant, the foot 3 may be obtained by a plastic molding or injection technique. In this case, the cathodic protection of the body 1 of the container may be obtained by carrying out, on the plastic foot 3 , a treatment that forms a coating on its plastic surface (for example a metallization using zinc or any other suitable material having an electronegativity greater than the electronegativity of the material of the body 1 ).
[0035] Preferably, the foot 3 is adhesively bonded to the body 1 . This adhesive bonding may be carried out for example by using an epoxy adhesive or a one- or two-component adhesive or an adhesive based on methyl methacrylate or based on polyurethane that can be thermally crosslinked or crosslinked at room temperature.
[0036] A first example of fabrication of the container may comprise the following steps:
[0037] a step of producing the body by shaping sheeting in order to produce a first shoulder-shaped end (first end), and a base (second end) according to given thicknesses,
[0038] a step of adhesively bonding the foot 3 to the body 1 of the container (with, where appropriate, adjustment of a member for holding the foot on the container),
[0039] a step of painting the assembly of the body 1 equipped with its foot 3 (for example by means of an electrostatic powder),
[0040] a step of drying the assembly in order to carry out the crosslinking of the adhesive and the drying of the paint.
[0041] In a second example, the fabrication process differs from that above only in that the body 1 and the foot 3 are painted before the adhesive bonding thereof and are adhesively bonded after the drying of the paint.
[0042] The first fabrication example enables drying of the paint at the same time as the crosslinking of the adhesive. The second fabrication example could in particular be used in the case where the crosslinking of the adhesive and the drying of the paint cannot be obtained with the same final temperature cycle.
[0043] Preferably, the temperature at which the adhesive degrades is below the temperature at which the coat of paint degrades, in order to allow maintenance of the foot without adversely affecting the layer of paint.
[0044] Preferably, the foot 3 has a shape designed so that the impact resistance and resistance to other mechanical stresses on the foot 3 are minimized. In this way, the mechanical stresses on the adhesive, the risks of deformations of the foot (rigidity) and the risk of detachment of the foot are minimized.
[0045] Preferably, the foot 3 has a surface area to be adhesively bonded that is at least equal to 5%, preferably greater than 15% of the surface area of the base of the body 1 to which it is adhesively bonded.
[0046] As illustrated schematically in FIG. 2 , preferably the foot 3 may have the general shape of a crown, the upper end of which is flared upwards in order to be adhesively bonded in particular to the convex part of the end of the body 1 . The lower end of the foot 3 forms an inward flange of the foot 3 and thus defines a flat base for stable support of the container. This folded-back lower end of the foot 3 limits the risks of creation of a sharp and abrasive edge that is dangerous for a user.
[0047] The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4 differs from that of FIG. 2 only in that the lower end of the foot 3 does not form an inward flange of the foot 3 . That is to say that the container rests on a lower circular edge of the foot 3 .
[0048] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3 , the foot 3 comprises four bearing plates perpendicularly connected to a circular base. The four bearing plates may be adhesively bonded to the end of the body 1 while the circular base, which is flat, enables the stable vertical support of the container.
[0049] In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 , the foot has the shape of a cylindrical tube, the upper end of which forms a downward- and inward-turned flange of the foot (cf. the cutaway view of FIG. 6 ). The flange is intended to be adhesively bonded to the end of the body 1 . The container resting on the ground via the lower circular edge.
[0050] The abrasion resistance of the foot 3 (scraping on the ground for example) is minimized owing to the above geometries.
[0051] Preferably, the mass of the foot 3 is less than 50% of the equivalent mass of the portion of the base of the body 1 to which the foot is attached.
[0052] The foot 3 may be obtained by an industrial process of mechanical shaping, preferably by a technique of pressing or mechanical spinning or smelting or welding of metal parts.
[0053] According to other possible variants, the foot 3 may be attached magnetically to the body 1 , for example via one or more magnets mounted, adhesively bonded or banded to the foot 3 .
[0054] It is easily understood that while being of simple and inexpensive structure, the invention makes it possible to produce a container that does not require the same surveillance measures of its corrosion as according to the prior art. Indeed, any corrosion would be induced on the foot 3 and would not present a safety risk for the pressurized container. Such corrosion may thus be confined to the foot 3 and may be tolerated.
[0055] It will be understood that many additional changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts, which have been herein described in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments in the examples given above.
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The invention relates to a pressurised fluid container, in particular a pressurised gas cylinder, comprising a body ( 1 ) forming a sealed storage volume for the fluid. According to the invention, a first end of the body ( 1 ) comprises an opening ( 2 ), while a second end of the body ( 1 ) comprises a base ( 3 ) secured to the body ( 1 ). The body ( 1 ) is formed by a metal material, a metal alloy or aluminium. The container is characterised in that the base ( 3 ) comprises a metal material, a metal alloy or an aluminium alloy having an electronegativity on the Pauling scale that is greater than that of the material forming the body ( 1 ). The invention also relates to a method for the production of such a container.
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1. PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the earlier filing date of provisional application, Serial No.: 60/203,700, filed on May 11, 2000.
2. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to decorative light strings, such as those used to decorate Christmas trees.
3. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Light strings are used at holiday times to decorate homes and trees. In some commercial establishments light strings are used year round for decoration. As light strings have been developed that use smaller light bulbs, are cheaper to manufacture, and use less energy, the number of light strings being sold and used has increased dramatically.
[0004] Typically, a light string includes a plurality of small lights connected electrically together in series or in parallel (or in a combination of series and parallel connections) with a plug on one end that is insertable into an electrical outlet. A light string may have as many as 200 individual lights on it.
[0005] A drawback to the use of light strings, particularly in decorating Christmas trees or other parts of a home where the viewer will be relatively close to the decorations, is the appearance of the pair of wires that runs from light to light. These wires are usually a dark color, and will tend to blend in if used with a Christmas tree. However, they nonetheless detract from the appearance of the tree. Moreover, when a light string is used to decorate a mantle the wires can be hidden to a limited extent behind other decorations. In most cases, however, the wires are generally detractive and not attractive.
[0006] Therefore, a need remains for a light string wherein the conducting wires are not visible or at least not obtrusive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to its major aspects and briefly recited, the present invention is the combination of a decorative ribbon and a light string. Except for the lamp bulbs themselves, the light string runs through the interior of a two-panel ribbon. The bulbs extend through holes in the ribbon so that they alone are visible from the exterior of the ribbon. Preferably the ribbon has reinforcing wire to stiffen it so that the ribbon light string may be shaped for good aesthetic effect.
[0008] The use of reinforced ribbon is an important feature of the present invention, the reinforcing allows a greater range of materials to be used for the ribbon itself, including those with limited structural stiffness, and facilitates the shaping of the ribbon into aesthetic forms that display both the ribbon and the lights carried by it.
[0009] The use of two-panel ribbon is another important feature of the present invention because, regardless of the ribbon's orientation, the panels allow the conducting wires of the light string to be completely hidden by the ribbon, while allowing the illuminating portion of the lamps to be visible.
[0010] Still another important feature of the invention is the use of shiny or reflective ribbon materials, which can enhance the light from the lamps by reflecting it from the ribbon's surface.
[0011] These and other features and their advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art of decorative lighting from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments accompanied by the following drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] In the figures,
[0013] [0013]FIG. 1 is a Christmas tree with a ribbon light string, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] [0014]FIG. 2 is a detail of the ribbon light string, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a ribbon light string of FIG. 2, taken along lines 3 - 3 ;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a preferred method for securing a lamp to the ribbon material by cutting C-shaped holes out of the upper and lower panels of the ribbon light string, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a preferred method for using ribbon wire, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] [0018]FIGS. 6A is a detailed view of a preferred method of cutting circular holes out of the upper and lower panels of the ribbon light string, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] [0019]FIGS. 6B is a detailed view of a preferred method of cutting X-shaped holes out of the upper and lower panels of the ribbon light string, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] [0020]FIGS. 6C is a detailed view of a preferred method of cutting H-shaped holes out of the upper and lower panels of the ribbon light string, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a preferred method of forming a flange on the lamp base and the lamp bulb for securing a lamp to the ribbon material, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 8 is a detailed view of a preferred method of forming a clip mechanism on the lamp base and lamp bulb together for securing a lamp to the ribbon material, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
[0023] [0023]FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of a ribbon light string showing the use of two hems on each side of the longitudinal centerline of the ribbon light string, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The present invention is, in combination, a light string and a ribbon. The term “light string” refers to a plurality of lamps connected electrically by wires either in series, in parallel, or in a series/parallel combination, powered either by alternating or direct current, and having a male electrical plug at one end and a female electrical plug at the other end to facilitate the cascading of multiple strings. When the male electrical plug is plugged into an energized wall outlet, or into the female plug of either an energized extension cord or another energized light string, the lamps in the string light up.
[0025] The term “ribbon” is used in a geometric sense and generally refers to a thin, flat material having a major dimension that is considerably longer than its minor dimension and a minor dimension much greater than its thickness. The term “ribbon” is also generally characterized by a relatively high degree of flexibility, i.e., it can be formed into various shapes including bows, for example.
[0026] Referring now to the figures, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 an example of the utility of the present invention of a ribbon light string 10 , namely, to decorate Christmas tree 12 having ornaments 14 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Ribbon light string 10 includes a plurality of individual lamps 16 carried by a length of ribbon 18 .
[0027] [0027]FIGS. 2,3, and 4 illustrate detailed views of a ribbon light string 10 from the side and in cross sectional view, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, ribbon 18 includes two panels an upper panel 20 and a lower panel 22 that are joined together to form a pocket or sleeve 24 . Panels 20 , 22 , need not be the same width, i.e., one of them can be narrower than the other, as long as the panels when joined together form sleeve 24 that is wide enough to accommodate the light string 34 inside sleeve 24 . Sleeve 24 has two channels 26 , 28 , formed in its lateral extremities. It is preferred that these channels are dimensioned to receive reinforcing wires 30 , 32 , and are preferably formed by sewing, gluing, heat sealing, or by some other convenient method, a hem 29 near both longitudinal edges 62 , 63 of ribbon 18 . Reinforcing wires 30 , 32 , are preferably made of steel, plastic or other material that is malleable so that it can be formed into a shape that will remain until it is bent again. Thus, reinforcing wires 30 , 32 , should provide sufficient structure to hold ribbon 18 in a given shape.
[0028] Reinforcing wires 30 , 32 , allow the user to crinkle or shape ribbon 18 into a decorative form, such as a spiral, a curl, a loop or a bow where it will remain in such shape until re-formed into a different shape. Channels 26 , 28 , do not necessarily need to be located in the lateral extremities, i.e., these channels can be located anywhere, as long as a channel 26 or 28 is on each side of the longitudinal centerline between the longitudinal centerline and a longitudinal edge 62 , 63 , with an example of such an orientation shown in FIG. 9. Furthermore, the two reinforcing wires 30 , 32 , are not needed in order to be able to shape ribbon 18 . However, this arrangement and number of reinforcing wires is preferred. Alternatively, a single reinforcing wire may provide the structure for shaping ribbon 18 , which reinforcing wire may be located anywhere between the longitudinal edges 62 , 63 as long as it runs longitudinally between the opposite longitudinal ends 60 , 61 of ribbon 18 , or, alternatively, a material may be selected for ribbon 18 that has sufficient structural strength and flexibility so it can be bent, without the need of reinforcing wires 30 , 32 , into a shape that will remain until it is bent again.
[0029] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the present ribbon light string 10 can be made using ribbon 18 in combination with “ribbon wire” 39 instead of conductors 36 , 38 , and potentially with more aggressive lighting effects, and perhaps based on the use of “rice” lights, not shown in FIG. 5, which are smaller than the miniature lights commonly used on Christmas light strings.
[0030] A light string 34 runs on the inside of sleeve 24 between panels 20 and 22 , and extends beyond the sleeve's longitudinal ends 60 , 61 . Light string 34 includes two electrical conductors 36 , 38 , which are insulated electrical wires, and a plurality of lamps 40 , which are connected to electrical conductors 36 , 38 .
[0031] Each lamp 40 includes a lamp base 42 and a lamp bulb 44 inserted into a lamp base 42 . Each lamp bulb 44 is energized by electrical current carried by conductors 36 and 38 through a lamp base 42 in the well-known manner. Each lamp bulb 44 extends through a hole 46 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , or through a hole 58 , 50 , or 52 , as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6 C respectively, formed in panel 20 or panel 22 , or both panels 20 , 22 , of sleeve 24 , so that each lamp bulb 44 is visible from the exterior of sleeve 24 but electrical conductors 36 , 38 , or “ribbon wire” 39 as shown in FIG. 5, are hidden inside sleeve 24 . Each lamp bulb 44 can protrude from either panel 20 or from panel 22 , or can alternate between the two panels 20 , 22 .
[0032] Ribbon 18 is preferably made of a decorative material and most preferably made of a material that is shiny so that it reflects, either spectrally or diffusely, the light from lamp bulbs 44 . Panels 20 , 22 need not be made of the same material or, if made of the same material, can be of different colors, such as red and green for Christmas. The material for panels 20 , 22 , can be nearly any natural or synthetic fabric, preferably a woven fabric that is plasticized or covered with a foil.
[0033] To facilitate the holding of a lamp 40 to either panel 20 or panel 22 , holes 46 , 50 , 52 , or 58 may be formed in panels 20 , 22 , that are just large enough for lamp bulb 44 . However, instead of circular holes 58 , it is preferable to form C-shaped holes 46 in order to better hold lamp bulb 44 in place, as shown in FIG. 4. The uncut portion of the C-shaped hole defines a flap 48 that can be inserted into lamp base 42 . When lamp bulb 44 is inserted into lamp base 42 , it holds flap 48 and thus panel 22 , or panel 20 as shown in FIG. 4, to lamp 40 . Alternatively, a hole and flap arrangement in the shape of an “X” 50 as shown in FIG. 6B, or an “H” 52 as shown in FIG. 6C, or other similar shape may be formed, or a flange 54 formed on lamp base 42 and a flange 55 formed on lamp bulb 44 as shown in FIG. 7, or a clip 56 as shown in FIG. 8, can be used to pinch the perimeter of a circular hole 58 to lamp 40 .
[0034] Preferably the longitudinal ends 60 , 61 of ribbon 18 are finished so that conductors 36 , 38 , in the immediate vicinity of a male plug 64 and a female plug 66 are held within sleeve 24 between panels 20 and 22 allowing the plugs 64 , 66 to extend a short distance from the longitudinal ends 60 , 61 of ribbon 18 .
[0035] Other modifications and substitutions can be made to these preferred embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, defined by the appended claims.
LIST OF THE REFERENCE NUMBERS
[0036] ribbon light string— 10
[0037] Christmas tree— 12
[0038] ornaments— 14
[0039] lamps— 16
[0040] ribbon— 18
[0041] upper panel— 20
[0042] lower panel— 22
[0043] sleeve— 24
[0044] channel— 26
[0045] channel— 28
[0046] hem — 29
[0047] reinforcing wire— 30
[0048] reinforcing wire— 32
[0049] light string— 34
[0050] electrical conductor— 36
[0051] electrical conductor— 38
[0052] ribbon wire— 39
[0053] lamp— 40
[0054] lamp base— 42
[0055] lamp bulb— 44
[0056] C-shaped hole— 46
[0057] flap— 48
[0058] X-shaped hole— 50
[0059] H-shaped hole— 52
[0060] lamp base flange— 54
[0061] lamp bulb flange— 55
[0062] clip— 56
[0063] circular holes— 58
[0064] longitudinal end— 60
[0065] longitudinal end— 61
[0066] longitudinal edge— 62
[0067] longitudinal edge— 63
[0068] male electrical plug— 64
[0069] female electrical plug— 66
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A ribbon light string ( 10 ) is formed from a reinforced ribbon ( 18 ) carrying a light string ( 34 ). By running the electrical conductors ( 36,38 ) that connect each lamp ( 16 ) through a flat sleeve ( 24 ) formed of two panels ( 20,22 )joined together to form a ribbon ( 18 ) and then extending the individual lamp bulbs ( 44 ) of the light string ( 34 ) through holes ( 46 ) formed in the panels ( 20,22 ) the lamp bulbs ( 44 ) become visible from the exterior of the ribbon ( 18 ) but the electrical conductors ( 36,38 ) are hidden. The ribbon ( 18 ) may be reinforced with peripheral reinforcing wires ( 30,32 ) so that it may be shaped in decorative ways and is made of a material, preferably reflective, that compliments the light from the lamp bulbs ( 44 ) that the ribbon light string ( 10 ) carries.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/407,899 filed Oct. 29, 2002, which is incorporated in its entirety as a part hereof for all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus for screening a plurality of sample materials for chemical activity, chemical equilibrium, and/or molecular transport.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Screening candidate materials for chemical activity, for molecular transport, or for potentially catalytic properties is a time-consuming, labor-intensive process. Obtaining information concerning reaction rates at various compositions and process conditions, such as different temperatures and pressures, requires systematic investigation and the performance of many experiments.
An apparatus that could at least partially automate the process of simultaneously carrying out multiple reactions and simultaneously or sequentially making spectroscopic measurements to obtain information about reaction and molecular transport dynamics is considered to be advantageous. The present invention provides such an apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for simultaneously performing chemical reactions and simultaneously or sequentially making spectroscopic or other measurements on a plurality of samples, such as thin film samples. The apparatus of the present invention is capable of containing multiple samples in individual sample holding positions in a sample holder within a housing and maintaining those holding positions in chemical isolation from each other. Under control of a computerized controller, the apparatus positions the sample holder so that each sample holding position may be positioned adjacent to one or more ports connected to a distribution manifold. The apparatus exposes each sample to one or more fluids in liquid and/or gas phase, thereby carrying out a chemical reaction under controlled temperature, composition and pressure conditions. The sample holding positions may be positioned in a measurement station, such as an optical measurement station, within the housing so that the resulting chemical state may be characterized. Chemical reactions may be carried out within the measurement station and the chemical reaction and molecular transport dynamics may be monitored in real time.
Another embodiment of this invention is a method for testing a plurality of samples, by (a) simultaneously reacting all samples with a fluid, and (b) during the reaction of the samples with the fluid, subjecting each sample in sequence to analysis.
Yet another embodiment of this invention is a method for testing a plurality of samples, by (a) simultaneously reacting all samples with a fluid in a sealed vessel, and (b) after completion of the reaction of the samples with the fluid, subjecting each sample in sequence to analysis in the sealed vessel.
A further embodiment of this invention is a method for testing a group of samples, by (a) simultaneously reacting all samples with a fluid in a sealed vessel, (b) before or after step (a), simultaneously reacting one or more members of a subgroup of the group of samples with a fluid in the sealed vessel, and (c) subjecting each sample to analysis.
A further embodiment of this invention is a method for testing a plurality of samples, by (a) bringing all samples to a predetermined temperature in a first chamber of a vessel, (b) simultaneously exposing each sample in a second chamber of the vessel, which is isolated from the first chamber, to a reactive fluid, and (c) subjecting each sample to analysis.
A further embodiment of this invention is a method for testing a plurality of samples, by (a) simultaneously exposing all samples to a non-reactive fluid in a first chamber of a vessel, (b) simultaneously exposing all samples in a second chamber of the vessel, which is isolated from the first chamber, to a reactive fluid, and (c) subjecting each sample to analysis.
A further embodiment of this invention is a method for testing a group of samples in a sealed vessel, by (a) placing one or more members of the group of samples in a position in the vessel to receive separate exposure to a reactive fluid, (b) simultaneously exposing those samples to the fluid, and (c) subjecting in the sealed vessel each member of the group of samples to analysis.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a group of samples that includes (a) a fluid distribution system to simultaneously expose each sample to a reactive fluid, and (b) a holder for the group of samples slidable with respect to the fluid distribution system, and (c) an analyzer.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a group of samples that includes (a) a fluid distribution system to simultaneously expose each sample to a reactive fluid, (b) an analyzer, and (c) a holder for the group of samples slidable with respect to the analyzer.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a group of samples that includes (a) a fluid distribution system to simultaneously expose only the members of a subgroup of the group of samples to a reactive fluid, and (b) a holder for the group of samples slidable with respect to the fluid distribution system, and (c) an analyzer.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a group of samples that includes (a) a fluid distribution system to simultaneously expose only the members of a subgroup of the group of samples to a reactive fluid, (b) an analyzer, and (c) a holder for the group of samples slidable with respect to the analyzer.
A further embodiment of this invention is a sealed vessel for testing a plurality of samples that includes (a) a fluid distribution system to simultaneously expose the samples to a reactive fluid, and (b) an analyzer in the sealed vessel that is isolated from the fluid distribution system.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a plurality of samples that includes (a) a first chamber in which each samples is simultaneously exposed to a non-reactive fluid, (b) a second chamber, isolated from the first chamber, in which each samples is simultaneously exposed to a reactive fluid, and (c) an analyzer.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a plurality of samples that includes (a) a first chamber in which each samples is simultaneously brought to a pre-determined temperature, (b) a second chamber, isolated from the first chamber, in which each samples is simultaneously exposed to a reactive fluid, and (c) an analyzer.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a plurality of samples that includes (a) a holder for the samples, (b) a cover for the holder, and (c) an analyzer, wherein the cover is slidable with respect to the holder, and the holder is slidable with respect to the analyzer.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a group of samples that includes (a) a fluid distribution system to simultaneously expose each sample to a reactive fluid; (b) a reaction chamber in which each sample is reacted with the fluid, the reaction chamber for each sample being separate and isolated from the reaction chamber for each other sample; and (c) an analyzer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the elements of the apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the overall reaction apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation view of the apparatus, taken along section lines 4 - 4 of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along section lines C-C of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view taken along section lines C-C of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 7 is a first perspective view of the reaction assembly.
FIG. 8 is a second perspective view, opposite the view of FIG. 7 , of the reaction assembly.
FIG. 9 is a first sectional view of the reaction assembly.
FIG. 10 is a second sectional view of the reaction assembly.
FIG. 11 is a sectional partial view of the apparatus, taken along section lines 4 - 4 of FIG. 2 , showing the sample holder in the loading/unloading position.
FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the apparatus, enlarging a portion of FIG. 11 .
FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the apparatus, taken along section lines K-K of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 14 is a view, partially in section, showing the sample holder in an optical measurement position.
FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of a first embodiment of the sample holder.
FIG. 16A is an enlarged view of a second sample holder having a sample hold-down clamp, the clamp being in a release position.
FIG. 16B is a view of the second sample holder showing the sample hold-down clamp rotated to the holding position with the clamp in the up position.
FIG. 16C is a view of the second sample holder showing the sample hold-down clamp rotated to the holding position with the clamp in the down position.
FIG. 17 is a sectional view, taken along section lines 17 - 17 of FIG. 16C .
FIG. 18 is a sectional view, taken along section lines 18 - 18 of FIG. 16C , showing an attenuated total internal reflection (ATR) measurement arrangement.
FIG. 18A is an enlarged sectional view showing the interaction of light with the sample in the ATR measurement arrangement.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a main control routine for controlling the computer controller.
FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a control routine for controlling the spectrometer of an optical measurement system.
FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a routine for recording parameters and settings.
FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing a routine for configuring elements of the system.
FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a routine for controlling valves and displaying set-points.
FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing a routine for recording parameters and experimental data.
FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing a routine for displaying spectral data.
FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing a routine for controlling the positioning system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a reaction apparatus containing a sample holder is arranged so that a plurality of samples to be reacted may be loaded into the sample holder, each sample being loaded respectively into a separate sample holding position in the sample holder. The sample holder is removable from the reaction apparatus to permit loading the samples in a controlled environment. When loaded, the sample holder may be inserted into an inner body of the reaction apparatus when the inner body is in a loading position. A mechanical detent assembly holds the sample holder in place in the inner body.
The sample holder, as carried within the inner body, may be loaded into the reaction apparatus through a loading/unloading section of the reactor apparatus. The loading/unloading section may be sealed with a manually installed cover. After the loading/unloading section is sealed with the cover, a gas control system is available to purge the loading/unloading section to eliminate any undesired gas within the reactor assembly.
Automated systems, as controlled by a computer, then set the parameters for a reaction, and cause the reaction to occur. A pressure control system may be commanded to bring the pressure and gas concentration in the reactor to a desired level. A temperature control system may be commanded to bring the temperature of the samples in the sample holder to a desired temperature, and a controller may command a fluid control system to introduce reaction fluid(s), which may be one or more gas(es) and/or liquid(s). A controller then commands a drive system to pull the inner body and the sample holder into the reactor housing into a fully inserted reaction position, and commands a positioning system to move the inner body into a selected position within the reaction section of the housing.
A variety of sample holders may be employed. When the samples are analyzed by an optical method, an example of one type of suitable sample holder receives thin film samples mounted on either light absorbing, light transmitting or light reflecting substrates. The substrate may be planar or may contain a well to hold the sample. An example of a second type of optical sample holder receives samples mounted on a substrate, with an attenuated total internal reflection (ATR) crystal in contact with each sample, and has a clamping assembly that clamps the ATR crystal to the sample so that optical contact is maintained. Other kinds of sample holders may be used when other kinds of analytical measurements are made.
The protocol for the chemical reaction environment and the measurements are carried out under control of a control computer. Before the reaction begins, the sample positions may be flushed with an inert, non-reactive gas such as nitrogen. During the reaction phase, a positioning system moves the sample holder, held within the inner body, to a reaction position. The positioning system then moves the sample holder to an analytical monitoring section, and successively positions each sample at the correct position for analytical measurement during or, after completion of, the reaction. The arrangement for the desired type of analysis (i.e. the necessary equipment, commands and activating resources) is then engaged, and analytical measurement of each sample is performed to characterize the reacted sample. After measurement is completed, the sample holder is again brought to the loading/unloading section where, if necessary, the samples may be flushed with an inert gas, the temperature may be raised or lowered to terminate the reaction, and the pressure returned to ambient pressure, such as to atmospheric pressure.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates the elements of the apparatus of the present invention. The system 10 contains a computer controller 20 , such as an Optiplex GX 1 from Dell Computer; an associated positioning system 30 ; a fluid distribution system 40 ; a temperature control system 60 ; a pressure control system 80 ; and a reaction apparatus 100 . The fluid distribution system 40 may contain one or more electrically activated valves capable of controlling the passage of a fluid such as a gas or liquid, such as Swagelok model SS-4BG-3C gas valve, and associated tubing. The temperature control system may contain a commercially available temperature controller, such as a model CN3390 from Omega Corp. Stratford, Conn., heating bands such as Type A heating bands manufactured by Watlow, Inc., and associated RTD temperature sensors, such as model DRW713237, and type J thermocouples, available from Technical Industrial Products. The pressure control system 80 may contain commercially available components such as a compressed gas supply, one or more electrically controlled pressure regulators, and electrically activated gas valves, such as Swagelok model SS-4BG-3C.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reaction apparatus 100 showing a generally cylindrical housing 120 , an analytical monitoring section 160 , and an attached a drive section 180 . FIGS. 3 and 4 are side elevation views of the reaction apparatus 100 showing the cylindrical housing 120 , which contains a loading/unloading section 130 having an airlock 132 and a cover 134 ; a reaction section 140 ; a distribution manifold system 150 ; an analytical monitoring section 160 ; and an attached a drive section 180 .
As seen in the perspective views of FIGS. 7 and 8 and sectional views 9 and 10 , a reactor assembly 300 is shown, assembly 300 being contained within the housing 120 , and being movable in a direction along the axis 120 A of housing 120 .
The reactor assembly contains a cylindrical outer body 320 having a generally cylindrical bore 330 having an axis 330 A and a plurality of ports 340 . As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the apparatus also contains heating elements 380 , which may be one or more band heaters clamped around the reactor housing; and
associated temperature sensing elements 390 . As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the outer body 320 contains a fluid distribution manifold 360 . Bore 330 receives a slidable cylindrical inner body 400 . A pair of constant tension springs 390 , 392 bias the cylindrical outer body 320 and the cylindrical inner body 400 against the threaded drive screw 810 . In an alternative embodiment, instead of using tension springs 390 , 392 , outer body 320 , inner body 400 and sample holder 500 may all be made slidable in and out both ends of reactor assembly 300 .
The inner body 400 has a generally cylindrical first bore 430 having an axis 430 A, which is coincident with axis 330 A, and a plurality of ports 440 (as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 ). First bore 430 receives slidable sample holder 500 . The inner body 400 has a threaded second bore 450 that engages a threaded drive screw 810 (as shown in FIG. 1 ) of the 30 positioning system 30 . As shown in FIGS. 16A-16C , sample holder 500 has a plurality of reaction sample holding positions 504 for containing the samples to be reacted.
Referring again to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the sample holder 500 is slidable along the axis 430 A to a fully inserted position with the inner body 400 . When the sample holder 500 is in the fully inserted position within the inner body 400 , as seen in the sectional view of FIG. 14 , each of the plurality of sample holding positions 504 is aligned with each of the plurality of ports 340 of the outer body 320 .
As shown in FIG. 1 , the position control system 30 comprises the threaded screw 810 , a drive motor 820 (such as a stepper motor) and associated reduction gears 830 , a drive screw position encoder 840 and a drive controller 850 interfaced to the system controller 20 .
When the ports 440 of the inner body 400 are aligned with the ports 340 of the outer body 320 , a gas inlet passage 906 from the inlet distribution manifold to each sample holding position 504 is established; and a gas outlet passage 908 from each sample holding position 504 to the exhaust manifold 362 is established. This can be seen in sectional views FIGS. 9 and 10 .
An example of one type of the analytical monitoring section 160 is the optical monitoring section seen in FIGS. 4 , 5 and 6 . It comprises a base assembly 600 , at least one analytical ports (such as an optical port) 610 , and at least one optical arrangement 640 (i.e. the necessary equipment, commands and activating resources for the particular type of optical analysis), such as a paired optical source 650 and detector 660 and an associated spectrometer 700 or 710 . In the optical analysis, light may be passed from the optical source 650 to the optical detector 660 by reflection off of mirrors 662 .
An optical arrangement 640 may, for example, be implemented using a spectrometer 700 (as shown in FIG. 3 ) being capable of performing a measurement at ultraviolet or visible wavelengths of a sample contained on a sample holder positioned within a sample holding position 504 to characterize the sample. Alternatively a spectrometer 710 (also shown in FIG. 3 ) capable of performing a measurement at infrared wavelengths may be used to characterize the sample. The specific optical arrangement to be utilized is selected according to the characteristics of the sample. An optical transmission measurement 642 , as shown in FIG. 10 , may be employed for samples that are at least partially transparent. An optical reflection arrangement 644 , as shown in FIG. 6 , may be employed for samples that are opaque.
In one embodiment, an attenuated total internal reflection (ATR) arrangement 646 , as shown in FIG. 18A , may be employed for surface measurements of a sample S. The sample S is fixed either on the top or bottom by a rigid light conducting Attenuated, Total Reflection (ATR) transparent optical cover 530 such as a crystal. This assembly may be fixed by rigid supports 506 , 508 on the top and bottom of the ATR crystal. The ATR crystal cross-section is preferred to be a trapezoid. Light L enters the ATR crystal normal to one of the end faces to make an angle of reflection with the faces F 1 , F 2 that results in a total internal reflection condition. At each reflection there is emitted an evanescent standing wave, which decays exponentially with distance from the crystal interface into any material which is contacted with the ATR crystal surface. In FIG. 18A , the top of the sample S is monitored within the evanescent waves at each reflection which transmit into the sample S. As the sample absorbs amounts of light within the evanescent waves, the absorption can be detected from the light leaving the ATR crystal by a light detector.
Other types of analysis that may be used instead of, or in addition to, optical analysis include analysis selected from the group consisting of ultrasonic, electrostatic, magnetic, radio frequency or x-ray analysis.
In operation, the system 10 is capable of performing a plurality of chemical reactions. First, the sample holder 500 is loaded with samples to be reacted. When optical analysis, such as an ATR measurement, is to be made, a hold-down clamp 520 , as shown in FIG. 16A , is positioned in the release position so that a sample and the support 508 can be inserted into the sample holding position 504 . The sample S, mounted on support 508 , is inserted into the sample holding position 504 , and a transparent optical cover 530 is placed over support 508 , and top support 506 is placed over cover 530 . The clamp 520 is rotated to the holding position with the clamp in the up position, as shown in FIG. 16B . Then the clamp 520 is moved to the down position to hold the cover 530 tightly against top support 506 , sealing the sample S in the sample holding position 504 , as shown in FIGS. 16C and 18A . The sample holder 500 is inserted into the bore 430 of cylindrical inner body 400 of the reactor assembly 300 when the reactor assembly and the inner body are both positioned at an undocked position.
The cylindrical inner body 400 of the reactor assembly 300 is then moved to a docked position within the outer body 320 by the positioning control unit 30 . At this time, the controller 20 may command the temperature control system 60 to bring the interior of outer body 320 to a predetermined temperature if necessary. The temperature control system 60 in such event energizes heating elements 380 , and temperature-sensing elements 390 provide a feedback signal to the temperature control system 60 . If pressure other than ambient is to be used, the control computer 20 commands the pressure control system 80 to either raise or lower the pressure within the apparatus to the desired pressure. Conventional pressure transducers (not shown) provide a pressure feedback signal to the pressure control system 80 .
Next the controller 20 causes the fluid distribution system 40 to introduce one or more reactant fluid(s), such as gas(es) and/or liquid(s), to the samples within the sample holding positions 504 , and the reactant fluid(s) react with the sample. When the reaction is complete, the positioning control unit 30 sequentially positions and re-positions the reactor assembly 300 so that each of the sample holding positions 504 is individually aligned with the analytical monitoring section 160 . The sample holding positions can be positioned for individual alignment with the analytical monitoring section 160 in any order and more than once.
As each sample holding position 504 is brought slidably into its individual alignment with analytical port 610 , at least one analytical measurement is made of that sample. Upon completion of the analytical measurements, the reactor assembly 300 is returned to the initial position adjacent the load/unload section 130 . At this time the temperature and pressure within the apparatus is returned to ambient, if necessary. This may be facilitated by flushing the reaction assembly to quench the reaction, such as with an inert gas at ambient temperature and pressure. When the desired conditions have been reached, the inner body 400 of the reactor assembly 300 is moved to the undocked position, the cover 134 is removed and the sample holder 500 is removed from the reactor assembly 300 .
In various alternative embodiments, the invention provides a method for testing a plurality of samples, by (a) simultaneously reacting all samples with a fluid, and (b) during or after the reaction of the samples with the fluid, subjecting each sample in sequence to analysis. Once the airlock 132 is closed, the reaction of the samples with the fluid and the analysis are performed in a sealed vessel. While the samples remain in the sealed vessel, it is possible, if desired, to subjecting one or more of them to a second simultaneous reaction with a fluid, and a second analysis, and this sequence of steps may be repeated as many times as desired.
Each sample holding position 504 of the sample holder 500 provides a chamber in which the temperature or the pressure is controlled when the sample in that position is reacted. Each such reaction chamber is isolated from the reaction chamber provided by each other sample holding position. The isolation is provided by the fact that the sample holder 500 is slidable within the inner body 400 , and the inner body is slidable with in the outer body 320 . At any sample holding position at which there is a corresponding port in the inner body, when the inner body is moved such that the port in the inner body is aligned with the port in the outer body, the sample is exposed to the fluid in the manifold of the outer body. A reaction chamber exists, for example, when a port in both the outer and inner bodies are lined up with a sample holding position, and the ports have access to a fluid distribution manifold. That sample holding position is, however, isolated from all other sample holding positions and from the analytical port by the annulus of the outer body and the annulus of the inner body. The invention thus provides a method in which the chamber in which each samples is exposed to or reacted with the fluid is isolated from the chamber in which each samples is subjected to analysis.
The analysis may be performed during, or after completion of, the reaction of the samples with the fluid.
In one segment of the reaction apparatus, when the ports in the inner body are aligned with the ports of the outer body, all sample holding positions are exposed to the fluid in the manifold, which may be a reactive or non-reactive fluid. In this segment, it is thus possible to simultaneously expose all samples to or react all samples with, the fluid. In another optional segment of the apparatus, however, a port in the inner body is not available for alignment with each port in the outer body. In this segment, it is thus possible to simultaneously expose one or more members of a subgroup of the samples to, or react one or more member of the subgroup with, the fluid. A subgroup of the group of samples in the sample holder is a number of samples that is less than the number in the whole group. The number in the subgroup may be one, or any other number that is less than the number in the whole group. The step of exposing or reacting the subgroup may be performed before or after the step of exposing or reacting the whole group.
The samples may be brought to a predetermined temperature in a segment or chamber of the reaction vessel before the sample holding positions in the sample holder have been placed in alignment with the ports in the outer body. The exposure or reaction of the samples may thus be conducted in a chamber of the apparatus that is isolated from a temperature-adjustment chamber by the sliding motion of the sample holder moving into alignment with the ports in the outer body. When the sample holder is positioned in that alignment, moving the inner body such that its ports are also in the same alignment exposes the samples to the fluid in the manifold. After completion of reaction and analysis, the sample holder can be returned to the former position at which time the temperature of all samples can be further adjusted to a temperature above or below the predetermined temperature. In similar fashion, the samples may be exposed to a non-reactive fluid in a different segment of the apparatus from that in which they are exposed to a reactive fluid.
As mentioned above, the samples are placed in position to receive exposure to a fluid when the sample holding positions are placed in alignment with the ports in the outer body. Then by sliding the inner body component of the apparatus relative to the outer body component, an inlet passage is created for the fluid to flow from the manifold into the area of the sample holding position. In this sense, the inner body forms a cover for the sample holder with the result that the cover can be open when the ports of the inner body are in alignment with the ports of the outer body, and can be closed when the ports are not in alignment. When the sample holder is later moved into alignment with the analytical port, the sample holding position remains isolated by the annulus of the inner body from the reaction chamber previously formed when the respective ports of the inner and outer bodies were in alignment directly over the sample holding position.
After removal of the sample holder 500 from the reaction vessel, the sample hold-down clamp 520 , if used, is released from down holding position to the up position ( FIG. 16C ), and then the clamp may be rotated to the sample release position ( FIG. 16B ) and the in the up position ( FIG. 16A ).
FIGS. 19 through 26 depict, in block diagram form, software for controlling the system 10 . FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a main control routine for controlling the computer controller. FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a routine for controlling a spectrometer when the analytical method employed is an optical measurement system. FIG. 21 shows a routine for recording parameters and settings. FIG. 22 shows a routine for configuring elements of the system. FIG. 23 depicts a routine for controlling valves and displaying set-points. FIG. 24 shows a routine for recording parameters and experimental data. FIG. 25 depicts a routine for displaying spectral data when the analytical method employed is an optical measurement system. FIG. 26 shows a routine for controlling the positioning system.
In operation, the system 10 is controlled by software that utilizes a graphical user interface to enable the user to operate the reaction apparatus 100 in an automated manner. The user is enabled to program all process, measurement and analysis parameters before the experiment is initiated. This programming is divided into three main stages: Set-Up, Experiment and Analysis.
In the Set-Up Stage, the user selects all process and measurement parameters. Process parameters include all temperature set-points for the temperature control system 60 for the loading, reactor and unloading sections; vacuum or pressure level for the pressure control system 80 ; motor drive controller parameters such as movement velocity; hold times for loading, preheat and unloading quench gas flows; as well as activation schedule to the fluid distribution system 40 for the solenoid-actuated valves which handle the loading-preheat fluid and unloading-quench fluid. When the analytical method employed is an optical measurement system, the measurement parameters may include, for example, spectroscopy specifications for a UV/Visible spectrometer 700 and FTIR 710 ; identification of which sample positions 504 to measure; any desired delay time between sampling cycles; the total number of sampling cycles; and data storage path. All of these parameters completely define the experiment, and are recorded in a separate method file. The method file allows the user to document the experiment in a laboratory record, and may also be used as a template for future experiments.
The Set-Up Stage parameters are selected by the user by clicking on a “Set-Up” control button. This action makes available several additional control buttons that access different classes of experimental parameters. For example, a “Set Points” control button displays a window in which the user enters all temperature set points. A “Data Path” control button displays a window that allows the user to either define or specify an existing file system directory or create a new file system directory in which to store the experimental data files. A “Motor Sampling” button displays a window that permits the user to calibrate the motor 820 , specify active sampling positions during the experiment, as well as report motion data from the drive controller 850 . When the analytical method employed is an optical measurement system, a button such as an “Ocean Optics” button displays a window that permits the user to specify UV/Vis spectroscopy parameters for a spectrometer, such as an Ocean Optics spectrometer 700 . A button such as a “Nicolet” button displays a window that permits the user to specify FTIR spectroscopy parameters for a spectrometer such as a Nicolet spectrometer 710 .
A “Parameters” button displays a window that permits the user to program the experimental method and sequence. The experimental method comprises sections entitled “Start”, “Sampling” and “End”. Each of these sections is optional and may be selected as either active or bypassed during the experiment. If the user activates the Start section, then the user may specify loading zone temperatures, loading fluid treatment flows and exposure time. If the user activates the Sampling section, the user may specify the number of sampling cycles, sampling kinetics as well as any delay time between sampling cycles. Furthermore, the user may specify the unloading temperature in advance of the End section so that the temperature may be adjusted by the temperature controllers during the experiment.
There are two types of sampling kinetics. In linear sampling kinetics, the user specifies a constant delay time between sampling cycles, which is maintained over all sampling cycles. In logarithmic sampling kinetics, the user specifies an initial delay time between sampling cycles. Here the delay time is kept constant for ten sampling cycles, and then doubled for the next ten sampling cycles. This process repeats until all specified sampling cycles have been followed. The logarithmic kinetics specification is ideal for reactions that are fast in the beginning, become progressively slower but ultimately last for long periods of time. Thus an optimal amount of data are collected and stored for the user to analyze. If the user activates the End section, the user may specify the unloading zone temperatures, unloading-quench gas treatment flows and exposure times.
In the Experiment Stage the user initiates the programmed instructions set in the Set-Up stage. Here the computer autonomously operates the reactor, and controls the process environment and data collection without further presence required of the user. The software does provide the user the capability to pause and restart as well as to abort the experiment should such actions be required. The Experiment Stage is accessed by the user in the software by clicking on an “Experiment” control button in the graphical user interface.
In the Analysis Stage, when the analytical method employed is an optical measurement system, the user may employ utility subroutines that analyze the spectra series collected during the experiment. Individual IR, UV/Visible or other spectra may be accessed and analyzed independently. Alternatively, the user may select an entire series or a subset of a series to analyze in the identical manner. Such analyses typically involve selecting a baseline over a range of wavelengths, and then integrating the area within a spectral absorbance within another range of wavelengths. The spectral absorbances are normalized and recorded as a function of experiment time in a text data summary file. The text data file can be imported to suitable kinetics analysis software to derive rate expressions from the measured data. The Analysis Stage utility subroutines are accessed by the user in the software by clicking on a “Data Analysis” control button.
Examples of various other embodiments of this invention are described below. One embodiment of this invention is a method for testing a plurality of samples by (a) simultaneously reacting all samples with a fluid, and (b) during the simultaneous reaction of all samples, subjecting each sample in sequence to analysis. A further embodiment of this invention is a method for testing a plurality of samples by (a) simultaneously reacting all samples with a fluid, and (b) optically analyzing each sample using two or more optical methods, each method using light having a different wavelength in the range from about 190 nanometers to about 900 nanometers or in the range from about 2,500 nanometers to about 25,000 nanometers.
A further embodiment of this invention is a method for testing a plurality of samples by (a) changing the temperature of all samples in a first chamber, (b) simultaneously exposing all samples in a second chamber, which is isolated from the first chamber, to a reactive fluid, (c) analyzing each sample, and (d) after completion of analysis, changing the temperature of all samples in the first chamber. The temperature of the samples may be changed by simultaneously exposing the samples to a non-reactive fluid, and the temperature of the samples may in any step be increased or decreased, such as by at least about 100° C. An exemplary non-reactive fluid is nitrogen.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a plurality of samples that contains (a) a reaction chamber in which all samples are reacted with a fluid, and (b) an analyzer that performs two or more optical methods, each method using light having a different wavelength in the range from about 190 nanometers to about 900 nanometers or in the range from about 2,500 nanometers to about 25,000 nanometers.
In the above embodiments, during the testing procedure, the samples may be reacted with a fluid in a chamber in which the temperature or the pressure is controlled. The fluid may be one or more gases and/or one or more liquids. Before reacting the samples with the fluid in a second chamber, the temperature of all samples may be changed in a first chamber, the first chamber being isolated from the second chamber. The temperature of all samples in the first chamber may also be changed after reacting the samples with the fluid. The temperature of the samples may, for example, be increased before the reaction, and decreased after the reaction, or vice versa. The first chamber may be isolated from the second chamber by sliding the sample carrier.
Another embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a plurality of samples that contains (a) a fluid distribution system to simultaneously expose each sample to a reactive fluid, and (b) a transparent holder for one or more samples, and (c) an optical analyzer. Another embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a plurality of samples that contains (a) a fluid distribution system to simultaneously expose each sample to a reactive fluid, and (b) a holder for one or more samples that comprises an attenuated total reflection crystal, and (c) an analyzer.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a plurality of samples that contains (a) a first chamber in which all samples are simultaneously exposed to a non-reactive fluid, (b) a second chamber, isolated from the first chamber, in which all samples are simultaneously exposed to a reactive fluid, and (c) an analyzer. The non-reactive fluid or the reactive fluid may be a gas, and the non-reactive fluid may be nitrogen. A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a plurality of samples that contains (a) a first chamber in which the temperature of all samples is changed by simultaneous exposure to fluid, (b) a second chamber, isolated from the first chamber, in which all samples are reacted by simultaneous exposure to a fluid, and (c) an analyzer.
A further embodiment of this invention is an apparatus for testing a plurality of samples, comprising (a) a first fluid distribution system to simultaneously expose all samples to a reactive fluid in a reaction chamber, (b) a second fluid distribution system to individually expose each sample in sequence to a reactive fluid in a reaction chamber, and (c) an analyzer. A reactive fluid may be a gas, and the reactive fluids may be different. The different fluid distribution systems are accessed by placing the sample holding positions under different ports in the outer body that are served by different fluid distribution manifolds.
In all of the embodiments described above, the analysis may be optical analysis, such as passing light waves through a sample, or reflecting light waves from a surface of a sample. Two or more optical methods may be used if desired, each method using light having a different wavelength in the range, for example, of from about 190 nanometers to about 900 nanometers or in the range from about 2,500 nanometers to about 25,000 nanometers. All optical methods may be performed simultaneously, and the analysis may be conducted during a simultaneous reaction of all samples. Other useful methods of analysis include sonic, ultrasonic, electrostatic, magnetic, radio frequency or x-ray analysis.
Those skilled in the art, having the benefit of the teachings of the present invention as set forth herein, may effect numerous modifications thereto.
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A method and apparatus for simultaneously performing chemical reactions and determining molecular transport dynamics on a plurality of samples such as thin film samples. The apparatus of the present invention is capable of containing multiple samples in individual sample holding positions in a sample holder within a housing and maintaining those holding positions in chemical isolation from each other. Under control of a computerized controller, the apparatus positions the sample holder so that each sample holding position may be positioned adjacent to one or more ports connected to a distribution manifold. The apparatus exposes each sample to one or more fluids in liquid or gas phase, thereby carrying out a chemical reaction and/or determining molecular transport dynamics under controlled temperature and pressure conditions. The sample holding positions may be positioned in an analytical measurement station within the housing so that the resulting chemical compound or mixture may be characterized.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2012 212 627.9, filed Jul. 18, 2012, and International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2013/065141, filed Jul. 18, 2013, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a camshaft according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a cam for such a camshaft.
BACKGROUND
Camshafts are a permanent part of internal combustion engines. The camshaft has a (hollow) shaft, to which at least one cam is joined. Thermal joining methods are generally used to join the shaft and the cam. The connection of the shaft and of the cam is then ensured by means of a cam-side joining face, which is generally arranged in a cam bore, and a shaft-side joining face. The disadvantage of this is that the torque that can be transmitted via the camshaft is limited by the friction between the cam-side joining face and the shaft-side joining face.
DE 10 2009 060 352 A1 discloses a method for producing a camshaft for valve control in an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps: Aligning a plurality of disc-like cams, each having a central, round hole extending perpendicularly to a main cam plane, in such a manner that the holes of the cams arranged at an axial distance from each other align with each other. Supercooling a hollow shaft of round outer profile relative to the cam, the outer diameter of the supercooled hollow shaft being smaller and the outer diameter of the non-supercooled hollow shaft being greater than the inner diameter of the cam holes. Inserting the supercooled hollow shaft into the aligning cam holes. Effecting a temperature equalisation between the hollow shaft and the cams so that the hollow shaft and the cams are connected permanently to form a camshaft, the inner faces of the cam holes and/or the outer face of the hollow shaft having a rough pattern produced by laser ablation in the sections thereof that are surrounded by the cam holes when in the inserted state.
SUMMARY
The present invention is concerned in particular with the problem of specifying an improved or at least an alternative embodiment for a camshaft of the generic type, which in particular has a lower production outlay.
This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments form the subject matter of the dependent claims.
The present invention is based on the general concept of improving a connection between a component and a shaft, for example a torque-transmitting connection between a cam and the camshaft, by roughening a component-side joining face and/or a shaft-side joining face in addition to an in particular thermal joining process. According to the invention, the component-side joining face and/or the shaft-side joining face have a roughness, which is introduced and hardened by means of a laser and has a track composed of individual laser spots, the centre points of the individual laser spots being arranged offset to each other and the individual laser spots being arranged such that they overlap each other. By roughening the component-side and/or shaft-side joining face only with laser spots or with laser spot tracks according to the invention, the outlay for roughening and thus the cycle time can be greatly reduced, and the assembly of the camshaft can be accelerated thereby. The reason for the reduction in the cycle time is that it is no longer necessary for the whole joining face to be roughened, that is for example lasered, but only part-faces of the joining face(s), as a result of which the roughening process per se can be streamlined. The laser spots or tracks composed of individual laser spots also allow a transmittable torque to be greatly increased, since the borders of the laser spots act like barbs and hook or dig into the material of the opposite joining face. If the roughness is introduced into the shaft, the latter should first be carburised and hardened for example by means of a laser, owing to the low carbon content of said shaft. Hardening can take place before or during the introduction of the roughness.
Of course, the component joined to the camshaft can also be formed as a signal transmitter wheel, plug, gearwheel, drive or output element, tool interface, setting element, alignment element, assembly aid element, bearing ring or bushing instead of a cam. It is likewise conceivable for such an above-mentioned component to be joined to a general shaft that is not configured specifically as a camshaft. Throughout the application, the term “camshaft” can always be replaced or generalised by the term “shaft”, and the term “cam” can always be replaced or generalised by the term “component”.
In an advantageous development of the solution according to the invention, the predefined roughness is approx. Rz 2-25. It is possible to set a transmittable torque exactly by exactly setting the roughness. At the same time, the holding time of the heated cam and thus also the cycle time can be reduced by the roughening.
The lasered tracks are expediently aligned parallel, transversely or obliquely to the camshaft axis. Additionally or alternatively, it is conceivable for the component-side joining face and the shaft-side joining face to have a different roughness, in particular produced by a different laser power. In particular if the tracks of the predefined roughness are aligned parallel in relation to the camshaft axis, pushing onto the tracks that are now roughened and at the same hardened by the laser beam can take place more easily, the use of a raw, that is, unmachined camshaft or general shaft also being conceivable at the same time. Despite better joining in the axial direction, high torques can be transmitted between cam and shaft in this manner, since the loading direction changes during torque transmission. Lasering can achieve a comparatively hard grain in the region of the roughness, which results in a harder surface structure, in particular with softer components or shafts, said surface structure being in turn designed for transmitting higher torques. The harder surface structure can be additionally supported by comparatively fast cooling after lasering. It is also conceivable for the component-side hard surface structures to dig into the softer shaft and thereby effect a toothed connection.
A defined roughness and thereby a defined transmittable torque can be produced by a defined laser power. In addition to the variation or influence of the laser power, multiple lasering of a machining track or of a machining region is also conceivable, as a result of which the desired hardness can be set particularly precisely. Machining patterns such as checks, diamonds, rectangular patterns etc. can be produced by means of the tracks.
In an advantageous development of the solution according to the invention, the components are connected to the camshaft by a press fit and/or by a thermally joined fit, in the latter case the cams being heated. In conventional thermally joined fits, the shaft is usually cooled and/or the cam or component is heated. However, in the present case only the components, that is in the specific case the cams, are heated and then pushed over the associated shaft or camshaft. Of course, a press fit without thermal pretreatment is also conceivable.
Further important features and advantages of the invention can be found in the subclaims, the drawings and the associated description of the figures using the drawings.
It is self-evident that the above-mentioned features and those still to be explained below can be used not only in the combination given in each case but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the description below, the same reference symbols referring to the same or similar or functionally equivalent components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the figures,
FIG. 1 schematically shows a camshaft according to the invention in an exploded diagram,
FIG. 2 schematically shows a camshaft having a structural element arranged at the end,
FIG. 3 schematically shows a roughness, which is introduced and hardened by means of lasers and has a track composed of individual laser spots, the centre points of the individual laser spots being arranged offset to each other and the individual laser spots being arranged such that they overlap each other,
FIG. 4 schematically shows a diagram as in FIG. 3 , but with a rotation direction running parallel to the tracks,
FIG. 5 schematically shows a microscopic detail diagram in an intermittent embodiment of tracks from FIG. 4 ,
FIG. 6 schematically shows a microscopic sectional diagram through a laser spot of the roughness.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
According to FIG. 1 , a camshaft 1 according to the invention for an otherwise not shown internal combustion engine has a shaft 2 and at least one component 3 joined thermally thereto, in this case a cam 4 , which can be connected to a shaft-side joining face 6 by means of a component-side joining face 5 . According to the invention, the component-side joining face 5 and/or the shaft-side joining face 6 has a roughness 7 , which is introduced and hardened by means of a laser 11 , which consists of individual laser spots 20 and/or has a track 21 composed of individual laser spots 20 , the centre points 22 of the individual laser spots 20 being arranged offset to each other and the individual laser spots 20 being arranged such that they overlap each other (cf. also FIG. 3-5 ). The introduced roughness 7 can be between Rz 2-25.
In general, the component 3 can be configured as a cam 4 , as in the present case, it of course also being conceivable for it to be configured for example as a signal transmitter wheel, plug, bearing ring, chain/belt wheel, gearwheel, drive or output element, tool interface, setting element, alignment element, assembly aid element or bushing. The cam-side joining face 5 and/or the shaft-side joining face 6 are furthermore roughened preferably in the region of the associated cam raised portion 14 , that is a cam peak and/or the opposite base circle 15 , the roughness 7 extending over a circumferential angle of approx. 20-140°, preferably of approx. 50-120°, in the region of the cam raised portion 14 and over a circumferential angle of approx. 20-140°, preferably of approx. 20-90° in the opposite region of the base circle 15 . Therefore, it is not necessary for the whole joining face 5 , 6 to be roughened, only some of it, which saves time and costs.
A connection of the cams 4 to the camshaft 1 or of the components 3 to the shaft 2 generally can take place by means of a simple press fit or else by means of a thermally joined fit, the cams 4 , that is, the components 3 , then being heated beforehand. All the shafts 2 or camshafts 1 used can be completely machined or else untreated.
The tracks 21 can be oriented parallel, transversely or obliquely to the camshaft axis 8 , it also being conceivable for the component-side joining face 5 and the shaft-side joining face 6 to have a different roughness 7 , in particular produced by different laser power. In general, the roughness 7 can be arranged on one or both friction partners, that is, both on the component 3 and on the shaft 2 , it being conceivable for identical or different roughnesses 7 to be introduced.
In general, the component 3 can be configured as a cam 4 and have a joining face 5 that is internally turned and configured as a cam seat and onto which the roughness 7 is superposed in the form of laser structures. Internally turned cam inner seats have turning tracks (turning pass), which are oriented in the circumferential direction and have a depth, width etc. that can be set within limits. If a roughness 7 is also introduced onto such a basic structure that has been produced by machine-cutting transversely (0 . . . 90° angle relative to the turning pass) to the turning pass, a check/diamond/rectangular pattern having a lot of peaks in the profile is produced. An angle to the turning pass, a spacing of the tracks 21 and a depth of the same can be varied in the process. The tracks 21 do not have to run parallel to each other but can also for example intersect. In general, such a profile allows much better torque transmission when the cam 4 is mounted. Since the actual contact area is smaller, the surface pressure in the press fit increases. The pointed structures of the roughness 7 “hook” better in the opposite joining face.
If FIG. 2 is viewed, it can be seen that a structural element 16 is attached to the component 3 , component-side joining faces 5 ′ being arranged on the component 3 and/or structural-element-side joining faces 17 being arranged on the structural element 16 , which are in contact with each other when the structural element 16 is attached to the component 3 , the component-side joining face 5 ′ and/or the structural-element-side joining face 17 having a predefined roughness 7 . The structural element 16 and the component 3 can be connected to each other via a screw connection 19 . The component-side joining faces 5 , 5 ′ and/or the shaft-side joining face 6 and/or the structural-element-side joining face 17 can be arranged on the end face or on the circumferential face of the respective component 2 , 3 , 16 .
The lasering produces a microhardness, which produces a harder surface structure, in particular in softer shafts 2 or components 3 , by means of which a higher torque can then be transmitted. The higher microhardness can for example be promoted by fast cooling.
In general, the component 3 , in particular the cam 4 , can be formed from a metal having a carbon content of at least 0.4% by weight, whereas the shaft 2 has a lower carbon content. In particular, easily hardenable steels such as 100Cr6, C60, C45 or sintered materials such as A1100, 1200, 1300, 1500 or cast materials such as EN GJL 250 or EN GJS 700 are considered as materials for the cam 4 or the component 3 in general. Air-hardened steels can also generally be used for the components 3 . However, steels such as E335 and C60E, which must be carburised where necessary to introduce the roughness 7 are in particular considered for the shaft 2 .
In FIG. 3 , a rotation direction 23 of the shaft 2 runs orthogonally to the direction of the tracks 21 , in this case borders/edges 24 of the tracks 21 particularly affecting the maximum possible torques to turn. In FIG. 4 however, the rotation direction 23 of the shaft 2 runs parallel to the direction of the tracks 21 , as a result of which an even higher resistance to slipping and thus an even greater torque transmission capacity can be achieved. The torque transmission capacity and thus the resistance to slipping between shaft 2 and component 3 are affected by the border 24 thrown up when the laser spots are produced (cf. FIG. 3-6 ), which is usually arranged on the component 3 or cam 4 and digs into the shaft 2 when it is joined to the same. The digging in is made possible owing to the softer material of the shaft 2 compared to the material of the component 3 .
In FIG. 3-6 , the roughness 7 , for example the laser spots 20 , are always introduced into the component 3 or cam 4 , it of course also being conceivable for laser spots to be produced on the shaft 2 and thus borders 24 to be produced on the shaft 2 , it being necessary for the shaft 2 to undergo carburisation first in order to be hardened during production of the laser spots. Carburisation can be omitted if the shaft 2 is manufactured from a carbon-rich material such as C60E. This has the advantage in particular that only a single component, namely the shaft 2 , has to be machined and not a multiplicity of components 3 or cams 4 . In experiments, a torque to turn could be increased from approx. 135 to 225 Nm if laser spots were produced on the shaft 2 , and even to 325 Nm if laser spots were produced on the component 3 , which corresponds to an increase of over 100%. Torque to turn means the moment at which the component 3 on the shaft 2 begins to slip.
The laser-structuring of the cam seat (on the shaft and/or cam side) is a promising method for achieving considerable increases in the torque to turn if cams 4 are joined thermally to the shaft 2 . In further studies, the focus was placed on improving the cost-effectiveness while simultaneously increasing the torque to turn. It was found that a higher torque to turn can be achieved if only the cam 4 is structured using lasers 11 . If the shaft 2 and not the cam 4 is structured, a higher torque to turn is achieved in comparison with previous, purely thermal joins, but not as high as with laser-structuring of the cam 4 . This is attributable to the cam/shaft material pair used. A carbon-rich steel (e.g. C60 or 100Cr6) should be used as the material for the cams 4 , since said material can be hardened more easily owing to the higher carbon content than the E 335 steel with a lower carbon content usually used for the shaft 2 . During laser-structuring, a large amount of energy is introduced locally, which ensures a microhardness precisely in the region of the structures thrown up, that is, in particular the borders 24 . For this reason, the borders 24 (thrown-up portions) produced during structuring in the cam 4 dig into the shaft 2 more than would be the case the other way round. If the shaft 2 can also be hardened and if it is structured using lasers, this effect can also be observed vice versa. The hard structures on the shaft dig into the cam counter faces.
Furthermore, it has been found that individual laser spots 20 or laser spots 20 that partially overlap each other (cf. FIG. 3-6 ) likewise result in an increase in the torque to turn, since more barb structures can be formed on the surface thereby compared to a continuous “laser track”, said structures then being able to dig into the counter face.
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A camshaft for an internal combustion engine may include a shaft and at least one component thermally joined thereto. The at least one component may be connected via a component-side joining face to a shaft-side joining face of the shaft. At least one of the component-side joining face and the shaft-side joining face may include a predefined roughness introduced and hardened via a laser. The predefined roughness may define at least one track composed of a plurality of individual laser spots. Each of the plurality of individual laser spots may include a center point arranged offset to each other. The plurality of individual laser spots may respectively be arranged to overlapping each other.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] A. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to casual collaborative conferencing.
[0003] B. Description of the Related Art
[0004] The World Wide Web (WWW), one type of service provided through the Internet, allows a user to access a universe of information which combines text, audio, graphics and animation within a hypermedia document. Links are contained within a WWW document which allow simple and rapid access to related documents. The WWW was developed to provide researchers with a system that would enable them to quickly access all types of information with a common interface, removing the necessity to execute a variety of numerous steps to access the information. During 1991, the WWW was released for general usage with access to hypertext and UseNet news articles. Interfaces to WAIS, anonymous FTP, Telnet and Gopher were added. By the end of 1993, WWW browsers with easy to use interfaces had been developed for many different computer systems.
[0005] UseNet is a network of news groups on thousands of different topics which allow the on-line discussion through the posting of individual messages (articles) which can be read by participants. An article is similar to an e-mail message, having a header, message body and signature.
[0006] Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is an example of a program that facilitates Web chat. “Chatting” is the term used for the network equivalent of the old telephone party line. IRC is accessed through an Internet connection. This technology permits the user to chat with users from all over the world about hundreds of different subjects at any time. In a way, it is as if the UseNet newsgroups were a live discussion group rather than postings.
[0007] The word “chat” may be somewhat misleading, because persons participating in a chat session are not necessarily speaking, but they are typing and reading text messages that chat participants write. Moreover, if the information communicated is not only in text form, but is real-time audio and video, chat rooms are better described by the term virtual space rooms. Once a person enters a chat room, which is really just a web page, that person can choose to only read the exchanges, known as lurking, or the person can join in and post messages.
[0008] Many chat rooms focus the conversation on specific topics, such as health, politics, and football. In that way, people with similar interests can find one another.
[0009] The first step for a person interested in joining a chat session, is to locate a chat room that interests the person. Once the person is on the web site (leading to the chat room), the interested person will usually be asked to register. For privacy purposes, people do not register using their real name, but instead people make up a name.
[0010] Once the person is equipped with a registration name, the person clicks a button and follows the instructions on the web site to choose a chat room, depending on the interests of the person. Joining a chat room is like walking into a room full of people talking to each other, sometimes with several conversations going on at once. Once inside the chat room, the person will probably find himself or herself in the middle of a conversation. There is no need to jump into the conversation. It is not uncommon for chat rooms to have many more lurkers than participants. As the interaction continues, new postings appear on the computer screen. When the person decides to join the conversation, all it takes is to type a message in a blank box in the screen and click a Talk button (or hit the Enter or Return key on the keyboard). Soon the message will be posted in the chat room and people may respond. In addition to chatting on a chat room where the text is broadcast to everyone on that chat room, there are ways to enter into a private chat.
[0011] A number of Internet phone software products offer voice capabilities in real time over the Internet. Internet phoneware vendors typically provide their own directory servers, organized by topic as well as by name. Voice quality varies from moment to moment. Such variations are due to the processing delay that results from encoding and decoding the conversation as well as the inherent delay of the Internet, which varies according to the amount of traffic at any given time and the route through which the signal must travel.
[0012] The Web chat is, however, only one level of an area of technology known as collaborative conferencing. Collaborative conferencing is the ability for two or more individuals to work together in real-time, in a coordinated manner over time and space by using computers. Collaborative conferencing is not limited to a live text exchange, but includes data conferencing/shared whiteboard applications, group interactive document editing, and audio and video multi-point conferencing among others.
[0013] The technique of Internet chat has the disadvantage that it is limited in the choices that individuals can make respecting whom they want to establish communication with. Namely, they have to join a chat room that has a specific discussion topic, and can only pick people in that chat room with whom to engage in a private chat. To solve this problem, a solution has been proposed and implemented, in which matches between different individuals connected to the WWW are created. This requires the inconvenient step of requesting information to the user, so as to create a user profile, and thus, perform matches based on those profiles.
[0014] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system that offers more flexibility to individuals to choose other individuals with whom they want to engage in a conversation, the conversation not being limited to a conventional Internet chat (text).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to meet the foregoing needs by providing systems and methods that efficiently enable real-time communication among two or more individuals separated in space.
[0016] Specifically, a method for meeting the foregoing needs is disclosed. The method includes the steps of determining that a first individual is likely to be interested in communicating with a second individual via a first communications link; retrieving information via the first communications link about one or more additional individuals from electronic memory means associated with the second individual; and establishing communication with at least one of the additional individuals based on the retrieved information.
[0017] Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description provide examples and explanations only. They do not restrict the claimed invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings,
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a collaborative conferencing system;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer system associated with user A in FIG. 1 ;
[0021] FIG. 3 is an example of an user's personal directory according to the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a flowchart describing the steps to establish real-time communication according to the present invention; and
[0023] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second mode of operation of the computer system in FIG. 2 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] Reference will now be made to preferred embodiments of this invention, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings and will be obvious from the description of the invention. In the drawings, the same reference numbers represent the same or similar elements in the different drawings whenever possible.
[0025] Systems and methods consistent with the present invention perform collaborative conferencing by using recursive identification of individuals. For purposes of the following description, the systems and methods consistent with the present invention are mainly described with respect to Internet chat. The description should be understood to apply to other levels or modes of operation in a collaborative conferencing system, such as a casual collaborative conversation with persons in a virtual space room.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a general collaborative conferencing system 100 . The system includes communication means associated with users A-F ( 10 , 12 and 16 - 19 ), a Wide Area Network (WAN) 14 , and a chat server 22 . The WAN 14 is any network that is capable of transferring data at speeds fast enough as to support collaborative conferencing. An example of a WAN is the Internet. The chat server 22 is a computer connected to the WAN 14 that offers a chat service. That is, the chat server 22 runs software that enables the creation of a chat room. The users A-F can enter the chat room if connected to the chat server 22 . As mentioned above, a chat room is nothing more that a web page, which in this case is supported by the chat server 22 . By contrast, supporting a virtual space room might require equipment other than a single server. Support for the virtual space room can be offered by several servers (not shown) that are part of the WAN 14 .
[0027] In the system 100 , user A determines that user B is a person that is likely to be interesting enough so as to get involved in a casual collaborative conversation with that person. That is, if user A believes that he or she shares common interests with user B, user A will engage in collaborative conferencing with user B. This determination is made after obtaining information about user B. The information is obtained by communicating with user B. The manner in which user A communicates with user B in order to determine whether he or she is likely to be interested in communicating with user B (possibly via some other communication means or links) includes, but is not limited to, telephonic conversations, e-mail, voice mail, real-time video, and real-time text.
[0028] Once user A determines he or she is likely to be interested in communicating with user B, user A targets or spots user B when user B enters into a chat room or virtual space room. User A will see on his computer screen ( 208 in FIG. 2 ) either the name or an image of user B whenever user B is “on-line”. Each user in the system 100 has a personal directory 20 containing the names of other people with collaborative conferencing capability.
[0029] Unlike conventional methods of matchmaking in a chat room context, user A does not rely on a computer program to pick interesting persons for him or her. Instead, user A relies on user B's personal directory 20 as a starting point to find more interesting persons. User A accesses some of the information contained in directory 20 about other users with collaborative conferencing capability, with whom user B communicates. This technique is called recursive identification of individuals. The information that user A can access is limited according to permissions assigned to each record in the directory by user B.
[0030] FIG. 3 shows an example of different permissions designated by user B. The directory 20 contains individual records 300 - 304 that correspond to individuals with collaborative conferencing capability. The list of users ( 300 - 304 ) is by no means extensive and is not representative of all of the possible users that could be included in the directory 20 . Records 300 - 304 contain user information that includes, but is not limited to, users' e-mail address, users' names and virtual space room login names, picture id's, etc.
[0031] There are different levels of permissions that the user B can assign to the users records ( 300 - 304 ) in the directory 20 . Because any other user of the system in the present invention can get access to some information, user 12 assigns access permissions to records 300 - 304 . These permissions define how much information can be accessed by the other users via their respective communications means ( 10 and 16 - 19 in FIG. 1 ).
[0032] One level of access corresponds to the type of service that is used within the system. In FIG. 3 , the record 300 , corresponding to user C, can be accessed by the entire public that communicates with user B via Web chat (e.g., a chat server 22 ). The term “public” refers to all of the persons with collaborative conferencing capabilities. On the other hand, when another level in collaborative conferencing is in use, namely, video conferencing, only users A and D can access record information 300 about user C from user B's directory 20 .
[0033] Other levels of permissions include, but are not limited to, giving the public access to the entire directory 20 , giving specific persons access to the entire directory 20 , giving the public access to information contained in some of the records 300 - 304 , and giving specific persons access to information contained in some of the records 300 - 304 .
[0034] The directory 20 can be created by user B manually. That is, user B can gather a list of names of individuals that he or she communicates with, and enters that list into the directory 20 . In the present invention, an alternative to manually creating the directory is to have the software that enables collaborative conferencing create the directory 20 for the user. The software has a routine that monitors the communication between user B and other users (e.g., C-F) and that adds to the directory 20 information about the users that communicate with user B. As an option, the software can sort the information in the directory 20 , according to the frequency of the communications between user B and the individuals named in the directory 20 . Moreover, another option consists of automatically deleting information from the directory 20 , when the software determines that persons that do not communicate frequently with user B, have not actually communicated with user B for specified period of time. For example, the software could look at the sorted directory 20 , and determine whether the individual whose information is at the bottom of the directory (less frequency) has communicated with user B in the past two months. If the person at the bottom has not done so, that person's information is deleted from the directory 20 . The period of two months is only an example of a parameter that can be adjusted according to the directory's owner preferences.
[0035] FIG. 2 shows communication means 10 for enabling communication between user A and other users (e.g., users B-F) of the system 100 , and that corresponds to user A in this particular example. The communication means 10 includes a computer system 202 with a keyboard 206 and a screen 208 ; and a speaker 204 , camera 212 , and microphone 210 connected to the computer 202 . The computer 202 runs software that displays on screen 208 a representation of other users 220 - 222 present (on-line) in a virtual space room. The ability of communicating with these other parties in real-time via the computer system 202 is what makes the system a collaborative conferencing system.
[0036] The computer 202 only displays an image of those users that have been determined to be of interest to user A 10 . As seen on FIG. 2 , user A has determined that he or she is likely to be interested in communicating with users C, E and F. The representation of users C, E and F in the computer screen is denominated by numerals 220 - 222 , and it includes image information as well as other personal information about the users. User A uses different means to communicate with any of the users in the virtual space room. These means include, but are not limited to, voice, interactive text (chat), e-mail, and video.
[0037] The speaker 204 is used for listening to voice messages sent by the users in the virtual space room. On the other hand, the microphone 210 is used to send voice messages to users in the virtual space room. These voice messages are either voice mail messages, stored either locally in the computer 202 or in some other recording means, or real-time voice messages (i.e., real-time telephony).
[0038] The camera 212 is used to capture an image of user A, which is presumably displayed in the computer screen associated with other users participating in the virtual space room. The camera 212 is turned off when user A does not desire to transmit an image of herself/himself. It is possible to have a participant in the virtual space room that does not want his or her image displayed. For example, a chat window 224 displays interactive text communications between user B and user A. As seen from the display, an image of user B is not shown in the screen 208 . The chat window 224 is used by any of the users in the virtual space room, and its use is limited to displaying text messages from all of the parties, as it would for a conventional chat room.
[0039] When user A decides to communicate via interactive text, he or she needs to type the message on the keyboard 206 . The user can edit the entered text which is displayed on the window 228 . After the changes have been entered, the text is displayed on the chat window 224 when user A hits the button 226 displayed on the screen 208 .
[0040] By comparing FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , one notices that the image representations 220 - 222 displayed on screen 208 of user A's computer system 202 match the permissions associated to users C, E and F ( 300 , 302 and 303 in FIG. 3 ). As discussed above, user A has determined that user B is likely to be an interesting person. This is evidenced by the interactive text exchange between user A and user B, shown in windows 224 and 228 of FIG. 2 . It is also evident from FIG. 2 , that user A could have accessed the directory 20 in order to access information about users C, E and F. Thus, user A determined that users C, E and F are also likely to be interesting. User A could have also determined that user D is likely to be an interesting person, even though user D is not displayed on screen 208 . Only users that are on-line are displayed on the screen 208 .
[0041] FIG. 4 shows a method for performing collaborative conferencing in accordance with the present invention. In step 401 a first user determines which persons are likely to be interesting. As discussed previously, this determination can be done for a single person, and then the determination of additional persons likely to be interesting can be expanded by looking at the directory of the first persons determined to be likely interesting. In step 402 , the first user accesses the personal directory of one of the likely interesting persons. This step is not limited to the first person that was determined to be likely interesting. Once a list of likely interesting persons have been put together by the first user, he or she can go into the directory of any of the individuals in that list.
[0042] After the first user has determined likely interesting persons and has accessed the directory of a first likely interesting person, the first user establishes communication with the persons who are determined to be likely interesting. This communication takes place in a virtual space room context.
[0043] FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The software running on the computer 202 allows persons in a virtual space room to be separated in subgroups. These subgroups are displayed 501 - 503 on the computer screen 208 . Persons in Group I 501 , cannot communicate with persons outside Group I 501 (Group II 502 , Group III 503 ). Assuming that user A belongs to Group I 501 , user A can still see in the computer screen 208 who is in the other groups. If user A wants to communicate with individuals from the other groups, user A must change groups in order to accomplish the desired communication. For example, if user A is in Group I 501 , and notices that user B (a person that is likely to be interesting) is in Group II 502 , user A would have to enter Group II 502 in order to communicate with user B. Once user A transfers to Group II 502 , an image representation of user A would appear in the area of the computer screen that corresponds to Group II 502 .
[0044] The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the present invention provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.
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A method for real-time communication among two or more individuals separated in space. The method includes the steps of determining that a first individual is likely to be interested in communicating with a second individual via a first communications link; retrieving information via the first communications link about one or more additional individuals from electronic memory means associated with the second individual; and establishing communication with at least one of the additional individuals based on the retrieved information.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] (a) Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a motor direct driven compressor system, and more particularly to a technology of driving an air-conditioning compressor of an automobile by an electric motor.
[0003] (b) Description of the Related Art
[0004] Automobile air-conditioning compressor is a key component of an automobile air-conditioning system, whose working environment and conditions are not as good as those of air conditioners in a building or at a home or other fixed air conditioners in the following aspects: 1. The change of thermal load outside the automobile is large, and since the automobile is a moving object, therefore the change of external whether conditions is large; 2. The required air-conditioning load is large, and thus a quick temperature drop is required; 3. The automobile is operated in an environment with vibrations and bumpy roads, and thus the automobile air-conditioning system requires the shock resistance and bumping resistance; 4. The automobile is exposed to direct sunlight most of the time, the thermal load at the driver seat and passenger seats is much larger than a room; 5. There is a large heat loss in the automobile, since it is difficult to insulate heat of an automobile; 6. A high-performance air-conditioner is required for the automobile.
[0005] In addition, most automobile air-conditioning compressors are driven by an engine of the automobile, but hybrid vehicles, electric cars and fuel cell cars are driven by an electric generator. Since the rotation speed of the compressor is affected by the rotation speed of the engine, there is a larger charge of rotation speed, varying from idle speed to maximum speed, and thus the automobile air-conditioning compressor requires the following: 1. Good low-speed performance is required, so that a high cooling performance can be provided for a low-speed operation. 2. Low input power is required for a high speed operation to save gas consumption and improve dynamic power. 3. Small volume and light weight. 4. High reliability is required for operations in poor weather conditions, and thus the compressor must be able to resist high temperature and high pressure, and components must be highly vibration resisting and sealed for a high-speed operation of a car on a bumpy road. 5. The operation of the compressor must be stable, steady, low vibrating and low noise, and thus the use of automobile air-conditioning compressor has much stricter limitations over compressors of other types.
[0006] At present, most automobiles adopt an internal combustion engine and petroleum (or diesel) as power source, and components including a belt, a belt pulley and the like for driving and turning on the air-conditioning compressor. As the issues of energy crisis and environmental protection become increasingly serious, the aforementioned hybrid vehicles, electric cars and fuel cell cars are introduced to the market. Although the hybrid vehicles use both petroleum and electric power as dual power source, and a petroleum engine is used for driving the air-conditioning compressor, and present technologies integrate the technology of the electric cars, yet the air pollution produced by the petroleum engine still has the air pollution issue, and thus hybrid vehicles are just transitional products only, and definitely required further improvements.
[0007] If the technology of home air-conditioning compressors is adopted to substitute the use of automobile air-conditioning compressors, it is very difficult to overcome the aforementioned problems of the strict using environment of the automobile air-conditioning compressor, and obviously the home air-conditioning compressors are not applicable in this case.
[0008] Therefore, it is an important subject for related researches and manufacturers to provide an appropriate way of driving an automobile air-conditioning compressor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Therefore, it is a primary objective of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned shortcoming and deficiency of the prior art by providing a motor direct driven compressor system having a motor for driving and operating an automobile compressor uses a motor to overcome the air pollution problem caused by internal combustion engine that uses petroleum and diesel as energy source, so as to achieve the environmental protection requirements.
[0010] To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides
[0011] Another objective of the present invention is to use a coupling to connect a motor and a compressor, and a second assembling portion, a coupling portion and a metal plate of the coupling are simple components having the easy-to-manufacture, convenient-to-assemble and low cost advantages.
[0012] To achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention comprises:
[0013] a motor, having a driving shaft installed to a side of the motor, a first cut groove formed at the center of an end of the driving shaft, and a first assembling portion disposed at an external circumference of the same side of the driving shaft;
[0014] an automobile air-conditioning compressor, having transmission shaft installed to a side of the automobile air-conditioning compressor and opposite to the driving shaft, and a second cut groove formed at the center of an end of the transmission shaft and opposite to the first cut groove;
[0015] a coupling, including a second assembling portion, a coupling portion and a metal plate, wherein the second assembling portion is disposed between the motor and the compressor and installed with the first assembling portion, and an opening is penetrated through the center of the second assembling portion, and the coupling portion is disposed between the motor and the second assembling portion, and the coupling portion includes a plurality of positioning sections disposed on a side of the coupling portion and with an interval apart from each other, and the plurality of positioning sections surround a penetrating hole at the middle of the coupling portion, and the metal plate is disposed between the motor and the coupling portion, wherein a side of the metal plate is embedded into the first cut groove of the motor driving shaft, and the compressor transmission shaft is passed through the opening of the second assembling portion and the penetrating hole of the coupling portion, and another side of the metal plate is embedded into the second cut groove of the transmission shaft, and ends of the transmission shaft and the driving shaft are coupled at the position of the metal plate, and external circumferences of the driving shaft and the transmission shaft are coupled to internal circumferential surfaces of the plurality of positioning sections.
[0016] The foregoing and other objectives of the present invention will become apparent with the detailed description of the following preferred embodiment and illustration of related drawings.
[0017] Of course, other components or an arrangement of other components of the present invention may vary, but the selected preferred embodiments will be described in details in the specification and illustrated by the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention; and
[0020] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a motor and a compressor coupled at the position of a coupling in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] The technical characteristics of the present invention will become apparent with the detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the illustration of the related drawings as follows.
[0022] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 for a structure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the preferred embodiments are used for illustrating the present invention only, but not intended for limiting the scope of the invention.
[0023] In FIGS. 1 and 2 , a motor direct driven compressor system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises:
[0024] a motor 1 , having a driving shaft 11 installed to a side of the motor 1 , a first cut groove 111 formed at the center of an end of the driving shaft 1 , and a tapered first step portion 112 formed around the periphery of an end of the driving shaft 11 , and a first assembling portion 12 formed at the external periphery of the same side of the driving shaft 11 of the motor 1 , wherein the first assembling portion 12 of this preferred embodiment has a protruding portion 121 disposed around the driving shaft 11 , and a plurality of connecting holes 122 formed at an external periphery of the protruding portion 121 , and there are four first connecting holes in this preferred embodiment;
[0025] an automobile air-conditioning compressor 2 , having a transmission shaft 21 installed to a side of the automobile air-conditioning compressor 2 and disposed opposite to the driving shaft 11 of the motor 1 (such as both ends are coupled with each other), a second cut groove 211 formed at the middle of an end of the transmission shaft 21 and opposite to the first cut groove 111 , and a tapered second step portion 212 formed around the periphery of an end of the transmission shaft 21 , and the first and second step portions 112 , 212 are tapered consistently;
[0026] a coupling 3 , for coupling the motor 1 and the compressor 2 , and including a second assembling portion 31 , a coupling portion 32 and a metal plate 33 , wherein the second assembling portion 31 is disposed between the motor 1 and the compressor 2 and installed to the first assembling portion 12 , and the second assembling portion 31 of this preferred embodiment includes an inwardly concave portion 311 provided for latching and coupling the protruding portion 121 of the first assembling portion 12 , and a plurality of second connecting holes 312 formed at an external periphery of the second assembling portion 31 , and there are four second connecting holes 312 , and the first and second connecting holes 122 , 312 can be secured by an external locking element (not shown in the figure) for combining the first and second assembling portions 12 , 31 , and an opening 313 is formed and penetrated through the center of the second assembling portion 31 ; and the coupling portion 32 is disposed between the motor 1 and the second assembling portion 31 , and the coupling portion 32 includes a plurality of positioning sections 321 disposed on a side of the coupling portion 32 and separated with an interval from each other, and the plurality of positioning sections 321 are disposed around the penetrating hole 322 at the center of the coupling portion 32 , wherein the coupling portion 32 of this preferred embodiment is a structure made of plastic and having an appropriate deformation recoverability, and each positioning section 321 is formed by extending outward from the coupling portion 32 , and the metal plate 33 is situated between the motor 1 and the coupling portion 32 , and a side of the metal plate 33 is embedded into the first cut groove 111 of the motor 1 driving shaft 11 , and the metal plate of this preferred embodiment is an iron plate.
[0027] In addition, the transmission shaft 21 of the compressor 2 is passed through the opening 313 of the second assembling portion 31 and the penetrating hole 322 of the coupling portion 32 , and another side of the metal plate 33 is embedded into the second cut groove 211 of the transmission shaft 21 , and ends of the transmission shaft 21 and the driving shaft 11 are coupled at a position of embedding the metal plate 33 , and external peripheries of the driving shaft 11 and the transmission shaft 21 are coupled to the internal circumferential surface 321 A of the plurality of positioning sections 321 ;
[0028] a base 4 , having a first locking portion 41 and a second locking portion 42 disposed on both sides of the base 4 respectively, wherein the first locking portion 41 is coupled and secured to the bottom of the first assembling portion 12 , and the second locking portion 42 is coupled and secured to the bottom of the compressor 2 , wherein the top of the first locking portion 41 of this preferred embodiment has a concavely curved portion 411 for supporting the bottom of the motor 1 , and a third connecting hole 412 is formed separately at position adjacent to both left and right sides of the concavely curved portion 411 , and the two third connecting holes 412 correspond to the two first connecting holes 122 at the bottom of the protruding portion 121 and are locked by a locking element (not shown in the figure); and, the second locking portion 42 has a fourth connecting hole 421 provided for coupling and securing a securing portion 22 at the bottom of the compressor 2 .
[0029] With reference to FIG. 3 for a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the compressor 2 has a circular connecting portion 23 extended from an external periphery of the transmission shaft 21 and inserted into an opening 313 of the second assembling portion 31 , and an external wall of the connecting portion 23 is abutted and fixed to an internal wall of the opening 313 , and an end of the connecting portion 23 is passed out of the opening 313 , and a position limiting element 231 is provided for fixing an end of the connecting portion 23 to the external periphery of the opening 313 . In addition, a side of the coupling portion 32 without the positioning section 321 is abutted and coupled to a vertical plane 212 A of the second step portion 212 of the transmission shaft 21 , and an internal circumferential surface 321 A of the plurality of positioning sections 321 is abutted and coupled to the first step portion 112 of the driving shaft 11 and an external circumferential surface of the second step portion 212 of the transmission shaft 21 , and an end of the transmission shaft 21 is protruded out from the opening 313 of the second assembling portion 31 .
[0030] Each component of the motor direct driven compressor system of the present invention and its assembling method are the same as described above. With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 for the application of the system, the power of the motor 1 is basically supplied by the battery of the automobile or any other method, such that after the motor 1 is started, motive power is transmitted from the driving shaft 11 and the transmission shaft 21 to the compressor 2 to achieve the effect of turning on the compressor 2 to start the air-conditioning. Of course, the second assembling portion 31 , the coupling portion 32 and the metal plate 33 of the coupling 3 are provided for overcome slight errors produced by the rotation and transmission between the driving shaft 11 of the motor 1 and the transmission shaft 21 of the compressor 2 , wherein the metal plate 33 (which is an iron plate in this preferred embodiment) and the coupling portion 32 have an appropriate deformation recoverability, such that when the aforementioned error of the transmission and rotation occurs, a sufficient space is provided to achieve the buffering effect, so as to maintain a smooth transmission between the driving shaft 11 and the transmission shaft 21 , and assure accurate and normal operations of the compressor 2 .
[0031] In summation of the description above, the motor direct driven compressor system of the present invention uses the motor 1 to drive the automobile air-conditioning compressor 2 , so as to provide a method of driving the automobile and a solution of substitute energy, overcome the air pollution issue of traditional internal combustion engine (or engine) using petroleum and diesel as the energy source, and achieve the environmental protection effect.
[0032] The technical measures taken by the present invention include the following: The system of the invention comprises the coupling 3 , having the second assembling portion 31 , the coupling portion 32 and the metal plate 33 , and these components come with the advantages of simple structure, easy-to-manufacture, and convenient-to-assemble, and thus incurring a low cost, and providing a high competitiveness to the automobile industry. The present invention also provides the technology of using the motor to drive and turn on the compressor, so as to overcome the present existing problems.
[0033] In summation of the description above, the present invention improves over the prior art, and complies with the patent application requirements, and thus the invention is duly filed for patent application.
[0034] While the invention has been described by device of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those generally skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.
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A motor direct driven compressor system includes a motor, a coupling and a compressor, and the coupling is coupled between the motor and the compressor, and a second assembling portion, a coupling portion and a metal plate of the coupling are used for connecting a driving shaft of the motor and a transmission shaft of the compressor. With this design, the driving force of the motor can be transmitted to the compressor and provided for the operation of the compressor. In addition, errors produced by the rotation and transmission during the transmission process can be minimized, so that the compressor can be operated accurately and normally.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application incorporates by reference and claims the benefit of priority to US Provisional Application Patent No. 62/171,805 filed Jun. 5, 2015.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present subject matter relates generally to containers used for transporting temperature sensitive materials.
[0003] Human organs and tissues, biological samples, pharmaceuticals, proteins, blood, blood products for transfusion, vaccines, food items and other temperature sensitive products are typically shipped in thermally insulated shipping containers regardless of external temperatures. Containers often include coolant packages to maintain a specific temperature within the container, but the coolant packages may shift during shipment, leading to unintended damage of the contents within the container. Additionally, shipping costs are calculated based on the actual weight or volumetric weight of the shipment, including the packaging and/or container. Minimizing the weight of the packing reduces the overall costs.
[0004] There is a need for maintaining or shipping temperature sensitive materials in a controlled temperature environment at a predefined temperature range throughout a specified shipment's duration.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present disclosure provides a portable and reusable container that maintains and/or transports tissues, organs, biological materials, medicines, food or any other temperature sensitive material within a predefined temperature range, in an insulated environment for a prolonged period of time or course of shipment. The container protects the contents from external temperature variations during shipment. A lightweight and thermally insulated container is desirable that protects its contents from any environmental temperature variations. The container of the present disclosure may be constructed of variable thickness stainless steel or aluminum sheets pending on requirements.
[0006] In one embodiment, the container includes a double-walled, vacuum sealed body and a lid. The lid includes an upper portion and a shelf spaced from the upper portion. The upper portion includes a threaded surface. The shelf is positioned within the container when the lid is screwed onto the upper end of the container.
[0007] In some embodiments, the upper portion of the lid is filled with insulated material. One or more coolant packages may be positioned on the shelf of the lid.
[0008] In other embodiments, the container may be used to maintain a desired specific temperature range of the shipping material. The desired specific temperature range may fall within the wide range of −25 and +45 degrees Celsius. The type and volume of PMC material used in this device may be adjusted accordingly pending on (a) the desired specific temperature and (b) the desired duration/period of maintaining the shipping material and (c) the expected external temperature during shipment. In other embodiments, the lid may provide a space between the upper part and the lid extension for placing a GPS tracking and temperature recording and reporting device via cell phone networks for reporting geographic location and kept temperatures of the material in shipment. In other embodiments, the lid can be manufactured with the same material as the body of the container using the same concept of double walls vacuumed sealed for additional insulation and achieve an extended shipping time.
[0009] In another aspect of the invention, a method of shipping contents includes the steps of providing a container, the container comprising a container body and a lid. The container body includes an inner wall and an outer wall that are spaced apart and vacuum sealed, and a threaded surface at an upper end. The lid includes an upper portion and a shelf spaced from the upper portion, wherein the upper portion includes a threaded surface. The method further includes the steps of separating the lid from the container body, placing the contents into the container, and screwing the lid onto the upper end of the container so that the shelf is positioned within the container. In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of positioning a coolant package onto the shelf before the step of screwing the lid.
[0010] One objective of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device for use in the medical services, the pharmaceutical industry, or anyone required to carry and/or ship and/or deliver temperature sensitive materials.
[0011] Another objective of this invention is to provide safety and protection from accidental damage to the contents of the container during the course of shipment.
[0012] Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following description and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The objects and advantages of the concepts may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a container of the present application.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the container taken generally along lines 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 .
[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lid of the container of FIG. 1 .
[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lid of FIG. 3 including coolant packages.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lid of FIG. 4 as it is inserted into the container of FIG. 1 .
[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a lid for the container of FIG. 1 .
[0020] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the temperature within and outside of the container per Example 1.
[0021] FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the temperature within and outside of the container per Example 2.
[0022] FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the temperature within and outside of the container per Example 3.
[0023] FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating the temperature within and outside of the container per Example 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] The present disclosure provides a container and methods for maintaining and/or transporting temperature sensitive contents within a predefined temperature range for a period of time.
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a container 100 including a container body 102 and a lid 104 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the container body 102 may be double walled, including first and second walls 103 a , 103 b spaced apart at approximately 10 mm and vacuum sealed for thermal insulation. In the illustrated embodiment, the container body 102 has a cylindrical shape with a capacity of 2.85 L, although other shapes and sizes may be used as desired or appropriate under the circumstances. The container body 102 may be made of stainless steel SUS304 or any similar material suitable for use in the medical and food industries, among others. The interior of the container body 102 near the closed, bottom end 106 provides space to accommodate the contents to be shipped and can be modified in volume as per requirements.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the lid 104 includes an upper portion 108 and a shelf 110 spaced from the upper portion 108 . The upper portion 108 may be filled with thermally insulated material. The lid 104 seals the container body 102 by screwing onto the open end 112 of the container 100 . First and second silicon rings 114 , 116 are fitted onto the lid 104 to enable a perfect fit on the open end 112 of the container 100 , providing additional insulation and thus preventing heat exchange. The lid 104 may be made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic. The shelf 110 may be connected to the upper portion 108 by one or more spacers 109 . The one or more spacers 109 may be formed integrally with the upper portion 108 and the shelf 110 , or each of the upper portion 108 , the spacer(s) 109 , and the shelf 110 may be separate components.
[0027] During use, one or more coolant packages 118 are positioned on the shelf 110 of the lid 104 prior to closing the container 100 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 . The shelf 110 extends into the interior of the container 100 body but prevents direct contact of the coolant packages 118 with the temperature sensitive contents.
[0028] In an alternative embodiment of a lid 104 a shown in FIG. 6 , the lid 104 a does not include the shelf 110 . In this embodiment, the coolant packages 118 are placed into the interior of the container body 102 with the temperature-sensitive contents prior to closing the container 100 with the lid 104 a . The lid 104 a includes an upper portion 108 a that may be filled with an insulated material.
[0029] The coolant packages may be Phase Changing Material (PMC) packs having HDPE plastic containers as illustrated in FIG. 4 . The coolant package(s) may include other materials to maintain the desired temperature during shipment without the need for additional energy support. A PCM has a high heat of fusion which melts and solidifies at specific temperature. PCMs store and release thermal energy during the transition between phases, such as freezing and melting. When a PCM freezes, it releases large amounts of energy in the form of latent heat of fusion, or energy of crystallization. Conversely, when the material (PCM) is melted, changes from solid to liquid, an equal amount of energy is absorbed from the immediate environment, the internal compartment of the invention container where the shipped materials are located. This property of PCMs can be used in a number of ways, such as thermal energy storage whereby heat or coolness can be stored from one process or period in time, and used at a later date or different location. Different PCMs change phase at different temperature and this make them suitable for keeping various temperature ranges during shipment, thus serving various needs.
[0030] PCMs are also useful in providing thermal barriers or insulation, for example in temperature controlled transport. A non toxic PCM is used for the shipments of medical, biological or food products. The PCM plastic packs may be filled with variable grades of PCM according to the desired kept temperature, therefore serving various needs ranging from about −25° C. to about +45° C. or higher. As an example, for maintaining a desired temperatures range of a specified volume of shipment between about +8° C. to about +10° C., the PCM packs are filled in with a PCM that change phase at about 5° C. The PMC packs are maintained in deep freeze at about −18° C. to about −26° C. such as in a domestic freezer for at least about 6 hours prior to use as coolant in this device. However, should there be a requirement for a shorter freezing period, PMC packs of reduced volume and thickness may be used to achieve faster solidification or freezing of the PCM material and allow their use following a 2-hour exposure or less at a deep freezer temperature. As another example, if the shipment takes place in arctic or polar conditions, the PCM shall not be frozen prior to its use.
[0031] Other coolant material such as single use breakable ice-packs or other common domestic icepacks (such as picnic ice packs) may also be employed with or without the lid's extension in order to achieve a different temperature range and for a different time period of shipment according to specific needs.
[0032] Prior to shipment, the coolant package(s) are placed on the shelf of the lid as shown in FIG. 4 . The contents to be shipped are placed through the opening of the container into the interior thereof. Use of the container eliminates immediate temperature fluctuations within the interior of the container and of the contents when external temperature fluctuates, and when the shipment travels in a range of between about −26° C. to about 45° C., maintains a narrow internal (within the desired) temperature range throughout the journey.
[0033] All components of the container are suitable for multiple use and are thus environmental friendly. All components are also suitable for decontamination and/or sterilization. The internal compartment of the container consists of suitable materials for medical, pharmaceutical or the food industry.
[0034] Tests/Trials Performed
[0035] The device has been tested for various uses. As an example, the use for the transportation of sensitive biological material, such as umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue units, is described below. Umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue are temperature sensitive biological material transported extensively throughout the globe to be processed and cryopreserved as cellular therapy products at relevant facilities. Strong scientific evidence suggests that the temperature ranges of such biological material should be between about 4° C. and about 26° C., as exposure of the biological material at temperatures outside the specified range has a devastating effect on the viability of the cells and hence the quality of such biological material. Furthermore, there is scientific evidence suggesting that the quality of such units (in term of maintaining the unit viability) is enhanced when such units are maintained within the range of about 4° C. and as low as possible, preferably below about 20° C.
Example 1
[0036] A Unit (umbilical cord blood) at an initial temperature of 23° C. was sealed in a zip lock bag containing appropriate absorbent material as per IATA requirements and was placed in the lower part of the container. The lid included two 5° C. PCM packs previously kept for 24 hours in a domestic freezer, at approximately −22° C.+/−2° C. The container was maintained in an environment with temperatures ranging from 26° C. to 28° C. for a total period of 90 hours as seen in FIG. 7 . The Unit's temperature remained below the threshold of 26° C., which is the maximum desired temperature for such biological units. The temperature of the unit had been gradually decreased to reach the final holding temperature of 9° C., over a period of 15 hours thus avoiding the effect of a “cold shock” that would otherwise damage the unit and affect the viability of cells. The temperature of the unit had been maintained at approximately 9° C. for a further 30 hours, providing ample shipping time at appropriate temperature conditions for the shipment of such units from the procurement sites to the processing and storage facility.
Example 2
[0037] A Unit at temperature of 10° C. was sealed in a zip lock bag containing appropriate absorbent material as per IATA requirements, placed in the lower part of the container and closed with the lid loaded with two 5° C. PCM packs previously kept for 24 hours in a domestic freezer, at approximately −20° C. The container was placed in external temperature, ranging from 25° C. up to 29° C. for 90 hours. The Unit's temperature was kept between 4° C. and 10° C. for the first 48 hours and between 10° C. and 24° C. for the remaining shipping time of 42 hours. Total 90 hours within a temperature range of 4° C. and 24° C., as seen in FIG. 8 .
Example 3
[0038] A Unit at temperature of 28° C. sealed in a zip lock bag containing appropriate absorbent material as per IATA requirements, was, placed in the lower part of the container and closed with the lid loaded with two 5° C. PCM packs previously kept for 24 hours at normal room temperature approximately 28° C. The container was placed in an environment with external temperature of between about −20° C. and about −18° C. for a period of 30 hours. The Unit's temperature remained above the threshold of 4° C. as provided in FIG. 9 .
Example 4
[0039] A Unit at temperature of 24° C. was sealed in a zip lock bag containing appropriate absorbent material as per IATA requirements, placed in the lower part of the container and closed with the lid loaded with two 5° C. PCM packs previously kept for 24 hours in a domestic freezer, at approximately −20° C. The container was placed in an environment with temperature ranging from −26° C. (below zero) up to +28° C. (above zero). The container was transferred for certain time intervals at different external/environment temperatures as shown in Table 1. The total holding or shipping duration lasted 80 hours. As seen in FIG. 10 , the Unit's temperature had been maintained between 5° C. and 20° C. for the entire duration of the trial. Extreme ambient temperature variations of −26° C. up to +26° C. have minimally influenced the Unit's temperature which was maintained within a range of 5° C. and 10° C. during the first 60 hours and between +10° C. to +20° C. during the last 20 hours of the shipping time.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Number of
Number of
external
Hours the
temperature
shipment
fluctuations
Shipment's
remained in
Unit's temperature
during
external
certain external
inside the
shipment
temperature (° C.)
temperature
container (° C.)
1
25° C.
6 hrs
23° C. to 10° C.
2
−26° C.
2 hrs
10° C. to 8° C.
3
28° C.
18 hrs
constant at 8° C.
4
−26° C.
6 hrs
8° C. to 5° C.
5
27° C.
28 hrs
5° C. to 10° C.
6
27° C.
20 hrs
10° C. to 20° C.
Entire
−26° C. (below
80 hrs
5° C. to 20° C.
shipment
zero) to +28° C.
(above zero)
[0040] Moreover, by using different PCM (that changes phase at a different degree) and in combination with various PCM volumes, a wide range of shipment requirement can be satisfied.
[0041] It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. For example, various embodiments of the method and container may be provided based on various combinations of the features and functions from the subject matter provided herein.
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A container includes a container body including an inner wall and an outer wall, wherein the inner and outer walls are spaced apart and vacuum sealed, and wherein the container body includes an open end. A lid includes an upper portion with a threaded surface.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed to a device that enables hands-free transportation of and the tethering of hand held devices being transported. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an apparatus that maintains a secured link to portable, hand held devices and such device covers and carrying cases.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Devices that enable the hands free transportation of personal hand held electronic device have been around in various implementations for quite some time, and most recently have decreased in size, in accordance with the decrease in size of electronic devices, to the point where users of such devices and transportation systems may now attach both to their body. The problem with attaching these devices to the body with belt/body mount systems currently in the market is that these mount systems do not facilitate quick access to the devices that are secured and supported within these mount systems. Most belt/body mount systems have a security function that facilitates securing the device mounted while a user is engaged in a high level of activity such as exercising or driving. This function is a plus when a user is engaged in a high level of activity. However, it may be a detriment when driving for example. It is extremely difficult to gain access to a cell phone, PDA, pager or any other electronic device that is secured within a case when using one hand.
Another problem is that these electronic devices are not immune from theft while engaged with a belt/body mount system. For example in crowded areas, such as on a bus or at sporting events where individuals are constantly bumping into each other, many individuals have expensive devices stolen from pockets or off of a purse or belt mount because, upon removal of the device from the mount, the device is not attached to the secured system. Moreover, many users do not regularly engage the security feature of belt/body mount systems in an effort to cut down on the time required to access the phone. For example if a cellular phone is ringing, calls may be missed while trying to unlock or disengage the security feature on some belt mounts.
Tethering devices have been combined with such belt/body mount system to add another layer of security. Such tethering systems have extendable and retractable cables or lines (“cables”), with many of the cables being automatically retracted under the bias of an internal spring arrangement. United States Patent Application Publication Number US2003/0042348 discloses a retractable tether, which may be used in conjunction with personal communication devices (such as a cell phone, pager or PDA) and a mounting system for the prevention of loss or damage. The retracting tether may be clipped to a belt, pants or purse next to the mounting system in which the device is being held or stored. The retractable tether allows the device to be easily used while connecting to the retracting tether. The problem with such systems is that the retractable tether has to be used in conjunction with an additional clip mount, holster or storage pocket. As such, the tethering system becomes an additional component thereby requiring that individuals use more devices instead of fewer.
As technology has advanced and costs for portable electronic devices have decreased, a growing majority of individuals are relying upon devices such as PDAs, handheld games, GPS devices, portable communication devices, cellular telephones, pagers, MP3 players and other media devices to coordinate their busy lives. Their increasing affordability, accessibility and performance, coupled with decreasing device dimension requirements, have continued to expand the user market.
In the past, most users of such devices were businesspersons. With the explosion of technological advances, almost everyone, including children use at least one of these devices (PDAs, handheld games, GPS devices, portable communication devices, cellular telephones, pagers, MP3 players and other media devices) as part of everyday living. Children carry MP3 players, game players or cellular phones. Parents often rely upon pagers or cellular telephones to coordinate childcare pickups, avoiding potentially lengthy and lonely waits for their children. Furthermore, many individuals consider their wireless telephone to be a lifesaving device to be relied upon in an emergency situation for the ability to place an emergency call without having to locate a payphone.
Accidental loss or destruction of personal communication devices is at the least an expensive, time consuming inconvenience when insurance on such devices does not replace the total cost of such devices and data stored within such devices cannot be reconstructed from other sources. When data is irreplaceable, loss or destruction of such electronic devices can be devastating. Furthermore, the loss and or destruction of a phone because it has been dropped can prevent an emergency call in a potentially life-threatening situation. The prevention of such loss and destruction is of utmost importance.
Therefore it is readily apparent that there is a need for a single personal accessory transportation device that has applicability across all devices, and enables easy accessibility and usage thereof, wherein accidental misplacement or destruction of hand held devices is prevented and hands-free transportation is provided without requiring the use of multiple systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a personal accessory carrying device wherein a resiliently wound mechanism acts to enable comfortably adjustable linked access to a personal accessory, thereby providing hands-free carrying and virtually eliminating risk of loss from accidental misplacement destruction.
According to its major aspects and broadly stated, the present invention is a personal accessory carrying apparatus, comprised of a housing having a chord and a spring within the housing wherein the chord is extendable from and retractable into the housing under the tension of the spring. The housing has a stud portion of a snap fastener extending from one side. A chord connector is attached to an end of the retractable chord. A connection disc having a rivet positioned through its center has an adhesive tape on one side of the disc for engaging a personal communication device or a personal communication device holder. The rivet flanges out to stabilize the rivet and keep it from moving. The device also includes a connection fillet generally in the shape of a lollipop that has first and second ends, wherein the connection fillet also has the rivet extending through the first end of the connection fillet and thereby connects the connection fillet to the connection disc. The connection fillet also has a socket portion of a snap fastener extending from a second end of the connection fillet. The chord connector is also connected to the connection fillet. During use of the device, the socket and stud portions of the snap fastener are engaged to detachably connect the connection fillet and connection disk to the housing.
More specifically, the present invention is a personal accessory-carrying device adapted to be worn by a user, wherein a personal accessory is secured thereto and resilient access is provided thereby.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is the ability of such a device to provide a personal accessory carrying device that is simple in construction and easy to manufacture.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is the ability of such a device to provide hands-free carrying of a PDAs, GPS devices, hand held games, cellular telephones, pagers, MP3 players, MPEG-4 players, or any other personal communication device.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is the ability of such a device to prevent accidental misplacement of a personal accessory.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is the ability of such a device to allow easy user-accessibility to a personal accessory.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is the ability of such a carrying device to resiliently link a personal accessory to a user.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a device that prevents the dropping, slipping or falling of a personal accessory from out of a pocket, a briefcase or one's hands.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is the ability of such a device to allow secure user carriage thereof while preventing limitations of usage locations.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description and claims when read in light of the accompanying drawings.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a personal accessory-carrying device according to an embodiment of the present inventions;
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a personal accessory carrying device according to an embodiment of the present inventions;
FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a personal accessory carrying device illustrating the extraction of the chord from the housing according to an embodiment of the present inventions;
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a personal accessory-carrying device illustrating the extraction of the chord from the housing according to an embodiment of the present inventions;
FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a personal accessory carrying device illustrating the connection of the device to a phone and the extraction of the chord from the housing according to an embodiment of the present inventions;
FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of a personal accessory carrying device illustrating the connection of the device to a phone while the chord is retracted into the device housing according to an embodiment of the present inventions;
FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a personal accessory carrying device illustrating the connection of the device to hand held device carrier case while the chord is retracted into the device housing according to an embodiment of the present inventions;
FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a personal accessory carrying device being worn by a user illustrating the connection of the device to hand held device carrier case while the chord is retracted into the device housing according to an embodiment of the present inventions; and
FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of a personal accessory carrying device being used worn by a user while the user is using the hand held device, illustrating the connection of the device to hand held device while the chord extracted from the housing according to an embodiment of the present inventions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In describing the preferred and alternative embodiments thereof, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 9 , specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. The invention, however, is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operates in a similar manner to accomplish similar functions.
Generally, the present invention is an apparatus configured to attach a handheld device such as a GPS device, PDA, cell phone, pager, MP3 player or other media player or game players to the body of a user. The apparatus is a housing, connection fillet and chord wherein the chord is within the housing and is extendable from and retractable into the housing under the tension of a spring. The connection fillet is detachable from the housing by a snap fastener and permanently connected to an end of the chord. The housing has a configuration that allows for the attachment of a first portion of the snap fastener to a first side of the housing and a rotatable clip attached to the second side of the housing. A chord connector is attached to one end of the chord and to the connection fillet. A connection disc, having an adhesive on a first side that is used to connect the connection disk to a handheld device or a device pouch or holder, has a rivet extending through its center that facilitates the connection of the connection disc to an end of the connection fillet. The connection fillet has first and second ends and has a blade shape. The rivet that extends through the connection disc also extends through a first end of the connection fillet and thereby connects the connection fillet to the connection disc in a manner that facilitates the rotation of the connection fillet around the axis extending through the rivet. The rivet flanges out as it extends through the connection fillet and the connection disk to stabilize the rivet and keep it from moving. The connection fillet also has a second portion of a snap fastener attached to its second end. The first and second snap fastener portions are engaged to connect the connection fillet to the housing. In the preferred embodiment, the end of the connection fillet through which the socket portion and cap of the snap fastener are connected has a larger circular area wherein the connection fillet resembles a lollipop. The chord connector is connected to the connection fillet to facilitate a tethered link of the device to which the apparatus is connected, while the device is in use and the first and second snap fastener portions are not engaged. The weight of the device or device pouch/holder is not sufficient to cause the chord within the housing to completely extract from the housing.
A first embodiment of the apparatus is illustrated in FIG. 1 through 4 . An alternative embodiment of the apparatus is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 whereby the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is an apparatus configured to mount a handheld device to a user's body wherein the apparatus does not include the connection disc of the preferred embodiment. The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is configured to allow a device housing to be riveted directly to the connection fillet, thereby facilitating the rotation of the connection fillet around the axis extending through the rivet connecting the device housing and the connection fillet.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4 , the present invention is a personal accessory carrying device 10 comprising a body connector 20 a central connector housing 22 a carabiner clip 24 that rotates about an axis 26 , a chord 42 and a connection fillet 30 . The body connector 20 is engaged by a snap fastener 60 thereby connecting the connection fillet 30 to the body connector 20 . The connection fillet 30 , in the preferred embodiment, is comprised of a polypropylene material. However, it is to be understood that the connection fillet 30 may be comprised of any flexible material that enables a durable connection of the components and capable of withstanding force of a type similar to that which can be exerted by a user. In an alternative embodiment, the connection fillet 30 may be comprised of nylon. A connection disc 12 is connected to the connection fillet 30 by a first rivet 18 that extends through a first end of the connection fillet 30 and proximately through the center of connection disc 12 . In the present embodiment the connection disc 12 is comprised of a nylon material. However, it is to be understood that the connection disc may be comprised of any martial that facilitates the adhesive connection of the connection disc to other device surfaces. In an alternative embodiment, the connection disc was comprised of polypropylene. The first rivet 18 facilitates the rotation of the connection fillet 30 around an axis extending through the center of the first rivet 18 . The connection disc 12 has a first side 14 and a second side 16 wherein the first side 14 has an adhesive tape on its surface. In the present embodiment, the adhesive tape used is sold 3M Company, a product called 3M 9500 adhesive. The adhesive tape facilitates the secure connection of the connection disc 12 to any handheld communication device to which the hand held personal accessory carrying apparatus 10 is connected. It may also facilitate the connection of the hand held personal accessory carrying apparatus 10 to an accessory holder/pouch or device protector (not shown).
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , which illustrates the rear view of the hand held personal accessory carrying apparatus 10 comprising the body connector 20 that has a rotation disc 50 formed therein wherein the rotation disc 50 facilitates the rotation of a clip 52 . The clip 52 is formed from a substantially flat, substantially elongated rectangular shaped metal plate having a first end, which is not shown, as it is encased within the rotation disc 50 following the insertion of the first end of clip 50 through a slot within the rotation disc 50 . The clip also has a second end 54 . As illustrated, the body connector 20 includes an orifice 40 through which the chord 42 is extendable from and retractable into the body connector 20 under the tension of a spring (not shown). The chord 42 in the preferred embodiment is a parachute chord. However it is to be understood that the chord 42 may be comprised of any material that facilitates the attachment of the body connector 20 to the connection fillet 30 without breaking under the force exerted upon the phone carrying device 10 by the user. The chord connector 36 that is attached to an end of the chord 42 has a cavity into which a second rivet 38 is positioned. Rivet 38 attaches the chord connector 36 and the connection fillet 30 in a manner that facilitates the rotation of the chord connector 36 around an axis extending through the center of second rivet 38 . The rotational movement of the chord connector 36 facilitates the easy movement of the connection fillet 30 when the connection fillet 30 is detached from the body connector 20 as illustrated in FIG. 3 . As illustrated in FIG. 3 the connection fillet 30 may be detached from the body connector 20 by disengaging the snap fastener 60 by pulling the socket portion 62 of the snap fastener 60 away from the stud portion 64 of the snap fastener system 60 that is attached to the body connector 20 . As illustrated in FIG. 3 the chord connector 36 rotates around the axis of second rivet 38 in accordance with the force being exerted thereon by chord 42 .
FIGS. 5 and 9 illustrate the personal accessory carrying device 10 wherein the body connector 20 and the connection fillet 30 are detached. The connection fillet 30 has a first end 32 and a second end second end 34 . The first end 32 has a first rivet 18 that extends through the first end 32 of the connection fillet 30 , proximately through the center of connection disc 12 . The connection disc 12 is attached to a cell phone 50 . Movement of the cell phone 50 in any direction that may cause tension on chord 42 would cause the chord connector 36 to pull upon the connection fillet 30 in the direction of the chord 42 , thereby causing the connection fillet 30 to rotate around the axis of the first rivet 18 . FIG. 6 illustrates the personal accessory carrying device 10 wherein the body connector 20 and the connection fillet 30 are attached. The connection disc 12 is attached to a cell phone 50 .
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the personal accessory carrying device 10 is attached to a pouch, carrying case or holder 68 of a hand-held personal accessory. As illustrated, the personal accessory carrying device 10 comprises a body connector 20 , a central connector housing 22 , a carabiner clip 24 that rotates about an axis 26 , a chord (not shown) and a connection fillet 30 . The body connector 20 is engaged by a snap fastener 60 , which thereby connects the connection fillet 30 to the body connector 20 . The carrying case 68 is riveted directly to the connection fillet 30 by a first rivet that extends through a first end of the connection fillet 30 and through a wall of carrying case 68 . The first rivet 18 facilitates the rotation of the connection fillet 30 around an axis extending through the center of the rivet connecting the connection fillet to the wall of carrying case 86 . The body connector 20 of the present invention is of the type manufactured and sold by Tombo Industries Co. Limited, of Kwun Tong, KLN, Hong Kong and Benison Industrial Co. Limited, of New Territories Hong Kong.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes in the form and details ma be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Man modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not with this detailed description but rather by the claims appended hereto.
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The present invention is directed toward a carrying device enabling hands-free transporting of a personal data assistant, cellular telephone, pager, MP3 Player, media player, hand held game, hand held GPS device or any other personal accessory or hand held device that may be attached to the body of a user. The device enables a detachment of the handheld device from a housing while maintaining a secured link of the hand held device to the user's body with and automatic facilitated comfortable adjustment of a secure link of the hand held device, thereby providing hand-free carrying and an elimination of risk of loss from accidental misplacement.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Industrial Utilization
This invention relates to a method of producing boiled eggs and an apparatus therefor, and more particularly to a dry type heating method of producing eggs in the hard boiled state and soft boiled state and an apparatus therefor.
(b) The Prior Art
As has been well known, to produce boiled eggs, the eggs are heated in water. However, depending upon whether hard boiled eggs or soft boiled eggs are desired, it is necessary to adjust the temperature and the time for heating the eggs.
In order to produce a nice looking boiled egg with the yolk being positioned at the center of its albumen when the egg is cut crosswise, it is usually necessary to suitably turn the egg while it is being heated to obtain uniform heating.
For example, when boiled eggs are needed in small quantities, the production of the boiled eggs is easily carried out because the eggs in the hot water can be easily turned. However, when boiled eggs are needed in large quantities such as for commercial purposes, it is difficult to turn the eggs without damage when there are large quantities of the eggs in the hot water. Consequently, the yolks of the eggs become positioned more to one side than the other, so that the boiled eggs, cannot be obtained with the yolk positioned at the center.
Moreover, when the boiled eggs are produced according to the known method of heating the eggs, a batch system cannot be selected because of the method of heating such eggs. Consequently, by using the conventional method of producing the boiled eggs, a worker is endangered by containers containing a large amount of hot water that must be handled by the worker, in order to avoid abrupt heating of the eggs. This danger is continuous, especially when heating of eggs be repeated as often as necessary, to control high fuel costs.
Furthermore, cracks tend to be caused to the egg shells. Even when the positions of the eggs are fixed by forming frames and the like, a large scale facility becomes necessary, making it difficult to turn the eggs, whereby the yolks lean to one side, thus presenting the disadvantages of such an operation.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consequence, the present invention has been developed to obviate the above-described disadvantages of the prior art and has as its object the provision of a completely novel egg heating method wherein boiled eggs are produced continuously and in large quantities without heating the eggs in water as in the conventional case and an apparatus therefor.
The present invention resides in a method of producing of boiled eggs wherein the eggs are turned on their axes under the irradiation of a light having a wave length within a wave length region of infrared rays and/or far infrared rays for heating and solidifying the eggs.
Furthermore, the present invention resides in a boiled egg producing apparatus wherein:
the apparatus comprises a chain conveyor path having chains arranged in two rows, hearing portions provided on extensions of at least one set of pins adjacent to each other of the chains, tubular members rotatably inserted at opposite ends thereof with the bearing portions and including a plurality of circularly arcuate grooves each having a width slightly larger than an egg and extending in the circumferential direction of the tubular member, and support rails arranged in two rows opposed to opposite ends of the tubular members and having rotatably mounted thereon the tubular members; and
a body radiating infrared rays and/or far infrared rays and provided upwardly of the chain conveyor path.
The reason why the infrared rays or the far infrared rays are used in the present invention is because the infrared rays or the far infrared rays are excellent in transmittance through the egg shells, whereby the infrared rays or the far infrared rays directly heat yolks and albumens in the egg shells, so that the eggs can be efficiently heated for a very short period of time. As the light having the wave length within the region of the wave length of the infrared rays or the far infrared rays which is used, the lights containing the infrared rays or the far infrared rays within the region of the wave length of 1 μm to 25 μm, particularly, 2.5 μm to 10 μm are preferable because the lights contain a moisture absorptive wave length zone and a protein absorptive zone.
Consequently, the body radiating the infrared rays or the far infrared rays used in the present invention radiates the light having the wave length within the region of the wave length of the infrared rays or the far infrared rays, and particularly, radiates the light within the region of the wave length of 1 μm to 25 μm, particularly, 2.5 μm to 10 μm.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, adjustment of the value of heating the eggs can be easily performed by the adjustment of a distance between the eggs and the body radiating the infrared rays or the body radiating the far infrared rays.
In order to adjust the intensity of the infrared rays or the far infrared rays as described above, it is preferable that the body radiating the infrared rays or the far infrared rays is formed in a manner to be movable relative to the eggs, and it is also preferable that an infrared ray heater, a far infrared ray heater or the like is formed in such a manner that the voltage can be regulated.
In the boiled egg producing apparatus according to the present invention, to turn the eggs constantly while the eggs are preventing from contacting one another, the eggs are supported by the tubular members during turning and conveying of the eggs. In this case, in order for the eggs to be stably supported at predetermined positions of the respective tubular members contiguously disposed in parallel to one another, it is preferable to form grooves fitted to contours of the eggs, the grooves extending entirely in the circumferential direction of the tubular members.
It is preferable that the dimensions of each of the grooves are determined such that the egg is not rocked so as to be damaged in the groove, the dimensions being slightly larger than that of the egg, or less.
According to the present invention, the infrared and/or the far infrared rays is used to heat the eggs, so that the boiled eggs similar to those made in the conventional manner can be obtained in a short period of time. The reason is that, by the irradiation of these infrared rays, the far infrared rays can reach the central portions of the eggs through the egg shells, so that the far infrared rays can heat the central portions of the eggs, not only the outer peripheral portions of the eggs. In contrast thereto, when the heat radiation rays smaller in wave length than the infrared rays are used, the surface portions of the eggs are excessively heated as compared with the interior of the eggs. Heat thus accumulates around the egg shells, whereby steam tends to be generated and the egg shells are liable to be broken, so that a relatively long period of time is required for obtaining the boiled eggs, making this approach impractical.
In contrast thereto, according to the present invention, the eggs are heated by the infrared rays through the egg shells, whereby pore portions of the egg shells and an internal film are fused to each other to be air-tight, so that contamination can be avoided.
More detailed description will hereunder be given of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the specific form described herein is a mere example, and, the present invention need not necessarily be limited to such specific form.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIGS. 1a and 1b are partial side views sectionally showing the end portion of the boiled egg producing apparatus embodying the present invention, respectively;
FIG. 2 is a front view sectionally showing a portion thereof; and,
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing one side of the tubular member used in working the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A boiled egg producing apparatus 1 has a support frame 2 which is constituted by a rectangular frame body 3, four columnar members 4 vertically upwardly extending from four corner portions of the frame body 3 and beam members 5 mounted across the top portions of two columnar members 4 positioned on opposite sides of the frame body 3 in the longitudinal direction thereof. As shown, hydraulically retractable legs 6 and wheels 7 are secured to suitable portions of the bottom of the frame body 3.
When the boiled egg producing apparatus 1 is about to be moved, the legs 6 are retracted, whereby the apparatus 1 can be supported by the wheels 7, so that the apparatus 1 can be moved to a predetermined position. After the apparatus 1 is moved to the predetermined position, the legs 6 are extended as shown, whereby the wheels 7 are elevated from the floor surface, so that the apparatus 1 can be stably located at the predetermined position.
A heating region is provided upwardly of the support frame 2 of the apparatus 1, and a heating housing 8 is provided in this heating region. The heating housing 8 is constituted by a plurality of rectangular frame bodies 9 which are supported on the beam members 5 of the support frame 2, and further, disposed in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 2. Provided at opposite sides of each of the frame bodies 9 are panels 10 which can be opened. Provided on the top surface of each of the frame bodies 9 is a fixed panel 11, whereby the tunnel-shaped heating housing 8 opening at the opposite end portions thereof in the longitudinal direction thereof is formed.
Provided in each of the frame bodies 9 is a heat radiation source 12 which is constituted by an infrared radiating body 13 for mainly radiating a light of a wave length within the wave length of 1 to 25 m, a reflector 14 provided upwardly of the infrared radiating body 13, and a support member 15 supporting these both elements. As shown, the support member 15 is vertically movably suspended by chains 16, for example, in each of the frame bodies 9 from the top portion thereof.
Although not shown in detail, the chains 16 are raised or lowered by an external force, so that the support member 15 can be vertically moved. To stably perform the above described vertical movement of the support member 15, a guide bar 17 is suspended from the top portion of each of the frame bodies 9, and this guide bar 17 extends through a guide hole 18 formed in the support member 15. Provided on the upper fixed panel 11 of each of the frame bodies 9 is an exhaust blower 19, so that the atmospheric temperature in the heating housing 8 can be adjusted.
The boiled egg producing apparatus 1 has conveying means for passing the eggs, with the eggs being turned, through a heating region, i.e. the heating housing 8. This conveying means 20 is constituted by a pair of endless chain elements 21 and a multiplicity of parallel roller members 22 rotatably stretched across the endless chain elements 21, for supporting the eggs.
The pair of endless chain elements 21 are guided around pairs of gears 23 and 24 rotatably supported at opposite ends of the two beam members 5 of the support frame 2, respectively, and three pairs of gears 25, 26 and 27, which are disposed at positions downwardly of the beam members 5 of the support frame 2 and yet upwardly of the frame body 3. Additionally, in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the gears 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 only on one side out of the respective pairs are shown.
As shown in FIG. 1, provided on a portion to the extreme left of the frame body 3 of the support frame 2 is a driving wheel 28 being coaxial with the driving gears 23 for driving the pair of endless chain elements 21. The driving wheel 28 is connected to a prime mover, i.e. an electric motor 30 through a speed reducer 28' and a driving belt 29. The pair of driving gears 23 are rotatably driven through this driving belt 29, whereby the pair of endless chain elements 21 is driven in the clockwise direction for example in FIG. 1, so that the multiplicity of parallel roller members 22 rotatably stretched across the pairs of endless chain elements 21 can be successively passed through the heating region, i.e. the heating housing 8.
Each of the parallel roller members 22 is constituted, for example, by a steel pipe 33, a plurality of roller pieces 34 made of aluminum and coupled onto the pipe 33, and a heat-resistant urethane rubber layer 35 coated on these roller pieces 34, for example. Additionally, as indicated by reference numeral 36 in FIG. 3, the roller pieces 34 are preferably connected to each other by a tenon joint.
Provided at opposite ends of each of the parallel roller members 22 are bearings 37 which rotatably support pins 38 projecting from the endless chain elements 21, whereby the respective parallel roller members 22 are rotatably extended across the pair of endless chain elements 21. Furthermore, in order for the eggs to be stably supported at the predetermined positions on the parallel roller members 22, it is preferable to form grooves 39 on the peripheral portions of the respective parallel roller members 22.
As detailedly shown in FIG. 3, a bottom heat shield plate is disposed downwardly of a running path of the parallel roller members 22 in the heating region, i.e. the heating housing 8, whereby the far infrared rays emitted from the heat radiation source 12 is prevented from leaking through the bottom of the heating housing 8.
As shown, guide rails 40 for the endless chain elements 21 are provided along opposite sides of the bottom heat shield plate. There guide rails 40 are supported by suitable support beam members 41. The running of the endless chain elements 21 is stabilized by the guide rails 40, so that the parallel roller members 22 can convey the eggs supported thereon in a stabilized manner.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, rail members 32 other than the above ones are laid along the guide rails 40 in a manner to be engageable with opposite end portions 42 of the parallel roller members 22, whereby, when running in the heating housing 8, the parallel roller members 22 are rotated and moved on the rail members 40. Due to the above-described rotation of the parallel roller members 22, the eggs supported thereon are passed through the heating housing 8, while turning.
Subsequently, to operate the above-described boiled egg producing apparatus 1, firstly, at the inlet portion of the heating housing 8 (namely, to the left in FIG. 1), eggs are disposed between the grooves 39 of the parallel roller members 22 being adjacent to each other and supported thereby. Then, the eggs supported on the parallel roller members 22 are conveyed in the heating housing 8, where the eggs are irradiated by the far infrared rays from the heat radiation source 12. At this time, the eggs are constantly turned on the parallel roller members 22.
After being subjected to the irradiation by the far infrared rays of a predetermined dose, the eggs are cooked as the so-called boiled eggs, and these boiled eggs are carried out from an outlet portion of the heating housing 8 (namely, to the right in FIG. 1). As previously mentioned, the heat radiation source 12 is moveable vertically, so that the irradiation dose applied to the eggs by the far infrared rays can be regulated.
More specifically, when the heat radiation source 12 is moved upwardly, the irradiation dose given to the eggs by the far infrared rays is decreased. On the contrary, when the heat radiation source 12 is moved downwardly, the irradiation dose given to the eggs by the far infrared rays is increased. The above-described adjustment makes it possible to obtain hard boiled eggs or soft boiled eggs, for example.
In order to obtain uniform boiled eggs, it is necessary to maintain the atmospheric temperature at a constant level in the heating housing 8. Maintaining of the atmospheric temperature at a constant level is carried out by the exhaust blower 19.
The infrared ray radiating bodies used in this embodiment include well-known infrared radiating bodies such as a silicon carbide rod, a tungsten lamp and an iodine lamp. Furthermore, the far infrared ray radiating bodies include well known far infrared ray radiating bodies such as Zirconium ceramics, Titanium ceramics, Aluminum ceramics and -spondumene series ceramics.
EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION
As apparent from the foregoing, according to the present invention, boiled eggs can be produced without using hot water. Therefore, the danger when hot water is handled as in the conventional case can be avoided.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the eggs are continuously turned, whereby the yolks do not become positioned to one side. Thus in each of the boiled eggs, the yolk is positioned at the center. Moreover the hard boiled eggs can be continuously, produced in large quantities.
Further, it is easy to adjust the position of radiating the infrared rays or the far infrared rays relative to the eggs, so that the hard boiled eggs and soft boiled eggs can be easily produced.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the atmospheric temperature in the heating housing can be maintained at the predetermined level. Moreover, occurrence of the directional property due to heating, etc. is prevented by the rotation, the boiled eggs having uniform quality can be produced in large quantities. As described above, a uniform heating atmosphere stands and the eggs are not brought into contact with one another, so that the decrease in the yield due to the damaging of egg shells and the like can be avoided.
Moreover, according to the present invention, the infrared rays and the far infrared rays are used for heating the eggs, whereby the pores of the egg shells are fully closed so as to be air-tight. Thus a high degree of freshness of the eggs can be maintained since the eggs do not easily decompose.
As has been described hereinabove, the present invention, being superior to the conventional method of producing the boiled eggs and apparatus therefor, is highly influential to others in the industry.
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A method of and an apparatus for producing boiled eggs uniformly heats and solidifies each of the eggs. As the heating means, infrared and/or far infrared rays is adopted. The eggs are supported by pairs of conveyor rolls having recesses. The respective pairs of conveyor rolls are rotated in the same rotating directions, whereby the eggs supported thereon are turned about the axes thereof, so that the whole surfaces of the eggs can be uniformly irradiated by the infrared and/or the far infrared rays.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/623,954 filed on Apr. 13, 2012, entitled “Radio Car Recorder.”The patent application identified above is incorporated here by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a portable car audio recording system. Specifically, it relates to a car audio console that can be inserted into a recess port in an automobile dashboard. The system records radio broadcasts and can burn them to a compact disc or other removable media. Recorded radio segments are stored song files can be replayed at any time. When the user exits the automobile, the system can be ejected and carried indoors for further use.
[0004] The first audio systems installed in automobiles were am/fm radio consoles. These radio consoles included radio signal receivers connected to one or more speakers inset into the car dashboard. Dials were provided for tuning the radio station, controlling the volume and turning the radio on or off. Later additions to the radio console included eight track cassette player, cassette tape players, and compact disc players. Removable media players such as these provided automotive travelers with the ability to play specific audio tracks on command.
[0005] Current automotive audio systems offer a variety of listening options. Indeed, some systems even offer video playback of television and digital video discs (DVDs). Satellite radio receivers, TV tuners, mp3 playbacks and the like are common features of modern automotive entertainment systems. Passengers may listen to preprogrammed radio, provide their own playlists, or download new music and video tot eh console.
[0006] The problem with automotive entertainment systems is that they are generally integrated into the vehicle dashboard. Users are forced to create redundant copies of their music collection by transferring copies of songs from in home audio systems to the car systems. Alternatively, the user must bring a removable media or mp3 player to the vehicle and mount it within the onboard computer. A portable audio system is needed that is easy to transport from the car to the home and vice versa.
[0007] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0008] The present invention is a portable stereo system that can be removably integrated into an automobile audio system. A console is provided that can be connected to the automobile audio system via a series of jacks and plugs. Audio signals such as radio and satellite audio can be recorded to an electronic media within the stereo system. These audio files can then be transferred to computing devices via blue tooth, Wi-Fi, or through removable media. In this manner the present invention is both a device and a system for versatile audio recording and playback. The following devices and systems are considered to be a list of prior art relevant to the present disclosure
[0009] A system and method for pausing and continuing live radio input to an automobile stereo is described in Goodman, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,665,234. The system includes a radio antenna linked to a controller, an electronic media, and an audio output means. Audio signals are received by the antenna in the form of radio transmissions and are then sent to the controller for processing. A record button is electrically connected to the system and when engaged, disrupts the output of audio while recording commences. The signals are stored on the electronic media. Recording can be truncated at any time and normal radio signal playback resumed from the point at which the signal was last interrupted.
[0010] Goodman, U.S. Pat. No. 7,027,602 discloses a method for recording of audio signals onto an electronic media. The electronic media is stored within an automobile dashboard. When the system starts up, information about the automobile's subscription to a music service is sent to a remote data server. Once the subscription is confirmed audio signals may be received and processed by a controller within the stereo. The digital signals may be paused and resumed as desired, via the use of an electronic media to buffer the signals.
[0011] A similar system is disclosed in Logan, U.S. Pat. No. 7,058,376. The Logan system uses a time shifting method to record multiple audio signals to an electronic media. User interface buttons selectively perform the following five functions not available on a conventional radio: Pause: suspends the reproduction of the live or recorded programming currently being played; Save: permits the listener to save the complete content of a live program currently being reproduced; Jukebox: permits the listener can select and playback previously recorded programming; Mark: allows the user to “bookmark” a specific position on a program; and Options: permits the user to obtain information about available programming, or to perform less frequently used functions.
[0012] Recording of radio, television and satellite signals by an automobile console is described in Igbinadolor, U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,196. The system receives and processes incoming signals, monitoring their content. Selected audio signals are recorded on an electronic media for playback to a user. When a commercial break is detected the system automatically pauses the recording process. In this way, users are provided with a seamless audio playback that is free from commercial interruptions.
[0013] Finally, Owens, U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,278, disclosed a digital recorder for car radio. The system includes a car radio console and media player. A microphone is operatively connected to the front of the console unit so that sounds within the car can be recorded. Audio signals from the radio can also be recorded to and electronic media for later playback. The system thus provides automotive travelers with a means for recording music, discussions, and any important information they need to convey while driving.
[0014] These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. None of these devices provide a digital car radio recorder that includes wireless communication capabilities and is removable from the dashboard for use in other locations. The present invention is a highly portable stereo system that offers digital radio recording, wireless file transfer for transmission of MP3 files, and transfer or recorded or transmitted audio files to a removable media. It substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of automobile audio recording devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new portable audio record system wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when recording and playing audio feedback in any automobile or in the home.
[0016] The present invention is a combination automobile receiver console and recording device. There are two primary embodiments of the device. The first is a stock model that sits within a preformed recess in an automobile dashboard. The second embodiment is and an aftermarket model that removably connects to a series of ports installed on the top of the automobile dashboard. Both versions of the device have a set of connection jacks that operatively connect with ports in the automobile dashboard.
[0017] The device is removably secured to an automobile dashboard. One or more latches set into the dashboard engage with mating parts on the device, thereby holding it in place within or on top of the dashboard. The engaged position holds the portable audio recording device in operative and electrical connection with the automobile stereo system. An eject button disposed on the device or the automobile dashboard releases the latch engagement, permitting removal of the device from the dashboard. In this way, the device can be removed from one vehicle and inserted into the recess in another vehicle, providing users with a portable music playback device.
[0018] Whether installed in an automobile or used inside a dwelling, the portable audio recording device selectively stores audio signal streams. Audio signals such as radio or satellite signals are received by an antenna and sent to a controller. The signals are then converted from analog signals to digital and are saved to a storage medium. Users can trigger signal conversion and storage by interacting with a recording selection means such as a physical button, touch screen interface or the like. Audio retained on storage medium can be transferred to compact discs, flash drives, or other removable storage media. Users can thus record segments of audio signals and save them removable media that can be played in other devices.
[0019] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved portable audio recording device that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
[0020] It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for recording segments of radio programming and saving those segments for later playback.
[0021] Another object of the present invention is to provide an audio receiver than can be conveniently removed from one automobile and inserted into another.
[0022] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an audio recording and playback console for an automobile that can be removed from its position within the automobile dashboard and used inside a dwelling.
[0023] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a portable audio recorder that converts analog audio signals to digital signals for recording purposes.
[0024] A further object of the present invention is to provide a device that can be pre-installed in an automobile dashboard or attached to an adapted dashboard.
[0025] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.
[0027] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the front face of the portable audio recording device.
[0028] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the rear of the portable audio recording device.
[0029] FIG. 3 shows a general schematic of the internal components of the portable audio recording device.
[0030] FIG. 4 shows a general system diagram of the portable audio recording system of the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the portable audio recording device in use. The device is inserted into a preformed recess in an automobile dashboard.
[0032] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the portable audio recording device in use. The device is lowered onto a small recess and set of ports formed on the top surface of an automobile dashboard.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0033] Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the portable audio recording device and system. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for recording analog or digital audio while on-the-go. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
[0034] Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is shown an exemplary portable audio recording device. The device 100 comprises an outer housing 110 with a top 111 , bottom 112 , two lateral sides 113 , a front face 200 and rear face 300 defining an interior volume. Construction of the outer housing should render a product suitable for use on desktops, automobile dashboards and other all purpose surfaces. Sharp metal edges and aluminum casings are not desirable as they may injury users during transport or scuff supporting surfaces. Plastics, polished metal and other such materials are ideal for construction of the housing as they are often used in the construction of home stereo components. Thus it is wholly desirable that the device have the outward appearance and the utility of an automobile audio receiver and media player, as well as an in home radio and media playback console.
[0035] Securing latches 120 prevent the audio recording device from uncoupling from the automobile dashboard while in use. The latches are depressible and engage with latch receiving recesses inside the automobile dashboard recess. In the figure these latches are shown as triangular protrusions that can be pressed into the lateral sides of the outer housing, when the device is slid into the automobile dashboard recess. Once the device is in place, the latches expand into the latch receiving recesses. Other latching mechanisms are well known in the art and may be substituted for that shown here. Release of the latches is affected by depressing a release button 210 which is operatively connected to the latches and retracts them into the housing. While the release button is depressed the device can be safely removed from the automobile dashboard recess. In alternative embodiments, the release button may be disposed on the dashboard rather than the console and may affect depression of the latches into the housing by pushing them out of the latch receiving recesses with pistons or the like.
[0036] The front face of the portable audio recording device has several user input options that facilitate operation of the device. On the front face 200 , there is a display screen 220 , removable storage media insertion slots 230 , 231 , a disc ejection button 240 , a device release button 210 , and a power button 250 . Though any digital display may be used, a touch screen interface is desired, to limit the need for additional physical controls. By way of example, if a standard LCD display is used, tuning buttons, a record button, and seek/scan buttons must also be disposed on the front face and operatively connected to the device's internal components. Conversely, a touch-screen display, as shown in the figure, displays current audio playback information to a user, and also facilitates recording, station changing, volume control, and other standard media player functions.
[0037] Removable storage media interfaces 230 , 231 provide users with an easy means for transferring audio files to and from the audio recording device. Rewritable compact discs are inserted into the device via the compact disc drive slot 240 . A flash drive 231 is operatively connected to the device via a universal serial bus (USB) port disposed on the front face. Audio files stored on these media can be transferred to the device's permanent storage and accessed for playback via the touch-screen interface. Alternatively, audio recorded by the device and stored on the permanent storage medium can be transferred to the removable media for playback on another device. After transfer or playback, compact discs are ejected from the disc drive via a CD eject button 240 located near the disc slot or integrated into the touch screen interface. The portable audio recording device is also Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled to allow computing devices such as laptops, and smart phones to transfer music to and from the device.
[0038] An essential component of the device is the audio record input option. In a preferred embodiment this option is integrated into the touch-screen interface, but it may also be a physical button disposed on the front face 200 . Users interact with the audio record input to start and stop analog and digital audio recording. Audio signals from radio and satellite sources can be converted to digital audio files as necessary and stored on the permanent storage media for later playback. Additionally, the user also has the option of utilizing an audio identification function that will record a small segment of an audio signal and compare the segment with a remote music ID service that will find the song and offer it to the user for download to the portable audio recording device.
[0039] A view of the rear face 300 is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. Along the rear face is a set of harness mounting points. A power mounting harness port 330 is provided for electrically connecting the device to a power harness disposed within the automobile dashboard recess. Power harness may have wiring for both switched and constant power or may be simply directed current. This connection facilitates the flow of electricity from the automobile battery to the audio recording device. An auxiliary mounting harness port 310 engages with an auxiliary mounting harness disposed within the back of the automobile dashboard recess. Wiring running to the auxiliary mounting harness includes but is not limited to left and right front speakers, left and right rear speakers, a chassis ground, and illumination wiring. Lastly, an antenna connection port 320 is provided, that engages with an antenna harness and operatively connects the device to the automobile's antenna. The aforementioned mounting harnesses are fixed in place along the rear surface automobile dashboard recess and align with the mounting points of the recording device. In this way, the device is inserted into the dashboard recess and easily connected to the necessary harnesses. Users do not need to meddle with connections, crimping of wires, or even interact with the wiring components in order to use the present invention. Latches 120 disposed on laterally opposing sidewalls of the device housing prevent the device from shifting during use and thereby reduce strain on the harness connections.
[0040] Essential internal components of the device are shown in the side view of FIG. 3 . Antennas 400 detect audio signals and digital data signals. These antennas are connected to a controller 410 which can send the signals to the automobile, or in home speakers, or alternatively send the signals to the digital processing unit 420 . If conversion from analog to digital signal is necessary the digital processing unit will load segments of the signals into memory 440 and utilize a stored programmable logic to convert the signals. Both detected and converted digital audio signals are stored on the permanent storage media 430 for later playback or transfer. Transfer to one or more types of removable storage media is possible when the media is mounted within a removable media slot 230 , 231 such as the compact disc drive or USB port. Users can begin and end recording and select audio files for transfer via the input means 260 and display 220 , which are preferably integrated together into a touch screen display unit. External wireless connections are also made via the antennas or other wireless communications means, for transferring audio files, identifying audio segments, or downloading new audio files. These component parts are stored within the interior volume of the audio recording device housing.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 5 , there is shown a perspective view of the portable audio recording device being inserted into an automobile. The device 100 is inserted into a preformed automobile dashboard recess 540 . This recess may be located anywhere on the dashboard console 500 but should be disposed within easy reaching distance of drivers and passengers. In the figure, the recess is located between the left and right front speakers 510 , and to the right of the steering wheel 530 . Mounting harnesses 520 disposed along the back of the recess engage with harness ports in on the rear face of the audio recording device. Latch receiving recesses 550 hold the device housing in place while it is inserted within the dashboard recess. In this embodiment the dashboard recess is preformed as a part of the dashboard console and has permanently fixed mounting harnesses that engage and disengage with the recording device.
[0042] Turning now to FIG. 6 there is shown an alternative embodiment of the portable audio recording device. In this embodiment the device is part of an aftermarket portable audio recording system. A piece of the dashboard 500 upper surface is removed and a dashboard recess 540 is inserted. Mounting harnesses 520 extend through a lip at the rear of the recess, protruding through the upper surface of the dash. Caps may be applied to these harnesses when not in use to prevent dust and debris from entering. The audio recording device has mounting harness ports disposed along the rear face though they may need to be placed lower on the face than in the primary embodiment depending on the desired size of the dashboard recess. Latches 130 may be disposed along the bottom or lower edge of the lateral sidewalls for engaging with latch receiving recesses 550 within the dashboard recess. Like the primary embodiment, the recording device housing in held in place by the latches during periods of use to prevent strain on the harness connections. The device can be easily disengaged and carried indoors for continued use after the automobile is turned off. This embodiment of the device provides users with the ability to take advantage of the versatile audio recording device without requiring the installation of whole new dashboard console unit.
[0043] Referring finally to FIG. 4 , there is shown a general view of an exemplary embodiment of the present system. It includes a portable audio recording system 100 capable of functioning will connected to an automobile 600 sound system or to an in home sound system. Antennas within the device perceive audio and data signals from radio emitters 620 and satellite transmitters 610 , as well as computing devices 630 having Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities. Received audio files are stored on a storage media within the audio recording device. Audio files stored on the computing device can be transferred to the audio recording device storage media via a short range wireless connection. Audio files can also be downloaded for external file download services hosted on remote servers 640 .
[0044] In use an individual turns the portable audio recording device on by initiating the power button. A preferred radio station or program is then selected via the user interface. The user then presses the record button to begin recording of the current audio programming. Engaging the record button again stops the recording process. Next the user can select the recently recorded audio program and any other audio files for transfer to a removable storage media. A removable storage media such as a compact disc or flash drive is inserted into an appropriate slot on the front face of the audio recording device. Files are then transferred to the removable media, which can be removed and inserted into other devices for playback. Audio files stored on the permanent storage media can be selected for playback on the automobile recording device. When the user turns the car off, he depresses the eject button to eject the recording device from the dashboard. The recording device is then carried inside and connected to a dc power adapter. An indoor speaker adapter is plugged into the auxiliary mounting harness port and then connected to a pair of indoor speakers. The user can then listen to the recorded audio or any other stored audio files within the comfort of his home.
[0045] The present invention provides a new portable audio recording device that can be used in an automobile or in-home environment. The outer housing of the device fits within and engages a recess built into an automobile dashboard, and is thereby electrically connected to the automobile battery and audio system. Radio program can be recorded, sent to a remote service for identification, and used to initiate audio file downloads to the storage media. Recorded and downloaded files can be played on the automobile's speaker system or transferred to a removable storage media for playback on other devices.
[0046] A dc power adapter that plugs into the mounting harness port on the rear face of the recording device and into a wall socket. Similarly an auxiliary speaker adapter is included that connects to the auxiliary mounting port on the rear face of the device and also includes ports for positive and negative speaker terminals. In this way, the device is easily adapted for in home use. Both of these adapted may be simple geometrically shaped elements having the aforementioned ports.
[0047] The versatile nature of the present invention makes it useful in different environments. Users can transfer their music collection from one automobile to another, so long as both automobiles have the appropriate dashboard recess and connection harnesses. Similarly, the present invention obviates the need for having in home and car audio receivers, because the same receiver unit can be used in both places. Each user can transfer their personal music collection to the device via removable storage media, a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.
[0048] To this point, the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. 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.
[0049] 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 portable audio recording device is provided for selectively recording analog and digital audio signals. The device is removably insertable into a recess in an automobile dashboard. Several mounting harness connections protrude from the recess and operatively engage with ports disposed on the back side of the device. Once the recording device is properly connected, audio can be played over the automobile sound system or saved for later playback. Additional files are transferred to and from the device via removable storage media or over wireless connections. Users can record radio programming, store their music collection and transport the entertainment device to different locations. The invention is thus a device and system for facilitating highly transportable audio recording, storage, and playback in a variety of environments.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to magnetostrictive filters and, more particularly, to magnetostrictive rod filters in which the magnetostrictive rod is able to vibrate freely.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Filters with magnetostrictive rods have already been studied. An article by H. H. HALL was published in the Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers, volume 21, No. 9, September 1933, pp. 1328-1338. Then two articles by A. P. THIELE describe such filters: "Narrow band magnetostrictive filters" in "Electronic and Radio Engineer", November 1958, pages 402-411 and "Magnetostrictive filters" in Electronics, June 1959, pages 72-74. These types of filters are basically formed of a magnetostrictive rod placed inside a glass or plastic sheath and surrounded by two separate windings. Each winding is placed on one or the other side of the center of the bar. Permanent magnets are judiciously placed to create a permanent field inside the rod.
However, these types of filters have attenuation curves which have no pole, i.e. no infinite attenuation point and thus cannot be often used in industry.
The purpose of this invention is to mitigate the defect and to construct magnetostrictive rod filters having attenuation poles and, in addition, to place the attenuation poles at the frequency positions required by the technology, in relation to the zeros of the attenuation curve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, the filter basically comprises a magnetostrictive rod surrounded by input and output windings placed on either side of the center of the rod, permanent magnets to create a d.c. magnetic field inside said rod, said windings being themselves surrounded by ferrite sheaths and means for producing a demagnetizing field at each end of said rod, the said demagnetizing field inducting a voltage in said input or output winding and being due to portions of the rod projecting from each end of the corresponding winding by opening the exterior edges and to apertures in said ferrite sheaths without interposition of any material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages will appear on reading the following description which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a magnetostrictive rod filter according to the invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates points corresponding to resonances and attenuation poles on a circle of unity diameter;
FIG. 3 illustrates the attenuation versus frequency curve of a filter according to the invention; and
FIG. 4 is a lumped electrical diagram of the filter according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, a magnetostrictive rod filter basically comprises a rod 1 made of magnetostrictive material able to vibrate freely in a sheath 2 made of glass or of plastic. Input and output windings are designated by 3 and 4, respectively and are placed around the rod on either side of its center. Each winding is surrounded by a suitable ferrite sheath, for example, sheath 5 for filter input winding 3 and sheath 5' for filter output winding 4. Permanent magnets 6 are arranged on either side of the rod center line, near to each end in order to create a continuous field as uniformly as possible inside rod 1. Thus input winding 3 and output winding 4 are only connected by means of magnetoelactic vibrations which run through the rod. There is practically no direct coupling. Furthermore, ferrite sheaths 5 and 5' enable the magnetic induction created by the windings to be localized, and the induction lines that cross rod 1 to be looped.
Rod 1 projects by respective distances l and l' beyond each end of windings 3 and 4. A demagnetizing field due to each end of rod 1 opposes the magnetic field induced by the windings and takes on significant values. This field at the ends of the bar is expressed by (H d ) x=d/2 and (H d ) x=-d/2 if the length of the bar is d. It is thus necessary to take account of the electric voltage induced by the demagnetizing fields directly in the windings.
The mechanical waves created in rod 1 are assumed to be longitudinal; the rod is in fact cylindrical with a circular cross-section and the end sides are at right angles to the center line of rod 1.
If Ox is the center line of rod 1, and 0 is its center, the movement of the rod material at a point of abscissa x is expressed by equation: ##EQU1## where:
ρ is the specific weight of the rod material;
ω is the angular frequency;
s is the component s 1111 of the compliance tensor;
γ is the propagation constant of a longitudinal mechanical wave in the rod given by equation:
γ=ω√ρs (2)
The solution of equation (1) is:
u=Ue.sup.jγx +U'e.sup.-jγx (3)
where U and U' are constants.
The magnetic field created by the input winding in rod 1 extends over a distance equal to b i the length of winding 3. In the same way, the magnetic field created by the output winding in rod 1 extends over a distance equal to b o the length of winding 4. Ferrite sheaths 5 and 5' surround windings 3 and 4. These sheaths may be enlarged near to the ends of the rod to dimension D (respectively D') depending on whether the sheath surrounds input winding 3 or output winding 4. These sheaths may also be increased in size near to the center of the rod depending on the application given to the filter, as is stated below.
A filter is designated by its electrical characteristics. Ampere's theorem and the on limits conditions enables the following to be written.
jγS[Ue.sup.jγd/2 -U'e.sup.-jγd/2 ]=(μ/μ.sub.o)Sgt.sub.i B.sub.i (4)
jγS[Ue.sup.-jγd/2 -U'e.sup.jγd/2 ]=(μ/μ.sub.o)Sgt.sub.o B.sub.o (5)
in which g is the component g 111 of the piezomagnetic tensor of the rod material, B i is the component along Ox of the magnetic induction in rod 1 and at input winding 3 and B o is the component along Ox of the magnetic induction in the rod and at the output winding 4. t i and t o are coefficients without dimension defind by:
μ.sub.o (H.sub.d).sub.x=d/2 =t.sub.i B.sub.i
μ.sub.o (H.sub.d).sub.x=-d/2 =t.sub.o B.sub.o
in which S is the area of the rod cross-section μ o =1.256×10 -6 henries/meter is the permeability of air and μ is the permeability of rod material.
The voltage V i at the terminals of the input winding 3 and the voltage V o at the terminals of the output winding 4 are functions of the magnetic inductions in rod 1, B i and B o , and are written:
V.sub.i =jωB.sub.i N.sub.i Sb.sub.i -jωz.sub.i B.sub.i N.sub.i Sb.sub.i (6)
V.sub.s =jωB.sub.o N.sub.o Sb.sub.o -jωz.sub.o B.sub.o N.sub.o Sb.sub.o (7)
in which N i and N o are the number of wire turns in windings 3 and 4 respectively and z i and z o are functions of the distances l and l' of each winding to the corresponding end of rod 1, of the cross-sectional area S of the rod and of other parameters such as the sheath aperture dimensions D and D'. The other reference letters in equations (6) and (7) have already been defined.
Another method that provides for increasing the influence of the demagnetizing field consists of increasing the diameter of the rod. It is also possible to enlarge the opening of the ferrite sheaths near to the center of the rod; however, in this case, the low frequency characteristics of the filter are deteriorated.
Composite attenuation of this type of filter is expressed as a function of (E G 2 /V o ), E G being the electromotive force of a generator of internal impedance R G connected to the filter input and V o is the output voltage as the filter terminals.
The attenuation is expressed as a function of a number of parameters, among which γ. It is of particular interest to bring out the variable:
X=W sin γd=Wy
in which W is a quantity significantly independent of the frequency and of a very high value.
The resonances correspond to zeros of (E G 2 /V o ), i.e. to values X o of X which are near X=0 therefore correspond to sin γd=0.
The poles correspond to infinites of (E G 2 /V o ), i.e. to values X p of X given by: ##EQU2##
The expression X p of the poles allow the positioning of the poles with respect to the resonances.
When γd=(2k+1)π where k is a positive integer, the rod vibrates according to the half-wave mode. X p is smaller than X o , then f p >f o ·z o is in general negative and resonance takes place at a value X o of X which is in general positive and small in relation to the value of W and therefore to a value of γd very slightly less than π. FIG. 2 illustrates the quantities:
Y.sub.o.sup.' =X.sub.o /W and Y.sub.p.sup.' =X.sub.p/W
When γd=2kπ where k is a positive integer the rod vibrates in the full-wave mode. X p is greater than X o , then f p <f o ·z o is quite negative and resonance takes place at a value X o of X which is in general negative and small in relation to the value of W and therefore to a value of γd very slightly less than 2π. FIG. 2 illustrates the quantities Y o " =X o/W and Y p " =X p/W .
It is possible to obtain a demagnetising field such that X p /W is very near to X o /W thus such that a maximum attenuation frequency is very close to a resonance. It is sufficient that coefficients z o and z i are sufficiently great as is shown in the previous expressions.
The various parameters which intervene in the calculation of z o for example, the cross-sectional area S of rod 1, length d of the rod, distance l, the opening dimension D may be modified depending upon the mode of vibration envisaged and depending upon the sizes of the filters to be designed.
An attenuation curve of a filter, according to the invention, is represented in FIG. 3. This type of filter is formed of a cylindrical ferrite rod of length d=22 mm, of diameter 4 mm and whose ends are at a distance l=2.5 mm from the windings, the opening D of the sheaths being equal to 6 mm. This type of filter vibrates in accordance with the π mode. Its attenuation curve has a pole near to the attenuation minimum at a frequency higher by 1,860 kHz from this minimum. Furthermore, attenuation increases very rapidly near to its minimum.
FIG. 4 is a lumped electrical diagram of the filter according to the invention. If f o is the resonance frequency of rod 1, the filter according to the invention, is a quadripole of input inductance L and output inductance L', the inductances being directly connected together on one side and connected on the other side by two parallel branches, one of the branches with a capacitor C 2 , the other branch with an inductor L 1 placed in series with a capacitor C 1 .
Resonance then takes place for values of C 1 and L 1 such that:
L.sub.1 C.sub.1 =(2πf.sub.o).sup.2
The value of C 2 is determinant for estimation of the pole of maximum attenuation.
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Magnetostrictive rod filter whose attenuation versus frequency curve has a resonance as the conventional magnetostrictive rod filters but also a pole at a frequency near the resonance frequency. The filter comprises a freely vibrating magnetostrictive rod, two windings symmetrically located with respect to the rod center and surrounding the rod, ferrimagnetic material sheaths surrounding the windings except on the parts thereof facing the rod and means for applying a d.c. magnetic field to the rod. The pole of the attenuation curve is due to a demagnetizing field created by portions of the rod externally projecting beyond the windings and by apertures in those parts of the sheaths facing these rod projecting portions.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of implantable sheet materials useful for the repair of living tissue and particularly for hernia repairs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Implantable sheet materials for tissue repair are well known. Tissue defects commonly repaired with these materials include wounds of the abdominal wall and in particular hernia repairs. Wounds of the chest wall, diaphragm and other weaknesses of the musculoaponeurotic tissues are also repaired with these materials.
There are two fundamental types of sheet materials that are most predominantly used. The first type is a mesh material having a multiplicity of openings through the material, such as Marlex® Mesh available from C. R. Bard, Inc., Billerica, Mass. This is an open mesh knitted from polypropylene monofilament of about 0.17 mm diameter and having openings of about 0.54 mm diameter. These mesh materials offer good suture retention, good mechanical strength, and allow tissue to grow through the mesh openings.
An alternative type of implantable sheet material for tissue repair is GORE-TEX® Soft Tissue Patch made from porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, available from W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Flagstaff, Ariz. in 1.0 and 2.0 mm thicknesses. This is a porous sheet material that does not contain large, macroporous holes in the fashion of a mesh. Because there are no large holes for tissue to grow through and around, this material is useful when it is desirable to minimize the risk of tissue adhesion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a sheet of implantable patch tissue repair material comprising a layer of porous polytetrafluoroethylene sheet material laminated to a layer of mesh-type sheet material having a multiplicity of macroporous openings through the mesh-type sheet material, said openings having a mean minimum diameter of about 0.1 mm. The inventive patch tissue repair material offers good strength characteristics, good biocompatibility, suture retention, and flexibility.
The term laminated is used herein to describe the bonding together of two layers of material in any fashion that prevents subsequent separation of the layers during ordinary use. Macroporous openings are herein considered to be openings visible to the human eye without magnification, and visibly open through the thickness of the layer through which the openings have been formed. Microporous openings require the use of magnification to make them visible to the human eye.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 describes a perspective view of the laminated patch tissue repair sheet material of the present invention.
FIG. 2 describes a cross section of the laminated patch tissue repair sheet material of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the laminated patch tissue repair sheet material of the present invention having a layer 11 of porous PTFE laminated to a layer 13 of mesh-type sheet material having a multiplicity of openings through the mesh-type sheet material. FIG. 2 describes a cross section of the laminated patch tissue repair sheet material.
The openings through the mesh-type sheet material should be of at least about 0.1 mm diameter. The general shape of the opening is not believed to be of any biological importance and can therefore be round, elliptical, triangular, square, rectangular, hexagonal, etc. For non-circular openings having a length or long diameter and a width or short diameter, the term minimum diameter is defined herein as the maximum dimension, measured substantially parallel to the surface of the sheet material, that describes the width or short diameter of the non-circular opening. The minimum diameter is to be measured with the sample in a relaxed state with no deforming force. The mean minimum diameter is determined by randomly selecting a sample area containing at least 10 macroscopic openings, locating and measuring the minimum diameter of the ten largest openings within that area and calculating the mean diameter of those ten openings. If it is not possible to obtain a sample containing at least ten openings, then all openings within the area of the largest sample obtainable should be included in the calculation of the mean value.
The layer 13 of the mesh-type sheet material may be any suitable biocompatible material including polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, PTFE or microporous PTFE. The mesh-type sheet material may be in the form of a sheet from which the openings 15 have been cut or otherwise formed, or alternatively may be an open fabric such as a knit or a weave having a multiplicity of openings formed by widely spaced strands of the fabric.
The layer 11 of microporous PTFE is preferably microporous expanded PTFE made according to the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,953,566 and 4,187,390. This material has a microstructure of nodes interconnected by fibrils. It may also be made according to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,482,516 and 4,598,011 if a high strength material with a coarse microstructure is desired. Layer 11 may optionally be made as a laminate of multiple layers as taught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,385,093 and 4,478,665.
