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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a digital signal processor suited for LSI fabrication.
In digital signal processing such as digital filtering and fast discrete Fourier transformation (FFT), the fundamental constituents are multipliers, adder-subtractors and delay elements. These three types of elements are combined to realize desired functions. When digital signal processing technology is applied to the field of communications, real time processing is required.
Digital signal processing circuitry for handling real time processes require high processing speeds, and in the conventional system, hardware has been constructed by employment of independent integrated circuits (ICs), as disclosed in an article entitled "Special-Purpose Hardware for Digital Filtering", by S. K. Freeny, PROCEEDING OF THE IEEE, VOL 63, No. 4, April 1975, PP. 633-648, particularly FIG. 16 on page 643. Such circuitry disadvantageously has a large amount of hardware, since many IC chips including multipliers, adders, random access memories (RAMs) and controllers were used. Particularly, when the operational speed of the multiplier is slower than that required, many multipliers must be used to perform multiplication, resulting in a large scale hardware implementation.
On the other hand, real time digital signal processing circuitry by employment of commercially-available microprocessors has also been contemplated. In this case, bit-slice microprocessors of the bipolar type are much advantageous in arithmetic processing capabilities as compared with microprocessors realized with metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices. The most distinctive advantage in using microprocessors over using independent ICs is that identical hardware may be used to achieve many functional operations only by changing the contents of the program memory. However, even with the bipolar bit-slice microprocessor, real time processing for a large amount of computations per unit time cannot be effected at sufficiently high speeds, and eventually a further large scale hardware is required relative to the arrangement by use of independent ICs as mentioned above.
In view of the aforementioned situation, the most advanced device technologies are applied to the development of large-scale integration (LSI) devices for processing digital signals for the purpose of reducing hardware scale, as disclosed in a publication entitled "Multiplier-Accumulator Application Notes", by L. Shirm IV, Trw LSI Products, January 1980, pp. 7-9, particularly FIG. 8, FIG. 11 and FIG. 13. The following four approach directions in developing such LSI devices are considered.
Firstly, reduction in the scale of overall hardware is contemplated by improving the processing speed of independent integrated circuits such as multipliers and adders. In this method, however, reduction of hardware is limited, since each constituent element is separately integrated into an IC chip, and a total power consumption increases because of a high clock rate.
Secondary, a number of multipliers and adders are contemplated to integrate into a single IC chip. In this method, however, individual multipliers and adders must be able to operate independently so as to provide general-purpose capabilities, resulting in a large number of input/output pins and also a requirement of external ICs for timing individual I/O data.
Thirdly, LSIs for exclusive uses are developed at the sacrifice of general-purpose capabilities in order to compensate the drawback in the second method. Large scale integration includes delay elements in addition to the arithmetically operating portions. This method permits the incorporation of large scale integration for specific functions within an accommodation range which can be achieved by the present-day device technologies, providing the best solution for minimizing the scale of hardware for individual circuitry. However, for constructing a system, a variety of LSIs must be designed in small production rate, resulting in an immense manufacturing cost.
Fourthly, signal processors which are the enhancement of microprocessors are developed. In signal processors for implementing real time signals, program read only memories (ROMs), coefficient ROMs, data storage random access memories (RAMs), and multipliers are accommodated in one chip in addition to the arithmetic unit. This method provides versatility in function by way of changing the program. However, since the arithmetic word length is fixed, LSIs with a large word length need to be developed for systems requiring a high computational accuracy. This causes an increase in hardware, resulting in a low processing speed and increased peripheral circuitry. This method is suitable for single channel processing, however, for multi-channel processing, time for data input/output is no longer negligible relative to time for computing and thus processing speed is lowered.
The first method may be put into practice independently or in combination with any of the second, third and fourth methods. As described above, many attempts have been made to realize large-scale integration for real time digital signal processors, and each method has respective advantages and disadvantages. Particularly, LSI devices for multi-channel processing must meet the following conditions:
(1) The device functions must be oriented to general-purpose capabilities.
(2) The number of input/output pins must be as small as possible.
(3) The number of external circuits required must be as small as possible.
(4)The devices must be easy to use for the user.
The above-mentioned conditions are inconsistent with each other. For example, it is generally considered that condition (1) is inconsistent with conditions (2) and (3). Condition (1) weighs with the second of the foregoing methods of large-scale integration, and conditions (2) and (3) weigh with the third method. That is to say, prior art methods of large-scale integration do not satisfy all of conditions (1) through (4) at the same time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a general-purpose digital signal processor suited for LSI fabrication.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a digital signal processor suited for LSI fabrication which requires less input/output pins and less external circuitry.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a digital signal processor suited for LSI fabrication which can be used easily by the user.
According to this invention, the above objects can be accomplished by a digital signal processor suited for LSI fabrication comprising:
a data input circuit for carrying out scaling on a plurality of serial data supplied through a first external terminal group;
a coefficient input circuit for carrying out 2's complementary conversion on a plurality of specific data out of a plurality of serial data supplied through a second external terminal group;
a multiplier circuit operative to receive a plurality of outputs from said data input circuit and said coefficient input circuit for carrying out a plurality of multiplications and additions;
an adder circuit operative to receive a plurality of outputs from said multiplier circuit and said data input circuit and supply a plurality of data to a third external terminal group and said data input circuit, for carrying out a plurality of additions and subtractions as well as overflow detection and correction; and
means for altering data connection in each of said circuits, depending on the combination of 0's and 1's entered through a fourth external terminal group so that one of a plurality of functional modes is selected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 2 through 9 are block diagrams showing eight possible functions achieved by the circuit arrangement shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the data input circuit shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the 2 -n -scaling circuit shown in FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the 1/2-scaling circuit shown in FIG. 10;
FIG. 13 is a timing chart useful to explain the operation of the 2 -n -scaling circuit of FIG. 11;
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the coefficient input circuit shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 15 is an illustration showing the field format of data entered to the coefficient input circuit;
FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the coefficient conversion circuit shown in FIG. 14;
FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the multiplier circuit shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the adder circuit shown in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprising: a data input circuit 100, a coefficient input circuit 200, a multiplier circuit 300, an adder circuit 400, a selection signal generator circuit 500, and a control signal generator circuit 600. The circuits 100, 200, 300 and 400 constitute a block 1000 asillustrated by broken line, and the cirucits 500 and 600 constitute anotherblock 2000, also designated by broken line. Terminals of the circuits included in the block 2000 are connected to terminals of the circuits included in the block 1000, as will be described later, to ensure that data connection in each of the circuits of block 1000 is altered by the circuits of block 2000. The processor is also provided with data input terminals X0 through X3 and Y0 through Y3, coefficient input terminals C0 through C7, function selective input terminals F0 through F2, a clock input terminal CLK, a synchronization (sync) input terminal Sin, a power supply terminal Vcc, and a ground terminal GND. Input terminals X0 and X2 are also used as the output terminals in specific functional mode as will be described later. The processor further includes data output terminals Z0 through Z3, a sync signal output terminal Sout, and intermediate terminals D0 through D7, P0 through P5, U0 through U3, V0 through V3, W0 through W3, Q0 through Q5, and R0 through R5.
In the following description, input/output data and coefficients are assumed to be expressed in 2's complement serial data format topped by theleast significant bit (LSB).
In FIG. 1, one of eight functional modes can be selected by combination of binary signals ("0"s and "1"s)supplied to the input terminals F0, F1 and F2.
FIGS. 2 and 9 are block diagrams explaining the eight possible functions achieved by use of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1. In these block diagrams, the coefficient input circuit 200 of FIG. 1 is omitted, and all reference characters correspond to those shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 shows four sets of circuits adapted to perform a function FCO for obtaining (AX+BY), where A, X, B and Y are real values; FIG. 3 shows two sets of circuits adapted to perform a function FC1 for obtaining {(AX+BY)±(CS+DT)}, where A, X, B, Y, C, S, D and T are real values; FIG. 4 shows a circuit adapted to perform a function FC2 for obtaining ##EQU1##where A i and X i are real values; FIG. 5 shows two sets of circuits adapted to perform a function FC3 for obtaining (AX+Y), where A, X, and Y are complex values; and FIG. 6 shows a circuit which performs a function FC4 for obtaining (AX+BY+Z), where A, B, X, Y and Z are complex values. In FIG. 6, D1 denotes a delay element which is realized by a serial connection of a tapped delay element 9 and a delay element 10 as shown in FIG. 11. The delay element is useful for timing the LSB of data entered through the input terminals X0 through X3 to the LSB of data entered through the input terminals Y2 and Y3 by connecting the output terminals Z2 and Z3 to the input terminals Y0 and Y1, respectively.
FIG. 7 shows a circuit arrangement for a function FC5 in which butterfly for fast Fourier transformation (FFT) is computed. In the figure, S1 deontes a 1/2-scaling circuit as shown in FIG. 12, and one of 2 0 -scaling or 2 -1 -scaling can be selected. For more detail, refer to the description related to FIG. 12.
FIG. 8 shows two sets of circuits adapted to perform a function FC6 for realizing part of a 2-order recursive digital filter of 1D type excluding the portion of one sample delay circuits. In the figure, S 2 denotes a2 -n -scaling circuit as shown in FIG. 11; OFC denotes overflow detection/correction circuits 44 1 and 44 2 as shown in FIG. 18; and D2 denotes delay elements 31 1 and 31 2 as shown in FIG. 18.
FIG. 9 shows two sets of circuits adapted to perform a function FC7 for realizing part of a 2-order recursive digital filter of 2D type excluding the portion of one sample delay circuits. In the figure, S2,D2 and OFC denote the same circuit components as those shown in FIG. 8. The terminalsX0 and X2 are used as the output terminals in the functional mode FC7 shownin FIG. 9, whereas they are used as the input terminals in functional modesFC0 through FC6 shown in FIGS. 2 through 8, respectively. These terminals are realized using tri-state buffers 1 1 and 1 2 as shown in FIG. 10.
The foregoing eight functions accomplish the computations which are widely used for digital signal processing applications.
Turning to FIG. 1, signals entered through input terminals F0, F1 and F2 are supplied to the selection signal generator 500, which then produces selection signals f0 through f11. The selection signals f0 through f11 aredelivered to the data input circuit 100, coefficient input circuit 200 and adder circuit 400 so as to determine data connection mode in these circuits. Table 1 shows the truth table for the selection signal generator500.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________Truth table for selection signal generatorInputsFunctional OutputsModes F2 F1 F0 f0 f1 f2 f3 f4 f5 f6 f7 f8 f9 f10 f11__________________________________________________________________________FC0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0FC1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0FC2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1FC3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0FC4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1FC5 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0FC6 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0FC7 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0__________________________________________________________________________
As can be seen from Table 1, the circuit arrangement embodying the present invention can selectively specify eight kinds of functional modes, FC0 through FC7. The selection signal generator 500 may be arranged by combination of logic circuits, or may be realized by employment of a read only memory (ROM). A clock signal supplied to the input terminal CLK is delivered to the data input circuit 100, coefficient input circuit 200, multiplier circuit 300, adder circuit 400, and control signal generator 600. A sync signal supplied to the input terminal Sin is conducted to the control signal generator 600 so as to produce various control signals necessary for the dats input circuit 100, coefficient input circuit 200, multiplier circuit 300 and adder circuit 400. The control signal generator600 also operates to delay the input sync signal and issues a delayed sync signal on the output terminal Sout.
Eight serial input data are supplied through the input terminals X0 throughX3 and Y0 through Y3 to the data input circuits 100. The data input circuit100 produces 14 outputs, and eight of them are supplied through the intermediate terminals U0 through U3 and V0 through V3 to the multiplier circuit 300, with remaining six outputs being supplied through the intermediate Q0 through Q5 to the adder circuit 400. Eight data of coefficient are supplied through the input terminals C0 through C7 to the coefficient input circuit 200. The coefficient input circuit 200 produces 14 outputs and eight of them are supplied through the intermediate terminals D0 through D7 to the multiplier circuit 300, with remaining six outputs being supplied through the intermediate terminals P0 through P5 tothe data input circuit 100. Four output data from the multiplier circuit 300 are supplied through the intermediate terminals W0 through W3 to the adder circuit 400. The adder circuit 400 produces 10 outputs, and four of them are conducted to the output terminals Z0 through Z3, with remaining six outputs being supplied through the intermediate terminals R0 through R5 to the data input circuit 100.
The data input circuit 100, coefficient input circuit 200, multiplier circuit 300 and adder circuit 400 will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 10 is a detailed block diagram of the data input circuit 100 shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 10, the same terminal names and signal names as those of FIG. 1 are used for corresponding portions in both figures. The block diagram of FIG. 10 includes input terminals X0 through X3 and Y0 through Y3, intermediate-terminals U0 through U3, V0 through V3, Q0 through Q5 andR0 through R5, and receives selection signals f0 through f3. The diagram further includes tri-state buffers 1 1 and 1 2 , 1/2-scaling circuits 2 1 through 2 4 for scaling input data by 1/2, 2 -n -scaling circuits 3 1 and 3 2 for scaling input data by 2 -n (where n=0, 1, . . . 7), and dual-input multiplexers 4 1 through 4 4 , 5 1 and 5 2 , 6 1 through 6 2 , and 7 1 through7 4 .
The primary function of the data input circuit shown in FIG. 10 is to prescale input data and to determine the data connection mode of circuitries including the multiplier circuit 300 and adder circuit 400 of FIG. 1 in accordance with each functional mode. Four input data are supplied through the input terminals X0 through X3 to the 1/2-scaling circuits 2 1 through 2 4 , and also to the first inputs of the dual-input multiplexers 4 1 through 4 4 . However, as can be seen from Table 1, signal f2 becomes "1" in functional mode FC7 and the intermediate terminals R4 and R5 are respectively conducted to the input terminals X0 and X2 via the tri-state buffers 1 1 and 1 2 , thus causing the input terminals X0 and X2 to function as the output terminals.The terminals X0 and X2 are used, of course, as the input terminals in functional modes other than FC7. Four outputs from the 1/2-scaling circuits 2 1 through 2 4 are supplied to the second input of respective dual-input multiplexers 4 1 through 4 4 . Four outputs of the dual-input multiplexers 4 1 through 4 4 are supplied to thefirst input of the dual-input multiplexers 6 1 through 6 4 , respectively. Data entered through the intermediate terminals R0 through R3 are supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexers 6 1 through 6 4 . Outputs from the dual-input multiplexers 6 1 through 6 4 are conducted to the intermediate terminals U 0 through U 3 , respectively. Outputs from the dual-input multiplexers 6 1 , 6 2 , 6 3 and 6 4 are also supplied to the first input of the dual-input multiplexers 7 2 , 7 1 , 7 4 and 7 3 , respectively. Data entered through the input terminals Y0 and Y1, and outputs from thd dual-input multiplexers 5 1 and 5 2 are supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexers 7 1 through 7 4 , respectively. Outputs from the dual-input multiplexers 7 1 through 7 4 are conducted to the intermediate terminals V0 through V3,respectively. The input terminals Y0 and Y1 are also connected to the intermediate terminals Q0 and Q1, respectively. Data entered through the input terminals Y2 and Y3 are supplied to the first input of dual input multiplexers 5 1 and 5 2 , and also to the second input of the dual-input multiplexers 5 1 and 5 2 through the 2 -n -scaling circuits 3 1 and 3 2 , respectively. Outputs from the dual-input multiplexers 5 1 and 5 2 are conducted to the intermediate terminals Q2 and Q3, and outputs from the dual-input multiplexers 4 2 and 4 4 are conducted to the intermediate terminals Q4 and Q5.
Operation of the dual-input multipliers 4 1 through 4 4 , 5 1 and 5 2 , 6 1 through 6 4 and 7 1 through 7 4 is as follows. The dual-input multiplexers 4 1 through 4 4 are commonly supplied with selection signal f1. As can be seen from Table 1, f1 goes "1" in mode FC5 and remains at "0" in other functional modes. Here, an assumption is made for all dual-input multiplexers throughout the specification, that the first input (upper input terminal on the drawings)is selected and coupled to the output when the selection signal is "0", andthe second input (bottom input terminal on the drawings) is selected and coupled to the output when the selection signal is "1". Accordingly, the dual-input multiplexers 4 1 through 4 4 transmit outputs of the 1/2-scaling circuits 2 1 through 2 4 only in functional mode FC5. The dual-input multiplexers 5 1 and 5 2 are commonly supplied withf0, and they transmit outputs of the 2 -n -scaling circuits 3 1 and3 2 only in modes FC6 and FC7, as can be seen from Table 1. The dual-input multiplexers 6 1 through 6 4 are commonly supplied withselection signal f2, and they transmit data received from the intermediate terminals R0 through R3 only in mode FC7, as can be seen from Table 1. Thedual-input multiplexers 7 1 through 7 4 are commonly supplied with selection signal f3, and they transmit data received from the intermediateterminals Q0 through Q3 only in modes FC0, FC1 and FC2, as can be seen fromTable 1. In this manner, the data connection mode is determined according to the eight functional modes.
The 1/2-scaling circuits 2 1 through 2 4 and the 2 -n -scaling circuits 3 1 and 3 2 shown in FIG. 10 will now be described in detail.
The 2-n-scaling circuit shown in FIG. 11 is made up of an input terminal 8,a tapped delay element 9, a delay element 10, a dual-input multiplexer 11, an output terminal 12, a latch 13, dual-input multiplexers 14 1 , . . .14 6 and 14 7 , and an octa-input multiplexer 15. The circuit includes intermediate terminals P0, P1 and P2, and receives control signalt0, . . . t 5 and t 6 , and selection signal f0.
FIG. 11 is a detailed block diagram of the 2 -n -scaling circuit illustrated as 3 1 and 3 2 in FIG. 10, and intermediate terminals P0, P1 and P2 in FIG. 10 and intermediate terminals P3, P4 and P5 are effective for the 2 -n -scaling circuit 3 1 and 3 2 shown in FIG. 10, respectively.
Operation of the 2 -n -scaling circuit shown in FIG. 11 will now be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 13.
Data entered through the input terminal 8 is delivered to the tapped delay element 9 and the latch 13. Since input data is topped by LSB as mentionedearier, the most significant bit (MSB), i.e. the last bit, of each word is held by the latch 13 for a duration of one word length.
FIG. 13 shows in section (1) a waveform of the sync signal received at the input terminal Sin, and illustrates in section (2) data received at the input terminal Y2 and Y3. FIG. 13 illustrates in section (3) the timing ofthe output of the latch 13, showing that the output of MSB (i.e. sign bit) is latched for a duration of one word length before it is delivered out. The output from the latch 13 is supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexers 14 1 , . . . 14 6 and 14 7 . Output fromthe tapped delay element 9 is supplied to the first input of the octa-inputmultiplexer 15, and outputs of the dual-input multiplexers 14 7 , 14 6 , . . . 14 1 are supplied to the second, third . . . and eighth inputs of the octa-input multiplexer 15. The seven dual-input multiplexers 14 1 , . . . 14 6 and 14 7 are supplied with selection signals t 0 , . . . t 5 and t 6 , respectively, and they produce outputs by elongating the sign bit by 7 bits, . . . 2 bits and 1 bits, respectively.
FIG. 13 illustrates in sections (4)-a, (5)-a and (6)-a the timing of input data received by the dual-input multiplexers 14 1 , . . . 14 6 and 14 7 . FIG. 13 shows in sections (4)-b, (5)-b and (6)-b the waveform ofcontrol signals t 0 , . . . t 5 and t 6 supplied to the dual-input multiplexers 14 1 . . . 14 6 and 14 7 , respectively. FIG. 13 shows in sections (4)-c, (5)-c and (6)-c the waveform of outputs from the dual-input multiplexers 14 1 , . . . 14 6 and 14 7 , respectively. FIG. 13 illustrates in section (7) the timing of output on the last tap of the tapped delay element 9. Accordingly, the first input of the octa-input multiplexer 15 receives data without scaling, the second input receives 2 -1 -scaled data, thethird input receives 2 -2 -scaled data, and the eighth input receives 2 -7 -scaled data. Thus, the octa-input multiplexer 15 can select one of eight scaled data (scaling of 2 0 through 2 -7 ) in accordance with the combination of selection signals (0's and 1's) entered through the intermediate terminals P0, P1 and P2 (or P3, P4 and P5). Table 2 showsthe correspondence between the combination of selection signals on the intermediate terminals P0, P1 and P2 (or P3, P4 and P5) and the magnitude of the scaling.
TABLE 2______________________________________Signals on intermediate terminalsP.sub.0 (P.sub.3) P.sub.1 (P.sub.4) P.sub.2 (P.sub.5) Magnitude of scaling______________________________________0 0 0 2.sup.00 0 1 2.sup.-10 1 0 2.sup.-20 1 1 2.sup.-31 0 0 2.sup.-41 0 1 2.sup.-51 1 0 2.sup.-61 1 1 2.sup.-7______________________________________
It should be noted that eight input data delivered to the octa-input multiplexer 15 have the same LSB position, so that control signals for themultiplier and adder circuits in FIG. 1 need not vary depending on the magnitude of scaling.
Output from the octa-input multiplexer 15 is supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexer 11. Output from the tapped delay element 9 is supplied through the delay element 10 to the first input of the dual-input multiplexer 11. Output from the dual-input multiplexer 11 is conducted to the output terminal 12. The dual-input multiplexer 11 is supplied with selection signal f0, and it transmits output of the octa-input multiplexer 15 only in functional modes FC6 and FC7, as can be seen from Table 1. As will be described later, the 2 -n -scaling circuit shown in FIG. 11 is used to scale the input signal of two types of2-order recursive filters which are realized in the modes FC6 and FC7. In the foregoing description, the maximum value of "n" was assumed to be 7. However, the principle illustrated in FIG. 11 shows that the maximum valueof "n" can be increased without any difficulty. Operation of the delay element 10, which is concerned with functional mode FC4, will be describedlater.
The 1/2-scaling circuit shown in FIG. 12 is made up of an input terminal 50, an output terminal 51, a flip-flop 16, and dual-input multiplexers 17 and 18. The circuit receives control signal t 7 , and further includes an intermediate terminal P0. The 1/2-scaling circuit of FIG. 12 corresponds to 1/2-scaling circuits 2 1 through 2 4 shown in FIG. 10. Data received by the input terminal 50 is supplied to the input of theflip-flop 16 and also to the second input of the dual-input multiplexer 17.Output from the flip-flop 16 is supplied to the first input of the dual-input multiplexers 17 and 18. Output from the dual-input multiplexer 17 is supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexer 18, and output from the dual-input multiplexer 18 is delivered to the output terminal 51. The dual-input multiplexer 17 usually transmits the signal onits second input due to control signal t 7 , however, for a specific onebit of each word, it transmits only the sign bit of input data which is derived from the flip-flop 16 and received on its first input. Accordingly, the dual-input multiplexer 17 performs 1/2-scaling on data received at the input terminal 50 and delivers the result to the output terminal 51. Output of the flip-flop is identical to the input, but delayed by one bit, and thus two inputs of the dual-input multiplexer 18 have the same timing of LSB, with the first input being of data without scaling and the second input being of 1/2-scaled data. Accordingly, when the selection signal at the intermediate terminal P0 is "0", data without scaling is delivered to the output terminal 51, and when the selection signal is "1", 1/2-scaled data is delivered to the output terminal 51. Theintermediate terminal P0 corresponds to that shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 14 is a detailed block diagram of the coefficient input circuit 200 shown in FIG. 1, and the common terminal names and signal names are used in both figures. The circuit includes input terminals C0 through C7; intermediate terminals P0 through P5 and D0 through D7; dual-input multiplexers 19 1 , 19 2 , 21 1 , 21 2 , 22 1 and 22 2 ; coefficient conversion circuit 20 1 and 20 2 and latches 23 1 through 23 6 . The circuit receives selection signals f4 and f5. Prior to the description on the operation of the circuit, the data input format will first be described.
Generally, in digital signal processing, the number of bits for data must be equal to or larger than the number of bits for coefficients. The present invention is based on the assumption that when the number of coefficient bits is m (m: a positive integer), the number of data bits is m+2 or more. This condition will not limit the application field of the present invention. The hardware requirement for the multiplier, which willbe described later, depends on the number of coefficient bits, m, and 14 bits are considered sufficient in usual digital signal processing. Accordingly, in this embodiment with the value of m being set to 14, an arbitrary number not less than 16 can be set for the number of data bits. Data supplied to the input terminals C0 through C7 in FIG. 14 can contain at least 16 bits of information for each word, and 14 bits of them are assigned to the coefficient for the multiplier. Remaining two bits are assigned to information on scaling as described with reference to FIGS. 11and 12, and to information on 2's complement as will be described later, whereby the present invention provides a digital signal processor suited for LSI fabrication which is easy to use and requires less package pins.
FIG. 15 illustrates the format of data supplied to the input terminals C0 through C7 in FIG. 14. In FIG. 15, a one-bit field F is assigned to the above-mentioned scaling information, and a one-bit field G is assigned to information on 2's complement as will be described later. A 14-bit field His assigned to the coefficient bit, which is topped by LSB.
Operation of the coefficient input circuit will now be described with reference to FIG. 14.
Data having the fields specified as shown in FIG. 15 are received by the input terminals C0 through C7. Data entered through the input terminals C0, C1, C2, C4, C5 and C6 are held by latches 23 1 , 23 2 , 23 3 , 23 4 , 23 5 and 23 6 , respectively, which hold each scaling information bit shown as F in FIG. 15 for a data bit length, and deliver their outputs to the intermediate terminals P0, P1, P2, P3, P4 andP5. A 3-bit pattern on the intermediate terminals P0, P1 and P2 and another3-bit pattern on the intermediate terminals P3, P4 and P5 are supplied to the 2 -n -scaling circuits 3 1 and 3 2 of FIG. 10, respectively, so that the magnitude of scaling is determined. In this embodiment, a pair of 3 bits data are used to determine individual magnitudes of scaling, however, it is also possible to carry out scaling in the range of 2 0 to 2 -15 using each 4 bits data by adding the F-bit data received at the input terminals C4 and C7. In this case, however, the capacity of the tapped delay element 9 and the number of dual-input multiplexers 14 1 , . . . , 14 6 and 14 7 need to beincreased, and the octa-input multiplexer needs to be replaced with a 16-input multiplexer. Scaling information at the intermediate terminal P0 is also supplied to the 1/2-scaling circuits 2 1 through 2 4 in FIG. 10, and thus the 1/2-scaling circuits can perform 2 0 or 2 -1 -scaling by the scaling information in mode FC5, i.e., when the processor functions as the butterfly circuit, as will be described later.
In FIG. 14, data received at the input terminals C1 and C4 are supplied to the first and second inputs of the dual-input multiplexer 19 1 , respectively. Data received by the input terminals C5 and C7 are supplied to the first and second inputs of the dual-input multiplexer 19 2 , respectively. Output from the dual-input multiplexer 19 1 is supplied through the coefficient conversion circuit 20 1 to the second inputs of the dual-input multiplexers 21 1 and 22 1 . Output from the dual-input multiplexer 19 2 is supplied through the coefficient conversion circuit 20 2 to the second inputs of the dual-input multiplexers 21 2 and 22 2 . The dual-input multiplexers 21 1 , 22 1 , 21 2 and 22 2 are further supplied with data at their first inputs directly from the input terminals C1, C4, C5 and C7, respectively. Outputs from the dual-input multiplexers 21 1 , 22 1 ,21 2 and 22 2 are conducted to the intermediate terminals D1, D4, D5 and D7, respectively. The input termials C0, C2, C3 and C6 are directlyconnected to the intermediate terminals D0, D2, D3 and D6, respectively. The dual-input multiplexers 19 1 , 19 2 , 22 1 and 22 2 are commonly supplied with selection signal f4, and the dual-input multiplexers 21 1 and 21 2 are commonly supplied with selection signal f5. Since the selection signals f4 and f5 comply with the truth table of Table 1, connection between the input terminals C1, C4, C5 and C7and the intermediate terminals D1, D4, D5 and D7 will be as follows. In functional modes FC0, FC1, FC2 and FC7, the input terminals C1, C4, C5 andC7 are connected directly to the intermediate terminals D1, D4, D5 and D7, respectively. In functional modes FC3, FC4 and FC5, the input terminals C1and C5 are connected through the coefficient conversion circuits 20 1 and 20 2 to the intermediate terminals D1 and D5 and the input terminals C4 and C7 are directly connected to the intermediate terminals D4 and D7, respectively. In functional mode FC6, the input terminals C1 and C5 are directly connected to the intermediate terminals D1 and D5, andthe input terminals C4 and C7 are connected through the coefficient conversion circuits 20 1 and 20 2 to the intermediate terminals D5and D7, respectively.
The coefficient conversion circuits 20 1 and 20 2 will now be described in detail.
FIG. 16 is a detailed diagram of the coefficient conversion circuits 20 1 and 20 2 shown in FIG. 14. The circuit is made up of an inputterminal 52, an output terminal 53, a 2's complement circuit 24, a latch 25, and a dual-input multiplexer 26. Data having fields specified as shownin FIG. 15 is supplied through the input terminal 52 to the 2's complement circuit 24, latch 25 and the first input of the dual-input multiplexer 26.The latch 25 holds the G-bit indicating 2's complement information to produce a selection signal supplied to the dual-input multiplexer 26. Of data received by the input terminal 52, the H bits representing coefficient information are subjected to 2's complement by the complement circuit 24, and the result is supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexer 26. Details of 2's complement operation is disclosed in an article entitled "An Approach to the Implementation of Digital Filters", by L. B. Jackson et al., IEEE Transactions On Audio And Electroacoustics, VOL. AU-16 No. 3, September 1968, pp. 413-421, particularly FIG. 8 on p. 416.
In FIG. 16, the dual-input multiplexer 26 transmits data at its first inputwhen the latch 25 outputs "0", and data at its second input when the selection signal is "1". Accordingly the H-bits containing coefficient information are subjected to 2's complement and delivered to the output terminal 53 when the G-bit of data received through the input terminal 542is "1". The coefficient conversion circuit is useful particularly in performing complex multiplication. The complex multiplication can be expressed generically in the following formula:
(X+jY)(A+jB)=[AX +(-B)Y+j(BX+AY)]
The above formula necessitates three coefficients: A, -B and B, causing theexternal memory to increase for supplying these coefficients. On the other hand, the coefficient conversion circuit according to the present invention necessitates only two coefficients of A and B, making possible the reduction of hardware requirement for external circuits. The coefficient conversion circuit is used in functional modes FC3, FC4 and FC5, as described previously.
It is known that coefficients of a complex digital filter obtained from a real coefficient digital filter by shifting the frequency by f s /4 (where f s : sampling frequency) are pure real or pure imaginary values. There are six coefficients for such complex elliptic digital filter, and two pairs of them have each the same magnitude with opposite sign. Thus, the coefficient conversion circuit of this invention can advantageously be used in functional modes FC6 and FC7. The foregoing complex digital filter can be applied, for example, to transmultiplexers which can perform bilateral conversion between the Time Division Multiplexer (TDM) and Frequency Division Multiplex (FDM) signals.
FIG. 17 is a detailed block diagram of the multiplier circuit 300 shown in FIG. 1. The circuit includes intermediate terminals U0 through U3, V0 through V3, D0 through D7, and W0 through W3; multipliers 27 1 through27 8 ; and adders 28 1 through 28 4 . Eight data received by theintermediate terminals U0 through U3 and V0 through V3 are supplied to the multipliers 27 1 , 27 3 , 27 5 , 27 7 , 27 2 , 27 4 , 27 6 , and 27 8 , respectively. Eight coefficients received by the intermediate terminals D0 through D7 are supplied to the multipliers 27 1 through 27 8 . In this case, the multipliers 27 1 through 27 8 receive only H-bit data containing coefficient information as shown in FIG. 15 through the intermediate terminals D0 through D7. Outputsfrom the multipliers 27 1 and 27 2 are supplied to the adder 28 1 , outputs from the multipliers 27 3 and 27 4 are supplied to the adder 28 2 , outputs from the multipliers 27 5 and 27 6 are supplied to the adder 28 3 , and outputs from the multipliers 27 7 and 28 8 are supplied to the adder 28 4 . Outputs from the adders 28 1 through 28 4 are conducted to the intermediate terminals W0 through W3. Here, the multipliers 27 1 through 27 8 are assumed to be, for example, pipeline multipliers which do not need theguard bit. Various control signals necessary for the multipliers 27 1 through 27 8 and adders 28 1 through 28 4 are all supplied from the control signal generator 600 shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 18 is a detailed block diagram of the adder circuit 400 shown in FIG. 1. The circuit includes intermediate terminals W0 through W3, R0 through R5 and Q0 through Q5, and output terminals Z0 through Z3, and receives selection signals f0, f1, f2, f3, f4, f6, f7, f8, f9, f10, and f11. All ofthese terminal names and signal names correspond to those in FIG. 1. The circuit further includes dual-input multiplexers 29 1 , 29 2 , 30 1 , 30 2 , 32 1 , 32 2 , 33 1 through 33 4 , 36 1 , 36 2 , 40, 45 1 , and 45 2 ; delay elements 31 1 and 31 2 ; AND gates 34 1 , 34 2 , 35 1 , 35 2 , 37 1 ,37 2 , 41, and 42; adders 38 1 , 38 2 , 43 1 and 43 2 ; adder-subtractors 39 1 and 39 2 ; and overflow detection/correction circuits 44 1 and 44 2 .
In FIG. 18, data entered through the intermediate terminal W0 is supplied to the first input of the dual-input multiplexers 30 1 and 32 1 . Data entered through the intermediate terminal W1 is supplied to the firstinput of the dual-input multiplexer 29 1 and the second input of 29 2 , and also conducted to the intermediate terminal R4. Data enteredthrough the intermediate terminal W2 is supplied to the second input of thedual-input multiplexer 29 1 and the first input of 29 2 . Data from the intermediate terminal W3 is supplied to the first input of the dual-input multiplexers 33 2 and 36 2 and to the AND gate 42, and further conducted to the intermediate terminal R5. The dual-input multiplexers 29 1 and 29 2 are commonly supplied with selection signal f0, and they transmit the second input data only in functional modes FC6 and FC7, as can be seen from Table 1.
Data entered through the intermediate terminals Q0 through Q3 are supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexers 33 1 through 33 4 , respectively. Data entered through the intermediate terminals Q2and Q3 are also supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexers30 2 and 30 1 . Output from the dual-input multiplexer 30 1 is supplied through the delay element 31 1 to the second input of the dual-input multiplexer 32 1 . Output from the delay element 31 1 isconducted to the intermediate terminal R2. Output from the dual-input multiplexer 29 1 is supplied to the first input of the dual-input multiplexers 30 2 and 32 2 . Output from the dual-input multiplexer30 2 is supplied through the delay element 31 2 to the second inputof the dual-input multiplexer 32 2 . Output from the delay element 31 2 is conducted to the intermediate terminal R0. The dual-input multiplexers 30 1 and 30 2 are commonly supplied with selection signal f 2 , and they transmit the second input data only in functionalmode FC7, as can be seen from Table 1. The dual-input multiplexers 32 1 and 32 2 are commonly supplied with selection signal f4, and they transmit the second input data only in functional mode FC6, as can beseen from Table 1.
Subsequently, output from the dual-input multiplexer 32 1 is supplied to the adder 38 1 and to the first input of the dual-input multiplexer33. Output from the dual-input multiplexer 32 2 is supplied to the adder 38 2 and to the first input of the dual-input multiplexer 33 4 . Output from the dual-input multiplexer 29 2 is supplied to the first input of the dual-input multiplexers 33 1 , 36 1 and 40. The dual-input multiplexers 33 1 through 33 4 are commonly supplied with control signal f6, and they transmit the second input data in functional modes FC3, FC4, FC6 and FC7, as can be seen from Table 1. Output from the dual-input multiplexers 33 1 through 33 4 are supplied to the AND gates 34 1 , 34 2 , 35 1 and 35 2 , respectively. The AND gates 34 1 and 34 2 are commonly supplied with the selection signal f7, and they produce "0" only inmode FC0, but transmit input data in remaining seven functional modes, as can be seen from Table 1. The AND gates 35 1 and 35 2 are commonly supplied with selection signal f8, and they produce "0" only in modes FC0 and FC2, but transmit input data in remaining six functional modes, as can be seen from Table 1. Data entered through the intermediate terminals Q4 and Q5 are supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexers 36 1 and 36 2 , and outputs from them are supplied to the AND gates 37 1 and 37 2 , respectively. Outputs from the AND gates 37 1 and 37 2 are supplied to the adder-subtractors 39 1 and 39 2 , respectively. Outputs from the AND gates 34 1 , 34 2 , 35 1 and 35 2 are supplied to the adders 38 1 and 38 2 and also to adder-subtractors 39 1 and 39 2 . The dual-input multiplexers 36 1 and 36 2 are commonly supplied with selection signal f2, and they transmit the second input data only in mode FC7, as can be seen from Table 1. The AND gates 37 1 and 37 2 are commonly supplied with selection signal f9, and they produce "0" only in mode FC4, but transmit input data in remaining seven functional modes, as can be seen from Table 1. The adder-subtractors 39 1 and 39 2 are supplied with the selection signal f10, and they function as subtractors only in modes FC1 and FC5, but function as adders in remaining six functional modes, as can be seen from Table 1.
Output from the adder 38 1 is supplied to the adder 43 1 . Output from the adder 38 2 is supplied to the adder 43 2 and also to the second input of the dual-input multiplexer 40. Outputs from the AND gates 41 and 42 are supplied to the adders 43 1 and 43 2 , respectively. The dual-input multiplexer 40 is supplied with selection signal f3, and ittransmits the second input data only in modes FC0, FC1 and FC2, as can be seen from Table 1. The AND gate 41 is supplied with selection signal f11, and it transmits input data only in modes FC2 and FC4, but produces "0" inremaining six functional modes, as can be seen from Table 1. The AND gate 42 is supplied with selection signal f1, and it transmits input data only in mode FC5, but produces "0" in remaining seven functional mode, as can be seen from Table 1. Output from the adder-subtractor 39 1 is supplied to the overflow detection/correction circuit 44 1 and also tothe first input of the dual-input multiplexer 45 1 . Output from the adder-subtractor 39 2 is supplied to the overflow detection/correctioncircuit 44 2 and also to the first input of the dual-input multiplexer 45 2 . Outputs from the overflow detection/correction circuit 44 1 and 44 2 are supplied to the second input of the dual-input multiplexers 45 1 and 45 2 , and also conducted to the intermediateterminals R1 and R3. The dual-input multiplexers 45 1 and 45 2 are supplied with selection signal f0, and they transmit the second input dataonly in modes FC6 and FC7, as can be seen from Table 1. Outputs from the adders 43 1 and 43 2 and the dual-input multiplexers 45 1 and 45 2 are delivered to the output terminals Z0 through Z3, respectively.
The delay elements 31 1 and 31 2 in FIG. 18 are used to compensate the delay in the loop circuits in functional modes FC6 and FC7 which realize two types of 2-order recursive digital filters as mentioned previously. The overflow detection/correction circuits 44 1 and 44 2 are also necessary only in modes FC6 and FC7 for preventing the limit cycle oscillation in the feedback loop. The overflow detection/correction circuit is described in detail in the first-mentionedarticle entitled "Special-Purpose Hardware for Digital Filtering", by S. L.Freeny, Proceedings Of The IEEE.
As described above, the present invention offers a digital signal processorsuited for LSI fabrication, which (1) is general-purpose oriented, (2) requires less input/output pins (28 pins in the foregoing embodiment), (3)requires less external circuitry, and (4) is easy to use for the user.
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A digital signal processor is disclosed suited for LSI fabrication comprising a data input circuit for carrying out scaling on a plurality of serial data supplied through a first external terminal group; a coefficient input circuit for carrying out 2's complement conversion on a plurality of specific data from a plurality of serial data supplied through a second external terminal group; a multiplier circuit for carrying out a plurality of multiplications and additions on data from the data input and coefficient input circuits; and an adder circuit for carrying out a plurality of additions and subtractions as well as overflow detection and correction. Data connections in each of the circuits are altered depending on a combination of logical zeros and ones entered through a fourth external terminal group so that one of a plurality of functional modes is selected.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
[0001] The present invention relates to an anti-fog coating material capable of forming an insoluble coating film having a high surface hardness and a hydrophilicity and moisture absorptivity-imparting function onto substrates, such as optical lenses, spectacles and window panels for vehicles expected to show anti-fog property and anti-(moisture) condensation property, and ink jet printer recording films, and also to an anti-fog article provide with an anti-fog coating film formed by using such an anti-fog coating material.
[0002] A substrate, such as that of glass or a plastic, may become foggy when the surface temperature thereof is cooled to below a dew point of atmospheric air, and atmospheric moisture :is attached to the surface in the form of fine droplets to cause random reflection of light incident to the substrate surface. Accordingly, it may be possible to prevent the fog on the substrate by preventing such moisture droplet formation on the substrate surface. In such a fog-preventing method, for example, four measures of (A) adjustment of wettability, (B) provision of moisture absorptivity, (C) provision of water repellency and (D) moisture adjustment by heating, have been considered.
[0003] The measure (A) as by use of a surface active agent cannot provide a long lasting effect.
[0004] The effect given by the measure (B) lasts for a longer period than that given by (A), but fog is liable to occur and the surface is liable to be dissolved when the moisture exceeds the moisture-absorptive capacity.
[0005] The measure (C) provides the anti-fog property by causing water droplets to fall off the surface due to the water repellency of the surface, but cannot cope with fine water droplets.
[0006] The measure (D) provides the anti-fog effect owing to moisture adjustment by heating, but the scope of application thereof is restricted by the necessity of an electric power supply.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a coating material for providing an anti-fog coating film that is hydrophillic, moisture-absorptive and insoluble and also has an excellent surface hardness.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an anti-fog article provided with an anti-fog coating film formed by using such an anti-fog coating material.
[0009] According to the present invention, there is provided an anti-fog coating material or composition, comprising: a polyacrylic acid compound, polyvinyl alcohol and acetylacetone. The coating material may further contain sodium silicate.
[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an anti-fog article, comprising: a substrate and a coating film formed on the substrate by application of a solution containing a polyacrylic acid compound, polyvinyl alcohol and acetylacetone.
[0011] An anti-fog coating film formed of the anti-fog coating material of the present invention is water-insoluble, and has a high surface hardness and excellent durability. Such properties may be attributable to an improved-mutual solubility between the polyacrylic acid compound and the polyvinyl alcohol accomplished by the presence of acetylacetone therebetween. More specifically, a polyacrylic acid compound and polyvinyl alcohol have poor mutual solubility therebetween but are both well dissolved together with acetylacetone to form a uniform coating film. The coating film is hard, excellent in durability and water-insoluble. This is presumably because the improved mutual solubility between the polyacrylic acid compound and polyvinyl alcohol promotes mutual interaction of polymer chains of these compounds to provide an insoluble coating film, wherein the acetylacetone is retained presumably in a state of chemically bonded with the polyacrylic acid compound and the polyvinyl alcohol.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] Preferred examples of the polyacrylic acid compound may include: polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, and lower alkyl (C1-C4) esters, particularly methyl and ethyl esters, respectively, of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid. It is preferred that the alkyl esters of polyacrylic acid and polymethacrylic acid respectively have a saponification degree (i.e., mols of hydrolyzed ester groups×100/(mols of hydrolyzed ester groups+mols of non-hydrolyzed ester groups) of 10-30 mol. %. The polyacrylic acid compound may preferably have a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 50,000-350,000 in terms of polystyrene-equivalent molecular weight according to gel permeation chromatography (GPC).
[0013] The polyvinyl alcohol used in the present invention may preferably be in the form of a partially or incompletely saponified product of polyvinyl acetate that has a polymerization degree (Dp) of at least 1,000, is soluble in an organic solvent and has a saponification degree (i.e., mols of hydroxyl group×100/(mols of acetyl group+mols of hydroxyl group) of 65-85 mol %; more preferably 75-82 mol. %. The polyvinyl alcohol may preferably be used in an amount of 100-1000 wt. parts (as solid) per 100 wt. parts (as solid) of the polyacrylic acid compound.
[0014] Acetylacetone may be used in the coating material of the present invention before the application thereof in an amount of 3-50 wt. parts per 100 wt. parts (as solid) of the total of the polyacrylic acid compound and the polyvinyl alcohol.
[0015] The anti-fog coating material according to the present invention before the application thereof may preferably be in the form of a solution in an organic solvent, which may preferably be a water-miscible organic solvent, such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. The organic solvent may further preferably be used in combination with water. The preferred ratio of the organic solvent to water may be different depending on the particular solvent used, e.g., 80-120 wt. parts of methyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol, or 40-80 wt. parts of isopropyl alcohol, respectively, per 100 wt. parts of water.
[0016] The anti-fog coating material according to the present invention may further preferably contain sodium silicate, which may preferably have an SiO 2 /Na 2 O mol ratio of 2.1-3.1 The sodium silicate may preferably be used in 0.5-10 wt. parts (as solid) per 100 wt. parts (as solid) of the total of the polyacrylic acid compound and the polyvinyl alcohol.
[0017] The anti-fog coating material according to the present invention may be used to coat a substrate, examples of which may include: glass articles and plastic articles, such as, lenses, optical parallel plates, and mirrors, prisms.
[0018] The anti-fog article according to the present invention may for example be prepared in the following manner. The above-mentioned respective components of the anti-fog coating material are blended to form a clear coating liquid. Then, the coating liquid is applied onto at least one surface of a substrate as described above and dried under heating at a temperature of at least 80° C., preferably 120-200° C., to provide an anti-fog article of the present invention. The above coating limpid application may be repeated several times, as desired, to provide an increased thickness of the coating film, with or without heating after each application. The heating may also be performed after several times of application.
[0019] The color film may preferably have a thickness of 0.01 μm -1.0 μm, e.g., for optical lenses, and 1.0 μm -10.0 μm, e.g., for window panels. The coating film thickness may be adjusted appropriately by applying a thick layer of the coating liquid or by repeatedly applying the coating liquid in superposition.
[0020] The thus-prepared anti-static article may have a surface provided with anti-fog property and anti-condensation property. The resultant anti-fog coating film is insoluble in water and organic solvent and exhibits a high surface hardness.
[0021] In a preferred embodiment of preparation of the anti-fog coating material according to the present invention, the polyacrylic acid compound and polyvinyl alcohol are dissolved in a solvent mixture of a lower alcohol, as an organic solvent, and water, and acetylacetone is added to form a uniform coating mixture liquid, which may be dried to provide a uniform film layer through uniform drying without exceeding mutual solubility-separation limit during the film formation step owing to the function of the acetylacetone.
[0022] In another preferred embodiment of preparation of the anti-fog coating material according to the present invention, the polyacrylic acid compound, polyvinyl alcohol and sodium silicate are blended and dissolved in a solvent mixture of a lower alcohol and water, followed by addition of acetylacetone to form a uniform coating mixture liquid, which may be dried while precipitating SiO 2 due to hydrolysis of the sodium silicate to provide a uniform film layer through uniform drying without exceeding mutual solubility-separation limit during the film formation step owing to the function of the acetylacetone. The sodium silicate may be contained in the resultant coating film in its hydrolyzed form.
[EXAMPLES]
[0023] Hereinbelow, the present invention will be described more specifically based on Examples.
Example 1
[0024] [0024] TABLE 1 Polymethylmethacrylate 20 mol. %-saponified 52.0 wt. parts product (Mw = 15 × 10 4 ) (2.3 wt. % solution in water/methanol (= 100/100 by weight) Polyvinyl alcohol 10 wt. %-aqueous solution 47.1 wt. parts (Dp = 2000, ca. 82 mol. %-saponified product) Acetylacetone 0.9 wt. part Total 100.0 wt. parts
[0025] A coating liquid was prepared according to the prescription shown in Table 1 above (with the respective components indicated in weight parts). More specifically, into 52.0 wt. parts of 2.3 wt. %-solution in methanol/water of 20 mol. %-saponified polymethyl methacrylate (prepared-by dissolving the polymethyl methacrylate in methyl alcohol, followed by addition of sodium hydroxide aqueous solution in an amount sufficient for 20 mol. %-saponification and stirring for 30 min.), 10 %-aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol (Dp (average polymerization degree)=2000, Dsap. (saponification degree)=ca. 82 mol. %) was added, and the resultant mixture was further stirred for 10 min. at room temperature (25° C.), followed by addition of acetylacetone and 15 min. of stirring at room temperature, to prepare a coating liquid.
[0026] The thus-prepared coating liquid was colorless and clear and applied onto a glass sheet of 40 mm×70 mm×1 mm(t) at a pulling-up speed of 30 mm/min by using a dip coater, followed by 10 min. of drying under heating at 100° C., to provide a uniform, colorless and clear Coating film having a thickness of 3.0 μm.
[0027] The coated glass sheet was then stored for 5 min. in a refrigerator (at ca. 0° C.) and then left standing in an environment of 25° C. and 81% relative humidity, whereby no fog occurred at all on the coated surfaces of the glass sheet. Further, one surface of the coated glass sheet was wiped 20 times with a lens-cleaning paper (“Dasper” (trade name), OZU Co., Ltd., Tokyo) soaked with water under a load of 200 g, whereby the coating film was not peeled off at all or damaged at all.
[0028] Comparative Example 1
[0029] A coating liquid was prepared and applied onto a glass sheet in the same manner as in Example 1 except for omitting the addition of the acetylacetone. After the drying and heating, a somewhat turbid coating film was formed in a thickness of 2-8 μm. As a result of the same tests as in Example 1, no fog occurred on the coating film, but the coating film caused peeling-off after ca. 5 times of the wiping.
Example 2
[0030] [0030] TABLE 2 Methyl acrylate/ethyl acrylate/ 50.0 wt. parts methacrylic acid (40/40/2 by weight) copolymer ammonium salt (Mw = 12 × 10 4 ) (2.5 wt. % solution in water/methanol) Polyvinyl alcohol (Dp = 2000, 49.0 wt. parts Dsap = ca. 82 mol. %) (10 wt. % aqueous solution) Acetylacetone 1.0 wt. part Total 100.0 wt. parts
[0031] A coating liquid was prepared according to the prescription shown in Table 2 above and applied onto a glass sheet, followed by drying under heating, in the same manner as in Example 1, whereby a uniform, colorless and clear coating film was formed in a thickness of 3.3 μm. As a result of the tests in the same manner as in Example 1, the coating film caused no fog at all on the surface and caused no peeling or damage after the wiping.
Example 3
[0032] [0032] Polymethyl acrylate 20 mol. %-saponified 50.3 wt. parts product (Mw = 15 × 10 4 ) (2.5 wt. %-solution in water/methanol) Polyvinyl alcohol (Dp = 2000, Dsap = 45.7 wt. parts ca. 82 mol. %) (10 wt. %-aqueous solution) Sodium silicate (SiO 2 /Na 2 O = 3.1 3.1 wt. parts (by mol)-aqueous solution Acetylacetone 0.9 wt. part Total 100.0 wt. parts
[0033] A coating liquid was prepared according to the prescription shown in Table 3 above and applied onto a glass sheet, followed by 10 min. of drying under heating at 130° C., otherwise in the same manner as in Example 1, whereby a uniform, colorless and clear coating film was formed in a thickness of 3.0 μm. As a result of the tests in the same manner as in Example 1, the coating film caused no fog at all on the surf ace and caused no peeling or damage after 20 times of wiping with water-soaked lens-cleaning paper.
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An anti-fog article is obtained by coating a substrate with an anti-fog coating material to form thereon an anti-fog coating film that is hydrophillic, moisture-absorptive, insoluble and excellent in surface hardness. The anti-fog coating material contains a polyacrylic acid compound, polyvinyl alcohol and acetylacetone, and optionally sodium silicate.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/731,934 filed Mar. 25, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth in detail herein.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates in general to power tools. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a pivoting blade retainer for power tools having a saw blade mounted to a shaft for reciprocating cutting motion.
BACKGROUND
[0003] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
[0004] Power reciprocating saws including jigsaws and other reciprocating saws are generally referred to in the trade as “recip” saws. These saws incorporate reciprocating drive shafts. The drive shafts can operate to drive generally linear saw blades along a predetermined path so as to provide one of a rectilinear or orbital cutting action.
[0005] In a conventional manner, the saw blades used with such power tools can be attached to the reciprocating drive shafts through a blade holder having a slot for receiving the saw blade and a set screw which can be received in a hole in the blade. The blade can be clamped in place relative to the reciprocating drive shaft through tightening of the set screw. While this conventional manner of saw blade attachment has proven to be generally satisfactory and commercially successful, it is nonetheless desirable to provide an improved blade clamping mechanism.
SUMMARY
[0006] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
[0007] A saw blade clamping arrangement for a power tool is disclosed. The saw blade clamping arrangement can be operatively configured for use with a power tool that includes a housing and a drive shaft mounted for reciprocating motion relative to the housing and having a longitudinal drive axis. A saw blade can be releasably interconnected with the drive shaft for reciprocating motion along a longitudinal axis. The saw blade clamping arrangement can include a clamp support base that is operatively coupled for movement with the drive shaft and has a first and a second, saw blade slots. First and second locking members can be operatively associated with the clamp support base and be movable between a locked position that selectively locks the blade in one of the corresponding first and second slots, and an unlocked position that releases the blade.
[0008] A release lever can have a user engagement portion, a first cam surface and a second cam surface. The release lever can be mounted relative to the clamp support base for rotational movement about a pivot axis. The release member can be movable between a first position that corresponds to the locked position and a second position that corresponds to the unlocked position. Rotation of the release lever from the second position to the first position can cause the first cam surface to urge the first locking member at least partially into the first slot and the second cam surface to concurrently urge the second locking member at least partially into the second slot.
[0009] According to additional features, the release lever can be unitary. A pivot pin can be coupled to the support base that defines a pivot axis that the release member rotates about. The pivot pin can be coupled to the support base at a location that can be equidistant and/or in line with the first and second slots. A biasing member can be operably associated with the clamp support base that urges the release lever into the first position.
[0010] According to other features, the first and second cam members can directly contact the first and second locking members in the locked position. The first and second locking members can be spherically shaped. The release lever can include first and second concave surfaces that align with and nestingly receive the first and second locking members in the unlocked position. The clamp support base can define a first and a second cavity that accommodate the first and second locking members, respectively. The clamp support base can define a first and a second groove that oppose the respective first and second cam surfaces of the release lever. The release lever can be configured to rotate through substantially about forty-five degrees of motion around the pivot axis between the first position and the second position.
[0011] According to additional features, the release lever can be configured to alternatively lock either the first or the second locking member in the locked position.
[0012] In a further form, the present teachings provide a reciprocating saw that includes a housing, a drive shaft coupled to the housing for reciprocating motion along an axis and a clamping arrangement having a clamp support base, first and second locking members, a pivot pin, and a release lever. The clamp support base is coupled to the drive shaft for movement therewith and defines a first blade slot, a first cavity, a second blade slot and a second cavity. The first blade slot extends parallel to the axis and is configured to receive a saw blade therein. The first cavity is adjacent to the first blade slot. The second blade slot extends parallel to the axis and is configured to receive the saw blade therein. The second cavity is adjacent to the second blade slot. The first locking member is received in the first cavity and movable between a disengaged position, which does not inhibit withdrawal of the saw blade from the first blade slot, and an engaged position that inhibits withdrawal of the saw blade from the first blade slot. The second locking member is received in the second cavity and movable between a disengaged position, which does not inhibit withdrawal of the saw blade from the second blade slot, and an engaged position that inhibits withdrawal of the saw blade from the second blade slot. The pivot pin is coupled to the clamp support base. The release lever has a first unlocking surface, a second unlocking surface and a cam surface disposed between the first and second locking surfaces. The release lever is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin and movable between a first closed position and a second closed position. When the release lever is in the first closed position, the first unlocking surface is disposed in-line with the first cavity, permitting movement of the first locking member from its engaged position to its disengaged position, and the cam surface is in-line with the second cavity preventing movement of the second locking member from its engaged position to its disengaged position. When the release lever is in the second closed position, the cam surface is in-line with the first cavity preventing movement of the first locking member from its engaged position to its disengaged position, and the second unlocking surface is disposed in-line with the second cavity, permitting movement of the second locking member from its engaged position to its disengaged position.
[0013] In another form, the present teachings provide a reciprocating saw that includes a housing, a drive shaft coupled to the housing for reciprocating motion along an axis and a clamping mechanism with a clamp support base, first and second locking members, a pivot pin, and a release lever. The clamp support base is coupled to the drive shaft for movement therewith and defines a first blade slot, a first cavity, a second blade slot and a second cavity. The first blade slot extends parallel to the axis and is configured to receive a saw blade therein. The first cavity is adjacent to the first blade slot. The second blade slot extends parallel to the axis and is configured to receive the saw blade therein. The second cavity is adjacent to the second blade slot. The first locking member is received in the first cavity and is movable between a disengaged position, which does not inhibit withdrawal of the saw blade from the first blade slot, and an engaged position that inhibits withdrawal of the saw blade from the first blade slot. The second locking member is received in the second cavity and is movable between a disengaged position, which does not inhibit withdrawal of the saw blade from the second blade slot, and an engaged position that inhibits withdrawal of the saw blade from the second blade slot. The pivot pin is coupled to the clamp support base. The release lever is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin and movable between a first position and a second position. Rotation of the release lever about the pivot pin between the first and second positions coordinates movement of the first and second locking elements between their disengaged and engaged positions.
[0014] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
DRAWINGS
[0015] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary reciprocating saw that incorporates a clamping arrangement constructed in accordance to the present teachings, the saw blade clamping arrangement shown operatively associated with a saw blade in a first orientation;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of the exemplary reciprocating saw of FIG. 1 , the saw blade clamping arrangement shown operatively associated with the saw blade in a second orientation;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of the reciprocating saw of FIG. 1 , the saw blade clamping arrangement shown operatively associated with the saw blade in a third orientation;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of the reciprocating saw of FIG. 1 , the saw blade clamping arrangement shown operatively associated with the saw blade in a fourth orientation;
[0020] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the saw blade clamping arrangement of FIG. 1 and shown with an exemplary saw blade;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the saw blade clamping arrangement of FIG. 5 and taken along lines 6 - 6 , the saw blade clamping arrangement shown with a release lever in the closed position;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the saw blade clamping arrangement of FIG. 6 and shown with the release lever in the open position;
[0023] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a saw blade clamping arrangement according to additional features and shown with a release lever in a first closed position;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the saw blade clamping arrangement of FIG. 8 and shown with the release lever in a second closed position; and
[0025] FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the clamp support base.
[0026] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0028] The present disclosure provides an improved saw blade clamping arrangement for a power tool. While shown throughout the drawings in one embodiment for a saw blade clamping arrangement specifically adapted for a reciprocating saw, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosure is not so limited in scope. In this regard, the various teachings of the present disclosure will be understood to be readily adaptable for use with any power tool incorporating one or more reciprocating cutting members (e.g., reciprocating saws, jigsaws, various surgical saws and culinary knives, etc.).
[0029] With reference now generally to the drawings in which identical or equivalent elements have been denoted with like reference numerals, and specifically to FIGS. 1-4 thereof, an exemplary power tool is shown and generally identified at reference numeral 10 . The exemplary power tool 10 embodies the teachings of the present disclosure and is illustrated in FIG. 1 as a power reciprocating saw. In a conventional manner, the power reciprocating saw 10 can be powered by a motor (not shown) that can be actuated by a trigger switch 12 . The delivery of electrical energy to the motor through a power cord (partially shown at reference numeral 14 ) can be controlled by the trigger switch 12 . In other examples, the power tool 10 can be alternatively powered by a battery.
[0030] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the power tool 10 can include a handle portion 16 that carries the trigger switch 12 . The power tool 10 can also include a housing 18 that has a centrally located motor housing portion 20 and a forwardly located gear case housing portion 22 . The power tool 10 can further include a drive shaft 26 that partially extends within a drive shaft channel (not specifically shown) and operatively connected with a drive mechanism (not specifically shown) housed within the gear case housing portion 22 . The inner connection between the drive mechanism and the drive shaft 26 can be in any manner well known in the art. The drive shaft 26 can be mounted for reciprocating motion generally along a longitudinal axis defined by the power tool 10 . A button or cover 28 can be arranged on the gear case housing portion 22 that communicates with a release lever as will become appreciated from the following discussion.
[0031] The drive shaft 26 can be adapted to cooperate with a cutting member, such as a saw blade 30 (see also FIG. 5 ) for driving the saw blade 30 back and forth in a cutting motion along a rectilinear path. In this regard, the reciprocating drive shaft 26 can be formed to include a transversely extending aperture for receiving a drive pin (not specifically shown). Additional description of the drive shaft 26 and its operation relative to other components of the power tool 10 may be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,315, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
[0032] With brief reference now to FIG. 5 , the exemplary saw blade 30 can conventionally include a forwardly located cutting portion 34 that has teeth 35 and is integrally formed with a rearwardly located mounting portion 36 . In a manner well known in the art, an aperture or blade hole 38 can be formed in the mounting portion 36 of the saw blade 30 . As will become appreciated from the following discussion, the aperture 38 is operable to selectively receive locking members to secure the position of the saw blade 30 relative to the power tool 10 .
[0033] Returning now to FIGS. 1-4 , the power tool 10 of the present disclosure further includes a clamping arrangement 50 for releasably maintaining the saw blade 30 in operative connection with the reciprocating drive shaft 26 . The saw blade clamping arrangement 50 according to the present disclosure can be operable to accommodate the saw blade 30 in various orientations. As will become appreciated below, this aspect of the present disclosure can provide a user of the power tool 10 with improved flexibility to avoid obstacles that may be encountered during cutting operations.
[0034] Prior to addressing the specific construction and operation of the clamping arrangement 50 , a brief description of the various saw blade orientations will be explained. FIG. 1 illustrates a first cutting position in which the blade 30 can be disposed in a generally vertical plane and the teeth 35 of the blade 30 can be oriented downward. The blade orientation as illustrated in FIG. 1 is typical of known reciprocating saws. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , a second cutting position is shown in which the blade 30 can again be oriented in a generally vertical plane. In the second cutting position, the teeth 35 of the blade 30 can be oriented upward. Turning now to FIG. 3 , a third cutting position in which the blade 30 can be oriented in a generally horizontal plane is shown. In the third position, the cutting position is perpendicular as compared to the first and second cutting positions. As illustrated in FIG. 4 , a fourth cutting position is shown in which the blade 30 can again be oriented in a generally horizontal plane. In the fourth cutting position, the teeth 35 of the blade 30 can be oriented in a generally opposite direction to the third cutting position shown in FIG. 3 .
[0035] With additional reference now to FIG. 5 , the clamping arrangement 50 can generally include a clamp support base 52 , a pivoting blade retainer or release lever 54 , a first locking member 56 and a second locking member 58 . According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the first and second locking members 56 and 58 can be in the form of spherical balls. Other configurations are contemplated such as, but not limited to cylindrical, oval, oblong and pin-shaped. The first and second locking members 56 and 58 can be formed of rigid material, including metal, such as stainless steel for example. The clamp support base 52 can define a first or vertical slot 60 for receiving the blade 30 in either the first cutting position (as shown in FIG. 1 ) or the second cutting position (as shown in FIG. 2 ). The clamp support base 52 can further include a second or horizontal slot 62 . The second slot 62 can receive the saw blade 30 in the third cutting position ( FIG. 3 ) or the fourth cutting position ( FIG. 4 ). Notably, the second slot 62 can be spaced relative to the first slot 60 . In this manner, the saw blade 30 can be off-center relative to the drive shaft 26 and positioned proximate to a sidewall of the tool housing 18 . Such positioning of the saw blade 30 closer to the sidewall of the tool housing 18 can facilitate a flush cutting of a workpiece with the saw blade 30 . Furthermore, the first slot 60 and the second slot 62 can be arranged in a non-intersecting manner on the clamp support base 52 . Other configurations such as intersecting are contemplated.
[0036] Briefly, with continued reference to FIG. 5 and additional reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 , the release lever 54 of the saw blade clamping arrangement 50 can be operable to rotate between a first or closed position ( FIG. 6 ) where the first and second locking members 56 and 58 are urged into the first and second slots 60 and 62 , respectively, for engagement with a saw blade 30 . For illustrative purposes, the saw blade 30 is shown secured relative to the second cavity 62 however it is appreciated that the saw blade can similarly be positioned in the first cavity 60 . The release lever 54 can be selectively rotated to an unlocked or open position where the first and second locking members 56 and 58 are permitted to retract away from the first and second slots 60 and 62 in a direction toward the release lever 54 , such that the blade 30 can be selectively removed from the first or second slot 60 and 62 .
[0037] The clamp support base 52 can include a mounting bore 70 that selectively receives a fastener or other mounting hardware for coupling a dust cover 71 ( FIG. 10 ). The clamp support base 52 can further include a first locking ball cavity 72 and a second locking ball cavity 74 . The first and second locking ball cavities 72 and 74 can be arranged for at least partially accommodating the first and second locking members 56 and 58 , respectively. A first groove 80 can be formed on the clamp support base 52 adjacent to the first slot 60 . The first groove 80 can oppose the first locking member 56 when release lever 54 is in the closed position ( FIG. 6 ). A second groove 82 can be formed in the clamp support base 52 that opposes the second locking member 58 when the release lever 54 is in the locked position ( FIG. 6 ).
[0038] The release lever 54 can generally include a user interaction portion 84 and a locking portion 86 . The release lever 54 can be fixedly mounted around a pin 90 that is rotatably coupled to the clamp support base 52 . The release lever 54 can define a passage 91 that receives the pin 90 . In general, the release lever 54 can rotate with the pin 90 around an axis 92 defined by the pin 90 between the closed position ( FIG. 6 ) and the open position ( FIG. 7 ). In other examples, the release lever 54 can rotate around the pin 90 that is fixed relative to the clamp support base 52 . In the example shown, the release lever 54 can rotate about forty-five degrees around the pin 90 between the closed and open positions. Other configurations are contemplated. According to one example, the release lever 54 can be a unitary piece formed of rigid material, such as metal including stainless steel for example. A positive stop 93 can be provided on the release lever 54 that engages a surface of the clamp support base 52 ( FIG. 7 ) to preclude over-rotation in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 7 . A similar positive stop (not specifically shown) can be provided to preclude over-rotation in the clockwise direction.
[0039] The locking portion 86 of the release lever 54 will now be described in greater detail. The locking portion 86 can have an engaging surface 96 that collectively includes a first concave surface 100 , a first cam surface 102 , a second concave surface 104 and a second cam surface 106 . In one example, the first and second concave surfaces 100 and 104 can substantially match the outer profile of the first and second locking members 56 and 58 , respectively. Notably, a smooth arcuate transition can be provided along the engaging surface 96 from the first and second concave surfaces 100 and 104 to the first and second cam surfaces 102 and 106 , respectively. The smooth arcuate transitions can facilitate a smooth and uniform engagement of the release lever 54 with the first and second locking members 56 and 58 during rotation of the release lever 54 between the closed and open positions.
[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 6 , with the release lever 54 in the closed position the first cam surface 102 of the locking portion 86 is substantially aligned for engagement with the first locking member 56 and the second cam surface 106 is substantially aligned for engagement with the second locking member 58 . In this regard, the respective first and second cam surfaces 102 and 106 can operatively urge the first and second locking members 56 and 58 at least partially into the respective first and second slots 60 and 62 in the closed position. With the first and second locking members 56 and 58 urged at least partially into the respective first and second slots 60 and 62 , the first and second locking members 56 and 58 can engage the blade 30 , such as at the blade hole 38 , to lock the blade 30 to the clamp support base 52 at the first or second slot 60 , 62 . In one example, a biasing member 110 can be arranged for urging the release level 54 into the closed position illustrated in FIG. 5 . A biasing member 110 ′ ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ) can additionally or alternatively be arranged around the pin 90 for urging the release lever 54 into the closed position.
[0041] With specific reference now to FIGS. 6 and 7 , rotation of the release lever 54 from the locked position ( FIG. 6 ) into the unlocked position ( FIG. 7 ) will be described. Rotation of the release lever 54 in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 7 can align the first and second concave surfaces 100 and 104 with the respective first and second locking members 56 and 58 and allow the respective first and second locking members 56 and 58 to at least partially withdraw from the first and second slots 60 and 62 . Concurrently, the first and second locking members 56 and 58 can be permitted to nestingly locate against the first and second concave surfaces 100 and 104 of the locking portion 86 of the release lever 54 .
[0042] As can be appreciated, with the first and second locking members 56 and 58 retracted away from the first and second slots 60 and 62 , the saw blade 30 can be removed from the first or second slot 60 , 62 . It will also be appreciated that manual withdrawal of the saw blade 30 can further encourage the first and second locking members 56 and 58 to move toward the first and second concave surfaces 100 and 104 by a ramping action of the first and second locking members over the saw blade 30 at the blade hole 38 . According to the exemplary embodiment, a distance D 1 measured between the pivot axis 92 and the first slot 60 can be equidistant and/or in line with a second distance D 2 measured between the pivot axis 92 and the second slot 62 . Such a relationship can facilitate uniform force transmission onto the first and second locking members 56 and 58 during rotation of the release lever 54 to the closed position.
[0043] Rotation of the release lever 54 from the open position ( FIG. 7 ) back to the closed position ( FIG. 6 ) will be briefly described. As the release lever 54 rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from FIG. 7 , the first locking member 56 transitions from engagement with the first concave surface 100 into engagement with the first cam surface 102 . As identified above, a transition from the first concave surface 100 to the first cam surface 102 along the engaging surface 96 can be a smooth arcuate surface that encourages a smooth ramping movement along the outer surface of the first locking member 56 . Similarly, the second locking member 58 transitions along the engaging surface 96 from engagement with the second concave surface 104 to the second cam surface 106 . Again, the transition from the second concave surface 104 to the second cam surface 106 on the locking portion 86 of the release lever 54 can include a generally smooth and arcuate surface that promotes a smooth ramping engagement with the second locking member 58 . Rotation back to the closed position is further encouraged by the biasing force of the biasing member 110 (and/or 110 ′).
[0044] The blade clamping arrangement 50 according to the present teachings can be particularly robust over other blade clamps. More particularly, the blade clamp arrangement 50 can require only a rotational motion of a release lever that cams retaining balls into contact with a blade. Secondary components, such as sliders, etc. and/or additional motions, such as linear translations etc. are not necessary. In this regard, the blade clamping arrangement 50 can be less prone to binding up such as a result of debris build up, contamination or rust for example.
[0045] Turning now to FIGS. 8 and 9 , a clamping arrangement 150 constructed in accordance to additional features of the present teachings will be shown. Unless otherwise described herein, the clamping arrangement 150 can be constructed similar to the clamping arrangement 50 described above and shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 . In this regard, like features have been identified with similar reference numerals increased by 100 . The clamping arrangement 150 can generally include a clamp support base 152 , a pivoting blade retainer or release lever 154 , a first locking member 156 and a second locking member 158 . According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the first and second locking members 156 and 158 can be in the form of spherical balls however other shapes such as described above with respect to the first and second locking members 56 and 58 are contemplated.
[0046] The clamp support base 152 can define a first or vertical slot 160 receiving the blade 30 in either the first cutting position (as shown in FIG. 1 ) or the second cutting position (as shown in FIG. 2 ). The clamp support base 152 can further include a second or horizontal slot 162 . The second slot 162 can receive the saw blade 30 in the third cutting position ( FIG. 3 ) or the fourth cutting position ( FIG. 4 ). As will become appreciated from the following discussion, the release lever 154 is movable between a first closed position as shown in FIG. 8 that clamps a saw blade 30 within the vertical cut slot 160 and a second closed position as illustrated in FIG. 9 that clamps the saw blade 30 in the horizontal cut slot 162 .
[0047] With specific reference now to FIG. 8 , the release lever 154 of the saw blade clamping arrangement 150 can be operable to rotate between the first closed position where the first locking member 156 is urged into the first slot 160 for engagement with a saw blade 30 . While the release lever 154 is urging the first locking member 156 into locking engagement with the saw blade 30 in the first slot 160 , the second locking member 158 is in a retracted position relative to the horizontal slot 162 . With specific reference to FIG. 9 , with the release lever 154 rotated into the second closed position, the first locking member 156 is retracted from the vertical slot 160 and the second locking member 158 is urged into the second slot 162 for engagement with a saw blade 30 .
[0048] The clamp support base 152 can further include a first locking ball cavity 172 and a second locking ball cavity 174 . The first and second locking ball cavities 172 and 174 can be arranged for accommodating at least portions of the first and second locking members 156 and 158 , respectively. The release lever 154 can generally include a user interaction portion 184 and a locking portion 186 . The release lever 154 can be fixedly mounted around a pin 190 that is rotatably coupled to the clamp support base 152 . In general, the release lever 154 can rotate with the pin 190 between the first closed position ( FIG. 8 ) and the second closed position ( FIG. 9 ). In other configurations, the release lever 154 can rotate around the pin 190 that is fixed relative to the clamp support base 152 . In the example shown, the release lever 154 can rotate about ninety degrees with the pin 190 between the first and second closed positions. Other configurations are contemplated.
[0049] The locking portion 186 of the release lever 154 will now be described in greater detail. The locking portion 186 can have an engaging surface 196 that collectively includes a first concave surface 200 , a cam surface 202 , and a second concave surface 204 . In one example, the first and second concave surfaces 200 and 204 can substantially match the outer profile of the first and second locking members 156 and 158 , respectively. A smooth, arcuate transition can be provided along the engaging surface 196 from the first and second concave surfaces 200 and 204 to the cam surface 202 . The smooth arcuate transition can facilitate a smooth and uniform engagement of the release lever 154 with the first and second locking members 156 and 158 during rotation of the release lever 154 between the first and second closed positions.
[0050] With particular reference now to FIG. 8 , with the release lever 154 in the first closed position, the cam surface 202 of the locking portion 186 is substantially aligned for engagement with the first locking member 156 and the second concave surface 204 is substantially aligned for engagement with the second locking member 158 . In this regard, the cam surface 202 can operatively urge the first locking member 156 at least partially into the first slot 160 in the first closed position. With the first locking member 156 urged at least partially into the first slot 160 , the first locking member 156 can engage the blade 30 , such as at the blade hole 38 , to lock the blade 30 to the clamp support base 152 at the first slot 160 .
[0051] With reference now FIG. 9 , with the release lever 154 in the second closed position, the cam surface 202 of the locking portion 186 is substantially aligned for engagement with the second locking member 158 and the first concave surface 200 is substantially aligned for engagement with the first locking member 156 . In this regard, the cam surface 202 can operatively urge the second locking member 158 at least partially into the second slot 162 in the second closed position. With the second locking member 158 urged at least partially into the second slot 162 , the second locking member 158 can engage the blade 30 , such as at the blade hole 38 , to lock the blade 32 to the clamp support base 152 at the second slot 162 .
[0052] Turning now to FIG. 10 , additional features of the clamp support base 52 will be described. While the foregoing additional features are described with respect to the clamp support base 52 , they may also be incorporated in the clamp support base 152 . For illustrative purposes, the release lever 54 and biasing member 110 have been removed. As shown, a pair of opposing rails 220 and 222 can extend from walls 224 and 226 , respectively on the clamp support base 52 . The walls 224 and 226 can have arcuate surfaces 227 and 228 that define apertures 230 and 232 , respectively that support the pin 90 ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ). A width of the release lever 54 can be configured to slidably engage respective surfaces of the opposing rails 220 and 222 .
[0053] In one advantage, friction can be reduced on the release lever 54 as it may only slidably engage the reduced surface area of the rails 220 and 222 as opposed to the entire surface of the walls 224 and 226 . Furthermore, the rails 220 and 222 can encourage dust and debris to be scraped or otherwise removed from the outer surfaces of the release lever 54 during rotation of the release lever 54 with the pin 90 . In this regard, the rails 220 and 222 can minimize the surface area that can be contaminated by dust and debris. Moreover, the pin 90 can rotate around the arcuate surfaces 227 and 228 defining the apertures 230 and 232 (rather than the release lever 54 rotating around the pin 90 ). As the collective surface area of the surfaces 227 and 228 is relatively smaller than a surface area defined by the passage 91 ( FIG. 6 ) through the release lever 54 , a reduced friction can be realized during rotation of the release lever 54 . In addition, the friction areas (i.e., the surfaces of the opposing rails 220 and 222 ) that slidably engage the release lever 54 and the arcuate surfaces 227 and 228 that slidably engage the pin 90 are near the center of rotation of the release lever 54 (i.e., axis 92 ). In this regard, the moment arm created by the release lever 54 around the axis 92 can offer a user a mechanical advantage that can overcome the friction described above with minimal resistance during rotation of the release lever 54 .
[0054] The dust cover 71 is shown covering the second slot 62 . The dust cover 71 can include a protruding tab 234 for user engagement during rotation. The dust cover 71 can be rotated about a pivot axis 236 to cover an entrance to the first slot 60 .
[0055] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
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A reciprocating saw having a clamping arrangement with a clamp support base, first and second locking members and a release lever. The clamp support base defines first and second blade slots that are each configured to receive a saw blade therein. Each of the first and second locking members are movable between a disengaged position, which does not inhibit withdrawal of the saw blade from the a corresponding one of the first and second blade slots, and an engaged position that inhibits withdrawal of the saw blade from the corresponding one of the first and second blade slots. The release lever is pivotally coupled to the clamp support base and coordinates movement of the first and second locking members.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The field of the invention is subterranean tools and more particularly tools that release hydraulically with a backup protected shear release that further provides a soft release to avoid damaging components in the shear release alternative.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Frequently an upper string needs to be anchored to a packer to support tools on the string such as an electric submersible pump. Such tools block access below the packer and on some occasions need to be removed from the wellbore for maintenance. Typically the packer has an associated barrier valve that needs to be closed when the upper completion is released from the packer. To hold the upper completion to the packer generally in a polished bore receptacle an anchor or disconnect is used. There are several concerns with such applications that are run in together attached to the packer. There is the concern of an unintentional disconnection such as when setting the packer with internal pressure or when trying to get the assembly to advance to the desired location. In tools that disconnect with an applied force to break a shear pin there is also a concern that the stretch in the string at the time of release would provide a violent ricochet and damage some of the parts such as the actuator attached to the packer barrier valve.
[0003] Tools that release with the breaking of a shear pin or the flattening of a stack of Belleville washers are known for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,262. Some tools replace collets and shear pins in a disconnect to gain full circumferential support in a locked position as in U.S. Pat. No. 7,426,964.
[0004] Devices have been used to reduce shock in the context of dropped tools that have a crushable nose as in U.S. Pat. No. 7,779,907 while others allow a controlled release of parts in a manner to avoid damage to the parts using a multi-dimensional pin in a bore that allows pulling to get a surface signal of landing in a casing collar before sufficient pin movement in the bore to allow a reduction of applied surface force before any release of components. This device is illustrated in US Publication 2011/0056678. U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,552 shows a travel joint that is held together until applied force meters fluid through an orifice to then permit enough relative movement to unlock the travel joint components for relative movement.
[0005] What is lacking in these tools is options for the release that also address in the space limitations of subterranean tools a way to control which release mode is operative at any given time and the ability to minimize damage to associated components when the release would otherwise be violent such as breaking one or more shear pins with a release force applied to a string. The present invention provides hydraulic release or actuation as the primary mode of operation. When operating in this mode the shear release mechanism can be protected from stress from forces applied to the string. Optionally the locking feature that protects the shear device can be disabled for normal operation of the tool with the packer set. If for any reason the manipulation of hydraulic pressure in the control line to the tool does not permit a release by a simple pull on the string a shear device is broken but with travel limited so that disconnection does not occur. Instead a shock absorbing member provides the needed relative movement for defeating the shear member while absorbing the shock of the release. Reversing the relative movement then releases fully two adjacent components so that collets can be undermined for a low force separation that will not harm the barrier valve actuation system that is still engaged to the anchor or disconnect as the upper sting comes out of the hole. While one application is described those skilled in the art will appreciate that other tools can benefit from the described designs in the description of the preferred embodiment and the associated drawings while recognizing that the full scope of the invention is to be determined from the appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A subterranean tool can be actuated with one or more control lines for a hydraulic release. It can further be actuated with a shear release after a lockout feature for the shear release is defeated. The shear release features a lock that limits relative movement so that a shear member can be defeated but without a release. What limits the relative movement is a dog in a wider groove where dog movement in the groove allows a shock absorbing feature to act to cushion the release as the shear member breaks. The shock absorber can be a crushable ring of a soft metal. The relative movement is reversed to let a retaining ring drop out of the way into a groove that comes into alignment with it. The relative movement is reversed again to pull a sleeve out from under gripping collets that have previously failed to release and the tool releases from that point on the same way as the control line actuated release.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1A is a schematic view of the anchor connected to a packer with the packer in the set position;
[0008] FIG. 1B is the view of FIG. 1 showing the upper string with any attached tool coming out as the anchor is released;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a detailed section view of the anchor in the run in position;
[0010] FIG. 3A shows applied control line pressure to the view of FIG. 2 and before parts start moving;
[0011] FIG. 3B is the view of FIG. 3A after the pistons have shifted left to unsupport the locking dogs;
[0012] FIG. 3C is the view of FIG. 3B with the pistons shifted right to disable the primary piston as a result of removal of control line pressure, which fully disables the lockout for the shear ring and positions the secondary piston to allow a release on subsequent pressure applied to the control line;
[0013] FIG. 4A shows the application of hydraulic pressure to unsupport the collets for a normal hydraulic release;
[0014] FIG. 4B is the view of FIG. 4A showing a pulling force applied to get the components to release;
[0015] FIGS. 5A-5C show again the movements in FIGS. 3A-3C but this time the collets are still supported in FIG. 5C and a shear release becomes necessary;
[0016] FIG. 6A shows an applied force after a failure of the hydraulic release as a way of initiating the shear release;
[0017] FIG. 6B shows the shear ring broken due to relative movement but with the collets still supported and the shock absorber taking the shock of the breaking of the shear ring within the limits of travel of a lock ring in a lock ring groove;
[0018] FIG. 6C shows a reversal of relative movement to let the lock ring drop into a groove to free up the latch body from the release sleeve;
[0019] FIG. 6D shows an applied tensile force to start the separation from the polished bore receptacle;
[0020] FIG. 6E shows further movement beyond the position in FIG. 6D toward a separation; and
[0021] FIG. 7 is the view of FIG. 6E showing more of the tool in the same position as the tool is shown in FIG. 6E .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a packer 10 is schematically illustrated in the set position against a wellbore wall or surrounding tubular 12 . A barrier valve or formation isolation valve 14 is located below the packer 10 and a polished bore receptacle 16 is above the packer mandrel 18 . A tool such as an electric submersible pump 20 is supported by string 22 . The preferred embodiment of the present invention is an anchor 24 that is secured to the polished bore receptacle 16 and selectively released in one of the described modes below with operation of the hydraulic system shown in this view schematically as a control line 26 . FIG. 2 shows that separation can be accomplished so that the tool 20 can come out with the string 22 while at the same time the formation isolation valve 14 is closed to isolate zone 28 as a result of the polished bore receptacle 16 being open when the tool 20 is removed. Although the invention will be described in the context of the preferred embodiment of an anchor, that is only by way of example as other tools can benefit from the described systems below and the manner that they are assembled and operated.
[0023] The details of the anchor assembly 24 are better seen in FIG. 2 . Mandrel 30 has a through passage 32 and a lower end 34 with an external seal 36 against the polished bore receptacle 16 . An inner sleeve 38 supports one or more dogs 40 that extend into a groove 42 in an outer sleeve 44 . Mandrel 30 has an outer wall that defines an annular space 46 in which sits a collet ring 48 with a series of extending fingers capped by heads 50 that have a grip surface 52 that engages grip surface 54 at the upper end of the polished bore receptacle 16 . For run in a support dog or dogs 56 is axially sandwiched between rings 58 and 60 . Rings 58 and 60 are mechanically connected to mandrel 30 . Ring 58 can slide with inner sleeve 38 and ring 60 is secured to outer sleeve 44 . Outer sleeve 44 is held in position at end 62 by the polished bore receptacle 16 and at end 64 by heads 50 that are held fixed to the grip surface 54 of the polished bore receptacle 16 by virtue of the underlying support collet or ring 56 that is in turn supported by inner sleeve 38 . A shear ring or some other breakable member 66 extends between mandrel 30 and outer sleeve 44 . In the FIG. 2 position mandrel 30 cannot move up in the direction of arrow 68 because the dogs 40 are supported in groove 42 of the outer sleeve 44 by the inner sleeve 38 . Ring 70 sits in groove 72 that is axially wider than ring 70 . A shock absorber 74 is adjacent ring 70 . The purpose of ring 70 in wider groove 72 is to allow enough axial mandrel 30 movement when the dogs 40 are allowed out of groove 42 by initial sliding of inner sleeve 38 and an upward pull on the mandrel 30 in the direction of arrow 68 as will be explained more fully below.
[0024] An upper chamber 76 is separated from annular space 46 by a seal 78 . Primary piston 80 is preferably 1-shaped and has a travel stop surface 82 and opposed seals 84 and 86 . Seal 86 rides in bore 88 and seal 84 rides on inner sleeve 38 to define a sealed sub-chamber 90 with seal 78 . A control line 92 is used to selectively pressurize and to remove pressure from sub-chamber 90 . A secondary piston 94 has seals 96 and 98 in bore 88 . Seal 98 is against the bore 88 and seal 96 is against the inner sleeve 38 . Both pistons 80 and 94 are annular pistons. A return rod 100 is held in the position shown during run in against the force of a spring 104 by a latch 102 . As will be explained below, release of the latch 102 will allow the spring 104 to push the return rod 100 against the primary piston 80 to a point where seal 86 will come out of bore 88 to effectively disable the piston 80 from moving in response to another pressure application in the control line 92 .
[0025] The basic components of the apparatus now having been described the normal hydraulic release feature will now be described in more detail. FIG. 3A shows the parts in the same run in position of FIG. 2 and now in half section for greater clarity. Pressure is applied to control line 92 in FIG. 3B . This makes chamber 90 volume increase as primary and secondary pistons 80 and 98 move in tandem in the direction of arrow 68 . Secondary piston 94 shoulders against the inner sleeve 38 and makes inner sleeve 38 also move in the direction of arrow 68 . Such movement of inner sleeve 38 takes inner sleeve 38 out from under the dogs 40 allowing the dogs to fall into groove 106 now made available to the dogs 40 by the movement of the inner sleeve 38 . This movement is essentially the unlocking of a lock that now frees the mandrel 30 to move relative to the outer sleeve 44 but such movement does not take place merely by adding pressure to control line 92 . Rather a shear release that comprises breaking ring 66 is enabled in FIG. 3B but it does not occur. As long as pressure is held in control line 92 the parts will hold the FIG. 3B position. Included in the FIG. 3B movements is the movement of the latch 102 to a position to allow the spring 104 to move the return rod 100 when pressure in line 92 is relieved from the surface. It is also worth noting that the heads 50 continue to be supported for a grip onto the polished bore receptacle 16 by virtue of the fact that the position of the collet or ring support 56 has not shifted despite the axial movement of the inner sleeve 38 . In FIG. 3C the pressure in the control line 92 is released and the spring 104 takes the rod 100 against surface 82 of piston 80 so that piston 80 bottoms out on stop 106 as seal 86 comes out of bore 88 . The pushing back of piston 80 takes piston 94 with it because the two are liquid locked in bore 88 and move in tandem. Optionally chamber 76 can be open to annulus pressure that can assist in the return motion of pistons 80 and 98 . Again support 56 has not moved in FIG. 3C and the grip to the polished bore receptacle 16 is still maintained.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 4A the pressure is again applied to control line 92 . This time piston 80 is unaffected by this pressure as one of its seals 86 is out of bore 88 . Now pressure just drives piston 94 that again takes with it the inner sleeve 38 but this time the motion is not curtailed by stop surface 82 now held back by rod 100 using spring 104 . Now piston 94 takes inner sleeve 38 in the direction of arrow 68 a distance great enough to allow the collets or ring support 56 to fall against the mandrel 30 and remove the supports for the heads 50 so that an upward pull on the mandrel 30 in the direction of arrow 68 as shown by FIG. 4B will allow the heads 50 to come away from grip surface 54 and the mandrel 30 will now exit the polished bore receptacle 16 .
[0027] FIGS. 5A-5C are essentially the same as FIGS. 3A-3C except that now when pressure is applied to control line 92 for a second time the piston 94 fails to move the inner sleeve 38 to the point where the support 56 is undermined by the sliding of inner sleeve 38 such as happened in FIG. 4A . This can happen for example if one or both of the seals 96 or 98 on piston 94 fail. As a result a mere pulling on the mandrel 30 in the direction of arrow will not work as the heads 50 continue to be firmly held against grip surface 54 of the polished bore receptacle 16 . When this happens, the release with hydraulic pressure into control line 92 is inoperative and the backup mode of release with a tension force on mandrel 30 has to be deployed.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 6A ring 70 is in groove 72 that is shown as axially longer than ring 70 . At this time the dogs 40 have dropped out of groove 42 due to earlier sliding action of inner sleeve 38 . The shear ring 66 is intact. Because ring 70 is narrower than groove 72 a pull on the mandrel 30 with heads 50 secured to the polished bore receptacle 16 will result in the breaking of the shear ring 66 as ring 70 moves from one side of groove 72 to the other. The placement of the shock absorber 62 is such that the mandrel 30 to keep moving in direction of arrow 106 has to operate the shock absorber. In essence the mandrel 30 continues to be retained in the polished bore receptacle 16 after ring 66 is sheared and as the shock absorber 62 is operating. The shock absorber 62 can be in the form of a soft ring preferably metallic that is crushed with the relative movement of the mandrel 30 with respect to the polished bore receptacle 16 . The shock absorber 62 can be a stack of Belleville washers, a chamber forcing fluid out through an orifice, some other kind of spring, for example and not by way of limitation. The point is that the initial mandrel 30 movement that broke the shear ring 66 and activated the shock absorber 62 will not as yet release mandrel 30 from receptacle 16 because the heads 50 are still supported by support ring or collet 56 , but it will allow the released force from the breaking of the shear ring 66 to be dissipated by the shock absorber 62 so that there is no slingshot effect from the breaking of the shear ring 66 . Note that support 56 is still under the heads 50 in FIG. 6B .
[0029] When the movement of the mandrel 30 is reversed to the direction of arrow 108 as in FIG. 6C the lock ring 70 can fall out of groove 72 and fall into groove 110 that presents itself in alignment due to the setting down weight on mandrel 30 which moved mandrel 30 in the direction of arrow 108 until travel stop 113 is engaged by mandrel 30 . With ring 70 now in groove 110 the mandrel 30 can be picked up again in the direction of arrow 106 . Note that at this time the ring 60 is not retained by outer sleeve 40 because as shown in FIG. 6C groove 42 is over the heads 112 . By friction between the parts the movement of the mandrel 30 and with it inner sleeve 38 will take with it support 56 and rings 58 and 60 so that support 56 is out from under heads 50 by the time the outer sleeve 40 shoulders out at end 62 against the polished bore receptacle 16 . From that point further mandrel 30 movement causes outer sleeve 40 to bump heads 50 and deflect them inwardly now that support 56 has been axially displaced. This is shown in FIG. 6E in close up and the whole assembly in the FIG. 6E position is shown again in FIG. 7 .
[0030] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that what has been described is a tool with dual modes of operation. The first or preferred mode involves hydraulic system actuation. The hydraulic system sequentially moves an inner sleeve 38 in the same direction to initially unlock a lock by letting dogs 42 drop so as to enable a shear release without actually shearing the ring 66 . This sequential movement is accomplished with dual pistons that move together to a travel stop to let the dogs 42 drop and then in another pressure cycle in the hydraulic system which has the effect of disabling the primary piston uses the secondary piston to move the sleeve 38 and even greater distance in the same direction to allow support collet or ring 56 to drop to the mandrel 30 so that a pull on the mandrel 30 results in a flexing of heads 50 and a separation from the polished bore receptacle 16 .
[0031] Dogs 42 are a lock to prevent loading on shear ring 66 during run in and setting of the packer 10 . The shear ring 66 can be used for a backup release in the event the hydraulic system cannot get the support 56 away from the heads 50 for a release from receptacle 16 . Here there is available relative movement between the mandrel 30 and the outer sleeve 40 into which the shear ring 66 extends to allow the ring 66 to break but to prevent the sudden release from the breaking of ring 66 to create a slingshot effect that can for example damage an actuator (not shown) that is connected from mandrel 30 to the barrier valve 14 . Movement of the mandrel in a first direction that breaks the shear ring 66 and actuates the shock absorber 74 does not remove support 56 from heads 50 so that the tool stays attached to the receptacle 16 . Instead the outer sleeve 40 that retains the ring 70 makes the shock absorber 74 actuate until all movement stops. The mandrel 30 has to be moved in the opposite direction to drop the ring 70 out of groove 72 and into mandrel 30 groove 110 so that the mandrel 30 can move up and reposition support 56 away from heads 50 to release from receptacle 16 . Further raising of the mandrel 30 shoulders the outer sleeve 40 and uses sleeve 40 to deflect heads 50 inwardly so that the mandrel 30 will come clear of the receptacle 16 .
[0032] While the invention is described in the form of an anchor with two modes of release the invention is applicable to other downhole tools that operate from a first to a second position and get there in more than one way such as hydraulically and mechanically using a shear release but avoiding the slingshot effect that can damage other parts. The locking feature is enabled for operation and can be defeated to enable a shear release without actually shear releasing. If the hydraulic system fails to release and the locking feature has been earlier disabled then a sequence of opposed mandrel 30 movements will actuate the shear ring breaking and the shock absorber actuating while the tool is still in its initial position. After then setting down weight and picking up there will be a release or a movement of the tool to the second position.
[0033] The above description is illustrative of the preferred embodiment and many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention whose scope is to be determined from the literal and equivalent scope of the claims below:
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A subterranean tool can be actuated with one or more control lines for a hydraulic release. It can further be actuated with a shear release after a lockout feature for the shear release is defeated. The shear release features a lock that limits relative movement so that a shear member can be defeated but without a release. A dog limits relative movement in a wider groove where dog movement in the groove allows a shock absorbing feature to act to cushion the release as the shear member breaks. The relative movement is reversed to let a retaining ring drop out of the way into a groove that comes into alignment with it. The relative movement is reversed again to pull a sleeve out from under gripping collets that have previously failed to release and the tool releases from that point on the same way as the control line actuated release.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to grain carts of the type used to transport and discharge harvested grain and other particulate agricultural products and in particular grain carts incorporating a horizontal drag auger in combination with a vertical discharge auger for unloading the cart.
2. Description of the Related Art
Grain carts are typically used in combination with combines during the harvesting procedure to facilitate transfer of grain from the combines to trucks waiting outside of the fields being harvested. The combines can only store a limited amount of grain, typically about 200 bushels. Grain carts, depending on the type, can typically hold between 500 and 1200 bushels of grain. In use, grain carts can be pulled by a tractor, up along the side of an operating combine, such that the combine operator may discharge grain stored in the combine into the grain cart without having to stop harvesting. A single grain cart can alternatively service several combines operating at the same time eliminating combine downtime and maximizing combine use.
Grain carts incorporate a relatively large bin for storing grain and a discharge auger assembly for discharging grain from the bin. The discharge auger generally extends from the bottom of the bin upward and beyond an upper edge of the bin and away from the cart for discharging grain into a truck or other storage vessel.
Grain carts such as the carts shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,358 to Van Mill and U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,281 to Grieshop rely solely on gravity to feed grain in the bin to the discharge auger. The side walls and end walls of the bins of such carts are sloped downwardly and inwardly and converge at a sump, into or below which the lower or intake end of the discharge auger is positioned. The requisite degree of sloping of the bin side walls and end walls to ensure proper feed of grain to the discharge auger results in grain carts with a relatively high profile and high center of gravity. The high profile often presents difficulties in making sure that the discharge auger from combines or other carts will extend over the grain cart bin walls. The high center of gravity of such carts presents disadvantages including poor handling and the potential for tipping.
Relatively low profile grain carts have been developed which incorporate a horizontally extending drag auger for feeding grain to the discharge auger such as the grain cart shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,512 to Parker et al. In such carts, the sidewalls converge to form a trough extending centrally and longitudinally along the bottom of the bin. Grain or other particulate materials feed into the trough by gravity. The drag auger is secured in the trough and advances or drags the material forward to a sump extending adjacent to and below the drag auger. The lower end of the discharge auger extends into the sump.
The drag auger in such carts is relatively long and generally extends the entire length of the cart. The drag auger and the discharge auger operate simultaneously and are driven by the same power source, typically the tractor power-take off. A gear box and various chains and sprockets connected to the power-take off, all requiring considerable maintenance, are used to separately but contemporaneously drive the drag and discharge augers from the power-take off.
Such carts require use of retractable covers, doors or gates to cover the drag auger when the bin is full so that the drag auger may be started without damaging the tractor or the cart. After the drag auger is started, the doors, gates or covers are gradually opened, usually hydraulically, to control the flow of grain to the auger and prevent excessive strain thereon from the weight of the grain in the bin. Such hydraulically operated covers, doors or gates add to the initial cost of the carts and require additional maintenance.
Accordingly, it is clear that a need exists for an improved grain cart for the reliable transport and discharge of grain and other agricultural products. Such an improved cart should have a relatively low profile while providing simple yet efficient means for unloading the cart.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally comprises a grain cart which initially utilizes gravity feed alone and then gravity feed and a horizontal drag auger to feed grain in the grain cart storage bin to an unloading auger for discharging grain from the grain cart storage bin.
The storage bin is supported on a wheeled frame adapted to be pulled by a tractor. The sidewalls of the bin converge inwardly and downwardly to a trough and a sump. The trough extends across a portion of the bottom of the storage bin and opens into the sump at a discharge end thereof. The sump is positioned adjacent to the discharge end of the trough and extends at least partially below the trough.
A drag auger is rotatably secured in the trough and has a discharge end aligned with the trough discharge end. An unloading auger assembly comprising an unloading chute and an unloading auger rotatably mounted therein is secured to the storage bin. A lower end of the unloading chute opens into the sump and a lower end of the unloading auger extends into the sump such that at least a portion of the lower end of the unloading auger is positioned below and adjacent to the drag auger discharge end. The unloading auger assembly extends upwardly and away from the storage bin.
A first drive means, such as a tractor power-take off, is used to rotatably drive the unloading auger. A second drive means, such as a hydraulic motor, is used to independently and selectively drive the drag auger. When a full grain cart is to be unloaded, the unloading auger is engaged and a cover or plate extending over the lower portion of the unloading auger is retracted to allow the grain to feed by gravity into the sump and the unloading auger. The grain is then discharged from the bin by the unloading auger.
As the amount of grain being fed into the sump by gravity begins to taper off, the drag auger is engaged to advance remaining grain into the sump and the unloading auger. A cover is secured to the bin and extends over the drag auger. The cover is spaced above the drag auger and the bottom of the bin such that openings are formed between the cover and the bin and through which grain can flow into said trough.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The objects and advantages of the present invention include: providing an improved grain cart; providing such a grain cart having a relatively low profile; providing such a grain cart which initially utilizes gravity feed alone and then gravity feed and a horizontal drag auger to feed grain in a storage bin of the grain cart to an unloading auger for discharging grain therefrom; providing such a grain cart having downwardly and inwardly sloping sidewalls which converge along a trough and a sump extending along a bottom of the bin; to provide such a grain cart wherein the trough opens into the sump which is positioned adjacent the trough; providing such a grain cart having the drag auger rotatably mounted in said trough for feeding grain to the sump; providing such a grain cart wherein a lower portion of the unloading auger extends into the sump; providing such a grain cart wherein said unloading auger extends upwardly and forwardly along the front left corner of said bin and therebeyond; providing such a grain cart wherein an upper portion of the unloading auger is retractable between an extended discharge position and a retracted storage position and providing such a grain cart which is economical to manufacture, efficient and convenient to operate, easy to maintain, capable of a long operating life and which is particularly well adapted for the proposed usage thereof.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a grain cart in accordance with the present invention towed by a tractor and with an upper portion of an unloading chute pivoted to a raised discharge position.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, left side plan view of the grain cart of FIG. 1 with the upper portion of the unloading chute pivoted to a lowered, storage position and with portions broken away to show detail thereof including a drag auger and an unloading auger.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary schematic view of the drag auger and unloading auger as shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the grain cart of the present invention generally rotated 180 degrees relative to FIG. 1 showing a cover for a lower end of the unloading auger partially retracted.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functions details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
Referring to the drawings in more detail, reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 generally designates a grain cart in accordance with the present invention. The cart 1 comprises a lower frame 2 including a tongue 3. The frame 2 is supported by an axle 4 with a pair of wheels 5 attached thereto. The cart 1 is adapted to be secured to a tow vehicle such as a tractor 7 via tongue 3.
A grain storage bin, generally indicated as 11, comprises an upper portion 12 with substantially vertical sidewalls 13. The grain bin 11 is supported by a rectangular framework 14 which is attached to the lower frame 2. Extending downward from the upper portion 12, the bin includes a lower portion 20 with four trapezoidal sidewalls; front sidewall 21, left sidewall 22, rear sidewall 23 and right sidewall 24, each of which tapers inward and downward to converge at a trough 25 and a sump 26.
The trough 25 and sump 26 extend longitudinally along the bottom of the bin 11. The trough 25 extends from a lower edge of the rear sidewall 23 toward a lower edge of the front sidewall 21 and ends at a discharge end 30. The sump 26 is positioned adjacent the trough discharge end 30 and extends from the trough discharge end 30 to a lower edge of the front sidewall 21. The trough discharge end 30 opens into the sump 26.
A drag auger 33, incorporating a shaft 34 and helical flights 35 is rotatably secured in the trough 25. The portion of the shaft 36 extending from a first end 37 of the drag auger 33 extends through and is rotatably supported by a bearing 38 in trough end wall 39. A hydraulic motor 40 is secured to the drag auger shaft 36 for imparting rotational motion thereon such that the hydraulic motor 40 generally functions as drive means for rotatably driving drag auger 33. Hydraulic lines 41 extend from the hydraulic motor 40 to a hydraulic pump (not shown) on the tractor 7 or comparable tow vehicle.
The drag auger 33 generally extends horizontally in the trough 25 from its first end 37 to a discharge end 45 of the drag auger 33 which is generally aligned with the trough discharge end 30. The portion of the shaft 34 extending from the drag auger discharge end 45 is rotatably secured by a bearing 46 supported on a strut 47 extending between left and right sidewalls 22 and 24.
A stationary cover 51 is supported above and generally covers the drag auger 33. The cover 51 includes angled top walls 52 and vertically extending side walls 54. The cover 51 is spaced above the drag auger 33 by legs or brackets 55 secured to the bin sidewalls 22 and 24 and the strut 47. Openings are formed and generally extend between the cover 51 and the bin sidewalls 22 and 24 through which granular material can flow into the trough 25 and drag auger 33.
The cart 1 also includes an unloading auger assembly 60 which comprises a lower section 61 and an upper section 62. The lower section 61 generally extends from the sump 26, upward along the confluence between the front sidewall 21 and the left sidewall 22, and through the upper bin portion 12. The lower section 61 of the auger assembly 60 comprises a lower unloading chute 65 which is generally cylindrical and a lower auger 66 rotatably mounted therein. The lower auger 66 includes a shaft 67 and helical flights 68.
A lower end 80 of the lower unloading chute 65 generally extends up to but not into the sump 26. A lower section 69 of the lower auger 66 extends beyond the lower end 80 of the chute 65 and into the sump 26. The shaft 67 of the lower auger 66 extends through and is rotatably mounted in a side wall 70 of the sump 26. The lower auger shaft 67 is connected to the tractor power-take off 75 via conventional gear box 76 and drive shaft assembly 77. The power-take off 75, gear box 76 and drive shaft assembly 77 function as drive means for rotatably driving the lower auger 66. It is foreseen that the drive means for the auger assembly 60 may comprise a wide range of drive mechanisms including a hydraulic motor connected to a hydraulic pump on the tractor 7.
A retractable cover 82 comprising a semi-cylindrical plate is slidingly mounted to the lower unloading chute 65. The cover 82 is selectively movable via a double-acting hydraulic actuator 84 between a closed or extended position at which it extends over the lower section 69 of the lower auger 66 and an open or retracted position in which the cover 82 is retracted away from the lower section 69 of the lower auger 66. In the closed position, the cover 82 generally closes off the sump 26 and access to the lower auger 66 from the bin 11. In the open position, the sump 26 is opened up to the bin 11 and access is provided to the lower auger 66 from the bin 11. The cover 82 can be stopped at any desired interim position to thereby control the amount of grain entering the sump 31.
The upper section 62 of the unloading auger assembly 60 comprises an upper unloading chute 93 which is generally cylindrical and an upper auger 94 rotatably mounted therein. The upper auger 94 includes a shaft 95 and helical flights 96. A lower end 97 of the upper unloading chute 93 is connected to an upper end 98 of the lower unloading chute 65. The upper section 62 of the unloading auger assembly 60 is pivotable between an extended, unloading position and a retracted storage position.
In the unloading position, the upper section 62 is generally positioned in end to end alignment with the lower section 61 of the auger assembly 60 such that the upper section 62 generally extends upward, forward relative to and away from the cart on about a forty-five degree angle relative to the front of the cart 11. In the retracted storage position, the upper section 62 generally extends adjacent to and along the left side of the bin 11. A shoulder or ledge 99 is formed in the upper portion 12 of the bin 11 and extends along the left side thereof to generally support the upper section 62 when it is retracted to the storage position.
The upper section 62 is selectively advanceable between the unloading and storage positions by a double-acting hydraulic actuator 101 connected at one end to the upper section 62 and at an opposite end to the lower section 61. Hydraulic actuators 84 and 101 are connected to a hydraulic pump (not shown) on the tractor 7 by hydraulic fluid supply lines 102. The actuator 101 and hydraulic supply lines 102 extend through an opening (not shown) in the upper portion 12 of the bin 11.
When the upper section 62 is advanced to the extended unloading position, the lower shaft 67 and the upper auger shaft 95 are coupled together by conventional coupling means such as male and female connectors (not shown) such that the upper auger 94 is driven by the lower auger 66 which is in turn driven by the tractor power-take off 75. It is foreseen that a wide range of configurations of unloading auger assemblies could be utilized with the grain cart 1 of the present invention and that the upper auger 94 could be driven by separate drive means such as a hydraulic motor. Further it is foreseen that the unloading auger assembly 60 could be oriented to extend in different directions including to the side of the bin 11 perpendicular to the direction of travel of the cart 1 or to the rear.
Windows 110 and 111 are positioned in front and rear panels respectively of the upper portion 12 of the bin 11. A front ladder 115 is secured to the framework 14 at a front end thereof and a rear ladder 116 is secured to the lower frame 2 and bin 11 at a rear end thereof. A tractor operator seated on the tractor can look into the bin 11 through the front window 110. Closer inspection of the bin 11 can be accomplished by climbing the ladders 115 and 116 to look through the windows 110 and 111 or over the sides of the bin 11.
The grain cart 1 of the present invention is particularly well adapted for use in transferring grain from combines harvesting grain in fields to trucks waiting outside the field. Before taking on a load of grain, the retractable cover 82 is extended to the closed position to keep grain out of the sump 26 and the lower auger 66. The upper section 62 of the unloading auger assembly. 60 is retracted to a storage position. The cart 1 is pulled up along side a combine as it is moving in a field and the combine discharges its stored grain into the bin 11. The bin 11 is sized so that it can store grain from several combines before having to unload.
To unload the grain from the cart 1, the cart 1 pulls up along side a truck or other receptacle and the upper section 62 of the unloading auger assembly 60 is hydraulically advanced by the tractor operator to the extended position such that an end of the assembly 60 extends over the truck or receptacle. The tractor operator engages the lower and upper augers 66 and 94 and then gradually retracts the retractable cover 82 allowing grain stored in the bin 11 to feed into the sump 26 and the lower section 69 of the lower auger 66 by gravity. The lower and upper augers 66 and 94 feed the grain through the lower and upper unloading chutes 60 and 93 and discharge the grain out an end thereof and into the truck or receptacle. The cover 82 is retracted gradually to prevent large amounts of grain entering the sump 26 too quickly and causing the lower auger 66 to bind.
As the amount of grain flowing by gravity into the sump 26 begins to taper off, the operator engages the drag auger 33. The drag auger 33 advances grain along the trough 25 and past the trough discharge end 30 such that the grain falls or is otherwise directed into the sump 26 where it is then fed out of the bin 11 via the unloading auger assembly 60. As the drag auger 33 advances grain along the trough 25, additional grain flows by gravity into the trough 25 and is then advanced to the sump 25.
The tractor operator can determine that the amount of grain flowing by gravity into the sump 26 is tapering off by watching the rate of discharge of grain from the unloading auger assembly 60. Extending the unloading auger assembly 60 along the front left corner of the bin 11 and therebeyond positions the end of the assembly 60 relative to the tractor operator for easier viewing which facilitates monitoring of grain flow therefrom.
The bin 11 is generally sized such that approximately half of the contents of the bin 11 will empty by gravity flow alone into the sump 26 before the flow tapers off and the drag auger 33 must be activated to assist in emptying the remaining contents of the bin 11. The stationary cover 51 prevents the drag auger 33 from having to begin rotating against the weight of the entire height of remaining grain in the bin 11 to help keep the drag auger 33 from binding. However, it is foreseen that the grain cart 1 could incorporate some form of selectively removable cover for the drag auger 33 to further reduce strains on the drag auger 33 when it is initially engaged.
It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.
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A cart for storing and transporting granular material comprises a storage bin having sidewalls which converge inwardly and downwardly to a trough and a sump. The trough extends across a portion of the bottom of the storage bin and opens into the sump which extends at least partially below the trough. A drag auger is rotatably secured in the trough. An unloading auger assembly is secured to the storage bin and extends from the sump, upward along the front left corner of the bin and therebeyond. A lower portion of an auger of the auger assembly extends into the sump. Grain stored in the bin flows by gravity into the sump where it is advanced out of the bin by the unloading auger assembly. The drag auger may be independently engaged to advance grain to the sump which would not otherwise advance to the sump by gravity feed alone.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conventional automobile three-stage steering lock, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, comprises an elongated body member 10, a lock housing 11, an elongated tube member 12, an elongated rod member 13, a locking means 14, a key lock 15, two locating means 16, 16' two coiled springs 17, 17' and a cap plate 18.
When the lock is to be applied on a steering wheel, a hook 101 in the body member is to be engaged with a steering wheel and then a hook of the elongated tube member 12 is to be engaged with the steering wheel and the elongated rod member 13 is to be telescoped freely within the body member 12 outward to a corner where a windshield and a car door meet. Meanwhile the locating means 16, 16' can slide along on the longitudinal surface of the rod member 13 and finally stop to fit in one of annular grooves in the rod member 13 to lock it immovable at a needed length, preventing the steering wheel from being turned around. Under this condition, the springs 17, 17' elastically push down the locating means 16, 16' so that the bottom ends 160, 160' of the locating means 16, 16' fit in one of the annular grooves of the rod member 13, keeping the rod member 13 from being pushed inward within the body member 10.
But the chances are that the tube member 12 and the rod member 13 can be completely pulled out of the body member 10 if they should be pulled with excessive force, and consequently they may hurt a user or a car window. Besides, if the lock should be held with the outer end of the rod member 13 down and the outer end of the body member up, the rod member 13 and the tube member 12 would easily slip out of the body member 10 because of their own weight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The automobile three-stage steering lock in accordance with the present invention has been devised to improve the shortcoming mentioned above to have the advantage that an elongated rod member and an elongated tube member, whether in use or in storage, can be kept at a certain position without being completely removed from the elongated body member, thus preventing them from causing probable hurt to a person or a car window.
The structure of this lock has several features as follows.
1. An elongated rod member has an annular groove at the inner end for one of two locating means to lock therein by a spring pushing it down so as to keep this lock from completely moving out of a elongated body member.
2. The elongated rod member also has an annular groove at the outer side of a plurality of annular grooves for one of the locating means to lock in to keep this lock at the shortest length when it is not used.
3. Two locating means are linked and kept vertically parallel by a linking plate and accomodated in a bore in a lock housing and always pushed by two springs placed around their upper portions between a cap plate of the bore and two washers fitted around two annular grooves in their upper portions, and having respectively a bottom end consisting of an L-shaped wall at the left and a slope wall at the right. Then the bottom ends of the two locating means can fit in any of a plurality of pairs of fitting notches in the tube member and any of a plurality of annular grooves in the rod member so that both the tube member and the rod member can be locked at any of a plurality of positions with respect to the body member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional automobile three-stage steering lock.
FIG. 2 is a perspective and part cross-sectional view of a conventional automobile three-stage steering lock wholly assembled.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the locking mechanism in a conventional automobile three-stage steering lock.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an automobile three-stage steering lock in the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an automobile three-stage steering lock wholly assembled in the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the tube member and the rod member locked at an annular groove 51 by the locking mechanism in the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the tube member and the rod member locked at two of the annular grooves 50 by the locking mechanism in the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the tube member and the rod member stopped at an annular groove 52 by the locking mechanism in the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the tube member and the rod member released from the locking mechanism unlocked by a correct key in the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the lock in the present invention practically applied on a steering wheel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An automobile three-stage steering lock in the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, comprises an elongated body member 2 which has its left end formed with a lock housing 3, an elongated tube member 4 which is dimensioned to move in telescopic way within the body member 2, a rod member 5 which is dimensioned to fit within the tube member 4, hooks 21, 40 and 53 for engaging opposite portion of a steering wheel from the inside thereof, being respectively provided in the body member 2, the tube member 4 and the rod member 5, a lock housing 3 for accomodating a lock mechanism including a key lock 34 and locating means 60, 61 linked with a linking plate 62 being provided therein.
The body member 2 has a central passage running through its body and exactly communicating with a passage 32 in the housing 3 for the tube member 4 to move in a telescopic way, and a U-shaped hook 21 at the right end to engage a portion of a steering wheel.
The tube member 4 has its outer diameter dimensioned slightly less than the diameter of the central passageway 32 of the housing 3 and the passageway of the body member 2 to enable said tube member 4 to telescope freely within the body member 2. The tube member 4 is provided with a plurality of fitting notches 41 spaced apart on both sides of a longitudinal opening in the upper wall. Each notch 41 has a vertical wall 410 at the left and a slope wall 411 at the right. A pair of notches 42 is also provided at the left end of the longitudinal opening and another pair of notches 43 at the right end of said opening. A hook 40 is welded sidewise at the left end of the tube member 4 to engage a portion of a steering wheel and a stop ring is provided around the outer surface near the hook 40.
The rod member 5 is properly dimensioned to telescope freely in the tube member 4 and provided with a plurality of annular grooves 50, each of which has a vertical wall 500 at the left and a slope wall 501 at the right, an annular groove 51 and another annular groove 52, respectively, at the left side and the right side of the group of annular grooves 50. The annular groove 51 has the same structure as the grooves 50 but the annular groove 52 has a reverse structure, i.e. a left slope wall and a right vertical wall. The rod member 5 also has a U-shaped hook 53 at the outer end and a stop ring 54 around on the outer surface near the hook 53.
The lock housing 3 is formed around the inner end portion of the body member 2, having a passageway 32 communicating axially with the central passageway of the body member 2 for the tube member 4 to telescope therein freely, a sidewise lock holder 31 for holding a conventional key lock 34, and a rectangular bore 30 for receiving two locating means 60, 61 linked with a linking plate 62 and three springs 72, 73, 74 therein.
The key lock 34 has a key hole and a locking means extending downward and having a flat portion 340 and a semi-circular portion 341.
The locating means 60, 61 respectively have an upper small-diameter portion and a lower large-diameter portion, a vertical wall 600, 610 at the upper right side, an annular groove 601, 611 in the upper portion, an L-shaped wall 602, 612 at the left of the bottom end, a slope wall 603, 613 at the right of the bottom end. The locating means 60, 61 are linked together vertically parallel with a linking plate 62, which has two through holes 620, 621 having respectively a straight wall 6200, 6210 so that when said two holes 620, 621 are fitted around the upper portions of the two locating means 60, 61, the locating means cannot rotate.
Two coiled springs 72, 73 are respectively fitted around the upper portions of said locating means 60, 61 between a cap plate 33 fixed at the opening of the bore 30 and washers 70, 71 fitted around the annular grooves 601, 611, and thus elastically push said locating means 60, 61. An extra coiled spring 74 is provided between the cap plate 33 and the linking plate 62 so as to elastically push said linking plate 62, as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9.
When this lock is completely assembled and not yet applied to a steering wheel with the lock 34 locked, the two locating means 60, 61 are pushed down by three springs 72, 73, 74 as shown in FIG. 6, and accordingly their bottom ends are positioned to fit respectively in a pair of fitting notches 42 in the tube member 4 and the annular groove 51 of the rod member 5, preventing the tube member 4 and the rod member 5 from completely falling out of the body member 2 because of their own weight even if this lock should be held with the hook 53 down and the hook 21 up.
When this lock is to be locked on a steering wheel, the hook 21 is at first to be engaged with a portion of the steering wheel from its inside, and next the tube member 4 is to be pulled outward in the body member 2 to engage the hook 40 on an opposite portion of the steering wheel to the hook 21. Then the rod member 5 is to be pulled outward in the tube member 4 to a certain length to reach the edge of the windshield so that the hook 53 can engage the edge of the windshield as shown in FIG. 10. After the hook 53 has engaged said edge, this lock has been locked on the steering wheel, which is then in immovable condition.
The elasticity of the springs 72 and 73 enables the bottom ends of the locating means 60, 61 to move sliding over the slope walls 501 of the annular grooves 50 in the rod member 5 when the rod member 5 and the tube member 4 are pulled only outward. If the rod member 5 and the tube member 4 are pulled inward, they are stopped by the vertical walls 410 of the fitting notches 41 in the tube member 4 and the vertical walls 500 of the annular grooves 50 in the rod member 5, which fit with the L-shaped walls 602, 612 of the locating means 60, 61. Therefore, once the rod member 5 is stopped at a certain position with the three hooks 21, 40, 54 properly engaged with a steering wheel and the edge of the windshield, this lock becomes locked and immovable.
If the tube member 4 and the rod member 5 should be pulled outward with excessive force, with the hooks 21 and 40 not yet accurately engaged against opposite portions of a steering wheel, the tube member 4 and the rod member 5 are stopped by the pair of fitting notches 43 and the annular groove 52 catching hold of the locating means 61, thus preventing said two members 4 and 5 from completely extending out of the body member 2, and avoiding injury to a person or damage to a car window.
If this lock mounted and locked on a steering wheel is desired to be released, as shown in FIG. 8, a correct key is to be used to rotate the lock 34 for about 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 9. Then the semi-circular portion 341 of the locking means is turned to push up the linking plate 62, which then pulls up the locating means 60, 61, compressing the two springs 72, 73 upwardly. Accordingly, the bottom ends or the L-shaped walls 602, 612 of said locating means 60, 61 leave the tube member 4 and the rod member 5, enabling thus said two members 4 and 5 to be pushed inwardly into the body member 2 and disengaging the hooks 21, 40, 53 from the steering wheel and the edge of the windshield.
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An automobile three-stage steering lock comprising an elongated body member, an elongated tube member adapted to move in telescopic way in the body member, an elongated rod member adapted to move in telescopic way in the tube member, three hooks, each of which is provided in the body member, the tube member and the rod member for engaging a steering wheel and the edge of a windshield, and a locking mechanism associated with the body member allowing the tube member and the rod member to extend with respect to the body member and be locked at any of a plurality of positions.
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[0001] This application claims the benefit of the Korean Patent Application No. P2005-15829, filed on Feb. 25, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly, to a washing machine using steam and a washing method thereof.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] A washing machine is a representative electric home appliance that washes the laundry using detergent and water. The washing machine is classified into a top loading washing machine and a front loading washing machine depending on the position where the laundry is loaded into the washing machine.
[0006] Generally, the top loading washing machine includes a tub vertically stood to receive the laundry, a pulsator rotating in the tub to wash the laundry, and a lid provided on the top of the washing machine to open and close the tub. The top loading washing machine washes the laundry using friction between the laundry and a water stream generated by rotation of the pulsator. The top loading washing machine has advantages in view of short washing duration, large capacity, and low cost. However, the top loading washing machine provided with the pulsator has drawbacks in that tangling of the laundry occurs and damage of the laundry is relatively high.
[0007] The front loading washing machine generally includes a drum and a tub provided in parallel with each other to receive the laundry, a plurality of lifters provided in the drum to lift and drop the laundry when the drum is rotated, and a door provided on a front surface of the washing machine to open and close the drum. The front loading washing machine washes the laundry by rotating the drum at low speed after putting water, detergent, and the laundry into the drum. The front loading washing machine has advantages in that damage of the laundry is small and tangling of the laundry does not occur.
[0008] However, the above washing machines require a great volume of washing water to carry out washing processes along with a long time taken to supply/drain the washing water to/from the washing machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a washing machine and a washing method thereof, which substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine and a washing method thereof, in which waste of washing water is reduced and washing efficiency is improved.
[0011] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
[0012] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a washing method according to the present invention includes the steps of determining the volume of laundry in a tub, setting a first water level for a preliminary washing stroke and a second water level for a main washing stroke based on the determined volume of laundry, carrying out the preliminary washing stroke using washing water of the first water level and steam, and converting the preliminary washing stroke into the main washing stroke based on washing water of the second water level depending on an inner temperature of the tub. The second water level for the main washing stroke is higher than the first water level for the preliminary washing stroke.
[0013] The step of carrying out the preliminary washing stroke based on washing water of the first water level and the steam includes the steps of determining whether the washing water of the first water level decreases, and resupplying the washing water into the tub if the washing water of the first water level decreases.
[0014] The step of converting the preliminary washing stroke into the main washing stroke depending on the inner temperature of the tub includes the step of stopping a steam generator from steaming if the inner temperature of the tub is higher than a reference temperature. The reference temperature is set based on the volume of laundry.
[0015] In another aspect of the present invention, a washing machine includes a temperature sensor sensing an inner temperature of a tub, a steam generator supplying steam into the tub, and a controller setting a first water level for a preliminary washing stroke and a second water level for a main washing stroke based on the volume of laundry in the tub, and converting the preliminary washing stroke based on washing water of the first water level and the steam into the main washing stroke based on washing water of the second water level depending on the inner temperature of the tub.
[0016] In still another aspect of the present invention, a washing method includes the steps of determining the volume of laundry in a tub, setting a first water level for a preliminary washing stroke, a second water level for a main washing stroke, a preliminary washing duration, and a main washing duration based on the determined volume of laundry, carrying out the preliminary washing stroke using washing water of the first water level and steam during the preliminary washing duration, and converting the preliminary washing stroke into the main washing stroke based on washing water of the second water level during the main washing duration.
[0017] In further still another aspect of the present invention, a washing machine includes a water level sensor sensing a water level in a tub, a steam generator supplying steam into the tub, and a controller setting a first water level for a preliminary washing stroke, a second water level for a main washing stroke, a preliminary washing duration and a main washing duration based on the volume of laundry in the tub, and sequentially carrying out the preliminary washing stroke based on washing water of the first water level and the steam during the preliminary washing duration and the main washing stroke based on washing water of the second water level during the main washing duration.
[0018] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0022] FIG. 3A is a cutaway perspective view illustrating a steam generator of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0023] FIG. 3B is a cutaway perspective view illustrating another steam generator of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates a nozzle assembly connected with a water supply hose and a supply hose;
[0025] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating elements required for a washing stroke according to the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a washing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention; and
[0027] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a washing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
[0029] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 . Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , a front loading drum washing machine is exemplarily shown. The front loading drum washing machine includes a tub 200 provided in a case 100 to receive washing water, and a drum 300 rotatably provided in the tub 200 to receive the laundry. The tub 200 and the drum 300 are provided in a horizontal direction. The present invention is not limited to the front loading drum washing machine shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . The present invention may be applied to a top loading pulsator washing machine in which the tub and the drum are provided in a vertical direction.
[0030] Hereinafter, the washing machine according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the case 100 of the washing machine includes a base 110 , a wall 120 , and a top plate 130 . The base 110 constitute the bottom of the case 100 . A damper 20 is provided on the base 110 to support the tub 200 that will be described later. The wall 120 is stood above the base 110 to form a space therein, where the tub 200 is to be provided. The wall 120 constitutes a front surface, a rear surface and both sides of the case 100 . The top plate 130 is provided at an opened upper portion of the wall 120 to seal the inner space of the case 100 formed by the wall 120 and the base 110 .
[0031] A control panel 80 is provided on a top of the front surface of the wall 120 or a top surface of the top plate 130 to allow a user to manipulate the washing machine. Springs 10 are connected with the wall 120 or an inner surface of the top plate 130 to allow the tub 200 to be hung thereon. A loading hole 125 is formed on any one of the wall, for example, the front surface of the wall 120 to take the laundry ‘m’ in and out. The loading hole 125 is opened and closed by a door 150 hinged on the front surface of the wall 120 . The door 150 includes a door frame 151 and a door glass 155 . The door glass 155 , as shown in FIG. 2 , is provided in a hole formed at the center of the door frame 151 . Therefore, the user can view the inner portion of the washing machine, more specifically, the inner portion of the drum 300 , through the door glass 150 . The drum 300 will be described later.
[0032] The tub 200 is provided in the inner space of the case 100 . The tub 200 is supported by the springs 10 and the damper 20 in a state that it floats at the center of the inner space. The tub 200 is provided such that its opened front surface faces the loading hole 125 of the wall 120 . The washing water is supplied into the tub 200 and stored therein.
[0033] The drum 300 is rotatably provided in the inner space of the tub 200 . To this end, a motor 250 is provided in the case 100 to rotate the drum 300 . An example of a shaft of the motor 250 directly fixed to the drum 300 is shown in FIG. 2 . In this case, the shaft is fixed to the rear surface of the drum 300 by passing through the tub 200 . Meanwhile, although not shown, the motor 250 may be provided to indirectly rotate the drum 300 . In this case, the drum 300 and the motor 250 may be connected with each other by a power transmission member such as a belt.
[0034] A plurality of through holes 310 are formed along the circumference of the drum 300 as shown in FIG. 2 . The washing water stored in the tub 200 can enter the inner space of the drum 300 through the through holes 310 . As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , a plurality of lifters 320 are projected from the inner circumference of the drum 300 . The lifters 320 lift and then drop the laundry ‘m’ when the drum 300 is rotated.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 2 , a gasket 25 is provided between the tub 200 and the front surface of the wall 120 . The gasket 25 prevents the washing water and the laundry ‘m’ in the tub 200 from leaking out of the tub 200 and entering the inner space of the case 100 . Meanwhile, a nozzle assembly 60 is provided at an upper portion of the gasket 25 to pass through the gasket 25 . The nozzle assembly 60 will be described later.
[0036] A water supply valve 400 is provided at one side of the case 100 , for example, the rear surface of the wall 120 , as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . The water supply valve 400 is connected with an outer water supply source, for example, a tap, and controls the washing water supplied from the water supply source. In the washing machine according to the present invention, the water supply valve 400 includes at least two valves, i.e., a first valve 410 and a second valve 420 .
[0037] The first valve 410 is connected with the tub 200 through a first hose, for example, a water supply hose 510 . The second valve 420 is connected with the tub 200 through a second hose, for example, a supply hose 520 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the second hose, i.e., the supply hose 520 communicates the water supply valve 400 with the tub 200 through a path different from that of the first hose, i.e., the water supply hose 510 .
[0038] The water supply valve 400 supplies water into the tub 200 through two hoses having paths different from each other as above, i.e., the water supply hose 510 and the supply hose 520 . The water supply valve 400 can simultaneously or separately control the first valve 410 and the second valve 420 . Thus, the water supply to the tub 200 through the water supply hose 510 and the water supply to the tub 200 through the supply hose 520 can be carried out simultaneously or separately.
[0039] The water supply hose 510 that communicates the first valve 410 with the tub 200 passes through a detergent box 50 as shown in FIG. 1 . The water supply hose 510 may be provided to directly pass through the detergent box 50 . Alternatively, the water supply hose 510 may communicate with a part of the detergent box 50 so that it is supplied with the detergent from the detergent box 50 . Therefore, the washing water flown to the water supply hose 510 through the first valve 410 is supplied into the tub 200 after always passing through the detergent box 50 . The washing water supplied into the tub 200 through the water supply hose 510 flows down along the inner surface of the tub 200 and is collected in the bottom of the tub 200 . Meanwhile, the first valve 410 and the water supply hose 510 communicating with the detergent box 50 may be provided in large numbers as shown in FIG. 1 . In such case, the detergent for washing and the detergent for rinsing can respectively be supplied into the tub 200 at a timing interval.
[0040] The supply hose 520 that communicates the second valve 420 with the tub 200 detours the detergent box 50 as shown in FIG. 1 . Instead, the supply hose 520 passes through a tank 610 , for example. The tank 610 stores a predetermined volume of water or overflows the water stored therein to supply the water into the tub 200 . Further, the tank 610 may supply the predetermined volume of water stored therein into the tub 200 at one time. The supply hose 520 passing through the tank 610 , as shown in FIG. 2 , is connected with the nozzle assembly 60 provided to pass through the gasket 25 . Therefore, the washing water flown to the supply hose 520 through the second valve 420 is supplied into the tub 200 after always passing through the tank 610 .
[0041] Meanwhile, it is possible to obtain higher washing effect when the laundry is washed using heated water than washing effect obtained when the laundry is washed using cold water. Therefore, in the washing machine according to the present invention, a steam generator 600 is provided as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 so that hot steam is supplied into the tub 200 to enhance the washing effect. To allow the steam generator 600 to supply the steam into the tub 200 , a water tank storing water supplied from the water supply source, a heater heating the water stored in the water tank, and a path connecting the water supply source, the water tank and the tub 200 with one another are required.
[0042] The washing machine according to the present invention are provided with the second hose, i.e., the supply hose 520 connecting the water supply valve 400 with the tub 200 and the tank 610 provided at a middle portion of the supply hose 520 to store the water therein. Therefore, to efficiently use the inner space of the washing machine and reduce the number of parts, the tank 610 and the supply hose 520 are used as the parts of the steam generator 600 .
[0043] In the present invention, the steam generator 600 that uses the tank 610 and the supply hose 520 as its parts can supply the washing water supplied from the second valve 420 into the tub 200 through the nozzle assembly 60 in a liquid or steam state. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B illustrate the steam generator 600 in detail, and FIG. 5 illustrates elements related to water supply. Hereinafter, the steam generator 600 will be described in more detail.
[0044] The steam generator 600 , as shown in FIG. 3A , includes the tank 610 having an inlet 520 and an outlet 630 , a heater 640 provided on the bottom inside the tank 610 , a sensor assembly 650 sensing a water level in the tank 610 , and at least one temperature sensor 617 sensing a temperature inside the tank 610 .
[0045] The tank 610 has a space therein, which can receive a predetermined volume of water. A flange 611 and an extension 612 are formed on an outer surface of the tank 610 to fix the tank 610 to the inner surface of the case 100 . The inlet 620 and the outlet 630 are formed at an upper portion of the tank 610 . This is to prevent the water in the tank 610 from flowing backward toward the second valve 420 through the inlet 620 and effectively drain out the steam generated in the tank 610 through the outlet 630 . Portions of the tank 610 where the inlet 620 and the outlet 630 are formed are locally projected as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3A .
[0046] The inlet 620 communicates with the second valve 420 through the supply hose 520 while the outlet 630 communicates with the nozzle assembly 60 through supply hose 520 . Meanwhile, the inlet 620 and the outlet 630 are not provided with a separate on/off valve. Therefore, the inlet 620 can counteract the outlet 630 and vice versa. For example, the inlet 620 may be used as the outlet while the outlet 630 may be used as the inlet. In such case, when the position of the tank 610 should be changed in the case 100 , the inlet 620 and the outlet 630 are used to be compatible with each other. Thus, the tank 610 can be used for different models. However, the outlet 630 and the inlet 620 may respectively be provided with an on/off valve as occasion demands.
[0047] The heater 640 includes a radiator 641 and a terminal 645 . The radiator 641 of the heater 640 , as shown in FIG. 3A , is uniformly provided on the bottom inside the tank 610 . The terminal 645 of the heater 640 is exposed to the outside after passing through the side of the tank 610 . Meanwhile, one end of the radiator 641 is supported in a state that it is spaced apart from the bottom of the tank 610 at a predetermined distance by a clamp 615 provided on the bottom of the tank 610 .
[0048] The sensor assembly 650 includes a plurality of electrodes that sense a minimum water level and a full water level in the tank 610 . The minimum water level is to prevent the radiator 641 of the heater 640 from being overheated. The minimum water level is determined at the position a little higher than the top of the radiator 641 to prevent the radiator 641 from being exposed. The full water level is to prevent the water supplied into the tank 610 from being overflown through the outlet 630 . The full water level is determined at the position a little lower than the outlet 630 .
[0049] The sensor assembly 650 that senses the minimum water level and the full water level includes a common electrode 651 , a first electrode 653 , and a second electrode 655 , as shown in FIG. 3A . The common electrode 651 , the first electrode 653 , and the second electrode 655 are vertically arranged in a state that they are spaced apart from one another at a predetermined distance. Top ends of the electrodes are provided to pass through the top surface of the tank 610 . Terminals are respectively formed on the top ends of the electrodes exposed by passing through the tank 610 .
[0050] The common electrode 651 and the first electrode 653 , as shown in FIG. 3A , are long and their heights are substantially the same as each other. Therefore, the common electrode 651 and the first electrode 653 are simultaneously soaked in the water or exposed from the water. If the common electrode 651 and the first electrode 653 are simultaneously soaked in the water, the common electrode 651 and the first electrode 653 are electrically connected with each other. Thus, a controller 700 such as a microprocessor determines that the water level in the tank 610 is higher than the minimum water level.
[0051] By contrast, if the common electrode 651 and the first electrode 653 are simultaneously exposed from the water as the water level in the tank 610 decreases, the common electrode 651 and the first electrode 653 are electrically disconnected from each other. Thus, the controller 700 determines that the water level in the tank 610 is lower than the minimum water level. If the water level in the tank 610 is lower than the minimum water level, the controller 700 stops the operation of the heater 640 to prevent the heater 640 from being damaged by overheat.
[0052] The second electrode 655 is shorter than the common electrode 651 and the first electrode 653 . Therefore, a lower end of the second electrode 655 is positioned to be higher than lower ends of the common electrode 651 and the first electrode 653 . If the second electrode 655 is not soaked in the water as the water level in the tank 610 is low, the common electrode 651 and the second electrode 655 are electrically disconnected from each other. Thus, the controller 700 determines that the water level in the tank 610 does not reach the full water level.
[0053] By contrast, if the second electrode 655 is soaked in the water as the water level in the tank 610 increases, the common electrode 651 and the second electrode 655 are electrically connected with each other. Thus, the controller 700 determines that the water level in the tank 610 reaches the full water level. If the water level in the tank 610 reaches the full water level, the controller 700 closes the second valve 420 to stop the water from being supplied into the tank 610 when the steam generator 600 generates steam. However, the controller 700 does not close the second valve 420 even if the sensor assembly 650 senses the full water level when the water is supplied into the tub 200 through the steam generator 600 . Thus, the water continues to be supplied into the tank 610 . As a result, the water supplied into the tank 610 is overflown from the tank 610 so that the water can be supplied into the tub 200 through the outlet 630 .
[0054] Hereinafter, the procedure of generating steam through the aforementioned steam generator 600 will be described in brief. First, the controller 700 measures the water level in the tank 610 using the sensor assembly 650 . If the water level in the tank 610 is low, the controller 700 opens the second valve 420 to supply the washing water into the tank 610 . However, if the sensor assembly 650 senses the full water level, the controller 700 closes the second valve 420 to stop the washing water from being supplied into the tank 610 .
[0055] If the tank 610 is filled with the washing water, the heater 640 is operated to heat the washing water in the tank 610 . If the washing water is heated, steam is generated. The generated steam is sprayed into the tub 200 through the outlet 630 . The water level in the tank 610 is gradually lowered as the steam continues to be supplied into the tub 200 . If the washing water in the tank 610 is evaporated to allow the water level in the tank 610 to reach the minimum water level, the controller 700 turns the heater 640 off. If necessary, the controller 700 turns again the heater 640 on to supply the steam into the tub 200 after supplying the washing water into the tank 610 .
[0056] The case where the water in the tank 610 is supplied into the tub 200 through the outlet 630 as the water in the tank 610 overflows has been described as above. However, the present invention is not limited to such case. As another example, the water stored in the tank 610 may be supplied into the tub 200 at one time if the water in the tank 610 reaches the full water level. To this end, as shown in FIG. 3B , a second outlet 660 that can be turned on/off is provided at a lower portion of the tank 610 . The second outlet 660 is connected with the supply hose 520 connected with the tub 200 . The second outlet 660 constructed as above is usually closed. The second outlet 660 is selectively opened to supply the washing water stored in the tank 610 into the tub 200 at one time only when the user intends to supply the washing water into the tub 200 while measuring the volume of the washing water.
[0057] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2 , a drain 210 is formed at the lower portion of the tub 200 . The drain 210 is connected with a bellows tube 33 . The bellows tube 33 is connected with a pump unit that pumps the water supplied into the tub 200 through the drain 210 and the bellows tube 33 to drain the water out or circulates the water in the drum 300 .
[0058] The pump unit, as shown in FIG. 1 , includes a pump housing 45 , a circulating pump 30 , and a drain pump 40 . The pump housing 45 is supplied with the water passing through the drain 210 and the bellows tube 33 . The drain pump 40 is connected with a drain hose 37 that communicates with the outside. The drain pump 40 drains the washing water supplied into the pump housing 50 out through the drain hose 37 during a drain stroke of the washing machine.
[0059] The circulating pump 30 is connected with a circulating hose 35 . The circulating hose 35 is connected with the nozzle assembly 60 of which one end is provided to pass through the gasket 25 as shown in FIG. 2 . The circulating pump 30 pumps the washing water supplied into the pump housing 45 toward the circulating hose 35 during washing and rinsing strokes of the washing machine. The pumped washing water is sprayed into the tub 200 through the nozzle assembly 60 .
[0060] As described above, the nozzle assembly 60 provided to pass through the gasket 25 is connected with the circulating hose 35 and the supply hose 520 , respectively. The nozzle assembly 60 , as shown in FIG. 4 , includes a first nozzle 61 connected with the circulating hose 35 to spray the washing water pumped by the circulating pump 30 into the tub 200 , and a second nozzle 62 connected with the supply hose 520 to spray the steam generated by the steam generator 600 or the washing water passing through the steam generator 60 into the tub 200 . The first nozzle 61 and the second nozzle 62 , as shown in FIG. 4 , are arranged in parallel with each other and formed in a single body to facilitate their manufacture and arrangement.
[0061] Meanwhile, in the present invention, the washing water is supplied into the tub 200 through the supply hose 520 that detours the detergent box 50 as well as the water supply hose 510 that passes through the detergent box 50 . Therefore, a greater volume of the washing water can be supplied into the tub 200 within a shorter time in comparison with the related art washing machine that supplies the water only through the water supply hose 510 .
[0062] Hereinafter, embodiments of a water supply method according to the present invention will be described in detail.
FIRST EMBODIMENT
[0063] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a washing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6 , if a washing stroke starts, the controller 700 senses the volume of the laundry (S 10 ). The controller 700 repeatedly rotates the drum 300 in forward and reverse directions to sense the volume of the laundry. The controller 700 determines the volume of the laundry based on load and rotational speed of the drum 300 detected when the drum 300 is rotated. Another methods of determining the volume of the laundry may be applied to the present invention.
[0064] If the volume of the laundry is determined, the controller 700 selects various washing options depending on the volume of the laundry (S 20 ). For example, the controller 700 can determine the volume of the washing water (first water level) to be used for a preliminary washing stroke, the volume of the washing water (second water level) to be used for a main washing stroke, duration of the washing stroke, a number of times/duration of a rinsing stroke, a number of times/duration of a dehydrating stroke, and so on based on the volume of the laundry. The preliminary washing stroke is to sufficiently soak the laundry using a small volume of washing water and increase an inner temperature of the tub 200 and a temperature of the washing water using steam. The main washing stroke is to normally wash the laundry. Since the first water level is lower than the second water level, the washing water in the main washing stroke should be resupplied into the tub 200 . The controller 700 can determine the volume (second water level minus first water level) of the washing water to be resupplied in the main washing stroke. Optionally, the controller 700 can set a reference temperature T used for the preliminary washing stroke, duration of the preliminary washing stroke, duration of the main washing stroke, the volume of the washing water supplied to the steam generator 600 , driving duration of the heater 640 , and so on depending on the volume of the laundry.
[0065] If various options are selected, the washing water is supplied into the tub 200 by the first water level. To this end, the controller 700 opens the first valve 410 to supply the washing water of the water supply source into the tub 200 through the water supply hose 510 . The water supply hose 510 passes through the detergent box 50 as mentioned above. Therefore, if there is the detergent in the detergent box 50 , the detergent is supplied into the tub 200 along with the washing water flown into the water supply hose 510 . The washing water supplied into the tub 200 through the water supply hose 510 flows down along the inner surface of the tub 200 and is collected in the bottom of the tub 200 . With the lapse of time, the water level in the tub 200 gradually increases. At the same time, the controller 700 opens the second valve 420 to supply the washing water to the steam generator 600 . The washing water flown into the supply hose 520 is supplied into the tank 610 of the steam generator 600 . With the lapse of time, the tank 610 is filled with the washing water.
[0066] While the washing water is supplied into the tank 610 , the sensor assembly 650 of the steam generator 600 senses the water level in the tank 610 . If the water level in the tank 610 reaches the full water level, the controller 700 closes the second valve 420 . The controller 700 turns the heater 600 on for a set time, for example, several seconds or several tens of seconds to heat the washing water in the tank 610 . If the washing water in the tank 610 starts to boil, the steam is generated and the pressure in the tank 610 increases. The controller 700 turns the heater 640 off after the lapse of the set time.
[0067] While the washing water is supplied into the tub 200 , a main water level sensor 330 repeatedly senses the water level of the washing water flowing into the tub 200 . The main water level sensor 330 converts the weight or pressure of the washing water in the tub 200 into a frequency signal and transmits the frequency signal to the controller 700 . The controller 700 determines the water level of the washing water based on the frequency signal transmitted from the main water level sensor 330 . The controller 700 closes the first valve 410 if the sensed water level reaches the first water level. For example, supposing that the water level frequency corresponding to the first water level is in the range of 1000 kHz to 1200 kHz, the controller 700 closes the first valve 410 when the frequency signal transmitted from the main water level sensor 330 reaches 1000 kHz to 1200 kHz.
[0068] If the washing water in the tank 610 is boiled and the water level in the tub 200 reaches the first water level, the controller 700 supplies the steam into the tub 200 and at the same time rotates the drum 300 . In other words, the controller 700 carries out the preliminary washing stroke using the steam and the washing water of the first water level (S 30 ).
[0069] In addition, since the laundry absorbs the water during the preliminary washing stroke, the water level in the tub 200 may be lowered. If the water level in the tub 200 becomes lower than the first water level, the controller 700 resupplies the washing water into the tub 200 . For example, if the frequency signal transmitted from the main water level sensor 330 is lower than 1000 kHz, the controller 700 resupplies the washing water into the tub 200 at a certain volume.
[0070] While the preliminary washing stroke is carried out, a temperature sensor 800 provided in the tub 200 repeatedly senses the inner temperature of the tub 200 . Then, the controller 700 compares the sensed inner temperature ‘t’ with a previously set temperature ‘T’ (S 40 ). If the inner temperature ‘t’ sensed by the temperature sensor 800 is lower than the previously set temperature ‘T,’ the controller 700 continues to drive the heater 640 and maintains the preliminary washing stroke. In other words, the preliminary washing stroke using the steam is maintained until the sensed inner temperature ‘t’ reaches the previously set temperature ‘T.’ The heater 640 is set to be driven for a previously set time. However, the heater 640 is driven again if the sensed inner temperature ‘t’ is lower than the previously set temperature ‘T.’
[0071] Afterwards, if the sensed inner temperature ‘t’ reaches the previously set temperature ‘T,’ the controller 700 stops driving of the steam generator 600 to prevent the steam from being supplied into the tub 200 (S 50 ). The controller 700 converts the preliminary washing stroke into the main washing stroke. To carry out the main washing stroke, the controller 700 simultaneously opens the first valve 410 and the second valve 420 and supplies the washing water into the tub 200 through the water supply hoses 510 and 520 until the water level in the tub 200 reaches the second water level (S 60 ).
[0072] If the water level in the tub 200 reaches the second water level, the controller 700 carries out the main washing stroke for a set duration of the main washing stroke (S 70 ˜S 80 ).
SECOND EMBODIMENT
[0073] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a washing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7 , if a washing stroke starts, the controller 700 determines the volume of the laundry (S 110 ) and selects various washing options depending on the volume of the laundry (S 120 ). For example, the controller 700 can set the volume of the washing water (first water level) to be used for the preliminary washing stroke, the volume of the washing water (second water level) to be used for the main washing stroke, number of times/duration of the rinsing stroke, number of times/duration of the dehydrating stroke, duration of the preliminary washing stroke (first set time), duration of the main washing stroke (second set time), and so on depending on the volume of the laundry.
[0074] Then, the controller 700 carries out the preliminary washing stroke using the steam and the washing water of the first water level during the preliminary washing stroke duration (first set time) (S 130 ˜S 140 ). If the preliminary washing stroke duration passes, the controller 700 converts the preliminary washing stroke into the main washing stroke.
[0075] To convert the preliminary washing stroke into the main washing stroke, the controller 700 stops the steam from being supplied into the tub 200 (S 150 ) and supplies the washing water into the tub 200 through the water supply hoses 510 and 520 until the water level in the tub 200 reaches the second water level (S 160 ).
[0076] If the water level in the tub 200 reaches the second water level, the controller 700 carries out the washing stroke during the set duration of the main washing stroke (second set time) (S 170 ˜S 180 ).
[0077] In the present invention, the washing stroke has been described. The present invention may be applied to a soaking stroke and a rinsing stroke. For example, the rinsing stroke of the present invention may include a preliminary rinsing stroke based on a small volume of washing water and steam and a main rinsing stroke based on a large volume of washing water.
[0078] As described above, since the small volume of the washing water is used for the preliminary washing stroke, the concentration of the detergent contained in the washing water is high. Since the temperature in the tub and the temperature of the washing water are increased using the steam, washing efficiency is improved. Moreover, since the large volume of the washing water is used for the main washing stroke, it is possible to easily separate the laundry from contaminants.
[0079] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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A washing machine and a washing method thereof are disclosed, in which waste of washing water is reduced and washing efficiency is improved. The washing method includes the steps of determining the volume of laundry in a tub, setting a first water level for a preliminary washing stroke and a second water level for a main washing stroke based on the determined volume of laundry, carrying out the preliminary washing stroke using washing water of the first water level and steam, and converting the preliminary washing stroke into the main washing stroke based on washing water of the second water level depending on an inner temperature of the tub.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved fairing for reducing current-induced stresses on a cylindrical structure due to relative movement of the structure with respect to a fluid medium in which the structure is immersed. More particularly, the fairing of the present invention is useful on a marine drilling riser to reduce current-induced stresses on the riser.
Drilling for offshore oil and gas often occurs in a marine inlet or near a river mouth in which drilling sites are characterized by strong currents. These currents may exceed 3 meters per second flowing either toward or away from the adjoining seashore, depending on whether the tide is coming in or going out. Of particular concern is the effect of the currents on a marine drilling riser. The principal purpose of the riser is to provide a fluid flow path between a drilling vessel and a well bore and to guide a drill string to the well bore. Stresses caused by high current conditions have been known to cause risers to break apart and fall to the ocean floor. Stresses on the drilling riser greatly increase as the velocity of the current increases and these stresses are magnified as the depth of water at the well location increases.
When operating in high current areas, the riser is exposed to currents which can cause at least two kinds of stresses. The first is caused by vortex-induced alternating forces that vibrate the riser in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the current. When water flows past the riser, vortices are alternately shed from each side of the riser. This produces a fluctuating force on the riser transverse to the current. If the frequency of this harmonic load is near the resonant frequency of the riser, large vibrations transverse to the current can occur. The second type of stress is caused by drag forces which push the riser in the direction of the current due to the riser's resistance to fluid flow. The drag forces are amplified by vortex induced vibrations of the riser. A riser pipe that is vibrating due to vortex shedding will disrupt the flow of water around it more than a stationary riser. This results in more energy transfer from the current to the riser, and hence more drag.
To minimize the current-induced stresses on a drilling riser, fairings have been added to the riser. Fairings generally comprise streamline shaped bodies that weathervane about the riser maintaining positions substantially aligned with the water current. It has been found that fairings can greatly reduce drag and vortex-induced forces on the riser by reducing or breaking up low pressure areas that exist down-current of the riser.
An example of a fairing proposed for drilling risers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,674 which issued Oct. 23, 1979 to N. E. Hale. The fairing of this patent is made of two shell halves that are connected by a hinge along the leading edge of the fairing and by fasteners at the trailing end. The nose portion of the fairing has a longitudinal opening to accommodate the riser. The patent proposes fitting the fairing shells directly on a riser pipe if the riser is the same size as the opening in the nose portion of the fairing. Where the riser is smaller than the opening in the nose portion of the fairing or where the fairing is to be fitted to several pipes, the patent proposes attaching the fairing shells to collars that are secured to the riser. The collars accommodate the swinging motion of the fairing on the riser and provide radial and axial load bearing surfaces for the fairing.
While riser fairings proposed in the past have generally been successful in reducing the current-induced stresses on the riser, there is a need for a fairing that can be quickly and easily attached to a riser that is equipped with buoyancy modules or jackets. Buoyancy modules are used to add flotation to a drilling riser and are made to conform to the dimensions of the riser, with provisions made to clear choke and kill lines, hydraulic lines, clamps and other fixtures on the riser joints. The modules are usually 3 to 5 meters long with multiple modules attached to each riser joint. It would be difficult to fit the fairing of U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,674 directly on buoyancy modules so that the fairing will fit snugly to the modules because the surfaces of the modules are generally not perfectly round and they can vary considerably in diameter from one riser section to the next. Attaching collars to a riser having buoyancy modules and then attaching the fairings to the collars ensures a secure attachment. However, installation of collars is time consuming and can greatly increase the costs of adding fairings to a riser.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes these particular prior art shortcomings by providing a fairing that may be mounted about the longitudinal axis of a substantially rigid elongated element and that will reduce current-induced forces on the elongated element. The fairing comprises a symmetrical structure having a nose portion for receiving the elongated element and a tail portion extending from the nose portion. The nose portion has an opening along its longitudinal axis to accommodate the elongated element. Bearing means supported by the structure provide bearing contact between the elongated element and the structure. Means interconnected with the bearing means accommodate variations in the outer surface of the elongated element to maintain the longitudinal axis of the fairing nose substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated element as the fairing rotates around the elongated element. The fairing is particularly adapted for use on an elongated element having a non-uniform outer surface.
In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of fairings are rotatably mounted on marine drilling riser sections having buoyancy modules made of syntactic foam. The bearing means preferably comprise bearing pads and the means interconnected with the bearing means for accommodating variations in the outer surface of the buoyancy module preferably comprise spring assemblies that are formed integrally with the nose portion of the fairing. The spring assemblies provide the flexure needed to compensate for irregularities in the outer surface of the buoyancy module.
Retainer means are attached at the upper and lower ends of the riser sections to prevent substantial vertical movement of the fairings along the riser section. The retainer means preferably comprise retainer rings that snugly engage the upper and lower fairings on the riser section to aid in maintaining the longitudinal axes of the fairings substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the riser section.
In other embodiments of this invention, the bearing means comprise rollers or a combination of bearing pads and rollers. The means interconnected with the bearing means may comprise spring assemblies having helical or curved compression springs that force the bearing means against the buoyancy module. In still other embodiments, the bearing means may be attached to an elastic material, such as an elastomer or a synthetic rubber material, that permits the bearing means to move relative to the fairing structure and thereby accommodate variations in the outer surface of the buoyancy module.
Preferably, the fairings of the present invention have shoulders at the longitudinal extremities of the nose portion of the fairing to provide resistance to axial loads from adjacent fairings on the riser section.
As will be appreciated, the fairings of this invention offer significant advantages over fairings used in the prior art. The fairings can be rotatably mounted around a riser buoyancy module having a nonuniform outer surface without preattaching collars to the riser and then attaching fairings thereto. When mounted around a marine drilling riser, the longitudinal axes of the fairings will remain substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the riser. The fairings can therefore be mounted on top of each other arouund a marine riser having flotation modules and the fairings can rotate independently of each other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The construction, operation, and apparent advantages of the present invention will be better understood by referring to the drawings in which like numerals identify like parts and in which:
FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a section of a marine drilling riser having fairings of the present invention attached thereto with portions of two fairings broken away for purposes of clarity;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fairing similar to the fairings shown in FIG. 1 with a portion of the fairing broken away for purposes of clarity;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a section view of another embodiment of a fairing of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4 with shoulders at the top and bottom of the fairing removed for purposes of clarity;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of a fairing of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of another means for accommodating movement of the bearing pads of FIGS. 6-8; and
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a spring system for applying spring tension on the bearing pads of fairings shown in the FIGS. 2-8.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a section 10 of a marine drilling riser that has attached to it riser fairings 20 of the present invention. Riser section 10 is approximately 16 meters in length and is one of the many sections of a riser string (not shown) that extends between a floating drilling vessel and a subsea wellhead. The riser string itself may be several hundred meters in length. The riser section 10 comprises a center riser pipe 11, choke and kill lines 12 and other control lines (not shown). The riser pipe, choke and kill lines and other lines of the riser section 10 are encased in buoyancy modules 13 formed of semiannular sections made of syntactic foam. The syntactic foam comprises tiny glass bubbles that are held together by an epoxy of polyester resin. The surface of each module 13 is covered by a layer of fiberglass that protects the module against impact and abrasion. Stainless steel straps 15 of the type used to band heavy crates secure the modules 13 to the riser pipe 11. The straps 15 and fasteners 16 are recessed in the modules 13 to minimize undersirable hydrodynamic forces on the riser section 10 as water flows past the riser. Two retainer plates or rings 17 are bolted, clamped or otherwise secured to the riser section 10 near the upper and lower ends of the riser section 10 to prevent the fairings 20 from moving up or down on the riser section.
Although the outer surfaces of modules 13 are illustrated in the drawings as being cylindrical, the outer surfaces of modules 13 are usually not uniform. Modules 13, like most buoyancy modules when installed on a riser, have substantial irregularities on their outer surfaces. The distance between the longitudinal axis of the riser section and the outer surface of the modules may vary as much as five or more centimeters. In addition, some of the buoyancy modules 13 will probably have chipped corners and edges and other abrasions resulting from damages sustained during handling aboard the vessel or during installation of the modules onto the riser.
Several somewhat different embodiments of fairings according to this invention for mounting on the riser section 10 are shown in the drawings and described in detail hereinafter. In each embodiment, the longitudinal axes of the fairings mounted on riser section 10 remain substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of riser section 10. The fairings 20 can therefore be mounted on top of each other about a riser section 10 as shown in FIG. 1 and the fairings will rotate independently of each other even on buoyancy modules having irregular outer surfaces. This feature of the invention is particularly important for structural survival of the fairings as the riser section 10 enters the water with fairings 20 mounted thereon. A riser section in the lower end of the moonpool in a drillship or just below the surface of the water under a semisubmersible drilling vessel is subjected to current forces from many different directions because of the interaction of waves and currents and the drilling vessel. These forces acting on the individual fairings can cause the fairings to swing or rotate violently with respect to each other, and if not properly centered on the riser, the fairings can collide and cause damage to each other or become entangled with each other.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, fairing 20 is a substantially symmetrical structure that comprises a nose portion 21 that has a longitudinal central opening or bore to accommodate buoyancy module 13. Formed integrally with the nose portion is a tail portion 22 that has stabilizer fins 23 attached thereto at the trailing end. The fins 23 help the fairing align itself with the current flow so that the trailing end will always be on the down-current side of the riser section 10. The inner surfaces of the tail portion have reinforcing ribs 24 that extend horizontally along the length of the inner surfaces of the tail portion to add strength to the fairing shell.
Fairing 20 is formed as two shell halves that are connected together at the front end of the nose portion 21 by suitable quick release fasteners 25 and connected at the end of the tail portion by hinges 26. Examples of suitable fasteners may include over-the-center toggle action latch clamps that are commercially available. The fasteners are preferably hand operable and are corrosion resistant. The fasteners 25 are preferably located at the leading edge of the fairing to minimize water disturbance as water flows past the fairing. The hinges 26 comprise tubes that are aligned and held together by pins similar to standard door hinges.
In other embodiments of this invention, fasteners may be used at both the leading and trailing ends of the fairing or fasteners may be used at the trailing end and hinges used at the leading edge.
Fairing 20 may be assembled on the buoyancy module 13 by hingably connecting the shell halves at the trailing end and wrapping the nose portion of the fairing about the buoyancy module. The leading edges of the shells are then securely fastened by fasteners 25. Alternatively, the shell halves may be fitted together about the buoyancy module 13 and then hinge pins installed and fasteners 25 locked to secure the shells together.
The fairing 20 has shoulders 27 at the upper and lower ends of its nose portion to provide an axial load bearing surface for engagement with adjacent fairings or the retainer plate 17, depending on the fairing's location on the riser section 10. Preferably, the shoulders 27 are formed integrally with the shell portion of the fairing and are made of the same material as the fairing body.
The fairing 20 may be made of any suitable material that is strong enough to support its own weight as well as forces resulting from water currents. The fairing may be made of plastic such as a thermoplastic copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene known by the tradename ABS. If extra strength is needed, the plastic material may be reinforced with fiberglass. The fairing can also be made of thin metal such as aluminum or nickel alloys. The fairing is preferably made of a material that is essentially neutrally buoyant so that it does not add weight to the riser section. Also, a neutrally buoyant fairing maximizes the stability of the fairing to align itself with the currents. The fairing can be given additional buoyancy by making the ribs 24 of syntactic foam or the like. A preferred neutrally buoyant shell comprises a syntactic foam core sandwiched between fiberglass outer coverings.
The thickness of the fairing 20 measured along cross-axis 45 (see FIG. 3) is governed largely by the diameter of the buoyancy module 13. The fairing length measured along front-to-back axis 46 depends largely on design considerations. The length of the fairing is a compromise between conflicting requirements. On the one hand, clearance margins with guidelines or other obstructions, fabrication cost considerations, and a desire to minimize weight all suggest a short and stubby fairing. On the other hand, the relationship between drag and length suggests a longer fairing since it is well known that drag resistance decreases with increasing length. In most applications, it is unlikely that the length/thickness ratio will exceed 3. Practical limitations on drag, pitch stability and risk of vortex-induced vibrations suggests that the length/thickness ratio not be less than about 1.5. Preferably, the fairing length/thickness ratio ranges between about 2 and 2.5.
In selecting a particular structural design for fairing 20, the hydrodynamic center of the fairing should be down-current of the center of rotation (or pivot point) of the fairing. The location of the hydrodynamic center is important because it determines whether or not the fairing will weathervane into the current. If the hydrodynamic center is down-current of the center of rotation, the fairing will act like a stable weathervane and point in the current direction with minimum drag. If the hydrodynamic center is up-current of the center of rotation, the fairing will seek some other direction and the resulting disorientation can cause high drag forces.
Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, fairing 20 rotatably engages module 13 on bearing pads 28 and 29. The bearing surfaces of the pads 28 and 29 are preferably concave to accommodate the convex surface of the buoyancy module 13. The edges 43 of the pads are preferably outwardly sloped to facilitate movement of the pads over the module's outer surface. The pads may be any suitable thickness to allow the fairing to rotate on the buoyancy module 13 for a desired period of time without wearing away to the point of permitting the fairing shells to contact the buoyancy module. FIGS. 2 and 3 show four pads 28, two located near the top of the fairing and each located an equal distance from the leading edge of the fairing and the other two pads similarily positioned near the bottom of the fairing. However, as will be discussed in more detail below, the pads 28 may be arranged in other patterns that permit the fairing to rotate about the buoyancy module and prevent the fairing body from contacting the module.
Two bearing pads 29 (only one pad 29 is shown in the drawings) are pressed against the down-current side of buoyancy module 13 by spring assemblies 30. One spring assembly is near the top of fairing 20 and the second spring assembly (not shown) is near the bottom of the fairing. Pads are preferably the same distance from the longitudinal ends of the fairing as pads 28 for optimum stability. Each pad 29 is attached by rivets, bolts, glue, cement or other suitable means to the end of a piston 31 that is adapted to telescope in and out of housing 32 with respect to the module 13. The piston is secured within the housing 32 by end cap 33 and flange 34. The piston 31 is urged towards the limits of its extension by means of a helical compression spring 35 having one end bearing against the piston head and the other end bearing against frame structure 36. The spring 35 allows the pads to accommodate variations in the outer diameter of the buoyancy module while ensuring a snug fit of the fairing about the module.
Frame structure 36 extends between the shell halves of the tail portion of the fairing. Ends 37 of the frame structure are T-shaped for engaging complementary T-shaped grooves formed on the inner surface of the tail portion of the shells. The frame structure 36, with spring assembly 30 attached thereto, may be installed in the fairing after the shell halves have been placed about the buoyancy module 13 and fastened together. Once the fairing shells are in place, the frame structure 36 is slid into place from the top of the fairing. To facilitate insertion of the frame structure into the fairing shells and to avoid damaging the bearings 29 during installation, the piston 31 may be withdrawn into housing 32 and retained therein by tightening of nut 38 on threaded rod 39 which is attached to the piston and extends through the spring 35 and frame structure 36. Once the frame structure 36 with spring assembly 30 is in place, the nut 38 is loosened and backed off to the end of the rod 39, thereby permitting the spring assembly 30 to force bearing pad 29 against the module 13. Nut 38 is preferably self-locking to prevent loss during service.
The bearing pads 28 and 29 may be made of any suitable materials that will provide an effective bearing surface between the pads and the buoyancy module 13 and that will permit the fairing to rotate with changes in current direction. The composition of the bearing pads will depend largely on the composition of the buoyancy module surface, the spring tension between the pads and buoyancy module and the desired life expectancy of the pads. Suitable materials for use on syntactic foam buoyancy modules may include polyurethane, Teflon (trademark) and nylon, with nylon being preferred.
Pads 29 should be pressed against the buoyancy module with enough force to maintain the longitudinal axis of the nose portion of the fairing substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the riser. The bearing pads should not be biased against the module with such force that the frictional forces between the pads and the module 13 will prevent the fairing from weathervaning about the module as the direction of the ocean currents changes. To effectively reduced currect-induced stresses on the riser, the fairing should be headed in a direction that is within 5 degrees, and preferable within 2 degrees, of the current direction. The force exerted on pad 29 can be adjusted by regulating the size of the helical spring 35. An effective spring tension can be determined by those skilled in the art, taking into account the weight of the fairing, the expected coefficient of friction between the pads 29 and the module 13, and the hydrodynamic forces that are expected to act on the fairing 20.
In accordance with this invention, the bearing pads 28 and 29 can be of any size and have dimensions that permit the fairing to freely rotate about the buoyancy module with changes in current direction. Preferably the width of the pad's bearing surface is wider than any gap on the outer surface of the buoyancy module 13. It is not necessary that the bearing pads have the same size. Pads 28 and 29 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate just one example of many different bearing pad arrangements and sizes that may be used in this invention.
It is also not necessary in this invention to have two bearing pads 29 on the down-current side of the buoyancy module 13. Only one pad 29 pressed against module 13 is needed to practice this embodiment of this invention. However, two or more pads 29 pressed against the module 13 are preferred to give the fairing optimum pitch stability.
Pads 29 need not be on the same vertical plane as that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. A fairing three pads pressed against module 13 on the down-current side of the fairing may, for example, be arranged so that two pads are located ner the bottom of the fairing on the same horizontal plane with each pad located an equal distance from a vertical plane passing through front-to-back axis 46 (see FIG. 3) and the third pad may be located near the top of the fairing on a vertical plane passing through axis 46.
The fairings 20 may be attached to riser section 10 on the drilling vessel as the riser is being run. The fairings are preferably attached to the riser so that the bearing pads engage surfaces of the buoyancy modules that are substantially free of gaps or obstructions. For example, the buoyancy modules are preferably positioned so that the pads 28 and 29 will not ride on recesses in which the straps 15 are located and will not ride on gaps between adjoining buoyancy modules. To ensure that the pads engage a desired location on the module, spacer rings may be inserted between the fairings.
The first step in the installation of fairings 20 on a riser section 10 is to attach the lower retainer ring 17 to the riser section. The retainer ring should be capable of supporting the dry weight of all the fairings to be mounted on the section. The fairings are then mounted on the riser section on top of each other. FIG. 1 shows six fairings attached to riser section 10. However, the number of fairings to be mounted on the riser section will depend on the size of the fairings, the length of the riser section and whether spacers rings are used between fairings. Once the fairings are mounted on the riser section, the upper retainer ring 17 is attached to the riser section.
As the upper fairings on the riser section are being mounted, the lower fairings on the riser section may be subjected to wave and current forces. In accordance with this embodiment of the present invention, the bearing pads 28 and 29 in association with spring asemblies 30 keep the fairings' longitudinal axes substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the riser section.
The retainer rings 17 are preferably attached to the riser section 20 so that the fairing shoulders 27 remain in sliding engagement with each other. Sufficient clearance between the fairings is provided to permit the fairings to rotate with respect to each other. However, the retainer rings preferably prevent the fairing shoulders 27 from moving apart more than a miniscule amount. This vertical confinement of the fairings aids in preventing rotational motion of the fairings such that their longitudinal axes would be rotated out of parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of the riser section. Thus, vertical confinement aids in preventing tilting of the fairings with respect to the riser. Such rotational motion could cause interference between the tail portions 22 of adjacent fairings.
The following example illustrates the importance of maintaining the fairings' longitudinal axes substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the riser section 10. In this example, fairings similar to those illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 are mounted on a riser section. Each fairing has a height of 60 inches (152.4 centimeters) and length of 100 inches (254 centimeters). The riser section has buoyancy modules that are ellipitcal with the outer diameter varying from 38 inches (96.52 centimeters) to 40 inches (101.5 centimeters). The nose portions of the fairings are sized to accommodate a 40 inch (101.5 centimeter) buoyancy module, The distance between the tail portions of the fairings when mounted on such a buoyancy module is 3 inches (7.62 centimeters). Under these conditions, if the fairings are aligned along the minor axis (96.52 centimeters diameter) and are not restrained in accordance with this invention from rotational movement of the fairings' longitudinal axes with respect to the riser section's longitudinal axis, the fairings' longitudinal axes can rotate approximately one degree from or out of parallel alignment with the riser section's longitudinal axis. This one degree of misalignment results in the tip of each fairing's tail moving (either up or down) approximately 1.7 inches (4.3 centimeters). Thus, if two adjacent fairings spaced 3 inches (7.62 centimeters) apart at the tails are caused to rotate around the riser section in counter directions, the fairing tails could interfere with each other.
FIGS. 4-5 illustrate another embodiment of a fairing of this invention showing another means for pressing bearings located on the down-current side of the fairing against buoyancy module 13 to ensure that the longitudinal axis of the fairing's nose position is maintained substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the riser section 10. Fairing 120 is similar in construction to fairing 20 of FIGS. 2-3, except that rollers 128 and 129 provide bearing contact between the fairing and buoyancy module 13 and each fairing shell has two upstanding ribs 137 that extend horizontally on the outer surface of the shells. Four rollers 128 are shown attached to the nose portion 121 of the fairing by roller frame assemblies 138. Frame assemblies 138 are housed in ribs 137 which extend from the leading edge of the nose to the tail portion of the fairing. The upstanding ribs taper from front-to-back with the maximum thickness of the ribs occurring at the location of the rollers. Roller frame assemblies 138 are secured within the ribs 137 by bolts, rivets, welding or any other suitable means. The rollers 128 are supported on the frame assembly on axial shafts 139. Rollers 128 may be made of rubber, plastic or other suitable materials. Use of ribs 137 to house a portion of the rollers 128 is desirable to minimize the overall width of the fairing.
Spring assemblies 130 (only one of which is in view in FIG. 4) are similar in construction to spring assemblies 30 of FIGS. 2-3. Each assembly 130 comprises a roller 129 held against buoyancy module 13 by a helical compression spring 135. Forcing roller 129 against the buoyancy module 13 causes the fairings to fit snugly to the buoyancy module as the fairing rotates on the buoyancy module. Piston 131 is retained within housing 132 by end cap 133 and flange 134.
FIGS. 6-8 illustrate still another embodiment of this invention showing another means for applying a bearing force on the down-current side of the fairing. Fairing 220 comprises a nose portion 221 and a tail portion 222. The nose portion 221 has a central opening to accommodate buoyancy module 13. Flexible spring members 230 formed integrally with the nose portion 221 provide spring tension to force bearing pads 229 to the down current side of the buoyancy module. In the unstressed condition, the radius of the curvature of each spring member 230 is slightly smaller than the radius of the curvature of the buoyancy module 13. When the fairing shells are fitted around the buoyancy module, the spring members 230 flex to accommodate the larger diameter of the module and thereby exerts spring tension on the pads 229.
Spring members 230 are preferably made of a plastic material that has elastic characteristics. Most preferably the fairing shells and spring members 230 are both made of syntactic foam sandwiched between layers of fiberglass.
Shoulders 227 are attached at the top and bottom of the fairings to provide a bearing surface to resist thrust and axial loading from adjacent fairings. The shoulders are segmented to facilitate flexing of spring members 230 and nose portion 221.
In fabricating fairings illustrated in FIGS. 6-8 for installation on a drilling riser having buoyancy modules with different circumferences, it may be convenient to fabricate the fairings for fitting about the buoyancy module having the largest circumference. The modules having a circumference smaller than the circumference of the largest module may be fitted with the fairings by inserting one or more elastic washers or shims between the bearing pads and spring members 230.
FIG. 9 shows an example of a shim 218 between pads 229 and spring member 230. The thickness of shim 218 is sized to insure that pad 229 engages the buoyancy module 13 with sufficient force to assure that the longitudinal axis of the fairing will be substantially parallel to longitudinal axis of the module 13 as the fairing rotates on the riser. Stainless steel bolts 219 hold the pad 229 and shim to the spring member 230. The shim is preferably made of a soft (low durometer hardness) elastic material such as synthetic or natural material such as synthetic or natural rubber, polyurethane, or other suitable elastomeric materials so that the bearing pad 229 will have a compliant connection to the fairing body. The elastic material should be capable of being compressed by pad 229 and returning to its original shape when not being compressed by pad 229.
While FIG. 9 shows shim 218 used with pads 229, shims similar to shim 218 may also be used with pads 228 and with the bearing pads 28 and 29 illustrated in FIGS. 2-3.
FIG. 10 illustrates still another mechanism for forcing a bearing pad against buoyancy module 13. Pad 339 is identical to pads 228 and 229 of FIGS. 6-8. Pad 339 is attached by any suitable means to a rigid support member 340 that has flanges 334 at the upper and lower ends thereof. Support member 340 has flange 334 that is held onto fairing structure 330 by retainer 332. Retainer 332 prevents movement of the support member 340 with respect to fairing structure 330 as the fairing rotates on the buoyancy module. Pad 339 and support member 340 are forced against module 13 by curved compression spring 333.
An elongated element having a fairing of this invention mounted thereon may be moved through a fluid medium, or the fluid medium may be moving past the elongated element, or both. In general, the fluid medium is water, either fresh water or sea water, but the fluid medium may be air or other gases.
The fairings of this invention are for pipes or other substantially rigid structures to reduce the force of current flow against it, and are not limited for use on marine drilling risers. The fairings may also be used on pipelines, on production risers or on vertical pipes used in subsea mining operations.
It will be apparent from the foregoing that the present invention offers significant advantages over fairings previously known in the art. The principal advantages include ease of handling and installing the fairings on riser sections having buoyancy modules, mounting stability even on non-uniform surfaces usually found on riser buoyancy modules, and low resistance to turning on the buoyancy modules as the current direction changes.
The principle of the invention and the manner in which it is contemplated to apply that principle have been described. It is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative only and that other means and techniques can be employed without departing from the true scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
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A fairing for elongated elements is disclosed for reducing current-induced stresses on the elongated element. The fairing is made as a stream-lined shaped body that has a nose portion in which the elongated element is accommodated and a tail portion. The body has a bearing connected to it to provide bearing engagement with the elongated element. A biasing device interconnected with the the bearing accommodates variations in the outer surface of the elongated element to maintain the fairing's longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated element as the fairing rotates around the elongated element. The fairing is particularly adapted for mounting on a marine drilling riser having flotation modules.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/535,145, entitled “Foamed Spacer Fluids Containing Cement Kiln Dust and Methods of Use,” filed on Jun. 27, 2012, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/895,436, entitled “Spacer Fluids Containing Cement Kiln Dust and Methods of Use,” filed on Sep. 30, 2010, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/264,010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,333,240, entitled “Reduced Carbon Footprint Sealing Compositions for Use in Subterranean Formations,” filed on Nov. 3, 2008, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/223,669, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,445,669, entitled “Settable Compositions Comprising Cement Kiln Dust and Additive(s),” filed Sep. 9, 2005, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to spacer fluids for use in subterranean operations and, more particularly, in certain embodiments, to foamed spacer fluids comprising cement kiln dust (“CKD”) and methods of use in subterranean formations.
Spacer fluids are often used in subterranean operations to facilitate improved displacement efficiency when introducing new fluids into a well bore. For example, a spacer fluid can be used to displace a fluid in a well bore before introduction of another fluid. When used for drilling fluid displacement, spacer fluids can enhance solids removal as well as separate the drilling fluid from a physically incompatible fluid. For instance, in primary cementing operations, the spacer fluid may be placed into the well bore to separate the cement composition from the drilling fluid. Spacer fluids may also be placed between different drilling fluids during drilling change outs or between a drilling fluid and a completion brine, for example.
To be effective, the spacer fluid can have certain characteristics. For example, the spacer fluid may be compatible with the drilling fluid and the cement composition. This compatibility may also be present at downhole temperatures and pressures. In some instances, it is also desirable for the spacer fluid to leave surfaces in the well bore water wet, thus facilitating bonding with the cement composition. Rheology of the spacer fluid can also be important. A number of different rheological properties may be important in the design of a spacer fluid, including yield point, plastic viscosity, gel strength, and shear stress, among others. While rheology can be important in spacer fluid design, conventional spacer fluids may not have the desired rheology at downhole temperatures. For instance, conventional spacer fluids may experience undesired thermal thinning at elevated temperatures. As a result, conventional spacer fluids may not provide the desired displacement in some instances.
SUMMARY
The present invention relates to spacer fluids for use in subterranean operations and, more particularly, in certain embodiments, to foamed spacer fluids comprising CKD and methods of use in subterranean formations.
An embodiment discloses a method comprising: providing a foamed spacer fluid comprising CKD, a foaming agent, a gas, and water; and introducing the foamed spacer fluid into a well bore to displace at least a portion of a first fluid present in the well bore.
Another embodiment discloses a method comprising: providing a foamed spacer fluid comprising a partially calcined kiln feed removed from a gas stream, a foaming agent, a gas, and water, wherein the partially calcined kiln feed comprises SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , CaO, MgO, SO 3 , Na 2 O, and K 2 O; and introducing the foamed spacer fluid into a well bore to displace at least a portion of a first fluid present in the well bore.
Yet another embodiment discloses a foamed spacer fluid comprising: CKD, a foaming agent, a gas, and water, wherein the foamed spacer fluid has: a higher yield point at 130° F. than at 80° F., a higher yield point at 180° F. than at 80° F., and/or a higher plastic viscosity at 180° F. than at 80° F.
The features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. While numerous changes may be made by those skilled in the art, such changes are within the spirit of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention relates to spacer fluids for use in subterranean operations and, more particularly, in certain embodiments, to foamed spacer fluids that comprise CKD and methods that use CKD for enhancing one or more rheological properties of a spacer fluid. There may be several potential advantages to the methods and compositions of the present invention, only some of which may be alluded to herein. One of the many potential advantages of the methods and compositions of the present invention is that the CKD may be used in spacer fluids as a rheology modifier allowing formulation of a spacer fluid with desirable rheological properties. Another potential advantage of the methods and compositions of the present invention is that inclusion of the CKD in the spacer fluids may result in a spacer fluid without undesired thermal thinning. Yet another potential advantage of the present invention is that spacer fluids comprising CKD may be more economical than conventional spacer fluids, which are commonly prepared with higher cost additives. Yet another potential advantage of the present invention is that foamed spacer fluids comprising CKD may be used for displacement of lightweight drilling fluids.
Embodiments of the spacer fluids of the present invention may comprise water and CKD. In some embodiments, the spacer fluids may be foamed. For example, the foamed spacer fluids may comprise water, CKD, a foaming agent, and a gas. A foamed spacer fluid may be used, for example, where it is desired for the spacer fluid to be lightweight. In accordance with present embodiments, the spacer fluid may be used to displace a first fluid from a well bore with the spacer fluid having a higher yield point than the first fluid. For example, the spacer fluid may be used to displace at least a portion of a drilling fluid from the well bore. Other optional additives may also be included in embodiments of the spacer fluids as desired for a particular application. For example, the spacer fluids may further comprise viscosifying agents, organic polymers, dispersants, surfactants, weighting agents, and any combination thereof.
The spacer fluids generally should have a density suitable for a particular application as desired by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure. In some embodiments, the spacer fluids may have a density in the range of from about 4 pounds per gallon (“lb/gal”) to about 24 lb/gal. In other embodiments, the spacer fluids may have a density in the range of about 4 lb/gal to about 17 lb/gal. In yet other embodiments, the spacer fluids may have a density in the range of about 8 lb/gal to about 13 lb/gal. Embodiments of the spacer fluids may be foamed or unfoamed or comprise other means to reduce their densities known in the art, such as lightweight additives. Those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, will recognize the appropriate density for a particular application.
The water used in an embodiment of the spacer fluids may include, for example, freshwater, saltwater (e.g., water containing one or more salts dissolved therein), brine (e.g., saturated saltwater produced from subterranean formations), seawater, or any combination thereof. Generally, the water may be from any source, provided that the water does not contain an excess of compounds that may undesirably affect other components in the spacer fluid. The water is included in an amount sufficient to form a pumpable spacer fluid. In some embodiments, the water may be included in the spacer fluids in an amount in the range of from about 15% to about 95% by weight of the spacer fluid. In other embodiments, the water may be included in the spacer fluids of the present invention in an amount in the range of from about 25% to about 85% by weight of the spacer fluid. One of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, will recognize the appropriate amount of water to include for a chosen application.
The CKD may be included in embodiments of the spacer fluids as a rheology modifier. Among other things, using CKD in embodiments of the present invention can provide spacer fluids having rheology suitable for a particular application. Desirable rheology may be advantageous to provide a spacer fluid that is effective for drilling fluid displacement, for example. In some instances, the CKD can be used to, provide a spacer fluid with a low degree of thermal thinning. For example, the spacer fluid may even have a yield point that increases at elevated temperatures such as those encountered downhole.
CKD is a material generated during the manufacture of cement that is commonly referred to as cement kiln dust. The term “CKD” is used herein to mean cement kiln dust as described herein and equivalent forms of cement kiln dust made in other ways. The term “CKD” typically refers to a partially calcined kiln feed which can be removed from the gas stream and collected, for example, in a dust collector during the manufacture of cement. Usually, large quantities of CKD are collected in the production of cement that are commonly disposed of as waste. Disposal of the waste CKD can add undesirable costs to the manufacture of the cement, as well as the environmental concerns associated with its disposal. Because the CKD is commonly disposed as a waste material, spacer fluids prepared with CKD may be more economical than conventional spacer fluids, which are commonly prepared with higher cost additives. The chemical analysis of CKD from various cement manufactures varies depending on a number of factors, including the particular kiln feed, the efficiencies of the cement production operation, and the associated dust collection systems. CKD generally may comprise a variety of oxides, such as SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , CaO, MgO, SO 3 , Na 2 O, and K 2 O.
The CKD may be included in the spacer fluids in an amount sufficient to provide, for example, the desired rheological properties. In some embodiments, the CKD may be present in the spacer fluids in an amount in the range of from about 1% to about 65% by weight of the spacer fluid (e.g., about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, about 35%, about 40%, about 45%, about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, about 65%, etc.). In some embodiments, the CKD may be present in the spacer fluids in an amount in the range of from about 5% to about 60% by weight of the spacer fluid. In some embodiments, the CKD may be present in an amount in the range of from about 20% to about 35% by weight of the spacer fluid. Alternatively, the amount of CKD may be expressed by weight of dry solids. As used herein, the term “by weight dry solids” refers to the amount of a component, such as CKD, relative to the overall amount of dry solids used in preparation of the spacer fluid. For example, the CKD may be present in an amount in a range of from about 1% to 100% by weight of dry solids (e.g., about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, about 20%, about 30%, about 40%, about 50%, about 60%, about 70%, about 80%, about 90%, 100%, etc.). In some embodiments, the CKD may be present in an amount in the range of from about 50% to 100% and, alternatively, from about 80% to 100% by weight of dry solids. One of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, will recognize the appropriate amount of CKD to include for a chosen application.
While the preceding description describes CKD, the present invention is broad enough to encompass the use of other partially calcined kiln feeds. For example, embodiments of the spacer fluids may comprise lime kiln dust, which is a material that is generated during the manufacture of lime. The term lime kiln dust typically refers to a partially calcined kiln feed which can be removed from the gas stream and collected, for example, in a dust collector during the manufacture of lime. The chemical analysis of lime kiln dust from various lime manufactures varies depending on a number of factors, including the particular limestone or dolomitic limestone feed, the type of kiln, the mode of operation of the kiln, the efficiencies of the lime production operation, and the associated dust collection systems. Lime kiln dust generally may comprise varying amounts of free lime and free magnesium, lime stone, and/or dolomitic limestone and a variety of oxides, such as SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , CaO, MgO, SO 3 , Na 2 O, and K 2 O, and other components, such as chlorides.
Optionally, embodiments of the spacer fluids may further comprise fly ash. A variety of fly ashes may be suitable, including fly ash classified as Class C or Class F fly ash according to American Petroleum Institute, API Specification for Materials and Testing for Well Cements , API Specification 10, Fifth Ed., Jul. 1, 1990. Suitable examples of fly ash include, but are not limited to, POZMIX® A cement additive, commercially available from Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., Duncan, Okla. Where used, the fly ash generally may be included in the spacer fluids in an amount desired for a particular application. In some embodiments, the fly ash may be present in the spacer fluids in an amount in the range of from about 1% to about 60% by weight of the spacer fluid (e.g., about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, about 35%, about 40%, about 45%, about 50%, about 55%, etc.). In some embodiments, the fly ash may be present in the spacer fluids in an amount in the range of from about 1% to about 35% by weight of the spacer fluid. In some embodiments, the fly ash may be present in the spacer fluids in an amount in the range of from about 1% to about 10% by weight of the spacer fluid. Alternatively, the amount of fly ash may be expressed by weight of dry solids. For example, the fly ash may be present in an amount in a range of from about 1% to about 99% by weight of dry solids (e.g., about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, about 20%, about 30%, about 40%, about 50%, about 60%, about 70%, about 80%, about 90%, about 99%, etc.). In some embodiments, the fly ash may be present in an amount in the range of from about 1% to about 20% and, alternatively, from about 1% to about 10% by weight of dry solids. One of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, will recognize the appropriate amount of the fly ash to include for a chosen application.
Optionally, embodiments of the spacer fluids may further comprise a free water control additive. As used herein, the term “free water control additive” refers to an additive included in a liquid for, among other things, reducing (or preventing) the presence of free water in the liquid. Free water control additive may also reduce (or prevent) the settling of solids. Examples of suitable free water control additives include, but are not limited to, bentonite, amorphous silica, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and combinations thereof. An example of a suitable free water control additive is SA-1015™ suspending agent, available from Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Another example of a suitable free water control additive is WG-17™ solid additive, available from Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. The free water control additive may be provided as a dry solid in some embodiments. Where used, the free water control additive may be present in an amount in the range of from about 0.1% to about 16% by weight of dry solids, for example. In alternative embodiments, the free water control additive may be present in an amount in the range of from about 0.1% to about 2% by weight of dry solids.
In some embodiments, the spacer fluids may further comprise a lightweight additive. The lightweight additive may be included to reduce the density of embodiments of the spacer fluids. For example, the lightweight additive may be used to form a lightweight spacer fluid, for example, having a density of less than about 13 lb/gal. The lightweight additive typically may have a specific gravity of less than about 2.0. Examples of suitable lightweight additives may include sodium silicate, hollow microspheres, gilsonite, perlite, and combinations thereof. An example of a suitable sodium silicate is ECONOLITE™ additive, available from Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Where used, the lightweight additive may be present in an amount in the range of from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of dry solids, for example. In alternative embodiments, the lightweight additive may be present in an amount in the range of from about 1% to about 10% by weight of dry solids.
As previously mentioned, embodiments of the spacer fluids may be foamed with a gas, for example, to provide a spacer fluid with a reduced density. It should be understood that reduced densities may be needed for embodiments of the spacer fluids to more approximately match the density of a particular drilling fluid, for example, where lightweight drilling fluids are being used. A drilling fluid may be considered lightweight if it has a density of less than about 13 lb/gal, alternatively, less than about 10 lb/gal, and alternatively less than about 9 lb/gal. In some embodiments, the spacer fluids may be foamed to have a density within about 10% of the density of the drilling fluid and, alternatively, within about 5% of the density of the drilling fluid. While techniques, such as lightweight additives, may be used to reduce the density of the spacer fluids comprising CKD without foaming, these techniques may have drawbacks. For example, reduction of the spacer fluid's density to below about 13 lb/gal using lightweight additives may produce unstable slurries, which can have problems with settling of solids, floating of lightweight additives, and free water, among others. Accordingly, the spacer fluid may be foamed to provide a spacer fluid having a reduced density that is more stable.