Layers 11 and 13 may be laminated by at least two different methods. First, adhesives may be used to adhere the two layers. One such suitable adhesive is Silastic® Medical Adhesive Silicone Type A (Catalog no. 891) from Dow Corning, Midland, Mich. A thermoplastic adhesive such as Teflon FEP 120 Aqueous Dispersion from E. I. DuPont de Nemours, Wilmington, Del. may be used. A coating of the FEP dispersion is applied to the side of the mesh-type layer 13 which is intended to be adhered to the porous PTFE layer 11. The two layers are then adhered by the application of heat and pressure (as for example applied by opposing rollers) with enough heat applied to cause melting of the Teflon FEP 120 Dispersion, about 290° C.
Alternatively, layers 11 and 13 may be laminated by the use of heat and pressure without the use of an additional adhesive. This has been found to be the preferred method when the mesh-type layer 13 of a material having a lower melting point than that of the porous PTFE layer 11. For example, when a layer 13 of mesh-type polypropylene is used, it was found that heating the polypropylene layer to about 180° C., which is in excess of the melting point of polypropylene, while simultaneously applying pressure in a direction perpendicular to the planes of layers 11 and 13 resulted in good adhesion between the two layers.
It was also found possible to form both layers 11 and 13 from porous expanded PTFE sheet materials. A sheet of 1 mm thick GORE-TEX Soft Tissue Patch material of about 6 cm×6 cm, was used for the mesh layer 13 by forming holes 15 through the layer 13 by using a round punch of about 3 mm diameter. The holes were spaced about 1.2 cm apart. Layer 13 was then laminated with the use of heat and pressure to a second layer 11 of GORE-TEX Soft Tissue Patch material wherein layer 11 contained no holes. Lamination was accomplished by placing layers 11 and 13 between two plates heated to 380° C. and applying about 1.3 kg/cm 2 pressure to the two layers. The heated plates were allowed to cool to about 300° C. while the pressure was maintained. At the end of this time the pressure was released and the two laminated layers 11 and 13 of porous expanded PTFE were removed. Laminated layers 11 and 13 were found to be well adhered in that repeated flexing of the laminated layers showed no inclination of the layers to separate.
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A sheet of implantable patch tissue repair material comprising a layer of porous polytetrafluoroethylene sheet material laminated to a layer of mesh-type sheet material having a multiplicity of openings through the mesh-type sheet material, said openings having a mean minimum diameter of at least about 0.1 mm. The inventive patch tissue repair material offers good strength characteristics, good biocompatibility, suture retention, and flexibility.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to optical receivers and more particularly to optical transimpedance receivers with compensation networks in a non-linear feedback loop.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical receiver typically includes a photodetector and a low noise preamplifier as a front end, and an equalizer, post amplifier and filter as a linear channel. This arrangement converts a modulated optical signal into an electrical signal. Further processing of the signal can then be done to recover whatever information had been impressed on an optical carder. The front end of the receiver often consists of a photodiode as the photodetector and a transimpedance amplifier as the preamplifier. This forms a transimpedance front end where a load resistor is replaced by a large feedback resistor, and negative feedback around a wideband amplifier is used to obtain increased bandwidth.
The capacitive input impedance of the low noise preamplifier causes a phase shift of 90 degrees at high frequency, and the inverting amplifier contributes a phase shift of 180 degrees. Optimally, a phase margin of about 45 degrees needs to be maintained. This allows for a maximum additional open-loop phase shift of only 45 degrees up to the frequency at which the open-loop gain becomes less than unity. This small, tolerable phase shift limits the gain that can be included within the feedback loop and it is usually not possible to obtain the desired preamplifier bandwidth if a large feedback resistor is used. Limiting the size of this feedback resistor will lower the sensitivity but, in exchange, will have greater simplicity and much wider dynamic range. In order to maintain the sensitivity of the signal, transimpedance front ends normally give up some of the dynamic range. One prior art method of overcoming this loss of range was by forward-biasing the gate-source diode of the front-end transimpedance amplifier to shunt the feedback resistor. This is described in "PIN-GaAs FET Optical Receiver With a Wide Dynamic Range" by B. Owen, Electronic Letters Vol. 18 No. 4, July 1982, pages 626, 627. Although this reduces the loss of the dynamic range, peaking will occur when the diode is switched on, causing instability in this non-linear circuit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of the invention, a non-linear element is employed in a feedback loop of an optical transimpedance receiver. A compensation network is added to the feedback loop to eliminate peaking and improve stability of the non-linear element. The feedback loop acts to increase the dynamic range of the optical receiver.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
So that one skilled in the art to which the subject invention appertains will better understand how to practice the present invention, preferred embodiments of the apparatus and method will be discussed in detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a prior art circuit diagram of a simple lead compensation network;
FIG. 1A is a graph representing the transfer function of the lead compensation network as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 2 is a prior art block diagram of a basic transimpedance amplifier;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a general Bridged-Tee feedback network as is the present invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates the present invention of an optical transimpedance receiver with a lead compensation network;
FIG. 5A is a graph of the transfer function of a transimpedance receiver with a Schottky diode added to the feedback loop;
FIG. 5B is a graph illustrating the transfer function of the present invention with the Schottky diode off; and
FIG. 5C is a graph illustrating the transfer function of the present invention when the Schottky diode turns on.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art lead compensation network used to stabilize feedback amplifiers. Resistor 46 is R 1 , resistor 50 is R 2 and capacitor 48 is designated simply as C. The transfer function at zero is 1/R 1 C, equaling α 1 , whereas at the pole the function is 1/(R 1 ∥R 2 )C equaling α 2 . This lead network will introduce a low-frequency attenuation. FIG. 1A shows the general characteristics of the lead network labeled T(ω). The network provides attenuation for ω<α 1 and gain for ω>α 2 . In addition, them is a 45 degree phase shift at the midpoint frequency between α 1 and α 2 . In the preferred embodiment, this happens when R 1 =1.5 k, R 2 =2 k and C=2 pF .
The block diagram of the basic transimpedance amplifier is shown in FIG. 2. Using the schematic of FIG. 4, the input impedance 64 is depicted as Z IN and consists of resistor 46 in parallel with capacitor 48. The feedback impedance 60 is depicted as Z FB and consists of feedback resistor 44 in parallel with parasitic capacitor 42. Thus in the basic case, the amplifier has two poles; one set by the input capacitance and the other set by feedback parasitics. Since the amplifier inverts the input signal, the open loop gain "A" is indicated with a negative sign. The transfer function for the amplifier can be written as: ##EQU1##
The block diagram of FIG. 3 shows a transimpedance amplifier employing a "Bridged-Tee" feedback network, of which the lead compensation network is further described as part of the present invention. The effective impedance of the added "Tee" section 66, 68, 70 (depicted as Z 1 , Z 2 , and Z 3 ) is: ##EQU2## The effective impedance of the feedback loop with this impedance now becomes: ##EQU3## Thus, the transfer function of the transimpedance amplifier with this network is: ##EQU4##
In the lead compensation implementation of the present invention, Z 1 equals the forward resistance of the Schottky diode 40 shunted by the diode capacitance 42, Z 2 equals the parallel combination of resistor 46 and capacitor 48, and Z 3 equals resistor 50 as shown in FIG. 4. The transimpedance amplifier with a lead compensation network of this type has an extra pole and an extra zero over the basic transimpedance amplifier response. By choosing appropriate values for Z 2 and Z 3 as will be discussed herein, the extra zero can be used to cancel one pole in the transimpedance amplifier response and greatly stabilize the circuit.
The basic lead network of FIG. 1 is added to a transimpedance front end optical receiver network as shown in FIG. 4 generally at 10. An optical signal is incident on photodiode 12, having a voltage bias via voltage source 15, converting the light into an electrical signal. JFET 14 provides a signal gain of approximately 24, with resistor 16 being approximately 1.3 k ohms. With amplifiers of large gain, any small feedback capacitance can give rise to a large input capacitance. This input capacitance is commonly referred to as the Miller capacitance of the amplifier. Transistor 18 is in a common base configuration to reduce this Miller capacitance of the subsequent stages. Transistor 22, with capacitor 20 and resistor 24, form a current source to provide bias to transistor 18. The JFET pair 30 and 32 form a source follower when used in conjunction with resistors 25 and 28, and capacitor 37. This provides very high impedance and in addition, provides no voltage drop of the signal across JFET 30. Transistor 30 can then maximize the downward (negative) signal swing. Voltage source 26 is a positive voltage whereas voltage source 34 is negative.
Transistor 36, with resistor 38, form the output buffer for the signal. The transimpedance resistor 44 of 100 k ohms provides the basic feedback for small signal levels and sets the bandwidth. The transimpedance resistor 44 is shunted by a parasitic capacitor 42 estimated to be about 50 fF.
The circuit thus far described is a transimpedance front end design for a wideband optical receiver. The present invention may include a silicon Schottky diode 40 as part of the feedback loop of the transimpedance amplifier. This diode turns on for high input signal levels and thus increases the bandwidth and reduces the net transimpedance avoiding saturation of the amplifier. The use of a separate Schottky diode 40 gates the feedback resistor 44 into the input of the transistor 14 with a very high switching rate and very low noise. The Schottky diode 40 begins to turn on when the product of the peak-to-peak input signal current and transimpedance resistor 44 equals the turn-on voltage of the Schottky diode 40 (about 10 microamps times 100 k ohms in the preferred embodiment). In order to ensure stabile circuit operation, the lead compensation network of FIG. 1 is added to the overall feedback circuit.
FIG. 5A is a graphical representation of the transfer function of the uncompensated transimpedance amplifier. H(ω) "off" represents the transfer function is when the Schottky diode 40 is off and H(ω) "on" represents the function when the Schottky diode 40 is on. The response of the receiver amplification of the circuit rolls off at a 6 dB/octave rate as the frequency increases until the circuit parasifics induce a steeper rolloff after ω 3 . With sufficient optical power incident on the photodiode 12, the Schottky diode 40 turns on and the circuit gain is reduced while the bandwidth is increased to Ω 2 . However, the Hω "on" transfer function shows peaking due to the presence of the zero at ω 2 .
Now employing the compensation network T(ω) as described above, H'(ω), as shown in FIG. 5B, becomes the circuit's new transfer function. The rolloff is now at a constant 6 dB/octave over the entire frequency range, but the new circuit gain has been somewhat reduced from A to A'.
When the Schottky diode 40 turns on, the compensated circuit response is illustrated in FIG. 5C. Note that the peaking has now been eliminated.
Although it is relatively easy to set α 1 , α 2 is a compromise since if resistor 50 and 46 are too small, the circuit response to high signal levels is reduced. Resistor 50 should be no smaller than 1 k ohms for maximum overload protection. In the preferred embodiment α 1 is set to 50M Hz and α 2 is set to approximately 90M Hz. The sensitivity is estimated to be about -49 dBm nominal and the maximum input signal amplitude is approximately -10 dBm or greater. This yields a dynamic range of near 40 dB whereas without the compensation network the range was only 26.6 dB.
Although the subject invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments, it will be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art to which it appertains that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject invention as defined by the appended claims.
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An apparatus and method is provided that improves the dynamic range of an optical transimpedance receiver. The receiver includes a photodetector, a transimpedance front end amplifier and a non-liner feedback. The non-linear feedback means consists of a Schottky diode and shunting the transimpedance resistor with a parasitic capacitor. A lead compensation network is further included in the feedback circuitry to provide stability to the non-linear circuit by advancing the phase shifting of the transimpedance front end by 45 degrees. By stabilizing the frequency off the circuit, the dynamic range is increased from 26.6 dB to 40 dB.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a positioning device for a multi-section slide track assembly of drawers. More particularly, the present invention relates to the positioning device for an intermediate slide track that can unlock an engagement of an outer slide track by manually operating a push button or actuating a return movement of an inner slide track.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Referring initially to FIG. 12 , applicant's own U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,335 discloses a three-section slide track for a drawer. The three-section slide track includes an outer slide track (A 1 ), an intermediate slide track (A 2 ) and an inner slide track (A 3 ). The inner slide track (A 3 ) and the intermediate slide track (A 2 ) are nested in the outer slide track (A 1 ) for stowing purpose. The intermediate slide track (A 2 ) is provided with a positioning plate (A 24 ) and a movable plate (A 25 ), wherein the positioning plate (A 24 ) and the movable plate (A 25 ) are stacked each other to constitute a combination unit. The position plate (A 24 ) employs a connecting member (A 23 ) adapted to connect the combination unit of the positioning plate (A 24 ) and the movable plate (A 25 ) to the intermediate slide track (A 2 ). Accordingly, the movable plate (A 25 ) is able to move along a gap extending between the positioning plate (A 24 ) and the intermediate slide track (A 2 ). The position plate (A 24 ) has a desired degree of flexibility and includes at least one positioning leg (A 241 ) and at least one locking hole (A 242 ). Correspondingly, the outer slide track (A 1 ) includes at least one locking hole (A 14 ) adapted to receive the positioning leg (A 241 ) of the position plate (A 24 ). The movable plate (A 25 ) is a V-shaped member provided with at least one lug (A 251 ) at its first end and at least one oblique protruded wing (A 252 ) at its second end. The lug (A 251 ) of the movable plate (A 25 ) inserts into the locking hole (A 242 ) of the position plate (A 24 ) for confining purpose so that a longitudinally-sliding movement of the movable plate (A 25 ) with respect to the position plate (A 24 ) is limited. Meanwhile, the oblique protruded wing (A 252 ) proximate the second end of the movable plate (A 25 ) can be pressed by an end of the inner slide track (A 3 ) while operating. Thus, the lug (A 251 ) proximate the first end of the movable plate (A 25 ) is relatively lifted with respect to a horizontal plane of the intermediate slide track (A 2 ).
[0005] In extending operation, after the intermediate slide track (A 2 ) is drawn out a predetermined distance relative to the outer slide track (A 1 ), the positioning leg (A 241 ) of the position plate (A 24 ) is engaged with the locking hole (A 14 ) of the outer slide track (A 1 ). Consequently, the intermediate slide track (A 2 ) is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the outer slide track (A 1 ).
[0006] In retracting operation, when the inner slide track (A 3 ) is retracted a predetermined distance into the intermediate slide track (A 2 ), an end of the inner slide track (A 3 ) presses the oblique protruded wing (A 252 ) of the movable plate (A 25 ). Synchronously, the lug (A 251 ) at the first end of the movable plate (A 25 ) is relatively lifted with respect to a horizontal plane of the intermediate slide track (A 2 ) to detach the positioning leg (A 241 ) from the locking hole (A 14 ) of the outer slide track (A 1 ). Consequently, the disengagement of the intermediate slide track (A 2 ) from the outer slide track (A 1 ) is carried out for retracting purpose.
[0007] In assembling process, the movable plate (A 25 ) is easily taken apart and mis-aligned with the position plate (A 24 ) that increases on elements of the entire structure and sophisticates the entire manufacturing process.
[0008] Once the intermediate slide track (A 2 ) releases the inner slide track (A 3 ), the intermediate slide track (A 2 ) extends beyond the outer slide track (A 1 ) that may damage the operator by accident. To avoid causing the damage, the intermediate slide track (A 2 ) must be manually stowed into the outer slide track (A 1 ). However, it is inconvenient for manually operating the movable plate (A 25 ) since the movable plate (A 25 ) is sandwiched between the position plate (A 24 ) and the intermediate slide track (A 2 ). Moreover, it is also inconvenient for manually operating the movable plate (A 25 ) due to lack of a push button.
[0009] The present invention intends to provide a positioning device for a multi-section slide track assembly of drawers, components of a computer system for example. The positioning device consists of a positioning member and an actuating member pivot-connected thereto. The actuating member allows a manual operation for unlocking an engagement of an intermediate slide track in such a way to mitigate and overcome the above problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The primary objective of this invention is to provide a positioning device for a multi-section slide track assembly of drawers, components of a computer system for example, which consists of a positioning member and an actuating member pivot-connected thereto. The actuating member allows a manual operation for unlocking an engagement of an intermediate slide track with an outer slide track, thereby simplifying the unlocking operation of the multi-section slide track assembly.
[0011] The secondary objective of this invention is to provide the positioning device for the multi-section slide track assembly of drawers, which consists of a positioning member and an actuating member pivot-connected thereto. The actuating member allows employing a return movement of an inner slide track for automatically unlocking an engagement of an intermediate slide track with an outer slide track, thereby facilitating the auto-unlocking operation of the multi-section slide track assembly.
[0012] The multi-section slide track assembly of drawers in accordance with the present invention includes an inner slide track, an intermediate slide track, an outer slide track and a positioning device mounted on the intermediate slide track. The positioning device consists of a positioning member and an actuating member pivot-connected thereto. The positioning member provides with at least one engaging end while the actuating member providing with at least one bent guiding edge and a push button. The engaging end is adapted to engage with an oblique protrusion of the outer slide track for positioning the intermediate slide track. A return movement of the inner slide track can actuate the bent guiding edge for automatically unlocking an engagement of the intermediate slide track with the outer slide track. Alternatively, a user can manually press the push button to unlock the engagement of the intermediate slide track with the outer slide track.
[0013] In design choice, the positioning device further employs a guiding member mounted in the intermediate slide track for guiding an end of the inner slide track.
[0014] Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a positioning device for a multi-section slide track assembly of drawers in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the positioning device for the multi-section slide track assembly of the drawers in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a lateral view of the positioning device for the multi-section slide track assembly of the drawers in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention in extending operation;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a lateral view of the positioning device for the multi-positioning device for the multi-section slide track assembly of the drawers in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention in a first step of retracting operation;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a lateral view, similar to that shown in FIG. 4 , of the positioning device for the multi-section slide track assembly of the drawers in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention in a second step of retracting operation;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a lateral view, similar to that shown in FIG. 4 , of the positioning device for the multi-section slide track assembly of the drawers in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention in a third step of finally retracting operation;
[0022] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a combination of a positioning device with a guiding member for a multi-section slide track assembly of drawers in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 8 is an assembled perspective view of the combination of the positioning device with the guiding member for the multi-section slide track assembly of the drawers in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a positioning device for a multi-section slide track assembly of drawers in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a positioning device for a multi-section slide track assembly of drawers in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an actuating member of a positioning device for a multi-section slide track assembly in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and
[0027] FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional position device for retaining a three-section slide track in accordance with the prior art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , it depicts that a three-section slide track assembly of drawers includes a positioning device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. The three-section slide track assembly of drawers comprises an inner slide track 1 , an intermediate slide track 2 and an outer slide track 3 , each of which has a conventional configuration. The inner slide track 1 , the intermediate slide track 2 and the outer slide track 3 are rigid and strong to withstand normal use. In retracting (stowing) operation, the inner slide track 1 and the intermediate slide track are nested in the outer slide track 3 .
[0029] To reduce the running abrasion in use, a pair of ball tracks 4 and 5 are sandwiched in between any two of the inner slide track 1 , the intermediate slide track 2 and the outer slide track 3 so as to smoothen slide movement. However, the entire structure is designed to have as low a friction characteristic as possible. In extending operation, the inner slide track 1 is able to extend a predetermined distance in a longitudinal direction with respect to the intermediate slide track 2 . Similarly, the intermediate slide track 2 is able to extend a predetermined distance in a longitudinal direction with respect to the outer slide track 3 . To avoid a careless release of the inner slide track 1 , a conventional retaining member is provided on the inner slide track 1 .
[0030] Although only the retaining construction of the inner slide track 1 has been discussed, it will be appreciated that the inner slide track 1 includes known structures such as a retaining member, a stop member and the like etc.
[0031] Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the intermediate slide track 2 includes a positioning device 6 attached thereto in proper. Construction of the positioning device 6 shall be described in detail below.
[0032] The intermediate slide track 2 includes a combination opening 22 for accommodating the positioning device 6 . The positioning device 6 consists of a positioning member 61 and an actuating member 62 pivot-connected thereto by pivot members 63 . The positioning member 61 is a one-piece member having a desired degree of flexibility and includes an assembling hole 611 and a pair of upright bent stops 612 at its first end. Preferably, the intermediate slide track 2 includes a fixing rod 21 press-fit in the assembling hole 611 of the positioning member 61 that mounts the positioning member 61 on the intermediate slide track 2 . In sliding operation, the upright bent stops 612 of the positioning member 61 are used to confine a relatively sliding movement of the ball rack 4 on the intermediate slide track 2 . Furthermore, the second end of the positioning member 61 includes a pair of bent teeth 613 and a pair of engaging ends 614 protruded therefrom, and wherein the engaging ends 614 are used to engage with two oblique protrusions 31 of the outer slide track 3 .
[0033] The actuating member 62 is a one-piece member having a desired degree of rigid. Particularly, the actuating member 62 includes a pair of arms 621 at its first end, and a pair of bent guiding edges 622 and a push button 623 at its second end, wherein the push button 623 connected between the bent guiding edges 622 . Each of the bent guiding edges 622 is adapted to support either lateral edge of the inner slide track 1 .
[0034] Turning now to FIG. 3 , it depicts that three-section slide track assembly is extended. Extending operation of the three-section slide track assembly shall be described in detail.
[0035] When the inner slide track 1 is drawn out a predetermined distance from the intermediate slide track 2 and the outer slide track 3 , the actuating member 62 is disengaged from the inner slide track 1 . Thus, the positioning member 61 inclines its second end to the outer slide track 3 so that the engaging ends 614 of the positioning member 61 are engaged with the two oblique protrusions 31 of the outer slide track 3 . Consequently, the intermediate slide track 2 is positioned and unable to retract into the outer slide track 3 .
[0036] Turning now to FIG. 4 , it depicts that the three-section slide track assembly is retracted in the first step. Retracting operation of the inner slide track 1 shall be described in detail.
[0037] When the inner slide track 1 is initially inserted a predetermined distance into the intermediate slide track 2 , an end 11 of the inner slide track 1 presses the bent guiding edges 622 of the actuating member 62 . Synchronously, the end 11 of the inner slide track 1 may lift the connection of the arms 621 with the bent teeth 613 of the positioning device 6 . As a result, the return movement of the inner slide track 3 may disengage the bent teeth 613 of the positioning member 61 from the oblique protrusions 31 of the outer slide track 3 . Alternatively, a user can manually press the push button 623 of the actuating member 62 which can disengage the bent teeth 613 of the positioning member 61 from the oblique protrusions 31 of the outer slide track 3 .
[0038] Turning now to FIG. 5 , it depicts that the three-section slide track assembly is retracted in the second step. Retracting operation of the inner slide track 1 and the intermediate slide track 2 shall be described in detail.
[0039] When the inner slide track 1 is successively inserted into the intermediate slide track 2 , the bent teeth 613 of the positioning member 61 is disengaged from the oblique protrusions 31 of the outer slide track 3 . Consequently, the intermediate slide track 2 is unlocked and allowed being pushed into the outer slide track 3 .
[0040] Turning now to FIG. 6 , it depicts that the three-section slide track assembly is completely retracted in the third step. Finally retracting operation of the inner slide track 1 and the intermediate slide track 2 shall be described in detail.
[0041] Finally, the combination of the inner slide track 1 and the intermediate slide track 2 can be pushed into the outer slide track 3 without any obstruction. Consequently, the inner slide track 1 and the intermediate slide track 2 are nested in the outer slide track 3 and the three-section slide track assembly is completely retracted.
[0042] Turning now to FIGS. 7 and 8 , it depicts that a three-section slide track assembly of drawers includes a combination of a positioning device with a guiding member in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0043] As is known in the first embodiment, the positioning device 6 in accordance with the second embodiment consists of a positioning member 61 and an actuating member 62 . In comparison with the first embodiment, the positioning device 6 of the second embodiment further employs a guiding member 7 mounted in the intermediate slide track 2 for guiding the end 11 of the inner slide track 1 . In assembling operation, the intermediate slide track 2 has the combination opening 22 in which to receive the guiding member 7 which is sandwiched between the positioning device 6 and the intermediate slide track 2 , as best shown in FIG. 8 . Preferably, the intermediate slide track 2 provides with a pair of assembling grooves 23 at either end of the assembling opening 22 so that two distal ends of the guiding member 7 is mounted in the corresponding guiding grooves 23 . It can be appreciated that the combination opening 22 of the intermediate slide track 2 accommodates the combination of the positioning device 6 with the guiding member 7 . In sliding operation, the guiding member 7 can prevent any mis-alignment of the end 11 of the inner slide track 1 with respect to the intermediate slide track 2 that ensures the operation of the slide track assembly.
[0044] Turning now to FIG. 9 , it depicts that a three-section slide track assembly of drawers includes a positioning device in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention.
[0045] As is known in the first embodiment, the positioning device 6 in accordance with the third embodiment consists of a positioning member 61 and an actuating member 62 . In comparison with the first embodiment, the positioning member 61 and the actuating member 62 of the third embodiment provide with two pivots 615 and two C-shaped recessions 624 , respectively. The pivots 615 of the positioning member 61 are freely received in the C-shaped recessions 624 of the actuating member 62 .
[0046] Turning now to FIG. 10 , it depicts that a three-section slide track assembly of drawers includes a positioning device in accordance with the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0047] As is known in the first embodiment, the positioning device 6 in accordance with the fourth embodiment consists of a positioning member 61 and an actuating member 62 . In comparison with the first embodiment, the positioning member 61 of the fourth embodiment provides with a bent extension 616 and a channel 617 thereof. Correspondingly, the actuating member 62 provides with two lugs 625 freely received in the channel 617 of the positioning member 61 .
[0048] Turning now to FIG. 11 , it depicts that a positioning member of a positioning device in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
[0049] As is known in the first embodiment, the positioning member 61 in accordance with the fifth embodiment includes a pair of arms 621 , and a pair of bent guiding edges 622 and a push button 623 . In comparison with the first embodiment, the positioning member 61 of the fifth embodiment further includes a pair of bent legs 626 . In assembling, the bent legs 626 are in contact with a surface of the intermediate slide track 2 that ensures the pivotal operation of the positioning device 6 .
[0050] Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to its presently preferred embodiment, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
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A positioning device for the multi-section slide track assembly includes an inner slide track, an intermediate slide track, and an outer slide track. The positioning device consists of a positioning member and an actuating member pivot-connected thereto. The positioning member provides with at least one engaging end while the actuating member providing with at least one bent guiding edge and a push button. The engaging end is adapted to engage with an oblique protrusion of the outer slide track for positioning the intermediate slide track. A return movement of the inner slide track can actuate the bent guiding edge for automatically unlocking the engagement of the intermediate slide track with the outer slide track. Alternatively, a user can manually press the push button to unlock the engagement of the intermediate slide track with the outer slide track.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to, and incorporates by reference, co-pending U.S. patent application entitled “HIGH SPEED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REPLICATING A LARGE DATABASE AT A REMOTE LOCATION,” filed Oct. 14, 1999 and bearing Ser. No. 09/418,427 and attorney docket number 009806-0003-999, and co-pending U.S. patent application entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PURGING DATABASE UPDATE IMAGE FILES AFTER COMPLETION OF ASSOCIATED TRANSACTIONS FOR A DATABASE REPLICATION SYSTEM WITH MULTPLE AUDIT LOGS”, filed Jun. 15, 2001, and bearing attorney docket number 009806-0034999.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to database management systems having a primary database facility and a duplicate or backup database facility. More particularly, the present invention relates to system and method for keeping a backup database in synchronization with a primary database while applications continue to actively modify the primary database.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention is an improvement on the “remote data facility” (RDF) technology disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,740,433, 5,745,753, 5,794,252, 5,799,322, 5,799,323, 5,835,915, and 5,884,328, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference as background information.
[0004] The prior art Tandem RDF technology underwent a number of changes over time to increase the peak number of transactions per second that can be performed on the primary system and replicated on the backup system. The present invention represents a set of new techniques so as to achieve a large increase in the rate at which transactions performed on the primary system can be replicated on the backup system. Some of the techniques used by the present invention violate basic assumptions of the prior art systems, requiring both redesign of prior art mechanisms and some completely new mechanisms, to ensure that the backup system maintains “soft synchronization” with the primary system during normal operation, and to also ensure that the backup system can be brought to an entirely consistent internal state whenever the backup system needs to perform a takeover operation and be used as the primary system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In summary, the present invention is a distributed computer database system having a local computer system and a remote computer system. The local computer system has a local database stored on local memory media, application programs that modify the local database, and a transaction manager that stores audit records in multiple local audit trails reflecting those application program modifications to the local database. The transaction manager stores in a particular one of the local audit trails transaction state records indicating the transaction states of the transactions making those database modifications. The valid transaction states of a transaction can be committed, aborted, active, aborting or prepared. The particular local audit trail is referred to as a MAT (master audit trail). The other local audit trails are referred to as AuxATs (auxiliary audit trails). The transaction manager also stores in the MAT a type of records known as Auxiliary Pointer Records, which indicate the range of audit records in the AuxATs that were flushed to disks since the last Auxiliary Pointer Record.
[0006] The remote computer system, remotely located from the local computer system, has a backup database stored on remote memory media associated with the remote computer system.
[0007] A remote duplicate data facility (RDF) is partially located in the local computer system and partially in the remote computer for maintaining virtual synchronization of the backup database with the local database. The RDF includes multiple Extractor processes that execute on the local computer system, and multiple Receiver processes and multiple Updater processes that execute on the remote computer system. When an RDF system is set up, each audit trail is configured to be associated with one Extractor process, and each Extractor process is configured to be associated with one Receiver process.
[0008] A Master Extractor process extracts audit records from the MAT, and each of the Auxiliary Extractor processes extracts auxiliary audit records from one of the AuxATs. The Extractor processes, when extracting audit records from the MAT and the AuxATs, insert an Audit Trail Position (ATPosn) value in each audit record. The Extractor processes then transmit the extracted audit records to the remote computer system.
[0009] The Receiver processes receive the extracted audit records from the Extractor processes and distribute the extracted audit records to one or more image trails in the remote computer system. The Master Receiver process receives audit records from the Master Extractor, and each of the Auxiliary Receiver processes receives audit records from an associated Auxiliary Extractor process. The audit records include audit update and audit backout records indicating database updates and database backouts generated by transactions executing on the local computer system. Control-type audit records, which only appear in the MAT, are distributed to a Master Image Trail (MIT). Data-type audit records of the MAT are distributed to MAT-based Secondary Image Trails (SITs). Audit records of the AuxATs are distributed to AuxAT-based SITs. Note that data-type audit records of the MAT or the AuxATs may be distributed to more than one SITs. Each Receiver process is also responsible of storing the ATPosn of the last audit record it received.
[0010] For each SIT there is an Updater process that applies to a backup database volume the database updates and backouts indicated by the audit update and audit backout records in the SIT. The audit update and audit backout records are applied to the backup database volume in same order that they are stored in the image trail, without regard to whether corresponding transactions in the local computer system committed or aborted.
[0011] Upon the occurrence of a predefined event, such as failure of the local computer system, the Receiver processes complete all processing of previously received audit records. The remote computer system then determines the transactions whose final commit/abort outcomes are unknown. The remote computer system also determines the transactions of which the completeness of their audit records is unknown. Thereafter, the Updater backs out the audit updates of the audit updates and backouts associated with the questionable transactions.
[0012] The remote computer system identifies the questionable transactions by examining the MIT and the audit records in the SITs. Specifically, the remote computer system first examines the Auxiliary Pointer Records and the transaction state records in the MIT. Based on information contained in the Auxiliary Pointer Records, transaction state records and the audit records in the SITs, the remote computer system identifies transactions having an unknown final state (e.g., committed or aborted) and/or transactions having a known final state but may be lacking a complete set of audit records. The Updaters then back out of the database updates associated with the identified transactions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Additional objects and features of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims when considered in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
[0014] [0014]FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating a database management system with a remote duplicate database facility in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] [0015]FIGS. 2A and 2B depict data structures used by the extractor processes in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical representation of a Master Audit Trail and two Auxiliary Audit Trails in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] [0017]FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical representation of a Master Image Trail and two Secondary Image Trails in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process of identifying questionable transactions for “undoing” in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 6 depicts a transaction status table (TST).
[0020] FIGS. 7 A- 7 C depict three scenarios that may be encountered when constructing a transaction state table in furtherance of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 8 depicts a flow chart of an Updater Undo procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 9 depicts an Updater Undo Pass for backing out updates for questionable transactions in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Overview of RDF System
[0024] [0024]FIGS. 1A and 1B represent the basic architecture of an RDF system 120 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In RDF system 120 , each process has a respective local backup process that is automatically invoked if the primary process fails. Each local backup process is located on a different CPU than its respective primary process, and provides a first level of fault protection. A primary purpose of the RDF (remote data facility) system 120 is to handle failures in the primary system that cannot be resolved through the use of local backup processes (and other local remedial measures), such as a complete failure of the primary system.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 1A illustrates a portion of the RDF system 120 that resides on a local computer system. As shown, the RDF system 120 has a transaction management facility (TM/MP) 102 that writes audit entries to a master audit trail (MAT) 104 and to a plurality of auxiliary audit trails (AuxATs). The audit entries indicate changes made to “audited files” on “RDF protected volumes” 106 of a primary database 108 on a local computer system. Some RDF protected volumes are configured to write transaction audit records to the MAT 104 , while some RDF protected volumes are configured to write transaction audit records to the AuxATs 105 .
[0026] [0026]FIG. 1B illustrates another portion of the RDF system 120 that resides on a remote computer system. The remote computer system may be geographically removed from the local computer system. In some embodiments, the local computer system and the remote computer system may be located on different continents. The RDF 120 maintains a replicated database 124 (also called the backup database) by monitoring changes made to “audited files” on “RDF protected volumes” 106 on a primary system and applying those changes to corresponding backup volumes 126 on the remote computer system. An “audited file” (sometimes called an “RDF audited file”) is a file for which RDF protection has been enabled, and an “RDF protected volume” is a logical or physical unit of disk storage for which RDF protection has been enabled.
[0027] On the local computer system, a Master Extractor process 130 reads the master audit trail (MAT) 104 , which is a log maintained by the transaction management facility (TM/MP) 102 , and sends the audit records extracted from the MAT 104 to a Master Receiver process 132 on the remote computer system. When the Master Extractor process 130 extracts the audit records from the MAT 104 , the Master Extractor process 130 inserts Audit Trail Position (ATPosn) values into the audit records. Thus, the Master Receiver process 132 receives audit records that contain the records' positions on the MAT 104 .
[0028] The MAT 104 is stored as a series of files with sequentially numbered file names. The MAT files are all of a fixed size (configurable for each system), such as 64 Mbytes. The TMF 102 and Master Extractor 130 both are programmed to progress automatically (and independently) from one MAT file to the next.
[0029] Auxiliary Extractor processes 131 reads the auxiliary audit trails (AuxATs) 105 , which are also audit logs maintained by the transaction management facility (TM/MP) 102 . After extracting audit records from the AuxATs 105 , the Auxiliary Extractor processes 131 insert in the audit records Audit Trail Position (ATPosn) values corresponding to the positions of the audit records in their respective AuxATs, and send the extracted audit records to Auxiliary Receiver processes 133 on the remote computer system. The Auxiliary Receiver processes 133 thus receive audit records of the AuxATs 105 that contain the records' positions on their respective AuxATs 105 .
[0030] Audit Trails Audit Record Types
[0031] [0031]FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of the MAT 104 and two AuxATs 105 . As shown, the master audit trail (MAT) 104 contains the following types of records:
[0032] Update records, which reflect changes to a database volume made by a transaction by providing before and after record images of the updated database record. Each update record indicates the transaction ID of the transaction that made the database change and the identity of the database volume and database record that has been updated.
[0033] Backout records, which reflect the reversal of previous changes made to a database volume on the primary system. The database changes represented by backout records are sometimes herein called update backouts and are indicated by before and after record images of the updated database record. Backout audit records are created when a transaction is aborted and the database changes made by the transaction need to be reversed. Each backout record indicates the transaction ID of the transaction that made the database change and the identity of the database volume and database record that has been modified by the update backout.
[0034] Transaction state records (or, transtate records), including commit and abort records and transaction active records. Commit and abort records indicate that a specified transaction has committed or aborted. Transaction active records (also sometimes called transaction alive records) indicate that a transaction is active. Each transaction state record indicates the transaction ID of the transaction whose state is being reported. Every active transaction is guaranteed to produce one transaction state record during each TMP control time frame (i.e., between successive TMP control points) other than the TMP control time frame in which the transaction began. A transaction active record is stored in the master audit trail if the transaction does not commit or abort during a TMP control time frame.
[0035] TMP control point records, which are “timing markers” inserted by the TMF 102 into the master audit trail at varying intervals depending on the system's transaction load. During heavy transaction loads, TMP control point records may be inserted less than a minute apart; at moderate transaction loads the average time between TMP control point records is about 5 minutes; and under very light loads the time between TMP control point records may be as long as a half hour. The set of audit records between two successive TMP control point records are said to fall within a “TMP control time frame”.
[0036] Auxiliary Pointer Records, which include a High-Water-Mark and a Low-Water-Mark for each of the Auxiliary Audit Trails 105 , that indicate the range of audit records written to the Auxiliary Audit Trails 105 since the last Auxiliary Pointer Record was written to the MAT.
[0037] The MAT 104 further includes:
[0038] Stop Updaters records, which cause all Updaters to stop when they read this record in their image trails.
[0039] Other records not relevant to the present discussion.
[0040] The auxiliary audit trails (AuxAT) 105 contain the following types of records:
[0041] Update records, which reflect changes to a database volume made by a transaction by providing before and after record images of the updated database record. Each update record indicates the transaction ID of the transaction that made the database change and the identity of the database volume and database record that has been updated.
[0042] Backout records, which reflect the reversal of previous changes made to a database volume. The database changes represented by backout records are sometimes herein called update backouts and are indicated by before and after record images of the updated database record. Backout audit records are created when a transaction is aborted and the database changes made by the transaction need to be reversed. Each backout record indicates the transaction ID of the transaction that made the database change and the identity of the database volume and database record that has been modified by the update backout.
[0043] Other records not relevant to the present discussion.
[0044] The Extractor Processes—Overview
[0045] Referring to FIG. 2A, the Master Extractor process 130 adds an Audit Trail Position value (ATPosn) 288 to each audit record that the Master Extractor process 130 extracts from the MAT 104 . The ATPosn value is the position of the extracted audit record in the MAT 104 . The Master Extractor process 130 also adds a timestamp 290 to each audit record. The added timestamp is known as the RTD timestamp, and is the timestamp of the last transaction to complete prior to generation of the audit record in the MAT 104 . The resulting records are called audit image records 284 . The Master Extractor process 130 stores each audit image record in message buffers 242 , each having a size of about 28K bytes in a preferred embodiment. Note that message buffers 242 for the MAT 104 contain control-type records such as Transaction State Records, TMP Control Point Records, etc., in addition to standard audit information (e.g., update records and backout records).
[0046] Referring to FIG. 2B, the Auxiliary Extractor processes 131 add an ATPosn value to each audit record that they extract from the AuxATs 105 . A timestamp 290 is also added to each audit record. The resulting records are called auxiliary audit image records 285 . The Auxiliary Extractor processes 131 store the auxiliary audit image records in message buffers 242 . Note that, because the AuxATs 105 do not contain any transaction state records, TMP control point records or Auxiliary Pointer Records, the Auxiliary Extractor processes 131 do not send any such records to the backup system. Thus, the message buffers 242 for the AuxATs 105 do not contain control-type records. In a presently preferred embodiment, each Auxiliary Extractor process 131 is associated with only one of the auxiliary audit trails 105 and vice versa.
[0047] Each one of the extractor processes 130 , 131 uses two to eight message buffers 242 , with four message buffers being a typical configuration. After filling and transmitting a message buffer 242 to the Master Receiver process 132 via a communication channel 144 (FIG. 1), the Master Extractor process 130 does not wait for an acknowledgment reply message from the Master Receiver process 132 . Rather, as long another message buffer is available, it continues processing audit records in the MAT 104 , storing audit image records in the next available message buffer 242 . Auxiliary Extractor processes 131 also transmit message buffers 242 to Auxiliary Receiver processes 133 in a similar manner. Each message buffer 242 is made unavailable after it is transmitted to the receiver processes 132 and 133 until a corresponding acknowledgment reply message is received from the receiver processes 132 and 133 , at which point the message buffer 142 becomes available for use by the extractor processes 130 and 131 .
[0048] These transaction state and TMP control point records and their processing by the RDF system will be explained in more detail below.
[0049] The Receiver Processes—Overview
[0050] Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the Master Receiver process 132 and Auxiliary Receiver processes 133 upon receiving each message buffer immediately send an acknowledgment to the corresponding Extractor process. In a presently preferred embodiment, no processing of the message buffer is performed before the acknowledgment is sent. The RDF system provides tight synchronization of the Extractor and Receiver processes and provides for automatic resynchronization whenever a start or restart condition occurs. For example the two processes will resynchronize whenever either process is restarted or has a primary process failure, and whenever the Receiver process receives audit records out of order from the Extractor process.
[0051] In a presently preferred embodiment, the Master Receiver process 132 sorts received audit records from the MAT 104 such that (A) transaction state records (including commit/abort records), TMP control point records, and Auxiliary Pointer Records are stored only in the master image trail (MIT) 136 , and (B) each database update and backout audit record is moved into one or more secondary image trails (SIT) 138 . Note that in some embodiments, some control-type records may be stored in the SITs 138 . The Auxiliary Receiver processes 133 sort received audit records from AuxATs 105 and distribute the audit records into one or more SITs 138 . In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1B, each one of the SITs 138 corresponds to one Updater process 134 that will use that audit record to update data stored on a backup volume 126 . In some other embodiments, multiple Updater processes 134 and multiple backup volumes 126 may be associated with a single SIT 138 . A graphical representation of the MIT 136 and a SIT 138 is illustrated in FIG. 4. Note that the MIT 136 contains control-type audit records only.
[0052] The Master Receiver process 132 examines the received Auxiliary Pointer Records, and maintains a table of current High-Water-Mark indicators for the Auxiliary Audit Trails. The Master Receiver process 132 periodically sends the High-Water-Mark indicators to the corresponding Auxiliary Receivers. The Auxiliary Receivers then store the High-Water-Mark indicators for their auxiliary audit trails as the limit positions for the Updaters 134 .
[0053] Updater Processes—Overview
[0054] Each RDF-protected volume 106 on the primary computer system 110 has its own Updater process 134 on the backup computer system 122 that is responsible for applying audit image records to the corresponding backup volume 126 on the backup computer system 122 so as to replicate the audit protected files on that volume. Audit image records associated with both committed and aborted transactions on the primary system are applied to the database on the remote backup computer system 122 . In RDF system 120 , no attempt is made to avoid applying aborted transactions to the backup database, because it has been determined that it is much more efficient to apply both the update and backout audit for such transactions than to force the updaters to wait until the outcome of each transaction is known before applying the transaction's updates to the backup database. By simply applying all logical audit to the backup database, the updaters are able to keep the backup database substantially synchronized with the primary database. Also, this technique avoids disruptions of the RDF system caused by long running transactions. In some RDF systems, long running transactions would cause the backup system to completely stop applying audit records to the backup database until such transactions completed.
[0055] The audit image records in each image trail 136 , 138 are typically read and processed by one to ten Updaters 134 . Each Updater 134 reads all the audit image records in the corresponding image trail, but utilizes only the audit image records associated with the primary disk volume 106 for which that Updater is responsible.
[0056] In a presently preferred embodiment, the Master Receiver process 132 and the Auxiliary Receiver processes 133 inform the Updaters 134 how far they should read by sending limit positions to the Updaters 134 . When an Updater process 134 reaches a limit position, which is treated by the Updater as the logical end of file of the image trail 136 , 138 to which it is assigned, it performs a wait for a preselected amount of time, such as two to ten seconds before sending another message to the Receiver to request an updated limit position. Only when the limit position is updated can the Updater read more audit image records. In a presently preferred embodiment, the limit positions for the AuxAT-based Updaters (i.e., Updaters that apply audit records from AuxAT-based SITs to the backup database) are the High-Water-Mark positions of the associated AuxAT received by the corresponding Auxiliary Receivers. For instance, the limit position for Updaters 134 - 4 and 134 - 5 will be the High-Water-Mark position of the AuxAT 105 - 2 received by Auxiliary Receiver 133 - 2 .
[0057] The Updaters 134 have two types of operations: a redo pass and an undo pass. The redo pass is the normal mode of operation, in which update and backout audit is “redone” to a backup volume. The undo pass, which is not performed in the normal mode of operation, is used for removing all database changes caused by questionable transactions. For example, transactions whose final outcome is unknown are “undone,” and transactions that may be missing audit records are also “undone” despite of the status of their last known state. The undo pass is typically performed in a Takeover operation, or when the primary computer system fails. A detailed description of a Redo operation by an Updater is described in detail in the above referenced patents and patent applications.
[0058] Identifying Questionable Transactions
[0059] Upon the occurrence of a predefined event, such as failure of the local computer system, the Receiver processes 132 , 133 complete all processing of previously received message buffers, flush all the image trail buffers to disk, and determine the audit trail positions of the last audit records the Receiver processes 132 , 133 received from their associated Extractors 130 . The audit trail position of the last audit record received by Auxiliary Receiver 133 - 1 or 133 - 2 is referred herein as a High-Water-Mark position. The RDF system 120 then identifies a set of questionable transactions. Questionable transactions include transactions whose last known transaction state is not committed or aborted, as well as transactions whose last known transaction state is committed or aborted but for which the completeness of their audit records is indeterminant. Thereafter, the Updater 134 backs out the questionable transactions.
[0060] According to one embodiment of the invention, the Updaters 134 rely on an Undo List when undoing transactions with unknown outcomes and transactions with missing audit data. It is noted here that the Undo List is generally not created during normal mode operation. Rather, the Undo List is generally created during a takeover operation. However, it is appreciated that the Undo List may be generated not only during a takeover operation, but also when a Stop Updaters at Timestamp operation is performed. Takeover operation and Stop Updaters at Timestamp operation are described in detail in the previously referenced patents and patent applications.
[0061] For the purposes of this explanation, it will be assumed that the Undo List is generated by a process herein called the Purger. However, in other embodiments the Undo List could be generated by the Master Receiver or another process. Further, in some embodiments, different processes may be used for generating the Undo List under different operating conditions.
[0062] An additional function of the Purger process is periodically deleting image trail files that are not needed. Because the Updaters apply audit to the backup database even for transactions whose outcome is unknown, the Purger can only delete image trail files all of whose audit records correspond to transactions whose outcome is known to the backup system. A purger process for deleting unnecessary image trail files in a data replication system with multiple audit logs is described in co-pending United States provisional patent application entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PURGING DATABASE UPDATE IMAGE FILES AFTER COMPLETION OF ASSOCIATED TRANSACTIONS FOR A DATABASE REPLICATION SYSTEM WITH MULTPLE AUDIT LOGS”.
[0063] Referring to FIG. 5, which is a flow diagram illustrating a process of constructing an Undo List in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the Master Receiver and the Auxiliary Receivers send the ATPosn values of the last audit records they received to the Purger ( 740 ). Recall that, In a presently preferred embodiment, the Master Receiver and the Auxiliary Receivers keep track of the latest ATPosn values (or, the highest ATPosn values) of the audit records they received. The Master Receiver also instructs the Purger to create the Undo List after it is sure that all information needed by the Purger has been durably stored.
[0064] The Purger, upon receiving the instruction from the Master receiver to create the Undo List, creates an empty transaction status table TST ( 750 ).
[0065] Then, the Purger traverses the Master Image Trail (MIT) backwards from the End-Of-File (EOF) ( 752 ). For each transaction state record in the MIT that is read during the traversal, the transaction state is stored in the TST as the last known state for that transaction only if no information about the transaction has been previously stored in the TST. In other words, only the last known transaction states contained in the MIT is stored in the TST. Also, if the last known state for a transaction is not “commit” or “abort,” it is denoted as “unknown” in the TST.
[0066] When the Purger encounters an Auxiliary Pointer Record, the Purger extracts the High-Water-Mark positions therefrom. The Purger compares the extracted High-Water-Mark positions against the High-Water-Mark positions it received from the Receiver processes. If any one of the High-Water-Mark positions the Purger received from the Receiver processes is lower than the corresponding High-Water-Mark position the Purger extracted from the Auxiliary Pointer Record, indicating that audit records are missing from one or more of the Auxiliary Audit Trails, then all the transactions marked “committed” or “aborted” in the TST are marked “unknown”. If the High-Water-Mark positions the Purger received from the Receiver processes are all higher than the corresponding the High-Water-Mark positions the Purger extracted from the Auxiliary Pointer Record, then the “committed” or “aborted” status in the TST is not modified.
[0067] The Purger continues the traversal of the MIT until it has traversed a complete TMP Control Time Frame that is represented by two successive TMP Control Points. Traversal of the MIT stops at that point unless one of the High-Water-Mark positions the Purger received from the Receiver processes is lower than the corresponding High-Water-Mark position in the last Auxiliary Pointer Record. One scenario is illustrated in FIG. 7A and labeled Scenario A. In Scenario A, the Purger traverses the MIT 136 backwards from its EOF through TMP Control Point 802 , two transaction state records 821 and 822 and two Auxiliary Pointer Records P and Q until it reaches TMP Control Point 801 . The Auxiliary Pointer Records P and Q do not have any High-Water-Mark position that is lower than the High-Water-Position of the Auxiliary Audit Trail, indicating that no audit record is missing. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7A, the Purger stops traversing the MIT 136 at TMP Control Point 801 . Furthermore, the transactions associated with the transaction state records 821 and 822 retain their status of “committed” or “aborted” in the TST.
[0068] Another possible scenario is illustrated in FIG. 7B and labeled Scenario B. In Scenario B, one of the High-Water-Mark positions the Purger received from the Receiver processes is lower than the corresponding High-Water-Mark position in one of the Auxiliary Pointer Records. Specifically, the High-Water-Mark position of the Auxiliary Audit Trail associated with AuxAT-based SIT 138 - 3 that the Purger received from the Receiver processes is lower than the corresponding High-Water-Mark position in Auxiliary Pointer Record X but higher than the corresponding High-Water-Mark position in the Auxiliary Pointer Record Y. In this scenario, the Purger stops traversing the MIT 136 at TMP Control Point 803 . Furthermore, the transaction state of the transaction associated with the transaction state record 823 is changed to “unknown” in the TST. The transaction state of the transaction associated with the transaction state record 824 remains unchanged in the TST.
[0069] However, if an Auxiliary Pointer Record containing High-Water-Mark positions that are all lower than those the Purger received from the Receiver processes is not found before the Purger has finished traversing a complete TMP Control Time Frame, the Purger continues traversing the MIT and updating the TST until such an Auxiliary Pointer Record is found. This scenario is illustrated in FIG. 7C and labeled Scenario C. As shown in FIG. 7C, the Purger continues traversing the MIT 136 until an Auxiliary Pointer Record Z′ is found. The transaction states of the transactions associated with the transaction state records 825 and 826 are changed to “unknown” in the TST. The transaction associated with the transaction state record 827 , however, retains the status of “committed” or “aborted” in the TST.
[0070] In all three of the above scenarios, the Purger stores the value of the ATPosn of audit record at which it stops traversing. The Purger also stores the Low-Water-Mark positions of the last Auxiliary Pointer Record it encountered. For example, in Scenario A, the Purger stores the ATPosn value of the TMP Control Point 801 as an “EndMAT” position and the Low-Water-Mark positions of Auxiliary Pointer Record Q. In Scenario B, the Purger stores the ATPosn value of the TMP Control Point 803 as an “EndMAT” position and the Low-Water-Mark positions of the Auxiliary Pointer Record Y. In Scenario C, the Purger stores the ATPosn value of the Auxiliary Pointer Record Z′ as the “EndMAT” position and the Low-Water-Mark positions of Auxiliary Pointer Record Z′.
[0071] In a presently preferred embodiment, the state of every active transaction must be represented by a transaction state record during each TMP Control Time Frame, except for transactions that initiated during that TMP Control Time Frame. Thus, the backward traversal of the MIT ( 752 ) will identify all transactions whose state is known at the point in time in the primary system represented by the last of the audit records received by the backup system.
[0072] After the MIT is traversed, the Purger traverses each of the SITs one SIT at a time to find transactions that are not already represented in the TST ( 754 ). If the SIT is a MAT-based SIT (e.g., MAT-based SIT 138 - 1 ), the Purger traverses from its EOF position to a position that is lower than the previously determined EndMAT position. Transaction IDs of audit records found in the MAT-based SIT, but are not already present in the TST, are added to the TST. The newly added transaction IDs are denoted to have an “unknown” final outcome. For example, in Scenario A, the Purger traverses MAT-based SIT 138 - 1 from its EOF until it reaches an audit record 851 having an ATPosn that is lower than the “EndMAT” position. In Scenario B, the Purger traverses MAT-based SIT 138 - 1 from its EOF until it reaches an audit record 853 having an ATPosn that is lower than the “EndMAT” position. In Scenario C, the Purger traverses MAT-based SIT 138 - 1 from its EOF until it reaches an audit record 855 . Transaction IDs of audit records found in the MAT-based SIT 138 - 1 during the traversal, but are not already present in the TST, are added to the TST and are denoted as having an “unknown” final outcome.
[0073] If the SIT is an AuxAT-based SIT, the Purger traverses from its EOF position to until it reaches an audit record whose ATPosn is equal to the Low-Water-Mark position of the last Auxiliary Pointer Record the Purger encountered. For example, in Scenario A, the Purger traverses the AuxAT-based SIT 138 - 3 from its EOF position to the audit record 871 whose ATPosn is equal to the Low-Water-Mark position of the Auxiliary Pointer Record Q. In Scenario B, the Purger traverses the AuxAT-based SIT 138 - 3 from its EOF position to the audit record 873 whose ATPosn is equal to Low-Water-Mark position of the Auxiliary Pointer Record Y. In Scenario C, the Purger traverses the AuxAT-based SIT 138 - 3 from its EOF position to the audit record 875 whose ATPosn is equal to the Low-Water-Mark position of the Auxiliary Pointer Record Z′. Transaction IDs of audit records found in the AuxAT-based SIT 138 - 3 during the traversal, but are not already present in the TST, are added to the TST and denoted as having an “unknown” final outcome.
[0074] The Purger continues to traverse the SITs until all the SITs have been traversed ( 756 ). When all the SITs have been traversed, the TST table is complete.
[0075] An example of a completed TST 742 is illustrated in FIG. 6. The TST 742 is configured to store, for each transaction, the transaction ID 744 , and the final state 746 of the transaction, if it is known. A hash table 748 is used to locate items in the TST 742 . In particular, the transaction identifier (TxID) of a transaction is converted into a hash table index by a hash function 749 , and then an item in the hash table either at the index position or after the index position contains a pointer to the TST entry for that transaction. The TST 742 is preferably filed with entries in sequential order, starting either at the top or bottom of the TST. Note that the TST 742 does not have to be implemented as a table. In some embodiments, the TST may be implemented as a link list.
[0076] With reference again to FIG. 5, after the SITs are traversed and the TST is updated, the Purger then compresses the TST to form a “compressed TST” ( 757 ). The “compressed TST” is similar with TST 742 , but the hash table is rebuilt to include only entries for transactions whose status is denoted as unknown.
[0077] After building the compressed TST, the Purger next determines the Updater End Points such that the Updaters will know where to stop performing the Undo operations ( 758 ).
[0078] In order to find the Updater End Points, the Purger resumes backward traversal of the MIT from the “EndMAT” position until it reaches a TMP Control Time Frame that does not have transaction state records for transactions that are marked “unknown” in the TST. Recall that, in a presently preferred embodiment, a transaction that is active during a particular TMP Control Time Frame must have a corresponding transaction state record that particular TMP Control Time Frame unless the transaction is initiated in that particular TMP Control Time Frame. Thus, in the presently preferred embodiment, the Updater End Point for the MAT-based SIT is set to be the TMP Control Point after the TMP Control Point Time Frame in which none of the transaction records is associated with any of the transactions marked “unknown” in the TST. The Updater End Point for an AuxAT-based SIT is set to be the corresponding Low-Water-Mark position in the last Auxiliary Pointer Record traversed. An Updater End Point for the MAT-based SIT 138 - 1 , an Updater End Point for the AuxAT-based SIT 138 - 3 , and a TMP Control Point Time Frame having no transaction state record that corresponds to any transaction marked “unknown” in the TST are shown in FIG. 9.
[0079] In a presently preferred embodiment, the TMP Control Time Frame having no transaction state records corresponding to any questionable transactions can be identified as follows. In this embodiment, in the TST, each transaction ID denoted as having an “unknown” status has an “alive” flag. Before the traversal, all “alive” flags are set to “OFF.” Then, the MIT is traversed backwards for one TMP Control Time Frame. If any transaction state record is encountered in this TMP Control Time Frame and if the transaction state record pertains to a transaction denoted in the TST as having an “unknown” final state, the Purger sets the corresponding “alive” flag to “ON.” If at the end of this TMP Control Time Frame, there is at least one “alive” flag that is “ON,” the Purger resets all the “alive” flags to “OFF” and traverses the MIT backwards for another TMP Control Time Frame. Again, if the transaction state records encountered in this TMP Control Time Frame contain at least one of those transaction IDs denoted as “unknown” in the TST, the Purger sets the corresponding “alive” flag to “ON.” If at the end of this TMP Control Time Frame, all the “alive” flags are “OFF,” the Purger can stop traversing the MIT. The ATPosn of the last TMP Control Point Record is the Updater End Point for the MAT-based SITs. The Low-Water-Mark positions of the last Auxiliary Pointer Record traversed will be the Updater End Points for the AuxAT-based SITs.
[0080] In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the MIT 136 is traversed from the previously determined “EndMAT” position until a TMP Control Time Frame where none of the transaction state records contains a transaction ID denoted as “unknown” in the TST. In the illustrated example, the Purger traverses through TMP Control Point 809 and stops at the TMP Control Point 808 . Since there is a transaction state record containing transaction ID(s) in the TST between TMP Control Points 808 and 809 , the Purger continues to traverse to the next successive TMP Control Point 807 . As shown, the transaction state records between TMP Control Points 807 and 808 do not contain any transaction ID represented in the TST, the Purger has found the TMP Control Time Frame where none of the transaction state records contains a Transaction ID) denoted as “unknown” in the TST. The ATPosn of the TMP Control Point 807 is used as the Updater End Point for the MAT-based SIT 138 - 1 . The last Auxiliary Pointer Record encountered by the Purger during this traversal is the Auxiliary Pointer Record YY. A Low-Water-Mark position of the Auxiliary Pointer Record YY is used as the Updater End Point for the AuxAT-based SIT 138 - 3 .
[0081] With reference again to FIG. 5, when the Updater End Points are determined, the Purger constructs a compact list of all the transactions in the TST whose status is denoted as “unknown.” ( 759 ). This is preferably done by storing these entries at the top of the transaction status table, and the resulting table of transactions is herein called the “compressed transaction status table” or an Updater Undo List. The Purger then durably stores the Updater End Points and the Undo List in a Local Undo List. In a presently preferred embodiment, the Local Undo List is stored at the same location where the MIT is durably stored.
[0082] Updater Undo Pass
[0083] In a presently preferred embodiments, after each Updater finishes its Redo Pass, it requests permission from the Purger to perform an Undo Pass. The Purger responds to that request only after it completes generation of the Undo List. After permission is granted by the Purger, the Updater then follows the Undo List, and backs out of the database updates associated with the transactions listed therein.
[0084] [0084]FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an Updater Undo Procedure implemented according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, upon receiving the permission to perform an Undo Pass, the Updater checks to see if the Local Undo List is empty ( 772 ). If so, it stops and ends the Undo Pass.
[0085] Otherwise, the Updater undoes all updates associated with incomplete transactions ( 776 ). In a presently preferred embodiment, the Updater traverse the SITs backwards from their EOFs to the Updater End Points determined by the Purger. For each audit record read, the Updater checks the Local Undo List. If the transaction ID for the transaction is not present in the Local Undo List, the audit record is not further processed. On the other hand, if the transaction ID for the transaction is present in the Local Undo List, the update represented by the audit record is undone, and a corresponding exception record is written to an exceptions log. As many undo operations as can be performed during each transaction timer period are performed as a single Updater transaction.
[0086] Next, if the backup system is in takeover mode, the Updater sets its Takeover_Completed flag ( 777 ). If the backup system is in Stop Updaters at Timestamp mode, the Updater sets the TypeOfPass context record field to Redo, sets the StopUpdateToTime Completed flag to True, and sets the StartTimePosition field to point to the last image trail record processed by the Undo Pass ( 778 ). Then the Updater durably stores its context records ( 779 ), and exits by terminating the Updater process and the backup Updater process ( 779 ). The different mode of operations are described in detail in the above referenced patents and patent applications.
[0087] Alternate Embodiments
[0088] The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. In other instances, well known circuits and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessary distraction from the underlying invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, obviously many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, 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. For instance, while the embodiments of the invention were mainly discussed in conjunction with Takeover operations of an RDF system, it should be understood that the principles the invention are equally applicable to Stop-Updater-To-Timestamp operations in an RDF system without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0089] Furthermore, it should be understood that the tasks performed by the Receiver, Updater, and Purger processes of the preferred embodiment can, in other embodiments, be performed by processes performing other tasks as well, or by a different set of processes.
[0090] The present invention can be implemented as a computer program product that includes a computer program mechanism embedded in a computer readable storage medium. For instance, the computer program product could contain the program modules for one or more of the Receiver, Updater and Purger processes. These program modules may be stored on a CD-ROM, magnetic disk storage product, or any other computer readable data or program storage product. The software modules in the computer program product may also be distributed electronically, via the Internet or otherwise, by transmission of a computer data signal (in which the software modules are embedded) on a carrier wave.
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A method and system for high-speed database replication. Audit update records and audit backout records are generated by the primary system, and are transmitted to the backup system in multiple streams in parallel. The backup system stores the received audit records as audit image trails, and applies the audit updates and audit backouts to the backup database without regard to whether the transactions committed or aborted and without regard to whether the backup system received a complete set of the audit records pertaining to the transactions. Upon the occurrence of a predetermined event, the backup system applies all the audit updates and backouts it received, and subsequently “undoes” questionable audit updates and audit backouts.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to liquid crystal displays used in television receivers and display sections of electronic apparatus and, more particularly, to a liquid crystal display in which a polymeric material included in a liquid crystal material is polymerized to impart a pre-tilt angle to the liquid crystal material.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] There is a recent trend toward larger display screens in the field of liquid crystal displays having a liquid crystal display panel for the use of such displays as display sections of television receivers. For this reason, higher display quality is required for liquid crystal displays. However, it is difficult to achieve characteristics required for a display section of a television receiver using a liquid crystal display employing the TN (Twisted Nematic) method which has been the main stream of the field because of the narrow viewing angle resulting from the method. Under the circumstance, techniques other than the TN method are currently being put in use in order to achieve the property of a wide viewing angle. One of such techniques is referred to as MVA (Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) method. In an MVA type liquid crystal display, liquid crystal molecules in a liquid crystal layer sealed between two substrates combined in a face-to-face relationship are aligned perpendicular to the substrates, and the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is regulated by protrusions formed on the substrates or slits, provided on a transparent electrode (ITO).
[0005] It is known in general that when the vertical alignment method in which liquid crystal molecules are aligned perpendicular to substrates, optical characteristics measured in a direction oblique to a direction normal to the display screen are different from optical characteristics in the normal direction. FIG. 11 is a graph showing characteristics of luminance relative to input gradations (gradation/luminance characteristics) of a vertical alignment type liquid crystal display. The abscissa axis represents input gradations (in gray scale), and the ordinate axis represents luminance (T/Twhite) normalized with reference to the luminance of display of white (TWhite). The curve in a solid line in the figure indicates gradation/luminance characteristics in a direction perpendicular to the display screen (hereinafter referred to as a square direction), and the curve connecting black triangular symbols in the figure indicates gradation/luminance characteristics in a direction at an azimuth angle of 90° and a polar angle of 60° to the display screen (hereinafter referred to as an oblique direction). An azimuth angle is an angle measured counterclockwise with reference to the direction to the right of the display screen. A polar angle is an angle to a line that is vertical to the center of the display screen.
[0006] As shown in FIG. 11 , gradation/luminance characteristics in a direction oblique to the direction of a polarization axis significantly deviate from gradation/luminance characteristic in the square direction. For example, luminance in the oblique direction is higher than luminance in the square direction in the range of gradations from 0 to 210, whereas luminance in the oblique direction is lower than luminance in the square direction in the range of gradations from 210 to 255 or higher. As a result, when the screen is viewed in the oblique direction, there are small differences in luminance between input gradations, and the color of an image appears more whitish compared to a view of the same in the square direction.
[0007] A known solution to this problem is a liquid crystal display having a pixel structure including a pixel electrode electrically connected to a source electrode of a thin film transistor (TFT) for a pixel and another pixel electrode that is separated from the pixel electrode and insulated from the source electrode. In such a liquid crystal display, an electrostatic capacitance is formed by the pixel electrode insulated from the source electrode, the source electrode, and an insulation film sandwiched between the two electrodes. The pixel electrode insulated from the source electrode is driven by the electrostatic capacitance.
[0008] FIG. 12 shows a configuration of one pixel of a liquid crystal display having the pixel structure including two separated pixel electrodes. As shown in FIG. 12 , a gate bus line 106 and a plurality of drain bus lines 108 are formed on a glass substrate 103 , the drain bus lines extending across the gate bus line 106 with an insulation film (not shown) interposed between them. A TFT 110 is disposed in the vicinity of an intersection between the gate bus line 106 and a drain bus line 108 , a TFT being formed at each pixel. A part of the gate bus line 106 serves as a gate electrode 110 c of the TFT 110 . An active semiconductor layer and a channel protection film (both of which are not shown) of the TFT 110 are formed above the gate bus line 106 with an insulation film interposed. A drain electrode 110 a along with an n-type impurity semiconductor layer (not shown) underlying the same and a source electrode 110 b along with an n-type impurity semiconductor layer (not shown) underlying the same are formed on the channel protection film of the TFT 110 above the gate electrode 110 c, the electrodes facing each other across a predetermined gap.
[0009] A storage capacitor bus line 114 is formed to extend in parallel with the gate bus line 106 across a pixel region which is defined by the gate bus line 106 and the drain bus lines 108 . A storage capacitor electrode (intermediate electrode) 116 is formed at each pixel above the storage capacitor bus line 114 with an insulation film interposed between them. The storage capacitor electrode 116 is electrically connected to the source electrode 110 b of the TFT 110 through a connection electrode 111 . A storage capacitor Cs is formed by the storage capacitor bus line 114 , the storage capacitor electrode 116 , and the insulation film sandwiched between them.
[0010] The pixel region defined by the gate bus line 106 and the drain bus lines 108 is divided into a sub-pixel 120 and a sub-pixel 122 . For example, the sub-pixel 120 , which has a trapezoidal shape, is disposed on the left side of a central part of the pixel region, and the sub-pixel 122 is disposed in upper part and lower parts of the pixel region and on the right side of the central part excluding the area of the sub-pixel 120 . Referring to the disposition of the sub-pixels 120 and 122 in the pixel region, they are substantially line symmetric about the storage capacitor bus line 114 . A pixel electrode 121 is formed at the sub-pixel 120 , and a pixel electrode 123 , which is separate from the pixel electrode 121 , is formed at the sub-pixel 122 . Both of the pixel electrodes 121 and 123 are constituted by a transparent conductive film such as an ITO. The pixel electrode 121 is electrically connected to the storage capacitor electrode 116 and the source electrode 110 b of the TFT 110 through a contact hole 118 which is an opening in a protective film (not shown). The pixel electrode 123 has a region which overlaps the connection electrode 111 with a protective film and an insulation film interposed between them. In that region, an electrostatic capacitance Cc is formed by the connection electrode 111 , the pixel electrode 123 , and the protective film sandwiched between the electrodes 111 and 123 .
[0011] A common electrode, which is not shown, is formed on an opposite glass substrate (not shown) provided opposite to the glass substrate 103 . A linear protrusion 112 a as an alignment regulating structure for regulating the direction of alignment of the liquid crystal is formed so as to protrude from the opposite glass substrate in a position opposite to the connecting electrode 111 diagonally extending in the figure. A linear protrusion 112 b is formed so as to protrude from the opposite glass substrate in a position in which it is substantially line symmetric with the liner protrusion 112 a about the storage capacitor bus line 114 . Further, a V-shaped linear protrusion 112 c is formed such that it is disposed above the pixel electrode 121 on the left side of the central part of the pixel region. The linear protrusion 112 c is substantially line symmetric about the storage capacitor bus line 114 .
[0012] At the sub-pixel 120 , a liquid crystal capacitance Clc 1 is formed by pixel electrode 121 , the common electrode, and the liquid crystal sandwiched between those electrodes. At the sub-pixel 122 , a liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 is formed by the pixel electrode 123 , the common electrode, and the liquid crystal sandwiched between those electrodes. The liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 and the electrostatic capacitance Cc are connected in series between the glass substrate 103 and the opposite glass substrate.
[0013] When the TFT 110 is turned on, the source electrode 110 b and the connection electrode 111 bear the same potential as a gradation voltage V D applied to a drain bus line 108 , and the pixel electrode 121 in electrical connection with them also bears the same potential as the gradation voltage V D . A voltage originating from a potential difference applied between the pixel electrode 121 and the common electrode is applied to the liquid crystal capacitance Clc 1 . For example, when the voltage applied to the common electrode is 0 V, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal capacitance Clc 1 is equal to the gradation voltage V D (=V D −0V). On the other hand, the pixel electrode 123 , which is electrically insulated, is applied with a voltage that is obtained by dividing the gradation voltage VD based on the ratio between the liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 and the electrostatic capacitance Cc. The voltage applied to the pixel electrode 123 (represented by V 1 ) can be expressed as follows.
V 1 =V D ×{ Cc /( Clc 2+ Cc )} (1)
[0014] As apparent from the above, there is a difference between thresholds of the pixel electrode 121 which is electrically connected to the source electrode 110 b and the pixel electrode 123 which is insulated from the same. Consequently, gradation/luminance characteristics in an oblique direction are significantly improved. As shown in FIG. 11 , the curve representing gradation/luminance characteristics in a square direction bulges downward. On the contrary, the curve indicating gradation/luminance characteristics in an oblique direction of an MVA type display in the related art is a mixture of a range in which the curve greatly bulges upward (the range of gradations from 0 to about 210) and a range in which the curve bulges downward (the range of gradations from about 210 to 255). Therefore, missing or spreading gradations can be generated depending on gradation data to be displayed, which results in variation of the color of an image. In the case of a liquid crystal display having the pixel structure shown in FIG. 12 , a curve indicating gradation/luminance characteristics of the apparatus in a direction oblique thereto will include substantially no upward or downward bulge, and the apparatus will have significantly high gradation characteristics.
[0015] Patent Document 1: JP-A-2003-149647
[0016] A liquid crystal display having the pixel structure shown in FIG. 12 can provide improved gradation/luminance characteristics in an oblique direction. However, as indicated by Expression 1, the voltage V 1 applied to the liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 of the sub-pixel 122 decreases below the gradation voltage V D . Therefore, the absolute value of the luminance in an oblique direction of the liquid crystal display is smaller than that of a liquid crystal display without such a pixel structure. Further, since a pixel region of the liquid crystal display is divided into two regions, the disposition of the linear protrusions (bank-like structures) and slits in the pixel electrodes (gaps in the pixel electrodes 121 and 123 ) become complicated. A problem consequently arises in that the aperture ratio is substantially reduced to reduce luminance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] It is an object of the invention to provide a liquid crystal display in which gradation/luminance characteristics in an oblique direction are improved and in which reduction in luminance is suppressed.
[0018] The above-described object is achieved by a liquid crystal display, characterized in that it includes a substrate, an opposite substrate provided opposite to the substrate, a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal material, and a polymer obtained by polymerizing a polymeric material by light or heat and sealed between the substrate and the opposite substrate, an alignment regulating structure for regulating the direction of alignment of the liquid crystal material, a gate bus line formed on the substrate, a drain bus line formed across the gate bus line with an insulation film interposed between them, a pixel transistor having a gate electrode electrically connected to the gate bus line, a drain electrode electrically connected to the drain bus line, and a source electrode provided above the gate electrode and opposite to the drain electrode with a predetermined gap left between them, and a pixel region having a first sub-pixel formed with a first pixel electrode electrically connected to the source electrode through a connection electrode and a second sub-pixel formed with a second pixel electrode which sandwiches an insulation film between itself and the connection electrode to form a predetermined electric capacitance and which is separated from the first pixel electrode.
[0019] The present invention makes it possible to provide a liquid crystal display in which gradation/luminance characteristics in an oblique direction are improved and in which reduction in luminance is suppressed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a liquid crystal display according to a first embodiment of the invention;
[0021] FIGS. 2A and 2B show a configuration of one pixel of the liquid crystal display according to the first embodiment of the invention;
[0022] FIGS. 3A and 3B are enlarged views of a second sub-pixel 22 of the liquid crystal display according to the first embodiment of the invention;
[0023] FIGS. 4A to 4 C are illustrations for explaining a height h of a linear protrusion 12 of the liquid crystal display according to the first embodiment of the invention;
[0024] FIG. 5 shows gradation/luminance characteristics of the liquid crystal display according to the first embodiment of the invention;
[0025] FIG. 6 shows a configuration of one pixel of a liquid crystal display according to a second embodiment of the invention;
[0026] FIG. 7 shows a configuration of one pixel of a modification of the liquid crystal display according to the second embodiment of the invention;
[0027] FIGS. 8A and 8B show a section of a pixel region of the modification of the liquid crystal display according to the second embodiment of the invention;
[0028] FIG. 9 show a configuration of one pixel of another modification of the liquid crystal display according to the second embodiment of the invention;
[0029] FIGS. 10A and 10B show a configuration of one pixel of a liquid crystal display according to a third embodiment of the invention;
[0030] FIG. 11 shows gradation/luminance characteristics of a liquid crystal display according to the related art; and
[0031] FIG. 12 shows a configuration of one pixel of the liquid crystal display according to the related art.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
First Embodiment
[0032] A liquid crystal display according to a first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 . First, a configuration of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 1 , for example, the liquid crystal display which is an MVA type display, has a liquid crystal display panel constructed by combining a TFT substrate 2 having such as a pixel electrode and a TFT formed at each pixel region thereof and an opposite substrate 4 having such as a CF layer formed thereon in a face-to-face relationship and sealing a liquid crystal material having negative dielectric constant anisotropy between the substrate. Vertical alignment films for aligning liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal material in, for example, a direction perpendicular to substrate surfaces are formed on surfaces of the substrates 2 and 4 facing each other.
[0033] A gate bus line driving circuit 80 loaded with a driver IC for driving a plurality of gate bus lines and a drain bus line driving circuit 82 loaded with a driver IC for driving a plurality of drain bus lines are provided on the TFT substrate 2 . The driving circuits 80 and 82 output scan signals and data signals to predetermined gate bus lines and drain bus lines based on predetermined signals output by a control circuit 84 .
[0034] A polarizer 87 is applied to a surface of the TFT substrate 2 that is opposite to the surface thereof on which the elements are formed. A backlight unit 88 constituted by, for example, a linear primary light source and a planar light guide plate is disposed on a side of the polarizer 87 that is opposite to the side thereof facing the TFT substrate 2 . A polarizer 86 is applied to a surface of the opposite substrate 4 that is opposite to the surface thereof on which a resin CF layer is formed.
[0035] FIGS. 2A and 2B show a configuration of one pixel of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment. FIG. 2A shows a configuration of one of a plurality of pixels formed like a matrix as viewed in a direction normal to a glass substrate 3 . FIG. 2B is a view of a section taken along the line A-A indicated by a chain line in FIG. 2A . As shown in FIG. 2B , the liquid crystal display has the TFT substrate 2 and the opposite substrate 4 provided opposite to each other, and a liquid crystal composition 30 sealed between the substrates 2 and 4 . The liquid crystal composition 30 includes a liquid crystal material which is aligned substantially perpendicularly to substrate surfaces when no voltage is applied and which has negative dielectric constant anisotropy and a polymer which is provided as a result of polymerization of a polymeric material (a monomer or oligomer) by light or heat. For example, the liquid crystal composition 30 includes 0.3% diacrylate monomer by weight as the polymeric material. Although not shown, an alignment film having vertically aligning properties is formed on each of surfaces of the TFT substrate 2 and the opposite substrate 4 facing each other.
[0036] As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B , the TFT substrate 2 has a gate bus line 6 formed on a glass substrate 3 and a plurality of drain bus lines 8 formed so as to extend across the gate bus line 6 with an insulation film 26 interposed between them. A TFT (a pixel transistor) 10 is disposed in the vicinity of an intersection between the gate bus line 6 and a drain bus line 8 , a TFT being formed at each pixel.
[0037] The TFT 10 has a gate electrode 10 c which is electrically connected to the gate bus line 6 , a drain electrode 10 a which is electrically connected to a drain bus line 8 , and a source electrode 10 b which is disposed above the gate electrode 10 c so as to face the drain electrode 10 a with a predetermined gap left between them. A part of the gate bus line 6 serves as the gate electrode 10 c of the TFT 10 . An active semiconductor layer and a channel protection film (both of which are not shown) of the TFT 10 are formed above the gate bus line 6 with the insulation film 26 interposed. The drain electrode 10 a along with an n-type impurity semiconductor layer (not shown) underlying the same and the source electrode 10 b along with an n-type impurity semiconductor layer (not shown) underlying the same are formed on a channel protection film of the TFT 10 above the gate electrode 10 c, the electrodes facing each other across a predetermined gap.
[0038] A storage capacitor bus line 14 is formed to extend in parallel with the gate bus line 6 across a pixel region which is defined by the gate bus line 6 and the drain bus lines 8 . A connection electrode 11 , which is electrically connected to the source electrode 10 b, is formed substantially in the middle of the pixel region across the storage capacitor bus line 14 so as to extend in parallel with the drain bus lines 8 . The drain electrode 10 a, the source electrode 10 b, and the connection electrode are formed in the same layer as the drain bus lines 8 . A storage capacitor electrode (intermediate electrode) 16 is formed at each pixel above the storage capacitor bus line 14 with an insulation film 26 interposed between them. The storage capacitor electrode 16 is electrically connected to the source electrode 10 b of the TFT 10 through the connection electrode 11 . A storage capacitor Cs is formed by the storage capacitor bus line 14 , the storage capacitor electrode 16 , and the insulation film 26 sandwiched between them.
[0039] The pixel region defined by the gate bus line 6 and the drain bus lines 8 is divided into a first sub-pixel 20 and two second sub-pixels 22 and 24 which are disposed side by side in the extending direction of the drain bus lines 8 . The first sub-pixel 20 has a first pixel electrode 21 formed in a substantially square shape. The first pixel electrode 21 is constituted by a transparent conductive film such as an ITO. The first pixel electrode 21 is electrically connected to the connection electrode 11 , storage capacitor electrode 16 and the source electrode 10 b of the TFT 10 through a contact hole 18 which is an opening in a protective film 27 formed above the pixel region.
[0040] The second sub-pixel 22 has a second pixel electrode 23 formed in a substantially square shape. The second sub-pixel 24 has a second pixel electrode 25 formed in a substantially square shape. The second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 are constituted by a transparent conductive film such as an ITO. The second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 are formed separately from the first pixel electrode 21 and are in therefore a floating state. A control capacitance (a predetermined electrical capacitance) Cc 1 is formed by the second pixel electrode 23 , the connection electrode 11 , and the protective film (insulation film) 27 sandwiched between the electrodes 11 and 23 . Similarly, a control capacitance (a predetermined electrical capacitance) Cc 1 ′ is formed by the second pixel electrode 25 , the connection electrode 11 , and the protective film (insulation film) 27 sandwiched between the electrodes 11 and 25 . The second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 are disposed side by side in the extending direction of the drain bus lines 8 so as to sandwich the first pixel electrode 21 .
[0041] The opposite substrate 4 includes a common electrode 28 constituted by a transparent conductive film formed on a glass substrate 5 . The opposite substrate 4 includes a linear protrusion (bank-like structure) 12 which is formed to protrude from the glass substrate 5 and which serves as an alignment regulating structure for regulating the direction of alignment of liquid crystal molecules 32 in the liquid crystal material. The linear protrusion 12 is formed with a height h of about 0.7 μm. As shown in FIG. 2 A, the linear protrusion 12 has a trunk portion 12 a , a first branch portion 12 b , and second branch portions 12 c and 12 d . The trunk portion 12 a extends substantially in the middle of the pixel region substantially in parallel with the drain bus lines 8 , and the portion is formed across the first and the second sub-pixels 20 , 22 , and 24 . The first branch portion 12 b is formed in the region of the first sub-pixel 20 so as to extend substantially orthogonally to the trunk portion 12 a . The second branch portions 12 c and 12 d are formed in the regions of the sub-pixels 22 and 24 , respectively, so as to extend substantially orthogonally to the trunk portion 12 a . The trunk portion 12 a is disposed opposite to the position where the connection electrode 11 is formed. The trunk portion 12 a is formed so as to overlap the connection electrode 11 when viewed in a direction normal to the glass substrate 3 .
[0042] The first and the second branch portions 12 b , 12 c , and 12 d are formed so as to extend substantially in parallel with the gate bus line 6 across the drain bus lines 8 adjacent to each other. The first branch portion 12 b provided in the region of the first sub-pixel 20 is formed so as to overlap the storage capacitor bus line 14 when viewed in the direction normal to the glass substrate 3 . Any reduction in the aperture ratio can be prevented by disposing the trunk portion 12 a and the first branch portion 12 b in the pixel region in such a manner.
[0043] The first sub-pixel 20 is divided at the trunk portion 12 a , the first branch portion 12 b , and a peripheral part of the first pixel electrode 21 to provide four divisions 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , and 20 d . Similarly, when viewed in the direction normal to the glass substrate 3 , the second sub-pixel 22 is divided at the trunk portion 12 a , the second branch portion 12 c , and a peripheral part of the second pixel electrode 23 to provide four divisions 22 a , 22 b , 22 c , and 22 d . Similarly, when viewed in the direction normal to the glass substrate 3 , the second sub-pixel 24 is divided at the trunk portion 12 a , the second branch portion 12 d , and a peripheral part of the second pixel electrode 25 to provide four divisions 24 a , 24 b , 24 c , and 24 d.
[0044] When a voltage is applied between the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 and 25 and the common electrode 28 , the electric field applied to the liquid crystal composition 30 is distorted by the peripheral parts of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 and the linear protrusion 12 . The distortion of the electric field regulates the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 32 in the vicinity of the peripheral parts of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 and the linear protrusion 12 . As a result, the liquid crystal molecules 32 are tilted in a different direction in each of the divisions 20 a to 20 d , the divisions 22 a to 22 d , and the divisions 24 a to 24 d . For example, in the section shown in FIG. 2B , the liquid crystal molecules 32 are tilted clockwise from the direction perpendicular to the TFT substrate 2 in the division 22 a and are tilted counterclockwise in the division 22 b . As thus described, the use of the MVA method allows the viewing angle characteristics of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment to be improved.
[0045] At the first sub-pixel 20 , a liquid crystal capacitance Clc 1 is formed by the first pixel electrode 21 , the common electrode 28 , and the liquid crystal composition 30 sandwiched between the electrodes 21 and 28 . At the second sub-pixel 22 , a liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 is formed by the second pixel electrode 23 , the common electrode 28 , and the liquid crystal composition 30 sandwiched between the electrodes 23 and 28 . The liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 is connected to the control capacitance Cc 1 in series between the glass substrate 3 and the glass substrate 5 . Similarly, at the second sub-pixel 24 , a liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 ′ is formed by the second pixel electrode 25 , the common electrode 28 , and the liquid crystal composition 30 sandwiched between the electrodes 25 and 28 . The liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 ′ is connected to a control capacitance Cc 1 ′ in series between the glass substrate 3 and the glass substrate 5 .
[0046] When the TFT 10 is turned on, the source electrode 10 b and the connection electrode 11 bear the same potential as a gradation voltage V D applied to a drain bus line 8 , and the first pixel electrode 21 in electrical connection with them also bears the same potential as the gradation voltage V D . A voltage originating from a potential difference applied between the first pixel electrode 21 and the common electrode 28 is applied to the liquid crystal capacitance Clc 1 . For example, when the voltage applied to the common electrode 28 is 0 V, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal capacitance Clc 1 is equal to the gradation voltage V D (=V D −0V). On the other hand, a voltage obtained by capacitance-dividing the gradation voltage V D based on the ratio between the liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 and the control capacitance Cc 1 is applied to the second pixel electrode 23 which is capacitively coupled to the connection electrode 11 . The voltage applied to the second pixel electrode 23 (represented by V) can be expressed as follows.
V=V D ×{Cc 1/( Clc 2+ Cc 1)} (2)
[0047] Similarly, a voltage obtained by capacitance-dividing the gradation voltage V D based on the ratio between the liquid crystal capacitance Clc 2 ′ and the control capacitance Cc 1 ′ is applied to the second pixel electrode 25 . The voltage applied to the second pixel electrode 25 (represented by V′) can be expressed as follows.
V′=V D ×{Cc 1′/( Clc 2′+ Cc 1′)} (3)
[0048] Since one pixel region can be driven by different voltages as thus described, the gradation/luminance characteristics of the liquid crystal display in an oblique direction can be improved. While the voltages V and V′ applied to the second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 may have the same value, three different gradation/luminance characteristics can be provided in the single pixel region at the same time when they are different voltage values. The viewing angle characteristics of the liquid crystal display can be further improved.
[0049] A method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 B. FIGS. 3A and 3B are enlarged views of the second sub-pixel 22 taken in the direction normal to the glass substrate 3 . FIG. 3A shows a state of the same before the monomer is polymerized. FIG. 3B shows a state of the same after the monomer is polymerized. As shown in FIG. 2B , the alignment films (vertical alignment films) are printed and baked on the surfaces of the TFT substrate 2 and the opposite substrate 4 facing to each other. The substrates 2 and 4 are combined by applying a seal material to the periphery of one of the substrates. The liquid crystal composition 30 is then injected between the substrates which are thereafter cut and chamfered to obtain a liquid crystal display panel.
[0050] When a voltage is applied between the substrates 2 and 4 after the liquid crystal composition 30 is injected, as shown in FIG. 3A , the liquid crystal molecules 32 begin declining in a direction perpendicular to the linear protrusion 12 or the periphery of the second pixel electrode 23 . The periphery of the second pixel electrode 23 intersects with each of the trunk portion 12 a and the second branch portion 12 c at an angle of about 90°. The liquid crystal molecules 32 declining in respective directions collide with each other in the middle of the second sub-pixel 22 and finally settle at an angle of substantially 45° to the linear protrusion 12 or the periphery of the second pixel electrode 23 as shown in FIG. 3B .
[0051] When irradiated with ultraviolet light in this state, the diacrylate monomer mixed in the liquid crystal composition 30 is polymerized to fix the direction of alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 32 . When a voltage is applied between the substrates 2 and 4 after the monomer is polymerized (after the irradiation with ultraviolet light), the liquid crystal molecules 32 immediately incline in a direction substantially at an angle of 45° to the linear protrusion 12 or the periphery of the second pixel electrode 23 .
[0052] Next, polarizers 86 and 87 (see FIG. 1 ) are applied to outer surfaces of the substrates 2 and 4 , respectively, on a crossed Nicols basis such that their polarization axes will be parallel or perpendicular to the linear protrusion 12 or the periphery of the second pixel electrode 23 . Next, as shown in FIG. 1 , the gate bus line driving circuit 80 , the drain bus line driving circuit 82 , and the control circuit 84 are mounted on the liquid crystal display panel. The backlight unit 88 is then disposed on a side of the polarizer 87 that is opposite to the side thereof facing the TFT substrate 2 . Thus, a normally black liquid crystal display is completed.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 3B , the second sub pixel 22 has four divisions 22 a , 22 b , 22 c , and 22 d . The liquid crystal molecules 32 are tilted in different directions in the divisions 22 a , 22 b , 22 c , and 22 d , respectively. The liquid crystal molecules 32 in the division 22 b are tilted substantially in parallel with a direction which is at a counterclockwise rotation of about 45° from the second branch portion 12 c , the intersection between the trunk portion 12 a and the second branch portion 12 c being the axis of rotation. The liquid crystal molecules 32 in the division 22 a are tilted substantially in parallel with a direction which is a rotation of about 135° in the same direction. The liquid crystal molecules 32 in the division 22 c are tilted substantially in parallel with a direction which is a rotation of about 225° in the same direction. The liquid crystal molecules 32 in the division 22 d are tilted substantially in parallel with a direction which is at a rotation of about 3150 in the same direction. Although not shown, the liquid crystal molecules 32 in the divisions 20 a to 20 d of the first sub-pixel 20 and the divisions 24 a to 24 d of the second sub-pixel 24 are also tilted in the same directions as in the divisions 22 a to 22 d of the second sub-pixel 22 , respectively. As a result, the liquid crystal display can be provided with the property of a wide viewing angle.
[0054] A description will now be made on the height h of the linear protrusion 12 with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4 C. FIGS. 4A to 4 C show the second sub-pixel 22 in a state in which the height h of the linear protrusion 12 is not an optimum value. FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of the second sub-pixel 22 taken in the direction normal to the glass substrate 3 . FIG. 4B shows a section of the second sub-pixel 22 . FIG. 4C shows a state of display of the second sub-pixel 22 photographed using a camera with a microscope. The connection electrode 11 is omitted in FIGS. 4A and 4B for easier understanding.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 4A , the trunk portion 12 a of the linear protrusion 12 is formed in the vicinity of a drain bus line 8 in parallel with the same. The second branch portion 12 c is substantially orthogonal to the trunk portion 12 a and is formed on the peripheral part of the second pixel electrode 23 which is opposite to the peripheral part of the electrode in the vicinity of the gate bus line 6 . When the linear protrusion 12 is formed with a height h of 0.35 μm which is smaller than the optimum height h of 0.7 μm, a force for regulating the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 32 provided by an electric field at the linear protrusion 12 is smaller then an alignment regulating force provided by an electric field at the periphery of the second pixel region 23 . As a result, when a voltage is applied between the substrates 2 and 4 , some of the liquid crystal molecules 32 inline in a direction that is opposite to the direction in which the molecules are supposed to incline (the tilting direction of the five liquid crystal molecules 32 shown on the right side of FIG. 4B ) as shown in the ellipse in a broken line in FIG. 4B . Thus, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 32 is disturbed.
[0056] When the linear protrusion 12 is formed with a height h of 1.4 μm which is greater than the optimum height h of 0.7 μm, the force for regulating the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 32 provided by the electric field at the linear protrusion 12 is greater than the alignment regulating force provided by the electric field at the periphery of the second pixel region 23 . As a result, the liquid crystal molecules 32 in the vicinity of the linear protrusion 12 cannot be tilted in a direction at an angle of 45° to the linear protrusion 12 as shown in the ellipses in broken lines in FIG. 4A . Thus, as shown in FIG. 4C , the second sub-pixel 22 has dark parts 34 which do not transmit light at the periphery thereof. Dark parts 34 are also generated because of a reduction in transmittance at the peripheral parts of the second pixel electrode 23 on the side thereof where the linear protrusion 12 is not formed. The display characteristics of the liquid crystal display are thus degraded both when the height h of the linear protrusion 12 is too great and when it is too small. Studies made by the present inventors have revealed that the optimum height h of the linear protrusion 12 is about 0.7 μm. The linear protrusion 12 of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment is formed with a height of 0.7 μm.
[0057] As described above, one pixel region of the liquid crystal display can be driven by different voltages. In the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment, the capacitance values of the capacitances Clc 1 , Clc 2 , Cc 1 , Clc 2 ′, and Cc 1 ′ are set such that a threshold difference of 1 V is generated between the first sub-pixel 20 and the second sub-pixels 22 and 24 . The ratio of the area of the first sub-pixel 20 to the area of the second sub-pixels 22 and 24 is set at 4:6. The threshold difference and the area ratio are not limited to those values, and the gradation/luminance characteristics of the liquid crystal display can be set as desired by changing those values.
[0058] FIG. 5 is a graph showing the characteristics of luminance relative to input gradations (gradation/luminance characteristics) of the vertical alignment type liquid crystal display of the present embodiment. The abscissa axis represents input gradations (in gray scale), and the ordinate axis represents luminance (T/Twhite) normalized with reference to the luminance of display of white (TWhite). The curve in a solid line in the figure indicates gradation/luminance characteristics of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment obtained in a direction square to the same. The curve connecting black square symbols in the figure indicates gradation/luminance characteristics of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment obtained in a direction oblique to the same. The curve connecting black triangular symbols in the figure indicates gradation/luminance characteristics of a liquid crystal display according to the related art obtained in a direction oblique to the same.
[0059] As shown in FIG. 5 , the gradation/luminance characteristics of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment in the oblique direction are significantly higher than the gradation/luminance characteristics in the related art. Referring to the gradation/luminance characteristics in the square direction, the luminance monotonously becomes higher as the input gradation becomes greater, and the curve indicating such characteristics opens upward. Referring to the gradation/luminance characteristics in the oblique direction in the related art, the luminance in the oblique direction is higher than the luminance in the square direction for gradations in the range from 0 to about 210, but the luminance in the oblique direction is lower than the luminance in the square direction for gradations of about 210 or more. The curve indicating such characteristics is a mixture of a part in which the curve greatly bulges upward and a part in which the curve bulges downward. As a result, when the display screen of the liquid crystal display according to the related art is viewed in the oblique direction, differences in luminance between input gradations are small. Thus, some gradations can be missed or spread, which can result in, for example, a change of a color of an image into a whitish color.
[0060] On the contrary, referring to the gradation/luminance characteristics of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment in the direction oblique thereto, the luminance is higher than that the luminance in the square direction for all gradations. Unlike the curve indicating gradation/luminance characteristics according to the related art, the curve indicating such characteristics does not include a part in which the curve greatly bulges upward and a part in which the curve bulges downward. Therefore, there is no missing gradation or spreading gradation on the display screen of the liquid crystal display when viewed in a direction oblique thereto, and it is possible to prevent the color of an image from changing into a whitish color.
[0061] As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B , the storage capacitor Cs of the liquid crystal display in the present embodiment is provided only at the first sub-pixel 20 having the first pixel electrode 21 electrically connected to the source electrode 10 b through the connection electrode 11 . The storage capacitor bus line 14 forming the storage capacitor Cs is disposed so as to extend substantially in the middle of the pixel region substantially in parallel with the gate bus line 6 . The storage capacitor Cs is formed in the region where the storage capacitor bus line 14 and the storage capacitor electrode 16 overlap. The storage capacitor electrode 16 and the connection electrode 11 may be formed integrally with each other and may be formed in a cross-like shape when viewed in the direction normal to the glass substrate 3 .
[0062] When a storage capacitor bus line is provided in parallel with the gate bus line 6 in each of the regions of the second sub-pixels 22 and 24 having the second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 capacitively coupled to the connection electrode 11 , a part of a light-transmitting area of the pixel region is obscured. The transmittance of the liquid crystal display is consequently reduced. For this reason, no storage capacitor bus line is provided in the regions of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment where the second sub-pixels 22 and 24 are formed. For example, a storage capacitor electrode formed integrally with the connection electrode 11 may be provided in the regions where the second sub-pixels 22 and 24 are formed, and a storage capacitor bus line may be disposed opposite to the storage capacitor electrode to form a storage capacitor between them, although the transmittance of the liquid crystal display is slightly reduced.
[0063] As described above, in the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment, the first sub-pixel 20 and the second sub-pixels 22 and 24 , which can be driven by voltages different from one and the same gradation voltage VD, are provided in a single pixel region. The liquid crystal display can therefore be provided with improved gradation/luminance characteristics in a direction oblique thereto. Further, the pixel region has a simple structure in which each of the first and the second sub-pixels 20 , 22 , and 24 having a square shape is divided by the linear protrusion 12 into four divisions in the form of a matrix. Therefore, the first and the second sub-pixels 20 , 22 , and 24 can be easily disposed, and the ratio of the area of the first and the second sub-pixels 21 , 23 , and 25 to the area of the pixel region can be made greater than the ratio of the area of the pixel electrodes 121 and 123 of the liquid crystal display according to the related art. As a result, the aperture ratio of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment can be made higher than that of a liquid crystal display according to the related art to achieve higher luminance of the display screen.
Second Embodiment
[0064] A liquid crystal display according to a second embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 . The general configuration of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment will not be described because it is similar to that of the liquid crystal display of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a configuration of one of a plurality of pixels in the form of a matrix of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment as viewed in a direction normal to a glass substrate 3 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment is characterized in that it includes a first pixel electrode 21 having a slit portion 21 b formed in a direction substantially in parallel with the declining direction of a liquid crystal material and second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 having respective slit portions 23 b and 25 b providing the same effect as the slit portion 21 b at the periphery thereof.
[0065] The first pixel electrode 21 includes a solid portion 21 a disposed in the middle thereof and the slit portion 21 b which is disposed around the solid portion 21 a and which is formed like comb teeth. The slit portion 21 b has a plurality of linear electrode parts 21 c extending from the solid portion 21 a and cut-out parts 21 d formed between adjoining linear electrode parts 21 c . The linear electrode parts 21 c extend in four different directions in divisions 20 a to 20 d of the pixel, respectively. In FIG. 6 , the linear electrode parts 21 c in the division 20 a extend upward and to the left, and the linear electrode parts 21 c in the division 20 b extend upward and to the right. The linear electrode parts 21 c in the division 20 c extend downward and to the left, and the linear electrode parts 21 c in the division 20 d extend downward and to the right. The liquid crystal molecules are tilted in parallel with the extending directions of the linear electrode parts 21 c and toward the solid portion 21 a . Thus, the alignment of the liquid crystal composition is divided in four directions in the first sub-pixel 20 .
[0066] Similarly, the second pixel electrode 23 includes a solid portion 23 a disposed in the middle thereof and the slit portion 23 b which is disposed around the solid portion 23 a and which is formed like comb teeth. The slit portion 23 b has a plurality of linear electrode parts 23 c extending from the solid portion 23 a and cut-out parts 23 d formed between adjoining linear electrode parts 23 c . Similarly, the second pixel electrode 25 includes a solid portion 25 a disposed in the middle thereof and the slit portion 25 b which is disposed around the solid portion 25 a and which is formed like comb teeth. The slit portion 25 b has a plurality of linear electrode parts 25 c extending from the solid portion 25 a and cut-out parts 25 d formed between adjoining linear electrode parts 25 c . The liquid crystal molecules are tilted in parallel with the extending directions of the linear electrode parts 23 c and 25 c and toward the solid portions 23 a and 25 a . Thus, the alignment of the liquid crystal composition is divided in four directions in each of the second sub-pixels 22 and 24 .
[0067] In the liquid crystal display of the first embodiment, the divisions 20 a to 20 d , 22 a to 22 d , and 24 a to 24 d are defined by the linear protrusions 12 and the peripheries of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 . Since electric lines of force are sharply bent in the vicinity of the peripheries of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 , a strong force acts to incline the liquid crystal molecules in directions at an angle of 90° to the extending directions of the peripheries. Therefore, the liquid crystal molecules cannot be directed at an angle of 45° to the extending directions of the peripheries, and the first and the second sub-pixels 20 , 22 , and 24 will have arcuate regions where transmittance is low (see FIG. 4C ). The arcuate shapes have greater areas to reduce the transmittance of the liquid crystal display, the longer the peripheries of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 .
[0068] In the liquid crystal display of the first embodiment, the liquid crystal composition 30 including a liquid crystal material and a polymer is used to prevent the generation of such arcuate regions. In the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 are formed with the respective slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b to enhance an alignment regulating force for aligning the liquid crystal molecules in the directions at 45° to the extending directions of the peripheries. The slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b are formed at a pitch P of 7 μm. The cut-out parts 21 d , 23 d , and 25 d are formed with a width d of 3 μm and a length L of 7 μm. When the length L of the cut-out parts 21 d , 23 d , and 25 d is too great, the width d can fluctuate due to slight fluctuations in processing of the parts. The liquid crystal display panel may consequently have minute luminance irregularities which can reduce display quality. For this reason, it is desirable to set the area of the slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b within a range below one half of the total area of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 . The cut-out parts 21 d , 23 d , and 25 d are preferably formed to have a width d in the range from 2 μm to 5 μm, inclusive, and a length L in the range from 3 μm to 10 μm, inclusive.
[0069] In the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment, since the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 are formed with the slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b , substantially no arcuate region of low transmittance is generated. As a result, the transmittance of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment is 15% higher than that of the liquid crystal display of the first embodiment, and higher luminance is therefore achieved on the display screen of the same.
[0070] The force for regulating the alignment of liquid crystal molecules is enhanced by the slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b . The liquid crystal display therefore remains advantageous even when a point-like protrusion is provided, for example, at each of intersections between the trunk portion 12 a and the first and the second branch portions 12 b , 12 c , and 12 d instead of the linear protrusion 12 .
[0071] A modification of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8 B. FIG. 7 shows a configuration of one pixel of a liquid crystal display according to the present modification as viewed in a direction normal to the glass substrate 3 . The liquid crystal display of the present modification is characterized in that the slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b are formed at least in a part of the peripheries of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 . As shown in FIG. 7 , in the liquid crystal display of the present modification, the slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b are formed only at the peripheries of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 in the vicinity of the gate bus line 6 and the drain bus lines 8 . The slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b are not formed at the peripheral regions where the first pixel electrode 21 adjoins the second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 .
[0072] FIGS. 8A and 8B show a section of the pixel region. FIG. 8A shows a state in which a relatively large gap is provided between the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 and 23 . FIG. 8B shows a state in which a relatively small gap is provided between the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 and 23 . FIGS. 8A and 8B omit the linear protrusion 12 , the liquid crystal molecules 32 and the like for easier understanding. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B , electric lines of force indicated by broken lines in the figure are more weakly bent, the smaller the gap between the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 and 23 . As a result, the force for inclining the liquid crystal molecules in a direction at 90° to the extending directions of the peripheries of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 and 23 becomes small. Therefore, it is easier to finally direct the liquid crystal molecules at 45° to the extending directions of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 and 23 , the smaller the gap between the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 and 23 . Thus, substantially no arcuate dark part will be generated at the first and the second sub-pixels 20 , 22 , and 24 .
[0073] In the liquid crystal display of the present modification, the gaps that the first pixel electrode 21 forms with the second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 are 4 μm. Thus, the slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b are not required at the peripheral regions where the first pixel electrode 21 adjoins the second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 , which reduces the risk of generation of luminance irregularities attributable to slight process fluctuations. Therefore, the liquid crystal display of the present modification provides the same advantage as that of the liquid crystal display of the embodiment.
[0074] Another modification of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 9 . FIG. 9 shows a configuration of one pixel of a liquid crystal display according to the present modification as viewed in a direction normal to the glass substrate 3 . The liquid crystal display of the present modification is characterized in that the slit portions 21 b , 23 b , and 25 b are formed in at least a part of the periphery of at least either the first pixel electrode 21 or the second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 . As shown in FIG. 9 , in the liquid crystal display of the present modification, the slit portions 23 b and 25 b are formed only at the peripheries of the second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 in the vicinity of the gate bus line 6 . Therefore, the slit portion 21 b is not formed at the first pixel electrode 21 .
[0075] In the liquid crystal display of the present modification, the gaps between the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 are formed smaller than the gaps in the above-described modification. Further, in the liquid crystal display of the present modification, the gaps between the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 and the drain bus lines 8 are formed smaller than those gaps in the above-described modification. Thus, a conductive material is disposed close to the peripheries of the first and second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 . When diacrylate monomer is polymerized, the voltages at the first pixel electrode 21 and the drain bus lines 8 are made substantially equal to each other. Thus, electric lines of force extending from the peripheries of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 toward the common electrode 28 are more weakly bent except in the peripheral regions of the second pixel electrodes 23 and 25 adjacent to the drain bus line 6 (see FIGS. 8A and 8B ). It is therefore easier to direct the liquid crystal molecules at 45° to the extending directions of the first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 , and the generation of arcuate dark parts can be prevented at the first and the second sub-pixels 20 , 22 , and 24 .
Third Embodiment
[0076] A liquid crystal display according to a third embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B . The general configuration of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment will not be described because it is similar to that of the liquid crystal display of the first embodiment. FIGS. 10A and 10B show a configuration of one pixel of the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment. FIG. 10A shows a configuration of one of a plurality of pixels in the form of a matrix as viewed in a direction normal to a glass substrate 3 . FIG. 10B shows a section taken along the imaginary line A-A shown in FIG. 10A . As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B , the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment is characterized in that it include a linear protrusion (an alignment regulating structure) 12 formed by patterning a transparent dielectric body provided under first and second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 such that it protrudes from a glass substrate 3 rather than an opposite substrate 4 .
[0077] In the case of the liquid crystal displays in the first and the second embodiments, the linear protrusion 12 formed on the opposite substrate 4 must be located in the middle of the pixel region in advance in consideration to possible miss-registration between the TFT substrate 2 and the opposite substrate 4 . For example, when the linear protrusion 12 is disposed directly above a peripheral part of the second pixel electrode 23 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B , the top of the linear protrusion 12 must be located on the right side of the peripheral part of the second pixel electrode 23 . When the top of the linear protrusion 12 is located on the left side of the peripheral part of the second pixel electrode 23 , the result is the same as a state in which the linear protrusion 12 is formed with a small height h, and the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules are therefore disturbed. However, when the linear protrusion 12 is formed in the middle of the pixel region, the aperture ratio of the liquid crystal display will be substantially reduced.
[0078] Under the circumstance, in the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment, the linear protrusion 12 is formed on the TFT substrate 2 as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B . The first and the second pixel electrodes 21 , 23 , and 25 are formed in an overlapping relationship so as to cover at least the top of the linear protrusion 12 . As shown in FIG. 10B , the slope of the surface of the second pixel electrode 23 on a trunk portion 12 a of the linear protrusion 12 is leveled by an alignment film 36 . Therefore, an angle θ 1 defined by a line normal to the surface of the alignment film 36 and a line normal to the opposite substrate 4 in FIG. 10B is smaller than an angle θ 2 defined by the direction of an electric line of force a penetrating through the surface of the alignment film 36 and the line normal to the opposite substrate 4 . As a result, when a voltage is applied between the substrates 2 and 4 , the direction of alignment of liquid crystal molecules 32 is different from the direction of the electric line of force α, and the liquid crystal molecules 32 incline toward the trunk portion 12 a of the linear protrusion 12 . In the section shown in FIG. 10B , the liquid crystal molecules 32 are tilted from the direction perpendicular to the TFT substrate 2 clockwise in a division 22 a and are tiled counterclockwise in a division 22 b . Since the liquid crystal molecules 32 can be tilted in a different direction in each of the divisions 22 a and 22 b as thus described, the liquid crystal display of the present embodiment can provide the same advantage as that of the liquid crystal displays of the above embodiments.
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The invention relates to liquid crystal displays used in television receivers and display sections of electronic apparatus and, more particularly, to a liquid crystal display in which a polymeric material included in a liquid crystal material is polymerized to impart a pre-tilt angle to the liquid crystal material. The invention provides a liquid crystal display in which gradation/luminance characteristics in an oblique direction are improved and in which reduction in luminance is suppressed. The liquid crystal display includes a TFT substrate and an opposite substrate provided opposite to each other and a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal material and a polymer sealed between the substrates. A pixel region of the liquid crystal display has a first sub-pixel formed with a first pixel electrode electrically connected to a source electrode of a TFT through a connection electrode and two second sub-pixels formed with two second pixel electrodes which sandwich an insulation film with the connection electrode to form a control capacitance and which are separated from the first pixel electrode.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is a water dealkylation catalyst for monoalkylated or polyalkylated aromatic hydrocarbons that has improved activity, selectivity and stability.
To satisfy the benzene demand, it is possible to dealkylate oil fractions that contain alkylated aromatic hydrocarbons. The treatment with water vapor makes it possible to effect this dealkylation while producing a gas having a high content of hydrogen.
Various processes of water dealkylation have been proposed that make use of catalysts including metals of the group VIII alone or associated with metals of other groups or with metal oxides.
In Haensel U.S. Pat. No. 2,436,923, there is described a catalytic process of demethylation of hydrocarbons, including alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons, by reaction with water or water vapor, in a water/hydrocarbon molar proportion of 2:1 to 12:1, in the presence of a catalyst comprising a metal of group VIII of an atomic number greater than 27 such as cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum.
In French Pat. No. 1,588,876, Rabinovich and Maslyanskii have described a dealkylation catalyst containing a noble metal of Group VIII and especially rhodium deposited on an alumina, either pure or doped with nickel or cobalt. A Japanese team of the Mitsubishi Corporation claims in French Pat. No. 2,169,875, the improvement of a rhodium catalyst on alumina by doping the carrier with cerium or uranium. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,436,433 and 3,646,706 describe a catalyst that contains rhodium deposited on a chromealumina oxide doped with iron and potassium. In German Pat. No. 2,357,407 Girdler describes a water dealkylation process where the carrier of the catalyst, generally alumina, is advantageously exchanged with chromium oxide. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,734, Exxon has recently claimed rhodium on alumina dealkylation catalysts improved by doping the carrier with vanadium.
It is observed that in addition to the important part played by the metals of group VIII alone or associated with other metals or metal oxides, the catalyst carrier has an important function in the dealkylation reaction. The carrier must possess at the same time, activity which affects the rate of conversion, selectivity which affects the degradation of the products, and stability which provides extended operation without regeneration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The objects of this invention are improved water dealkylation catalysts, for aromatic hydrocarbons, containing a metal of group VIII of the periodic table on a carrier having a base of zeolite L making possible the realization of high activity, good selectivity and excellent stability.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The dealkylation is conducted within a temperature range of from 400° C. to 600° C., preferably from 430° C. to 550° C., ordinarily under a pressure of from 0 to 30 bars, and preferably from 1 to 15 bars.
On the other hand, it has been surprisingly found that if an increase in pressure from 6 to 30 bars does not significantly affect the reaction kinetics, a number of advantages can be obtained by conducting the reaction at a pressure exceeding 30 bars. In this embodiment of the invention, the range of pressure found to be advantageous is from 30 to 80 bars, preferably from 30-60 bars.
The hourly space velocity of the hydrocarbons (LHSV) based on the feed is comprised between 0.1 and 10 h -1 and preferably between 0.3 and 4 h -1 .
The molar ratio between water and hydrocarbon (H 2 O/HC) in the feed is from 2 to 20, preferably from 4 to 10. A pressure increase of 6 to 30 bars results in a modification of the yield of each of the uncondensed gases: reduction of the yield in carbon oxides and hydrogen and increase of the yield in methane.
On the other hand, multiple advantages result from effecting the reaction at elevated pressures exceeding 30 bars:
the hydrogen produced can then be directly used again in other units such as those of hydrodesulfurization,
it is easier and cheaper to effect the dealkylation under elevated pressure by compressing the charge liquids (water and hydrocarbon) than to effect it under medium pressure and re-compress the gas produced for subsequent use,
the catalysts already very stable at pressures on the order of 5 bars are still stabler at pressures exceeding 30 bars,
finally, the recovery of the hydrocarbons under elevated pressure is much easier than under medium pressure.
Beyond 30 bars a simple condenser can be conceived for recovering the benzene. Below 30 bars it is necessary to add to the condenser a more efficient apparatus for the recovery of the benzene in liquid phase (for example a countercurrent washer or another system based on a process of dissolving or adsorption). It goes without saying that the cost of the recovery system is then higher.
The L zeolites are chabazite-type zeolites having the theoretical formula M g/n (AlO 2 ) 9 (SiO 2 ) 27 wherein M is a cation having a valence n. A complete description of said zeolites is given in U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,789. They have cylindrical passages of a diameter of from 7 to 8 A.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is used a zeolite L exchanged with alkaline metal cations, particularly lithium, sodium, or potassium. It is easy to exchange 30% of the original cations; the other 70% are situated in places that are more difficult to exchange.
According to another embodiment of the invention, it is possible to introduce a slight acidity by exchanging the zeolite for certain polyvalent cations of the Vb, VIb and VIIb groups such as vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten and manganese.
The catalyst contains one or more active metals selected from group VIII of the periodic table. Iridium or rhodium are preferably used.
The metals are introduced by impregnation or exchange starting from an aqueous or acid solution of the salt of the metal selected. The total concentration of the metals can fluctuate between 0.1 and 5%, preferably between 0.2 and 1.5% by weight of catalyst.
After the introduction of the metal or metals, the catalyst is dried and then calcined in the air. It is reduced before the reaction by contact with a stream of hydrogen at a temperature of from about 400° to 500° C.
After reduction, the catalyst is treated by a current of water vapor at a temperature ranging from about 400° to 600° C. for a period of time of from 5 minutes to 15 hours, preferably 15 minutes to 4 hours.
The Examples that follow, applied to the dealkylation of toluene, are given to illustrate and not to limit the invention.
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of a catalyst at 0.6% by weight of rhodium deposited on an L sieve of potassium form
220 g of carrier are dried at 140° C. in an air current and then cooled in a dessicator. 3.4 g of hydrated rhodium chloride are dissolved in 110 cm 3 of 0.1 N acetic acid. The carrier is immersed in this solution and stirred for 5 minutes, then it is allowed to rest for 1 hour in the air. The volume of solution is calculated in a manner such that all the liquid is absorbed by the carrier. Then the catalyst is dried at 140° C. in air for 4 hours. It is then calcined in two stages: for 1/2 hour while progressively increasing temperature from ambient to 200° C., then for 1/2 hour at 500° C. The catalyst is then cooled in a dessicator.
10 g of the catalyst thus prepared are placed in a fixed-bed dynamic reactor in order to be tested under the following conditions: temperature of the bed 450° C.; pressure=1 bar; ppH of the toluene (mass of toluene per mass unit of catalyst per hour) equal to 0.8; molar ratio H 2 O/toluene=7.8; at the end of two hours of operation the molar yield of benzene in relation to toluene which contacted the catalyst is 0.67, it is 0.83 in relation to converted toluene. At the end of 24 hours of operation, the yields are respectively 0.62 and 0.85. This yield can be maintained for 200 hours by increasing the temperature 1° C. per day.
EXAMPLES II-III-IV-V
These examples of dealkylation in the presence of a catalyst including carriers of gamma alumina are given to permit a comparison with the catalysts of this invention.
The catalyst of Examples II, III and V is a 0.6% rhodium catalyst on gamma alumina.
The catalyst of Example IV is a 0.6% rhodium and 16% nickel oxide catalyst on alumina.
Table 1 herebelow gives the conversion and selectivity obtained in the specified conditions.
The selectivity is understood to be the benzene selectivity, that is, the ratio expressed in % of the number of moles of benzene formed to the number of moles of toluene transformed.
TABLE I______________________________________ Example Example Example Example II III IV V______________________________________Temperature 460° C. 470° C. 440° C. 500° C.Pressure 1 bar 15 bars 1 bar 2 barsVVH* 0.5 h.sup.-1 1 h.sup.-1 1 h.sup.-1 0.8 h.sup.-1H.sub.2 O/HC (moles) 4 4 4 7.8Conversion 60% 48% 48% 90%Selectivity 90% 89% 90% 63%______________________________________ *VVH is the volume of liquid toluene per unit of volume of the catalyst per hour.
The performance of these catalysts is maintained for 30 days if the temperature is increased 1° C. a day.
EXAMPLES VI, VIII, VIII, IX, X
The catalyst used in these examples is a 0.6% rhodium catalyst deposited on a sieve L carrier according to the mode of preparation given in Example 1.
This catalyst is then reduced by hydrogen, then treated with water vapor for 15 minutes at the temperature of the test.
Table II herebelow shows the performances of this catalyst in different conditions of operation. The yields of H 2 , CO, CO 2 and CH 4 expressed in moles per mole of toluene passed are respectively: 2.6, 0.10, 0.9, 0.5 for Example VI.
TABLE II______________________________________ EX. VI EX. VII EX. VIII EX. IX EX. X______________________________________Temperature 450° C. 470° C. 470° C. 470° C. 435° C.Pressure 2 bars 2 bars 2 bars 2 bars 2 barsVVH of 0.6 0.6 0.6 1.2 0.6tolueneH.sub.2 O/HC in 7.8 7.8 4 8 8molesConversion 81% 90% 83% 73% 62%Selectivity 80% 76% 84% 85% 90%after 6 hours______________________________________
The comparison of the results obtained in Example VII and in Example V show that the selectivity is clearly improved in the L sieve.
EXAMPLE XI
The catalysts used in this example and in the examples that follow are rhodium catalysts deposited on an L sieve exchanged with a cation other than the original potassium cation.
A lithium-exchanged carrier is prepared in the following manner: 25 g of KL sieve are immersed in 250 cm 3 of an aqueous solution M/2 of pure lithium chloride for analyses (76 g/l).
The carrier is slowly stirred for 4 h while boiling the lithium salt solution. It is then cooled and thereafter left for 48 hours at room temperature. The carrier is filtered and then dried at 140° C. It is then impregnated with 0.6% by weight of rhodium according to a method identical with the one that served for impregnating the catalyst of Example I. Even if the carrier is not entirely exchanged with lithium, we shall call it LiL. 10 g of the catalyst No. XI thus prepared (0.6% Rh on LiL) are charged in a fixed-bed dynamic reactor. After reduction by hydrogen and water vapor treatment like in Examples VI to X, the catalyst is tested at 470° C. under 2 bars with a VVH of toluene of 0.6 and an H 2 O/toluene molar ratio of 8.
There is obtained a conversion of 84% with a benzene selectivity of 85% at the end of 6 hours of operation.
EXAMPLES XII-XIII-XIV-XV
Different L sieve carriers are prepared by exchange with sodium (XII), caesium (XIII), chromium (XIV) and manganese (XV) according to the method of Example XI, that is, starting from an aqueous solution M/2 of a soluble salt of the metal.
These carriers are then impregnated with 0.6% by weight rhodium, dried and calcined in the conditions of Example XI.
The results obtained are recorded in Table III.
EXAMPLE XVI
A catalyst of 0.6% by weight rhodium exchanged on an L sieve (catalyst No. XVI) is prepared in the following manner: 30 g of carrier in the KL form are poured in a solution of 0.49 g of hydrated rhodium chloride in 80 cm 3 exchanged water. After vigorously stirring for 5 minutes, it is allowed to stand 16 hours at room temperature. The rhodium is then completely exchanged. The carrier is filtered, dried at 140° C. for 2 hours, and then calcined in the same manner as in Example I.
10 g of the catalyst thus prepared are tested in the same conditions as in Example XI. After 6 hours of operation, a conversion of 91% with a selectivity of 75% is obtained.
TABLE III______________________________________ XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI Li L Na L Cs L Cr L Mn L Rh L______________________________________Temperature 470° C. 470° C. 470° C. 470° C. 470° C. 470° C.Pressure 2 bars 2 bars 2 bars 2 bars 2 bars 2 barsV.V.H. 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6(toluene)H.sub.2 O/HC 8 8 8 8 8 8Conversion 84% 89% 82% 95% 88% 91%Selectivity 85% 74% 86% 67% 80% 75%after 6 hoperation______________________________________
Examples XVII to XXIII show the good performances of bimetallic catalysts that include rhodium deposited on the L sieve.
EXAMPLE XVII
A catalyst of 0.4% Rh and 0.2% Ir exchanged with L sieve (catalyst No. 17) is prepared as follows: 30 g of KL sieve are placed in 40 cm 3 of exchanged water. There are then added 40 cm 3 of a solution of 0.6 g hydrochloric acid and 0.34 g rhodium chloride in 0.1 N acetic acid. After stirring, it is allowed to stand for 16 hours. The metals are then completely exchanged. After filtering and drying at 140° C., calcination is carried out as in Example I.
The catalyst tested the same as in Example XI gives a conversion of 75% and a selectivity of 87%.
EXAMPLES XVIII-XXIII
Different monometallic or bimetallic catalysts are prepared as in Example XVII starting from an acetic or hydrochloric acid solution of the metal or metals selected in a manner such that the final composition of the completely exchanged catalyst have the desired value. These catalysts are tested as in Example XI (except for the monometallic catalysts other than rhodium where the test temperature is 525° C.). The results are given in Table IV.
TABLE IV______________________________________ Ex-Cata- Metallic Change Test tem-lyst composition solu- perature Conver- Selec-No. (carrier sieve KL) tion °C. sion tivity______________________________________18 0.4% Rh acetic 470 70% 85%11 0.6% Rh acetic 470 91% 75%19 0.4% Rh 0.2% Pt hydro- chloric 470 69% 89%20 0.4% Rh 0.2% Pd hydro- chloric 470 65% 92%17 0.4% Rh 0.2% Ir acetic 470 75% 87%21 0.6% Pt hydro- chloric 525 30% 100%22 0.6% Pd hydro- chloric 525 29% 100%23 0.6% Ir acetic 525 52% 94%______________________________________
Example XXIV shows the good stability of the catalysts with a sieve L base.
EXAMPLE XXIV
Catalyst No. VI is tested for 200 h at 450° C. at the conditions of Example VI under 2 bars and then under 6 bars:
The test results are shown in Table V.
TABLE V______________________________________Duration of Pressure: 2 bars Pressure: 6 barsoperation Conversion Selectivity Conversion Selectivity______________________________________ 6 h* 81% 80% 81% 83%24 h 72% 84% 75% 84%50 h 65% 85% 70% 85%200 h 62% 85% 67% 85%______________________________________ *abbreviation for hours
At the end of 200 h, if the temperature is increased 7.0° C., there are again obtained the performances of a working time of 24 h; moreover, the decrease observed at 457° C. between 200 and 300 h of work is identical with that observed at 450° C. between 100 and 200 h of work. The stability is better on catalyst No. VI at 70-75% of conversion than on the catalyst described in the prior art at 50% of conversion.
The following Examples illustrate the results of effecting the reaction under pressures greater than 30 bars:
The Example XXV refers to the improvement on the stability without substantial modification of the benzene yield.
The Example XXVI refers to the improved recovery of the heavy effluents (benzene and toluene) in a condensed phase when working under pressure.
EXAMPLE XXV
The 0.6% rhodium catalyst of Example VI deposited on an L sieve carrier according to the mode of preparation given in Example I was tested at 40 bars, 450° C., VVH 0.6 and an H 2 O/toluene molar ratio of 7.8. The results are shown in Table VI on which are also given by way of comparison the results obtained at 2 and 6 bars, Examples VI and XXIV, on the same catalyst, all the other conditions being the same (temperature, VVH, H 2 O/toluene ratio).
TABLE VI______________________________________DURATION OF P - 2 bars P - 6 bars P = 40 barsOPERATION Conv. Sel. Conv. Sel. Conv. Sel.______________________________________ 6 h 81% 80% 81% 83% 76% 82%24 h 72% 84% 75% 84% 74% 83%50 h 65% 85% 70% 85% 73% 83%200 h 62% 85% 67% 85% 72% 84%______________________________________
Under 40 bars, the yield in benzene is practically equal to the one obtained under 6 bars, but the stability of the catalyst is quite better.
EXAMPLE XXVI
In Table VII are shown the proportions of benzene and toluene that pass to the gaseous phase at the exit of the condenser when the conversion is from 70% to 75%, the same as a 50% conversion for a 2 bar pressure.
TABLE VII______________________________________ % %Conversion Selectivity benzene gas toluene gas______________________________________2 bars 52% 94% 16% 6%2 bars 72% 84% 24% 9%6 bars 70% 85% 5% 1.1%40 bars 72% 84% 0.9% 0.06%______________________________________
It can be seen that a process at low--and even medium--pressure requires a very efficient system of exit from the condenser for the recovery of the hydrocarbons. Beyond 30 bars, the exit of hydrocarbons in the gaseous phase becomes less than 1%, which considerably diminishes their subsequent recovery and as a consequence the investment and operation costs of such a recovery system.
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Catalyst for water dealkylation of oil fractions containing monoalkylated or polyalkylated aromatic hydrocarbons, said catalyst containing at least one metal of group VIII in a proportion of 0.1 to 5% by weight on a carrier, characterized in that said carrier is a zeolite L that can be exchanged with either alkaline cations or polyvalent cations of groups V b , VI b and VII b . The zeolite L can be exchanged with a solution of metals such as lithium, sodium, caesium, chromium, manganese, and rhodium. A method of using the catalyst by contacting the hydrocarbons with the catalyst at a temperature of 400°-600° C., a pressure of 0-80 bars, a space velocity of the hydrocarbon of from 0.1 to 10h -1 , and a water to hydrocarbon mol ratio of 2-20.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to specific targeting of biologically-active compounds to specific cells, tissues and organs in vivo. The invention specifically provides conjugates of biologically-active compounds and methods of effecting the uptake and accumulation of biologically active compounds into organs, tissues and cells, particularly at physiologically protected sites, at pharmacokinetically useful levels. The conjugates of this invention permit drug concentrations to be achieved, especially at physiologically protected sites, at levels at which such compounds are therapeutically effective after administration of systemic levels much lower than currently attainable otherwise. This technology is appropriate for rapid and efficient introduction of a variety of biologically active compounds, particularly antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative and antineoplastic drugs and agents, and neurotropic, psychotropic and anticonvulsant drugs and agents, to biologically protected sites, for example across the blood-brain barrier.
2. Background of the Invention
A major goal in the pharmacological arts has been the development of methods and compositions to facilitate the specific delivery of therapeutic and other agents to the appropriate cells and tissues that would benefit from such treatment, and the avoidance of the general physiological effects of the inappropriate delivery of such agents to other cells or tissues of the body. One common example of the need for such specificity is in the field of neurologic agent therapy for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system, particularly the brain, which is protected by a layer of endothelial cells and other structures collectively known as the blood-brain barrier. In the pharmacological and neurologic arts, it is well-recognized that the inability to deliver effective amounts of neurotropic, psychotropic and anticonvulsant drugs and agents across the blood-brain barrier severely limits the therapeutic efficacy of such pharmaceutical compounds and can prevent treatment of neurologic disease. In addition, the use of even effective neurologic agents is further limited by systemic toxicity resulting from the high systemic concentrations that must be administered to achieve a therapeutic concentration of such agents in the brain, central nervous system and other neurological structures. Similar considerations apply in other organs and tissues in mammals that are protected by such blood-related barriers, such as the testes.
Another example of the need for such specificity is for introducing or administering antimicrobial, antiviral and antiproliferative and antineoplastic compounds, drugs or agents, into physiologically-protected reservoirs in an animal such as the brain, central nervous system, eyes and testes. Avoiding general systemic side-effects is particularly important in administering antimicrobial, antiviral and antiproliferative and antineoplastic compounds, drugs or agents targeted to such physiologically-protected sites, since achieving clinically useful concentrations of said compounds at these sites has frequently required administration of high systemic dosages which are associated with greater-than-acceptable levels of systemic toxicity.
It is desirable to increase the efficiency and specificity of administration of a therapeutic agent to the cells of the relevant tissues protected by physiological barriers (e.g., the blood-brain barrier) in a variety of pathological states. Psychotropic, neurological and neurotropic agents and antimicrobial, antiviral and antiproliferative and antineoplastic compounds typically have systemic effects, including renal and hepatotoxicity, hematopoietic suppression, teratogenic capacity, partitioning into breast milk and other pleiotropic cytotoxic effects that damage or otherwise deleteriously impact on uninvolved cells and tissues. Thus, an efficient delivery system which would enable the delivery of such drugs specifically to cells and tissues in such physiologically protected sites would increase the efficacy of treatment and reduce the associated “side effects” of such drug treatments, and also serve to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with clinical administration of such drugs. In addition, specific targeting of specific organs, tissues or cells wherein a biologically active compound preferentially accumulates in a specific organ, tissue or cell and does not generally or systemically accumulate in organs, tissues or cells in a body is desirable.
An additional challenge in designing an appropriate drug delivery scheme is to include within the drug conjugate a functionality that could either accelerate or reduce the rate at which the drug is released upon arrival at the desired site. Such a functionality would be especially valuable if it allowed differential rates of drug release, or specific release only at the appropriate drug target site comprising a specific organ, tissue or cell in a body.
Drug Targeting
Numerous methods for enhancing the biological activity and the specificity of drug action have been proposed or attempted (see, for example, Kreeger, 1996, The Scientist , Sep. 16, 1996, p. 6). To date, however, efficient or specific drug delivery remains to be predictably achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,566, issued May 21, 1991 to Bodor discloses β- and γ-cyclodextrin derivatives comprising inclusion complexes of lipoidal forms of dihydropyridine redox targeting moieties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,252, issued Jun. 11, 1991 to Hseih disclose the use of pharmaceutical compositions comprising a neurologically active drug and a compound for facilitating transport of said drug across the blood-brain barrier including a macrocyclic ester, diester, amide, diamide, amidine, diamidine, thioester, dithioester, thioamide, ketone or lactone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,998, issued Jun. 18, 1991 to Bodor discloses parenteral solutions of aqueous-insoluble drugs with β- and γ-cyclodextrin derivatives.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,794, issued Aug. 13, 1991 to Wier et al. disclose the use of a metastatic tumor-derived egress factor for facilitating the transport of compounds across the blood-brain barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,863, issued May 12, 1992 to Hashimoto et al. disclose the use of N-acyl amino acid derivatives as antipsychotic drugs for delivery across the blood-brain barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,146, issued Jun. 23, 1992 to Neuwelt disclose a method for delivery of therapeutic agents across the blood-brain barrier at sites of increase permeability associated with brain lesions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,794, issued Sep. 22, 1992 to Yatvin et al. discloses lipid conjugates with antineoplastic and antiviral drugs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,179, issued Oct. 6, 1992 to Eibl discloses acylated glycerol and derivatives for use in a medicament for improved penetration of cell membranes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,064, issued Jan. 5, 1993 to Bodor discloses the use of lipoidal phosphonate derivatives of nucleoside antiviral agents for delivery across the blood-brain barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,263, issued Jun. 29, 1993 to Hostetler et al. discloses conjugates between antiviral nucleoside analogues and polar lipids, including phospholipids and ceramide.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,342, issued Oct. 19, 1993 to Shen et al. disclose receptor-mediated transcytosis of the blood-brain barrier using the transferrin receptor in combination with pharmaceutical compounds that enhance or accelerate this process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,641, issued Oct. 26, 1993 to Yatvin et al. discloses lipid conjugates with antigenic peptides.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,402, issued Nov. 2, 1993 to Maryanoff discloses treatment of epilepsy with imidate derivatives of anticonvulsive sulfamate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,312, issued Dec. 14, 1993 to Glase et al. discloses substituted piperazines as central nervous system agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,876, issued Feb. 8, 1994 to Shashoua et al., disclose fatty acid conjugates of dopanergic drugs for tardive dyskinesia.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,623, issued Feb. 14, 1995 to Bodor discloses the use of lipoidal dihydropyridine derivatives of anti-inflammatory steroids or steroid sex hormones for delivery across the blood-brain barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,834, issued Apr. 11, 1995 to Bundgaard et al. discloses prodrug derivatives of thyrotropin releasing hormone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,996, issued May 9, 1995 to Bodor disclose acyloxyalkyl phosphonate conjugates of neurologically-active drugs for anionic sequestration of such drugs in brain tissue.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,137, issued Jul. 18, 1995 to Black disclose methods for the selective opening of abnormal brain tissue capillaries using bradykinin infused into the carotid artery.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,043, issued Aug. 15, 1995 to Fukuta et al. disclose a peptide conjugate between a peptide having a biological activity and incapable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and a peptide which exhibits no biological activity and is capable of passing the blood-brain barrier by receptor-mediated endocytosis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,683, issued Nov. 14, 1995 to Sterling et al. disclose water soluble analogues of the anticonvulsant Tegretol® (carbamazepine) for the treatment of epilepsy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,809, issued Jan. 16, 1996 to Hostetler et al. discloses taxol and taxol derivatives conjugated to phospholipids.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,911, issued Jan. 16, 1996 to Hong et al. disclose nucleoside analogues conjugates to lipid moieties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,671, issued Apr. 30, 1996 to Piantadosi et al. disclose nucleoside analogues conjugates to lipid moieties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,727, issued Jun. 11, 1996 to Bodor disclose compositions for differential uptake and retention in brain tissue comprising a conjugate of a narcotic analgesic and agonists and antagonists thereof with a lipoidal form of dihydropyridine that forms a redox salt upon uptake across the blood-brain barrier that prevents partitioning back to the systemic circulation thereafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,389, issued Aug. 6, 1996 to Yatvin et al. discloses salves and ointments for delivering antiproliferative compounds to skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,728, issued Sep. 10, 1996 to Basava et al. discloses therapeutic peptides conjugated to lipid moieties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,257, issued Oct. 8, 1998 to Zilch et al. disclose nucleoside analogues conjugates to ether lipid moieties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,571, issued Dec. 3, 1996 to Hostetler et al. discloses nucleoside analogues conjugated to phospholipids.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,097, issued Dec. 9, 1997 to Matsuda et al. disclose nucleoside analogues conjugates to lipid moieties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,461, issued Apr. 28, 1998 to Hostetler et al. disclose nucleoside analogues conjugated to phosphonoacetic acid lipid derivatives.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,592, issued Apr. 28, 1998 to Hostetler et al. discloses nucleoside analogues conjugated to phospholipids.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,116, issued May 26, 1998 to Hostetler et al. discloses nucleoside analogues.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,711, issued May 26, 1998 to Zilch et al. disclose nucleoside analogues conjugates to lipid moieties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,819, issued Oct. 27, 1998 to Yatvin et al. disclose use of polar lipid conjugates to facilitate delivery of neurologic drugs to tissues of the central nervous system across the blood brain barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,831, issued Oct. 27, 1998 to Hostetler et al. discloses phospholipid-drug conjugates having enhanced gastrointestinal bioavailability.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO85/02342, published 6 Jun. 1985 for Max-Planck Institute discloses a drug composition comprising a glycerolipid or derivative thereof.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO89/02733, published April 1989 to Vical discloses conjugates between antiviral nucleoside analogues and polar lipids, including phospholipids and ceramide.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO89/11299, published Nov. 30, 1989 for State of Oregon disclose a chemical conjugate of an antibody with a an enzyme which is delivered specifically to a brain lesion site for activating a separately-administered neurologically-active prodrug.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO91/04014, published 4 Apr. 1991 for Synergen, Inc. disclose methods for delivering therapeutic and diagnostic agents across the blood-brain barrier by encapsulating said drugs in liposomes targeted to brain tissue using transport-specific receptor ligands or antibodies.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO91/04745, published 18 Apr. 1991 for Athena Neurosciences, Inc. disclose transport across the blood-brain barrier using cell adhesion molecules and fragments thereof to increase the permeability of tight junctions in vascular endothelium.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO91/14438, published 3 Oct. 1991 for Columbia University disclose the use of a modified, chimeric monoclonal antibody for facilitating transport of substances across the blood-brain barrier.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO94/01131, published 20 Jan. 1994 for Eukarion, Inc. disclose lipidized proteins, including antibodies.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO94/03424, published 17 Feb. 1994 for Ishikura et al. disclose the use of amino acid derivatives as drug conjugates for facilitating transport across the blood-brain barrier.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO94/06450, published 31 Mar. 1994 for the University of Florida disclose conjugates of neurologically-active drugs with a dihydropyridine-type redox targeting moiety and comprising an amino acid linkage and an aliphatic residue.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO94/02178, published 3 Feb. 1994 for the U.S. Government, Department of Health and Human Services discloses antibody-targeted liposomes for delivery across the blood-brain barrier.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO95/07092, published 16 Mar. 1995 for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey disclose the use of drug-growth factor conjugates for delivering drugs across the blood-brain barrier.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO96/00537, published 11 Jan. 1996 for Southern Research Institute disclose polymeric microspheres as injectable drug-delivery vehicles for delivering bioactive agents to sites within the central nervous system.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO96/04001, published 15 Feb. 1996 for Molecular/Structural Biotechnologies, Inc. disclose omega-3-fatty acid conjugates of neurologically-active drugs for brain tissue delivery.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO96/22303, published 25 Jul. 1996 for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization disclose fatty acid and glycerolipid conjugates of neurologically-active drugs for brain tissue delivery.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO98/03204, published 29 Jan. 1998 for State of Oregon discloses salves and ointments for delivering antiproliferative compounds to skin.
International Patent Application Publication Number WO98/17325, published 30 Apr. 1998 for Oregon Health Sciences University discloses lipid conjugates with neurologically-active drugs.
An additional challenge in designing an appropriate drug delivery scheme is to include within the drug conjugate a functionality that could either accelerate or reduce the rate at which the drug is released upon arrival at the desired site. Such a functionality would be especially valuable if it allowed differential rates of drug release, or specific release only at the appropriate drug target site.
There remains a need in the art for an effective means for the specific delivery of biologically-active compounds, particularly antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative and antineoplastic drugs and agents, and also particularly neurotropic, psychotropic and anticonvulsant drugs and agents, and further particularly antineoplastic and anticancer drugs and agents, to physiologically restricted or protected sites. Advantageous embodiments of such delivery means are formulated to efficiently deliver the biologically-active compound to a physiologically-protected site, such as the brain or central nervous system, while minimizing hepatic and renal uptake of the agent or hematopoietic insult resulting therefrom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an improved method for delivering biologically-active compounds, particularly drugs including preferably antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative and antineoplastic drugs and agents, and neurotropic, psychotropic and anticonvulsant drugs and agents, to physiologically protected sites in an animal in vivo. This delivery system achieves specific delivery of such biologically-active compounds through conjugating the compounds with an amino acid or amino acid derivative that is specifically transported into said physiologically-protected sites. This invention has the specific advantage of facilitating the entry of such compounds into cells and tissues protected by such physiological barriers as the blood-brain barrier via an amino acid or amino acid derivative that is specifically transported into said physiologically-protected sites, achieving effective intracellular concentration of such compounds more efficiently and with more specificity than conventional delivery systems.
The invention provides compositions of matter comprising a biologically-active compound covalently linked to an amino acid or amino acid derivative that is specifically transported into a physiologically-protected site. Preferred embodiments also comprise a spacer molecule having two linker functional groups, wherein the spacer has a first end and a second end and wherein the amino acid or amino acid derivative is attached to the first end of the spacer through a first linker functional group and the biologically-active compound is attached to the second end of the spacer through a second linker functional group. In preferred embodiments, the biologically-active compound is a drug, most preferably an antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent. Preferred amino acid or amino acid derivatives include but are not limited to hydroxytryptophan, serotonin, and most preferably melatonin. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the drug/polar lipid conjugates of the invention are also provided.
The invention also provides compositions of matter comprising a biologically-active compound covalently linked to an amino acid or amino acid derivative via a spacer molecule wherein the spacer allows the biologically-active compound to act without being released at an intracellular site. In these embodiments of the invention, the first linker functional group attached to the first end of the spacer is characterized as “strong” and the second linker functional group attached to the second end of the spacer is characterized as “weak”, with reference to the propensity of the covalent bonds between each end of the spacer molecule to be broken.
In other embodiments of the compositions of matter of the invention, the spacer allows the facilitated hydrolytic release of the biologically-active compound at an intracellular site. Other embodiments of the spacer facilitate the enzymatic release of the biologically-active compound at an intracellular site. In particularly preferred embodiments, the spacer functional group is hydrolyzed by an enzymatic activity found in brain tissue, including neuronal, glial and other brain cell types, preferably an esterase and most preferably an esterase having a differential expression and activity profile in the appropriate target cell type. In additional preferred embodiments, specific release of biologically-active compounds is achieved by enzymatic or chemical release of the biologically-active compound by extracellular cleavage of a cleavable linker moiety via an enzymatic activity specific for brain tissue, with resulting specific uptake of the released antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent by the appropriate cell in said tissue.
In another embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the spacer molecule is a peptide of formula (amino acid) n , wherein n is an integer between 2 and 25, preferably wherein the peptide comprises a polymer of one or more amino acids.
In other embodiments of the compositions of matter of the invention, the biologically-active compound of the invention has a first functional linker group, and an amino acid or amino acid derivative that is specifically transported into a physiologically-protected site having a second functional linker group, and the compound is covalently linked directly to the amino acid or amino acid derivative by a chemical bond between the first and second functional linker groups. In preferred embodiments, each of the first and second functional linker groups is a hydroxyl group, a primary or secondary amino group, a phosphate group or substituted derivatives thereof or a carboxylic acid group.
In another aspect of the invention is provided compositions of matter comprising a drug, most preferably an antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent, covalently linked to an amino acid or amino acid derivative that is specifically transported into a physiologically-protected site. Preferred embodiments also comprise a spacer molecule having two linker functional groups, wherein the spacer has a first end and a second end and wherein the amino acid or amino acid derivative is attached to the first end of the spacer through a first linker functional group and the drug is attached to the second end of the spacer through a second linker functional group. Preferred embodiments of the invention are provided wherein the drug is an antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent. Preferred amino acid or amino acid derivatives include but are not limited to hydroxytryptophan, serotonin, and most preferably melatonin. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the conjugates of the invention are also provided.
The invention also provides compositions of matter comprising antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent, covalently linked to an amino acid or amino acid derivative via a spacer molecule, wherein the spacer allows the drug to act without being released at an intracellular site. In these embodiments of the invention, the first linker functional group attached to the first end of the spacer is characterized as “strong” and the second linker functional group attached to the second end of the spacer is characterized as “weak”, with reference to the propensity of the covalent bonds between each end of the spacer molecule to be broken.
In other embodiments of the compositions of matter of the invention, the spacer allows the facilitated hydrolytic release of antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent at an intracellular site. Other embodiments of the spacer facilitate the enzymatic release of the antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent of the invention at an intracellular site. In particularly preferred embodiments, the spacer functional group is hydrolyzed by an enzymatic activity found in a physiologically-protected site, such as the brain and central nervous system and more particularly including neuronal, glial and other brain cell types, wherein said enzymatic activity is preferably an esterase and most preferably an esterase having a differential expression and activity profile in different tissue cell types. In additional preferred embodiments, specific release of the antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent of the invention is achieved by enzymatic or chemical release of these drugs by extracellular cleavage of a cleavable linker moiety via an enzymatic activity specific for, for example, brain tissue, followed by specific uptake of the released antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent by the appropriate cell in said tissue.
In another embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the spacer molecule is a peptide of formula (amino acid) n , wherein n is an integer between 2 and 25, preferably wherein the peptide comprises a polymer of one or more amino acids.
In still further embodiments of the compositions of matter of the invention are provided antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent having a first functional linker group, and an amino acid or amino acid derivative having a second functional linker group, wherein the drug is covalently linked directly to the polar lipid carrier by a chemical bond between the first and second functional linker groups. In preferred embodiments, each of the first and second functional linker groups is a hydroxyl group, a primary or secondary amino group, a phosphate group or substituted derivatives thereof or a carboxylic acid group. Preferred amino acid or amino acid derivatives include but are not limited to hydroxytryptophan, serotonin, and most preferably melatonin. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the conjugates of the invention are also provided.
As disclosed herein, the invention comprehends conjugates wherein the amino acid or amino acid derivative is specifically and selectively transported across certain physiological barriers to protected tissue sites, thereby facilitating delivery of drugs and other pharmaceutical agents to such physiologically restricted or protected sites. In embodiments comprising a spacer moiety, the spacer component of the conjugates of the invention will preferably act to specifically release the drug from the amino acid or derivative at the target site; prevent the non-specific release from the drug from the amino acid or derivative in the systemic circulation or in hepatic, renal or other inappropriate cells, tissue or organs; target the conjugate to a specific cell or cell type within the protected tissue; prevent interaction and/or uptake of the drug by hematopoietic, ocular, hepatic or renal tissues; or perform other functions to maximize the effectiveness of the drug.
This type of conjugate has numerous advantages. The conjugates of the invention provide delivery of a variety of antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent to physiologically restricted or protected sites in vivo at concentrations and pharmacokinetic rates not heretofore attainable. A benefit of this advantage is the achievement of therapeutic indices of agents in such protected sites whereby the agent is useful for achieving a desired therapeutic goal. Another benefit is decreased hepatic toxicity, hematopoietic suppression (such as thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, aplastic anemia, leukocytosis, eosinophilia, pancytopenia, agranulocytosis), reduced systemic metabolism, degradation and toxicity, reduced hepatic clearance, reduced systemic adverse drug interactions, and generally reduced side effects due to the achievement of a lower, therapeutically-effective dose as the result of surmounting the physiological barrier. These biological effects can also result in simplified dosage schedules, particularly for drugs with short systemic half-lives.
In particular, felicitous design of the psychotropic, neurotropic/neurological drug/spacer/amino acid conjugate can provide an in vivo reservoir of time-dependent drug release in the physiologically protected tissue, resulting in specific delivery of therapeutic amounts to such tissues using a reduced dosage regime to minimize non-specific, systemic and deleterious side effects. In such formulations, the amount and activity of the antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drug or agent, or a neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drug or agent can be modulated by release via cleavage, preferably hydrolytic cleavage, of the spacer moiety, most preferably by an enzymatic activity in the protected tissue (e.g., brain) that has a differential pattern of expression or activity in different cell types in said tissue. The conjugates of the invention can also be combined with other drug delivery approaches to further increase specificity and to take advantage of useful advances in the art.
Specific preferred embodiments of the present invention will become evident from the following more detailed description of certain preferred embodiments and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates two conjugates of the invention between leva-dopa and melatonin. These conjugates are cleaved by esterases expressed in tissues in biologically-protected sites.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention provides compositions of matter and methods for facilitating the entry into cells of biologically-active compounds. For the purposes of this invention, the term “biologically-active compound” is intended to encompass all naturally-occurring or synthetic compounds capable of eliciting a biological response or having an effect, either beneficial or cytotoxic, on biological systems, particularly cells and cellular organelles. These compounds are intended to include but are not limited to all varieties of drugs, particularly antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative and antineoplastic drugs and agents, and neurotropic, psychotropic and anticonvulsant drugs or agents.
As used herein the terms “psychotropic, neurotropic and neurologically-acting drugs and agents” are intended to include any drug, agent or compound having a neurological, neurotropic, or psychotropic effect in an animal, preferably a human. These terms are intended to encompass anti-inflammatory agents, corticosteroids, sedatives, tranquilizers, narcotics, analgesics, anesthetics, anticonvulsive and antispasmodic agents, antiparkinsonian drugs, alkaloids, catecholamines, including dopamine analogues and derivatives, muscarinic receptor agonists and antagonists, cholinergic receptor agonists and antagonists, calcium channel blockers, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonists, antagonists, and uptake inhibitors and enhancers; phenothiazines, thioxanthemes and related compounds; clozapine, haldoperidol, loxapine (Loxitane®), benzodiazapene antidepressants of the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor type; monoamine oxidase inhibitors; antidepressants and antimanic agents, antioxidants such as carotenes, glutathione, N-acetylcysteine or other molecules that mitigate the effects of reactive oxygen species for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or other neurodegenerative conditions such as ataxia telangiectasia and amyelolaterosclerosis (ALS); neuroregenerative agents; and agents for the treatment of ischemia and other vascular diseases of the central nervous system. Appropriate formulations and pharmaceutical compositions of the neurotropic/neurological/psychotropic drug/ amino acid or derivative conjugates of the invention will be apparent and within the skill of one of ordinary skill in this art to advantageously prepare in view of the instant disclosure.
As used herein the terms “antibiotic, antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drugs and agents” are intended to include any drug, agent or compound having an antibiotic, antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral, antiproliferative or antineoplastic effect in an animal, preferably a human. In particular, the term “antimicrobial drug” will be understood to encompass said antibiotic, antibacterial, antimycotic, and antiviral compounds, as well as other compounds that have an antimicrobial effect (such as anti-plasmodial drugs).
For the purposes of this invention, the term “antimicrobial drug” is intended to encompass any pharmacological agent effective in inhibiting, attenuating, combating or overcoming infection of mammalian cells by a microbial pathogen in vivo or in vitro. Antimicrobial drugs as provided as components of the antimicrobial agents of the invention include but are not limited to penicillin and drugs of the penicillin family of antimicrobial drugs, including but not limited to penicillin-G, penicillin-V, phenethicillin, ampicillin, amoxacillin, cyclacillin, bacampicillin, hetacillin, cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, methicillin, nafcillin, oxacillin, azlocillin, carbenicillin, mezlocillin, piperacillin, ticaricillin, and imipenim; cephalosporin and drugs of the cephalosporin family, including but not limited to cefadroxil, cefazolin, caphalexin, cephalothin, cephapirin, cephradine, cefaclor, cefamandole, cefonicid, cefoxin, cefuroxime, ceforanide, cefotetan, cefinetazole, cefoperazone, cefotaxime, ceftizoxime, ceftizone, moxalactam, ceftazidime, and cefixime; aminoglycoside drugs and drugs of the aminoglycoside family, including but not limited to streptomycin, neomycin, kanamycin, gentamycin, tobramycin, amikacin, and netilmicin; macrolide and drugs of the macrolide family, exemplified by azithromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin, erythromycin, lincomycin, and clindamycin; tetracycline and drugs of the tetracycline family, for example, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, democlocyclin, methacyclin, doxycyclin, and minocyclin; quinoline and quinoline-like drugs, such as, for example, naladixic acid, cinoxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxicin, enoxacin, and pefloxacin; antimicrobial peptides, including but not limited to polymixin B, colistin, and bacitracin, as well as other antimicrobial peptides such as defensins (Lehrer et al., 1991, Cell 64: 229–230), magainins (Zasloff, 1987, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84: 5449–5453), cecropins (Lee et al., 1989, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86: 9159–9162 and Boman et al., 1990, Eur. J. Biochem. 201: 23–31), and others, provided as naturally-occurring, chemically synthesized in vitro or produced as the result of engineering to make such peptides resistant to the action of pathogen-specific proteases and other deactivating enzymes; other antimicrobial drugs, including chloramphenicol, vancomycin, rifampicin, metronidazole, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, sulfonamides, isoniazid, and erythromycin.
Antiviral drugs, including but not limited to reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, antiherpetics such as acyclovir and gancyclovir, azidothymidine, cytidine arabinoside, ribavirin, amantadine, iododeoxyuridine, foscamet, trifluoridine, methizazone, vidarabine and levanisole are also encompassed by this definition and are expressly included therein.
Antimycotic drugs provided by the invention and comprising the pharmaceutical compositions thereof include but are not limited to clotrimazole, nystatin, econazole and myconixole, ketoconazole, grisefulvin, ciclopixox, naftitine and other imidizole antimycotics.
Antiproliferative and antineoplastic agents provided by the invention and comprising the pharmaceutical compositions thereof include but are not limited to methotrexate, doxarubicin, daunarubicin, epipodophyllotoxins, 5-fluorouracil, tamoxifen, actinomycin D, vinblastine, vincristine, colchicine and taxol.
The invention also provides antibiotic drugs and agents wherein an antimicrobial agent is a toxin capable of specific cytotoxicity against the microbe, its host cell or both. The term “toxin” is intended to encompass any pharmacological agent capable of such toxicity, including for example ricin from jack bean, diphtheria toxin, and other naturally-occurring and man-made toxins.
The conjugates of the invention comprise the biologically-active compounds of the invention covalently linked to an amino acid or amino acid derivative that is specifically transported into a physiologically-protected site. Such compounds include but are not limited to 5-hydroxytryptophan, serotonin, and most preferably melatonin. The amino acids and derivative thereof encompassed by this definition include any amino acid, naturally-occurring or synthetic, and any derivative of an amino acid, including primary, secondary and tertiary amines, carboxylic acids, esters, amides, aldehydes, alcohols, ethers, and thiols, provided that any such derivative is preferentially partitioned into a physiologically protected site in vivo, including but not limited to eye, spleen, lung, testes and the central nervous system, most preferably the brain.
Appropriate formulations and pharmaceutical compositions of the conjugates of the invention comprising antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative and antineoplastic drugs or agents, or neurotropic, psychotropic or anticonvulsant drugs or agents will be apparent and within the skill of one of ordinary skill in this art to advantageously prepare in view of the instant disclosure. In preferred embodiments, said pharmaceutical compositions are provided for topical application, comprising appropriately chosen salves, ointments and emollients. In particularly preferred embodiments, said topical application is specifically adapted for administration to ocular tissues, comprising electrolytically balanced solutions for topical and direct administration to vertebrate, preferably mammalian and most preferably human eyes. In alternative formulations, the pharmaceutical composition comprises complexes formed for example with serum albumin, polyvinylpyrrolidone and other pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and excipients for parenteral administration, including but not limited to intravenous, intramuscular, and subcutaneous routes of administration. In yet alternative embodiments, the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention are provided to be orally bioavailable by administration in tablets, capsules, elixirs, gums, and other formulations comprising excipients adapted for transit of the conjugates of the invention through the gastrointestinal tract. Oral and parenteral routes of administration are preferred.
In preferred embodiments, the conjugates are provided wherein the biologically active compound is in a form having reduced, inhibited, or essentially no biological activity and wherein this form of the compound is capable of being converted by chemical or enzymatic means, most preferably in vivo, into a form having a desired biological activity; when the biologically active compound is a drug, this form of the drug is commonly termed a “prodrug.” Embodiments of such prodrugs useful in the present invention include prodrugs that can be converted by chemical or enzymatic means in a targeted organ, tissue or cell in an animal. In preferred embodiments, said prodrugs are converted into a form having a desired biological activity in an organ or tissue extracellularly, i.e. within the physical and anatomically-recognized province of the organ or tissue but not within any particular cell in the organ or tissue. In such embodiments, the activated prodrug is then capable of having the desired biological activity without entry into any particular cell comprising said organ or tissue. In alternative embodiments, the activated prodrug is then capable of entering a cell comprising said organ or tissue and having the desired biological activity thereof. In additional preferred embodiments, the prodrug is only converted into the active form after entry into a particular cell or cell type comprising said organ or tissue.
As used herein, the terms “chemical or enzymatic means” is intended to encompass chemical conditions (including but not limited to salt or other electrolyte concentration, metabolite concentration, pH, osmolality, osmolarity, dielectric constant, temperature, pressure, or chemical catalyst concentration) or presence of enzymatic activity (including but not limited to esterases, amidases, peptidases, nucleases, peroxidases, lipases, or redox proteins) in an organ, tissue or cell, most preferably in a physiologically-protected site in an animal, most preferably a human. It will be understood that the choice of spacer moiety comprising any particular embodiment of the pharmaceutical compositions or compositions of matter of the invention, and particularly the choice of said linker functional groups comprising said spacer moieties, is chosen to match the chemical or enzymatic means present in the organ, tissue or cell targeted by said composition.
The compositions of matter and pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may further comprise a spacer moiety comprising a first end and a second end, each end of the spacer having a functional linking group. For the purposes of this invention, the term “spacer” or “spacer moiety” is intended to encompass any chemical entity that links a biologically-active compound and an amino acid or derivative thereof according to the invention. Such spacer moieties may be designed to promote or effect the delivery to or accumulation at specific organs, tissues or cells, or to promote, influence, modulate or regulate the release of the biologically-active compound at the desired target site. Such spacers may facilitate enzymatic release at specific organs, tissues and cell, preferably at extracellular sites therein; more preferably, said spacers inhibit enzymatic, hydrolytic or other release systemically in an animal. Spacer groups, as described herein, include, but are not limited to aminohexanoic acid, adipic acid, and other bifunctional organic acids; peptides including homopolymers such as polyglycine; substituted fatty acids; carbohydrate moieties including mono-, di- and other saccharides; oligonucleotides; polyamides, polyethylenes, and short functionalized polymers having a carbon backbone which is from one to about twelve carbon molecules in length. Particularly preferred embodiments of such spacer moieties comprise peptides of formula (amino acid) n , wherein n is an integer between 2 and 25 and the peptide is a polymer of one or more amino acids.
The term “linker functional group” is defined herein as any functional group for covalently binding the amino acid or derivative thereof or biologically-active agent to the spacer group. These groups can be designated either “weak” or “strong” based on the stability of the covalent bond that the linker functional group will form between the spacer and either the amino acid or derivative thereof or the biologically-active compound. The weak functionalities include, but are not limited to phosphoramide, phosphoester, carbonate, amide, carboxyl-phosphoryl anhydride, thioester and most preferably ester. The strong functionalities include, but are not limited to ether, thioether, amine, amide and most preferably ester. The use of a strong linker functional group between the spacer group and the biologically-active compound will tend to decrease the rate at which the compound will be released at the target site, whereas the use of a weak linker functional group between the spacer group and the compound may act to increase the release rate of the compound at the target site. Enzymatic release is, of course, also possible, but such enzyme-mediated modes of release will not necessarily be correlated with bond strength in such embodiments of the invention. Spacer moieties comprising enzyme active site recognition groups, such as spacer groups comprising peptides having proteolytic cleavage sites therein, are envisioned as being within the scope of the present invention. Specifically, such specifically-cleavable peptides are preferably prepared so as to be recognized by enzymes present in particular organs or tissues such as brain and other physiologically restricted or protected sites in vivo, so that the drug is preferentially liberated from the polar lipid conjugate at appropriate drug delivery sites. An illustrative example of such a specifically-cleavable peptide is a portion of the proopiomelanocortin family of peptides, which are cleaved in mammalian brain tissue to release a variety of peptides hormones and effector molecules, such as the enkephalins. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other beneficial and advantageous specifically-cleavable peptides. The linker functional groups are selected to inhibit or prevent cleavage of the covalent linkage between the spacer and the biologically active compound, or between the spacer and the polar lipid carrier, at a site other than the specific site to which the conjugate is targeted.
The conjugates of the invention are preferably provided comprised of spacer moieties that impart differential release properties on the conjugates related to differential expression or activity of enzymatic activities in physiologically restricted or protected sites in comparison with such activities in systemic circulation or in inappropriate targets, such as hepatic, renal or hematopoietic tissues. Differential release is also provided in certain embodiments in specific cell types comprising such physiologically protected tissues.
In particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention are provided conjugates comprising neurotropic, psychotropic and anticonvulsant drugs or agents for specific delivery to brain tissue for the alleviation or amelioration of pathological disease states in the brain. Thus, the present invention provides methods and compositions of matter for facilitating the transit of such conjugates of antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, antimycotic, antiproliferative and antineoplastic drugs and agents, and neurotropic, psychotropic and anticonvulsant drugs or agents across the blood-brain barrier and into targeted regions of the brain, for the treatment of animal, preferably human, diseases and pathological conditions. Among the most common such diseases and conditions are Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and other seizure disorders (such as petit mal, grand mal, tonic-clonic seizure disorder, parietal complex seizure, and psychomotor seizures), migraine, neurodegenerative conditions such as ataxia telangiectasia and ALS, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, neuropathy such as trigeminal neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy, shingles, and psychological disorders, including bipolar disorder, explosive aggression, depression and agitation associated with elderly dementia.
The invention provides conjugates comprising psychotropic, neurotropic and neurological drugs, agents and compounds including but not limited to L-dopa, hydroxytryptamine and metabolites thereof; amantadine, benztropine, bromocryptine, diphenhydramine, levadopa (a particularly preferred embodiment) and combinations thereof (e.g., with carbidopa as provided as Sinemet®); pergolid, trihexphenidyl, ethosuximide, valproic acid, carbamazepine (e.g., Tegretol®) and, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the 10- or 11-hydroxy analogues of carbamazepine; primidone, gabapentin in a particularly preferred embodiment; lamotrigine in a particularly preferred embodiment; felbamate, paramethadione and trimethadione; phenothiazines, thioxanthemes and related compounds; clozapine, haldoperidol, loxapine (Loxitane®), benzodiazapene antidepressants of the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor type; monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and antioxidants such as carotenes, glutathione and N-acetylcysteine.
The invention provides conjugates comprising antibiotic, antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drugs, agents and compounds including but not limited to methotrexate, azidothymidine, dideoxyinosine, dideoxycytosine, acyclovir, or gancyclovir.
The invention specifically provides methods for preparing and administering such psychotropic, neurotropic, neurological, antibiotic, antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drugs, agent and compounds for use in treating pathological conditions in vivo.
The invention also provides embodiments of the conjugates disclosed herein as pharmaceutical compositions. The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention can be manufactured in a manner that is itself known, e.g., by means of a conventional mixing, dissolving, granulating, dragee-making, levigating, emulsifying, encapsulating, entrapping or lyophilizing processes.
Pharmaceutical compositions for use in accordance with the present invention thus can be formulated in conventional manner using one or more physiologically acceptable carriers comprising excipients and auxiliaries that facilitate processing of the active conjugates into preparations that can be used pharmaceutically. Proper formulation is dependent upon the route of administration chosen.
Non-toxic pharmaceutical salts include salts of acids such as hydrochloric, phosphoric, hydrobromic, sulfuric, sulfinic, formic, toluenesulfonic, methanesulfonic, nitic, benzoic, citric, tartaric, maleic, hydroiodic, alkanoic such as acetic, HOOC—(CH 2 ) n —CH 3 where n is 0–4, and the like. Non-toxic pharmaceutical base addition salts include salts of bases such as sodium, potassium, calcium, ammonium, and the like. Those skilled in the art will recognize a wide variety of non-toxic pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts.
For injection, the conjugates of the invention can be formulated in appropriate aqueous solutions, such as physiologically compatible buffers such as Hanks' solution, Ringer's solution, or physiological saline buffer. For transmucosal and transcutaneous administration, penetrants appropriate to the barrier to be permeated are used in the formulation. Such penetrants are generally known in the art.
For oral administration, the conjugates can be formulated readily by combining the active conjugates with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers well known in the art. Such carriers enable the conjugates of the invention to be formulated as tablets, pills, dragees, capsules, liquids, gels, syrups, slurries, suspensions and the like, for oral ingestion by a patient to be treated. Pharmaceutical preparations for oral use can be obtained with solid excipient, optionally grinding a resulting mixture, and processing the mixture of granules, after adding suitable auxiliaries, if desired, to obtain tablets or dragee cores. Suitable excipients are, in particular, fillers such as sugars, including lactose, sucrose, mannitol, or sorbitol; cellulose preparations such as, for example, maize starch, wheat starch, rice starch, potato starch, gelatin, gum tragacanth, methyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, and/or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). If desired, disintegrating agents can be added, such as the cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone, agar, or alginic acid or a salt thereof such as sodium alginate.
Dragee cores are provided with suitable coatings. For this purpose, concentrated sugar solutions can be used, which can optionally contain gum arabic, talc, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, carbopol gel, polyethylene glycol, and/or titanium dioxide, lacquer solutions, and suitable organic solvents or solvent mixtures. Dyestuffs or pigments can be added to the tablets or dragee coatings for identification or to characterize different combinations of active compound doses.
Pharmaceutical preparations that can be used orally include push-fit capsules made of gelatin, as well as soft, sealed capsules made of gelatin and a plasticizer, such as glycerol or sorbitol. The push-fit capsules can contain the active ingredients in admixture with filler such as lactose, binders such as starches, and/or lubricants such as talc or magnesium stearate and, optionally, stabilizers. In soft capsules, the active conjugates can be dissolved or suspended in suitable liquids, such as fatty oils, liquid paraffin, or liquid polyethylene glycols. In addition, stabilizers can be added. All formulations for oral administration should be in dosages suitable for such administration. For buccal administration, the compositions can take the form of tablets or lozenges formulated in conventional manner.
For administration by inhalation, the conjugates for use according to the present invention are conveniently delivered in the form of an aerosol spray presentation from pressurized packs or a nebuliser, 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 can be determined by providing a valve to deliver a metered amount. Capsules and cartridges of e.g., gelatin for use in an inhaler or insufflator can be formulated containing a powder mix of the compound and a suitable powder base such as lactose or starch.
The conjugates can be formulated for parenteral administration by injection, e.g., by bolus injection or continuous infusion. Formulations for injection can be presented in unit dosage form, e.g., in ampoules or in multi-dose containers, with an added preservative. The compositions can take such forms as suspensions, solutions or emulsions in oily or aqueous vehicles, and can contain formulatory agents such as suspending, stabilizing and/or dispersing agents.
Pharmaceutical formulations for parenteral administration include aqueous solutions of the active conjugates in water-soluble form. Additionally, suspensions of the active conjugates can be prepared as appropriate oily injection suspensions. Suitable lipophilic solvents or vehicles include fatty oils such as sesame oil, or synthetic fatty acid esters, such as ethyl oleate or triglycerides, or liposomes. Aqueous injection suspensions can contain substances that increase the viscosity of the suspension, such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sorbitol, or dextran. Optionally, the suspension can also contain suitable stabilizers or agents that increase the solubility of the conjugates to allow for the preparation of highly concentrated solutions. Alternatively, the active ingredient can be in powder form for constitution with a suitable vehicle, e.g., sterile pyrogen-free water, before use. The conjugates can 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.
In addition to the formulations described previously, the conjugates can also be formulated as a depot preparation. Such long acting formulations can be administered by implantation (for example subcutaneously or intramuscularly) or by intramuscular injection. Thus, for example, the conjugates can be formulated with suitable polymeric or hydrophobic materials (for example as an emulsion in an acceptable oil) or ion exchange resins, or as sparingly soluble derivatives, for example, as a sparingly soluble salt.
A pharmaceutical carrier for the hydrophobic conjugates of the invention is a cosolvent system comprising benzyl alcohol, a nonpolar surfactant, a water-miscible organic polymer, and an aqueous phase. The cosolvent system can be the VPD co-solvent system. VPD is a solution of 3% w/v benzyl alcohol, 8% w/v of the nonpolar surfactant polysorbate 80, and 65% w/v polyethylene glycol 300, made up to volume in absolute ethanol. The VPD co-solvent system (VPD:5W) consists of VPD diluted 1:1 with a 5% dextrose in water solution. This co-solvent system dissolves hydrophobic conjugates well, and itself produces low toxicity upon systemic administration. Naturally, the proportions of a co-solvent system can be varied considerably without destroying its solubility and toxicity characteristics. Furthermore, the identity of the co-solvent components can be varied: for example, other low-toxicity nonpolar surfactants can be used instead of polysorbate 80; the fraction size of polyethylene glycol can be varied; other biocompatible polymers can replace polyethylene glycol, e.g. polyvinyl pyrrolidone; and other sugars or polysaccharides can substitute for dextrose.
Alternatively, other delivery systems for hydrophobic pharmaceutical conjugates can be employed. Liposomes and emulsions are well known examples of delivery vehicles or carriers for hydrophobic drugs. Certain organic solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide also can be employed, although usually at the cost of greater toxicity. Additionally, the conjugates can be delivered using a sustained-release system, such as semipermeable matrices of solid hydrophobic polymers containing the therapeutic agent. Various sustained-release materials have been established and are well known by those skilled in the art. Sustained-release capsules can, depending on their chemical nature, release the conjugates for a few weeks up to over 100 days. Depending on the chemical nature and the biological stability of the therapeutic reagent, additional strategies for protein and nucleic acid stabilization can be employed.
The pharmaceutical compositions also can comprise suitable solid or gel phase carriers or excipients. Examples of such carriers or excipients include but are not limited to calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, various sugars, starches, cellulose derivatives, gelatin, and polymers such as polyethylene glycols.
The conjugates of the invention can be provided as salts with pharmaceutically compatible counterions. Pharmaceutically compatible salts can be formed with many acids, including but not limited to hydrochloric, sulfuric, acetic, lactic, tartaric, malic, succinic, phosphoric, hydrobromic, sulfinic, formic, toluenesulfonic, methanesulfonic, nitic, benzoic, citric, tartaric, maleic, hydroiodic, alkanoic such as acetic, HOOC—(CH 2 ) n —CH 3 where n is 0–4, and the like. Salts tend to be more soluble in aqueous or other protonic solvents that are the corresponding free base forms. Non-toxic pharmaceutical base addition salts include salts of bases such as sodium, potassium, calcium, ammonium, and the like. Those skilled in the art will recognize a wide variety of non-toxic pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts.
Pharmaceutical compositions of the conjugates of the present invention can be formulated and administered through a variety of means, including systemic, localized, or topical administration. Techniques for formulation and administration can be found in “Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences,” Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa. The mode of administration can be selected to maximize delivery to a desired target site in the body. Suitable routes of administration can, for example, include oral, rectal, transmucosal, transcutaneous, or intestinal administration; parenteral delivery, including intramuscular, subcutaneous, intramedullary injections, as well as intrathecal, direct intraventricular, intravenous, intraperitoneal, intranasal, or intraocular injections.
Alternatively, one can administer the conjugates in a local rather than systemic manner, for example, via injection of the compound directly into a specific tissue, often in a depot or sustained release formulation.
Pharmaceutical compositions suitable for use in the present invention include compositions wherein the active ingredients are contained in an effective amount to achieve its intended purpose. More specifically, a therapeutically effective amount means an amount effective to prevent development of or to alleviate the existing symptoms of the subject being treated. Determination of the effective amounts is well within the capability of those skilled in the art, especially in light of the detailed disclosure provided herein.
For any conjugate species used in the method of the invention, the therapeutically effective dose can be estimated initially in vitro, for example, from cell culture assays, as disclosed herein. For example, a dose can be formulated in animal models to achieve a circulating concentration range that includes the EC50 (effective dose for 50% increase) as determined in cell culture. Such information can be used to more accurately determine useful doses in humans.
It will be understood, however, that the specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed, the age, body weight, general health, sex, diet, time of administration, route of administration, and rate of excretion, drug combination, the severity of the particular disease undergoing therapy and the judgment of the prescribing physician.
For administration to non-human animals, the drug or a pharmaceutical composition containing the drug may also be added to the animal feed or drinking water. It will be convenient to formulate animal feed and drinking water products with a predetermined dose of the drug so that the animal takes in an appropriate quantity of the drug along with its diet. It will also be convenient to add a premix containing the drug to the feed or drinking water approximately immediately prior to consumption by the animal.
Toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of such conjugates can be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or experimental animals, e.g., for determining the LD50 (the dose lethal to 50% of the population) and the ED50 (the dose therapeutically effective in 50% of the population). The dose ratio between toxic and therapeutic effects is the therapeutic index and it can be expressed as the ratio between LD50 and ED50. Conjugates that exhibit high therapeutic indices are preferred. The data obtained from these cell culture assays and animal studies can be used in formulating a range of dosage for use in humans. The dosage of such conjugates lies preferably within a range of circulating concentrations that include the ED50 with little or no toxicity. The dosage can vary within this range depending upon the dosage form employed and the route of administration utilized. The exact formulation, route of administration and dosage can be chosen by the individual physician in view of the patient's condition. (See, e.g. Fingl et al., 1975, in “The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics”, Ch. 1, p. 1).
In particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention are provided conjugates comprising antibiotic, antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drugs for specific delivery to or accumulation in specific organs, tissues and cells in an animal. In particularly preferred embodiments, the conjugates are targeted to the central nervous system, most preferably brain tissue, for the alleviation or amelioration of pathological disease states therein. In such embodiments of the invention are provided methods and conjugates for facilitating the transit of such conjugates of antibiotic, antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drugs, agents and conjugates across the blood-brain barrier and into targeted regions of the brain and other physiologically protected sites, for the treatment of animal, preferably human, diseases and pathological conditions. Among the most common such diseases and conditions are acquired immune deficiency syndrome, neuroblastoma, glioma, astrocytoma, meningioma, sarcoma, metastatic melanoma, metastatic adenocarcinoma, lung tumors such as adenocarcinoma, small cell carcinoma, and other tumors of the lung; tuberculosis; bronchitis; emphysema; pneumonia; cystic fibrosis; Gaucher's disease; and other diseases and disorders of lung or spleen tissue; syphilis, encephalitis, meningitis, nocardiosis, abscess, coccidiodomycosis, cryptococcosis, subdural empyema, extrapulmonary tuberculosis, leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, trichinosis, trypanosomiasis, mycoplasma infection, herpetic encephalitis, and schistosomiasis.
Animals to be treated with the inventive conjugates using the methods of the invention are intended to include all vertebrate animals, preferably domesticated animals, such as cattle, horses, goats, sheep, fowl, fish, household pets, and others, as well as wild animals, and most preferably humans.
The following Examples illustrate certain aspects of the above-described method and advantageous results. The following examples are shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.
EXAMPLE 1
Conjugates between melatonin and melatonin derivatives with biologically-active compounds were prepared as follows.
As a first step, melatonin is converted to modifiable melatonin derivatives, illustrated herein by the indole N—OH and indole N-formoxy ester derivatives.
Alternatively, serotonin is converted to demethoxylated melatonin (N-acetyl serotonin).
Levadopa conjugates as shown in FIG. 1 can be prepared from either of the indole N melatonin derivatives. In the following synthetic scheme, all hydroxyls and hydrazine protons of levadopa are protected by reaction with trimethyl silyl chloride to form TMS adducts. These adducts are removed after reaction by treatment in dilute acid.
or the ring hydroxylated product:
Synthesis of N-Hydroxy Melatonin
The synthesis of N-hydroxy melatonin uses conditions described by Bilaski and Ganem (1983, Synthesis , p.537). Briefly, to a 100 mL round-bottomed flask is added 1 g (4.3 mmol) melatonin, 50 mL of 25% water in isopropyl alcohol, and 2.84 g (20 mmol) disodium hydrogen phosphate. The solution was cooled to 0° C. under argon, followed by the slow addition of 1.56 g (6.5 mmol) benzoyl peroxide over 4 hrs. After stirring at 0° C. for 20 hr the reaction was quenched by the addition of 10 wt % sodium thiosulfite, followed by 5×50 mL washes with methylene chloride. The methylene chloride fractions were combined and solvent removed under reduced pressure. The product was recrystallized from benzene/chloroform to yield 266 mg (1.07 mmol) of N-hydroxy melatonin.
Synthesis of N-Alkoxymethyl Melatonin
To a 100 mL round-bottomed flask is added 1 g (4.3 mmol) melatonin, 50 mL of methylene chloride, and 2.02 g (20 mmol) diisopropyl amine. The solution was cooled to 0° C. under argon, followed by the slow addition of 0.64 g (4.3 mmol) of the chloromethyl ester of 3,3,3-chlorodimethyl acrylate over 1 hr. (Chloromethyl ester of 3,3-dimethyl acrylate is prepared by an analogous procedure for the synthesis of benzyl chloromethyl ester set forth in Organic Synthesis Col III: 101.) After stirring at 0° C. for 20 hr the reaction was quenched by the addition of 10 mL of 4.0 M hydrochloric acid and 2×10 mL of brine, followed by drying over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The solution was filtered, concentrated and purified by recrystallization from benzene to yield 1.3 g (3.8 mmol) of (N-methyl ester of 3,3-dimethyl acrylate) melatonin.
Synthesis of N-Acetyl Serotonin
N-acetyl serotonin was synthesized as follows. 100 mg (0.47 mmol) serotonin hydrochloride and 10 mL of pyridine were mixed in a 100 mL round-bottomed flask, and the solution was cooled to 0° C. under argon. Acetic anhydride (2.84 g, 28.4 mmol) was added slowly over 1 hr. After stirring at 0° C. for 20 hr the reaction was terminated by removing the volatile reagents under high vacuum. The remaining syrup was dissolved into 25 mL of methylene chloride and washed with 0.1 M HCl until the pH of the aqueous phase was less than 3. The organic phase was dried under anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated to yield a syrup. To this syrup was added 25 mL of aqueous isopropyl alcohol (50 wt%) and the solution was cooled to 0° C. Sodium hydroxide (1 mL of a 1.0 mM solution) was added and stirred at 0° C. for 4 hr. The solution was neutralized with acetic acid, concentrated and filtered through a short plug of silica gel with ether, concentrated and recrystallized from benzene/chloroform to yield 27 mg (0.11 mmol) of N-acetyl serotonin.
It should be understood that the foregoing disclosure emphasizes certain specific embodiments of the invention and that all modifications or alternatives equivalent thereto are within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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This invention herein describes a method of facilitating the entry of drugs into cells and tissues at physiologically protected sites at pharmacokinetically useful levels and also a method of targeting drugs to physiologically protected sites in vivo. Also provided are drug conjugates with an amino acid or derivative thereof for facilitating such targeted drug delivery. The conjugates and methods of this invention provide an advance over other drug targeting methods known in the prior art, because the invention provides drug concentrations in such physiologically protected sites that can reach therapeutically-effective levels after administration of systemic levels much lower than are currently administered to achieve a therapeutic dose. This technology is appropriate for use with psychotropic, neurotropic, neurological, antibiotic, antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral, antiproliferative or antineoplastic drugs, agents and conjugates, for rapid and efficient introduction of such agents across, e.g., the blood-brain barrier. Further, the invention provides means for retention and prolonged enzymatic release of such drugs, agents and conjugates comprising the conjugates of the invention, in the brain and central nervous system and other physiologically-protected sites.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a carboxyl group-containing siloxane compound.
In general, carboxyl group-containing siloxane compounds are useful for a number of use applications where e.g. organosiloxane compounds soluble in water or alcohols are desired. The above carboxyl group-containing siloxane compounds are useful e.g. as an emulsifying agent for forming usual aqueous emulsions of organosiloxane polymers or in their applications upon e.g. alcohol-based cosmetics. Further, as to the compounds it is possible to expect their strong adhesion onto inorganic materials and modify the surface of the materials to impart to the surface, functions such as water repellency, stain resistance, non-adhesive properties, heat resistance, abrasion resistance, etc. For example, as disclosed in Japanese patent application laid-open Nos. Sho 53-10882/1978 or Sho 57-10145/1982, the compounds have been used as an ink-repelling material for litho printing. As described above, carboxyl group-containing siloxane compounds are useful as an emulsifying agent or a surface modifier for inorganic materials.
The state where carboxyl group is bonded in conventional carboxyl group-containing siloxane compounds is expressed by the general formula ##STR2## wherein s is an integer of 2 to 4, as described in Japanese patent publication Nos. Sho 40-20279/1965, Sho 41-236/1966, Sho 42-6519/1967, Sho 49-4840/1974, etc. The present inventors, however, have found that such conventional carboxyl group-containing siloxane compounds are stable to heat in the case where they have a number average molecular weight (Mn) greater than 1,000, but they are decomposed by heat in the case of Mn of 1,000 or less, and have made intensive research on a manner of having carboxyl group bonded to Si atom. As a result we have found that when a polyoxyethylene chain is bonded by the medium of a bifunctional molecule, the above compounds are stable to heat even in the case of low molecular weight.
As seen from the foregoing, the object of the present invention is to provide a carboxyl group-containing siloxane compound, whether its molecular weight is low or high, having a superior heat stability, and useful as emulsifying agent, surface modifier for inorganic materials, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention resides in a carboxyl group-containing siloxane compound expressed by the general formula (I) ##STR3## wherein R represents an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R 1 represents R or R 2 ; R 2 represents CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 --OCH 2 CH 2 ) n COOH; n is an integer of 1 or more; l is an integer of 0 or more; m is an integer of 0 or more; l+m is an integer of 1 or more; and R 1 represents R 2 in the case of m=0.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the above general formula, n has no particular upper limit and may be e.g. several thousands or several ten thousands. m and l also each have no particular upper limit and may be e.g. several millions or several ten millions.
For example, a compound (II) shown below causes a ring closure reaction at about 150° C. to thereby decompose into a substance having an unknown structure, whereas a compound (III) shown below having one oxyethylene group added to the compound (II) is stable enough to effect distillation under 150° C./1 mmHg. ##STR4## (wherein Me represents methyl group; hereinafter it has the same meaning).
The carboxyl group-containing compound of the present invention may be prepared by subjecting an ester compound (IV) shown below and a Si-H-containing siloxane compound to hydrosilylation followed by subjecting the resulting ester to hydrolysis reaction:
CH.sub.2 =CHCH.sub.2 --OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n COOR.sup.3 (IV)
wherein R 3 may be e.g. Me (IVa), Et (this symbol represents ethyl group; hereinafter it has the same meaning) (IVb) or SiMe 3 (IVc). The ester compound in the case of n=1 (IVa,IVb) can be easily obtained by subjecting allyl alcohol to addition reaction to acrylonitrile in the presence of a basic catalyst (see Ind. Eng. Chem., 44, 2867 (1952)), followed by subjecting the nitrile group of the resulting product to alcoholysis. When methanol is used as a solvent in the alcoholysis, the methyl ester (IVa) can be obtained, while when ethanol is used, the ethyl ester (IVb) can be obtained (see Org. Synth., 1, 270 (1941)). Further, when the ester compounds obtained by the above reactions are further hydrolyzed in the presence of a basic catalyst to obtain the corresponding carboxylic acid, followed by reacting this acid with hexamethyldisilazane, it is possible to obtain the above trimethylsilyl ester compound (IVc) (see J. Org. Chem., 40, 1610 (1975)).
Further, in the above ester compound (IV), those of n=2 or more can be prepared by similarly carrying out the above reaction using in place of allyl alcohol, the following compound (V) shown below, prepared by subjecting a necessary number of mols of ethylene oxide to addition reaction to allyl alcohol:
CH.sub.2 =CHCH.sub.2 --OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n OH (V)
Next, a concrete example of the carboxyl group-containing siloxane compound of the present invention is as follows: ##STR5## wherein r represents an integer of 0 or more.
The above compound (VI) is readily obtained with a good yield, by subjecting a readily commercially available siloxane compound containing H atom at its one end, in the case of r=O, or a siloxane compound containing H atom at its one end obtained by reacting lithium trimethylsilanolate with hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (see Polym. Preprints 10 (2), 1361 (1969)), in the case of r≧1, to addition reaction to the above trimethylsilyl ester compound (IVc) in the presence of a catalyst for addition reaction, preferably in N 2 gas atmosphere, followed by subjecting the resulting product to detrimethylsilylation with an alcohol.
As to the above siloxane compound containing H atom at its one end, it is possible to optionally prepare a siloxane compound having a controlled molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, as far as its average molecular weight is about 10,000 or lower. As to the reaction mol ratio of the siloxane compound having H atom at its one end to the trimethylsilyl ester compound (IVc), it is suitable to use the ester compound (IVc) in at least an equimolecular quantity to that of the siloxane compound, preferably in 1.2 times one mol of the latter. The reaction temperature is suitable to be in the range of 40° to 200° C., preferably 80° to 130° C. As for the above catalyst for addition reaction, complex compounds of metal elements belonging to group 8 of the Periodic Table may be exemplified, which include e.g. platinum compounds, rhodium compounds or paladium compounds such as known alcohol compounds, aldehyde compounds or the like of chloroplatinic acid, complexes of chloroplatinic acid with various olefins, etc.
The above alcohol used for detrimethylsilylation is preferably methanol or ethanol. The following carboxyl group-containing siloxane compounds (VII) and (VIII) can be easily prepared by similarly reacting the corresponding SiH-containing compound with the trimethylsilyl ester (IVc). ##STR6## wherein t represents an integer of 0 or more. ##STR7## (In case of this example m represents an integer of 1 or more.)
The compound of the present invention is useful for various use applications, for example as an emulsifying agent for forming aqueous emulsions of usual organosiloxane polymers, as an ingredient for alcohol-based cosmetics, or as a surface modifier for imparting to the surface of inorganic materials, functions such as water repellency, stain resistance, non-adhesive properties, heat resistance, abrasion resistance, etc.
The present invention will be described in more detail by way of the following Examples, but it should not be construed to be limited thereto.
REFERENCE EXAMPLE
(1) Allyl alcohol (150 g, 2.58 mols) and an ion exchange resin (IRA-400, trade name of a strongly basic anion exchange resin made by Rohm & Haas Company, U.S.A.) (25 g) were fed into a flask in N 2 current and the temperature was kept at 45° C., followed by dropwise adding acrylonitrile (125 g, 2.35 mols) over about 1 to 2 hours, thereafter agitating the mixture at 45° C. for about 8 to 9 hours, filtering off the resin and carrying out vacuum distrillation to obtain cyanoethyl allyl ether (196 g, 93°˜96° C./20 mmHg). Yield: 75%.
(2) Ethanol (350 ml), water (34.4 ml) and conc. sulfuric acid (200 ml) were fed into a flask, followed by dropwise adding cyanoethyl allyl ether (222 g, 2 mols) at room temperature over 30 minutes, thereafter agitating the mixture at a reaction temperature of 100°˜110° C. for about 7 hours, pouring the reaction fluid into water, extracting it with isopropyl ether, washing the extract solution with 5% NaHCO 3 aqueous solution till the extract solution became neutral, drying over MgSO 4 , and subjecting the extract solution to vacuum distillation to obtain 2-allyloxypropionic acid ethyl ester (147.2 g, 94° C./18 mmHg). Yield: 46%.
(3) 2-Allyloxypropionic acid ethyl ester (147.2 g, 0.93 mol), water (300 ml) and NaOH (44.7 g) were fed into a flask, followed by agitating the mixture for about 5 to 6 hours while the reaction temperature was kept at about 60° C., thereafter dropwise adding conc. hydrochloric acid (90 ml) under ice cooling, extracting the resulting deposited oily substance with isopropyl ether, drying over MgSO 4 and carrying out vacuum distillation to obtain 2-allyloxypropionic acid (95.7 g, 108° C./5 mmHg). Yield: 79%.
The thus obtained 2-allyloxypropionic acid (170.2 g, 1.31 mol) was fed into a flask, followed by dropwise adding hexamethyldisiloxane (128.8 g, 0.8 mol) in N 2 current at room temperature over one hour, thereafter raising the reaction temperature to 80° C., then agitating the mixture for about 3 hours, and carrying out vacuum distillation to obtain 2-allyloxypropionic acid trimethylsilyl ester (IVc) (231.4 g). Yield: 87.5%.
EXAMPLE 1
2-Allyloxypropionic acid trimethylsilyl ester (65.5 g, 0.32 mol) obtained in the above Reference example, and a solution of chloroplatinic acid in isopropanol (0.042 mol; chloroplatinic acid 1 g/20 ml) were fed into a flask in N 2 current, followed by raising the temperature to 100° C., thereafter dropwise adding pentamethyldisiloxane (40 g, 0.27 mol) with stirring over 30 minutes, then further carrying out reaction at 100° C. for 2 hours, and subjecting the resulting reaction mixture solution to vacuum distillation to obtain a colorless, transparent liquid having a b.p. of 120° C./1 mmHg (77.9 g, yield 82.4%). This product was confirmed to be a silicon compound having the following structural formula, from the following analytical results: ##STR8##
H--NMR(C 2 H 4 ): δ 0.06 (Si--CH 3 , s, 15H); 0.3(--CO 2 SiMe 3 , s, 9H); 0.56(--CH 2 --Si, m, 2H); 1.56(--CH 2 --, m, 2H); 2.5(--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz); 3.3(--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz); 3.6(--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz).
IR(KBr): νmax 2960cm -1 (C--H); 1740cm -1 (C═O); 1120˜1050cm -1 (Si--O).
MSm/e: 350(M + ).
Next, the thus obtained compound (77.9 g, 0.23 mol) and methanol (100 ml) were fed into a flask, followed by agitating the mixture at room temperature for about 2˜3 hours and subjecting the resulting reaction fluid to vacuum distillation to obtain a colorless, transparent liquid having a b.p. of 150° C./1 mmHg (61 g, yield: quantitative). This product was confirmed to be an oxyethylenecarboxylic acid-modified compound having the following structural formula, from the following analytical results. ##STR9##
H--NMR(C 2 Cl 4 ): δ 0.06(Si--CH 3 , s, 15H); 0.56(--CH 2 --Si, m, 2H); 1.6(--CH 2 --, m, 2H); 2.5(--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz); 3.3(--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz); 3.6(--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz); 11.6(--CO 2 H, s, 1H).
IR(KBr): νmax 3050(CO 2 H); 2960cm -1 (C--H); 1740cm -1 (C═O); 1120˜1050cm -1 (Si--O).
MSm/e: 278(M + ).
This product was stable without causing any ring closure reaction in the vicinity of 150° C.
EXAMPLE 2
2-Allyloxypropionic acid trimethylsilyl ester (40.2 g, 0.2 mol) was reacted with a siloxane polymer containing H atom at both the ends thereof (Mn 1,100, H equivalent 547) in the same manner as in Example 1, followed by distilling off unreacted raw materials and a low boiling substance from the reaction mixture fluid under a reduced pressure (150° C./1 mmHg) for 2 hours, and washing the residual fluid with water till the residual fluid became neutral to obtain a colorless, transparent liquid (111.6 g). This product was confirmed to be an oxyethylenecarboxylic acid-modified silicone having the following structural formula, from the following analytical results: ##STR10##
IR(KBR): νmax 3100(CO 2 H); 3000˜2950(C--H); 1740(C═O); 1125˜1060(Si--O).
Carboxylic acid equivalent: 672 (theoretical value 677)
Mn: 1344 (calculated from carboxylic acid equivalent) Side chain signals were confirmed according to H-NMR:
δ 0.56(--CH 2 --Si, m, 2H); 1.6(--CH 2 --, m, 2H); 2.5(--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz); 3.3(--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz); 3.3(--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz).
EXAMPLE 3
Reaction was carried out in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the above siloxane polymer containing H atom at both the ends thereof was replaced by a siloxane polymer containing pendant type H atom (41.9 g, Mn 5300, H equivalent 252) to obtain a colorless, transparent liquid (61.6 g). This product was confirmed to be an oxyethylenecarboxylic acid-modified silicone having the following structural formula, from the following analytical results: ##STR11##
IR(KBr): νmax 3110(CO 2 H); 3000˜2950(C--H); 1740(C═O); 1125˜1050(Si--O).
Carboxylic acid equivalent: 390 (theoretical value 382).
Mn: ≈7800 (calculated from GPC).
l: ≈55, m:≈20 (calculated from GPC, H equivalent and infrared absorption spectra).
Side chain signals were confirmed according to H-NMR:
δ 0.56 (--CH 2 --Si, m, 2H); 1.6 (--CH 2 --, m, 2H); 2.5 (--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz); 3.3 (--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz); 3.3 (--CH 2 --, t, 2H, J=6 Hz).
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A novel carboxyl group-containing siloxane compound, whether its molecular weight is low or high, having a superior heat stability, and useful as emulsifying agent, surface modifier for inorganic materials, etc. is provided, which compound is expressed by the general formula ##STR1## wherein R represents an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R 1 represents R or R 2 ; R 2 represents CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 --OCH 2 CH 2 ) n COOH; n is an integer of 1 or more; l is an integer of 0 or more; m is an integer of 0 or more; l+m is an integer of 1 or more; and R 1 represents R 2 in the case of m=0.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to Russian Patent Application No. 2014108943, filed on Mar. 7, 2014, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/979,895, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to the field of medicine and, in some embodiments, to plastic and reconstructive surgery, and is intended for broad application in surgery on patients suffering from diseases and injuries involving a deficiency of soft tissue.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern methods of soft tissue reconstruction call for the simultaneous use of materials that frequently have several incompatible properties. For example, in treating ventral hernia through the intra-peritoneal on-lay mesh method (laparoscopic IPOM), the synthetic implant material should ensure anti-adhesion on the visceral side (facing the internal organs). On the parietal side (facing the abdominal wall) it is desirable to ensure the tissue's controllable integration into the implant. The growing tissues should not shrink or crimple the implant in the distant post-operation period. At the same time, the tissue integration should reliably secure it to the abdominal wall tissue.
The porous structure of the implant surface should also meet criteria. For instance, macrophage cells and neutrophiles, killers of bacteria, are unable to penetrate fine pores measuring less than 10 μm. This enables the bacteria, smaller than 1 μm, to form colonies in pores measuring less than 10 μm and in spaces of multi-filament meshes, which causes a risk of infection. Therefore it is desirable for the implant to have a structure in which the pores and gaps in the mesh plexus nodes would not be below 75 μm. See C N Brown, J G Finch “Which mesh for hernia repair?”, Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2010 May, available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025220/. It is desirable that the synthetic implant should have a minimum tissue response and be strong and elastic enough for clinical applications. It is desirable that the implant should be able to be sutured or fastened with a surgical stapler. The strength of the implant should be commensurable to the stress sustained by the abdominal wall during coughing, jumping, etc. (e.g., tensile strength up to 32 N/cm). At the same time, the implant should feature elasticity close to that of the abdominal wall (e.g., up to 38% at the maximum stress).
The task of creating such an implant has not been fulfilled since the implants known to date do not provide all of the desired capabilities.
Currently available implants contain layers of different non-absorbable materials fastened together by some means. In most cases, the layer that ensures integration of the abdominal wall tissues is a polypropylene or polyester mesh whilst the layer that provides the anti-adhesive barrier is made from polytetrafluoroethylene or, for instance, collagen. Such designs are described in the following patents and publications: U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,124 titled “Prosthetic repair fabric”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,595 titled “Method of repairing inguinal hernias”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,917 titled “Prosthesis for the repair of soft tissue defects”, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20020052654 titled “Prosthetic repair fabric”, U.S. Pat. No. 8,206,632 titled “Method of making composite prosthetic devices having improved bond strength”, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,623,096 titled “Double layer surgical prosthesis to repair soft tissue,” the entirety of each is hereby incorporated by reference.
Implants are available that are essentially in the form of a mesh from a stable strong material (polypropylene, polyester or other) coated with a temporary absorbable anti-adhesive material. The mesh is designed for soft tissues to grow into it whilst the absorbable layer, separating the mesh from visceral tissues, creates a temporary anti-adhesive barrier promoting the formation of peritoneum and minimizing the probability of union with the mesh during the wound healing. Following the biological degradation of the barrier, the mesh integrates into the abdominal wall tissue.
Such designs are described in the following, publications: U.S. Patent Publication No. 20130317527 titled “Single plane tissue repair patch having a locating structure”, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20130267971 titled “Single plane tissue repair patch”, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 20130267970 titled “Single plane tissue repair patch,” the entirety of each is hereby incorporated by reference. An example of commercial use of such a design is an implant under the trade name of PHYSIOMESH manufactured by ETHICON, Inc.
All these implants feature strength that ensures a high restorative effect and are fit for suture-aided fixation, but are disadvantageous in some aspects.
By virtue of its micro-porous structure, polytetrafluoroethylene mollifies the gravity and reduces the commissural side effects of the healing process, but does not altogether eliminate them. The use of collagen implies a high risk of a tissue rejection, allergic response or infection.
Another disadvantage is the shrinkage of the implant, which is specific to materials known to date (polypropylene, polyester). Growing through the mesh, the organism tissues contribute to its extra shrinkage and wrinkling, which negatively impacts the quality of the patient's life.
It is not recommended to introduce implants coated with a temporary absorbable anti-adhesive material in the event of a casual or scheduled opening of the digestive tract lumen or in the event of infection of the site since this may result in the infection of the implant itself, as its absorbable material promotes colonization of microorganisms, which may trigger a post-operative pyoinflammatory process.
These implants have either a mesh-like or porous structure, which ensures integration of the abdominal wall tissues, but makes it impossible to control the size of the mesh pore and cell. The material structure is usually determined by the range of pore and cell size. In woven materials the mesh weave areas are inaccessible during sterilization and are potentially a place of microbial contamination and a site of bacterial infection.
All these factors may restrict the use of implants in various clinical cases.
SUMMARY
For purposes of summarizing the disclosure, certain aspects, advantages and novel features of the disclosure have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages can be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment disclosed herein. Thus, the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as can be taught or suggested herein.
The aim of certain embodiments of this invention is to provide a new implant, method of manufacture and method of use that addresses, reduces, or eliminates one or more of the above said disadvantages and/or fulfills one or more of the desired capabilities mentioned above.
In some embodiments, this task is fulfilled by creating a multi-purpose implant for reconstructing soft tissues, e.g., an implant in which the anti-adhesive properties or control over its integration is determined by the preset surface structure whilst physical and mechanical properties, such as strength and elasticity of the implant, are obtained not by changing the implant's chemical composition, but by virtue of reinforcement element geometry. The multi-purpose implant can be useful in different areas of surgery in operative treatment involving soft tissue deficiency. Embodiments of the disclosed implant are not limited to reconstruction of soft tissue and can be used in any surgical application, including plastic and reconstructive surgery. For instance, disclosed, embodiments can be used for hernia repair, neurosurgery, oncology, and others uses.
In some embodiments, the implant is presented in the form of an elastic polymer film (or a patch) from hydrophobic spatially linked (or spatially sutured) polymer based on the methacrylic row oligomers and monomers or any other biologically compatible polymer. The implant also includes a reinforcement element from a polyurethane mesh or other strong and stable woven or unwoven synthetic material. In some embodiments, the reinforcement (or armored) element is fully enclosed by the film so that only the spatially sutured polymer comes into contact with the organs and tissues. Depending on the clinical application and goals, the surface area of the reinforcement element can match the surface area of the film and the reinforcement element can be enclosed by the film. In other embodiments, the reinforcement element can be cut into separate segments, which can be enclosed by the film, and the aggregate surface area of the segments of the reinforcement element can be smaller than the surface area of the film. The reinforcement element can be non-degradable.
In some embodiments, the surface structure of the spatially sewn or sutured polymer is not porous and is preset during manufacture in compliance with the prospective clinical application. In case two or one surface or any area on the implant surface serves as an anti-adhesive barrier, then a high level of smoothness is set during manufacture. For example, the surface roughness may not exceed about 50 nanometers, such as be between about 5 and about 20 nanometers. At least the smooth surface can be nonporous so as to prevent or minimize the risk of creating undesired tissue formations (or spikes). The surface of an implant can be inert in order to decrease the reaction of the tissues to the implant. In order to achieve this, the polymer may undergo additional procedure of blocking of free radicals, for example by means of processing of a surface of isopropyl alcohol. Such a level of smoothness prevents the commissure formation (e.g., tunica growth and adhesion, radicular-muscular accretion, etc.) and enables the tissues, contacting with this surface, to move and slide freely.
The production process can exclude the generation of free radicals, which minimizes the triggering of a tissue response.
In some embodiments, where it is desirable for two surfaces or one surface or any area on the implant surface to ensure a strong fixation with adjacent tissues, then the surface is formed as an embossed blind-ended (or not open-ended) pattern or a certain surface roughness is preset. For instance, the surface roughness may be not less than about 10 microns, not more than about 50 microns, etc. The embossed pattern can be made in the form of a mesh, cells, characters, letters, number, and various figures with a preset shape, size and depth. In the post-operative period the adjacent tissues can grow into the cells of this embossed pattern without penetrating the polymer. Thus, in some embodiments, in the post-operative period the tissues that have grown into the tissue cells are unable to shrink, wrinkle, or destroy the implant.
In some embodiments, creation of a surface structure with controllable size, depth and shape of cells makes it possible to control the tissue growth, prevent shrinkage, and avoid infection. Due at least in part to the size and depth of the pores on the surface intended for integration into the tissue, controlled growth of tissue cells and integration of the implant into the body can be achieved, while shrinkage and infection of the pores can be avoided. Research has proven the need for controlling the surface structure of implants used for soft tissue reconstruction, as is described, for instance, in the article “Which mesh for hernia repair?” by C N Brown, J G Finch, published in Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2010 May (available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025220/), the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
In some embodiments, the reinforcement element may be woven or unwoven, and of different thickness (for instance, 20-50 microns). The reinforcement element can include synthetic material. It can be made from polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinylidene fluoride, or a combination of these materials. The reinforcement element can be fully or partially included in the implant all over its area. In places where the reinforcement element is missing, the polymer film can be continuous (or unbroken) or mesh-like or contain holes, such as through holes, of different size and shape. When the size (or surface area) of the reinforcement element matches the size of the implant, the film can have mesh surface or include holes, such as through holes, of different size and shape
In some embodiments, the reinforcement element makes it possible to suture and fasten the tissues by a surgical stapler using an elastic polymer film whilst the partial reinforcement of the polymer film enables controlling the implant's physical and mechanical capabilities without changing the polymer's chemical composition, i.e. allows presetting a certain elasticity (radial stretch percentage), strength, and a possibility of suturing in compliance with the clinical application. Some embodiments achieve controlling the strength of the implant and the extent of its stretching not by changing the polymer composition, but by maintaining the geometry, size, and density of the reinforcement element. For example, the strength of the implant can depend at least on the thickness of the reinforcement element.
In some embodiments, the implant can be manufactured by polymerization in molds, in which their surface can be super-smooth (for instance, not more than 50 nanometers) or with a preset topography (embossed pattern). The manufacturing process may use any available polymerization method, such as photopolymerization, thermal polymerization and others. As an example, disclosed embodiments are an improvement over the embodiments described in European Patent Publication No. EP 2644348 titled “A method of manufacturing an artificial elastic implant for restorative and reconstructive surgery,” which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Embodiments of the implants, methods and other features described in EP 2644348 may also be applied to embodiments described in this application.
In some embodiments, a multi-purpose surgical implant for reconstruction of soft tissues includes an outer surface having an elastic film formed from a biologically compatible polymer and a reinforcement element enclosed by the elastic film.
The implant of the preceding paragraph may also include any combination of the following features described in this paragraph, among others described herein. The reinforcement element may not contact body organs and tissue during implantation. The biologically compatible polymer can include spatially linked polymer based on methacrylic row oligomers and monomers. The reinforcement element can have a thickness and shape adapted for controlled integration into a body. The surface area of the reinforcement element can be substantially the same as a surface area of the elastic film. The implant can include a plurality of through holes of different size and shape.
The implant of the preceding paragraphs may also include any combination of the following features described in this paragraph, among others described herein. The surface area of the reinforcement element can be smaller than a surface area of the elastic film. One or more regions of the film that do not enclose the reinforcement element can have a mesh surface or include a plurality of through holes of different size and shape. One or more regions of the film that that do not enclose the reinforcement element can be unbroken.
The implant of the preceding paragraphs may also include any combination of the following features described in this paragraph, among others described herein. The reinforcement element can include woven synthetic material configured to stabilize and strengthen the implant. The reinforcement element can include unwoven synthetic material configured to stabilize and strengthen the implant. The reinforcement element can include at least one of polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyvinylidene fluoride. The outer surface can include a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, and at least one of the first and second surfaces can be substantially smooth and non-porous. The at least one of the first and second suffices can have a roughness that does not exceed about 50 nanometers. The outer surface can be processed so as to block free radicals, thereby decreasing a risk of tissue reaction. The outer surface can be treated with isopropyl alcohol.
The implant of the preceding paragraphs may also include any combination of the following features described in this paragraph, among others described herein. The outer surface can include a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, and at least one of the first and second surfaces can include an embossed pattern configured to facilitate fixation with adjacent tissue. The embossed pattern can have a roughness of not more than about 50 microns. The embossed pattern can include at least one of mesh, numbers, and letters.
In some embodiments, a surgical implant includes a non-degradable reinforcement element at least partially enclosed in a polymer film, the film including spatially linked polymer obtained by photopolymerization of methacrylic oligomers and monomers. Photopolymerization can be thermal polymerization.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present application will now be described hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate a top view, a profile view and a perspective view, respectively, of an implant according to some embodiments.
FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate a top view, a profile view and a perspective view, respectively, of another implant according to some embodiments.
FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate a top view, a profile view and a perspective view, respectively, of another implant according to some embodiments.
FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a top view, a profile view and a perspective view, respectively, of another implant according to some embodiments.
FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate a top view, a profile view and a perspective view, respectively, of another implant according to some embodiments.
FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate a top view, a profile view and a perspective view, respectively, of another implant according to some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
While certain embodiments are described, these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and are riot intended to limit the scope of protection. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the scope of protection.
FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate an implant according to some embodiments. The implant of FIGS. 1A-1C is illustrated having a square shape, but it will be appreciated that this and other implants may have any desired shape. The illustrated implant has a profile section with a reinforcement element ( 1 ) covered with the film across the entire surface area of the element. The illustrated implant has both surfaces ( 2 ) that are smooth. The drawing in the FIG. 1A schematically illustrates the implant, while the drawing in FIG. 1C depicts a manufactured implant.
FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate an implant according to some embodiments. The illustrated implant has a profile section with a reinforcement element ( 1 ) covered with the film across the entire surface area of the element. The illustrated implant has one surface ( 3 ) that is smooth, while the other surface ( 4 ) is textured or embossed, The smooth surface ( 3 ) can be anti-adhesive so as to minimize tissue adhesion, while the textured surface can promote adhesion and integration into the tissue. The drawing in FIG. 2A schematically illustrates the implant, while the drawing in FIG. 2C depicts a manufactured implant.
The embossed surface ( 4 ) can include a pattern of a preset size, depth and cell (or pore) shape. For example, the pattern can include cells measuring about 75 μm (microns) by about 75 μm and be about 50 μm deep. As another example, the cells can measure about 75 μm in diameter and be about 50 μm deep. The cells can have circular, rectangular, hexagonal, or any other suitable shape and can be of any suitable size. The pattern may include cells of more than size and shape. For example, the embossed pattern can be in the form of a mesh, numbers, letters or their combination. The embossed pattern can be regular (e.g., not open-ended). The embossed surface can facilitate fixation to adjacent tissue.
FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an implant according to some embodiments. The illustrated implant has a profile section with a reinforcement element ( 1 ) covered with the film across the entire surface area of the element. The illustrated implant has both surfaces ( 5 ) that are textured or embossed. The drawing in FIG. 3A schematically illustrates the implant, while the drawing in FIG. 3C depicts a manufactured implant.
FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate an implant according to some embodiments. The illustrated implant has a profile section with a reinforcement element ( 1 ) covered with the film across the entire surface area of the element. The illustrated implant has one surface ( 6 ) that is smooth, while the other surface ( 7 ) is textured or embossed. The pattern of the textured surface is a pattern of hexagons regularly repeated over the entire surface. The drawing in FIG. 4A schematically illustrates the implant, while the drawing in FIG. 4C depicts a manufactured implant. The textured surface ( 7 ) is illustrated by the drawings in FIGS. 4A and 4C .
In some embodiments, the reinforcement element can cover or be embedded in less than the entire surface area of the implant. For example, the implant can include one or more reinforcement element sections. Sections of the reinforcement element can have any suitable shape, such as square, rectangular, circular and radial strip shape. In some embodiments, sections of the reinforcement element can be covered with film on both sides, with the film covering not only synthetic material but also portions extending between sections of the reinforcement element. The film may have the same texture as sections of the implant that do not include the reinforcement element inside the film. In other embodiments, sections of the reinforcement element can be covered with film having different smoothness or texture as sections of the implant that do not include the reinforcement element inside the film. For example, sections of the reinforcement element can be covered with smooth film while other sections of the implant that do not include the reinforcement element have textured film.
FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate an implant according to some embodiments. The illustrated implant has a profile section with a reinforcement element ( 1 ) not covering or being embedded within the entire surface area of the implant. In the illustrated implant, the reinforcement element forms radial rays (or strips) extending from the center of the circle, and the reinforcement element also extends along the periphery of the circle. The reinforcement element can be covered by a polymer film (illustrated as having a circular shape) on both sides. The polymer film may have the same or different texture than the texture of the film in the sections (illustrated as sectors) not having the reinforcement element inside the film. For example, the reinforcement element can be covered with smooth film while other sections having no underlying reinforcement element may have textured film (e.g., such sections may have partially mesh-like texture). The reinforcement element can be cut into desired shapes (e.g., strips and circle) using laser cutting. The drawing in FIG. 5A schematically illustrates the implant, while the drawing in FIG. 5C depicts a manufactured implant. The drawing in FIG. 5C illustrates the textured and smooth surfaces of the implant.
FIGS. 6A-6C illustrates an implant according to some embodiments. The illustrated implant has a profile section with a surface area of a reinforcement element ( 1 ) being smaller than the surface area of the implant. In the illustrated implant, the reinforcement element forms radial rays (or strips) extending from the center of the circle, and the reinforcement element also extends along the periphery of the circle (e.g., extends circumferentially). The reinforcement element can be covered by a polymer film (illustrated as having a circular shape) on both sides. The film on opposite sides may have the same or different characteristics. One surface ( 8 ) of the implant on one side of the reinforcement element can be smooth, while the other surface ( 9 ) on the other side of the reinforcement element can be textured or embossed. The drawing in FIG. 6A schematically illustrates the implant, while the drawing in FIG. 6C depicts a manufactured implant. The drawing in FIG. 6C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the implant and depicts the reinforcement element having radial rays sections extending from the center and a section extending along the periphery of the implant.
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an artificial elastic implant for restorative and reconstructive surgery, comprising two casting steps performed in a casting mold ( 2 , 3 ). The mold has at least a cover ( 1 ) that is optically and UV transparent. In a first step, a first layer of a first photo-curable material or of a second photo-curable material is cast while forming a meniscus ( 4 ). Using one of two photo masks ( 5 ), the mold is irradiated with UV light to cure the first layer. In a second step, a second layer of either the first or the second photo-curable material is cast onto the cured first layer while forming a meniscus. After irradiating the mold again with ultraviolet light, unhardened photo-curable material is removed from the product by dissolving in a suitable solvent. After additionally irradiating the product with UV light, the product is soaked, separated from the mold, placed in isopropyl alcohol for 3 to 24 hours and then vacuum dried.
The first photo-curable material is a composition comprising:
25-40 wt.-% benzyl methacrylate 50-70 wt.-% oligourethane methacrylate 1-5 wt.-% methacrylic acid 1-5 wt.-% octyl methacrylate.
The second photo-curable material is a composition comprising:
20-30 wt.-% phenoxyethyl methacrylate 20-30 wt.-% oligourethane methacrylate 1000 F 35-45 wt.-% oligourethane methacrylate 5000 F 1-5 wt.-% methacrylic acid 1-5 wt.-% ethylene glycol monomethacrylate.
The technical problem to be solved by the invention consists in developing a method that allows to produce an implant, which has high elasticity and minimal impact on the surrounding organs and tissues, which has a high biological stability and providing for areactivity in the post-operative period. The method should also allow producing implants having a uniform surface, either smooth or structured, as well as implants having different partial surfaces, like one smooth and one structured.
This technical problem is solved by a method in accordance with claim 1 .
Most of the ingredients used in the method of this invention are commercially available chemicals well-known to the skilled person in the field of polymers. For the oligourethans the following structures apply:
Oligourethane methacrylate 1000 F of the following structure:
Oligourethane methacrylate 5000 F of the following structure:
The casting mold, at least the cover, is made from a material which is transparent for visible light as well as UV light in the spectral region needed for photo polymerization. Suitable materials are
UV transparent glass, plastic. The cover can accommodate the photomask into a suitable cavity. The base and the limiting ring can as well be made from other materials like metal, ceramics, plastic. In the present method the mold is not completely filled by the photo polymerizable material. Moreover the material forms a meniscus in its upper region. A meniscus is a free surface of liquid, the shape of which forms under the influence of gravity and the surface energies of the surfaces involved. The surface of the meniscus will remain very smooth during first curing.
It should be noted, that pouring on the material takes place before the limiting ring is being placed on to the base. That means that the amount of photo polymerizable material must be small enough to avoid the material flowing to the rim of the base and from there down.
The photomask is either the first photomask defining the outer geometrical dimensions of the product to be formed, for example a circular, elliptical or square shape, or the second photomask, which on irradiation forms the structure on the surface of the product and is in the form of numbers, letters, meshes, shapes corresponding to the embossed pattern on the surface of the formed product.
After closing the mold it is irradiated with UV light suitable to photo-cure the material. In this first irradiation it is intended to cure the material all the way from top to bottom of the layer. After irradiation the cover and limiting ring are removed and again photo polymerizable material is being poured onto the object just formed, again while forming a meniscus. The mold is again closed and irradiated. This time the photomask is the stencil for the intended surface structure of the product. This may for example be a pattern of shallow dimples or narrow ribs which are to improve the adherence of growing tissue after implantation. It may also be in the form of numbers, letters, meshes, shapes corresponding to the embossed pattern on the surface of the formed product Alternately the first photomask could be used as well in the second step.
After the mold has been opened, excess unhardened photocurable material is being removed by dissolving it in a suitable solvent. In this step the final shape of the product is determined. Suitable solvents include without being limited to, lower alcohols like ethanol, methanol, propanol, i-propanol, ketones like propanone, 4-methyl-pentan-2-one and butanone as well as mixture s of these.
In order to remove all residual monomers which are left in the cured material and could irritate surrounding tissue after implantation, a final UV exposure is now done, followed by soaking the product in hot water of 90 to 100° C. for at least 30 min.
Up to now the product was still adhered to the mold base. It is now separated from the base and placed in the closed container with Isopropanol at the temperature of between −22 and +12° C. for 3 to 24 hours. After vacuum drying the product is ready.
The formulation of the photocurable material is based upon acrylates and is as follows:
The first photo-curable material is a composition comprising
25-40 wt.-% benzyl methacrylate 50-70 wt.-% oligourethane methacrylate 1-5 wt.-% methacrylic acid 1-5 wt.-% octyl methacrylate.
The second photo-curable material is a composition comprising
20-30 wt.-% phenoxyethyl methacrylate 20-30 wt.-% oligourethane methacrylate 1000 F 35-45 wt.-% oligourethane methacrylate 5000 F 1-5 wt.-% methacrylic acid 1-5 wt.-% ethylene glycol monomethacrylate.
The optimal composition has to be determined by pretests.
The formulation advantageously contains other ingredients which are common in the field of photocurable materials. These are for example effective amounts of additives capable of initiation of radical polymerization, optical sensitization and/or inhibiting thermal polymerization, dyes or pigments, stabilizers, and the like. Examples are 3,5-di-t-butyl-o-quinone, azo-bis-isobutyronitrile, 3,5-di-t-butyl-o-quinone and/or 2,2-dimethoxyphenylacetophenone. [ 0022 ] The invention will be further explained by means of the accompanying drawings, which show specific embodiments of the mold used.
An exemplary mold consists of a base, a cover, and the limiting ring. The upper part of the mold is equipped with a photomask, which is protected by PET-film. A photocurable material is poured onto the base and forms the meniscus on its upper surface.
To manufacture elastic artificial implants for restorative and reconstructive surgery, a casting mold is used consisting of two parts made e.g. of optically transparent material such as glass.
Onto the lower part of the mold the first photo-curable material is poured, consisting of:
benzyl methacrylate—31.68 wt. %; methacrylic acid—1.97 wt. %; octyl methacrylate—1.97 wt. %; dinitrilazo-bis-isobutyric acid—0.005 wt. %; 2,2-dimethoxy-phenylacetophenone—0.88 wt. %; 3,5-di-t-butyl-o-quinone—0.01 wt. %; inorganic pigment ultramarine 463—1.0 wt. %; oligourethane methacrylate—the rest,
with the formation of the upper meniscus. The base is covered with the upper part of the mold, in which the limiting ring and the photo-mask corresponding to the outer geometrical dimensions of the product to be formed and protected by the PET-film are fixed to the cover. The two parts of the mold are firmly pressed together and irradiated with UV light, the wave length being 360-380 nm, all over the entire surface of the upper part of the mold. The irradiation time is determined empirically so that the curing of the photosensitive composition takes place all the way through the depth of the layer. Then the parts of the mold are separated and onto the lower part of the mold with the layer that has just been formed, the second liquid photosensitive material is poured forming the meniscus, the composition of the second material being:
oligourethane methacrylate 1000 F—25.8 wt. %, phenoxyethyl methacrylate—25.6 wt. %, methacrylic acid—4.46 wt. %, mono methacrylic ethylene glycol ether—4.46 wt. %, dinitrilazo-bis-isobutyric acid—0.005 wt. %, 2,2-dimethoxy-phenylacetophenone—0.775 wt. %, 3,5-di-t-butyl-o-quinone—0.01 wt. %, oligourethane methacrylate 5000 F—the rest.
The base is covered with the upper part of the mold on which are fixed the limiting ring and the photo-mask having transparent and opaque areas in the form of numbers, letters, meshes, shapes corresponding to the embossed pattern formed on the surface of the product, protected by PET-film. The two parts of the mold are then firmly pressed together and the mold is irradiated all over the entire surface of the upper part of the mold. Then the mold parts are separated. The product stays on the base of the mold with the remnants of the uncured liquid material that during the time of irradiation was under the opaque areas of the photo-mask. The product is carefully developed in a suitable solvent such as isopropyl alcohol, then the resulting product, without separating it from the mold, is additionally irradiated with UV light for 3-10 minutes in bi-distilled water at T=40-60° C. Then the mold is additionally placed into a container with bi-distilled water and is soaked for 30-45 minutes at a constant T=100° C. Next, the product is separated from the mold and placed in a closed container with isopropyl alcohol for 3-24 hours at the temperature of −20 C to +12° C., after which the product undergoes a thermal vacuum drying at 40-70° C. for 1-6 hours.
This way it is possible to make implants that have two types of surfaces different in structure ( FIG. 5 ): a smooth lower surface, which was in contact with the surface of the base, and a structured surface created by irradiation through the corresponding photomask. This letter surface will after implantation grow together with the adjacent tissue. This smooth surface will not grow together with the tissue and will remain movable. Thus generation of stress around the implant is avoided. In another embodiment of the method of the invention it is possible to provide both surfaces with structure or even both surfaces without the surface structure.
The following working examples and application tests are a further illustration of the method of the invention:
EXAMPLE 1
To manufacture elastic artificial implants for restorative and reconstructive surgery a casting mold is used consisting of two parts made of glass ( FIG. 1 ).
Onto the lower part 2 of the mold a first light-sensitive material 4 (number 1 ) is poured, consisting of:
benzyl methacrylate 31.68 wt. %; methacrylic acid 1.97 wt. %; octyl methacrylate 1.97 wt. %; dinitrilazo-bis-isobutyric acid 0.005 wt. %; 2,2-dimethoxy-phenylacetophenone 0.88 wt. %; 3,5-di-t-butyl-o-quinone 0.01 wt. %; inorganic pigment ultramarine 463 1.0 wt. %; oligourethane methacrylate the rest,
whereby an upper meniscus is formed ( FIG. 2 ). The lower part of the mold with the first light sensitive material is covered with the upper part of the mold on which are fixed the limiting ring 3 and the photo-mask 5 , which corresponds to the outer geometrical dimensions of the product to be formed and which is protected by the PET-film 6 ( FIG. 3 ). The two parts of the mold are firmly pressed together and irradiated with UV light of a wave length between ·=360-380 nm, all over the entire surface of the upper part of the mold. The irradiation time is determined empirically so that the curing of the photosensitive composition takes place all the way through the depth of the layer. Then the parts of the mold are separated and onto the lower part of the mold with a layer that has just been formed, a second liquid photosensitive material number 2 is poured together with the meniscus. This second material has the following composition:
oligourethane methacrylate 1000 F 25.8 wt. %; phenoxyethyl methacrylate 25.6 wt. %; methacrylic acid 4.46 wt. %; mono methacrylic ethilene glycol ether 4.46 wt. %; dinitrilazo-bis-isobutyric acid 0.005 wt. %; 2,2-dimethoxy-phenylacetophenone 0.775 wt. %; 3,5-di-t-butyl-o-quinone 0.01 wt. %; oligourethane methacrylate 5000 F the rest.
The lower part 2 of the mold is covered with the upper path on which are fixed the limiting ring 3 and the photo-mask 5 ( FIG. 4 ) having transparent and opaque areas in the form of numbers, letters, meshes, shapes corresponding to the embossed pattern formed on the surface of the product to be formed, and which is protected by PET-film. The two parts of the mold are then firmly pressed together and the mold is irradiated all over the entire surface of the upper part of the mold. Then the mold parts are separated. The product stays on the lower part of the mold with the remnants of the uncured liquid material that during the time of irradiation was under the opaque areas of the photo-mask. The product is carefully developed in isopropyl alcohol, then the resulting product, without separating it from the mold, is additionally irradiated with UV light for 3-10 min. in bidistilled water at T=40-60° C. Then the mold with the product is again placed into a container with bidistilled water and is soaked for 30-45 minutes at a constant T=100° C. Next, the product is separated from the mold and placed in a closed container with isopropyl alcohol for 3-24 hours at the temperature of −20 C to +12° C., after which the product undergoes a thermal vacuum drying at 40-70 ° C. for 1-6 hours. In this way an implant is produced, that has two types of surfaces different in structure ( FIG. 5 ), so the implant does not move on its one side and can move freely on its other side, sliding on the tissues. Such an implant can be used, for instance, in neurosurgery of the brain or spinal cord to reduce the trauma of the tissues and to provide for an areactive postoperative period.
Patient Z., female, born 1947, admitted to hospital Jan. 25, 2008 MLPU “City Clinical Hospital No 39” of the city of Nizhny Novgorod, with a diagnosis of meningeoma in the left frontal region. 29 Jan. 2008 the patient underwent resection craniotomy, the meningeoma was removed. As a result of the removal of the tumor originating from the dura mater, a 3×3 cm defect of the dura mater was formed. The plasty of the defect was performed using plastic implants for the dura mater plastic defects. The postoperative period went without complications. 13 Feb. 2008 the patient was discharged to outpatient treatment.
EXAMPLE 2
An artificial elastic implant for restorative and reconstructive surgery is made as in Example 1, but, before the developing takes place, onto the lower part of the mold with the layer that has just been formed, the liquid photosensitive material number 1 is poured to form a meniscus. In this way an implant is produced, which has surfaces different in structure but identical in elasticity ( FIG. 5 ); such an implant can be used, for instance, for complicated neurosurgical interventions on the brain—in case of swelling or dislocation to reduce the trauma of tissues and to provide for areactivity in the post-operative period.
Patient K., male, age 43 was hit by a car Oct. 4, 2008 and admitted to MLPU “City Clinical Hospital No 39.” The MR-tomograms of the patient revealed an acute subdural hematoma in the right fronto-temporo-parietal region, causing a 4 mm dislocation of the brain to the left. Oct. 5, 2008 the patient underwent resection craniotomy in the right temporo-parietal region, and the removal of acute subdural hematoma. After the removal of the subdural hematoma, the brain spread out into the burr window, which formed a TMO defect. Plasty using the implant in question was performed. In the immediate postoperative period the patient's condition slightly improved: the restoration of consciousness to a deep stunning. But 8 days later the patient re-booted into the 1st stage coma. MR-tomography was done again. It revealed a delayed injury—a bruise and crush of the left temporal lobe, causing dislocation of midline structures to the right by 3 mm. Oct. 13, 2008 the patient was subjected to decompressive craniotomy in the left temporo-parietal region, removing the source of injury—a bruise and crush of the left temporal lobe. Plasty of TMO using the implant in question was performed as well. The postoperative period was uneventful. The patient's condition gradually improved and on November 21 in a satisfactory condition he was discharged for outpatient treatment to a neurologist. In the neurological status moderate cognitive and mnestic violations were retained. Feb. 10, 2009 the patient was re-hospitalized for cranioplasty. February 14th the patient underwent Xeno-cranioplasty in both temporo-parietal regions. It should be noted that between the brain, the implant and the overlying soft tissues no scar adhesions had formed, due to which the surgery duration was decreased.
EXAMPLE 3
An artificial elastic implant for restorative and reconstructive surgery is made as in Example 1, but, before superimposing the upper part of the mold on the lower part of the mold, the liquid photosensitive material number 2 is poured to form the meniscus. This way we receive an implant that has surfaces different in structure but identical in elasticity ( FIG. 5 ): parietal that is intended for contacting with the abdominal wall, and visceral that is intended for contacting with the abdominal cavity, which allows to use it, for example, for reconstructive surgery of the abdominal wall by the intra-abdominal (intraperitoneal) plasty, to reduce the trauma of tissues and to provide for areactivity in the post-operative period.
EXAMPLE 4
An artificial elastic implant for restorative and reconstructive surgery is made as in Example 1, but, before superimposing the upper part of the mold on the lower part of the mold, liquid photosensitive material number 1 is poured together with the meniscus, then it is covered with the upper part of the mold on which are fixed the limiting ring and the photo-mask having transparent and opaque areas in the form of numbers, letters, meshes, shapes corresponding to the embossed pattern formed on the surface of the product, protected by PET-film, the two parts of the mold firmly pressed together, irradiated all over the entire surface of the upper part of the mold. This way we get an implant having a surface structure that could be penetrated by the connective tissues of the body; this implant can be used, for example, in the surgery of inguinal hernias according to the method of Lichtenstein, to reduce the trauma of tissues and to provide for areactivity in the post-operative period.
Patient S., male, age 52, admitted to MLPU “City Hospital No 35” 28 Oct. 2007 by emergency service. He was brought in by an emergency team with complaints of severe pain in the right inguinal region, repeated vomiting, the presence of a painful protrusion of the right groin. On examination, he was diagnosed with incarcerated inguinal-scrotal hernia on the right. Based on these emergency indications a surgery was performed—herniotomy using the above-described implant. Smooth post-operative period. Healing by first intention. Suppuration, seromas, infiltrates and fistula were not noted. Discharged in satisfactory condition on day 7. Examined in six weeks. The plasty zone was consistent. No signs of relapse of hernia. An ultrasound scan of the implantation area revealed no liquid formation. The implant was without signs of deformation or dislocation.
EXAMPLE 5
An artificial elastic implant for restorative and reconstructive surgery is made as in Example 1, but, before superimposing the upper part of the mold on the lower part of the mold, liquid photosensitive material number 2 is poured to form a meniscus, then it is covered with the upper part of the mold on which are fixed the limiting ring and the photo-mask having transparent and opaque areas in the form of numbers, letters, meshes, shapes corresponding to the embossed pattern formed on the surface of the product, protected by PIT-film, the two parts of the mold firmly pressed together, irradiated all over the entire surface of the upper part of the mold. This way we get an implant having a surface structure that could be penetrated by the connective tissues of the body; this implant can be used, for example, in the surgery of inguinal hernias according to the method of Trabucco, to reduce the trauma of tissues and to provide for areactivity in the post-operative period.
Patient B., male, age 57, was admitted on an emergency basis with severe pain in the left inguinal region. He reported that he had had a bilging in this area for many years, which of yesterday stopped going back into the abdomen and became acutely painful. When examined at MLPU “City Hospital No 35,” 28 Nov. 2007, he was diagnosed with incarcerated inguinal-scrotal hernia on the left. Based on these emergency indications a surgery was performed—herniotomy using the above-described implant. Postoperative period went without complications. Seromas, suppuration, infiltration in the area of operations was not observed. The wound healed by first intention. Discharged in a satisfactory condition on day 6.
EXAMPLE 6
An artificial elastic implant for restorative and reconstructive surgery is made as in Example 1, but after additional irradiation with UV light, the mold is additionally placed into a container of bi-distilled water at constant T=20° C. to soak for 30-45 minutes. Preclinical toxicity study of aqueous extract of the implant according to GOST R ISO 10993-11-2009 by ultraviolet spectroscopy showed the exceeding of the allowable values by 0.2 OP units (the maximum allowed OP value of the aqueous extract is 0.15). No clinical studies were conducted.
EXAMPLE 7
An artificial elastic implant for restorative and reconstructive surgery is made as in Example 1, but after additional irradiation with UV light, the mold is additionally is placed into a container of bi-distilled water at constant T=100° C. to soak for 3 minutes. Preclinical toxicity study of aqueous extract of the implant according to GOST R ISO 10993-11-2009 by ultraviolet spectroscopy showed the exceeding of the allowable values by 0.12 OP units (the maximum allowed OP value of the aqueous extract is 0.15). No clinical studies were conducted.
In all these examples 1, 2, 3, 4, where the parameters of the method of manufacturing the implant correspond to the invention formula, the implants have high elasticity, a minimal impact on the surrounding organs and tissues, have both the same types of surfaces and the surfaces that vary in texture and smoothness, are of high biological stability, provide for areactivity in the post-operative period. Deviations from the method that strictly follows the invention formula (Examples 6, 7) lead to the formation of the implant that does not have a low enough toxicity, which can have negative effects on living tissue.
Although the present disclosure includes certain embodiments, examples and applications, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof, including embodiments which do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein. For example, while FIGS. 1-6 depict embodiments that have square or circular shapes, implants may have any other suitable shape. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the specific disclosures of preferred embodiments herein, and may be defined by claims as presented herein or as presented in the future.
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Embodiments of a multi-purpose implant for use in surgery, such as for reconstruction of soft tissues, are disclosed. In some embodiments, the implant includes elastic polymer film made from a suitable biologically compatible polymer. The implant also includes a reinforcement element formed from a polyurethane mesh or other strong and stable woven or unwoven synthetic material. The reinforcement element can be fully enclosed by the film so that only the film comes into contact with the organs and tissues. Anti-adhesive properties or control over implant's integration into a body can be determined by the preset surface structure of the implant, while physical and mechanical properties, such as strength and elasticity of the implant, are obtained by virtue of reinforcement element geometry.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sewing machines having electromagnetic actuators directly coupled to the feed mechanism of the sewing machine have been known in the prior art. However, the electromagnetic actuators of such mechanisms were not readily controllable except for substantially an on-off type of actuation. Also, these mechanisms required a plurality of electromagnetic actuators to accomplish the various motions desired in a feed mechanism of a sewing machine, namely, forward and reverse motion as well as up and down motion of the feed dog. Since a plurality of electromagnetic actuators was required, the mechanisms were very cumbersome and required substantial space in the bed of the machine. Further, these mechanisms were relatively slow and were not commercially successful. Recently an electronic sewing machine has appeared on the market which includes an electrical reversible motor for regulating the feed mechanism but, in and of itself, does not directly drive any motion of the feed mechanism. Such a mechanism is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,745 issued to Philip F. Minalga on Oct. 5, 1976, and assigned to the same Assignee as the present invention. Insofar as applicants are aware, however, there is no known sewing mechine feed mechanism which is directly driven by a reversible electric motor, particularly of the rotary armature type, and which can be controlled by electronic logic means.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a prime purpose of the present invention to provide a novel feed mechanism for a sewing machine which is directly driven by a reversible electric motor which motor may be controlled by electronic logic means. The feed mechanism itself is very compact in nature and modular in form and is readily adaptable to so called flat bed or cylindrical bed sewing mechine frames. The feed path of the feed dog in the mechanism of the invention is substantially linear and has the ability to prevent feedback of forces to the feed mechanism control means, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. The reversible electric motor of the invention is preferably a permanent magnet D.C. motor of the type having a nonmagnetic armature disposed within a single air gap formed by peripherally mounted permanent magnets having oppositely polarized pole faces facing the axis of the armature. Such a motor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,876 issued on June 24, 1975 and assigned to the same Assignee as the present invention. These motors are characterized as being relatively small in size, light in weight and having a high torque-to-inertia ratio, long brush life and freedom from inherent electromagnetic interference. The motor preferably used herein will be more fully described hereinafter. Because of the characteristics of such a motor, it is adapted for relatively rapid reversal in direction of rotation and this characteristic is made use of for controlling the various reciprocating motions of the feed mechanism. Further, the motor is readily receptable to variable control signals as may be produced through logic circuitry, as for example, in the way of timed selectively reversible polarity to bring about rapid reversals in direction of the armature of such motor. Therefore, the motor is capable of variable outputs in accordance with logic input signals to produce variations in the feed output of the feed mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sewing machine with the frame thereof shown in phantom lines and including the necessary physical elements required for operating the needle and feed mechanism thereof;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the feed mechanism of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the bed of the sewing machine illustrated in FIG. 1 with portions thereof cut away to illustrate the mechanism; and
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the electronic control of the sewing machine of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated therein a sewing machine frame 10 comprising a bed portion 12 a standard 14 arising from the bed portion 12 and an overhanging arm portion 16. A needle mechanism comprising a needle bar 18 and a needle 20 are supported in the head end portion of the arm 16 for reciprocatory motion therein for penetrating a fabric fed across the surface of the bed 12 and carrying a thread therethrough for cooperation with a rotary loop taker 22 disposed beneath the bed (FIG. 3) such that the needle thread will be carried around a bobbin thread (not shown) for concatination therewith to form lock stitches in a well known manner. The needle bar 18 is driven in its reciprocatory manner by an armshaft 24 suitably connected thereto by an eccentric mechanism (not shown) in a well known manner. The armshaft 24 is suitably driven by an electric motor (not shown) also in a known manner which motor is connected to a bed shaft 26 by a timing belt or the like for driving the same in timed relation with the armshaft 24. The needle bar 18 is supported in a gate 28 which gate 28 is suitably supported for initiating lateral jogging movement of the needle bar 18 to form ornamental stitches such as zig-zag stitches or the like.
In order to initiate lateral movement of the gate 28, a reversible electric motor such as a linear actuator of the like shown at 30 is provided and is connected to the needle bar gate 28 by a drive link member 32 in a pivotal manner to initiate lateral jogging of the needle bar 18. The linear motor 30 is driven by electronic control signals provided by electronic logic circuits carried by printed circuit boards, such as shown at 34 and 36, which logic circuits contain such components as an address memory, address counter, a pattern read-only-memory, digital-to-analogue converter circuits and amplification circuits suitable for providing the requisite signals to the linear motor 30 to properly position the needle gate for a desired stitch or pattern of stitches. A pattern selector mechanism 38 is provided on the front panel of the sewing machine frame 10 and includes a plurality of selector buttons 40a, b, c and d which are operable for selecting a particular pattern associated with each button and which is stored in the memory device. It will be readily apparent that stitch pattern designations may be indicated for each switch by placing the associated stitch indicia adjacent thereto for visual selection by the operator and the operator may therefore select one of the buttons 40a, b, c or d for a particular pattern which will then be withdrawn from the memory with proper signals being provided to the actuator 30 to position the needle in the requisite spot for reproducing that stitch.
As stated above, it is a prime purpose of the present invention to provide a novel feed mechanism for an electronically controlled sewing machine. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the feed mechanism of the invention includes a carrier guide frame 42 with spaced log portions 44 each having apertures 46 therein for receiving a support pin 48 which pin 48 is fixedly carried by a portion of the housing or frame bed portion 12. The carrier frame 42 is carried on the pin 48 such that it may pivot relative thereto, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter. On the opposite end of the carrier frame 42 from the legs 44 is a forked portion 50 which is disposed in surrounding engagement with a multilobed constant breath cam 52 which is fixedly carried on bed shaft 26. It will be apparent that as bed shaft 26 is rotated, the cam 52 will cause the forked portion to raise and lower as the cam is eccentric thereto and will thus cause the carrier frame member 42 to pivot around the axis of pivot pin 48 which supports the legs 44 and the carrier guide 42. It may be said therefore that the carrier guide frame 42 is caused to have an up and down motion which is initiated by the cam 52 and which may be termed the feed lift motion of the feed mechanism.
With particular reference to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the carrier guide frame 42 is provided with a saddle portion 54 intermediate the forked end 50 and the legs 44 in which is disposed a feed dog carrier 56. A feed dog 58 is carried at one end of the feed dog carrier 56 so that it is removable therefrom as by means of screws of the like as illustrated, and includes a pair of spaced feed dog feet 60a and 60b. As seen in FIG. 1, the feed dog feet and the feed dog carrier 56 are positioned such that the feed dog feet 60a and 60b are disposed beneath needle plate 62 and in particular beneath needle plate apertures (not shown) such that the feed dog feet may rise above the needle plate 62 and move in endwise relationship to a fabric disposed thereon for feeding the fabric across the bed surface of the machine in a known manner. The feed dog carrier 56 is supported in the saddle portion 54 of the carrier guide frame in a sliding relationship on pins 64 and 66. The pins 64 and 66 are carried by the carrier guide frame 42 so that they are in fixed relationship thereto and are held in the carrier guide frame 42 by an end cap 68 and in the frame 42 at its opposite end by screws 70a and 70b. Thus, the feed dog carrier 56 may move linearly relative to the carrier guide frame 42 by sliding on pins 64 and 66.
In order to initiate linear movement of the feed dog carrier 56 relative to the carrier guide frame 42, an electric motor 72 is provided whose structure will be described in more detail hereinafter. The electric motor 72 in general has a rotary motor shaft 74 which is provided with splines or gear teeth 76 at the end adjacent the feed dog carrier and which teeth 76 engage teeth 78 on a gear 80 for reducing the number of revolutions between shaft 74 and a shaft 82. The gear 80 is fixedly carried on the shaft 82 upon which is also fixed a feed traverse cam 84 having an involute or offset radial slot functioning as a cam surface and into which is disposed a cam follower pin 88 carried by the feed dog carrier 56. As will be described in greater detail below, the motor 72 although being a rotary motor, is caused to oscillate through appropriate control circuitry so that the cam 84 will also oscillate. It will be apparent therefore that as the cam 84 oscillates the pin 88 riding in the internal cam surface 86 will be caused to follow a to and fro or back and forth motion on the pins 64 and 66 which will restrict this motion to a linear path. Also, as described above, it will be apparent that the feed dog carrier 56 will also be going through an up and down motion by virtue of being supported by the carrier guide frame 42 which has an up and down motion initiated by the cam 72. As the feed dog carrier is going through the up and down motion, it will also be going through reciprocatory or back and forth motion but which motion will be restricted to a linear path by guide pins 64 and 66. It will be apparent though that there may be some arcuate motion of the feed dog carrier 56 due to the up and down motion of the carrier guide frame 42 and to compensate for any slight arcuate motion, the feed dog feet 60a and 60b are formed so that their top surfaces 90a and 90b are slightly arcuate as illustrated in FIG. 2.
As briefly described above, the motor 72 used in the combination of the present invention is particularly adapted for achieving the unique results obtained with the combination of the invention. The motor 72 is of the type which may be referred to as a rare-earth magnetic motor and includes a frame 92 made of magnetically permeable material (FIG. 3). Secured to oppositely facing inner surfaces of the frame 10 are block-shaped permanent magnets 94N and 94S which magnets are preferably made of rare-earth cobalt alloys and may be of the type sold under the tradename "LANTHANET". The magnets 94N and 94S are magnetized across the small dimension thereof and when assembled into the motor frame 92 are disposed such that there inner faces present preferably flat poles of opposite polarity as shown in FIG. 3. The space between the magnets 94N and 94S form a single air gap which is the working air gap for the motor. This type of magnet formed in the manner illustrated in the drawings results in a flat pole face structure which provides uniform flux density in the working gap. It will be understood that the frame 92 functions as a low-reluctance return path for the flux supply by the magnets 94N and 94S and produce in the air gap between the poles a working flux field of high flux density due to the large coercive force of the magnets. A solid, non-magnetic cylindrical armature 96 is disposed between the magnets 94N and 94S within the confines thereof and in the air gap. The armature 96 may by made of any non-magnetic material, but it is preferably made of a light weight molded plastic insulating material with the rotor shaft 74 molded integral with the armature. The rotor shaft 74 is journaled in suitable bearings located in the end plates 100 and 102 along with a brush plate (not shown) in one end plate thereof. The armature is formed with longitudinal peripherally-shaped slots (not shown) in which are located windings 104 connected in a conventional manner to commutators (not shown). Brushes (not shown) are also provided to bear against the commutators and provide current conduction to the armature windings from an external voltage source in a manner well known in the art.
Since in this type of armature the armature itself is already formed from electrical insulating material, there is no need for separate slot insulation so that the entire slot space can be more efficiently utilized to contain the armature windings and results in a desirably more copper per slot than would be the case in the conventional iron armature with separate slot insulation. As stated above, the armature 96 contains no magnetic material, except for possibly the shaft 74, which, if necessary, can be made of non-magnetic material, and exerts little or no influence on the distribution of the flux in the air gap and therefore, the magnets 94N and 94S can be most simply formed with flat poles and the air gap flux density will be desirably uniform. This results in a structure in which the armatures have a diameter and length commensurate with the dimensions of the permanent magnets taken transversely of the direction of magnetization. Further, the armature reaction magnetomotive force due to the armature current act substantially at right angles to the field flux axis. Thus, the return path for the armature reaction flux is largely through air and transversely to the magnets 94N - 94S which have substantially the same low permeability as air, being rare-earth alloy materials, resulting in a high reluctance and a low flux. The return path for the field flux is through the frame 92 which is of high permeability resulting in a low reluctance and high flux. This combination of high field flux and low armature reaction flux is highly desirable and results in substantially no distortion in the air gap flux due to armature current. The commutation therefore is not adversely effected by changes in load as in conventional prior art motors. Furthermore, there is substantially no demagnetization effect on the permanent magnets due to armature current which is important to the long term stability of the motor characteristics. Further details of the motor construction may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,876 issued on June 24, 1975, and assigned to the same Assignee as the present invention.
As briefly mentioned above, motors of this type characterized as being relatively small in size, light in weight and having high torque-to-inertia ratios and are therefore capable of relatively rapid reversal in direction of rotation. Because of the novel low inertia and high accelleration characteristics of the subject motor, rapid changes in direction are possible by varying the polarity of input signals thereto or by changing the timing of changes in polarity, by changing speed or by changing the timing of the on-off cycle of the motor. Advantage is taken of these characteristics of this type of motor in the feed mechanism of the present invention in that by varying the input signals to the motor 72 the cam 84 may be relatively rapidly reversed in direction of the degree of motion in any direction can be regulated by controlling the input signal to the motor 72. As a result, the direction and extent of movement of the feed dog carrier 56 in its back and forth motion can be controlled. As is known in the sewing art, various ornamental patterns for types of sewing can be accomplished through combinations of variations in the feed of the fabric and location of penetration points of the needle. Thus by varying the feed of the fabric through the novel feed mechanism of the invention, it is possible to create desired stitch patterns.
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is diagrammatically shown therein electronic control circuitry for providing stitch patern control signals and in particular such stitch pattern control signals to the motor 72 and the actuator 30. The printed circuit boards 34 and 36 contain solid state electronic components which are diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 4. Also shown in FIG. 1, on the front panel is the pattern selection switch mechanism 38 which is diagrammatically illustrated as the pattern selector 38 in FIG. 4. The pattern selector 38 is connected to an address memory 106 which contains encoded data in binary form to produce a predetermined specific binary number on its output lines for a pattern selected on the pattern selector 38. An address counter 108 is provided and is coupled with a pulse generator 110 and connected to the armshaft 24 so that the data from the address memory will be addressed to a pattern read-only-memory 112 in timed relation of the operation of the sewing machine. The pattern read-only-memory has stored therein the stitch position coordinate data for the needle and the feed mechanism to produce ornamental patterns corresponding to the selections on the switch selector 38. It should be understood, however, that a programmable or random access memory could be used in lieu of or in combination with a read-only-memory for selectively storing stitch position coordinate data. When the read-only-memory 112 is addressed with particular coded words, pattern information will be released and will be fed to feed and bight logic circuits 114 and 116 which are in digital form and will be converted to analog signals by digital-to-analog converters 118 and 120, there being one such converter for the feed circuit and one for the bight or needle circuit. The signals from the converters 118 and 120 are amplified by amplifiers 122 and 124 with the amplified signals then being fed to the actuator 30 in the case of the needle and the motor 72 in the case of the feed. The reversible electric motor 72 may also be provided with a potentiometer 126 connected to the shaft 74 thereof to sense the position of the shaft and compare it with the signal fed into the feed actuator so that a corrective signal may be provided if the motor is not approaching the desired position. Likewise, a potentiometer may also be provided for the bight actuator 30 shown in FIG. 4 if desired. Reference should be made in U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,754 mentioned above for a more detailed description of a servo mechanism which may be used with actuator as described herein and in a similar environment for insuring that the actuator is at the proper coordinate position as determined by the stitch position coordinate information withdrawn from the read-only-memory.
It will be apparent therefore that by selection of a desired switch 40a, b, c or d for a particular pattern, information will be withdrawn from the electronic circuitry and appropriate input data signals will be supplied to the reversible motor 72 to determine the direction and extent of travel of shaft 74 of said motor. If follows that, by controlling the output direction and extent of turning of the shaft 74 of the motor 72, the cam 84 will likewise be rotated in accordance with the input signals from the electronic circuitry and as a result control the extent and direction of motion of the feed dog 58.
As can be seen from the above detailed description, a novel feed mechanism and a novel combination with electronic controls means is provided with the feed mechanism being relatively simple in construction, compact in size modular in form and can be conveniently fit within flat bed type sewing machines or what is known as a cylinder bed type sewing machine. It will also be seen that the relatively complex and multi-part feed regulator mechanisms of the purely mechanical type commonly used in sewing machines presently are no longer required since the regulation of the linear feed of the fabric can be carried out through the relatively simple construction of the invention. While the invention has been described herein in its preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.
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This disclosure relates to a direct drive feed mechanism for sewing machines which is driven by an electronically controlled reversible electric motor and includes a linearly operable feed dog mechanism which is compact in structure and modular in nature. More particularly, the disclosure of this invention relates to a novel four motion feed mechanism for a sewing machine wherein reciprocating feed motion of the feed dog is initiated by a reversible electric motor which in turn is controlled by electronic logic means. Because of the novel structure of this invention, the feed of the fabric by the machine can be readily controlled so as to be capable of producing a plurality of programmed feed patterns.
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[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/222,001, filed on Sep. 7, 2005, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/607,602, filed Sep. 7, 2004, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present application further incorporates by reference the related patent application for “Phase Equalization for Multi-Channel Loudspeaker-room Responses” filed on Sep. 7, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to signal processing and more particularly to cross-over frequency selection and optimization for correcting the frequency response of each speaker in a speaker system to produce a desired output.
[0003] Modern sound systems have become increasingly capable and sophisticated. Such systems may be utilized for listening to music or integrated into a home theater system. One important aspect of any sound system is the speaker suite used to convert electrical signals to sound waves. An example of a modern speaker suite is a multi-channel 5.1 channel speaker system comprising six separate speakers (or electroacoustic transducers) namely: a center speaker, front left speaker, front right speaker, rear left speaker, rear right speaker, and a subwoofer speaker. The center, front left, front right, rear left, and rear right speakers (commonly referred to as satellite speakers) of such systems generally provide moderate to high frequency sound waves, and the subwoofer provides low frequency sound waves. The allocation of frequency bands to speakers for sound wave reproduction requires that the electrical signal provided to each speaker be filtered to match the desired sound wave frequency range for each speaker. Because different speakers, rooms, and listener positions may influence how each speaker is heard, accurate sound reproduction may require to adjusting or tuning the filtering for each listening environment.
[0004] Cross-over filters (also called base-management filters) are commonly used to allocate the frequency bands in speaker systems. Because each speaker is designed (or dedicated) for optimal performance over a limited range of frequencies, the cross-over filters are frequency domain splitters for filtering the signal delivered to each speaker.
[0005] Common shortcomings of known cross-over filters include an inability to achieve a net or recombined amplitude response, when measured by a microphone in a reverberant room, which is sufficiently flat or constant around the cross-over region to provide accurate sound reproduction. For example, a listener may receive sound waves from multiple speakers such as a subwoofer and satellite speakers, which are at non-coincident positions. If these sound waves are substantially out of phase (viz., substantially incoherent), the waves may to some extent cancel each other, resulting in a spectral notch in the net frequency response of the audio system. Alternatively, the complex addition of these sound waves may create large variations in the magnitude response in the net or combined subwoofer and satellite speaker response.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a system and method which provide a least a single stage optimization process which optimizes flatness around a cross-over region. A first stage determines an optimal cross-over frequency by minimizing an objective function in a region around the cross-over frequency. Such objective function measures the variation of the magnitude response in the cross-over region. An optional second stage applies all-pass filtering to reduce incoherent addition of signals from different speakers in the cross-over region. The all-pass filters may be included in signal processing circuitry associated with either each of the satellite speaker channels or the subwoofer channel or both, and provides a frequency dependent phase adjustment to reduce incoherency between the satellite speakers and the subwoofer. The all-pass filters may be derived using a recursive adaptive algorithm or a constrained optimization algorithm. Such all-pass filters may further be used to reduce or eliminate incoherency between individual satellite speakers.
[0007] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for minimizing the spectral deviations of the net subwoofer and satellite speaker response in a cross-over region. The method comprises measuring the full-range (i.e., non bass-managed or without high pass or low pass filtering) subwoofer and satellite speaker response in at least one position in a room, selecting a cross-over region, selecting a set of candidate cross-over frequencies and corresponding bass-management filters for the subwoofer and the satellite speaker, applying the corresponding bass-management filters to the subwoofer and satellite speaker full-range response, level matching the bass-managed subwoofer and satellite speaker response, performing addition of the subwoofer and satellite speaker response to obtain a net bass-managed subwoofer and satellite speaker response, computing an objective function using the net response for each of the candidate cross-over frequencies, and selecting the candidate cross-over frequencies resulting in the lowest objective function. The method may further included an additional step of all-pass filtering to further attenuate the spectral notch.
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 an example of a multi-channel 5.1 layout in a room.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a prior art signal processing flow for a home theater speaker suite.
[0011] FIG. 3 shows typical magnitude responses of subwoofer and satellite speaker bass-management filters.
[0012] FIG. 4A is a frequency response for a subwoofer.
[0013] FIG. 4B is a frequency response for a satellite speaker.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a combined subwoofer and satellite speaker magnitude response having a spectral notch for an incorrect choice of cross-over frequency.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a signal processing flow for a prior art signal processor including equalization filters.
[0016] FIG. 7A is a combined satellite speaker and subwoofer magnitude response for a cross-over frequency of 30 Hz.
[0017] FIG. 7B is a combined satellite speaker and subwoofer magnitude response for a cross-over frequency of 40 Hz.
[0018] FIG. 7C is a combined satellite speaker and subwoofer magnitude response for a cross-over frequency of 50 Hz.
[0019] FIG. 7D is a combined satellite speaker and subwoofer magnitude response for a cross-over frequency of 60 Hz.
[0020] FIG. 7E is a combined satellite speaker and subwoofer magnitude response for a cross-over frequency of 70 Hz.
[0021] FIG. 7F is a combined satellite speaker and subwoofer magnitude response for a cross-over frequency of 80 Hz.
[0022] FIG. 7G is a combined satellite speaker and subwoofer magnitude response for a cross-over frequency of 90 Hz.
[0023] FIG. 7H is a combined satellite speaker and subwoofer magnitude response for a cross-over frequency of 100 Hz.
[0024] FIG. 8 is a signal processor flow according to the present invention including all-pass filters.
[0025] FIG. 9 shows a speaker suite magnitude response without all-pass filtering and with all-pass filtering.
[0026] FIG. 10A is a first method according to the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 10B is a second method according to the present invention.
[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] A typical home theater 10 is shown in FIG. 1 . The home theater 10 comprises a media player (for example, a DVD player) 11 , a signal processor 12 , a monitor (or television) 14 , a center speaker 16 , left and right front speakers 18 a and 18 b respectively, left and right rear (or surround) speakers 20 a and 20 b respectively, a subwoofer speaker 22 , and a listening position 24 . The media player 11 provides video and audio signals to the signal processor 12 . The signal processor 12 in often an audio video receiver including a multiplicity of functions, for example, a tuner, a pre-amplifier, a power amplifier, and signal processing circuits (for example, a family of graphic equalizers) to condition (or color) the speaker signals to match a listener's preferences and/or room acoustics.
[0031] Signal processors 12 used in home theater systems 10 , which home theater systems 10 includes a subwoofer 22 , also generally include cross-over (or bass-management) filters 30 a - 30 e and 32 as shown in FIG. 2 . The subwoofer 22 is designed to produce low frequency sound waves, and may cause distortion if it receives high frequency electrical signals. Conversely, the center, front, and rear speakers 16 , 18 a , 18 b , 20 a , and 20 b are designed to produce moderate and high frequency sound waves, and may cause distortion if they receive low frequency electrical signals. To reduce the distortion, the unfiltered signals 26 a - 26 e provided to the speakers 16 , 18 a , 18 b , 20 a , and 20 b are processed through high pass filters 30 a - 30 e to generate filtered speaker signals 38 a - 38 e . The same unfiltered signals 26 a - 26 e are processed by a lowpass filter 32 and summed with a subwoofer signal 28 in a summer 34 to generate a filtered subwoofer signal 40 provided to the subwoofer 22 .
[0032] An example of a system including a prior art signal processor 12 as described in FIG. 2 is a THX® certified speaker system. The frequency responses of THX® bass-management filters for subwoofer and satellite speakers of such THX® certified speaker system are shown in FIG. 3 . Such THX® speaker system certified signal processors are designed with a cross-over frequency (i.e., the 3 dB point) of 80 Hz and include a bass management filter 32 preferably comprising a fourth order low-pass Butterworth filter (or a dual stage filter, each stage being a second order low-pass Butterworth filter) having a roll off rate of approximately 24 dB/octave above 80 Hz (with low pass response 44 ), and high pass bass management filters 30 a - 30 e comprising a second order Butterworth filter having a roll-off rate of approximately 12 DB per octave below 80 Hz (with high pass response 42 ).
[0033] While such THX® speaker system certified signal processors conform to the THX® speaker system standard, many speaker systems do not include THX® speaker system certified signal processors. Such non-THX® systems (and even THX® speaker systems) often benefit from selection of a cross-over frequency dependent upon the signal processor 12 , satellite speakers 16 , 18 a , 18 b , 20 a , 20 b , subwoofer speaker 22 , listener position, and listener preference (in the present application, the term “satellite speaker” is applied to any non-subwoofer in the speaker system). In the instance of non-THX® speaker systems, the 24 dB/octave and 12 dB/octave filter slopes (see FIG. 3 ) may still be utilized to provide adequately good performance. For example, individual subwoofer 22 and non-subwoofer or satellite speaker 16 , 18 a , 18 b , 20 a , and 20 b (in this example the center channel speaker 16 in FIG. 2 ) full-range frequency responses (one third octave smoothed), as measured in a room with reverberation time T 60 of approximately 0.75 seconds, are shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B respectively. As can be seen, the center channel speaker 16 has a center channel frequency response 48 extending below 100 Hz (down to about 40 Hz), and the subwoofer 22 has a subwoofer frequency response 46 extending up to about 200 Hz.
[0034] The satellite speakers 16 , 18 a , 18 b , 20 a , 20 b , and subwoofer speaker 22 , as shown in FIG. 1 generally reside at different positions around a room, for example, the subwoofer 22 may be at one side of the room, while the center channel speaker 16 is generally position near the monitor 14 . Due to such non-coincident positions of the speakers, if the cross-over frequency is not carefully selected, sound waves near the cross-over frequency may add incoherently (i.e., at or near 180 degrees out of phase), thereby creating a spectral notch 50 and/or other substantial amplitude variations in the cross-over region shown in FIG. 5 . Such spectral notch 50 and/or amplitude variations may further vary by listening position 24 , and more specifically by acoustic path differences from the individual satellite speakers and subwoofer speaker to the listening position 24 .
[0035] The spectral notch 50 and/or amplitude variations in the crossover region may contribute to loss of acoustical efficiency because some of the sound around the cross-over frequency may be undesirably attenuated or amplified. For example, the spectral notch 50 may result in a significant loss of sound reproduction to as low as 40 Hz (about the lowest frequency which the center channel speaker 16 is capable of producing). Such spectral notches have been verified using real world measurements, where the subwoofer speaker 22 and satellite speakers 16 , 18 a , 18 b , 20 a , and 20 b were excited with a broadband stimuli (for example, log-chirp signal) and the net response was de-convolved from the measured signal.
[0036] Further, known signal processors 12 may include equalization filters 52 a - 52 e , and 54 , as shown in FIG. 6 . Although the equalization filters 52 a - 52 e , and 54 provides some ability to tune the sound reproduction for a particular room environment and/or listener preference, the equalization filters 52 a - 52 e , and 54 do not generally remove the spectral notch 50 , nor do they minimize the variations in the response in the crossover region. In general, the equalization filters 52 a - 52 e , and 54 , are minimum phase and as such often do little to influence the frequency response around the cross-over.
[0037] The present invention provides a system and method for minimizing the spectral notching 50 and/or response variations in the crossover region. While the embodiment of the present invention described herein does not describe the application of the present invention to systems including equalization filters for each channel, the method of the present invention is easily extended to such systems.
[0038] Known signal processors 12 (see FIG. 1 ) include a capability to select one of a set of cross-over frequencies. For example, the Denon® AVR-5805 receiver has selectable cross-over frequencies in 10 Hz increments from 20 Hz through 200 Hz, and at 250 Hz (i.e., 20 Hz, 30 Hz, 40 Hz, . . . 200 Hz, 250 Hz). An optimal cross-over frequency might be found through a gradient descent optimization, with respect to the 3 dB frequency of the bass-management filter (for example, a Butterworth filter), and a corresponding objective function could be the error between the resulting magnitude response and a zero dB or flat response, around the cross-over region. However, such gradient descent optimization is unnecessarily complicated. Because the choice of cross-over frequency is generally limited to a finite set of frequencies, a simple and effective method to select an optimal cross-over frequency is to characterize the effect of the choice of each available cross-over frequency based on the net subwoofer-satellite speaker magnitude response in the cross-over region.
[0039] The home theater 10 generally resides in a room comprising an acoustic enclosure which can be modeled as a linear system whose behavior at a particular listening position is characterized by a time domain impulse function, h(n); n {0, 1, 2, . . . }. The time domain impulse response h(n) is generally called the room impulse response which has an associated frequency response, H(e jω ) which is a function of frequency (for example, between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz). H(e jω ) is generally referred to the Room Transfer Function (RTF). The time domain response h(n) and the frequency domain response RTF are linearly related through the Fourier transform, that is, given one we can find the other via the Fourier relations, wherein the Fourier transform of the time domain response yields the RTF. The RTF provides a complete description of the changes the acoustic signal undergoes when it travels from a source to a receiver (microphone/listener). The RTF may be measured by transmitting an appropriate signal, for example, a logarithmic chirp signal, from a speaker, and deconvolving a response at a listener position. The signal at a listening position 24 consists of direct path components, discrete reflections which arrive a few milliseconds after the direct path components, as well as reverberant field components.
[0040] An objective function which is particularly useful for characterizing the magnitude response is the spectral deviation measure E . The spectral deviation measure E is a measure of the variation of the spectral response at discrete frequencies in the cross-over region, from an average spectral response Δ taken over the entire cross-over region. When the effects of the choice of the cross-over frequency are bandlimited around the cross-over region, the spectral deviation measure E is quite effective at predicting the behavior of the resulting magnitude response around the cross-over region. The spectral deviation measure E may be defined as:
[0000]
σ
E
=
[
1
P
∑
i
=
0
P
-
1
(
10
log
10
E
(
j
w
i
)
-
Δ
)
2
]
:
[0000] where the average spectral deviation Δ is:
[0000]
Δ
=
1
P
∑
i
=
0
P
-
1
(
10
log
10
E
(
j
w
i
)
)
[0000] and the net subwoofer and satellite speaker response)E(e jω ) is,
[0000] E ( e ew )= H sub ( e jw )+ H sat ( e jw )
[0000] and P is the number of discrete selectable cross-over frequencies. Alternatively, other objective functions employing a standard deviation rule (with or without frequency weighting) may be employed. An example of a typical cross-over region is between L Hz and M Hz (e.g., L=30 and M=200), and an example of a set of discrete selectable cross-over frequencies comprises frequencies between 30 Hz and 200 Hz in N Hz steps (e.g., N=10).
[0041] The Room Transfer Function H(e jω ) may be obtained using any of several well known methods. A preferred method is the application of a pseudo-random sequence to the speaker, and deconvolving the response at the listener position 24 . One such method comprises cross-correlating a measured signal with a pseudo-random sequence. A particularly useful pseudo-random signal is a binary Maximum Length Sequence (MLS).
[0042] Another method for computing the Room Transfer Function H(e jω ) comprises a circular deconvolution wherein the measured signal is Fourier transformed, divided by the Fourier transform of the input signal, and the result is inverse Fourier transformed. A preferred signal for this method is a logarithmic sweep.
[0043] The magnitude responses for an exemplar speaker system for cross-over frequencies of 30 Hz, 40 Hz, 50 Hz, 60 Hz, 70 Hz, 80 Hz, 90 Hz, and 100 Hz are shown in FIGS. 7A-7H . The spectral notch 50 can be seen to translate somewhat to the right, and significantly decreases in FIGS. 7F-7H . The spectral deviation measures E computed for each cross-over frequencies are:
[0000]
Cross-over Frequency
O′ E
30
1.90
40
2.04
50
2.19
60
2.05
70
1.53
80
1.17
90
0.96
100
0.83
[0044] Comparing the FIGS. 7A-7H , the spectral deviation measure E shows a marked decrease for cross-over frequencies of 80 Hz, 90 Hz, and 100 Hz.
[0045] Thus, the cross-over frequency selection described above provides measurable attenuation of the spectral notch and/or minimization of the spectral deviations in the crossover region. In some cases, where further attenuation of the spectral notch is desired, all-pass filters 60 a - 60 e may be included in the signal processor 12 , as shown in FIG. 8 . All-pass filters 60 a - 60 e have unit magnitude response across the frequency spectrum, while introducing frequency dependent group delays (e.g., frequency shifts). The all-pass filters 60 a - 60 e are preferably cascaded with the high pass filters 30 a - 30 e and are preferably M-cascade all-pass filters A M (e j ) where each section in the cascade comprises a second order all-pass filter.
[0046] The second stage of attenuation of the spectral notch is achieved by adaptively minimizing a phase term:
[0000] φ sub (w)−φ speaker (w)−φ A M (w)
[0000] where:
φ sub (w)=the phase spectrum for the subwoofer;
φ speaker (w)=the phase spectrum for the satellite speaker 16 , 18 a , 18 b , 20 a , or 20 b ; and
φ A M (w)=the phase spectrum of the all-pass filter.
The M cascade all-pass filter A M may be expressed as:
[0000]
A
M
(
j
w
)
=
∏
k
-
1
M
-
j
w
-
r
k
-
j
θ
k
1
-
r
k
j
θ
k
-
j
w
·
-
j
w
-
r
k
j
θ
k
1
-
r
k
-
j
θ
k
-
j
w
[0000] and the resulting frequency dependent phase shift is:
[0000]
φ
A
M
(
w
)
=
∑
k
=
1
M
φ
A
M
k
(
w
)
;
and
φ
A
M
(
i
)
=
-
2
w
-
2
tan
-
1
(
r
i
sin
(
w
-
θ
i
)
1
-
r
i
cos
(
w
-
θ
i
)
-
2
tan
-
1
(
r
i
sin
(
w
+
θ
i
)
1
-
r
i
cos
(
w
+
θ
i
)
[0000] A second objective function, J(n) is:
[0000]
J
(
n
)
=
1
N
∑
i
=
1
N
W
(
w
i
)
(
φ
sub
(
w
)
-
φ
speaker
(
w
)
-
φ
A
M
(
w
)
)
2
[0000] The terms r i and θ i may be determined using an adaptive recursive formula by minimizing the objective function J(n) with respect to r i and θ i . The update equations are:
[0000]
r
i
(
n
+
1
)
=
r
i
(
n
)
-
μ
r
2
∇
ri
J
(
n
)
;
and
θ
i
(
n
+
1
)
=
θ
i
(
n
)
-
μ
θ
2
∇
θ
i
J
(
n
)
[0000] where μ r and μ θ are adaptation rate control parameters chosen to guarantee stable convergence and are typically between zero and one. Finally, the gradients of the objective function J(n) with respect to the parameters of the all-pass function is are:
[0000]
∇
ri
J
(
n
)
=
∑
l
=
1
N
W
(
w
1
)
E
(
φ
(
w
)
)
(
-
1
)
δφ
A
M
(
w
)
δ
r
i
(
n
)
and
,
∇
θ
i
J
(
n
)
=
∑
l
=
1
N
W
(
w
1
)
E
(
φ
(
w
)
)
(
-
1
)
δφ
A
M
(
w
)
δ
θ
i
(
n
)
[0000] where:
[0000] E(φ(w))+φ subwoofer (w)−φ speaker (w)−φ A M (w)
[0000] and,
[0000]
δφ
A
M
(
w
)
δ
θ
i
(
n
)
=
2
r
i
(
n
)
(
r
i
(
n
)
-
cos
(
w
l
-
θ
i
(
n
)
)
)
r
i
2
(
n
)
-
2
r
i
(
n
)
cos
(
w
l
-
θ
i
(
n
)
)
+
1
-
2
r
i
(
n
)
(
r
i
(
n
)
-
cos
(
w
l
-
θ
i
(
n
)
)
)
r
i
2
(
n
)
-
2
r
i
(
n
)
cos
(
w
l
-
θ
i
(
n
)
)
+
1
and
,
δφ
A
M
(
w
)
δ
r
i
(
n
)
=
2
sin
(
w
l
θ
i
(
n
)
)
r
i
2
(
n
)
-
2
r
i
(
n
)
cos
(
w
l
-
θ
i
(
n
)
)
+
1
-
2
sin
(
w
l
-
θ
i
(
n
)
)
r
i
2
(
n
)
-
2
r
i
(
n
)
cos
(
w
l
-
θ
i
(
n
)
)
+
1
[0047] In order to guarantee stability, the magnitude of the pole radius r j (n) is preferably kept less than one. A preferable method for keeping the magnitude of the pole radius r i (n) less than one is to randomize r i (n) between zero and one whenever r i (n) is greater than or equal to one.
[0048] A first a method according to the present invention is described in FIG. 10A , and a second method according to the present invention is described in FIG. 11B . The second method is preferably performed following the first method. The first method includes the steps of measuring the full-range (i.e., non bass-managed) subwoofer and satellite speaker response in at least one position in a room at step 80 , selecting a cross-over region at step 82 , selecting a set of candidate cross-over frequencies and corresponding bass-management filters for the subwoofer and the satellite speaker at step 84 , applying the corresponding bass-management filters to the subwoofer and satellite speaker full-range response at step 86 , level matching the bass managed subwoofer and satellite speaker response at step 88 , performing addition of the subwoofer and satellite speaker response to obtain the net bass-managed subwoofer and satellite 136 / 101 speaker response at step 90 , computing an objective function using the net response for each of the candidate cross-over frequencies at step 92 , and selecting the candidate cross-over frequency resulting in the lowest objective function at step 94 .
[0049] Computing the objective function may comprise computing the spectral deviation measure E , or computing a standard deviation with or without frequency weighting. Level matching is comparing the speaker response without bass-management to the speaker response with bass-management, and is preferably comparing the root-mean-square (RMS) level of the satellite speaker response, without bass-management, using C-weighting and test noise (e.g., THX test noise) to the (RMS) level of the satellite speaker response, with bass-management, using C-weighting and test noise.
[0050] The first method may further address the selection of a cross-over frequency for multiple listener locations by computing a multiplicity of objective functions (preferably computing a multiplicity of spectral deviation measures E ) for a multiplicity of candidate cross-over frequencies at the multiplicity of different listen locations, averaging the multiplicity of objective functions over the multiplicity of different listen locations to obtain an average objective function for each of the multiplicity of candidate cross-over frequencies, and selecting the candidate cross-over frequencies which provides the lowest average objective function.
[0051] A second method according to the present invention is described in FIG. 10B . The second method may be exercised following the first method to further attenuate the spectral notch. The second method comprises defining at least one second order all-pass filter having all-pass filter coefficients selectable to reduce incoherent addition of acoustic signals produced by the subwoofer and the satellite speaker at step 96 , recursively computing the all-pass filter coefficients to minimize a phase response error at step 98 , the phase response error being a function of phase responses of a subwoofer-room response, a satellite-room response, and the subwoofer and satellite bass-management filter responses, and cascading the all-pass filter with at least one of the satellite speaker bass-management filter and subwoofer bass-management filter at step 100 .
[0052] 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.
|
A system and method provide at least a single stage optimization process which maximizes the flatness of the net subwoofer and satellite speaker response in and around a cross-over region. A first stage determines an optimal cross-over frequency by minimizing an objective function in a region around the cross-over frequency. Such objective function measures the variation of the magnitude response in the cross-over region. An optional second stage applies all-pass filtering to reduce incoherent addition of signals from different speakers in the cross-over region. The all-pass filters are preferably included in signal processing for the satellite speakers, and provide a frequency dependent phase adjustment to reduce incoherency between the center and left and right speakers and the subwoofer. The all-pass filters are derived using a recursive adaptive algorithm.
| 7
|
[0001] The invention relates generally to the field of health, and more specifically to an apparatus and system for limiting range between the jaws to hamper eating.
BACKGROUND
[0002] There are known health benefits in moderating caloric intake and not habitually “over-eating”. The benefits include reducing the risk of obesity and its co-morbidity rates for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, etc. Weight management methods, such as regular exercise, consumption of high energy foods low in calories, and hydration, etc. are all well known. In addition, taking more time to eat is a well known method for improving digestion and reducing the risk of “over-eating”.
[0003] According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the last 30 years, obesity rates of Americans have more than doubled in adults, and tripled in children. For many reasons, genetic and/or psychological susceptibility, coupled with environmental factors, Americans have been super-sized. Notwithstanding all the well-known methods to personally manage one's weight, like not eating late at night, drinking less beer, or cutting out the chocolate cake, etc., human psychology interferes with personal behavior, and inhibits the transformation of these effective methods, into sustainable weight management habits. In response to demand, the market has matched this super-size problem with a buffet of weight loss products and procedures.
[0004] Pharmaceutical firms sell over-the-counter (“OTC”) and prescription drugs to make you feel full, increase metabolism, etc. These products have risks and in rare cases have caused death, making such weight loss methods impractical and/or too risky for some. Alternatively, health care providers offer surgically delivered procedures such as lap bands, gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, etc., which aim to reduce stomach capacity. Although such surgeries generally are successful, the inherent risk includes death. Furthermore, the expense of such operations make such methods cost prohibitive for some people.
[0005] An attempt has been made at moderating caloric intake using a dental apparatus which is placed in the mouth and worn while eating. It essentially takes up space in the mouth while you chew, drink, and/or swallow food, thereby increasing eating times and frustration. Like an orthodontic retainer which is sometimes only worn at night, this weight loss apparatus is only worn while eating, making it impractical for the following reasons: it can be removed by the wearer making it too easy to stop using, since meals are not always planned it must be carried around making it easy to lose, and impaired communication during meals may require removing it between bites which is neither hygienic, nor convenient, etc.
[0006] There are existing ways to fully immobilize the jaws. For example, the mouth can be essentially wired closed. Such a method is intended to minimize aggravation to the mouth and facial region after trauma and stimulate healing. Although in some cases, a small space behind the back teeth can receive a straw to drink, fully immobilizing the jaws to hamper eating seems inhumane even if by choice, and not practical for the following reasons: communication is severely impaired, appearance is inappropriate for some working and/or social environments, and the wearer can not open their mouth at all which inhibits the wearer from receiving adequate nutrition, thereby requiring intravenous nutrition delivery.
[0007] Another example of a device which immobilizes the jaws is a helmet-like apparatus worn on the head, and secured around the chin. Essentially like a straight-jacket for the mouth, the wearer donning the “facial straight jacket” can not open their mouth. This device is not practical for weight loss for similar reasons: communication, appearance, comfort, and removability, etc.
[0008] What is needed is a semi-permanent dental apparatus not easily removable, that limits the range a wearer can open their mouth, thereby hampering eating.
SUMMARY
[0009] A dental apparatus and system for limiting range between the jaws to hamper eating is disclosed. Range limiting is done by installing in a wearer's mouth at least one range limiting device to limit how far the wearer can open their mouth.
[0010] In one embodiment, a dental apparatus for range limiting is disclosed comprising a first tooth interface, an inside surface of the first tooth interface affixed to at least one upper tooth, a second tooth interface, an inside surface of the second tooth interface affixed to at least one lower tooth, and a range limiting device having at least two sections. Each section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is sequentially linked to another of the sections, from a first section of the range limiting device, to a last section of the range limiting device. The first section of the range limiting device is movably affixed to an outside surface of the first tooth interface and a last section of the range limiting device is movably affixed to an outside surface of the second tooth interface, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device permits a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0011] In another embodiment, a dental apparatus for range limiting further comprises a first bracket affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface, a first enclosed channel affixed to or integral to the first bracket, a second bracket affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the second tooth interface, a second enclosed channel, and the second enclosed channel affixed to or integral to the second bracket. The first section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first enclosed channel, and the last section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second enclosed channel, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device permits the wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0012] In an alternative embodiment, a dental apparatus for range limiting further comprises a first loop affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface, and a second loop affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the second tooth interface. The first section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first loop, and the last section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second loop, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device permits the wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0013] In an alternative embodiment, a dental apparatus for range limiting further comprises a first C-shaped groove affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface, and a second C-shaped groove affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the second tooth interface, the first section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first C-shaped groove, and the last section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second C-shaped groove, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device permits the wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0014] In an alternative embodiment, a dental apparatus for range limiting comprises a range limiting device having exactly two sections, each of the two sections of the range limiting device is selected from the group consisting of, a triangular shaped section, a semi-circular shaped section, a D-shaped section, a circular shaped section, or an oval shaped section. Each of the two sections of the range limiting device is sequentially linked from the first section of the range limiting device to the last section of the range limiting device, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device permits a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0015] For example, a first triangular shaped section of a range limiting device is sequentially linked to a last triangular shaped section of the range limiting device. The first triangular shaped section of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a first enclosed channel affixed to or integral to an outside surface of a first tooth interface and the last triangular shaped section of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a second enclosed channel affixed to or integral to an outside surface of a second tooth interface, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface, such that the range limiting device permits a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0016] In an alternative embodiment, a dental apparatus for range limiting comprises a range limiting device having exactly three sections, where each of a first section and a last section of the range limiting device is selected from the group consisting of, a triangular shaped section, a semi-circular shaped section, a D-shaped section, a circular shaped section, or an oval shaped section. A third section of the range limiting device comprises at least one sub-section, selected from the group consisting of, a circular shaped section, or a semi-circular shaped section.
[0017] For example, each of a first triangular shaped section of the range limiting device, a last triangular shaped section of the range limiting device, and three semi-circular shaped sub-sections movably linked to one another, is sequentially linked from the first triangular shaped section of the range limiting device to the last triangular shaped section of the range limiting device. The first triangular shaped section of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a first enclosed channel affixed to or integral to an outside surface of a first tooth interface and the last triangular shaped section of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a second enclosed channel affixed to or integral to an outside surface of a second tooth interface, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface, such that the range limiting device permits a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0018] In alternative embodiment, a system for range limiting is disclosed comprising a range limiting device having an elongated bar with two protrusive ends. Although not easily removable, at least one of the protrusive ends is removable from either the first end of the elongated bar or the second end of the elongated bar. For example, a protrusive bulb on a first end of an elongated bar is removed and the first end of the elongated bar is sequentially inserted through a first loop affixed to or integral to an outside surface of a first tooth interface. The first end of the elongated bar is then inserted through a second loop affixed to or integral to an outside surface of the second tooth interface. The protrusive bulb from the first end of the elongated bar is re-affixed to the first end of the elongated bar, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the system for range limiting permits complete closure of the mouth of the wearer and the system for range limiting limits the opening of the mouth of the wearer to a range less than fully opened.
[0019] In an alternative embodiment, a method for weight loss is disclosed. The method comprises providing a range limiting device having at least two sections. The method includes the step of affixing an inside surface of a first tooth interface to one upper tooth and the step of affixing an inside surface of a second tooth interface to one lower tooth. The method includes the step of sequentially linking each of the at least two sections of the range limiting device from a first section of the range limiting device to a last section of the range limiting device. Before or after the step of sequentially linking each of the at least two sections of the range limiting device, the method includes the step of movably affixing the first section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device to an outside surface of the first tooth interface, and the step of movably affixing the last section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device to an outside surface of the second tooth interface, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device permits a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0020] The method for weight loss further comprises the first tooth interface having a first enclosed channel affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface having a second enclosed channel affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the second tooth interface. The first section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first enclosed channel affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface and the last section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second enclosed channel affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the second tooth interface, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device allows a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0021] In an alternative embodiment, the method for weight loss further comprises a first tooth interface having a first loop affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface and a second tooth interface having a second loop affixed or integral to the outside surface of the second tooth interface. The first section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first loop affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface and the last section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second loop affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the second tooth interface, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device allows a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0022] In an alternative embodiment, the method for weight loss further comprises a first tooth interface having a first C-shaped groove affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface and a second tooth interface having a second C-shaped groove affixed or integral to the outside surface of the second tooth interface. The first section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first C-shaped groove affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface and the last section of the at least two sections of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second C-shaped groove affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the second tooth interface, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device allows a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0023] In an alternative embodiment, the method for weight loss comprises a range limiting device having exactly two sections and each of the two sections of the range limiting device is selected from the group consisting of, a triangular shaped section, a semi-circular shaped section, a D-shaped section, a circular shaped section, or an oval shaped section. Each of the two sections of the range limiting device is sequentially linked from the first section of the range limiting device to the last section of the range limiting device, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device allows a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0024] In an alternative embodiment, the method for weight loss comprises a range limiting device having exactly three sections. Each of the first section of the range limiting device and the last section of the range limiting device is selected from the group consisting of, a triangular shaped section, a semi-circular shaped section, a D-shaped section, or a circular shaped section. A third section of the range limiting device is at least one other sub-section selected from the group consisting of, a circular shaped section, or a semi-circular shaped section. Each of the first section of the range limiting device, the last section of the range limiting device, and the third sub-section of the range limiting device is sequentially linked from the first section of the range limiting device to the last section of the range limiting device, thereby movably interconnecting the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface to one another, such that the range limiting device allows a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0025] In each of the foregoing embodiments of a method for weight loss, the method further comprises after the step of movably affixing the first section of the range limiting device to the outside surface of the first tooth interface, and the step of movably affixing the last section of the range limiting device to the outside surface of the second tooth interface, the step of periodic monitoring of the wearer and the step of periodic adjusting of the range limiting device, such that the range limiting device allows a wearer to completely close their mouth and the range limiting device limits the wearer to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
[0026] In each of the foregoing embodiments of a jaw range limiter and a method for weight loss, the range limiting device is made of materials known in the industry of sufficient strength and gauge, such that after the range limiting device is installed in the mouth of the wearer, the range limiting device is neither easily broken using normal jaw pressure, nor easily removable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0028] FIG. 1A is an exploded view of a first embodiment of the apparatus.
[0029] FIG. 1B is an exploded view of a first embodiment of the apparatus showing range limit.
[0030] FIG. 2A is a view of a first embodiment of the apparatus installed on one side with the mouth closed.
[0031] FIG. 2B is a view of a first embodiment of the apparatus installed on one side with the mouth ajar.
[0032] FIG. 3A is a view of a second embodiment of the apparatus installed on one side with the mouth closed.
[0033] FIG. 3B is a view of a second embodiment of the apparatus installed on one side with the mouth ajar.
[0034] FIG. 4A is a view of a third embodiment of the apparatus installed on one side with the mouth closed.
[0035] FIG. 4B is a view of a third embodiment of the apparatus installed on one side with mouth ajar.
[0036] FIG. 5A is a view of a fourth embodiment of the apparatus installed on one side with the mouth closed.
[0037] FIG. 5B is a view of a fourth embodiment of the apparatus installed on one side with the mouth ajar.
[0038] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the apparatus.
[0039] FIG. 7 is an exploded side view of a third embodiment of the apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0040] Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures. In the disclosed embodiments, references made to jaws and arches can be used interchangeably.
[0041] Typically people wanting to lose weight attempt to reduce their caloric intake by eating less. However, because eating makes you feel good, and high calorie foods are hard to portion, cheap and easy to find, etc., such methods often fail. And with advertising messages like “Betcha Can't Eat Just One”, too many Americans are biting off more than they should chew. Therefore, by physically hampering the eating process, a person will be less likely to over-eat habitually.
[0042] Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B , a first embodiment of a jaw range limiter will be described. A jaw range limiter is shown having a first tooth interface 14 , a first bracket 18 affixed to or integral to the first tooth interface 14 , the first bracket 18 having a first enclosed channel 16 affixed to or integral to the first bracket 18 , a second tooth interface 22 , a second bracket 26 affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 , and the second bracket 26 having a second enclosed channel 24 affixed to or integral to the second bracket 26 .
[0043] A first triangular shaped section 20 of a range limiting device is shown movably linked to a last triangular shaped section 28 of the range limiting device. The first triangular shaped section 20 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first enclosed channel 16 and the last triangular shaped section 28 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second enclosed channel 24 . Preferably, the triangular shaped sections 20 , 28 of the range limiting device move freely while linked to one another and while each is movably affixed to both of the first enclosed channel 16 and the second enclosed channel 24 . In FIG. 1B , the apparatus shows the limitation of range between the tooth interfaces 14 , 22 .
[0044] Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B , a first embodiment of a jaw range limiter installed in a mouth will be described. An inside surface of a first tooth interface 14 is affixed to a first tooth 33 in the upper arch 32 , and the inside surface of a second tooth interface 22 is affixed to a second tooth 35 in the lower arch 34 . Each tooth interface 14 , 22 is affixed in any way known in the industry to at least one tooth and/or faux tooth or dental support apparatus and/or structure, etc., as is known in the industry.
[0045] The tooth interfaces 14 , 22 are affixed to opposing teeth 33 , 35 , although other installation locations are anticipated such as a neighboring tooth and/or faux tooth or dental support apparatus and/or structure, etc. as is known in the industry. A first bracket 18 is affixed to or integral to an outside surface of the first tooth interface 14 and a second bracket 26 is affixed to or integral to an outside surface of the second tooth interface 22 .
[0046] A range limiting device is shown having a first triangular shaped section 20 and a last triangular shaped section 28 . The first triangular shaped section 20 of the range limiting device is sequentially linked to the last triangular shaped section 28 of the range limiting device. The first triangular shaped section 20 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a first enclosed channel 16 affixed to or integral to the first bracket 18 . The last triangular shaped section 28 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a second enclosed channel 24 affixed to or integral to the second bracket 26 .
[0047] In an alternative embodiment, prior to affixing the inside surface of each tooth interface 14 , 22 to at least one tooth, the first triangular shaped section 20 of the range limiting device and the last triangular shaped section 28 of the range limiting device are sequentially linked to one another. Next, the first triangular shaped section 20 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first enclosed channel 16 affixed to or integral to the first tooth interface 14 , and the last triangular shaped section 28 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second enclosed channel 24 affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 .
[0048] In an alternative embodiment not shown, a first C-shaped groove is affixed to or integral to the first tooth interface 14 and/or a second C-shaped groove is affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 . The first triangular shaped section 20 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first C-shaped groove and the last triangular shaped section 28 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second C-shaped groove affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 .
[0049] Preferably, the triangular shaped sections 20 , 28 of the range limiting device move freely while each is linked to one another and while each is movably affixed to an enclosed channel 16 , 24 and/or a C-shaped groove (not shown). In FIG. 2A , the mouth is shown fully closed with the range limiting device installed. In FIG. 2B , the apparatus and system is shown physically limiting the mouth from opening to a range less than fully opened.
[0050] Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B , an alternative embodiment of a jaw range limiter installed in a mouth will be described. An inside surface of a first tooth interface 14 is affixed to a first tooth 33 in the upper arch 32 , and the inside surface of a second tooth interface 22 is affixed to a second tooth 35 in the lower arch 34 . Each tooth interface 14 , 22 is affixed in any way known in the industry to at least one tooth and/or faux tooth or dental support apparatus and/or structure, etc., as is known in the industry.
[0051] The tooth interfaces 14 , 22 are affixed to opposing teeth 33 , 35 , although other installation locations are anticipated such as a neighboring tooth and/or faux tooth or dental support apparatus and/or structure, etc. as is known in the industry. A first bracket 18 is affixed to or integral to an outside surface of the first tooth interface 14 and a second bracket 26 is affixed to or integral to an outside surface of the second tooth interface 22 .
[0052] A range limiting device is shown having a first D-shaped section 38 and a last D-shaped section 40 . The first D-shaped section 38 of the range limiting device and the last D-shaped section 40 of the range limiting device are sequentially linked to each another. The first D-shaped section 20 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a first enclosed channel 16 affixed to or integral to the first bracket 18 . The last D-shaped section 40 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a second enclosed channel 24 affixed to or integral to the second bracket 26 .
[0053] In an alternative embodiment, prior to affixing the inside surface of each of the tooth interfaces 14 , 22 to at least one tooth, each of the first D-shaped section 38 of the range limiting device and the last D-shaped section 40 of the range limiting device is sequentially linked to one another. Next, the first D-shaped section 38 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first enclosed channel 16 , and the last D-shaped section 40 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second enclosed channel 24 .
[0054] In an alternative embodiment not shown, a first C-shaped groove is affixed to or integral to the first tooth interface 14 and/or a second C-shaped groove is affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 . The first D-shaped section 38 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first C-shaped groove and the last D-shaped section 40 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second C-shaped groove affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 .
[0055] Preferably, the D-shaped sections 38 , 40 of the range limiting device move freely while each is linked to one another and while each D-shaped section 38 , 40 is movably affixed to an opposing enclosed channel 16 , 24 and/or C-shaped groove (not shown). In FIG. 3A , the mouth is shown fully closed with the range limiting device installed. In FIG. 3B , the apparatus and system is shown physically limiting the mouth from opening to a range less than fully opened.
[0056] Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B , an alternative embodiment of a jaw range limiter installed in a mouth will be described. An inside surface of a first tooth interface 14 is affixed to a first tooth 33 in the upper arch 32 , and the inside surface of a second tooth interface 22 is affixed to a second tooth 35 in the lower arch 34 . Each tooth interface 14 , 22 is affixed in any way known in the industry to at least one tooth and/or faux tooth or dental support apparatus and/or structure, etc., as is known in the industry.
[0057] The tooth interfaces 14 , 22 are affixed to opposing teeth 33 , 35 , although other installation locations are anticipated such as a neighboring tooth and/or faux tooth or dental support apparatus and/or structure, etc. as is known in the industry. A first bracket 18 is affixed to or integral to an outside surface of the first tooth interface 14 and a second bracket 26 is affixed to or integral to an outside surface of the second tooth interface 22 .
[0058] A range limiting device is shown having three sections 38 , 40 , 42 ; a first semi-circular shaped section 38 ; a last semi-circular shaped section 40 ; and a third section 42 comprising three oval shaped sub-sections movably linked to one another. Each of the three sections 38 , 40 , 42 of the range limiting device may not be the same size and/or shape as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B . Each of the three oval shaped sub-sections of the third section 42 of the range limiting device is shown smaller than both the first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device and the last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device. In an alternative embodiment, the third section 42 of the range limiting device comprises at least one oval shaped sub-section smaller than each of the first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device and the last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device. The first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a first enclosed channel 16 affixed to or integral to the first bracket 18 . The last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to a second enclosed channel 24 affixed to or integral to the second bracket 26 .
[0059] In an alternative embodiment, prior to affixing the inside surface of each of the tooth interfaces 14 , 22 to at least one tooth, each of the first semi-circular shaped section 38 , the last semi-circular shaped section 40 , and the third oval shaped sub-section is sequentially linked together. Next, the first semi-circular shaped section 38 is movably affixed to the first enclosed channel 16 , and the last semi-circular shaped section 40 is movably affixed to the second enclosed channel 24 . In an alternative embodiment not shown, a first C-shaped groove is affixed to or integral to the first tooth interface 14 and/or a second C-shaped groove is affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 . The first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first C-shaped groove and the last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second C-shaped groove affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 .
[0060] Preferably, each of the three sections 38 , 40 , 42 of the range limiting device move freely while linked to one another while both the first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first enclosed channel 16 and/or C-shaped groove (not shown) and the last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second enclosed channel 24 and/or C-shaped groove (not shown). In FIG. 4A , the mouth is shown fully closed with the range limiting device installed. In FIG. 4B , the apparatus and system is shown physically limiting the mouth from opening to a range less than fully opened.
[0061] Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B , an alternative embodiment of a jaw range limiter installed in a mouth will be described. An inside surface of a first tooth interface is affixed to a first tooth in the upper arch 32 , and an inside surface of a second tooth interface is affixed to an adjacent second tooth in the upper arch 32 . The neighboring tooth interfaces in the upper arch 32 are affixed to teeth, although faux teeth and/or other dental structures as are known in the industry are anticipated. A first horizontal bar 44 having a first loop 46 is affixed to or integral to both neighboring tooth interfaces in the upper arch 32 . An inside surface of a third tooth interface is affixed to a third tooth in the lower arch 34 , and an inside surface of a fourth tooth interface is affixed to a neighboring fourth tooth in the lower arch 34 . A second horizontal bar 48 having a second loop 50 is affixed to or integral to both neighboring tooth interfaces in the lower arch 34 .
[0062] A range limiting device shown comprises an elongated bar 51 having a protrusive first end 52 and a protrusive second end. Both the protrusive first end 52 of the elongated bar 51 and the protrusive second end of the elongated bar 51 are larger in diameter than the elongated bar 51 . Also, although both the protrusive first end 52 and the protrusive second end are bulb and/or spherical shaped, other shapes are anticipated, such as cubical, triangular, etc.
[0063] First, the protrusive bulb on the first end 52 of the elongated bar 51 is removed and the elongated bar 51 is sequentially inserted through each of the first loop 46 affixed to or integral to the outside surface of the first tooth interface and the second loop 50 affixed to or integral to an outside surface of the second tooth interface. The protrusive bulb on the first end 52 of the elongated bar 51 is glued and/or affixed to the first end of the elongated bar 51 with a screwing and/or locking mechanism and/or any known way in the industry such that the protrusion is not easily removable. The protrusive bulb on the first end 52 of the elongated bar 51 is then re-affixed to the distal end of the elongated bar 51 . The elongated bar 51 is slightly curved at the bottom, although other shapes and/or curvatures are anticipated, dependent upon the locations of opposing tooth interfaces and/or biomechanics of the opening and/or closing of the wearer's mouth. In FIG. 5A , the elongated bar 51 of the range limiting device is shown linking the first loop 46 and the second loop 50 in a closed mouth orientation.
[0064] Preferably, the range limiting device moves freely while the protrusive bulb on the first end 52 of the elongated bar 51 is movably affixed to the first loop 46 and the protrusive bulb on the second end of the elongated bar 51 is movably affixed to the second loop 50 . In FIG. 5B , the apparatus and system is shown physically limiting the mouth from opening to a range less than fully opened.
[0065] Referring to FIG. 6 , an alternative embodiment of a jaw range limiter will be described. The jaw range limiter is shown having a first tooth interface 14 , a first bracket 18 affixed to or integral to the first tooth interface 14 , the first bracket 18 having a first enclosed channel 16 affixed to or integral to the first bracket 18 , a second tooth interface 22 , a second bracket 26 affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 , the second bracket 26 having a second enclosed channel 24 affixed to or integral to the second bracket 26 . A range limiting device is shown having a first D-shaped section 38 of the range limiting device movably linked to a last D-shaped section 40 of the range limiting device.
[0066] Referring to FIG. 7 , an alternative embodiment of a jaw range limiter will be described. The side view of the jaw range limiter is shown having a first tooth interface 14 , a first bracket 18 affixed to or integral to the first tooth interface 14 , a first enclosed channel 16 affixed to or integral to the first bracket 18 , a second tooth interface 22 , a second bracket 26 affixed to or integral to the second tooth interface 22 , and a second enclosed channel 24 affixed to or integral to the second bracket 26 .
[0067] A range limiting device is shown having a first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device movably affixed to the first enclosed channel 16 and a last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device movably affixed to the second enclosed channel 24 . A third section of the range limiting device is shown comprising oval shaped sub-sections linking the first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device and the last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device. Each of the oval shaped sub-sections of the third section 42 of the range limiting device are smaller than each of the first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device and the last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device. In alternative embodiments, the third section 42 of the range limiting device comprises at least one oval shaped section smaller than each of the first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device and the last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device. Preferably, each of the first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device, the last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device, and the third sub-section 42 of the range limiting device move freely after each is sequentially linked to another of the sections and while each of the first semi-circular shaped section 38 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the first enclosed channel 16 and the last semi-circular shaped section 40 of the range limiting device is movably affixed to the second enclosed channel 24 .
[0068] In the foregoing embodiments, the range limiting device is made of materials known in the industry of sufficient strength and gauge, such that after the range limiting device is installed in the mouth of the wearer, the range limiting device is neither easily broken using normal jaw pressure, nor easily removable.
[0069] A jaw range limiter and method for weight loss has been shown which serves the purposes sought herein. Modifications, variations, other uses, and applications of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specifications and the drawings. Modifications, variations, other uses, and applications not outside the scope and spirit of this disclosure are deemed covered by this disclosure.
[0070] Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner to achieve substantially the same results. It is believed that the apparatus and method of this disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely exemplary and an explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.
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A dental apparatus for limiting how far a person can open their mouth to hamper eating is disclosed. A first tooth interface is affixed to at least one upper tooth and a second tooth interface is affixed to at least one lower tooth in proximity to the first tooth interface. A range limiting device having at least two sections, such as two triangular shaped sections, is sequentially linked from a first section of the range limiting device to a last section of the range limiting device. Each section of the range limiting device is movably affixed to an opposing tooth interface, such that the device movably interconnects the first tooth interface and the second tooth interface, thereby allowing the person to completely close their mouth, and limiting the person to opening their mouth to a range less than fully opened.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is directed to vacuum or positive pressure seed meters for a seeding machine. Particularly, the invention is directed to controlling the air pressure applied to seed meters of a seeding machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Modern seeding machines use plural seed meters spaced apart along a pneumatic manifold corresponding to planting rows. One such seed meter is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,909 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Sophisticated seed metering systems for controlling the rate at which seeds are planted use air pressure to control the application of seed to the ground. In some systems, positive air pressure is used. In other systems, negative air pressure in the form of a vacuum is used to meter the seed.
[0003] Positive or negative air pressure is generated by an air pump in the form of a fan. This air pressure from the air pump is directed to a pneumatic manifold. The pneumatic manifold in turn is pneumatically coupled to individual seed meters by hoses.
[0004] The air pressure supplied to different row seed meters is not identical. Such a condition results in uneven seed meter performance, possibly resulting in variations in row-to-row seed population and/or seed spacing along the rows. The positive or negative air pressure is highest at those seed meters pneumatically closest to the source of pressurized air or vacuum.
[0005] The present inventors have recognized the desirability of proving an air pressure seed metering system that compensates for variations in air pressure along the pneumatic manifold to ensure a consistent row-to-row seed population and seed spacing along each row.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides a pressure control system that is configured to precisely tune positive air pressure or vacuum to pneumatic seed meters that are located along a pneumatic metering manifold.
[0007] The system includes pressure control valves pneumatically located at plural seed meters that adjust the air pressure or vacuum at the seed meters. The system can utilize feedback pressure signals from pressure sensors at each meter to equalize positive air pressure or vacuum at the seed meters to ensure consistent row-to-row seed populations. Alternatively, the system could utilize seed population measurement as a feedback signal to adjust control valves.
[0008] A seeding machine is provided with a frame having a plurality of pneumatic seed meters. An air pump located on the frame supplies air pressure, positive or negative, depending on the seed meter type, to a pneumatic manifold. The pneumatic manifold in turn is pneumatically coupled to the seed meters by air hoses. Control valves, such as adjustable orifice valves, are pneumatically positioned between the pneumatic manifold and each air connection of the seed meters.
[0009] The pneumatic manifold is provided with radially extending tube stubs that are coupled to air hoses. The controllable pneumatic orifices can be connected to the tube stubs, can be connected at a point along the air hose, or can be connected to the seed meter.
[0010] The adjustable orifice valve of the invention comprises a substantially enclosed housing having a first air connection and a second air connection with a flow pathway therebetween. One or more baffles are arranged within the housing in the pathway between the air connections. An actuator is mounted to the housing and is operable to position the baffle to a controllable degree between the first and second air connections, to restrict flow through the orifice valve. In one embodiment three baffles are used to form an iris which can increase or decrease the orifice opening between the air connections while maintaining orifice concentricity. In another embodiment a single baffle can be used to close off the orifice in the pathway between the air connections in an eccentric manner.
[0011] As an alternative to the separate enclosed housing, the control valve of the invention could be incorporated into the seed meter housing/manifold.
[0012] Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] [0013]FIG. 1 is a top view of a row crops planter having a plurality of individual planting units;
[0014] [0014]FIG. 2 is a semi-schematic side view of one planting unit and the pneumatic distribution system;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an adjustable orifice valve of the present invention;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the adjustable orifice valve of FIG. 3 with a front cover removed for clarity;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the baffles shown in FIG. 4
[0018] FIGS. 6 A- 6 C are fragmentary plan views of the adjustable orifice of FIG. 3 in progressive stages of closing;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an adjustable orifice valve according to a second embodiment of the invention with a front cover removed for clarity, but with an actuator shown in position nonetheless;
[0020] FIGS. 8 A- 8 C are fragmentary plan views of the adjustable orifice of FIG. 7 in progressive stages of closing; and
[0021] [0021]FIG. 9 is a schematic, partially sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 1 is a top view of a seeding machine 10 . In the illustrated embodiment, the seeding machine is a row crop planter, however, the present invention could be used on other seeding machines having pneumatic seed meters, including grain drills and air seeders. The planter comprises a frame 12 that can be extended into a working configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 and folded into a transport configuration. A plurality of row crop planting units 20 is mounted to the frame 12 .
[0024] An air pump 40 in the form of a fan creates an air pressure in two air tubes 42 and 43 . The air tube 42 extends between the air pump 40 and the pneumatic manifold 44 . The air tube 43 extends between the air pump 40 and the pneumatic manifold 45 . Each of the pneumatic manifolds 44 and 45 comprises a cylindrical tube that extends along the frame 12 . Each of the pneumatic manifolds 44 and 45 comprises two sections that are coupled together by a flapper coupling 46 . The flapper coupling 46 allows each of the manifolds to be split apart as the planter frame 12 is being folded and to be rejoined when the planter frame is unfolded into its working configuration.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 2 illustrates each of the row crop planting units 20 is provided with a seed hopper 22 that directs seed to a seed meter 24 which meters the seed. The metered seed is directed by a seed tube 26 from the seed meter 24 to a planting furrow formed in the ground by furrow opener 28 . A planting furrow is closed by angled closing wheels 30 . The planting unit may also be provided with a pesticide hopper 32 for carrying pesticides to be applied during the planting process.
[0026] The seed meter 24 , in the illustrated embodiment, is a vacuum meter of the type presently marketed by the assignee of the present application. A vacuum seed meter is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,909 herein incorporated by reference. Negative air pressure is used to attract seeds to a seeding disc as it passes through a seed pile or puddle. The seeds remain in contact with the disc until the vacuum is removed and the seeds fall into the seed tube 26 .
[0027] The present invention could also be used with positive pressure systems, wherein a positive air pressure is used to drive the seeds to a seed disc as it revolves through a seed puddle. Removing the positive air pressure releases the seeds from the disc and the released seeds then drop into the seed tube 26 .
[0028] Each of the pneumatic manifolds 44 and 45 are provided with radially extending tube stubs 50 which are coupled to air hoses 52 for directing the air pressure in the pneumatic manifold to the individual seed meters 24 .
[0029] A pressure control valve in the form of an adjustable orifice valve 60 is positioned between the pneumatic manifolds 44 and 45 and an air connection of the row crop planting unit 23 . Each orifice valve 60 comprises a housing 61 having a first air connection in the form of a tube 62 and a second air connection in the form of a tube 63 . The housing 61 includes a front cover 64 fastened to a back plate 65 . The tube 62 is fastened to the front cover 64 . The tube 63 is fastened to the back plate 65 . Within the housing 61 , one or more baffle plates are arranged as described below.
[0030] The first tube 62 is in registry with the second tube 63 . The baffle plate or plates are disposed between the first and second tubes 62 , 63 to provide an adjustable restriction of airflow between the first and second tubes. An actuator 68 is mounted by fasteners 69 (shown in FIG. 7) onto the cover 64 of the housing 61 . The actuator 68 includes an output shaft 68 a (shown for example in FIG. 7) which penetrates the housing front cover 64 and which engages one of the baffles. The actuator, depending on an input signal thereto, controls the degree of restriction caused by the baffle or baffles by controllably rotating the baffle or baffles. The actuator is preferably a servomotor, wherein the servomotor can be controlled for precise rotation.
[0031] Since the vacuum pressure is related to the flow rate, and flow rate will change as the flow area changes, changing the baffle location will change the vacuum pressure.
[0032] In the preferred embodiment, the orifice valve 60 is inserted adjacent to, or as part of the meter 24 (see FIG. 9). However, other locations for the orifice valves are possible, such as along the air hose 52 , or at the respective manifold 44 , 45 .
[0033] Preferably, an orifice valve 60 would be located at each of the seed meters 24 . However, orifice valves 60 could be located only at the seed meters 24 closest to the air tubes 42 , 43 to restrict the airflow there to more closely match the air pressure to the air pressure at the remaining seed meters 24 farther from the air tubes 42 , 43 .
[0034] Vacuum pressure can be constantly monitored by pressure sensors P for each row or group of rows. Each sensor can be signal connected to a respective valve 60 to control by feedback the position of the valve and the level of vacuum or positive pressure at the seed meter. Alternately, a controller C, such as a microprocessor, can be signal-connected to all the pressure sensors P. The controller can be signal-connected to the actuators 68 at the orifice valves 60 . The vacuum or positive pressure level at each row is adjusted by the controller C according to feedback from the sensors P and by signal communication to each actuator 68 . For example, where the actuator is a servomotor, the controller, through an appropriate input/output device, can command the servomotor to open the iris slightly by a limited rotation of the servomotor, to increase the vacuum or positive pressure at the particular seed meter 24 , ensuring equal performance of all of the seed meters.
[0035] As an alternate feedback, an optical sensor could be located at each seed meter to detect the number of seeds the meter releases to the ground. Typically, the optical sensor is an infrared light emitting diode (LED) that is used in conjunction with a photocell. The photocell emits a pulse each time the light level from the LED goes below a specified threshold. These pulses correspond to seeds. With this information, and the vehicle travel speed, the rate of seed dispensing at each meter can be sensed and the vacuum at each meter adjusted accordingly by the valve.
[0036] Although orifice valves 60 are utilized in the above-described embodiment, other types of control valves, such as butterfly valves, could be used in place of orifice valves, and are also encompassed by the invention.
[0037] [0037]FIG. 4 illustrates three baffles 82 , 84 , 86 that are inter-engaged to form an iris shaped orifice 90 at a center thereof. Each baffle includes a slotted pivot 92 , a cam slot 94 and a pin 96 . Each pin 96 is located to be positioned within a cam slot 94 of an adjacent baffle. Two of the slotted pivots 92 are rotatably received in an opening 102 in the cover 64 . One of the pivots 92 is engaged by the actuator shaft 68 a (as shown in FIG. 7) of the actuator 68 to be forcibly rotated thereby. Forceful rotation of the pivot 92 causes corresponding mutual rotation of all of the baffles via the pins 96 and cam slots 94 , to either constrict or expand the iris opening 90 . Therefore, rotation of the actuator shaft which is engaged to one of the pivots 92 will constrict the iris opening 90 when rotated in a first direction, and will expand the iris opening 90 when rotated in a second, opposite direction. The back plate 65 further includes threaded openings 106 for receiving fasteners from the cover 64 to fix the plate 65 to the cover 64 to form the enclosed housing 61 .
[0038] [0038]FIG. 5 illustrates a single baffle, such as the baffle 82 . The baffle 82 is offset in two planes which allows for the assembly of the three baffles 82 , 84 , 86 in a relatively flat profile.
[0039] As demonstrated in FIGS. 6 A- 6 C an iris-type baffle arrangement can be used to control the open orifice area 90 to conduct flow between the first tube 62 and the second tube 63 . In FIG. 6A, the iris orifice area 90 is completely open allowing full flow between the tubes 62 , 63 . In FIG. 6B, the iris orifice area 90 is closed to some extent to provide some restriction of flow through the tubes 62 , 63 . In FIG. 6C, the iris orifice area 90 is further closed to provide an even further increased restriction of flow between the tubes 62 , 63 .
[0040] [0040]FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment wherein the three baffles 82 , 84 , 86 of the first embodiment are replaced by a single baffle 120 . The single baffle 120 includes a pivot 92 as previously described. The baffle 120 is substantially flat and curved. The single baffle 120 is rotated by the actuator shaft 68 a of the actuator 68 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, under control from the controller C as shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, an open orifice area 124 is opened and closed to form an eccentric orifice compared to the pathway between the tubes 62 , 63 .
[0041] As illustrated in FIGS. 8 A- 8 C, wherein the single baffle 120 is used, upon rotation of the baffle 120 , the open orifice area 124 between the tubes 62 , 63 is progressively constricted. In FIG. 8A, the baffle 120 completely clears and exposes the pathway between the tubes 62 , 63 for a nearly negligible resistance. In FIG. 8B, a somewhat greater resistance is provided by the position of the baffle 120 . In FIG. 8C, a further flow resistance is provided by a more constricted opening 124 , caused by a further rotation of the baffle 120 .
[0042] [0042]FIG. 9 illustrates an alternate embodiment wherein the valve housing 60 ′ is combined with the seed meter 24 ′ forming one housing 150 . The seed meter 24 ′ can be as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,909 herein incorporated by reference. An air assisted seed distribution device, such as a seed disk 154 distributes seed 152 . The dist 154 and the valve baffle 120 share the common housing 150 . The suction first tube 62 is used but the second tube 64 is not necessary. The single baffle 120 is shown as an example, mounted to an intermediate plate 65 ′. The iris type baffle plate arrangement of FIG. 4, or another type of control valve could be used in the housing of FIG. 9 as well.
[0043] From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
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A pressure control system is configured to precisely tune positive air pressure or vacuum to pneumatic seed meters that are located along a pneumatic metering manifold. The system includes pressure control valves pneumatically located at plural seed meters that adjust the air pressure or vacuum at the seed meters. The system can utilize feedback pressure signals from pressure sensors at each meter to equalize positive air pressure or vacuum at the seed meters to ensure consistent row-to-row seed populations.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to commercial kitchen systems and, more particularly, to an apparatus for draining at least one sink. The apparatus includes a commercial kitchen sink having a drain; a trough below the sink for transporting effluent, the trough positioned such that there is an air gap between it and drain; a plurality of selectively positionable markers on the trough; and removable solids strainers configured to be positioned at a marker to locate the strainer below a drain.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In order to maintain sanitary conditions, plumbing and health code regulations require device drains to be individually drained with a flow passing through a minimum air space to preclude potential cross-contamination caused by fluids migrating upstream due to a downstream blockage. Traditional air-gap connection methods have commonly used a pipe-and-cup arrangement. Effluent flows through a drain, passes through a mandated air-gap into a cup, and then passes through a pipe to a remote location. This conventional set-up requires an adequate vertical distance to be available. However, in many modern commercial kitchens, devices discharge low to the floor and preclude such a pipe-and-cup design, particularly if other equipment needs to be installed under the sink downstream of the drain.
A particular item of equipment that may need to be installed downstream of the drain is the Big Dipper® grease separator sold by Thermaco, Inc. of Asheboro, N.C. Grease separators remove oil and grease from kitchen sink effluent so that the remaining effluent is easier to process and clogging of pipes is reduced, in compliance with many sewage district codes. The oil/grease separators have tanks with quiescent zones to permit the oil and grease to float on top of the water and be susceptible to removal.
When using these and other grease separators, it may be desirable to remove solids from the effluent flow prior to flow into the separator. One method of removing solids includes placing a strainer in the effluent flow below the sink drain. However, to effectively remove solids from the flow, the strainer must be placed such that the effluent stream including the solids passes through the strainer. Therefore, an inexpensive device for eliminating activities such as determining where the strainer should be placed along a trough and monitoring the strainer to determine whether it is indeed aligned with effluent flow from an outlet of a sink drain may increase the operating efficiency of such kitchens. There remains, therefore, a need in the art for an apparatus for draining at least one kitchen sink that provides a trough below the sink for transporting effluent, the trough positioned such that there is an air gap between it and the drain; and a plurality of selectively positionable markers on the trough to guide strainer placement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention fulfills one or more of these needs by providing an apparatus for draining at least one sink having a downwardly disposed drain ending in a lower end. The apparatus includes a trough upwardly open to effluent flow discharging from the downwardly disposed drain. The trough extends beneath the sink and has a discharge end and an upstream end. Means are provided for positioning the trough to induce the effluent flow to the discharge end of the trough and to allow an air gap between the trough and the lower end of the drain. Selectively positionable markers mark a location of a sink drain above the apparatus to guide the positioning of a removable strainer. This enables the positioning of the strainer at the marker and consequent alignment of the strainer with the effluent flow from the drain to collect solids discharging from the drain into the apparatus.
In an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus includes a removable strainer for positioning in the trough at one of the markers. The apparatus may include a grease separator downstream of the trough. A sink is usually positioned having a downwardly disposed drain ending in a lower end. The strainer may include a handle. An indicator is preferably included to indicate a portion of the trough between two of the markers for positioning the strainer, to enable alignment of the strainer with the flow from the drain. The trough may be substantially U-shaped and include a series or apertures on a top flange for selectively positioning the markers. The trough has a depth, and the strainer preferably has a lesser depth to enable effluent to flow from upstream of the strainer, under the strainer, to downstream of the strainer. Each of the markers may include a pair of ears for guiding the positioning of the strainer, and a pair of lip portions, each having an aperture for coupling the marker to the trough.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of installing an apparatus for removing solids from an effluent flow from a kitchen sink. The method includes fabricating a trough for placement below a drain hole of a kitchen sink, and positioning the trough below the drain hole. Further the method includes positioning the trough below the drain hole of the kitchen sink, selectively positioning drain hole markers along the trough; and inserting a strainer into the trough at one of the markers.
In yet another aspect the invention provides a method of removing solids from an effluent flow from a kitchen sink including discharging effluent flow containing solids from a drain hole of a sink. The method further includes collecting the solids from the effluent flow in a strainer positioned along a trough at a marker, removing the strainer from the trough, disposing of solids in the strainer; and replacing the strainer in the trough at the marker.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an apparatus for draining at least one sink and two sinks having downwardly disposed drains ending in a lower end.
FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a trough of an apparatus for draining at least one sink.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The illustrations and description are for the purpose of describing an embodiment of the invention and do not limit the invention to any particular embodiment. Those of ordinary skill will recognize that the invention defined by the claims is capable of various and numerous embodiments.
FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus 10 for draining at least one sink 70 that has a downwardly disposed drain 74 ending in a lower end 77 . The apparatus 10 includes a trough 20 upwardly open to effluent flow discharging from the downwardly disposed drain 74 . The trough 20 extends beneath the sink 70 and has a discharge end 24 and an upstream end 22 . FIG. 1 shows the trough 20 extending under two sinks 70 with strainers 50 and positioning markers 40 provided in duplicate. The trough 20 can be fabricated of sheet metal, preferably stainless steel, of a variety of lengths, as needed for any given number of sinks, by duplication of the strainers 50 and markers 40 .
The trough 20 includes a means 30 for positioning the trough 20 to induce the effluent flow to the discharge end 24 of the trough 20 and to provide an air gap 34 between the trough 20 and the lower end 77 of the drain 74 . In one embodiment of the invention, the means 30 for positioning the trough 20 includes one or more standards 38 resting on a floor 31 or other surface below the trough 20 extending between the floor 31 surface and the trough 20 for supporting the trough 20 . Fittings 35 on the bottom of the trough have holes with threads, and at least upper portions of the standards are threaded to permit height adjustments. Similar threaded adjustments can also be provided for the connection of the bottom of the standards to feet 33 . The means for positioning the trough may be a support bracket made of a conventional hanger strap material. Other floor or wall-mounted straps can be the means for positioning or a component of the means for positioning the trough. Various combinations of nuts, bolts, screws, rods, straps, brackets, clamps, hangers, blocks, supports, feet, and other similar structures can be used to position the trough. In addition, a surface, such as the floor of a kitchen may provide the means. The apparatus may include a grease separator 60 downstream of the trough 20 .
FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the trough 20 including a selectively positionable marker 40 to mark a location of a sink drain above the apparatus for guiding the positioning of a removable strainer 50 , thereby enabling the positioning of the strainer 50 at the marker 40 and consequent alignment of the strainer 50 with the effluent flow from the drain 74 to collect solids discharging from the drain. The strainer 50 may include a handle 54 for carrying the strainer 50 to a solid waste collection container (not shown) for disposal of solids from the strainer 50 . The trough 20 may be substantially U-shaped with flanges 47 at its top. The upper flanges have holes 24 along the length of the flange 47 . The series of holes 24 is provided in the flanges of the stock of the trough material so as the trough 20 is installed under the sink drain, the holes 24 that are under the sink drain can be selected for mounting the markers 40 to the trough 20 . The trough 20 has a depth 21 and the strainer 50 has a depth 51 less than the depth 21 of the trough 20 to enable effluent to flow from upstream of the strainer, under the strainer, to downstream of the strainer.
The apparatus 10 may comprise written instructions 80 , which may be located on a face 29 of a marker 40 and indicate a portion of the trough 20 where the strainer 50 should be placed to enable alignment of the strainer 50 with the flow from the drain 74 . In an embodiment of the invention, each of the markers 40 includes a pair of lip portions 27 having at least one aperture 28 for coupling the marker to a hole 24 in the flange 47 of the trough. Each of the markers 40 has a pair of upwardly extending ears 44 spaced apart slightly more than the length of the strainer 50 so as to together define a position for the strainer 50 , and to prevent longitudinal sliding of the strainer 50 .
In operation of an embodiment of the invention, a method of removing solids from an effluent flow from a kitchen sink having a drain hole includes positioning a trough below the drain hole of the kitchen sink. The drain hole markers may be positioned along the trough to indicate the location of the drain hole. A strainer can be inserted into the trough at one of the markers. Thus, after an effluent flow containing solids is discharged for the sink through the drain hole, the strainer, and the trough, the strainer collects the solids from the effluent flow. The strainer can be removed from its position below the drain hole and its contents transferred to a solid waste collection container. The strainer can be replaced in the trough at the marker indicating the position of the drain hole, so that the process can continue.
Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. Not every such modification and improvement is described herein, but is properly within the scope of the following claims.
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An apparatus includes: a commercial kitchen sink having a drain; a trough below the sink for transporting effluent positioned such that there is an air gap between it and the drain; and a plurality of selectively positionable markers on the trough for indicating positions for strainers to collect solids in effluent discharging form the drain. A method of removing solids from an effluent flow from a kitchen sink having a drain hole is also disclosed.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a case loader for loading shipping cases, either with closure flaps or open trays with one or more articles being loaded in the container. More particularly, the invention relates to a case loader provided with article loading guides to guide or "shoe horn" articles into a case or tray. My prior U.S. Pat. No. Re. 25,852 discloses article guiding apparatus intended to accomplish this objective. The disclosure in this patent shows guide plates 149 which are connected to arms 150 which extend back to a pivot 151. Alongside the arms are attached cam plates 163 with an upwardly inclined edge. The conveyor chain 18 which pushes the product forward with the use of cross rods 19 also actuates the guide plates as the cross rods 19 engage the cam plates 163 and cause the guide plates 149 to dip into the waiting case. The present invention greatly simplifies the mechanism and procedure to accomplish the guiding and loading of articles into cartons.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides article guide plates for centering articles on a skid plate and "shoe horning" articles into cases or cartons as the articles are swept off the skid plate. The guide plates are arranged in pairs with the plates in each pair located on opposite sides of the article conveying path and carried on spaced endless chains. The guide plates are pivotally mounted intermediate their length, with torsion springs arranged around the pivots to bias the guide plates inwardly into contact with the articles. As the articles to be loaded approach the loading station on a supply conveyor, the plates move into position on opposite sides of the articles and embrace the articles. Cam rails extending longitudinally alongside the conveying path engage the upper end of the guide plate arms above their pivots and pivot the plates and open the gap between the opposed plates to release the articles from their grip as they are pushed off a skid plate and deposited in the carton. The cam rails also open the gap between the plates prior to registry with the cartons.
The articles are moved over the skid plates by pusher bars connected to the same chains which carry the loading plates, which assures proper alignment of the plates with the articles.
The present invention provides apparatus which is relatively simple to accomplish the loading sequence with the use of loading plates which are always in the appropriate position to perform their function.
Further objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of case loading apparatus in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 is a view along line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a view along line 3--3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of one of the loading plates shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
FIG. 5 is a top view of the supply conveyor and article release mechanism.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a loading plate.
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of the cam rails for the guide plates.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of case holding fingers.
FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic side elevation view of a modified embodiment with a case tilting plate.
FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 with the plate in an advanced carton displacing position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure. The scope of the invention is defined in the claims appended hereto.
In the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a feeding or supply conveyor 10 supported on a frame 9 for moving articles to be deposited in cartons or cases 16. A conveyor 14 brings cases or cartons 16 to the case loading station 12 where they receive the deposited articles 11. The cartons 16 can be open trays or provided with down-turned flaps.
In the disclosed construction, two articles 11, such as multi-packs of a beverage are released from a staging area 17 by a release mechanism 20 in timed sequence, as hereinafter described in more detail, so that a complement of two articles 11 will be deposited in a single carton 16. Although in the drawings two articles are shown deposited in a carton, other numbers of articles can be packed using the loading plates and associated apparatus of the invention.
The article separator and release mechanism 20 (FIG. 5) at the staging area comprises spaced endless chains 22 which travel in a horizontal plane and which are provided with inwardly and laterally extending lugs 24, 25 which, as shown, confine an article or complement of articles on the supply conveyor 10. Upon energization and movement of the leading lugs 24, both articles 11 in the groups are released and are moved by the conveyor 10. The lugs 25 move to the position formerly occupied by lugs 24 and hold back the next complement of articles to be loaded.
The released complement of articles 11 are then picked up by cross bars or pusher bars 30 which span the conveying path 13 (FIG. 1) and are connected to a pair of spaced endless chains 32 which are located above and along opposite sides of the conveying path 13 (FIG. 2). The pusher bars 30 push the articles 11 from the conveyor 10 onto a skid plate 36 and ultimately push the articles 11 from the skid plate 36 into the carton 16. The cartons 16 are detained at the right end of conveyor 14, as viewed in FIG. 1, by fingers 140, 142 illustrated in FIG. 8. The leading corner or edge 40 of the leading article in the group of articles engages the forward wall 42 of the carton. The pusher bars 30 push the cartons and articles through the fingers 140, 142.