Therefore, in some embodiments, the spacer fluids may be foamed and comprise water, CKD, a foaming agent, and a gas. Optionally, to provide a spacer fluid with a lower density and more stable foam, the foamed spacer fluid may further comprise a lightweight additive, for example. With the lightweight additive, a base slurry may be prepared that may then be foamed to provide an even lower density. In some embodiments, the foamed spacer fluid may have a density in the range of from about 4 lb/gal to about 13 lb/gal and, alternatively, about 7 lb/gal to about 9 lb/gal. In one particular embodiment, a base slurry may be foamed from a density of in the range of from about 9 lb/gal to about 13 lb/gal to a lower density, for example, in a range of from about 7 lb/gal to about 9 lb/gal.
The gas used in embodiments of the foamed spacer fluids may be any suitable gas for foaming the spacer fluid, including, but not limited to air, nitrogen, and combinations thereof. Generally, the gas should be present in embodiments of the foamed spacer fluids in an amount sufficient to form the desired foam. In certain embodiments, the gas may be present in an amount in the range of from about 5% to about 80% by volume of the foamed spacer fluid at atmospheric pressure, alternatively, about 5% to about 55% by volume, and, alternatively, about 15% to about 30% by volume.
Where foamed, embodiments of the spacer fluids may comprise a foaming agent for providing a suitable foam. As used herein, the term “foaming agent” refers to a material or combination of materials that facilitate the formation of a foam in a liquid. Any suitable foaming agent for forming a foam in an aqueous liquid may be used in embodiments of the spacer fluids. Examples of suitable foaming agents may include, but are not limited to: mixtures of an ammonium salt of an alkyl ether sulfate, a cocoamidopropyl betaine surfactant, a cocoamidopropyl dimethylamine oxide surfactant, sodium chloride, and water; mixtures of an ammonium salt of an alkyl ether sulfate surfactant, a cocoamidopropyl hydroxysultaine surfactant, a cocoamidopropyl dimethylamine oxide surfactant, sodium chloride, and water; hydrolyzed keratin; mixtures of an ethoxylated alcohol ether sulfate surfactant, an alkyl or alkene amidopropyl betaine surfactant, and an alkyl or alkene dimethylamine oxide surfactant; aqueous solutions of an alpha-olefinic sulfonate surfactant and a betaine surfactant; and combinations thereof. An example of a suitable foaming agent is FOAMER™ 760 foamer/stabilizer, available from Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Suitable foaming agents are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,797,054, 6,547,871, 6,367,550, 6,063,738, and 5,897,699, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Generally, the foaming agent may be present in embodiments of the foamed spacer fluids in an amount sufficient to provide a suitable foam. In some embodiments, the foaming agent may be present in an amount in the range of from about 0.8% to about 5% by volume of the water (“bvow”).
A wide variety of additional additives may be included in the spacer fluids as deemed appropriate by one skilled in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure. Examples of such additives include, but are not limited to, weighting agents, viscosifying agents (e.g., clays, hydratable polymers, guar gum), fluid loss control additives, lost circulation materials, filtration control additives, dispersants, defoamers, corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, formation conditioning agents. Specific examples of these, and other, additives include organic polymers, surfactants, crystalline silica, amorphous silica, fumed silica, salts, fibers, hydratable clays, microspheres, rice husk ash, combinations thereof, and the like. A person having ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, will readily be able to determine the type and amount of additive useful for a particular application and desired result.
Embodiments of the spacer fluids of the present invention may be prepared in accordance with any suitable technique. In some embodiments, the desired quantity of water may be introduced into a mixer (e.g., a cement blender) followed by the dry blend. The dry blend may comprise the CKD and additional solid additives, for example. Additional liquid additives, if any may be added to the water ac desired prior to or after, combination with the dry blend. This mixture may be agitated for a sufficient period of time to form a base slurry. This base slurry may then be introduced into the well bore via pumps, for example. In the foamed embodiments, the base slurry may be pumped into the well bore, and a foaming agent may be metered into the base slurry followed by injection of a gas, e.g., at a foam mixing “T,” in an amount sufficient to foam the base slurry thereby forming a foamed spacer fluid, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. After foaming, the foamed spacer fluid may be introduced into a well bore. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, other suitable techniques for preparing spacer fluids may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
An example method of the present invention includes a method of enhancing rheological properties of a spacer fluid. The method may comprise including CKD in a spacer fluid. The CKD may be included in the spacer fluid in an amount sufficient to provide a higher yield point than a first fluid. The higher yield point may be desirable, for example, to effectively displace the first fluid from the well bore. As used herein, the term “yield point” refers to the resistance of a fluid to initial flow, or representing the stress required to start fluid movement. In an embodiment, the yield point of the spacer fluid at a temperature of up to about 180° F. is greater than about 5 lb/100 ft 2 . In an embodiment, the yield point of the spacer fluid at a temperature of up to about 180° F. is greater than about 10 lb/100 ft 2 . In an embodiment, the yield point of the spacer fluid at a temperature of up to about 180° F. is greater than about 20 lb/100 ft 2 . It may be desirable for the spacer fluid to not thermally thin to a yield point below the first fluid at elevated temperatures. Accordingly, the spacer fluid may have a higher yield point than the first fluid at elevated temperatures, such as 180° F. or bottom hole static temperature (“BHST”). In one embodiment, the spacer fluid may have a yield point that increases at elevated temperatures. For example, the spacer fluid may have a yield point that is higher at 180° F. than at 80° F. By way of further example. The spacer fluid may have a yield point that is higher at BHST than at 80° F.
Another example method of the present invention includes a method of displacing a first fluid from a well bore, the well bore penetrating a subterranean formation. The method may comprise providing a spacer fluid that comprises CKD and water. The method may further comprise introducing the spacer fluid into the well bore to displace at least a portion of the first fluid from the well bore. In some embodiments, the spacer fluid may be characterized by having a higher yield point than the first fluid at 80° F. In some embodiments, the spacer fluid may be characterized by having a higher yield point than the first fluid at 130° F. In some embodiments, the spacer fluid may be characterized by having a higher yield point than the first fluid at 180° F.
In an embodiment, the first fluid displaced by the spacer fluid comprises a drilling fluid. By way of example, the spacer fluid may be used to displace the drilling fluid from the well bore. The drilling fluid may include, for example, any number of fluids, such as solid suspensions, mixtures, and emulsions. Additional steps in embodiments of the method may comprise introducing a pipe string into the well bore, introducing a cement composition into the well bore with the spacer fluid separating the cement composition and the first fluid. In an embodiment, the cement composition may be allowed to set in the well bore. The cement composition may include, for example, cement and water.
Another example method of the present invention includes a method of separating fluids in a well bore, the well bore penetrating a subterranean formation. The method may comprise introducing a spacer fluid into the well bore, the well bore having a first fluid disposed therein. The spacer fluid may comprise, for example, CKD and water. The method may further comprise introducing a second fluid into the well bore with the spacer fluid separating the first fluid and the second fluid. In an embodiment, the first fluid comprises a drilling fluid and the second fluid comprises a cement composition. By way of example, the spacer fluid may prevent the cement composition from contacting the drilling fluid. In an embodiment, the cement composition comprises cement kiln dust, water, and optionally a hydraulic cementitious material. A variety of hydraulic cements may be utilized in accordance with the present invention, including, but not limited to, those comprising calcium, aluminum, silicon, oxygen, iron, and/or sulfur, which set and harden by reaction with water. Suitable hydraulic cements include, but are not limited to, Portland cements, pozzolana cements, gypsum cements, high alumina content cements, slag cements, silica cements, and combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, the hydraulic cement may comprise a Portland cement. In some embodiments, the Portland cements that are suited for use in the present invention are classified as Classes A, C, H, and G cements according to American Petroleum Institute, API Specification for Materials and Testing for Well Cements, API Specification 10, Fifth Ed., Jul. 1, 1990. The spacer fluid may also remove the drilling fluid, dehydrated/gelled drilling fluid, and/or filter cake solids from the well bore in advance of the cement composition Removal of these compositions from the well bore may enhance bonding of the cement composition to surfaces in the well bore. In an additional embodiment, at least a portion of used and/or unused CKD containing spacer fluid are included in the cement composition that is placed into the well and allowed to set.
To facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, the following examples of certain aspects of some embodiments are given. In no way should the following examples be read to limit, or define, the scope of the invention. In the following examples, concentrations are given in weight percent of the overall composition.
Example 1
Sample spacer fluids were prepared to evaluate the rheological properties of spacer fluids containing CKD. The sample spacer fluids were prepared as follows. First, all dry components (e.g., CKD, fly ash, bentonite, FWCA, etc.) were weighed into a glass container having a clean lid and agitated by hand until blended. Tap water was then weighed into a Waring blender jar. The dry components were then mixed into the water with 4,000 rpm stirring. The blender speed was then increased to 12,000 rpm for about 35 seconds.
Sample Spacer Fluid No. 1 was an 11 pound per gallon slurry that comprised 60.62% water, 34.17% CKD, 4.63% fly ash, and 0.58% free water control additive (WG-17™ solid additive).
Sample Spacer Fluid No. 2 was an 11 pound per gallon slurry that comprised 60.79% water, 30.42% CKD, 4.13% fly ash, 0.17% free water control additive (WG-17™ solid additive), 3.45% bentonite, and 1.04% Econolite™ additive.
Rheological values were then determined using a Fann Model 35 Viscometer. Dial readings were recorded at speeds of 3, 6, 100, 200, and 300 with a B1 bob, an R1 rotor, and a 1.0 spring. The dial readings, plastic viscosity, and yield points for the spacer fluids were measured in accordance with API Recommended Practices 10B, Bingham plastic model and are set forth in the table below. The abbreviation “PV” refers to plastic viscosity, while the abbreviation “YP” refers to yield point.
TABLE 1
Sample
Temp.
Viscometer RPM
PV
YP
Fluid
(° F.)
300
200
100
6
3
(cP)
(lb/100 ft 2 )
1
80
145
127
90
24
14
113.3
27.4
180
168
143
105
26
15
154.5
30.3
2
80
65
53
43
27
22
41.1
26.9
180
70
61
55
22
18
51.6
25.8
The thickening time of the Sample Spacer Fluid No. 1 was also determined in accordance with API Recommended Practice 10B at 205° F. Sample Spacer Fluid No. 1 had a thickening time of more than 6:00+ hours at 35 Bc.
Accordingly, the above example illustrates that the addition of CKD to a spacer fluid may provide suitable properties for use in subterranean applications. In particular, the above example illustrates, inter alia, that CKD may be used to provide a spacer fluid that may not exhibit thermal thinning with the spacer fluid potentially even having a yield point that increases with temperature. For example, Sample Spacer Fluid No. 2 had a higher yield point at 180° F. than at 80° F. In addition, the yield point of Sample Spacer Fluid No. 1 had only a slight decrease at 180° F. as compared to 80° F. Even further, the example illustrates that addition of CKD to a spacer fluid may provide a plastic viscosity that increases with temperature.
Example 2
Additional sample spacer fluids were prepared to further evaluate the rheological properties of spacer fluids containing CKD. The sample spacer fluids were prepared as follows. First, all dry components (e.g., CKD, fly ash) were weighed into a glass container having a clean lid and agitated by hand until blended. Tap water was then weighed into a Waring blender jar. The dry components were then mixed into the water with 4,000 rpm stirring. The blender speed was then increased to 12,000 rpm for about 35 seconds.
Sample Fluid No. 3 was a 12.5 pound per gallon fluid that comprised 47.29% water and 52.71% CKD.
Sample Fluid No. 4 was a 12.5 pound per gallon fluid that comprised 46.47% water, 40.15% CKD, and 13.38% fly ash.
Sample Fluid No. 5 was a 12.5 pound per gallon fluid that comprised 45.62% water, 27.19% CKD, and 27.19% fly ash.
Sample Fluid No. 6 was a 12.5 pound per gallon fluid that comprised 44.75% water, 13.81% CKD, and 41.44% fly ash.
Sample Fluid No. 7 (comparative) was a 12.5 pound per gallon fluid that comprised 43.85% water, and 56.15% fly ash.
Rheological values were then determined using a Fann Model 35 Viscometer. Dial readings were recorded at speeds of 3, 6, 30, 60, 100, 200, 300, and 600 with a B1 bob, an R1 rotor, and a 1.0 spring. The dial readings, plastic viscosity, and yield points for the spacer fluids were measured in accordance with API Recommended Practices 10B, Bingham plastic model and are set forth in the table below. The abbreviation “PV” refers to plastic viscosity, while the abbreviation “YP” refers to yield point.
TABLE 2
CKD-
Sample
Fly
YP
Spacer
Ash
Temp.
Viscometer RPM
PV
(lb/
Fluid
Ratio
(° F.)
600
300
200
100
60
30
6
3
(cP)
100 ft 2 )
3
100:0
80
33
23
20
15
13
12
8
6
12
11
130
39
31
27
23
22
19
16
11
12
19
180
66
58
51
47
40
38
21
18
16.5
41.5
4
75:25
80
28
22
19
15
14
11
8
6
10.5
11.5
130
39
28
25
21
19
16
14
11
10.5
17.5
180
51
39
36
35
31
26
16
11
6
33
5
50:50
80
20
11
8
6
5
4
4
3
7.5
3.5
130
21
15
13
10
9
8
6
5
7.5
7.5
180
25
20
17
14
13
12
7
5
9
11
6
25:75
80
16
8
6
3
2
1
0
0
7.5
0.5
130
15
8
6
4
3
2
1
1
6
2
180
15
9
7
5
4
4
2
2
6
3
7
0:100
80
16
7
5
3
1
0
0
0
6
1
(Comp.)
130
11
4
3
1
0
0
0
0
4.5
−0.5
180
8
3
2
0
0
0
0
0
4.5
−1.5
Accordingly, the above example illustrates that the addition of CKD to a spacer fluid may provide suitable properties for use in subterranean applications. In particular, the above example illustrates, inter alia, that CKD may be used to provide a spacer fluid that may not exhibit thermal thinning with the spacer fluid potentially even having a yield point that increases with temperature. In addition, as illustrated in Table 2 above, higher yield points were observed for spacer fluids with higher concentrations of CKD.
Example 3
A sample spacer fluid containing CKD was prepared to compare the rheological properties of a spacer fluid containing CKD with an oil-based drilling fluid. The sample spacer fluid was prepared as follows. First, all dry components (e.g., CKD, fly ash, bentonite, etc.) were weighed into a glass container having a clean lid and agitated by hand until blended. Tap water was then weighed into a Waring blender jar. The dry components were then mixed into the water with 4,000 rpm stirring. The blender speed was then increased to 12,000 rpm for about 35 seconds.
Sample Spacer Fluid No. 8 was an 11 pound per gallon slurry that comprised 60.79% water, 30.42% CKD, 4.13% fly ash, 0.17% free water control additive (WG-17™ solid additive), 3.45% bentonite, and 1.04% Econolite™ additive.
The oil-based drilling fluid was a 9.1 pound per gallon oil-based mud.
Rheological values were then determined using a Fann Model 35 Viscometer. Dial readings were recorded at speeds of 3, 6, 100, 200, and 300 with a B1 bob, an R1 rotor, and a 1.0 spring. The dial readings, plastic viscosity, and yield points for the spacer fluid and drilling fluid were measured in accordance with API Recommended Practices 10B, Bingham plastic model and are set forth in the table below. The abbreviation “PV” refers to plastic viscosity, while the abbreviation “YP” refers to yield point. The abbreviation “OBM” refers to oil-based mud.
TABLE 3
Sample
Temp.
Viscometer RPM
PV
YP
Fluid
(° F.)
300
200
100
6
3
(cP)
(lb/100 ft 2 )
8
80
59
50
39
22
15
42
21.2
180
82
54
48
16
13
65.3
17
OBM
80
83
64
41
11
10
74.6
12.1
180
46
35
23
10
10
36.7
10.5
Accordingly, the above example illustrates that the addition of CKD to a spacer fluid may provide suitable properties for use in subterranean applications. In particular, the above example illustrates, inter alia, that CKD may be used to provide a spacer fluid with a yield point that is greater than a drilling fluid even at elevated temperatures. For example, Sample Spacer Fluid No. 8 has a higher yield point at 180° F. than the oil-based mud.
Example 4
A foamed spacer fluid was prepared that comprised CKD. First, a base slurry was prepared that had a density of 10 lb/gal and comprised CKD, a free water control additive (0.7% by weight of CKD), a lightweight additive (4% by weight of CKD), and fresh water (32.16 gallons per 94-pound sack of CKD). The free water control additive was SA-1015™ suspending aid. The lightweight additive was ECONOLITE™ additive. Next, a foaming agent (FOAMER™ 760 foamer/stabilizer) in an amount of 2% bvow was added, and the base slurry was then mixed in a foam blending jar for 4 seconds at 12,000 rpm. The resulting foamed spacer fluid had a density of 8.4 lb/gal. The “sink” of the resultant foamed spacer fluid was then measured using a free fluid test procedure as specified in API Recommended Practice 10B. However, rather than measuring the free fluid, the amount of “sink” was measured after the foamed spacer fluid remained static for a period of 2 hours. The foamed spacer fluid was initially at 200° and cooled to ambient temperature over the 2-hour period. The measured sink for this foamed spacer fluid was 5 millimeters.
Example 5
Another foamed spacer fluid was prepared that comprised CKD. First, a base slurry was prepared that had a density of 10.5 lb/gal and comprised CKD, a free water control additive (0.6% by weight of CKD), a lightweight additive (4% by weight of CKD), and fresh water (23.7 gallons per 94-pound sack of CKD). The free water control additive was SA-1015™ suspending aid. The lightweight additive was ECONOLITE™ additive. Next, a foaming agent (a hexylene glycol/cocobetaine blended surfactant) in an amount of 2% bvow was added, and the base slurry was then mixed in a foam blending jar for 6 seconds at 12,000 rpm. The resulting foamed spacer fluid had a density of 8.304 lb/gal. The resultant foamed spacer fluid had a sink of 0 millimeters, measured as described above for Example 4.
Therefore, the present invention is well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. Although individual embodiments are discussed, the invention covers all combinations of all those embodiments. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the present invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular illustrative embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention. While compositions and methods are described in terms of “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” various components or steps, the compositions and methods can also “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the various components and steps. Whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and any included range falling within the range is specifically disclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to set forth every number and range encompassed within the broader range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee.
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Disclosed are foamed spacer fluids comprising kiln dust for use in subterranean formations. An embodiment discloses a foamed spacer fluid comprising a partially calcined kiln feed removed from a gas stream comprising SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, MgO, SO3, Na2O, and K2O; a foaming agent; a gas; and water.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 904,875, filed May 11, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,374.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for knitting a single-faced pile fabric wherein the stitch forming work of needles in combination with sinkers is facilitated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The process is characterised in that the knitting operation is effected with sinkers each having a throat longitudinally extended toward its closed end. A sloping shoulder on a lower edge of the throat and a re-entrant bevel on the leading portion of the upper edge of the throat, all of this supplemented by a notch on the upper edge of the sinker. To develop an operative cycle, starting from a feed stage wherein the sinker is in its position of maximum withdrawal, a base yarn is laid in the sinker throat threshold and a pile yarn is laid over the sinker by a corresponding yarnguide, the sinker is caused to move forwards, thereby aiding a needle latch to introduce the base yarn into the sinker throat with the aid of its leading bevel and cause said yarn to penetrate deeply into the throat, while the pile yarn is placed in the needle hook above the sinker. The needle is then drawn down, starting the sinking of both yarns, while the sinker is caused to push the base yarn with the sloping shoulder into the needle hook, thus ensuring a precise plating relationship between the ground yarn and the pile yarn, by this action the loop formed with the ground yarn occupies a position on the technical face of the fabric burying the ground loop formed with the pile yarn, whereafter the needle is drawn down to its lowermost position and forms a new stitch. Then the needle being raised, at the same time as the sinker is caused to continue its forward movement, thus preventing the previous stitch from being rehooked. Then the sinker being stopped until the needle reaches its uppermost position, thereby stretching the pile stitches at the expense of the corresponding loop by having made them pass over the thickest portion of the needle and the base stitches, having likewise been stretched, being caused to recover their normal length on being pulled by the take-up beam. Then the sinker being made to resume its forward movement, thereby pulling the pile stitch loop, hooked in the upper notch, thereby tightening the pile stitch around the needle stem, and eliminating the stretching. The needle finally being drawn down and the sinker being withdrawn backwards, closing the cycle with knocking off of the pile loops from this sinker.
Further objects and features of the invention will be disclosed in detail throughout the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 to 10 illustrate schematically the successive stages of the movements of a needle and a sinker for knitting the pile fabric according to the process of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there are used conventional needles 1 having a stem 2, hook 3 and latch 4, and sinkers 5 having a throat 6 with lower edge 26 and upper edge 36 on a circular knitting machine. Special features of the sinker 5 having a belly portion 25 and a nib portion 35 defining upper and lower introduction levels respectfully, are the horizontal extension 7 with lower edge 27 and upper edge 37 for the throat 6, a sloping shoulder 8 on the lower edge of said throat 6 and a bevel 9 on the upper leading edge, supplemented by the notch 10 conventionally located on the upper edge forwardly relative to the closed end of the extension 7 of the throat 6.
The sinker has on the upper forward extremity of the nib 35 a downwardly extending surface 19 to permit reentry of the sinker into previously formed pile loops. The notch 10 associated with the uppermost loop forming surface 19a actively engages and fully extends the previously formed pile loops to reform then to uniform heights. The notch 10 is preferably located approximately above the shoulder 8 connecting the lower edge 26 of the throat to the lower edge 27 of the horizontal throat extension.
There is described below the pile fabric knitting process as from the feed stage with the base yarn 11 and pile yarn 12, supplied through a yarn guide 13.
In FIG. 1, the sinker 5 is shown to be in its position of maximum withdrawal, while the needle 1 is at an intermediate height, leaving room for the yarn guide 13 to lay the base yarn 11 in the threshold of the throat 6 and the pile yarn 12 on top of the sinker 5, while the needle drags with it base yarn stitches 14d, 14c, . . . and pile yarn stitches 15c, 15b, . . . partly superimposed on the base stitches and partly forming the corresponding loop.
In FIG. 2, the sinker 5 is seen to be moving forward and the base yarn 11, shown in section, as also is yarn 12, is pushed by the latch 4 of the needle 1 to enter the throat 6 with the aid of the front bevel 9 of the sinker.
Thereafter, as is seen in FIG. 3, the base yarn 11 (again shown in section) enters the throat 6 of the sinker 5 while the pile yarn 12 is located in the hook 3 of the needle 1, above the sinker.
Now, as seen in FIG. 4, the needle is drawn down to start knitting the base yarn 11 and pile yarn 12, while the sinker 5 continues moving forward to push the base yarn 11 into the hook 3 of the needle 1, with the aid of the sloping shoulder 8, to keep it separated from the pile yarn 12, and so be able to control the plating better in this way.
Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the needle 1 reaches its lowermost position to form a new stitch 14e.
In the following stage, shown in FIG. 6, the needle 1 starts to rise while the sinker 5 continues moving forward to prevent stitch 14d from being rehooked by the needle.
Then, as is seen in FIG. 7, the sinker 5 stops moving and the needle 1 reaches an intermediate position and, continuing upward, attains its uppermost position, as shown in FIG. 8, whereby the portions of stitches 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d superimposed over the base stitches have been stretched by their passage over the thickest portion of the needle 1 at the expense of the corresponding loop portion, while the base yarn stitches 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d and 14e recover their normal position on being pulled by the take-up beam.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9, the sinker 5 moves still further forward and pulls the pile loop of pile stitch 15d with the notch 10 until the stitch is tight around the stem 2 of the needle 1 and in the extension 7 of the throat 6, whereby that stitch recovers its normal dimension and, moreover, the stitch is prevented from passing over the latch and being rehooked by the needle in the drawdown movement.
Finally, as shown in FIG. 10, in the last stage of the cycle, the sinker 5 is drawn backwards at the same time as the needle reaches an intermediate point, while the pile loops are released from the sinker.
The foregoing description discloses the advantages provided by the novel features of the invention to fabric knitting, according to the special features introduced by the sinkers 5, which may be stated as preventing rehooking of the pile stitches when the needle is drawn down and positioning the pile yarn correctly relative to the base yarn, so that the former is located further from the needle and the latter is inside closer to the needle.
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A process for knitting a single-faced pile fabric is disclosed, based on the raising and lowering of conventional needles and the movement of throated sinkers, each sinker having the throat extended and provided with a sloping shoulder in the lower edge thereof, a re-entrant bevel on the upper leading edge, a downwardly extending surface and a notch on the upper edge.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a microwave semiconductor integrated circuit device and a method for fabricating the microwave semiconductor integrated circuit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 7(a) is a plan view illustrating a prior art monolithic microwave semiconductor integrated circuit device. In the figure, reference numeral 1 designates a semiconductor substrate comprising GaAs, Si, or the like, numeral 3 designates via-holes, numeral 4 designates a capacitor comprising a lamination of metal/insulator/metal (hereinafter referred to as MIM capacitor), numeral 7 designates a transistor, such as a field effect transistor, numeral 21 designates an input electrode pad, numeral 22 designates ground electrode pads, numeral 23 designates a gate bias electrode pad, numeral 24 designates a drain bias electrode pad, numerals 51 and 52 designate signal transmission lines, numeral 61 designates a gate side bias line, and numeral 62 designates a drain side bias line.
In this integrated circuit device, a microwave signal applied to the input electrode pad 21 is transmitted through the MIM capacitor 4 and the signal transmission line 51 to the gate of the transistor 7. An output signal from the drain of the transistor 7 is transmitted through the signal transmission line 52 to a subsequent stage circuit (not shown). On the other hand, a gate bias voltage applied to the gate bias electrode pad 23 is transmitted through the gate side bias line 61 and the signal transmission line 51 to the gate of the transistor 7, and a drain bias voltage applied to the drain bias electrode pad 24 is transmitted through the drain side bias line 62 and the signal transmission line 52 to the drain of the transistor 7. The via-holes 3 connect the ground electrode pads 22 to a metal layer (not shown) on the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 1. The MIM capacitor 4 connected between the input electrode pad 21 and the gate of the transistor 7 passes microwave signals and blocks DC signals.
The above-described prior art semiconductor IC has a problem that the transistor easily oscillates upon the application of the gate and drain bias voltages. In order to prevent this unwanted oscillation, as shown in FIG. 7(b), an oscillation preventing circuit 11 including an MIM capacitor 41 connected to the bias line 61 is included in the IC device. However, since a plurality of transistors 7 are simultaneously fabricated and the oscillation characteristics of individual transistors vary due to variations in the transistor fabricating process, in order to prevent the unwanted oscillation of each transistor 7, it is necessary for the MIM capacitors 41 of the oscillation preventing circuits 11 corresponding to the respective transistors 7 to have different capacitances according to the different oscillation characteristics of the transistors 7. However, since the oscillation preventing circuits 11 are fabricated simultaneously with the transistors 7 and the bias lines 61, it is impossible to change the capacitances of the MIM capacitors 41 after the fabrication of the transistors and the bias lines and the evaluation of the oscillation characteristics of the transistors. Therefore, it is impossible to prevent the unwanted oscillations of all transistors with the oscillation preventing circuits 11.
Further, since the oscillation preventing circuit 11 comprises the MIM capacitor 41 disposed on a region of the semiconductor substrate and a wiring connecting the capacitor 41 to the bias line 61 as shown in FIG. 7(b), the chip area of the IC device is unfavorably increased by the area of the oscillation preventing circuit 11.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an IC device that easily controls oscillation of a transistor and a method of fabricating the IC device.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description that follows. The detailed description and specific embodiments described are provided only for illustration since various additions and modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art from the detailed description.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an integrated circuit device comprises a substrate; circuit elements including an active element and a bias line for applying a DC bias voltage to the active element, disposed on the substrate; a thermoplastic material layer disposed on a region of the substrate; and a magnetic substance layer disposed on a region of the substrate including a required region on the bias line, and adhered to and supported by the thermoplastic material layer. In this structure, the magnetic substance layer can be formed in an appropriate shape and at an appropriate position on the bias line according to the oscillation characteristics of the active element, such as a transistor, and the magnetic substance layer absorbs the frequency components of the oscillation of the active element, whereby the oscillation of the active element is easily prevented. Further, since the magnetic substance layer is disposed on the bias line, the unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above-described integrated circuit device, the thermoplastic material layer is disposed on two regions of the substrate which are opposed each other with the bias line between them, and the magnetic substance layer is disposed across the bias line and adhered to and supported by the thermoplastic material layer. Therefore, as described above, the oscillation of the active element is easily prevented. Further, the unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the above-described integrated circuit device, the thermoplastic material layer is disposed on a region of the substrate including a required region on the bias line. Therefore, as described above, the oscillation of the active element is easily prevented. Further, the unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the above-described integrated circuit device, the thermoplastic material layer comprises a plurality of island portions which are disposed on opposed two regions of the substrate sandwiching the bias line, and the magnetic substance layer is disposed across the bias line and adhered to and supported by the island portions of the thermoplastic material layer. Therefore, as described above, the oscillation of the active element is easily prevented. Further, the unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method of fabricating an integrated semiconductor device comprises fabricating circuit elements including an active element and a bias line for applying a DC bias voltage to the active element on a substrate; forming a thermoplastic material layer on a region of the substrate; and forming a magnetic substance layer on a region of the substrate including a required region on the bias line by applying a magnetic substance to the thermoplastic material layer and heating the magnetic substance and the thermoplastic material layer to adhere the magnetic substance to the thermoplastic material layer. Since the magnetic substance layer absorbs the frequency components of the oscillation of the active element, the oscillation of the active element is prevented. Further, since the magnetic substance layer is formed on the bias line, the unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the above-described method, after the fabrication of the circuit elements, the oscillation characteristics of the active element is evaluated by applying a DC bias voltage to the active element, and after the evaluation of the oscillation characteristics, the magnetic substance layer is formed in an appropriate shape and on an appropriate position according to the oscillation characteristics of the active element. Therefore, the oscillation of the active element is easily prevented. Further, since the magnetic substance layer is formed on the bias line, the unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the above-described method, the thermoplastic material layer is formed on two regions of the substrate which are opposed each other with the bias line between them, and the magnetic substance layer is formed across the bias line by applying a magnetic substance to the thermoplastic material layer and heating the magnetic substance and the thermoplastic material layer to adhere the magnetic substance to the thermoplastic material layer. Therefore, after evaluating the oscillation characteristics of the active element, the magnetic substance layer can be formed in an appropriate shape and at an appropriate position on the bias line so that the oscillation of the active element is stopped. Further, the unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the above-described method, the thermoplastic material layer is formed on a region of the substrate including a required region on the bias line. Therefore, after evaluating the oscillation characteristics of the active element, the magnetic substance layer can be formed in an appropriate shape and at an appropriate position on the bias line so that the oscillation of the active element is stopped. Further, the unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of island patterns of thermoplastic material are formed on two regions of the substrate which are opposed each other with the bias line between them, and the magnetic substance layer is formed across the bias line by applying a magnetic substance to the island patterns of thermoplastic material and heating the magnetic substance and the island patterns to adhere the magnetic substance to the island patterns. Therefore, after evaluating the oscillation characteristics of the active element, the magnetic substance layer can be formed in an appropriate shape and at an appropriate position on the bias line so that the oscillation of the active element is stopped. Further, the unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor IC device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a process steps in a method of fabricating the semiconductor IC device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor IC device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a process step in a method of fabricating the semiconductor IC device in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor IC device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a process step in a method of fabricating the semiconductor IC device in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are plan views illustrating a semiconductor IC device and a semiconductor IC device including an oscillation preventing circuit in accordance with the prior art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a monolithic microwave semiconductor IC device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 7(a) designate the same or corresponding parts. Reference numeral 8 designates thermoplastic polyimide layers and reference numeral 9 designates a magnetic substance layer.
In the IC device shown in FIG. 1, a microwave signal applied to the input electrode pad 21 is transmitted through the MIM capacitor 4 and the signal transmission line 51 to the gate of the transistor 7. An output signal from the drain of the transistor 7 is transmitted through the signal transmission line 52 to a subsequent stage circuit (not shown). On the other hand, a gate bias voltage applied to the gate bias electrode pad 23 is transmitted through the gate side bias line 61 and the signal transmission line 51 to the gate of the transistor 7, and a drain bias voltage applied to the drain bias electrode pad 24 is transmitted through the drain side bias line 62 and the signal transmission line 52 to the drain of the transistor 7. The via-holes 3 connect the ground electrode pads 22 to a metal layer (not shown) on the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 1. The MIM capacitor 4 connected between the input electrode pad 21 and the gate of the transistor 7 passes microwave signals and blocks DC signals. The thermoplastic polyimide layers 8 are located on both sides of the gate side bias line 61. The magnetic substance layer 9 is adhered to the thermoplastic polyimide layers 8 across the gate side bias line 61, whereby the magnetic substance layer 9 is fixed to the semiconductor substrate 1. The magnetic substance layer 9 comprises thermoplastic polyimide containing ferrite grains, or ferrite in the shape of a plate or beads.
A description is given of the method for fabricating the IC device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a process step in the fabricating method. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 designate the same or corresponding parts.
Initially, the via-holes 3, the MIM capacitor 4, the transistor 7, the electrode pads 21 to 24, the signal transmission lines 51 and 52, and the bias lines 61 and 62 are fabricated on the semiconductor substrate 1. Thereafter, the thermoplastic polyimide layers 8 are formed on the semiconductor substrate 1 at both sides of the bias line 61 as shown in FIG. 2. Then, a DC bias voltage is applied to the gate and the drain of the transistor 7 to evaluate the oscillation characteristics of the transistor 7. If the transistor 7 oscillates, a magnetic substance, which comprises thermoplastic polyimide containing ferrite grains, or ferrite in the shape of a plate or a bead is pressed onto the thermoplastic polyimide layers 8, and heated to adhere the magnetic substance to the polyimide layers 8, whereby the magnetic substance is fixed to the semiconductor substrate 1. In this way, the IC device shown in FIG. 1 on which the magnetic substance layer 9 for preventing oscillation of the transistor 7 is disposed across the gate side bias line 61 is fabricated. If it is confirmed in the evaluation of the oscillation characteristics of the transistor that the transistor does not oscillate, it is not necessary to apply the magnetic substance.
In this first embodiment of the invention, since frequency components of the oscillation of the transistor 7 to which the DC bias voltage is applied are absorbed by the magnetic substance layer 9, oscillation of the transistor 7 is prevented. Further, after the fabrication of the circuit elements, i.e., the transistor 7, the bias lines 61 and 62, the signal transmission lines 51 and 52, and the like on the semiconductor substrate 1, the transistor 7 is operated to evaluate the oscillation characteristics and, thereafter, the magnetic substance layer 9 is formed across the gate side bias line 61. Therefore, the shape and the position of the magnetic substance layer 9 can be appropriately selected according to the oscillation characteristics of the transistor 7, so that the oscillation of any transistor can be easily prevented. Furthermore, the magnetic substance layer 9 is disposed on the bias line 61, and the thermoplastic polyimide layers 8 for fixing the magnetic substance to the semiconductor substrate 1 are disposed on the minimum area regions required for fixing the magnetic substance layer 9 at both sides of the bias line. Therefore, an undesired increase in the chip area of the IC device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit 11 shown in FIG. 7(b) is avoided.
Although the magnetic substance layer 9 is disposed on the gate side bias line 61, it may be disposed on the drain side bias line 62 or on both of these bias lines. Alternatively, a plurality of magnetic substance layers may be adhered to the thermoplastic polyimide layers 8.
Embodiment 2
FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a monolithic microwave semiconductor IC device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 designate the same or corresponding parts.
In the IC device shown in FIG. 3, the microwave signal transmission path and the DC bias voltage application path are the same as those already described in the first embodiment. The thermoplastic polyimide layer 8 is disposed on the drain side bias line 62, and two magnetic substance layers 9 comprising thermoplastic polyimide containing ferrite grains, or ferrite in the shape of a plate or a bead are disposed on the thermoplastic polyimide layer 8. The magnetic substance layers 9 are adhered to the thermoplastic polyimide layer 8, whereby the magnetic substance layers 9 are fixed to the semiconductor substrate 1. Although in the above-described first embodiment the thermoplastic polyimide layer 8 is not present on the bias line, in this second embodiment it is disposed across the bias line.
A description is given of the method for fabricating the IC device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a process step in the fabricating method. In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3 designate the same or corresponding parts.
Initially, the via-holes 3, the MIM capacitor 4, the transistor 7, the electrode pads 21 to 24, the signal transmission lines 51 and 52, and the bias lines 61 and 62 are fabricated on the semiconductor substrate 1. Thereafter, the thermoplastic polyimide layer 8 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 1 across the bias line 62 as shown in FIG. 4. Then, a DC bias voltage is applied to the gate and the drain of the transistor 7 to evaluate the oscillation characteristics of the transistor 7. If the transistor 7 is oscillating, the magnetic substance, which comprises thermoplastic polyimide containing ferrite grains, or ferrite in the shape of plates or beads, is pressed onto the thermoplastic polyimide layer 8, and heated to adhere the magnetic substance to the polyimide layer 8, whereby the magnetic substance is fixed to the semiconductor substrate 1. In this way, the IC device shown in FIG. 3 on which the magnetic substance layers 9 for preventing oscillation of the transistor 7 are disposed across the drain side bias line 62 is fabricated. If it is confirmed in the evaluation of the oscillation characteristics of the transistor that the transistor does not oscillate, it is not necessary to use the magnetic substance layers 9.
In this second embodiment of the invention, as in the first embodiment, since the frequency components of the oscillation of the transistor 7 are absorbed by the magnetic substance layers 9, oscillation of the transistor 7 is prevented. Further, since the magnetic substance layers 9 are formed on the drain side bias line 62 after the evaluation of the oscillation characteristics of the transistor 7, the shape and the position of the magnetic substance layers 9 can be appropriately selected according to the oscillation characteristics of the transistor 7. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the oscillation of any transistor. Further, the magnetic substance layers 9 are disposed on the bias line 62, and the thermoplastic polyimide layer 8 is disposed on the minimum area region, including a region of the bias line 62, required for fixing the magnetic substance layers 9. Therefore, an undesired increase in the chip area of the IC device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit 11 shown in FIG. 7(b) is avoided.
Although the magnetic substance layer 9 is disposed on the drain side bias line 62, it may be disposed on the gate side bias line 61 or on both of these bias lines. Alternatively, the magnetic substance and the thermoplastic polyimide layer according to this second embodiment may be disposed on one of the bias lines 61 and 62 while the magnetic substance and the thermoplastic polyimide layer according to the first embodiment are disposed on the other bias line.
Although two magnetic substance layers are adhered to the thermoplastic polyimide layer 8, a single magnetic substance layer or three or more magnetic substance layers may be adhered.
Embodiment 3
FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a monolithic microwave semiconductor IC device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 designate the same or corresponding parts. Reference numeral 10 designates island patterns of thermoplastic polyimide (hereinafter referred to as thermoplastic polyimide patterns).
In the IC device shown in FIG. 5, the microwave signal transmission path and the DC bias voltage application path are the same as those already described for the first embodiment. The thermoplastic polyimide patterns 10 are disposed on the semiconductor substrate 1 at both sides of the gate side bias line 61. The magnetic substance layer 9 comprising thermoplastic polyimide containing ferrite grains, or ferrite in the shape of a plate or a bead is disposed across the bias line 61 and adhered to the thermoplastic polyimide patterns 10, whereby it is fixed to the semiconductor substrate 1. While in the first and second embodiments a plate-shaped thermoplastic polyimide layer is employed, in this third embodiment a plurality of island patterns of thermoplastic polyimide are employed.
A description is given of the method for fabricating the IC device shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a process step in the fabricating method. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 5 designate the same or corresponding parts.
Initially, the via-holes 3, the MIM capacitor 4, the transistor 7, the electrode pads 21 to 24, the signal transmission lines 51 and 52, and the bias lines 61 and 62 are fabricated on the semiconductor substrate 1. Thereafter, the thermoplastic polyimide patterns 10 are formed on the semiconductor substrate 1 at the both sides of the bias line 61 as shown in FIG. 6. Then, a DC bias voltage is applied to the gate and the drain of the transistor 7 to evaluate the oscillation characteristics of the transistor 7. If the transistor 7 is oscillating, the magnetic substance, which comprises thermoplastic polyimide containing ferrite grains, or ferrite in the shape of a plate or a bead, is pressed onto the thermoplastic polyimide patterns 10, and heated to adhere the magnetic substance to the polyimide patterns 10, whereby the magnetic substance is fixed to the semiconductor substrate 1. In this way, the IC device shown in FIG. 5 on which the magnetic substance layer 9 for preventing oscillation of the transistor 7 is disposed across the drain side bias line 62 is fabricated. If it is confirmed in the evaluation of the oscillation characteristics of the transistor that the transistor does not oscillate, it is not necessary to produce the magnetic substance layer 9.
Also in this third embodiment of the invention, as in the first and second embodiments, since the frequency components of the oscillation of the transistor 7 are absorbed by the magnetic substance layer 9, oscillation of the transistor 7 is prevented. Further, since the magnetic substance layer 9 is formed on the gate side bias line 61 after the evaluation of the oscillation characteristics of the transistor 7, the shape and the position of the magnetic substance layer 9 can be appropriately selected according to the oscillation characteristics of the transistor 7. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the oscillation of any transistor. Further, the magnetic substance layer 9 is disposed on the bias line 61, and the thermoplastic polyimide patterns 10 are disposed on the minimum area regions required for fixing the magnetic substance layer 9 at both sides of the bias line 61. Therefore, an undesired increase in the chip area of the IC device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit 11 shown in FIG. 7(b) is avoided.
Although the magnetic substance layer 9 is disposed on the gate side bias line 61, it may be disposed on the drain side bias line 62 or on both of these bias lines. Alternatively, the magnetic substance and the thermoplastic polyimide patterns according to this embodiment may be disposed on one of the bias lines 61 and 62 while the magnetic substance and the thermoplastic polyimide layer according to the first or second embodiment are disposed on the other bias line.
Although a single magnetic substance layer is adhered to the thermoplastic polyimide patterns 10, a plurality of magnetic substance layers may be adhered.
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An integrated circuit device includes a substrate; circuit elements including an active element and a bias line for applying a DC bias voltage to the active element, disposed on the substrate; a thermoplastic material layer disposed on a region of the substrate; and a magnetic substance layer disposed on a region of the substrate including a region of the bias line, and adhered to and supported by the thermoplastic material layer. In this structure, the magnetic substance layer can be formed in an appropriate shape and at an appropriate position on the bias line according to the oscillation characteristics of the active element, such as a transistor, and the magnetic substance layer absorbs the frequency components of the oscillation of the active element, whereby oscillation of the active element is easily prevented. Further, since the magnetic substance layer is disposed on the bias line, unwanted increase in the chip area of the integrated circuit device due to the use of the prior art oscillation preventing circuit is avoided.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to bridge-type circuits in which upper and lower power switch means selectively couple upper and lower rails of a D.C. supply to a load. In its particular aspects, the present invention relates to a driver for the power switch means which is insensitive to switching transients produced by the bridge.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
High voltage half-bridge circuits employing transistor switch means such as MOSFETs and IGTs find use in a variety of power applications including D.C. to A.C. inverters, motion control devices, switch mode power supplies and lighting ballasts. In such applications, the required D.C. supply can range up to 500 volts with the output of the half bridge capable of undergoing transitions between zero volts and the D.C. supply voltage at high slew rates. Monolithically integrated half-bridge driver circuits have recently become available as described, for example, in D.F. Henderson, "An HVIC MOSFET/IGT Driver For Half-bridge Topologies", HFPC, May 1988 Proceedings, pp. 237-245. The bridge driver described therein is of the dual channel type, comprising a high side channel including a high side driver, powered by a bootstrap supply voltage, for driving the upper or high side transistor of the half-bridge and a low or ground side channel including a low side driver for driving the low side or lower transistor thereof. The high side driver, and its bootstrap supply voltage, floats on the output of the half-bridge in order to properly drive the high side transistor. A level shifter is included in the high side channel for transmitting control signals over two lines from ground potential to a receiving portion of the high side driver. These control signals are typically in the form of a downwardly directed "ON" current pulse transmitted on one control line for selectively placing the high side transistor in a conductive state and a downwardly directed "OFF" current pulse transmitted on the other control line for selectively placing the high side transistor in a non-conductive state. The state of the high side transistor is controlled by an R/S flip-flop in the high side driver which is set by the "ON" pulse and reset by the "OFF" pulse.
Half-bridge drivers of the type described are prone to transient currents induced in the control lines due to high positive and negative slew rates (>10 kv/microsecond) at the output of the bridge which, when acting effectively across a parasitic capacitance of a few picofarads, can cause the parasitic capacitance to appear as a source of upwardly or downwardly directed transient currents in the control lines having amplitudes which may be greater than a few tens of milliamperes. Such transient currents tend to be induced simultaneously in both control lines in what we term a "common mode". Notwithstanding the simultaneity of the currents induced in the control lines, erroneous changes of state of the flip-flop can be caused with undesirable consequences ranging from erroneous output of the half-bridge to cross-conduction of current through simultaneously conducting high side and low side transistors. Furthermore, control may not be possible during the instants in which the transients are induced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a floating driver for a power switch means of a half-bridge which is insensitive to common mode currents and noise in the control lines to the driver but is appropriately responsive to the "ON" and "OFF" control current pulses in the lines. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a transmitter portion of a level shifter which is thermally and resistively matched to the receiver portion of the floating driver. It is yet another object that the floating driver and the level shifter may be implemented in bipolar or MOS elements suitable for an integrated circuit realization.
Briefly, the aforementioned and other objects of the present invention are satisfied by configuring the floating driver as a differential means responsive the difference between the voltages developed across sense resistors by the currents in the control lines for controlling the ON/OFF state of the driven power switch means. This provides substantial operational immunity or insensitivity to unintended common mode transient currents in the control lines while providing substantial operational response to "ON" and "OFF" control current pulses transmitted therein, the latter not being in a common mode. The differential means includes a differential amplifier means having two outputs of opposite polarity providing "SET" and "RESET" inputs to a flip-flop whose logical state controls the conductive state of the driven power switch means.
A further feature of the invention is the incorporation of dead zone in the center of the operational input dynamic range of the differential receiver means to provide noise immunity. Yet another feature of the invention is the provision of matching means in the level shifter transmitter portion which adjusts the amplitudes of the "ON" and "OFF" control current pulses in relation to measures of the dead zone of the differential amplifier means and of the resistance of the sense resistors.
Other aspects of the invention depend on the choice of value for the sense resistors. If the sense resistors are chosen of relatively low ohmic value so that the voltages developed by the common mode currents across the sense resistors are well within the input dynamic range of the differential means, control is possible during the instants of the common mode currents, whether upwardly or downwardly directed. However, under such conditions, somewhat high power may be required in the transmitter portion, because the amplitudes of the "ON" and "OFF" control current pulses must be sufficiently large that the difference in the voltages across the sense resistors exceeds the dead zone of the differential amplifier means. If it is not necessary to permit control during the instants of the common mode currents, but merely to prevent erroneous response to the common mode currents, the sense resistors may be chosen at higher ohmic values, for reduced power requirements in the transmitter and/or for use with extremely high slew rates at the output of the half-bridge, but then clamp means are utilized to limit the voltages developed by the common mode currents across the sense resistors with respect to the bootstrap voltage supply base, for the purpose of protecting the differential means from excessive inputs.
The aforementioned half-bridge driver is implemented in either bipolar and MOS technology suitable for a high voltage integrated circuit and utilizes elements realizable in such technologies.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon perusal of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, in which:
FIG. 1 a block diagram of the half-bridge driver of the present invention in conjunction with a schematic half-bridge circuit;
FIG. 2 is a schematic of transmitter and receiver portions of the half-bridge driver of FIG. 1, utilizing primarily bipolar technology; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic of the receiver portion of the half-bridge driver of FIG. 1, according to an alternate embodiment to that of FIG. 2, utilizing primarily MOS technology.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring first to FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is shown schematically the high voltage integrated circuit (HVIC) half-bridge driver 10 of the present invention in conjunction with a half-bridge 12 comprising high side MOSFET switch means T H and ground side MOSFET switch means T G connected in a totem-pole in which the source 14 of T H is connected to the drain 16 of T G at a node 18 forming output voltage V out of half-bridge 12. The drain 20 of T H and the source 22 of T G are respectively connected to the positive and negative rails, 24 and 26, of high voltage DC supply, V c which may have a voltage of up to about 500 volts. Negative rail 26 is connected to the power ground for half-bridge 12. Between half-bridge output node 18 and a center tap 28 of DC supply V c is connected a load 30 diagrammatically shown as the series combination of an inductance L L and resistance R L . It should now be apparent that by placing only the high side power transistor T H in a conductive state the output voltage V out of half-bridge 12 can be brought to +V c while placing only the ground side power transistor T G in a conductive state brings the output voltage V out to power ground. Thus, for example, with a periodic pattern of alternation between conductive states of T H and T G , an average voltage across the load of any selected amount ranging from +V c /2 to -V c /2 can be achieved depending upon the duty cycle of the conductive states. Because of the inductive nature of load 30, diodes 32 and 34 are provided respectively in parallel with Transistors T H and T G in a conventional manner to limit voltage transients at V out due to the switching of current through the inductive portion L L of load 30. Transistors T H and T G are illustratively enhancement type NMOS which are turned on by a positive gate to source voltage of a predetermined amount. Alternatively, IGT transistors may serve as suitable power switch means.
Half-bridge driver 10 comprises a high side driver 36 having an output voltage between lines 38 and 40 providing the gate to source voltage for the high side transistor T H . Line 40 is connected to output mode 18 such that the output voltage between lines 30 and 40 floats on V out . A ground side driver 42 is also provided in half-bridge driver 10 to provide the gate to source voltage for transistor T G between lines 44 and 46. Line 46 is connected to negative supply rail 26 such that the output voltage between lines 44 and 46 floats on power ground 26. Ground side driver 42 also receives an externally applied power source +V A applied between lines 48 and 46 and across capacitor 50. High side driver 36 receives an externally supplied bootstrap volta V B between lines 52 and 40 and across capacitor 54, which is developed from voltage +V A by the charging of capacitor 54 via a diode 55 connected between lines 48 and 52. Specifically, bootstrap voltage V B floats on output voltage V out and when transistor T H is off and transistor T G is on, such that V out is substantially coupled to power ground, capacitor 54 is charged via diode 52 to a voltage approaching +V A .
Half-bridge driver 10 is controlled by an external system control 56 which provides to a logic interface portion 64 of half-bridge driver 10, a high side transistor control logic signal on line or channel 58 and a ground side transistor control logic signal on line or channel 60 which signals are referred to a common control or logic ground line 62. Logic ground 62 is not directly connected to power ground 26 in order to provide immunity to control 56 and logic interface 64 from power switching transients. Logic interface 64 provides control signals on lines 66 to level shifter 68 which performs a voltage translation of the control signals to the high side driver 36, which floats on V out , and to the ground side driver 42, which floats on power ground. The translation in each case may take the same form involving a transmitter at the output of the level shifter and a receiver at the input of the applicable driver, 36 or 42. Specifically, with respect to the high side driver 36, control is obtained by transmitting a current pulse I on on line 70 for placing high side transistor T H in a conductive state and by transmitting a current pulse I off on line 72 for placing high side transistor T H in a non-conductive state. Similar control signals may be provided on lines 74 between level shifter 68 and ground side driver 42 for control of the conductive state of the ground side transistor T G .
FIG. 2 illustrates, in its lower part, the transmitter portion 76 of level shifter 68, and, in its upper part the receiver portion 78 of high side driver 36, which portions are connected by lines 70 and 72. Transmitter portion 76, which is powered by the logic power supply base V L between lines 48 and logic ground 62, receives pulsatile control input voltage V on and V off for respectively generating downwardly directed current pulses I on in line 70 and I off in line 72. It is intended that the current pulse I on will be transmitted alone to place the high side transistor T H in a conductive state and the current pulse I off will be applied alone to a place the high side transistor T H in a non-conductive state.
The receiver portion 78 is powered by the bootstrap voltage V B , directed between lines 52 and 40, which floats on the output voltage V out of half-bridge 12. As a result, the upper line 52, has the volta V D which equals the sum of the instantaneous output voltage V out plus the boot strap voltage V B . Equal sense resistors R 1 and R 2 are connected from line 52 respectively to control lines 70 and 72 in order to develop control voltages due to the control currents I on and I off . For the purpose of analysis, it is most convenient to consider the voltages V 1 and V 2 respectively at the lower ends of the resistors R 1 and R 2 . As should be apparent, a downwardly directed voltage pulse will be caused at V 1 due to a current pulse I on in line 70 while a negatively directed voltage pulse will caused at V 2 due to a current pulse I off in line 72.
Unfortunately, these intended voltage pulses are not the only signals present. Due to unwanted substantially equal parasitic capacitances 82, which effectively act between the control lines 70 and 72 and logic ground 62, substantially equal common mode currents I C flow simultaneously in control lines 70 and 72. These currents are due to the fact that the voltage V D has same high slew rates as present at V out which are effectively differentiated by the combinations of the sense resistors R 1 and R 2 and the parasitic capacitances 82. Effectively, the parasitic capacitances appear as current sources injecting common mode currents I C in control line 70 and 72. These common mode currents may flow in either direction.
The present invention, in order to provide insensitivity to voltages due to common mode currents I C incorporates a double differential amplifier means, comprising matched PNP transistors T 1 and T 2 and matched resistors R 5 and R 6 , for responding to the difference between the voltages V 1 and V 2 . In particular, the base emitter junctions of the transistors T 1 and T 2 are connected in opposite directions between V 1 and V 2 . Thus, base 84 of transistor T 1 and emitter 86 of transistor T 2 are connected to V 1 while base 88 of transistor T 2 and emitter 90 of transistor T 1 are connected to V 2 . The collectors 92 and 94 of transistors T 1 and T 2 are respectively connected to the upper ends of resistors R 5 and R 6 while the lower ends of these resistors are connected to line 40. As a result, an output "set" voltage V S is formed at the upper end of resistor R 5 while an output "reset" voltage V R is formed at the upper end of resistor R 6 . It should now be apparent that when voltage V 1 falls below voltage V 2 while voltage V 2 remains above volta V out , transistor T 1 is turned on producing a volta V S which approaches voltage V 2 . Similarly, when voltage V 2 falls below voltage V 1 , and voltage V 1 remains greater than V out , transistor T 2 is turned on producing a voltage at V R which approaches V 1 . Thus, common
mode currents I C will produce substantially equal voltages V 1 and V 2 which will not turn on transistors T 1 or T 2 while the current pulse I on flowing only in line 70 will turn on at transistor T 1 and the current pulse I off flowing only in line 72 will turn on transistor T 2 .
The "set" and "reset" outputs V S and V R of the aforementioned dual differential amplifier means are inputted to a R/S flipflop 96 which is comprised of a pair of inverters I 3 and I 4 each having its output forming the input of the other in a regenerative loop. NPN transistor T 5 has its collector at the junction 98 between the input to inverter I 3 and the output of inverter I 4 , its emitter 100 connected to line 40 and its base 102 connected to V S . With an inherent pull-up resistor (not shown) assumed at the input to inverter I 3 , V S will turn on transistor T 5 in response to a current pulse I on which will pull junction 98 low and thereby setting the voltage at the junction 104 between the output of inverter I 3 and the input of inverter I 4 to a high condition. Junction 104 forms the output of flipflop 96 and is input to a buffer 106 having the output 38 for controlling the gate of the high side transistor T H of half-bridge 12. NPN transistor T 6 is similarly connected with its collector at junction 104, its base 107 connected to V R and its emitter 108 connected to line 40. Thus similarly, in response to a current pulse I off voltage V 2 will drop turning on transistor T 2 which then develops a volta V R to turn on transistor T 6 for resetting flipflop 96. Various embodiments of the invention are possible depending upon the choices of the values of the sense resistors R 1 and R 2 . If these sense resistors are chosen of low ohmic value, it is possible to assure that V 1 and V 2 remain significantly above V out in response to downwardly directly common mode currents I C allowing dynamic range in the differential amplifier means to enable response to current pulses I on or I off occurring at the same time as these common mode currents. For example, if the parasitic capacitances 82 are less than 2 picofarads and the slew rates at V T are less than 10 kv-microsecond, common mode currents of less than 20 ma are produced. A value for R 1 =R 2 of 200 ohms would then produce voltages across sense resistors R 1 and R 2 of less than 4 volts due to common mode currents, while the bootstrap voltage V B can be on the order of 15 volts.
Dual amplifier means comprising transistors T 1 and T 2 also has an inherent central dead zone such that the difference between voltages V 1 and V 2 must exceed the V be of the transistors T 1 and T 2 in order to effect the desired turnon of the transistor T 1 or T 2 . This dead zone is desirable for providing a measure of immunity to noise currents in lines 70 and 72 which develop voltages across the sense resistors R 1 and R 2 . However, the current pulses I on or I off must be of sufficient amplitude for the voltages they develop cross resistors R 1 and R 2 to exceed V be . For example, if V be is 0.7 volts, and it is therefore desired to generate a voltage of 1 volt across the sense resistors R 1 or R 2 in response to the current pulses I on or I off , and the resistors are 200 ohms, then the amplitude of the current pulses must be at least 5 ma, which may require significant power to transmit.
In the event it is not necessary to transmit current pulses I on or I off during the instant of common mode transients I C , then the resistors R 1 and R 2 may be chosen at higher ohmi values but than clamp means are advantageously utilized to
limit the voltage developed across the sense resistors R 1 , R 2 . In FIG. 2, these clamp means comprise transistors T 9 through T 13 .
NPN transistors T 9 and T 12 act as upwardly directed diodes across the sense resistors R 1 and R 2 respectively which prevent the voltages V 1 and V 2 from rising more than V be above voltage V D . For preventing voltages V 1 and V 2 from falling below voltage V D by more than 2 V be , there are provided the transistor T 13 which acts as a diode directed between line 52 and the bases 110 and 112 of NPN transistors T 11 and T 10 whose emitters 114, 116 are connected respectively to the voltages V 1 and V 2 and whose collectors 118, 120 are connected to line 52. These clamping means thereby establish a dynamic range for the voltages V 1 and V 2 within which the differential amplifier means may respond.
The transmitter portion 76 is preferably matched to the receiver portion 78 to compensate for temperature or manufacturing variations in the resistors R 1 and R 2 and the transistors T 1 and T 2 . The transmitter portion 76 receives as inputs the voltages V on and V off developed by logic interface 64 which are input to inverters I 1 and I 2 respectively. The output of inverter I 1 is fed to the junction 119 of the base of NPN transistor T 7 and collector of NPN transistor T 3 . The emitter of transistor T 7 and base of transistor T 3 are joined at 12 to the upper end of resistor R 3 while the lower end of resistor R 3 and the emitter of transistor T 3 are connected to logic ground 62. The collector of transistor T 7 is connected at 122 to the source of an enhancement type NMOS FET transistor T on . By matching transistor T 3 to transistors T 1 and T 2 and by matching resistor R 3 to resistors R 1 and R 2 , the appropriate current amplitude I on is generated in a response to a downwardly directed V on pulse. In particular, T 3 and T 7 interact to clamp the voltage across R 3 to V be and make the collector of transistor T 7 a source of current equal to V be /R 3 . By choosing R 3 smaller than R 1 , the amplitude of the I on pulse produced will cause a voltage pulse across sense resistor R 1 sufficient for the different between V 1 and V 2 to exceed the dead zone of the dual differential amplifier means in the receiver 78. NMOS FET T on has its gate 124 connected to V L line 80, its drain 126 connected to control line 70 and its backgate 128 connected to logic ground 62. As a result, NMOS FET transistor T on acts as a well-defined barrier between the high slew rates present in the receiver 78 and the collector of transistor T 7 which sources I on . In a similar fashion, the output of inverter I 2 is connected to the junction 130 of the base of NPN transistor T 8 and the collector of NPN transistor T 4 , the emitter of transistor T 8 and the base of transistor T 4 are connected to the upper end of resistor R 4 at junction 132, and the lower end of resistor R 4 and the emitter of transistor T 4 are connected to logic ground 62. The collector of transistor T 8 is connected at 134 to the source of NMOS FET transistor T off . Transistor T off further has its backgate 136 connected to logic ground 62, its gate 138 connected to V L line 80 and its drain 140 connected to control line 72 to form a barrier similarly to transistor T on . Herein again, transistor T 4 is matched to transistors T 1 and T 2 and resistor R 4 is matched to resistors R 1 and R 2 . Furthermore, R 4 may be chosen somewhat less than R 3 to produce a current amplitude I off greater than the current amplitude I on for enhancing the response to an off command.
The embodiment of FIG. 2 is amenable to an integrated circuit realization in which the various bipolar elements and resistors allow for matching the components in temperature characteristics and matching the resistors in resistance value.
In FIG. 3, there is illustrated an alternate receiver portion 142 using primarily MOSFET technology, in which similar parts are similarly labeled to FIG. 2. Therein, the gate 144 of PMOS FET T 1 and the source 146 of PMOS FET T 2 are connected to V 1 while the gate 148 of T 2 and source 150 of T 1 are connected to V 2 in a manner analogous to FIG. 2 to produce the voltages V S and V R across resistors R 5 and R 6 . The clamping means is somewhat different, however, from FIG. 2 utilizing MOSFET transistors T 9 and T 10 with their source, gate and backgate connected respectively to voltages V 1 and V 2 and their drains connected to voltages V D . Transistors T 9 and T 10 are constructed in a known manner to have a parasitic diode junction directed from V 1 and V 2 respectively to V D . As a consequence, these transistors prevent V 1 and V 2 from rising more than V be above V D . Additionally, for forming parasitic diodes parallel to those formed by T 9 and T 10 to further prevent the voltages V 1 and V 2 from rising more than V be above V D , the backgates 152 and 154 of transistors T 1 and T 2 are tied to V D to develop parasitic diodes in each transistor directed from source to backgate.
For limiting the lower extremes of V 1 and V 2 the NPN transistors T 11 and T 12 are provided with their bases 156, 158 connected to V out , their emitters 160, 162 connected respectively to V 1 and V 2 and their collectors 164, 166 connected to V D . These transistors T 11 and T 11 prevent V 1 and V 2 from falling more than V be below V out . It should be equally understood, that if R 1 and R 2 are sufficiently low in ohmic value that the voltages V 1 and V 2 never fall close to V out , the various clamping means may not be required.
The present invention has been described in specific detail, however, numerous modifications, omissions and additions are possible in those details within the intended spirited scope of the invention.
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A half-bridge is made insensitive to transient induced common mode currents in a pair of control lines between a level shifter and a floating driver for a power transistor of the half-bridge by the provision in the receiver portion of the floating driver of a double differential amplifier responsive to the difference between the voltages developed across sense resistors in series with the control lines. The amplifier produces a pair of output voltages for selectively setting and resetting a flip-flop which controls the conductive state of the driven power transistor. The double differential amplifier has an inherent central dead zone, providing noise immunity, and optional clamp means to limit the extremes of the voltages developed across the sense resistors. The transmitter portion of the level shifter contains elements thermally and resistively matched to the receiver for determining the amplitudes of the transmitted control currents.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of and claims the benefit of the earlier filing date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/592,476 filed Nov. 27, 2009, titled “Method and Apparatus for Minimally Invasive Subcutaneous Treatment of Long Bone Fractures”, published as U.S. Patent Application Publication number 2011/0130794.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to methods of temporary and/or permanent fixation of humerus fractures. More specifically the invention relates to minimally invasive subcutaneous treatment of fractures of the humerus. Most specifically the instant invention offers a treatment method and device that is useful for minimally invasive internal fixation of the fractured humerus with no external components and therefore reduced chance for infection. This method and device are highly suitable for battlefield injuries, use in children, and use in third world countries where more extensive treatment may not be available.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] There are presently two basic techniques for safe transportation of a wounded soldier with a long bone fracture: 1) transportation casts and 2) temporary external fixation. Both of these methods are presently accepted for initial treatment of a patient who will be evacuated out of theater. Precise indications for external fixator use versus casting have not been established.
[0004] In general, good indications for external fixator use include when the soft tissues need to be evaluated while en route, such as with a vascular injury; when other injuries make use of casting impractical, such as with a femur fracture and abdominal injury; or when the patients have extensive burns. Advantages of external fixation are that it allows for soft tissue access, can be used for polytrauma patients, and has a minimal physiologic impact on the patient. Disadvantages are the potential for pin site sepsis or colonization and less soft tissue support than casts.
[0005] Advantages of transportation casts are that they preserve the maximum number of options for the receiving surgeon; the soft tissues are well supported, and the casts are relatively low tech. Disadvantages are that casts cover soft tissues, may not be suitable for polytrauma patients, and are more labor-intensive than external fixators.
[0006] Though standard in civilian trauma centers, intramedullary nailing of major long bone fractures is contraindicated in combat zone hospitals because of a variety of logistical and physiologic constraints. This method may be used once a patient reaches an echelon above corps (EAC) or other site where more definitive care can be provided.
[0007] Therefore, although both transportation casts and external fixators are equally acceptable methods for the initial management of long bone fractures, each has its disadvantages. Additionally, current methods of internal fixation are contraindicated, especially considering the extensive length and depth of incision required to place the fixation plate adjacent to the fractured bone. Thus, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for the safe transportation of a wounded soldier with a long bone fracture which allows for access to the soft tissues as needed, and yet reduces the chances of infection, sepsis or colonization.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A surgical method for minimally invasive subcutaneous treatment of humerus fractures. The method may including the step of tunneling an elongated plate subcutaneously and supramuscularly in the subcutaneous fat layer substantially parallel to the fractured humerus. The method may further include the step of attaching the ends of the elongated plate to the fractured humerus, wherein the elongated plate remains disposed in the subcutaneous fat layer and away from, but substantially parallel to the humerus once attached to the humerus.
[0009] The tunneling step may include creating one or more incisions in the skin through which the elongated plate can be inserted and the one or more incisions in the skin may be created on the lateral part of the brachium. The step of attaching the ends of the elongated plate to the fractured humerus may include inserting attachment screws through holes in the ends of the elongated plate and into the humerus. The holes in the elongated plate may be threaded and the attachment screws may have threaded heads which allow the attachment screws to lock into the threaded holes of the elongated plate.
[0010] The step of attaching the ends of the elongated plate to the fractured humerus may further include the step of inserting the attachment screws through holes in a an angled end of the elongated plate into the lateral epicondyle region of the distal end of the humerus. The step of attaching the ends of the elongated plate to the fractured humerus may further include the step of inserting a threaded rod into the proximal end of the humerus, which is used to hold steady, distract and align the proximal end of the humerus before the step of inserting attachment screws through holes in the ends of the elongated plate and into the humerus.
[0011] The step of attaching the ends of the elongated plate to the fractured humerus may further include the step of distracting and aligning the fractured humerus. The step of distracting and aligning the fractured humerus may include inserting a threaded rod into the proximal end of the humerus and manually distracting and aligning the fractured humerus.
[0012] The step of distracting and aligning the fractured humerus may include using a distraction device. The step of using a distraction device may include the step of attaching the distraction device to the holes in the proximal end of the elongated plate and also attaching the distraction device to the proximal end of the humerus. The distraction device may have two brackets, where the first of the brackets is attached to the holes in the proximal end of the elongated plate and the second of the brackets is attached to he proximal end of the humerus. The distraction device may further include an expansion device which is attached to both brackets and when used causes the brackets to expand away from each other thereby providing for distraction of the humerus. The expansion device may include a threaded rod and a nut which is threaded onto the threaded rod, wherein the nut pushes against one of the brackets causing the brackets to expand away from each other thereby providing for distraction of the humerus.
[0013] The step of attaching the ends of the elongated plate to the fractured humerus may further include the step of inserting an attachment screw through a hole in aproximal end of the elongated plate into the proximal end of the humerus once the step of distracting and aligning the fractured humerus is completed. The step of attaching the ends of the elongated plate to the fractured humerus may further include the step of removing the distraction device after the step of inserting an attachment screw through a hole in the proximal end of the elongated plate into the proximal end of the humerus.
[0014] The step of attaching the ends of the elongated plate to the fractured humerus may further include the step of inserting one or more additional attachment screws through the remaining holes in the proximal end of the elongated plate into the proximal end of the humerus. The elongated plate and the attachment screws may be formed from titanium, stainless steel or a bio-compatible polymer material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a depiction of a thigh having a broken femur;
[0016] FIG. 2 depicts a prior art external fixation technique showing how the mechanisms of the external fixator are attached by pins to the broken portions of the femur;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of an elongated plate useful in the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic depiction of the manner in which the elongated plate may be placed subcutaneously in the thigh;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a schematic depiction of an alternative view of the manner in which the elongated plate is tunneled subcutaneously inside the thigh parallel to the broken femur between two incisions;
[0020] FIG. 6 shows attachment means which may be used in the inventive method and device;
[0021] FIG. 7 , depicts how a threaded rod 9 may be placed into one end of the bone after the plate has been placed into the thigh;
[0022] FIG. 8 , attachment means 10 are inserted through the incision 8 , through the holes in the elongated plate 6 and into the bone 2 ;
[0023] FIG. 9 depicts the results of insertion of three of attachment screws through the plate into the bone;
[0024] FIG. 10 depicts a method to manually distract the distal end of the bone using a threaded rod is inserted into the distal end;
[0025] FIG. 11 depicts a preferred distraction device useful in conjunction with the method and device of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 12 shows how the distraction device is aligned with plate for temporary FIG. 13 depicts how the distraction device is attached to the plate using locking screws or bolts;
[0027] FIG. 14 shows that once the distraction device is attached to both the plate and distal end of the bone, the distraction nut is turned to expand distraction device by increasing the distance between the brackets;
[0028] FIG. 15 shows that once the distal end of the bone is distracted and aligned, an attachment screw is inserted into the remaining hole on the plate and into the distal end of the bone;
[0029] FIG. 16 depicts the removal of the distraction device, and the insertion of the remaining attachment screws through the other holes in the plate and into the distal end of the bone;
[0030] FIG. 17 shows the plate attached to both ends of the bone via attachment screws;
[0031] FIG. 18 is a depiction of a cross-section of a thigh having the elongated plate of the present invention disposed in the subcutaneous fat layer;
[0032] FIGS. 19 a and 19 b are schematic depictions of a top and side view, respectively, of an elongated plate useful in the present invention for use in fixation of a humerus fracture;
[0033] FIG. 20 is a schematic depiction of the manner in which the elongated plate may be placed subcutaneously in the brachium;
[0034] FIG. 21 is a schematic depiction of an alternative view of the manner in which the elongated plate is tunneled subcutaneously and supramuscularly inside the brachium and nearly parallel to the broken humerus between two incisions;
[0035] FIG. 22 is a schematic depiction of the manner in which three attachment screws 10 are inserted through holes in the angled end 6 ′ of the elongated plate 6 and into the lateral epicondyle region 3 ″ in the distal end 3 ′ of the humerus;
[0036] FIG. 23 depicts how a threaded rod 9 may be placed into the proximal end 2 ′ of the humerus after the plate 6 has been placed into the brachium and attached to the distal end of the humerus 3 ′, the rod being used to distract and align the proximal and distal ends of the humerus; and
[0037] FIG. 24 depicts the insertion of the remaining attachment screws through the other holes in the proximal end of the plate and into the proximal end of the humerus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0038] The instant invention is a novel method and construct for temporary or definitive minimally invasive treatment of broken long bones such as a femur or humerus. FIG. 1 is a depiction of a thigh 1 , having a femur which is broken into two pieces 2 and 3 . One aspect of the present invention is an internal fixator for the femur or humerus which sits subcutaneously. The fixator is a plate which is inserted under the skin above the fascia in the subcutaneous space. Its advantage is for transport of military wounded from the field to the definitive care facility. As noted above, currently patients/soldiers are transferred with an external fixator which has pins screwed into the bone connected to bars outside of the skin. FIG. 2 depicts this prior art fixation technique showing how the mechanisms 4 of the external fixator are attached by pins to the broken portions of the femur 2 , 3 via holes in the skin 5 . The external fixators are cumbersome and can lead to infection. The external fixators need to be replaced by rods or plates at the definitive care facility. If an external fixator is used on a patient for longer than 7 to 10 days there is a risk for pin site infection if it is later decided to nail the femur or humerus. Also because the pins extend from the bone to outside the skin there is always a risk for pin site infection.
[0039] With the inventive device and method, definitive surgery can be performed without the risk of infection as the device is under the skin. The device is easy to apply and, because the hardware is totally subcutaneous, it is not unwieldy for the patient or for the transporting team. Medical personnel can safely wait until the soldier is safe for further surgery without the risk of infection.
[0040] While the inventive device and method can be used for battlefield trauma of long bones, the treatment can also be used for children between 3 to 12 years of age. The inventive internal fixator can be definitive treatment but should be removed after 8 weeks to 3 months. In this context, the present invention would replace the use of flexible ender nails. The inventive device is much stiffer than flexible ender nails and would not need any other immobilization.
[0041] Further, in civilian treatment the present method and device may be used to temporize polytrauma patients as a damage control measure and may later be replaced by conventional internal fixation. The present method and device may be used as definitive care in certain situations when further surgery is not possible. The present method and device would be exceptionally useful in peripheral centers when used to transfer patients after early treatment to a definitive care facility.
[0042] Also the inventor notes that the present method and device could be used as definitive fixation in third-world areas where a C-arm is not available as it is easy to apply. Of course, it would still need to be removed after 3 months in adults.
[0043] Turning now to a detailed description of the present method and device, FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of an elongated plate 6 useful in the present invention. The plate 6 has at least two, and preferably three or more hole 7 in each end thereof. The holes 7 accommodate attachment means to attach the plate to the femur or humerus. The holes 7 may be threaded as in locking plate technology. The holes 7 may also be non-threaded and the attachment means may include screws and nuts which can lock the plate near the end of the screws remote from the bone. It should be noted that elongated plate is based on locking plate technology but since it has significantly fewer holes, the device will cost less to produce. Also, the plate 6 is preferably smooth and any screw holes 7 in the plate that are not filled with attachment screws 10 should be filled with a sham screw to avoid soft tissue growing into the holes 7 as this will make the plate 6 difficult to remove.
[0044] FIG. 4 is a schematic depiction of the manner in which the elongated plate 6 may be placed subcutaneously in the thigh 1 . The plate 6 may be placed into the subcutaneous fat layer through two incisions 8 in the skin. One incision is near the proximal end of the bone and one is near the distal end of the bone. The incisions 8 may be approximately 2 inches or less on each end and may preferably be placed in the lateral anterior area of the thigh 1 when the bone being fixated 2 , 3 is a femur. Of course, the plate 6 may come in many different sizes to accommodate different bone sizes. This placement of the elongated plate 6 just under the skin prevents disruption of the muscle tissue and since there is no dissection, there is little chance for infection. FIG. 5 is a schematic depiction of an alternative view of the manner in which the elongated plate is tunneled subcutaneously inside the thigh 1 parallel to the broken femur 2 , 3 between the two incisions 8 .
[0045] FIG. 6 shows attachment means which may be used in the inventive method and device. Threaded rods 9 may be used to hold the broken bone sections steady as screws 10 are used to attach the device to the bone. Attachment screw 10 preferably has a threaded head 11 to cooperate with the threading in the holes of the elongated plate. Further, the shaft of screw 10 preferably has thread 12 only on the end thereof that will be inserted into the bone. Attachment screws 10 may be cortical screws, such as uni-cortical or bi-cortical screws. Alternatively, threaded rod 9 may be used to steady and attach the plate to the bone using nuts or the like to anchor the plate to the rod in the subcutaneous position, with or without a separate threaded rod 9 for manual manipulation of the bone.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 7 , once the plate 6 has been placed into the thigh, a threaded rod 9 may be placed into one end of the bone 2 . Preferably the rod 9 is placed into the proximal end of the bone. This threaded rod may be used to hold the bone in place as the plate 6 is attached to the bone. Next, as shown in FIG. 8 , attachment means 10 are inserted through the incision 8 , through the holes in the elongated plate 6 and into the bone 2 . As stated above, the plate 6 may have 2 or more holes in each end, preferably 3 or more. FIG. 9 depicts the results of insertion of three attachment screws 10 through the plate 6 into the bone. Also shown is the manner in which the threaded heads of the screws 10 lock into the threaded holes of the plate 6 and the manner in which the shaft of the screw 10 preferably only has thread 12 only on the portion thereof which is inserted into the bone 2 . As can be seen the threaded rod 9 is removed from the proximal end of the bone 2 once the attachment screws 10 are in place.
[0047] Once one end of the bone (preferably the proximal end) is attached to the to subcutaneous elongated plate 6 , the other portion of the bone (preferably the distal end) must be distracted and aligned to be attached to plate 6 and thereby fixed. The distraction may be performed manually by putting traction on the foot of the injured leg. Alternatively, the distraction can be performed manually as shown in FIG. 10 . To manually distract the distal end of the bone 3 , a threaded rod 9 is inserted into the distal end of the bone 3 . This threaded rod 9 is used to manually pull the distal end of the bone into place.
[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the distraction is performed using a distraction device 20 . The distraction device 20 is preferably attached to the plate 6 and the distal end of the bone 3 and allows the bone to be distracted and aligned so that the plate 6 can be attached to the distal end of the bone 3 .
[0049] FIG. 11 depicts a preferred distraction means 20 . The distraction means 20 includes two distraction brackets 13 and 14 . The distraction brackets 13 and 14 are three dimensional “L” shaped brackets. One of the brackets 13 has one or preferably two holes 19 a on the horizontal leg of the “L” and two holes 21 a and 21 b on the vertical leg of the “L”. Holes 19 a are used in conjunction with locking screws or bolts 18 to affix bracket 13 to the elongated plate 6 as will be further discussed herein below. Holes 19 a may be threaded or not, as needed. Holes 21 a and 21 b accommodate threaded rod 16 and smooth sliding rod 15 , respectively, which rods are attached to bracket 14 as described below. Holes 21 a and 21 b are preferably not threaded and rods 15 and 16 readily slide through their respective holes.
[0050] Bracket 14 includes one hole 19 b in the horizontal leg of the “L”. Threaded rod 16 and smooth rod 15 are fixedly attached to the vertical leg of the “L” and extend horizontally out from the vertical leg of the “L” toward the through holes 21 a and 21 b of bracket 13 . Hole 19 b is used in conjunction with threaded rod 9 to attach bracket 14 to the distal portion of the bone 3 . Finally, treaded rod 16 includes a distraction nut 17 threaded onto rod 16 and positioned between bracket 13 and bracket 14 . The distraction nut 17 can push the two brackets 13 and 14 away from each other when the distraction nut 17 is turned the proper direction on the threaded rod 16 .
[0051] FIG. 12 shows how the distraction device 20 is aligned with plate 6 . The holes 19 a of bracket 13 are aligned with outermost holes 7 of the elongated plate 6 . Once aligned, the distraction device is attached to plate 6 using locking screws or bolts 18 as shown in FIG. 13 . The bolts 18 are threaded through holes 19 a of bracket 13 and into holes 7 of elongated plate 6 . After the distraction device 20 is attached to plate 6 , a threaded rod is inserted through hole 19 b in bracket 14 and into the distal end of the bone 3 . Once the distraction device 20 is attached to both plate 6 and distal end of the bone 3 , then the distraction nut 17 is turned to expand distraction device by increasing the distance between bracket 13 and 14 as shown in FIG. 14 . Once the distal end of the bone 3 is distracted and aligned, an attachment screw 10 is inserted into the remaining hole 7 on plate 6 and into the distal end of the bone 3 as shown in FIG. 15 . Once the first attachment screw 10 is in place in the distal end of the bone 3 , distraction device 20 can be completely removed, and the remaining attachment screws 10 are inserted through the other holes in plate 6 and into the distal end of the bone 3 as shown in FIG. 16 . FIG. 17 shows the plate attached to both ends of the bone 2 , 3 via attachment screws 10 .
[0052] Finally, FIG. 18 is a depiction of a cross-section of a thigh 1 having the elongated plate 6 of the present invention disposed in the subcutaneous fat layer 22 . The plate 6 is held to bone 2 , 3 using attachment screw 10 , which has threads 12 only on the portion of the screw 10 that is in the bone.
Fixation of the Humerus
[0053] FIGS. 19 a and 19 b are schematic depictions of a top view and a side view of an elongated plate 6 useful in the fixation of a humerus by the method of the present invention. The plate 6 has at least two, and preferably three or more hole 7 in each end thereof. The holes 7 accommodate attachment means to attach the plate to the humerus. The holes 7 may be threaded as in locking plate technology. The holes 7 may also be non-threaded and the attachment means may include screws and nuts which can lock the plate near the end of the screws remote from the bone. It should be noted that elongated plate is based on locking plate technology but since it has significantly fewer holes, the device will cost less to produce. One end of the elongated plate 6 has an angled portion 6 ′ designed to be affixed to the lateral epicondyle region in the distal end of the humerus.
[0054] FIG. 20 is a schematic depiction of the manner in which the elongated plate 6 may be placed subcutaneously in the brachium 1 ′. The plate 6 may be placed into the subcutaneous fat layer through two incisions 8 in the skin. One incision is near the proximal end of the humerus and one is near the distal end of the humerus. The incisions 8 may be approximately 2 inches or less on each end and may preferably be placed in the lateral area of the brachium 1 ′ when the bone being fixated 2 ′, 3 ′ is a humerus. Of course, the plate 6 may come in many different sizes to accommodate different bone sizes. This placement of the elongated plate 6 just under the skin prevents disruption of the muscle tissue and since there is no dissection, there is little chance for infection. FIG. 5 is a schematic depiction of an alternative view of the manner in which the elongated plate 6 is tunneled subcutaneously and supramuscularly inside the brachium 1 ′. The elongated plate 6 runs essentially to the broken humerus 2 ′, 3 ′ between the two incisions. The angled end 6 ′ of the elongated plate 6 is place adjacent the lateral epicondyle region 3 ″ of the distal end 3 ′ of the humerus. Since there is little or no muscle 1 ″ in this area of the brachium 1 ′, the angled end 6 ′ can at least partially contact the bone directly. The proximal end of the elongate plate 6 will be disposed above the muscles 1 ″ of the brachium 1 ′.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 22 , once the plate 6 has been placed into the brachium 1 ′, attachment means 10 are inserted through the incision, through the holes in angled end 6 ′ of the elongated plate 6 and into the distal end 3 ′ of the humerus. As stated above, the plate 6 may have 2 or more holes in each end, preferably 3 or more. As with the femur example herein above, the threaded heads of the screws 10 may lock into the threaded holes of the plate 6 and the shaft of the screw 10 preferably only has thread only on the portion thereof which is inserted into the bone.
[0056] Once one end of the bone (preferably the distal end) is attached to the to subcutaneous elongated plate 6 , the other portion of the bone (preferably the proximal end) must be distracted and aligned to be attached to plate 6 and thereby fixed. FIG. 23 depicts the manner in which the distraction may be performed manually by insertion of a threaded rod 9 into the proximal end 2 ′ of the humerus. This threaded rod 9 is used to manually pull the proximal end of the humerus into place. Alternative, if desired the distraction device of FIG. 11 may be used in place of the manual distraction.
[0057] Once the proximal end of the humerus 2 ′ is distracted and aligned, attachment screws 10 are inserted into the remaining holes 7 on plate 6 and into the proximal end of the bone 2 ′ as shown in FIG. 24 , which depicts the elongated plate 6 attached to both ends of the humerus 2 ′, 3 ′ via attachment screws 10 .
[0058] It is to be expected that considerable variations may be made in the embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, the significant improvements offered by this invention are to be limited only by the scope of the following claims.
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The instant invention is a novel method and construct for temporary or definitive minimally invasive treatment of a broken humerus. The method includes the steps of tunneling an elongated plate subcutaneously in the subcutaneous fat layer substantially parallel to the fractured humerus; and attaching the ends of the elongated plate to the fractured humerus. The elongated plate remains disposed in the subcutaneous fat layer and away from, but parallel to the humerus once attached to the humerus.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/772,899 filed on May 3, 2010, which claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/174,962 filed on May 1, 2009, and the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for probing integrated circuits using laser illumination.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Probing systems have been used in the art for testing and debugging integrated circuit (IC) designs and layouts. Various laser-based systems for probing IC's are known in the prior art. While some description of the prior art is provided herein, the reader is encouraged to also review U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,208,648, 5,220,403 and 5,940,545, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Additional related information can be found in Yee, W. M., et al. Laser Voltage Probe ( LVP ): A Novel Optical Probing Technology for Flip - Chip Packaged Microprocessors, in International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA), 2000, p 3-8; Bruce, M. et al. Waveform Acquisition from the Backside of Silicon Using Electro - Optic Probing, in International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA), 1999, p 19-25; Kolachina, S. et al. Optical Waveform Probing—Strategies for Non - Flipchip Devices and Other Applications, in International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA), 2001, p 51-57; Soref, R. A. and B. R. Bennett, Electrooptical Effects in Silicon. IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 1987. QE-23(1): p. 123-9; Kasapi, S., et al., Laser Beam Backside Probing of CMOS Integrated Circuits. Microelectronics Reliability, 1999. 39: p. 957; Wilsher, K., et al. Integrated Circuit Waveform Probing Using Optical Phase Shift Detection, in International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA), 2000, p 479-85; Heinrich, H. K., Picosecond Noninvasive Optical Detection of Internal Electrical Signals in Flip-Chip-Mounted Silicon Integrated Circuits. IBM Journal of Research and Development, 1990. 34(2/3): p. 162-72; Heinrich, H. K., D. M. Bloom, and B. R. Hemenway, Noninvasive sheet charge density probe for integrated silicon devices. Applied Physics Letters, 1986. 48(16): p. 1066-1068; Heinrich, H. K., D. M. Bloom, and B. R. Hemenway, Erratum to Noninvasive sheet charge density probe for integrated silicon devices. Applied Physics Letters, 1986. 48(26): p. 1811.; Heinrich, H. K., et al., Measurement of real-time digital signals in a silicon bipolar junction transistor using a noninvasive optical probe. IEEE Electron Device Letters, 1986. 22(12): p. 650-652; Hemenway, B. R., et al., Optical detection of charge modulation in silicon integrated circuits using a multimode laser-diode probe. IEEE Electron Device Letters, 1987. 8(8): p. 344-346; A. Black, C. Courville, G Schultheis, H. Heinrich, Optical Sampling of GHz Charge Density Modulation in SIlicon Bipolar Junction Transistors Electronics Letters, 1987, Vol. 23, No. 15, p. 783-784, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and Kindereit U, Boit C, Kerst U, Kasapi S, Ispasoiu R, Ng R, Lo W, Comparison of Laser Voltage Probing and Mapping Results in Oversized and Minimum Size Devices of 120 nm and 65 nm Technology, Microelectronics Reliability 48 (2008) 1322-1326, 19th European Symposium on Reliability of Electron Devices, Failure Physics and Analysis (ESREF 2008).
[0006] As is known, during debug and testing of an IC, a commercially available testing platform, such as, e.g., Automated Testing Equipment, also known as an Automated Testing and Evaluation (ATE) tester, is used to generate test patterns (also referred to as test vectors) to be applied to the IC device under test (DUT). Various systems and method can then be used to test the response of the DUT to the test vectors. One such method is generally referred to as laser voltage probing (LVP). When a laser-based system such as an LVP is used for probing, the DUT is illuminated by the laser and the light reflected from the DUT is collected by the probing system. As the laser beam strikes the DUT, the laser beam is modulated by the response of various elements of the DUT to the test vectors. This has been ascribed to the electrical modulation of the free carrier density, and the resultant perturbation of the index of refraction and absorption coefficient of the material of the IC, most commonly silicon. Accordingly, analysis of the reflected light provides information about the operation of various devices in the DUT.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a general schematic depicting major components of a laser-based voltage probe system architecture, 100 , according to the prior art. In FIG. 1 , dashed arrows represent optical path, while solid arrows represent electronic signal path. The optical paths represented by curved lines are generally made using fiber optic cables. Probe system 100 comprises a laser source which, in this particular example, is a dual laser source, DLS 110 , an optical bench 112 , and data acquisition and analysis apparatus 114 . The optical bench 112 includes provisions for mounting the DUT 160 . A conventional ATE tester 140 provides stimulus signals and receives response signals 142 to/from the DUT 160 and may provide trigger and clock signals, 144 , to the time-base board 155 . The signal from the tester is generally transferred to the DUT via test boards, DUT board (adapter plate) and various cables and interfaces that connect all of these components. The time-base board 155 synchronizes the signal acquisition with the DUT stimulus and the laser pulses. Workstation 170 controls as well as receives, processes, and displays data from the signal acquisition board 150 , time-base board 155 , and the optical bench 112 .
[0008] The various elements of probe system 100 will now be described in more detail. Since temporal resolution is of high importance in testing DUT's, the embodiment of FIG. 1 utilizes prior art pulsed lasers, wherein the laser pulse width determines the temporal resolution of the system. Dual laser source 110 consists of two lasers: a pulsed mode-locked laser, MLL 104 , source that is used to generate 10-35 ps wide pulses, and a continuous-wave laser source, CWL 106 , that can be externally gated to generate approximately 1 □ s wide pulses. The MLL 104 source runs at a fixed frequency, typically 100 MHz, and must be synchronized with the stimulus 142 provided to the DUT 160 , via a phase-locked loop (PLL) on the time-base board 155 , and the trigger and clock signals 144 provided by the ATE tester. The output of the DLS 110 is transmitted to the optical bench 112 using fiber optics cable 115 . The light beam is then manipulated by beam optics 125 , which directs the light beam to illuminate selected parts of the DUT 160 . The beam optics 125 consists of a Laser Scanning Microscope (LSM 130 ) and beam manipulation optics (BMO 135 ). The specific elements that are conventional to such an optics setup, such as objective lens, etc., are not shown. Generally, BMO 135 consists of optical elements necessary to manipulate the beam to the required shape, focus, polarization, etc., while the LSM 130 consists of elements necessary for scanning the beam over a specified area of the DUT. In addition to scanning the beam, the LSM 130 has vector-pointing mode to direct the laser beams to anywhere within the field-of-view of the LSM and Objective Lens. The X-Y-Z stage 120 moves the beam optics 125 relative to the stationary DUT 160 . Using the stage 120 and the vector-pointing mode of the LSM 130 , any point of interest on the DUT 160 may be illuminated and probed.
[0009] For probing the DUT 160 , the ATE 140 sends stimulus signals 142 to the DUT, in synchronization with the trigger and clock signals provided to the phase-locked loop on the time-base board 155 . The phase-lock loop controls the MLL 104 to synchronize its output pulses to the stimulus signals 142 to the DUT. MLL 104 emits laser pulses that illuminate a particular device of interest on the DUT that is being stimulated. The reflected light from the DUT is collected by the beam optics 125 , and is transmitted to photodetector 138 via fiber optic cable 134 . The reflected beam changes character depending on the reaction of the device to the stimulus signal. To monitor incident laser power, for purposes of compensating for laser power fluctuations, for example, optical bench 112 provides means to divert a portion of MLL 104 incident pulse to photodetector 136 via fiber optic cable 132 . The output signal of the photosensors 136 , 138 is sent to signal acquisition board 150 , which, in turn, sends the signal to the controller 170 . By manipulation of the phase lock loop on the time-base board 155 , controller 170 controls the precise time position of MLL 104 pulses with respect to DUT 160 stimulus signals 142 . By changing this time position and monitoring the photosensors signals, the controller 170 can analyze the temporal response of the DUT to the stimulus signals 142 . The temporal resolution of the analysis is dependent upon the width of the MLL 104 pulse.
[0010] It is also known in the art to perform continuous wave LVP, wherein a continuous wave laser is used to illuminate a device on the DUT and the continuously reflected light is collected. The continuously reflected light contains timing information relating to the response, i.e., switching, of the active device to various stimulus signals. The reflected light signal is continuously converted into electrical signal by a photodetector, e.g., avalanche photodiode (APD) and is amplified. The timing information is contained within the electrical signal and represents detected modulation of the device, which can then be displayed in either the time-domain using an oscilloscope or in the frequency domain using a spectrum analyzer.
[0011] Recently the technology of laser voltage imaging has been developed to provide a two-dimensional gray-scale image correlating to voltages at different points in an area of the DUT. More specifically, an LSM is used to raster-scan an area of the DUT and at each point within the area the reflected light signal is collected and provides a single data value. That is, rather than providing the spectra over a range of frequency band, at each point the amplitude of the signal at a particular frequency spectrum is obtained from the spectrum analyzer. In practice, the spectrum analyzer is set to extract a single frequency of interest (called zero-span), and to provide an output value that is directly proportional to the strength of the received signal at that frequency. Consequently, as the LSM scans the selected area of the DUT, if there is no activity at the frequency of interest, the spectrum analyzer provides low or no output, while if there is activity at that frequency, the spectrum analyzer provides high output. That is, the spectrum analyzer provides an output signal whose amplitude is proportional to the strength of the signal at the selected frequency of interest. This output can be used to generate a map of the scanned area, showing gray-scale levels corresponding to device activity at each point in the scanned area.
[0012] While the above systems and methods provide valuable information about the functionality of the DUT, it is desirable to non-invasively obtain further information about the response of various active devices within the DUT.
SUMMARY
[0013] The following summary is included in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects and features of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention and as such it is not intended to particularly identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.
[0014] Various embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and method for laser voltage imaging state mapping of a DUT.
[0015] An apparatus and method for laser probing of a DUT is disclosed. The system enables laser voltage imaging state mapping of devices within the DUT. A selected area of the DUT is illuminated while the DUT is receiving test signals causing certain active devices to switch. Light reflected from the DUT is collected and is converted into an electrical signal. Phase information is extracted from the electrical signal and a two-dimensional image is generated from the phase information, wherein the two-dimensional image spatially correlates to the selected area.
[0016] Other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent from the description of various embodiments described herein, and which come within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIGS. 1 is a general schematic depicting major components of a laser-based voltage probe system architecture according to the prior art.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the main component of a system according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating waveforms of signals at selected points A and B.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating waveforms of signals at selected points A and B and their interference with an added interference signal.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the invention wherein the ‘RF interference’ signal is added to the “conditioned” signal from the APD and is supplied to a spectrum analyzer. In this context, “conditioned” may mean amplified, shifted, converted from current to voltage and vice versa, etc.
[0022] FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of the present invention that is a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 5 .
[0023] FIG. 7 depicts another embodiment of the present invention wherein the ‘RF interference’ signal is added to the “conditioned” signal from the APD and is supplied to a spectrum analyzer.
[0024] FIG. 8 depicts yet another embodiment of the present invention wherein the ‘RF interference’ signal is added to the “conditioned” signal from the APD and is supplied to a spectrum analyzer.
[0025] The invention is described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, which are exemplified in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the various embodiments depicted in the drawings are only exemplary and may not limit the invention as defined in the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] Various embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and method for non-invasive, non-contact method for differentiating the relative polarity of active transistors within a selected area of the DUT, without prior knowledge of the design of the IC. These system and method are referred to herein as laser voltage imaging (LVI) state mapping of a DUT. The described methodologies augment the prior art system by providing phase information for various active devices within the DUT. The phase information can be provided in the form of a map of a scanned area of the DUT, wherein grayscale is used to indicate phase information of active devices, i.e., transistors, that are located within the scanned area. This enables testing and debug of IC's even when the circuit design is not available.
[0027] According to one embodiment of the invention, a lock-in amplifier is used to perform LVI state mapping of an area of interest within the DUT. This embodiment provides the ability to observe relative logic states of the various active transistors by extracting phase information from the reflected laser light. According to one embodiment, the lock-in amplifier is used to determine the phase of the reflected signal relative to a reference signal, which may be generated internally by the lock-in amplifier, or fed externally to the lock-in amplifier. According to one implementation, this is achieved by replacing the spectrum analyzer of a conventional LVI with a lock-in amplifier.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic of a system according to an embodiment of the invention for performing the phase detection and mapping. In FIG. 2 , a lock-in amplifier is used in placed of the spectrum analyzer, which is used in the prior art known system. A laser source 210 provides a laser beam (shown as solid arrow) which is fed into the input fiber optics 215 . An optical I/O module 214 shapes the beam and provide a conditioned beam to the LSM 230 , which scans the conditioned beam onto a selected area of the DUT 260 . In this particular example, the path form the LSM 230 to the DUT 260 includes a scanning lens, a reflecting mirror, a tube lens, a waveplate, and an objective lens. These elements are provided to properly scan the laser beam over the selected area of the DUT, but other elements can be used as needed for a particular design.
[0029] As the laser beam is scanned over the selected area of DUT 260 , a stimulus signal 240 is applied to the DUT 260 , such that active elements within the DUT 260 modulate, i.e., transistors within the DUT switch. The stimulus signal 240 can be generated by a function generator, an ATE, etc. As active devices switch, they change the absorption coefficient and the refractive index of the material making the device, e.g., silicon, such that the amplitude of the reflected laser beam (shown as broken arrow) is modulated correspondingly. The reflected beam is collected by the optical elements and directed onto the output fiber 232 , which directs the beam onto a sensor. In this particular example an avalanche photodiode APD 236 is used, but other photosensors can be used, such as, e.g., PIN sensor. The output signal of the APD is input to trans-impedance amplifier 237 and the output of the TIA is input into a signal separator, such as a bias-tee (diplexer) 250 , which outputs a DC component and an AC component. The DC component is amplified by the video amplifier 252 and is sent to the frame grabber 254 for generating an image of the scanned area of the DUT. The AC component (at RF frequency) is conditioned by RF amplifier 273 and is then sent to the lock-in amplifier 270 . The output of the lock-in amplifier 270 is also amplified by a video amplifier 256 and is used to generate a phase image of the scanned area. As will be described more fully below, the X/Y or R/Θ output of the lock-in amplifier is converted into a gray scale image of the scanned area, wherein the values of the gray scale represent the phase of active devices in the scanned area of the DUT.
[0030] The operation of an embodiment of the invention that utilizes a lock-in amplifier will now be described. The X and Y values of the lock-in amplifier are proportional to the amplitude and relative phase of the signal, i.e.,
[0000] XαV sig cos Θ
[0000] YαV sig sin Θ
[0000] Wherein V sig is the amplitude of the signal of interest (reflected laser beam), Θ is the phase difference between the signal of interest and a reference signal (e.g., a reference clock signal), i.e., Θ=Θ sig −Θ ref . For a pair of transistors modulated at opposite states or polarity, the X or Y output values would be at opposite polarities, regardless of the phase of the input reference frequency. For example, if transistor A is modulating at Θ 1 , then transistor B is modulating at Θ 2 =Θ 1 +/−180° (out of phase). Therefore, the X value for transistor A is proportional to cos Θ 1 , while the X value for transistor B is proportional to cos Θ 1 +/31 180°. That is:
[0000] X A αV sig cos Θ 1
[0000] X B αV sig cos(Θ 1 +/−180°)=− V sig cos Θ 1 =−X A
Similarly,
[0031] Y A αV sig sin Θ 1
[0000] Y B αV sig sin(Θ 1 +/−180°)=− V sig sin Θ 1 =−Y A
[0000] Therefore, the relative logic states can be extracted from the lock-in amplifier's X or Y output. It should be noted, however, that this scheme is not limited to in phase and out of phase detection. Rather, so long as the phase difference between the two transistors is larger than ninety degrees, the X and Y values of these two transistors will be of opposite polarity, albeit at different absolute amplitude. The X or Y output of the lock-in amplifier may be converted to gray-scale image, wherein the values of each pixel corresponds to the phase at that spatial location.
[0032] According to another embodiment, a combination of the lock-in amplifier's R and Θ values are used. According to this embodiment:
[0000] R=V sig =√( X 2 +Y 2 )
[0000] Θ=tan −1 ( Y/X )
[0000] Θ is the phase difference between the signal of interest and a reference signal. However, when the laser beam scans over an area of the IC where there are no transistors, there is no reflected RF electrical signal and the Θ value is random. Consequently, the Θ output voltage of the lock-in amplifier is random, which will be seen as noise. This can cause the Θ value coming from the transistors to be masked by the Θ “noise”. Therefore, according to one embodiment the R output is monitored to determine whether the Θ output voltage value should be used or not, i.e., whether is Θ value is random or not. A reflected RF electrical signal will result in a non-zero value for R, which in turn allows the Θ value to be used for that particular pixel in the scanned area of the IC. On the other hand, a non-existing reflected RF electrical signal will give an almost zero value to R, which in turn disallows the use of the Θ value for that particular pixel. In one example, a threshold is set for the amplitude of R value which allows/disallows the use of the Θ value.
[0033] According to the above embodiment, for a pair of transistors modulating at opposing states, the difference in the Θ value would be a constant 180 degrees (ΔΘ=Θ A −Θ B =180°) regardless of the phase of the input reference frequency. A lock-in amplifier would typically output an analog voltage of +/−V to correspond to the measured phase difference of +/−180°. Since the phase difference is 180°, the analog voltage amplitude difference would be V(ΔV=V A −V B =V). The relative polarity between the two transistors can be then extracted by setting a threshold value that is between V A and V B using various methods.
[0034] According to various other embodiments of the invention, the ability to observe relative logic states in the LVI is manifested by the introduction of ‘RF interference’ into the acquisition system, and supplying the resulting signal to a spectrum analyzer. The term acquisition system is meant to include any one or combination of the APD, the TIA, the Bias-Tee, the RF amplifier, and the spectrum analyzer, i.e., the ‘RF interference’ may be coupled into any of these or at any point in their connections. Herein, we refer to the frequency spectra of this ‘RF interference’ as ‘interference’ spectrum and it served a somewhat similar function to the reference signal in the embodiment of FIG. 2 . In the following embodiments the use of a swept-tuned, superheterodyne spectrum analyzer is illustrated, but similar results can be achieved using other means, such as real-time spectrum analyzer (also called FFT spectrum analyzer), vector signal analyzer, etc.
[0035] For effective results, the ‘RF interference’ should be at the same frequency and be synchronous with the internal signals under analysis. If it meets these requirements, this ‘RF interference’ will interfere either constructively or destructively with the detected modulation (converted from optical to electrical by the acquisition system) of the transistors carrying the internal signals under analysis. If the destructive interference brings the amplitude of the electrical signal below the amplitude of the electrical signal of ‘RF interference’ alone, the resulting spectra would have less energy than the ‘interference’ spectra. Phase shifting of the ‘RF interference’ signal may be done to ensure that the ‘RF interference’ signal is in-phase and out-of-phase with the signals of interest for optimal/maximum constructive and destructive interference.
[0036] To illustrate, reference is now made to FIG. 3 , showing waveforms of signals at selected points A and B. Assume for this example that point A and point B are the same instances of an inverter, connected in series. This means that the signals at point A and point B are out-of-phase or opposite logic states relative to each other. The modulation detected by the acquisition system is illustrated in FIG. 3 , although in reality the signal level would be very low, between sub-microvolts to hundreds of microvolts, and requires averaging to achieve desired SNR. In this illustration, the term ‘signal’ refers to the electrical signal of the detected optical modulation. To a conventional spectrum analyzer, since both waveforms have the same amplitude, the power of the spectra at the frequency of interest is the same—there is no differentiation between points A and B.
[0037] Using embodiments of the invention, if ‘RF interference’ electrical signal, at the same frequency and also in synchronous with the above modulated signal, is introduced to the acquisition system, the electrical signals of the detected modulation at points A and B will interfere with this introduced signal. Such situations are illustrated in FIG. 4 . If the ‘RF interference’ signal, shown as f int and having amplitude x a.u., interferes with the signal at point A (also having amplitude x a.u.), the resulting electrical signal would have added amplitude, i.e., 2 x a.u., as shown by waveform Σ f+A . On the other hand, if the interference signal, f int , interferes with the signal at point B, the resulting electrical signal would be a null, i.e., 0 a.u., as shown by waveform Σ f+B . Therefore, there will be three different amplitudes at the spectrum of interest that the spectrum analyzer will measure.
2x a. 0 at point A x a.u. where there is no activity (only RF interference signal is measured) 0 a.u at point B
Normalizing this into a grayscale level, one would see white pixels at point A, gray pixels at points with no activity (background level), and black pixels at point B, hence providing a relative logic state mapping between point A and B.
[0041] As noted above, the introduction of an interference signal can be done at different points of the acquisition system. The ‘RF interference’ signal may be collected by a variety of ways, e.g., through an electrical connector or picked up by an antenna as there will be some amount of ‘RF interference’ electromagnetic waves emitted from the test cell (stimulus, DUT, etc). The ‘RF interference’ signal may then be coupled into the acquisition by a variety of ways, e.g., using a summing amplifier/voltage adder or through intentional transmission of ‘RF interference’ electromagnetic waves or through a simple electrical T-connection.
[0042] Regardless of the collection and coupling of the ‘RF interference’, the collected ‘RF interference’ signal needs to be gain conditioned (in simple terms based on the illustrations above). A programmable RF amplifier is required to either boost or attenuate the amplitude of the collected ‘RF interference’ signal, depending on how the signal was collected. The ‘RF interference’ signal may be also phase-conditioned to allow for maximum interference. One might require phase shifting the ‘RF interference’ signal if the gain-conditioning cannot achieve sufficient constructive or destructive interference due to the ‘RF interference’ signal having a slight phase-shift relative to a particular signal under analysis.
[0043] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the ‘RF interference’ signal is collected through cables (electrical signal) or antenna (RF electromagnetic waves). The RF interference may be collected from the DUT, the tester (e.g. ATE), a tester board, a DUT board, or cables that interface these components. The ‘RF interference’ signal is conditioned (gain/attenuate and phase shift) before being added with a summing amplifier or voltage adder after the RF amplifier. The illumination and beam reflection collection parts of the embodiment of FIG. 5 are similar to that of FIG. 2 and would therefore, not be described here again. What follows is a description of the elements that are different from the embodiment of FIG. 2 . Most notable, the lock-in amplifier of FIG. 2 if replaced by a spectrum analyzer 572 in FIG. 5 . However, in order to enable the spectrum analyzer to detect and generate a signal indicative of phase, the following elements are added. Namely, an interference signal is collected from an antenna 580 or a cable 582 (note that while both antenna and cable are shown in this embodiment, this is for illustration only and one may include only one or the other or both). The interference signal is conditioned, i.e., amplified or attenuated, by the signal conditioner 571 and is then phase shifted by phase shifter 570 . The conditioned interference signal is then input to a summing amplifier or voltage adder 574 , to be added to the conditioned signal of the APD. The output is then provided to the spectrum analyzer 572 . The output of the spectrum analyzer is provided to a video amplifier, which provides its signal to a data acquisition module. In this example, a frame grabber is used to generate a gray scale image mapping indicative of the phase of the active elements within the scanned area of the DUT. Of course, any other data acquisition card or module can be used.
[0044] FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of the present invention that is a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 5 . Notably, in FIG. 6 the addition of the ‘RF interference’ signal is done before the RF amplifier 273 . That is, the conditioned interference signal is added to the RF signal from the bias-tee 250 by the summing amplifier or voltage adder 674 . The output of the adder 674 is then amplified by RF amplifier 273 and is then input to the spectrum analyzer.
[0045] FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment of the present invention that is a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 5 . Notably, in FIG. 7 the addition of the ‘RF interference’ signal is done by radiating the interference signal onto the electrical path of the APD signal. That is, the conditioned interference signal is applied by the RF gain/attenuator 570 and/or phase shifter 571 to an antenna 700 . The antenna 700 is placed such that its radiation would be directed to the electrical path of the signal from the APD and be detected by and interfere with the signal of the TIA 237 , Bias Tee 250 and/or amplifier 273 . In this manner, the interference signal is added onto the signal that is input to the spectrum analyzer 572 .
[0046] FIG. 8 depicts yet another embodiment of the present invention that is a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 5 . Notably, in FIG. 8 the addition of the ‘RF interference’ signal is done by coupling the interference signal onto the conditioned APD signal using a T-connection coupler. That is, the conditioned interference signal is applied to T-connection 874 which also receives the conditioned signal from amplifier 273 . In this manner, the interference signal is added onto the signal that is input to the spectrum analyzer 572 .
[0047] While the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it is not limited to those embodiments. Specifically, various variations and modifications may be implemented by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the invention's spirit and scope, as defined by the appended claims. Additionally, all of the above-cited prior art references are incorporated herein by reference.
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An apparatus and method for laser probing of a DUT is disclosed. The system enables laser voltage imaging state mapping of devices within the DUT. A selected area of the DUT is illuminating a while the DUT is receiving test signals causing certain of the active devices to modulate. Light reflected from the DUT is collected and is converted into an electrical signal. Phase information is extracting from the electrical signal and a two-dimensional image is generated from the phase information, wherein the two-dimensional image spatially correlates to the selected area.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an automobile door locking/unlocking, ignition switching-engine starting, and burglar alarm system, which does not require a mechanical key. This system is intended to free a person from the nuisances of (1) carrying an automobile key always, (2) locking himself outside the automobile with the key inside, and (3) sometimes finding his automobile stolen.
For the driver, the system provides convenience and safety of a centralized operation of locking and unlocking doors and trunk while the automobile is parked or being driven.
The system consists of code sensing circuit, locking/unlocking control logic, solenoid/ignition switching circuit and illogical status detecting alarm circuit. The code sensing circuit recognizes the driver's own password by means of either push-button or optically-coded card; and the locking/unlocking control logic generates, memorizes locking or unlocking signals. The solenoid/ignition switching circuit actually controls the automobile systems; and the illogical status detecting alarm circuit generates burglar warning signals.
The usual automobile uses a mechanical key to lock and unlock doors and to turn on and off the electric power to accessory apparatus, ignition coils and starting motor. Therefore, the driver must always carry the key with him or her. In modern busy life, carrying a key is sometimes troublesome for people. Everyone will be delighted if he can be free from carrying a key, so that he is forever free from the agony of losing the key.
Furthermore, one can't easily avoid the difficult situation of locking doors with the key left inside of the automobile. Also the mechanical key is vulnerable to burglars who can open doors by similar keys. Most automobile losses are because of this reason; and this is not only a property loss for individuals involved, but also results in crime increase which is now becoming a serious social problem.
The main object of this invention is to do away with this key. When this invention is employed, instead of a key, a push button pad or driver's license or some other card with a barcode or optical code on the back side of it is used.
When the driver, from the outside of an auto, pushes a certai combination of numbers on the push button pad or passes an opticalcode card through a sensor, the digital circuitry identifies this code and compares it to the preset code in the instrument. When the two codes match with each other, the unlocking pulse is generated which drives the switching transistor and in turn, energizes front door solenoids toward door unlocking position. At the same time, the unlocking pulse is stored in the latch (memory) circuit for an unlocking status and it enables the car battery voltage to be applied to automobile electric systems including the ignition coil and starting motor by the use of power switch.
When the locking button (one to four buttons could be pressed simultaneously to lock all doors) is pressed, the locking pulse drives a switching transistor and energizes all door solenoids toward door locking position. Thereafter, the latch circuit is memorized as locking status; and in this status, no battery power is applied either to the electric system or ignition and starting motor. Nobody can then open a door and get in the automobile.
Even if one gets in the auto in some irregular way, he is unable to turn on the power switch unless he knows the code. Thus, it is impossible for him or her to drive the car, since the locking status of the latch circuit cuts off the battery power line.
There are also an internal door lock/unlock switch and a trunk open switch on the front panel of the auto; and these switches can be conveniently used for locking and unlocking of all doors as well as opening trunk from the front seats. Although these features are not new for many existing expensive cars, it is an advantage of this system to enable these two functions simultaneously.
Either a rotary switch or a push button could be used for the main power switch which replaces the regular key-operated ignition switch. In case of rotary switch option, there are five switching positions, LOCK-OFF-ACCESSORY ON-RUN-START. If one rotates the power rotary switch to "lock" position, the system will be reset to lock status which disables battery power switching without locking doors. On the other hand, in case of push button option, there are two buttons and a switch. One button is the power button which provides the battery power switching status: OFF→ACCESSORY ON→RUN→ACCESSORY ON→OFF (repeated in the same order) as the button is pushed repeatedly. There is separate "start" switch, which turns the starting motor on and off when the POWER button is in the RUN status. The "lock" button shuts off the power switching without locking doors.
By the functions described up to now, this system could protect against almost all automobile thefts. However, if the thief is a very electrically-intellectual person who knows automobile electrical systems well, he will disconnect this system wiring and connect a wire from the auto battery terminal directly to the ignition circuit, and also jumpers to the starting motor to fire the engine. This rare possibility could also be prohibited by the burglar alarm circuit, which turns electric horns on and off if any power voltage is applied to the ignition coil during the locking status of the latch circuit.
The pass number (cipher combination) reading device can be either a four push button set, or a magnetic code or optical code reader, installed in left and right front doors. When a magnetic or bar code reader is used, a magnetic tape or optical code label which is coded to a specific pass number should be attached to the back side of a drivers license, or of other card like commercial credit card. This will also prevent drivers from travelling without a driver's license. When using four hexadecimal digits, as in the example schematic diagram, the system has 65535 (16×16×16×16-1) combinations for coding.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the invention are accomplished in a locking and power system for a vehicle which includes a door locking circuit and an ignition circuit. A latch circuit couples the ignition circuit to the vehicle battery power; and this latch circuit has alternative "unlock" and "lock" modes or conditions for, respectively, connecting the ignition circuit to battery power, and disconnecting that circuit from battery power. A code sensing circuit is prcvided for producing a locking signal and unlocking signal; and the code sensing circuit is coupled to the latch circuit to enable the shifting of the latch circuit between the "lock" and "unlock" modes.
More particularly the code sensing circuit includes code inputting means mounted on the exterior of the vehicle which night be a push button pad, a barcode reader for accommodating a card bearing a barcode, an optical reader for reading an optical binary-coded card including means for accommodating the card, or a magnetic reader including means for accommodating a magnetic coded card.
Still more particularly the system may include an alarm circuit including the vehicle warning horn, which alarm circuit has means for energizing the warning horns when the vehicle mctor ignition coil is connected to battery power by external means during the lock mode.
The novel features and the advantages of the invention, as well as additional objects thereof, will be understood more fully from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile illustrating diagrammatically some components of a system according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a detail view of a dashboard control panel, employing push button switches for ignition switching;
FIG. 3 is a detail view of a dashboard control panel, employing a rotary switch for ignition switching;
FIG. 4 is a detail view of external access apparatus employing push buttons;
FIG. 5 is a detail view of external access apparatus employing an optical code reader;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary detail view of a solenoid operated door lock mechanism;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system according to the invention employing push-button access apparatus;
FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram of a system according to the invention utilizing a push-button ignition switching system;
FIG. 9 is a schematic circuit diagram of a system according to the invention utilizing a rotary switch for the ignition switching system;
FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of an optical barcode card reader;
FIG. 11 is a schematic circuit diagram of an optical binary coded card reader;
FIG. 12 is a view of an optical binary-coded card which may be used with the system of FIG. 11; and
FIG. 13 is a chart illustrating the coding system for use with an optical binary-coded card as illustrated in FIG. 12.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now in more detail to the drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates the automobile equipped with the keyless automobile control system, which consists of the main unit 1, a dashboard control unit 2, the keyless access apparatus 3 and the solenoid lock assembly 4.
Main unit 1, embracing all electronic circuits, is mounted within the automobile body, and is wired from DC voltage lines of the auto battery and control cables to control unit 2, keyless access apparatus 3 and solenoids 4. Control unit 2 consists of several switches, buttons, and LED indicators, operated by the driver. FIGS. 2 and 3 show two optional forms form of control unit which are to be described later. Access apparatus 3 is a externally accessible part to lock or unlock doors instead of a regular key. This apparatus could be push-button pads, optical code readers or magnetic code readers; and is mounted near the handles of the front doors. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate the constructions of push-button type access apparatus and optical code reader type access apparatus respectively. Solenoid drive assembly 4 is a mechanism which actually drives door locking/unlocking lever, is mounted on four doors and a trunk door; and a detailed illustration appears in FIG. 6.
FIG. 2 shows a push-button power switch type control unit 2. Power button 5 is replacing the conventional key ignition switch, and switches to the following states successively when it is pushed repeatedly: OFF-ACCESSORY ON - IGNITION ON (RUN)-ACCESSORY ON - OFF. LED indicators 6 and 7 indicate the present status of power button 5; that is, no light on means OFF state, accessory power indicator 6 light on means ACCESSORY ON state, and accessory power indicator 6 plus ignition power indicator 7 both light on means RUN state. In RUN state, pushing the START button 9 starts the engine. The three position see-saw switches 10 and 11 are used to lock or unlock all doors and the trunk door respectively.
FIG. 3 shows a rotary power switch type control unit 2. Power switch 12 is just like the regular ignition switch except not key-operated. Main unit 1, in FIG. 1, turns the main battery power on and consequently energizes power switch 12 for normal operation when access apparatus 3 in FIG. 1 is correctly coded. Internal doors lock/unlock switch 10 and internal trunk lock/unlock switch 11 are the same as in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a push-button type keyless access apparatus using four push-buttons 15, 16, 17 and 18 which are for the units of thousands, hundreds, tens and ones, respectively. Push buttons are mounted near the handle 14 of the two front doors 13 for convenience. These push-buttons are to be pushed a preset number of times to unlock the doors and activate the automobile electrical systems; while two or three of the buttons are to be pushed simultaneously for locking all doors and deactivating the automobile electrical systems.
FIG. 5 is an optical code reader type keyless access apparatus The optical code reader assembly, consisting of scanning start switch 21, reflective object sensor 22, locking switch 23 and card guide rail 20, is mounted near handle 14 of a front door 13. A driver's license or a special card 19, with specific optical code label attached on the back side should be passed over the reflective object sensor 22 to unlock the doors, and activate the electrical system. On the other hand, the locking switch 23 should be pushed to lock the doors and shut off the electric system.
FIG. 6 shows an internal structure of solenoid drive mechanism inside each door. Lock button 24, gyration lever 25 and moving rod 26, 27 are components of a conventional door locking/unlocking mechanism. Coupling 28 and solenoid 29 are additionally mounted on door frame 30 to retro-modify for the keyless automobile control system.
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of push button type keyless automobile control system. Detailed explanation follows. A is the external access apparatus which includes four push-buttons, which are to be pushed down in a secret code sequence pattern. Let's say the password is 1-2-3-4, then the first button will be pushed down one time, the second button two times, the third button three times and fourth button four times. Pulse generation circuit B shapes constant width digital pulses of which the number is the same as the number of button push-downs, which pulses pass to BCD counter C where the four pulse trains are transformed to four 4 bit BCD codes. The 4 bit BCD codes are directly connected to 4 to 16 BCD-to Hexadecial decoder D; and one of the 16 decoder output terminals are jumped through jumper cables E to one of four AND gates F input terminals as a preselected password. When the four number password of button push-downs from A is consistent with the preselected password, a high logic unlocking signal will be transmitted from AND gate F.
The unlocking pulse signal is shaped in constant width form in pulse shaper H and fed to unlocking switching circuit K to unlock the two front doors by activating front-right (FR) and front-left (FL) solenoids M into the unlocking state. Diode U protects the two rear solenoids M (RR and RL) from unlocking automatically because it is not usually necessary.
On the other hand, if two or three specially designated buttons (out of 4 push buttons A) are pushed down simultaneously, this special combination is detected in locking combination detector G, and is regarded as a locking pulse signal which is shaped in constant width form in pulse shaper H. This locking pulse drives the locking switching circuit L, and locks-up all four doors by energizing all four solenoids M into the locking state.
Reset circuit J detects the first pulse from the BCD counter C output terminal, and after a delay time approximately 10 to 15 seconds resets all BCD counters to zero setting, to accept the next push-button operation.
As illustrated in the block diagram, the unlocking and lock pulses also sets and resets the latch circuit Q, respectively, which means either the latest locking or unlocking status will be memorized; and latch circuit Q controls battery power switching circuit R. In unlocking status, automobile battery voltage could be supplied from auto battery X to any auto electrical systems Z including accessories, lights, ignition coil, starting motor, etc. by the button switch 5 in FIG. 2, or rotary switch 12 in FIG. 3. On the other hand in the locking status of latch circuit Q, battery power switching circuit R shuts off the battery power voltage to auto electrical system Z, thus normal driving is impossible unless entering into the auto by pushing correct password.
In the locking status, the output level of latch circuit Q is logically "low"; and of course there should be no voltage on ignition coil. However, supposing an auto thief attempted to connect auto battery voltage to ignition coil so as to drive the auto away, the differential input NAND logic gate V would send a gating pulse to undulating alarm generator W, which would turn auto electric horns Y on and off continuously. This is an alert signal to inhibit even the intelligent auto thieves. Voltage regulator P drops the car battery voltage to 5 volts for all of the system circuitry.
Additionally, an internal door lock-unlock switch S (10 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) is provided for the driver's convenient door locking and unlocking from the front seat, regardless of auto electrical system power switching circuit R and latch circuit Q interruptions. Trunk door lock-unlock switch T in FIG. 7, (11 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) is also provided for convenience, and is completely independent of latch circuit interruptions.
Now referring to FIG. 8 overall schematic diagram, SL1 through SL4 and SR1 through SR4 are the two sets of four push-button switches, located on the left-front and on the right-front automobile doors respectively. The two push-button sets are parallelized - either one can be accessed at any time - and ground the cathodes of light emitting diodes of photo coupIer PC1 through PC4, which cause the collector and emitter of photo transistors to short out and supply +5Vto the junctions of R1-C1, R2-C2, R3-C3 and R4-C4. C1-R5, C2-R6, C3-R7 and C4-R8 act as a differential circuit, converting the emitter voltages to constact width pulses which are to be counted in binary counters Z1 through Z4 through the input count terminals. As the push-buttons are keyed several times, the appropriate binary codes appear at the output terminals Q0, Q1, Q2 and Q3 and are directly entered into respective 4-to-16 binary decoders Z5 through Z8, through input terminals A,B, C, D. The 16 output terminals of the 4-to-16 binary decoders are normally logic "low", except the selected numbered terminal which is logic "high". A password consisting of four hexadecimal (or only decimal code may be used) digits are preset by connecting jumper wires W1 through W4 to the proper terminals 0, 1 . . . 15 of decoders Z5 through Z8. When the preselected password coincides with the number combination keyed by the push-button sets SL1 through SL4 or SR1 through SR4, four inputs of AND gate Z9 will be "high", and an unlocking pulse signal will appear at the output of AND gate Z9.
On the other hand, if the three buttons SL2, SL3, SL4 or SR2, SR3, SR4 are pushed down simultaneously, this causes the three input terminals of AND gate Z10 to be "high"; and therefore a locking pulse signal appears at the output of gate Z10.
The constant width pulse shaper circuit comprised of an OR gate Z12, three NAND gates Z13, Z14 and Z15, and integrating circuit R10-C5 transforms unregulated locking or unlocking pulse width to a constant pulse at the output terminal of NAND gate Z15. Either locking or unlocking pulse which has comparatively long width drives "high" inputs to NAND gate Z13 and one input of NAND gate Z14. The output terminal Z13 is normally "high" so that capacitor C5 is fully charged through resistor R10 to "high". When a locking or unlocking pulse is generated, the same pulse is applied to one input terminal of Z14 and to the other is applied the decaying pulse at the rate of time constant R10×C5 because the voltage of capacitor C5 is discharged to the "low" output terminal of Z13, through resistor R10. Thus, a constant reduced width negative pulse is coupled from Z14 output to Z15 input, which is inverted by NAND gate Z15 and goes to one input terminal each of AND gates Z16 and Z17. Gates Z16 and Z17 separate locking or unlocking operation by ANDing constant width pulse output of Z15 and original locking or unlocking pulse from Z10 or Z9 respectively.
Now the locking pulse is applied through resistor R11 to darlington transistor Q1 and triggers the switching transistor Q3. Thus, front door solenoids Mfl (left door solenoid) and Mfr (right door solenoid) and rear door solenoids (Mrl (left door solenoid) and Mrr (right door solenoid) lock all doors because +12 v. battery current flows from the center taps of solenoids through the upper half (door locking) windings to collector and emitter of Q3 and finally to the ground.
In the same way, the unlocking pulse is applied through resistor R12 to the base of darlington transistor Q2 and triggers switching transistor Q4 which unlocks front door solenoids Mfl and Mfr by enabling the +12 v. battery current to flow through lower half windings of Mfl and Mfr from the center tap to the collector-emitter of transistor Q4. Diode CR6 blocks this current from flowing to rear door solenoids Mrl and Mrr, because it is usually necessary to open front doors only. However, all of the front and rear doors may be locked or unlocked by means of the internal door lock/unlock switch SWl. Diodes CR7 and CR8 are provided to protect switching transistors Q3 and Q4 from being destroyed by the reverse induction voltage of solenoids.
Over-voltage protection diode CRl suppresses transient high voltages from the automobile electrical system. Solenoid Mt effects trunk locking and unlocking; and internal trunk lock/unlock switch SW2 activates truck solenoid Mt.
The unlocking and locking signal from gates Z9 and Z10 are also applied to type D flip-flop Z22, which is set directly or is reset through OR gate Z21. With inputs D and C grounded, flip-flop Z22 acts as a latch memorizing the latest status, locking or unlocking. In unlocking status, output Q of Z22 is "high"; and in locking status output Q is "high".
The circuitry consisting of three type D flip flops Z27, Z28, Z29, AND gate Z26, and OR gate Z30 functions as a simulated auto ignition power step switching circuit. Power button SW4 switches +5 V. to inputs of the latch circuit consisting of NOR gates Z24 an Z25 and resistors R29 and R30, and supplies chattering-free clock pulses to input terminals C of the three flip-flops Z27 through Z29. Output terminal Q of Z27 turns the automobile accessory equipment on and off; and output Q of Z28 controls the power switching of automobile ignition voltage. Considering unlocking status first, flip-flop Z22 is set and "high" logic level appears on output Q of Z22 and at one input of AND gate Z26. The other input terminal of gate Z26 is also "high", because initially there was no "high" input on terminal D of flip-flop Z29 which mean output Q of Z29 is "high". Therefore, in unlocking status, input terminal D of flip-flop Z27 stays always "high" logic which is shifted to output terminals Q of Z27, Z28 and Z29 as clock signal is entered to the inputs C of Z27, Z28 and Z29 by pushing SW4. At the first stroke of SW4, output Q of Z27 beccmes "high" which causes the accessory power-on, and at the second stroke of SW4, output Q of Z28 also becomes "high" causing ignition power-on with accessory power still on. If the third clock pulse is generated by SW4 stroke, output terminal Q of Z29 becomes "high" and Q of Z29 becomes "low". Consequently, the ignition power becomes off, because the "high" signal of Z29 terminal Q enters the OR input of Z30 and resets Z28, that is the same as in the first stroke status. And if we have fourth SW4 stroke, two output terminals Q of Z27 and Z28 become "low" together because the "low" Z29 Q terminal has made the output of Z26 and input D of Z27 "low" state in the prior stroke, and this "low" was shifted at the fourth stroke. Also the inverted output Q of Z27 simultaneously becomes "high" and drives OR gate Z30, which consequently resets Z28 Q output to "low". Therefore, the fourth stroke status switches accessory and ignition to power-off; and this is the same as of the original status. From the fifth stroke, it repeats the same conditions continuously. Thus, pushing power button SW4 results in OFF→ACCESSORY ON→IGNITION ON (RUN)→ACCESSORY ON→OFF→(Repeats), which is a simulated auto ignition power switch step operation.
Closing start switch SW6 energizes the starting motor in the IGNITION ON (RUN) status, and pushing lock button SW5 shuts off all power to the electrical system, by resetting flip-flop Z22 through the second input of OR gate Z21. In locking status, the "high" logic level of output terminal Q of flip-flop Z22 appears at reset terminal R of flip-flop Z27 to reset flip flop Z27; and once again the "high" output Q of Z27 is coupled to OR gate Z30 and resets Z28 too, thus shutting off all power to the accessory and ignition system of the automobile. The circuit consisting of NAND gate Z20, resistors R16 through R18, capacitor C8 and diode CR3 is a power-on-reset circuit which assures locking status whenever system power is connected or disconnected. A reset pulse will be generated on the output of gate Z20 because one input is immediate voltage; and the other input of gate Z20 is a delayed (slowly growing) input voltage, owing to the charging time of C8 when system power is just applied.
The accessory power switching signal from the output Q of flip-flop Z27 is coupled through current limiting resistor R31 to darlington switching transistor Q10 which controls relay RL2. The dc battery voltage from terminal 1 of terminal board TB2 is connected through the contacts of relay RL2 to the accessory power terminal 2 of board TB2 which is connected to electrical systems such as radio, lights, etc. Indicator lamp DL1 will light when accessory power is turned on. In the very similar way, ignition power switching is performed by resistor R32, darlington transistor Q11, relay RL3 and its contacts. Lamp DL2 is an ignition power-on indicator; and diodes CR10 and CR11 are relay reverse voltage absorbers. Resistors R33 and R34 are current limiting resistors to LED lamps DL1 and DL2 respectively.
The circuit comprising of monostable multivibrators Z18 and Z19, resistors R14 and R15 and capacitors C6 and C7 is a timer to reset counters Z1 through Z4 and binary decoders Z5 through Z8 after a certain amount of time (e.g. 10 to 15 seconds) following the first stroke of push buttons SL1 through SL4 or SR1 through SR4. Pushing any button will result in a "low" to "high" change in the four Qo outputs of the binary counters Z1 through Z4; and this logic change will be detected at the "high" output of OR gate Z11, which triggers input A of monostable multivibrator Z18. Output Q pulse of Z18 is delayed for a time determined by time constant of R14 and C6, and is applied to the inverted input terminal B of monostable multivibrator Z19; and the final reset pulse provided at the output terminal Q of multivibrator Z19 is transmitted to reset terminals R of counters Z1 through Z4 and inhibit terminals INH or decoders Z5 through Z8. The reset pulse width is determined by the time constant of R15 and C7.
The circuit consisting of transistor Q5, resistor R19 and R20, capacitor C9 and zener diode CR2 is popular series voltage regulator which drops the +12 V from battery to +5 V for the system's operating voltage.
Finally, the circuitry enclosed within the broken line is an burgler alarm unit which may be mounted in the automobile separately from the main unit. When a locking pulse applied to input of gate Z21, flip-flop Z22 is reset and the "high" Q output is applied to the input of NAND gate Z23. The "low" output of gate Z23 is applied through circuit protection resistors R21 and R22 to the base of transistor Q6 and shorts the collector-emitter junction of alarm circuit voltage switching transistor Q7. In the locking status, there should be no voltage at the ignition coil hot terminal 8 and therefore the alarm circuit cannot function. However, if any auto thief attempts to start the auto by connecting an external battery wire to the ignition coil during the locking status, ignition coil voltage will be supplied through transistor Q7 to resistors R24, R25 and R26. Junction FET Q8, resistors R24, R25 and R33, and capacitor C10 forms a J FET oscillator circuit of which the frequency is dependent cn the charging and discharging rate of capacitor C10. The silicon-controlled-rectifier trigger waveform is produced across resistor R33, and it gates CR4 directly and CR5 through capacitor C12 and resistor R27. Automobile electric horns are connected between the battery +12 V terminal and terminal 9 (which is also connected to the manual horn switch). Accordingly these horns will sound an alarm signal as CR5 fires regardless of manual horn switch operation. As soon as CR4 has fired, capacitor C11 is being charged gradually with the CR5 side at positive polarity. Then, CR5 is fired and capacitor C11 is discharged through CR5 and becomes charged with the CR4 side at positive polarity. In this way, CR4 and CR5 fire alternately and as a result, the horns sound intermittently.
FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of another configuration using a power rotary switch SW3, instead of the power button SW4 and its associated circuitry shown in FIG. 8. The "high" unlocking output from Q terminal of flip-flop Z22 is fed through resistor R28 to darlington switching transistor Q9, which activates relay RL1. The contacts of relay RL1 connect the battery to the center pole of power rotary switch SW3. Power rotary switch SW3 is a popular electronic selector switch which has LOCK - CFF - ACCESSORY-RUN-START steps; and the START step is spring loaded. In the unlocking mode, the power rotary switch performs the same functions as a conventional key-operated ignition switch, while in locking mode it does not do anything. Once the power rotary switch is set to LOCK position, +12 V battery voltage is dropped to +5 V by resistor R34 and R35, and this voltage is fed to one input of OR gate Z21, which resets the circuit to locking status. The rest of the functions of the circuit of FIG. 9 are the same as those of FIG. 8, described in detail above.
FIG. 10 shows the automobile accessing circuitry using an optical barcode reader system instead of push buttons. FIG. 10 should be considered in conjunction with FIG. 8 or FIG. 9. Switch 21, 22 and 23 are, respectively: (1) a car scanning start button switch; (2) an LED and associated photo transistor of a barcode reader head assembly; and (3) a lock button switch. These same switches are illustrated in FIG. 5. Component 31 is a tier IC, which produces a delayed time pulse after pushing start switch button 21. The pulse is buffered by 32 and gates transistor 35 and inverter 43. During the pulse duration, transistor 35 conducts and turns on the LED in barcode reader 22 through resistor 36. Also the inverter 43 activates and begins to transmit read data to barcode decoder 44, which decodes the barcode to binary signals and send it to the inputs of decoders Z5, Z6, Z7 and Z8, illustrated in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, during the pulse period. With the barcode reader LED light on it shines on the barcode label, the card with the barcode label 19 will be passed in front of the barcode reader 22 and photo transistor in the barcode reader 22 will read black or white codes which will then be converted to electric signal by operation amplifier 41. The reflected light from the label has different intensities depending whether the reflection is from black or white code. The sensed signal is about 1.2 V for black and about 0.2 V for white at positive input terminal of operational amplifier 41. There is a reference voltage, divided by resistors 38 and 39, which is adjusted that the positive input voltage goes above the negative input voltage of amplifier 41 when the reader is over black. This causes the output terminal of amplifier 41 to go "high" (plus 5 V). For the white code, the positive terminal voltage will be below the negative terminal voltage, and the output terminal of amplifier 41 will be "low" (zero volt). The sensed signal is now buffered and switched by inverter 43 and fed to commercially available barcode decoding circuit 44. The resistor 37 provides proper detector current and the capacitor 40 filters small noises. Resistors 46 and 47 and capacitor 48 determine the delay time of the timer intergrated circuit 31. The lock switch 23 supplies +5 V to the output terminal of AND gate Z10 (in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9) which will produce a locking pulse.
Similarly, a magnetic code reader system can also be used as an access apparatus instead of barcode reader circuit. In this case, a recorded magnetic tape should be attached to the card or license.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of another access system for a keyless control system, using an optical binary coded card as a keyless access apparatus; and is to be considered in conjunction with FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. ROS 1 through ROS 5 are reflective object sensors which consist of an infrared emitting diode and a NPN phototransistor mounted side-by-side on converging optical axes in a black plastic housing. The phototransistor responds to radiation from the LED only when a reflective object, which is white part of card, passes within its field of view.
When a card (illustrated in FIG. 12) is passed by, first, the reflective object sensor ROSl reads the first appearing initialization code and four gating codes which are indicated as white rectangles in row 1 of the card. By the initialization code, ROS1 generates logic "high" signal across the resistor R37, which is then buffered by Z30 and triggers timer IC Z18 which is one-shot monostable multivibrator. Z18 outputs at the terminal Q a positive going time-delayed pulse, whose period is determined by a capacitor C16 and resistor R14; and this pulse enables all 16 of D type flip-flops Z36 through Z51.
The negative time-delayed pulse from terminal Q of Z18 turns off transistor Q12 which supplies +5 V to the base of transistor Q13. Therefore, transistor Q13 conducts and supplies the +5 V voltage to the LEDs of ROS 2 through ROS5, which are normally turned off to save current consumption. Next, when reflective object sensors are aligned with the axis of column 1 of the card, ROS2 through ROS5 read the least significant bits of 4 bits codes. The white areas will represent "high" logic level across the resistors R1 through R4, while the black areas represent "low" logic level. This representation is now inverted by inverters Z31 through Z34, and applied to the input terminals D of first type D flip flops Z36, Z37, Z38 and Z39, respectively.
In the middle of each coding column, ROS1 reads a gating pulse represented as a white rectangle in row 1 in FIG. 12, and sends this gating pulse through buffer Z30 to the clock input terminal (CK) of all 16 of flip-flops Z36 through Z51. These flip-flops will then shift their input data to their related output terminals.
The same processes are to be continued for columns 2, 3 and 4 which present the most significant bits as the card passes in the direction of arrow appearing in the card. Consequently, the code of each row of the card is expressed in binary form at the inputs of the 4 to 16 binary decoders Z5, Z6, Z7 and Z8.
As already described in FIG. 8, the jumper wires W1 through W4 are connected onto the appropriate terminals of preset code (n the drawing the preset code is 1-2-3-4). All four inputs of AND gate Z9 become "high" only when the card codings completely agree with the preset code; and the gate Z9 outputs an unlocking signal to input terminals of gates Z12 and Z17 and of flip-flop Z22 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9.
The locking signal, on the other hand, is generated by pushing button switch SW6 which drops the charge voltage of capacitor C13. With the "low" input of inverter Z35, the output goes up to "high", the locking signal which is applied to the junction of inputs of gates Z12, Z16, flip-flop Z21 flip-flop in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. The rest of the circuit function is completely the same as in the description of FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. The ROS1 should always be illuminated to detect the card passing at any time, however it can be replaced by a scanning start switch SW7 which is switch 21 of FIG. 5 for the purpose of reducing idle current consumption.
FIG. 12 illustrates the shape of "cross-puzzle type" optical binary-coded card; and FIG. 13 illustrates its binary coding chart which is replacing the barcode system. The file rows of the card of FIG. 12 (row 1 through row 5) are passed in front of the five reflective object sensors; and the codings are read by four sensors on row 2, row 3, row 4 and row 5. Row 1 is used for initialization of the electronic circuits as explained before. The shaded areas in row 2, row 3, row 4 and row 5 are to be black-inked by user to have the user's specific code according to the coding chart. The coding form can either be a sticky label to be put on the rear of driver's license or a PVC cover containing the driver's license or, alternatively, may be a special card like the commercial credit card for example.
The advantages of this invention are to free drivers from carrying keys, to make it more convenient and safe to lock and unlock one's automobile and to make it almost impossible for burglars to steal automobiles. The functions and effects of the invention are as follows:
A. No key to lock or drive the automobile.
1. Releases a person from the inconvenience of carrying a key.
2. Removes the possibility of locking the door with the key inside.
3. Removes the possibility of losing the key.
B. Stealing an automobile is almost impossible.
1. Prevents burglars from stealing auto by using a similar key or a sharp object to subdue lock mechanism.
2. Prevents burglars from driving the auto even when he succeeds in getting in.
3. Sounds an alarm when burglars try to jump battery to starting motor.
4. Preset combination can be changed as needed.
C. Convenience and safety.
1. Centralized locking and unlocking operation of all doors.
2. Prevents children from accidentally opening a door.
3. The trunk can also be opened from the front seat.
4. One step locking of all doors and system electrically when leaving the auto.
5. Both key and electronic code could be used in combination.
The system also can provide use in the combination of both the key and electronic code function.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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The system is an electric control circuit and associated components including a door locking circuit and an ignition circuit. The ignition circuit is connected to the vehicle battery power through a latch circuit. The latch circuit has alternative "lock" and "unlock" modes for, respectively, connecting battery power to and disconnecting battery power from the ignition circuit. A code sensing circuit provides switching for the latch circuit. This circuit includes means for programming a preselected unlocking code. The code sensing circuit includes code inputting means which might be a push button pad, a barcode reader, an optical binary-code reader, or a magnetic reader; the inputting means being mounted on an entry door of the vehicle. The code sensing circuit includes comparator means for comparing the inputted code to the preprogrammed code for the sending of an unlocking signal to the latch circuit. The control circuit includes an alarm circuit, effective in the "lock" mode of the latch circuit to effect the sounding of the vehicle warning horns when battery power is connected to the motor ignition coil by external means. The ignition circuit includes manual switches for engine starting and stopping and for power to accessories. The locking circuit includes interior switches for selectively locking and unlocking entry doors and the trunk lid.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices for forming fiber webs and in particular to a wet portion of a paper machine.
Description of Related Technology
A wet portion of a paper machine having a wire section and a pressing section and a plurality of roll presses in the pressing section is known from the art. Typically, each roll press includes two rolls that define a press nip. Such a pressing section that also includes a water impervious belt disposed in a continuous loop about at least two consecutive rolls of the pressing section is known from Wicks, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,745. The water impervious belt has a smooth, closed surface. Specifically, according to FIG. 1 of the Wicks et al. patent, two two-roll presses are provided in a pressing section. One roll of the first roll press is disposed within a first felt loop and a roll of the second roll press is disposed within a second felt loop. The two other rolls of each of the two-roll presses are disposed within the water impervious belt.
It would be advantageous for such a pressing section to meet the following requirements: The paper web produced on such a pressing section should reach as high a dry content as possible. There should be only minor differences in the properties of the paper web on its two sides. Furthermore, the cost of manufacturing and the wear of press felts and the water impervious belt disposed in the pressing section should be as low as possible. Finally, the paper web should have at most, only slight press felt markings after leaving the wet portion of the machine. The pressing sections known in the art at best only partially fulfill these requirements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to overcome one or more of the problems described above. It is also an object of the invention to provide wire and pressing sections of a paper machine that produce optimal paper dewatering. It is also an object of the invention to provide a wet portion of a paper machine which produces a paper web exhibiting only minor differences in properties with respect to its two sides. It is a further object of the invention to provide a wet portion of a paper machine wherein the manufacturing costs and the wear of the press felts are low and wherein only slight felt markings are evident on the paper web after the web leaves the wet portion of the paper machine. Further objects of the invention are to increase the quality of the pressing work, especially the pressing efficiency, to simplify the structure of the wet portion of the paper machine and to reduce the danger of tearing of a paper web being conveyed through the wet portion of the machine.
According to the invention, a wet portion of a paper machine includes a wire section and a pressing section. A plurality of roll presses are disposed in the pressing section, each roll press including two rolls defining a press nip. A water impervious belt having a smooth, non-porous surface is disposed in a continuous loop about at least two press rolls disposed consecutively with respect to a direction of conveyance of a paper web through the machine. Each press roll is associated with at least one counter roll or one shoe roll defining first and second press nips of the pressing section. The belt deflects at least about 90° about at least one of the press rolls.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a device according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of a device according to the invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of a device according to the invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a fourth embodiment of a device according to the invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a fifth embodiment of a device according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to FIG. 1, a device according to the invention is shown having a wire 1 of a wire section shown moving in a direction indicated by an arrow d. The device includes guide rolls 3 and 6. A substantially water-impervious press belt 132 having a non-porous, smooth surface is looped about press rolls 129 and 130, and a guide roll 131. The belt 132 also bears against a guide roll 11'.
The device shown in FIG. 1 shows three roll presses cooperating with the belt 132. A first roll press disposed directly downstream of the wire section 1 with respect to the direction of conveyance of a web through the device includes the press roll 129 and a shoe unit or shoe roll 9 which together define a press nip 8. The shoe roll 9 includes a shoe 17 and a water impervious sliding belt 18. A press felt 10 passes through the press nip 8 and loops around guide rolls 11.
A second roll press disposed downstream of the first roll press also includes a shoe press. The second roll press includes the press roll 130 and a cooperating shoe unit 9' which together define a press nip 8'. The shoe unit 9' includes a shoe 17' and a water impervious sliding belt 18'. A press felt 10' is looped about guide rolls 11' and passes through the press nip 8' of the second roll press.
A third roll press includes the press roll 130 and a press roll 15 which together define a press nip 14. A fourth roll press includes the press roll 15 and a shoe unit 20 which together define a press nip 24. The shoe unit 20 has a shoe 23 and an water impervious sliding belt 25. A third press felt 21 is looped around guide rolls 22 and passes through the fourth press nip 24. A doctor blade device 16 is disposed against a surface of the press roll 15. In the vicinity of the doctor blade device 16, a paper web 2 is removed from the surface of the press roll 15.
The path of the paper web 2 through the device shown in FIG. 1 is as follows:
First, the paper web 2 is formed in a wire section and conveyed on the wire 1 of the wire section about the guide roll 3. The web 2 is removed from the wire 1 by the belt 132 at a location 5. The web 2 is conveyed with the belt 132 around a portion of a periphery of the press roll 129 and then through the press nip 8. The web 2 adheres to a lower surface of the belt 132 and is conveyed with the belt about the first of the two guide rolls 11'. The web 2 is then consecutively conveyed through the press nip 8', the press nip 14, and finally the press nip 24.
In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, the paper web 2 is directly removed from the wire 1 by the belt 132. The belt 132 is tightly wound about the two press rolls 129 and 130 due to the path the belt is required to travel about the guide rolls 11' and 131. The angle of wrap of the belt about each of the press rolls 129 and 130 (i.e. the angle of deflection of the belt caused by contact with the rolls 129 and 130) is about 180°.
An embodiment of a device according to the invention shown in FIG. 2 includes a wire section having a wire 201, a suction deflecting roll 203 with a suction zone 204, and a guide roll 206. A water discharge channel 212 having a discharge 213 is disposed below the suction deflecting roll 203.
A pressing section of the device of FIG. 2 shows two roll presses cooperating with a smooth, water-impervious belt 232 similar in design and function to the belt 132 described herein with respect to FIG. 1. The first roll press includes a press roll 229 which defines a press nip 208 with a shoe unit 209. The shoe unit 209 includes a shoe 217 and a water-impervious sliding belt 218. A press felt 210 loops about a guide roll 211 and passes through the press nip 208 of the first roll press.
The second roll press shown in FIG. 2 includes two press rolls 230 and 215 which together form a press nip 214. The press roll 215 has a closed (i.e. non-porous) surface. A doctor device 216 cooperates with the roll 215 making contact therewith and thereby ensuring that the surface of the roll 215 is kept clean. As shown in FIG. 2, a paper web 2 is removed from the device at the surface of the press roll 215.
The embodiment of a device according to the invention shown in FIG. 2 also shows a press roll 233 having a soft rubber coating 234 that cooperates with the suction deflecting roll 203. A paper web 2 conveyed through the device first passes between the roll 203 and the roll 233, then through the press nip 208, and then through the press nip 214.
The device shown in FIG. 2 is similar to the device shown in FIG. 1 in that it illustrates a device according to the invention wherein a paper web 2 is directly removed from a wire 201 of a wire section of the device by the water impervious belt 232. The closed, non-porous surface of the press roll 215 ensures smoothing of any felt marking on the paper web 2.
Another embodiment of a device according to the invention is shown in FIG. 3. The device of FIG. 3 includes two roll presses cooperating with a water impervious belt 332. The first roll press includes a press roll 336 and a shoe roll 335 defining a press nip 308. The second roll press includes a press roll 315 and a press roll 330 defining a roll nip 314. The belt 332 loops about the roll 335 and the roll 330, as well as about guide rolls 331 and 329. As with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water impervious belt 332 removes a paper web 2 directly off a wire 301 of a wire section of the device. The paper web 2 is conveyed through the press nip 308 and then the press nip 314. Because the press nip 314 is formed by the belt 132 and the press roll 315 which has a smooth, non-porous surface, any markings on the paper web 2 caused by contact between the moist paper web and a press felt disappears when the web 2 is conveyed through the press nip 314.
Another embodiment of a device according to the invention is shown in FIG. 4. The device of FIG. 4 includes two roll presses cooperating with a water impervious belt 432. The first roll press includes a press roll 429 and a shoe roll 409 defining a press nip 408. The second roll press includes a press roll 430 and a shoe roll 409' defining a roll nip 408'. The belt 432 loops about the roll 429 and the roll 430, as well as a guide roll 431. As with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the water impervious belt 432 removes a paper web 2 directly off a wire 401 of a wire section of the device. The elements 403, 404, 412, and 413 are similar in function to the elements 203, 204, 212, and 213, respectively, described herein with respect to FIG. 2.
In an embodiment of a device according to the invention shown in FIG. 5, a paper web 2 is transferred from a wire 505 onto a first press felt 510 by a suction take-off roll 527 having a suction zone 528 about which the felt 510 loops. The press felt 510 and the web 2 then pass through a press nip 508 of a first roll press. The first roll press includes a press roll 529 and a shoe roll 509 having a shoe 517 and-a sliding belt 518. The rolls 529 and 509 together define the press nip 508. A second roll press includes a press roll 530 and a shoe roll 509' defining a roll nip 508'. The roll 509' has a shoe 517' and a sliding belt 518'. A smooth, water impervious belt 532 loops about the roll 529 and the roll 30, as well as a guide roll 531. Another press nip 514 is defined by the roll 530' and a roll 515 having a smooth, non-porous, surface against which a doctor blade device 516 is placed. The paper web 2 is conveyed consecutively though the roll nips 508, 508' and 514.
The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
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A wet portion of a paper machine, including a wire section and a pressing section has a plurality of roll presses. Each roll press includes two rolls defining a press nip. A water impervious belt having a smooth, non-porous surface is disposed in a continuous loop about at least two roll press rolls disposed consecutively with respect to a direction of conveyance of a paper web through the machine. Each press roll is associated with at least one counter roll or one shoe roll defining first and second press nips of the pressing section. The belt deflects about 180° about each of the press rolls.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention describes a method for increasing the heat distortion temperature of alkenyl aromatic foams by blending polymers which comprise (A) alkenyl aromatic polymers, and (B) vinyl or vinylidene aromatic and/or sterically hindered aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene substantially random interpolymers. Suitable alkenyl aromatic polymers include alkenyl aromatic homopolymers and copolymers of alkenyl aromatic compounds and copolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated comonomers. A preferred alkenyl aromatic polymer is polystyrene. The substantially random interpolymers comprise polymer units derived from ethylene and/or one or more α-olefin monomers with specific amounts of one or more vinyl or vinylidene aromatic monomers and/or sterically hindered aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene monomers. A preferred substantially random interpolymer is an ethylene/styrene interpolymer. Incorporation of the substantially random interpolymer in the blend with the alkenyl aromatic polymer results in an increase of the heat distortion temperature of the resulting foam.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Foams made from alkenyl aromatic polymers such as polystyrene typically exhibit changes in dimension as the temperature is raised significantly above room temperature. Consideration of the heat distortion temperature of alkenyl aromatic foam is very important when it is being used in a relatively high temperature application close to the service temperature limit of the foam (about 165° F. for a conventional polystyrene foam). If the heat distortion temperature of a foam is too low, it may be subject to disfigurement and/or rupture. The stresses set up during foam manufacture are dissipated as the temperature is raised and the linear dimensions of the foams increase or decrease (depending on foam orientation and whether the cell gas pressure is above or below ambient pressure). The temperature at which significant expansion or shrinkage occurs depends on the glass transition temperature of the polymer matrix, which can be depressed due to plasticization by residual blowing agent and other additives which are soluble in the polymer. These effects can also limit the upper service temperature of the foam. One measure of the upper service temperature, and a test to determine the dimensional stability of the foam as a function of temperature, is the Heat Distortion Temperature Test (ASTM D2126-94) which measures the linear change in three dimensions of a foam when exposed to different temperatures.
A common high temperature application for alkenyl aromatic foams is in roofing. In roofing, the foam is typically employed below a roofing membrane, which is dark and rubber-like, and may reach service temperature limits when underneath a membrane exposed to direct sun-light in the summer months. If the foam becomes distorted, the membrane and the foam may separate to form void pockets, which leaves the membrane with less mechanical support on its under surface. The lack of under-surface support renders the membrane more subject to rupture, which results in water leaking in the roof.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,411,687; 5,434,195; 5,557,896; 5,693,687; 5,784,845; and 5,824,710, (the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference), disclose open cell foams (i.e. containing 30% or more open cells) as a means of obtaining high heat distortion temperatures. However the high open cell content of these foams can result in inferior thermal insulation performance (due to rapid loss of insulating blowing agent) as well as increased water absorption, both of which are undesirable.
Thus it would be desirable to have a closed cell alkenyl aromatic foam with increased heat distortion temperature and improved dimensional stability which also exhibits good vapor resistance, water resistance, and mechanical strength. Uses for such a foam would include insulation in building and construction, as well as in the preparation of foam film labels for bottles and other containers, where the improved dimensional stability of such labels would minimize any shrinkage or warpage of the label when the labeled bottle cools after fabrication.
We have surprisingly found that foams made from blends of alkenyl aromatic polymers and specific types and amounts of substantially random interpolymers, exhibit increased heat distortion temperatures relative to analogous alkenyl aromatic polymer foams made without substantially random interpolymers even when the foams are predominantly closed cell (i.e., open cell content of 20 volume % or less). Furthermore, compared with corresponding foams made without the interpolymers, the foams of the present invention exhibit similar or better performance in creep tests (such as DIN 18164 and ASTM 3575 suffix BB) and environmental dimensional change (ASTM C578-83) tests, as well as improved tensile strength/elongation (ASTM D614-91) and tear strength/elongation (ASTM D412-87).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to improved alkenyl aromatic polymer foams (and processes for their preparation) having increased heat distortion temperature and improved dimensional stability while maintaining excellent tensile/tear, creep and environmental dimensional change properties.
The foams comprise;
(A) from about 80 to about 98 percent by weight (based on the combined weight of Components A and B) of one or more alkenyl aromatic polymers, and wherein at least one of said alkenyl aromatic polymers has a molecular weight (M w ) of from about 100,000 to about 500,000; and;
(B) from about 2 to about 20 percent by weight (based on the combined weight of Components A and B) of one or more substantially random interpolymers having an I 2 of about 0.1 to about 1000 g/10 min, an M w /M n of about 1.5 to about 20; comprising;
(1) from about 21 to about 65 mol % of polymer units derived from;
(a) at least one vinyl or vinylidene aromatic monomer, or
(b) at least one hindered aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene monomer, or
(c) a combination of at least one aromatic vinyl or vinylidene monomer and at least one hindered aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene monomer, and
(2) from about 35 to about 79 mol % of polymer units derived from at least one of ethylene and/or a C 3-20 α-olefin; and
(3) from 0 to about 20 mol % of polymer units derived from one or more of ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers other than those derived from (1) and (2); and
(C) optionally, one or more nucleating agents and
(D) optionally one or more other additives; and
(E) one or more blowing agents present in a total amount of from about 0.2 to about 5.0 gram-moles per kilogram (based on the combined weight of Components A and B); wherein
the heat distortion temperature of said foam is increased by about 2° C. or more relative to a corresponding foam without the substantially random interpolymer.
In a preferred embodiment the foam having increased heat distortion temperature and dimensional stability is also a closed cell foam (i.e., with 20 vol % or less open cells).
This combination allows the manufacture of low density alkenyl aromatic polymer foams of increased heat distortion temperature, when substantially random interpolymers of about 21 to about 65 mol % styrene are used. When these same alkenyl aromatic polymer foams are made without these interpolymers, the heat distortion temperature is not improved. In addition, we have unexpectedly found that the tensile and tear properties of the foam may be improved by using substantially random interpolymers.
Definitions
All references herein to elements or metals belonging to a certain Group refer to the Periodic Table of the Elements published and copyrighted by CRC Press, Inc., 1989. Also any reference to the Group or Groups shall be to the Group or Groups as reflected in this Periodic Table of the Elements using the IUPAC system for numbering groups.
Any numerical values recited herein include all values from the lower value to the upper value in increments of one unit provided that there is a separation of at least 2 units between any lower value and any higher value. As an example, if it is stated that the amount of a component or a value of a process variable such as, for example, temperature, pressure, time and the like is, for example, from 1 to 90, preferably from 20 to 80, more preferably from 30 to 70, it is intended that values such as 15 to 85, 22 to 68, 43 to 51, 30 to 32 etc. are expressly enumerated in this specification. For values which are less than one, one unit is considered to be 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01 or 0.1 as appropriate. These are only examples of what is specifically intended and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this application in a similar manner.
The term "hydrocarbyl" as employed herein means any aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic, aryl substituted aliphatic, aryl substituted cycloaliphatic, aliphatic substituted aromatic, or aliphatic substituted cycloaliphatic groups.
The term "hydrocarbyloxy" means a hydrocarbyl group having an oxygen linkage between it and the carbon atom to which it is attached.
The term "copolymer" as employed herein means a polymer wherein at least two different monomers are polymerized to form the copolymer.
The term "interpolymer" is used herein to indicate a polymer wherein at least two different monomers are polymerized to make the interpolymer. This includes copolymers, terpolymers, etc.
The term "increased heat distortion temperature" is used herein to indicate an increase in the heat distortion temperature of a foam of the present invention of about 2° C. or more, preferably about 3° C. or more, and more preferably about 5° C. or more, relative to a corresponding foam without the substantially random interpolymer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention especially covers foams comprising blends of one or more alkenyl aromatic homopolymers, or copolymers of alkenyl aromatic monomers, and/or copolymers of alkenyl aromatic monomers with one or more copolymerizeable ethylenically unsaturated comonomers (other than ethylene or linear C 3 -C 12 α-olefins) with at least one substantially random interpolymer. The foams of this invention have increased heat distortion temperatures relative to corresponding foams of similar density made without the substantially random interpolymer.
The alkenyl aromatic polymer material may further include minor proportions of non-alkenyl aromatic polymers. The alkenyl aromatic polymer material may be comprised solely of one or more alkenyl aromatic homopolymers, one or more alkenyl aromatic copolymers, a blend of one or more of each of alkenyl aromatic homopolymers and copolymers, or blends of any of the foregoing with a non-alkenyl aromatic polymer. Regardless of composition, the alkenyl aromatic polymer material comprises greater than 50 and preferably greater than 70 weight percent alkenyl aromatic monomeric units. Most preferably, the alkenyl aromatic polymer material is comprised entirely of alkenyl aromatic monomeric units.
Suitable alkenyl aromatic polymers include homopolymers and copolymers derived from alkenyl aromatic compounds such as styrene, alphamethylstyrene, ethylstyrene, vinyl benzene, vinyl toluene, chlorostyrene, and bromostyrene. A preferred alkenyl aromatic polymer is polystyrene. Minor amounts of monoethylenically unsaturated compounds such as C 2-6 alkyl acids and esters, ionomeric derivatives, and C 4-6 dienes may be copolymerized with alkenyl aromatic compounds. Examples of copolymerizable compounds include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, acrylonitrile, maleic anhydride, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate and butadiene.
The term "substantially random" (in the substantially random interpolymer comprising polymer units derived from ethylene and one or more α-olefin monomers with one or more vinyl or vinylidene aromatic monomers and/or aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene monomers) as used herein means that the distribution of the monomers of said interpolymer can be described by the Bernoulli statistical model or by a first or second order Markovian statistical model, as described by J. C. Randall in POLYMER SEQUENCE DETERMINATION, Carbon-13 NMR Method, Academic Press New York, 1977, pp. 71-78. Preferably, substantially random interpolymers do not contain more than 15 percent of the total amount of vinyl aromatic monomer in blocks of vinyl aromatic monomer of more than 3 units. More preferably, the interpolymer is not characterized by a high degree of either isotacticity or syndiotacticity. This means that in the carbon -13 NMR spectrum of the substantially random interpolymer the peak areas corresponding to the main chain methylene and methine carbons representing either meso diad sequences or racemic diad sequences should not exceed 75 percent of the total peak area of the main chain methylene and methine carbons.
The interpolymers used to prepare the foams of the present invention include the substantially random interpolymers prepared by polymerizing i) ethylene and/or one or more α-olefin monomers and ii) one or more vinyl or vinylidene aromatic monomers and/or one or more sterically hindered aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene monomers, and optionally iii) other polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomer(s). Suitable α-olefins include for example, α-olefins containing from 3 to about 20, preferably from 3 to about 12, more preferably from 3 to about 8 carbon atoms. Particularly suitable are ethylene, propylene, butene-1, 4-methyl-1-pentene, hexene-1 or octene-1 or ethylene in combination with one or more of propylene, butene-1, 4-methyl-1-pentene, hexene-1 or octene-1. These α-olefins do not contain an aromatic moiety.
Other optional polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomer(s) include norbornene and C 1-10 alkyl or C 6-10 aryl substituted norbornenes, with an exemplary interpolymer being ethylene/styrene/norbornene.
Suitable vinyl or vinylidene aromatic monomers which can be employed to prepare the interpolymers include, for example, those represented by the following formula: ##STR1## wherein R 1 is selected from the group of radicals consisting of hydrogen and alkyl radicals containing from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, preferably hydrogen or methyl; each R 2 is independently selected from the group of radicals consisting of hydrogen and alkyl radicals containing from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, preferably hydrogen or methyl; Ar is a phenyl group or a phenyl group substituted with from 1 to 5 substituents selected from the group consisting of halo, C 1-4 -alkyl, and C 1-4 -haloalkyl; and n has a value from zero to about 4, preferably from zero to 2, most preferably zero. Exemplary vinyl aromatic monomers include styrene, vinyl toluene, α-methylstyrene, t-butyl styrene, chlorostyrene, including all isomers of these compounds, and the like. Particularly suitable such monomers include styrene and lower alkyl- or halogen-substituted derivatives thereof. Preferred monomers include styrene, α-methyl styrene, the lower alkyl-(C 1 -C 4 ) or phenyl-ring substituted derivatives of styrene, such as for example, ortho-, meta-, and para-methylstyrene, the ring halogenated styrenes, para-vinyl toluene or mixtures thereof, and the like. A more preferred aromatic vinyl monomer is styrene.
By the term ""sterically hindered aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene compounds", it is meant addition polymerizable vinyl or vinylidene monomers corresponding to the formula: ##STR2## wherein A 1 is a sterically bulky, aliphatic or cycloaliphatic substituent of up to 20 carbons, R 1 is selected from the group of radicals consisting of hydrogen and alkyl radicals containing from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, preferably hydrogen or methyl; each R 2 is independently selected from the group of radicals consisting of hydrogen and alkyl radicals containing from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, preferably hydrogen or methyl; or alternatively R 1 and A 1 together form a ring system. Preferred aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene compounds are monomers in which one of the carbon atoms bearing ethylenic unsaturation is tertiary or quaternary substituted. Examples of such substituents include cyclic aliphatic groups such as cyclohexyl, cyclohexenyl, cyclooctenyl, or ring alkyl or aryl substituted derivatives thereof, tert-butyl, norbornyl, and the like. Most preferred aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene compounds are the various isomeric vinyl-ring substituted derivatives of cyclohexene and substituted cyclohexenes, and 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene. Especially suitable are 1-, 3-, and 4-vinylcyclohexene. Simple linear non-branched α-olefins including for example, α-olefins containing from 3 to about 20 carbon atoms such as propylene, butene-1, 4-methyl-1-pentene, hexene-1 or octene-1 are not examples of sterically hindered aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene compounds.
One method of preparation of the substantially random interpolymers includes polymerizing a mixture of polymerizable monomers in the presence of one or more metallocene or constrained geometry catalysts in combination with various cocatalysts, as described in EP-A-0,416,815 by James C. Stevens et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,187 by Francis J. Timmers, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Preferred operating conditions for such polymerization reactions are pressures from atmospheric up to 3000 atmospheres and temperatures from -30° C. to 200° C. Polymerizations and unreacted monomer removal at temperatures above the autopolymerization temperature of the respective monomers may result in formation of some amounts of homopolymer polymerization products resulting from free radical polymerization.
Examples of suitable catalysts and methods for preparing the substantially random interpolymers are disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 702,475, filed May 20, 1991 (EP-A-514,828); as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,055,438; 5,057,475; 5,096,867; 5,064,802; 5,132,380; 5,189,192; 5,321,106; 5,347,024; 5,350,723; 5,374,696; 5,399,635; 5,470,993; 5,703,187; and 5,721,185 all of which patents and applications are incorporated herein by reference.
The substantially random α-olefin/vinyl aromatic interpolymers can also be prepared by the methods described in JP 07/278230 employing compounds shown by the general formula ##STR3## where Cp 1 and Cp 2 are cyclopentadienyl groups, indenyl groups, fluorenyl groups, or substituents of these, independently of each other; R 1 and R 2 are hydrogen atoms, halogen atoms, hydrocarbon groups with carbon numbers of 1-12, alkoxyl groups, or aryloxyl groups, independently of each other; M is a group IV metal, preferably Zr or Hf, most preferably Zr; and R 3 is an alkylene group or silanediyl group used to cross-link Cp 1 and Cp 2 ).
The substantially random α-olefin/vinyl aromatic interpolymers can also be prepared by the methods described by John G. Bradfute et al. (W. R. Grace & Co.) in WO 95/32095; by R. B. Pannell (Exxon Chemical Patents, Inc.) in WO 94/00500; and in Plastics Technology, p. 25 (September 1992), all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Also suitable are the substantially random interpolymers which comprise at least one α-olefin/vinyl aromatic/vinyl aromatic/α-olefin tetrad disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/708,869 filed Sep. 4, 1996 and WO 98/09999 both by Francis J. Timmers et al. These interpolymers contain additional signals in their carbon-13 NMR spectra with intensities greater than three times the peak to peak noise. These signals appear in the chemical shift range 43.70-44.25 ppm and 38.0-38.5 ppm. Specifically, major peaks are observed at 44.1, 43.9, and 38.2 ppm. A proton test NMR experiment indicates that the signals in the chemical shift region 43.70-44.25 ppm are methine carbons and the signals in the region 38.0-38.5 ppm are methylene carbons.
It is believed that these new signals are due to sequences involving two head-to-tail vinyl aromatic monomer insertions preceded and followed by at least one α-olefin insertion, e.g. an ethylene/styrene/styrene/ethylene tetrad wherein the styrene monomer insertions of said tetrads occur exclusively in a 1,2 (head to tail) manner. It is understood by one skilled in the art that for such tetrads involving a vinyl aromatic monomer other than styrene and an α-olefin other than ethylene that the ethylene/vinyl aromatic monomer/vinyl aromatic monomer/ethylene tetrad will give rise to similar carbon-13 NMR peaks but with slightly different chemical shifts.
These interpolymers can be prepared by conducting the polymerization at temperatures of from about -30° C. to about 250° C. in the presence of such catalysts as those represented by the formula ##STR4## wherein: each Cp is independently, each occurrence, a substituted cyclopentadienyl group π-bound to M; E is C or Si; M is a group IV metal, preferably Zr or Hf, most preferably Zr; each R is independently, each occurrence, H, hydrocarbyl, silahydrocarbyl, or hydrocarbylsilyl, containing up to about 30 preferably from 1 to about 20 more preferably from 1 to about 10 carbon or silicon atoms; each R 1 is independently, each occurrence, H, halo, hydrocarbyl, hyrocarbyloxy, silahydrocarbyl, hydrocarbylsilyl containing up to about 30 preferably from 1 to about 20 more preferably from 1 to about 10 carbon or silicon atoms or two R 1 groups together can be a C 1-10 hydrocarbyl substituted 1,3-butadiene; m is 1 or 2; and optionally, but preferably in the presence of an activating cocatalyst. Particularly, suitable substituted cyclopentadienyl groups include those illustrated by the formula: ##STR5## wherein each R is independently, each occurrence, H, hydrocarbyl, silahydrocarbyl, or hydrocarbylsilyl, containing up to about 30 preferably from 1 to about 20 more preferably from 1 to about 10 carbon or silicon atoms or two R groups together form a divalent derivative of such group. Preferably, R independently each occurrence is (including where appropriate all isomers) hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, benzyl, phenyl or silyl or (where appropriate) two such R groups are linked together forming a fused ring system such as indenyl, fluorenyl, tetrahydroindenyl, tetrahydrofluorenyl, or octahydrofluorenyl.
Particularly preferred catalysts include, for example, racemic-(dimethylsilanediyl)-bis-(2-methyl-4-phenylindenyl) zirconium dichloride, racemic-(dimethylsilanediyl)-bis-(2-methyl-4-phenylindenyl) zirconium 1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene, racemic-(dimethylsilanediyl)-bis-(2-methyl-4-phenylindenyl) zirconium di-C1-4 alkyl, racemic-(dimethylsilanediyl)-bis-(2-methyl-4-phenylindenyl) zirconium di-C1-4 alkoxide, or any combination thereof and the like.
It is also possible to use the following titanium-based constrained geometry catalysts, [N-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1,1-dimethyl-1-[(1,2,3,4,5-η)-1,5,6,7-tetrahydro-s-indacen-1-yl]silanaminato(2-)-N]titanium dimethyl; (1-indenyl)(tert-butylamido)dimethyl-silane titanium dimethyl; ((3-tert-butyl)(1,2,3,4,5-η)-1-indenyl)(tert-butylamido) dimethylsilane titanium dimethyl; and ((3-iso-propyl)(1,2,3,4,5-η)-1-indenyl)(tert-butyl amido)dimethylsilane titanium dimethyl, or any combination thereof and the like.
Further preparative methods for the interpolymers used in the present invention have been described in the literature. Longo and Grassi (Makromol. Chem., Volume 191, pages 2387 to 2396 [1990]) and D'Anniello et al. (Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Volume 58, pages 1701-1706 [1995]) reported the use of a catalytic system based on methylalumoxane (MAO) and cyclopentadienyltitanium trichloride (CpTiCl 3 ) to prepare an ethylene-styrene copolymer. Xu and Lin (Polymer Preprints, Am. Chem. Soc. Div. Polym. Chem.) Volume 35, pages 686,687 [1994]) have reported copolymerization using a MgCl 2 /TiCl 4 /NdCl 3 / Al(iBu) 3 catalyst to give random copolymers of styrene and propylene. Lu et al (Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Volume 53, pages 1453 to 1460 [1994]) have described the copolymerization of ethylene and styrene using a TiCl 4 /NdCl 3 /MgCl 2 /Al(Et) 3 catalyst. Sernetz and Mulhaupt, (Macromol. Chem. Phys., v. 197, pp. 1071-1083, 1997) have described the influence of polymerization conditions on the copolymerization of styrene with ethylene using Me 2 Si(Me 4 Cp)(N-tert-butyl)TiCl 2 /methylaluminoxane Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Copolymers of ethylene and styrene produced by bridged metallocene catalysts have been described by Arai, Toshiaki and Suzuki (Polymer Preprints, Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Polym. Chem.) Volume 38, pages 349, 350 [1997]) and in U. S. Pat. No. 5,652,315, issued to Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc. The manufacture of α-olefin/vinyl aromatic monomer interpolymers such as propylene/styrene and butene/styrene are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,996, issued to Mitsui Petrochemical Industries Ltd or U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,315 also issued to Mitsui Petrochemical Industries Ltd or as disclosed in DE 197 11 339 Al to Denki Kagaku Kogyo KK. All the above methods disclosed for preparing the interpolymer component are incorporated herein by reference. Also, although of high isotacticity and therefore not "substantially random", the random copolymers of ethylene and styrene as disclosed in Polymer Preprints Vol 39, No. 1, March 1998 by Toru Aria et al. can also be employed as blend components for the foams of the present invention.
While preparing the substantially random interpolymer, an amount of atactic vinyl aromatic homopolymer may be formed due to homopolymerization of the vinyl aromatic monomer at elevated temperatures. The presence of vinyl aromatic homopolymer is in general not detrimental for the purposes of the present invention and can be tolerated. The vinyl aromatic homopolymer may be separated from the interpolymer, if desired, by extraction techniques such as selective precipitation from solution with a non solvent for either the interpolymer or the vinyl aromatic homopolymer. For the purpose of the present invention it is preferred that no more than 30 weight percent, preferably less than 20 weight percent based on the total weight of the interpolymers of atactic vinyl aromatic homopolymer is present.
Preparation of the Foams of the Present Invention
The compositions of the present invention may be used to form extruded thermoplastic polymer foam, expandable thermoplastic foam beads or expanded thermoplastic foams, and molded articles formed by expansion and/or coalescing and welding of those particles.
The foams may take any known physical configuration, such as extruded sheet, rod, plank, films and profiles. The foam structure also may be formed by molding expandable beads into any of the foregoing configurations or any other configuration.
Foam structures may be made by a conventional extrusion foaming process. The present foam is generally prepared by melt blending in which the alkenyl aromatic polymer material and one or more substantially random interpolymers are heated together to form a plasticized or melt polymer material, incorporating therein a blowing agent to form a foamable gel, and extruding the gel through a die to form the foam product. Prior to extruding from the die, the gel is cooled to an optimum temperature. To make a foam, the optimum temperature is at or above the blends glass transition temperature or melting point. For the foams of the present invention the optimum foaming temperature is in a range sufficient to produce an open cell content in the foam of 20 vol % or less and to optimize physical characeristics of the foam structure. The blowing agent may be incorporated or mixed into the melt polymer material by any means known in the art such as with an extruder, mixer, blender, or the like. The blowing agent is mixed with the melt polymer material at an elevated pressure sufficient to prevent substantial expansion of the melt polymer material and to generally disperse the blowing agent homogeneously therein. Optionally, a nucleator may be blended in the polymer melt or dry blended with the polymer material prior to plasticizing or melting. The substantially random interpolymers may be dry-blended with the polymer material prior to charging to the extruder, or charged to the extruder in the form of a polymer concentrate or a interpolymer/color pigment carrier material. The foamable gel is typically cooled to a lower temperature to optimize physical characteristics of the foam structure. The gel may be cooled in the extruder or other mixing device or in separate coolers. The gel is then extruded or conveyed through a die of desired shape to a zone of reduced or lower pressure to form the foam structure. The zone of lower pressure is at a pressure lower than that in which the formable gel is maintained prior to extrusion through the die. The lower pressure may be superatmospheric or subatmospheric (vacuum), but is preferably at an atmospheric level.
The present foam structures may be formed in a coalesced strand form by extrusion of the compositions of the present invention through a multi-orifice die. The orifices are arranged so that contact between adjacent streams of the molten extrudate occurs during the foaming process and the contacting surfaces adhere to one another with sufficient adhesion to result in a unitary foam structure. The streams of molten extrudate exiting the die take the form of strands or profiles, which desirably foam, coalesce, and adhere to one another to form a unitary structure. Desirably, the coalesced individual strands or profiles should remain adhered in a unitary structure to prevent strand delamination under stresses encountered in preparing, shaping, and using the foam. Apparatuses and method for producing foam structures in coalesced strand form are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,573,152 and 4,824,720, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present foam structures may also be formed by an accumulating extrusion process as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,528, which is incorporated by reference herein. In this process, low density foam structures having large lateral cross-sectional areas are prepared by: 1) forming under pressure a gel of the compositions of the present invention and a blowing agent at a temperature at which the viscosity of the gel is sufficient to retain the blowing agent when the gel is allowed to expand; 2) extruding the gel into a holding zone maintained at a temperature and pressure which does not allow the gel to foam, the holding zone having an outlet die defining an orifice opening into a zone of lower pressure at which the gel foams, and an openable gate closing the die orifice; 3) periodically opening the gate; 4) substantially concurrently applying mechanical pressure by a movable ram on the gel to eject it from the holding zone through the die orifice into the zone of lower pressure, at a rate greater than that at which substantial foaming in the die orifice occurs and less than that at which substantial irregularities in cross-sectional area or shape occurs; and 5) permitting the ejected gel to expand unrestrained in at least one dimension to produce the foam structure.
The present foam structures may also be formed into non-crosslinked foam beads suitable for molding into articles by expansion of pre-expanded beads containing a blowing agent. The beads may be molded at the time of expansion to form articles of various shapes. Processes for making expanded beads and molded expanded beam foam articles are described in Plastic Foams, Part II, Frisch And Saunders, pp. 544-585, Marcel Dekker, Inc. (1973) and Plastic Materials, Brydson, 5 th Ed., pp. 426-429, Butterworths (1989)), which are incorporated herein by reference.
Expandable and expanded beads can be made by a batch or by an extrusion process. The batch process of making expandable beads is essentially the same as for manufacturing expandable polystyrene (EPS). The granules of a polymer blend, made either by melt blending or in-reactor blending, are impregnated with a blowing agent in an aqueous suspension or in an anhydrous state in a pressure vessel at an elevated temperature and pressure. The granules are then either rapidly discharged into a region of reduced pressure to expand to foam beads or cooled and discharged as unexpanded beads. The unexpanded beads are then heated to expand with a proper means, e.g., with steam or with hot air. The extrusion method is essentially the same as the conventional foam extrusion process as described above up to the die orifice. The die has multiple holes. In order to make unfoamed beads, the foamable strands exiting the die orifice are immediately quenched in a cold water bath to prevent foaming and then pelletized. Or, the strands are converted to foam beads by cutting at the die face and then allowed to expand.
The foam beads may then be molded by any means known in the art, such as charging the foam beads to the mold, compressing the mold to compress the beads, and heating the beads such as with steam to effect coalescing and welding of the beads to form the article. Optionally, the beads may be impregnated with air or other blowing agent at an elevated pressure and temperature prior to charging to the mold. Further, the beads may be heated prior to charging. The foam beads may then be molded to blocks or shaped articles by a suitable molding method known in the art. (Some of the methods are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,504,068 and 3,953,558.) Excellent teachings of the above processes and molding methods are seen in C. P. Park, supra, p. 191, pp. 197-198, and pp. 227-229, which are incorporated herein by reference.
To make the foam beads, blends of alkenyl aromatic polymers with one or more substantially random interpolymer are formed into discrete resin particles such as granulated resin pellets and are: suspended in a liquid medium in which they are substantially insoluble such as water; impregnated with a blowing agent by introducing the blowing agent into the liquid medium at an elevated pressure and temperature in an autoclave or other pressure vessel; and rapidly discharged into the atmosphere or a region of reduced pressure to expand to form the foam beads. This process is well taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,379,859 and 4,464,484, which are incorporated herein by reference.
A process for making expandable thermoplastic beads comprises: providing an alkenyl aromatic monomer and optionally at least one additional monomer, which is different from, and polymerizable with said alkenyl aromatic monomer; and dissolving in at least one of said monomers the substantially random interpolymers; polymerizing the first and second monomers to form thermoplastic particles; incorporating a blowing agent into the thermoplastic particles during or after polymerization; and cooling the thermoplastic particles to form expandable beads. The alkenyl aromatic monomer is present in an amount of at least about 50, preferably at least about 70, more preferably at least about 90 wt % based on the combined weights of the polymerizeable monomer(s).
Another process for making expandable thermoplastic beads comprises: heating the blends of alkenyl aromatic polymers with one or more substantially random interpolymers to form a melt polymer; incorporating into the melt polymer material at an elevated temperature a blowing agent to form a foamable gel; cooling the gel to an optimum temperature which is one at which foaming will not occur, extruding through a die containing one or more orifices to form one or more essentially continuous expandable thermoplastic strand(s); and pelletizing the expandable thermoplastic strand(s) to form expandable thermoplastic bead(s). Alternatively expanded thermoplastic foam beads may be made if, prior to extruding from the die, the gel is cooled to an optimum temperature which in this case is at or above the blends glass transition temperature or melting point. For the expanded thermoplastic foam beads of the present invention, the optimum foaming temperature is in a range sufficient to produce an open cell content in the foam of 20 vol % or less.
The present foam structures may also be used to make foamed films for bottle labels and other containers using either a blown film or a cast film extrusion process. The films may also be made by a co-extrusion process to obtain foam in the core with one or two surface layers, which may or may not be comprised of the polymer compositions used in the present invention.
Blowing agents useful in making the present foams include inorganic blowing agents, organic blowing agents and chemical blowing agents. Suitable inorganic blowing agents include nitrogen, sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ), argon, water, air and helium. Organic blowing agents include carbon dioxide, aliphatic hydrocarbons having 1-9 carbon atoms, aliphatic alcohols having 1-3 carbon atoms, and fully and partially halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons having 1-4 carbon atoms. Aliphatic hydrocarbons include methane, ethane, propane, n-butane, isobutane, n-pentane, isopentane, neopentane, and the like. Aliphatic alcohols include methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, and isopropanol. Fully and partially halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons include fluorocarbons, chlorocarbons, and chlorofluorocarbons. Examples of fluorocarbons include methyl fluoride, perfluoromethane, ethyl fluoride,), 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a), fluoroethane (HFC-161), 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (HFC-143a), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), 1,1,2,2 tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134), 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane, pentafluoroethane (HFC-125), difluoromethane (HFC-32), perfluoroethane, 2,2-difluoropropane, 1,1,1-trifluoropropane, perfluoropropane, dichloropropane, difluoropropane, perfluorobutane, perfluorocyclobutane. Partially halogenated chlorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons for use in this invention include methyl chloride, methylene chloride, ethyl chloride, 1,1,1-trichloro-ethane, 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b), 1-chloro-1,1-difluoroethane (HCFC-142b), chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22), 1,1-dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane (HCFC-123) and 1-chloro-1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethane (HCFC-124). Fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons include trichloromonofluoromethane (CFC-11), dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12), trichloro-trifluoroethane (CFC-113), dichlorotetrafluoroethane (CFC-114), chloroheptafluoropropane, and dichlorohexafluoropropane. Chemical blowing agents include azodicarbonamide, azodiisobutyro-nitrile, benzenesulfonhydrazide, 4,4-oxybenzene sulfonyl-semicarbazide, p-toluene sulfonyl semi-carbazide, barium azodicarboxylate, N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-dinitroso-terephthalamide, trihydrazino triazine and mixtures of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate such as the various products sold under the name Hydrocerol™ (a product and trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim). All of these blowing agents may be used as single components or any mixture of combination thereof, or in mixtures with other co-blowing agents.
The amount of blowing agent incorporated into the polymer melt material to make a foam-forming polymer gel is from about 0.2 to about 5.0 gram-moles per kilogram of polymer, preferably from about 0.5 to about 3.0 gram-moles per kilogram of polymer, and most preferably from about 1.0 to 2.5 gram-moles per kilogram of polymer.
In addition, a nucleating agent may be added in order to control the size of foam cells. Preferred nucleating agents include inorganic substances such as calcium carbonate, talc, clay, silica, barium stearate, diatomaceous earth, mixtures of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate, and the like. The amount of nucleating agent employed may range from 0 to about 5 parts by weight per hundred parts by weight of a polymer resin. The preferred range is from 0 to about 3 parts by weight.
Various additives may be incorporated in the present foam structure such as inorganic fillers, pigments, antioxidants, acid scavengers, ultraviolet absorbers, flame retardants, processing aids, extrusion aids, other thermoplastic polymers, antistatic agents, and the like. Examples of other thermoplastic polymers include alkenyl aromatic homopolymers or copolymers (having molecular weight of about 2,000 to about 50,000) and ethylenic polymers.
The foam has a density of from about 10 to about 150 and most preferably from about 10 to about 70 kilograms per cubic meter according to ASTM D-1622-88.
The foam has an average cell size of from about 0.05 to about 5.0 and preferably from about 0.1 to about 1.5 millimeters according to ASTM D3576-77.
The present foam is particularly suited to be formed into a plank or sheet, desirably one having a cross-sectional area of 30 square centimeters (cm) or more and a thickness or minor dimension in cross-section of 0.95 cm or more, preferably 2.5 cm or more.
The present foam is closed cell. The closed cell content of the present foams is greater than or equal to 80 percent according to ASTM D2856-94.
The present foam's heat distortion temperature is increased about 2° C. or more, preferably about 3° C. or more, and more preferably about 5° C. or more, relative to the heat distortion temperature of a corresponding foam made without the substantially random interpolymer.
The present foam structures may be used to insulate a surface by applying to the surface an insulating panel fashioned from the present structure, as used in for example, external wall sheathing (home thermal insulation), foundation insulation, and residing underlayment. Such panels are useful in any conventional insulating applications such as roofing, buildings, refrigerators and the like. Other applications include floating docks and rafts (buoyancy applications) as well as various floral and craft applications.
Properties of the Interpolymers and Blend Compositions Used to Prepare the Foams of the Present Invention.
The polymer compositions used to prepare the foams of the present invention comprise from about 80 to about 98, preferably from about 85 to about 97, more preferably from about 90 to about 95 wt %, (based on the combined weights of substantially random interpolymer and the alkenyl aromatic homopolymers or copolymer) of one or more alkenyl aromatic homopolymers or copolymers.
The molecular weight distribution (M w /M n ) of the alkenyl aromatic homopolymers or copolymers used to prepare the foams of the present invention is from about 2 to about 7.
The molecular weight (Mw) of the alkenyl aromatic homopolymers or copolymers used to prepare the foams of the present invention is from about 100,000 to about 500,000, preferably of from about 120,000 to about 350,000, more preferably 130,000 to 325,000.
The alkenyl aromatic polymer material used to prepare the foams of the present invention comprises greater than 50 and preferably greater than 70 weight percent alkenyl aromatic monomeric units. Most preferably, the alkenyl aromatic polymer material is comprised entirely of alkenyl aromatic monomeric units.
The polymer compositions used to prepare the foams of the present invention comprise from about 2 to about 20, preferably from about 3 to about 15, more preferably from about 5 to about 10 wt %, (based on the combined weights of substantially random interpolymer and the alkenyl aromatic homopolymers or copolymers) of one or more substantially random interpolymers.
These substantially random interpolymers used to prepare the foams of the present invention usually contain from about 21 to about 65, preferably from about 29 to about 52, more preferably from about 29 to about 45 mole percent of at least one vinyl or vinylidene aromatic monomer and/or aliphatic or cycloaliphatic vinyl or vinylidene monomer and from about 35 to about 79, preferably from about 48 to about 71, more preferably from about 55 to about 71 mole percent of ethylene and/or at least one aliphatic α-olefin having from 3 to about 20 carbon atoms.
The melt index (I 2 ) of the substantially random interpolymer used to prepare the foams of the present invention is from about 0.1 to about 1000, preferably of from about 0.3 to about 30, more preferably of from about 0.5 to about 10 g/10 min.