The cases 16 are released by an escapement mechanism 44 which, as illustrated, includes a lever 46 which is pivotally connected at 48 to the frame and a power cylinder 50 which is connected to the lever. Actuation of the cylinder 50 in timed sequence with the article release mechanism 20 (by conventional means not disclosed herein) pivots the lever from within the case 16 to allow the leading case to escape and be separated from the row of cartons where it is retained by the fingers 140, 142.
In accordance with the invention, means are provided for centering the articles on the skid plate and guiding the articles into the cartons during deposition. In the disclosed construction, the means comprises pairs 59 of guide or loading plates 60 (FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 6), with the guide plates 60 connected to the spaced chains 32 and with the plates arranged in allochiral or right and left hand relationship. The pairs 59 are arranged and spaced on the chains 32 to handle the article load being deposited. As disclosed, there are groups 61 of two closely spaced pairs 59 of plates 60 arranged to facilitate loading of a complement of two articles.
As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, the plates 60 include an inwardly flared portion 62 and two angularly related portions 64 and 66. The plates 60 are connected to cam engaging arms 68 which are pivoted by pivot pins 69 to a bracket 71 which is connected to the chain 32. The guide plates are desirably made of springy metal to facilitate their release from the carton during the loading sequence. Torsion springs 70 arranged around the pivot pins 69 bias the ends 62 of the plates inwardly toward the conveying path.
In addition to the springs 70, the position of the loading plates 60 is controlled by cam rails 76 located on opposite sides of the conveying path 13 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 7). The rails 76 have a low friction covering such as TEFLON and are positioned to engage the arms 68 and displace the plates about pivot pins where appropriate, to space the ends 62 of the plates to receive therebetween the articles 11, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The rails 76 allow the plates to operate under influence of the torsion springs 70 to move to an advanced position to embrace or grip the articles, as shown in FIG. 2, to center and guide the articles into the carton.
In operation, and referring to FIG. 7, the cam rails 76 to the left of line 80 in FIG. 7 are in the position shown in FIG. 3 to displace the loading plates outwardly to receive the articles 11. As the articles move between the pairs of plates, the cam rails 76 diverge outwardly to the right of line 80 in FIG. 7 and allow the springs 70 to urge the loading plates 60 against the articles 11 to center the articles. Once the loading plates have guided the lower edges of the articles into the carton, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the loading plates are no longer needed. Cam rails 76 converge inwardly at line 82 (FIG. 7) and cause the plates 60 to release their grip on the articles and pivot to a retracted position, allowing the articles to fall to the bottom of the cartons 16.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a modified embodiment of the lower inclined conveyor which carries the cases or cartons to receive the contents at the loading station. In FIG. 9 the conveyor includes two spaced belts 114 which are separated by a gap. A case or carton displacement lever 120 formed by two angularly related portions 121 and 123 is pivotally supported on the frame by pivot 122 and connected to a crank arm 124 which is moved by a power cylinder 126. The plate is operated in sequence by sensors, etc. (not disclosed) to lift the leading edge of the carton 16 prior to deposition of the articles. Raising the cartons lessens the distance the article drops into the carton to thus reduce breakage or damage to the article or its packaging. It also insures that the leading edge 42 of the carton 16 will be intercepted by the moving article 11. The leading case 16 is desirably held in the FIG. 10 position by fingers 140 and 142 which are located on opposite sides of the conveying path and which are pivotally connected to the frame by pivots 144 and spring biased into the path of travel of the cartons 16 by springs 148. Stops 150 limit the inward movement of the fingers. When an article 11 intercepts the case 16, the pressure from the pusher bars 30 is sufficient to overcome the grasp of the fingers to push the loaded cases between the fingers.
Although in the disclosed construction cam rails are employed to displace the loading plates outwardly to release the cartons, springy loading plates can be used without any displacement means where the articles loaded are sufficiently heavy to push through the plates as the articles leave the skid plate 36. The plates 60, as shown, can be used with or without the cam rails, depending on the weight of the articles.
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A case loader for placing articles such as beverage packs in cases or cartons includes a supply conveyor for articles and a carton conveyor which merges into the article conveying path and pairs of spaced guide plates or loading plates supported on overhead endless chains arranged along the sides of the conveying path to grip and center the articles on the supply conveyor and to "shoe horn" the articles into the cartons. A case displacement lever pivots in the gap between spaced runs of the case conveyor to raise the leading edge of the case or carton upwardly to lessen the drop distance of the article into the case to minimize damage.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] The sustainable production of renewable energy is becoming an important goal of government and industry. First generation biofuels, produced mainly from food crops, are limited in their ability to achieve targets for biofuel production, climate change mitigation and economic growth (Mata (2010) Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 14: 217-232). Thus, interest in second generation biofuels, produced from non-feedstocks including algae, has increased. The most common biofuels are biodiesel and bio-ethanol, which can replace diesel and gasoline, respectively, in today's cars with little or no modification to vehicle engines. They can also be produced using existing technologies and be distributed through the available distribution system. Algae has the advantage of not only oil production but also much higher energy yields per hectare, does not require agricultural land, and can be combined with pollution control, in particular with biological sequestration of CO 2 emissions and other greenhouse gases, or wastewater treatment (Mata (2010) Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 14: 217-232). The main constraint of using algae for biofuel production is the cost. Large-scale cultivation of algae must have carefully controlled conditions and optimum nurturing environments in order to produce maximum growth resulting in maximum oil harvest. Setting up a system to incorporate pollution control such as sequestering CO 2 from flue gas emissions or waste water remediation processes and/or extraction of high value compounds for application in other process industries increases the economic potential.
[0002] In plants and animals, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A), deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS) and deoxyhypusine hydroxylase (DHH) play a key role in cell growth and cell death. In plants, altered expression of either eIF-5A or DHS results in plants that grow faster producing larger overall plants and increased seed production with no change in oil composition (Wang (2005) Physiologia Plantarum 124: 493-503). Another positive effect of altered eIF-5A or DHS expression in plants is their ability to tolerate or recover from a wide range of stresses (Wang (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276: 17541-17549, (2003) Plant Mol. Biol. 52: 1223-1235, (2005) Physiologia Plantarum 124: 493-503). Algae is an ideal organism to produce oil for biodiesel and if altered expression of either or both of these genes results in an increase in cell number it would also result in increased oil production while maintaining oil composition. One of the critical factors in using algae for biofuel production is the use of large-scale bioreactors, which require careful monitoring of growth conditions to maintain maximum algal growth. Any alteration in these conditions would result in a ‘stress’ environment and thus, would have a negative impact on algal growth rate. Having an alga that can tolerate stress or can recover faster after a stress has been imposed would increase the yield potential and thus, decrease oil production costs to more marketable levels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention provides a transgenic algal cell that produces an increased amount of oil as compared to the amount of oil produced by a corresponding naturally occurring algal cell. The transgenic algal cell overexpresses a protein that contains hypusine. The transgenic algal cell may overexpress eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A), deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS), deoxyhypusine hydroxylase (DHH), or a combination thereof.
[0004] The eIF-5A protein may be obtained from any source. The eIF-5A protein may comprise an amino acid sequence having at least 85% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 4. The eIF-5A protein may be a poplar eIF-5A protein or any other plant eIF-5A protein. The eIF-5A protein may comprise an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 4.
[0005] The DHS protein may be obtained from any source. The DHS comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 85% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 6. The DHS protein may be a tomato DHS protein or any other plant DHS protein. The DHS protein may comprise an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 6.
[0006] The DHH comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 85% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 8. The DHH protein may comprise an amino acid sequence having SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, the DHH is encoded by a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 7.
[0007] The present invention provides a method of producing transgenic algal cells that produce an increased amount of oil as compared to corresponding naturally occurring algal cells. The method comprises obtaining one or more constructs that encode one or more proteins that contain hypusine or that are involved in the expression or synthesis of a protein containing hypusine, transforming algal cells with the one or more constructs to obtain transgenic algal cells, cultivating the transgenic algal cells in a bioreactor under conditions and for a sufficient time to produce oil, and harvesting oil from the transgenic algal cells.
[0008] The algal cells may be transformed with two or more constructs, and each of the constructs may comprise the nucleic acid encoding eIF-5A, DHS, or DHH. The algal cells may be transformed with a construct comprising the nucleic acid encoding eIF-5A and a construct comprising the nucleic acid encoding DHS. Accordingly, the transgenic algal cells may contain the constructs encoding eIF-5A and DHS and overexpress eIF-5A and DHS.
[0009] The present invention provides constructs for expressing eIF-5A DHS, DHH, or a combination thereof. The construct may comprise a combination of two or more nucleic acids selected from the group consisting of nucleic acid encoding eIF-5A, nucleic acid encoding DHS, and nucleic acid encoding DHH.
[0010] The construct may comprise a nucleic acid encoding eIF-5A, DHS, or DHH operably linked to a promoter. The promoter may be the Saccharomyces cerevisiae glycolysis enzyme promoter. The construct may comprise the nucleic acid having a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2.
[0011] The present invention provides a method of producing biodiesel fuel comprising growing transgenic algal cells that overproduce a protein that contains hypusine in a bioreactor under conditions and for a sufficient time to produce oil, harvesting oil from the transgenic algae cell, and processing the harvested oil into biodiesel fuel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIGS. 1A & B show TO line screen data at 4 days after initiation, 75% N-P-K nutrient, 3 reps/line, shaker with 30% shade, 120 rpm, % increase in growth rate of control at 75% BBM. (A) Upper: pPGK:PdF5A3cDNA-tNos construct (PF) (SEQ ID NO: 1). (B) Lower: pPGK:PdF5A3cDNA-tNos+pPGK:TDHS-tTEF1 double construct (FD) (SEQ ID NO: 2).
[0013] FIG. 2 shows CO 2 saturation and air recovery. Bubbling with CO 2 for 24 hours followed by bubbling with air for 24 hours, 100 μMol light, 3 reps/line, and 100% BBM. The constructs are: PF (PGK:PdF5A) and FD (PGK:PdF5A+PGK:TDHS).
[0014] FIG. 3 shows line screening data using a bioreactor and formula of media: 4× macro, 2×N, 2× micro, 24 hours growth, plus 60% CO 2 , and 130 μMol light (3 reps/exp).
[0015] FIG. 4 shows oil production of algae in 4× macro, 2×N, and 2× micro, plus 60% CO 2 , 130 μMol light after 24 hours growth in bioreactors (3 reps/exp).
[0016] FIG. 5 shows oil production of algae in 10× macro, 2×N, and 2× micro, plus 60% CO 2 , 130 μMol light after 72 hours growth in bioreactors (3 reps/exp).
[0017] Table 1 shows sequence identity values from (A) amino acid sequence alignments and nucleotide sequence alignments for poplar eIF-5A3 and eIF-5A from other plants and (B) amino acid sequence alignments and nucleotide sequence alignments for tomato DHS and DHS from other plants.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The present invention is based in part on the finding that overexpressing poplar growth factor 5A (eIF-5A) in transgenic algal cells results in faster algal cell growth and division which in turn leads to an increase in total oil produced per culture. The total oil harvested from transgenic algal cells exceeds that which can be attributed to just an increase in cell number. Accordingly, the present invention is also based in part on the finding that transgenic algal cells overexpressing eIF-5A either alone or in combination with deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS) contain more oil per cell.
[0019] The present invention provides transgenic algal cells that overexpress a protein that contains hypusine. The protein that contains hypusine may be eIF-5A. The transgenic algal cells may overexpress enzymes involved in the synthesis, expression, or post-translation of a protein containing eIF-5A, such as DHS and DHH. The transgenic algal cells may overexpress eIF-5A, DHS, DHH, or a combination thereof. The transgenic algal cells of the present invention encompass both prokaryotic and eukaryotic algal cells. The algal cells for producing the transgenic algal cells of the present invention may be any algal cell. The algal cells may be selected from the divisions consisting of Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, and Phaeophyta. Examples of algae include but are not limited to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlamydomonas moewusii, Chlamydomonas sp. strain MGA161, Chlamydomonas eugametos , and Chlamydomonas segnis belonging to Chlamydomonas; Chlorella vulgaris belonging to Chlorella; Senedesmus obliguus and Scenedesmus acutus belonging to Senedesmus; Dunaliella tertrolecta belonging to Dunaliella; Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413 belonging to Anabaena; Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 belonging to Cyanothece; Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 belonging to Synechococcus ; and Anacystis nidulans belonging to Anacystis.
[0020] The algal cells of the present invention may be transformed with an exogenous nucleic acid encoding eIF-5A, DHS, DHH, or a combination thereof. The eIF-5A, DHS, and DHH may be from any source. The source of eIF-5A, DHS, and DHH may be a plant, fungus, or animal source. The plant may be Arabidopsis thaliana (Atl), alfalfa, banana, Carnation, canola, corn, lettuce, rice, potato, poplar, tomato, or tobacco. There may be different isoforms of a plant eIF-5A. For example, Table 1 shows four different isoforms of tomato eIFA5, 5 different isoforms of potato eIFA5, 4 different isoforms of poplar eIFA5, etc. The fungus may be yeast, mold, slime mold, or Neurospora crassa.
[0021] The eIF-5A may be from various sources and comprise an amino acid sequence that has at least 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 4. The eIFA may be poplar eIFA isoform 3 (eIF-5A3) and may comprise SEQ ID NO: 3 or a functional fragment thereof. eIF-5A may have at least 85% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 4, as determined by sequence alignment programs using default parameters.
[0022] DHS may be from various sources and comprise an amino acid sequence that has at least 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 4. DHS may comprise SEQ ID NO: 6 or a functional fragment thereof. DHS may have at least 85% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 6, as determined by sequence alignment programs using default parameters.
[0023] DHH may be from various sources and comprise an amino acid sequence that has at least 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 8. DHH may comprise SEQ ID NO: 8 or a functional fragment thereof. DHH may have at least 85% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 8, as determined by sequence alignment programs using default parameters.
[0024] The nucleic acid encoding eIF-5A, DHS, or DHH may be introduced into algal cells using a construct. The nucleic acid encoding eIF-5A, DHS, or DHH may be in a construct. The construct may comprise the nucleic acid encoding eIF-5A, DHS, or DHH operably linked to a regulatory element. The regulatory element may be a promoter that controls the expression of eIF-5A, DHS, or DHH. The promoter may be a Saccharomyces cerevisiae glycolysis enzyme promoter.
[0025] Other regulatory elements that may be included on the construct include terminator, marker for selecting the desired cell, enhancer sequences, response elements or inducible elements that modulate expression of a nucleic acid sequence. The choice of regulatory element to be included in a construct depends upon several factors, including, but not limited to, replication efficiency, selectability, inducibility, desired expression level, and cell or tissue specificity.
[0026] Expression control elements that are used for regulating the expression of an operably linked protein encoding sequence are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, inducible promoters, constitutive promoters, secretion signals, and other regulatory elements. Preferably, the inducible promoter is readily controlled, such as being responsive to a nutrient in the host cell's medium.
[0027] The choice of vector and/or expression control sequences to which nucleic acid encoding eIF-5A, DHS, or DHH is operably linked depends directly on the functional properties desired, e.g., protein expression, and the host cell to be transformed. A vector contemplated by the present invention is at least capable of directing the replication and preferably also expression, of the structural gene included in the recombinant DNA molecule in algal cells.
[0028] In one embodiment, the vector containing a coding nucleic acid molecule will include a prokaryotic replicon, i.e., a DNA sequence having the ability to direct autonomous replication and maintenance of the recombinant DNA molecule extrachromosomally in a prokaryotic host cell, such as an algal cell, transformed therewith. Such replicons are well known in the art. In addition, vectors that include a prokaryotic replicon may also include a gene whose expression confers a detectable marker such as a drug resistance. Vectors that include a prokaryotic replicon can further include a prokaryotic or bacteriophage promoter capable of directing the expression (transcription and translation) of the coding gene sequences in an algal cell.
[0029] Transformation of algal cells with a recombinant DNA molecule of the present invention is accomplished by well known methods that typically depend on the type of vector used and host system employed. With regard to transformation of algal cells, electroporation and salt treatment methods may be employed. The constructs may also be introduced into the algae by other standard transformation methods, such as for example, vortexing cells in the presence of exogenous DNA, acid washed beads, polyethylene glycol, and biolistics.
[0030] The transgenic algal cells of the present invention may be used to produce oil. The transgenic algal cells may be grown in a bioreactor under conditions for a sufficient time to produce oil. The oil may be harvested from the cells by methods known in the art. The oil from the transgenic algal cells may be processed into biodiesel fuel.
[0031] Without further description, it is believed that one of ordinary skill in the art can, using the preceding description and the following illustrative examples, make and utilize the present invention and practice the claimed methods. The following working examples therefore, specifically point out the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting in any way the remainder of the disclosure.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Transgenic Algae
Algae Culture
[0032] Scenedesmus acutus (S.a.) and Chlorella vulgaris (C.v.) cells were grown and maintained on solidified BBM media (Stein (1973) (Ed.) Handbook of Phycological methods. Culture methods and growth measurements. Cambridge University Press) in (100×10)-mm Petri plates in a plant growth incubator with 16-h light (100 mmol m −2 s −1 photosynthetically active radiation)/8 hour dark cycles at 21° C. Transgenic line screens were grown in a Plant Growth Chamber in 25-mm glass test tubes containing liquid BBM media with 16-h light (100 μmol m −2 s −1 photosynthetically active radiation)/8-h dark cycles, at a temperature of 21° C. on a shaker at 120 rpm. Cells were diluted to an OD600 of 0.01 and placed back on the shaker to determine if the transgenic lines exhibited accelerated growth rates. Growth rate was measured as the OD 600 after 10 days on the shaker.
[0033] CO 2 enrichment experiments were initially performed on cultures that were grown in capped 25-mm glass test tubes in a growth chamber with 100 μmol m −2 s −1 photosynthetically active radiation for 24 h at a temperature of 21° C. CO 2 (100%) was bubbled to each individual test tube through Tygon tubing fitted into the cut end of a 1 cc syringe connected to a 25 gage needle that was placed with the tip on the bottom of each test tube.
[0034] Small-scale bioreactors were developed which consisted of a 200-ml glass square jar (Kimax) with a #3 rubber stopper fitted into each neck. The stoppers had 2 holes, one fitted with a cut off 1-cc syringe into which the Tygon tubing providing CO 2 was inserted, and a second hole fitted with 3-cm of the plugged end of a 1-ml plastic pipette which includes the cotton plug (Fisher Scientific Canada). This was used as a vent to prevent pressure build-up in the reactor. Bioreactors were initiated with 20 ml of algae cells at an OD 600 of 4.0. Jars were placed in a plant growth chamber on a rotary shaker at 70 rpm under 24 hour light at 130 μMol and at 21° C. Carbon enrichment was achieved by mixing air flowing at 3 L/min and 100% CO 2 flowing at 2 L/min, resulting in approximately 60% CO 2 enrichment.
Plasmid Constructs and Bacterial Strains
[0035] 1. pBI-PGKF5A construct (PF)
[0036] The poplar eIF-5A3 cDNA nucleotide sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3 and the amino acid sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 4. The translation start codon starts at nucleotide 48 and stop codon starts at nucleotide 525. A Saccharomyces cerevisiae glycolysis enzyme promoter, PGK1, was amplified by PCR with primers: upstream 5′- GTCTAC AGGCATTTGCAAGAATTACTCG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 9) with a SalI restriction site and downsteam 5′- GGATCC TGTTTTATATTTGTTGTAAAAAGTAG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 10) with BamHI restriction site (Kong (2006) Biotechnol. Left 28: 2033-2038). The PCR product of PGK1 promoter was ligated to a pBI101 vector with SalI and BamHI sites, designated pBI-PGK.
[0037] Four distinct full-length PdeIF-5A cDNAs, designated PdeIF-5A1, PdeIF-5A2, PdeIF-5A3 and PdeIF-5A4, were isolated by screening a Populus deltoides leaf cDNA library using AteIF-5A1 cDNA. Leaf mRNA was isolated using a Qiagen kit according to manufacturer's instructions. The cDNA library was prepared using the Stratagene ZAP Express cDNA Synthesis Kit and ZAP Express cDNA Gigapack III Gold Cloning Kit according to manufacturer's instructions. The GenBank accession numbers for PdeIF-5A1, PdeIF-5A2, PdeIF-5A3 and PdeIF-5A4 are FJ032302, FJ032303, FJ032304 and FJ032305, respectively. PdeIF-5A3 full-length cDNA including 5′- and 3′-UTR in pBK-CMV vector was digested with BamHI and Sad restriction enzymes. The GUS gene in pBI-PGK was also removed by BamHI and Sad restriction enzyme digestions. The pre-digested PdeIF-5A3 cDNA was then ligated to the pre-digested pBI-PGK vector to form pBI-PGKF5A(PF). The final construct of PF contains PGK1-promoter:PdF5A3-cDNA:Nos-terminator (SEQ ID NO: 1). PF vector was introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 by electroporation.
[0038] The nucleotide sequence of the pPGK:PdF5A3cDNA-tNos construct is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1. The PGK1 promoter region is in nucleotides 1 to 737. The middle region is poplar eIF-5A3 full length cDNA (including 5′- and 3′-UTR) sequence (nucleotides 738 to 1832). The remaining region is the Nos terminator (nucleotides 1562 to 1832).
[0000] 2. pBI-PGKFD Construct (FD)
[0039] The tomato DHS nucleotide coding sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 5 and the amino acid sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 6. PGK1-promoter plus TDHS (tomato deoxyhypusine synthase) cDNA coding sequences from Solanum lycopersicum plus TEF1-terminator was subcloned into a pBluescript (pBS-KS) vector. PGK1 promoter was amplified by PCR with primers: upstream 5′- AAGC TTAGGCATTTGCAAGAATTACTCG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 11) with HindIII restriction site and downsteam 5′- ATCGAT TGTTTTATATTTGTTGTAAAAAGTAG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 12) with XhoI restriction site. TDHS was cloned as described in Wang (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276:17541-17549 and was amplified by PCR with upstream primer 5′- CTCGAG ATGGGAGAAGCTCTGAAGTACAG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 13) with XhoI restriction site and downsteam primer 5′- GGATCC TCAAACTTGGCACCTTATCTGGG (SEQ ID NO: 14) with BamHI restriction site. TEF1 terminator was amplified by PCR from a yeast pFA6a-kanMX6 (Longtine (1998) Yeast 14: 953-961) vector with upstream primer 5′- GGATCC TCAGTACTGACAATAAAAAGATTCTTG (SEQ ID NO: 15) with BamHI restriction site and downsteam primer 5′- ATCGAT ATCGATACTGGATGGCGGCGTTAGTATCG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 16) with ClaI restriction site. PGK1 promoter, TDHS cDNA, and TEF1 terminator were digested with restriction enzymes and subcloned into a pBS-KS vector.
[0040] PGK1:TDHS:TEF1 construct was digested with HindIII and ClaI from pBS-KS vector. PGK1:PdF5A was amplified by PCR with upstream primer 5′- ATCGAT AAGAATTACTCGTGAGTAAGG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 17) with ClaI restriction site and downsteam primer 5′- GAGCTC TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 18) with Sad restriction site, and pBI-PGKF5A as a template. The PCR fragment was then digested with ClaI and SacI. pBI101 was digested with HindIII and Sad vector to remove GUS gene. Both PGK1:TDHS:TEF1 (SEQ ID NO: 2) and PGK1:PdF5A3 were then ligated to the pre-digested pBI101 to form pBI-PGKFD. pBI-PGKFD contains PGK1:TDHS:TEF1 and PGK1:PdF5A3:Nos. pBI-PGKFD was introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 by electroporation.
[0041] The nucleotide sequence of the pPGK:TDHS-tTEF1 construct is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2. The PGK1 promoter region is in nucleotides 1 to 733. The middle region is poplar DHS coding sequence (nucleotides 734 to 1879). The highlighted region is the TEF1 terminator (nucleotides 1880 to 2126).
Transformation of Algae
[0042] S.a. and C.v. were transformed according to Kumar (2004) Plant Science 166:731-738, with the following changes. BBM was used as the growth media. Agrobacterium cells were grown in 2×YT media at 28° C. overnight. G418 was used as a selection agent instead of the antibiotic Kanamycin. Transgenic algae colonies appeared on selection media 7-10 days after transformation. Fifty colonies were selected and streaked two times onto fresh selection plates for confirmation of resistance to G418.
[0043] Genetically engineered S.a. and C.v. lines were generated which exhibited overexpression of PdeIF-5A (eIF-5A) alone or in combination with TDHS. Transgenic algae colonies appeared on selection plates 7-10 days after infection with Agrobacterium . As and example, twenty transgenic lines were chosen and analysed after 4 days of growth in liquid culture to identify lines with enhanced growth compared to WT lines without enhanced eIF-5A expression. Of the 20 lines tested, 12 lines with overexpression of eIF-5A under the control of the PGK1 promoter showed an increase in growth over the control line ranging from 4% to 55% ( FIG. 1 ). Lines transformed with a second construct containing both F5A and DHS both driven by the PGK promoter were also tested and produced only 4 lines that performed better than WT lines with increases in growth that ranged from 3% to 20%. Since these experiments were carried out at different times, the differences in the percent increase could be attributed to different conditions of the starting material or growth conditions during the experiment. Thus, the 4 best lines per construct were identified and used for subsequent experiments.
Example 2
Oil Content of Transgenic Algal Cells
[0044] Total lipid content of algal cells was measured using a sulpho-phospho-vanillin reaction (Izaard (2003) J of Microbial Methods 55: 411-418). The goal of producing transgenic algae lines is for their use in a bioreactor to produce oil for biodiesel; thus experiments were designed that mimic the conditions of the bioreactor. Commonly, in bioreactors, 100% CO 2 is bubbled into the algal growth chamber which is subjected to continuous light and constant streaming of algal cells. To simulate these conditions, a CO 2 bubbler was developed for bubbling CO 2 into test tubes containing individual algae lines, thus enabling the testing of multiple lines simultaneously under the same growth conditions. As observed when cultures were initiated with a low cell density, the addition of CO 2 was not necessary and proved to be deleterious to algae growth. Algae cells, cultured for 24 hours with continuous light and 100% CO 2 enrichment did not grow, but remained in a stationary phase. When the CO 2 enrichment was discontinued and air was bubbled into the culture, growth resumed, with much higher growth rates observed in 2 of the 4 transgenic lines tested with PF line 5 exhibiting an increase of 151% over the growth rate of WT ( FIG. 2 ). This experiment demonstrates that algae overexpressing eIF-5A and/or DHS either tolerate a stress episode or recover faster from a stress episode, which in this case was too much CO 2 enrichment resulting in toxic conditions in the growth media.
[0045] Small-scale bioreactors were developed. Transgenic lines were screened in the bioreactors under CO 2 enrichment conditions and with increased macronutrient levels [Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Sulphur (S)]. Conventional algae growth occurs in media such as BBM. Both control and transgenic algae cultures grow faster and produce more oil when grown in media with increased macronutrient levels (4×) and increased micronutrient levels (2×, data not shown).
[0046] Thus, transgenic lines were screened under these conditions. It was found that 1 PGK:F5A line and all 4 of the PGK:F5A-PGK:TDHS lines exhibited increased growth rates, and that each of these lines had increased oil production (244-407% increase) over that produced from the control line ( FIG. 3 ). Two transgenic lines were chosen to further test oil production. Bioreactors were inoculated using lines PGK:F5A line 8 (PF8) and PGK:F5A-PGK:TDHS line 16 (FD16). When grown in 4× macronutrients with 2× micronutrients and 2× nitrogen for 24 hours, both transgenic lines produced significantly more oil (226 and 206% increase over control, respectively) than control lines grown under the same conditions ( FIG. 4 ).
[0047] Nutrient levels were further increased to 10× macronutrients, 4× nitrogen and 2× micronutrients, and two lines per construct were grown for a longer period (72 hours) to determine the optimal nutrient levels to produce maximum oil. When grown under these conditions, cell growth was no different between transgenic lines and controls, however, oil production was significantly increased in FD16 (560% increase of control, FIG. 5 ). These data confirm that overexpression of eIF-5A and/or DHS in algal cells results in increased cell growth and increased oil production.
[0048] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to examples above, it is understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the following claims. All cited patents and publications referred to in this application are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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The present invention provides transgenic algal cells that produce an increased amount of oil, methods of making transgenic algal cells, and methods of obtaining biofuel from the transgenic algal cells.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority benefit of and hereby incorporates by reference the entirety of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/288,201, filed on May 1, 2001.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to aggregating rankings from various sources, and more specifically to methods of improving the results of web searching. In particular, the invention is intended to combat “spam” or deliberate manipulations by web page authors to mislead web search engines into giving an undeservedly high rank to their web pages.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
The rank aggregation problem is to combine many different rank orderings on the same set of candidates, or alternatives, in order to obtain a “better” ordering. There are many situations in which the task of ranking a list of several alternatives based on one or more criteria is necessary. When there is a single criterion (or “judge”) for ranking, the task is relatively easy and is simply a reflection of the judge's opinions and biases. In contrast, computing a “consensus” ranking of the alternatives, given the individual ranking preferences of several judges, is not so easy. A specific and important example of such a rank aggregation problem arises in the context of the World Wide Web (referred to in this application interchangeably as the internet or the web).
As the volume of data accessible via computer continues to increase, the need for automated tools for efficient retrieval of relevant information from that data also increases. Many people use the web to access a wide variety of information. Queries to search engines are routinely employed to find relevant information on the many web pages available. Search engines are remotely accessible programs that perform keyword searches for information, often on web data.
Search engines typically return dozens or hundreds of URLs (universal resource locators, which are essentially web site addresses) that the search engines have determined are related to user-specified keywords or search phrases. Many search engines also provide a relevance ranking, which is a relative numerical estimate of the statistical likelihood that the material at a given URL will be of interest in comparison to other documents. Relevance rankings are often based on the number of times a keyword or search phrase appears in a document, its placement in the document (for example, a keyword in the title is often deemed more relevant than one at the end of the page), and the size of the document. Link analysis has also come to be known as a very powerful technique in ranking web pages and other hyperlinked documents. Anchor-text analysis, page structure analysis, the use of keyword listings and the URL text itself are other well-motivated heuristics intended to exploit a wealth of available information.
There are at least two dozen general purpose search engines available for use, as well as many special purpose search engines. The very fact that there are so many choices is an indication that no single search engine has proven to be satisfactory for all web users. There are several reasons why this is the case. First, no one ranking method can be considered broadly acceptable; that is, no single ranking function can be trusted to perform well for all queries. Second, no one search engine is sufficiently comprehensive in its coverage of the web. Further, some data are not easily handled by simple ranking functions. For example, search engines have more difficulty with queries about multimedia documents than with queries about text documents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,080 to Coden et al., hereby incorporated by reference, describes the use of multiple search engines to search multimedia data. U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,664 to Fagin et al., hereby incorporated by reference, describes the use of incorporating weights into combinational rules to produce a combined scoring function for a database.
Creators of web pages also complicate the problem of information retrieval and ranking through deliberate efforts to ensure that their pages are presented to a user. Some search engines are currently pursuing paid placement and paid inclusion business models, wherein web page creators effectively pay for the search engine to generate a higher rank for their web pages. Users of such search engines may not have any form of protection against such deliberate ranking biases. Some web page creators are resorting to more nefarious means to induce search engines to generate higher rank figures for their web pages. Deliberate manipulation of web pages by their authors in an attempt to achieve an undeservedly high rank from search engines is referred to as “spamming” or creating “spam”. Such manipulation can include putting hundreds of copies of keywords in a web page to confuse a search engine into overestimating the relevance of the web page. The end result is that the user who ran the search engine query is given highly ranked web pages that may not be truly relevant.
A computationally efficient method for providing a degree of robustness of search results from a number of search engines in view of the various shortcomings and biases of individual search engines described above is therefore needed.
Improvements in aggregate ranking methods may also be important in applications other than meta-searching with improved spam elimination. These applications include situations where user preferences span a variety of criteria, and the logic of classifying a document as acceptable or unacceptable is difficult to encode into any simple query form. Typical examples include multi-criteria selection and word association queries.
Multi-criteria selection scenarios arise when users try to choose a product from a database of products. Although an airline reservation system is flexible enough to let the user specify various preference criteria (travel dates/times, window/aisle seating, number of stops, frequent-flier preferences, refundable/non-refundable tickets, and of course, price), it may not allow the user to specify a clear order of importance among the criteria. Similarly, in choosing restaurants from a restaurant database, users might rank restaurants based on several different criteria (cuisine, driving distance, ambiance, star-rating, dollar-rating, etc.). In both these examples, users might be willing to compromise one or more of the criteria, provided there is a clear benefit with respect to the others. Ranking a database with respect to several individual criteria, then applying a good aggregation function, may prove to be an effective method for handling multi-criteria selection situations.
Word association queries are employed when a user wants to search for a good document on a topic; the user typically knows a list of keywords that collectively describe the topic, but isn't sure that the best document on the topic necessarily contains all of them. This is a very familiar dilemma for web searchers: when keywords are supplied to a search engine, do users ask for documents that contain all the keywords, or just for documents that contain any of the keywords? The former may produce no useful documents, or too few of them, while the latter may produce an enormous list of documents where it is not clear which one to choose as the best. These concerns may be addressed by improvements in associations ranking, wherein the database is ranked with respect to several small subsets of the queries, and these rankings are then aggregated. Typically, the aggregation function is given no information about how the input lists were generated. In the web environment, input lists are usually generated by search engines that may be modified at any time, without notice. In this setting, there may be no opportunity for training an aggregation system before aggregation is required.
Users may also wish to compare the performance of various search engines via an improved rank aggregation method. A good search engine is one that produces results that are close to the aggregated ranking. However, any method for rank aggregation for web applications must be capable of dealing with the fact that only the top few hundred entries of each ranking are made available by each search engine. This limitation is imposed in the interest of efficiency and to ensure the confidentiality of the engines' particular ranking algorithms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of this invention to devise a system and method for aggregating rankings from a plurality of ranking sources to generate a maximally consistent ranking by minimizing a distance measure.
It is a related object of this invention to aggregate rankings from the situation wherein the ranking sources are search engines executing queries on web pages that may have been deliberately modified to cause an incorrect estimate of their relevance.
It is a related object of this invention to aggregate rankings when a number of ranking sources may produce only a partial list. In the case where partial lists are to be aggregated, a union of partial lists is computed, and an induced distance measure between each partial list and the projection of a full list with respect to the union of partial lists is computed.
Different distance measures for comparing lists to each other and for comparing a single list to a collection of lists are described. The Spearman footrule distance for two full lists is the sum of the absolute values of the difference between the rank of element i in one list versus the rank of element i in the other list. The Kendall tau distance for two full lists is a count of the number of pairwise ranking disagreements between the two lists.
The aggregation obtained by optimizing total Kendall tau distance is called a Kemeny optimal aggregation; unfortunately, finding a Kemeny optimal aggregation is NP-hard. A far less computationally expensive yet natural relaxation, termed a local Kemeny optimal aggregation, is computed by optimizing the total Spearman footrule distance. It is a related object that the invention utilizes a crucial property of such solutions, termed the “extended Condorcet criterion”, to combat deliberate web site modifications and resulting incorrect estimates of their relevance. The invention minimally modifies any initial aggregation via local Kemenization to have this crucial property. The initial aggregation may be obtained by using Markov chains.
It is a related object of the invention to minimize the total distance between lists by computing a minimum cost perfect matching in a bipartite graph.
It is a related object of the invention to use heuristics defining Markov chain state transition probabilities to combine partial comparison information, derived from individual rankings, into a total ordering. The states of the Markov chains correspond to candidate web pages to be ranked, and the Markov chain ordering is the output aggregated ordering.
The foregoing objects are believed to be satisfied by the embodiments of the present invention as described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram of the computation of Spearman footrule distance.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of the computation of Kendall tau distance.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of the computation normalized footrule distance for a collection of lists.
FIG. 4 is a diagram of the computation of scaled footrule distance given a full list and a partial list.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the computation of a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Types of Lists
Given a universe U, an ordered list (or simply, a list) τ with respect to U is an ordering (aka ranking) of a subset S of U, i.e., τ=[x 1 >x 2 >. . . >x d ], with each x i in S, and > is some ordering relation on S. Also, if i in U is present in τ, let τ(i) denote the position or rank of i (a highly ranked or preferred element has a low-numbered position in the list). For a list τ, let |τ| denote the number of elements. By assigning a unique identifier to each element in U, one may assume without loss of generality that U={1, 2, . . . ,|U|}.
Depending on the kind of information present in τ, three situations arise:
(1) If τ contains all the elements in U, then it is said to be a full list. Full lists are, in fact, total orderings (permutations) of U. For instance, if U is the set of all pages indexed by a search engine, it is easy to see that a full list emerges when one ranks pages (say, with respect to a query) according to a fixed algorithm. (2) There are situations where full lists are not convenient or even possible. For instance, let U denote the set of all web pages in the world. Let τ denote the results of a search engine in response to some fixed query. Even though the query might induce a total ordering of the pages indexed by the search engine, since the index set of the search engine is almost surely only a subset of U, there is a strict inequality |τ|<|U|. In other words, there are pages in the world which are unranked by this search engine with respect to the query. Such lists that rank only some of the elements in U are called partial lists. (3) A special case of partial lists is the following. If S is the set of all the pages indexed by a particular search engine and if τ corresponds to the top 100 results of the search engine with respect to a query, clearly the pages that are not present in list τ can be assumed to be ranked below 100 by the search engine. Such lists that rank only a subset of S and where it is implicit that each ranked element is above all unranked elements, are called top d lists, where d is the size of the list. A natural operation of projection will be useful. Given a list τ and a subset T of the universe U, the projection of τ with respect to T (denoted τ /T will be a new list that contains only elements from T. Notice that if τ happens to contain all the elements in T, then τ /T is a full list with respect to T.
Concepts From Graph Theory
A graph G=(V, E) consists of a set of nodes V and a set of edges E. Each element e in E is an unordered pair (u, v) of incident nodes, representing a connection between nodes u and v. A graph is connected if the node set cannot be partitioned into components such that there are no edges whose incident nodes occur in different components.
A bipartite graph G=(U, V, E) consists of two disjoint sets of nodes U, V such that each edge e in E has one node from U and the other node from V. A bipartite graph is complete if each node in U is connected to every node in V. A matching is a subset of edges such that for each edge in the matching, there is no other edge that shares a node with it. A maximum matching is a matching of largest cardinality. A weighted graph is a graph with a (non-negative) weight for every edge e. Given a weighted graph, the minimum weight maximum matching is the maximum matching with minimum weight. The minimum weight maximum matching problem for bipartite graphs can be solved in time O(n 2.5 ), where n is the number of nodes.
A directed graph consists of nodes and edges, but this time an edge is an ordered pair of nodes (u, v), representing a connection from u to v. A directed path is said to exist from u to v if there is a sequence of nodes u=w 0 , . . . , w k =v such that (w i , w i+1 is an edge, for all i=0, . . . , k−1. A directed cycle is a non-trivial directed path from a node to itself. A strongly connected component of a graph is a set of nodes such that for every pair of nodes in the component, there is a directed path from one to the other. A directed acyclic graph (DAG) is a directed graph with no directed cycles. In a DAG, a sink node is one with no directed path to any other node.
A (homogeneous) Markov chain for a system is specified by a set of states S={1, 2, . . . , n } and an n by n non-negative, stochastic (i.e., the sum of each row is 1) matrix M. The system begins in some start state in S and at each step moves from one state to another state. This transition is guided by M: at each step, if the system is in state i, it moves to state j with probability M ij . If the current state is given as a probability distribution, the probability distribution of the next state is given by the product of the vector representing the current state distribution and M. In general, the start state of the system is chosen according to some distribution x (usually, the uniform distribution) on S. After t steps, the state of the system is distributed according to xM t . Under some niceness conditions on the Markov chain, irrespective of the start distribution x, the system eventually reaches a unique fixed point where the state distribution does not change. This distribution is called the stationary distribution. It can be shown that the stationary distribution is given by the principal left eigenvector y of M, i.e., yM=λy. In practice, a simple power-iteration algorithm can quickly obtain a reasonable approximation to y.
The entries in y define a natural ordering on S. Such an ordering is termed the Markov chain ordering of M. A technical point to note while using Markov chains for ranking is the following. A Markov chain M defines a weighted graph with n nodes such that the weight on edge (u, v) is given by M u v . The strongly connected components of this graph form a DAG. If this DAG has a sink node, then the stationary distribution of the chain will be entirely concentrated in the strongly connected component corresponding to the sink node. In this case, only an ordering of the alternatives present in this component is obtained; if this happens, the natural extended procedure is to remove these states from the chain and repeat the process to rank the remaining nodes. Of course, if this component has sufficiently many alternatives, one may stop the aggregation process and output a partial list containing some of the best alternatives. If the DAG of connected components is (weakly) connected and has more than one sink node, then one will obtain two or more clusters of alternatives, which one could sort by the total probability mass of the components. If the DAG has several weakly connected components, one will obtain incomparable clusters of alternatives. Thus, when one refers to a Markov chain ordering, one refers to the ordering obtained by this extended procedure.
Distance Measures
How does one measure distance between two full lists with respect to a set S? Two popular distance measures are:
(1) The Spearman footrule distance is the sum, over all elements i in S, of the absolute difference between the rank of i according to the two lists. Formally, given two full lists σ and τ, their Spearman footrule distance is given by
F (σ, τ)=Σ i |σ( i )−τ( i )|.
This distance measures the displacement of each element between the two rankings σ and τ. After dividing this number by the maximum value (½)|S|/ 2 , one can obtain a normalized value of the footrule distance, which is always between 0 and 1. The footrule distance between two lists can be computed in linear time.
Referring now to FIG. 1 , a diagram of the computation of Spearman footrule distance is shown. Two full lists (with i=5) are given:
σ={APPLE, ORANGE, BANANA, PEACH, CHERRY} and τ={APPLE, CHERRY, PEACH, BANANA, ORANGE}.
Each item in the lists could represent a URL returned by a search engine, for example. The displacement of each element is computed, summed, and normalized as described above.
(2) The Kendall distance counts the number of pairwise disagreements between two lists; that is, the distance between two lists σ and τ is
K (σ, τ)=|{( i, j ): i<j , σ( i )<σ( j )but τ( i )>τ( j )|.
Note that if it is not the case that both i and j appear in both lists σ and τ, then the pair (i,j) contributes nothing to the Kendall distance between the two lists. Dividing this number by the maximum possible value (½)S(S−1) produces a normalized version of the Kendall distance.
Referring now to FIG. 2 , a diagram of the computation of Kendall tau distance is shown. Two full lists are given as in FIG. 1 , and the number of pairwise disagreements is summed as described above, and the result is normalized.
For any two partial lists where K(σ, τ)=K(τ, σ) and if a and X are full lists, then K is a metric (this is not true in general, e.g., consider three lists one of which is empty—the distance to an empty list is always zero). In this case, K is known as the Kendall tau distance between the lists and it corresponds to the number of pairwise adjacent transpositions bubble sort requires to turn σ into τ. By definition it is possible to compute K(σ, τ) in O(n 2 ) time, although with simple data structures it can be computed in O(n log n) time, and with sophisticated data structures one can improve the time to O(n log n/log log n).
The above measures extend in a natural way to encompass several lists. Given several full lists σ, τ 1 , . . . τ k , for instance, the normalized footrule distance of σ to τ 1 , . . . , τ k is given by:
F (σ, τ 1 , . . . τ k )=(1/k) Σ i F (σ, τ i ).
Referring now to FIG. 3 , a diagram of the computation normalized footrule distance for a collection of lists is shown. In this case, k=5. Individual distances are computed, summed, and normalized by dividing the result by k.
One can also define generalizations of these distance measures to partial lists. If τ 1 , . . . , τ k are partial lists, let U denote the union of elements in τ 1 , . . . , τ k , and let σ be a full list with respect to U. Now, given σ, the idea is to consider the distance between τ i and the projection of σ, with respect to τ i . Then, for instance, one has the induced footrule distance:
F (σ, τ 1 , . . . , τ k )=(1/k)Σ i F (σ |τi , τ i ).
In a similar manner, induced Kendall tau distance can be defined. Finally, a third notion of distance is defined that measures the distance between a full list and a partial list on the same universe:
(3) Given one full list and a partial list, the scaled footrule distance weights contributions of elements based on the length of the lists they are present in. More formally, if a is a full list and τ is a partial list, then:
SF (σ, τ)=Σ i in τ |(σ( i )/|τ|)−(τ( i )/|τ|) |.
SF is normalized by dividing by |τ|/2.
Referring now to FIG. 4 , a diagram of the computation of scaled footrule distance given a full list and a partial list is shown. The lists are as described above, but in this instance τ has only four elements. Note that these distances are not necessarily metrics. To a large extent, experimental results will be interpreted in terms of these distance measures.
Optimal Rank Aggregation
In the generic context of rank aggregation, the notion of “better” depends on what distance measure to be optimized. Suppose Kendall distance is to be optimized; the problem then is: given (full or partial) lists τ 1 , . . . , τ k , find a σ such that σ is a full list with respect to the union of the elements of τ 1 , . . . , τ k , and σ minimizes K(σ, τ 1 , . . . , τ k ). In other words, for a collection of partial lists τ 1 , . . . , τ k and a full list σ, denote SK(σ, τ 1 , . . . , τ k ) by the sum:
SK ( σ , τ 1 , … τ k ) = ∑ i = 1 k K ( σ , τ i ) .
The aggregation obtained by minimizing SK(σ,τ 1 , . . . , τ k ) over all permutations σ (that is, optimizing Kendall distance), is called a Kemeny optimal aggregation and in a precise sense, corresponds to the geometric median of the inputs. In general, the Kemeny optimal solution is not unique.
Computing the Kemeny optimal aggregation is NP-hard even when k=4. Note that in contrast to the social choice scenario where there are many voters and relatively few candidates, in the web aggregation scenario there are many candidates (pages) and relatively few voters (the search engines).
Kemeny optimal aggregations have a maximum likelihood interpretation. Suppose there is an underlying “correct” ordering σ of S, and each order., τ 1 , . . . , τ k is obtained from σ by swapping two elements with some probability less than ½. Thus, the τ's are “noisy” versions of σ. A Kemeny optimal aggregation of τ 1 , . . . , τ k , is one that is maximally likely to have produced the τ's (it need not be unique). Viewed differently, Kemeny optimal aggregation has the property of eliminating noise from various different ranking schemes.
Given that a Kemeny optimal aggregation is useful, but computationally hard, how can its properties be capitalized upon in a tractable manner? The following relation shows that Kendall distance can be approximated very well via the Spearman footrule distance.
Proposition 1: For any two full lists σ and τ, K(σ, τ)≦F(σ, τ)≦2K(σ, τ).
This leads to the problem of footrule optimal aggregation. This is the same problem as before, except that the optimizing criterion is now the footrule distance. A polynomial time algorithm to compute optimal footrule aggregation is exhibited below (scaled footrule aggregation for partial lists). Therefore:
Proposition 2: If σ is the Kemeny optimal aggregation of full lists τ 1 , . . . τ k , and σ′ optimizes the footrule aggregation, then
K (σ′, τ 1 , . . . , τ k )<2 K (σ, τ 1 , . . . , τ k ).
In other words, any algorithm that computes a footrule optimal aggregation is automatically a 2-approximation algorithm for finding Kemeny optimal aggregations.
Spam Resistance and Condorcet Criteria
In 1770, Borda proposed a particular voting method: for each voter's announced (linear) preference order on the alternatives, a score of zero is assigned to the least preferred alternative, one to the next-least-preferred, and so forth; then the total score of each alternative is computed and the one with the highest score is declared the winner. Borda's method is a “positional” method, in that it assigns a score corresponding to the positions in which a candidate appears within each voter's ranked list of preferences, and the candidates are sorted by their total score.
In 1785, Marie J. A. N. Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet, proposed a voting method, now known as the Condorcet alternative. Under this method, if there is some alternative that defeats every other in pairwise simple majority voting, then that alternative should be ranked first. A natural extension, due to Truchon, mandates that if there is a partition (C, D) of S such that for any x in C and y in D the majority prefers x to y, then x must be ranked above y. This is called the extended Condorcet criterion.
A primary advantage of positional methods (e.g. Borda's method) is that they are computationally very easy: they can be implemented in linear time. They also enjoy the properties called anonymity, neutrality, and consistency in the social choice literature. However, they cannot satisfy the Condorcet criterion. In fact, it is possible to show that no method that assigns a weights to each position and then sorts the results by applying a function to the weights associated with each candidate satisfies the Condorcet criterion. However, the extended Condorcet criterion can be achieved efficiently in rank aggregations.
A strong connection is now established between satisfaction of the extended Condorcet criterion and fighting search engine “spam.” Kemeny optimal aggregations are essentially the only ones that simultaneously satisfy natural and important properties of rank aggregation functions, called neutrality and consistency in the social choice literature, and the Condorcet criterion. Indeed, Kemeny optimal aggregations even satsify the extended Condorcet criterion, which, described in terms of meta-searching states that if the set of returned search results can be partitioned such that all members of a subset of one partition (X*=“non-spam”) defeat all alternatives in the complement (X=“spam”), then in the aggregated search results, all the non-spam elements outrank all the spam elements.
Intuitively, a search engine has been spammed by a page in its index, on a given query, if it ranks the page “too highly” with respect to other pages in the index, in the view of a “typical” user. Indeed, in accord with this intuition, search engines are both rated and trained by human evaluators. This approach to defining spam:
(1) permits an author to raise the rank of her page by improving the content; (2) puts ground truth about the relative value of pages into the purview of the users—in other words, the definition does not assume the existence of an absolute ordering that yields the “true” relative value of a pair of pages on a query; (3) does not assume unanimity of users' opinions or consistency among the opinions of a single user; and (4) suggests some natural ways to automate training of engines to incorporate useful biases, such as geographic bias.
Reliance on evaluators in defining spam is probably unavoidable. If the evaluators are human, the typical scenario during the design and training of search engines, then the eventual product will incorporate the biases of the training evaluators. The evaluators are modeled by the search engine ranking functions. That is, one makes the simplifying assumption that for any pair of pages, the relative ordering by the majority of the search engines comparing them is the same as the relative ordering by the majority of the evaluators. The intuition is that if a page spams all or even most search engines for a particular query, then no combination of these search engines can defeat the spam. This is reasonable: Fix a query; if for some pair of pages a majority of the engines is spammed, then the aggregation function is working with overly bad data—garbage in, garbage out. On the other hand, if a page spams strictly fewer than half the search engines, then a majority of the search engines will prefer a “good” page to a spam page. In other words, under this definition of spam, the spam pages are the Condorcet losers, and will occupy the bottom partition of any aggregated ranking that satisfies the extended Condorcet criterion. Similarly, assuming that good pages are preferred by the majority to mediocre ones, these will be the Condorcet winners, and will therefore be ranked highly.
Many of the existing aggregation methods do not ensure the election of the Condorcet winner, should one exist. The aim here is to obtain a simple method of modifying any initial aggregation of input lists so that the Condorcet losers (spam) will be pushed to the bottom of the ranking during this process. This procedure is called local Kemenization.
Local Kemenization
The notion of a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation is introduced; it is a relaxation of Kemeny optimality that ensures satisfaction of the extended Condorcet principle and yet remains computationally tractable. As the name implies, local Kemeny optimal is a “local” notion that possesses some of the properties of a Kemeny optimal aggregation.
A full list π is a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation of partial lists τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k , if there is no full list π′ that can be obtained from π by performing a single transposition of an adjacent pair of elements and for which K(π′, τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k )<K(π, τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k ). In other words, it is impossible to reduce the total distance to the π's by flipping an adjacent pair.
Every Kemeny optimal aggregation is also locally Kemeny optimal, but the converse is false. Nevertheless, a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation satisfies the extended Condorcet property and can be computed in time O(kn log n), where k is the number of lists and n is the number of alternatives.
The value of the extended Condorcet criterion in increasing resistance to search engine spam and in ensuring that elements in the top partitions remain highly ranked has been discussed. However, specific aggregation techniques may add considerable value beyond simple satisfaction of this criterion; in particular, they may produce good rankings of alternatives within a given partition (as noted above, the extended Condorcet criterion gives no guidance within a partition).
It is now shown that, using any initial aggregation μ of partial lists τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k —one that is not necessarily Condorcet—one can efficiently construct a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation of the τ's that is in a well-defined sense maximally consistent with μ. For example, if the τ's are full lists then μ could be the Borda ordering on the alternatives. Even if a Condorcet winner exists, the Borda ordering may not rank it first. However, by applying the “local Kemenization” procedure (described below), a ranking is obtained that is maximally consistent with the Borda ordering but in which the Condorcet winners are at the top of the list.
A local Kemenization (LK) of a full list p with respect to τ 1 , . . . , τ k is a procedure that computes a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation of τ 1 , . . . , τ k that is maximally consistent with μ. Intuitively, this approach also preserves the strengths of the initial aggregation μ. Thus:
(1) the Condorcet losers receive low rank, while the Condorcet winners receive high rank (this follows from local Kemeny optimality) (2) the result disagrees with μ on the order of any given pair (i,j) of elements only if a majority of those τ's expressing opinions disagrees with μ on (i,j). (3) for every d between 1 and |μ|, the length d prefix of the output is a local Kemenization of the top d elements in μ.
Thus, if μ is an initial meta-search result, and the top, say, 100 elements of μ contain enough good pages, then one can build a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation of the projections of the τ's onto the top 100 elements in μ.
Referring now to FIG. 5 , a flowchart of the computation of a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation is shown. The local Kemenization procedure is a simple inductive construction that runs in time proportional to the Kendall distance between μ and the locally Kemenized solution. Without loss of generality, let μ=(1, 2, . . . , |μ|). Assume inductively for that one has constructed π, a local Kemenization of the projection of the τ's onto the elements 1, . . . , /−1. Insert element/into the lowest-ranked “permissible” position in π: just below the lowest-ranked element π in n such that (a) no majority among the (original) τ's prefers x to y and (b) for all successors z of y in π there is a majority that prefers x to z. In other words, one tries to insert x at the end (bottom) of the list π; one bubbles it up toward the top of the list as long as a majority of the τ's insists that one does so. A rigorous treatment of local Kemeny optimality and local Kemenization is given below, where it is also shown that the local Kemenization of an aggregation is unique.
On the strength of these results the following general approach to rank aggregation is suggested:
Given τ 1 , . . . , τ k , use any favorite aggregation method to obtain a full list μ. Output the (unique) local Kemenization of μ with respect τ 1 , . . . , τ k
Specific Rank Aggregation Methods
Different aggregation methods and their adaptations to both full and partial lists are described below.
Borda's Method
Full lists: Given full lists τ 1 , . . . , τ k , for each candidate c in S and list τ i , Borda's method first assigns a score B i (c)=the number of candidates ranked below c in τ i , and the total Borda score B (c) is defined as Σ i B i (c). The candidates are then sorted in decreasing order of total Borda score.
Borda's method can be thought of as assigning a k-element position vector to each candidate (the positions of the candidate in the k lists), and sorting the candidates by the L 1 norm of these vectors. Of course, there are plenty of other possibilities with such position vectors: sorting by L p norms for p>1, sorting by the median of the k values, sorting by the geometric mean of the k values, etc. This intuition leads to several Markov chain based approaches.
Partial lists: It has been proposed that the right way to extend Borda to partial lists is by apportioning all the excess scores equally among all unranked candidates. This idea stems from the goal of being unbiased, however, it is easy to show that for any method of assigning scores to unranked candidates, there are partial information cases in which undesirable outcomes occur.
Footrule and Scaled Footrule
Since the footrule optimal aggregation is a good approximation of Kemeny optimal aggregation (by Proposition 2), it merits investigation.
Full lists: Footrule optimal aggregation is related to the median of the values in a position vector:
Proposition 3: Given full lists τ 1 , . . . , τ k , if the median positions of the candidates in the lists form a permutation, then this permutation is a footrule optimal aggregation.
An algorithm for footrule optimal aggregation is obtained via the following proposition:
Proposition 4: Footrule optimal aggregation of full lists can be computed in polynomial time, specifically, the time to find a minimum cost perfect matching in a bipartite graph. Proof (Sketch):
Let the union of τ 1 , . . . , τ k be S with n elements. Now, define a weighted complete bipartite graph (C, P, W) as follows. The first set of nodes C={1, . . . , n} denotes the set of elements to be ranked (pages). The second set of nodes P={1, . . . , n} denotes the n available positions. The weight W(c, p) is the total footrule distance (from the τ i 's) of a ranking that places element c at position p, given by W(c, p)=Σ i |τ i (c)−p |. It can be shown that a permutation minimizing the total footrule distance to the τ i 's is given by a minimum cost perfect matching in the bipartite graph.
Partial lists: The computation of a footrule-optimal aggregation for partial lists is more problematic. In fact, it can be shown (see Appendix B) to be equivalent to the NP-hard problem of computing the minimum number of edges to delete to convert a directed graph into a DAG.
Keeping in mind that footrule optimal aggregation for full lists can be recast as a minimum cost bipartite matching problem, a method that retains the computational advantages of the full list case and is reasonably close to it in spirit is described. The bipartite graph is defined as before, except that the weights are defined differently. The weight W(c, p) is the scaled footrule distance (from the τ i 's) of a ranking that places element c at position p, given by
W ( c, p )=Σ i |(τ i ( c )/|τ i |)−( p/n ) |.
As before, the minimum cost maximum matching problem on this bipartite graph is solved to obtain the footrule aggregation algorithm for partial lists. This method is called the scaled footrule aggregation (SFO).
Markov Chain Methods
A general method for obtaining an initial aggregation of partial lists is proposed, using Markov chains. The states of each Markov chain correspond to the n candidates to be ranked, and the states' transition probabilities depend in some particular way on the given (partial) lists. The stationary probability distribution of the Markov chain is used to sort the n candidates to produce the final ranking. There are several motivations for using Markov chains:
Handling partial lists and top d lists: Rather than require every pair of pages (candidates) i and j to be compared by every search engine (voter), the available comparisons between i and j are used to determine the transition probability between i and j, and exploit the connectivity of the chain to (transitively) “infer” comparison outcomes between pairs that were not explicitly ranked by any of the search engines. The intuition is that Markov chains provide a more holistic viewpoint of comparing all n candidates against each other—significantly more meaningful than ad hoc and local inferences like “if a majority prefer A to B and a majority prefer B to C, then A should be better than C.”
Handling uneven comparisons: If a web page P appears in the bottom half of about 70% of the lists, and is ranked Number 1 by the other 30%, how important is the quality of the pages that appear on the latter 30% of the lists? If these pages all appear near the bottom on the first set of 70% of the lists and the winners in these lists were not known to the other 30% of the search engines that ranked P Number 1, then perhaps one shouldn't consider P too seriously. In other words, if each list is viewed as a tournament within a league, one should take into account the strength of the schedule of matches played by each player. The Markov chain solutions discussed are similar in spirit to the approaches considered in the mathematical community for this problem (eigenvectors of linear maps, fixed points of nonlinear maps, etc.).
Enhancements of other heuristics: Heuristics for combining rankings are motivated by some underlying principle. For example, Borda's method is based on the idea “more wins is better.” This gives some figure of merit for each candidate. It is natural to extend this and say “more wins against good players is even better,” and so on, and iteratively refine the ordering produced by a heuristic. In the context of web searching, the HITS algorithm of Kleinberg and the PageRank algorithm of Brin and Page are motivated by similar considerations. Some of the chains proposed are natural extensions (in a precise sense) of Borda's method, sorting by geometric mean, and sorting by majority.
Computational efficiency: In general, setting up one of these Markov chains and determining its stationary probability distribution takes about θ(n 2 k+n 3 ) time. However, in practice, if one explicitly computes the transition matrix in O(n 2 k) time, a few iterations of the power method will allow one to compute the stationary distribution. An even faster method is suggested for practical purposes. For all of the chains that proposed, with about O(nk) (linear in input size) time for preprocessing, it is usually possible to simulate one step of the chain in O(k) time; thus by simulating the Markov chain for about O(n) steps, one should be able to sample from the stationary distribution pretty effectively. This is usually sufficient to identify the top few candidates in the stationary distribution in O(nk) time, perhaps considerably faster in practice.
Specific Markov chains are now proposed, denoted as MC1, MC2, MC4 and MC4. For each of these chains, the transition matrix is specified, and some intuition is given as to why such a definition is reasonable. In all cases, the state space is the union of the sets of pages ranked by various search engines.
MC1: If the current state is page P, then the next state is chosen uniformly from the multiset of all pages that were ranked higher than (or equal to) P by some search engine that ranked P, that is, from the multiset of all pages Q such that τ i (Q) at most τ i (P). The main idea is that in each step, one moves from the current page to a better page, allowing about 1/j probability of staying in the same page, where j is roughly the average rank of the current page. MC2: If the current state is page P, then the next state is chosen by first picking a ranking τ uniformly from all the partial lists τ 1 , . . . , τ k containing P, then picking a page Q uniformly from the set of all pages Q such that τ(Q) is at most τ(P). This chain takes into account the fact that there are several lists of rankings, not just a collection of pairwise comparisons among the pages. As a consequence, MC2 is arguably the most representative of minority viewpoints of sufficient statistical significance; it also protects specialist views. In fact, MC2 generalizes the geometric mean analogue of Borda's method. For full lists, if the initial state is chosen uniformly at random, after one step of MC2, the distribution induced on its states produces a ranking of the pages such that P is ranked higher than (preferred to) Q iff the geometric mean of the ranks of P is lower than the geometric mean of the ranks of Q. MC3: If the current state is page P, then the next state is chosen as follows: first pick a ranking τ uniformly from all the partial lists τ 1 , . . . , τ k containing P, then uniformly pick a page Q that was ranked by τ. If τ(Q)<τ(P) then go to Q, else stay in P. This chain is a generalization of Borda method. For full lists, if the initial state is chosen uniformly at random, after one step of MC3, the distribution induced on its states produces a ranking of the pages such that P is ranked higher than Q iff the Borda score of P is higher than the Borda score of Q. This is natural, considering that in any state P, the probability of staying in P is roughly the fraction of pairwise contests (with all other pages) that P won, which is a very Borda-like measure. MC4: If the current state is page P, then the next state is chosen as follows: first pick a page Q uniformly from the union of all pages ranked by the search engines. If τ(Q)<τ(P) for a majority of the lists τ that ranked both P and Q, then go to Q, else stay in P. This chain generalizes Copeland's suggestion of sorting the candidates by the number of pairwise majority contests they have won, a method that satisfies the extended Condorcet criterion and is fairly easy to compute in O(n 2 k) time. One can also show that the Markov ordering implied by these chains need not satisfy the extended Condorcet criterion.
Results of Experimental Testing
Three types of experiments were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the various embodiments of the present invention. First, a meta-search engine was constructed and evaluated using different aggregation methods. Next, the aggregation techniques of the invention were evaluated for effectiveness in combating “spam”. Finally, word association for multi-word queries was tested. Seven commercial search engines were employed in the testing, and only the top 100 results were considered from each.
The following table describes the performance of various rank aggregation methods for the meta-search experiment, in which 38 general queries were run on the commercial search engines. The performance data in the table is calculated in terms of the three distance measures described above. Each row corresponds to a specific method described above.
TABLE 1
Kendall
Kendall
Induced
Induced
Scaled
Scaled
Tau
Tau
Footrule
Footrule
Footrule
Footrule
No LK
With LK
No LK
With LK
No LK
With LK
Borda
0.221
0.214
0.353
0.345
0.440
0.438
SFO
0.112
0.111
0.168
0.167
0.137
0.137
MC1
0.133
0.130
0.216
0.213
0.292
0.291
MC2
0.131
0.128
0.213
0.210
0.287
0.286
MC3
0.116
0.114
0.186
0.183
0.239
0.239
MC4
0.105
0.104
0.151
0.149
0.181
0.181
Of all the methods employed in meta-search testing, MC4 outperforms all others evaluated, and is thus the preferred embodiment of the invention. The margin by which MC4 beats Borda is huge, which is surprising since Borda's method is the usual choice of aggregation in the prior art, and perhaps the most natural. Scaled footrule and MC3 (a generalization of Borda) seem to be on par with each other. Recall that the footrule procedure for partial lists was only a heuristic modification of the footrule procedure for full lists. The experimental evidence suggests that this heuristic is very good. MC1 and MC2 are always worse than the other Markov chains, but they are strictly better than Borda.
In general, local Kemenization seems to improve the distance measures around 1–3%. It can be shown formally that local Kemenization never does worse in the sense that the Kendall distance never deteriorates after local Kemenization. Interestingly, this seems to be true even for footrule and scaled footrule distances (although this may not always be true). The local Kemenization procedure is always worth applying: either the improvement is large and if not, then the time spent is small.
Several queries were run on the commercial search engines, and the top web pages (URLs) deemed to be “spam” (i.e. pages awarded an undeservedly high rank from one or more search engines) were identified. The rows of the following table list some URLs that “spammed” at least two search engines. The entries in the table are the ranks of particular URLs returned by the search engines. A blank entry indicates that the URL was not returned as one of the top 100 by the search engine. The first several columns of the table represent the six search engines, each of which was “spammed” along with one other reference engine. The final two columns of the table are the rank results of two aggregation methods, SFO and MC4, each with local Kemenization.
TABLE 2
S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
SFO
MC4
URL1
4
43
41
144
63
URL2
9
51
5
31
59
URL3
11
14
26
13
49
36
URL4
84
19
1
17
77
93
URL5
9
63
11
49
121
URL6
18
6
16
23
66
URL7
26
16
26
12
16
57
54
URL8
25
21
78
67
URL9
34
29
108
101
Experimental results indicate that SFO and MC4 are quite effective in combating spam, i.e. the output rank of each URL was usually lower than originally indicated by the search engines, often remarkably lower. While the methods described herein do not completely eliminate spam, testing shows that they do reduce spam in general.
Test results also show that the technique of word association combined with rank aggregation methods can improve the quality of search results for multi-word queries. The Google (TM) search engine ran numerous multi-word queries during this phase of experimentation. The number or quality of web pages returned for many interesting multi-word queries is not very high (typically only around 10–15 pages are returned, and the top 5 results are often very poor), a direct consequence of the Google (TM) engine's AND semantics being applied to a list of several query words. In sharp contrast, the URLs produced by the rank aggregation methods usually contained a wealth of information about the query topic.
A general purpose computer is programmed according to the inventive steps herein. The invention can also be embodied as an article of manufacture—a machine component—that is used by a digital processing apparatus to execute the present logic. This invention is realized in a critical machine component that causes a digital processing apparatus to perform the inventive method steps herein. The invention may be embodied by a computer program that is executed by a processor within a computer as a series of computer-executable instructions. These instructions may reside, for example, in RAM of a computer or on a hard drive or optical drive of the computer, or the instructions may be stored on a DASD array, magnetic tape, electronic read-only memory, or other appropriate data storage device. While the particular SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AGGREGATING RANKING RESULTS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES TO IMPROVE THE RESULTS OF WEB SEARCHING as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described objects of the invention, it is to be understood that it is the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention and is thus representative of the subject maffer which is broadly contemplated by the present invention, that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more”. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited as a “step” instead of an “act”.
APPENDIX A
Local Kemenization
Begin with a formal definition:
Definition 5
A permutation π is a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation of partial listsτ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k , if there is no permutation π′ that can be obtained from π by performing a single transposition of an adjacent pair of elements and for which K(π′, τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . τ k )<K(π, τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k ). In other words, it is impossible to reduce the total distance to the τ's by flipping an adjacent pair.
Note that the above definition is not equivalent to requiring that no flipping of any (not necessarily adjacent) pair will decrease the sum of the distances to the τ's.
EXAMPLE 1
π=(1,2,3), τ 1 =(1,2), τ 2 =(2,3), τ 3 =τ 4 =τ 5 =(3,1).
Given that π satisfies Definition 5, K(π, τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ 5 )=3, but transposing 1 and 3 decreases the sum to 2.
Every Kemeny optimal permutation is also locally Kemeny optimal, but the converse does not hold (cf. Example 1). Furthermore, a locally Kemeny optimal permutation is not necessarily a good approximation for the optimal. For example, if the τ's are as in Example 1, the number of (3,1) partial lists is very large, and there is only one occurrence of each of the partial lists (1,2) and (2,3), then (1,2,3) is still locally Kemeny optimal, but the ratio of the SK to the optimal may be arbitrarily large. Nevertheless, the important observations, proved next, are that a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation satisfies the extended Condorcet property and can be computed efficiently.
Convention
Recall the convention that π ranks x above y (i.e., prefers x to whenever π(x)<π(y).
Lemma 6
Let π, a permutation on alternatives {1, . . . ,n}, be a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation for partial lists τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k Then π satisfies the extended Condorcet criterion with respect to τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k .
Proof
If the lemma is false then there exist partial lists τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k , a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation π, and a partition (T, U) of the alternatives where for all a in T and b in U the majority among τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k prefers a to b, but there are c in T and d in U such that π(d)<π(c). Let (d,c) be a closest (in π) such pair. Consider the immediate successor of d in π, call it e. If e=c then c is adjacent to d in π and transposing this adjacent pair of alternatives produces a π′ such that K(π′, τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k )<K(π, τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k ), contradicting the assumption that π is a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation of the τ's. If e does not equal c, then either e is in T, in which case the pair (d,e) is a closer pair in π than (d,c) and also violates the extended Condorcet condition, or e is in U, in which case (e,c) is a closer pair than (d,c) that violates the extended Condorcet condition. Both cases contradict the choice of (d,c). The set τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k of partial lists defines a directed majority graph G on the n alternatives, with an edge (x,y) from x to y if a majority of the τ's that contain both x and y rank x above y.
Lemma 7
Locally Kemeny optimal aggregations of k lists can be computed in O(kn log n) time.
Proof
It is not surprising that locally Kemeny optimal aggregations can be found in polynomial time because they are only local minima. A straightforward approach requires O(n 2 ) time; a technique requiring only O(kn log n) time is described (generally, one is interested in the case in which k is much smaller than n).
Consider the majority graph T for τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k with anti-parallel edges in the case of a tie. The problem of finding a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation of τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . τ k is now equivalent to finding a Hamiltonian path in this graph. Due to the density of the edges it is possible to find such a path in T in O(n log n) probes to the edges of T using, for instance, a mergesort-like algorithm (the advantage of using mergesort is that the issue of inconsistent answers never arises, which simplifies the execution of the algorithm). Note that T need not be constructed explicitly. The cost of each probe is k accesses to the partial lists (to find out whether there is a majority), so the resulting complexity is O(kn log n).
Next, the details of the local Kemenization procedure are described. Recall that the value of local Kemenization is that, given an aggregation μ of several rankings, it produces a ranking π that achieves the best of both worlds: π satisfies the extended Condorcet criterion, and π is maximally consistent with μ. The notion of consistency is formalized.
Definition 8
Given partial lists τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k , and a total order μ, π is said to be consistent with μ and τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k if π(i)<π(j) implies that either
(a) μ(i)<μ(j) or (b) a majority of τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k prefer i to j (more prefer i over than j over i, but not necessarily an absolute majority).
In other words, the order of two elements differs between μ and π only if a majority of the τ's support the change (however, consistency does not mandate a switch). Note that if π is consistent with μ and τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k , then
K (π, τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k )≦ K (μ, τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k ),
since the only allowed changes decrease the distance to the τ's.
The proof of the next lemma is straightforward from Definition 8.
Lemma 9
If π is consistent with μ and τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k , then for any 1≦/≦n, if S is the set of/alternatives ranked most highly by μ, the projection of π onto S is consistent with the projections of μ and τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k onto S.
For any partial lists τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . τ k , and order μ there is a permutation π that is (i) locally Kemeny optimal and (ii) consistent with μ. Such a π is not necessarily unique. Particular focus is on μ-consistent locally Kemeny optimal aggregations that, when restricted to subsets S of the most highly ranked elements in μ, retain their local Kemeny optimality (Definition 10 below). This is desirable whenever one is more sure of the significance of the top results in μ than the bottom ones. In this case the solution is unique (Theorem 11).
Definition 10
Given partial lists τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k and a total order μ on alternatives {1,2, . . . , n}, π is a local Kemenization of μ with respect to τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k , if (1) π is consistent with μ and (2) if attention is restricted to the set S consisting of the 1≦l≦n most highly ranked alternatives in μ, then the projection of π onto S is a locally Kemeny optimal aggregation of the projections of τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k onto S.
Theorem 12
For any partial lists τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k and order μ on alternatives {1, . . . , n}, there exists a unique local Kemenization of μ with respect to τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k .
Proof
The theorem is proven by induction on n, the number of alternatives. The base case n=1 is trivial. Assume the statement inductively for n−1. Proof is then given for n. Let x be the last (lowest-ranked) element in μ and let S={1, . . . , n}−{x}. Since S is of size n−1, by induction there is a unique permutation π n−1 on the elements in S satisfying the conditions of the theorem. Now insert the removed element x into the lowest-ranked “permissible” position in π n−1 : just below the lowest-ranked element y such that such that (a) no majority among the (original) τ's prefers x to y and (b) for all successors z of y (i.e., ρ n−1 (y) <ρ n−1 (z)) there is a majority that prefers x to z. Clearly no two elements of μ were switched unnecessarily and the solution, π, is locally Kemeny optimal from the local Kemeny optimality of π n−1 and the majority properties. Note that the consistency condition requires that x be as low in π as local Kemeny optimality permits, so given π n−1 there is only one place in which to insert x.
Suppose now that μ and τ 1 , τ 2 , . . . , τ k contradict uniqueness: there are two different local Kemenizations of μ with respect to τ 2 , . . . , τ k ; call them π and π′. If the last element x in μ is dropped and let S be as above, then (by property (ii) of local Kemenization) the resulting permutations π n−1 and π′ n−1 must each be local Kemenizations of the restrictions of the τ's to S and (by property (i) and Lemma 9) they must be consistent with the restriction of μ to S. By the induction hypothesis π n−1 =π′ n−1 As argued above, there is only one place to insert x into this list. The algorithm suggested by this proof may take O(n 2 k) time in the worst case (say a transitive tournament where μ is the anti-transitive order). However, in general it requires time proportional to the Kendall distance between μ and the solution. It is not expected that μ is uncorrelated with the solution and therefore better performance in practice is anticipated.
APPENDIX B
Complexity of Kemeny Optima
In this section, the complexity of finding a Kemeny optimal permutation is studied. Computing a Kemeny optimal permutation is shown to be NP-hard, even when the input consists of four full lists τ 1 , τ 2 , τ 3 , τ 4 . For partial lists of length 2 finding a Kemeny optimal solution is exactly the same problem as finding a minimum feedback arc set, and hence is NP-hard. The problem is also known to be NP-hard for an unbounded number of complete lists.
Computing a Kemeny optimal permutation for two lists is trivial—simply output one of the input lists. The complexity of computing a Kemeny optimal permutation for three full lists is open; this problem is later shown to be reducible to the problem of finding minimum feedback edge sets on tournament graphs, which, as far as is known, is open as well.
Computing a Kemeny optimal permutation for an unbounded number of partial lists is easily seen to be NP-hard by a straightforward encoding of the feedback edge set problem: for each edge (i,j), create a partial list of two elements: i followed by j.
Theorem 11
The problem of computing a Kemeny optimal permutation for a given collection of k full lists, for even integers k>=4, is NP-hard. The corresponding decision problem is NP-complete.
Proof
The reduction is from the feedback edge set problem. Given a directed graph G=(V,E), and an integer L>=0, the question is whether there exists a subset F of E such that |F|≦L and (V, E−F) is acyclic. Let n=|V| and m=|E|. Given G, one first produces a graph G′=(V′, E′) by “splitting” each edge of G into two edges; formally, let V′ denote the union of V and the set {V e : e is in E} and E′={(i, v i,j ), (v i,j , j) : (i,j) in E}. The easy fact that is later used is that G has a feedback edge set of size L if and only if G′ does.
Arbitrarily order all the vertices of G′ so that the vertices in V receive the numbers 1, . . . , n (and the vertices of the form v e receive numbers n+1, . . . , n+m). This ordering i denoted by Z For a vertex i in V, let out(i) denote a listing of the out-neighbors of i in G′ in the order prescribed by Z; similarly let in(i) denote the in-neighbors of i in G′ in the order prescribed by Z. Note that none of the lists out(i) or in(i) contains any vertex from the original graph G. Now define four full lists on the set V′. For a list L, the notation L r denotes the reversal of the list.
τ 1 =1, out(1), 2, out(2), . . . , n, out(n) τ 2 =n, out(n) r , n−1, out(n−1 ) r , . . . , 1, out(1) r τ 3 =1, in(1), 2, in(2), . . . , n, in(n) τ 4 =n, in(n) r , n−1, in(n−1) r , . . . , 1, in(1) r
The idea is that in τ 1 , each vertex in V precedes all its out-neighbors in G′, but the ordering of the out-neighbors of a vertex, as well as the ordering of the vertex-neighbor groups are arbitrary (according to Z). The list τ 2 “cancels” the effect of this arbitrariness in ordering the neighbors of a vertex and the vertex-neighbor groups, while “reinforcing” the ordering of each vertex in V above its out-neighbors in G′. Similarly, in τ 3 and τ 4 , each vertex of the original vertex set V is preceded by its in-neighbors in G′, with suitably arranged cancellations of the artificial ordering among the other pairs.
The main point is that G has a feedback edge set of size L if and only if there is a permutation π such that Σ r K(π, τ r )≦L′, where
L′= 2 L+ 2( n ( n− 1)/2 +m ( m− 1)/2 +m ).
First suppose that G has a feedback edge set F of size L. It is easy to see that the set F′={(i, v i,j ) : (i,j) in F} is a feedback edge set of G′, and |F′|=L. The graph (V′, E′−F′) is acyclic, so by topologically sorting the vertices of this graph, an ordering π of the vertices in V′ is obtained such that for every (i,j) in E′−F′, i is placed before j in π. π is claimed to be an ordering that satisfies K(π, τ r )≦L′.
Note that regardless of how π was obtained, the last three terms are inevitable:
(1) for each pair i,j in V, exactly one of τ 1 and τ 2 places i above j and the other places j above i, so there is a contribution of 1 to K(π, τ 1 )+K(π, τ 1 ); similarly, there is a contribution of 1 to K(π, τ 3 )+K(π, τ 4 ). This accounts for the term 2n(n−1)/2.
(2) a similar argument holds for pairs V e , V e , and there are m(m−1)/2 such pairs, accounting for the term 2m(m−1)/2.
(3) a similar argument holds for pairs V i,j , j with respect to τ 1 and τ 2 , and for pairs i, v i,j , with respect to τ 3 and τ 4 . The total number of such pairs is 2m.
The only remaining contribution to the total distance of π from the τ's comes from the i, v i,j pairs with respect to τ 1 and τ 2 (where i precedes v i,j in both lists), and the v i,j , j pairs with respect to τ 3 and τ 4 (where v i,j precedes j in both lists). Of these, a pair contributes 2 to the total Kemeny distance Σ r K(π, τ r ) precisely if it occurs as a “back edge” with respect to the topological ordering π of the vertices of G′; since (V′, E′−F′) is acyclic, the total number of such back edges is at most |F|=L.
Conversely, suppose that there exists a permutation π that achieves a total Kemeny distance of at most L′=2L+2(n(n−1)/2+m(m−1)/2+m). It has already been argued (in items (1), (2), and (3) above) that π must incur a distance of 2(n(n−1)/2+m(m−1)/2+m) with respect to the τ's, the so the only extra distance between π and the τ's comes from pairs of the form i, v i,j in τ 1 and τ 2 , and of the form v i,j j in τ 3 and τ 4 . Once again, each such pair contributes either 0 or 2 to the total distance. Consider the pairs that contribute 2 to the distance, and let the corresponding set of edges in E′ be denoted by F′. Now, (V′, E′−F′) is acyclic since every edge that remains in E′−F′, by definition, respects the ordering in π. Thus F′ is a feedback edge set of G′ of size at most L′, and the set F={(i,j) : (i, v i,j ) in F′ OR (v i,j , j) in F′} is a feedback edge set of G of size at most L′.
This completes the proof that computing a Kemeny optimal permutation is NP-hard even when the input consists of four full lists. The proof for the case of even k, k>4, is a simple extension: first produce four lists as above, then add (k−4)/2 pairs of lists σ, σ r , where a is an arbitrary permutation. This addition clearly preserves Kemeny optimal solutions; the distance parameter is increased by an additive (k−4) (n+m)(n+m−1)/4 term.
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A system and method for aggregating rankings from a plurality of ranking sources to generate a maximally consistent ranking by minimizing a distance measure. The ranking sources may be search engines executing queries on web pages that have been deliberately modified to cause an incorrect estimate of their relevance. The invention supports combining partial rankings.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to portable power tools and more specifically, to powered drilling apparatus of the type that executes an automatic drilling cycle consisting of: (1) clamping the drilling apparatus to the workpiece and, in most instances, to a template or jig that positions the drill spindle relative to the workpiece; (2) advancing or feeding a rotating tool bit (e.g., twist drill, countersink, or combined twist drill-countersink) to effect the desired machining operations; (3) withdrawing the tool bit from the machined opening and (4) releasing the clamping mechanism that secures the drilling apparatus to the workpiece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pneumatically operated, self-colleting, power feed drill motors of the above-mentioned type are presently utilized in the manufacture of various structural assemblies, being of particular importance in the drilling and countersinking of precision holes during the fabrication, maintenance, and repair of airframe assemblies, including conventional transport aircraft and space vehicles. As known to those skilled in the art, such drill motors are generally clamped to the workpiece by means of a collet foot or base assembly that extends from the forward portion of the drill motor. An expansible collet that is alternatively located at a fixed position in the base assembly or mounted therein so as to be an adjustable distance from the position at which a twist drill (or other tool bit) is to contact the workpiece is operated by a mandrel that extends through the collet. The mandrel is in turn operated by an axially translatable drawbar that is connected to the piston of a pneumatic cylinder so that the collet expands and contracts as the drawbar is moved respectively away from and toward the base assembly.
In the most commonly employed manufacturing method, a thin metal template having openings that define the desired hole pattern is placed against a workpiece such as, for example, aircraft skin panels that are temporarily held in position against structural members of an aircraft wing, fuselage, or other such assembly or subassembly. The drill motor is then positioned so that the base assembly abuts the template with the collet extending through an opening in the template and through a previously-drilled hole in the workpiece. A shoulder or boss that circumferentially surrounds an opening through which the drill or tool bit will emerge is positioned within a second opening of the template. The power tool is then activated by squeezing a conventional trigger control on a pistol-grip type handle that extends from the drill motor and the pneumatic cylinder retracts the drawbar and mandrel so that the collet expands in the opening of the workpiece. This action insures that the base assembly remains against the workpiece and clamps the drill motor in the proper position. A pneumatic motor is automatically activated to drive the drill spindle via reduction gears and a second pneumatic cylinder drives the spindle so as to feed the rotating tool bit into the workpiece. During this portion of the sequence, a hydraulic control circuit maintains the feed rate at or within desired limits. When the outward extension of the spindle reaches a preset limit or stop position, the sequence is reversed to retract the tool bit and then move the mandrel away from the base assembly to allow the collet to contract so that the drill motor can be repositioned in a different opening of the template.
Although satisfactory in some situations, prior art drill motors of the above-described type exhibit several disadvantages and drawbacks. First, such drill motors are relatively large and heavy and because of such size and weight often cannot be utilized in limited quarters. Secondly, drill motors of the above-described type have remained a rather specialized tool with a single type of drill motor accommodating only a rather limited range of drilling depths, drill diameters, drilling speed and feed rate. Moreover, although an expansible collet that replaces the above-discussed base assembly adapts some prior art drill motors for use with precision drill jigs, prior art devices have not been adaptable to other manufacturing situations.
Another drawback and disadvantage of the prior art apparatus is that hydraulic pressure for the hydraulic control system has generally been provided by a gear-type pump that is driven by the same pneumatic motor that drives the drill spindle as well as the system feed and clamp cylinders. Because of this, the clamp-up force and feed thrust provided by prior art drill motors have not been as great as possible. Moreover, the gear-type pump of such a prior art unit is constantly driven throughout the entire period of time that the drill motor is actuated. Thus, both the pump and the pneumatically-driven motor are subject to substantial wear and maintenance. Moreover, driving the gear pump during the period in which the workpiece is being drilled or machined in another manner can unnecessarily limit the torque produced by the drill motor. This can be especially important when a drill breaks through the workpiece, since stalling is then more likely to occur. In some cases, if the drill motor stalls, hydraulic power may terminate and allow the drill motor to unclamp from the workpiece. Such unclamping can assert bending loads that break the drill bit and/or damage the hole that has been machined in the workpiece.
Additionally, the hydraulic control circuits utilized in the prior art drill motors to automatically sequence the tool through the steps of “clamp-up,” drill thrust, drill retraction and unclamping, are relatively complex and are not as reliable as is often desired. In some cases, the requirements of the pneumatic drill motor reduce the clamp-up and thrust forces to a degree that results in hole elongation, drill breakage, or other damage. Prior art drill motors have limited hole-making accuracy because the forward and rear drill spindle support bearings are not rigidly attached in an essentially one-piece housing with the result that the rear bearing slides relative to the front bearing while the machine is drilling. This sliding requires mechanical clearance, which when combined with the resistance developed by the hydraulic feed control mechanism which is not in line with the feed force, causes the rear spindle bearings to move off-axis from the centerline of the hole to be drilled. In addition, the forward spindle bearing is a plain bearing which needs clearance to prevent seizure of the drill spindle. This clearance also limits the potential accuracy of the drilled hole, and allows fine drilling chips into the clearance between the spindle and plain bearing. The chips cause accelerated wear, reducing hole accuracy and increasing tool maintenance.
One United States patent which attempted to address the shortcomings of the prior art discussed above is U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,030 issued to Weigel. This particular embodiment had advantage over the drills in the prior art, but had difficulties due to its design. One of the major drawbacks of Weigel was that hydraulic pump design problems arose with its piston-type shuttle pump resulting in air leaking in the oil used in that pump, resulting in air bubbles in the hydraulic system causing failure ultimately. Means to bleed air from the system were lacking. Further, the drill used a plain spindle bearing which had difficulty with its ability to be lubricated. Given the allowed clearance for the disclosed bearing, it was impossible to get a proper oil film on it to facilitate lubrication. If more clearance in the drive system was built in to allow the bearings to be coated with oil, thereby preventing excess heat and eventually failure, accuracy of the drilled hole was sacrificed. This one defect rendered the unit of that patent problematic during operation.
Other problems with Weigel included its clamping system wherein the unit is clamped to the workpiece prior to drilling. The many linkages involved resulted in binding problems which were significant. The linkage was not strong enough in the high clamp forces created by the hydraulic clamp cylinder which assured a tight clamping to the workpiece. The links in the Weigel system tended to flex and eventually jam. Other shortcomings of the system of the Weigel patent also existed including the force required to operate the drill trigger, and the fact that the collet of the clamping system pulled only with a center pin, resulting in less strength and rigidity in that system than what was desired.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a drill for drilling precise and accurate holes on a workpiece, such as an airplane fuselage, which functions efficiently, smoothly, and consistently.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a drill that is adaptable to a large number of drill bit sizes and drilling requirements specified in the aircraft industry.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a drill apparatus that can be used to drill holes in applications that require accuracy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the present invention will be accomplished by the drill apparatus as described in the following summary and disclosure. In the main embodiment, the drill is a pneumatic-hydraulic drill which has a main housing. The main housing has an opening running longitudinally therethrough from what can be considered the front end of the drill (the end closest to the workpiece during operation) to the rear end of the drill. The drill apparatus has as one of its component assemblies used during its operation a hydraulically activated feed cylinder. The feed cylinder is external to the main housing of the drill unit and is located adjacent to the rear end of the housing mentioned above. In its simplest terms, the feed cylinder has a forward and rearward end in which the forward end is adjacent to the rear end of the main housing with a central bore running through the feed cylinder. The central bore of the feed cylinder is substantially parallel to the opening within the main housing. The feed cylinder also has an outer piston having an axial bore that extends forward from the piston partially disposed within it. The outer piston can move axially within the central bore of the feed cylinder and main housing. The feed cylinder also includes in it a stationary inner piston having a bore disposed in the bore of the outer cylinder.
The drill apparatus according to the present invention also has a pneumatically activated motor. This pneumatically activated motor is configured to fit within the opening aforementioned in the main housing. The pneumatically activated motor has a forward end (the end closest to the workpiece) and a rear end. The rear end of the pneumatically activated motor is attached to the forward end of the bore of the outer piston. As mentioned above, the bore of the outer piston is in fluid communication with the pneumatically activated motor. The communication between the bore of the outer piston and the pneumatically activated motor allows pressurized air to be supplied to the pneumatically activated motor during operation of the drill. The pressurized air will allow the pneumatically activated motor to eventually turn the drill spindle of the drill apparatus allowing a drill bit to drill a hole in the workpiece. As the pneumatically activated motor is connected to the bore of the outer piston, the pneumatically activated motor can be moved along a longitudinal axis through its center. If the outer piston is in a retracted position, the pneumatically activated motor will be in a rearmost position. When the outer piston is in an extended position, the pneumatically activated motor will be in a forward position with the main housing.
To supply pressurized hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic circuit of the drill apparatus, a pneumatically operated rotary gerotor pump is provided. The rotary gerotor pump differs in a significant way from a conventional piston-type shuttle pump in its operation and ultimately in the results it produces an efficient operation of the drill apparatus. The rotary gerotor pump is actuated by an air motor connected thereto which when activated pressurizes hydraulic fluid with the hydraulic circuit of the apparatus. The hydraulic fluid is delivered to the feed cylinder of the apparatus which drives the retraction and extension of the outer piston.
To allow operation of the drill of the present invention with all of its requirements and versatility, a valve system is used to control the operation of the drill. The valve system of the drill uses a number of valves responding to pneumatic or hydraulic pressure which controls the clamping operation and the drilling operation of the drill apparatus. To supply air from a source of pressurized air, such as a compressor, to the proper parts of the drill apparatus, a circuit is provided. The circuit supplies pressurized air to the bore of the outer piston. The circuit also provides pressurized air to the rotary gerotor pump and to the valve system mentioned above. This circuit for supplying air from a source of pressurized air also includes a sub-circuit for supply air to the rotary gerotor pump. The drill also has a second circuit which serves to supply pressurized hydraulic fluid to the feed cylinder and to the valve system of the drill apparatus.
The rotary gerotor pump of the present invention has a gerotor assembly which replaced the prior art hydraulic pump internal assembly so as to prevent pressurized air from the air motor of the pump from leaking into the hydraulic fluid used by the rotary gerotor pump. To that end and more specifically, the gerotor assembly of the rotary gerotor pump of the present invention has a first gear with external gear teeth and a second gerotor gear having internal teeth which cooperate with the teeth of the first gear. With this setup and suitable seals, as will become more apparent from the detailed description of the rotary gerotor pump and its cross-sectional figure, the problem of pressurized air leaking into the pump and contaminating the hydraulic fluid of the pump with air bubbles is obviated. The rotary gerotor hydraulic pump of the present invention also conveniently allows for a reservoir of hydraulic fluid being in the circuit of hydraulic fluid. The reservoir is located outside the main housing of the apparatus, preferably for convenient venting to remove any air bubbles which may appear in the hydraulic fluid used in the drill. The rotary gerotor pump of the present invention also provides for a filter which is used to prevent circulation of foreign particles in the hydraulic system thus preventing wear and malfunction within the drilling apparatus.
The operation of the drill is initiated by an operator pulling a trigger conveniently situated on the drill. To make this operation somewhat easier for the operator, in a preferred embodiment of the apparatus, a pilot valve is provided which is responsive to the operator's finger movement. The pull of the trigger of the apparatus opens the pilot valve which in turn operates a pulse valve. The force required on the trigger to operate the pilot valve is significantly less than the force required to pull the trigger without a pilot valve. The operator, therefore, is less susceptible to tiring, especially after extended use of the drill as the force required by the operator's trigger finger during operation of the drill is diminished.
One other aspect of the circuit supplying pressurized air to the drill deserves mention, as it is an improvement over the prior art. In the apparatus of the present invention, an automatic cycle mode is provided. Essentially, the circuit for providing pressurized air to the drill during operation is such that when automatic mode is activated, the trigger is held depressed until the hole is completely drilled. Upon completion of the drilling of the desired hole, the drill bit is retracted from the hole by movement of the feed cylinder. At this point the drill unit turns itself off stopping turning of the drill bit. The drill, however, remains clamped to the workpiece. The net result is that the amount of air wasted on turning the drill bit when it is retracted from the hole is eliminated. This savings of pressurized air becomes significant as the amount of usage of the drill increases in its normal application.
Another sub-assembly of the drill apparatus is the drill spindle assembly. The drill spindle assembly includes a drill spindle extending from the opening in the main housing at the front end of the main housing (the end closest to the workpiece). The drill spindle has a front end and a rear end with the rear end connected to the pneumatically actuated motor discussed somewhat previously. The drill bit for actual drilling of the hole in the workpiece will extend from the front end of the drill spindle and preferably is threaded into the drill spindle. The drill spindle is able to accommodate a wide selection of drill bits depending on the application and its specific requirements. In a preferred embodiment of the drill spindle, the rear end of the drill spindle is integral with a planet gear carrier. In prior art applications, it can be mentioned that a joint occurred at this interface which resulted in problems with the operation of the drill, especially regarding precision and accuracy of the drilled hole. As will be described in further detail in a later section of the disclosure, a planet carrier is integral with the spindle resulting in elimination of a joint therebetween.
The clamping assembly of the present invention serves to securely clamp the drill to the workpiece so as to permit accurate drilling of the desired holes. The clamp assembly has a front end (the front end being the end nearer the workpiece) and a rear end further from the workpiece. The clamp assembly includes a hydraulically activated clamp cylinder which is connected to the rear end of the clamping assembly. The hydraulically activated clamp cylinder is axially aligned with the clamp assembly as a whole. The clamp cylinder has a bore, and the clamp cylinder has a front end and rear end. The clamp cylinder also includes a piston and a collet puller disposed within the bore of the clamp cylinder. The piston and collet puller are configured for movement axially within the bore of the clamp cylinder. The clamp assembly also includes a collet having an axial bore and collapsible outer diameter with a pilot disposed in the axial bore. The pilot is fixed to the collet puller of the clamp cylinder and moves axially in response to movement of the collet puller and piston of the clamp cylinder. To clamp the drill unit on the workpiece, the collet with tapered pilot therein is placed through a given pre-drilled hole. When the pilot is fully forward within the collet, the trigger is activated. The collet with pilot therein is larger in diameter than the pre-drilled hole. The drill is in a stable clamped position on the workpiece prior to drilling of a new hole when the piston and collet puller are moved rearward with the collet and pilot therein acting as a single tension member. It should also be mentioned that the clamping assembly includes a clamp foot. The clamp foot abuts the workpiece and is mounted on the drill. The collet fits through an aperture in the foot. The clamp foot serves to support and stabilize the drill and in its preferred embodiment is generally symmetrical. Also in the preferred embodiment, the clamp foot is configured to allow movement of the collet relative to the clamp foot.
The valving of the drill unit also includes a four-way, two-position hydraulic valve that is positioned between the hydraulic pump and the feed and clamp cylinders. The hydraulic valve is actuatable between a first position wherein pressurized hydraulic fluid is supplied to the retract chamber of the feed cylinder causing the piston to retract, and a second position wherein pressurized hydraulic fluid is applied to the extend chamber of the feed cylinder causing the piston to extend. A spring pilot biases the hydraulic valve in its first position and an air actuated pilot moves the hydraulic valve from its first to its second position when pressurized air is supplied to the pilot. The air actuated pilot is in fluid communication with a retract valve that is mounted in the forward end of the casing. The retract valve initiates the actuation of valves to cause the motor to retract and also operates as a mechanical stop to limit the forward travel of the motor.
A pulse valve is positioned between the pilot valve actuated by the trigger of the drill, and the portion of the pneumatic circuit consisting of the retract valve and the pilot of the hydraulic valve. The pulse valve is actuatable between a first position wherein the retract valve and pilot are in fluid communication with the pilot valve and a second position wherein the retract valve and pilot are isolated from the pilot valve. The pulse valve transmits a pulse of pressurized air to the retract valve and the pilot of four-way hydraulic valve when the pulse valve is in its first position. A first pilot moves the pulse valve into the first position when the pilot valve is first actuated, and a second pilot moves the pulse valve into its second position a set time interval after the pilot valve has been actuated.
The drill unit also includes a sequence valve that is positioned between the hydraulic valve and the extend chamber of the feed cylinder. The sequence valve is actuatable between a first position wherein the hydraulic valve is not in fluid communication with the extend chamber and a second position wherein the hydraulic valve is placed in fluid communication with the extend chamber. The sequence valve includes a hydraulic pilot that moves the sequence valve into its second position when the hydraulic pressure reaches a predetermined percentage of the final value. This results in a time delay that insures that the drill unit is clamped to the workpiece before the feed cylinder begins to advance the motor and tool bit toward the workpiece.
In the preferred embodiment, the pulse valve and a portion of the pneumatic circuitry is housed within a pneumatic module that is mounted to the casing. A hydraulic logic module that also mounts to the casing contains the hydraulic valves and a portion of the drill unit hydraulic circuitry.
When the drill unit is to be used in a drilling operation, it is attached to a source of pressurized air. Upon supplying pressurized air to the drill unit, the hydraulic pump operates to establish the necessary hydraulic pressure to activate the feed and clamp cylinders. The collet of the drill unit is inserted into a hole that has been previously drilled in the workpiece, and the foot of the clamp unit is held against the workpiece or a template attached to the workpiece. When the tool bit of the drill unit is aligned with the location at which a hole is to be drilled, the trigger valve is actuated and pressurized air is supplied to the air motor causing it to rotate the tool bit. Actuation of the trigger valve also allows pressurized air to pass through the pulse valve and pressurize the retract valve and the pilot of the hydraulic valve, thereby moving the hydraulic valve into its second position which allows hydraulic fluid to pressurize the clamp and feed cylinders. After pressurization of the retract valve and the pilot, the pulse valve shifts into its second position, isolating the retract valve and pilot from the rest of the pneumatic circuit.
When the hydraulic valve is shifted into its second position, pressurized hydraulic fluid is directed to the clamp cylinder causing the collet to clamp to the inner surface of the hole into which it was inserted. Pressurized hydraulic fluid is simultaneously directed to the sequence valve. The sequence valve is actuated by its hydraulic pilot when a predetermined pressure is reached due to stalling of the clamp assembly on the workpiece and allows hydraulic fluid to flow to the extend chamber of the feed cylinder. When the pressurized hydraulic fluid enters the extend chamber, the piston of the feed cylinder is urged forwardly, thereby advancing the motor and rotating the tool bit toward the workpiece. Once a hole has been formed in the workpiece, the motor contacts the retract valve. The retract valve is actuated to release pressurized air to the atmosphere, thereby releasing the pressurized air held in the circuit formed by the retract valve and the pilot of the hydraulic valve. When the pressure at the pilot is released, the hydraulic valve is moved back into its first position by the spring pilot to start the retract portion of the drilling cycle.
With the hydraulic valve in it first position, pressurized hydraulic fluid is directed to the retract chamber of the feed cylinder and the extend chamber of the clamp cylinder. The pressurized hydraulic fluid filling the retract chamber of the feed cylinder causes the feed cylinder to retract the motor and tool bit away from the workpiece. The pressurized hydraulic fluid supplied to the pilot-operated check valve of the clamp circuitry causes the collet to unclamp and allows the drill unit to be withdrawn from the workpiece, thus completing a drilling cycle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drill in accordance with the present invention looking down upon the drill and from the right side.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drill in accordance with the present invention looking up at the drill from the right side from a position rear of the drill.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a drill in accordance with the present invention looking up at the drill from the left side and from a position forward of the drill.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the drill of the present invention showing the drill assembly of the apparatus.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the drill spindle assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the clamp assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the rotary gerotor hydraulic pump of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the pneumatic-hydraulic circuit of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the drill spindle-planet carrier area of the present invention showing the integral assembly from two angles.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, and especially to FIGS. 1 , 2 , and 3 initially, the general configuration of a drill apparatus can be described. One of the main components of the drill of the present invention is a drill spindle assembly generally designated as reference numeral 100 . The drill spindle assembly 100 has a main housing 105 , and nosepiece 103 extending from the forward end of the main housing 105 . The details of the nosepiece 103 and of the drill spindle 100 will be described later in the disclosure, the present discussion identifying only the general configuration of the drill. In any case, the drill nosepiece 103 holds a drill bit 101 which extends from the forward end of the drill nosepiece 103 . The drill bit 101 is used to perform work on a hole in the workpiece (not shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , and 3 ). The main housing 105 contains an air motor 107 (best seen in FIG. 4 ) which serves to rotate the drill bit 101 during operation of the apparatus. A feed assembly generally designated as 800 has as a component feed cylinder 801 . Feed cylinder 801 controls movement of the drill spindle assembly 100 to and from the workpiece in an axial direction. The feed cylinder 801 extends from the rearward end of main housing 105 of the drill spindle assembly 100 . In fluid communication with the feed cylinder 801 is a hydraulic pump 300 , and more specifically, a pneumatically operated rotary gerotor pump which delivers pressurized hydraulic fluid to feed cylinder 801 during operation of the apparatus. A valve system which will be described later in the disclosure and a circuit for providing pressurized air to the various components and assemblies of the drill will be described in further detail later in the disclosure. The hydraulic pump 300 has a reservoir 301 which holds a suitable quantity of hydraulic fluid for use in the hydraulic circuitry of the drill including the feed assembly 800 and hydraulic valve system which will be further described in a later section of the disclosure. The hydraulic pump is also connected to an air motor 303 which is located forward of the hydraulic pump 300 and serves to operate the hydraulic pump 300 taking pressurized air from a source not shown. The hydraulic pump 300 of the drill also is connected with hydraulic hoses 907 A and 907 B to a clamp assembly 200 located on the side of the drill to the right of the drill spindle 100 when the drill is being operated. Clamp assembly 200 has as its purpose to clamp the drill to a workpiece thereby allowing more precise drilling operations on any hole to be made in the workpiece. To that end, clamp assembly has a clamp cylinder 209 which has a clamp cylinder base 207 fixed thereto. A collet 203 extends from the forward end of the clamp cylinder base 207 . Collet 203 has a pilot 205 disposed in an axial opening of the collet 203 . The pilot 205 is adapted for axial movement within the collet 203 in response to hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic pump 300 . The pilot 205 has a retracted position within the collet 203 whereby the collet can be fit within a pre-existing hole in the workpiece prior to clamping the drill to the workpiece. The pilot 205 also has an extended position within the collet 203 whereby the hydraulic pressure holds the clamp assembly and therefore the drill apparatus to the workpiece. Another part of the clamp assembly 200 , preferably, is a clamp foot 201 . Clamp foot 201 is slidably attached to clamp cylinder base 207 at its forward end and has an opening therethrough which collet 203 is disposed in during operation of the drill. Clamp foot 201 also is attached to the nosepiece 103 of drill spindle 100 at its forward portion and has a suitable opening at the left end of the clamp foot 201 to receive the drill bit 101 . The clamp foot 201 also has a tail pad 211 at its left end (the end nearer the clamp assembly 200 ) to keep the drill spindle square with the workpiece when drilling, compensating for the thickness of tooling used to locate holes.
The drill apparatus has a main bracket designated as 905 which essentially holds the assemblies of the drill together. The main bracket 905 holds the drill spindle substantially circumferentially around the main housing 105 , and also receives the forward end of air motor 303 of the hydraulic pump 300 . It also holds a pneumatic block 700 of the drill apparatus. Hydraulic block 600 is adjacent to pneumatic block 700 and contains hydraulic valving and circuitry relating to routing and distribution of hydraulic fluid through the assemblies of the drill apparatus during operation. Pneumatic block 700 contains pneumatic valving and circuitry relating to the routing of pressurized air to the various assemblies of the drill during operation. Handle 901 , which is located underneath the apparatus, and is the point of grip for the operator of the drill apparatus. It should also be pointed out that a drill lubrication system 500 is mounted on the left side of the main housing using main bracket 905 . The drill lubrication system 500 serves to create a mist of air and lubricant that is pumped through the drill bit 101 to lubricate the drill bit and blow chips out of the hole during drilling, greatly increasing hole accuracy.
Referring now to FIG. 4 which shows a cross-section through several assemblies of the drill, more detail as to the configuration of the drill can be presented. FIG. 4 shows the main housing 105 of the drill containing a main air motor 107 . It is the function of the main air motor 107 disposed in main housing 105 to rotate the drill bit 101 for drilling a hole in a workpiece. The main air motor responds to pressurized air routed to it during operation to perform this function. The main air motor 107 is connected at its rearward end to an outer feed piston 807 at least partially disposed within feed cylinder 801 . Outer feed piston 807 has disposed within it an inner feed piston 805 extending from its rearward end. Outer feed piston 807 has an axial bore 806 and slides over inner feed piston 805 which has an axial bore 804 itself. Outer feed piston 807 has an axial bore 806 and “telescopes” over inner feed piston 805 which has an axial bore 804 itself. The axial bores 804 and 806 within pistons 805 and 807 respectively serve as a conduit which feeds pressurized air to main air motor 107 during operation of the drill. The outer feed piston 807 pushes drill spindle assembly 100 forward and rearward in response to the hydraulic circuit of the drill. Feed cylinder 801 has a central bore 802 which houses inner feed piston 805 and outer feed piston 807 . Feed cylinder 801 has an end cap 803 which seals the rearward end of feed cylinder 801 . The forward end of outer piston 807 is threadably connected to a motor retainer 809 which is located on the rearward end of the main air motor 107 . The motor retainer 809 supports air motor 107 within housing 105 . A feed rate body 811 is provided on hydraulic block 600 which regulates the speed of movement of drill assembly 100 using a feed control restrictor 813 . Feed rate body 811 has a feed rate screw (not shown) which is disposed in an inner passage of feed rate body 811 . The feed rate screw is threaded and can vary the rate of hydraulic fluid flowing from the feed rate body 811 by changing the length of a triangular passage formed by the screw and body. The rate of movement of the drill assembly 100 toward and away from the workpiece can thereby be controlled by adjusting the feed screw. It can be mentioned that prior art drills used a needle valve which proved to malfunction as the passages for fluid transmission were too small and tended to clog easily. Further detail as to the cooperation of these enumerated parts will follow in subsequent disclosure including the operation of the feed cylinder 801 in moving the main air motor 107 in an axial direction within the housing 105 .
The drill spindle assembly 100 is connected to the forward end of the main air motor 107 via a planetary gear train and extends forwardly from the main housing. As shown in FIG. 4 , that assembly has a drill spindle 113 which holds a drill bit 101 . The drill bit 101 extends from the forward end of the drill spindle 113 and is threaded to the drill spindle 113 . The drill spindle 113 sits on bearings designated collectively as 111 ( FIG. 4 ) within the nosepiece 103 and the main housing 105 . The drill bit 101 and part of the drill spindle 113 extend through the left section of the clamp foot 201 during operation of the drill. The drill spindle assembly also includes wear rings 115 A and 115 B disposed in the main housing 105 which abut the inner circumference of the main housing 105 . A motor carrier 109 is provided which supports the main air motor 107 within the main housing 105 as it is moved axially by hydraulic pressure through the feed cylinder 801 . The motor carrier 109 contacts the inner surface of wear rings 115 A and 115 B.
At the rear end of the main housing 105 , a manifold block 917 is provided. The manifold block connects air and oil passages from a hydraulic block 601 and pneumatic block 701 . These two blocks 601 and 701 provide valving and circuits which route hydraulic fluid and pressurized air through the apparatus and to the drill spindle assembly 100 during operation which will be described later in the disclosure using the schematic diagram of FIG. 8 . The pneumatic block 701 is located forward of hydraulic block 601 and directly above handle 901 of the drill. The pneumatic block 701 is connected to the main bracket 905 of the drill. A trigger 903 is provided on the forward side of handle 901 which initiates operation of the drill when it is connected to a source of pressurized air. An auto cycle engage button 915 is located on the rear side of the handle 901 and when depressed initiates an automatic cycle that holds trigger 903 depressed until a hole in the workpiece is completely drilled. Upon completion of the drilling of the hole, the drill bit 101 is retracted from the hole just drilled. The rotation of the drill bit 101 stops but the drill remains clamped to the workpiece. The net result is that large amounts of pressurized air are saved as the drill spindle is not rotating needlessly after drilling a hole and prior to unclamping the drill.
Drill Spindle Assembly
Referring now to FIG. 5 , the drill spindle assembly can be described in detail. In that figure, a nosepiece 103 is shown extending from main housing 105 of the drill spindle assembly at the forward end of the main housing 105 . The nosepiece 103 is secured to the main housing 105 with a V-band 913 A. Disposed partially within the nosepiece 103 and partially within the main housing 105 is a drill spindle 113 . Drill spindle 113 has a drill shank locating hole 133 tapped in its forward end. The drill shank locating hole 133 has a tapered portion 135 and a threaded portion 137 to accommodate and threadably fix drill bit 101 to the drill spindle 113 . A coolant hole 139 axially runs through the drill spindle filler 123 and communicates with shank locating hole 133 . The coolant hole 139 receives coolant from the coolant system assembly 500 ( FIG. 1 ) mounted on the main housing 105 . The drill spindle 113 is situated within the nosepiece 103 on angular contact bearings 111 A and 111 B. These bearings 111 A and 111 B are separated slightly by a bearing spacer 129 . The bearings 111 A and 111 B also have a cavity 128 which holds a preload spring 131 . A bearing retainer 127 is located rearward of bearing 111 A and holds the bearings 111 A, B in place within the nosepiece 103 . The bearing retainer 127 abuts a muffler 117 which is disposed in the main housing 105 . The rearward end of the drill spindle 113 , the portion which is disposed within the main housing 105 , contains a planet gear assembly 121 . Spindle 113 has a planet carrier area 141 which contains four gear axles designated as 143 running through the planet gear assembly 121 . The configuration allows for an integral drill spindle 113 and planet carrier 141 which eliminates any joint between the planet carrier 141 and spindle 113 which increases the accuracy of the spindle 113 . On the forward side of the planet gear assembly 121 , an angular contact bearing 111 C is situated and on the rearward side an identical bearing, designated as 111 D, is located. The bearing 111 D abuts an air motor bearing spacer 119 which is disposed in the front end of the main air motor 107 . The planet gear assembly 121 and drill spindle 113 are extended out forwardly from the main air motor 107 . A preload spring 131 A abuts the inner race of bearing 111 C and gear axle body 141 .
A ring gear 125 is provided which is located adjacent the planet gear 121 at the circumference. FIG. 5 also shows a wear ring 115 A between the main air motor 107 and housing 105 which forms a bearing surface between the air motor 107 and housing 105 . The wear ring 115 A is necessary due to the relative axial movement of an air motor carrier 109 relative to the main housing 105 . A fluid inducer body 911 is provided forward of the bearing 111 C and the main air motor 107 . A fluid inducer seal 919 is located circumferentially adjacent to the rearward position of drill spindle 113 . Fluid inducer 911 allows coolant and air from coolant system assembly into the rotating drill spindle 101 during operation of the drill. Inner fluid inducer 919 performs a sealing function and is preferably made of a composition of Teflon, graphite, and carbon fiber. Inner fluid inducer rides against the drill spindle 101 , floating in two O-rings which allow it to move with any spindle irregularity without pushing on drill spindle 101 itself. The material chosen for the inner fluid inducer 919 has a high degree of chemical resistance, low swelling capability, high wear resistance, and good anti-seize properties to maintain a close fit to drill spindle 101 during operation even at high speeds for the most efficient cooling of the drill point.
Clamp Assembly
Referring now to FIG. 6 , the clamp assembly of the present invention can be described. Clamp assembly, generally designated as 200 in FIG. 6 , has a clamp cylinder 209 fit to a base 207 located at its forward end. Clamp cylinder has a push chamber 225 which is that space within clamp cylinder 209 located rearward of a clamp piston 221 . Clamp cylinder 209 also has a pull chamber 223 located forward of clamp piston 221 . These chambers 223 and 225 vary in volume depending on movement of piston 221 in response to hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic circuit of the drill. Hydraulic fluid can be directed into either chamber 223 or 225 . Attached to clamp piston 221 is a collet puller 219 . Collet puller 219 is a rod which holds a collet 203 at its forward end while being connected to clamp piston 221 at its rearward end. Collet 203 is partially disposed within collet puller 219 and extends from the forward end of collet puller 219 . Collet 203 has axial slots which allow its outer diameter to be collapsible. A tapered pilot 205 is disposed within the collet 203 and has a pilot flange 227 which fits the pilot 205 within the collet puller 219 independently of the collet 203 . A collet guide 215 is also provided in the clamp assembly 200 which serves as a guide for alignment of the collet 203 and to create friction resisting collet axial movement. The collet guide abuts the forward end of the clamp cylinder base 207 . The clamp assembly 200 is also provided with a clamp foot 201 which in operation of the drill rests on the work-piece 213 to be drilled. The collet 203 and pilot 205 extend through a suitable opening in the clamp foot and into a pre drilled hole in the workpiece 213 . The clamp cylinder base 207 and collet guide 215 fit within a recess area 218 of the clamp foot 201 and are held fast during operation of the clamp assembly. A collet push flange 217 is provided on the collet 203 which contacts the fixed collet guide 215 during pushing of the collet 203 serving as a limit to its forward axial movement as shown in FIG. 6 which depicts an unclamped position of the clamp assembly 200 . To initially fit the collet 203 in a hole in the workpiece, the pilot 205 is at a forward limit with collet 203 . The collet 203 can be collapsed slightly to fit into the hole in the workpiece until the flange portion 204 of the collet 203 extends out of the hole. The unclamped position of clamping assembly 200 is shown in FIG. 6 . To clamp the clamp assembly 200 to the workpiece 213 , hydraulic fluid is directed to the pull chamber 223 which forces clamp piston 221 rearward. Collet puller 219 and pilot 205 are forced rearward. Collet 203 is not moved until collet puller face 250 contacts collet puller flange 251 . Pilot 205 thereby moves axially relative to the collet 203 , forcing the outer diameter of the collet 203 to expand. This expansion causes the outer diameter of collet flange 204 to be larger than the hole in the workpiece. As collet puller 219 continues to pull, puller face 250 contacts collet pull flange 251 . Collet 203 and pilot 205 are pulled simultaneously. The collet 203 and pilot 205 both act as a tension member during pulling adding an increase in strength and rigidity compared to prior art designs which only pull with the pilot.
Rotary Gerotor Hydraulic Pump Assembly
Referring now to FIG. 7 , the rotary gerotor hydraulic pump assembly generally designed as 300 can be described. The hydraulic pump assembly 300 has a fluid reservoir 301 at its rearward end (orientation best seen in FIG. 1 ) which is joined thereto through a join plate 307 . Fluid reservoir 301 holds a quantity of hydraulic fluid which is used in the hydraulic circuit of the drill apparatus. Fluid reservoir 301 has a snorkel 311 which serves as a feed conduit from the fluid reservoir 301 to the rotary gerotor pump 302 . Fluid reservoir 301 has an oil return area 317 which receives hydraulic fluid returning from the hydraulic circuit of the drill apparatus. A reservoir fill port 315 is also provided which opens to the oil return area and is used when hydraulic fluid is to be added to the fluid reservoir 301 . All hydraulic fluid added to the fluid reservoir 301 or returning from the hydraulic circuit of the drill apparatus is filtered through filter 309 . The filtering of small particles of debris from the hydraulic circuit of the drill apparatus has an obvious beneficial effect on the operation and reliability of the drill. It can be mentioned that prior art drills had problems with debris prematurely wearing and clogging the hydraulic circuit of the drill apparatus. Fluid reservoir has a chamber 319 where the hydraulic fluid is stored and air is separated from the hydraulic fluid. It is well know that in prior art drills air bubbles not yet bled from the system contaminate the hydraulic fluid used in the hydraulic circuit of the drill. The storage and separation chamber allows air bubbles to separate from the hydraulic fluid before being recycled to the hydraulic circuit of the drill. To that end a bleed port is provided in the rearward end of the reservoir 301 which allows bleeding of any air separated from the hydraulic fluid in the chamber 319 . Reservoir 301 has a volume changer 305 disposed therein.
At the forward end of the rotary gerotor pump 302 , an air motor 303 is provided and is attached thereto through a pump to motor adapter 339 . The air motor 303 receives pressured air from the air circuit of the drill apparatus and powers rotary gerotor pump 302 during operation of the drill. Air motor 303 has an end fitting 341 which closes off its forward end. Air motor 303 is connected to a drive shaft 333 which is disposed in the rotary gerotor pump 302 . Rotary gerotor pump 302 receives the drive shaft 333 within an outer housing 331 . The outer housing 331 holds a gear assembly with an outer gerotor 329 and an inner gerotor 327 which are keyed to the drive shaft 333 with a key 325 . In this setup, the air motor 303 when operating turns drive shaft 333 which in turn rotates inner gerotor 327 and outer gerotor 329 . Hydraulic fluid from reservoir 301 is drawn through snorkel 311 into pump 302 and circulated through the hydraulic circuit of the drill apparatus. Drive shaft 333 disposed within the housing 331 of the rotary gerotor pump 302 is supported by bearing 321 at its rearward end. Bearing 321 is held in place by a bearing carrier 323 abutting housing 331 . Seal 337 is provided around drive shaft 333 to prevent the mixing of pressurized air from air motor 303 and hydraulic fluid from rotary gerotor pump 302 . Also, to support the drive shaft 333 at its forward end, within the adapter 339 a ball bearing 335 is provided which performs that function efficiently. This above described hydraulic pump assembly 300 has significant advantage over the prior art. With this hydraulic pump assembly, the problem of air leaking into the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic circuit in the drill apparatus through the pump has been abated. The use of the rotary gerotor pump as the hydraulic pump in the drill, as opposed to a conventional piston-type shuttle pump, avoids one of the major problems present in prior art drills of this type, namely, the unwanted leaking of air into the hydraulic fluid of the drill.
Pneumatic-Hydraulic Circuit
Referring now to FIG. 8 , in conjunction with the other figures, a schematic of the pneumatic-hydraulic circuit of the drill is presented. FIG. 8 shows trigger 903 connected to a source of air, preferably 90 psi. Trigger 903 is connected to a pilot valve 703 . Pilot valve 703 supplies air to main air motor 107 and hydraulic pump assembly 300 . The pilot valve 703 is in turn connected to pulse valve 711 . This above described sub-circuit allows the drill bit 101 to turn in response to the activation of air motor 107 . The pressurized air circuit runs through the inner feed cylinder 805 to the air motor 107 . A reversing button 707 is provided, which when depressed allows the drill to retract from the workpiece and causes the clamp circuit to unclamp. Opening of pilot valve 703 allows pressurized air to momentarily reach a four-way valve 607 within the hydraulic block 600 . The four-way valve 607 controls the hydraulic fluid from pump assembly 300 . Upon activation of four-way valve 607 , hydraulic fluid is pumped through sequence valve 605 and clamp cylinder 209 .
A pilot check valve 603 is provided upstream of the clamp cylinder 209 . Feed control restrictor 813 is shown downstream of hydraulic fluid fed out of feed cylinder 801 to control the rate at which the drilling assembly is moved axially to a workpiece. As part of the hydraulic circuit and pump assembly, reservoir 301 is shown having a bleed port 313 and a fill port 315 . Also, as part of the schematic diagram, auto cycle engage button 915 is shown which, if activated, starts an automatic cycle mode that will hold the trigger 903 depressed until a hole is completely drilled. When the drill bit 101 is retracted from the hole, the auto cycle button allows the clamp assembly to keep the drill clamped to the workpiece with the drill bit not rotating thereby avoiding the unnecessary waste of pressurized air after the hole is drilled.
Operation of the Pneumatic-Hydraulic Circuit
The valve system of the drill unit as shown in FIG. 8 includes a four-way, two-position hydraulic valve 607 that is positioned between the hydraulic pump assembly 300 and the feed cylinder 801 and clamp cylinder 209 . The four-way hydraulic valve 607 is actuatable between a first position wherein pressurized hydraulic fluid is supplied to the retract chamber of the feed cylinder 801 causing the outer piston 807 to retract, and a second position wherein pressurized hydraulic fluid is applied to the extend chamber of the feed cylinder causing the outer piston 807 to extend. A spring pilot biases the hydraulic valve 607 in its first position and an air actuated pilot moves the hydraulic valve 607 from its first to its second position when pressurized air is supplied to the air actuated pilot. The air actuated pilot is in fluid communication with a retract valve 921 that is mounted in the forward end of the housing 105 . The retract valve 921 initiates the actuation of valves to cause the air motor 107 to retract and also operates as a mechanical stop to limit the forward travel of the motor.
A pulse valve 711 is positioned between the pilot valve 703 and the portion of the pneumatic circuit consisting of the retract valve 921 and the pilot of the hydraulic valve 607 . The pulse valve 711 is actuatable between a first position wherein the retract valve 921 and pilot of valve 607 are in fluid communication with the pilot valve 703 , and a second position wherein the retract valve 921 and pilot of valve 607 are isolated from the pilot valve 703 . The pulse valve 711 transmits a pulse of pressurized air to the retract valve 921 and the pilot of valve 607 when the pulse valve is in its first position. A first pilot moves the pulse valve into the first position when the trigger valve is first actuated, and a second pilot moves the pulse valve 711 into its second position a set time interval after the pilot valve 703 has been actuated.
The drill unit also includes a sequence valve 605 that is positioned between the hydraulic valve 607 and the extend chamber of the feed cylinder 801 . The sequence valve 605 is actuatable between a first position wherein the hydraulic valve 607 is not in fluid communication with the extend chamber and a second position wherein the hydraulic valve 607 is placed in fluid communication with the extend chamber. The sequence valve 605 includes a hydraulic pilot (not shown) that moves the sequence valve 605 into its second position when the hydraulic pressure reaches a predetermined percentage of the final value. This results in a time delay that insures that the drill unit is clamped to the workpiece before the feed cylinder 801 begins to advance the motor 107 and drill bit 101 toward the workpiece.
In the preferred embodiment, the pulse valve and a portion of the pneumatic circuitry is housed within the pneumatic module or block 701 that is mounted to the drill. The hydraulic logic module or block 601 that also mounts to the drill contains the hydraulic valves and a portion of the drill unit hydraulic circuitry.
When the drill unit is to be used in a drilling operation, it is attached to a source of pressurized air. Upon supplying pressurized air to the drill unit, the hydraulic pump 301 operates to establish the necessary hydraulic pressure to activate the feed cylinder 801 and clamp cylinder 209 . The collet 203 of the drill unit is inserted into a hole that has been previously drilled in the workpiece, and the foot 201 of the clamp assembly 200 is held against the workpiece or a template attached to the workpiece. When the drill bit 101 of the drill unit is aligned with the location at which a hole is to be drilled, the trigger 903 is actuated and pressurized air is supplied to the air motor 107 causing it to rotate the drill bit. Actuation of the trigger 903 also allows pressurized air to pass through the pulse valve 711 and pressurize the retract valve 921 and the pilot of the hydraulic valve 607 , thereby moving the hydraulic valve 607 into its second position which allows hydraulic fluid to pressurize the clamp and feed cylinders, 209 and 801 respectively. After pressurization of the retract valve 921 and the pilot of hydraulic valve 607 , the pulse valve 711 shifts into its second position, isolating the retract valve 921 and pilot of hydraulic valve 607 from the rest of the pneumatic circuit.
When the hydraulic valve 607 is shifted into its second position, pressurized hydraulic fluid is directed to the clamp cylinder 209 causing the collet 203 to clamp to the inner surface of the hole into which it was inserted. Pressurized hydraulic fluid is simultaneously directed to the sequence valve 605 . The sequence valve 605 is actuated by its hydraulic pilot (not shown) when a predetermined pressure is reached due to stalling of the clamp mechanism against the workpiece and allows hydraulic fluid to flow to the extend chamber of the feed cylinder 801 . When the pressurized hydraulic fluid enters the extend chamber, the outer piston 807 of the feed cylinder 801 is urged forwardly, thereby advancing the air motor 107 and rotating the drill bit 101 toward the workpiece. Once a hole has been formed in the workpiece, the air motor 107 contacts the retract valve 921 . The retract valve 921 is actuated to release pressurized air to the atmosphere, thereby releasing the pressurized air held in the circuit formed by the retract valve 921 and the pilot of the hydraulic valve 607 . When the pressure at the pilot of hydraulic valve 607 is released, the hydraulic valve 607 is moved back into its first position by the spring pilot to start the retract portion of the drilling cycle.
With the hydraulic valve in it first position, pressurized hydraulic fluid is directed to the retract chamber of the feed cylinder 801 and the extend chamber of the clamp cylinder 209 . The pressurized hydraulic fluid filling the retract chamber of the feed cylinder causes the feed cylinder 801 to retract the air motor 107 and drill bit 101 away from the workpiece. The pressurized hydraulic fluid supplied to the pilot-operated check valve 603 of the clamp circuitry causes the collet 203 to unclamp and allows the drill unit to be withdrawn from the workpiece, thus completing a drilling cycle.
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A portable power drill having an automatic drilling cycle for feeding a rotating tool bit to a workpiece to effect the desired operation. The drill uses a rotary gerotor pump to pump hydraulic fluid used in its system, and pressurized air to operate the hydraulic pump. The drill has a clamping assembly which clamps the unit on a workpiece before the drill bit is advanced toward the workpiece. The drill also has an integral drill spindle-planet carrier area which adds to its operability and reliability.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a coupling assembly for releasably securing separable parts together, and especially for securing together components of a wear assembly used in excavating or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Excavating equipment typically includes various wear parts to protect underlying products from premature wear. The wear part may simply function as a protector (e.g., a wear cap) or may have additional functions (e.g., an excavating tooth). In either case, it is desirable for the wear part to be securely held to the excavating equipment to prevent loss during use, and yet be capable of being removed and installed to facilitate replacement when worn. In order to minimize equipment downtime, it is desirable for the worn wear part to be capable of being easily and quickly replaced in the field. Wear parts are usually formed of three (or more) components in an effort to minimize the amount of material that must be replaced on account of wearing. As a result, the wear part generally includes a support structure that is fixed to the excavating equipment, a wear member that mounts to the support structure, and a lock to hold the wear member to the support structure.
As one example, an excavating tooth usually includes an adapter as the support structure, a tooth point or tip as the wear member, and a lock or retainer to hold the point to the adapter. The adapter is fixed to the front digging edge of an excavating bucket and includes a nose that projects forward to define a mount for the point. The adapter may be a single unitary member or may be composed of a plurality of components assembled together. The point includes a front digging end and a rearwardly opening socket that receives the adapter nose. The lock is inserted into the assembly to releasably hold the point to the adapter.
The lock for an excavating tooth is typically an elongate pin member which is fit into an opening defined cooperatively by both the adapter and the point. The opening may be defined along the side of the adapter nose, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,648, or through the nose, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,986. In either case, the lock is inserted and removed by the use of a large hammer. Such hammering of the lock is an arduous task and imposes a risk of harm to the operator.
The lock is usually tightly received in the passage in an effort to prevent ejection of the lock and the concomitant loss of the point during use. The tight fit may be effected by partially unaligned holes in the point and adapter that define the opening for the lock, the inclusion of a rubber insert in the opening, and/or close dimensioning between the lock and the opening. However, as can be appreciated, an increase in the tightness in which the lock is received in the opening further exacerbates the difficulty and risk attendant with hammering the locks into and out of the assemblies.
The lock additionally often lacks the ability to provide substantial tightening of the point onto the adapter. While a rubber insert will provide some tightening effect on the tooth at rest, the insert lacks the strength needed to provide any real tightening when under load during use. Most locks also fail to provide any ability to be re-tightened as the parts become worn. Moreover, many locks used in teeth are susceptible to being lost as the parts wear and the tightness decreases.
These difficulties are not limited strictly to the use of locks in excavating teeth, but also apply to the use of other wear parts used in excavating operations. In another example, the adapter is a wear member that is fit onto a lip of an excavating bucket, which defines the support structure. While the point experiences the most wear in a tooth, the adapter will also wear and in time need to be replaced. To accommodate replacement in the field, the adapters can be mechanically attached to the bucket. One common approach is to use a Whisler style adapter, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,289. In this case, the adapter is formed with bifurcated legs that straddle the bucket lip. The adapter legs and the bucket lip are formed with openings that are aligned for receiving the lock. The lock in this environment comprises a generally C-shaped spool and a wedge. The arms of the spool overlie the rear end of the adapter legs. The outer surfaces of the legs and the inner surfaces of the arms are each inclined rearward and away from the lip. The wedge is then ordinarily hammered into the opening to force the spool rearward. This rearward movement of the spool causes the arms to tightly pinch the adapter legs against the lip to prevent movement or release of the adapter during use. As with the mounting of the points, hammering of the wedges into the openings is a difficult and potentially hazardous activity.
In many assemblies, other factors can further increase the difficulty of removing and inserting the lock when replacement of the wear member is needed. For example, the closeness of adjacent components, such as in laterally inserted locks (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,348), can create difficulties in hammering the lock into and out of the assembly. Fines can also become impacted in the openings receiving the locks making access to and removal of the locks difficult. Additionally, in Whisler style attachments, the bucket must generally be turned up on its front end to provide access for driving the wedges out of the assembly. This orientation of the bucket can make lock removal difficult and hazardous as the worker must access the opening from beneath the bucket and drive the wedge upward with a large hammer. The risk is particularly evident in connection with dragline buckets, which can be very large. Also, because wedges can eject during service, it is common practice in many installations to tack-weld the wedge to its accompanying spool, thus, making wedge removal even more difficult.
There has been some effort to produce non-hammered locks for use in excavating equipment. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,784,813 and 5,868,518 disclose screw driven wedge-type locks for securing a point to an adapter and U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,496 discloses a screw-driven wedge for securing an adapter to a bucket. While these devices eliminate the need for hammering, they each require a number of parts, thus, increasing the complexity and cost of the locks. The ingress of fines can also make removal difficult as the fines increase friction and interfere with the threaded connections. Moreover, with the use of a standard bolt, the fines can build up and become “cemented” around the threads to make turning of the bolt and release of the parts extremely difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to an improved coupling assembly for releasably holding separable parts together in a secure, easy, and reliable manner. Further, the lock of the present invention can be installed and removed simply by using a manual or powered wrench. The need to hammer or pry the lock into and out of the assembly is eliminated.
The present invention is particularly useful for securing a wear member to a support structure in conjunction with an excavating operation. The lock of the present invention is easy to use, is securely held in the wear assembly, alleviates the risk associated with hammering a lock into and out of a wear assembly, and operates to effectively tighten the wear member onto the support structure.
In one aspect of the invention, a tapered lock member is formed with a threaded formation that is used to pull the lock member into a locking position in the assembly. The lock member, then, bears against the assembly to hold the components of the assembly together. The use of a threaded formation on the lock member also reduces the risk that the lock member will be ejected during use as compared to a lock that is simply hammered into place.
In another aspect of the present invention, a wedge and a spool are threadedly coupled together to drive the wedge into and out of the wear assembly without hammering. The direct coupling of the wedge and spool eliminates the need for bolts, washers, nuts and other hardware so as to minimize the number of parts. As a result of this efficient construction, the lock is inexpensive to make, easy to use, and unlikely to become inoperative because of lost or broken parts or due to fines or other difficulties encountered in harsh digging environments. Further, the wedge can be selectively driven into the assembly to provide the degree of tightness necessary for the intended operation and/or to re-tighten the assembly after incurring wear during use.
In one preferred construction, the wedge includes a thread formation with a wide pitch to form a sizable land segment by which the wedge can directly apply pressure to the wear assembly for holding the wear member to the support structure. In one embodiment, the wedge is formed with a helical groove along its outer periphery to engage helical ridge segments formed in a generally trough shaped recess along the spool or other part of the assembly. Rotation of the wedge moves the wedge along the spool, and into and out of the wear assembly. Movement of the wedge into the assembly increases the depth of the lock, and thereby tightens the engagement of the wear member onto the support structure.
A latch assembly is preferably provided to securely hold the wedge in place and avoid an undesired loss of parts during use. In one preferred construction, the wedge is formed with teeth that interact with a latch provided in an adjacent component such as the spool, wear member or support structure. The teeth and latch are formed to permit rotation of the wedge in a direction that drives the wedge farther into the opening, and to prevent rotation in a direction that retracts the wedge. The latch may also function to retain the lock in the assembly when the wear member and/or support structures begin to wear.
The inventive lock is simple, sound, reliable, and requires only minimal components. The lock is also intuitively easy for the operator to understand. Elimination of hammering also makes replacement of a wear member easy and less hazardous. Moreover, the lock is able to provide selective tightening of the wear assembly to facilitate re-tightening of the wear members or a better original mounting when, for example, the support structure is partially worn. These and other advantageous will be evident in the drawings and description to follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coupling assembly in accordance with the present invention securing a point to an adapter.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a lock in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wedge of the lock.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial, perspective view of the wedge.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a spool of the lock.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wear member having a latch of the inventive coupling assembly.
FIG. 7 is a partial, exploded, perspective view of the wear member shown in FIG. 6 .
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling assembly taken along line 8 — 8 in FIG. 1 in the assembled condition.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative spool for the lock.
FIG. 10 is an exploded, perspective view of the alternative spool.
FIG. 11 is a side view of a second lock in accordance with the present invention including the alternative spool. This lock is adapted to secure an adapter to a bucket lip in a Whisler style connection.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view along a longitudinal axis of another wear assembly using the lock of FIG. 11 .
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view along the same line as FIG. 12 for an alternative embodiment including an insert between the wedge and support structure.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the insert used in the alternative embodiment of FIG. 13 .
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an alternative wedge construction.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another alternative wedge construction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention pertains to a coupling assembly for releasably holding separable parts together. While the invention has a broader application, it is particularly useful in releasably securing a wear member to a support structure in an excavating operation. The wear member may, for example, be a point, an adapter, a shroud or other replaceable component.
In one preferred construction, the lock 10 includes a wedge 12 and a spool 14 ( FIGS. 2–5 ). Although the lock can be used to secure a wide range of components together, it is shown in FIG. 1 holding together the parts of an excavator tooth. In this embodiment of the invention, the lock is placed in a wear assembly 15 wherein the support structure is formed as an adapter 17 and the wear member is defined as a point or tip 19 . Lock 10 is received into an opening 21 in wear assembly 15 that is cooperatively defined by holes 23 in point 19 and hole 25 in adapter 17 so as to releasably hold the point to the adapter ( FIGS. 1 and 8 ).
The wedge 12 preferably has a frusto-conical shape with a rounded exterior surface 16 that tapers toward a front end 18 ( FIGS. 1–4 ). A thread formation 22 , preferably in the form of a helical groove 20 with a wide pitch, is formed along the exterior surface 16 of the wedge. Accordingly, a rather wide, helically shaped land segment 24 exists between the adjacent spiraling groove segments. This land segment presents a large surface area to press against the front surface 31 of the hole 25 in adapter 17 and the wall 37 of recess 36 in spool 14 . The relatively large land segment enables the lock to resist large loads with acceptable levels of stress and without the need for threads to be formed in the wall of hole 25 in the adapter. The wide pitch of the groove 20 also permits the wedge to be quickly moved into and out of the opening 21 .
In one preferred construction, the pitch of the thread on the wedge is on the order of one inch and the groove forming the thread about ⅛ of an inch wide, although the pitch and groove width could vary widely. The groove is preferably formed with curved corners to form a robust thread that is not susceptible to peening or other damage. The rear end 27 of the wedge is provided with a turning formation 29 to facilitate engagement with a tool, such as a wrench, for turning the wedge. In the preferred embodiment, formation 29 is a square socket, although other arrangements could be used.
The taper of the wedge can be varied to provide an increased or decreased take-up of the wear member on the support structure. For example, if the taper of the wedge is increased, the rate at which the wear member moves to the set position on the support structure is increased, but at the expense of tightening force (i.e., more torque is required to turn the wedge). The taper of the wedge can be designed to match the particular task. In all cases the holding power of the lock would be about the same so long as the wedge is not formed too small at the forward end to provide sufficient strength.
The spool 14 preferably has a generally C-shaped configuration with a body 26 and arms 28 ( FIGS. 1 , 2 and 5 ). In this example, the arms are fairly short so as to press against the rear wall portions 30 of holes 23 in point 19 ( FIG. 8 ). However, the particular shape and size of the arms can vary widely depending on the construction and use of the parts receiving the lock. Additionally, the arms could be omitted entirely if the opening in the support structure were sized to permit the rear wall of the body to press against the rear wall portions in the openings of the wear member and the spool was adequately anchored. Similarly, in this type of construction, the lock could be reversed such that the wedge pressed against the wear member and the spool against the support structure.
The body 26 of spool 14 is formed with a generally trough shaped recess 36 to receive a portion of the wedge ( FIG. 5 ). The recess is provided with a thread formation 42 that is defined as at least one projection to fit within groove 20 . In this way, the wedge and spool are threadedly coupled together. Although the projection can take the form of a wide range of shapes and sizes, recess 36 preferably includes multiple ridges 40 on the spool to complement groove 20 on wedge 12 . The ridges 40 are shaped as helical segments having the same pitch as the helical groove 20 so that the ridges are received into the groove to move the wedge in or out of the opening when the wedge is rotated. While ridges 40 are preferably provided along the entire length of recess 36 , fewer ridges or even one ridge could be provided if desired. Further, each ridge preferably extends across the entire recess 36 , but can have a lesser extension if desired.
In the preferred construction, the helical groove 20 has the same pitch along the length of the wedge. Since the wedge is tapered, the angle of the thread changes to become more shallow as the groove extends from the forward end 18 to the rear end 27 . This variation requires the allowance of clearance space between the internal and external thread so they can cooperate and avoid binding with each other. This construction, then, forms relative loose fitting threads.
As an alternative construction, a ridge(s) to engage groove 20 on the wedge could be formed on the front wall portion of the hole 23 defined in point 19 in addition to or in lieu of the ridges 40 on the spool. The ridge could simply be provided by the body 62 , as seen in FIGS. 6 and 7 , but could also include an extension and/or other ridges on the front wall portion of the hole, similar to the inclusion of body 62 a in spool 14 a (as seen in FIGS. 9 and 10 ). Similarly, one or more ridges (or other projections) to engage groove 20 could instead be formed on the wall structure of the hole 25 in adapter 17 (in addition to or in lieu of the other ridges). In these alternatives where a thread formation is formed on the point and/or adapter, the wedge could be inserted into the opening without a spool to hold the wear member to the support structure. As can be appreciated, the hole in the point would need to be smaller to permit direct bearing contact between the wedge and the rear wall portions of the holes in the point.
The thread formations may also be reversed so that grooves are formed in the point, adapter and/or spool to receive a helical ridge formed on the wedge. While a ridge may be used to form the thread on the wedge with grooves only in the spool and not in the adapter wall (or vice versa), the ridges do not form as good a bearing surface as land segment 24 without the matching grooves in the opposing surfaces. Nevertheless, a helical ridge on the wedge may be used even with a smooth adapter wall and/or smooth recess in the spool in lower stress environments. In this alternative, the wedge 94 would preferably have a ridge 96 with a blunt outer edge 98 ( FIG. 15 ). Nevertheless, the provision of a ridge on the wedge could be designed to bite into the adapter wall and/or spool. Finally, the wedge 101 could be formed with a tapping ridge 103 that cuts a thread in the spool and/or adapter wall as it is threaded into the assembly ( FIG. 16 ).
Recess 36 in spool 14 preferably tapers toward one end 38 to complement the shape of the wedge and position forward portions of the land segment 24 bearing against the adapter to be generally vertical for a solid, secure contact with the nose of adapter 17 ( FIGS. 5 and 8 ). This orientation stabilizes the wedge and lessens the stresses engendered in the components when the wedge is inserted tightly into the wear assembly 15 . In a preferred construction, the recess is tapered at twice the taper of the wedge so as to place forward portions of the land segment 24 in a vertical orientation (as illustrated). As can be appreciated, the purpose of this construction is to orient the forward portions of the land segment substantially parallel to the wall of the member which they engage as opposed being in a strictly vertical orientation. In the preferred construction, recess 36 is provided with a concave curve that is designed to complement the shape of the wedge when the wedge is at the end of its projected travel in a tightening direction. In this way, the wedge is best able to resist the applied loads and not bind with the spool during tightening. Nevertheless, other shapes are possible.
In use, lock 10 is inserted into opening 21 in the wear assembly 15 when the wear member 19 is mounted on the nose 46 of adapter 17 ( FIGS. 1 and 8 ). The lock 10 is preferably placed into opening 21 as separate components (i.e., with the spool being inserted first) but may in some cases be inserted collectively as a unit (i.e., with the wedge placed partially into the recess 36 ). In either case, the free ends 50 of arms 28 are placed in engagement with the rear wall portions 30 of holes 23 in wear member 19 . The wedge is then rotated to drive it into opening 21 so that the forward portions of land segment 24 of wedge 12 press against the front wall portion 31 of hole 25 , and arms 28 of spool 14 press on the rear wall portions 30 of holes 23 . Continued rotation of the wedge further enlarges the depth of the lock (i.e., the distance in a direction parallel to the axis of the movement of the point onto the adapter nose) so that the arms 28 push the wear member 19 farther onto the support structure 17 . This rotation is stopped once the desired tightness has been achieved. By using a tapered wedge in the lock receiving opening 21 , a significant clearance exists between much of the wedge and the walls of the opening. As a result, fines from the digging operation would generally not become firmly impacted into the opening. Even if fines did become impacted in the opening, the wedge would still be easily retracted by turning the wedge with a wrench. The tapered shape of the wedge makes the opening around the lock larger at the bottom of the assembly in the illustrated orientation. With this arrangement, the fines tend to fall out as the wedge is loosened. The relatively wide groove in the wedge in the preferred construction also tends to enable release of fines from the lock and thereby avoid having the lock becoming “cemented” into the assembly. Moreover, because of the tapered shape of the threaded wedge, the assembly is quickly loosened with just a short turn of the wedge. Rubber caps or the like (not shown) could be used to inhibit the ingress of fines in socket 29 if desired.
In a preferred construction, a latching assembly 56 is provided to retain the wedge in the opening. As seen in FIGS. 2–4 and 8 , ratchet teeth 58 are preferably provided within groove 20 to cooperate with a latch 60 . By being recessed within the groove, the teeth do not disrupt the threaded coupling of the wedge and the spool, or the engagement of the wedge with support structure 17 and spool 14 . The ratchet teeth are adapted to engage latch 60 , which is mounted in either the wear member 19 ( FIGS. 6–8 ), spool 14 ( FIGS. 10 and 12 ) or support structure 17 (not shown). The teeth are inclined to permit rotation of the wedge in a tightening direction but prevent rotation in a loosening direction. The teeth generally need to be only formed along about one third the length of groove 20 to ensure engagement of the latch with the teeth when the wedge is fully tightened for use. Of course, the teeth could be positioned along more or less than about one-third the length of the groove as desired. The number of teeth and their location on the wedge depend largely on the amount of travel expected between the parts being coupled together, and the expected wear of the components and retightening of the lock. The teeth will preferably be positioned along the rear end of the wedge, i.e., where the wedge is widest, so that the latch 60 is securely engaged against the teeth and stress in the wedge is minimized. Nevertheless, other arrangements are possible. The teeth may have a reversible style that inhibits unwanted turning in both directions, but which will permit turning under the force of a wrench or the like—i.e., the detent can retract under sufficient load to permit rotation of the wedge in the tightening or untightening directions. Further, omission of the teeth is possible.
Latch 60 preferably comprises a body 62 and a resilient member 63 that are fit within a cavity 64 that is open in one of the holes 23 ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ). The body is provided with a detent 65 to engage ratchet teeth 58 on the wedge 12 . The resilient member presses the detent 65 into engagement with the ratchet teeth and permits the body to retract into the cavity as the wider portions of the wedge are driven into opening 21 . In the preferred construction, body 62 includes a helical ridge 66 that complements ridges 40 on spool 14 , i.e., the ridge has the same pitch and is positioned to match the trajectory of ridges 40 . Since the spool is placed into opening 21 by the operator, cavity 64 may receive body 62 with clearance to enable the body to shift as needed to ensure that ridge 66 complements ridges 40 . The clearance need not be great (e.g., on the order of 0.03 of an inch in larger systems) because the spool has only a small range of adjustment where it can be properly positioned with the arms against the walls defining holes 23 . Additionally, groove 20 could be formed with a narrowing width as it extends from front end 18 of wedge 12 toward rear end 27 . In this way, the groove could become easily engaged with ridges 40 on spool 14 and ridge 66 on body 62 , even if initially misaligned, and gradually shift body 62 into alignment with ridge 40 as the groove narrows. The body 62 is preferably bonded to resilient member 63 by an adhesive (or via casting), which in turn, is bonded in cavity 64 by an adhesive. Nevertheless, the body and resilient member could be held in cavity 64 by friction or other means. The body is preferably composed of plastic, steel or any other material that provides the requisite force to hold the wedge from turning during operation of the excavator and the resilient member of rubber, although other materials could be used.
In use, ridge 66 is received into groove 20 . As the wedge reaches a tightened position, detent 65 engages teeth 58 . However, due to the inclination of the teeth and the provision of resilient member 63 , the latch rides over the teeth as the wedge is rotated in the tightening direction. The detent 65 locks with teeth 58 to prevent any reverse rotation of the wedge. The detent is designed to be broken from body 62 when the wedge is turned in the release direction with a wrench. The force to break the detent is within normal forces expected to be applied by a wrench but still substantially more torque than would be expected to be applied to the wedge through normal use of the excavating tooth. Alternatively, a slot or other means could be provided to permit retraction of the latch and disengagement of the detent from the teeth for reverse rotation of the wedge. Receipt of the ridge 66 and ridges 40 in groove 20 function to retain the wedge in opening 21 even after looseness develops in the tooth on account of wearing of the surfaces.
Alternatively, the latch 60 could be positioned within a cavity formed along the front wall portion 51 of hole 25 in adapter 17 . The latch would function in the same way as described above when mounted in point 19 . In addition, an insert (not shown) could be positioned between wedge 12 and front wall portion 51 of hole 25 if desired. The insert may include a recess with ridges like recess 36 in spool 14 or simply have a smooth recess to receive the wedge. The insert could be used to fill the space of a large opening in the adapter (or other support structure) or to accommodate a wedge formed with threads having a smaller pitch for greater mechanical advantage or other reasons, and still provide a large surface area with which to bear against the adapter. Further, the front surface of the insert may be formed to mate with the front wall portion 51 of hole 25 to increase the bearing area between the adapter and the lock, and thereby reduce the induced stresses in the parts. A latch or the like may also be used to retain the insert in place. A latch, like latch 60 , could also be provided in the insert.
In an alternative embodiment ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ), lock 10 a has the latch 60 a mounted in a cavity 64 a formed in recess 36 a of spool 14 a . In the same way as latch 60 , latch 60 a preferably includes a body with a helical ridge 66 a and detent 65 a , and a resilient member 63 a . Latch 60 a would operate in the same way as discussed above for latch 60 . The teeth 58 on the wedge would be formed in the same way, irrespective of whether the latch is mounted in the spool, the wear member or the support structure. As seen in FIG. 9 , ridge 66 a would be positioned as a continuation of one of the ridges 40 . Although latch 60 is shown aligned with the ridge 40 closest to rear end 27 of the wedge, the latch could be formed anywhere along recess 36 a . If the latch were repositioned, the teeth 58 on wedge 12 may also need to be re-positioned in the groove 20 to engage the detent 65 a of latch 60 a.
Lock 10 a is illustrated with a spool 14 a that is adapted for use in a Whisler-style attachment ( FIGS. 11 and 12 ). Nevertheless, a spool with a latch, like latch 60 a , could be used to secure a point to an adapter, a shroud to a lip, or to secure other separable components together. In the illustrated embodiment, arms 28 a of spool 14 a are formed with inner surfaces 70 that diverge as they extend away from body 26 a to mate with the inclined surfaces 72 conventionally formed on the rear end of a Whisler-style adapter 17 . In use, the bifurcated legs 74 of the adapter 17 straddle the lip 76 of the excavating bucket. Each of the legs includes an elongated hole 78 that is aligned with hole 80 formed in lip 76 . The aligned holes 78 , 80 cooperatively define an opening 82 into which lock 10 a is received. As with lock 10 , lock 10 a is preferably installed as separate components with the spool 14 a being installed in opening 82 first, but may possibly be installed as a unit with the wedge 12 only partially placed into recess 36 a . In either event, once the lock 10 a is inserted into opening 82 , the wedge is rotated in the tightening direction to drive the wedge into the opening 82 ( FIG. 12 ). The driving is continued until the spool arms sufficiently grip the adapter against lip. With elongated holes 78 in legs 74 , the latch needs to be mounted in spool 14 or lip 80 . Nevertheless, when used with such elongated openings, the lock can be re-tightened as needed in this arrangement after wear begins to occur in order to maintain the assembly in a tightened state. The variety of lock embodiments discussed above for use with the tooth can also be used in a Whisler style connection.
As noted above, an insert 90 can be provided as part of the lock between the front wall portion of the hole in the support structure and the wedge ( FIGS. 13 and 14 ). In the illustrated embodiment, lock 10 b is the same as lock 10 a with the addition of insert 90 ; hence, common reference numbers have been used. The insert preferably includes a rear surface 91 provided a smooth recess to complement the shape of the wedge when the wedge is in the fully advanced position, although other shapes and/or the provision of ridges to be received in groove 20 (in addition to or in lieu of ridges 40 ) are possible. To prevent movement of the insert during turning of the wedge, the insert preferably includes lips 92 that are welded to lip 76 . Nevertheless, a latch or other means could be used to secure the insert in place. The insert functions to protect the lip from wear and/or to fill an enlarged opening in the lip or other components.
A lock in accordance with the present invention could be used to secure other styles of adapters (or other wear members to a bucket lip, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,216, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The lock of the present invention can also be used in a variety of different assemblies to hold separable parts together. While the invention is particularly suited for use in securing a point to an adapter, and an adapter or shroud to a lip, the invention can be used to secure other wear members in excavating operations, or simply other separable components that may or may not be used in excavating operations. Further, the above-discussion concerns the preferred embodiments of the present invention. Various other embodiments as well as many changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the claims.
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A lock that includes a wedge and a spool are used to releasably secure separable components of an assembly together. The wedge and spool are threadedly coupled together to drive the wedge into and out of an opening in the assembly without hammering or prying. The direct coupling of the wedge and spool eliminates the need for bolts, washers, nuts and other hardware so as to minimize the number of parts. As a result, the lock is inexpensive to make, easy to use, and unlikely to become inoperative because of lost or broken parts or due to fines or other difficulties encountered in harsh digging environments. Further, the wedge can be driven into the assembly to provide the degree of tightness necessary for the intended operation and/or to re-tighten the assembly after incurring wear during use. A latch assembly is preferably provided to securely hold the wedge in place and avoid an undesired loss of parts during use.
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RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/131,092 filed on Jun. 1, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,117,188 which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/223,236, filed on Aug. 19, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,490,625 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/840,688, filed on Apr. 23, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,010.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to valves for controlling fluid flow, and, in particular, a control valve assembly having valves integrated with a valve manifold for compactly controlling fluid coupled devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Manufacturers of hydraulic, pneumatic, and containment equipment customarily test the fluid integrity of their components to ensure safe operation in the field. Standards are generally prescribed for leakage rates at test pressures and times correlated to the desired component specifications.
Currently, leak detection systems are an assembly of separate components housed in portable test units. Using a myriad of valves and pneumatic lines a component to be tested is attached to the test unit and independent valves are sequenced to route pressurized fluid, customarily air, to the component, which is then isolated. The leakage rate at the component is then measured and a part accepted or rejected based thereon. The multiple valves and lines may be integrated into a portable test stand for on-site testing. Nonetheless, the pneumatic system is expansive and cumbersome, with each element posing the potential for associated malfunction and leaks. Further, automation of a testing protocol is difficult because of the independent relationship of the components. Where varying test pressures are required for other components, the system must be retrofitted for each such use.
For example, the leak detection apparatus as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,105 to Owens references a manually operated systems wherein the testing procedures is controlled by plural manual valves and associated conduit occasioning the aforementioned problems and limitations.
Similarly, the hydrostatic testing apparatus as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,768 to Aprill provides a portable unit comprised of a plurality of independent valves and associated lines for conducting testing on equipment and fluid lines. The valves are manually sequenced for isolating test components from a single pressure source. U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,918 to Oster also discloses a testing apparatus wherein a plurality of conventional valving and measuring components are individually fluidly connected.
Remotely controlled leak detection systems, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,965 to Fiechtner, have been proposed for monitoring underground liquid supplies. Such systems, however, also rely on an assembly of separate lines and valves. A similar system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,519 to Stenstrom et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,621 to Hasselmann.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,083 to Sato et al. discloses remotely controlled electromagnetically operated valves for measuring leakage in vessels and parts. Separate valve and hydraulic lines are required.
In an effort to overcome the foregoing limitations, it would be desirable to provide a portable leakage detection system for testing the fluid integrity of fluid systems and components that include integrated valving and porting within a compact envelope for automatically controlling a variable testing protocol. The leak detector includes a valve block having internal porting selectively controlled by four identical and unique pneumatic poppet valves for pressurizing the test part, isolating the test part for determining leakage rates with pressure and flow sensors communicating with the porting, and exhausting the test line upon completion of the leakage test. The poppet valves engage valve seats incorporated within the porting. The poppet valves are actuated by pilot valve pressure acting on a pilot piston to effect closure of the valve. The sensors interface with a microprocessor for comparing measurements with the test protocol and indicate pass or fail performance. Upon removal of the pilot valve pressure, the resident pressure in the porting shifts the valve to the open position. The leak detector includes plural inlets for accommodating variable pressure protocols. The leak detector thus eliminates the need for external fluid connections and conduits between the various detector components, eliminates the need for two-way valving actuation, and provides for connection with external test units with a single, easy to install, pneumatic line.
In another aspect of the invention, the poppet valves may be disposed in sets in a valve manifold to simulate conventional valve functionalities with a plurality of fluidic devices. For three way valve functionality, a pair of the pitot valves operates in controlled phased opposition to apply and vent pressure to a one way actuator. For four way valve functionality, a second set of oppositely configured valve are used for conventional operation of dual controlled devices such as two way actuators.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a leak detection valve assembly and control module in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of a leak detection system incorporating the valve assembly of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a top view of the valve assembly;
FIG. 4 is a front view of the valve assembly;
FIG. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along line 5 - 5 in FIG. 3 ;
FIG. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along line 6 - 6 in FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken along line 7 - 7 in FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 8 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken along line 8 - 8 in FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of a unique poppet valve assembly;
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the leak detection system;
FIG. 11 is a truth table for the leak detection system;
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for the control system for the leak detection system;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a valve assembly for a leak detection system;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a valve manifold assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 15 is a top view of the valve manifold assembly shown in FIG. 14 ;
FIG. 16 is a front view of the valve manifold assembly shown in FIG. 14 ;
FIG. 17 is a left end view of the valve manifold assembly shown in FIG. 14 ;
FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view of the valve manifold assembly shown in FIG. 14 , with the control module removed and including cross sectional view of valve sets taken along lines A-A and B-B in FIG. 16 and a schematic view of the control system for the valve sets for three way and four way valve functionality;
FIG. 19 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along line 19 - 19 in FIG. 18 ; and
FIG. 20 is a cross sectional view of a valve manifold according another embodiment of the invention illustrating a two way valve functionality.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings for the purpose of describing the preferred embodiment and not for limiting same, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a leak detection system 10 for determining the pressure integrity of components when subjected to pressure conditions during a test period. The leak detection system 10 comprises a valve assembly 12 and a control module 14 operatively coupled with a flow sensor 16 and pressure sensor 18 . As hereinafter described in detail, the leak detector 10 is operative for testing the fluid integrity of test parts to determine is leakage standards are being achieved.
Referring additionally to FIG. 10 , the valve assembly 12 is fluidly connected with a low pressure source 20 along line 22 , a high pressure source 24 along line 26 , a test unit 28 for testing such parts along line 30 , and an exhaust 32 along line 34 . Supplemental valves may be disposed in the lines for controlling flow therethrough.
The control module 14 comprises a pilot valve assembly 36 including pilot valves 40 , 42 , 44 , and 46 fluidly connected with a high pressure valve unit 50 , a low pressure valve unit 52 , an exhaust valve unit 54 and an isolation valve unit 56 along lines 60 , 62 , 64 and 66 , respectively. The pressure sensor 18 is coupled with the isolation valve unit 56 by line 68 . The flow sensor 16 is connected with the valve units at manifold line 70 and with test part line 30 along line 72 . The pilot valves are connected to pilot pressure 74 by manifold line 76 . The lines and attendant fittings will vary in accordance with the parts undergoing testing and the test conditions.
Referring to FIGS. 3 through 8 , the valve assembly 12 comprises a valve block 40 housing via ports to be described below a low pressure valve unit 80 , a high pressure valve unit 82 , an exhaust valve unit 84 and an isolation valve unit 86 .
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 , the low pressure valve unit 80 is fluidly connected with line 28 and low pressure source 20 by a low pressure inlet port 90 intersecting with a vertical cross port 92 . The high pressure valve unit 82 is fluidly connected with line 26 and high pressure source 24 by a high pressure inlet port 94 intersecting with a vertical cross port 96 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the isolation valve unit 86 is fluidly connected with the line 30 by the isolation port 98 and vertical port 99 . The exhaust valve unit 84 is fluidly connected with line 32 by exhaust port 100 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the ports 90 , 94 and 100 are disposed on the front face 102 of the valve block 12 . The isolation port 98 is disposed on the rear face 104 of the valve block 12 . The ports 100 and 98 are located laterally in a central vertical plane. The ports 90 and 94 are symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of the exhaust port 100 and therebelow. The ports 100 , 94 and 90 lie in a common horizontal plane. Each of the ports is provided with an outer threaded bore for connection to the associated lines with an appropriate fitting for the fluid application.