The molecular weight distribution (M w /M n ) of the substantially random interpolymer used to prepare the foams of the present invention is from about 1.5 to about 20, preferably of from about 1.8 to about 10, more preferably of from about 2 to about 5.
In addition, minor amounts of alkenyl aromatic homopolymers or copolymers having a molecular weight of about 2,000 to about 50,000, preferably from about 4,000 to about 25,000 can be added in an amount not exceeding about 20 wt % (based on the combined weights of substantially random interpolymer and the various alkenyl aromatic homopolymers or copolymers).
The following examples are illustrative of the invention, but are not to be construed as to limiting the scope thereof in any manner.
EXAMPLES
Test Methods
a) Melt Flow and Density Measurements
The molecular weight of the substantially random interpolymers used in the present invention is conveniently indicated using a melt index measurement according to ASTM D-1238, Condition 190° C./2.16 kg (formally known as "Condition (E)" and also known as I 2 ) was determined. Melt index is inversely proportional to the molecular weight of the polymer. Thus, the higher the molecular weight, the lower the melt index, although the relationship is not linear.
Also useful for indicating the molecular weight of the substantially random interpolymers used in the present invention is the Gottfert melt index (G, cm 3 /10 min) which is obtained in a similar fashion as for melt index (I 2 ) using the ASTM D1238 procedure for automated plastometers, with the melt density set to 0.7632, the melt density of polyethylene at 190° C.
The relationship of melt density to styrene content for ethylene-styrene interpolymers was measured, as a function of total styrene content, at 190° C. for a range of 29.8% to 81.8% by weight styrene. Atactic polystyrene levels in these samples was typically 10% or less. The influence of the atactic polystyrene was assumed to be minimal because of the low levels. Also, the melt density of atactic polystyrene and the melt densities of the samples with high total styrene are very similar. The method used to determine the melt density employed a Gottifert melt index machine with a melt density parameter set to 0.7632, and the collection of melt strands as a function of time while the I 2 weight was in force. The weight and time for each melt strand was recorded and normalized to yield the mass in grams per 10 minutes. The instrument's calculated I 2 melt index value was also recorded. The equation used to calculate the actual melt density is
δ=δ.sub.0.7632 ×I.sub.2 /I.sub.2 Gottfert
where δ 0 .7632 =0.7632 and I 2 Gottfert=displayed melt index.
A linear least squares fit of calculated melt density versus total styrene content leads to an equation with a correlation coefficient of 0.91 for the following equation:
δ=0.00299×S+0.723
where S=weight percentage of styrene in the polymer. The relationship of total styrene to melt density can be used to determine an actual melt index value, using these equations if the styrene content is known.
So for a polymer that is 73% total styrene content with a measured melt flow (the "Gottfert number"), the calculation becomes:
x=0.00299*73+0.723=0.9412
where 0.9412/0.7632=I 2 /G# (measured)=1.23
b) Styrene Analyses
Interpolymer styrene content and atactic polystyrene concentration were determined using proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H N.M.R). All proton NMR samples were prepared in 1, 1, 2, 2-tetrachloroethane-d 2 (TCE-d 2 ). The resulting solutions were 1.6-3.2 percent polymer by weight. Melt index (I 2 ) was used as a guide for determining sample concentration. Thus when the I 2 was greater than 2 g/10 min, 40 mg of interpolymer was used; with an I 2 between 1.5 and 2 g/10 min, 30 mg of interpolymer was used; and when the I 2 was less than 1.5 g/10 min, 20 mg of interpolymer was used. The interpolymers were weighed directly into 5 mm sample tubes. A 0.75 mL aliquot of TCE-d 2 was added by syringe and the tube was capped with a tight-fitting polyethylene cap. The samples were heated in a water bath at 85° C. to soften the interpolymer. To provide mixing, the capped samples were occasionally brought to reflux using a heat gun.
Proton NMR spectra were accumulated on a Varian VXR 300 with the sample probe at 80° C., and referenced to the residual protons of TCE-d 2 at 5.99 ppm. The delay times were varied between 1 second, and data was collected in triplicate on each sample. The following instrumental conditions were used for analysis of the interpolymer samples:
Varian VXR-300, standard 1 H:
Sweep Width, 5000 Hz
Acquisition Time, 3.002 sec
Pulse Width, 8 μsec
Frequency, 300 MHz
Delay, 1 sec
Transients, 16
The total analysis time per sample was about 10 minutes.
Initially, a 1 H NMR spectrum for a sample of the polystyrene, having a molecular weight (Mw) of about 192,000, was acquired with a delay time of one second. The protons were "labeled": b, branch; a, alpha; o, ortho; m, meta; p, para, as shown in FIG. 1. ##STR6##
Integrals were measured around the protons labeled in FIG. 1; the `A` designates aPS. Integral A 7 .1 (aromatic, around 7.1 ppm) is believed to be the three ortho/para protons; and integral A 6 .6 (aromatic, around 6.6 ppm) the two meta protons. The two aliphatic protons labeled α resonate at 1.5 ppm; and the single proton labeled b is at 1.9 ppm. The aliphatic region was integrated from about 0.8 to 2.5 ppm and is referred to as A al . The theoretical ratio for A 7 .1 :A 6 .6 :A al is 3:2:3, or 1.5:1:1.5, and correlated very well with the observed ratios for the polystyrene sample for several delay times of 1 second. The ratio calculations used to check the integration and verify peak assignments were performed by dividing the appropriate integral by the integral A 6 .6 Ratio A r is A 7 .1 /A 6 .6.
Region A 6 .6 was assigned the value of 1. Ratio Al is integral A al /A 6 .6. All spectra collected have the expected 1.5:1:1.5 integration ratio of (o+p): m: (α+b). The ratio of aromatic to aliphatic protons is 5 to 3. An aliphatic ratio of 2 to 1 is predicted based on the protons labeled α and b respectively in FIG. 1. This ratio was also observed when the two aliphatic peaks were integrated separately.
For the ethylene/styrene interpolymers, the 1 H NMR spectra using a delay time of one second, had integrals C 7 .1, C 6 .6, and C al defined, such that the integration of the peak at 7.1 ppm included all the aromatic protons of the copolymer as well as the o & p protons of aPS. Likewise, integration of the aliphatic region C al in the spectrum of the interpolymers included aliphatic protons from both the aPS and the interpolymer with no clear baseline resolved signal from either polymer. The integral of the peak at 6.6 ppm C 6 .6 is resolved from the other aromatic signals and it is believed to be due solely to the aPS homopolymer (probably the meta protons). (The peak assignment for atactic polystyrene at 6.6 ppm (integral A 6 .6) was made based upon comparison to the authentic sample of polystyrene having a molecular weight (Mw) of about 192,000, This is a reasonable assumption since, at very low levels of atactic polystyrene, only a very weak signal is observed here. Therefore, the phenyl protons of the copolymer must not contribute to this signal. With this assumption, integral A 6 .6 becomes the basis for quantitatively determining the aPS content.
The following equations were then used to determine the degree of styrene incorporation in the ethylene/styrene interpolymer samples:
(CPhenyl)=C.sub.7.1 +A.sub.7.1 -(1.5×A.sub.6.6)
(CAliphatic)'=C.sub.al -(1 5×A.sub.6.6)
s.sub.c =(CPhenyl)/5
e.sub.c =(CAliphatic-(3×s.sub.c))/4
E=e.sub.c /(e.sub.c +s.sub.c)
S.sub.c =s.sub.c /(e.sub.c +s.sub.c)
and the following equations were used to calculate the mol % ethylene and styrene in the interpolymers. ##EQU1##
where: s c and e c are styrene and ethylene proton fractions in the interpolymer, respectively, and S c and E are mole fractions of styrene monomer and ethylene monomer in the interpolymer, respectively.
The weight percent of aPS in the interpolymers was then determined by the following equation: ##EQU2##
The total styrene content was also determined by quantitative Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
Preparation of Ethylene/Styrene Interpolymers (ESI's) Used in Examples and Comparative Experiments of Present Invention
1) Preparation of ESI #'s 1-3
ESI #'s 1-3 are substantially random ethylene/styrene interpolymers prepared using the following catalyst and polymerization procedures.
Preparation of Catalyst A;(1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethyl(t-butylamido)-silanetitanium 1,4-diphenylbutadiene)
1) Preparation of lithium 1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl
To a 250 ml round bottom flask containing 1.42 g (0.00657 mole) of 1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene and 120 ml of benzene was added dropwise, 4.2 ml of a 1.60 M solution of n-BuLi in mixed hexanes. The solution was allowed to stir overnight. The lithium salt was isolated by filtration, washing twice with 25 ml benzene and drying under vacuum. Isolated yield was 1.426 g (97.7 percent). 1H NMR analysis indicated the predominant isomer was substituted at the 2 position.
2) Preparation of (1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethylchlorosilane
To a 500 ml round bottom flask containing 4.16 g (0.0322 mole) of dimethyldichlorosilane (Me 2 SiCl 2 ) and 250 ml of tetrahydrofuran (THF) was added dropwise a solution of 1.45 g (0.0064 mole) of lithium 1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl in THF. The solution was stirred for approximately 16 hours, after which the solvent was removed under reduced pressure, leaving an oily solid which was extracted with toluene, filtered through diatomaceous earth filter aid (Celite™), washed twice with toluene and dried under reduced pressure. Isolated yield was 1.98 g (99.5 percent).
3. Preparation of (1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethyl(t-butylamino)silane
To a 500 ml round bottom flask containing 1.98 g (0.0064 mole) of (1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethylchlorosilane and 250 ml of hexane was added 2.00 ml (0.0160 mole) of t-butylamine. The reaction mixture was allowed to stir for several days, then filtered using diatomaceous earth filter aid (Celite™), washed twice with hexane. The product was isolated by removing residual solvent under reduced pressure. The isolated yield was 1.98 g (88.9 percent).
4. Preparation of dilithio (1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethyl(t-butylamido)silane
To a 250 ml round bottom flask containing 1.03 g (0.0030 mole) of (1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethyl(t-butylamino)silane) and 120 ml of benzene was added dropwise 3.90 ml of a solution of 1.6 M n-BuLi in mixed hexanes. The reaction mixture was stirred for approximately 16 hours. The product was isolated by filtration, washed twice with benzene and dried under reduced pressure. Isolated yield was 1.08 g (100 percent).
5. Preparation of (1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethyl(t-butylamido)silanetitanium dichloride
To a 250 ml round bottom flask containing 1.17 g (0.0030 mole) of TiCl 3 .3THF and about 120 ml of THF was added at a fast drip rate about 50 ml of a THF solution of 1.08 g of dilithio (1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethyl(t-butylamido)silane. The mixture was stirred at about 20° C. for 1.5 h at which time 0.55 gm (0.002 mole) of solid PbCl 2 was added. After stirring for an additional 1.5 h the THF was removed under vacuum and the reside was extracted with toluene, filtered and dried under reduced pressure to give an orange solid. Yield was 1.31 g (93.5 percent).
6. Preparation of (1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethyl(t-butylamido)silanetitanium 1,4-diphenylbutadiene
To a slurry of (1H-cyclopenta[1]phenanthrene-2-yl)dimethyl(t-butylamido)silanetitanium dichloride (3.48 g, 0.0075 mole) and 1.551 gm (0.0075 mole) of 1,4-diphenyllbutadiene in about 80 ml of toluene at 70° C. was add 9.9 ml of a 1.6 M solution of n-BuLi (0.0150 mole). The solution immediately darkened. The temperature was increased to bring the mixture to reflux and the mixture was maintained at that temperature for 2 hrs. The mixture was cooled to about -20° C. and the volatiles were removed under reduced pressure. The residue was slurried in 60 ml of mixed hexanes at about 20° C. for approximately 16 hours. The mixture was cooled to about -25° C. for about 1 h. The solids were collected on a glass frit by vacuum filtration and dried under reduced pressure. The dried solid was placed in a glass fiber thimble and solid extracted continuously with hexanes using a soxhlet extractor. After 6 h a crystalline solid was observed in the boiling pot. The mixture was cooled to about -20° C., isolated by filtration from the cold mixture and dried under reduced pressure to give 1.62 g of a dark crystalline solid. The filtrate was discarded. The solids in the extractor were stirred and the extraction continued with an additional quantity of mixed hexanes to give an additional 0.46 gm of the desired product as a dark crystalline solid.
Polymerization for ESI #'s 1-3
ESI's 1-3 were prepared in a continuously operating loop reactor (36.8 gal. 139 L). An Ingersoll-Dresser twin screw pump provided the mixing. The reactor ran liquid full at 475 psig (3,275 kPa) with a residence time of approximately 25 minutes. Raw materials and catalyst/cocatalyst flows were fed into the suction of the twin screw pump through injectors and Kenics static mixers. The twin screw pump discharged into a 2" diameter line which supplied two Chemineer-Kenics 10-68 Type BEM Multi-Tube heat exchangers in series. The tubes of these exchangers contained twisted tapes to increase heat transfer. Upon exiting the last exchanger, loop flow returned through the injectors and static mixers to the suction of the pump. Heat transfer oil was circulated through the exchangers' jacket to control the loop temperature probe located just prior to the first exchanger. The exit stream of the loop reactor was taken off between the two exchangers. The flow and solution density of the exit stream was measured by a MicroMotion.
Solvent feed to the reactor was supplied by two different sources. A fresh stream of toluene from an 8480-S-E Pulsafeeder diaphragm pump with rates measured by a MicroMotion flowmeter was used to provide flush flow for the reactor seals (20 lb/hr (9.1 kg/hr). Recycle solvent was mixed with uninhibited styrene monomer on the suction side of five 8480-5-E Pulsafeeder diaphragm pumps in parallel. These five Pulsafeeder pumps supplied solvent and styrene to the reactor at 650 psig (4,583 kPa). Fresh styrene flow was measured by a MicroMotion flowmeter, and total recycle solvent/styrene flow was measured by a separate MicroMotion flowmeter. Ethylene was supplied to the reactor at 687 psig (4,838 kPa). The ethylene stream was measured by a Micro-Motion mass flowmeter. A Brooks flowmeter/controller was used to deliver hydrogen into the ethylene stream at the outlet of the ethylene control valve.
The ethylene/hydrogen mixture combined with the solvent/styrene stream at ambient temperature. The temperature of the entire feed stream as it entered the reactor loop was lowered to 2° C. by an exchanger with -10° C. glycol on the jacket. Preparation of the three catalyst components took place in three separate tanks: fresh solvent and concentrated catalyst/cocatalyst premix were added and mixed into their respective run tanks and fed into the reactor via variable speed 680-S-AEN7 Pulsafeeder diaphragm pumps. As previously explained, the three component catalyst system entered the reactor loop through an injector and static mixer into the suction side of the twin screw pump. The raw material feed stream was also fed into the reactor loop through an injector and static mixer downstream of the catalyst injection point but upstream of the twin screw pump suction.
Polymerization was stopped with the addition of catalyst kill (water mixed with solvent) into the reactor product line after the Micro Motion flowmeter measuring the solution density. A static mixer in the line provided dispersion of the catalyst kill and additives in the reactor effluent stream. This stream next entered post reactor heaters that provided additional energy for the solvent removal flash. This flash occurred as the effluent exited the post reactor heater and the pressure was dropped from 475 psig (3,275 kPa) down to 450 mmHg (60 kPa) of absolute pressure at the reactor pressure control valve.
This flashed polymer entered the first of two hot oil jacketed devolatilizers. The volatiles flashing from the first devolatizer were condensed with a glycol jacketed exchanger, passed through the suction of a vacuum pump, and were discharged to the solvent and styrene/ethylene separation vessel. Solvent and styrene were removed from the bottom of this vessel as recycle solvent while ethylene exhausted from the top. The ethylene stream was measured with a MicroMotion mass flowmeter. The measurement of vented ethylene plus a calculation of the dissolved gases in the solvent/styrene stream were used to calculate the ethylene conversion. The polymer and remaining solvent separated in the devolatilizer was pumped with a gear pump to a second devolatizer. The pressure in the second devolatizer was operated at 5 mm Hg (0.7 kPa) absolute pressure to flash the remaining solvent. This solvent was condensed in a glycol heat exchanger, pumped through another vacuum pump, and exported to a waste tank for disposal. The dry polymer (<1000 ppm total volatiles) was pumped with a gear pump to an underwater pelletizer with 6-hole die, pelletized, spin-dried, and collected in 1000 lb boxes.
The various catalysts, co-catalysts and process conditions used to prepare the various individual ethylene styrene interpolymers (ESI #'s 1-3) are summarized in Table 1 and their properties are summarized in Table 2.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________Preparation Conditions for ESI #'s 1-3 Reactor Solvent Ethylene Hydrogen Styrene Ethylene ESI Temp Flow Flow Flow Flow Conversion B/Ti MMAO .sup.d /Ti Co- # ° C. lb/hr lb/hr sccm lb/hr % Ratio Ratio Catalyst Catalyst__________________________________________________________________________ESI 1- 73 445 33 432 115 92 6.0 13.0 A.sup.a B.sup.b ESI 2 100 470 64 998 55 95 6.0 16.0 A.sup.a B.sup.b ESI-3 61 386 20 0 100 88 3.50 2.5 A.sup.a B.sup.b__________________________________________________________________________ *N/A = not available .sup.a Catalyst A is; (1Hcyclopenta[l]phenathrene2-yl)dimethyl(t-butylamido)-silanetitanium 1,4diphenylbutadiene) .sup.b Cocatalyst B is tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, (CAS# 00110915-5),. .sup.c a modified methylaluminoxane commercially available from Akzo Nobe as MMAO3A (CAS# 14690579-5)
TABLE 2______________________________________Properties of ESI #'s 1-3. Copolymer Copolymer Melt Index, Styrene Styrene atactic PS I.sub.2 ESI # (wt. %) (mol. %) (wt %) (g/10 min)______________________________________ESI-1 68.1 19.5 3.0 0.96 ESI-2 38.8 37.5 0.4 0.74 ESI-3 69.5 38.0 8.9 0.94______________________________________
Polystyrene Blend Components
PS 1 is a granular polystyrene having a weight average molecular weight, Mw, of 296,000 and a polydispersity, M w /M n , of 2.7.
PS 2 is a granular polystyrene having a weight average molecular weight, Mw, of 148,700 and a polydispersity, M w /M n , of 5.5.
Examples 1-2.
A foaming process comprising a single-screw extruder, mixer, coolers and die was used to make foam sheets. HCFC-22 was used as the blowing agent at a level of 5.7 part-per-hundred resin (phr) to foam PS and PS/ESI blends. Talc was used as nucleator. All foams were made at 140° C. Table 3 summarizes the foam properties:
Example 3
A foaming process comprising a single-screw extruder, mixer, coolers and die was used to make foam planks. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) was used as the blowing agent at a level of 4.7 phr, to foam polystyrene and a blend of polystyrene with ESI. The other additives were: hexabromocyclododecane=2.5 phr; barium stearate=0.2 phr; blue pigment=0.15 phr; tetrasodiumpyrophosphate=0.2 phr; linear low density polyethylene=0.4 phr. The foaming temperature was 123° C.
The data from Examples 1-3 show that the heat distortion temperatures of the foams of the present invention were significantly higher than those of the Comparative foams made without the substantially random interpolymer blend component. Additionally, the other physical and mechanical properties of the foams were generally similar to, or better than, those of the comparative foams.
TABLE 3__________________________________________________________________________Increased heat distortion temperatures with PS/ESI blends, using HCFC-22as Blowing Agent. Tear Tear Tensile Tensile Compression Blend foam Ht Distn. Strength Elongatio n strength Elongation Creep (%) Composition Talc thickness density % open av cell Temp (kN/m) (%) (MPa) (%) ASTM D3575 Ex # wt % (phr) mm kg/m3 cells size mm ° C. MD (CD) MD (CD) MD (CD) MD (CD) suffix BB__________________________________________________________________________Ex 1 85% PS1/15% 0.5 3.2 72.9 13.6 0.84 85 6.5(6.6) 4.6(4.5) 1.89(1.54) 10.3(7.8) 4.0 ESI 1 Ex 2 85% PS1/15% 0.9 2.5 74.9 14.0 0.68 85 8.5(7.5) 4.0(3.4) 2.57(1.78) 10.9(9.3) 2.6 ESI 1 Comp 1 100 wt % PS1 0.5 2.6 68.4 7.7 0.49 74 5.9(5.9) 2.4(3.0) 2.31(1.83 ) 7.5(7.3) 4.2 Comp 2 85% PS1/15% 0.9 2.3 82.9 14.7 0.70 74 8.8(7.9) 4.0(3.4) 2.45(1.96) 8.6(9.2) 2.8 ESI 2__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE 4__________________________________________________________________________Increased heat distortion temperatures with PS/ESI blends, using CO.sub.2as Blowing Agent. Ht Distn. EDC (%) thickness foam density % open av cell size Temp WD (%) ASTM Ex # Blend Composition mm kg/m.sup.3 cells mm ° C. DIN 18164 C578-83__________________________________________________________________________Ex 3 95% PS2/5% ESI 3 37 40.9 18.8 0.34 97 1.9 Pass Comp 3 100 wt % PS2 48 37.9 4.1 0.28 82 1.3 Pass__________________________________________________________________________
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The present invention pertains to improved alkenyl aromatic polymer foams (and processes for their preparation) having increased heat distortion temperature and improved dimensional stability while maintaining good tensile/tear, creep and environmental dimensional change properties.
The closed cell low density alkenyl aromatic polymer foams exhibit increased heat distortion temperature, when substantially random interpolymers of about 21 to about 65 mol % styrene are blended in. When these same alkenyl aromatic polymer foams are made without these interpolymers, the heat distortion temperature is not improved.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority of provisional patent application 61/670,811, filed on 12 Jul. 2012, the content of which are incorporated herein in its entirety.
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to a manner by which to protectively enclose a package that is either delivered to an address or is awaiting delivery from an address, without requiring availability or presence of the recipient or sender. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus, and an associated method that, in general: allows a package to be picked up or delivered with only the participation and coordination of the delivery driver at a multitude of various customer locations; protects the package or object from weather and theft until such time as the delivery or pick-up takes place; provides a means of maintaining accountability and notifying the sender or receiver that the delivery or pick-up has occurred; offers targeted advertising to logistics/delivery companies; provides night, weekend or holiday delivery and pick-up capability; and offers significant delivery and pick-up efficiencies.
[0003] The personal package box is placed on or near the address mailbox, gate, doorstep, driveway, fence, store exterior, office building lobby, or gated community entry way. The box is expandable, such that it will accommodate any number of various sized objects from a standard envelope to a larger sized parcel package. The package box maintains a locking device or multiple locking devices such that the box is accessible by the individual delivering or picking up the package and by the customer who is sending or receiving the package. The personal package box will maintain, on the exterior or interior, a bar code, UPC symbol, or other identification device that is unique and identifies a specific address and/or a specific customer. This identification device will be used and, ideally, scanned by carrier personnel to confirm and account for delivery or pick-up of an item and, ultimately, to send notification to the customer by means of an automated text, email or phone system. The above apparatus and associated method will provide excellent protection for a parcel and reduce or eliminate the current requirement for a package delivery or receipt customer to be available for the transaction.
BACKGROUND
[0004] The history of parcel post delivery is a story of progress and change for the United States of America and, essentially, any developed nation. Communication ability is a distinguishing feature of the human being and has been desired, required and challenged since the dawn of time. From the early days of mail delivery by foot or beast (e.g. horse), this means of communication has capitalized on every advance made by humans in the areas of writing, packaging and transportation. From foot to horse, carriage to train, boat to plane, the capabilities for transferring and transporting communication between individuals has at least kept pace with current means, if not offered new motivation and profit for making the process of delivering various forms of communication more efficient and more expedient.
[0005] Eventually, as populations grew, travelled and moved, communication requirements increased as did the need for larger system capacity, efficiency and economies of scale. In fact, no longer were delivered items restricted to the small letter or hand-written communication. In time, individuals gained the ability to send other items such as clothes and linens, tools, gold, money, valuables, books, medical supplies, computers and whatever else one might desire to send to or purchase from one another. With the introduction of catalogue sales a completely new realm was entered. Where once an individual had to physically visit the point of sale, purchase and bring home the item, he or she could now simply order an item by phone or order form and have it delivered by parcel post. And then began the widespread use of the internet as a purchasing tool. The ability to see, compare, purchase and have an item shipped to a household without ever leaving home not only becomes easier, but seems on track to replace any other method of commerce.
[0006] Although the methods through which one is able to select and pay for goods purchased by phone or internet have become more flexible, user-friendly and convenient, there remains a challenge and burden that is not very flexible or convenient—the requirement to be available and ultimately sign for a delivered good of any significant value. In short, for example, after all of the convenience of selecting a product on the internet, from thousands of options of retailers and like items, at any hour of the day or night, paying by check, bank account, credit card, PayPal, etc. there remains the inconvenient requirement to be available, typically during business hours, for the delivery of the item that was so easily purchased and paid for.
[0007] In a world with an almost equal amount of women in the workforce as men, we are left with a great many households that cannot and do not want to be available for delivery during the “work day” or weekend at their residence or place of business. Even the women or men who do not work enjoy spending their day at the gym, on errands, a doctor appointment, at a child's school or extracurricular activity, on the golf course, at the beach, on vacation or any other endeavor that involves or requires absence from their residence. At present the package is either delivered on schedule with coordination and inconvenience to the customer and agent, re-delivered at a later date at a cost and inconvenience to the customer and shipper, is left, without customer availability, unattended and unprotected from weather and theft, or is required to be picked up at a central location during business hours, which is, again, an inconvenience to the customer and a cost to the shipper who services and maintains such a location.
[0008] It serves to reason that all involved, from the delivery company and its tracking service, to the driver servicing the address, to the individual making themselves available for pick-up or delivery, will benefit from a system that does not require both the coordination of driver and customer nor the eventual customer's presence when a delivery or pick-up is made. This challenge is even more significant in rural areas where the address is either remote, difficult to find, fenced and gated with no access to the typical front door delivery that is common in urban areas (drivers and customers are still required to either coordinate and arrange a meeting at the gate or offer access to the gate which involves more driver time to consummate the transaction), or is located on a property that requires a significant amount of foot travel or vehicle driving to reach the transaction point—typically a front door. Exacerbating the problem is the remote location where a driver may travel many miles to deliver one package with no intermediate, revenue building stops along the way. If this trip is fruitless and a package is not delivered, or the driver meets unacceptable delays, this entire process must be repeated at another date for additional cost to customer and shipper. Other, similar challenges lie in the delivery or pick-up from communal living addresses such as apartments or trailer parks or weekend deliveries to businesses that may not choose to operate on the weekends.
[0009] Even if the exchange, via pick-up or delivery, is executed perfectly, given the inconvenience to all involved, there remains the time consuming elements of the exchange that practically cannot be avoided and come at a cost. These time consuming activities include, but are not limited to: delivery agent walking up driveway or through yard; delivery agent waiting for customer to answer door; delivery agent taking the time to have customer sign for item and possibly partake in idle conversation that detracts from the bottom line; delivery agent walking or driving back down driveway or through yard. If the exchange is not executed perfectly the delivery agent is left waiting for customer at the gate or door and, perhaps, not making the delivery at all—which will require the whole process to be repeated.
[0010] Costs of failed delivery on the first attempt include, but are not limited to: fuel costs to and from the location for all attempts; driver time and associated wages for all trips; re-stock of item to be re-delivered; handling, tracking and scheduling of item to be re-delivered; storage costs and required capacity for undelivered items at the micro and macro level; intangible costs of perceived or real mistakes and miscommunications made by delivery agent/carrier in the eyes of customer, possibly influencing future service purchase decisions. The personal package box offers a dependable, consistent, one-stop pick-up or delivery option.
[0011] Exacerbating the risk is the fact that the delivery company is responsible for a parcel until delivery to the mutual customer. Challenges to this responsibility include theft and weather (precipitation, wind, storms, etc.). At present, even items that can be left without a signature or customer presence are susceptible to both thieves and the elements. The current solution involves, for example, a plastic bag that offers limited protection from the elements and no protection from thieves or severe conditions.
SUMMARY
[0012] A personal package box will solve many, if not all of the current challenges to efficiency, safety, security, convenience, flexibility, cost savings and consistency of service. The package box offers a dependable receptacle for the majority of delivered goods at the closest point of access to a property, increasing efficiency of delivery or pick-up, and making 24 hour, 365 day delivery options possible. The personal package box offers protection from the destructive elements of weather or pilfering efforts of thieves. In addition, the package box system will provide the necessary accountability, tracking and responsibility required of a valuable good while allowing the recipient or sender to carry on with their daily lives. The unique address or customer specific device, e.g. UPC code, will provide a substitute option for the standard signature delivery by validating a delivery or pick-up at the intended location, with confidence. The package box will allow a logical conclusion to the exchange, via the widely accepted methods of text, email and phone, without requiring the customer to be available at time of delivery.
[0013] Additional benefits that may be more difficult to quantify, but are nevertheless a benefit to the parcel carrier include, but are not limited to: customer satisfaction and loyalty; pulled demand for the service provided—for example, from customer to mass merchandiser to delivery company—in essence, the customer of the merchant demands the convenience of a shipping method that can deliver the product of a mass merchandiser through a method that adds greater benefit to the entire transaction process; advertising and branding—on the box and visible to all neighbors or passers-by; increased sales of pick-up service via more convenient method and accountability; and communal living opportunities and efficiencies through central delivery or pick-up box rather than item left at much travelled doorstep or signed for by inconvenienced customer.
[0014] Customer satisfaction will be an immediate realization to any individual who has been forced to be available for and coordinate a delivery or pick-up, often for an item that is likely not worth the time they take off work or another more rewarding activity. This satisfaction will drive demand for the convenience, flexibility, and practicality offered by the personal package box.
[0015] Demand, through the benefits of [0013], will influence mass-marketer behavior and service contracts through either the direct request of the customer or through perceived benefits to the entire process of sale and delivery.
[0016] Advertising, through branding and an image on the package box, will be focused and directed toward specific potential customers, neighbors, and will have unlimited visibility on a daily basis. Sales will be promoted through word of mouth by credible spokesman—friends and neighbors. The benefits and practicality will be espoused freely and credibly, rather than being “sold” by a commercial or ad campaign. Further, the process by which the box works will be easily understood by the average person who sees the box just one time.
[0017] Sales of pick-up service will increase with the relaxed requirement for availability during business hours that is required at present, especially for the shipment of valuable or sensitive items and documents. This service will also offer the same one stop option as listed above where there is no coordination required and pick-up is assured. Easing the typical constraints to sending packages from home is the option to have more envelopes and empty containers left for the customer who simply orders more by phone or internet.
[0018] The package box offers in a larger, more central application, the ability to service communal living from a single location, magnifying savings and efficiencies. In the form of a single box with several package receptacles and a unique UPC sticker, e.g., for each unit, the central package box can serve all of the units of an apartment, trailer park, condominium, gated neighborhood, military housing, or other similar communal living arrangement. The benefits in time, flexibility, efficiency and security will be realized by all, regardless of whether the customer is available or not.
[0019] In general and in short, the package box offers a multitude of benefits to the package delivery company, e-commerce industry and the mutual customer of both. In addition to the one stop transaction consistency and dependability there are many other efficiencies, conveniences, cost savings and security measures realized by all involved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a representative of the apparatus for receiving or delivering a package of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates another representation of the apparatus for receiving or delivering a package shown in FIG. 1 , here illustrated in an expanded state, such as to receive or deliver a larger package than the non-expanded state.
[0022] FIG. 2A illustrates another representation of the apparatus for receiving or delivering a package shown in FIG. 2 , here also illustrated in an expanded state, but with several modifications that embody a preferred application of the present disclosure, also designed to receive or a deliver a larger package than the non-expanded state. Generally, this application combines all of the locking and envelope slot options into a front door access point and includes five solid, enclosed sides.
[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1-2 , showing representative embodiment of a lid or covering mechanism that encloses and secures an expanded state for the method of receiving or delivering a package.
[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates a portion of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1-2A , showing the unique, distinguishing element that identifies a specific address and is used to notify the customer of delivery or pick-up.
[0025] FIG. 5 illustrates a method flow diagram representative of the method of operation of an embodiment of the present method of invention with respect to package delivery or pick-up.
[0026] FIG. 6 illustrates a method flow diagram representative of the method of operation of the embodiment of the present method of invention with respect to the accountability and transmittal of delivery or pick-up consummation and ultimate notification of end customer to the same.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The present disclosure, accordingly, advantageously provides an apparatus, and an associated method, by which to protectively enclose and hold an envelope, package or other shipped item, collectively referred to as a “package”, that has been delivered or that is awaiting pick-up for delivery. The disclosed method removes the requirement for a customer, recipient or shipper, to be available at the time of pick-up or delivery, protects the package until pick-up or after delivery from thieves and the elements, provides both the accountability for a verified, safe and secure transaction as well as a system for notifying or alerting the customer that the transaction has been completed, allows for 24 hour, 365 day delivery, and provides an effective advertising medium.
[0028] Through operation of an implementation of the present disclosure, a manner is provided by which protectively to enclose a package of a larger size than the enclosure occupies in its normal form. This operation involves and includes the ability to expand in size while maintaining the same protective function and benefit of the reduced size.
[0029] Through operation of an additional implementation of the present disclosure, a manner is provided by which a bar code, UPC symbol or other device is used to establish, maintain and identify a specific address or customer. The implementation of this method may be utilized to track a given package, account for and verify delivery or pick-up of a package, substitute a signature requirement, and alert or notify a customer of the delivery or pick-up of the package. The notification method includes, but is not limited to, email, text, phone or any other commonly accepted communication method. Notification is initiated, for example, by a handheld bar code scanner or other similar device that is used by delivery personnel to scan the address specific code or marking. The scanning device then relays a signal to the appropriate computer based software or routing system which, ultimately, sends a notification to the customer and identifies the transactions as complete to the shipping company.
[0030] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a square, rectangular or other appropriate shape, collectively referred to as a “box” or “enclosure”, is formed of a light weight but durable material such as sheet metal, plastic, fiberglass, or aluminum. The material exhibits characteristics that protect from the elements of weather such as wind, rain, hail, snow, sleet and any other production of nature that threatens the physical integrity of a parcel package. In addition, although not “theft proof” the box will be constructed of such materials, means and design so as to offer a “theft resistant” quality, comparable to that found in any other similarly manufactured, sealed and locked apparatus.
[0031] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the outer box is constructed such that it is sealed on all sides and corners, whether in a compact or expanded state, and provides a barrier against weather or theft. However, the composition of the box allows for access by a package delivery agent or the owner of the box apparatus. Access is made possible by a lid, door, or other widely understood and accepted method of access to the interior of a box.
[0032] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the common, compact size of the package box is expandable into larger dimensions while maintaining the same contact point and basic area in space. As an example, the front of the box is pulled out on a hinge or rail system similar to a standard cabinet or drawer. As the “drawer” is pulled out to its maximum capacity it is then locked in place to become a solid receptacle for the package, exhibiting many of the structural integrity characteristics of the box in its normal or compact state. This method allows the disclosed apparatus to accept a larger package than could be achieved with a smaller, standard, rigid size, while still allowing the box to take up less space, be less cumbersome and more aesthetically pleasing in its normal, compact state.
[0033] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a lid or covering apparatus will enclose the top of the expanded box and thus form the final side and security of the newly formed expanded shape. This system will use, for example, a rolling, segmented lid similar to that used on a rolling shop door, or a segmented collapsible mechanism much like that used on a garage door. Both exemplary methods may be capable of stopping at an intermediate position, if the situation warrants, or extended to the maximum capacity of the extended shape of the expanded box.
[0034] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a front door is included which will serve as the access point whether in a compact or expanded state. This front door utilizes a pivot point on any of the various sides, e.g. a hinged top, to offer full access to the interior of the box. In this exemplary method, the envelope slot and locking mechanisms are also contained on this access door to facilitate use in either compact or expanded state. Opening or closing, in this example, is accomplished by way of an attached handle.
[0035] In another aspect of the present disclosure, an envelope slot is provided to allow easy insertion of a small or large envelope without the requirement to open the box by other means. The slot will exhibit one or several characteristics that protect against the penetration of elements (e.g. rain) into the box. These characteristics include, but are not limited to: angle of attachment for protective shield, a rubber squeegee type attachment, a synthetic or natural bristled attachment, or other practical means of, for example, keeping the interior of the box dry in rainy conditions.
[0036] In another aspect of the present disclosure, one or more locking mechanisms are provided to secure the box and allow access by only authorized agents, customers or owners. The locking mechanism includes, for example, one of the following means: standard keyed lock, digital button or key pad, combination lock, electronic entry device (similar to the garage door opener, for example), or biometric device such as a hand, palm or fingerprint reader. In one application of the current method for example, a front door lock makes the box accessible to all delivery drivers via a key that allows a common access point to all package boxes served by a particular delivery service. In this example, also provided is a unique lock with a unique key used by the resident or customer that allows access by the same front door—essentially opening or closing both locks. The same is true for the delivery agent who gains access by one key that utilizes a mechanism that opens or closes both locks.
[0037] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the box utilizes multiple access points and, through the use of various locking mechanisms, access by separate methods for either the driver or customer. For example, one method may allow access by the delivery agent through a front access door, while the customer gains access through a back or side door. The top lid is another option for an access point.
[0038] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the package box uses an identification device such as a UPC symbol, standard bar code, unique number or symbol(s), or other decal or method that distinguishes and identifies a unique address for each customer. This identification device is placed on the interior or exterior of the box and is accessible for use by the delivery agent. The identification device is used to track package delivery, provide accountability for the delivery agent and, ultimately, to alert or notify the customer that a package has been delivered or picked up—thus reducing or eliminating the requirement for the customer to coordinate and be available for a given transaction, which is the essence and major goal of the entire system for both the delivery company and the customer. This customer/address unique symbol at a specific location, combined with the requirement for a carrier agent to be physically present in order to complete a scan, provides overwhelming evidence of package delivery or pick-up and is second only to a signature in accountability—which this process is also designed to replace.
[0039] In another aspect of the current disclosure, the identification method outlined in [0037] above is scanned, for example, by a handheld bar code scanner. As the item is scanned, the unique address and customer data is sent and then retrieved by a computer software or tracking system. This system subsequently alerts or notifies the customer by way, for example, of automated email, text, phone call, or any other current notification or communication transfer means. In essence, the customer, after ordering and expecting delivery of a package or placing an item to be delivered in the box, can go on about their daily lives and be assured that the package will be delivered or picked-up with a requisite amount of accountability and tracking by the delivery service.
[0040] In another aspect of the current disclosure, the box offers space for advertising and branding by either the exclusive delivery company with ownership or license to the box system, or a multitude of carriers that have access to the box and the motivation and desire to pay for such advertising.
[0041] In another aspect of the current disclosure, the package box may be placed in any convenient location that is accessible by the delivery agent and which does not impede or conflict with the United States Postal Service mail box. The placement options include, but are not limited to: attachment to mailbox; free-standing post behind or near mailbox; concrete pad in any convenient location; via brackets for a fence or gate; near the driveway by any various means; at the front door of a residence attached to a wall or pillar or through use of a bracket that allows for easy placement and removal of the box when not use; at a store front or side of the building (i.e. a common strip center access point); a central location for communal living such as an apartment complex, trailer park, condominium area, gated community, nursing home, military housing, office building lobby, etc.
[0042] In another aspect of the current disclosure, the package box may take on a significantly larger shape to accommodate communal living applications. In this application, for example, the box may have several large but segregated access points and spaces that allow the delivery of multiple packages to the same general location, but to different customers at distinct unit numbers. Differentiation and accuracy may be achieved by the application of a specific, unique bar code or UPC symbol, for example, for each unit that is serviced by the communal box. Each identification item is accessible by the delivery agent, for example, all posted on the side of the box. The driver is able to scan or otherwise enter the code for a particular resident, among many, thereby notifying only that particular customer of a delivery or pick-up. Access by the driver is via a common lock and key on each access point. Access by a specific customer is achieved, for example, by an access code to a digital lock that is sent in the text, email or phone notification message or through the use of common keys maintained by the apartment manager.
[0043] In these and other aspects, therefore, an apparatus, and an associated method is provided for protectively enclosing an object or package while awaiting pick-up or post-delivery. An outer box is provided that is capable of expansion to a larger shape with the same basic protective attributes. An entry method is provided by one or more various means that also includes one or more locking devices for access by a driver or customer. A unique symbol or device is provided to identify and subsequently notify a customer or box owner of a completed transaction, whether delivery or pick-up. A method is provided to take the initial, unique identification and translate it to a customized communication to the customer while also tracking or accounting for the completion of the service by the delivery company.
[0044] Turning first, therefore, to FIG. 1 , a protective enclosure, shown generally at 15 , provides a receptacle for an object or package. In the example presented in 15 , the enclosure is comprised of 6 connected sides: a top, a bottom, a front, a back and two sides. The example in 15 is constructed by way of any material or combination of materials that are commonly known to provide the requisite protection from elements of nature or theft, e.g., sheet metal, aluminum, plastic, fiberglass, or steel.
[0045] In the exemplary implementation shown in the figure, A, represents the front face of the enclosure in an enclosed, compact, non-expanded state. B illustrates an exemplary method of entry to the enclosure by way of a door or pull-out drawer, using either a hinged or rolling mechanism, respectively. In this example, either method of entry is complemented through the use of a handle, 56 , that is used assist with the opening of the door or drawer.
[0046] A rain cover device, C, is provided to cover and protect an envelope slot designated, in this example, by D. The slot, at D, is further protected, for example, by a material such as horse hair, a synthetic material, or rubber squeegee type device that fills the opening created by the slot, adds protection to the inner area of the box and enclosed package, while allowing deposit of an envelope through the same medium that protects the slot.
[0047] The protective enclosure, 15 , includes a method of secure access, in this example, through locking mechanisms found on the front face, A. Illustrated at 16 and 40 , either keyed device will open or close the other locking device, thereby allowing a secure means of opening and locking both locks by either an authorized delivery agent or customer.
[0048] The protective enclosure at 15 , in this exemplary illustration, will utilize a UPC code, at E, which identifies a unique address location and/or customer. This symbol, whether on the interior of the enclosure or on the outside, as depicted, is easily accessible by the delivery agent for scanning and entry into the tracking and notification system. In addition to a UPC symbol, the device is comprised of any other similarly effective means, e.g., bar code, customer or box number, alphanumeric symbol, or other similarly fashioned device that will allow the delivery agent to quickly access and scan and subsequently enter customer information into the system for tracking, accountability, and notification.
[0049] Turning next to FIG. 2 , the protective enclosure 15 is again shown. In the illustration of FIG. 2 , the protective enclosure in the form of a package box, is in an expanded configuration. That is to say, the protective enclosure has been enlarged, through manual means and mechanical options, to be of a greater shape and size than that of an enclosed, “normal” state. While expanded, G represents the expanded portion of the box that would otherwise be enclosed by the normal size, referenced in FIG. 1 . The expanded portion, G, is demonstrated in its fully expanded and locked position, but is capable, in other applications, of remaining locked and secure in any number of various intermediate positions. Actual size and utilization of the locking positions is at the discretion of the user, whether delivery agent or customer. In this example, only one, fully expanded position is illustrated.
[0050] Also identified in FIG. 2 , is an exemplary expandable drawer with four rigid sides: a bottom, a front, and two sides. In addition to these means of enclosing the expanded state, is the method of enclosing the top of the expansion by means of a moveable top apparatus, F. This top is, e.g., designed and constructed of a segmented, but attached and secure top, serving the function of a lid. In this example the lid has been moved to a fully closed position whereby the entire expansion is enclosed. This lid or top may be opened to deposit or retrieve a package. This closure is complemented by the use, for example, of a small handle on the top, front side of the lid, identified as 71 on FIG. 2 and contained within G.
[0051] It is in this expanded state, represented by FIG. 2 , that a package of larger dimensions than could be contained by the normal size in FIG. 1 , can be housed and protected by the larger condition of FIG. 2 . This increased capacity is of great benefit to both the customer and delivery agent by greatly increasing the capability of the enclosure to accommodate a wider breadth of deliverables in various shapes, sizes and dimension.
[0052] Turning now to FIG. 2A , an exemplary method of expansion of the package box is illustrated. This application is similar to FIG. 2 with respect to basic dimensions, capacity and utility. In this example however, the expanded state uses a solid top in place of the segmented access top delineated in FIG. 2 and on component G, as well as a front access door. The front access door, for example, utilizes a hinged top and bottom handle. The locking mechanisms, 16 and 40 , are contained on the door itself, versus the main compartment, to ease the locking/unlocking process whether the box is in a compact or expanded state. In addition the letter slot, reference D, is also now included on the front door access. All other attributes listed with FIG. 2 are exact or similar in nature, functionality and designed use.
[0053] The current disclosure in FIG. 2A is designed to open and provide access in the same fashion, whether in a compact or expanded state. Both states will utilize an open front door, illustrated by J, which provides the full capacity of the interior and is limited only by the size of the door itself which, in this example, encompasses the entire size of the height and width of the expansion at G.
[0054] Turning now to FIG. 3 , the lid is represented in two of many various means of enclosing the top of the expanded enclosure shape. In 34 , the lid is constructed as a round, roll type mechanism, H, closely associated with that of the typical roll-type shop door. The segments, at 86 , are capable of rolling together on H, to be contained within the normal, compact shape in FIG. 1 , or flattened in movement toward and to the expanded shape in FIG. 2 . An additional method, 46 , is provided to illustrate one alternate method that utilizes an accordion-style compaction method, much like a garage door, where the segments, 17 , are flattened together to stand on edge in a smaller shape that can once again be contained within the normal size of FIG. 1 , or expanded to a flatter dimension for use in the expanded shape of FIG. 2 .
[0055] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a unique identification device used in the method of implementation of the package enclosure that identifies a specific address and/or customer. The UPC symbol, represented by 51 , is an exemplary method of transmitting information, by way of a UPC or bar code scanner, that, once read, is capable of transmitting the address location of a delivered package or package pick-up, and also the method of transaction notification specified by and for the particular user or owner of the protective enclosure. 61 illustrates the uniquely sized bars used by a standard UPC symbol as well as the unique numbering convention, 48 , used by the same. One or both are used to identify specific information provided by the box and customer.
[0056] FIG. 5 illustrates a method, 119 , representative of the method of operation of an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method facilitates protective enclosure, accountability and information transmittal for a package delivery or pick-up.
[0057] First, as indicated by the block 121 , the delivery driver arrives at a particular address to deliver or pick-up a package. Then, and as indicated by the block 123 , the driver opens the package box with a universal key. And, as indicated by 129 or 130 , the driver picks-up or deposits a package, respectively. Subsequently, in 132 the driver scans the bar code or UPC. In 136 the unique address identified in 132 is located and entered into the computer/software system.
[0058] In the case of a package delivery, 144 , the system notifies a specific customer by way of, e.g., text, email or phone, that a package has been delivered. To complete the transaction in 149 , the customer retrieves the package from the protective enclosure.
[0059] In the case of a package pick-up, 146 , the system notifies a specific customer by way of, e.g., text, email, or phone, that a package has been picked up. In this case, 148 , the customer has the peace of mind that the package has been retrieved and is on its way and can now follow the progress of the shipment through the currently available tracking means.
[0060] FIG. 6 illustrates a method, 186 , representative of the method of operation of an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method facilitates accountability and information transmittal for a package delivery or pick-up.
[0061] First, as indicated by 81 , a UPC or bar code scanner is used to scan the code provided on the protective enclosure box. The unique information identified by the scan is then relayed through 83 , to a computer and software package for dissemination of information and further action by the system. The software package, 87 , identifies a unique address and/or customer and then, in 90 , transmits a specific customer name and data to the notification system.
[0062] Finally, in 92 , the notification system utilizes customer choice method(s) of delivery or pick-up alert and communicates the transaction to the customer by way of text, 95 , email, 96 , or phone call, 97.
[0063] Wide spread use of the box may allow a carrier, e.g., to “assist or help” the failing USPS and basically take over some of its routes, starting with rural delivery and pick up. For instance, the carrier delivers or picks up mail that is near the route it has to cover anyway. The driver picks up mail from the Post Office in the morning and then picks up and delivers mail along the route he must travel to deliver his own packages. The Post office changes to a smaller, more flexible group of drivers who do not have assigned routes. The USPS driver now only serves the areas not covered by the carrier in rural locations. The driver drops off all collected mail at the same location at the end of the day. The carrier benefits by adding revenue to a route it would have travelled anyway. The cost is increased time to complete the route. The USPS benefits long term by reducing the amount of required drivers and eventually their salaries, pensions and associated costs. The cost is revenue sharing with the carrier.
[0064] In other distribution methods, the mechanism is free to customers who do a requisite amount of business with the carrier. Additionally, a rebate program is provided to those who demonstrate use of the service and the carrier after a purchase or free to all who want it. The value is in the long term patronage and use of the apparatus, not necessarily in the one-time purchase of the box.
[0065] The carrier can create aesthetically pleasing color schemes to be more palatable to the customer, e.g., matching the paint schemes of fences, gates, mailboxes, or front door settings, etc. While also, producing more compact or even removable package boxes for urban settings where the front door atmosphere is more visible and critical.
[0066] Methods for ordering more shipping materials include an online request to be delivered in compact or collapsible form to the customer in their personal package box for use in delivery services. Additionally, operation provides customers with options for nights, weekends, or holiday deliveries and pick-ups.
[0067] Presently preferred implementations of the disclosure and many of its improvements and advantages have been described with a degree of particularity. The description is of preferred examples of implementing the disclosure, and the description of examples is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Variations and further embodiments are contemplated. For instance, additional methods to counter competition circumventing method of delivery alert include a push key pad, a unique number, etc. The scope of the disclosure is defined by the following claims.
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An apparatus, and associated method, facilitates delivery of a package to a recipient. A personal package box is installed at a destination location. The box contains a locking device that permits a delivery person to secure the package, once delivered. An identifier is maintained at the personal package box. The delivery person records the delivery of the package, using the identifier to identify the location of the delivery. An indication of the delivery is sent to the recipient to alert the recipient of the delivery.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a control system for a battery hybrid system, in which two types of batteries having different characteristics are used as power sources for an electromobile.
In most electromobiles, a lead battery has hitherto been used as a power source. This is because a lead battery is comparatively inexpensive and which is capable of discharging a large amount of current for a short period of time, upon acceleration of a electromobile. The lead battery, however, presents insufficiently high energy density (Wh/kg) to give an acceptably large mileage range to an electromobile. The five-hour term dicharge capacity of the lead battery, in general, ranges from 40 to 50 Wh/kg. An electromobile is therefore short in a possible mileage range, as compared with a gasoline motor vehicle of the same class, and this has been an obstacle in the practical use of the electromobile. In this connection, if the weight of the battery is increased for increasing a weight ratio of the battery to the vehicle, then the possible mileage range of the electromobile could be extended. This, however, results in the increase in the weight of an electromobile itself, thereby lowering the loading capability as well as lowering the performance of the electromobile.
On the other hand, the five-hour-term discharge capacity of a zinc-air battery or an iron-air battery ranges from 80 to 130 Wh/kg, which is twice as high as that of the lead battery. Such a battery, however, is not suited for an electromobile, because of its inability to discharge a large amount of current.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a control system for a battery hybrid system, wherein two types of batteries are used in combination for providing a power source system suited for an electromobile, one battery being high in energy density as in a zinc-air battery or an iron-air battery but unable to discharge a large amount of current (hereinafter referred to as an energy battery), and the other battery being capable to discharging a large amount of current as in a lead battery or a nickel-cadmium battery, but having lower energy density (hereinafter referred to as a power battery); and the characteristics of individual batteries being utilized to the fullest extent by controlling the discharge currents from the energy battery as well as from the power battery, thereby satisfying the various requirements for an electromobile and extending a possible mileage range thereof.
According to the present invention, a control system for a battery hybrid system is characterized in that two types of batteries of different characteristics, such as an energy battery and a power battery, are provided and respective batteries are controlled in a manner that the energy battery is used in a small current discharging range and the power battery is used in a large current discharging range thereby efficiently extracting energy from the individual batteries.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 plots energy density versus discharge current typical energy battery and power battery;
FIG. 2 is a plot representing power density versus discharge current of the above batteries;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control circuit of an electric motor, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an example of a chopper circuit;
FIG. 5 is an embodiment of a forced commutating circuit of thyristors for use in switching current from batteries used in the present invention;
FIG. 6 plots a voltage drop characteristic versus discharge current of the typical energy battery and power battery;
FIGS. 7 and 8 represent the wave forms, explaining the operation of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing in detail the construction of a control circuit available for the present invention; and
FIGS. 10a and 10b are pulse time charts explaining the operation of FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 is a plot of a characteristic of energy density (Wh/kg) versus discharge current (C), of an energy battery A and a power battery B. The plot shows that if a limitation is placed on the use of discharge current, then high energy for a predetermined weight of the battery may be extracted from the energy battery. Likewise, FIG. 2 shows a plot of a characteristic of power density (W/kg) versus dicharge current of the energy battery A and the power battery B. As is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, it should be desirable that, in small current discharging range, current is discharged from the energy battery, while in a large current discharging range, current be discharged from the power battery. Where it is desired to discharge current of an amount more than that at the reference point Is at which both batteries are equal in energy density, then such an amount of current should be discharged from the power battery.
An effective discharge current of the energy battery may be selected as that at a point, besides the reference point Is, at which the energy of both batteries is efficiently utilized, according to the weight (capacity) distribution of the batteries, although it depends upon the load condition, so that a possible mileage may be extended.
According to the present invention, there is provided a battery hybrid control system, wherein batteries of a dual system which are different in characteristics are provided as a power source; and one battery is high in energy density and used for discharging in a small current discharging range, while the other battery is high in power density and used for the discharging in a large current discharging range, whereby the various requirements for performance of an electromobile are satisfied, as well as energy of respective batteries is efficiently extracted therefrom, thereby extending a possible mileage.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Shown at 1 is an energy battery such as a zinc-air battery or an iron-air battery, at 2 a power battery such as a lead battery, or a nickel-cadmium battery, at 3 a battery-current switching control circuit, and at 3a and 3b switching elements. Shown at 4 is a chopper circuit, at 5 a smoothing DC reactor, at 6 an electric motor, at 7 a commutating circuit connected to thyristors in the battery-current-switching-control-circuit, at 8 an electronic controlling circuit for applying an ignition pulse required to respective thyristors in the chopper circuit or in the battery-current switching circuit, according to a control command from an accelerator 9 or from a brake device 10, thereby controlling the running of the electric motor, at 11a and 11b battery-current sensors, and at 12 a motor-current sensor. The construction of the chopper circuit 4 and the commutating circuit 7 for the battery-current switching thyristors are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Referring first to FIG. 4, shown at 4a is a reverse-conductive type thyristor which is adapted to be actuated as a main thyristor at the time of the heavy-load running and actuated as a commutating thyristor at the time of the braking action, and at 4b a reverse-conductive type thyristor adapted to be actuated as a main thyristor at the time of application of the braking action and adapted to be actuated as a commutating thyristor at the time of the heavy-load running. Shown at 4c is a reverse flow-blocking type thyristor which is used for charging the commutating thyristor as well as serving as a main thyristor at the time of braking action, at 4d a fly-wheel diode, and at 4f a commutating reactor. Referring to FIG. 5, shown at 7a is a commutating, reverse-conductive type thyristor, at 7b a diode for supplementarily supplying a current to a commutating condenser 7d, at 7c a current-supplementing resistor, and 7e a commutating reactor.
The principle of operation of the chopper circuit will be referred to in conjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4. The explanation will commence with the heavy-load running. At least one of the thyristors 3a and 3b and the thyristor 4c are ignited, thereby charging current from the battery 1 or 2 through the commutating reactor 4f to the commutating condenser 4e. Upon the termination of the charging to the condenser 4e, the respective thyristors will be turned off by itself. Subsequently, when either the element 3a or the element 3b and the main thyristor 4a are turned on in synchronism, then the terminal voltage of the battery will appear across the output terminals C and B of the chopper, whereby the motor current is allowed to flow. The motor current increases according to a circuit time-constant. If, after a given interval of time, the thyristor 4b is turned on, then the electric charge in the commutating condenser 4e will be discharged through the thyristor 4a and the reactor 4f, whereby the condenser current is reversed due to resonance in the reactor and the condenser, and the normal directional current in the thyristors 4a and 4b is offset, thus turning off these thyristors. The condenser current is charged through the reverse-directional diodes 4a and 4b to the condenser, thus imparting the initial polarity thereto. The motor current is fed toward the flywheel diode 4d and attenuates according to a circuit time-constant.
Thereafter, the cycle of operations described is repeated. If the turning-on interval and turning-on frequency of the pulse is changed, the current conducting ratio in the chopper may be controlled, and thereby the motor current as well as the motor speed may be controlled. The current conductng ratio is controlled by the control circuit 8. Upon the braking action, following the charging to the commutating condenser in a like manner, the thyristors 4b and 4c are simultaneously turned on. Then the motor current will be caused to flow according to a circuit time-constant in a manner to increase short-circuiting circuits by way of the reactor 5. If, after a given interval of time, the thyristor 4a is caused to be turned on, then electricity charged in the condenser 4e will be discharged through 4b and 4f, and eventually respective thyristors will be turned off through the process the same as in the heavy-load running due to the resonant phenomenon in the chopper circuit. A back electromotive force which is given rise to by the reactor is superposed on the motor voltage, and a motor current is caused to flow as a regenerative current through the reverse-directional diode of the thyristor 4a to the battery. The cycle of operations described is thereafter repeated.
The energy battery and the power battery in general, present a voltage drop characteristic, as plotted in FIG. 6, wherein the former is large in the internal resistance and hence presents a sharp voltage drop characteristic as represented by a line A, while the latter is slow in the voltage drop as represented by a line B, because of a small internal resistance. For this reason, the energy battery need be given an open-circuit voltage much higher than that of the power battery. Assuming that V OA , V OB and R OA , R OB are representative of the open-circuit voltage and the internal resistance of the energy battery and those of the power battery, respectively, and Is is the representative of an effective discharge current of the energy battery, then, ##EQU1##
Thus, the voltage of these batteries should desirably be determined to a level as high as that satisfying the above expression.
The energy battery is high in energy density, and the energy battery must be used within the limit of a discharge current which permits efficient extraction of energy from the battery, so that, in the range where the motor current is small, the thyristor 3a connected to the energy battery is caused to turn on in synchronism with the turning-on of the chopper so as to positively supply a current from the energy battery to the power battery. Where the discharge current from the energy battery exceeds the effective discharge current thereof as a result of an increase in motor current, then the thyristors 3a and 3b both are caused to turn on in synchronism with the turning-on of the chopper. If voltage drop and internal resistance in the thyristors are deemed as being included in the electromotive force and internal resistance of individual batteries, then the current distribution of the energy battery current i A and the power battery current i B is expressed as follows: ##EQU2## wherein I Q is: ##EQU3## and i C is an input current to the chopper, which is represented by: i A i B
i.sub.C = i.sub.A + i.sub.B (5)
assuming that im is representative of the mean value of the motor current, and δ is representative of the current conducting ration in the chopper, then the relationship as expressed by the following equation will be established between the mean value ic of the input current to the chopper and the mean value im of the motor current.
i.sub.C = i.sub.A + i.sub.B (6)
in the expression (2), when the motor current increases then
i.sub.A ≧ I.sub.S (7)
since it is undesirable that the discharge current from the energy battery exceeds a preset value of the effective discharge current of the energy battery, then the thyristor 7a is caused to turn on for a duration in which the thyristor 3a is conducting. On the other hand, electricity has been charged beforehand through the reactor 7e, diode 7b, and resistor 7c to the commutating condenser 7d. Thus, the electricity charged in the commutating condenser 7d is discharged through the thyristors 3a and 7a, and the normal-directional current across both thyristors will be off-set due to the resonant phenomenon which arises in the circuit, whereby the thyristor 3a is turned off, thereby blocking the discharge of current from the energy battery.
The motor current, which is required for the starting, accelerating or travelling on an upward road is extremely large and a heavy burden is imposed on the power battery, so that, during the interruption of the chopper or during a short stop of a vehicle, the power battery must be used, with the energy battery being charged, so as to avoid dissipation of energy of the power battery. To this end, immediately after the thyristor 3a has been rendered nonconductive, during the operation described, the thyristor 3a is again turned on, so that a current may be fed from the energy battery to the power battery. The current is given by the expression (4), according to a voltage difference between both batteries. Thus, the reverse directional diode of the thyristor 3b is rendered conductive, whereby the current is fed therethrough to the power battery. In case the thyristor 3a is conducting when the chopper becomes conductive, the thyristor 3a permits to flow the charging current to the power battery, without being turned off even if the chopper is rendered non-conductive. Thus, a turning-on pulse should not necessarily be given to the thyristor 3a. In case the thyristor 3a is non-conducting when the chopper is rendered conductive, then the thyristor 3a must be turned on after the chopper has been rendered non-conductive. The thyristor 3b is turned off by itself due to the interruption of the chopper.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show the current wave form, illustrating the operations described. FIG. 7 shows the case where a motor current iM is comparatively small; a vehicle is run by turning on the thyristors 3a and 3b simultaneously; and the discharge current iA from the energy battery does not exceed the preset value Is of the effective discharge current. Represented by iB is the power battery current. If the chopper is rendered conductive at the time t 0 and interrupted at the time t 1 , then the charging current (current shown by hatching) flows from the energy battery to the power battery for a duration from the interruption of the chopper until the chopper is again rendered conductive. Referring to FIG. 8, the motor current iM is of a large amount; and the chopper is rendered conductive at the time t 0 . Thus, the discharge current from the energy battery reaches the effective dicharge current at the time t' 1 . Consequently, the thyristor 3a will be turned off. Then, the power battery current, iB attends upon the motor current iM, thereby increasing current. If the chopper is rendered non-conductive at the time t 1 and in turn the thyristor 3a is turned on, then the charging current flows from the energy battery to the power battery. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the current conducting rate δ in the chopper is represented by the following expression:
δ = T.sub.1 /T (8)
also in the case where the chopper is maintained interrupted during a short stop of a vehicle, the thyristor 3a is turned on so that the charging current may be fed from the energy battery to the power battery.
At the time of the regenerative braking, it is effective to charge a large amount of current to the power battery which is high in the charging efficiency. To this end, a reverse-conductive type thyristor is employed for the thyristor 3b for switching the power battery current, so that the regenerative current may flow through the reverse-directional diode to the power battery, as shown in FIG. 3.
According to the present invention, energy of the energy battery having high energy density is effectively utilized for avoiding dissipation of energy of the power battery, so that a possible mileage of an electromobile may be extended without impairing the various performances thereof.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing in detail the construction of the control circuit as referred to FIG. 3, and FIG. 10 is a pulse time chart explaining the operation of the control circuit of FIG. 9. Referring to FIG. 9, shown at 801 is a command-signal controlling circuit, which is so arranged as to give a command signal for controlling a current conducting rate in the chopper, according to an output signal Acc from an accelerator 9 and an output signal Br from a brake device 10, and to determine the running mode such as a heavy-load running or the braking action, to thereby give a starting command to a pulse circuit. Designated 802 is a pulse generator, which is so arranged as to control the current conducting rate in the chopper, according to a deviation between the current-conducting-rate-command signal and the output from the motor current sensor 12, thereby producing pulses P 1 and P 2 as outputs. Shown at 803 is a running-mode-switching signal generator, which produces output signals X and Y according to the running mode such as the heavy-load running or the braking action, at 804 and 805 delayed pulse generators, which are provided for ensuring the time of operation for charging electricity to the commutating circuit for the thyristors and chopper, and at 806 a pulse generator, which compares the discharge current I B from the energy battery with the preset value Is of the proper discharge current of the energy battery, and produces a pulse signal if Is < I B . Designated 807 to 813 and 814 to 819 are logical circuits, which are indicated by positive logic and consist of AND gates and OR gates. The control circuit thus constructed operates in the manner shown in FIG. 10, in which reference (a) shows the heavy-load running and (b) shows the braking action. The current conducting rate δ in the chopper is represented by the following equation from the relationship of time between the pulses P 1 and P 2 :
δ = t.sub.1 (8)
the current conducting rate is controlled by controlling the time T 1 and the pulse frequency T to be repeated. The theoretical equations for operating the control circuit are as follows:
3a= P.sub.1 + P'.sub.1 X+ P'.sub.2 X
3b = P.sub. 1 + P'.sub.1 X
4a = P'.sub.1 X+ P'.sub.2 Y
4b = P.sub.1 X++ P'.sub.1 Y
4c = P.sub.1 + P'.sub.1 Y
7a = P.sub.3 + P.sub.2 Y (9)
according to the present invention, the energy battery high in energy density and the power battery having high power density are used in combination as a power source, so that the characteristic of the individual battery may be utilized to the fullest extent for the efficient use of respective batteries. This ensures an electromobile a high accelerating performance, a high capability of travelling an upward road and a high running performance at the maximum speed, as well as extension of the possible mileage of an electromobile.
In the embodiment shown, a zinc-air battery, etc., is used as an energy battery, but a fuel battery may be used although such a battery is rather disadvantageous when used for discharging a large current.
In the embodiment shown the effective discharge current Is of the energy battery is determined by a comparison with the discharge current of the power battery, but may be determined by taking other factors into account.
While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been set forth in detail with various modifications mentioned and the details being important in their own right, further embodiments, modifications and variations are contemplated according to the broader aspects of the present invention, all as determined by the spirit and scope of the following claims.
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An electric auto power supply has an energy battery which is capable of discharging a current for a comparatively long period of time and high in energy density, and a power battery which is capable of discharging a current of a comparatively high amperage and high in power density. The energy battery and the power battery are connected respectively by way of switching means in parallel relation to each other, so as to be used as a power source of an electromobile. The current discharged from these batteries is controlled, such that a current required for the travelling of the electromobile, which is dependent upon the travelling conditions thereof, is supplied simultaneously from both batteries, or separately from individual batteries, or otherwise only from one battery, while a current is being charged to the other battery, thus extending the possible mileage range of the electromobile.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/098,882 filed Sep. 2, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. This invention relates generally to connectors for constructing laminated pre-cast concrete walls and ceilings where it is desirable to incorporate a layer of insulation within the wall or ceiling. Further, the invention relates to a method of constructing such a laminated pre-cast wall or ceiling and an insertion device for use in practicing the method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Large buildings, especially warehouses or other such buildings having large wall and ceiling expanses, often make use of walls or ceilings constructed on location. These walls may be made from concrete block. However, such concrete block walls are time consuming to build and are highly labor intensive. To speed construction and lower costs, the walls may be constructed of reinforced concrete which is poured directly in the place where a wall is desired. However, such walls generally may only be poured to controlled heights and widths and require the use of expensive forming methods. Further, to insulate concrete block walls and poured in place walls, it is necessary to apply the insulation to the interior of the wall and to then frame around the insulation to form an interior wall which maintains the insulation in place while at the same time protecting the insulation and hiding it from general view.
To speed construction and lower costs, builders have resorted to walls which are poured flat on the ground, either on-site or at offsite locations. Likewise, concrete ceiling panels may be poured at ground level either on-site or at manufacturing facilities. These ceiling and wall panels are then lifted or tilted into place.
As energy costs have risen and the costs to heat and/or cool buildings has increased, the need to insulate buildings has increased dramatically. The principal solution to this need to insulate large wall and ceiling expanses in an esthetic manner has been the development of manufacturing wall sections in several plies. The lamination, or amalgamation of wythes or layers, generally consists of an outer non-structural concrete layer of minimal thickness next to which is placed an insulating board of the desired thermal barrier thickness. This lamination is then completed by the addition of a final concrete layer which is generally much thicker and steel reinforced. The added final ply thickness is the element that supports the wall section and incorporates it into the intended structure. To prohibit delamination, the several wythes or layers must somehow be fastened together into a solid immobile unit.
Previously, the fasteners used to connect the three layers have been rudimentary requiring intensive manual labor for insertion or use. Currently available commercial products require specially prepared insulating board materials that must be used in conjunction with their devices which are pre-drilled or pre-formed with the necessary holes through which the prior art connectors are inserted. Generally, the connectors and pre-holed insulation panels are sold by a common manufacturer which limits the user to a single source, generally higher priced, supplier.
The manufacture of such a wall typically is performed on a horizontal casting bed, some other firm flat surface, or the concrete floor of the building it is intended to be part of. The first operation is to cast a thin layer, or concrete wythe, of the panel within the containing formwork. While the concrete is still wet and in a soft plastic state an insulating board which has prearranged holes spaced in repeating order is quickly placed over the wet concrete. Construction workers then proceed to insert the prior-art connecting devices through the holes in the insulating board and into the lower concrete layer while leaving a portion of the connector standing above the insulating board.
The insertion of the prior art connectors requires much manipulation and working by the workers because of the connector's construction. Further, after insertion, it is generally considered necessary for the workers to return to each inserted connector and to manually hand rotate 90°, after full insertion through the insulation board, each connector. The purpose of the rotation is to embed the connector in the wet concrete below. The consistency of insertion is impaired by the inevitable variations that occur when the workers repeat this operation thousands of times for a given number of wall panels in a building. The human factor alone contributes to inconsistent results. To make embedment fully effective most all current systems compound the potential for variation of results by recommending that the workers walk over the entire surface of the insulating board. This is done to force the wet concrete into recesses in the connecting devices for fuller envelopment of the connector stem in the wet concrete.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A connector is provided for use in forming a three ply concrete-insulation-concrete panel. The connector comprises a generally rod-shaped member having at least one angular fin extending from the rod causing the connector to rotate during insertion of the connector into the insulation layer and the first concrete layer. The connector preferably is generally rod shaped and includes three distinct segments. The first segment includes a pointed terminal end. Preferably, the first segment further includes two of angular fins spaced on opposite sides of the first segment. Even more preferably, the first segment includes four angular fins spaced about the circumference of the first segment.
The first segment further preferably includes at least one flat area spaced approximately 90° around the exterior circumference of said first segment from one of the fins. The connector also preferably further includes at least one flat area spaced approximately 270° around the exterior circumference of the first segment from one of said fins. More preferably, the at least one flat area spaced approximately 270° around the exterior circumference of the first segment from one of the fins comprises two flat acutely shaped triangular areas.
A connector is also provided for use in forming a three ply concrete-insulation-concrete panel where the connector is formed of glass filled nylon. The connector includes a first pointed end having sufficient sharpness to permit perforation of insulation board without the separation and displacement of an insulation plug.
A connector is also provided for use in forming a three ply concrete-insulation-concrete panel which comprises a generally rod-shaped member having a first end forming a sharpened point, a first body segment including four circumferentially spaced angled fins, a second body segment including at least two circumferentially spaced angled fins, and a third body segment having at least two circumferentially spaced flat segments. The connector preferably includes four circumferentially spaced angled fins on the second body segment and the connector is preferably formed from glass filled nylon.
A method of forming a multiply ceiling or wall panel is also provided. In the method, a first concrete face ply is poured at grade level. Unperforated insulation board is arranged on the uncured first concrete face ply in any desired arrangement. The insulation board is then perforated with a connector which passes through the insulation board and into the first concrete face ply such that a portion of the connector extends above the surface of the insulation board. A second concrete structural ply is then poured over the insulation board to engage the connector. In practicing this method, preferably, the connector comprises a generally rod-shaped member having at least one angular fin extending from the rod causing the connector to rotate during insertion of the connector into the insulation layer and the first concrete layer. The generally rod shaped member preferably includes three distinct segments of which the first segment of includes at least two angular fins, and more preferably four angular fins, evenly spaced about the first segment.
Preferably, in practicing the method, the connector is inserted into the insulation board using an insertion tool which releasably maintains the connector in an insertion position.
An insertion tool for inserting a connector into an unperforated insulation board is also provided. The insertion tool comprises a handle, a barrel, and a tubular holder for holding the connector in a releasable position. The insertion tool tubular holder preferably includes means for maintaining the connector within the insertion tool until release is desired. Preferably, the means for maintaining the connector within the insertion tool until release is desired comprises a spring. Also preferably, the insertion tool barrel is of sufficient length to permit insertion of the connector by a man in a standing position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 a shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a connector according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 b shows a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 1 a, the connector having been rotated 180° about its long axis.
FIG. 1 c shows a side view of the connector of FIG. 1 a.
FIG. 1 d shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 1 c, the connector having been rotated about its long axis 90°.
FIG. 1 e shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 1 d, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 1 f shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 1 e, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 2 a shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a connector according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 b shows a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 2 a, the connector having been rotated 180° about its long axis.
FIG. 2 c shows a side view of the connector of FIG. 2 a.
FIG. 2 d shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 2 c, the connector having been rotated about its long axis 90°.
FIG. 2 e shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 2 d, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 2 f shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 2 e, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 3 a shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of a connector according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 b shows a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 3 a, the connector having been rotated 180° about its long axis.
FIG. 3 c shows a side view of the connector of FIG. 3 a.
FIG. 3 d shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 3 c, the connector having been rotated about its long axis 90°.
FIG. 3 e shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 3 d, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 3 f shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 3 e, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 4 a shows a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a connector according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 b shows a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 4 a, the connector having been rotated 180° about its long axis.
FIG. 4 c shows a side view of the connector of FIG. 4 a.
FIG. 4 d shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 4 c, the connector having been rotated about its long axis 90°.
FIG. 4 e shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 4 d, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 4 f shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 4 e, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 5 a shows a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a connector according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 b shows a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 5 a, the connector having been rotated 180° about its long axis.
FIG. 5 c shows a side view of the connector of FIG. 5 a.
FIG. 5 d shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 5 c, the connector having been rotated about its long axis 90°.
FIG. 5 e shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 5 d, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 5 f shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 5 e, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 6 a shows a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a connector according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 b shows a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 6 a, the connector having been rotated 180° about its long axis.
FIG. 6 c shows a side view of the connector of FIG. 6 a.
FIG. 6 d shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 6 c, the connector having been rotated about its long axis 90°.
FIG. 6 e shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 6 d, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 6 f shows a further side view of the connector depicted in FIG. 6 e, the connector having been rotated about its long axis a further 90°.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a connector according to the present invention in place in a three layer wall section consisting of upper and lower concrete plies and a central insulation ply.
FIG. 8 a shows a perspective view of an insert tool for use in installing connectors made according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 b shows a further perspective view of the insert tool of FIG. 5 a, the device having been rotated 180° about its log axis.
FIG. 9 shows the insertion of a connector according to the present invention using the insert device of FIGS. 5 a & b.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
To lower costs in the preparation of pre-cast multi-ply walls using an inner ply of insulating material, it is desirable to make use of common off-the-shelf insulation board which does not require pre-treatment. To make use of such insulating material, a connector is needed which can easily penetrate insulation board while still achieving ready insertion into the first poured concrete layer and still have sufficient strength to hold together a complete three ply wall.
The connector of the present invention is preferably manufactured from plastic materials such as nylon reinforced fiberglass such as the 33% glass filled nylon marketed by ASTIC Materials Co., Inc. The connector of the present invention is preferably manufactured using an injection molding process although any appropriate manufacturing process resulting in the desired connector is suitable. Preferably, the entire connector is of one-piece unitary construction. The selection of plastic material as the medium for construction of the connector is based on plastics having lower coefficients of heat transfer than metals resulting in less heat transfer through the completed wall. Current plastic materials also develop great strengths permitting minimal cross-sections thus minimizing further the heat transfer through the connecting device.
A first connector embodiment I of the connector constructed according to the present invention is seen in FIGS. 1 a - 1 f. Connectors of the present invention are preferably used in creating wall and ceiling three ply panels having a first (or face) concrete layer thickness of about 2-3″, an insulation ply layer of a thickness of about 2″ to 6″ and a second or structural concrete layer having a thickness of about 7-9″. Preferably, the connector 1 has a maximum diameter preferably of about 0.35″ to 0.40″, most preferably about 0.377 inches and a length of about 5.5″ to about 6″ although these measurements may vary depending upon the type and size of the three ply wall or ceiling panel to be constructed or the thickness of the insulating material used in forming the same.
As illustrated, the first connector 1 includes a first end 3 terminating in a point 5 . The point 5 is constructed such that it is of sufficient sharpness to pierce and penetrate insulation board such as board marketed by Dow under the Blueboard tradename or commonly available insulation board marketed by Dow and Owens Corning used in the construction of multi-ply concrete walls. The first end 3 is of sufficient length to transition from point 5 to a cross-sectional diameter suitable for use as the base diameter of the first connector 1 . Preferably, the first end is about 0.4″ to about 0.5″ in length and has a maximum diameter of about 0.2″ to about 0.3″ and most preferably about 0.262″ at the transition point 7 where the first end transitions to the first body segment 9 of the connector.
The first body segment 9 of the connector 1 is designed to engage the first concrete ply and a portion of the insulation board ply. Preferably, for a suitable overall wall thickness of about 11-12″, the first body segment 9 is about 1.75″ long. The first body segment generally comprises four face areas, which each take up a portion of the circumference of the connector. The face of the first body segment 9 includes a first portion which is followed by a second element followed by a third element followed by a fourth element when traversing around the exterior circumference of the first body segment.
The first portion of the first body segment 9 includes a round rod area having a diameter of about 0.25″ from which a first angled fin 13 extends. The first angled fin 13 extends from a first side of the first body segment 9 along the length of the first body segment crossing the body segment at an angle of about 5° off of the long axis of the connector 1 and is tilted at an angle of 4° clockwise off the vertical axis looking down the connector 1 from the direction of the point 5 . The first angled fin preferably extends from the first body segment 9 about 0.06″ and is about 1.5″ in length and 0.04″ in width with each terminal end of the straight fin transitioning down through transition portions 15 & 17 to the first body segment 9 .
The next circumferential portion of the first body segment includes a first acute angled triangular shaped flat area 19 molded into the face of the first body segment 9 at its end adjacent the transition point 7 . The triangular area has a base 21 of a length of about 0.125″ and a height of about 0.75″ At the first end 23 of the triangular area 19 , the flat area is at a level about equal to the outer circumference of the transition point 7 . At the second end 21 of the triangular area 19 , the flat surface has been cut into the surface of the first body segment 9 about 0.06″ creating a first right angle wall area 25 . A second acute angled triangular shaped flat area 27 is molded into the face of the first body segment 9 from a point adjacent the first wall area 25 extending along the length of the first body segment 9 . This second triangular area 27 is of a size and shape about equal to that of the first triangular shaped flat area 19 creating a sloped wall area 29 similar to that of the first wall area 25 .
Traversing further around the circumference of the first body segment 9 , a second fin portion includes a second angled fin 11 extending from the first body segment rod. The second angled fin 11 also extends from a first side of the first body segment 9 along the length of the first body segment crossing the body segment at an angle of about 5° off of the long axis of the connector 1 and the fin is tilted at an angle of 4° clockwise off the vertical axis looking down the connector 1 from the direction of the point 5 . The second angled fin preferably extends from the first body segment 9 about 0.06″ and is about 1.5″ in length and 0.04″ in width with each terminal end of the straight fin transitioning down through transition portions 15 & 17 to the first body segment 9 .
The angular nature of the fins 11 & 13 causes the connector to rotate as it is inserted into and through the insulation layer and into the concrete layer. This rotation permits the insertion of the connector made according to the present invention without the wallowing out of a large hole in the insulation or in the concrete resulting in better anchoring of the plies together and yielding a stronger structure. Further, it is not necessary after installation for the installer to walk over the area where the connector has been inserted to tamp down the concrete to push the still somewhat fluid concrete back into contact with the connector. As the first body segment 9 rotates and passes into the bottom concrete ply, the rotation continues into the concrete creating envelopment and embedment of the connector 1 .
Traversing around the final circumferential portion segment of the first body segment 9 , a third acute triangular flat area 31 is molded into the face of the first body segment 9 . The third acute triangular flat area 31 extends from the transition point 7 to the second sloped area 33 . The triangular area has a base 35 of a length of about 0.125″ and a height of about 1.375″. At the first end 37 of the triangular area 31 , the flat area is at a level about equal to the outer circumference of the transition point 7 right angle. At the base 35 of the triangular area 33 , the flat surface has been cut into the surface of the first body segment 9 about 0.06″ creating the second sloped wall area 33 .
The first body segment 9 transitions to a second rod shaped body segment 40 . Where an overall panel thickness of about 2″ is desired, the second body segment 40 preferably has a length of about 1.5″. Preferably, the second body segment 40 has a diameter of about 0.25″.
The second body segment 40 transitions to a third body segment 50 at a fourth wall area 52 . The third body segment 50 engages the structural concrete ply of the three ply construction. The third body segment 50 preferably has an overall outside diameter of about 0.375″ resulting in the fourth wall area 52 extending outward from the termination of the second body segment 40 about 0.06″ around the entire circumference of the connector. The third body segment 50 preferably has a length of about 2.0″ and includes at least three and preferably four distinct areas.
The first section of the third body segment 50 is the transition area section 54 which forms the third wall area 52 . The transition area section 54 preferably has a length of about 0.125″. Continuing along the length of the connector 1 , the transition area 54 joins to the main body 56 of the third body segment. The main body 56 includes two large acute triangular flat areas molded into its face on opposite sides. The first large triangular flat area 58 is preferably positioned in line along the same axis of the connector as the first and second acute angled triangular shaped flat areas 19 & 27 molded into the face of the first body segment 9 . The base 60 of the first large triangular flat area 58 terminates against the transition area section 54 and is inset from the outer diameter of the transition area preferably about 0.125″. The first large triangular flat area 58 preferably has a height of about 1.5″ and the base preferably has a width of about 0.35″, a small amount less than the maximum outer diameter of the connector 1 .
Also continuing along the length of the connector 1 from the transition area 54 a second large triangular flat area 64 is preferably positioned in line along the same axis of the connector as the third acute angled triangular shaped flat area 31 molded into the face of the first body segment 9 . The base 66 of the first large triangular flat area 64 terminates against the transition area section 54 and is inset from the outer diameter of the transition area preferably about 0.125″. The second large triangular flat area 64 preferably has a height of about 1.5″ and the base preferably has a width of about 0.35″, a small amount less than the maximum outer diameter of the connector 1 .
The first and second large triangular flat areas 58 & 64 terminate at a second transition area segment 70 . The first and second large triangular flat areas 58 & 64 traverse outward from their inset positions at their bases such that their end points 62 & 68 terminate at the second transition area segment 70 outside diameter which is preferably about 0.375″. The second transition area may be formed in one of two ways. First (not shown) the second transition area may simply take the form of a rod preferably having a diameter of about 0.375″ and preferably having a length of about 0.25″ terminating at the end of the connector 1 .
Preferably, however, the transition area includes a structure for use in connection with an insertion device permitting easy use of the connector in the field. This structure permits loading the connector 1 into an insertion device and maintaining the connector in the insertion device until the connector is inserted into the insulation and concrete plies. Preferably, such structure includes a half-round area 80 which connects the second transition area segment 70 to a crown 82 . The half round area 80 creates a valley 84 of reduced diameter area. The reduced diameter area preferably has a diameter of about 0.25″. The crown then preferably has the full outside diameter of about 0.375″. Preferably, the half round area 80 has a length of about 0.125″ and preferably the crown 82 has a length of about 0.125.
A second embodiment 100 of the connector constructed according to the present invention is seen in FIGS. 2 a - 2 f. The described preferred measurements are set forth for a three ply panel having a first (or face) concrete layer thickness of about 2-3″, an insulation ply layer of a thickness of about 2-6″ and a second or structural concrete layer having a thickness of about 7-9″. The connector 100 preferably has a maximum diameter of about 0.35″ to about 0.4″ and most preferably about 0.375 inches and a length of about 5.5″ to about 6″ and most preferably about 5.533″ although these measurements may vary depending upon the type and size of the wall or ceiling to be constructed.
As illustrated, the connector 100 includes a first end 103 terminating in a point 105 . The point 105 is constructed such that it is of sufficient sharpness to pierce and penetrate insulation board such as that described above and commonly used in the construction of multi-ply concrete walls. The first end 103 is of sufficient length to transition from point 105 to a cross-sectional diameter suitable for use as the base diameter of the connector 100 . Preferably, the first end is about 0.4″ to about 0.5″ in length and has a maximum diameter of about 0.2″ to about 0.3″ and most preferably about 0.62″ at the transition point 107 where the first end transitions to the first body, segment 109 of the connector.
The first body segment 109 of the connector 100 is designed to engage the first concrete ply and a portion of the insulation ply. Preferably, for a suitable overall wall thickness of about 11-12″, the first body segment 109 is about 1.75″ long. The first body segment generally comprises four face areas, which each take up a portion of the circumference of the connector. The face of the first body segment 109 includes a first portion which is followed by a second element followed by a third element followed by a fourth element when traversing around the exterior circumference of the first body segment.
The first portion of the first body segment 109 includes a round rod area having a diameter of about 0.25″ from which a first angled fin 113 extends. The first angled fin 113 extends from a first side of the first body segment 109 along the length of the first body segment crossing the body segment at an angle of about 5° off of the long axis of the connector 100 and is tilted at an angle of 40 clockwise off the vertical axis looking down the connector 100 from the direction of the point 105 . The first angled fin preferably extends from the first body segment 109 about 0.06″ and is about 2.25″ in length and 0.04″ in width with each terminal end of the straight fin transitioning down through transition portions 115 & 117 to the first body segment 109 . The fin 113 including its second terminal end 115 extends past the end of the first body segment onto the second body segment 140 of the connector 100 .
The next circumferential portion of the first body segment includes a first acute angled triangular shaped flat area 119 molded into the face of the first body segment 109 at its end adjacent the transition point 107 . The triangular area has a base 121 of a length of about 0.125″ and a height of about 0.75″. At the first end 123 of the triangular area 119 , the flat area is at a level about equal to the outer circumference of the transition point 107 . At the second end 121 of the triangular area 119 , the flat surface has been cut into the surface of the first body segment 109 about 0.06″ creating a first slanted wall area 125 . A second acute angled triangular shaped flat area 127 is molded into the face of the first body segment 109 from a point adjacent the first slanted wall area 125 extending along the length of the first body segment 109 . This second triangular area 127 is of a size and shape slightly smaller than that of the first triangular shaped flat area 119 having a preferable height of about 0.5″. The base 128 of the second triangular flat area creates a second angular wall area 129 as the flat area intersects the rod shaped first segment 109 .
Traversing further around the circumference of the first body segment 109 , a second fin portion includes a second angled fin 111 extending from the first body segment rod. The second angled fin 111 also extends from a first side of the first body segment 109 along the length of the first body segment crossing the body segment at an angle of about 5° off of the long axis of the connector 100 and is tilted at an angle of 4° clockwise off the vertical axis looking down the connector 100 from the direction of the point 105 . The second angled fin preferably extends from the first body segment 109 about 0.06″ and is about 2.25″ in length with each terminal end of the straight fin transitioning down through transition portions 115 & 117 to the first body segment 109 . The fin 113 including its second terminal end 115 extends past the end of the first body segment onto the second body segment 140 of the connector 100 .
The angular nature of the fins 111 & 113 causes the connector to rotate as it is inserted into and through the insulation layer and into the concrete layer. This rotation permits the insertion of the connector made according to the present invention without the wallowing out of a large hole in the insulation or in the concrete resulting in better anchoring of the plies together and yielding a stronger structure. Further, it is not necessary after installation for the installer to walk over the area where the connector has been inserted to tamp down the concrete to push the still somewhat fluid concrete back into contact with the connector. As the first body segment 109 rotates and passes into the bottom concrete ply, the rotation continues into the concrete creating envelopment and embedment of the connector 100 .
Traversing around the final circumferential portion of the first body segment 109 , a third acute triangular flat area 131 is molded into the face of the first body segment 109 . The third acute triangular flat area 131 extends from the transition point 107 to the intersecting wall area 133 created at the intersection of the triangular flat area 131 and the rod shaped first segment 109 . The triangular area has a base 135 of a length of about 0.125″ and a height of about 1.375″. At the first end 137 of the triangular area 131 , the flat area is at a level about equal to the outer circumference of the transition point 107 . At the base 135 of the triangular area 133 , the flat surface has been cut into the surface of the first body segment 109 about 0.06″ creating the intersecting wall area 133 .
The first body segment 109 transitions to a second body segment 140 through a transition area 141 . The second body segment is rod shaped. For an overall panel thickness of about 11-12″, the second body segment 140 has a length of about 1.5″. Preferably, the second body segment 140 has a diameter of about 0.312″. As noted in the discussion of the first body segment 109 , the fins 111 and 113 extend through a first sloped area 151 into a right angle onto the surface of the rod shaped second body segment 140 . Preferably, about one-half of the length of the second body segment 140 is finned and about one-half is finless.
The second body segment 140 transitions to a third body segment 150 wall area 152 . The third body segment 150 engages the structural concrete ply of the three ply construction. The third body segment 150 preferably has an overall outside diameter of about 0.375″ resulting in the third wall area 152 extending outward from the termination of the second body segment 140 about 0.033″ around the entire circumference of the connector from the first sloped area 151 . The third body segment 150 preferably has a length of about 2.0″ where the desired overall panel thickness is about 11-12″.
Beginning adjacent the right angle wall area 152 , the main body 156 of the third body segment includes four acute triangular flat areas molded into its face, two each on opposite sides. The first triangular flat area 158 is preferably positioned in line along the same axis of the connector as the first and second acute angled triangular shaped flat areas 119 & 127 molded into the face of the first body segment 109 . The base 160 of the first triangular flat area 158 forms a common base for the second triangular flat area 159 . The base is inset from the outer diameter of the third body segment 150 preferably about 0.625″. The first and second triangular flat areas 158 and 159 each preferably have a height of about 0.75″ and the base preferably has a width of about 0.25″, a small amount less than the maximum outer diameter of the connector 100 .
Also along the length of the connector 100 are third and fourth triangular flat areas 164 and 165 which are preferably positioned in line along the same axis of the connector as the third acute angled triangular shaped flat area 131 molded into the face of the first body segment 109 . Beginning adjacent the right angle wall area 152 , the third triangular flat area 164 extends lengthwise to a base 116 which forms a common base with the fourth acute triangular area 165 . The base 165 is inset from the outer diameter of the third body segment 150 preferably about 0.625″. The third and fourth triangular flat areas 164 and 165 each preferably have a height of about 0.75″ and the base preferably has a width of about 0.25″, a small amount less than the maximum outer diameter of the connector 100 .
The second and fourth triangular flat areas 159 & 165 terminate at a second transition area segment 170 . The second and fourth triangular flat areas 159 & 165 traverse outward from their inset positions at their bases 160 and 166 such that their end points 162 & 168 terminate at the second transition area segment 170 . The second transition area may be formed in one of two ways. First (not shown) the second transition area may simply take the form of a rod preferably having a diameter of about 0.375″ and preferably having a length of about 0.25″ terminating at the end of the connector 100 .
Preferably, however, the transition area includes a structure for use in connection with an insertion device permitting easy use of the connector in the field. This structure permits loading the connector 100 into an insertion device and maintaining the connector in the insertion device until the connector is inserted into the insulation and concrete plies. Preferably, such structure includes a half-round area 180 which connects the second transition area segment 170 to a crown 182 . The half round area 180 creates a valley 184 of reduced diameter area. The reduced diameter area preferably has a diameter of about 0.25″. The crown then preferably has the full outside diameter of about 0.375″. Preferably, the half round area 180 has a length of about 0.125″ and preferably the crown 182 has a length of about 0.125″.
A third embodiment 200 of the connector constructed according to the present invention is seen in FIGS. 3 a - 3 f. The described preferred measurements are set forth for a three ply panel having a first (or face) concrete layer thickness of about 2-3″, an insulation ply layer of a thickness of about 2-6″ and a second or structural concrete layer having a thickness of about 7-9″. The connector 200 preferably has a maximum diameter of about 0.377 inches and a length of about 5.5″ to about 6″ and most preferably about 5.533″ although these measurements may vary depending upon the type and size of the wall or ceiling to be constructed.
As illustrated, the third connector 200 includes a first end 203 terminating in a point 205 . The point 205 is constructed such that it is of sufficient sharpness to pierce and penetrate insulation board such as described above and commonly used in the construction of multi-ply concrete walls. The first end 203 is of sufficient length to transition from point 205 to a cross-sectional diameter suitable for use as the base diameter of the connector 200 . Preferably, the first end is about 0.4″ in length and has a maximum diameter of about 0.262″ at the transition point 207 where the first end transitions to the first body segment 209 of the connector.
The first body segment 209 of the connector 200 is designed to engage the first concrete ply and a portion of the insulation ply. Preferably, for a suitable overall wall thickness of about 11-12″, the first body segment 209 is about 1.613″ long. The first body segment generally comprises four face areas, which each take up a portion of the circumference of the connector. The face of the first body segment 209 includes a first portion which is followed by a second element followed by a third element followed by a fourth element when traversing around the exterior circumference of the first body segment.
The first portion of the first body segment 209 includes a round rod area having a diameter of about 0.25″ from which a first angled fin 213 extends. The first angled fin 213 extends from a first side of the first body segment 209 along the length of the first body segment crossing the body segment at an angle of about 5° off of the long axis of the connector 200 and is tilted at an angle of 4° clockwise off the vertical axis looking down the connector 200 from the direction of the point 205 . The first angled fin 213 preferably extends from the first body segment 209 about 0.057″ and is about 2.668″ in length and 0.04″ in width with each terminal end of the straight fin transitioning down through transition portions 215 & 217 to the first body segment 209 . Preferably, the first angled fin 213 is divided into two separate segments, a first fin segment 213 a and a second fin segment 213 b. The break or deletion of a portion of the first angled fin 213 is provided to the fin 213 including its second terminal end 215 extends past the end of the first body segment 209 onto the second body segment 240 of the connector 200 . Preferably, the break 212 eliminates about 0.156″ of the fin.
The next circumferential portion of the first body segment includes a first acute angled triangular shaped flat area 219 molded into the face of the first body segment 209 at its end adjacent the transition point 207 . The triangular area has a base 221 of a length of about 0.125″ and a height of about 0.75″. At the first end 223 of the triangular area 219 , the flat area is at a level about equal to the outer circumference of the transition point 207 . At the second end 221 of the triangular area 219 , the flat surface has been cut into the surface of the first body segment 209 about 0.0625″ creating a first slanted wall area 225 . Molded onto the face of the triangular shaped flat area 219 is a first short fin 220 . The first short fin angles across the face of the first triangular shaped flat area 219 at an angle to the axis of the length of the connector 200 about equal to that of the first angled fin 213 . The first short fin 220 preferably extends outward from the face of the first triangular shaped flat area 219 about 0.057″ and preferably is about 0.625″ long and 0.04″ in width extending from a sharpened point 222 beginning at the first end 223 of the triangular shaped area 219 and extending generally along one side of the first triangular shaped flat area 219 . The first short fin 220 terminates adjacent the first slanted wall area 225 of the first triangular shaped flat area 219 .
A second acute angled triangular shaped flat area 227 is molded into the face of the first body segment 209 from a point adjacent the first slanted wall area 225 extending along the length of the first body segment 209 . This second triangular area 227 is of a size and shape slightly smaller than that of the first triangular shaped flat area 219 having a preferable height of about 0.5″. The base 228 of the second triangular flat area creates a second angular wall area 229 as the flat area intersects the rod shaped first segment 209 .
Traversing further around the circumference of the first body segment 209 , a second fin portion includes a second angled fin 211 extending from the first body segment rod. The second angled fin 211 also extends from a first side of the first body segment 209 along the length of the first body segment crossing the body segment at an angle of about 5° off of the long axis of the connector 200 and is tilted at an angle of 4° clockwise off the vertical axis looking down the connector 200 from the direction of the point 205 . The second angled fin preferably extends from the first body segment 209 about 0.057° and is about 2.668″ in length and about 0.04″ in width with each terminal end of the straight fin transitioning down through transition portions 215 & 217 to the first body segment 209 . Preferably, the first angled fin 211 is divided into two separate segments, a first fin segment 211 a and a second fin segment 211 b. The break or deletion of a portion of the first angled fin 211 is provided to the fin 211 including its second terminal end 215 extends past the end of the first body segment 209 onto the second body segment 240 of the connector 200 . Preferably, the break 212 eliminates about 0.1560″ of the fin. The fin 213 including its second terminal end 215 extends past the end of the first body segment onto the second body segment 240 of the connector 200 .
Traversing around the final circumferential portion of the first body segment 209 , a third acute triangular flat area 231 is molded into the face of the first body segment 209 . The third acute triangular flat area 231 extends from adjacent the transition point 207 to the intersecting wall area 233 created at the intersection of the triangular flat area 231 and the rod shaped first segment 209 . The triangular area has a base 235 of a length of about 0.125″ and a height of about 1.375″. At the first end 237 of the triangular area 231 , the flat area is at a level about equal to the outer circumference of the transition point 207 . At the base 235 of the triangular area 233 , the flat surface has been cut into the surface of the first body segment 209 about 0.0625″ creating the intersecting wall area 233 .
Extending from the face of the third acute triangular shaped flat area 231 is a fourth short fin 232 of like shape and angled placement as the first short fin 220 . The second short fin 232 preferably extends outward from the face of the third triangular shaped flat area 231 about 0.0625″ and preferably is about 0.625″ long and 0.04″ in width extending from a sharpened point 232 a beginning at the first end of the triangular shaped area 219 adjacent the transition point 207 and extending generally along one side of the third triangular shaped flat area 231 . The second short fin 232 terminates about mid-way along the length of the third triangular shaped flat area 231 .
The angular nature of the fins 211 & 213 and the short fins cause the connector to rotate as it is inserted into and through the insulation layer and into the concrete layer. This rotation permits the insertion of the connector made according to the present invention without the wallowing out of a large hole in the insulation or in the concrete resulting in better anchoring of the plies together and yielding a stronger structure. Further, it is not necessary after installation for the installer to walk over the area where the connector has been inserted to tamp down the concrete to push the still somewhat fluid concrete back into contact with the connector. As the first body segment 209 rotates and passes into the bottom concrete ply, the rotation continues into the concrete creating envelopment and embedment of the connector 200 .
The first body segment 209 transitions to a second body segment 240 through a transition area 241 . The second body segment is rod shaped. For an overall panel thickness of about 11-12″, the second body segment 240 has a length of about 1.5″. Preferably, the second body segment 240 has a diameter of about 0.314″. As noted in the discussion of the first body segment 209 , the fins 211 and 213 extend through a first sloped area 251 into a right angle onto the surface of the rod shaped second body segment 240 . Preferably, about one-half of the length of the second body segment 240 is finned and about one-half is finless.
The second body segment 240 transitions to a third body segment 250 wall area 252 . The third body segment 250 engages the structural concrete ply of the three ply construction. The third body segment 250 preferably has an overall outside diameter of about 0.377″ resulting in the third wall area 252 extending outward from the termination of the second body segment 240 about 0.0325″ around the entire circumference of the connector from the first sloped area 251 . The third body segment 250 preferably has a length of about 2.012″ where the desired overall panel thickness is about 11-12″.
Beginning adjacent the right angle wall area 252 , the main body 256 of the third body segment includes four acute triangular flat areas molded into its face, two each on opposite sides. The first triangular flat area 258 is preferably positioned in line along the same axis of the connector as the first and second acute angled triangular shaped flat areas 219 & 227 molded into the face of the first body segment 209 . The base 260 of the first triangular flat area 258 forms a common base for the second triangular flat area 259 . The base is inset from the outer diameter of the third body segment 250 preferably about 0.625″. The first and second triangular flat areas 258 and 259 each preferably have a height of about 0.75″ and the base preferably has a width of about 0.25″, a small amount less than the maximum outer diameter of the connector 200 .
Also along the length of the connector 200 are third and fourth triangular flat areas 264 and 265 which are preferably positioned in line along the same axis of the connector as the third acute angled triangular shaped flat area 231 molded into the face of the first body segment 209 . Beginning adjacent the right angle wall area 252 , the third triangular flat area 264 extends lengthwise to a base 216 which forms a common base with the fourth acute triangular area 265 . The base 265 is inset from the outer diameter of the third body segment 250 preferably about 0.625″. The third and fourth triangular flat areas 264 and 265 each preferably have a height of about 0.75″ and the base preferably has a width of about 0.25″, a small amount less than the maximum outer diameter of the connector 200 .
The second and fourth triangular flat areas 259 & 265 terminate at a second transition area segment 270 . The second and fourth triangular flat areas 259 & 265 traverse outward from their inset positions at their bases 260 and 266 such that their end points 262 & 268 terminate at the second transition area segment 270 . The second transition area may be formed in one of two ways. First (not shown) the second transition area may simply take the form of a rod preferably having a diameter of about 0.375″ and preferably having a length of about 0.25″ terminating at the end of the connector 200 .
Preferably, however, the transition area includes a structure for use in connection with an insertion device permitting easy use of the connector in the field. This structure permits loading the connector 200 into an insertion device and maintaining the connector in the insertion device until the connector is inserted into the insulation and concrete plies. Preferably, such structure includes a half-round area 280 which connects the second transition area segment 270 to a crown 282 . The half round area 280 creates a valley 284 of reduced diameter area. The reduced diameter area preferably has a diameter of about 0.25. The crown then preferably has the full outside diameter of about 0.377″. Preferably, the half round area 280 has a length of about 0.125″ and preferably the crown 282 has a length of about 0.125″.
A fourth embodiment 500 of the connector constructed according to the present invention is seen in FIGS. 4 a - 4 f. This connector is preferable when greater thickness of insulation ply are desired such as about 1½″ to about 4″ of insulation. The connector 500 preferably has a maximum diameter of about 0.377 inches and a length of about 7.5″ although these measurements may vary depending upon the type and size of the wall or ceiling to be constructed.
As illustrated, the fourth connector 500 includes a first end 503 terminating in a point 505 . The point 505 is constructed such that it is of sufficient sharpness to pierce and penetrate insulation board such as described above and commonly used in the construction of multi-ply concrete walls. The first end 503 is of sufficient length to transition from point 505 to a cross-sectional diameter suitable for use as the base diameter of the connector 500 . Preferably, the first end is about 0.4″ in length and has a maximum diameter of about 0.262″ at the transition point 507 where the first end transitions to the first body segment 509 of the connector.
The first body segment 509 of the connector 500 is designed to engage the first concrete ply and a portion of the insulation ply. Preferably, for a suitable overall wall thickness of about 11-12″, the first body segment 509 is about 1.613″ long. The first body segment generally comprises four face areas. The face areas of the first body segment 509 include a first element followed by a second element followed by a third element followed by a fourth element when traversing around the exterior circumference of the first body segment.
The first circumferential portion of the first body segment 509 includes a round rod area having a diameter of about 0.262″ from which a first angled fin 513 extends. The first angled fin 513 extends from a first side of the first body segment 509 along the length of the first body segment crossing the body segment at an angle of about 5° off of the long axis of the connector 500 and is tilted at an angle of 4° clockwise off the vertical axis looking down the connector 500 from the direction of the point 505 . The first angled fin 513 preferably extends from the first body segment 509 about 0.057″ and is about 2.668″ in length and 0.04″ in width with each terminal end of the straight fin transitioning down through transition portions 515 & 517 to the first body segment 509 . Preferably, the first angled fin 513 is divided into two separate segments, a first fin segment 513 a and a second fin segment 513 b. The break or deletion of a portion of the first angled fin 513 is provided to the fin 513 including its second terminal end 515 extends past the end of the first body segment 509 onto the second body segment 540 of the connector 500 . Preferably, the break 512 eliminates about 0.156″ of the fin.
The second circumferential portion of the first body segment includes a first acute angled triangular shaped flat area 519 molded into the face of the first body segment 509 at its end adjacent the transition point 507 . The triangular area has a base 521 of a length of about 0.125″ and a height of about 0.75″. At the first end 523 of the triangular area 519 , the flat area is at a level about equal to the outer circumference of the transition point 507 . At the second end 521 of the triangular area 519 , the flat surface has been cut into the surface of the first body segment 509 about 0.0625″ creating a first slanted wall area 525 . Molded onto the face of the triangular shaped flat area 519 is a first short fin 520 . The first short fin angles across the face of the first triangular shaped flat area 519 at an angle to the axis of the length of the connector 500 about equal to that of the first angled fin 513 . The first short fin 520 preferably extends outward from the face of the first triangular shaped flat area 519 about 0.057″ and preferably is about 0.625″ long and 0.04″ in width extending from a sharpened point 522 beginning at the first end 523 of the triangular shaped area 519 and extending generally along one side of the first triangular shaped flat area 519 . The first short fin 520 terminates adjacent the first slanted wall area 525 of the first triangular shaped flat area 519 .
A second acute angled triangular shaped flat area 527 is molded into the face of the first body segment 509 from a point adjacent the first slanted wall area 525 extending along the length of the first body segment 509 . This second triangular area 527 is of a size and shape slightly smaller than that of the first triangular shaped flat area 519 having a preferable height of about 0.5″. The base 528 of the second triangular flat area creates a second angular wall area 529 as the flat area intersects the rod shaped first segment 509 .
Traversing further around the circumference of the first body segment 509 , a third circumferential portion includes a second angled fin 511 extending from the first body segment rod. The second angled fin 511 also extends from a first side of the first body segment 509 along the length of the first body segment crossing the body segment at an angle of about 5° off of the long axis of the connector 500 and is tilted at an angle of 4° clockwise off the vertical axis looking down the connector 500 from the direction of the point 505 . The second angled fin preferably extends from the first body segment 509 about 0.057° and is about 2.668° in length and about 0.04° in width with each terminal end of the straight fin transitioning down through transition portions 515 & 517 to the first body segment 509 . Preferably, the first angled fin 511 is divided into two separate segments, a first fin segment 511 a and a second fin segment 511 b. The break or deletion of a portion of the first angled fin 511 is provided to the fin 511 including its second terminal end 515 extends past the end of the first body segment 509 onto the second body segment 540 of the connector 500 . Preferably, the break 512 eliminates about 0.156″ of the fin. The fin 513 including its second terminal end 515 extends past the end of the first body segment onto the second body segment 540 of the connector 500 .
Traversing around the final portion segment of the first body segment 509 , a third acute triangular flat area 531 is molded into the face of the first body segment 509 . The third acute triangular flat area 531 extends from adjacent the transition point 507 to the intersecting wall area 533 created at the intersection of the triangular flat area 531 and the rod shaped first segment 509 . The triangular area has a base 535 of a length of about 0.125″ and a height of about 1.375″. At the first end 537 of the triangular area 531 , the flat area is at a level about equal to the outer circumference of the transition point 507 . At the base 535 of the triangular area 533 , the flat surface has been cut into the surface of the first body segment 509 about 0.0625″ creating the intersecting wall area 533 .
Extending from the face of the third acute triangular shaped flat area 531 is a fourth short fin 532 of like shape and angled placement as the first short fin 520 . The second short fin 532 preferably extends outward from the face of the third triangular shaped flat area 531 about 0.057″ and preferably is about 0.625″ long and about 0.04″ in width extending from a sharpened point 532 a beginning at the first end of the triangular shaped area 519 adjacent the transition point 507 and extending generally along one side of the third triangular shaped flat area 531 . The second short fin 532 terminates about mid-way along the length of the third triangular shaped flat area 531 .
The angular nature of the fins 511 & 513 and the short fins cause the connector to rotate as it is inserted into and through the insulation layer and into the concrete layer. This rotation permits the insertion of the connector made according to the present invention without the wallowing out of a large hole in the insulation or in the concrete resulting in better anchoring of the plies together and yielding a stronger structure. Further, it is not necessary after installation for the installer to walk over the area where the connector has been inserted to tamp down the concrete to push the still somewhat fluid concrete back into contact with the connector. As the first body segment 509 rotates and passes into the bottom concrete ply, the rotation continues into the concrete creating envelopment and embedment of the connector 500 .
The first body segment 509 transitions to a second body segment 540 through a transition area 541 . The second body segment is rod shaped. For an overall panel thickness of about 11-12″, the second body segment 540 has a length of about 3.5″. Preferably, the second body segment 540 has a diameter of about 0.314″. As noted in the discussion of the first body segment 509 , the fins 511 and 513 extend through a first sloped area 551 into a right angle onto the surface of the rod shaped second body segment 540 . Preferably, the second body segment 540 has a second pair of angled fins 518 and 524 which begin about 1.25″ from the first body segment 509 . Each fin of the second pair is located on opposite sides of the connector 500 . The second pair of fins 518 and 524 begin on about the same longitudinal axis as the corresponding first angled fins 511 and 513 . Also, the second pair of angled fins 518 and 524 slope across the longitudinal axis and tilt along the vertical axis at about the same angles as the corresponding first pair of angled fins 511 and 513 and extend from the second body segment 540 about the same length. The second pair of fins 518 and 524 are about 2″ long and do not contain any breaks. Preferably, about one-half of the length of the second body segment 540 is finned and about one-half is finless.
The second body segment 540 transitions to a third body segment 550 wall area 552 . The third body segment 550 engages the structural concrete ply of the three ply construction. The third body segment 550 preferably has an overall outside diameter of about 0.377″ resulting in the third wall area 552 extending outward from the termination of the second body segment 540 about 0.0325″ around the entire circumference of the connector from the first sloped area 551 . The third body segment 550 preferably has a length of about 2.012″ where the desired overall panel thickness is about 11-12″.
Beginning adjacent the right angle wall area 552 , the main body 556 of the third body segment includes four acute triangular flat areas molded into its face, two each on opposite sides. The first triangular flat area 558 is preferably positioned in line along the same axis of the connector as the first and second acute angled triangular shaped flat areas 519 & 527 molded into the face of the first body segment 509 . The base 560 of the first triangular flat area 558 forms a common base for the second triangular flat area 559 . The base is inset from the outer diameter of the third body segment 550 preferably about 0.625″. The first and second triangular flat areas 558 and 559 each preferably have a height of about 0.75″ and the base preferably has a width of about 0.25″, a small amount less than the maximum outer diameter of the connector 500 .
Also along the length of the connector 500 are third and fourth triangular flat areas 564 and 565 which are preferably positioned in line along the same axis of the connector as the third acute angled triangular shaped flat area 531 molded into the face of the first body segment 509 . Beginning adjacent the right angle wall area 552 , the third triangular flat area 564 extends lengthwise to a base 516 which forms a common base with the fourth acute triangular area 565 . The base 565 is inset from the outer diameter of the third body segment 550 preferably about 0.625″. The third and fourth triangular flat areas 564 and 565 each preferably have a height of about 0.75″ and the base preferably has a width of about 0.25″, a small amount less than the maximum outer diameter of the connector 500 .
The second and fourth triangular flat areas 559 & 565 terminate at a second transition area segment 570 . The second and fourth triangular flat areas 559 & 565 traverse outward from their inset positions at their bases 560 and 566 such that their end points 562 & 568 terminate at the second transition area segment 570 . The second transition area may be formed in one of two ways. First (not shown) the second transition area may simply take the form of a rod preferably having a diameter of about 0.375″ and preferably having a length of about 0.25″ terminating at the end of the connector 500 .
Preferably, however, the transition area includes a structure for use in connection with an insertion device permitting easy use of the connector in the field. This structure permits loading the connector 500 into an insertion device and maintaining the connector in the insertion device until the connector is inserted into the insulation and concrete plies. Preferably, such structure includes a half-round area 580 which connects the second transition area segment 570 to a crown 582 . The half round area 580 creates a valley 584 of reduced diameter area. The reduced diameter area preferably has a diameter of about 0.25″. The crown then preferably has the full outside diameter of about 0.377″. Preferably, the half round area 580 has a length of about 0.125″ and preferably the crown 582 has a length of about 0.125″.
A fifth embodiment 600 of the connector constructed according to the present invention is seen in FIGS. 5 a - 5 f. This embodiment is identical to that of FIGS. 3 a-f except that each of the fins has been removed. In this embodiment, while the rotating fins have been removed many of the features such as ease of insertion, penetration through any smooth un-prepared insulation board and firm embedment of the anchoring ends in the concrete plies is achieved.
A sixth embodiment 700 of the connector constructed according to the present invention is seen in FIGS. 6 a-f. This embodiment is identical to that of FIGS. 3 a-f except that each of the fins has been removed except for the four short fins near the pointed end such that the connector presents a barbed shape.
In these fifth and sixth embodiments, while the rotating fins have been removed many of the features such as ease of insertion, penetration through any smooth un-prepared insulation board and firm embedment of the anchoring ends in the concrete plies is achieved.
The barbed end and/or deformed projections for embedment in the outer architectural face ply and the deformed upper portion for embedment in the structural ply remain. The one feature that contrasts with the original design is the lack of an agitating method so that the liquid or plastic concrete can envelope the device at the penetrating end. By removing the spiral vanes the unit no longer is forced to rotate into the wet concrete and force or flow the concrete material into the deformations to create anchorage. The ability of the connector to create its own entrance into the insulating foam board without benefit of a pre-drilled or pre-formed opening remains. Methods of insertion and the tools used are unchanged. The same selectivity of location for enhancement of the ability to carry specific loads is unchanged.
However, where the rotating fins are removed, preferably an alternate methodology must be employed to create envelopment of the penetrating end for anchorage in the liquid concrete face ply. This can be accomplished by several means. First, the workman's weight will cause lateral displacement of the wet concrete as he walks and maneuvers about the insulation board while installing the connector. This will force material into the deformations at the penetrating portion. Secondly, vibratory machines may be applied to the insulation board surface to agitate the liquid concrete, thus replacing the agitation originally provided by the connectors rotating vanes no longer present.
The connector made according to the present inventions is readily usable as a connector for construction of three ply wall and ceiling panels. Because of the simple shape and consistent cross-section of the connectors of the present invention, the connector may be machine fed as well as hand inserted into position, thus eliminating the labor intensive aspects of other systems. As seen in FIG. 7, a connector made according to the present invention is simply inserted with sufficient force to penetrate the insulation layer 302 and force the connector through the insulation and into the first concrete ply 304 to the appropriate depth while maintaining a loose control of the connector permitting rotation of the connector during insertion. The sharpness of the connector results in a smooth penetrating entry which does not force a plug of insulating material into the face concrete ply. Using such technique, where fins 306 are included in the connector of the invention, the connector rotates as it is driven into position through the insulating board 302 into the wet lower first concrete ply 304 . A second generally structural layer of concrete 308 is then poured over the insulation layer 302 and just covering the connector 300 to form the desired three ply panel 310 .
To insert the connector of the present invention, the connector is simply placed vertically over the point of insertion and forced into and through the insulation layer 302 and then into the first concrete ply 304 by a vertical downward load. Where fins are incorporated in the connector of the present invention, the rotation of the connector agitates the wet concrete and forces concrete into the retention voids and around the rotating fins. Because of the method of vertical insertion to its full depth by a vertical force, and no other required action, the insertion results are consistent from one placement to the next.
Given the piercing nature of the connectors of the present invention, the insulation layer used in constructing a three ply wall or ceiling panel is preferably continuous in nature without predrilled or otherwise formed holes through which the connector may be inserted. Since there is no need for pre-located holes in the insulation layer, the connectors of the present invention may be located in various patterns as dictated by the loading on the particular panel rather than in some preconceived location. Further, no elaborate plan for the spacing of pre-drilled insulation panels is necessary. The insulation panels to be used with the connectors of the present invention may be taken in any order from their storage location and placed on the first wet concrete ply in any scheme suitable to minimize the amount of insulating material needed.
Preferably, the connectors of the present invention are inserted into and through the insulation layer and into the concrete layer using the insert tool as seen in FIGS. 8 a & b. The insertion tool 400 includes a handle 402 of any suitable shape for easy gripping by a person's hand. The handle is connected to a long tube or rod 404 of suitable length to enable a workman to insert the connectors of the present invention without requiring undue bending motion or other back strain. Preferably, the insert device has an overall length of about 32″. The insert tool 400 terminates at a flanged area 408 similar to that used on ski poles and the like to present a large surface area to the insulation layer and prevent breaking and penetration of the insulation layer by the insert tool during normal operation. The insertion end 406 of the rod or tube 404 is hollow and of a diameter slightly larger than the maximum outside diameter of the connector of the present invention permitting insertion of the connector into the hollow insertion end. The hollow area of the insertion end 406 extends into the insert device to a depth suitable for the desired thickness of concrete and insulation plies. Generally, the portion of the connector which will extend into the insert tool is that portion which will reside in the structural concrete or second concrete ply. The portion of the connector that will ultimately reside within the insulation and first concrete ply will extend out of the end of the insert device 400 .
A spaced distance above the flanged area 408 , structure is included for releasably gripping a connector placed into the insert tool to hold the connector within the tool while the insert tool is pointed downward towards the installation point but prior to actual insertion. Preferably, this structure includes a hole through the insert tool. A spring is then placed around the hole which can then grip the half-round area 80 , 180 , 280 which connects the second transition area segment 70 , 170 , 270 to the crown 82 , 182 , 282 of the connector device made according to the present invention. In this manner, the connector is loosely held in the insert device while still allowing the connector to rotate during insertion into the first insulation layer and the first concrete ply. Easily seen in FIG. 9 is the operation of the insert tool by a workman.
Various additional modifications of the embodiments specifically illustrated and described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the teachings of this invention. The invention should not be construed as limited to the specific forms shown and described, but instead is set forth in the following claims.
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A connector is disclosed for connecting together plies, or wythes, of pre-cast concrete wall or ceiling panels which have the necessity of being cast in several plies or layers. The connector joins together first and second concrete layers with an intervening insulation layer. Also disclosed is a method for creating these concrete panels using the connector and an insert tool for use in inserting the connector.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to marine propellers and more particularly, to a marine propeller with an adjustable exhaust structure for allowing adjustment of exhaust volume.
[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,003 discloses a propeller device, which comprises a propeller body with a propeller hub having 4 propeller blades extending therefrom and an aperture on each propeller blade, and a plug having a diametric profile shaped to be received and retained within each aperture. The vent plugs are provided with openings therethrough so that fluids can flow from a passage within a hub of the propeller device to a region proximate the outer cylindrical surface of the hub. The plugs can be changed to modify the size of the ventilation aperture without having to change the propeller device itself.
[0004] The propeller device is driven by an engine to move the propeller blades through water, achieving propeller thrust and forcing the boat to move forwards. At the same time, waste engine gas enters the passage of the propeller hub. At this time, a part of waste engine gas is exhausted through the ventilation aperture. Thus, the ventilation apertures of the plugs assist lowering the internal air pressure of the passage of the propeller hub, reducing water pressure from the propeller blades and enhancing propelling speed of the propeller blades.
[0005] However, under different application conditions, such as water level, load, temperatures, and etc., the user must selectively use different sizes of plugs having different dimensions of ventilation apertures, or plugs without any ventilation aperture to adjust the exhaust volume of the propeller device to an optimal condition for better propeller performance.
[0006] On other words, the user must prepare many different plugs having different dimensions of ventilation apertures. Preparing a large number of plugs relatively increases the cost. Further, the plugs may be missed easily when not in use. Therefore, the aforesaid prior art design of propeller device is not convenient to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a marine propeller, which allows convenient adjustment of the exhaust volume without changing any component parts, facilitating ease of use.
[0008] To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, a marine propeller comprises a propeller body. The propeller body comprises a propeller hub and a plurality of propeller blades. The propeller hub comprises an outer surface and an inner surface. The propeller blades are extended outwardly from the outer surface of the propeller hub. The marine propeller further comprises at least one adjustable exhaust device. Each adjustable exhaust device comprises an exhaust hole unit cut through the outer surface and inner surface of the propeller hub, an adjustment member mounted in the exhaust hole unit, and fastening means for securing the adjustment member to the exhaust hole unit in position. The exhaust hole unit comprises at least one exhaust through hole. The adjustment member comprises at least one shielding portion for shielding the at least one exhaust through hole. Further, before the adjustment member is secured in position by the fastening means, the adjustment member is movable relative to the exhaust hole unit to adjust the shielding area of the at least one shielding portion relative to the at least one exhaust through hole.
[0009] Thus, under different application conditions, the user can adjust the exhaust volume to the optimal status without changing any component parts of the marine propeller, enabling the marine propeller to provide a proper speed. Thus, the marine propeller is very convenient to use.
[0010] Other advantages and features of the present invention will be fully understood by reference to the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference signs denote like components of structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a marine propeller with an adjustable exhaust structure in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the marine propeller with an adjustable exhaust structure in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a side view of the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating one exhaust hole unit in the propeller body of the marine propeller.
[0014] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 3 , illustrating one adjustment member installed in the exhaust hole unit.
[0015] FIG. 5 is an end view of the adjustment member shown in FIG. 4 .
[0016] FIG. 6 is a side view of the adjustment member shown in FIG. 4 .
[0017] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of e marine propeller with an adjustable exhaust structure in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 4 but showing the angular position of the adjustment member adjusted relative to the exhaust hole unit.
[0019] FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 4 but showing the angular position of the adjustment member adjusted relative to the exhaust hole unit.
[0020] FIG. 10 is a side view of a marine propeller with an adjustable exhaust structure in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating one exhaust hole unit in a propeller body.
[0021] FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the marine propeller with an adjustable exhaust structure in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1-3 , a marine propeller in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The marine propeller 10 comprises a propeller body 20 , three adjustable exhaust devices 30 . Each adjustable exhaust device 30 comprises, installed in the propeller body 20 , an exhaust hole unit 40 , an adjustment member 50 , and a fastening member 60 .
[0023] The propeller body 20 comprises a propeller hub 22 , and three propeller blades 24 . The propeller hub 22 comprises an outer tube 222 and an inner tube 224 integrally formed of multiple rib plates (not shown), and an outer surface 226 and an inner surface 228 located on the outer tube 222 . The propeller blades 24 are outwardly extended from the outer surface 226 of the propeller hub 22 . The adjustable exhaust devices 30 are respectively disposed between each two adjacent propeller blades 24 .
[0024] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIGS. 2 and 3 again, each exhaust hole unit 40 comprises a recess 42 , an axle hole 44 , and six exhaust through holes 46 . The recess 42 is located on the outer surface 226 comprises a bottom wall 422 , an inner peripheral wall 424 , and two blocks 426 protruded from the inner peripheral wall 424 . The axle hole 44 and the exhaust through holes 46 extend through the bottom wall 422 of the recess 42 and the inner surface 228 of the propeller hub 22 . Further, the exhaust through holes 46 are spaced around the axle hole 44 .
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , each adjustment member 50 comprises a shaft 52 , and an adjustment wheel 54 formed integral with one end of the shaft 52 . The shaft 52 comprises a groove 522 extending around the periphery thereof. The adjustment wheel 54 is shaped like a gearwheel, comprising a circular peripheral wall 542 , and a plurality of notches 544 arranged around a circle, i.e., equiangularly spaced around the circular peripheral wall 542 . The adjustment wheel 54 further comprises six through holes 546 cut through the opposing top and bottom sides thereof and spaced around the shaft 52 , and a shielding portion 548 between each two adjacent through holes 546 .
[0026] Referring to FIG. 7 and FIGS. 2 and 4 again, in each adjustable exhaust device 30 , the shaft 52 of the adjustment member 50 is inserted into the axle hole 44 of the exhaust hole unit 40 , the adjustment wheel 54 of the adjustment member 50 is set in the recess 42 of the exhaust hole unit 40 , and the two blocks 426 of the recess 42 are respectively engaged into one respective notch 544 of the adjustment wheel 54 . The fastening member 60 is a C-shaped retaining ring mounted in the groove 522 of the shaft 52 of the adjustment member 50 to secure the adjustment member 50 to the exhaust hole unit 40 . The user can detach the fastening member 60 , and then remove the adjustment wheel 54 of the adjustment member 50 out of the recess 42 , and then rotate the adjustment member 50 to the desired angle, and then set the adjustment wheel 54 of the adjustment member 50 in the recess 42 again, and thus the shielding portions 548 of the adjustment wheel 54 of the adjustment member 50 are moved relative to the exhaust through holes 46 to change their shielding area relative to the exhaust through holes 46 and to further adjust the exhaust volume of the marine propeller 10 .
[0027] For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 8 , the shielding portions 548 of the adjustment wheel 54 of the adjustment member 50 are moved away from the exhaust through holes 46 of the exhaust hole unit 40 and the exhaust through holes 46 of the exhaust hole unit 40 are fully opened. At this time, the exhaust volume of the marine propeller 10 reaches the maximum level. In the configuration shown in FIG. 9 , the exhaust through holes 46 of the exhaust hole unit 40 are fully shielded by the shielding portions 548 of the adjustment wheel 54 of the adjustment member 50 , and the internal gas of the propeller hub 22 cannot be exhausted. At this time, the exhaust volume of the marine propeller 10 reaches the minimum level. Further, the shielding portions 548 of the adjustment wheel 54 of the adjustment member 50 can be moved to a position to partially shield the exhaust through holes 46 of the exhaust hole unit 40 , as shown in FIG. 4 . Subject to the aforesaid operation of rotating the adjustment member 50 relative to the exhaust hole unit 40 , the shielded area of the exhaust through holes 46 of the exhaust hole unit 40 is relatively adjusted.
[0028] In other words, under different application conditions, the user can adjust the exhaust volume to the optimal status without changing any component parts of the marine propeller 10 , enabling the marine propeller 10 to provide a proper speed. Thus, the marine propeller 10 is very convenient to use.
[0029] It is to be noted that in each of the aforesaid adjustable exhaust devices 30 , the fastening member 60 is not limited to C-shaped retaining ring, and any of a variety of other fastening means capable of prohibiting the adjustment member 50 from escaping out of the exhaust hole unit 40 and allowing movement of the shielding portions 548 of the adjustment wheel 54 of the adjustment member 50 relative to the exhaust through holes 46 of the exhaust hole unit 40 before fixation can be used as a substitute. Further, the number and locations of the blocks 426 of the recess 42 of each exhaust hole unit 40 may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. One single block 426 can also achieve the same effect of securing the adjustment member 50 in position.
[0030] In the aforesaid first embodiment, the relative positioning between the exhaust hole unit 40 and the respective adjustment member 50 and quantitative adjustment of the relative angle therebetween are achieved by means of selectively engaging the relative smaller number of the blocks 426 of the exhaust hole unit 40 into the relatively larger number of the notches 544 of the adjustment member 50 . Alternatively, the adjustment member 50 can be made having a relatively smaller number of blocks for selectively engaging a larger number of notches in the exhaust hole unit 40 . Further, it is not a limitation to arrange the notches around a circle.
[0031] Further, the number and arrangement of the exhaust through holes 46 of the exhaust hole unit 40 and the number and arrangement of the through holes 546 and shielding portions 548 of each adjustment member 50 are not limited to the aforesaid design. Actually, each adjustable exhaust device 30 can be made having at least one set of exhaust through holes 46 , through holes 546 and shielding portions 548 to achieve the same effects.
[0032] Further, the marine propeller 10 can be made having at least one adjustable exhaust device 30 to achieve the aforesaid exhaust volume adjustment effect. However, arranging one adjustable exhaust device 30 between each two adjacent propeller blades 24 can balance the resistance of the propeller blades 24 , facilitating smooth operation of the marine propeller 10 .
[0033] In the aforesaid first embodiment, the recess 42 , axle hole 44 and exhaust through holes 46 of the exhaust hole unit 40 are located on the propeller body 20 , however, this arrangement is not a limitation. In a second embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the exhaust hole unit 70 of the marine propeller comprises a through hole 72 extending through the outer surface 226 and inner surface 228 of the propeller hub 22 of the propeller body 20 , and a plug 74 fixedly mounted in the through hole 72 . The plug 72 defines an axle hole 742 , and a plurality of exhaust through holes 744 . Thus, this exhaust hole unit 70 achieves the same effects as the exhaust hole unit 40 of the aforesaid first embodiment.
[0034] Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
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A marine propeller with an adjustable exhaust structure is disclosed. Each adjustable exhaust device of the adjustable exhaust structure includes an exhaust hole unit with exhaust through holes cut through the outer surface and inner surface of the propeller hub of the marine propeller, an adjustment member with shielding portions mounted in the exhaust hole unit, and a fastening member for securing the adjustment member in position. The adjustment member is movable to adjust the shielding area of the shielding portions relative to the exhaust through holes when disengaged from the constraint of the fastening member. Thus, the exhaust volume is adjustable to fit different conditions without changing any component parts of the marine propeller, facilitating ease of use of the marine propeller.
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This application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 275,506 filed June 19, 1981 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,929, issued May 31, 1983.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the production of metal or alloy powder (hereinafter referred to collectively as "metal powder") by atomizing molten metal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The metal powder which is used as the raw material for powder metallurgical articles such as powder-sintered articles and powder-forged articles generally is required to possess the following attributes:
(1) The metal powder should have a low oxygen content and sparingly yield to surface oxygen.
(2) The metal powder should have a proper particle size distribution and contain finely divided particles in a proportion above a certain level.
(3) The individual particles of the metal powder should have irregular shapes.
As ways for producing metal powder, many methods ranging from mechanical methods to chemical methods have been introduced to the art. Among other methods, the so-called atomizing method, i.e., a method by which a stream of molten metal is reduced into finely divided particles by the force of an injected current of water or gas has found widespread acceptance owing to its advantage in terms of the properties of the metal powder produced, and to the efficiency and cost of the production technique. However, considering the aforementioned conditions the metal powder is required to fulfill, the water atomizing method and the gas atomizing method have various problems of their own, as indicated below.
The water atomizing method effects the reduction of molten metal into finely divided particles by a jet of water. In the course of this atomization, the divided particles of metal undergo surface oxidation by the ambient air and the water from the jet. When this method is carried out on molten iron in an air atmosphere, for example, oxygen in an amount of about 3 to 5% based on the weight of iron being atomized reacts with the iron to produce iron oxide. It is known that oxygen in an amount of about 0.2 to 0.5% inevitably reacts with the iron even when the atomization is carried out in an inert gas atmosphere and an ingenius device is used for the injection of the atomizing agent. To permit producton of shaped articles of high mechanical properties, the metal powder obtained by the water atomizing method must be given an additional reducing treatment before it is put to use.
This reduction necessitates provision of such a reducing substance such as H 2 or CO and required the ambient temperature to be elevated above 1000° C. The equipment for reduction is composed of heating facilities, facilities for powder transfer, facilities for preparation of a reducing gas, and cooling facilities. The cost for the provision of the reducing gas and for the elevation of ambient temperature accounts for a high proportion of 20 to 30% of the total cost of equipment. Use of these extra facilities constitutes one of the factors for increasing the price of the metal powder itself and the price of shaped articles obtained from the metal powder as the raw material.
In the case of the atomizing method using a gaseous agent, the possible oxidation during the production of metal powder may be precluded by using a non-oxidizing gas such as inert gas, neutral gas, or reducing gas in high purity. The aforementioned reducing treatment, therefore, can be omitted. Nevertheless, this method entails the following problem.
For the convenience of cold forming, the metal powder is required to meet the condition that the individual particles of the powder should possess surface shapes irregular to a certain degree as mentioned above. According to the gas atomizing method, however, since the gas has low specific heat and density, no sufficient cooling speed can be obtained. Consequently, the atomized particles of molten metal, while being cooled, are caused by surface tension to convert themselves into smooth spheres. The metal powder thus made up of spheres of smooth surface has a disadvantage that it exhibits poor cold formability and fails to give compressed powder of sufficient strength and produce sintered articles of ample strength.
Recently, there have been several proposals for a method of using oil as an atomizing medium, the proposals of which being, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,377 to Larson, Rumanian Pat. No. 51,997, and Int. Powder Metall Conf. (U.S.A.) 301 to 311 ('74).
The oil atomizing method, which uses a varying kind of oil instead of gas or water, enjoys a high cooling efficiency and removes the possibility that the powder particles will be exposed to oxidation. This method, nevertheless, is susceptible to the following problems and is not yet practically used.
(1) When the molten metal is atomized with an oil, there is required an additional treatment for separating and recovering the oil adhering to the divided particles of the metal.
(2) The oil, on contact with the molten metal at a high temperature, is decomposed to produce a carburizing atmosphere, with the result that the produced metal powder acquires an increased carbon content. As a result, the product is made so hard as to be considerably difficult to exhibit cold formability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for inexpensively mass-producing on an industrial scale a metal powder having a notably low oxygen content, possessing desirable irregularity of particle shapes, and exhibiting outstanding cold formability, by utilizing the advantage of the atomizing methods and eliminating the disadvantages of the conventional methods using water, a gas, or an oil as the atomizing medium.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for the production of a metal powder which embraces a step for separating and recovering efficiently the atomizing medium from the finely divided particles of metal and further a step for giving the powder a heat treatment for decarburization and/or softening anneal.
The method for the production of a metal powder provided by this invention is mainly characterized by a nonpolar solvent such as a mineral oil, or an animal or vegetable oil as the atomizing medium, keeping the molten metal and the atomized particles of metal completely insulated from the ambient air, and utilizing a fluidized bed furnace for the separation of the used atomizing medium from the atomized particles of metal and for the heat treatment of the metal powder.
The reason for the adoption of a non-polar solvent is that in the case of a polar solvent possessing S or a --OH group, for example, the solvent, upon contact with the molten metal, undergoes decomposition and consequently emits S, a possible cause for contamination, and O, a possible cause for oxidation.
When water is used as the atomizing medium, the oxidation of the metal powder by steam issuing from the water is inevitable as described above even when the atomization is carried out in an atmosphere insulated from the atmospheric air. It has been confirmed that when a non-polar solvent such as a mineral oil, or an animal or vegetable oil is used as the atomizing medium, the possibility of the metal powder being oxidized by the atomizing medium is very remote. When the molten metal awaiting the atomizing treatment or the atomized particles of metal particularly in a state not yet completely cooled are exposed to an atmosphere containing oxygen, surface oxidation and the invasion of oxygen into the particles are inevitable consequences.
For successful working of this invention, the use of the specific atomizing medium and the perfect insulation of the ambience of atomization from the atmospheric air are indispensable conditions. Further, since the atomizing medium to be used in this invention has much higher specific heat and density than the atomizing media heretofore used in the gas atomizing method, the produced particles of molten metal enjoy a notably high cooling speed. Consequently, the possibility of the divided particles of molten metal being converted into smooth spheres as described above is remote. The divided particles of molten metal, therefore, assume irregular shapes similarly to the metal powder produced by the atomizing method using water as the atomizing medium. The produced metal powder is favorably comparable in terms of cold formability with that obtained by the water atomizing method.
As non-polar solvent, mineral oil, particularly, quenching oil, machine oil or turbine oil is the most preferable in practice. The above-mentioned oil can be obtained at relatively inexpensive price. The quenching oil is not necessary to be especially prepared to be used for quenching the ordinary steel. No special preparation is either necessary for the machine oil or turbine oil. In order to prevent a carburization to the metal powder when atomizing, the above-mentioned oil may contain a carburization preventive, for example, a small amount of water of esters.
For the insulation of the molten metal from the atmospheric air, a measure which involves giving to the container of the molten metal an airtight construction and filling the space remaining in the container with a non-oxidizing gas such as a neutral gas, a reducing gas, or an inert gas can be used. Particularly, N 2 gas proves to be practical.
The path used for conveying the molten metal from the container to the atomizing unit also is required to be similarly insulated from the atmospheric air. Further, the projection of the atomizing medium is required to be carried out in a closed, airtight vessel filled with a non-oxidizing gas such as a neutral gas, a reducing gas or an inert gas.
The atomized particles of metal and the used atomizing medium are stored inside the aforementioned airtight vessel. The separation of the produced metal powder from the used atomizing medium is accomplished by heating the powder with the atomized oil and thereby selectively gasifying the atomizing medium.
The inventors made a study in search of a method capable of effecting the separation of the used atomizing medium with improved efficiency without entailing the possibility of exposing the metal powder to oxidation. The inventors have consequently found that a fluidizing furnace using a non-oxidizing gas is exceptionally effective in carrying out this separation.
Generally, the metal powder to be produced by the atomizing method is destined to undergo a rapid cooling. Therefore, in the case of a Fe type metal powder, for example, the produced metal powder has high hardness and consequently poor cold formability. The metal powder of such nature, therefore, must be softened by a proper heat treatment after it has been isolated from the used atomized medium. This softening treatment is not always required to be carried out within the line of the metal powder production. No special device is needed for the heat treatment. However, if this softening treatment is carried out in the aforementioned fluidized bed furnace immediately after the separation of the metal powder from the used atomizing medium, it ought to prove highly advantageous from the standpoint of utility of heat. Further, if a fluidized bed furnace using a non-oxidizing gas is additionally adopted as the device for the softening heat treatment, then the treatment can be efficiently performed without breaking the continuity of the whole operation of the metal powder production. When the non-polar solvent, for example, mineral oil, is used as an atomized medium, the carburization of the powder may take place. Therefore, the decarburization treatment other than the softening treatment may sometimes be required. When said softening decarburizing gas such as H 2 --H 2 O and CO--CO 2 , the metal powder can be simultaneously softened and decarburized.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are explanatory diagrams illustrating one typical apparatus of this invention for the production of a metal powder from molten metal.
FIG. 3 is a modified version of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a graph showing the compressed powder density of the steel powder produced by the apparatus of this invention.
FIG. 5 is a graph showing the rate of attrition of the steel powder produced by the apparatus of this invention.
FIG. 6 is a photomicrograph (400 magnifications) showing the shapes of steel particles produced by this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an apparatus of this invention for the producton of a metal powder, with emphasis on the atomizing unit, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a unit for the separation of the produced metal powder from the used atomizing medium and a unit for giving the metal powder a heat treatment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a modified version of the units for the separation and heat treatment of the metal powder of FIG. 2.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a vessel (1) for receiving molten metal (2) is insulated by a sealed valve (13) from the atmospheric air and is provided with a non-oxidizing gas feed pipe (11a). This vessel is provided in the bottom thereof with a drawing hole (14) adapted to allow the molten metal to flow down in a suitable stream (3). By (14') is denoted a device for opening and closing the drawing hole (14).
The space between the drawing hole (14) and a granulation tank (5) disposed thereunder is enclosed with a structure which is also insulated from the atmospheric air, and the interior of this structure is filled with a non-oxidizing gas supplied via a gas feed pipe (11b). Denoted by (4) is an atomizing medium injecting nozzle which injects the atomizing medium highly compressed by a compressor (9) against the stream of molten metal so as to atomize the molten metal. The atomized molten metal is quenched, solidified, and dropped to the bottom of the granulation tank (5), there to be sedimented and accumulated. The granulation tank (5) is also in an airtight construction. Prior to the operation of the apparatus, the air in the interior of the granulation tank is displaced with the non-oxidizing gas introduced through a gas feed pipe (11d). Denoted by (16a) is a pipe for suitably discharging the non-oxidizing gas accumulated during the operation. This pipe (16a) is provided with a pressure regulating valve (16b) adapted to control the pressure inside the granulation tank (5).
Owing to the construction described above, all the steps of operation through which the molten metal is converted to a metal powder are carried out in a conditions insulated from the atmospheric air. The used atomizing medium (6) which collects in the granulation tank (5) is withdrawn through a discharge pipe (11c), then circulated by a circulation pump (15) through a thickener (8), a filter (12), and a cooler (10), and then mixed with a freshly supplied atomizing medium and put to use.
In the meantime, the metal powder is removed from the granulation tank (5) by means of a classifier (7) and then received in a hopper (18).
In the hopper, part of the atomizing medium adhering to the metal powder is separated, placed in a storage tank (20), and returned via a circulation pump (15') to the thickener (8). The atomizing medium remaining on the surface of the metal powder is thoroughly removed in the next step. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, a fluidized bed furnace (24) is used for this step.
The metal powder which has departed from the hopper (18) of FIG. 1 is released in a flow rate adjusted by a valve (17a) onto a belt conveyer (19), scooped in a bucket elevator (21) and delivered to an upper hopper (22), forwarded in a prescribed amount adjusted by a valve (17b) through a screen feeder (23), and introduced into a fluidized bed furnace (24). The fluidized bed furnace (24) is capable of simultaneously the gasification and separation of the used atomizing medium and the heat treatment of the metal powder. The upper two stages of the fluidized bed furnace are used for the step of separation and the third stage for the step of heat treatment. By (26) is denoted indirect heating means for ensuring supply of heat necessary for the heat treatment and for the gasification and separation mentioned above. The indirect heating means is supplied with a hot combustion gas produced in a hot stove (25). To the interior of the fluidized bed furnace is supplied a non-oxidizing gas such as, for example, N 2 gas which has been brought in through a feed pipe (27) disposed at the lowermost level and then passed through a preheater furnace (28). The preheated gas ascends the stages of the fluidized bed furnace while exchanging heat with the metal powder. The metal powder is cooled while it is moving from the lowermost stage of the furnace through a cooling pipe (29). It is then forwarded through a product hopper (30) and discharged through a rotary valve (17c). The non-oxidizing gas is forwarded through a dust catcher (31) and an oil recovery cooler (32) and then circulated by a pipe (33) to the feed pipe (27) leading to the fluidized bed furnace. Within the oil recovery cooler (32), the atomizing medium in the gas is condensed and the condensed atomizing medium is stored in an oil recovery tank (34) and then lead to the thickener (8) of FIG. 1.
Optionally, the metal powder may be decarburized by adding a decarburizing agent into the non-oxidizing gas to be delivered through the feed pipe (27).
The embodiment of FIG. 2 represents a case in which the fluidized bed furnace has a three-stage construction and serves the purpose of simultaneously effecting the gasification and separation of the atomizing medium and the heat treatment of the metal powder. This fluidized bed furnace need not be limited to three stages as described above but may be designed in a construction of a larger number of stages to meet the convenience of the operation involved.
Crude separation of the metal powder and the used atomizing medium may be performed as by means of a centrifugal separator between the production of metal powder and the separation of the solvent by the fluidized bed furnace.
Increasing the number of fluidized bed furnaces used in the apparatus implies moderating the operations of separation of the metal powder and the used atomizing medium and softening of the metal powder and thereby promising high quality for the product.
The fluidized bed furnace (24) in the embodiment of FIG. 2 may be adapted to effect exclusively the separation of the metal powder and the used atomizing medium. The softening heat treatment may be performed in a separate fluidized bed furnace or a furnace of some other design.
FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment in which a furnace (24a) used exclusively for the gasification and separation of the used atomizing medium and a furnace (24b) for the heat treatment of the metal powder are incorporated in the place of a single fluidized bed furnace used in the foregoing embodiment. The functions fulfilled by the component parts of these separate furnaces are identical to those in the apparatus of FIG. 2.
[EXAMPLE I]
A steel powder was produced by using an apparatus of the construction illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The particulars of the apparatus were as shown in Table 1. The chemical composition of the molten steel is shown in Table 2.
The atomization of molten steel was carried out under the conditions shown below.
TABLE 1______________________________________Particulars of apparatus for theproduction of steel powder______________________________________Temperature of molten steel: 1610° C.Amount of molten steel used: 30 kgKind of atomizing medium used: Quenching oil (containing a carburization preventive)Pressure of atomization: 140 kg/cm.sup.2Atomizing rate: 200 lit./min.Step ofoperation Device Specification______________________________________Atomiza- Vessel for Inner volume 250 mm.0. × 250 mmLtion keeping Diameter of 8 mm.0. molten drawing hole for steel molten steel Atomizing Type Conical nozzle Diameter of 30 mm orofice for molten metal injectionSepara- First fluidized 0.11 m.sup.2tion of bedoil and Second fluidized 0.165 m.sup.2softening bedof metal Third fluidized 0.32 m.sup.2powder bed______________________________________
TABLE 2______________________________________Chemical composition of molten steel(% by weight)C Si Mn P S O______________________________________0.010 0.03 0.25 0.15 0.012 0.015______________________________________
TABLE 3______________________________________Conditions for removal of oil andsoftening of metal powderItem Condition______________________________________Temperature First fluidized bed 250° C.of heating Second fluidized bed 480° C. Third fluidized bed 850° C.Feed rate of steel powder 20 kg/hrFlow volume of N.sub.2 gas 10 Nm.sup.3 /hr______________________________________
The steel powder produced under the conditions indicated above was subjected to the treatment for the gasification and separation of the atomizing medium, namely, quenching oil, from the steel powder and to the softening heat treatment of the steel powder under the conditions indicated in Table 3.
In this case, the amount of the molten steel subjected to the production of steel powder totalled 120 kg, which was atomized in four separate batch operations. The treatments involved were performed continuously over a period of six hours. The individual particles of the steel powder thus produced thus produced had irregular shapes abounding in abrupt rises and falls and hardly resembling those spherical, smooth particles illustrated in Photo. 1 (400 magnifications). These irregular shapes are similar to those of the particles of steel powder produced by the conventional water atomizing method. Such irregular shapes are most desirable for the purpose of forming works which the steel powder is destined to undergo.
The steel powder produced as described was tested for chemical composition and particle size distribution. The results of the test were as shown in Table 4.
TABLE 4__________________________________________________________________________Chemical composition and particlesize distribution__________________________________________________________________________Chemicalcomposition C Si Mn P S O__________________________________________________________________________% by weight 0.15 0.01 0.23 0.013 0.015 0.048Particle size +60 60˜100 100˜150 150˜200 200˜250 250˜350 -350(mesh)Distribution 0.3 6.3 16.4 21.3 13.5 16.5 25.7(%)__________________________________________________________________________
The steel powder produced by the method of this invention had an oxygen content of 0.048%, a value notably lower than the oxygen content found in the steel powder obtained by the conventional water atomizing method. For example, the oxygen content in the steel powder produced by the conventional water atomizing method generally exceeds 0.1% even after reduction with hydrogen. The particle size distribution of the steel powder of this invention was subtantially the same as that of the steel powder produced by the other method.
The carbon content increases up to 0.15%. Even with such the increase as to 0.15% the desired formability can be obtained by the softening anneal.
[EXAMPLE II]
By using the same apparatus under the same atomizing conditions (except for use of a quenching oil without carburization preventive as the atomizing medium) as involved in Example I, molten steel indicated in Table 5 was treated to produce a steel powder. The steel powder produced was subjected to crude separation of the oil by use of a centrifugal separator and then subjected to a simultaneous treatment for oil removal, softening anneal and decarburization in a multi-stage fluidized bed furnace illustrated in FIG. 2. The conditions of the treatment were identical to those of Table 3, except for the composition of the fluidizing gas (Table 6).
TABLE 5______________________________________Chemical composition of molten steeland steel power (wt %) C Si Mn Cr P S O______________________________________Molten steel 0.01 0.02 0.25 0.30 0.015 0.012 0.015Steel powder 0.50 0.01 0.24 0.30 0.015 0.016 0.020(before treatment influidized bedfurnace)Steel powder 0.02 0.01 0.23 0.30 0.015 0.015 0.048(after treatment influidized bedfurnace)______________________________________
The chemical compositions of the steel powder before and after the treatment of the steel powder in the fluidized bed furnace are also shown in Table 5.
TABLE 6______________________________________Feed volume of fluidizing gasTotal amount of gas used 11 N.sub.m3 /hr______________________________________N.sub.2 gas 4.7 N.sub.m3 /hrN.sub.2 gas 4.7 N.sub.m3 /hrN.sub.2 O gas 1.6 N.sub.m3 /hr______________________________________
It is noted from Table 5 that the C content which was increased to 0.50% by the atomization was lowered to 0.02% by the treatment with a fluidizing gas containing a decarburizing gas. According to this invention, therefore, the steel powder can be carburized by suitable selection of an atomizing medium and the carburized steel powder can easily be decarburized by the treatment in the fluidized bed furnace.
Further the steel powder was tested for compressed powder characteristics. The results of the test concerning the relation between the compressed powder density and the forming pressure are shown in FIG. 4 and concerning the relation the forming pressure and the rate of attrition are shown in FIG. 5. As a lubricant, zinc stearate content of 0.75% was used. For comparison, the steel powder produced by the conventional water atomizing method (having substantially the same chemical composition) was subjected to the similar test and the results are shown in the diagrams. A review of the data given in the diagrams reveals that the steel powder produced by the method of this invention gave results favorably comparable with or even better than the results given by the steel powder of the conventional method. The good results, it is believed, may be ascribable to the fact that the steel powder produced by the method of this invention has a notably low oxygen content than the steel powder produced by the conventional method.
It is evident from the test results described above that the present invention provides an advantageous method and apparatus capable of producing a metal powder having a low oxygen content and a proper particle size distribution and exhibiting desirable compressed powder characteristics and that the method and apparatus of this invention are highly effective in the production of metal powders of not merely steel and steel alloy but also copper, copper alloy, and even titanium and aluminum which have high capacities for oxidation.
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A metal powder of improved quality is obtained by causing molten metal held in a vessel to flow out in a smooth stream through an outlet formed at the bottom of the vessel, throwing the jet of an atomizing medium consisting of nonpolar solvents such as mineral oils, or animal and vegetable oils against the stream of molten metal thereby atomizing the molten metal, separating and recovering the produced metal powder and the used atomizing medium by means of a fluidized bed furnace, and if necessary subjecting the metal powder to decarburization and softening anneal. In this production, the molten metal, the path for the flow of the molten metal, and the produced metal powder are substantially insulated from the atmospheric air.
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This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/138,263, filed on Oct. 20, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,346 which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/883,367, filed on May 17, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,479 the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a biosensor and a method of quantitative analysis of a material which relates to a reaction of a specific compound in a liquid sample a biologically active substance such as an enzyme.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a biological liquid sample such as blood is analyzed using a biosensor which comprises electrochemical detecting means, a reducing compound such as ascorbic acid or uric acid which is present in the sample has an electrochemical or chemical interference on the analysis, which is always a problem in the analysis.
Hitherto, various measures to remove or suppress such interference have been proposed in patent specifications and literatures. They are summarized as follows:
(1) Use of an interference-removing membrane:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,979,274 and 4,240,889, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Nos. 211542/1982 and 5643/1983, etc.
(2) Electrode oxidation:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,507, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Nos. 118152/1982, 211054/1982, 5642/1983, 85148/1983, 85149/1983 and 146847/1983, The 11th Chemical Sensor Symposium, Okawa et al, 24. "Electrochemical On-Line Elimination of Electroactive Interference for Flow-Type Biosensor System", etc.
(3) Use of plural working electrodes:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,455, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Nos. 146847/1983 and 253648/1989, Miyahara et al, Sensor and Actuators, 7, 1 (1985), etc.
(4) Addition of an enzyme for oxidizing an interfering substance:
Japanese Patent Publication No. 17427/1983
(5) Double potential step method:
The 58th Spring Annual Meeting of the Japan Chemical Society, 4IG06, Matsuura et al, "Measurement of Hydrogen Peroxide with A Micro Carbon Fiber Electrode".
However, each of the above measures has its own drawbacks as follows:
(1) Use of an interference-removing membrane:
In this method, an electrode which is an electrochemically detecting device is covered with a selectively permeable membrane, whereby a substance to be analyzed permeates the membrane while concomitant interfering substances do not. This method can be employed when a substance having a very low molecular weight such as oxygen molecules or hydrogen peroxide is used as an electrochemically reactive substance. But, when a mediator for electric charges such as potassium ferricyanide or ferrocene is used, this method cannot be applied since the concomitant interfering substance and the mediator cannot be distinguished according to their sizes. Further, this method cannot be a remedy for an oxidation-reduction reaction between the concomitant substance and the mediator which takes place outside the interference-removing membrane, namely in the sample liquid. In addition, the membrane may decrease a sensitivity and a response of the electrode and a degree of such deterioration depends on a thickness of the membrane so that a difference between individual sensors is enlarged.
(2) Electrode oxidation:
This method requires an additional electrode system for anodizing the concomitant interfering substance in the sample (an electrolytic electrode system) in addition to an electrode system for measuring an object substance (a measuring electrode system). When the sample is supplied to a measuring system, the interfering substance is anodized by the electrolytic electrode system before it reaches an enzyme reaction system or the measuring electrode system.
Since this method essentially requires the electrolytic electrode system in addition to the measuring electrode system, and two electrode systems and the reaction system of the biologically active substance such as an enzyme are spacially separated, the sensor has a complicated structure. To increase an electrolytic efficiency of the interfering substance, a surface area of the electrolytic electrode is increased, or the sample liquid is intentionally stirred or flowed. However, the structure of the sensor is complicated and enlarged, or the response is decreased. This method may not be suitable for a disposable sensor.
The increase of the electrolytic efficiency of the interfering substance is contrary to the reduction of the measuring time and the increase of the response. To satisfy both requirements, a very thin integrated porous electrode system is proposed. But, since such thin electrode is weak and unstable, it requires reinforcement of the structure so that it is difficult to supply a simple and cheap sensor.
Since the sensor as a whole has the electrolytic electrode system in addition to the measuring electrode system, electric circuits and a measuring software become complicated and expensive.
(3) Use of plural working electrodes:
In this method, an electrode system for measuring the interfering substance present in the sample is used in addition to the measuring electrode system. When the sample is supplied, the measuring electrode system measures signals from both the object substance and the interfering substance while the electrode system for measuring the interfering substance measures only the signal from the interfering substance. Then, a difference between these two measured value is calculated to give a concentration of the object substance to be measured.
This method essentially requires the electrode system for measuring the interfering substance. Since there is a possibility that a reaction product or reaction products produced by the measuring electrode system may have some influence on the electrode system for measuring the interfering substance, these two electrode systems should be spacially separated with a sufficient distance. This results in enlargement and a mote complicated structure of the whole sensor. Since two or more electrode systems are used, two or more electric circuits for amplifying detected currents are necessary.
Further, measuring sensitivities for the object substance measurement and the interfering substance measurement should be matched, but such matching of the sensitivities is very difficult practically. In the case of a repetitive use sensor, the sensitivities of the electrode systems for measuring the interfering substance may be calibrated, but such calibration is impossible for the disposable sensor.
(4) Addition of an enzyme for oxidizing an interfering substance:
In this method, the interfering substance such as ascorbic acid or uric acid is oxidized with a respective oxidase before it participates in the electrode reaction or the oxidation-reduction reaction with the substance to be measured. Since a highly specific enzyme is used to remove the interfering substance in this method, plural enzymes should be used when plural interfering substances are present in the sample. This leads to the increase of a production cost of the biosensor. The preoxidation of the interfering substance is essential, and it is necessary to prevent interference of the measurement of the object substance caused by a product from oxidation of the interfering substance. Therefore, the sensor has a complicated structure inevitably. In addition, the interfering substance is removed through a conversion by the oxidation to a material which cannot be measured. This means that some information, which may be valuable if measured, is discarded.
(5) Double potential step method:
When a natural potential (E 02 ) of the measuring electrode against the object substance to be measured and a natural potential (E 01 ) against the interfering substance are different (assuming E 01 <E 02 ), the concentration of the interfering substance is measured at a potential E 1 which satisfies E 01 <E 1 <E 02 , while a total concentration of the object substance and the interfering substance is measured at a potential E 2 which is larger than E 02 (E 02 <E 2 ), and then a difference between E 1 and E 2 is calculated to obtain the concentration of the object substance.
According to the measuring principle of this method, if the natural potential E 02 against the object substance and the natural potential E 01 against the interfering substance are not sufficiently different, the concentration of the object substance and the total concentration of the object substance and the interfering substance cannot be separated and measured. When the object substance to be measured is hydrogen peroxide, the above potential relationship can be often established. Depending on an electrode substance or a surface condition of the electrode, E 01 and E 02 are very close to each other or sometimes E 01 exceeds E 02 . To achieve stability or expansion of a linear range of the biosensor, the mediator is often used. In such case, the electric charges are transferred with the mediator between the electrode and the object substance to be measured or the interfering substance, E 01 and E 02 are equal. Therefore, the double potential step method cannot be used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a biosensor which can isolate a signal from an object substance to be measured from a signal from an interfering substance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of quantitative analysis of a material which relates to a reaction of a specific compound in a liquid sample with a biologically active substance such as an enzyme.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a biosensor which electrochemically detects a material which relates to a reaction of a specific compound in a liquid sample with a biologically active substance or its related substance (hereinafter referred to as "biologically active material"), wherein the biologically active material or an optionally used mediator is placed at a part which is remote from a position of an electrode which acts as electrochemical detector means, and optionally the biological active material or the mediator is covered with a polymer layer.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of quantitative analysis of a material which relates to a reaction of a specific compound in a liquid sample with the biologically active material, comprising reading at least two electrochemical signals from the liquid sample, which are an electrochemical signal at the supply of the sample relating to an electrochemically active substance present in the sample but not to a biologically active material and an electrochemical signal after a sufficient time from the supply of the sample relating to both the biologically active material and the electrochemically active substance present in the sample and operating both signals, whereby the substance which specifically reacts with the biologically active material and the electrochemically active material present in the sample are separated and quantitatively analyzed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross section of an example of the biosensor according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a graph showing anodizing currents measured in Examples 1 and 2,
FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are graphs showing changes of anodizing currents at lactic acid concentrations of 0 mg/dl, 17.6 mg/dl and 35.2 mg/dl, respectively,
FIG. 6 is a calibration curve of response currents in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 after 4 seconds from the start of measurement against the concentration of ascorbic acid,
FIG. 7 is a calibration curve of response currents in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 after 35 seconds from the start of the measurement against the concentration of lactic acid, and
FIG. 8 is a corrected calibration curve obtained by correcting the calibration curve of FIG. 7 with that of FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, the biologically active material includes:
1. Substrates of oxidoreductases, for example, lactic acid, glucose, uric acid, piruvic acid, cholesterol, and the like.
2. Oxidoreductases, for example, lactase dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, glutamic dehydrogenase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and the like.
3. Substances which finally perform an oxidation-reduction reaction utilizing a reaction of a substrate or an enzyme, for example, triglyceride, phospholipid, GOT, GPT, CPK, and the like.
4. Substances measured by utilizing an antigen-antibody reaction, for example, immunoglobulins, hormones (e.g. T 3 , T 4 , etc.), and the like.
In the present invention, the wording "placing the biologically active material" intends to mean that the biologically active material is present at a specific part of the biosensor in a state that the biologically active material can react with the specific substance to be analyzed in the sample. The wording "placing the mediator" intends to mean that the mediator is present at a specific part of the biosensor in a state that the mediator can be dissolved in the liquid sample. A form of the biologically active material or the mediator is not limited. For example, a solution of the biologically active material is applied on the specific part of the biosensor and dried to place the biologically active material as a residue at the specific part of the biosensor. The solution of the biologically active material is impregnated in an absorbing material such as a filter paper or a piece of cloth and then dried, and the absorbing material carrying the biologically active material is set at the specific part of the biosensor. Further, some of the biologically active materials may be set at the specific part of the biosensor with a cross-linking agent such as glutaraldehyde or disuccinimidyl suberate. The biologically active material may be absorbed on the material of the biosensor substrate using an absorptivity therebetween.
When the biosensor utilizes the mediator, on the measuring electrode, the mediator is placed but no biologically active material is provided. The mediator may be mixed with an hydrophilic polymer and then provided.
The biologically active material is placed together with at least the mediator at the specific part of the biosensor which is sufficiently remote from the measuring electrode. The distance between the measuring electrode and the specific part where the biologically active material is placed is determined such that, in a very short time in which the mediator on the measuring electrode is dissolved in the sample after the sample is supplied and the signal due to the electrode reaction is read (for example, 0 to several seconds, e.g. 5 or 6 seconds), a mediator which is generated by the reaction between the object substance in the sample and the biologically active material does not diffuse and reach the measuring electrode.
In the case of the biosensor using no mediator such as a biosensor using a hydrogen peroxide electrode, preferably any material is not provided on the measuring electrode. To facilitate and smoothen the introduction of the sample, the hydrophilic polymer and the like may be provided on the electrode. The biologically active material is placed at the specific part of the biosensor which is sufficiently remote from the measuring electrode. The distance between the measuring electrode and the specific part where the biologically active material is placed is determined such that, in a very short time in which, after the supply of the sample, the signal generated by the direct electrode reaction of the interfering substance in the sample is read (for example, 0 to several seconds, e.g. 5 or 6 seconds), a material such as hydrogen peroxide which is generated by the reaction between the object substance in the sample and the biologically active material does not diffuse and reach the measuring electrode.
To adjust or prolong the time in which the mediator or the material such as hydrogen peroxide that diffuses from the specific part apart from the measuring electrode reaches the measuring electrode, an amount of the hydrophilic polymer to be combined with a layer of the biologically active material may be increased. Alternatively, the biologically active material layer may be covered with a layer of the hydrophilic polymer.
In the quantitative analysis method of the present invention, when or immediately after the sample is supplied (in general, within several seconds, e.g. 5 or 6 seconds), a first electric current is measured, and then after a sufficient time from the supply of the sample (in general, several ten seconds, e.g. 50 or 60 seconds), a second electric current is measured. A first measured value of the electric current is a current before the produced material of the reaction between the object substance to be measured and the biologically active material reaches the measuring electrode. With this first current, a concentration of the concomitant interfering substance(s) can be determined. A second measured value of the electric current is a current caused by the interfering substance(s) and the produced material of the reaction between the object substance and the biologically active material. With the second current, a total concentration of the concomitant interfering substance(s) and the produced material can be determined. Therefore, a difference between the total concentration determined from the second current and the concentration determined from the first current is a concentration of the object substance to be measured. Timings for measuring the first and second currents should be suitable for measuring the current attributed to the interfering substance(s) and the current attributed to both the interfering substance(s) and the produced material. Therefore, the timings for measuring the currents are not limited to the above exemplified general periods.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be explained in detail by following Examples, which do not limit the scope of the present invention.
Example 1
A schematic cross section of a produced two-electrode type analysis biosensor according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1.
On a sheet form substrate 1 made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a carbon electrode 2 having a silver lead wire is formed by silk screen printing. On the electrode 2, a PET spacer 3 having a space 3' which receives a test liquid is adhered with a double-coated adhesive tape. On the top surface of the spacer 3 (opposite to the electrode 2), a lid 4 is adhered with a double-coated adhesive tape. The test liquid is supplied in the space 3' from an opening 7, whereby the measurement is carried out.
The substance(s) are placed by one of the following methods (A), (B) and (C):
(A) On an area 5 having a specific surface area of the carbon electrode 2, 3.3 mM potassium ferricyanide (30 μl) is dropped and dried to place a solid layer of potassium ferricyanide.
(B) On a surface 6 of the lid 7, before the lid is adhered, 0.1M citrate buffer (5 μl) containing 160 mM potassium ferricyanide and 400 U/ml of lactate oxidase was dropped and dried to place a solid layer of the enzyme and potassium ferricyanide.
(C) On an area 5 having a specific surface area of the carbon electrode 2, 3.3 mM potassium ferricyanide (30 μl) is dropped and dried to place a solid layer of potassium ferricyanide. Also, on a surface 6 of the lid 7, before the lid is adhered, 0.1M citrate buffer (5 μl) containing 160 mM potassium ferricyanide and 400 U/ml of lactate oxidase was dropped and dried to place a solid layer of the enzyme and potassium ferricyanide.
Example 2
From the opening 7 of the sensor produced by the method (A) in Example 1, 2 mM aqueous solution of ascorbic acid (10 μl) was introduced. Simultaneously, a constant voltage of +200 mV was applied between a detection electrode and a counter electrode and an anodizing current was measured. The result is shown in FIG. 2 (line A). The anode current reached the maximum value after 0.5 second by the application of +200 mV. This means that the reduction reaction of potassium ferricyanide with ascorbic acid is very fast and the current generated by this reaction is detected quickly.
Example 3
In the same manner as in Example 2 but using the sensor produced by the method (B) in Example 1 and 5 mM aqueous solution of lactic acid (10 μl), the change of the anodizing current was measured. The result is shown in FIG. 2 (line B). The anode current was substantially 0 μA after 4 seconds from the start of the application of +200 mV. This means that the arrival of potassium ferricyanide generated by the enzymatic reaction of lactic acid at the position 6 of FIG. 1 was delayed by about 4 seconds.
Example 4
An aqueous solution was prepared by adding ascorbic acid at a concentration of 0 mg/dl, 17.6 mg/dl or 35.2 mg/dl (each an end concentration) to a solution of lactic acid of a concentration of 0 mg/dl, 9.0 mg/dl, 18.0 mg/dl or 45.0 mg/dl. Then, 10 μl of each of the solutions was introduced in the sensor produced by the method (C) from the opening 7. Simultaneously, a first voltage of +200 mV was applied for 4 seconds between a detection electrode and a counter electrode and an anodizing current was measured. After 30 seconds from the introduction of the test solution, a second voltage of +200 mV was applied for 5 seconds, during which the anodizing current was measured. The result is shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, which show the changes of the anode current with time using the solutions containing 0 mg/dl (FIG. 3), 17.6 mg/dl (FIG. 4) or 35.2 mg/dl (FIG. 5) of ascorbic acid and 9.0 mg/dl, 18.0 mg/dl or 45.0 mg/dl of lactic acid.
FIG. 6 shows a calibration curve, in which the response currents (anode currents) in FIGS. 3 to 5 after 4 seconds from the introduction of the test solution were on the ordinate and the concentrations of ascorbic acid were on the abscissa. Though the lactic acid concentrations varied widely, the calibration curves for the three different lactic acid concentrations could be approximated by one calibration curve.
FIG. 7 shows calibration curves, in which the response currents (anode currents) in FIGS. 3 to 5 after 35 seconds from the introduction of the test solution were on the ordinate and the concentrations of lactic acid were on the abscissa. The calibration curves shifted in the positive direction of the ordinate with the response current corresponding to the respective concentration of ascorbic acid. This means that ascorbic acid has a positive interference against the measurement of lactic acid.
The calibration curves of FIG. 7 were corrected using the calibration curve of FIG. 6. That is, by taking into consideration the sensitivity difference of the response current between the time of the first voltage application and the time of the second voltage application, the calibration curve of FIG. 6 was corrected so that each of the calibration curves of FIG. 7 corresponding to the ascorbic acid concentration of 0 mg/dl and 35.2 mg/dl passed the origin, and then, using the corrected calibration curve, all the measured values in FIG. 7 were corrected. The results are shown in FIG. 8. In spite of the large difference of the ascorbic acid concentrations, all the calibration curves could be approximated by a single calibration curve. This means that the concentration of lactic acid is separated from that of ascorbic acid. Namely, the interference of ascorbic acid is avoided from the measurement.
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A biosensor which electrochemically detects a material which relates to a reaction of a specific compound in a liquid sample with a biologically active substance or its related substance, in which the biologically active material or an optionally used mediator is placed at a part which is remote from a position of an electrode which acts as electrochemical detector means, and optionally the biological active material or the mediator is covered with a polymer layer.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/934,234, filed Jan. 31, 2014 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/031,927, filed Aug. 1, 2014, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to wiring for audio visual installations and specifically to a wiring solution for audio visual installations that uses 4-twisted pair cabling.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The AV (audio visual) market is expanding due to increased use of computer graphics and visual telecommunication media in educational, business, healthcare, government, and other applications. There are a variety of cable and connector types such as VGA, RCA, 3.5 mm, and digital connections such as HDMI, and these connectors are generally not field terminable. Another problem with these solutions is that the connectors generally are not suitable for pulling through an electrical conduit, and consequently are not suitable for a pre-configured solution, i.e., a cable assembly employing such connectors generally are not suitable for pre-assembly offsite and then installation as an assembly at the installed location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In one embodiment, a communication system has a support and a communication connector attached to the support wherein the connector assembly has a termination lever.
[0005] In some embodiments, the system can further include a wire cap connected to a plurality of cable conductors. The wire cap can include a cover cap.
[0006] In some embodiments, the cover cap latches to the connector assembly when the wire cap and the plurality of cable conductors is terminated to the communication connector assembly.
[0007] In some embodiments, the support can further include a mounting surface for mounting the communication connector assembly, and the communication connector assembly can include a port for receiving the wire cap and the plurality of cable conductors such that a central axis of the port is non-normal to the front surface. In some embodiments the central axis can be 45° to the front surface.
[0008] In some embodiments, the communication connector assembly can further include a plurality of isolated quadrants within the port.
[0009] In some embodiments, the wire cap can include at least one pair of a primary hook and a respective secondary hook for at least one of the plurality of cable conductors such that the pair inhibits a respective connected conductor release.
[0010] In some embodiments, the wire cap includes a divider crossbar and the divider crossbar can include cable posts.
[0011] In some embodiments, the support is at least one of a faceplate, a patch panel, a surface mount box, and a media distribution unit.
[0012] In one embodiment, a method of connecting a communication cable to a communication connector assembly includes the steps of: wire mapping a plurality of conductors into a wire cap, inserting the wire cap into the communication connector assembly, pressing a termination lever of the communication connector assembly onto the wire cap, and terminating the plurality of conductors into the communication connector assembly.
[0013] In some embodiments, the termination step also connects each of the plurality of conductors to respective ones of a plurality of insulation displacement contacts.
[0014] In one embodiment, a wire cap for terminating a plurality of conductors of a communication cable to communication connector has at least one pair of a primary hook and a respective secondary hook for at least one of the plurality of cable conductors such that at least one the pair having the primary hook is oriented opposite to respective the secondary hook.
[0015] In some embodiments, the primary hook and the respective secondary hook inhibit a respective connected the conductor release.
[0016] In some embodiments, the wire cap includes a divider crossbar and the divider crossbar can include cable posts.
[0017] In one embodiment, a wire cap assembly for terminating a plurality of conductors of a communication cable to communication connector has a wire cap having a termination cap including a plurality of termination slots and a protective cover having integral tabs which align with respective the termination slots.
[0018] In some embodiments, the integral tabs inhibit movement of the plurality of conductors.
[0019] In one embodiment, a communication system can include a support and a communication connector assembly connected to the support. The connector assembly can include a female connector assembly configured for receiving a plurality of cable conductors with a central axis of the female connector assembly being non-normal to the front surface. The female connector assembly can further include a plurality of isolated quadrants.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0020] FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of an audio visual faceplate with an integrated hinged termination method for a circular connector.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a rear isometric view of the audio visual faceplate of FIG. 1
[0022] FIGS. 3 and 4 are exploded views of the faceplate of FIG. 1 .
[0023] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a circular connector assembly for use with the audio visual faceplate of FIG. 1 .
[0024] FIG. 6 is a front isometric view of the circular connector assembly of FIG. 5 exploded along the central axis.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a rear isometric view of the circular assembly of FIG. 5 exploded along the central axis.
[0026] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the circular assembly of FIG. 5 .
[0027] FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the circular connector assembly without a pulling cap.
[0028] FIGS. 10 a and 10 b are top views of the circular connector assembly of FIG. 9 ( FIG. 5 without the pulling cap).
[0029] FIG. 11 is a front isometric view of a female connector assembly for use with the audio visual faceplate of FIG. 1 .
[0030] FIG. 12 is a rear isometric view of the female connector assembly of FIG. 11 .
[0031] FIG. 13 is an exploded rear isometric view of the female connector assembly of FIG. 11 .
[0032] FIG. 14 is an exploded side view of the female connector assembly of FIG. 11 .
[0033] FIG. 15 is a top view of the female connector assembly of FIG. 11 with terminated conductors shown.
[0034] FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the female connector assembly of FIG. 11 .
[0035] FIG. 17 is a top view of the circular connector assembly of FIG. 5 mated to the female connector assembly of FIG. 11 .
[0036] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the mated connectors of FIG. 17 taken along line B-B.
[0037] FIG. 19 is a top view of the mated connector assembly of FIG. 17 showing the keying of the connectors.
[0038] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the mated connectors of FIG. 17 taken along line C-C of FIG. 19 .
[0039] FIG. 21 is an exploded view of the mated connector assembly of FIG. 17 .
[0040] FIGS. 22 a and 22 b are cross-sectional views of the mated connector assembly of FIG. 17 taken along line D-D of FIG. 21 .
[0041] FIGS. 23 and 24 are rotated rear and side view of the faceplate FIG. 1 with the termination levers in two different orientations.
[0042] FIG. 25 is a front view of a first alternate faceplate.
[0043] FIG. 26 is a rear isometric view of the faceplate of FIG. 25 .
[0044] FIG. 27 is a top level isometric view a second alternate faceplate.
[0045] FIG. 28 is a rear isometric view of the faceplate of FIG. 27 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0046] The present invention is a circular connector that utilizes twisted pair cabling that can either be field or factory terminated depending on customer preference, can be fed through conduit with a pull cap without damage to the connector, is fully shielded, and may be utilized in a pre-configured AV solution. The present invention utilizes an integrated hinged termination method that provides for a fast termination while securing the connector. The connector on the back of the faceplate is angled such that cable management is easier as to not violate cable bend radius requirements.
[0047] FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of communication system 40 , according to the present invention, which includes faceplate assembly 42 connected to wall 44 . FIG. 2 is a rear isometric view of communication system 40 (wall 44 has been removed for clarity) in which a circular wire cap assembly 46 is connected to female connector assembly 48 on the rear of faceplate assembly 42 , via termination lever 50 . In a complete installation patch and/or horizontal cable assemblies typically are installed on the back and front of the faceplate in order to complete communication system 40 , the exclusion of these is not limiting and any form of patching/cabling method may be used to complete the final assembly.
[0048] Referring now to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , exploded views of faceplate assembly 42 (front and rear isometrics respectively) includes screws 52 , faceplate 54 , connector 56 , circuit board 58 , faceplate backing 60 , keystone RJ45 jack 62 , keystone USB coupler 64 , termination levers 50 , female connector assembly 48 , and circular wire cap assembly 46 . Keystone RJ45 jack 62 and keystone USB coupler 64 are shown but may include any non-limiting variety of keystone modules. Connector 56 is shown as an HDMI connector; however, other non-limiting connectors may be routed through female connector assembly 48 and circuit board 58 , examples of which include RCA, VGA, DVI, and stereo connectors.
[0049] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of circular wire cap assembly 46 , which is protected by pulling cap 66 . FIG. 6 is a front isometric view of circular wire cap assembly 46 and pulling cap 66 that is exploded along central cable axis 68 . FIG. 7 is a rear isometric view of circular connector assemblies 46 and pulling cap 66 that is exploded about central cable axis 68 . Circular wire cap assembly 46 includes wire termination cap 70 , connecting block 72 , grounding ring 74 , cover cap 76 , and twisted pair cable 78 . Twisted pair cable 78 is shown as a shielded twisted pair cable but termination can be achieved with an unshielded termination cable as well in circular wire cap assembly 46 . Pulling cap 66 has tabs 80 that align with termination slots 82 ( FIG. 10 ) on termination cap 70 . Termination cap 70 secures to connecting block 72 via latches 84 which align with latch pockets 86 . Grounding ring 74 bottoms out on ledge 87 when placed in connecting block 72 . Grounding base tabs 88 align with pockets 90 during assembly. Once terminated grounding base tabs 88 deflect and consequently increase in length along central cable axis 68 . Recessed pockets 92 on termination cap 70 and recessed pockets 94 on connecting block 72 allow for this extension and prevent grounding base tabs 88 from being tangled during installation or while feeding circular wire cap assembly 46 thru conduit. Grounding cable tabs 96 make contact with cable braid 98 during assembly to make the connection between circular wire cap assembly 46 and cable braid 98 . Flexible latches 100 on cover cap 76 align with latch pockets 102 on connecting block 72 . Once cover cap 76 is installed it prevents grounding ring 74 from being removed from wire cap assembly 46 . Circular wire cap assembly 46 needs to be keyed such that during assembly it is in the correct orientation with respect to female connector assembly 48 . In order to accomplish this alignment, slot 104 on termination cap 70 aligns with alignment slot 106 on connecting block 72 which aligns with alignment slot 108 on cover cap 76 . Twisted pair cable 78 includes conductors 110 , cable braid 98 , and cable jacket 112 .
[0050] FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of circular wire cap assembly 46 protected by pulling cap 66 . From this view it can be seen that tabs 80 align with termination slots 82 such that conductors 110 are compressed and held in place during installation thru conduit. Also, primary wire hooks 114 can be seen such that conductors 110 are underneath and further hold conductors 110 during installation through conduit.
[0051] FIG. 9 is an isometric view of circular wire cap assembly 46 , (this is similar to FIG. 5 but with pulling cap 66 removed). FIG. 10 a and FIG. 10 b is a top view of circular wire cap assembly 46 along central cable axis 68 . Conductors 110 align with termination slots 82 , such that each conductor 110 fits into a separate termination slot 82 . Both primary wire hooks 114 and secondary wire hooks 116 flex out of the way during conductor 110 assembly and help secure conductors 110 during both install and termination. Primary wire hooks 114 and secondary wire hooks 116 flex in opposite directions such that during installation conductor 110 is fed through one hook at a time. Primary wire hooks 114 and secondary wire hooks 116 are in opposite directions to insure that no conductor 110 falls out of wire slot 82 during installation. Cable divider 118 has a twofold purpose in that it controls the depth at which cable 78 is inserted into circular wire cap assembly 46 and separates conductor pairs 110 into individual quadrants 120 . Cable posts 122 on cable divider 118 control the variation in wire cap assembly 46 , by controlling the spacing and orientation of conductor pairs 110 on opposite ends of cable 48 . One end of cable 48 is shown in FIG. 10 a and the opposite end of the cable in which conductors 110 need to cross is shown in FIG. 10 b . Alternate non-limiting wiring patterns can be achieved through different routings on circuit board 58 . Relief slots 124 on termination cap 70 align with grounding spacers 126 on grounding base 128 of female connector assembly 48 .
[0052] FIG. 11 is a front isometric view of female connector assembly 48 , and FIG. 12 is a rear isometric view of female connector assembly 48 . Female connector assembly 48 includes grounding base 128 , standoff 130 , and eight IDCs 132 . FIG. 13 is an exploded rear isometric view of female connector assembly 48 . FIG. 14 is an exploded side view of female connector assembly 48 . Grounding base 128 has keying rib 134 which aligns with alignment slot 104 , 106 , and 108 , which insure circular wire cap assembly 46 is correctly aligned with female connector assembly 48 . Ledge 136 on grounding base 128 is used for manufacturing purposes such that it gives a flat edge for handling and a place to push on when inserting female connector assembly 48 into circuit board 58 . In order to complete the ground connection between female connector assembly 48 and circuit board 58 , posts 138 on female connector assembly are pressed into circuit board 58 . Posts 138 are shown as a solder connection but may be secured to circuit board 58 by other non-limiting ways such as a press fit. Cutout 140 on grounding base 128 and cutoff 142 on standoff 130 shorten the overall length of the connector assembly 48 which saves space on circuit board 58 . Support ribs 144 on standoff 130 support IDCs 132 from buckling when compliant pins 146 of IDCs 132 are pressed into circuit board 58 . IDCs 132 are shown with compliant pins 146 for being secured to the circuit board but may use other non-limiting ways of being secured to the circuit board such as soldering. Grounding spacers 126 on grounding base 128 align with relief slots 124 on termination cap 70 such that each pair of conductors 110 is isolated during termination from the adjacent pair of conductors 110 . Grounding spacers 126 are angled towards the center to allow for the end to end effect of twisted pair cables and let pairs of conductors 110 crossover on opposite ends of female connector assembly 48 . Grounding bars 148 of grounding base 128 are below surface 150 (see FIG. 15 ) of standoff 130 , and isolate IDC pairs 132 from each other similar to how grounding spacers 126 isolate conductor pairs 110 above surface 150 . Center divider 152 of grounding base 128 creates a uniform spacing between ground and IDC pairs 132 . IDCs 132 are a mirror image about datum 154 (shown as cross-section B-B of FIG. 17 ), so as to keep a uniform spacing to ground and reduce the amount of unique components within female connector assembly 48 . Cutouts 156 on standoff 130 align with grounding spacers 126 , and cutouts 158 align with grounding bars 148 to allow for clearance between standoff 130 and grounding base 128 .
[0053] FIG. 15 is a top view of female connector assembly 48 ; this is the same orientation as circular wire cap assembly 46 would be installed along central cable axis 68 . FIG. 15 shows the isolation of pairs of conductors 110 due to grounding spacers 126 . FIG. 16 is a bottom view of female connector assembly 48 ; this is the same orientation as circular wire cap assembly 46 is installed along central cable axis 68 . This is also the orientation in which standoff 130 is loaded into grounding base 128 , and IDCs 132 are loaded into standoff 30 along central cable axis 68 to complete female connector assembly 48 . Cutouts 160 in standoff 130 allow for posts 138 to not interfere during assembly. Ribs 162 add material between grounding base 128 and IDCs 132 so as to reduce chances of failure during dielectric withstand voltage or “Hipot” testing.
[0054] FIG. 17 is a top view of female connector assembly 48 and circular wire cap assembly 46 . FIG. 18 is a cross-section B-B from FIG. 17 of the assembly of female connector assembly 48 and circular wire cap assembly 46 . FIG. 18 view further demonstrates the isolation of pair of conductors 110 due to grounding spacers 126 , and also shows the relative space in the center of grounding spacers 126 due to the angled center to allow for crossover pairs on opposite ends of female connector assembly 48 . FIG. 19 is a top view that demonstrates how female connector assembly 48 is keyed during the installation of circular wire cap assembly 46 via keying rib 134 which aligns with alignment slots 104 , 106 , and 108 .
[0055] FIG. 20 is a cross-section C-C from FIG. 19 of the assembly of female connector assembly 48 and circular wire cap assembly 46 . This view illustrates the full electrically bonded path between shielded braid 98 of twisted pair cable 78 and posts 138 of grounding base 128 . Grounding cable tabs 96 of grounding ring 74 make contact with braid 98 of twisted pair cable 78 at contact point 164 . Grounding base tabs 88 of grounding ring 74 make contact with grounding base 128 at contact point 166 . Posts 138 of grounding base 128 connect to circuit board 58 (for clarity circuit board 58 is not shown in FIG. 19 ) thus completing the full path to ground.
[0056] FIG. 21 is an exploded view of female connector assembly 48 and circular wire cap assembly 46 . FIG. 22 a and FIG. 22 b are cross-section views of FIG. 21 about Section D-D in which FIG. 22 a and FIG. 22 b show circular wire cap assembly 46 assembled with opposite ends (two scenarios) of cable 78 . These views further show how grounding spacers 126 is angled center to allow for crossover pairs on opposite ends of female connector assembly 48 , while still maintaining electrical isolation.
[0057] FIG. 23 is a rotated rear and side views of faceplate assembly 42 , with termination levers 50 in two different orientations. Termination lever 50 a is in the unloaded position, and termination lever 50 b is the position needed to insert circular wire cap assembly 46 through large slot 168 of termination lever 50 . Termination lever 50 rotates about hinge 170 , and is secured by hook 172 . FIG. 24 is a rotated view of communication system 40 and its projection, with termination levers 50 in two different orientations. Termination lever 50 a is in the unloaded position, and termination lever 50 b is in the terminated position. Termination lever 50 is rotated such that the bottom surface pushes on cover cap 76 of circular wire cap assembly 46 in order to generate the force needed such that IDCs 132 make electrical contact with conductors 110 . Once circular wire cap assembly 46 is terminated, twisted pair cable 78 passes through small slot 173 without interference. In order to insure a complete termination lip 174 must clear flexible latch 176 , which forces termination cap 70 to bottom out on surface 150 of standoff 130 .
[0058] As described above, the present invention can have mounting options for keystone modules. FIG. 25 is a front isometric view of communication system 178 according to a first alternate embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26 is a rear isometric view of communication system 178 . Communication system 178 replaces faceplate backing 60 with faceplate backing 180 , and faceplate 54 with faceplate 179 , and no longer has an option for mounting of keystone modules.
[0059] The present invention has been shown used in single gang faceplates only, however this solution may be used in any non-limiting gang of faceplates. FIG. 27 is a top level isometric view of a second alternate embodiment showing communication system 182 . FIG. 28 is a rear isometric view of communication system 182 . Communication system 182 is shown paired with a GFCI faceplate 184 populated with RJ45 modules 186 which is mounted to double gang faceplate 188 . Although communication systems 182 is shown paired with a GFCI faceplate, system 182 can include other faceplate backing 60 or 180 in any non-limiting combination. Modules 186 are shown as Panduit Mini-Com RJ45 network jacks however they may have included any non-limiting modules examples of which include USB, Fiber, AV modules, and others.
[0060] The present invention has been shown as a fully shielded assembly; however, in many applications shielding may not be required so in order to reduce the amount of components and end cost of the assembly, the solution can be used as an unshielded solution.
[0061] While particular embodiments and applications of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations may be apparent from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described.
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A communication system has a support and a communication connector attached to the support wherein the connector assembly has a termination lever. The system can further include a wire cap connected to a plurality of cable conductors. The wire cap can include a cover cap. The cover cap latches to the connector assembly when the wire cap and the plurality of cable conductors is terminated to the communication connector assembly. The support can be one of a faceplate, a patch panel, a surface mount box, or a media distribution unit.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based on and hereby claims priority to PCT Application No. PCT/EP2008/061186 filed on Aug. 27, 2008 and DE Application No. 10 2007 043 650.7 filed on Sep. 13, 2007, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to the area of transparent materials.
In many transparent materials, especially plastic-based transparent materials, for example polycarbonate etc., the difficulty arises of these materials sometimes having undesired refection properties which make it difficult or even impossible to use them for many applications.
Numerous attempts have thus been made to design transparent materials to be less reflective, especially by applying further coatings to them.
To this end it has been proposed that reflection be reduced by a so-called “flower-like alumina” coating (see Yamaguchi et al, Journal of Sol-Gel Science & Technology, 2005, 33, 117-120). However this approach demands a tempering step at increased temperatures (appr. 400° C.).
Other proposed coatings include multicoat systems with alternating refractive indices, e.g. multicoat systems comprising SiO 2 and TiO 2 . However these also require tempering steps, mostly at temperatures of more than 400° C. (see M. Walther, OTTI Seminar Regensburg, September 2005). Other systems use coatings made of TiO 2 and MgF 2 (see EP 564 134 B1), in which additional fluorohydrocarbon resins are provided. The disadvantage of this system once again lies in it being hard to apply.
In many examples in accordance with the related art, especially for solidifying and hardening, temperatures of 400° C. and more are needed moreover in order to achieve the desired effects. However many substrates, especially plastics, but also metals are destroyed or attacked or lose specific properties under these conditions. Thus for example a few common plastics, such as PMMA or PC have a long-term usable temperature which does not exceed 100° C. and a few metals and alloys lose their hardness at increased temperature e.g. by transformations in the inner structure.