All of the valve units have a common architecture as representatively shown in FIG. 9 . Therein, a valve unit 110 including a poppet 112 having a valve stem 113 supported by sealing disk 114 for reciprocation between a raised vent position as illustrated and a lowered sealed position in counterbore 115 . The poppet 112 includes a cylindrical valve body 116 carrying O-ring 117 that engages the annular valve seat 118 of counterbore 115 formed coaxially with a vertical port 120 . The outer rim of the sealing disk 114 is supported at the base of a secondary counterbore vertically above bore 115 . The secondary counterbore outwardly terminates at an internally threaded end. A vent cap 124 includes a cylindrical sleeve 125 threadedly received in the threaded bore and a circular base 126 having a threaded center hole 128 . An actuating piston 129 including O-ring 130 is axially slidably carried at the interior surface of the sleeve of the vent cap 124 for movement between a raised position engaging the base 128 and a lowered position engaging the top of the valve stem 113 for moving the poppet 112 to the sealed condition. Angularly disposed vent holes 131 are formed in the sleeve 125 for venting the piston. An air line connected with the pilot pressure line is connected at the center hole 128 for connection with the pilot pressure control system.
In typical operation, when pilot pressure is applied in the chamber above the piston 129 , the piston 129 is forced downwardly thereby shifting the poppet 112 to the sealed position. When the pilot pressure is removed and the port 120 is pressurized, the poppet 112 and the piston 129 are driven to the raised, open position. Assist springs may be deployed, particularly in the isolation valve, for providing additional biasing to the open condition.
As shown in FIGS. 5 through 8 , with respect to the exhaust port 100 and valve unit 84 , a counterbore 138 is formed in the bottom surface of the valve block 40 coaxially therewith. A circular sealing blank 140 is retained at a step in the counterbore 138 by a split retaining ring 142 retained in a corresponding annular groove thus defining a pressure chamber 144 . A C-shaped distribution channel or port 150 extends from the chamber 144 upwardly and intersects the counterbores 115 of valve units 110 .
Accordingly, when either of the pressure valve units is pressurized from its source and the pilot control to the piston is interrupted, the air flow in the ports 92 , 96 , 99 shifts the poppets to raised, open positions, thereby pressurizing the distribution port 150 and chamber 144 resulting in pressure communication therebetween. Referring to FIGS. 3 , 7 and 8 , a pair of vertical ports 160 communicate upstream of the isolation valve unit 84 for connecting one line of the flow sensor 16 and the pressure sensor 18 . A pair of vertical ports 162 communicates on the other side of the isolation valve units 84 with the distribution port 150 . Accordingly, the flow sensor 16 in a conventional manner measures pressure transients on the part under leakage test while the pressure sensor 18 measures pressure conditions on both sides of the isolation valve.
The valve unit is operationally connected to an independent test unit whereat parts to be leak tested may be deployed. The test protocol may specify a high pressure test for a defined test period or a low pressure test for a defined test period. Test parts are deemed successful if the leakage under pressure as determined by the flow sensor 16 is below a predetermined threshold. The control system 14 is effective for establishing the appropriate protocol.
Referring to FIG. 12 , the control system 14 comprises the pilot valve system 250 , a microprocessor 254 coupled with a control panel 255 for defining and conducting the test protocol, test result indicator lights 256 a display screen 257 , for denoting passing or failing of the test connected to a suitable power supply 258 . The microprocessor 254 contains the protocols for the various parts, preferably programmed through an external computer port 260 . The desired protocol is accessed at control panel 255 through menu button 264 , start button 266 and scroll buttons 268 .
The operation of the leak detector is illustrated in the truth table of FIG. 11 and taken in conjunction with the schematic of FIG. 2 .
A part to be tested in mounted in the test fixture, the control system initialized and the test protocol selected. Thereafter, the test is initiated by actuating the start button 266 . As a first condition, the high and low pressure lines are pressurized with the accompanying pilot valves 40 , 42 in the normally open positions with the solenoids deenergized. This applies pilot pressure to the associated poppets to close and seal the high pressure and low pressure valve units 50 , 52 . Correspondingly, the normally closed exhaust pilot is deenergized and the exhaust valve 54 is in the open position. The normally closed isolation pilot is deenergized and the isolation valve unit 56 is in the open position.
Thereafter the high pressure pilot 40 is energized, venting the high pressure poppet whereby inlet high pressure air raises the high pressure valve unit 50 to the open position. Concurrently, the exhaust solenoid is energized admitting pilot pressure to the exhaust poppet piston chamber and shifting the exhaust valve unit 54 to the closed position and air flowing past the high pressure poppet pressurizes the exhaust chamber 144 through the distribution channel and past the isolation valve unit 56 to pressurize the test part with high pressure air. Thereafter, the isolation pilot is energized applying pilot pressure to the isolation piston chamber and closing the isolation poppet. Thereafter, the flow sensor 16 monitors pressure transients and through the microprocessor interface denotes pass or fail conditions at the indicator lights.
Upon completion of the test, the isolation pilot solenoid is deenergized pressurizing the high pressure piston and sealing the high pressure valve seat, thereby ceasing inlet flow. Concurrently, the isolation and exhaust pilot solenoids are deenergized allowing exhaust chamber and part pressure to shift the exhaust and isolation valves to the open position for completion of the test. In the event of excessive pressure lost at the test part, a light biasing spring may be provided at the isolation poppet to ensure movement to the open position.
For testing under low pressure conditions, the exhaust poppet is closed and the low pressure valving sequenced in similar fashion to the high pressure test detailed above. More particularly, a part to be tested in mounted in the test fixture, the control system initialized and the test protocol selected. Thereafter, the test is initiated by actuating the start button 266 . As a first condition, the high and low pressure lines are pressurized with the accompanying pilot valves in the normally open positions with the solenoids deenergized. This applies pilot pressure to the associated poppets to close and seal the later. Correspondingly, the normally closed exhaust pilot is deenergized and the exhaust poppet is in the open position. The normally closed isolation pilot is denergized and the isolation poppet is in the open position.
Thereafter the low pressure pilot 42 is energized, venting the low pressure valve whereby inlet low pressure air raises the low pressure valve unit 52 to the open position. Concurrently, the exhaust pilot is energized admitting pilot pressure to the exhaust poppet piston chamber and shifting the exhaust valve unit 54 to the closed position and air flowing past the low pressure poppet pressurizes the exhaust chamber through the distribution channel 150 and past the isolation poppet to pressurize the test part with high pressure air. Thereafter, the isolation pilot solenoid is energized applying pilot pressure to the isolation piston chamber and closing the isolation poppet. Thereafter, the flow sensor monitors pressure transients and through the microprocessor interface denotes pass or fail conditions at the indicator. Upon completion of the test, the isolation pilot is deenergized pressurizing the low pressure piston and sealing the low pressure valve seat, thereby ceasing inlet flow. Concurrently, the isolation and exhaust pilot solenoids are deenergized allow exhaust chamber and part pressure to shift the exhaust and isolation poppets to the open position for completion of the test.
Referring to FIG. 13 , a fully integrated package is illustrated for a leak detection valve 280 as described above. The valve 280 comprises an extruded metallic valve body 282 having four valve assemblies 284 , as described above. The valve assemblies are controlled by solenoids 286 carried on a top horizontal surface. The valve body 280 has an isolation port 288 in the illustrated rear wall thereof, and high and low pressure ports, and an exhaust port in the front wall thereof, which are not shown and function as above described. The control lines for the valve assemblies 284 are routed through a distribution bracket 290 . The interior pressure sensors are coupled at pin connector 292 on the top surface of the valve body 280 for operative connection to associated instrumentation.
Referring to FIGS. 14 through 17 , in another embodiment of the invention the valving is incorporated into a control valve manifold 300 . The manifold 300 includes an extruded lower valve body 302 carrying on a top surface a plurality of longitudinally spaced control modules 304 for operatively controlling conventional fluidic devices, not shown, coupled at a longitudinal series of associated outlet ports 306 exiting at a longitudinal side wall of the valve body. An inlet port 310 and an exhaust port 312 extend longitudinally through the valve body 302 in parallel spaced relationship for interconnection with the valving as described in greater detail below.
The ports 310 and 312 terminate at internally threaded ends. At the remote end, the ports are suitably sealed with a stop member, such as a threaded plug (not shown), or coupled with a succeeding manifold. The inlet port 310 is coupled with a supply line for supplying inlet fluid under pressure for control by the valving and controlled operation of the associated fluidic devices. The exhaust port 312 is coupled with an exhaust line for routing to an appropriate location the exhaust fluid.
A pair of upwardly opening laterally spaced longitudinal channels 320 are formed in the top surface of the valve body 302 . Solenoids 322 are carried in the channels 320 and operatively associated with the control modules 304 for controlling pilot pressure to the valving at pilot lines 324 . The modules 304 are connected to a suitable power source via multiple-pin socket connector 326 carried on the front lateral side wall of the valve body 302 . The valve modules 304 control the flow between the ports 310 , 312 and the operative outlet ports 306 of the manifold 300 . If certain of the ports are not required for an application, the outlet ports may be plugged or capped, and additionally the associated control module deleted. Any ports associated with the inactive outlet ports are also deleted or plugged.
It will also be apparent that the length of the valve body may be tailored to the devices to be controlled and may be coupled in series or parallel with other valving manifolds.
The manifold in controlled formats may be advantageously employed to replicate the functionality of various conventional valving configurations, such as two-way, three-way, four-way, five-way valves. In such configurations, the manifold operates with lower control pressures within a substantially smaller envelope.
More particularly, as shown in FIG. 1-8 , each control module 304 is associated with a pair of laterally spaced valves 340 , 342 in Valve A and valves 344 and 346 in Valve B. The valves are operatively disposed in the valve body 302 as referenced in FIG. 9 above.
The inlet valves 340 , 344 are disposed in upwardly opening vertical bores in the valve body normal to the inlet port 310 . Each valve includes a slidably stem supported inlet valve member 360 downwardly moveable by a floating piston 362 from a raised position communicating with the inlet port 310 and a closed position engaging an annular valve seat downstream of the inlet port.
The exhaust valves 342 , 346 are disposed in upwardly opening vertical bodes in the valve body normal to the exhaust port 312 . Each valve includes a slidably stem supported outlet valve member 370 downwardly moveable by a floating piston 372 from a lowered position engaging an annular valve seat upstream of the exhaust port 312 and a raised position communicating with the exhaust port.
An exhaust plenum chamber 380 is formed in the valve body 302 below the exhaust valve seat and in the open position communicates with the exhaust port. The exhaust plenum chamber 380 is sealed by a circular cover member 382 and sealed as described with reference to the prior embodiment. Referring to FIG. 19 , a cross passage 384 is formed at the outer periphery of the exhaust plenum chamber and established a fluid path extending serially from the outlet port 306 to the cross passage to the exhaust plenum chamber 380 to the exhaust port.
Each piston is carried in a valve cap threadedly connected in a bore extending from the top surface of the valve body coaxial with the exhaust valve seat. The valve caps are fluidly connected with branch pilot lines 323 above the piston.
Referring to Valve A in FIG. 18 illustrating a three way valve functionality, the exhaust valve 370 is connected at the branch pilot line with a normally open solenoid valve 400 connected with the main pilot line 402 . The inlet valve 360 is connected at the branch pilot line with a normally closed solenoid valve 404 connected with the main pilot line.
The outlet port 306 is formed in the side of the valve body 302 and intersects the inlet valve bore above the inlet valve seat. The device port is fluidly connected by line to one side of a single acting actuator 410 , including return spring biased piston 411 , by lines 412 and 414 .
In operation, the inlet valve member 360 is moved upwardly to an open position by inlet pressure on the lower surface thereby shifting the piston to a raised position, establishing a fluid path through outlet port 306 and lines 412 , 414 and extending actuator piston 411 . The outlet valve member is shifted by the piston to the closed position sealing flow to the outlet port. To retract the piston, the solenoid valves are reversed, whereby the inlet valve member 360 is closed, the outlet pilot pressure removed allowing pressure conditions in the plenum 380 to move the exhaust valve member 370 to the open position and venting the actuator to the exhaust port 312 thereby retracting the actuator piston under the spring biasing.
For four way simulation according to the invention, Valve B is operatively coupled with Valve A. Valve B has a normally open inlet solenoid valve 420 and a normally closed exhaust solenoid valve 422 . Valve A is coupled with one end of a double acting actuator 430 , including piston 431 , by lines 412 , 432 . Valve B is couple at the outlet port with the other end of the actuator 430 by line 434 .
In operation, the extension of actuator is controlled by Valve A as above described, and Valve B is in the exhaust mode. To retract the actuator piston 431 , Valve A is conditioned for exhaust and Valve B is conditioned for pressure, thereby shifting the piston 431 to the retracted position.
Referring to FIG. 20 , the valve manifold of the present invention may also provide two way valve functionality. Therein, a valve 500 includes a valve body 502 carrying a valve assembly 504 as described above. The inlet valve member 506 is moved by piston 508 under pilot conditions controlled by normally open solenoid valve 510 between a lower closed position engaging the inlet valve seat and the illustrated raised open position. In the open position with the solenoid valve vented, the valve permits fluid flow from supply line 520 to inlet port 522 past valve member 506 to outlet port 524 to a pressure dependent device 526 . Upon reversal of the solenoid valve 510 , the pilot pressure is applied to the piston to closed the valve member and block flow therethrough. At the next actuation, the inlet pressure shifts the valve member to the open condition.
With the above constructions, it will be appreciated that the individual valve members may be independently controlled and sequenced to a desired actuation schedule. In particular for spool valve simulation, the normal crossover time between valve positions may be eliminated by concurrent actuation of the solenoids. Should staged actuation be desired, time sequencing may be used. Further the valve ports may be integrated with other flow control. Each such simulation provides the compact size afforded by the valves directly place in the manifold bodies, and the low pilot pressures required by the valves, as well as the valve opening pressures afforded by resident pressurization.
Having thus described a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will now be appreciated that the objects of the invention have been fully achieved, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The disclosures and description herein are intended to be illustrative and are not in any sense limiting of the invention, which is defined solely in accordance with the following claims.
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A valve manifold includes a valve body carrying pairs of laterally spaced piston actuated valves controlled by control modules operative to selectively pressurize and exhaust an outlet port connected to a fluid device and configured in groupings permitting varying valve functionalities.
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FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bedroom cabinet, and more specifically, to a unit type bedroom cabinet which is optimum to provide a flophouse facility comprising a number of individual rooms on the floor of an existing building.
There have been heretofore proposed unit type bedroom cabinets used as a flophouse requiring no bath room or a flophouse for taking a nap. This bedroom cabinet is designed so that it has a floor area at least approximately equal to an area of a bed, has a height such that a user can erect the upper half of his body on the bed, and has the circumference completely shut off from the outside except a doorway. Such a bedroom cabinet can be carried afer it has been assembled and completed and can be simply installed for workmen's quarters or a stadium in a site of construction. In this case, since of course a plurality of bedroom cabinets can be arranged in a plane on the floor of the building and one bedroom cabinet can be stacked on the other, many workmen can be received in a limited floor area for rest. Fixing one's eyes upon this advantage, an attempt has been also made to provide a flophouse in which a number of bedroom cabinets as described above are installed for users to take a nap at at low charges.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Such a bedroom cabinet is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,785 invented by the inventor of the present application. This bedroom panel is assembled in the box-shape by six single layer panels, that is, a bottom panel, a ceiling panel, a front panel, a back panel, a left side panel and a right side panel. The front panel is provided with an opening for an exit, and the bottom panel has a mat thereon. Within the cabinet are projectingly provided an inclined portion which serves as a backrest when a user sits on the mat, a box for accommodating therein a TV receiver, and a box used for accommodating therein an interphone or a radio receiver. The box for a TV receiver can be provided at an upper corner within the cabinet, thus posing no problem, but the box for an interphone is provided at a lower position to which user is easily accessible. Thus, if a protruded portion is provided at the lower portion of the cabinet, a dwelling area is reduced through that amount. The bedroom cabinet is composed of single layer panels and a vent is provided on the panel which serves as a side wall surface. Therefore, the side wall portion is likely to be decreased in strength and in addition there has been encountered a problem in terms of sound-proof.
In this case, there is an idea such that the box is projected from the outer peripheral surface of the cabinet so as not to narrow the dwelling area. However, the provision of a portion projected from the outer periphery of the cabinet makes it necessary to provide a clearance through that projected portion and in addition deteriorates an external appearance, where a plurality of cabinets are stacked or installed adjacent to each other.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages noted above with respect to conventional bedroom cabinets and provide a bedroom cabinet in which the external surfaces thereof are formed to be flat.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a bedroom cabinet in which shelves for accommodating therein a user's belongings and a box for accommodating therein devices such as an interphone can be provided within the cabinet without being projected therein and without being projected from the outer periphery of the bedroom cabinet.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a bedroom cabinet formed into a box-shape by a hexahedron consisting of four side surfaces, an upper surface and a lower surface, comprising an outer casing composed of upper and lower outer casings, the upper outer casing having front and rear side portions, left and right side portions and an upper surface portion integrally formed, the front side portion being formed with a notch portion corresponding to the upper half of an exit, the lower outer casing having front and rear side portions, left and right portions and a lower surface portion integrally formed, the front surface portion being formed with a notch portion corresponding to the lower half of the exit; an inner casing positioned within the outer casing and comprising a front surface panel, a back panel, left and right side panels, a ceiling panel and a bottom panel, the front surface panel having an opening in communication with the notches of the upper and lower outer casings and having an area approximately equal to the exit, the bottom panel having a mat thereon, wherein a peripheral edge at the lower end of the upper outer casing and a peripheral edge at the upper end of the lower upper casing are respectively formed with outwardly projected flanges, and the outer casing is assembled in such a way that the flange of the upper outer casing is brought into abutment with the flange of the lower outer casing.
The bedroom cabinet of the present invention is of the dual construction comprising the outer casing and the inner casing, and therefore it is excellent in mechanical strength. In addition, by providing a clearance is formed between the outer casing and the inner casing a box in which electric devices such as an illuminating instrument, an interphone or the like is mounted or a box which serves as a shelf for accommodating therein a user's belongings can be formed in this clearance, and therefore such boxes will not be projected within the cabinet and from the outer periphery of the outer casing. Accordingly, the dwelling area can be effectively utilized, and since the external surfaces of the cabinet are formed to be flat, a plurality of bedroom cabinets can be closed stacked or installed adjacent to each other. The clearance between the outer and inner casings used to form a box can house therein wirings or the like for interior electric devices.
The present invention further provides a bedroom cabinet wherein a clearance between an outer casing and an inner casing is formed over the whole periphery, and spacer members are interposed in the clearance in a suitably spaced relation, the spacer member being formed with a venting groove. Thereby, an uniform air flowpassage is formed in the outer periphery of the inner casing whereby natural ventilation within a room can be carried out smoothly, and sound-proofing effect can be also increased.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a bedroom cabinet in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view in longitudinal section of the bedroom cabinet of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the bedroom cabinet of FIG. 1 in an exploded form.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view, in an exploded form, showing a joint between an upper outer housing and a lower outer housing.
FIG. 7 is a front view in longitudinal section showing a further embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8--8 of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a part of a spacer.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
One embodiment of a bedroom cabinet of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 through 6 will be described. A bedroom cabinet has an upper outer housing 11 and a lower outer housing 12 which are integrally formed of a fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) or the like. The upper outer housing 11 has an upper surface portion 13, a back surface portion 14, left and right side surfaces 15 and a front portion 16, the front portion 16 being formed with a notch portion 18 for forming the upper half of an exit 17. The lower outer housing 12 has a lower surface portion 9, a back surface portion 20, left and right side surfaces 21 and a front portion 22, the front portion 22 being formed with a notch portion 23 for forming the lower half of the exit 17. The upper surface portion 13 and back surface portion 14 of the upper outer housing 11 and the lower surface portion 19 and back surface portion 20 of the lower outer housing 12 are respectively formed with a plurality of recesses 24 having a required width, and the recess 24 in the upper surface portion 13 of the upper outer housing 11 is formed with a number of venting through-holes 25 in a suitably spaced relation. A peripheral edge at the lower end of the upper outer housing 11 and a peripheral edge at the upper end of the lower outer housing 12 are respectively formed with horizontally outwardly projecting flanges 26, 27 so that when the upper outer housing 11 is placed on the lower outer housing 12, these flanges 26, 27 are placed in abutment with each other.
The upper and lower outer housings 11 and 12 are internally provided with an inner casing 2 comprising a front panel 31, a back panel 32, a right side panel 33, a left side panel 34, a ceiling panel 35 and a bottom panel 36, totalling to six panels. The front panel 31 positioned on the side of the exit 17 is provided with an opening 37 corresponding to the exit 17, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. One surface adjacent to the opening 37 is formed with a box 40 in which an illuminating device 38 or an interphone 39 is mounted and a box 42 in which a device 41 such as a clock or a radio receiver is mounted. These boxes 40 and 42 are formed to be projected outwardly. Upper and lower ends of the front panel 31 are inwardly bent to form a flange 43 on which is mounted a curtain rail 45 for a curtain 44 to block the exit 17. The back panel 32 is formed with boxes 46 and 47 similar to the boxes 40 and 42 and a box 48 constituting an accommodating shelf, as shown in FIGS. 2 through 5, and is formed at its lower portion with a plurality of vent holes 49. These boxes are also formed to be projected outwardly. It is noted that the boxes 46 and 47 can be also used for installation of devices which cannot be accommodated within the boxes 40 and 42 on the front panel 31 or can be used as arranging shelves. The right side panel 33 has a shelt 52 for accommodating therein a TV receiver 51, as shown in FIGS. 2 through 5, and the shelf 52 is formed to be projected inwardly. The left side panel 34 is formed with an inclined portion 53 which is useful as a backrest when a user rests in the bedroom cabinet, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, and a cushion 54 is stuck to the surface of the inclined portion. The ceiling panel 35 has for example expanded styrol and urethane laminated to provide sound-proofing effect. The ceiling panel 35 is formed with a number of vent holes 55 in a suitably spaced relation. Finally, the bottom panel 36 is formed with a rim 57 used to fix a mat 56, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5. The box 48 of the back panel 32 is provided with a plurality of shelt plates 58 and an accommodating section with a door 59 that may be used for a locker or the like. Of course, this box 48 can be used as a mere box with the shelf plates 58 and the door 59 removed.
While adjacent end edges of each of the panels 31 to 36 are connected and fixed by seals 60, it should be noted that the seal 60 is not always necessary but a fit-in type groove can be formed in each end edge so that they are connected by said groove.
Next, assembling of the bedroom cabinet will be described. First, the lower half of the inner casing composed of the panels 31 to 36 connected and fixed as described above is received into the lower outer casing 12. It is of course at this time that the inner casing is fitted into the lower outer casing 12 in such a way that the notch portion 23 of the front portion 12 of the lower outer casing 12 is registered with the lower half of the opening 37 of the front panel 31. Next, the upper outer casing 12 is fitted in such a way that the notch portion 18 thereof is registered with the upper half of the opening 37 of the front panel 31, and the flange 26 is brought into abutment with the flange 27 of the lower upper casing 12. These two flanges 26 and 27 are resiliently held by a clip member 61 formed from a resilient metal plate, as shown in FIG. 6 in detail. Preferably, a recess 62 is formed in portions of the flanges 26 and 27 held by the clip member 61 to prevent the clip member 61 from being deviated in a lateral direction. An ornamental web 63 formed of an expansible material such as rubber or synthetic resin is wound so as to cover the flanges 26 and 27. This web 63 is formed at its inner surface with an escape groove 64 for the flanges 26 and 27, and on both ends thereof are mounted hooks 65 to be engaged with the end edge of the exit 17. The hook 65 is secured to be web 63 by inserting and locking a screw 67 to a stop plate 66 provided on the rear surface of the end of the web 63 therethrough. The exit 17 with which the hook 65 is engaged by superposition of the notches 18 and 23 of the upper and lower outer casings 11 and 12 and the opening 37 of the front panel 31, and an edge frame 68 formed of an elastic material is mounted so as to bridge over both peripheral edges of the notches 18, 23 and opening 37. Thus, the hook 65 is passed over the edge frame 68.
Articles such as a TV receiver 51 are mounted within the thus assembled bedroom cabinet. In this case, if various electric devices such as a TV receiver 51, an interphone 39 and the like are mounted under the condition that the inner casing is fitted and fixed within the lower outer casing 12, wiring work to the outside of the inner casing can be achieved easily.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, in the above-described embodiment, a sheet 71 to cover the mat 36 is in the form of a web in which both ends thereof are wound by winding rollers 72 and 73, a dirty sheet 71 can be wound on one roller by rotating the winding rollers 72 and 73 in one direction. The sheet 71 is pressed against the mat by keep members 74 and 75 provided in the neighbourhood of each of the winding rollers 72 and 73.
Next, a second embodiment of the bedroom cabinet of the present invention shown in FIGS. 7 through 9 will be described. The same elements in this embodiment as those in the above-described first embodiment bear the same reference numeral, the details of which will not be described. In the second embodiment, the desired clearance over the approximately entire portion is provided between the upper and lower outer casings 11, 12 and the inner casing composed of six panels 31 to 36.
That is, the upper and lower outer casings 11 and 12 are formed to be somewhat large or the inner casing is formed to be somewhat small, whereby a clearance over the approximately entire portion can be formed between the outer casings 11, 12 and the inner casing. Spacer members 77 each having a vent groove 76 are interposed and locked between the inner surfaces of the upper and lower outer casings 11, 12 and the panels 31 to 36 opposed to the upper and lower inner surfaces thereof. The spacer member 77 can be different in strength depending on the position disposed. That is, the spacer member 77 interposed between the lower surface 19 of the lower outer casing 12 and the bottom panel 36 is subjected to the approximately entire load of six panels 31 to 36, loads of various devices provided and the user's weight, and therefore, it is formed of a material having a great strength. On the other hand, the spacer member 77 interposed between the upper surface 13 of the upper outer casing 11 and the ceiling panel 35 can be supported under the condition that the celing panel 35 is suspended to maintain its clearance, and therefore, a small strength thereof will suffice. Further the spacer members 77 respectively interposed between the side, front and back surfaces of the outer casings 11, 12 and the side panels 33, 34, the front panel 31 and the back panel 32 may have an intermediate strength between the spacer member between the uper surface portion 13 and the ceiling panel 35, and the spacer member between the lower surface portion 19 and the bottom panel 36.
As described above, in the second embodiment, a spacer member 77 having the required strength is interposed between the outer casings 11, 12 and the interior body to form a clearance in communication as a whole. This clearance acts as an intake and exhaust passage in communication with the vent hole 49 and with the vent hole 55 of the ceiling panel 35 and also serves as a sound-proofing wall. In this second embodiment, an inclined portion 53 is provided on the right side panel 33 and a box 52 for a TV receiver is provided on the left side panel 34. An illuminating device 38, an interphone 39 and a device 41 are mounted on the boxes 46 47 of the back panel 32.
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A bedroom cabinet having a floor area at least approximately equal to an area of a bed and a height such that a user can erect the upper half of his body on the bed. This cabinet is composed of two layers, that is, an outer casing and an inner casing, the outer casing being divided into an upper casing and a lower casing, and a recess serving as an accommodating shelf for electric devices and a user's belongings is provided in the side wall of the inner casing so as to be projected outwardly. This projection of the recess is projected into a clearance between the outer casing and the inner casing, and the projection of the recess is formed so as not to be further projected from the outer periphery of the outer casing, the clearance being used as a wiring passage for electric devices and as vent passage for ventilation.
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This application claims the benefit of the filing date of provisional application No. 61/795,660, filed on Oct. 22, 2012.
BACKGROUND
Clothes drying mechanisms are known in the art and typically comprise machines for agitating wet apparel along with the application of heated air. Although these types of apparatus are useful for drying clothes in bulk, they may not be useful for drying small amounts of clothing, drying clothing that cannot tolerate high temperatures, and fabrics prone to shrinkage. Electrical clothes dryers also consume power and are subject to power loss conditions.
Hanging after washing has been the universal method for drying clothes, both before the advent of electrical clothes drying apparatus and remains a popular means of drying apparel. Typical methods for hang-drying clothes involve draping items of apparel over a taught line or cable. Although typical clothes lines comprise long single or parallel lines, apparatus known in the art include matrices of lines strung around a frame, etc. These clothes drying apparatus, while avoiding the drawbacks of electrical clothes dryers, present other problems due to the large areas they encompass. Even apparatus comprising lines strung on a frame are frequently too large to fit indoors and consequently may not be used during inclement weather.
Apparatus for hang-drying clothes indoors are also known in the art. These apparatus typically present a dowel or multiple dowels installed between articulating sides that scissor open and closed. In this manner, such an apparatus may be “opened” to space apart the dowels, allowing a user to hang apparel thereon. These apparatus suffer from the drawback that they lack sufficient space for hanging multiple items of clothing, and are typically flimsy and prone to breakage and collapse.
There is therefore a need for a laundry hanging apparatus that uses no electricity, that provides ample space for hanging items of clothing, and which is strong and sturdy enough to hold heavy, wet items. There is also a need for a laundry apparatus that is customizable according to the number of clothes needing to be dried, which presents both means for hanging clothes on hangers and for placing clothes on shelves for items of apparel which may not be dried in a hanging configuration, also, an apparatus that may be employed indoors, and which may be easily unfolded and refolded for convenient storage.
SUMMARY
An expandable and customizable cabinet apparatus is adapted for supporting a variety of clothes when hanging them to dry. The cabinet includes a housing that forms an enclosure. The enclosure may be approximately 3.5 inches in depth, and preferably includes a divider that forms a storage pocket inside the enclosure. The enclosure is open on at least one side. A door is connected to the housing by a hinge so that the door covers the opening when closed. In order to cause the door to cover the face of the opening, one or more hinges may connect the door and the housing on an outside portion of the housing.
A first frame is connected to the housing in a hinged manner that allows the frame to move into and out of the housing. By hinging the frame inside the housing, the frame can travel entirely out of, or into the housing, which allows the door to completely obscure the opening, thereby sealing the cabinet and first frame therein. An anchoring member is disposed in the frame. Preferably, the anchoring member is a planar grid of metal wire, or a material having similar characteristics. In one embodiment, the anchoring member is affixed to the frame using connectors.
A rack member is attached to the anchoring member in a manner allowing it to articulate relative to the anchoring member. In various embodiments, multiple rack members may be affixed to the anchoring member in a variety of places. Preferably each rack member includes horizontal rungs connected to two side members. Each side member terminates on a common end in a hook for engaging the anchoring member. In order to preserve a rack member in a horizontal position, support members also connect the rack members to the anchoring member.
In order to connect a support member to a rack member, the ends of each support member include a double curve. A linear segment between the double curves defines the length of each support member. The double curves serve to allow a support member to pull a rack member relative to the anchoring member or to push a rack member relative to the anchoring member. In this manner, support members may hold a rack member horizontally at the top of the anchoring member by pushing up on it, while others hold a rack member horizontally at the bottom of the anchoring member by pulling up on it.
The cabinet is modular, allowing a several rack members to be affixed to the anchoring member according to user preference. Furthermore, since the anchoring member articulates relative to the housing. The anchoring member may be swung out to be perpendicular to the housing, and rack members hung from both sides of the anchoring member. Since this fully extended configuration may not always be necessary depending on the amount of laundry to be dried, a releasable lock holds the first frame in position relative to the housing, allowing rack members to swing outward from the cabinet in a smaller configuration. Releasing the lock allows the first frame and anchoring member to swing freely.
In one preferred embodiment, a second frame is affixed to the inside of the door, the second frame also including an anchoring member. In this manner, rack members may be affixed to the anchoring member in the second frame as well, thereby increasing the amount of laundry that may be hung from the cabinet.
In addition to the rack members, a mesh rack is preferably included with the cabinet. The mesh rack includes a mesh of wire or cloth mesh strung on a frame preferably substantially the same size as the rack member. Feet on the mesh rack are concave to help align the mesh rack with the rack member. Preferably, the mesh includes a hook and latch or similar anchoring material to affix it to the rack member, thereby holding the mesh rack in place on the rack member as the rack member is articulated down from a horizontal position. This also allows the mesh rack to remain affixed to a rack member as it and the anchoring member are swung into the housing and the cabinet closed after use.
To form a sturdy and resilient cabinet, the housing may be made of ⅛ inch steel plate, and the frame may be constructed from ¾ inch steel tubing. The anchoring member may comprise a metal grid of ¼ inch steel wire, while the rack members are also constructed of a similar gauge steel wire.
To use the cabinet, a user first opens the cabinet door. If only a small number of clothes need to be dried, the user may leave the first frame in a locked position and place a rack member on the anchoring member by affixing the hooks in the rack member to a portion of the grid of the anchoring member. One contemplated configuration is a rack member disposed at the top of the anchoring member and a rack member disposed at the bottom of the anchoring member. The rack members are held in a horizontal position relative to the anchoring member using support members.
If drying a greater quantity of laundry is needed, a user may engage the spring-loaded pin on the exterior of the housing which allows the first frame to articulate out away from the housing along a vertical axis. Once the first frame is substantially ninety degrees away from the housing, and the door substantially 180 degrees open, hanging racks may be affixed to both sides of the anchoring member, and, optionally, may be affixed to a second anchoring member housed in the second frame on the inside of the door.
For drying specialty items, such as items that crease if hung from a hanger or hanging rack, or are too small to hang, a mesh rack may be affixed to one of the hanging racks. A user aligns the feet of the mesh rack to engage a hanging rack, and optionally connects the mesh rack to the hanging rack using a hook and latch or similar fastener. Clothes and clothes hangers may then be suspended from the hanging racks, with smaller items stowed on the mesh rack, and all laundry allowed to air dry.
Once clothing is dry and removed from the hanging racks and mesh rack, the supporting members may be disengaged and stored in the housing pocket. Then the hanging racks may be articulated or folded against the anchoring member in the first rack, and the first rack folded into the housing. The door may then be closed until the cabinet is needed for further use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible clothes hanging and drying cabinet in an open configuration.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the housing thereof.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a grid and frame thereof.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a collapsible clothes hanging and drying cabinet in a partially open configuration.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of grid and frame with hanging racks disposed thereon.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a connector.
FIG. 7 is a side view of a support member.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a hanging rack.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are a top view and a perspective view, respectively, of a mesh rack.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the collapsible clothes hanging and drying cabinet in a closed configuration.
REFERENCE NUMBERS
10 . Cabinet
12 . Housing
14 . Door
16 . Divider
18 . Pocket
20 . Locking Pin
22 . First Frame
24 . First Grid
26 . Support Member
28 . Hanging Rack
30 . Mesh Rack
32 . Second Grid
34 . Second Frame
36 . Connector
38 . Inner Hinge
40 . Outer Hinge
42 . Mounting Screw
44 . Anchoring Screw
46 . Retaining Loop
48 . First Turn
50 . Second Turn
52 . Blunt Ends
54 . Hook
56 . Feet
58 . Hook and Latch Material
59 . Mesh
60 . Handle
DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1 , the collapsible clothes hanging and drying cabinet (“cabinet”) 10 is shown in a fully opened configuration. The cabinet includes a housing 12 and a door 14 connected to the housing 12 using a first hinge (not shown, see FIG. 2 ). The housing also includes a divider 16 which forms a pocket 18 in the housing 12 , and preferably includes a locking pin 20 , which may be a spring loaded locking pin 20 . Operation of the locking pin 20 will be discussed in reference to FIG. 4 below.
Still referring to FIG. 1 , a first frame 22 is disposed between the housing 12 and the door 14 in an articulating manner using a second hinge (not shown, see FIG. 2 ). The first frame 22 may be constructed so that it rotates into the housing 12 when the door 14 closes in order to completely seal the cabinet 10 . In a preferred embodiment, the first frame holds a first grid 24 , which may be a wire grid 24 . The grid allows the attachment of support members 26 , which hold a series of hanging racks 28 hingedly attached to the first frame 22 . In this manner, the hanging racks 28 may be articulated to fold against the grid 24 , and allow the first frame 22 and hanging racks 28 to fit inside the housing 12 .
To add additional functionality, a mesh rack 30 may be included, anchored to the first frame 22 , and may articulate relative to the first frame 22 similar to the hanging racks 28 . The mesh rack 30 may be included for holding a variety of items, including clothes made of impressionable material that may undesirably retain the wire pattern of the hanging racks 28 . The mesh rack 30 is also useful for holding bottles and product containers that would fall through the hanging racks 28 .
To maximize the hanging functionality of the cabinet 10 , the mesh rack 30 preferably sits atop a hanging rack 28 , such that clothes may be suspended from the hanging rack 28 underside of the mesh rack 30 when the cabinet 10 is open. The door 14 preferably also includes a second grid 32 , similar to the first grid 24 , to provide additional space for hanging items such as small articles of clothing, etc. For stability, the second grid 32 is held within a second frame 34 . The first grid 24 and second grid 32 are held to the first frame 22 and second frame 34 , respectively using connectors 36 .
Referring to FIG. 2 , the housing 12 is shown separate from the cabinet 10 (not shown). The housing may be constructed of ⅛″ steel plate for stability and is preferably approximately 3.5 inches deep. The divider at the bottom of the housing 12 is also preferably ⅗ inches wide, and recessed into the housing 12 sufficiently to allow the first frame 22 (not shown) and related hardware to rest in the housing 12 when the cabinet 10 is closed.
In order to facilitate closure of the cabinet 10 and storage of the first frame 22 , two sets of hinges are used. A pair of inner hinges 38 is disposed on the interior of the housing 12 to bring the first frame 22 into the housing when closed. A complimentary pair of outer hinges 40 is disposed on the exterior of the housing to bring the door 14 (not shown) against the housing 12 when closed. In various embodiments, the inner hinges 38 may be placed opposite the outer hinges 40 as shown, or they may be staggered. Additionally, one or more hinges may be employed according to preference.
Referring to FIG. 3 , the interior of the door 14 is shown with the second grid 32 and second frame 34 attached. The second grid 32 is attached to the second frame 34 using connectors 36 , and the second frame 34 is attached to the door 14 using mounting screws 42 or a similar attachment mechanism. The outer hinges 40 are shown, which connect the door 14 and related assembly to the housing 12 (not shown). In one embodiment, the second frame may be approximately 32.25 inches in height, and 23.25 inches in width, to fit just within the inside dimensions of the housing 12 when the door 14 is closed. Also, due to the thickness of the second frame 34 , room is provided for inserting clothing (not shown) or support members 26 (not shown) into the second grid 32 .
Referring to FIG. 4 , the cabinet 10 is shown in a partially open view. When less capacity is needed, the door 14 of the cabinet 10 may be opened, but the first frame 22 may be left in position inside the cabinet 10 . The locking pin 20 is preferably a spring loaded locking pin 20 , which engages the first frame 22 when it is in a closed position in the housing 12 . In this manner, the first frame 22 is held in position unless released by the locking pin 20 . Hanging racks 28 may be articulated to fold out from the housing 12 suspended on support members, which hold the hanging racks 28 in position. With the door 14 open, the second grid 32 may be used to hang clothes or other items as well.
Referring to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 , the connections between the first frame 22 , first grid 24 and hanging racks 28 are shown. Referring to FIG. 5 , the first grid 24 is anchored into the first frame 22 using connectors 36 . With the first grid 24 held in place, the hanging racks 28 may be attached to the first grid 24 and supported in a horizontal orientation by the support members 26 .
Referring to FIG. 6 , each connector 36 includes an anchoring screw 44 adapted to extend through the first frame 22 (not shown) or second frame 34 (not shown). The connectors 36 also include a retaining loop 46 for looping around the outer edge of either the first grid 24 (not shown) or second grid 32 (not shown).
Referring to FIG. 7 , each support member 26 includes two ends 52 having a first turn 48 and a second turn 50 in an opposite direction. In this manner, each end 52 of each support member 26 may be used to retain a hanging rack 28 (not shown) in a pulling or pushing orientation. For example, a support member under gravitational pull away from a grid would need support from the first turn 48 , while a support member under gravitational pull toward a grid would need support from the second turn 50 . Preferably the ends 52 of each support member 26 are blunted to avoid scratching and facilitate ease of installation.
Referring to FIG. 8 , a hanging rack 28 is shown in perspective view. An important component of the hanging rack 28 , which allows it to be anchored to either the first grid 24 (not shown) or second grid 32 (not shown), are hooks 54 , which are partially open, allowing the hanging rack 28 to be inserted on, articulated relative to, and removed from one of the grids.
Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B , the mesh rack 30 is shown in top and perspective view. The mesh rack provides a mesh 59 surface, which may be a wire mesh or a cloth mesh according to preference. The mesh rack is sized to rest on a hanging rack 28 (not shown) using feet 56 . Ideally the feet 56 have concave surfaces for engaging the ¼ inch steel wire used to create a hanging rack 28 . In addition to the feet 56 , which anchor on a hanging rack, preferably, the mesh rack 30 includes hook and latch material 58 (e.g., VELCRO®) which can be wrapped around a hanging rack 28 for added stability. With the hook and latch material 58 installed on a hanging rack 28 , the mesh rack 30 may be articulated into a vertical position for storage without falling off the hanging rack 28 .
Referring to FIG. 10 , the cabinet 10 is shown in a closed configuration. In this configuration, all hanging hardware is stored in the housing 12 , and the door 14 is closed flush with the housing 12 . Preferably the door includes a handle 60 , and may also comprise means for preserving the door 14 in a closed configuration, such as a magnetic or other type of latch (not shown). As shown the door 14 may be slightly larger than the housing 12 to present an attractive appearance to the cabinet 10 . The cabinet 10 is preferably mounted in a location convenient to a laundry, such as above a washer or dryer or on a wall adjacent the same.
The foregoing description is sufficient in detail to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention. It is understood, however, that the detail of the preferred embodiments presented is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, inasmuch as equivalents thereof and other modification which come within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification.
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An expandable and customizable cabinet apparatus for supporting clothes when hanging them to dry includes a housing that forms an enclosure with an opening on one side. A door connected to the housing is able to open to substantially 180 degrees. A frame is connected in a hinging arrangement to the housing allowing it to swing relative to the housing between the housing and the door. The frame includes an anchoring grid. A series of articulating hanging racks are affixed to the anchoring grid and held in a horizontal position with support members. The hanging racks may be articulated downward to a position flush with the anchoring grid, and the enclosed with the frame inside the housing and door when closed.
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This is a continuation application claiming priority based upon co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/553,265 filed Oct. 26, 2006 entitled “Bat Having A Sleeve With Holes”, which is a continuation application claiming priority based upon co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/243,120 filed Oct. 4, 2005 entitled “Bat Having A Sleeve With Holes”, which is a continuation-in-part application claiming priority based upon U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/135,315 filed May 23, 2005 entitled “Bat with Enlarged Sweet Spot”, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
All patents and publications discussed herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to baseball and softball bats. More particularly, the invention relates to a bat having a sleeve with holes.
It can be appreciated that numerous attempts have been made to improve the performance of a bat. These prior attempts have included the addition of various shells, inserts, materials, and shapes of the bat in order to improve its performance or usage. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,733,404, 6,497,631, 6,176,795, 6,022,282, 4,930,772, 4,331,330, and 3,990,699, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0016230 disclose various attempts to improve the performance or use of a bat.
The performance of a bat is generally based upon the weight of the bat, size of the bat, and the impact response of the bat at and during impact with a ball. Most of the focus for improvements in bat technology has been in improving the performance of the preferred impact area, or sweet spot. As the prior art bats have increased the performance in this area, many of the sports regulatory agencies have placed performance and/or configuration restrictions on the bats. These restrictions have mandated new innovations in the development of the bat technology.
For example, one regulatory body requires a maximum performance from a bat when impacted in the preferred impact area or sweet spot of the bat. Typically, this location is approximately six inches from the end of the bat. As such, the current maximum performance for the bat in its preferred hitting area is limited by these regulations. However, it is also to be understood that the area to either side of the sweet spot on a prior art bat has a significant drop off in performance.
The contemporary bat art has made few attempts to improve the performance of the bat sections adjacent the preferred impact area. As such, the performance of the bats in areas distal from, and even adjacent to, the sweet spot dramatically drops for the conventional bats. However, these attempts have drawback.
For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0152545 discloses increasing the thickness over the sweet spot of the barrel in order to increase the leaf spring effect of the bat. However, this patent application publication fails to reduce the thickness of any wall within the bat in order to increase performance of the bat. As such, this patent application publication increases the weight of the bat in an attempt to increase the performance of the bat, which is counter productive. This patent application publication also increases the cost of the bat by increasing the amount of material used. Additionally, when there is a portion of a bat that has a change in diameter, that portion becomes a weakened spot. Additionally, the differences in spacing between portions of the body and of the frame can create weaknesses. Further, the differences in distance between the body and frame can cause manufacturing issues as to how to fill the variable distances and how to maintain the variable distances during construction of the bat. Further, this published application discloses placing slots in one end of the bat to reduce the diameter of that end of the insert to more easily place an insert into a bat frame but fails to understand the benefits of placing the slots in both end of the sleeve as to increasing the flexibility of the bat hitting portion beyond the center of the barrel. Further, the slots are not sufficient in length to increase the size of the sweet spot.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improved overall performance of bats. These improved bats need to conform to the regulatory agencies' restrictions in the preferred hitting zone while performing well beyond the preferred hitting zone. This needed bat should increase the stiffness in the preferred hitting zone as compared to the area(s) adjacent the preferred hitting zone. This needed bat must not have inconsistent spaces between the sleeve and the hitting portion. As such, what is needed is a bat that varies the stiffness of the wall of the bat in order to enhance performance of the bat.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Disclosed herein is a bat comprising a handle portion, a transition portion attached to the handle portion, and a barrel portion attached to the transition portion. The barrel portion includes one or more first cross-sections having a first stiffness and a plurality of second cross-sections having a second stiffness. Each first cross-section is beside one second cross-section or between two of the second cross-sections and the first stiffness is greater than the second stiffness. The variance in stiffness between the first cross-sections and the second cross-sections is created by varying the amount of material in the cross-section or by, more accurately, removing material in the second cross sections to make the second cross-sections more flexible by creating holes. Likewise, a bat may be provided with third cross sections on the sides of the second cross-sections distal from the first cross-section whereby the third cross-sections are less stiff than the second cross-sections because more material is removed. Spacers may be added to holes to prevent rough surfaces and gaps.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a bat having variable wall stiffness.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a bat having varying amounts of materials in different cross sections of the bat.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to enlarge the effective preferred hitting area of the bat.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bat having an enlarged sweet spot.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to increase the length of the barrel/sweet spot without adding additional weight to the bat.
Yet another object of the present invention is to decrease the wall stiffness on either or both sides of the main hitting area.
And yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bat that increases the performance of the bat in sections of the bat adjacent to the main hitting area.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bat which meets regulatory standards in the preferred hitting area as well as the areas adjacent to it.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide material that can be placed in the holes to prevent rough surfaces and/or to prevent gaps.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading of the following disclosure when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of a bat made in accordance with the current disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a side view of one embodiment of a sleeve of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of yet another embodiment of the sleeve of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side view of yet another embodiment of the sleeve of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a side view of yet another embodiment of the sleeve of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a side view of yet another embodiment of the sleeve of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cutaway view showing the holes in FIG. 6 .
FIG. 8 is a side view of yet another embodiment of the sleeve of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring generally now to FIGS. 1 and 3 , there is shown generally at 10 one embodiment of the bat of the present invention. The bat 10 comprises a handle portion 12 , a transition portion or taper portion 14 , and a barrel portion 16 . The transition portion 14 is preferably attached to the handle portion 12 , while the barrel portion 16 is attached to the transition portion 14 . An end cap 18 is traditionally placed on the end of the barrel portion 16 distal from the taper 14 . A knob 20 is traditionally attached to the handle 12 on the end of the handle 12 distal from the barrel portion 16 . Each bat has a preferred hitting section 28 that can also be called the sweet spot. In a traditional bat, the preferred hitting portion 28 lies in the middle portion of the barrel portion. For the purposes of this application, the area proximal the central part of the barrel portion 16 is the first cross-section 22 . The area on either or both sides of the barrel portion will be called the second cross-section 24 .
One focus of the present invention is to make the first cross-section 22 stiffer than the second cross-sections 24 . By doing this, the first cross-section 22 , because it is the center of percussion will continue to be the best performing portion of the bat. However, by making the second cross-sections 24 more flexible, the sweet spot will extend well into the second cross sections 24 as opposed to remaining virtually exclusively in the first cross-section 22 .
Referring now to FIG. 3 , there is shown generally at 32 an embodiment of the sleeve of the present invention. In this embodiment, material is removed from the second cross-section 24 in the form of holes 36 . In this embodiment, holes 36 are circular in shape and evenly sized and spaced over exclusively the second cross-section. The mere fact that the holes 36 remove material from the sleeve 32 causes the sleeve 32 to be much more flexible in hoop stiffness in the second cross-section where the holes 36 are removed as compared to the first cross-section 22 where little or no material has been removed.
The sleeve portion 32 of a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 2 . The sleeve 32 has a series of holes 36 of varying sizes. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 , the sleeve has first holes 38 removed from the second cross-section 24 and larger second holes 40 removed from the third cross-sections 23 . Because more material is removed from the third cross-sections 23 than from the second cross-sections 24 , the third cross-sections 23 are more flexible than the second cross-sections 24 which are more flexible than the first cross-section 22 . For a point of reference only, and not necessarily as a functional reference, sleeve 32 has a taper end 44 that is preferably aligned proximal to or along the taper portion 14 of the bat 10 and a distal end 46 that is preferably aligned proximal to or attached to the end cap 18 of the bat 10 . Thus, in the preferred embodiment, holes 36 may be larger or more numerous closer to either end 44 , 46 .
Referring now to FIG. 4 , there is shown generally at 32 another embodiment of the sleeve of the present invention. In this embodiment, material is removed from the second cross-sections 24 , the third cross-sections 23 , and fourth cross-sections 25 located on either side of the sleeve 32 , In this embodiment, more holes 36 are placed in the fourth cross-sections 25 than in the third cross-sections 23 . Likewise, more holes are placed in the third cross-sections 23 than in the fourth cross-sections 24 . Thus, the fourth cross-sections 25 have a stiffness S 4 that is less than the third cross-sections 23 which have a stiffness S 3 which is less than the second cross sections 24 which has a stiffness S 2 less than the stiffness S 1 of the first cross-section 22 . Although this embodiment shows the holes 36 being in a symmetrical arrangement, any order may be used.
FIG. 5 is a variation on the theme combining the techniques of the other embodiments. In this embodiment, holes 36 are wide proximal the ends 44 , 46 and narrower proximal the first cross-section 22 . As a result, more material is removed from the third cross-section 23 than from the second cross-section 22 that have more material removed than the first cross section. As a result, the first cross-section 22 is stiffer than the second cross-section 24 which is stiffer than the third cross-section 23 . In the orientation shown in FIG. 5 , the width of the hole 36 is wider at either end 44 , 46 than proximal the second cross-section 24 which is wider than proximal the first cross-section 22 . Additionally, FIG. 5 also shows than angular holes may be used instead of rounded holes.
It should be understood that although FIGS. 2-5 show embodiments in which all of the material is removed from the respective holes 36 , material may be left in by merely thinning the wall of the sleeve 32 at those points. FIGS. 6-7 shows such an embodiment. In this embodiment, holes 36 are merely thinner portions of the sleeve 32 . However, the depth of the hole, 40 in this instance, is greater at the ends 44 , 46 and less proximal to the first cross-section 22 . The same variations in depth from the ends 44 , 46 can be used for the other shapes shown in FIGS. 2-5 . By removing more material proximal to the ends 44 , 46 , the sleeve 32 is more flexible proximal to the ends 44 , 46 . In the preferred embodiment, material is removed gradually from the ends 44 , 46 to the termination of the respective hole 36 as shown in FIG. 7 a.
Likewise, we refer to the sleeve 32 as being either a shell or an insert.
FIG. 8 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the sleeve 32 is made of at least two and preferably three rings. The first ring or material 62 located adjacent second ring or material(s) 64 . The first ring 62 is placed within the barrel portion 16 proximal to the first cross-section 22 . The second ring 64 is placed within the barrel portion 16 on either or both sides of the first ring 62 to lie within either or both second cross-sections 24 . The first ring 62 is stiffer than the second ring 64 thereby making the stiffness S 1 of the first cross-section 22 greater than the stiffness S 2 of the second cross-section 24 . The rings 62 and 64 may be joined together. Also, an envelope 72 may be provided to join at its end to the sleeve 62 to hold the rings 62 and 64 in place. The holes described herein can be placed in any of the rings 60 as necessary to make the second cross-sections 24 more flexible that the first cross-section 22 .
In the preferred embodiments, the sleeve 32 and the shell 30 are force or press fit over each other. However, some adhesive can be used in addition to the envelope discussed above.
In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3 , the barrel is substantially 12.00 inches long, the first cross-section is substantially 2.00 inches long, and each second cross-section is substantially 5.00 inches long.
In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2 , the barrel is substantially 12.00 inches long, the first cross-section is substantially 2.00 inches long, each second cross-section is substantially 2.00 inches long, and each third cross-section is substantially 3.00 inches long.
In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 4 , the barrel is substantially 12.00 inches long, the first cross-section is substantially 2.00 inches long, each second cross-section is substantially 2.00 inches long, each third cross-section is substantially 2.00 inches long, and each fourth cross-section is substantially 1.00 inches long.
It should also be understood that sleeve 32 may be secured to barrel 16 along its entire length or only over a portion. For example, the first cross-section 22 could be secured to the barrel 16 leaving the second cross-section 24 to move independently.
It should be understood that bat 10 and sleeve 32 may be constructed from any material including metal, alloys, rubber, and composites. The preferred material for the frame is composite material while the preferred material for the sleeve is some type of metal such as aluminum or titanium. In the preferred embodiment, holes are made by cutting with a router or saw although a laser may be used.
It should be understood that holes 36 may be filled in with a spacer material ( 52 in FIG. 7 a ) that either does not affect the flexibility created by the holes or affects it very minimally. This spacer material 7 a may be rubber or a powder metal that provides little if any stiffness but prevents the outer or inner surface of the sleeve 32 from having rough surfaces and prevents gapes between the sleeve 32 and the barrel portion 16 .
FIGS. 9 and 10 demonstrate that the holes 36 may be placed in the bat 10 instead of a sleeve 32 . FIG. 9 shows still another embodiment wherein the barrel portion 16 of the bat has the holes 36 to create the various cross-sections shown in the other Figures. In this embodiment, a sleeve 32 is provided inside the barrel portion 16 . However, a sleeve 32 is not necessary. FIG. 10 is yet another embodiment with the holes 38 , 40 being placed in the barrel portion 16 of the bat 10 with a sleeve 32 being placed over the barrel portion 16 .
If the holes 36 are exposed, then spacers 48 may be used to fill in the holes 36 . A film may be placed over the filled holes.
Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful Bat with a Sleeve Having Holes, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.
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A bat comprising a handle portion, a transition portion attached to the handle portion, and a barrel portion attached to the transition portion. The barrel portion includes one or more first cross-sections having a first stiffness and a plurality of second cross-sections having a second stiffness. Each first cross-section is beside one second cross-section or between two of the second cross-sections and the first stiffness is greater than the second stiffness. The variance in stiffness between the first cross-sections and the second cross-sections is created by varying the amount of material in the cross-section or by, more accurately, removing material in the second cross sections to make the second cross-sections more flexible by creating holes.
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PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This application is a non-provisional application which claims benefit under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/926,659 filed Jan. 13, 2014, entitled “OIL RECOVERY WITH FISHBONE WELLS AND STEAM,” which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH STATEMENT
[0002] Not Applicable.
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not applicable.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0004] This disclosure relates generally to well configurations that can advantageously produce oil using steam-based mobilizing techniques, such as cyclic steam stimulation (“CSS”) and steam drive (“SD”). In particular, fishbone wells are employed for CSS and SD, wherein a plurality of injectors and/or producers have multilateral wells that extend drainage and steam injection coverage throughout the entire region between the adjacent wells.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0005] Oil sands are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. The sands contain naturally occurring mixtures of sand, clay, water, and a dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum technically referred to as “bitumen,” but which may also be called heavy oil or tar. Many countries in the world have large deposits of oil sands, including the United States, Russia, and the Middle East, but the world's largest deposits occur in Canada and Venezuela.
[0006] Bitumen is so heavy and viscous (thick) that it will not flow unless heated or diluted with lighter hydrocarbons. At room temperature, bitumen is much like cold molasses, and the viscosity can be in excess of 1,000,000 cP.
[0007] Due to their high viscosity, these heavy oils are hard to mobilize, and they generally must be made to flow in order to produce and transport them. One common way to heat bitumen is by injecting steam into the reservoir. Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) is the most extensively used technique for in situ recovery of bitumen resources in the McMurray Formation in the Alberta Oil Sands.
[0008] In a typical SAGD process, two horizontal wells are vertically spaced by 4 to 10 meters (m). The production well is located near the bottom of the pay and the steam injection well is located directly above and parallel to the production well. In SAGD, steam is injected continuously into the injection well, where it rises in the reservoir and forms a steam chamber.
[0009] With continuous steam injection, the steam chamber will continue to grow upward and laterally into the surrounding formation. At the interface between the steam chamber and cold oil, steam condenses and heat is transferred to the surrounding oil. This heated oil becomes mobile and drains, together with the condensed water from the steam, into the production well due to gravity segregation within steam chamber.
[0010] This use of gravity gives SAGD an advantage over conventional steam injection methods. SAGD employs gravity as the driving force and the heated oil remains warm and movable when flowing toward the production well. In contrast, conventional steam injection displaces oil to a cold area, where its viscosity increases and the oil mobility is again reduced.
[0011] Although quite successful, SAGD does require enormous amounts of water in order to generate a barrel of oil. Some estimates provide that 1 barrel of oil from the Athabasca oil sands requires on average 2 to 3 barrels of water, although with recycling the total amount can be reduced to 0.5 barrel. In addition to using a precious resource, additional costs are added to convert those barrels of water to high quality steam for down-hole injection. Therefore, any technology that can reduce water or steam consumption has the potential to have significant positive environmental and cost impacts.
[0012] Additionally, SAGD is less useful in thin stacked pay-zones, because thin layers of impermeable rock in the reservoir can block the expansion of the steam chamber leaving only thin zones accessible and leaving much of the oil in other layers in place.
[0013] Indeed, in a paper by Shin & Polikar (2005), the authors simulated reservoir conditions to determine which reservoirs could be economically exploited. The simulation results showed that for Cold Lake-type reservoirs, a net pay thickness of at least 20 meters was required for an economic SAGD implementation. A net pay thickness of 15 m was still economic for the shallow Athabasca-type reservoirs because of the high permeability of this type of reservoir, despite the very high bitumen viscosity at reservoir conditions. In Peace River-type reservoirs, net pay thicker than 30 meters was expected to be required for a successful SAGD performance due to the low permeability of this type of reservoir. The results of the study indicate that the shallow Athabasca-type reservoir, which is thick with high permeability (high k×h), is a good candidate for SAGD application, whereas Cold Lake and Peace River-type reservoirs, which are thin with low permeability, are not as good candidates for conventional SAGD implementation.
[0014] Other steam based techniques include cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) and steam drive (SD), and these can be more suitable for thin or stacked pay-zones separated by impermeable layers since they often use vertical wells, providing fluid connection through heavily stratified reservoirs.
[0015] In a SD, sometimes known as a steam flood, some wells are used as steam injection wells and other wells are used for oil production. The wells can be either vertical or horizontal, but most steam floods are illustrated using vertical wells.
[0016] Two mechanisms are at work to improve the amount of oil recovered. The first is to heat the oil to higher temperatures and to thereby decrease its viscosity so that it more easily flows through the formation toward the producing wells. A second mechanism is the physical displacement that occurs in a manner similar to water flooding, in which oil is meant to be pushed to the production wells by the oncoming steam. While more steam is needed for this method than for the cyclic method, it is typically more effective at recovering a larger portion of the oil.
[0017] CSS, also known as the “Huff-and-Puff” method, consists of 3 stages: injection, soaking, and production. Steam is first injected into a well for a certain amount of time to heat the oil in the surrounding reservoir to a temperature at which it flows. After it is decided enough steam has been injected, the steam is usually left to “soak” for some time after (typically not more than a few days). Then oil is produced out of the same well, at first by natural flow (since the steam injection will have increased the reservoir pressure) and then by artificial lift. Production will decrease as the oil cools down, and once production reaches an economically determined level the steps are repeated again.
[0018] The process can be quite effective, especially in the first few cycles. However, it is typically only able to recover approximately 20% of the Original Oil in Place (OOIP), compared to steam assisted gravity drainage, which has been reported to recover over 50% of OOIP. It is quite common for wells to be produced in the cyclic steam manner for a few cycles before being put on a steam drive regime.
[0019] One concept for improving production is the “multilateral” or “fishbone” well configuration idea. The concept of fishbone wells for non-thermal horizontal wells was developed by Petrozuata in Venezuela starting in 1999. That operation was a cold, viscous oil development in the Faja del Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt. The basic concept was to drill open-hole side lateral wells or “ribs” off the main spine of a producing well prior to running slotted liner into the spine of the well. Such ribs appeared to significantly contribute to the productivity by increasing the area of reservoir contact of the wells when compared to wells without the ribs in similar geology. A variety of multilateral well configurations are possible, although many have not yet been tested.
[0020] The advantages of multilateral wells can include:
[0021] 1) Higher Production. In the cases where thin pools are targeted, vertical wells yield small contact with the reservoir, which causes lower production. Drilling several laterals in thin reservoirs and increasing contact improves recovery. Slanted laterals can be of particular benefit in thin stacked pay zones.
[0022] 2) Decreased Water/Gas Coning. By increasing the length of “wellbore” in a horizontal strata, the inflow flux around the wellbore can be reduced. This allows a higher withdrawal rate with less pressure gradient around the producer. Coning (literally a cone of water in the region of the producer) is aggravated by pressure gradients that exceed the gravity forces that stabilize fluid contacts (oil/water or gas/water), so that coning is minimized with the use of multilaterals because they minimize the pressure gradient.
[0023] 3) Improved sweep efficiency. By using multilateral wells, the sweep efficiency may be improved, and/or the recovery may be increased due to the additional area covered by the laterals mitigating the natural heterogeneity in the reservoir.
[0024] 4) Faster Recovery. Production from the multilateral wells is at a higher rate than that in single vertical or horizontal wells, because the reservoir contact is higher in multilateral wells.
[0025] 5) Decreased environmental impact. The volume of consumed drilling fluids and the generated cuttings during drilling multilateral wells are less than the consumed drilling fluid and generated cuttings from separated wells, at least to the extent that two conventional horizontal wells are replaced by one dual lateral well and to the extent that laterals share the same mother-bore. The surface footprint is also smaller, as only one location is required. Therefore, the impact of the multilateral wells on the environment can be reduced.
[0026] 6) Saving time and cost. Drilling several laterals in a single well may result in time and cost saving in comparison with drilling several separate wells in the reservoir.
[0027] Although an improvement, the multilateral well methods have disadvantages too. One disadvantage is that fishbone wells are more complex to drill and clean up. Indeed, some estimate that multilaterals cost about 20% more to drill and complete than conventional slotted liner wells. Another disadvantage is increased risk of accident or damage, due to the complexity of the operations and tools.
[0028] Sand control can also be difficult. In drilling multilateral wells, the mother well bore can be cased to control sand production, however, the legs branched from the mother well bore are usually open hole. Therefore, the sand control from the branches is not easy to perform. There is also increased difficulty in modeling and prediction due to the sophisticated architecture of multilateral wells.
[0029] Another area of uncertainty with the fishbone concept is whether the ribs will establish and maintain communication with the steam chambers, or will the open-hole ribs collapse and block flow. One of the characteristics of the Athabasca Oil Sands is that they are unconsolidated sands that are bound by the million-plus centipoises bitumen. When heated to 50-80° C. the bitumen becomes slightly mobile. At this point the open-hole rib could collapse. If so, flow would slow to a trickle, temperature would drop, and the rib would be plugged. However, if the conduit remains open at least long enough that the bitumen in the near vicinity is swept away with the warm steam condensate before the sand grains collapse, then it may be possible that a very high permeability, high water saturation channel might remain even with the collapse of the rib. In this case, the desired conduit would still remain effective.
[0030] Another uncertainty with many ribs along a fishbone producer of this type is that one rib may tend to develop preferentially at the expense of all the other ribs leading to very poor conformance and poor overall results. This would imply that some form of inflow control may be warranted to encourage more uniform development of all the ribs.
[0031] Multilateral wells have been used for a variety of patented methods. EP2193251 discloses a method of drilling multiple short laterals that are of smaller diameter. These multiple short laterals can be drilled at the same depth from the same main wellbore, so as to perform treatments in and from the small laterals to adapt or correct the performance of the main well, the formation properties, the formation fluids and the change of porosity and permeability of the formation. However, this method does not increase overall reservoir contact, nor improve injectivity, nor increase well-to-well fluid communication.
[0032] US20110036576 discloses a method of injecting a treatment fluid through a lateral injection well such that the hydrocarbon can be treated by the treatment fluid before production. However, the addition of treatment fluid is known in the field and this well configuration does not increase the contact with the hydrocarbon reservoir.
[0033] CA2684049 describes the use of infill wells (between pairs of SAGD well-pairs) that are equipped with multilateral wells, so as to allow the targeting of additional regions. However, no general applicability to SAGD was described in this application.
[0034] Pham and Stalder further developed the fishbone well idea to allow increased application for SAGD processes. U.S. Ser. Nos. 61/825,945, filed May 21, 2013, and 61/826,329, filed May 22, for example, describe general application of fishbone wells in SAGD, as well as developing a radial fishbone SAGD well configuration. Both disclosures allow increased contact with the reservoir, increased injectivity and further, the unique patterns reduced overall well numbers and well-pad costs. However, the well configurations shown therein are optimized for use with horizontal wells and gravity drainage, and not for the steam drive mechanisms of CSS and SD.
[0035] Therefore, although beneficial, the multilateral well concept could be further developed to address some of these disadvantages or uncertainties. In particular, a method that combines multilateral well architecture with steam drive processes and/or huff-and-puff processes would be beneficial, especially if such methods conserved the water, energy, and/or cost to produce a barrel of oil.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0036] CSS and SD processes have been widely used in heavy oil recovery for over 50 years. However, bitumen/heavy oil in the Canadian Oil sands totaling over 1.75 billion bbls in place is immobile at the reservoir conditions, making steam injection and mobilization of the bitumen through a drive process impractical below fracture gradient.
[0037] This disclosure overcomes the lack of initial injectivity into the immobile bitumen reservoir by utilizing open hole laterals, also known as “fishbones” or “ribs”, thus allowing the more economical CSS and SD processes to be used in reservoirs previously thought to be unsuitable for such processes.
[0038] The fishbones connect adjacent horizontal wells placed near the base of the pay, creating conduits for steam injection and allowing drive processes to dominate oil production. Placing injector wells near the base of the pay is different from traditional SAGD, where injector producer wells are vertically higher by 4-10 meters from producers, which are located near the base of the pay.
[0039] In one embodiment of the process, upper injector wells drilled for conventional SAGD operations are eliminated, and instead all wells can be located near the based of the pay-zone, and used for injection, production or both. This isn't essential however, and upper injection wells could be still used if desired, particularly where SAGD processes might be employed some years after steam drive processes have reached their useful limits of production.
[0040] The steam is injected in one horizontal well-injector, flows through the fishbones, gives up latent heat and rapidly heats up the adjacent volume, mobilizing the bitumen in the process. Condensed steam and mobilized bitumen are produced in adjacent horizontal producers.
[0041] To accelerate the heat-up period in the reservoir, the producers can also be stimulated with steam and/or the flow in fishbones reversed for some period of time. Solvents, such as xylene or diesel, may also be used to initiate mobility in the fishbones, accelerating fishbone start-up. This can occur once, twice or more, depending on permeability and thickness.
[0042] With time gravity takes hold, and steam gradually rises above the fishbones and spreads laterally heating up the reservoir. Since there is a viscous pressure gradient between the injectors and producers, fluids can be produced more rapidly than in the conventional SAGD process, which is dominated by gravity forces. This process will allow access to thinner pay-zones and to pay-zones with poor injectivity, where recovery using steam drive was not previously possible.
[0043] Additional embodiments of this process include drilling a ghost hole (open-hole wellbore) above the producer, and connecting the two wellbores via vertically directed or slanted fishbones into or near the ghost hole. This can accelerate vertical steam chest development and the gravity override desired in the steam-drive sweep process.
[0044] Additional embodiments include filling the fishbones and/or ghost holes with high permeability materials, such as proppants, gravel, metallic materials, radio frequency absorbing material, or sand, which would help maintain a high permeability conduit advantageous during the initiation of the steam-drive process, yet avoid the open-hole collapse problems. This could also be achieved by running slotted liners or other completion systems that maintain hole integrity and the high permeability conduit required during the process initiation, but high permeability materials cost less to complete than slotted liners.
[0045] CSS-SD could be applicable in an offset injector producer arrangement shown in FIG. 10 , which would allow for more efficient development of resources by reducing wellbores and surface facilities. Eventually, the steam chamber may enlarge to the point where gravity drive becomes significant (as shown). The initial oil recovery process could be CSS or SD or CSS followed by SD (as is typical) and the initial processes can also flip injector/producer wells. Thus, the overall SOR would be reduced as compared with a solely SAGD process, where a significant steam preheat of up to 6 months is needed to establish heat and steam communication between wells.
[0046] In an additional embodiment, this configuration of horizontal wells with fishbones could be applied to steam-solvent, steam-additive such as methane, propane or CO 2 , or solvent only thermal non-thermal processes.
[0047] This process is also applicable to hydrocarbon reservoirs where CSS operations are the dominant recovery process. Additional embodiments of the process could include hybrid combinations of CSS, CSS-SD, SAGD-SD, where existing well infrastructure is utilized in the process.
[0048] With the use of multilateral wells, the horizontal wells can be spaced between 50 and 150 meters laterally from one another in parallel sets or radially arranged to extend drainage across reservoir areas developed from a single surface drilling pad. Typical SAGD wells are much closer than this. Additionally, the wells can all be low in the pay, although vertically offset injectors are not excluded.
[0049] The disclosure relates to well configurations that are used to improve steam recovery of oil, especially heavy oils. In general, fishbone wells replace conventional wellbores in CSS and SD operations. Either or both injector and producer wells are multilateral, and preferably the arrangement of lateral wells, herein called “ribs” is such as to provide overlapping coverage of the pay zone between the injector and producer wells.
[0050] The injector wells can be vertical or horizontal, or combinations thereof, as is appropriate for particular reservoirs. However, horizontal wells are most useful for oil sands, such as found in Alberta. Furthermore, the use of horizontal wells allows eventual conversion to a gravity driven mechanism, as SD reaches its useful production limit.
[0051] Where both well types have laterals, a pair of ribs can cover or nearly cover the distance between two wells, but where only one of the well types is outfitted with laterals, the lateral length can be doubled such that the single rib covers most of the distance between adjacent wells. It is also possible for laterals to intersect with each other or with one or both of the main wellbores. The ribs may be horizontal, slanted, or curved in the vertical dimension to optimize performance. Where pay is thin, horizontal laterals may suffice, but if the pay is thick and/or there are many stacked thin pay zones, it may be beneficial to combine horizontal and slanted laterals, thus contacting more of the pay zone. Vertically slanted laterals can also assist with vertical steam chamber development, which may be desirable in some instances.
[0052] Flow distribution control may be used in either or both the injectors and producers to further optimize performance along all the ribs instead of the ones closer to the heel, and to potentially lower the development cost. Because it is known in the art, the flow distribution control will not be discussed in detail herein.
[0053] With the fishbone CSS/SD methodology described herein, the injection wells need not be placed vertically above the producing well, but can be low in the pay, facilitating their additional use as production wells. In particular, a preferred embodiment may be to place the injectors and producers laterally apart by 50 to 150 meters, using the lateral wells to bridge the steam gaps. Combinations of laterals and vertical spacing may also be used.
[0054] The injectors and producers can be flipped, particularly early in the process where the laterals are being heating for steam drive processes.
[0055] The herein described well configurations have the potential to allow steam drive processes to be used in reservoirs that were previously thought to be unsuitable due to low permeability and/or injectivity. Since steam drive processes use less steam than SAGD, the inventive method has the potential to significantly affect the cost of oil production, as well as decrease the overall steam to oil ratio.
[0056] The invention can comprise any one or more of the following embodiments, in any combination:
[0057] A method of producing heavy oils from a reservoir by steam drive, comprising: providing a production well and an injection well spaced laterally apart from the production well; said production well having a plurality of lateral wells extending towards the injection well, or said injection well having a plurality of lateral wells extending towards the production well, or both; cycling between injecting steam and producing at each of at least one of said injection well and said production well to establish steam injectivity between the production well and the injection well along a path of the lateral wells; and injecting steam into said injection wells to steam drive heated heavy oil towards said productions wells while producing the oil at the production wells.
[0058] A method of producing heavy oils from a reservoir by steam drive, comprising: providing a plurality of horizontal production wells at a first depth at or near the bottom of a hydrocarbon play; providing a plurality of horizontal injection wells, each injection well laterally spaced at a distance D from an adjacent production well; providing a plurality of lateral wells originating from said plurality of horizontal production wells or said plurality of horizontal injection wells or both, wherein said plurality of lateral wells cover at least 95% of said distance D; cycling between injecting steam and producing through the laterals before injecting steam into said injection wells and steam driving heated heavy oils towards said production wells for production; wherein said reservoir lacks sufficient injectivity for steam drive without the use of said plurality of lateral wells.
[0059] A method of producing heavy oils from a reservoir by steam drive, comprising: injecting steam into a horizontal first well spaced laterally apart from a horizontal second well while producing fluids from the second well, wherein lateral wells extend between the first and second wells; and injecting steam into the second well while producing fluids from the first well.
[0060] An improved method of steam drive production of heavy oil from a reservoir lacking sufficient injectivity for steam drive, wherein a steam drive step comprises injecting steam into a first well and driving heated heavy oil towards a second well for production, the improvement comprising providing a plurality of open hole laterals between said first and second wells to improve injectivity sufficiently for steam drive, and cycling steam injections with production between said first and second well before commencing said steam drive step.
[0061] The method having a lower cumulative steam to oil ratio than the same reservoir and wells developed using a steam assisted gravity drainage process only.
[0062] The method including alternating steam injection into said injection well and said production wells to improve steam injectivity before commencing steam drive step.
[0063] The method wherein an open hole horizontal ghost hole is provided above at least one injection well, and one or more lateral wells slants towards said open hole horizontal ghost hole, and wherein step d) is followed by a steam assisted gravity drainage process once a steam chamber encompasses said open hole horizontal ghost hole.
[0064] The method of claim 3 , wherein said distanced D is 50-300 meters, at least 50 meters, at least 100 meters or at least 150 meters.
[0065] By “providing” a well, we mean to drill a well or use an existing well. The term does not necessarily imply contemporaneous drilling because an existing well can be retrofitted for use, or used as is.
[0066] “Vertical” drilling is the traditional type of drilling in oil and gas drilling industry, and includes well <45° of vertical.
[0067] “Horizontal” drilling is the same as vertical drilling until the “kickoff point” which is located just above the target oil or gas reservoir (pay-zone), from that point deviating the drilling direction from the vertical to horizontal. By “horizontal” what is included is an angle within 45° (≦45°) of horizontal.
[0068] “Multilateral” wells are wells having multiple branches (laterals) tied back to a mother wellbore (also called the “originating” well), which conveys fluids to or from the surface. The branch or lateral may be vertical or horizontal, or anything therebetween.
[0069] A “lateral” well as used herein refers to a well that branches off an originating well. An originating well may have several such lateral wells (together referred to as multilateral wells), and the lateral wells themselves may also have lateral wells.
[0070] An “alternate pattern” or “alternating pattern” as used herein means that subsequent lateral wells alternate in direction from the originating well, first projecting to one side, then to the other.
[0071] As used herein a “slanted” well with respect to lateral wells, means that the well is not in the same plane as the originating well or the take off point of that lateral, but travels upwards or downwards from same.
[0072] Such lateral wells may also “intersect” if direct fluid communication is achieved by direct intersection of two lateral wells, but intersection is not necessarily implied in the terms “overlapping” wells. Where intersecting wells are specifically intended, the specification and claims will so specify.
[0073] By “nearly reach” we mean at least 95% of the distance between adjacent main wellbores is covered by a lateral or a pair of laterals.
[0074] By “main wellbores” what is meant are injector and producer wells. Producer wells can also be used for injection early in the process, and producers/injectors can be reversed.
[0075] The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims or the specification means one or more than one, unless the context dictates otherwise.
[0076] The term “about” means the stated value plus or minus the margin of error of measurement or plus or minus 10% if no method of measurement is indicated.
[0077] The use of the term “or” in the claims is used to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or if the alternatives are mutually exclusive.
[0078] The terms “comprise”, “have”, “include” and “contain” (and their variants) are open-ended linking verbs and allow the addition of other elements when used in a claim.
[0079] The phrase “consisting of” is closed, and excludes all additional elements.
[0080] The phrase “consisting essentially of” excludes additional material elements, but allows the inclusions of non-material elements that do not substantially change the nature of the invention.
[0081] The following abbreviations are used herein:
[0000]
SAGD
Steam assisted gravity Drainage
CSS
Cyclic steam stimulation
SD
Steam drive
ES-SAGD
Expanding solvent-SAGD
bbl
Oil barrel, bbls is plural
SOR
Steam to oil ratio
OOIP
Original Oil in Place
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0082] FIG. 1A shows a top view of an exemplary SD layout using fishbone laterals and horizontal wells. FIG. 1B shows a top view of an exemplary radial arrangement, and FIG. 1C shows the same radial arrangement as a cut away view.
[0083] FIG. 2-3 shows a single lateral well from the side with a producer at the left end, and an injector on the right. Temperature modeling over time and under the conditions indicated on each graph is provided.
[0084] FIG. 4-7 show phase modeling over time and under the conditions indicated on each graph is provided. In these figures, the well orientation is the same as in FIG. 2 , although the lateral (between dots) is positioned much lower in the figure. Sw=Water saturation [Three-Phase, Water-Oil system]; So=Oil saturation [Three-phase] and Sg=Gas saturation [Three-phase].
[0085] FIG. 8 compares the percentage original oil in place recovery versus cumulative steam to oil ratio for the same wells using traditional SAGD versus the new SD technique. For the same 60% OOIP recovery, less steam is used in the new method, providing a significant cost savings.
[0086] FIG. 9 shows the use of a vertically displaced ghost hole and vertically slanting laterals to aid in vertical growth of the steam chamber (stippled). The right picture shows a side view, and the left is a side view rotated 90′.
[0087] FIG. 10A-C shows a side view of a combined CSS-SD and SAGD steam chamber (inside dotted line) over time. The initial processes can be a CSS ( FIG. 10A ) from one or more injectors, and injectors/producers can also be flipped. Once good steam and heat communication is achieved, the wells can be switched to SD processes ( FIG. 10B ), driving the oil to adjacent producers. Eventually, a vertical steam chamber will be created and gravity drainage will begin to contribute, until the process is more gravity driven than steam drive driven ( FIG. 10C ).
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0088] The present disclosure provides a novel well configuration for CSS or SD oil production, which we refer herein as a “fishbone” configuration, wherein injectors or producers or both are both fitted with a plurality of multilateral wells to assist in steam injectivity and allow CSS or SD or combinations thereof, in a region that would otherwise lack sufficient injectivity for such processes.
[0089] Open-hole laterals—aka fishbones or ribs—connect (or nearly connect) adjacent horizontal well producers/injectors/ghost holes. Wells placed near the base of pay (see FIG. 1 for exemplary layouts), though in some cases (solvent only systems, for example), one or more well locations may be moved upward in the reservoir to optimize recovery. In some embodiments, a distance of less than 100 meters, less than 50 or about 35 meters separates the fishbones 15 from one another such that a laterally merged steam chamber above the fishbones 15 forms due to steam communication with adjacent ones of the fishbones 15 and progresses by steam drive down the length of the fishbones 15.
[0090] The well layout could also be in a radial fashion ( FIGS. 1B and 1C ). In FIGS. 1B and 1C , injector 11 and producer 131 wells originate from a central wellpad 110 . In this instance, the producers 131 also include fishbone laterals 151 , but either or both could have laterals. Additionally, if the injectors are higher than the producers, the laterals can slant as needed towards the other well (not shown).
[0091] FIGS. 2-3 show the temperature modeling results for two wells, injector on the far right and producer on the far left, with a lateral connecting the two. In FIG. 2 , after 10 days of simulated steam circulation, the only areas of heat are around the injection well, lateral and producer well. This initial steam circulation may be from circulation within the injector and/or producer (at least the one with the laterals) without fluid communication between the two. FIG. 3 shows steam injection at the injector with production at the producer (i.e., right to left).
[0092] Once the volume around laterals is heated adequately, producer may be converted to injection and injector to production in order to better heat the volume around the producer (see FIG. 4 after flow of steam left to right).
[0093] After the volume around the producer is well heated, steam is shut in and the injector is converted back to injection (i.e., right to left flow for injection-production) and the steam drive is started ( FIG. 5 ). The larger steam chamber pushing left from the injector can be seen in this figure.
[0094] FIG. 4-7 show water, gas, oil saturation modeling results. The well setup is the same, with injector and producer to each side, and an open-hole lateral connecting them, but the lateral is near the bottom in each figure. With time, steam overrides the open-hole lateral rapidly heating up the volume between horizontal wells ( FIG. 4-5 ).
[0095] Most of early production is the result of pressure gradient between the 2 horizontal wells resulting in some accelerated production. In the final stage (blow down), steam injection is terminated and the stored energy in the reservoir is used to produce as much as possible of the remaining bitumen. FIG. 6 shows the override of the steam chamber due to rising of the steam. FIG. 7 shows the final saturation levels at end of the process.
[0096] The disclosure takes advantage of open-hole laterals to rapidly heat up the volume between adjacent wells, mobilize the bitumen and enable the steam drive process. The method has the potential to considerably cut down on the number of wells needed to produce the reserves when compared to the SAGD process by eliminating one of the wells in the traditional SAGD well pair, and also allowing for wider development spacing. The process accelerates the recovery at a lower Steam Oil Ratio when compared to SAGD ( FIG. 8 ).
[0097] Additional embodiments of the process include drilling a ghost hole 99 (open hole wellbore) above the producer 91 , and connecting the producer 91 and injector 95 via a lateral 93 . An additional lateral 97 is vertically slanted to or near the ghost hole ( FIG. 9A ). This would accelerate vertical steam chest development and the gravity override desired in the steam-drive sweep process. Two views are shown in FIG. 9 , one facing the main lateral 93 ( 9 A), and the other 90 ′ to the first and facing the ghost hole 99 ( 9 B).
[0098] Additional embodiments would include filling the fishbones/ghost hole with high permeability materials, such as proppants, gravel, metallic materials, radio frequency absorbing material (for EM heating), or coarse sand, which would help maintain a high permeability conduit advantageous during the initiation of the steam-drive process, and would solve the open hole collapse problem. This could also be achieved by running slotted liners or other completion systems that maintain hole integrity and the high permeability conduit required during the process initiation.
[0099] CSS-SD could be applicable in an offset injector producer arrangement shown in FIG. 10 , which would allow for more efficient development of resources by reducing wellbores and surface facilities. In FIG. 10A an injector is only slightly higher and placed midway between a pair of producers, slightly lower in the pay. As steam is injected into the injector and travels along the laterals (fishbones) to the producers, the main driving force is steam drive. In FIG. 10B , a steam chamber is beginning to grow vertically, and some gravity is also contributing to the viscous drive. Eventually, in FIG. 10C the steam chamber will grow sufficiently that gravity becomes the dominant drive mechanism.
[0100] In an additional embodiment, this configuration of horizontal wells with fishbones could be applied to steam-solvent, steam-additive such as methane, propane or CO 2 , or solvent only thermal or non-thermal processes. The process is also applicable to hydrocarbon reservoirs where CSS operations are the dominant recovery process. Additional embodiments of this process could include hybrid combinations of CSS, CSS-SD, SAGD-SD, where existing well infrastructure is utilized in the process.
[0101] The ribs can be placed in any arrangement known in the art, depending on reservoir characteristics and the positioning of nonporous rocks and the play.
[0102] The ribs can be planar or slanted or both, e.g., preferably slanting upwards towards the injectors, where injectors are placed higher in the pay. However, injectors need not be higher in the pay with this method. Nonetheless, upwardly slanted wells may be desirable to contact more of a thick pay, or where thin stacked pay zones exist. Downwardly slanting wells may also be used in some cases. Combinations of planar and slanted wells are also possible.
[0103] The rib arrangement on a particular main well can be pinnate, alternate, radial, or combinations thereof. The ribs can also have further ribs, if desired.
[0104] The following references are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes:
STALDER J. L., et al., “Alternative Well Configurations in SAGD: Rearranging Wells to Improve Performance,” presented at 2012 World Heavy Oil Congress [WHOC12], available online at www.osli.ca/uploads/files/Resources/Alternative%20Well%20Configurations%20in%20SAGD_WHOC2012.pdf Lougheide, et al., “Trinidad's First Multilateral Well Successfully Integrates Horizontal Openhole Gravel Packs,” OTC 16244, (2004). Stalder, et al., “Multilateral-Horizontal Wells Increase Rate and Lower Cost Per Barrel in the Zuata Field, Faja, Venezuela”, SPE 69700-MS, Mar. 12, 2001. Technical Advancements of Multilaterals (TAML) (2008). Available at taml-intl.org/taml-background/ Multilateral Completions Available at petrowiki.org/Multilateral_completions Husain, et al., “Economic Comparison of Multi-Lateral Drilling over Horizontal Drilling for Marcellus Shale Field,” EME 580 Final Report: (2011), available online at www.ems.psu.edu/˜elsworth/courses/egee580/2011/Final%20Reports/fishbone_report.pdf Hogg, “Comparison of Multilateral Completion Scenarios and Their Application,” presented at the Offshore Europe, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, 9-12 September. SPE-38493-MS (1997). U.S. Pat. No. 8,333,245, U.S. Pat. No. 8,376,052 “Accelerated production of gas from a subterranean zone” (2004). US20120247760 “Dual Injection Points In SAGD” (2012). US20110067858 “Fishbone Well Configuration For In Situ Combustion” (2011). US20120227966 “In Situ Catalytic Upgrading” (2012). US-2014-0345861, “FISHBONE SAGD” (2014). US-2014-0345855, “RADIAL FISHBONE SAGD” (2014). CA2684049 “INFILL WELL METHODS FOR SAGD WELL HEAVY HYDROCARBON RECOVERY OPERATIONS” (2011).
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The present disclosure relates to a particularly effective well configuration that can be used for steam-drive based oil recovery methods. Fishbone multilateral wells are combined with steam drive, effectively allowing drive processes to be used where previously the reservoir lacked sufficient injectivity to allow steam drive or cyclic steam based methods.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a work piece setting apparatus for attaching two work pieces, each having similar patterns with the patterns matching.
In prior-art sewing machines, a pocket patch is stitched on a body cloth as follows.
Before stitching, an operator holds the pocket patch above a table with a pocket setter, puts the body cloth on the table, and manually moves the body cloth on the table to match positions between the pocket patch and the body cloth. This method has some disadvantages. Especially when the body cloth and the pocket patch have the same pattern, the manual pattern-matching operation causes eye-fatigue for the operator, which lowers worker efficiency. Furthermore, pattern mismatching occurs since great skill for matching the patterns is required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of this invention is to provide a work piece setting apparatus for setting two work pieces with the similar patterns so that their patterns are easily and accurately matched.
Another object of this invention is to provide a work piece setting apparatus combined with a work piece attaching device for attaching two superposed work pieces to each other with their patterns matching.
According to this invention, work piece setting apparatus for setting one patterned work piece on another patterned work piece with the patterns of the two work pieces matching, comprises: a detecting device for detecting patterns on both work pieces; a moving device for moving at least one of the work pieces along at least one axis on a plane; a rotating device for rotating at least one of the work pieces around an axis perpendicular to the plane; a calculating device for calculating a mismatch amount of the patterns detected by the detecting means; and a control device for controlling both the moving means and the rotating means according to the mismatch amount and for correcting a relative position between the work pieces. Furthermore, the work piece setting apparatus combined with the work piece attaching device sets two work pieces at a setting position on a work table. A superposing device superposes the two work pieces with their patterns matching. Then a carrying device carries the two superposed work pieces to an attaching position where an attaching device attaches the two superposed work pieces to each other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control circuit of a sewing machine embodying this invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sewing machine.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a pocket setter of the sewing machine.
FIG. 4 is a slightly enlarged plan view illustrating a pattern-matching mechanism of the pocket setter.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the pattern-matching mechanism.
FIG. 6A illustrates a body cloth and a pocket patch, both having a plaid stripe pattern.
FIG. 6B illustrates a body cloth and a pocket patch, both having a vertical stripe pattern.
FIG. 6C illustrates a body cloth and a pocket patch, both having a horizontal stripe pattern.
FIGS. 7A and 7C are flow charts for a main routine that explains the process for fixing the pocket patch on the body cloth with their patterns matching.
FIG. 7B is a flowchart for the mismatch calculating routine.
FIG. 7D is a flowchart explaining how fine adjustments are made using jog switches.
FIGS. 8A through 8J illustrate the steps of the process for fixing the pocket patch on the body cloth with their patterns matching.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIG. 2, a sewing machine 3, which has a stitch forming mechanism including a needle 2 and a loop taker (not shown), is installed on the right side of a table 1, and moves along the Y-axis. A work holder 5 supports a removable base plate 80 with a needle guide groove 4, and moves along the X-axis. The work holder 5 and the sewing machine 3 move along X-axis and Y-axis, respectively, so that the needle 2 is moved along the needle guide groove 4, and the body cloth W and the pocket patch P are stitched together by the sewing machine 3. The body cloth W and the pocket patch P have the similar patterns, Wa and Pa, respectively, such as a plaid stripe pattern (FIG. 6A), a vertical stripe pattern (FIG. 6B), or a horizontal stripe pattern (FIG. 6C).
A pocket setter 6 is installed at a preparatory position on the left side of the table 1. The pocket setter 6 includes a supporting member 7 that moves up and down along a vertical axis. A removable gauge plate 10, on which the pocket patch P is set for determining the contour of the pocket patch P, is attached through a gauge plate supporter 10a to a piston 8a of an air cylinder 8 on the lower surface of the supporting member 7.
A rotatable holding-plate supporter 12 is attached to an axis 11 that extends horizontally through a front portion of the supporting member 7. A removable holding plate 13 attached to the holding-plate supporter 12 folds the peripheral edges of the pocket patch P downward along the contour of the gauge plate 10. The holding-plate supporter 12 is connected to a piston 14a of an air cylinder 14 that rotatably connects to the upper surface of the supporting member 7.
A removable U-shaped folder supporter 16 is attached to a pair of supporting blocks 15 that pivotably attach to both ends of the axis 11. Front end of the holding plate 13 is surrounded by four cylinders 17 with pistons 17a. Each of the pistons 17a is equipped with a folder 18 for folding back the peripheral edges of the pocket patch P folded downward by the holding plate 13, along the back surface of the gauge plate 10. A pair of air cylinders 19 with pistons 19a rotatably connect to the both sides of the supporting member 7, and the pistons 19a connect to the upper ends of the supporting blocks 15.
U.S. patent application No. 181,531 filed on Apr. 14, 1988 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,006 discloses a construction in which the sewing machine 3 moves along the Y-axis, and the work holder 5 moves along the X-axis between the preparatory position and a stitching position opposite to the needle 2, and also discloses a construction for operating the pocket setter 6 including the gauge plate 10, the holding plate 13, the folder supporter 16 and the folders 18. Therefore, a detailed explanation about these structures is omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 2 through 5, a main supporter 20 is placed on the front upper surface of the supporting member 7. In FIG. 5, an axis 21 projects from the center of the lower surface of the main supporter 20 through the supporting member 7. In FIG. 4, a θ-axis pulse motor 22 is provided at the rear portion of the main supporter 20, and a driving pulley 23 on an output shaft of the motor 22 connects through a belt 24 to a driven pulley 25 on the axis 21.
A pair of guide rails 26 projects parallel to the X-axis from the main supporting plate 20. A first sub-supporter 27 slides along the pair of guide rails 26. An X-axis pulse motor 28 is provided at the rear portion of the first sub-supporter 27 on the main supporter 20. The first sub-supporter 27 has a connecting nut 27a that projects rearward. A screw-like output shaft 28a of the X-axis pulse motor 28 engages with the connecting nut 27a.
A pair of guide rails 30 projects parallel to the Y-axis from the upper surface of the first sub-supporter 27. A second sub-supporter 31 slides along the pair of guide rails 30. A Y-axis pulse motor 32 is placed at the front portion of the second sub-supporter 31 on the first sub-supporter 27. A tapped protrusion 31a at the center of the upper surface of the second sub-supporter 31 engages with a screw-like output shaft 32a of the Y-axis pulse motor 32.
In FIG. 2, a vertically movable U-shaped clamp 35, which surrounds the periphery of the folder supporter 16, is supported by both end supporters 34 of the second sub-supporter 31. The clamp 35, which has two support ends 35a that project upward from the clamp 35, is lowered by actuating springs 36 within the end supporters 34, as shown in FIG. 5. A pair of levers 37 and 38 at the both ends of the upper surface of the second sub-supporter 31 rotate about pivot points 37a and 38a, respectively. One end of each of the levers 37 and 38 engages with a hole 35b on the support end 35a of the clamp 35, and the other end connects via a link 40 to either of pistons 41a and 42a of air cylinders 41 and 42. When the pistons 41a and 42a are pulled in, the clamp 35 moves up against the springs 36. On the other hand, when the air cylinders 41 and 42 are not operated, the clamp 35 moves down with the help of the springs 36, thus fixing the body cloth W on the surface 1a of the table 1 in FIG. 2.
In this embodiment, when the supporting member 7 is at a waiting position above the table 1, and the gauge plate 10 is above the body cloth W, the pistons 41a and 42a are compressed by the springs 36, and the clamp 35 fixes the body cloth W on the surface 1a. The body cloth W fixed by the clamp 35 moves along the Y-axis with the second sub-supporter 31 according to the rotation of the output shaft 32a of the pulse motor 32, and moves along the X-axis with the sub-supporters 27 and 28 according to the rotation of the output shaft 28a of the pulse motor 28. Further, the body cloth W is rotated around the axis 21 with the main supporter 20 and the sub-supporters 27 and 31 according to the rotation of the pulse motor 22.
In this embodiment, a relative movement mechanism R is constructed by the motors 22, 28, and 32, the main supporter 20, the first and second sub-supporters 27 and 31, and the clamp 35 to generate relative movement between the body cloth W and the pocket patch P.
As shown in FIG. 1, the sewing machine 3 has a central processing unit (CPU) 51 that connects to read-only memory (ROM) 52 and random-access memory (RAM) 53. The CPU 51 connects to a stitch-data preparer 54 for the pocket patch P, and to an upper-and-lower needle position detector 55. The CPU 51, further, connects through a motor driver (not shown) to AC servo motors 56 and 57 for moving the work holder 5 and the sewing machine 3 along the X-axis and the Y-axis, respectively. The CPU 51 sends signals to the motors 56 and 57 in response to signals from the preparer 54 and the detector 55. Furthermore, the CPU 51 connects through the motor driver (not shown) to a main motor 58, and sends signals to the main motor 58 to operate the stitch forming mechanism in response to signals from the preparer 54 and the detector 55.
A TV camera 61 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is provided at one upper side of the pocket setter 6 for taking pictures of the patterns Wa and Pa. The pocket setter 6 has a central processing unit (CPU) 63 that receives image data sent from the TV camera 61 through an analog-digital converter (ADC) 62.
The CPU 63 connects to read-only memory (ROM) 64, random-access memory (RAM) 65, a body-clamp switch 66 for fixing the body cloth W on the surface 1a with the clamp 35, a pocket-clamp switch 67 for fixing the pocket patch P on the gauge plate 10 with the holding plate 13, a start switch 68 for moving the body cloth from the preparatory position to the stitching position of the sewing machine 3, and the air cylinders 8, 14, 17, 19, 41, and 42, which are controlled in response to signals from the switches 66, 67, and 68.
Further, the CPU 63 connects through the motor driver (not shown) to the θ-axis pulse motor 22, the X-axis pulse motor 28, the Y-axis pulse motor 32, and six jog switches 69 for moving the body cloth W by a preset amount (±Δθ, ±Δx, and ±Δy) around the θ-axis, and along the X-axis and the Y-axis, respectively. The CPU 63 drives the motors 22, 28, and 32 based on image data from the TV camera 61 and signals from the jog switches 69.
The operation of the pocket setter 6 is now explained with reference to FIGS. 7A through 7D and FIGS. 8A through 8J.
Before setting the pocket patch P and the body cloth W, the supporting member 7 is set at the waiting position above the table 1, the gauge plate 10 is laid under the supporting member 7, and the holding plate 13, folder supporting plate 16 and clamp 35 are set at their upper positions.
As shown in FIG. 7A, when the body cloth W is supplied under the clamp 35, it is determined at step S1 whether the clamp switch 66 is turned on. If the result is YES, the CPU 63 drives the air cylinders 41 and 42 at step S2 to lower the clamp 35 for holding the body cloth W on the surface 1a (FIG. 8A). The CPU 63 operates the TV camera 61 at step S3 to take a picture of the pattern Wa and stores the pattern Wa as image data in the RAM 65 at step S4. The CPU 63 drives the air cylinder 8 at step S5 to project the gauge plate 10 forward (FIG. 8B). After the pocket patch P is laid on the gauge plate 10, it is determined at step S6 whether the clamp switch 67 is turned on. If the result is YES, the CPU 63 lowers the holder plate 13 and the folder supporter 16 as indicated by the broken line in FIG. 3, and then projects the folders 18 to fold back the peripheral edge of the pocket patch P along the contour of the gauge plate 10 at step S7 (FIGS. 8C and 8D).
The CPU 63 raises the holder plate 13 at step S8, operates the TV camera 61 to take a picture of the pattern Pa of the pocket patch P at step S9 (FIG. 8E), and stores the pattern Pa as image data in the RAM 65 at step S10. Then, the program goes to the mismatch calculating routine shown in FIG. 7B for calculating mismatch distance for the patterns Wa and Pa. The rotation angle θ is set to zero at step S11, and the CPU 63 calculates equation (1) at step S12.
G(x,y)=ROTATE (θ)·[g(x,y)] (1)
in which g(x,y) is the y for the pattern Wa of the body cloth W at a coordinate (x,y), and G(x,y) is the light intensity at the position where the coordinate (x,y) is rotated by a preset angle θ about the rotary axis 21 of the main supporter 20.
The CPU calculates equation (2) at step S13. ##EQU1## in which f(x,y) is the light intensity for the pattern Pa of the pocket patch P at a coordinate (x,y), and Z is a correlation function. In the correlation function, Z(m,n) is a matching ratio of the patterns Pa and Wa within ranges x1≦x≦x2 and y1≦y≦y2, and m and n are parameters. The values x1, x2, y1, and y2 are preset within the area where the clamp 35 can move without contacting with the supporting member 7. When the value of Z reaches its minimum, the bias amounts m and n are calculated, and each value of Z, m, n, and θ is stored in the RAM 65 at step S14. The values m and n are mismatch distances along the X-axis and the Y-axis for the patterns Wa and Pa, respectively. Next, the CPU 63 increases the rotation angle θ by a preset rotation angle Δθ at step S15. It is determined at step S16 whether the rotation angle θ exceeds the maximum rotation angle θmax in the positive θ-direction, which is determined by mechanical capacity. The process of steps S12 through S16 is repeated until the result in step S16 is YES, thus calculating each value of Z, m, n, and θ in the case where the clamp 35 is rotated by Δθ in the positive θ-direction.
On the other hand, in steps S17 through S22, the CPU 63 executes the subtraction process for the rotation angle θ. The subtraction process is repeated until the rotation angle θ is less than the minimum rotation angle θmin in the negative θ-direction, thus calculating each value of Z, m, n, and θ in the case where the clamp 35 is rotated by Δθ in the negative θ-direction.
At step S23, the CPU 63 searches the values m, n, and θ corresponding to the minimum value of Z, and sets the values m, n, and θ as mismatch-distance data for the patterns Wa and Pa. Then, the program returns to step S24 of the main routine (FIG. 7A), where the CPU 63 drives the pulse motors 22, 28, and 32 based on the mismatch-distance data. Thus, the body cloth W is moved with the clamp 35 along the X-axis and the Y-axis, and around the θ axis to match the body cloth pattern Wa with the pocket patch pattern Pa.
As shown in FIG. 7C, when the start switch 68 is turned on at step S25, the CPU 63 lowers the supporting member 7 against the springs 36 that actuate the clamp 35, and brings the gauge plate 10, the folder supporter 16, and the pocket patch P close to the body cloth W at step S26 (FIG. 8F). Next, the CPU 63 separates each folder 18 from the pocket patch P, and raises the folder supporter 16 from the pocket patch P at step S27 (FIGS. 8G and 8H). During this time, the gauge plate 10 is pressing the pocket patch P onto the body cloth W.
When the clamp 35 and the needle 2 are raised, the CPU 63 drives the AC servo motor 56 through the CPU 51 to move the base plate 80 with the work holder 5 above the gauge plate 10 (FIG. 8I). The work holder 5 presses the pocket patch P on the body cloth W in cooperation with the gauge plate 10 at step S28. The CPU 63 separates the gauge plate 10 from the pocket patch P to lay the gauge plate 10 under the supporting member 7 at step S29 (FIG. 8J).
The CPU 63 returns the base plate 80 with the work holder 5 to the stitching point by means of the CPU 51 at step S30 together with the pocket patch P and the body cloth W that are pressed on the surface 1a by the work holder 5. At this time, the supporting member 7 is moved to the waiting position, and the pocket setter 6 is initialized. The CPU 51 reads stitch pattern data from the RAM 53, and drives the motors 56, 57, and 58 based on the stitch pattern data to stitch the pocket patch P onto the body cloth W at step S31. Then, the main routine ends.
Since there is a trade-off between the resolution of the TV camera 61 and fineness of patterns, automatic pattern matching might not produce a satisfactory result. As shown in FIG. 7D, when the jog switches 69 are operated before the operation of the start switch 68, the CPU 63 moves the clamp 35 by the preset amounts ±Δx, ±Δy and ±Δθ in each direction according to the operated jog switches 69. In this way, the operator can finely match the patterns at step S32 while confirming the patterns Wa and Pa visually.
As explained above, in this embodiment, the body cloth W is moved along the X-axis and the Y-axis, and around the θ-axis to match the patterns Wa and Pa, so that even complicated patterns such as a plaid can be matched accurately without any special skill. Furthermore, since the body cloth W is moved for pattern matching, the position of the pocket patch P remains constant, so no troublesome adjustment of the stitch pattern data representing the relative position between the work holder 5 and the needle 2 is required every time the relative position of the pocket patch P changes.
The present invention is not restricted to this embodiment. The following modifications and variations are also possible.
(a) When matching the patterns Pa and Wa with vertical or horizontal stripes (FIGS. 6B and 6C), the clamp 35 may be rotated around the θ-axis and be moved along either the X-axis or the Y-axis corresponding to the direction of the stripe. Specifically, in the case of the vertical stripe (FIG. 6B), the clamp 35 is rotated around the θ-axis, and is moved along the X-axis for pattern matching. On the other hand, in the case of the horizontal stripe (FIG. 6C), the clamp 35 is rotated around the θ-axis and is moved along the Y-axis. A selection switch may be used for selecting a moving direction of the clamp 35 corresponding to a vertical or a horizontal stripe, and for determining two mismatch-distances: distances: one for the θ-axis, and one for either the X-axis or the Y-axis. In this case, the calculating speed increases compared with the case where three mismatch distances are calculated as described above.
(b) The pocket patch P may be moved when matching the patterns Pa and Wa.
(c) Both the body cloth W and the pocket patch P may be moved when matching the patterns Pa and Wa.
(d) As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,640, for example, rivets may be used for fixing two cloths.
(e) Adhesive agents may be used for fixing two cloths.
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A work piece setting apparatus including a sensor for detecting patterns of two work pieces, two holders for holding the cloth pieces, a moving device for moving the lower holder, a rotator for rotating the lower holder, a calculator for calculating a mismatch amount for the patterns according to signals detected by the sensor and a controller for controlling the moving device and the rotator according to the mismatch amount. The lower work piece is moved and rotated with the lower holder and the patterns of two work pieces are matched. After the work pieces are matched and set, a carrying device carries the work pieces to a sewing position from a setting position on a work table.
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BACKGROUND
The present disclosure relates to micro mechanical devices (“MEMS”).
A micro mirror is a micro mechanical device. A micro mirror can include a mirror plate that can tilt to different positions. The tilt movement of the mirror plate can be driven by electrostatic forces that can be generated by electric potential differences between a mirror plate and an electrode over the substrate underneath the mirror plate. The mirror plate can be tilted to an “on” position and an “off” position. In the “on” position, the mirror plate can direct an incident light to produce an image pixel of a display image. In the “off” position, the mirror plate can direct the incident light away from the display image. The mirror plate can be stopped by a mechanical stop at a well defined position. A spatial light modulator (SLM) can include an array of micro mirrors that can be selectively tilted to project incident light to produce image pixels in a display image.
SUMMARY
In one general aspect, the present specification relates to an apparatus including a plurality of micro-mechanical devices, each of which includes a first structure portion over a substrate and a second structure portion in connection with the first structure portion. The second structure portion comprises a conductive portion, wherein the second structure portion is configured to move in response to a voltage pulse and a bias voltage. An electrode is over the substrate and under the conductive portion of the second structure portion. The apparatus also includes a first electric circuit configured to apply the voltage pulse having a pulse amplitude either to the electrode or the second structure portion of at least one micro-mechanical device of the plurality of micro-mechanical devices and a second electric circuit configured to apply the bias voltage to the plurality of micro-mechanical devices, wherein the bias voltage is applied to whichever of the electrode or the second structure portion of the at least one micro-mechanical device does not have the voltage pulse applied thereto in the step of applying the voltage pulse. At least two micro-mechanical devices of the plurality of micro-mechanical devices have different threshold amplitudes, each threshold amplitude being a minimum voltage of the voltage pulse having the pulse amplitude are capable of moving the second structure portion of the micro-mechanical device that has the higher threshold amplitude of the different threshold amplitudes.
In another general aspect, the present specification relates to a method for driving a plurality of micro-mechanical devices in an apparatus. The method includes applying a voltage pulse having a pulse amplitude either to an electrode or a first structure portion of at least one micro-mechanical device of the plurality of micro-mechanical devices. The first structure portion is connected to a second structure portion on a substrate and the electrode is on the substrate underneath the first structure portion. A bias voltage is applied to the plurality of micro-mechanical devices, wherein the bias voltage is applied to whichever of the electrode or the first structure portion of the at least one micro-mechanical device does not have the voltage pulse applied thereto in the step of applying the voltage pulse. At least two micro-mechanical devices of the plurality of micro-mechanical devices have different threshold amplitudes, each threshold amplitude being a minimum voltage of the voltage pulse required to move the first structure portion in conjunction with the bias voltage. The bias voltage and the voltage pulse having the pulse amplitude are capable of moving the first structure portion of the micro-mechanical device that has the higher threshold amplitude of the different threshold amplitudes.
In another general aspect, the present specification relates to a method for selecting a bias voltage for addressing an array of micro-mechanical devices. The method includes applying a voltage pulse either to an electrode or to a first structure portion of at least one micro-mechanical device, wherein the first structure portion is connected to a second structure portion on a substrate and the electrode is on the substrate underneath the first structure portion. A bias voltage is applied to whichever of the electrode or the first structure portion of the micro-mechanical device does not have the voltage pulse applied thereto in the step of applying the voltage pulse. The bias voltage is varied to determine a threshold bias voltage of the micro-mechanical device, the threshold bias voltage being a minimum bias voltage that causes the movement of the first structure portion of the micro-mechanical device in conjunction with the applied voltage pulse. The varying step is repeated for each of the micro-mechanical devices to determine threshold bias voltages for each of the micro-mechanical devices in the array. An addressing voltage for the bias voltage is selected that is about equal to or at a predetermined value above the maximum threshold bias voltage of the threshold bias voltages for the micro-mechanical devices.
In another general aspect, the present specification relates to a method for selecting a amplitude for a voltage pulse for addressing an array of micro-mechanical devices. The method includes applying a bias voltage either to an electrode or to a first structure portion of at least one micro-mechanical device of the array of micro-mechanical devices, wherein the first structure portion is connected to a second structure portion on a substrate and the electrode is on the substrate underneath the first structure portion. A voltage pulse is applied to whichever of the electrode or to the first structure portion of the micro-mechanical device does not have the bias voltage applied thereto in the step of applying the bias voltage. The amplitude of the voltage pulse is varied to determine a threshold amplitude of the voltage pulse, the threshold amplitude being a minimum voltage of the voltage pulse that causes the movement of at least a portion of the first structure portion of the micro-mechanical device in conjunction with the applied bias voltage. The varying step is repeated for each of the micro-mechanical devices to determine threshold amplitude of the voltage pulse for each micro-mechanical device in the array. An addressing amplitude is selected for the voltage pulse that is about equal to at a predetermined value above a maximum threshold amplitude of the voltage pulse for the micro-mechanical devices.
Implementations of the system may include one or more of the following. The voltage of the voltage pulse can be selected to be about equal to, or 0.1 V or 5% higher than the higher threshold amplitude of the different threshold amplitudes. The first electric circuit can be configured to apply the bias voltage to the conductive portion of the second structure portion and the second electric circuit can be configured to apply the voltage pulse to the electrode in the at least one micro-mechanical device. The first electric circuit can be configured to apply the bias voltage to the electrode and the second electric circuit can be configured to apply the voltage pulse to the conductive portion of the second structure portion in the at least one micro-mechanical device. The bias voltage can have a first electric polarity and the voltage pulse can have a second electric polarity opposite to the first electric polarity. The bias voltage and at least a portion of the voltage pulse can have the same electric polarity. The bias voltage can have a duration that encompasses a plurality of the voltage pulses. The apparatus can further include a mechanical stop configured to contact the second structure portion to stop the movement of the second structure portion in the at least one micro-mechanical device. The second structure portion can include a reflective upper surface. The apparatus can further include a memory device connected to the first electric circuit and the second electric circuit, wherein the memory device is configured to store the bias voltage and the amplitude of the voltage pulse. The predetermined value can be 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 0.1V, 0.5 V, 1.V, 2 V, 5 V, 10 V or 15 V above the maximum threshold bias voltage. The addressing voltage can be within 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 0.1 V, 0.5 V, or 1 V, 2 V, 5 V, 10 V or 15 V of the threshold bias voltage. The addressing amplitude can be within 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 0.1V, 0.5 V, 1 V, 2 V, 5 V, 10 V or 15 V of the threshold amplitude. The micro-mechanical devices can include all the micro-mechanical devices in the array. The bias voltage can be applied to the first structure portion and the voltage pulse can be applied to the electrode. The bias voltage can be applied to the electrode and the voltage pulse can be applied to the first structure portion. The bias voltage can have a first polarity and the voltage pulse can have a second polarity opposite to the first polarity or the bias voltage and the voltage pulse can have a same polarity. The first structure portion can include a lower conductive surface. The first structure portion can include a reflective upper surface.
Implementations may include one or more of the following advantages. A bias voltage can be provided to a micro mechanical device such that the micro mechanical device can be driven by a voltage pulse having a smaller amplitude than the voltage pulse required in the absence of the bias voltage. A wider variety of types of circuits can be used with the device. Additionally, the circuit for the driving voltage pulse can be simplified. The tiltable mirror plate in each of the micro mirrors of a spatial light modulator can be tilted by an electrostatic force produced by an electric potential difference between the mirror plate and an electrode on a substrate. By applying a bias voltage to the mirror plate, a voltage pulse applied to tilt the mirror plate can have a lower peak voltage than that in the absence of the bias voltage. The circuit for the driving voltage pulse can thus be simplified.
Although the specification has been particularly shown and described with reference to multiple embodiments, it will be understood by persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and details can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The following drawings, which are incorporated in and from a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present specification and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the specification.
FIG. 1 illustrates a connection diagram of an apparatus, including a plurality of low voltage MEMS devices.
FIG. 2A illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplified low voltage MEMS device.
FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the low voltage MEMS device of FIG. 2A when the low voltage MEMS device is actuated by an addressing voltage pulse under a bias voltage.
FIG. 3 illustrates the deflection angle of a low voltage MEMS device as a function of the addressing voltage in the absence of a bias voltage.
FIG. 4 illustrates the deflection angle of a low voltage MEMS device as a function of the addressing voltage at different bias voltages.
FIG. 5 illustrates the addressing voltage required to actuate the low voltage MEMS device as a function of the bias voltage.
FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of another implementation of the low voltage MEMS device in the apparatus of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of another exemplified low voltage MEMS device for the apparatus of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 8A illustrates the variability in the actuation addressing voltages of the MEMS devices in an apparatus.
FIG. 8B illustrates the selection of the bias voltage to compensate for the variability in the actuation addressing voltages in the MEMS devices as shown in FIG. 8A .
FIG. 9 illustrates a connection diagram of a spatial light modulator comprising a plurality of low voltage tiltable micro mirrors.
FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the low voltage tiltable micro mirror in the spatial light modulator of FIG. 9 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 illustrates a connection diagram of an apparatus 100 comprising a plurality of low voltage MEMS devices 110 A- 110 B. The low voltage MEMS devices 110 A- 110 B can be addressed and driven by an electrically conductive word line N 1 , a plurality of electrically conductive bit lines M 1 and M i , and a bias circuit 120 . A memory 130 can store values of a bias voltage, and an amplitude and a duration of the voltage pulse for addressing the low voltage MEMS devices 110 A- 110 B. The memory 130 is connected with the bias circuit 120 and other addressing or control electric circuit in the apparatus 100 . The memory 130 can be a separate device or a component of an integrated device that also includes the bias circuit 120 and other addressing or control electric circuit in the apparatus 100 . The low voltage MEMS devices 110 A- 110 B can be arranged in a matrix having a plurality of rows and columns. The low voltage MEMS devices 110 A- 110 B are connected with the word line N 1 through electric interconnects 111 A- 111 B. Each low voltage MEMS device 110 A- 110 B is also connected with at least one bit line M 1 or M i respectively by electrical interconnects 112 A- 112 B.
FIG. 2A illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary device for one of the low voltage MEMS devices, e.g., device 110 A (other devices in the matrix such as device 110 B can be constructed similarly). The low voltage MEMS device 110 A includes a substrate 120 A, a post 113 A, a cantilever 114 A, and an electrode 115 A on the substrate 120 A. The electrode 115 A can include multiple steps (not shown) such that the electrode 115 A can be kept close to the lower surface of the cantilever 114 A when the cantilever 114 A is bent toward the electrode 115 A, as shown in FIG. 2B . The low voltage MEMS device 110 A also includes a mechanical stop 116 A on the substrate 120 A. The mechanical stop 116 A can have an elongated shape pointing upward toward the lower surface of the cantilever 114 A. The cantilever 114 A can include a tip 119 A over the mechanical stop 116 A. The cantilever 114 A can include a reflective upper surface 117 A.
The post 113 A and the mechanical stop 116 A are electrically conductive. In some embodiments, the post 113 A and the mechanical stop 116 A are electrically connected with the word line N 1 via the interconnect 111 A. At least a portion of the cantilever 114 A is electrically connective and is connected with the post 113 A. Thus, the mechanical stop 116 A is kept at substantially the same electric potential as the conductive portion of the cantilever 114 A. The electrode 115 A is electrically connected with the bit line M 1 via the interconnect 112 A.
FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the low voltage MEMS device 110 A. A positive bias voltage is applied to the cantilever 114 A and the mechanical stop 116 A from the word line N 1 via the electric interconnect 111 A. A negative voltage pulse is applied to the electrode 115 A from the bit line M 1 via the electric interconnect 112 A. The magnitude of the peak voltage of the voltage pulse can also be called “addressing voltage”. For example, the bias voltage can be +10V. The peak voltage of the negative voltage pulse can be −10V. The opposite electric potentials between the cantilever 114 A and the electrode 115 A can create an attractive electrostatic force between the cantilever 114 A and the electrode 115 A to cause the cantilever 114 A to bend downward toward the electrode 115 A. The downward movement of the cantilever 114 A is stopped when tip 199 A comes into contact with the upper tip of the mechanical stop 116 A. The tip 119 A is slightly bent under the electrostatic force. The restoring force can allow the cantilever 114 A to easily separate from the mechanical stop 116 A after the voltage signal is decreased or removed. Because the mechanical stop 116 A is kept at the same electric potential as the cantilever 114 A, the electric potential of the cantilever 114 A is not altered when it is in contact with the mechanical stop 116 A, as described above.
The mechanical stop 116 A can stop the cantilever 114 A at a maximum and precisely defined angle. The deflection angle “Φ” of the cantilever 114 A reaches its maximum when the cantilever 114 A is stopped by the mechanical stop 116 A, that is, when the cantilever 114 A and the mechanical stop 116 come into contact with each other. A precise angle of deflection can be desirable when the cantilever is used to deflect light to a specific location. Incident light can be reflected by the reflective upper surface 117 A. The direction of the reflected light can vary as the cantilever 114 A changes its orientation. For example, the incident light can be deflected to one direction when the cantilever 114 A is stopped by the mechanical stop 116 A at the maximum deflection angle. The incident light can be deflected to another direction when the cantilever 114 A is in a quiescent state or substantially horizontal direction.
It should be noted that the polarity of the bias voltage applied to the interconnect 111 A and the voltage pulses applied to the electric interconnect 112 A can be changed. For example, the bias voltage applied to the electric interconnect 111 A can be −10V. The electric voltage applied to the electric interconnect 112 A be a +10V peak voltage. In addition, a voltage pulse having the same polarity as the polarity of the bias voltage can be applied to push the cantilever 114 A away from the mechanical stop 116 .
FIG. 3 illustrates a typical response of the deflection angle “Φ” of the low voltage MEMS device 110 A (or 110 B) as a function of the amplitude of the voltage pulse in the absence of a bias voltage. As the amplitude of the voltage pulse is increased, the cantilever 114 A experiences an increased attractive electrostatic force toward the electrode 115 A. The deflection angle initially increases along a response curve 205 . When the amplitude of the voltage pulse reaches a threshold amplitude V 0 of the voltage pulse (i.e., the minimum amplitude to cause actuation) the deflection angle begins to increase along a rapid response curve 210 until the deflection angle reaches the maximum deflection angle Φ max when the cantilever 114 A contacts the mechanical stop 116 A. As the amplitude of the voltage pulse is decreased, the cantilever 114 A can initially stay at the maximum deflection angle Φ max before it decreases to the response curve 205 due to the stiction to the mechanical stop 116 A.
FIG. 4 illustrates the deflection angle “Φ” of the cantilever 114 A as a function of the addressing voltage at different bias voltages V bias1 , V bias2 , V bias3 , and V bias4 , wherein V bias1 >V bias2 >V bias3 >V bias4 . For each of the bias voltages V bias1 , V bias2 , V bias3 , and V bias4 , the deflection angle “Φ” initially increases at a low rate as a function of the addressing voltage following the deflection response curve 205 . For the bias voltage V bias1 , the rate of change in the deflection angle “Φ” as a function of the addressing voltage follows a more rapidly increasing deflection response curve 210 D when the addressing voltage exceeds an actuation addressing voltage V 1 . Similarly, the rates of change in deflection angles “Φ” respectively switch to more rapidly increasing deflection response curves 210 A- 210 C when the addressing voltage exceeds actuation addressing voltage V 2 through V 4 , respectively. That is, the higher the bias voltage, the lower the actuation addressing voltage required to rapidly deflect the cantilever. For example, the actuation addressing voltage V 1 is the lowest for the highest bias voltage V bias1 among V 1 -V 4 . In other words, it takes a lower-amplitude voltage pulse to actuate the cantilever 114 A at a higher bias voltage.
FIG. 5 illustrates the dependence of the actuation addressing voltage on the bias voltage. The actuation addressing voltage is the actuation addressing voltage required to actuate the low voltage MEMS device 110 A. The actuation addressing voltage V 0 corresponds to the situation when no bias voltage is applied, as shown in FIG. 3 . The actuation addressing voltages V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , and V 4 respectively correspond to situations in which bias voltages V bias1 , V bias2 , V bias3 , and V bias4 are applied to the cantilever 114 A and the mechanical stop 116 A. As described previously, the actuation addressing voltage decreases as a function the bias voltage. The decreased actuation address voltage can reduce the required peak voltage of the electric pulse applied to actuate the cantilever 114 A, which can reduce the requirements and the costs in the driving circuit for generating the addressing voltage pulses.
FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of another implementation of the low voltage MEMS device 110 A of the apparatus 100 . In contrast to configuration shown in FIG. 2A , the electrode 115 A is electrically connected with the word line N 1 via the interconnect 111 A. The post 113 A and the mechanical stop 116 A are electrically connected with the bit line M 1 via the electric interconnect 112 A. The mechanical stop 116 A is kept at substantially the same electric potential as the conductive portion of the cantilever 114 A such that the electric potential of the cantilever 114 A can be maintained when it is bent to contact the mechanical stop 116 A.
FIG. 7 shows an active low-voltage MEMS device that is suitable for the low voltage MEMS device 110 A in the apparatus 100 . An amplifier 118 can receive a low-voltage voltage signal (e.g., a −2.5 V voltage pulse) from the electric interconnect 112 A and send an amplified voltage signal (e.g., a −10 V voltage pulse) to the electrode 115 A. The amplifier 118 can include one or more transistors. The advantage of the active low-voltage MEMS device is that low voltage signals can be applied to the bit lines M 1 through M i in apparatus 100 . The low-voltage MEMS device can be driven at a higher response rate because it normally takes less time to build up a lower voltage in an electric device than a higher voltage in the same electric device. Moreover, the low voltage signals can also reduce the electronic interference between the bit lines M 1 or M i produced by the driving voltage signals.
In another aspect, the bias voltage produced by the bias circuit 120 can be selected to compensate for the variability in the low-voltage MEMS devices 110 A, 110 B. Variability in the properties of the MEMS devices is inherent in an apparatus. For example, the variability can be caused by the non-uniform processing conditions in the fabrication of the MEMS devices in the apparatus. FIG. 8A illustrates that the actuation addressing voltages V 0 of the MEMS devices 110 A, 110 B in the apparatus 100 in the absence of a bias voltage can vary in a range defined by V max and V min . In a real apparatus, the range of the variability can be a small fraction of the absolute values of the addressing actuation voltage. For example, V max −V min can be 5% or 10% of the average actuation addressing voltage in the apparatus 100 . In other words, it takes slightly different actuation addressing voltages to actuate the low-voltage MEMS devices 110 A, 110 B in the apparatus 100 .
The bias voltage ought to be selected such that all the low-voltage MEMS devices 110 A, 110 B in the apparatus 100 can be properly addressed and actuated by the actuation voltage signals, regardless of the variability in the properties of the MEMS devices 110 A, 110 B. The addressing voltage for all MEMS in the apparatus 100 can be selected to actuate the MEMS device that requires the maximum actuation addressing voltage V max .
FIG. 8B illustrates the bias voltages required to actuate the MEMS devices in the apparatus 100 . A plurality of curves 811 - 813 each show the dependence of the actuation addressing voltage on the bias voltage for each low voltage MEMS device 110 A, 110 B. The curve 811 corresponds to the low voltage MEMS device that requires the maximum actuation addressing voltage at zero bias. The curve 813 corresponds to the low voltage MEMS device that requires the minimum actuation addressing voltage at zero bias. As discussed above, the bias voltage for the bias circuit 120 should be selected using curve 811 . For example, if the actuation addressing voltage for the addressing signal is set to be at V select , the bias voltage can be selected at a predetermined voltage value (such as 0.1 V, 0.5 V, 1 V, 2 V, 5 V, 7 V, 10 V, 12 V, 15 V) above V bias — select to provide a safety margin for the drift in the actuation properties of the MEMS devices 110 A, 110 B during usage. The bias voltage for the bias circuit 120 can also be selected at a predetermined percentage, such as about 1%, 5% or 10% above V bias — select .
Similarly, an optimum addressing voltage can be selected at a fixed bias voltage using the curve 811 . For example, when the bias voltage is set at V bias — select , the optimum addressing voltage for the apparatus 100 can be selected at V select or a predetermined value above V select .
The selected bias voltage and the amplitude of the voltage pulse can be stored in the memory 130 . The values for the selected bias voltage and the amplitude of the voltage pulse can be retrieved from the memory 130 in the field to allow the apparatus 100 operate using these values. The selection and the setting of the optimum bias voltage and the threshold amplitude of the voltage pulse can be conducted in a factory or in the field as part of the device calibration.
FIG. 9 illustrates a connection diagram for a spatial light modulator 300 comprising a plurality of low voltage tiltable micro mirrors 310 A- 310 B. Each low voltage tiltable micro mirror 310 A- 310 B is connected with a word line N 1 through the electric interconnects 311 A- 311 B. Each low voltage tiltable micro mirror 310 A- 310 B is also connected with two bit lines M 1 and M 2 , or M i and M i+1 respectively through the electric interconnects 312 A- 312 B and 313 A- 313 B such that the low voltage tiltable micro mirrors 310 A- 310 B can be tilted by electrostatic forces about an axis in clockwise and counter clockwise directions. The spatial light modulator 300 also includes a bias circuit 120 that can provide bias voltages to the word lines N 1 .
A positive bias voltage can be applied to the word line N 1 and negative voltage pulses can be selectively applied to the bit lines M 2 , M 2 , M i or M i+1 . For example, a low voltage tiltable micro mirror 310 A can be driven by a −20V voltage pulse at the bit line M 1 when a +10V bias voltage is applied to the wordline N 1 . In should be noted that many schemes of driving voltages can be compatible with devices described in the present specification. For example, the bias voltage can be negative and the voltage pulses can be positive. In another example, the low voltage tiltable micro mirror 310 A can be driven by a −10V voltage pulse at the bit line M i and a simultaneous +10V voltage pulse at the bit line M i+1 when a +10V bias voltage is applied to the wordline N 1 . Similar to the circuit in FIG. 7 , the low voltage tiltable micro mirror 310 A can include one or more amplifiers or transistors such that the low voltage tiltable micro mirror 310 A can receive low voltage pulses from the bit lines and locally amplify the low voltage pulses for driving the tiltable mirror plate.
FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of an exemplified low voltage tiltable micro mirror 410 that is compatible with the low voltage tiltable micro mirrors 310 A- 310 B in the spatial light modulator 300 . The low voltage tiltable micro mirror 410 includes a mirror plate 402 having a flat reflective upper layer 403 a that provides the mirror surface, a middle layer 403 b that provides the mechanical strength for the mirror plate, and a bottom layer 403 c . The reflective upper layer 403 a can be formed by a thin layer of a metallic material such as aluminum, silver, or gold with a layer thickness in the range of about 200 to 1000 angstroms, such as about 600 angstroms. The middle layer 403 b can be made of a silicon based material such as amorphous silicon having a thickness in the range from about 2000 to about 5000 angstroms. The bottom layer 403 c can be made of an electrically conductive material that allows the electric potential of the bottom layer 403 c to be controlled relative to the step electrodes 421 a or 421 b . For example, the bottom layer 403 c can be made of titanium and have a thickness in the range of about 200 to 1000 angstrom.
The mirror plate 402 includes one or two hinges 406 that are connected with the bottom layer 403 c (the connections are out of plane of view and are thus not shown in FIG. 10 ) and are supported by a hinge support post 405 (shown in phantom) that is rigidly connected to a substrate 350 . The mirror plate 402 can include two hinges 406 connected to the bottom layer 403 c . Each hinge 406 defines a pivot point for the tilt movement of the mirror plate 402 . The two hinges 406 can define an axis about which the mirror plate 402 can be tilted. The hinges 406 extend into cavities in the lower portion of mirror plate 402 . For ease of manufacturing, the hinge 406 can be fabricated as part of the bottom layer 403 c.
Step electrodes 421 a and 421 b , landing tips 422 a and 422 b , and a support frame 408 can also be fabricated over the substrate 350 . The heights of the step electrodes 421 a and 421 b can be in the range from about 0.2 microns to 3 microns. The electric potentials of the step electrodes 421 a and 421 b can be independently controlled by external electrical signals. The step electrode 421 a is electrically connected to the electrical interconnect 312 A that is connected with the bit line M 1 . The step electrode 421 b is electrically connected with the electrical interconnect 313 A that is connected with the bit line M 2 . The bottom layer 403 c of the mirror plate 402 and the landing tips 422 a and 422 b are connected with the electrical interconnect 311 A. The electrical interconnect 311 A is connected to the word line N 1 and receive a bias voltage from the bias circuit 120 .
The low voltage tiltable micro mirror 410 can be selectively tilted by a negative voltage pulse applied to the electrical interconnects 312 A and a positive bias voltage applied to the electrical interconnects 311 A. An electrostatic force is produced on the mirror plate 402 by the negative electrical voltage pulse and the bias voltage. An imbalance between the electrostatic forces on the two sides of the mirror plate 402 can cause the mirror plate 402 to tilt toward the step electrode 421 a until it is stopped by the landing tip 422 a . When the mirror plate 402 is tilted to the “on” position as shown in FIG. 10 , the flat reflective upper layer 403 a reflects incident light 330 to produce reflected light 340 along the “on” direction. The incident light 330 is reflected to the “off” direction when the mirror plate 402 is tilted to the “off” position.
The landing tips 422 a and 422 b can have a same height as that of a second step in the step electrodes 421 a and 421 b for manufacturing simplicity. The landing tips 422 a and 422 b provide a gentle mechanical stop for the mirror plate 402 after each tilt movement. The landing tips 422 a and 422 b can stop the mirror plate 402 at a precise tilt angles. Additionally, the landing tips 422 a and 422 b can store elastic strain energy when they are deformed by electrostatic forces and convert the elastic strain energy to kinetic energy to push away the mirror plate 402 when the electrostatic forces are removed. The push-back on the mirror plate 402 can help separate the mirror plate 402 and the landing tips 422 a and 422 b.
Each of the low voltage tiltable micro mirrors 310 A- 310 B in the spatial light modulator 300 can be selectively addressed and actuated by a combination of the bias voltage and voltage pulses selectively applied to the word lines and the bit lines. The low voltage tiltable micro mirrors 310 A- 310 B can be selectively tilted to “on” or “off” positions to reflect light in an “on” direction and an “off” direction. The light reflected in the “on” direction can form a display image. A video image clip includes a series of image frames each of which is displayed for a frame time. The bias voltages applied to the low voltage tiltable micro mirrors are typically kept substantially constant through many image frames. For example, the bias voltages applied to the low voltage tiltable micro mirrors can stay substantially constant through a full video clip or as long as the spatial light modulator 300 is powered up. In comparison, the addressing voltage pulses typically have pulse widths substantially narrower than the frame time of video images. For example, for video images at 60 Hz (or 16.7 ms frame time), the voltage pulses may have pulse widths in the range 1 μs to 5 ms. In other words, the duration of the bias voltage can encompass a plurality of the voltage pulses. In some embodiments, the duration of the bias voltage is more than ten frame times. The width of the voltage pulse is less than half of the frame time. In some embodiments, the duration of the bias voltage is more than a hundred frame times. The width of the voltage pulse is less than half of the frame time.
The voltage signal that actuates the low-voltage tiltable micro mirrors may include a plurality of voltage pulses. As described above, the voltages pulses can have a polarity opposite to the polarity of the bias voltage. Furthermore, some of the actuation pulses may have the same polarity as the polarity of the bias voltage. If the polarity of the pulse is the same as the polarity of the bias voltage and is approximately the same voltage, the electrostatic forces on either side of the mirror plate are reduced, which reduces the attraction between the mirror plate and the electrodes, allowing the mirror plate to tilt away from the step electrodes 421 a or 421 b.
Referring back to FIG. 9 , the tiltable micro mirrors 310 B and 310 B are respectively addressed with positive bias voltages via the wordline N 1 . A bias voltage can be applied to the bottom layer 403 c of the mirror plate 402 and the landing tips 421 a and 421 b . A negative voltage pulse is applied to the bit line M i and the step electrode 421 a . A positive voltage pulse is applied to the bit line M i+1 and the step electrode 421 b . The two voltage pulses applied help to create a stronger attractive electrostatic force on the mirror plate 402 on the side from the step electrode 421 a than on the mirror plate 402 on the side of the step electrode 421 b . relative attractive forces, not repulsive
It is understood that the above described system and methods can include many variations without deviating from the spirit of the present specification. For example, the actuation addressing the voltages and the bias voltages can vary in accordance to the specific dimensions and the physical properties of each low-voltage MEMS device. In addition to the micro mirrors and the cantilever described above, the above described system and methods are compatible with a wide range of micro mechanical devices such as actuators, and micro vibrators.
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Methods for driving a plurality of MEMS devices in an apparatus are described. A voltage pulse is applied to an electrode or a structure portion of a MEMS device. The electrode is on the substrate underneath the structure portion. At least two MEMS devices of the plurality of MEMS devices have different threshold voltages, and the threshold voltage is the minimum voltage required to move the structure portion. A bias voltage is applied to whichever of the electrode or the structure portion of the MEMS device does not have the voltage pulse applied thereto. The bias voltage and the voltage pulse are capable of moving the structure portion of the MEMS device that has the higher threshold voltage of the different threshold voltages.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to devices which can be driven into the ground to provide anchorage points for tethering lines or guy ropes, and more specifically to such devices for use in connection with the guy ropes of tents and marquees. Such devices are referred to herein as ground anchors.
Conventional tent pegs consist of flat pieces of wood which are pointed at one end, with a notch formed in one side of the peg adjacent the other end. Although such pegs are still in use in connection with larger sizes of tents and marquees, they have been replaced for smaller tents, in the interests of lightness and economy of space, by metal skewers, which either have an open eye at one end or are bent over to form a hook.
Such devices, although convenient because they are:
a) light,
b) take up little space, and
c) do not require a mallet to drive them into the ground,
are not entirely satisfactory because they tend to bend and pull out under load, particularly if the ground is soft.
The latter failing applies also to conventional tent pegs because a narrow dimension of the peg is presented to the line of tension of the line attached to the peg.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved ground anchor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a ground anchor comprising a channel-section ground-penetrating base member, and a second member at or adjacent one end of the ground-penetrating base member and projecting (or capable of projecting) therefrom at an inclination to the base of the channel of the ground-penetrating base member, said second member also being of channel section and provided with an attachment point for a tether.
The ground-penetrating base member is preferably pointed at its other end to facilitate penetration thereof into the ground.
The attachment point may be afforded by notches in the side walls of the second channel-section member.
The second member is preferably secured at its one end to the ground-penetrating base member with the notches in the side walls of the second member adjacent the other end thereof.
The second member may be rigidly secured to the ground-penetrating base member so that it projects therefrom at a fixed acute angle to the base of the channel of the ground-penetrating base member.
Alternatively, the second member is pivotally connected to the ground-penetrating base member and is movable between a storage condition, in which it is contained within the side walls of the ground-penetrating base member and an operative position in which it projects at an acute angle to the plane of the base of the channel of the ground-penetrating base member.
The pivotal connection between the second member and the ground-penetrating base member preferably includes stop means to limit the extent of movement of the second member relative to the ground-penetrating base member.
The arrangement is preferably such that, in use, the ground-penetrating base member is forced into the ground at an inclination to the vertical such that the second member is maintained substantially horizontal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of a first form of ground anchor (tent peg) in use,
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the ground anchor (tent peg) of FIG. 1 along the line 2 — 2 of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the ground anchor (tent peg) of FIG. 1 along the line 3 — 3 of FIG. 1,
FIG. 4 is a side view of a second form of ground anchor (tent peg) in use,
FIG. 5 is a side view of the second form of ground anchor (tent peg) in its folded, storage condition, and
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the second form of ground anchor along the line 6 — 6 of FIG. 5 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The tent peg shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a channel-section, ground-penetrating base member 10 having a flat surface 11 afforded by the underside of the channel section. The side walls 12 and 13 of the channel section are cut away at one end, as shown in FIG. 1, to facilitate driving of the tent peg into the ground.
At its other end, the channel-section member 10 is welded to one end of a second channel-section member 14 . When the tent peg is being driven into the ground, as shown in FIG. 1, the channel of channel-section member 14 faces downwardly. Each of the side walls 15 and 16 of the channel-section member 14 is formed with a notch 17 , the two notches 17 being disposed in register adjacent the other end of the second channel-section member 14 . The two notches 17 together afford an attachment point for a tethering line 18 .
In use, the tent peg is driven into the ground by the application of force (or impacts) as indicated at A to the upper end of the first channel-section member 10 so that the longitudinal axis of the channel-section member 10 is at an angle of the order of 45° to the vertical and so that the longitudinal axis of the second channel-section member 14 is horizontal. The line of action of the force applied by the tethering line 18 to the tent peg will thus be approximately perpendicular to the plane of the flat surface 11 . The resistance afforded to the tent peg being pulled out of the ground will thus be substantial.
In the alternative embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 , there is again a channel-section base member 20 having a flat surface 21 afforded by the underside of the channel section. The side walls 22 and 23 of the channel section are cut away at one end, as shown in FIG. 4, to facilitate driving of the tent peg into the ground.
At its other end, the channel-section member 20 is pivotally connected to one end of a second channel-section member 24 . Again, when the tent peg is being driven into the ground, as shown in FIG. 4, the channel of channel-section member 24 faces downwardly. Each of the side walls 25 and 26 of the second channel-section member 24 is formed with a notch 27 , the two notches 27 being disposed in register adjacent the other end of the second channel-section member 24 . The two notches 27 together afford an attachment point for a tethering line 28 . The tent peg is again driven into the ground by the application of force (or impacts) applied at B to the upper end of the first channel-section member 20 , i.e. as described above in relation to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 .
The second channel-section member 24 is movable relative to the first channel-section member 20 about the axis of a pivot pin 29 between an operative position, as shown in FIG. 4, and a transport or storage position, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. When moving the channel-section member 24 out of its storage position, angular movement about the axis of the pivot pin 29 is continued until the operative position is reached in which stop means on the two channel-section members 20 and 24 are in abutting engagement and further angular movement of the second channel-section member 24 relative to the first channel-section member 20 is prevented. The stop means comprise an increased thickness portion 30 of the base of the first channel-section member 20 and a co-operating increased thickness portion 31 of the base of the second channel-section member 24 .
The tent peg of FIGS. 4 to 6 is thus used in the same way as that of FIGS. 1 to 3 , but has the advantage that it occupies substantially less space when in its folded condition, as shown in FIG. 5 .
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A ground anchor, such as a tent peg, includes a channel-section, ground-penetrating base member, and a second member at or adjacent one end of the base member. The second member projects (or is capable of projecting) from the base member at an inclination thereto and is provided with an attachment point for a tether.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/174,416, filed on Jun. 18, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/530,197, filed on Apr. 25, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,311, which is the § 371 National Stage of International Application No. PCT/GB98/03198, filed on Oct. 27, 1998, which claims benefit of German application No. 19747468, filed on Oct. 28, 1997, which applications and patent are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to an apparatus for retaining two strings of tubulars, and is particularly but not exclusively for use as a spider in the platform of an oil rig and also for use in an elevator of an oil rig. The invention also relates to a device for retaining a string of tubulars the device comprising at least one body part having a curved tapered surface upon which inserts are located for engagement with the string of tubulars.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] In the formation and operation of oil or gas wells it is desirable to lower a string of tubulars into the well. For this purpose, a retaining device is used in a platform of the rig, known as a spider, and a corresponding retaining device in an elevator of the rig. The string of tubulars is initially retained from falling down the well by the spider. Additional stands of tubulars are moved from a rack to a position above the spider. The stand of tubulars is connected to the string. The device in the elevator is placed around the top of the lengthened string of tubulars. The spider is then released from engagement with the string, and the device in the elevator now takes the full weight of the lengthened string of tubulars. The elevator moves downwardly towards the spider, lowering the lengthened string of tubulars. The spider engages the lengthened string of tubulars and the elevator is subsequently released from engagement therewith. This process is reversed for pulling a string of tubulars out of a well.
[0006] It is often desired to lower two substantially parallel strings of tubulars simultaneously, such as a delivery pipe and an injection pipe used in the forced extraction of oil or gas from a well or used in trial wells.
[0007] A problem associated with prior art devices is that their construction is large, expensive and can only be used for retaining two strings of tubular.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Accordingly there is provided an apparatus for retaining two strings of tubulars characterized in that said apparatus comprises body parts of a device for retaining a single string of tubulars and a converting member.
[0009] Other features and aspects of the present invention are set out in claims 2 to 9 .
[0010] There is also provided a device for retaining a string of tubulars, said device comprising at least one body part having a curved tapered surface upon which inserts are located for engagement with said string of tubulars characterized in that said curved tapered surface comprises a recess for the passage of cables.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a prior art device for retaining a single string of tubulars;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an apparatus for retaining two strings of tubulars, the apparatus being in accordance with a first aspect of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 taken along the line III-III;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of part of the apparatus of FIG. 2 ;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the part of the apparatus of FIG. 4 taken along the line V-V;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the part of the apparatus of FIG. 4 taken along the line VI-VI;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of an apparatus for retaining a single string of tubulars, the apparatus being in accordance with a second aspect of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of an alternative apparatus for retaining two strings of tubulars, the apparatus being in accordance with the first and second aspects of the invention; and
[0020] FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 8 taken along the line IX-IX.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a prior art device for retaining a single string of tubulars. The device comprises two body parts 1 and 2 . The body parts 1 and 2 are generally triangular in shape and are hinged in relation to one another by means of inter engaging rows of eyelets 3 and 4 and a hinge pin 5 at one corner thereof. Each row of eyelets 3 and 4 is integral with the respective body part 1 and 2 . The body parts 1 and 2 also have inter engaging rows of eyelets 6 and 7 on the opposite corners thereof. The body parts 1 and 2 may be locked together by use of a locking pin 8 insertable through the rows of eyelets 6 and 7 .
[0022] The body parts 1 and 2 are provided with semicircular tapered surfaces 9 and 10 which taper downwardly from a first diameter 11 to a second smaller diameter 12 . In use, corresponding tapered inserts (not shown) are provided on the tapered surface for gripping the tubular which runs therethrough. The weight of the tubular string will be transferred from the tapered inserts to the tapered surfaces 9 and 10 .
[0023] A gap 13 is provided between the body parts 1 and 2 . Body part 1 also comprises an opening 14 which runs from the top to the bottom of the body part 1 and lies parallel to the tapered surface 9 . The opening 14 is provided for receiving an actuating piston and cylinder (not shown) which, in use, moves the tapered inserts along the tapered surfaces 9 and 10 for engaging or disengaging the inserts with a tubular. The actuating piston and cylinder may be hydraulic or pneumatic.
[0024] In use, two such devices are used. One device is mounted in an elevator and the other is mounted in the floor of an oil rig. A string of tubulars, such as casing, is first retained in the device mounted in the floor of the oil rig. A section of casing may then be added or taken away from the string of casing thereabove. This may be achieved by using tubular handling equipment to move the section of casing to a position above the string of casing, and a tong to facilitate connection or disconnection of the section of casing to or from the string of casing. The device mounted in the elevator may now be used to retain the section of casing extending above the device in the floor of the oil rig. The device in the floor of the oil rig may now be disengaged from the string of tubulars. The elevator is then operated to lower or raise the entire string of casing. The device in the rig floor is then used to retain the string of casing once again.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 6 there is shown an apparatus for retaining two strings of tubulars, the apparatus being in accordance with the invention. The apparatus is generally identified by the reference numeral 100 .
[0026] The apparatus 100 comprises body part 101 which is generally similar to body part 1 of FIG. 1 , body part 102 which a mirror image of the body part 1 of FIG. 1 and a converting member 103 .
[0027] The converting member 107 is generally rectangular in shape with rows of eyelets 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 at each corner thereof. The converting member is provided with two semicircular tapered surfaces 108 , 109 which taper downwardly from a first diameter 110 to a smaller diameter 111 . The semicircular tapered surfaces 108 , 109 oppose each other and merge as the diameter increases from the smaller diameter to the first diameter as shown in FIG. 6 . In use, corresponding tapered inserts (not shown) are provided on the tapered surfaces 108 , 109 for gripping a tubular.
[0028] The converting member 103 is arranged between the body parts 101 and 102 and are hinged thereto. A row of eyelets 112 is integral with one corner of the body part 101 and inter engages with the row of eyelets 104 of the converting member 103 and a hinge pin 113 is located therethrough. A row of eyelets 114 is integral with a first corner of the body part 102 and inter engages with the row of eyelets 105 of the converting member 103 and a hinge pin 115 is located therethrough. A row of eyelets 116 is integral with an opposing corner of body part 101 and inter engages with a row of eyelets 106 of the converting member 103 and a locking pin 117 may be inserted therethrough to lock the body part 101 to the converting member 103 . A row of eyelets 118 is integral with an opposing corner of body part 102 and inter engages with the row of eyelets 107 of the converting member 103 and a locking pin 119 may be inserted therethrough to lock the body part 102 to the converting member 103 .
[0029] Each of the body parts 101 and 102 are provided with corresponding tapered surfaces 120 and 121 and with openings 122 and 123 for receiving actuating pistons and cylinders as described with reference to the device of FIG. 1 .
[0030] In use, two such apparatuses are used, one as a spider in the platform of an oil rig and the other in the elevator of the oil rig. The method of operation is much the same as that described with reference to the device of FIG. 1 , except that two actuating pistons and cylinders are used to move the tapered inserts along the tapered surfaces 108 , 109 , 120 and 121 for engaging or disengaging the inserts with a tubular.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 7 there is shown a device, generally identified by reference numeral 200 .
[0032] The device 200 is generally similar to the device shown in FIG. 1 with the additional feature of a recess 201 in the tapered surface 202 of the body part 203 . The recess 201 is sized to accommodate a loom of cables running substantially parallel to the string of tubulars. This enables the cable strings to pass through the device for retaining a string of tubulars, for example, through a spider.
[0033] FIGS. 8 and 9 show an apparatus generally identified by reference numeral 300 .
[0034] The device 300 is generally similar to the apparatus 100 of FIG. 2 with the additional feature of a recess 301 and 302 in each of the tapered surface 303 and 304 of the converting member 305 . The recesses 301 and 302 are sized to accommodate a loom of cables running substantially parallel to the two strings of tubulars. This enables the cable strings to pass through the device for retaining a string of tubulars, for example, through a spider.
[0035] It is envisaged that the apparatuses could be used for coiled tubing, as well as tool strings, strings of drill pipe, casing and liners.
[0036] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
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An apparatus for retaining two strings of tubulars characterized in that said apparatus comprises body parts of a device for retaining a single string of tubulars and a converting member. A device for retaining a string of tubulars, said device comprising at least one body part having a curved tapered surface upon which inserts are located for engagement with said string of tubulars characterized in that said curved tapered surface comprises a recess for the passage of cables.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bag apparatus for use in a supplemental restraint system of a vehicle and, more particularly, to an apparatus having a gas diffusion adjusting mechanism which controls a flow of gas during inflation of an air bag.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
An example of a conventional air bag apparatus for a vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 4-228341. The reference discloses an air bag apparatus which has a gas diffusion adjusting mechanism. The air bag apparatus has an inflator, an air bag and a pressure adjusting mechanism to control the internal pressure of the air bag. The pressure adjusting mechanism has a valve body (11) and a valve seat (6). A clearance (14) is established between the valve body (11) and the valve seat (6). The valve body (11) has a shaft portion (10) and a plurality of notches (12a, 12b, 12c) are provided on the outer periphery of the shaft portion (10). The shaft portion (10) engages with an outer casing (2) and maintains an initial position. When excessive acceleration is applied to the valve body (10), the valve body (10) slides against the regulation action of the notches (12a, 12b, 12c). The clearance (14) is controlled in response to the acceleration value. Consequently, the flow rate from the inflator to an air bag (4) is controlled in response to the clearance (4). If a momentary acceleration is applied (not a vehicle collision condition) to the valve body (11), the valve body (11) moves and clearance is reduced. However, the valve body (11) cannot return to the initial position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As a consequence, a need exists for an improved air bag apparatus that is able to overcome the above drawbacks.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an air bag apparatus which can maintain the initial position of the pressure adjusting mechanism when excessive acceleration is applied under the condition that it is not needed to expand the air bag.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, an air bag apparatus including a pressure control mechanism has a canister, an inflator that accumulates an operating gas, said inflator being arranged in said canister, an air bag that expands when said operating gas is supplied from said inflator through said canister, a pressure adjusting mechanism that adjusts the pressure value of said operating gas in said canister in response to an applied acceleration, a first opening hole formed in said canister that communicates with the internal portion of said pressure adjusting mechanism, a vent formed in said pressure adjusting mechanism, said vent communicating with the atmosphere, a weight that is provided in the pressure adjusting mechanism, said weight controlling said first opening hole opening, a second opening hole formed in said weight that establishes communication between said pressure adjusting mechanism and the atmosphere when said first and second opening holes are aligned, a spring arranged between said canister and said weight, said spring maintaining said weight in an initial position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded view in perspective of the air bag apparatus according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the air bag apparatus according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention taken along line A--A of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention taken along line B--B of FIG. 3 in an initial condition;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention taken along line B--B of FIG. 3 in an operating condition; and
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention taken along line B--B of the FIG. 3 in an idle condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an air bag apparatus illustrating features of the present invention. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an inflator 1 accumulates an operating gas, has a cylindrical body and is accommodated in a canister housing 3. An air bag 2 is folded and contained in the canister 3. The canister 3 is shaped like a rectangular parallelpiped and has an opening 34. The canister 3 is fixed to the instrument panel (not shown) through a bracket 32 and the opening 34 faces the direction of the passenger's seat. The inflator 1 is arranged in the canister 3 and tightly held by a screw 11 and nut 12. The air bag 2 has an opening 21 that introduces the gas from the inflator 1. The air bag 2 is fixed to the canister 3 for maintaining the air-tightness by using a fastener 22. The plate shaped fastener 22 is fixed to the inner surface of the canister 3 by a plurality of bolts (not shown).
With reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, a case 5, composed of a first case 51 and a second case 53, is mounted on a side wall 31 of the canister 3. The first case 51 is fitted on the surface of the side wall 31. There is disposed a plurality of welded bolts 52a on the side wall 31, and the case 5 is tightly secured to the canister 3 by the welded bolts 52a and nuts 52b. A pressure adjusting mechanism 4 is provided in the case 5. The first case 51 has a hole 51a which receives the nut 12.
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressure adjusting mechanism 4 has a plate shaped weight 41 and a spring 42. A projecting boss 53a is formed on the inner surface of the second case 53, and the weight 41 is rotatably arranged on the boss 53a. The weight 41 is in parallel with the first case 51. The spring 42 is arranged between the case 51 and the weight 41 under compression. One end of the spring 42 is engaged with an engaging portion 56. The engaging portion 56 is formed on the first case 51. The other end of the spring 42 is fixed to an engaging portion 41a of the weight 41. The weight 41 is pressed in the clockwise direction by force of the spring 42. As shown in FIG. 4, the weight 41 is fitted to the case 51 by the spring force in an initial position.
A vent 55, that communicates with the inside of the case 51, is formed in the second case 53 of the case 51. A first opening hole 33 is formed in the side wall 31 of the canister 3. A second opening hole 43 is formed in the weight 41. An air path 54 is formed in the first wall 51. When the weight 41 is rotated, the second opening hole 43 selectively aligns with the first opening hole 33 and the air path 54. When the first and second opening holes 33,43 face each other, the internal portion of the canister 3 communicates with the atmosphere. On the other hand, when the first opening hole 33 does not face the second opening hole 43, the internal portion of the canister 3 does not communicate with the atmosphere. The weight 41 functions as a shutter. The vent 55 has a convex portion 55a at the outer periphery of the second opening hole 43, and the convex portion 55a is fitted to the weight 41.
A damper mechanism 6 and a one way clutch 7 are mounted between the weight 41 and the case 51. The one way clutch 7 absorbs the operation of the damper mechanism 6. When the weight 41 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, the one way clutch 7 does not act on the damper mechanism 6. When the weight 41 rotates in the clockwise direction, the one way clutch 7 acts on the damper mechanism 6. A conventional damper mechanism 6 is adopted to this embodiment. The damper mechanism 6 is mounted on the axis of rotation. The damper mechanism 6 has a movable case 61 and a movable rotor. The movable case 61 is fastened to the weight by a bracket 61a. The one way clutch 7 has a latch plate 71 and a plate spring 72. The latch plate 71 is fixed to the axis of the damper mechanism 6 and it rotates together with the damper mechanism 6. The plate spring 72 is fixed to the case 51 at a fixed portion 56. The tip portion of the plate spring 72 is engaged with the teeth 71a of the latch plate 71. When the weight 41 turns counterclockwise, the one way clutch 7 and the damper mechanism 6 do not work. When the weight 41 turns clockwise, the one way clutch 7 and the damper mechanism 6 works. As a result, a damping force of the damper mechanism 6 is applied to the weight 41 and the weight 41 returns to the initial position receiving the damping force. The spring 42 is wound on the outer portion of the disk shaped movable case 61.
FIG. 4 shows a initial position of the pressure adjusting mechanism 4. The internal portion of the canister 31 does not communicate with the atmosphere because the weight 41 blocks the vent 55. In this condition, if the predetermined acceleration is applied to the controller, the inflator 1 operates. The operating gas from the inflator 1 is introduced into the canister 3 and the air bag 2. The air bag 2 expends and protects the passenger from the collision.
When excess acceleration occurs, the weight 41 turns counterclockwise (shown in FIGS. 5 and 6). At that point, the damping force of the damper mechanism 6 is not applied to the weight 41. The excess acceleration is determined in accordance with the acceleration value and the continuance time.
The rotational degree of the weight 41 is determined according to the acceleration value. If the acceleration exceeds a predetermined value by a small amount, the weight 41 turns and the first opening hall 33, second opening hole 43 and the vent 55 align with each other (shown in FIG. 5). The internal portion of the canister 3 communicates with the atmosphere and the inflated gas in the canister 3 is exhausted. Consequently, the gas amount introduced into the air bag decreases and an internal pressure of the air bag is kept keeps low. If the acceleration exceeds the predetermined value beyond a certain level, the weight 41 turns and the weight 41 blocks up the vent 55 (shown in FIG. 6). The internal portion of the canister 3 does not communicate with the atmosphere and all of the inflated gas in the canister 3 is introduced into the air bag 2. Consequently, the internal pressure of the air bag is kept high.
When the weight 41 returns to the initial position, the weight 41 turns clockwise slowly receiving a damping force. The present invention controls the communication between the internal portion of the canister 3 and the atmosphere, the internal air pressure value of the canister 3 is proportionally controlled in response to the acceleration value. Therefore, the expected internal pressure is produced in response to the acceleration value.
The weight 41 turns in accordance with the applied acceleration whether the air bag operates or not. When the acceleration is canceled, the weight 41 returns to the initial position as shown in FIG. 4.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with one of its preferred embodiments, it should be understood that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
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The air bag apparatus has a pressure adjusting mechanism. The pressure adjusting mechanism controls a flow rate of the operating gas. When acceleration caused by a collision exceeds a predetermined level by a small level, the pressure adjusting mechanism releases the operating gas into the atmosphere. When the acceleration well exceeds the predetermined level, the pressure adjusting mechanism does not release the operating gas.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application 60/680,388 filed May 12, 2005, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of accessing a biological lumen and closing the access port thereby created.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of diagnostic and interventional vascular procedures are now performed translumenally, where a catheter is introduced to the vascular system at a convenient access location—such as the femoral, brachial, or subclavian arteries—and guided through the vascular system to a target location to perform therapy or diagnosis. When vascular access is no longer required, the catheter and other vascular access devices must be removed from the vascular entrance and bleeding at the puncture site must be stopped.
One common approach for providing hemostasis is to apply external force near and upstream from the puncture site, typically by manual compression. This method is time-consuming, frequently requiring one-half hour or more of compression before hemostasis. This procedure is uncomfortable for the patient and frequently requires administering analgesics. Excessive pressure can also present the risk of total occlusion of the blood vessel, resulting in ischemia and/or thrombosis.
After hemostasis is achieved by manual compression, the patient is required to remain recumbent for six to eighteen hours under observation to assure continued hemostasis. During this time bleeding from the vascular access wound can restart, potentially resulting in major complications. These complications may require blood transfusion and/or surgical intervention.
Bioabsorbable fasteners have also been used to stop bleeding. Generally, these approaches rely on the placement of a thrombogenic and bioabsorbable material, such as collagen, at the superficial arterial wall over the puncture site. This method generally presents difficulty locating the interface of the overlying tissue and the adventitial surface of the blood vessel. Implanting the fastener too far from the desired location can result in failure to provide hemostasis. If, however, the fastener intrudes into the vascular lumen, thrombus can form on the fastener. Thrombus can embolize downstream and/or block normal blood flow at the thrombus site. Implanted fasteners can also cause infection and auto-immune reactions/rejections of the implant.
Suturing methods are also used to provide hemostasis after vascular access. The suture-applying device is introduced through the tissue tract with a distal end of the device located at the vascular puncture. Needles in the device draw suture through the blood vessel wall on opposite sides of the punctures, and the suture is secured directly over the adventitial surface of the blood vessel wall to close the vascular access wound.
To be successful, suturing methods need to be performed with a precise control. The needles need to be properly directed through the blood vessel wall so that the suture is well anchored in tissue to provide for tight closure. Suturing methods also require additional steps for the surgeon.
Due to the deficiencies of the above methods and devices, a need exists for a more reliable vascular closure method and device. There also exists a need for a vascular closure device and method that is self-sealing and secure. There also exists a need for a vascular closure device and method requiring no or few extra steps to close the vascular site.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method for accessing a biological lumen having a lumen wall and surrounding tissue is disclosed. The method includes forming a path between the lumen wall and the surrounding tissue. The method further includes extending the path through the lumen wall. The method also includes opening the path to the lumen.
The method of forming the path can include inserting a device between the lumen wall and the surrounding tissue. Extending the path can include inserting the device through the lumen wall. Opening the path can include inserting the device into the lumen. The method can include delivering a filler into the path.
The method can include filling the path. Filling the path can include delivering a filler into the path. The filler can have a solid-setting liquid. The filler can have an epoxy.
The method can include applying pressure to the path. Applying pressure to the path can include delivering filler adjacent to the path. Delivering filler adjacent to the path can include delivering filler between the lumen wall and the surrounding tissue. Delivering filler can include delivering filler in the lumen wall. Delivering filler can include delivering filler in the surrounding tissue.