Furthermore methods such as CVD or PVD exist which require a vacuum and thus make a simple and continuous substrate production difficult.
SUMMARY
One potential object is thus to create a method for handling transparent coatings as well as a transparent coating, especially for a transparent substrate material, which at least partly overcomes the disadvantages discussed above.
The inventors propose a method for handling transparent coatings characterized in that it comprises a plasma treatment.
The term “plasma treatment” within the meaning of this document includes especially all processes and/or methods in which ionized molecules, especially radicals of a gas which have been created by an energy source such as high frequency or microwaves, act on a substrate. This is mostly associated with an increase in temperature.
Surprisingly it has transpired that a significant improvement of the surface quality as well as further properties can be achieved by plasma treatment for many applications for coatings and/or substrates without having any negative influence on the coating or only causing an insignificant deterioration.
One or more of the following advantages can be achieved using the method for many applications.
Expensive vacuum steps can often be omitted which mostly makes the manufacturing of the coating simpler and more cost-effective. A coating of substrates with a large geometric dimensions can often be greatly simplified by the method. The energy input to the coating is limited to an amount harmless to the substrate compared to the method in accordance with the related art.
It should be noted that “plasma treatment” within the meaning of this document especially also includes a corona treatment even if this is often handled differently in common parlance. A plasma treatment within the meaning of this document thus explicitly also includes a corona treatment; this in particular represents a preferred embodiment.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment the plasma treatment is undertaken as an atmospheric pressure plasma. This has proved to be very advantageous for many applications.
The term “atmospheric pressure plasma” within the meaning of this document means or comprises in particular all processes and/or methods in which a plasma is applied under atmospheric ambient conditions to the substrate.
Preferably treatment using plasma treatment includes hardening and/or wetting.
In such cases “hardening” is particularly taken to mean that the resistance capability of the coating is increased by plasma-induced reactions (including especially oxidization and/or condensation reactions)
“Wetting” is especially understood as condensation reactions being induced by the plasma treatment on the coating (and/or precursor materials present where necessary).
Preferably the plasma treatment is carried out at a process gas pressure of ≧2 bar to ≦8 bar. This has been shown to be advantageous in many applications.
Preferably the process gas pressure is at ≧3 bar to ≦6 bar, preferably ≧3.5 bar to ≦5 bar.
Preferably the plasma gas treatment is carried out so that the energy yield on the coating amounts to ≧50 W/cm 2 to ≧250 W/cm 2 .
This has been shown to be advantageous for many applications within the present invention since on the one hand the plasma treatment leads to much better results with this method, but on the other hand the stress on the coating and/or the substrate can be minimized.
Preferably the plasma treatment is carried out such that the energy input to the coating amounts to ≧100 W/cm 2 to ≦200 W/cm 2 .
Preferably the plasma treatment is carried out while rotating the nozzle.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment a sol-gel process is carried out before the plasma treatment.
The term “sol-gel process or sol-gel method” within the meaning of this document, means or comprises especially all processes and/or methods in which metal precursor materials, especially metal halogenides and/or metal alkoxides in solution are subjected to a hydrolysis and subsequent condensation.
A preferred embodiment is characterized in that during at least a part of the sol-gel process at least one porosity-causing component is present which is removed and/or destroyed after the ending of the sol-gel process.
Preferably the porosity-causing component is removed and/or destroyed at least in part by the plasma treatment.
A preferred embodiment is characterized in that the at least one porosity-causing component is a polymer with the average mol mass of the polymer preferably amounting to ≧1,000 Da to ≦100,000 Da, more preferably to ≧10,000 Da to ≦50,000 Da.
A preferred embodiment is characterized in that the polymer is an organic polymer preferably selected from the group containing polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, copolymers made from polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyether alkyl, cycloalkyl and/or aryl-substituted polyether, polyester, alkyl, cycloalkyl and/or aryl-substituted polyester, especially polyhydroxybutyrate or mixtures thereof.
General groups/molecule definition: Within this document general groups or molecules, such as for example alkyl, alkoxy, aryl etc. are described. Unless described otherwise, the following groups are preferably used within the generally described groups/molecules.
Alkyl: linear and branched C1-C8 alkyls, Long-chain alkyls Linear and branched C5-C20 alkyls, alkenyl: C2-C6-alkenyl, Cycloalkyl: C3-C8 cycloalkyl, Alkoxide/alkoxy: C1-C6-alkoxy, linear and branched Long-chain alkoxide/alkoxy: Linear and branched C5-C20 alkoxy Aryl: selected from aromatics with a molecular weight below 300 Da. Polyether: selected from the group containing H-(0-CH 2 —CH(R)) n —OH and H— (O—CH 2 —CH(R)) n —H with R being selected independently from: Hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, halogen and n from 1 to 250 Substituted polyether: selected from the group containing R 2 —(O—CH 2 —CH(R 1 ))n-OR 3 and R 2 —(O—CH 2 —CH(R 2 )) n —R 3 with R1, R2, R3 being selected independently from: hydrogen, alkyl, long-chain alkyls, aryl, halogen and n amounting to between 1 and 250 Ether: The compound R 1 —O—R 2 , with each R 1 and R 2 being selected independently from the group containing hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, long-chain alkyl
Unless stated otherwise the following groups/molecules are more preferred groups/molecules within the general group/molecule definition
Alkyl: linear and branched C1-C6 alkyl, Alkenyl: C3-C6 alkenyl, Cycloalkyl: C6-C8 cycloalkyl, Alkoxy, alkoxide: C1-C4 alkoxy, especially isopropyl oxide long-chain alkoxy: linear and branched C5-C10 alkoxy, preferably linear C6-C8 alkoxy Polyether: selected from the group containing H-(0-CH 2 —CH(R)) n —OH and H—(O—CH 2 —CH(R)) n —H with R being selected independently from: hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, halogen and n amounting to between 10 and 250. Substituted polyether: selected from the group containing R 2 —(O—CH 2 —CH(R1)) n —OR 3 and R 2 —(O—CH 2 —CH(R 2 )) n —R 3 with R 1 , R 2 , R 3 being selected independently from: hydrogen, alkyl, long-chain alkyls, aryl, halogen and n being between 10 and 250.
The inventors also propose a transparent coating treated in accordance with the proposed method.
The term “transparent” within the meaning of this document means or comprises in such cases especially a transparency of ≧90% in the respective wavelength range used, especially in the visible wavelength range.
Using the proposed coating in one of many applications allows one or more of the following advantages to be achieved:
The coating is essentially homogenous for the human eye and the many applications a single coating is sufficient (unlike the multilayer systems cited above). The thickness of the coating produced (or with “multilayer coatings” of the individual sublayers in each case) is in the range—as will be described below—for many applications of ≧50-≧500 nanometers. It is thus largely insensitive to thermal and mechanical stress (especially bending stress) and only has an insignificant influence on component dimensions and tolerances.
Preferably the coating is based on metal oxides, preferably SiO 2 /or TiO 2 .
The term “based on metal oxide” within the meaning of this document means or comprises especially that the coating contains this metal oxide (after the method has been carried out) as its main component. Preferably in such cases ≧70%, more preferably ≧80% and most preferably ≧90% to ≧100 of the coating consists of metal oxide.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment the coating includes a plurality of layers and/or the coating is a multilayer coating.
“Multilayer coating” is particularly understood as the coating being applied in layers to a substrate, with a plasma treatment being carried out if necessary after the application of one layer. Preferably the plasma treatment is undertaken after each application of a layer.
Preferably the coating is what is referred to as a “3-layer coating” or “multilayer coating”.
A preferred embodiment is characterized in that the coating is essentially a porous molded body, especially a homogeneous, porous molded body, or forms such a body.
The term “essentially” in such cases refers especially to ≧90 vol-%, preferably ≧95 vol-% of the coating.
For many applications this means that a simple-to-produce and even more anti-reflection coating can be achieved.
A preferred embodiment is characterized by the coating having transmission-increasing properties, especially for light in the visible wavelength range.
Preferably the coating is able to increase the transmission of the substrate by ≧2%, preferably by ≧4% in the respective wavelength range used, especially in the visible wavelength range.
The inventors also propose to a transparent coating for a transparent substrate, produced in accordance with the method.
A preferred embodiment is characterized by the substrate being selected from the group containing glass, transparent plastics, preferably selected from the group containing polycarbonate, polyacryl, PET, PEN, PES, PSU, metals, transparent duroplastic masses, especially epoxide and acrylate and mixtures thereof, and also mixtures thereof.
It should be pointed out in particular that it was possible the first time to apply a 3-layer coating (as illustrated in the example below) with good optical and mechanical properties to a polycarbonate and/or PMMA substrate.
The inventors also propose an optical component comprising a transparent substrate as well as to a coating applied and/or arranged on the substrate.
The inventors also propose a method for manufacturing an optical component, characterized in that the coating is applied to the substrate by dipping and/or spin coating and is subsequently subjected to a plasma treatment.
The inventors also propose the use of the coating and/or of an the optical component for
Optical, instruments Eyeglasses Headlight housings in automotive engineering Windows, especially in automotive engineering Cockpit glass Signs Auto mirrors Solar cells, especially flexible solar cells The components to be used are not subject in their size, design, choice of materials and technical conception to any particular exceptional conditions so that the selection criteria known in the area of application can be used without restriction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
FIG. 1 shows a polycarbonate substrate half coated in accordance with an example;
FIG. 2 is a diagram of a scratch test for measuring scratch resistance; and
FIG. 3 shows three object carriers relating to comparison examples and a proposed example after carrying out the scratch test.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
FIG. 1 relates to an example, which—purely illustratively—underscores the advantages of the method as well as the coating with reference to a 3-layer coating by way of example.
To this end a three-layer anti-reflection-coating has been applied to an approximately 3 mm thick polycarbonate substrate.
Initially the substrate was cleaned (IPA with ultrasound, then rinsing with de-ionized water) as well as being pretreated itself with atmospheric pressure plasma, in order to improve the wetting of the coating solution. A device made by Plasmatreat with a high frequency generator FG 3001 and a rotation nozzle RD 1004, which was equipped with a Type AGR123 nozzle head was used.
Compressed air was selected as the process gas; the distance of the sample from the nozzle amounted to 8 mm. A movement speed of 2 cm/sec was set.
Subsequently, using dip coating, initially a silicon/titanium dioxide layer (layer 1) then titanium dioxide layer (layer 2) as well as finally a silicon dioxide layer (layer 3) was applied.
In this case the silicon oxide sol H2000 and the titanium oxide sol H 9005 marketed by FEW-Chemicals were used. For layer 1 a 1:1 (vol.) mixture of the two sols was used.
The sols were applied by dip coating. Subsequently the sample was dried for 20 minutes at 100° C. and a plasma treatment as described above was carried out.
Overall a thickness of 80 nm (layer 1), 130 nm (layer 2) and 90 nm (layer 3) was found.
FIG. 1 shows the polycarbonate substrate with the coating (right half). The reduction in reflection and can clearly be seen.
To measure the increase in the mechanical stability from the method a scratch test (see method part) was carried out.
In this test three object carriers (wafer fragments) were covered by dip coating with titanium oxide sol with a layer approximately 130 nm thick.
Subsequently one object carrier (comparison example 1) remained untreated and one object carrier (comparison example 2) was air dried at 100° C. for 20 min.
The third object carrier (example 2) was initially dried at 100° C. for 20 min and subsequently subjected to a plasma treatment as described above.
Subsequently all three object carriers were subjected to a scratch test (see method part). FIG. 2 shows a photo taken while this test was being carried out.
The results of the test are to be seen in table 1 and also in FIG. 3 .
In this case FIG. 3 (from left to right) shows the object carrier according to comparison example 1 and 2 as well as example 2 (the fourth object carrier was an additional control which was not evaluated).
Comparison
Comparison example
Example 2
example
2 (dried for 20
(plasma
Test
1 (untreated)
minutes at 100° C.)
treatment)
Refractive index/
1.676
1.844 (+10%)
1.91 (+14%)
Increase in the
(reference
index
value)
Transmission
85.1
86.8
86.7
Haze/increase in
22.7
15 (+151%)
8.49 (+267%)
scratch resistance
(reference
value)
It can thus clearly be seen that in particular the scratch resistance can once again be clearly improved by the method.
Materials and Methods
Scratch Test/Haze
The mechanical stability of the coatings was measured in the following manner:
A hammer weighing 180 g, on one end of which a piece of steel wool (type 00 equals very fine) was attached by adhesive tape, was pulled over each side of the sample 4 times without further vertical force effect over the respective coating. The pull direction is especially shown in FIG. 2 .
Subsequently transmission and haze of the coating were measured in “Haze Guard PLUS” (made by Byk-Gardner).
The lower the haze value the higher the scratch resistance.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention covered by the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
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The invention relates to a method for improving the properties of coatings on transparent materials by plasma treatment, preferably by an atmospheric pressure plasma.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a muffler of a car or a motorbike, and in particular to a muffler made of a titanium alloy wherein advantages of lightness and corrosion-resistance that the titanium alloy originally has are used, and heat-resistance and oxidization-resistance are heightened without damaging costs or workability so that the span of life and flexibility for design are improved.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] An exhaust system of a car or a motorbike is composed of an exhaust manifold, an exhaust pipe, a catalyst muffler, a pre-muffler, and a silencer (main muffler), which are, in this order, arranged from the exhaust gas outlet side of the engine. In the present specification, the generic term “muffler” is given to any one of these members or the whole thereof. As a constituent material of the muffler, ordinary steel was used in old times. In recent years, stainless steel superior in corrosion-resistance has been mainly used.
[0005] Concerning some fields, mainly the field of motorbikes, attention has been paid to a muffler made of Ti in more recent years. Cases in which each of standard grade motorbikes that are mass-produced, including motorbikes for a race, is equipped with a muffler made of Ti have been increasing since Ti, which is different from ordinary steel or stainless steel in the prior art, has the following characteristics 1)-4).
[0006] 1) Ti has a specific gravity of about 60% of steel-type material. Thus, Ti is very light so that cars or motorbikes can be made light.
[0007] 2) Ti has very good resistance against corrosive gas or corrosive liquid containing salt and exhaust components. Thus, problems about corrosion are wholly overcome. (Even stainless steel, which is generally said to have superior corrosion-resistance, undergoes corrosion based on salt scattered on the road surface to prevent freezing of the surface in winter.)
[0008] 3) Since Ti is light, load stress based on vibration at the time of driving an engine is reduced. Thus, durable resistance against vibration fatigue is improved.
[0009] 4) Ti has a smaller thermal expansion coefficient than steel. The thermal expansion coefficient is about 70% of that of ordinary steel, and about 50% of that of stainless steel. Therefore, stress load associated with thermal expansion is small. Thus, durable resistance against thermal fatigue is also superior.
[0010] In almost all of mufflers made of Ti which are made practicable at the present time, pure titanium of the JIS second grade, for industrial use, is used. It is predicted that the temperature of exhaust gas from cars or motorbikes is usually about 700° C. or higher. However, in the case that the outer surface of a muffler is large and is open to the air outside, as in motorbikes, heat radiates from the surface to the open air. Thus, the temperature of the muffler itself does not rise very much. Even the pure titanium of the JIS second grade can be used without any trouble. However, the temperature of metal positioned in an exhaust pipe in car mufflers, which is not directly open to the air, or metal positioned at a part where exhaust pipes joint in mufflers for motorbikes rises easily to a high temperature. Therefore, a Ti alloy having a higher heat-resistance than the JIS second pure titanium is desired. In the case that a Ti alloy having high heat-resistance and high strength is used, the Ti alloy positioned in sites whose temperature rises within a cold temperature range (a low temperature range of room temperature to about 400° C.) can also be made thin. Accordingly, it can be expected that the muffler can be made still lighter than JIS second grade pure titanium and the flexibility of design can be improved.
[0011] From such viewpoints, it can be considered that Ti alloys such as Ti-3Al-2.5V and Ti-6Al-4V, among existing titanium alloys, are hopeful materials for mufflers. However, for forming and fabrication into a muffler, a raw material needs to be made thin and must have superior workability. The above-mentioned two existing Ti alloys, which are insufficient in forming-workability, cannot satisfy the requirements.
[0012] Specifically, the above-mentioned Ti-6Al-4V is unsuitable for a material for mufflers such as an exhaust pipe and a silencer since this alloy cannot be worked into a thin plate by cold rolling. On the other hand, Ti-3Al-2.5V can be considered as the most hopeful material for mufflers among existing titanium alloys since this alloy can be cold-rolled to some extent and worked into a thin plate. In this titanium alloy, however, a border crack or an internal defect is easily generated in a cold rolling step. Thus, it is necessary that rolling and intermediate annealing are repeated plural times. As a result, costs for working to a thin plate are very high. Moreover, this alloy is far poorer in workability at the time of secondary working to a muffler than JIS second grade pure Ti materials.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] In light of the above-mentioned situations, the present invention has been made. An object of the present invention is to provide a muffler superior in heat-resistance and oxidation-resistance, using a Ti alloy having the following performances.
[0014] 1) The Ti alloy has better heat-resistance and oxidation-resistance than JIS second grade pure Ti materials, and can be applied to high temperature sites of a muffler.
[0015] 2) Cold workability, which is insufficient in conventional Ti alloys having superior heat-resistance (Ti-3Al-2.5V and Ti-6Al-4V), is improved. Cold workability to a thin plate and workability to a muffler are made as high as JIS second pure Ti materials.
[0016] 3) The Ti alloy is an alloy that can keep superior weldability since joint based on welding is essential in working to a muffler.
[0017] The muffler, made of a titanium alloy, of present invention that has attained the above-mentioned object is a muffler made of a titanium alloy, wherein the titanium alloy comprises 0.5-2.3% by mass of Al. By using this titanium alloy, it is possible to keep heat-resistance and oxidation-resistance required for a muffler and improve forming-workability. Therefore, a muffler that is suitable for production for working into a tube form and is thinner and lighter can be realized by curving a cold-rolled plate of the present titanium alloy and then subjecting the plate to seam welding.
[0018] Preferably, the titanium alloy is a binary-element alloy comprising Ti-(0.5-2.3%)Al. Any alloying element other than Al may be incorporated so far as the feature of the present invention is not lost. In this case, in order to keep heat-resistance and oxidation-resistance and improve workability sufficiently, it is preferred that the ratio of the α phase in metal texture of the titanium alloy is over 90% or more by volume.
[0019] The “muffler” referred to in the present invention is a generic term given to any one member of an exhaust manifold, an exhaust pipe, a catalyst muffler, a pre-muffler, a silence (main muffler) and the like, or the whole thereof. In other words, the “muffler” in the present invention means whole or a part of an exhaust system. The “muffler” in the present invention can be applied not only to a car or a motorbike but also to a ship or other machinery.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] [0020]FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of Al added to Ti and the critical rolling reduction of the resultant alloy in cold rolling.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 2 is a graph showing the effect of the amount of Al added to Ti on the 0.2% proof stress and the tensile strength of the resultant alloy at room temperature.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 3 is a graph showing comparison of changes in 0.2% proof stress of pure titanium alloy and in that of Ti—Al alloys, dependently on change in temperature.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 4 is a graph showing comparison of changes in tensile strength of pure titanium alloy and in that of Ti—Al alloys, dependently on change in temperature.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a process for producing Ti—Al alloy thin plates, the process being adopted in experiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] In order to attain the above-mentioned object, the inventors made research, paying attention to Al, which is an alloying element giving heat-resistance improving effect to titanium materials. It is well known that Al is an alloying element effective for improving heat-resistance of titanium materials. However, by the inventors' experiments, it has been found out that as a larger amount of Al is added as an alloying element to Ti, some properties of the resultant alloy, in particular rolling ability, become lower.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 1 shows the effect of the Al content by percentage in binary-element alloy Ti—Al on cold rolling ability, and is a graph showing results of its critical rolling reduction until a border crack is generated in cold rolling. As is evident from this graph, in the range where the Al content by percentage is from 2 to 2.3%, no border crack is generated even if cold rolling into 75% is conducted. (The content by percentage means % by mass. The same rule is applied correspondingly to the following.) Thus, sufficient rolling ability is secured. However, when the Al content by percentage is over 2.3%, the critical rolling reduction is clearly reduced. When the Al content by percentage is over 5%, not only border cracks but also cracks throughout the plate are generated. If the Ti—Al alloy can keep a cold working ratio of 75%, the alloy can be worked to a thin plate by the same process as for JIS second grade pure titanium, which are widely used for mufflers at the present time. Thus, a substantial rise in production costs can be avoided. From the viewpoint of workability, it is essential that the Al content by percentage is set to 2.3% or less.
[0027] Furthermore, in order to check the effect of the Al content by percentage on the tensile strength of titanium alloy, a tensile test was conducted at room temperature about titanium alloy wherein 0.5-4% of Al was added to a JIS second grade pure titanium material and titanium alloy wherein 0.5-4% of Al was added to Ti to examine the effect of the Al content by percentage on 0.2% proof stress and tensile strength thereof. The results are as shown in FIG. 2. It can be understood that with an increase in the Al content by percentage, the strength at room temperature increases substantially proportionally.
[0028] In order to check the effect of addition of Al on heat-resistance, the relationship between temperature and 0.2% proof stress and the relationship between temperature and tensile strength were examined about JIS second grade pure titanium and Ti—Al alloys having different Al contents by percentage. The results are shown by FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively.
[0029] As is evident from these graphs, the strength of pure titanium drops remarkably in the range of cold temperatures. The strength at about 200° C. drops to half of the strength at room temperature. If temperature is over 300° C., the strength drops more remarkably. On the other hand, about the Ti—Al alloys, the drop in their strength accompanying the rise in temperature cannot be avoided, but the drop tendency thereof is smaller than pure titanium. As the Al content by percentage is made larger, the absolute value of the strength and the drop tendency thereof are smaller. Particularly about the alloy whose Al content by percentage is made high to 1.0% or more, even at about 500° C. the alloy keeps half of the strength at room temperature. Particularly in the cold temperature range of 200 to 500° C., the Ti—Al alloy exhibits strength 2-3 times that of pure titanium. It can be verified that the effect of improving the strength at high temperature by the addition of Al can be effectively exhibited by setting the Al content by percentage, preferably to 0.5% or more, and more preferably to 1.0% or more.
[0030] On the basis of the results of these experiments, as the requirement for keeping heat-resistance particularly in the cold temperature range of 200 to 500° C., the Al content by percentage is defined as 0.5% or more. From the viewpoint of the heat-resistance, the lower limit of the Al content by percentage is more preferably 1.0% or more. It is known that if an appropriate amount of Al is added to titanium, the oxidization-resistance of the alloy is also improved. If 0.5% or more of Al is incorporated into Ti as described above, the effect of improving the oxidization-resistance is also effectively exhibited. This also contributes to an improvement in the aptitude as a muffler material. The upper limit of the Al content by percentage is defined as 2.3% from the viewpoint of forming-workability, as described above. The upper limit is more preferably 2.0%.
[0031] As described above, the present invention has a feature that 0.5-2.3% of Al is incorporated into Ti to keep forming-workability, heat-resistance and oxidization-resistance required for the material for mufflers. The alloy composition that is simplest and is also preferred in light of both costs of raw materials and mass-productivity is a binary-element titanium alloy comprising Ti-(0.5-2.3%)Al. So far as the feather of the present invention is not damaged, alloying elements other than Al may be incorporated. Alternatively, the other elements may be incorporated to improve the effects of the present invention further or improve other performances.
[0032] Specific examples of the other alloying elements include solid-solution strengthening elements exhibiting strength-improving effect in the range of room temperature to cold temperature, such as Mo, V, Cr, Fe, Sn and Zr; W, Ta, Nb and rare earth elements exhibiting heat-resistant strength improving effect in the range of cold temperature to hot temperature; and B and C, which have heat-resistance improving effect. It is allowable to use a multi-element alloy, that is, a three or more element alloy wherein one or more of these elements are incorporated in appropriate amounts.
[0033] Any alloy wherein a main alloying element is Al and the metal texture as a whole of the alloy containing the above-mentioned other alloying elements contains more than 90% by volume of the α phase, which is a basic structure of Ti—Al alloy containing Al in an amount within the above-defined range, among the above-mentioned multi-element alloys, can sufficiently keep forming-workability, weldability, heat-resistance and the oxidization-resistance, an improvement of which is intended in the present invention. Thus, so far as the metal texture contains more than 90% by volume of the α phase, the above-mentioned other elements can be added. The crystal structure of pure titanium is the α phase. Since Al functions as an element for stabilizing the α phase, all of Ti—Al binary-element alloys are substantially alloys composed of the α phase. Elements such as Mo, V, Cr and Fe are elements for stabilizing the β phase. When the content by percentage of these elements increases, the amount of the β phase increases. Bad effects are produced on, in particular, heat-resistance and weldability. It is therefore unnecessary to define the upper limit of the content itself by percentage of these elements, but it is necessary to suppress the content within the range that can keep the metal texture in which the β phase is below 10% by volume, that is, the metal texture in which the effect of these elements is hardly produced.
[0034] The titanium alloy used in the muffler of the present invention has cold rolling ability, forming-workability and weldability equivalent to those of conventional pure titanium, as described above. It is therefore sufficient to adopt, as the method for producing the muffler of the invention, a method in accordance with that for producing a muffler from pure titanium. It is in general possible to adopt a method of blending ingredients to give a given alloy composition; melting and casting the composition in an ordinary way to prepare an ingot; subjecting the ingot to forging, hot rolling, annealing, removal of scale from the surface, cold rolling up to a given thickness and annealing; curving the resultant thin plate; seam-welding the curved plate into a tubular form; and forming the tube into a muffler form. Hot rolling conditions, cold rolling conditions, annealing conditions, seam welding conditions and so on in this production process should be appropriately adjusted dependently on the composition of the used titanium alloy, and so on.
EXAMPLES
[0035] The present invention will be specifically described by way of Examples. The present invention is not however limited to the following Examples and may be appropriately modified within the scope of the subject matter of the present invention. The modifications are included in the scope of the present invention.
Example
[0036] (1) Production of Ti—Al Binary-element Alloy Thin Plates
[0037] A vacuum arc melting furnace was used to prepare an ingot of pure titanium and ingots of Ti—Al alloys whose Al content by percentage was from 0 to 6%. The respective ingots had a weight of 250 g and were a trepang-shaped. The respective ingots were subjected to steps illustrated in FIG. 5 to work the ingots into thin plates 1 mm in thickness. By cold rolling, the thickness of the plates was made from 4 mm to 1 mm (rolling reduction: 75%) About the alloys wherein a border crack was generated in the middle way, the rolling was interrupted at the time of the generation. About the temperature of hot rolling performed before the cold rolling and the temperature of annealing steps, optimal conditions obtained in pre-experiments were adopted. The effect of the Al content by percentage on the critical rolling reduction of the alloys, which was obtained in this experiment, is shown in FIG. 1. A thin plate was also prepared from Ti-3Al-2.5V alloy, which is an existing alloy, in the same manner. In this alloy, an internal crack was generated at a cold rolling reduction of about 45%. A border crack was generated at a cold rolling reduction of 55%.
[0038] (2) Production of Ti-1.5Al Alloy Thin Plates
[0039] A thin plate was produced from a Ti-1.5Al alloy, which is a typical Al-added alloy. In the production, ingredients were melted by high-frequency wave scull melting and cast into an ingot 25 kg in weight. The ingot was subjected to forging, hot rolling, annealing, removal of scale, cold rolling and vacuum annealing, to prepare a coil having a plate thickness of 1 mm. In this case, conditions for the steps after the hot rolling were in accordance with the conditions shown in FIG. 5. This experiment demonstrated that the Ti-1.5Al alloy was also able to be worked into a thin plate in substantially the same process and conditions as for producing JIS second grade pure titanium.
[0040] Data on the Ti-1.5% Al alloy, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, are results of a tensile test about the range of cold temperatures, using this coil as a specimen. As is evident from the results of Ti-1.5Al in FIGS. 3 and 4, the proof stress of this alloy was about 1.25 times that of JIS second grade titanium, which is a conventional Ti material for mufflers, and was 2.5-3.5 times in the cold temperature range of 300 to 500° C. It can be understood that if such a strength property is used, it is possible to make mufflers highly thin and light.
[0041] Data on Ti-0.5Ai, Ti-1.0Al, and Ti-2.0Al alloys, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, are results of tensile tests at room temperature, 200° C., and 400° C., using the plates produced in the item (1).
[0042] (3) Production of a Ti-1.5Al Alloy Welded Tube
[0043] A strip 120 mm in width was cut out from the thin plate coil, and this strip was curved along its wide direction and then seam-welded to prepare a welded tube 1 mm in thickness and 38 mm in diameter. In the production of the tube, the following method was used since the coil was short: the method of welding a JIS second grade pure titanium strip as a dummy to the above-mentioned strip to stabilize the shape thereof by the pure titanium, and then seam-welding the Ti-1.5Al alloy portion continuously.
[0044] The curving workability and seam weldability at the time of obtaining the welded tube were entirely satisfactory, and the resultant seam-welded tube was able to be made wholesome under substantially the same conditions as for a pure titanium thin plate. Typical mechanical properties of the welded tube are as follows. The results demonstrate that the alloy in the present Example had sufficient properties for titanium alloy for mufflers.
[0045] {circle over (1)} The welded tube was subjected to a tensile test, so that its 0.2% proof stress was 440 MPa and its tensile strength was 510 MPa. Its elongation percentage, which is concerned with forming-workability, was 35% and equivalent to that of pure titanium.
[0046] {circle over (2)} A pushing-widening test was performed. In the test, a cone having a conical angle of 60 degrees was pushed on an end face of the welded tube to widen a concave. The resultant critical pushing-widening ratio was 1.4. This value is equivalent to that of a pure titanium welded tube. Deterioration in ductility was hardly generated in the welded portion.
[0047] {circle over (3)} The welded tube 38 mm in diameter was bent with a bend radius of 90 mm. As a result, defects such as cracks and wrinkles were not generated at all. Thus, it was demonstrated that this welded tube had a bending ability sufficient for forming the tube into an exhaust pipe or any one of other muffler members.
[0048] (4) Forming into a Muffler
[0049] A consumption electrode type arc melting furnace was used in the same manner as in an ingot production method adopted in mass-production of pure titanium thin plate coils, so as to produce one ton of an ingot made of Ti-2Al-1.3V alloy from 330 kg of scrap of Ti-6Al-4V alloy and 70 kg of sponge titanium. In accordance with an ordinary way, this ingot was subjected to cogging forging, hot rolling, annealing, removal of scale, cold rolling and vacuum annealing to produce a coil having plate thickness of 0.75 mm. This experiments demonstrated that the process for producing pure titanium was used as it was, so as to make it possible to work Ti-2Al-1.3V into a thin plate.
[0050] The resultant coil was used to produce welded tubes 38 mm and 50 mm in diameter. Moreover, a motorbike muffler was produced wherein the welded tube was used as a part of the outer cylinder and the interior of an exhaust pipe and a silencer pipe. In fabrication of the muffler, no problems were caused. This muffler was lighter by about 20% than a muffler having the same size and made of JIS second grade pure titanium. No troubles occurred in a practical vehicle test.
[0051] (5) Test for Checking Weldability of the Ti—Al Alloy
[0052] A test for checking weldability was performed using, as specimens, JIS second grade pure Ti, Ti-3Al-2.5V alloy, and Ti-6Al-4V alloy [thickness: 1 mm], each of which was mass-produced in a factory, and plate materials produced in the same manners as in the items (2) and (4) [thickness: 1 mm and 0.75 mm, respectively]. The respective specimens were metals in the state after the finishing annealing.
[0053] In this test, a bead [width: about 2 mm] penetrating, in the direction of the rolling, through each of the specimens from its front surface to its back surface was made by TIG welding, to form a sample similar to a weld joint. The resultant test sample was worked in the manner that a tensile direction was perpendicular to the bead, and then a weld joint tensile test was performed.
[0054] The results together with strength properties of its base material portion are shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows results of the amount (% by volume) of the phase in each of the specimens. The results were decided from X-ray diffracted strength. Since all of the alloys subjected to this test were a single phase alloys or (α+β) two-phase alloys, the relationship that the amount (% by volume) of the β phase was (100-the amount of the phase) was true.
TABLE 1 Amount of the a phase Tensile strength Elongation (% by Specimen Position (MPa) (%) volume Notes JIS second Base material 393 41 100 Comparative pure Ti Weld joint 358 (0.99) 40 (0.98) Example Ti-1.5Al Base material 446 33 100 alloy Weld joint 420 (0.94) 26 (0.79) Example Ti-2Al- Base material 550 25 95 Example 1.3V alloy Weld joint 535 (0.97) 17 (0.68) Ti-3Al- Base material 693 19 90 Comparative 2.5V alloy Weld joint 692 (1.00) 12 (0.63) Example Ti-6Al- Base material 958 15 84 Comparative 4V alloy Weld joint 1009 (1.05) 6 (0.40) Example
[0055] As is evident from Table 1, with a decrease in the amount of the phase, the elongation percentages of the base material and the weld joint portion became lower. Particularly in the case that the amount of the phase was below 90% by volume, ductility was suddenly lowered.
[0056] (6) Examination of Oxidization-resistance of the Ti—Al Alloy
[0057] The plate made of the Ti—Al two-element alloy and produced in the item (1) was used to examine the oxidization-resistance thereof. The alloy was heated at 700° C. for 20 hours or 700° C. for 40 hours in the atmosphere. The resultant results are shown in Table 2. As is evident from this table, oxidization-resistance is improved by the addition of Al, and the present alloy is more preferred for a muffler material than conventional pure Ti
TABLE 2 Increase in oxide (mg/cm2) Specimen 700° C. × 20 hours 700° C. × 40 hours JIS second grade pure Ti 0.45 0.70 Ti-1Al alloy 0.34 0.51 Ti-2Al alloy 0.32 0.42 Ti-3Al alloy 0.31 0.38 Ti-4Al alloy 0.26 0.28
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A muffler of a muffler made of a titanium alloy wherein advantages of lightness and corrosion-resistance that the titanium alloy originally has are used, and heat-resistance and oxidization-resistance are heightened without damaging costs or workability so that the span of life and flexibility for design are improved. A muffler made of a titanium alloy, wherein the titanium alloy comprises 0.5-2.3% by mass of Al and optionally one or more other alloying elements. The metal texture may comprise more than 90% by volume of the α phase and 20% or less of the β phase. This muffler is superior in heat-resistance, oxidization-resistance, weldability and so on.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/507,983, filed on Oct. 7, 2014 which is currently under allowance, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/892,792, filed on May 13, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,886,142, issued on Nov. 11, 2014, which is continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/010,225, filed on Jan. 20, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,463,216, issued on Jun. 11, 2013, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to radios for use in vehicles, and, more particularly, to improving signal reception quality in radios for use in vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Car radio reception quality is an important element of overall consumer vehicle satisfaction. Consequently, car original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers perform extensive in-field testing in different countries to tweak the reception quality to suit each market segment.
Users listening to radios while driving near an AM or FM radio transmission tower may hear two types of distortion. A first type of distortion is front end overload distortion where transmission from a nearby station overwhelms the car radio's RF digital signal processing (DSP) receiver. Front end overload can lead to clipping distortion at the intermediate frequency analog-to-digital conversion chain process. A method to avoid this is to increase the attenuation at the front end and tweak the automatic gain control (AGC) that is prior to the analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) stage. However, since the overload affects the entire FM frequency range, the radio frequency (RF) designer is presented with the challenge of accommodating both strong and weak signal reception in such a scenario.
A second type of distortion is inter-modulation distortion arising from the use of non-linear devices. In the car radio environment, the non-linear devices are primarily the low noise amplifier (LNA) and the heterodyne mixer or mixers depending on whether the heterodyne mixing process is one step 10.7 MHz intermediate frequency or a lower frequency down-shifted base band intermediate frequency operating for low power devices using multi-stage down conversion. The current trend with respect to low power devices is to operate in base band intermediate frequency to ensure that the sampling rate is lower, as this translates into lower power utilization at the analog-to-digital conversion stage onwards.
Inter-modulation occurs when the input to a non-linear device (NLD) is composed of two or more frequencies of high signal levels and results in the creation of frequency artifacts that are a product of the inputs. These artifacts can result in either new ‘phantom’ stations (e.g., artifacts occur on frequencies where no valid station exists in the vicinity of the car radio) or overlap on a existing valid frequency. When a user tunes to the overlapped frequency, he hears audio modulations from the multiple audio sources including the valid radio station and the modulations arising from station frequencies involved in the creation of the artifacts themselves.
For example, third order inter-modulation can arise from the following permutations:
L*f 1 +/−M*f 2 +/−N*f 3, where f 1, f 2 and f 3 are distinct frequencies and L+M+N= 3, where L, M and N are integers (1)
Here f 1 , f 2 and f 3 are signals over 70 dBuV (which may be calibratable)
OR from
L*f 1 +/−M*f 2, where f 1, f 2 are distinct frequencies and L+M= 3 where L and M are integers (2)
Here f 1 and f 2 are signals over 70 dBuV (which may be calibratable)
While inter-modulation is typically caused by a car's proximity to strong transmission towers, other causes may originate from inside the car's passenger compartment through the use of powerful in-car FM transmitters which are used to stream audio from an external device (e.g., an iPod or external mp3 player) into a non-receivable FM radio station frequency so that the external audio source can be heard through the car speakers. These devices may output signal levels from 70 to 90 dBuV. Signals of a level exceeding 70 dBuV are considered strong signals and when mixed with other strong signals in the vicinity of the car, can lead to third order inter-modulation artifacts.
While inter-modulation distortion in the car radio can be of second order and third order types, the third order inter-modulation poses a bigger problem than second order inter-modulation. This is because second order inter-modulation can be typically filtered out using the band-pass filter. However, third order inter-modulation is harder to filter out as it lies very close to the center frequency of the frequency tuned by the radio head unit. A filter with characteristics steep enough to filter out third order inter-modulation but leave the tuned frequency intact is difficult to achieve.
Illustrated FIG. 1 is an example of typical prior art RF receiver topology that results in the creation of inter-modulation artifacts. The RF signal from the antenna goes through a low noise amplifier (LNA), which is a non-linear device, and then goes through a band-pass filter which tends to filter out frequencies outside the FM band. The next stage is the mixing with the local oscillator to provide the intermediate frequency. The mixer is also a non-linear device. The output product from the mixer passes through another filter stage to ensure that only the required intermediate frequency is output before the signal is digitally sampled at the RF analog to digital converter (ADC) and then again passes through an intermediate frequency (IF) filter.
FIG. 2 illustrates the characterization or mapping of the input power versus output power of a typical non-linear device. The plotted line 10 represents the third order inter-modulation characterization. The gain of the output inter-modulation product is based on the slope of line 10 . For Global A boards, for example, the third order inter-modulation is between 10 and 15 dBuV and is known to cause audio distortion.
Illustrated in FIG. 3 is an example expanded characterization of output power versus input power for a non-linear device. FIG. 3 illustrates a typical model that is used to characterize the level of artifacts created. Line 12 represents the third order inter-modulation characterization.
The level of expected inter-modulation is shown in FIG. 4 , which illustrates modeling of third order inter-modulation. The third order input intercept point (IIP 3 ) is in units dBm and is a function of ΔP from the input levels of the fundamental strong frequencies at the input to the non-linear device.
FIG. 5 illustrates the third order intercept point (IP 3 ) inter-modulation power increase for non-linear devices with no saturation. As shown in FIG. 5 , the effects of inter-modulation vary based on the RF design and the characteristics of the components used. If the system has no saturation, then the third order inter-modulation can be as high as the fundamental frequencies at the input of the non-linear device.
FIG. 6 also illustrates IP 3 inter-modulation power increase for non-linear devices with no saturation. As shown in FIG. 6 , the third order inter-modulation effects depend on the performance of the gain stages at the latter part of the RF chain. This is true because the gain value increases geometrically towards (G n ) at the end of the chain.
FIG. 7 illustrates a characterization of the problem posed by third order inter-modulation. FIG. 7 highlights the reason why it is difficult to filter out the third order inter-modulation artifacts. While the second order harmonics are outside the pass band, the third order inter-modulations such as 2f 1 −f 2 and 2f 2 −f 1 are very close to the fundamental frequencies f 1 and f 2 (where f 1 and f 2 are strong signals of 70 dBuV or above). Because of the difficulty in filtering the third order inter-modulations, this poses a serious reception problem.
Accordingly, what is neither anticipated nor obvious in view of the prior art is a method of sensing inter-modulation distortion and mitigating its effects on signal reception quality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention may provide a method of using known car radio hardware architecture in conjunction with a novel software algorithm to thereby sense and mitigate inter-modulation artifacts and improve the overall performance of the car radio reception quality.
There are several end applications contemplated for the present invention with respect to the car radio. A first end application is to improve single and dual tuner alternative frequency switch behavior. Global A radios have a test route which exhibits a classical use case: On Mount Taunus in Germany, there exists two strong transmitters operating at 102.5 MHz and 105.9 MHz. These two strong signals (over 90 dBuV) result in a third order inter-modulation product (2×102.5)−105.9=99.1 MHz. Also in the vicinity (2×96.7)−94.3=99.1 MHz, another intermodulation is produced on the same frequency. When the user is tuned to station SWR 1 and drives up the mountain, an unwanted alternative frequency (AF) switch occurs to the strongest station (99.1 MHz) which has good quality and yields a proper Program ID code prior to the switch. However when the radio switches to this station, the user hears distorted audio artifacts where there are audio products from three separate stations (SWR 1 +station operating 102.5 MHz and station operating 105.9 MHz). In the above scenario, with regards to audio quality, the reception quality can be improved if the radio switches to an alternate frequency that is of secondary signal quality rather than the strongest quality, and that is not an inter-modulation product, thus yielding better audio quality performance.
A second end application of the invention is radio data system (RDS) preset recall/digital audio broadcasting (DAB) FM link performance enhancement. Preset recall or DAB FM link to an RDS station involves tuning by Program ID code rather than frequency. Herein the radio checks all the best alternative frequencies associated with the Program ID code and tunes to the best alternative frequency with the criteria being signal quality and the frequency transmits the Program ID code. With inter-modulation at play the radio risks tuning to a station that is an inter-modulation product. This results in the end user tuning to a station whose audio quality is composed of the inter-modulating frequencies and the actual audio content.
A third end application of the invention is autoseek performance enhancement. A car radio parked or being driven near a transmission tower may need to ensure that it does not seek stops on inter-modulation tainted frequencies even if the quality of these stations are considered good and within limits with respect to field-strength levels, multipath, ultrasonic and frequency offset metrics.
A fourth end application of the invention is to optimize distortion artifacts during manual tune operation. In the event that the user especially wants to listen to a station frequency through direct tune or manual tune operation, the radio, upon detecting that the frequency has inter-modulation artifacts, can choose to adjust the automatic gain control to improve audio quality.
The present invention may provide a mechanism to detect inter-modulation in single tuner and dual tuner radios and utilize this apriori information in avoiding the inter-modulation artifacts. The inventive method may accommodate the case in which the car moves away from the strong signal transmitters, or when the in-car FM transmitters have been turned off. The invention may enable the car radio to recognize that inter-modulation artifacts are no longer present and thus adapt itself.
The inventive method may detect the inter-modulation and use this apriori information to improve the performance of a number of applications. Specifically, the method may improve RDS AF switching behavior in single and dual tuner radios by ensuring that the radio does not switch to a tainted inter-modulation frequency. The method may also improve RDS Preset recall performance by ensuring that the tune by PI code ensures that the alternative frequency picked for reception is not a frequency tainted by inter-modulation artifacts. The method may further improve auto-seek seek stop performance in the FM mode to ensure that seek stop does not occur at a frequency associated with an inter-modulation artifact.
In Europe, DAB FM link occurs when a user is tuned to a digital DAB station. When the bit error rate (BER) increases, the decoding of the MP2 compressed audio stream becomes difficult for the DAB receiver. In such a circumstance, the radio typically falls back on the simulcast FM station frequency to produce audio. FM stations in Europe employ RDS which categories stations with a program ID code whereby multiple frequencies are associated with a single station. In such a case, a tune by PI operation of the present invention to trigger the DAB FM link may ensure that the final strongest alternative frequency picked for tune operation in the FM band is not an inter-modulation artifact.
The present invention may be applied to AF switching in either a single or double tuner environment. European countries embrace the full features set out by the RDS standard which is AF switching. The way this scheme works is that low power transmitters encompass the European FM landscape. A station operates under different frequencies whereby audio on all these alternate frequencies consists of simulcast audio and data information from the station.
A single tuner radio operating in this environment, when tuned to a RDS station, may receive the AF that the radio can switch to in case the currently tuned-to frequency fades in signal quality. Before an actual switch is done, the single tuner RDS radio may typically perform quality checks, such as for fieldstrength, multipath, adjacent channel energy, and frequency offset, for example. After the quality checks have been performed, and the AF is noted to be better than the currently tuned-to station frequency, the radio may switch over to this stronger AF after a mute operation and delve on this target station for a program ID code check. The program ID confirms that the station being switched to is transmitting the same audio as the most recently tuned-to station. This may result in mutes which can vary in time duration based on the time used for the PI wait time. The mute time duration may range between 500 ms and 1500 ms depending on the RDS block error rate, which may be affected by frequency offset errors, multi-path and/or adjacent channel activity, assuming the sampled signal is of good quality (e.g., 32 dBuV or above for field strength). If the PI code (a sixteen bit word termed “program identification code” and defined in the RBDS standard) matches the PI code of the last tuned-to station, then the AF switch occur, and an unmute of audio is performed. If the PI code does not match the sampled AF, then the radio switches back to the originally tuned-to station and unmutes. The latter is a partly failed AF switch attempt as the radio transmitter list of alternate frequencies is not fully correct because either these station frequencies are operating as regional variants, or a true case of co-channel situation exists such that the frequencies can carry different audio content.
When the PI code cannot be received, then the alternate frequency switch may be delayed.
Muted PI checks may be performed for single tuner variants. OEM customers require this program ID check partly to reduce the risk of potentially switching over to a different station (with different audio modulation) and are willing to tolerate the mute. However, in order to prevent too many mutes from occurring, what is referred to as a “trust timer” is used to perform an un-muted alternate frequency switch. The trust timer may minimize the number of audible mutes.
The way this scheme works is that after acquiring the PI code through a mute, typically a trust timer is set for the frequency. The trust timer is usually a counting up timer starting from 0 seconds (the time at which the PI code is received) to a maximum of 15 minutes. The way this trust timer helps in reducing the number of mutes is such that once a single tuner radio sets the trust timer, the radio can potentially switch over to this station frequency in what is termed an unmuted PI check (frequency is switched without muting the audio) during the valid duration of the trust timer as specified by the developer. The duration of the trust timer specified by the developer can vary based on the locality and proximity of the radio stations. This approach of using a trust timer may not work well, however, in certain FM landscapes where co-channel frequency exists, e.g., where a second station uses the same alternate frequency known to the radio. In this instance, an unmuted AF switch can result in what is termed a “wrong audio modulation” lasting from the time the AF switch occurs, the radio variant tunes to this new station, senses through the reception that the new station has the wrong PI code, and finally reacts by switching back to the original frequency. To prevent the software from using the sampled frequency, what may be referred to as a “disable timer” may be set.
In summary of the above limitations on the operation of a single tuner RDS radio, there may be mutes during a PI code switch. An unmuted AF switch based on the trust timer can reduce mutes but does not combat against wrong modulation in case frequencies are reused by different stations. Stations in Europe also operate as regional variant stations. Single tuner radio variants have these operational limitations because there is no luxury of a second tuner to perform background scanning and inaudible PI checks.
The method of the present invention adds a third degree of optimization by performing the PI check only for alternative frequencies that are presented to the car radio and that are not third order inter-modulation artifacts. The way such alternative frequencies may be sensed in a single tuner is through the use of information gathered in the frequency learn memory of the frequencies in the FM band.
The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a method of performing alternate frequency switching in a radio, including tuning the radio to a primary frequency. A candidate alternate frequency is identified. It is determined whether the candidate alternate frequency is a third order inter-modulation artifact. Tuning is switched from the primary frequency to the candidate alternate frequency only if it is determined in the determining step that the candidate alternate frequency is not a third order inter-modulation artifact.
The invention comprises, in another form thereof, a method of performing autoseek in a radio, including scanning a radio frequency band for a candidate frequency having a quality exceeding a threshold quality level. It is determined whether the candidate frequency is a third order inter-modulation artifact. The radio is tuned to the candidate frequency only if it is determined in the determining step that the candidate frequency is not a third order inter-modulation artifact.
The invention comprises, in yet another form thereof, a method of automatically tuning an FM radio to a frequency, including identifying a plurality of first frequencies within an FM band that have a signal quality above a threshold level. A plurality of second frequencies that are third order inter-modulation artifacts of the first frequencies are calculated. Tuning to the second frequencies is avoided.
An advantage of the present invention is that it prevents the radio from tuning to a third order inter-modulation artifact in autoseek, AF switching, and DAB FM Link operations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of typical prior art RF receiver topology that results in the creation of inter-modulation artifacts.
FIG. 2 is a plot of the input power versus output power of a typical non-linear device.
FIG. 3 is an example expanded plot of output power versus input power for a typical non-linear device.
FIG. 4 is a plot of frequency versus a level of expected third order inter-modulation.
FIG. 5 is a series of plots illustrating the third order intercept point (IP 3 ) inter-modulation power increase versus frequency for non-linear devices with no saturation.
FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of IP 3 inter-modulation power increase for non-linear devices with no saturation.
FIG. 7 is an amplitude versus frequency plot of inter-modulation artifacts in a radio frequency signal.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a single tuner radio system of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a timing diagram depicting muting during a neighbor frequency check according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a table depicting one embodiment of a frequency learn memory used to gather apriori information for the European market according to the invention.
FIG. 11 is a table depicting one embodiment of a frequency learn memory for the North American market according to the invention.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a dual tuner radio system of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a dual tuner phase diversity system of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a dual tuner external switched diversity system of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The embodiments hereinafter disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following description. Rather the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize its teachings.
In one embodiment, the method enables the radio to build up signal level metrics of frequencies in the FM band in a memory repository and then utilize the information using the formulae such as (1) and (2) below in identifying the artifact:
L*f 1 +/−M*f 2 +/−N*f 3, where f 1, f 2 and f 3 are distinct frequencies and L+M+N= 3, where L, M and N are integers (1)
OR from
L*f 1 +/−M*f 2, where f 1, f 2 are distinct frequencies and L+M= 3, where L and M are integers (2)
The way the information is updated in the repository memory area may vary between single and dual tuner.
Referring now to FIG. 8 , there is shown one embodiment of a single tuner radio system 20 of the present invention. Radio system 20 may include a microcontroller 22 which may be used to process user input. A digital signal processor (DSP) 24 may be used to provide audio demodulation of the air-borne intermediate frequency (IF) input signal. DSP 24 may also be used to provide quality information parameters to the main microcontroller 22 via a serial communication protocol such as I2C. The quality information parameters may include multipath, adjacent channel noise, FM frequency offset, FM modulation and field strength. The I2C channel may be a dedicated channel so that delays due to shared resource contentions are prevented. DSP 24 may rely on a Tuner IF Front End IC 26 to perform the front end RF demodulation and the gain control. Tuner IF Front End IC 26 may also output the Intermediate Frequency to DSP 24 where the Intermediate Frequency may be demodulated and processed. Tuner IF Front End IC 26 may further provide a gain to the IF (Intermediate Frequency) signal of up to 6 dBuV prior to forwarding the signal to DSP 24 . Communication between Tuner IF Front End IC 26 and DSP 24 , as indicated at 27 , may be via a serial communication protocol such as I2C, which may operate at 400 kbps.
An antenna system 28 may be communicatively coupled to Tuner IF Front End IC 26 . Antenna system 28 may be in the form of a passive mast, or an active mast of phase diversity, for example.
An AF sample line 29 and an AF hold line 31 provide an interface between DSP 24 and Tuner IF Front End IC 26 to coordinate a quick mute as described hereinbelow. A pause interrupt line 33 between DSP 24 and microcontroller 22 may be used to inform microcontroller 22 whenever a pause occurs.
DSP 24 may provide signal quality parameterization of demodulated tuner audio and may make it available to microcontroller 22 via a serial communication bus 30 . In one embodiment, serial communication bus 30 is in the form of a 400 kbps high speed I2C.
The signal parameterization may include field strength, multipath, FM frequency offset, FM modulation and ultrasonic noise. Field strength may give an indication of signal reception and may help determine whether the radio station has good signal coverage in the vicinity of the user. This field strength quality parameter may be applicable for both AM and FM modulation signal reception.
Although the signal can have high field strength, it can be subject to reflections which can arise from trees and tall building which reflect/deflect the signal. The multipath parameter may enable the level of multipath to be ascertained, and may affect reception quality. The multipath quality parameter may be more applicable to FM modulation signal reception than to AM because in AM reception the wavelength is wider.
With regard to the ultrasonic noise quality parameter, it sometimes happens that stations over-modulate their signal leading to adjacent channel interference. For example, in the U.S., FM frequencies are spaced apart 200 kHz. There can arise times in which an adjacent station over-modulates its signal past the 75 kHz modulation and beyond the 50 kHz guard band, which may result in the adjacent station being heard on the tuned-to station's frequency.
With regard to the FM modulation quality parameter, the detector may provide the amount of frequency deviation about the FM carrier center frequency. The amount of frequency deviation may be directly proportional to the audio content being played in the FM station. The typical modulation bounds of this detect is 75 kHz for North America and between 22.5 kHz and 40 kHz for Rest of World and Europe. The FM modulation quality parameter is discussed in more detail hereinbelow.
The quality parameter of FM frequency offset is a measure of misalignment between modulation and demodulation frequencies. The misalignment value is typically small. However, a large offset error in the form of a large misalignment value may signify strong adjacent channel presence. Alternatively, a large offset error in the form of a large misalignment value may signify that the transmitting station is a “pirate” station and is not operating exactly on its assigned frequency, but rather has an inherent offset error. This tends to occur in Italy.
A novel feature of the present invention is the sampling of FM signals while the user is listening to an FM signal as the current foreground source. The difficulty associated with performing the sensitivity check while in FM mode, especially in a single tuner environment, is that the tuner to which the listener is listening has to momentarily switch to another station, perform the quality check, and then re-tune to the listened-to station. The user is not able to listen to the station during the time period between the switching of the station and the re-tuning of the station. This interruption in the signal of the listened-to station may be perceptible by the user, and thus may be a source of annoyance to the user.
If the audio system is in compact disc (CD) mode or is using some other non-tuner source, the bandscan checks of the frequencies can be easily performed as the tuner can perform the checks without the checks being perceptible to the user since the user is listening to a non-tuner source. To be able to perform the checks in an imperceptible manner, the present invention may utilize a DSP including pause detection logic that is able to detect pauses (i.e., periods of silence or unvoiced activity) in the demodulated audio stream. In one embodiment, pause is detected by computing the number of zero crossings in a particular window of time, wherein a zero crossing may be defined as the value where the modulation drops to zero or nearly zero. In addition, or alternatively, pause may be detected by utilizing a signal strength threshold below which the audio may be characterized as being in a pause. In one embodiment, a pause may be recognized when the duration of the pause exceeds about 40 milliseconds.
It may be assumed that the longer the period of time that a pause has gone on, the longer the period of time that the pause will continue in the future. Thus, a quality check may be initiated after a pause has gone on for a predetermined period of time, such as 40 milliseconds, on the assumption that the pause is more likely to continue long enough for the quality check to be completed.
Each recognized pause may interrupt the main microprocessor, which may then query a neighboring frequency for the quality value of the neighboring frequency. The quality value may be a function of multipath, signal strength, FM frequency offset, FM modulation and/or adjacent channel noise (also termed “ultrasonic noise”).
FIG. 9 is a timing diagram depicting the muting during a neighbor frequency check triggered by the pause detection logic of DSP 24 . The muting may occur while the audio frequency (AF) Hold line is LOW, as indicated at 32 . In the example illustrated in FIG. 9 , the neighbor frequency check indicated at 32 has a duration of about 5.2 milliseconds using Tuner IF Front End IC 26 interacting with DSP 24 . The magnitude of the tuning voltage may be dependent on the neighbor frequency jump, i.e., on the frequency difference between the currently listened-to frequency and the neighbor frequency to be checked. The overall time required to perform a neighbor check may be about seven milliseconds in one embodiment. The AF Hold line may go LOW in order to mute the audio prior to the actual tuning of Tuner IF Front End IC 26 to the particular neighboring frequency, which tuning is indicated at 34 . After the commencement of tuning, as indicated at 36 , about one millisecond may be provided for settling of phase-locked loop (PLL) locking prior to actual sampling being performed during the time that the AF Sample line goes HIGH, as indicated at 38 . After the quality AF Sample check, the tuning frequency may be set back to the originally listened-to station, as indicated at 40 . After the tuning frequency is set back, time may be provided for PLL setting before the AF Hold Line goes HIGH, as indicated at 42 , to unmute the audio of the presently listened-to station.
In one embodiment, after Tuner IF Front End IC 26 has switched to the neighboring frequency, as indicated at 34 , the quality sample check is performed to gather readings of the five parameters of fieldstrength, multipath, ultrasonic noise, FM frequency offset and FM modulation. The readings may be gathered via an I2C bus which is set at 400 kbps. In order to promote fast access and avoid having to make five consecutive I2C reads from five separate and disparate memory locations in the DSP for the fieldstrength, multipath, ultrasonic noise, FM frequency offset and FM modulation parameters, DSP 24 may support calling the five registers which hold this information through one I2C read. In order to enable the single I2C read, DSP 24 may support autoincrement and the ability to map disparate memory locations via pointer access. These features may be instrumental in performing the quality sample check within the stipulated time frame and in avoiding the mute, i.e., the interruption of the audible broadcast, from being perceived by passengers of the vehicle.
When the quality sample check is performed on the neighboring frequency, the audio is muted for up to 5.2 milliseconds, i.e., the approximate duration of 32 in FIG. 9 , which may be imperceptible by the user.
When the audio system is in tuner mode, each quality sample check may take about seven milliseconds, which may be imperceptible to listeners so long as the quality sample checks are not performed consecutively, i.e., back to back, with no breaks in between. In one embodiment, precautions may be added in order to prevent or inhibit consecutive quality sample checks from being performed. Otherwise, consecutive performance of the checks could result in an interruption of the audible broadcast of greater than seven milliseconds, which could be perceptible to the end user listeners.
Preventing checks from occurring consecutively (e.g., back to back) is a feature of the invention that may be applied to both automated FM station list and AF switching methodology. In order to inhibit or prevent checks from being performed back to back or consecutively, which can result in the user perceiving the audio mute, a one-shot timer may be set each time a check is performed. The setting of the one-shot timer may ensure that even if there were to be a pause detect trigger immediately after a previous pause detect triggered check has been performed, the second check would be performed only if this timer has elapsed. Thus, the quality check may be an AND logic condition, meaning that a pause has occurred AND the timer is not running. If pause occurs and Timer is running, then the quality check is ignored. This consecutive check prevention one-shot timer may be calibratable.
Ensuring quality check efficiency is another feature of the invention that may be applied to both automated FM station list and AF switching methodology. The FM frequency band in the North American market has 102 frequencies ranging from 87.7 MHz to 107.9 MHz. In order to enhance efficiency in the quality sample checks, a trust timer in software may be utilized when quality check is performed on a station frequency to ensure further checks are postponed in order to achieve check efficiency. The timer value may be decremented using speed information provided by a vehicle local area network, or may be decremented by periodic tick. As soon as a station has been sampled for quality, a timer associated with that particular station may be set. As long as the timer is valid (i.e., has a non-zero value), a quality check may not be performed again on that station. Once the timer decrements to zero however, another quality check may be performed.
The trust timer may be decremented either by periodic timer tick or through speed information provided by the local area network within the car. The timer decrement via speed information may be particularly advantageous in one embodiment because if the vehicle is stationary there is no decrement of the timer. The rate of decrement may be dependent upon the speed of the vehicle.
For example, it is possible to sample station 87.5 MHz 0 (index of 87.5 MHz) and an associated trust timer for about fifteen, which time is calibratable. Subsequent checks ignore checking 87.5 MHz until its trust timer expires.
A table depicting one embodiment of a frequency learn memory used to gather apriori information is shown in FIG. 10 . The learn memory is the repository from which the subsequent logic may be derived. The learn memory may include 102 entries for the U.S. region (e.g., 87.7 MHz to 107.9 MHz with 200 kHz steps), 205 entries for the worst case FM range (e.g., 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz with 100 kHz steps), and 140 entries for the Japan region (e.g., 76 MHz to 90 MHz with 100 kHz steps).
The invention may be applied to perceptually weighted checks. To complement the pause detect logic check, the invention provides a methodology which triggers a neighborhood frequency check when the currently listened-to station has poor reception quality. More particularly, when the currently listened-to station has poor reception quality, the present invention may “sneak in” a performance check that is not easily perceived by the user. In order to enable such checks, a perceptual weighting filter based on the quality parameter is utilized. The perceptually weighted checks take advantage of the poor signal reception of the presently listened-to station to perform checks.
In order to support the checks, a one shot timer having a duration of 500 ms is used to continuously check on the current quality state of the currently tuned-to station in FM mode. If the quality state indicates noise AND a previous quality check was not performed within the one second time frame, then a quality check is initiated. This one second check guard may ensure that back to back quality checks are not performed, because such back to back checks could be perceived by the user.
The perceptual filter that may be utilized includes a three-dimensional function which inputs field strength, multipath and ultrasonic noise into a quality factor. The three parameters may be received from the DSP through autoincrement registers.
The quality information gathered may be updated into what may be termed a “frequency learn memory,” which is mapped onto on-chip RAM. One embodiment of a frequency learn memory for the North American market is shown in FIG. 11 .
To optimize on RAM, instead of storing frequency, each frequency may be presented as an index that is mapped over the range. For example, in a frequency range spanning from 87.7 MHz to 107.9 MHz, index 0 represents frequency 87.7 MHz, and index 102 represents 107.9 MHz. To otherwise store the frequency uncoded in BCD format, for example, would consume two bytes, which is not an efficient use of memory.
Quality may be derived from the three-dimensional table taking into consideration fieldstrength, multipath and ultrasonic noise. The trust timer may be a timer value that gets set once a quality check has been performed on a station.
The learn memory may be updated through the following four methods on a single tuner radio. First, when a user is tuned to an FM station and the volume knob is set to a perceivable volume level, then automatic quality checks of neighboring frequencies may be triggered whenever there is a pause in the currently tuned-to station's audio. The novelty of this idea is extended in the second through fourth options described below.
A second option for the automatic update of the FM station list is that when a user is tuned to an FM station and the volume knob is set to a perceivable volume level, then automatic quality checks of neighboring frequencies may be triggered whenever the currently tuned-to audio signal quality is poor. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a novel perceptual based table which characterizes the signal quality level. The characterization of the signal quality level may be used to trigger a 7 ms long, unperceivable quality check of a neighboring frequency.
A third option for the automatic update of the FM station list is that when a user is tuned to an FM station and the volume knob is set to total mute (or if a mute pushbutton is activated), then the neighboring frequencies are checked and updated onto the FM learn memory.
A fourth option for the automatic update of the FM station list is that when a user is sourced to a non-tuner source (e.g., CD mode, auxiliary mode), then the update of the FM station list can freely be performed without the concern that the update will be perceived by the user. Dual tuner radios may not have this limitation, as the second tuner can scan the FM memory and keep it updated.
The invention may be applied to AF switching methodology in a dual tuner radio. A dual tuner radio system 120 of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 12 . Dual tuner radio system 120 may include a microcontroller 122 which may be used to process user input. A digital signal processor (DSP) 124 may be used to provide audio demodulation of the air-borne IF input signal. DSP 124 may also be used to provide quality information parameters to the main microcontroller 122 via a serial communication protocol such as I2C. The quality information parameters may include multipath, adjacent channel noise, FM frequency offset, FM modulation and field strength. The I2C channel may be a dedicated channel so that delays due to shared resource contentions are prevented. DSP 124 may rely on a Two-tuner IC 126 to perform the front end RF demodulation and the gain control. Two-tuner IC 126 may also output the Intermediate Frequency to DSP 124 where the Intermediate Frequency may be demodulated and processed. Two-tuner IC 126 may further provide a gain to the IF (Intermediate Frequency) signal of up to 6 dBuV prior to forwarding the signal to DSP 124 . Communication between Two-tuner IC 126 and DSP 124 , as indicated at 127 , may be via a serial communication protocol such as I2C, which may operate at 400 kbps.
An antenna system 128 may be communicatively coupled to Two Tuner IC 126 . Antenna system 128 may be in the form of a passive mast, or an active mast of phase diversity, for example.
AF sample lines 129 a - b and AF hold lines 131 a - b provide an interface between DSP 124 and Tuner IC 126 to coordinate a quick mute as described hereinbelow. In contrast to the single tuner embodiment of FIG. 8 , this dual tuner embodiment of FIG. 12 includes a separate AF Sample, AF Hold and Pause sensor for the second tuner path. Pause interrupt lines 133 a - b between DSP 124 and microcontroller 122 may be used to inform microcontroller 122 whenever a pause occurs either on the primary or secondary tuner paths.
DSP 124 may provide signal quality parameterization of demodulated tuner audio and may make it available to microcontroller 122 via a serial communication bus 130 . In one embodiment, serial communication bus 130 is in the form of a 400 kbps high speed I2C.
For dual tuner variants, second tuner may be used to conduct the PI check in an unperceived manner since the user is listening to the main tuner for the audio source. This allows the frequency learn memory to be updated with respect to quality metrics more easily than with single tuner radios, especially when the user is sourced to either AM or FM source.
Dual tuner radio variants can be of either the phase diversity type or the external switching diversity type. On dual tuner variants with phase diversity ( FIG. 13 ), a main tuner 226 is connected to an antenna 228 a , and a second tuner 227 is connected to an antenna 228 b . While main tuner 226 produces an audio signal, second tuner 227 can scan the FM spectrum in the background until the main tuned-to station experiences severe multipath. In response to the severe multipath, the background scanning may be ceased and second tuner 227 may tune to the same station that main tuner 226 is tuned to. Thus, the audio quality may be enhanced by using algorithms known as Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA) that make use of the phase differences between the main tuner demodulated audio and the second tuner demodulated audio. For dual tuner variants with phase diversity, whenever the phase diversity is functionally enabled, the dual tuner in part operates mostly as a single tuner radio.
On dual tuner variants with external switching diversity ( FIG. 14 ), a main tuner 326 and a second tuner 327 are associated with antennas 328 a - b . While main tuner 326 produces an audio signal, second tuner 327 is constantly engaged in background scanning. The diversity in tuner variants with external switching diversity is a front end switching circuitry box 334 which chooses the better antenna signal quality. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , box 334 determines that antenna 328 a is the stronger antenna, and thus chooses antenna 328 a , as indicated at 336 .
The frequency learn memory contains the updated information of the station frequency landscape that is currently available to the car radio. The invention provides different methods of updating the learn memory by use of single and dual tuners.
Using the quality metrics gathered in the frequency learn memory, the inventive system can employ various methods to detect the existence of an inter-modulation artifact. A first method of detecting an inter-modulation artifact includes inter-modulation detection, in which the learn memory may be checked through for all frequencies above a calibratable threshold, such as 70 dBuV for example.
In a second method of detecting an inter-modulation artifact, if the frequency signal quality is greater than or equal to 70 dbuV, and if the number of stations found equals two, then third order 2f 1 +/−f 2 and 2f 1 +/−f 2 combinations are computed. It may be checked whether the frequency is within range of the FM band, which varies based on the region. The FM band is 87.5 to 108.0 MHz for Europe (ECE) and rest of world (ROW); 76 to 90 MHz for Japan; and 87.75 to 107.9 MHz for the North American market.
In a third method of detecting an inter-modulation artifact, if the number of stations found equals three, then combinations of f 1 +/−f 2 +/−f 3 are computed and a check is made that the frequencies are within range of the respective tuner region (e.g., 87.7 to 107.9 MHz in the U.S.; 76 to 90 MHz in Japan; and 87.5 to 108.0 MHz in the Rest Of World). If the frequencies are within range of the respective tuner region, then a bit is set for these frequencies in learn memory along with a trust timer. For example, a valid count down timer may be set for fifteen minutes, or some other chosen time period. As long as the trust timer is running, the radio may be able to judge this station and skip this station frequency in Autoseek, AF switching and DAB FM link use cases.
The present invention may improve the tuner reception quality performance by avoiding third order inter-modulation artifacts in single and dual tuner radio variants in the presence of strong signal environment. The inventive method can be applied to car radios, and FM receivers in mobile devices such as cell phones, USB—FM receivers, etc.
The inventive method for detection of inter-modulation uses apriori information in improving several different applications. First, RDS AF switching behavior may be improved in single and dual tuner radios by ensuring that the radio does not switch to a tainted inter-modulation frequency.
Second, RDS preset recall performance may be improved by using the Tune by PI code to ensure that the alternative frequency picked for reception is not a frequency tainted by inter-modulation artifacts.
Third, Auto-seek seek stop performance may be improved in the FM mode to ensure that seek stop does not occur at an inter-modulation artifact.
Fourth, in Europe, DAB FM link occurs when a user is tuned to a digital DAB station. When the BER (Bit Error Rate) increases, the decoding of the MP2 compressed audio stream becomes difficult for the DAB receiver. In such a circumstance, the radio typically falls back on the simulcast FM station frequency to produce audio. FM stations in Europe employ RDS which categorizes stations with a program ID code whereby multiple frequencies are associated with a single station. In such a case, a Tune by PI operation to trigger the DAB FM link may ensure that the final strongest alternative frequency picked for tune operation in the FM band is not an inter-modulation artifact.
Fifth, the invention may reduce effects of inter-modulation in the scenario where the user manually tunes to a station, and the radio computes the station to be a known inter-modulation tainted station frequency. For example, the radio may narrow the bandwidth of filtering in order to filter out the inter-modulation artifact. If the radio determines that it is tuned to a frequency that is itself an inter-modulation artifact, then the radio may switch to one of the “pure” frequencies that contribute to the inter-modulation artifact.
While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.
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A method of performing alternate frequency switching in a radio includes tuning the radio to a primary frequency. A candidate alternate frequency is identified. It is determined whether the candidate alternate frequency is a third order inter-modulation artifact. Tuning is switched from the primary frequency to the candidate alternate frequency only if it is determined in the determining step that the candidate alternate frequency is not a third order inter-modulation artifact.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a novel peptide and, more particularly, to a pentadecapeptide that is an endogenous regulator of intestinal guanylate cyclase.
Guanylate cyclase is composed of a group of proteins that share structural characteristics relative to the enzymatic function of producing cyclic GMP, but differ quite remarkably in their selective activation by ligands. The three major forms of guanylate cyclase are the soluble, particulate, and intestinal (cytoskeletal-associated particulate or STa-sensitive) with each of these forms regulated by different ligands (1, 2). Activation of the soluble guanylate cyclase occurs in response to nitric oxide (EDRF), while activation of the particulate enzyme occurs in response to the natriuretic peptides (atrial natriuretic peptide, brain natriuretic peptide, and C-type natriuretic peptide) (1, 2). An endogenous activator of the intestinal guanylate cyclase has not previously been identified, however the heat stable enterotoxin from E. coli is known to selectively activate this form of the enzyme (3,4). This form of the enzyme is predominantly found in the intestinal epithelial cells with the largest number of receptors oriented towards the lumen (1,2). Recently, the intestinal form of guanylate cyclase has been cloned and expressed from rat small intestinal mucosa (5). This enzyme is characterized by an extracellular receptor binding region, a transmembrane region, an intracellular protein kinase-like region and a cyclase catalytic domain (5).
Pathogenic strains of E. coli and other bacteria produce a family of heat stable entertoxins (STs) that activate intestinal guanylate cyclase. STs are acidic peptides 18-19 amino acids in length with six cysteines and three disulfide bridges that are required for full expression of bioactivity (6). The increase of intestinal epithelial cyclic GMP elicited by STs is thought to cause a decrease in water and sodium absorbtion and an increase in chloride secretion (7, 8). These changes in intestinal fluid and electrolyte transport then act to cause secretory diarrhea. In developing countries, the diarrhea due to STs is the cause of many deaths, particularly in the infant population (9). STs are also considered to be a major cause of traveler's diarrhea in developed countries (10). STs have also been reported to be a leading cause of morbidity in domestic animals (11).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention a novel pentadecapeptide is provided which has the following amino acid sequence. ##STR2##
This peptide [SEQ ID NO:1], also referred to herein as guanylin, has been isolated from the rat jejunum and has been chemically synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis. In its oxidized active biologic form, the novel pentadecapeptide has two disulfide bridges, one between cysteine residues at positions 4 and 12 and the other between cysteine residues at positions 7 and 15.
The pentadecapeptide of this invention has been both isolated and chemically synthesized in a homogeneously purified form which did not exist in the rat jejunum from which it was initially obtained. That is, it has been prepared in a form which is essentially free of other low molecular weight peptides, and free from higher molecular weight material and other cellular components and tissue matter. This novel pentadecapeptide has physiological characteristics which suggest that it is important to medical science in the study of regulators of guanylate cyclase. In particular, the novel pentadecapeptide of this invention is an endogenous stimulator of intestinal guanylate cyclase. It has been found to stimulate increases in cyclic GMP levels in a manner similar to the STs. As such regulator, it is useful for the control of intestinal absorption. It has potential to regulate intestinal fluid and electrolyte transport. This pentadecapeptide also has been found to displace heat stable enterotoxin binding to cultured T84 human colon carcinoma cells. This cell line is known to selectively respond to the toxin in a very sensitive manner with an increase in intracellular cyclic GMP.
The pentadecapeptide, guanylin, has been further demonstrated to act in an isolated intestinal rat preparation to stimulate an increase in short circuit current. This action is believed to be the physiologic driving force for eliciting chloride secretion and ultimately decreased water absorption. The guanylin may thus act as a laxative and be useful in patients suffering from constipation, e.g. cystic fibrosis patients who suffer with severe intestinal complications from constipation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and specifically claiming the subject matter regarded as forming the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FlG. 1 is a graphical representation which shows the effect of tissue extracts from various tissues on T84 cyclic GMP levels. Acid extracts were prepared from 1 g of tissue, and 10% of total of the extracts were applied to isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX) treated cells. Cyclic GMP was measured as described in the Methods section, hereinafter.
FIG. 2 shows the elution profile of the final purification of guanylin by C8 reverse phase on microbore HPLC. Peaks were collected by hand and measured for activity The active peak is indicated by shading with 3% of the fraction giving a 10-fold increase in cyclic GMP.
FIG. 3 shows the electrospray mass spectra of native guanylin (A) and synthetic guanylin (B), both contain the peptide (M+H)+at m/z 1516. Comparison of the mass spectra of oxidized (C) and reduced (D) native guanylin shows the reduced peptide to be 4 amu higher in mass, which indicates the presence of two disulfide bonds in native guanylin.
FIG. 4 is a graphical representation which shows the time course (A) and concentration-response (B) effect of guanylin on cyclic GMP levels in T84 cells. In the time course test, T84 cells were treated with 10 -8 M guanylin. For the concentration response the cells were incubated with varying concentrations of guanylin for 30 min. Cells for both tests were treated with 1 mM IBMX.
FIG. 5 is a graphical representation which shows the displacement of 125 I-STa specific binding from T84 cells by guanylin. Cells were incubated for 30 min at 37° C. with labeled STa and varying concentrations of guanylin. Specific bound (%) was determined by dividing the specific 125 I-STa bound at each concentration of guanylin by the specific 125 I-STa bound in the absence of guanylin. Each point represents the mean of triplicates.
References parenthetically cited herein are listed hereinbelow.
The novel peptide of this invention can be prepared by known solution and solid phase peptide synthesis methods.
In conventional solution phase peptide synthesis, the peptide chain can be prepared by a series of coupling reactions in which the constituent amino acids are added to the growing peptide chain in the desired sequence. The use of various N-protecting groups, e.g. the carbobenzyloxy group or the t-butyloxycarbonyl group (BOC), various coupling reagents, e.g., dicyclohexylcarbodiimide or carbonyldimidazole, various active esters, e.g., esters of N-hydroxyphthalimide or N-hydroxy-succinimide, and the various cleavage reagents, e.g., trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), HCl in dioxane, boron tris-(trifluoracetate) and cyanogen bromide, and reaction in solution with isolation and purification of intermediates is well-known classical peptide methodology.
The preferred peptide synthesis method follows conventional Merrifield solid-phase procedures. See Merrifield, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 85, 2149-54 (1963) and Science 150, 178-85 (1965). This procedure, though using many of the same chemical reactions and blocking groups of classical peptide synthesis, provides a growing peptide chain anchored by its carboxy terminus to a solid support, usually cross-linked polystyrene, styrenedivinylbenzene copolymer or, preferably, p-methylbenzhydrylamine polymer for synthesizing peptide amides. This method conveniently simplifies the number of procedural manipulations since removal of the excess reagents at each step is effected simply by washing the polymer.
The acyl group on the N-terminus is conveniently introduced by reaction of an alkanoic anhydride with the peptide on the solid support after deprotection with TFA.
Further background information on the established solid phase synthesis procedure can be had by reference to the treatise by Stewart and Young, "Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis," W. H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco, 1969, and the review chapter by Merrifield in Advances in Enzymology, 32, pp. 221-296, F. F. Nold, Ed., Interscience Publishers, New York, 1969; and Erickson and Merrifield, The Proteins, 1 Vol. 2, p. 255 et seq. (ed. Neurath and Hill), Academic Press, New York, 1976.
In order to further illustrate the invention, the following exemplary laboratory preparative work was carried out. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to these examples or the details described therein.
EXAMPLE 1
Materials and Methods
Cell Culture
A cultured human colon carcinoma cell line (T84) was obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Rockville, Maryland) (ATCC No. CCL 248) at passage 52. Cells were grown to confluency in 24-well culture plates with a 1:1 mixture of Ham's F12 medium and Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, 100 IU/ml penicillin, and 100 μg/ml streptomycin. Cells were used at passages 54-60.
Cyclic GMP determination
Monolayers of T84 cells in 24-well plates were washed twice with 1 ml/well DMEM, then incubated at 37° C. for 10 min with 0.5 ml DMEM containing 1 mM isobutylmethylxanthine, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Agents and fractions were then added for the indicated time as described in the results section, below. The media was then aspirated and the reaction terminated by the addition of ice cold 0.5 ml of 0.1N HCl. Aliquots were then evaporated to dryness under nitrogen and then resuspended in 5 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 6.4. The samples were then measured for cyclic GMP by conventional RIA as described by Steiner et al. (12).
Purification of Guanvlin
Rat jejunums that were flushed of luminal contents with 50 ml of saline and immediately placed on dry ice were obtained from Bioproducts for Science (Indianapolis, IN). The jejunums were thawed, minced, and boiled for 10 min in 1M acetic acid. The extract was centrifuged at 20,000 g for 20 min at 4° C. The resulting supernatant was filtered and applied to a C-18 sep pak (Waters, Milford, MA). The column was washed with 10% acetonitrile, 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and eluted with 60% acetonitrile, 0.1% TFA. The eluted peptide fraction was lyophilized and resuspended in 50 ml of distilled water containing 0.8% ampholytes, pH range 3-10, and applied to a preparative isoelectric focusing cell (Rotofor, Bio-Rad, Richmond, CA). The sample was focused for 150 min at 12 Watts constant power. The fractions were harvested, pH determined, and bioassayed. The active fractions which focused around pH 3.8, were then refocused under similar conditions and the resulting active fractions were lyophilized. The sample was then resuspended in 1 ml of 10% acetonitrile, 0.1% TFA and applied to a C-18 semi-preparative HPLC column (Vydac, Hesperia, CA) and run at a rate of 3 ml/min. The following gradient was used to fractionate the sample: 10% acetonitrile, 0.1% TFA to 30% acetonitrile, 0.1% TFA in 180 min. The active fraction was determined by bioassay and lyophilized. The sample was resuspended in 1 ml of 10% acetonitrile, 0.1% TFA and applied to a phenyl analytical HPLC column (Vydac, Hesperia, CA). The conditions for elution were similar to that described above for the semi-preparative column except the rate of flow as 1 ml/min. The active fraction was lyophilized and then resuspended in 1 ml of 10% acetonitrile, 0.1% TFA. The sample was then applied to a C-18 analytical HPLC column (VYDAC, Hesperia, CA) and eluted according to the above description for the phenyl column. The active fraction was identified by bioassay and lyophilized. The sample was reconstituted in 1 ml of 10% acetonitrile, 0.1% TFA and reapplied to the analytical C-18 column and eluted by a gradient of 10% acetonitrile, 10 mM ammonium acetate to 30% acetonitrile, 10 mM ammonium acetate in 180 min. The active fraction was lyophilized and reconstituted in 0.05 ml of 0.1% TFA. The sample was then applied to a C-8 microbore column and eluted by an increasing gradient of 0.33%/min of acetonitrile, 0.1% TFA.
N-terminal protein sequence analysis
Automated Edman degradation chemistry was used to determine the NH 2 -terminal protein sequence. An Applied Biosystems, Inc. model 470A gas phase sequence (Foster City, CA) was employed for the degradations (13) using the standard sequencer cycle, 03RPTH. The respective PTH-aa derivatives were identified by RP-HPLC analysis in an on-line fashion employing an Applied Biosystems, Inc., Model 120A PTH Analyzer fitted with Brownlee 2.1 mm I.D. PTH-C18 column. On-sequencer pyridylethylation was performed as outlined by Kruft et al. (14). The PTH derivative of pyridylethylcysteine was identified by HPLC as eluting slightly prior to PHT derivatives of methionine.
Electrospray Mass Spectrometry
Individual samples of native and synthetic guanylin were purified by microbore C-8 reversed-phase HPLC (Brownlee Aquapore RP-300 7 micron column, P. J. Cobert, St. Louis, MO) and eluting fractions of the peptides were collected and concentrated to approximately 8 pmol/μL for mass-analysis. Sample solutions were introduced to the mass spectrometer via injection into a stream of acetonitrile:water:trifluoroacetic acid (1000:1000:1, v:v:v), which continuously flowed to the mass spectrometer at a flow of 10 μL/min. Three microliters of each of the concentrated guanylin samples were injected to obtain the results that are set forth below.
A Sciex API III triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (Thornhill, Ontario, Canada) equipped with an atmospheric pressure ion source was used to sample positive ions produced from an electrospray interface (15) that was maintained at a potential difference of 3 kV with respect to the entrance of the mass spectrometer. Mass-analysis of sample ions was accomplished by scanning the first quadrupole in 1 amu increments from 1000-2400 amu in approximately 3 sec., and passing mass-selected ions through the second and third quadrupoles operated in the rf-only mode, to the multiplier, which was operated in the pulse-counting mode. For maximum sensitivity, the mass resolution of the quadrupole mass analyzer was set so that ion signals were approximately 2 amu wide at half peak height, but the centroid of the ion signal still represented the correct mass of the ion. Mass spectra of the guanylin samples were averaged over all of the scans that were acquired during elution of the 3 μL sample solution.
Binding Assay
125 I-STa was prepared by the conventional Iodogen method (16). T84 cell monolayers were washed twice with 1 ml of DMEM, then incubated for 30 min at 37° C. in 0.5 ml DMEM with 125 I-STa (100,000 cpm/well) and either guanylin or 100 nM STa. The cells were then washed 4 times with 1 ml of DMEM and solubilized with 0.5 ml/well 1 N NaOH. This volume was transferred to tubes and assayed for radioactivity by a gamma counter. Results are expressed as the percentage of specific bound.
Chemical synthesis of Guanylin
Guanylin was synthesized by the conventional solid-phase method (17) with an Applied Biosystems 430A peptide synthesizer on Cys(4-CH 3 Bzl)-OCH 2 -Pam Resin using double coupling cycles to ensure completion at each step. Coupling was effected with preformed symmetrical anhydride of t-butoxycarbonylamino acids (Applied Biosystems), and peptides were cleaved from the solid support in hydrogen fluoride, dimethylsulfide, anisole and p-thiocresol used at a 8/1/1/0.5 ratio (v/v/v/w) at 0° C. for 60 min. Peptides were cyclized using dimethylsulfoxide as described by Tam et al. (18). Peptides were purified by successive reverse-phase chromatography on a 45×300 mm Vydac C18 column and on a 19×150 mm μBondapak C18 column, using a gradient of 10-30% acetonitrile in 0.5% trifluoroacetic acid. The structures and purity of the synthetic peptides were verified by fast atom bombardment/mass spectroscopy or thermospray/mass spectroscopy, amino acid analysis, and gas-phase sequence analysis.
RESULTS
Initial characterization of the T84 cell response indicated that these cells were very sensitive to STA (limit of detection 10 -10 M) and displayed a remarkable range with a maximal response eliciting a greater than 10,000 fold increase in cyclic GMP. Furthermore, an effect on cyclic GMP levels with 10 -3 M sodium nitroprusside or 10 -6 M atrial natriuretic peptide was not detected, suggesting that the T84 serves as a selective bioassay for agents that activate the intestinal guanylate cyclase. A survey of acid boiled and extracted rat tissues for the ability to increase T84 cell cyclic GMP levels indicated that both the jejunum and kidney possessed this activity while liver, brain, pancreas, spleen, lung, and testes lacked bioassayable activity (FIG. 1). The relative specific activity appeared to be greater in the intestinal tissue and therefore this tissue was utilized for purification of the active material. One possibility in the early stages of purification was that the active material was a STs. However, examination of embryonic intestine which is bacteria free indicated that this tissue also possessed bioactive material.
Purification of the jejunal bioactivity was accomplished by the processing scheme described in the methods, hereinbefore. Briefly, following acid boiling and extraction by a C18 reverse-phase matrix, the material was fractionated on a preparative isoelectric focusing cell which resulted in a 200-fold purification and indicated that the isoelectric point was about 3.8. Refocusing of the active fraction resulted in a further 5-10 fold purification. The active fraction was then purified to homogeneity by applying it to a series of reverse-phase HPLC steps; which included a semi-preparative C18 column, a phenyl column, two runs on a C18 column utilizing different ion-pairing reagents, and final purification on a microbore C8 column (FIG. 2).
Preliminary tests indicated that the material was a low molecular weight peptide, thus, the material was initially subjected to N-terminal protein sequence analysis and ultimately to electrospray mass spectrometry. The combination of the data derived from these two techniques yielded the complete consensus sequence for guanylin as shown above. The N-terminal sequence through 14 places was determined by two independent gas phase sequencing tests. The initial results yielded a sequence in which no PTH-aa derivative was observed at positions 4, 7, and 12. Since cysteine residues can not be positively identified during gas phase sequencing without reduction and alkylation, the lack of a PTH-aa derivative at these positions indicate the presence of cysteine residues. For complete verification, the putative cysteine residues of guanylin were pyridylethylated and the peptide was resequenced. The subsequent N-terminal gas phase sequence analysis verified cysteine residues at positions 4, 7, and 12. Further primary structure information was obtained by electrospray mass spectrometry. The electro spray mass spectrum of native guanylin (FIG. 3A) contains an ion signal at m/z 1516 that corresponds to the protonated peptide. This mass assignment is 103 amu higher in mass than the mass that would be expected for a peptide with the sequence that was obtained by gas-phase sequencing analysis. Since the first 14 N-terminal amino acids were already determined, the 103 amu mass addition was thought to result from an additional disulfide-linked cysteine or threonine at the C-terminus. Reduction of the disulfide bonds of guanylin with dithiothreitol resulted in a 4 amu increase in molecular weight of the peptide indicating that it contains two disulfide bonds. Therefore, since only three cysteines are contained in the original 14 N-terminal amino acids, the 103 amu difference has to result from an additional C-terminal cysteine that is disulfide-linked to one of the three cysteines in the guanylin sequence. The resulting full amino acid sequence of the peptide was compared with all other proteins in the Gen Bank by a computer based search. This search revealed that guanylin has homology with the STs. The highest percent identity was found between a 12 amino acid overlap of guanylin and P01560 E. coli heat stable enterotoxin (19). The major difference between guanylin and the STs is that guanylin possesses 4 cysteines with 2 disulfide-linked bridges while all of the STs have 6 cysteines with 3 disulfide-linked bridges.
Chemical synthesis of the sequence of guanylin following cyclization resulted in three major fractions of synthetic peptides by HPLC analysis. All of these showed the same M+H mass units as purified guanylin (1516) by mass spectroscopic analysis. However, only one of these fractions exhibited potent bioactivity in a manner similar to native guanylin in the T84 cell bioassay. This peak also possessed a similar retention time on HPLC when compared to native guanylin. Since guanylin has four cysteine residues, the three fractions of synthetic guanylin represented the three possible different disulfide bridge alignments. Bioactive synthetic guanylin stimulated increases in cyclic GMP levels of T84 cells that were both time and concentration dependent. Guanylin (10 -8 M) was observed to cause a marked elevation of cyclic GMP by 1 min that progressively increased through 30 min (FIG. 4A). Examination of the concentration-response curve shows that guanylin elicited an increase in cyclic GMP at 10 -10 M concentration and this response was observed to continue to increase through the range of concentrations tested (FIG. 4B). To test the effect of treatment of reducing agents on the bioactivity of guanylin, the effect of a 30 min pretreatment of the peptide with 1 mM dithiothreitol (DTT) was tested. The basal level of cyclic GMP for this test was 16±5 fm/well with the addition of guanylin (10 -8 M) for 30 min the level increased to 282±50 fm/well; however, following the pretreatment of the peptide with DTT the effect of the peptide on cyclic GMP was almost completely abolished (25±5 fm/well). This action of DTT does not appear to be a direct effect of this reducing agent on guanylate cyclase since treatment of the cells with 10 μM DTT (final concentration of DTT that the cells were exposed to in the test) failed to affect their responsiveness. Finally, the ability of guanylin to displace specifically bound 125 I-STa from T84 cells was tested. In this test, guanylin caused a concentration-dependent displacement of labeled STa from the T84 cells (FIG. 5).
EXAMPLE 2
This example illustrates the effect of guanylin on colonic ion transport.
Preparation of Intestinal Tissues
Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-300 g., Charles River Breeding Laboratories, Wilmington, MA) were maintained on a standard laboratory diet and allowed free access to food and water before they were sacrificed by CO 2 asphyxiation. The proximal colon was excised and placed immediately in oxygenated modified Krebs-Ringer buffer solution of the following composition (millimolar): NaCl, 120.2; KCl, 5.9; CaCl 2 , 2.5; MgCl 2 , 1.2; NaH 2 PO 4 , 1.2; NaHCO 3 , 25; and glucose, 11.1. The tissue was stripped of its underlying muscle layers by blunt dissection; the resulting preparation consisted of only mucosa and submucosa. Adjacent tissues were then mounted as flat sheets on pins between two Ussing half-chambers (World Precision Instruments, Inc., New Haven, CT) having the area of 0.64 cm 2 and bathed on both sides by 5 ml of buffer solution, circulated by gas lift and maintained at 37° C. by water-jacketed reservoirs. The solution was gassed continuously with 5% CO 2 in O 2 and maintained at pH 7.4.
Electrical measurements were monitored with an automatic voltage clamp (TR100-F, JWT Engineering, Overland Park, KS). Direct connecting voltage and current passing electrodes (World Precision Instruments, Inc.) were utilized to measure transepithelial potential difference (PD) and short-circuit current (Isc).
Transepithelial PD was measured periodically and tissue resistance (R T ) was calculated from Ohm's law. Isc was recorded continuously on a Gould model 2800S recorder (Gould Inc., Cleveland, OH). Tissues were equilibrated under short-circuit conditions until Isc had stabilized (usually 30-45 min). Basal R T values averaged 92±8 ohm·cm 2 30 min after mounting.
Effect of Guanylin on Isc
Guanylin evoked an increase in Isc immediately upon mucosal (luminal) addition. The response was concentration dependent over a range of 0.01 μM-1.0 μM; the EC 50 value (X±S.E.) was determined to be 0.162±0.026 μM and the maximal response was 37±13 μA/cm 2 (n=4 animals).
Various other examples will be apparent to the person skilled in the art after reading the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, it will be appreciated that pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters and amides of the novel pentadecapeptide which do not adversely or detrimentally affect its biological activity as defined herein are also included within the scope of the invention. It is intended that all such other examples be included within the scope of the appended claims.
REFERENCES
1. Singh, S. Lowe, K. G., Thorpe, D. S. Rodriquez, H., Kuang, W.-J., Dangott, L. J., Chinkers, M., Goeddel, D. B , and Garbers, D. L. (1988) Nature 334, 708-712.
2. Waldman, S. A., and Murad, F. (1987) Pharmacological Reviews 39, 163-196.
3. Field, M., Graf, L. H., Laird, W. J., and Smith, P. L. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75, 2800-2804.
4. Guerrant, R. L., Hughes, J. M., Chang, B., Robertson, D. C., and Murad, F. (1980) J. Infect. Dis. 142, 220-228.
5. Schulz, S., Green, C. K., Yuen, P. S. T., and Garbers, D. L. (1990) Cell 63, 941-948.
6. Yoshimura, S., Ikemura, H., Watanabe, H., Aimoto, S., Shimonishi, Y., Hara, S., Takeda, T., Miwatani, T., and Takeda, Y. (1985) FEBS Letters 181, 138-142.
7. Field, M., Rao, C. M., and Chang, E. /B. (1980) New England J. Med. 321, 879-883.
8. Guarino, A., Cohen, M., Thompson, M., Dharmsathaphorn, K., and Giannella, R. (1987) Am. J. Physiol. 253, G775-G780.
9. Robins-Browne, R. M. (1987) Rev. Infect. Dis. 9, 28-53.
10. Levine, M. M. (1987) J. Infect. Dis. 155, 377-389.
11. Burgess, M. N., Bywater, R. J., Cowley, C. M., Mullan N. A. and Newsome D. M. Infect. Immun. 21, 526-531.
12. Steiner, A. L., Paghara, A. S., Chase, L. R., and Kipnis, D. M. (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 1114-1120.
13. Hunkapiller, M. W., Hewick, R. M., Dreyer, R. J., and Hood, L. E. (1983) Methods Enzymol. 91, 399-413.
14. Kruft, V., Ulrike, K., and Wittmann-Liebold, B. (1991) Anal. Biochem. 193, 306-309.
15. Bruins, A. P., Covey, T. R., Henion, J. D. (1987) Anal. Chem. 59, 2642-2651.
16. Fraker, P., and Speck, J. C. (1978) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 80, 849-857.
17. Merrifield, R. B. (1963) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85, 2149-2154.
18. Tam, J. P., Wu C. -R., Tiu, W., and Zhang, J.-W. (1991) Twelfth American Peptide Symposium, Abstract LW5.
9. Guzman-Verduzo, L. M., and Kupersztoch, Y. M. (1989) Infect. Immun. 57 645-648.
20. Houghten, R. A., Ostresh, J. M., and Klipstein, F. A. (1984) Eur. J. Biochem. 145, 157-162.
21. Krause, W. J., Freeman, R. H., and Forte, L. R. (1990) Cell Tissue Res. 260, 387-394.
22. Forte, L. R., Krause, W. J., and Freeman, R. H. (1988) Am. J. Physiol. 257, F1040-F1046.
______________________________________SEQUENCE LISTING______________________________________(1) GENERAL INFORMATION:(i) APPLICANT: Currie, Mark G(ii) TITLE OF INVENTION: Pentadecapeptide, Guanylin, Which Stimulates Intestinal Guanylate Cyclase(iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 1(iv) CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS:(A) ADDRESSEE: Scott J. Meyer(B) STREET: Monsanto Co. 800 N. Lindbergh Blvd., A3SD(C) CITY: St. Louis(D) STATE: MO(E) COUNTRY: USA(F) ZIP: 63141(v) COMPUTER READABLE FORM:(A) MEDIUM TYPE: Floppy disk(B) COMPUTER: IBM PC compatible(C) OPERATING SYSTEM: PC-DOS/MS-DOS(D) SOFTWARE: PatentIn Release #1.0, Version #1.25(vi) CURRENT APPLICATION DATA:(A) APPLICATION NUMBER: 07/764,461(B) FILING DATE: 9/23/91(C) CLASSIFICATION: 530/326(viii) ATTORNEY/AGENT INFORMATION:(A) NAME: Meyer, Scott J(B) REGISTRATION NUMBER: 25,275(C) REFERENCE/DOCKET NUMBER: 07-21(808)A(ix) TELECOMMUNICATION INFORMATION:(A) TELEPHONE: (314)694-3117(B) TELEFAX: (314)694-5435(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ IN NO:1:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 15 amino acids(B) TYPE: amino acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:1: ##STR3##______________________________________
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A novel pentadecapeptide is disclosed which is useful for the control of intestinal fluid absorption and that has the following amino acid sequence ##STR1##
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to reclining chairs, and more particularly to recliners having a main frame and a supplemental frame, the latter providing increasing underlying support in direct proportion to the amount of incline imparted to the reclining portion of the chair with the movement of the supplemental frame relative to the main frame being controlled by a pin-and-slot structure carried by both frames.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
For the purpose that this invention may be clearly understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is the front view of the main frame;
FIG. 2 is the side view of the main frame;
FIG. 3 is the front view of the foot portion;
FIG. 4 is the side view of the foot portion;
FIG. 5 is a top view of the unlatching device;
FIG. 6 is a front view of the unlatching device.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the back portion and the supplemental frame
FIG. 8 is a front view of the back portion and the supplemental frame;
FIG. 9 is a side view of the back portion with the axle;
FIG. 10 is a rear view of the back portion with axle;
FIG. 11 is a side view of the supplemental frame and head rest;
FIG. 12 is a rear view of the supplemental frame and head rest;
FIG. 13 is a front view of the whole chair;
FIG. 14 is a side view of the whole chair;
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The recliner of the present invention comprises a main frame including back and foot supporting portions, and a supplemental frame including a head rest.
The main frame is made up of two opposing steel pipes, which are bent to define U-shaped main legs 1A and arm 1B. A cylinder 7 is welded to each main leg 1A alongside, and seat-supporting rods 1C are attached above and span the two cylinders by welding them crosswise so that a sponge or resilient seat can be cupported on these rods. By virtue of their design, the two U-shaped main legs provice steady and safe standing on the floor. Sponge pads or other coatings can be put on the arms.
The back portion of the main frame comprises a back 2 and an axle 2A (Note FIGS. 7-10). The back comprises steel plates fastened by welding, which when assembled support a sponge pad or cushion against which the user leans. The axle 2A is supported at each end by a bearing 3A, the latter being welded on the main frame at the place where the main legs 1A extend upward into and begin to define arms, as shown in the drawings. Bearings 3A permit rotation of the axle 2A about its longtudinal axis. Thus the back 2 can be pushed backward and made sloped.
As shown in FIGS. 5-8, one end of the axle 2A supports a control wheel 5A, which includes about its surface a number of holes 5A 1 for locking key 4A to engage. Supported on and wrapped about the other end of axle 2A is torsion spring 6A, which urges the back 2 into an upright position to permit normal sitting. Locking key 4A normally protrudes out of a socket 8A, supported by cylinder 7, a spring 6B urging the locking key 4A into engagement with any of the holes 5A.
An unlatching device comprising wire 10A is coupled to locking key 4A at the outside of the socket 8A. The unlatching device further comprises a controlling ball 9, which enables, when the ball 9 is pulled away from cylinder 7, removal of the locking key 4A out of the engagement with the hole 5A. Then leaning pressure exerted against back 2 will cause backward sloping to desired slant about the axle 2A. Upon release of the ball 9 the locking key 4A will engage the nearest one of the holes 5A 1 , thus preventing the back 2 from falling downward, and keeping the back 2 at a slope which the user desires.
Supplemental frame (see FIGS. 7 and 8) comprises two vertical legs 12, horizontal legs 12A, two sliding rods 12B, two rings 12B 1 and two pins 12B 2 . Vertical legs 12 are welded at right angles with the horizontal legs 12A, the latter being telescopically movable in cylinder 7. The sliding rods 12B are telescopically fixed within the upper end of vertical legs 12, and are attached at their upper ends by means of pins 12B 2 and rings 12B 1 to the back 2, the pins 12B 2 making sliding engagement with arc-shaped slots 11 disposed in opposing sides of the back 2. Inside each cylinders 7 is a tension spring attached to the end of the horizontal leg 12A for pulling the leg 12A back to its ordinary non-telescoped position when necessary. Inside each vertical leg 12 is a cushion spring 12D for resiliently supporting the inserted rod. The elasticity of these springs assists in the support of the person lying on this chair as well as damping out undesirable motion of the back. A horizontal rod 12C is attached, e.g. by welding, between the two vertical legs for support. When the horizontal legs 12A are in the non-telescoped position, and hence the supplemental frame is disposed adjacent the main frane, vertical legs 12 are shorter than the main leg 1A, and do not touch the floor when in the sitting position. The pin 12B 2 , located at the top of the sliding rod 12B when inserted in the arc-shaped slot 11, slides along the same slot 11. When the control wheel 5A and the locking key 4A are separated, pressure exerted by the user against back 2 will force the slots 11 to press against the pins 12B 2 to move them upwardly. Such movement of the sliding rods 12B will, accordingly, pull the horizontal legs 12A out of the cylinders 7 against the return action of tension spring 7A.
The head rest comprises of a pillow-supporting frane 13, horizontal rods 14 for fixing the pillow-supporting frane 13, and coupling rods 15. The pillow-supporting frane 13 is made of wood and fixed to adjacent ends of pairs of rods 14. The other ends of rods 14 are inserted into straight slots 16 on the back 2 above arc-shaped slots 11. Substantially vertical coupling rods 15 interconnect rods 14, with the sliding rods 12B at the pins 12B 2 . If the coupling rods 15 receive pushing and pulling action from the sliding rods 12B, the coupling rods 15 will push or pull the rods 14 for pillow-supporting frane 13 along the straight slots 16 upward or downward. A sponge pillow may be placed against the pillow-supporting frame 13.
The foot portion comprises a foot-resting board 17, an axle 17A and a connecting frame 17B. The board 17 and the connecting frame 17B are made of steel pipe bent and welded together. The axle 17A for the foot-resting board 17 is a steel pipe supported at opposing ends by two bearings 3B welded on the front corners of the main legs 1A.
One end of the axle 17A is equipped with a control wheel 5B on which a number of holes 5B 1 are drilled for receipt of locking key 4B. The locking key 4B extends through the socket 8B, which is fixed on the cylinder 7, and a spring 6D, placed inside the socket 8B, bears against and urges the locking key 4B outward of the socket 8B and into engagement with a surface of the control wheel. The other end of the locking key 4B protrudes out the socket 8B and connects with a wire 10B which is fastened to the controlling ball 9. When the ball 9 is pulled out, and accordingly the wire 10B is pulled, the locking key 4B will be pulled out of engagement with one of the holes 5B 1 on the control wheel. The force of the torsion spring 6C, fastened to axles 17A and main frane 1A, normally causes axle 17A to rotate thereby urging the foot-resting board 17 to move upward. When it is desired to restore the board 17 to its lowered position the ball 9 is once again pulled out, the board 17 is pressed down to the lowest position, and the ball 9 is thereafter released.
To convert the chair from its normal sitting frame to a reclining frame, the ball 9 is pulled outward, causing the two wires 10A and 10B to pull the locking keys 4A & B out of engagement with the holes 5A 1 and 5B 1 on the control wheel 5A and 5B simultaneously. The board 17 will rise upwardly under the force of the spring 6C and pressure exerted by the user causes sliding rods 12B to pull the horizontal legs 12A out of the cylinders 7, and in turn the vertical legs 12 are moved backward. The pillow-supporting frame 13 moves upwardly under the force imparted to the coupling rods 15, the motion of frame 18 being constrained by straight slots 16 in back 2. When the foot-resting board 17 rises, the pillow rises too. When the back of the chair is slanted in a desired manuver, release of the ball 9 causes the cessation of all moving parts, and the chair is maintained in the chosen position. On the other hand, to convert the recliner to a normal sitting frame, the ball 9 is again pulled out, board 17 is pressed down with the user's feet, and the back portion of the chair moves upwardly under the force of the springs 6A and 7A; with vertical legs 12 being pulled forward. When all parts of the chair resume the sitting position, the ball 9 is released, and the chair will gain stability in that position.
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A reclining chair has a main frame and a supplemental frame telescoping therefrom. The main frame includes a foot section and a back section pivotally supported thereon and latchable in adjusted positions. The back section includes arcuate slots and the supplemental frame includes horizontal legs telescoping into the main frame and vertical legs connected by pin means to the arcuate slots in the backrest. Spring means bias the horizontal legs toward the main frame and bias the vertical legs upwardly from the supplemental frame so that as the backrest is moved toward the horizontal the horizontal legs are extended and the vertical legs are lowered against the bias of the springs.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/122,260 filed on Oct. 16, 2014
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Field of the Invention
[0005] The field of invention is in exercise/fitness applications. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mobile, audible, and visual application capable of stimulating and reinforcing fitness/exercise activities via feedback by promoting fear (fight or flight response), negative reinforcement and competition. The preferred embodiment for the application are any mobile devices such as but not limited to, cellular phones, tablets, computers that can produce sounds or music combined with global positioning systems (GPS), and/or health monitoring devices.
[0006] Description of Related Art
[0007] It is known that lack of exercise is a major cause of health problems. Studies have shown that U.S. obesity rates are largely unchanged over the last 10 years. A prevention or reduction in obesity can be achieved with a moderate exercise of 30 minutes every day. Furthermore studies have shown that the process of creating and controlling music in time to one's exercise improves the exercise experience even more. The problem with current exercise regimens and applications these days is that they lack motivation and/or are simply boring.
[0008] The premise of this application is to invoke exercising by means of auditory and/or visual stimulus in response to fear, negative reinforcement or by tapping into the human competitive nature. Fear can promote an adrenaline “fight or flight” response. In negative reinforcement (punishment) always remember that the end result is to try to decrease the undesired behaviors e.g. the user not meeting the exercise objectives. Lastly, humans are very competitive we love a good challenge and strive to win. The idea behind this invention is to have an application that encourages users either by having the user chased by an object e.g. lion, tiger, person (fear), by negative reinforcement e.g. for example music volume decreases if user is not meeting exercise objectives or by means of competition e.g. the user can compete remotely with other players via a mobile device, such as a mobile phone connection. In addition to auditory or visual stimulus, this application (in accordance to the users input) can randomly select the date and time of the next work out. It is believed that an audible exercise application that promotes interactivity via sounds, negative reinforcement and competition, such as the present invention, will have a higher probability of being used and therefore achieve the desired outcome of improved physical fitness and health.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The preferred embodiment for this application are any mobile devices such as cellular phones, tablets, and computers that can produce sounds or music combined with global positioning systems (GPS), and/or health monitoring devices. The software will be developed to be compatible and used with but limited to operating systems for mobile devices and computers such as Apple Inc. OS and IOS, Google Android, and Microsoft Windows Phone.
[0010] Given products currently on the market, this application is unique in that interacts with the user in several ways. Unique features include the chase by a “Predator”, random date and time selection, sound volume reinforcement, audible/visual competitor radar mode. The application utilizes a game like approach to fitness on a mobile device that can be beneficial not just for jogging, but can be ideally used for any exercise.
[0011] The basis of this application is a chase, negative reinforcement and/or competition. The idea with this application is to get the adrenaline running when in “Predator mode” and “Challenge Mode”. In “Volume and Sound” mode is more an annoyance since if you are not meeting your goals e.g. calories burned, calorie burned/minute, distance, distance/interval, time/distance, (revolutions per minute) RPM, pulse, heart rate, times, and repetitions etc. the volume starts fading and eventually disabled. Let's face it, you want to hear your music. Overall any of these settings will make your workout more fun.
[0012] In addition in “Predator” mode the fact that time and dates can be random will help shock the body. Studies show exercising at different times of the day is more beneficial and yield better results.
[0013] This application will have at least 3different settings 1) Predator Mode—animals, monsters, mother in law sounds chasing the user, anything that can promote fight or flight response to exercise 2) volume or sound mode—music or anything being heard, automatic volume control, output to input ratios e.g. user output can be calories burned, calories burned/minute, distance, distance/interval, time/distance, (revolutions per minute) RPM, pulse, heart rate, times, and repetitions etc. Comparing with the input/volume goes up if output is achieved or down the further the user is from output/set goals. 3) Challenge mode—user will be able to challenge others on any activity via the application. For example the exercises can be cross fit, jogging, sprinting, weight training, etc. basically any exercise. In addition in the 1) Predator mode, the date and time the users exercise can be random in that when the user first installs the application it will ask for best times and days of the week the user is available exercise.
[0014] The application will then, from the dates entered, randomly select a time and day. The idea is to shock the body muscle group. Note: In any mode the application will allow the user to connect to others so the workout is not alone and results are compared, in addition one can chose to have the volume control as a motivator e.g. in “Challenge mode” if the user is last they will have no volume as he catches up or leads the volume will rise and be heard. They will also have a visual element so end user will be able to see how close or far the predator or competitors are relative to each other, for example, but not limited, like a radar. Other visual aids will be available. Once user completes exercise the results will be compared to a baseline previously recorded by user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate the present invention by way of example, and not by way of limitation, and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make/develop and/or use the invention.
[0016] FIG. 1 —Drawing of end user exercising/utilizing the present invention
[0017] FIG. 2 —User welcome, profile i.e. user information e.g. age, weight, height, sex
[0018] FIG. 3 —User interface schedule screen, e.g. days and times user available to exercise
[0019] FIG. 4 —User exercise mode selection, Predator, Sound and Challenge modes
[0020] FIG. 5 —User interface intensity mode; beginner, intermediate, professional, iron person
[0021] FIG. 6 —User interface type of exercise output e.g. calories burned, calories burned/minute, distance, distance/interval, time/distance, (revolutions per minute) RPM, pulse, heart rate, times, and repetitions etc.
[0022] FIG. 7 —Drawing of example of baseline output if user selected time/distance
[0023] FIG. 8 —Drawing of end user exercising/utilizing the present invention using Predator mode, audible and visual aids
[0024] FIG. 9 —Drawing of end user exercising/utilizing the present invention using Sound mode, audible and visual aids
[0025] FIG. 10 —Drawing of end user exercising/utilizing the present invention using Challenge mode, audible and visual aids
[0026] FIG. 11 —User interface showing data screen output for user reference.
[0027] FIG. 12 —Diagram/flow chart of application selection screens, FIGS. 1-6 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 1 , is a drawing of end user exercising/utilizing the present invention. This example shows the user ( 20 ) utilizing the application on a mobile device ( 21 ) and listening via ear phones ( 22 ). The application will also display visual output.
[0029] Referring now to FIG. 2 a , user welcome, once the “Adrenaline Junkie” application is installed and the user opens the application for the first time the user is welcomed, presses “let's get started”. User then registers by creating account including email address and phone number. A user name and password is created for the user.
[0030] Referring now to FIG. 2 b , profile i.e. user information e.g. age, weight, height, sex is initially entered. For best results the user would enter this information in order to calculate their ideal output, e.g. the optimal heart rate for a 45 year old if the user entered that particular age.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 3 , user selects date and time when they are available to exercise. The application, if user chooses, will randomly select date and time of subsequent exercise days. In automatic mode, the date and time the users exercise is random in that when the user first installs the application it will ask for best times and days of the week the user is available exercise. The application will them, from the dates entered, randomly select a time and day. The idea is to shock the body muscle group. The application will ask for at least 3 separate times and days to enter, the application will suggest user select morning and night times. Activities performed at different times in the morning or at night will shock the body, confuse it, and get the adrenaline running. Prior to the date the chase starts “Adrenaline Junkie” will send reminders to the user's predetermined email or phone numbers as well as frequency of how often the reminders will be sent.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 4 , user selects mode. This application will have at least 3 different settings;
[0033] 1—Predator Mode—animals, monsters, mother in law sounds chasing the user, anything that can promote fight or flight response to exercise. Besides sounds, visual aids will provide other means to see proximity of predator.
[0034] 2—Volume/Sound Mode—music or anything being heard will have the volume control automatically adjusted depending how the user is meeting the “output to input” ratios i.e.
[0035] user output can be heart rate, run speed, calories burned, distance and time, comparing with input/goals (the users goals determined intensity selection, beginner, intermediate, Professional, iron person) volume goes up if output is achieved or down the further user is from output compared to goals.
[0036] 3—Challenge Mode—user will be able to challenge others on any activity via the application. The exercises can be cross fit, jogging, sprinting, weight training, etc. users can select to compete with as many users as they like. The users will be assigned unique identifiers to distinguish each other on the screen or as a sound. Any user can select to display any number of other competitors and in any manner e.g. one user can choose only to display himself and the top 5 or himself and anyone he chooses, etc.
[0037] In addition, a user can record their exercise and send to a competitor to challenge. For example User 1 exercises at 7:00 am user 2 exercises at a later time/date, user 2 can be exercising in real time competing with recording of user 1 . One user will create an “Arena” where other users can connect and join the exercise. All users' joined in the arena will be displayed on the device screen. The competition can be head to head, meaning, results compared with each other and best result wins or against personal best e.g. the winning user did 50% better than their best prior result.
[0038] Referring now to FIG. 5 , user selects the intensity mode; beginner, intermediate, professional, iron person, your selection is relative to the improvement level i.e. how much better you need to do on your calories burned, calories burned/minute, distance, distance/interval, time/distance, (revolutions per minute) RPM, pulse, heart rate, times, and repetitions etc. Your mode selection can also decide the predator that will be chasing you when in Predator mode. As an option there is also a manual mode where the user can manually select level of improvement i.e. how much better they want their calories burned, calories burned/minute, distance, distance/interval, time/distance, (revolutions per minute) RPM, pulse, heart rate, times, and repetitions etc., they wish to accomplish during that particular exercise.
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 6 , user selects the output. Depending on the exercise the user may select heart rate if running or weightlifting if they wish to optimize calories burned. The user may also select more than one output, for example distance, calories burned and time. Any combination of output can be recorded.
[0040] Referring now to FIG. 7 , user baselines the exercise they wish to challenge or do better than. This can be any exercise and depending on intensity mode FIG. 5 the user will have to do that much better on their subsequent exercises e.g. 1 mile run in 10 minutes a user that selects beginner intensity will need to do 1 mile in 8 minutes.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 8 , drawing of end user exercising/utilizing the present invention using Predator mode, audible and visual aids. Predator Mode—opens and advises the user when the chase will happen, this is randomly selected from the dates user entered during the initial configuration FIG. 3 . Next, the recorded base-lined exercise starts FIG. 7 . Depending on the users intensity mode selection FIG. 5 , i.e. beginner, intermediate, advanced or iron person, goals will be predetermined i.e. times, repetitions FIG. 6 etc. for example if a user selects “beginner” FIG. 5 he/she is expected to achieve 3% better on a weekly basis and ultimately will need to do 25% better to move to the next level, which in this example is intermediate. Next the user starts hearing growls on the listening device 22 from the Predator 23 in the distance. Growls get louder if you are not meeting goals, if Predator gets very close, almost capturing the user, the sounds are loudest and the phone will start to vibrate. If user is equal to base-lined pace, growls are distance but still heard and interrupts music or anything else user is listening at the time of exercise. If user is achieving set goals predator will not be heard at all, what the user is listening to is never interrupted. The user 20 will also be able to see the Predator 23 on the mobile device 21 via a visual aids distance display 24 and a radar 25 .
[0042] Referring now to FIG. 9 , drawing of end user exercising/utilizing the present invention using Volume/Sound mode, audible and visual aids. Volume or Sound mode—application takes over the volume control, whatever the user is listening to will either be heard via the listening device 22 at the current volume if user is meeting goals or if user it not meeting goals, depending on the users intensity mode selection FIG. 5 selected on mobile device 21 the volume starts fading to eventually nothing. User 20 will have the option to apply sound volume control to Predator and Challenge mode as well.
[0043] Referring now to FIG. 10 , drawing of end user exercising/utilizing the present invention using mode, audible and visual aids. Challenge mode—user will be able to challenge others on any activity via the application. The exercises can be cross fit, jogging, sprinting, weight training, etc. Please note during any exercise modes Predator Mode FIG. 8 , Volume/Sound mode FIG. 9 , or Challenge mode FIG. 10 , the user can also chose a visual aid. This visual aid will be a radar 25 in which the user can visually see his/her opponent as a an object (different colors, dot, square, triangle etc.) closer or further to a center point (the user) depending to how close or far they are away from their goals or in challenge mode their opponent.
[0044] The user will be able to challenge others on any activity via the application by creating an “Arena” and others connecting to the “Arena”. Users can select to compete with as many users as they like. The users will be assigned unique identifiers to distinguish each other on the screen or as a sound. All users' joined in the arena will be displayed on the device screen Any user can select to display any number of other competitors and in any manner e.g. one user can choose only to display himself and the top 5 or himself and anyone he chooses. The competition can be head to head, meaning, results compared with each other and best result wins or against personal best e.g. the winning user did 50% better than their best prior result.
[0045] Referring now to FIG. 11 , drawing of the user interface showing data screen output for user reference. Once exercise is complete, the event is recorded with new times etc. A history of the exercises are recorded and submitted to the user and Adrenaline Junkie deactivates and readies itself for the next adventure. Users will be able to select what the output will be or allow the application select for them. FIG. 10 shows mobile device 21 displaying distance 24 , time run 30 , calories burned 28 , and percentage better than base 29 .
[0046] Referring now to FIG. 12 , drawing of Diagram/flow chart of application selection screens, FIGS. 1-6 . FIG. 1 shows Welcome Screen 31 , this is where user logs into application with already created username and password. FIG. 2 shows Personal Data Entry 32 , this screen is where user types profile information, e.g. age, weight, height and sex, this is needed to optimize the workout output. FIG. 3 shows date and time selection screen 33 . Randomly the application opens and advises you when the chase will happen (this depends on times and days you selected, we will be asking at least 3 separate times and days to enter the user needs to select morning and night times, we do not want the user selecting all activities in the morning or at night, we want to shock the body confuse it, get the adrenaline running. FIG. 4 shows mode selection i.e. Predator, Volume/Sound or Challenge 34 . Predator Mode—animals, monsters, mother in law, ex-girlfriend sounds chasing the user, anything that can promote fight or flight response to exercise volume/sound mode—music or anything being heard will have the volume control automatically adjusted depending how the user is meeting the “output to input” ratios i.e. user output can be heart rate, run speed, calories burned, distance and time, comparing with input/goals (the users goals determined intensity selection, beginner, intermediate, professional, iron person) volume goes up if output is achieved or down the further user is from output compared to goals. Challenge mode—user will be able to challenge others on any activity via the application. The exercises can be cross fit, jogging, sprinting, weight training, etc. FIG. 5 shows intensity selection 35 . Here the user 20 can select beginner, intermediate, professional, iron person, your selection is relative to the improvement level i.e. how much better you need to do on your calories burned, calories burned/minute, distance, distance/interval, time/distance, (revolutions per minute) RPM, pulse, heart rate, times, and repetitions etc. FIG. 6 shows the output screen 36 . Once the user completes the output selection the exercise can start and user can and save it. The first exercise recorded is a baseline in which the user wishes to improve. Here the user starts recording their activities, GPS records distance from start of recording to end (baselines) or records time of workout and what the heart rates was during the workout. The user completes exercise routine, information about distance, time of exercise session, heart rate, calories burned, is recorded and stored (this information can be kept locally on device, or on a web site where use can share information and their stories.
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A mobile device software application that encourages and motivates exercise activity by the use negative feedback and/or real time competition; application will be composed of 3 modes settings 1) Predator Mode—animals, monsters, mother in law sounds, or any prerecorded sounds chasing the user promoting fight or flight response to exercise 2) volume or sound mode—music or anything being heard automatic volume control 3) Challenge mode—user will be able to challenge others on any activity via the application; users create an “Arena” where others can connect and join the exercise creating a “fitness social network”; competition can be head to head or against personal best; the exercises can be cross fit, jogging, weight training, etc.; date and time exercise selection will be random in accordance to user availability; audible and visual output derived from logic based on a comparison of actual real-time/current data with best baseline exercise output as well as user profile settings.
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[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/522,340 filed on Sep. 16, 2004 which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates, in general, to education enhancement software and systems, and, more particularly, to software systems and methods to monitor speech to enhance the development of vocabulary and language ability.
RELEVANT BACKGROUND
[0003] Language distinguishes humans from all other animals and is strongly related to intelligence. Improving language ability typically results in a higher intelligent quotient (IQ) as well as improved literacy and academic skills. A child's language ability and vocabulary at age three is a strong predictor of both intelligence and test scores in reading and math at age ten and beyond.
[0004] Children begin to acquire language at birth. The early years (i.e., birth to age four) are critical for language development. Though humans learn vocabulary and language throughout their lives, these early years establish a trajectory for later language development.
[0005] Humans are natural language learners. The ability to learn language is genetically programmed in the human species. Early language ability develops in natural contexts instinctively as an outgrowth of the conversations between a child and his or her parent or primary caregiver. Early language ability develops from many social interactions including when a parent reads a book to a child. Television and computers can also result in language learning, although they are not typically major contributors.
[0006] A rich aural or listening language environment in which many words are spoken with a high number of affirmations versus prohibitions produces children who have high language ability and higher than normal IQ. Even after children begin school, and after children begin to read, much of our language ability and vocabulary, the words we know (receptive vocabulary) and the words we use in speech (expressive vocabulary) come incidentally from conversation with people around us. While some vocabulary is often learned formally in school through studying lists of vocabulary words or from computer software programs designed to teach vocabulary and informally through book reading, the foundation of human language ability and vocabulary comes from social interaction, conversation, and listening to others speak.
[0007] Not only does a child's language ability develop from hearing others speak and speaking to them (i.e., turn-taking), the child's own speech is a dynamic indicator of cognitive functioning. Research techniques have been developed which involve counting a young child's vocalizations and utterances to estimate a child's cognitive development. However, the current process of collecting this information requires human observers which is obtrusive and influences behavior. It additionally requires transcription of audio recordings which is expensive and time consuming.
[0008] Much of what we know about how language develops in children comes from research studies in which parent and child speech were recorded in a natural home environment. Once recorded, the speech was manually transcribed to create text files. From these text files, various metrics were derived such as number of phonemes, morphemes, utterances, words, nouns, verbs, modifiers, declarations, interrogatives, imperatives, affirmatives, prohibitions, sentences and phrases. These and other metrics or combinations and transformations thereof of parent speech were then related to measures of the child's language ability, vocabulary size, IQ, literacy and other academic skills to show their causative relationship. An example of such a research study is described in Hart and Risley, “Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children”, 1995.
[0009] The type of study such as undertaken by Hart and Risley is difficult and expensive to perform because the process of first recording, then converting speech to text and coding text using human observers and transcribers is very laborious. A need exists for systems and methods that reduce the time and cost of this type of data gathering and analysis. By reducing these costs, it becomes possible to perform studies more easily and with vastly larger data sets. More importantly, there is also a need for systems and methods that feed back the speech environment information and estimates of a child's linguistic and cognitive functioning to speakers in homes, day care centers, classrooms, businesses, and other contexts to enable users to enhance learning and development in children, students, and potentially adult learners who may be deficient in language development or are learning a second language.
[0010] Even in the classroom, an educator may be teaching one subject while indirectly undermining another subject. For example, an educator may be conscious of using sophisticated vocabulary during language arts courses, but revert to more rudimentary vocabulary during mathematics, fine art, physical education, or other courses where vocabulary is not of primary concern to the curriculum goals. At best, these situations fail to take advantage of an available learning opportunity by integrating vocabulary education with other topics. At worst, these situations may actually undermine the language arts learning that was presented directly in other courses.
[0011] Conventional vocabulary education often involves presenting words (verbally and/or textually) to a student along with an image, sound, or other stimulus that represents the meaning of the particular word being taught. The presentation may occur in books, by a teacher, using software, or other means. While potentially effective in the short term, these types of activities do not occur in “real world” contexts, and so this type of education is rarely repeated or reinforced outside of the classroom.
[0012] A variety of games have been developed for home and classroom use that attempt to embed the process of pairing the presentation of words and meaningful images in the context of a game. These efforts have some positive effect because they make vocabulary education more engaging, and they encourage vocabulary usage outside of the classroom environment. However, these game-type approaches generally create an artificial context for vocabulary training, and so do not take advantage of the large amount of language learning that can occur in the context of day-to-day activities.
[0013] Accordingly, there remains a need for systems and methods for automatically monitoring vocabulary and language usage in the context of day-to-day activities, developing metrics indicating characteristics of contextual language usage, and reporting those metrics to speakers so that they may alter their speech and verbal interactions in a manner that supports vocabulary and language improvement and thus influences IQ and academic success.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Briefly stated, the present invention involves a computerized speech monitoring system that records speech (e.g., words, vocalizations, vegetative sounds, fixed signals, utterances, dialogue, monologue,) within the listening environment of a learner, from various sources including the learner's own speech and calculates various metrics concerning quantity, level and quality of such speech. The system feeds back this information. The present invention is particularly useful to provide feedback to adults in a child's language environment to enable the adults to adjust their speech to be more supportive of vocabulary and language development of the children. It is expected that the present invention will result in more rapid vocabulary and language development and higher cognitive functioning for children by supporting vocabulary and language development in non-classroom contexts such as childcare centers, preschools, and homes as well as through the early detection of impaired speech and language development.
[0015] In a particular embodiment, children and/or adults wear a speech-capture device such as a digital recorder that stores analog/digital sound signals for subsequent computer processing. The sound signals may comprise human-made sounds from one or more people as well as environmental sounds including machine made sounds, television, radio, and any of a variety of sound sources that affect the language learning environment. Captured sound signals are stored then communicated to a sound-processing computer. Alternatively, the sound processing computer can be integrated with the sound capture device itself. The sound signals are analyzed to develop metrics describing various characteristics of the language learning environment. When the sound signal includes human-made sounds (e.g., child speech) the analysis may develop metrics that quantify phonemes, morphemes, utterances, words, nouns, verbs, modifiers, declarations, interrogatives, imperatives, affirmatives, prohibitions, sentences and/or phrases occurring in the human-made sounds. In some applications persons in the natural contextual environment of the learner, such as a parent, may input codes or identify words occurring in the human-made sounds to enhance the functioning of the analysis and reporting features of the present invention.
[0016] The present invention involves a method of supporting vocabulary and language learning by positioning at least one microphone so as to capture sounds, including human-made sounds, in the listening environment of a learner or learners. The microphone can be placed in clothing worn by the learner or learners at a substantially fixed position relative to the learner's mouth and/or ears. The captured sounds are analyzed to determine at least one characteristic of the captured sound. The determined characteristic may be compared to a predefined standard. Alternatively or in addition the determined characteristic may be tracked over time to show change over time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 a illustrates a particular implementation of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 1 b illustrates another implementation of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates a self-contained or wearable implementation of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 shows an environment in which the present invention is implemented;
[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates, in block diagram form, components of a software product in which the present invention is implemented; and
[0022] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary computer system implementation of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 6 illustrates a distributed architecture for implementing features of the present invention; and
[0024] FIG. 7 illustrates a monitored interaction between a child and a parent.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] The present invention is illustrated and described in terms of an educational support system specifically adapted to support vocabulary and language improvement in children by enabling parents, teachers, and other adults who work with the children to be more aware of the listening environment around the children. Another purpose is to provide a means to easily measure the level of a child's language, vocabulary, and cognitive functioning in a naturalistic setting. It is contemplated that the present invention may be adapted to support learning of various subject matter including mathematics, science, social sciences, and other language arts skills. Various fields of endeavor often have a domain-specific vocabulary or “academic vocabulary” that is unique to that field of endeavor. Learning that vocabulary is often a precursor to success in that field. The techniques of the present invention are adapted to monitor, analyze and report on vocabulary usage (e.g., words used and frequency with which particular words are used) and so directly support both language and general vocabulary learning as well as domain-specific vocabulary learning.
[0026] Moreover, the techniques of the present invention can readily be adapted to monitor, analyze and report on not only vocabulary usage, but also on more complex concepts as those concepts are represented in spoken words, phrases, sentences and other passages of various lengths and complexity including the detection and reporting of specific books, articles, poems, songs as well as passages and portions of these complex materials when they are read to or spoken by and/or to a child. Further, the present invention can be adapted to monitor one-way communication such as monologues and lectures or from the TV and radio as well as two-way or multi-way communication common in conversations.
[0027] In specific embodiments the system and method of the present invention is used in non-classroom environments to support language and vocabulary usage in situations and contexts where adults may be less aware of their vocabulary usage and language interactions such as at home, work, commuting, on the telephone, and similar situations. However, the present invention is useful in classroom settings as well to support continuous monitoring of educators, students and classroom guests and helps them improve their own language ability and achieve vocabulary goals.
[0028] To ease description and understanding, the present invention is described in terms of systems that monitor speech in the listening environment of a learner or learners. The learner could be a child, student, or adult. It should be understood that the present invention is readily adapted to work with acoustic communication and speech that do not use words in the conventional sense. Particularly in the case of young children or persons with disabilities, the communication may comprise primitive vocalizations, babble or other precursors to speech. While such utterances may not be readily understood, these types of communication are important stepping-stones to learning to speak and developing a more mature, functional vocabulary. Moreover, while monitoring interactive communication is part of the present invention, it is contemplated that the present invention may be usefully implemented to monitor and analyze non-interactive communication and speech, including pre-linguistic vocalizations and vegetative sounds, as well. Accordingly, the specification and claims are intended to cover a wide range of speech and communication and non-communicative sounds unless specifically indicated to the contrary.
[0029] FIG. 1 a and FIG. 1 b show implementations of the present invention in which a user 101 is outfitted with a portable or wearable sound capture device 105 . The implementation of FIG. 1 a may be more convenient for adults and older children in that a wired or wireless microphone 121 that is separated from the sound capture device may be more comfortable. The implementation of FIG. 1 b may be more suitable for infants and toddlers because the capture device 105 includes an integrated microphone and may be positioned within garments worn by the user 101 as suggested by the dashed-outline pocket or pouch holding the capture device 105 in FIG. 1 b.
[0030] It is desirable to position a microphone in a location that is substantially fixed with respect to the mouth and/or ears of user 101 . It is expected that the relative position may change by several inches during use in practical applications while still providing suitable performance. This position is believed to improve sound capture and to better distinguish sounds uttered by the user 101 from background noise or sounds from other speakers. Suitable results may be achieved even when the microphone is not substantially fixed, however, this may require more complex sound signal processing to compensate for the motion. Other configurations that accomplish this goal may be appropriate for particular applications.
[0031] Microphone 121 may be a single element microphone as shown in FIG. 1 a , or a multi-element microphone system (examples of which are shown in FIG. 3 ). Multi-element microphones enable improved directionality and so are useful in speaker identification tasks. Specific placement of microphone 121 can be adjusted to meet the needs of a particular user and environment.
[0032] Sound capture device 105 is preferably implemented with integral analog or digital recording mechanisms such as random access memory, disk storage and the like so that speech may be captured over a period of time and loaded into a data processing device for analysis and reporting. Alternatively, sound capture device 105 may be implemented as a simple microphone that couples analog sound signals to external storage or to an external data processing system for analysis and reporting.
[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates in block diagram form an exemplary implementation of a self-contained or wearable portable sound capture device 105 in accordance with the present invention. Continuing advances in computing power and memory density make it feasible to perform relatively complex speech analysis in computing systems that are small enough to be portable or even wearable. Moreover, certain implementations of the present invention contemplate the use of imprecise speech recognition functions, which can be far less computationally intensive than precise speech recognition and speech-to-text applications.
[0034] In the implementation shown in FIG. 2 , an integrated or plug-in microphone is coupled to an optional pre-processing component that can provide a variety of functions such as A/D conversion, digital/analog filtering, compression, automatic gain control, balance, noise reduction, and the like. The preprocessed signal is coupled to a processor component that works cooperatively with memory to execute programmed instructions. Optionally, mass storage may be provided in the device itself as has become available in media player devices such as the iPod produced by Apple Computer, Inc. Alternatively, mass storage may be omitted, which would prohibit the use of logging or subsequent analysis, or mass storage may be implemented remotely via devices coupled to the external input/output. The user interface may be implemented as a graphical, text only, or hardware display depending on the level of information required by a user.
[0035] In typical operation, acoustic signals are detected by the microphone, pre-processed if necessary or desired, and provided as input to the processing component. In one embodiment, the processor component functions to store pre-processed speech signals in memory and/or mass storage for subsequent, asynchronous analysis. In another application, a predefined word list (or phrase list) is loaded into memory where each word is represented by text or, more commonly, each word is represented as a digital code that more readily matched to the pre-processed speech signal that is presented to the processor component. Processes executing on the processor component operate to match portions of the monitored speech signal with the word list and maintain a count of how frequently each word on the word list occurs.
[0036] FIG. 3 shows an environment in which a specific example of the present invention is implemented. In this example an adult 201 , such as a parent, teacher, daycare supervisor, nanny, employer, or other adult. Adult 201 engages in interactive communication with child 301 . The communication may include direct discussion of vocabulary, but more frequently involves everyday discussions about other topics, sports, news, household and world events, and the like. An important goal of the present invention is to enable adults 101 to be more aware of language and vocabulary usage in the context of these everyday communications.
[0037] The present invention involves a combination of at least one sound capture device 105 to capture speech, and a computer or data processor for performing analysis and reporting functions. In FIG. 3 , adult 201 and/or child 301 are provided with a wearable, wireless microphone system 304 . A wearable microphone system 304 has some advantages in that it can ease the process of speaker identification (i.e., discriminating between multiple speakers in an environment) as well as discriminating between human-made sounds and other sounds in a real-world environment, which can ease the later analysis processes. In other implementations a wearable or non-wearable microphone comprising a “gooseneck” microphone 302 having two microphone elements positioned at either ends of a flexible, semi-rigid stalk which may be bent or molded to the user's desires or a single stalk microphone 309 may be suitable. In another example, sound capture device 304 is implemented as a harness or vest which includes one or more microphones affixed to the harness such that microphone placement is more precise. Such devices are relatively inexpensive and would not require any special modification to operate with the present invention. Wearable sound capture device 304 may include self-contained recording/data storage apparatus. Sound capture device 304 may be coupled to computing system on demand via a cable connection or cradle (not shown). Alternatively, wireless communication or networking technology can be employed to couple sound capture device 304 wireless interface 303 to computer 305 .
[0038] Alternatively or in addition, the room in which the communication occurs can be outfitted with one or more microphones 307 that are coupled to computer system 305 via wired (e.g., universal serial bus or sound card connection) or wireless connections. Microphones 307 are less intrusive to the participants, but may compromise the ability to discriminate particular speakers and may be more subject to background noise. On the other hand, distributed microphones can be used to track movements of the speakers and provide information about non-verbal conditions in the learning environment during the communication (e.g., distance between adult 201 and child 301 ).
[0039] Computer system 305 may be implemented as a personal computer, laptop computer, workstation, handheld computer or special-purpose appliance specifically designed to implement the present invention. Although not illustrated in FIG. 3 , it is contemplated that some or all of the speech analysis functionality may be implemented in a wearable computer and/or integrated with speech capture device 304 , or provided in a device such as a dictation machine, cell phone, voice recorder, MP3 recorder/player, iPod by Apple Computers Inc., or similar device.
[0040] In operation, adult ( 101 ) and child ( 301 ) speech is captured for analysis by computer 305 , which computes and displays metrics that quantify certain characteristics of the communication. Examples of metrics that may be produced in this manner include counting the number of words spoken, counting the frequency at which words are spoken, estimating word length, estimating sentence complexity, and the like. It is believed that some of these metrics, such as sentence complexity and word length, can be estimated using imprecise techniques that count syllables or measure utterance duration, count phonemes, look for changes in cadence, volume, or other clues in the speech signal that indicate complexity without actually attempting to decipher the particular word that is spoken. U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,095 describes an exemplary imprecise recognition technique for spotting words in speech that includes techniques that may be useful in the practice of the present invention.
[0041] Optionally, the analysis performs an estimate of the emotional content or feedback “tone” of the communication being monitored. It is believed by many researchers that positively intoned speech (e.g., “good job”) and negatively intoned speech (e.g., “bad boy”) impact the learning rate for various topics, including vocabulary and the amount of interactive speech or turn-taking where an adult or child speaks and the other responds. Similarly, the number of questions asked of a child in contrast with directives given to a child may affect the rate of learning. Both precise and imprecise language analysis techniques can be used to develop a metric related to the emotional content, or the question/directive content of communications, turn-taking, or other content features of speech that are determined to be relevant to a supportive learning environment.
[0042] Although the present invention as described hereinbefore is a useful tool for monitoring and analyzing speech as might be done by researchers, it is also contemplated that the invention can be used to automatically provide feedback to speakers in a learner's listening environment about characteristics of their own speech. Computer system 305 computes and displays metrics that quantify or qualify the monitored characteristics of the speech. Alternatively or in addition the metrics are logged in a data storage mechanism within computer 305 or coupled to computer 305 . The manner and variety of metrics that are displayed/logged are a matter of design choice to suit the needs of a particular application.
[0043] FIG. 4 illustrates, in block diagram form, components of a software product in which the present invention is implemented. The logical operations of the components herein described may be implemented (1) as a sequence of microprocessor implemented acts or program modules running on a microprocessor and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within a computing device. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance requirements of the particular application. Accordingly, the logical operations described herein may be referred to variously as operations, routines, structural devices, acts, or modules. While the following embodiments are discussed as being implemented as software, it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that these operations, structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention as recited within the claims attached hereto.
[0044] Capture component 401 receives a sound signal from a microphone, which may have been preprocessed by the microphone or associated processing circuitry, in analog or digital form. Capture component 401 may be implemented as a stream object, for example, the Java programming environment, or an equivalent in other programming environments. Optionally, capture component may perform functions such as analog to digital conversion, compressing, filtering, normalizing, amplifying, and the like to provide a sound signal suitable for analysis by signal analysis component 403 .
[0045] Signal analysis component performs any of a variety of functions that quantify characteristics of captured sound, including human-made sounds and other sounds in the learning environment. For example, signal analysis component 403 detects features in the sound signal such as word/utterance boundaries, elapsed time between word/utterance boundaries, sentence boundaries, language (English, French, Japanese, etc.), sentence boundaries, changes in volume or inflection, and the like. The features may be detected by application of rules 407 (e.g., a silence for 0.5 microseconds indicates a word/utterance boundary) or by comparison of the speech signal to defined patterns 409 . The use of defined patterns can be user independent or user dependent, and can be used to, for example, predefine a set of vocabulary words that are to be counted.
[0046] Optionally, the signal analysis component may perform speech recognition and/or speaker recognition to convert sounds to words and identify which speaker is associated with particular spoken words. Similarly, signal analysis may involve the conversion of sounds to phonemes, estimates of the spoken word, word roots, and the like. The signal analysis may recognize longer, multi-word passages and dissertations in addition to or instead of individual words and word parts.
[0047] Signal analysis component 403 uses these detected features to determine metrics such as word count, word length, language complexity, sentence length, and the like. Metrics are provided to user feedback component 405 that presents selected information to the users 101 / 201 / 301 using a graphic display, text display audio display, signal lights, or other interface mechanism. Optionally, metrics can be logged for later analysis and later presentation to a user.
[0048] FIG. 5 shows a first exemplary computer system implementation of the present invention in which a stand-alone general-purpose computer system 501 is used to implement the processes and methods of the present invention. General-purpose computer system 501 includes a processor and memory coupled to the processor. The processor comprises a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, or the like. The processor and memory work cooperatively to execute programmed instructions, which may be stored in the memory or in attached mass storage.
[0049] Microphones 503 may couple to computer system 501 through an analog to digital conversion circuit often implemented in a sound card of a personal computer. Alternatively or in addition, microphone 503 may couple via a wireless interface (e.g., radio frequency or infrared interface), or through as serial interface (e.g., RS-232, universal serial bus or “USB”, IEEE-1394 or “firewire”, or the like). One advantage of using a general-purpose computer system as shown in FIG. 3 is that operating system software is readily available, the cost for a given amount of processing power is reasonably low, and a large number of suitable computer systems are already deployed and could be configured to implement the present invention by providing appropriate software. Further, peripheral components such as microphones 503 and user interface 505 are readily available. The user interface may be implemented as a graphical, text only, or hardware display depending on the level of information required by a user.
[0050] In typical operation, acoustic signals are detected by the microphone(s), pre-processed if necessary or desired, and provided as input to the processor. In one embodiment a predefined word list (or phrase list) is loaded into memory and processes executing on the processor component operate to match portions of the monitored speech signal with the word list and maintain a count of how frequently each word on the word list occurs. Processes executing on the processor may be used to perform speech recognition, speaker recognition, and to compute any other desired metric.
[0051] FIG. 6 illustrates a distributed architecture for implementing features of the present invention. In the implementation of FIG. 6 , client processes involving capturing speech and presenting feedback to the user are provided by a client component 603 while signal processing and analysis is provided by a network-coupled service 605 . Resources used to implement service 605 may be shared across a plurality of clients 601 . Clients 603 may be implemented with comparatively low cost, lightweight components as the computationally intensive processes are offloaded to the signal processing service 602 . Network 601 may comprise a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), public network such as the Internet, or other network implementations.
Applications
[0052] The present invention describes fundamental systems, methods and processes that can be applied to a variety of applications including research tools, educational tools, and to commercial applications for use in homes and businesses. Although a number of these applications are specifically disclosed herein, it should be understood that the present invention is readily adapted to a wide variety of applications in which benefit from monitoring, analyzing and reporting sounds in a natural language environment.
Linguistic
[0053] Linguistic applications refer to a broad class of applications that are directed to improving speech skills such as vocabulary by monitoring speech, analyzing the speech, and providing some form of feedback such that speakers can improve the speech learning environment. A computerized speech monitoring system records speech (e.g., words, utterances, dialogue, monologue and the like) within the listening environment of a learner, from various sources including the learner's own speech. Various metrics concerning quantity, level and quality of the speech are computed. The system feeds back this information in the form of reports or other indication so that the participants can at least be aware of the language environment, and more preferably can alter their behavior to improve the language environment.
[0054] The present invention is particularly useful to provide feedback to adults in a child's language learning environment to enable the adults to adjust their speech (as well as other factors affecting the language learning environment) to be more supportive of vocabulary and language development of the children. It is expected that the present invention will result in enhanced vocabulary and language development and higher cognitive functioning for children by supporting vocabulary and language development in non-classroom contexts such as childcare centers, preschools, homes and the like.
[0055] In a particular embodiment, adults and/or children wear a sound capture device 304 that communicates analog/digital sound signals with an external processing computer. Alternatively, the speech processing is performed in can be integrated with the sound capture device itself. In a linguistic application human-made sounds, particularly speech related sounds, are of importance, however, other environmental sounds may be important as well. Speech recognition software is useful to translate speech to words. In some applications the speech recognition can be imprecise in that metrics describing various characteristics of the speech-related components of the sound signal such as word length, word count, sentence length, speaker identity, and the like may be developed without need to actually recognize the words that are being uttered. In some applications persons in the natural contextual environment of the learner, such as a parent, may input codes or identify words to enhance the functioning of the analysis, speech recognition systems and reporting features of the present invention.
Pre-Linguistic
[0056] Pre-linguistic applications refer to a class of applications that are directed to developing and improving speech skills before a learner has developed linguistic speech skills, or while a learner is acquiring linguistic speech skills. Because the present invention is not limited to processing only linguistic sounds, it can be readily adapted to monitor, analyze and report with respect to pre-linguistic utterances including vegetative sounds, cooing, babbling and the like. These sounds may be precursors to linguistic skills in infants and young children, or may be a permanent or semi-permanent level of communication for impaired individuals.
[0057] A pre-linguistic speech monitoring system in accordance with the present invention records sounds (e.g., vocalizations, vegetative sounds, utterances, dialogue, monologue, and the like) within the listening environment of a learner, from various sources including the learner's own sounds. Various metrics concerning quantity, level and quality of the sounds may be computed. The system feeds back this information to other speakers, parents, teachers and the like. The present invention will result in more rapid language acquisition and higher cognitive functioning for children by supporting natural language environments as well as through the early detection of impaired speech and language development.
Complex Material Monitoring
[0058] In addition to applications that involve language acquisition and skill development, the present invention is useful in content-aware applications. Complex material monitoring applications involve detecting the occurrence of strings of words, phrases, books, portions of books, poems, songs, and the like that are indicative of content being received by a learner. Occurrence of a complex passage in a sound stream can be identified by, for example, recognizing the words and comparing those words to known text. Although the system in accordance with the present invention can be configured to identify complex passages in their entirety by comparing the recognized speech with a text file or the like representing a passage being read, in many cases it will only be necessary to recognize selected passages or paragraphs within a complex work. Analysis processes may provide metrics indicating how often a passage is spoken, the speed with which it is spoken, how the speed varies over time, and the like. Difficult portions of a spoken passage can be identified and called out to the speaker or a parent, coach, teacher and/or the like to provide feedback as to the speaker's performance.
[0059] Alternatively, spoken words and/or sounds of varying length can be processed and filtered to derive a signature that represents occurrence of those words in a sound stream. Hence, it is not necessary to for the system to actually recognize words and compare that to known text, merely to recognize when a signature corresponding to the passage occurs in the sound signal being monitored. Depending on the type of processing and filtering, and the sounds themselves, the signature may be more or less speaker independent.
Conversation and Interaction
[0060] In many circumstances it is desirable to know information about the progress of conversations and the interaction between multiple speakers. For example, some students learn more from interactive teaching in which they are asked questions and encouraged to form an answer whereas other students learn best by a lecture-style approach to providing information. Similarly, infant speech development is impacted by the frequency and manner in which a parent or other adult speaks to the infant and listens to the response (linguistic or pre-linguistic). This back and forth of the flow of communication is referred to as “turn-taking”.
[0061] In FIG. 7 an interaction between a child and a parent is monitored. In this example it may only be necessary to monitor who is speaking and measure the length of each speaking segment and the quiet time between utterances. The system in accordance with the present invention can develop metrics indicating the frequency and duration of the turn-taking, as well as indicating the cadence or other characteristics that help speakers, parents, educators, researchers, or other interested parties understand and improve the language environment. More detailed analysis can identify information in the sound signal that indicate tone, repetition of words, distinguish vegetative sounds from linguistic and pre-linguistic sounds, monitor the frequency and duration of distracting background sounds, and the like.
Research
[0062] The present invention exhibits several characteristics that make it a significant improvement over techniques conventionally used for speech research. Conventionally, speech research involves observers who attempt to passively observe activities that are being studied. However, the observer's presence will almost always impact the activities being observed and therefore affect the accuracy and value of the observations. The present invention enables participants in the language environment being monitored to replace observers thereby lessening or eliminating the influence and expense of human observers in the research environment.
[0063] Another feature of the present invention is that by operating in a natural language environment, as opposed to a clinical, classroom, or other special-purpose environment, the quantity and variety of data that can be gathered is significantly greater than possible with other research techniques. Whereas a conventional researcher might be limited to an hour or so of monitoring a subject in a computer laboratory, the present invention allows the subject to be monitored throughout the day and over many days. Moreover, the subject is not monitored alone, but in context of the various other people with which the subject normally interacts. The subject can be monitored in conversations with a variety of people, in a variety of backgrounds, on telephone calls, and the like. This quantity and quality of data is difficult to obtain using conventional techniques.
Computer Assisted Coding
[0064] In another application a person in the language environment of the learner, such as a parent, may listen to audio files of the learner's speech collected in accordance with the present invention and input codes to better identify such sounds or link the sounds to words and/or phrases. The term “coding” refers to process for annotating sounds, which may or may not be readily recognizable as speech, with information indicating an observer's interpretation or understanding of the sound. Various automated and observer-based coding systems have been devised, however, the present invention enables a natural participant in language environment (in contrast with an observer), to perform the coding. In this manner the present invention provides computer-assisted coding rather than either observer based or automated coding. By enabling person in the language environment to perform this interpretation and coding the impact that an observer might have is avoided, and improved accuracy may result from having someone familiar with the learner perform the coding. This information can be used to enhance the processing and reporting of speech metrics.
Speech Recognition, Voice-Enabled Software Applications
[0065] Although the present invention does not require or rely on speech recognition directly, it provides several functions that can augment conventional speech recognition and voice-enabled software applications. Speech applications generally involve algorithmic processes for matching portions of a sound signal with a previously trained sample. One recurring difficulty in speech recognition involves training the systems so that the algorithms can successfully translate a sound signal into words. In a typical application a user is asked to read a script containing a set of words or a passage of text and the sound made by the reader is analyzed and correlated with the known text. This technique cannot be used when the person cannot read, or reads in a manner that is difficult to understand due to non-standard pronunciation and the like. This makes it difficult to train speech software to work with infants, children, developmentally disabled persons, people with injuries that affect speaking such as stroke and accident victims and the like, as well as normally functioning adults with particular accents.
[0066] The present invention enables unscripted speech that occurs in a natural language environment to be used for such training. Once sounds are recorded the speaker or an assistant can code the recorded sounds to correlate the speech to particular speakers, words or complex concepts. This enables sounds that are pre-linguistic to be correlated to meaningful words by someone familiar with the speaker, even when that person is not a speech or linguistic expert. In turn, this encoding can be used to augment or replace the learning file used by speech recognition and voice enabled applications. Moreover, as a person progresses with language development or overcomes a language impediment, the analysis and reporting features of the present invention allow the speaker, assistants, or software to become aware of the changes so that the coding can be updated to reflect the new characteristics of the speaker. In this manner the present invention enables a system for continuously and dynamically improving training of a variety of software applications.
Foreign Language Applications
[0067] Many of the methods and systems described hereinbefore for supporting language acquisition are directly applicable to learning a second or “foreign” language. The present invention can be used to support formal language training in a classroom, self-study or software assisted study environment by monitoring vocabulary usage, pronunciation, study pace and the like as well as monitoring the recitation of complex material such as articles, books, poetry, songs and the like. These tasks are largely akin to baseline language support applications described as pre-linguistic applications and linguistic applications.
[0068] In addition, the present invention can be used to monitor, analyze and report multi-lingual speech in a natural language environment such as a home or office. The systems and methods of the present invention can be adapted to monitor and report on the frequency of usage of certain words and terms in particular languages at home, or monitor and report on the relative percentage of occurrence of a first language as compared to a second or third language in a multi-lingual home. This information can be fed back to parents, educators, or other interested parties so that the mix of language use can be balanced to support various foreign language goals. For example, a child learning English in a home where English is a second language may benefit from increased usage of English at home. Alternatively, a child that is attempting to learn multiple languages may benefit by increasing the use of non-primary languages while performing day to day tasks. The present invention enables the use of languages to be monitored, analyzed and reported in an efficient and effective way.
Assessment Tool Applications.
[0069] A number of non-speech disorders may express themselves symptomatically by affecting speech characteristics. The speech characteristics may be an early indicator for an underlying non-speech disorder. One aspect of the present invention is the creation of mappings between various non-speech disorders and detectable speech characteristics. The sound capture, analysis and reporting tools described herein can be used to detect the expressed speech symptoms and thereby provide a new way to detect and assess the progress of the underlying non-speech disorder. As we discussed, this system is expected to be especially useful for chronic, difficult to detect conditions such as autism, Alzheimer's disease, and the like. The system is also useful for non-disease conditions such as might be caused by chronic exposure to environmental toxins or injury/trauma. It is also possible to use this system to detect and assess more acute conditions such as blood chemistry variations, toxic exposure, and the like.
Normative Charts.
[0070] There is a need for the development of a normative chart, akin to a height and weight chart, that represents normal ranges of language development, including pre-linguistic development. The present invention enables the development of normative charts that involve multiple dimensions and combinations of dimensions and so will not always be represented as two-dimensional graph like the familiar height and weight chart.
[0071] The normative charts may be useful in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of various conditions. For example, one may compare measured characteristics obtained from monitoring the sounds from a particular patient with the normative charts to detect that a particular condition may exist. Subsequently, that condition may be treated by appropriate medical techniques for the indicated condition.
Pattern Analysis.
[0072] The present invention also contemplates the use of computers and automation to perform a more granular, sensitive and accurate analysis of sound patterns than has been performed in the past. Conventional analysis techniques operate at the granularity of words, phonemes, and the like which have generally developed from the study of normally-developed individuals speaking a particular language. These techniques are often not sufficient to study and understand sounds made by persons that are not normally developed individuals speaking that particular language. For example, pre-linguistic infants and children, injured persons, handicapped persons, impaired persons, and the like do not always produce sounds that can be handled at the granularity of a conventional model. The present invention enables a more granular and accurate analysis of sounds made by a person.
[0073] Although the invention has been described and illustrated with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the combination and arrangement of parts can be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as hereinafter claimed. For example, the present invention can be deployed to support a variety of applications that involve monitoring spoken activity such as on-the job training by monitoring and reporting usage of directly trained subject matter in on-the-job contexts subsequent to direct training, monitoring content delivered on radio, television, Internet, or other audio channels to determine whether the content does or does not contain certain words, phrases or other statements (e.g., automatically verify that a particular advertisement played and was repeated for a predetermined number of times to comply with contractual obligations).
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A method of supporting vocabulary and language learning by positioning at least one microphone so as to capture speech in the listening environment of a learner. The microphone is monitored to develop a speech signal. The speech signal is analyzed to determine at least one characteristic of the speech or vocalization, wherein the characteristic indicates a qualitative or quantitative feature of the speech. The determined characteristic is compared to a preselected standard or such characteristic is tracked to show growth over time and the comparison or growth is reported to the person associated with the speech signal or person who potentially can affect the language environment of the learner.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to, and claims the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/195,816, filed 23 Jul. 2015, entitled FLATHEAD ENGINE SHROUD FOR A SMALL BLOCK ENGINE. The above-identified priority patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD
[0002] The present technology relates to a shroud for modifying stock engines such that they have the appearance of a Ford flathead engine. More specifically, the present technology is an easy to use kit for the hot rod enthusiast to use to transform the exterior of a small block engine in a day or afternoon.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The Ford flathead V8 is a flathead V8 engine designed by the Ford Motor Company. It was a staple of hot rodders in the 1950s, and it remains famous in the classic car hobbies even today, despite the huge variety of other popular V8s that followed. These engines, amazing in their time, were plagued with overheating problems and relatively low horsepower for the cubic inch size.
[0004] In 1955, General Motors, specifically the Chevrolet division, introduced the small block engine. This design provided increased reliability and horsepower and was fifty pounds lighter. The new design incorporated many features allowing for the inclusion of power windows, air conditioning, power steering and brakes. It had a single water pump that prevented overheating so that the engine could run all day at constant temperature. Another small block engine was made by Ford.
[0005] By the 1960's “Hot Rod” enthusiasts began to replace their flathead motors with small block engines primarily due to their reliability and horsepower. Over the next few decades the small block motors became the norm. Now interest in recreating the past has grown so that the flathead engine is once again gaining popularity. It's now very desirable to put a flathead motor into hot rods. Unfortunately, good engine blocks are rare. It is not uncommon to invest time and money on one only to find the engine block is cracked and unusable.
[0006] One attempt to retain the advantages of the small block engine, while apparently using a flathead engine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,847. It discloses a flathead adaption system for an engine that adapts the engine to, in part, look like a 1950's flathead engine. First the existing valve cover is removed from the engine. Thereafter, an adapter member is mounted at a valve cover opening from which the valve cover was removed. A rectangular plate-shaped flathead member is mounted to the top surface of the adapter member covering over the valve cover opening. The flathead member is provided with a plurality of non-energized spark plugs. When one or more of these non-energized spark plugs is removed, the resulting aperture is then used for pouring oil into the engine in place of the oil filling aperture in the valve cover which was removed. This system, while purporting to adapt the engine to look like a flat head engine, actually only replaces the existing valve cover with the “flathead-type” valve cover. The result is not an engine that has the appearance of a flathead engine. Further, the adaptation involves interfering with the integrity of the stock engine.
[0007] In a related art, United States Patent Application 20050132997 discloses a customization cover for use with an engine valve cover that has a main body portion configured with one or more design elements thereon to provide an improved visual effect for a vehicle engine and engine compartment. Mounting openings in the main body member are cooperatively configured to receive a connector element to place the customization cover generally above the valve cover. Preferably, side components having side design elements extend downwardly from the main body to from a generally elongated channel that is disposed above the valve cover. The connector elements can connect to the valve cover mounting points or to the ignition coil mounting points. Spacer elements, brackets and/or mounting arms on the side components can be utilized to secure the customization cover in a spaced apart relation to the valve cover to provide an enhanced three dimensional visual effect. This simply adds decorative elements to the engine valve cover and does not shroud the engine. The result is not an engine that has the appearance of a flathead engine.
[0008] United States Patent Application 20100269779 discloses a valve cover that includes a base that attaches to an engine and a display window that attaches to the base. The display window is made of material that can withstand the operating environment of the engine, including temperature and resistance to petroleum-based substances. The display window is secured to the base using a flexible gasket that encircles the display window and snaps into a groove in the base to secure the display window to the base. The display window may be see-through so the valves are visible. The display window may also include one or more display elements, such as light-emitting diodes, optical fibers, electro-luminescent panels, incandescent bulbs, liquid crystal displays, etc. The display window may include embossed or etched portions, and may include multiple colors and sequenced operation to provide any desired effect on the display panel. This does not address the problems that flathead engines have. The result is not an engine that has the appearance of a flathead engine.
[0009] United States Patent Application 20060070599 discloses an engine cover includes an installation member, a cover body, and an installed member. The installation member is disposed on an engine. One of the installation member and the installed member includes a leg, and a head, and the other one of them includes a framed member, and an elastic member. The elastic member includes a first hole, a second hole, and a diametrically-enlarged intermediate hole. The head engages with the diametrically-enlarged intermediate hole. Moreover, the head is disposed movably toward the second hole when a downward load is applied to the cover body, thereby bringing the cover body closer to the engine. The result is not an engine that has the appearance of a flathead engine.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,512 discloses an internal combustion engine having a sound-deadening shroud surrounding the engine block and connected to latter with the interposition of anti-vibration means. An exhaust plant through which combustion gases are connected is arranged external of the shroud and connected to the engine block. A separate enclosure is secured to the shroud and encloses the exhaust plant leaving a small air gap on all sides between the exhaust plant and the enclosure with only the exhaust pipe of the exhaust plant projecting from the enclosure through an opening. The result is not an engine that has the appearance of a flathead engine.
[0011] What is needed is a kit and product that provides a shell or shroud for a stock engine that results in it appearing to be a Ford flathead V8, V12 or V16 engine. The kit would preferably be easy to install and would only impact on engine peripherals, such as the distributor, exhaust manifold and water pump. This would not result in oil spillage, nor would there be any concerns about engine gaskets needing to be replaced, nor would there be concerns of a poor seal between the engine parts. It would be best if it could be installed in a matter of hours. An additional advantage would be the capability of producing the shroud for a V12 or V16, by simply extending the side piece molds, whilst using the same molds for the remainder of the parts for production. An engine that mimics the flathead engines would also be desirable.
SUMMARY
[0012] The present technology provides an easy to assemble kit, or the already assembled shroud that provides a shell for a stock engine that results in it appearing to be a Ford flathead V8, V12 or V16 engine. The kit and shroud only impacts on engine peripherals, such as the distributor, exhaust manifold and water pump. Installation should not result in oil spillage, nor should there be any concerns about engine gaskets needing to be replaced, nor should there be concerns of a poor seal between the engine parts. The kit can be assembled and installed in a matter of hours. The shroud can be configured for a V12 or V16, by simply extending the side piece molds for the V8, whilst using the same molds for the remainder of the parts for production. The product is an engine that mimics the flathead engine in exterior appearance.
[0013] In one embodiment, a faux engine is provided, the faux engine comprising a stock engine and a shroud for the stock engine, wherein the shroud comprises a plurality of components assembled to provide an interior space to house the stock engine, is attached to the stock engine, and is configured to substantially conceal the stock engine and mimic an exterior of a different engine.
[0014] In the faux engine, the different engine is a flathead engine.
[0015] In the faux engine, the shroud may be configured to expose a plurality of spark plug sockets on the stock engine, a bottom of the stock engine and a bell housing of the stock engine and to conceal a remainder of the stock engine.
[0016] The faux engine may further comprise a plurality of non-operational spark plugs mounted on a valve cover portion of the shroud, a non-operational distributor mounted on a front portion of the shroud and a plurality of non-operational spark plug leads extending therebetween.
[0017] The faux engine may further comprise a plurality of operational spark plugs located in the spark plug sockets, a distributor-less ignition and a plurality of operational spark plug leads therebetween.
[0018] In the faux engine, the plurality of operational spark plug leads may be routed between the shroud and the stock engine.
[0019] The faux engine may further comprise a pair of operational water pumps mounted on and in fluid communication with the front portion of the shroud.
[0020] In the faux engine, the stock engine may be a small block engine.
[0021] In another embodiment, a flathead shroud for a stock engine is provided, the flathead shroud comprising a plurality of components assembled to provide an interior space, the interior space for housing a small block engine, and an exterior, the exterior configured to mimic an exterior of a flathead engine, and to substantially conceal the stock engine.
[0022] In the flathead shroud, the plurality of components may include: an intake manifold casting; a pair of valve cover castings; a rear casting; a pair of exhaust manifold panel castings; and one of either a front casting and a timing cover casting or an integrated timing cover and front casting, the components assembled such that the intake manifold casting is atop the pair of valve cover castings, the pair of exhaust manifold panel castings are below the pair of valve cover castings, the front casting and timing cover casting or the integrated timing cover and front casting abut a front of each of the intake manifold casting, the pair of valve cover castings and the pair of exhaust manifold panel castings, the timing cover casting, if present, is in front of the front casting and the rear casting abuts a rear of each of the intake manifold casting, the pair of valve cover castings and the pair of exhaust manifold panel castings.
[0023] In the flathead shroud, the interior space may be sized to additionally house a plurality of spark plug leads, an at least one water hose, and a split diverter.
[0024] In the flathead shroud, the intake manifold casting may include an at least one mount for an at least one carburetor and an at least one carburetor port for gaseous communication with the at least one carburetor.
[0025] In the flathead shroud, the pair of valve cover castings may include a plurality of non-operational spark plug sockets.
[0026] In the flathead shroud, the front casting or integrated timing cover and front casting may include a pair of mounting plates for a pair of water pumps and a channel through the front casing for liquid communication with the pair of water pumps.
[0027] In yet another embodiment, a kit for shrouding a stock engine to make it appear as a flathead engine is provided, the kit comprising a timing cover casting, a front casting, a pair of exhaust manifold panel castings, a pair of valve cover castings, a pair of support bars, an intake manifold casting, a rear casting, and instructions.
[0028] In the kit, the pair of valve cover castings may include a plurality of non-operational spark plug sockets.
[0029] In the kit, the timing cover casting may include a mounting plate for a distributor.
[0030] In the kit, the front casting may include a pair of mounting plates for a pair of water pumps and a channel through the front casing for liquid communication with the pair of water pumps.
[0031] In the kit, the intake manifold casting may include an at least one mount for an at least one carburetor and an at least one carburetor port for gaseous communication with the at least one carburetor.
[0032] The kit may further comprise a pair of support bars.
[0033] In yet another embodiment, a kit for shrouding a small block engine to make it appear as a flathead engine is provided, the kit comprising a timing cover casting, a front casting, a pair of exhaust manifold panel castings, a pair of valve cover castings, a pair of support bars, an intake manifold casting, a rear casting, and instructions.
[0034] In the kit, the pair of valve cover castings may include a plurality of non-operational spark plug sockets.
FIGURES
[0035] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled shroud of the present technology.
[0036] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment.
[0037] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the shroud of the present technology.
[0038] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the support bars, front casting and rear casting of the present technology.
[0039] FIG. 5 is a partial cutaway side view of the present technology showing the stock engine inside.
[0040] FIG. 6 is a partial cutaway of a top view of the present technology showing the coolant system. The existing block is shown with coolant channel and water pump apertures exposed in the cutaway.
[0041] FIG. 7A is a side view of the water intake system.
[0042] FIG. 7B is a top view of the split diverter and water intake lines of the present technology.
[0043] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the exhaust system of the present technology.
[0044] FIG. 9A is a view of the gear drive of an alternative embodiment.
[0045] FIG. 9B is a view of the gear drive of an alternative embodiment.
[0046] FIG. 10 is a side view of an alternative embodiment.
[0047] FIG. 11 is a partial cutaway top view of an alternative embodiment of the present technology.
[0048] FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the front lower cover of the alternative embodiment.
[0049] FIG. 13A is a view showing the timing cover and front as a single component.
[0050] FIG. 13B shows the front and support bars as a single component.
[0051] FIG. 13C shows the timing cover, front and support bars as a single component.
[0052] FIG. 13D shows the front, support bars and rear as a single component.
[0053] FIG. 13E shows the timing cover, front, support bars and rear as a single component.
[0054] FIG. 13F shows the support bars and the rear as a single component.
[0055] FIG. 13G shows the intake manifold and valve cover as a single component.
[0056] FIG. 13H shows the valve cover and exhaust manifold panel as a single component.
[0057] FIG. 14 shows the templates for the molds used to cast the components for a V8.
[0058] FIG. 15 shows the templates for the molds used to cast the components for a V12.
DESCRIPTION
Definitions
[0059] Stock engine: In the context of the present technology, a stock engine is the engine that is used to run the vehicle and is made to look like a flathead engine with the shroud. This could be, for example, but not limited to, a small block Chevrolet engine, a small block Ford engine, a large block Chevrolet engine, a Dodge engine, a large block Ford engine, V-6 engine or V-8 engine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0060] An engine shroud, generally referred to as 10 is shown in FIG. 1 . The shroud 10 is comprised of eight sections of cast aluminum that, when assembled, mimics the look of a classic flathead Ford engine. A timing cover casting 12 includes a distributor aperture 14 with a distributor mounting plate 16 surrounding the aperture 14 , for mounting either a distributor or a non-operational distributor. Two apertures 18 are located on the distributor mounting plate 16 . The shape of the distributor mounting plate 16 can be quite variable depending on the year of engine being mimicked. A rim 22 with five apertures 24 surrounds much of the interior surface 26 of the timing cover casting 12 . The exterior surface 26 may or may not have ribs 28 . A logo plate 30 is at a lower end, generally referred to as 32 , of the timing cover casting 12 . The timing cover casting 12 fits snugly into the front casting 36 and is bolted to it with bolts 38 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the front casting 36 includes two water pump mounting plates 40 each surrounding water pump apertures 44 that are at the front terminus of coolant channels 46 (see FIG. 6 for coolant channels). Returning to FIG. 1 , a water pump 50 is shown located on one of the mounting plates 42 . It is affixed to the front casting 36 with bolts 38 . Exhaust manifold panel mounts 56 are also on the front 42 of the front casting 36 .
[0061] In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 2 , a tubular distributor mount 54 may be mounted on the timing cover casting 12 . It extends upward from the shroud 10 . This design permits the use of the small block distributor, hence there is no need for a non-operational distributor to be used.
[0062] Returning to FIG. 1 , a left and right valve cover casting 58 include spark plug sockets 60 , which, depending on the size of the engine being emulated, can be four, six or eight sockets 60 per side for four, six or eight spark plugs 62 . A non-operational spark plug lead 64 is attached to each non-operational spark plug 62 at one end and to the distributor 200 (non-functioning) at the other end. Each socket 60 is surrounded by a depression 66 . A plurality of acorn nuts 68 and washers 67 are located on the valve cover castings 58 . Some of these are functional, and others may not be. On the face, generally referred to as 70 , there is a pattern of horizontal ribbing 72 .
[0063] An intake manifold casting 80 is mounted to the front casting 36 . It has three dual carburetor ports 86 , mounts 87 for the carburetors 88 and an electronic ignition system port 90 at the back end 92 of the intake manifold casting 80 . The electronic ignition system port 90 is for mounting an electronic, distributor-less ignition system 94 within. The port 90 has a removable cover 95 .
[0064] Below the valve cover castings 58 are right and left exhaust manifold panel castings 100 . These are mounted on the exhaust manifold panel mounts 56 of the front casting 36 and on the lower section, generally referred to as 102 , of the valve cover castings 58 . Depending on the design, there may be three or four exhaust ports 106 in the exhaust manifold panel castings 80 . These exhaust ports 106 are for gaseous communication with the exhaust manifolds 210 (shown in FIG. 3 ). The exhaust manifolds 210 are retained by bolts 38 through exhaust manifold apertures 211 . A spark plug cover casting 108 is mounted below the exhaust manifold panel castings 100 . This is to shroud the spark plugs. It may be a separate casting or integrated into the exhaust manifold panel casting 100 .
[0065] As shown in FIG. 4 , a front step 154 and back step 156 on the front casting 36 and rear casting 158 , respectively, support a support bar 160 on each side of the head of the existing engine. The support bars 160 support the intake manifold casting 80 . The front casting 36 has threaded holes 170 in the front 40 for accepting bolts 38 to retain the timing cover casting 12 , and a front aperture 174 with a step 176 to accept the timing cover casting 12 . At the lower end, generally referred to as 178 , of the front casting 36 there is a semi-circular opening 180 surrounded by a rectangular plate 182 . The rear casting 158 is shaped to cover the back of the block and cylinder heads of the existing engine 300 . The rear casting 158 allows access to the bell housing bolt holes on the small block engine 300 .
[0066] The front casting 36 has apertures 184 for accepting bolts 38 that thread into the existing water pump threaded apertures in the head of the small block engine. The rear casting 158 has two apertures 186 for accepting bolts 38 that similarly thread into existing threaded apertures in the head of the small block engine. The front casting 36 and the rear casting 158 are welded to the support bar 160 at the front step 154 and back step 156 . The intake manifold casting 80 has apertures 188 (see FIG. 3 ) for accepting bolts 38 that thread into threaded apertures 190 in the support bars 160 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the exhaust manifold panel castings 100 have apertures 190 for accepting bolts 38 that thread into existing threaded apertures in the head of the small block engine.
[0067] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 , the distributor 200 (which is a non-functioning distributor) is attached to the distributor mounting plate 16 with bolts 38 that are threaded into the two apertures 18 in the distributor mounting plate 16 (see above for the design used for the tubular distributor mount for use with an operational distributor for a small block engine). The timing cover casting 12 is affixed to the front casting 36 with bolts 38 that are threaded into the five apertures 24 in the timing cover casting 12 . Similarly, the water pumps 50 are attached to the front casting with bolts 38 that are threaded into threaded apertures 206 in the front casting. The exhaust manifolds 210 are attached to the exhaust manifold panel castings 100 with the bolts 38 that extend through the apertures 190 in the exhaust manifold panel castings 100 .
[0068] As shown in FIGS. 5 , the shroud 10 covers over most of the existing engine, generally referred to as 300 . The functional spark plugs 312 can be seen below the shroud 10 in the spark plug sockets 320 . The shroud has an interior space, generally referred to as 322 and an exterior, generally referred to as 324 .
[0069] For the stock small block engine there is a single water pump, one water (coolant) line between the pump and radiator and one coolant line between the thermostat housing and the radiator. As shown in FIG. 6 , the flathead engine has two water pumps 50 and two coolant lines 326 from the heads to the radiator 354 .
[0070] A shown in FIG. 7A and B, a split diverter valve 350 with an integrated thermostat 356 is in fluid communication with two water intake lines 352 that are in fluid communication with water intakes 342 . The water intakes 342 are located on each valve cover casting 58 as in the original flatheads. For the 1932-48 style heads, the water intake is centred in the valve cover casting 58 and is front mounted for the 1949-53 style heads. The block 310 of the stock engine 300 is covered by the intake manifold casting 80 , which conceals the split diverter valve 350 and water intake lines 352 .
[0071] As shown in FIG. 8 , exhaust gases are vented through the exhaust ports 380 of the small block engine through the exhaust manifold panel casting 100 and to the exhaust manifold 210 , which may be a four pipe exhaust manifold. A gasket 384 is therefore needed between the small block engine 300 and the exhaust manifold panel casting 100 and between the exhaust manifold panel casting 100 and the exhaust manifold 210 .
[0072] In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 9 a , a functional distributor 400 is relocated from its position in the small block engine to the front of the engine with a block off assembly 402 that includes a helical gear drive 404 that is connected to the front of the camshaft. This allows for a gear driven connection into the front of the camshaft via the helical gear drive 404 . The design is suitable for the 1949 to 1953 engines, however the 1932 to 1948 style motors involves two gears that drive the front mount distributor. This is shown in FIG. 9 b . A first gear 406 is rotationally mounted to the distributor 400 and the other, second gear 408 , which is in geared relation with the first gear 406 is rotationally mounted on the cam shaft. The distributor 400 is reconfigured to function as a reverse rotation distributor.
[0073] As shown in FIG. 10 , a set of faux spark plugs 410 is located on the valve cover castings 58 . Spark plug leads 412 route through the faux spark plugs 410 and continue between the original cylinder heads and the valve cover castings 58 through to hidden functioning spark plugs 62 . These spark plugs 62 are hidden behind the valve cover castings 58 and are accessed through a removable cover 414 .
[0074] In another embodiment shown in FIG. 11 , the shroud 10 is designed to look like a V12 or V16 engine. This requires that left and right valve cover castings 58 , the intake manifold casting 80 , the support bars 160 and the exhaust manifold panel castings 100 are all extended in length to give the illusion of a larger engine. A distributor 200 (which is a non-functioning distributor) is attached to the distributor mounting plate 16 with bolts 38 that are threaded into the two apertures 18 in the distributor mounting plate 16 . The appropriate number of non-operational spark plug leads 412 feed the non-operational spark plugs 410 . As shown in FIG. 11 , to drive the front water pumps 50 , a shaft 450 is mounted to the front of a harmonic balancer 452 going to a bearing 454 and a pulley 456 that runs the dual water pumps 50 . The shaft 450 extends from the front of the stock engine about 8 inches for a V-12 and about 15 inches for a V-16, where it terminates in a second pulley 458 . A belt 460 between the water pumps 50 and second pulley 458 drive the water pumps. As shown in FIG. 12 , the lower sides of the shaft 450 and pulley 458 are covered with a lower left front casting 470 , a lower right front casting 472 and a centre casting 474 . These casting as welded to one another to form a front lower cover, generally referred to as 480 . It attaches to the front casting 36 .
[0075] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13A-H , there is a plurality of components, generally referred to as 500 , that make up the shroud. There may be: eight castings and two support bars, as disclosed above; the front casting and the timing cover casting may be a single component 502 to give nine components; the front casting and the support bars may be a single component 504 , for a total of eight components, or seven components if the timing cover casting and the front casting are also a single component 506 ; further, the rear casting, front casting and support bars may be a single component 508 for a total of seven components, or six components if the timing cover casting and the front casting are also a single component 510 . The rear casting and the support bars may be a single component 512 . The valve cover castings and intake manifold casting may be a single component 514 . Each valve cover casting and exhaust manifold panel casting pair may be a single component 516 . The support bars may or may not be included in the plurality of components.
[0076] The templates used to form the molds used to cast the parts for a V8 shroud are shown in FIG. 14 . There is one for a timing cover mold 602 , a front mold 604 , an intake manifold mold 606 , a right valve cover mold 608 , a left valve cover mold, a right exhaust manifold panel mold 612 , a left exhaust manifold panel mold, a rear mold 616 and a spark plug cover mold 618 . There is also an intake manifold cover template 620 . The templates for left molds are simply the mirror image of the templates for the right molds. The molds are sand and are filled with molten aluminum in the manufacture of the castings.
[0077] The templates used to form the molds used to cast the parts for a V12 shroud are shown in FIG. 15 . There is one for a timing cover mold 702 , a front mold 704 , a right valve cover mold, a left valve cover mold 706 , a lower right front mold 708 , a lower left front mold 710 , a right exhaust manifold panel mold 712 , a left exhaust manifold panel mold, a centre mold 714 , a rear mold 716 and a spark plug cover mold 718 . There is also an intake manifold cover template 720 . The templates for the left molds are simply the mirror image of the templates for right molds. The templates for the valve cover molds and exhaust manifold panel molds are essentially the same as those for the V8, but for a V12 engine. The molds are sand and are filled with molten aluminum in the manufacture of the castings.
[0078] In yet another embodiment, the stock engine could be a large block engine and the faux engine a flathead engine. Other non-limiting examples of stock engines include an overhead valve V-6 or V-8 engine or a big block overhead valve V-8.
[0079] In still yet another embodiment, the stock engine is a V-8 overhead valve engine and the faux engine is a V-12 or V-16 engine. The exhaust manifold panel casting is designed for a three pipe exhaust manifold for the V-8, four for the V-12 and five for the V-16. Still further, it is considered that a multi-casting shroud can be designed to substantially cover a stock engine to give it the appearance of a different engine, the caveat being that the stock engine is smaller than the faux engine. Non-limiting examples of stock engines include an overhead valve V-6 or V-8 engine or a big block overhead valve V-8.
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The present technology provides a kit for shrouding a stock engine to make it appear as a flathead engine, the kit comprising a timing cover casting, a front casting, a pair of exhaust manifold panel castings, a pair of valve cover castings, a pair of support bars, an intake manifold casting, a rear casting, and instructions. Also provided are a method of manufacturing the kit, a method of assembling the kit and a faux flathead engine.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the chiral, total synthesis of thienamycin from D-glucose (dextrose).
In its broadest terms, the process proceeds from glucose via intermediates I, II, and III and encounters aldehyde IV which is known to be useful in the total synthesis of thienamycin (V). ##STR2## wherein: R 2 is hydrogen or a removable protecting group such as a triorganosilyl group wherein the organo moieties are independently selected from alkyl having 1∝6 carbon atoms, phenyl, and aralkyl having 7-14 carbon atoms; R 1 is a lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or aralkyl, for example, methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyl, and the like; R is lower alkyl or the two sulfur atoms may be joined to form a ring comprising R.
The transformation IV→V is known. See, for example, U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 112,058 filed Jan. 14, 1980. To the extent that the cited U.S. Patent application discloses the utility of intermediate species IV and its transformation to thienamycin, it is hereby incorporated by reference. Also incorporated by reference for the same purpose are U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,596 (issued 11/18/80); and EPO application No. 79101307.1 filed 5-1-79, Publication No. 0007973.
Also incorporated by reference are the following concurrently filed, commonly assigned U.S. Patent applications of Philippe L. Durette Ser. Nos. 248,175, 248,178 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,325, 248,176 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,900, 248,174, (all filed Mar. 30, 1981). All of these applications relate to the synthesis of thienamycin from D-glucose.
As will be made evident from the Detailed Description of the Invention which follows, the presently disclosed and claimed process is characterized by several advantages. Most noteworthy is that the starting reagents for the process are inexpensive and safe to handle. The process is characterized by being conducted under moderate conditions which are amenable to scale up and by a sequence of steps which are individually high yielding. It should be further noted that in many of the sequences the intermediates need not be isolated so that individual sequences or distinct process steps may be conducted in a single pot.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The process of the present invention may conveniently be represented by the following reaction diagram: ##STR3##
Diagram I is discussed below. In preface to Diagram I, however, it should be noted that thienamycin (V) is an exceptionally potent, broad spectrum β-lactam antibiotic, particularly notable for its activity against Pseudomonas sp. and its resistance to β-lactamases. The absolute stereochemistry of thienamycin (V) ##STR4## is 5R, 6S, 8R. The present invention comprises a chiral, total synthesis of thienamycin starting from the readily available sugar, D-glucose (dextrose) (VI). The 5R, 6S, 8R stereochemistry of thienamycin is inherent in the D-glucose structural symmetry, as depicted in VI (chiral centers 3, 4 and 5). D-glucose is functionalized to afford optically active azetidinone aldehyde IV, via intermediates I, II, and III. Compound IV, above, is known to be useful in the total synthesis of thienamycin.
A key intermediate in the conversion of D-glucose into azetidinone aldehyde IV is methyl 3-azido-2,3,6-trideoxy-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (I). Compound I is transformed into methyl 3-azido-4-C-cyano-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (II), which is then converted, as depicted in the diagram above, into the open amino ester dithioacetal III and subsequently into azetidinone aldehyde IV.
Methyl 3-azido-2,3,6-trideoxy-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside 4) is obtained either from methyl 2,6-dideoxy-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (3) or from methyl α-D-glucopyranoside (12a), as represented by the following reaction diagrams, respectively: ##STR5##
Methyl 2,6-dideoxy-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (3) is obtained from D-glucose (1), via 2-deoxy-D-glucose (13), or D-glucal (14), and methyl 2-deoxy-α-D-Glucopyranoside (2), as represented by the following reaction diagram: ##STR6## Methyl α-D-glucopyranoside (12) is obtained from D-glucose (1) as shown below, ##STR7##
Now, returning to Diagram I, above, the transformation 1→2 is known. Typically D-glucose (1) is converted into methyl 2-deoxy-α -D-glucopyranoside (2) by the following sequence of reactions: (a) acetic anhydride and pyridine or acetic anhydride and sodium acetate to give penta-O-acetyl-D-glucopyranose; (b) hydrogen bromide in acetic acid to afford tetra-O-acetyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl bromide; (c) zinc and acetic acid to yield tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal; (d) sodium (or sodium methoxide) in methanol to give D-glucal; and (e) methanolic hydrogen chloride to yield 2. Conversion of D-glucal (or 2-deoxy-D-glucose) into 2 is reported in I. W. Hughes, et. al., J. Chem. Soc., 2846 (1949).
The transformation 2→3 is accomplished by treating 2 in a solvent such as toluene, benzene, dimethylformamide, dichloromethane, or the like with an iodinating agent (or other halogenating agent), such as methyltriphenoxyphosphonium iodide, iodotriphenoxyphosphonium iodide, triphenyphoshpine-N-iodosuccinimide; triphenylphosphine-tetraiodomethane; triphenylphosphine-2,4,5-triiodoimidazole; triphenylphosphine, iodine, and imidazole; or the like at a temperature of from 20° to 100° C. for from 1 to 24 hours.
The hydrogenolysis to yield compound 3 is typically conducted in a solvent, such as methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, or the like, at a temperature of from 20° to 50° C. in the presence of a catalyst such as Raney nickel, palladium-on-charcoal, palladium black, palladium hydroxide, or the like, under a hydrogen pressure of from 1 to 5 atmospheres.
Transformation 3→4 is accomplished in a solvent such as pyridine or dichloromethane, chloroform, or the like with p-toluenesulfonyl chloride, p-toluenesulfonic anhydride, or the like in the presence of a base such as Et 3 N, iPr 2 NEt, pyridine, 4-dimethylaminopyridine, or the like, at a temperature of from -15° C. to +10° C. for from 24 hours to 10 days to yield the C-3 tosylate, which upon treatment, in a solvent such as ethanol, methanol, or the like, with alcoholic base, such as ethanolic sodium hydroxide, ethanolic potassium hydroxide, methanolic sodium hydroxide, methanolic potassium hydroxide, or the like, followed by treatment with an alkali azide, such as lithium azide, sodium azide, potassium azide, or the like in the presence of ammonium chloride at a temperature of from 50° C. to 100° C. from 1 hour to 24 hours yields the azide 4.
Treatment of 4 in a solvent such as dichloromethane, chloroform, or the like with trifluoromethanesulfonyl chloride, trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride, or the like in the presence of a base such as Et 3 N, iPr 2 NEt, pyridine, 4-dimethylaminopyridine or the like at a temperature of from -76° C. to 0° C. for from 20 mintues to 2 hours, followed by treatment with a brominating agent, such as lithium bromide, sodium bromide, tetraethylammonium bromide, tetra-n-butylammonium bromide or the like in a solvent such as, dichloromethane, acetonitrile tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide, or the like at a temperature of from 20° C. to 100° C. for from 30 minutes to 5 hours, yields the 4-bromo-4-deoxy sugar 5 which upon treatment with sodium cyanide, potassium cyanide (in the presence or absence of a crown ether), tetraethylammonium cyanide, tetra-n-butylammonium cyanide, tetraethylammonium chloride-sodium cyanide, or the like in a solvent such as dichloromethane, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, hexamethylphosphoramide, or the like at a temperature of from 30° C. to 150° C. for from 15 minutes to 24 hours yields compound 6.
In words relative to the Diagram I, above, the transformation 6→7 is accomplished by treating 6 in a mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, or the like with an alkanethiol having 1-6 carbon atoms, such as methanethiol, ethanethiol, propanethiol, or the like, or an alkanedithiol, such as 1,2,-ethanedithiol, 1,3-propanedithiol, or the like at a temperature of from 0° to 30° C. for from 30 min. to 24 hours. The value of R is determined by the identity of the thiol taken in reaction. Compound 6 is disclosed and claimed in previously incorporated by reference, concurrently filed U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 248,178. The preparation of 6 is given below.
Alcoholysis 7→8 is accomplished by treating 7 either (a) in an alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, or the like with an alkali alkoxide, such as sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, sodium propoxide, or the like, at a temperature of from 0° to 30° C. for from 1 to 24 hours, followed by neutralization with a cation-exchange resin in the H + cycle, such as Amberlite Ir-120(H + ), Bio-Rad Ag 50W, Dowex 50W, or the like; or (b) in a solvent such as diethyl ether, dichloromethane, chloroform, or the like with an alcohol, such as methanol, ethanol, propanol or the like saturated at 0° C. with dry hydrogen chloride gas, at a temperature of from 0° to 30° C. for from 2 to 24 hours, followed by hydrolysis at 0° C. The value of R 1 is determined by the identity of the alcohol taken in reaction.
Conversion of azido ester 8 into amino ester 9 is accomplished by treating 8 in a solvent such as methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, or the like, at a temperature of from 20° to 50° C. in the presence of a catalyst such as palladium-on-charcoal, palladium black, palladium hydroxide, palladium-on-barium sulfate, platinum oxide or the like under a hydrogen pressure of from 1 to 5 atmospheres.
The transformation 9→10 establishes the protecting group R 2 . The most preferred protecting groups R 2 are triorganosilyl groups such as t-butyldimethylsilyl, t-butyldiphenylsilyl, triphenylsilyl, isopropyldimethylsilyl, and the like. Typically, silylation is accomplished by treating 9 with the corresponding triorganosilyl chloride in a solvent such as dimethylformamide, hexamethylphosphoramide, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, and the like at a temperature of from -20° to 80° C. for from 0.5 to 24 hours in the presence of a base such as triethylamine, diisopropylethylamine, or imidazole.
The resulting species 10 in a solvent such as ether, THF, DME, or the like is treated with EtMgBr, MeMgI, t-BuMgCl, or the like at a temperature of from -40° to 50° C. for from 1 to 72 hours to provide azetidinone 11.
The transformation 11→12 is accomplished by treating 11 in a solvent such as aqueous THF, aqueous acetone, aqueous acetonitrile, aqueous p-dioxane, or the like with a Lewis acid, such as mercuric oxide, mercuric chloride, boron trifluoride-etherate, thallium trinitrate, silver tetrafluoroborate, or the like at a temperature of from 0° to 50° C. for from 1 to 24 hours.
In the foregoing word description of the above schematic reaction diagram for the total synthesis of thienamycin, it is to be understood that there is considerable latitude in selection of precise reaction parameters. Suggestion of this latitude and its breadth is generally indicated by the enumeration of equivalent solvent systems, temperature ranges, protecting groups, and range of identities of involved reagents. Further, it is to be understood that the presentation of the synthetic scheme as comprising distinct steps in a given sequence is more in the nature of a descriptive convenience than as a necessary requirement; for one will recognize that the mechanically dissected scheme represents a unified scheme of synthesis and that certain steps, in actual practice, are capable of being merged, conducted simultaneously, or effected in a reverse sequence without materially altering the progress of synthesis.
The following examples recite a precise scheme of total synthesis. It is to be understood that the purpose of this recitation is to further illustrate the total synthesis and not to impose any limitation.
EXAMPLE 1
Step A: Preparation of 3-azido-4-C-cyano-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-D-arabino-hexose trimethylene dithioacetal ##STR8##
Methyl 3-azido-4-C-cyano-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (675 mg, 3.44 mmol) is treated with concentrated hydrochloric acid (150 ml) for 5 min at room temperature, at which time 1,3-propanedithiol (0.69 ml, 6.87 mmol) and sufficient methanol to achieve solution are added. After the reaction mixture is stirred for 1 hour at room temperature, the methanol is removed by evaporation under vacuum, and the product is extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic extracts are evaporated under vacuum, and the residue is chromatographed on a column of silica gel (Merck No. 7734) (1:1 diethyl ether-hexane) to yield 890 mg (95%) of the trimethylene dithioacetal as a white crystalline solid; 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCL 3 ): 1.50 (d, C--CH 3 ), 1.76 (d, OH-5, J OH , H-5 5 Hz), 1.92 (m, 1H, dithiane H-4), 2.07 (septet, H-2), 2.17 (m, 1H, dithione H-4'), 2.27 (septet, H-2'), 2.68 (dd, H-4, J 3 ,4; 4,5 3.2, 9 Hz), 2.84-3.00 (m, 4H, dithiane H-3's), 4.14-4.26 (m, 2H, H-1, H-5), 4.34 ppm (m, H-3)l mass spectrum m/e 272(M).
Step B: 3-Azido-4-C-carbomethoxy-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-D-arabino-hexose trimethylene dithioacetal ##STR9##
Dry hydrogen chloride gas is bubbled for 1 hour through a solution of 3-azido-4-C-cyano-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-D-arabino-hexose trimethylene dithioacetal (885 mg, 3.25 mmol) in diethyl ether (5 ml) and absolute methanol (5 ml) cooled in an ice-bath. The solution is then allowed to stand overnight at room temperature and evaporated under vacuum. The residue is taken up in dichloromethane, washed with saturated sodium hydrogen carbonate solution, and evaporated. the resulting material is chromatographed on a column of silica gel (Merck No. 7734) (10:1 diethyl etherhexane) to afford 744 mg (75%) of the desired azido ester trimethylene dithioacetal; IR (CHCl 3 ): ##STR10## 2095 (N 3 ); 1 H MNR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 3.79 (s, 3H, CO 2 CH 3 ).
Step C: 3-Amino-4-C-carbomethhoxy-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-D-arabino-hexose trimethylene dithioacetal ##STR11##
A mixture of 3-azido-4-C-carbomethoxy-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-D-arabino-hexose trimethylene dithioacetal (736 mg, 2.41 mmol) and 5% palladium-on-charcoal (300 mg) in methanol (20 ml) is hydrogenated at a pressure of 1 atmosphere for 5 hours at room temperature. The catalyst is then removed by filtration through Celite and the filtrate evaporated and dried in vacuo to give TLC-chromatographically- homogeneous, ninhydrinpositive amino ester trimethylene dithioacetal; yield 653 mg (97%);
IR (CHCl 3 ); 1733 (C═O); 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHZ): 3.80 (s, 3H, CO 2 CH 3 ).
Step D: 3α-[(1'R)-hydroxyethyl]-4β-[2',2'-(1,3-propanedithio)-ethyl]-2-azetidinone ##STR12##
t-Butyldimethylchlorosilane (737 mg, 4.89 mmol) is added in one portion to a solution of 3-amino-4-C-carbomethoxy-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-D-arabino-hexose trimethylene dithioacetal (651 mg, 2.33 mmol) and triethylamine (0.68 ml, 4.89 mmol) in anhydrous dimethylformamide (10 ml) at 0° C. After 15 min at 0° C., the reaction mixture is stirred at room temperature for 24 hours. Most of the solvent is removed by evaporation under vacuum. The residue is partitioned between diethyl ether (75 ml) and water. The ethereal phase is washed with 2.5 N hydrochloric acid (15 ml), water (3×15 ml), and brine. The organic phase is dried (magnesium sulfate) and evaporated in vacuo to afford 3-(t-butyldimethylsilyl)-amino-4-C-carboxymethoxy-5-0-t-butyldimethylsilyl-2,3,4,6-tetra-deoxy-D-arabino-hexose trimethylene dithioacetal.
Anhydrous diethyl ether (6 ml) is added to the flask containing the disilyl derivative. The resulting solution is stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere with ice-bath cooling. Ethereal ethyl magnesium bromide (0.80 ml of a 2.94 M solution, 2.35 mmol) is added to 0° C., and the mixture is stirred overnight at room temperature. The mixture is then cooled in an ice-methanol bath while ammonium chloride-saturated 2N hydrochloric acid (2.5 ml) is slowly added with stirring. The resulting mixture is diluted with ethyl acetate (2.5 ml) and water (2.5 ml) and the layers are separated. The aqueous portion is extracted with more ethyl acetate (3×5 ml). The combined organic solution is washed with water (5 ml), 5% aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution (3 ml), water (3 ml), and brine, dried (magnesium sulfate), and filtered. The material obtained upon evaporation of the filtrate is purified by chromatography on silica gel (Merck No. 7734) to yield the desired 2-azetidinone trimethylene dithioacetal; yield 144 mg.
Step E: 3α-[(1'R) -hydroxyethyl]-4β-(2'-oxoethyl)-2-azetidinone ##STR13##
To a suspension of red mercuric oxide (3.5 equiv.) and boron trifluoride-etherate (3 equiv) in 17% aqueous acetone (3.5 ml) is added with stirring under nitrogen a solution of 3α-[(1'R)-hydroxyethyl]-4β-[2',2'-(propanedithio)-ethyl]-2-azetidinone (141 mg, 0.57 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (1 ml). After stirring for 24 hours, water (1.5 ml) and acetone (3 ml) are added and the mixture neutralized with sodium bicarbonate. The precipitate is filtered, the filtrate concentrated and extracted several times with chloroform. The organic extracts are washed with brine, dried (magnesium sulfate), and evaporated in vacuo to afford 63 mg (70%) of the desired aldehyde azetidinone.
EXAMPLE 2
Process for preparing Methyl 3-azido-4-C-cyano-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-α-D-arabinohexopyranoside
STEP A
Methyl 2,6-dideoxy-3-O-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-α-D-arabinohexopyranoside
To a solution of methyl 2,6-dideoxy-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (6.3 g, 38.8 mmol) in pyridine (200 ml) at 0° C. is added freshly recrystallized p-toluenesulfonyl chloride (7.6 g, 39.9 mmol). The mixture is kept 5 days at 0° C., at which time additional p-toluenesulfonyl chloride (1.9 g) is added. After 3 days at 5° C., the mixture is poured into ice-water, extracted several times with dichloromethane, the combined organic extracts evaporated under vacuum, coevaporated several times with toluene, and chromatographed on silica gel (Merck No. 7734) (1:2 diethyl ether-petroleum ether, b.p. 35°-60° C.) to yield 8.5 g (69%) of the product as a solid; 'H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.30 (d, C-CH 3 ), 1.83 (td, H-2ax, J-H-1, H-2ax, 3.5 Hz, J H2eq, H2ax 12.8 Hz), 2.09 (m, H-2eq, J H-1, H-2eq 1.1 Hz, J H-2eq, H-3 5.5 Hz), 2.46 (s, ArCH 3 ), 2.53 (d, OH), 3.27 (s, OCH 3 ), 3.32 (td, H-4, J H-4-H-5 = J H-4 , H-3 =8.8 Hz), 3.65 (m, H-5), 4.68 (broad d, H-1), 4.74 (ddd, H-3), 7.38 (d, 2H, Ar), 7085 ppm (d, 2H, AR); mass spectrum m/e 285 (M-OCH 3 ), 272 (M-CH 3 CHO).
Anal. C, H, S.
STEP B
Methyl 3-Azido-2,3,6-tredeoxy-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside
To a solution of methyl 2,6-dideoxy-3-O-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (8.4 g, 26.6 mmol) in absolute ethanol (80 ml) is added phenolphthalein (as an indicator) and subsequently dropwise at 60° C. saturated ethanolic sodium hydroxide until color persists for ≈10 minutes. The reaction mixture is then cooled to 10° C., the precipitated sodium tosylate removed by filtration, the filtrate brought to pH 7 with 2 N hydrochloric acid. Sodium azide (4.9 g ) and ammonium chloride (2.9 g) are then added, and the mixture is stirred overnight at reflux temperature. After concentration, the residue is partitioned between dichloromethane and water, the aqueous layer extracted with dichloromethane, the combined organic extracts evaporated under vacuum, and chromatographed on silica gel (Merck No. 7734) (30:1 chloroform-ethyl acetate) to afford the pure product as a colorless syrup; yield 3.7 g (74%); 'HNMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.30 (d, C--CH 3 ), 1.73 (td, H-2ax, J H-1 ,H-2ax 3.6 Hz), 2.17 (m, H-2eq, J h-1 , H-2eq 1.2 Hz, J H-2eq , H-3 5 Hz), 3.14 (t, H-4, J H-3 , H-4 =J H-4 , H-5 =9 Hz), 3.34 (s, OCH 3 ), 3.63-3.79 (m, H-3,5), 4.75 (broad d, H-1); mass spectrum m/e 187 (M), 156 (M--OCH 3 ), 145 (M--N 3 ), 143 (M--CH 3 CHO).
STEP C
Methyl 3-azido-4-bromo-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-α-D-lyxohexopyranoside
To a solution of methyl 3-azido-2,3,6-trideoxy-α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside (3.6 g, 19.2 mmol) in dichloromethane (100 ml) cooled in an ice-bath are added pyridine (2 ml) and dropwise a solution of trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride (3.2 ml, 19.0 mmol) in dichloromethane (25 ml). After stirring for 10 minutes at 0° C. with exclusion of moisture, additional pyridine (2 ml) and trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride (2.6 ml) are added. After 10 minutes at 0° C., the reaction mixture is diluted with dichloromethane (130 ml) and poured into a separatory funnel containing ice-water. The organic layer is separated and washed with cold N hydrochloric acid, saturated sodium hydrogen-carbonate, water, and dried (sodium sulfate). Evaporation under vacuum gives the 4-trifluoromethane-sulfonate that is dissolved in dry acetonitrile (50 ml) and treated with tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (12.7 g, 39.4 mmol) for 1 hour at 40° C. The reaction mixture is concentrated, the residue partitioned between dichloromethane and water, the organic layer evaporated under vacuum and the resulting syrup chromatographed on a column of silica gel (Merck No. 7734) (1:2 dichloromethane-hexane) to yield 3.65 g (76%) of the bromide; 'H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.32 (d, C--CH 3 ), 1.90 (dd, H-2eq), 2.20 (td, H-2ax), 3.36 (s, OCH 3 ), 3.84-4.00 (m, H-3,5), 4.27 (d, H-4), 4.86 ppm (d, H-1); mass spectrum m/e 250 (M).
STEP D
Methyl 3-azido-4-C-cyano-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy -α-D-arabino-hexopyranoside
To a solution of methyl 3-azido-4-bromo-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-α-D-lyxo-hexopyranoside (3.5 g, 14.0 mmol) in freshly distilled acetonitrile (75 ml) is added tetra-n-butylammonium cyanide (7.5 g, 28.0 mmol). The reaction mixture is stirred for 1 hour at 50° C., cooled, partially concentrated (25 ml), diluted with dichloromethane (250 ml), washed with water (3X), dried (sodium sulfate), and evaporated under vacuum. The residue is chromatographed on a column of silica gel (Merck No. 7734) (1:10 diethyl ether-hexane) to yield 687 mg (25%) of the desired cyanide as a colorless syrup; 'H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.42 (d, C--CH 3 ), 1.60 td, H-2ax, J H-1 ,H-2ax 3.5 Hz), 2.21 (m, H-2eq, J H-1 , H-2eq 1.2 Hz, J H-2eq , H-3 5 Hz), 2.26 (t, H-4, J H-3 , H-4 =J H-4 , H-5 =10.8 Hz), 3.36 (s, OCH 3 ), 3.92-4.06 (m, H-3,5), 4.85 (broad d, H-1); mass spectrum m/e 165 (M-OCH 3 ), 154 (M-N 3 ), 152 (M-CH 3 CHO).
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Disclosed is a chiral, total synthesis of thienamycin from D-glucose which proceeds via intermediates I, II and III to known aldehyde IV which is known to be useful in the total synthesis of thienamycin (V): ##STR1## wherein: R is lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms or bi-valent alkyl having 2-6 carbon atoms which joins the two sulfur atoms; R 1 is lower alkyl or aralkyl, such as benzyl and the like; and R 2 is hydrogen or a removable protecting group, such as triorganosilyl wherein the organo groups are independently selected from lower alkyl, phenyl and phenylloweralkyl.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation application of co-pending U.S. Ser. No. 11/865,458, filed Oct. 1, 2007, which is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 11/365,366, filed Mar. 1, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,331,796, issued Feb. 19, 2008, which claims benefit to U.S. Ser. No. 60/715,261, filed Sep. 8, 2005.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
This invention was made with United States Government support under Contract No. NBCH3039004, DARPA, awarded by the Defense, Advanced Research Projects Agency; whereby the United States Government has certain rights in this invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the provision of novel and unique Land Grid Array (LGA) interposers, which incorporate the structure of metal-on-elastomer hemi-torus and other geometrically configured electric contacts to facilitate an array of interconnections between diverse electrical components. The invention is further concerned with a method of producing the inventive LGA interposers.
Land Grid Array (LGA) interposers, by way of example, provide an array of interconnections between a printed wiring board (PWB) and a chip module, such as a Multi-Chip Module (MCM), among other kinds of electrical or electronic devices. LGA interposers allow connections to be made in a way which is reversible and do not require soldering as, for instance, in ball grid arrays and column grid arrays. Ball grid arrays are deemed to be somewhat unreliable on larger areas because the lateral thermal coefficients of expansion driven stresses that develop exceed the ball grid array strength. Column grid arrays hold together despite the stresses but are soldered solutions and, thus, do not allow for field replaceability, which is important because it saves the customer or user significant costs in the maintenance and upgrading of high-end computers for which LGAs are typically used.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The basic concept of utilizing LGA interposers to provide an array of electrical connections is well known in the technology. In this connection, reference may be made in particular to Hougham, et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0106902 A1, which is commonly assigned to the assignee of this application, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This publication describes LGA interposers which define structure consisting of metal-on-elastomer type electrical contacts, wherein a compliant contact consists of an elastomeric material structural element partially coated with an electrically conductive material, preferably such as a metal, so as to form the intended electrical contact. However, there is no disclosure nor suggestion of a compliant contact of an LGA interposer type providing multiple points of electrical contact for each gridpoint in a configuration, such as is uniquely provided by the present invention.
Johnescu, et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0124189 A1 discloses an LGA-BGA (Land Grid Array—Ball Grid Array) connector housing and electrical contacts which, however, do not in any manner disclose the novel and inventive LGA interposer metal-on-elastomer structure as provided for herein.
Similarly, DelPrete, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,790,057 B2 and 6,796,810 B2; and Goodwin, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,810 B2, describe various types of elastomeric electrical contact systems and devices which, however, do not at all disclose the features and concept of the present inventive metal-on-elastomer LGA interposers and arrays pursuant to the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Metal-on-elastomer type LGA contacts, as described hereinabove, have been previously described in Hougham, et al. in which a compliant contact consists of a structural element of a non-conductive elastomer that is coated on a part of its surface with electrically conductive material, which resultingly forms the electrical connection. However, a compliant contact with multiple points of electrical contact for each gridpoint is only disclosed by the present invention, wherein several specific geometries and variants are also described. Among these, a hemi-torus shaped element, such as being similar in shape to one-half of a sliced donut in transverse cross-section) may be oriented concentrically with respect to a via (or proximate thereto), the latter of which passes through an insulating carrier plane to the other side thereof. Metal is deposited onto the external portions of the hemi-toroidal elastomer element in order to form a multiplicity of electrically conductive contacts.
There are two general instances of LGA interconnects made with hemi-toroidally shaped, or other kinds of structural contact elements constituted of elastomeric materials. In the first instance, holes or vias in an insulating carrier plane would first be filled with metal to form solid electrically conducting vias with a surrounding pad or dogbone pad. Onto these pads would be molded both top and bottom elastomeric LGA bodies possessing various shapes, for example, hemi-toroidal. Then in a final step, metal strips would be deposited from the via pad on each side up and over the apex or uppermost ridge of the elastomeric hemi-torus. As illustrated in the drawings, this would then form a continuous electrical path from the highest point on the top hemi-torus shape to the lowest point on the bottom hemi-torus shape at several points for an individual I/O.
In the second instance, the insulating carrier is initially unmetallized with open holes on the desired grid pitch. Then, the top and bottom elastomeric bodies, for instance, hemi-toruses are molded and metallization follows to form the electrically conducting path, as illustrated hereinbelow. In case that during molding, the open hole in the insulator were inadvertently (or purposely) filled with elastomer, (e.g. siloxane), this can be removed in a controlled fashion by a coring or punch step to open a continuous pathway from the top surface to the bottom surface. Metallization can then be deposited on the exposed surface, which is produced thereby in a desired pattern so as to form the electrically conductive pathway.
In addition to the standard two-sided LGA interposer, i.e., on both sides of an insulating carrier phone, a one-sided compliant contact is also generally known in the art, and referred to as a “hybrid” LGA in which the contacts are soldered (ball-grid-array or BGA) to the circuit board but form a compression connection with the module, as in Jobnescu, et al., this frequently being referred to as a “hybrid BGA/LGA” or a “hybrid LGA/BGA” interposer.
There are several types of hybrid BGA/LGA's commercially available; however, the present invention describes a new type of hybrid BGA/LGA combining a metal-on-elastomer hemi-toroidally shaped top or upper contact with a solderable (BGA) bottom or lower contact. This provides significant advantages over existing technologies, and examples thereof are presented hereinbelow.
In one preferred embodiment, an insulating carrier plane with regularly spaced through-holes is treated to create a metal pad on top to fill the holes with electrically conducting metal for a through via, and a bottom surface, for example, by electroplating followed by photolithography. This produces a bottom surface with a pad for a BGA connecting to a circuit board. Then molded onto the top surface is a hemi-toroidal shape of an elastomeric material, such as siloxane rubber. The hemi-torus is located concentric to the metal via pad and surrounds it either fully or partly so that the elastomeric inside edge of the hemi-torus either touches the metal via and pad or lies outside the boundary of the via and pad. Then, metal is deposited to form a path of a continuous electrical connection leading from the top of the elastomer hemi-torus to the pad, which connects to the electrically conducting via to the bottom side of the insulating carrier plane creating a continuous conductive pathway from top to bottom. The metal on the elastomer may be distributed over the entire surface, or fabricated to consist of one or more strips connecting the top of the hemi-torus to the via pad. In a preferred embodiment there can be employed three strips, separated by 60 degrees from one another, although other quantities and spacing are shown herein. All of the strips start at the top of the torus, or slightly on the outside edge, and terminate on the pad in the center, this then providing multiple contact points, which is deemed electrically desirable.
Entrapment of air in the center of the hemi-torus is of concern as it could interfere with reliable seating of the electrical contact in compression. This potential concern can be mitigated by forming an opening or venting slit in the side of the torus during or after molding. Alternatively, any concern about entrapped air can be overcome by making the metal strips which extend over the top of the hemi-torus thick enough to extend over the elastomer surface, so that the gap produced between the uncoated area of the hemi-torus and the module bottom when the metal is in contact with the module bottom provides sufficient venting to allow a facile escape of air from the center of the hemi-torus upon actuation.
Another advantage to having multiple discontinuities in the hemi-torus shape resides in that each segment with its metal strip contact can move independently and better accommodate or compensate for non-uniformities in the mating surfaces.
The hemi-toroidal shape of the interposer can be molded from a compliant (rubbery) material onto each I/O position in an array, and metal strips are fabricated on the top surface of this shape so that they will provide multiple electrical pathways from a single chip module pad to a single printed circuit board pad. When this compliant hemi-torus is thus metalized, and preferably provided with discontinuities in the donut wall so that air would not be trapped preventing good contact, and provided that the compliant button stays well adhered to the insulating substrate or plane by virtue of anchoring holes, surface roughening, or surface treatments or coatings, then a uniquely functioning LGA is readily produced.
A structure pursuant to the invention possesses another advantage. For modules or PCBs that have solder balls or other protruding conductive structures, the LGA interposer array can be actuated into the module/PCB sandwich without the need for any separate alignment step or alignment structures. The ball will nest in the hemi-torus structure and center and stabilize itself with respect to any lateral motion in the x-y directions.
This provides another advantage which may sometimes be invoked, in that a module, which has had solder balls attached thereto, it in preparation for an ordinary BGA solder reflow step could instead be redirected on the assembly line for utilization in an LGA socket. Thus, a single product number part (balled module) could be used in two separate applications: 1) BGA soldering and 2) LGA socketing.
Such torus structures could be made by molding where the molds are made by drilling or machining with a router-like bit. Alternatively, it could be made by chemically or photoetching of the mold material utilizing a mask in the shape of a torus structure. The mask could be made by photolithography directly on the mold die or could consist of a premade physical mask (such as from molybdenum sheet metal) that was separately formed by photolithography and then applied to the mold die.
Another embodiment of this invention utilizes a hemi-torus that has been divided into three or four sections, each of which have been metalized to provide separate electrical paths, and whereby each section can respond mechanically independently when contacted with a pad or solder ball and can thus more reliably form a joint. Moreover, preferably a small space between these sections is created to allow gas to escape freely.
Pursuant to yet another embodiment, a number of the divided sections of a single hemi-torus can be made taller to provide a lateral stop for the case when a balled module is loaded preferably from one side thereof.
According to another embodiment, a wall shape of the sectionally-divided hemi-torus curves back in and under to form a nest so that when a solder ball is brought into contact therewith, it can be pressed down into the nest and snapped into place, or the shape could be curved simply to best nest a solder ball held in place there against.
As described in another embodiment, the I/O consists of multiple hemi-toroidal conic sections or domes that are fabricated into a group to service a single I/O. Each of these domes is metalized separately so that when contact is made with a module pad, redundant electrical paths are formed. The different contacts can also act independently mechanically thus being better able to accommodate local non-uniformities. A further modification would be to make a portion of the hemi-toroidal domes in such a group higher in the z-direction, thus providing a mechanical stop for cases where a balled module is loaded in part from one side, and thus able to constitute an alignment feature.
In the above embodiments, the structures and methods described can be applied to either single sided compliant LGAs (aka hybrid LGA), i.e., on one side of the carrier plane only, or to double sided LGAs. Further, they can be applied to hybrid cases where the corresponding metal pad is either directly in line with the center axis of the upper contact or may be offset therefrom.
As shown in another embodiment, the compliant structures are in a linear form rather than based on a torus or groups of domes. From a linear compliant bar, or alternatively a sectioned bar, multiple contact strips can be formed for each I/O. Further, the multiple metal contact strips could be located on different linear bars for a given I/O. Various arrangements could include multiple metal strips on the same linear section of compliant material, or on different adjacent linear bars in a line, or on different linear bars on either side of the central I/O via.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference may now be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings; in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates generally diagrammatically, a metal-on-elastomer LGA interposer array, shown in a transverse sectional view, pursuant to a first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2A illustrates a modified embodiment of the metal-on-elastomer LGA interposers, shown in a transverse enlarged sectional view;
FIG. 2B illustrates a perspective view of the LGA interposer array of FIG. 2A ;
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of metal-on-elastomer LGA interposers;
FIG. 4 illustrates a transverse enlarged cross-sectional view of the LGA interposers of FIG. 3 ;
FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a further embodiment of an LGA interposer array;
FIG. 6 illustrates a transverse enlarged cross-sectional view of the interposer array of FIG. 5 ;
FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a further embodiment of a metal-on-elastomer LGA interposer array;
FIG. 8 illustrates a transverse enlarged cross-sectional view of the LGA interposer array of FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a still further embodiment of a metal-on-elastomer LGA interposer array;
FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of a further embodiment of an LGA interposer array, which is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 11 illustrates a further embodiment in a perspective view of an LGA-interposer array showing a modification relative to that shown in FIG. 10 ;
FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective representation of a further LGA interposer array, which is somewhat similar to that of FIG. 10 ;
FIG. 13 illustrates a transverse enlarged cross-sectional view of the LGA interposer array of FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of a further embodiment of an LGA interposer array;
FIG. 15 illustrates a transverse enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the LGA interposer array of FIG. 14 ;
FIG. 16 illustrates a transverse enlarged cross-sectional view of an embodiment which is somewhat similar to that of FIG. 14 ;
FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of a further embodiment of an LGA interposer array;
FIG. 18 illustrates a transverse enlarged cross-sectional view of the LGA interposer array of FIG. 17 ;
FIG. 19 illustrates a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the LGA interposer array, relative to that shown in FIG. 17 ;
FIG. 20 illustrates a transverse enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the LGA interposer array of FIG. 19 ;
FIG. 21 illustrates a modified arrangement consisting of linear bars of metal-on-elastomer contacts shown in a perspective representation;
FIG. 22 illustrates a transverse enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the LGA interposer arrangement of FIG. 21 ; and
FIGS. 23-25 illustrate, respectively, alternative-processing concepts for providing the LGA interposer arrays in accordance with various of the embodiments described hereinabove.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the detailed description of the various embodiments, elements or components, which are substantially similar or identical, are designated with the same reference numerals.
Referring to the embodiment of the metal-on-elastomer LGA interposer array 10 , as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, there are shown a plurality of the interposers 12 in the form of hemi-toroidally shaped elements or so called buttons (generally simulating the shape of a transversely sliced donut). Each of the LGA interposer buttons 12 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced flexible strip-like metal elements 14 forming electrical contacts which reach from the topmost surface 16 of each respective LGA button 12 to the via 18 which extends through an insulating carrier pad 20 on which the LGA interposer buttons are mounted, and down through the center of the LGA buttons so as to connect to a conductive pad 22 which surrounds through the through via on both sides of the carrier 20 , and extends out along the insulating carrier surface beneath the LGA so as to make electrical contact at the other side or the lowermost end surface 24 of the inversely positioned lower LGA interposer buttons 26 . The electrically-conductive flexible metal elements are primarily strips 14 which extend from the uppermost end of the respective upper LGA interposer buttons 12 inwardly into an essentially cup shaped portion extending to the hole or via 18 formed in the pad 22 .
Consequently, by means of the pads 22 , which are constituted of electrically conductive material or metal and which surround each of the through vias 18 formed in the dielectric material insulating carrier plane 20 , these contact the ends of each of the metal strips 14 , which extend along the external elastomeric material surface of each respective LGA hemi-toroidally shaped interposer structure or button 12 . Accordingly, electrical contact is made from the uppermost or top end of each respective LGA interposer button to the lowermost end 24 of each of the opposite sided LGA interposer buttons 26 at the opposite or lower side of the insulating carrier plane 20 .
With regard to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A of the drawings, wherein the electrical elements 30 consisting of the strips positioned on the top surface 16 of the respective LGA interposer buttons 12 extend towards the through via 18 , in this instance, there is no electrically conductive pad present as in FIG. 1 , but rather the metallic or electrically conductive strips 30 forming the flexible metal contacts extend from the uppermost end 16 of the upper LGA interposer buttons 12 down through the via 18 , the insulating carrier plane 20 to the lowermost ends or apices 24 of the lower inverted LGA buttons 26 on the opposite or bottom side of the structure 10 .
In essence, in both embodiments, in FIGS. 1 and 2A , both the upper and lower LGA interposer buttons 12 , 26 are mirror images and are symmetrical relative to each other on opposite sides of the insulating carrier plane 20 . With regard to FIG. 2B of the drawings, this illustrates primarily a perspective representation of the array of the upper LGA interposer buttons 12 positioned on the insulating carrier plane 20 .
Reverting to the embodiment of FIG. 3 of the drawings, in this instance, the flexible metal electrical contacts 34 , which are positioned so as to extend from the upper ends 16 of each of the respective LGA interposer buttons 12 through the via 18 in the insulating carrier plane 20 , as also represented in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 , are designed to have the electrical metal contacts forming a plurality of flexible strips 34 , which extend each unitarily from the upper ends 16 to the lower ends 24 of the hemi-torus shaped buttons 12 , 26 from above and below the insulating carrier plane 20 in a mirror-image arrangement. Hereby, the multiple, circumferentially spaced metal electrical contact strips 34 extend from the uppermost point on one side of the insulating plane to the lowermost point on the opposite side so as to form electrical through-connections at both upper and lower ends and, in effect, forming a reversible structure 10 .
As shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings, in that instance, each of the hemi-toroidally shaped interposer buttons 12 , 26 , which are essentially identical in construction with those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, have the metal contacts 40 formed so that they extend in a common annular conductive sleeve structure 42 prior to continuing through the via 18 , which is formed in the insulating carrier plane 20 to the upper and lower ends 16 , 26 of the LGA interposer buttons 24 . In FIG. 6 of the drawings, these contacts 40 separate only into separated strip-like portions 42 at the extreme uppermost and lowermost ends of the LGA interposer buttons 12 , 26 and then join together into the essentially annular structure 44 extending through the via 18 formed in the insulating carrier plane 20 .
Referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, these illustrate essentially a structure 50 wherein LGA interposer buttons 12 are arranged only on the upper surface 52 of the insulating carrier plane 20 in a manner similar to FIG. 1 of the drawings, and wherein the conductive strips 14 contact metallic or electrically-conductive pads 54 extending respectively through each of the through vias 18 formed in the insulating carrier plane 20 . The lower surface of each metal pad 54 , in turn, may have a solder ball 56 attached thereto in preparation for a subsequent joining, as is known in the technology.
As shown in the perspective representation of FIG. 9 of the drawings, in that instance, the LGA interposer array structure 60 , which is mounted on the insulating carrier plane 20 , is similar to that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings; however, a slit 62 is formed in the elastomeric material of each LGA interposer button 12 , communicating with the interior 64 thereof, and with the through via 18 , which is formed in the insulating carrier plane 20 , so as to enable any gasses or pressure generated to vent from the interior thereof to the surroundings.
FIG. 10 of the drawings is also similar to the structure shown in FIG. 7 , however, in this instance, each elastomeric interposer button 12 has a plurality of slits 62 or discontinuities formed in the annular toroidally-shaped walls thereof, preferably intermediate respective flexible metal strips 14 , which are located on the upper and inward downwardly extending surface of each elastomer buttons, so as to enable each separate segment 68 to be able to resiliently or flexibly respond to changes or irregularities in the topography of elements contacting the LGA interposer buttons 12 . Also, each segment 68 between each of respective metal contact strips 14 may respond mechanically or independently, so as not to only accommodate differences in topography with a mating surface or differences in the shape of mating solder balls, but in cases where a solder ball will be pressed against the toroidal contacts to produce an electrical connection. In effect, this will enable a mechanical or physical compensation for encountered differences in contact surfaces.
With regard to the embodiment of FIG. 11 of the drawings, which is somewhat similar to FIG. 10 , in that instance, at least one or more of the segments 68 , which are separated by the intermediate slits extending through the LGA interposer buttons are different in height, so as to have some of the segments 70 higher than others in a z- or vertical direction relative to the plane of the insulating carrier plane 20 . In this instance, two segments 68 of the four independent segments of each respective LGA interposer button 12 are shown to be lower in height than the other segments 70 .
With regard to FIG. 12 of the drawings, in this instance, the array structure 74 of the hemi-toroidal LGA interposer buttons 76 , which are mounted on the insulating carrier plane 20 , the opposite or lower side 78 of which has solder balls 80 connected to electrically-conductive pads 82 extending through the vias 18 , has the centers 84 of the respective LGA interposer buttons 76 , which have electrical strip-like contacts 88 extending downwardly, as shown in FIG. 13 , have a contoured inner wall configuration 90 , which allows for nesting or a snap-fit with a solder ball (not shown), which may be brought into engagement therewith. In this instance, FIG. 13 showing the cross-sectional representation of FIG. 12 , illustrates the knob-shaped interior sidewall profile 90 of the compliant interposer button with the separate metal contact strips 88 extending upwardly along the interior of wall 90 to the topmost end 92 of each respective LGA interposer button 76 .
As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 14 of the drawings, in this instance, as also shown in cross-section in FIG. 15 ; multiple metal strip contacts 88 extend from the top surfaces of the compliant LGA button structure 100 , passing over the top surfaces 102 and extending down into the center part of the hole 104 provided in each interposer button 106 , and meeting with a common pad-shaped metal conductor 108 , which extends along the upper surface 110 of the insulating carrier plane 20 under the button in contact with strips 88 and outwardly until reaching a via 112 , which extends the metal pad downwardly through the insulating carrier plane 20 and along the lower surface 114 thereof, so as to contact solder balls 116 . This is illustrated in the cross-sectional representation of FIG. 15 of the drawings, which also shows a filled injection tube 120 extending through the insulating carrier plane 20 and a residue break off point 122 , where an elastomer portion was separated from an injection port on a mold forming the entire LGA button structure. This embodiment, showing the filled injection tube for the plastic material, is adapted for the method in which the injection molding of elastomeric material is implemented from the bottom side of the insulating carrier plane 20 .
As shown in FIG. 16 of the drawings, which is essentially similar to the embodiment of FIG. 15 , in that instance, this illustrates a filler injection tube, the mold (not shown) forming the LGA button structure is implemented by injection molding from the top side of the mold, and a residual mass of elastomer 132 can be ascertained extending from the side 134 of the elastic LGA button structure 100 from which it was separated at the injection port of a mold.
Also indicated in FIG. 16 are two types of anchoring holes in the insulating carrier plane 20 , wherein one hole 136 extends all the way through to the other side thereof, and where a blob 138 of residual excess molding material penetrates slightly beyond the bottom surface of the insulating carrier plane 20 . Another type of anchoring hole or cavity 140 does not extend fully through the insulating carrier plane 20 , but is formed as a depression in the top surface of the latter, so as to mechanically anchor the elastomeric material of each LGA interposer button to the structure or plane 20 .
Reverting to the embodiment of FIGS. 17 and 18 of the drawings, these show another aspect of providing an LGA interposer array 150 on an insulating carrier plane 20 , wherein a multiple of LGA interposer buttons 152 of essentially conical configurations and their electrical metallic strip contacts 154 , which extend over the topmost ends 156 thereof, service a common I/O electrical contact 158 in the form of a pad on the upper surface of plane 20 . In this instance, the structure incorporates an electrically conductive via 160 extending through the insulating carrier plane 20 , shown in a center of a group of four LGA interposer buttons 102 , as a common meeting point of the metal contact strips 154 on pad 158 , which extend from respectively one each of the top of each LGA button down the side thereof and into the via metallurgy of the structure, towards the bottom of plane 20 , as shown in cross-section in FIG. 18 of the drawings.
Reverting to the embodiment of FIGS. 19 and 20 of the drawings, which is quite similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 17 and 18 , in that instance, the primary distinction resides in that at least one or two of the LGA interposer buttons 152 of a respective group thereof has or have a height which differs from the remaining interposer buttons of that group. For example, two or more buttons 152 of each group may be taller than the remaining buttons 164 of that group (of four buttons) in order to essentially create a lateral stop mechanism for a side loading of a module, through such groupings of LGA interposer buttons in respective arrays. In essence, the different heights in the LGA interposer button groups enable a module with an associated solder ball to be brought into contact and aligned by means of lateral insertion, rather than only vertical insertion, wherein the higher LGA interposer buttons provide stops for the solder balls in order to register with the essentially hemi-toroidally shaped elastomeric contacts.
Reverting to the embodiment of FIGS. 21 and 22 of the drawings, in this instance, there is provided an LGA interposer array 170 arranged on an insulating carrier plane 20 , wherein multiple points of contact for each I/O are provided by means of linear bars of elastomeric LGA interposers 172 . This provides a compliant structure on which a plurality of spaced metallic electrical contact strip elements 174 may be positioned so as to extend from the top 176 of each respective interposer bar 172 both above and below the insulating carrier plane 20 , as shown in FIG. 22 , into electrically sleeve-like conductive vias 178 formed extending through the insulating carrier plane 20 in contact with respective metal strip contacts 180 above and below the insulating carrier plane 20 . In that instance, the metal contact strips 180 may be formed with different shapes, such as one typical contact joining from two separate ships 182 into a single common strip 184 near the top, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 21 , or joining further down near the via extending through the carrier plane to the other side. Furthermore, three or more contact points for each I/O may be provided and different types of contact elements may be utilized along the bar whereby some types may be more suitable for conduction of signals and others for high amperage power feeds.
As illustrated in FIGS. 23-25 , there are shown alternate process flows for a balled module, wherein a balled module zoo, as shown in FIG. 23 , can be directed either towards a solder reflow line for normal BGA connection to a PWB, as illustrated in FIG. 24 , or alternatively, to an LGA interposer assembly 210 where it is assembled by means of a hemi-toroidal LGA and PWB (wiring board) under pressure to make a field replaceable unit, as shown in FIG. 25 of the drawings.
With regard to the configurations of the LGA interposer buttons, these may be of elastic structural members, which are conical, dome-shaped conic sections or other positive release shapes, such as roughly cylindrical or hemispherical, hemi-toroids, and wherein the metal coating forming the electrically conductive contact members or strips terminate at the apices of each of the multiple buttons.
Moreover, the elastomeric material, which is utilized for each of the LGA interposer buttons or for the linear shaped elastic structural member (as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 ) may be constituted of any suitable molded polymer from any rubber-like moldable composition, which, for example, among others, may consist of silicon rubber, also known as siloxane or PDMS, polyurethane, polybutadiene and its copolymers, polystyrene and its copolymers, acrylonitrile and its copolymers and epoxides and its copolymers.
The connectors of the inventive LGA structure may be injection molded or transfer molded onto an insulating carrier plane 20 , and may serve the purpose of mechanically anchoring the contact to the insulating carrier plane and in instances can provide a conduit for the electrical connections which pass from the top surface of the connector to the bottom surface thereof.
In addition to connecting chip modules to printed circuit boards, the arrays of the LGA interposer buttons or linear structure may be employed for chip-to-chip connection in chip stacking or for board to board connections, the contacts may be of any shape and produced by injecting the elastomer in the same side as where the elastomer contact will be anchored to the insulating carrier by a hole or holes or vias, which extend through the insulating carrier or by any cavity edge formed into the surface of the insulating carrier.
In essence, the molding of the elastomeric material component or components, such as the hemi-toroidal interposer or interposers may be implemented in that the elastomeric polymer material is ejected from the same side at which the interposer will be positioned on the insulating carrier plane, and will be anchored to the insulating carrier plane by means of a hole or holes, as illustrated in the drawings, which either extend completely through to the opposite side of the insulating carrier plane, or through the intermediary of a cavity which is etched or formed into the surface of the insulting carrier plane, which does not extend all the way through the thickness thereof, and wherein any cavity may have flared undercut sidewalls from maximum anchoring ability or by simple surface roughening of the insulating carrier plane. This is clearly illustrated in the embodiments represented in FIGS. 15 and 16 of the drawings.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in forms and details may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the present invention not be limited to the exact forms and details described and illustrated, but fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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A land grid array (LGA) interposer structure, including an electrically insulating carrier plane, and at least one interposer mounted on a first surface of said carrier plane. The interposer possesses a hemi-toroidal configuration in transverse cross-section and is constituted of a dielectric elastomeric material. A plurality of electrically-conductive elements are arranged about the surface of the at least one hemi-toroidal interposer and extend radically inwardly and downwardly from an uppermost end thereof into electrical contact with at least one component located on an opposite side of the electrically insulating carrier plane. Provided is also a method of producing the land grid array interposer structure.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for producing a pigment-organic vehicle product and the product produced thereby.
In the preparation of inks, paints, colored plastics, and the like, it is essential that the pigment be uniformly dispersed in the vehicle. There are many techniques for improving dispersibility of pigments such as adding the pigment in the form of a fine powder generally produced by drying and grinding the presscakes. However, powdered pigments are difficult to redisperse to obtain maximum dispersion.
While pigment presscake disperses more readily in an ink composition than dry pigment powders, nevertheless, due to the low solids content of the aqueous cake generally obtained by conventional processes, dispersion of untreated presscake in inks is not economically feasible because of the low pigment loading. Methods for preparing high solids presscakes from the conventional presscake obtained from a filter press are known to those skilled in the art. Such high solids presscakes allow for high pigment loading and are readily dispersible in inks but are difficult to handle and particularly are not readily pumpable.
Accordingly, the pigment is often "flushed" to transfer the pigment particles from the aqueous phase to a non-polar oil or resin phase. This assists in keeping pigment particles non-agglomerated and easier to dilute for ultimate use in inks or coatings. Flushing has been carried out for many decades by mixing pigment presscake with suitable types and quantities of "vehicles" which may be an oil, or a solution of resin or resins and other additives in a solvent. In the prior art, the transfer was effected by merely kneading the presscake and vehicle together until a major portion of the water has separated. Periodically the flushers have to be tilted to remove water from time to time as it breaks, i.e., becomes freed of pigment which has transferred to the oil phase.
It is a purpose of the instant invention to increase filter press capacity through increased bulk density of the material being filtered and to reduce flushing cycle time by significantly reducing the break phase portion of the flushing cycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,610, issued Oct. 28, 1980, to Falcione et al, assigned to Calgon Corporation, discloses the use of polyacrylates as dispersants for aqueous magnesium oxide pigment slurries prior to dewatering. The polyacrylate is obtained by neutralizing poly(acrylic acid) to a pH of from about 8 to about 12 with bases such as sodium or ammonium hydroxide. This changes the solubilization process properties of the polyacrylic acid resin from oleophilic to hydrophilic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the instant invention, organic pigments are phase transferred from an aqueous to a non-aqeuous phase, in discrete form, while still in the unconcentrated slurry through preferential wetting by surface contact between the pigment and a hydrophobic polymer emulsified in water. The process offers the advantages of increased filter press capacity through increased bulk density and decreased flusher cycle time by significantly reducing the break phase portion of the flushing cycle. Manufacturing experience with this material has demonstrated decreases in the phase transfer or break cycle of the flushing process of as much as 80 percent.
More specifically, this invention relates to a method of producing a pigment-hydrophobic organic vehicle product by
A. providing an emulsion which comprises:
1. an organic liquid selected from the group consisting of:
(a) oleophilic resins
(b) organic solvents, and
(c) mixtures thereof,
2. an emulsification agent and
3. water
B. forming a water slurry of a pigment
C. admixing said emulsion with said pigment slurry,
D. forcing said emulsion and pigment slurry mixture through a concentration zone and
E. flushing said mixture with a hydrophobic organic vehicle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In accordance with the instant invention, an oil in water emulsion is prepared by mixing an organic liquid selected from the group consisting of oleophilic resins, organic solvents and mixtures thereof, an emulsification agent, and water.
The emulsion comprises by weight about 50 to 90 percent water, 0 to about 40 percent resin, 0 to about 40 percent solvent and about 0.05 to 0.5 percent emulsification agent. While the emulsion may contain 0 percent of the resin or 0 percent of the solvent, it must contain at least about 2.0 percent by weight of either the resin or the solvent or mixture of both. A preferred emulsion contains 50 to 80 percent by weight water, 10 to 30 percent by weight resin, 10 to 30 percent by weight solvent, and 0.1 to 0.4 percent emulsification agent.
The resins employed are water-insoluble products of the type generally employed in the oil/ink industry. More specifically, the resins may be oleophilic resins: drying and semi-drying oils, litho varnishes (bodied linseed oil), rosins, dimerized rosins and esters of dimerized rosins; maleic, fumeric and phenolic modified rosins and rosin esters: aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon resins; polyindenes, cumarone/indene resins, alkyl aromatic resins, alkyd resins, urethane or polyamide modified alkyds; polyolefins, phthalate esters, castor, fish and linseed oils: heatset and quickset vehicles used in the printing ink industry; oil soluble fatty acids such as oleic, linoleic, etc.
The solvents employed may be the common solvents generally employed in the water-insoluble oil ink industry such as mineral oil and aliphatic petroleum distillates.
The emulsification agent may be any agent capable of emulsifying the above resins and solvents in water. They can be anionic, cationic, nonionic or amphoteric surface active agents. More specifically, they may be any oil ink industry compatible emulsifier which produces stable oil-in-water emulsions when the oil phase is a resin or resins, solvent or solvents or a combination of the two as defined above. These surface active agents would include amine alkyl sulfonates, bis-tridecyl esters of sodium sulfosuccinic acid, block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide as well as many others. Among the surface active agents which may be employed are the sodium salts of high molecular weight fatty alcohol sulfates, such as sodiumlauryl sulfate, sodium lignin sulfonates, the dioctyl ester sodium sulfosuccinic acid, polyalkylene oxide condensation products, such as polyethylene oxides, quaternary ammonium salts, the sodium sulfonates of oleic acid esters of aliphatic compounds, sodium salts of aryl alkyl polyether sulfonates, and the like. Examples of suitable surfactants which are to be regarded as illustrative, and not as limiting, are given in Table I:
TABLE 1______________________________________ PercentNo. Chemical Class Type Trade Name Active______________________________________1 Sodium lauryl Anionic Duponol ME 96sulphate2 Sodium dioctyl- Anionic Aerosol OT 100sulfosuccinate3 Sodium salt of Anionic Triton 770 25alkylarylpolyether sulfate4 Polyalkylene Nonionic Tergitol XD 100glycol ether5 Polyoxyethylated Nonionic Emulphor EL 749 97castor oil6 Sodium alkyl- Anionic Nekal BA 75 70naphthalenesulfonate______________________________________
The emulsion is prepared by mixing in any conventional high shear mixing equipment such as a Cowles dissolver or a single blade mixer, a Banberry mill or a Gaullin homogenizer. The mixing may take place for a few minutes to several hours depending on the ultimate product desired.
A pigment slurry is then prepared by any known method.
This invention may be employed in conjunction with the production of many different pigments. Since the scientific nomenclature for dyes and pigments is very difficult, trade names are used almost exclusively in speaking of them. Examples of pigments for which this invention is applicable identified by the Color Index or C.I. names are as follows.
Pigment Red 1, Pigment Red 3, Pigment Red 4, Pigment Red 48:1, Pigment Red 48:2, Pigment Red 48:3, Pigment Red 48:4, Pigment Red 49:1, Pigment Red 49:2, Pigment Red 53:1, Pigment Red 52, Pigment Red 57, Pigment Red 81, Pigment Red 190, Pigment Orange 13, Pigment Orange 19, Pigment Orange 46, Yellow 12, Pigment Yellow 13, Pigment Yellow 14, Pigment Yellow 17, Pigment Yellow 27, Pigment Yellow 83, Pigment Green 7, Pigment Green 36, Pigment Blue 6, Pigment Blue 15:3, Pigment Blue 61.
An explanation of the well-known and well-used Color Index can be found on pages 20, 32, and 33 of American Inkmaker for January, 1984.
The emulsion and pigment slurry are then mixed using conventional mixing equipment such as described above with respect to the preparation of the emulsion. In general, the emulsion is added to the pigment strike liquor. The temperature of both the emulsion and pigment strike liquor will depend on the pigment employed. It should be the usual temperature at which the pigment slurry is concentrated and can range from 20° C. to 80° C. The emulsion should have a micelle size of about 0.1 to 5.0 microns but can range from 0.1 to 50 microns or larger. The mixing time after emulsion addition should be from about 15 minutes to two hours and the emulsion should be added during a first portion of this time period. The pigment slurry, after mixing with the emulsion, will generally have the following composition:
______________________________________ Broad (%) Preferred (%)______________________________________A. Water 70-98.5 90-97.9B. Resin 0-20 .6-5C. Solvent 0-20 .6-5D. Emulsification Agent 0.0015-.3 0.009-.05E. Pigment 0.5-10 1.0-5.0______________________________________
The slurry is then forced through a concentration zone, preferably a filter such as a plate and frame filter press. The filter cake is then flushed with the desired vehicle, depending on the ultimate pigment product desired, by conventional methods.
Any of the hydrophobic organic vehicles that are commonly used in printing ink and coating compositions may be employed in the method and composition of this invention. Such vehicles are represented by drying, semi-drying, and non-drying oils, litho varnishes, mineral oils, rosins, dimerized rosins, esters of dimerized rosins, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon resins, alkyl-aromatic resins, maleic and fumeric-modified rosin, phenolic resin, phenolic-modified rosin esters, alkyd resins, urethane-modified alkyds, polyolefins, polyindenes, coumarone/indene resins, phthalate esters, castor oil, fish oil, linseed oil, gloss varnishes, and various heat-set, quick-set and steam-set vehicle systems.
The vehicle may be a solution of a resin or mixture of resins and other additives in a solvent.
Typical resins which can be advantageously employed in such solutions are illustrated in the following table:
TABLE II______________________________________ Trade NameNo. Resin Type of Resin Manufacturer______________________________________1. Isophthalic Alkyd AVO-791 BASFbased on Linseed Oil2. Polyamide Alkyd Nylin 5 Lawter3. Phenolic Modified Rosin Beckacite 24-102 ReichholdEster of Abietic Acid4 Maleic Modified Rosin Filtrez 3790 FRPEster of Abietic Acid5. Pentaerythritol Ester of Pentalyn K HerculesDimeric Resin Acids6. Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Piccovan AB165 Hercules7. Aromatic Hydrocarbon LX-685-135 200 Neville8. Modified Hydrocarbon Nevroz 1420 Neville9. Aromatic-Aliphatic Petrovez 200 LawterHydrocarbon______________________________________
As solvent in the resin-solvent type vehicle there may be employed aliphatic hydrocarbons, including petroleum distillates having a boiling range of 200° C. to 375° C., petroleum solvents such as mineral spirits and VMP nahtha, petroleum aromatic solvents, such as Solvesso No. 100, aromatic solvent having a boiling range 150° to 185° F. and a KB value of 91, aromatic solvents having a KB value of 92 to 100 such as xylene, and acyclic alcohols, ketones, and ethers, such as butanol, methyl isobutyl ketone, and "Methylcellosolve" (ethylene glycol monomethyl ether). The solvent mixtures will vary with the resins used and may be adjusted accordingly, but must be capable of dissolving the resin completely.
As specific embodiments and illustrative of the present invention, certain specific examples are set forth below. In the instant application all parts are by weight and all temperatures are in degrees Centigrade unless otherwise specified.
EXAMPLE 1
Six parts of a dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid emulsifying agent were mixed in a stainless steel tank for five minutes with 1815 parts of water using a high-speed Cowles sawtooth blade mixer. Four hundred four parts of a hydrocarbon solvent sold under the trademark Magiesol 47 were then added, followed by 201 part of a #0 bodied alkyd resin and the emulsion mixed for 30 minutes at 75° F. using the high-speed Cowles sawtooth blade mixer. The average diameter of the particles obtained was about 3 to 5 microns. This emulsion was then added to a 3 percent aqueous slurry containing 1008 parts of a Lithol Rubine pigment (Pigment Red 57) which had been heated to 75° F. over a 30 minute period while stirring using a paddle mixer. After stirring for one hour, the mixture was pumped to a 52 frame filter press. A portion of the above presscake containing 840 parts (28 percent) of pigment, 180 parts (6 Percent) of the alkyd resin, 360 parts (12 percent) of the Magiesol 47 solvent and 1620 parts (54 percent) water was divided into two halves. One half was mixed with 270 parts of a heat-set flushing varnish (vehicle A) comprised of 28 percent Magiesol 47 solvent and 72 percent maleic modified rosin ester of abietic acid in a sigma blade mixer at room temperature. After 15 minutes, the water was decanted with the temperature increasing to 29° F. due to frictional heat. The remaining half of the presscake was then added to the first half in the Sigma blade mixer along with sufficient amounts of vehicle A to bring the total amount of the vehicle to 350 parts after which the water was decanted. Approximately 76 percent of the water which was originally present in the presscake was removed by the decanting process. The mixture was then washed for one hour with cold tap water to reduce the salt content to less than 100 grains per gallon after which the mixture was heated to 93° F. for shade conversion. The mixture was then cooled with 100 parts of vehicle A and 24 parts of water. It was then let down with 638 parts of vehicle A, 72 parts of Magiesol 47 solvent and 8 parts of a 25 percent solution of antioxidant in Magiesol 47 solvent to give 2412 parts of the product. The total cycle time was reduced by 25% compared to a conventional process. Most of this reduction occurs in the break phase of flushing where the time was reduced 83% compared to a conventional process. The product was equal in all aspects of color qualities to a conventional product.
EXAMPLE 2
The procedure of Example 1 was followed with the exception that the oil-in-water emulsion comprised 201 parts of a #0 bodied alkyd resin, 121 parts of maleic modified rosin ester and 283 parts of the Magiesol 47 solvent forming a Heat-Set varnish. As a result the presscake contained 1620 parts (54 percent) water, 840 parts (28 percent) pigment and 540 parts (18 percent) Heat-Set varnish. When flushed as in Example 1, the total cycle time was reduced by 22% with the break phase being reduced by 75%.
EXAMPLE 3
Ten parts of a dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid emulsifying agent were mixed in a stainless steel tank for five minutes with 3249 parts of water using a high-speed Cowles sawtooth blade mixer. One thousand eighty-three parts of a heat set varnish (Vehicle B) comprising 507 parts hydrocarbon solvent sold under the trademark Magiesol 47, 358 parts of a #0 bodied alkyd resin and 218 parts of a modified maleic rosin ester and the emulsion mixed for 30 minutes at 75° F. using the high-speed Cowles sawtooth blade mixer. The average diameter of the particles obtained was about 3 to 5 microns. This emulsion was then added to a 3 percent aqueous slurry containing 1867 parts of a Diarylide Yellow (Pigment Yellow 12) which had been heated to 25° F. over a 30 minute period while stirring using a paddle mixer. After stirring for one hour, the mixture was pumped to a 52 frame filter press. A portion of the above presscake containing 628 parts (29 percent) of pigment and 368 parts of Vehicle B (17 percent) and 1169 parts water (54 percent) was divided into two halves. One half was mixed with 260 parts of heat-set flushing varnish (Vehicle A) in a Sigma blade mixer at room temperature. After 15 minutes, the water was decanted with the temperature increasing to 29° C. due to frictional heat. The remaining half of the presscake was then added to the first half in the Sigma blade mixer along with sufficient amounts of vehicle A to bring the total amount of the vehicle to 463 parts after which the water was decanted. Approximately 80 percent of the water which was originally present in the presscake was removed by the decanting process. The mixture was placed under vacuum (28 mm Hg) using 285 parts of a heat-set vehicle containing 64 parts of an aliphatic hydrocarbon resin and 36 parts of Magiesol 47 (Vehicle C) to control temperature below 55° C. until 98 percent of the water in the mixture was removed. It was then let down with 324 parts of Vehicle C, 326 parts of Magiesol 47 solvent, and 8 parts of a 55 percent solution of antioxidant in Magiesol 47 solvent to give 2406 parts of the product. The total cycle time was reduced 20% compared to a conventional process while most of the reduction occurred in the break phase which was reduced 61%. The product was equal in all aspects of color qualities to a conventional product.
EXAMPLE 4
Six parts of an amine alkyl aryl sulfonate (Ninate® 411) emulsifying agent, 67 parts of a hydrocarbon solvent sold under the trademark Magiesol 47, 33 parts of a #0 bodied alkyd resin and 300 parts water were mixed for about one hour at 60° C. using a high-speed Cowles sawtooth blade mixer. The average diameter of the particles obtained was about 4 microns. This emulsion was then added to an aqueous slurry containing 2 percent Lithol Rubine (Pigment Red 57) which had been heated to 60° C. After stirring for one hour, the mixture was pumped to a filter press. The resulting presscake contained 45 percent water but had the same physical appearance as conventional 80 percent water presscake. When processed in a flusher, as described in Examples 1-3, an 80 percent reduction in cycle time of the break phase was achieved while total cycle time was reduced 24%. The final product has properties identical to a conventionally made flushing.
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A method of producing a pigment-hydrophobic organic vehicle product which comprises:
A. providing an emulsion which comprises:
1. an organic liquid selected from the group consisting of:
(a) oleophilic resins
(b) organic solvents and
(c) mixtures thereof,
2. an emulsification agent and
3. water
B. forming a water slurry of a pigment,
C. admixing said emulsion with said pigment slurry,
D. forcing said emulsion and pigment slurry mixture through a concentration zone and
E. flushing said mixture with a hydrophillic organic vehicle.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a low cost, disposable sleeping bag and, in particular, to a nonwoven, soft paper single sheet sleeping bag having an information section and with an attached pillow case where the sleeping bag is used on a bed or cot or other support.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Disposable sleeping bags having paper in the structure are known. Many of these sleeping bags include combinations of a number of materials and involve complicated structural procedures which increase the cost of the items. Also, many of these sleeping bags are made to withstand inclement outdoor conditions which necessarily involves increased costs. Thus, the reduced cost to be derived from the use of disposable sleeping bags is negated by making the structure of the sleeping bags too complicated and thus too expensive for only temporary use. There does not appear to be any sleeping bag available in the prior art that encompasses an information section directed to the health, welfare and enjoyment of the user.
A low cost disposable sleeping bag could be used in many areas which do not require that the bag be exposed to inclement outdoor conditions. Such areas would include hospitals, hotels or motels, homes, dormitories, barracks, outdoors in mild weather conditions, and many other areas. Also, there are many situations in which a low cost disposable sleeping bag would be useful. Such situations include when it would be preferable that the user's body be isolated from the bed or cot or soft support. For instance, such situations could exist with patients in hospitals, or with children's over night stay in a residence, or with people staying at hotels or motels wherein there is a lack of suitable sleeping accommodations, or for emergency situations with people housed temporarily in a dormitories or barracks. Thus, there is a need for a disposable sleeping bag that would have a relatively inexpensive cost in order to justify discarding the sleeping bag after one or more uses. The sleeping bag need only be comfortable and provide sufficient protection to the user under mild indoor and outdoor atmospheric conditions.
In many of the above areas where the present low cost sleeping could be used, it would be helpful in many situations to be able to record or display information in some manner attached to the sleeping bag. One area would include hospitals and nursing homes wherein medical records, notes and information relevant to the user patient would be recorded. Another area would include dormitories or barracks wherein it would be appropriate to display emergency directions or other information which would be directed for the user to be aware of. Further areas would include hotels, motels and other commercial establishment wherein it would be appropriate to display advertising of an interesting nature. These are only a few of the many possibilities of establishing immediate information channels available to the user of the present low cost sleeping bag.
It is an object of the invention to provide a low cost sleeping bag which will justify discarding it after one or more uses.
It is another object of the invention to provide a low cost, disposable sleeping bag which is made only of paper.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a low cost, disposable paper sleeping bag which is used on a bed, cot or other support.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a low cost, disposable, paper sleeping bag which isolates the user from the bed, cot or other support.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a low cost, disposable, paper sleeping bag which protects the user in mild indoor and outdoor atmospheric conditions.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a low cost, disposable, paper sleeping bag exhibiting information which is necessary for maintaining the good health, welfare and enjoyment of the user.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the following taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, these and other objects are accomplished by constructing a sleeping bag from lightweight, soft, nonwoven paper material which promote safety, softness, warmth and convenience. The sleeping bag includes three sections, the body section, the information section and the pillow case section. The body section is composed of two opposing top and bottom single flat sheets of the nonwoven paper material forming an enclosed foot end portion and open head end portion. The pillow case section is formed from the bottom sheet extending beyond the head end of the sleeping bag where it is folded underneath and secured to the underside of the bottom sheet forming a pillow case open at its two sides for inserting a pillow therein, The information section is formed from the top sheet folded down below the head end to reveal the underside of the top sheet having an area available for keeping records or writing notes or playing games or displaying various information. An advantage of the low cost, disposable sleeping bag is that it is simply and inexpensively constructed and isolates the body of the user from the support upon which it rests. Another advantage of the low cost sleeping bag is making available an informations section relevant to the health, welfare, enjoyment and other well being of the user. Thus, it is an inexpensive sleeping bag for use with a bed, cot other support upon which it rests and disposing of the sleeping bag after one or more uses. The sleeping bag isolates the user's body from the support and is thus advantageously used in hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, motels, barracks, dormitories and other areas as required when it is desired to isolate the user from contacting the bed, cot or other support or just have a low cost, disposable sleeping bag available for use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several view, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sleeping bag according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the sealing at the edges.
FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C are sectional views of preferred embodiments of modified information panel sections.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the pillow case section.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment including natural side edges.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment including ruffled side edges.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The unique inexpensive lightweight nonwoven paper sleeping bag as disclosed herein is not merely another complicated structured disposable sleeping bag which is overly constructed making it too expensive for a disposable sleeping bag for use under normal conditions. To the contrary, the unique disposable sleeping bag of the present invention is simply constructed for use on a bed or cot or other support and to be used under normal conditions. The present sleeping bag is constructed of lightweight soft nonwoven paper material making it comfortable for sleeping but also so inexpensive that it can be disposed of after one or more uses to satisfy the needs of many institutions, hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, barracks, hotels or motels, private homes, and other areas in need of such an item. A significant advantage of the present sleeping bag over known sleeping bags is its information function. In other words, not only does the present sleeping bag have the qualities of promoting warmth, softness and disposability but it also provides information which, is relevant to the user's health, welfare and enjoyment.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1 wherein rectangular sleeping bag 10 is depicted. The body section 12 of the sleeping bag includes opposing top sheet 14 and bottom sheet 16 made from two single flat blanks of soft nonwoven paper. Sleeping bag 10 has a closed foot end portion 18 and an open head end portion 20. The edge portions of top sheet 14 and bottom sheet 16 are completely fastened together along their adjacent foot end edges 22 and partway up therefrom along their adjacent side edges 24 to completely enclose that end portion of the sleeping bag.
The adjacent foot end edges 22 and side end edges 24 are fastened together by securing their adjacent peripheral edges together by various methods. Shown in FIG. 2 is one preferred method wherein the adjacent edges are secured by adhesive 15 joining the edges of top sheet 14 and bottom sheet 16 by adhesive and heat as required. Another preferred method of securing the top and bottom sheets together is by turning their adjacent peripheral foot end edges and side end edges 24 inwardly about one quarter of an inch and stitching a continuous tight seam along the edge of the sleeping bag creating a tight seal within this portion of the sleeping bag. The continuous adhesively secured and stitched portion of the sleeping bag retains the body heat of the user while in the bag. Thus, by adhesively securing and stitch-sealing the bag as discussed, this allows the single sheet sleeping bag to be used under most moderate conditions while keeping the user comfortable. Other methods of sealing the bag such as by staples would be permissible also. For instance, another preferred method is for the sleeping bags to be made of only one single rectangular blank of non-woven paper which is heat treated in an assembly line which substantially reduces the cost by eliminating sewing and cutting operations. Top sheet 14 and bottom sheet 16 are releasably secured by adhesive flaps 28 made of flexible plastic such as nylon or similar material. Adhesive flaps 28 are securely attached to top sheet 14 by stitching, adhesive or staples or equivalent securing means and are releasably secured to bottom sheet 16 by adhesive such as a releasable strip or other releasable adhesive means. The adhesive flaps permit opening and closing of top sheet 14 for a person entering into or emerging from the sleeping bag.
As seen in FIGS. 3A, 4 and 5, pillow case section 30 is formed by folding the extended head end of bottom sheet 16 underneath and securing it to the underside of the bottom sheet by adhesive, stitching or equivalent attachment. Pillow case section 30 is open at both sides allowing a pillow 32 to be inserted into the pillow case section and preventing the pillow from contacting the user's head. Thus, the pillow case section along with the body section 12 completely isolates the user's body from touching a supporting surface or the pillow 32.
FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C 5 and 6 illustrate various information panels which can be used on the sleeping bag. The information panel section 34 is formed on the head end of top sheet 14. The information panels, for example, can be only information 36 that is imprinted on the top part of top sheet 16 as seen in FIG. 6, or it can be a separate information panel flap 38 attached to the top sheet as seen in FIG. 3A and showing only separate flaps as seen in FIGS. 3B and 3C, or it can be a separate information panel attached to a separate sheet flap 40 which is attached to the top sheet as seen in FIG. 5 o it can also be any one of the above attached to the underside of the top sheet which is exposed when the top sheet is folded down which are not shown. Information panel section 34 may have information such as records, notes, games, advertisements or travel information displayed on its exposed surface or it may have a clear surface available for keeping records, writing notes, playing games or for any other use. Preferred embodiments of the information panels wherein a separate information panel flap 36 is attached illustrated in FIGS. 3, 3B and 3C In the embodiments in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, modified information panels are shown which comprise the separate information panel flap 38 attached to top sheet 14 at the head end and depict some of the various types of information that can be provided in the information panel sections. FIG. 3A depicts a type of medical record 42, FIG. 3B depicts a type of game 44, and FIG. 3C depicts hotel information and small map 46. Modified information panel 38 may be prepared from any firm paper, cardboard or plastic material which will allow the display of various types of information as shown as well as other printed information, written records, advertisements, games, etc. Modified information panel 38 may be attached to top sheet 14 by any conventional means such as stitching, adhesive, staples or equivalent means. Information panel section 34 or modified information panel 38 applied to the present low cost sleeping bag adds an important means for presenting information which has not been available previously in sleeping bags. The information panel allows the present sleeping bag to be used in the many areas under entirely different situations by making available records, notations, advertising and various other information not previously available to sleeping bag users.
A further preferred embodiment of the sleeping bag is seen in FIG. 5 wherein body section 12 includes separate sheet flap 40 attached to the top sheet and natural side edges 48. In this embodiment the top sheet 14 and bottom sheet 16 are completely fastened or integrally joined together along their natural side edged 48 and the sleeping bag is completely enclosed at the foot end and sides and open at the head end.
Another preferred embodiment of the sleeping bag as seen in FIG. 6 represents information section 34 having imprinted information 36 directly on top sheet 16 and body section 12 having ruffled side edges 50. The top sheet 14 and bottom sheet 16 are completely fastened or integrally together along the foot end and side edges wherein the top sheet edges include ruffled surface. In this embodiment the sleeping bag is completely enclosed at the foot end and sides and open at the head end.
The nonwoven soft paper material encompassing the sleeping bag's top sheet 14, bottom sheet 16 and pillow case section 30 provides a comfortable sleeping bag giving protection to the user under mild indoor or outdoor conditions. The nonwoven paper material isolates the user's body from coming in contact with the support upon which it rests such as a bed, cot or other support. It is prepared from inexpensive material making it an inexpensive item which justifies its disposal after limited use. The nonwoven paper material can include various designs to conform the surroundings in which it is being used by hand touching of the nonwoven paper. The colors can be printed by rollerprinting.
Having now described the invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth herein.
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A low cost disposable sleeping bag for use on a bed or cot or other support. The sleeping bag includes opposing single sheets of nonwoven, soft paper forming an envelope, an apron for writing messages, keeping records, locating advertisements or playable amusement games or other desirable information, and an attached pillow case. The sleeping bag provides a comfortable confined sleeping area with a pillow for the user and prevents the user from coming in bodily contact with the bed, cot or support and provides information relevant to the user.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application is a continuation Ser. No. 08/934,370, filed Sep. 19, 1997 entitled "Ink Jet Printing with Radiation Treatment" to Wen. The disclosure of this related application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to apparatus for providing a durable ink image on a receiver.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Physical durability, light fastness, and water fastness are the necessary requirements in many hard-copy imaging applications. Examples of such applications include outdoor signage, prints for security purposes such as passports or ID (identification) cards, CD (compact disk) labels, and lithographic printing plate.
Among the various digital output technologies, ink jet has the advantages of being non-impact, and having low-noise, low energy use, and low cost operation in addition to having the capability of being able to print on plain paper. These are largely responsible for the wide acceptance of ink jet apparatus in the marketplace.
An ink jet apparatus produces images on a receiver by ejecting ink droplets onto the receiver in an imagewise fashion. A frequently occurring problem associated with ink jet printing is excessive laydown of inks on the ink receiver. Image defects are often formed when inks are placed on the receiver at an amount or rate higher than the receiver can accept. For example, the ink spots placed at neighboring pixels on a receiver can come in contact with each other and coalesce, forming an image artifact commonly referred as "ink coalescence". Coalescence of ink spots on the receiver causes inks to diffuse or flow among ink pixels and results in a non-uniform or mottled appearance of the printed image. This ink diffusion problem is most visible at the boundaries of printed areas comprising different colors, where the ink of one color diffuses into the adjacent area of a different color ink to form a finger-shaped pattern. This latter image defect is commonly referred to as "color bleeding". Another need in ink jet printing is to provide an image on a receiver that is durable against physical abrasion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide ink images with superior physical durability, light fastness, and water fastness.
A further object of this invention is to provide an ink jet apparatus which avoids the common image defects such as coalescence and color bleeding in ink jet printing.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide ink jet prints that are physically durable.
These objects are achieved by an apparatus for providing images on a receiver in response to a digital image, comprising:
a) print head means adapted to transfer radiation curable inks on the receiver to form image pixels on the receiver;
b) a radiation source adapted to apply radiation for treating inks transferred on the receiver;
c) means for providing relative movements between the receiver, the print head means, and the radiation source; and
d) control means coupled to the print head means and the radiation source, and the relative movement means and for providing relative movements in at least two directions between the receiver, the print head means, and the radiation source, and for causing the print head in response to the digital image to deliver radiation curable inks to the receiver and for treating such delivered inks to thereby produce an image on the receiver.
ADVANTAGES
A feature of this invention is that image artifacts such as coalescence and color bleeding are reduced by the radiation treatment of the radiation-curable inks.
Another feature of this invention is that the radiation is conducted immediately after the placement of the ink spots on the ink receiver.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the ink jet printing apparatus in the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 illustrates the subsets of pixels that are addressed in each printing passes for reducing ink coalescence; and
FIGS. 4a-4d illustrate a series of four different passes to form a colored output image on a receiver which can be accomplished by the apparatus of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is described with relation to an ink jet printing apparatus for improved physical durability and stability of the printed images.
Referring to FIG. 1, an ink jet printing apparatus 10 is shown to comprise a computer 20, control electronics 25, print head drive electronics 30, ink jet print heads 31-34 for printing black ink (K), cyan ink (C), magenta ink (M), and yellow ink (Y), a plurality of ink reservoirs 40-43 for providing respective colored inks to the print heads 31-34, a compact UV light source 50 and the power supply 60 for the compact UV light source 50, a first motor 70, an ink receiver 80, and a platen 90. The print heads 31-34 and the compact UV light source are fixed to a holder 45 which can be transported by a second motor 71 along the gliding rail 54 in the fast scan direction (as indicated in FIG. 1). The gliding rail is supported by supports 55. The print heads 31-34, the compact UV light source 50, and the holder 45 are transported by several mechanisms, shown in FIG. 1. More specifically, there is shown a belt 56, a pulley mechanism 57, and the second motor 71. The second motor 71 can be a stepping motor, or alternatively can be a DC motor with a servo system. The receiver 80 is supported by the platen 90. The receiver can be transported by the first motor 70 with a roller 65 in a direction (i.e. slow scan) orthogonal to the fast scan direction. It is appreciated that both the first motor 70 and the second motor 71 are bi-directional so that the print heads 31-34, the compact UV source 50, and the receiver 80 can be transported back to the starting position.
The computer 20 controls the control electronics 25 which in turn controls the power supply 60, the first motor 70 and the second motor 71. The power supply 60 provides an input voltage to the compact UV light source 50. The computer 20 also controls the print head control electronics 30 which prepares electrical signals to drive the print heads 31-34 according to the data of the digital image. The print heads 31-34 can exist in different forms, for example, piezoelectric or thermal ink jet print head. An example of such a print head is shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,196. The radiation curable inks stored in the reservoirs 40-43 are supplied to the print head 31-34.
The compact UV source 50 can include a shield 51 and a UV lamp 52. The UV lamp can be shielded in a glass tube that absorbs visible light while permitting the transmittance of UV light. The glass tube also protects the UV lamp from physical damages. A typical compact UV lamp can be 5 inch long, 0.5 inch in diameter, and 70 gram in weight. Such compact UV lamps are available, for example, from Edmund Scientific under the catalogue numbers of C40,759, C40,760, and C40,765 etc. The light weight and the compact size of the compact UV source 50 permit it to be installed together with the print heads 31-34 on the holder 45. It will be appreciated that the compact UV source does not have to be mounted on the holder 45 but can be separately moved under the control of the control electronics 25. Other forms of radiation are also compatible with the present invention. Such forms of radiation can include the application of photons at frequencies other than UV or particles such as beam of electrons.
An input digital image can be applied to, or produced in the computer 20. The digital image is processed in the computer 20 by image processing algorithms such as tone scale conversion, color mapping, halftoning etc. The computer 20 sends the signals representing the digital image to the print head drive electronics 30 that in turn prepares electrical signals for the print heads 31-34 according to the digital image data. During each printing pass, the print heads 31-34 and the compact light source are transported under the control of the control electronics 25 along the fast scan direction as described above. The print heads 31-34 transfer colored ink drops 100 to the receiver 80 during each printing pass, which forms ink spots 110 on the receiver 80. After each printing pass, the receiver can be transported by the first motor 70 under the control of the control electronics 25 in a direction that is perpendicular to the fast scan direction. Each printed image is typically formed by a plurality printing passes. The ink spots 110 on the receiver 80 are treated by a compact UV light source 50 which is powered by the power supply 60 also under the control of the control electronics 25.
The receiver 80 can be common paper having sufficient fibers to provide a capillary force to draw the ink from the mixing chambers into the paper. Synthetic papers can also be used. The receiver can comprise a layer(s) that is porous to the inks, an ink absorbing layer(s), as well as materials with a strong affinity and mordanting effect for the inks. Exemplary receivers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,750. The printed images can be used for outdoor signages, bill boards, and displays. The present invention also addresses many other applications in which image durability is required: security printing such as passports or ID cards, CD, and lithographic printing plates and so on. In the present invention, the printing on a ink receiving sheet of the passport includes the printing of the personal data page in the passport booklet in which security, physical durability and image stability are all important. ID cards refers to identification cards, bank cards, phone cards which can include graphic and text symbols as well as pictorial images. The term CD refers to CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD and other types of optical storage disks. The CD label is understood to those skilled in the art to include digital data such as bar codes, analog data such as text, graphics such as line art, pictorial information such as colored images or combinations thereof and the like. The receiver 80 in the present invention can include lithographic plates that are mounted in a lithographic press for printing as well as the surface of the plate cylinder of the lithographic press. The above mentioned applications all require different aspects of image durability. For example, outdoor signage requires good strength against physical abrasion and waterfastness. The printed images on passports or ID cards require high physical strength to prevent wearing and counterfeiting. The lithographic plates require high physical abrasion durability for improving printing lifetime of the plates.
The ink colors compatible with the present invention can include yellow, magenta, cyan, black, red, green, blue, and other colors. Several ink densities can also be used for each color. The inks can include dyes or pigments. The inks in the present invention can also be colorless or not intended for color visual effects, for example, the inks used for producing lithographic printing plates such as the ink compositions as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,486 and EP 488,530A2. The examples of the colored inks used in this invention are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,847, as well as the following commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/699,955; Ser. No. 08/699,962; Ser. No. 08/699,963; Ser. No. 08/790,131; and Ser. No. 08/764,379; the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. Colorants such as the Ciba Geigy Unisperse Rubine 4BA-PA, Unisperse Yellow RT-PA, and Unisperse Blue GT-PA can also be used in the inks of the present invention.
The inks in the present invention also comprise substances that can be cured by UV-irradiation and other types of radiation such as photo-initiators and photo-activators in addition to the colorants, stabilizers, surfactants, viscosity modifiers, humectants and other components in the ink formula. In the present invention, the term cure refers to the processes that harden or solidify the inks in the receiver 80, which can be polymerization, reaction, glass transition, and other similar processes. The curing of the inks on the receiver 80 greatly improves the physical durability as well as the image stability (such as water fastness and light fastness) of the printed ink image. UV curable inks are known to a person skilled in the art of inkjet printing. A range of commercial monomers, e.g. having acrylic, vinyl or epoxy functional groups, photo-initiators and photo-activators is available and suitable for use in an ink jet formulation, capable of polymerization by UV light. The reaction may proceed through addition polymerization; all reactants are converted to the final polymeric binder, leaving no by-product or trace of liquid. This reaction can proceed in two processes, either by a free-radical mechanism or by the formation of a cationic species, or combination of both processes. UV curable ink compositions can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,924, U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,646, and EP Patent Publication No. 407054, EP Patent 488,530 A2, and EP Patent 533,168 A1.
A flow chart of the operation of the inkjet printing apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. The printing operation is started in block 200 in which the computer 20 receives or generates a digital image. The control electronics 25 controls the first motor 70 to move the receiver 80 under the print heads 31-34. In the first printing pass in block 210, the control electronics 25 sends control signals to the print head 30 according to the input digital image to transfer ink drops 100 to the receiver 80. As the area marked with the ink spots 110 is transported to the compact UV light source 50, the control electronics 25 sends control signal to the power supply 60 to activate the compact UV light source 50 to cure the ink spots 110 on the receiver 80 during the first pass, as shown in block 220. The cured ink spots are indicated by the ink spots 120 on the receiver 80. Since the radiation treatment by the compact UV source 50 (as shown in FIG. 1) in block 220 is implemented on-the-fly, no additional time is required for the printing pass. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the radiation treatment by the compact UV light source 50 solidifies the ink spots 110, which prevents ink coalescense in this printing pass as well as coalescence with the ink spots placed in the subsequent printing passes. Next in block 230, a question is asked whether the printing is finished or not, if not, the subsequent printing passes will be in the sequence of ink transfer and radiation treatment in each printing pass in blocks 210 and 220. After all the printing passes are finished, a question is asked in block 240 about whether an additional final radiation treatment is needed. If the answer is no, the printing is finished in block 260. If the answer is yes, a final radiation treatment is performed by the compact UV source 50 (as shown in FIG. 1) in block 250. The control electronics 25 causes the first motor 70 to move the receiver 80 below the compact UV light source 50 that is concurrently activated by the control electronics 25. The last radiation treatment further enhance the curing of all the inks transferred on receiver 80. Because the last radiation treatment is not conducted "on-the-fly" during the ink transfer, the irradiation time can be optimized by for example, controlling the receiver transport speed.
The present invention can be further understood with reference to FIGS. 3, and FIGS. 4a-4d. In FIG. 3, the addressable pixels 300 on receiver 80 in each printing pass are illustrated. As an example, four printing passes are illustrated. The addressable pixels 300 represent the pixels on receiver 80 that can be printed by the print heads 31-34 in each printing pass. They are a subset of total pixels in the printed image on the receiver. The pixels that are printed correspond to a subset of pixels. In each pass different subsets of pixels are transferred to the receiver. The subset of pixels and their position on the receiver are determined by the computer 20 in response to the digital image data and the previous positions where pixels were formed. The layout of the subset of pixels in each printing pass is arranged to minimize the coalescence of the ink spots 110 which reduces the formation of image artifacts as described above. The pixels printed in all the passes together form the printed image corresponding to the digital image.
The operation of the ink jet printing apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 is further illustrated in four separate passes in FIGS. 4a-4d. In the first printing pass, shown in FIG. 4a, a plurality of ink spots 110 are placed at a subset of pixels on the receiver 80. Immediately following the ink transfer, the ink spots 110 are cured by UV irradiation to form cured ink spots 120 while the receiver is transported by the first motor 70. This radiation curing of ink spots 110 prevent coalescence between these ink spots as well as coalescence of these ink spots with other ink spots transferred in the following passes. Following the first printing pass, additional ink spots 110 are transferred in the second pass, as shown in FIG. 4b, which is again followed by a UV radiation treatment. In FIGS. 4c and 4d, the similar ink-transfer and radiation-treatment steps are repeated in the third and the fourth passes.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
PARTS LIST
10 ink jet printing apparatus
20 computer
21 control electronics
30 print head drive electronics
31 ink jet print head
32 ink jet print head
33 ink jet print head
34 ink jet print head
40 ink reservoir
41 ink reservoir
42 ink reservoir
43 ink reservoir
45 holder
50 compact UV light source
51 shield
52 UV lamp
54 gliding rail
55 support
56 belt
57 pulley mechanism
60 power supply
65 roller
70 first motor
71 second motor
80 ink receiver
90 platen
100 ink drop
PARTS LIST (con't)
110 ink spot
120 cured ink spot
200 start printing
210 printing one pass
220 on-the-fly radiation treatment
230 all the printing passes finished
240 final radiation treatment needed
250 final radiation treatment
260 end printing
300 addressable pixels
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Apparatus for providing an images on a receiver in response to a digital image, includes a print head adapted to transfer radiation curable inks on the receiver to form image pixels on the receiver, and a radiation source adapted to apply radiation for treating inks transferred on the receiver. The apparatus provides relative movements between the receiver, the print head, and the radiation source; and has circuitry coupled to the print head and the radiation source, and for providing relative movements in at least two directions between the receiver, the print head, and the radiation source, and for causing the print head in response to the digital image to deliver radiation curable inks to the receiver and for treating such delivered inks to thereby produce an image on the receiver.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to drilling systems for mineral exploration sampling; and more particularly to mobile drilling systems for exploration sampling,
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Exploration drilling of suspected and known mineral deposits is commonly performed in the process of locating and evaluating mineral deposits. In the course of an exploration of a given geography, it is not uncommon to lay out an extensive grid pattern of drill sites, drill hundreds to thousands of mineral-sampling holes as dictated by the grid pattern, and assay the multitude of samples obtained by the sample drilling. Then, based on the assays, overlay another grid pattern and conduct a more extensive drilling of sampling holes. Of course, a likely candidate location must be first identified, often by random, sample drilling, often called "wildcat drilling." Then the evaluation of the candidate location begins with sample drilling of a wide grid pattern to identify possible minable reserves. Then, if further exploration is warranted, sample drilling on a finer grid pattern of the proven minable reserves is conducted for mine planning.
In order to perform this extensive sample drilling, access roads and drilling sites must be located and established. The cutting of access roads and surface drill sites has a very significant impact on the ecology of the surrounding geography. Site and road preparation is costly; and, where required, returning the terrain to its original condition is also costly. This is a major undertaking. Each surface drill site, for example, must have sufficient room for the drill and drill pipe, water pumps, drill rods, drilling mud, storage containers of various types, turn around for the drill rig and other vehicles. Efforts are made, therefore, to provide mobile sample drilling systems in as compact a configuration as possible, while still being capable of meeting the sample drilling requirements.
This can pose problems in that various geological structures may require that different drilling techniques be employed; and a particular drilling rig is not necessarily capable of employing the drilling technique required at a particular site. Oftentimes, a particular exploration project will require the use of more than one drilling technique over the course of the project. Consequently, a driller must have several types of drilling rigs available in order to qualify for the drilling jobs that will become available.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The system of the present provides a mobile drilling rig that may be mounted on a track undercarriage, a rubber tired undercarriage or on a skid undercarriage. The drilling rig of this invention is not only mobile, it is adjustable for drilling sample holes at various positions around the undercarriage and at various angles with respect to the plane of the undercarriage. The drilling rig of this invention is capable of employing a variety of drilling techniques, such as rotary drilling, percussion drilling, and reverse-circulation drilling. It can recover samples from such diverse structures as rock formations requiring coring and from sands. This drilling rig is therefore capable of drilling in any kind of terrain and through any kind of geological formations that might be encountered in a mineral exploration project.
The drilling system of this invention provides a drill mast mounted on a turntable. The turntable may be mounted on any type of undercarriage or carrier. The drill mast can be positioned around the perimeter of the turntable, it can be positioned near to, or away from, the turntable. The drill mast is carried on a trunnion mounting and can be oriented along Y and Z axis' with respect to the turntable X axis for drilling angle holes. A three-way adjustable control console is provided for operator comfort, regardless of the drilling mast position. Consequently, this drilling system can operate without provision of a drill pad at the drill site. This versatility can result in less extensive, and less expensive, site preparation.
The drilling system provides a drill head with gear reduction that can be set up with two to eight high performance hydraulic motors for varied application and a variable speed rotation. The maximum rotational torque can be varied in increments, as a result, from about 9000 ft.lbs. to 18,000 ft. lbs., 27,000 ft. lbs. to 36,000 ft.lbs. The drill mast mounts the drill head for a draw works lift force of up to about 88,000 lbs.
The drill mast mounting to the turntable enables the drill mast to be transported laying down over the turn table. The system need not be dismantled for transport from project site to project site. The overall height of the drilling system in its transport mode is low enough for transport on public roadways.
In a preferred embodiment of the drilling system of this invention, a pipe joint breaker assembly is provided adjacent the lower end of the drilling mast. This assembly can accommodate different size pipe diameters.
The drilling systems of this invention is specially adapted to reverse-circulation sample drilling employing a down-the-hole hammer drill. The drilling head configuration provides for simultaneous feeding into a multi-walled drill string of drilling mud, compressed air into the drill string to operate the hammer drill and to feed the hammer drill bit head, and withdrawing of sample-containing return air. The system includes a triple-walled, reverse-circulation drill rod especially adapted for down-the-hole hammer drilling that eliminates the need for a separate drive casing string.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the drilling system of this invention, mounted on a truck undercarriage, with the drill mast tilted and angled;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the drill mast mounted to its turntable and positioned vertically;
FIG. 3 is another side elevation view of the drill mast mounted to its turntable and tilted with respect to the plane of the turntable;
FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the drill mast;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the FIG. 4 view illustrating the stabilizer mounting for the drill head positioning cylinder rod;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view of another portion of the FIG. 4 view illustrating the pipe joint breaker assembly;
FIG. 7 is a side elevation view further illustrating the workings of the structure shown in the FIG. 6 detail view;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the drill mast pivot cylinder mounting;
FIG. 9 is a plan view of the drill mast slide assembly;
FIG. 10 is an end view of the FIG. 9 assembly;
FIG. 11 is a plan view of the male trunnion that underlies the FIG. 9 assembly;
FIG. 12 is an end view of the FIG. 11 trunnion;
FIG. 13 is a side view of the FIG. 11 trunnion;
FIG. 14 is a plan view of the mast turntable slide assembly;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the drill head assembly;
FIG. 16 is a view of an unassembled triple-walled drill bit section;
FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the FIG. 16 drill bit section;
FIG. 18 is a cross-section view of the drill bit section coupling to the next-adjacent drill string stem section;
FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary drill bit head of FIG. 16;
FIG. 20 is a side perspective view of the FIG. 19 drill bit;
FIG. 21 is a cross section an exemplary outer casing for use with the FIG. 16 drill bit section; and
FIG. 22 is an exploded view of the FIG. 18 coupling.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The drilling system of this invention is designed to drill out mineral samples of the kind required in exploration mineral sampling drilling. In this drilling, holes in the range of 4 in. to 7 in. are commonly drilled to depths up to a few thousand feet. Various types of drilling techniques are required, such as rotary drilling, percussive drilling, hammer drilling, and core drilling, depending on the geology of the structure from which the sampling is done. Drill strings composed of drill bit and drill stem sections coupled together, connected to a drill head assembly on the drill mast, are provided in sectional lengths of six to twelve feet. As the drilling operation is conducted, lengths of drill pipe are coupled, during drilling, and uncoupled, during drill string retraction. Consequently, the drilling system of this invention provides a drilling machine configured to accommodate the various drilling techniques. The drilling system of this invention provides a drill head assembly configured to accommodate drill strings required by the various drilling techniques. The drilling system also provides a pipe joint breaker assembly configured to couple and uncouple drill string pipe sections for the various types of drill strings required for these various drilling techniques. A preferred drilling system also incorporates a triple-walled, reverse-circulation, down-the-hole hammer drill string and provides the necessary infeed and outfeed for lubricating mud, pressurized operating air, and sample-carrying return air flows.
The drilling system of this invention comprises a mobile drilling machine 10 (sometimes also called a "drill rig") comprising a drill mast assembly 12 mounted to a turntable 14 carried by an undercarriage 16. The undercarriage 16 may be any suitable carrier such as a wheeled vehicle, a track vehicle, or a sled vehicle. The drill mast assembly 12 comprises a drill head frame subassembly 18 and a mast support frame subassembly 20 that mounts frame subassembly 18. A mast trunnion and slide frame assembly 22 slideably carries drill mast 12 and mounts drill mast 12 to the turntable 14.
In point of reference, in the following description, "upper" refers to elevated aspects of the drill mast when the mast is upright, "bottom" refers to the opposite of upper, "outer" refers to outward away from the turntable, and "inner" refers to inward facing toward the turntable.
Drill mast frame subassembly 18 comprises a pair of side beams 30, 32 connected across the top by an upper cross beam 34 and connected across the bottom by a bottom cross beam 36. Outer and inner gusset plates 38 connect the upper ends of beams 30, 32 to the upper cross beam 34 and stabilize the top of the drill mast frame subassembly 18. The bottom cross beam 36 is configured, viewed at right angels to the plane in which side beams 34 lay, as a wide angle "V" with the bottom apex of the "V" being provided with a rectangular passage in line with the mid-line drill string axis of the system. This bottom cross beam rectangular passage is provided by an enlarged rectangular box 40, open at the top and bottom and having a width greater than the width of the side beams 30, 32 and the bottom cross beam 36. Side beams 30, 32 are fabricated as steel box beams of generally square cross-section. Upper cross beam 34 is fabricated with welded steel side and top plates welded to the top portion of the side beams 30, 32; the ends of cross beam 34 being extended laterally outward beyond the side beams 30, 32. The bottom cross beam 36 is fabricated with welded steel side, top and bottom plates extended from the side beams to the box 40; and the box 40 is fabricated with welded steel plate side walls. The bottom cross beam plates are welded to the bottom portions of the side beams 30, 21 and to the box 40.
The side beams 30, 32 slideably mount a drill head assembly 50, the outer and inner faces of the side beams being provided with bearing surfaces on which the drill head assembly 50 bears when it travels up and down the drill mast assembly 12. The drill head assembly includes side bearing channels 52, 54 that have inner and outer bearing faces that engage the outer and inner faces of the side beams 30, 32 and ride thereon. Side bearing channels 52, 54 also have base faces, located at their base between their inner and outer faces, that slideably engage the opposed side faces of side beams 30, 32 to locate and stabilize the drill head assembly 50 between the two side beams.
The drill mast subassembly 18 also comprises a drill head positioning subassembly. The drill head assembly 50 tracks along the side beams 30, 32 and is moved therealong by means of left and right side cable and hydraulic cylinder positioners. The left side cable and cylinder positioner comprises: (a) a left hand hydraulic cylinder 56 mounted to and suspended from the left extension of the upper cross beam 34 at its cylinder end along the left side of the side beam 30; (b) a cable sheave subassembly 60 mounted at the end of the cylinder rod associated with cylinder 56 and carrying a pair of freely rotatable cable sheaves; (c) an upper cable sheave 64 freely rotatably mounted in the left extension of the upper cross beam 34; (d) a bottom cable sheave 68 free rotatably mounted at the bottom of side beam 30; (e) a cable tensioner drum 72 mounted on the left side at the bottom of side beam 30; (f) a left side upper cable dead end tensioner and shock adjuster 76; (e) a left side drill head assembly bottom positioning cable 80 that extends upward from the tensioner drum 72 and reeves around the lower sheave of the subassembly 60, extends downward and reeves around sheave 68, and extends upward to a point of connection 86 with the drill head assembly 50; and (g) a left side drill head assembly upper positioning cable 88 that extends from the cable shock adjuster 76 downward and reeves around the upper sheave of the subassembly 60, extends upward and reeves around upper sheave 64, and extends downward to a point of connection 92 with the drill head assembly 50. The right side cable and cylinder positioner comprises: (a) a right hand hydraulic cylinder 58 mounted to and suspended from the right extension of the upper cross beam 34 at its cylinder end along the right side of the side beam 32; (b) a cable sheave subassembly 62 mounted at the end of the cylinder rod associated with cylinder 58 and carrying a pair of freely rotatable cable sheaves; (c) an upper cable sheave 66 freely rotatably mounted in the right extension of the upper cross beam 34; (d) a bottom cable sheave 70 free rotatably mounted at the bottom of side beam 32; (e) a cable tensioner drum 74 mounted on the right side at the bottom of side beam 32; (f) a right side upper cable dead end tensioner and shock adjuster 78; (e) a right side drill head assembly bottom positioning cable 82 that extends upward from the tensioner drum 74 and reeves around the lower sheave of the subassembly 62, extends downward and reeves around sheave 70, and extends upward to a point of connection 88 with the drill head assembly 50; and (g}a right side drill head assembly upper positioning cable 90 that extends from the cable shock adjuster 78 downward and reeves around the upper sheave of the subassembly 62, extends upward and reeves around upper sheave 66, and extends downward to a point of connection 94 with the drill head assembly 50. The left side cylinder 56 is stabilized by cylinder mounting bracket 96 extending from side beam 30. The right side cylinder 58 is stabilized by cylinder mounting bracket 98 extending from side beam 32. Over the length of extension of the rods of cylinders 56 and 58, outer and inner, left and right rod aligning tracks 100, 102 and 104, 106, respectively, are provided on the outer and inner faces of the side beams 30, 32 to carry and stabilize the end of these cylinder rods. The support and stabilization is provided by the respective left and right cable sheave subassemblies 60, 62 which journal mount outer and inner guide wheels 108, 110 (left side) and 112, 114 (right side) which track on the side beam aligning tracks. In the operation of the drill head positioning subassembly, extension of the rods of cylinders 56, 58 will cause the drill head assembly 50 to move up the drill mast side beams 30, 32, and retraction of the cylinder rods will cause the drill head assembly 50 to move down the drill mast side beams 30, 32.
The drill mast frame subassembly 18 is carried and reinforced by the mast support frame subassembly 20. Mast support frame subassembly 20 comprises a pair of side beams 120, 122, each of which being parallel and underlying one of the drill mast frame subassembly side beams 30, 32. Left and right side beams 120, 122 are shorter than their corresponding drill mast frame side beams 30 or 32, and are connected thereto by upwardly-angled left and right upper end beams 124, 126 and downwardly-angled left and right lower end beams 128, 130. The upper and lower end beams, 124, 126 and 128, 130, are long enough to space the side beams 120, 122 inward from the drill mast frame side beams 30, 32 a sufficient distance to provide adequate clearance therebetween for travel of drill head assembly 50 and the related apparatus, piping and hosing. Left and right brace beams 132, 134 extend between the mast frame and support frame side beams near the top of the drill mast assembly 12 to form a triangular reinforcing brace with the upper end beams 124, 126. The beams that make up the mast support frame subassembly 20 are steel box beams welded to one another and to the corresponding outer drill head frame side beams.
The mast trunnion and slide assembly 22 comprises a mast slide subassembly 140 to which the drill mast assembly 12 is slideably mounted, and turntable slide subassembly 142 to which the mast slide assembly is pivotally mounted. The turntable slide subassembly 142 is carried by the turntable 14. The mast slide subassembly 140 comprises left and right pairs of upper and lower steel bearing sleeves 144, 146 and 148, 150 that slideably enclose and ride on the mast support frame side beams 120, 122. Upper and lower steel cross beams 152, 154 are welded to the opposed faces of the upper and lower bearing sleeve pairs 144, 146 and 148, 150. A steel trunnion-mounting framework 156 is mounted to the cross beams 152, 154 for a steel mast pivot pin 158. Pivot pin 158 is positioned in the trunnion-mounting framework 156 from the inward side and is confined therein by an appropriate bearing collar 160 mounted to the outer end of pivot pin 158. The inward end of the pivot pin 158 is rotatably mounted in a male trunnion framework 162 so that framework 162 is located adjacent to and inward of the trunnion-mounting framework 156. Male trunnion framework 162 pivots about pivot pin 158 in a plane parallel to whatever position the drill mast assembly 12 assumes. Male trunnion framework 162 is provided with left and right mast pivoting cylinder rod mounting lugs 164, 166. A steel mast pivoting cylinder bracket 168 is welded to the inward side of the lower bearing sleeves 148, 150 and pivotally mounts a pivot cylinder 170. The end of the rod associated with cylinder 170 is attached to one or the other of the rod mounting lugs 164, 166. When cylinder 170 is actuated, the drill mast assembly 12 will pivot about the axis of pivot pin 158. The upper and lower cross beams 152, 154 mount left and right mast extension cylinders 172, 174. The ends of the rods associated with cylinders 172, 174 are connected to the upper end of the drill mast frame subassembly 18 by left and right steel mounting arms 176, 178 which are welded to the cross beam 34. When the cylinders 172, 174 are actuated, the drill mast assembly 12 will slide up or down, through the bearing sleeves 144, 146 and 148, 150.
The turntable slide subassembly 142 comprises a pair of telescoping mast extender tubes 190, 192 mounted on the deck 194 of the turntable 14, and a pair of tilting cylinders 196, 198 mounted to a slide mounting 200. The outer ends of the telescoping mast extender tubes 190, 192 are connected to left and right mounting lugs 202, 204 provided on the male trunnion framework 162. The ends of the rods associated with the tilting cylinders 196, 198 are connected to left and right mounting lugs 206, 208. When the mast extender tubes 190, 192 are actuated, the drill mast assembly 12 will be shifted inward or outward with respect to the turntable. When the tilting cylinders 196, 198 are actuated, the drill mast assembly 12 will be tilted relative to the axis of the turntable 14. If the turntable axis is considered to be the X axis of the system, tilting cylinders 196, 198 will tilt the drill mast assembly 12 about the Y axis of the system and pivot cylinder 170 will pivot the drill mast assembly 12 about the Z axis of the system. The Y axis of the system is defined by the axis point 210 through the left and right mounting lugs 202, 204. The so-called "Z axis" of the system, defined by the axis of the pivot pin 158, does not remain perpendicular to the turntable axis, although it does remain perpendicular to the Y axis of the system.
A pipe joint breaker assembly 220 is associated with the drill mast assembly 12. Assembly 220 is supported from a steel support platform 222, welded to the outer face of the drill mast frame bottom cross beam 36 just above box 40. Assembly 220 is centered over the passage 41 through box 40 and mounted on the frame 222. Assembly 220 comprises a steel cylinder 224 positioned in axial alignment with the passage through box 40 and having an inner diameter at least as large as the width of passage 41. A series of steel angle brackets 226 are welded to the periphery of cylinder 224 at their apexes so that a series of steel hydraulic cylinder-holding cups 228 may be mounted between the bracket legs as shown in FIG. 6. Each cylinder-holding cup 228 is aligned at an acute angle of about 10 degrees outward from the axis of cylinder 224 (which is coincident with the drill string axis of the system) and welded to the adjacent legs of the angle brackets 226. There are at least three cups 228 located around the periphery of cylinder 224. At least three hydraulic cylinders 230 are mounted in three of the cups 228 with their cylinder rods extending upward and outward at the acute angle of the cups 228. Each cylinder rod 232 has an arm in the form of a steel bar 234 extended at right angle to the cylinder axis. A removable gripper shoe 236 is carried by each bar 234. Each gripper shoe 236 has a curved gripper face 238 aligned parallel to the drill sting axis. With at least three such gripper shoes installed about the periphery of cylinder 224, when the gripping cylinder rods 232 are retracted, the shoe gripper faces 238 will be translated downward and inward toward the drill string axis. Any drill string section, such as a coupling or bit, can be grasped by the gripper shoe faces and secured relative to the cylinder 224. By so doing, and then rotating the drill string in opposite hand to the threads of the drill string section connections, the drill string above the gripper shoes 236 can be unthreaded from the drill string section confined by the gripper shoes. Each gripper shoe 236 is provided with an outward-opening slot 240 designed to fit over the end of the adjacent gripper cylinder rod arm 234. When a gripper cylinder rod 232 is extended, bringing the associated gripper shoe out of contact with the drill string, the shoe may be pivoted away from the drill string and removed from the cylinder rod arm. Thus, the shoe is interchangeable with shoes having different gripping faces 238 or with shoes having a different width to accommodate drill string sections of various diameters.
The drill head assembly 50 comprises a drive subassembly 250, a rotary air interchange and discharge subassembly 252, and a rotary lubricating mud interchange subassembly 254. The drive subassembly 250 comprises a drive gear box 255 to which the side bearing channels 52, 54 are mounted, an axial bull gear 256 and four peripheral drive pinion gears 258 meshed with the bull gear. The pinion gears are selectively driven by individual hydraulic motors 259 mounted atop the drive gear box 255. The rotary air interchange and discharge subassembly 252 comprises a concentric configuration of air inlet and discharge swivels that enable sample-containing return air to be withdrawn axially from the drill string and pressurized operating air to be directed into an annular passage in the drill string. The subassembly 252 is mounted axially atop the drive gear box 255 and is connected to appropriate supply and return air conduits. The lubricating mud interchange subassembly 254 comprises a concentric configuration of a mud inlet swivel enabling the introduction of lubricating mud to an annular passage in the drill string while enabling supply and return air to travel therethrough. The subassembly 254 is mounted axially underneath the drive gear box 255.
A drill head adapter 260 is bolted to the underside of the lubricating mud interchange subassembly 254 and constitute the first section of the drill string assembly 262. A preferred reverse-circulation drill string assembly is shown comprising a plurality of sections that are threaded to one another commencing with the drill head adapter 260, a plurality of intermediate pipe sections 264, and concluding with a drill bit section 266. The intermediate pipe sections 264 each comprise three concentric steel pipes joined together within an steel upper coupling sleeve 268 by a spider coupler 270. The upper coupling sleeve 268 has a configuration similar to a conventional box coupling of a box and pin threaded coupling employed in conventional drill string couplings in that the upper end of the coupling sleeve 268 has a tapered inwardly-threaded box end designed to have an correspondingly-tapered male thread pin end of an adjacent drill string section threaded therein. The upper end of the outermost pipe 272 (the section casing) is welded to the end of the coupling sleeve 268 opposite the threaded box end. The lower end of the casing pipe 272 is welded to a steel lower coupling sleeve 274. The lower coupling sleeve 274 has a configuration similar to a conventional pin coupling of a box and pin threaded coupling in that its lower end, opposite to the weldment to the casing 272, has an externally-threaded pin end.
The spider coupler 270 is located below the box end of the upper coupling sleeve 268 and comprises concentric inner and outer cylindrical elements 271 and 273. Coupling sleeve 268 has an inner conical surface 276 that makes a transition from the box end to a thicker main portion 278. It is within this main portion 278 that spider coupler 279 is positioned. If the outer element 273 of spider coupler 279 is provided with an externally-threaded portion, the main sleeve portion 278 can be internally-threaded as shown to receive and locate the spider coupler. The spider coupler must be positively positioned within sleeve 268 and, to that end, the outer element 273 may be provided with an outer conical surface 280 designed to seat against the upper coupling sleeve conical surface 276. The inner element 271 of the spider coupler 270 must be positively positioned within the outer element 273 and, to that end, the inner element may be provided with an outer conical surface 282 designed to seat against an inner conical surface 284 provided in the outer element 273. The outer element 273 is counterbored to receive the upper end of an intermediate pipe 286, pipe 286 being welded to the lower end of the outer element. The inner element 271 is counterbored to receive the upper end of an inner pipe 288, pipe 288 being welded to the lower end of the inner element. The interiors of the inner and outer elements are provided with O-ring seal sets 290, 292. The seal set 290 in the outer element 273 is located above the position of the inner element 271. The seal set 292 in the inner element 271 is located above the position of the upper end of the inner pipe 288, being separated therefrom by an inner rim 294.
The pin ends of the concentric intermediate and inner pipes 286, 288 extend beyond the pipe section lower coupling sleeve 274. The intermediate pipe 286 must extend beyond the lower coupling far enough to be insertable into the adjacent outer spider element 273 into engagement with the O-ring seal set 290. The inner pipe 288 must extend beyond far enough beyond the lower coupling to be insertable into the adjacent inner spider element 271 into engagement with the O-ring seal set 292. When adjacent pin and box ends are threaded together, the bottom of the upper intermediate pipe 286 will extend into the box end coupling below and seat on the upper rim 296 of outer element 273, and the bottom of the upper inner pipe 288 will extend further into the box end coupling below and seat on the inner rim 294 of inner element 271. The tolerances between the intermediate and inner pipe ends and the pipe-receiving portions 298, 300 of the adjacent spider inner and outer elements are small enough to insure that the O-ring seal sets will make pressure-tight seals.
The lower ends of the intermediate and inner pipes in a pipe section are supported within the lower coupling sleeve by means of spacers. These spacers 306, 308 are welded to the outer periphery of the inner and intermediate pipes, respectively, and located within the confines of the lower coupling sleeve 274. The spacers contact the opposing surface across the annular space to maintain the concentric relationship of the three pipes. Consequently, the inner and intermediate pipe lower ends project unencumbered beyond the lower coupling sleeve but are fixed concentrically by the spacers. Because the spacers are attached to one surface within the annulus, the inner and intermediate pipes may contract and expand relative to the outer casing without damaging any of the interconnections between the pipes that make up a pipe section of the drill string.
The threaded peripheral surfaces of the inner and outer spider elements 271, 273 are provided with a series of longitudinal grooves 302, 304 radially spaced around the exterior of the inner and outer elements. These grooves are similar in appearance to spline grooves and provide for fluid communication longitudinally through the pipe section couplings: that is, through the annular passage between the outer casing and the intermediate pipes and through the annular passage between the intermediate pipes and the inner pipes through the pipe couplings.
If one of the inner or intermediate or outermost pipes is damaged or worn out, the spider may be disassembled and a replacement made. Consequently, a pipe section may be repaired rather than completely replaced. Oftentimes, it will be an outermost pipe, or casing, that will become damaged or worn out and require replacement. It that event, the spider may be removed from the upper coupling sleeve, with the intermediate and inner pipes attached, and simply reinserted as a complete unit into a replacement upper coupling and casing.
In a typical use of this triple-walled drill string, pressurized air would be delivered downward through annulus between the longitudinally-assembled inner and intermediate pipes, return air carrying drilled particle samples would be delivered upward through the longitudinal-assembled inner pipes, and lubricating mud would be delivered downward through the annulus between the longitudinally-assembled outer casings. The outer casing of each pipe section is provided with outlet passages 310 from the annular passage between the outer casing and the intermediate pipe. These outlet passages enable lubricating mud to vent to the outer periphery of the drill string along the pipe sections during a drilling operation. These outlet passages are preferably provided at several locations radially around the casing and may be provided in the upper coupling sleeve at the box end of each pipe section.
In the preferred embodiment of the triple-walled drill string, the bottom section, comprising the drill bit section 266, comprises an outer casing section 320, an interchanger subassembly 322, a down-the-hole hammer drive subassembly 324, and a bit subassembly 326. The bottom casing section 320 comprises a threaded box coupling as previously described at its upper end and a casing pipe welded to the box coupling and extending down into contact with the drive subassembly 326. The interchanger subassembly 322 comprises a double-walled cross-over upper section adapted to be connected to and supported by the bottom casing box coupling. The cross-over section is ported to receive pressurized air from above and transfer it into the down-the-hole hammer subassembly 324 for operating the hammer subassembly and for supplying scavenging air to the bit head. The upper portion of the interchanger subassembly 322, contained within the bottom casing box coupling, is provided with an external peripheral O-ring seal which bears against the inner periphery of the coupling as a mud seal. The bottom box coupling is provided with lubricating mud passages, as described above, located above the O-ring seal and, consequently, lubricating mud flow will be blocked by the O-ring seal and forced to pass out through the adjacent lubricating mud passages. The bottom casing pipe section is provided with external, longitudinal grooves 328 extending from the upper lubricating mud passages to a region adjacent the drive subassembly 326. At least two such grooves, 180 degrees apart, are preferably provided. These grooves 328 are in fluid communication with the upper lubricating mud passages and with lower lubricating mud passages 330 so that lubricating mud can be channeled to the bottom of the drill string for lubricating the outer casing at points adjacent the drive subassembly 326. This feature of the invention eliminates the need for providing for lubricating mud passage through the interchanger subassembly 322.
A preferred bit subassembly 326 for placer drilling comprises a scavenging air inlet 332, hammer piston striking face 333, bit shank 334, centering spider 335, and the head 336. The head 336 contains a pre-load surface 337 against which the bottom end of bottom casing pipe 320 abuts. Centering spider 335 contacts the inner wall of drive hammer subassembly casing 325 and insures that head 336 is axially centered at the end of the drill string. The pre-load surface 337 makes the transition between the bore-contacting periphery 338 of the bit head and a collar 339. The bit is mounted within the bottom end of the drive hammer casing 325 so that the end of casing 325 abuts the top of the collar 339. A portion of collar 339 remains within the casing pipe 320 at all time during a drilling operation by the working area limits on the bit shank so that the upper parts of the bit subassembly are isolated from the bore hole. Consequently, no lubricating mud or other contaminants can gain access to the inner portions of the bit subassembly from the periphery of the bit. Therefore, the entrained sample cuttings will provide a true sample of the geological structure through which the bore hole was made.
A preferred bit head 336 is provided with internal scavenging air passages 340 leading from the interior part of the bit subassembly, that is in air communication with the drive hammer subassembly, to the bottom cutting face 341 of the bit head for flushing the face of the bit head and entraining sample cuttings from the bottom of the bore hole. The bit head 336 is also provided with internal return air passages 342 leading from the cutting face 342 through the bit head 336 to open into the annulus between the hammer subassembly casing 325 and drill string bottom casing pipe 320 for transfer of the entrained sample cuttings away from the drill bit head. These entrained cuttings travel upward along the exterior of the hammer subassembly casing 325, and inside of the drill string bottom section casing 320, and pass into the cross-over of the interchanger subassembly 322. From within the cross-over, the entrained sample cuttings travel axially upward through the inner pipes 288 of the drill string sections and finally through the drill head assembly 50 and out into a collecting tank where the entraining air and the sample cuttings are separated. The bit head 336 is designed so that sample cuttings must pass upward through the bit head into the annulus between the bottom section casing 320 and the exterior of the drive hammer subassembly casing 325. The sliding fit between the upper part of the collar 339 ensures that no contaminating material from the bore hole can gain access to the entraining air stream as it carries sample cuttings upward for collection.
The preferred embodiment of this system is capable of drilling to 3000 feet, has a drill head torque of 20,000 ft-lbs. and a draw works lifting power of 88,000 lbs. The drill mast turntable can be mounted on truck (FIG. 1), track frame (FIG. 2) or other types of carriers. The mast will turn 90 degrees-to-carrier on both sides and, with the mast trunnion and slide assembly, will allow positioning to all positions at side or rear of carrier. The drill mast transports laying down over the turn table. With the hydraulic mast extension and the telescoping extension on the turn table, any angle hole can be drilled without a drill pad. No drill pad is needed with this system. A three-way operator's control console may be mounted to the mast if desired. The drill head with gear reduction can be set up with two to eight high performance hydraulic motors for varied applications and with a variable speed rotation control located on the operator's console. For example, up to four additional motors could be mounted to the underside of the drill head gear box 255 to drive the pinion gears to provide added torque up to 35,000-40,000 ft-lbs. In addition, a speed increaser gear box could also be mounted to the underside of the gear box 255, there being sufficient power to drive the drill string through the speed increaser. Thus, with the present system, a drilling setup requiring only 30 rpm drilling speed could be easily converted to a setup requiring a 600 rpm drilling speed.
In the course of operation, the drilling rig of this invention would be transported to a drilling site and roughly positioned at the desired point of drilling. Through appropriate rotation of the turntable and inner/outer positioning of the mast-turntable extension, the drilling mast can be directed to the exact location required. It may be the case that the drilling mast must be angled to become properly directed and, in such a case, the mast trunnion can rotate the mast to the desired skewed position, and the mast extension can pivot the drilling mast from the FIG. 2 position to a FIG. 3-like position so that the drilling mast can thereby be positioned in like manner to that shown in FIG. 1, to a variety of compound-angled positions however conditions require. Thus, the drilling mast can be shifted in and out, pivoted from vertical, and skewed to a compound angle, all without moving the carrier. When the mast is properly located at the point of desired drilling, the mast in then shifted down into contact with the ground for the commencement of drilling.
Depending on surface conditions, the bottom of the drilling mast may be positioned to bear against a timber or other support to stabilize its location with respect to the drilling hole's surface entry. An inner bearing plate 37 is provided at the bottom of the drill mast frame side beams 30,32 for this purpose. This would be useful when time comes for pulling the drilling string from the bore hole.
While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described herein, variations in the design may be made. The scope of the invention, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appended hereto.
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The drilling system of this invention provides a drill mast mounted on a turntable. The turntable may be mounted on any type of undercarriage or carrier. The drill mast can be positioned around the perimeter of the turntable, it can be positioned near to, or away from, the turntable. The drill mast is carried on a trunnion mounting and can be oriented along Y and Z axis' with respect to the turntable X axis for drilling angle holes. A pipe joint breaker assembly is provided adjacent the lower end of the drilling mast. This assembly can accommodate different size pipe diameters. The drilling systems of this invention is specially adapted to reverse-circulation sample drilling employing a down-the-hole hammer drill. The drilling head configuration provides for simultaneous feeding into a multi-walled drill string of drilling mud, compressed air into the drill string to operate the hammer drill and to feed the hammer drill bit head, and withdrawing of sample-containing return air. The system includes a triple-walled, reverse-circulation drill rod especially adapted for down-the-hole hammer drilling that eliminates the need for a separate drive casing string.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein relates to digital electrophotographic imaging systems and in particular to selenium based photoreceptors used for digital as well as conventional dry powder imaging.
The prior art includes the following:
W. D. Fender, "Quantification of the Xeroradiographic Discharge Curve," SPIE Vol. 70, 1975, 364. Chlorine and arsenic doped amorphous selenium photoreceptors are disclosed having a thickness of 120 to 300 microns. The x-ray photogeneration constant and relationship of charging potential to photogenerated charge signal are measured and quantified. In reference to this invention, the paper shows that the photogenerated charge signal is directly proportional to the internal field or charging potential (for a given selenium thickness) that the photoreceptor can sustain without exhibiting excessive artifact levels.
W. Hillen et al., "Imaging Performance of a Selenium Based Detector for High-Resolution Radiography," SPIE Med. Imaging III, 1989 and "A Selenium Based Detector System for Digital Slot Radiography," SPIE Vol. 914, Medical Imaging II, 1988. A selenium drum x-ray fan-scanning ganged detector readout system is described. The x-ray source slit may increase tube loading and exposure times to excessive levels. Coupling of the two scanning slits and drum synchronization over the object or patient may be awkward due to the possible interference of these various members.
D. M. Korn et al., "A Method of Electronic Readout of Electrophotographic and Electroradiographic Images," JAPE, Vol. 4, No. 4, Fall, 1978. An amorphous selenium photoconductor fashioned in a strip electrode configuration and associated electronic readout are described. The system is on an opaque substrate and is designed for front exposure and readout. The proposed device may not have the resolution capability needed for mammography due to the embedded strip configuration. Further, processes which allow high charging and prevention of artifacts and crystallization are not discussed.
U. Schiebel, "Image Quality in Selenium Based Digital Radiography," SPIE vol. 626, Medicine XIV, PACS IV, 1986. A front surface exposure, strip-electrode probe front surface reading system is described utilizing a conventional selenium receptor. No provisions are made for back surface access, minimization of crystallization nor for high charging fields and the ensuing increase in sensitivity and charge signal.
R. C. Speiser et al., "Dose Comparisons for Mammographic Systems," Med. Phys. 13(5), September/October, 1986, 667. A selenium photoreceptor is disclosed and x-ray sensitivity is discussed and compared with film screen mammographic imaging.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,844 to Finn Jr. et al., an ionographic gaseous x-ray receptor scanning system is disclosed which utilizes embedded electrode strips for image readout. Ionographic systems require a large thick-walled somewhat bulky design due to the need to pressurize the ionographic gas. The embedded electrode strips may not provide the resolution needed for x-ray mammography.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,327 to Swank et al., a charge readout device utilizing a receptor of transparent layers of strips in such a manner as to minimize the series capacitance in parallel with the output signal. Little is said about the photoconductive x-ray sensitive material or about how such a device would be manufactured. Again, resolution may be limited by the strip spacing.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,457 to Ciuffini, a method for producing a flexible photoreceptor is disclosed wherein the photoreceptor comprises a selenium alloy layer containing a concentration gradient of arsenic. The thickness of the alloy layer deposited in the working examples was about 60 microns, a typical thickness for line copier receptors and is below the 100 to 400 micron thickness needed for x-ray imaging. The photoreceptor of Ciuffini can contain high levels of arsenic which can cause reticulation, a chronic failure mode of thermally relaxed selenium x-ray photoreceptors not having correctly configured arsenic profiles.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,671 to Kassel et al., an electrophotographic recording material is disclosed comprising a layer of amorphous selenium and a layer of crystalline selenium. The device consists of an opaque electrically conductive substrate upon which is vapor deposited a thin layer of tellurium. A layer of crystalline selenium is deposited on the tellurium followed by a layer of amorphous selenium on the crystalline selenium layer. The photoreceptor of Kassel et al., is designed for monopolar transport on an opaque substrate and is not configured for image scanning from the back surface.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,808 to Ong et al., an image scanning apparatus is disclosed for obtaining a radiographic image. The photoreceptor is a standard Xerox 125 selenium plate with a Mylar top surface transparent electrode added. The device x-ray images through the 0.080 inch aluminum substrate which significantly increases the radiographic patient dose and renders the unit impractical for mammography. Laser scanning is performed from the top side through the added Mylar electrode which is used for image readout.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,965 to Fender et al., a state-of-the-art one hundred and fifty micron thick photoreceptor is described in Example I, while an improved thick, high-sensitivity 320 micron photoreceptor is described in Example II. The examples and claims do not, however, include a transparent substrate for digital scanning nor is a multilayered configuration having a fractionated arsenic profile disclosed, other than requiring the top surface arsenic level not exceed 2% to prevent the reticulation artifact, a catastrophic wrinkling of the top surface.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,209 to Rowlands et al., an x-ray image-scanning system is disclosed which utilizes a standard flat selenium photoreceptor having a movable transparent slit sensor electrode through which a traversing light beam discharges the photoreceptor in a raster pattern after x-ray exposure. One function of the moving slit electrode is to minimize the coupling capacitance in parallel with the sensed signal charge. The disclosure does not teach a transparent substrate nor does it specify arsenic profiling at either of the interfaces to minimize artifacts, increase life, charging potential or image contrast.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,661 to Fender et al., a precharging process step is described for the x-ray selenium photoreceptor used in Xeromammography which removes a critical artifact called x-ray fatigue. The interface crystalline origin of the fatigue artifact and its role in injecting spurious charge into the photoreceptor is also shown in detail. The disclosure does not teach an arsenic profile at the interface which would eliminate the microcrystallites and the fatigue artifact they produce.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a selenium alloy electrophotographic imaging member having either an optically transparent NESA coated substrate or a conventional aluminum substrate, comprised of an arsenic-chlorine doped x-ray and light sensitive bulk layer of 100 to 400 microns in thickness. Said bulk layer shall have a fractionated arsenic rich layer at the surface not to exceed 10 microns in thickness having a bulk concentration of arsenic of 0.1 to 0.6 percent by weight nor to exceed 4 percent in top surface arsenic concentration. Further, said bulk layer shall be interposed between two arsenic rich protective layers, one on the top surface and the other on the opposite side contiguous with the substrate, either protective layer having a thickness of 0.05 to 5 microns.
The x-ray image is formed from the side of the photoreceptor opposite the transparent substrate and then is scanned from the back side through the transparent substrate with a fine beam of light, the position of which is precisely monitored. Said scanning light beam may be a gas laser such as Helium-Neon, Argon or dye laser or could be an aluminum doped gallium arsenide laser or diode array. The beam positioning and monitoring may be controlled by angulated or polygon mirrors, flexible fiber optics or through multiaxis translation as in the case of a laser diode array. The ensuing discharge from the aforementioned light beam is detected by a non-contacting x-ray transparent electrode located on the outer side of the photoreceptor, away from the substrate which reads the discharge signal through capacitive coupling, pixel by pixel, according to the position of the light beam, to form a high resolution raster pattern digital readout of the image suitable for digital processing, enhancement, hard copy generation and CRT monitor display.
In the past, selenium x-ray photoreceptors have been degraded by crystallization related artifacts due to a deficiency in arsenic which is required to yield low dark decay and a maximum x-ray sensitivity. In this invention, increased concentrations of arsenic are placed where they will be the most effective, at the substrate interface and at the top surface. One of the added benefits of correct arsenic placement, in addition to reduced crystallization related artifacts, is longer photoreceptor life and an increase in the allowed charging potential which results in greater x-ray sensitivity and image quality. The invention, therefore, is a durable, longer-life, increased sensitivity, multilayered x-ray selenium photoreceptor deposited on an optically transparent substrate described in the context of a high resolution image scanner.
A major advantage of the invention is to provide access to the photoreceptor from both sides for x-ray exposure, light beam discharge scanning and sensing of the discharge magnitude on a pixel by pixel basis. Typically, scanning systems proposed to date exhibit high dose due to x-ray exposure through a heavily attenuating aluminum substrate or are awkward and mechanically complex from various mechanisms needed to discharge and simultaneously read the discharge signal from the top surface.
Further, photoreceptor durability and resistance to crystallization and the various associated artifacts have imposed serious constraints on digital and conventionally-developed systems from the viewpoints of both cost and design. The device described herein overcomes these limitations through the use of an optimally configured arsenic fractionated layer at the surface of the bulk deposited selenium and through the use of high arsenic protective layers above and below said bulk layer. The result of this invention is a practical system configuration for achieving high resolution digital mammography or radiography with a longer life, artifact-resistant photoreceptor capable of sustaining greater internal fields associated with increased charging potentials resulting in greater x-ray sensitivity and improved image quality.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an electrophotographic digitized x-ray image scanning system which overcomes the problems encountered with electrophotographic digitized image scanning systems of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a digitized x-ray scanning system which allows x-ray exposure and subsequent reading from the top side of the photoreceptor while light-beam discharge-scanning is performed from the substrate side of the photoreceptor.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved amorphous selenium x-ray photoreceptor which overcomes problems encountered with amorphous x-ray selenium photoreceptors of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an amorphous selenium photoreceptor having either an optically transparent substrate to allow discharge of said photoreceptor from the rear through the transparent substrate or a conventional aluminum substrate like that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,965.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an amorphous selenium photoreceptor which minimizes localized selenium crystallization at the top surface and at the substrate interface and minimizes artifacts associated with said crystallization such as x-ray fatigue.
It is a further object of the present invention to specify a vacuum coating process which will provide the arsenic gradients at the top surface and at the substrate interface which are needed to retard the formation of localized crystallization sites and the resultant artifacts associated with said crystallites such as x-ray fatigue. Moreover, the top surface arsenic profile will be specified in such a way that reticulation, a catastrophic wrinkling of the top surface caused by excessive arsenic levels, will be avoided.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a more x-ray sensitive photoreceptor which results from the better interface protection provided by the increased arsenic concentrations present at the top surface and substrate interfaces thereby allowing higher photoreceptor charging potentials to be used. The increased photogeneration provided by higher charging levels has an added benefit of providing greater charge contrast which results in improved image contrast and better visualization of image detail.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a longer-life photoreceptor which can withstand the rigors of the thermal relaxation process typically used to remove the prior residual image from the photoreceptor. Because x-ray photoreceptors typically last only a few hundred cycles, the improvement in cycle life provided by this invention would lower the cost to the customer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an increased photoreceptor yield in the manufacturing process through a reduction in surface and substrate interface crystallization artifacts and the defect sites that result from such crystallites.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a means for stripping and recoating the organic overcoating, when the need occasionally arises, without the use of a separate stripping operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the digital scanner and photoreceptor.
FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the photoreceptor shown in greater detail.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The amorphous x-ray selenium photoreceptor of this invention utilizes a transparent substrate over which is formed an optically-transparent electrically-conductive electrode such as NESA, tin oxide. To minimize selenium crystallization and crystallization related artifacts, hitherto a major problem in photoreceptors of this type, the photoreceptor arsenic profile is configured at the top surface facing away from the substrate and at the interface adjacent to the substrate in such a manner as to minimize the formation of selenium crystallites and concomitant artifacts such as x-ray fatigue. The aforementioned arsenic profiling is accomplished through two distinct methods. First, the high arsenic layers at the substrate interface and at the top surface are applied through evaporation of a separate high arsenic containing alloy evaporated from small crucible strings in the vacuum coater which are separate from the primary array. Secondly, due to the tendency for arsenic to fractionate within the selenium arsenic melt, the top surface arsenic layer which results due to fractionation is tailored to a thickness range and to a maximum and a minimum top surface concentration range of 1.5 to 2.5 percent as measured with secondary ion mass spectometry, SIMS.
Above the photoreceptor is a conductive electrode which may be either contacting or non-contacting with respect to the photoreceptor surface. The electrode may be a thin sheet of aluminized Mylar so as to provide a light seal for the underlying photoactive charged selenium layer and so as to provide minimal attenuation of a low photon energy mammographic x-ray beam. The electrode is connected to a high-gain, low-noise electronic preamplifier.
Below the photoreceptor, on the side facing the transparent substrate, is an optical scanning system which may consist of a focused gas laser light source or a solid state laser diode array light source which scans the photoreceptor in a raster grid pattern through the transparent back surface. The laser or non-coherent light source may be pulsed to aid in quantizing the pixel elements of the image or it may operate continuously. The location and position of the finely focused light source is precisely controlled through the use of stepper motors or through the use of optical encoders.
As the previously charged and x-ray exposed photoreceptor is scanned from the back surface with said light beam, the residual signal resulting from the complete discharge of the photoreceptor is sensed by the top surface electrode and preamplifier so that a residual signal level is sensed for each known position of discharge on the photoreceptor thus forming a pixel map of the image suitable for digital storage and computer manipulation and enhancement as required by the needs of the customer.
This invention is based on an amorphous selenium photoreceptor based x-ray imaging system capable of producing a raster-scanned image suitable for digital processing, hard copy generation and video display. Both FIGS. 1 and 2 show the photoreceptor in cross sectional view and are distorted in scale so that the critical elements of the invention may be seen more clearly.
The system, shown in FIG. 1, functions in the following manner: The amorphous selenium photoreceptor (1) is charged to a uniform potential between 7 and 14 volts per micron as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,965. The entire disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference. An x-ray object or patient (2) is interposed between an x-ray source (3) and the charged photoreceptor. An x-ray transparent electrode (4) such as aluminized Mylar is either in contact with or just above the photoreceptor surface. The x-ray is made in the usual manner and the patient is released. The back side of the photoreceptor is then scanned through the transparent substrate in a raster pattern with a focused light source such as a solid state or a gas laser (5) using a polygon or rotating mirror (6) to discharge the residual image potential remaining on the photoreceptor.
The laser or incoherent light source may operate in either a pulsed or a continuous mode. The position of the scanning light beam (7) is precisely known from a stepper motor drive or an optical encoder angle position sensor system. The discharge from the light beam is sensed by the top surface aluminized mylar electrode (4) and is amplified by the preamplifier (8). This preamplified image signal and the position signals from the encoder position sensors are input to the computer (9) serially throughout the raster scan duration. The digitized image information may be enhanced with the appropriate algorithm desired by the operator and displayed on the high resolution CRT monitor (10).
The photoreceptor, shown in FIG. 2, consists of either a transparent substrate (11), as in the case of the image scanner described herein, or may be a conventional aluminum substrate as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,965. The transparent substrate (11) would be coated with a NESA tin oxide interface (12) to a resistivity of 100 to 10,000 ohms per square. The NESA coated substrate is cleaned with a suitable cleaning agent such as deionized water and is mounted in a mask assembly which is placed on the vacuum coater rotating mandril assembly. The described transparent substrate is of greatest value in digital imaging; however, it could be used in a conventional powder or liquid development system as well, in place of the standard aluminum substrate. Similarly, the following photoreceptor improvements and features exemplify the optimal configuration for a digital x-ray imaging photoreceptor and for a conventional aluminum substrate photoreceptor as well. The photoreceptor related portion of this invention therefore applies to conventional powder or liquid development as well as to digital imaging using either a transparent or a conventional aluminum substrate.
After heating the mandril mounted substrate with a glow discharge cycle to a minimum temperature of about 85° C. (185° F.) an interface layer (13) of 1 to 24 percent arsenic selenium is evaporated to a thickness of 0.1 to 5 microns. The purpose of said high arsenic interface layer is to retard crystallite formation at the interface and to thereby avoid such interface crystallite caused artifacts as x-ray fatigue as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,661.
The aforesaid interface layer is followed by a vacuum deposition of the bulk layer (1) of amorphous selenium as described in the six examples of U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,965. The evaporation cycle and ensuing arsenic fractionation which, if carried to completion, could result in an excessive level of top surface arsenic, is cut off at a precise point to allow just enough arsenic to harden the photoreceptor surface against crystallization but not so much as to result in a catastrophic reticulation failure mode which is a wrinkling of the top surface.
The top surface arsenic profile (14) and concentration that has been found most suitable with respect to the aforesaid tradeoff between crystallization minimization and reticulation is one which ramps approximately linearly from the bulk concentration of about 0.3 percent by weight to a top surface arsenic concentration of, typically, 1 to 4 percent, and ideally, 1.5 to 2.5 percent over a depth of 3 to 10 microns. Arsenic concentration is measured with a secondary ion mass spectrometer, SIMS, using an O 16 oxygen primary beam of 80 to 90 nanoamperes at an accelerating potential of 12.5 KV.
A thin top surface layer of up to 24% but preferably 1 to 3 percent arsenic (15) is applied from a third small crucible string to a thickness of 8 to 5 microns but preferably of 0.2 to 2 microns at a crucible evaporation temperature of 315° C. (600° F.) to 371° C. (700° F.). This evaporation, as in the case of the interface protective layer, is performed rapidly and proceeds to completion in a matter of seconds, unlike the previously described much thicker bulk layer (1). The purpose of this third and final high arsenic surface layer is to provide additional protection against top surface crystallization typically induced by a thermal relaxation step used to remove the prior residual image. This final layer of high arsenic selenium also protects against the abrasive action of a photoreceptor cleaning step, as in the case of brush cleaning in a conventional dry powder imaging process.
An organic cyclohexanone solvent based overcoating (16) is applied under clean-room conditions according to the procedure outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,965, again to provide added top surface protection from chemical as well as thermal and mechanically induced crystallization.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto, rather those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications may be made therein which are within the scope of the invention and within the scope of the claims.
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A selenium alloy electrophotographic imaging member having an optically transparent NESA coated substrate. An x-ray image is formed from the side of the photoreceptor opposite the transparent substrate and then is scanned from the back side through the transparent substrate with a fine beam of light, the position of which is precisely monitored. The ensuing discharge from the light beam is detected by a non-contacting x-ray transparent electrode located on the outer side of the photoreceptor, away from the substrate, which reads the discharge signal through capacitive coupling, pixel by pixel, according to the position of the light beam, to form a high resolution raster pattern digital readout of the image.
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BACKGROUND
Household clothes dryers are typically vented through an exterior wall. The exterior opening is in turn generally covered by a hood or flaps. This prevents water from entering through the opening. Two problems that are typically encountered with dryer vents are lint build-up and bird and rodent ingress into the opening. Birds frequently will set up nests in the opening which in turn blocks the openings. Various guards and grills have been used to prevent this. Unfortunately these tend to accumulate lint which must be removed in order to ensure proper air flow. Both of these problems are even more significant when the vents are mounted above ground level and one does not have easy access to the dryer vent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is premised on the realization that a dryer vent which prevents rodents and birds from entering the opening and does not build up lint can be provided by incorporating a moving or rotating object in the air path which is caused to move or rotate by the exhaust air from the dryer.
Further, the present invention utilizes a flap which is opened in response to this moving air. The flap has an outer edge which is recessed or protected to prevent a bird or rodent from grasping the edge of the flap, opening it and permitting access.
The objects and advantages of the present invention will be further appreciated in light of the following detailed description and drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken at lines 2 — 2 of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vent shown in FIG. 1 partially in phantom and partially broken away.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention is a dryer vent 10 having a front hood portion 12 and a rear circular edge 16 which defines a circular opening 18 . The hood is designed to face the exterior of a building and the edge 16 is extended through an opening (not shown) in the building. Between the hood portion 12 and the edge portion 16 is a plate portion 20 which defines opening 18 .
Plate 20 includes an exterior flange 22 which provides a method to attach the vent 10 to the side 21 of a house. As shown, the edge 22 includes a plurality of nail holes 24 . Surrounding the opening on the outwardly facing side of plate 20 is a circular lip 26 which encircles at least the lower portion of the opening 18 . As shown, lip 26 extends from a left side 28 of hinge 34 to the right side 30 .
The vent further includes a circular flap 32 which attaches to the main plate 20 at hinge structure 34 . This allows the flap 32 to rotate in the direction of arrow 36 .
Flap 32 further includes a peripheral edge 48 which has a depth less than or equal to the depth of lip 26 . Thus when the flap is closed, its outboard edge is protected by lip 26 . In other words, lip 26 provides a portion of the plate that extends to the outer edge 48 of flap 32 or further preventing birds from grasping the edge 48 of the flap and opening it when the dryer is not in use.
First and second tabs 38 and 40 extend from a lower extension portion 42 of plate 20 outwardly towards hood 12 . A shaft 44 runs between tabs 38 and 40 . As shown in FIG. 1, a paddlewheel fan blade 46 is rotably attached to shaft 44 permitting it to rotate freely. Alternatively, shaft 44 could be mounted to the side walls of the hood.
To install the vent of the present invention, the rear edge 16 is attached to a conduit not shown which in turn is attached to the dryer exhaust. This tube can snap fit between edge 16 and lip 54 holding it in position. Nails or screws can be inserted through holes 24 holding the vent in position on the side 21 of the house.
When the dryer is hooked up to this device, hot air will blow outwardly forcing the flap 32 to rotate in the direction of arrow 36 allowing the air to exhaust outwardly. This will also cause paddlewheel 46 to rotate which in turn will frighten rodents and birds, keeping them from attempting to enter the exhaust vent when the dryer is running.
When the dryer is no longer operating, the flap 32 will fall back to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 sealing the opening. Since the outer edge 48 of the lower portion of flap 32 is coterminous or even recessed within plate 20 (i.e., protected by lip 26 ), birds and rodents cannot easily grasp the edge 48 to open it and in fact would most likely attempt to pull on edge 26 to open the flap 32 . The upper portion of the flap 32 (although shown concealed) does not necessarily have to be protected as the rodents and birds cannot easily grasp the upper portion. However it is preferred to have this protective lip 26 extend substantially around the flap up to the hinge portion. The lip 26 can be removed and the flap 32 can simply be recessed in plate 20 .
Since the fan wheel 46 can rotate easily, the flap 32 can open and engage the fan wheel 46 . Further, when the exhaust through the vent is discontinued, the fan wheel will allow the flap 32 to close.
FIG. 4 shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Since the purpose of the invention is simply to maintain something in rotation in the open portion of the vent to deter rodents and birds from entering, this utilizes an alternate moving structure specifically this is a fan blade 60 rotably attached to a central shaft 62 which is in turn fixed to shaft 44 as shown in FIG. 3 . Since both fan blades 46 and 60 rotate when the exhaust is blowing through the vent, lint does not tend to build up on the structures. Thus, even though they are directly in the air path, they do not accumulate lint.
Although it is preferred to incorporate both a rotatable object and a protected flap edge in the vent, either of these features will independently deter rodents and birds from entering the exhaust opening 18 . Further, other movable structures other than the paddlewheel and fan blade shown in the Figures can be used to provide the same benefit as long as they are designed to move continuously in response to the air flow and preferably rotate in response to the air flow.
This has been a description of the present invention along with the preferred method of practicing the invention, however, the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims wherein we claim.
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A dryer vent designed to prevent bird and rodent ingress through the vent and further to prevent lint build-up includes a flap which has an edge portion recessed within the main body of the vent preventing birds and rodents from grasping the flap and opening it. Further, the dryer vent includes a rotating member such as a paddlewheel or a fan blade which rotates in response to air flowing through the vent thereby frightening birds and rodents.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to shuttleless weaving looms and more particularly to a mechanism for selecting a weft to be inserted into a shed of warps among a plurality of weft yarns with which is obtained a variegated weft pattern and feeding the selected weft to the weft insertion device by a predetermined length.
In general, the weft feeding mechanism is provided by two frictionally engageable rollers for each of plural weft yarns, one of which, referred to as a feed roller, is driven from any convenient loom shaft. The other, pressure roller is selectively brought into and out of pressure engagement with the feed roller by an appropriate weft selector means in accordance with weft pattern signals carried on a weft pattern card arrangement. In response to a weft pattern signal representing insertion of any weft, the corresponding pressure roller is pressed against the feed roller to grip the weft together with the feed roller, thus driving the measured length of the weft to a weft storage means, which weft is then fed to the weft insertion device. In the absence of this signal, the pressure roller is separated from the feed roller; the weft is released and remains still on the feed roller.
In this type of feed mechanism, rotation of the pressure roller is slowed down or stops in its inoperative position where it is separated from the feed roller. When the pressure roller is again brought into contact with the feed roller, there will thus be a relatively great peripheral speed difference between the two rollers. It follows that the weft yarn rubs against the outer surfaces of both rollers rotating at different speeds, resulting in breakage of thread or fray of filaments in case of a filament yarn. This of course objectionably influences the quality of a cloth woven in the loom with this mechanism.
Several proposals are so far made to avoid or alleviate this inconvenience in the weft feeding mechanism. One example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,599 filed Oct. 1, 1973 under Ser. No. 402, 276 by Thomas Blackburn Mawdsley et al, in which the two shafts respectively carrying the rollers also carry thereon two pinions concentrically with the rollers. At the position of maximum separation of the rollers, the pinions remain in mesh with each other. In this prior art, accordingly, both rollers can be driven continuously whether supplying weft yarn or not to the storage element.
According to another known example, two pressure rollers are provided on a common shaft, one of which engages with the feed roller while the other is separated from the same. The pressure roller separated from the feed roller is positively driven from the other pressure roller in engagement with the feed roller via a drive transfer means in the form of a pair of rollers engaging respectively the pressure rollers. Thus the pressure roller in the inoperative position can be constantly rotated generally at the same peripheral speed as the pressure roller directly driven by the feed roller.
However, these two examples and others were found impractical for some reasons. For instance, in the first-mentioned example, the pressure roller is driven by the feed roller not directly but by way of the pinions also in its operative position engaging the feed roller. Hence, it is difficult to maintain exactly the same peripheral speed of the two rollers without highly precisely manufactured pinions and rollers. Wear of the rubber-coated outer surfaces of the rollers will accelerate the speed difference thus resulted between the two rollers. Also, an increased bulk and mounting space is taken, particularly in the latter example, for mounting the two pressure rollers and correspondingly two drive transfer rollers. Also the drive transfer member mounted above the pressure rollers will be a bar to handling the thread by the loom operator in the neighbourhood of the feed mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide an improved weft selecting and feeding mechanism of the afore described character which feeds the selected weft yarn to the warp shed without the defects as mentioned above for preparing a cloth of excellent quality.
Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and compact drive transfer means for a weft feeding mechanism of the aforedescribed character, via which the drive of a feed roller is transmitted to a pressure roller in a position separated from the feed roller for rotation generally at the same peripheral speed as in its operative position engaging the feed roller.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved weft feeding mechanism of the aforedescribed character which comprises, besides pressure roller and feed roller, a third roller adapted to be brought into pressure engagement with the feed roller in cooperation with separation of the pressure roller from the feed roller and a gearing for drive-transmitting connection between the pressure roller and third roller.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved selective control mechanism for a weft feed mechanism of the aforedescribed character which accurately controls motion of the pressure roller and another roller with respect to the feed roller in dependence on the corresponding weft pattern signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the following explanation of a preferred embodiment of the invention proceeds, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like and similar parts throughout several figures and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a weft feed mechanism according to a single preferred embodiment of the invention with a pressure roller in the operative position;
FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line II--II of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an elevation viewed in the direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the pressure roller in the inoperative position; and
FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line V--V of FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Represented by 10 is a weft feed roller of a relatively large diameter, which is at its boss 12 fastened or screwed to a rotary shaft 14 driven from any convenient loom shaft (not shown) for rotation in synchronism with weaving cycle of loom.
An angled lever 20 is at its elbow rockably mounted on a fixed shaft 22 provided in parallel with the rotary shaft 14. Another angled lever 24 which is located oppositely to the aforementioned lever 20 abuts at its one end 24a against the adjacent end 20a of the angled lever 20. The two levers 20, 24 in rest position are thus generally in alignment with each other with their arms 26, 28 oppositely directed as illustrated in FIG. 1. As best seen in FIG. 3, the two levers 20, 24 are joined together in a manner that a projection 20b formed at the end 20a of the lever 20 is gripped by a fork 24b at the end 24a of the lever 24 and is transversely passed by a pivot pin 30 together with the fork 24b. Above this joint portion in FIG. 1, the two levers 20, 24 are respectively formed with lugs 20c, 24c which are bridged by tension spring 32. The spring 32 thus biases the lever 24 in counter-clockwise direction in FIG. 1 so that the two levers may swing bodily together in close contact with each other. On the other hand, the levers are able to limitedly pivotally displace relative to each other about the pivot pin 30 against the spring 32, as will be later explained.
The carrier arm 28 depends generally at right angle from the lever 24 and extends in parallel with the roller 10 at a certain axial distance therefrom inwardly beyond the outer periphery of the roller 10. Carried by the carrier arm 28 are two spindles 34, 36 fastened to the top and bottom ends thereof. Relative position of the feed roller 10 and the spindles is therefore such that a brim 10a of the feed roller is disposed intermediate between the spindles 34 and 36 as seen in FIG. 2. The pressure roller 40 is mounted on the upper spindle 34 freely rotatably by means of two ball type bearings or the like 42, 44. Represented by 46 are spacers for providing spaces respectively between the two bearings 42, 44 and between the bearing 44 and carrier arm 28.
The outer surface 40a of the pressure roller 40 engageably faces the feed roller 10 and is wrapped by a rubber ring 48 providing an operating friction surface when engaged with the feed roller 10. The axial end of the roller 40 outside of the feed roller 10 is integrally formed with a pinion or gear 50 for the purpose that will be apparent later. FIG. 1 illustrates that the pressure roller 40 is in pressure engagement with the feed roller 10 so that the weft yarn 16 delivered from a source of weft (not shown) through a guide 52 is gripped between and driven by the two rollers 10, 40 to reach a tubular guide 54 of a weft storage tube 56.
Also the lower spindle 36 rotatably carries a roller 60. Specifically, the roller 60 is mounted on a bushing 62 onto which the spindle 36 is pressed. An end of the spindle 36 is fastened to the carrier arm 28 by a nut via a spacer 64. The outer surface 60a of the roller is encircled by a rubber ring 66 and is engageable opposite to the inner surface of the brim 10a. The axial end of the roller 60 outside of the feed roller 10 is also formed with pinion 68 which is in constant mesh with the pinion 50 on the pressure roller. Gear ratio of the pinions 50, 68 is so determined that the peripheral velocity of the pressure roller 40 in the inoperative position where the roller 60 engages the roller 10 is substantially equal to the peripheral velocity of the feed roller 10.
The angled lever 20 is biased in clockwise direction in FIG. 1 about the fixed shaft 22 by means of a spring 70 which is borne at one end by a pin 72 planted on the lever 20 and at the other fixed to a stationary part 74 of the mechanism. The end of the lever 20 opposite to the end 20a is further formed with a fixed stud 80 on which a link rod 82 is pivotally mounted. The other end of the link rod 82 is also pivotally mounted on a pin 84 planted on the intermediate portion of a cam lever 86 that will be further mentioned.
Indicated by numeral 90 is a cam rotatably mounted on a fixed cam shaft 92. The cam 90 has a raised surface 90a and a lowered surface 90b of the shape as illustrated. A sprocket wheel 94 is mounted on the cam shaft 92 concentrically and integrally with the cam 90 so that the cam 90 and the sprocket wheel 94 rotate together. Around the sprocket wheel is wrapped a chain 96, one end of which is retained by a spring 98 hung on a fixed pin 99. The other end of the chain 96 is connected, for instance, with a shedding lever 102 of a dobby mechanism 100 that will be explained later by means of a rope or cable 104.
Engageable with the cam 90 is a circular cam follower 87 carried by the cam lever 86 which is rockably mounted on a fixed cam lever shaft 85. The cam lever 86 is constantly biased in counter-clockwise direction in FIG. 1 by means of a spring 97 having one end hung on a pin 95 fastened to the cam lever and the other end hung on the pin 99 together with spring 98.
Camming action of the cam 90 and follower 87 thus causes rocking movement of the cam lever 86, which is transferred to the angled lever 20 via link rod 82 for swinging movement of the lever 20. It would be readily seen that the swinging movement of the lever 20 together with the lever 24 results in limited reciprocal motion of the carrier arm 28.
The dobby mechanism 100 is of the known type which is provided with a pattern card arrangement 106 carrying the desired weft pattern signals, in accordance with which shedding motion is controlled. As usual, multiple shedding levers are provided, one for each heald (not shown), to be able to form a number of warp sheds corresponding to variegated and complicated weft patterns. Usual weaving operation, however, seldom employs all of the shedding levers and some of the levers remain unused in most cases. In the illustrated embodiment, the extra shedding levers 102 which are not in use for shedding operation are exploited to control the operation of the weft feed mechanism. That is, the ropes 104 for driving the chain 96 and therefore the sprocket wheels 94 are connected with the extra shedding levers as previously described.
The feed mechanism constructed as above operates in a manner hereinafter described. As weft pattern signal selected by the pattern card arrangement indicates feeding of the weft 16 in FIGS. 1 and 4, the shedding lever 102 swings in clockwise direction in the drawings thus withdrawing the rope 104. The chain 96 is then pulled up against the spring 98, whereupon the sprocket wheel 94 and therefore the cam 90 rotate in clockwise direction. The cam then at its lowered surface 90b engages the cam follower 87 as shown in FIG. 1. The cam lever 86 is thus rotated about the shaft 85 in counter-clockwise direction. This angular movement of the cam lever 86 is transferred to the angled lever 20 by way of the link rod 82 and causes the angled lever 20 to swing in clockwise direction about the fixed shaft 22 with the aid of the spring 70. The angled lever 24 is kept abutting at its end face against the corresponding end of the angled lever 20 by the action of the spring 32 so that both levers bodily swing in clockwise direction. It follows that the rubber ring 48 of the pressure roller 40 in the operative position is pressed against the feed roller 10.
The weft yarn 16 gripped between the rubber ring 48 and the outer surface of the feed roller 10 is driven by a suitably measured length and is delivered to the storage tube 56 through the tubular guide 54. When the stored weft yarn reaches a predetermined length, the weft yarn is inserted into the selected shed by means of the non-illustrated weft insertion device.
The roller 60 is in this instance away from the inner surface of the roller 10 and is driven from the pressure roller 40 through the pinions 50 and 68.
Subsequent length of the same weft yarn 16 is measured and fed to the storage tube in a similar manner.
When another weft yarn is then selected, the shedding lever 102 is moved leftwardly as in FIG. 4. Consequently, the rope and chain are allowed to be pulled in the arrow-indicated direction by the action of the spring, rotating the sprocket wheel 94 in counter-clockwise direction. The raised surface 90a of the cam 90 now engages the cam follower 87. The cam lever 86 then rocks about the shaft 85 in clockwise direction; and angled lever 20 limitedly swings about the shaft 22 in counter-clockwise direction. The lever 24 also swings in the same direction together with the lever 20, whereupon the roller 40 disengages from the outer surface of the roller 10 assuming the rest or inoperative position. The weft yarn 16 is relieved from the pressure of the roller 40; measuring and feeding motion of the corresponding mechanism is thus terminated.
On the other hand, the roller 60 is now brought into engagement with the inner surface of the brim 10a with rising movement of the carrier arm 28 due to bodily swinging movement of the levers 20 and 24. As soon as this engagement takes place, the lever 24 can no longer swing about the shaft 22 with the lever 20 and is angularly displaced relative to the lever 20 about the pivot pin 30 against the action of the spring 32. The tension of the spring 32 keeps the roller 60 in resilient contact with the inner surface of the brim 10a. The pressure roller 40 apart from the feed roller 10 is thus driven by the roller 60 through pinions 68, 50 generally at the same peripheral velocity as in its direct engagement with the roller 10.
When the weft 16 is again selected after insertion of some other wefts in accordance with pattern signals, the pressure roller 40 is again brought into direct contact with the roller 10 in a manner previously explained. Since the pressure roller 40 in the inoperative position has continued to rotate as described above, it therefore can be smoothly synchronized with the roller 10, thus stably driving the weft.
To more dependently eliminate a slip between the yarn and the pressure roller for the initial period of driving operation, it is preferable to so select the gear ratio of the pinions 50, 68 that the peripheral velocity of the pressure roller 40 in the inoperative position where the roller 60 engages the roller 10 is somewhat larger than the peripheral velocity of the roller 40 in the operative position. The pressure roller 40 thus driven at an enhanced speed surely grips the weft and can drive it at the preset speed in the initial stage of driving operation.
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Weft feeding mechanism of a shuttleless loom comprises a feed roller driven from a loom shaft, a pressure roller engageable with the feed roller, another roller engageable with the feed roller in accordance with separation of the pressure roller from the feed roller and in gearing connection with the pressure roller, and control means for movement of the pressure roller into and out of engagement with the feed roller in response to a signal indicating insertion of a selected weft, whereby the pressure roller is constantly driven from the feed roller irrespectively of its position engaging with or separating from the feed roller.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hydraulic control system for an automatic transmission, and more particularly, to a hydraulic control system for an automatic transmission in which the supply of hydraulic pressure to two friction elements operating in different shift ranges is controlled by a single switch valve such that damage to the powertrain, which may result if two friction elements operate simultaneously, is prevented.
Conventional automatic transmissions used in vehicles typically include a torque converter, a powertrain realized through a multi-stage gearshift mechanism that is connected to the torque converter, and a hydraulic control system that selectively operates one of a plurality of operational elements of the powertrain according to a driving state of the vehicle.
In such an automatic transmission, although all the advantages of an automatic transmission over a manual transmission are provided (e.g., ease of driving), the generation of significant shift shock nevertheless remains a problem. To minimize shift shock, it is necessary to smoothly control clutches and brakes of the powertrain. In this regard, more effective than the most precise electronic control is the mounting of a one-way clutch. In the case where shifting is performed during an already ongoing shift process, good responsiveness can be expected with the use of a one-way clutch.
FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a hydraulic control system for controlling a four-speed automatic transmission powertrain, which is capable of utilizing the advantages of one-way clutches during shifting between ranges 1 and 2 , between ranges 3 and 4 , and between range 4 and 2 . With reference to the drawing, lines are formed to enable the supply of a D range pressure provided from a manual valve 200 to a first clutch C 1 and to first, second, and third pressure control valves 202 , 204 , and 206 ; the supply of L range pressure provided from the manual valve 200 to the first pressure control valve 202 ; and the direct supply of R range pressure provided from the manual valve 200 to a third clutch C 3 and to a first brake B 1 .
The D range pressure supplied to the first pressure control valve 202 is selectively supplied, according to control by a first solenoid valve 208 , to an operational side of a second brake B 2 , and the L range pressure is supplied to the first brake B 1 in a low L range. The first brake B 1 is connected to the first pressure control valve 202 and an R range port of the manual valve 200 via a shuttle valve 210 such that hydraulic pressure is supplied to the first brake B 1 no matter which direction hydraulic pressure is supplied from.
The D range pressure supplied to the second pressure control valve 204 is supplied to a second clutch C 2 and the third pressure control valve 206 according to control by a second solenoid valve 212 .
Also, the D range pressure supplied to the third pressure control valve 206 is selectively supplied to a fourth clutch C 4 according to control by a third solenoid valve 214 . In such an instance where the D range pressure is supplied to the fourth clutch C 4 , the third pressure control valve 206 supplies hydraulic pressure from the second pressure control valve 204 to a non-operational side of the second brake B 2 .
Hence, the first clutch C 1 operates in first, second, and third speeds; the second clutch C 2 operates in third and fourth speeds; the third clutch C 3 operates in a reverse R range; the fourth clutch C 4 operates in a park P range, the reverse R range, a neutral N range, and the low L range, and in the first, second, and third speeds according to driving conditions; the first brake B 1 operates in the park P, reverse R, neutral N, and low L ranges; and the second brake B 2 operates in the second and fourth speeds.
However, in the conventional hydraulic control system as described above, since the system simply acts to control line pressure and the solenoid valves merely operate as switch valves to control timing, precise shift control is not possible.
In particular, since control of non-operational sides of the second clutch C 2 and the second brake B 2 is linked, precise control is not possible shifting between ranges 2 and 3 . Also, with the operation of the first brake B 1 and the fourth clutch C 4 , which enable operation of the engine brake, since a method is used in which line pressure is directly supplied, significant shift shock may be generated.
Further, during manual shifting from the low 2 range to the low L range, the supply line pressure to the first brake B 1 occurs simultaneously with the exhaust of operational-side pressure from the second brake B 2 , which also results in the generation of a shift shock. Also, manual shifting into the reverse R range from the drive D range when traveling at a high speed results in shifting being forcedly performed by line pressure, thereby causing shift shock as well as possible damage to friction material.
In addition, if manual control into the low L range is performed when driving in the third speed or higher, the second clutch C 2 is disengaged such that engine fuel cut-off is performed at high speeds. As a result, an abrupt control into neutral occurs so that normal operation of the vehicle is not possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided a hydraulic control system for an automatic transmission, in which a powertrain is effectively and stably controlled by hydraulic pressure. The powertrain includes a first friction element, actuated to discontinue operation of a one-way clutch when an engine brake is needed, and a second friction element, which operates only when the first friction element is not engaged.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hydraulic control system comprises a manual valve and a switch valve. The manual valve receives hydraulic pressure from an oil pump and includes a forward range port for exhausting hydraulic pressure when driving in a forward range and an L range port for exhausting hydraulic pressure for low speed control. The switch valve is controlled by an engine brake signal pressure, solenoid pressure, and forward range pressure supplied from the forward range port. The switch valve selectively supplies control pressure to the first friction element and the second friction element.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the engine brake signal pressure is L range pressure supplied from the L range port of the manual valve. Preferably, in the selective supply of control pressure to the first and second friction elements by the switch valve, the control pressure is supplied to the second friction element only when either or both the engine brake signal pressure and the solenoid pressure is not being supplied. The switch valve includes a spool, and the forward range pressure acts on one side of the spool and the engine brake signal pressure and the solenoid pressure act on an opposite side of the spool. The spool generally includes a first land on which the forward range pressure acts, a second land on which the engine brake signal pressure acts, and a third land on which the solenoid pressure acts. Preferably one of either the second land or the third land has a surface area larger than a surface area of the first land and the other of either the second land or the third land has a surface area smaller than the surface area of the first land, and the difference between surface areas of the second land and the third land is smaller than the surface area of the first land.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the switch valve body includes an input port for receiving control pressure, a first supply port formed in a direction toward the first land from the input port and connected to the first friction element, and a second supply port formed in a direction toward the second land from the input port and connected to the second friction element. Further, the fourth and fifth lands, which provide selective communication between the input port and the first supply port or the second supply port, are formed on either side of the input port. Preferably, the valve body further includes a first exhaust port for exhausting hydraulic pressure from the first supply port, and a second exhaust port for exhausting pressure from the second supply port.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the hydraulic control system includes at least two switch valves for facilitating control of plural friction elements of the transmission. A first switch valve communicates with hydraulic lines of the system to provide selective supply of hydraulic fluid pressure to a first and a fourth clutch from the drive range line pressure. A second switch valve communicates with hydraulic lines of the system to provide selective supply of hydraulic fluid pressure to a first brake and second clutch from the neutral range line pressure. The control system also preferably includes a manual valve responsive to a user manipulated shift lever for selecting between different available shift ranges of the transmission, such as the drive, neutral, reverse and park ranges. Also in a preferred embodiment one solenoid valve may provide one source of control pressure to both the first and second switch valves.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a hydraulic control system for an automatic transmission according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a switch valve of FIG. 1 in D, 3 , 2 , and L states;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a switch valve of FIG. 1 in P, R, and N states; and
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a conventional hydraulic control system for an automatic transmission.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In FIG. 1, elements of manual valve 2 according to the invention, which is directly involved in the control of shifting into the different ranges, are shown in block form. Since line pressure control and damper clutch control are performed as in the prior art, a person skilled in the art will, understand those operations, and a detailed description will not be provided.
Friction elements C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , C 4 , B 1 , and B 2 are engaged for different speeds and ranges as in the conventional hydraulic control system. That is, the first clutch C 1 operates in first, second, and third speeds; the second clutch C 2 operates in the third speed as well as a fourth speed; the third clutch C 3 operates in a reverse R range; the fourth clutch C 4 operates in a park P range, the reverse R range, a neutral N range, and a low L range, and as needed in the first, second, and third speeds; the first brake B 1 operates in the park P, reverse R, neutral N and low L ranges; and the second brake B 2 operates in the second and fourth speeds.
However, in the present invention, structure is realized such that the first clutch C 1 and the fourth clutch C 4 jointly use the same hydraulic pressure supply, and the second clutch C 2 and the first brake B 1 jointly use the same hydraulic pressure supply. The third clutch C 3 and the second brake B 2 , on the other hand, are supplied with different control pressures.
In more detail, the first and fourth clutches C 1 and C 4 jointly use an output pressure of a first pressure control valve 4 , which is controlled by a first solenoid valve S 1 . The output pressure of the first pressure control valve 4 is directed by operation of a first switch valve 6 for the selective supply to the first and fourth clutches C 1 and C 4 . Such joint utilization of pressure is possible since control of the first clutch C 1 need only be performed during N to D shifting, while the fourth clutch C 4 requires operation only in a second speed and higher.
Also, the second clutch C 2 and the first brake B 1 jointly use an output pressure of a second pressure control valve 8 , controlled by operation of a second solenoid valve S 2 . That is, the output pressure of the second pressure control valve 8 is directed by a second switch valve 10 to be selectively supplied to the second clutch C 2 and the first brake B 1 . The first and second switch valve 6 and 10 are both controlled by a fourth solenoid valve S 4 .
Such joint utilization of the output pressure of the second pressure control valve 8 by the second clutch C 2 and the first brake B 1 is possible since control of the second clutch C 2 need only be performed in the third and fourth speeds. To supply hydraulic pressure to the first brake B 1 in the park P and neutral N ranges, N range pressure of the manual valve 2 is supplied to the second pressure control valve 8 .
The second brake B 2 receives an output pressure of a third pressure control valve 12 , which is controlled by a third solenoid valve S 3 . A fail-safe valve 14 is mounted between the second brake B 2 and the third pressure control valve 12 . Also, the third clutch C 3 receives an output pressure of a fourth pressure control valve 16 , with the fourth pressure control valve 16 also controlled by the third solenoid valve S 3 .
In the reverse R range, hydraulic pressure from the fourth pressure control valve 16 is supplied to the first brake B 1 via a shuttle valve 18 between the first brake B 1 and the second switch valve 10 .
Among the various valves comprising the hydraulic circuit as described above, the second switch valve 10 will be described in more detail. Second switch valve 10 is controlled by D range pressure and by control pressure of the fourth solenoid valve S 4 , as well as L range pressure supplied to an opposite side of the second switch valve 10 . Lines are connected to the second switch valve 10 to enable the supply of hydraulic pressure from the second pressure control valve 8 to the second clutch C 2 and the exhaust of hydraulic pressure supplied to the first brake B 1 , or to enable the supply of hydraulic pressure from the second pressure control valve 8 to the first brake B 1 and to exhaust hydraulic pressure supplied to the second clutch C 2 .
Since the second switch valve 10 , during typical forward driving of the vehicle, may operate the second clutch only, and since the first brake operates in the reverse R range or first speed of the low L range, L range pressure is used as control pressure. However, if at the instant when the manual valve 2 is moved to the low L range the supply of hydraulic pressure to the second clutch C 2 is discontinued while the supply to the first brake B 1 is started, shift shock or the momentary inability to transmit power may result.
That is, shift shock results from the sudden supply of hydraulic pressure to the first brake B 1 . In the case where shifting into the low L range is performed when driving at high speeds (e.g., in third or fourth speeds of the drive D range), the sudden disengagement of the second clutch C 2 and engagement of the first brake B 1 results in the equally sudden increase in engine rpm. If engine rpm increases to a level at or higher than fuel cut-off rpm, normal operation of the vehicle is not possible.
To solve this problem, therefore, both L range pressure and pressure of the fourth solenoid valve S 4 operate as control pressure on an opposite side of the second switch valve 108 from which the D range pressure operates. That is, the conversion of port communication can be accomplished by the operation of both the L range pressure and the pressure of the fourth solenoid valve S 4 .
In more detail, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the second switch valve 10 includes multiple ports and a valve spool with lands as follows. A first port 20 receives the output pressure from the second pressure control valve 8 . Second and third ports 24 and 22 supply hydraulic pressure from first port 20 , respectively, to the first brake B 1 and the second clutch C 2 . A fourth port 26 receives D range pressure as control pressure. A fifth port 28 , formed in a side of the second switch valve 10 opposite the fourth port 26 , receives control pressure from the fourth solenoid valve S 4 . A sixth port 30 , formed adjacent to the fifth port 28 , receives line pressure as control pressure. Exhaust ports EX 1 and EX 2 exhaust the hydraulic pressure supplied to the second and third ports 24 and 22 , respectively.
The lands of the valve spool mounted within a valve body of the second switch valve 10 are as follows: A first land 32 is acted upon by the control pressure supplied through the fourth port 26 . A second land 34 operates together with the first land 32 to selectively communicate the second port 24 with the first port 20 and the first exhaust port EX 1 . A third land 36 operates together with the second land 34 to selectively communicate the first port 20 with the third port 22 and the second port 24 . A fourth land 38 is acted upon by the control pressure supplied through the sixth port 30 that operates together with the third land 36 to selectively communicate the third port 22 with the second exhaust port EX 2 . A fifth land 40 is acted upon by the control pressure supplied through the fifth port 28 .
One of either the fourth land 38 or the fifth land 40 has a surface area greater than that of the first land 32 (i.e., the fourth land 38 ), and one of either the fourth land 38 or the fifth land 40 has a surface area less than that of the first land 32 (i.e., the fifth land 40 ). Further, a difference in surface areas between the fourth and fifth lands 38 and 40 is less than the surface area of the first land 32 .
Accordingly, if hydraulic pressure is supplied either to the fifth port 28 or the sixth port 30 in the case where D range pressure is not supplied to the fourth port 26 , the valve spool is displaced to the right (in the drawing) such that the hydraulic pressure supplied through the first port 20 is provided to the first brake B 1 via the second port 24 . That is, in ranges and speeds other than a forward driving range or speed, the fourth solenoid valve S 4 is operated to control the control pressure supplied through the fifth port 28 such that one-way control of the first brake B 1 is possible when in the reverse R range. On the other hand, in the case where D range pressure is supplied to the fourth port 26 , hydraulic pressure must be supplied to both the fifth and sixth ports 28 and 30 to move the valve spool to the right for the supply of hydraulic pressure to the first brake B 1 .
As a result, if the driver, while driving at a high speed (such as when in the third or fourth speeds), operates the shift lever into the low L range, so that the manual valve 2 is also positioned in the low L range, although L range pressure is supplied to the second switch valve 10 through the sixth port 30 , the pressure of the fourth solenoid valve S 4 is controlled, thereby enabling suitable control of the timing and force of the hydraulic pressure supplied to the first brake B 1 .
In the hydraulic control system for automatic transmissions according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention described above, a switch valve, which enables the supply of a single supply pressure by line conversion to the second clutch in the third and fourth speeds and to the first brake in the park P, reverse R, neutral N, and low L ranges, is controlled by solenoid control pressure and L range pressure, and by D range pressure supplied to an opposite side of the switch valve. As a result, damage to the powertrain caused by the simultaneous operation of the second clutch and the first brake is effectively prevented. That is, the present invention provides a hydraulic control system that effectively and stably controls the first brake, which operates as an engine brake, and the second clutch, which operates only when the first brake is disengaged.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it should be clearly understood that many variations and/or modifications of the basic inventive concepts herein taught which may appear to those skilled in the present art will still fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.
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Disclosed is a hydraulic control system for an automatic transmission that controls a powertrain, which includes a first friction element for use as an engine brake for discontinuing operation of a one-way clutch in the transmission and a second friction element operating only when the first friction element is disengaged. The hydraulic control system comprises a manual valve including a forward range port for exhausting hydraulic pressure when driving in a forward range, and an L range port for exhausting hydraulic pressure for low speed control; and a switch valve controlled by engine brake signal pressure, solenoid pressure, and forward range pressure supplied from the forward range port, the switch valve selectively supplying control pressure to the first friction element and the second friction element.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Amine molybdates may be produced by reacting an amine with a molybdenum compound such as molybdenum trioxide (MoO 3 ), molybdic acid or a molybdenum salt in an acidic aqueous medium made acidic through the addition of a suitable acid such as an organic acid containing 1 to 12 carbon atoms (exemplified by acetic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, and the like) or an inorganic acid (exemplified by hydrochloric acid, nitric acid or sulfuric acid). The acidic mixture is refluxed, preferably while being stirred continuously, until the reaction is complete, usually for about 1/4 to 4 hours.
Amine molybdates also may be produced, as described in my co-pending application Ser. No. 016,583, filed Mar. 1, 1979 and entitled "Process For Making Amine Molybdates," by reacting essentially stoichiometric quantities of molybdenum trioxide with an amine in an aqueous medium essentially free of acid and in which a water-soluble ammonium or monovalent metal or divalent metal or trivalent rare earth metal salt of an inorganic or organic acid is dissolved.
The particular amine molybdate formed may depend upon which process is used to form the amine molybdate and the quantity of reactants present in the reaction mixture, as well as the reaction conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a novel amine molybdate, namely, ammelinium beta-octamolybdate, which exhibits major x-ray diffraction peaks at "d" spacings of 9.90A, 9.15A, 5.96A, 3.62A, 3.47A, 3.30A and 3.16A. Like many other amine molybdates, ammelinium beta-octamolybdate functions as an effective smoke retardant additive for vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride polymers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Ammelinium beta-octamolybdate may be produced by reacting ammonium dimolybdate [(NH 4 ) 2 Mo 2 O 7 ] and ammeline (C 3 H 5 N 5 O) in essentially a 2/1 molybdenum/ammeline molar ratio in an acidic aqueous medium. Suitable acids include inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and the like. Mixtures of acids may also be used. The amount of acid used may be varied widely from about 1/2 to 10 or more molar equivalents of acid per molar equivalent of ammonium dimolybdate. However, about a 1/1 molar equivalent ratio is preferred. Sufficient water is included in the reaction mixture to insure a reaction medium that has a consistency that enables it to be easily stirred.
The preferred reaction method comprises adding an aqueous solution of the ammonium dimolybdate to an acidic ammeline-water solution, followed by refluxing the reaction mixture for 0.25 to 16 hours. Alternatively, the ammeline, ammonium dimolybdate, acid and water can be charged essentially simultaneously to the reaction vessel and the mixture thereafter refluxed during the period of reaction. The mixture preferably is stirred continuously while the reaction is occurring.
Although the reaction can occur at room temperature (25° C.), desirably the reaction mixture is heated to between 75° to 110° C. in order to reduce the time for the reaction to be completed.
Upon completion of the reaction, the solid crystalline ammelinium beta-octamolybdate formed can be separated from the liquid phase by filtration, centrifugation or other suitable separation means, washed with water, alcohol or a mixture of water and alcohol and then dried. The reacted mixture may be cooled to room temperature (about 25° C.) before the separation of the solid ammelinium beta-octamolybdate from the liquid phase, although cooling the mixture before the separation of the solid material from the liquid phase is not necessary. The recovered ammelinium beta-octamolybdate may be air dried, preferably at about 100° to 200° C., or may be vacuum dried, preferably at temperatures up to 150° C. and higher. The ammelinium beta-octamolybdate is readily identifiable by elemental, infrared or X-ray diffraction analysis.
The following example illustrates the preparation of the ammelinium beta-octamolybdate more fully:
EXAMPLE 1
Ammelinium beta-octamolybdate was prepared in the following manner. 10.00 grams of ammeline, 15.50 grams of a 37 percent hydrochloric acid solution and 200 milliliters of water were added to a 500 milliliter round-bottom flask equipped with a water-cooled condenser. The mixture was heated to reflux while the ammeline dissolved. 26.74 grams of ammonium dimolybdate were heated with 50 milliliters of water in a beaker until the ammonium dimolybdate dissolved in the water, after which the resulting solution was added to the 500 milliliter flask containing the ammeline dissolved in the acidic aqueous solution. The resulting mixture was refluxed for one hour while being continuously stirred, was cooled to room temperature and filtered. A white crystalline solid was recovered. The recovered solid was washed with water and vacuum dried for approximately 16 hours at 120° C. 30.33 grams of the crystalline solid were recovered. Elemental and infrared analyses identified the solid to be ammelinium beta-octamolybdate [(H C 3 H 5 N 5 O) 4 Mo 8 O 26 ].
Ammelinium beta-octamolybdate has been found to be a smoke retardant additive for vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride polymer compositions. When used as a smoke retardant additive, the ammelinium beta-octamolybdate desirably has an average particle size from about 0.01 to about 800 microns, preferably from about 0.1 to about 100 microns, and is present in an amount from about 0.1 to about 20 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the vinyl chloride or vinylidene chloride polymer.
Vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride polymers with which the ammelinium beta-octamolybdate can be used as a smoke retardant additive include homopolymers, copolymers and blends of homopolymers and/or copolymers. The vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride polymers may contain from 0 to about 50 percent by weight of at least one other olefinically unsaturated monomer. Suitable monomers include 1-olefins containing from 2 to 12 carbon atoms such as ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, isobutylene, 1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, and the like; dienes containing from 4 to 10 carbon atoms, including conjugated dienes such as butadiene, isoprene, piperylene, and the like; ethylidene norbornene and dicyclopentadiene; vinyl esters and allyl esters such as vinyl acetate, vinyl chloroacetate, vinyl propionate; vinyl laurate, alkyl acetate, and the like; vinyl aromatics such as styrene, α-methyl styrene, chlorostyrene, vinyl toluene, vinyl naphthalene, and the like; vinyl and allyl ethers and ketones such as vinyl methyl ether, allyl methyl ether, vinyl isobutyl ether, vinyl n-butyl ether, vinyl chloroethyl ether, methylvinyl ketone, and the like; vinyl nitriles such as acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, and the like; cyanoalkyl acrylates such as α-cyanomethyl acrylate, the α-, β- and γ-cyanopropyl acrylates, and the like, olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acids and esters thereof, including α,β-olefinically unsaturated acids and esters thereof such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, chloropropyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, hexyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, dodecyl acrylate, octadecyl acrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate, phenyl acrylate, glycidyl acrylate, methoxyethyl acrylate, ethoxyethyl acrylate, hexylthioethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, and the like; and including esters of maleic and fumaric acid, and the like; amides of the α,β-olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acids such as acrylamide, and the like, divinyls, diacrylates and other polyfunctional monomers such as divinyl benzene, divinyl ether, diethylene glycol diacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, methylene-bis-acrylamide, allyl pentaerythritol, and the like; and bis (β-chloroethyl) vinyl phosphonate, and the like.
The vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride polymer, in addition to the ammelinium beta-octamolybdate additive, may contain the usual compounding ingredients known to the art such as fillers, stabilizers, opacifiers, lubricants, processing aids, impact modifiers, plasticizers, antioxidants, and the like.
Smoke retardancy may be measured using an NBS Smoke Chamber according to procedures described in ASTM E662-79 "Test For Specific Optical Density Of Smoke Generated By Solid Materials". Maximum smoke density (D m ) is a dimensionless number and has the advantage of representing a smoke density independent of chamber volume, specimen size or photometer path length, provided a consistent dimensional system is used. Percent smoke reduction is calculated using the equation: ##EQU1##
The term "Dm/g" means maximum smoke density per gram of sample. Dm and other aspects of the physical optics of light transmission through smoke are discussed fully in the ASTM publication.
The smoke retardant property of ammelinium beta-octamolybdate is illustrated by the following examples.
EXAMPLES 2-3
The following recipe was used:
______________________________________Material Parts by Weight______________________________________Polyvinyl Chloride Resin* 100.00Lubricant** 2.0Tin Stabilizer*** 2.0Ammelinium Beta-Octamolybdate 5.0______________________________________ *Homopolymer of vinyl chloride having an inherent viscosity of about 0.98-1.04; ASTM classification GP5-15443. **A commercial polyethylene powder lubricant (Microthene 510). ***Tin Thioglycolate.
The ingredients of the recipe were dry-mixed and bonded on a two-roll mill for about 5 minutes at a roll temperature of about 160° C. The milled compositions were pressed into 6×6×0.025 inch sheets. Pressing was done at about 160° C. for five minutes using 40,000 pounds (about 14,900 Kg) of force applied to a 4-inch ram. The sample received a two minute preheat before being pressed. The same recipe except for the omission of the ammeline beta-octamolybdate and the same sample preparation procedures were used to prepare the control sample.
The molded samples were cut into 25/8×2 5/8×0.50 inch sections. Testing was performed using the flaming mode of the NBS Smoke Chamber Test (ASTM E662-79) described heretofore. Test results are given in Table I.
TABLE I______________________________________ Smoke/ ReductionExample Dm/g* %______________________________________Control 74.54 --2 25.66 653 25.54 66______________________________________ *Dm/g Maximum smoke density per gram of sample.
The improved smoke retardant vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride polymer compositions obtained by the addition of ammelinium beta-octamolybdate to the compositions are useful wherever smoke resistance is desirable, such as in carpets, house siding, plastic components for airplane and passenger car interiors, and the like.
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Ammelinium beta-octamolybdate is disclosed as a novel amine molybdate and as a smoke retardant additive for vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride polymer compositions.
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BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-35601, filed on Jun. 3, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosures relates to a semiconductor laser device, and more particularly, to a laser device having a smooth cleavage plane.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor laser is widely used to transfer, record, and read data in the field of communications, such as optical communications, or in devices, such as a compact disk player (CDP) and a digital versatile disk player (DVDP).
Since a semiconductor laser device may maintain oscillation characteristics of laser beam in a limited space, may be formed to a small scale, and requires a small critical current for laser oscillations, the semiconductor laser device is widely used. As the number of industrial fields to which the semiconductor laser is applied increases, demand for semiconductor laser devices having a smaller critical current increases. In other words, semiconductor laser devices having excellent characteristics, such as oscillating at a low current, and the ability to pass a lifespan test are needed.
In order to decrease the operating power and increase the output of the laser device, a smooth light-exiting surface, through which light exits the laser device, perpendicular to a laser oscillation layer is required. The light-exiting surface, which is formed by etching or scribing, is referred to as a facet or a cleavage plane.
When the light-exiting surface is formed by dry etching, the light-exiting surface is rough, resulting in a large optical loss and low reproducibility. However, when the cleavage plane is formed by scribing, the optical loss is reduced. A nitride semiconductor laser device, such as gallium nitride (GaN) uses the cleavage plane as the light-exiting surface. However, the crystal structures of GaN grown on a sapphire substrate and the sapphire substrate are different so that it is technically difficult to form a smooth cleavage plane and the yield is low.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional nitride semiconductor laser device.
Referring to FIG. 1 , an n-GaN lower contact layer 12 , which is divided into a first region R 1 and a second region R 2 , is stacked on a sapphire substrate 10 . A multi-layered semiconductor material layer with a mesa structure exists on the lower contact layer 12 . In other words, on the first region R 1 , an n-GaN/AlGaN lower cladding layer 24 , an n-GaN lower wave guide layer 26 , a InGaN active layer 28 , a p-GaN upper wave guide layer 30 , and a p-GaN/AlGaN upper cladding layer 32 are sequentially stacked on the n-GaN lower contact layer 12 . The refractive indexes of the n-GaN/AlGaN lower cladding layer 24 and the p-GaN/AlGaN upper cladding layer 32 are smaller than the refractive indexes of the n-GaN lower wave guide layer 26 and the p-GaN upper wave guide layer 30 . In addition, the refractive indexes of the n-GaN lower wave guide layer 26 and the p-GaN upper wave guide layer 30 are smaller than the refractive index of the active layer 28 . In the mesa structure, a protruding ridge 32 a having a predetermined width is formed at the center of the upper portion of the p-GaN/AlGN upper cladding layer 32 , providing a ridge wave guide structure, and a p-GaN upper contact layer 34 is formed on the ridge 32 a. A buried layer 36 , which acts as a passivation layer having a contact hole 36 a is formed on the p-GaN/AlGaN upper cladding layer 32 . The contact hole 36 a of the buried layer 36 is located over the upper contact layer 34 that is formed on the ridge 32 a, and edge of the contact hole 36 a overlaps the edge of the upper surface of the upper contact layer 34 .
A p-type upper electrode 38 is formed on the buried layer 36 . The p-type electrode 38 contacts the upper contact layer 34 through the contact hole 36 a of the buried layer 36 . In the second region R 2 , an n-type lower electrode 37 is formed on the lower contact layer 12 , whose height is lower in the second region R 2 than in the first region R 1 .
The ridge wave guide structure formed on the upper cladding layer 32 limits currents that are injected to the active layer 28 in order to limit a width of a resonance area for laser oscillation in the active layer 28 . Thus, a transverse mode is stabilized and the operating current is lowered.
In the process of manufacturing the conventional nitride semiconductor laser device, the multi-layered GaN semiconductor material layer is formed on the sapphire substrate, and the ridge corresponding to a current injection area is formed by dry etching. Then, a mesa structure is formed on the n-GaN lower contact layer in order to expose the n-GaN lower contact layer and form the resonance surface. Such a mesa structure is formed as an array type on the sapphire substrate, and is then divided into unit devices by scribing. FIG. 2 is a plane view illustrating two mesa structures corresponding to two unit devices that are formed on the n-GaN contact layer 12 . The mesa structures are interconnected by a connection unit 40 and share the ridge 32 a, which crosses the connection unit 40 . The mesa structures and the substrate, which supports the mesa structures, are divided into the unit devices along a scribing line A-A′ that intersects the connection unit 40 .
As described above, the mesa structures are divided into the unit devices by scribing, and the cleavage planes from which a laser beam exits are formed at the edges resulting from the scribing. A GaN c-plane formed on a sapphire-c plane is tilted by about 30° toward the sapphire-c plane. Since the sapphire-c plane and the GaN c-plane are tilted, it is difficult to form a smooth cleavage plane perpendicular to the laser oscillation layer. In order to form the smooth cleavage planes perpendicular to the laser oscillation layer on the GaN semiconductor material layer, the cleavage plane of the sapphire substrate should be precisely divided by scribing. When the scribing force is transferred from the sapphire substrate to the lower portion of the mesa structure and the ridge at the upper portion of the mesa structure, the scribing force should not be concentrated at a specific location of the mesa structure, but should be evenly distributed.
The light-exiting surfaces, in other words, the cleavage planes, of the semiconductor material layer formed by the conventional method have little uniformity. In other words, the shapes of the cleavage planes are different from chip to chip even when the chips are manufactured under the same scribing conditions. The yield of laser devices proper for transmitting light, in other words, having the smooth cleavage plane perpendicular to the oscillation layer, is about 65%.
The following is an analysis of the laser device with the inferior light-exiting surface. When scribing the mesa structure by transferring the scribing force from the sapphire substrate to the mesa structure, the scribing force is concentrated at a lower corner of the mesa structure so that cracks occur at the lower corner of the mesa structure as shown in the dotted rectangle of FIG. 3 . Here, the cracks are transferred to the light-exiting surface. Another inferior light-exiting surface is caused by cracks in a GaN coalescence formed by epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELOG), which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,108. Referring to FIG. 4 , when the scribing force is transferred from the sapphire substrate to the GaN, cracks occur at the GaN coalescence. The cracks are transferred to a ridge wave guide formed on the mesa structure as shown in the dotted rectangle of FIG. 4 , so that a rough cleavage plane is formed.
The cracks and the rough cleavage plane result in a decrease in optical output and an increase in operating current.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure provides a laser device having an excellent laser exiting surface and a method of manufacturing the same.
The present invention disclosure also provides a semiconductor laser device having a low operating current and an improved laser oscillation efficiency, and a method of manufacturing the same.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there may be provided a semiconductor laser device, which includes a multi-semiconductor material layered mesa structure having a laser resonance layer on a substrate and cladding layers formed above and below the resonance layer, comprising a current injection ridge and force distribution ridges at the both sides of the current injection ridge formed on an upper portion of the mesa structure and protruding from the surface of an upper surface of the mesa structure.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there may be provided a semiconductor laser device, which includes a multi-semiconductor material layered mesa structure having a laser resonance layer on a substrate and cladding layers formed above and below the resonance layer, comprising rounded corners connected to the substrate, in a lower portion of the mesa structure, and a current injection ridge and force distribution ridges formed in an upper portion of the mesa structure and protruding from an upper surface of the mesa structure.
The upper and the lower cladding layers may be a p-GaN/AlGaN layer and an n-GaN/AlGaN layer, respectively.
The resonance layer may include a lower wave guide layer stacked on the lower cladding layer and having a greater refractive index than the lower cladding layer, an active layer stacked on the lower wave guide layer that generates a laser beam, and an upper wave guide layer stacked on the active layer.
The refractive indexes of the upper and the lower wave guide layers may be less than the refractive index of the active layer, and the upper and the lower wave guide layers may be GaN based group III-V compound semiconductor layers.
The active layer may be a semiconductor layer made of a GaN based group III-V nitride compound expressed as In x Al y Ga 1-x-y N where 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, and x+y≦1. The ridges may be formed on the upper cladding layer, and a second compound semiconductor layer may be formed on the current injection ridge. The second compound semiconductor layer may be a p-GaN based group III-V nitride semiconductor layer.
The first compound semiconductor substrate further may include an n-type electrode on the upper surface, and the substrate may be a sapphire substrate having a GaN semiconductor material layer or a freestanding GaN substrate.
Both sides of the mesa structure may be inclined toward the substrate, and the width of the mesa structure may increase toward the substrate.
The force distribution ridges may be formed at the both edges of the mesa structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be described in detailed exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional semiconductor laser device;
FIG. 2 is a plane view of a substrate on which undivided unit laser devices are formed when manufacturing a conventional semiconductor laser device;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs illustrating irregular surfaces on a cleavage plane of a mesa structure of a conventional semiconductor laser device;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a semiconductor laser device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a plane view of a substrate on which undivided unit laser devices are formed when manufacturing a semiconductor laser device according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is an SEM photograph illustrating a lower structure of a mesa structure of a semiconductor laser device according to the embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 8 is an SEM photograph illustrating a smooth cleavage plane formed on a mesa structure of a semiconductor laser device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a semiconductor laser device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a plane view of an n-GaN contact layer 121 on which two mesa structures corresponding to two unit laser devices are formed. The semiconductor laser device includes a substrate 100 , and a lower material layer 120 , a resonance layer 130 , and an upper material layer 140 , which are grown on the substrate 100 .
The lower material layer 120 includes a first compound semiconductor layer 121 as a lower contact layer, which is stacked on the substrate 100 and has a step, and a lower cladding layer 122 stacked on the first compound semiconductor layer 121 . An n-type lower electrode 153 is disposed on the step of the first compound semiconductor layer 121 .
A sapphire substrate or a freestanding gallium nitride (GaN) substrate is used for the substrate 100 . The first compound semiconductor layer 121 is an n-GaN based group III-V nitride compound semiconductor layer, and it is preferable that the first compound semiconductor layer 121 is an n-GaN layer. However, the first compound semiconductor layer 121 may be another group III-V compound semiconductor layer that can oscillate laser, in other words, lasing. It is preferable that the lower cladding layer 122 is an n-GaN/AlGaN layer having a predetermined refractive index, but may be formed of another compound that can oscillate laser.