Also disclosed is a method for forming an arteriotomy in a lumen having a lumen wall and surrounding tissue. The method includes translating a device substantially between the lumen wall and the surrounding tissue. The method further includes turning the device toward the lumen. The method also includes translating the device through the lumen wall. The method also includes removing the device from the lumen wall.
The surrounding tissue can have adventitia. Turning can include relaxation of a preformed configuration in the device.
The method can also include translating a guide through the device. Translating a guide can include translating the guide into the lumen. The method can also include translating a guide into the lumen. Translating a guide can include translating the guide through the device.
An access device for accessing a biological lumen is disclosed. The device has an introduction device having a relaxed configuration. The relaxed configuration has a first flat section, a first bend at an end of the first flat section, and a first slope extending at a first end from the first bend. The introduction device is configured to be translated with respect to the access device.
The relaxed configuration of the introduction device can have a second bend at a second end of the first slope, a second flat section extending at a first end from the second bend, a third bend at a second end of the second flat section, and a second slope extending from the third bend. The access device can have a delivery guide. The delivery guide can be configured to deliver the introduction device.
The access device can have an anchor. The anchor can extend from the delivery guide. The anchor can be configured to stabilize the access device with respect to the lumen.
A device for accessing a biological lumen is disclosed. The biological lumen has a lumen wall having a longitudinal lumen wall axis. The device has an elongated member that has a longitudinal member axis. The member is configured to access the lumen at a first angle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a method of using the arteriotomy device in a cross-section of a lumen.
FIGS. 2 through 5 illustrate a method of using the arteriotomy device in a cross-section of a lumen.
FIG. 6 illustrates a portion of an arteriotomized lumen.
FIGS. 7 through 11 illustrate various embodiments of section A-A of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of the arteriotomy device in a first configuration.
FIG. 13 is a close-up view of an embodiment of section B of FIG. 12 .
FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of the arteriotomy device of FIG. 12 in a second configuration.
FIG. 15 is a close-up view of an embodiment of section C of FIG. 14 .
FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment of the arteriotomy device of FIG. 12 in a third configuration.
FIG. 17 is a close-up view of an embodiment of section D of FIG. 16 .
FIG. 18 illustrates an embodiment of the arteriotomy device of FIG. 12 in a fourth configuration.
FIG. 19 is a close-up view of an embodiment of section E of FIG. 18 .
FIG. 20 illustrates an embodiment of the arteriotomy device of FIG. 12 in a fourth configuration.
FIGS. 21 and 22 are close-up views of various embodiments of section F of FIG. 20 .
FIG. 23 illustrates an embodiment of the arteriotomy device.
FIG. 24 illustrates an embodiment of the arteriotomy device of FIG. 12 in a fifth configuration.
FIG. 25 is a close-up view of an embodiment of section G of FIG. 24 .
FIG. 26 illustrates an embodiment of the arteriotomy device.
FIG. 27 is a close-up view of an embodiment of section H of FIG. 26 .
FIGS. 28 through 32 illustrate various embodiments of cross-section I-I of FIG. 27 .
FIGS. 33 and 34 are a perspective and side view, respectively, of an embodiment of section H of FIG. 26 .
FIG. 35 illustrates an embodiment of a method of using the arteriotomy device in a cross-section of a lumen.
FIG. 36 is a close-up view of an embodiment of section J of FIG. 35 .
FIG. 37 illustrates an embodiment of a method of using an embodiment of the arteriotomy device of FIG. 35 in a cross-section of a lumen.
FIG. 38 is a close-up view of an embodiment of section K of FIG. 37 .
FIGS. 39 and 40 illustrate various methods of using the arteriotomy device.
FIGS. 41 and 42 illustrate sectional views of an embodiment of the delivery guide.
FIGS. 43 through 48 illustrate various embodiments of the introduction device.
FIGS. 49 and 50 are various embodiments of cross-section K-K of FIG. 48 .
FIGS. 51 through 53 illustrate various embodiments of the introduction device.
FIGS. 54 and 55 illustrate various embodiments of the introduction device in relaxed configurations.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/844,247, filed 12 May 2004, is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Aspects, characteristics, components or complete embodiments of devices and methods disclosed therein can be used with anything disclosed herein.
FIGS. 1 through 6 illustrate embodiments of an arteriotomy device 2 , and methods for accessing (e.g., percutaneously) a biological lumen 4 and deploying an introduction device 6 that can have one or more pre-formed bends. The biological lumen 4 can be surrounded by a lumen wall 8 (e.g., intima and/or media). The lumen wall 8 can be surrounded by surrounding tissue 10 (e.g., media and/or adventitia).
The arteriotomy device 2 can have a delivery guide 12 . The delivery guide 12 can be slidably attached to an anchor 14 . The anchor 14 can be rigid, flexible or combinations thereof. The anchor 14 can be resilient, deformable or combinations thereof. The anchor 14 can be retractable and extendable from the delivery guide 12 . The anchor 14 can have a guide eye sheath or an attachable guidewire. The anchor 14 can have an integral, or multiple separate and fixedly attached, wound wire. The anchor 14 can have a wire coating, for example a lubricious coating and/or a coating made from urethane
The anchor 14 can have an anchor longitudinal axis 16 . The introduction device can have an introduction longitudinal axis 18 . The intersection of the anchor longitudinal axis 16 and the introduction longitudinal axis 18 can be an introduction angle 20 . The anchor 14 can be inserted into the biological lumen 4 using a Seldinger technique, modified Seldinger technique, or other method known to one having ordinary skill in the art.
The arteriotomy device 2 can be configured to deliver the introduction device at the introduction angle 20 . The introduction device 6 can have an introduction longitudinal axis. The introduction angle 20 can be the intersection of the introduction longitudinal axis 18 and the anchor longitudinal axis 16 . The introduction angle 20 can have an absolute value from about 0° to about 30°, more narrowly from about 0° to about 19°, yet more narrowly from about 0° to about 15°, yet more narrowly from about 5° to about 10°, for example about 10°.
Any or all elements of the arteriotomy device 2 or other devices or apparatuses described herein can be made from, for example, a single or multiple stainless steel alloys, nickel titanium alloys (e.g., Nitinol), cobalt-chrome alloys (e.g., ELGILOY® from Elgin Specialty Metals, Elgin, Ill.; CONICHROME® from Carpenter Metals Corp., Wyomissing, Pa.), molybdenum alloys (e.g., molybdenum TZM alloy, for example as disclosed in International Pub. No. WO 03/082363 A2, published Oct. 9, 2003, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety), tungsten-rhenium alloys, for example, as disclosed in International Pub. No. WO 03/082363, polymers such as polyester (e.g., DACRON® from E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del.), carbon fiber composites (e.g., carbon fiber nylon composite, such as carbon fiber reinforced nylon 66), polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), expanded PTFE (ePTFE), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), nylon, polyether-block co-polyamide polymers (e.g., PEBAX® from ATOFINA, Paris, France), aliphatic polyether polyurethanes (e.g., TECOFLEX® from Thermedics Polymer Products, Wilmington, Mass.), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane, thermoplastic, fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), absorbable or resorbable polymers such as polyglycolic acid (PGA), polylactic acid (PLA), polydioxanone, and pseudo-polyamino tyrosine-based acids, extruded collagen, silicone, zinc, echogenic, radioactive, radiopaque materials or combinations thereof. Examples of radiopaque materials are barium sulfate, zinc oxide, titanium, stainless steel, nickel-titanium alloys, tantalum and gold.
Any or all elements of the arteriotomy device 2 , including supplemental closure devices, such as filler, or other devices or apparatuses described herein can be or have a matrix for cell ingrowth or used with a fabric, for example a covering (not shown) that acts as a matrix for cell ingrowth. The matrix and/or fabric can be, for example, polyester (e.g., DACRON® from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del.), polypropylene, PTFE, ePTFE, nylon, extruded collagen, silicone or combinations thereof.
The elements of the arteriotomy device 2 and/or the filler and/or the fabric can be filled and/or coated with an agent delivery matrix known to one having ordinary skill in the art and/or a therapeutic and/or diagnostic agent. The agents within these matrices can include radioactive materials; radiopaque materials; cytogenic agents; cytotoxic agents; cytostatic agents; thrombogenic agents, for example polyurethane, cellulose acetate polymer mixed with bismuth trioxide, and ethylene vinyl alcohol; lubricious, hydrophilic materials; phosphor cholene; anti-inflammatory agents, for example non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) inhibitors (e.g., acetylsalicylic acid, for example ASPIRIN® from Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany; ibuprofen, for example ADVIL® from Wyeth, Collegeville, Pa.; indomethacin; niefenamic acid), COX-2 inhibitors (e.g., VIOXX® from Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, N.J.; CELEBREX® from Pharmacia Corp., Peapack, N.J.; COX-1 inhibitors); immunosuppressive agents, for example Sirolimus (RAPAMUNE®, from Wyeth, Collegeville, Pa.), or matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitors (e.g., tetracycline and tetracycline derivatives) that act early within the pathways of an inflammatory response. Examples of other agents are provided in Walton et al, Inhibition of Prostoglandin E 2 Synthesis in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Circulation , Jul. 6, 1999, 48-54; Tambiah et al, Provocation of Experimental Aortic Inflammation Mediators and Chlamydia Pneumoniae, Brit. J Surgery 88 (7), 935-940; Franklin et al, Uptake of Tetracycline by Aortic Aneurysm Wall and Its Effect on Inflammation and Proteolysis, Brit. J Surgery 86 (6), 771-775; Xu et al, Sp1 Increases Expression of Cyclooxygenase-2 in Hypoxic Vascular Endothelium, J. Biological Chemistry 275 (32) 24583-24589; and Pyo et al, Targeted Gene Disruption of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (Gelatinase B) Suppresses Development of Experimental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, J. Clinical Investigation 105 (11), 1641-1649 which are all incorporated by reference in their entireties.
The delivery guide 12 can be deployed through the surrounding tissue 10 and into the lumen wall 8 and/or the lumen 4 . As illustrated in FIGS. 45 and 46 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/844,247 for a toggle deployment device, the arteriotomy device 2 can have a pressure check port. The pressure check port can be in fluid communication with a sensor or port on or near the handle of the arteriotomy device 2 , such as an external lumen where blood flow can be observed, for example from flow from the end of an external tube or port and/or through a transparent or translucent window. The pressure check port can facilitate deployment of the arteriotomy device 2 to a location where the pressure check port is introduced to pressure, for example when the pressure check port enters the biological lumen 4 . The sensor or port on or near the handle of the arteriotomy device 2 will signal that the pressure check port has been placed into the biological lumen 4 (e.g., by displaying a small amount of blood flow). The pressure check port can be deployed into the biological lumen 4 and then withdrawn from the biological lumen 4 to the point where the lumen wall 8 just stops the pressure in the pressure check port. An entry wall retainer port can additionally perform the function as described herein for the pressure check port.
The delivery guide 12 can form a first arteriotomy 22 . When the anchor 14 is properly located in the lumen 4 , a luminal retainer 24 and/or an entry wall retainer 26 can be deployed from the anchor 14 and/or the delivery guide 12 . The anchor 14 , and/or luminal retainer 24 , and/or entry wall retainer 26 can be wires, rods, inflatable balloons, or combinations thereof. The anchor 14 , and/or luminal retainer 24 , and/or entry wall retainer 26 can be separate, integral or a single component.
When the anchor 14 is properly located in the lumen 4 , the introduction device 6 can be translated, as shown by arrow. The introduction device can form a second arteriotomy 28 . The introduction device 6 can create a cleavage 30 between the lumen wall 8 and the surrounding tissue 10 . The introduction device 6 can cleave a plane in the lumen wall 8 , as shown in FIG. 2 . The cleavage 30 and/or cleavage plane can be substantially parallel with a lumen wall surface 32 . The introduction device 6 can be adjacent to the adventitia in a blood vessel. The introduction device 6 can be advanced along the subintimal or submedial cleavage plane in a blood vessel.
Once the lumen wall 8 , and/or the surrounding tissue 10 , and/or the cleavage 30 has been cleaved, a subintimal angioplasty can be performed as known to one having ordinary skill in the art. Once the lumen wall 8 , and/or the surrounding tissue 10 , and/or the cleavage 30 has been cleaved, a remote endarterectomy can be performed as known to one having ordinary skill in the art.
The introduction device 6 can have one or more straights and/or bends. Various bent introduction devices 34 and straight introduction devices 36 can be swapped during use to selectively cleave the lumen wall 8 and/or the surrounding tissue 10 and/or the cleavage 30 . Tools, such as guides (e.g., guidewires), can be inserted through hollow introduction devices 6 to selectively cleave.
As shown in FIG. 3 , when a bend 34 in the introduction device 6 moves into the lumen wall 8 , the introduction device 6 can rotate and slope, as shown by arrow, toward the biological lumen 4 . The bend 34 in the introduction device 6 can continue to rotate the introduction device 6 toward the biological lumen 4 . When the introduction device 6 is sloping, the introduction angle 20 can be from about 0° to about 120°, more narrowly from about 5° to about 45°, yet more narrowly from about 10° to about 30°, for example about 15°.
FIG. 4 illustrates that the introduction device 6 can be further translated, as shown by arrow. The introduction device 6 can enter the lumen 4 .
The introduction device 6 can pass through an introduction run 38 and an introduction rise 40 . The introduction run 38 can be the component of the length of the introduction device 6 in the lumen wall 8 that is parallel to the lumen wall 8 . The introduction run 38 can be the component of the length parallel to the lumen wall 8 between the opening of the second arteriotomy 28 on the outside of the lumen wall 8 and the opening of the second arteriotomy 28 on the inside lumen wall surface 32 . The introduction run 38 can be from about 0.10 cm (0.010 in.) to about 3.810 cm (1.500 in.), for example about 0.64 cm (0.25 in.).
The introduction rise 40 can be the component of the length of the introduction device 6 in the lumen wall 8 that is perpendicular to the lumen wall 8 . The introduction rise 40 can be the component of the length perpendicular to the lumen wall 8 between the opening of the second arteriotomy 28 on the outside of the lumen wall 8 and the opening of the second arteriotomy 28 on the inside lumen wall surface 32 . The introduction rise 40 can be from about 0.51 mm (0.020 in.) to about 5.08 mm (0.200 in.), for example about 1.0 mm (0.040 in.).
An introduction slope can be the ratio of the introduction rise 40 to the introduction run 38 . The introduction slope can be from about ½ to about 1/40 or less, for example about ⅙, also for example about ⅓. The introduction slope can be, for examples, equal to or less than about ½ or ⅓, more narrowly equal to or less than about ⅓ or ¼, yet more narrowly equal to or less than about ⅕ or ⅙, even still more narrowly than about equal to or less than about 1/10.
The introduction rise 40 and the introduction run 38 can be components of an introduction vector. The introduction run 38 can be the component of the introduction vector parallel to the lumen wall 8 . The introduction rise 40 can be the component of the introduction vector perpendicular to the lumen wall 8 . The introduction vector can be a vector from an outer opening 42 to an inner opening 44 . The outer opening 42 can be a temporary or permanent opening in the lumen wall 8 or in the surrounding tissue 10 formed by the initial translation of the introduction device 6 out of the delivery guide 12 . The inner opening 44 can be a temporary or permanent opening on the lumen wall surface 32 .
FIG. 5 illustrates that the introduction device 6 can act as a pathway for a luminal tool, for example a guidewire 46 .
An introducer sheath (not shown) can be inserted over the guidewire 46 and/or over or through the introduction device 6 . The introducer sheath can be less than about 22 French (7.3 mm, 0.29 in. diameter) or less than the diameter of the lumen to which the introducer sheath is introduced. The introducer sheath can be, for examples, about 6 French (2.3 mm, 0.092 in. diameter), and about 8 French (2.67 mm, 0.105 in. diameter). The introducer sheath can be known to one having ordinary skill in the art, for example the introducer sheath described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,464 to Dubrul, et al.
The introducer sheath can be inserted into the second arteriotomy 28 . The introducer sheath can expand the second arteriotomy 28 to a desired or workable size. The introducer sheath can be inserted into the second arteriotomy 28 before and/or after and/or concurrently with when the filler, described infra, is deployed and/or other closure methods or devices are used.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an exemplary biological lumen 4 after the arteriotomy device 2 has been deployed to, and removed from, the biological lumen 4 . The biological lumen 4 can have the second arteriotomy 28 . The biological lumen 4 can have a first web 48 on one side of the second arteriotomy 28 , and a second web 50 on the opposite side of the second arteriotomy 28 . The blood pressure 52 , shown by arrows, on the first and second webs 48 and 50 can self-seal the second arteriotomy 28 .
The second arteriotomy 28 can have an arteriotomy cross-section that can have an arteriotomy diameter 54 . The arteriotomy diameter 54 can be from about 0.5 mm (0.020 in.) to about 400 mm (15 in.), yet a narrower range from about 1.0 mm (0.040 in.) to about 10.2 mm (0.400 in.), for example about 2.54 mm (0.100 in.). The arteriotomy diameter 54 can be about the diameter of the introduction device 6 .
The arteriotomy cross-section can be non-circular. The arteriotomy can have an arteriotomy width and an arteriotomy height. The arteriotomy width can be about half the circumference of the arteriotomy. The arteriotomy width can be from about 1.0 mm (0.040 in.) to about 10.2 mm (0.400 in.), for example about 4.06 mm (0.160 in.).
The arteriotomy height 152 can be less than about 0.51 mm (0.020 in.), more narrowly, less than about 0.38 mm (0.015 in.). The arteriotomy height can be from about 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) to about 1.3 mm (0.050 in.), for example about 0.38 mm (0.015 in.). The arteriotomy diameter, and/or height, and/or width can be small enough to enable cell growth, blood clotting, acoustic sealing, heat sealing, gluing, enhanced self-sealing and combinations thereof across the second arteriotomy 28 .
The delivery guide 12 and/or other components of the arteriotomy device 2 can form a delivery path 56 during use. During percutaneous use, the delivery path can extend to the skin 138 .
The second arteriotomy 28 can have a flat 58 and a slope 60 . The flat 58 can be the cleavage 30 between the lumen wall 8 and the surrounding tissue.
FIG. 8 illustrates that the second arteriotomy 28 can have a first flat 58 , a first slope 64 , a second flat 66 , and a second slope 68 . The second arteriotomy 28 having multiple flats and slopes can be made from one or more introduction devices 6 that can have various geometries.
FIG. 9 illustrates that the second arteriotomy 28 , for example in the flat 58 and/or the slope 60 , can be filled with a filler 70 . The filler 70 can be a solid single component, multiple solid components (e.g., beads), a biocompatible epoxy, or combinations thereof. The filler 70 can be completely or partially bioabsorbable, bioresorbable, bioadsorbable or combinations thereof. The filler 70 can be made from homografts, heterografts or combinations thereof. The filler 70 can be made from autografts, allografts or combinations thereof.
The filler 70 can be delivered (e.g., injected and/or implanted) into the second arteriotomy 28 through the surrounding tissue 10 , for example by percutaneous injection. The filler 70 can be delivered (e.g., injected and/or implanted) into the second arteriotomy 28 through the second arteriotomy 28 , for example via the introduction device 6 during introduction and/or removal of the introduction device 6 .
The filler 70 can be permanently or temporarily deployed. The filler 70 can biodissolve after hemostasis is achieved and/or after the arteriotomy is substantially or completely healed. The filler 70 can be maintained from about 15 minutes to about 24 hours or more, for example about 120 minutes.
FIG. 10 illustrates that the filler can be in the cleavage 30 , not in the second arteriotomy 28 . The filler 70 can exert a filler pressure 72 on the second arteriotomy 28 , for example on the flat 58 and/or slope 60 . The second arteriotomy 28 can be compressed by the blood pressure 52 and the filler pressure 72 .
FIG. 11 illustrates that the filler can be in the in the cleavage 30 , not in the second arteriotomy 28 . The filler 70 can exert filler pressure 72 against the second flat 66 and/or first slope 64 and/or other sections of the second arteriotomy 28 .
The filler 70 can be between the second arteriotomy 28 and the lumen 4 (not shown). The filler 70 can be in the surrounding tissue 10 .
FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate the arteriotomy device 2 . The arteriotomy device 2 can have a handle 74 that can be integral with or fixedly attached to a delivery guide extension 76 . The delivery guide extension 76 can be integral with or fixedly attached to the delivery guide 12 . The anchor 14 can extend from, and be slidably and/or fixedly attached to or integral with, the delivery guide 12 .
The anchor 14 can have an anchor first length 78 extending from the delivery guide 12 . The anchor 14 can have an anchor first bend 80 at the end of the first anchor length 78 distal to the delivery guide 12 . An anchor second length 82 can extend at a first end from the anchor first bend 80 . A second end of the anchor second length 82 can have an anchor second bend 84 . An anchor third length 86 can extend from the anchor second bend 84 . The anchor third length 86 can terminate. The anchor 14 can have any combination of lengths and bends.
The radius of curvature for the anchor bends 80 and 84 can be from about 0.1 mm (0.004 in.) to about 2.0 mm (0.079 in.). The anchor lengths on both sides of any anchor bend can form an anchoring angle. The anchoring angles can be from about 90° to about 160°, more narrowly from about 120° to about 150°, for example about 135°. The anchor 14 can have a cross-section having an anchor diameter from about 0.38 mm (0.015 in.) to about 1.0 mm (0.039 in.), for example about 0.71 mm (0.028 in.).
The anchor third length 86 can have an anchor tip 88 . The anchor tip 88 can be narrowed, widened, sharpened, dulled, or otherwise configured to promote sharp or blunt dissection. The anchor tip 88 can have an anchor end port 90 . The anchor end port 90 can be in communication with an anchor guidewire lumen (not shown). The anchor guidewire lumen can be in communication with a guide lumen 92 in the delivery guide extension 76 , and/or the handle 74 , and/or a third control 94 . The guide lumen 92 can have open access along the delivery guide extension 76 , and/or along the handle 74 , and/or along the third control 94 (as shown).
The handle 74 can have a first control 96 . The first control 96 can be slidably attached to a control slide 98 . The first control 96 can be configured to be ergonomically receptive to be activated a digit and/or a palm.
The handle 74 can have a second control 100 . The second control 100 can be rotatably attached to the handle 74 , for example at a control pivot 102 . The second control 100 can have a tab 104 . The tab 104 can be configured to be ergonomically receptive to be activated by a digit and/or a palm.
The handle 74 can have a third control 94 . The third control can be slidably attached to the handle 74 . The third control 94 can have or be a plunger. The third control 94 can have a press 106 . The press 106 can be configured to be ergonomically receptive to be activated by a digit and/or a palm. The handle 74 can have one or more grips 108 . The grips 108 can be configured to be ergonomically receptive to be held by a digit and/or a palm.
The configuration of any of the first, second or third controls 96 , 100 and 94 can be any configuration (e.g., the first control can have the rotatable lever of the second control 100 ).
A guidewire 46 can be in proximity to the anchor tip 88 .
FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate that the guidewire 46 can be inserted into the anchor end port 90 , as shown by arrows. The guidewire 46 can be fed through the anchor guidewire lumen and the guide lumen 92 . The guidewire 46 can exit through the open section of the guide lumen 92 .
The guidewire 46 can be used to deploy the arteriotomy device to a desired location in a lumen. The arteriotomy device 2 can be translated, for example percutaneously, over and along the guidewire 46 . If the guidewire 46 is in a lumen, the arteriotomy device 2 can be translated along the guidewire 46 , for example, until blood appears at the pressure check port.
FIG. 16 illustrates that the first control 96 can be activated, as shown by arrow. The first control 96 can be translated along the control slide 98 . Activating the first control 96 can translatably and/or rotatably deploy the luminal retainer 24 , as shown by arrow in FIG. 17 .
The luminal retainer 24 can be a wire, scaffold or stent—for example made from a deformable or resilient material, such as a shape memory alloy—an inflatable balloon, or combinations thereof. Intralumenal inflatable balloons, such as those inflated with saline solution or carbon dioxide, are known to those having ordinary skill in the art. The luminal retainer 24 can extend into the delivery guide 12 .
FIG. 17 illustrates that the luminal retainer 24 can be deployed, as shown by arrow, for example due to the activation of the first control 96 . The luminal retainer 24 can have a first stressed configuration. The luminal retainer 24 can have a second relaxed configuration. The luminal retainer 24 can be in a relaxed of a stressed configuration prior to deployment. The luminal retainer 24 can be in a relaxed or a stressed configuration after deployment. The relaxed configuration of the luminal retainer 24 can be the deployed configuration of the luminal retainer 24 .
The luminal retainer 24 can be configured to press against the lumen 4 during use. The luminal retainer can be deployed by translating, rotating or a combination thereof, with respect to the anchor 14 .
The luminal retainer 24 can deploy from the anchor 14 . The luminal retainer 24 can deploy from a luminal retainer port (not shown). The luminal retainer 24 can have a luminal retainer deployed diameter. The luminal retainer deployed diameter can be from about 2.54 mm (0.100 in.) to about 10.2 mm (0.400 in.), for example about 6.35 mm (0.250 in.).
FIG. 18 illustrates that the second control 100 can be activated, as shown by arrow. The second control 100 can be rotated around the control pivot 102 . Activating the second control can translatably and/or rotatably retract the anchor 14 , as shown by arrows in FIG. 19 .
FIG. 19 illustrates that the anchor 14 can translate both parallel and/or perpendicular to the delivery guide 12 .
The anchor first length 78 can have an anchor shift 110 or small inflection. The anchor shift 110 can be configured wherein the anchor first length 78 shifts perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the delivery guide 12 , as seen in FIG. 19 . An introduction lumen exit port 112 can be covered by the anchor first length 78 , for example, before the anchor is retracted into the delivery guide 12 .
When the anchor is retracted into the delivery guide 12 , an introduction lumen exit port 112 can be exposed. When the anchor is retracted into the delivery guide 12 , the anchor shift 110 , laterally positioned compared to the rest of the anchor first length 78 , can expose the introduction lumen exit port 112 . When the anchor is retracted into the delivery guide 12 , the anchor shift 110 , laterally positioned compared to the rest of the anchor first length 78 , can force the entire anchor 14 to move laterally, thereby exposing the introduction lumen exit port 112 .
FIG. 20 illustrates that the third control 94 can be activated, as shown by arrow. The third control 94 can be translated with respect to the handle 74 . Activating the third control can translatably deploy the introduction device 6 , as shown by arrow in FIG. 21 .
The introduction device 6 can have an introduction device diameter. The introduction device diameter can be from about 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) to about 1.0 mm (0.039 in.), for example about 0.56 mm (0.022 in.).
The arteriotomy device 2 can be configured to deploy the introduction device 6 from the anchor 14 and/or the delivery guide 12 (as shown). The anchor 14 and/or delivery guide 12 can have the introduction lumen exit port 112 . The introduction device 6 can deploy through the introduction lumen exit port 112 . The introduction device 6 can be a solid or hollow needle, or combinations thereof.
FIG. 22 illustrates that the distance perpendicular to the introduction device 6 between the introduction lumen exit port 112 to the anchor first length 78 can be substantially and/or completely equal to the introduction rise 40 . The anchor 14 can have one or more radiopaque marks. For example, the anchor first length 78 can have a first radiopaque mark 114 . The first radiopaque mark 114 can be significantly longer along the anchor first length 78 than the first radiopaque mark 114 is tall or wide. The delivery guide 12 can have a second radiopaque mark 116 . The second radiopaque mark 116 can be parallel and aligned with the path of the introduction device 6 where the introduction device 6 exits the introduction lumen exit port 112 . The user can view a radiograph or to assist in the placement of the arteriotomy device 2 .
FIG. 23 illustrates that the arteriotomy device can have a first, second and third radiopaque marks 114 , 116 and 118 . The first radiopaque mark 114 can be on the handle. The second radiopaque mark 116 can be on the delivery guide extension 76 . The third radiopaque mark 118 can be on the anchor 14 . A straight alignment axis 120 can pass through the first, second and third radiopaque marks 114 , 116 and 118 . The user can utilize the alignment axis 120 to assist in the placement of the arteriotomy device 2 , for example while viewing a radiograph.
The radiopaque marks can be marks for any type of medical imagining. For example, the marks could be sono-opaque and/or sono-reflective for use with sonographs.
FIG. 24 illustrates that the third control 94 can be activated further, for example, by continuing to translate the third control 94 toward the handle 74 , as shown by arrow. Activating or re-activating the third control can translatably deploy the introduction device 6 , as shown by arrow in FIG. 25 .
The introduction device 6 can have a bend 34 . The bend 34 can be in a relaxed configuration of the introduction device 6 . If the introduction device 6 is deployed far enough, the bend 34 can rotate the introduction device 6 toward the lumen 4 .
The first, second and third controls 96 , 100 and 94 can have lockouts to prevent the controls 96 , 100 and 94 from being activated incorrectly (e.g., to prevent use in the wrong order).
FIG. 26 illustrates that the luminal retainer 24 can form a circular, oval, or spiral configuration. FIG. 27 illustrates that the anchor 14 can have a luminal retainer exit port 122 .
FIGS. 28 through 32 illustrate various configurations of the luminal retainer 24 in the anchor 14 prior to deployment. FIG. 28 illustrates that one end of the luminal retainer can be fixedly or rotatably attached to the anchor 14 . The luminal retainer 24 can have a ball 124 and the anchor 14 can have a socket 126 . The ball 124 can have an interference fit in the socket 126 . When the deployment force is applied, shown by arrow, the luminal retainer 24 can relax, if pre-stressed (e.g., heat-treated to a specific shape), and/or be forced into buckling out through the luminal retainer exit port 122 .
FIG. 29 illustrates that the luminal retainer 24 can be loaded in a loop or spiral configuration in the anchor 14 . When the deployment force is applied, as shown by arrow, the loop 128 will naturally expand and exit the luminal retainer port 122 .
FIG. 30 illustrates that the luminal retainer can be pre-formed with a curvature 130 . When the deployment force is applied, shown by arrow, the luminal retainer 24 can relax, if pre-stressed (e.g., heat-treated to a specific shape), and/or be forced into buckling into the anchor 14 across from the luminal retainer exit port 122 . The luminal retainer 24 can then buckle and/or twist at the weakest point along the length, for example the curvature 130 . The luminal retainer 24 can then exit through the luminal retainer exit port 122 .
FIG. 31 illustrates that the luminal retainer 24 can be fixed to the anchor 14 , for example at a fixation area 132 (e.g., via welding, gluing, snap fitting, etc.). FIG. 32 illustrates that the embodiments of the luminal retainer can be reversed in direction with respect to the remainder of the arteriotomy device 2 .
FIGS. 33 and 34 illustrate that the luminal retainer 24 can deploy as the loop or spiral. The luminal retainer 24 can deploy out of the luminal retainer exit port 122 on the anchor (as shown) and/or the delivery guide 12 .
FIGS. 35 and 36 illustrate that arteriotomy device 2 can be translated deep enough into the lumen 4 to contact the deployed luminal retainer 24 against the lumen wall 8 opposite from the arteriotomy 134 . FIGS. 37 and 38 illustrate that the handle 74 can be translated, as shown by arrow in FIG. 37 , away from the lumen 4 . The luminal retainer 24 can be translated, as shown by arrow in FIG. 38 , into the lumen wall 8 closest to the arteriotomy 134 . The luminal retainer 24 can abut the lumen wall 8 , for example, acting as the entry wall retainer 26 . The delivery guide extension 76 can be rotatably attached to the delivery guide 12 , for example by a hinge 136 .
FIG. 39 illustrates that the handle 74 and the delivery guide extension 76 can rotate around the hinge, as shown by arrows, with respect to the delivery guide 12 , the anchor 14 and the luminal retainer 24 . Rotated configurations of the handle 74 and the delivery guide extension are shown in phantom lines. The handle 74 and delivery guide extension 76 can be manipulated during use with a minimal impact on the delivery guide 12 , the anchor 14 and the luminal retainer 24 .
FIG. 40 illustrates that the delivery guide extension can be flexible. The handle 74 and the delivery guide extension 76 can rotate around the flexible delivery guide extension 76 , as shown by arrows, with respect to the delivery guide 12 , the anchor 14 and the luminal retainer 24 . Rotated configurations of the handle 74 and the delivery guide extension are shown in phantom lines.
FIG. 41 illustrates a first longitudinal section 140 of the delivery guide 12 . FIG. 42 illustrates a second longitudinal section 142 of the delivery guide 12 . The first longitudinal section 140 can be a complete or substantial mirror image of the second longitudinal section 142 .
An extension attachment 144 can be configured to fixedly attach to the delivery guide extension 76 . The extension abutment 146 can be configured to abut against and/or fixedly attach to the delivery guide extension 76 . The extension attachment 144 and/or extension abutment 146 can form fluid-tight and/or air-tight seals with the delivery guide extension 76 .
The anchor lumen 148 can be configured to receive and deploy the anchor 14 out the anchor exit port 150 . The introducer lumen 152 can be configured to receive and deploy the introduction device 6 out the introduction lumen exit port 112 . The relative geometries of the anchor lumen 148 , the introducer lumen 152 , the anchor exit port 150 , and the introduction lumen exit port 112 can be changed to alter the introduction angle 20 , introduction run 38 , introduction rise 40 , and the geometry of the arteriotomy 134 including the geometries of the slopes 60 and flats 58 of the arteriotomy 134 .
The delivery guide half attachments 154 can attach the first longitudinal section 140 to the second longitudinal section 142 , for example by rotatably attaching to a screw. The seam surfaces 156 of the first longitudinal section 140 can form fluid-tight and/or air-tight seals with the seam surfaces 156 of the second longitudinal section 142 . The delivery guide tip 158 can be sharpened, dulled, or otherwise configured to aid sharp or blunt dissection.
FIGS. 43 through 46 illustrate solid introduction devices 6 that can each have an introduction device shaft 160 that can terminate in an introduction device tip 162 . As shown in FIG. 43 , the introduction device tip 162 can have a centered needle point. The introduction device tip 162 can have an introduction device tip cross-section 164 . The introduction device tip cross-section 164 can be circular or square or combinations thereof. The introduction device tip can be curved (not shown).
FIG. 44 illustrates that the introduction device tip 162 can have an off-center needle point. The introduction device tip cross-section 164 can be circular or square or combinations thereof. The introduction device 6 can be configured to have a flat side along the introduction device shaft 160 and along the introduction device tip 162 .
FIG. 45 illustrates that the introduction device tip 162 can have a centered chisel point. The introduction device tip cross-section 164 can be oval, rectangular, elliptical, or a combination thereof.
FIG. 46 illustrates that the introduction device tip 162 can have a off-centered chisel point. The introduction device tip cross-section 164 can be oval, rectangular, elliptical, or a combination thereof. The introduction device 6 can be configured to have a flat side along the introduction device shaft 160 and along the introduction device tip 162 .
FIGS. 47 through 53 illustrate hollow introduction devices 6 that can each have an introduction device shaft 160 that can terminate in an introduction device tip 162 . The introduction device shaft 160 can have a hollow guide lumen 92 than can extend to the introduction device tip 162 or to the side of the introduction device shaft 160 . The guide lumen 92 can terminate at a guide port 166 . A guide (e.g., a guidewire or other tool) can be slidably attached to the introduction device 6 in the guide lumen 92 . The guide lumen can have a guide shaft 168 that can terminate in a guide tip 170 . The guide 172 can exit the introduction device at the guide port 166 .
As shown in FIG. 47 , the introduction device tip 162 can be a centered hollow needle point. The guide tip 170 can be a centered needle point. The guide tip 170 can be aligned with the introduction device tip to form a substantially smooth combined tip.
As shown in FIG. 48 , the introduction device tip 162 can be an off-center hollow needle point. The guide tip 170 can be a centered needle point.
FIG. 49 illustrates that the guide shaft 168 can have a key 174 and/or a slot 176 (not shown). The introduction device shaft 160 can have a slot 176 and/or a key 174 (not shown). The key 174 on the guide shaft 168 can slidably attach to the slot 176 in the introduction device shaft 160 . The slidable attachment of the key 174 and slot 176 can prevent the guide shaft 168 from rotating about a longitudinal axis with respect to the introduction device shaft 160 .
FIG. 50 illustrates that the guide lumen 92 and the guide shaft 168 can be oval. The oval configurations of the guide lumen 92 and the guide shaft 168 can prevent the guide shaft 168 from rotating about a longitudinal axis with respect to the introduction device shaft 160 .
FIG. 51 illustrates that the introduction device tip 162 can have a curved end 178 . The curved end 178 can be configured to fit into a recess 180 in the guide 172 . The recess 180 can have a hook 182 . The curved end 178 can have a notch 184 . The hook 182 can interference fit and/or snap fit the notch 184 .
FIG. 52 illustrates that the guide lumen 92 can be curved. The guide lumen 92 can terminate at a guide port 166 in the side of the introduction device shaft 160 .
FIG. 53 illustrates that the introduction device tip 162 and/or the introduction device shaft (not shown) can be curved. The guide 172 or lengths of the guide 172 can be curved in a relaxed configuration. The guide 172 or lengths of the guide 172 can be curved in a stressed configuration due to the curvature of the introduction device 6 .
Any of the introduction devices 6 shown in FIG. 43 through FIG. 46 can be hollowed and configured identically or similar to the introduction devices illustrated in FIG. 47 through FIG. 53 . Any of the introduction devices 6 shown in FIG. 47 through FIG. 53 can have no guide lumen and be configured identically or similar to the introduction devices illustrated in FIG. 43 through FIG. 46 .
The guides 172 and/or guide lumens 92 and/or introduction devices 6 can have a lubricious coating or be impregnated to elute a lubricious material.
FIG. 54 illustrates that the introduction device 6 can have a relaxed configuration having a flat 58 that can have a bend 34 at one end. A slope can extend from the bend 34 . The relaxed configuration of the introduction device 6 can form the arteriotomy configuration, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 , during deployment of the introduction device 6 from the delivery guide 12 .
FIG. 55 illustrates that the introduction device 6 can have a relaxed configuration having a first flat 62 that can have a first bend 186 at one end. A first slope 64 can extend at a first end from the first bend 186 . The first slope 64 can have at a second end a second bend 188 . A second flat 66 can extend at a first end from the second bend 188 . The second flat 66 can have at a second end a third bend 190 . A second slope 68 can extend from the third bend 190 . The relaxed configuration of the introduction device 6 can form the arteriotomy configuration, for example, as shown in FIGS. 8 , 10 and 11 , during deployment of the introduction device 6 from the delivery guide 12 .
The introduction device 6 , for example a hollow introduction device 6 , can act as a pathway for a luminal tool, for example tools such as a guidewire 46 , to be deployed into the lumen 4 . The introduction device 6 , for example a solid introduction device 6 , can be removed from the second arteriotomy 28 and the luminal tool can be deployed through, for example, the introduction lumen exit port 112 , and the second arteriotomy 28 . The introduction device 6 , or part thereof, can be the luminal tool, for example the guide 172 . The introduction device 6 can be further deployed and used as a luminal tool after passing through the lumen wall 8 .
The guide 172 can remain substantially in place after the arteriotomy device 2 is removed. A portion of the guide 172 can be outside the lumen 4 and another portion of the guide 172 can be inside the lumen 4 . The guide proximal end can then be attached to additional devices and implants to guide the devices and implants into the lumen. The filler 70 can be added after additional procedures are completed and the guide 172 is removed, or before the guide 172 is removed, using the guide 172 to redeploy the arteriotomy device 2 back to the arteriotomy 134 to deliver the filler 70 .
Method of Manufacture
The elements of the arteriotomy device 2 , and those of any other devices and components disclosed herein, can be directly attached by, for example, melting, screwing, gluing, welding or use of an interference fit or pressure fit such as crimping, snapping, or combining methods thereof. The elements can be integrated, for example, molding, die cutting, laser cutting, electrical discharge machining (EDM) or stamping from a single piece or material. Any other methods can be used as known to those having ordinary skill in the art.
Integrated parts can be made from pre-formed resilient materials, for example resilient alloys (e.g., Nitinol, ELGILOY®) that are preformed and biased into the post-deployment shape and then compressed into the deployment shape as known to those having ordinary skill in the art.
Any elements of the arteriotomy device 2 , and those of any other devices and components disclosed herein, including the supplemental closure devices, as a whole after assembly, can be coated by dip-coating, brush-coating or spray-coating methods known to one having ordinary skill in the art.
One example of a method used to coat a medical device for vascular use is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,556 by Ding et al. and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Time release coating methods known to one having ordinary skill in the art can also be used to delay the release of an agent in the coating, for example the coatings on the supplemental closure devices.
Any elements herein can be covered with a fabric, for example polyester (e.g., DACRON® from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del.), polypropylene, PTFE, ePTFE, nylon, extruded collagen, silicone or combinations thereof. Methods of covering an implantable device with fabric are known to those having ordinary skill in the art.
As shown in FIGS. 13 , 41 and 42 , the delivery guide 12 can be fixedly composited, for example with a weld, unitary construction (e.g., by casting), snap fitting components, a screw 192 , or combinations thereof. The screw 192 can attach the delivery guide 12 to the delivery guide extension 76 , for example by screwing through the delivery guide and/or by squeezing the delivery guide onto the delivery guide extension.
The radiopaque marks can be attached to the elements and/or coated on the surface of the elements and/or manufactured integrally in the elements.
The introduction device 6 , guide 172 , anchor 14 , luminal retainer 24 , entry wall retainer 26 , any other elements, or combinations thereof can be heat set in a relaxed configuration using methods know to those having ordinary skill in the art.
It is apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to this disclosure, and equivalents employed, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Elements shown with any embodiment are exemplary for the specific embodiment and can be used on other embodiments within this disclosure.
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Devices and methods for accessing and closing vascular sites are disclosed. Self-sealing closure devices and methods are disclosed. A device that can make both steeply sloping and flat access paths into a vascular lumen is disclosed. The device can also form arteriotomies with sections cleaved between a vessel's intima and adventitia. Methods for using the device are also disclosed.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns improvements in and relating to roller subs for use downhole in oil or gas wells as part of the tool string or drill string to reduce friction between the string and the wellbore.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Roller subs are used widely throughout the oil industry but especially in wireline toolstrings, which rely on gravity alone to advance the toolstring, and are especially useful down wells that deviate substantially from the vertical.
Conventional roller subs are generally substantially solid circular cylindrical bodies that are milled to provide radial slots at intervals therearound and therealong. These slots each accommodate a respective roller wheel. Two example prior art configurations of multi-roller wheel sub are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 below.
In the FIG. 1 example the cylindrical body 1 , formed with the plurality of slots 2 , holds each roller wheel 3 in place in its respective slot by means of a grub screw 4 which locks down onto a radius groove machined into the head of a caphead screw 5 that serves as the axle of the respective roller wheel 3 .
In the FIG. 2 example, the roller sub has substantially the same configuration but in this case the axle 6 of each roller wheel 3 has an undercut into which a fixing grub screw 7 locks.
A number of practical problems arise from the use of such conventional designs of multiroller wheel sub, perhaps the most important of which is that the axles and the grub screws and other locking fixtures for holding the roller wheels 3 in place are vulnerable to mechanical failure which may lead to jamming of roller wheels or their loss downhole. Loss of mechanical components such as these downhole is, of course, extremely undesirable since they may interfere with operation of the well and necessitate costly interruption of production to attempt to locate and fish them out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a roller sub for use downhole in oil or gas wells as part of a toolstring or drill string to reduce friction between the string and wellbore, which roller sub carries at least one roller wheel, wherein the roller sub is a modular assembly of parts which assemble together to trap the at least one roller wheel in place between them.
Preferably the modular assembly comprises a body formed of segments.
Suitably the modular assembly body of the roller sub comprises six segments.
Advantageously each roller wheel has integral (i.e. integrally formed or assembled) pivot pin means.
Preferably the pivot pin means of each roller wheel comprise axle stubs that are domed or substantially hemispherical in shape to co-operatively engage with correspondingly shaped recesses in the body of the roller sub.
Suitably each roller wheel has a circumferential groove whereby the roller wheel has a dumbell-like shape in profile.
Advantageously a channel is provided extending longitudinally through the roller sub to serve as a conduit for fluids or electric line.
Preferably part of the channel is defined by the circumferential grooves of the roller wheels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a first example of prior art roller sub and with insets showing transverse sections.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are, respectively, a transverse sectional view taken along the line I—I in FIG. 1 and along the line II—II in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a second example of prior art roller sub and with insets showing transverse sections.
FIG. 2A is a transverse sectional view taken along the line III—III in FIG. 2 .
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be now more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 of the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of roller sub fully assembled;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 but with two roller-mounting body segments of the roller sub disassembled therefrom.
FIGS. 5A and B are, respectively, a plan view of a body segment of the roller sub and a side elevation view of the same;
FIG. 6 is a transverse section along the line 6 — 6 of the body segment of FIGS. 5 A/B and shown schematically in-situ assembled with the other body segments and with a roller wheel shown in ghostline mounted thereto;
FIG. 7 is a transverse section of view of the body segment of FIGS. 5 A/B taken along the line 7 — 7 in FIGS. 5 A/B and again shown assembled together with the other segments;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 6;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a general assembly diagram of the roller sub, as fully assembled, and showing the top sub and bottom sub part cut away; and
FIGS. 11 and 12 are, respectively, a transverse sectional view taken along the line 11 — 11 in FIG. 10 and along the line 12 — 12 in FIG. 10 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 12 the roller sub of the present invention does not comprise a one-piece cylindrical body with machined slots for roller wheels as in the prior art. Instead, it comprises a modular assembly of body segments 12 a - 12 f with the roller wheels 30 each having integrally formed pivot pin means 31 and being substantially encased and thereby locked within the roller sub body 1 ′ during assembly of the body 1 ′.
The sub body 1 ′ comprises a top sub 100 , a bottom sub 200 and an intermediate body part 300 . The intermediate body part 300 encases the roller wheels 30 in use and is composed of the body segments 12 a - 12 f that fit together. In the illustrated form it is composed of six body segments 12 a - 12 f , two of which are seen disassembled from the sub body 1 ′ in FIG. 4 .
The body segments 12 a - 12 f are formed as metal bars that are of cross sectional shape that is generally a segment of a circle, whereby the assembled sub intermediate part 300 is substantially circular cylindrical. The bars 12 a - 12 f are suitably cast, but may be machined to have a pair of longitudinally spaced apart recesses 40 a , 40 b , angled at different radial orientations. Each recess 40 a , 40 b defines half of a cavity to receive a roller wheel 30 and which mates with a recess 40 a , 40 b of an adjacent one of the bars 12 a - 12 f to define a full cavity.
The six body segments 12 a - 12 f between them define six cavities, each to accommodate a respective one of six roller wheels 30 , each wheel 30 oriented radially outwardly at a different orientation from each other and the wheels 30 between them substantially covering the full 3600 circumference around the sub.
Each of the roller wheels 30 is seated within a respective cavity and is held within the cavity by co-operative engagement of the axle stubs 31 of the roller wheel 30 with corresponding sockets 32 in the wall of each opposing recess 40 a , 40 a ′ defining the mounting cavity for the roller wheel 30 . Each axle stub socket 32 is suitably a substantially hemispherical recess to receive a corresponding hemispherical shape of axle stub 31 .
The simple act of assembling two adjacent body segments 12 a , 12 b together around a roller wheel 30 traps it in place between the two. When all six body segments 12 a - 12 f are assembled together as the intermediate body part 300 trapping all six wheels 30 in place, they are secured together in assembled state by screw thread mounting of the top sub 100 to the upper end of the intermediate body part 300 , and with the lower end of the intermediate body part 300 being threadedly coupled with the bottom sub 200 .
By screw threaded engagement of the intermediate body part 300 with the top and bottom subs 100 , 200 it is possible to completely avoid use of any grub screws or other means of locking the parts together. However, individual grub screws may additionally or alternatively be used for this purpose while still achieving a very marked improvement over the prior art arrangement of roller sub, using only a pair of grub screws 34 , one for coupling with the intermediate part 300 with the top sub 100 , and the other for coupling with the bottom sub 200 .
The provision of the roller wheels 30 with their own integrally formed pivot pin means, i.e axle stubs 31 confers a number of technical benefits. The axle stubs 31 of the roller wheels 30 occupy little volume in comparison to the axles and locking grub screws of the prior art. This provides the opportunity of forming the roller wheel 30 with a broader profile than the conventional wheel, and which suitably has a pulley-like shape, as illustrated, with a prominent rim portion 35 at each end separated by a median groove portion 33 .
This profile of the wheel 30 provides for a wide stable wheel while minimising surface contact area. The wheel 30 configuration as a whole is more robust and more stable and spans a greater proportion of the circumference of the roller sub 1 ′, enabling provision of roller wheel 30 contact with the well bore around the full circumference of the roller sub with as few as six wheels 30 and, therefore, within a relatively short length of roller sub, making the whole device far more compact in all respects than the prior art roller sub and utilising less roller wheels 30 as well as avoiding the need for the various other fixing components.
With six wheel-mounting segments and between them carrying six wheels 30 , each of wide span, substantially any orientation around the full circumference presents at least a part of a roller wheel 30 to the well bore. This enables, at the simplest level, a tool string to be supported by the one short roller sub at each end of the tool string, avoiding the need for many subs or subs of extended length.
Through avoiding use of separate axles and locking screws and the like, a number of yet further technical benefits ensue. In particular, not only does the assembly of the present invention avoid risk of loss of components down hole but maintenance is also made much simpler. In the prior art configuration great trouble has to be taken in the assembly of the roller wheels to the roller sub to minimise the risk of their falling out, in use, and the locking screws are commonly bonded into place with adhesive, whereby stripping of the tool for maintenance is made awkward and often leads to damage to the screw threads and the need to clean and replace not only the roller wheels, but also the axles and screws. In the case of the present invention the roller sub is disassembled very easily, simply by unscrewing the top and bottom end subs 100 , 200 and the service engineer need only clean and replace the roller wheels 30 , where necessary.
By forming the axle stubs 31 of the roller wheel 30 to be domed and suitably substantially hemispherical in shape, they are able to support the roller wheel 30 effectively under heavy lateral loads, further enhancing the substantial improvement in strength of the axles.
The roller wheels 30 by virtue of their ‘pulley-like’ or ‘dumbell-shaped’ profile, are able to more easily traverse debris downhole. Furthermore, the manner of mounting of the roller wheels within the connector body provides a wheel cavity with better clearance for egress of any debris that might otherwise enter and interfere with operation of the wheel.
The pulley-like or dumbell-shaped profile of the roller wheels 30 has a yet further benefit in that where the roller wheels 30 come together back-to-back in the roller sub, the median groove portion 33 of each wheel 30 combines with the groove 33 of each of the adjacent two wheels 30 to define a substantially sized generally circular or polygonal space 41 which may form part of a conduit that extends through the length of the roller sub. This can best be seen in FIGS. 11, 12 and may be exploited for a number of purposes including accommodating an electric line extending the length of the sub. Indeed, in one embodiment the roller sub may be adapted specifically for this purpose and have a male electrical connector at one end and a female electrical connector at the other end, linked by electrical wire extending between the ends through the conduit 41 . Such a configuration is original and is facilitated through the existence of the median grooves 33 of the roller wheels to define the basis for the passage/conduit 41 without wastage of space and enabling maintenance of the compact design of the whole assembly.
The roller sub of the present invention has been tested and established to work efficiently to angles of well bore deviation as much as 88°—e.g. where the toolstring extends initially substantially vertically but turns to extend substantially horizontally downhole.
The compact configuration of the roller sub of the present invention enables it to be scaled down to a diameter as small as 2 inches, if necessary, and still be effective.
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The present invention provides a roller sub for use downhole in oil or gas wells as part of a toolstring or drill string to reduce friction between the string and wellbore. The roller sub is a modular assembly of parts which assemble together to trap the roller wheels in place between them, avoiding need for grub screws to fasten the individual wheels and rendering the roller sub very compact.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data transmission, and more particularly to method and system for transmitting data between two devices based on two-dimension barcode technology, where either one of the two devices is not equipped with the traditional networking capabilities.
2. Description of Related Art
With the development of data network and consumer electronics, there is a great need for data sharing between the network and various consumer electronics devices, such as mobile telephones, PDAs and MP3 players and etc. In some application, data such as text, image, audio and video etc. are exchanged between various devices. There are a lot of methods for data transmission between different devices, wired or wireless means. For example, cables, wireless network, infrared transmission and blue teeth technology are commonly used. Cables and cable networks need physical medium for connections, creating some inconvenience in some applications. Wireless network, infrared transmission and the blue teeth technology are wireless transmission methods, requiring no physical medium for connections but corresponding communication adapters are required to be embedded in devices, thus increasing not only the cost, but also the complexity of the devices.
Two-dimension barcode technologies have been developed in recent years, which has been applied in fields such logistics, ID identification and high rate data logging in etc. Two-dimension barcode technologies encode data into a two dimension symbol that takes a small amount of space in physical size and has higher error correction capabilities. A certain level of damage to a two-dimension symbol is not going to lose data. Two-dimension symbols can be put into applications via printing and network transmission. Comparing with the commonly-seen one-dimension barcode, a two-dimension symbol or barcode has features such as high data storage capability and strong error correcting capability. For example, QR two-dimension barcode has an ability to store as much as 2K data and recover the data when 30% of the two-dimension symbol is destroyed.
Thus there is a need for techniques for transmitting data between devices based on two-dimension barcode technology, where either one of the devices is not equipped with the traditional networking capabilities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This section is for the purpose of summarizing some aspects of the present invention and to briefly introduce some preferred embodiments. Simplifications or omissions in this section as well as in the abstract or the title of this description may be made to avoid obscuring the purpose of this section, the abstract and the title. Such simplifications or omissions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
In general, the present invention pertains to techniques for transmitting data between devices based on two-dimension barcode technologies, where the devices are generally not equipped with the traditional networking capabilities, or at least these traditional networking capabilities are not used for the data communication. According to one aspect of the techniques, a first device receives data to be transmitted to a second device. The first device is configured to encode the data into one or more two-dimensional symbols that are then sequentially displayed on a display module thereof. The second device includes a camera module that is configured to take images of the displayed two-dimensional symbols. These images are sequentially processed and decoded so that the data originally from the first device is now received by the second device. If necessary, the second device can be configured to send a response to the first device by encoding the response into one or more two-dimensional symbols that are then displayed on a display module of the second device. A camera module of the first device takes pictures of the displayed symbols from the second device and processes the captured images to decode the data embedded in the symbols. As a result, the first and the second devices exchange data without using any of the traditional communication means (e.g., wired or wireless). With the present invention, many portable devices, such as digital cameras can now communicate directly.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention may operate in duplex or half-duplex working mode. For the half-duplex mode, one direction is for data communication, the other direction is for control data. For the full duplex mode, the transmitted data include not only the communication data, but also the control data.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a data communication system involving devices for exchanging data is configured to adaptively change data density in the symbols to achieve an optimum data transmission rate. As many two-dimensional symbols are structured in terms of parameters such as versions and correction levels, these parameters are self-adjusted so that a largest amount of data can be conveyed without incurring any errors.
The present invention may be implemented in software, hardware or a combination of both as an apparatus, a system, or a process. According to one embodiment, the present invention is a data transmission system based on two-dimension symbols, the system comprises a transmitting device providing source data for transmission and dividing the source data into a plurality of data blocks, wherein the transmitting device includes: a two-dimension encoder encoding data blocks into one or more two-dimensional symbols, a display module displaying the two dimension symbols; and a receiving device receiving the source data from the transmitting device, wherein the receiving device includes: a camera module continuously capturing images of the two-dimensional symbols from the display module of the transmitting device, a two-dimensional decoder decoding the two dimension symbols into the data blocks, wherein the receiving device groups the data blocks to recover the source data.
According to another embodiment, the present invention is method for transmitting data via two dimension barcode in a system, the system comprising a data source device and a data destination device, the method comprises: dividing source data into data blocks; encoding the data blocks into one or more two-dimensional symbols; displaying the two-dimensional symbols orderly or continuously in the data source device; capturing images of the displayed two-dimensional symbols by the data destination device; decoding the images of the two-dimensional symbols into data blocks; and grouping the data blocks to recover the source date by the data destination device.
One of the features, benefits and advantages in the present invention is to provide techniques for exchanging data among devices, where the devices do not have to be equipped with wired or wireless communication means.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon examining the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
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 description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a data transmission system via two-dimensional barcode technologies according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a flowchart or process of a transmitting equipment for transmitting data via two-dimensional symbols according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 3 is a flowchart or process of a receiving equipment for transmitting data via two-dimensional symbols according to one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The detailed description of the present invention is presented largely in terms of procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, or other symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble the operations of devices or systems contemplated in the present invention. These descriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art.
Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Further, the order of blocks in process flowcharts or diagrams or the use of sequence numbers representing one or more embodiments of the invention do not inherently indicate any particular order nor imply any limitations in the invention.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a data transmission system based on two-dimensional barcode technologies according to one embodiment of the present invention. The data transmission system includes a device 1 that provides source data and is referred to as a transmitting device, and a device 2 that serves as a data destination device and is referred to as a receiving device herein. Each of the devices or equipments 1 and 2 have a display module 13 or 17 and a camera module 11 or 14 , a two-dimension encoder 12 or 18 and a two-dimension decoder 10 or 16 . According to one embodiment, the transmitting device 1 divides source data into a plurality of data blocks, encodes data blocks into one or more two-dimension barcode symbols and then continuously displays the two-dimension barcode symbols on the display module 13 thereof according a predefined frame rate in sequence. The receiving device 2 captures images of the two-dimension barcode symbols displayed in the display module 13 , preprocess the images, and then decodes the two-dimensional barcode symbols into the data blocks. Finally, the receiving device 2 groups the data blocks to recover the data. As a result, the data transmission system realizes data transmission between two devices, where neither of the two devices has to be equipped with a communication means (e.g., a wired or wireless adaptor).
The data transmission system as described above may operate in duplex or half-duplex working mode. For the half-duplex mode, one direction is for the data communication, the other direction is for control data. For the full duplex mode, the transmitted data include not only the communication data, but also the control data.
One of the features in the present invention is that the data transmission system contemplated in the present invention based on two-dimension symbols is simple and of low cost. Devices in the data transmission system do not have to be equipped with any of the traditional communication means. It is noted, however, that the transmission process strongly relies on hardware features of the camera module 14 and the display module 13 . Additionally, external lighting affecting the performance of the display module as well as the camera module may interfere the data transmission. Accordingly, a mechanism is provided to adaptively gain a higher data transmission rate. According to one embodiment of the present invention, parameters such as versions, error correction levels of a two-dimension symbol and transmission parameters (e.g., frame rate) are adaptively adjusted to accommodate the environment to achieve an optimal data transmission rate.
Many two-dimension barcode symbols have a plurality of versions. For example, the QR code has 1˜40 versions, which can be embedded with different capacity data. When adopting version 1 , the QR symbol have the ability to store 26 bytes characters. When adopting version 40 , the QR symbol have the ability to store 3706 bytes characters. Along with the growth of the version number, the storage complexity increases, accordingly, the requirement to the display module 13 and the camera module 14 increases and at the same time any external light interference should be reduced.
Many two-dimension code technologies introduce error correction functions, which can correct errors within the limited range, e.g. QR code and PDF417 code, etc. The QR code offers four error correction levels such as L, M, Q, and H. Typically, the higher the error correction level is, the more there are error correction codeword in a two-dimensional symbol, consequently, the stronger the error correction capability a two-dimensional symbol has. The error correcting level can be applicable to any version. For the QR code in the version 1 , when the error correcting level is L, 7 bytes are required to serve as the error correcting codeword, the effective data is 19 bytes; when the selected error correcting level is H, 17 bytes are required to serve as the error correcting codeword, the effective data is 9 bytes.
It is observed that, for the QR code of the same version, when the error correcting level increases, the effective embed data quantity gradually decreases, but the error correcting capability increases. For the QR code with an error correcting level of L, it can correct about 7% of the error code, for the QR code with an error correcting level of H, it can correct about 30% of the error code.
It is understood that the higher the frame rate of the image sequence is during video transmission, the larger the data amount can be transmitted, which indicates a high coordination capability between a camera module and a display module, so that a receiving device is capable of analyzing the data in each frame of a two-dimensional symbol.
To facilitate the description of the present invention, the following description is based on the QR two-dimensional symbols. Those killed in the art can appreciate that the description herein may be equally applicable to other symbols. It is supposed that the QR code of Version 40 is used, the error correcting level is L, the frame rate is 10 frames per second, the data transmission rate shall be 28 KByte/s. To accommodate an environment that is unknown, according to one embodiment, a device sending out data is configured to use a relatively smaller version with relatively higher error correction level.
In order to ensure the accuracy of the data transmission under the condition of the hardware restriction and the external environmental interference, the data transmission system is configured to adjust the parameters of the two-dimension symbols being used. Depending on an exact implementation, the error correction level is fixed and the vision is adjustable, the error correction level is adjustable and the vision is fixed, or the error correction level and the vision are both adjustable. One of the objectives for adjusting the parameters regarding the two-dimensional symbols is to achieve an optimal data transmission rate.
Taking the QR code as the example, some of the parameters pertaining to the two-dimensional symbols are initialized. It is supposed that the version of the number i frame QR symbol is M i , wherein 1≦M i ≦40; the error correction level the number i frame QR barcode symbol is C i , wherein C i is one of L, M, Q, or H. The transmitted data quantity is Q i , the error data quantity is E i , so the error code ratio of the current frame data is
K i = E i Q i .
When no error code exists, K i =0. The effective data capacity of the current QR code image is P i , that then the permitted maximum code error ratio is
K
_
i
=
Q
i
-
P
i
Q
i
∘
According to one embodiment, a high threshold T h is established to determine whether or not to decrease the version of the QR, 0≦T h ≦ K i . Additionally, a low threshold T l is established to determine whether or not to increase the version of the QR, and it is known that 0≦T l ≦T h . In one special embodiment, T li is equal to zero, when the error ratio of continuous N frames is zero, it means that the condition for data transmission is enough, and the version of the QR is increased.
FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show, respectively, a flowchart or process of a transmitting or receiving device for transmitting data via two-dimensional symbols according to one embodiment of the present invention. The process 300 or 400 may be implemented in software, hardware or a combination of both as an apparatus, a system, or a process. The process 300 or 400 shall be readily understood in conjunction with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 .
In FIG. 2 , the process 300 begins at 302 , where a transmitting device initializes some of the parameters for a symbols being used. Some of the parameters include a symbol version and an error correcting level. Subsequently, the transmitting device determines data amount Q of each data block in accordance with the current QR code version and the error correcting level at 303 . It encodes the data block into the QR symbol at 304 , and displays the two-dimensional symbol on a display module of the transmitting device at 305 to complete the data block transmission. A receiving device receives an image of the two dimension symbol (e.g., via a camera thereof), processes it and finally responds with a type of response information.
At 306 , the camera module 11 of the transmitting device 1 takes the response information from the receiving device 15 , and this information also is encoded in a QR code. Because the response information has fewer data amount, a relatively lower version with relatively higher error correction level is preferred.
According to one embodiment, the response information comprises error code information occurred during this transmission, namely the error data quantity of this transmission, by which the transmitting device can determine if to retransmit the data block or to adjust the version of the QR code in next data transmission. At 307 , it decodes the response information and gains the error data quantity in this transmission. When the receiving end can not decode after receiving the data, namely the data transmission has exceeded the error correcting capability, under this condition, the error code information shall be set as MAX.
At 308 , the transmitted device determines if the error data quantity is equal to MAX. The YES branch is taken to 314 , where the version M is increased by one, and the process 300 goes to 315 , where the data block is recoded according to the corrected version, and then the process 300 switches to 304 to transmit again. If NO, it means the data has been successfully received in the receiving device and the process 300 goes to 309 , where the error code ratio K is calculated according to K=X/Q.
At 310 , the process 300 determines if K>T h , the YES branch is taken to 317 , where decreasing the version by one because that means it has successfully received the data, but the error ratio is relatively high. The process 300 goes to 303 to continue the data transmission. The NO branch is taken to 311 , where determining if the consecutive N frame transmitted symbols can ensure K<T l , which demonstrates that no error data exists. If YES, the version M is increased by one to accelerate the transmission rate at 312 . Otherwise the process 300 continues to adopt the current version. At 313 , determining if all data blocks have been transmitted, the YES branch is taken to 316 , where the process exits. The NO branch is taken to 303 to continue the transmission.
Referring to FIG. 3 , when the display module of the transmitting device displays the coded symbol, the camera 14 of the receiving device at 402 captures the symbol in image. At 403 , a preprocessing module 15 of the receiving device is configured to preprocess the captured image to improve the quality thereof. It decodes the QR symbol at 404 and the process 400 then goes to 405 , where it determines if it surpasses the error correction capability. The YES branch is taken to 406 , where the error code quantity is set to equal to MAX, and then the process 400 goes to 408 , otherwise calculating the error code quantity X at 407 . It continues the QR code for the error code quantity X at 408 .
At 409 , the display module of the receiving device displays a QR symbol as the response information. Then at 410 , it judges if the data has been completely received, if so, the process 400 exits the process, if not, the camera continues the data capture and the process 400 repeats the abovementioned process.
In the present embodiment, the error code amount in transmission serves as the response information. In a modification, the error code ratio is adapted to serves as the response information. In other words, the response information may be any information as long as it can directly or indirectly reflect the error code information.
Additionally, each data block is encoded into a QR symbol, the display module 13 or 17 is able to display one or more QR symbol at one time.
The present invention has been described in sufficient details with a certain degree of particularity. It is understood to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure of embodiments has been made by way of examples only and that numerous changes in the arrangement and combination of parts may be resorted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. For example, the present invention may be practiced independently from an online transaction module and can be used to capture displayed pages for collecting evidences or updating a digital evidence system. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description of embodiments.
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Techniques for transmitting data between devices based on two-dimensional symbols are disclosed, where the devices are generally not equipped with the traditional networking capabilities, or at least these traditional networking capabilities are not used for the data communication. According to one aspect of the techniques, two devices communicate with each other by displaying one or more two-dimensional symbols. Data is encoded into one or more symbols that are displayed on one of the devices. Images of the symbols are taken by another one of the devices to receive the data. These images are sequentially processed and decoded so that the data is now received. To accommodate various environments, the system is configured to adjust parameters pertaining to the symbols to achieve an optimum transmission rate.
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FIELD
[0001] Some embodiments relate to database systems. In particular, some embodiments concern systems for backing up a distributed database.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many database systems allow administrators or other authorized users to restore a database in the event of a database crash or other error. For example, a database system may employ a “shadow paging” system, in which a “last known good” version of a database is maintained within the database despite subsequent changes to the database. In the event of a crash, the last known good version is retrieved from the database and brought up to date (i.e., to the time of the crash) using data from a transaction log which is also stored in the database. The foregoing process limits the downtime needed for generating backups and for restoring the database from a stored previous version. However, the process requires that the last known good version and transaction log can be retrieved from the media in which the database is stored.
[0003] In order to provide recovery from media failure or other catastrophic failure, a database system may back up its data to a backup medium which is physically separate from the database system's storage media (e.g., one or more hard disks and/or Random Access Memory). In the event of a hardware failure, and if the database is backed up daily to a separate backup medium, an administrator may restore the database to a previous day's state by retrieving the previous day's data from the backup medium.
[0004] In a traditional “single node” database system, which consists of a single executing process and associated storage media, any full backup thereof represents a single consistent state of the database. A distributed database, on the other hand, consists of two or more nodes, each of which consists of a single executing process and associated storage media. The data stored in the storage media of all the nodes, taken together, represents the full database.
[0005] If each node of a distributed database is backed up as described above with respect to a single node database system, the backup of each node will represent a single consistent state of the node. Even if the backups of each node are commenced simultaneously, the backups of all the nodes will most likely not correspond to a single consistent state of the full database due to ongoing database transactions and a lack of synchronization between the nodes. Therefore, in order to ensure that the backups of all the nodes correspond to a single consistent state of the full database, each node of the distributed database must be stopped, and, after all nodes are stopped, each node is backed up. Each node is restarted only after the backup of all nodes is complete.
[0006] The full database is unavailable during the latter backup procedure described above. This downtime is significant and unacceptable in many scenarios. Systems are desired to backup distributed databases in an efficient manner which limits database downtime.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a distributed database system according to some embodiments.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a database node according to some embodiments.
[0009] FIGS. 3A and 3B comprise a flow diagram of a process according to some embodiments.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates a converter stored in a data area according to some embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates portions of converter leaf pages according to some embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 6 illustrates a portion of a restart record of a database node according to some embodiments.
[0013] FIG. 7 illustrates a portion of a snapshot information page of a database node according to some embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 8 illustrates a portion of an I/O management page of a database node according to some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of executing database instance 100 according to some embodiments. As shown, database instance 100 comprises a distributed database. The present description will assume that a distributed database consists of two or more database nodes, each of which includes at least one operating system process, a cache and a datastore. The terms “database” and “database instance” will be used interchangeably below.
[0016] According to the present example, database instance 100 includes database nodes 110 , 120 and 130 . Each node includes a respective database server process, a cache and a datastore. The data of datastores 116 , 126 and 136 , taken together, represent the full database of database instance 100 . The corresponding database server processes 112 , 122 and 132 operate to transparently provide the data of the full database to database applications.
[0017] In some embodiments, each of caches 114 , 124 and 134 is implemented in Random Access Memory (RAM), and each of datastores 116 , 126 and 136 is implemented in one or more fixed disks. Alternatively, one or more of nodes 110 , 120 and 130 may implement an “in-memory” database, in which both the data of the datastore and the cache are stored in volatile (e.g., non-disk-based) memory (e.g., RAM). In some embodiments, the data may comprise one or more of conventional tabular data, row-based data, column-based data, and object-based data. Database instance 100 may also or alternatively support multi-tenancy by providing multiple logical database systems which are programmatically isolated from one another.
[0018] Database instance 100 also includes coordinator 140 . Coordinator 140 may comprise a process and/or a device executing this process. Generally, coordinator 140 communicates with database nodes 110 through 130 in order to generate a consistent backup of distributed database instance 100 . Details of this communication according to some embodiments will be described below. Coordinator 140 may be implemented by a device separate from nodes 110 , 120 and 130 , or by one or more of nodes 110 , 120 and 130 .
[0019] Database instance 100 may communicate with one or more database applications (not shown) over one or more interfaces (e.g., a Structured Query Language (SQL)-based interface). The database applications may provide, for example, business reporting, inventory control, online shopping, and/or any other suitable functions. The database applications may, in turn, support client applications that may be executed by client devices. Such a client application may simply comprise a Web browser to access and display reports generated by a database application.
[0020] The data of database instance 100 may be received from disparate hardware and software systems, some of which are not interoperational with one another. The systems may comprise a back-end data environment employed in a business or industrial context. The data may be pushed to database instance 100 and/or provided in response to queries received therefrom.
[0021] Database instance 100 and each element thereof may also include other unshown elements that may be used during operation thereof, such as any suitable program code, scripts, or other functional data that is executable to interface with other elements, other applications, other data files, operating system files, and device drivers. These elements are known to those in the art, and are therefore not described in detail herein.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of database node 110 of database instance 100 according to some embodiments. As illustrated, database node 110 includes database server process 112 , cache 114 and datastore 116 .
[0023] For purposes of the foregoing description, it will be assumed that datastore 116 comprises only data volume 1162 . Datastore 116 may comprise one or more data volumes in some embodiments, with each of the one or more data volumes comprising one or more disparate physical systems for storing data. These physical systems may comprise a portion of a physical hard disk, an entire physical hard disk, a storage system composed of several physical hard disks, and/or RAM.
[0024] Generally, a data volume is subdivided into storage areas known as blocks, and data is stored in the data volume in data pages having the same size as a block. Accordingly, a particular data page of datastore 116 may be accessed by referencing the data volume and block address associated with that data page. The data pages may include application data consisting of tabular data, row-based data, column-based data, object-based data and associated index entries. In a case that datastore 116 includes more than one data volume, the data pages may be spread across one or more of its data volumes.
[0025] Data volume 1162 includes a file directory and a converter. If datastore 116 includes more than one data volume, the file directory and the converter may be spread across one or more of the data volumes. When a new data page is created, the data page is assigned a unique logical page number. The converter maps this logical page number to the data volume and block address at which the data page is stored. The file directory maps a file identifier to a logical page number of a corresponding file root page, and the aforementioned database catalog maps each file identifier to associated metadata, including a name of a database object associated with the file identifier. Accordingly, the information of the database catalog and the file directory may be used to determine a logical page number from a name of a database object, for example. Once the page number is known, the converter may be used to determine a block address at which a root page of the database object is stored.
[0026] The foregoing process also applies to “in-memory” implementations. However, an identifier of a data volume in which a data page is stored might not be utilized in such implementations, as the in-memory datastore might simply comprise addressable memory locations which are not divided into logical data volumes.
[0027] Datastore 116 may also include configuration files 1164 defining properties of database node 110 (e.g., a size and physical location of each data volume, a maximum number of data volumes in datastore 116 , etc.). Moreover, datastore 116 typically includes system files, database parameters, paths, user information and any other suitable information. Datastore 116 may also store a database catalog including metadata describing the database objects that are stored therein.
[0028] DB server process 112 may comprise any system for managing a distributed database instance that is or becomes known. Generally, DB server process 112 may receive requests for data (e.g., SQL requests from a database application), may retrieve the requested data from datastore 116 or from cache 114 , and may return the requested data to the requestor. In some embodiments, DB server process 112 includes SQL manager 122 to process received SQL statements and data access manager 124 to manage access to stored data. DB server process 112 may also perform start-up, logging, recovery, management, optimization, monitoring, indexing, integrity checks and other database-related tasks.
[0029] Frequently, SQL commands received from database applications will require the modification of data stored in a database, or addition of data to the database. When information stored in the database is to be modified, the data is retrieved from data volume 1162 and manipulated in cache 114 . Once the data manipulation is complete (or after a series of manipulations has completed), the modified data is written from cache 112 to data volume 1162 to update the database. Further, a log entry indicating the modifications may be written in data volume 1162 (e.g., to allow the database to be restored to a consistent state if an error occurs).
[0030] Cache 114 stores various elements of datastore 116 during execution of database node 110 . These elements may include recently-accessed pages of application data, converter pages, database catalog objects and/or a log queue.
[0031] Cache 114 includes converter 1141 and data pages 1145 . Converter 1141 and data pages 1145 are illustrated separately herein for the sake of clarity. However, according to some embodiments, converter 1141 and data pages 1145 might not comprise separate, contiguous memory addresses of I/O buffer cache 130 . For example, converter pages 1143 may be interspersed among data pages 1145 throughout cache 114 .
[0032] Generally, cache 1145 stores pages from data volume 1162 that have been recently read or write-accessed. If a database transaction requires modification of a page, the page is read from a block address of data volume 1162 specified in the file directory, the page is modified, and a log entry describing the modification is recorded. The modified page is stored in cache 114 , the modified page is designated as modified, and the original “last known good” page remains at the block address of data volume 1162 from which it was read. Once the number of modified pages in cache 114 reaches a threshold amount, or after passage of a designated time interval, all pages of cache 114 which are designated as modified are written to data volume 1162 .
[0033] A modified page is not written to the block address of data volume 1162 from which it was initially read. Rather, the original unmodified page remains designated as a “last known good” page at its block address and the modified page is written to a new block address of data volume 1162 .
[0034] A savepoint is executed to convert the modified pages stored in data volume 1162 to “last known good” pages and frees the blocks used by the existing “last known good” pages, so that pages may be written thereto. At a savepoint, all pages designated as modified in cache 114 are written to data volume 1162 as described above. Once all modified pages are written to data volume 1162 , the “last known good” pages associated with the modified pages are released so that their associated block addresses may be overwritten.
[0035] As mentioned above, the converter of data volume 1162 maps logical page numbers to block addresses of data volume 1162 . Accordingly, the converter must be to modified once a corresponding data page is saved to a new location of data volume 1162 . The modified converter pages are flushed to data volume 1162 at the end of a savepoint, particularly after all modified data pages are written. Then, a restart record is created to point to the starting point of the newly-saved converter within data volume 1162 . The restart record may be stored in any volume of datastore 116 .
[0036] In case of a system crash, the modified pages stored in data volume 1162 are ignored and data volume 1162 is reconstructed based on the restart record, the converter pages identified from the restart record, the “last known good” pages (which are identified by the converter pages), and the log entries (which reflect page changes since the last savepoint).
[0037] U.S. Pat. No. 7,440,979, entitled Snapshots For Instant Backup In A Database Management System, describes a system in which, at some savepoints, the previous “last known good” pages are not freed for overwriting. Rather, these data pages are marked, tagged, or otherwise identified as being part of a snapshot. Accordingly, these pages will not be overwritten until a command to remove the snapshot is received. These snapshot pages include pages storing application data (e.g., tabular data, row-based data, column-based data, object-based data and associated index entries) as well as converter pages pointing thereto. A “snapshot restart record” pointing to the starting point of this converter is also created. Consequently, data volume 1162 may be reconstructed based on the snapshot restart record, the converter pages identified from the snapshot restart record, and the “last known good” data pages of the snapshot (which are identified by the identified converter pages).
[0038] FIGS. 3A and 3B comprise a flow diagram of process 300 according to some embodiments. Some embodiments of process 300 may provide efficient backup of a multi-node distributed database. In some embodiments, various hardware elements of a database node execute program code to perform process 300 . Process 300 may be performed in response to a predefined schedule, a command received from a database manager (not shown), or any other trigger event.
[0039] Process 300 and all other processes mentioned herein may be embodied in computer-executable program code read from one or more of non-transitory computer-readable media, such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a Flash drive, and a magnetic tape, and then stored in a compressed, uncompiled and/or encrypted format. In some embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of, or in combination with, program code for implementation of processes according to some embodiments. Embodiments are therefore not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.
[0040] During a backup of a distributed database according to some embodiments, process 300 is independently and contemporaneously executed by each node of the distributed database. However, for the sake of clarity, process 300 will be described with respect to its execution by a single database node of a multi-node database.
[0041] To better convey the foregoing example of process 300 according to some embodiments, FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate examples of various elements of a database node prior to process 300 . Such a database node includes datastore 400 of FIG. 4 , which stores converter index pages 410 and converter leaf pages 420 of a converter. Storage locations of converter index pages 410 and converter leaf pages 420 are identified using the convention “volume number/block address”, and FIG. 4 thereby indicates that datastore 400 consists of at least three data volumes. As mentioned above, embodiments are not limited to database nodes having more than one data volume.
[0042] According to the present example, converter leaf pages 420 of FIG. 4 represent the “last known good” converter pages which were identified at the completion of a last savepoint. Index pages 410 may be used to locate a converter page 420 and to locate a data page in datastore 400 based on the located converter page 420 . Each index page 410 includes block addresses of one or more other index pages or of a converter page 410 . By virtue of this arrangement, any of converter pages 410 (and any associated data pages) may be located in datastore 400 based only on the block address of converter root page 415 .
[0043] FIG. 5 illustrates portions of some of converter leaf pages 420 according to some embodiments. Each of converter leaf pages 420 identifies a range of logical page numbers with which it is associated, and a block address at which it is stored. A converter leaf page 420 also associates a block address with each data page having a logical page number in the range of the converter leaf page 420 .
[0044] The node including datastore 400 continues to operate after the savepoint, during which data pages are loaded into the cache of the node and modified. Then, at S 301 of process 300 , the node receives an instruction to create a snapshot. The instruction is received from a coordinator and is transmitted to each node of the database instance. As mentioned above, the coordinator may transmit the instruction according to a predefined schedule, in response to a command received from a database manager (not shown), or in response to another event. As also mentioned above, the remaining steps of process 300 will be described with respect to a single node, but it should be understood that each node of the database instance executes the remaining steps of process 300 in response to the received instruction.
[0045] At S 304 , the modified pages currently residing in the cache are “flushed” to the datastore of the database node. Flushing comprises writing the modified pages in the cache to the datastore (e.g., datastore 400 ), releasing the “last known good” pages which are associated with the same logical page numbers as the modified pages, and designating the written modified pages as “last known good”. Moreover, appropriate pages of the cached converter are modified to reflect the new locations of the data pages within the datastore, the modified converter pages are written to new locations of the datastore, the “last known good” versions of these converter pages are released, and the written modified converter pages are designated as “last known good”.
[0046] The node transmits a confirmation message to the coordinator at S 306 . Since the node is currently executing and servicing requests from applications, etc., data pages begin to repopulate the cache and may be modified as soon as the modified pages are flushed at S 304 . Accordingly, any modified pages in the cache are repeatedly flushed as described above at S 308 until a message is received from the coordinator at S 310 .
[0047] As mentioned, each node of the database instance begins process 300 in response to receiving an instruction from the coordinator. The coordinator then waits to receive a confirmation message which is transmitted from each database node when those nodes reach S 306 of process 300 . In this regard, each database node may reach S 306 at a different point in time. After receiving a confirmation message from each of the database nodes of the database instance, the coordinator sends a message to all of the database nodes to enter a “critical phase”.
[0048] Upon receiving this message at S 310 , the repetitive flush of S 308 terminates and updates to the database node are blocked at S 312 . According to some embodiments, process 300 prevents concurrent write operations at S 312 by acquiring the “consistent change lock” in exclusive mode, and the write operations of the datastore interface acquire the consistent change lock in shared mode. Moreover, a transaction manager is instructed to not start or close any write transactions. A confirmation message is then sent to the coordinator at S 314 .
[0049] The coordinator waits to receive such a confirmation message from each database node of the database instance, which may occur at different points in time. Once all of these confirmation messages are received, the coordinator is aware that each database node is in the critical phase. The coordinator then sends another message to all of the database nodes, which is received by each node at 316 .
[0050] Modified pages may have accumulated in the cache of a database node during the period between termination of the flushing of S 308 and blocking of the updates at S 312 . These modified pages are copied to a staging area (e.g., a temporary memory buffer) at S 318 , because updates to the datastore are blocked at this point of process 300 .
[0051] Due to the execution of the repetitive flush at S 308 , the number of modified pages copied to the staging area during the critical phase is reduced in contrast to other proposed systems. Accordingly, in comparison to the backup systems described in the Background, some embodiments reduce the impact on concurrent write operations by limiting the time spent in the critical phase.
[0052] Next, at S 320 , the current log position is determined and saved. Log replay will start from this position during recovery based on the current backup. Updates to the database node are unblocked at S 322 . In some embodiments of S 322 , the consistent change lock is released and the transaction manager is instructed to allow transactions to start and close.
[0053] The pages copied to the staging area are written to the datastore at S 324 . This writing proceeds as described with respect to S 304 and S 308 (i.e., releasing the previous “last known good” versions of these data pages and marking the newly-written pages as “last known good”). The log queue is also written to the datastore up to the log position saved at S 320 .
[0054] At S 326 , a new restart record is written to the datastore. FIG. 6 illustrates Restart_Record 600 according to some embodiments. As shown, Restart_Record 600 is written to Volume 2 , Block 34 of the datastore, and includes members crConvRootBA and SnapInfoBA. The value of crConvRootBA references a location of the root page of the “last known good” converter, and the value of SnapInfoBA references a location of a page which lists snapshot restart records of all snapshots of the database node.
[0055] For example, Snapshot Info page 700 indicates the block address of each snapshot's converter root page. As shown, the snapshot restart record (i.e., 1/307) of the just-created snapshot (i.e., snap3) is identical to “last known good” converter root page of the most-recent savepoint, which, at the time represented in FIGS. 6 and 7 , is the savepoint at which the snapshot was created.
[0056] An anchor page pointing to the restart record is written at S 328 . For example, IOMan_InfoPage 800 of FIG. 8 includes, among other members, rstVolumeId and rstBlockNo fields to identify a location of Restart_Record 600 . Embodiments are not limited to the members and or member values illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 8 .
[0057] By virtue of the foregoing, the stored “last known good” pages of each database node, taken together, represent a transactionally-consistent state of the full database instance. Moreover, these “last known good” pages are associated with respective snapshots of each database node and are therefore persisted and easily accessible.
[0058] Next, at S 330 , the pages of the snapshot are written to persistent media. In one particular example, the anchor page is used to identify the location of the restart record, which is in turn used to determine the location of the snapshot info page. The converter root page of the latest snapshot is identified from the snapshot info page, and is used to identify all “last known good pages” of the snapshot. These “last known good” pages are written to the persistent media at S 330 .
[0059] The persistent media may be physically-removable from the database node in order to decouple the risk exposure of the backup and the database node. Each database node may write the pages of the snapshot to a dedicated persistent media, or two or more (e.g., all) of the database nodes may write their snapshot pages to a same persistent media.
[0060] In order to restore the full database to a consistent state, each node is independently restored to its prior state using its stored snapshot. Based on this consistent state, and if a log exists in the snapshot of each node, log replay can be activated independently within each node to further bring the full database back to the last-committed consistent state.
[0061] Elements described herein as communicating with one another are directly or indirectly capable of communicating over any number of different systems for transferring data, including but not limited to shared memory communication, a local area network, a wide area network, a telephone network, a cellular network, a fiber-optic network, a satellite network, an infrared network, a radio frequency network, and any other type of network that may be used to transmit information between devices. Moreover, communication between systems may proceed over any one or more transmission protocols that are or become known, such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).
[0062] Embodiments described herein are solely for the purpose of illustration. Those in the art will recognize other embodiments may be practiced with modifications and alterations to that described above.
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In an executing database instance including a plurality of database nodes, creation of a backup of the executing database instance includes creation of a current savepoint in one of the plurality of database nodes by storing first modified pages of a cache of the database node in a datastore of the database node, transmitting a confirmation after storing the first modified pages, repeatedly identifying second modified pages of the cache and storing the identified second modified pages in the datastore, receiving an instruction to enter a critical phase and stopping the repeated identifying and storing in response to the instruction, blocking updates to the database node and transmitting a second confirmation, and receiving a second instruction and, in response to receiving the second instruction, identifying third modified pages of the cache and storing the third modified pages of the cache in the datastore. Pages associated with the current savepoint are identified and stored in the datastore, and the pages associated with the current savepoint are stored in a persistent media.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to thiophenesulfonamides that have carbonic anhydrase inhibition activity and are useful as anti-glaucoma agents.
2. Background of the Art
Glaucoma is an ocular disorder associated with elevated intraocular pressures which are too high for normal function and may result in irreversible loss of visual function. If untreated, glaucoma may eventually lead to blindness. Ocular hypertension, i.e., the condition of elevated intraocular pressure without optic nerve head damage or characteristic glaucomatous visual field defects, is now believed by many ophthalmologists to represent the earliest phase of glaucoma.
Many of the drugs formerly used to treat glaucoma proved not entirely satisfactory. Indeed, few advances were made in the treatment of glaucoma since pilocarpine and physostigmine were introduced. Only recently have clinicians noted that many β-adrenergic blocking agents are effective in reducing intraocular pressure. While many of these agents are effective in reducing intraocular pressure, they also have other characteristics, e.g. membrane stabilizing activity, that are not acceptable for chronic ocular use. (S)-1-tert-Butylamino-3-[(4-morpholino-1,2,5-thiadiazol-3-yl)oxy]-2-propanol, a β-adrenergic blocking agent, was found to reduce intraocular pressure and to be devoid of many unwanted side effects associated with pilocarpine and, in addition, to possess advantages over many other β-adrenergic blocking agents, e.g., to be devoid of local anesthetic properties, to have a long duration of activity, and to display minimal tolerance.
Although pilocarpine, physostigmine and the β-adrenergic blocking agents mentioned above reduce intraocular pressure, none of these drugs manifests its action by inhibiting the enzyme carbonic anhydrase and, thereby, impeding the contribution to aqueous humor formation made by the carbonic anhydrase pathway.
Agents referred to as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, block or impede this inflow pathway by inhibiting the enzyme, carbonic anhydrase. While such carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are now used to treat intraocular pressure by oral, intravenous or other systemic routes, they thereby have the distinct disadvantage of inhibiting carbonic anhydrase throughout the entire body. Such a gross disruption of a basic enzyme system is justified only during an acute attack of alarmingly elevated intraocular pressure, or when no other agent is effective.
Topically effective carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are reported in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,386,098; 4,416,890; and 4,426,388. The compounds reported therein are 5 (and 6)-hydroxy-2-benzothiazolesulfonamides and acyl esters thereof.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,667 discloses a series of benzofuran-2-sulfonamides, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,477,466; 4,486,444; 4,542,152; and 4,585,787 disclose 5-phenylsulfonylthiophene-2-sulfonamides and 5-benzoylthiophene-2-sulfonamides and alkanoyloxy derivatives thereof which are reported to be topically effective carbonic anhydrose inhibitors useful in the treatment of elevated intraocular pressure and glaucoma.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,111 reports that thiophene or furan-2-sulfonamides, having a 4-benzyl substituent are effective for the topical treatment of elevated intraocular pressure and glaucoma.
In view of the above, it is clear that a great deal of research has been carried out on the use of sulfonamides for the topical treatment of glaucoma. Furthermore, certain thiophenesulfonamides have been suggested for the topical treatment of glaucoma. However, the use of 3-thiophenesulfonamides has not been suggested for use in the topical treatment of glaucoma.
Therefore, it is one objective of this invention to provide 3-thiophenesulfonamides for the treatment of glaucoma.
It is another object of this invention to provide compounds having carbonic anhydrase inhibition activity.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of inhibiting carbonic anhydrase activity to thereby treat glaucoma.
Other objects and advantages of the instant invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the specification below.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides novel compounds having carbonic anhydrase inhibition activity and useful in the treatment of glaucoma. These compounds are represented by the structural formula: ##STR2## wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently (a) hydrogen; or
(b) OR 4 , wherein R 4 is hydrogen or C 1-7 alkyl or C 1-3 alkylcarbonyl or phenylcarbonyl or phenyl; or
(c) NR 5 R 6 , wherein R 5 and R 6 are independently hydrogen, or C 1-7 alkyl, or C 1-7 alkyl substituted with one or more halogen or OR 4 ; or
(d) --COR 7 , wherein R 7 is hydrogen, C 1-7 alkyl, or NR 5 R 6 ; or
(e) --SR 8 , wherein R 8 is hydrogen or C 1-7 alkyl, or C 1-7 alkyl substituted with one or more halogen, or OR 4 ; or
(f) C 1-7 alkyl, or C 1-7 alkyl substituted with one or more halogen, or OR 4 or NR 5 R 6 ; or
(g) R 1 and R 2 are together
(i) ═O, or
(ii) ═NOR 8 , or
(iii) ═S;
and R 3 is
(h) C 1-7 alkyl or C 1-7 substituted with one or more halogen, OR 4 or NR 5 R 6 ; or
(i) aryl, wherein said aryl comprises up to 10 carbon atoms and is an unsubstituted carbocyclic aryl or heterocyclic aryl, which may be selected from the group consisting of phenyl, thienyl, furyl, pyridyl, pyrryl, piperidyl, pyrrolidyl, morpholinyl, or said carbocyclic aryl or heterocyclic aryl is substituted with one or more halogen, or OR 4 , or NR 5 R 6 , or carboxylic acid or lower alkyl esters thereof, or carboxaldehyde or C 1-7 alkyl, or C 1-7 alkyl substituted with one or more halogen, or OR 4 , or NR 5 R 6 or carboxylic acid or lower alkyl esters thereof; or
(j) --COR 9 , wherein R 9 is R 7 or a carbocyclic or a heterocyclic radical, e.g. aryl, wherein said carbocyclic or a heterocyclic radical comprises up to 10 carbon atoms and may be selected from the group consisting of phenyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, thienyl, furyl, pyridyl, pyrryl, piperidyl, pyrrolidyl, morpholinyl or said carbocyclic aryl or heterocyclic aryl radical is substituted with one or more halogen, or OR 4 , or NR 5 R 6 , or C 1-7 or C 1-7 alkyl substituted with one or more halogen, OR 4 or NR 5 R 6 .
Preferably, in the novel compounds of the invention R 1 and R 2 , together, represent O; or at least one of R 1 or R 2 is hydrogen and the other is OH, OCOCH 3 , NOH, or H. (That is, the novel compounds of this invention may include an alpha carbonyl or hydroxy, or acetoxy, or hydroxyamino, etc. group at the 5 position on the thiophene ring.) R 3 preferably represents C 1 to C 6 alkyl or phenyl or phenyl substituted with one or more, more preferably one, hydroxy, methoxy, acetoxy, acetoxymethylene, carboxy, hydroxymethyl, formyl, N,N-dimethylaminomethyl fluoro, chloro or bromo radicals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The novel compounds of the invention may be prepared by the following general reaction scheme:
4-Bromo-2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde is reacted with R 3 Li or R 3 MgX, wherein X is a halogen, e.g., bromo or iodo, in tetrahydrofuran, or any other dipolar, aprotic solvent, e.g. diethylether, dioxane, etc., at a temperature of from about 0° C. to -78° C., to yield an alkoxide of the addition product. This intermediate is reacted with trimethylsilylchloride, at a temperature of from about 0° C. to -78° C., to provide a "protected" alcohol. The protected intermediate is consecutively reacted with n-Butyllithium in tetrahydrofuran at a temperature of about -100° C. to yield the 3-lithio compound. The lithio compound is reacted with SO 2 at a temperature of about -100° C. in THF, or other aprotic solvent, to yield the lithio sulfinate. The lithium sulfinate is reacted with N-chloro succinimide (NCS) at ambient temperatures in dichloromethane to yield the sulfonyl chloride. The sulfonyl chloride is consecutively reacted with NH 4 OH and tetra-n-butyl ammonium fluoride to yield a novel compound of the invention represented by the general formula: ##STR3##
I may be oxidized by Jones' reagent to yield a novel compound of the invention represented by the general formula: ##STR4##
That is, II represents the alpha carbonyl derivatives of the invention, i.e., wherein R 1 and R 2 together, represent O (oxygen).
II may be reacted with H 2 NOH.HCl in pyridine to provide compounds of the invention represented by the general formula: ##STR5##
That is, in the compounds represented by Formula III, R 1 and R 2 , together, represent NOH.
Alternatively, compounds represented by Formula I may be reacted with acetic anhydride in pyridine to yield compounds of the invention represented by the general formula: ##STR6##
That is, in the compounds represented by Formula IV, R 1 represents OCOCH 3 and R 2 represents hydrogen. Of course, other anhydrides may be used, e.g. benzoic anhydride, to provide compounds wherein R 1 represents a radical derived from said other anhydride, e.g. R 1 is OCOC 6 H 5 .
An alternative to the above general reaction scheme relies on the Wittig reaction as follows:
(Alkyl)triphenylphosphonium bromide is reacted with 4-bromo-2-thiophene carboxaldehyde in THF, in the presence of potassium tertiary butoxide to yield ##STR7## wherein R is an unsaturated alkenyl radical derived from the above alkyl phosphonium bromide. The 2-(alk-1-enyl)-4-bromothiophene of Formula V may be hydrogenated in the presence of Wilkenson's catalyst to yield the saturated derivative. The saturated derivative is consecutively reacted with n-butyl lithium, SO 2 , NCS and NH 4 OH/tetra-n-butyl ammoniumfluoride to yield ##STR8## wherein R 1 =R 2 =H and R 3 is alkyl.
Specific compounds within the scope of this invention include:
1-[5-(3-sulfamoyl thienyl)] pentanone oxime
5-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(3-N,N-dimethylamino-4-hydroxybenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(1-hydroxy-n-pentyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(1-hydroxy-n-heptyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(4-acetoxymethylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5(4-formylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(4-carboxylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(benzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(4-methoxybenzhydrol)3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(2-methoxybutyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(4-chlorohexyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(3-phenylpentyl)-3thiophene sulfonamide
5-(3-methylpentyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-benzoyl-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-[benzhydrol]-3-thiophene sulfonamide
When administered for the treatment of elevated intraocular pressure of glaucoma, the active compound is most desirably administered topically to the eye, although systemic treatment is also satisfactory.
When given systemically, the drug can be given by any route, although the oral route is preferred. In oral administration the drug can be employed in any of the usual dosage forms such as tablets or capsules, either in a contemporaneous delivery or sustained release form. Any number of the usual excipients or tableting aids can likewise be included.
The active drug of this invention is most suitably administered in the form of ophthalmic pharmaceutical compositions adapted for topical administration to the eye such as a suspension, ointment, or as a solid insert. Formulations of these compounds may contain from 0.01 to 15% and especially 0.5% to 3% of medicament. Higher dosages as, for example, about 10%, or lower dosage can be employed provided the dose is effective in reducing or controlling elevated intraocular pressure. As a unit dosage from 0.001 to 10.0 mg, preferably 0.005 to 2.0 mg, and especially 0.1 to 1.0 mg of the compound is generally applied to the human eye, generally on a daily basis is single or divided doses so long as the condition being treated exists.
The hereinbefore described dosage values are believed accurate for human patients and are based on the known and presently understood pharmacology of the compounds, and the activity of other similar entities in the human eye. As with all medications, dosage requirements are variable and must be individualized on the basis of the disease and the response of the patient.
The pharmaceutical preparation which contains the active compound may be conveniently admixed with a non-toxic pharmaceutical organic carrier, or with a non-toxic pharmaceutical inorganic carrier. Typical of pharmaceutically acceptable carriers are, for example, water, mixtures of water and water-miscible solvents such as lower alkanols or aralkanols, vegetable oils, polyalkylene glycols, petroleum based jelly, ethyl cellulose, ethyl oleate, carboxymethylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, isopropyl myristrate and other conventionally employed acceptable carriers. The pharmaceutical preparation may also contain non-toxic auxiliary substances such as emulsifying, preserving, wetting agents, bodying agents and the like, as for example, polyethylene glycols, antibacterial components such as quaternary ammonium compounds, phenylmercuric salts known to have cold sterilizing properties and which are non-injurious in use, thimerosal, methyl and propyl paraben, benzyl alcohol, buffering ingredients such as sodium chloride, sodium borate, sodium acetate, and other conventional ingredients such as sorbitan monolaurate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monopalmitylate, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, monothioglycerol, thiosorbitol, ethylenediamine tetracetic acid, and the like. Additionally, suitable ophthalmic vehicles can be used as carrier media for the present purpose including conventional phosphate buffer vehicle systems, isotonic boric acid vehicles, isotonic sodium chloride vehicles, isotonic sodium borate vehicles and the like. The pharmaceutical preparation may also be in the form of a solid insert.
While many patients find liquid medication to be entirely satisfactory, other may prefer a solid medicament that is topically applied to the eye, for example, a solid dosage form that is suitable for insertion into the cul-de-sac. To this end the carbonic anhydrase inhibiting agent can be included with a non-bioerodable insert, i.e., one which after dispensing the drug remains essentially intact, or a bioerodable insert, i.e., one that either is soluble in lacrimal fluids, or otherwise disintegrates.
For example, one may use a solid water soluble polymer as the carrier for the medicament. The polymer used to form the insert may be any water soluble non-toxic polymer, for example, cellulose derivatives such as methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, or a hydroxy lower alkyl cellulose such as hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose and the like; acrylates such as polyacrylic acid salts, ethyl acrylates, polyacrylamides; natural products such as gelatin, alginates, pectins, tragacanth, karaya, chondrus, agar, acacia; the starch derivatives such as starch acetate, hydroxyethyl starch ethers, hydroxypropyl starch, as well as other synthetic derivatives such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl methyl ether, polyethylene oxide, neutralized carbopol and xanthan gum, and mixtures of said polymers.
The invention is further illustrated by the following examples which are illustrative of a specific mode of practicing the invention and is not intended as limiting the scope of the appended claims.
EXAMPLE 1
2-(n-Hex-1-enyl)-4-bromo thiophene
2.0 grams (10.5 mmols) of (n-pentyl) triphenyl phosphonium bromide was added to 105 ml. of tetrahydrofuran (THF) with stirring. 1.86 gms (15.8 mmol.) of potassium tertiary butoxide was then added to the mixture while stirring at room temperature under an argon atmosphere. After one hour of continued stirring, 2.0 gms (10.5 mmol) of 4-bromo-2-thiophene carboxaldehyde, dissolved in 20 ml of THF, was added to the phosphonium bromide solution. After an additional one hour, the reaction was quenched with water. The organic layer was then separated, washed twice with water and then with brine. After drying over MgSO 4 and filtering, the filtrate was concentrated. The concentrate was flushed through a silica plug and eluted with hexane to yield 2.2 gms of a yellow liquid. This liquid included a mixture of cis and trans isomers of the named compound and had the following NMR spectra:
1 HNMR (CDCl 3 ): 7.12 (s), 6.98 (s), 6.88 (s), 6.42 (app. d), 6.03-6.14 (m), 5.52-5.64 (m), 2.32-2.42 (m), 2.12-2.22 (m), 1.28-1.74 (m), 0.90-0.98 (m).
EXAMPLE 2
2-(hexyl)-4-bromo thiophene
2.2 gms (9.0 mmol) of the product of Example 1 were dissolved in 25 ml of ethanol and 0.22 gms of Wilkenson's catalyst were added. (Wilkenson's catalyst is tris(triphenylphosphine) rhodium (I) chloride.) The mixture was stirred at room temperature under atmospheric hydrogen pressure overnight. The reaction product was concentrated and separated by flash chromatography, using hexane, as the eluant, to yield 2.2 gms of a colorless liquid. The NMR spectra of said liquid was as follows:
1 HNMR (CDCl 3 ): 7.01 (s), 6.98 (s), 6.78 (s), 6.71 (s), 6.42 (d, J=15 Hz), 6.09 (d, t, J=8, 15 Hz), 2.77 (t, J=7 Hz), 2.12-2.22 (m), 1.60-1.70 (m), 1.29-1.35 (m), 0.87-0.91 (m).
From said spectra it was determined that 2-(n-hex-1-enyl)-4-bromothiophene was still present in the reaction product. The reaction product was again treated with Wilkenson's Catalyst and hydrogen, overnight. The re-treated reaction mixture was passed through a silica gel plug and eluted with hexane to yield 2.1 gms of a clear, colorless liquid having the following NMR spectra: 7.01 (s, 1H), 6.71 (s, 1H), 2.77 (t=7 Hz, 2H), 1.65 (m, 2H), 1.29-1.35 (m, 6H), 0.89 (t, J=7 Hz, 3H).
EXAMPLE 3
5-n-Heptyl-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1.93 gms (7.8 mmol) of the bromothiophene of Example 2 were added to 78 ml. of THF and the solution was cooled to -100° C., while under an argon atmosphere. 4.9 ml of a 1.6M solution of n-butyl lithium (n-BuLi) in hexane were added to the cooled solution and stirred at -100° C. under an argon atmosphere. After a few minutes, SO 2 was bubbled into the solution. When the solution became saturated with SO 2 , it was allowed to warm to room temperature and 20 ml. of ethyl ether were then added. After about two and one-half hours, the solution was transferred to a roto-evaporator and concentrated. The resulting concentrate was dissolved in 78 ml of methylene dichloride (CH 2 Cl 2 ) and 1.15 gms (8.6 mmol) of N-chlorosuccinamide (NCS) were added. The resulting mixture was stirred, under argon, at room temperature for two hours. The resulting mixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated. The concentrate was dissolved in 50 ml of acetone and 10 ml of concentrate NH 4 OH (aqueous) were added. After 10 minutes, the mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate and washed with water three times and then with a saturated salt solution, i.e. brine. The organic phase was separated, dried over MgSO 4 , filtered and the filtrate concentrated. The concentrate was subjected to flash chromatography utilizing a 3 to 1, by volume, mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate eluant to yield 1.24 gms of a light yellow solid having the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ): 7.76 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.07 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 5.21 (bs, 2H), 2.76 (q, J=7.7 Hz, 2H), 1.65 (p, J=7.7 Hz, 2H), 1.28-1.38 (m, 6H), 0.87 (t, J=6.8 Hz, 3H).
EXAMPLE 3(a)
5-n-Pentyl-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 1 through 3 are repeated except that (n-butyl)triphenylphosphine bromide is substituted for (n-pentyl)triphenylphosphine bromide to yield the named compound.
EXAMPLE 3(b)
5-(3-methylpentyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 1 through 3 are repeated except that (2-methylbutyl)triphenylphosphine bromide is substituted for (n-pentyl)triphenylphosphine bromide to yield the named compound.
EXAMPLE 3(c)
5-(3-phenylpentyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 1 through 3 are repeated except that (2-phenylbutyl)triphenylphosphine bromide is substituted for (n-pentyl)triphenylphosphine bromide to yield the named compound.
EXAMPLE 3(d)
5-(4-chlorohexyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 1 through 3 are repeated except that (3-chloropentyl)triphenylphosphine bromide is substituted for (n-pentyl)triphenylphosphine bromide to yield the named compound.
EXAMPLE 3(e)
5-(2-methoxybutyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 1 through 3 are repeated except that (3-methoxypropyl)triphenylphosphine bromide is substituted for (n-pentyl)triphenylphosphine bromide to yield the named compound.
EXAMPLE 4
5-[(4-t-butyldimethylsiloxyphenyl)(trimethylsiloxy)methyl]-3-bromothiophene
5.9 gms (0.02 mol) of 4-bromo t-butyldimethylsiloxybenzene were dissolved in 42 ml of dry THF. The solution was cooled to -78° C. while under an argon atmosphere and 13.1 ml (0.02 mol) of a 1.6M solution of n-butyl lithium in hexane were added. After stirring for fifteen minutes under argon the solution was combined over a twenty-five-minute period with a solution of 4.0 gms (0.02 mol) of 4-bromo-2-thiophene carboxaldehyde in 50 ml. of THF at -78° C. The resulting solution was stirred for one hour and fifteen minutes at -78° C. 1.95 ml of trimethylsilylchloride (TMSCI) were added and the solution was allowed to warm to room temperature overnight with stirring. An additional 10 ml of TMSCl were added and the solution was stirred for six hours. The reaction was quenched with water; the organic phase was separated from the brine, dried over MgSO 4 , filtered, concentrated and separated by flash chromatography, utilizing hexane as the eluant. 2.5 gms of a clear colorless liquid were recovered having an NMR spectra of:
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 7.21 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.11 (d, J=1.5 Hz, 1H), 6.80 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 6.65 (d, J=1.5 Hz, 1H), 5.84 (s, 1H), 0.99 (s, 3H), 0.21 (s, 6H), 0.10 (s, 9H).
EXAMPLE 5
5-(4-hydroxybenzhydrol)3-thiophene sulfonamide
2.34 gms (5.0 mmol) of the bromothiophene, prepared in Example 4, were dissolved in 50 ml of dry THF. The resulting solution is cooled to -78° C. while under an argon atmosphere. 3.1 ml of a 1.6M solution of n-BuLi, in hexane, is added and stirring was continued for a few minutes. SO 2 was bubbled into the solution until the solution was saturated with SO 2 . 20 ml of ethyl ether were added and the solution was allowed to warm to room temperature. After about two hours at room temperature, the solution was concentrated, the residue dissolved in 50 ml of methylene dichloride and 0.73 gms (5.5 mmol) of NCS were added. After about one-half hour, the resulting mixture was filtered, the filtrate concentrated and the concentrate was dissolved in a solution of 5 ml concentrated NH 4 OH (aqueous) and 25 ml of acetone. After one-half hour, the resulting solution is diluted with ethyl acetate, washed with water, three times, and then with brine. The resulting organic phase is separated, dried over MgSO 4 , filtered and the filtrate concentrated. The concentrate was subjected to flash chromatography utilizing a 3:1 mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate, as the eluant, to yield 1.41 gms of a light yellow oil having the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 7.88 (s, 1H), 7.33 (d, J=9 Hz, 2H), 7.10 (s, 1H), 6.88 (d, J=9 Hz, 2H), 6.55 (bs, 2H), 6.07 (s, 1H), 0.97 (s, 9H), 0.20 (s, 6H), 0.07 (s, 9H).
0.52 gms (1.1 mmol.) of the product light yellow oil was dissolved in 11 ml of THF and 2.3 ml of a 1.0M solution of tetra-n-butyl ammonium fluoride (TBAF) in THF is added. After one-half hour, the reaction was quenched with water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was separated, washed three times with water and then with brine. The organic phase was separated, dried over MgSO 4 , filtered and the filtrate concentrated. The concentrate was subjected to flash chromatography, utilizing the above hexane/ethyl acetate mixture to yield 0.26 gms of a white foam having the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.43 (bs, 1H), 7.88 (s, 1H), 7.28 (d, J=9 Hz, 2H), 7.05 (s, 1H), 6.82 (d, J=9 Hz, 2H), 6.57 (bs, 2H), 5.95 (s, 1H), 5.32 (bs, 1H).
EXAMPLE 5(a)
5-(4-methoxybenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 4 and 5 are repeated except that 4 -methoxybromobenzene is substituted for 4-bromo t-butyldimethyl-siloxy-benzene to yield the named compound which has the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 7.88 (d, J=1.5 Hz, 1H), 7.38 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.07 (m, 1H), 6.92 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 2H), 6.54 (bs, 2H), 5.99 (d, J=4.3 Hz, 1H), 5.34 (d, J=4.3 Hz, 1H), 3.78 (s, 3H).
EXAMPLE 5(b)
5-(benzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 4 and 5 are repeated except that bromobenzene is substituted for 4-bromo t-butyldimethylsiloxybenzene to yield the named compound. This compound may be subsequently reacted with acetic anhdyride in the presence of pyridine, as described above, to yield the acylated derivative, i.e. 5-[(phenyl)(acetoxy)methyl]-3-thiophene sulfonamide, having the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 7.90 (s, 1H), 7.30-7.50 (m, 5H), 7.10 (s, 1H), 6.55 (bs, 2H), 6.05 (d, J=4.3 Hz, 1H), 5.46 (d, J=4.3 Hz, 1H).
EXAMPLE 5(c)
5-(1-hydroxy-n-heptyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 4 and 5 are repeated except that 1-bromohexane is substituted for 4-bromo t-butyldiimethylsiloxybenzene to yield the named compound, having the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ): 7.88 (s, 1H), 7.24 (s, 1H), 5.06 (bs, 2H), 4.88-4.89 (m, 1H), 2.43-2.45 (m, 1H), 1.79-1.81 (m, 2H), 1.25-1.31 (m, 8H), 0.86-0.88 (m, 3H).
EXAMPLE 5(d)
5-(1-hydroxy-n-pentyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 4 and 5 are repeated except that 1-bromobutane is substituted for 4-bromo t-butyldimethylsiloxybenzene to yield the named compound, having the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ): 7.82 (s, 1H), 7.20 (s, 1H), 5.35 (bs, 2H), 4.80 (t, J=4.5 Hz, 1H), 1.70-2.88 (m, 2H), 1.24-1.48 (m, 4H), 0.88 (t, J=4.5 Hz, 3H).
EXAMPLE 5(e)
5-(3-hydroxybenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
The reactions set forth in Examples 4 and 5 are repeated except that 3-bromo t-butyldimethylsiloxy is substituted for 4-bromo t-butyldi-methylsiloxybenzene to yield the named compound, having the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.40 (bs, 1H), 7.89 (d, J=1.5 Hz, 1H), 7.18 (t, J=7.7 Hz, 1H), 7.11 (d, J=1.5 Hz, 1H), 6.92-6.97 (m, 2H), 6.75-6.78(m, 1H), 6.56 (bs, 2H), 5.97 (s, 1H), 5.40 (bs, 1H).
EXAMPLE 6
5-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.10 gms (0.35 mmol) of 5-(4-hydroxybenzhydrol) 3-thiphene sulfonamide, as prepared in Example 5, were dissolved in 5 ml of acetone and to this solution 0.13 ml (0.35 mmol) of a 2.67M solution of Jones' Reagent were added. (Jones' Reagent is aqueous chromic acid.) The resulting mixture was stirred for about forty minutes at room temperature and then quenched with isopropyl alcohol. The resulting solution was diluted with ethyl acetate, washed three times with water and then with brine. The organic layer was separated, dried over MgSO 4 , filtered and the filtrate concentrated. The concentrate was subjected to flash chromatography, utilizing a 1:1 mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate, as the eluant, to yield 78 mg of a clear colorless oil having the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 9.45 (bs, 1H), 8.43 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.95 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.89 (d, J=9 Hz, 2H), 7.04 (d, J=9 Hz, 2H), 6.81 (bs, 2H).
EXAMPLES 6(a)-(j)
The compounds of Examples 5(a)-(j) are converted into the corresponding alpha carbonyl derivatives by the method of Example 6. The compounds were identified by the NMR spectra given below.
EXAMPLE 6(a)
5-(4-methoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.43 (s, 1H), 7.92-7.95 (m, 3H), 7.12 (d, J=9.0 Hz, 2H), 6.77 (bs, 2H), 3.93 (s, 3H).
EXAMPLE 6(b)
5-benzoyl-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.48 (s, 1H), 7.90-7.95 (m, 3H), 7.60-7.75 (m, 3H), 6.80 (2H).
EXAMPLE 6(c)
5-(1-heptanoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ): 8.21 (s, 1H), 7.94 (s, 1H), 5.01 (bs, 2H), 2.89 (t, J=7.3 Hz, 2H), 1.73 (p, 7.2 Hz, 2H), 1.30-1.34 (m, 6H), 0.88 (t, J=8.3 Hz, 3H).
EXAMPLE 6(d)
5-(1-pentanoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ): 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.96 (s, 1H), 5.10 (bs, 2H), 2.90 (t, J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 1.73 (p, J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 1.40 (sex., J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 0.95 (t, J=7.5 Hz, 3H).
EXAMPLE 6(e)
5-(3-hydroxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.46 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.93 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.32-7.46 (m, 3H), 7.15-7.19 (m, 1H), 6.86 (bs, 2H).
Examples 6(f) to (j) were prepared by a process analogous to the preparation of Examples 6(a) to (e) with the appropriate bromo reactant substituted for the 4-bromotrimethylsiloxybenzene.
EXAMPLE 6(f)
5-(4-butylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.45 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.93 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.85 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 7.45 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 6.78 (bs, 2H), 2.74 (t, J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 1.60-1.68 (m, 2H),. 1.38 (sex., J=7.8 Hz, 2H), 0.93 (t, J=7.3 Hz, 3H).
EXAMPLE 6(g)
5-(3-trifluoromethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.52 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.22 (d, J=7.9 Hz, 1H), 8.17 (s, 1H), 8.06 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 1H), 7.95 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.88 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 6.78 (bs, 2H).
EXAMPLE 6(h)
5-(2-fluorobenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.50 (d, J=1.2 Hz, 1H), 7.79 (t, J=1.5 Hz, 1H), 7.68-7.73 (m, 2H), 7.34-7.44 (m, 2H), 6.80 (bs, 2H).
EXAMPLE 6(i)
5-(3-fluorobenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.49 (s, 1H), 7.95 (s, 1H), 7.60-7.77 (m, 3H), 7.47-7.53 (m, 1H), 6.79 (bs, 2H).
EXAMPLE 6(j)
5-(3.5-difluorobenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.51 (s, 1H), 7.99 (s, 1H), 7.49-7.56 (m, 2H), 7.37-7.44 (m, 1H), 6.79 (bs, 2H).
EXAMPLE 7
5-(4-hydroxy-3-(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)benzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
5-(4-hydroxy-3,5-(bis-N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)benzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.25 g (0.88 mmol) of 5-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide, 0.21 mL (2.6 mmol)of aqueous formaldehyde (37%) and 0.89 mL (7.9 mmol)of aqueous dimethylamine (40%) were added to 3 mL of ethanol. The solution was heated at reflux for 15 1/2 h and then cool to room temperature. Solvent was removed under vacuum and the crude product subjected to flash chromatography. Utilizing 5:1 chloroform/methanol as the eludent 49 mg of 5-(4-hydroxy-3-(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)benzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide was recovered as a yellow color solid.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.39 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.92 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.81 (dd, J=8.5, 2.3 Hz, 1H), 7.67 (d, J=2.3 Hz, 1H), 6.85 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 1H), 3.82 (s, 2H), 2.38 (s, 6H).
The eluant was switched over to 2:1 methanol/chloroform (with 5% triethylamine) and 0.18 g of 5-(4-hydroxy-3,5-(bis-N,N-dimethylamino-methyl)benzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide was recovered as a yellow color solid.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.39 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.93 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.75 (s, 2H), 3.66 (s, 4H), 2.32(s, 12H).
EXAMPLE 8
4-bromo-2-[tetrahydropyronyl) (4-t-butyldimethylsiloxymethylphenyl)methyl] thiophene
6.5 g (22 mmol) of 4-bromobenzyl alcohol, t-butyldimethylsilyl ether was added to 40 mL of THF. The solution was cool to -78° C. 15.3 mL (22 mmol) of a 1.42M n-BuLi solution was added. The solution was transferred via cannula to 4.2 g (22 mmol) of 4-bromo-2-thiophene carboxaldehyde in 70 mL THF at -78° C. Reaction was stirred at -78° C. for 30 min before quenching with 5 mL of saturated NH 4 Cl. The reaction was diluted with ethyl acetate and washed with water (3×) followed with brine. Solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. The product, 10 mL (o.11 mol) of DHP and a catalytic amount of TsOH were added to 88 mL of dichloromethane. The reaction was stirred at rt for 18 1/2 h. The reaction was washed with water (3×) followed with brine. The solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. Flash chromatography utilizing 20:1 hexane/ethyl ether as the eluant recovered 9.3 g of the product as a light yellow color oil.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ): mixture of diastereomers; 7.27-7.40 (m), 7.12-7.18 (m), 6.90 (s), 6.58 (s), 5.95 (s), 5.90 (s), 4.84-4.88 (m), 4.75 (s), 4.72 (s), 4.62-4.66 (m), 3.96-4.05 (m), 3.74-3.82 (m), 3.48-3.62 (m), 1.48-2.02 (m), 0.94 (s), 0.93 (s), 0.12 (s), 0.10 (s).
EXAMPLE 9
5-[(tetrahydropyranyl)(4-t-butyldimethylsiloxymethylphenyl)methyl]-3-thiophene sulfonamide
8.8 g (18 mmol) of the product obtained in Example #8 was added to 180 mL of THF. The solution was cool to -100° C. 12.7 mL (18 mmol) of a 1.42M n-BuLi solution was added dropwise. After a few minutes SO 2 was passed through the reaction flask until the solution became saturated. 30 mL of ethyl ether was added and the liquid nitrogen/ethyl ether bath removed. After 2 h the solvent was removed under vacuum. The crude product and 2.6 g (19.8 mmol) NCS were added to 180 mL of dichloromethane. After stirring at rt for 11/2 h the mixture was filtered and the filtrate concentrated. The crude product was added to 30 mL of concentrated ammonium hydroxide in 180 mL of acetone. Upon stirring for 31/2 h the solution was dilutd with ethyl acetate and washed with water (3×) followed with brine. The solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. Flash chromatography utilizing 2:1 hexane/ethyl acetate recovered 2.9 g of the product as a yellow color oil.
1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ): mixture of diastereomers; 7.96 (s), 7.94 (s), 7.49-7.34 (m), 7.01 (s), 6.07 (s), 6.01 (s), 4.83-4.86 (m), 4.78 (s), 4.60-4.64 (m), 3.90-3.99 (m), 3.68-3.77 (m), 3.43-3.58 (m), 1.43-1.98 (m), 0.96 (s), 0.15 (s), 0.13 (s).
EXAMPLE 10
5-(4-hydroxymethylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.36 g (0.72 mmol) of the product from Example #9 and a catalytic amount of TsOH were added to 10 mL of methanol. After 2 h of stirring at rt the solution was diluted with ethyl acetate and washed with water (3×) followed with brine. The solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. Flash chromatography utilizing 2:1 ethyl acetate/hexane as the eluant recovered 87 mg of 5-(4-hydroxymethylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as a clear colorless oil.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 7.88 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.44 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 7.35 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 7.08 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 6.54 (bs, 2H), 6.04 (d, J=4.3 Hz, 1H), 5.42 (d, J=4.3 Hz, 1H), 4.62 (d, J=5.7 Hz, 2H), 4.19 (t, J=5.8 Hz, 1H).
EXAMPLE 11
5-(4-carboxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.53 g (1.8 mmol) of 5-(4-hydroxymethylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide was added to 8.8 mL of acetone. The solution was cool to 0° C. and 1.35 mL (3.7 mmol) of Jone's reagent was added. After 15 min the solvent was removed under vacuum and the mixture filtered. The solid was washed with water. Flash chromatography utiling 20% methanol/chloroform as the eluant recovered 0.48 g of 5-(4-carboxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as a white solid.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.51 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.23 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 2H), 8.01 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 2H), 7.94 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H),6.79 (bs, 2H).
EXAMPLE 11(a)
5-(3-carboxylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.51 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.50 (s, 1H), 8.34 (d, t, J=7.8, 1.3 Hz, 1H), 8.16 (d, t, J=7.8, 1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.96 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.77 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 6.81 (bs, 2H).
EXAMPLE 12
5-[(tetrahydropyranyl)(4-hydroxymethylphenyl)methyl]-3-thiphene sulfonamide
0.45 g (0.91 mmol) of the product from Example #9 was added to 10 mL of THF. 1.0 mL (1.0 mmol) of a 1M tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride solution was added. After stirring at rt for 1 h the solution was diluted with water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was washed with water (3×) followed with brine. The solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. Flash chromatography utilizing 1:1 hexane/ethyl acetate as the eluent recovered 0.33 g of the product as a clear colorless oil.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): mixture of diastereomers; 7.97 (s), 7.95 (s), 7.32-7.48 (s), 6.97 (s), 6.60 (bs), 6.55 (bs), 6.05 (s), 5.98 (s), 4.82-4.85 (m), 4.58-4.68 (m), 4.17-4.28 (m), 3.90-3.97 (m), 3.68-3.75 (m), 3.40-3.56 (m), 1.44-1.98 (m).
EXAMPLE 13
5-(4-acetoxymethylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.74 g (1.9 mmol) of the product from Example #12, 0.23 mL (2.9 mmol) of pyridine and 0.23 mL (2.9 mmol) of acetic anhydride were added to 19 mL of dichloromethane. After stirring at rt for 15 h the solution was diluted with ethyl acetate and washed with water (3×) followed with brine. The solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. The 0.60 g of the crude product and a catalytic amount of TsOH were added to 14 mL of methanol. After stirring at rt for 31/2 h the solution was diluted with water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was washed with water (2×) followed with brine. The solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. Flash chromatography utilizing 1:1 hexane/ethyl acetate as the eluant recovered 0.37 g of 5-(4-acetoxymethyl-benzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as a clear colorless oil.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 7.90 (s, 1H), 7.48 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 7.37 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 7.12 (s, 1H), 6.55 (bs, 2H), 6.08 (s, 1H), 5.50 (bs, 1H), 5.10 (s, 2H), 2.08 (s, 3H).
EXAMPLE 14
5-(4-acetoxymethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.20 g (0.6 mmol) of 5-(4-acetoxymethylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide was added to 6 mL of acetone. 0.22 mL (0.6 mmol) of a 2.67M TBAF solution was added. After stirring at rt for 15 min the reaction was quenched with isopropyl alcohol. The mixture was diluted with water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was washed with water (3×) followed with brine. The solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. Recrystallization from ethyl acetate/hexane afforded 0.17 g of 5-(4-acetoxymethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as white crystals.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.47 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.93 (s, 1H), 7.92 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 2H), 7.62 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 2H, 6.80 (bs, 2H), 5.22 (s, 2H), 2.10 (s, 3H).
EXAMPLE 15
5-(4-hydroxymethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
14 mg (41.3 mmol) of 5-(4-acetoxymethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide and 9 mg (61.8 mmol) of K 2 CO 3 were added to 3 mL of methanol. After stirring at rt for 11 h the solution was diluted with ethyl acetate and washed with 1N HCl followed with water (2×) and brine. The solvent was removed under vacuum to afford 12.5 mg of 5-(4-hydroxymethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as a white solid.
1 H NMR(acetone-d 6 ): 8.46 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.93 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.89 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 2H), 7.59 (d, J=7.9 Hz, 2H), 6.79 (bs, 2H), 4.77 (d, J=5.4 Hz, 2H), 4.51 (t, J=5.7 Hz, 1H).
EXAMPLE 16
5-(4-formylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
30 mg (0.1 mmol) of 5-(4-hydroxymethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide and 300 mg of MnO2 were added to 5 mL of THF. After stirring at rt for 30 min the mixture was filtered through a bed of celite and eluted with ethyl acetate. The filtrate was concentrated and the crude product subjected to flash chromatography utilizing 1:1 ethyl acetate/hexane as the eluent to recover 16 mg of 5-(4-formylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as a yellow solid.
1 H NMR(acetone-d 6 ): 10.21 (s, 1H), 8.52 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 8.12 (q, J=9.7 Hz, 4H), 7.94 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 6.79 (bs, 2H).
EXAMPLE 16(a)
5-(3-formylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR(acetone-d6): 10.18 (s, 1H), 8.52 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 8.14 (s, 1H), 8.23 (d, t, J=1.4, 8.0 Hz, 2H), 7.97 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.85 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 6.80 (bs, 2H).
EXAMPLE 17
5-(4-formylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.12 g (0.32 mmol) of the product from Example #12, 4A molecular sieves and 56 mg (0.48 mmol) of NMO were added to 6 mL of dichloromethane. After stirring at rt for 15 min 5.6 mg (0.016 mmol) of TPAP was added. After 4 h at rt the mixture was filtered through a plug of celite and eluted with ethyl acetate. The filtrate was concentrated and the crude product subjected to flash chromatography utilizing 1:1 ethyl acetate/hexane as eluant to recover 42 mg of the desired product and 41 mg of starting material.
63 mg (0.17 mmol) of the product and a catalytic amount of TsOH were added to 5 mL of methanol. After 4 h at rt the solution was diluted with ethyl acetate and washed with saturated NaHCO 3 followed with water (3×) and brine. The solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum to afford 47 mg of 5-(4-formylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as a clear colorless oil.
1 H NMR(acetone-d 6 ): 10.04 (s, 1H), 7.94 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 2H), 7.93 (s, 1H), 7.73 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 2H), 7.18 (s, 1H), 6.58 (bs, 2H), 6.20 (d, J=4 Hz, 1H), 5.77 (d, J=4 Hz, 1H).
EXAMPLE 18
5-[(methoxy)(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)methyl]-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.20 g (0.6 mmol) of 5-(3-trifluoromethylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide and 0.11 g (0.6 mmol) of TsOH were added to 10 mL of methanol. The solution was heated at reflux for 12 h. The solvent was removed under vacuum and the crude product subjected to flash chromatography utilizing 2:1 hexane/ethyl acetate as the eluant to recover 0.16 g of 5-[(methoxy)(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)methyl]-3-thiophene sulfonamide as a white solid.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 7.99 (d, J=1.5 Hz, 1H), 7.66-7.80 (m, 4H), 7.23-7.24 (m, 1H), 6.59 (bs, 2H), 5.76 (s, 1H), 3.41 (s, 3H).
EXAMPLE 18(a)
5-[(methoxy)(4-hydroxymethylphenyl)]methyl-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 7.94 (d, J=1.1 Hz, 1H), 7.39 (s, 4H), 7.08 (d, J=1.1 Hz, 1H), 6.56 (bs, 2H), 5.56 (s, 1H), 4.64 (d, J=5.9 Hz, 2H), 4.24 (t, J=5.9 Hz, 1H), 3.35 (s, 3H).
EXAMPLE 19
5-(1-pentanoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide, oxime
0.10 gms (0.4 mmol) of 5-(1-pentanoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide and 0.28 gms (4 mmol) of NH 2 OH.HCl were dissolved in 5 ml of pyridine. The reaction vessel was sealed and heated at 60° C. overnight. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, diluted with ethyl acetate, washed three times with water and finally with brine. The organic phase was separated, dried over MgSO 4 , filtered and concentrated. Thin liquid chromatography showed that the starting compounds were present. The concentrate was redissolved in 5 ml of pyridine, 0.25 gms of NH 2 OH.HCl were added and the reaction vessel was sealed and heated at 60° C. overnight. The resulting reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, extracted with ethyl acetate, washed with water and brine as described above. After drying with MgSO 4 and filtering, the organic phase was concentrated and subjected to flash chromatography, utilizing a 2 to 1 mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate, as the eluant, to yield 78 mgs. of a white solid having the following NMR spectra:
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): mixture of Isomers: 11.11 (bs), 10.50 (bs), 8.16 (s), 7.92 (s), 7.78 (s), 7.55 (s), 6.64 (bs), 2.68-2.80 (m), 1.35-1.67 (m), 0.89-0.95 (m).
EXAMPLES 19(a)-(b)
The compounds of Examples 6(a) and (b) are converted into the corresponding oxime derivatives by the method of Example 19.
EXAMPLE 19(a)
5-(4-methoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide, oxime
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 11.55 (s), 10.58 (s), 8.22 (d, J=1.4 Hz), 7.96 (d, J=1.4 Hz), 7.40-7.47 (m), 7.00-7.07 (m), 6.61-6.64 (m), 3.87 (s), 3.86 (s).
EXAMPLE 19(b)
5-benzoyl-3-thiophene sulfonamide, oxime
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): mixture of Isomers: 11.69 (bs), 10.65 (bs), 8.24 (d, J=1.4 Hz), 7.98 (d, J=1.4 Hz), 7.37-7.59 (m), 7.02 (d, J=1.4 Hz), 6.58-6.64 (m).
EXAMPLE 20
5-(4-ethoxycarbonylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.1 g (0.32 mmol) of 5-(4-carboxylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide was added to 0.19 g (1.13 mmol) of N,N'-diisopropyl-O-ethyl isourea 1.6 mL of THF. Solution was heated at 50° C. for 2 h. An additional 0.19 g of the isourea was added and the reaction stirred at 50° C. for 48 h. The mixture was filtered through a plug of celite and the filtrate collected and concentrated. Flash chromatography (35% ethyl acetate/hexane) recovered 80 mg of 5-(4-ethoxycarbonylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as a white color solid.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.50 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.20 (d, J=8 Hz, 2H), 8.10 (d, J=8 Hz, 2H), 7.92 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 6.80 (bs, 2H), 4.40 (q, J=7 Hz, 2H), 1.39 (t, J=7 Hz, 3H).
EXAMPLE 20(a)
5-(3-butoxycarbonylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
8.50 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.43 (m, 1H), 8.25 (m, 1H), 8.12 (m 1H), 7.94 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (m, 1H), 6.80 (bs, 2H), 1.60 (s, 9H).
EXAMPLE 20(b)
5-(4-(2-N,N-dimethylamino-1-ethoxy)carbonylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (CD 3 OD):
8.47 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.29 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 8.00 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.89 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 4.73 (t, J=5 Hz, 2H), 3.65 (t, J=5 Hz, 2H), 3.03 (s, 6H).
EXAMPLE 20(c)
5-(4-t-butoxycarbonylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ):
8.50 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.16 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 8.00 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.93 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 6.79 (bs, 2H), 1.61 (s, 9H).
EXAMPLE 21
5-(4-acetoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
58 mg (0.20 mmol) of 5-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide, 81 mL (1.0 mmol) of pyridine and 94 mL (1.0 mmol) of acetic anhydride were added to 4 mL of THF. The reaction was stirred at rt for 1 1/4 h and then diluted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was washed with water (2×) followed with brine. The solution was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. Flash chromatography utilizing 1:1 hexane/ethyl acetate as the eluant recovered 51 mg of 5-(4-acetoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as tan color crystals.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ):
8.47 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.98 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.96 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.37 (d, J=8.6 Hz, 2H), 6.78 (bs, 2H), 2.32 (s, 3H).
EXAMPLE 21(a)
5-(3-acetoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ):
8.22 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.69 (d, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.53 (d,d, J=7.8, 1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.37 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.39 (s, 1H), 7.18-7.22 (m, 1H), 6.50 (bs, 2H), 2.04 (s, 3H).
EXAMPLE 22
5-(4-propionoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
0.10 g (0.35 mmol) of 5-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide, 85 mL (1.05 mmol) of pyridine, 26 mL (0.35 mmol) of propionic acid and 70 mg (0.37 mmol) of EDCI were added to 3.5 mL of THF. The reaction was stirred at rt for 46 h. The solution was diluted with ethyl acetate and washed with water (3×) followed with brine. The solution was dried over MgSO4 and the solvent removed under vacuum. Flash chromatography utilizing 1:1 ethyl acetate/hexane recovered 77 mg of 5-(4-propionoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide as a clear colorless oil.
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ):
8.47 (s, 1H), 7.99 (d, J=8.7 Hz, 2H), 7.95 (s, 1H), 6.79 (bs, 2H), 2.67 (q, J=7.4 Hz, 2H), 1.21 (t, J=7.4 Hz, 3H).
EXAMPLE 22(a)
5-(3-benzoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide
1 H NMR (acetone-d 6 ): 8.50 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 8.21 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 8.00 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.59-7.88 (m, 7H), 6.78 (bs, 2H).
The compounds of the invention were assayed for biological activity as follows:
Carbonic anhydrase activity was assayed according to the micromethod of Maren (J. Pharmacol. Exptl. Therap., 130, 26-29, 1960). All solutions and reagents were maintained at 0°-4° C. The final assay mixture contained 16 mM phenol red, added enzyme and 62.5 mM sodium carbonate/bicarbonate. Its volume was kept constant at 0.8 mL. The time required for the added enzyme to lower the pH of CO 2 -saturated carbonate/bicarbonate buffer from pH 9.9 to 6.8 was measured using the color change of phenol red as endpoint. T 1 is the time recorded for the reaction containing no enzyme. T 2 is the time recorded for the reaction containing pure CA11 enzyme from human erythrocyte, or an unknown amount in a sample. Enzyme activities (unit) were calculated using the formula:
Unit/ug=(T.sub.1 -T.sub.2)/(T.sub.2 *ug protein used in assay)
IC50 of a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor is the concentration that lowers the enzyme activity to half.
The results of this assay are reported in Table 1, below.
______________________________________Structures IC50nM______________________________________5-(4-acetoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 12 nM5-(4-hydroxy-3-(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl) 30 nMbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide5-(4-hydroxy-3,5-(bis-N,N-dimethylaminomethyl) 155 nMbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide5-(hydroxymethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 17 nM5-(4-propionoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 9 nM5-(3-hydroxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 6.7 nM5-(3-carboxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 11, 14 nM5-(3-formylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 7.3 nM5-(4-butylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 8.7 nM5-(3-trifluoromethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 8.3 nM5-(2-N,N-dimethylamino-1-ethoxy)carbonylbenzoyl)- 25 nM3-thiophene sulfonamide5-(3-butoxycarbonylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 25 nM5-(4-acetoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 3.6 nM[5-(3-sulfonamidothienyl)][2-pyridyl] ketone 19 nM5-(4-ethoxycarbonylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 6 nM5-(4-t-butoxycarbonylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene 3 nMsulfonamide5-(3-benzoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 5.3 nM5-(4-formylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 13 nM5-benzoyl-3-thiophene sulfonamide 13 nM5-(4-methoxybenzoyl]-3-thiophene sulfonamide 26 nM5-(1-heptanoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 14 nM5-(1-pentanoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 27 nM5-(4-carboxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 3.4, 5 nM5-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 17 nM5-(4-acetoxymethylbenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 6 nM5-(2-fluorobenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 18 nM5-(3-fluorobenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 12 nM5-(3,5-difluorobenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 15 nM5-(1-hydroxypentyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 32 nM5-(4-hydroxymethylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene 41 nMsulfonamide5-(4-formylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 18 nM5-(1-hydroxyheptanyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 31 nM5-(4-methoxybenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 16 nM5-benzhydrol-3-thiophene sulfonamide 74 nM5-(4-acetoxymethylbenzhydrol)-3-thiophene 21 nMsulfonamide5-(4-hydroxybenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 26 nM5-(3-hydroxybenzhydrol)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 37 nM5-[(hydroxy)(pyridyl)methyl]-3-thiophene 240 nMsulfonamide5-(acetoxyphenylmethyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide 90 nM5-(4-methoxybenzoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide, oxime 31 nM5-heptyl-3-thiophene sulfonamide 21 nM5-(1-pentanoyl)-3-thiophene sulfonamide, oxime 22 nM5-[(methoxy)(4-hydroxymethylphenyl)]methyl- 13 nM3-thiophene sulfonamide5-[(methoxy)(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)methyl]- 18 nM3-thiophene sulfonamide5-benzoyl-3-thiophene sulfonamide, oxime 53 nM______________________________________
While particular embodiments of the invention have been described it will be understood of course that the invention is not limited thereto since many obvious modifications can be made and it is intended to include within this invention any such modifications as will fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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The present invention provides novel carbonic anhyrase inhibitors represented by the structural formula: ##STR1## wherein R 1 and R 2 are, for example, independently (a) hydrogen; or
(b) OR 4 , wherein R 4 is hydrogen or C 1-7 alkyl; or
(c) NR 5 R 6 , wherein R 5 and R 6 are independently hydrogen, or C 1-7 alkyl, or C 1-7 alkyl substituted with one or more halogen or OR 4 ; or
(d) --COR 7 , wherein R 7 is hydrogen, C 1-7 alkyl, or NR 5 R 6 ; or
(e) --SR 8 , wherein R 8 is hydrogen or C 1-7 alkyl, or C 1-7 alkyl substituted with one or more halogen, or OR 4 ; or
(f) C 1-7 alkyl, or C 1-7 alkyl substituted with one or more halogen, or OR 4 or NR 5 R 6 ; or
(g) R 1 and R 2 are together
(i) ═O, or
(ii) ═NOR 8 or
(iii) ═S;
and R 3 is
(h) C 1-7 alkyl or C 1-7 substituted with one or more halogen, OR 4 or NR 5 R 6 .
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/883,578, filed Sep. 27, 2013, entitled “Downhole Temperature Sensing of the Fluid Flow in and Around a Drill String Tool,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to methods and apparatus for sensing temperature proximate a drill string tool conveyed in a borehole. The present disclosure relates more particularly to methods and apparatus for sensing the temperature of drilling fluid in the inner diameter, or flowbore, of the drill string tool or in the annulus between the outer diameter of the drill string tool and the borehole.
[0004] To recover hydrocarbons from subterranean formations, wells are generally constructed by drilling into the formation using a rotating drill bit attached to the lower end of an assembly of drill pipe sections connected end-to-end to form a drill string. In some cases the drill string and bit are rotated by a drilling table at the surface, and in other cases the drill bit may be rotated by a downhole motor within the drill string above the bit, while remaining portions of the drill string remain stationary. In most cases, the downhole motor is a progressive cavity motor that derives power from drilling fluid (sometimes referred to as mud) pumped from the surface, through the drill string, and then through the motor (hence the motor may also be referred to as a mud motor).
[0005] Modern oil field operations demand a great quantity of information relating to the parameters and conditions encountered downhole. Such information typically includes borehole environmental information, such as temperature, pressure, etc., and drill string operational information. Temperature is a common downhole reading; however, sensors are often not placed optimally for temperature measurements. Sensors are typically disposed on the downhole tools and measure the temperature of the tool housing and do not track temperature changes very well. Alternatively, temperature sensors may be placed at the point of interest; however, the point of interest in a borehole is in the path of the fluid flowing either through the internal diameter (ID) of the drill pipe or through the annulus formed about the outer diameter (OD) of the pipe. In either case, an exposed temperature probe is difficult to handle and subject to erosion from the fluid flowing at hundreds of gallons per minute (GPM).
[0006] There is a need to measure small temperature changes in the borehole while drilling. Temperature changes on the order of tenths of a degree are very informative of the borehole environment and provide a method for predicting the events that will follow. Temperature has an impact on all downhole readings and being able to detect small changes in temperature allows the exact temperature coefficient in every calculation be determined, which helps correctly depict the temperature reading by subtracting the temperature effects from other readings. However, commonly used temperature measuring systems can be inaccurate due to a margin of error from +/−2° C. up to +/−5° C. at higher temperatures, non-optimal sensor positioning as previously discussed, temperature dissipation in the body in which the housing of the downhole tools acts as a shield against rapid temperature changes and delays the sensor's ability to detect rapid temperature changes, and low precision of the temperature sensor where the sensor resolution is limited to 1.0 or 0.5° C. There is a further need to prevent drilling fluid and cuttings from becoming packed around the temperature sensors. Drilling fluid acts as a thermal insulator and may prevent true temperature measurement readings as the temperature fluctuates.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0007] In one embodiment, a temperature sensing device for determining downhole fluid temperature at a drill string in a borehole includes a resistance temperature sensor coupled with thermally conductive epoxy to an internal surface of a cylindrical thermal conductor and a cylindrical thermal insulator having a cylindrical cavity configured to sealingly house the thermal conductor. In addition, the device includes a plurality of seals disposed between an outer cylindrical surface of the thermal conductor and an inner cylindrical surface of the thermal insulator and between an outer cylindrical surface of the thermal insulator and an inner surface of a cavity in the drill string. The device further includes a first retaining ring disposed in a groove formed in the inner surface of the thermal insulator and a second retaining ring disposed in a groove formed in the inner surface of the cavity in the drill string. In some embodiments, the thermal conductor internal surface is disposed proximate an outer surface of the drill string to sense the fluid temperature outside the drill string. In other embodiments, the thermal conductor internal surface is disposed proximate an inner surface of the drill string to sense the fluid temperature inside the drill string.
[0008] In one embodiment, a method of determining downhole fluid temperature at a drill string in a borehole includes coupling a resistance temperature sensor to an internal surface of a thermal conductor with thermally conductive epoxy and inserting the thermal conductor into a cylindrical cavity of a cylindrical thermal insulator. In addition, the method includes installing a plurality of seals between an outer cylindrical surface of the thermal conductor and an inner cylindrical surface of the thermal insulator and between an outer cylindrical surface of the thermal insulator and an inner surface of a cavity in the drill string. The method further includes installing a first retaining ring in a groove formed in the inner surface of the thermal insulator and installing a second retaining ring in a groove formed in the inner surface of the cavity in the drill string. In some embodiments, the method may further include disposing the thermal conductor internal surface proximate an outer surface of the drill string to sense the fluid temperature outside the drill string. In other embodiments, the method may further include disposing the thermal conductor internal surface proximate an inner surface of the drill string to sense the fluid temperature inside the drill string.
[0009] In an embodiment, a temperature sensing device for determining downhole fluid temperature at a drill string in a borehole includes a thermal insulator to be received and secured in a cavity in the drill string, a thermal conductor to be received and secured in the thermal insulator, and a temperature sensor to be received and secured in the thermal conductor and disposed adjacent a first opening in the cavity. In addition, the device includes a thermally insulating plug to be received in a second opening in the cavity and to be secured in the cavity to retain the thermal insulator and the thermal conductor. Moreover, the thermal insulator provides a first thermal barrier between the thermal conductor and the drill string and the thermally insulating plug provides a second thermal barrier between the thermal conductor and the drill string. In some embodiments, the device further includes a thermally insulating ring disposed between the plug and the thermal conductor to provide the second thermal barrier. In some embodiments, the second thermal barrier is disposed in the cavity such that the cavity is separated into a first sensor portion and a second portion.
[0010] In one embodiment, a temperature sensing device for determining downhole fluid temperature at a drill string in a borehole includes a thermal insulator to be received and secured in a cavity in the drill string, a thermal conductor to be received and secured in the thermal insulator, a temperature sensor to be received and secured in the thermal conductor and disposed adjacent a first opening in the cavity, and an inner cavity portion disposed radially inward of the thermal insulator and the thermal conductor. In addition, the thermal insulator provides a first thermal barrier between the thermal conductor and the drill string and the inner cavity portion provides a second thermal barrier between the thermal conductor and the drill string. In some embodiments, air in the inner cavity thermally insulates the thermal conductor from the drill string at the second thermal barrier. In some embodiments, a thermal conduction path to the temperature sensor disposed outside of the inner cavity portion. In some embodiments, the device is disposed in a channel on the drill string and within an outer diameter of the drill string.
[0011] In one embodiment, a temperature sensing device for determining downhole fluid temperature at a drill string in a borehole includes a housing having a cylindrical cavity, a resistance temperature sensor coupled with thermally conductive epoxy to an internal surface of the cavity, and a plurality of stabilizers configured to secure the housing within the drill string. In some embodiments, the resistance temperature sensor is further coupled with potting to the internal surface of the cavity. In some embodiments, the housing may be steel and have a coating to prevent erosion. In some embodiments, the stabilizers have a tapered outer surface.
[0012] Embodiments described herein comprise a combination of features and advantages intended to address various shortcomings associated with certain prior devices, systems, and methods. The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the invention such that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. The various characteristics described above, as well as other features, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description, and by referring to the accompanying drawings. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] For a detailed description of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a drilling system including an embodiment of a system in accordance with the principles described herein;
[0015] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional schematic view of a portion of a first embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0016] FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the system shown in FIG. 2 ;
[0017] FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic view of a first alternative inner diameter sensor of the system shown in FIG. 3 ;
[0018] FIG. 4A is an isolated view of a cavity of the inner diameter sensor shown in FIG. 4 ;
[0019] FIG. 4B is an isolated view of an insulator of the inner diameter sensor shown in FIG. 4 ;
[0020] FIG. 4C is an isolated view of a conductor of the inner diameter sensor shown in FIG. 4 ;
[0021] FIG. 4D is an isolated view of a threaded plug of the inner diameter sensor shown in FIG. 4 ;
[0022] FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic view of a first alternative outer diameter sensor of the system shown in FIG. 3 ;
[0023] FIG. 5A is an isolated view of a cavity of the outer diameter sensor shown in FIG. 5 ;
[0024] FIG. 5B is an isolated view of an insulator of the outer diameter sensor shown in FIG. 5 ,
[0025] FIG. 5C is an isolated view of a conductor of the outer diameter sensor shown in FIG. 5 ;
[0026] FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic view of a second alternative inner diameter sensor of the system shown in FIG. 3 ;
[0027] FIG. 6A is an isolated view of an insulator of the second alternative inner diameter sensor shown in FIG. 6 ;
[0028] FIG. 6B is an isolated view of a conductor of the second alternative inner diameter sensor shown in FIG. 6 ;
[0029] FIG. 7 is an enlarged schematic view of a second alternative outer diameter sensor of the system shown in FIG. 3 ;
[0030] FIG. 7A is an isolated view of a cavity of the second alternative outer diameter sensor shown in FIG. 7 ;
[0031] FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional schematic view of a portion of a second embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0032] FIG. 9 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the system shown in FIG. 8 ;
[0033] FIG. 10A is an enlarged schematic top view of a portion of an alternative embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 3 ;
[0034] FIG. 10B is an enlarged schematic view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10A ; and
[0035] FIG. 10C is an enlarged schematic side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10A .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] The following discussion is directed to various exemplary embodiments. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the examples disclosed herein have broad application, and that the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosures, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.
[0037] Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. Moreover, the drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features of the disclosure may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form, and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness. Further, some drawing figures may depict vessels in either a horizontal or vertical orientation; unless otherwise noted, such orientations are for illustrative purposes only and is not a required aspect of this disclosure.
[0038] In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . . ” Also, the terms “couple,” “attach,” “connect” or the like are intended to mean either an indirect or direct mechanical or fluid connection, or an indirect, direct, optical or wireless electrical connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct mechanical or electrical connection, through an indirect mechanical or electrical connection via other devices and connections, through an optical electrical connection, or through a wireless electrical connection. In addition, as used herein, the terms “axial” and “axially” generally mean along or parallel to a given axis (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms “radial” and “radially” generally mean perpendicular to the axis. For instance, an axial distance refers to a distance measured along or parallel to the axis, and a radial distance means a distance measured perpendicular to the axis. Any reference to up or down in the description and the claims will be made for purpose of clarification, with “up,” “upper,” “upwardly,” or “upstream” meaning toward the surface of the well and with “down,” “lower,” “downwardly,” or “downstream” meaning toward the terminal end of the well, regardless of the well bore orientation. In some applications of the technology, the orientations of the components with respect to the surroundings may be different. For example, components described as facing “up,” in another application, may face to the left, may face down, or may face in another direction.
[0039] In various embodiments to be described in detail below, a system and process for determining the temperature of the drilling fluid includes the use of resistance temperature detectors (RTD) in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. In certain embodiments, the temperature of the drilling fluid in the inner diameter (ID) of the drill string tool is determined and in certain other embodiments, the temperature of the drilling fluid in the borehole annulus or outer diameter (OD) of the drill string tool is determined.
[0040] Referring now to FIG. 1 , which shows a drilling system 10 including sensor assembly 100 in accordance with various embodiments. As shown, the drilling system 10 is a land based drilling system, but could also be water based. A drilling platform 12 supports a drilling rig 14 having a hoisting device 16 for raising and lowering a drill string 18 having a central axis 11 . The drill string 18 comprises a bottom hole assembly 20 having a downhole tool 22 and a drill bit 24 driven by a downhole motor and/or rotation of the drill string 18 . As bit 24 rotates, it creates a borehole 26 that passes through various subsurface formations. A pump 30 circulates drilling fluid 32 through a feed pipe 34 , downhole through the inner diameter of drill string 18 , through orifices in drill bit 24 , back to the ground surface 50 via the annulus 28 around the drill string 18 , and into a drilling fluid reservoir 36 , such as a mud tank or retention pit. The drilling fluid transports cuttings from the borehole into the reservoir 34 and aids in maintaining the borehole integrity.
[0041] In addition to the sensor assembly 100 , there may be one or more additional sensors 101 located proximate to, or at distances from, the sensor assembly 100 . The additional sensors 101 may be any suitable sensor for determining one or more downhole parameters, such as, but not limited to, a gyroscopic sensor, a strain gauge sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a logging tool, a measurement while drilling tool, or other sensor. The additional sensors 101 may be used independently or in combination with the sensor assembly 100 .
[0042] The drilling system 10 may further comprise a memory element 102 , where the data collected by the sensors 100 , 101 is stored for retrieval at the surface. This stored data may be downloaded from the memory 102 when the downhole tool 22 is brought to the surface 50 at the end of drilling operations.
[0043] Drilling system 10 further comprises a controller 40 , which sends and receives signals about the drilling system 10 via one or more communication links 42 . The communication link 42 may be any communications system known in the art including, but not limited to, a wired pipe system, a mud-pulse system, an electromagnetic telemetry system, a radio frequency transmission system, or an acoustic transmission system.
[0044] The controller 40 may be used to control the equipment at the drilling system 10 , such as, but not limited to, the downhole tool 22 , the hoisting device 16 , one or more pumps 30 , the sensor assembly 100 , and the additional sensors 101 . Further, the controller 40 may receive data from the sensor assembly 100 , the additional sensors 101 , and/or the memory 102 at a data transmission rate of 0.4 Hz to 800 Hz depending upon the speed of the communications link 42 . The data received by the controller 40 may be used to evaluate and/or manipulate drilling system operations.
[0045] In the present embodiment, the sensor assembly 100 is shown and described as being located within the drill string 18 . The sensor assembly 100 may be located at any suitable downhole location including, but not limited to, in or about a drill collar, in an annulus of a drill collar, in a sub, in or about a tool body, or other downhole locations. Further, the sensor assembly 100 may be located in more than one downhole location, as will be described in more detail below.
[0046] Referring now to FIG. 2 , which shows an enlarged schematic view of a portion of a first embodiment of the drill string 18 of drilling system 10 shown in FIG. 1 having sensor assembly 100 . The sensor assembly 100 may comprise either one sensor 200 configured to measure the temperature of drilling fluid 32 a flowing down the inner diameter of the drill string 18 (“ID sensor 200 ”) or one sensor 300 configured to measure the temperature of the drilling fluid 32 b flowing up the annulus 28 or outer diameter of the borehole 26 (“OD sensor 300 ”); or sensor assembly 100 may comprise two sensors 200 , 300 configured to measure the temperature of both the drilling fluid 32 a flowing down the inner diameter of the drill string 18 (ID sensor 200 ) and the drilling fluid 32 b flowing up the annulus 28 (OD sensor 300 ) as shown in the present embodiment. Further, more than one sensor assembly 100 may be employed in a drilling system 10 at various locations to measure the temperature of the drilling fluid 32 at different locations within the drill string 18 and/or in the annulus 28 . It should be understood that other downhole fluids can take the place of the drilling fluid in the embodiments described herein, including but not limited to, completion fluids, servicing fluids, formation fluids, production fluids, and other downhole fluids.
[0047] Referring now to FIG. 3 , which shows an enlarged view of section 3 depicted in FIG. 2 and includes sensor assembly 100 having an ID sensor 200 with central axis 211 and an OD sensor 300 with central axis 311 . Central axes 211 , 311 are orthogonally positioned in relation to the central axis 11 of the drill string 18 . In the present embodiment, and for simplicity and ease of illustration, ID sensor 200 is positioned axially proximate OD sensor 300 . However, in other embodiments, ID sensor 200 may be positioned an axial distance away from OD sensor 300 . Each sensor 200 , 300 comprises a resistance temperature detector (RTD) 250 , 350 , respectively, as shown in the enlarged views of sensors 200 , 300 . In general, RTDs 250 , 350 can be any resistance temperature detector known in the art including, but not limited to, the Leaded Platinum Temperature Sensor available from Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
[0048] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 4 a , an enlarged schematic view of a first alternative ID sensor 200 installed in drill string 18 is shown. Drill string 18 further comprises a through bore or cavity 215 that extends from the OD 201 of drill string 18 to the ID 202 of drill string, where cavity 215 has a central axis coaxial with the central axis 211 of sensor 200 . The diameter of cavity 215 generally decreases from the OD 201 to the ID 202 of the drill string 18 and comprises a tapered opening or sloped portion 215 a that angles radially inward toward central axis 211 from OD 201 to outer shoulder 215 b . Upper cylindrical portion 215 c of cavity 215 extends axially from the outer shoulder 215 b toward ID 202 to inner shoulder 215 d . Lower cylindrical portion or opening 215 e extends axially from ID 202 to inner shoulder 215 d . Drill string 18 further comprises a conduit 216 extending away from cavity 215 toward controller 40 . At least a portion of upper cylindrical portion 215 c of cavity 215 below outer shoulder 215 b and above conduit 216 is threaded.
[0049] Referring now to FIGS. 4 , 4 a , and 4 b , sensor 200 comprises a thermal insulator 220 , thermal conductor 230 , seals 243 , 245 , 247 , a RTD 250 , thermally conductive epoxy 257 , and a retention assembly 260 . Thermal insulator 220 is generally cylindrical, has a central axis 211 , an upper end 220 a opposite a lower end 220 b , an external cylindrical surface 220 c coaxial with an internal cylindrical surface 220 d and with central axis 211 , a through hole 220 e coaxial with central axis 211 , an internal shoulder 220 f , and two circumferential channels or grooves 225 . External cylindrical surface 220 c extends axially from upper end 220 a to lower end 220 b . Internal cylindrical surface 220 d with internal shoulder 220 f form a cavity 227 that is coaxial with central axis 211 , and extends axially from internal shoulder 220 f to upper end 220 a . Through hole 220 e extends axially from internal shoulder 220 f to lower end 220 b and has a diameter less than the diameter of internal cylindrical surface 220 d . The two grooves 225 , axially spaced apart from each other, are disposed on and coaxial with external cylindrical surface 220 c of thermal insulator 220 . Thermal insulator 220 may be made of any suitable thermally insulative material known in the art, including but not limited to ceramics, rubber, polymers, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and thermoplastics.
[0050] Thermal insulator 220 is disposed in cavity 215 of the drill string 18 such that lower end 220 b of insulator 220 is in contact with inner shoulder 215 d of cavity 215 , and external cylindrical surface 220 c of insulator 220 is sealingly coupled to a portion of upper cylindrical portion 215 c of cavity 215 . The thermal insulator 220 acts as a thermal barrier, resisting or blocking heat transfer from the drill string 18 to the interior or cavity 227 of the thermal insulator 220 . A seal 243 is disposed in each groove 225 to seal the internal components from the pressure and fluid of the drilling fluid 32 during operation. In general, seals 243 can be any O-ring seal and/or back up ring known in the art.
[0051] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 4 a - 4 c , thermal conductor 230 is generally cylindrical, has a central axis 211 , an upper end 230 a opposite a lower end 230 b , an upper external cylindrical surface 230 c coaxial with an upper internal cylindrical surface 230 d and with central axis 211 , a lower external cylindrical surface 230 e coaxial with a lower internal cylindrical surface 230 g and with central axis 211 , an internal bottom surface 220 h , an external shoulder 230 f , and two circumferential channels or grooves 235 . Upper external cylindrical surface 230 c extends axially from upper end 230 a to external shoulder 230 f . External shoulder 230 f extends radially inward toward central axis 211 from upper external cylindrical surface 230 c to lower external cylindrical surface 230 e . The intersection of upper external cylindrical surface 230 c and external shoulder 230 f may follow any geometry including but not limited to orthogonal, rounded, curved, or slanted (shown). Lower external cylindrical surface 230 e extends axially from external shoulder 230 f to lower end 230 b.
[0052] Upper external cylindrical surface 230 c has a diameter greater than the diameter of lower external cylindrical surface 230 e , and upper internal surface 230 d has a diameter greater than the diameter of lower internal surface 230 g . Internal cylindrical surfaces 230 d , 230 g with internal bottom surface 230 h form a cavity or inner bore 237 that is coaxial with central axis 211 , and extends from internal bottom surface 230 h upward to upper end 230 a while flaring outward such that lower internal cylindrical surface 230 g forms the portion of bore 237 that has a smaller diameter than upper internal surface 230 d , which forms the portion of bore 237 that has a larger diameter. The two grooves 235 , axially spaced apart from each other, are disposed on and coaxial with upper external cylindrical surface 230 c of thermal conductor 230 . Thermal conductor 230 may be made of any suitable thermally conductive material known in the art, including but not limited to metals. The thermal conductance of the thermal conductor 230 material is preferably higher than the thermal conductance of the main tool body. Furthermore, the thickness of the lower end 230 b of conductor 230 to the internal bottom surface 230 h can be adjusted based on the erosion testing results of the material selected for the conductor 230 . Materials more resistant to erosion may allow for a thinner lower end 230 b of conductor 230 . The thinner the lower end 230 b can be, the less time it will take to see the accurate temperature reading. Further, the more surface area that can be provided by the thermal conductor 230 to be in contact with the drilling fluid 32 a , the more the drilling fluid 32 a flow can affect the sensors reading.
[0053] Thermal conductor 230 is coupled to the thermal insulator 220 such that external shoulder 230 f of conductor 230 is in contact with internal shoulder 220 f of insulator 220 ; upper external cylindrical surface 230 c of conductor 230 is sealingly coupled to internal cylindrical surface 220 d of insulator 220 ; and upper end 220 a of insulator 220 is flush with upper end 230 a of conductor 230 . Further, thermal conductor lower end 230 b and a portion of lower external surface 230 e , and thus a portion of inner bore 237 , extend through hole 220 e of thermal insulator 220 . The thermal insulator 220 acts as a thermal barrier, resisting or blocking heat transfer between the drill string 18 and thermal conductor 230 . A seal 245 is disposed in each groove 235 to seal the internal components from the pressure and fluid of the drilling fluid 32 during operation. In general, seals 245 can be any O-ring seal and/or back up ring known in the art. Further, through hole 220 e of insulator 220 may be in contact with lower external surface 230 e of conductor 230 , but need not be.
[0054] A recessed portion or circular channel 218 is formed between lower cylindrical portion 215 e of cavity 215 and lower external cylindrical surface 230 e of conductor 230 and connected by lower end 220 b of insulator 220 . Lower end 230 b of conductor 230 may protrude beyond the surface of ID 202 of drill string 18 ; lower end 230 b more preferably is flush with or below the ID 202 of drill string 18 . During operation, the drilling fluid 32 a flowing down the inner diameter 202 of the drill string 18 flows into and around channel 218 as well as over lower end 230 b of conductor 230 . The channel 218 and protruding lower end 230 b of conductor 230 provide an increased surface area for the drilling fluid 32 a to contact on the conductor 230 and subsequently, the RTD 250 . The increased surface area allows the RTD 250 , via the conductor 230 , to respond quickly to changes in drilling fluid 32 a temperature. Further, the small profile of the conductor 230 minimizes the amount of conductor material and in addition to the insulation (i.e., insulator 220 ) surrounding the conductor 230 , prevents the dissipation of heat from the drilling fluid 32 a to the rest of the drill string component 18 .
[0055] Referring to FIG. 4 , an RTD 250 is adhered to the internal bottom surface 230 h of conductor 230 with thermally conductive epoxy 257 . A thermal conduction path is formed between the drilling fluid 32 a and the RTD 250 through the thermal conductor 230 and the thermally conductive epoxy 257 . Epoxy 257 allows sensor 200 to withstand vibrations of the drill string 18 during operations; further strain relief may be added to the RTD 250 using a potting. The thermal epoxy 257 further allows the RTD 250 , via the conductor 230 , to respond quickly to changes in drilling fluid 32 a temperature. The RTD 250 comprises leads or wires 255 , which are routed up through inner bore 237 of the thermal conductor 230 forming a hollow annulus 231 between the wires 255 and the thermal conductor inner cylindrical surfaces 230 d , 230 g , then through a passage 265 e in split ring 265 (to be described in more detail below), and then into the conduit 216 . The RTD wire 255 is in communication with controller 40 .
[0056] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 4 d , retention assembly 260 comprises a thermally insulating split ring 265 and a threaded plug 270 . Split ring 265 is generally cylindrical, has a central axis 211 , an upper end 265 a opposite a lower end 265 b , an external surface 265 c coaxial with an internal surface 265 d and with central axis 211 , and a passage 265 e . Passage 265 e of split ring 265 is aligned with conduit 216 and allows the RTD wires 255 to pass through the split ring 260 and out through conduit 216 . Split ring 265 may be made of any suitable thermally insulative material known in the art, including but not limited to ceramic, polymers, or metals. The split ring 265 is disposed in cavity 215 such that upper end 265 a of split ring 265 is aligned and in contact with the upper ends 220 a , 230 a of the thermal insulator 220 and thermal conductor 230 , respectively, and external surface 265 c of split ring 265 is in contact with a portion of outer cylindrical portion 215 c of cavity 215 . The thermally insulating split ring 265 acts as a thermal barrier, resisting or blocking heat transfer between the thermal conductor 230 and the plug 270 as well as between the thermal conductor 230 and the drill string 18 .
[0057] Threaded plug 270 is generally cylindrical, has a central axis 211 , an upper end 270 a opposite a lower end 270 b , an external cylindrical surface 270 c coaxial with an internal cylindrical surface 270 d and with central axis 211 , an internal top surface 270 e , an external shoulder 270 f , an indentation 270 g , and a circumferential channel or groove 275 . At least a portion of external cylindrical surface 270 c is threaded (not shown). Internal cylindrical surface 270 d with internal top surface 270 e form a pocket or cavity 277 that is coaxial with central axis 211 , and extends from internal top surface 270 e downward to lower end 270 b . The diameter D 270e of internal top surface 270 e is preferably between 0.25 and 2.0 inches and the height H 270d of internal cylindrical surface 270 d is preferably between 0.25 and 1.0 inch. Internal cylindrical surface 270 d of threaded plug 270 is coaxial with and approximately aligned with upper internal cylindrical surface 230 d of conductor 230 . Indentation 270 g allows the threaded plug 270 to be turned and tightened during installation. The groove 275 is disposed on and coaxial with external cylindrical surface 270 c of threaded plug 270 . Threaded plug 270 may be made of any suitable material known in the art, including but not limited to metals.
[0058] Referring now to FIGS. 4 , 4 a , and 4 d , threaded plug 270 is disposed in cavity 215 such that lower end 270 b of plug 270 is above and in contact with upper end 265 a of split ring 265 , external cylindrical surface 270 c of plug 270 is threadedly engaged with a portion of outer cylindrical portion 215 c of cavity 215 , and external shoulder 270 f is in contact with outer shoulder 215 b . A seal 247 is disposed in groove 275 to seal the internal components from the pressure and fluid of the drilling fluid 32 during operation. In general, seal 247 can be any O-ring seal and/or back up ring known in the art. Though shown with a split ring and threaded plug in the present embodiment, any suitable retention means may be used including, but not limited to, retention rings, locking pins, or friction-based retention means. In an alternative embodiment, the threaded plug 270 is thermally insulating and acts as a thermal barrier, resisting or blocking heat transfer between the thermal conductor 230 and the drill string 18 . In this alternative embodiment, the thermally insulating threaded plug 270 may be made from any suitable thermally insulative material known in the art, including by not limited to ceramics, rubber, and polymers, or plug 270 may be coated with a thermally insulative coating.
[0059] Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 5 a , showing an enlarged schematic view of a first alternative OD sensor 300 installed in drill string 18 . Like numbers are used to designate like parts. Drill string 18 further comprises a bore or cavity 315 that extends from the OD 201 of drill string 18 toward the ID 202 of drill string, where cavity 315 has a central axis coaxial with the central axis 311 of sensor 300 . The diameter of cavity 315 generally decreases from the OD 201 toward ID 202 of the drill string 18 and comprises a tapered opening or sloped portion 315 a that angles radially inward toward central axis 311 and axially downward from OD 201 to channel or groove 315 b . Upper cylindrical portion 315 c of cavity 315 extends axially downward from the channel 315 b toward ID 202 to lower sloped portion 315 d , which extends radially inward toward central axis 311 and axially downward to middle cylindrical portion 315 e . Middle cylindrical portion 315 e extends axially downward from lower sloped portion 315 d to internal shoulder 315 f . Lower cylindrical portion 315 g extends axially from internal shoulder 315 f to internal bottom surface 315 h . The diameter D 315h of internal bottom surface 315 h is preferably between 0.25 and 2.0 inches and the height H 315g of lower cylindrical portion 315 g is preferably between 0.25 and 1.0 inch. Due to mechanical properties, these dimensions D 315h , H 315g depend on the type of material used for the drill string 18 body. Drill string 18 further comprises a conduit 316 extending away from lower cylindrical portion 315 g of cavity 315 toward controller 40 .
[0060] Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 5 b , sensor 300 comprises a thermal insulator 320 , thermal conductor 330 , seals 343 , 345 , 347 , a RTD 350 , thermally conductive epoxy 357 , and retention rings 360 , 361 . Thermal insulator 320 is generally cylindrical, and includes a central axis 311 , an upper end 320 a opposite a lower end 320 b , an upper external cylindrical surface 320 c coaxial with an upper internal cylindrical surface 320 d and with central axis 311 , an outer sloped portion 320 h , a lower external cylindrical surface 320 e coaxial with a lower internal cylindrical surface 320 g and with central axis 311 , an inner sloped portion 320 i , a through hole 320 j coaxial with central axis 311 , an internal shoulder 320 f , two outer circumferential channels or grooves 325 , and an inner circumferential channel or groove 323 . Upper external cylindrical surface 320 c extends axially downward from OD 201 to outer sloped portion 320 h and upper internal cylindrical surface 320 d extends axially downward from OD 201 to inner sloped portion 320 i . The intersection of upper end 320 a and upper internal cylindrical surface 320 d may follow any geometry including but not limited to orthogonal, rounded, curved, or slanted (shown). Disposed on and coaxial with internal cylindrical surface 320 d of thermal insulator 320 is an inner circumferential channel or groove 323 .
[0061] Outer sloped portion 320 h angles radially inward toward central axis 311 and axially downward from upper external cylindrical surface 320 c to lower external cylindrical surface 320 e , and inner sloped portion 320 i angles radially inward toward central axis 311 and axially downward from upper internal cylindrical surface 320 d to lower internal cylindrical surface 320 g . Lower external cylindrical surface 320 e extends axially from outer sloped portion 320 h to lower end 320 b , and lower internal cylindrical surface 320 g extends axially from inner sloped portion 320 i to internal shoulder 320 f . The two outer circumferential channels or grooves 325 , axially spaced apart from each other, are disposed on and coaxial with lower external cylindrical surface 320 e of thermal insulator 320 . Internal shoulder 320 f extends radially from lower internal cylindrical surface 320 g to through hole 320 j . Through hole 320 j extends axially from internal shoulder 320 f to lower end 320 b . Upper internal cylindrical surface 320 d , inner sloped portion 320 i , and lower internal cylindrical surface 320 g form a cavity 327 coaxial with central axis 311 and having a diameter greater than the diameter of through hole 320 j . Thermal insulator 320 may be made of any suitable thermally insulative material known in the art, including but not limited to ceramics and polymers (e.g., elastomers or thermoplastics).
[0062] Thermal insulator 320 is disposed in cavity 315 of the drill string 18 such that lower end 320 b of insulator 320 is in contact with internal shoulder surface 315 f of cavity 315 , lower external cylindrical surface 320 e of insulator 320 is sealingly coupled with middle cylindrical portion 315 e of cavity 315 , outer sloped portion 320 h of insulator 320 is in contact with lower sloped portion 315 d , and external surface 320 c of insulator 320 is in contact with upper cylindrical portion 315 c of cavity 315 . The thermal insulator 320 acts as a thermal barrier, resisting or blocking heat transfer from the drill string 18 to the interior or cavity 327 of the thermal insulator 320 . A seal 343 is disposed in each groove 325 to seal the internal components from the pressure and fluid of the drilling fluid 32 during operation. In general, seals 343 can be any O-ring seal and/or back up ring known in the art.
[0063] Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 5 c , thermal conductor 330 is generally cylindrical, and includes a central axis 311 , an upper end 330 a opposite a lower end 330 b , an upper external cylindrical surface 330 c coaxial with central axis 311 , an internal cylindrical surface 330 d , a middle external cylindrical surface 330 e , a lower external cylindrical surface 330 g , a sloped outer portion 330 i , an internal top surface 330 h , an external shoulder 330 f , and two circumferential channels or grooves 335 . Upper external surface 330 c extends axially downward from upper end 330 a to external shoulder 330 f . The intersection of upper end 330 a and upper external cylindrical surface 330 c may follow any geometry including but not limited to orthogonal, curved, slanted, or rounded (shown). External shoulder 330 f extends radially outward from upper external cylindrical surface 330 c to middle external cylindrical surface 330 e . Middle external cylindrical surface 330 e extends axially downward from external shoulder 330 f to sloped outer portion 330 i . Sloped portion 330 i angles radially inward toward central axis 311 and extends axially downward from middle external cylindrical surface 330 e to lower external cylindrical surface 330 g . Lower external cylindrical surface 330 g extends axially downward from sloped outer portion 330 i to lower end 330 b.
[0064] Middle external surface 330 e has a diameter greater than the diameter of upper external surface 330 c , lower external surface 330 g , and internal surface 330 d . Internal surface 330 d with internal top surface 330 h form a cavity or inner bore 337 that is coaxial with central axis 311 , and extends from internal top surface 330 h downward toward lower end 330 b . The two grooves 335 , axially spaced apart from each other, are disposed on and coaxial with the lower external surface 330 g of thermal conductor 330 . Thermal conductor 330 may be made of any suitable thermally conductive material known in the art, including but not limited to metals. The thermal conductance of the thermal conductor 330 material is preferably higher than the thermal conductance of the main tool body. Furthermore, the thickness of the upper end 330 a of conductor 330 to the internal top surface 330 h can be adjusted based on the erosion testing results of the material selected for the conductor 330 . Materials more resistant to erosion may allow for a thinner upper end 330 b of conductor 330 . The thinner the upper end 330 a can be, the less time it will take to see the accurate temperature reading. Further, the more surface area that can be provided by the thermal conductor 330 to be in contact with the drilling fluid 32 b , the more the drilling fluid 32 b flow can affect the sensor's reading.
[0065] Referring now to FIGS. 5 , 5 b , and 5 c , thermal conductor 330 is coupled to thermal insulator 320 such that external shoulder 330 f of conductor 330 is in contact with lower end 320 b of insulator 320 , lower external cylindrical surface 330 g of conductor 330 is sealingly coupled to the lower internal cylindrical surface 320 g of insulator 320 , sloped outer portion 330 i of conductor 330 is in contact with inner sloped portion 320 i of insulator 320 , and middle external cylindrical surface 320 e of conductor 330 is in contact with upper internal cylindrical surface 320 d . The thermal insulator 320 acts as a thermal barrier, resisting or blocking heat transfer between the drill string 18 and thermal conductor 330 . A seal 345 is disposed in each groove 335 to seal the internal components from the pressure and fluid of the drilling fluid 32 during operation. In general, seals 345 can be any O-ring seal and/or back up ring known in the art. Further, through hole 320 j of insulator 320 may be flush with internal cylindrical surface 330 d of conductor 330 , but need not be.
[0066] Referring still to FIG. 5 , an RTD 350 is adhered to the internal top surface 330 h of conductor 330 with thermally conductive epoxy 357 . A thermal conduction path is formed between the drilling fluid 32 b and the RTD 350 through the thermal conductor 330 and the thermally conductive epoxy 357 . Epoxy 357 allows sensor 300 to withstand vibrations of the drill string 18 during operations; further strain relief may be added to the RTD 350 using a potting. The thermal epoxy 357 further allows the RTD 350 , via the conductor 330 , to respond quickly to changes in drilling fluid 32 b temperature. The RTD 350 comprises leads or wires 355 , which are routed through inner bore 337 of the thermal conductor 330 forming a hollow annulus 331 between the wires 355 and the thermal conductor internal cylindrical surface 330 d , then through bore 320 j of insulator 320 , through lower cylindrical portion 315 g of cavity 315 , and then into the conduit 316 . The RTD wire 355 is in communication with controller 40 .
[0067] Referring now to FIGS. 5 , 5 a - 5 c , retention ring 360 is disposed in and extends radially inward beyond groove 315 b of cavity 315 ; retention ring 360 is also disposed above and in contact with top end 320 a of insulator 320 to retain insulator 320 in cavity 315 . Retention ring 361 is disposed in and extends radially inward beyond groove 323 of insulator 320 ; retention ring 361 is also disposed above and in contact with external shoulder 330 f of conductor 330 to retain conductor 330 in cavity 327 of insulator 320 . Though shown with retention rings in the present embodiment, any suitable retention means may be used including, but not limited to, threaded components, locking pins, or friction-based retention means.
[0068] A circular channel 318 is formed with sloped portion 315 a and upper cylindrical portion 315 c of cavity 315 , retention rings 360 , 361 , and upper end 320 a and upper internal cylindrical surface 320 of insulator 320 comprising the channel's outer sides. The conductor's external shoulder 330 f defines the channel's bottom. The conductor's upper external cylindrical surface 330 c defines the channel's inner side. Further, upper end 330 a of conductor 330 may protrude beyond the surface of OD 201 of drill string 18 ; upper end 330 a more preferably is flush with or below the OD 201 of drill string 18 . During operation, the drilling fluid 32 b flowing up the annulus 28 or outer diameter of the borehole 26 up the outer diameter 202 of the drill string 18 flows into and around channel 318 as well as over upper end 330 a of conductor 330 . The channel 318 and protruding upper end 330 a of conductor 330 provides an increased surface area for the drilling fluid 32 b to contact on the conductor 330 and subsequently, the RTD 350 . The increased surface area allows the RTD 350 , via the conductor 330 , to respond quickly to changes in drilling fluid 32 b temperature. Further, the small profile of the conductor 330 minimizes the amount of conductor material and in addition to the insulation (i.e., insulator 320 ) surrounding the conductor 330 , prevents the dissipation of heat from the drilling fluid 32 b to the rest of the drill string component 18 .
[0069] Referring now to FIGS. 6 , 6 a , and 6 b , showing an enlarged schematic view of a second alternative ID sensor 200 ′ installed in drill string 18 . Like numbers are used to designate like parts. The second alternative ID sensor 200 ′ comprises the same components as those of first alternative ID sensor 200 shown in FIG. 4 . However, the diameters of cavities 227 ′, 237 ′, 277 ′ in the insulator 220 ′, conductor 230 ′, and threaded plug 270 ′, respectively, and the width of passage 265 e ′ of split ring 265 ′ in sensor 200 ′ are larger than the diameters of cavities 227 , 237 , 277 in the insulator 220 , conductor 230 , and threaded plug 270 , respectively, and the width of passage 265 e of split ring 265 in the first alternative ID sensor 200 .
[0070] More specifically, the internal cylindrical surface 220 d ′ and through hole 220 e ′ have enlarged diameters. Further, upper external cylindrical surface 230 c ′ and upper internal cylindrical surface 230 d ′ have enlarged diameters while the diameters of lower external cylindrical surface 230 e ′ and lower internal cylindrical surface 230 g ′ remain the same as the diameters of corresponding surfaces (lower external cylindrical surface 230 e , lower internal cylindrical surface 230 g , respectively) of the first alternative ID sensor 200 . Thus, the internal cylindrical surfaces 230 d ′, 230 g ′ with internal bottom surface 230 h ′ form a larger cavity 237 ′ that is coaxial with central axis 211 ′; and upper internal cylindrical surface 230 d ′ flares outward to a greater extent from lower internal cylindrical surface 230 g ′. Internal surface 265 d ′ of split ring 265 ′ also has a wider opening to align with the larger diameter of upper internal cylindrical surface 230 d ′, and internal cylindrical surface 270 d ′ of threaded plug 270 ′ has a larger diameter forming a larger cavity 277 ′. These larger cavities 237 ′, 277 ′ are filled with air, which provide an insulating effect, helping to further prevent the dissipation of heat from the drilling fluid 32 a to the rest of the drill string component 18 . Thus, cavities 237 ′, 277 ′ act as a thermal barrier, resisting or blocking heat transfer between the thermal conductor 230 ′ and the drill string 18 .
[0071] Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 7 a , an enlarged schematic view of a second alternative OD sensor 300 ′ installed in drill string 18 is shown. Like numbers are used to designate like parts. The second alternative OD sensor 300 ′ comprises the same components as those of first alternative OD sensor 300 shown in FIG. 5 with insulator 320 ′ and conductor 330 ′ being the same as insulator 320 and conductor 330 , respectively. However, the diameter of cavity 315 ′, specifically the diameter of lower cylindrical portion 315 g ′ of cavity 315 ′, is larger than the diameter of corresponding cavity 315 g of cavity 315 in the first alternative OD sensor 300 . Further, as the diameter of lower cylindrical portion 315 g ′ of cavity 315 ′ is larger while the diameter of the middle cylindrical portion 315 e ′ of cavity 315 ′ remains unchanged, the length of internal shoulder surface 315 f is shortened and the insulator lower end 320 b ′ extends a greater amount beyond lower cylindrical portion 315 g ′ of cavity 315 ′. This larger cavity (portion 315 g ′ of cavity 315 ′) is filled with air, which provides an insulating effect, helping to further prevent the dissipation of heat from the drilling fluid 32 b to the rest of the drill string component 18 . Thus, cavity 315 ′ acts as a thermal barrier, resisting or blocking heat transfer between the thermal conductor 330 ′ and the drill string 18 .
[0072] Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 , FIG. 8 shows an enlarged schematic view of a portion of a second embodiment of the drill string 18 of drilling system 10 shown in FIG. 1 having sensor assembly 100 . FIG. 9 shows an enlarged view of section 9 depicted in FIG. 8 and includes sensor assembly 100 having an ID sensor 400 with central axis 411 . The sensor assembly 100 comprises a housing 410 , a cavity 415 , cap 430 , an RTD 450 , and epoxy 427 . RTD 450 is configured to measure the temperature of drilling fluid 32 a flowing down the inner diameter of the drill string 18 (“ID sensor 400 ”) as shown in the present embodiment. Further, more than one sensor assembly 100 may be employed in a drilling system 10 at various locations to measure the temperature of the drilling fluid 32 a at different locations within the drill string 18 .
[0073] Central axis 411 is coaxial to the central axis 11 of the drill string 18 . Housing 410 comprises a cavity 415 , a cap 430 , and stabilizers 460 (see FIG. 8 ). RTD 450 is adhered to the internal upper surface of cavity 415 with thermally conductive epoxy 427 . Epoxy 427 allows sensor 400 to withstand vibrations of the drill string 18 during operations; further strain relief may be added to the RTD 450 using a potting. The thermal epoxy 427 further allows the RTD 450 , via the housing 410 , to respond quickly to changes in drilling fluid 32 a temperature. The RTD 450 comprises leads or wires (not shown), which are routed down through the bottom of housing 410 and is communicatively connected to controller 40 .
[0074] Housing 410 is secured within drill string 18 via stabilizers 460 , shown in FIG. 8 as a fin structure with a tapered outer surface 460 a . Though shown as having a fin-like structure, stabilizers 460 may follow any suitable geometry. Housing 410 may be made of any suitable material known in the art, including but not limited to metals. For example, housing 410 may be steel with a coating to prevent erosion.
[0075] During operation, the drilling fluid 32 a flowing down the inner diameter 402 of the drill string 18 flows past cap 430 and housing 410 , and subsequently, RTD 450 . The conical shape of the housing cap 430 provides an increased surface area for the drilling fluid 32 a to contact on the RTD 450 . The increased surface area allows the RTD 450 , via the housing 410 , to respond quickly to changes in drilling fluid 32 a temperature.
[0076] Referring now to FIGS. 10 a - 10 c , various enlarged schematic views of an alternative embodiment of the OD sensor 300 installed in drill string 18 ′ are shown. Like numbers are used to designate like parts. In this alternative embodiment, the OD sensor 300 comprises the same components as those of the first and second alternative OD sensors 300 , 300 ′ shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , respectively, with insulator 320 and conductor 330 being the same as insulator 320 , 320 ′, respectively, and conductor 330 , 330 ′, respectively. Further, drill string 18 ′ comprises a plurality of circumferentially-spaced parallel ridges 303 separated by channels or passages 305 , the ridges 303 and corresponding channels 305 extend helically about axis 11 and axially along the drill string 18 ′. In this embodiment, drill string 18 ′ includes four uniformly circumferentially-spaced ridges 303 . However, in general, the drill string 18 ′ can include any suitable number of ridges 303 , and further, the circumferential spacing of the ridges 303 can be uniform or non-uniform.
[0077] Each ridge 303 has a first side wall 303 a , a second side wall 303 b , and a radially outer generally cylindrical surface 303 c . Each passage 305 has a first side wall 305 a , a second side wall 305 b , and a bottom surface 305 c . The first ridge side wall 303 a is coincident with first channel side wall 305 a and the second ridge side wall 303 b is coincident with second channel side wall 305 b . Radially outer surface 303 c of each ridge 303 is disposed at a uniform radius R 303c , and each ridge 303 has a height H 303 measured radially from radially outer surface 303 c to bottom surface 305 c , which has a uniform radius R 305c . The ridges 303 are spaced a distance D 303 apart measured from a first side wall 303 a to a second side wall 303 b , and oriented at an angle θ 303 relative to a reference plane A perpendicular to axis 11 in side view (see FIG. 10 c ). In other embodiments, the radius R 303c of the radially outer surface 303 c and the radius R 305c of the bottom surface 305 c may be non-uniform within a singular ridge 303 or channel 305 , respectively, and/or may be non-uniform between ridges 303 or channels 305 .
[0078] Drill string 18 ′ further comprises a bore or cavity 315 ″ that extends from the bottom groove surface 305 c toward the ID 202 of drill string 18 ′, where cavity 315 ″ has a central axis coaxial with the central axis 311 of sensor 300 . In this alternative embodiment, the characteristics of the cavity 315 ″ are similar to those of the cavity 315 , 315 ′ in other embodiments described herein and configured similarly to house and engage the components of the OD sensor 300 . The quantity of ridges 303 and corresponding channels 305 as well as the distance D 303 between ridges 303 is configured such that the cavity 315 ″ is disposed within groove bottom surface 305 c between the first and second ridge sides 303 a , 303 b , respectively. As in prior embodiments, when OD sensor 300 having a uniform radius R 300 is disposed in cavity 315 ″, an upper end 330 a of conductor 330 protrudes radially beyond the bottom surface 305 c of groove 305 having radius R 305c of drill string 18 ′. However, the upper end 330 a of conductor 330 does not extend radially beyond radially outer ridge surface 303 c having radius R 303c . Thus, the radius R 303c of the ridge 303 c is greater than the radius R 300 of the OD sensor 300 , which is greater than the radius R 305c of the bottom channel surface 305 c . In other embodiments, upper conductor end 330 a may be flush with or below the bottom surface 305 c of drill string 18 ′. In such embodiments, the radius R 303c of the ridge 303 c is greater than the radius R 305c of the bottom channel surface 305 c , which is either approximately equal to or greater than the radius R 300 of the OD sensor 300 .
[0079] During operation, drilling fluid 32 b flowing up the annulus 28 or outer diameter of the borehole 26 up the OD 202 of the drill string 18 ′ flows over conductor upper end 330 a , into channel 318 (see FIG. 5 ), and around upper external cylindrical surface 330 c of conductor 330 . By locating the OD sensor 300 in the bottom surface 305 c of the groove, while the drilling fluid 32 b flows up the annulus 28 , a portion of the drilling fluid 32 b enters and flows upward within channels 305 . The drilling fluid 32 b then flows over and around the OD sensor 300 and because channels 305 are generally oriented along the same direction as the flow of the drilling fluid 32 b , the fluid 32 b can continue to flow past OD sensor 300 through channel 305 and not become packed around the conductor 330 . The channels 305 provide a gap or space that allows the drilling fluid 32 b and cuttings to flow past the cavity 315 with OD sensor 300 while protecting the OD sensor 300 from coming in direct contact with the wall of the borehole 26 . The passage 305 acts as a self-cleaning mechanism for the OD sensor 300 by creating a path for the drilling fluids 32 b to pass through. Specifically, the channels 305 allow the OD sensor 300 (with a radius R 300 less than the radius R 303c of the ridge 303 ) to protrude into the drilling fluid 32 b flowing up the annulus 28 while remaining within the gage diameter of drill string 18 ′ based on the radius R 303c of the ridge 303 , which is larger than the radius R 300 of OD sensor 300 . The drilling fluid 32 b can flow across the OD sensor 300 without becoming packed around OD sensor 300 to provide realistic temperature measurements of the drilling fluid 32 b.
[0080] Exemplary embodiments are described herein, though one having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described, but instead by the full scope of the following claims. The claims listed below are supported by the principles described herein, and by the various features illustrated which may be used in desired combinations.
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Temperature sensing devices and methods for determining downhole fluid temperature at a drill string in a borehole while drilling are disclosed. The device includes a temperature sensor capable of detecting and measuring rapid temperature changes and may be used to sense the temperature of fluid inside or outside the drill string. In addition, the device includes a thermal conductor that receives and secures the temperature sensor; the thermal conductor is in turn received and secured in a thermal insulator that provides a thermal barrier. In an embodiment, the device is disposed in a channel within an outer diameter of the drill string such that the device is protected from the side wall of the borehole and drilling fluid and cuttings can pass through the channel without becoming packed around the temperature sensor.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Field of the Invention
[0002] The present disclosure relates in general to a system and method for compressing gas from a hydrocarbon producing well, where the gas is compressed to an intermediate pressure and to a final discharge pressure within a single unit.
[0003] Description of Prior Art
[0004] Systems for forming compressed natural gas (CNG) typically include a booster compressor that compresses the feed gas to an intermediate stage pressure. While at the intermediate stage pressure, the gas is treated to remove natural gas liquids, which typically include constituents having two or more carbon atoms. The remaining gas, the majority of which generally is made up of methane, is then compressed with a second compressor commonly referred to as a CNG compressor. The booster compressor and CNG compressor can often each have a weight in excess of 75,000 pounds and occupy a significant amount of space. CNG compressors use electric motors; when disposed in remote locations the motors require onsite generators for their power.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Disclosed herein is an example of a method of producing natural gas that includes providing a reciprocating compressor having a booster cylinder and a compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinder, directing an amount of gas from a wellbore to the compressor, compressing the amount of gas in the booster cylinder to an intermediate stage pressure to define an amount of intermediate stage gas, directing the intermediate stage gas to the CNG cylinder, and compressing the intermediate stage gas in the CNG cylinder to a destination pressure to form compressed natural gas. The method may further include treating the intermediate stage gas prior to directing the intermediate stage gas to the second one of the cylinders. In this example, treating the intermediate stage gas involves separating higher molecular weight hydrocarbons from the intermediate stage gas. Further in this example, treating the intermediate stage gas removes moisture from the intermediate stage gas. Removing moisture from the intermediate stage gas can take place by adding a hygroscopic agent to the intermediate stage gas. In an embodiment, the booster cylinder is made up of a first booster cylinder and a second booster cylinder, and wherein a discharge of the first booster cylinder connects to a suction in the second booster cylinder. In an example, the CNG cylinder is a first CNG cylinder and a second CNG cylinder, and wherein a discharge of the first CNG cylinder connects to a suction in the second CNG cylinder. The reciprocating compressor may include a body, a shaft extending axially through the body, pistons in the booster and CNG cylinders coupled to the shaft, and a motor/engine connected to the shaft, the method further including activating the motor/engine to rotate the shaft and to reciprocate the pistons in the cylinders. The reciprocating compressor may further have a control panel on the body, the method further involving manipulating the control panel to operate the motor/engine. Moisture may be removed from the gas from the wellbore before directing the gas from the wellbore to the compressor.
[0006] Another method of producing compressed natural gas disclosed herein includes providing a reciprocating compressor having a body, a shaft in the body, a series of cylinders that extend radially outward from the body, and pistons in the cylinders, supplying fluid from a wellbore to a one of the cylinders that is designated as a booster cylinder, creating intermediate stage fluid by pressurizing the fluid in the booster cylinder, removing moisture from the intermediate stage fluid to form intermediate stage gas, and forming an amount of compressed natural gas by pressurizing the intermediate stage gas in another one of the cylinders. Higher molecular weight hydrocarbons can be removed from the intermediate stage fluid. The series of cylinders can be a multiplicity of booster cylinders. Optionally, the another one of the cylinders is a compression cylinder, and wherein the series of cylinders are a multiplicity of compression cylinders.
[0007] Also disclosed herein is a compression system for generating compressed natural gas that has a body, cylinders mounted on the body and pistons in the cylinders that comprise a booster compressor and a compressed natural gas compressor, a feed line containing fluid from a wellbore and having an end connected to a suction side of the booster compressor, a suction side on the compressed natural gas compressor that is in fluid communication with a discharge side on the booster compressor via an intermediate circuit, and a discharge line containing compressed natural gas and connected to a discharge side of the compressed natural gas compressor. The compression system may also have a dehumidification system disposed in the intermediate circuit. Optionally, a tank can be disposed in the intermediate circuit for removing higher molecular weight hydrocarbons. A crankshaft may be included with the compression system that is coupled with each of the pistons, and a motor/engine can be included that is coupled with the crankshaft. Further included with this example is a control system mounted on the body and in signal communication with the motor/engine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Some of the features and benefits of the present invention having been stated, others will become apparent as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example of a system for processing fluid from a wellbore.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic example of a dual service compressor for use with the system of FIG. 1 .
[0011] While the invention will be described in connection with the embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The method and system of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which embodiments are shown. The method and system of the present disclosure may be in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey its scope to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In an embodiment, usage of the term “about” includes +/−5% of the cited magnitude. In an embodiment, usage of the term “substantially” includes +/−5% of the cited magnitude.
[0013] It is to be further understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the exact details of construction, operation, exact materials, or embodiments shown and described, as modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed illustrative embodiments and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation.
[0014] An example of a compressed natural gas (CNG) system 10 is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 . The CNG system 10 is downstream of a wellhead assembly 12 shown mounted over a wellbore 14 that intersects a formation 16 . Hydrocarbons, both liquid and gas, from the wellbore 14 are produced through the wellhead assembly 12 and transmitted from wellhead assembly 12 via a connected production line 18 . Production line 18 terminates in a header 20 . The header 20 may optionally be the destination for other production lines 22 , 24 , 26 that also transmit production fluid from other wellhead assemblies (not shown). A feed line 28 provides a communication means between the header 20 and CNG system 10 . The end of feed line 28 distal from header 20 terminates in a knockout drum 30 and which optionally provides a way of separating water and other liquids from the feedline 28 . A drain line 32 connects to a bottom of knockout drum 30 and directs liquids separated out from the fluid flow in feed line 28 . The gas portion of the fluid in feed line 28 directed into knockout drum 30 exits knockout drum 30 through an overhead line 34 shown extending from an upper end of knockout drum 30 . The end of overhead line 34 distal from knockout drum 30 connects to a suction line of a compressor 36 . In the example of FIG. 1 , compressor 36 includes a booster compressor 38 and a CNG compressor 40 . In this example, overhead line 34 terminates at a suction end of booster compressor 38 so that the gas in line 34 can be pressurized to an interstage pressure.
[0015] The interstage gas discharged from booster compressor 38 is treated in an interstage conditioning system 42 . More specifically, a discharge line 46 provides communication between a discharge side of booster compressor 38 to a dehydration unit 48 . In one alternative, an injection line 50 for injecting hygroscopic agent into the intermediate stage gas flow stream is shown connected to dehydration unit 48 . In one example the hygroscopic agent includes triethylene glycol (TEG), and extracts moisture contained within the interstage gas. A discharge line 52 is shown connected to dehydration unit 48 , and provides a means for moisture removal from the intermediate stage gas. Overhead line 54 is shown connected to an upper end of unit 48 and which is directed to a heat exchanger 56 . Within heat exchanger 56 , fluid from within overhead line is in thermal communication with fluid flowing through a bottoms line 58 ; where bottoms line 58 connects to a lower end of natural gas liquid (NGL) tank 60 . Downstream of heat exchanger 56 , overhead line 54 connects to a heat exchanger 62 . Flowing through another side of heat exchanger 62 is fluid from an overhead line 64 , where as shown overhead line 64 attaches to an upper end of NGL tank 60 . An optional chiller 66 is shown downstream of heat exchanger 62 in line with overhead line 54 . Further in the example of: FIG. 1 is a control valve 68 illustrated in overhead line 54 and just upstream of where line 54 intersects with NGL tank 60 . Liquid within line 58 is transmitted to offsite 70 , and is controlled to offsite 70 via a valve 72 also shown set within line 58 . Valve 72 can be manually or motor operated.
[0016] Overhead line 64 is shown connected to a suction end of CNG compressor 40 and where the gas within overhead line 64 is compressed to a CNG pressure. A discharge line 74 connects to a discharge side of CNG compressor 40 and provides a conveyance means for directing the compressed natural gas from CNG compressor 40 to a tube trailer 76 . Optionally, a valve 78 is provided in discharge line 74 and for regulating flow through discharge line 74 ; and to selectively fill tube trailer 76 . Alternatively, each booster compressor 38 may include a first stage 80 and second stage 82 . In this example, discharge from first stage 80 flows through suction of second stage 82 for additional pressurization. Similarly, CNG compressor 40 contains a first stage 84 and second stage 86 , wherein gas within first stage 84 is transmitted to a suction side of second stage 86 for additional compression. Examples exist wherein the booster compressor 38 and CNG compressor 40 are reciprocating compressors and wherein each have a number of throws, wherein some of these throws may be what is commonly referred to as tandem throws.
[0017] In one example of operation, a multiphase fluid from well 14 flows through lines 18 , 20 , 28 and is directed to knockout drum 30 . Embodiments exist where the fluid flowing through these lines contains at least an amount of flare gas, which might commonly be sent to a flare and combusted onsite. An advantage of the present disclosure is the ability to economically and efficiently produce an amount of compressed natural gas that may be captured and ultimately marketed for sale. Liquid within the fluid in line 28 out flows to a bottom portion of knockout drum 30 and is separated from gas within the fluid. From within drum 30 , the gas is directed into overhead line 34 . Line 34 delivers the gas to the suction of booster compressor 38 , where in one example the gas is pressurized from an expected pressure between 50 to 100 psig to a pressure of 400 psig, and which forms the interstage gas. Gas, which may include hydrocarbons, is directed through line 46 into drum 48 . For the purposes of discussion herein, lower molecular weight hydrocarbons are referred to those having up to two carbon atoms, wherein higher molecular weight hydrocarbons include those having three or more carbon atoms. To remove moisture from within the interstage gas in line 46 , hygroscopic agent is directed from injection line 50 into dehydration unit 48 and allowed to contact the gas within dehydration unit 48 . Alternatively, a molecular sieve 88 may be provided within dehydration unit 48 . Hygroscopic agent, or sieve 88 , can then absorb moisture within the interstage gas. Sieve 88 may be regenerated after a period of time to remove the moisture captured within spatial interstices in the sieve 88 . Regeneration can be by pressure swing adsorption or temperature swing adsorption.
[0018] To remove higher molecular weight hydrocarbons from the interstage gaseous mixture in line 54 , the fluid making up the mixture is cooled within exchangers 56 and 62 and flashed across valve 68 . Cooling the fluid stream, and then lowering the pressure across valve 68 , is an example of a Joule-Thompson method of separation and can condense higher molecular weight hydrocarbons out of solution and into tank 60 . The resulting condensate can be gravity fed from within tank 60 and to offsite 70 . An optional flare 90 is schematically illustrated in communication with fluid from the wellbore 14 via an end of header 20 . Fluid in header 20 can be routed to flare 90 when system 10 is being maintained or otherwise out of service.
[0019] In alternatives employing the optional chiller 66 , the higher molecular weight hydrocarbons are separated from the fluid stream by a mechanical refrigeration unit instead of the Joule-Thompson method of gas conditioning. In examples where the Joule-Thompson method is employed, the discharge from the booster compressor 38 can be at about 1,000 psig. In examples using the mechanical refrigeration method, the discharge from the booster compressor 38 can be at a pressure of around 400 psig. An advantage of treating the gas at the interstage pressure is the ability to remove additional moisture from the gas as well as to optimize the separation of the higher molecular weight hydrocarbons. As such, a higher quality of compressed natural gas can be obtained and delivered via line 74 into the tube trailer 76 . Moreover, a higher quality of NGL can be delivered to offsite 70 . In currently known processes, methanol is sometimes added to the gas mixture to prevent the formation of hydrates during the gas treatment process. However, the addition of methanol is not only costly, but also reduces the quality and marketability of the end products.
[0020] Referring now to FIG. 2 shown is a schematic side sectional example of the compressor 36 , where the compressor 36 includes a body 90 . Throw assemblies 92 , 94 , 96 , 98 are shown coupled to the body 90 and each along a path generally transverse to an axis of the body 90 . Cylinders 100 , 102 , 104 , 106 are shown respectively in each of the throw assemblies 92 , 94 , 96 , 98 . Shown in each of the cylinders 100 , 102 , 104 , 106 are pistons 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 , which reciprocate in the cylinders 100 , 102 , 104 , 106 to compress gas within the cylinders 100 , 102 , 104 , 106 . Piston rods 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 respectively connect pistons 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 to a crankshaft 124 shown projecting axially through the body 90 . The crankshaft 124 is driven by a motor 126 shown optionally mounted to the body 90 . Operating the motor 126 causes rotation of the crankshaft 124 , which in turn reciprocates pistons 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 within their respective cylinders 100 , 102 , 104 , 106 . In one example, the motor 126 includes an internal combustion engine that can be powered by gasoline, gas from the wellbore 14 , another combustible material, or combinations thereof. In another alternative, the motor 126 can be electrically powered.
[0021] Further shown in the example of FIG. 2 is that throw assemblies 92 , 94 , are included in the booster compressor 38 portion of compressor 36 . In this example overhead line 34 terminates in throw assembly 92 , so that gas exiting overhead line 34 can be compressed by reciprocation of piston 108 within cylinder 100 . Gas being compressed in cylinder 100 by piston 108 is transmitted to throw assembly 94 via line 128 . Gas exiting line 128 into cylinder 102 can be compressed by reciprocating piston 110 . Gas compressed within cylinder 102 exits into discharge line 46 , where it is transmitted to interstage conditioning system 42 .
[0022] Throw assemblies 96 , 98 are shown in CNG compressor 40 portion of compressor 36 . As shown, overhead line 64 terminates at throw assembly 96 so that interstage gas from interstage conditioning system 42 is transmitted into cylinder 104 . Reciprocation of piston 112 in cylinder 104 compresses gas exiting overhead line 64 . Gas compressed in the cylinder 104 is transmitted to throw assembly 98 via line 130 shown having an upstream end connected to cylinder 104 and a downstream end connected to cylinder 106 . Piston 114 compresses the gas exiting line 130 into cylinder 106 , which is then discharged into discharge line 74 . A control panel 132 for sending controls to the compressor 36 , and/or motor 126 is shown adjacent body 90 and connects to body 90 via bus 134 . In and embodiment, bus 134 provides connection for transmitting signals and/or power to body 90 and motor 126 from control panel 132 . Further shown is a power line 136 connected to motor 126 , which can convey fuel to motor 126 in embodiments when motor 126 is an internal combustion engine. Alternatively, power line 136 can provide electricity to motor 126 when motor 126 is powered by electricity.
[0023] The present invention described herein, therefore, is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as others inherent therein. While embodiments of the invention have been given for purposes of disclosure, numerous changes exist in the details of procedures for accomplishing the desired results. In one example the compressor is a non-lube design, an advantage of which is the reduction of oil and associated equipment requirements, e.g. day tank, strainer, and/or heavy weight oil. A non-lube design can prevent oil carry over to downstream equipment like NGL storage tank, tube trailer, molecular sieves, etc., which eliminates the need of filtration equipment for critical processes and alleviates any operational issues such as contamination, catalyst degradation and the like. Moreover, oil cost savings that results in direct operating expenditures saving for end users. An additional advantage is that a non-lube design eliminates the need for forced feed lubrication system (pumps, PSV, internal gearing, labor etc.) to all cylinders, and packing. It also eliminates the auxiliary components/instrumentation such as tubing, check valves, poppet valves, distribution blocks, no-flow switch etc. This would in turn reduce the overall compressor price to customer. The non-lube cylinder design can implement non-metallic wear resistant materials for internal moving components and by the use of appropriate clearances to maximize heat dissipation in the absence of lube oil. These and other similar modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and are intended to be encompassed within the spirit of the present invention disclosed herein and the scope of the appended claims.
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A system for compressing gas from a wellbore that uses a single reciprocating compressor unit to boost pressure of the gas to an intermediate stage, and from the intermediate stage to a final stage. The final stage is at a destination pressure for distribution. Between the intermediate and final stages the gas is treated to remove water and higher molecular weight hydrocarbons so that the gas pressurized to the final stage is compressed natural gas. The reciprocating compressor is made up of a series of throw assemblies that are all driven by a single shaft. Each throw assembly includes a cylinder with a piston that reciprocates within the cylinder to compress and pressurize the fluid therein. The reciprocating compressor can be a non-lube design thereby eliminating lube oil contamination of downstream compressed natural gas or higher molecular weight hydrocarbons.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
Benefit is claimed of the filing date of Provisional Patent Application 60/290,687, filed on May 15, 2001 by the same applicant, the whole disclosure of which (specification, drawing, claims, and abstract) is entirely incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to identification of land vehicles.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Automatic remote identification of vehicles is useful for many purposes, but existing technologies are inadequate. A license plate is the standard identifier, but license plates cannot be read reliably by automatic equipment. The relationship between a vehicle and its license plate changes each time that the owner or the state of registration changes, complicating database access.
The E-Z Pass system now in use in the northeastern U.S. equips each vehicle with a radio tag for remote identification, and identifies passing vehicles with automatic radio transponders. However, such radio tags are unreliable and the system requires a back-up system of license plate imaging—which is itself unreliable. With radio tags, only one vehicle at a time can be identified and the identification range is limited to about eight feet of roadway. E-Z Pass uses 900-MHz radio waves, which about one foot long; such long waves cannot be beamed back from the vehicle, which must therefore be near to the sensor.
Bar codes have also been used for identifying vehicles at toll booths, but bar codes have several drawbacks (discussed below) and cannot be read at any distance or from different directions.
Under federal law (49 C.F.R. §565), each vehicle has a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) that is permanently and uniquely assigned to that vehicle. The VIN would be a better identifier, when searching for a stolen or wanted vehicle, than a license plate number. However, the VIN is written in tiny characters and can only be read when a vehicle is stopped. Like a license plate, a VIN plate is easy to alter or fake.
Ideally, it would be possible to read the VIN of any vehicle from a distance, rapidly and automatically, and it should be difficult to alter or fake that VIN reading. But this has been impossible prior to this invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention determines the identity of any vehicle instantly, from any distance, and with high accuracy, using available and inexpensive technology. The rapidity and accuracy of the invention will make possible a number of applications, some of which are discussed below.
Basically, a vehicle identifier (preferably the VIN) is encoded into a flickering LED lamp mounted on the vehicle. The flickers are preferably pre-set at the factory to radiate the VIN in a binary digital format: the lamp when lit signifies logical “1” and when off signifies logical “0”. Each character of the VIN is encoded by a few digital bits according to a code, and transmission of the whole VIN is almost instantaneous. An ordinary LED, of the type already used for brake lights in many vehicles, is capable of turning on and off quite rapidly and can flicker out a complete VIN in a small fraction of a second.
A light-sensing detector, aimed at the flickering lamp, can read the VIN using the same technology that already reads bar codes at every store checkout. Bar code scanners sort out flickering light patterns from background noise, decode the flickering, and access a databank; the detector of this invention does exactly the same thing.
Because light sensors are highly directional, a vehicle with a flickering lamp can be identified from almost any distance by using a telescopic detector.
The flickers are preferably emitted intermittently, so that their flickers will not overlap and the VIN's of a group of vehicles can be read at the same time; but the flickers can still be repeated many times each second from each vehicle. This means that all of the vehicles in a traffic jam, or all the vehicles passing one point on a busy interstate, can be identified and registered.
The VIN read by the detector can be used to alert authorities that a particular vehicle is at a detector, to access databanks containing information about a vehicle, or to register that the vehicle has passed some checkpoint (e.g., an automatic toll booth or the entrance to a parking garage).
The electronic circuits that drive the flickering lamp are less complex than those of a four-function calculator or a digital watch. The invention can be made with off-the-shelf components in a very small package. If mass-produced, it could be put entirely onto a single silicon chip. The cost of making and installing the flickering lamp will be small, about a dollar. The detectors, too, use available and inexpensive technology.
The invention can increase theft deterrence and speed recovery of stolen vehicles. Once a vehicle is reported as stolen, its VIN number will be put into a database. Automatic detectors, that are mounted on police cars or along traffic routes, will continuously scan for VIN numbers on the list and notify the authorities within seconds whenever a vehicle's LED flickers out a VIN in the stolen-car database.
The flickering LED's that encode the VIN can be mounted on the side of the vehicle and/or incorporated into red LED brake lamps or running lamps. Because of the high flickering rate, the output will appear steady, just as a movie or TV image, that is actually flickering, appears steady. Infrared LED's, like those used in a TV remote, can be employed to make the flickering invisible.
The memory chip encoding the VIN can be placed where it is difficult to tamper with, and/or where tampering will be evident, and the LED and its circuit can be potted (embedded in epoxy) to prevent tampering. To fake the flickers will require of thieves electronic memory-chip programming and construction of an electronic circuit, and tampering will be evident without cosmetic bodywork after installation. Alternatively, especially for after-market use, the flickering unit can be made easy to install and/or remove.
This invention can include augmented VIN's with an extra, secret character known only to authorities; that will allow detection of faked VIN's by consulting a central agency having a list of valid VIN's.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of this invention in use by police.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention in use by a police officer P, who is following a vehicle V. On the rear of the vehicle V is a red LED brake lamp 110 . While the brake pedal is depressed, the lamp 110 does not shine steadily but flickers. The flickering is in a pattern that encodes a unique identifier of the vehicle V. The flickering pattern can alternatively be emitted by the running light lamp 112 ; this is discussed below.
The preferred identifier is the vehicle's VIN (vehicle identification number), comprising 17 alphanumeric characters. The invention can also use a predetermined subportion of the VIN if it uniquely identifies the vehicle; for example, the 12th through 17th characters of the VIN, that comprise the actual number for that vehicle, and/or the 10th character that gives the model year.
A detector 200 is mounted on the dashboard of the police officer's car. The detector 200 is preferably directional, with its reception pointed forward toward the lamp 110 . (A detector can also be hand-held, and/or telescopic.) The detector 200 has a light sensor (not shown in FIG. 1 ), for example a photodiode, that turns the flickering light into a signal voltage that is analyzed by the electronics of the detector 200 (discussed below). The electronics are similar to the electronics used in bar code readers, and if the flickering is encoded in a standard bar code encryption like Code 93 , off-the-shelf electronics can be used in the detector 200 to obtain the vehicle's identifier, in an alphanumeric or numeric format, from the flickering light.
The detector 200 can now access a database ( 250 , illustrated in FIG. 2 ). If the detected VIN of the vehicle V is in the database, the police officer P is alerted by an alarm that preferably includes a display 262 that displays the license plate number of the vehicle V and the reason it is wanted. The alarm may also include a loudspeaker 264 that speaks the license number and reason the vehicle is wanted, or just buzzes to alert the officer P to read the visual display 262 . Any type of alarm/notification can be used in this invention, and any or no information can be provided to the user.
The database 250 is preferably internal to the detector 200 and loaded via CD-ROM or the like into a slot 252 , and/or is loaded or augmented via a radio antenna 254 . The detector 200 can also access a remote database (not shown) as an alternative or in addition to the preferred internal database 250 .
A fixed roadside detector 200 ′ can also read the VIN of the vehicle, and store it in memory and/or search an internal database and alert authorities via an antenna 254 ′; of course, other data transfer means (not shown) such as underground cables or infrared beams can be used, too. Any data transfer means can be used to load or unload an internal database in this invention, including but not limited to cables, radio, cell phone, or Internet. The identifier of every vehicle passing the detector 200 ′ can optionally be recorded on some removable medium and/or transferred to a remote database, as well as being searched on a database list of wanted vehicles for remote alarm purposes.
FIG. 2 shows the preferred electronic operations of the invention in schematic form. The lamp 110 , preferably a red or infrared LED, is driven by a free-running clock 122 through a counter 124 and a memory 126 . The clock 122 preferably runs freely whenever it is powered: for examples, when the brake pedal is depressed; when the running lights are on; when the ignition is on; or whenever the vehicle battery is connected. The clock 122 may be also be triggered, in alternative embodiments. As the clock 122 runs, it increments the counter 124 , and the counter outputs binary integers that increment unit by unit (e.g., 0000, 0001, 0010, 0011, . . . ) while the clock 122 is running. This output from the counter is used as an input to the memory 126 , so that the contents of locations in the memory 126 are successively read out to control the output of the lamp 110 . That is, each of the integers output from the counter finctions as a memory selector. If the addressed memory location stores “1” the lamp 110 is lit, and if stores “0” the lamp 110 is dark (or, the other way around if desired). Inverters, amplifiers, transistors, and the like can be added to the circuit as needed, or the entire circuit as illustrated can be replaced with some other equivalent circuit that does the same job of making the lamp 110 flicker out a predetermined pattern.
The VIN is preferably stored in the memory 126 at the factory. One preferred type of memory is a PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory); this type of memory is blank until it is permanently set by “burning” on a commercially-available machine; by using a PROM or equivalent, the VIN or other identifier can be quickly and permanently set into any one of a number of identical and therefore inexpensive memory devices. The clock 122 , counter 124 , memory 126 , and/or the LED lamp 110 can all be manufactured on one chip for lower cost and greater reliability. Such a unit would perhaps require only two connections: one to the powering voltage (e.g., a brake light switch activated by the brake pedal), and another to ground, or to a driven LED lamp (e.g., the brake lamp). A third wire could drive another lamp or set of lamps, if desired. Any number of connections is covered by this invention.
Flickering light from the LED 110 , indicated in FIG. 2 by a jagged arrow, goes from the unit 100 in the vehicle to the detector 200 . The light may pass through an optical system 212 to illuminate a light-sensitive transducer 210 , such as a photodiode or phototransistor, which generates a voltage or electric current signal corresponding to the light impinging on it; or, the photodetector may be bare. The optical system 212 may include, as desired, a reflector or lens 214 to concentrate the flickering light and a filter 216 to eliminate light of other wavelengths. For example, if the lamp 110 is a common red LED that outputs light of wavelength 660 nanometers, then a narrow-pass 660-nanometer optical filter will improve the signal-to-noise ratio by excluding most other light. The lens 214 can be of the cylinder type if a stretch of roadway is to be covered, or for use in the dashboard-mounted detector 200 shown in FIG. 1 . The LED 110 can also beam light out through its own optical system (not shown).
The electric voltage signal output from the photo diode 210 , that follows the intensity of the flickering light, is analyzed and decoded by a decoder 220 . The decoder 220 may use commercially-available bar-code software (or, it can use similar or other software, and/or equivalent circuits). The decoded identifier is preferably now in ASCII format, for convenient data transfers and further processing.
The decoder 220 is coupled to a database 250 by a write/search control 240 , including a search engine and/or a capability of writing to the database 250 . In the embodiment pictured in FIG. 1, the search control 240 searches the database 250 for a match to an identifier just received from the decoder 220 . (Fast-arriving identifiers can be queued.) If a match is determined, the alarm control 260 notifies the user. For the roadside detector 200 ′, the write/search control may write every identifier received from the decoder 220 into the database 250 , for reference.
The write/search control 240 is preferably also coupled to an external link such as the antenna 254 or 254 ′ of FIG. 1, so that identifiers and/or other information can be sent and received.
The database 250 could as an alternative store identifiers in the same format as the binary flickering, so that no decoding would be needed for database access, and the decoder 220 could be eliminated. However, this might complicate database maintenance and so is less preferred.
Other architectures than that shown in FIG. 2 can be used, as long as the identifier flickered from the vehicle V can be stored or compared to stored identifiers. (FIG. 2 also shows a clock 222 coupled to the decoder 220 . This is discussed below.)
The action described above is analogous to that of a retail bar code system in which the decoded identifying number of a scanned item is checked against a database list of items on sale. If the item is not on the list, no additional action is taken; if it is on the list, and therefore on sale, the price is discounted and the clerk may be alerted by an alarm, such as a display on a cash register, stating the item is on sale.
COMPARISON TO BAR CODE TECHNOLOGY. For encoding the full VIN, a widely-used alphanumeric bar code encryption, such as Code 93 , Code 39 , or Code 128 , may be advantageous because decoding software is available. Another possibility is to use the ASCII code to convert the VIN to binary digits, and then to encode the binary digits using the 2 of 5 Code, a bar code in which spaces are uniform in length and bars are of two lengths, short and long. In this invention, the spaces might take the form of intervals of no light and the bars be intervals of light emission (or, the converse). If the identifier is numeric (e.g., if a numeric portion of the VIN is used as the identifier), then a known numeric encoder such as UPC can be used. Any code, conventional or custom, can be used. Codes used in TV remote controls can also be adapted to this invention.
The electric signal from the photo diode 210 will be decoded very rapidly as compared to the signal received by a bar-code scanner, because the decoding software has much less work to do than when a bar code is read. There are several reasons why the flickering light of this invention is easy to read.
(1) The flickering lamp of this invention produces a very clean signal. An ordinary 660-nm LED has a turn-on or turn-off time of about 200 ns, that is, 2×10 −7 S, fifth of a millionth of a second, and that means that the pulses from the LED have hard vertical edges and will appear on an oscilloscope as a “square wave” type of signal. The pulses do not need to be “digitized” as do the signals read by a bar code scanner, which are wavy due to the width of the scanning dot and imprecise printing of the bar code, as is explained at page 83 of “The Bar Code Book” by Roger C. Palmer, 3rd Ed., Helmers Publishing Company, Peterborough, NH, ISBN 0-911261-09-5, essential portions of which are incorporated herein by reference.
(2) A bar code scan produces a variable bit rate because the bar might be farther or closer to the scanner, may be tilted, or may be on a round surface like the outside of a tin can. But the clock 122 of the unit 100 can easily be to have a precise output, so the detector 200 will not need to adjust the timing of the digitized pulses; their timing will be constant.
(3) In this invention, the light intensity will not vary over the time interval occupied by one repetition of the flicker; that is because the environment (e.g., the distance of a moving vehicle from the detector) will not vary appreciably over the duration of one brief flicker pattern. This also simplifies the processing and software requirements as compared to bar code reading.
(4) The flickering signal of the invention is never reversed, which happens in bar code scanners when the laser beam retraces its path or the scanned item is held the other way around. The UPC bar codes used in retailing include start and end code portions, to inform the decoding device of when the bar code is backwards. This, of course, complicates decoding and increasing processing time.
Thus, the software and processing requirements in this invention are less stringent than those for bar code reading, and persons of skill in the art will have no difficulty in choosing an existing system, simplifying existing bar code software, or designing new software, for this invention.
Because the flickers from the lamp 110 can be decoded very fast and reliably, the identities of large numbers of vehicles can be registered very quickly. For example, all of the vehicles passing a detector on a busy interstate highway at rush hour could be detected and their VIN's stored.
TIMING OF THE FLICKERS. The flicker rate or binary bit rate can be quite rapid. As noted, an ordinary red LED has an on-off time of about 200 ns, that is, 2×10 −7 s or a fifth of a millionth of a second. Because of this rapid switching between light-emitting and non-light-emitting states, short binary-bit pulse intervals of, for instance, 0.5×10 −5 s (a two-hundred-thousandth of a second) are practical for transmission by LED. The latter interval is 250 times as long as the first.
A standard VIN has 17 characters. Assuming for example that the ASCII code is used, in which each letter or character is represented by seven bits (for example, “B” is 1000010), the entire VIN transmission comprising 140 bits will take less than one thousandth of a second with the bit length of a two-hundred thousandth of a second from the example above. The bit rate can be adjusted as needed in view of various factors of the electronic hardware and the environment.
The repetition rate (the rate or frequency at which an entire VIN transmission is repeated), in the example above, can be as rapid as 1000 repetitions per second (1 kHz, which is the inverse of the VIN transmission duration: {fraction (1/1000)}s=1 kHz). But such a high repetition rate is not needed, and a rate substantially lower that the flicker duration is preferred, for the following reasons.
The repetition rate should be low enough that the probability of overlapping flickers from different vehicles is low, since the flicker-recognition software used by the detector will have trouble distinguishing simultaneous flickers. If a police officer is scanning a line of stopped cars, so that many of their brake lights are on at the same time, it will be best if only one brake light is flickering at any one time; then, the detector can read them all sequentially without having to sort out interfering flickers. The repetition rate may be varied slightly from vehicle to vehicle, so that chance overlaps between vehicles will not recur over and over.
Conversely, the repetition rate should also be high enough that one VIN is flickered even when the driver “taps” the brake pedal, and also high enough that at least one complete VIN flicker pattern will be radiated during the time that a traveling vehicle is within the optical angle of view of a roadside detector. A car moving at 60 mph travels a bit more than one foot in a hundredth of a second, so even if the repetition rate is as low as 20 Hz (twenty repetitions per second), a roadside detector need only cover twenty feet of a vehicle's path to insure the occurrence of one flicker while the vehicle in view. Because the brightness of the image of the flickering LED is proportional to the narrowness of the angle of view, a higher rate will increase the reading ability of a fixed detector.
Any repetition rate over about twenty per second will appear to the eye as a steady light (due to the persistence of vision) and will not distract a person's attention. For this reason, the preferred repetition rate is higher than the persistence time of the human eye, which is about a twentieth of a second (20 Hz).
Some brake lamps are already made with LED's and running lamps can also include LED's. Those vehicles are already set up with a bright, multi-LED lamp easily adapted to this invention. To avoid reducing the brightness of the stop light, a flickering brake lamp should remain on (emitting light) for a large majority of the time. Therefore, the flickers should preferably be interspersed between periods of steady light emission that last longer than the flicker itself.
If the flicker lasts for only a thousandth of a second, as in the example above, and the repetition rate is 100 times a second, the brake lamp's light output will decrease only ½ of one percent due to the flickering of the invention. That is calculated by the fact that the flickering intervals will be one percent of the total time, and the lamp will emit light for about half the time during each interval of flickering.
As compared to a lamp that is off (not emitting light) between flicker repetitions, the flickering of stop lamps or running lamps may be repeated at a lower rate without the flicker being visible, because of the steady shining in between flicker repetitions. (The flickering itself will be much too rapid to be perceived as an interruption in the steady shining of the lamp). For example, a repetition rate of only 1 Hz (one repetition each second) might be advantageous for a brake-lamp (or tail light) application of this invention, because a greater number of vehicles can be scanned simultaneously, and the very bright brake lamps are visible from far off. A detector aimed at a congested roadway has the potential to detect the flickers of hundreds or thousands of vehicles. This invention therefore contemplates different repetition rates for different lamps on the same vehicle (or, different vehicles).
Because it may be desirable to halt the flickering for relatively long intervals, a preferred drive circuit for the lamp 110 might include some kind of delay circuit, so that long periods of non-flickering would not need to be recorded in memory as a monotonous series of 1's or 0's, avoiding a large memory 126 with most memory areas devoted to the time interval between flickers.
OVERLAPPING FLICKERS. Despite the provision of a relatively long quiescent period between flickers, and the variation of repetition rate from vehicle to vehicle, there might be overlaps of flickers from two vehicles both impinging on the photo detector 210 at the same time. This does not arise with bar code reading, so off-the-shelf bar code software will not be able to separate the two signals.
Referring to FIG. 2 again, a preferred embodiment of this invention includes a detector clock 222 coupled to a decoder 220 of the detector 200 . The rate of the clock 222 is preferably set equal to (or to a multiple or even fraction of) the rate of the clock 122 of the flickering unit 100 . When a flicker signal arrives at the decoder 220 from the photo detector 210 , the decoder can then determine the phase difference between the incoming signal and the clock 222 pulses, and use that to discriminate one flicker signal from another. For example, the raw signal can be converted from a “square wave” to spikes triggered by the leading edges of the raw signal, and time-filtered according to its phase. In this way, a signal with any other phase is filtered out. Persons of skill will understand that two or more signals can be read simultaneously with this method by using two filters and two analyzing circuits. The clock 222 , when synchronized with the clock 122 or a multiple of it, can also be used to help decode a single flicker.
Because of the signal strength of any one signal is constant, as mentioned above, two overlapping signals can also be separated according to their signal strengths (amplitudes).
This invention also covers an alternative embodiment of the detector (not shown) in which video imaging technology (such as a CCD imaging device) is used. If a collection of vehicles is imaged, spatial isolation as well as temporal isolation of the flickers from the different vehicles is possible. A flickering pixel or pixel group can be detected and filtered from the rest of the image and analyzed. Any simultaneous flickering from another area of the image could be stored for later analysis by a single decoder, avoiding the need for two decoders. A CCD can also be used as a non-imaging photodetector.
MULTIPLE LAMPS AND WAVELENGTHS. One option in this invention is to use a flicker generator that does not switch the output voltage on and off, but instead switches between two lamps. For example, the brake (and/or running lamps) that are continuously lit with flickering interruptions at intervals, and side lamps that are dark with flicker blips at intervals, could have “negative” flicker patterns, being off and on conversely. (That corresponds to the scan of a photographic negative image of a bar code.)
FIG. 1 shows a circuit for this switching. The signal to the lamp 110 also goes to an inverter 132 and a second lamp 130 , which emits an inverted “negative” flicker, and is off while the lamp 110 is on (and conversely).
This switching would require two types of detector, each type reading a straight or inverted flicker, or, alternatively, a processor that would recognize either the flicker or its negative, and process accordingly (so-called “autodiscrimination”; see Palmer). Alternatively, and inverter can be used in the vehicle. The side lamp can optionally emit in the infrared, like a TV remote, to be invisible.
The brake or running lamp can of course include both an LED that is dedicated to flickering and non-flickering lamps such as incandescent lamps.
ANTI-TAMPERING PROVISIONS. Preferably, at least one of the lamps will be mounted in a position where its removal will be evident; for example, it can be potted inside one of the roof-support columns with a small hole in the sheet metal through which the LED shines. A flicker unit (including a lamp and drive circuits) can be fastened there, embedded in a potting compound such as epoxy and/or a mechanically fastened, with the lamp aligned with a small hole in the sheet metal. Such a unit would be difficult to remove and also difficult to replace if it were removed. (At the factory, a special jig would align the hole and the lamp.) The powering wire from the front panel or brake pedal can be routed so that it is also difficult to by-pass the unit 100 and thereby stop the flickering without also disabling the brake or stop lights. A hard-to-remove flicker unit like that could directly shine to, for example, the side of the vehicle with a “positive” infrared flicker while driving the brake lamp through an inverter to flicker in a “negative” flickering, as discussed above, with a red LED.
(This invention also covers less secure installations. If flickering lamps are added to vehicles after purchase (like the radio tags of the E-Z Pass system), then the lamps can be, e.g., glued to the inside of a window or the windshield.)
A detector according to this invention can optionally include at least one additional sensor to detect any vehicle regardless of the flickering light, whereby the presence of a non-flickering vehicle is detected. This might be useful in some security applications. Such an additional sensor can include a sound sensor, a heat sensor, a motion sensor, an image sensor, and/or a road-mounted vehicle weight sensor.
As noted above, the invention can include augmented VIN's with at least one extra, secret character or numeral. The VIN plate, vehicle title, and other public records would omit the secret portion of the VIN, which would be kept in a central databank. When a complete (flickered) VIN were sent to the databank, the incoming identifier would be checked against a secret database. The only response from the databank would be “authentic” or “fake”. Any faked flickering VIN could thus be detected rapidly.
The VIN includes a check digit at position 9 , which is different from the secret datum of this invention. However, the invention does not rule out additional check digits in an augmented VIN as needed for technological workability.
APPLICATIONS OF THE INVENTION. A major use of this invention is rapid detection of stolen vehicles and vehicles wanted in connection with crimes or terrorism. Once a network of detectors is in place, a vehicle will not be able to drive far without alerting the authorities that a wanted vehicle was at a specific location at specific time.
Detectors set up near potential terrorist targets and rigged with alarms, or triggering automatic roadblocks, could prevent attacks. The invention can also be used to select certain vehicles for investigation.
The invention can be used to record all vehicles that have entered a building or area. In one bombing of the World Trade Center, the perpetrators were found because of a VIN plate that survived the bomb blast. But that plate could easily have been lost or destroyed in the blast, and no record of that vehicle entering the building would have existed. With this invention in use, the VIN of that vehicle could have been already registered and downloaded to a secure location.
The invention is non-obtrusive, especially because the flickering is invisible in the preferred embodiment, and the invention will not delay innocent citizens. In fact, people will be unaware that they are being surveilled in most cases.
Police can use a dial-up service to determine the history of any vehicle (not just vehicles included in the “wanted” database 250 of FIG. 2 ), prior to making contact with the driver. Information about the owner (who is most probably also the driver) can be made be available; for example, whether the owner has a criminal record. The detector 200 can be pointed, or a hand-held auxiliary device can be aimed, to isolate any vehicle. If the full VIN is used as the identifier, the make, model year, and type of vehicle (car, bus, etc.) will be instantly available because they are encoded in the VIN, and the police can use that information to cross-check their identification of the vehicle.
Especially if low-current CMOS circuits are used, then the battery drain of this invention will be minimal. Therefore, a flickering lamp can be left on whenever the vehicle's battery is connected. The lamp would appear to be continuously lit, as discussed above, though actually emitting light for only a small fraction of the time. The side lamps of parked vehicles could be scanned by side-mounted detectors on police cars.
While the police might be the main users of this invention, the vehicle-tracking feature will also be useful at toll booths and to government agencies and private companies for verifying the locations and/or routes of company fleets or other sets of flickering vehicles. For private use, a system with only one detector could be useful: for example, a parking lot could register entering and exiting vehicles both for billing purposes and to block unauthorized attempts at parking. In this application, a flicker unit mounted inside the windshield might be used.
The invention can be retrofitted to a fleet of vehicles for making older vehicles register in the system of detectors described above, or for a special purpose like routing.
The invention is not limited to the particular embodiments specifically recited but rather encompasses all within the scope of the following claims. The present disclosure is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention or of the following claims.
The objects of the invention are apparent from the description above.
While the VIN is the preferred identifier, any other identifying number, character, etc., can be used in this invention. The identifier can be numeric, alphanumeric, alphabetical, or symbolic, or a pure binary number or pattern.
The flickering lamp of this invention can, as an alternative, radiate light in more than one intensity so that the encoding of the vehicle identifier is other than binary. For example, three states would be provided by two light levels of higher and lower intensity and a lamp-off state. However, binary encoding with only one lamp-on state is preferred.
Besides the telescopic detector discussed above, this invention can also use a narrow-beam lamp. For example, if the flickering light from a lamp is directed toward the front of the vehicle, optical elements such as mirrors and/or lenses could be used to send more of the emitted light into a narrow solid angle, so that the flickering could be brighter in the forward direction at the expense of the side directions. Even when the light is intended to be directed all around the horizon or through a broad angle, the light from an LED can be directed away from the zenith and nadir toward the horizon for better efficiency.
Encoding based on the timing of pulses is also possible. One example would be uniform short light blips, each indistinguishable from the others, but conveying information through their timing (somewhat like FM radio or phase modulation).
The invention also includes the use of analog encoding and any other encoding that will work in this invention.
Above, and in the following claims:
“alarm” means any device for alerting or notifying a user, and also includes a trigger (for example, a device to open a gate automatically) that functions without human intervention.
“alphanumeric” means comprised of letters, numerals, symbols, or any combinations thereof,
“ASCII” means the American Standard Code for Information Exchange and/or related codes such as BCDIC, EBCDIC, or the like;
“binary flickering rate interval” means the time occupied by a binary digit or pulse;
“flickering duration” means the time taken to flicker out an identifier and associated data or signals;
“flicker repetition interval” means the time between the start of one flickered identifier and the start of a succeeding flickered identifier;
“identifier” means any pattern that can be associated with a land vehicle;
“processor ” means any digital or analog/digital device which processes data, such as an electronic circuit, a microprocessor, or a programmed computer;
“lamp” is any device producing light;
“LED” means any solid-state lamp or light-emitting device, and is not limited to diodes;
“light” means visible light, far and/or near infrared and ultraviolet light;
“search engine” means any database searching device, program, or circuit;
“set” has the mathematical meaning of any group, including any subset or a whole;
“vehicle” means a movable conveyance or device, whether self-powered, pulled, or driven;
“VIN” means vehicle identification number and/or any identifier determined under 49 C.F.R. §565.
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Vehicles are identified by flickering LED's that may be mounted on their sides and/or incorporated into the brake lights or running lights. The flickering encodes an identifier, preferably the VIN (vehicle identification number), in binary format using a barcode type of encoding, ASCII, etc. The VIN is decoded by a detector. The detector may be coupled to a database to record a vehicle's identifier and/or to determine if the vehicle is stolen or wanted. If the identifier of a wanted vehicle is found, an alarm is sounded and/or information about the vehicle can be displayed. The flicker may repeat continuously or be repeated continually, at intervals. The intervals are preferably greater than the flickering duration, so that the flickers are spaced apart and therefore flickers from a group of vehicles will not overlap, permitting each vehicle to be individually identified without spatial localization. Because the LED's turn on and off rapidly, the flickers provide a very clean signal and mis-readings are minimal.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed herein broadly relates to microprocessor clock systems, and more particularly to a cross-monitored pair of clocks for operating a pair of microprocessors with Fail-Safe operation.
2. Description of Related Art
Fail-Safe operation of data processing systems is of paramount importance when such systems are employed for aircraft navigation and flight control. Commonly, aircraft applications require redundant systems as a means for cross-checking the navigation and/or flight control output. In those situations in which a pair of processors operate on the same input data, the intended output data of each of the processors should be identical, thereby verifying the integrity of the output data. If, of course, the output data of the independent processing systems are different, a failure is generally detected and a warning given to the pilot. This is so, since the pilot cannot determine which processor system is providing the "correct" output data.
Commonly, navigation and/or flight control systems generally employ a microprocessor for executing a fixed set of instructions requiring a fixed number of input clock cycles to execute these instructions. The total number of clock cycles to execute the fixed set of instructions is sometimes referred to as a frame. In order to provide independent redundancy, generally associated with each microprocessor is an independent system clock signal provided by a clock generator, commonly employing a high frequency oscillator.
When employing a pair of microprocessors, each having associated therewith an independent oscillator and a frame interrupt signal for reading output data, it is of paramount importance that the oscillator and the interrupt frame frequency be substantially identical and be provided by precision oscillators and/or clock generators. Even so, component degradation and/or environmentally induced variation in the frequency outputs thereof must be monitored in order to detect whether or not the microprocessors are operating in unison so that the output data can be relied upon. Thus, there is a need for a cross-monitored clock-pair system for Fail-Safe monitoring the clocking operation of the microprocessors, while at the same time maintaining independence.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a cross-monitored clock-pair system which provides independent operation of a pair of microprocessor subsystems.
In accordance with the present invention, a first system clock generator provides a first system clock signal at a first system frequency and a second system clock generator for providing a second system clock signal at a second system frequency for independently operating first and second microprocessors, respectively. Associated with the first system clock generator, is a first frame clock generator responsive to the first system clock signal for deriving therefrom a first frame clock signal at a first frame frequency. Associated with the second system clock generator is a frame clock generator responsive to the second system clock signal for deriving therefrom a second frame clock signal at a second frame frequency, and a first reference clock signal at a first reference clock frequency.
Further associated with the first microprocessor subsystem is a first clock monitor having first and second inputs, where the first input receives the first frame clock signal, and the second input receives the first reference clock signal, where the first clock monitor provides an indication of whether or not the first and second system clock frequency are within prescribed limits relative to each other. If not, the first clock monitor provides an output indicative of a Fail-Safe error which may be operated on by subsequent subsystems for notification thereof.
Further, associated with the second microprocessor subsystem is a second clock monitor having first and second inputs where the first input receives the first frame clock signal, and the second input receives the first reference clock signal, such that the second clock monitor provides an output indicative of whether or not the first and second frame system clock frequencies are within prescribed limits relative to each other.
Since the first and second clock monitors derive information from clock signals from the primary system clocks of the two different processors, these monitors provide Fail-Safe operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the cross-monitored clock pair system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a timing diagram illustrating a frame clock signal.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment for a clock monitor in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 illustrates the cross-monitored clock pair system in accordance with the present invention employed with a pair of microprocessors having common input data presented thereto. Thereshown, are two circuit card assemblies 10a and 10b having identical components serving in an identical manner and performing identical functions. Therefore, the components of circuit card assembly 10a will only be described.
Circuit card assembly 10a includes a microprocessor and the like, indicated by block 20, which receive input data 5 and provides output information (not shown). Microprocessor 20 includes a clock input "C" and enable input "E". Microprocessor 20 executes a set of programmed instructions in a well known manner. The instructions are performed at the system clock frequency of the system clock signal presented to microprocessor clock input "C", namely that provided by the system clock generator 30, for example a high frequency oscillator. Oscillator 30 provides a system clock signal at a first system frequency, for example, 18 megahertz, at the output 32 thereof. The output of oscillator 30 is electrically connected to the "C" input of microprocessor 20 and input 42 of frame clock generator 40.
Frame clock generator 40 provides at the output 44 thereof, a frame clock signal at a frame clock frequency ("f1"), and provides at the output 46 thereof a reference clock signal at a reference clock frequency ("f2"). Frame clock generator 40 may be constructed from a wide variety of digital circuits which provide output clock signals which are derived from the input clock signal. Such circuits may employ a digital counter and may also employ a digital logic circuit for providing a clock signal of a particular frequency derived from the input clock signal. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, the system clock signal is 18 megahertz, the frame clock frequency is 100 hertz, and the reference clock frequency is 400 kilohertz. In these circumstances, frame clock generator 40 includes a divide by 45 circuit means to produce a 400 kilohertz signal, and a divide by 180,000 circuit means to produce a 100 hertz signal.
Again referring to FIG. 1, the frame clock signal at the output 44 is electrically connected as an input to an output buffer circuit 50. The reference clock signal at the output 46 is electrically connected to the input of output buffer 60. Output buffers 50 and 60 are connected to a digital signal buss and serve as isolation/amplification circuits in a well known manner. Each output buffer 50 and 60 provides a pair of signal lines 52 and 54, and 62 and 64 respectively, which in turn, may be electrically connected to a digital buss.
Circuit card assembly 10a further includes an input buffer 70, including separate input means 72 and 74, for receiving signals on signal lines 73 and 75 respectively. Signals on signal lines 73 and 75 are presented as input signals to a clock monitor 80, through input buffer 70. The signal on signal line 73 is electrically coupled to input means 82, and the E-input of microprocessor 20 on signal lines 78 and 79, respectively; and the signal on signal line 75 is electrically coupled to input means 84, both through buffer 70. Clock monitor 80 also includes an output means 86 for providing an output signal on signal line 88, presented as an input to clock fault detector 90.
Circuit card assemblies 10a and 10b may be of the variety intended to be plugged into a master interconnect board, sometimes referred to as a "mother board", of an electronic system chassis, or alternatively may be appropriately connected by a wiring harness having appropriate mating connectors for electrically connecting the circuit card assemblies to the wiring harness. Associated with each of these circuit card assemblies 10a and 10b is a corresponding circuit card connector 12a and 12b, respectively. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, these circuit card connectors are electrically interconnected in a manner as will now be described, and particularly illustrated in FIG. 1. As illustrated therein, the wiring interconnections between the circuit card connectors are generally designated by numeral 100, and the interface between the circuit card assemblies 10a and 10b and the corresponding circuit card connectors is indicated by the dotted line 110.
For purposes of understanding the present invention, circuit card assembly 10a is electrically connected to the circuit card connector 12a and is designated the primary microprocessor subsystem, and circuit card assembly 10b is connected to circuit card connector 12b, and is designated the secondary microprocessor subsystem. It should be noted that since the circuit card assemblies are identical, only their connection to the circuit card connectors 12a and 12b, and the wiring therebetween, establishes the primary and secondary designations.
The interconnections between circuit card connectors 12a and 12b as illustrated in FIG. 1 will now be described. Output means 52 of buffer 50 of circuit card assembly 10a is electrically connected to input means 72 of input buffer 70 of circuit card assembly 10a; and output means 54 of buffer 50 of circuit card assembly 10a is electrically connected to input means 72 of input buffer 70 of circuit card assembly 10b. Further, output means 62 of output buffer 60 of circuit card assembly 10b is electrically connected to input means 74 of input buffer 70 of circuit card assembly 10a; and output means 64 of output buffer 60 of circuit card assembly 10b is electrically connected to input means 74 of input buffer 70 of circuit card assembly 10b.
With this arrangement as just described, each microprocessor 20 on both circuit card assemblies 10a and 10b are provided with a common interrupt frame clock signal, and each monitor is cross checked with a common reference signal.
The function of clock monitor 80 is to provide an indication to the figuratively shown clock fault detector 90, or other subsystem, as to whether or not the system clock generator 30 and the frame clock generator 40 of both circuit card assemblies 10a and 10b are performing within a selected specification.
Consider the situation where frame clock generator 40 of circuit card means 10a provides a frame clock signal of 100 hertz, and where frame clock generator 40 of circuit card 10b provides a reference clock signal at a frequency of 400 kilohertz, and that a fault detection is desired when the frame clock frequency is outside a ±0.2% window of its nominal value. This is particularly illustrated in the diagram illustrated in FIG. 2. Since typically the frame frequency enables the microprocessor during the first half of the frame clock frequency, only the edge of the clock signal is of importance, and thereof is of interest. As illustrated, the first half of a 100 hertz frame frequency is 5000 micro seconds. For a ±0.2% window, the first half of the 100 hertz signal must fall between 4990 and 5010 micro seconds, as illustrated. Therefore, it is desired that a clock fault detection should be indicated when the leading edge of the 100 hertz signal is either early, falling before 4990 micro seconds, or is to late, falling after 5010 micro seconds have elapsed from the leading edge of the 100 hertz signal.
Clock monitor 80 is provided to accomplish the clock fault detection as just described. One example of an implementation for clock monitor 80 is illustrated in FIG. 3. Thereshown is a "counter" 310 having a clock input ("C") 311 receiving as an input signal the reference clock signal on signal line 84. Counter 310 further includes an enable input ("E") 312, and a clear input ("CLR") 313. The parallel output 315 of counter 310 includes a plurality of bits which are logically connected by logic means 320.
Logic means 320 includes a first output 322, and a second output 324. The output 322 is presented as a first input to AND circuit 340 through digital inverting circuit 324. The second input to AND circuit 340 is the output of digital inverting circuit 370, namely the inverted frame clock signal provided on signal line 82. The output 342 of AND gate 340 is presented as one input to OR circuit 350 providing logic output 86. The second input of OR circuit 350 is electrically connected to output 324 of logic means 320.
In the exemplary circuit for clock monitor 80 as just described, logic means 320 provides a logic "1" at output 322 thereof when counter 310 provides an output indicating a numerical equivalent of 1996. This, of course indicates that counter 310 has counted 1996 clock cycles of the 400 kilohertz reference clock frequency which has the timing equivalent of 4990 micro seconds. Similarly, logic means 320 provides a logic "1" at output 324 thereof when counter 310 provides an output indicating a numerical equivalent of 2004. This, of course indicates that counter 310 has counted 2004 clock cycles of the 400 kilohertz reference clock frequency which has the timing equivalent of 5010 micro seconds.
The operation of the circuit illustrated in FIG. 3 is such that when both the 400 kilohertz signal and the 100 hertz signal are within specification, the output of OR circuit 350 will continuously remain a logic 0, indicating a NO-FAULT clock condition. However, if the 100 hertz signal trailing edge falls before the 4990 micro seconds have elapsed, then AND circuit 340 will provide a logic level 1, and in turn OR circuit 350 provides a logic level 1, thereby indicating a clock fault condition at the output of OR gate 350. Similarly, if the trailing edge of the 100 hertz of frame frequency is too late, i.e. falling after 5010 micro seconds, then logic OR circuit 350 provides a logic level 1, again indicating a clock fault condition.
The logic circuit of FIG. 3 is such that AND gate 340 provides a logic level 1 only if counter 310 has not counted 1996 clock pulses, and that the frame clock signal has fallen to its low level. In turn, in this situation, OR gate 350 provides a signal indication of a fault of a fast frame clock frequency as referenced to the reference clock frequency. In contrast, if logic circuit 320 provides a logic level 1 at the output 324 thereof, it indicates that the trailing edge of the frame clock signal is late, since counter 310 was not reset before the count 2004 was reached. In this situation, OR gate 350 receives a logic level 1 input, and provides a logic level 1 output indicating again a clock fault condition, i.e., a late trailing edge of the frame clock signal as referenced to the reference clock frequency.
It should be noted that in the above discussion, that if the 100 hz frame clock frequency is perfect and the reference clock frequency is within ±0.2% of its intended 400 kilohertz frequency, there is no clock fault and therefore a no fault condition will be indicated. However, if the reference clock frequency is out of specification by the ±0.2% window, a clock-fault condition will be indicated. This is so since a faster system clock frequency by ±0.2% will cause the counter 310 to count 2004 in 5000 micro seconds, the upper limit before a clock fault condition. Similarly, a slower system clock frequency by -0.2% will cause the counter 310 to count 1996 in 5000 micro seconds, the lower limit before a clock fault condition. Therefore, with the limits selected in the exemplary embodiment as implemented by the logic circuit 320, the system clock frequencies must be within ±0.2% of each other. Of course, it should be recognized by those skilled in the art that other upper and lower tolerance limits by appropriate design of the counter 320 and logic means 320 are within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It should be noted that with the wiring assembly 100, as illustrated in FIG. 1, which interconnects circuit card connectors 12a and 12b and corresponding circuit card assemblies 10a and 10b, each clock monitor 40 of each circuit card assembly receives as an input (84) to counter 310 the 400 kilohertz reference frequency provided by frame clock generator 40 of circuit card assembly 10b, and the 100 hertz input (82) provided by frame clock generator 40 of circuit card assembly 10a, as illustrated in FIG. 3. This cross coupling of circuit card assemblies provides a unique cross-monitored clock-pair system for providing Fail-Safe operation of the double redundant microprocessor data.
It should be recognized by those skilled in the art that circuit construction beyond that which has been disclosed herein falls within the true spirit and scope of the present invention. More specifically, a cross-monitored clock pair system has been illustrated for employment by subsequent subsystems for verifying the independent clock operation falling within predetermined limits so that information from the separate systems may be relied upon.
Although a specific embodiment has been shown for a clock monitor, as well as particular selected frequencies have been chosen, others are of course possible within the level of skill in the art, and are within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
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A system for operating a pair of microprocessors with independent system clocks while at the same time providing synchronization by a common interrupt signal, and in which the system clocks are cross-monitored to thereby provide Fail-Safe operation.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for making paper from a solution including various kinds of fiber base materials and fillers dispersed in water, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for making raw paper as an intermediate of a wet friction material for use as a friction plate.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Conventionally, annular frictional materials for use as frictional plates and the like have been made by punching from sheets of paper before or after the paper are thermoset while impregnating with thermosetting resin. However, since the yield of the raw material under this method is low, there have recently been developed new methods of directly making such annular frictional plates out of raw paper (e.g., JP-A-2-91294, JP-A-3-76780, JP-A-3-107628, etc.).
[0005] On the other hand, in the case of obtaining discontinuous paper bodies such as handmade paper, there still exists a problem of bad formation, and JP-A-11-241290 discloses a method of improving the formation.
[0006] According to the conventional methods and apparatus for manufacturing discontinuous paper bodies such as annular bodies, the paper formation has not necessarily been satisfactory.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a paper making method and apparatus for obtaining discontinuous paper bodies with further good paper formation.
[0008] In order to solve the foregoing problem, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of making a discontinuous paper body, including the steps of: feeding a raw material with a predetermined concentration into water which is in a stirred condition; maintaining the stirring condition for a predetermined time after the feeding step is completed; and passing the raw material diluted with the water through a wire cloth, while the stirred condition is maintained. Further, there is provided an apparatus for making paper, including: a stirring tank including: an outer cylinder; a middle cylinder disposed concentrically with said outer cylinder; a raw-material feeding port for feeding raw-material into said stirring tank; stirring mechanisms; and a top plate for holding said outer and middle cylinders in a predetermined position, and a paper making portion installed below the stirring tank, said paper making portion including: a wire cloth; and a paper making frame having an opening for holding the wire cloth, the opening being connected to a suction unit, wherein the stirring mechanisms are uniformly disposed above the wire cloth.
[0009] In addition, there is provided a paper making method wherein raw material is supplied from a raw-material feeding port disposed above a wire cloth uniformly onto the wire cloth. Further, there is provided a paper making apparatus includes a stirring tank including an outer cylinder, raw-material feeding ports for supplying raw material, stirring mechanisms, and a top for holding these members in position, wherein a paper making portion which is disposed in the lower portion of the stirring tank, has a central body having an opening for holding wire cloth and is connected to a suction unit, wherein said raw-material feeding ports are uniformly disposed above the wire cloth or the raw material is supplied from the raw-material feeding ports alternately disposed with respect to the central annular line of the paper making portion of wire cloth or each raw-material feeding port is directed toward the outer peripheral face of the middle cylinder or each raw-material feeding port is directed toward the upper apex of the conical surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] [0010]FIG. 1 is a top view of a paper making apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0011] [0011]FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1;
[0012] [0012]FIG. 3 is a top view of a paper making portion according to the first embodiment;
[0013] [0013]FIG. 4 is a view showing a separate condition of a stirring tank and the paper making portion according to the first embodiment;
[0014] [0014]FIG. 5 is a top view of an arrangement of stirring mechanisms according to the first embodiment;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 6 is a top view of another arrangement of stirring mechanisms according to the first embodiment;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 7 is a top view of a paper making apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 9 is a top view of a paper making portion according to the second embodiment;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 10 is a view showing an arrangement of raw-material feeding ports according to the second embodiment;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 11 is a view showing another arrangement of raw-material feeding ports according to the second embodiment;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line XII-XII of FIG. 7 and showing a paper making apparatus that is separated;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 13 is a top view of a paper making apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention;
[0023] [0023]FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13;
[0024] [0024]FIG. 15 is a top view of a paper making apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;
[0025] [0025]FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along the line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15;
[0026] [0026]FIG. 17 is a top view of a paper making apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;
[0027] [0027]FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken on line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 17; and
[0028] [0028]FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a paper making apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] A paper making apparatus according to a first aspect of the invention is structured that an outer cylinder, a middle cylinder, stirring air nozzles, a cleaning fluid jet mechanism and a raw-material feeding port are secured to a top plate. The air nozzles are uniformly arranged above the central annular line of a paper making portion of a wire cloth or alternately arranged with respect to the central annular lines thereof. The paper formation is improved on a condition that the air nozzles are uniformly arranged without being biased to the upper portion of the paper making portion of the wire cloth. Consequently, it is also preferable to uniformly arrange the directions of openings for jetting air without being biased in one direction.
[0030] The middle cylinder is formed in a substantially conical shape and the raw-material feeding port is provided above the apex of the substantially conical portion, so that the thickness of a paper body can be uniformed.
[0031] Further, a water jet is used as the cleaning fluid jet mechanism. A jet of water from the water jet may be performed in the form of a mist, waterdrops or a line of water, but it is preferable that a plurality of water jets are provided so that the fluid can equally be sprayed on the whole inside of a stirring tank.
[0032] In addition, a paper making apparatus according to a second aspect of the invention is structured that an outer cylinder, a middle cylinder, stirring air nozzles, a cleaning fluid jet mechanism, raw-material feeding ports and the like are secured to a top. The raw-material feeding ports are uniformly arranged above the central annular line of a paper making portion of a wire cloth or alternately arranged with respect to the central annular lines thereof. Moreover, the raw-material feeding ports are directed to the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder. Otherwise, the central body of a paper making frame is formed in a conical shape, whereby to construct the raw-material feeding ports above the apex. By feeding the raw material from the raw-material feeding ports, the concentration of the raw material before the operation of making paper is uniformed without imbalance.
[0033] The paper making portion of the wire cloth means an exposed portion between the outer cylinder and the central body, that is, a portion where the paper body is remained on the wire cloth after the paper making operation. Further, the central body is structured to form a central hole of an annular paper body.
[0034] The raw-material feeding ports are only needed for allowing the raw material to be fed and the diameter of each jet hole is set to be large enough to prevent the raw material from being clogged.
[0035] [First Embodiment]
[0036] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 , a description will be given of a paper making apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , a paper making apparatus 1 includes a stirring tank 2 and a paper making portion 3 . The stirring tank 2 includes a middle cylinder 21 , an outer cylinder 23 concentric with the middle cylinder 21 , a raw-material feeding port 24 , air nozzles 25 as stirring mechanisms and jet holes 28 , which are respectively secured to an aluminum top plate 26 . The middle cylinder 21 has a substantially conical portion 22 in the lower end portion thereof. The jet holes 28 jet water for cleansing the middle cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 23 . A seal ring 27 is also secured to the lower end portion of the outer cylinder 23 .
[0037] The paper making portion 3 is structured such that a wire cloth 31 is fitted to the top of a paper making frame 32 and a cover 34 for collecting moisture component such as the overflowed raw material is located in the outside of the paper making frame 32 . FIG. 3 is a top view of the paper making portion 3 . Reference numeral 38 denotes a water supply port; 33 , a moisture suction port; 35 , a discharge port of the cover 35 ; 45 , a central body; and 46 , an opening.
[0038] The apparatus shown in the drawings is designed to form an annular paper body as a discontinuous paper body, and the central body 45 forms a central hole.
[0039] [0039]FIG. 4 shows a condition that the stirring tank 2 and the paper making portion 3 in the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are separated from each other. FIGS. 5 and 6 are top views showing an arrangement of air nozzles 25 as stirring mechanisms.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, the stirring tank 2 is separated from the paper making portion 3 and cleansed in another place where smudges adhered to the inner wall of the outer cylinder 23 and the outer wall of the middle cylinder 21 .
[0041] In FIGS. 5 and 6, a line X represents a central annular line of the paper making portion of the wire cloth 31 . In FIG. 5, the air nozzles 25 are uniformly disposed along the central annular line X, whereas in FIG. 6, the air nozzles 25 are alternately disposed with respect to the central annular line X. With these arrangements, the raw material within the stirring tank 2 is evenly stirred, whereby the formation of the paper body is improved.
[0042] A description will now be given of a method of making paper using the apparatus according the first embodiment. First, the stirring tank 2 and the paper making portion 3 are combined together as shown in FIG. 2. When a predetermined amount of water is supplied via the water supply port 38 , the water is passed through an opening 46 to thereby be gathered inside the paper making frame 32 and between the middle cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 23 . Further, the air is jetted out via the air nozzles 25 so as to stir the water gathered between the middle cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 23 . In this condition, the raw material diluted to a predetermined concentration is fed from the raw-material feeding port 24 . While the stirred condition is kept even after the raw material has been fed for several ten seconds, the paper making is carried out. Then, moisture component (including moisture component contained in the raw material) is sucked from a suction port 33 and discharged. Thus, a paper body is made on the wire cloth 31 .
[0043] [Second Embodiment]
[0044] A description will be given of a paper making apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12 . As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 , a paper making apparatus 101 includes a stirring tank 102 and a paper making portion 103 . The stirring tank 102 is formed by mounting raw-material feeding ports 150 , stirring air nozzles 160 , jet nozzles 170 and an outer cylinder 112 onto an aluminum top 110 integrally formed with a middle cylinder 111 . A seal 114 is secured to the lower portion of the outer cylinder so as not to leak the raw material outside.
[0045] On the other hand, the paper making portion 103 includes a paper making frame 115 , a cover 116 and a central body 120 . The paper making frame 115 holds a wire cloth 113 and has a suction port 117 . The cover 116 collects moisture component such as the raw material caused to overflow outside from the paper making frame 115 . The central body 120 has an opening 121 communicating with the suction port 117 . Reference numeral 118 denotes a discharge port of the cover 116 .
[0046] As shown in FIG. 7, the raw-material feeding ports 150 and the air nozzles 160 are arranged equally on the annular wire cloth. With this arrangement, the raw material can equally be fed within the stirring tank and the concentration of the raw material within the stirring tank can also be equalized immediately before the operation of making paper is performed.
[0047] [0047]FIGS. 10 and 11 are views showing an arrangement of the raw-material feeding ports when viewed the paper making portion of the wire cloth 113 from the above; FIG. 10 illustrates as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 the raw-material feeding ports that are equally arranged on the central annual line X of the paper making portion of the wire cloth 113 ; and FIG. 11 illustrates the raw-material feeding ports that are alternately arranged with respect to the central annular line X.
[0048] A description will now be given of a method of making paper using the apparatus according to the second embodiment of the invention. First, the stirring tank 102 and the paper making portion 103 are combined together as shown in FIG. 8. (FIG. 12 shows a separated condition. Incidentally, although FIG. 8 shows the sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7, FIG. 12 shows a sectional view taken along the line XII-XII of FIG. 7). When a predetermined amount of water is supplied via a water supply port 122 to be gathered inside the paper making frame 115 and between the middle cylinder 111 and the outer cylinder 112 . Further, air is jetted via the air nozzles 160 so as to stir the water gathered between the middle cylinder 111 and the outer cylinder 112 .
[0049] In this condition, the raw material diluted to a predetermined concentration is fed from the raw-material feeding ports 150 . The stirred condition is kept even after the raw material has been fed for 30 seconds, and then, the paper making is carried out. Moisture component (including moisture component containing the raw material) is sucked from a suction port 117 and discharged. Thus, a paper body is made on the wire cloth 113 . The operation of making paper may be performed while the stirred condition is maintained or after the stirred condition is stopped.
[0050] [0050]FIG. 12 shows a condition that the stirring tank 102 and the paper making portion 103 in the paper making apparatus 111 are separated and further the stirring tank 102 is cleansed. The cleansing is carried out by jetting the water in the stirring tank 102 via the air nozzles 170 . The air nozzle 170 is installed in a plurality of places and the cleansing is carried out as a separate step separately from the paper making portion 103 .
[0051] [Third Embodiment]
[0052] A description will be given of a paper making apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. The third embodiment is different from the second one in that raw-material feeding ports 151 are provided on the sides of the middle cylinder 111 . The basic structure of the third embodiment is similar to what is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, and the constitutional elements identical with those of the second embodiment are given by like reference numerals. In the second embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, as the raw-material feeding ports 150 , the air nozzles 160 and the jet water nozzles 170 are fitted to the top plate 110 , the space of the top is narrowed. In case where the diameter of the paper body to be made is large, there develops no problem, but in case where the diameter thereof is small, however, the installation area of such a top plate would cause a serious problem.
[0053] The apparatus structured according to the third embodiment of the invention can solve any problem of the sort mentioned above. Further, since the number of raw-material feeding ports 151 and air nozzles 160 can be increased, the concentration of raw material is uniformed further. Incidentally, the positions of the raw-material feeding ports may be above or below the water level Y in the stirring tank 102 .
[0054] Further, an inclination 152 directed upward from each raw-material feeding port 151 is formed such that no raw material is left on the bottom surface of the middle cylinder 111 . In addition, the raw-material feeding port 151 is also inclined so as to match with the inclination 152 .
[0055] [Fourth Embodiment]
[0056] A description will be given of a paper making apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the invention with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. The constitutional elements identical with those of FIGS. 7 and 9 are given by like reference numerals. The fourth embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that the stirring air nozzles are not fitted to the top plate, but air is jetted from air jet holes 161 defined to the middle cylinder 111 . The rest of the formation of this embodiment of the invention is similar to what is shown in the second embodiment thereof.
[0057] Although not shown, the stirring tank may be cleansed by jetting the water from the holes bored in the middle cylinder.
[0058] [Fifth Embodiment]
[0059] A description will be given of a paper making apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the invention with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. In this embodiment, the front end 153 of each raw-material feeding port 150 is directed to the outer peripheral face of the middle cylinder 111 and the fed raw material is flown along the outer peripheral face of the middle cylinder 111 . Further, the lower end of the middle cylinder 111 is formed in a conical surface 119 and with this arrangement, even though only one raw-material feeding port is provided, the raw material moves down on the outer peripheral face of the middle cylinder 111 and together with the conical surface at its lower end, the raw material is uniformly supplied onto the wire cloth 113 .
[0060] [Sixth Embodiment]
[0061] A description will be given of a paper making apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the invention with reference to FIG. 19. In this embodiment, the surface of the central body 120 is formed in a substantially conical shape, and the raw-material feeding port 150 is disposed above the apex of the cone.
[0062] With this arrangement, the raw material is caused to flow in the whole peripheral direction along the conical surface 154 , so that the raw material is uniformly supplied onto the wire cloth 113 .
[0063] According to the present invention, the paper making method and apparatus are thus arranged, it is possible to obtain the discontinuous paper body with an excellent paper formation.
[0064] While only certain embodiments of the invention have been specifically descried herein, it will apparent that numerous modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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An apparatus for making paper includes a stirring tank and a paper making portion. The stirring tank includes: an outer cylinder; a middle cylinder disposed concentrically with the outer cylinder; a raw-material feeding port for feeding raw-material into said stirring tank; a stirring mechanisms; and a top plate for holding the outer and middle cylinders in a predetermined position. The paper making portion is installed below the stirring tank and includes: a wire cloth and a paper making frame having an opening for holding said wire cloth, and the opening is connected to a suction unit. The stirring mechanisms are uniformly disposed above the wire cloth. In addition, a plurality of raw-material feeding ports are uniformly disposed above the wire cloth.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a molded glass run channel corner assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a glass run channel corner assembly formed by molding an extruded rigid division post and a flexible extruded header such that the corner assembly is capable of providing a continuous seal with contiguous corner edges of glass windows positioned on each side of the division post and a method of manufacture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A glass run channel is a channel shaped molding installed in an upper frame of a vehicle, such as an automobile for preventing infiltration of air and moisture and the like and guiding or containing a moveable or fixed glass window. The upper frame of the vehicle typically includes a header, belt line portion, a division post, a B-pillar, also known as a center pillar on a four door vehicle, and a C-pillar. The division post, B-pillar and C-pillar extend between the belt line and the header. The division post, C-pillar, and belt line portion form a subframe within the upper frame typically for retaining the fixed glass window. The header, B-pillar and division post and belt line capture horizontally spaced and vertically disposed glass run channels to restrict the vertical movement of the window and assist in maintaining the glass window in the proper orientation during vertical movement. The vertical leg of the glass run channel is known as a division post glass run channel and the horizontal leg of the glass run channel is known as the header glass run channel. The glass run channel as described herein generally does not extend below the belt line.
Heretofore, the construction and styling of the glass run channel assembly for the moveable glass window in the rear upper frame and the fixed glass window in the subframe has been relatively expensive and particularly cumbersome to accomplish given the numerous components comprising the assembly.
For example, one method of manufacturing a glass run channel assembly for sealing both the moveable glass window and the fixed glass window is by notching the horizontal leg of the glass run channel and inserting an end of the vertical leg of the glass run channel within the notched portion and then refilling the notched portion with a suitable material to completely bond the sealing surfaces of the glass run channels together. It will be appreciated that in this process, approximately three fourths of the horizontal leg of the channel is removed such that none of the sealing lips as more fully described below remain to provide a continuous seal with the moveable glass window and the fixed glass window. In addition, during installation of the fixed glass window within the glass run channel assembly the sealing surfaces often break apart because of the difficulty of assembly.
In yet another method of manufacturing a glass run channel assembly, the fixed glass window is purchased as part of a preassembled unit. The unit includes the fixed glass window surrounded by a plastic molding and a U-shaped metal section into which the glass run channel is adapted. The unit is then affixed by a threaded fastener into the bottom of the door frame and into a top door frame flange. The horizontal leg of the glass run channel contains a bulb and a primary sealing lip. The horizontal leg of the glass run channel does not contain secondary sealing lip. It will be appreciated that the preassembled unit is attached to the door frame by threaded fasteners which create holes in the assembly thereby allowing moisture and wind to penetrate the glass run channel assembly.
To alleviate the aforementioned problems we have invented a novel glass run channel assembly wherein the corner that is formed between the extruded division post glass run channel and extruded header glass run channel is molded such that the glass run channel assembly maintains a continuous seal on the moveable glass window edge and the fixed glass window edge. In addition, it is a feature of the present invention that the molded assembly corner includes a continuous inboard and outboard sealing lip that allows for slight variations of the sheet metal sealing surface while maintaining an acceptable fit and flush appearance. It is a further feature of the present invention that the glass run channel corner assembly presents an aesthetically pleasing appearance with no molding lines between the outboard header glass run channel and the outboard division post glass run channel. Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide a molded glass run channel assembly corner assembly that allows for rougher handling during installation, simplified manufacture, and reduced cost of manufacture due to reduced material scrap. Still another feature of the present invention is to provide a molded corner formed of a division post glass run channel and a header glass run channel which receives a moveable window and a fixed window such that when the windows are positioned against the glass run channel corner assembly a seal is provided against the intrusion of water, dirt, wind and noise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, according to this invention there is provided a glass run channel corner assembly formed by molding an extruded rigid division post glass run channel and an extruded flexible header glass run channel. The division post glass run channel includes an H-shaped cross sectional member having an outboard sealing lip and an opposing inboard sealing lip joined together a selected distance by a cross-piece which functions as a divider to define opposing glass run channels. The header glass run channel includes an inboard sealing lip, outboard sealing lip, inside reveal sealing lip, and a bulb, wherein an inwardly facing edge of the outboard sealing lip. An outwardly facing edge of the inboard sealing lip and the bulb cooperatively form a C-shaped channel and the inside reveal sealing lip and the inboard sealing lip cooperatively form a C-shaped channel to receive a metal flange of an upper door frame. The corner assembly includes a curved inboard sealing lip which bonds with and joins the inboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel and the inboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel, and an inboard presentation surface which bonds with and joins the inboard presentation surface of the division post glass run channel and the inside reveal sealing lip of the header glass run channel, wherein the outboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel is independent of the outboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel.
The process of forming the glass run channel corner assembly according to the present invention involves inserting the division post glass run channel and the header glass run channel within a mold assembly; supporting the outboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel a selected distance from the outboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel within the mold assembly; and injecting an elastomeric material within the mold assembly to form a glass run channel corner assembly having a curved inboard sealing lip which bonds with and joins the inboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel and the inboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel and forms an inboard presentation surface which bonds with and joins the inboard presentation surface of the division post glass run channel and the inside reveal sealing lip of the header glass run channel such that the outboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel is independent of the outboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further features and other objects and advantages of this invention will become clear from the following detailed description made with reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a corner formed of a rigid extruded division post glass run channel and a flexible extruded header glass run channel;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of an upper frame of an automotive left rear door incorporating a glass run channel in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the extruded division post glass run channel and the flexible extruded header glass run channel prior to molding;
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the extruded division post glass run channel and the flexible extruded header glass run channel prior to molding;
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the mold apparatus for manufacturing the corner of FIG. 1;
FIG. 9 is a top view of the mold apparatus of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a side view of the mold apparatus of FIG. 8; and
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the molded corner joining the rigid extruded division post glass run channel and the flexible extruded header glass run channel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters represent like elements, FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a division post glass run channel 10 and header glass run channel 12 installed in an upper frame 14 and subframe 16 of a rear of a vehicle such as an automobile. The upper frame 14 of the vehicle includes a header 18, belt line portion 20, a division post 22, a B-pillar 24, also known as a center pillar on a four door vehicle, and a C-pillar 26. The division post 22, B-pillar 24 and C-pillar 26 extend between the belt line portion 20 and the header 18. The division post 22, C-pillar 26 and belt line portion 20 form the subframe 16 within the upper frame 14 typically for retaining a fixed glass window 30. The header 18, B-pillar 24 and division post 22 and belt line portion 20 capture horizontally spaced and vertically disposed glass run channels 10 and 12 to restrict the vertical movement of a glass window 28 and assist in maintaining the glass window in the proper orientation during vertical movement. The header 18, belt line portion 20, division post 22 and C-pillar 26 of the upper frame 14 are formed of fabricated metal which may be stamped or rolled and then welded where necessary to form the frames as well known in the art.
In accordance with the present invention, the division post glass run channel 10 and the header glass run channel 12 are operatively joined by a molding operation to form a glass run channel corner assembly 32 to form a seal to prevent moisture, air and the like from penetrating around a glass window when the glass window is positioned against the glass run channel corner assembly.
The division post glass run channel 10 is formed of an extruded elastomeric material employing extrusion techniques and conditions well known in the art. The elastomeric material may be a thermoplastic elastomer having a durometer of Shore A from about 60 to about 90 to provide a generally rigid property. In a preferred embodiment, the elastomeric material is an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber material (EPDM). To increase the rigidity of lower Shore A durometer material a metal reinforcement strip 34 such as a steel strip or a composite having an outer material surface durometer of Shore A of approximately 70 covering an inner material durometer of Shore A of approximately 90 may be extruded within the elastomeric material forming the division post glass run channel 10 as well known in the art.
The division post glass run channel 10 is extruded as an H-shaped cross sectional member. The H-shaped cross sectional member includes an outboard sealing lip 36 and an opposing inboard sealing lip 38. The outboard sealing lip 36 and the inboard sealing lip 38 are positioned on the periphery of opposing sides of the moveable glass window 28 and the fixed glass window 30 and are joined together a selected distance by a cross-piece 40 which functions as a divider to define opposing glass run channels to receive the moveable glass and the fixed glass, respectively.
The outboard sealing lip 36 and the inboard sealing lip 38 of the glass-run channel 10 include distal finger-like projections 42 which readily separate when the glass window 28 is inserted therebetween and at the same time are sufficiently resilient to cooperatively embrace the glass window to effect a seal and to help hold the glass window in position. As well known in the art, the exterior surfaces of the finger-like projections 42 may include flocking, polyethylene, a silicone type surface or the like to reduce abrasion and wear of the glass run channel 10. The outboard sealing lip 36 and the inboard sealing lip 38 of the glass run channel 10 preferably have an exterior presentation surface 44 and interior presentation surface 46, to present an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The outboard sealing lip 36 of the division post glass run channel 10 is preferably comprised of a flexible material, i.e., such as a thermoplastic elastomer having a durometer of Shore A from about 60 to about 80, preferably about 65 to about 75.
The division post glass run channel 10 is secured to the door frame by most any suitable means such as a sheet metal formed bracket, an adhesive, or one or more screws fastened through the inboard sealing lip 38 or a suitable combination thereof.
The header glass run channel 12 of the glass run channel corner assembly 32 is also formed of an extruded elastomeric material using extrusion techniques well known in the art. Suitable elastomeric materials for the header glass run channel 12 include thermoplastic elastomers, EPDM rubber and the like having a durometer of Shore A from about 60 to about 90 to allow for a wide tolerance as to the glass window size and fit and the door sizes and fit in the vehicle. The header glass run channel may also be formed of a composite having an outer material surface durometer of Shore A of approximately 70 covering an inner material durometer of Shore A of approximately 90.
The header glass run channel 12 includes an inboard sealing lip 48, outboard sealing lip 50, inside reveal sealing lip 52, and a bulb 54. The bulb 54 protrudes outwardly toward the glass edge and may be solid or porous (e.g., sponge-like), and is sufficiently resilient to hold its general protruding bulbous shape and yet is sufficiently flexible to slightly collapse internally while tightly and slidably engaging the glass. An inwardly facing edge 56 of the outboard sealing lip 50, an outwardly facing edge 58 of the inboard sealing lip 48 and the bulb 54 cooperatively form a C-shaped channel which contacts and seals the top edge and the inwardly and outwardly facing surfaces of the moveable glass 28 when the glass is positioned therein. Similarly, the inside reveal sealing lip 52 and the inboard sealing lip 48 cooperatively form a C-shaped channel to receive a metal flange 60 of the upper door frame 14. The metal flange 60 of the upper door frame 14 is retained within the C-shaped channel through a series of finger-like projections 62 which extend inwardly from the inboard sealing lip 48 and inside reveal sealing lip 52.
As known in the art, the glass contacting surfaces of the header glass run channel 12 may include a low friction surface which may be comprised of any suitable material such as a flocking, polypropylene wear strip or silicone type surface and the like.
Referring to FIGS. 6-11, the process of manufacturing the glass run channel corner 32 from a division post glass run channel 10 and a header glass run channel 12 in accordance with the present invention is shown. Briefly, the method includes the steps of inserting the division post glass run channel and the header glass run channel within a mold assembly in a predetermined arrangement. The outboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel is then supported a selected distance from the outboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel within the mold assembly. Next, an elastomeric material is injected within the mold assembly to form a glass run channel corner assembly having a curved inboard sealing lip which bonds with and joins the inboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel and the inboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel and forms an inboard presentation surface which bonds with and joins the inboard presentation surface of the division post glass run channel and the inside reveal sealing lip of the header glass run channel such that the outboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel is independent of the outboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel.
In one embodiment, the process of manufacturing the glass run channel corner 32 from a division post glass run channel 10 and a header glass run channel 12 includes forming a notch 64 in the header glass run channel 12. The notch 64 is formed by removing a portion of the inboard sealing lip 48 to allow the outward surface of the outboard sealing lip 36 of the division post glass run channel 10 to be positioned flush with the outward surface of the outboard sealing lip 50 of the header glass run channel 12. Similarly, a notch 66 is also formed in the inboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel 10 by removing a portion of the inboard sealing lip 38. The inboard sealing lip 48 of the header glass run channel 12 and the inboard sealing lip 38 of the division post glass run channel 10 are notched so that when combined they can be refilled with elastomeric material and/or bonded to both inboard sealing lips on both the top and the bottom ends of the H-shaped rigid cross section. After the glass run channels 10 and 12 are appropriately notched, a T-shaped insert 68 having a bifurcated lower leg 70 and a transverse crossbar 72 may be inserted between the division post glass run channel 10 and the header glass run channel 12 to fix the glass run channels in a generally perpendicular arrangement.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the bifurcated lower leg 70 of the T-shaped insert 68 is inserted within the channel 10 and the crossbar 72 is inserted through the notched portion of the glass run channel within the header glass run channel 12. The T-shaped insert 68 may be formed of most any suitable nonbrittle, hard metal such as a steel alloy and the like which may withstand the high temperatures of molding an elastomeric material such as EPDM rubber and the like. The header glass run channel 12 and the division post glass run channel 10 are arranged in a desired orientation by the T-shaped insert 68.
The mold assembly 74 as shown in FIGS. 8-10 includes a top mold 76 and a complimentary configured bottom mold 78. The top mold 76 and the bottom mold 78 when combined form a cavity of a size and shape which corresponds with the exterior profile of the corner of the finished combined header glass run channel 12 and the division post glass run channel 10 as shown in FIGS. 1-4.
The top mold 76 of the mold assembly 74 includes a sprue 80 through which elastomeric material is injected into the mold cavity and a hinge plate 82 which supports the back of the glass run channel cavity. The bottom mold 78 of the mold assembly 74 includes two sliders 84 and 86 which are operable to support and shape the cavity formed at the juncture of the header glass run channel 12 and the division post glass run channel 10. The sliders 84 and 86 are operable between a retracted position wherein the cavity is open and the glass run channel corner 32 to be molded may be introduced or removed as desired and an extended position wherein the cavity is closed and fully formed. In addition, in the extended position the sliders 84 and 86 operatively prop the outboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel 12 a selected distance from the outboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel 10 within the mold assembly 74. As shown in FIG. 8, the sliders 84 and 86 are independently manually activated between the extended position and the retracted position as desired.
The bottom mold 78 of the mold assembly 74 further includes a means for positioning the header glass run channel 12 and the division post glass run channel 10 in a selected position within the mold assembly. The positioning means includes a part support 88 formed of a channel member shaped and sized to hold the header glass run channel 12 and a part support 90 shaped and sized to hold the division post glass run channel 10.
The glass run channel corner 32 is molded by lifting the hinge plate 82 and placing the header glass run channel 12 within the hinge plate. The hinge plate 82 is positioned against the inside reveal sealing lip 52 of the header glass run channel 12. The hinge plate is then lowered on to the bottom mold such that the header glass run channel rests on the part support 88. The bifurcated lower leg 70 of the T-shaped insert 68 is inserted within the division post glass run channel 10 and placed on the part support 90. The crossbar 72 of the T-shaped insert 68 is then inserted through the notched portion of the glass run channel within the header glass run channel 12. Next, the sliders 84 and 86 are closed against the inner sides of the corner formed by the juncture of the header glass run channel 12 and the division post glass run channel 10 to form the inner sides of the glass run channel corner assembly 32 and to prop the outboard sealing lip of the header glass run channel 12 a selected distance from the outboard sealing lip of the division post glass run channel 10 within the mold assembly 74. It will be appreciated that because the outboard sealing lip 36 is propped or supported away from the outboard sealing lip 50 such that during molding the outboard sealing lips do not bond together the flexibility of the header glass run channel is retained allowing the glass run channel to adapt to slight variations of the vehicle sheet metal sealing surface while maintaining an acceptable fit and flush appearance. The top mold 76 is then placed on the bottom mold 78 thereby surrounding the top and bottom surface of the juncture of the header glass run channel 12 and the division post glass run channel 10.
Elastomeric material is then injected through a sprue 80 or opening in the top surface of the top mold 76 into the cavity such that elastomeric material covers the portion of the T-shaped insert 68 which is exposed between the header glass run channel 12 and the division post glass run channel 10 within the mold assembly 74. A representative illustration of the shape of the elastomeric material injected into the cavity is provided in FIG. 11. The injected elastomeric material forms a glass run channel corner assembly 32 having a curved inboard sealing lip 92 which bonds with and joins the inboard sealing lip 48 of the header glass run channel 12 and the inboard sealing lip 38 of the division post glass run channel 10 and forms an inboard presentation surface 94 which bonds with and joins the inboard presentation surface of the division post glass run channel 10 and the inside reveal sealing lip 52 of the header glass run channel 12. In addition, the outboard sealing lip 36 of the division post glass run channel 10 remains "opened up" or independent of the outboard sealing lip 50 of the header glass run channel 12 as previously described such that the fixed glass window may be easily inserted within the glass run channel by simply flexing the outboard sealing lip 50 apart from the outboard sealing lip 36 without concern for breakage of a bond between the outboard sealing lips 36 and 50 as previously experienced. The glass run channel assembly may then be fitted within the vehicle frame as well known in the art as an integral member.
The foregoing construction has the advantage of permitting the division post glass run channel 12 to form two separate complete glass run channels about the fixed glass window 30 and the moveable glass window 28. Moreover, it will be appreciated that the "opened up" design as described herein provides the additional advantageous features of a continuous inboard and outboard sealing lip which allows for slight variations of the sheet metal sealing surface while maintaining an acceptable fit and flush appearance, allows for rougher handling during installation resulting in fewer splits, simplified manufacture requiring reduced handling and complex assembly, reduced manufacturing cost due to less scrap because the corner is manufactured from a reduced number of members, and an aesthetically pleasing appearance with no molding lines between the outboard header glass run channel and the outboard division post glass run channel.
Having described presently preferred embodiments of the invention it will be appreciated that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims.
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A molded glass run channel corner assembly formed by molding an extruded rigid division post and a flexible extruded header such that the corner assembly is capable of providing a continuous seal with contiguous corner edges of glass windows positioned on each side of the division post and a method of manufacture.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 748,434, filed June 25, 1985, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for delignifying chemical pulp with oxygen and/or ozone, and with a possible peroxide additive. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for delignifying chemical pulp, as well as to a circulation system for executing the process of delignifying the chemical pulp.
Chemical pulp is commonly bleached with O 2 or O 3 . Familiar processes either involve thick mass slurry bleaching with almost dry chemical pulp, or thin mass slurry bleaching of chemical pulp having a concentration of about 3% of dry substance. While thick mass slurry bleaching produces disadvantages in quality of chemical pulp, and thus makes it more difficult to execute the process, thin mass slurry bleaching has been uneconomical, due to required reactor size and required power consumption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved method and apparatus for delignification of cellulose pulp with oxygen.
It is also an object of the present invention to eliminate the above-noted disadvantages with respect to the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to improve the quality of pulp that is produced during the delignifying process.
It is an additional object of the present invention to reduce required energy consumption during delignifying of chemical pulp.
It is a further object of the present invention to improve flow of chemical pulp during a continuous delignification thereof.
It is yet another object of the present invention to improve utilization of a delignifying fluid during the delignification of chemical pulp.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to reduce required delignification temperature and concomitant heat consumption during the delignification of chemical pulp.
It is even a further object of the present invention to reduce the overall size and capacity of the equipment required for delignifying pulp.
These and other objects are attained by the present invention which provides a method of delignifying chemical pulp by means of oxygen, in which a chemical pulp aqueous slurry is formed to contain about 2.5 to 4.5 percent of suspended solids. The thus-formed slurry is mixed with a caustic agent, and then contacted with oxygen at a temperature of about 80° to 150° C. Water is then drained off without reduction of pressure, and while maintaining the temperature, with the slurry then having a concentration of about 10 to 30 percent suspended solids. The resulting slurry is maintained at the pressure and temperature conditions for at least about 20 minutes, and then washed.
The present invention also provides an apparatus for delignifying pulp which comprises a pressure vessel, a central reaction zone formed within the pressure vessel, means for introducing delifnifying fluid into the central reaction zone, and means for dewatering pulp within the pressure vessel as the pulp enters the central reaction zone. Additionally, means for removing treated pulp from within the pressure vessel are provided.
The apparatus may also comprise means for introducing the pulp to be delignified into the pressure vessel and an outer annular zone surrounding the central reaction zone within the pressure vessel. Means for contacting the pulp introduced into the pressure vessel with the delignifying fluid introduced therein in the outer annular zone are provided, with the means for removing the treated pulp from within the pressure vessel communicating with the central reaction zone thereof.
A combined thin-medium mass slurry bleaching process is provided by the present invention which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art noted above. This is characterized by the fact that delignification occurs during one or several stages, while in the first stage or in a single stage, the chemical pulp, having been aqueously-suspended at a concentration of about 2.5 to 4.5 percent ATS (dry solids) and mixed with a caustic agent, is brought into contact with O 2 and possibly into contact with a peroxide additive in one or several reactors at a temperature of about 80° to 150° C.
Water is then drailed off while maintaining the pressure and temperature, with the treated slurry being maintained for at least 20 minutes at a concentration of about 10 to about 30 percent ATS (dry solids) within the same temperature and pressure range. The resulting slurry is then finally washed in a washing device, and, if necessary, fed to further stages for additional treatment.
Preferably, several delignification reactors, which are operated with varying, preferably increasing temperature and/or pressure in the direction of pulp flow are connected in series, with the chemical pulp being again diluted before entering a subsequent reactor.
The apparatus of the present invention is characterized by at least one pressure vessel for delignification. A dewatering device is provided in this pressure vessel which charges the slurried pulp from which water is to removed, into a distinct central reaction zone. Oxygen-containing gas is also charged into this central reaction zone and rises to the head chamber of the vessel in which a connection to a gassing device for the non-slurried pulp is provided. A draining screw is also provided so that the pulp may be transferred from within the pressure vessel to a further pressure and temperature treatment step.
Preferably, the gassing device includes a circulation system for the non-slurried pulp, including suction portions provided in the head chamber of the vessel, these ports termination in an outer annular channel of the pressure vessel that surrounds the central reaction zone. In the circulation system according to the present invention, several stages are provided for bleaching the chemical pulp, with the first stage provided for oxygen bleaching, and being connected, if necessary, to subsequent bleaching steps. Preferably, at least two subsequent stages are directed to bleaching the pulp with ozone as the bleaching agent, with a peroxide bleaching stage preferably being situated between the two subsequent ozone bleaching stages. A peroxide bleaching stage may also be conducted after the last ozone bleaching stage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described in greater detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the overall process and apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is schematic illustration of the process and apparatus of the present invention in greater detail with delignification being conducted in two stages, and
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of multistage delignification in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, the chemical pulp to be delignified is filled according to arrow 11 in a washing filter 12 where the pulp is slightly heated to approximately 50° C. while water is admitted at approximately 70° C. from a pipe 13 into the washing filter 12. The heated pulp then reaches a processing container 15 through a pipe 14, where the heated pulp is mixed and agitated with a caustic agent such as NaOH or MgO, introduced into the container 15 according to arrow 16. Wash water heated to approximately 80° C. is fed through a pipe 17 and into the processing container 15, so that the pulp is heated to approximately 70° C. therein.
The processed chemical pulp is then fed through a pipe 18 to a draining device 19, such as a draining screw. The pulp is then fed with approximately 11 percent ATS concentration (dry solids concentration) to a preheating stage 20. In the preheating stage 20, the pulp is heated with saturated steam at about 140° C. temperature. The steam is produced by a saturated steam generator 21, which is in turn heated through heat exchange surfaces by means of turbine steam. This offers the advantge that the turbine steam does not become contaminated, and that any quantity of processing water which naturally is contaminated, can be reprocessed.
The chemical pulp which has been partially heated in the first preheater 20, again has water drained off therefrom, and is fed to a second preheater 22 which is heated with hot water at 140° C. supplied by the saturated steam generator 21. In order to more thoroughly mix chemical pulp, the pulp is recirculated several times through a pipe 23, while each time a partial current is fed through a pipe 24 to the actual delignification apparatus 10.
In the delignification apparatus 10, oxygen and/or ozone, possibly with a peroxide additive, is charged according to arrow 25 and brought into contact with the chemical pulp whereby actual delignification is begun. The delignified chemical pulp is discharged through drainage screw 7' and supplied through an agitator container 26 to a batch container 27, from which the pulp is drawn through a washing filter 28. The water resulting from the washing process, which principally flows through the drainage screw 7' is collected in two temperature stages and re-circulated through pipes 13 and 17. The advantage of this circulation system is that, due to the heat re-circulation as illustrated in FIG. 2, as well as the step-by-step increase in pressure in the individual reactors or vessels 1, 1', a large quantity of energy can be recovered with turbine steam being used only on the order of magnitude of about 9 metric tons/hour at a pressure level of about 8 bar while the accumulating condensate is returned to the boiler.
With this quantity of steam, at least 8 metric tons of chemical pulp can be bleached, while it is diluted in stages by the addition of water to obtain a concentration of about 3 percent of dry substance, whereby more than 400 metric tons of liquid per hour are passed through during some of the stages. This data is pertinent when using MgO as the caustic agent. When using NaOH as a caustic agent, heat consumption is even lower.
FIG. 2 illustrates the delignification apparatus 10 which is in the form of two vessels 1, 1', that are operated with varying pressures and temperatures. Chemical pulp is charged through the pipe 24 in the circulation system 8 of the pressure vessel 1. The circulation system 8 is provided with a connection 5 in a head chamber 4 of the vessel 1, in which gas accumulated within the head chamber 4 is drawn in and brought into contact in a gassing device 6, with the liquid chemical pulp having a concentration of about 3 percent ATS. Due to the intensity of the contact, delignification will continue after mechanical gassing has been completed, so that, in order to save space, the gassed chemical pulp is delivered through a dewatering device 2 or 2' to a central reaction zone 3 or 3'. In doing so, the forced out liquid is returned to an outer annular zone 9 of the vessel 1 (an outer annular zone 9' of the vessel 1') so as to prevent any loss of liquid.
The partially drained off chemical pulp now accumulates in the central reaction zone 3 or 3', where the carried oxygen continues to effect delignification, so that after a residence period of one-half to one hour, the chemical pulp, which has been drained off to approximately 12 to 15 percent ATS can be discharged at the lower end of the discharge zone through a further drainage screw 7 in vessel 1 of 7' in vessel 1'.
The drained off liquid flows from the drainage screw 7 of vessel 1 into a storage tank 28 from where it is recirculated. For practical purposes, the gas supply of oxygen and/or ozone to the head chamber 4 of vessel 1 is effected through the central reaction zone 3 so that the gas rises into the head chamber 4. Gas is similarly supplied into a head chamber 4' within the vessel 1'.
The chemical pulp discharged from the vessel 1 has a temperature of, for example, 120° C., with a pressure volume of approximately 4 bar being present in vessel 1. At the outlet of the drainage screw 7, the pulp enters the pressure system of the subsequent vessel 1', which operates at approximately 130° C. and 8 bar. Due to the draining process, only a relatively small quantity of water is admitted into the second vessel 1', thus negligibly reducing the temperature and pressure level within the second vessel 1'. This reduction can be balanced by an auxiliary heater, not illustrated. The chemical pulp discharged from the vessel 1 enters a suspension container 29, from where it is fed to the circulation pipe 8' for gassing at the higher temperature and pressure levels within the subsequent vessel 1'. Apart from the varying temperature and pressure levels, the vessels 1 and 1' are both similar in characteristics and construction. The discharge screw 7' from the second vessel 1' is also constructed in accordance with the same principles, however, this subsequent discharge screw 7' must be sealed against a greater pressure reduction from 8 to 0 bar.
It has been experimentally established in accordance with the present invention that a pulp suspension gassed with O 2 can be continuously delignified for a specified period of time, even after the mechanical gassing thereof has been completed, provided that the previous O 2 supply to the pulp fiber was sufficiently intensive. Tests with suspensions of approximately 2 to 3 percent suspended solids concentration, have shown that an after-reaction for more than one hour is possible to a degree that is technically feasible.
The reactor vessel used for reaction control, may be constituted by two zones which are interconnected by a dewatering device, and which operate at the same pressure or temperature. In other words, the preheated pulp suspension (thin mass slurried pulp with 2 to 3.5 percent dry solids concentration) is intensively circulated and gassed with O 2 in the outer annular zone 9, 9' of the reaction vessel 1, 1'. Delignification already takes place during this step. Subsequently, the pulp is thickened by means of a dewatering screw 2, 2' to approximately 10 to 15 percent dry solids concentration, and then conveyed to the control chamber 3, 3' where, by maintaining the same pressure and temperature, in particular an O 2 partial pressure, the after-reaction occurs.
Due to the extremely reduced volume of the suspension, which is fed to the central zone 3 or 3', the overall volume of the apparatus can be considerably reduced in comparison with a conventional thin mass slurry bleaching apparatus while both machines maintain similar retention periods.
The application of a combined thin-medium mass bleaching offers quite considerable advantages in terms of heating. The liquid drained off from the thin mass slurry pul, without being discharged with the pulp itself from the pressurized equipment, is used for preheating and diluting the newly-charged chemical pulp. The bleach flows from the screw troughs directly to the saturated steam generator 21 where part of the bleach is vaporized by the heat supplied by the low pressure steam. The steam produced in the saturated steam generator 21 serves to heat the fresh pulp in the preheater 22 to operating conditions, while the remaining and predominant part is used for diluting the pulp in the preheater 22. This, on the one hand, ensures uncontaminated operation of the heating surface located in the saturated steam generator 21 and, on the other hand, ensures even heating by pulp agitation (condensation of saturated steam) as well as ensuring trouble-free dilution of the pulp.
The heat contained in the condensate of this super heated live steam should not be considered a loss of heat, since the condensate remains pure and can thus be recirculated.
An important component, namely the charge screw between the preheater stage 20 and the preheater 22, has the function of charging and sealing the pulp between the pressurized and zero pressure equipment. Additionally, this screw drains the pulp that has been preheated with warm water or superheated steam in the first preheater stage 20. The filtrate of the second stage of the washing filter 18 is used as preheating liquid in the first stage with the filtrate being mixed in the processing container 15 with the pulp discharged from the washing filter 12. In order to maintain the preheating energy low and to not excessively burden the sealing screw wich is connected between the preheater stage 20 and the preheater 22, the pulp preheated in the processing container 15 is predrained. The drained off liquid is used for diluting the pulp before the pulp enters the washing filter 28.
Apart from the loss of insulation, the above-described system merely loses heat contained within the washing water of first washing filter 12 (filtrate of zone 1 from the washing filter 28), as well as the heat contained in the pulp discharged from the washing filter 28. The total heat with superheated steam at a maximum bleaching temperature of 130° C. that must be supplied to the system, is approximately 23.10 8 joule/t or 550,000 kcal/t of dry substance.
The delignified pulp has a temperature of about 68° C. with an 11 percent dry solids content at the discharge end of the washing filter 28. The heat can be utilized accordingly in subsequent bleaching stages.
FIG. 3 illustrates a circulation system in accordance with the present invention with several bleaching stages, where oxygen is used in the first stage 30. The first stage 30 primarily encompasses the thermal circulation system and equipment including the washing filter 28, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The washed chemical pulp is cooled in the pipe 37 to approximately 30° C., before entering the first ozone bleaching stage 31 which is operated at less than about 4 percent ATS concentration of the pulp suspension. After an alkaline extraction of the released lignin components at 44, the pulp suspension is fed to a peroxide bleaching stage 32, and subsequently to a second ozone-operated bleaching stage 33, to which a subsequent alkaline extraction stage 44 is connected. The thus treated slurry is then fed to a final bleaching stage with peroxide 34, with the peroxide supply designated by arrow 35 in FIG. 3.
Ozone generation takes place in an ozone generator 41, which is supplied with oxygen through pipes 40 and 43. An ozone-containing bleaaching gas which is generally oxygen/ozone mixture, is fed with approximately 10 percent ozone concentration to the second ozone bleaching stage 33 through pipe 42. The exhaust gas 36 containing approximately 5 percent zone is fed in counter-current to the chemical pulp of the first ozone bleaching stage 31. The resulting oxygen-containing residual gas with traces of ozone is fed through a pipe 39 to the oxygen bleaching stage 30. Excess oxygen is returned through pipe 40 to the ozone generator 41, with the pressure loss being compensated by a circulation blower 38. The bleaching gas is fed to the chemical pulp in either a counter-current or cross-current mode in the individual bleaching stages 30, 31, and 33.
The number of bleaching stages can be enlarged within the scope of the present invention, depending upon the degree of whiteness desired. Alternatively, the number of bleaching stages can be reduced, while the bleaching sequence is maintained, using, if necessary, ozone-peroxide or ozone-peroxide-ozone-peroxide. The alkaline extraction stage 44 is driven with a peroxide additive, and can therefore also be considered a bleaching stage. The alkaline extraction stage 44 may also possibly coincide with the bleaching stage 32. However, the alkaline extraction stage may also be replaced by an alkaline washing process at the washing filter that takes place at the end of the ozone stage 31.
The present invention offers the following overall advantages. In contrast to conventional thin-mass slurrying bleaching, the present invention considerably reduces the size of the equipment required, and also ensures quality pulp. Reduced energy consumption due to maximum insulation of the circulation system is provided by the present invention. A pumpable suspension in the pressurized equipment, especially between the preheaters and the actual reactors, as well as in the gassing component is also ensured by the present invention.
Intensive oxygen supply by gassing in the thin mass slurry zone of the reactor, is ensured by the present invention. Furthermore, the heat requirements are reduced by the present invention to approximately 15.10 8 joule/t of dry substance when NaOH is used as the caustic agent and the maximum bleaching temperature is reduced to approximately 80°-100° C. This heat requirement will be compensated by the superheated steam.
The preceding description of the present invention is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope thereof in any way.
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Method and apparatus for delignifying chemical pulp by means of oxygen, in which an aqueous slurry of chemical pulp is formed, then mixed with a caustic agent, followed by contact with a delignifying fluid. Water is drained off the slurry without reduction of pressure and while maintaining temperature following which the resulting slurry is maintained under these temperature and pressure conditions for a discrete period of time. The thus-obtained treated slurry is then washed.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is in the general field of preparing polyvinyl halide having improved bulk density by the suspension polymerization of vinyl halide monomer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Polyvinyl chloride is a very useful commercial material, in that many useful commercial articles of manufacture can be prepared from it. One of the more common methods of preparing articles such as rods, channels, tubing and hose from polyvinyl chloride involves the use of an extruder. It is well-recognized in the art that polyvinyl chloride having an increased bulk density increases the extrusion rate and thereby increases the output of the extruder.
My invention is directed to an improved process of preparing polyvinyl chloride, and other polyvinyl halides, which results in a product having an increased bulk density.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, the present invention is directed to an improved process for preparing polyvinyl halides by suspension polymerization of a vinyl halide monomer wherein the improvement comprises adding a minor, but effective, amount of a quaternary ammonium salt of cellulose sulfate to the reaction admixture prior to polymerization, said improved process resulting in a product having increased bulk density.
In one aspect the invention is directed to the product prepared by the above-described process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The vinyl halide used in my invention preferably is vinyl chloride. However, other vinyl halides, such as vinyl bromide and vinyl fluoride, can be used. The invention will be illustrated using vinyl chloride.
The preparation of polyvinyl chloride by suspension polymerization is well-known. Because of this it is not necessary to provide a detailed description of the process. However, in order to provide a more complete teaching the following information is provided.
Any of the initiators ordinarily used in the suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride can be used in my process. Examples of suitable initiators include organic peroxides such as benzoyl peroxide, lauroyl peroxide and diisopropyl peroxydicarbonate; azo compounds such as azobisisobutylronitrile; and the like oil-soluble catalysts.
Also, any of the suspending agents normally used in the suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride can be used in my process. Examples of suitable suspending agents include natural high molecular substances such as starch and gelatin, and synthetic high molecular substances such as partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropoxymethyl cellulose, maleic anhydride-vinyl ether copolymer and polyvinyl pyrrolidine and the like.
Inasmuch as there are many references (patents, books, encyclopedias, etc.) which teach the amounts of water, monomer, initiator and suspending agent, which are used in suspension polymerization processes, it is not believed necessary to describe suitable amounts herein.
The salient feature of my process is the addition of a minor amount of a quaternary ammonium salt of cellulose sulfate to the polymerization recipe prior to polymerization.
The quaternary ammonium cellulose sulfate salts are prepared by means known to those skilled in the art, such as disclosed, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,796, issued Apr. 10, 1973, to Schweiger and assigned to Kelco Company. U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,796 is hereby incorporated by reference.
The quaternary ammonium cellulose sulfate salts are derivatives of a colloidal cellulose sulfate having a degree of substitution (D.S.) of at least about 2, e.g., such as 1.8; having a viscosity in excess of 20 cps at a one percent concentration in an aqueous media as measured by a Brookfield Synchro-Lectric Viscometer, Model LVF, at 60 rpm and a temperature of 25° C. and being further characterized as reactive with potassium ions in aqueous media to form a thermoreversible gel. The quaternary ammonium salt which is reacted with the colloidal cellulose sulfate contains four organic radicals attached to the nitrogen atom. The number of carbon atoms present in all of the organic substituent groups should total about 16 or more in order to impart suitable solubility characteristics to the resulting quaternary ammonium salt of the cellulose sulfate.
The reaction to form the quaternary ammonium cellulose sulfate salt is conducted in the presence of water, and there is optionally present a lower alcohol. A preferred lower alcohol is methanol since it is quite miscible with water and is cheap and readily available. The reaction is generally conducted by dissolving in water, preferably at a pH of about 7 or higher, a water-soluble salt of the colloidal cellulose sulfate after which there is optionally added a lower alcohol followed by the addition of a quaternary ammonium salt. The reaction may be conducted at room temperature or higher temperatures such as about 50° C. to 70° C. and preferably with agitation of the reaction mixture. The reaction goes almost instantaneously to give a nearly quantitative yield of the quaternary ammonium derivative of the colloidal cellulose sulfate. The product precipitates from the mother liquor and is removed and is then washed and dried.
The colloidal cellulose sulfate reactant used in the reaction may be a water-soluble salt of cellulose sulfate, such as the sodium, ammonium, lithium, or potassium salt. The nature of the ion, such as sodium, which is present in the cellulose sulfate starting material can, of course, be varied so long as the cellulose sulfate salt is water soluble. The quaternary ammonium reactant is preferably a halogen salt, such as a chloride, bromide, or an iodide.
If desired, the quaternary ammonium salts of the colloidal cellulose sulfate may be formed by reaction of the free sulfuric acid ester of the colloidal cellulose sulfate rather than reaction of a water-soluble salt thereof. When the cellulose sulfate reactant is in the form of the free sulfuric acid ester, the quaternary ammonium ion is supplied by use of the corresponding quaternary ammonium hydroxide as a reactant.
Preferably, the quaternary ammonium salt or quaternary ammonium base, as the case may be, is employed in slight excess in forming the quaternary ammonium salt of a colloidal cellulose sulfate as described above. A molar excess of quaternary ammonium reactant of 0.1 to 0.3 or greater has a tendency to drive the reaction to essential completion. This is desirable because the colloidal cellulose sulfate is the more expensive of the reactants. Completion of the reaction can be readily determined by visual observation of the mother liquor. As the quaternary ammonium cellulose sulfate product is formed, it coagulates and leaves the solution such that the remaining mother liquor becomes nearly clear and loses that portion of its viscosity which was contributed to it by the cellulose sulfate reactant. Further, the use of a slight molar excess of the quaternary ammonium reactant, e.g., 0.1 to 0.3, has, in general, been found to improve the solubility characteristics of the resulting products in a hydrocarbon oil as employed in the present invention.
The colloidal cellulose sulfate is prepared by reaction of cellulose with a complex of sulfur trioxide and a lower N-dialkyl amide. The cellulose is presoaked prior to the sulfation reaction by the addition thereto of at least an equal weight of the same lower N-dialkyl amide. Preferably the N-dialkyl amide is dimethyl formamide, although there may also be used diethyl formamide, dimethyl acetamide, diethyl acetamide, and dimethyl propionamide. An excess of the N-dialkyl amide is preferably present in the sulfation complex in addition to the premixing of the cellulose with at least an equal amount by weight of the N-dialkyl amide used in preparing the complex.
In forming the essentially undegraded colloidal cellulose sulfate, the sulfation complex which contains sulfur trioxide and a lower N-dialkyl amide at a weight ratio of about 1 to 1 should be present in the reaction mixture in an amount which is about 1 to 8 times the weight of the cellulose. The term "cellulose" includes cellulose derived from various sources and in various forms, such as chemically treated cotton linters, cellulose derived from wood, etc.
In reaction of the sulfation complex with cellulose, as described above, a reaction temperature of about 0° C. to about 25° C. is suitable, and preferably the sulfation reaction is conducted at a temperature below about 15° C. The reaction time for relatively complete esterification can range from less than 1 hour up to several hours, depending upon the reaction temperature and the relative concentrations of the reactants.
One category of quaternary ammonium cellulose sulfate compounds which can be used in my invention is denoted (I) in which there are two long chains, i.e. from about C 10 to about C 18 , alkyl groups attached to the nitrogen atom in addition to two methyl groups. Examples of such quaternary ammonium cellulose sulfates are dimethyl dilauryl ammonium cellulose sulfate, dimethyl distearyl ammonium cellulose sulfate, and compounds containing mixed long-chain alkyl groups, such as dimethyl di(mixed palmityl, myristyl, and stearyl) ammonium cellulose sulfate which may also be called dimethyl di(hydrogenated tallow) ammonium cellulose sulfate. Still another example of a di(mixed alkyl) dimethyl ammonium cellulose sulfate is dimethyl di(tallow) ammonium cellulose sulfate in which the mixed long-chain alkyl groups contain some degree of unsaturation.
A secondary category (II) of quaternary ammonium cellulose sulfates are those in which three methyl groups are bonded to the nitrogen atom, together with one long-chain alkyl group, i.e., about C 14 to C 18 .
Typical of such products are trimethyl tallow ammonium cellulose sulfate, trimethyl hydrogenated tallow ammonium cellulose sulfate, trimethyl stearyl ammonium cellulose sulfate, and trimethyl tall oil ammonium cellulose sulfate.
Still other categories of quaternary ammonium cellulose sulfates are (III) dimethyl monoalkyl (about C 12 -C 18 ) monoaromatic ammonium cellulose sulfates; (IV) diaromatic monoalkyl (about C 12 -C 18 ) methyl ammonium cellulose sulfates, and (V) methyl trialkyl (about C 8 -C 18 ) ammonium cellulose sulfates. An example of a product in category (III) is dimethyl phenyl stearyl ammonium cellulose sulfate, while an example of a material in category (VI) is methyl tricaprylyl ammonium cellulose sulfate. Of the quaternary ammonium cellulose sulfates defined above, the materials in categories (I), (IV), and (V) are preferred for use in the present invention.
The aromatic groups present in the compounds denoted (IV) above are monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon groups containing from 6 to about 18 carbon atoms. Typical of such groups are phenyl, stearylphenyl, laurylphenyl, and dimethylphenyl groups.
The amount of quaternary ammonium salt of cellulose sulfate which is used in my invention is shown below, as parts per hundred parts of monomer.
______________________________________Suitable Preferred______________________________________0.005 to 1.0 0.02 to 0.20______________________________________
The process is conducted at a temperature in the range of about 38° to about 71° C., more usually in the range of about 49° to about 66° C. As is well-known in the art the reaction occurs at an increased pressure.
When the reaction nears completion, the pressure in the reactor begins to drop. At this point and while the reaction admixture is at or near the maximum temperature, stripping is begun. "Stripping" is wellknown to those skilled in this art. Usually, it means venting the vapors, which contain unreacted monomer, to a collecting vessel. The pressure on the reaction vessel is allowed to go to atmospheric. In many instances, the stripping is extended by applying a vacuum to the reactor containing the slurry.
The slurry is then passed to another vessel. If desired, it can be subjected to steam stripping, or other treatment, to remove additional unreacted vinyl halide. It is then processed by conventional means. For example, the water is removed by filtration, after which the polymer is dried.
In order to illustrate the nature of the present invention still more clearly the following examples will be given. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific conditions or details set forth in these examples except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.
A control run and two runs containing the quaternary ammonium salt of cellulose sulfate were made. The runs were made in a 15-gallon reactor.
______________________________________The formulation used was as follows.Deionized water 62 lbsSuspending agent.sup.(1) 667 gramsInitiator.sup.(2) 18.5 gramsVinyl chloride monomer 38 lbsQuaternary ammonium salt of cellu- lose sulfate.sup.(4) .sup.(3)______________________________________ .sup.(1) hydroxypropoxymethyl cellulose .sup.(2) peroxydicarbonate .sup.(3) Varied 0, 0.02 and 0.10 parts per hundred parts of vinyl chloride .sup.(4) "Kelco Soloid" (a trademark of Kelco Company, San Diego, California)
The polymerization procedure were as follows.
(a) added deionized water, suspending agent and initiator to the reactor
(b) added none (control) or designated amount of quaternary ammonium salt to the reactor
(c) sealed reactor and evacuated for 15 minutes
(d) added vinyl chloride monomer to reactor
(e) started agitator and agitated reaction contents for 30 minutes
(f) heated reactor and contents to 57° C.
(g) the polymerization reaction was continued until the pressure dropped to 90 psig, at which time the reactor was vented
(h) the resin was recovered using standard procedures.
The polymerization time was the elapsed time between the heat-up (step b) and venting (step g).
The particle size and bulk density were determined on the products of the various runs using the following procedures.
A. Particle Size
The particle size sieve analysis was the weight of resin residing on the designated sieves after the following mixture had been subjected to 30 minutes in a Ro Tap apparatus:
______________________________________PVC Resin 100.0gAntistatic Agent 2.0g______________________________________
B. Bulk Density
The bulk density analysis was determined from the mass of the above-described mixture which flowed into a 100 ml beaker from a funnel supported two inches above the beaker lift. The mass determined in this manner was multiplied by 0.6248 to give bulk density in units of lb/ft 3 .
The results of the three runs are shown in the following table.
TABLE______________________________________A-mountofQua- Bulkternary Den- Poly*Com- sity TimeRun pound (lb/ (hr: Particle SizeNo. (phm) ft.sup.3) min) 40 60 80 100 140 200 Pan______________________________________A None 32.0 4:55 5 18 42 14 14 4 3B 0.02 33.7 5:00 8 8 42 16 18 5 3C 0.10 35.1 8:41 24 18 30 9 12 4 3______________________________________ *Polymerization
Thus, having described the invention in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined herein and in the appended claims.
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An improved method for preparing polyvinyl halide by suspension polymerization is disclosed. The improvement comprises adding a minor, but effective, amount of a quaternary ammonium salt of cellulose sulfate to the reaction admixture prior to polymerization. The improved process results in a product having increased bulk density.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for suppressing the influence of roll eccentricities on a feedback control for a rolling-stock thickness in a roll stand, an insensitive or non-responsive dead zone being provided in the thickness control for signal fluctuations caused by the roll eccentricities, and the zone width of this insensitive dead zone being varied relative to the magnitude of the signal fluctuations.
In controlling the thickness of the rolling stock in a roll stand, one encounters the difficulty that the thickness of the rolling stock cannot be easily measured as a controlled variable of interest that is able to be evaluated using control engineering methods at the location where it originates, namely the roll nip and, therefore, cannot be drawn upon to immediately correct disturbances, such as roll eccentricities. However, in accordance with the so-called gauge-meter principle, the thickness h a of the rolling stock as it emerges from the roll nip can be determined arithmetically from the setting position s of the rolls, the roll separating force F W and the spring constants c G of the roll stand as
h.sub.a +ΔR=s+F.sub.W /c.sub.G
In the case of the so-called AGC (automatic gauge control) method, proceeding from this relation the roll separating force is detected by means of a roll-load detector and is drawn upon to control the thickness of the rolling stock. If the roll nip becomes larger, for example because of an increase in the feed thickness of the rolling stock, this leads to an increase in the roll separating force; this increase is detected, the setting position s of the rolls being reduced by means of the control, so that the roll separating force F W is increased further and the thickness of the rolling stock is again readjusted to its setpoint value. However, as equation (1) shows, the rolling-stock thickness h a is not available by itself, but rather only together with the roll eccentricity ΔR, which causes a periodic increase and decrease in the roll separating force F W during the rolling process. However, the increase and decrease in the roll separating force F W caused by the eccentricities are mistakenly interpreted by the AGC system as an increase or decrease in the roll nip, through which means the roll separating force F W is automatically increased or reduced by way of the setting position s, and the eccentricities are consequently rolled in their entirety into the rolling stock. To prevent this negative effect that the roll eccentricities have on the feedback control of the rolling-stock thickness, the German Patent 26 43 686 discloses providing a dead zone in the control that is insensitive to the signal fluctuations produced by the roll eccentricities. In this case, the width of the dead zone is varied in dependence upon the amplitudes of the signal fluctuations and is thus adapted to the extent of the eccentricities.
The German Patent Application P 42 31 615.4 proposes varying the zone width in dependence upon an ongoing statistical evaluation of the signal fluctuations, their standard deviation preferably being determined.
In these proposed solutions, since all the signal fluctuations are interpreted as instances of eccentricity, actual fluctuations in the thickness of the rolling stock lead to an increase in the dead-zone width and, thus, to a slower correction of the thickness error.
The invention improves upon the prior art by optimizing the adaptation of the dead-zone width in dependence upon the occurring eccentricies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention achieves this improvement in that, in the case of the method of the type indicated at the outset, the signal fluctuations drawn upon to vary the zone width are filtered by a band-pass filter, whose mid-frequency corresponds to the fundamental frequency of the roll eccentricities. Through the frequency-selective control of the dead-zone width, it is ensured that only signal fluctuations having the eccentricity frequency are able to enlarge the width of the dead zone. If no signal components of this frequency exist, then the dead zone remains inactive. As a consequence specially remaining thickness errors can be avoided.
The frequency spectrum of the eccentricities essentially contains the fundamental frequencies of the roll-stand rolls afflicted by eccentricity, as a rule, these being the backing rolls. However, higher harmonic components also exist, but often only appear with reduced amplitudes. If the aim is also to suppress the influence of the harmonic components of the roll eccentricities on the feedback control of the rolling-stock thickness, it is then provided within the scope of the invention for the signal fluctuations to be filtered by at least one additional band-pass filter, whose mid-frequency corresponds to the first or further harmonic component frequency of the roll eccentricity, and for the composite signal of the band-pass filters to be drawn upon to vary the dead-zone width.
The fundamental frequency and the harmonic component frequencies are determined from the rotational speed of the rolls afflicted by eccentricity. For example, when the rotational speed is measured at the driven working rolls, while the eccentricities are caused by the backing rolls, then the measured rotational speed of the working rolls is converted as a function of the ratio of the diameter of the working rolls to that of the backing rolls into the rotational speed of the backing rolls afflicted by eccentricity.
The dead-zone width is preferably varied in dependence upon an ongoing statistical evaluation of the band-pass-filtered signal fluctuations. The present invention thus takes into account the fact that the influence of the roll eccentricities on the control of the rolling-stock thickness and, thus, the corresponding signal fluctuations, as a rule, are not easily predictable quantities, so that they are advantageously detected and evaluated for the control by means of the statistical signal evaluation.
The statistical evaluation preferably consists in determining the standard deviation of the band-pass-filtered signal fluctuations, by which means a quantity that optimally reproduces the current extent of the eccentricity-dependent signal fluctuations is determined to adjust the dead zone. In so doing, the values continually determined for the standard deviation are weighted with a predetermined factor in the order of magnitude of more or less 1 to 4, preferably 1.5.
The European Patent 0 170 016 discloses a method for suppressing the influence of roll eccentricities on the control of the rolling-stock thickness, in the case of which the fundamental component and, in some instances, selected harmonic components of the roll eccentricities are simulated by the output signal of a feedback oscillator or the composite output signal from a plurality of feedback oscillators, and the output or composite output signal is applied to the thickness control. If such an eccentricity-compensation method is provided in conjunction with the eccentricity-dependent dead-zone control, it is then provided within the scope of the invention for the composite signal of the band-pass filters drawn upon to vary the dead-zone width to contain at least one further harmonic component than the output or composite output signal produced by the at least one oscillator. The eccentricity compensation by means of the feedback oscillator has the result that the signal fluctuations caused by eccentricity and remaining in the control still contain only harmonic components, which are not simulated by the at least one oscillator. The remaining harmonic components drawn upon to control the dead-zone width lead to a reduction in the dead-zone width, however without this dead-zone width being entirely reduced to zero. By this means, a better modulation of the thickness control is achieved, especially in the small signal behavior caused by such signal components which are not produced by eccentricity.
Furthermore, to suppress the influence of the roll eccentricities on the control of the rolling-stock thickness, the signal fluctuations band-pass filtered with the mid-frequency of the fundamental component and, in some instances, with the mid-frequencies of harmonic components can also be applied to the thickness control, the composite signal of the band-pass filters being drawn upon to vary the dead-zone width containing at least one further harmonic component than the band-pass-filtered signal fluctuations applied to the thickness control. The latter is necessary since, otherwise, assuming an ideal compensation both of the fundamental as well as of all harmonic components of the roll eccentricities, the dead-zone width would be entirely reduced to zero and, consequently, existing higher harmonic components could undesirably stimulate the thickness control.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To clarify the present invention, reference is made in the following to the drawing figures in which:
FIG. 1 shows an example for controlling the position of a roll stand.
FIG. 2 shows an example for a direct digital control of the rolling-stock thickness with a controllable dead zone, as well as with an eccentricity compensator that works according to the observer principle to suppress the influence of roll eccentricities.
FIG. 3 also illustrates a thickness control comprising a controllable dead zone and another variant for an eccentricity compensator.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An example is depicted in FIG. 1 for controlling the position of a roll stand 1 having an upper and lower backing roll 2 or 3, two working rolls 4 and 5, a hydraulic screw-down gear 7 actuated by a control valve 6 for adjusting the roll-setting position s, and a spring c G symbolizing the elasticity of the roll stand 1. The rolling stock 8, which can have an equivalent material spring c M allocated to it in the roll nip, is rolled down by the two working rolls 4 and 5 from a feed or incoming thickness h c to an outgoing thickness h a . The roll eccentricities can be described by an effected change in the roll radius ΔR. The setting position s is measured by means of a position sensor 9 on the screw-down gear 7 and compared as an actual value at a summing point 10 to a setpoint value s* of the roll setting position, the result of the comparison being drawn upon by way of a position controller 11 and a downstream actuating drive 12 for actuating the control valve 6 and, thus, for adjusting the setting position s. The roll separating force F W is measured by means of a pressure sensor 13 on the roll stand 1. As will be clarified further below, to compensate for the roll eccentricities ΔR, it is necessary to measure the rotational speed of the rolls afflicted by eccentricity. Assuming in simplified terms that the upper and lower rolls of the roll stand 1 are turning at the same speed, it suffices to simply detect the rotational speed of one driven roll, for example of the working roll 5, using an r.p.m. counter 14. If in this case, as in most cases, the backing rolls 2 and 3 are those rolls which are afflicted by eccentricity, then the measured rotational speed of the working roll 5 is converted in a unit 15 as a function of the ratio of the diameter of the working roll 5 to that of the backing roll 3 into the rotational speed n of the lower backing roll 3.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a direct digital feedback control of the rolling-stock thickness in accordance with the AGC (automatic gain control) method. 16 denotes the controlled system comprised of the positional control depicted in FIG. 1 and of the roll stand, which is supplied on the input side via a digital-analog converter with the setpoint value s* for the roll setting. As an output signal, the controlled system 16 supplies the roll separating force F W influenced by the roll eccentricities ΔR, which force is measured and is converted by an analog-digital converter into a digital value. Starting from the equation (1) indicated above for the roll separating force F W , in the case of the thickness control, the measured roll separating force F W is multiplied in a multiplier element 17 by the reciprocal value of the calculated roll stand spring constants 1/c G ' and subsequently added in a summing element 18 with the setpoint value s* of the roll setting to form a composite signal from the calculated actual value h a of the outgoing thickness of the rolling stock 8 and of the roll eccentricity ΔR. The thus obtained composite signal h a +ΔR is compared in a subsequent summing element 19 to the setpoint value h a * of the rolling-stock thickness. Thus, the differential signal at the output of the summing point 19 contains not only the difference Δh a between the setpoint value h a * and the actual value h a of the rolling-stock thickness, but also signal fluctuations caused by the eccentricities ΔR. To suppress these eccentricity-induced signal fluctuations ΔR within the thickness control, the differential signal at the output of the summing point 19 is supplied to a transfer element 20 having a variable dead zone x, which only transfers signal amplitudes lying outside of the dead zone x. As will be clarified in greater detail below, the width of the dead zone x is adjusted to allow it to suppress the signal fluctuations caused by the roll eccentricities ΔR. The output signal from the transfer element 20 that is free of the eccentricity-induced signal fluctuations ΔR is fed to a roll-nip controller comprised of an amplification element 21 and a digital integrator 22. A correction-amplification element 23, which multiplies the output signal from the roll-nip controller 21, 22 by the factor 1+c M '/c G ', is arranged downstream from the roll-nip controller 21, 22 to compensate in this manner for the influence of the system gain of the feedback control circuit with h a /s=c G /(c M +c G ) and, on the output side, makes available the setpoint value s* of the roll-setting position for the controlled system 16.
To be able to adapt the width of the dead zone x produced by the transfer element 20 to the specific amplitude of the roll eccentricities ΔR, the differential signal Δh a +ΔR at the output of the summing point 19 is fed via a band-pass filter arrangement 24 to a device 25 for statistically evaluating the band-pass filtered signal fluctuations. The band-pass filter arrangement 24 contains a first band-pass filter 26, whose mid-frequency is adjusted in dependence upon the measured rotational speed n of the eccentricity-afflicted rolls to the frequency ω of the fundamental component of the roll eccentricities ΔR with ω=2πn. Moreover, the band-pass filter arrangement 24 contains still another band-pass filter 27, whose mid-frequency is adjusted with 2ω to the frequency of the first harmonic component of the roll eccentricities ΔR. In a summing point 28, the output signals from the two band-pass filters 26 and 27 are summed up, before they arrive at the device 25 for statistically evaluating the band-pass filtered signal fluctuations. In the device 25, the standard deviation of the band-pass-filtered signal fluctuations is determined and multiplied by a predetermined factor of, for example, 1.5, before it is supplied to a control input 29 of the transfer element 20 for adjusting the dead-zone width x. The band-pass filtering controlled by the rotational speed n of the eccentricity-afflicted rolls of the signal fluctuations drawn upon for adjusting the dead-zone width x prevents the entire fluctuation of the differential signal from being interpreted at the output of the summing point 19 as eccentricity, which would lead in the case of actual thickness fluctuations to an increase in the dead-zone width x and, thus, to a slower correction of the thickness error.