The resonance layer 130 includes a lower wave guide layer 131 , an active layer 132 , and an upper wave guide layer 133 , which are sequentially stacked on the lower cladding layer 122 . The upper and lower wave guide layers 131 , 133 are formed of a material having a smaller refractive index than the active layer 132 . It is preferable that the upper and lower wave guide layers 131 and 133 are GaN based group III-V compound semiconductor layers. The lower wave guide layer 131 is an n-GaN layer, and the upper wave guide layer 133 is a p-GaN layer. The active layer 132 is formed of a lasing material, preferably a material oscillating laser beam that has a small critical current and a stable traverse mode characteristic. It is preferable that the active layer 132 is formed of a GaN based group III-V nitride compound semiconductor material such as In x Al y Ga 1-x-y N (0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, x+y≦1). The active layer 132 may have a multi-quantum well structure or a single quantum well structure, and the structure of the active layer 132 does not limit the scope of the present invention.
The upper material layer 140 , includes an upper cladding layer 141 and a second compound semiconductor layer 142 . The upper cladding layer 141 is stacked on the upper surface of the upper wave guide layer 133 and has a protruded current injection ridge 141 a at its center and protruded force distribution ridges 141 b adjacent to the current injection ridge 141 a. The second compound semiconductor layer 142 acts as an ohmic contact layer and is stacked on the current injection ridge 141 a. When the lower cladding layer 122 is an n-type compound semiconductor layer, the upper cladding layer 141 is a p-type compound semiconductor layer. When the lower cladding layer 122 is a p-type compound semiconductor layer, the upper cladding layer 141 is an n-type compound semiconductor layer. In other words, when the lower cladding layer 122 is the n-GaN/AlGaN layer, the upper cladding layer 141 is a p-GaN/AlGaN layer. Similarly, when the first compound semiconductor layer 121 is an n-type compound semiconductor layer, the second compound semiconductor layer 142 is a p-type compound semiconductor layer, and when the first compound semiconductor layer 121 is formed of n-GaN, the second compound semiconductor layer 142 is formed of p-GaN. A passivation layer 151 is formed on the ridges 141 a and 141 b. The passivation layer 151 includes a contact hole 151 a that exposes the current injection ridge 141 a, and a p-type upper electrode 152 is formed therein.
The mesa structure includes the resonance layer 130 , the upper material layer 140 , and the lower cladding layer 122 of the lower material layer 120 . The lower portions of the mesa structure have rounded corners 121 a. The rounded corners 121 a of the mesa structure prevent the concentration of a scribing force when dividing the unit devices along a line B-B′ in FIG. 6 .
It is preferable that the force distribution ridges 141 b are parallel with the current injection ridge 141 a and are symmetrical about the current injection ridge 141 a. In addition, it is preferable that the width of each of the force distribution ridges 141 b is equal to or greater than the width of the current injection ridge 141 a. The force distribution ridges 141 b prevent cracks in a GaN coalescence, which are caused by the scribing force, from being concentrated to the current injection ridge 141 a. In other words, the cracks are vertically transferred in the mesa structure, and are not transferred to the current injection ridge 141 a, and then, the light-exiting surface is not affected from the cracks.
FIG. 7 is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph illustrating the lower structure of the mesa structure of the semiconductor laser device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an SEM photograph illustrating the current injection ridge 141 a of the mesa structure.
Referring to FIG. 7 , a smooth cleavage plane is formed at the rounded corner formed in the lower portion of the mesa structure, which contrasts the conventional cleavage plane shown in FIG. 3 . Here, the smooth cleavage plane could be formed by not concentrating the cracks.
Referring to FIG. 8 , since the current injection ridge is formed at the center of the mesa structure and the force distribution ridges are formed adjacent to the current injection ridge, the cracks of the coalescence are vertically transferred. Accordingly, the ridge has the smooth cleavage plane.
According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, rounded corners are formed in lower portions of a mesa structure, and force distribution ridges are disposed adjacent to a current injection ridge in an upper portion of the mesa structure. Accordingly, a smooth cleavage plane perpendicular to the oscillation surface is obtained by scribing, with a high yield. Because of the smooth cleavage plane, the laser oscillation efficiency is improved and the operating current of the laser device is lowered. The force distribution ridge may also distribute a load applied to the current injection ridge when bonding flip chips.
Such a laser device can be applied to a laser diode, in particular, a GaN laser diode having a mesa structure. While this 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 changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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A semiconductor laser device having a smooth cleavage plane is provided. The provided laser device includes a current injection ridge and force distribution ridges formed adjacent to the current injection ridge, which protrudes from an upper surface of a mesa structure. The mesa structure is formed of multi-semiconductor material layers including a laser resonance layer and cladding layers disposed above and below the resonance layer. The current injection ridge and the force distribution ridges distribute a scribing force when cleaving the laser device so that the smooth cleavage planes are obtained. Defects are prevented in the current injection ridge due to the distribution of force when bonding flip chips.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/214,901, filed Aug. 22, 2011 entitled “BIPOLAR FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTOR STRUCTURES AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME”, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/792,083, filed Jun. 2, 2010 entitled “BIPOLAR/DUAL FET STRUCTURE HAVING FETS WITH ISOLATED CHANNELS”, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/284,804, filed Sep. 24, 2008 entitled “BIPOLAR/DUAL FET STRUCTURE INCLUDING ENHANCEMENT AND DEPLETION MODE FETS WITH ISOLATED CHANNELS”, each of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention generally relates to the field of semiconductor structures. More particularly, the invention relates to transistor semiconductor structures.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] By utilizing BiFET technology, bipolar transistors, such as heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), and field effect transistors (FETs), such as enhancement-mode (E-mode) and depletion-mode (D-mode) FETs, can be integrated on the same semiconductor die to provide increased circuit design flexibility. In an integrated structure, a bipolar transistor, such as an HBT, an E-mode FET, and a D-mode FET can each be advantageously tailored for specific applications. For example, an HBT, a D-mode FET, and an E-mode FET can be integrated on a substrate, such as a semi-insulating gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrate, to form a power amplifier, a bias circuit, and a radio frequency (RF) switch, respectively, for a communications device, such as a cell phone. However, previous attempts at integrating a bipolar transistor with E-mode and D-mode FETs on a substrate have undesirably affected the respective performances of the E-mode and D-mode FETs.
[0006] In one conventional approach, for example, an HBT can be formed over a substrate, such as a semi-insulating GaAs substrate, and E-mode and D-mode FETs can be integrated under the sub-collector of the HBT. However, in this conventional approach, the E-mode and D-mode FETs typically have shared epitaxial layers, which can undesirably affect the analog properties of the E-mode FET. Also, as a result of the shared epitaxial layers, coupling can occur between the E-mode and D-mode FETs, which can undesirably affect the RF switching performance of the D-mode FET. Thus, in the aforementioned conventional approach, the performance of the E-mode FET cannot be optimized without affecting the performance of the D-mode FET, and vice versa.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus that includes a substrate and a first epitaxial layer disposed over the substrate, the first epitaxial layer including at least a portion of a channel of a first field effect transistor (FET). The apparatus further includes a second epitaxial layer disposed over the first epitaxial layer and a third epitaxial layer disposed over the second epitaxial layer, the third epitaxial layer including at least a portion of a channel of a second FET.
[0008] In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method of making a bipolar field effect transistor structure. The method includes forming a first epitaxial layer over a substrate, the first epitaxial layer including at least a portion of a channel of a first field effect transistor (FET). The method further includes forming a second epitaxial layer over the first epitaxial layer. The method further includes forming a third epitaxial layer over the second epitaxial layer, the third epitaxial layer including at least a portion of a channel of a second FET.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary bipolar/dual FET structure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of exemplary enhancement-mode and depletion-mode FETs in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary bipolar/dual FET structure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The present invention is directed to bipolar/dual FET structures including enhancement and depletion mode FETs with isolated channels. The following description contains specific information pertaining to the implementation of the present invention. One skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be implemented in a manner different from that specifically discussed in the present application. Moreover, some of the specific details of the invention are not discussed in order not to obscure the invention. The specific details not described in the present application are within the knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art.
[0013] The drawings in the present application and their accompanying detailed description are directed to merely exemplary embodiments of the invention and are not drawn to scale. To maintain brevity, other embodiments of the invention which use the principles of the present invention are not specifically described in the present application and are not specifically illustrated by the present drawings.
[0014] As will be discussed in detail below, the present invention provides an innovative bipolar/dual FET structure including a bipolar transistor, such as a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT), and E-mode and D-mode FETs, wherein the E-mode FET is isolated from the D-mode FET. Although an exemplary bipolar/dual FET structure comprising an exemplary NPN bipolar transistor, an exemplary E-mode NFET, and an exemplary D-mode NFET are used to illustrate the present invention, the present invention may also apply to bipolar/dual FET structure comprising a PNP bipolar transistor, an E-mode PFET, and a D-mode PFET. Also, although GaAs (gallium arsenide) is a semiconductor material that is utilized to illustrate the present invention, the present invention may also apply to other types of semiconductor material, such as indium phosphide (InP) or gallium nitride (GaN).
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor die including an exemplary bipolar/dual FET structure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Certain details and features have been left out of FIG. 1 , which are apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. In FIG. 1 , structure 100 includes bipolar/dual FET structure 102 on substrate 104 , which can be a semi-insulating GaAs substrate in one embodiment of the present invention. In other embodiments, substrate 104 can comprise indium phosphide, gallium nitride, or other type of semiconductor material. Bipolar/dual FET structure 102 includes bipolar transistor 106 , E-mode (enhancement-mode) FET 108 , and D-mode (depletion-mode) FET 110 . Bipolar transistor 106 includes sub-collector 112 , etch stop segment 114 , collector 116 , base 118 , emitter 120 , emitter contact 122 , etch stop segment 124 , and emitter cap 126 . Bipolar transistor 106 can comprise, for example, an NPN HBT. In one embodiment, bipolar transistor 106 may comprise a PNP HBT.
[0016] E-mode FET 108 includes back gate 128 , contact regions 130 and 132 , and channel 134 , which is a conductive channel and includes channel segments 136 , 138 , and 140 . E-mode FET 108 can be, for example, an NFET. In one embodiment, E-mode FET 108 can be a PFET. E-mode FET 108 can comprise, for example, a heterostructure FET (HFET), such as a High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) or a Pseudomorphic HEMT (PHEMT). In one embodiment, E-mode FET 108 can comprise a Metal-Semiconductor Semiconductor FET (MESFET). D-mode FET 110 includes contact regions 142 and 144 and channel 146 , which is a conductive channel and includes channel segment 148 . In one embodiment, channel 146 of D-mode FET 110 can comprise multiple channel segments. D-mode FET 110 can be, for example, an NFET. In one embodiment, D-mode FET 110 can be a PFET. D-mode FET 110 can comprise, for example, an HFET, such as a HEMT or PHEMT. In one embodiment, D-mode FET 110 can comprise a MESFET. Bipolar/Dual FET structure 102 also includes isolation regions and base, emitter, collector, source, drain, gate, and back gate contacts, which are not shown in FIG. 1 .
[0017] Bipolar/Dual FET structure 102 can be utilized in a wireless communication device, such as a cell phone, or other type of electronic device. Bipolar transistor 106 can be utilized, for example, as a power amplifier in a cell phone or other electronic device. E-mode FET 108 can be utilized, for example, in analog applications, such as bias and control applications, and can also be utilized in digital logic circuits. Although well suited for utilization in RF switching applications, D-mode FET 110 can also be utilized in digital logic circuits, for example.
[0018] As shown in FIG. 1 , epitaxial segment 111 and channel segment 148 are situated over substrate 104 . Epitaxial segment 111 and channel segment 148 each comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 150 , which can comprise, for example, GaAs in one embodiment. Channel segment 148 can be, for example, a conductive channel segment. In one embodiment, one or more buffer layers can be situated between channel segment 148 and substrate 104 . In one embodiment, channel segment 148 can comprise lightly doped N type GaAs. Epitaxial segment 111 and channel segment 148 can be formed, for example, by depositing epitaxial layer 150 over substrate 104 by using a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process, a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) process or other deposition process and appropriately patterning epitaxial layer 150 . Also shown in FIG. 1 , sub-collector 112 is situated over a epitaxial segment 111 and contact regions 142 and 144 are situated over channel segment 148 . Sub-collector 112 and contact regions 142 and 144 each comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 152 , which can comprise, for example, heavily doped N type GaAs in one embodiment. Sub-collector 112 and contact regions 142 and 144 can be formed, for example, by depositing epitaxial layer 152 over epitaxial layer 150 by using a MOCVD process, an MBE process, or other deposition process and appropriately patterning epitaxial layer 152 .
[0019] Further shown in FIG. 1 , etch stop segment 114 is situated over sub-collector 112 and epitaxial segment 115 is situated over contact regions 142 and 144 . Etch stop segment 114 and epitaxial segment 115 each comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 154 , which can comprise, for example, indium gallium phosphide (InGaP) in one embodiment. Etch stop segment 114 and epitaxial segment 115 can be formed, for example, by depositing epitaxial layer 154 over epitaxial layer 152 by using a MOCVD process, an MBE process, or other deposition process and appropriately patterning epitaxial layer 154 . Also shown in FIG. 1 , collector 116 is situated over etch stop segment 114 and epitaxial segment 117 is situated over epitaxial segment 115 . Collector 116 and epitaxial segment 117 each comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 156 , which can comprise, for example, lightly doped N type GaAs in one embodiment. Collector 116 and epitaxial segment 117 can be formed, for example, by depositing epitaxial layer 156 over epitaxial layer 154 by using a MOCVD process, an MBE process, or other deposition process and appropriately patterning epitaxial layer 156 .
[0020] Also shown in FIG. 1 , base 118 is situated over collector 116 and back gate 128 is situated over epitaxial portion 117 of epitaxial layer 156 . Base 118 and back gate 128 each comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 158 , which can comprise, for example, heavily doped P type GaAs in one embodiment. Base 118 and back gate 128 can be formed, for example, by depositing epitaxial layer 158 over epitaxial layer 156 by using a MOCVD process, an MBE process, or other deposition process and appropriately patterning epitaxial layer 158 . Further shown in FIG. 1 , emitter 120 is situated over base 118 and channel segment 140 is situated over back gate 128 . Emitter 120 and channel segment 140 each comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 160 , which can comprise lightly doped N type InGaP in one embodiment. Emitter 120 and channel segment 140 can be formed, for example, by depositing epitaxial layer 160 over epitaxial layer 158 and appropriately patterning epitaxial layer 160 . Channel segment 140 can be, for example, a conductive channel segment.
[0021] Also shown in FIG. 1 , emitter contact 122 is situated over emitter 120 and channel segment 138 is situated over channel segment 140 . Emitter contact 122 and channel segment 138 each comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 162 , which can comprise, for example, lightly doped N type GaAs in one embodiment. Emitter contact 122 and channel segment 138 can be formed, for example, by depositing epitaxial layer 162 over epitaxial layer 160 by using a MOCVD process, an MBE process, or other deposition process and appropriately patterning epitaxial layer 162 . Channel segment 140 can be, for example, a conductive channel segment. Further shown in FIG. 1 , etch stop segment 124 is situated over emitter contact 122 and channel segment 136 is situated over channel segment 138 . Etch stop segment 124 and channel segment 136 each comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 164 , which can comprise, for example, lightly doped N type InGaP in one embodiment. Etch stop segment 124 and channel segment 136 can be formed, for example, by depositing epitaxial layer 164 over epitaxial layer 162 by using a MOCVD process or other deposition process and appropriately patterning epitaxial layer 164 . Channel segment 136 can be, for example, a conductive channel segment.
[0022] Also shown in FIG. 1 , emitter cap 126 is situated over etch stop segment 124 and contact regions 130 and 132 are situated over channel segment 136 . Emitter cap 126 and contact regions 130 and 132 each comprise portions of epitaxial layer 166 , which can comprise, for example, heavily doped N type GaAs in one embodiment. In one embodiment, epitaxial layer 166 can comprise heavily doped N type indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs). Emitter cap 126 and contact regions 130 and 132 can be formed, for example, by depositing epitaxial layer 166 over epitaxial layer 164 by using a MOCVD process, an MBE process, or other deposition process and appropriately patterning epitaxial layer 166 .
[0023] In bipolar/dual FET 102 , channel 134 of E-mode FET 108 is situated above and isolated from channel 146 of D-mode FET 110 , which electrically and physically decouples E-mode FET 108 from D-mode FET 110 . By decoupling E-mode FET 108 from D-mode FET 110 , E-mode FET 108 and D-mode FET 110 can each be independently optimized for a particular application. For example, E-mode FET 108 can be optimized for analog applications, such as bias and control applications. D-mode FET 110 can be optimized, for example, for RF switching applications. However, E-mode FET 108 and D-mode FET 110 can also be utilized in digital logic circuits, for example.
[0024] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of exemplary E-mode and D-mode FETs situated over a substrate in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2 , E-mode FET 208 and D-mode FET 210 correspond, respectively, to E-mode FET 108 and D-mode FET 110 in bipolar/dual FET structure 102 in FIG. 1 . In particular, epitaxial segments 215 and 217 , back gate 228 , contact regions 230 , 232 , 242 , and 244 , channels 234 and 246 , and channel segments 236 , 238 , 240 , and 248 in FIG. 2 correspond, respectively, to epitaxial segments 115 and 117 , back gate 128 , contact regions 130 , 132 , 142 , and 144 , channels 134 and 146 , and channel segments 136 , 138 , 140 , and 148 in FIG. 1 . In FIG. 2 , E-mode FET 208 includes back gate 228 , contact regions 230 and 232 , channel 234 , channel segments 236 , 238 , and 240 , and respective back gate, source, gate, and drain contacts 272 , 273 , 274 , and 275 . D-mode FET 210 includes contact regions 242 and 244 , channel 246 , channel segment 248 , and respective source, gate, and drain contacts 276 , 277 , and 278 .
[0025] As shown in FIG. 2 , E-mode FET 208 is situated between isolation regions 280 and 281 and D-mode FET 210 is situated between isolation regions 281 and 282 . Isolation regions 280 , 281 , and 282 are non-conductive regions for providing electrical isolation between adjacent transistors. In one embodiment, isolation regions 280 , 281 , and 282 can each comprise a implant-damage region. In such embodiment, isolation regions 280 , 281 , and 282 can each be formed by utilizing an implant process to damage the epitaxial structure of a selected portion of epitaxial layers 150 and 152 in FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, isolations regions 280 , 281 , and 282 can each comprise a trench filled with, for example, nitride, polyimide, or other dielectric material. In such embodiment, isolation regions 280 , 281 , and 282 can each be formed by etching a trench in a selected portion of epitaxial layers 150 and 152 and filling the trench with a dielectric material, such as nitride or polyimide.
[0026] Also shown in FIG. 2 , channel segment 248 is situated over substrate 204 , gate contact 277 and contact regions 242 and 244 are situated over channel segment 248 , source contact 276 is situated over contact region 242 , and drain contact 278 is situated over contact region 244 . Gate contact 277 can comprise a metal or metal stack, such as a metal stack comprising, for example, platinum-titanium-gold in one embodiment. Source contact 276 and drain contact 278 can be ohmic contacts and can comprise, for example, gold-nickel-germanium, palladium-germanium-gold, or other metal alloy. Gate contact 277 and source and drain contacts 276 and 278 can be formed, for example, by using a sputter process, an evaporation process, or other deposition process.
[0027] Further shown in FIG. 2 , epitaxial segment 270 is situated over substrate 204 and epitaxial segment 271 is situated over epitaxial segment 270 . Epitaxial segment 270 can comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 150 in FIG. 1 and epitaxial segment can comprise a portion of epitaxial layer 152 in FIG. 1 . Also shown in FIG. 2 , epitaxial segment 215 is situated over epitaxial segment 271 , epitaxial segment 217 is situated over epitaxial segment 215 , back gate 228 is situated over epitaxial segment 217 , and back gate contact 272 and channel segment 240 are situated on back gate 228 . Back gate contact 272 can comprise for example, titanium-platinum-gold, platinum-titanium-platinum-gold, or other metal alloy. Back gate contact 272 can be formed, for example, by using a sputter process, an evaporation process, or other deposition process.
[0028] Further shown in FIG. 2 , channel segment 238 is situated over channel segment 240 , channel segment 236 is situated over channel segment 238 , contact regions 230 and 232 and gate contact 274 are situated over channel segment 236 , source contact 273 is situated over contact region 230 , and drain contact 275 is situated over contact region 232 . Gate contact 274 is substantially similar to gate contact 277 in composition and formation and source and drain contacts 273 and 275 are substantially similar to source and drain contacts 276 and 278 in composition and formation.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 2 , channel 246 of D-mode FET 210 is situated below channel 234 of E-mode FET 208 and isolation region 281 is situated between D-mode FET 210 and E-mode FET 208 . As a result, channel 246 of D-mode FET 210 is isolated from channel 234 of E-mode FET 208 , which advantageously decouples D-mode FET 210 from E-mode FET 208 .
[0030] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor die including an exemplary bipolar/dual FET structure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Certain details and features have been left out of FIG. 3 , which are apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. In FIG. 3 , structure 300 includes bipolar/dual FET structure 302 on substrate 304 . Structure 300 in FIG. 3 corresponds to structure 100 in FIG. 1 . In particular, bipolar transistor 306 , E-mode FET 308 , D-mode FET 310 , epitaxial segments 311 , 315 and 317 , sub-collector 312 , etch stop segments 314 and 324 , collector 316 , base 318 , emitter 320 , emitter contact 322 , emitter cap 326 , back gate 328 , contact regions 330 , 332 , 342 , and 344 , channels 334 and 346 , channel segments 336 , 338 , 340 , and 348 , and epitaxial layers 350 , 352 , 354 , 356 , 358 , 360 , 362 , 364 , and 366 in FIG. 3 correspond, respectively, to bipolar transistor 106 , E-mode FET 108 , D-mode FET 110 , epitaxial segments 111 , 115 and 117 , sub-collector 112 , etch stop segments 114 and 124 , collector 116 , base 118 , emitter 120 , emitter contact 122 , emitter cap 126 , back gate 128 , contact regions 130 , 132 , 142 , and 144 , channels 134 and 146 , channel segments 136 , 138 , 140 , and 148 , and epitaxial layers 150 , 152 , 154 , 156 , 158 , 160 , 162 , 164 , and 166 in FIG. 1 .
[0031] Also, E-mode FET 308 and D-mode FET 310 in FIG. 3 correspond, respectively, to E-mode FET 208 and D-mode FET 210 in FIG. 2 . In particular, epitaxial segments 315 , 317 , 370 , and 371 , back gate 328 , contact regions 330 , 332 , 342 , and 344 , channels 334 and 346 , channel segments 336 , 338 , 340 , and 348 , source contacts 373 and 376 , gate contacts 374 and 377 , drain contacts 375 and 378 , and isolation regions 380 , 381 , and 382 in FIG. 3 correspond, respectively, to epitaxial segments 215 , 217 , 270 , and 271 , back gate 228 , contact regions 230 , 232 , 242 , and 244 , channels 234 and 246 , channel segments 236 , 238 , 240 , and 248 , source contacts 273 and 276 , gate contacts 274 and 277 , drain contacts 275 and 278 , and isolation regions 280 , 281 , and 282 in FIG. 2 .
[0032] As shown in FIG. 3 , bipolar transistor 306 , which can comprise, for example, an HBT, is situated between isolation regions 379 and 380 , E-mode FET 308 is situated between isolation regions 380 and 381 , and D-mode FET 310 is situated between isolation regions 381 and 382 . Isolation regions 380 , 381 , and 382 correspond, respectfully to isolation regions 280 , 281 , and 282 in FIG. 2 , and isolation region 279 is substantially similar in composition and formation to isolation regions 280 , 281 , and 282 . Also shown in FIG. 3 , epitaxial segment 311 is situated over substrate 304 , sub-collector 312 is situated over epitaxial layer 311 and etch stop segment 314 and collector contact 386 are situated over sub-collector 312 . Collector contact 386 is substantially similar in composition and formation to source contact 376 and drain contact 378 , which correspond, respectively, to source contact 276 and drain contact 278 in FIG. 2 .
[0033] Further shown in FIG. 3 , collector 316 is situated over etch stop segment 314 , base 318 is situated over collector 316 and emitter 320 and base contacts 384 and 385 are situated over base 318 . Base contacts 384 and 385 are substantially similar in composition and formation to back gate contact 372 , which corresponds to back gate contact 272 in FIG. 2 . Also shown in FIG. 3 , emitter contact 322 is situated over emitter 320 , etch stop segment 324 is situated over emitter contact 322 , emitter cap 326 is situated over etch stop segment 324 and emitter contact 383 is situated over emitter cap 326 . Emitter contact 383 is substantially similar in composition and formation to source contact 373 and drain contact 375 , which correspond, respectively, to source contact 273 and drain contact 275 in FIG. 2 .
[0034] Further shown in FIG. 3 , epitaxial segment 370 is situated over substrate 304 , epitaxial segment 371 is situated over epitaxial segment 370 , epitaxial segment 315 is situated over epitaxial segment 371 , epitaxial segment 317 is situated over epitaxial segment 315 , back gate 328 is situated over epitaxial segment 317 , and back gate contact 372 and channel segment 340 are situated over back gate 328 . Also shown in FIG. 3 , channel segment 338 is situated over channel segment 340 , channel segment 336 is situated over channel segment 338 , contact regions 330 and 332 and gate contact 374 are situated over channel segment 336 , source contact 373 is situated over contact region 330 , and drain contact 375 is situated over contact region 332 . Further shown in FIG. 3 , channel segment 348 is situated over substrate 304 , contact regions 342 and 344 and gate contact 377 are situated over channel segment 348 , source contact 376 is situated over contact region 342 , and drain contact 378 is situated over contact region 344 .
[0035] In bipolar/dual FET structure 302 , E-mode FET 308 can be controlled by gate contact 374 and/or back gate contact 372 . In one embodiment, E-mode FET 308 can be only controlled by gate contact 374 . In another embodiment, E-mode FET 308 can be only controlled by back gate contact 372 . In bipolar/dual FET structure 302 , channel 334 of E-mode FET is situated above base 318 of bipolar transistor 306 and channel 346 of D-mode FET 310 is situated below sub-collector 312 of bipolar transistor 306 . Thus, channel 346 of D-mode FET 310 is situated below channel 334 of E-mode FET 308 , which isolates channel 346 of D-mode FET 310 from channel 334 of the E-mode FET. Also, E-mode FET 308 is isolated from D-mode FET 310 by isolation region 381 .
[0036] By isolating channel 346 of D-mode FET 310 from channel 334 of E-mode FET 308 in bipolar/dual FET structure 302 , channel 346 of D-mode FET 310 is decoupled, both electrically and physically, from channel 334 of E-mode FET 308 . By decoupling channel 346 of D-mode FET 310 from channel 334 of E-mode FET 308 , D-mode FET 310 is decoupled from E-mode FET 308 . As a result, E-mode FET 308 and D-mode FET 310 can each be advantageously optimized for particular applications independently of each other. For example, E-mode FET 308 can be optimized for logic and analog control applications, while D-mode FET 310 can be optimized for RF switching applications.
[0037] In contrast, in a conventional structure having E-mode and D-mode FETs situated below a bipolar transistor sub-collector, the performance of the E-mode FET cannot be optimized without undesirably affecting the performance of the D-mode FET, and vice versa. Thus, by forming an E-mode FET over a D-mode FET, where the E-mode FET is decoupled from the D-mode FET, an embodiment of the invention provides a bipolar/dual FET structure having increased design flexibility compared to a conventional structure having E-mode and D-mode FETs situated under a bipolar transistor sub-collector.
[0038] Thus, as discussed above, an embodiment of the invention provides a bipolar/dual FET structure including an E-mode FET having a channel situated above a base of a bipolar transistor, such as an HBT, and a D-mode FET having a channel situated below a sub-collector of the bipolar transistor. As a result, an embodiment of the invention provides a bipolar/dual FET structure having an E-mode and D-mode FETs that are electrically and physically decoupled from each other, which advantageously enables the E-mode FET and the D-mode FET to be independently optimized for specific applications. As a result, the invention provides a bipolar/dual FET structure having increased design flexibility.
[0039] From the above description of embodiments of the present invention it is manifest that various techniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the present invention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while the present embodiments of the invention have been described with specific reference to certain embodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Thus, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. It should also be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein but is capable of many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention.
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Bipolar field effect transistor (BiFET) structures and methods of forming the same are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a substrate and a plurality of epitaxial layers disposed over the substrate. The plurality of epitaxial layers includes a first epitaxial layer, a second epitaxial layer disposed over the first epitaxial layer, and a third epitaxial layer disposed over the second epitaxial layer. The first epitaxial layer includes at least a portion of a channel of a first field effect transistor (FET) and the third epitaxial layer includes at least a portion of a channel of a second FET.
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BACKGROUND, BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a detector system for knitting machines and more particularly to sensor employed in manufacturing operations to detect defects in knitting fabric.
There is a variety of devices available for use on circular knitting machines to reduce the occurrence of fabric defects such as yarn breaks, holes in the fabric, runs in the fabric, etc.
Normally the instruments for assuring better quality knitted fabric consist of devices which sense yarn breakage in its passage from a yarn supply to the knitting elements of the circular knitting machine, and devices for sensing fabric condition between the knitting elements and the fabric take-down assembly.
One of the more commonly used detectors is an electrical device for stopping operation of the knitting machine when a yarn breaks or runs out.
Devices for detecting holes and runs in fabric also are commonly used for automatically stopping operation of the machine. These may be in the form of mechanical fingers or electronic devices for optical scanning of the fabric to locate defects. However, as in the case of rundown detectors, the prior art forms have certain disadvantages. For example, such devices do not have the ability to detect good fabric from bad fabric. Sometimes in oiling the knitting machines, oil may cause streaks on the fabric, thus giving false signals of a run in the fabric. Once the machine has been restarted, the system of the present invention prevents the rundown detector from stopping the machine again until a prescribed amount of faultless fabric has been sensed by the rundown detector.
A primary object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved fault detection system for knitting machines.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel rundown detector which substantially eliminates the stopping of the machine due to false signals and deactivates the machine only in the event of an actual rundown defect in the fabric.
It is another object of the invention to provide a rundown detector which incorporates a fiber optic means and a floating head for sensing the condition of the fabric.
A further object of the invention is to provide a kntting machine incorporating a system for deactivating the machine upon detection of a rundown, a yarn break, or occurrence of an opening in the fabric.
Still another object of the invention is a fault detection system which is reliable in operation and which may be economically applied to existing knitting machines.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent when considered in view of the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a conventional circular knitting machine having the fault detection system of the present invention applied thereto;
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the system including the circuitry for controlling the machine;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of various components of the system including an enlarged schematic diagram of the logic circuitry of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sensor head of the rundown detector;
FIG. 5 is a schematic electrical diagram of various components of the photoelectric amplifier circuit; and
FIG. 6 is a diagram of voltage wave forms illustrating operation of the circuit of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional circular knitting machine 10 having an electrical stop motion is provided with the fault detection system 12 (FIG. 2) of the present invention which includes various devices for reducing the occurrence of defects in the fabric being knit. The system includes a conventional yarn break or runout detector 14, a conventional mechanism 16 for detecting holes in the knit fabric or pressoffs, and a device 18 for detecting runs in the fabric.
The rundown detector 18 includes a floating sensor head 20, positioned at a selected point or location, having a guide member 22 which engages the inner portion of the knit tube, as shown by FIG. 1. Upon rotation of the knit fabric tube 24 in the direction of the arrow A, FIG. 1, the sensor head 20 is in contact with the fabric immediately below the knitting elements. The head 20 includes an elongated aperture 26, FIG. 4, which may be, for example, 1/16" wide and 1/2" long, and is secured to an arm 28 which, in turn, is pivotably supported upon a bracket 30. Spring 32 serves to provide a counterbalancing effect on the arm 28 and head 20 so that the head is in light, floating contact with the fabric 24.
The detector 18, which optically checks for continuous stitch formation, will not stop the machine 10 except when a rundown is sensed. As long as yarns forming the stiches are intact, light from a photoelectric amplifier circuit 34 is continuously transmitted along a fiber optic tube 36 and through the aperture 26 of the sensor head 20, in engagement with the rotating fabric tube 24, and is reflected off the knitted fabric and back to the photoelectric amplifier circuit 34 via the aperture 26 and the fiber optic tube 38. Alternating periods of relatively high and low reflected light levels are transmitted to the circuit 34 due to alternate peaks and valleys of the knit fabric. When a predetermined, extended period of low reflected light is detected by circuit 34 due to occurrence of a run, an output signal is generated and directed along line 40 to the logic circuit 42.
Referrings to FIGS. 5 and 6, the photoelectric circuit 34 operates by sensing peaks P and valleys V in the surface texture of the knit fabric 24 and emitting a signal when the space between two adjacent peaks is longer than normal, as at V-2.
Light from the source 35 is conducted along fibers within a tube 36 and directed onto the moving fabric 24. A portion of the light is reflected from the cloth, directed along tube 38 and detected by a photocell 37. The signal is amplified in such a way that valleys in the fabric (relatively low reflected light) are represented by positive peaks in a voltage wave form at the output of amplifier 39. Peaks in the fabric (high reflected light) cause negative voltage valleys in the output waveform (I. of FIG. 6) of the amplifier.
The amplifier 39 is connected to a voltage integrator 41 which produces a "ramp" output (II. of FIG. 6). Since the ramp builds at a nearly linear slope rate, while the input voltage is positive, the maximum voltage of the ramp depends upon the length of time the input voltage is positive. The maximum ramp voltage, therefore, depends on the length or width of the valley in the fabric.
The integrator output feeds into a comparator 43 along with a fixed reference voltage to which the ramp voltage is compared. When the ramp voltage exceeds the reference voltage, caused by a rundown, the comparator provides an output which triggers a one-shot output 45.
The signal is fed simultaneously to a shift register 44 and a timer 46 which form part of the logic circuit. The timer 46 enables the shift register 44 to operate to count a predetermined number of additional signals generated along line 40 from the photoelectric circuit 34, one signal being generated each time the fault or defect in the fabric rotates past the sensor head 20. After the shift register receives a predetermined number of signals within a prescribed period determined by the timer 46 which is sufficient to determine that the fault being detected is a rundown, the knitting machine electric stop motion 50 is activated to stop the drive to cylinder of machine 10. If the prescribed number of signals is not received during the prescribed time period, the logic circuit 42 will reset itself without stopping the machine. For the stop motion 50 to stop the machine, a signal must be received from the shift register 44 through line 54 and a signal must be directed from switch 60 along the line 62 to the AND circuit 64. The switch 60 senses when the machine 10 is running. Whenever signals appear at the same time along lines 54 and 62 the AND circuit 64 produces an output signal which through triac 52 in line 66 activates the electric stop motion 50 either directly or indirectly to stop operation of the machine. The stop motion, when activated, deactivates the main motor, not shown, which drives the knitting machine.
When a signal from the shift register 44 is directed to the AND circuit 64, the latch 68, provided to store information, also activates the rundown indicator light 70 which signals to an operator the particular reason for the machine shutdown. The main warning light 72 also will be on indicating to an operator that the machine needs attention. If the machine is stopped by an operator, no indicator lights will be on.
After the operator has corrected the problem, and the machine restarted, rundown indicator light 70 will go off. However, the main warning light will remain on until the rundown detector 18 has "seen" a predetermined number of revolutions of faultless fabric 24. During this time the machine cannot be stopped due to signals generated by the photoelectric circuit 34.
Restarting of the machine activates a lockout timer 76 through switch 60. The lockout timer 76 is activated for a prescribed period of time which would permit a predetermined number of revolutions of the fabric tube 24 being knit, for example, five revolutions of the tube. If the rundown detector 18 does not sense a fault in the fabric during this time and the fabric is "verified" to be "good," the timer 76 will time out and the main warning light 72 will be turned off.
Occasionally when a machine has been stopped for oiling of various components, oil streaks will get onto the fabric which will give fault signals to the rundown detector 18 when the machine is restarted. Upon restarting the machine the lockout timer 76 also is activated. If, before timer 76 times out, the detector 18 senses an oil streak and a signal is emitted by the photoelectric circuit 34, the signal is directed along line 80 to restart the lockout timer 76. The lockout timer 76, which is also connected to the shift register 44 and timer 46, prevents the shift register from sending a signal to stop the motion until the timer 76 times out without receiving a signal from the photoelectric circuit 34. The timer 76 may stay on indefinitely as long as signals are generated by the circuit 34, before the timer 76 can time out. If the oil streaks move below the sensor head 20, and a signal is not received from circuit 34 before the timer 76 times out, the fabric is verified to be good and deactivation of the timer 76 turns off the warning light 72.
The yarn break detector 14, as shown schematically on FIG. 1, is of a conventional type. For example, the detector may include a spring biased guide arm for selectively activating a switch. The yarn tension normally maintains the arm in an inoperative position, and when the yarn breaks or runs out the arm is biased to operate a switch. While one detector 14 has been shown, it is to be understood that detectors may be provided for each yarn fed to the knitting elements.
Upon activation of a detector 14, a signal is sent simultaneously to the logic circuit 42 along line 94 and to the electric stop motion 50 aloong line 96, which stops the machine. The latch 68 of the logic circuit activates the yarn break indicator light 88 and the main warning light 72.
The hole detector mechanism 16, which is operated upon the occurrence of a hole or pressoff, also is of a conventional type. The detector may consist of a spring loaded plunger which normally engages the knit fabric tube. Upon the occurrence of a hole the plunger contacts metal at the back of the fabric tube which sends a signal simultaneously along line 98 to the logic circuit 42 and along line 100 to the electric stop motion 50 to stop the machine and activate warning line 72 and the hole detector light 90.
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A rundown detector system for controlling operation of the cylinder of a circular knitting machine includes a photoelectric circuit, including fiber optic means and a sensor for sensing predetermined extended periods of low reflected light level and emitting signals to a logic circuit. The logic circuit includes a timer and counting mechanism for stopping rotation of the machine cylinder if a predetermined number of signals are emitted to the logic circuit within a predetermined time period. The timer mechanism also prevents stopping of the machine cylinder, upon start-up of the machine, until a predetermined amount of knit fabric absent of defects has moved past the sensor.
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BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a data transfer method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a data transfer interface apparatus with a small chip area for controlling data transfer and method thereof.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] An important component in electronics is a data transfer interface device. A data transfer interface device performs the important task of transferring and buffering data output from a device A to a device B. Oftentimes, the data from the device A cannot be directly transferred into the device B because of different operating environments in the devices A and B (e.g. the operating frequencies of device A and device B differ), thus necessitating the presence of the data transfer interface device. For instance, the data transfer interface device functions as a buffer positioned between the device A and the device B for coordinating data transfer in different clock domains.
[0005] Presently, the most common embodiment of a data transfer interface device is a first in/first out (FIFO) storage unit. The FIFO storage unit accepts data inputted at a first frequency and outputs data at a second frequency. Among the drawbacks of such an FIFO storage unit that buffers data delivered between two devices, the two more prominent ones are the expense and the chip size taken up by the FIFO storage unit. While expense is a self-explanatory disadvantage, size is a disadvantage because space on the circuit board is at a premium. Bigger chip size means less space available for other parts. In other words, if the FIFO storage unit is used to implement the data transfer interface device, the size of the circuit board is required to be big enough to accommodate the installed FIFO storage unit.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0006] It is therefore one of the many objectives of the claimed invention to provide a data transfer interface device and method thereof.
[0007] According to the claimed invention, a data transfer interface apparatus is disclosed. The data transfer interface apparatus comprises a first storage unit for storing an input data according to a first clock and for outputting a first output data according to a second clock, a single-port memory coupled to the first storage unit for storing the first output data according to the second clock and for outputting a second output data according to the second clock, and a second storage unit coupled to the single-port memory for storing the second output data according to the second clock and for outputting a third output data according to a third clock.
[0008] Also according to the claimed invention, a data transfer interface apparatus is disclosed. The data transfer interface apparatus comprises a single-port memory for storing an input data according to a first clock and for outputting a first output data according to a second clock; and a dual-port memory coupled to the single-port memory, for storing the first output data according to the second clock and for outputting a second output data according to a second clock.
[0009] Further according to the claimed invention, a data transfer interface apparatus is disclosed. The data transfer interface apparatus comprises a dual-port memory for storing an input data according to a first clock and for outputting a first output data according to a second clock; and a single-port memory coupled to the dual-port memory, for storing the first output data according to the second clock and for outputting a second output data according to the second clock.
[0010] These and other objectives of the claimed invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a data transfer interface device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the data transfer interface device applied in the display or television field.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a data transfer interface device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a data transfer interface device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a data transfer interface device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Please refer to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a data transfer interface device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this preferred embodiment, the data transfer interface device 10 comprises two asynchronous storage units (the FIFO storage units 22 and 26 ) and a single-port memory 24 . The two FIFO storage units 22 , 26 , and the single-port memory 24 are clocked to receive and output data according to clock signals generated by a clock generator 28 , whereof details will be described hereinafter shortly. Please note that the FIFO storage units 22 , 26 can be embodied by dual-port memories. In addition, one can also choose to implement the FIFO storage units 22 , 26 by using latch circuits instead, wherein the substitution of FIFO by latch-based circuits is considered well known in the pertinent art. Meanwhile, the single-port memory 24 can be embodied by a well-known SRAM. These are only examples of the FIFO storage units 22 , 26 and the single-port memory 24 , and are not meant to be taken as limitations.
[0017] The term “single-port memory” or “single-port storage unit” herein, as one of ordinary skill in the art would understand, refers to a storage device having only one port for input/output, which implies a input/output mutual exclusion characteristic, which means the input operation cannot happen when outputting, and vice versa. The term “dual-port memory” or “dual-port storage unit”, on the other hand, refers to a storage device having two ports for accessing, and therefore capable of simultaneous input/output operation. Because of the simultaneous input/output accessing characteristics, a dual-port memory is considered capable of being accessed “asynchronously”, and thus the term “asynchronous storage unit”.
[0018] The data transfer interface device described in the embodiments of the present invention can be used in a variety of applications. For example, it can be used as buffer memory, such as a frame buffer, between display controller and display panel. Pertinent products may include LCD monitor controllers, LCD TV controllers, digital TV controllers, and the like. Please refer to FIG. 2 , which schematically illustrates such a setup in the display or television field. As shown in FIG. 2 , the data transfer interface device 10 is positioned between a display controller 11 and a display panel 12 .
[0019] The single-port memory 24 is positioned between the two FIFO storage units 22 , 26 . For the FIFO storage unit 22 , data (D in ) N with a data width N is received according to a clock CLK 1 and data (D′ in ) N with the same data width N is output according to a different clock CLK 2 . For the single-port memory 24 , data (D′ in ) N output from the FIFO storage unit 22 is received according to the clock CLK 2 , and data (D′ out ) N with the same data width N is output according to the clock CLK 2 . Finally, for the FIFO storage unit 26 , data (D′ out ) N output from the single-port memory 24 is received according to the clock CLK 2 and data (D out ) N with the same data width N is output according to a different clock CLK 3 . For this preferred embodiment, the clocks CLK 1 , CLK 2 , and CLK 3 have different frequencies. In other words, the data transfer interface device 10 according to the preferred embodiment operates under different clock domains defined by these clocks CLK 1 , CLK 2 , and CLK 3 .
[0020] Please note that the FIFO storage units 22 , 26 are able to read and write data simultaneously while the single-port memory 24 is only able to read data or write data but not both at the same time. Because of this, a guideline regarding the frequencies of the three clocks CLK 1 , CLK 2 , CLK 3 must be properly set so that the FIFO storage units 22 , 26 and the single-port memory 24 can achieve a constant data flow rate and appear to act as one full-function dual-port storage unit. The guideline is dependent upon the characteristics of the FIFO storage units 22 , 26 and the single-port memory 24 .
[0021] Please continue referring to FIG. 1 . In this preferred embodiment, in an attempt to adapting to a full-bandwidth application, the frequency F 2 of the clock CLK 2 is preferrably equal to or larger than the sum of the frequencies F 1 , F 3 of the corresponding clocks CLK 1 and CLK 3 . For example, assuming that the FIFO storage units 22 , 26 , and the single-port memory 24 each operate with the same data width of 24 bits, the data receiving rate for the FIFO storage unit 22 is 24 bits×F 1 , the data outputting rate for the FIFO storage unit 22 is 24 bits×F 2 , the data receiving rate for the single-port memory 24 is 24 bits×F 2 , the data outputting rate for the single-port memory 24 is 24 bits×F 2 , the data receiving rate for the FIFO storage unit 26 is 24 bits×F 2 , and the data outputting rate for the FIFO storage unit 26 is 24 bits×F 3 . Please note that the frequency F 1 of the clock CLK 1 and the frequency F 3 of the clock CLK 3 are normally preset, for they are usually predominantly determined by the outputting frequency of the preceding circuitry, for example, an LCD controller circuitry, and the receiving frequency of the following component, for example, a display panel, respectively. Therefore, the frequency of the clock CLK 2 needs to be set, in view of the preset frequencies F 1 and F 3 , at such a level that the single-port memory 24 does not act as a bottleneck of the data flow, which is inherent to its single port nature.
[0022] To address the issue in more detail, please refer to the following derivation in terms of internal and external data flow rates. Because of the read/write mutual exclusion nature of the single-port memory 24 , the data flow rate of the single-port memory 24 , i.e., the internal data flow rate of the data transfer interface device 10 can be viewed equivalent to half the sum of the data receiving rate and the data outputting rate, that is, 0.5×(24 bits×F 2 +24 bits×F 2 ). On the other hand, the external data flow rate of the data transfer interface device 10 , which is the sum of the receiving rate and the outputting rate thereof, can be denoted as 24 bits×F 1 +24 bits×F 3 . Accordingly, in order for the data transfer interface device 10 to operate as a full-function dual-port storage unit in a full-bandwidth fashion, the internal data flow rate is required to be equal to or larger than the external data flow rate, which renders the following condition:
0.5×(24 bits× F 2 +24 bits× F 2 )≧24 bits× F 1 +24 bits× F 3
That is,
F 2 ≧F 1 +F 3
[0023] And as a result, the aforementioned preferrable criterion is so derived. However, such a criterion serves merely as a preferred requirement in order for a full bandwidth application, and is not to be considered as a limitation of the present invention.
[0024] Please further refer to FIG. 3 , which shows a block diagram of a data transfer interface device 50 according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3 , besides of the two FIFO storage units, herein denoted 62 and 64 , and the single-port memory, herein denoted 64 , as illustrated in FIG. 1 , the data transfer interface device 50 also includes a data converter 60 at the input portion, which functions to convert M input data (D in ) N with a data width N into input data (D in ) M×N with a data width M×N, and a data converter 68 at the output portion, which functions to convert output data (D out ) M×N with a data width M×N into M output data (D out ) N with a data width N. It is a common practice in a variety of application fields, such as in LCD monitor controller field, LCD TV controller field, or digital TV controller field, to adopt such data converters when implementing data transfer buffering, and thus the configuration and operation of the data converters 60 and 68 are considered well known to those skilled in the art.
[0025] The above-mentioned embodiments in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 are designed suitable for all sorts of combination of input clock frequency CLK 1 and output clock frequency CLK 3 . When it is known, for example, from the setting of the preceding and following circuitries, that the input data rate, and therefore the input clock frequency CLK 1 , is higher than the output data rate, and therefore the output clock frequency CLK 3 , i.e., F 1 >F 3 , then the inventive data transfer interface device may be optimized to omit one dual-port FIFO storage unit as shown in FIG. 4 . Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 1 , the FIFO storage unit 22 originally positioned in the front is removed and the clock driving the single-port memory 24 is switched to the input clock CLK 1 , while such optimized data transfer interface device 70 still functions as a full-function dual-port memory and benefits from even more reduced cost and space. Similarly, when it is known, for example, from the setting of the preceding and following circuitries, that the input data rate, and therefore the input clock frequency CLK 1 , is lower than the output data rate, and therefore the output clock frequency CLK 3 , i.e., F 1 <F 3 , then the inventive data transfer interface device may be optimized to omit one dual-port FIFO storage unit as shown in FIG. 5 . Referring to FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIG. 1 , the FIFO storage unit 26 originally positioned in the rear is removed and the clock driving the single-port memory 26 is switched to the output clock CLK 3 , while such optimized data transfer interface device 80 still functions as a full-function dual-port memory and benefits from even more reduced cost and space.
[0026] As one can see, the data transfer interface devices 10 , 50 , 70 , 80 in the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , and FIG. 5 are considered much cheaper and take up much less space, resulting from the use of a much less complex single-port memory, while provide for the same functionality of a full-function dual-port storage unit.
[0027] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, that above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
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A data transfer interface apparatus and method for controlling data transfer. The data transfer interface apparatus includes a first storage unit for storing an input data according to a first clock and for outputting a first output data according to a second clock, a single-port memory coupled to the first storage unit for storing the first output data according to the second clock and for outputting a second output data according to the second clock, and a second storage unit coupled to the single-port memory for storing the second output data according to the second clock and for outputting a third output data according to a third clock.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to patio roofing systems and, more particularly, to a louver style roof for a patio.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Patio roofs come in several styles. Where there is a desire to permit some sunlight to pass through the roof, a slat system will be employed. In this system, typically, a plurality of slats are secured, in parallel rows, to a series of beams projecting at a ninety degree angle from the side a house or other structure. Some spacing is provided between each slat, to provide the desired opening for sunlight.
[0003] There are several limitations or drawbacks with systems of this type. Installation is generally labor-intensive, with each slat needing to be affixed in place with nails or wood screws. Achieving proper spacing between slats can be difficult, with the result that truly accurate and consistent spacing may not always be achieved. In addition, the replacement of individual slats can be time-consuming and relatively inconvenient.
[0004] The present invention is directed to a roof system for a patio or the like which is relatively simply to install, which eliminates much of the hardware required for prior art systems, that facilitates replacement of individual “slats,” and that provides other, related, advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a patio-style roof system is disclosed. The system comprises, in combination: at least two trusses; means for securing the at least two trusses to a structure; louver panel supports projecting from the trusses; and a plurality of louver panels detachably coupled to the louver panel supports.
[0006] In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a patio-style roof system is disclosed. The system comprises, in combination: at least two trusses; wherein each of the at least two trusses comprises a truss body and a series of spaced louver panel supports projecting upward therefrom; wherein the spaced louver panel supports have a notch in an upper, side portion thereof; wherein the panel supports are coupled at acute angles to the truss body; means for securing the at least two trusses to a structure; wherein the securing means comprise an upper truss attachment bracket and a lower truss attachment bracket; a plurality of louver panels detachably coupled to the louver panel supports; a louver panel receiver at an end of each the at least two trusses; wherein the louver panels comprise an upper horizontal section, a lower horizontal section, and an angled section therebetween; wherein the upper horizontal section terminates in a downward protruding tab, and wherein the downward protruding tab is dimensioned to be inserted into the notch; wherein the lower horizontal section terminates in an upward protruding tab, and wherein the upward protruding tab is dimensioned to be inserted into the receiver.
[0007] In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, a method of installing a patio style roof is disclosed. The method comprises: securing at least two trusses to a structure; wherein each of the at least two trusses comprises a truss body, a series of spaced louver panel supports projecting upward therefrom, and a louver panel receiver at end thereof; wherein the spaced louver panel supports have a notch in an upper, side portion thereof; wherein the panel supports are coupled at acute angles to the truss body; detachably coupling a plurality of louver panels to the louver panel supports; wherein the louver panels comprise an upper horizontal section, a lower horizontal section, and an angled section therebetween; wherein the upper horizontal section terminates in a downward protruding tab; wherein the lower horizontal section terminates in an upward protruding tab; wherein said coupling step comprises inserting the downward protruding tab into the notch and at least one upward protruding tab into the receiver.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a top view of a section of a louver style roof system, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side view of a section of a louver style roof system, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a side view of a section of a louver style roof system, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention, shown coupled to a structure.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a side, cross-sectional view of the louver style roof system of FIG. 3 .
[0012] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a louver panel component of a louver style roof system, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a truss component of a louver style roof system, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 7 a is a side view of an upper truss attachment bracket component of a louver style roof system, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 7 b is a top view of an upper truss attachment bracket component of a louver style roof system, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 8 a is a side view of a lower truss attachment bracket component of a louver style roof system, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 8 b is a top view of a lower truss attachment bracket component of a louver style roof system, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Referring first to FIGS. 1-4 , a truss system 10 consistent with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the main components of the system 10 are trusses 12 , lower truss attachment brackets 14 , upper truss attachment brackets 16 , and louver panels 18 . The purpose of each component and their relationship with each other will now be described in more detail.
[0019] Referring first to FIG. 6 , a truss 12 is illustrated. The truss 12 , in this embodiment, comprises a truss body 20 , and a series of spaced louver panel supports 22 projecting upward therefrom. The panel supports 22 preferably have a notch 24 in an upper, side portion thereof. As will be discussed in more detail below, the notch 24 receives an upper portion of a louver panel 18 . Preferably, as best seen in FIGS. 3-4 and 6 , the panel supports 22 are coupled at a slightly acute angle to the truss body 20 .
[0020] At one end of the truss body 20 , a louver panel receiver 26 is provided. The receiver 26 , as described in more detail below, receives a lower portion of a louver panel 18 .
[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 3-4 and 7 a - b , the truss supports 20 may be coupled to a wood panel 28 or other desired structure utilizing upper truss attachment brackets 16 . In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 a - b , the upper truss attachment bracket 16 has a base plate 30 , which is preferably provided with a plurality of openings 33 therein, to facilitate the securing thereof to the wood panel 28 (see, e.g., FIGS. 3-4 ). The upper truss attachment bracket 16 further includes two arms 32 projecting from the base 30 . The arms 32 are spaced sufficiently far apart to permit the insertion therebetween of an end of a truss body 20 , as shown in FIGS. 3-4 . Securing of the end of the truss body 20 to the arms 32 may be accomplished by, for example, the securing of bolts 35 through mating openings in the truss body 20 and arms 32 .
[0022] It should be noted that there are myriad ways in which coupling of the truss body 20 to a wood panel 28 or other structure could be accomplished, and the method described herein is intended to be exemplary only. For example, the upper truss attachment bracket 16 could be integrated into the truss body 20 , instead of providing them as separate components. If they are to be separate components, the mechanics of coupling and attachment between them can be accomplished in any of a number of ways known in the art generally.
[0023] Referring now to FIGS. 3-4 and 8 a - b , the truss supports 20 may be coupled to a wood beam 38 or other desired structure utilizing lower truss attachment brackets 14 . In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 a - b , the lower truss attachment bracket 14 has a base plate 40 , which is preferably provided with a plurality of openings 43 therein to facilitate the securing thereof to the wood beam 38 (see, e.g., FIGS. 3-4 ). The lower truss attachment bracket 14 further includes two arms 42 projecting from the base 40 . The arms 42 are spaced sufficiently far apart to permit the insertion therebween of portion of the truss body 20 , as shown in FIGS. 3-4 . Securing of the truss body 20 to the arms 42 may be accomplished by, for example, the securing of bolts 45 through mating openings in the truss body 20 and arms 42 .
[0024] As noted above with respect to the upper truss support attachment bracket 16 , it should be noted that there are myriad ways in which coupling of the truss body 20 to a wood beam 38 or other structure could be accomplished, and the method described herein is intended to be exemplary only. For example, the lower truss attachment bracket 14 could be integrated into the truss body 20 , instead of providing them as separate components. If they are to be separate components, the mechanics of coupling and attachment between them can be accomplished in any of a number of ways known in the art generally.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 5 , a louver panel 18 is shown. Preferably, the louver panel 18 is shaped to have an upper horizontal section 50 , a lower horizontal section 52 , and an angled section 54 therebetween. The upper horizontal section 50 , in this embodiment, terminates in a downward protruding tab 56 . The lower horizontal section 52 , in this embodiment, terminates in an upward protruding tab 58 .
[0026] The louver panels 18 are preferably formed form sheet metal, though plastic or other desired materials may be utilized. Preferably, to facilitate the coupling and de-coupling of the louver panels 18 to the truss supports 20 as herein described, it may be preferred to form the louver panels 18 from a material having some flexibility.
[0027] Referring now to FIGS. 1-4 , coupling of the louver panels 18 to the truss body 20 is described. As best seen in FIGS. 2-4 , the louver panel 18 which is coupled at the end of the truss body 20 that has the receiver 26 thereon is positioned to that the upward protruding tab 58 is inserted into the receiver 26 . The downward protruding tab 56 of the same louver panel 18 is inserted into notch 24 of the most proximate panel supports 22 . Secure coupling of the louver panel 18 may require some bending or flexing of the louver panel 18 during the coupling process. It can be seen that, as described herein, louver panels 18 may, in this embodiment, be attached to the truss supports 20 without any additional hardware.
[0028] For the next louver panel 18 , it is positioned so that its upward protruding tab 58 abuts the rear side of the support 22 which has received on an opposite side thereof the upward protruding tab 56 of the end louver panel 18 . The downward protruding tab 56 of the second louver panel 18 is inserted into notch 24 of the next set of panel supports 22 . The process continues, until the desired number of louver panels 18 has been installed.
[0029] As best seen in FIG. 1 , when the louver panels 18 are in position, there remains a gap 60 between each succeeding pair of louver panels 18 . During the part of the day when the sun is relatively low over the horizon, the suns rays enter through gap 60 . When the sun is more directly above the roof, the rays will contact the upper portion of the lover panels 18 , and will be substantially blocked from entering the gap 60 —reducing heat below the roof as compared to prior art, slat systems.
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A patio-style roof system and method. The roof system utilizes a trusses, to which are coupled a plurality of louver panels. To facilitate such coupling, the trusses may have notched louver panel supports, to which the louver panels may be attached in a preferably tools-free manner. The trusses may be coupled to a structure utilizing upper and lower truss attachment brackets.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/799,472, filed 11 Mar. 2004 and titled HANDRAIL GATE, HINGE AND LOCK.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to connections for tubular structures suitable for use as handrails, and more particularly to a hinge and lock that can be attached to a standard handrail to form, together with an arm in the form of a short tubular rail component, a pivotally openable gate that opens and closes the handrail where it is necessary to have a closeable access through the handrail.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Usually, handrails consist of horizontally and vertically arranged and connected metal hollow tubes of a selected cross-section, frequently circular. The handrails may be supported on a wall by horizontal mounting posts or may be supported from a floor by posts or stanchions, which are spaced from one another. The stanchions and wall mounting posts are interconnected by lengths of generally horizontal hollow tubing constituting the handrail, but the handrail may also be inclined or vertical along staircases or ladders. Handrails are installed to improve the safety of a specific site and to serve as a support in walking and climbing. In many industrial and civil buildings, handrails are an indispensable installation required by safety regulations.
[0004] In some places, it is necessary to make available an opening in the handrail to enable access to an area on the other side of the handrail. In many cases, those openings are simply left free as they do not need to be further secured (for example, when a handrail along a sidewalk is discontinued and restarted again to create an opening for accessing a crosswalk). In other sites, however, such openings reduce the safety of the installation, particularly where a handrail separates two areas situated at different levels. In those cases, it is desirable to secure the opening by creating some barrier or gate so the handrail constantly serves its safety purpose in its full length, but can be opened when needed.
[0005] Such gates within handrails can be commonly found in many manufacturing buildings, in the construction industry and in the marine industry, of which the field of recreational yachting is important. When an opening in the handrail is essential for a staircase, construction elevator, permanent ladder, or for boarding a vessel, some previous rather unsatisfactory designs for an openable section of the handrail that would maintain the structural integrity of the handrail have been proposed. It is desirable that any gate when closed, form an essentially uninterrupted continuum with the adjoining portions of the handrail, so that one's hand can pass along the gate and adjoining railing without impediment, and so that little or no risk of catching a glove or a sleeve occurs when gripping the railing in the gate portion or adjoining portions. It is further desirable that the gate be secure when closed. It is further desirable that all connecting parts, such as hinges, clasps and locks, be simple, reliable, easily manufactured, and strong enough for the purpose. Unfortunately, previously known gate arrangements have fallen short of one or more of these objectives.
[0006] In the industry, closing of a gate providing a temporarily open section of a handrail is typically achieved by mounting a simple hinge at one side of the gate bar or tube. The hinge connects one end of the stationary handrail with a sectional pivoting arm constituting the gate bar or tube, usually moving in a ninety degree angle. The arm is long enough to reach the other side of the temporary opening in the handrail, where it is usually received by a mating saddle-type receptacle attached to a horizontal part of the adjoining stationary handrail. Because the closed pivoting arm is not secured or locked by any means, but simply rests in the saddle and can be accidentally opened by bumping into it from the bottom, the gate constitutes a potentially hazardous section of the handrail. In addition, the hinge attachment, which represents the only means of permanent connection of the arm, can be easily damaged when a force is applied to the closed pivoting arm from its side.
[0007] To prevent accidental opening of such a conventional gate, holes are often drilled through the pivoting arm and through the handrail saddle, and removable bolts or pins are inserted into the holes to ensure that the closed arm does not open by accident nor move when a generally horizontal force is applied to it. However, obtrusive elements, such as exposed bolt heads and pins, reduce the overall safety of the handrail, as they can cause hand injuries when a person suddenly grips the handrail. Accordingly, although the conventional design of the mountable pivoting arm is advantageous to a limited extent, the methods of attachment and locking of the arm to the stationary handrail present potential opportunities for improvement.
[0008] For marine use, and typically in the construction of handrails for recreational yachts and the like, openings in the handrails, if secured at all, are commonly secured by mounting a stainless steel chain and hook, or a plastic coated stainless steel wire cable and hook, to stanchions or posts or terminating stationary rail elements at the ends of the opening. Alternatively, movable wooden handrail gates with protruding conventional hinges and expensive hardware may span the opening. Devices such as cables or chains do not retain the structural integrity of the boat handrail and are not safe in harsh weather conditions. Additionally, for yachting use, the overall aesthetic appearance of the handrail structure is an important issue, and current designs of hook and cable do not entirely satisfy the expected demands of boat owners for aesthetically pleasing designs.
[0009] Therefore, despite the obvious need for a safe and convenient handrail gate design, there has not heretofore been any completely satisfactory solution to the problem of providing a simple gate section in the handrail that would retain the structural integrity of the original handrail and at the same time be both aesthetically pleasing and safe.
[0010] It is apparent that the objectives of structural integrity and aesthetic appeal can be met by providing a handrail gate having the same cross-section as the stationary portion of the handrail. The problem is to provide a hinge on one end of the gate and a lock at the other end of the gate that maintain a uniform cross-section throughout the handrail when the gate is closed, even at points of connection. Such hinge and lock should be inexpensive, safe, easy to manufacture, install and use, aesthetically pleasing, durable and solid enough to resist occasional impacts accidentally caused by users without being displaced or sufficiently damaged to interfere with satisfactory operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] An object of the present invention is to provide a combination of a hinge and lock for interconnecting a standard tubular handrail (typically but not necessarily made of round tubing) with a pivoting arm to form a gate within the handrail that retains the structural integrity of the original handrail, and is safe and aesthetically pleasing.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a hinge and lock mountable on or connectable to a standard tubular handrail and on or to a mating pivotable gate arm, that are easy to manufacture, install and use, and that are at the same time durable and reliable.
[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a hinge as aforesaid that enables pivoting of the gate arm through an angle up to about 180°.
[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a gate lock as aforesaid that when in the closed position resists longitudinal tensional forces across the gate opening.
[0015] The hinge and the lock of the present invention can be used independently of one another.
[0016] The hinge and the lock of the present invention are substitutes for the hinge and lock described in Applicant's previously filed Canadian patent application Ser. No. 2,314,839, filed on 2 Aug. 2000. For convenience of description, some of the content of Applicant's previously filed Canadian patent application is repeated in this application.
[0017] The hinge and lock may be installed and used in various orientations, but for ease of explanation in this specification, including the claims, the hinge and lock are referred to as if they are in the closed position when installed on a horizontal handrail. More particularly, the following words have the following meanings:
1. “longitudinal” refers to movement and directions substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handrail and gate arm when the gate arm is in the closed position; and 2. “lateral” refers to side-to-side movement and directions, that is, those that are substantially horizontal and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handrails and gate arm when the gate arm is in the closed position.
[0020] The gate according to the invention is particularly suitable for use with an elongate handrail or the like that has one or more open gateways that need to be locked (latched) closed from time to time. Each gateway exists between two spaced terminals of the handrail, one terminal on either side of the gateway.
[0021] Preferably, the gate includes a pivotable gate arm, preferably having the same profile in cross-section as the handrail, and pivotally movable from a closed locked position to a fully open position at which the gate arm lies next to the adjoining stationary handrail. Even though the gate arm itself may be substantially uniform along its length or at least longitudinally symmetrical, the two ends of the gate arm may conveniently be referred to as the gate hinge end and the gate lock end, since one end of the gate arm is fastened to a hinge for hingedly connecting the hinge end of the gate arm to one terminal, conveniently referred to as the handrail hinge terminal, and the other end of the gate arm is fastened to one component of a two-component lock. The other lock component is fastened to the other terminal of the handrail, conveniently referred to as the handrail lock terminal. The two lock components matingly engage one another as the lock end of the gate arm moves into alignment with the lock terminal of the handrail.
[0022] The two lock components are respectively provided with mating components of a lock that is operative to releasably secure the gate arm to the handrail when the lock end of the gate arm is aligned with the neighbouring lock terminal of the handrail, and the mating lock components have come into engagement with one another. A release means such as a depressable projecting button is provided for releasing the two lock components from one another after they have locked together.
[0023] The lengths of the gate arm and of the hinge and lock components are selected so as to provide a substantially uninterrupted continuum of the entire handrail structure (including the gate arm), when the gate arm is in the closed position. To optimize the structural continuity, the peripheral profile of the hinge and of the lock components are selected to be identical to or at least to merge with the peripheral profile of the gate arm and the handrail.
[0024] Handrails are typically made of hollow tubing. Round tubing is the most common and generally the least expensive to manufacture. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the hinge and lock components are provided with stubs insertable into the tubing, preferably in a tight fit or at least a snug fit. Auxiliary securing means are also preferably provided to fasten the hinge and lock elements in place during normal use.
[0025] In accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a lock having two mating elements referred to herein as the active lock component and the passive lock component. The active lock component has a plug that projects substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handrail or gate arm, as the case may be, to which it is attached when the active lock component is installed. The passive lock component has a socket sized and shaped for receiving the plug. The socket has longitudinally-extending side walls so as to impede lateral movement of the active lock component relative to the passive lock component when the plug is in the socket; and a laterally-extending end wall so as to impede longitudinal movement of the active lock component relative to the passive lock component when the plug is seated in the socket.
[0026] The lock includes means for releasably securing the plug within the socket so as to releasably secure the passive and active lock components one to the other. Preferably, the means for releasably securing the plug within the socket comprises a depressable button projecting from the plug and a hole in the socket through which the button projects when the plug is seated within the socket and the active and passive lock components are in the closed position.
[0027] Accordingly, the plug and socket, and button and socket, interlock so as to resist any motion of the active lock component relative to the passive lock component when the lock components are in the closed position.
[0028] Preferably, the active and passive lock components include surfaces on one or both lock components configured to guide the plug and socket into proper alignment during movement of the lock components to the closed position. Preferably, these guiding surfaces include surfaces that tend to guide the lock components longitudinally such as where the disengaged lock components longitudinally overlap too much, or not enough, for proper interlocking of the plug and socket. Further, these guiding surfaces also preferably include a surface or surfaces tending to guide the lock components laterally, so as to laterally align the lock components during closing. Laterally-guiding surfaces may be desirable when there is sufficient lateral play in the gate arm to permit lateral misalignment of the lock components.
[0029] Further, the laterally-guiding surfaces also preferably include a surface on the plug, or within the socket, that guides the plug within the socket during closing such that the button is pushed against a side wall of the socket so as to depress the button. This button-depressing laterally-guiding surface preferably comprises a planar surface on the side of the socket opposite the hole The planar surface is inclined relative to the plane defined by the opening and closing pivotal movement of the gate arm such that when the plug contacts the planar surface during closing the planar surface guides the plug to move simultaneously laterally towards the hole and downward, so as to depress the button and move it towards alignment with the hole.
[0030] The peripheral profile of the lock components are preferably selected to be identical to, or at least to merge with, the peripheral profile of the gate arm and the handrail, when the lock components are in the closed position. When the gate arm and handrail are made from round tubing, the visible portions of the closed lock components are configured so as to combine to form a cylindrical peripheral profile of substantially the same diameter as the gate arm and handrail. Preferably the overlapping visible portions of the lock components are each semi-cylindrical. The semi-cylindrical portion of the passive lock component contains the socket and hole. The plug projects from the semi-cylindrical portion of the active lock component. The visible portions of the lock components may also each comprise a cylindrical collar, integral with the respective semi-cylindrical portion and adjoining the relevant handrail or gate arm when the relevant lock component is installed.
[0031] For use with handrails and gate arms made from hollow tubing, the lock components preferably each have a stub portion for insertion into the gate lock end or the handrail lock terminal, as the case may be, preferably in a snug or tight fit, so as to attach the lock components to the handrail and gate arm.
[0032] For use with handrails and gate arms made from round hollow tubing, each stub preferably is substantially cylindrical and has an external diameter the same as or slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the tubing. Preferably, each stub is hollow and is provided with circumferentially-spaced longitudinally-extending slits to permit the stub to be slightly compressed to facilitate insertion. Preferably the stub has one or more retainer wedges, each having a relatively-long gently-inclined top surface that permits easy insertion of the stub and a short end surface that forms a sharp corner with the gently-inclined surface, which sharp corner engages the inner wall of the tubing so as to resist removal of the stub. Preferably each stub is provided with bevelled or chamfered distal edges to facilitate the initial insertion of the stub into the tubing.
[0033] Each stub is also preferably additionally secured within the relevant handrail or gate arm by a fastener such as a headless screw. The fastener is preferably installed by drilling a hole through the handrail or gate arm, and the relevant stub after the stub has been inserted into the handrail or gate arm. If required for the particular fastener, the hole may then be tapped with the appropriate threads and the fastener, such as a headless screw or other screw, is then screwed into position. The fastener need not be a headless screw and may be a regular machine screw with a head, a rivet or a variety of other fasteners.
[0034] In accordance with the foregoing objectives, there is provided an improved hinge for hingedly connecting the handrail hinge terminal to the gate hinge end. The hinge includes two connectors and a link, each connector being separately pivotally attached to the link. Each connector is attached to the link such that each connector may pivot roughly 90° relative to the link, such that the connectors can pivot through roughly 180° relative to each other.
[0035] Preferably, the link and connectors are configured such that a portion of each connector abuts the link when the gate arm to which the hinge is attached is in the closed position so as to impede pivotal movement of the gate arm in the direction opposite the opening direction. As well, a portion of each connector abuts the link when the gate arm to which the hinge is attached is pivoted to a fully open position roughly 180° from the closed position, such that the gate arm is substantially parallel to the adjoining handrail. In this way the hinge impedes pivotal movement of the gate arm beyond roughly 180° between the closed position and the fully open position. This structural arrangement lends to the hinge a motion-limiting characteristic permitting the gate arm to pivot from the closed position to the fully open position only in one general direction, usually upward. Accordingly, in the closed position, the gate arm will tend to remain coaxial with the stationary handrail, and will tend not to collapse or pivot downwardly even if it is not supported at its distal end.
[0036] Preferably, the connectors are essentially identical one to the other and each comprises a clevis having two spaced-apart fingers and a web spanning the fingers at the base of the fingers, the clevis fingers defining a clevis gap, with the clevis gaps being of substantially identical widths. Preferably, the link is a generally-rectangular parallelepiped interposed between the clevis fingers of each connector and pivotally connected to each connector by a pin through aligned holes in the link and the relevant connector. The link is sized for insertion into the clevis gaps such that the width of the link is selected to be slightly less than the width of the clevis gap. Preferably, a portion of the web of each connector abuts a portion of the adjoining end of the link when the gate arm is in the closed position so as to impede pivotal movement of the gate arm in the direction opposite the opening direction. Preferably, a portion of the web of each connector abuts the upper surface of the link when the gate arm is in the fully open position so as to impede pivotal movement of the gate arm beyond roughly 180° from the closed position. Preferably, the portions of the webs and link that abut when the gate arm is in the closed position are substantially planar surfaces that are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the gate arm and handrail. Alternatively, the link ends and webs may be configured such that the abutting surfaces are substantially parallel to, or inclined relative to, the longitudinal axis of the gate arm and handrail.
[0037] Alternatively, the link may include two link devises and each connector may include a projection inserted into, and pivotally attached to, a link clevis, such that the connector projection pivots within the link clevis. Alternatively, neither the link nor the connectors may have a clevis, and the link and connectors may merely overlap side-by-side rather than a portion of one being interposed between fingers projecting from the other.
[0038] The peripheral profile of the hinge is preferably selected to be identical to, or at least to merge with, the peripheral profile of the gate arm and the handrail, when the gate arm is in the closed position. Preferably the link and connectors are configured such that when the gate arm is closed, the distal ends of the devises abut each other and the top and bottom surfaces the link span the gaps defined by the fingers and the web such that the connectors and link form, to the casual observer, one seemingly-solid piece. When the gate arm and handrail are made from round tubing, the outer surfaces of the clevis fingers, and the top and bottom surfaces of the link, are curved and combine, in the closed position, to form a cylindrical peripheral profile of substantially the same diameter as the gate arm and handrail.
[0039] For use with handrails and gate arms made from hollow tubing, the connectors preferably each have a stub portion, essentially identical to the lock component stub portions, for insertion into the gate hinge end or the handrail hinge terminal, as the case may be, so as to attach the connectors to the handrail and gate arm.
[0040] The hinge and lock components can be conveniently manufactured so as not to have any sharp nor obtrusive parts or edges, thus permitting them to constitute an integral part of the hand railing. In order to merge visually and structurally with the rest of the handrail, the hinge and lock may be fabricated out of the same material as the handrail. For visual continuity, they may have the same surface finishing as the handrail. The hinge and lock may be made from diverse materials, such as stainless steel and aluminum.
[0041] A longitudinal series of gate arms, hinges and locks can be arranged together, thereby creating the possibility of opening large handrail sections. A preferred such combination makes use of a central stanchion that is itself hinge-coupled, or otherwise releasably attached, to a bottom pedestal, permitting the entire stanchion, apart from the pedestal, to be: collapsed pivotally downwardly so as to assume a horizontal orientation, or to be removed. The stanchion receives two individually operable gates, themselves coupled by the hinge connections to tubular railings on either side of the stanchion, and locking to the stanchion. By opening both gates and collapsing the stanchion downwardly or removing the stanchion, it would be possible to create a relatively large opening in the handrail. Further, the stanchion and gate arms may be configured such that with the stanchion in its normal upright position, one gate arm may be opened, leaving the other gate arm closed.
[0042] It will be clear that the gate arm need not open only vertically. The hinge and lock may be installed in a variety of orientations as desired.
[0043] The present invention provides many advantages over previously known designs. It offers a simple and ingenious solution to the problem of securing handrail openings (gates). To a great extent, it retains the structural and peripheral integrity of the original handrail, it is durable and strong, and it presents few protrusions or obstructions that can cause injuries. The preferred embodiments provide constraints that prevent or limit motion of the gate arm in undesired directions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hinge and lock according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention mounted on a standard handrail shown in a closed position.
[0045] FIG. 2 is a partly cross-sectional view along the line I-I in FIG. 1 of a hinge of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 , in the closed position.
[0046] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the handrail hinge of FIG. 1 , shown in a fully opened position.
[0047] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the passive component of a lock according to a preferred embodiment of the invention mounted onto the end of the handrail opposite that shown in FIG. 3A and separated from the end of the handrail shown in FIG. 3A by the width of the gate arm. Viewing FIGS. 3A and 3B together, one perceives an open gateway, the gate arm being folded over onto the handrail portion to which it is connected.
[0048] FIG. 4 is a view partly in cross-section along the line II-II in FIG. 3A of a fully opened hinge.
[0049] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the active lock component of the present invention.
[0050] FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view showing the active lock component of FIG. 6 with the parts of the depressable button.
[0051] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the passive lock component of the present invention.
[0052] FIG. 8 is an alternative perspective view showing the passive lock component of FIG. 7 .
[0053] FIG. 9 is a partly sectional view of the active lock component showing the parts of the depressable button.
[0054] FIG. 10A is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of the passive and active lock components of the present invention showing first contact between the lock components during closing when the lock components are longitudinally misaligned so as to overlap more than required for full closure.
[0055] FIG. 10B is a lateral sectional view of the passive and active lock components shown in FIG. 10A .
[0056] FIG. 11A is a longitudinal sectional view of the passive and active lock components shown in FIG. 10A , showing first contact between the lock components during closing when the lock components are longitudinally misaligned so as to overlap less than required for full closure.
[0057] FIG. 11B is a lateral sectional view of the passive and active lock components shown in FIG. 11A .
[0058] FIG. 12A is a longitudinal sectional view of the passive and active lock components shown in FIGS. 10A and 11A , showing a position of the lock components during closing, between first contact and the fully closed position.
[0059] FIG. 12B is a lateral sectional view of the passive and active lock components shown in FIG. 12A .
[0060] FIG. 13A is a longitudinal sectional view of the passive and active lock components shown in FIGS. 10A, 11A and 12 A, showing the lock components in the fully closed position.
[0061] FIG. 13B is a lateral sectional view of the passive and active lock components shown in FIG. 13A .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0062] FIGS. 1 through 13 B show a preferred embodiment of the present invention for use with handrails made of round tubing. FIG. 1 shows the hinge 1 , handrail 2 , gate arm 3 and lock 9 in the closed position.
[0063] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 , 3 A and 4 , the hinge includes a link 5 and two connectors 4 , 6 . The two connectors are substantially identical to each other and are interchangeable. For ease of description, they are named herein according to how they are shown installed in FIGS. 1, 3A and 4 , being, a fixed connector 4 attached to the handrail 2 and a mobile connector 6 attached to the gate arm 3 . Each connector 4 , 6 has a clevis 41 , 61 (respectively) and a stub 42 , 62 (respectively). The fixed connector clevis 41 includes two spaced-apart fingers, a first fixed finger 43 and a second fixed finger 44 , having opposed substantially-parallel planar surfaces, and a web, the fixed web 45 , spanning the fixed fingers 43 , 44 at their bases. Likewise, the mobile connector clevis 61 includes two spaced-apart opposed fingers, a first mobile finger 63 and a second mobile finger 64 , having opposed substantially-parallel planar surfaces, and a web, the mobile web 65 , spanning the mobile fingers 43 , 44 at their bases.
[0064] The link 5 is a generally rectangular parallelepiped (with curved upper and lower surfaces, as described below). The link 5 is interposed between the fixed fingers 43 , 44 and pivotally attached to the fixed connector clevis 41 by a pin 18 passing through aligned holes in the fixed fingers 43 , 44 and the link 5 . Likewise, the link is interposed between the mobile fingers 63 , 64 and pivotally attached to the mobile connector clevis 61 by a pin 18 ′ passing through aligned holes in the mobile fingers 63 , 64 and the link 5 . The gap between the fixed fingers 43 , 44 is substantially the same as the gap between the mobile fingers 63 , 64 .
[0065] The link 5 is sized and shaped such that, when the gate arm 3 to which the link 5 is attached is in the closed position, the link 5 substantially fills the space defined by the fingers 43 , 44 , 63 , 64 and the webs 45 , 65 , such that the upper link surface 53 and the lower link surface 54 (as shown in FIG. 2 ) substantially visually blend with the devises 41 , 61 . In the embodiment shown in the drawings the handrail 2 and the gate arm 3 are made of cylindrical tubing; and the devises 41 , 61 have curved outer surfaces that closely match the external profile of the handrail 2 and the gate arm 3 , and the upper link surface 53 and lower link surface 54 are similarly curved.
[0066] The link 5 and webs 45 , 65 are configured to limit the range of pivotal movement of the hinge 1 to roughly 180°, being between the closed position in which the gate arm 3 and adjoining handrails 2 are aligned and substantially coaxial as shown in FIG. 1 , and the fully open position in which the gate arm 3 is positioned alongside and substantially parallel to the handrail 2 as shown in FIG. 3A . In the closed position, as shown in FIG. 2 , a first portion of each web 45 , 65 abuts the ends of the link 5 so as to impede downward pivoting of any of the connectors 4 , 6 or link 5 relative to each other. In the open position, a second portion of each web 45 , 65 abuts the upper link surface 53 so as to impede pivoting movement of the hinge 1 beyond roughly 180° from the closed position. In this way, each connector 4 , 6 is limited to roughly 90° of pivoting movement relative to the link 5 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 A, the fingers 43 , 44 , 63 , 64 have bevelled or partially curved ends so as to permit the connectors 4 , 6 to pivot past each other during the opening and closing of the gate arm 3 .
[0067] The stubs 42 , 62 are for attaching the relevant connectors 4 , 6 to the associated handrail 2 and gate arm 3 . In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the handrail 2 and gate arm 3 are made of cylindrical tubing. The stubs 42 , 62 are configured for insertion into the handrail 2 and gate arm 3 . The stubs 42 , 62 each comprise a hollow cylindrical body with an external diameter substantially the same as, or slightly less than, the internal diameter of the handrail 2 and gate arm 3 . In the embodiment shown in the drawings, each stub 42 , 62 has four longitudinally extending slits 11 and two retainer wedges 12 . The slits 11 permit the stubs 42 , 62 to be slightly compressed for insertion into the handrail 2 and gate arm 3 . The retainer wedges 12 have a relatively-long gently-inclined top surface that permits easy insertion of the stubs 42 , 62 , and a short end surface that forms a sharp corner with the gently-inclined surface, which sharp corner engages the inner wall of the hand rail 2 and gate arm 3 , as the case may be, so as to resist removal of the relevant stub 42 , 62 .
[0068] Each stub 42 , 62 is also preferably additionally secured within the relevant handrail 2 or gate arm 3 by a fastener such as a headless screw 13 , as shown in FIG. 4 . The headless screw 13 is installed by drilling a hole through the handrail 2 or gate arm 3 , and the relevant stub 42 , 62 , after the stub 42 , 62 has been inserted into the handrail 2 or gate arm 3 . The hole is then tapped with the appropriate threads and the headless screw 13 is screwed into position. The headless screw 13 is preferably screwed into one of those sections of the relevant stub 42 , 62 bounded by two slits 11 that does not have a retainer wedge 12 , so that the section of the relevant stub 42 , 62 through which the headless screw 13 is screwed is not held away from the inner wall of the handrail 2 or gate arm 3 by a retainer wedge 12 . Generally, it is preferable for aesthetic reasons that the headless screws 13 be located on the underside of the handrail 2 and the underside of the gate arm 3 , when the gate arm 3 is in the closed position, so that the headless screws 13 are not normally visible. The fastener need not be a headless screw 13 and may be a regular machine screw with a head, a rivet or a variety of other fasteners. Alternatively, the stub may be secured within the tubing by welding, such as by spot welding at a hole drilled in the tubing.
[0069] It will be clear that the connectors 4 , 6 could be attached to the handrail 2 and gate 3 by means other than insertable stubs 42 , 62 , such as by welding.
[0070] As shown in FIGS. 5 through 13 B, the lock 9 includes a passive lock component 7 and an active lock component 8 . The passive lock component 7 has a socket 70 . The active lock component 8 has a plug 72 for matingly engaging the socket 70 , and a radially-projecting depressable latching button 74 that engages a button hole 76 in the passive lock component 7 for securing the plug 72 within the socket 70 so as to secure the lock components 7 , 8 one to the other. The button 74 and socket 70 should of course have mating cross-sectional configurations and dimensions, but these need not be circular. The preferred circular cross-section of each is illustrated.
[0071] Each lock component 7 , 8 includes a stub, the passive lock component stub 78 and the active lock component stub 80 as the case may be, that is in all relevant details substantially identical to the connector stubs 42 , 62 previously described, and that may be installed in the same manner as the connector stubs 42 , 62 .
[0072] The embodiment of the lock 9 shown in the drawings is for use with handrails 2 and gate arms 3 made of round tubing; and the portions of the lock components 7 , 8 that are visible when installed and when the gate arm 3 is in the closed position, have surfaces that closely match the external profile of the handrail 2 and gate arm 3 .
[0073] In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the socket 70 is defined by an inner end wall 82 , an outer end wall 84 , a curved side wall 86 , a straight side wall 88 and a guide side wall 90 . The inner end wall 82 is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the passive lock component 7 . The outer end wall 84 has a lower wall lip 92 that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the passive lock component 7 , and an upper wall lip 94 that is inclined relative to the lower wall lip 92 . The curved side wall 86 contains the button hole 76 . The curved side wall 86 adjoins the straight side wall 88 .
[0074] The plug 72 has an end face 96 , an end guide face 98 , an inner face 100 , a curved side face 102 , a straight side face 104 and an inclined side face 106 . The end face 96 is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the active lock component 8 . The end guide face 98 adjoins, and is inclined relative to, the end face 96 . The inner face 100 has a lower face lip 108 that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the active lock component 8 , and an upper face lip 110 that is inclined relative to the lower face lip 108 . The button 74 projects from the curved side face 102 . The curved side face 102 adjoins the straight side face 104 .
[0075] As shown in FIG. 9 , the button 74 has a button shoulder 112 contained within the button sleeve 114 . The button sleeve 114 is secured within a cavity in the active lock component 8 and is preferably a metal sleeve pressed in a tight fit into a bore in the active lock component 8 . A spring 116 within the button sleeve 114 biases the button shoulder 112 against an annular retainer 118 at the outward end of the button sleeve 114 , such that the button 74 is spring-biassed to project from the curved side face 102 . The spring 116 is selected so that the button 74 may be manually depressed.
[0076] FIGS. 10A through 13B show some of the possible positions of the passive lock component 7 and active lock component 8 relative to each other during closing of the gate arm 3 . FIGS. 10A and 11A show the initial contact between the passive lock component 7 and the active lock component 8 in situations where there is a slight longitudinal misalignment of the lock components 7 , 8 , such as perhaps might be due to the gate arm 3 being the incorrect length, for example, too long in FIG. 10A and too short in FIG. 11A . In FIG. 10A , the point of first contact is between the top of the inner end wall 82 and the end guide face 98 , and as the active lock component 8 moves towards engagement with the passive lock component 7 , the incline of the end guide face 98 helps to guide the plug 72 into the correct longitudinal position to engage the socket 70 . Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11A , the point of first contact may be between the bottom of the lower face lip 108 and the upper wall lip 94 , and as the active lock component 8 moves towards engagement with the passive lock component 7 , the incline of the upper wall lip 94 helps to guide the plug 72 into the correct longitudinal position to engage the socket 70 .
[0077] As shown in FIG. 11B , the contact of the button 74 with the top of the curved side wall 86 tends to cause the active lock component 8 to move laterally relative to the active lock component 7 , such that further downward movement of the active lock component 8 causes the bottom of the curved side face 102 to contact the guide side wall 90 . The incline of the guide side wall 90 combined with a downward force on the active lock component 7 causes the active lock component to move both downward and laterally so as to: depress the button 74 so as to compress the spring 116 by pushing the button 74 against the curved side wall 86 ; and bring the straight side face 104 into alignment with the straight side wall 88 , as shown in FIG. 12B . As shown in FIG. 13B , further downward movement of the active lock component 8 brings the button hole 76 into alignment with the button 74 permitting the spring 116 to expand so as to cause the button 74 to project through the button hole 76 , thus securing the active lock component 8 to the passive lock component 7 in the closed position.
[0078] In the closed position, the presence of the button 74 within the button hole 76 impedes upward movement of the active lock component 8 ; the abutting of the straight side face 104 with the straight side wall 88 and the abutting of the top of the curved side face 102 with the top of the curved side wall 86 impede lateral movement of the active lock component 8 ; and the abutting of the lower wall lip 92 with the lower face lip 108 resists longitudinal forces tending to separate the passive and active lock components 7 , 8 .
[0079] The active lock component 8 may be released from the passive lock component 7 by depressing the button 74 and moving the active lock component 8 upwards.
[0080] The button 74 may be relatively small and unobtrusive, and therefore the lock 9 is particularly aesthetically appropriate for relatively small tubing, such as 2.5 cm (1″) diameter. Further, in this embodiment, the gate arm 3 , hinge 1 and lock 9 are configured to tie the handrail 2 portion on one side of the gate opening to the handrail 2 portion on the other side of the gate opening so as to resist longitudinal tensional forces tending to spread the handrails 2 on each side of the gate opening. This tying of the handrails 2 contributes to the overall strength of the handrail 2 installation and tends to cause the gate arm 3 to stay closed even if neighbouring portions of the handrail 2 are bent, such as by heavy objects or persons failing against them, or, in the case of marine applications, due to wave impact in extreme storm conditions.
[0081] It will be clear that the lock 9 need not be associated with a hinge permitting the gate arm 3 to pivot through a full 180° and that various other hinges may be used with the lock 9 . Further, the gate arm 3 may be designed to telescope into the handrail 2 as long as there is sufficient play at the end of the gate arm 3 to permit the mating portions of the lock components 7 , 8 to clear each other as the gate arm 3 is telescoped in or out. As well, the gate arm 3 may be designed to be removable, by having a lock 9 at each end, or a lock 9 at one end and some other means for releasably engaging the handrail 2 at the other end.
[0082] The scope of the invention is not to be limited by the specific details described, but is to be given the full scope established by the appended claims. As used in the appended claims, the word “tubing” means a hollow bar of any suitable profile (e.g., round, rectangular, oval).
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A gate having a gate arm, lock and hinge, for use with a handrail. The gate in closed position retains the structural integrity and peripheral profile of the handrail. The hinge consists of two connectors, each pivotally connected to a link by pins. The connectors pivot about the pins, enabling the gate arms to pivot through 180°. The lock includes two mating components, one component having a plug and the other having a socket for receiving the plug. A depressable button secures the plug within the socket. For use with handrails made from tubing, the hinge and lock components includes stubs insertable into the tubing. All components in the closed position of the gate compactly fit together and are shaped to provide peripheral continuity.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to repairing damaged surfaces, particularly vehicle body surfaces. One common method for repairing such surfaces is to employ a putty to fill in holes and dents, followed by sanding the putty after it has dried and then painting. One problem with this very common method is that the putty tends to fall out due to vibration or rusting in the area around the putty, or both. Also, once an area of a vehicle begins to rust, adjacent areas tend to rust more quickly and it has done little good to have puttied one particular area.
Fiberglass cloth is sometimes used to repair larger areas, particularly where there are holes. A chemical adhesive is used which must be exposed to sunlight in order to harden. The fiberglass cloth is then coated with a putty, sanded and painted. This system is very difficult to work with and requires a fairly high degree of skill.
Another prior art method involves employing a piece of metal foil which is adhered to the surface to be repaired with an adhesive. It is difficult to insure that the foil will be smooth and this method is practical only over very small areas.
Sheet metal is sometimes used to repair large areas. It is difficult to secure the sheet metal to the vehicle body, with sheet metal screws usually being necessary and being difficult to conceal. Even then, the sheet metal must often be puttied over since it does not conform particularly well to the surface being repaired. If the sheet metal is bare, it has to be treated with acid prior to painting.
All in all, the processes available are quite difficult to use and are costly when done by a professional and not particularly good looking when done by an amateur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention employs a method and articles wherein a sheet of plastic is used to cover the area to be repaired after the area has been made reasonably smooth and free of excessive flaking rust. The sheet of plastic is sufficiently pliable that it can be manually shaped to conform generally to the area to be repaired, but is sufficiently rigid that it resists oil canning, denting and other localized deformation. One manually shapes the plastic to conform generally to the area to be repaired and the edges of the sheet are beveled so that they blend into the vehicle surface. The sheet is adhered to the vehicle area with an adhesive and the entire repaired area is painted over.
Preferably, a sealant is employed at least along the visible edges of the plastic sheet. This sealant is of a material which dries firm, but resilient, whereby cracking is minimized. The sealant is applied to the edges and feathered out onto the body surface so as to create a smooth flowing surface overall.
The result is a process which is relatively inexpensive to perform and which can be done by an amateur to create a reasonably good looking repaired surface. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the written specification and appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of an automobile whose front rocker panel has been repaired in accordance with the method of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view showing a sheet of plastic in accordance with the present invention spaced from an area which has to be repaired;
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along plane III--III of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps employed in accordance with the method of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a kit in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the preferred embodiment, the rusted area 10 (FIG. 2) of the vehicle 1 (FIG. 1) is covered with a plastic sheet 20 which is held in place by means of a contact adhesive 30 (FIG. 3). The beveled edges 21 of the plastic sheet 20 are sealed by the application of an edge sealant 40 which is feathered out from the plastic sheet onto the surface of the vehicle to create a smooth appearance. The materials necessary to practice this method can be provided in kit form as shown in FIG. 5 wherein a plastic kit container 50 contains a plastic sheet 20, a contact adhesive 30 and a sealant 40.
The plastic sheet 20 is preferably a sheet of polyvinyl chloride material. Polyvinyl chloride is reasonably resistant to solvent attack from most commercial contact cements and has a surface to which paint, either lacquer or enamel, adheres.
The particular sheet plastic employed must not be brittle. It has been found that the type of polyvinyl chloride sheet used as a house or building siding works very well in practicing the present invention.
Plastic sheet 20 must have sufficient pliability that it can be manually shaped to conform generally to the area to be repaired. Yet, it must be sufficiently rigid to resist oil canning, denting and other localized deformations. It has been found that for areas where there is a sharp bend on the vehicle body, or for small repair jobs, a sheet of polyvinyl cloride about 20 mils thick is best. For larger areas, and for areas where no sharp bends are required, a sheet of polyvinyl chloride having a thickness of approximately 40 mils is best. The thicker sheet is particularly good where it is being applied over a large opening in the metal or plastic body of the car since the 40 mil thick sheet gives greater rigidity to the final repair job.
The adhesive 30 which is employed to adhere plastic sheet 20 to the area 10 to be repaired is preferably a contact cement. It is applied to the area 10 to be repaired and to the rear surface of plastic sheet 20. The rear surface of plastic sheet 20 should be roughened prior to application of the contact cement. This can be accomplished by sanding just prior to application of the contact cement. In the alternative, a plastic sheet having a molded-in roughened rear surface can be employed. Most contact cements commonly available on the market can be employed. For safety purposes, it is peferable to employ a non-flamable contact cement. One commercially available product called "Con-Bond" (TM) is available from Columbia Cement Company of Freeport, N.Y., and works very well in practicing the invention.
The edge sealant 40 employed must be of a material which dries firm, but remains resilient. This is to prevent cracking which might otherwise occur with vehicle vibration. A caulking which would dry hard would not be satisfactory since it would eventually crack and flake out. A silicon tub caulking works very well as sealant 40. Dow Chemical makes such a product and another sealant which works exceptionally well is "Flexible Kwik Seal Tub and Tile Caulk" (TM) marketed by DAP, Inc.
The first step in practicing the method is to determine the area of the vehicle body to be repaired (FIG. 4). One must then cut the plastic sheet 20 to match the desired area of the vehicle body to be covered. If possible, the plastic sheet 20 should be cut so that its edge comes up to a sharp bend or to a molding strip or to some other deviation in the body surface so that the edge of the plastic sheet 20 is not readily apparent in the final repair job.
The area 10 to be repaired should be prepared so that it is reasonably smooth and reasonably free of peeling, flaking rust. A loose chunk of rust between the plastic sheet 20 and the surface being repaired could create a bulge in plastic sheet 20. While the preparation need not be as extensive as is normally the case in auto body repair techniques, some preliminary precautions should be taken.
The edges of the plastic sheet are then beveled by the use of a razor knife or the like. This results in beveled edges 21 as shown in FIG. 3. In the alternative, the kit 50 could include plastic sheet with pre-beveled edges.
The adhesive 30 is then applied to the roughened back side of plastic sheet 20 and to the vehicle body area 10 to be repaired. As is common for contact adhesives, it should be applied at room temperature. If working in a colder area, a torch or other heating implement can be used to heat up the areas prior to application of the cement.
After the cement has had an opportunity to tackify, as is common practice with contact cements, the plastic sheet 20 is applied to the vehicle body over the area 10 to be repaired. The edges of the vinyl plastic sheet are then further sanded and any excess adhesive which is squeezed out around the edges of plastic sheet 20 is removed. Gasoline or other solvent can be used to remove excess adhesive. Gasoline is also used to wipe the entire surface of the plastic sheet 20 to improve adherence of the paint.
The beveled and sanded edge 21 of plastic sheet 20 is then covered with edge sealant 40. The excess is wiped away and sealant 40 is feathered out so as to create a smooth flowing surface from the exposed surface of plastic sheet 20 out onto the surface of the vehicle around the edges thereof. It is necessary to worry about beveling, sanding and the application of sealant only at edges of plastic sheet 20 which will be readily visible when the vehicle is viewed. Usually, it is not necessary to worry about this along bottom edges of rocker panels and the like where the repair job is rarely seen.
The thus repaired surface is painted in the usual manner. The results as can be seen from FIG. 1 is an attractive repaired surface. This is achieved with a minimum of expense in either terms of material or labor and accordingly constitutes a significant contribution to the art. Of course, it will be understood that alterations and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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The specification discloses a method and a kit for repairing surfaces, particularly vehicle surfaces, in which the surface to be repaired is covered by adhering a plastic sheet having beveled edges thereto, followed by sanding the beveled edges and adhering sealant to at least the visible edges, feathering the sealant so as to create a smooth surface, followed by painting the repaired area.
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This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 121,264 filed Nov. 16, 1987, which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 782,623 filed Oct. 1, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,424.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to novel compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of use for the treatment of diseases in which products of lipoxygenase enzyme activity or the action of leukotrienes contribute to the pathological condition. The novel compounds of the present invention have activity useful for treating asthma, allergies, cardiovascular diseases, migraines, and immunoinflammatory conditions. Selected novel intermediates are also the present invention.
More particularly, this invention concerns certain novel enolamides having the Formula I as defined below, pharmaceutical compositions having the novel enolamides therein, and methods of use therefor in the treatment or amelioration of diseases in which products of lipoxygenase enzyme activity or the reaction of leukotrienes contribute to the pathological condition. That is, the novel enolamides inhibit lipoxygenase and/or bind leukotriene receptors. Lipoxygenase enzymes are well known in the arachidonic acid cascade.
Arachidonic acid serves as the biological precursor for a family of physiologically active eicosanoids. These include products derived from the action of cyclooxygenase such as the class of prostaglandin-E and -F compounds, thromboxanes, and prostacyclin, and products derived from the action of lipoxygenase enzymes such as hydroxy- and hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acids and the leukotrienes.
Lipoxygenase pathway products such as leukotrienes B4, C4, D4, and E4, 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid, and 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid are related to the condition recognized as inflammation, and in allergic and immune responses.
These lipoxygenase products have been shown to be highly potent stereospecific inducers of polymorphonuclear leukocyte migration or chemotaxis, lysosomal enzyme release, and degranulation. Additionally, these products induce the contraction of smooth muscle such as vascular and pulmonary tissue, and induce the generation of additional inflammogens such as thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin. Lipoxygenase products also interact with vasodilator prostanoids and other mediators, leading to the enhancement or amplification of the inflammatory response.
Leukotrienes and the hydroxy- and hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acids play a major role in the pathogenesis of many disease conditions. These compounds have been found in synovial fluid of rheumatoid joints, in involved skin of psoriatic patients, in inflammed colonic tissue, and at elevated levels in ischemic myocardial tissue. They are also mediators of allergic and asthmatic conditions.
Compounds and pharmaceutical compositions in accordance with the present invention inhibit lipoxygenase or the biosynthesis or biochemical action of leukotrienes and, therefore, are useful in the treatment or amelioration of a number of diseases whose pathogenesis involves the production of the leukotrienes and other lipoxygenase-derived products. These lipoxygenase inhibitors aid in the prevention of tissue damage and inflammation which result from infiltration of leukocytes, release of tissue-digesting lysosomal enzymes, and changes in the permeability and contractile state of smooth muscle tissue.
Specific conditions in which such lipoxygenase-inhibiting or leukotriene-antagonizing compounds and pharmaceutical compositions in accordance with the present invention are useful include allergy; asthma; arthritis; skin disorders including psoriasis and acne; inflammation; inflammatory bowel diseases; pain; and cardiovascular disorders including myocardial ischemia and infarction, angina, arrhythmias, stroke, and atherosclerosis.
Among the novel enolamides of the present invention are benzothiopyrans and oxides thereof of Formula I having a moiety, Q, shown as substituent I 1 ; benzothiazine, 1,1-dioxide type compounds having a moiety, Q, shown as substituent I 2 ; benzofurans having a moiety, Q, shown as substituent I 3 ; benzo[b]thiophenes having a moiety, Q, shown as substituent I 4 ; benzopyrans having a moiety, Q, shown as substituent I 5 ; furo[3,2-b]indoles having a moiety, Q, shown as substituent I 6 ; and indole amides having a moiety, Q, shown as substituent I 7 . Definitions for the various moieties of the present invention are found in the subsequent descriptions herein.
Of the above defined enolamides the compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 1 and wherein Q is I 4 are found to have leukotriene receptor affinities also described herein as leukotriene antagonists.
Specific aryl carboxamides of benzothiopyran dioxides useful as antiinflammatory agents are described in British Pat. No. 1,338,996 including an aryl amide having aryl as a naphthyl radical or an aryl substituted by among others alkyl, aryl, or aralkyl. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,073 describes phenyl carboxamides of benzothiopyrans and their corresponding S-oxides also having an antiinflammatory utility. This patent includes the phenyl having specific alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl substituents.
The dioxides of benzothiazines having various carboxamide moieties also useful as antiinflammatory agents are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,591,584; 3,674,876; 3,803,205; 3,862,319; 3,891,637; 3,892,740; 3,900,470; and 3,923,801 and also in British Pat. No. 2,118,544; Belgian Pat. No. 751,300; and Japanese No. 58225-076. Among the various carboxamides are naphthyl and substituted phenyl carboxamides including as phenyl substituents, an alkyl group.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,020 includes a lower alkyl substituted phenyl carboxamide as an intermediate. Lombardino et al, "Synthesis and Antiinflammatory Activity of Some 3-Carboxamides of 2-Alkyl-4-hydroxy-2H-1,2-benzothiazine 1,1-dioxide," J. of Medicinal Chem., Vol. 14, No. 12, pp 1171-1175 (1971) discloses naphthyl carboxamide and lower alkyl substituted phenyl carboxamides. Zinnes et al, "1,2-benzothiazines, 6 1 ,3-carbamoyl-4-hydroxy-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-1,1-dioxides as Antiinflammatory Agents," J. of Medicinal Chemistry, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp 44-48 (1973) discloses phenyl substituted phenyl carboxamides.
Selected enolic benzofuran amides are disclosed by M. Pesson and M. Joannic, "New Derivatives of 2-carboxamido-3-hydroxybenzofuran" and in British Pat. No. 1,233,268 having choleretic activity.
Enolic indole amides generally are known. See M. Saxena and S. R. Ahmed, J. Med. Chem., 12, 1120 (1969). However, the compounds of the present Formula I are not suggested by the limited disclosure of such known amides.
Also falling within the scope of the present invention are the pharmaceutically acceptable acid and base addition salts of the compounds of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention are compounds of the Formula I and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof wherein:
(1) y is one or two
(2) Q is a substituent selected from the group consisting of the Formula I 1 , I 2 , I 3 , I 4 , I 5 , I 6 , and I 7 wherein a is zero, one or two; b is zero, one, two, three or four; X and Z are each independently hydrogen or lower alkyl; R 1 may be the same or different if b is two or more and is selected from a group consisting of alkyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, alkoxy of from one to four carbons, inclusive, carboalkoxy of from two to four carbons, inclusive, hydroxy, halogen, nitro, acyl of from two through four carbons, inclusive, acylamino, of from two through four carbons, inclusive, amino, mono- and di-alkylaminohaving each alkyl the same or different from one to four carbons, inclusive, carboalkoxyamido, of from one to four carbons, inclusive, alkylsulfonamido of from one to four carbons, inclusive, alkylsulfinyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, alkylsulfonyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, and where a is one then R 1 may also be --(CH═CH--CH═CH)-- taken together with adjacent ring carbons to form a benzo radical; R 2 and R 3 are the same or different and are hydrogen, alkyl of from one to six carbons, inclusive, phenyl or benzyl;
(3) R 5 is hydrogen; alkyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive; alkoxy of from one to four carbons, inclusive; carbalkoxy of from two to four carbons, inclusive; hydroxy, halogen, or --(CH═CH--CH═CH)-- taken together with adjacent carbons to form a benzo radical;
(4) R 6 is (a) alkyl of from six to twenty carbons, (b) --CH═CH--R 4 , (c) --(CH 2 ) n COR 4 , or (d) --(CH 2 ) n --R 4 wherein n is zero to four, inclusive, and R 4 is phenyl optionally substituted at the two through six positions by alkyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, lower alkoxy carbonyl, carbalkoxy having alkoxy of from one to four carbons, inclusive, alkoxy or thioalkoxyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, phenalkoxy, amino, monoalkyl- or dialkylamino having the alkyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, alkanoylamino of from two to six carbons, inclusive, carboxyl, halogen, hydroxy, hydroxyalkyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, alkanoyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, nitro, alkanesulfonamido of from one to four carbons, or phenyl; and with the proviso that when Q is I 1 or I 2 having y as one then R 6 cannot be alkyl, R 4 cannot be phenyl in --(CH 2 ) n --R 4 and R 5 cannot be --(CH═CH--CH═CH)-- taken together with adjacent carbons to form a benzo radical.
The embodiments of the present invention are compounds of Formula I wherein Q is (a) I 1 , (b) I 2 , (c) I 3 , (d) I 4 , (e) I 5 , (f) I 6 , or (g) I 7 , all having the above definitions.
One group of preferred compounds of Formula I include compounds wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 5 is hydrogen or the benzo radical, and X and Z are hydrogen, a is 2, y is 1, and R 6 is alkyl of from 6 to 20 carbons, inclusive, or --(CH 2 ) n R 4 wherein n is two and R 4 is phenyl optionally substituted by alkyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, carboxyl, carboalkoxy of from one to four carbons, inclusive, chloro, alkoxy of from one to four carbons, inclusive, hydroxy, or phenyl; or the pharmaceutically acceptable acid or base addition salts thereof.
Another group of preferred compounds of Formula I include compounds wherein R 1 and R 2 are hydrogen, y is 2, R 5 is hydrogen or the benzo radical; R 6 is alkyl of from 6 to 20 carbons, inclusive, or --(CH 2 ) n --R 4 wherein n is 2 and R 4 is phenyl optionally substituted by alkyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, lower alkoxycarbonyl; carboxyl, carboalkoxy wherein the alkoxy is from one to four carbons, inclusive, alkoxy of from one to four carbons, inclusive, hydroxy; or pharmaceutically acceptable acid or base addition salts.
Thus, the more preferred compounds of Formula I are:
2H-1,2-Benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,1-dioxide.
2H-1,2-Benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,1-dioxide, compound with methanol (4:1).
2H-1,2-Benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,1-dioxide, L-arginate (salt) (1:1).
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo.
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo.
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo, compound with 1-piperidineethanol (1:1).
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-N-[4-[2-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethyl]phenyl]-1,1-dioxide.
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-7-hydroxy-3-oxo-4-phenyl.
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy.
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 4-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(2-naphthalenyl)ethyl]phenyl], 1,1-dioxide.
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-, 1,1-dioxide.
1H-Indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethyl-α-oxo.
2H-1-Benzopyran-3-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo.
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(4-butoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-1,1-dioxide.
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, N-(4-decylphenyl)-4-hydroxy-α-oxo.
Naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide, 1-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl].
Naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-1-hydroxy.
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-1,1-dioxide.
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamides, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo.
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydro-α3-dioxo.
2H-1,2-Benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,1-dioxide.
Naphth[2,3-b]furan-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]3-hydroxy-α-oxo.
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, 3-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-α-oxo.
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 4-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-1,1-dioxide.
However compounds of Formula I embodied by each of I 1 , I 2 , I 3 , I 4 , I 5 , I 6 , and I 7 contain preferred, more preferred, and/or most preferred compounds and are, therefore, each discussed separately.
The most preferred compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 1 include the following species:
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-(2H)-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide-1,1-dioxide.
N-[4[2-(4-biphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-(2H)-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide-1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro(2H)-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide-1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-(n-decyl)phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo(2H)-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide-1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-(n-decyl)phenyl]acetamide-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-(2H)-1-benzothiopyran-.alpha.-oxo-1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
4-Hydroxy-4-[2-(2-naphthalenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
4-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[3-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)propyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
Most preferred compound of Formula I wherein Q is I 2 are:
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[2-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide-1,1-dioxide.
N-[2-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-(4-decylphenyl)-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.
Compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 2 which are preferred include:
2H-1,2-Benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 4-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2-methyl-, 1,1-dioxide, and
2H-1,2-Benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 4-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl]ethenyl]phenyl]-2-methyl-, 1,1-dioxide.
More preferred compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 3 are:
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydro-α,3-dioxo-;
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-αoxo-;
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-7-methoxy-αoxo-
2-Benzofurancarboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-;
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydro-α,3-dioxo-;
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-.
The most preferred compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 3 are:
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl]ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydro-3-oxo;
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl]ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy;
Naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl]ethyl]phenyl-1-hydroxy;
Naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl]ethyl]phenyl-1-hydroxy;
Naphtho[1,2-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl]ethyl]phenyl-3-hydroxy;
Naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1-oxo.
Most preferred compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 4 are:
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-;
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-;
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-;
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide, N-[3-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-.
Most preferred compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 5 are:
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran-3-acetamide;
More preferred compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 6 are:
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-3-oxo-4-phenyl.
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-methyl-3-oxo.
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-methyl-3-oxo.
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-methyl-α,3-dioxo.
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-methyl-α,3-dioxo.
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-7-methoxy-α,3-dioxo-4-phenyl.
Most preferred compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 6 are:
4H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-4-methyl;
4H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-4-methyl;
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-7-methoxy-3-oxo-4-phenyl;
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-7-hydroxy-3-oxo-4-phenyl;
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-7-hydroxy-α,3-dioxo-4-phenyl.
More preferred compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 7 are:
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-1-methyl;
1H-Indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethyl-α-oxo;
1H-Indole-2-acetamide, N-(4-decylphenyl)-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethyl-α-oxo;
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy;
1H-Indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethyl-α-oxo.
The compounds of the present invention include certain substituted 4-oxo- or 4-hydroxy-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxides. Although depicted in the enol form, with a hydroxy group at respective positions in I 1 , I 2 , I 3 , I 4 , I 5 , I 6 , and I 7 within the structural Formula I above, compounds of the present invention are capable of existence in both the keto and enol tautomeric forms. The compounds may thus, for example, be named as either 3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiazine-3-carboxamides in the keto form or as 4-hydroxy2H-1-benzothiazine-3-carboxamides in the enol form, and may be depicted in structural formulae in either form. The present invention contemplates both forms of the compounds, and the two forms are considered equivalent for purposes of the present invention.
The present invention is also a pharmaceutical composition comprising an effective amount of a compound having the Formula I as defined above together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. An effective amaount is the amount useful for treating or ameliorating a number of diseases or conditions comprising an inhibition of a lipoxygenase effect or comprising a binding of a leukotriene receptor. The diseases or conditions are readily recognized for the pathogenesis affected by the inhibitory lipoxygenase effect and affected by the binding of a leukotriene receptor, as recited herein.
Thus, in accordance with the present invention, another aspect of the invention, provides a method of administering to mammals, including humans, in need of treatment or amelioration of diseases or conditions an amount effective for treatment of the diseases or conditions of a compound or composition having the Formula I as defined above. The need is evident for diseases or conditions benefiting from inhibition of a lipoxygenase effect.
By virtue of the activity of the compounds having the Formula I of the present invention as leukotriene D4 antagonists, and inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase and histamine release from basophils the compounds are useful in treating asthmas and allergies as well as cardiovascular disorders, migraine, and immunoinflammatory conditions. See B. Samulesson, "Leukotrienes: Mediators of Immediate Hypersensitivity Reactions and Inflammation, "Science" Vol. 220, p 568 (1983); P. J. Piper, "Leukotrienes," Trends in Pharmaceutic Sciences, pp 75 & 77 (1983), and J. L. Romson, et al, "Reduction of the Extent of Ischemic Myocardial Injury by Neutrophil Depletion in the Dog," Circulation, Vol. 67, pp 1016 (1983).
Additionally, the activity, of the compounds having the Formula I of the present invention is determined by the well known leukotriene receptor binding assay that is described by R. F. Bruns, W. J. Thomsen and T. A. Pugsley in Life Sciences, 33, 645 (1983) or the Herxheimer in vivo antiallergy test described in H. Herxheimer, J. Physiol. (London), Vol. 177, p. 251 (1952).
The antiasthma and antiallergic activity provides methods of treatment for hypersensitivity reaction having broad symptoms. For example, the symptoms may include dermatitis, lacrimation, nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty in breathing, pain, inflammation, and in severe cases, anaphylatic shock and circulatory collapse. The symptoms may be found in man as well as other animals suffering from bronchial asthma, seasonal pollinosis (e.g., hayfever), allergic rhinitis, urticoria, allergic conjunctivitis, food allergies, and anaphylactoid reactions.
Likewise, the activity of the compounds of Formula I provides a method of treatment for cardiovascular disorders, particularly ischemia and myocardial infarctions. The symptoms of a subject having a cardiovascular disorder may be determined by special diagnostic procedures directed to subjects having a history, general physical appearance and then detailed deviations from normal appearance suggesting a cardiovascular disorder. Such disorders are also found in man as well as other mammals. Symptoms of the disorders are described extensively in The Merck Manual 14th ed, (1982).
Further, method of treatment is provided by the compounds of Formula I herein for migraine and inflammation. The symptoms requiring treatment for these purposes are also readily recognized, particularly for migraine in man and/or inflammation in man as well as other mammals.
Pharmaceutical compositions which also are the present invention are prepared from the compound of Formula I and salts thereof described as the present invention having inert pharmaceutical carriers. The compositions may be either solid or liquid.
A physician or veterinarian of ordinary skill readily determines a subject who is exhibiting symptoms described herein. Regardless of the route of administration selected, the compounds of the present invention are formulated into pharmaceutically acceptable dosage forms by conventional methods known to the pharmaceutical art.
The compounds can be administered in such oral unit dosage forms such as tablets, capsules, pills, powders, or granules. They also may be administered rectally or vaginally in such forms as suppositories or bougies; they may also be introduced parenterally (e.g., subcutaneously, intravenously, or intramuscularly), using forms known to the pharmaceutical art. They are also introduced directly to an affected area (e.g., in the form of eye drops or by inhalation). For the treatment of asthma or allergies such as erythema, the compounds of the present invention may also be administered topically in the form of ointments, creams, gels, or the like. However, in general, the preferred route of administration is orally.
An effective but nontoxic quantity of the compound is employed in treatment. The ordinarily skilled physician or veterinarian will readily determine and prescribe the effective amount of the compound to prevent or arrest the progress of the condition for which treatment is administered. In so proceeding, the physician or veterinarian could employ relatively low dosages at first, subsequently increasing the dose until a maximum response is obtained.
Initial dosages of the compounds of the invention having Formula I are ordinarily in the area of 1 mg up to 3 g per day orally, preferably 1 mg to 500 mg per dose orally, given from one to four times daily or as needed. When other forms of administration are employed equivalent doses are administered.
The compounds of the invention are capable of forming both pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition and/or base salts. Base salts are formed with metals or amines, such as ammonium, alkali, and alkaline earth metals or organic amines. Examples of metals used as cations are sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and the like. Examples of suitable amines are N,N'dibenzylethylenediamine, chloroprocaine, choline, diethanolamine, ethylenediamine, N-methylflucamine, and procaine.
Pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts are formed with organic and inorganic acids.
Examples of suitable acids for salt formation are hydrochloric, sulfuric, phosphoric, acetic, citric, oxalic, malonic, salicyclic, malic, gluconic, fumaric, succinic, ascorbic, maleic, methanesulfonic, arginine, and the like. The salts are prepared by contacting the free base form with a sufficient amount of the desired acid to produce either a mono or di, etc salt in the conventional manner. The free base forms may be regenerated by treating the salt form with a base. For example, dilute solutions of aqueous base may be utilized. Dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, ammonia, and sodium bicarbonate solutions are suitable for this purpose. The free base forms differ from their respective salt forms somewhat in certain physical properties such as solubility in polar solvents, but the salts are otherwise equivalent to their respective free base forms for purposes of the invention.
The compounds of the invention can exist in unsolvated as well as solvated forms, including hydrated forms. In general, the solvated forms, including hydrated forms and the like are equivalent to the unsolvated forms for purposes of the invention.
Finally, the methods of preparation and selected novel intermediates for preparation for compounds of Formula I as defined above are also the present invention.
Generally, a method of preparation of the compounds of Formula I as defined above can be accomplished as shown in Scheme I wherein Q, y, R 5 , and R 6 are as defined above and R is hydrogen, lower alkyl, or phenyl.
When R is hydrogen the preparation of the compound of Formula I shown in Scheme I may be accomplished by reacting the acid II wherein R is hydrogen with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide or carbonyldiimidazole and the desired compound of Formula III in an inactive solvent, such as tetrahydrofuran, methylene chloride or ethylene dichloride or mixtures thereof under nitrogen at from about -10° C. to about room temperature for from 50 minutes to 24 hours. Optimum conditions vary within reasonable experimentation depending upon the reactants.
Alternatively, when R is lower alkyl or phenyl the preparation of the compound of Formula I shown in Scheme I may be accomplished by reacting the ester II wherein R is lower alkyl or phenyl in the presence of butyl lithium, diisopropylamine, and the desired aniline of Formula III. An inert organic solvent such as tetrahydrofuran is used in the reaction which is maintained at ice bath temperature with an ice bath for from ten minutes to two hours. See, for example, K. W. Yank, et al, Tetrahedron Letters, 1791 (1970).
Specific variations within the above general description may include, for example, preparation of compounds of Formula I wherein R 4 includes phenyl optionally substituted by at least one hydroxy group by treatment of corresponding methoxy groups to replace the methyl by hydrogen with boron tribromide in dichloroethane or dichloromethane, hydrobromic acid or trimethylsilyliodide using appropriate conditions. For example, see also M. V. Bhatt and S. U. Kulkarmi, Synthesis (4), 249 (1983) for a review of the cleavage of ethers.
The intermediates of Formula III wherein R 6 is alkyl of from six to twenty carbons, inclusive, are known or can be readily prepared by an ordinarily skilled artisan. However, the novel intermediate of Formula III wherein R 6 is --CH═CH--R 4 and --(CH 2 ) n --R 4 or (CH 2 ) n COR 4 are prepared by a synthetic sequence as shown for III 2 , III 3 , and III 4 in Schemes III or IV, respectively. More specifically, the compound of Formula IV 1 , wherein R 7 are the optional substituents for the phenyl as defined above for R 4 , a is an integer of from 0 to 5, and R 5 is as defined above; is prepared in a manner shown in Scheme II which is analogous to the method disclosed by P. Pfeiffer and S. Sergiewskaya, Ber., 44: 1109 (1911). Subsequent reduction of compounds of Formula IV 1 is accomplished by either H 2 and Raney nickel or iron and hydrochloric acid or dithionate to produce the compound of Formula III 2 or Formula III 3 , respectively, wherein R 7 and R 5 are as defined above. The reduction is carried out in conditions within the ranges known for the reagents. Reduction of IV 1 by catalytic hydrogenation using a Raney nickel catalyst within the range of conditions known for this reduction produces compounds of Formula III 2 reducing both the nitro-moiety and unsaturation of the hydrocarbon chain in --CH═CH--R 4 of the R 6 definition with the compound of Formula I above. Reduction of IV 1 with iron and HCl or dithionate selectively reduces the nitro moiety.
Intermediate compounds of Formula III 4 wherein R 5 and R 7 are as defined above are obtained by catalytic addition of H 2 to the compound of Formula IV 2 over a palladium/carbon catalyst using conditions within those known or without unreasonable experimentation for hydrogenation using H 2 with these catalysts. Scheme IV shows the hydrogenation of the intermediate precursor having Formula IV 2 to obtain III 4 . The compounds of Formula IV 2 having R 5 and R 7 as defined above are prepared in a manner analogous to known Friedel-Crafts acylation methods as disclosed by Tadkod, et al, J. Karnatack Univ., 3: 78-80 (1958). The Scheme IV also shows preparation of the compounds of Formula IV 2 .
The intermediates of Formula II wherein Q, y, and R are as defined above are synthesized by a process relative to the definitions of Q shown from (a) through (g) above.
For example, generally, the compounds of Formula II wherein Q is I 1 as defined above are prepared by a process shown in Scheme V. The starting material of Formula XLII 1 , wherein R 1 is as defined above, is prepared in a process analogous to the method described by L. H. Helberg and A. Juarez, in Tetrahedron Letters, 40: 3553 (1974). The treatment of the material of Formula XLII 1 wherein R 1 is as defined above, by dropwise addition of oxalyl chloride to the material in an organic solvent such as diethyl ether, results in the compound of Formula XXXII 1 wherein R 1 is defined above. The addition is made over a period of about 50 minutes at room temperature under nitrogen. The mixture is stirred further for from 15 hours to 24 hours. Controlled oxidation of the compound of Formula XXXII 1 with, for example, m-chloroperbenzoic acid produces compounds of Formula XXII 1 wherein R 1 is as defined above and a is one. However, the use of excess oxidizing agent, even in the case of m-chloroperbenzoic acid, produces the compound of Formula XXII 1 where R 1 is as defined above but a is equal to two. Such oxidation proceeds under nitrogen in an inert organic solvent such as dichloromethane at a temperature of about 0° C. to -10° C. preferably about 5° C. The reaction is controlled by the dropwise addition of the oxidation agent.
The compound of Formula XXXII 1 , XXII 1 , or II 1 is subsequently reacted as shown for the compound of Formula II in Scheme I, that is, in the form of the ketolactone or as the ester thereof having the Formula XXXII 1 /XXII 1 /II 1 wherein R 1 , a, and R is as defined above. The esters of Formula II 1 are prepared by the methods analogous to those detailed by I. W. S. Still and M. T. Thomas, J. Org. Chem., 33: 2730 (1968).
The intermediates of Formula II wherein Q is I 2 as defined above are disclosed in various references as discussed above or can be readily prepared in a manner analogous to known procedures.
Likewise, intermediates of Formula II wherein R 1 is as defined above, Q is I 3 wherein R is lower alkyl is known in the literature or can be readily prepared from known processes. Similarly, a compound of Formula XII 3 wherein R 1 is as defined above are known. See P. O. Corcoran, et al, J. Org. Chem., 27, p. 586 (1962) and F. Dallacker and W. Korb, Ann., 694, 98 (1966). Reactions of a compound of Formula XII 3 to prepare a compound of Formula I wherein Q is I 3 is shown in Scheme VI. The conditions of the reactions shown in Scheme VI may be analogous to those described in Wiseman, et al, J. Med. Chem., 16, p. 131 (1973). The reactant of the Formulae XIII and XXIII may be prepared from the Compound III by methods analogous to those known for the preparation of amides.
The intermediates of Formula II wherein R 4 is as defined above and Q is I 4 are known can be prepared by known methods when y is one or two prepared in a manner analogous to the procedure disclosed by B. Lamm and C. J. Aurell, in Acta Chemica Scand., Ser. B., p. 435 (1982) or by adding a suspension of 5-chloro-3-hydroxybenzo[b]thiophene or appropriately substituted variation in an organic solvent such as ether to a mixture prepared by adding a lower dialkyl ester or oxalic acid to a suspension of sodium methoxide in anhydrous ether all under nitrogen. Generally, the temperatures of the suspensions and mixture thereof is maintained at from about -10° to about 15° C. during the mixing and subsequently stirred at room temperature for about an hour. The 5-chloro-3-hydroxybenzo[b]thiophene or appropriately substituted variation refers to a compound wherein R 1 is present and is as defined above. Such a thiophene is either known or prepared by known methods. See L. H. Werner, et al, J.A.C.S., 79, 1679 (1957) and M. S. ElShanta et al, J. Chem. Soc. (C) 2364 (1967).
The intermediates of Formula II wherein R is as defined above and Q is I 5 are known or can be prepared by known methods when y is one. However, these intermediates when y is two are novel and are prepared as shown in Scheme VII. R is in a ketolactone form in Scheme VII. The preparation of the compound of Formula XXII 5 wherein R 1 is as defined above is analogous to that described by L. H. Helberg and A. Zuarez. Tetrahedron Letters, 40, 3553 (1974). Oxalyl chloride is added dropwise over a period of about one-half to one hour to a suspension of the compound of Formula XXII 5 in an anhydrous organic solvent such as ether. The temperature of the suspension during addition is about room temperature.
The preparation of the intermediate of Formula II wherein R is as defined above and Q is I 6 is described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 456,121 now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,236 (1985). Such intermediates can be used as described above in Scheme I or can be further decarboxylated to form a compound of Formula XII 6 (see Scheme VIII) wherein R 1 and R 2 are as defined above. The decarboxylation is analogous to that discussed above in preparing an intermediate of Formula XII 3 . The compound of Formula XII 6 is subsequently reacted as shown in Scheme VIII with a compound of Formula XIII or of Formula XXIII previously described and shown as reactants in Scheme VI. Again see E. H. Wiseman, et al, J. Med. Chem., 16, 131 (1973).
Finally, the intermediates of Formula II wherein R is as defined above and Q is I 7 when y is one are known or readily prepared from known processes. See the disclosure by P. Friedlander and K. Kunz, Chem. Ber., 55, 1597 (1922) and A. Etiene, Bull. Soc. Chim. Fr., 15, 651 (1948) to compounds of Formula II having Q equal to I 7 wherein R 3 is hydrogen. Protection of the enolic OH is readily accomplished by known protecting groups so the reactions of Scheme I as discussed above can proceed. The compounds of Formula II having Q as I 7 wherein y is two are also generally known or can be made by known processes. See, for example, N. Buhler, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,544 (1981).
Compounds wherein X is lower alkyl can be prepared by an appropriate process step analogous to known processes.
Under certain circumstances it is necessary to protect either the N or O of intermediates in the above noted process with suitable protecting groups which are known. Introduction and removal of such suitable oxygen and nitrogen protecting groups are well known in the art of organic chemistry; see for example "Protective Groups in Organic Chemistry," J. F. W. McOmie, ed., (New York, 1973), pages 43ff, 95ff; J. F. W. McOmie, Advances in Organic Chemistry, Vol. 3, 191-281 (1963); R. A. Borssonas, Advances in Organic Chemistry, Vol. 3, 159-190 (1963); and J. F. W. McOmie, Chem. & Ind., 603 (1979).
Examples of suitable oxygen protecting groups are benzyl, t-butyldimethylsilyl, ethoxyethyl, and the like. Protection of an N-H containing moiety is necessary for some of the processes described herein for the preparation of compounds of this invention. Suitable nitrogen protecting groups are benzyl, triphenylmethyl, trialkylsilyl, trichloroethylcarbamate, trichloroethoxycarbonyl, vinyloxycarbamate, and the like.
Under certain circumstances it is necessary to protect two different oxygens with dissimilar protecting groups such that one can be selectively removed while leaving the other in place. The benzyl and t-butyldimethylsilyl groups are used in this way; either is removable in the presence of the other, benzyl being removed by catalytic hydrogenolysis, and t-butyldimethylsilyl being removed by reaction with, for example, tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride.
In the process described herein for the preparation of compounds of this invention the requirements for protective groups are generally well recognized by one skilled in the art of organic chemistry, and accordingly the use of appropriate protecting groups is necessarily implied by the processes of the charts herein, although not expressly illustrated.
The products of the reactions described herein are isolated by conventional means such as extraction, distillation, chromatography, and the like.
The salts of compounds of Formula I described above are prepared by reacting the appropriate base or acid with a stoichometric equivalent of the acid enol or N base compounds of Formula I, respectively, to obtain pharmacologically acceptable salts thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
By the term, "alkyl of from 6 to 20 carbons, inclusive" is meant any branched or unbranched saturated hydrocarbon grouping having the noted number or carbons, such as hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, dodecyl, and the like, and isomers thereof.
The term "alkoxy of from one to four carbons, inclusive" means methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, or butoxy, and isomers thereof attached to the parent molecular residue through an oxygen atom. Thioalkoxy of from one to four carbons, inclusive, is the same except attached through a sulfur atom.
The term "monoalkyl- or dialkyl-amino having of from one to four carbons, inclusive," means respectively, one or two alkyl groups, as previously defined for of from one to four carbons, inclusive, attached to the parent molecular residue through a nitrogen atom.
The term "alkanoyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive," means a branched or unbranched alkyl, as previously defined for of from one to four carbons, inclusive, attached to the parent molecule residue through the carbonyl group.
The term "hydroxyalkyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive," is an hydroxy attached through an alkyl group, as previously defined for of from one to four carbons, to the parent molecular residue.
The term "alkanoylamino of from two to six carbons, inclusive," means an alkanoyl, as previously defined by including also pentyl or hexyl and isomers thereof among the alkyl attached to the parent molecule residue through the amino group.
The term "carboxyalkoxy having alkoxy of from one to four carbons, inclusive," means an alkyl, as previously defined for alkyl of from one to four carbons, inclusive, attached to the oxygen atom of an ester group, through which the alkyl is attached to the parent molecular residue.
The term "alkanesulfonamide of from one to four carbons, inclusive," means an alkyl, as defined above for of from one to four carbons, attached to the nitrogen atom or a sulfonamide moiety and thus through the sulfur atom to the parent molecular residue.
"Halogen" means fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or trifluoromethyl.
"Carboalkoxyamide of from one to four carbons, inclusive," means an alkyl, as defined above for of from one to four carbons, inclusive, attached to the oxygen atom of an ester group which carboxyl is in turn attached to the parent molecule residue through an amino group.
"Alkyl sulfinyl" and "alkyl sulfonyl" are respectively, an alkyl attached to the parent residue molecule through a sulfinyl and sulfonyl group.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The invention is further elaborated by the representative examples as follows. Such examples are not meant to be limiting thereto.
I. Preparation of compounds of Formula IV
A. For compounds of Formula IV, see Scheme II.
PREPARATION A
1,2-Dimethoxy-4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene (See Scheme II, Formula IV 1 , wherein c is two, R 7 is methoxy, R 5 is hydrogen)
A mixture of 272 g (1.5 mole) of p-nitrophenylacetic cid and 249 g (1.5 mole) of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde in a 2.0 l nitrogen-filled flask was heated to 60° C. (temperature of reaction mixture) on the steam bath. Piperidine (150 ml; 129 g, 1.52 mole) was added to the warm reactionmixture in small portions over 15 minutes. After ˜50 ml of piperidinehad been added, a mild exotherm developed, and the temperature of the reaction mixture rose to 95° C. without external heating. The steambath was replaced by a heating mantle, and the mixture was heated to refluxover 15 minutes, then maintained at 110°-120° C. for four hours. The reaction mixture was cooled to 70° C. and stirred vigorously while 500 ml of methanol was added. After cooling the mixture in ice, the precipitate that formed was filtered, stirred in 1.0 l of fresh methanol, and refiltered. There was obtained 219 g (51% yield) of olefin product, mp 132°-134° C.
PREPARATION B
1,2-Dichloro-4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene (See Scheme II, Formula IV 1 wherein c is two, R 7 is chloro, and R 5 is hydrogen)
Prepared by the procedure described in Preparation A, from p-nitrophenylacetic acid (125 g, 0.69 mole) and 3,4-dichlorobenzaldehyde (121 g, 0.69 mole). There was obtained 70 g (35% yield) of the product, mp197°-199° C.
In an analogous manner to that found in above Preparation A starting materials the following compounds of Formula IV 1 are prepared (see Scheme II).
PREPARATION C
4-[2-[(4-Nitrophenyl)ethenyl][1,1-biphenol] mp 238°-239° C.
PREPARATION D
1-Methoxy-4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]-2-(phenylmethoxy)benzene, mp 139°-144° C.
PREPARATION E
1,2-Dimethyl-4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, mp 113°-115° C.
PREPARATION F
1,3-Dimethoxy-5-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, mp 145°-146° C.
PREPARATION G
2-[2-(4-Nitrophenyl)ethenyl]naphthalene, mp 168°-170° C.
PREPARATION H
1,2,3-Trimethoxy-5-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, mp 192°-195° C.
PREPARATION I
1,2-Dimethoxy-3-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, mp 143°-145° C.
PREPARATION J
2,4-Dimethoxy-1-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, mp 107°-110° C.
PREPARATION K
1,2-Dimethoxy-4-[2-(2-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, mp 134°-137° C.
B. For compounds of Formula IV 2 see Scheme IV
PREPARATION L
N-[2-Methoxy-5-[(4-nitrophenyl)acetyl]phenyl]acetamide (See Scheme IV, Formula IV 2 Wherein c is two, R 7 is methoxy and Acetamide, n is one, and R 5 is hydrogen)
A mixture of anhydrous AlCl 3 (36 g, 270 mmol) and 50 ml of CH 2 Cl 2 is cooled to 0° in an ice bath. 2-Acetylanisidine (33 g, 200 mmol) is added to the stirring mixture. A solution of 39.9 g (200 mmol) of 4-nitrophenylacetyl chloride in 130 ml of CH 2 Cl 2 is added slowly to the cooled reaction mixture. The reaction mixture is stirred at 0° C. for 0.75 hour and 22 hours at room temperature. The reaction mixture is poured onto a mixture of 800 ml ice and 40 ml concentrated hydrochloric acid and allowed to stir for 1.25 hours before extraction with CH 2 Cl 2 . The CH 2 Cl 2 extract is evaporaed to a dark oily residue which crystallized from MeOH to give 28 g(52%) of a yellow solid. Further recrystalliztion from MeOH gave the pure product, mp 200°-203° C.
In a manner analogous to that found above in Preparation L using appropriate starting materials the following compounds of Formula IV 2 are prepared.
PREPARATION M
1-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)propanone, mp-126°-132° C.
PREPARATION N
1-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)-4-(4-nitrophenyl)butanone, mp 109°-112° C.
II. Preparation of Compounds of Formula III
A. For compounds of Formula III 2 and III 3 see Scheme III.
PREPARATION 1
4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzeneamine (See Scheme III Formula III 2 Wherein c is 2, R 7 is 3,4-dimethoxy, and R 5 is Hydrogen
A mixture of 19.4 g (0.068 mole) of 1,2-dimethoxy-4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)etheno]benzene as prepared in Preparation A above, and 0.20 g 10% Pd/C catalyst in 200 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide was hydrogenated at 55 psig H 2 pressure for 16 hours. The catalyst was removed by filtration, and the filtrate was evaporated. Recrystallization of the residue from methanol yielded 12.3 g (70% yield) of the amine product, mp 116°-117° C.
PREPARATION 2
4-[2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)ethyl]benzenamine (See Scheme III, Formula III 2 Wherein R 7 is 3,4-dichloro, c is two, and R 5 is Hydrogen)
A mixture of 62.3 g (0.21 mole) of 1,2-dichloro-4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)etheno]benzene as prepared in PreparationB above, and 2.0 g of Raney Nickel catalyst in 935 ml of tetrahydrofuran was hydrogenated at 65 psig H 2 pressure for 20 hours. The catalyst was removed by filtration, and the filtrate was evaporated. Recrystallization of the residue from hexane/dichloromethane yield 49 g (87% yield) of the amine product, mp 73°-75° C.
In a manner analgous to that found above in Preparations 1 and 2 using appropriate starting materials, as prepared in Preparations C through F corresponding to the following Preparations 3 through 6 and thereafter as indicated for Preparations 8 through 18. The following compounds of Formula III 2 are prepared.
PREPARATION 3
4-[2-(1,1'-Biphenyl)-4-ylethyl]benzenamine, mp 109°-111° C.
PREPARATION 4
4-[2-(2-Naphthylenyl)ethyl]benzeneamine, mp 123°-125° C.
PREPARATION 5
4-[2-(3-Hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl]benzenamine, mp 152°-154° C.
PREPARATION 6
4-[2-(3-Methoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine, mp 49°-51° C.
PREPARATION 7
4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine as an acetate salt, mp 216°-218° C.
A mixture of 20 g (78 mmol) of 4-[2-[3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]aniline which is prepared in Preparation 1 above and 300 ml of of 48% hydrobromic acid is stirred at reflux under nitrogen for seven hours and at room temperature overnight. The resultant precipitate is collected, washed withether, and redissolved in 1N.NaOH. The solution is acidified to pH 6 with glacial HOAc and the resultant precipitate is collected as crude product. Recrystallization from H 2 O and then from MeOH yields the 4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine as an acetate salt; yield, 13.4 g (76%), mp 216°-218° C.
PREPARATION 7A
1,2-Benzenediol, 4-[2-(4-aminophenyl)ethyl]diacetate
4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine hydrobromide as prepared in Preparation 7 above (53.3 g, 0.17 mole) is added to a stirred solution of acetylbromide (67.6 g, 0.549 mole) and trifluoroacetic acid (670 ml). The mixture is stirred at room temperature for 3.5 hours. The excess of acetylbromide and trifluoroacetic acid is then removed at <25° C. under reduced pressure. The residue after trituration with ether (˜1 l) gave 63.47 g of a white solid, mp 165° C. (dec). This hydrobromide salt is suspended in ˜1 l of ice-water and ˜1.5 l of ether andcarefully made basic with 1N sodium bicarbonate solution while the temperature is maintained below 10° C. The ether layer is separatedand the aqueous layer is extracted with ether. The combined ether extract is dried and evaporated to give 46 g (85.3%) of a pure product, mp 100°-1° C. Recrystallization from methylene chloride-methanol gives 24.9 g (46.3%) of analytically pure product, mp 100°-1° C.
PREPARATION 8
4-[2-(2,3-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine.HCl, mp 135°-136°C.
The starting material, 1,2-dimethoxy-3-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, is as prepared in Preparation I above.
PREPARATION 9
4-[2-(2,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine, mp 56°-58° C.
The starting material, 2,4-dimethoxy-1-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, is as prepared in Preparation J above.
PREPARATION 10
4-[2-(3,4,5-Trimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine, mp 91°-93° C.
The starting material, 1,2,3-trimethoxy-5-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, is as prepared in Preparation H above.
PREPARATION 11
4-[2-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine.HCl, mp 155°-157°C.
The starting material, 1,3-dimethoxy-4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, is prepared in a manner analogous to Preparations A through K.
PREPARATION 12
4-[2-(2-Chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzenamine.HCl, mp 208°-211° C.
The starting material, 2-chloro-1-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, is prepared in a manner analogous to Preparations A through K.
PREPARATION 13
4-[2-(2-Methylphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine.HCl, mp 171°-173° C.
The starting material, 2-methyl-1-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benezene, is prepared in a manner analogous to Preparation A through K.
PREPARATION 14
4-[2-(4-Butoxyphenyl)ethyl]ethylbenzenamine, mp 58°-59° C.
The starting material, 4-butoxy-1-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, is prepared in a manner analogous to Preparations A through K.
PREPARATION 15
2-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine, mp 58°-60° C.
The starting material, 1,2-dimethoxy-4-[2-(2-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, is as prepared in Preparation K above.
PREPARATION 16
N-[2-methoxy-5-[(4-aminophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]acetamide, mp 135°-140° C.
The starting material, N-[2-methoxy-5-[(4-nitrophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]acetamide, is prepared in a manner analogous to the methods of Preparations A through K.
PREPARATION 17
4-[3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propyl]benzamine, mp 54°-57° C.
The starting material, 1,2-dimethoxy-4-[2-(2-nitrophenyl)propenyl]benzene, is prepared in a manner analogous to Preparations A through K above.
PREPARATION 18
4-[4-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)butyl]benzamide, mp 97°-100° C.
The starting material, 1,2-dimethoxy-[2-(2-nitrophenyl)butenyl]benzene is prepared in a manner analogous to Preparations A through K above.
B. An alternate method of preparation for a compound of Formula III whereinR 6 is (CH 2 ) n -R 4 wherein n is 1 or 2 is as follows
PREPARATION 19
4-[(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)methyl]aniline (see Scheme III, Formula III 2 Wherein c is two, R 7 is Methoxy and R 5 is Hydrogen)
Mixture of glacial acetic acid (100 ml), 20% Pd/C catalyst (0.5 g) and 3,4-dimethoxy-4'-nitrobenzophenone (Tadkod, Kulkarni, and Nargund, J. Karnatak Univ., 3, 78-80 (1958)) (5.4 g, 18.8 mmol) is hydrogenated at 52 psi for about five hours.
Concentrated H 2 SO 4 (1.1 ml) and additional 20% Pd/C (0.5 g) are added and the hydrogenation is continued until five equivalents are consumed (21.2 hours). Potassium acetate (2 g, 20 mmol) is added to the mixture and the catalyst is removed by filtration through celite. The filtrate is acidified with concentrated HCl (1.7 ml), concentrated in vacuo to a residual oil and dissolved in 10% HCl (400 ml). The acidic solution is washed with Et 2 O (2×400 ml) and CH 2 Cl 2 (1×100 ml) and then basified with Na 2 CO 3 . The aqueous fraction was extracted with CH 2 Cl 2 and the CH 2 Cl 2 extract was dried with Na 2 SO 4 . Evaporation of the volatile solvent in vacuo gave 4.4 g (96%) of crude oily product which crystallizedupon standing. The analytical amine was obtained by column chromatography; yield, 1.58 g (35%), mp 101°-104°.
An intermediate 4-(3,4-trimethylsilyloxyphenethyl)aniline is prepared in the following example for use in preparing the compound of Formula II wherein Q is I 4 .
PREPARATION 20
4-(3,4-Trimethylsilyloxyphenethyl)aniline
A mixture of 4-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)aniline (34.39 g, 0.15 mole) and hexamethyldisilazane (24.2 g, 0.15 mole) is heated in a wax bath at 120°-160° C. for 3.75 hours under nitrogen, to give dark colored oily residue, which is chromatographed on silica gel (160 g). Elution with chloroform gives oily product (47.1 g, 84%) of satisfactory purity for the next step.
III. Preparation of Compounds of Formula II
PREPARATION I
4H-[1]-Benzothiopyrano[4,3-b]furan-2,3-dione (See Scheme V, Formula XXXII 1 Wherein R 1 is hydrogen)
To a stirred mixture of 4-[trimethyl[silyl]oxy]-2H-benzothiopyran (380.5 g,1.609 mol), prepared according to the method of L. Hellberg et al, Tet. Letters, 3553-3554 (1974), and one liter of diethyl ether, were added 103.8 g (0.818 mol) of oxalyl chloride in a dropwise manner over a period of 50 minutes at room temperature under nitrogen. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 17 hours after which time the ether was removed under reduced pressure. The residue was triturated with isopropyl ether/hexane to give 146.9 g (82.3%) of a brown crystalline solid, mp 156° C. (dec).
PREPARATION II
4H-[1]Benzothiopyrano[4,3-b]furan-2,3-dione-S-oxide (See Scheme V Formula XXII 1 Wherein R 1 is Hydrogen and a=1
A stirred mixture of 4H-[1]benzothiopyrano[4,3-b]furan-2,3-dione (30.48 g, 0.139 mol) in 500 ml of dichloromethane was cooled under nitrogen to a temperature between -6° C. and -2° C. A solution of m-chloroperbenzoic acid (24.1 g, 0.139 mol) in 500 ml of dichloromethane was added dropwise over a period of about 70 minutes. After the addition was complete, the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature. The product, 4H-[1]benzothiopyrano-[4,3-b]furan-2,3-dione-S-oxide, was collected by filtration and washed with isopropyl ether to give 13 g, of material, mp 165° C., (dec).
PREPARATION III
4H-[1]Benzothiopyrano(4,3-b]furan-2,3-dione, S,S-dioxide (See Scheme V, Formula XXII 1 Wherein R 1 is Hydrogen and a=2
A stirred mixture of 4H-[1]benzothiopyrano[4,3-b]furan-2,3-dione (26.2, 0.12 mol) and 500 ml of dichloromethane was cooled under nitrogen to a temperature between -8° C. and -6° C. A solution of m-chloroperbenzoic acid (48 g, 0.728 mol) in 500 ml of dichloromethane wasadded dropwise over a period of about 17 minutes. After the addition was complete, the mixture was stirred at this temperature for 30 minutes and then at room temperature for 19 hours.
The solid which formed was removed by filtration and washed with dichloromethane to yield 28.4 g of m-chlorobenzoic acid. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure and the residual solid was recrystallized twice from tetrahydrofuran-isopropyl ether to yield 16.1 g (53.6%) of 4H-[1]benzothiopyrano[4,3-b]furan-2,3-dione, S,S-dioxide, as a light yellow crystalline solid, mp 174°-176° C.
PREPARATION IV
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetic acid; 5-chloro-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-methyl ester (See Scheme I, Formula II, Where Q is I 4 wherein R 1 is 5-chloro; y is two; R is methyl)
To a stirred suspension of sodium methoxide (22.34 g, 0.41 mole) in anhydrous ether (1.6 l) under nitrogen at room temperature is added dimethyl oxalate (48.9 g, 0.41 mole). After 20 minutes the mixture is cooled to 10° C. and a suspension of 5-chloro-3-hydroxybenzo[b]thiophene (L. H. Werner, et al, JACS, 79, 1679 (1957); M. S. ElShanta, et al, J. Chem. Soc., (C)2364 (1967)) (76.4 g, 0.41 mole) in ether (1.45 l) is added over a period of 30 minutes. After the addition the mixture is stirred at ˜10° C. for three hours and then at room temperature for one hour. After cooling to ˜10° C., cold 4% aqueous sulfuric acid (1 l) is added and stirred for one hour.
The precipitate is filtered off, washed with water and with ether to give 62.6 g of a solid, mp 185°-6° C. Recrystallization from methylene chloride gives 54.5 g (49.1%) of a light-brown crystalline solid, mp 185°-6° C. An additional 4.1 g (3.7%) of product, mp 185°-6° C., is obtained from ether.
Starting materials of Formula XII 6 as shown in Scheme VIII may be prepared as exemplified in the following Preparations V or VI.
PREPARATION V
4-Methyl-2H-furo[3,2-b]indole-3(4H)-one (See Scheme VIII, Formula XII 6 Wherein R 1 is hydrogen and R 2 is methyl)
A mixture of 47.0 g (0.18 mole) of 3-hydroxy-4-methyl-4H-furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxylic ethyl eser (Prep. described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 369,448) in 450 ml of 95% ethanol was treated with 450 ml of 30% aqueous sodium hydroxide. The mixture was stirred at reflux for two hours, cooled, added to 3.0 kg ice/water, and acidified with 6.0N hydrochloric acid. The product was filtered, washed with water, and recrystallized from ethanol-water to yield 17.9 g (53% yield) of the product, mp 113°-116° C. An additional recrystallization as above raised the mp to 115.5°-118° C.
PREPARATION VI
7-Methoxy-4-phenyl-2H-furo[3,2-b]indole-3(4H)-one (See Scheme VIII, FormulaXII 6 Wherein R 1 is methoxy, and R 2 is phenyl)
A mixture of 39.0 g (0.12 mole) of 3-hydroxy-7-methoxy-4-phenyl-4H-furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxylic methyl ester (Preparation described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 369,448 now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,236) in 195 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide and 80 ml of water was treated with 40 ml of 50% aqueous sodium hydroxide,After heating on the steam bath for two hours, the product was isolated as described in Example V above. Recrystallization from 2-methoxyethanol/N,N-dimethylformamide yielded 15.8 g (49% yield) of the product, mp 175° C.-dec. An additional recrystallization as above raised the mp to 185°-187° C.
IV. Preparation of Compounds of Formula I Wherein Q is I 1
EXAMPLE 1
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide (See Scheme I, Formula I Wherein Q is I 1 Whereina is zero, and b is zero, y is 2, R 5 is hydrogen, and R 6 is 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl
A mixture of 4H-[1]benzothiopyrano[4,3-b]furan-2,3-dione, as prepared in Preparation I above (18.6 g, 0.085 mol) and 4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine as prepared in Preparation 7 above (17.1 g, 0.0749 mol) in 500 ml of dry tetrahydrofuran was stirred under nitrogen at room temperature for 18 hours in the dark. The solvent was removed under pressure, and the resulting solid was stirred in 800 ml of dichloromethane under reflux for one and one-half hours and then cooledto room temperature.
The resulting precipitate was removed by filtration and washed with dichloromethane to yield 27.8 g of a light yellow solid, mp 165°-166° C. A further crop of 4.9 g of crystals, mp 165°-166° C., was obtained from the mother liquor. The two crops were combined and recrystallized from acetonitrile to yield 28.6 g (85.2%) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, mp 166°-167° C.
EXAMPLE 2
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, 1-oxide (See Scheme I, Formula I Wherein Q is I 1 , Wherein a is one, and b is zero; y is two; R 5 is hydrogen; and R 6 is 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl)
A stirred mixture of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide as prepared in Example 1 above (17 g, 0.038 mol) in 2.5 liters of dichloromethane was cooled under nitrogen to a temperature of about -10° C. To this mixture was added dropwise over a period of about 50 minutes, a solution of 13.1 g (0.076 mol) of m-chloroperbenzoic acid in 500 ml of chloroform. The resulting mixture wasstirred at room temperature overnight.
The precipitate which formed was removed by filtration, washed with chloroform, and recrystallized from tetrahydrofuran-ethyl acetate to yield15 g (82.4%) of N-[2-[(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, 1-oxide as a light yellow crystalline solid, mp 185° C. (dec).
EXAMPLE 3
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl)phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, 1,1-dioxide (See Scheme I, Formula I Wherein Q is I 1 , Wherein a is two, and b is zero; y is two, R 5 is hydrogen; and R 6 is 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl
A stirred mixture of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide as prepared in Example 1 above (18 g, 0.0393 mol) and 600 ml of dichloromethane was cooled to a temperature of about -8° C. under nitrogen. To this cooled mixture were added 13.7 g (0.079 mol) of m-chloroperbenzoic acid in 400 ml of dichloromethane over aperiod of about 25 minutes.
The stirred mixture was allowd to slowly warm to room temperature and stirred for an additional 19 hours. The solution was then washed successively with two 1-liter portions of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and then a one-liter portion of water. The organic phase was separated, dried, and evaporated to yield 18.3 g of a yellow solid, mp 180°-181° C.
Recrystallization from tetrahydrofuran-ethanol yielded 14.5 g (72.6%) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl)phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran3-acetamide, 1,1-dioxide as light organge crystals, mp 184°-185° C.
In a manner analogous to appropriate Examples 1, 2, or 3 above and using respective starting materials the following compounds of Formula I whereinQ is I 1 and a is zero, one, or two, and y is two are prepared.
EXAMPLE 4
N-[4-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, mp 144°-145° C.
EXAMPLE 5
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, mp 146°-148° C.
EXAMPLE 6
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 190° C. (dec)
EXAMPLE 7
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, mp 172°-173° C.
EXAMPLE 8
N-[2-[2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 180°-2° C.
EXAMPLE 9
N-(4-Decylphenyl)-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 114°-116° C.
EXAMPLE 10
N-(4-Decylphenyl)-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, mp89°-90° C.
Using appropriate starting materials, esters of the Formula II 1 as shown in Scheme V are prepared in a manner analogous to that discussed above citing I. W. J. Still and M. T. Thomas. Then the esters are used as shown in Scheme I by Formula II, wherein Q is I 1 ; a is zero, one, ortwo; y is one or two, R 1 is as defined above, and R is lower alkyl to prepare the compound of Formula I wherein Q is I 1 ; a is zero, one, or two, y is one or two; R 1 , R 5 , and R 6 are as defined above depicted by Scheme I and exemplified as follows.
EXAMPLE 11
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide (See Scheme I, Formula I wherein Q is I 1 , b is zero, a is two, y is one, R 5 hydrogen, R 6 is (2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl
A mixture of 5.08 g (20 mmol) of methyl-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxylate (prepared according to the procedure of I. W. J. Still and M. T. Thomas, J. Org. Chem., 33: 2730 (1968)) and 5.32 g (20 mmol) of 4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]benzenamine (from Preparation 2 above) in 50 ml of xylene were heated at reflux for 18 hours. The yellow precipitatewhich formed upon cooling the reaction mixture was collected by filtration to give 6.28 g (64%) of material melting at 238°-242° C. Onerecrystallization from acetone gave 5.08 g (52% ) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 234°-236° C.
EXAMPLE 12
4-[2-[4-[[(3,4-Dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-yl)carbonyl]amino]phenyl]ethyl]benzoic acid, 1,1-dioxide (See Scheme I, Formula I wherein Q is I 1 , R 1 is hydrogen, b is one, a is two, y is one, R 5 is hydrogen, and R 6 is 2-(4-carboxylphenyl)ethyl
A mixture of 4-[2-[4-[[(3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-yl)carbonyl]amino]phenyl]ethyl]benzoic, ethyl ester, 1,1-dioxide (2 g, 4.1 mmol, from a following Example 47) and 100 ml of 5% sodium hydroxide solution was stirred and heated under reflux for one-half hour. The solution was cooled, acidified with concentrated hydrochloric acid to pH 2, and the solid which precipitated was collected by filtration. The crude product was recrystallized from methanol to yield 0.5 g of pure 4-[2-[4-[[(3,4-Dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-yl)carbonyl]amino]phenyl]ethyl]benzoic acid, 1,1-dioxide, mp 256259° C.
EXAMPLE 13
N-[4-[2-[3,4-Bis(acetyloxy)phenyl]ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide (See Scheme I, Formula I Wherein Q is I 1 , Wherein a is two, b is zero, y is one, R 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 2-[3,4-bis(acetyloxy)phenyl]ethyl)
A mixture of 19.6 g (43 mmol) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, 120 ml of 10% sodium hydroxide, and 423 mmol of acetic anhydride was stirred for 20 minutes at room temperature. The precipitate which formed was collected and washed successively with water, 5% sodium bicarbonate solution, and again with water, and then dried. The orange-brown material was recrystallized from acetonitrile to yield 10.4 g (45%) of N-[4-[2-[3,4-Bis(acetyloxy)phenyl]ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 214°-215° C.
EXAMPLE 14
N-[4-[(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)methyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide (See Scheme I, Formula I wherein Q is I 1 , Wherein a is two, b is zero, y is one, R 5 is hydrogen; R 6 is (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)methyl
A suspension of 1.0 g (2.1 mmol) of N-[4-[(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)methyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide and BBr 3 .S (CH 3 ) 2 (4.0 g, 12.6 mmol) in 150 ml of dichloromethane was heated under reflux under nitrogen for 18 hours. The resulting yellow suspension was poured onto 600ml of ice water, stirred for one and one-half hours and then filtered. The crude product was recrystallized from isopropanol-water to yield 544 mg (59%) of N-[4-[(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)methyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 216°-218° C.
In a manner analogous to that found in Examples 11-12 using appropriate starting materials the following compounds are also prepared.
EXAMPLE 15
3,4-Dihydro-4-oxo-N-[(4-(phenyl)methyl]phenyl]-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 193°-196° C. (Enol form of Example 24)
EXAMPLE 16
3,4-Dihydro-4-oxo-N-[(4-(2-phenyl)ethyl]-phenyl]-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 210°-212° C.
EXAMPLE 17
N-[4-[(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)methyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 170°-172° C.
EXAMPLE 18
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 191°-193° C.
EXAMPLE 19
N-[4-[3-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)propyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 165°-166° C.
EXAMPLE 20
N-[4-[4-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)butyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 184°-185° C.
EXAMPLE 21
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3 -carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 218 (dec) (Enol form of Example 24)
EXAMPLE 22
N-[4-[3-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)propyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 171°-173° C.
EXAMPLE 23
N-[4-[4-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)butyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 196°-199° C.
EXAMPLE 24
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 218° C. (Keto form of Example 21)
EXAMPLE 25
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 222°-223° C.
EXAMPLE 26
6-Chloro-N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]-phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 210°-213° C.
EXAMPLE 27
3,4-Dihydro-N-[4-[ 2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 230°-233° C.
EXAMPLE 28
N-[4-[2-(2,3-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 188°-190° C.
EXAMPLE 29
N-[4-[2-(2,3-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 200°-202° C.
EXAMPLE 30
N-[4-[2-(2,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 195°-198° C.
EXAMPLE 31
N-[4-[2-(2,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 205°-208° C.
EXAMPLE 32
N-[4-[2-(2,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 180°-181° C.
EXAMPLE 33
N-[4-[2-(3,5-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran- 3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 237° C. (dec)
EXAMPLE 34
N-[4-[2-(3,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 201-202
EXAMPLE 35
4-Hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 175°-177° C.
EXAMPLE 36
4-Hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 152° C. (dec)
EXAMPLE 37
4-Hydroxy-N-8 4-[2-(2-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 189°-191° C.
EXAMPLE 38
4-Hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 219°-220° C.
EXAMPLE 39
3,4-Dihydro-N-[4-[2-(3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 189°- 190° C.
EXAMPLE 40
3,4-Dihydro-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 235°-237° C.
EXAMPLE 41
3,4-Dihydro-N-[4-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 223°-225° C.
EXAMPLE 42
N-[4-[2-(2-Chlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 226°-229° C.
EXAMPLE 43
4-Hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(2-methylphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 209°-211° C.
EXAMPLE 44
3,4-Dihydro-4-oxo-N-[4-[2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)ethyl]phenyl-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 223°-224° C.
EXAMPLE 45
3,4-Dihydro-N-[4-[2-(4-methylphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-4-oxo-2H-1 -benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 213°-216° C.
EXAMPLE 46
N-[4-[2-([1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 248°-252° C.
EXAMPLE 47
4-[2-[4-[[(3,4-Dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-yl)carbonyl]amino]pheyl]ethyl]benzoic acid, ethyl ester, 1,1-dioxide, 213°-215° C.
EXAMPLE 48
N-[4-[2-(4-Butoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 185°-187° C.
EXAMPLE 49
N-[4-[2-(4-(Acetylamino)phenylethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 256°-258° C.
EXAMPLE 50
N-[4-[2-(3-Acetylamino-4-methoxy)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 255°-258° C.
EXAMPLE 51
4-Hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(2-naphthalenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 222°-225° C.
EXAMPLE 52
N-[4-[2-(4-Aminophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 210°-245° C.
EXAMPLE 53
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethylphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 207°-209° C.
EXAMPLE 54
N-[4-[2-(4-Chlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 242-245
EXAMPLE 55
N-[4-[2-[4-(Dimethylaminophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide.HCl, mp 234°-237° C.
EXAMPLE 56
N-[2-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 195°-210° C.
EXAMPLE 57
N-[2-[2-[3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy- 2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 192°-196°C.
EXAMPLE 58
N-(4-Hexylphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1-1-dioxide, mp 169.5°-170° C.
EXAMPLE 59
3,4-Dihydro-N-(4-octylphenyl)-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 169°-170° C.
EXAMPLE 60
N-(4-Decylphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzoothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 156°-158° C.
EXAMPLE 61
N-(4-Dodecylphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 156°-158° C.
EXAMPLE 62
N-[4-[2-(3-Trifluoromethylphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 188°-195° C.
EXAMPLE 63
N-[4-[2-[3,5-bis-Trifluoromethyl(phenyl)]ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 232°-234° C.
EXAMPLE 64
N-[4-[2-(2,3,4,5,6-Pentafluorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, 216°-218° C.
EXAMPLE 65
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4,6-dihydroxy-2H-benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 234°-235° C.
EXAMPLE 66
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(4-aminophenyl)ethenyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-, 1,1-dioxide, mp>300 C.
EXAMPLE 67
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 3,4-dihydro-N-[4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]phenyl]-4-oxo-, 1,1-dixide, mp 262°-266° C.
EXAMPLE 68
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3-chlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 195°-197° C.
EXAMPLE 69
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 197° C. (dec)
EXAMPLE 70
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 4-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 225°-228° C.
EXAMPLE 71
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 206°-210° C.
EXAMPLE 72
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-1,1-dioxide, mp 227°-32° C.
EXAMPLE 73
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 4-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(1-naphthalenyl)ethyl]phenyl], 1,1-dioxide, mp 214°-5-°C.
EXAMPLE 74
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethenyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 264°-268° C.
EXAMPLE 75
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 4-hydroxy-N-[4-[ 2-(4-phenoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 168°-72° C.
EXAMPLE 76
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[3-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 181°-183° C.
EXAMPLE 77
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-[3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 213°-5° C.
EXAMPLE 78
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[(3,4-dichlorophenyl)methyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 203°-200° C.
EXAMPLE 79
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[4-[3-(3,4-dichlorphenyl)propyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 168°-170° C.
EXAMPLE 80
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[2-[3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)propyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 180°-182° C.
EXAMPLE 81
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, N-[2 -[(3,4-dichlorophenyl)methyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy, 1,1-dioxide, mp 205°-207° C.
EXAMPLE 82
2H-1-Benzothiopyran-3-carboxamide, 3,4-dihydro-N-[4-[2-(3-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-4-oxo, 1,1-dioxide, mp 224°-225° C.
V. Preparation of Compounds of Formula I Wherein Q is I 2
Compounds of Formula II wherein Q is I 2 are prepared in accordance with the conditions detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,584 cited above and used as shown in Scheme I to prepare the compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 2 . Representative examples are as follows.
EXAMPLE 83
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl)phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide (See Scheme I, Formula I Wherein Q is I 2 Wherein b is zero, Y is 1, R 5 is H; Z is methyl, R 6 is 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl)
A mixture of methyl 4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxylate 1,1-dioxide (J. D. Genzer and F. C. Fontsere, U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,856 (1976)) (5.9 g, 0.022 mole) and 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenylethyl]benzenamine(5.6 g, 0.022 mole) in xylene (600 ml) is heated at reflux for 24 hours in a soxhlet apparatus, the thimble of which contains 20 g of Linde type 4A molecular sieve. The reaction mixture is allowed to cool when the product crystallized out. The product is filtered, washed with methanol, and driedto give 9.8 g of white crystals, mp 235°-8° C.
In a manner analogous to that found in Example 83 above using appropriate starting materials additional compounds are prepared as follows.
EXAMPLE 84
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl)phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 201°-205° C.
EXAMPLE 85
N-[2-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl)phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 130°-135° C.
EXAMPLE 86
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 260°-262° C.
EXAMPLE 87
2H-1,2-Benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 4-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethenyl]phenyl]-2-methyl, 1,1-dioxide, mp 257°-259° C.
EXAMPLE 88
2H-1,2-Benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 4-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2-methyl-, 1,1-dioxide, mp 231°-231.5° C.
EXAMPLE 89
N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide (see Scheme I, Formula I Wherein Q is I 2 , Wherein b is zero, Z is Methyl, R 5 is hydrogen, R 6 is 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl)
A cold (0°-10° C.) mixture of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl)phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide (19.8 g, 0.04 mole) and methylene chloride (1000 ml) is treated slowly with boron tribromide (100 g; 0.4 mole) during 30 minutes. The yellow-green solution is allowed to warm up to room temperature when a precipitate is formed. The reaction mixture is stirred at room temperature for 4.5 hours and then slowly poured into 30 lof ice water and stirred for 45 minutes. The precipitated solid is filtered, washed with water, and dried. The crude product is then triturated with hot methanol and filtered to give a white solid (15.6 g; 83%), mp 257°-9° C. dec.
In a manner analogous to that found in Example 86 above using appropriate starting materials an additional compound is prepared as follows.
EXAMPLE 90
N-[2-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide, 1,1-dioxide, mp 178°-180° C.
VI. Preparation of Compounds of Formula I Wherein Q is I 3
A. Intermediates of Formula XII and XXIII.
Intermediates of the Formula XIII or XXIII as shown in Scheme VI to be useful in the preparation of compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 3 are prepared from the compounds of Formula III in a manner shown in SchemeX and exemplified as follows.
EXAMPLE 91
N'-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-N,N-diphenyl urea (see Formula XIII in Scheme VI Wherein R 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyl phenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 30.0 g (0.12 mole) of 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine (as prepared in Preparation 1 above), 24.7 g (34 ml, 0.24 mole) of triethylamine, and 27.0 g (0.12 mole)of diphenylcarbamyl chloride in 180 ml of absolute ethanol was stirred at reflux for 17 hours. The cooled reaction mixture was evaporated, and the residue was partitioned between dichloromethane (600 ml) and water (400 ml). The organic layer was washed with 1N hydrochloric acid (3×400 ml), brine (1×400 ml), dried (sodium sulfate), and evaporated. Recrystallization of the residue from ethyl acetate/hexane yielded 44.9 g (82% yield) of the urea product, mp 113°-115° C.
EXAMPLE 92
N-[4-[2-(4-Methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-N,N-diphenyl urea (See Scheme VI, Formula XIII Wherein R 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]
A mixture of 60.0 g (0.26 mole) of 4-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine (L. A. Strait, D. Jambotkar, R. Ketcham, and M. Hrenoff, J. Org. Chem., 31, 3976 (1966)), 55.7 g (77 ml; 0.55 mole) of triethylamine, and 61.2 g (0.26 mole) of diphenylcarbamyl chloride in 380 ml of absolute ethanol wasstirred at reflux for 24 hours. The reaction mixture was cooled and the precipitated solid was filtered and washed with water. Recrystallization from ethanol yielded 96.4 g (86% yield) of the urea product, mp 121°-124° C.
EXAMPLE 93
N'-(4-Decylphenyl)-N,N-diphenyl urea (see Scheme VI, Formula XIII Wherein R 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-decylphenyl)
Prepared by the procedure described in Example 92 above from 5.0 g (0.021 mole) of 4-decylbenzenamine. Recrystallization from methanol yielded 7.1 g(77% yield) of the urea product, mp 90°-91° C.
EXAMPLE 94
N'-(4-Dodecylphenyl)-N,N-diphenyl urea (See Scheme VI, Formula XIII WhereinR 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-dodecylbenzenamine)
Prepared by the procedure described in Example 92 from 5.0 g (0.019 mole) of 4-dodecylbenzeamine. Recrystallization from methanol yielded 6.7 g (77%yield) of the urea product, mp 92°-94° C.
EXAMPLE 95
N'-[4-[2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl-N,N-diphenyl urea (See Scheme VI,Formula XIII Wherein R 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl])
Prepared by the procedure described in Example 92 from 3.0 g (0.011 mole) of 4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]benzenamine. There was obtained 4.5 g (86%) of the urea product, mp 153°-155° C.
EXAMPLE 96
N'-[4-[2-(4-Chlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl-N,N-diphenyl urea (See Scheme VI, Formula XIII Wherein R is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl])
Prepared by the procedure described in Example 92 from 3.0 g (0.013 mole) of 4-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzenamine (Chem. Abstrs., 93, 63,603q (1980)). Recrystallization from methanol yielded (54% yield) of the urea product, mp 180°-182° C.
EXAMPLE 97
[4-[2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenylamino]-oxoacetic acid ethyl ester (See Scheme VI, Formula XXIII Wherein R 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 32.9 g (0.12 mole) of 4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]benzeamine, and 22.5 g (31 ml, 0.22 mole) of triethylamine in 75 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide was cooled in ice and treated over 20 minutes with 21.4 g (17.5 ml, 0.16 mole) of ethyl oxalyl chloride. After one hour, the ice bath was removed, and the mixture was stirred for an additional 24 hours. The reaction mixture was added to 1.0 kg ice/water, and the precipitated solid was filtered and washed with water. Recrystallization from methanol/N,N-dimethylformamide/water yielded41.3 g (91% yield) of the amide product, mp 128°-130° C.
EXAMPLE 98
[(4-Decylphenyl)amino]-oxo-acetic acid ethyl ester (See Scheme VI, Formula XIII Wherein R 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-decyphenyl
Prepared by the procedure described in Example 99 from 4-decylbenzenamine (9.3 g, 0.040 mole). Recrystallization from methanol/water yielded 10.2 g (77% yield) of the amide product, mp 56°-58° C.
EXAMPLE 99
[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenylamino]-oxoacetic acid ethyl ester (See Scheme VI, Formula XXIII Wherein R 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]
Prepared by the procedure described in Example 97 from 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine (15.3 g, 0.059 mole). Recrystallization from methanol water yielded 18.6 g (88% yield) of the amide product, mp 122°-124° C.
B. Compounds of Formula I Wherein Q is I 3
For compounds of Formula I having Q equal to I 3 the preparation is shown in Scheme VI where the compounds of Formula XII 3 are reacted with XIII or XXIII. The preparation is exemplified as follows.
EXAMPLE 100
2-Benzofurancarboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydro-7-methoxy-3-oxo-(See Scheme VI, Formula I wherein y is one, Q is I 3 , Wherein R 1 is 7-methoxy, b is one, R 5 is hydrogen, and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]
A mixture of 1.8 g (0.038 mole) of 50% sodium hydride mineral oil suspension in 100 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide under a nitrogen atmosphere was stirred and cooled in ice. To the mixture was added over 30 minutes, 5.5 g (0.034 mole) of 7-methoxy-3-[2H]-benzofuranone. After stirring for an additional one hour, 15.8 g (0.037 mole) of N'-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-N,N-diphenyl urea as prepared in Example 91 above was added, and the ice bath was removed. The mixture was stirred for 48 hours, added to 700 g ice/water, and acidified with acetic acid. The precipitated solid was filtered, washed with water, and recrystallized from 2-methoxyethanol/water to yield 9.1 g (61% yield) of the amide product, mp 173°-175° C.
In a manner analogous to the above Example 100 using appropriate starting materials the following compounds are prepared.
EXAMPLE 101
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydroxy-3-oxo, mp 220°-223° C.
EXAMPLE 102
2-Benzofurancarboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethylphenyl)-3-hydroxy, mp 175°-176° C.
EXAMPLE 103
Naptho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide, 1-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl], mp 176°-179° C.
EXAMPLE 104
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-(4-dodecylphenyl)-3-hydroxy, mp 182°-184° C.
EXAMPLE 105
2-Benzofurancarboxamide, N-(4-dodecylphenyl)-3-hydroxy mp 154°-156° C.
EXAMPLE 106
Naphtho[1,2-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydro-3-oxo, mp 172°-174° C.
EXAMPLE 107
2-Benzofurancarboxamide, N-(4-decylphenyl)-3-hydroxy, mp 161°-162° C.
EXAMPLE 108
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-(4-decylphenyl)-3-hydroxy, mp 185°-188° C.
EXAMPLE 109
Naptho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-1-hydroxy
A mixture of 1.88 g (2.6 ml, 0.019 mole) of diisopropylamine in 20 mlof tetrahydrofuran under a nitrogen atmosphere was cooled to 0° to -10° C. in an ice/sodium chloride cooling bath. The mixture was stirred and treated over 20 minutes with a solution of 8.8 ml (0.019 mole)of n-butyl lithium (2.1M in n-hexane) at a rate that allowed the reaction mixture to remain at <0° C. The mixture was stirred for an additional 20 minutes, and then a solution of 1.95 g (0.087 mole) of 4-[2-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine in 20 ml of tetrahydrofuran wasadded over 15 minutes. After stirring for an additional 20 minutes, a solution of 2.0 g (0.083 mole) of 1,2-dihydro-1-oxo-naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester (preparation for the isomeric naphtho[2,3-b]furan ester described by P. Emmott and R. Livingstone, J. Chem. Soc., 4629 (1958)) in 20 ml of tetrahydrofuran was added over 20 minutes. The mixture was stirred as the cooling bath was allowed to slowly melt over 18 hours. The reaction mixture was added to 600 g of ice water containing 8.0 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid. After stirring for two hours, the precipitated solid was filtered, washed with water, and recrystallized from 2-propanol/N,N-dimethylformamide/water to yield 1.0 g (28% yield) of the amide product, mp 188°-191° C.
In a manner analogous to that described above in Example 109 there was alsoprepared:
EXAMPLE 110
Naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-1,2-dihydro-1-oxo, mp 189°-191° C.
By employing 4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine as the amine, plus an additional equivalent amount of diisopropylamine and n-butyl lithium in order to complex with the amine hydroxyl group during reaction.
EXAMPLE 111
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydro-7-methoxy-α,3-dioxo-(See Scheme VI, Formula I Wherein y is 2, Q is I 3 ; Wherein b is one, R 1 is 7-methoxy, R 5 is hydrogen, and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl]ethyl])
Prepared by the procedure described in Example 109 from 6.3 g (0.038 mole) of 7-methoxy-3[2H]-benzofuranone, except that [4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenylamino]-oxo-acetic acid ethyl ester (15.1 g, 0.042 mole) was employed as the acylating agent rather than the mixed urea used in Example 109. Recrystallization of the final product from N,N-dimethylformamide/water yielded 7.5 g (41% yield) of the amide product, mp 242°-245° C.
In a manner analogous to Example 111 above using appropriate starting materials the following compounds are prepared.
EXAMPLE 112
Naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-1-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 229°-230° C.
EXAMPLE 113
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 271°-273° C.
EXAMPLE 114
Naphtho[1,2-b]furan-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 225°-231° C.
EXAMPLE 115
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethoxy-α-oxo, mp 248°-250° C.
EXAMPLE 116
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-(4-decylphenyl)-2,3-dihydro-α,3-dioxo, mp 175°-178° C.
EXAMPLE 117
Naptho[2,3-b]furan-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydro-α,3-dioxo, mp244°-246° C.
EXAMPLE 118
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl-2,3-dihydro-α,3-dioxo, 245° C. dec
EXAMPLE 119
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-decylphenyl]-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethoxy-α-oxo, mp 187°-188° C.
EXAMPLE 120
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-acetamide, N-[4-decylphenyl]-2,3-dihydro-α,3-dioxo, mp 218°-221° C.
EXAMPLE 121
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 238°-240° C.
Ether cleavage to obtain compounds corresponding to hydroxy bearing compounds are exemplified hereafter.
EXAMPLE 122
Naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-1-hydroxy-
A mixture of 19.5 g (0.062 mole) of boron tribromide dimethyl sulfide complex in 300 ml of 1,2-dichloroethane under a nitrogen atmosphere, was cooled in ice and treated with 6.0 g (0.013 mole) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-1-hydroxynaphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-carboxamide as prepared in Example 103 above. The mixture was stirred at reflux for 18 hours, cooled, and added to 1.0 kg ice/water. After stirringfor several hours, the emulsion was extracted with ethyl acetate (3×750 ml), and the organic layers were combined, dried (sodium sulfate), and evaporated. Recrystallization of the residue from methanol/N,N-dimethylformamide/water yielded 2.5 g (44% yield) of the catechol product, mp 214°-216° C.
In a manner analogous to Example 122 above using appropriate starting materials the following compounds are prepared.
EXAMPLE 123
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-7-methoxy-α-oxo, 0.25 H 2 O, mp 260° C. dec
EXAMPLE 124
2-Benzofurancarboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy, mp 208°-209° C.
EXAMPLE 125
Naphtho[1,2-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy, 0.5 H 2 O, mp 180°-185° C.
EXAMPLE 126
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-2,3-dihydro-α,3-dioxo- (See Scheme VI, Formula I Wherein y is 2; Q if I 3 Wherein R 1 is Hydrogen; R 5 is Hydrogen; R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]
A mixture of 4.3 g (0.0097 mole) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-2-benzofuranacetamide as prepared in Examples 121 above in 250 ml of dichloromethaneunder a nitrogen atmosphere was cooled to -78° C. To the mixture wasadded 46 ml (0.046 mole) of 1.0M solution of boron tribromide in dichloromethane. The mixture was stirred for four hours at -78° C.,and then for 22 hours with the cooling bath removed. The mixture was recooled to -10° C. and 200 ml of cold water was added. After stirring for several hours, the insoluble material was filtered and washedwith water. The crude product was digested on the steam bath for 90 minutesin 800 ml of 50% aqueous methanol. The mixture was cooled and the insolublematerial again filtered and washed with water. Recrystallization from tetrahydrofuran/ethanol yielded 2.3 g (58% yield) of the catechol product,mp 231°-232° C.
In a manner analogous to above Example 126 using appropriate starting materials the following compounds are prepared.
EXAMPLE 127
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-(4-decylphenyl)-3,5,6-trihydroxy-α-oxo, 278°-280° C. dec
EXAMPLE 128
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy, 1H 2 O, mp 165°-169° C.
EXAMPLE 129
Naphtho[2,3-b]furan-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-2,3-dihydro-α,3-dioxo, 0.2H 2 O, mp 278°-281° C.
EXAMPLE 130
2-Benzofuranacetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,5,6-trihydroxy-α-oxo, mp 282°-284° C. dec
VII. Preparation of Compounds of Formula I Wherein Q is I 4
For compounds of Formula I wherein Q is equal to I 4 the preparation asshown in Scheme I is examplified as follows.
EXAMPLE 131
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide (See Scheme I, Formula I, Wherein Q is I 4 , Whereinb is zero; y is 2; R 5 is hydrogen; R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl])
To a stirred solution of benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetic acid, 3-hydroxy-α-oxo (Fries and Bartholomaus, Annalen, 405, 391 (1914)) (44.44 g, 0.2 mole) and 4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenethyl)aniline (51.46 g, 0.2 mole) in methylene chloride (2.5 l) and tetrahydrofuran (1 l) under nitrogen at -7° C. is added a solution of dicyclohexycarbodiimide (41.7 g, 0.202 mole) in methylene chloride (200 ml) over a period of 55 minutes. The mixture is stirred at -7° to 0° C. for two hours and at room temperature overnight. The precipitate is collected by filtration and washed with methylene chloride to give a solid, consisting of the product and dicyclohexylurea. Evaporation of the mother liquor under reduced pressure below 45° C. gives a solid, which is combined with the first crop, dissolved in ˜4 1 of boiling chloroform and left at room temperature overnight. Dicyclohexylurea (26 g)is removed by filtration and the filtrate is chromatographed on 1 kg of silica gel. Elution with chloroform gives 61.4 g of a solid. Recrystallization from tetrahydrofuran yields 53.2 g (57.6%) of a light-yellow crystalline solid, mp 204°-205° C.
EXAMPLE 132
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide (Alternate preparation of the same compound as in Example 131)
To a stirred solution of diisopropylamine (3.3 g, 0.03 mole) in dry tetrahydrofuran (20 ml) cooled to 0° C. is added streamwise under nitrogen n-butyllithium (13.05 ml, 0.03 mole; 2.3M solution of n-butyl lithium in hexane). After the addition the solution is allowed to stir at ice bath temperature for 15 minutes and then a solution of 4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenethyl)aniline (3.08 g, 0.012 mole) in tetrahydrofuran (30 ml) is added. The greenish colored solution is stirred in an ice bath for 18 minutes and a solution of benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetic acid-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-methylester (Bo Lamm and Carl-Johan Aurell, Acta Chemica Scandinavica, Ser. B., 36(7), 435-42 (1982)) (2.36 g, 0.01 mole) in tetrahydrofuran (35 ml) is added. The yellow colored solution is stirred at ice bath temperature for 15 minutes and then at room temperature for one hour. The mixture is poured into 10% aqueous hydrochloric acid (300 ml) and the solid is filtered off, washed with hydrochloric acid (˜200 ml), with water, and dried to give 4.5 g (90.2%) of a solid, mp 203°-04° C.
Recrystallization from tetrahydrofuran gives 3.2 (69.6%) of a light-yellow crystalline solid, mp 204°-205° C.
EXAMPLE 133
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-benzo[b]thiophen-2-acetamide (See Scheme I, Wherein Q is I 4 , Wherein b is zero; y is 2,R 5 is hydrogen, and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl])
To a stirred solution of benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetic acid, 3-hydroxy-α-oxo (28.01 g, 0.126 mole) and 4-(3,4-trimethylsilyloxyphenethyl)aniline (47.1 g, 0.126 mole) as preparedin Preparation 20 above in dry tetrahydrofuran (400 ml) under nitrogen at -8° to -5° C. is added a solution of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (26.9 g, 0.12 mole) in tetrahydrofuran (200 ml) over a period of 35 minutes. After the addition is complete the mixture isallowed to attain room temperature overnight with stirring. Dicyclohexylurea (23.94 g) is removed by filtration and the filtrate is evaporated to dryness on a rotary evaporator below 55° C. The residue is dissolved in methylene chloride (700 ml) and the solution is kept for three days in a cooler. After removal of dicyclohexylurea (1.2 g)by filtration, the filtrate is chromatographed on silica gel (490 g). Elution of the column with methylene chloride, gives 60.8 g of a residue, which is refluxed in methanol (3.5 l), and 2N aqueous hydrochloric acid (75 ml) for 80 minutes with stirring. The solution is cooled. The solid isfiltered off and washed with methanol to give 36.2 g (66.3%) of a light-yellow crystalline solid, mp 197199° C.
Additional 5.9 g (10.8%) of pure product, mp 196°-8° C. is obtained from the mother liquid.
The same compound as is prepared in Example 133 above is prepared in an alternate process as exemplified in the following example.
EXAMPLE 134
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo-benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-60-oxo (29.8 g, 0.064mole) in methylene chloride (1.4 l), is added dropwise at -70° C. boron trimbromide (0.325 mole, 325 ml of 1M solution in methylene chloride), over a period of one hour. The mixture is stirred at room temperature overnight. The mixture is cooled in acetone-dry ice and water (˜750 ml) is added. The mixture is stirred at room temperature for two hours. The precipitate is filtered off and washed with water (˜2.5 l). The resulting solid is dissolved in methanol (2.5 l), water (1 l), and refluxed on a steam bath for 2.5 hours. The methanol (˜1.2 l) is distilled off and water (˜1 ) is added. After refluxing for one hour, the warm mixture is filtered. The residue is washed with water and dried. The solid is recrystallized from methanol to give 17.45 g (62.3%) of a light-yellow crystalline solid, mp 193°-5° C.
In a manner again analogous to Example 131 or 132 the following compounds are prepared using appropriate starting material.
EXAMPLE 135
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, 5-chloro-N-(4-decylphenyl)-3-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 145°-146° C.
EXAMPLE 136
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 220°-221° C.
EXAMPLE 137
Beno[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 210°-212° C.
In a manner analogous to Example 134 using the appropriate starting materials for example, prepared in Example 132, the following compound is prepared.
EXAMPLE 138
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, 5-chloro-N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo,mp 248° C. dec
In a manner analogous to Example 132 using the appropriate starting materials, the following compound is prepared.
EXAMPLE 139
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, 5-chloro-N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo,mp 207°-209° C.
EXAMPLE 140
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, 3-(acetyloxy)-N-[4-(2-(3,4-bis(acetyloxy)phenyl]ethyl)phenyl]-α-oxo-
To a stirred suspension of benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl)phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo (14.9 g, 0.034 mole) in acetic anhydride (100 ml) under nitrogen below 25° C. is added dropwise pyridine (100 ml), then the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 21 hours. The suspension is poured on ice-water (˜1.7 l) stirred for 30 minutes, and the precipitate is filtered off, washed with water, then dissolved in chloroform (˜800 ml), washed with water (˜1 ), dried with sodium sulfate, and the solvent is removed under reduced pressure on a rotary evaporator below 45° C., to give a solid in quantitative yield, mp 169°-170° C. Recrystallization from methylene chloride-methanol on cooling gives 17.16 g (87.4%) of a light-yellow crystalline solid, mp 170°-2° C.
EXAMPLE 141
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-bis)acetyloxy)phenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-α-oxo
Prepared from 1,2-benzenediol, 4-[2-(aminophenyl)ethyl]diacetate (6.27 g, 0.02 mole), benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetic acid, 3-hydroxyα-oxo (4.44 g,0.02 mole) and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (4.13 g, 0.02 mole) in methylene chloride (500 ml) by the method of Example 112. Dicyclohexylurea is removed by filtration and the filtrate is chromatographed on 630 g of silica gel. Elution of the column with ethyl acetate gives 2.6 g of a solid. Recrystallization from methylene chloride-methanol gives 2.28 g (22%) of a light-yellow crystalline solid, mp 190°-2° C.
EXAMPLE 142
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-acetamide, 3-hydroxy-N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-α-oxo-, mp 189°-193° C.
EXAMPLE 143
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy, mp 197°-198° C.
EXAMPLE 144
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl-3-hydroxy, mp 193°-5° C.
EXAMPLE 145
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy, mp 216°-220° C.
EXAMPLE 146
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide, N-[3-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy, mp 193°-195° C.
EXAMPLE 147
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-methoxy, mp 162°-163° C.
EXAMPLE 148
Benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy, mp 203°-205° C.
VIII. Preparation of Compounds of Formula I Wherein Q is I 5
The starting material for preparing a compound of Formula I, wherein Q is I 5 may be prepared as examplified in the following example.
EXAMPLE 149
4H-Furo[3,2-c][1]benzopyran-2,3-dione (see Scheme VII, Formula XII 5 Wherein R 1 is hydrogen)
To a stirred solution of 4-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]-2H-1-benzopyran (L. H. Hellberg, and A. Zuarez, Tetrahedron Letters, 40, 3553 (1974)) (205.8 g, 0.917 mole) in anhydrous ether (600 ml) oxalyl chloride (58.2 g, 0.458 mole) is added dropwise over a period of 40 minutes at room temperature under nitrogen. The suspension is stirred at room temperature for 18 hoursand then diluted with isopropyl ether (˜300 ml). The precipitate is collected by filtration and washed with isopropyl ether to give 80.2 g (86%) of orange-red solid, mp 146°-8° C. Recrystallization from tetrahydrofuranisopropyl ether gives an analytical sample, mp 146°-148° C.
Preparation of compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 5 are exemplified by the following examples.