In the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 2 of a thickness control, a disturbance observer in the form of a feedback oscillator 30 is additionally provided, which in the steady-state condition simulates the fundamental component of the roll eccentricities ΔR at its output 31, the simulated disturbance ΔR' being applied by way of a switch 32 and a summing element 33 to the setpoint value s* of the roll-setting position at the input of the controlled system 16. The frequency ω of the oscillator 22 is adjusted in this case in dependence upon the measured roll rotational speed n with ω=2πn. At a summing point 34, the setpoint value of the roll setting s*+ΔR', which is superimposed by the simulated roll eccentricity, and the measured roll separating force F W , which is multiplied in a multiplier element 35 by the calculated reciprocal value 1/c 0 '=1/c M '+1/c G ' of the total stiffness of the roll stand and material spring, are gated to form a composite signal u. This composite signal u and the output signal ΔR' from the oscillator 30 are compared with one another at a further summing point 36, a correction signal e=u-ΔR' being generated, by means of which the oscillator 30 is corrected in amplitude and phase for so long until the simulated disturbance ΔR' and the composite signal u conform and the error e thus becomes zero. In place of the setpoint value s* , which is superimposed by the disturbance simulation ΔR', the actual value s of the roll setting can also be supplied to the summing point 34; however, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 2, because of the use of the setpoint value s*, the influence of the dynamic response of the position control in the controlled system 16 has no effect on the compensation of the roll eccentricities ΔR, so that its fundamental component is asymptotically completely eliminated in its effect on the roll separating force F W . Since the fundamental component of the roll eccentricity ΔR is no longer present in the thickness control, the control of the dead-zone width x of the transfer element 20 essentially still takes place only in dependence upon the first harmonic component of the roll eccentricities ΔR filtered out by the band-pass filter 27. Since, as a rule, this vibrational component is smaller than the compensated fundamental component, the dead-zone width x is reduced when the disturbance observer comprising the oscillator 30 is switched on, which leads to a better modulation of the thickness control, in particular in the small-signal behavior caused by such signal components, which are not conditional upon eccentricity.
The thickness control shown in FIG. 3 differs from the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2 in that the disturbance observer comprising the oscillator 30 is missing and, instead, the output signal from the band-pass filter 26, whose mid-frequency corresponds to the fundamental frequency of the roll eccentricities ΔR, is applied via an amplification element 37 and the switch 32 at the summing point 33 to the setpoint value s* of the roll-setting position. Thus, merely the fundamental component is applied in a compensating manner and not the first harmonic component as well, since otherwise, assuming an ideal compensation of both the fundamental as well as of the harmonic component, the dead-zone width x would be completely reduced to zero and higher harmonic components could, consequently, undesirably stimulate the thickness control.
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To suppress the influence of roll eccentricities on a feedback control of a rolling-stock thickness in the thickness control, it is generally known to provide an insensitive dead zone for signal fluctuations caused by the roll eccentricities, and for the zone width of this insensitive dead zone to be varied relative to the magnitude of the signal fluctuations. To prevent actual thickness fluctuation in the rolling stock from leading to a widening of the dead zone, it is provided for the signal fluctuations drawn upon to vary the zone width (x) to be filtered by one or more band-pass filters (26, 27), whose mid-frequencies correspond to the fundamental frequency (ω) and, in some instances, to the first or further harmonic component frequencies (2ω) of the roll eccentricities (ΔR).
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DESCRIPTION
1. Techical Field
The invention relates to the field of data collection devices of the type for use for the collection, storing and retrieval of informational data such as, for example, in time and attendance, shop floor maintainance, employment security, commercial and credit transactions or the like. The invention relates generally to a data collection device which incorporates a card or badge reader device of the type which incorporates a new and novel card capture device. This device provides for card or badge captured by means of friction during the completion of a successful transaction. Accordingly, forcible removal of the badge or card during a transaction does not result in damage to either the card or badge or to the data collection device.
2. Background Art
The present invention relates generally to data collection devices or systems and more particularly relates to a new and improved badge or card reader device of the type which can read the card or badge without the use of moving parts other than the card or badge itself. Such type of reader device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,661,007 and 4,102,649, to Charles Fisher, for example. In the present invention, there is provided a unique card or badge capture device which incorporates a parallelagram-type mechanism which, by friction, holds the card or badge against movement during the completion of a transaction. This mechanism is of a simple yet rugged and reliable construction. The mechanism effectively prevents forcible removal of the card or badge during a transaction and hence, does not result in damage to either the card or badge or to the data collection device itself.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention there is provide a unique capture device which can be easily and quickly installed as an integral apart of or as an accessory item to a card or badge reader device of the type for use in data collection systems such as for time and attendance, job security, shop for maintainence or the like. The capture device incorporates an opposed pair of clamp bars connected together by a linkage arrangement which maintains the bars in substantially parallel arrangement during opening and closing in the manner of a parallelagram action. The opposed clamp bar members are moved toward one another in clamping and unclamping relationship by means of a power drive motor with automatic control means for energizing said motor and for regulating a predetermined clamping pressure exerted on the card or badge to be held captive. A flexible retainer element made from an elastomeric or polymeric material is operably associated with the clamp members and is disposed for friction clamping engagement with the card or badge with sufficient holding friction pressure but without damage thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, generally top plan view illustrating a card reader device mounted interiorly on the front panel of a data collection terminal (not shown) with the card or badge capture device mounted on the reader device for holding a card or badge captive during a transaction;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, vertical section view taken along the 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, side elevation view, with parts removed illustrating the capture device in association with a card reader device;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation view, with parts removed for the purpose of clarity, illustrating more specifically the motor drive arrangement for the card capture device illustrated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the front support member for the card capture device;
FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the lower clamp bar member made in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of the top clamp member made in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 8 is an end elevation view looking in the direction of the line 8--8 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-section view taken along the line 9--9 of FIG. 6;
FIG. 10 is an end elevation view looking in the direction of the line 10--10 of FIG. 6;
FIG. 11 is an end elevation view looking in the direction of the line 11--11 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 12 is an end elevation view of the clamping bar illustrated in FIG. 6 looking from the left-hand side thereof; and
FIG. 13 is a top plan view illustrating the construction of one of the link members made in accordance with the invention.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, there is generally illustrated the data collection device, designated generally at 2 of the invention of the type which includes a terminal housing, designated generally at 4, as illustrated in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,206 to Charles Fisher. The terminal mounts interiorly thereof a card reader device 6 which may be detachably connected to the front panel, as at 5, of the terminal by means of suitable fasteners, as at 8, which may include a suitable screw and nut arrangement. Spacer members, as at 19, may be provided to maintain a predetermined lateral spacing between the card reader device 6 and the confronting surface of the terminal front panel, as at 3, to accommodate the novel card capture device made in accordance with the invention. As shown, the card reader device 6 is constructed and arranged so as to receive and read a suitable card or badge, as at C. The details with respect to the structure and operation of the card reader device 6 are more fully set forth in the aforementioned Fisher U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,206.
For purposes of illustration only, the terminal, designated generally at 2, for the data collection device has been shown with respect to the front panel 5, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the card reader device, designated at 6, is mounted interiorly of the terminal on the front panel of the terminal such that the badge or card, as at C, is inserted through the front panel 5 so as to be read interiorly by the card reader device. It will be seen, therefore, that the card capture device, designated generally at 14, is disposed to operate between the card reader device and the confronting interior surface 9 of the front panel 5 of the terminal, as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3.
As shown, the card capture device 14 includes an elongated polygonal (rectangular) support plate 12 which is mounted via the spacer member 7 and fasteners 8 to the confronting interior surface 5 of the front panel 5. This plate 12 mounts the card reader device 6 in spaced relation to the interior surface of the front panel. The construction of the support plate 12 is illustrated in FIG. 5 wherein it includes an interior elongated slot S for slideably receiving the card C therethrough which card is received through an aligned slot 11 provided in the front panel 5. The plate includes a plurality of holes, as at 9, for receiving the fasteners 8 and includes retaining pins 13 (FIG. 8) to be received in the intermediate slots, as at 19, provided in a pair of pivot links 18 (FIG. 13). Also, the support plate includes an enlarged circular opening 25 for receiving therethrough the drive coupling, as at 24, of an electric drive motor M, as illustrated in FIG. 1.
In the invention, the support plate 12 mounts an upper capture plate member 15 and a lower capture member 16 which act in a scissors-like manner for holding the card C in captured relation therebetween, as best seen in FIG. 2. The lower capture member 15 is an elongated (rectangular) construction having a pair of outwardly extending pins, as at 30, which are also received in the apertures 19 of the pivot links 18. In this case, the capture bar 15 has an elongated recess slot, as at 28, to receive one-half of a resillient polymeric ring R for frictionally holding the card C in clamped relation therein. The ring R is of an O-ring construction made preferably from a Buna N composition having a Durometer of 70, at a temperature between -40° to +250° F.
The lower capture bar member 16 is an elongated (rectangular) construction having a pair of upstanding pin elements, as at 48, for reception in the apertures 19 in the pivot links 18. In this case, the bar member has another outstanding pin element, as at 22, for engagement within the coupling member 24 of the drive motor M, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Here again, the bar member has a recessed slot, as at 40, corresponding in configuration to the slot 28 in the upper bar member 15 for receiving the other half of the resillient gripping ring R. In this form, the lower bar member 16 is provided with a cut-out portion, as at 42, which defines a shoulder portion, as at 46, with the bottom edge 44. This shoulder portion 46 acts to engage upon one of the fastener elements, as at 8, providing an abuttment or stop (FIG. 2) to limit lateral shifting movement of the lower bar member 16 upon actuation by the drive motor M. The gripping ring R is frictionally held within the recessed grooves 28 and 40 so as to prevent lateral shifting movement thereof.
In the invention, the drive motor M is attached to the support plate 12 by a plurality of support posts 25 attached to the support member 12. The drive coupling member 24 of the motor has a slot, as at 26, disposed in eccentric relation to receive the pin element 22 of the lower capture bar member 16 so as to be driven in a circular but eccentric relation, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The drive motor M is in the form of a plantary gearmotor which has a rotor speed of approximately 2,400 RPM. By the eccentric or off-set drive connection between the motor and the lower capture bar member 16 there is provided a scissors-like action during opening and closing of the bar members 15 and 16 with the pivot links 18 maintaining the bar member 15 and 16 in parallel relation during opening and closing movement thereof in the form of a parallelogram action. Accordingly, during opening and closing movements of the bar members, the pivot links 18 remain parallel to one another so as to impart a uniform gripping action via the retainer ring on the card to be held in capture.
In the invention, the capture bar member 15 and 16 are held in parallel relation during opening and closing and it is preferred that from the full-open position upon rotation of the motor approximately 15°, the bar members close in clamping relation on the card C. Accordingly, the shoulder portion 46 acts as an abuttment or stop to control this closing action upon such 15° rotation, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Absent this abuttment or stop, it will be seen that the bar members would close at an angle of approximately 45°.
In a typical operation, the bar members 15 and 16 would be held in a parallel relationship with the pivot links being disposed at parallel and approximately at an angle of 80°. In FIG. 2, the bar members are illustrated in the generally closed condition with the drive motor being rotated in a clock-wise direction as illustrated by the arrow. To open the bar members, the motor is driven in reverse such that the lower bar member 16 is driven to the left with the pivot links pivoting back approximately 15° to the original 80° position which has the effect of simultaneously raising the upper bar member 15 due to the pivotal connection of the links 18 about the pin elements 13 which provide pivot points therefore. By reason of the articulated connection via the pivot links 18, the lower bar member 16 is moved to the left and simultaneously upward in a parallelogram fashion relative to the upper bar member 15. To again close the bar members, the electric motor is reversed and driven in a clock-wise direction approximately 15° until the shoulder portion 46 provides a stop which is the predetermined capture position of the bar members relative to the card C. In this closed position, the card is held capture with a predetermined force sufficient to prevent manual withdraw thereof until the pressure is released upon actuation of the drive motor. Accordingly, it will be seen by this arrangement forceible removal of the card during a transaction (i.e. encoding) does not result in damage to either the card or to the data collection device including the card reader.
Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent as the following description procedes when taken in conjunction with the accompanying claims.
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A card capture device of the type to be employed in a data collection system including an articulated card clamp mechanism including a pair of oppositely disposed bar members mounting intermediately thereof a resilient gripping ring means adapted for frictionally gripping a card or badge to be read upon actuation of a drive motor so as to prevent forceable removal of the card or badge during reading thereof.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 62/238,201, filed Oct. 7, 2015, and to U.S. provisional application No. 62/310,889, filed Mar. 21, 2016, both of which applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Aspects of the invention relate to processes and systems for the soft oxidation of methane (i.e., reaction of methane with a sulfur-containing compound as opposed to oxygen) to produce higher hydrocarbons, and more particularly C 4 + hydrocarbons that may be used in transportation fuels or as chemicals.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
[0003] The ongoing search for alternatives to crude oil, for the production of hydrocarbon fuels and specialty chemicals (e.g., petrochemical precursors such as olefins and aromatics), is increasingly driven by a number of factors. These include diminishing petroleum reserves, higher anticipated energy demands, and heightened concerns over greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from sources of non-renewable carbon. In view of its abundance in natural gas reserves, methane has become the focus of a number of possible synthesis routes. Known commercial processes for converting natural gas into liquid fuels include Fisher-Tropsch (FT) synthesis and those involving the formation of methanol as an intermediate for subsequent dehydration, i.e., in methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) conversion. Whereas these methods are widely used and improve the economics of transporting natural gas over long distances, they nonetheless involve considerable complexity, capital expenditure, and multiple conversion steps. These known methods also suffer from poor selectively to gasoline boiling-range hydrocarbons and result in the production of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, both FT and MTG processes require pretreatment of the feedstock for H 2 S removal, in order to obtain acceptable catalyst stability.
[0004] The oxidation of methane with O 2 to directly produce hydrocarbons and H 2 O, while studied extensively, has been met with a number of significant challenges. These include thermodyamically favorable reaction pathways that lead to further oxidation (“over oxidation”) of the desired hydrocarbons and oxygenates, resulting in substantial CO 2 formation. In addition, management of the highly exothermic oxidation reaction poses a number of practical problems in terms of process design. The catalytic, oxidative coupling of methane and other hydrocarbons to form higher hydrocarbons is described, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,505.
[0005] In comparison, the free energy losses associated with the counterpart reactions using S 2 versus O 2 as a reactant with methane, including over oxidation reactions, are significantly lower. This has led to the characterization of sulfur-based methane conversion as “soft oxidation.” The study of various catalysts for the conversion of CH 4 and elemental sulfur to CS 2 and hydrocarbons is documented, for example, in Zhu, Q. et al. (N ATURE C HEMISTRY , Vol. 5 (December 2012): 104-109). Other publications disclosing the production of CS 2 from methane and sulfur include U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,143; U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,434; U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,938; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,074, which also describe further processing steps to obtain higher hydrocarbons such as aromatics. See also Quann, R. J. et al. (I ND . E NG . C HEM . R ES ., Vol. 27(4) (1988): 565-570) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,685. The use of S 2 over O 2 has therefore been investigated as a route to hydrocarbon production, in which the product selectivity and process thermodynamics are more easily managed. In addition, methods for obtaining elemental sulfur as a necessary starting material are practiced industrially as the Claus process, or are otherwise known from, for example, Fukuda, K. et al. (I ND . E NG . C HEM . F UNDAM ., VOL 17(4) (1978): 243-248). Sulfur is also a less expensive oxidant than oxygen, since oxygen must be initially separated from nitrogen for use.
[0006] More recently, the use of H 2 S, rather than elemental sulfur, has been investigated as the reactant for catalytically converting CH 4 to CS 2 . See Hosseini, H. el al. (I NTERNATIONAL S CHOLARLY AND S CIENTIFIC R ESEARCH & I NNOVATION , Vol. 4(2) (2010): 198-201). An additional downstream, catalytic reaction of the CS 2 , as part of a two-step hydrogen sulfide methane (“HSM”) process for producing hydrocarbons, is discussed in Erekson, E. J. (Work Performed Under Contract No.: DE-AC22-93PC92114 (July 1996)). In order for processes that synthesize liquid hydrocarbons (e.g., gasoline and jet fuel) from methane to advance to the point of economic feasibility, a number of factors must be addressed, particularly in terms of product yields and process integration steps that limit the losses of valuable reactants and intermediates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Aspects of the invention are associated with the discovery of processes for converting methane (CH 4 ), present in a methane-containing feedstock, which may be obtained from a variety of sources such as natural gas, to higher hydrocarbons (e.g., C 4 + hydrocarbons). These higher hydrocarbons include gasoline, diesel fuel, or jet fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons, which may optionally be separated (e.g., by fractionation) from liquid products of the processes. In addition to separation, or alternatively, these higher hydrocarbons or their separated fractions may be further reacted for use as (i) transportation fuels, (ii) blending components for such fuels, (iii) viscosity-reducing agents to enhance transportability of other hydrocarbon fractions, and/or (iv) specialty chemicals such as aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., para-xylene). Particular aspects of the invention are associated with advantages arising from maintaining reaction conditions that improve the selectivity to, and/or yield of C 4 + hydrocarbons over a given stage or reactor. For example, in the case of methane being predominantly reacted, such as converted to an intermediate (e.g., CS 2 ), in one reaction step or stage, conventional considerations regarding process design would suggest that the most efficient location for introduction of all of the methane-containing feedstock would be an inlet to this reaction step or stage, or at least a point upstream. of this reaction step or stage (i.e., without any intervening separation or reaction vessels, prior to the reaction step or stage). In contrast, according to embodiments of the invention, discussed in greater detail below, introducing the methane-containing feedstock at one or more other introduction locations has important implications with respect to influencing reaction selectivity and yield in other parts of the process, such as a reaction step or stage to convert the intermediate, produced in the first stage, to the C 4 + hydrocarbons. In particular embodiments, at least part, and preferably substantially all, of the methane-containing feedstock is fed to an inlet of a reaction step or stage, or a point upstream of this reaction step or stage, which is not the reaction step or stage used predominantly to convert methane to an intermediate (e.g., CS 2 ).
[0008] More specifically, by feeding at least a portion of the methane-containing feedstock to a reaction step or stage, or upstream of such reaction step or stage, predominantly for conversion of the intermediate to C 4 + hydrocarbons, important reaction conditions may be established in this conversion, such as a desired methane partial pressure. By maintaining sufficient methane partial pressure, undesired reactions such as methane re-formation may be advantageously suppressed, leading to an increase in the selectivity to, and/or yield of C 4 + hydrocarbons. Accordingly, the process may be operated with a sufficient methane partial pressure in a reaction step or stage predominantly to convert the intermediate to higher hydrocarbons, with, or possibly even without, feeding at least a portion of the methane-containing feedstock to this reaction step or stage, or upstream of this reaction step or stage. Advantageously, an increase in the yield of higher hydrocarbons, across a particular reaction step or stage of the process, reduces the amount of materials being recycled, as well as the amount of materials being heated to the substantial reaction temperatures needed to convert methane to an intermediate. Therefore, both process equipment costs and operating costs are reduced.
[0009] Further aspects of the invention relate to the advantages gained by integration of the appropriate reactions to carry out the methane conversion, with downstream separation to recover and recycle desirable components of the reaction effluent, thereby improving process economics to the extent needed for commercial viability. According to one important aspect, H 2 S, which is a reactant with CH 4 , may be separated (together with unconverted CH 4 ) from the reaction effluent (e.g., separated from a vapor product of this effluent) and recycled. This leads to particular advantages if two or more reaction steps or stages in the overall process lead to the conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons, and H 2 S is consumed in one reaction step or stage but produced in another reaction step or stage. In this case, the H 2 S may be continually recycled, and only very small rate of H 2 S addition is required to sustain the process, for example to make up for losses in a bleed (vent or purge) gas stream or in a net hydrogen production stream, and/or otherwise losses by dissolution in a liquid hydrocarbon product (e.g., comprising some or all of the higher hydrocarbons produced).
[0010] Processes described herein therefore perform the “soft oxidation” of methane, i.e., at least one reaction step or stage of the process is predominantly to convert methane by reaction with sulfur or a sulfur-containing compound (e.g., H 2 S), in a reaction stage or step that leads to the overall conversion to higher hydrocarbons that may be a source of a variety of products. These products may include “drop in” gasoline and/or diesel fuel, or otherwise may include chemicals such as aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., benzene, toluene, and/or xylenes), potentially having a higher value relative to hydrocarbon fuels. The processes may have a number of practical applications, including the conversion of stranded natural gas, for example if the process is made portable by mounting on a skid. Without access to a suitable source for conversion to value-added products, such stranded natural gas might otherwise be flared (combusted), with the accompanying generation of CO 2 . Accordingly, processes described herein can effectively monetize otherwise unusable sources of natural gas, with the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, if the methane-containing feedstock is obtained from a renewable resource (e.g., biomass), for example by hydropyrolysis as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,915,981 assigned to Gas Technology Institute, then processes described herein may be used to provide renewable hydrocarbon-containing fuels, fuel blending components, and/or chemicals. The overall carbon footprint associated with the production of the higher hydrocarbons, e.g., based on a lifecycle assessment of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, may be further reduced if at least a portion of the hydrogen product is combusted to provide some or all of the heating requirements of the process (e.g., by transferring combustion heat to the process recycle gas or to the methane-containing feedstock). By combusting hydrogen product, the process may be sustained, at least in terms of its heating requirements, without the release of CO 2 into the environment.
[0011] Soft oxidation processes described herein may convert, in a first stage, substantially all of the methane in a methane-containing feedstock to reactive carbon disulfide, advantageously without the need for solid sulfur as a reactant. The processes may additionally include the conversion of carbon disulfide (CS 2 ) at economically favorable selectivity to C 4 + hydrocarbons (i.e., higher hydrocarbons having four carbon atoms or more), in a second stage. Improvements in both selectivity and yield (the product of conversion and selectivity) of the C 4 + hydrocarbons in the second stage may be achieved by suppressing or largely avoiding the undesirable re-formation of methane. Moreover, the processes may be advantageously operated without the release of any significant amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur, and/or sulfur-containing compounds to the environment. As described above, the required sulfur, in the form of H 2 S, may be consumed and regenerated in first and second process stages, respectively, as well as recycled continuously without any significant overall consumption or production. In one sense, the H 2 S acts as a gas phase “catalyst,” that is consumed in the process to only a very minimal extent, e.g., as needed to replace trace amounts in gas and liquid products. Overall, therefore, in representative embodiments, (i) all or substantially all of the carbon of the methane, initially present in the methane-containing feedstock, is converted to higher hydrocarbons present in the liquid product, (ii) all or substantially all of the hydrogen, initially present in the methane-containing feedstock, is converted to H 2 present in a hydrogen product stream, or a net hydrogen production stream, as described herein, (iii) all or substantially all of the H 2 S, used as a reactant in a first stage, is regenerated in a second stage and recycled, and/or (iv) all or substantially all of methane that is not converted in a given pass through the first and second stages is recycled to extinction.
[0012] According to particular processes, sulfur oxidation of methane in a first stage is combined with vapor phase hydrogenation/oligomerization of CS 2 in a second stage. Suppression of the undesirable re-formation of methane in the second stage may be achieved using second stage operating conditions that include a sufficient methane partial pressure. For example, methane partial pressure can be increased if all, or substantially all, of the methane-containing feedstock is introduced to an inlet to the second stage, or to a point of mixing with the effluent of the first stage. The increased methane partial pressure in the second stage, compared to a base-case operation in which all of the methane-containing feedstock is introduced to the first stage (e.g., at an inlet to a sulfur oxidation reactor used in this stage) where it is predominantly consumed, improves selectivity to C 4 + hydrocarbons in the second stage, relative to this base-case operation. Process economics are thereby improved considerably, as recycle compressor power, heating and cooling duties, and equipment sizes, are reduced. Accordingly, disclosed herein are processes for the commercially viable production of hydrocarbon fuels from methane, using soft oxidation.
[0013] These and other embodiments, aspects, and advantages relating to the present invention are apparent from the following Detailed Description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] A more complete understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention and the advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description in consideration of the accompanying figures, in which the same reference numbers are used to identify the same features.
[0015] FIG. 1 depicts a flowscheme that illustrates a representative two-stage process as described herein.
[0016] FIG. 2 depicts flowscheme that illustrates a separation stage that may be used in a process as described herein.
[0017] The figures should be understood to present an illustration of the disclosure and/or principles involved. In order to facilitate explanation and understanding, simplified equipment is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 , and these figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, such that some components and structures, as well details pertaining to their configurations, may be exaggerated. Valves, instrumentation, and other equipment and systems not essential to the understanding of the various aspects of the invention are not shown. As is readily apparent to one of skill in the art having knowledge of the present disclosure, processes for converting a methane-containing feedstock to higher hydrocarbons, will have configurations and components determined, in part, by their specific use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Embodiments of the invention relate to a process for converting a methane-containing feedstock to higher hydrocarbons (e.g., C 4 + hydrocarbons). Representative methane-containing feedstocks are gases comprising at least 50% (e.g., from 50% to more than 99%) CH 4 , with such gases typically comprising at least 75% (e.g., from 75% to more than 99%) CH 4 , and often comprising at least 90% (e.g., from 90% to more than 99%) CH 4 . Methane-containing feedstocks may include gaseous hydrocarbon impurities such as ethane and propane, as well as non-hydrocarbon impurities such as CO and CO 2 . Advantageously, because H 2 S is present in the process, the methane-containing feedstock may contain this sulfur-containing compound, without concerns relating to its detrimental effect as a catalyst poison in known processes, such as FT synthesis and MTG conversion, referenced above. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the methane-containing feedstock may include H 2 S in a concentration of at least 500 parts per million by volume (vol-ppm), at least 0.1% by volume (vol-%), or even at least 1 vol-%.
[0019] An important methane-containing feedstock is natural gas, and particularly stranded natural gas, which, using known processes, cannot be economically upgraded to C 4 + hydrocarbons. Other methane-containing feedstocks may be obtained from coal or biomass (e.g., char) gasification, from a biomass digester, or as effluents from biofuel production processes (e.g., pyrolysis processes and fatty acid/triglyceride hydroconversion processes). The methane may therefore be derived from a renewable carbon source. Other sources of methane-containing feedstocks include effluents of industrial processes such as steel manufacturing processes or non-ferrous product manufacturing processes. Further sources include effluents of petroleum refining processes, electric power production processes, chemical (e.g., methanol) production processes, and coke manufacturing processes.
[0020] Processes described herein convert methane, in one or more reaction stages or steps, to higher hydrocarbons, which may be recovered (e.g., by condensation) into a liquid product. The higher hydrocarbons may also be further separated into desired fractions using one or more separation steps, such as on the basis of relative volatility (e.g., by a single vapor-liquid equilibrium stage of flashing or by multiple vapor-liquid equilibrium stages of distillation, either of which may optionally be performed with a stripping gas). A representative fraction is C 4 + hydrocarbons, although this fraction may also be the entire liquid product recovered from a final (e.g., the second) reaction step or stage of the process, without further separation. Other representative fractions include C 4 -C 10 hydrocarbons, C 6 -C 10 hydrocarbons, and other fractions of the higher hydrocarbons produced from the process. Commercially relevant fractions, in the case of transportation fuels, include those comprising (i) predominantly, or substantially all, naphtha or gasoline boiling-range hydrocarbons (i.e., a gasoline fraction), (ii) predominantly, or substantially all, diesel fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons (i.e., a diesel fuel fraction), or (iii) predominantly, or substantially all, jet fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons (i.e., a jet fuel fraction). Naphtha or gasoline boiling-range hydrocarbons may have an initial boiling point (or “front-end”) temperature characteristic of C 5 hydrocarbons, for example from about 30° C. (86° F.) to about 40° C. (104° F.), with a representative value being 35° C. (95° F.) and a distillation end point temperature generally from 110° C. (230° F.) to about 149° C. (300° F.), and typically from about 121° C. (250° F.) to about 143° C. (290° F.), with a representative value being 130° C. (266° F.). Diesel fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons and jet fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons may have an initial boiling point temperature in the range from about 120° C. (248° F.) to about 160° C. (320° F.)), with a representative value being 149° C. (300° F.). The distillation end point temperature of diesel fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons is generally in the range from about 300° C. (572° F.) to about 400° C. (752° F.)), with a representative value being 370° C. (698° F.). These initial and end point temperatures, which are also characteristic of hydrocarbons in respective naphtha, gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel fractions obtained from crude oil fractionation, may be measured according to ASTM D86, with the end point being the 95% recovery value.
[0021] “Higher hydrocarbons,” relative to methane, include hydrocarbons having two or more carbon atoms, such ethane, propane, butane, etc. “C 4 + hydrocarbons,” as understood in the art, refer to hydrocarbons having four or more carbon atoms, which are readily condensable. Of the C 4 + hydrocarbons, C 4 -C 10 hydrocarbons are of particular interest for their use in transportation fuels, e.g., as a source of gasoline boiling-range hydrocarbons, diesel fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons, and jet fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons as described above. Of the C 4 + hydrocarbons, C 6 -C 10 hydrocarbons are of particular interest for their use as chemical products, such as aromatic hydrocarbon products including benzene, toluene, xylenes, and alkylbenzenes. Desired fractions, from which the higher hydrocarbons (or from which larger fractions, such as C 6 -C 10 hydrocarbons) may be separated therefore include a purified benzene fraction, a purified toluene fraction, a purified xylene fraction (which may be further separated and/or isomerized to obtain a desired xylene isomer, e.g., para-xylene), and a purified alkylbenzene fraction.
[0022] As used herein, the term “substantially all” means “at least 95%,” and the term “substantially complete” means “at least 95% complete.” The term “predominantly” means “at least 50%.”
[0023] Representative processes comprise feeding at least a portion of the methane-containing feedstock to a hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor to suppress a methane re-formation reaction and thereby increase a selectivity to, and/or yield of, C 4 + hydrocarbons (i.e., the C 4 + hydrocarbon-containing fraction of the higher hydrocarbons, which may be all or substantially all of the higher hydrocarbons), in an oligomerization effluent of the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor, which is obtained from oligomerization of CS 2 . The selectivity increase with respect to this reactor may, for example, be measured relative to a comparable base-case in which all of the methane-containing feedstock is fed to a sulfur oxidation reactor, upstream of the hydrogenation reactor. The selectivity to the C 4 + hydrocarbons, with respect to the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor, refers to the weight percentage of the carbon in CS 2 , fed to this reactor, which becomes converted to C 4 + hydrocarbons in the effluent of this reactor. In representative embodiments, the selectivity to C 4 + hydrocarbons in the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor may be increased, relative to the base case, by at least 2% (e.g., from 2% to 35%), by at least 5% (e.g., from 5% to 30%), or by at least 8% (e.g., from 8% to 25%). As the conversion of CS 2 in the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor is, in preferred embodiments, substantially complete, substantially all of the same increases in the yield (the product of conversion and selectivity) of C 4 + hydrocarbons in the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor, relative to the base case, may be realized. These increases in selectivity and yield are namely the differences (rather than percentages of increases) between selectivities and yields obtained for processes as described herein, and those obtained for the comparable base-cases.
[0024] Particular processes may further comprise recycling a recycle gas stream comprising both CH 4 and H 2 S to a sulfur oxidation reactor positioned upstream of the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor. The recycle gas stream may comprise at least a portion, and preferably substantially all, of an H 2 S/CH 4 stream that is separated from a vapor product of the oligomerization effluent of the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor. The processes may otherwise, but preferably in addition, comprise recycling, to the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor, at least a portion of a hydrogen product stream that is separated from the vapor product of the oligomerization effluent.
[0025] Further embodiments of the invention relate to a process for converting a methane-containing feedstock to higher hydrocarbons (e.g., C 4 + hydrocarbons), in which the process comprises continuously recycling H 2 S in an H 2 S recycle loop. This H 2 S recycle loop may be defined by (i) a recycle gas stream, comprising both CH 4 and H 2 S, to a sulfur oxidation reactor, (ii) a sulfur oxidation effluent to a hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor, (iii) a hydrogenation/oligomerization effluent to a separation stage for condensing at least a portion of the higher hydrocarbons (e.g., as a liquid hydrocarbon product), and (iv) an H 2 S/CH 4 stream that is separated, in the separation stage, from a vapor product of the effluent of the hydrogenation reactor. The recycle gas stream comprises at least a portion of the H 2 S/CH 4 stream, thereby completing the loop. Advantageously, as described above, the continuous recycle of H 2 S in the H 2 S recycle loop maintains this valuable sulfur-containing compound, which serves as a carrier of the sulfur for sulfur oxidation (i.e., soft oxidation) of methane. Sulfur losses, as well as the requirements for handling H 2 S (which is both corrosive and toxic), are thereby minimized. According to representative embodiments, for example, sulfur is added to the process (e.g., added to the H 2 S recycle loop at any of the streams (i), (ii), (iii), and/or (iv) defining this loop, as described above) at a makeup rate of less than 2000 grams (e.g., from 2 grams to less than 2000 grams) S per million grams of the C 4 + hydrocarbons produced. In preferred embodiments, the makeup rate is less than 1000 grams (e.g., from 2 grams to less than 1000 grams), less than 500 grams (e.g., from 2 grams to less than 500 grams), or even less than 100 grams (e.g., from 2 grams to less than 100 grams) S per million grams of the C 4 + hydrocarbons produced. This makeup rate, in terms of grams of elemental sulfur (S) added per million parts of the C 4 + hydrocarbons produced, may also be equivalently expressed in terms of “parts by weight S per million parts by weight of the C 4 + hydrocarbons.”
[0026] According to any of the processes described herein, a sufficient methane partial pressure in the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor, or in the second stage generally, may be maintained such that the undesirable re-formation of methane is suppressed, thereby increasing selectivity to C 4 + hydrocarbons in this reactor or stage. Such methane partial pressure may be maintained, for example, by introducing at least a portion, and preferably substantially all, of the methane-containing feedstock to the second stage of the process, or more particularly, to an inlet to the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor. At least a portion (e.g., at least 50%), or substantially all, of the methane-containing feedstock may otherwise, or in addition, be introduced to the sulfur oxidation effluent, or namely a point of mixing with the sulfur oxidation effluent. A representative methane partial pressure in the second stage, or more particularly in the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor, sufficient to obtain the C 4 + hydrocarbon selectivity and yield improvements described herein, is at least 10 kilopascals (10 kPa), for example from 10 kPa to 4.5 MPa or from 250 kPa to 4.5 MPa. This methane partial pressure may be at least 20 kPa (e.g., from 20 kPa to 3.5 MPa or from 500 kPa to 3.5 MPa), or at least 35 kPa (e.g., from 35 kPa to 3 MPa or from 1 MPa to 3 MPa).
[0027] According to any of the processes described herein, for example as a result of maintaining sufficient methane partial pressure in the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor, or in the second stage generally, the selectivity to C 4 + hydrocarbons may be at least 35%, for example from 35% to 95%. This selectivity may be at least 45% (e.g., from 45% to 70%), or at least 50% (e.g., from 50% to 65%). The same percentages, and ranges of percentages, apply to the yields of C 4 + hydrocarbons in the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor, or in the second stage generally, in view of the conversion of CS 2 in this reactor or stage being complete, or substantially complete.
First Reaction Stage
[0028] In representative embodiments, a first reaction stage is used to perform sulfur oxidation, such that this stage may alternatively be referred to as a sulfur oxidation stage. This stage may comprise one or more sulfur oxidation reactors, in which CH 4 in the methane-containing feedstock is reacted with H 2 S to form CS 2 according to the reaction:
[0000] 2H 2 S +CH 4 →CS 2 +4H 2 (1).
[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the first reaction stage comprises a single sulfur oxidation reactor. The CH 4 may be fed to the sulfur oxidation stage in a recycle gas comprising recycle CH 4 and recycle H 2 S. Amounts of H 2 S needed to sustain the process, for example to provide a makeup rate of sulfur to compensate for steady-state losses of the sulfur-containing compound as described above, may be introduced to this recycle gas in the form of H 2 S that is generated from an H 2 S-precursor, such as an organic sulfide (e.g., dimethyl disulfide, DMDS) or even CS 2 , which decomposes at elevated temperatures and in a hydrogen atmosphere, to form the reactant H 2 S. For example, DMDS decomposes to form H 2 S and CH 4 in the recycle gas, according to the reaction:
[0000] CH 3 S 2 CH 3 +3H 2 →2 CH 4 +2 H 2 S (2).
[0030] An H 2 S-precursor may also be used to provide an initial H 2 S charge rate that is significantly higher, relative to the makeup rate at steady state. The initial charge rate can establish a concentration of H 2 S in the recycle gas, during a startup period that precedes the introduction (feeding) of the methane-containing feedstock to the process. According to alternative embodiments, the H 2 S or an H 2 S-precursor may be introduced at various introduction locations described herein, such as the possible feedstock introduction locations, described below. Suitable H 2 S precursors are preferably organic sulfur-containing liquids, such as DMDS, that facilitate handling of the process sulfur requirements.
[0031] Suitable conditions in the first stage, e.g., sulfur oxidation reactor conditions, may include a temperature from 1000° C. to 1200° C., and typically from 1050° C. to 1150° C., and a total absolute pressure from 350 kPa to 6 MPa, and typically from 350 kPa to 4 MPa. These conditions may also include sufficient hydrogen partial pressure to maintain catalyst activity, by preventing side reactions that lead to coke formation. Representative hydrogen partial pressures in the first stage are from 100 kPa to 3.5 Mpa, and typically from 100 kPa to 2.5 MPa.
[0032] By having a substantial molar excess of H 2 S in the first stage, conversion of CH 4 to CS 2 may be at least 90% in this stage, for example the conversion is typically at least 95% and often at least 98%. Conditions in the first stage may therefore include a molar ratio of H 2 S to CH 4 in the recycle gas, or otherwise in the combination of the recycle gas and any other gas stream (e.g., a portion of the methane-containing feedstock) that is fed to the first stage, from 1:1 to 4:1, and typically from 2.5:1 to 4:1 (i.e., in excess of the stoichiometric ratio according to reaction (1) above). Stated otherwise, the conditions may include a first stage inlet H 2 S/CH 4 molar ratio or sulfur oxidation reactor inlet H 2 S/CH 4 molar ratio in these ranges. As a result of high conversion in the first stage, the methane partial pressure in the sulfur oxidation effluent (i.e., the effluent of the first stage prior to being mixed with any portion of the methane-containing feedstock that would increase the methane partial pressure in the resulting, combined stream) may be low, for example from 0 kPa to less than 10 kPa.
[0033] A sulfur oxidation reactor in the first stage may contain a sulfur oxidation catalyst comprising a sulfur oxidation active metal, or a compound of a sulfur oxidation active metal, wherein the sulfur oxidation active metal is selected from the group consisting of Pd, Mo, Cr, Ce, Pt, Ni, Rh, W, and Li. Combinations of these metals and/or metal compounds may also be used. Normally, in view of the significant concentration of H 2 S to which the sulfur oxidation catalyst is exposed, the sulfur oxidation active metal may be in its sulfided form, i.e., the sulfur oxidation catalyst may contain a metal sulfide compound of any one or more of these sulfur oxidation active metals. The sulfur oxidation active metal(s) may be supported on a suitable support material that is refractory to the conditions in the sulfur oxidation reactor. Representative support materials include alumina, silica, titania, and zirconia. Specific examples of sulfur oxidation catalysts include Pd or PdS that is supported on zirconia (Pd/ZrO 2 or PdS/ZrO 2 ); Pt, Ni, or Rh that is supported on alumina (Pt/Al 2 O 3 , Ni/Al 2 O 3 , or Rh/Al 2 O 3 ); MoS 2 ; PdS; Cr 2 S 3 ; CeS; WS 2 ; and LiS 2 . Preferred catalysts for use in the sulfur oxidation reactor include Pd/ZrO 2 and MoS 2 .
[0034] The conversion of methane by soft oxidation to CS 2 , occurring in the first-stage, is endothermic. Process heat, which is supplied at the very high temperatures described above for the first stage, may be obtained from the combustion of at least a portion of a hydrogen product of the process, and, according to more particular embodiments, at least a portion (e.g., all or substantially all), of a net hydrogen production stream, as described herein. The combustion of this readily available product is useful in locations lacking an accessible utility for transporting the net hydrogen produced for a more valuable end use (e.g., to a refinery). In a representative embodiment, at least 80% of the heat required in the first stage is provided from hydrogen combustion. Alternatively, if all of the heat required in the first stage is provided in this manner, according to preferred embodiments, then advantageously no additional heat is required, i.e., the process may be operated with no external source of heat, such as external fuel, and with no emission of CO 2 .
[0035] A sulfur oxidation reactor in the first stage is normally subjected to severe operating conditions, including the temperatures and pressures as described above, in addition to a high partial pressure of hydrogen sulfide, for example generally greater than 350 kPa. Representative construction materials for the sulfur oxidation reactor will therefore require resistance to corrosion under these first stage operating conditions. A vessel of the first stage reactor may comprise, for example, an alloy of iron, chromium, and aluminum, in which chromium and aluminum are present in amounts by weight of the alloy of 20%-30% and 4-7.5%, respectively. A vessel of the first stage reactor may alternatively comprise an alloy of nickel, cobalt, and chromium, and optionally other alloyed elements. For example, according to one such alloy, cobalt, chromium, silicon, manganese, titanium, and carbon are present in amounts of at least 29%, at least 28%, at least 2.75%, at least 0.5%, and least 0.5% and at least 0.05%, respectively, be weight of the alloy, together with nickel. According to another embodiment, a vessel of the first stage reactor may comprise an alloy having a large proportion (e.g., greater than 50% by weight of the alloy) of niobium or of molybdenum. Pure niobium or molybdenum may also be used. According to yet another embodiment, a vessel of the first stage reactor may comprise a highly temperature-resistant alloy, in order to provide sufficient mechanical strength, and this alloy may optionally be plated, on a surface facing the interior of the vessel, with a noble metal such as platinum or palladium for corrosion resistance. According to still another embodiment, a vessel of the first stage reactor may comprise a corrosion-resistant inner shell, facing the interior of the vessel, that is capable of resisting the corrosive atmosphere and high temperature of the first stage, and an outer shell, toward or facing the exterior of the vessel, of sufficient mechanical strength to contain the pressure in the first stage.
Second Reaction Stage
[0036] In representative embodiments, a second reaction stage is used to perform oligomerization of the CS 2 that is produced in the first stage, according to reaction (1) above. Because oligomerization occurs in conjunction with hydrogen consumption, the second stage may alternatively be referred to as a “hydrogenation/oligomerization” stage. This stage may comprise one or more hydrogenation/oligomerization reactors, in which CS 2 in the effluent from the first stage (e.g., a sulfur oxidation effluent) is reacted with H 2 to form higher hydrocarbons (—[CH 2 ]—) according to the reaction:
[0000] CS 2 +3H 2 →[−CH 2 ]−+2H 2 S (3).
[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the second reaction stage comprises a single hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor. Also, according to other preferred embodiments as described above, the methane partial pressure in the second stage (e.g., at an inlet to a hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor) may be increased by feeding at least a portion, and preferably substantially all, of the methane-containing feedstock to an inlet of the second stage or to a point of mixing with the sulfur oxidation effluent. Therefore, the combined second stage feed, including the sulfur oxidation effluent being fed to the second stage, together with any portion of the methane-containing feedstock that is co-fed to the second stage or upstream of the second stage, may include methane at a concentration of at least 5 vol-%, such as from 5 vol-% to 50 vol-%. Typically, this concentration is at least 7 vol-% (e.g., from 7 vol-% to 35 vol-%), and often at least 10 vol-% (e.g., from 10 vol-% to 25 vol-%). Conditions in the second stage may therefore include these volume percentages of methane at the inlet to a hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor. Representative volume percentages of H 2 , H 2 S, and CS 2 at the inlet to this reactor are, respectively, 45 to 70 vol-%, 8 to 25 vol-%, and 10 to 25 vol-%. Representative methane partial pressures in the second stage, and accompanying increases in selectivity to —[CH 2 ]—, are described above. These advantages may be associated with suppression of undesired re-formation of methane, according to the reverse of reaction (1) above, occurring in the second stage.
[0038] Alternatively or in conjunction with reaction (3) above, the formation of higher hydrocarbons may occur through formation of intermediate methanethiol (CH 3 SH), according to the reactions:
[0000] CH 4 +CS 2 +H 2 →2CH 3 SH+H 2 S (4) and
[0000] 2CH 3 SH→−[CH 2 ]−+2H 2 S (5).
[0039] Suitable conditions in the second stage, e.g., hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor conditions, may include a temperature from 250° C. to 500° C., and typically from 350° C. to 400° C. The total absolute pressure and hydrogen partial pressure in the second stage may be within the same ranges as described above with respect to the first stage (e.g., a total absolute pressure from 350 kPa to 6 MPa, and typically from 350 kPa to 4 MPa, and a hydrogen partial pressure from 100 kPa to 3.5 Mpa, and typically from 100 kPa to 2.5 MPa). Preferably, the total absolute pressure in the second stage is lower than that of the first stage, such that process flow from the first to the second stage can be maintained without intermediate compression. The pressure drop from the first stage to the second stage is typically a nominal value (e.g., from 35 to 350 kPa), associated with head losses through process equipment. As in the first stage, elevated hydrogen partial pressure is preferred in the second stage (e.g., in the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor) to minimize catalyst coking and thereby maintain catalyst activity. Other conditions in the second stage may include a molar ratio of H 2 to CS 2 in the combined second stage feed, including the sulfur oxidation effluent being fed to the second stage, together with any portion of the methane-containing feedstock that is co-fed to the second stage or upstream of the second stage (e.g., any portion fed to an inlet of the second stage or to a point of mixing with the sulfur oxidation effluent) from 1:1 to 10:1, and typically from 3:1 to 5:1. Accordingly, conditions in the second stage may include a second stage inlet H 2 /CS 2 molar ratio or hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor inlet H 2 /CS 2 molar ratio, within these ranges. In this regard, it can be appreciated that any co-fed, methane-containing feedstock normally will not appreciably impact this H 2 /CS 2 molar ratio.
[0040] A hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor in the second stage may contain a hydrogenation/oligomerization catalyst comprising a hydrogenation/oligomerization active metal, or a compound of a hydrogenation/oligomerization active metal, wherein the hydrogenation/oligomerization active metal is selected from the group consisting of Co, Ga, Ni, and Mo. Combinations of these metals and/or metal compounds may also be used. Normally, in view of the significant concentration of H 2 S to which the hydrogenation/oligomerization is exposed, the hydrogenation/oligomerization active metal may be in its sulfided form, i.e., the hydrogenation/oligomerization catalyst may contain a metal sulfide compound of any one or more of these hydrogenation/oligomerization active metals. The hydrogenation/oligomerization active metal(s) may be supported on a suitable support material that is refractory to the conditions in the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor and/or otherwise lends desired catalytic activity (e.g., acidity). Representative support materials include zeolitic and non-zeolitic molecular sieves, examples of which are, respectively, ZSM-5 and AMS-1B borosilicate. These materials are described, respectively, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,886 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,514,516. Specific examples of hydrogenation/oligomerization catalysts include Co that is supported on ZSM-5, in combination with MoS 2 (i.e., Co/ZSM-5+MoS 2 ); Ga that is supported on ZSM-5 (Ga/ZSM-5); and Co that is supported on AMS-1B borosilicate, in combination with MoS 2 (i.e., Co-AMS-1B/borosilicate+MoS 2 ).
Separation Stage
[0041] Higher hydrocarbons (e.g., C 4 + hydrocarbons) may be recovered from the second stage effluent (e.g., the hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor effluent) by condensing all, or substantially all, of these hydrocarbons into a liquid product and separating, from this liquid product, a vapor product comprising H 2 and H 2 S present in the second stage effluent (i.e., comprising second stage H 2 and second stage H 2 S). The condensing may be performed by simply cooling the second stage effluent, for example to a temperature of 30° C. or less, and more typically 25° C. or less, for example to a temperature between 10° C. and 25° C., characteristic of process cooling water. Alternatively, a chiller or chilled adsorber may be used to achieve lower temperatures, for example between −5° C. and 10° C. The condensing may involve a single vapor-liquid equilibrium stage of separation, for example by being performed in a flash drum, or otherwise multiple vapor-liquid equilibrium stages of separation in a single vessel (e.g., in the case of a stripper) or multiple vessels, such as in the case of a secondary knockout drum for removing higher hydrocarbons that may be carried (e.g., by entrainment) into a vapor phase of a primary flash drum. Alternative to, or in combination with, the use of a secondary knockout drum, such entrainment may be reduced using a suitable coalescer in an upper section of the primary flash drum.
[0042] The separated vapor product, following condensation of higher hydrocarbons, may then be further separated to provide a hydrogen product stream that is enriched in H 2 concentration, relative to the vapor product, and an H 2 S/CH 4 stream that is depleted in H 2 concentration, relative to the vapor product. This H 2 /H 2 S separation may be performed using a sour gas pressure swing adsorber (PSA) that may also preferentially separate not only methane, but other non-condensable gases (e.g., ethane) into the H 2 S/CH 4 stream. According to a representative separation by PSA, the concentration of H 2 S in the hydrogen product stream is less than 10 ppm (e.g., from 0.1 ppm to less than 10 ppm) and recovery of H 2 S in the H 2 S/CH 4 stream is greater than 99% (e.g., from 99% to 99.999%). For a given adsorbent, the degree of H 2 S removal from the hydrogen product and degree of recovery of H 2 S in the H 2 S/CH 4 stream can be varied by manipulating operating parameters, such as the number of separation stages.
[0043] The liquid product, into which the higher hydrocarbons (e.g., C 4 + hydrocarbons) are condensed, may be further separated to remove impurities such as dissolved H 2 S and/or to resolve any of the various fractions described above, including gasoline boiling-range hydrocarbons, diesel fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons, and jet fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons, which may be used as end products or otherwise as blending components. For example, such gasoline, diesel fuel, and/or jet fuel fractions may be blended with a viscous hydrocarbon-containing liquid, comprising relatively higher molecular weight hydrocarbons and/or having a relatively higher viscosity and boiling point range, to obtain a blended liquid stream having a viscosity lower than that of the viscous hydrocarbon-containing liquid. Further separation of the higher hydrocarbons may be performed using a single vapor-liquid equilibrium stage of separation, but such separation is more preferably performed using multiple vapor-liquid equilibrium stages of separation, for example in one or more stripper and/or distillation columns. In a particular embodiment, a portion of the methane-containing feedstock is added to a stripper column to remove residual H 2 S that is dissolved in the liquid product, prior to fractionation of the liquid product in a distillation column to obtain desired fractions, including those described herein.
Representative Embodiment
[0044] The flowscheme of FIG. 1 illustrates a representative two-stage process, for the conversion of methane in a methane-containing feedstock to higher hydrocarbons. The illustrated process comprises feeding a recycle gas stream 27 , comprising recycle CH 4 and recycle H 2 S, to a sulfur oxidation stage or reactor 100 . First stage heater 15 is used to obtain the high temperatures, described above, as needed to perform sulfur oxidation in this stage or reactor. A least a portion, and preferably substantially all, of the recycle CH 4 is converted by reaction with the recycle H 2 S, to provide a sulfur oxidation effluent 11 comprising CS 2 . As described above, the H 2 S is normally provided to sulfur oxidation stage or reactor 100 with recycle gas stream 27 , at a molar excess of CH 4 , and preferably even in an excess of the stoichiometric (2:1 H 2 S:CH 4 ) molar ratio according to reaction (1) above, in order to ensure that CH 4 is the limiting reagent and thereby promote its conversion to CS 2 . The illustrated process further comprises feeding at least a portion of, and preferably substantially all, of sulfur oxidation effluent 11 to a second stage or reactor 200 (e.g., a hydrogenation/oligomerization stage or reactor), preferably following cooling in sulfur oxidation effluent cooler 45 to obtain the temperatures described above, as needed to perform hydrogenation/oligomerization in this stage or reactor. Following conversion of at least a portion of the CS 2 to C 4 + hydrocarbons, a second stage effluent 13 (e.g., a hydrogenation/oligomerization effluent, for example an effluent of a hydrogenation/oligomerization reactor) is provided. Second stage effluent 13 comprises the C 4 + hydrocarbons, together with second stage H 2 and second stage H 2 S, which are also contained in second stage effluent 13 . The illustrated process further comprises introducing second stage effluent 13 to separation stage 300 , following cooling in second stage effluent cooler 25 , to perform various separations as described above. These may include condensing, from second stage effluent 13 , at least a portion, and preferably substantially all, of the C 4 + hydrocarbons in this stream into a liquid product 19 that is separated from vapor product 17 , comprising at least a portion, and preferably substantially all, of the second stage H 2 and the second stage H 2 S contained in second stage effluent 13 .
[0045] The illustrated process further comprises separating at least a portion, and preferably substantially all, of vapor product 17 to provide a hydrogen product stream 33 . This separation is performed in vapor product separation stage 400 , which may include, for example, one or more vessels housing an adsorbent (e.g., in the case of separation by pressure swing adsorption (PSA)) or one or more vessels housing a membrane or multiple membranes. A first portion of hydrogen product stream 33 may be removed from the process as a net hydrogen production stream 47 , and a second portion (i.e., a recycle portion) of hydrogen product stream 33 , may be recycled to the process, using hydrogen recycle compressor 35 , as a hydrogen recycle stream 49 . Hydrogen product stream 33 is enriched in H 2 (i.e., has a higher H 2 concentration) relative to vapor product 17 . Separating vapor product 17 , in vapor product separation stage 400 , also provides an H 2 S/CH 4 stream 27 ′ that is depleted in H 2 (i.e., has a lower H 2 concentration) relative to vapor product 17 . At least a portion, and preferably substantially all, of H 2 S/CH 4 stream 27 ′ forms all or part of recycle stream 27 . Stated otherwise, recycle gas stream 27 comprises at least a portion, and preferably substantially all, of H 2 S/CH 4 stream 27 ′. For example, according to the illustrated process, the portion 27 ″ of H 2 S/CH 4 stream 27 ′ that is not removed in bleed stream 51 , is fed to H 2 S/CH 4 recycle compressor 55 and forms recycle gas stream 27 . According to some embodiments, bleed stream 51 may optionally be used, intermittently or continuously, to limit the accumulation of non-condensable gases in recycle gas stream 27 , such as hydrocarbons (e.g., ethane) produced in the process and/or impurities (e.g., CO, CO 2 ) entering the process in the methane-containing feedstock.
[0046] All, substantially all, or a portion, of hydrogen recycle stream 49 may be introduced as a second stage hydrogen-containing reactant stream 21 to second stage or reactor 200 for sustaining the hydrogen/oligomerization occurring in this stage, as described above. Also, an H 2 S-precursor decomposition stream 23 may optionally be fed, as a portion of hydrogen recycle stream 49 , to H 2 S-precursor decomposition stage 500 . At this stage, an H 2 S-precursor stream 29 (e.g., comprising DMDS or other H 2 S-precursor as described above) is contacted with hydrogen that is contained in H 2 S-precursor decomposition stream 23 , to a provide makeup H 2 S stream 31 , which is fed to the process at a makeup rate to compensate for minor losses of H 2 S (e.g., contained in bleed stream 51 and in net hydrogen production stream 47 , and/or dissolved in liquid product 19 ), as described above.
[0047] Certain advantages are gained, as described above and according to particular embodiments of the invention, by introducing the methane-containing feedstock at one or more feedstock introduction locations in the process, other than entirely to the sulfur oxidation stage and/or a point upstream of the sulfur oxidation stage. According to the illustrated process, possible feedstock introduction locations for methane-containing feedstock 10 include, (i) an inlet 12 to the sulfur oxidation stage or reactor 100 , (ii) an inlet 14 to the second stage or reactor 200 , (iii) a point of mixing 16 with the sulfur oxidation effluent 11 , (iv) a point of mixing 18 with the second stage effluent 13 , (v) a point of mixing 20 with the vapor product 17 , and/or (vi) a point of mixing 22 with the recycle gas stream 27 , which may comprise substantially all of the H 2 S/CH 4 stream 27 ′ (or a non-bleed portion 27 ″ thereof). Other feedstock introduction locations can include a point of mixing 24 with the second stage hydrogen-containing reactant stream 21 and/or even separation stage 300 . For example, a methane-containing feedstock introduction location at separation stage 300 may be suitable for stripping H 2 S from condensed higher hydrocarbons, to provide liquid product 19 with reduced H 2 S content and a stripper off gas 41 that may be added to H 2 S/CH 4 stream 27 ′. According to preferred embodiments, the one or more feedstock introduction locations includes inlet 14 to the second stage or reactor 200 and/or point of mixing 16 with the sulfur oxidation effluent 11 .
[0048] The flowscheme of FIG. 2 illustrates a representative separation stage 300 , for processing second stage effluent 13 . According to this illustrated embodiment, second stage effluent 13 is fed to primary flash drum 310 to separate, in a vapor-liquid equilibrium separation stage, flash drum overhead vapors 53 from flash drum bottoms liquid 59 . A flash drum overhead vapor compressor 65 may be used to re-compress flash drum overhead vapors 53 , prior to introduction to secondary knockout vessel 330 . The overhead fraction from secondary knockout vessel 330 may be removed from separation stage 300 as vapor product 17 , and the bottoms fraction 57 from secondary knockout vessel 330 may be combined with flash drum bottoms liquid 59 and introduced as condensed higher hydrocarbons 61 to product stripper 320 , used to separate gases, including dissolved H 2 S, from condensed higher hydrocarbons 61 and provide both liquid product 19 and stripper off gas 41 , described above, which may be removed from separation stage 300 . Product stripper 320 may be used to perform multiple vapor-liquid equilibrium separation stages, and at least a portion of the methane-containing feedstock 10 may optionally be added to product stripper 320 to facilitate the desired separation of H 2 S into stripper off gas 41 . Liquid product 19 may be fed to distillation column 355 , used to perform multiple vapor-liquid equilibrium separation stages and thereby resolve desired product fractions as described above, for example gasoline fraction 37 and diesel fuel fraction 39 .
Overall Process
[0049] As is apparent from the combination of first stage and second stage reactions (1) and (3) above, processes described herein may be used to perform an overall reaction, with continuous recycle of H 2 S in a recycle gas stream, of:
[0000] CH 4 →—[CH 2 ]—+H 2 (6),
[0000] whereby the process converts substantially all of the carbon in methane to higher hydrocarbons and also converts substantially all of the hydrogen in methane to a net hydrogen production stream. Whereas the “per-pass” yield of higher hydrocarbons over a given stage (e.g., the second stage) may be limited by undesired reactions, such as the re-formation of methane as described above, the overall yield of the process may be at least 95% and may approach 100% if, in the recycle gas, H 2 S is continually recycled and CH 4 is recycled to extinction. As described above, process economics are significantly improved by increasing the per-pass selectivity to higher hydrocarbons (—[CH 2 ]—) in the second stage, leading to a reduced requirement for recycle gas circulation, which in turn beneficially reduces both capital (e.g., process equipment) and operating (e.g., utility) costs. Representative processes, in which methane is converted to higher hydrocarbons, advantageously transfer carbon and chemical energy in the methane-containing feedstock, of a relatively low bulk density, to a liquid product containing higher hydrocarbons, of a relatively high bulk density that can be more easily transported than the methane-containing feedstock. The first stage and second stage reactions (1) and (3) above may be performed in a single vessel (e.g., in separate zones within a vessel), although they are typically performed in separate vessels, or reactors, that may reside in separate stages of the processes in which specific and different conditions are maintained to promote the desired sulfur oxidation and hydrogenation/oligomerization.
[0050] Processes as described herein may provide a number of products, such as a purified CS 2 -containing product stream, recovered as a portion of the sulfur oxidation effluent, or a bleed stream, as described above, comprising light (non-condensable) hydrocarbons, such as ethylene and propylene, which are valuable, although not condensed into the liquid product and not useful as liquid hydrocarbon fuel.
[0051] Methane conversion to liquid fuels, as described herein, confers a very significant logistical benefit, since liquid fuels, because of their relatively greater bulk density, are far easier to transport over long distances than gaseous fuels. As a result, processes described herein allow for the economical use of supplies of “stranded” gas, such as remote natural gas wells or streams of renewable methane-containing gas from biomass digesters. According to particular embodiments, light hydrocarbon liquids obtained from processes described herein (e.g., gasoline, jet fuel, and/or diesel fuel fractions) may be blended with higher molecular weight hydrocarbons, such as those contained in crude oil. The resulting mixture may be less viscous than the higher molecular weight hydrocarbons would be in the absence of blending, thereby facilitating transport of the blend, particularly in the context of pipeline operations.
[0052] If all, or substantially all, of the carbon supplied to the process is transferred to the liquid product, and this carbon is of biological origin (with the possible exception of carbon in an H 2 S-precursor such as DMDS that is needed to supply the process with sulfur), and the combustion of hydrogen is sufficient to meet the energy needs of the process, then the process provides a means whereby methane from renewable sources can be converted to a liquid product, and particularly liquid product fractions as described herein, without emitting carbon dioxide. That is, representative fractions, such as a gasoline fraction, a diesel fuel fraction, and/or a jet fuel fraction, may be produced with no or with negligible carbon footprint, based on a lifecycle assessment of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission value, according to U.S. government accounting practices. The lifecycle greenhouse gas emission value may be measured based on CO 2 equivalents (e.g., grams (g) of CO 2 -equivalents/megajoule (MJ) of energy or pounds (lb) of CO 2 equivalents/million BTU (mmBTU of energy, wherein 1 g CO 2 -eq./MJ is about 2.33 lb CO 2 -eq./mmBTU), as measured according to guidelines set forth by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the U.S. federal government. Lifecycle assessment (LCA) values of emissions in terms of CO 2 equivalents, from raw material cultivation (in the case of plant materials) or raw material extraction (in the case of fossil fuels) through fuel combustion, can be calculated using SimaPro 7.1 software and IPCC GWP 100a methodologies.
[0053] Processes as described herein may also be used to obtain other valuable product streams, for example from the vapor product recovered downstream of the second stage. Otherwise, ethylene and other olefins may be separated and recovered from the liquid product and/or from the H 2 , H 2 S, CH 4 , and other non-condensable gases recycled in the recycle gas to the first stage. Ethylene and other olefins may therefore be enriched in a separate product stream. Another desired product stream may comprise CS 2 , for example a portion of this intermediate that is produced in the first stage and diverted to prevent its entry to the second stage. Once separated from the other process vapors, a product stream comprising CS 2 (e.g., enriched in CS 2 relative to the sulfur oxidation effluent) may comprise a separate product stream of the process.
[0054] Overall, aspects of the invention are directed to processes and systems for converting methane in a methane-containing feedstock to higher hydrocarbons, which may be of value as transportation fuels. Such processes and systems may advantageously exhibit improved process economics compared to known processes, by virtue of improving reaction selectivity to desired end products and/or recycling valuable materials, as described throughout the present disclosure. Those having skill in the art, with the knowledge gained from the present disclosure, will recognize that various changes can be made to these processes in attaining these and other advantages, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As such, it should be understood that the features of the disclosure are susceptible to modification, alteration, changes, or substitution without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The specific embodiments illustrated and described herein are for illustrative purposes only, and not limiting of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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Aspects of the invention are associated with the discovery of processes for converting methane (CH 4 ), present in a methane-containing feedstock that may be obtained from a variety of sources such as natural gas, to higher hydrocarbons (e.g., C 4 + hydrocarbons) such as gasoline, diesel fuel, or jet fuel boiling-range hydrocarbons, which may optionally be separated (e.g., by fractionation) for use as transportation fuels, or otherwise as blending components for such fuels. Particular aspects of the invention are associated with advantages arising from maintaining reaction conditions that improve the yield of C 4 + hydrocarbons. Further aspects relate to the advantages gained by integration of the appropriate reactions to carry out the methane conversion, with downstream separation to recover and recycle desirable components of the reaction effluent, thereby improving process economics to the extent needed for commercial viability.
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The invention relates to a method and a device for detecting impurities in a loosened fiber stream of mainly textile fibers, wherein the fiber stream and at least one reference quantity are artificially visually sensed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
From DE-A-4340165 and DE-A-4340173 such methods are known, by means of which, for example, cotton or wool in the form of flocks polluted to a greater or lesser extent with impurities may be freed of said impurities. With said methods it is possible to distinguish between external impurities, which relate to different material, and internal impurities, which relate to the same material but in a different state or a different color. Internal impurities are, for example, cotton or woollen fibers which are partially rotten, agglutinated or contaminated. External impurities are stones, soil, glass, stalk residues, leaves, packaging material, hair, feathers etc. Whereas crude impurities are removed in the known spinning preparation devices, impurities which are more difficult to separate are, according to the known methods, to be detected and removed from the stream of loose material. To said end, the fibers or flocks are conveyed continuously past color sensors which are to detect impurities. Material containing constituents, to which the color sensors have responded, is then removed.
A perceived drawback of such known methods is that many impurities are not detected thereby. one reason is, for example, that impurities, in order to be detected, have to vary in color to a relatively great extent from the textile fibers or the background, which is not always the case. Such known methods do not operate very selectively.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus which allow impurities, which are difficult to separate, to be detected in the fiber stream with greater efficiency.
The object is achieved in that the fiber stream is artificially visually sensed together with a reference quantity, which is adapted at least at intervals or from time to time. This may be effected on the one hand in that the fiber stream, which is to be opened into flocks or into individual fibers, is to be sensed against a background, which is likewise formed by the fiber stream and acts as a reference quantity. On the other hand, the reference quantity may be formed, for example, also by a background which is periodically or continuously adapted to the material to be measured. A possible construction comprises, for example, a channel for a loosened fiber stream and a channel, arranged parallel thereto, for a retained fiber stream. The channel for the loosened fiber stream is to be permeable to light and the channel for the retained fiber stream is to be permeable to exactly the same light at one side. The loosened fiber stream is then sensed or viewed against the background of the retained part of the same stream or of a further fiber stream.
The advantages achieved by the invention are in particular that the comparison process or processes, which precede a decision about the absence or presence of impurities, automatically adapt continuously to the true conditions of the fibers carried along in the fiber stream. The adaptability is to be regarded as stable and robust so long as the precondition is met that, from a statistical viewpoint, impurities are rare in comparison to good fiber material. The same advantages are achieved when a fiber stream, which has already been cleaned and freed of impurities, is used as a reference quantity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
There follows a detailed description of the invention by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a device according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a simplified view of basic structural features of the device; and
FIGS. 3 to 6 are simplified views of further embodiments of the device according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows, by way of example, part of a cleaning machine for flocks which produces a highly loosened fiber stream 1 . The machine comprises, for example, a retaining channel 2 , an exhaust air channel 3 and a channel 4 for cleaned flocks or fibers. Also shown are two small feed rollers 5 and 6 , a cleaning roller 7 , a cutter screen 8 and a drive 9 for the feed rollers 5 , 6 and the cleaning roller 7 . To said extent, the machine is a known cleaning machine. In one region 10 , however, the retaining channel 2 and the channel 4 are each provided with a window 11 , 12 , 13 so that said channels are permeable to light in the direction of a double arrow 14 , i.e. are, for example, of a transparent design. Said arrangement is used to enable sensing of the fiber stream 1 in the channel 4 from the direction of the arrow 14 , e.g. by means of a sensor. For said purpose, the retained fibers 15 in the retaining channel 2 form a background or even a reference quantity for the flocks or fibers in the fiber stream 1 , which reference quantity is continuously adapted at least at intervals or, in the present case, by the slow, continuous forward motion of the fibers 15 .
FIG. 2 shows in a simplified manner a path of rays 16 such as arises during the detection of impurities in the device according to FIG. 1 and also in the devices to be described below. Disposed along an optical axis 17 are a line or point sensor 18 , an objective 19 , a foreground or object surface 20 and a background 21 or reference surface. Disposed as light sources on both sides of the optical axis 17 in front of the foreground 20 and in front of the background 21 are, for example, gaseous discharge tubes or tubular incandescent lamps with approximately elliptical reflectors 22 , 23 , 24 and 25 . One tubular light source 26 lies in each case at a focal point of the ellipse of the associated reflector 27 , while the other focal point is situated in such a way that the background 21 is uniformly lit. The light sources 22 , 23 and 24 , 25 are all of an identical design and are intended to illuminate the foreground 20 and the background 21 equally brightly. According to FIG. 1, the object surface 20 lies approximately in the center plane of the channel 4 , while the background 21 lies approximately in the window 13 of the side wall of the retaining channel 2 . The depth of focus is preferably so great that, instead of the object surface, it is possible to talk of an object zone 28 which corresponds approximately to the depth of a channel for the flock flow. By means of the illustrated path of rays 16 , the object zone 28 is imaged in a clearly defined manner and the background is imaged in a poorly defined, indistinct manner on the point or line sensor 18 . A diffusing screen 29 may optionally also be disposed in the path of rays 15 between the object zone 28 and the background 21 . The understanding is that, in the practical realization, a plurality of point sensors forming a line or a plurality of point or line sensors forming a field is provided.
FIG. 3 shows a further device for detecting impurities in a fiber stream. A loosened fiber stream 30 , which in the present case comprises fibers combined into flocks 33 and conveyed preferably pneumatically, e.g. in a laminar air flow, more or less loosely in the direction of an arrow 31 , is fed in a channel 32 . In said flow there are possibly also impurities F. The channel 32 has two windows 34 , 35 lying opposite one another. Disposed next to or behind the channel 32 is a further channel 36 with a window 37 . The windows 34 , 35 and 37 are positioned relative to one another in such a way as to afford a view through the channel 32 into the channel 36 . In the channel 36 , flocks or fibers are retained in front of the window 37 . Feed rollers 38 , 39 are also used to control the flow of the retained fibers in the channel 36 in such a way that there are always fibers behind the window 37 . Disposed in front of the channels 32 and 36 are, in each case, two light sources 40 , 41 and 42 , 43 which may, for example, take the form of standard tubular light sources and are used to illuminate the fiber streams behind the transparent windows 34 and 37 in the channels 32 and 36 in a uniform, equally powerful, shadow-free manner. A sensor 44 which may be a camera, for example, has a view through the channel 32 into the channel 36 . Thus, the window 34 forms a first location for acquiring measured values and the window 37 forms a second location for acquiring mean values or reference quantities from a fiber stream. The sensor 44 is connected by a line 45 or a bus to an evaluation unit 46 , which in turn is connected to a data output unit 47 such as, for example, a visual display unit or printer and to a data input unit 48 such as, for example, a keyboard. The evaluation unit 46 may, for example, comprise an image processing system which, on the basis of statistical features, further improves the differentiation between impurities and flocks. A line sensor may be provided for sensing radiation which is reflected or diffused by the fiber stream in the channel 32 . The sensor 44 , the evaluation unit 46 , the data output unit 47 and the data input unit 48 are elements which are known as such and therefore not shown in greater detail here.
FIG. 4 shows a further construction of the device, in which however only one channel 50 is provided. Here, instead of the channel 36 (FIG. 3 ), a container 51 is provided which is filled with textile fibers corresponding to fibers in the channel 50 . Said container 51 is designed so as to be transparent or open by means of a window 52 in the direction of the channel 50 and serves as a background for viewing the flock stream in the channel 50 . The container 51 or its contents 53 may be periodically exchanged in order to adapt the background to variations in the flock stream in the channel 50 which are not to be detected as impurities. Also shown here is a sensor 54 for sensing the flock stream in the channel 50 using the contents 53 as a reference quantity. As contents 53 , fibers or flocks are conceivable, which contain impurities or from which the impurities have already been removed.
FIG. 5 shows a further construction of the device which, as in FIG. 4 ,. has only one channel 55 for a loosened flock stream. Here, instead of the channel 36 (FIG. 3 ), a surface 56 is provided which is illuminated by light sources 57 , 58 . For controlling the intensity and color of the lighting of the surface 56 , said light sources 57 , 58 are connected by lines 59 , 60 and a controller 61 to one another so that flocks in the channel 55 disappear against said background. This applies particularly to the region of an image 62 which lies in the field of vision of a sensor 63 . Here, it is a matter of generating or simulating an image of a collection of textile fibers such as might be seen, for example, in the retaining channel 2 . For said purpose, the surface 56 , 62 could also take further forms, e.g. it could also receive a projection of an image or be formed by a display screen. A line 64 moreover connects the controller 61 to the sensor 63 .
FIG. 6 shows a further construction and application of the invention in connection with a carding machine 65 . Provided next to the carding machine 65 there is once more a channel 66 for a loosened flock stream. Said channel 66 preferably lies upstream of the carding machine. A sensor 67 is disposed on one side and a picture tube 68 is disposed on the other side of the channel 66 . The sensor 67 and the picture tube 68 are connected by lines 69 , 70 to a controller 71 , which in turn is connected by a line 72 to a further sensor 73 . The latter is disposed, in the present case, in the region of a stripping roller 74 in the carding machine.
There are however additional places where such a sensor might be disposed. They are occupied by sensors 75 and 76 . Sensor 75 is provided, for example, in the region of the outgoing fiber fleece, sensor 76 in the retaining chamber.
The mode of operation of the device is as follows: A fiber or flock stream containing impurities is loosened as far as possible so that the flocks are fed as separately as possible in an air stream such as arises in the channels 4 , 32 , 50 , 55 , 66 . The manner in which the flocks are separated out is known as such and therefore not shown in detail here, except for the cleaning roller 7 in FIG. 1 . The fiber or flock stream thus treated is conveyed parallel to, in front of or next to a background and visually inspected, e.g. by a sensor, the background being periodically or continuously adapted to variations of the flock or fiber stream. This is effected in particular to take account of gradually occurring changes in the color or brightness of the fiber or flock stream in that the color or the brightness of the background is adapted to the fiber or flock stream. To guarantee this, the fiber or flock stream is viewed against an adaptable background which preferably comprises the same fiber or flock material. Thus, in the fiber or flock stream there is a first location for measuring or sensing said stream and a second location where said stream acts as a reference quantity or as a background. In the device according to FIG. 1, the first location is to be found in the region 10 and the second location in the retaining channel 2 by the window 13 . Here, the two locations are placed in series along the fiber or flock stream. In the device according to FIG. 3, said locations (windows 34 and 37 ) are disposed next or parallel to one another and the fiber or flock stream is conveyed in two parallel streams. It is preferably to be ensured that the intensity of the lighting is equally high at both locations. For viewing the flock stream, said lighting is to be concentrated on a region around the axis 17 in the object zone 28 (FIG. 2 ). For the reference quantity or the background 21 , the region between light sources 24 and 25 is to be uniformly lit.
In the device according to FIG. 3, a fiber stream 30 consisting of more or less large flocks 33 , which for example substantially comprise cotton fibers possibly interspersed with impurities F, is fed in the channel 32 . In the channel 36 , the flocks or fibers are retained and moved only slowly in a downward direction. In the channel 32 , they are moved more quickly in as loose a formation as possible. The purpose of said arrangement is that the retained fibers in front of the window 37 in the channel 36 form a background, which is adapted as time passes, for visual sensing by the sensor 44 of the flocks moving separately through the channel 32 .
The same effect may be achieved by an arrangement of channels 2 , 4 according to FIG. 1 . Unlike the construction according to FIG. 3 where the channel 36 serving as a background and the channel 32 in which the fiber stream is sensed are connected in parallel, here the retaining channel 2 serving as a background is connected in series to the channel 4 for sensing the fiber stream. Furthermore, in said construction, the compressed flocks or fibers 15 are conveyed out of the retaining channel 2 by the feed rollers 5 , 6 of a cleaning roller 7 , which together with the cutter screen 8 opens the flocks in a known manner. The opened flocks are sucked into the channel 4 where they move in a very separated-out manner past the windows 11 , 12 and so maybe viewed from direction 14 .
The reference quantity, i.e. the background for the viewed flock stream is therefore adoptively variable because it always corresponds to the color or the image of fibers provided on average. This may alternatively be simulated, in the manner possible with the devices according to FIGS. 4 and 5. According to FIG. 4, the adaptation is simulated in that it may be effected, not continuously, but in discrete steps by exchanging the contents 53 or the container 51 . According to FIG. 5, the material too is simulated in that, instead of real textile flocks or fibers with impurities, an image thereof is generated which preferably imitates only mean values of color or brightness of the fibers and flocks. The image preferably shows the same material, e.g. in that it is a picture of the same cotton bale or the same delivery taken by a single sensor or by a camera and projected onto the surface 56 . In the simplest case, the surface 56 is lit so brightly by the light sources 57 , 58 that the individual flocks in the channel 55 , which contain no impurities, do not stand out visually from the surface 56 . The luminosity and color of the light sources 57 , 58 may be controlled by the controller 61 , namely, for example, in such a way that flocks passing in front of the image 62 in the channel 55 do not stand out from the image 62 and that in the image 62 an average color or brightness is generated. A signal from the sensor 63 , which passes through the line 64 to the controller 61 , adjusts the lighting in such a way that only greater color variations stand out from the image 62 but the lighting is adapted to smaller gradual variations in the fiber stream.
In the construction according to FIG. 6, an—in terms of time and location—averaged color or brightness image of a fiber stream of the kind which may be generated at various points, for example, in a carding machine 65 by a single sensor or a camera is generated in the picture tube 68 . The signal from said recording passes through line 72 to the controller 71 and from there through line 70 to the picture tube 68 . The sensor 67 therefore detects impurities which stand out from the image in the picture tube 68 . Through the line 69 the sensor 67 supplies a signal, which is used for a continuous color or brightness adjustment in the controller 71 and hence corrects the color and luminosity. The basic color adjustment is set once at the sensor 73 . Through a line 77 the sensor 67 produces a signal for the removal of impurities.
In conclusion, it should be stated that the signal produced in a sensor by the fiber flocks moving past is evaluated in a manner, which is known as such and therefore not described in greater detail here, and may be used for control of a removal of impurities from the flock stream in the channels 4 , 32 in the manner already described in the publications cited in the introduction. The method and the device according to the invention however considerably improve the mode of operation of known sensors.
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The invention relates to a method and a device for detecting impurities (F) in a fiber stream ( 1 ) of mainly textile fibers, wherein the fiber stream and at least one reference quantity ( 15 ) are artificially visually sensed. To enable even impurities which are difficult to detect to be removed with improved efficiency, the reference quantity is to be adapted at least periodically.
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CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/519,883, filed on Nov. 13, 2003, which is incorporated by reference.
STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] This invention was supported in part by grant numbers MIP-9714370 and CCR-0073377 from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The U.S. Government has certain rights in the invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to monitoring or profiling computer systems.
[0004] Performance monitoring or profiling of computer systems is an important tool both for hardware and software engineering. Generally, the profiling has been performed to evaluate existing and new computer architectures by collecting data related to the performance of the computer system. A variety of information may be collected by a monitoring or profiling tool, for example: cache misses, number of instructions executed, number of cycles executed, amount of CPU time devoted to a user, and the number of instructions that are used to optimize a program, to name just a few.
[0005] Different designs of computer hardware structures, such as a computer memory or cache, may exhibit significantly different behavior when running the same set of programs. A monitoring or profiling tool may be useful in identifying design strengths or flaws. Conclusions drawn from the data collected by the profiling tool may then be used to affirm or modify a design as part of a design cycle for a computer structure. Identifying certain design modification, flaws in particular, before a design is finalized may improve the cost effectiveness the design cycle.
[0006] Instrumentation-based profiling and sampling-based profiling are two common conventional techniques for collecting runtime information about programs executed on a computer processor. Profiling information obtained with these techniques is typically utilized to optimize programs. Conclusions may be drawn about critical regions and constructs of the program by discovering, for example, what portion of the execution time, of the whole program, is spent executing which program construct.
[0007] The instrumentation-based profiling involves the insertion of instructions or code into an existing program. The extraneous instructions or code are inserted at critical points. Critical points of the existing program may be, for example, function entries and exits or the like. The inserted code handles the collection and storage of the desired runtime information associated with critical regions of the program. It should be noted that at runtime the inserted code becomes integral to the program. Once all the information is collected the stored results may be displayed either as text or in graphical form. Examples of instrumentation-based profiling tools are prof, for UNIX operating systems, pixie for Silicon Graphics (SGI) computers, CXpa for Hewlett-Packard (HP) computers, and ATOM for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) computers.
[0008] The sampling-based profiling involves sampling the program counter of a processor at regular time intervals. For example, a timer is set up to generate an interrupt signal at the proper time intervals. The time duration between samples is associated with a time duration spent executing the program construct of the code profiled that the program counter is pointing at. A program construct may be, for example, a function, a loop, a line of code or the like. Data relating to time durations with program constructs provide a statistical approximation of the time spent in different regions of the program. Examples of sampling based profiling tools are gprof by GNU, Visual C++Profiler and Perfmon, by Microsoft, and Vtune by Intel.
[0009] As noted above, the program or performance profiling has been used as a mechanism to observe system activities. Program profiling, however, has not been used extensively at runtime to optimize the system since profiling and optimization generates overhead, which diverts the resources of the system. Researches have been conducted to minimize the overhead to enable runtime profiling and optimization. Profiling and optimization overhead is mainly caused by the process of gathering raw data, recording of raw data, processing of raw data, and feedback.
[0010] Profiling tools perform sampling to gather raw data using instrumentation code or interrupts. The generated raw data are saved to local disks or system buffer. Vtune, for example, transfers profiling data to a remote system via network. Saving data to a local storage device causes contention with I/O activities of the system while transferring via network causes skew for network activity profiling. Profiling tools usually delay processing data until enough profiling data have been gathered. Online optimizers, such as Morph, use system idle time to analyze data. Optimized feedback solutions are applied to host systems.
[0011] Among other improvements in the computing technology, it would be desirable to find a way to minimize the profiling overhead.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present embodiments are directed to minimizing the overhead associated with profiling and optimization. If the profiling overhead is minimized or reduced substantially, it would enable a computer system to support continuous profiling and optimization at runtime. The present embodiment discloses a hardware environment for low-overhead profiling (HELP), which is a specifically designed embedded processor board (as referred to as “HELP board” or “profiling board”) to offload most of profiling and/or optimization functions from the host CPU to the HELP board. As a result, much of profiling and optimization operations are performed in parallel to applications to be optimized, making it possible to carry out runtime profiling and optimization on production systems with minimum overhead.
[0013] In one embodiment, HELP technology is implemented as a general framework with a set of easy-to-use APIs to enable existing or new profiling and optimization techniques to make use of HELP for low overhead profiling and optimization on production systems. Functions running on the HELP board are in the forms of plug-ins to be loaded by a user at runtime. These do not generate overhead on host system and thus do not degrade host system performance.
[0014] In one implementation, the HELP board has standard interface such as PCI, PCI-X, or Inniband connected to the system bus of a computer system and a set of easy-to-use APIs to allow system architects to develop their own efficient profiling and optimization tools for optimization or security purposes. The HELP board can be directly plugged into a server or storage system to speed up storage operations and carry out security check functions, as is done by a graphics accelerator card. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/970,671, entitled “A Bottom-Up Cache Structure for Storage Servers,” filed on Oct. 20, 2004, discloses exemplary storage servers and is incorporated by reference. A HELP approach also reduces or eliminates data skews associated with conventional profiling methods since the profiling is done at the HELP board rather than by the host.
[0015] In one embodiment, a computer system includes a main processor to process data; a main memory coupled to the main processor and store data to be processed by the main processor; a system interconnect coupling the main processor to one or more components of the computer systems; and a profiling board coupled to the system interconnect and configured to perform profiling operations in parallel to operations performed by the main processors. The profiling board includes a board interface coupled to the system interconnect to receive raw data for profiling; and a local processor to process the raw data.
[0016] In another embodiment, a method for performing program profiling in a computer system is disclosed. The method comprises gathering raw data on an application program being executed by a host module of the computer system, the host module including a main processor and a main memory; transferring the gathered raw data to a profiling board coupled to the host module via a system interconnect; and processing the raw data received from the host module at the profiling board to obtain performance information associated with the application program while the host module is performing an operation and is in runtime, wherein the profiling board including an embedded processor to run a profiling program. The profiling board processes the raw data while the host is executing the same instance of the application program that was used to gather the raw data according to one implementation.
[0017] The method further comprises generating optimization information at the profiling board based on the processing step, the optimization information including information about a means to improve the execution of the application program by the host module; and transferring the optimization information to the host module, so that the optimization information can be implemented by the host module.
[0018] The method may additionally comprise allocating a resource of the profiling board for use by a profiling tool associated with the host module; and releasing the allocated resources once the profiling of the application program has been completed.
[0019] In yet another embodiment, a computer readable medium including a computer program for profiling an application program being run by a host of a computer system is disclosed. The computer program includes code for gathering raw data on the application program being run by the host, the host including a main processor and a main memory; code for transferring the gathered raw data to a profiling board coupled to the host via a system interconnect; and code for processing the raw data received from the host at the profiling board to obtain performance information while the host is performing an operation and is in runtime, wherein the profiling board including an embedded processor to run a profiling program.
[0020] The computer program further comprises code for generating optimization information based on the raw data processed by the profiling board; and code for transferring the optimization information to the host, so that the host can implement the optimization information and improve the performance of the computer system on the fly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary computer system which may incorporate embodiments of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates a HELP board according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates a plurality of APIs managed by the host according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates a plurality of exemplary plug-ins that are used to support processing of raw data received by a HELP board from the host according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary profiling and optimization process according to one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary computer system 100 which may implement embodiments of the present invention. Computer system 100 typically includes at least one processor or central processing unit (CPU) 102 , which communicates with a number of peripheral devices via a system interconnect 104 . System interconnect 104 is a may be a bus subsystem or switch fabric, or the like. The system interconnect, herein, is also referred to as the main internal bus. These peripheral devices may include a storage 106 . Storage 106 may be enclosed within the same housing or provided externally and coupled to the system interconnect via a communication link, e.g., SCSI. Storage 106 may be a single storage device (e.g., a disk-based or tape-based device) or may comprise a plurality of storage devices (e.g., a disk array unit).
[0027] The peripheral devices also include user interface input devices 108 , user interface output devices 110 , and a network interface 112 . The input and output devices allow user interaction with computer system 100 . The users may be humans, computers, other machines, applications executed by the computer systems, processes executing on the computer systems, and the like. Network interface 112 provides an interface to outside networks and is coupled to communication network 114 , to which other computers or devices are coupled.
[0028] User interface input devices 108 may include a keyboard, pointing devices (e.g., a mouse, trackball, or touchpad), a graphics tablet, a scanner, a touchscreen incorporated into the display, audio input devices (e.g., voice recognition systems), microphones, and other types of input devices. In general, use of the term “input device” is intended to include all possible types of devices and ways to input information into computer system 100 or onto network 114 .
[0029] User interface output devices 110 may include a display subsystem, a printer, a fax machine, or non-visual displays such as audio output devices. The display subsystem may be a cathode ray tube (CRT), a flat-panel device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), or a projection device. The display subsystem may also provide non-visual display such as via audio output devices. In general, use of the term “output device” is intended to include all possible types of devices and ways to output information from computer system 100 to a user or to another machine or computer system.
[0030] Processor 102 is also coupled to a memory subsystem 116 via system interconnect 104 . Memory subsystem 116 typically includes a number of memories including a main random access memory (RAM) 118 for storage of instructions and data during program execution and a read only memory (ROM) 120 in which fixed instructions are stored. In one implementation, a dedicated bus 120 couples the processor and the memory subsystem for faster communication between these components.
[0031] Memory subsystem 116 cooperate with storage 106 to store the basic programming and data constructs that provide the functionality of the various systems embodying the present invention. For example, databases and modules implementing the functionality of the present invention may be stored in storage subsystem 106 . These software modules are generally executed by processor 102 . In a distributed environment, the software modules and the data may be stored on a plurality of computer systems coupled to a communication network 114 and executed by processors of the plurality of computer systems.
[0032] Generally, storage 106 provides a large, persistent (non-volatile) storage area for program and data files, and may include a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive along with associated removable media, a Compact Digital Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) drive, an optical drive, or removable media cartridges. One or more of the drives may be located at remote locations on other connected computers coupled to communication network 114 .
[0033] System interconnect 104 provides a mechanism for letting the various components and subsystems of computer system 100 communicate with each other as intended. The various subsystems and components of computer system 100 need not be at the same physical location but may be distributed at various locations within distributed network 100 . Although system interconnect 104 is shown schematically as a single bus, alternate embodiments of the bus subsystem may utilize multiple buses. The system interconnect may also be a switch fabric.
[0034] Computer system 100 itself can be of varying types including a personal computer, a portable computer, a storage server, a workstation, a computer terminal, a network computer, a television, a mainframe, or any other data processing system. Due to the ever-changing nature of computers and networks, the description of computer system 100 depicted in FIG. 1 is intended only as a specific example for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Many other configurations of computer system 100 are possible having more or less components than the computer system depicted in FIG. 1 .
[0035] As used herein, the term “host” or “host system” refers to a group of components including processor 102 and a memory (e.g., memory subsystem 116 ). The host may also include other components, e.g., system interconnect 104 . A profiling board 122 is coupled the host to reduce profiling overhead according to HELP technology. Board 122 enables much of the profiling and optimization functions to be offloaded from the host to the HELP board. That is, much of the profiling and optimization operations are performed in parallel to applications being run by the host, making it possible to carry out runtime profiling and optimization on production systems with significantly reduced overhead.
[0036] HELP technology is a hybrid of hardware and software and includes HELP board 122 , software running on a host system, and software running on HELP board 122 . HELP Board contains an embedded processor that provides computing power to whole system and offloads the processing task of raw data from a host processor. In this way, profiling is performed during runtime in parallel to host operations, from which on-line optimization can benefit. Software (“first software”) running on a host system provides APIs to enable other profiling tools to utilize the functionality of HELP. The first software runs on host systems as a library or a kernel module that exports routines for profiling tools running in kernel space. Software (“second software”) running on HELP Board includes an embedded operating system to drive HELP Board, a library to provide helper routines to ease the post-processing on raw data, and plug-ins to help profiling tools to implement user-defined functionalities.
[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates HELP board 122 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, board 122 is an embedded system board that plugs into host system's slot (e.g., PCI slot), which couples to the system interconnect. Board 122 includes a processor 202 , a RAM 204 , a ROM 206 , a network interface 208 , a primary bus 210 , a secondary PCI slot 212 , a control logic 214 , and a serial port 216 . In the present implementation, the primary bus 210 is a PCI bus that is coupled to system interconnect 104 of the host. A switch fabric or the like may be used in place of the bus system 210 .
[0038] Embedded processor 202 is used to process raw profiling data. The processor also supports Message Unit (not shown) that provides a mechanism for transferring data between a host system and the embedded processor on HELP board 122 . The Message Unit notifies the respective system of the arrival of new data through an interrupt. Both host systems and HELP board can process the interrupts via registered handlers. Like many other embedded systems, the present Message Unit supports common functionalities, e.g., Message Registers, Doorbell Registers, Circular Queues and Index Registers.
[0039] RAM 204 includes at least two parts. One part of the memory is used to store code and data used by the embedded processor while another part of the RAM is shared between the local embedded processor and the host processor. Flash ROM 206 on board includes the embedded operating system code and data processing routines. Network interface (or Ethernet port) 208 and serial port 216 provide connections to external systems. Secondary PCI slot 212 is used to provide flexible expandability to the board. For example, a disk connected to HELP board through the secondary PCI can be used to save profiling data for post-processing. Control logic 214 is used to implement the system timer and other control functions.
[0040] In the present implementation, when HELP board 122 is plugged into a host PCI slot, it acts as a PCI device and exports several registers and a region of I/O memory. Although it can be accessed via low-level PCI-specific APIs directly, a set of upper-level APIs is provided to encapsulate the low-level details of PCI devices to make HELP more user friendly Profiling tools can use these upper-level APIs to finish tasks without knowing the low-level hardware details.
[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates a plurality of APIs managed by the host according to one embodiment of the present invention. The APIs may be stored in ROM 120 or storage 106 , or a combination thereof. The APIs may also be stored in other non-volatile storage areas. A profile tool or optimizer 301 gathers raw data and transfers these data to the HELP board using the APIs below.
[0042] Resource Management APIs 302 are used to manage the resources of the board. Before using HELP board, profiling tools need to initialize the board and request resources from it. These resources include I/O memory, registers, Message Units, Direct Memory Access channels, and the like. After finishing using the board, profiling tools release these resources. Request and release routines are provided for each type of resources.
[0043] Data Transfer APIs 304 are used to manage data transfers to and from the host and board. In the present implementation, different read/write routines are provided to transfer data in different size units such as Byte, Word, and DWORD. For larger size data transfer operations, “memcpy” is provided.
[0044] Message APIs 306 are encapsulation of the Message Unit. These APIs are used to provide a mechanism to exchange information between a host processor and an embedded processor. Since each Message Unit is also a hardware resource, to request and free the use of Message Unit is accomplished via corresponding resource management APIs. Profiling tools can use message APIs to send user-defined messages to the embedded processor. They may also register callback routines via message APIs, which are invoked when corresponding process running on the embedded processor send messages back to them. Additional helper APIs 308 are provided for other operations, e.g., error handling routines and status reporting routines.
[0045] FIG. 4 illustrates a plurality of exemplary plug-ins that are used to support processing of raw data received by HELP board 122 from the host according to one embodiment of the present invention. Each profiling tool either uses HELP-predefined plug-ins to finish common profiling or provides a plug-in to HELP in order to finish its specific functionality. For example, a profiling tool may save the raw profiling data to a disk for later use. Alternatively, an on-line optimizer may analyze raw profiling data, deduct instructions that guide how to provide optimization and feedback to the host system on the fly. The optimizer may even use the instructions to guide cross-compile compiler running on HELP board 122 to compile optimized code for host system and apply that optimized code to host directly. These specific functionalities are determined by profiling tools and implemented as specific plug-ins.
[0046] HELP provides a unified interface to plug-ins using several APIs. Each plug-in uses API ins_plugin 402 to link with the system on HELP board 122 and register at least one event handler using API reg_event_handler 404 . This handler is called when the board system receives a message from the host. A plug-in can transfer certain data to a host and notify it by using the API send_data (not shown) with the information on data address and data length. Then the corresponding registered call back routine on the host fetches the data and carries out its specific task. After finishing all tasks, the plug-in uses unreg_event_handler 406 to unregister previously registered handlers and unloads itself by rm_plugin 408 .
[0047] With its unified interface and low overhead data collection, HELP board 122 can be utilized in many system level profiling and optimization environments. Profiling tools gather raw profiling data from a host and transfer the data to HELP board 122 . Then the plug-ins process and analyze the data in parallel to host operations. They can also store raw data or processed data to an optional disk or send them to remote systems via a network if the network is not part of the system being profiled. This on-line processing is useful for a real-time feedback and is used to dynamically measure a system.
[0048] Morph is an exemplary optimizer that may be used in HELP environment. Morph provide on-line optimization to programs, using idle time of the host to process profiling data and to recompile optimized code offline. By offloading much or all processing to the HELP board, an optimizer, such as Morph, may be enhanced to allow the host to keep running while processing profiling data and recompiling optimized code on the fly. Accordingly, heavy-loaded system can benefit from this approach even without the availability of substantial periods of idle time.
[0049] Similarly, by monitoring dynamic file system access patterns and transferring profiling data to HELP board 122 , an optimizer can use highly accurate algorithms, which tend to be complex, to predict future access patterns and direct the host file system to use better cache replacement and prefetching policies. By offloading the computing of detecting and deduction algorithms, such an optimizer can significantly reduce the host's performance loss caused by these algorithms and can use complex algorithms to obtain larger improvement while the extra overhead caused by algorithms is moved to HELP board 122 .
[0050] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary profiling and optimization process according to one embodiment of the present invention. The description below relates to the use of a continuous on-line optimizer (e.g., profile tool 301 of FIG. 3 ). At first, the HELP functionalities are initializes on both the host and HELP Board. The optimizer locates HELP Board and allocates I/O memory resource using resource management APIs (step 502 ). The optimizer also registers a call back routine with the host in order to get feedback from HELP (step 504 ). To process raw profiling data on-line, a plug-in for the optimizer is registered on the HELP Board (step 506 ).
[0051] During runtime, the optimizer runs on the host and keeps gathering raw profiling data (step 508 ). The gathered raw data are transferred to the HELP board (step 510 ). The optimizer may transfer these data to the board continuously or in a larger unit using data transfer API. After each data transfer, the optimizer uses the message API to notify HELP board 122 that the data is ready, using a specific interrupt. The HELP Board receives this message and forwards it to the corresponding plug-in (step 512 ). Then the plug-in is invoked with this message and the data pointer, and processes the raw data according to the user-defined criteria (step 514 ). After the plug-in gathers enough raw data and processes these data to obtain optimization solutions, it notifies the host system (step 516 ). The call back routine in the host receives this notification and applies optimization solutions to system (step 518 ). This finishes one optimization loop. Steps 508 to 518 are repeated until the completion of profiling and optimization.
[0052] Once profiling and optimization are completed, the optimizer uses a message API to send an end signal to the HELP board (step 520 ). The plug-in on the board will finish its processing and send an acknowledge message to the host (step 522 ). Then the optimizer releases resources and terminates the process (step 524 ). The plug-in also unloads from HELP.
[0053] The present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments. The embodiments above been provided to illustrate the invention and enable those skilled in the art to work the invention. Accordingly, the embodiments above should not be used to limit or narrow the scope of the invention. The scope of the present invention should be interpreted using the appended claims.
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A hardware environment for low-overhead profiling (HELP) technology significantly reduces profiling overhead and supports runtime system profiling and optimization. HELP utilizes a specifically designed embedded board. An embedded processor on the HELP board offloads tasks of profiling/optimization activities from the host, which reduces system overhead caused by profiling tools and makes HELP especially suitable for continuous profiling on production systems. By processing the profiling data-in parallel and providing feedback promptly, HELP effectively supports on-line optimizations including intelligent prefetching, cache managements, buffer control, security functions and more.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application is a continuation of international application PCT/EP03/01486 filed 14 Feb. 2003 and designating the U.S. The disclosure of the referenced international application is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a texturing machine for draw texturing a plurality of synthetic multi-filament yarns. A texturing machine of this general type is disclosed in DE 100 26 942 A1 and Patent Publication US 2002/0088218A1.
For draw texturing a plurality of yarns, texturing machines of the described type possess a corresponding plurality of side by side processing stations. Each of the processing stations comprises a plurality of processing units, such as, for example, feed systems, false twist texturing units, and takeup devices, which serially advance, texture, draw, and wind the yarn to a package.
To drive the processing units, basically two different variants are known. In a first variant, all processing units of a group, for example, all first feed systems of the processing stations together are synchronously driven by one drive. However, this variant has in general the disadvantage that it does not permit an individual control of the processing stations. To avoid such disadvantage, the above cited documents disclose a variant of the drive, which uses individual drives to drive the processing units within the processing stations. In this process, a group frequency changer activates the individual drives of a group of processing units of adjacent processing stations, such as, for example, all individual drives of the first feed systems. However, it has now been found that the individual activation of the processing stations results in that the individual drives of the processing units are more often connected and disconnected separately from one another. In this connection, it must be ensured that in the operating state, each of the individual drives of a group of processing units have the same operating parameters, for example, drive speed.
It is therefore an object of the invention to further develop a texturing machine of the initially described type in such a manner that even after shutting down certain individual drives, it is always possible to operate the processing units of a functional group of a plurality of processing stations in a certain operating state without requiring a larger number of control systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by providing a texturing machine composed of a plurality of side by side processing stations, and wherein at least one of the processing units of each station is driven by an electrical individual drive. Also, the electric individual drive of the processing unit comprises an asynchronous unit for starting up to a predetermined desired frequency and a synchronous unit for maintaining the predetermined desired frequency.
The invention thus has the advantage that a group frequency changer may be provided which permits activating the individual drives in a simple manner so that only a desired frequency is applied to each individual drive. In this connection, the desired frequency forms the operating state (e.g. rotational speed) that is necessary for the processing unit. In the individual drive, the asynchronous unit sees to it that after starting up, the individual drive starts operating directly until the desired frequency is reached. Upon reaching the desired frequency, the synchronous unit of the individual drive becomes operative and prevents the processing unit from being driven with a frequency that deviates from the desired frequency. The processing unit thus reaches automatically an operating state that corresponds to the desired frequency. With that, it is possible to use a group frequency changer for controlling a plurality of individual drives in a simple manner. After each connection, it is thus possible to operate the processing units of a functional group in the operating state reliably with the respectively predetermined desired parameters. This ensures an identical treatment of all yarns in the processing stations.
The electric individual drives may be constructed both as asynchronous motors and as synchronous motors. In the case that the asynchronous motor forms the asynchronous unit of the individual drive, the asynchronous motor includes a field magnet which forms part of a synchronous unit. The field magnet is formed preferably by a plurality of permanent magnets, which are mounted on the rotor of the asynchronous motor. With that, it is accomplished that the asynchronous motor can automatically maintain the predetermined desired frequency after the acceleration phase. The field magnet ensures that the rotor operates synchronously with the rotating field of the stator of the asynchronous motor. This further development of the invention is suitable in particular for processing units, which require a relatively high starting torque.
It is preferred to form the synchronous unit by a synchronous motor, which comprises as an asynchronous unit an auxiliary winding arranged on the rotor. This ensures that during an activation of the individual drive at a constantly predetermined desired frequency, the synchronous motor starts up without delay, until the rotor of the synchronous motor is in sync with the rotating field of the stator.
To enable an individual startup and shutdown of the processing stations independently of one another, a very advantageous further development of the invention proposes to connect each of the individual drives of the group of processing units to the group frequency changer via a controllable switching element. This makes it possible to shut down one or more of the individual drives associated to the group frequency changer without influencing adjacent individual drives and processing units.
Moreover, it will be of advantage, when each of the individual drives comprises a sensor for monitoring the rotational speed. This sensor connects to a control unit that controls the switching elements. Thus, it is possible to avoid with advantage an overload of the individual drives by a comparison of actual and desired values.
For example, to switch from a threading speed to an operating speed, while threading the yarns in the processing stations, a particularly preferred further development of the invention proposes to connect the control unit and the group frequency changer to an overriding central machine control system.
With the use of a plurality of individual drives for a plurality of processing units, one frequency changer each is associated to the individual drives of a group of processing units, with all group frequency changers being coupled with the machine control system. To increase the flexibility of a texturing machine, a further advantageous embodiment of the invention proposes to divide the plurality of processing stations into one or more sections, with each section comprising a plurality of processing stations. In this case, the group frequency changers of the section connect to a field control system that is connected to the section. The processing units of the processing stations in the particular section can thus be controlled independently of the processing units of the processing stations of adjacent sections.
The processing units driven by individual drives may advantageously be formed for each processing station by a first feed system, and/or a second feed system, and/or a third feed system. This makes it possible to adjust and vary in an accurate manner both the yarn speed and the draw ratio for drawing the yarn.
The group of processing units, which are driven by individual drives, may also include in each processing station a drive roll of a takeup device and/or by a false twist texturing unit.
Basically, all rotatably driven processing units are suited for operating with a substantially predetermined desired frequency while draw texturing the yarns.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the following, embodiments of a texturing machine according to the invention are described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a first embodiment of a yarn texturing machine according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic fragmentary top view of a further embodiment of a yarn texturing machine;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an individual drive for a feed system;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a further embodiment of an individual drive for a feed system; and
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of an individual drive for a drive roll of a takeup device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a first embodiment of a yarn texturing machine according to the invention. The texturing machine comprises a feed module 3 , a processing module 2 , and a takeup module 1 , which are arranged in a machine frame composed of frame sections 4 . 1 , 4 . 2 , and 4 . 3 . The frame section 4 . 1 mounts the feed module 3 , and the frame section 4 . 3 mounts the processing module 2 and takeup module 1 . The frame sections 4 . 1 and 4 . 3 are interconnected by frame section 4 . 2 , which is arranged above the feed module 3 and processing module 2 . Between the processing module 2 and the feed module 3 , a service aisle 5 extends below the frame section 4 . 2 . In the frame section 4 . 2 , the processing module 2 is arranged on the side facing the service aisle 5 , and the takeup module 1 on the opposite side thereto.
A doffing aisle 6 is provided along the takeup module 1 . In its longitudinal direction (in FIG. 1 , the plane of the drawing corresponds to the transverse plane) the texturing machine comprises a plurality of side by side processing stations, one processing station for each yarn. Takeup devices 18 occupy a width of three processing stations. Therefore, three takeup devices 18 are superposed in the takeup module 1 in a column, as will be described in more detail further below.
The view of FIG. 1 shows the processing units of a processing station, which are accommodated respectively in the feed module 3 and processing module 2 . Each processing station thus comprises a plurality of processing units 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , and 18 , one following the other in the path of an advancing yarn.
A first group of the processing units is formed in each processing station by a first feed system 10 , which is mounted to the feed module 3 . The adjacent first feed systems of adjacent processing stations are arranged side by side (not shown). A feed yarn package 8 in a creel 7 is associated to each first feed system 10 . Next to the feed yarn package 8 , the creel 7 of each processing station accommodates a reserve package 43 . In each processing station, the first feed system 10 withdraws a yarn 36 via a plurality of yarn deflection guides 9 . 1 and 9 . 2 .
In the following, the further processing units of a processing station are described with reference to the path of yarn 36 . In the direction of the advancing yarn, downstream of the first feed system 10 , an elongate primary heater 11 extends, through which the yarn 36 advances. In so doing, the yarn 36 is heated to a predetermined temperature. The primary heater 11 could be constructed as a high-temperature heater, whose heating surface has a temperature above 300° C. In the direction of the advancing yarn, downstream of the primary heater 11 , a cooling device 12 is provided. The primary heater 11 and cooling device 12 are arranged in one plane, one following the other, and supported by the frame section 4 . 2 above the service aisle 5 . In the inlet region of the primary heater 11 , a deflection roll 9 . 3 is arranged, so that the yarn 36 crosses the service aisle 5 in the configuration of an inverted V.
On the side of the service aisle 5 opposite to the feed module 3 , the frame section 4 . 3 mounts the processing module 2 . In the direction of the advancing yarn, the processing module 2 supports, one below the other, a false twist unit 13 , a second feed system 14 , and a third feed system 15 . In this arrangement, the yarn 36 advances from the outlet of the cooling device 12 , which is preferably formed by a cooling rail or a cooling tube, to the false twist texturing unit 13 . The false twist texturing unit 13 , which may be formed, for example, by a plurality of overlapping friction disks, is driven by a false twist drive 26 . The false twist drive 26 is constructed as an individual drive 27 , which is likewise arranged on the processing module 2 .
The second feed system 14 withdraws the yarn 36 from the false twist zone, which extends between the false twist texturing unit 13 and the first feed system 10 . The second feed system 14 and the first feed system 10 are driven at different speeds for drawing the yarn 36 in the false twist zone.
Downstream of the second feed system 14 , the third feed system 15 is positioned, which advances the yarn 36 directly into a secondary heater 16 . To this end, the secondary heater 16 is arranged on the underside of frame section 4 . 3 and, thus, below the processing module 2 and takeup module 1 . The secondary heater 16 represents the yarn passage from the processing module to the takeup module 1 . As a result of integrating in the frame section 4 . 3 , the processing module 2 , secondary heater 16 , and takeup module 1 , a very short yarn path is realized, which is substantially U-shaped. To this end, the underside of the takeup module 1 mounts a fourth feed system 17 , which withdraws the yarn 36 directly from the secondary heater 16 , and advances it after a deflection to the takeup device 18 .
The third feed system 15 and fourth feed system 17 may be driven at different speeds, so as to enable a shrinkage treatment of the yarn 36 within the secondary heater 16 . To this end, the secondary heater 16 may comprise a biphenyl-heated contact heater, which is inclined relative a horizontal by an angle α. The angle ranges from 5° to 45°. With that, it is made certain that within a heating channel of the secondary heater 16 , the yarn 36 undergoes a uniform heating caused by contact.
In the present embodiment, the takeup device 18 is schematically identified by a yarn traversing device 20 , a drive roll 19 , and a package 21 . The takeup device 18 also includes a tube magazine 22 for performing an automatic package doff. Auxiliary devices that are needed for doffing full packages are not shown in greater detail.
In the present embodiment, the feed systems 10 , 14 , 15 , and 17 are made identical. They are each formed by a godet 23 and a guide roll 24 associated therewith. The godet 23 is driven by a godet drive 25 . The guide roll 24 is supported for free rotation, so that the yarn 36 advances over godet 23 and guide roll 24 by looping them several times.
In the embodiment of the texturing machine shown in FIG. 1 , the godet drive 25 of the first feed system 10 is constructed as an individual drive 27 . The individual drive 27 , whose construction is described in greater detail in the following, is coupled with a group frequency changer 30 via a switching element 32 . The group frequency changer 30 is likewise associated to adjacent individual drives of adjacent first feed systems in adjacent processing stations not shown. Thus, it is possible to associate, for example, all individual drives of the first feed systems within a texturing machine to a common group frequency changer 30 . The group frequency changer 30 connects to a central machine control system 44 . Thus, the first feed system 10 represents a first functional group of processing units, which are driven within the machine by individual drives 27 .
A second functional group of processing units is formed by the false twist units 13 . The false twist drives 26 are likewise constructed as individual drives 27 , which are associated to a second group frequency changer 45 . Likewise, a switching element 32 is used to connect the individual drives 27 to the second group frequency changer 45 , which likewise connects to the machine control system 44 .
The drives and drive control of the remaining processing units are not described in greater detail. They could likewise be formed, for example, by individual drives with a control system via group frequency changers or by individually controlled drives.
In operation, the individual drives 27 of the feed systems 10 and false twist units 13 are controlled with a desired frequency that is defined by the machine control system 44 , so that the feed system 10 has a certain circumferential speed for advancing the yarn 36 , and so that the false twist unit 13 likewise reaches a drive speed that is needed for texturing the yarn. As is known, in the processing station, the yarn 36 is advanced, drawn, textured, and wound to a package 21 . In the case that a breakdown occurs in the illustrated processing station, for example, by a yarn break, the switching element 32 separates the individual drives 27 of the feed system 10 and the false twist unit 13 from their respective group frequency changer 30 or 45 . The first feed system 10 and the false twist unit 13 are shut down. Adjacent processing stations remain unaffected by this action. The individual drives associated to the group frequency changers 30 and 45 remain in an unchanged operating state.
After eliminating the breakdown in the processing station, a reconnection to the group frequency changers 30 and 45 will occur via the switching elements 32 , so that it is again possible to activate the individual drives 27 . With that, the desired frequency is applied to the individual drives 27 .
To enable the connection and disconnection as well as the startup and continuation in the operating state of the individual drives 27 without requiring a larger number of control means, each individual drive 27 includes a synchronous unit and an asynchronous unit. FIG. 3 illustrates a first embodiment of an individual drive 27 , which is constructed as an asynchronous motor 35 . The asynchronous motor 35 thus represents the asynchronous unit 29 that comprises a stator winding 39 and a rotor winding 41 . To this end, the rotor winding 41 is attached to a rotor 40 . Inside the stator winding 39 , the rotor 40 mounts a field magnet 36 , which represents the synchronous unit 28 together with the stator winding 39 . The field magnet 36 of this embodiment is formed by a plurality of permanent magnets, which are mounted on the circumference of the rotor 40 . With its end projecting from the motor casing, the rotor 40 connects to the godet 23 of the first feed system 10 .
To start up the asynchronous motor 35 , a desired frequency is applied via the group frequency changer 30 . After applying current to the stator winding 39 , the rotor 40 is accelerated. As soon as the rotational frequency of the rotor 40 corresponds to the desired frequency, a coupling occurs between the rotating field of the stator winding 39 and the rotational frequency of the rotor 40 by means of the field magnet 36 . In its operating state, the individual drive 27 performs similarly to a synchronous machine. With that, it is made sure that the desired frequency as determined by the group frequency changer 30 , is automatically adjusted by the activated individual drive 27 . This is important in particular for the processing units, which are arranged in the texturing machine in the form of feed systems. The yarn is thus advanced and drawn under identical conditions in each processing station.
FIG. 4 illustrates a further embodiment of an individual drive 27 with a synchronous unit 28 and an asynchronous unit 29 . Components having the same function are provided with identical reference numerals. The synchronous unit 28 is formed by a synchronous motor 38 . To this end, the synchronous motor 38 comprises a stator winding 39 and a rotor 40 with at least one permanent magnet 37 . In this case, the rotational frequency of the rotor 40 equals the desired frequency, so that the rotor 40 rotates in sync with the rotating field of the stator winding. To enable a startup without changing the desired frequency after a shutdown of the individual drive 27 , the synchronous motor 38 includes an asynchronous unit 29 , which is formed by an auxiliary winding 42 on the rotor and the stator winding 39 . The auxiliary winding 42 is arranged inside the stator winding 39 . This ensures that the rotor 40 is accelerated with a predetermined desired frequency of the stator winding 39 .
The embodiments of the individual drive as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are suited preferably for driving the feed systems of a texturing machine or for driving a false twist friction unit.
FIG. 5 illustrates a further embodiment of an individual drive 27 , which is suited preferably for driving a drive roll 19 in a takeup device 18 . To this end, the jacket of the drive roll 19 is directly driven by the individual drive 27 arranged inside the drive roll 19 . For this purpose, the individual drive 27 comprises a cylindrical rotor 40 . The inner side of the cylindrical rotor 40 mounts the rotor winding 41 . In facing relationship with the rotor winding 41 , a stationary axle 46 mounts a stator winding 39 . In the axial direction, the stator winding 39 extends beyond the rotor winding 41 to cover a field magnet 36 arranged on the cylindrical rotor 40 . The field magnet 36 and the stator winding 39 thus form the synchronous unit 28 of the individual drive 27 . As a result of construction, the asynchronous unit 29 is provided as an asynchronous motor 35 . The operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is identical with that described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .
FIG. 2 illustrates a further embodiment of a texturing machine as a fragmentary top view thereof. The embodiment of FIG. 2 is made substantially identical with the preceding embodiment of FIG. 1 . In this respect, the arrangement of the processing units within a processing station is made identical, so that the foregoing description is herewith incorporated by reference.
The top view illustrated in FIG. 2 shows only the yarn feed to the machine with creel 7 and feed module 3 . The processing module 2 and takeup module 1 are not shown. As a whole, 12 processing stations are shown in side-by-side relationship. In this connection, the creel 7 accommodates in tiers the feed yarn packages 8 of three juxtaposed processing stations, with one package overlying the other, as can be noted from FIG. 1 . However, for the sake of clarity, the yarn path is not shown in FIG. 2 .
The feed module 3 mounts in side-by-side relationship the feed systems 10 , which withdraw each yarn 36 from respectively one feed yarn package 8 of the creel 7 . Each processing station is provided with one first feed system 10 . Each feed system 10 comprises an individual drive 27 , which is coupled with a godet 23 and a guide roll 24 associated thereto.
To control the individual drive 27 , the drive connects via a switching element 32 to a group frequency changer 30 . The group frequency changer 30 supplies the individual drives 27 of a total of six feed systems of a plurality of processing stations. In this connection, six processing stations form one section, which is controlled by means of a field control system 34 . 1 or 34 . 2 . Thus, the group frequency changer 30 connects to a field control system 34 . 1 of a first section I of processing stations. Accordingly, the individual drives 27 of the feed systems 10 of a second section II are controlled via a further group frequency changer 30 , which in turn is coupled with an associated field control system 34 . 2 .
The field control systems 34 . 1 and 34 . 2 connect to additional group frequency changers or control units or drive units for controlling the processing stations.
Furthermore, the individual drives 27 of a section are associated with a control unit 33 , which connects to each of the switching elements 32 associated to the individual drives 27 of a section. Each of the individual drives 27 also includes a sensor 31 , which connects to the control unit 33 . The control unit 33 is also coupled with the field control system 34 . 1 or 34 . 2 .
The field control systems 34 . 1 and 34 . 2 and additional adjacent field control systems connect to a central machine control system (not shown).
In the texturing machine shown in FIG. 2 , a group frequency changer 30 activates in the operating state, the individual drives 27 of the first feed systems 10 of each section with a predetermined desired frequency. To is this end, the field control system 34 . 1 or 34 . 2 applies both to the group frequency changer 30 and to the control unit 33 , the corresponding desired frequency, which corresponds to a certain withdrawal speed of the yarns from the feed yarn packages 8 . At the beginning of the process, each of the individual drives 27 is accelerated because of the asynchronous unit accommodated therein. As soon as the rotational frequency of the rotor reaches the desired frequency, the synchronous unit of the individual drives 27 maintains a predetermined circumferential speed on each of the feed systems 10 .
In the case that one of the individual drives 27 shows a malfunction, which indicates an unacceptable deviation from the desired frequency, the group frequency changer 30 shuts down the particular individual drive 27 via the sensor 31 , control unit 33 , and switching element 32 . To this end, a comparison occurs in the control unit 33 between the actual condition signaled by the sensor 31 and a desired condition that is set by the field control system 34 . 1 or 34 . 2 . In the case of an unacceptable deviation of the actual condition from the desired condition, the control unit 33 activates the respective switching element 32 . In this process, information is exchanged between the control unit 33 and the field control system. As soon as the malfunction is eliminated, the corresponding switching element is activated via control unit 33 for starting the individual drive. In this process, individual drives 27 adjacent the group frequency changer 30 remain unaffected in their control.
The synchronous units and asynchronous units formed in the individual drives 27 ensure an independent startup and adjustment of the desired circumferential speed on the feed systems. This achieves a great uniformity of the yarn treatment in each of the processing stations of the texturing machine without reducing the flexibility in the activation of the individual processing stations. With that, the texturing machine of the present invention combines the advantages of a group drive for processing units of the same function with the advantages of a processing station with individually driven processing units.
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A texturing machine for draw texturing a plurality of synthetic multi-filament yarns and which includes a plurality of side by side processing stations. Each of the processing stations comprises a plurality of processing units for advancing, texturing, drawing, and winding the yarn. At least one of the processing units is driven by an electrical individual drive, with the individual drives of the processing units of adjacent processing stations being controlled by a common group frequency changer. To enable a separate connection and disconnection of the individual drives with a simultaneous group control, the electrical individual drive of each processing unit includes an asynchronous unit and a synchronous unit. In the case of a predetermined desired frequency, this permits an automatic startup and maintenance of the desired frequency, which leads to a high degree of uniformity of the yarn treatment in each processing station.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coupling mechanisms, and more specifically to quick disconnect mechanical couplings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Quick connect/disconnect mechanical couplings are connecting devices which permit easy, immediate connection and separation of fluid lines and electrical conductors. Typically, mechanical couplings are made up of two members commonly referred to as a male or pin connector and a female or socket connector.
Mechanical fluid couplings are typically designed to provide rapid coupling and uncoupling of high pressure lines while at the same time providing a high degree of safety during both flow and non-flow conditions. It is important that the fluid coupling assures positive locking and a fluid-tight joint in the high pressure line. The mechanical fluid couplings are generally designed to assist in overcoming the resistive forces of joining the coupling members resulting from the fluid pressure in the lines.
A common fluid coupling designed to assist in joining the coupling connectors is the threaded coupling having a threaded coupling nut which is captured by a shoulder and a retaining ring on a first coupling connector. A second coupling connector has an externally threaded portion. As the coupling nut is threaded on the externally threaded portion of the second coupling connector, the coupling nut acts against the shoulder of the first coupling connector drawing the coupling connectors together. The same principle is used with dogs or lugs to engage camming surfaces within a locking sleeve of a coupling connector. There is also the bayonet coupling whereby dogs or lugs fixed to one coupling connector react against a cam surface on the other coupling connector as one member is rotated relative to the other. One good feature of threaded couplings is that they are not likely to disconnect accidentally.
A non-threaded type coupling is a push style mechanical coupling which involves the displacement of a spring-loaded sleeve. The displacement of the spring-loaded sleeve allows locking members to move radially outward as the pin is inserted into the socket. Once the pin is fully engaged, the spring-loaded sleeve is released. As the spring-loaded sleeve returns to its normal position, an interior cam surface forces and holds the locking members in the pin's groove, thereby locking the pin within the socket. Unlocking involves the reverse process. The locking members can be balls, pins, palls, wire rings, dogs, cams, collets, breech lugs, etc.
Electrical couplings do encounter the resistive forces of fluid couplings. However, electrical couplings must be sealed and polarized to ensure the proper coupling of the electrical conductors. Conventionally, electrical couplings achieve their polarization by an external-internal key and keyway usually in the proximity of the contacts. Sealing of the contact cavity is typically achieved by O-ring seal glands located in this same region. In order to achieve proper and timely key engagement and seal engagement without one interfering with the other, the coupling usually requires additional length of engagement and stepped diameters, thus increasing the complexity of the connector and thereby increasing manufacturing costs. The internal-external relationship of key and keyway results in one internal element being hidden from view while the other external element is obscured by the coupling ring. Inspection of the face of each connector will allow an approximate orientation of connectors prior to coupling, but indexing is strictly by feel upon engaging connectors, since the key and keyway are obscured. Obscure O-ring seal glands often result in failure of the coupling as a result of the seal glands not being properly in place or defective.
Threaded coupling arrangements are used extensively in mechanically coupled electrical connectors. The mechanical advantage as well as the relative unlimited travel make it a favorite in most applications over other types of couplings, such as lever or bayonet-type couplings. To perform as intended, it is necessary that the screw threads have proper maintenance such as protection, thread cleaning, and lubrication. The problems inherent with conventional threaded coupling arrangements are cross threading and thread galling. Cross threading may occur if the coupling members are not properly oriented and aligned when starting to engage the threads. Thread galling is the result of a contamination or burr being ground into the thread, creating a high stress or hot spot. This usually occurs on new parts being mated the first time. Conventional connectors are not necessarily sold as mated pairs and are therefore subject to being mated in the field for the first time. Additionally, a substantial reduction in efficiency and mechanical advantage results from resistance to thread make-up due to friction caused by corrosion, contamination, or improper lubrication. Conventional threaded couplers often are difficult to uncouple when the connectors have been made-up for an extended period of time in a hostile environment. Additionally, conventional connectors may suffer mashed, gouged, or bruised threads which may destroy the usefulness of the coupling connector.
It is desirable to have a mechanical coupling providing the advantages of a threaded connection without the problems associated with the maintenance, protection, and lubrication of the threads. It is further desirable that the mechanical coupling have threads which are protected from damage and eliminate the possibility of cross threading and thread galling. Furthermore, the mechanical coupling should be adaptable for use in both fluid and electrical connections.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention is for a coupling mechanism having a receptacle assembly and a plug assembly. The plug assembly includes a latch body, coupling nut, inner body, and a first coupler connector. The latch body is secured to the coupling nut in such a manner as to permit the coupling nut to rotate relative to the latch body. The coupling nut threadably engages the inner body, making up the plug assembly. The inner body moves longitudinally as the coupling nut is rotated. The first coupler connector is connected to the inner body.
The receptacle assembly includes a receptacle shell and a second coupler connector. The receptacle shell is constructed to accept the latch body. The receptacle shell and latch body connection can be accomplished by a variety of latches or interlocking mechanisms. The latch body and the receptacle shell are securely engaged by rotating the coupling nut clockwise which causes the inner body of the plug assembly to translate forward thereby securely engaging the receptacle shell. The continued clockwise rotation of the coupling nut results in the completion of the coupling connection of the first coupler connector and the second coupler connector. The coupling connection of the first coupler connector and the second coupler connector is effectuated by a permanently threaded engagement of the coupler nut and the inner body which is within a sealed chamber. Rotation of the coupling nut counter-clockwise causes the inner body to retract or translate rearwardly to firstly disengage the coupling connection and secondly, disengage the receptacle shell from the inner body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent by reference to the drawings which are appended hereto and wherein like numerals indicate like parts and wherein illustrated embodiments of the invention are shown, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a plug assembly and a receptacle assembly of a mechanical fluid coupling according to a first embodiment of the present invention in the uncoupled condition, the plug assembly is shown in partial cross-section and the receptacle assembly is shown in cross-section;
FIG. 2 is perspective view with a cutaway section of the plug assembly of the mechanical fluid coupling of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is perspective view of the receptacle assembly of the mechanical fluid coupling of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a partial sectional side elevational view of the plug and receptacle assemblies of the mechanical fluid coupling of FIG. 1 in the coupled condition;
FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8a is a view similar to FIG. 1 of the plug and receptacle assemblies of a mechanical electrical coupling in the uncoupled condition;
FIG. 8b is a view similar to FIG. 4 of the plug and receptacle assemblies of the mechanical electrical coupling in the coupled condition;
FIG. 9 is a top view of receptacle and plug assemblies of a mechanical fluid coupling according to a second embodiment of the present invention in the uncoupled condition;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of the receptacle and plug assemblies of the mechanical fluid coupling of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is perspective view with a cutaway section of the plug assembly of the mechanical fluid coupling of FIG. 9;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of the receptacle and plug assemblies of the mechanical fluids coupling of FIG. 9 in the coupled condition;
FIG. 13 is a view taken along line 13--13 of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a view taken along line 14--14 of FIG. 12; and
FIG. 15 is a view taken along line 15--15 of FIG. 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of a mechanical fluid coupling, designated generally as 100, is shown in an uncoupled condition. The mechanical fluid coupling 100 includes a receptacle assembly 20 and a plug assembly 40. Preferably, the primary components of the latch screw coupling are made out of materials resistant to corrosion such as stainless steel. One such stainless steel is NITRONIC 50. NITRONIC 50 is a registered trademark of Armco, Inc.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the plug assembly 40 includes a latch body 42, a coupling nut 44, an inner body 46, and a first coupling connector 47. A rear portion 48 of the latch body 42 is secured to the coupling nut 44 in such a manner as to permit the coupling nut 44 to rotate relative to the latch body 42. The rear portion 48 of the latch body 42 includes a external peripheral groove 50 which corresponds with an internal peripheral groove 52 in the coupling nut 44. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a plurality of balls 54 are housed in the corresponding grooves 50 and 52 which maintain the coupling nut 44 in fixed axial relationship with the latch body 42. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, the coupling nut 44 includes a port 56 for inserting the plurality of balls 54 into the grooves 50 and 52. The port 56 is closed with a spring drive pin 57 which is driven in a drive pin slot 57a as shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the latch body 42 includes a peripheral groove 72 for receiving a seal 74, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the coupling nut 44 and the latch body 42. It is to be understood that other types of sealing members can also be used to form this seal.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the external rear portion of the coupling nut 44 includes a gripping area 58 comprising a plurality of longitudinal grooves 60 which provide a gripping surface to rotate the coupling nut 44 as will be described below. Several other types of gripping surfaces, such as a knurled surface, could also be used. FIG. 2 shows yet another type of gripping surface comprising a plurality of longitudinal lines inscribed in the outer surface of the coupling nut 44.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the latch body 42 of the first embodiment includes a tongue-and-groove mating end 62. The mating end 62 includes an outer semicircular tongue 64, an outer semicircular groove 66, an inner circular tongue 68, and an inner circular groove 70.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the latch body 42 has an internal bore 76 through which the inner body 46 is permitted to travel as will be explained below. The internal bore 76 has a first portion 78 of uniform diameter which steps to a second portion 80 having a larger uniform diameter. The first portion 78 includes a peripheral groove 82 for receiving a seal 84, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the latch body 42 and the inner body 46.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 4, and 6, the latch body 42 includes a threaded filler port 77 for receiving a filler screw 79. The filler screw 79 includes a seal member 79a for sealing the filler port 77 from the atmosphere. The filler port 77 is fluidly connected to a sealed chamber 81, as will be further described below.
The coupling nut 44 includes an internally threaded portion 86 which terminates near a rear end 90 of the coupling nut 44. A shoulder 88 located at the rear end 90 forms a stop to prevent the rearward removal of the inner body 46 from the coupling 100 and to prevent the disengagement of the threaded connection between the coupling nut 44 and the inner body 46. The rear end 90 includes an internal peripheral groove 92 for receiving a seal 94, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the coupling nut 44 and the inner body 46.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the inner body 46 is a tubular member having a throughbore 96. The inner body 46 includes a first inner body member 46a and a second inner body member 46b. The first inner body member 46a includes a conduit connector 98 which connects to the conduit or hose being coupled.
The inner body 46 has an externally threaded portion 102 which threadably engages the internally threaded portion 86 of the coupling nut 44. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the inner body 46 includes a keyway 104 which receives and guides a key 106 formed at the inner end of the latch body 42. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inner body 46 includes a pair of keyways 104 and the latch body 42 includes a pair of keys 106. The keys 106 and the keyways 104 prevent rotation of the inner body 46 relative to the latch body 42.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the first inner body member 46a is threadably connected to the second inner body member 46b. The first inner body member 46a includes a peripheral groove 108 for receiving a seal 110, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the first and second inner body members 46a and 46b, respectively. The second inner body member 46b includes a forward lip 46c which forms a stop for the first coupling connector 47 which is inserted in the throughbore 96 of the second inner body member 46b. The first coupling connector 47 includes a plug 47a which is forwardly loaded by a compression spring 47b acting against a flange 47c of the plug 47a. The compression spring 47b is held in place with a sleeve 47d positioned between the spring 47b and an endface 46d of the first inner body member 46a.
Referring to FIG. 4, the sealed chamber 81 in the plug assembly 40 is formed between the interior of the coupling nut 44 and the latch body 42 and the exterior of the inner body 46. The chamber 81 is sealed by the plurality of seals 74, 79a, 84, 94, and 110 as described above. The sealed chamber 81 can be filled with a lubricant via the threaded filler port 77 to maintain the plug assembly 40 in optimum operating condition.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the receptacle assembly 20 will now be described in detail. The receptacle assembly 20 includes a receptacle shell 22 and a second coupler connector 24. In the first embodiment, the receptacle shell 22 includes a tongue-and-groove mating end 26 to mate with the tongue-and-groove mating end 62 of the latch body 42. The mating end 26 includes an outer semicircular tongue 28, an outer semicircular groove 30, an inner circular tongue 32, and an inner circular groove 34.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the receptacle shell 22 includes an inner body passageway 35. The receptacle shell 22 includes an internal peripheral groove 36 for receiving a seal 38, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the receptacle shell 22 and the inner body 46 as shown in FIG. 4.
The receptacle shell 22 includes an interior lip 22a which forms a stop for the second coupling connector 24 which is inserted in a coupling passageway 35a of the receptacle shell 22. The second coupling connector 24 includes a plug 24a which is forwardly loaded by a compression spring 24b acting against a flange 24c of the plug 24a. The compression spring 24b is held in place with a lock ring 24d inserted in a lock ring groove 24e in the receptacle shell 22.
The receptacle shell 22 includes conduit connector 22b which threadably connects to the conduit or hose being coupled.
The operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will now be explained. The coupling nut 44 is rotated counter-clockwise such that the inner body 46 is in the rearward position as shown in FIG. 1. The plug assembly 40 and the receptacle assembly 20 are joined by transversely bringing the tongue-and-groove mating ends 62 and 26, respectively, together. The latch body 42 and the receptacle shell 22 are securely engaged by rotating the coupling nut 44 clockwise. The clockwise rotation of the coupling nut 44 causes the inner body 46 of the plug assembly 40 to translate forward. The latch body 42 and the receptacle shell 22 are securely engaged when the forward lip portion 46c enters into the inner body passageway 35 of the receptacle shell 22. The penetration of inner body 46 into the inner body passageway 35 prevents the transverse dislocation of the plug assembly 40 with the receptacle assembly 20.
The continued clockwise rotation of the coupling nut 44 results in the completion of the coupling connection of the first coupler connector 47 and the second coupler connector 24. The continued forward translation of the inner body 46 results in the plugs 47a and 24a coming into contact and compressing the compression springs 47b and 24b, respectively, which in turn permits fluid flow through the fluid coupling 100.
The coupling connection of the first coupler connector 47 and the second coupler connector 24 is effectuated by the permanently threaded engagement of the coupler nut 44 and the inner body 46 which is within a sealed chamber. Thus, there is no possibility of cross threading or thread galling while having the mechanical advantages of a threaded connection.
Rotation of the coupling nut 44 counter-clockwise causes the inner body 46 to retract or translate rearwardly to firstly disengage the coupling connection and secondly, disengage the receptacle shell 22 from the inner body 46.
Illustrated in FIGS. 8a and 8b is an electrical coupling, designated generally as 200, of the first embodiment of the present invention. The electrical coupling 200 is essentially the same as the fluid coupling 100 described above except for the following modifications.
It is to be understood that the same numeric and descriptive references will be used in describing components in the electrical coupling 200 which are identical to those components in the fluid coupling 100.
Referring to FIG. 8a, an inner body 246 includes a first inner body member 246a and a second inner body member 246b. The first inner body member 246a is connected to the second inner body member 246b. The first inner body member 246a is formed of molded rubber or neoprene which is bonded to the second inner body member 246b and the electrical cable to form a watertight seal and provide a mechanical stress relief for the cable.
The inner body 246 is a tubular member having a throughbore 296. The second inner body member 246b has an externally threaded portion 202 which threadably engages the internally threaded portion 86 of the coupling nut 44. The inner body 246 includes a keyway 204 which receives and guides a key 106 formed at the inner end of the latch body 42. The key 106 and the keyway 204 prevents rotation of the inner body 246 relative to the latch body 42.
Referring to FIG. 8a, an electrical socket connector insert 247 having socket contacts 247a is inserted in the throughbore 296 of the second inner body member 246b. The electrical socket connector insert 247 is typically a molded unit of glass reinforced epoxy. The electrical socket connector insert 247 is secured in place with a washer 247c and a retainer ring 247d. The washer 247c and the retainer ring 247d also serve to capture a seal 247e in an outer groove 247f of the socket connector insert 247. The seal 247e protects against fluid intrusion to the rear of the socket connector insert 247. Behind the socket connector insert 247 in the throughbore 296 of the second inner body member 246b, a potting compound 249 surrounds the electrical conduit and fills the throughbore 296. The potting compound 249 is well known in the art and has good dielectric strength and electrical insulation properties.
Similarly, the receptacle assembly 220 has an electrical pin connector insert 224 having pin contacts 224a. The pin connector insert 224 is inserted in the bore of the receptacle shell 222. The electrical pin connector insert 224 is secured in place with a washer 224b and a retainer ring 224c. The washer 224b and the retainer ring 224c also serve to capture a seal 224d in an outer groove 224e of the pin connector insert 224. Potting compound 225 is inserted behind the pin connector insert 224. The potting compound 225 surrounds the electrical conduit and fills the inner bore of the receptacle shell 222. The rearward end of the receptacle shell 222 is adapted to sealingly mate with a molded rubber or neoprene connector 227 attached to the electrical cable to form a watertight seal and provide a mechanical stress relief for the cable.
The clockwise rotation of the coupling nut 44 causes the inner body 246 to translate forward and securely engage the latch body 42 and the receptacle shell 22. The continued clockwise rotation of the coupling nut 44 results in the completion of the coupling connection of the electrical socket connector insert 247 and the electrical pin connector insert 224. Referring to FIG. 8b, the continued forward translation of the inner body 246 results in the socket contacts 247a of the electrical socket connector insert 247 sliding onto the pin contacts 224a of the electrical pin connector insert 224.
A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 9-15 . The second embodiment is illustrated as a mechanical fluid coupling, designated generally as 300. The fluid coupling 300 includes many of the same features as shown and described in the first embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 9, the second embodiment of the mechanical fluid coupling 300 is shown in an uncoupled condition. The mechanical fluid coupling 300 includes a receptacle assembly 320 and a plug assembly 340.
Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, and 12, the plug assembly 340 includes a latch body 342, a coupling nut 344, an inner body 346, and a first coupling connector 347. A rear portion 348 of the latch body 342 is secured to the coupling nut 344 with a split collar 350 in such a manner as to permit the coupling nut 344 to rotate relative to the latch body 342. Referring to FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, the rear portion 348 of the latch body 342 includes a split collar groove 352 for receiving the split collar 350. The coupling nut 344 includes a companion split collar groove 354 in radial alignment with the latch body split collar groove 352 such that the split collar 350 maintains the axial relationship of the latch body 342 relative to the coupling nut 344.
Referring to FIGS. 10, 11, 12 and 13, the latch body 342 includes a peripheral groove 372 for receiving a seal 374, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the coupling nut 344 and the latch body 342. It is to be understood that other types of sealing members can also be used to form this seal.
Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, and 12, the external rear portion of the coupling nut 344 includes a gripping area 358 comprising a plurality of longitudinal grooves 360 which provide a gripping surface to rotate the coupling nut 344 as will be described below. Several other types of gripping surfaces, such as a knurled surface, could also be used. FIG. 11 shows yet another type of gripping surface comprising a plurality of longitudinal lines inscribed in the outer surface of the coupling nut 344.
Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, the latch body 342 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced holes 362. As shown in FIG. 13, the holes 362 have a smaller diameter at the external periphery of the latch body 342 than at the internal periphery. A ball bearing 364 is positioned in each of the spaced holes 362. The ball bearings 364 have a diameter greater than the diameter of holes 362 at the external periphery in order to restrain the outward dislocation of the ball bearings 364 from the holes 362. It is to be understood that the ball bearings 364 could be restrained by other means, as for example by a lip located at the external periphery of the latch body 342. The latch body 342 further includes a plurality of alignment pins 366 for reasons which will be explained below.
Referring to FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, the latch body 342 has an internal bore 376 through which the inner body 346 is permitted to travel as will be explained below. The internal bore 376 has a first portion 378 of uniform diameter which steps to a second portion 380 having a larger uniform diameter. The first portion 378 includes a peripheral groove 382 for receiving a seal 384, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the latch body 342 and the inner body 346.
The coupling nut 344 includes an internally threaded portion 386 which terminates near a rear end 390 of the coupling nut 344. A shoulder 388 located at the rear end 390 forms a stop to prevent the rearward removal of the inner body 346 from the coupling 300 and to prevent the disengagement of the threaded connection between the coupling nut 344 and the inner body 346. The rear end 390 includes an internal peripheral groove 392 for receiving a seal 394, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the coupling nut 344 and the inner body 346.
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 12, the inner body 346 is a tubular member having a throughbore 396. The inner body 346 includes a first inner body member 346a and a second inner body member 346b. The first inner body member 346a includes a conduit connector 398 which connects to the conduit or hose being coupled.
The inner body 346 has an externally threaded portion 402 which threadably engages the internally threaded portion 386 of the coupling nut 344. Referring to FIGS. 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15, the inner body 346 includes a keyway 404 which receives and guides a key 406 formed at the inner end of the latch body 342. As shown in FIGS. 10, 12, 14, and 15, the inner body 346 includes a pair of keyways 404 and the latch body 342 includes a pair of keys 406. The keys 406 and the keyways 404 prevent rotation of the inner body 346 relative to the latch body 342.
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 12, the first inner body member 346a is threadably connected to the second inner body member 346b. The first inner body member 346a includes a peripheral groove 408 for receiving a seal 410, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the first and second inner body members 346a and 346b, respectively. The second inner body member 346b includes a forward lip 346c which forms a stop for the first coupling connector 347 which is inserted in the throughbore 396 of the second inner body member 346b. The first coupling connector 347 includes a plug 347a which is forwardly loaded by a compression spring 347b acting against a flange 347c of the plug 347a. The compression spring 347b is held in place with a sleeve 347d positioned between the spring 347b and an endface 346d of the first inner body member 346a. The second inner body member 346b includes a forward end 346e having a stepped diameter 346f for reasons which will be explained below.
Referring to FIGS. 9, 10 and 12, the receptacle assembly 320 will now be described in detail. The receptacle assembly 320 includes a receptacle shell 322 and a second coupler connector 324. In the second embodiment, the receptacle shell 322 includes a socket end 326 to mate with the forward end of the latch body 342. The socket end 326 includes a shell opening 328 and a peripheral groove 330 which aligns with the plurality of spaced holes 362 in the latch body 342. The socket end 326 also includes a plurality of alignment openings 332 for receiving the alignment pins 366.
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 12, the receptacle shell 322 includes an inner body passageway 335. The receptacle shell 322 includes an internal peripheral groove 336 for receiving a seal 338, as for example an O-ring, to form a seal between the receptacle shell 322 and the inner body 346 as shown in FIG. 12.
The receptacle shell 322 includes an interior lip 322a which forms a stop for the second coupling connector 324 which is inserted in a coupling passageway 335a of the receptacle shell 322. The second coupling connector 324 includes a plug 324a which is forwardly loaded by a compression spring 324b acting against a flange 324c of the plug 324a. The compression spring 324b is held in place with a lock ring 324d inserted in a lock ring groove 324e in the receptacle shell 322.
The receptacle shell 322 includes conduit connector 322b which threadably connects to the conduit or hose being coupled.
The operation of the second embodiment of the present invention will now be explained. The coupling nut 344 is rotated counter-clockwise such that the inner body 346 is in the rearward position as shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 11. The plug assembly 340 and the receptacle assembly 320 are joined by axially bringing the latch body 342 and the socket end 326, respectively, together. The latch body 342 and the receptacle shell 322 are securely engaged by rotating the coupling nut 344 clockwise. The clockwise rotation of the coupling nut 344 causes the inner body 346 of the plug assembly 340 to translate forward. The latch body 342 and the receptacle shell 322 are securely engaged when the stepped diameter 346f of the inner body 346 is forwardly translated which in turn outwardly forces the ball bearings 364 to seat in the peripheral groove 330 of the socket end 326. The seating of the ball bearings 364 in the peripheral groove 330 prevents the axial dislocation of the plug assembly 340 with the receptacle assembly 320.
The continued clockwise rotation of the coupling nut 344 results in the completion of the coupling connection of the plug coupler connector 347 and the second coupler connector 324. The continued forward translation of the inner body 346 results in the plugs 347a and 324a coming into contact and compressing the compression springs 347b and 324b, respectively, which in turn permits fluid flow through the fluid coupling 300.
As in the first embodiment, the coupling connection of the first coupler connector 347 and the second coupler connector 324 is effectuated by the permanently threaded engagement of the coupler nut 344 and the inner body 346 which is within a sealed chamber. Thus, there is no possibility of cross threading or thread galling while having the mechanical advantages of a threaded connection.
Rotation of the coupling nut 344 counter-clockwise causes the inner body 346 to retract or translate rearwardly to firstly disengage the coupling connection and secondly, disengage the receptacle shell 322 from the inner body 346.
It is to be understood that the receptacle shell and latch body connection of the latch screw coupling of the present invention can be accomplished by a variety of latches or interlocking mechanisms typical in the industry. It is also to be understood that the relative motion created or imparted by the threaded engagement of the coupler nut and the inner body can also be accomplished by other means such as a cam and cam follower.
The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape, and materials, as well as in the details of illustrative construction and assembly, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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A mechanical coupling including a plug assembly and a receptacle assembly. The plug assembly has a first latching body rotatably connected to a coupling nut such that the coupling nut is capable of rotating relative to the latching body. The coupling nut includes an interior threaded portion which is threaded to an exterior threaded portion of an inner body. The coupling nut and the inner body are in constant threaded engagement in a sealed chamber. The receptacle assembly has a second latching body capable of interconnecting with the first latching body. The plug assembly includes a first coupling member and the receptacle assembly includes a second coupling member. The first and second coupling members are coupled together by further rotating the coupling nut which advances the first coupling connector towards the second coupling connector.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system of managing patients of a healthcare organisation and, particularly, to a method and system of managing the recall to the healthcare organisation for appointments.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Patient management systems which facilitate the organisation of appointments for both patients and healthcare professionals are known. These systems have a large number of functions one of which is “recall” management, which is the management of appointments for patients and particularly recurring appointments, or recalls.
[0003] Recall management functions of prior art patient management systems are “disease centred”. That is, they organise appointments and recalls based on the disease or ailment that the patient is suffering. As a result, any patient that has more than one disease or ailment is managed inefficiently both for the patient and the healthcare professionals, as they may be required to make separate appointments close together at the healthcare organisation. Furthermore, where two diseases require the same care delivery, duplication of care can result as the care is delivered according to the disease.
[0004] An object of the present invention is to obviate or mitigate the above issue with recall management.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of patient management comprising:
[0006] defining a set of disease related codes, each code being assigned to one or more predefined categories and having a predefined patient management plan including predefined time intervals at which appointments to meet with a predefined healthcare professional are due, each time interval including a time range at which the appointment may occur;
[0007] assigning each patient record with one or more of the disease related codes according to results of a clinical assessment;
[0008] scheduling and grouping appointments due, regardless of which code they belong to, according to the required healthcare professional, the appointment due date, taking into account the relevant time range, and any categories associated with the code, generating a set of appointments due for the patient.
[0009] Preferably, one of the pre-defined categories is a clinical category and the step of defining the set of disease related codes further comprises assigning one or more clinical categories to each disease related code.
[0010] Preferably, one of the pre-defined categories is a recall priority category and the step of defining the set of disease related codes further comprises assigning a recall priority category to each disease related code.
[0011] Preferably, one of the pre-defined categories is a summary priority category and the step of defining the set of disease related codes further comprises assigning a summary priority category to each disease related code.
[0012] Preferably, the method further comprises defining a plurality of clinical data assessment templates, each template defining the clinical assessment data which must be collected during a particular clinical assessment.
[0013] Preferably, the step of defining the set of disease related codes further comprises assigning disease related codes to one or more clinical data assessment templates.
[0014] Preferably, the step of defining the set of disease related codes further comprises assigning a pre-set comment for each disease related code.
[0015] Preferably, the step of assigning each patient record with one or more of the disease related codes further comprises assigning a result to the patient record.
[0016] Preferably, the step of assigning each patient record with one or more of the disease related codes further comprises assigning a start date.
[0017] Preferably, the step of assigning each patient record with one or more of the disease related codes further comprises assigning end date.
[0018] Preferably, the method further comprises the step of generating a patient report indicating their associated disease related codes, patient management plan and appointments due and currently scheduled.
[0019] Preferably, the step of generating a patient report also includes a list of possible appointment dates and times according to the current status of an appointments system.
[0020] Preferably, the method further comprises the step of generating a healthcare professional report indicating the scheduled appointments for the relevant healthcare professional.
[0021] Preferably, the step of scheduling also groups appointments according to the required clinical assessment data.
[0022] Preferably, the method further comprises generating a clinical assessment data template, based on the patient management plan, for each scheduled appointment detailing the clinical assessment data which must be collected by the healthcare professional and the scheduled appointment.
[0023] Preferably, the method further comprises the step of generating a missed appointment report, detailing appointments that have been missed.
[0024] Preferably, the patient can be excluded from this report until a specific date.
[0025] Preferably the method further comprises generating a clinical care follow up plan report for patients summarising the disease related codes identified by one or more categories.
[0026] Preferably, the clinical care follow up plan summarises the disease related codes by a recall priority category.
[0027] According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a patient management system comprising:
[0028] a database for storing a set of disease related codes, each code having been assigned to one or more predefined categories and having a predefined patient management plan including predefined time intervals at which appointments to meet with a predefined healthcare professional are due, each time interval including a time range at which the appointment may occur;
[0029] means for storing patient records;
[0030] means for appointment scheduling;
[0031] means for associating each patient record with one or more of the disease related codes according to results of a clinical assessment;
[0032] means for scheduling and grouping appointments due, regardless of which code they belong to, according to the required pre-defined healthcare professional, the appointment due date, taking into account the relevant time range, and the categories associated with the code, generating a set of appointments due for the patient.
[0033] Preferably, one of the pre-defined categories is a clinical category and the means for associating each patient record further comprises means for associating a clinical category to each disease related code.
[0034] Preferably, one of the pre-defined categories is a recall priority category means for associating each patient record further comprises means for associating one or more recall priority categories to each disease related code.
[0035] Preferably, one of the pre-defined categories is a summary priority category means for associating each patient record further comprises means for associating a summary priority category to each disease related code.
[0036] Preferably, the system further comprises means for storing a plurality of pre-defined clinical data assessment templates, each template defining the clinical assessment data which must be collected during a particular clinical assessment.
[0037] Preferably, means for associating each patient record further comprises means for associating disease related codes to one or more clinical data assessment templates.
[0038] Preferably, means for associating each patient record further comprises means for associating a pre-set and a free text comment for each disease related code.
[0039] Preferably, means for associating each patient record further comprises means for associating assigning a result to the patient record.
[0040] Preferably, means for associating each patient record further comprises means for assigning a start date to the patient record for the disease related code.
[0041] Preferably, means for associating each patient record further comprises means for assigning an end date to the patient record for the disease related code.
[0042] Preferably, means for associating each patient record further comprises means for assigning a modifier to the patient record for the disease related code. (For example: right, left, bilateral etc.)
[0043] Preferably, means for associating each patient record further comprises means for assigning a free text extension to the patient record for the disease related code.
[0044] Preferably, the system further comprises patient report generation means which generates a patient report indicating the patients associated disease related codes, patient management plan and appointments due and currently scheduled.
[0045] Preferably, the patient report generation means further comprises means for including a list of possible appointment dates and times according to the current status of an appointments system in the patient report.
[0046] Preferably, the system further comprises healthcare professional report generation means which generates a healthcare professional report indicating the scheduled appointments for the relevant healthcare professional.
[0047] Preferably, means for scheduling and grouping appointments further comprises means to group appointments according to the required clinical assessment data.
[0048] Preferably, the system further comprises clinical assessment data template generation means, which generates a clinical assessment data template based on the patient management plan, for each scheduled appointment detailing the clinical assessment data which must be collected by the healthcare professional and the scheduled appointment.
[0049] Preferably, the system further comprises missed appointment report generation means which generates a missed appointment report, detailing appointments that have been missed by patients.
[0050] Preferably, the patient can be excluded from this report until a specific date.
[0051] Preferably the system further comprises clinical care follow up plan report generation means which generates a clinical care follow up plan report for patients summarising the disease related codes identified by one or more categories.
[0052] Preferably, the clinical care follow up plan summarises the disease related codes by a recall priority category.
[0053] According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer readable medium having computer readable instructions to instruct a computer to perform the method as recited according to the first aspect.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0054] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0055] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a patient management method according to the invention; and
[0056] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of processes involved in managing a patient including a patient management method and system according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0057] Patient administration or management systems are known, such as GPASS (General Practice Administration System for Scotland), but lack a number of key aspects, particularly concerning “recall” patient management, which is the management of appointments of patients. This is because prior art systems are disease centred rather than patient centred. The patient management system described herein allows for patient centred management through the intelligent use of disease codes and associated categories. As a result, patients receive a schedule of appointments which relate to all their ailments without duplicating tests or procedures unnecessarily.
[0058] Referring to FIG. 1 , a method of managing a patient 10 comprises a patient 12 and a pre-defined set of disease related codes 14 . The disease codes can be assigned to one or more categories. By associating disease codes with categories, related disease codes can be grouped to enable intelligent scheduling of patient appointments.
[0059] For example, a disease code may be assigned to a “priority 1 ” recall priority category, which may define the priority level of that disease code. The recall priority may define the urgency of a particular appointment and therefore it may take precedence over disease codes with a lower recall priority. The disease code may also be assigned to a “blood disease” clinical category, grouping the disease related codes with other similar diseases and a summary priority category, such as high, medium and low, which defines the listing of the disease codes on any reports according to their importance. Furthermore, each disease related code can be associated with a predefined clinical assessment data template. A clinical assessment data template gives a healthcare professional guidance as to what data requires to be collected and, as such which tests or procedures require to be performed. By providing a template such as this, duplication of tests or procedures can be avoided thereby providing savings in cost, due to needless procedures, and time can be made.
[0060] It is also important for the system to be able to give information directly to the patient and therefore a pre-set and/or a free text comment may be assigned to each disease related code. This can then be provided with any report that the patient might received automatically or otherwise. It is also important to define a start date and end date to the patient record to enable the system to calculate the appropriate intervals and provide historical reports. Similarly, a result of management of a patient, of a particular assessment or assessment period can be entered into the system.
[0061] It should be appreciated that “disease” is used within the context of this specification to describe any condition, ailment or disorder that a patient may suffer from.
[0062] Disease codes 14 identify a particular disease and each have an associated patient management plan. The management plan includes details of various aspects of how the disease should be manages, such as, for example, appointments required and which healthcare professional needs to be available for the appointments, intervals between appointments, measurements or tests which much be performed at each appointment and how long each of the measurements or test are valid for. For each code there is a recommended date for review, an interval between reviews, person responsible and also whether a result is awaited. For each code a comments field will display any general pre-set comments and or free text patient specific comments. This report will include a free text area for specific patient communication.
[0063] During a clinical assessment 16 , a patient 12 is assigned one or more disease codes 14 according to any identified diseases. Once a disease code 14 has been assigned to a patient 12 , additional information can be added to the patient's record relating to that code. For example, patient specific details of why a particular code is to be followed up and or instruction or guidance to other team members on decisions to take if certain results obtained, such as, “refer back to General Practise Doctor (GP) if BP (Blood Pressure)>150/90 on more than 2 occasions less than 4 weeks apart”.
[0064] Once a patient 12 has been assessed, appointments can be organised in a scheduling step 18 to meet the requirements of the disease codes 14 . This may be performed manually or automatically, if the information from the disease codes and the clinical assessment is sufficient.
[0065] In the context of the patient management system described herein, information can be assigned to disease related codes, patient records or other pieces of information. The preferred method of assigning or associating information is to alter a relevant field in a database record thereby linking that database record to a particular piece of information. For example, a database containing a table of disease related codes can have a unique identifier relating to each code. To assign a particular disease related code to a patient record in another database, the patient record is simply updated with the unique identifier of the disease related code in a known manner. As such, the reference to the disease related code has been entered in the patient record and any systems or persons analysing that patient record can then directly access the information contained in the disease related code records as well.
[0066] In particular, rules can be pre-defined which can assist in both manual and automatic generation of appointments for the patient 12 . For example, if a patient 12 has been assigned more than one disease code in a particular category of disease, the disease code with a higher priority label should take precedence. So, a disease code with a requirement that blood pressure is taken every week can be grouped with a disease code that requires that blood pressure is taken every month, so that results from the weekly blood pressure measurements are used for the disease code which requires that blood pressure is taken monthly. Furthermore, where a disease code requires that an appointment is made for tests every three months within a window of two weeks, other disease code appointments which overlap that two week window can be arranged for the same time, avoiding the patient having to make more than one appointment. As such, the scheduling step 18 groups relevant appointments such that when a patient 12 calls or gets in contact in some other way to actually make the appointment, an up to date set of available dates and times can be accessed, as the system 10 is already aware which appointments are grouped together, which healthcare professionals are required for those appointments and, as such, when a suitable appointment can be arranged.
[0067] As mentioned above, scheduling also takes into account availability of the required healthcare professionals by interaction with an appointment system 20 . As such, the patient management system 10 also operates as a healthcare team scheduling system. That is, each healthcare professional can view their appointments from the patient management system 10 . Furthermore, the appointment system 20 can have details of various resources, such as a particular assessment machine. If the disease codes 14 indicate that a resource, such as said assessment machine, is required, scheduling also takes into account of the availability of the resource.
[0068] Once the scheduling step 16 has grouped relevant appointments, reports 22 can be generated. A patient report 24 details the various appointments that they must make and the time interval advised between encounters who the relevant healthcare professional is that must be present at the appointment, and, if the disease code 14 contains the relevant information, the reasons why a particular appointment or test is necessary. In this example, the patient report simply lists the appointments that they must make, that is, the responsibility for organising the appointments is left to the patient. It is envisaged that an alternative system may automatically assign appointments and that the patient would have the option to alter those if not suitable, within the prescribed time interval. If an appointment is not made, or the patient does not turn up for the appointment, then a missed appointment report is generated, or the patient will be included in the next missed appointment report. Furthermore, the report 24 also details any primary care appointments made and any secondary care or community appointments or referrals, if detailed in the appointment system 20 or the electronic patient record 34 . Primary care describes the health services that play a central role in the local community, such as family doctors (GPs), pharmacists, dentists and midwives. Secondary care is a service provided by medical specialists who generally do not have first contact with patients, for example, cardiologists, urologists and dermatologists. A physician might voluntarily limit his or her practice to secondary care by refusing patients who have not seen a primary care provider first, or a physician may be required, usually by various payment agreements, to limit the practice this way. The report 24 will also include any free text communication to the patient entered by the healthcare professional, such as instructions or result explanations.
[0069] Furthermore, a healthcare professional report 26 can also be generated from data held in the system 10 . This can list information for each healthcare professional or group of healthcare professionals as to what appointments are already confirmed, appointments due in a particular interval but not confirmed and appointments which either were not made altogether or missed and requiring a reminder or follow-up. Rules may also be defined to take a particular action as a result of information obtained from the healthcare professional report 26 . For example, a missed deadline report could automatically generate a pre-defined reminder letter for each patient or advise review of the clinical management plan by a predetermined health care professional with regard to updating and sending to the patient.
[0070] In addition, clinical assessment data schedule reports 28 can also be generated. For example, an assessment report 30 can give details of the various assessments that have been and completed over a particular time period or list the test or assessments that are required in the coming appointments in a particular time period. Furthermore, a resource report 32 can look at the upcoming test or assessments due enabling a check as to whether the relevant resources are available or in stock, if they are consumables. Additionally, a clinical care follow up report can be generated which details the diseases suffered by the patient and the treatment plan given, which include information such as the appointments attended and the results to various assessments.
[0071] Referring to FIG. 2 , a general framework of a healthcare system is shown incorporating the patient management system 10 , the appointment system 20 , an electronic patient record database 34 and the patient 12 , as mentioned with relation to FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 graphically demonstrates the amount of interactions required in a healthcares system and the large burden of management that the patient management system 10 takes on. “Recall management” within a patient management system is a new process as it captures multiple feedback elements of care, specific patient knowledge management within known guidelines and directly interacts with the patient who is then empowered to understand the complexities of their own individual health plan.
[0072] Modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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A method and system of patient recall management is disclosed comprising defining a set of disease related codes, each code being assigned to one or more predefined categories and having a predefined patient management plan including predefined time intervals at which appointments to meet with a predefined healthcare professional are due, each time interval including a time range at which the appointment may occur; assigning each patient record with one or more of the disease related codes according to results of a clinical assessment; scheduling and grouping appointments due, regardless of which code they belong to, according to the required healthcare professional, the appointment due date, taking into account the relevant time range, and any categories associated with the code, generating a set of appointments due for the patient.
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