EXAMPLE 150
N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-60-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran-3-acetamide (See Scheme I, Formula I wherein Q is I 5 wherein R 1 is hydrogen; y is 2, R 5 is hydrogen and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]
Prepared by the method of Scheme I, from from 4H-furo[3,2-c][1]benzopyran-2,3-dione as prepared in Example 149 above (5.6 g, 0.0275 mole) and 4-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)aniline (5.73 g, 0.025 mole) in tetrahydrofuran (300 ml). The solvent is removed under reduced pressure on a rotary evaporatory below 30° C. and the resulting solid is chloroform (400 ml) is stirred mechanically at reflux for 40 minutes. The precipitate is removed by filtration and washed with chloroform to give 10.2 g of a solid, which is dissolved in tetrahydrofuran and chromatographed on silica gel (200 g). Elution of the column with tetrahydrofuran gives 9.4 g of a solid. Recrystallization fromethanol yields 6.8 g (63%) of a yellow crystalline solid, mp 161°-3° C.
EXAMPLE 151
N-(4-Decylphenyl)-4-hydroxy-α-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran-3-acetamide (See Scheme I, Formula I, Wherein Q is I 5 , Wherein R 1 is hydrogen; y is 2; R 5 is hydrogen; and R 6 is 4-[2-decylphenyl)ethyl]
A mixture of 4H-furo[3,2-c][1]benzopyran-2,3-dione as prepared in 149 above(5.6 g, 0.0275 mole) and 4-decylaniline (5.85 g, 0.025 mole) in dry tetrahydrofuran (250 ml) is stirrred at room temperature under nitrogen for 18 hours in the dark. The solvent is removed under reduced pressure ona rotary evaporator below 40° C. and the resulting solid is recrystallized twice from methylene chloride-acetonitrile to give 9.54 g (87.5%) of a light-yellow crystalline solid, mp 119°-120° C.
In a manner analogous to Examples 149 or 150 above, using approriate starting materials the following compounds of Formula I wherein Q is I 5 were prepared.
EXAMPLE 152
2H-1-[Benzopyran-3-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 170°-171° C.
EXAMPLE 153
2H-1-Benzopyran-3-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 146°-148° C.
EXAMPLE 154
2H-1-Benzopyran-3-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-4-hydroxy-α-oxo
EXAMPLE 155
2H-1-Benzopyran-3-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-hydroxy-α-oxo, mp 159°-160° C.
IX. Preparation of Compounds of Formula I Wherein Q is I 6
The preparation for a compound of Formula I wherein Q is I 6 is exemplified in the immediately following examples.
EXAMPLE 156
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-7-methoxy-α,3-dioxo-4-phenyl (See Scheme I, Formula I Wherein Q is I 6 Wherein R 1 is 7-methoxy; b is one; R 2 is hydrogen; R 5 is hydrogen; y is 2; R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 2.4 g (0.050 mole) of 50% sodium hydride mineral oil suspension is 150 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide under a nitrogen atmosphere was stirred and cooled in ice. To the mixture was added over 30 minutes, 13.4 g (0.048 mole) of 7-methoxy-4-phenyl-2H-furo[3,2-b]indole-3(4H)-one. After stirring for an additional one hour, 18.9 g (0.053 mole) of [4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenylamino]oxoacetic acid ehtyl ester was added, and the ice bath was removed.
The mixture was stirred for 48 hours, added to 1.0 kg ice/water, and acidified with 3N hydrochloric acid. The precipitated solid was filtered, washed with water, and recrystallized from N,N-diethylformamide/water to yield 18.6 g (66% yield) of amide product, mp 261°-263° C.
EXAMPLE 157
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-methyl-3-oxo (see Scheme I, Formula I Wherein Q is I 6 Wherein b is zero, R 2 is methyl; y is 1; R 5 is hydrogen; and R 6 is 4[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl])
Prepared by the procedure described in Example 156 above from 5.0 g (0.027 mole) of 4-methyl-2Hfuro[3,2-b]indole-3(4H)-one, except that [4-[2(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-N,N-diphenyl urea (12.4 g, 0.029 mole) was employed as the acylating agent rather than the mixed ester-amide usedin the Example 156. Recrystallization of the final product from 2-mehoxyethanol yielded 5.0 g (43% yield) of the amide product, mp 224°-226° C.
EXAMPLE 158
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-3,4P-dihydro-7-methoxy-3-oxo-4-phenyl (See Scheme I, Formula I Wherein Q is I 6 Wherein R 1 is 7-methoxy, R 2 is phenyl, R 5 is hydrogen; and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 16.6 g (23.0 ml, 0.16 mole) of diisopropylamine in 150 ml of tetrahydrofuran under a nitrogen atmosphere was cooled to 0° to -10° C. in an ice/sodium chloride cooling bath. The mixture was stirred and treated over 20 minutes with a solution of 63 ml (0.16 mole) of n-butyl lithium (2.6M in n-hexane) at a rate that allowed the reaction mixture temperature to remain at <0° C. The mixture was stirred foran additional 20 minutes, and then a solution of 20.0 g (0.078 mole) of 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine in 150 ml of tetrahydrofuran was added over 30 minutes. After stirring for an additional 40 minutes, a solution of 18.0 g (0.053 mole) of 3-hydroxy-7-methoxy-4-phenyl-4H-furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxylic acid methylester (Preparation described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 369,448 now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,236) in 150 ml of 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone was added over 45 minutes. The mixture was stirred with the cooling bath in place for an additional 45 minutes, then for 18 hours with the bath removed. The reaction mixture was added to 2.5 kg of ice/water containing 50 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid. After stirring for two hours, the precipitated product was filtered, washed withwater, and recrystallized from 2-methoxyethanol/water to yield 10.6 g (35% yield) of the amide product, mp 180° C. dec.
The next two examples show ether cleavage to prepare compounds of Formula Iwherein R 6 included hydroxy substituents.
EXAMPLE 159
4H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-4-methyl (See FormulaI Wherein Q is I 6 , Wherein b is zero, R 2 is mehtyl; R 5 is hydrogen; y is 1; R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 10.6 g (0.034 mole) of boron tribromide dimethyl sulfide complex in 125 ml of 1,2-dichloroethane was treated, under a nitrogen atmosphere, with 1.9 g (0.004 mole) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ehtyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-4H-furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide. The mixture was stirred at reflux for 18 hours, cooled in ice, and treated with 150 g ice/water. After mixture was stirredat reflux for 18 hours, cooled in ice, and treated with 150 g ice/water. After stirring for several hours, the insoluble material was filtered and washed with water. Recrystallization from acetonitrile/N,N-dimethylformamide/water yielded 1.1 g (59% yield) of the catechol product, mp 200° C. dec.
EXAMPLE 160
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl-3,4-dihydro-4-methyl-3-oxo (See Formula I Wherein Q is I 6 , Wherein b is zero, R 2 is methyl, y is1, R 5 is hydrogen; R 6 is 4-[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 4.0 g (0.009 mole) of 3,4dihydro-N-[4-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-4-methyl-3-oxo-2H-furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide in 125 ml of dichloromethane under a nitrogen atmosphere was cooled to -78° C. To the mixture was added 39 ml (0.039 mole) of 1.0M solution of boron tribromide in dichloromethane. The cooling bath was removed, and the mixture was stirred for 18 hours. The mixture was recooled in an ice bath and treated with 500 g ice/water and 500 ml ethyl acetate. The insoluble material was filtered and reserved, and the filtrate organic layer was separated, dried (sodium sulfate), and evaporated. The evaporation residue was combined with the original insoluble material and recrystallized from acetonitrile to yield 1.8 g (47% yield) of the phenol product, mp 261°-262° C.
In an analogous manner as the above Examples 151-160 for the respective procedures using appropriate starting materials the following additional compounds are prepared.
EXAMPLE 161
4H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-4-methyl, mp 200°-201° C.
EXAMPLE 162
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ehyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-7-hydroxy-4-phenyl-.alpha.,3-dioxo, 1 DMF, mp 265° C. dec
EXAMPLE 163
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-7-hydroxy-3-oxo-4-phenyl, 225° C. dec
EXAMPLE 164
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-methyl-α,3-dioxo, 0.4H 2 O, mp 250°-254° C.
EXAMPLE 165
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihdroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-4-methyl-α,3-dioxo, 0.5 DMF, mp 257°-8° C.
EXAMPLE 166
2H-Furo[3,2-b]indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-3-oxo-4-phenyl, 0.5H 2 O, 192° C. dec
X. Preparation of Compounds of Formula I Wherein Q is I 7
Intermediate ethers and compounds of Formula I of the present invention wherein Q is I 7 prepared by the method of cleaving the ethers are shown in Scheme IX and exemplified hereafter.
EXAMPLE 167
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-methoxy-1-phenyl (See Scheme IX, Formula XI 7 Wherein b is zero, R 2 is methyl, R 3 is methyl; y is one, X is hydrogen; R 5 is hydrogen; R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 8.0 g (0.030 mole) of 3-methoxy-1-phenyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid and 7.8 g (0.030 mole) of 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine in 125 ml of dichloromethane was cooled in ice and treated with 8.6 ml (6.2 g, 0.030 mole) of triethylamine, followed by 7.7 g (0.030 mole) of N,N-bis[2-oxo-3-oxazolidinyl]phosphorodiamidic chloride (Chemical DynamicsCorp., South Plainfield, NJ). The ice bath was removed, and the mixture wasstirred for 48 hours, then treated with 250 g of ice/water. The mixture wasacidified with 4.0N hydrochloric acid, and the organic layer was separated.The aqueous layer was washed with fresh dichloromethane (2×100 ml) and the combined organic layers were washed with water (1×125 ml), 5% aqueous sodium bicarbonate (2×125 ml), and water (1×125 ml)again. The organic layer was dried (sodium sulfate) and evaporated. Recrystallization of the residue from methanol/N,N-dimethylformamide/wateryielded 9.7 g (64% yield) of the amide product, mp 129°-131° C.
EXAMPLE 168
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-methoxy-1-methyl (See Scheme IX, Formula XI 7 Wherein b is zero, R 2 is methyl, R 3 is methyl; X is hydrogen, and R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 10.7 g (0.052 mole) of 3-methoxy-1-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid and 14.0 g (0.056 mole) of N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline ("EEDQ") in 185 ml of toluene was stirred at room temperature for two hours. To the mixture was added 14.1 g (0.055 mole) of 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine, and stirring was continued for 72 hours. The mixture was refrigerated for several hours, and the insoluble material was filtered and washed with water. Recrystallization from methanol yielded 9.7 g (42% yield) of the amide product, mp 130°-131° C.
EXAMPLE 169
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-N-ethyl-3-methoxy-1-methyl (SeeScheme IX, Formula XI 7 Wherein b is zero, R 2 is methyl, R 3 is methyl, X is ethyl; R 5 is hydrogen; y is 1; R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-ethyl])
A mixture of 2.7 g (0.048 mole) of powdered potassium hydroxide in 23 ml ofdimethyl sulfoxide was stirred for five minutes and treated with 5.3 g (0.012 mole) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-methoxy-1-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxamide, followed by 2.0 ml (3.8 g, 0.024 mole) of iodoethane. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 20 hours, poured into 300 ml water, and extracted with dichloromethane (3×300 ml). The combined organic layers were washed with water (1×200 ml), dried (sodium sulfate), and evaporated. Recrystallization of the residue from methanol yielded 4.3 g (76% yield) of the N-ethylamide product, mp 133°-134° C.
In a manner analogous to Examples 167-169 using appropriate starting materials the following additional intermediates are prepared.
EXAMPLE 170
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-N-ethyl-3,5-dimethoxy-1-phenyl (oil)
EXAMPLE 171
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-methoxy, mp 187°-190° C.
EXAMPLE 172
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-5-methoxy-1-phenyl-3-(phenylmethoxy), mp 120.5°-122.5° C.
EXAMPLE 173
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3,5-dimethoxy-1-phenyl, mp 147°-149° C.
EXAMPLE 174
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-methoxy-1-(phenylmethyl), mp 131°-133° C.
EXAMPLE 175
1H-Indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethyl-α-oxo (See Scheme IX, Formula I Wherein Q is I 7 Wherein b is two, R 1 is 5,6-dimethyl; R 2 is hydrogen; X is hydrogen; y is 2; R 5 is hydrogen, R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 12.5 g (0.054 mole) of 3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethyl-α-oxo-1H-indole-2-acetic acid (Preparation described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,544) and 14.4 g (0.058 mole) of N-ethoxy-carbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline ("EEDQ") in 1500 ml of toluene plus 200 ml of tetrahydrofuran was stirred at room temperature forthree hours. To the mixture was added 14.5 g (0.056 mole) of 4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]benzenamine, and stirring was continued for 64 hours. The insoluble material was filtered and reserved, and the filtrate was evaporated. The residue was combined with the original insoluble material and recrystallized from dichloromethane/hexane to yield4.0 g (16% yield) of the amide product, mp 233°-236° C.
Ether clearage for dimethyl ethers of compounds having the Formula I wherein Q is I 7 is exemplified as follows.
EXAMPLE 176
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-1-methyl (See Scheme IX, Formula I Wherein Q is I 7 , Wherein b is zero; y is 1; R 2 is methyl; X is hydrogen; R 5 is hydrogen; R 3 is hydrogen; R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 3.3 g (0.0074 mole) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-methoxy-1-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxamide in 115 ml of dichloromethane under a nitrogen atmosphere was stirred and cooled to -78° C. To the mixture was added 31.3 ml (0.031 mole) of 1.0M boron tribromide in dichloromethane. The mixture was stirred for 90 minutes at -78° C., and then for 24 hours with the cooling bath removed. The mixture was recooled in an ice bath, treated with 300 g ice/water and 300 ml of ethyl acetate. After stirring for several hours, the layers were separated and the aqueous layer was extracted with fresh ethyl acetate (2×300 ml). The combined organic layers were washed with water (1×300 ml), dried (sodium sulfate), and evaporated. Recrystallization of the residue from methanol/water yielded 1.8 g, 60% yield) of the catechol product, mp 194°-197° C. dec.
EXAMPLE 177
1H-Indole-2-acetamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethyl-α-oxo (See Scheme IX) Formula I Wherein Q is I 7 Wherein R 1 is 5,6-dimethyl; b is two; y is two; R 5 is hydrogen; R 3 is hydrogen; R 6 is 4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl])
A mixture of 9.7 g (0.031 mole) of boron tribromide dimethylsulfide complexin 150 ml of 1,2-dichloroethane under a nitrogen atmosphere was treated with 3.0 g (0.0064 mole) of N-[4-[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethyl-α-oxo-1H-indole-2-acetamide. The mixture was stirred at reflux for 18 hours, cooled, and treated with 600 g of ice/water. After stirring for several hours, the insoluble material was filtered, washed with water, and refiltered. Recrystallization from acetonitrile/N,N-dimethylformamide/water yielded 0.31 g (11% yield) of catechol product, mp 239°-241° C.
In a manner analgous to the respective Examples 175-176 using appropriate starting materials the following compounds of Formula I, Wherein Q is I 7 are prepared.
EXAMPLE 178
1H-Indole-2-carboxamide, N-[4-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-, mp 236°-238° C.
EXAMPLE 179
1H-Indole-2-acetamide, N-(4-decylphenyl)-3-hydroxy-5,6-dimethyl-α-oxo, mp 210°-211° C.
The usefulness of the compounds of the present invention as inhibitors of lipoxygenase enzyme or antagonists of leukotriene or other related biochemical actions is demonstrated by their effectiveness in various standard pharmacological test procedures. A description of each procedure follows.
Human Leukocyte Lipoxygenase Assay (LDA-H)
Whole blood is collected from normal volunteers and spun in a refrigerated centrifuge for four minutes at 1°-6° C. at 3800 g. The buffycoat is manually separated and washed twice with chilled 0.83% NH 4 Cl and centrifuged at 1000 RPM for ten minutes at 4° C. The white cellis suspended in culture media-EMEM supplemented with 6% Agamma human serum,tricine buffer, and neomycin and recentrifuged at 1000 g to yield a pellet containing the leukocytes used for the preparation of the acetone pentane powder.
The acetone-pentane powder is prepared utilizing a modification of the procedure reported for human platelet lipoxygenase. See Siegel, et al, Arachidonate Metabolism via Lipoxygenase and 12-L-hydroperoxy-5 Eicosatetraenoic Acid Peroxidase Sensitive to Antiinflammatory Drugs, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 77: 308, 1980 and D. P. Wallach and V. R. Brown, A Novel Preparation of Human Platlet Lipoxygenase, Biochem. Biophys. Acta. 663: 361, 1981. Buffy coat prepared above is resuspended in5-7 volumes of cold 0.1M Tris buffer, pH 7.4 containing 0.154M NaCl. The suspension is centrifuged at 13,300 g for ten minutes at 4° C. The resultant pellet is retained, resuspended in five volumes of cold acetone,recentrifuged at 13,300 g and resuspended in five volumes of cold pentane. The pentane suspension is centrifuged for ten minutes at 13,300 g to give a pellet which is dried in the cold under vacuum with periodic pulverization. The dry powder is stable for several weeks when stored at -80° C.
Enzyme stock solution is prepared in the following manner. About 15 mg of the acetone-pentane powder is suspended in 4 ml of cold tris buffer (0.1M,pH 7.4), allowed to stand for five minutes, and homogenized thoroughly. Thehomogenate is sonicated three times for 15 seconds each time, diluted to 7 ml with cold tris buffer (0.1M, pH 7.4), and centrifuged at 4° C. for 60 minutes at 13,300 g. the supernatent is retained and diluted to a total of 10 ml with cold tris buffer (0.1M, pH 7.4) to give the stock enzyme solution. Additional dilutions of 2-50 fold are done as necessary to locate optimal enzyme reaction rate in the assay described below.
Substrate solution is prepared at 100 μM or 1.0 μM concentrations of arachidonic acid or linoleic acid in 0.1M tris buffer, pH 9.0 containing 20% ethanol.
The enzyme reaction is followed spectrophotometrically by the appearance ofa conjugated diene product at 234 nm. The reaction is monitored at 24° C. using a Gilford Model 2600 spectrophotometer. Each assay hada total volume of 1.0 ml and contained substrate, tris buffer (0.1M, pH 9.0), 2% ethanol, and sufficient enzyme to give an easily measurable initial rate of reaction. The effects of inhibitors on the reaction are compared with control reactions run under indentical conditions. Routinely, each compounds of the present invention is incubated with the enzyme for five minutes prior to addition of substrate to initiate the reaction. Inhibition expressed as IC 50 as molar concentration of the compound required to reduce reaction rate to 50% control.
Binding of 3 H-Leukotriene D 4 to Guinea Pig Lung Membranes (RBL)
Materials
[14,15- 3 H]leukotriene D 4 ( 3 H-LTD 4 ) (25 Ci/mmol and 40Ci/mmol) is purchased from New England Nuclear. Unlabeled LTC 4 is a gift of Ono Pharmaceuticals (Japan). LTC 4 , LTD 4 , and LTE 4 are purchased as methyl esters from Paesel GmbH (Frankfurt, W. Germany). Concentrations of the Paesel leukotrienes are calculated from their absorbance at 280 nm. Leukotriene esters are saponified overnight under N 2 in 3.3% potassium carbonate at room temperature. Tritiated leukotrienes are stored as received from New England Nuclear at -20° C. Ono LTC 4 (5 μg/ml) is stored at -60° C. in phosphate buffer pH 6.8. Saponified Paesel leukotrienes are stored at -60° C. in 3.3% potassium carbonate (pH 9.0-9.5). Aliquots of leukotrienes are taken from stock solutions immediately after thawing, after which the stock solutions are immediately refrozen. 2-Amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol (Tris) is Sigma pH 7.7 pre-set crystals, and dimethylsulfoxide is Aldrich Gold Label.
Preparation of crude lung membranes
Two pairs of lungs (1.3 g) from freshly sacrificed 300 g male guinea pigs (older animals gave substantially lower binding) from Kuiper Rabbit Farm, Gary, IN are disrupted with a Polytron PT 10 (setting 4) for 30 seconds in20 ml ice-cold 50 mM Tris adjusted with HCl to pH 7.7 at 25° C. (Tris buffer), filtered through a single layer of gauze to remove connective tissue, and centrifuged at 50,000 xg for ten min. The pellet isresuspended by homogenization with a Polytron in 20 ml Tris buffer, centrifuged at 50,000 xg for ten min., resuspended, incubated at 37° C. for 30 minutes, and centrifuged again. The final pellet is resuspended in Tris buffer and either used fresh or stored at -70° C.
Binding assay
All incubations are in triplicate for 60 minutes at 25° C. in 12×75 mm polystyrene tubes containing 1 ml Tris buffer with 20 mg original tissue wet weight of guinea pig lung nmembranes, 0.2 nM 3 H-LTD 4 (6,000-11,000 cpm), 10 mM MgCl 2 , and 1% dimethylsulfoxideLeukotrienes are diluted in Tris buffer. All other test compounds dissolvedat 10 mM in dimethylsulfoxide on the same day as the experiment, and diluted in dimethylsulfoxide to 100× the final incubation concentration. Control incubations receive an equal volume (10 μl) of dimethylsulfoxide; the resulting concentration of dimethylsulfoxide had noeffect on binding. 3 H-LTD 4 is diluted to 2 nM in Tris buffer. The membrane suspension (20 mg/0.89 ml) contains sufficient MgCl 2 to give 10 mM final concentration in the incubation. For test compounds with IC 50 values less than 1 μM, the order of incubations is test compound (10 μ l), 3 H-LTD 4 (100 μl), and membranes (0.89 ml). For test compounds with IC 50 values greater than 1 than 1 μM and limited water solubility, the order of additions is test compound, membranes, and 3 H-LTD 4 . All additions are performed at 0° C. Immediately after the last addition, the incubation is initiated by agitating the rack of tubes on a vortex mixer and warming to 25° C. in a water bath. Tubes are vortexed at least once more during the incubation to ensure that the membranes remained suspended. Incubations are terminated after 60 minutes by filtering under reduced pressure through 25 mm Whatman GF/B filters followed by rapid washing three times with 4 ml of ice-cold Tris buffer. Filters are added to scintillation vials with 8 ml Formula 947 (New England Nuclear), left overnight, shaken, and the radioactivity counted in a scintillation counter (efficiency 40%). Nonspecific binding, defined as binding of 3 H-LTD 4 in the presence of 100 nM LTC 4 , is 300-500 cpm forall lots of 3 H-LTD 4 . Binding to the filters in the absence of tissue is about 100 cpm, and is not affected by unlabeled LTC 4 . Specific binding, defined as total binding minus nonspecific binding, varied considerably from lot to lot of 3 H-LTD 4 . Specific 3 H-LTD 4 binding ranged from 1500 to 3000 cpm, and is greater than 80% of total binding for the better lots of 3 H-LTD 4 .
To Evaluate the Effect of Each Compounds as a 5-Lipoxygenase Inhibitor in Comparison to Standard Reference Agents in Human Leukocytes (5LOA1)
The purpose of this assay is to evaluate the activity of each compound as an inhibitor of human leukocyte 5-lipoxygenase.
Arachidonic acid and calcium ionophore A23187 are obtained from Sigma (St. Louis, MO). Silica gel plates, GF are obtained from Analtech (Newark, DE).Arachidonic acid, (1- 14 C) and 5-HETE ( 3 H), 5 (S)-hydroxy-6-trans,8,11,14-cis eicosatetraenoic acid, are obtained from New England Nuclear (Boston, MA). Six percent Dextran-70 in 0.9% NaCl is obtained from Cutter Labs (Berkeley, CA).
Preparation of Leukocytes
Fresh blood from normal adult men who had not received any drugs for at least the previous five days is obtained by the Community Research Clinic (WL/PD) using venipuncture and collected into heparinized vacuotainer tubes. To every 100 ml of pooled blood is added 25 ml of dextran solution (6% dextran -70 in 0.9% sodium chloride containing 3% dextrose) and this is mixed gently in a plastic cylinder. The mixture is left to stand at room temperature for at least 90 minutes. The upper layer which is rich inleukocytes and platelets is then carefully decanted into 50 ml plastic tubes and centrifuged at about 100×g for eight minutes in an IEC centrifuge and rotor number 269 (about 600 rpm). The supernatant fluid is discarded and the pellet is resuspended in 10 ml of 0.87% ammonium chloride for exactly two minutes. This procedure is to lyse completely contaminating red blood cells. Leukocytes are then separated by centrifugation for ten minutes. The pellet is washed three times by suspension in 20 ml PBS (sodium chloride, 7.1 g; Na 2 HPO 4 , 1.15 g; KH 2 PO 4 , 0.2 g, and KCl, 0.2 g/L) and centrifuged as before. The final pellet is suspended in PBS containing 0.87 mM CaCl 2 . Viability of the cells is then checked using trypan blue exclusion method and is found to be over 90%.
5-Lipoxygenase Enzyme Assay
Leukocyte cells in suspension (0.98 ml) are incubated with or without test compounds for five minutes at 37° C. in a shaking water bath. At this time a 17 μl mixture is prepared per 1 ml of cell suspension: 100 mM arachidonic acid, 1 μl, 0.05 μCi 14 C-arachidonic acid in 5 μl; 1 mM calcium ionophore A23187, 10 μl (1). This mixture is added and the incubation continued for five minutes. The reaction is stopped by adding four volumes of absolute ethanol and the mixture is kept in ice for30 minutes. The floculated precipitate is separated by centrifugation at about 37,000×g for 20 minutes (Beckman Instruments rotor number 40).The alcohol extract is taken to dryness under a stream of nitrogen and the residue is dissolved in 100-200 μl absolute ethanol. At the time any turbidity is removed by centrifugation. An aliquot (25-50 μl) is applied onto 20×20 cm silica gel TLC plate and developed using the following solvent system: diethyl ether, petroleum ether (2040° C.), acetic acid (50:50:1 v/v). Zones of 1 cm apart are scraped from the TLC plate and transferred to mini-vials. Methanol (0.5 ml) is added to dissolve the radioactivity adsorbed to the silica gel and scintillation fluid (H. P., Beckman), 5 ml is then added and vials are counted in a liquid scintillation counter. A sample of 3 H-5-HETE is applied and used for the identification of the formed 5-HETE.
Total radioactivity in the test as well as the control samples are normalized and the amount of 5-HETE present is calculated accordingly.
IC 50 values are defined as the concentrations of test agents which caused a 50% inhibition of the formation of 5-HETE as compared to control and are determined by inspection of the concentration-response curves.
5-Lipoxygenase Assay Using Isolated Human Leukocytes (5LOA 2 )
The formation of 5-HETE in human leukocytes is considered a measure of 5-lipoxygenase activity. The protocol is described in the following.
Fresh heparinized or EDTA treated human blood is mixed with 6% dextran-3% dextrose in isotonic saline in the ratio 0.25 ml dextran solution per 1.0 ml blood. After mixing the blood is allowed to sit at room temperature forabout 90 minutes while the RBC's settle. During this period, the plasma is removed with a plastic pepette to nalgens tubes.
The plasma is centrifuged at 800 rpm (125 kg) on the Beckman Td-b refrigerated centrifuge to remove the platelets (which remain in the supernatant). The pellet, consisting of leukocytes and erythrocytes, is treated with 10 ml 0.87% ammonium chloride at room temperature for four minutes, lysing the red cells. At the end of four minutes the cells are diluted with a 2x volume of phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4, and centrifuged for ten minutes. The cells are washed three times with the phosphate buffered saline. Any of the pelleted cell matter which is not easily resuspended is discarded during the washings--the material containsplatelets (12-lipoxygenase activity)
After washing, the cells are resuspended in phosphate buffered saline containing 1.0 mM calcium and 0.5 mM magnesium. After counting the cells are diluted to 1.5-2.0×10 7 leukocytes per milliliter.
To each polypropylene reaction tube is added 0.48 ml leukocytes in Ca-Mg phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4; 1-5 μl test compound dissolved in DMSO and buffer; or DMSO for control tubes.
The tubes preincubate at 37° C. for five minutes.
The reaction is started by adding 20 μl of the following, 0.5 μl 20 mM arachidonic acid--final concentration=20 μm; 1 μl 5 mM calcium ionophore A23187--final concentration=10 μm; and 18.5 μl buffer.
The reaction proceeds for five minutes, then is stopped by adding 0.5 ml 0.5 mM ice cold Tris buffer, pH 8.0. The tubes are chilled on ice for ten minutes and then extracted three times with a total of 3.5 ml ethyl acetate (3.0 ml removed).
The tubes can be stored at this point. For extended storage, the tubes should be filled with nitrogen.
The ethyl acetate is evaporated with a Sorvall Speed-Vac. The residue is dissolved in ethanol. The tubes can also be stored at this point at -20° C. under nitrogen.
A portion of the ethanol solution is injected into the HPLC system for 5-HETE quantitation.
The HPLC system consists of Hewlett-Packard 1040A UV spectrophotometry system with an HP85 computer. Injections are made automatically with a Waters WISP 710B. The pump is a Spectra Physics SP8700. Peaks are measuredwith a Hewlett Packard 3390A integrator. An RP C-18 column is used. The solvent system is isocratic; the solvent is 70% methanol and 30% 0.01M sodium acetate, pH 5.7, pumped at 1.0 ml/min. The flow is monitored at 235nm for 5-HETE quantitation. Using a 15 cm Alltech Nucleosil C-18 5 μM column provides for a sample turnaround time of about 16 minutes.
IC 50 is calculated as the amount of test agent that causes 50% inhibition of the formation of 5-HETE relative to the control.
The above defined values for each of tested compounds of the present invention having the noted Q groups is as found in the following TABLES.
TABLE 1______________________________________Q is I.sub.1 Concentration (M) % Inhibition______________________________________Example 18RBL 7.19 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 1.35 E -5 50.0 ICExample 16RBL 1.28 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 1.77 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 5.10 E -5 50.0 ICExample 41RBL 1.26 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 4.50 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 7.00 E -6 50.0 ICExample 40RBL 5.60 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 8.20 E -5 50.0 ICExample 44RBL 3.02 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA 4.00 E -5 30.0 2.00 E -5 +5.8 1.00 E -5 +19.6LDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 45RBL 9.44 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 8.00 E -5 0.0Example 54RBL 1.09 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 5.25 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 3.50 E -6 50.0 ICExample 46RBL 2.15 E -5 50.0 IC 1.87 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 1.10 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 1.10 E -5 50.0 ICExample 39RBL 2.48 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 5.70 E -5 50.0 ICExample 55RBL 1.00 E -4 100.0 1.00 E -6 5.0 2.00 E -6 10.0 5.00 E -6 13.0 1.00 E -5 6.0 2.00 E -5 12.0 5.00 E -5 11.0 1.00 E -4 21.0LDA 6.80 E -5 50.0 ICExample 47RBL 1.11 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 8.00 E -5 0.0Example 82RBL 3.95 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 8.00 E -5 0.0Example 12RBL 1.00 E -5 0.0 1.00 E -4 0.0LDAH 3.40 E -6 50.0 ICExample 35RBL 4.23 E -5 50.0 ICExample 30RBL 2.26 E -5 50.0 ICExample 28RBL 5.00 E -5 50.0 IC 3.56 E -5 50.0 ICExample 32RBL 2.35 E -5 50.0 ICExample 37RBL 1.90 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 8.00 E -5 0.0Example 38RBL 6.68 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 43RBL 2.06 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 8.00 E -5 0.0Example 27RBL 1.06 E -4 50.0 IC5LOA 1.80 E -5 50.0 ICRBL 1.20 E -4 50.0 ICExample 51RBL 3.84 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA 2.12 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 215LOA 7.00 E -7 50.0 ICLDAH 8.20 E -6 50.0 ICExample 22LDAH 1.30 E -5 50.0 ICExample 38RBL 2.65 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 8.00 E -5 0.0Example 29RBL 3.92 E -5 50.0 ICExample 23LDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 14LDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 3LDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0 1.00 E -5 0.0Example 34RBL1 1.58 E -5 50.0 ICExample 605LOA 5.00 E -6 7.9 1.00 E -5 25.2 2.00 E - 5 21.7LDAH 2.50 E -5 50.0 ICRBL 1.21 E -5 50.0 ICExample 48RBL 6.48 E -6 50.0 IC 1.19 E -5 50.0 IC 2.00 E -5 50.0 IC 1.29 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 1.59 E -5 50.0 IC 1.91 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0 ICExample 31RBL 5.20 E -5 50.0 ICExample 36RBL 1.00 E -4 78.0 2.00 E -6 6.0 5.00 E -6 3.0 1.00 E -5 7.0 2.00 E -5 27.0 5.00 E -5 59.0 1.00 E -4 81.0 3.15 E -5 80.0LDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 66RBL 3.15 E -5 50.0 ICExample 33RBL 8.20 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 2.50 E -5 50.0 ICExample 65LOA 2.00 E -5 50.6 IC 2.10 E -5 50.0 ICExample 67RBL 6.56 E -6 50.0 ICExample 67RBL 1.04 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 1.17 E -5 50.0 ICExample 52LDAH 6.00 E -5 50.0 ICExample 49RBL 1.49 E -4 50.0 ICLDAH 3.50 E -5 50.0 ICExample 50LDAH 8.00 E -5 0.0Example 59RBL 7.29 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 61RBL 2.00 E -5 50.0 IC 2.05 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 1.00 E -6 ICExample 9LDAH 7.70 E -5 50.0 ICExample 58RBL 8.47 E -6 59.0 ICLDAH 8.00 E -5 0.0Example 11RBL 3.64 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 1.10 E -6 50.0 ICExample 4LDAH 4.50 E -5 50.0 ICExample 68RBL 4.99 E -6 50.0 ICExample 69RBL 2.04 E -5 50.0 ICExample 53RBL 3.54 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA 3.80 E -6 50.0 ICExample 705LOA 5.00 E -6 50.0 ICExample 71RBL 7.46 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 2.00 E -4 50.0 IC Example 72RBL 3.50 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 2.60 E -6 50.0 ICExample 62RBL 1.00 E -5 50.0 IC 5.95 E -6 50.0 IC 4.98 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 0.00 E 0 0.0Example 73RBL 3.84 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA 4.09 E -6 50.0 IC 8.20 E -6 50.0 ICExample 64RBL 6.11 E -6 50.0 IC 9.49 E -6 50.0 IC 2.82 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA 1.19 E -5 50.0 ICExample 63RBL 4.42 E -6 50.0 IC 3.11 E -6 50.0 ICExample 74RBL 5.27 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA 9.30 E -6 50.0 ICExample 75RBL 5.58 E -6 50.0 ICExample 76RBL 3.00 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA 1.10 E -5 50.0 ICExample 77RBL 5.96 E -6 50.0 ICExample 78RBL 4.82 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA 1.06 E -5 50.0 ICExample 79RBL 5.30 E -7 50.0 IC 4.13 E -7 50.0 IC5LOA 9.20 E -6 50.0 ICExample 80RBL 1.27 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 1.01 E -5 50.0 ICExample 81RBL 1.01 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA2 8.40 E -6 50.0 ICExample 8RBL 4.21 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA2 5.00 E -6 50.0 IC 4.60 E -6 50.0 IC______________________________________
TABLE 2______________________________________Q is I.sub.2 Concentration (M) % Inhibition______________________________________Example 835LOA 5.00 E 0 +1.6 2.00 E 0 9.2Example 875LOA 4.00 E -7 50.0 ICLDAH 1.00 E 5 50.0 IC______________________________________
TABLE 3______________________________________Q is I.sub.3 Concentration (M) % Inhibition______________________________________Example 1015LOA 8.50 E -6 56.0 ICLDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 1295LOA 5.00 E -7 50.0 ICLDAH 1.60 E -6 50.0 ICExample 117LDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 1265LOA 3.55 E -6 50.0 IC 2.17 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 3.20 E -5 50.0 ICExample 1215LOA 7.60 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 1.60 E -6 50.0 ICExample 123LDAH 2.50 E -5 50.0 ICExample 1245LOA 4.20 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 6.50 E -6 50.0 ICExample 103LDAH 1.10 E -6 50.0 ICExample 1225LOA 7.60 E -7 50.0 ICLDAH 2.30 E -6 50.0 ICExample 1255LOA 4.01 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 6.10 E -6 50.0 ICExample 115LDAH 8.00 E -5 0.0Example 119LDAH 7.90 E -9 50.0Example 1135LOA 5.00 E -6 6.3 1.00 E -5 15.3 2.00 E -5 33.7Example 1105LOA 6.04 E -6 50.0 IC 6.35 E -6 50.0 IC______________________________________
TABLE 4______________________________________Q is I.sub.4 Concentration (M) % Inhibition______________________________________Example 131RBL 4.40 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 7.00 E -6 0.0 ICExample 134RBL 6.88 E -5 50.0 ICLDAH 8.20 E -6 50.0 ICExample 135RBL 1.00 E -4 43.0LDAH 2.50 E -5 50.0 ICExample 136RBL 1.00 E -4 11.05LOA 5.00 E -6 +1.4 2.00 E -5 +2.2Example 137RBL1 1.00 E -4 12.0Example 139RBL1 1.00 E -4 25.0Example 138RBL 1.13 E -4 50.0 ICLDAH 3.30 E -5 50.0 ICExample 142RBL 6.10 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 6.00 E -6 50.0 ICExample 143RBL 1.21 E -5 50.0 IC5LOA 5.22 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 4.40 E -6 50.0 ICExample 144RBL 5.00 E -6 50.0 IC 6.43 E -6 50.0 IC 3.28 E -6 50.0 IC5LOA 5.00 E -6 36.0 2.00 E -5 42.5Example 145RBL 1.00 E -4 30.05LOA 1.21 E -5 50.0 X1Example 146RBL 1.02 E -6 50.0 ICExample 1465LOA 3.96 E -6 50.0 ICExample 147RBL 1.00 E -4 3.05LOA 5.00 E -6 5.5 2.00 E -5 13.8Example 148RBL 1.00 E -4 50.0 IC5LOA 5.00 E -6 +7.3 2.00 E -5 19.0______________________________________
TABLE 5______________________________________Q is I.sub.5 Concentration (M) % Inhibition______________________________________Example 1505LOA 1.80 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 4.70 E -6 50.0 ICExample 1525LOA 2.00 E -5 38.1 8.00 E -5 79.2 1.00 E -5 23.0 2.00 E -5 33.9 4.00 E -5 76.3 2.31 E -5 0.0LDAH 5.70 E -7 50.0 ICExample 1515LOA 1.00 E -5 13.9 4.00 E -5 18.0Example 1555LOA 5.00 E -6 +7.6 1.00 E -5 +6.5 2.00 E -5 10.1 1.00 E -5 +5.2 4.00 E -5 2.3______________________________________
TABLE 6______________________________________Q is I.sub.6 Concentration (M) % Inhibition______________________________________Example 1615LOA 9.00 E -6 50.0 ICExample 1585LOA 4.80 E -6 50.0 ICLDAH 0.00 E 0 0.0Example 1595LOA 1.18 E -6 50.0 ICExample 1635LOA 5.00 E -7 50.0 ICLDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 166LDAH 2.70 E -5 50.0 IC______________________________________
TABLE 7______________________________________Q is I.sub.7 Concentration (M) % Inhibition______________________________________Example 1755LOA 2.00 E -6 8.0 1.00 E -5 7.0 2.00 E -5 2.0LDAH 2.50 E -5 0.0Example 177LDAH 8.00 E -5 50.0 IC______________________________________
Accordingly, the present invention also includes a pharmaceutical composition for treating one of the above diseases of conditions comprising an antidisease or anticondition effective amount of a compound of the Formula I as defined above together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
The present invention further includes a method for treating one of the above named diseases or conditions in mammals, including man, suffering therefrom comprising administering to such mammals either orally or parenterally a corresponding pharmaceutical composition containing a compound of Formula I as defined above in appropriate unit dosage form.
For preparing pharmaceutical compositions from the compounds described by this invention, inert, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can be either solid or liquid. Solid form preparations include powders, tablets, dispersible granules, capsules, cachets, and suppositories. A solid carrier can be one or more substances which may also act as diluents, flavoring agents, solubilizers, lubricants, suspending agents, binders or tablet disintegrating agents; it can also be encapsulating material. In powders, the carrier is a finely divided solid which is in admixture with the finely divided active compound. In the tablet the active compound is mixed with carrier having the necessary binding properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired. The powders and tablets preferably contain from 5 or 10 to about 70 percent of the active ingredient. Suitable solid carriers are magnesium carbonate, magnsium stearate, talc, sugar, lactose, pectin, dextrin, starch, gelatin, tragacanth, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, a low melting wax, cocoa butter, and the like. The term "preparation" is intended to include the formulation of the active compound with encapsulating materialas carrier providing a capsule in which the active component (with or without other carriers) is surrounded by carrier, which is thus in association with it. Similarly, cachets are included. Tablets, powders, cachets, and capsules can be used as solid dosage forms suitable for oral administration.
For preparing suppositories, a low melting wax such as a mixture of fatty acid glycerides or cocoa butter is first melted, and the active ingredientis dispersed homogeneously therein as by stirring. The molten homogeneous mixture is then poured into convenient sized molds, allowed to cool and thereby to solidify.
Liquid form preparations include solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. As an example may be mentioned water or water-propylene glycol solutions for parenteral injection. Liquid preparations can also be formulated in solution in aqueous polyethylene glycol solution. Aqueous solutions suitable for oral use can be prepared by dissolving the active component in water and adding suitable colorants, flavors, stabilizing and thickening agents as desired. Aqueous suspensions suitable for oral use can be made by dispersing the finely divided active component in water with viscous material, i.e., natural or synthetic gums, resins, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, and other well-known suspending agents.
Also included are solid form preparations which are intended to be converted, shortly before use, to liquid form preparations for either oralor parenteral administration. Such liquid forms include solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. These particular solid form preparations are most conveniently provided in unit dose form and as such are used to provide a single liquid dosage unit. Alternately, sufficient solid may be provided so that after conversion to liquid form, multiple individual liquid doses may be obtained by measuring predetermined volumes of the liquid form preparation as with a syringe, teaspoon, or other volumetric container. When multiple liquid doses are so prepared, it is preferred to maintain the unused portion of said liquid doses at low temperature (i.e.,under refrigeration) in order to retard possible decomposition. The solid form preparations intended to be converted to liquid form may contain, in addition to the active material, flavorants, colorants, stabilizers, buffers, artificial and natural sweeteners, dispersants, thickeners, solubilizing agents, and the like. The liquid utilized for preparing the liquid form preparation may be water, isotonic water, ethanol, glycerine, propylene glycol, and the like as well as mixtures thereof. Naturally, theliquid utilized will be chosen with regard to the route of administration, for example, liquid preparations containing large amounts of ethanol are not suitable for parenteral use.
Preferably, the pharmaceutical preparation is in unit dosage form. In such form, the preparation is subdivided into unit doses containing appropriatequantities of the active component. The unit dosage form can be a packaged preparation, the package containing discrete quantities of preparation, for example, packeted tablets, capsules, and powders in vials or ampoules.The unit dosage form can also be a capsule, cachet, or tablet itself or it can be the appropriate number of any of these in packaged form.
The quantity of active compound in a unit dose of preparation may be variedor adjusted from 1 mg to 500 mg preferably to 1 to 50 mg according to the particular applicatio and the potency of the active ingredient. The compositions can, if desired, also contain other compatible therapeutic agents.
In therapeutic use as described above, the dosages may be varied depending upon the requirements of the patient, the severity of the condition being treated, and the compound being employed. Determination of the proper dosage for a particular situation is within the skill of the art. Generally, treatment is initiated with smaller dosages which are less thanthe optimum dose of the compound. Thereafter the dosage is increased by small increments until the optimum effect under the circumstances is reached. For convenience, the total daily dosage may be divided and administered in portions during the day if desired. ##STR1##
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The present invention relates to novel enolamide type compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of use thereof, useful in the treatment of diseases in which products of lipoxygenase enzyme activity or the action of leukotrienes contribute to the pathological condition.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention generally pertains to managing workers at a well site and more specifically to managing workers associated with multiple service vehicles of various contractors.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] After a well is set up and operating to draw petroleum, water or other fluid up from within the ground, various service operations are periodically performed to maintain the well. Such service operations may include replacing worn parts such as a pump, sucker rods, inner tubing, and packer glands; pumping chemical treatments or hot oil down into the well bore; and pumping cement into the well bore to partially close off a portion of the well (or to shut it down entirely). Since wells are often miles apart from each other, the maintenance or service operations are usually performed by a mobile unit or service vehicle having special onboard servicing equipment suited to perform the work. Some examples of service vehicles include a chemical tank truck or trailer, a cement truck or trailer, a hot-oiler tank truck or trailer, and a portable work-over service rig having a hoist to remove and install well components (e.g., sucker rods, tubing, etc.).
[0005] Service vehicles are often owned by a contractor that an oil company, such as a well owner or operator, hires to service the wells. Typically, the contractor invoices the oil company after supposedly performing the work at a remote well site. However, since the work is usually done at a remote location relative to the oil company's home office, the oil company may find it difficult to confirm precisely what occurred at the well site, especially after the fact.
[0006] For example, the oil company may not know which individuals did the work, whether they were qualified to do it, how long it took them, or how well the job was performed. A conventional time clock that records the arrival and departure of a factory or office employee does not distinguish between those who actually work and those that do not. For some service operations, such as pumping cement or acid into the well bore, it may difficult to confirm to what extent the operation was performed or whether the operation was even done at all. Consequently, in paying for services, oil companies may pay more than what the contractor was actually entitled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] To avoid the problems and limitations of existing worker management systems, it is an object of the invention to use a wireless communication link to allow a well owner or an operator at a home base to manage workers that have been assigned to perform various service operations at a remote well site.
[0008] A second object of the invention to have one computer on one service vehicle collect data from multiple independent contractors each associated with their own employees and service vehicle, wherein the data pertains to employee information and a process performed with the assistance of the service vehicles.
[0009] A third object of the invention is to enable a well owner or an operator of a well to compare the time when a worker is present at the well site and the time when a service vehicle is assisting in performing a service operation.
[0010] A fourth object is to have a computer receive input from a transducer associated with a service operation and receive input pertaining to employee information.
[0011] A fifth object is to use a computer to authorize a worker to perform a service operation at a well site.
[0012] A sixth object is to use a common computer to collect data from independent contractors performing separate service operations, such as pumping and manipulating tubing or sucker rods, downhole logging and manipulating tubing or sucker rods, and pumping and downhole logging.
[0013] These and other objects of the invention are provided by a worker management method that enables an owner or an operator of a well to manage workers that have been assigned to perform various service operations at a remote well site. The method involves using a wireless communication link that allows one computer at a home base location to communicate with a mobile computer associated with a service vehicle at the well site. Workers of one or more independent contractors enter information into the mobile computer to indicate who is at the well site and what equipment is actually operating. An owner or operator of the well can then access the information using the home base computer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a method for a company at a home base to monitor worker activity at a remote well site.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] Worker activity at a well site 10 can be monitored from a remote location 11 by using a method 12 illustrated in FIG. 1. Here, a well 13 is schematically illustrated to encompass any apparatus for drawing a fluid (e.g., oil, gas, water, etc.) from the ground. In some embodiments of the invention, well 13 includes a string of outer piping known as casing 14 . When perforated, casing 14 provides a conduit that conveys fluid from within the ground to the inlet of a submerged reciprocating pump 15 . An inner string of pipe, known as tubing 16 , provides a discharge conduit that conveys the fluid from the outlet of pump 15 to the surface. A powered pivoting beam (not shown) moves a string of sucker rods 17 up and down, which in turn moves the pump's piston up and down to pump the fluid.
[0016] Owners, operators, and/or well managers (all of which are referred to herein and below as company 18 ) of well 13 may pay various contractors, which have their own workers and service vehicles for performing different service operations on well 13 . For example, one contractor may have a worker 19 and a service vehicle 20 , and another contractor may have a worker 21 and a service vehicle 22 . Method 12 is especially useful in coordinating the efforts of independent contractors, such as when workers 19 and 21 are not employees of company 18 , and/or when workers 19 and 21 are employed by different contractors.
[0017] When worker 19 arrives at well site 13 , he enters into a computer 23 employee data 24 that notifies company 18 of his arrival. The term, “computer” used herein and below refers to any device for storing and/or possessing digital information. Examples of a computer include, but are not limited to items known as personal computers, PC, desktop computer, laptop, notebook, PLC (programmable logic controller), data logger, etc. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a computer may be associated with appropriate common software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, Access; Visual Basic; C++ etc.) and various internal or external circuitry, such as I/O boards and A/D converters. Data 24 can be entered (indicated by line 25 ) by using a computer keyboard 26 , a bar code scanner, or by using any other conventional input device. The term, “employee data” refers to any information that helps identify a worker. Examples of employee data include, but are not limited to, a worker's name or initials, a worker identification number (e.g., employee serial number, social security number or part thereof), a worker's driver's license number, a worker's job title, etc. Likewise, worker 21 enters her employee data 27 into computer 23 in a similar manner, as indicated by line 28 . Even though workers 19 and 21 may be employed by different contractors, both workers 19 and 21 preferably use the same computer 23 , which vehicle 20 of one of the contractors transports (indicated by arrow 50 ) to and from well site 13 .
[0018] To notify company 18 of the arrival of workers 19 and 21 , and thus notify the arrival of their respective vehicles 20 and 22 at well site 10 , a wireless communication link 29 places computer 23 in communication with another computer 30 at a remote location, such as at a home base office of company 18 . The term, “remote location” means that the location of computer 30 is beyond the immediate property or land on which well 13 is contained or at least one-mile away from well 13 , whichever is greater. The term “wireless communication link” refers to data being transmitted over a certain distance, wherein over that certain distance the data is transmitted through a medium of air and/or space rather than wires. Wireless communication link 29 is schematically illustrated to represent a wide variety of systems that are well known to those skilled in the art of wireless communication. For example, with a modem 31 and an antenna 32 associated with computer 30 , and another modem 33 and an antenna 34 for computer 23 , employee data 24 and 27 can be exchanged over the Internet between computers 23 and 30 . Thus, employee data 24 and 27 can be displayed on both computers 23 and 30 using any of a variety of common formats including, but not limited to HTML, e-mail, etc.
[0019] In some versions of the invention, company 18 expresses their approval of workers 19 and 21 by communicating authorizations 35 and 36 from computer 30 to computer 23 . Approval authorization may be based on employee's training, safety record, experience or other qualifications to do a particular service operation. Once approved, workers 19 and 21 may proceed to work on well 13 .
[0020] Any work done to well 13 is referred to as a service operation. Examples of service operations include, but are not limited to manipulating sucker rods (e.g., installing, torquing, or replacing rods 17 , as indicated by arrow 37 ); manipulating tubing (e.g., installing, torquing, or replacing tubing 16 , as indicated by arrow 38 ); down hole logging, as indicated by a transducer 71 suspended from a wireline; pumping a fluid 40 (e.g., cement, acid, hot oil, etc.) into well 13 , as indicated by a pump 41 and arrow 42 ; perforating; welding; fracture treatments; drilling; stimulating; swabbing; bailing; testing; and various other work that is familiar to those skilled in the art.
[0021] To perform various service operations, workers 19 and 21 preferably use specially designed or equipped service vehicles. The term, “service vehicle” refers to any vehicle used to facilitate initiating, performing, or completing one or more service operations on well 13 . Examples of a service vehicle include, but are not limited to, mobile work-over unit 20 and a tanker 22 . Work-over unit 20 may include a variety of equipment including, but not limited to, tongs 43 (e.g., rod tongs or tubing tongs), and a wireline winch and/or a hoist 44 . Work-over unit 20 is particularly suited for removing or installing well components, such as sucker rods 17 , tubing 16 , etc.; lowering instruments, such as transducer 61 , into the well bore via a cable or wireline; and may even be used in actually drilling the well bore itself Tanker 22 is schematically illustrated to encompass all other types of service vehicles including, but not limited to, pumping vehicles, such as a chemical tank truck or trailer, a cement truck or trailer, and a hot-oiler tank truck or trailer.
[0022] While performing a service operation, one or more transducers may be used in monitoring the various operations. For example, when pumping fluid 40 (e.g., hot oil, chemical, acid, gas, water, steam, cement, etc.) a transducer 62 can monitor things such as the fluid's volume or mass flow rate, pressure, temperature, acidity, or concentration. In some service operations, such as the removal and replacement of sucker rods 17 , packer glands, tubing 16 , etc., a transducer 67 (e.g., a proximity switch) could determine whether parts are being removed or installed. When replacing sucker rods 17 or other well components, a transducer 65 could monitor the load on hoist 44 by sensing the force or weight being carried by vehicle 20 . Transducer 65 in conjunction with a transducer 66 for monitoring a hoist engine speed could monitor the force and horsepower required to pull rods 17 or tubing 16 from the well bore. For tongs 43 , which are powered by a hydraulic system on vehicle 20 , transducer 64 can be used to monitor or control the tong's hydraulic pressure or torque. Another transducer 63 can be used to monitor or control the tong's rotational speed. Transducer 61 can indicate the density of the ground surrounding casing 14 or can indicate the integrity or wall thickness of casing 14 . The term, “transducer” refers to any device that provides an electrical signal in response to sensing a condition or status of a service operation. Examples of a transducer include, but are not limited to, a pressure switch, a strain gage, a temperature sensor, a flow meter, a tachometer, a limit switch, a proximity switch, etc. For the embodiment of FIG. 1, transducers 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 and 67 respectively provide electrical signals 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 and 77 .
[0023] In some embodiments of the invention, the electrical feedback signals from one or more transducers are inputted (line 45 ) into computer 23 to serve as confirmation that workers 19 and 21 are actually performing service operations. Computer 23 can convert signals 71 - 77 to corresponding digital values 81 - 87 . Values 81 - 87 can be stored and displayed alongside a corresponding number of time stamps 91 - 97 on computer 23 . Each time stamp can be provided by an internal clock of computer 23 , and would indicate the time of day that a particular transducer signal was taking readings or feeding signals to computer 23 . Values 81 - 87 and their corresponding time stamps 91 - 97 can then be communicated through wireless communication link 29 to computer 30 . This provides company 18 with an indication of who is working at well site 10 , what they are doing, and when they are doing it.
[0024] Although the invention is described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications are well within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be determined by reference to the claims that follow.
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A method that enables an owner or an operator of a well to manage workers that are performing various service operations at a remote well site. The method involves a wireless communication link that allows one computer at a home base location to communicate with a mobile computer associated with a service vehicle at the well site. Workers of several independent contractors enter employee data into the same mobile computer to indicate who is at the well site. Transducers associated with various service operations feed electrical signals into the computer along with a time stamp, which helps confirm that a worker is actually working at the well site. An owner or operator of the well can then access the information using the home base computer and the wireless communication link to help determine who is working at well site, what they are doing, and when they are doing it.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and process for producing potable water using a combination of reverse osmosis (RO) and dehumidification, and more particularly to a combination of shipboard RO and dehumidification to extract and store potable water from a saltwater supply.
[0002] A concomitant to an increase in global population is the need for potable water for human consumption, as well as for industrial, agricultural and other uses. Because the availability of freshwater supplies is limited by size, cleanliness and lack of accessibility, there exists a need for creating potable water from other sources. Stewardship measures such as conservation and reuse, while laudable, will not in and of themselves be sufficient to meet the increase in worldwide water demand.
[0003] The world's seas and oceans are the most notable source of yet relatively untapped water. Unfortunately, their high saline content precludes their use as a supply of potable water. Traditionally, the desalination of sea water is accomplished using land-based facilities, typically relying upon either active evaporative or reverse osmosis (RO) techniques. In the former, the salty water is first vaporized, then condensed in such a way as to isolate the relatively salt-free distillate. Active evaporation is expensive, requiring vast amounts of energy (typically in the form of a combustible heat supply).
[0004] The latter approach involves using high pressure to force the salty water through a membrane that is relatively impermeable to salt ions or other contaminants, thereby allowing a more pure form of the water to pass through the membrane. Traditional RO approaches typically involve some amount of pre-treatment, filtration, and final treating. Pre-treatment may include screen and physical filtration (often with carbon filters), as well as chemical pre-treatment, which may include scaling and biological prevention. From the pre-treatment, the water is then sent to the membrane for desalination and filtration. Membranes used in RO for the desalination of sea water come in four primary physical structures. These are spiral, tubular, plate and frame, and hollow fiber systems. Spiral systems are made up of two concentric tubes (typically about 8″ and 2″ in diameter) the length of which is dependent on system pressure and the concentration of solids in the raw water. The actual membrane is typically a flat sheet with one end open to the water and the other ending in the smaller of the two tubes. The membrane is then spiraled around the inner tube and placed inside the larger tube. Raw water enters the larger tube under pressure. Pure water then enters into the membrane and flows along the spiral until it is released into the inner tube where it is transported for final treatment. Concentrated brine then flows out the open end of the larger tube. Tubular and hollow fiber systems are essentially the same design differing only in their relative size. In both cases, membranes are cylindrical fibers or tubes placed in an outer tube. The outer tube is filled with pressurized raw water. The pure filtered water enters the tubes or fibers and is transported down these to final treatment. Concentrated brine flows out of the open end of the outer tube. Plate and frame systems involve a flat surface membrane with the filtering side exposed to raw water and the reverse exposed to the product water chamber. Pressurized raw water is exposed to the filter. The filtered pure water moves through into the collection chamber for processing. Final treatment involves the balancing and treating of mineral content in the water, as well as balancing the acidity of the water. Additionally, ultraviolet (UV) rays or chlorination can be employed to control future biological and pathogenic contamination.
[0005] As with the active evaporation process discussed above, land-based RO facilities suffer from various shortcomings. For example, because RO facilities generate significant quantities of dissolved solids and related effluent, release of such byproducts could be harmful if reintroduced in localized, concentrated form into the water supply from which it was derived. Such localized release of effluent would eventually cause the water being taken into the system to become concentrated enough that it can impact the performance of the RO system membranes. To ensure a relatively non-fouled RO water intake, the facility would need to be situated remotely from the point of effluent discharge. Similarly for evaporative systems, local nuisance concerns may mean that there are significant costs associated with keeping the facility at a suitable distance from population centers. In either situation, the solution tends to be cost-prohibitive.
[0006] One way to avoid the problems associated with land-based desalination (in particular, land-based RO desalination) is to use a shipboard RO system. In a conventional form, the high pressure requirements are satisfied by mechanical pumps. Such systems, while operationally suitable, are expensive, require significant amounts of energy consumption, and take up precious shipboard space. As an alternative, it has been reported that the necessary pressure differential can be achieved hydrostatically if the RO unit is submersed to a sufficient distance (for example, many hundreds of meters) beneath the ocean surface. Despite improvements in energy efficiency made possible by such a system, there remains a desire to increase the quality of potable water from ship-based platforms over that provided by these or related RO systems, as well as a desire to reduce the impact of RO-based desalination on the local environment from which the water was extracted.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] These needs are met by the present invention, where in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, features of a system made up of each RO and evaporative components work together for water desalination. The system includes an RO subsystem, a dehumidification subsystem, at least one purified water storage tank and a vehicular platform onto which the RO and dehumidification subsystems and the purified water storage tank (or tanks) are mounted. The tank is fluidly coupled to the RO subsystem and the dehumidification subsystem such that purified water produced by each is stored in the tank. The RO subsystem includes a saline water inlet, a purified water outlet fluidly downstream of the inlet and between them an RO membrane that acts as a filter for salts and other contaminants by allowing passage of water through it while inhibiting the passage of such undesirable features present in a saline water supply. The dehumidification subsystem is a passive system, which differs from an active system in that it doesn't require a combustion or related source in order to achieve an appreciable measure of separation of the airborne salts or related minerals or impurities from a humid ambient air supply. In such a passive approach, the system uses water purified by the RO subsystem to act as a coolant to condense at least some of the water contained in this ambient air.
[0008] Optionally, the vehicle can include any mechanized equipment used to convey the purified water. In a preferred form, the vehicle is a watercraft, such as a ship, boat, submarine or the like. In another option, the RO subsystem extracts potable water from the saline water supply by passive means, rather than through active means, such as pumping. In the present context, passive means could result from differences in hydrostatic pressure between the inlet and the outlet, movement of the inlet to force higher quantities of flow therein or other means that don't rely on pumps or other such devices. In a preferred form, the ship is large enough to function as a storage of both the system and significant quantities of purified water. In one such form, the ship weighs at least 40,000 tons, although any midsize tanker (i.e., one big enough to contain multiple RO units in their docking stations and hold an appropriately-sized dehumidification unit) would be acceptable. While larger ships could be used in conjunction with the present invention, their use must be able to operate within the constraints of the ports into which they would need to navigate.
[0009] The watercraft further may include pipes, pumps, valves and related fluid handling equipment to facilitate conveying the purified water to a tank on another watercraft, the land or elsewhere. In yet another option, the dehumidification subsystem is positionable relative to the ambient air supply such that the amount of the ambient air that interacts with the dehumidification subsystem is maximized. The RO subsystem may more particularly include a container and an RO unit fluidly connected to the container. In one form, the purified water produced at the membrane can be at least temporarily stored in the container, for example, at least until fluid communication can be established between the container and one or more of the onboard storage tanks, or until such time as the purified water in the container can be used by the dehumidification subsystem to help condense water vapor present in the ambient air. As stated above, the one or more storage tanks can be made up of numerous such tanks fluidly coupled to and spaced from one another. For example, by placing them at select remote locations in the ship (such as at opposing sides or comers thereof), the tanks can be used as a balancing system, where the purified water stored in the numerous tanks can be allocated in such a way to promote hydrostatic balancing within the ship.
[0010] In another option, the dehumidification subsystem may include a screen or related porous device through which a breeze, the wind or the like can carry the ambient air. Porous members located in the dehumidification subsystem allow the wicking of water (in the form of humidity in the ambient air) into a flowpath that drains into an appropriate trough or related sluice. Motors, winches or the like can be used to reposition the screen of the dehumidification subsystem so that it best aligns with the prevailing winds to take best advantage of the system's evaporative capabilities.
[0011] The system may further include a positioning mechanism that permits movement of at least the RO subsystem through various depths of the saline water supply. In this way, briny water being discharged from the RO subsystem is done so over a larger space, thereby reducing the likelihood of the briny water corrupting the water supply. In the present context, briny water is any such water that, when reintroduced into the supply from where it came, has a higher salt concentration that of the surrounding supply. For example, if the saline water supply is the sea, ocean or related body of water, the briny water would be that produced by the higher salinity RO subsystem discharge that is in turn placed back into the body of water. Thus, one purpose of continuous operation of the positioning mechanism associated with the RO subsystem during the lowering and raising of the RO unit is that the briny concentrate leaving the RO unit is dispersed over a very large area and therefore would not result in a significant difference in the salinity of the water through which is passes. An additional benefit is that this would prevent debris from accumulating on the surface of the membrane in the RO unit.
[0012] Such a mechanism, may include a motor, winch and cable or related coupling apparatus that together permit the subsystem to be moved through various depths of the saline water supply. In addition to being fluidly connected to the RO unit, the container may include pressure regulating apparatus to control internal container pressure. For example, where an evacuation process is needed (such as prior to lowering the RO unit into the water), such pressure regulating apparatus can be used to promote container evacuation, which in turn allows the RO water storage container to fill completely without back pressure. A controller may be used to operate the various components of the mechanism, as well as the water-gathering equipment of the RO subsystem.
[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a shipboard water desalination apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes an RO subsystem with a saline water inlet, a purified water outlet and a membrane, a dehumidification subsystem and one or more storage tanks for the collection of purified water. As with the previous aspect, the membrane allows preferential passage of water relative to salt in a saline water supply such that the water that passes through the membrane has a reduced salt content (as well as that of other contaminants) relative to that of the supply. The RO subsystem is further configured as a passive device. In this way, pumps or related equipment that are needed in conventional RO system to attain the high inlet pressures necessary to force the water through the membranes are not required, as a hydrostatic pressure of the saline water supply present at the saline water inlet (due, for example, to at least the inlet of the apparatus being situated at a significant subsurface depth) is sufficient to pass water from the water supply through the membrane. Such passive pressure may be produced from the system operating at depth where water is at maximum density, such as where the water temperature is as close to 2° Celsius as possible. As with the previous aspect, continuous movement of the RO unit eliminates the accumulation of debris on the surface of the RO membrane that could otherwise cause problems in stationary RO units in use. Also as with the previous aspect, the dehumidification subsystem can at least partially condense water present in an ambient air supply. Preferably, the dehumidification subsystem avoids the use of salinated water as a cooling agent to reduce the risk of subsystem contamination and related fouling. In addition, using a cold water supply (such as the purified water from the RO subsystem) as the source of the temperature differential allows the dehumidification system to operate around the clock (i.e., experience a larger duty cycle) with greater efficiency because even at night (with a concomitantly cooler air temperature), the temperature differential would still be enough to allow subsystem operation, as the relatively cold temperature of the water accumulated in a container or containers used in the RO subsystem helps provide a temperature differential that makes the dehumidification unit of the dehumidification subsystem work.
[0014] Optionally, the apparatus includes first and second positioning mechanisms, where the first is used with the RO subsystem to raise and lower the RO subsystem in the saline water supply, while the second positioning mechanism is used with the dehumidification subsystem such that the dehumidification subsystem can be preferentially oriented relative to the ambient air supply. In one form, the second positioning mechanism can include motors and related gearing or related components necessary to rotate or otherwise turn the dehumidification subsystem's screen, wall or related air-to-fluid heat exchanger. Such positioning mechanism may further include a controller (such as a microprocessor-driven controller) to move the heat exchanger of the dehumidification subsystem such that the heat exchanger can be automatically positioned to take best advantage of the prevailing winds. Such is preferable to having to reorient a ship (especially larger-class ships) to take best advantage of such winds. The first positioning mechanism cooperative with the RO subsystem can be operated such that if the RO subsystem is mounted on a frame, sled or related support, the first positioning mechanism can be employed to raise and lower the support in the water to both attain the desired depth necessary to produce the elevated hydrostatic pressures required of the membrane, as well as keep the RO subsystem moving relative to the ambient saline water supply. This latter movement, by virtue of its spreading the RO subsystem effluent over a constantly-changing waterscape, is helpful in avoiding too large of a brine buildup in a single location adjacent the RO subsystem outlet. In one preferred form, the water collected from the RO and dehumidification subsystems is potable water that can later be conveyed (such as through piping, pumping, valving and associated controller systems) to a remote storage facility, private or municipal water supply or the like. Thus, for example, the controller can be used to operate various compressors, vacuum pumps, valves or the like to ensure proper conveyance of the purified water to a predetermined storage location. As with the previous aspect, the reduced salinity (i.e., purified) water coming from the RO subsystem can be used to condense water vapor contained in the ambient air supply that comes into contact with the dehumidification subsystem.
[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of purifying a saline water supply is disclosed. The method includes introducing an RO subsystem comprising a saline water inlet, a purified water outlet fluidly downstream of the inlet and a membrane disposed fluidly between the inlet and the outlet into the saline water supply to a sufficient depth to promote RO through the membrane. The method also includes condensing at least some of the moisture present in a supply of humid air by a heat exchanger in a dehumidification subsystem. In the present context, humid air is any ambient air with a high enough moisture content to allow it to readily condense out when exposed to an aqueous heat exchange fluid (for example, cold purified water produced by the RO subsystem). As such, an ambient air supply with a relative humidity of greater than 50% would be considered to be humid air, while an ambient air supply with a relative humidity of around 10% would not. In addition to having a relative humidity of 50% or greater, it is desirable to have the ambient air be at an air temperature of 70° Fahrenheit or greater. As such, tropical locations, which often exhibit both high air temperatures and relative humidity, are advantageously used with the system of the present invention. Under such an arrangement, fresh (i.e., potable) water can be extracted from latent atmospheric humidity in hot, humid climates. The method further includes collecting purified water from the RO subsystem and the dehumidification subsystem in a storage tank.
[0016] Optionally, introducing the RO subsystem includes moving the RO subsystem during its operation as a way to reduce brine concentration in the adjacent water, in effect spreading out the briny water flowing out of the RO unit over a larger area. In one form, the condensing may include using one or more of the saline water supply and the purified water produced in the RO subsystem as a cooling liquid in the heat exchanger, which is preferably configured as a liquid-air heat exchanger. In a preferable option, the RO and dehumidification subsystems, as well as the storage tank, are mounted to or otherwise integrated onto a ship or related watercraft. As previously discussed, the storage tank may be made up of a series of separate tanks that can be interconnected through appropriate piping, valving and pumping apparatus. Placement of various storage tanks around the ship (such as around the ship periphery) can be used with such apparatus to advantageously promote ship balance by moving the stored potable water between the various tanks. In another option, the heat exchanger can be positioned, such as by rotating it relative to the ship or the supply of humid air to maximize heat exchange interaction.
[0017] In another option, the depth in the saline water supply is sufficient to give the local water supply enough driving force (by virtue of its elevated hydrostatic pressure) to pass the saline water supply through the membrane without the need to further pressurize the water supply through pumps or other mechanical, electromechanical or related means. In another option, the RO subsystem is introduced into the water supply in a predetermined fashion to most economically reach the desired pressurization levels at the RO subsystem membrane. For example, the method may first include lowering the RO subsystem to a first depth sufficient to create at least 600 pounds per square inch pressure at the membrane, and then lowered to a depth sufficient to create about 1500 pounds per square inch pressure at the membrane. The lowering rate of the RO subsystem between the condition where the pressure on the membrane is at least 600 pounds per square inch (psi) and the condition where the pressure on the membrane is about 1500 psi is preferably between about 1 foot per minute and about 60 feet per minute. In a more preferred form, the lowering rate is about 20 feet per minute. In another option, the purified water stored in the one or more storage tanks or the RO subsystem can be sampled, tested, analyzed or the like to determine that it is of sufficient purity for its intended purpose. For example, if the water is being used for human consumption and related potable purposes, its salinity level (as well as that of other purity indicia) must meet certain threshold requirements. In this way, an operator may have the option of eliminating poor quality RO water prior to it being brought aboard at all. Such sampling, testing, analyzing or the like may be part of a quality control program, and can be further used to provide indicia of component (for example, membrane) malfunction or failure.
[0018] In another option, the containers used to collect the purified RO water in the RO subsystem can be evacuated to a low pressure prior to being lowered into the ocean or related saline water supply. In one form, the pressure can be reduced to less than 1 psi to reduce or eliminate the back pressure in the container, thereby allowing it to fill more completely during operation without additional depressurizing being necessary during the cycle. In another option, cleaning steps may be undertaken to eliminate or otherwise reduce the likelihood of fouling from contaminant build-up, such as salt, organic matter or the like. In this way, the purified water can be additionally treated to provide disinfection to eliminate microorganisms. Likewise, additional filtration devices can be used to remove suspended particulates. After such treatment, the purified water collected in the storage container can then pumped out for subsequent use by the dehumidification system, storage in the shipboard storage tanks, or both.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The following detailed description of the present invention can be best understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:
[0020] FIG. 1 shows schematically a ship with an on-board water purification system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 shows details related to a submersible container and RO subsystem that form part of the on-board water purification system of FIG. 1 ; and
[0022] FIG. 3 shows details related to an on-board dehumidification subsystem that forms part of the on-board water purification system of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Referring initially to FIG. 1 , a ship 1 (such as a tanker) outfitted with a potable water generation system according to an aspect of the present invention is shown. Ship 1 includes a dehumidification subsystem 2 , one or more purified water storage tanks 3 , RO subsystem 4 , a crane or winch 5 and piping 6 that can convey the cold water from the RO subsystem 4 storage container to the dehumidification subsystem 2 , and tanks 3 . In a preferred form, the ship 1 is of a large-displacement variety. For example, the ship 1 may be a minimum 40,000 ton capacity, appropriately designed or modified as shown for the purpose of potable water production and storage. Such size must consider the ease with which ship 1 can navigate into and out of smaller ports and waterways, and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that different sizes commensurate with these restrictions are within the scope of the present invention.
[0024] The tanks 3 are preferably sterile, while portions of the piping 6 and related valving 7 selectively interconnects them to each other to enable the shifting of the water between compartments to balance the floatation needs of the ship 1 as potable water is accumulated. In a like manner, piping 6 and valving 7 can be used to convey cooling water and purified condensate between the RO subsystem 4 , the storage tanks 3 and the dehumidification subsystem 2 . Docking stations 8 can be used to secure the RO subsystems 4 while the latter are on the topside of ship 1 .
[0025] A set of vacuum pumps and compressors (neither of which are shown) are included on ship 1 to act as pressure and vacuum reservoirs that can enable continuous water production, as well as to shorten the length of the potable water production cycle. The vacuum pumps can be used to evacuate water containers 40 (discussed in more detail below), while the compressors can be used as a means of forcing water out of the containers 40 through the piping 6 aboard the ship 1 . Such devices, although not necessary, can shorten the time required to move the purified water. The ship 1 can be propelled by conventional means (for example, fossil fuels, nuclear reactor or the like), and preferably have sufficient fuel capacity to remain at sea collecting water for an extended period of time (such as at least one month).
[0026] Referring next to FIG. 2 , the RO subsystem 4 (which may be procured from a well-known commercial source) includes one or more water containers 40 that should be of design and of such construction as to withstand sea depths of up to 2500 feet or about 1500 psi pressure. While it will be appreciated that any appropriate shape may be used for container 40 (and all such shapes are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention), a generally spherical profile is recognized as providing the best combination of structural efficiency and integrity under the high pressure conditions imposed by deep ocean submersion applications. In one form, each of the containers 40 could be constructed of either metal or a reinforced composite or other appropriate structural material. In one non-limiting form, each container 40 is about six feet in diameter, subject to the weight limitations and pressure factors previously mentioned. In addition, the container 40 can be reinforced with internal spars 9 for added strength, as shown with particularity in the figure. As with tanks 3 , the containers 40 perform a purified water storage function, the difference being that the tanks are generally affixed to the ship 1 , while the containers 40 can be lowered into the ocean in order to achieve a measure of passive RO performance by virtue of pressure differences across an RO membrane (not shown) from the ocean depths to the inside of the container 40 .
[0027] The RO subsystem 4 also includes a membrane unit (also called an RO unit) 41 situated adjacent the container 40 and designed to enable the RO subsystem 4 to produce sufficient desalinated product water to fill the container 40 in a relatively short amount of time. In one non-limiting form each container 40 can be filled in approximately two hours. Purified water generated in the RO unit 41 is conveyed to its respective storage container 40 for temporary storage, such as until such time as the container 40 can be brought to the ship 1 topside.
[0028] The container 40 should be of a size which can readily be raised from ocean depth by winch 5 . The top of each of the spherical containers 40 includes an eyelet, hook or the like with which winch 5 can lift and lower spherical containers 40 by cable 43 . Operation of winch 5 can be performed through the controller (not shown) to enable the winch 5 to draw in or let out cable 43 to raise and lower each of the containers 40 at a preferred speed, which in some circumstances may need to be done rapidly, while in others more slowly. Together, winch 5 , cable 43 and the controller may make up a positioning mechanism for movement of the RO unit 41 and container 40 . Similarly, the controller can be used to manipulate each of the containers 40 into appropriate seating within their respective docking station 8 . In one form, the containers 40 can be lowered into the water to a first depth. For example, each container 40 can be lowered to about a 1000 foot depth, which should be sufficient to create approximately 600 psi at an inlet (also known as an intake) 42 A of RO unit 41 . Once it has attained the sufficient depth or pressure, the container 40 can continue to be lowered, now at a controlled rate, such as between about 1 and 60 feet/minute. In one preferred form, the container 40 can be lowered at about 20 feet/minute. Such lowering continues until a pressure sufficient to enable the RO unit 41 of the RO subsystem 4 to operate is attained. For example, a depth of 2500 feet should generally be sufficient to produce about 1500 psi at the inlet 42 A of RO unit 41 . The inventor has discovered that continuous operation of the RO subsystem 4 as it is being both lowered and raised avoids brine concentration at the inlet 42 A of the RO unit 41 , and greatly reduces environmental concerns with brine dispersal since the concentrate will be dispersed over a much broader area. Preferably, the RO unit 41 is fitted with all necessary screens, filters, pretreatment apparatus or the like (none of which are shown) necessary for prolonged deep sea use. Salt and other contaminants that get filtered out by membrane pass out of the RO unit 41 through outlet 42 B.
[0029] The top of the container 40 is equipped with multiple pipes 6 A, 6 B, each having respective electric closure solenoid valves 10 A and 10 B and accompanying vacuum seals (not shown). These pipes 6 A, 6 B connect the RO subsystem 4 to the storage tanks 3 to maximize flow volume into the container 40 . To achieve this, they can be used to evacuate residual air from the container 40 prior to the container 40 being lowered into the ocean or related body of water. The evacuation helps to relieve back pressure, as well as to allow for maximum filling of the container 40 . The pipes 6 A and 6 B can also be used to remove water from the container 40 through an appropriate hose (not shown) that can be used to connect a shipboard suction pump to the pipe 6 A which extends into the bottom of the container 40 to allow siphoning out the water contained therein. In an alternate form, a compressor (not shown) can be fluidly connected to the short pipe 6 B on the top of the container 40 to exert downward pressure on the water in container 40 to help force it up through the pipe 6 A. In this way, the pipes maintain sufficient pressure and vacuum on the containers 40 throughout the water production and retrieval processes. Of the two pipes 6 A and 6 B, pipe 6 A extends lower, reaching nearly to the bottom of the container 40 to allow for the removal of purified product water that is delivered to the container 40 from the adjacent RO unit 41 through piping (not shown). As stated above, valve 10 A can be used to selectively close off the open end of pipe 6 A to the remainder of the piping 6 that is used to convey the purified water. The other pipe 6 B terminates in an opening near the top of the inside of the container 40 , and can be used to maintain proper container pressure. As with pipe 6 A, pipe 6 B can be fitted with an automated closable valve 10 B.
[0030] In addition to the RO subsystem 4 , the ship 1 has a large capacity dehumidification subsystem 2 . As shown with particularity in FIG. 3 , the dehumidification subsystem 2 includes one or more relatively large surface area ambient air capture screens 20 that can be fluidly coupled through piping 7 to one or more potable water storage tanks 3 such that condensate from the dehumidification subsystem 2 is placed in the potable water storage tanks 3 . Capture screen 20 is preferably equipped with hydraulic or mechanical powered devices (such as motor 22 ) that can position the capture screen(s) 20 to maximize the utilization of prevailing winds that blow across the ship 1 . A mounting base 24 allows rotation of capture screen 20 through an appropriate mechanism, such as ball bearings 26 that are mounted to base 24 . This arrangement allows a minimum of 180° rotation in response to motor 22 . Cooling water, which is used as a condensing agent for capture screen 20 , can be introduced from the cold water from the containers 40 of the RO subsystem 4 through piping 6 C. In a likewise fashion, potable condensate can be removed from capture screen 20 through piping 6 P to be delivered to one or more of the storage tanks 3 .
[0031] In the proposed mode of operation, ship 1 would be located in a tropical environment, such as the Gulf of Mexico. Locations such as this are desirable because the water has sufficient depth (i.e., approximately 2500 feet) to allow the lowering of the containers 40 of the RO subsystem 4 , although it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any saltwater environment where such water depth and ambient air conditions exist is equally usable. Prior to immersion of the containers 40 and RO unit 41 of the RO subsystem 4 into the sea, ocean, bay, gulf or related body of water, the container 40 is evacuated to a significant vacuum, such as in a manner discussed above. In one preferred form, the pressure inside the container 40 is reduced to about 1 psi or less (compared to approximately 14.7 psi (i.e., about 760 torr) for standard atmospheric pressure). A pressure indicator on ship 1 can be used to measure pressure in container 40 to indicated how much pressure lowering is required.
[0032] Moreover, the rates of RO subsystem 4 ascent and descent can be varied in order to correlate with the capacity of the RO subsystem 4 to process the quantity of water needed to fill the container 40 . In one form, the container 40 could be about half filled with product water, at which time the winch 5 , cable 43 and container 40 can cooperate to raise the container 40 back toward the surface at about a predetermined ascent speed. In one form, such speed could be about 20 feet/minute. When the RO subsystem 4 reaches the 1000 foot depth level, the solenoid valves 10 A, 10 B connecting the container 40 to the RO subsystem 4 will be closed, at which time the containers 40 are pulled to the surface as rapidly as possible. In this way, the total length of the RO cycle is reduced, and the operation of the RO process only takes place during those times where the container 40 of the RO subsystem 4 below the depth necessary to generate the pressures needed. Referring again to FIG. 2 , when the container 40 reaches the surface of the water, an on-board pressure source (such as from water handling subsystem 30 ) is connected (via hose, for example) to the upper pipe 6 B on top of the container 40 . Another connection, this time to lower pipe 6 A that extends almost to the bottom of the container 40 , can also be made to the water handling subsystem 30 . Both valves 10 A and 10 B are then opened so that pressure from the water handling subsystem 30 is applied to cause the cold desalinated water to flow out of the containers 40 to the shipboard moisture dehumidification subsystem 2 (where it can act as a condensing agent for moist air passing across one or more capture screens 20 , and from there, to the shipboard storage tanks 3 . As discussed above, each of the containers 40 of the RO subsystem 4 can be sampled, such as for chloride ion content. Likewise, the inlet 42 A of the RO unit 41 can be inspected and serviced, if needed.
[0033] Regarding operation of the dehumidification subsystem 2 , the temperature differential between the cold RO water in the container 40 and the warm tropical air flowing through the dehumidification subsystem 2 will result in production of substantial quantities of pure water condensate. A trough 24 situated beneath the dehumidification subsystem 2 will funnel the accumulated condensed water vapor out of the dehumidification subsystem 2 so it can then be pumped into the water storage tanks 3 to be joined up with the RO water from the RO subsystem 4 that was used to condense the airborne water vapor that was captured by the dehumidification subsystem 2 .
[0034] Ship 1 may be equipped with numerous RO subsystems 4 so that the immersion process of the multiple containers 40 and accompanying RO units 41 may be sequenced to provide around-the-clock production of potable water. Likewise, connection of the various containers 40 to the dehumidification subsystem 2 ensures continuous water processing, although it may be that more dehumidification of the ambient air is possible in the daylight hours, where the temperature difference between the air and the RO water is greatest. Furthermore, when the holds of ship 1 are filled and the ship 1 is situated in a port or related docking facility, suitable pumping and related water conveying means can be fluidly coupled to the ship 1 to facilitate delivery of the purified water to the port or other land-based water transfer or storing station. Multiple ships 1 may be employed to ensure substantially continuous operation.
[0035] While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.
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Devices and methods for producing purified water. The device includes a reverse osmosis subsystem, a dehumidification subsystem and a purified water storage tank fluidly coupled to the subsystems such that purified water produced by each can be locally stored. A vehicular platform, such as a ship, can be used to locate the device adjacent a supply of saline water and humid air. A saline water inlet, membrane and purified water outlet cooperate in the reverse osmosis subsystem to allow preferential passage of water relative to salt in a saline water supply, while the dehumidification subsystem includes a heat exchanger that extracts moisture from the ambient humid air. Purified water produced by each of the subsystems can be used as a potable water source. When used in conjunction with a ship, part or all of the reverse osmosis subsystem can be submersed to a depth sufficient to generate a hydrostatic pressure that is in turn sufficient to passively operate the reverse osmosis membrane such that additional pressurizing equipment, such as a pump, is not needed. Furthermore, the temperature of the water purified by the reverse osmosis subsystem may be low enough to be used as a condensing agent for the ambient humid air passing through the dehumidification subsystem.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to layered cooking vessels, and in particular, to a vessel with successive layers that can be removed after using, so the user need not clean.
In a society with many families having dual wage earners, a great emphasis is placed on labor saving devices. There is a great need for saving labor and expediting the preparation of meals.
It is known to fabricate dishes having a plurality of nested layers. The plate need not be clean, but instead, successive layers are discarded. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 730,082; 1,574,259; and 3,362,604. These dishes have been made of relatively fragile materials and were therefore unsuitable for use as a cooking vessel. The layers have been formed of paper or plastic and would be likely to ignite if used for cooking.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,542,413 layers made of paper, plastic or composition material can be removed by pulling a tear strip. Note however, the material is still too fragile for cooking.
There are known nested metal receptacles proposed for use as ashtrays or reflector pans: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,912,860; 3,165,201. The disadvantage with these known systems is that they are kept together simply by the force of gravity. The successive layers disengage simply by lifting the top-most receptacle and discarding it. This unsecured stack of receptacles would be inappropriate for use as a cooking vessel such as a frying pan. The user would either have to use relatively heavy layers to keep the layers from coming apart or risk spilling them if the vessel is upset. Also, if the layers become misaligned, there is a possibility they will become distorted with use. Any distortion would cause a significant air gap between layers which will reduce the ability to transfer heat into the vessel.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cooking vessel with disposable layers that can withstand the heat of cooking and maintain good alignment and heat transfer capability in everyday usage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a layered cooking vessel, The vessel has a plurality of nested metal layers, stacked from the lowest one to the highest one. Each one of the layers above the lowest one has a border folded downwardly to interlock with the next lower one of the layers. Each one of the layers has on its border an annular score dividing that one of the layers into a removable strip and a central bed. This removable strip is removable to reduce the size of the border and to prevent interlocking with the next lower one of the layers. Thus successive ones of the layers can be removed. An alternate layered cooking vessel, according to the principles of the same invention, also employs a plurality of nested metal layers stacked from a highest one to a lowest one. Again, each one of the layers above the lowest one has a border folded downwardly and inwardly to interlock with the next lower one of the layers. This border is made flexible to allow manual extension and lifting of the border to remove it from the lower ones of the layers, without tearing the border.
By employing such an apparatus, an improved layered cooking vessel is achieved. In a preferred embodiment, metal layers are stacked inside of a reusable pan. In this embodiment, the border of each layer is folded over the edge of the pan to hold it in place. This border is scored and has a tab which may be lifted to pull away the bottom of the border. Once removed, the entire layer can be discarded to expose a clean surface.
For those embodiments providing a relatively large vessel, the tear-away border can be segmented into two bands lying end to end. This makes it relatively easy to remove the border since one need not manipulate a long removable strip.
In one preferred embodiment, the stacked layers can be purchased as a stack separately from the pan. In this situation, the stacked layers have borders with flared edges. This makes it relatively easy to snap the stacked layers onto the pan, making the pan readily reusable.
In an alternate preferred embodiment, the borders of the stacked layer have several tabs that are each folded into two sections: one section that is folded downwardly and inwardly; and a second section that is folded downwardly and outwardly. These folded tabs can be made successively larger for higher layers. This makes it easy to grasp the top-most layer.
Also, easy removal can be facilitated by having the tabs occupy less than the entire periphery. For example, eight equally spaced tabs can be placed on the periphery of each layer so that the layers are held securely but can be removed by hand.
Also, in this preferred embodiment, the reusable pan can be stamped to have a notched lip that is folded around wire hoop that, at one position, extends radially outward to provide a wire handle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above brief description as well as other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of presently preferred but nonetheless illustrative embodiments in accordance with the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a layered cooking vessel according to the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the cooking vessel of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a detailed of the border of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the tab of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the junction of the handle and hoop for the vessel of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a border that is an alternate to that of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a border that is an alternate to that of FIG. 6; and
FIG. 8 is a plan view of one of the layers of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cooking vessel is shown as a plurality of nested metal layers 10, the lowest one of the layers, being shown as a reusable frying pan, 12. As described further hereinafter, the nested metal layers make intimate contact with each other and with pan 12.
The edge of each of the layers 10 is folded downwardly and inwardly to provide a border 14, that has a score 16. Score 16 divides each of the layers 10, into a removable strip 18 and a central bed, shown here as central crowned portion 20. The removable strip 18, has an end that is formed into a manually graspable tab 22. By lifting and pulling tab 22, removable strip 18 can be torn off. Preferably, each tab 22 can be numbered in descending order to show the number of layers remaining. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, removable strip 18 can be formed as two bands that are placed end to end. This ensures that the strip, as it is removed, does not become excessively long and difficult to manipulate.
In this embodiment, a handle is formed from wireloop 24 to act as a gripping member that extends around pan 12 to form a hoop 26 that is held in place by downwardly bent lip 28.
Referring to FIG. 3, the detailed view of layers 10 shows them composed of six separate metal layers with a thickness of 0.004 to 0.010 inch, depending upon the desired strength when heated. Preferably, the thickness of the each layer is 0.006 inch. The layers 10 can be pressed together by a die, vacuum forming technology or other techniques designed to press the layers into close contact. The number of layers can be varied depending upon the application. A range of two to fifty layers may be employed but other numbers outside this range are expected as well.
It is desirable to ensure an efficient heat transfer, that layers 10 be coated with a film of a heat transferring liquid 30, which may be a vegetable oil or other non-toxic fluid that does not tend to decompose. In some embodiments, instead of a liquid, the film may be formed of a deposition of polytetraflouroethylene (Trademark: Teflon). The hoop 26 is shown trapped within lip 28. It will be appreciated however that in some embodiments, a hoop may be eliminated and the top edge of the pan 12 can be formed into an enlarged bead to facilitate clipping of the layers 10 to pan 12. It will also be understood that in some embodiments, pan 12 may not be a distinct member and may simply be the last layer which may or may not be of a different thickness. It is, of course, desirable that the last layer be of a suitable thickness to allow its separate use as a cooking vessel.
Referring to FIG. 4, a detailed perspective view is given of tab 22 of the removable strip 18. As illustrated, tab 22 is being lifted away from the next lower border so that the top layer can be discarded.
Referring to FIG. 5, it shows a detailed view of the junction between wire gripping member 24 and hoop 26. Lip 28 is shown having a notch to allow clearance for the junction between wire loop 24 and hoop 26. Similarly, border 14 is notched to allow the same clearance. As noted before, tab 22A is at a position diametrically opposite to the previously illustrated tab (Tab 22). Also, tab 22A is positioned so that the user does not begin tearing strip 18A at the notched area illustrated in FIG. 5. Clearly, tearing at the notch would be difficult since there the width of strip 18A is substantially reduced and its fragility may cause it to break.
Referring to FIG. 6, pan 12 is fitted with an alternate stacked layer 110. In this figure, related components have either the same reference numeral or if modified, a reference numeral increased by 100.
Stacked layers 110 have scores 116 to provide a removable strip in the form of a flared outer edge 114. In a similar fashion, tabs (not illustrated in this figure) can be manually grasped and removed by tearing along the score 116.
The flaring of outer edges 114 is helpful since it allows pan 12 to be readily reused. When layers 110 have all been removed, a new set of layers can be installed by snapping them over lip 28. Because ends 114 are flared, stacked layers 110 can be easily centered and pressed downwardly, guided by flared ends 114.
Referring to FIG. 7, it shows an alternate stack 210. In this figure, corresponding components have either the same reference numeral or if the component was modified, a reference numeral increased by 200. In this embodiment pan 212 is shown having the same thickness as pan 12 (FIG. 1) so as to be reusable, although this heavy-duty thickness is not necessary for all embodiments. Each of the layers of stack layer 210 end with an inner and outer band 232 and 234. Inner band 232 folds downwardly and inwardly. Outer band 234 folds downwardly and outwardly. Each of the outer bands 234 become progressively larger for higher layers. Consequently, the top-most layer of layers 210 may be easily grasped at the outer band 234. Because of the staggered sizing, only one layer at a time can be grasped. The user does not accidentally grasp more than one layer, because of this sizing.
Referring to FIG. 8, a bottom plan view is given of one of the layers 210 of FIG. 7. In this embodiment, the outer bands 234 are shown lying not along the entire periphery, but along discrete sections thereof. In this embodiment, eight peripheral outer bands 234 are located at equally spaced, 45 degree intervals and are each 22.5 degrees in length. Being configured in this fashion, layers 210 are more easily removed. In some embodiments, however, the bands 232/234 are uninterrupted to form a continuous annular tab.
To facilitate an understanding of the principles associated with the foregoing apparatus, its operation will be briefly described in connection with FIGS. 1-5. It will be appreciated that the operation for the other figures is substantially the same. The reusable pan 12 can have pressed onto it by a die or similar apparatus (not shown) layers 10 each having a border 14 with a score 16. The pan and its layers can be used as a unitary frying pan in the usual fashion. Because heat-transferring fluid 30 exists as a film between adjacent layers, heat transference is good. The center of pan 12 and the central portion 20 of the layers 10 are crowned to provide a more even heat flow and to allow for even distribution of fluids cooking within the vessel.
After using and cooling the vessel, the top most layer can be removed so that washing is unnecessary. To remove the layer, one grasps tab 22 pulling it outwardly. Consequently, removable strip 18 tears away from border 14 along score 16. Subsequently, rear tab 22A can be grasped and pulled outwardly to remove the other half of removable strip 18A. Once the removable strips 18 and 18A are gone, border 14 is reduced to where it no longer locks onto pan 12. Consequently, the uppermost one of the layers 10 can be easily removed. Thereafter, the assembly can be used as before to cook.
It is to be appreciated that various modifications may be implemented with respect to the above described preferred embodiments. For example, the length and depth of the cooking vessel can be altered depending upon the cooking requirements. Furthermore, instead of a frying pan, variously shaped pots or roasting pans can be employed instead. Also while the removable layers are described as having a preferred thickness of 0.006 inch, in some embodiments, the preferred thickness can be changed. However, it is desirable that the layers be thick enough to prevent interlayer welding and thin enough so that layers can be economically discarded. It will be appreciated that it is unnecessary to discard a layer after every use, but only after usage which the layer soils unacceptably. The wire handle can be replaced with a conventional solid handle riveted in place by a flange. Also, the pan and its layers can be fabricated by various metals including aluminum and steel, depending on the desired strength and heat conductivity. Additionally, the intermediating film between adjacent layers can be formed of various non-toxic substances that have good heat transfer characteristics. It will be appreciated that the removable strip can be removed in various fashions and in some embodiments, the removable strip may be centered within the border, so that the center of the border is removed without removing the outer edge of the border.
It will be further understood that the manner in which the border is folded can be varied according to the desired gripping strength, the size of the lip and depending on whether a thicker pan is used as the lowermost layer. The various other dimensions can be altered depending on the desired size of the vessel, heat stability, temperature transfer, structural integrity, etc.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
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A layered cooking vessel has a plurality of nested metal layers stacked from a highest one to a lowest one. Each one of the layers above the lowest one has a border folded downwardly to interlock with the next lower one of the layers. Each one of the layers above the lowest one has on its border an annular score dividing that one of the layers into a removable strip and a central bed. This removable strip is removable to reduce the size of the border to prevent interlocking with the next lower one of the layers. Thus successive ones of the layers can be removed. Instead of the scoring, the border can be made flexible to allow manual extension and lifting of the border to remove it from the lower ones of the layers without tearing.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a division of application Ser. No. 08 / 544 , 212 , filed Oct. 17 , 1995 which is a RE of 08 / 104 , 125 , Dec. 13 , 1993 , U.S. Pat. No. 5 , 401 , 305 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
This application is a continuation-in-part of our U.S. patent applications, Ser. Nos. 07/814,366, now abandoned, filed Dec. 26, 1991, and 07/814,352, now abandoned, filed Dec. 27, 1991, and a PCT national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT/US92/10873.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of coatings on substrates. More particularly, this invention is in the field of compositions for the deposition of coatings at high rates on glass or glass articles to provide controlled refractive index, improved emissivity characteristics, and/or appearance and abrasion resistance, and to complement or enhance other properties.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Transparent semi-conductor films such as indium oxide, cadmium stannate, or doped tin oxide, can be applied to various transparent substrates such as, e.g., soda-lime glasses, in order to reflect long-wavelength infrared radiation. Transparent dielectric films such as titanium dioxide or undoped tin oxide can be applied to transparent articles such as glass bottles to form a base coat for a second coating with a specific function. Depending on the thickness of the semiconductor or dielectric film, various reflected iridescent colors may be observed. This iridescent effect is considered to be detrimental to the appearance of the glass in applications such as windows with low emissivity, or bottles for food or beverages.
Methods and apparatus for coating glass, and especially continuous coating on moving glass, are known in the art. A description of apparatus useful in preparing a coated-glass, article is found in Lindner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,627, made a part of this disclosure by reference herein.
Various procedures have been devised for reducing or eliminating iridescence. For the low-emissivity application, Zaromb, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,396, describes an article comprising a transparent glass substrate coated with tin and silicon oxides; the coating varies gradually in composition from a high ratio of silicon oxide to tin oxide: at the substrate surface, gradually changing to almost pure tin oxide, and changing further to a ratio of not more than 60% silicon oxide to not less than 40% tin oxide at the interface of that coating with the atmosphere. The refractive index of the coating nearest to the substrate is about 1.5, substantially the refractive index of silica glass, and changes to about 2.0, the refractive index of tin oxide, at the air interface, providing an intermediate coating layer without an optical interface. The article so coated has little to no iridescence in reflected light. Zaromb teaches that aqueous solutions of tin and silicon chlorides can be spray-applied to achieve his coatings. Spray applications are usually batch operations which do not yield high-quality, uniform films; there is no mention of other means of application such as chemical-vapor deposition (CVD). He also fails to give an indication of the deposition rate, a key parameter for a commercial industrial application.
Another approach is described by Gordon in U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,336. One or more layers of a transparent material with a refractive index intermediate between that of a glass substrate and a conductive tin oxide film are deposited by atmospheric-pressure CVD between the glass and the tin oxide film. It is necessary for the intermediate layers to have specific refractive indices and thicknesses in order to be effective. It is noted that when the intermediate films contained silicon dioxide, suitable volatile compounds were found to be silane, dimethysilane, diethylsilane, tetramethyl silane, and the silicon halides. No other precursors are mentioned. The deposition rates obtained for the processes described were on the order of from 10 to 20 Angstroms per second (Å/sec.). Such rates are an order of magnitude below those necessary for a commercial industrial process.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,252, Gordon describes a process for depositing mixed oxide and nitride coating layers of continuously varying refractive index between a glass substrate and an infra-red-reflecting coating, whereby the film iridescence is eliminated. When silicon dioxide is part of the mixed oxide film, the patent teaches that volatile silicon compounds with Si—Si and Si—H bonds are suitable precursors. Compounds such as 1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilane, 1,1,2-trimethyldisilane, and 1,2-dimethyldisilane are disclosed. All of the compounds containing Si-Si and Si-H bonds to which reference is made are expensive, and none are comercially available.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,117, Gordon describes a process for preparing mixed silicon oxide/tin oxide coatings all specific refractive indices or a continuous gradient as taught by Zaromb in U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,396, at optimum deposition rates of 80 to 125 Å/sec, using alkoxy-peralkylpolysilane precursors such as methoxypentamethyldisilane or dimethyoxytetramethyldisilane. Again, the silica precursors cited and inferred are impractical for industrial use, because none of them is commercially available on a large scale.
Legendijk, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,566, notes in column 4 that tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) suffers from a number of disadvantages in its application to a substrate by low-pressure CVD; that is, a pressure of about 500 milliTorr. These disadvantages include difficulty of doping the resultant film with phosphorus, and controlled-source delivery due to the low vapor pressure of TEOS. Lagendijk also points out that attempts at an all-liquid process to produce borophosphosilicate glass have met with limited success. The further equates the dopant effect within a board range of phosphorus, boron, antimony, arsenic and chromium compounds, but only when used with silicon compounds having no carbon-oxygen-silicon bonds, and two or more silicon atoms.
In bottle applications, the coatings are applied at such low thicknesses, i.e., about 100 Å, that no iridescence is possible. However, the films are not continuous, and this discontinuity makes them unsuitable for other applications. One solution to the, discontinuity is to deposit thicker films of a material with a refractive index closer to that of the article. A mixed metal oxide/silicon oxide material deposited at a significantly more rapid rate than has heretofore been achieved would be desirable, as discussed further hereinbelow.
All the silanes disclosed in the prior art for making mixed metal oxide/silicon dioxide coatings have certain features which make them unsatisfactory for commercial development. Some are very corrosive, flammable, or oxygen-sensitive, and require special handling. Others are not readily available, or are too expensive for commercial use. Of the materials which can be used, the biggest problem which limits their commercial development in mixed metal oxide/silicon oxide and/or axynitride intermediate layers has been that of inadequate deposition rates. When the substrate is flat glass and the deposition process is CVD at ambient pressure, the deposition rate of the intermediate layers must be high enough to coat a production-line glass ribbon traveling at line speeds as high as about 15 meters per minute (m/min). Rates for deposition of the desired layers of about 350 Å are desirable, and rates on the order of 400 and 600 Å/sec are preferable. Such rates have not heretofore been achieved under conditions which permit continuous, mass production of glass with properties.
To overcome the problems as discussed hereinabove, silica precursors are needed which are inexpensive, readily available, easy to handle, and have adequate deposition rates when vaporized with metal oxide precursors. Alkoxysilanes such as TEOS, a commodity chemical, would be desirable. However, prior to the present invention, it has not been possible to deposit silicon oxide films from TEOS by atmospheric-pressure CVD at commercially acceptable deposition rates, except at temperatures at or above 700 degrees Celsius (°C.). Some success has been achieved at temperatures of from about 450° to about 688° C., but only by modifying the atmospheric-pressure CVD process through plasma enhancement or reduced pressure, neither of which is generally acceptable for commercial use on a continuous glass ribbon. Additives such as oxygen, ozone, or trimethyl phosphite have also been used in these modified processes, but the rates achieved are still lower than those needed for an effective commercial system.
D. S. Williams and E. A. Dein, in J. Electrochem. Soc. 134(3) 657-64 (1987), showed that phosphosilicate and borophosphosilicate glass films with controllable refractive index can be deposited at rates of about 200 Å/sec between 515° and 680° C. by the low-pressure CVD of TEOS with phosphorous or boron oxides in concentrations which varies as a function of the additive used. The low-pressure process described here is not amenable to a continuous on-line application of oxides.
In Proceedings, 2 nd International ULSI Science and Technical Symposium, ECS Proceedings Vol. 98(9), 571-78 (1989), D. A. Webb et al. reported that silicon oxide films could be deposited from TEOS at rates of about 125 Å/sec in a plasma-enhanced CVD process using oxygen. However, plasma-enhanced CVD is not a viable option for the continuous commercial application of oxide films to glass, being a batch process requirement complex and costly low-pressure apparatus.
A. K. Hochberg and D. L. O'Meara in J. Electrochem. Soc. 136(6) 1843 (1989) reported enhanced deposition of silicon oxide films at 570° C. by CVD at low pressure when trimethylphosphite was added to TEOS. As with plasma-enhanced CVD, however, low-pressure CVD is not readily utilized for the continuous commercial application of silicon-oxide films on a moving glass sheet to produce a coated-glass article, due at least in part to the cost and complexity of the device used for deposition at low pressure.
From a review of a prior art, it cannot be determined what precursor combinations, if any, can be used for continuous deposition, under conditions and at a rate suitable for mass production, of mixed metal oxide/silicon oxide films at adequate rates from readily available and relatively inexpensive reagents.
Primary or secondary coatings on glass substrates are further useful to enhance or complement properties of either the substrate or one or more of the coatings thereon, improvement of iridesence being only one application. Other uses of coatings include, e.g., protection of the substrate surface from abrasion, addition of color to clear glass, and screening of particular wavelengths of incident radiation.
DISCUSSION OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a gaseous composition for producing an improved coating on glass, wherein the coated glass exhibits specific properties such as, e.g., controlled refractive index, abrasion resistance, color enhancement, low emissivity, selective light filtration, and anti-iridescence on flat-glass substrates. The invention is made by CVD at rates greater than about 350 Å/sec. at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures lower than 700° C., by using a mixture which includes at least one precursor for a metal oxide, selected from the group consisting of volatile compounds of tin, germanium, titanium, aluminum, zirconium, zinc, indium, cadmium, hafnium, tungsten, vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, iridium, nickel and tantalum. The gaseous composition further includes a precursor for silicon dioxide, and one or more additives selected from the group consisting of phosphites, borates, water, alkyl phosphine, arsine and borane derivatives; PH 3 , AsH 3 and B 2 H 6 ; and O 2 , N 2 O, NF 3 , NO 2 and CO 2 . The additives are termed “accelerants” herein; the accelerants serve to increase the rate of deposition of the film onto the glass from the mixture. The mixture of precursors and additives is gaseous under the conditions of application required to produce the coated-glass article; the reaction of the materials in the gaseous mixture with atmospheric or added oxygen provides the corresponding oxides which are deposited on the glass substrate.
Those skilled in the art will understand that precursors and materials discussed in this specification must be sufficiently volatile, alone or with other materials, and sufficiently stable under the conditions of deposition, to be a part of the composition from which the desired films are deposited.
Precursors for deposition of metal oxides include, e.g., aluminum alkyls and alkoxides, cadmium alkyls, germanium halides and alkoxides, indium alkyls, titanium halides, zinc alkyls, and zirconium alkoxides. Specific examples of such compounds include, e.g., Al(C 2 H 5 ) 3 , CrO 2 Cl 2 , GeBr 4 , Ti(OC 3 H 7 ) 4 , TiCl 4 , TiBr 4 , Ti(C 5 H 7 O 2 ) 4 , Zr(OC 5 H 9 ) 4 , Ni(CO) 4 , VCl 4 , Zn(CH 3 ) 2 , Zr(C 5 H 9 O) 4 , and the like.
Tin precursors include those described by the general formula R n SnX 4−n , where R is independently chosen from straight, cyclic, or branched-chain alkyl or alkenyl of from one to about six carbons; phenyl, substituted phenyl, or R′CH 2 CH 2 —, where R′ is MeO 2 C—, EtO 2 C—, CH 3 CO—, or HO 2 C—; X is selected from the group consisting of halogen, acetate, perfluoroacetate, and their mixtures; and where n is 0, 1, or 2. Preferred precursors for tin oxide in the article of this invention are the organotin halides.
Precursors for silicon oxide include those described by the general formula R m O n Si p , where m is from 3 to 8, n is from 1 to 4, p is from 1to 4, and R is independently chosen from hydrogen and acyl, straight, cyclic, or branched-chain alkyl and substituted alkyl or alkenyl of from one to about six carbons, and phenyl or substituted phenyl. Preferred precursors for silicon oxide include tetraethylorthosilicate, diacetoxydi-t-butoxysilane, ethyltriacetoxysilane, methyltriacetoxysilane, methyldiacetoxylsilane, tetramethyldisiloxane, tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane, dipinacoloxysilane, 1,1-dimethylsila-2-oxacyclohexane, tetrakis (1-methoxy-2-propoxy) silane, and triethoxysilane.
Suitable accelerants include phosphite and borate derivatives of the general formula (R″O) 3 P and (R″O) 3 B, where R″ is independently chosen from straight, cyclic, or branched-chain alkyl or alkenyl of from one to about six carbons; phenyl, substituted phenyl, or R′″CH 2 CH 2 —, where R′″ is MeO 2 C—, EtO 2 C—, CH 3 CO—, or HO 2 C—; R″ is preferably alkyl or alkenyl of from 1 to 4 carbons in length. Particularly preferred accelerants are those selected from the group consisting of boron and phosphorus esters; most preferred are TEB and TEP.
The precursors to the overcoated layer comprise MBTC or any of the organotins described by the general formula R n SnX 4−n above, and a material chosen to impart a semi-conductive property to the tin oxide; such materials include, e.g., antimony compounds such as trimethylantimony, phosphorous compounds such as triethylphophine, and fluorine-containing compounds such as trifluoroacetic acid, trifiuoroacetic anhydride, ethyl trifluoroacetate, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoroacetoacetone, heptafluorobutyryl chloride, and hydrogen fluoride. The tin oxide layer can also be made conductive by depositing sub-stoiehiometric films having the composition SnO 2−x , wherein x is a non-integer having a value between zero and 1, and wherein the value of x can vary within a given film. The materials for imparting semi-conductive properties to the tin oxide can also be added to the precursors for the first layer, to enhance the emissivity of the entire coating system, i.e., the emissivity of the combined first and second layers.
Those skilled in the art will realize that the tin oxide can be replaced in these films entirely or in part by the oxides of other metals such as, e.g., germanium, titanium, aluminum, zirconium, zinc, indium, cadmium, hafnium, tungsten, vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, iridium, nickel and tantalum.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a gaseous composition at a temperature below about 200° C. at atmospheric pressure, adapted to deposit a film of tin ,oxide and silicon oxide at a rate greater than about 350 Å/sec. which comprises a precursor of tin oxide, a precursor of silicon oxide, an accelerant selected from the group consisting of organic phosphites, organic borates and water, and mixtures thereof, and a source of oxygen.
In another embodiment of this invention, the composition results in a film deposited at atmospheric pressure wherein the film comprises one or more mixed metal oxide/silicon dioxide films on a glass substrate, the deposition being made from a mixture comprising a metal oxide precursor, a silicon dioxide precursor, and at least one additive which improves or accelerates the deposition rate significantly when compared to the deposition rate without the additive. The deposited films can contain additional oxides related to the additives used. Further, the deposited mixed oxide films can have specific properties in their own right such as, e.g., designed refractive index, or can be combined with other films, under- or overcoated, or both, to have a combined property such as, e.g., color neutrality or lubricity.
In a more-preferred embodiment, the composition provides a mixed metal oxide/silicon dioxide film comprising multiple tin oxide/silicon dioxide layers of, e.g., increasing refractive index; further, a chosen property of a given layer, such as, e.g., the refractive index, can vary continuously such that an overcoated layer of tin oxide will have minimal reflected color. A given layer may thus have a concentration of silicon oxide and tin oxide different from the concentrations of silicon oxide and tin oxide in an adjacent layer. The films can also contain oxides of the accelerants, particularly when the additives containing phosphorus or boron.
In a most-preferred embodiment of the composition of this invention, the precursors to the mixed oxide layer comprise organotin halides generally and monobutyltin trichloride (MBTC) in particular, TEOS, and the accelerant triethyl phosphite (TEP).
The compositions of the films produced by this invention were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The article of the present invention is prepared by a process using accelerants whereby the process provides a commercially acceptable continuous CVD deposition of oxide films on moving glass, especially on a modern float-glass line, where the batch processes of the prior art are entirely inapplicable.
The effects of added water and added phosphites and borates on the refractive index and deposition rate of TEOS-based mixed oxide films are shown in the following Tables. These results are contrasted to those in Tables IV and V, which show the effect of the additives oxygen and a Lewis acid.
Table I shows the effect of added water. As the water concentration is increased, regardless of the tin/silicon ratio or the gas velocity, the deposition rate increases to commercially significant levels. These rate increases are also accompanied by increases in refractive index. In the tables here, the reported deposition rates are approximate with a range of about seven percent, unless the rate is followed by an expressed ± uncertainty.
TABLE I
Effect of Water Concentration on Mixed Oxide
Refractive Index and Deposition Rate
MBTC
TEOS
Water
Dep. Rate
mol %
mol %
mol %
R.I.
Å/sec
665° C. glass temperature, 160° C. system temperature,
50 l/min gas flow.
0.71
0.71
0.00
1.54
25
0.71
0.71
0.15
1.73
340
0.71
0.71
0.24
1.74
400
665° C. glass temperature, 160° C. system temperature,
12.5 l/min gas flow.
1.05
0.59
0.00
1.74
290
1.05
0.59
0.60
1.78
330
1.05
0.59
1.10
1.80
480
While 160° C. is preferred, the system temperature can be from about 125° to about 200° C.
Table II shows the effects of added TEP and of mixtures of TEP and lower-alkyl borate esters such as triethyl borate (TEB). The results show that TEP is very effective in accelerating the deposition rates of the mixed-oxide films to a high rate at specific and controlled refractive-index values. Additions of TEB at low levels to the TEP resulted in an additional small increase in rate. As used in this; specification, the term “high rate,” as applied to the film deposition described herein, is greater than about 350 Å/sec, and preferably about 400 Å/sec or higher. All the films produced under the conditions of Table II were clear.
TABLE II
Effect of MBTC/TEOS/TEP Concentrations on Deposition Rate
%
Dep. Rate
% TEOS
MBTC
% TEP
% TEB
R.I.
Å/sec
0.80
0.16
—
—
1.69 ± .02
38 ± 3
0.80
0.11
0.76
—
1.58 ± .01
542 ± 8
0.80
0.16
0.76
—
1.60 ± .01
416 ± 22
0.78
1.56
0.75
—
1.67 ± .01
505 ± 4
0.78
1.84
0.75
—
1.69 ± .01
476 ± 45
0.28
1.56
0.36
—
1.73 ± .01
231 ± 46
0.27
1.56
0.62
—
1.71 ± .01
381 ± 15
0.27
1.56
0.75
—
1.70 ± .01
482 ± 6
0.27
1.56
0.75
—
1.70 ± .01
482 ± 16
0.27
1.56
0.74
0.18
1.70 ± .02
492 ± 13
0.79
0.16
0.76
0.19
1.59 ± .01
473 ± 56
The glass temperature was 665° C., its speed, 0.56 m/sec; system temperature 160° C., air. MBTC, TEOS, and TEP or the mixture of TEP and TEB were injected separately into the vaporizer section of the coater. Each data point was the average of three samples. The dew point was from −74° to −78° C.
Table III shows the effect of added oxygen. Increasing the oxygen concentration increases the deposition rate significantly, but not to the levels needed for commercial application.
TABLE III Effect of Oxygen Concentration On Mixed Oxide Refractive Index and Deposition Rate MBTC TEOS Oxygen Dep. Rate mol % mol % vol % of air R.I. Å/sec 0.71 0.71 20 1.54 25 0.71 0.71 50 1.63 50 0.71 0.71 75 1.65 160 0.71 0.71 100 1.66 240
665° C. glass temperature, 160° C. system temperature, 50 l/min gas flow.
Table IV shows the effect of added Lewis acid, which in this case is excess MBTC. As the concentration increases, the rate increases, although not to the levels needed for commercial application.
TABLE IV Effect of MBTC Concentration on Mixed Oxide Refractive Index and Deposition Rate MBTC TEOS Dep. Rate mol % mol % R.I. Å/sec 0.48 0.47 1.78 160 0.48 + 0.23 0.48 1.78 200 0.48 + 0.47 0.47 1.85 300
665° C. glass temperature, 160° C. system temperature, 50 l/min gas flow.
The data in the tables show that effective CVD of mixed oxide films can be achieved at commercial rates by the present invention, with concomitant control of refractive index. The following examples illustrate preferred embodiments of this invention.
EXAMPLE 1
A square plate of soda-lime silica glass, 9 centimeters (cm.) on a side, was heated on a hot block to 665° C. A gas mixture of about 0.16 mol % MBTC, 0.80 mol % TEOS, 0.75 mol % TEP, and the balance hot air at 160° C. was directed over the glass at a rate of 12.5 liters per minute (l/min) for about 10 seconds. The center of the glass surface was uniformly coated with a film which has a pale green color in reflected light. Using the Prism Coupler technique, the refractive index was found to be 1.60 and the thickness was about 4260 Å, corresponding to a deposition rate of about 426 Å/sec. Similarly deposited films have been shown to be amorphous by XRD, and to be composed of oxides of tin, silicon and phosphorus by XPS.
EXAMPLE 2
A gas mixture of about 1.84 mol % MBTC, 0.78 mol % TEOS, 0.75 mol % TEP, and the balance hot air was directed over a glass surface in the same manner as described in Example 1. The resulting film had a pale magenta color in reflected light. The refractive index was found to be 1.68, and the thickness was about 4930 Å, corresponding to a deposition rate of about 493 Å/sec. Similarly deposited films have been shown to be amorphous by XRD, and to be composed of oxides of tin, silicon and phosphorus by XPS.
EXAMPLE 3
A gas mixture of about 1.22 mol % MBTC, 0.58 mol % TEOS, 1.09 mol % H 2 O and the balance hot air was directed over a glass surface as described in Example 1, but for eight seconds. The resulting film has a green color in reflected light. The refractive index was found to be 1.78, and the film thickness was about 4650 Å, which corresponds to a deposition rate of about 580 Å/sec. From XRD analysis, similarly deposited films have been found to consist of collapsed tetragonal unit cells of tin oxide, indicating some solid-solution formation with silicon dioxide. XPS analysis shows that the films comprise oxides of tin and silicon.
EXAMPLE 4
Each of the films described in Examples 1 through 3 was successively deposited for one second in ascending-index order. The multi-layer film was then overcoated with about 3200 Å of fluorine-doped tin oxide. This film construction provided a transparent article with essentially no reflected color under conditions of daylight illumination.
EXAMPLE 5
A 9-cm. square of soda-lime silica glass was heated on a hot block to 665° C. A gas mixture of about 1.04 mol % MBTC in air at 160° C., and a gas mixture of 1.04 mol % TEOS and 0.20 mol % TEP in air at 160° C. were directed through two microprocessor-controlled globe valves over the glass at a total flow rate of 12.5 l/min for 30 sec. The globe valves were simultaneously opened and closed at a programmed rate such that the gas composition impinging on the glass sample was continuously changed from a mixture of high TEOS/-TEP and low MBTC to a mixture of low TEOS/TEP and high MBTC. The center of the glass surface was uniformly coated with a film consisting of oxides of tin, silicon and phosphorus as determined by XPS analysis. As the film thickness increased, the amount of tin gradually increased, while the amount of silicon and phosphorus decreased. The refractive index was calculated from these data, and from data derived from standard films, and found to lie between 1.52 and 1.87. This film construction provided an article with essentially no reflected color when overcoated with fluorine-doped tin oxide.
EXAMPLE 6
A gas mixture of about 0.16 mol % MBTC, 0.8 mol % TEOS, and the balance hot air was directed over a glass surface as described in Example 1 for about 60 seconds. The resulting film has a magenta color in reflected light, and a refractive index of 1.69. The film thickness was about 2260 Å, corresponding to a deposition rate of about 38 Å/sec.
EXAMPLE 7
A 0.5-l clear-glass beverage bottle was rotated and heated to about 600° C. in an oven over a three-minute period. The heated bottle was transferred into a coating chamber, where it was contacted with a vapor mixture of 0.16 mol % MBTC, 0.80 mol % TEOS, 0.75 mol % TEP, and the balance hot air at about 170° C. for 10 sec. The resulting film was magenta-blue in color, and was uniformly distributed on the sidewalls of the container from shoulder to base. The deposition rate was estimated to be about 200 Å/sec from the film color, compared to about 50 Å/sec for the bottle coated only with the vapor mixture of MBTC and TEOS.
From a review of the foregoing tables and examples, those skilled in the art will realize that TEB, TEP, and water serve as accelerants in the CVD of oxide films on glass, anti state TEP and TEB are synergistic in accelerating the deposition rate of TEOS and MBTC. Accelerants useful in this invention are chosen from the group consisting of borate and phosphite esters, alkyltin halides, and water.
While the composition of the present invention is preferably applied continuously to a moving glass substrate by methods known to those skilled in the art, the composition of this invention also has utility in batch processes. In application under conditions of continuous deposition, the composition is preferably maintained at temperatures below about 200° C., and more preferably below about 175° C., and applied to the glass moving at about 15 meters per second to provide deposition at a rate of at least 350 Å/sec., and preferably at a rate of at least 400 Å/sec.
Modifications and improvements to the preferred forms of the invention disclosed and described herein may occur to those skilled in the art who come to understand the principles and precepts hereof. Accordingly, the scope of the patent to be issued hereon should not be limited solely to the embodiments of the invention set forth herein, but rather should be limited only by the advance by which the invention has promoted the art.
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A composition for coating glass by chemical-vapor deposition comprises a mixture of a tin oxide precursor monobutyltin trichloride, a silicon dioxide precursor tetraethylorthosilicate, and an accelerant such as triethyl phosphite; the composition is gaseous below 200° C., and permits coating glass having a temperature from 450° to 650° C. at deposition rates higher than 350 Å/sec. The layer of material deposited can be combined with other layers to produce an article with specific properties such as controlled emissivity, refractive index, abrasion resistance, or appearance.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical switch used for switching optical path lines in an optical communication system, and more particularly, to a semiconductor waveguide optical switch having a switching speed of the order of nanosecond.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an optical communication network utilizing optical fibers, the reliability and the economy thereof cannot be fully enhanced by simply connecting two distant places by means of the optical fibers. Therefore, in order to further enhance the reliability and economy, attempts have been made to improve the availability of the optical fibers by providing an optical switch or switches in the optical fibers to switch optical information to a standby line so as to detour obstacles or switch optical information to an unused line.
As the optical switch used in such an optical communication system, a mechanical type optical switch for switching the optical paths by mechanically moving the optical parts such as the optical fibers has been put into practical use. However, this type of optical switch has an inevitable problem that switching speed thereof is low and is of the order of millisecond (ms) and the number of switching times is limited by wear of the parts caused by the mechanical switching operations.
For the reasons described above, a semiconductor waveguide optical switch has been developed as an optical switch which theoretically has a switching speed of the order of nanosecond (ns) and is free from wear.
An optical switch having an X-junction optical waveguide shown in FIG. 1 is known in the prior art.
As shown in FIG. 1, thin semiconductor layers of a predetermined composition are sequentially laminated as a lower clad layer, a core layer and an upper clad layer on a semiconductor substrate 51 to form optical waveguides 52 and 53 in a ridge configuration. The optical waveguides 52 and 53 intersect each other in the shape of letter "X" with a branch angle θ° to form a junction point or branch point 54. The entire surface of the structure is covered with a thin insulation film.
That part of the thin insulation film which lies on the central portion of the branch point 54 is removed to form a narrow slit-like window (not shown) extending in a direction in which the optical waveguides are formed. For example, an adequate material is vapcuum evaporated on the upper clad layer via the window to form an electrode 55. The electrode 55 is used to inject a current of a predetermined value to the optical waveguides which intersect at the branch point 54.
Portions 52a and 53a of the optical waveguides 52 and 53 which lie on one side of the optical waveguides with respect to the branch point 54 constitute input ports, respectively, and the other side portions 52b and 53b thereof constitute output ports, respectively.
With the optical switch of the above construction, when a predetermined amount of current is injected via the electrode 55, the refractive index of that portion of the core layer which corresponds to the window and into which the current is injected is lowered by the action of the injected carriers. As a result, light waves incident on the input port 53a are subjected to total reflection at the interface between the current injection area and the non-injection area and then transmitted from the output port 52b to the exterior. On the other hand, when no current is injected via the electrode 55, light waves incident on the input port 53a straightly pass through the branch point 54 and are transmitted from the output port 53b to the exterior.
That is, the light waves incident on the input port 53a are transmitted out from the output port 52b or 53b depending on whether a current is injected via the electrode 55 or not. In this way, the optical switch of FIG. 1 performs the switching operation.
The current switching characteristic of the optical switch is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows the output states of light from the output ports 52b and 53b when the current is injected via the electrode 55 while the light waves are incident to the input port 53a.
As is clearly seen from FIG. 2, the light outputs from the output ports 53b and 52b are respectively "1" and "0" when an injected current is 0. On the other hand, when the injected current is larger than a predetermined value (Isw in FIG. 2), the light outputs from the output ports 53b and 52b are changed to "0" and "1", respectively. That is, Isw is a threshold value for the light output. This type of optical switch is called a digital optical switch because of the nature of the response.
The injection current Isw may be influenced by the wavelength dependency of the optical switch. However, if the injection current is set to the maximum permissible value (Imax: Imax≧Isw) which can be used in the operable condition of the optical switch, the optical switch will correctly perform the switching function of outputting "0" or "1" in all the operating conditions thereof according to whether the current Imax is injected via the electrode 55 or not. That is, when a current of Imax or more is injected, the wavelength dependency of this type optical switch can be eliminated.
This type of optical switch, that is, a digital switch, has the advantages over a waveguide optical switch utilizing the interference mode as will be described later that the switching operation can be attained simply by changing the refractive index of the optical waveguide according to the current injection and the wavelength dependency thereof can be eliminated. Further, it is possible to combine a plurality of the optical switches each having the X-junction optical waveguide so as to constitute an N×N exchange optical switch.
However, in order to operate this type of optical switch in an ideal manner, it is necessary to form the light reflection surface at exactly the central position of the branch point 54 at the time of current injection. In order to meet this requirement, it is necessary to form the slit-shaped window in exactly the right portion of the branch point 54 and form the slit with the precisely determined shape and dimensions.
However, at present, it is extremely difficult to form the slit-shaped window with such a high precision in the branch point 54 and the window will be formed in a position deviated in a right or left direction from the desired position of the branch point 54 although slightly.
With the deviation of the slit-shaped window in a right or left direction, the light reflection surface is accordingly deviated and therefore the optical switching characteristics will be degraded. In particular, in the case of a single mode device, the total width of the optical waveguide is approx. 10 μm and therefore the deviation of the light reflection surface in a right or left direction develops into a serious problem.
Further, since the width of the slit-shaped window in the width direction of the optical path cannot be increased beyond a certain extent, the thickness of the light reflection surface portion formed by injecting a current via the window cannot be increased. As a result, light waves which should be fully reflected on the light reflection surface may pass through the light reflection surface, causing a problem that an excellent extinction ratio cannot be obtained.
A branching interference type modulator shown in FIG. 3 is known as another example of the optical switch. The modulator is constituted by a combination of Y-junction optical waveguides of the type shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the Y-junction optical waveguides is constructed by sequentially laminating thin semiconductor layers of a predetermined composition as a lower clad layer, a core layer and an upper clad layer on a semiconductor substrate 61 to form an optical waveguide 62. The optical waveguide 62 includes a main optical waveguide 62a as an input port for light waves and two output optical waveguides 62b and 62c branching from the main optical waveguide 62 at a predetermined branch angle θ.
Assume that the cross sections of the main optical waveguide 62a and the output optical waveguides 62b and 62c are the same. Then, the light waves incident on the main optical waveguide 62a are transmitted outwardly from the output optical waveguides 62b and 62c as light waves of the equal light outputs. More specifically, the light waves of the light output "1" incident on the main optical waveguide 62a are equally divided and then transmitted out from the output optical waveguides 62b and 62c as light waves of light output "0.5".
The construction of the branching interference type modulator constituted by a combination of the Y-junction optical waveguides is shown in FIG. 3. That is, the output optical waveguides 62b and 62c of one Y-junction optical waveguide are respectively connected to the input optical waveguides 62b' and 62c' of the other Y-junction optical waveguide, and electrodes 63a and 63b are respectively formed on the connecting portions of the waveguides. A predetermined voltage can be applied to the electrodes 63a and 63b. With the modulator, light waves incident on the main optical waveguide 62a are equally divided by the output optical waveguides 62b and 62c. In this case, for example, since the guided light propagating from the output optical waveguide 62c to the optical waveguide 62c' is subjected to the phase shift according to the voltage applied via the electrode 63a, the guided light is combined or interfered with the guided light propagating from the output optical waveguide 62b to the optical waveguide 62b'. As a result, the light output of the light wave transmitted out from the main optical waveguide 62a' varies according to the phase difference between the guided light propagating through the optical waveguide path 62c-62c' and the guided light propagating through the optical waveguide path 62b-62b'.
In the case of the branching interference type modulator, the mode interference of the light waves propagating through the optical paths is utilized. For this reason, the light output of the light waves to be transmitted is dependent on the polarization and wavelength of the light waves to be propagated. Accordingly, this type modulator can be properly operated only for the guided light of a specified polarization and a specified wavelength.
Besides the X-junction optical switch based on total internal reflection as shown in FIG. 1, another type of digital optical switch is also disclosed by Y. Silberberg, et al. in "Digital Optical Switch" in 11th Conference on Optical Fiber Communication (paper No. THA3). Their switch disclosed utilizes a lithium niobate waveguide as a substrate material, and its operation principle is based on "mode evolution". The mode evolution is the phenomenon that the light wave incident on the junction is transmitted only to the output optical waveguide whose propagation constant is larger than that of the other output optical waveguide. This phenomenon was first reported by H. Yajima in the article of Applied Physics Letters (vol. 12, pp. 647-649, 1973) "Dielectric Thin Film Optical Branching Waveguide" and it was applied to the optical modulation by W. K. Burns, et al. who wrote the article entitled "Active Branching Waveguide Modulator", pp. 790-792 of the volume 22 issue of Applied Physics Letters. Y. Silberberg, et al. used this phenomenon to achieve polarization and wavelength insensitive switching with a help of digital response.
The lithium niobate digital optical switch, however, has two main drawbacks. First, the device is large in length. This is because the linear electrooptic effect can induce a refractive index difference as small as 10 -4 . A typical electrode length is more than 10 mm. Secondly, a polarization independence is achieved at the cost of applied voltage. In the case of the lithium niobate, a polarization independent optical switch requires a voltage three times higher than that for a polarization dependent counterpart. This is because the linear electrooptic effect is anisotropic, that is, its magnitude depends on the direction of applied electric field and orientation of crystal.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a semiconductor waveguide optical switch in which the switching operation is not mechanically effected and therefore wear is not caused by the switching operation and the switching speed is high.
Another object of this invention is to provide a semiconductor waveguide optical switch in which it is not necessary to form a window for current injection or voltage application on the branch point of the optical waveguides with high precision and therefore the manufacturing process can be made simple.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a semiconductor waveguide optical switch whose switching characteristics are free from the polarization dependency and wavelength dependency.
Another object of this invention is to provide a semiconductor waveguide optical switch whose device length is substantially shorter than a lithium niobate digital optical switch.
Another object of this invention is to provide a semiconductor waveguide optical switch which exhibits a digital response using a physical effect other than the total internal reflection and mode evolution.
Another object of this invention is to provide a semiconductor waveguide optical switch in which degradation in the extinction ratio and increase in the excessive loss can be suppressed without increasing the entire length of the element.
In order to achieve the above objects, in an optical switch of this invention, two output optical semiconductor waveguides which make a predetermined angle θ (degree) are connected at the branch point thereof to at least one input optical semiconductor waveguide. Refractive index controlling means for electrically reducing the refractive index of the output optical waveguide is disposed in a position of at least one of the output optical waveguides and apart from the branch point.
The refractive index controlling means includes an electrode disposed on at least one of the output optical waveguides and a current is injected via the electrode or a voltage is applied via the electrode to make the two output optical waveguides electromagnetically asymmetrical.
Preferably, light attenuation means is disposed between the two output optical waveguides to prevent radiation mode light which has leaked from a portion near the branch point to the exterior of the optical waveguide from being re-combined with the guided mode light in the optical waveguide. Light absorbing means for absorbing the leaked radiation mode light or light scattering means for scattering the leaked radiation mode light may be used as the light attenuation means.
Further, a distance between the physical branch point of the two output optical waveguides and the output end of the refractive index controlling means is preferably set to be not less than 100×θ/cos(θ/2) μm.
A distance between the closest portions of the refractive index controlling means of the respective output optical waveguides is preferably set to a value smaller than twice the spot size which is defined as half a distance indicated by a light intensity distribution curve representing the light intensity distribution along the cross section of an optical path of the output optical waveguide, the distance being defined by two points on the light intensity distribution curve at which the light intensity is reduced to 1/e 2 (e is the base of the natural logarithms) times the peak value thereof.
The optical switch of this invention can be applied to the Y-junction type and the X-junction type, and the refractive index controlling means may be disposed in each branch path or disposed in selected two of the branch paths. In the case of the X-junction optical switch, four branch paths are divided into groups of branch paths which make an angle of (180°-θ°) and the refractive index controlling means is suitably disposed on each branch path of a selected one of the branch path groups.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention may be fully understood from the following detail explanation based on the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the conventional X-junction guided-wave optical switch;
FIG. 2 is a switching characteristic diagram of the optical switch shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the conventional branching interference type modulator;
FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a Y-junction optical waveguide used in the modulator shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a Y-junction optical switch according to this invention;
FIGS. 6A to 6D are diagrams showing the cut-off states of the guided mode which are set according to variation in the refractive index of the optical switch of this invention;
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another embodiment of a Y-junction optical switch of this invention;
FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an X-junction optical switch of this invention;
FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of an X-junction optical switch of this invention;
FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing still another embodiment of an X-junction optical switch of this invention;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the detail construction of the optical switch of FIG. 7;
FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along the line XII--XII of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view taken along the line XIII--XIII of FIG. 11;
FIG. 14 is a graph showing the injection current-light output characteristics of the optical switch shown in FIG. 11;
FIG. 15 is a graph showing the incident polarization direction angle and the branching ratio characteristic of the above optical switch;
FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view of a Y-junction optical switch of this invention having the extinction ratio improved;
FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view taken along the line XVII--XVII of FIG. 16;
FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view of a Y-junction optical switch according to another embodiment of this invention and having the extinction ratio improved;
FIG. 19 is a cross sectional view taken along the line XIX--XIX of FIG. 18;
FIG. 20 is a plan view of a Y-junction optical switch according to still another embodiment of this invention and having the extinction ratio and excessive loss improved;
FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view taken along the line XXI--XXI of FIG. 20;
FIG. 22 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a Y-junction optical switch when the refractive index control section of the Y-junction optical switch is formed in the ideal condition;
FIG. 23 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the above optical switch when the refractive index control section of the Y-junction optical switch is formed farther from the branch point thereof;
FIG. 24 is a graph showing the correlation between a value obtained by dividing the distance between the refractive index control sections of the Y-junction optical switch by the spot size of light wave propagating along the output optical waveguide and the extinction ratio and an increased amount of excessive loss;
FIG. 25 is a graph showing a curve representing the light intensity distribution on the cross section of an optical path, for explaining the definition of the spot size of the above optical switch;
FIG. 26 is a diagram of the refractive index distribution obtained when the refractive index control section C 1 of the optical switch shown in FIG. 20 is operated;
FIG. 27 is a diagram of the light intensity distribution showing the propagation state of the light wave and obtained by computer simulation when the optical switch is set in the state to exhibit the refractive index distribution of FIG. 26;
FIG. 28 is a diagram of the refractive index distribution obtained when none of the refractive index control sections C 1 and C 2 of the optical switch shown in FIG. 20 is operated;
FIG. 29 is a diagram of the light intensity distribution showing the propagation state of the light wave and obtained by computer simulation when the optical switch is set in the state to exhibit the refractive index distribution of FIG. 28;
FIG. 30 is a plan view of an optical switch having a distance between the refractive index control sections C 1 and C 2 set to be larger than that of the optical switch shown in FIG. 20;
FIG. 31 is a plan view of an optical switch having a distance between the refractive index control sections C 1 and C 2 set to be larger than that of the optical switch shown in FIG. 30;
FIG. 32 is a graph showing the relation between the branch angle θ (°) and the length l (μm) of the refractive index control section of a Y-junction optical switch with the extinction ratio set at 10 dB; and
FIGS. 33 to 35 are plan views showing the arrangements of the refractive index control sections when the length l of the refractive index control section is changed with the branch angle θ kept constant.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In addition to the hints obtained from the prior art described previously, this invention was done by taking account of the fact that a magnitude of inducible refractive index change by current injection or quantum confined stark effect in semiconductor can reach as high as 1%. This is almost two orders of magnitude larger than that of linear electrooptic effect. This fact implies first that a device length of semiconductor optical switch can be shortened substantially as compared with a lithium niobate switch with linear electrooptic effect. It also implies that a new effect other than mode evolution, that is, mode cut-off in a waveguide junction can be used to achieve a digital response which will be described in detail later. Furthermore, refractive index reduction caused by current injection is isotropic, so its magnitude is polarization independent. Therefore, its switching operation is polarization independent by nature even without a help of digital response. Consequently, there is no degradation due to making a switching operation polarization independent, unlike a lithium niobate switch.
This invention has been made in view of the background described above, and in the optical switch of this invention, an electrode is disposed on one of or both of the output optical waveguides instead of disposing the electrode on the branch point of the optical waveguide and the electrode or electrodes are activated to make the two output optical waveguides optically asymmetrical, thus performing the switching operation.
In this case, the electrode is formed only to make the refractive index of one of the output optical waveguides smaller than that of the other optical waveguide. Therefore, the electrode may be formed with an adequate length and width (shape) on the upper surface of the output optical waveguide, and it is not necessary to form the electrode with such a high precision as required in the case of forming the total reflection surface shown in FIG. 1. As a result, formation of the electrode becomes extremely simple in comparison with the prior art case.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a Y-branching ridge type optical waveguide of this invention. An optical switch having the above optical waveguide is constructed by, for example, forming a GaAs semiconductor substrate with a thickness of 150 μm on a lower electrode of AuGeNi/Au with a thickness of 0.25 μm, forming an n + Al 0 .1 Ga 0 .9 As semiconductor layer with a thickness of 5 μm as a lower clad layer on the semiconductor substrate, forming an n - GaAs semiconductor layer with a thickness of 1 μm as a core layer on the lower clad layer, and then forming a p + Al 0 .1 Ga 0 .9 As semiconductor layer with a thickness of 1.5 μm as an upper clad layer on the core layer.
In FIG. 5, the main optical waveguide 1 is used as an input port and branched at the branch point 2 into the output optical waveguides 3a and 3b to form a Y-junction. The branch angle θ of the Y-junction is set to be not greater than 3°, for example, to an angle as small as 2°.
Provided that the relative differences in specific refractive index of the core/clad of the output optical waveguides 3a and 3b are Δ 1 and Δ 2 and the core widths thereof are w 1 and w 2 , then Δ 1 =Δ 2 and w 1 >w 2 . Therefore, the propagation constant β 1 of the output optical waveguide 3a becomes larger than the propagation constant β 2 of the output optical waveguide 3b and the output port sides become electromagnetically asymmetrical.
A current injection electrode 4 is formed on the output optical waveguide 3a having the propagation constant β 1 . The electrode 4 may be formed by depositing Cr/Au to a thickness of approx. 0.25 μm by the vacuum evaporation method, for example.
As shown in FIG. 5, the electrode 4 is formed to cover the upper surface of a portion of a predetermined length of the output optical waveguide 3a. However, the electrode 4 is not necessarily formed on the entire upper surface area of the optical waveguide 3a but may be formed only on a partial upper surface area thereof.
When light waves are incident on the main optical waveguide 1 with no current injected via the electrode 4, the light waves will be transmitted out only from the output optical waveguide 3a having a larger propagation constant since the output optical waveguides 3a and 3b are set asymmetrical. If, in this condition, a current is injected via the electrode 4 to reduce the refractive index of the current injected portion of the output optical waveguide 3a by δn so as to set up the relation of Δ 1 -δ<<Δ 2 between the output optical waveguides 3a and 3b, then the relation of β 1 <β 2 can be obtained. When the propagation constant relation between the output optical waveguides is thus reversed, the light waves incident on the main optical waveguide 1 will be transmitted out only from the output optical waveguide 3b whose propagation constant now becomes larger. In this way, an optical switching effect can be obtained.
In this case, it is preferable to set the reduced refractive index δn to be larger than the specific refractive index difference of the lateral core and clad portions of the optical waveguide on the output port side. If the refractive index is reduced by the value δn, the light wave propagating in the output optical waveguide can be completely cut off by setting the guided mode to 0. The cut-off of the light wave in the optical switch means that the output optical waveguide physically exists but can be regarded as being not present electromagnetically, that is, having no wave guide action appearing as the result of variation in the refractive index distribution. This is explained by taking the case of current injection as an example with reference to FIG. 6.
There occurs a refractive index difference Δn between the waveguide portion (core portion) and the surrounding portion (clad portion) near the cross section of the optical path of the output optical waveguide (FIG. 6A). Assume now that a current I 1 is injected into the waveguide portion. Then, the refractive index of the waveguide portion is reduced by δn by the current injection. That is, the refractive index difference between the waveguide portion and the surrounding portion becomes (Δn-δn) (FIG. 6B).
Further, when a larger current I 2 (I 2 >I 1 ) is injected, the refractive index of the waveguide portion is further reduced and can be set to (δn=Δn). That is, no refractive index difference occurs between the waveguide portion and the surrounding portion thereof and the wave guide action due to the presence of the refractive index distribution disappears, thereby setting up a condition in which the presence of the waveguide can be substantially disregarded (FIG. 6C).
When the injection current is further increased to I 3 (I 3 >I 2 ), the refractive index of the waveguide portion is further decreased and becomes lower than that of the surrounding portion. Also, in this case, a substantial effect of the waveguide disappears (FIG. 6D).
In the optical switch of this invention, the complete cut-off of the guided mode light means that the output optical waveguide is set into the states shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D.
FIG. 7 shows an optical switch according to another embodiment of this invention. In the waveguide of the optical switch, output optical waveguides 5a and 5b on the output port side are formed with the same width w and electrodes 6a and 6b are formed on the respective waveguides. In this example, the output optical waveguides 5a and 5b can be made electromagnetically asymmetrical by injecting a current via one of the electrodes 6a and 6b and the light wave incident on the input port can be selectively transmitted out from one of the output optical waveguides 5a and 5b by selecting one of the electrodes via which the current is injected.
In this type of optical switch, since the waveguides on the output side can be formed with the same width, connection of the optical fibers at the respective end faces may be made simple.
An X-junction optical waveguide is explained as an optical switch according to still another embodiment of this invention with reference to FIG. 8.
In this optical waveguide, electrodes 8a and 8b are respectively formed on output optical waveguides 7a and 7b of the same width disposed on the output port. In this embodiment, the waveguides 7a and 7b can be set electromagnetically asymmetrical by controlling the current injection via the electrodes 8a and 8b.
Another X-junction guided-wave optical switch will be explained with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
The optical switch is constructed by two optical waveguides which intersect at an angle θ° to form an X-junction optical waveguide. The optical switch can be regarded as being formed of four branches which are connected together at the intersection. Electrodes 12a, 12b, 13a and 13b are respectively formed on the branches 10a, 10b, 11a and 11b. In this case, a pair of branches 10a and 11b and a pair of branches 11a and 10b individually form an intersection angle of (180°-θ°).
With the optical switch of FIG. 9, the optical waveguides 10a and 11a are used as input ports and the optical waveguides 10b and 11b are used as output optical waveguides if no current is injected or no voltage is applied via the electrodes 12a and 13a. In contrast, if none of the electrodes 12b and 13b is used, the optical waveguides 10b and 11b are used as input ports and the optical waveguides 10a and 11a are used as output optical waveguides.
That is, the optical switch can be used as an optical switch capable of effecting the bi-directional communication.
In the optical switch of FIG. 10, a pair of branches 14a and 15b which, among the branches 14a, 14b, 15a and 15b, make an intersection angle of (180°-θ°) are provided with electrodes 16a and 16b, respectively.
With the optical switch of FIG. 10, if θ is smaller than a certain value, for example, greater than 1°, the light wave incident on the branch 14a or 15a is transmitted out equally from both the branch 14b and the branch 15b when no current is injected or no voltage is applied via the electrodes 16a and 16b.
In contrast, if a current is injected or a voltage is applied via each of the electrodes 16a and 16b, propagation of the light wave along the optical waveguides 14a and 15b is completely interrupted, and all the light wave incident on the branch 15a is transmitted out from the branch 14b and all the light wave incident on the branch 14b is transmitted out from the branch 15a.
In this way, the optical switch has a first switching state in which the branches 14a and 15a are respectively connected to it works as a broadcasting switch and a second switching state in which the branch 15a is connected to the branch 14b.
In the optical switch of this invention, a portion of the thin insulation film formed on the surface of the output optical waveguide is removed and metal such as Cr/Au is vacuum evaporated, for example, on the exposed portion to form an upper electrode. In the structure thus obtained, the p-type semiconductor layer, n-type semiconductor layer and lower electrode are arranged in this order under the upper electrode.
In an optical switch of the current injection type, a diode formed of the p- and n-type semiconductor layers may be biased in a forward direction by connecting the upper and lower electrodes respectively to the positive and negative terminals of a power source so that a current can be permitted to flow in the p- and n-type semiconductor layers to inject carriers into a portion near the pn junction thereof, thereby making it possible to reduce the refractive index. The refractive index can be reduced by about 1%. This is almost two orders of magnitude larger than that caused by the linear electrooptic effect which is exploited in the lithium niobate. Furthermore, the refractive index reduction caused by current injection itself is polarization independent. Therefore, the switching operation is polarization independent even without the cost of switching efficiency, as is not the case with a lithium niobate switch.
In an optical switch of the voltage application type, a diode formed of the p- and n-type semiconductor layers may be reversely biased by connecting the upper and lower electrodes to the negative and positive terminals of a power source so that a depletion layer formed near the pn junction between the p- and n-type semiconductor layers may become larger to cause an electric field in the depletion layer, thereby making it possible to increase or decrease the refractive index. Particularly, in the case of a multiple quantum well structure, the refractive index can be varied by about 1%. This is quite large as compared with the value obtained by the linear electrooptic effect.
At this time, the refractive index of the waveguide portion can be controlled by adjusting the amount of injection current or the applied voltage in such a state as shown in FIG. 6.
FIGS. 11 to 13 show the detail construction of a symmetrical Y-junction waveguide type optical switch having a current injection electrode.
In the structure of FIG. 11, the electrodes 27 are formed to cover the upper surface of the portions of a certain length of the respective output optical waveguides 20a and 20b. However, the electrodes 27 are not necessarily formed on the entire upper surface of the output optical waveguides 20a and 20b but may be formed only on the partial upper surface thereof. Further, the electrode 27 may be formed only on one of the output optical waveguides 20a and 20b.
FIG. 12 shows the construction of that portion of the main optical waveguide 29 and the output optical waveguides 20a and 20b of the optical switch in which no electrode to be described later is formed. That is, an n + GaAs semiconductor substrate 21 is formed on a lower electrode 20 of AuGeNi/Au, and a lower clad layer 22 of n + AlGaAs semiconductor, a core layer 23 of n - GaAs semiconductor, a ridge-shaped upper clad layer 24 of n - AlGaAs semiconductor and a cap layer 25 of n - GaAs are sequentially laminated on the substrate 21. The entire surface of the structure is covered with a thin insulation film 28 of SiO 2 .
FIG. 13 shows the construction of the electrode forming portion of the output optical waveguides 20a and 20b. In the electrode forming portion, a portion with an adequate width and length of the thin insulation film 28 is removed to form a window 28a. Zn is diffused into the upper clad layer 24 to a predetermined depth through the window 28a, to form a Zn diffusion region 26, and then a current injection electrode 27 of Cr/Au is formed over the window 28a.
The optical switch of the above construction in which the branch angle θ was set at 2° and the width of the output optical waveguides 20a and 20b was set at 5 μm was used, and the light output of the light wave transmitted out from the output optical waveguides 20a and 20b was measured while a current to be injected via the electrode 27 was changed with the guided light of the wavelengths of 1.3 μm and 1.55 μm incident on the main optical waveguide 29. The measurement result is shown in FIG. 14. In FIG. 14, marks indicate the state of the output optical waveguide 20a and marks indicate the state of the output optical waveguide 20b. Further, the solid line indicates the case of using the light of the wavelength of 1.3 μm and the broken lines indicate the case of using the light of the wavelength of 1.55 μm.
As is clearly seen from FIG. 14, in the above optical switch, the same amount of light is transmitted from the output optical waveguides 20a and 20b with respect to the guided light of the wavelengths of 1.3 to 1.55 μm when a current injected via the electrode 27 is 0. However, when the injection current becomes larger than 250 mA, switching characteristics of "0" or "1" may be obtained. That is, the Y-junction optical waveguide can be used as an optical switch for the guided light in the wavelength range of 1.3 to 1.55 μm by setting the injection current at or more than 250 mA. Incidentally, the electrode was only 1 mm long. This device length shorter by an-order-of-magnitude was achieved because of the very large refractive index reduction induced by current injection.
At this time, a slight output loss occurs by the influence of the branch angle θ when the light wave incident on the input port is transmitted out from one of the output optical waveguides. However, the output loss is small and can be neglected in practical use. For example, when the guided light having the spot size of 4 μm and the wavelength of 1.55 μm is propagated in the branch optical waveguide in which the waveguide material is GaAs and the branch angle θ is 2°, the output loss calculated according to the theory of Beam Propagation Method (BPM) is 0.3 dB. When the branch angle θ is 3°, the output loss is 1.6 dB, and when the branch angle θ is 1°, the output loss is less than 0.1 dB.
Also, the polarization dependency of the guided light having the above two wavelengths was checked with the injection current set at 100 mA.
Assume now that three axes which cross one another at right angles are x, y and z axes and the plane wave propagates in a direction along the z axis. Then, the electric field component of the light wave lies in a plane which crosses the propagation direction at right angles or the x-y plane, and the light wave with the electric component parallel to the x axis is called the x-polarized wave and the light wave with the electric component parallel to the y axis is called the y-polarized wave. However, in general, since the electric component of the light wave is parallel to neither the x axis nor the y axis, the polarization dependency can be measured, that is, changes of the output ratio (branching ratio) between the outputs of the two output optical waveguides 20a and 20b can be measured when the directional angle α (°) of the electric field component is changed.
The measurement result is shown in FIG. 15. In FIG. 15, marks indicate the case of using the light of the wavelength of 1.3 μm and marks indicate the case of using the light of the wavelength of 1.55 μm. As is clearly understood from FIG. 15, the switching characteristics of the Y-junction optical waveguide do not exhibit the polarization dependency.
In the above example, the optical switch is constructed by the symmetrical Y-junction waveguide. However, the optical switch of the other embodiment may be constructed in the same manner as described above. For example, in the asymmetrical Y-junction waveguide of FIG. 5 in which the output optical waveguides have different widths and the X-junction optical waveguide shown in FIG. 8, the optical waveguide may be constructed with the same cross section as explained in the above example.
In a case where a current is injected via the electrode of the optical waveguide, the injection current cannot be infinitely increased. Therefore, in general, the length of the electrode portion is finite and is generally limited to from several hundred μm to several mm. As a result, that portion of the output optical waveguide which lies on the downstream side of the downstream end of the electrode is always set in the light transmittable state. Therefore, the radiation mode light wave may be re-combined with the guided mode light in the output optical waveguide on the downstream of the electrode portion, thereby degrading the extinction ratio.
The extinction ratio means, in the example of FIG. 7, for instance, Lmax/Lmin, where Lmax is the main light output from the waveguide 5a when a current is injected into the electrode 6b, and Lmin is the crosstalk light output from the waveguide 5a when a current is injected into the electrode 6a.
In order to solve the above problem, it is considered that the branch angle θ between the two output optical waveguides is made extremely small so as to suppress generation of the radiation mode light. Alternatively, it is considered that the electrode length is made extremely long such that the light combined with the radiation mode light is attenuated.
However, in the former method, the length of the element is significantly increased, making the whole size of the optical switch larger, and in the latter method, the injection current is increased, thereby increasing the amount of heat generated in the optical waveguide.
For this reason, in the preferred embodiment of this invention, a light attenuator is disposed between the two output optical waveguides of the optical switch to positively attenuate the radiation mode light generated at the Y-junction point or the like, thereby suppressing the recombination of the radiation mode light with the guided mode light. As a result, degradation in the extinction ratio can be suppressed.
In this type of optical switch, the light attenuation section is formed as a light absorbing section which is formed by disposing (laminating) a metal layer on the upper clad layer of the lateral clad portion between the lateral core portion of the output optical waveguides, or a light scattering section having an uneven surface pattern. Since the radiation mode light generated is attenuated by means of the light attenuating section while propagating along the clad portion, recombination with the guided mode light can be suppressed.
Unlike the conventional optical switch, with this type of optical switch having the light attenuating section, it is not necessary to reduce the branch angle θ and increase the element length or increase the electrode length for current injection or voltage application, thereby making it possible to prevent the extinction ratio from being degraded by the radiation mode light.
FIGS. 16 and 17 show an optical switch having the light absorbing section as the light attenuating section. In the optical switch, n + -type semiconductor layers 31 and 32 are sequentially formed on a lower electrode 30, and a lower clad layer 33 of n + -type semiconductor and a core layer 34 of n - -type semiconductor are sequentially formed on the semiconductor layer 32.
An upper clad layer 35 of p + -type semiconductor is formed in a ridge form on the core layer 34 to form a Y-junction with a branch angle θ and the upper surface thereof is covered with a thin insulation film 36.
The main optical waveguide A is an input port for the light wave and the output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 are output ports for the light waves.
A portion of the thin insulation film 36 is removed in the form of a slit with an adequate width and length so as to form windows (only one of them is shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 as a window 36b) in the output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 . Upper electrodes 37a and 37b are formed in contact with different portions of the upper clad layer 35 via the respective windows by the vacuum evaporation method, for example.
The optical absorbing section 38a is formed on the surface of a portion of the upper clad layer which lies between the output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 branching in a Y-junction form from the main optical waveguide A and extending in a ridge form, and the upper surface thereof is covered with the thin insulation film 36. The light absorbing section 38a is formed to extend from the Y-junction point to the rear or downstream portions of the upper electrodes 37a and 37b.
The light absorbing section 38a can be formed of any material which has a property of absorbing the radiation mode light, and may be formed of a metal layer deposited on a predetermined portion of the upper clad layer 35 by the vacuum evaporation method, for example.
With the above optical switch, since the radiation mode light generated at the Y-junction point or the like can be absorbed by means of the light absorbing section 38a, recombination of the light in the branched optical waveguide B 1 or B 2 can be suppressed, thereby preventing degradation of the extinction ratio.
FIGS. 18 and 19 show an optical switch having the light scattering section as the light attenuation section. In this type of optical switch, the light scattering section 38b is formed to extend from the Y-junction to the rear or downstream portion of upper electrodes 37a and 37b on the surface of the upper clad layer 35 of the ridge-shaped output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 and the upper surface thereof is covered with a thin insulation film 36.
The light scattering section 38b may be formed by, for example, an uneven surface pattern which can be attained by subjecting the surface of the upper clad layer 35 to the etching process, for example. The uneven surface pattern may be any pattern which can scatter light, and may be formed as a diffraction grating pattern or a random pattern having irregular areas randomly distributed.
With the optical switch of the above construction, since the radiation mode light generated at the Y-junction point or the like is scattered to the exterior by means of the light scattering section and attenuated, recombination of the radiation mode light with the guided mode light can be suppressed, thereby preventing degradation of the extinction ratio.
FIGS. 20 and 21 show a Y-junction guided-wave optical switch of another semiconductor structure. In the optical switch shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, n + GaAs semiconductor layers 41 and 42 are sequentially formed on a lower electrode 40, and a lower clad layer 43 of n + Al 0 .1 Ga 0 .9 As semiconductor and a core layer 44 of an n + GaAs semiconductor layer with a thickness of 1 μm are sequentially laminated on the semiconductor layer 42.
An upper clad layer 45 of p + Al 0 .1 Ga 0 .9 As semiconductor is formed on the core layer 44 and the upper surface thereof is covered with a thin insulation film 46.
A portion of the upper clad layer 45 is formed in a ridge form with a thickness of 1 μm and a cap layer 48 of p + GaAs semiconductor is formed on the upper surface of the ridge portion of the upper clad layer 45, thus constituting a main optical waveguide A, and output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 along the ridge portion.
The optical path width of the main optical waveguide A and output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 is set to 6 μm and the branch angle θ between the output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 is set at 2°.
A portion of the thin insulation film 46 covering the output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 is removed to form windows 46a and 46b having a plane pattern as shown in FIG. 20 on the optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 . Upper electrodes 47a and 47b are formed over the windows to be in contact with the cap layer 48, by vacuum evaporation a suitable electrode material. For example, when a current is injected into the cap layer 48 via the upper electrode 47a or a voltage is applied between the cap layer 48 and the n + -type semiconductor layer 41, the refractive index of a portion of a portion of the output optical waveguide which lies under the window 46a is changed. As a result, all the light wave incident on the main optical waveguide A will be transmitted out from the other output optical waveguide B 2 . In this way, the optical path can be changed or the optical switching function can be achieved. In this case, portions of the output optical waveguides which correspond in shape to the windows 46a and 46b function as refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 .
In a case where the optical path is changed by means of this type of optical switch, it is preferable to permit the light wave having propagated along the main optical waveguide A to change the propagation direction immediately behind the branch point A' and propagate along the output optical waveguide B 2 when the refractive index controlling section C 1 is operated, for example.
In order to meet the above requirement, for example, it is ideal to form the end face of the refractive index controlling section C 1 near the branch portion A' to be coincident with a plane connecting the branch points A 1 and A 3 , and to form the end face of the refractive index controlling section C 2 near the branch portion A' to be coincident with a plane connecting the branch points A 2 and A 3 , as shown in the plan view of FIG. 22.
However, if the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 are formed with the above configurations and when the refractive index controlling section C 1 is operated to control the refractive index of the output optical waveguide B 1 , the refractive index controlling section C 2 will also be operated since the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 are set in contact with each other at the branch point A 3 . That is, when refractive index controlling sections which are considered ideal are formed as in the optical switch shown in FIG. 22, it becomes impossible to operate the refractive index controlling sections independently from each other, making it impossible to switch the optical paths.
On the other hand, when the end faces of the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 on the side of the branch portion A' are formed separately from the branch portion A' in the downstream of the optical paths in the optical switch shown in FIG. 23, that is, when the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 are disposed on the downstream side, the problem which has occurred in the optical switch of FIG. 22 will not occur.
However, in this case, a large amount of the light wave having propagated along the main optical waveguide A is distributed at the branch portion A' to the output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 and then reach the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 . Therefore, the radiation mode light significantly increases and is re-combined with the guided mode light to degrade the extinction ratio and increase the loss.
In order to solve the above problem, according to the optical switch of the invention, the distance X (FIG. 20) between the nearest portions of the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 is preferably set to be equal to or less than twice the spot size of the light wave which propagates in the output optical waveguide.
In general, as the distance between the two refractive index controlling sections at the branch portion of the Y-junction guided-wave optical switch is set smaller, the degradation degree of the extinction ratio becomes smaller. This is because the propagating direction of the light wave having propagated along the main optical waveguide is controlled by the action of the refractive index controlling sections before it is distributed to the two output optical waveguides and as a result it becomes difficult for the guided mode light to be re-combined with the radiation mode light.
FIG. 24 shows the relation between the distance between the refractive index controlling sections, which distance is divided by the spot size as explained later, the extinction ratio and increase amount of excessive loss, obtained when a light wave is propagated through the output optical waveguide. In FIG. 24, the solid line indicates variation in the extinction ratio and the broken line indicates variation in the increase amount of the excessive loss. The excessive loss used here is defined as an amount of loss exceeding the loss observed in an ideal case of FIG. 22. Further, the spot size is defined as follows.
First, the intensity distribution of light along the cross section of the optical path for the light wave propagated in the branch optical waveguide is drawn by plotting the width of the optical path extending from the center of the optical path along the abscissa and plotting the light intensity along the ordinate. As shown in FIG. 25, a symmetrical light intensity distribution curve p which has a peak value p 1 at the center of the optical path and whose light intensity is attenuated in both width directions of the optical path can be obtained.
Two points p 2 and p 3 (p 2 =p 3 -p 1 ×1/e 2 ) at which the light intensity is attenuated to p 1 ×1/e 2 (e is the base of the natural logarithms) can be obtained on the curve p. At this time, the width of the optical path indicated by two perpendicular lines drawn from the points p 2 and p 3 to the abscissa, that is, a distance l indicated in FIG. 25 is defined as twice the spot size. In other words, the spot size is defined as 1/2×l.
It is generally said that the extinction ratio is desirably larger than 20 dB. In order to meet the requirement, it is necessary to set the ratio of the distance between the refractive index controlling sections to the spot size smaller than 5 as is clearly seen from FIG. 24. That is, it is necessary to set the distance between the refractive index controlling sections less than five times the spot size.
Further, if the permissible maximum value of the increase amount of the excessive loss is set at 1.5 dB, it becomes necessary to set the distance between the refractive index controlling sections less than twice the spot size as is also clearly seen from FIG. 24.
Therefore, in order to control the degradation degree of the extinction ratio and the increase amount of the excessive loss according to the above values, it is necessary to set the distance between the refractive index controlling sections less than twice the spot size.
In this way, with the optical switch in which the distance between the refractive index controlling sections is set in the above-described manner, the amount of the guided mode light which is re-combined with the radiation mode light is reduced and the extinction ratio can be set larger than 20 dB and the increase amount of the excessive loss can be set less than 1.5 dB.
The distance x between the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 of the optical switch shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 is set at 10 μm. The optical switch of the above construction was used and the spot size of the light wave propagating in the output optical waveguide was set at 5 μm, and the computer simulation of light wave propagation in the output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 was effected. In this case, the distance x between the refractive index controlling sections was set at twice the spot size.
The results of the computer simulation are shown in FIGS. 26 and 27. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the refractive index distribution obtained in a case where a current was injected only into the refractive index controlling section C 1 . As is clearly seen from FIG. 26, the refractive index of the output optical waveguide B 1 begins to be reduced immediately behind the branch portion A'. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the simulation of the propagation state of the light wave propagating in the output optical waveguide B 2 while the refractive index controlling section C 1 is set in the same condition as in FIG. 26. As is clearly seen from FIG. 27, a favorable propagation state of the light wave was obtained. At this time, the extinction ratio was suppressed to approx. 20 dB and the increase amount of the excessive loss was suppressed to approx. 1.5 dB.
FIGS. 28 and 29 respectively show the state of the refractive index distribution obtained when none of the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 is used and the propagation state of the light wave in each of the branch optical waveguides obtained at this time.
Influence on the extinction ratio and the excessive loss due to variation in the distance x between the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 was checked. FIG. 30 is a plan view of an optical switch which is formed for comparison with the optical switch of FIGS. 20 and 21 and is similar to the optical switch shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 except that the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 are moved to the downstream side and the distance x between the nearest portions of the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 is set at 25 μm. In the optical switch of FIG. 30, the distance between the refractive index controlling sections is set to five times the spot size.
The extinction ratio of the optical switch becomes lower than that of the optical switch in which the distance between the refractive index controlling sections is set to twice the spot size and is set to approx. 20 dB. However, increase amount of the excessive loss becomes approx. 3 dB and half the input power is dissipated as a loss.
FIG. 31 is a plan view of an optical switch which is formed for comparison with the optical switch of FIGS. 20 and 21 and is similar to the optical switch shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 except that the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 are further moved to the downstream side and the distance x between the nearest portions of the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 is set at 50 μm. In the optical switch of FIG. 31, the distance between the refractive index controlling sections is set to ten times the spot size.
With this optical switch, since the propagating direction of the light wave incident on the branch portion A' is controlled by means of the refractive index controlling sections C 1 and C 2 after a large portion of the light is distributed to the output optical waveguides B 1 and B 2 , the extinction ratio becomes less than 20 dB and the optical switch cannot be practically used.
The light intensity of the radiation mode light increases as the branch angle θ becomes larger. Further, the radiation mode light diverges as it propagates along the upper clad layer disposed between the output optical waveguides and therefore the light intensity thereof gradually becomes smaller.
Thus, the light intensity of the radiation mode light is determined depending on the branch angle θ and the length of the refractive index controlling section disposed on the downstream side of the physical branch point A 3 .
FIG. 32 shows the correlation between the branch angle θ and the length l of the refractive index controlling section of one of the output optical waveguides in which the light wave propagation is suppressed under a condition that the specific refractive index difference Δ is set at 0 to obtain the extinction ratio of 10 dB.
In this case, the specific refractive index difference Δ indicates a value obtained by dividing a difference between the effective refractive index of the core layer of the refractive index controlling section and the effective refractive index of the core layer lying between the two refractive index controlling sections by the effective refractive index of the above core layer. Further, the length l of the refractive index controlling section indicates a length from the physical branch point A 3 to the downstream end portion C 1b (or C 2b ) as measured in a direction parallel to a line bisecting the branch angle θ.
Therefore, the relation l=L×cos(θ/2) is obtained between the length l and the actual length L from the physical branch point A 3 to the downstream end portion C 1b (or C 2b ).
As is clearly seen from FIG. 32, recombination of the radiation mode light can be suppressed and the extinction ratio of more than 10 dB can be obtained by setting the relation l≧100×θ. That is, when the relation L≧100×θ/cos(θ/2) is set between the branch angle θ and the the length L of the refractive index controlling section, an optical switch in which degradation of the extinction ratio is suppressed to a minimum can be obtained.
Influence of variation in the length L of the refractive index controlling section on the extinction ratio was checked while the length L was variously changed.
FIG. 33 illustrates an example of a medium length L, FIG. 34 illustrates an example of a sufficiently large length L, and FIG. 35 illustrates an example of an excessively small length L. Symbols, C 1 , C 2 , C 1b , C 2b , A, B 1 , B 2 , A 3 , θ, L and l indicate the same meanings as mentioned above. FIG. 33 shows an optical switch in which the branch angle θ is set at 2° and l is set at 200 μm. The length L of the optical switch is 200/cos 1°=200.03 (μm) and is equal to the value of 100×θ/cos(θ/2).
With the optical switch, the extinction ratio of equal to or larger than 10 dB could be obtained and therefore the optical switch can be applied for the optical exchange or the like.
FIG. 34 shows an optical switch in which the branch angle θ is kept unchanged and the length l is further increased in comparison with that of the optical switch shown in FIG. 33 and is set to 500 μm. At this time, L is 500/cos 1°=500.08 (μm) and is larger than 100×2/cos 1°=200.03. In this case, the extinction ratio equal to or larger than 20 dB could be obtained.
FIG. 35 is a plan view of an optical switch formed for comparison with the optical switch of the above embodiment in which the branch angle θ is set at 2° and the length l is set at 50 μm. At this time, the length L of the optical switch is 50/cos 1°=50.008 (μm) and is smaller than the afore-mentioned value of 100×2/cos 1°=200.03 (μm). In this case, significant recombination of the radiation mode light occurred and the extinction ratio of only a few dB could be obtained. Therefore, the optical switch cannot be practically used.
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An optical switch includes at least one input optical semi-conductor waveguide. Two output optical semiconductor waveguides are connected at a branch point to the input optical waveguide, and diverge from the branch point with a preset angle θ (degree) between them. A refractive index controlling portion is located on at least one of the output optical waveguides and away from the branch point. The refractive index controlling portion effects a light mode cut-off by electromagnetically causing a reduction of the refractive index of the associated output optical waveguide.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/388,213, filed Sep. 30, 2010, entitled “DISPENSER WITH DISCHARGE QUANTITY SELECTOR,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The dispenser disclosed herein relates generally to the field of materials discharged from a container with a pump, and particularly to control of the quantity of material discharged by a dispenser.
[0003] Dispensers are known that include a pump for discharging material, such as soap, hand sanitizer, or lotion, from a pouch or other container. Such dispensers for soap are commonly found, for example, mounted to walls in restrooms of restaurants, commercial offices, and other buildings. Such dispensers for hand sanitizer are found in many other areas of buildings. In mechanically actuated dispensers, the pump may be actuated by a handle at the lower end of the dispenser, and the material is discharged at an outlet from the pump proximate to the bottom of the dispenser. However, conventional dispensers lack the ability to control or vary the amount of material discharged. Differences in applications and locations of use may make it desirable to increase or decrease the default amount discharged from the pump. For example, a restroom in a restaurant may have a different need for quantity of soap than an automotive repair shop. Further, different materials may have different viscosities, and depending on pump design, one stroke of a pump for a thin material may discharge more material than the same stroke of a thick material. The difference in viscosities of soap and sanitizer, or even within the same categories of materials, may result in different quantities being discharged from the same pump.
[0004] An improved dispenser that allows selection and varying of the quantity of material to be discharged is desired.
SUMMARY
[0005] In accordance with one embodiment described herein, a dispensing apparatus is provided. The dispensing apparatus includes a pump and a housing. The pump includes a first portion and a second portion linearly movable relative to the first portion, and the housing is for securing the portion of the pump. A distance of movement of the second portion toward the first portion is the pump stroke, and the pump stroke may be selectively varied.
[0006] In accordance with another embodiment described herein, a dispensing apparatus for discharging a material from a reservoir is provided. The dispensing apparatus includes a mounting structure, a dispensing module, and an actuator. The dispensing module includes a module housing with a first portion mounted to the mounting structure and a second portion that is movable relative to the first portion along a longitudinal axis and is resiliently biased away from the first portion. A pump is mounted to the module housing first portion and is adapted to receive the material from the reservoir. The pump includes an outlet adapted to discharge the material and a bearing surface adapted to receive a force exerted by the module housing second portion to result in a pump stroke. A stop member extends from the module housing second portion parallel to the longitudinal axis in the direction of the module housing first portion. A stroke selector is rotatably mounted to the module housing first portion and includes a plurality of arms of varying length. The stroke selector allows movement of the stop member for predetermined and different distances depending on which arm, if any, engages the stop member, with the distance of allowed movement of the stop member being variable depending on the angular position of the stroke selector. The actuator operatively engages the module housing second portion.
[0007] In accordance with another embodiment described herein, a method of operating a dispensing apparatus for discharging a material from a reservoir is provided. The method includes selecting between a plurality of positions of a member that varies a stroke of a pump, applying force to an actuator, and receiving the material in a quantity as discharged by the pump depending on the selected stroke.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] For a more complete understanding of the dispenser described herein, reference should now be had to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described below. In the drawings:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a dispenser mounted to a wall.
[0010] FIG. 2 is side elevation view of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1 .
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1 with the cover open.
[0012] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1 .
[0013] FIG. 5 is an exploded front perspective view of an embodiment of a dispensing module of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1 .
[0014] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the dispensing module shown in FIG. 5 , assembled.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a partially exploded rear perspective view of the dispensing module shown in FIG. 5 .
[0016] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a restrictor element of the dispensing module shown in FIG. 5 .
[0017] FIG. 9 is a rear elevation view of an embodiment of a handle of the dispenser shown in FIG. 4 .
[0018] FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the handle, dispenser, and back plate of the dispenser shown in FIG. 4 .
[0019] FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of the dispensing module shown in FIG. 5 , assembled.
[0020] FIGS. 12A , 12 B, and 12 C are partial section side views of various positions of the restrictor element of the dispensing module shown in FIG. 5 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the embodiments described. For example, words such as “top”, “bottom”, “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “upward,” and “downward” merely describe the configuration shown in the figures. Indeed, the referenced components may be oriented in any direction and the terminology, therefore, should be understood as encompassing such variations unless specified otherwise.
[0022] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding or similar elements throughout the several views, an embodiment of a dispenser is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , and is generally designated at 20 . The dispenser 20 is shown mounted to a wall 22 , though other mounting configurations, such as to a post or pole, are possible. The dispenser includes a cover 24 , a window 26 in an aperture 28 in the cover 24 to provide viewing through the cover 24 of the dispenser material contents, a handle 30 , and a back plate 32 . As shown in FIG. 1 , a drip tray 34 positioned beneath the dispenser outlet may be provided that is mounted to the bottom of the dispenser 20 ; one location for such a mounting may be to the back plate 32 of the dispenser 20 . The working material in the dispenser may be substances such as soap, shampoo, shower gel, detergent, exfoliating scrub, lotion, sanitizer, other skin care product, a combination thereof, any material used on a person's hands, or any flowable material. Such materials may take forms including but not limited to liquid, gel, foam, spray, or solid, such as powder or flakes.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows the pivotal mounting 36 of the cover 24 to the back plate 32 . The cover 24 is rotated to the open position, exposing the inside of the cover 24 , the inside of the handle 30 , the front 38 of the back plate 32 , and latches 50 on the back plate 32 to receive tabs 52 on the cover 24 when the cover 24 is closed. The back plate 32 is securely mounted to the wall 22 using mounting screws or other fasteners through a keyhole opening 54 . The handle 30 is mounted to the inside of the walls of the cover 24 at pivotal mountings 56 . Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , a reservoir holder 60 for supporting a reservoir 62 of material to be dispensed is provided. The reservoir 62 may be, for example, a container or a flexible pouch. The holder 60 may be mounted to the back plate 32 with hooks (not shown) integral to the holder 60 that may be inserted into slots 63 in the back plate. A dispensing module 64 is in communication with the container 62 ; such communication may be fluid communication if the material in the container 62 is a liquid, foam, gel, spray, or other flowable material, or may also be in communication with the container if the material is a solid such as a powder or flakes. As shown in FIG. 3 , the dispensing module 64 is mounted to the back plate 32 beneath the container holder 60 . FIG. 4 shows a lock 66 and optional lock cover 68 that may be used to secure the cover 24 to the back plate 32 .
[0024] FIGS. 5-8 show the various components of an embodiment of the dispensing module 64 . A pump 80 is mounted to a two-piece housing, with one piece being a stationary housing piece 82 that serves as a base and the other piece being a movable housing piece 84 . The pump 80 may be, for example, a linearly actuated pump known to one of ordinary skill in the art having a body, a portion that moves relative to the body, an inlet 81 for connecting to a container of material to be pumped, and an outlet (not visible). As shown in FIG. 4 , the stationary housing piece 82 is mounted to the back plate 32 through holes 88 and is kept in place with snaps 86 in the back plate 32 . The stationary housing piece 82 includes a collar portion 90 with an interior horizontal channel 92 extending along the sides 94 . An adapter 96 extends around the pump 80 and is received in the channel 92 . A substantially U-shaped adapter lock 100 has two legs 102 that are received in the back side 104 of the stationary housing piece 82 and into the channel 92 . Clips 106 at the ends of the legs 102 latch onto the adapter 96 to secure the pump 80 to the stationary housing piece 82 . The portion of the pump 80 that is secured to the stationary housing piece 82 is in a fixed position.
[0025] Vertical legs 110 extend downward from the collar portion 90 of the stationary housing piece 82 . The vertical legs 110 include vertical channels 112 in which tabs 114 of the movable housing piece 84 are slidably received. The movable housing piece 84 has a base 116 , side walls 118 and a back wall 120 extending upward from the base 116 , bearing members 122 extending laterally from the side walls 118 , and stops 124 extending upward from the rear of the side walls 118 . The base 116 includes a channel 126 that receives an annular flange 128 proximate to the lower end of the pump 80 . Springs 130 are disposed around posts 132 that extend downward from the collar portion 90 of the stationary housing piece 82 and posts 134 that extend upward from the base 116 of the moveable housing piece 84 , and resiliently bias the movable housing piece 84 away from the stationary housing piece 82 .
[0026] An embodiment of a stroke restrictor 140 is received in openings 142 in the sides 94 of the stationary housing piece 82 . As shown in FIG. 8 , the stroke restrictor 140 includes a rod 144 with levers 146 at each end 148 , and a long arm 150 and a short arm 152 proximate to each end 148 . The levers 146 , long arms 150 , and short arms 152 extend radially from the rod, with the long arms 150 substantially parallel to the levers 146 and the short arms 152 offset at an angle from the long arms 150 . When inserted into the openings 142 , the levers 146 continue to be externally visible when the cover 24 is removed. There are three detents 154 centrally located on the rod 144 that provide registration with an adjacent edge of the adapter lock 100 and secure the stroke restrictor 140 in each of three positions. The stroke restrictor 140 is effectively a blocking member that impedes upward progress of the moveable housing piece 84 through contact with the stops 124 . Other embodiments of a stroke restrictor are possible for blocking the stops 124 . For example, a sliding, linear moving stroke restrictor could be implemented that is vertically oriented, or a series of horizontally oriented sliding stroke restrictors could be provided.
[0027] FIG. 9 shows the back side of the handle 30 . Mounting holes 160 are provided at each side of the handle. Two lifting members 162 each having a top surface 164 extend rearward out of the handle 30 inside of each side. FIG. 10 shows the handle 30 in place relative to the dispensing module 64 where a discharge outlet 166 may be seen. The top surface 164 of the lifting member 162 abuts the bottom surface 168 of the bearing member 122 .
[0028] When the handle 30 is pressed, the handle 30 rotates around the mounting holes 160 and the lifting members 162 move upward. The top surface 164 of the lifting member 162 applies force to the bottom surface 168 of the bearing member 122 , urging the bearing member 122 and the moveable housing piece 84 upward. As the moveable housing piece 84 moves upward, the flange 128 proximate to the lower end of the pump 80 is moved upward, and the pump is actuated. The moveable housing piece 84 is effectively a force translation member or hammer that translates the force from the handle 30 to the moveable portion of the pump 80 , which in the embodiment shown includes the flange 128 . The distance of the movement of the flange 128 is equal to the pump stroke.
[0029] FIG. 11 shows the dispensing module 64 in the state of non-use, with the moveable housing piece 84 spaced the maximum distance from the stationary housing piece 82 . FIGS. 12A , 12 B, and 12 C show the operation of the stroke restrictor 140 . The position of rotation of the stroke restrictor 140 allows a user to select the pump stroke, thereby selecting the relative amount of material to be discharged by the pump 80 . In FIG. 12A , the long arm 150 is horizontal, withdrawing both arms 150 , 152 from the path of the stop 124 . The moveable housing piece 84 , unobstructed by the stroke restrictor 140 , may move upward until impacting the stationary housing piece 82 , which is the maximum pump stroke. In FIG. 12B , the stroke restrictor 140 is rotated counterclockwise such that the short arm 152 is vertical. The moveable housing piece 84 may therefore move upward only to the point where the stop 124 impacts the short arm 152 , and the pump stroke is restricted by the short arm 152 to be shorter than the maximum stroke. In FIG. 12C , the stroke restrictor 140 is rotated further counterclockwise such that the long arm 150 is vertical. The moveable housing piece 84 may move upward only to the point where the stop 124 impacts the long arm 150 , and the pump stroke is additionally restricted by the long arm 150 to a yet shorter stroke. The amount of material discharged by the pump 80 is greatest at the maximum pump stroke, is reduced with the stroke restricted by the short arm 152 , and is the least with the stroke restricted by the long arm 150 .
[0030] The materials of the cleaning material dispenser 20 may generally be expected to be molded plastic for most parts, in particular polyethylene, polypropylene, talc filled polypropylene (PP talc), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyoxmethylene (POM), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), or other polymer, and metal for fasteners, possibly for some hinges, and for springs, in particular steel alloy, but may be as selected by one of ordinary skill in the art.
[0031] Although the present invention has been shown and described in considerable detail with respect to only a few exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that there is no intent to limit the invention to the embodiments since various modifications, omissions, and additions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the invention, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. For example, some of the novel features of the dispenser could be applied to any type of mechanical or electromechanical dispenser, whether related to skin care products or otherwise. Accordingly, it is intended to cover all such modifications, omission, additions, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Thus, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures.
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A dispensing apparatus that provides for selectively controlling discharge quantity. The dispensing apparatus may include a pump and a housing. The pump includes a first portion and a second portion linearly movable relative to the first portion, and the housing is for securing the portion of the pump. A distance of movement of the second portion toward the first portion is the pump stroke, and the pump stroke may be selectively varied. A dispensing module may include a pump, a rotatably mounted stroke selector including a plurality of arms that allow movement of a stop member associated with a moveable portion of the pump for predetermined and different distances depending on which arm of the stroke selector, if any, engages the stop member, with the distance of allowed movement of the stop member being variable depending on the angular position of the stroke selector.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] The benefit is claimed of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/743,108, filed Jan. 9, 2006, which application is incorporated in its entirety by reference.
[0002] This invention relates generally to refiners for removing contaminants from fiber materials, such as recycled or recovered paper and packaging materials. In particular, the present invention relates to refiner stator plates and especially to the outer row of teeth on the stator plates.
[0003] Refiner plates are used for imparting mechanical work on fibrous material. Refiner plates having teeth (in contrast to plates having bars) are typically used in refiners which serve to deflake, disperge or mix fibrous materials with or without addition of chemicals. The refiner plates disclosed herein are generally applicable to all toothed plates for dispergers specifically and refiners in general.
[0004] Disperging is primarily used in de-inking systems to recover used paper and board for reuse as raw material for producing new paper or board. Disperging is used to detach ink from fiber, disperse and reduce ink and dirt particles to a favorable size for downstream removal, and reduce particles to sizes below visible detection. The disperger is also used to break down stickies, coating particles and wax (collectively referred to as “particles”) that are often in the fibrous material fed to refiner. The particles are removed from the fibers by the disperger become entrained in a suspension of fibrous material and liquid flowing through the refiner, and are removed from the suspension as the particles float or are washed out of the suspension. In addition, the disperger may be used to mechanically treat fibers to retain or improve fiber strength and mix bleaching chemicals with fibrous pulp.
[0005] There are typically two types of mechanical dispergers used on recycled fibrous material: kneeders and rotating discs. This disclosure focuses on disc-typed disperger plates that have toothed refiner stator plates. Disc-type dispergers are similar to pulp and chip refiners. A refiner disc typically has mounted thereon an annular plate or an array of plate segments arranged as a circular disc. In a disc-type disperger, pulp is fed to the center of the refiner using a feed screw and moves peripherally through the disperging zone, which is a gap between the rotating (rotor) disk and stationary (stator) disk, and the pulp is ejected from the disperging zone at the periphery of the discs.
[0006] The general configuration of a disc-type disperger is two circular discs facing each other with one disc (rotor) being rotated at speeds usually up to 1800 ppm, and potentially higher speeds. The other disc is stationary (stator). Alternatively, both discs may rotate in opposite directions.
[0007] On the face of each disc is mounted a plate having teeth (also referred to as pyramids) mounted in tangential rows. A plate may be a single annular plate or an annular array of plate segments. Each row of teeth is typically at a common radius from the center of the disc. The rows of rotor and stator teeth interleave when the rotor and stator discs are opposite each other in the refiner or disperger. The rows of rotor and stator teeth intersect a plane in the disperging zone that is between the discs. Channels are formed between the interleaved rows of teeth. The channels define the disperging zone between the discs.
[0008] The fibrous pulp flows alternatively between rotor and stator teeth as the pulp moves through successive rows of rotor and stator teeth. The pulp moves from the center inlet of the disc to a peripheral outlet at the outer circumference of the discs. As fibers pass from rotor teeth to stator teeth and vice-versa, the fibers are impacted as the rows of rotor teeth rotate between rows of stator teeth. The clearance between rotor and stator teeth is typically on the order of 1 to 12 mm (millimeters). The fibers are not cut by the impacts of the teeth, but are severely and alternately flexed. The impacts received by the fiber break the ink and toner particles off of the fiber and into smaller particles, and break the stickie particles off of the fibers.
[0009] Two types of plates are commonly used in disc-type dispergers: (1) a pyramidal design (also referred to as a tooth design) having an intermeshing toothed pattern, and (2) a refiner bar design. A novel pyramidal tooth design has been developed for a refiner plate and is disclosed herein.
[0010] FIGS. 1 a , 1 b and 1 c show an exemplary pyramidal plate segment having a conventional tooth pattern. An enhanced exemplary pyramidal toothed plate segment is shown in commonly-owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0194482, entitled “Grooved Pyramid Disperger Plate.” For pyramidal plates, fiber stock is forced radially through small channels created between the teeth on opposite plates, as shown in FIG. 1 c . Pulp fibers experience high shear, e.g., impacts, in their passage through dispergers caused by intense fiber-to-fiber and fiber-to-plate friction.
[0011] With reference to FIGS. 1 a , 1 b and 1 c , the refiner or disperger 10 comprises disperger plates 14 , 15 which are each securable to the face of one of the opposing disperger discs 12 , 13 . The discs 12 , 13 , only portions of which are shown in FIG. 1 c , each have a center axis 19 about which they rotate, radii 32 and substantially circular peripheries.
[0012] A plate may or may not be segmented. A segmented plate is an annular array of plate segments typically mounted on a disperger disc. A non-segmented plate is a one-piece annular plate attached to a disperger disc. Plate segment 14 is for the rotor disc 12 and plate segment 15 is for the stator disc 13 . The rotor plate segments 14 are attached to the face of rotor disc 12 in an annular array to form a plate. The segments may be fastened to the disc by any convenient or conventional manner, such as by bolts (not shown) passing through bores 17 . The disperger plate segments 14 , 15 are arranged side-by-side to form plates attached to the face of the each disc 12 , 13 .
[0013] Each disperger plate segment 14 , 15 has an inner edge 22 towards the center 19 of its attached disc and an outer edge 24 near the periphery of its disc. Each plate segment 14 , 15 has, on its substrate face concentric rows 26 of pyramids or teeth 28 . The rotation of the rotor disc 12 and its plate segments 14 apply a centrifugal force to the refined material, e.g., fibers, that cause the material to move radially outward from the inner edge 22 to the outer edge 24 of the plates. The refined material predominantly move through the disperging zone channels 30 formed between adjacent teeth 28 of the opposing plate segments 14 , 15 . The refined material flows radially out from the disperging zone into a casing 31 of the refiner 10 .
[0014] The concentric rows 26 are each at a common radial distance (see radii 32 ) from the disc center 19 and arranged to intermesh so as to allow the rotor and stator teeth 28 to intersect the plane between the discs. Fiber passing from the center of the stator to the periphery of the discs receive impacts as the rotor teeth 28 pass close to the stator teeth 28 . The channel clearance between the rotor teeth 28 and the stator teeth 28 is on the order of 1 to 12 mm so that the fibers are not cut or pinched, but are severely and alternately flexed as they pass in the channels between the teeth on the rotor disc 12 and the teeth on the stator disc 13 . Flexing the fiber breaks the ink and toner particles on the fibers into smaller particles and breaks off the stickie particles on the fibers.
[0015] FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show a top view and a side cross-sectional view, respectively, of a standard tooth geometry 34 used in the outer row of a stator plate. The tooth 34 has a pyramidal design consisting of strait sides 36 that taper to the top 38 of the tooth. The sides of the standard tooth 28 are each substantially parallel to a radial 32 of the plate.
[0016] A primary role of the disperger plate is to transfer energy pulses (impacts) to the fibers during their passage through the channels between the discs. The widely accepted toothed plate typically includes the square pyramidal tooth geometry with variations in edge length and tooth placement to achieve desired results.
[0017] Refiner material passing between the discs can be accelerated to a high velocity due to the centrifugal forces imparted by the rotor disc. Some of the refiner material exits the discs 12 , 13 at a high velocity and are flung radially against the refiner casing 31 . The high velocity impacts of refiner material against the casing have caused abrasive wear and damaging cavitation to the casing. There is a long felt need for a means to reduce the wear and damage on refiner and disperger casing due and, particularly, to reduce the wear and damage caused by refiner material impacts against the casing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0018] This disclosure proposes a modified stator tooth geometry, such as an angled tooth, for the outermost row of a stator plate. The modified tooth geometry is intended to achieve a longer life of the casing by reducing impacts against the casing due to high velocity particles exiting the plates of the refiner.
[0019] A refiner stator plate has been developed having a plurality of concentric rows of teeth wherein an outer row is at or near an outer periphery of the plate segment. The teeth in the outer row include leading sidewalls, wherein the sidewalls are at an angle to radii of the plate segment. plate is preferably a stator plate for a disperger. The angle of the sidewalls of the outer row may be opposite to a direction of rotation of a rotor plate. The angle of the sidewalls is in a range of 10 to 60 degrees with respect to a radial, and preferably in a range of 15 to 45 degrees. The sidewalls may be planar, V-shaped having a straight radial inward surface and a slanted radial outward surface, or curved along their lengths.
[0020] Further, the angled sidewall of the teeth of the outer stator row are arranged to project normal (in other words, tangential) to a radial a distance at least equal to a gap between adjacent teeth of the outer stator row. In addition, the angled sidewall may include an angled wall portion and a radially aligned wall portion. Further, the outer row of teeth may have substantially perpendicular rear walls.
[0021] A refiner or disperger has been developed comprising a rotor disc including a rotor plate including concentric rows of rotor teeth; a stator disc arranged opposite to the rotor disc in a disperger, wherein the stator disc includes a stator plate, wherein the stator plate includes concentric rows of stator teeth intermeshing with the rotor teeth and an outer row of the stator teeth include sidewalls angled in opposition to the rotation of the rotor disc so as to deflect particles flowing between the teeth of the outer row.
[0022] A method of refining pulp material between opposing discs in a refiner has been developed, the method comprising: feeding the pulp material to an inlet of at least one of the discs; rotating one disc with respect to the other disc while pulp material is moved between the discs due to centrifugal force; refining the pulp material by subjecting the material to impacts caused by rows of teeth on the rotating disc intermeshing with rows of teeth on the other disc; deflecting the pulp material as the material flows through an outer row of teeth on the other disc, wherein the outer row of discs comprise teeth having a sidewall angled to deflect pulp material moving radially between the teeth.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIGS. 1 ( a ) and 1 ( b ) are a front view and cross-sectional side view, respectively, of a toothed stator plate segment conventionally used in disc-type dispergers.
[0024] FIG. 1 ( c ) is a side cross-sectional view of a stator and rotor disperger plates and discs with channels therebetween.
[0025] FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are a top down view and a side perspective view, respectively, of a conventional tooth geometry for the outer teeth row of stator disperger plate.
[0026] FIGS. 3 a and 3 b are a top down view and a side perspective view, respectively, of an angled tooth for the outer row of a stator disperger plate, wherein the sidewalls of the tooth are each angled with respect to a radius of the disc.
[0027] FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are a front plan view and a side cross-sectional view, respectively, of a disperging stator plate segment utilizing the angled tooth geometry for the outer row of teeth.
[0028] FIG. 5 is a top down perspective view of an alternative angled tooth geometry for an outer row of a stator plate.
[0029] FIG. 6 is a top down perspective view of another alternative angled tooth geometry for an outer row of a stator plate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] A novel arrangement of teeth for a toothed refiner stator plate has been developed in which the outer peripheral row of teeth are angled to deflect refiner material, e.g., pulp, moving through the disperging zone. The deflection reduces the velocity of refiner material particles that would otherwise move along a radial line at a high speed from between the refiner discs and into the casing. This novel arrangement of outer row stator teeth may be applied to any type of toothed refiner plate and especially disc-type dispergers.
[0031] The outer row of stator teeth are angled to control the feed of the pulp exiting the disperging zone and out from between the discs. In particular, the leading sidewall of the stator teeth in the outer row of teeth are angled to slant the teeth so as to deflect particles moving along a substantially radial line between the outer row of stator teeth. Deflecting refiner material reduces the velocity of the exiting refiner material and minimizes the impact of the refiner material on the walls of the refiner casing.
[0032] The angled outer row of stator teeth prevent pulp from following a direct radial path from the last row of stator teeth and into the casing where high velocity pulp can damage the casing wall. The angle of the outer row of stator teeth and the length of the angled portion of these teeth are selected such that the refiner material, e.g. pulp, passing through the disperging zone is deflected by the angled sidewalls of the last row of stator teeth. The outer row teeth are slanted, at least along a portion of the teeth, such that the slanted portion of the teeth project tangentially a distance at least equal to the gap between adjacent teeth. The deflection prevents refiner materials from being flung at high velocity radially from the discs and into the refiner casing.
[0033] FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show a top view and a side perspective view, respectively, of an angled stator tooth 40 where the sides of the tooth are angled with respect to a radial 32 of the disc center. The stator tooth 40 is preferably positioned at the outer row of the stator plate. One or both of the sidewalls 42 of the tooth 40 form an angle 44 with respect to a radius 18 of the disc. Further, the sidewalls 42 taper towards the top 46 of the tooth. The base 48 of the tooth is at the substrate of the plate. The front wall 50 of the tooth faces radially inward and the rear wall 52 of the tooth faces radially outward. The front and rear faces may each be aligned substantially tangent to the row and plate. The front wall may slope towards the top of the tooth. The rear wall, preferably, is generally perpendicular to the substrate of the plate.
[0034] The slant (angle 44 ) of the outer row of stator teeth deflects refiner material as it passes through the outer row of stator teeth. The deflection is intended to slow the refiner material, pulp and entrained particles, as it leaves the channel between the disc and before the refiner material enters the casing of the disperger or refiner. By reducing the velocity of the refiner material, less damage is done to the casing as a result of refiner material hitting the casing.
[0035] FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are a font view and a side-cross-sectional view, respectively, of an exemplary stator plate 54 that is mounted on a disperger disc. The stator plate is opposite a rotor plate and a disperging zone is formed by the channels between the two opposing plates. The rotational direction (arrow 55 ) for the rotor plate is counter-clockwise (which appears clockwise from the view point of FIG. 4 a which shows a stator plate segment).
[0036] The stator disperger plate segment 54 includes rows 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 64 and 66 of teeth 68 . The inner teeth rows ( 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 and 64 ) may have a pyramidal shape such as shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b . The sidewalls of the inner rows of teeth may be aligned with a radius of the disc, or may be slanted with respect to the radius. Similarly, the rotor plate (not shown) may have rows of teeth that interleave with the row of stator teeth, when the plates are arranged in the refiner.
[0037] The outer row 66 of stator teeth 40 have sidewall angles that are angled either in the same direction as or opposite to the rotation 55 of the rotor. It should make no difference to casing protection whether the last row of stator teeth are slanted towards or against the rotational direction. Slanting the outer row of stator teeth in a direction opposite to direction places the teeth in a “holdback” position, and slanting the teeth in the same direction of rotation is a “feeding position.” Further, the sidewall angle of the teeth 40 may be between 10 0 to 60 0 , and preferably in a range of 15 0 to 45 0 , with respect to a radial of the plate and disc. The angle ( 44 in FIG. 3 a ) of the sidewalls of the last row 66 of stator teeth 40 is selected to deflect refiner material moving through the row and to allow the flow without too much obstruction.
[0038] The rear wall ( 52 in FIG. 3 b ) extends to the outer periphery 24 of the stator plate. The sidewall of the teeth 40 are extended as a result of the rear wall being substantially normal to the substrate 72 of the stator plate 54 . Extending the sidewalls provides additional sidewall area to deflect the refiner material. The length and angle of the sidewall should be sufficient such that a fast moving particle cannot move along a radial through the gap between the teeth without hitting the sidewall of a tooth. Accordingly, the projection of the width of the sidewall along a tangential direction should be at least as wide as the gap between the teeth of the last stator row.
[0039] The sidewalls on both sides of the outer row stator teeth 40 preferably form the same angles with respect to radii. The leading sidewall (facing the rotational direction of the rotor) deflects pulp. The trailing sidewall is on the opposite side of the tooth and faces a leading sidewall of an adjacent stator tooth. Maintaining the same angles on both sides of the teeth ensures that the gap between teeth remains constant along the length of the teeth. Accordingly, the leading and trailing sidewalls of the stator tooth are preferably symmetrical.
[0040] FIG. 5 shows a top down perspective view of an alternative tooth 70 for the last row of the stator plate. The alternative tooth has a double angled sidewall 72 that includes a radial sidewall section 78 and an angled wall section 80 . The radial sidewall section 78 is substantially aligned with a radial of the stator plate. The angled wall section 80 is offset from a radial by an angle 10 to 60 degrees and preferably between 15 to 45 degrees. The length and angle of the angled sidewall 80 are arranged to deflect all refined material moving along a radial and between teeth in the last row of stator teeth. In particular, the tangential projection 81 of the length of the sidewall 80 spans the width of the gap between adjacent teeth in the last stator row.
[0041] FIG. 6 shows a top down perspective view of another alternative tooth 84 for the last row of the stator plate. The alternative tooth has a curved sidewall 86 that starts as a substantially radial sidewall section 88 and progressively turns to an angled wall section 90 . The inward radial sidewall section 88 is substantially aligned with a radial of the stator plate. The length and curvature of sidewall 86 are arranged to deflect all refined material moving along a radial and between teeth in the last row of stator teeth. In particular, the tangential projection of the length of the sidewall 86 should span the width of the gap between adjacent teeth in the last stator row.
[0042] While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
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A refiner stator plate having concentric rows of teeth wherein an outer row is at or near an outer periphery of the plate, and the outer row teeth include leading sidewalls slanted to deflect high-velocity refining particles moving along a radial line between the plates.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to United Stated provisional application 60/822,880 filed Aug. 18, 2006, titled “Pharmacy Printer System and Method.” The contents of 60/822,880 are incorporated herein by reference.
The disclosures of the following co-owned patent applications relate to PMSs, and the disclosure of those applications are incorporated herein by reference PIP174BANFU-US, 11/366,397, filed Mar. 3, 2006, entitled “PHARMACY NETWORK COMPUTER SYSTEM AND INTEGRATED PRINTER”, and PIP162ROBE-PCT, PCT/US06/19432, filed May 18, 2006, entitled “SYSTEM OF PERFORMING A RETROSPECTIVE DRUG PROFILE REVIEW OF DE-IDENTIFIED PATIENTS”.
The disclosure of the following co-owned patent applications relate to two sided printing to combined point of sale system register receipts and advertisements on register receipt paper, and the disclosure of those applications are incorporated herein by reference: PIP175MOUNP-US, application 60/742,908 filed Dec. 7, 2005, and PIP175MOUNU-US, application Ser. No. 11/488,126 filed Jul. 18, 2006, both entitled “COMBINATION PRINTER AND ITS PAPER” and these disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to printing in pharmacies.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,759,366 and 6,784,906 disclose technology enabling two sided thermal printing. Systems for printing a medicine label and related advisory information are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,849 entitled “Method and system for printing a combination pharmaceutical label and directed newsletter”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,394 entitled “Method and apparatus for automatically generating advisory information for pharmacy patients”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,524 entitled “Method and system for automatically generating advisory information for pharmacy patients along with normally transmitted data” all of which name Baxter Byerly as an inventor, and the teachings of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Catalina currently prints its “PatientLink” information in pharmacies. PatientLink contains information in a newsletter form including about 25% of the time sponsored information. Either Catalina or a sponsor generates the content.
Pharmacies print prescription labels. Pharmacies may also distribute additional information to prescription recipients, such as MedGuide and/or monograph. Under current practice, all MedGuide information is preprinted and shipped to each pharmacy, and the pharmacist or clerk is responsible for selecting the correct MedGuide and conveying that document with each prescription for the corresponding drug.
Many pharmacies generate their prescriptions by printing the prescription label, placing the label on a bottle, locating in their store the specified drug, placing the specified quantity of drug in the bottle, and then placing the bottle in a small bag. Then, they either staple MedGuide or related information to the bag, place that information inside the bag, or locate the pre-printed MedGuide information when the prescription recipient requests possession of the prescription.
Acronyms
NDC is an acronym for National Drug Code.
DCC is an acronym for Drug Classification Code.
CS is used herein as an acronym for “Computer System”.
CHR is an acronym for Catalina Health Resource.
POS is an acronym for Point of Sale.
FDA is an acronym for Food and Drug Administration.
CID is an acronym for Consumer IDentification.
PID is an acronym for Patient IDentification CID and PID are synonymous in this application.
XML is an acronym for Extensible Markup Language.
PMS is an acronym for Pharmacy Management System.
CS is an acronym for Computer System
Definitions
A CID means any identifier that can be used to identify a consumer that can be scanned, read, or otherwise entered into a computer.
A “consumer” means a person or family or group of people that use the same CID when purchasing or filling a medicinal prescription in a store, such as a pharmacy store.
A POS is an area where a consumer engages in transactions with a retail store, such as a pharmacy store.
NDCs are codes associated with drugs. Preferably, NDCs are the unique 11-digit 3-segment number that identifies the labeler/vendor, product, and trade package size of a medication listed under Section 510 of the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
DCCs are codes associated with medications based upon the medication's effects on human beings such that several medications may have the same DCC.
Individual transaction data includes but is not limited to data conveying some or all of following information: time of transaction, date of transaction, CID, individual transaction ID, pharmacy ID, product purchased, price of product purchases (list price and/or actual price paid), payment instrument type, payment instrument identifier.
A MedGuide is a guideline containing FDA-approved patient information associated with a DCC. For example, a MedGuide can include information such as, important information a patient should know about the drug, what the drug is, who should not take the drug or medicine, information a patient should tell a doctor before starting the drug, how a patient should take the drug, how a patient should store the drug, what a patient should avoid while taking the drug, the side effects of the drug, other information about the ailment of which the patient is taking the drugs for, the ingredients of the drug, and general information about the safe and effective use of the drug. A MedGuide contains text, which may be stored as a text computer file.
A drug monograph is a written description of a drug or medicine associated with an NDC. For example, a monograph can include information such as, introduction, summary, pharmacology, pharmaco-kinetics, FDA approved indications, off-label uses, dosage and administration, adverse effects, overdose, safety data, contraindications, warnings, precautions, drug interactions, efficacy measures, cost comparison, clinical trials, conclusions, recommendations, references, supplied, and research. A drug monograph contains text, which may be stored in a text computer file. A drug monograph is not required by the FDA. Drug monographs are third party content having drug related information. Government regulations (OBRA 1990) requires pharmacist to counsel all patients receiving Federal services. Monographs and certain other written information in practice can fulfillment the counseling requirement.
Prescribing Information (PI) or Full Prescribing Information (FPI) are documents the drug manufacturer is required to produce before a prescription drug can be sold. Patient Package Information (PPI) is a manufacturer produced document requiring FDA (government) approval, designed for the consumer, and meant to be a substitute for the PI, if approved by the FDA.
PatientLink is the name Catalina Marketing uses for the newsletter it has pharmacies print at the pharmacy store for patients receiving a prescription. PatientLink includes Catalina generated and sponsor generated content.
A PMS means a computerized system for managing pharmacy prescription information in order to assist a pharmacy in receiving and fulfilling prescriptions. It includes at least a computer including a Input/Output (I/O) terminal for a user to input pharmacy prescription information, a printer for printing prescription labels for pharmacy products, a processor for processing digital information, a memory system for storing pharmacy information, and operating system and applications programming.
Accompanying information includes but is not limited to information provided to the prescription recipient along with the prescription medicine and the prescription label. Accompanying information includes MedGuide, drug monograph, PI, FPI, PPI, and PatientLink information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Overview
The inventors realized that current methods for providing the accompanying information originating from a variety of sources, to prescription recipients in pharmacies, is inefficient and unreliable. The inventors realized that this inefficiency is at least in part because the various types of information are printed separately in time and space.
The inventors disclose herein systems and methods for the printing in the pharmacy all information specific to a particular prescription recipient, synchronized in time with the fulfillment of the prescription. The systems and methods determine what accompanying information to associate with a prescription, integrates that accompanying information into one integrated document, and prints the document in the pharmacy prior to when the prescription recipient receives the prescription. In addition, the systems and methods determine layout of the specific accompanying information associated with a prescription to physically distinct sections of the paper.
Preferably, the systems and methods print the content on both sides of the document, preferably using a dual sided thermal printer. Preferably, the printer is a two sided thermal printer, which uses paper having a thermal barrier therein to prevent heat suitable for generating print color on one side from causing print color on the opposite side. In addition, each side of the paper may print to one color, but the colors on each side may be different; such as red/red or red/blue or red/black etc wherein the “/” indicates opposite sides of the paper.
The inventors also conceived of automated mechanisms to operate in complement with pharmacies to determine from a prescription what information content to print, and format and lay out of print for that information, for printing on two sides of paper, using a printer designed for two sided printing. The inventors conceived of structure and methods for storing all relevant information that might be printed, running rules using a prescription's information to select what specific information to print, running rules for formatting the selected information for printing, subsequently printing the formatted information, and preferably folding the paper on which printed information resides in correlation with the formatting to paginate the paper such that the print does not overlap the folds.
PMS Software Object
The system includes a PMS which includes PMS software (hereinafter the PMS Software Object, PMS SO) for assisting the pharmacy in receiving, and logging prescriptions, and fulfilling the prescriptions including printing of the prescription labels. The PMS may or may not include the hardware and software facilitating the financial transaction functions of purchasing of drugs identified in the prescriptions, often referred to as POS functions. In order to comply with data privacy law, pharmacy prescription data is not generally accessible from a POS CSs, such as a POS CS of a supermarket having a pharmacy.
The PMS SO is configured to receive prescription information entered into the PMS for request for a prescription, generate a prescription identification for the request for the prescription, log that information, and also transmit the prescription identification and at least some of the prescription information, such as a drug name or drug identification, to the Catalina Software Object (Catalina SO).
In addition, the PMS software may instruct a printer to print a prescription label (a paper having preferably the prescription drug, and perhaps dosage, and the intended recipient, on it, preferably having an adhesive backing covered by a peel away paper) for sticking on a container, such as a pill bottle, containing the prescription medicine. The prescription label may also have printed thereon a bar code readable by an optical scanner of the PMS. The bar code may encode the prescription identification. The prescription identification may be read by a scanner of the PMS. The PMS SO is configured to respond to reading the bar code by retrieving the accompanying information print file for that prescription and printing the accompanying information for that prescription. The printer has paper sized to the dimensions specified in the print file.
Catalina Software Object
The PMS includes a software object or software objects, herein after the Catalina Software Object (Catalina SO). The Catalina SO receives prescription information from the PMS SO and determines what accompanying information (as defined above) to print in association with each prescription. The Catalina SO may determine the print format of that information. The Catalina SO and the PMS SO function to generate both the prescription label and the accompanying information in printed format prior to when the prescription is delivered to the prescription recipient.
Upon receipt of prescription information, or within a short time thereafter (a short time being less time that it is likely to take for the prescription to be prepared and provided to the patient), the Catalina SO executes its rules to determine what accompanying information should be printed in response to the prescription. The Catalina SO then runs rules to determine format, that is, layout, of those items for printing on paper. Preferably, using a 2 sided printer. Therefore, the Catalina SO determines layout for two sided printing. The Catalina SO generates a file containing accompanying information content and accompanying information layout for printing, and preferably the prescription identification. The Catalina SO will transmit this file to a print driver, which will convert it to a file for printing by a printer. Call this file the Catalina print file. Preferably, the Catalina print file is stored in association with the prescription identification. For example, a representation of the prescription identification may be embedded in the name of the print file.
The print file may contain PCL code which can be natively understood by the printer. The underlying operating system may be any variety of Unix or Windows.
Alternatively, the Catalina SO may receive sufficient prescription request information from the PMS SO to specify the contents of the prescription label, and include in the print file it generates print data for printing the prescription label. In this case, the prescription label and the accompanying information will print on the same printer, in which case preferably the printer uses a dual adhesive label and document paper form, such as referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,849.
Initial implementation of text and graphics layout will be by arranging the accompanying information in fixed areas of equal size and shape as one another, for example, two columns per page, each column being 4.4 by 8 inches wide, and 7 inches high. Each element of the accompanying information is arranged such that each items has continuity, if spanning more than one fixed column area. The code may include determination of page numbers and printing of indicia indicating continuity, such as “Continued on page 2” for a MedGuide that spans areas on pages 1 and 2.
The printer driver may print the print file or files immediately upon its or their generation. However, in most PMSs the printer drive will store the print files in association with the prescription identification in memory (typically disc memory). These print files include the prescription label print file and the accompanying information print file, or a combined prescription label and accompanying information print file.
Method of Operation
Someone, such as a patient, provides a prescription to a pharmacist, and requests that the prescription be filled.
Upon receipt of the prescription request, the pharmacist or clerk enters the prescription information into the PMS.
The PMS SO generates the prescription label The PMS SO transmits the prescription information to the Catalina SO. For example, the PMS SO stores a file in the PMS's memory, such as disk or RAM, having a specified name or storage location. The file contains prescription information. The Catalina SO includes code to search for new files having the specified name format or stored in the specified location, and to thereafter access those files to obtain the stored prescription information.
The Catalina SO retrieves the prescription information, determines accompanying information to associated with the prescription based upon the prescription information, rules applicable to the prescription information, and stored content for accompanying information, and generates a print file containing data defining accompanying information.
Preferably, the Catalina SO causes the print file containing data defining accompanying information to print. Alternatively, the printing of the accompanying information is triggered by scanning the bar code on a prescription label for the prescription.
Next, a scanner of the PMS reads a bar code (or other machine readable indication) coding the prescription identification. The bar code preferably resides on the printed prescription label. The clerk or pharmacist retrieves the previously printed accompanying information and provides that to the patient at the same time as providing the bottle or package containing the drug to which the prescription label is affixed.
Format of Accompanying Information
The format of the printed information is important. The inventors have identified a need for a specific width range of paper of the printed information to two columns wide, each column being 4.4 inches wide. They recognized that this is dictated by the depth of existing pharmacy prescription bins; bins into which prescriptions are placed pending transfer of the fulfilled prescription to the patient. Typically, the information to be conveyed occupies more than can be printed on one piece of paper having two columns of print each column being 4.4 inches wide, and any reasonable height. Therefore, the inventors conceive of multiple pages of information being printed, and formatted via bending or binding into a multi page document. Each 4.4 inch wide by 8 inch long column of print is referred to as a panel.
Preferably, the printing is concurrent on both sides. This will provide for faster completion of printing, and time to completion is critical to avoid delaying the clerk, pharmacist, and customer/patient.
Preferably, the printing is either folded after printing, perforated, or prefolded, at distances along the direction of paper feed of 4-6 inches, such that resulting printout can be configured into booklet (folded and/or bound pages) form having a width of 4-6 inches.
The inventors envisioned the need for the multi page printing having page width of 4-6 inches and page height of about 11 inches, and prefolded paper.
In the printing and manufacturing process for dual sided thermal printing paper, paper is rolled around a drum preferably having a twenty two inch circumference/diameter. The surface of the drum contacting the paper may include protrusions or cavities resulting in lines of micro perforations in the paper at defined spacings. The micro perforations facilitate folding of the paper along the line of perforations. The drums may also have structure resulting in “end of form” marks on the paper. The “end of form” marks are indicia on the paper optically read by the printer to position paper in the printer at the start of a page for the next print job. The structure on the drum generating the micro perforations and the end of form) have to be at equi-distant points around the drum, so that sequential papers advancing around the drum are perforated at the same locations as one another, and so that paper for a subsequent print job is aligned prior to start of that print job to obtain perforation lines and end of form indicia at the intended locations. The inventors conceive of a preferred drum diameter of twenty two inches. A preferred page width is about 4.5 inches, since those page widths are commensurate with what the paper manufacturing the drum diameter can produce and will fit in conventional pharmacy prescription bins. Less preferably, the pages (and spacings between repeat patterns of structure of the surface of the drum forming micro perforations) may be four to six inches in width. A preferred page height is 8 inches.
The inventors recognized that a problem with providing the desired information is regulatory compliance. The regulatory required accompanying information is provided for less than half of all prescriptions. The system and methods disclosed herein should increase compliance by easing the burden of the pharmacist in associating the correct informational papers with each prescription. However, the pharmacist or clerk would still have to physically associate printed material with the fulfilled prescription prior to providing the prescription to the prescription recipient.
In one alternative, the printer of the accompanying information is designed to print that information paper pre formed into bags. The indicia printed on the bag preferably includes a unique identification of the prescription, such as a representation of the prescription identification (bar code, number, etc). That enables the pharmacist or the patient to visually associate the prescription label with the printed bag for that prescription. This embodiment ensures a higher level of compliance with regulatory requirements. Optionally, the printer prints non bag paper, and that printed paper is post processed, either by hardware attached to the printer or a separate device, to form a bag.
In other embodiments, hardware attached to the printer bends and/or binds the pages of the printed accompanying information and/or binds the printed accompanying information into a pamphlet or a book format.
Catalina SO Content Switches
The Catalina SO stores, by drug identification and retail store identification, which MedGuides and other accompanying information to include in the print jobs for prescriptions specifying each drug, whether to print on refills of a prescription, the MedGuides and the other accompanying information. These options regarding what to print based upon drug identification in a prescription and retail store identification are sometimes referred to as software switches. These options may be stored in a table including fields for drug identification, retail store identification, whether to print MedGuide, whether to print other accompanying information, whether to print MedGuide on refill, whether to print other accompanying information upon refill. For example, for a particular drug, drug X, the Catalina SO in the PMS in one retail store (or more likely in the PMSs of all retail stores owned by the same company) might be programmed to print no accompanying information, or no MedGuide. In addition, that PMS might be configured to not print MedGuides for refills on a prescription, or not print refills on a prescription for drug X, but print MedGuides for refills for drug Y. The PMS would need to pass the prescription refill status information to the Catalina SO, so that the Catalina SO could make those determinations for each prescription.
Interaction with a Central CS
In addition, the Catalina SO may be programmed to transmit the prescription information received by the Catalina SO out of the PMS to a central CS. The central CS may be configured to transmit data from the central CS back to the PMS for the Catalina SO. This data may include instructions resulting from the central CS processing of the prescription information. The transmissions to and from the central CS would be prompt, on the order of less than seconds or minutes, so that the PMS could act on instructions prior to when the clerk or pharmacist in the corresponding pharmacy fulfills the corresponding prescription. For example the central CS could run code specifying what sponsored material to include in the printed accompanying information, and transmit the sponsored material to the PMS for inclusion in the print file for printing the accompanying information. In addition, the central CS could then agglomerate prescription drug purchase information across a large number of pharmacy stores to rapidly determine, for example, changes in with time in drug purchasing for each drug, to provide a quick indication of sales to the drug manufacturers. Drug manufactures might use that information in conjunction with the timing of regional or national advertising campaigns, to determine the effectiveness of that advertising, and to determine when to produce more or less of a specified drug, thereby controlling drug inventory. Preferably, the central CS stores in memory a geographic region in association with the identification of each PMS pharmacy. However, data received at the central CS originating in a PMS may include some indicia indicating the physical location of the corresponding pharmacy. For example, a network identification otherwise associated with a geographic region.
Central CS Services
The central CS transmits all updates to accompanying information to each PMS. In addition, the central CS may transmit update of formatting and content selection rules for accompanying information to each PMS.
The central CS preferably provides a related service. The central CS queries, prompts, or otherwise obtains via download from each one of a plurality of drug manufacturer's networked CSs, MedGuide data, reformats the MedGuide data, and downloads the reformatted MedGuide data to either (1) a Catalina CS or printer database in each of a plurality of pharmacies or (2) to the PMS for each of those pharmacies, or some of each. The central CS obtains, via manual or automated monitoring, identifications of drugs going off patent, and manually or automatically derives from the drug class information generic MedGuides for generic versions of the same drug. The derivation removes the trademarked name of the drug, and clarifies the source of any study results specified in the new MedGuide. For example, indicating that study results are industry studies, and for example specifying the manufacture that sponsored the studies, and otherwise comply with MedGuide formatting as to letter sizes heading sizes, and white space requirements. The central CS can transmit revised and new MedGuides to each PMS, in the central CS's specified format.
Prescription Data Received by the Catalina SO
Currently contemplated fields for the data the Catalina SO receives from the pharmacy computer system software (PMSS) in the data record include (from Catalina Health Resource XML Interface Overview, Version 3.0, rev. 6): XML Header; Message version; State Code; Region; Retailer division; Retailer Store; NCPDP ID Number; Language Indicator; Unique Patient ID; Customer Name; Name Mask; Date of Birth; Gender; Opt Out (HIPAA); Transaction Sequence; Script Status; NDC; Medication Name; RX Number; Dispensed Qty.; Refill Sequence; Daily Supply qty; Daily Supply days; Original Fill Date; Expires Date; Refills Remaining; Monograph; Patient Directions; Pharmacist Directions; Dr Number; Simplex or Integrated; HIPAA Privacy msg; Payor; Payor Code; Control Number; Bin Number; Agency; Group; and Plan.
FORMAT: Field; Format (example); Description; Start tag; End Tag
XML Header; Alpha-text; XML header tag; <?XML version=”1.0”?>; N/A
Message identifier; Alpha-text; XML tag; <newsletter>; </newsletter>
Message version; Alpha-text Version (3.0); Message version number;
<MessageVersion>; </MessageVersion>
State Code; Alpha-text (2); State code for store location; <StateCode>; </StateCode>
Region; Numeric text, variable length ( 4 ); Geographic region; <DMAD>; </DMAD>
Retailer division; Alpha-numeric text ( 10 ); Division id to aid in triggering division
specific programs; <Division>; </Division>
Retailer Store; Alpha-numeric text ( 4 ); Store id to aid in triggering store specific
programs; <Store>; </Store>
NCPDP ID Number; Alpha Numeric (7); National Council for Prescription Provider ID.;
<NCPDP>; </NCPDP>
Language Indicator; Alpha-text, 1 char E or S ( S ); English or Spanish language
preference.; <Language>; <Language>
Unique Patient ID; Alpha-numeric variable length text
( 123456A); Pharmacy system's unique patient identifier.; <PatientId>; </PatientId>
Customer Name; Alpha-numeric variable length text
( Jane Doe ); Patient name is required to personalize the newsletter.; <PatientName>;
</PatientName>
Name Mask; Alpha-numeric variable length text ( Y ); A flag to tell our software to mask
patient name with “Valued Customer”; <MaskName>; </MaskName>
Date of Birth; Alpha-numeric text, 10 chars mm/dd/yyyy ( 02/06/1962 ); Used to
calculate the patient's age.; <DateOfBirth>; </DateOfBirth>
Gender; Alpha text, 1 char M or F or U ( M ); M - Male F - FemaleU - unknown;
<Gender>; </Gender>
Opt Out (HIPAA); Alpha-numeric variable length text (Y); A flag to tell our software this
patient does not want his/her information used to trigger a newsletter. And does not want to
receive a newsletter; <OptOut>; </OptOut>
Transaction Sequence; Numeric text (15); Transaction number from RX system, used for
QA purposes; <TransSeq>; </TransSeq>
Script Status; Alpha text, 1 char N or R ( R ); N - New ScriptR - Refill; <ScriptStatus>;
</ScriptStatus>
NDC; Numeric text,11 digit ########### ( 12345678901 ) or alpha-numeric,
13 chars#####-####-## ( 12345-6789-01 ); 11 digit National Drug Code (with or without
standard dashes); <NDC>; </NDC>
Medication Name; Alpha-numeric variable length text ( Zocor ); This information is
printed on the newsletter. May contain actual drug name and phonetic spelling.;
<MedicationName>; </MedicationName>
RX Number; Alpha-numeric variable length text ( 123456A); Prescription number is
printed on the newsletter. Used for message validation.; <rxNumber>; </rxNumber>
Dispensed Qty. ; Numeric text ( 25 ); Qty of medication dispensed, i.e. pill count;
<DispQty>; </DispQty>
Refill Sequence; Numeric text ( 2 ); Field contains 0 for new scripts. On the first refill
this field would contain 1.; <RefillNumber>; </RefillNumber>
Daily Supply qty; Numeric, variable length ( 3 ); Daily qty of consumption of medication.
i.e. 3 pills; <DailySupply>; </DailySupply>
Days Supply days; Numeric, variable length ( 30 ); Number of days this script is intended
to last.; <DaysSupply>; </DaysSupply>
Original Fill Date; Alpha-numeric text, 10 chars mm/dd/yyyy ( 02/06/2000 ); This is the
date that the prescription originally got filled as a new script.; <FillDate>; </FillDate>
Expires Date; Alpha-numeric text, 10 chars mm/dd/yyyy ( 02/06/2001 ); This
is the date that the original prescription expires.; <ExpireDate>; </ExpireDate>
Refills Remaining; Numeric text, variable length ( 3 ); Total refills less the ones that have
already been filled.; <Remaining>; </Remaining>
Monograph; Alpha-numeric variable length text
( 123456A); Monograph to be printed on the newsletter.; <Monograph>; </Monograph>
Patient Directions; Alpha-numeric variable length text
( 123456A); Patient directions to be printed on the newsletter.; <Directions>; </Directions>
Pharmacist Directions; Alpha-numeric variable length text
( 123456A); Pharmacist directions to be printed on the newsletter.; <RxDirections>;
</RxDirections>
Dr Number; Alpha-numeric variable length text ( 123456A); Dr.'s identification
number.; <DrId>; </DrId>
Simplex or Integrated; Boolean value ; A flag to tell our software whether the newsletter
will be integrated with the label or not(separate from the label - simplex). ;
<IntegrateNewsletter>; </IntegrateNewsletter>
HIPAA Privacy msg; Y/N (1); Y = do not print msg, N = print msg.; <HIPAA>;
</HIPAA>
Payor; Alpha-numeric variable length text ( CASH ); Third party payer name/description.
CASH if customer paid.; <Payor>; </Payor>
Payor Code; Alpha-numeric variable length text( CASH ); Third party payer code CASH
if customer paid.; <PayorCode>; </PayorCode>
Control Number; Alpha Numeric (9); Payer's processor control number.;
<ControlNumber>; </ControlNumber>
Bin Number; Numeric (6); Bank Identification Number. Payer code information.;
<BinNumber>; </BinNumber>
Agency; Alpha-numeric variable length text ( 123456A); The legal relationship between
an agent and a principal; <Agency>; </Agency>
Group; Alpha-numeric variable length text ( 123456A); Insurance that provides coverage
for several people under one contract, called a master contract.; <Group>; </Group>
Plan; Alpha-numeric variable length text ( 123456A); A plan document identifies the
benefits the participants are to receive and the requirements they must meet to become entitled to
those benefits. ; <Plan>; </Plan>.
Additional concepts include the following.
Providing in print a change of color, contrast, other highlighting, or a particular logo, when printed accompanying information includes recently updated information, such as information on newly identified side effects. This would alert patients to changes in information about the medicine they were taking.
Adding disposable/programmable audio device—chip as an alternative or in addition to medGuide/PI printed information; possibly integrated into a pill bottle. Add telephone service providing recorded message of med guide/monograph info. One telephone number per prescription type, and one such telephone number on each bottle label. Provide corresponding dial up service, and integrate number/prescription type print into the software code printing the prescription and/or printing the accompanying information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic of computer network 1 ;
FIG. 2 is a schematic of PMS 200 of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a container schematic of database 260 of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a container schematic of Catalina SO data 320 of FIG. 3 ;
FIG. 5 is a container schematic of rules data 420 of FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 6 is a design view of drug data table 410 A for drug data fields of drug data 410 of FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 7 is a design view of content selection rules table 510 A for content selection rules data 510 ;
FIG. 8 is a design view of formatting rules table 520 A for formatting rules data 520 ;
FIG. 9 shows simplified plan view of accompanying data laid out on plates of printed page size;
FIG. 10 shows front and back plan views of a first alternative format for printing of accompanying information shown in FIG. 9 ;
FIG. 11 shows front and back plan views of a second alternative format for printing of accompanying information shown in FIG. 9 ;
FIG. 12 shows front and back plan views of a third alternative format for printing of accompanying information shown in FIG. 9 that includes printing fill data; and
FIG. 13 is a schematic process flow diagram for the Catalina SO.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a computer network including a central CS 10 , and a series of PMSs including PMS 130 , PMS 240 , etc, connected via a wide area network 20 , such as the Internet.
Lines shown connecting elements represent conventional network packet switched or always connected data communication lines. Each computer includes a central processing unit for processing instructions, memory, and input/output devices for interacting with human beings. Each PMS controls the prescription fulfillment process at one or more pharmacies.
FIG. 2 show PMS 30 including CS 210 , memory or database 260 , read and write access to which is controlled by CS 210 , terminal 220 , for input and output of data, scanner 230 , for input of data in the form of optically recognizable bar codes, prescription label printer 240 for printing inter alia prescription labels and bar codes, and accompanying information printer 250 for printing inter alia accompanying information. Alternatively, any or each of the elements 220 - 250 may comprise a CS networked via a local area network to CS 210 . In one alternative, accompanying information printer 250 stores all text and graphical accompanying information, and it receives from CS 210 reference to elements of that information indicating to printer 250 what accompanying information to print in association with a specified prescription. More details on such an alternative exists in U.S. application 60/759,552, filed Jan. 18, 2006, U.S. application Ser. No. 11/366,397, filed Mar. 3, 2006, both entitled “PHARMACY NETWORK COMPUTER SYSTEM AND INTEGRATED PRINTER” and both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIG. 3 shows contents of database 260 including PMS SO data 310 , Catalina SO data 320 , prescription label print files 330 , each associated with a prescription ID, and accompanying information print files 340 , each associated with a prescription ID. Files 330 , 340 , are the files ready for printing the prescription labels and accompanying information associated with specified prescription identifications.
FIG. 4 shows contents of the Catalina SO data including drug data 410 and rules data 420 . Drug data 410 includes all accompanying information for each identified drug product. Rules data 420 includes rules determining what accompanying information content to print for a prescription, and how to format that content for printing.
FIG. 5 shows rules data 420 including content selection rules 510 and print formatting rules 520 .
FIG. 6 shows a design view of table 410 A storing fields for drug data 410 . FIG. 6 shows fields with names representing the data stored in the field. The field names are drug brand name, NDC, DCC, MedGuide, monograph, prescribing information, Catalina generated content, Sponsor generated content, MedGuide length, monograph length, prescribing information length, Catalina generated content length, sponsor generated content length, and fill blank space content. The field names are only exemplary in that for example, there may be additional fields for additional sponsored content, and additional field for the various different types of prescribing information. The “length” fields contain a measure of print length for text content, such as character count or line count. The length fields may be used by formatting rules as specified below.
Alternatively, the field for potentially repetitive content, repetitive over more than one drug product such as MedGuide, monograph, prescribing information, and generated content, may be stored in a separate table and identified in table 410 A only by a reference therein to the other table, for example using a foreign key.
Moreover, the drug data 410 may in fact be stored in a database in the printer that prints the accompanying information. In this embodiment, the drug data stored in database 260 (database controlled by CS 210 ), may only store a reference to the data fields for the MedGuide, monograph, prescribing information, etc, such a reference for example being the DCC and/or NDC. In this embodiment, the processor in the printer may perform the content and format determinations noted above as performed by the Catalina SO.
FIG. 7 shows a design view of table 510 A representing content selecting rules 510 . This is only one of alternative ways to represent content selection rules. In this representation, table 510 A includes field names wherein the field names describe the content, and those field names are: NDC, DDC, Switch—MedGuide; Switch—PI; Switch—Catalina generated content; Switch—Sponsor generated content; and Pharmacy or PMS ID. The “Switch” fields are boolean fields indicating whether to print the corresponding accompanying information: MedGuide, PI, and generated contents.
FIG. 8 shows a design view of table 520 A having fields for storing formatting rules 520 . In this representation, table 520 A includes field names wherein the field names describe the content, and those field names are: Pharmacy (or PMS) ID; NDC; DDC; Content location sequence; Switch—Wrap Print; and Switch—Fill Blank Space. The content location sequence contains datum indicating sequence of print of the various identified components of accompanying information, such as MedGuide, then Monograph, then Catalina Generated content. As a result, these elements of accompanying content would print with MedGuide starting on page 1, and the other elements following on sequential from where the MedGuide print ended.
Print text and graphics are laid out in “plates” which correspond to the height and width of a column of text to appear on a printed page. For example, there may be 1, 2, or 3 printed columns.
The Switch—Wrap Print is a value determining where to begin printing a subsequent element of accompanying data, such as monograph, after end of print of a prior element, such as MedGuide. For example, printing of the monograph may begin on the next line after the last line of the MedGuide in the same column in which the MedGuide print ends, in the sequentially next column after the end of the MedGuide, or on the sequentially next page after then end of the MedGuide.
Switch—Fill Blank Space contains one or more values indicating how the Catalina SO should fill any blank space. Blank space is space resulting from unfilled rows or pages due to the values for Switch—Wrap Print and whether there exists blank space on the last page of the printed document.
FIG. 9 shows plates 901 - 904 (height and width each corresponding to a column for text printing) and printed material thereon indicated by hashing. Plates 901 and 902 have print 910 and 920 indicating MedGuide text/graphics. Plate 903 has print 930 indicating PI text/graphics. Plate 904 has print 940 indicating sponsor generated content. Plates 901 - 904 are each shown having a single column of text for simplicity of illustration.
FIG. 10 shows a front side 1010 and a back side 1020 of a paper having the information shown in FIG. 9 printed thereon. FIG. 10 shows each type of information, MedGuide, PI, and Monograph, starting on a distinct page/column of paper, corresponding to a value of Switch Wrap Print, indicating print for each element of accompanying information starting on a new page or column.
FIG. 11 shows a front side 1110 and a back side 1120 of a paper having the information shown in FIG. 9 printed thereon. FIG. 11 shows printing in which Switch Wrap Print indicates printing of accompanying information continues in the same column after one element of accompanying information ends. As a result, an unprinted region exists at the bottom of page 3, and there is no print on page 4. Switch—Fill blank space determines whether the Catalina SO retrieves additional information to fill the blank space. The additional information for filling blank space may be PMS specific information, such as PMS advertising, PMS incentive offers, manufacturer sponsored incentive offers, or other informational materials. This information may be stored in the PMS in a location and in a format accessible to the Catalina SO.
FIG. 12 shows the same information as FIG. 11 , except that it includes on page 4 fill content 1210 .
FIG. 13 shows the process flow 1300 for a preferred embodiment of the Catalina SO.
In step 1305 , the Catalina SO receives a prescription message from the PMS SO and optional retailer content to print. As to the retailer content, this is information that the retailer specifies for the Catalina SO to configure and print. For example, a particular retailer may desire to have their versions of drug monographs printed. In that case, their PMS SO would send data defining their drug monograph to the Catalina SO.
In step 1310 , the Catalina SO selects additional content based upon patient or prescription information. Note that in step 1305 the prescription message may include Unique Patient ID. The patient ID may be used to trigger print of patient ID specific information. This information may have previously been stored locally in the PMS. This information may have been associated with the patient ID at a central CS and thereafter transmitted to the PMS, for the Catalina SO.
In step 1315 , the Catalina SO removes any competing elements. For example, when the retailer sends a drug monograph and the Catalina SO determines another drug monograph for he same drug.
In step 1320 , the Catalina SO selects the drug monograph for the prescribed drug.
In step 1325 , the Catalina SO determines whether to print a MedGuide. If yes, it proceeds to step 1330 . If no, it proceeds to step 1335 .
In step 1330 , the Catalina SO selects a MedGuide for printing.
In step 1335 , the Catalina SO determines if Ad1 is required, PI, PPI, BS, and repeats this process n times. Ad1 means advertisement number 1. Pi means prescribing information, which is a document produced by drug manufacturers and intended for us by doctors as aid in prescribing and accompanies medicine shipped to pharmacies. PPI means patient product information designed for patients. BS means brief summary and is a brief summary of the PI. In operation, in step 1335 , advertisements for prescription drugs are associated with at least one of a corresponding PI, PPI, BS for that drug. The process of determining print information repeats for each prescription drug advertisement to be printed, hence, n times for n such advertisements.
In step 1340 , the Catalina SO reviews and implements retailer specific rules regarding layout, such as a rule requiring the drug monograph be on the front page of the print.
In step 1345 , the Catalina SO processes a final table of content to print.
In step 1350 , the Catalina SO determines optimal layout of print elements, determines the TOC, and layout of any teaser content.
In step 1355 , the Catalina SO generates the final print job in either pdf or PCL format.
In step 1360 , the Catalina SO determines whether or not to print immediately. If yes, proceed to step 1365 . If no, proceed to step 1370 .
In step 1365 , the Catalina SO sends the print job to the printer, which prints the print job for the customer.
In step 1370 , the Catalina SO writes to disk or memory the print job.
In an additional step related to step 1370 , the prescription ID is scanned, which triggers printing of the print job. In practice, this is usually when the pharmacist is assembling the prescription drugs in a package, so that the pharmacist can then affix the printed information to the corresponding prescription drug package. Alternatively, the print job may be triggered by scanning the prescription ID at the time the customer picks up the drub package, and at that time also provided to the customer along with the prescription drug package.
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A computer network system and method for printing in the pharmacy all information specific to a particular prescription recipient, synchronized in time with the fulfillment of the prescription. The computer network system and method determines what accompanying information to associate with a prescription, integrates that accompanying information into one integrated document, and prints the document, along with a prescription label, in the pharmacy prior to when the prescription recipient receives the prescription. In addition, the systems and methods determine layout of the specific accompanying information associated with a prescription to physically distinct sections of the paper.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is directed to a method for setting (adjusting) the operating point of a drive train whose purpose is to provide a mechanical and an electrical power output.
BACKGROUND INVENTION
[0002] Typically, the drive train of a motor vehicle includes a combustion engine having two degrees of freedom (variables) which can be used to set the operating point of the combustion engine. For example, the speed of the combustion engine is the first degree of freedom, which is a kinematic degree of freedom. The desired torque of the combustion engine is the second degree of freedom, for example, which is a dynamic degree of freedom.
[0003] If the drive train of a motor vehicle has a hybrid drive, which includes one or more electric drives and one combustion engine, then the first degree of freedom can be the speed of the electric drive, and the second degree of freedom can be the speed of the combustion engine, for example.
[0004] The drive train can be both a serial, as well as a power take-off hybrid drive train. In addition, as a transmission, the drive train can include a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
[0005] In order to set or select the optimal operating point for the drive train that corresponds, for example, to the lowest possible fuel consumption, it is necessary, in this regard, to find the optimum value for the two degrees of freedom.
[0006] It is known from the related art, when determining the operating point of the drive train, to consider the entire drive power required for driving the motor vehicle in the form of a total drive power. The method for determining the optimal operating points, also referred to as operating strategy, specifies the speed and the torques of the individual power units, for example of the engine and the transmission, for this total drive power. Included in the total drive power are the required mechanical drive power and the on-board vehicle system power. It is disadvantageous that the power losses of the electrical machines present in the vehicle, that are likewise to be covered by the combustion engine, are not considered at all or are merely considered as estimated values. High-output electrical machines, in particular 42 V starter generators, as are provided in innovative on-board electrical systems, have power losses which, in part, are quite substantial and heavily dependent on the operating point. Known methods heretofore do not take the power losses of these electrical machines into consideration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An advantage of the method according to the present invention for setting the operating point of a drive train is that it also takes into consideration the electrical losses occurring in the on-board power supply.
[0008] Thus, in the method according to the present invention for setting the operating point of a drive train whose purpose is to provide a mechanical and an electrical power output, the appropriate characteristic map is selected from a plurality of characteristic maps on the basis of the required electrical power, and, from this characteristic map, the operating point is selected on the basis of a plurality of kinematic and/or dynamic degrees of freedom.
[0009] In one specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention, a control for an energy storage device supplies a parameter which is indicative of the condition of the energy storage device. The appropriate characteristic map is additionally selected on the basis of this parameter. This has the advantage of enabling the charge condition of the energy storage device, for example of the battery, to be considered as well.
[0010] One preferred variant of the method according to the present invention for setting the operating point of a drive train provides that the electrical power required by the power consumers and the electrical power demanded from or deliverable by the energy storage device be taken into consideration in order to determine the electrical power requirement.
[0011] In one embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the energy storage device is charged or discharged as a function of the characteristic map.
[0012] Moreover, in the method according to the present invention, the electrical power requirement may be assigned to a power stage, on whose basis the appropriate characteristic map is then selected.
[0013] To achieve the objective, the method according to the present invention also provides for the power stage to be selected on the basis of the condition of the energy storage device and/or on the basis of the level of the available voltage. In this way, additional general conditions, namely the level of the on-board voltage and the charge condition of the electrical energy storage device, may also be taken into consideration when selecting the operating point.
[0014] The method according to the present invention is advantageously employed in a motor vehicle.
[0015] It may be provided in the method according to the present invention for the first degree of freedom to be constituted of a variable that represents the speed of the motor vehicle.
[0016] It may additionally be provided in the method according to the present invention for the second degree of freedom to be constituted of a setpoint torque.
[0017] Another specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention provides that the drive train have a transmission, the transmission ratio being adjusted as a function of the operating point. It is thereby achieved that the transmission provides the optimal ratio.
[0018] Finally, one embodiment of the method according to the present invention provides that the drive train have an electric drive and an internal combustion drive, the torque or the speed of the internal combustion drive being specified as a function of the operating point, and the torque or the speed of the electric drive being specified as a function of the operating point. Thus, both the internal combustion drive, as well as the electric drive function optimally in a hybrid drive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 shows, in the form of a three-dimensional diagram, a characteristic map including the resulting speed of an engine as a function of the vehicle speed and the torque.
[0020] FIG. 2 shows, in the form of a three-dimensional diagram, another characteristic map including the resulting speed of the engine as a function of the vehicle speed and the setpoint torque.
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates, in the form of a block diagram, one possible specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention for setting the operating point.
[0022] FIG. 4 depicts, in the form of another block diagram, the structure of the operating strategy.
[0023] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a drive train whose operating point may be set by employing the method according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] In the three-dimensional diagram shown in FIG. 1 , desired torque MAwl is plotted on the axis extending to the right in the range from 0 to 400 Nm, and the speed of the vehicle vFzg is plotted on the axis extending to the left in the range from 0 to 100 km/h. Finally, the speed of engine nMot is represented on an axis ascending vertically, in the range from 1000 to 4000 revolutions per minute. On the basis of characteristic map 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 , a speed of vFzg=50 km/h and a desired output torque MAwl=300 Nm, for example, yields an engine speed of nMot=3000 revolutions per minute.
[0025] Alternatively thereto, with the aid of characteristic map 2 illustrated in FIG. 2 , engine torque MMot may also be determined as a function of speed vFzg of the vehicle and desired output torque MAwl. To this end in FIG. 2 , on the second axis extending to the right, just as in FIG. 1 , desired torque MAwl is plotted on the axis extending to the left, in the range from 0 to 400 Nm, and speed vFzg of the vehicle is plotted on the axis extending to the left, just as in FIG. 1 , in the range from 0 to 100 km/h. However, on the vertically ascending axis, engine torque Mmot is shown in the range from 0 to 300 Nm. A vehicle speed of, for example, vFzg=50 km/h and a desired output torque of MAwl=300 Nm yields an engine torque of MMot=200 Nm
[0026] Characteristic maps calculated off-line are stored in the vehicle control. They assign control variables to a vehicle speed vFzg and to a desired output torque MAwl in order to optimize the operating characteristics of the drive train, and, additionally, cover the electrical losses occurring during conversion of the drive power, without loading the battery.
PeM 1 mech+PeM 2 mech+PeMlverl+PeM 2 verl=0
PBatterie=0
[0027] Where
[0028] PeM 1 mech=mechanical power of electrical machine 1 ;
[0029] PeM 2 mech=mechanical power of electrical machine 2 ;
[0030] PeM 1 verl=power loss of electrical machine 1 ; and
[0031] PeM 2 verl=power loss of electrical machine 2 .
[0032] In addition to speed vFzg of the vehicle and desired output torque Mawl, the method according to the present invention takes into consideration power PBnz required by the on-board electrical system and a state variable bEnt, which will be discussed in greater detail further below. The electrical power balance is then calculated as:
PeM 1 mech+PeM 2 mech+PeM 1 verl+PeM 2 verl+PBnz=0
[0033] Electrical power PBnz required for the vehicle electrical system includes electrical power PVer demanded by the power consumers in the on-board electrical system and the power reserve of battery PBat. The operational sign of power reserve PBat depends on the charge condition of the battery. Thus, the need for the battery to be charged or discharged is reflected in power reserve PBat.
PBnz=PVer+PBat
[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates, in the form of a block diagram, the basic principles of one possible specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention. On the basis of the variables, speed vFzg of the vehicle, desired output torque MAwl, required on-board power PBat and state variable bEnt, the map-based operating strategy characterized by block 35 determines the setpoint speed or the setpoint torque for combustion engine 36 , electrical machine 1 , electrical machine 2 and transmission 39 . In FIG. 3 , electrical machine 1 is characterized by reference numeral 37 and electrical machine 2 by reference numeral 38 . Thus, map-based operating strategy 35 is used to specify setpoint speed nVsetpoint or setpoint torque MVsetpoint for combustion engine 36 , setpoint speed nlsetpoint or setpoint torque M 1 setpoint for first electrical machine 37 , setpoint speed n 2 setpoint or setpoint torque M 2 setpoint for second electrical machine 38 and setpoint ratio uGtr for transmission 39 .
[0035] Typically, when controlling a vehicle, control characteristic maps having up to two continuous (infinitely variable) input variables are provided. For that reason, the method according to the present invention provides for control characteristic maps to be calculated for discrete on-board power demands (parameters of a family). To this end, a discretizer is provided in the control chain (loop) of the operating strategy; see FIG. 4 . In accordance with a decision circuit bEnt, the discretizer assigns a discrete electrical setpoint power for the drive train to the active, continuous on-board power demand. For each discrete setpoint power, control maps are provided in the family of maps of the vehicle control which assign appropriate control variables to the drive train. The difference between on-board power demand PBnz and the discrete electrical setpoint power must be buffer-stored by the electrical energy storage device, for example in the form of a battery. High-capacity batteries, such as NiMH batteries, are particularly suited for this purpose. Their efficiency lies above 85 percent.
[0036] The structure of the operating strategy is shown in the form of a block diagram in FIG. 4 . From the two input variables, namely required electrical power PBnz and state variable bEnt, discretizer 46 generates a discretized required electrical power PDis. The number of different available power stages PDis depends on the technical boundary conditions. With the aid of families of shift maps 47 , setpoint ratio uGtr for transmission 39 is determined from discretized power PDis, together with speed vFzg and desired output torque MAwl and a subsequent ratio release. On the basis of families of shift maps 47 , discretized electrical power PDis, speed vFzg and desired output torque Mawl, setpoint speed nVsetpoint or setpoint torque MVsetpoint for combustion engine 36 is determined by families of control maps in block 49 . Finally, with the aid of families of control maps for the combustion engine, with the aid of speed vFzg and desired output torque Mawl, setpoint speeds n 1 setpoint and n 2 setpoint or setpoint torques Mlsetpoint and M 2 setpoint for the two electrical machines 37 and 38 are determined from the coupling conditions for the drive train.
[0037] The signal flow within the structure is described as follows.
[0038] a) The discretizer converts the continuous on-board setpoint power PBnz in accordance with decision selection bEnt into a discrete electrical setpoint power (PDis 0 . . . PDisi . . . PDisn) for the drive train, for which control maps are stored in the operating strategy. In the conversion, the following assignment specifications are provided.
bEnt=1: The nearest higher discrete setpoint power (PDisi+1) to the on-board setpoint power is output. bEnt=2: The nearest lower discrete setpoint power (PDisi) to the on-board setpoint power is output. bEnt=3: The highest discrete setpoint power PDisn is output. bEnt=4: The lowest discrete setpoint power Pdis 0 is output.
[0043] The operating strategy undertakes the loading of signal bEnt, taking into consideration the charge condition of the battery, the driving situation, or the level of the on-board system voltage.
[0044] b) An optimal transmission ratio uGtr is determined from the family of shift maps as a function of the input variables, vehicle speed vFzg, desired torque Mawl and discrete setpoint power Pdis.
[0045] c) A higher-level ratio release, which prevents shifting during cornering, double shifting, etc., releases the optimal transmission ratio uGtr.
[0046] d) The characteristic map associated with discrete setpoint power PDis and transmission ratio uGtr is selected from the families of control maps of the combustion engine, and the appropriate setpoint operating points of the combustion engine are read out for continuous input variables vFzg and MAwl.
[0047] e) The setpoint operating points of the electrical machines are able to be determined from the setpoint operating points of the combustion engine as a function of the coupling conditions of the drive train.
[0048] The on-board power demand may be carried out analogously when it is not mapped to a discrete raster.
[0049] In addition, the discretizer may be controlled as a function of the battery charge condition. Then, for example, in response to a heavily charged battery, the nearest discrete setpoint power PDisi lower than the continuous power demand and, in response to a heavily discharged battery, the nearest higher setpoint power PDisi+l are output.
[0050] In addition, the discretizer may also be controlled as a function of the on-board voltage. Then, for example, in response to a high on-board voltage, the nearest discrete setpoint power PDisi lower than the continuous power demand and, in response to a low on-board voltage, the nearest higher setpoint power PDisi+l are output.
[0051] Finally, the discretizer may also still be controlled as a function of the driving situation. For example, following a long uphill drive, the nearest setpoint power PDisi lower than the continuous power demand (allows for regeneration of braking energy) and, in city traffic or in stop-and-go situations, the nearest higher setpoint power PDisi+l are output.
[0052] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a drive train whose operating point may be set by employing the method according to the present invention. The two electrical machines Ema 1 and Ema 2 are connected to a battery Bat via which they are supplied with electrical energy. Each of the two electrical machines Ema 1 and Ema 2 is coupled via one machine brake Bre 1 , Bre 2 , respectively, gear-ratio steps Gst 1 and Gst 2 , respectively, axle drive Agt and wheel brake Brm to a wheel R. The same applies in principle to combustion engine Mot, as well, which is also coupled, however, to a freewheeling clutch Frl and a dual-mass flywheel Zms. Finally, a compressor Kim is also provided for the air-conditioning system which is connected via a decoupling stage AstC to the drive train. Reference numerals AstB 1 and AstB 2 characterize the decoupling stages of electrical machines Ema 1 and Ema 2 . On the other hand, reference numerals AstA 1 and AstA 2 characterize the decoupling stages of combustion engine Mot. Zwl 1 and Zwl 2 denote the intermediate shafts.
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A method for setting the operating point of a drive train whose purpose is to provide a mechanical and an electrical power output. The appropriate characteristic map is selected from a plurality of characteristic maps on the basis of the required electrical power, and, from this characteristic map, the operating point is selected on the basis of a plurality of kinematic and/or dynamic degrees of freedom.
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This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/191,127 filed on Mar. 22, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of devices called microbolometers, and specifically, is a microbolometer for detecting photons in the infrared, ultraviolet, EUV, and X-ray ranges.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several currently available systems are used to detect single photons in the infrared, ultraviolet, EUV, and X-ray ranges. A Transition Edge Sensor based (TES) microbolometer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,468 to Irwin and in A. J. Miller et al, “Transition Edge Sensors as Single Photon Detectors”, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, Vol 9, No. 2, pages 4205-4208, June 1999. The TES based microbolometer consists of 3 separate parts: a metallic absorber, which transforms the energy of the single photon into heat in a normal-metal base layer, which transmits the heat to the thermometer; and the thermometer (the TES) itself.
Current TES systems have four inherent problems limit their effectiveness. First, four electric leads are needed for each pixel, making it difficult to arrange a large number of pixels close together in an array. Secondly, the sensors are currently placed on membranes, and sometimes even kept out of contact with the substrate by a pop up arrangement, which makes the system vulnerable to mechanical damage. Thirdly, the fraction of the focal plane area devoted to the absorber is small, so the spatial efficiency of the devices is limited. In addition, power must be continuously supplied to the TES for the read-out to occur and to keep the TES substantially warmer than the substrate if event rates of even 1 kHz are to be achieved. Fourthly, the operational temperature is very low, typically bias temperatures are below 100 μK. For these reasons, many important practical imaging applications are difficult to achieve.
Other devices for detecting photons include cooled integrating Charge Coupled Device (CCD) digital imaging systems. Although CCDs have better focal plane area utilization than TES systems, and are available in large array format, CCDs have very limited energy resolution capability. Modern semiconducting CCD detectors have already achieved efficiencies in excess of 90% of their theoretical limit with excellent spatial resolution, but are limited in their temporal resolution by the long read-out time per pixel. More importantly, their non-dispersive spectral resolution is limited statistically so that ΔE FWHM cannot exceed the level of about 100 eV for E=6 KeV photon events.
The other main class of detector, superconducting tunnel junctions (STJ), are not bolometers and have never functioned as well as the bolometers, especially at high energy ranges (X-ray). Examples of STJs are described in P. Verhoeve, N. Rando, A. Peacock, A. van Dordrecht, M. Bavdaz, J. Verveer, D. J. Goldie, M. Richter, and G. Ulm, Proc. Int. Workshop LTD-7 (Ed. S. Cooper), Munich, 1997, pp. 97-100.
Energy-dispersive broadband detectors which are easily integrated into a detector array are desired for both space research and laboratory instrumentation. The next generation of single-photon detectors will need to be hyperspectral imaging detectors capable of obtaining high spectral resolutions (up to E/ΔE FWHM =10,000 for E=1-6 KeV x-ray photon events and λ/Δλ>100 for UV photons) and processing high event rates, while maintaining high spatial resolution and high focal plane efficiency. For hyperspectral imagers, a new class of detectors is needed. Thermoelectric hot-electron microcalorimeters have been proposed for use as photon detectors (D. Van Vechten, K. S. Wood, G. G. Fritz, A. L. Gyulamiryan, V. Nikogosyan, N. Giordano, T. Jacobe, and A. M. Gulian, “Thermoelectric Single-Photon Detectors: Isotropic Seebeck Sensors”, 18 th International Conference on Thermoelectrics, pp. 477-480 (1999)), and G. G. Fritz, K. S. Wood, D. Van Vechten, A. L. Gyulamiryan, A. S. Kuzanyan, N. J. Giordano, T. M. Jacobs, H. D. Wu, J. S. Horwitz, A. M. Gulian, “Thermoelectric single-photon detectors for X-ray/UV radiation”; X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy XI, Proc. SPIE, Vol 4140, (2000), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Photon detectors using materials which are strongly thermally anisotropic have been proposed in A. M. Gulian, D. Van Vechten, K. S. Wood, G. G. Fritz, J. S. Horwitz, M. S. Osofsky, J. M. Pond, S. B. Qadri, R. M. Stroud, J. B. Thrasher, “Imaging Detectors Based on the Response of Anisotropic Layered Materials”, IEEE Trans. Applied Superconductivity, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 3194-3197, (1999) and in D. Van Vechten, K. S. Wood, G. G. Fritz, J. Horwitz, A. L. Gyulamiryan, A. Kuzanyan, V. Vartanyan, and A. M. Gulian, “Imaging Detectors based on anisotropic thermoelectricity”, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research section A, 444 (2000)42-45 both of which are incorporated by reference. Advantages of these novel approaches are numerous.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a photon detector which requires no applied voltage or current for sensor operation.
An object of the invention is provide a photon detector with high photon efficiency and high spectral resolution, with an improved temporal response.
An object of the invention is to provide a photon detector with sufficiently fast temporal response time to detect photons arriving at a rate of 1,000,000 per second in each detector unit.
Another object of the invention is to provide a spatially efficient photon detector where the absorbers intercept a large fraction of the incident photons which is easily and efficiently integrated into a photon detector array.
In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent, the invention described herein is a fast photon detector with high energy and position resolution, which may be used in the infrared, ultraviolet, EUV, and X-ray ranges. An absorber receives a photon and transforms the energy of the photon into a change in temperature within the absorber. A thermoelectric sensor is thermally coupled to the absorber. When the absorber receives the photon, the energy of the photon is very quickly transformed into a time dependent temperature difference across the sensor. A heat sink is thermally coupled to the sensor, to maintain the heat flow across the sensor. The absorber, sensor, and heat sink are disposed upon a dielectric substrate, such that the heat transfer from the sensor to the dielectric substrate is much slower than the signal duration. Superconducting leads are used to measure the voltage which develops across the sensor in response to a photon event. The superconducting leads may be attached to the input coil of a SQUID flux transformer circuit.
In one embodiment of the invention, a superconducting bridge is disposed upon the substrate between the absorber and the heat sink, at a distance from the contact with the sensor. The superconducting bridge allows the absorber-sensor-heat sink-superconductor to act as a current loop, which generates a measurable flux.
In another main embodiment, an isotropic, thin superconducting oxide film is disposed upon a dielectric substrate. The superconducting oxide film acts as a thermoelectric sensor, and absorbs photons. A large voltage response across the longitudinal direction of the sensor results from the temperature gradient between the top of the sensor and the dielectric substrate, which acts as a heat sink. In another embodiment, an absorber and an optional insulating layer are disposed upon and thermally coupled to the thin semiconducting oxide film to ensure complete absorption of all incident photons.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a single pixel photon detector according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a log—log plot of noise versus frequency comparing the noise of thermal energy fluctuations and the Johnson noise with the signal in photon detector according to the invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates the sequence of events in the photon detector following arrival of a photon.
FIG. 4 a is a plot of the measured Seebeck coefficient of La 1-x Ce x B 6 with different concentrations (x) of Ce for use as a sensor in a photon detector according to the invention.
FIG. 4 b is a plot of the measured Seebeck coefficient of CeNiSn at cryogenic temperatures for use in a sensor in a photon detector according to the invention.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of a double pixel photon detector according to the invention.
FIG. 6 a is an illustration of a double pixel photon detector with a superconducting bridge according to the invention.
FIG. 6 b illustrates the use of double pixel photon detector with a superconducting bridge according to the invention used as an input loop of an flux transformer.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of an array of photon detectors according to the invention.
FIGS. 8 a and 8 b illustrates test results for a photon detector according to the invention subjected to 20 ns laser test pulse input.
FIG. 9 illustrates the photon detector and electronics configuration for the FIGS. 8 a and 8 b results.
FIG. 10 is an illustration of an anisotropic option of the thermoelectric sensor according to the invention.
FIG. 11 a is a view of a test specimen of a photon detector according to the invention having a sensor (oxide film) disposed upon a substrate.
FIG. 11 b is an end view of the test specimen including the substrate and oxide film.
FIG. 12 is a plot of the voltage response for the sensor/substrate combination as a function of the c-axis inclination.
FIG. 13 is a plot plots the voltage response versus the slit opening width at 6 slit widths between 0.2 and 2 millimeters.
FIG. 14 is a plot of voltage versus time for a photon detector when energy pulses with durations of about 0.1 nanosecond (sub- ns pulses) were directed at the sensor from both the sensor side of the detector and from the substrate side of the detector.
FIG. 15 is a side view of another embodiment of a photon detector having a substrate, a thermoelectric sensor, a very thin electrically-insulating layer, and a metal absorber.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
I. Single and Double Pixel Photon Detectors
Refer first to FIG. 1, which illustrates a photon detector according to the invention. An absorber 20 , a sensor, 30 , and a heat sink 40 are disposed upon a substrate 50 . The absorber 20 is thermally coupled to the sensor 30 , and the sensor 30 is thermally coupled to the heat sink 40 . The absorber 20 receives a photon with an energy that should be measured. The photon is absorbed in the absorber 20 , causing the absorber to rapidly increase in temperature and to become warmer than the heat sink 40 . The heat flowing from the absorber 20 to the heat sink 40 through the sensor 30 generates a Seebeck electromotive force across the sensor 30 between the absorber 20 and the heat sink 40 . The Seebeck electromotive force (either the thermoelectric voltage across the sensor or the current flowing in the sensor) is measured by measurement devices (not shown) attached to leads 60 and 70 which are attached to the absorber and the heat sink, respectively. The time integral of the thermoelectric voltage is directly proportional to the deposited energy of the received photon in the absorber 20 . This allows the energy of the absorbed quantum to be easily and accurately determined.
The sensor 30 is metallic thin film which is a normal state metal at operating temperatures. The substrate 50 is a dielectric material such as sapphire. The sensor 30 , absorber 20 , and heat sink 40 are maintained at an operating temperature T.
After a photon is absorbed by the absorber 20 , over a short period time τ signal , the heat in the absorber 20 flows through the sensor 30 into the heat sink 40 . Because of the large Kapitza resistance between the metal of the absorber 20 and the dielectric material of the substrate 50 as well as between the heat sink 40 and the substrate 50 , heat from the absorber 20 (and heat sink 40 ) flows to the dielectric substrate 50 much more slowly than it flows between the absorber 20 and the heat sink 40 . The time period required for the sensor to reset itself for arrival of another photon is the time required for the absorber 20 to return to its initial temperature (that is, the cool temperature T when it is unexcited by a photon). This resetting time, τ K , should be substantially longer than the signal duration time, τ signal (τ K >>τ signal ).
The desired relationship between the time scales τ K and τ signal is satisfied if the resistance R satisfies the inequality R<r 0 L 0 /(T 2 A abs ), where r 0 is the Kapitza resistance constant between the absorber and the dielectric substrate (typically r 0 is approximately equal to 20 K 4 cm 2 /W), A abs is the surface area of the interface between the absorber 20 and the substrate 50 , T is the operating temperature (i.e. the bias temperature of the sensor) on the Kelvin temperature scale, L 0 is the Lorenz number, and R is the resistance of the circuit (including the sensor and the boundaries of the sensor with the absorber and with the heat sink). For superconducting leads, and with good connections, the circuit resistance R will primarily be made up of the resistance of the sensor 30 . The Lorenz number is approximately 25 nW-Ω/K 2 , as discussed in, for example, O. V. Lounasmaa, Experimental Principles and Methods below 1 K, Acad. Press, London, 1974 (pp 243-284).
The size and shape of the sensor is selected to ensure that the resistance of the sensor is in the appropriate range. The sensor has electrical resistance R=L/(Aσ), where L is the length of the sensor between the absorber and the heat sink, A is the cross sectional area of the sensor, and σ is the electrical conductivity of the sensor material.
For thin deposited films the experimentally measured Kapitza resistance depends on the absorber thickness d abs , since the excess energy is proportional to the absorber volume V abs , and the energy transfer occurs through the interface between the absorber and the substrate, which has surface area A abs .
The desired value of τ K is estimated by the relationship τ K T 3 A abs /C abs =r 0 , where r 0 is approximately equal to 20 K 4 cm 2 /W, A abs is the surface area of the interface between the sensor and the substrate, C abs is the absorber heat capacity.
Measuring the voltage across the sensor 30 is necessary for obtaining information about the energy of the received photon. The voltage response is explained by the following discussion:
After a photon event (arrival), the temperature of the absorber is
T *( t )= T+δT ( t ), (1)
where T is the temperature of the heat sink (equal to the temperature of the absorber prior to a photon event), and δT(t) is the temperature excursion in the absorber due to a photon event. The maximum value δT(t) will reach is δT(t) max , which is equal to Q/C abs , where Q is the deposited photon energy and C abs is the absorber heat capacity.
For an isotropic sensor the Seebeck voltage which develops across the sensor is
V ( t )=∫ S ( T )∇ T ( t )· dl (2)
integrated over a line between the absorber 20 and the heat sink 30 , where dl is a differential line element across the sensor, S is the Seebeck coefficient, and ∇T(t) is the gradient of the temperature in the sensor. Then, the Seebeck voltage due to the photon arrival is equal to
V signal ( t )=∫ T T*(t) SdT=SδT ( t ) (3)
where at t=0, V signal =QS/C abs , where C abs is the absorber heat capacity.
Ignoring for a moment the heat flow between the sensor and the substrate, the duration of the voltage signal is approximately
τ signal =C abs /G S , (4)
where G S is the heat conductance of the sensor. The heat conductance of the sensor G S is dependent upon the geometry of the sensor, and is equal to
G s =kA/L, (5)
where A is the cross sectional area of the sensor, L is the length of the sensor between the absorber and the heat sink, and k is the heat conductivity of the sensor.
The electrical leads 60 and 70 are coupled to an external voltage measuring device. The voltage measuring device (typically semiconductor electronics) used for this embodiment typically relies on a SQUID-array amplifier with a flux transformer, due to its sensitivity to low flux and responsiveness.
When the temperature is low (below about 1 K), the electrons and phonons are effectively decoupled, the phonon contribution to the heat conductivity k is negligible, and the relationship between the heat conductivity k and the electrical conductivity of the sensor is k/σ=L 0 T, where L 0 is the Lorenz number (approximately equal to 25 nW-Ω/K 2 ).
The signal duration is therefore approximated by the relationship
τ signal =( C abs R )/( L 0 T ). (6)
The material properties of the detector, the geometry, and the temperature of the system will therefore determine the minimum signal duration which may accurately be measured.
Materials which have some variation in their properties based on direction (anisotropic materials) may be used for this sensor if they have a large Seebeck coefficient in the direction parallel to the temperature gradient.
In order to maximize the spectral resolution of this or any photon detector, it is desirable to keep the signal to noise ratio to a minimum. The noise of this system will be kept to a minimum in order to reduce the signal to noise ratio and to increase the detector's spectral resolution, as will be shown by the following analysis:
The Johnson noise contributed by the sensor itself is the inherent voltage noise of the sensor, according to:
V JN =(4 k B TRδυ ) ½ , (7)
where δυ is the measurement bandwidth typically taken as equal to 1/(4τ signal ). Since, from equation (6) above, τ signal =(C abs R)/(L 0 T), the inherent voltage noise of the sensor is
V JN =( k B TRkA/LC abs ) ½ . (8)
The equivalent Johnson noise term can be determined by converting the V JN into r.m.s. energy variance units, as
{<(δ E JN ) 2 >} ½ =( ZT ) −½ [( k B T )( C abs T )] ½ , (9)
where Z=S 2 σ/k is a figure of merit parameter commonly used in studies of thermoelectric materials.
Other noise sources are now considered. For a thermally insulated absorber, the noise associated with thermal fluctuations of the absorber temperature {<(δE) 2 >} ½ =0. If, however, there is a thermal coupling between the absorber and the external environment, the spectral density of noise equivalent power (NEP) is given by 4k B T 2 G, where G is the heat conductance between the absorber and the external world. If this thermal coupling is between the absorber and the substrate, then the 4k B T 2 G noise is called the “phonon noise”. The r.m.s. energy variance is therefore given by
{<(δ E fl ) 2 >} ½ =τ[(4 k B T 2 Gδυ )] ½ , (10)
where τ is the fluctuational energy exchange time, which is estimated by τ=C abs /G, and δυ is the measurement bandwidth typically taken as equal to 1/(4 τ signal ).
The noise bandwidth is restricted by 1/τ, so substituting δυ=1/(4 τ signal ) into the equation above yields
{<(δ E fl ) 2 >} ½ =[( k B T 2 C abs )] ½ , (11)
which is the thermodynamic value of the energy fluctuations within the absorber of given heat capacity in case of unrestricted energy exchange with the equilibrium environment. For such a thermal coupling between the absorber and the equilibrium environment, the energy variance is coupled with the inherent thermodynamic fluctuations of temperature, as
{<(δ T fl ) 2 >} ½ ={k B T 2 C abs } ½ , (12)
so that
{<(δ E fl ) 2 >} ½ =C abs {<(δ T fl ) 2 >} ½ , (13)
as discussed in L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz, Statistical Physics 9, Vol.5, Part. 1, Pergammon Press, 3ed, New York, 1980, p 340. This relationship identifies the absorber and heat sink as two parts of a total, thermodynamic equilibrium system.
The substrate-related “phonon” noise is denoted as {<(δT pn ) 2 >} ½ in an r.m.s. energy variance form. The phonon noise is “switched on” by the arrival of a phonon at the absorber from the substrate and subsequent temperature rise in the absorber, with a Kapitza boundary at the boundary between the absorber and the dielectric substrate. The time scale for energy escape through the Kapitza boundary between the absorber and the dielectric substrate is denoted by τ K . As discussed above, the time scale τ K should be substantially longer than the signal duration τ signal .
Note that the experimentally measured Kapitza resistance for thin films on dielectric substrates is often larger by a factor of approximately three than the theoretical value. This lengthens the timescale τ K by the same threefold factor, which is favorable. When τ k is much greater than τ signal , the bandwidth of the energy flow through the Kapitza boundary is much smaller than the operational bandwidth of the sensor. So for the sensor described above, at τ=τ signal , the phonon noise
{<(δ E pn ) 2 >} ½ ≈{k B T 2 C abs } ½ ( G K /Gs )<<{<(δ E fl ) 2 >} ½ . (14)
This confirms that the phonon noise caused by the energy exchange of the absorber with the substrate is negligible.
FIG. 2 compares the re-normalized signal (thermodynamic fluctuations between the absorber and heat sink are subtracted) generated by a photon detector according to the invention with the phonon (substrate) noise and the Johnson (white) noise. The characteristic time scale for the energy exchange with the substrate is set up by the Kapitza time τ k . This causes a signal bandwidth to be much larger than the substrate noise bandwidth, so that devices can be coupled directly on the substrates.
In summary, it is advantageous that the signal duration τ signal is less than τ K for several reasons. First, it is desired that the heat distribution throughout the absorber be homogeneous and fast. Second, the heat should flow through the sensor to the heat sink much faster than it flows into the substrate. Third, it is desired to reduce the noise associated with the heat flow (δE fl ).
FIG. 3 illustrates the conditions in the absorber, sensor, and heat sink after arrival of a photon. In step 1 , a “fireball” is created by the initial photon. At step 2 , after approximately 100 ps, energy is homogenized within hot electrons in the absorber. At step 3 , the signal arises as the heat transfer begins to move into the sensor. After a signal duration of approximately 10 ns, at step 4 , the heat transfer and signal are complete. After approximately 100 ns (for typical systems) at step 5 , the energy transfer to phonons and starting outflow through the Kapitza boundary between the absorber and the substrate and the heat sink and the substrate begins. After approximately 1 μs, at step 6 , energy transfer to the substrate is complete and the device is ready for arrival of a new photon.
The maximum counting rate of the pixel (absorber-sensor-heat sink) is determined by the value of τ K . For a 1 micron (1 μm) metal film on a dielectric substrate at a temperature of approximately T=0.3 K, τ K is shorter than 1 microsecond (1 μs), which allows counting rates per pixel approaching 10 6 photons per second. This is a great improvement over the counting rates of currently available microbolometers, which are limited to about 10 4 photons per second.
Sensor and Absorber Materials
The optimal sensor materials are those with a thermoelectric figure of merit ZT greater than approximately one (ZT>1) in the operating temperature range. Kondo metals such as Lanthanum-Cerium Hexaboride (La 1-x Ce x B 6 , where x=0.01) thin films have a Seebeck coefficient S of approximately 120 μV/K at temperatures of less than 1 K, so the figure of merit ZT˜1 is expected even at sub-K temperatures if k ph <k e , where k ph is the phonon heat conductivity and k e is the electron heat conductivity. Since, in Equation (9), the ZT contribution is (ZT) −½ , even if the sensor material is not optimal, the degradation in performance will not be crucial. For example, even if there is a 100-fold degradation in ZT, the energy resolution is only reduced by a factor of 10, so the device will still compare well with TES and STJ detectors. Other metals which may be used as sensors include Kondo alloys such as (Au,Fe) or (Au,Mn), although these alloys have Seebeck coefficients less than the hexaborides.
Table 1 illustrates the electron-phonon interaction time in some potential absorber metals at low temperatures. These values were measured using the RFSE technique discussed in Johnson, P. B. and Goodrich, R. G, “Anisotropy of the electron-phonon collision frequency on the Fermi surface of silver”, Phys. Rev. Lett, Vol. 14, No. 8 (1976), pp. 3286-3295, among others. The values of τ e-ph for Ag, Au, and Sb are proportional to T 3 and for τ e-ph is proportional to T 2 for W. Typical times for these metals are tens of nanoseconds at a temperature of 1 K and hundreds of nanoseconds at a temperature of 0.3 K. If the pulse duration (the heat transfer across the sensor) is shorter than these times, then a single photon sensor according to the invention will benefit from electron-phonon decoupling enhancement of the effective ZT.
TABLE 1
Metal
τ e-ph at 1 K, μs
τ e-ph at 0.3 K, μs
Ag
0.09-1.1
2.4-30
Au
0.05-0.07
1.4-1.9
W
0.05
0.5
Sb
0.01-0.1
0.27-2.7
Table 2 illustrates the thermal properties of some possible absorber materials. The data in Table 2 are based on information in C. Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics, 4 th ed, 1971; D. A. Papaconstantopoulis, Handbook of the Band Structure of Elemental Solids, 1986; and the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (CRC), 76 th ed, 1996. The very complicated character of the electron-phonon interaction, as well as the anisotropy causes the large uncertainty for the case of semi-metals As, Sb, and Bi. For Sb absorbers, C abs is approximately equal to 2 fJ/K, so the absorber volume V abs must be about 220 to 1200 μm 3 . Note that the large uncertainty in volume is due to the large uncertainty in Sommerfeld's constant γ, where γ=C abs /V abs T. Although antimony has a smaller absorption than gold at higher energies, and correspondingly lower quantum efficiency at the same absorber thickness, it is suitable for low and intermediate energy photons and can provide larger pixel sizes at the same resolution level or higher resolution at the small pixel sizes. Bismuth is also a good candidate for an absorber. It has about ten times lower heat capacity than Sb and thus can yield larger pixel sizes.
TABLE 2
C v el = γ el T @ 1 K
C v tot , @ 1 K
C v el = γ el T @ 0.3 K
C v tot , @ 0.3 K
V abs yielding C abs tot =
metal, Z
[μJ cm −3 K −1 ]
[μJ cm −3 K −1 ]
[μJ cm −3 K −1 ]
[μJ cm −3 K −1 ]
1fJ/K @ 0.3 K, [μm 3 ]
Be, 4
34-47
45
14
10-14
70-100
As, 33
14
4.2
>22.7
˜40
Sb, 51
6-30
1.8-9
10-14
˜100
Bi, 83
0.4-3
20
0.1-0.9
0.7-1.4
˜1000
Au, 79
60-80
120
18-27
20-30
30-50
W, 74
140
140
40
40
25
Good materials for sensors include Kondo metals, such as gold (Au) with iron (Fe) impurities in approximately 10 to 100 ppm of Fe concentration. Gold (Au) with iron (Fe) impurities in approximately 10 to 100 ppm of Fe concentration is expected to have a Seebeck coefficient S of about 6 μV/K at 300 mK.
An even better sensor material is La 1-x Ce x B 6 . A sensor made of a single crystalline sample of La 1-x Ce x B 6 would have a resistivity value of ρ˜3 μΩ cm at 300 mK, which translates into R=0.03 Ω for a 1 μm×1 μm×1 μm sensor element. A sensor 6 μm in length with a cross sectional area of 1 μm 2 will provide a resistance R of 0.2 Ω and a signal duration of about 10 nanoseconds (˜10 ns) if the absorber has a C abs of 1 fJ/K at 300 mK. Of course, a sensor film of (La,Ce)B 6 will have larger resistivity values than for a single crystalline sample, but will make the sensor layout simpler by shortening or widening the sensor.
The measured Seebeck coefficient of bulk La 1-x Ce x B 6 with different concentrations of Ce is shown in FIG. 4 a . This figure has been excerpted from H. J. Ernst, H. Gruhl, T. Krug, and K. Winzer, “Specific Heat and Thermoelectric Power of (La, Ce) B 6 ”, in: Proc 17 th Int. Conf. LT-17 (Ed. U. Eckem, A. Schmid, W. Weber, and H. Wuhl, North-Holland, Amsterdam), vol 33, pt. 2, pp. 137-138 (1984). Notice that the Seebeck coefficient S is very high in the temperature range of 0.3 to 3 K. In fact, the (LaCe)B 6 samples have about ten times larger values of the Seebeck coefficient than Au—Fe in the <1 K bias temperature range.
In an example of an improvement based on (La,Ce)B 6 sensors, the (La,Ce)B 6 sensor has a Seebeck coefficient S of about 120 μV at 1 K, and a Seebeck coefficient of about 50-60 μV/K at 300 mK. This yields an energy resolution ΔE FWHM of approximately 2.355 {<(δE) 2 >} ½ <2 eV for up to keV incident photons at a bias temperature T=0.3 K using an absorber of specific heat 1fJ/K. The (La,Ce) hexaborides have about 10 times larger Seebeck coefficients than the Au—Fe sensors (at the bias temperatures below 1 K used for thermal noise reduction). This indicates that a gain of an order of magnitude in energy resolution will be achieved with a (La,Ce) hexaboride sensor. Moreover, this sensor material has about three times higher resistivity than Au—Fe sensors, so the duration of signal will be longer, the bandwidth υ B will be lower, and the overall signal handling will be easier. The detector should be biased at about 300 mK. This is within the optimal range for high Seebeck coefficients S(T) for (La,Ce) hexaboride sensors. For this bias temperature, absorbers have C abs of about 0.25 fJ/K. This yields an energy resolution ΔE FWHM of 1.0 eV. However, a 6 Kev photon deposits about 1 fJ, and it is desirable to keep the temperature rise small (˜1 K), so a C abs in the range of 1 fJ/K is needed. This size will still deliver a resolution of ΔE FWHM of 2.0 eV.
Another excellent material for use as a sensor is (CeNiSn), which provides an extremely large thermoelectric effect at cryogenic temperature at both zero and non-zero magnetic fields. FIG. 4 b is a plot of the Seebeck coefficient versus temperate for CeNiSn at cryogenic temperatures. Additional information is found in A. Hiess, C. Giebel, G. Sparn, C.D. Bredl, F. Steglich, T. Takabatake, H. Fujii, “Transport-properties of CeNiSn at low temperatures and in high magnetic fields”, Physica B , Vol. 199, pp. 437-439, 1994, incorporated herein in its entirety.
Double Pixel Photon Detector
Increased performance may be realized by using the double-pixel system shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 . This design allows the heat sink 40 to become a secondary photon absorber, and the absorber 20 to act as a secondary heat sink. Photons may arrive and be absorbed at either the absorber 20 or the heat sink 40 .
The spatial resolution of the double pixel design is the same as the single pixel design, since the polarity of the signal (voltage) may be evaluated to determine whether the absorber or heat sink absorbed the photon. Pixels can have sizes as small as 10 microns (10 μm).
The double pixel system requires only a single lead for each pixel. This is an advantage over TES and STJ systems, which both require four leads for each pixel. It simplifies array layout and focal plane area optimization compared to sensors utilizing transition edge sensors or superconducting tunnel junction detectors.
The much higher focal plane array efficiency for a double pixel design is a crucial factor for use in arrays. Because the double pixel system eliminates the need to arrange a devoted heat sink for each absorber, the double pixel system is easily combined with other elements in an array.
In a single pixel design, the heat sink is typically much larger than the absorber in order to increase the signal duration and the voltage amplitude. For the double pixel design, for maximum efficiency, the heat capacity of the absorber is equal to the heat capacity of the heat sink (C abs =C snk ), and the material and size of the heat sink and absorber are identical. In the double pixel design, the signal duration and voltage amplitude are each ½ of the signal duration and voltage amplitude for a corresponding single pixel design. It can be seen by examining Equations (6), (7), (8), and (9) that there is a greater Johnson noise inherent in the double pixel design. However, the energy fluctuation noise much is higher for the single pixel design, because of the increased heat capacitance of the much larger heat sink, as can be seen by examination of Equation (12). Because the achievable energy resolution (full width half maximum) is determined by the signal to noise ratio, the resolving power of the double pixel design will be approximately equal to that of the single pixel design.
The value of τ K determines the maximum counting rate for each detector pixel. For example, for a 1 μm thick absorber film on a dielectric substrate at a temperature of approximately 0.3 K, τ K is shorter than 1 μs. Thus, the counting rates in each pixel can approach 10 6 per second.
Double Pixel System with Superconducting Bridge
In another embodiment shown in FIG. 6 a , a superconducting bridge 80 is added between the heat sink 20 and absorber 40 . The superconducting bridge 80 is a strip of superconducting material disposed upon the substrate 50 , in contact with the absorber 20 and the heat sink 40 , and not in contact with the sensor 30 . Neither creating a thermoelectric voltage nor participating in the heat transfer, this superconducting bridge 80 closes a loop for electric current, so current flows from the sensor 30 to the heat sink 40 to the superconducting bridge 80 to the absorber 20 , as shown in FIG. 6 b . In this embodiment, the loop itself can now serve as an input coil of a flux transformer, inductively coupling itself to the output loop 90 of a SQUID flux transformer located near the current loop. In other words, the signal voltage will produce a magnetic field that can be coupled to a SQUID amplifier circuit. This configuration can lower the overall noise of the system, and increase the signal to noise ratio. There is no need for external leads in this design, making this design very attractive for use in multi-pixel arrays.
Three Dimensional Detector Array
All current single-photon detector arrays operate in two dimensions, that is, they do not take advantage of the third dimension of a dielectric wafer. The novel photon detector array disclosed here is believed to be the first effective use of this third dimension.
It is evident that photon detectors discussed herein may be placed directly on substrates in an array. The signal bandwidth is much larger than the bandwidth of the substrate related phonon noise, therefore, the photon detectors can be placed directly on substrates, thus avoiding “pop-up” or suspended structures in other microbolometer systems. The new arrays will therefore be rugged and not subject to mechanical damage. The need for only one set of electrical leads for each pixel also reduces the difficulties of arranging photon detectors on an array.
FIG. 7 illustrates a novel way of mounting the photon detectors on a substrate structure (wafer). The absorbers 310 , sensors, and heat sinks are deposed directly on the edge 325 of a substrate structure (wafer) 320 . The electronics 340 (including any necessary amplification, analog to digital conversion, signal storage and readout) for an entire row can be integrated onto the side surface 326 of the wafer, so that only a few external connections to one substrate area are required for the electronics 340 on a wafer 320 . FIG. 7 illustrates only a few pixels, however, for example, for pixel sizes of 20 μm, 1000 pixels in a row can be placed on a thin wafer 320 only two centimeters (2 cm) in length. When the pixels are placed close together, there is very efficient use of space on the wafer (high “focal plane efficiency”).
One alternative is to arrange the absorbers of single pixel arrays on the edge of the wafer and the larger heat sink on the side surface of the array. Other alternatives will be clear to those of skill in the art. This arrangement of components may be used for other types of sensors and electronics. Any type of sensing unit which would benefit from this type of geometry (large exposed array area, ease of construction of leads, three dimensional mounting for processors) may be mounted in this fashion.
One thousand of these wafers can be stacked to form a complete and rugged megapixel detector. Only a single set of electric leads 350 and electronics 340 is needed for a single pixel design or even a double pixel containing an identical absorber and heat sink.
An estimate of the side surface area required for the desired electronics on a wafer with 1000 pixels on the wafer edge is as follows. A SQUID-array amplifier occupies about 100,000 μm 2 , an analog to digital converter suitable for the detector is estimated to occupy about 50,000 μm 2 , and the remaining desired circuitry (trigger, multiplexing, storage, and readout) should occupy no more than 50,000 μm 2 . Therefore, the 500 sets of electronics require about 10 cm 2 , so a wafer 5 cm×2 cm would be sufficient. Single crystalline silicon substrates of 20 micron thickness are commercially available, and are a good choice for this application because standard niobium processing for superconducting electronics for silicon substrates can be utilized.
Demonstrations and Examples of Double Pixel Photon Detectors
In one example, the Sb absorber and an identical Sb heat sink each had dimensions of 18 ×22×0.2 μm. The sensor was 2×26×0.5 μm in dimension, of gold (Au) with 100 ppm iron (Fe) impurities. The leads were superconducting Sn electric leads placed at the far ends of the absorber and heat sink. The energy resolution was 1.5 KeV at 6 KeV input and for T=0.65 K.
The electronics, simply illustrated in FIG. 9, were carefully designed for the following: to reduce any parasitic resistances in devices and interconnections; to match the input/output impedances in stage “I” between the detector unit and the superconductor electronics; to ensure the amplifier noise was lower than the output noise level from the SQUID preamplifier in stage “V”; and to optimize the signal acquisition bandwidth.
The resistor of the detector unit was approximately 0.3 Ω, while the duration of the signal was not more than 50 ns. The SQUID amplifier had an inductance of L=0.25 μH so its input impedance Z=Lω was not less than 30 Ω and could have been as large as 100 Ω.
For the Sb absorber and heat sink, C abs is approximately equal to 2 fJ/K. At a temperature of 0.65 K, the signal duration is expected to be about 15 nanoseconds, based on the relationship τ signal =(C abs R)/(L 0 T). This relationship predicts that τ signal should be about 15 ns, which means that the expected value of signal bandwidth is υ B approximately 70 MHz and a ω=2πυ B =4×10 8 radians/sec.
For the test, laser pulses of 20 nanoseconds in duration were shined homogenously onto the device, and the heat sink was shadowed by foil. FIG. 8 a illustrates the 20 ns test pulse input and the electronics response. FIG. 8 b illustrates the photon detector response to the 20 ns laser pulse.
These test results confirm that the bandwidth υ B is at least 50 MHz.
Comparing the resistance of the detecting unit R det.unit , and Z, it is now clear that at least two or more orders of magnitude in signal amplitude were lost in stage “I” of FIG. 9 . Another (one) order of magnitude degradation of S/N was lost at the stage “V”, since we used room temperature electronics with input noise of 2 nV/Hz ½.
It should be noted that niobium Nb may be used for the electric leads, and appears to perform better than tin (Sn) leads after several thermal cycles.
In another example, the use of a SQUID array amplifier with an input inductance of 25 nH and room temperature electronics with an input noise of 0.3 nV/Hz ½ was used. This SQUID array amplifier was a TRW manufactured. The room temperature electronics was a DUPVA gain amplifier discussed in “Innovative products, DUPVA gain amplifier”, Photonics Spectra, 33, Issue 33, p. 156 (1999). The lab tests proved that the electronics could be tuned in a rather straightforward manner to make the electronic noise lower than that of the device. The other components (sensor, absorber, and heat sink) were identical to the prior example. The resulting energy resolution was 500 eV at 6 KeV input, even without any additional electronics improvements.
Further improvements may be achieved by adding full custom electronics that matches the device requirements ideally, but for the described results the resolution was actually restricted by the sensor Seebeck coefficient. In the ideal case with an Au—Fe sensor (S˜10 μV/K), the noise of the Au—Fe sensor itself limits the achievable energy resolution to about 20 eV. In our case, S was estimated to be on the order of 1 μV/K, so if the Fe impurities in the Au sensor were reduced from about 100 to about 10 ppm, some improvement would definitely result.
The greatest improvement (an energy resolution of 1 eV) will be gained by the replacing Au—Fe sensors with (La,Ce)B 6 sensors. This would make the use of full custom electronics unnecessary.
In another example, custom designed chips were manufactured using photolithography masks. The 10×10 μm chip contained 32 absorber-sensor-heat sink devices. The devices on each chip systematically vary a single parameter at a time to allow tests for the optimal configuration. Additional information is contained in G. G. Fritz et al, “Thermoelectric single photon detectors for X-ray/UV radiation”, Proc SPIE, Vol 4140 (2000), pp 459-469, incorporated by reference for all purposes.
II. “Anisotropic” Photon Detector
The embodiments of the invention discussed above rely on the Seebeck voltage which is generated across the sensor being parallel in direction to the temperature change in the sensor. However, other photon detector embodiments as disclosed below can incorporate strongly anisotropic conductive materials which have high anisotropic Seebeck coefficients.
It has been found that the inherent properties of some naturally layered materials such as the high-temperature superconductors (HTS) in the normal state cause a transient voltage when a light pulse is absorbed. The amplitude is proportional to the absorbed energy. Observable pulses arise in the HTS materials in the normal state even at room temperature.
The use of these “anisotropic” photon detectors relies on three recent developments in solid state physics.
First is our research into the nonequilibrium μ-potential in layered oxides as a basis for single-particle detection. The signals measured by our group are as described in D. Koller, D. Van Vechten, M. G. Blamire, K. S. Wood, G. G. Fritz, J. S. Horwitz, G. M. Daly, J. B. Thrasher, J. F. Pinto, A. L. Gyulamiryan, V. OH. Vartanyan, R. B. Akopyan, and A. M. Gulian, “Development of a new superconducting detector for the ultra-violet and soft x-ray regimes,” IEEE Trans . Appl. Supercond., Vol. 7, pp. 3391-3394, June 1997, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
Second is the development of novel oxide-layered materials, which reveal anomalously high voltage response to laser radiation. See, for example, C. L. Chang, A. Kleinhammes, W. G. Moulton, and L. R. Testardi, “Symmetry-forbidden laser-induced voltages in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 , Phys. Rev. B,Vol. 41, pp. 11564-11567, June 1990; K. L. Tate, R. D. Johnson, C. L. Chang, E. F. Hilinski, and S. C. Foster, “Transient laser-induced voltages in room-temperature films of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ ,” J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 67, pp. 4375-4376, May 1990.; H. S. Kwok, J. P. Zheng, and S. Y. Dong, “Origin of the anomalous photovoltaic signal in Y—Ba—Cu—O,” Phys. Rev. B, Vol. 43, pp.6270-6272, March 1991; A. Kleinhammes, C. L. Chang, W. G. Moulton, and L. R. Testardi, “Nonbolometric laser-induced voltage signals in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ thin films at room temperature,” Phys . Rev. B, Vol. 44, pp. 2313-2319, August 1991.; H. Lengfellner, G. Kremb, A. Schnellbogl, J. Betz, K. F. Renk, and W. Prettl, “Giant voltages upon surface heating in normal YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ ,” Appl. Phys. Lets. Vol. 60, 501 (1992); H, S. Kwok and J. P. Zheng, Phys. Rev. B, Vol. 46, p. 3692 (1992); H. Lengfellner, S. Zeuner, W. Prettl, and K. F. Renk, “Thermoelectric effect in normal-state YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ films,” Europhys. Lett., Vol. 25, pp. 375-378, February 1994.; and L. R. Testardi, “Anomalous laser-induced voltages in YBa 2 Cu 3 O x , and “off-diagonal” thermoelectricity,” Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 64, pp. 2347-2349, May 1994, all incorporated herein by reference.
The third direction involves a theoretical understanding of anisotropic thermoelectricity, as discussed in S. L. Korolyuk, I. M. Pilat, A. G. Samoylovich, V. N. Slipchenko, A. A. Snarskii, E. F. Tzar'kov, Sov. Phys. Semicond. 7 (1973) 502, incorporated herein by reference.
It is well known that oxide superconductors have an inherently layered structure. This causes their transport properties within and between the layers to be very different—the anisotropy in the normal state electric conductivity can be 10 4 . Within the crystal unit cell, the high conductivity planes are referred to as the a-b-planes, while the perpendicular direction is called the c-axis. Deposition technology exists to grow these materials with a uniform crystallographic orientation on special (lattice matched) substrates so that the films resemble thin single crystals.
In FIG. 10, 500 is a thermoelectric sensor. Consider what happens when the top surface of the sensor 510 is a temperature difference ΔT warmer than the bottom of the sensor 520 . If the material had isotropic properties and the temperature gradient is time independent, a DC voltage would be established across the thickness of the sensor (in z-direction, parallel to the temperature gradient ΔT. The resulting voltage in the Z direction would be:
V =Φ 2 −Φ 1 =SΔT, (15)
where Φ 2 is the potential at the top of the sensor, Φ 1 is the potential at the bottom of the sensor, S is the usual Seebeck coefficient and ΔT=T 2 −T 1 .
However, in anisotropic materials, the Seebeck coefficient is not a scalar, but is a tensor S ik . So, the voltage which develops in an anisotropic thermoelectric sensor as a result of a temperature gradient is:
∇ k V=Σ m S km ∇ m T (16)
Referring again to FIG. 10, if the thermoelectric sensor element is anisotropic, symmetry will cause the heat flow to be directed perpendicular to the surface of the film (z-direction), since the m=3 (i.e., z) component of ∇T is non-zero.
A temperature gradient between the top and bottom surfaces of an anisotropic sensor will cause a voltage in the lateral directions perpendicular to the z direction of the temperature gradient. This occurs due to the anisotropic properties of the material, as discussed in the following. In the crystallographic reference frame X′, tilted in the (yz)-plane by angle α, the tensor S′ km is diagonal: S′ YY , S′ ZZ (not equal to 0), and S′ yy =S′ ZY =0. Because the x axis is unchanged between the two reference frames and there is no thermal gradient in that direction, V ∥x =0. In the measurement frame of reference, the non-diagonal components of the Seebeck tensor also are non-zero. The non-zero value of (∇T) z , becomes coupled with the S YZ and S zz . components. The measurable potential difference along the direction of temperature gradient is of the usual sort for thermoelectricity:
V ∥z ={cos 2α( S′ zz −S′ yy )+( S′ zz +S′ yy )}( T 1 −T 2 )/2≡ S ∥z eff ΔT. (17)
and for the y direction, assuming that the (∇T) z is constant in the y direction, we get:
V ∥y ={( S′ yy −S′ zz ) sin 2α(∇ T ) z ) L/ 2≡ S ∥y eff ΔT ( L/d ), (18)
where d is the thickness of the sensor and L is the length of the sensor. Therefore, a vertical temperature gradient produces a lateral voltage because of the layered anisotropic structure.
Refer next to FIG. 11 a , which is a view of an embodiment of a photon detector according to the invention. An anisotropic thermoelectric sensor 610 is disposed upon a substrate 620 . The sensor 610 is an anisotropic layered superconducting oxide film (YCBO).
Several test specimens (anisotropic photon detectors) were built and tested. The tests were performed at room temperature (300 K). Each test specimen had a sensor 610 , which was an epitaxial thin oxide film YCBO deposited on a dielectric substrate 620 . The substrates 620 were commercially available and were special vicinally-cut substrates to produce c axis inclinations of 0.03 degrees, 5 degrees, and 20 degrees, respectively (as measured by 4 circle x-ray diffractometer). A test specimen is illustrated in FIG. 11 a and 11 b . FIG. 11 b is an end view of the substrate 620 and sensor 610 to illustrate the inclination angle cc between the longitudinal axis of the sensor and the ab-plane of the film. Contact pads and electrical leads were attached at the edges of the sensor at points 612 and 614 . Notice that the effective length of the sensor L is in the y-direction.
For test purposes, a variable width slit (indicated as 700 in FIG. 11 a ) was placed between the incident radiation and the detector to ensure that a thin strip-like homogenous quantity of energy was incident upon the surface of the sensor 610 . A strip like portion of the sensor 610 was illuminated homogeneously by an energy pulse through a slit with a variable opening. The effective length of the sensor was therefore equal to the length of the area on the sensor which was allowed to be illuminated by the variable width slit.
The operation of the detector is as follows: As photons are received at the top surface of the sensor 610 , the top of the sensor begins to increase in temperature. The bottom of the sensor is held at a lower temperature because it is in thermal contact with the cooler substrate 620 , which acts as a heat sink. As the difference in temperature between the top and bottom of the sensor 610 increases, a corresponding voltage differential arises across the sensor in the y direction. This voltage differential was measured at points 612 and 614 .
FIG. 12 plots the voltage response for the sensor/substrate combination as a function of the c axis inclination. FIG. 12 also illustrates the linear dependence of maximum output voltage in the y direction on sin 2α, which is expected based on equation (18) above.
The resulting voltage output in the y direction is as shown in FIG. 13, which plots the voltage response versus the slit opening width at 6 slit widths between 0.2 and 2 millimeters.
Note that the maximum voltage is achieved when the slit opening width is equal to the maximum possible effective length in the y direction (i.e. when the maximum area of the sensor is exposed to the radiant energy).
During testing, the amount of incident energy was varied, and the thickness of the film d was varied. The results verified that the amplitude of the voltage is proportional to the temperature gradient (∇T) between the top and bottom surfaces of the sensor. Experiments with various widths of sensors demonstrated that the amplitude of the voltage signal is independent of the sensor width along the “a” axis of the film (the x axis shown in FIG. 11 a ).
Energy pulses with durations of about 0.1 nanosecond (sub-ns pulses) were directed at the sensor from both the sensor side of the detector and from the substrate side of the detector. The curves in FIG. 14 illustrate the results of these tests. The top curve corresponds to the case when the radiation is incident on the sensor side, and the bottom curve corresponds to the case when the radiation is incident on the substrate side. Looking first at the top curve, the spikes in the curve at times t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , t 4 , t 5 , and t 6 are the result of the 0.1 ns energy pulses. Notice that the spikes in the top curve are matched by downward spikes in the bottom curve. When energy is incident at the sensor side, there is an upward voltage spike which is the result of a temperature excursion in the sensor that results from the energy pulse. The overall upward trend of the voltage curve between about time t 1 and about t 5 is the result of a buildup of heat in the sensor, a corresponding overall rise in temperature in the sensor, resulting in an overall output voltage increase during that time period. When the radiation pulses are incident on the substrate side, the temperature in the sensor initially increases in the region closest to the sensor. As a result, the voltage spike across the sensor is of opposite polarity compared to the output voltage across the sensor when the radiation is incident on the top of the sensor. The slow component of the signal (the time period after about t 6 , when no additional pulses are adding energy to the system, and the sensor gradually is cooled by the substrate) has the same sign for both types of energy deposition. It is therefore clear that the slow component of the signal is related to the heat flow from the sensor 610 into the substrate 620 .
The amplitude of the signal in FIG. 14 agrees well with the predicted voltage based on the equation for the V ∥y above. At 300 K, a rise in temperature across the sensor of 0.5 to 1 K produces a voltage pulse 10 mV in amplitude in a YCBO thin film sensor with parameters α=5 degrees, d=500 nm, and L=2 mm. The effective Seebeck coefficient S eff (S eff =S′ yy −S′ zz ) is therefore determined to be approximately 10 μv/K. This is consistent with the values found in the literature for the Seebeck coefficient for YCBO films.
Refer now to FIG. 15, which is a side view of another embodiment of a photon detector according to the invention. The anisotropic thermoelectric sensor 420 is disposed upon a dielectric substrate 410 . An insulating barrier 430 is disposed over the anisotropic thermoelectric sensor 420 , and an absorber 440 is disposed on the insulating barrier 430 . As discussed previously, the dielectric substrate 410 acts as a heat sink. The absorber 440 is a normal metal that is used to absorb the incident radiation. The sensor 420 is a superconductor.
The absorber 440 is designed with a volume V abs which is optimized to absorb the incident photons, and to stop them from traveling further into the detector. Since the absorber 440 is a normal-metal film of a restricted geometry, with a typical size of 10 μm×10 μm×1 μm, the electron temperature homogenization within the absorber is a fast process, usually being considered as “instantaneous”. Another very useful function of the absorber is regulation of the heat transfer. After the electron temperature homogenization within the absorber, the excess energy in the absorber is transferred to the sensor through an insulating barrier. The primary function of the barrier is to prevent the metallic absorber from shorting out the signal in the sensor underneath.
Note that the insulating barrier is not necessary if the absorber is a material which does not conduct electricity. So another embodiment would include only an non-conductive absorber without an insulating layer.
As the photons are received at the top of the sensor, the sensor begins to increase in temperature. The bottom of the sensor is held at a lower temperature by the substrate, which acts as a heat sink. As the difference in temperature between the top and bottom of the sensor increases, a corresponding voltage differential arises across the sensor in the lateral direction. Contact pads and electrical leads 450 and 460 are attached to the ends of the anisotropic thermoelectric sensor 420 to enable voltage measuring electronics to measure the voltage generated across the sensor 420 . Typically, the voltage generated across the sensor is large, so SQUID amplification is not necessary in order to effectively measure the voltage.
The large voltage across the sensor is explained as follows:
For a sensor with an effective length L in the longitudinal direction and a thickness d in the transverse direction (the direction parallel to the thermal gradient), the voltage generated in the longitudinal direction V L is much greater than the voltage generated in the transverse direction V t , and can be represented by V L =V t (L/d). Since L is typically much larger than d (for example L=200 μm, d=0.1 μm, L/d=2000). In addition, optimally, the longitudinal axis of the sensor will match the direction in which the Seebeck coefficient is largest.
The time dependent temperature excursion δT=T*−T, has its maximum value δT max =Q/C abs , where C abs is the heat capacity of the absorber, and Q is deposited energy. The heat-sink (substrate) stays at temperature T. The heat diffuses from the absorber to the heat sink via the thermoelectric sensor. This energy flux in the thermoelectric sensor creates the voltage signal V(t) that lasts approximately a time τ signal , where
τ signal =C abs /G, (19)
where G is the thermal conductance via the thermoelectric sensor and its interfaces with the absorber and the substrate.
For even so long a time as 10 μs-duration time scale, the main role in heat conduction may be played by hot electrons, while the phonons are inefficient. This desirable result may be produced either by lowering the bias temperature (so the rate of electron inter-collisions γ e-e (proportional to T 2 /ε F ) becomes higher than the rate of electron phonon collisions γ e-ph (proportional to T 3 /Ω D 2 )), or by the particular choice of absorber materials. Note that in transition metals, such as tungsten, even at T≧4 K, γ e-e >>γ e-ph , so transition metals are a good choice for absorber.
In another embodiment of the invention, no absorber or barrier are used. This is particularly useful for incident radiation in the UV range, due to the rapid and nearly complete absorption of UV radiation by the uppermost region of the sensor.
If, of course, the voltage can be time integrated, the pulse duration is not as important. Indeed, in the vertical stack geometry of FIG. 15, heat has no other way to go than through the sensitive element. In this case, one can evoke the Fourier law to couple the ∇T with the value of J H , the energy (heat) flux through the sensor, J H =−k eff ∇T, where k eff is the effective heat conductivity (electron, phonon, etc) of the sensor. As discussed further in A. M. Gulian et al, “Imaging Detectors Based on the Response of Anisotropic Layered Materials”, IEEE Trans App Supercond, the time integral of the generated voltage is equal to
∫ V ( t ) dt={S eff ( L/d )}( Q/G ), (20)
and is independent of the absorber heat capacity. Because the time integral of the generated voltage is proportional to the value of the deposited energy Q, it is clear that the device may be used to characterize the energy.
For cryogenic photon detectors, the substrate should be maintained at a low operating temperature T in order to reduce the thermal capacity of the absorber and the thermal fluctuations between the detector components. The sensor must be a material in which the Seebeck coefficient is highly anisotropic at cryogenic temperatures. Detectors which operate at cryogenic operating temperatures (below 1 K) will have very low noise, and extremely high signal to noise resolution, so are very desirable for detecting single photons. In single photon detection systems designed for use at cryogenic temperatures, superconducting leads and SQUIDS will also be useful for lower the system noise and measuring the voltage response.
Materials which have good properties at cryogenic temperatures are certain La 2 CuO 4+δ materials. La 2-x Ba x CuO 4 shows similar behavior at cryogenic temperatures. At cryogenic temperatures, using either of these materials as the anisotropic thermoelectric sensor is expected to greatly increase the energy resolution, and enable the photon detectors detect single photons. Material properties are discussed further in D. Van Vechten, K. S. Wood, G. G. Fritz, J. Horwitz, A. L. Gyulamiryan, A. Kuzanyan, V. Vartanyan, and A. M. Gulian, “Imaging Detectors based on anisotropic thermoelectricity”, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research section A, 444 (2000) 42-45; M. Cassart, E. Grivery, J. P. Isii, E. Ben Salem, B. Chevalier, C. Brisson, A. Tressaud, Physica C 213 (1993) 327; S. I. Uchida, H. Takagi, H. Ishii, H. Eisaki, T. Yabe, Tajima, S. Tanaka, Jpn A. Appl. Phys 26, (1987) L440; M. Cassart, J. P. Issi, in: D. M. Rove (Ed.), CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics, CRC Press, Washington, D.C., 1994, p. 358, all incorporated herein by reference.
The above embodiments are provided for illustration of the invention. Many different embodiments within the scope of this invention will be clear to those of skill in the art. Reference should be made to the appended claims for the scope of the invention described herein.
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A fast photon detector with high energy and position resolution, which may be used in the infrared, ultraviolet, EUV, and X-ray ranges includes an absorber, a thermoelectric sensor, a heat sink, all disposed on a dielectric substrate. An absorber receives a photon and transforms the energy of the photon into a change in temperature within the absorber. A thermoelectric sensor is thermally coupled to the absorber. When the absorber receives the photon, the energy of the photon is very quickly transformed into a time dependent temperature difference across the sensor. A heat sink is thermally coupled to the sensor, to maintain the heat flow across the sensor. The absorber, sensor, and heat sink are disposed upon a dielectric substrate, such that the heat transfer from the sensor to the dielectric substrate is much slower than the signal duration.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus or equipment for the fitting of grommets to cables, electrical cables in particular. The apparatus includes at least one drum which is open at one end face, the interior of the drum containing grommets, and which is drivable about an axis inclined to the horizontal, having scoops or similar grommet-holding elements arranged in the interior of the drum and a feed device projecting into the drum, whereby, while the drum is rotating, the grommets are transferred by means of the scoops to the feed device for the purpose of further processing in accordance with the invention.
2. Description of Background and Material Information
By means of apparatus of the type to which the present invention is directed, grommets, which are typically made of rubber or other elastomeric material, are required, for example, for the feeding of electrical cables through housing walls of electrical appliances, can be conveyed and worked upon in an orderly manner.
In an apparatus which is known from printed publication No. 7.132.1, of July 1991, by the firm of KOMAX AG, of Dierikon, Switzerland, the feeding of grommets, bushes, or bushings, takes place through conveying pots or drums with spirally shaped tracks, for which the grommets must often be chalked, which can lead to contamination and for which different conveying drums are required for each type of grommet. For the purpose of fitting a grommet onto the end of a cable, the grommet is firmly retained in a gripper and the cable is pushed into the grommet bore. Generally, good results are achieved thereby, although it can lead to a large variations in the grommet position on the cable in the case of different properties of the cable, such as insulation diameter and surface properties, for example. Furthermore, only the grommets themselves allowed to be processed, which by reason of their shape and dimensions are retained and supported unobjectionably by the gripper.
Another kind of fitting is described in German Utility Model No. G 89 09 515.4. In this case, a plunger pin is pushed into the bore of a sealing plug retained in a pivotal finger. Thereafter, a plunger sleeve, which is arranged for sliding on the plunger pin, pushes the sealing plug from the plunger pin onto an electrical cable. In this method, certain demands are made on the shape and dimensions of the sealing plugs, since a sufficiently large bearing surface must be available.
An apparatus by means of which identically shaped parts can be brought into a certain position required for further processing has become known by U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,891. In this case, a supply drum is provided in which the identically shaped parts are disposed and which can be driven about an axis inclined to the horizontal. A rail, which is likewise inclined to the horizontal, is arranged in the supply drum and is constructed in such a manner that, upon rotation of the supply drum, a number of parts are collected by the rail and remain suspended in the desired position. By reason of gravitational force, the parts slide off of the rail and, bridging an air gap, are caught by a conveying tube always with the same end forward.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to create a new and improved apparatus that is not afflicted with the disadvantages arising through conveying drums with spirally shaped tracks and in which the grommets can be provided in a shape independent of the kind of fitting, and in which the property of the cable is not important for the exact positioning of the grommet.
In order to implement these and still further objects of the present invention, which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the present invention comprises an apparatus for the fitting of grommets to cables, in which the apparatus comprises a feeding arrangement for feeding grommets to a fitting arrangement. The feeding arrangement comprises a conveying rail having an upstream portion and a downstream portion, the conveying rail conveying grommets from an upstream to a downstream direction. The conveying rail further comprises a buffer for storing grommets that are each oriented in a predetermined correct position for subsequent sequential processing of respective grommets by means of the fitting arrangement. At a downstream end portion of the conveying rail is a grommet transfer guide, such as a vertical bore, adjacent a position in which a first, most downstream, grommet is stored in the buffer, for guiding the most downstream grommet as the grommet is transferred from the conveying rail to the fitting arrangement.
The fitting arrangement includes a grommet singling device for sequentially removing a most downstream grommet from the grommet transfer guide; a grommet transfer device for sequentially transferring a respective grommet, upon removal from the buffer, to a grommet fitting station, the grommet transfer device comprising a grommet-receiving part upon which a grommet is receive and held during the transferring by the transfer device; and a first gripper device located at the grommet fitting station, the first gripper device comprising gripper elements for gripping the grommet-receiving part of the grommet-transfer device in a closed position of the gripper elements, the gripper elements in the closed position defining an opening that is aligned with respective openings of the grommets into which respective cable ends are to be fitted.
More specifically, the present invention includes an apparatus having a conveying rail in which the conveying rail includes a grommet-containing buffer, whereby the grommets are stored in a correct position. In alignment with the axis of a vertical bore arranged in the buffer below the first grommet, a singling cylinder with a punch that is movable up and down is arranged above the conveying rail. The apparatus further includes a pivotable fitting cylinder with a grommet-receiving part positioned on a piston rod, arranged below the conveying rail, wherein the grommet is pushed by means of the punch through the vertical bore into the grommet-receiving part and the fitting cylinder is pivoted into an horizontal position. Pivotable gripper elements thereafter surround the grommet-receiving part and form a further bore extending concentrically with the grommet bore. Subsequently, the gripper elements as well as the piston rod and the electrical cable to be fitted are moved, one relative to the other, while the grommet is pushed onto the electrical cable centered by the further bore and assisted by an excess pressure that builds up in the grommet-receiving part.
A number of advantages result from the present invention, including the following.
Loose grommets with minimum preliminary treatment can be processed, the grommets in particular not having to be chalked so that no greater contamination can arise.
The feed apparatus differs from different grommet types only in the shape of the conveying rail. All remaining parts remain substantially the same.
The conveying rail according to the invention represents a simple compact solution for the functions of conveying, sorting and storing, which operates reliably also at greater conveying speeds. Through the monitoring by means of the light barrier and the programmed-controlled blowing-out of the conveying rail, most feed faults are eliminated automatically.
The transparent drum enables an optical checking of the grommet supply and of the feeding operation.
By comparison with the conveying drums mentioned above that are known in the art, longer and slimmer grommets can also be processed, free of faults.
Due to the excess pressure prevailing in the grommet-receiving part, a smaller insertion force results during the pushing of the grommet onto the cable and, thereby, a reduction in the danger of kinking for the cable. Furthermore, the grommet is held free of play and deformed less during the pushing-on operation, so that a more exact positioning on the cable is achieved.
The fitting apparatus can be adapted in a simple manner to different types of grommets without special demands having to be set on the shape of and dimensions of the grommet.
An additional operating step for the stripping of the insulation from the cable ends is saved by the removal of the insulation remnant integrated into the fitting operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and additional objects, characteristics, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings which are presented as non-limiting examples, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, in partial section, of the apparatus according to the invention;
FIG. 2 a partial view of a portion of the apparatus according to FIG. 1 taken in the direction of arrow A;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view, and on an enlarged scale, of a conveying rail of the apparatus according to FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view, and on an enlarged scale, of a grommet-fitting arrangement of the apparatus according to FIG. 1 with the conveying rail according to FIG. 3;
FIGS. 5a through 5e are different cross-sectional views of the conveying rail according to FIG. 3, illustrating various steps in the sorting operation of the grommets;
FIGS. 6a through 6d are different longitudinal sectional views of the end of the conveying rail according to FIG. 3, illustrating the various steps in the singling operation of the grommets;
FIGS. 7a through 7f are different views of the fitting operation or the grommets; and
FIGS. 8a through 8g are different views of a variation of the fitting operation of the grommets.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With respect to the drawings, only enough of the construction of the invention has been depicted, to simplify the illustration, as needed for those of ordinary skill in the art to readily understand the underlying principles and concepts of the present invention.
Turning attention now to the drawings, which illustrate merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and initially to FIG. 1, the invention includes a machine frame 1, in which a drum 2 is positioned for rotation by means of a thin-ring bearing 4 about an axis 3 extending inclined to the horizontal. A filling funnel 5 is provided, through which grommets provided for fitting to electrical cables are fed to the drum 2. The funnel 5 is open at an end face and is arranged on the machine frame 1 at the lower end of the drum 2. The drum 2 is driven in rotation by means of a compressed air motor 6 by way of a friction wheel 7, shown in FIG. 2 in driving contact with the drum 2, wherein the rotational speed of the drum 2 can be set by a not further illustrated throttle or other appropriate control means known to those skilled in the art.
By means of scoops 8, which are affixed to the lower end of the interior of the drum, the introduced grommets can be fed to a conveying rail 9 extending into the drum 2 through the open end face at the higher end thereof. The drum 2 is preferably made of a transparent synthetic material so that an optical check of the grommet stock and the feeding operation is possible. The conveying rail 9, which is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3, is fastened on a linear vibratory conveyor 10, which is arranged on a part 11 of the machine frame 1. A light barrier or light-activated sensor 12, likewise fastened at the machine frame 1, monitors the function of the conveying rail 9. A grommet singling cylinder or device 13 and a grommet transfer device, i.e., a fitting cylinder or device 14 of a grommet-fitting arrangement is fastened at the machine frame 1 and is described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 4. An electrical cable 15, which is fed from a cable-processing machine of the grommet-fitting arrangement, includes a portion from which the insulation has preliminarily been removed, although an insulation remnant 15.1 is retained on the cable end for protection of the cable conductor.
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the conveying rail 9, in a longitudinal direction, includes a groove 16, the cross-section of which corresponds approximately to the outline of the longitudinal section of a grommet 17, as additionally seen, for example, in FIG. 5a. The groove 16 is open at the rear or upstream end 18 of the conveying rail 9, while it is closed at the front or downstream end 19, as further seen in FIGS. 6a through 6d. The part of the groove 16 which is forward in the conveying direction (indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3), serves as a buffer 20, in which grommets are stored in a correct predetermined position and which is covered by a cover plate 21, preferably made of metal. The metal cover plate 21 covers substantially one-half of the groove 16 so that the stored grommets are visible. At the inlet to the buffer 20, the metal cover 21 includes a projection 21.1, which completely covers the groove 16.
The front end 19 of the conveying rail 9 is covered by a plate 22, in which a bore 23 is provided, the axis of which coincides with the axis of the first grommet in the buffer 20. A vertical bore 24, as seen in FIGS. 6a to 6d, is provided in the conveying rail 9 beneath the first grommet in the buffer 20, along the axis of bore 23, and likewise coincides with the axis of the first grommet. The diameter of bore 24 is smaller than that of the grommet 17. A sorting buffer plate 20 with a cut-out 26 interrupts the groove 16 at one side and an ejector nozzle 27, as seen in FIG. 5c, is provided before, i.e., upstream of, the buffer inlet. An ejector nozzle 28 is arranged in front of the sorting baffle plate 25. The light sensor 12, seen in FIG. 1, emits a light beam, symbolized by a chain-dotted line 29, which is projected across the buffer 20 behind the buffer inlet.
As can be seen in FIG. 4, the singling cylinder or device 13 is arranged above the conveying rail 9, extending along the axis of the bore 23, as seen in FIG. 3, and the vertical bore 24, as seen in FIGS. 6a through 6d. The singling cylinder 13 includes a punch 30, which is movable up and down by means of known and suitable type, such as electric and/or fluid driven actuation, for example. The fitting cylinder 14 is arranged beneath the conveying rail 9, extending along the axis of the vertical bore 24. The fitting cylinder or transfer device 14 is mounted for pivoting, as shown by the arcuate double-headed arrow in FIG. 4, and includes a piston rod 31 at which a grommet-receiving part 32 is arranged. The drive and control for providing movement of the cylinder 14 can be of any known and suitable type for the purposes described.
A shown in FIGS. 6a through 6d, a bore 32.1 is provided for the reception of a grommet from bore 24. Associated with the bore is a source for providing compressed air or vacuum, so that either a vacuum or an excess pressure can be produced in the interior of the grommet-receiving part 32, as will be further discussed below. A first gripper device 34 and a second gripper device 35 are arranged at a head 33, which is movable to and from in the direction of the double-headed arrow, shown in FIG. 4. The first gripper device 34 includes two pivotable gripper members 34.1 and 34.2, after the inward pivoting of which the grommet-receiving part 32 can be encompassed and a further bore 36, as shown in FIGS. 7b and 7c, extending co-axially with the grommet bore 32.1, is formed by means of the two gripper members. The second gripper device 35 includes two pivotable members 35.1 and 35.2, by means of which the insulation remnant 15.1, as shown in FIGS. 7a through 7f, can be removed from the cable end, after the inward pivoting of the gripper members. The means necessary to drive and control the grippers can be any known and suitable type for the purposes described herein.
The apparatus described above operates as follows.
The grommets 17 loaded into the filling funnel 5 are fed to the drum 2, wherein they are conveyed upwardly by means of the scoops 8 upon rotation of the drum 2 and partially fall onto the rear or upstream end of the conveying rail 9. At this time, only a portion of the grommets 17 will assume the correct position, as shown in FIG. 5a. The conveying rail 9, which is set into vibration by the linear vibratory conveyor 10, conveys the grommets 17 in the direction of the higher end of the drum 2. In that event, the grommets move to the ejector nozzle 28, where all grommets that are situated on the conveying rail 9 or that are obliquely positioned on the groove 16 are blown off by a continuous, adjustable air current and fall back into the drum 2, as illustrated in FIG. 5b. Grommets 17 which stand with their heads upwardly or lie in the groove 16, are blown out by means of the ejector nozzle 27 through the cut-out 26 at the sorting baffle plate 25, as shown in FIG. 5c. Should a wrongly lying grommet nevertheless not be blown away at the sorting baffle plate 25, it then remains hanging at the projection 21.1 of the metal cover plate 21 at the buffer entry, i.e., its movement along the conveying rail 9 is restrained by means of the projection 21.1, as shown in FIG. 5d. In this case, the continuous conveying of the grommets 17 disposed in correct position in the buffer store 20, as shown in FIG. 5e, is interrupted. The sensing of such interruption, by the light sensor 12, results in a brief forceful compressed air pulse by means of a further ejector nozzle 27.1, shown in FIG. 5d, at the sorting baffle plate 25, to eject the wrongly lying grommet from its position at the projection 21.1, thereby restoring the continuous conveying of correctly positioned grommets along the conveying rail 9.
The respective forwardmost, i.e., the most downstream, grommet 17 in the buffer 20 comes to be positioned above the vertical bore 24, as shown in FIG. 6a. Due to the vertical movement of the punch 30 as a result of movement of the singling cylinder 13, shown in FIG. 4, the grommet is pushed through the vertical bore 24 into the grommet-receiving part 32, as shown in FIG. 6b. The bore 32.1 in the grommet-receiving part 32 is evacuated, by means of the aforementioned source, so that the grommet remains securely in the grommet-receiving part 32 due to the suction effect during the subsequent upward movement of the punch 30, as shown in FIG. 6c. Due to the movement of the succeeding grommets in the conveying rail 9, the next grommet has in the meantime, i.e., during the aforementioned manipulation of the previous grommet by means of the punch 30, assumed the place at the singling point above the vertical bore 24, as shown in FIG. 6d. At the same time, the fitting cylinder 14, shown in FIG. 4, pivots into the horizontal position, or substantially horizontal position, while the vacuum in the grommet-receiving part 32 prevents the grommet from dropping out.
After the fitting cylinder 14 has been pivoted into the horizontal position, the grommet-receiving part 32 extends coaxially with the cable 15, as shown in FIG. 7a. The first angle gripper 34 now closes so that the gripper elements 34.1 and 34.2 close upon the grommet-receiving part 32, as shown in FIG. 7b. Compressed air is then directed at the bore 32.1, whereby it can be ascertained, by a suitable pressure sensor, for example, whether a grommet is situated in the grommet-receiving part 32. If, for some reason, a grommet is not present, further processing can be interrupted, while the fitting cylinder 14 is caused to be returned to receive a further grommet. Subsequently, the fitting cylinder 14 with the piston rod 31 and the head 33 with the angle grippers 34 and 35, shown in FIG. 4, move simultaneously against the cable 15, whereby the grommet 17 is pushed onto the cable 15, as shown in FIG. 7c. In this case, the further bore 36, which is formed by the gripper elements 34.1 and 34.2, serves to center and guide the cable 15.
During the operation of pushing the grommet onto the cable end, the bore in the grommet 17 is closed off by the cable 15, whereby an excess pressure can build up in the grommet-receiving part 32, by means of which pressure the cable is more easily inserted due to a relative internal expansion of the grommet and, therefore, an exact position of the grommet 17 on the cable 15 is more easily facilitated. Thereafter, the piston rod 31, shown in FIG. 4, with the grommet-receiving part 32, moves back into the initial position and the gripper elements 34.1 and 34.2 are opened, as shown in FIG. 7d. The second gripper device 35 is now closed and the insulation remnant 15.1 is retained between the blades 35.1 and 35.2, as shown in FIG. 7e. At the same time, the fitting cylinder 14 with the grommet-receiving part 32 pivots back into the vertical position and is ready for the next singling operation. Thereafter, the head 33 with the gripper devices 34 and 35 (FIG. 4) move back into the initial position, while the insulation remnant 15.1 is removed from the cable 15, shown in FIG. 7f, and is transferred to a waste container on the subsequent opening of the blades 35.1 and 35.2 of the gripper device 35.
In a variation of the aforementioned operations, the cycle time is shortened, whereby the cable is moved towards the grommet, by means of the fitting operation according to FIGS. 8a through 8g. In this embodiment, the gripper device 34 with the grommet-receiving part 32 assumes a fixed fitting position already, while the cable 15 is still being advanced, so that the cable can be pushed into the grommet 17 at once, as illustrated in FIGS. 8a and 8b. Thereafter, the piston rod 31 (FIG. 4) with the grommet-receiving part 32 moves back into the initial position and the gripper elements 34.1 and 34.2 are opened, as shown in FIG. 8c. The second gripper device 35 is now closed and the insulation remnant 15.1 is retained between the blades 35.1 and 35.2, as shown in FIG. 8c. The fitting cylinder 14 with the grommet-receiving part 32 then pivots back into the vertical position and the electrical cable 15 with the grommet 17 is drawn back, while the insulation remnant 15.1 is removed, as shown in FIG. 8d. Subsequently, the head 33 with the gripper devices 34 and 35 (FIG. 4) moves back into the initial setting, as shown in FIG. 8e. The insulation remnant 15.1 drops off during the subsequent opening of the blades 35.1 and 35.2 and the grommet-receiving part 32, which has in the meantime been filled again by another grommet 17, is moved again between the gripper elements 34.1 and 34.2 and clamped fast for a new fitting operation, as shown in FIGS. 8f and 8g.
This application is based upon Swiss Application No. 02 838/91-4, filed on Sep. 25, 1991, the priority of which is claimed and the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety.
Finally, although the invention has been described with reference of particular means, materials and embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particulars disclosed and extends to all equivalents within the scope of the claims.
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An apparatus for fitting of grommets onto ends of electric cables. The shape of the grommet is independent of the manner in which it is fitted, by which it is pushed onto an electrical cable, and the characteristics of the electrical cable is not important for the exact positioning of the grommet. For this purpose, a conveying rail of a feed apparatus includes a buffer, in which the grommets are stored in correct position. In alignment with the axis of a vertical bore arranged below the first grommet in the buffer, a singling cylinder with a punch, which is movable up and down, is arranged above the conveying rail and a pivotable fitting cylinder with a grommet-receiving part positioned on a piston rod is arranged beneath the conveying rail, wherein the grommet is pushed by means of the punch through the vertical bore into the grommet-receiving part and the fitting cylinder is pivoted into a horizontal position. Pivotable gripper elements thereafter surround and hold the grommet-receiving part and are moved together with the piston rod against the cable, while the grommet is pushed onto the cable and its position thereon is assisted by an excess pressure that builds up in the grommet-receiving part.
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This is a divisional of application Ser. No. filed 08/293,152 on Aug. 19, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,071.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Significant global economic losses in major agronomic crop production are caused by the damage and infestation of insect and acarid pests. Such pest infestation can result in lower crop yields, lower crop quality, reduced consumption, increased perishability, increased risk of disease, higher processing cost, higher transportation cost and increased market prices. Crop reduction due to said insect and acarid pests, for example in cotton and peanuts, ranges as high as 39% and 78%, respectively. Therefore, new and effective insect and acarid control agents and crop protection methods are a continuing global need.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an effective method for the control of pestiferous insects and acarina.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method for the protection of growing and harvested crops from the harmful and deleterious effects caused by insect and acarid attack and infestation.
It is a further object of this invention to provide insecticidal and acaricidal compounds and compositions and methods for their preparation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for the control of insect and acarid pests which comprises contacting said pests or their food supply, habitat or breeding grounds with a pesticidally effective amount of a compound of formula I ##STR2## wherein R, Y and Z include electron withdrawing groups and exclude electron donating groups, A is any group capable of enzymatic or hydrolytic cleavage and m is an integer of 1, 2, 3 or 4.
The present invention also provides a method for the protection of growing crops from the attack or infestation by insect or acarid pests which comprises applying to the foliage of the plants, or to the soil, water, or other medium in which they are growing, a pesticidally effective amount of a substituted indole compound of formula I.
This invention further describes compounds, compositions comprising those compounds, and methods for preparing those compounds, which are useful as insecticidal and acaricidal agents.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A wide variety of insects and acarina cause great economic loss by damaging or destroying agricultural crops and horticultural and pharmaceutical plants; by aiding in the spread and development of bacteria, fungi and viruses that produce diseases of plants; and by destroying or devaluing stored foods, or other plant products and possessions. Insect and acarid attack and infestation cause some of the farmers' greatest problems the world over. The need for alternative and effective insect and acarid control is a continuing global concern.
It has now been found that the substituted indole compounds of formula I are highly effective agents for the control of a wide variety of insect and acarid pests.
The formula I indole compounds of the present invention include those which have the structural formula ##STR3## wherein R, Y and Z include electron withdrawing groups and exclude electron donating groups, A is any group capable of enzymatic or hydrolytic cleavage and m is an integer of 1, 2, 3 or 4.
In particular, the indole compounds of the present invention include those formula I compounds wherein Y and Z are each independently hydrogen, halogen, CN, NO 2 , S(O) n R 1 , C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl, C 1 -C 6 haloalkoxy, COR 2 , CSR 3 , or W, with the proviso that only one of Y or Z may be W, and with the further proviso that only one of Y or Z may be hydrogen;
W is ##STR4##
R is any combination of from one to four halogen, CN, NO 2 , S(O) n R 7 , C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl or C 1 -C 6 haloalkoxy;
m is an integer of 1, 2, 3 or 4;
n is an integer of 0, 1, or 2;
L, M and Q are each independently hydrogen, halogen NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 haloalkyl, C 1 -C 4 haloalkoxy, COR 7 or S(O) n R 8 ;
R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 7 and R 8 are each independently C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl;
X is O or S;
R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are each independently hydrogen, halogen, NO 2 , CN, S (O) n R 9 or R 5 and R 6 may be taken together with the atoms to which they are attached to form a ring in which R 5 R 6 is represented by the structure ##STR5##
R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R 13 are each independently hydrogen, halogen, CN, NO 2 or S(O) n R 14 ;
R 9 and R 14 are each independently C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl;
A is R 15 , OR 15 or CN;
R15 is hydrogen, COR 16 , CHR 17 NHCOR 18 , CH 2 SQ 1 , ##STR6##
C 1 -C 6 alkyl optionally substituted with
one to three halogen atoms,
one tri (C 1 -C 4 alkyl) silyl,
one hydroxy,
one cyano,
one or two C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms,
one C 1 -C 4 alkylthio,
one phenyl optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
one phenoxy group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
one benzyloxy group optionally substituted on the phenyl ring with one to three halogen atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
one C 1 -C 6 alkylcarbonyloxy group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms,
one C 2 -C 6 alkenylcarbonyloxy group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms,
one phenylcarbonyloxy group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
one C 1 -C 6 alkoxycarbonyl group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups, or
one benzylcarbonyloxy group optionally substituted on the phenyl ring with one to three halogen atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
C 3 -C 6 alkenyl optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms or one phenyl group or
C 3 -C 6 alkynyl optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms or one phenyl group;
R 16 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl or C 3 -C 6 cycloalkyl each optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms,
one hydroxy,
one cyano,
one or two C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms,
one C 1 -C 4 alkylthio,
one phenyl group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
one phenoxy group optionally substituted with one to three atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
one benzyloxy group optionally substituted on the phenyl ring with one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three halogen atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
one C 1 -C 6 alkylcarbonyloxy group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms,
one C 2 -C 6 alkenylcarbonyloxy group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms,
one phenylcarbonyloxy group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
one C 1 -C 6 alkoxycarbonyl group optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups, or one benzylcarbonyl group optionally substituted on the phenyl ring with one to three halogen atoms, one to three C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups or one to three C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups,
C 2 -C 6 alkenyl optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms or one phenyl group,
C 3 -C 6 alkynyl optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms or one phenyl group,
phenyl optionally substituted with one or more halogen, C 1 -C 4 alkyl, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy, phenoxy, C 1 -C 4 alkylthio, tri (C 1 -C 4 alkyl) silyl, C 1 -C 4 alkylsulfinyl, C 1 -C 4 alkylsulfonyl, CN, NO 2 or CF 3 groups,
phenoxy optionally substituted with one or more halogen, C 1 -C 4 alkyl, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy, C 1 -C 4 alkylthio, tri (C 1 -C 4 alkyl) silyl, C 1 -C 4 alkylsulfinyl, C 1 -C 4 alkylsulfonyl, CN, NO 2 or CF 3 groups,
1- or 2-naphthyl,
2-, 3-, or 4-pyridyl optionally substituted with halogen,
C 1 -C 6 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen, or C 2 -C 6 alkenyloxy optionally substituted with halogen;
R 17 is hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
R 18 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 haloalkoxy,
phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, CN, NO 2 , C 1 -C 4 alkyl, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy or CF 3 ,
2- or 3-thienyl, or
2- or 3-furyl; ##STR7## CN,
C 1 -C 6 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, CN or phenyl groups, or
phenyl optionally substituted with one or more halogen, C 1 -C 4 alkyl, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy, CN, NO 2 , CF 3 or NR 33 R 34 ;
A 1 is O or S;
R 22 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl or phenyl;
R 23 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl;
R 24 and R 25 are each independently hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl or may be taken together with the atom to which they are attached to form a 5- to 7-membered ring;
R 26 is C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
R 27 is hydrogen, C 1 -C 4 alkyl or may be taken together with either R 28 or R 29 and the atoms to which they are attached to form a 5- to 7-membered ring optionally substituted with one or two C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups;
R 28 and R 29 are each independently hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
R 30 is C 1 -C 4 alkyl or when taken together with R 27 and the atoms to which they are attached may form a 5- to 7-membered ring optionally substituted with one or two C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups;
R 31 and R 32 are each independently hydrogen, C 1 -C 4 alkyl or when taken together may form a ring wherein R 31 R 32 is represented by --CH═CH--CH═CH--;
R 33 and R 34 are each independently hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
R 19 is hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
R 20 and R 21 are each independently hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkylthio optionally substituted with halogen, or
phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen, or
when R 20 and R 21 are taken together with the atom to which they are attached may form a C 3 -C 6 cycloalkyl group optionally substituted with C 1 -C 4 alkyl, C 2 -C 6 alkenyl or phenyl, or R 20 or R 21 may be taken together with R 35 and the atoms to which they are attached to form a 4- to 7-membered heterocyclic ring;
x is an integer of 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4;
Q 2 is A 2 R 35 , ##STR8## NR 37 R 38 , CR 39 R 40 , COR 41 , or C 3 -C 6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted with one or more C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 2 -C 6 alkenyl, or phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl, C 1 -C 4 haloalkyl, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy, or C 1 -C 4 haloalkoxy;
A 2 is O or S (O) p;
p is an integer of 0, 1 or 2;
R 35 is hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 2 -C 6 alkenyl, C 2 -C 6 alkynyl, phenyl optionally substituted with halogen,
NO 2 , CN,
C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen,
C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen,
COR 42 provided p is O,
COR 43 provided p is O,
(CH 2 CH 2 O) q R 44 , or ##STR9## R 35 may be taken together with either R 20 or R 21 and the atoms to which they are attached to form a 4- to 7-membered heterocyclic ring;
A 3 is O or S;
R 42 and R 44 are each independently C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 2 -C 6 alkenyl, C 2 -C 6 alkynyl, or phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen;
q is an integer of 1, 2 or 3;
R 43 is OR 47 or NR 48 R 49 ;
R 47 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl or phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen;
R 48 and R 49 are each independently hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
R 45 and R 46 are each independently hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl, or when taken together may form a ring wherein R 45 R 46 is represented by --CH═CH--CH═CH--;
R 36 is C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
R 37 is hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 2 -C 6 alkenyl, C 2 --C 6 alkynyl, or phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen, or R 37 may be taken together with either R 20 or R 21 and the atoms to which they are attached to form a 4- to 7-membered heterocyclic ring;
R 38 is hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 2 -C 6 alkenyl, C 2 -C 6 alkynyl, phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen, ##STR10## CN, SO 2 R 51 or COCHR 52 NHR 53 ;
A 4 is O or S;
R 50 is OR 54 , CO 2 R 55 , NR 56 R 57 , C 1 -C 6 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, C 2 -C 6 alkenyl, C 2 -C 6 alkynyl or phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen;
R 54 and R 55 are each independently C 1 -C 6 alkyl optionally substituted with one phenyl group, or phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen;
R 56 and R 57 are each independently hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
R 51 is NR 58 R 59 , C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 2 -C 6 alkenyl, C2-C 6 alkynyl, or phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen;
R 58 and R 59 are each independently hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
R 52 is hydrogen, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, SR 60 , CONH 2 , NH 2 , NHC(═NH)NH 2 , CO 2 H, phenyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, 3-indolyl or 4-imidazolyl;
R 60 is hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl; R 53 is ##STR11##
R 61 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkoxyalkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkylthio, phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, NO 2 , CN, C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen, OR 54 , CO 2 R 55 or NR 56 R 57 ;
R 39 and R 40 are each independently hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkylthio optionally substituted with halogen, phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, CN, NO 2 , C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen, or
when R 39 and R 40 are taken together with the atom to which they are attached may form a C 3 -C 6 cycloalkyl ring optionally substituted with C 1 -C 4 alkyl, C 2 -C 6 alkenyl or phenyl;
R 41 is OR 62 , NR 58 R 59 , C 1 -C 4 alkyl or phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, CN, NO 2 , C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen;
R 62 is C 1 -C 4 alkyl or phenyl optionally substituted with halogen, CN, NO 2 , C 1 -C 4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, or C 1 -C 4 alkoxy optionally substituted with halogen.
The term halogen as used in the specification and claims designates chlorine, fluorine, bromine or iodine. The term haloalkyl designates an alkyl group, C n H 2n+1 which contains from one halogen atom to 2n+1 halogen atoms wherein the halogen atoms may be the same or different.
It is contemplated, that A may be any group that is capable of enzymatic or hydrolytic cleavage and Y, Z and R may be any combination of from 2 to 6 electron withdrawing groups that are also lipophilic. Suitable electron withdrawing groups include halogen, nitro, cyano, trifluoromethylsulfonyl, trifluoroacetyl, and the like.
Preferred compounds of the invention are those compounds of formula I wherein Y and Z are each independently hydrogen, halogen, CN, NO 2 , S(O) n R 1 , C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl or C 1 -C 6 haloalkoxy provided only one of Y or Z is hydrogen; m is 3 or 4 and n is 1 or 2.
Also preferred are those compounds wherein Y is hydrogen, CN, NO 2 , S(O) n R 1 , C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl or C 1 -C 6 haloalkoxy or C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl and Z is phenyl optionally substituted with L, M, Q.
More preferred compounds are those compounds of formula I wherein Y is CN, C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl or SO 2 R 1 and Z is C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl, SO 2 R 1 , or phenyl optionally substituted with L, M, Q.
Compounds of formula I wherein Y or Z is C 1 -C 6 haloalkyl may be prepared by literature procedures such as that described by Y. Kobayashi et al in the Journal of Organic Chemistry 39, 1836 (1974) or by the reaction of the appropriate haloprecursor of formula II (wherein the halogen is I) with a C 1 -C 6 haloalkylcarboxylate salt or ester and copper (I) halide as shown in flow diagram I wherein the C 1 -C 6 haloalkylcarboxylate is sodium trifluoroacetate. ##STR12##
Compounds of formula I wherein Y or Z are CN may be prepared by reacting the above-prepared haloalkyl intermediate with chlorosulfonylisocyanate (CSI) in the presence of acetonitrile and dimethylformamide (DMF) as shown in flow diagram II. ##STR13##
Compounds of formula I wherein Z is S(O) n R 1 may be prepared from the appropriate indolenethione precursor of formula III by reaction with a suitable halogenated alkene such as chlorotrifluoroethylene in the presence of a base to give the formula I products wherein n is 0. This haloalkylthio compound may then be oxidized in the usual manner to yield the sulfone and sulfoxide analogs as shown in diagram III. ##STR14##
Alternatively, compounds of formula I wherein Y or Z is S(O) n R 1 , may be prepared by reacting the appropriate indole precursor with haloatkylsulfenyl chloride and, if desired, oxidizing the haloalkylthio indole as shown above. The reaction sequence is shown in flow diagram IV. ##STR15##
Compounds of formula I wherein Z is W may be prepared by the cyclization of the appropriate aryl hydrazone of phenyl (or substituted phenyl) hydrazine with polyphosphoric acid (PPA). For example, when W is phenyl, the hydrazone of formula IV is cyclized as shown in flow diagram V. ##STR16##
Formula I compounds wherein A is other than hydrogen may be prepared by reacting the NH indole precursor with the appropriate alkyl or carbonyl halide in the presence of a base to give products of formula I as shown in flow diagram VI. ##STR17##
The formula I products wherein Y or Z or R are halogen or NO 2 may be obtained by standard halogenation or nitration procedures known in the art. These and other methods for the preparation of substituted indole derivatives of formula I will become apparent from the examples set forth below.
Substituted formula I indoles and the N-substituted derivatives thereof are effective for the control of insect and acarid pests and for the protection of growing and harvested plants and crops from attack and infestation by said pests.
In practice, generally about 10 ppm to 10,000 ppm, preferably about 100 to 5,000 ppm of the formula I compound dispersed in an agronomically acceptable liquid carrier, when applied to the plants or the soil, water, or other medium in which they are growing, is effective to protect the plants from insect and acarina attack and infestation. Applications, such as spray applications, of compositions of the invention are generally effective at rates which provide about 0.125 kg/ha to about 250 kg/ha, preferably about 1 kg/ha to 200 kg/ha, most preferably about 10 kg/ha to 100 kg/ha of active ingredient. Of course, it is contemplated that higher or lower rates of application of the substituted indole derivatives may be used depending upon the prevailing environmental circumstances such as population density, degree of infestation, stage of plant growth, soil conditions, weather conditions and the like.
Advantageously, the formula I compounds may be used in conjunction with, or in combination with, other biological and chemical control agents including other insecticides, nematicides, acaricides, molluscides, fungicides and bactericides such as nuclear polyhedrosis viruses, pyrroles, arylpyrroles, halobenzoylureas, pyrethroids, carbamates, phosphates, and the like.
Typical formulations suitable for the formula I indole derivatives are granular compositions, flowable compositions, wettable powders, dusts, microemulsions, emulsifiable concentrates and the like. All compositions which lend themselves to soil, water and foliage application and provide effective plant protection are suitable. Compositions of the invention include the formula I substituted indole derivative admixed with an agronomically acceptable inert solid or liquid carrier.
Where compositions of the invention are to be employed in combination treatments with other biological or chemical agents, the composition may be applied as an admixture of the components or may be applied sequentially. While not required, the combination composition comprising a formula I compound and a co-pesticide may also comprise other components, for example, fertilizers, inert formulation aides such as surfactants, emulsifiers, wetting agents, defoamers, dyes, extenders and the like.
For a more clear understanding of the invention, specific examples thereof are set forth below. The invention described and claimed herein is not to be limited in scope by these merely illustrative examples. Indeed, various modifications of the invention in addition to those exemplified and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following examples and the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall with in the scope of the appended claims. The terms 1 H, 13 C, 19 FNMR designate proton, carbon and fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, respectively. IR designates infrared spectroscopy, and GC and TLC designate gas chromatography and thin layer chromatography, respectively.
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of 2-(Trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR18##
A 2.5 M solution of n-butyl lithium in hexanes (8.8 mL, 22 mmole) at room temperature, under N 2 , is treated with N,N,N'N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) (3.3 mL, 22 mole), stirred at room temperature for 0.5 hour, treated with N-trimethylsilyl-o-toluidine (1.79 g, 10 mmole), heated at reflux temperature for 6 hours, cooled to -78° C., treated with ethyl trifluoroacetate (1.4 mL, 12 mmole) stirred at -78° C. for 0.25 hour, warmed to room temperature, diluted with water and extracted with diethyl ether. The combined extracts are washed sequentially with 1 N HCl and saturated NaHCO 3 , dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue. The residue is chromatographed using silica gel and 4:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate as eluent to afford the title product as a light yellow solid, mp 104°-106° C. (literature mp 102° C. 1 ), 0.81 g (47% yield), further identified by IR, 1 HNMR and 19 FNMR analyses.
1 Y. Kobayashi, I. Kumadaki, Y. Hirose and Y. Hanazawa, Journal of Organic Chemistry, 39, 1836 (1974).
EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of N-Methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR19##
A mixture of 1-methyl-2-iodoindole (4.40 g, 17.3 mmole), sodium trifluoroacetate (24.0 g, 176.5 mmole) and copper(I) iodide (17.1 g, 89.8 mmole) in N-methylpyrrolidone is heated at 160° C. for 6 hours, cooled to room temperature, diluted with water and filtered through diatomaceous earth to remove copper salts. The filtrate is extracted with ether. The extracts are combined, washed with water, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue. The residue is chromatographed using silica gel and 4:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate as eluent to give the title product as a pale yellow oil which crystallized on standing, 119 g (37% yield), mp 28°-32° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR and 19 FNMR analyses.
EXAMPLE 3
Preparation of 5-Chloro-2-iodo-1-methylindole ##STR20##
A mixture of 5-chloro-1-methylindole (10.0 g, 60.4 mmole) and n-butyl lithium (29 mL of 2.5 M sol'n in hexanes, 72.5 mmole) in diethyl ether is heated at reflux temperature for 3 hours, cooled to 0° C., treated with iodine (18.4 g, 72.5 mmole), stirred at 0° C. for 1 hour, warmed to room temperature, stirred for 1 hour, and treated with aqueous sodium sulfite. After phase separation, the organic phase is dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give the title product as a brown oil which solidified on standing, 16.5 g (93.7% yield). The title product is used as in Example 4.
EXAMPLE 4
Preparation of 5-Chloro-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)-inodole ##STR21##
A mixture of 5-chloro-2-iodo-1-methylindole obtained from Example 3 (16.5 g, 56.6 mmole), sodium trifluoroacetate (76.2 g, 56.0 mmole) and copper (I) iodide (10.6 g, 56.0 mmole) in N-methylpyrrolidone is heated at 160° C. for about 8 hours, cooled to room temperature, diluted with water and filtered through diatomaceous earth. The filtrate is extracted with diethyl ether. The extracts are combined, washed with water, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a black oil residue. The residue is chromatographed using silica gel and 15:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate to give a yellow oil. The oil is chromatographed a second time using the same eluent and silica gel to give the title product as a yellow oil, 2.92 g (22% overall yield from 5-chloro-1-methylindole), identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR and 19 FNMR analyses.
EXAMPLE 5
Preparation of 5-Chloro-3-cyano-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR22##
A solution of 5-chloro-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole (1.79 g, 7.7 mmole) in acetonitrile is cooled to 0° C., treated with chlorosulfonylisocyanate (CSI) (1.0 mL 11.5 mmole) stirred until starting indole cannot be observed by thin layer chromatography, treated with 5 mL of dimethylformamide (DMF), stirred for 0.5 hour and diluted with diethyl ether and water. The phases are separated. The organic phase is washed with water, dried over Na 2 SO 4 and concentrated in vacuo. The resultant residue is chromatographed using silica gel and 4:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate as eluent to give the title product as a white solid, 0.99 g (49.7% yield) mp 166°-167.5° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 6
Preparation of 6-Chloroindole ##STR23##
A mixture of 4-chloro-2-nitrotoluene (34 g, 0.2 mole), dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal (28 mL, 0.2 mole) and pyrrolidine (25 mL 0.3 mole) in dimethylformamide (DMF) is heated at 100° C. for 72 h, cooled to room temperature and concentrated in vacuo to give a deep red residue. The residue is taken up in methanol/tetrahydro-furan (1:1), treated with about 2 mL of a Raney nickel slurry and hydrogenated at atmospheric pressure. The reaction is monitored by GC, TLC and H 2 uptake. After 2 hours, the hydrogenation is continued at 20 psi-40 psi for a total hydrogenation time of 24 hours. The resultant reaction mixture is filtered through diatomaceous earth. The filtercake is washed with methylene chloride and the combined filtrate is washed sequentially with 1 N HCl and saturated NaHCO 3 , dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a brown oil residue. The residue is crystallized in hexanes to give the title product as a brown solid, 22 g (72.6 % yield), identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 7
Preparation of 6-Chloro1-methylindole ##STR24##
A mixture of 6-chloroindole (22.0 g, 0.145 mole) and potassium t-butoxide (KOt-Bu) (20.0 g 0.179 mole) in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature is treated dropwise with methyl iodide (11.2 mL, 0.179 mole), allowed to stir at ambient temperatures for about 1 hour and diluted with a mixture of pet ether and water. The phases are separated. The organic phase is washed with 1 N HCL and water, dried over Na 2 SO 4 and concentrated to a brown oil. After chromatography (silica gel/4:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate), the oil is distilled to afford the title product as a colorless oil, 16.25 g (67% yield), bp 110°-115° C./4 mm Hg, identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, mass spectral and microanalyses.
EXAMPLE 8
Preparation of 6-Chloro-2-iodo-1-methylindole ##STR25##
A solution of 6-chloro-l-methylindole (0.83 g, 5.0 mmole) in diethyl ether is treated with 1.7 M t-butyl lithium in hexanes (3.5 mL, 6.0 mmole) at 0° C., stirred at ambient temperatures for 0.25 hour, treated with I 2 (1.52 g, 6.0 mmole), stirred at room temperature until reaction is complete by TLC analysis, treated with aqueous sodium sulfite and extracted with diethyl ether. The combined ether extracts are dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to afford the title product as a brown solid, 1.52 g (contains ether). The product is used as is in Example 9.
EXAMPLE 9
Preparation of 6-Chloro-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)-indole ##STR26##
A mixture of 6-chloro-2-iodo-1-methylindole, obtained in Example 8, (1.5 g (96.7% purity), 5.0 mmole), sodium trifluoroacetate (6.8 g, 50 mmole) and copper (I) iodide (0.95 g, 5.0 mmole) in N-methylpyrrolidone is heated at about 160° for 2 hours and 190° C. for 1 hour, cooled to room temperature, diluted with water and filtered through diatomaceous earth. The filtrate is extracted with diethyl ether. The combined extracts are washed with water, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue. The residue is chromatographed (silica gel/4:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate) to afford the title product as a yellowish crystalline solid 0.51 g (46% yield), mp 75°-78° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR, mass spectral and microanalyses.
EXAMPLE 10
Preparation of 6-Chloro-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)-indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR27##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 5, the title product is obtained as a white solid in 80.4% yield after chromatography, mp 142.5°-145° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 11
Preparation of 6-Chloro-1-(ethoxymethyl)-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR28##
A mixture of 6-chloro-3-cyano-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole (1.08 g, 4.2 mmole) and thionyl chloride (0.68 mL, 8.4 mmole) in carbon tetrachloride is heated at reflux temperature for 18 hours, cooled to room temperature and concentrated in vacuo for 18 hours to remove all volatiles. The residue is dissolved in ethanol and treated with a solution of sodium metal (0.38 g, 16 mmole) in ethanol, stirred or 0.5 hour at room temperature and diluted with diethyl ether. The diluted reaction mixture is washed with water, dried over Na 2 SO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue. The residue is chromatographed (silica gel/4:1 hexanes: ethyl acetate) to afford the title product as an off-white solid, 0.66 g (52% yield) mp 83°-86° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 12
Preparation of 6-Chloro-3-nitro-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR29##
A solution of 6-chloro-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole (1.16 g, 5.0 mmole) in acetic anhydride is treated with Cu(NO 3 ) 2 •3H 2 O (1.20 g, 5.0 mmole) stirred at 0°-25° C. for 3 hours, and partitioned between water and diethyl ether. The organic phase is washed with water and saturated NaHCO 3 , dried over Na 2 SO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue. The residue is chromatographed (silica gel/4:1 hexanes: ethyl acetate) to afford the title product as white leaflets, 0.87 g (62.41% yield), mp 157°-159.9° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR 13 CNMR 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 13
Preparation of 5-Bromo-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR30##
A solution of 3-cyano-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole (1.05 g, 5.0 mmole) in acetic acid is treated with Br 2 (0.6 mL, 6.0 mmole) at room temperature, and stirred until reaction is complete by TLC. The reaction mixture is worked up as described in Example 22 to afford the title product as a white solid after chromatography (silica gel and 4:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate) and crystallization, 0.95 g (65% yield), mp 188°-191.5° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 14
Preparation of 5,6- and 6,7-Dichloro-3-cyano-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR31##
A suspension of 6-chloro-3-cyano-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole (0.51 g, 2.0 mmole) in 2 mL H 2 SO 4 and 6 mL water is treated with acetic acid to achieve dissolution; the solution is treated with incremental portions of NaOCl (2.8 mL, 2.0 mmole) and H 2 SO 4 until reaction is complete (a total of 4 portions, 8.0 mmole NaOCl). The resultant reaction mixture is poured into water and extracted with diethyl ether. The organic phase is washed with NaHCO 3 until neutralized, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue containing the title product mixture. The mixture is separated by column chromatography (silica gel/4:1 hexanes: ethyl acetate) to afford:
A--5,6 dichloro-3-cyano-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole as a white solid, 0.077 g (13% yield), mp 175°-180° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses, and
B--6,7-dichloro-3-cyano-1-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole as a white solid, 0.082 g (14% yield), mp 220°-223° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 15
Preparation of 5,6-Dichloro-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole and 5,6-dichloro-1-ethoxy-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR32##
A mixture of 4,5-dichloro-2-nitro-β-trifluoromethyl styrene (5.5 g, 19.2 mmole) and triethylphosphite (26 mL, 153 mmole) is heated at 160° C. for 4.5 hours (monitored by GC, TLC and NMR), cooled to room temperature, concentrated in vacuo to give a residue. The residue is taken up in ether, washed sequentially with water and brine, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to afford the title product mixture. The mixture is separated chromatographically (silica gel/10:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate) to afford:
A-5,6 dichloro-2-(trifluoromethyl) indole as colorless leaflets, 0.82 g (17% yield)mp 96°-98° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses, and
B--5,6-dichloro-1-ethoxy-2-(trifluoromethyl)-indole as a yellow solid, 1.19 g (20.7% yield, mp 71°-73.5° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 16
Preparation of 6,7-Dichloro-1-(ethoxymethyl)-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR33##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 11 the title product is obtained in 44% yield after chromatography (silica gel/4:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate) as a white solid, mp 122°-127° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 17
Preparation of 5,6-Dichloro-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR34##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 5, the title product is obtained in 19.6% yield after chromatography (silica gel/8:1 hexanes:ethyl acetate) as a white solid, mp >260° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 18
Preparation of 5-Nitro-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR35##
A solution of 2-(trifluoromethyl) indole (0.2 g, 1.1 mmole) in acetic anhydride is treated with (0.131 g, 0.54 mmole of) Cu (NO 3 ) 2 ·3H 2 O at 0° C., stirred for 2.5 hours at room temperature and diluted with water and ether. The phases are separated; the organic phase is washed sequentially with saturated NaHCO 3 and brine, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a yellow solid residue. The residue is chromatographed (silica gel/20% ethyl acetate in hexanes) to give the title product as a yellow solid, 0. 073 g (29.4% yield), mp 190°-193° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 19
Preparation of 5-Nitro-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole and 3-cyano-6-nitro-2-(trifluoromethyl) indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR36##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 18 and substituting 3-cyano-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole as substrate the title product mixture is obtained. The mixture is separated chromatographically (silica gel/20% ethyl acetate in hexanes) and recrystallized from ethyl acetate/hexanes to give:
A--3-cyano-5-nitro-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole as beige crystals in 41% yield, mp>260° C. identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses, and
B--3-cyano-6-nitro-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole as a beige solid in 6% yield, mp>230° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 20
Preparation of 3,5-Dinitro-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR37##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 18 and substituting 5-nitro-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole as substrate the title product is obtained in 16.7% yield (90% pure) as a yellow solid, mp 225°-228° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 21
Preparation of 5,6- and 5,7-Dinitro-2-(trifluoromethyl)-indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR38##
A mixture of 3-cyano-5-nitro-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole (0.23 g, 0.90 mmole) in 7 mL of fuming nitric acid 90%), under nitrogen, is stirred at 0° C. for 0.5 hour, stirred for 19 hours at room temperature, poured into ice water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined extracts are washed sequentially with saturated NaHCO 3 and brine, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a brown solid residue. After chromatography and crystallization, the title product mixture is obtained as a yellow solid, 0.104 g (3.7% yield), mp >230° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR and 19 FNMR analyses.
EXAMPLE 22
Preparation of 5-Methoxy-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR39##
Tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) (49 g, 0.42 mole), under nitrogen, is treated with n-butyl lithium (168 mL of 2.57 N in hexanes, 0.42 mole) at 0° C., stirred for 0.5 hour at room temperature, treated dropwise with N-(trimethylsilyl)-4-methoxy-o-toluidine (40.0 g, 0.19 mole), heated at reflux temperature for 4 hours, cooled to -78° C., diluted with dry cyclohexane, treated dropwise with ethyl trifluoroacetate (45 g, 0.23 mole), stirred at -78° C. for 0.5 hour, warmed to room temperature and quenched with saturated NH 4 Cl solution. The mixture is extracted with diethyl ether. The combined extracts are washed sequentially with saturated NH 4 Cl and brine, dried over Na 2 SO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a brown oil residue. The oil is chromatographed (silica gel/10% ethyl acetate in hexanes) to give the title product as white needles, 5.0 g (12% yield), mp 60° C. (after recrystallization from pentane), identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 23
Preparation of 3-Cyano-5-methoxy-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole ##STR40##
A solution of 5-methoxy-2-(trifluoromethyl)indole (3.0 g, 13.0 mmole) in acetonitrile is treated dropwise with chlorosulfonyl isocyanate (2.02 g, 14.3 mmole) at 0° C., stirred at ambient temperatures for 2.5 hours, treated with dimethylformamide (DMF) (2.1 g, 28.6 mmole), stirred at ambient temperatures for 0.75 hour and poured into water. The resultant mixture is extracted with diethyl ether. The combined extracts are washed sequentially with water and brine, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrate in vacuo to give a brown oil residue. The oil is crystallized in ether/hexanes to give the title product as brown crystals, 0.78 g (25% yield), mp 189°-190° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR and 19 FNMR.
EXAMPLE 24
Preparation of 5,6-Dichloro-2-[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)thio]indole ##STR41##
A mixture of 5,6-dichloroindolene-2-thione (3.71 g, 17.0 mmole) and potassium carbonate (2.35 g, 17.0 mmole) in isopropanol is placed in a pressure tube, treated with chlorotrifluoroethylene (2.18 g, 18.7 mmole), sealed and stirred for 16 hours at room temperature. After the seal is broken, the reaction mixture is concentrated in vacuo, diluted with ethyl acetate, washed sequentially with water and brine, dried over MgSO 4 and reconcentrated in vacuo to afford a dark residue. Flash column chromatography (silica gel/1:10 ethyl acetate: hexanes) gives the title product as an off-white solid, 3.4 g (56% yield) mp 54°-60° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR and 19 FNMR analyses.
EXAMPLES 25-27
Preparation of Substituted 2-thioindole compounds ##STR42##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 24 and substituting the appropriate inaoline-2-thione substrate and desired olefin, the following compounds shown in Table I are obtained.
TABLE I______________________________________ ##STR43##Example Number R.sub.m R.sub.1 % Yield mp °C.______________________________________25 H CF.sub.2 CHF.sub.2 33 oil26 H CF.sub.2 CHFCl 54 oil27 5-Br CF.sub.2 CHFCl 49 oil______________________________________
EXAMPLE 28
Preparation of 2-[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-thio]indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR44##
A solution of 2-[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)thio]indole (0.64 g, 2.4 mmole) in acetonitrile is treated with a solution of chlorosulfonylisocyanate (CSI) (0.85 g, 6.0 mmole) in acetonitrile at ice bath temperatures, stirred at room temperature for 3 hours, treated with dimethylformamide (0.88 g, 12 mmole) at 0° C., stirred for 1 hour at ambient temperatures, poured into ice water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined extracts are washed with brine, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue. Flash chromatography (silica gel/1:4 ethyl acetate:hexanes) affords the title product as a white solid, 0 44 g (63% yield) mp 134°-136° C. identified by IR, 1 HNMR and 13 CNMR.
EXAMPLE 29
Preparation of 5-Bromo-2[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)thio]indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR45##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 28 but employing 5-bromo-2[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)thio]indole, the title product is obtained as a white solid, mp 187°-192° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR and 13 CNMR.
EXAMPLE 30
Preparation of 2-(trifluoromethyl)-3-[(trifluoromethyl)-thio]indole ##STR46##
A mixture of 2-(trifluoromethyl)indole (1.85 g, 0.01 mole) and 3 drops of triflic acid in dichloroethane is heated at 65° C. in a sealed pressure tube for 72 hours, cooled, concentrated in vacuo, diluted with ethyl acetate, washed sequentially with saturated NaHCO 3 and brine, dried over NaSO 4 and reconcentrated in vacuo to give a residue. Flash column chromatography (silica gel/1:10 ethyl acetate:hexanes) affords the title product as a yellow oil, 2.03 g (71% yield), identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 31
Preparation of 2,6-Dibromo-3-[(trifluoromethyl)thio]-indole ##STR47##
A mixture of 3-[(trifluoromethyl)thio]indole-(0.776 g, 3.57 mmole), 1.0 g of silica gel and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) (1.27 g, 71.9 mmole) in methylene chloride is stirred at room temperature for 2 hours and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue. Flash column chromatography (silica gel/15:85 ethyl acetate:hexanes) of the residue affords the title product as a brown syrup, 0.41 g (30.6% yield), identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 32
Preparation of 5-Bromo-2[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-thio]indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR48##
A solution of 2[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl) thio]indole (0.75 g, 2.58 mmole) in acetic acid is treated with bromine (0.45 g, 2.84 mmole), stirred for 16 hours at room temperature, poured into water and filtered. The white solid filtercake is dissolved in ethyl acetate, washed with brine, dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated in vacuo to give a residue. The residue is chromatographed (silica gel/1:4 ethyl acetate:hexanes) to afford the title product as a white solid, 0.28 g (29% yield), mp 187°-192° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLES 33-36
Preparation of Bromo- and Dibromo-substituted-3-[(trifluoromethyl)indole compounds ##STR49##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 32, substituting the appropriately substituted indole substrate and employing one or two equivalents of Br 2 , the following compounds shown in Table III are obtained.
TABLE III______________________________________ ##STR50##Example Number R.sub.m Z mp °C.______________________________________33 5-Br CF.sub.3 76-7834 5,6-diBr CF.sub.3 syrup35 5-Br CN 172-17536 6-Br CN 153-156______________________________________
EXAMPLE 37
Preparation of 2-(Trifluoromethyl)-3-[(trifluoromethyl)-sulfinyl]indole ##STR51##
A mixture of 2-(trifluoromethyl -3-[(trifluoromethyl)thio]indole (0.96 g, 3.36 mmole) and 30% hydrogen peroxide (1.15 mL, 10.1 mmole) in acetic acid is heated at 50° C. for 16 hours, cooled to room temperature, poured onto water and filtered. The filter cake is air-dried to give the title product as a colorless solid, 0.535 g (50% yield), mp 183°-185° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR, 19 FNMR and mass spectral analyses.
EXAMPLES 38-41
Preparation of Substituted-3-[(haloalkyl)sulfinyl]indole compounds ##STR52##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 37 and employing the appropriate 3-[(trifluoromethyl)thio]indole substrate, the compounds shown in Table IV are obtained.
TABLE IV______________________________________ ##STR53##Example Number R.sub.m Z mp °C.______________________________________38 5-Br CF.sub.3 210-21239 H CN 154-15640 H CONH.sub.2 185 (decompose)41 6-Br Br 95-97______________________________________
EXAMPLE 42
Preparation of 2[(2-Chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)sulfonyl]-indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR54##
A mixture of 2[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl) thio]indole-3-carbonitrile (2.39 g 8.22 mmole) and 30% hydrogen peroxide (2.80 g, 24.7 mmole) in acetic acid is heated at 60° C. for 16 hours, cooled to room temperature poured onto water and filtered. The filtercake is air-dried to afford the title product as a white solid, 2.37 g (89% yield), mp 164°-167° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR, 13 CNMR and 19 FNMR analyses.
EXAMPLES 43-48
Preparation of Substituted-sulfonylindole compounds ##STR55##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 42, employing the appropriate thioindole substrate and heating to about 60°-90° C., the compounds shown in Table V are obtained.
TABLE V______________________________________ ##STR56##ExampleNumber R.sub.m Z Y mp °C.______________________________________43 5,6-diCl SO.sub.2 CF.sub.2 CHFCl CN 178-18044 5-Br SO.sub.2 CF.sub.2 CHFCl CN 220-22345 H H SO.sub.2 CF.sub.3 115-11846 H CF.sub.3 SO.sub.2 CF.sub.3 104-10747 H CN SO.sub.2 CF.sub.3 152-15448 5-Br CN SO.sub.2 CF.sub.3 >230______________________________________
EXAMPLE 49
Preparation of 3-Bromo-5,6-dichlor-2[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)sulfonyl]indole ##STR57##
A mixture of 5,6-dichloro-2[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)sulfonyl]indole (0.84 g, 2.29 mmole) and sodium acetate (0.21 g, 2.52 mmole in acetic acid is treated with bromine (0.40 g, 2.52 mmole), stirred for 0.5 hour at room temperature, poured onto water and filtered. The filtercake is air-dried to afford the title product as a white solid, 0.93 g (91% yield), mp 200°-205° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR and 19 FNMR spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 50
Preparation of 2-[(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-sulfonyl]-1-(ethoxymethyl) indole-3-carbonitrile ##STR58##
A mixture of 2[(2-chloro-1,1,2-tzrifluoroethyl)sulfonyl]indole-3-carbonitrile (1.0 g, 3.1 mmole), chloromethylethylether (0.35 g, 3.72 mmole), and 95% potassium t-butoxide (0.44 g, 3.72 mmole) in tetrahydrofuran is stirred at room temperature for 16 hours, treated with 1.55 mmole additional chloromethylethylether and potassium t-butoxide, stirred at room temperature for another 16 hours, concentrated in vacuo, diluted with ethyl acetate, washed sequentially with water and brine, dried over MgSO 4 and reconcentrated in vacuo to give an oil residue. After flash column chromatography (silica gel/1:4 ethyl acetate: hexanes) the title product is obtained as a white solid, 0.32 g (28% yield), mp 97°-100° C., identified by IR and 1 HNMR analyses.
EXAMPLES 51-61
Preparation of Substituted-1- (ethoxymethyl)indole compounds ##STR59##
Using essentially the same procedure described in Example 50 and employing the appropriately substituted indole, the compounds in Table VI are obtained.
TABLE VI______________________________________ ##STR60##Example Number R.sub.m Z Y mp °C.______________________________________51 5-Br SO.sub.2 CF.sub.2 CHFCl CN 146-14752 H CF.sub.3 SOCF.sub.3 99-10253 H H SO.sub.2 CF.sub.3 97-9854 H CF.sub.3 SCF.sub.3 58-6055 H H SCF.sub.3 60-6256 5-Br CF.sub.3 SCF.sub.3 oil57 H CN H 50-5258 H CN SOCF.sub.3 101-10359 H CN SO.sub.2 CF.sub.3 124-12660 H CF.sub.3 SO.sub.2 CF.sub.3 93-9461 6-Br Br SCF.sub.3 oil______________________________________
EXAMPLE 62
Preparation of 3',5'-Dichloracetophenone, (3,5-dichlorophenyl)hydrazone ##STR61##
A mixture of 2,4-dichlorophenylhydrazine (4.25 g, 0.025 mole), 3,5-dichloroacetophenone (4.5 g, 0.024 mole) and 1.0 mL HCl in ethanol is heated at reflux temperature for 1 hour, cooled and filtered. The filtercake is air-dried to afford the title product as a white solid, 6.2 g (74% yield), mp 110°-111° C., identified by IR and 1 HNMR analyses.
EXAMPLE 63
Preparation of 5,7-Dichloro-2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)indole ##STR62##
A mixture of 3',5'-dichloroacetophenone, (3,5-dichlorophenyl)hydrazone (5.2 g, 0.015 mole) and 20 mL of polyphosphoric acid (PPA) is heated at 175°-180° C. for 2 hours, cooled, treated with ice and allowed to stand at room temperature. The resultant mixture is extracted with diethyl ether. The combined extracts are dried over anhydrous K 2 CO 3 and concentrated in vacuo to afford the title product as a brown solid, 4.35 g (87.8% yield), mp 189°-190° C., identified by IR and 1 HNMR analyses.
EXAMPLE 64
Preparation of 5,7-Dichloro-2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-3-(trifluoromethylcarbonyl)indole ##STR63##
A solution of 5,7-dichloro-2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)indole (2.0 g, 6.0 mmole) in dimethylformamide is treated with 1.0 mL of trifluoroacetic anhydride at 0°-5° C., stirred for 1 hour, heated at 50°-60° C. for 1 hour, stirred at ambient temperatures for 72 hours, poured over ice and extracted with diethyl ether. The combined extracts are washed sequentially with water and brine, dried over anhydrous K 2 CO 3 and concentrated in vacuo to afford the title product as an off-white solid, 1.6 g (62% yield), mp 214°-216° C., identified by IR and 1 HNMR analyses.
EXAMPLE 65
Preparation of 5,7-Dichloro-2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-3-nitroindole ##STR64##
A mixture of 5, 7-dichloro-2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)indole (1.25 g, 3.8 mmole) in acetic acid is treated dropwise with 3 mL of concentrated HNO 3 at 90° C., maintained at 90° C. for 1 hour, cooled and filtered. The filtercake is air-dried and recrystallized from methanol/water to afford the title product as a yellow solid, 0.60 g, (42% yield), mp 272°-273° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR and elemental analyses.
EXAMPLE 66
Preparation of 5,7-dichloro-2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-3-[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]indole ##STR65##
A solution of 5,7-dichloro-2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)indole (2.0 g, 6.0 mmole) in dimethylformamide is treated with 1 mL of trifluoromethylsulfonyl anhydride at 0°-5° C., stirred at ambient temperatures for 0.5 hour, heated at 50°-60° C. for 1 hour, stirred for 72 hours at room temperature, poured over ice and filtered. The filtercake is air-dried to afford the title product as an off-white solid, 1.65 g (59% yield), mp 300°-302° C., (decompose), identified by IR and 1 HNMR and elemental analyses.
EXAMPLE 67
Preparation of 3,5,7-trichloro-2-(p-chlorophenyl)indole ##STR66##
(1.0 g, 3.38 mmole) A solution of 5,7-dichloro-2-(p-chlorophenyl)-indole(in tetrahydrofuran is treated dropwise with 1.0 mL of thionyl chloride, stirred for 16 hours at room temperature, poured over ice and filtered. The filtercake is air-dried to afford the title product as a yellow solid, 0.85 g (76% yield), mp 148°-149° C., identified by IR, 1 HNMR and elemental analyses.
EXAMPLES 68-85
Preparation of 2-(Substituted phenyl)indole compounds ##STR67##
Using essentially the same procedures described in Examples 62 through 67 and employing the appropriate reagents, the compounds shown in Table VII are obtained.
TABLE VII______________________________________ ##STR68##Example mpNumber R.sub.m Y L M Q °C.______________________________________68 4,6-diCl H 3-Cl H 5-Cl 210-21269 4,7-diCl H 3-Cl H 5-Cl 202-20370 5,7-diCl H H 4-Cl H 165-16671 4,7-diCl NO.sub.2 3-Cl H 5-Cl 115-11772 4,6-diCl NO.sub.2 3-Cl H 5-Cl 258-26073 4,6-diCl NO.sub.2 H 4-Cl H 248-25074 5,7-diCl NO.sub.2 H 4-Cl H 290-29175 4,7-diCl COCF.sub.3 3-Cl H 5-Cl 198-19976 4,6-diCl COCF.sub.3 3-Cl H 5-Cl 165-16677 5,7-diCl COCF.sub.3 H 4-Cl H 112-11378 4,7-diCl SO.sub.2 CF.sub.3 3-Cl H 5-Cl 212-21379 4,6-diCl SO.sub.2 CF.sub.3 3-Cl H 5-Cl 304-30680 4,7-diCl Br 3-Cl H 5-Cl --______________________________________
EXAMPLE 81
Insecticidal And Acaricidal Evaluation Of Test Compounds
Test solutions are prepared by dissolving the test compound in a 35% acetone in water mixture to give a concentration of 10,000 ppm. Subsequent dilutions are made with water as needed.
Spodoptera eridania, 3rd instar larvae, southern armyworm (SAW)
A Sieva limabean leaf expanded to 7-8 cm in length is dipped in the test solution with agitation for 3 seconds and allowed to dry in a hood. The leaf is then placed in a 100×10 mm petri dish containing a damp filterpaper on the bottom and ten 3rd instar caterpillars. At 5 days, observations are made of mortality, reduced feeding, or any interference with normal molting.
Diabrotic undecimpunctata howardi, 3rd instar southern corn rootworm (SCR)
One cc of fine talc is placed in a 30 mL wide-mount screw-top glass jar. One mL of the appropriate acetone suspension is pipetted onto the talc so as to provide 1.25 and 0.25 mg of active ingredient per jar. The jars are set under a gentle air flow until the acetone is evaporated. The dried talc is loosened, 1 cc of millet seed is added to serve as food for the insects and 25 mL of moist soil is added to each jar. The jar is capped and the contents thoroughly mixed on a Vortex Mixer. Following this, ten 3rd instar rootworms are added to each jar and the jars are loosely capped to allow air exchange for the larvae. The treatments are held for 6 days before mortality counts are made. Missing larvae are presumed dead, since they decompose rapidly and cannot be found. The concentrations of active ingredient used in this test correspond approximately to 50 and 10 kg/ha, respectively.
Tetranychus urticae(OP-resistant strain), 2-spotted spider mite (TSM)
Sieva limabean plants with primary leaves expanded to 7-8 cm are selected and cut back to one plant per pot. A small piece is cut from an infested leaf taken from the main colony and placed on each leaf of the test plants. This is done about 2 hours before treatment to allow the mites to move over to the test plant to lay eggs. The size of the cut, infested leaf is varied to obtain about 100 mites per leaf. At the time of test treatment, the piece of leaf used to transfer the mites is removed and discarded. The newly mite-infested plants are dipped in the test solution for 3 seconds with agitiation and set in the hood to dry. After 2 days, one leaf is removed and mortality counts are made. After 5 days, another leaf is removed and observations are made of mortality of the eggs and/or newly emerged nymphs.
Empeasca abrupta, adults, western potato leafhopper (LH)
A Sieva limabean leaf about 5 cm long is dipped in the test solution for 3 seconds with agitation and placed in a hood to dry. The leaf is placed in a 100×10 mm petri dish containing a moist filter paper on the bottom. About 10 adult leafhoppers are added to each dish and the treatments are kept for 3 days before mortality counts are made.
Hellothis virenscens, 3rd instar tobacco budworm (TBW)
Cotton cotyledons are dipped in the test solution and allowed to dry in a hood. When dry, each is cut into quarters and ten sections are placed individually in 30 mL plastic medicine cups containing a 5 to 7 mm long piece of damp dental wick. One 3rd instar caterpillar is added to each cup and a cardboard lid placed on the cup. Treatments are maintained for 3 days before mortality counts and estimates of reduction in feeding damage are made.
Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Leconte, 3rd instar western corn rootworm (WCR)
One cc of fine talc is placed in a 30 mL wide-mouth screw-top glass jar. One mL of the appropriate acetone test solution is pipetted onto the talc so as to provide 1.25 mg of active ingredient per jar. The jars are set under a gentle air flow until the acetone is evaporated. The dried talc is loosened, 1 cc of millet seed is added to serve as food for the insects and 25 mL of moist soil is added to each jar. The jar is capped and the contents thoroughly mixed mechanically. Following this, ten 3rd instar rootworms are added to each jar and the jars are loosely capped to allow air exchange for the larvae. The treatments are held for 5 days when mortality counts are made. Missing larvae are presumed dead, since they decompose rapidly and can not be found. The concentrations of active ingredient used in this test correspond approximately to 50 kg/ha.
The tests are rated according to the scale shown below and the data obtained are shown in Tables VIII and IX. When more than one test is conducted, the results are averaged.
______________________________________RATING SCALE Rate % Mortality______________________________________ 0 no effect 1 10-25 2 26-35 3 36-45 4 46-55 5 56-65 6 66-75 7 76-85 8 86-99 9 100 -- not tested______________________________________
TABLE VIII______________________________________Insecticidal And Acaricidal Evaluation Of SubstitutedIndole Compounds% MortalitySAW TSM LH TBWCompound (1000 (300 SCR (300 (300 (100(Ex. No.) ppm) ppm) (50 ppm) ppm) ppm) ppm)______________________________________ 2 0 -- 0 8 0 0 4 0 -- 9 0 -- -- 5 9 -- 0 0 -- 9 9 0 -- 0 0 -- --10 9 -- 9 0 -- --11 -- 9 -- 9 -- 912 -- -- -- 0 -- --13 -- 9 0 8 7 9.sup. 14A -- 9 7 8 9 9.sup. 14B -- 9 9 6 9 9.sup. 15A -- 3 4 8 1 0.sup. 15B 8 9 9 0 2 116 -- 9 9 8 9 --17 -- 9 9 8 9 918 -- 2 0 0 0 0.sup. 19A -- 9 0 0 3 5.sup. 19B -- 0 0 0 0 020 -- 7 0 0 0 021 -- 8 9 5 3 322 -- 0 0 3 0 123 -- 0 0 3 0 1______________________________________
TABLE IX______________________________________Insecticidal And Acaricidal Evaluation Of SubstitutedIndole Compounds% MortalitySAW TSM LH TBWCompound (1000 (300 WCR (300 (100 (100(Ex. No.) ppm) ppm) (50 ppm) ppm) ppm) ppm)______________________________________24 9 -- 2 8 -- --25 0 -- 3 7 -- --26 0 -- 2 5 -- --27 7 -- 0 9 -- --28 2 -- 0 0 -- --29 9 9 0 0 -- --30 0 -- 0 0 -- --31 9 4 0 4 0 033 9 9 5 4 9 034 9 -- 9 9 -- --35 9 -- 0 8 -- --37 9 9 0 0 -- --38 8 9 0 0 -- --39 9 -- 2 3 -- --40 0 -- 3 0 -- --41 9 -- 2 0 -- --42 9 -- 6 0 8 444 9 -- 0 9 -- --45 0 -- 0 0 -- --46 9 9 9 4 9 847 9 -- 0 9 -- --50 8 3 3 4 -- --51 2 -- 0 9 -- --52 9 9 6 7 8 053 0 -- 4 0 -- --54 0 -- 7 0 -- --55 0 -- 9 0 -- --56 9 9 8 7 9 057 4 -- 2 0 -- --58 9 -- 9 3 -- --59 9 -- 8 0 -- --60 9 -- 9 5 -- --62 2 -- 0 0 -- --63 5 -- 0 0 -- --64 9 -- 8 8 -- --65 9 -- 9 0 -- --66 0 -- 0 0 -- --68 7 -- 2 0 -- --69 7 -- 0 0 -- --71 9 -- 7 0 -- --75 9 -- 0 0 -- --78 0 -- 0 0 -- --______________________________________
|
There are provided methods for the control of insects and the protection of crops from the damage caused thereby which comprise the use of compositions comprising an indole compound of formula I ##STR1##
| 2
|
REFERENCE TO PENDING APPLICATIONS
This application is not based upon any pending domestic or international patent applications.
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
This application is not referenced in any microfiche appendix.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein is a method of dispensing inhibitor in a gas pipeline in which a pig is moved through the interior of a pipeline by the flow of pressurized gas and distributes treating liquids, such as inhibitors, subsisting in the lower portions of the pipeline.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein is a pipeline pig that provides a method of applying a treating fluid, such as an inhibitor, within a pipeline to specific longitudinal areas along the inner wall of the pipeline and particularly to the upper interior portions of the interior wall of a pipeline.
Pipelines, particularly those designed to carry large volumes of gas under pressure, are customarily made of metal and usually of steel. Steel is the preferred metal for construction of a pipeline due to its inherent strength, availability and economy. However, steel is subject to corrosion as a consequence of oxidation or reaction with gasses or liquids, such as water, that is commonly encountered when large volumes of gas are delivered through a pipeline. To combat corrosion a standard technique employed by many operators of pipelines is to periodically deposit inhibitor liquid within the pipeline. The liquid can be moved by the flow of gas through the pipeline or more commonly, by the use of pipeline pigs inserted into the pipeline that are moved by the flow of gas, the pigs serving to provide a moving plunger within the pipeline that tends to sweep liquid within the pipeline before it and to therefore move the liquid through the full length of the pipeline.
One method of applying a treating liquid to the interior of a pipeline is called “batching” in which treating liquid is captured between two pipeline pigs that move in tandem through a pipeline pig with the treating liquid therebetween. Although this method is widely accepted and used it does not insure that the upper quadrant of the interior of a pipeline is adequately coated with or exposed to the treating liquid.
A second method of treating the interior cylindrical surface of a pipeline is called the “injection method.” In this method, the treating liquid is injected directly into the pipeline and is moved by gas flow to carry the liquid through the length of the pipeline. This method is costly and usually requires that treating liquids be more or less continuously injected into the pipeline. There is no direct application, in this method, of the treating liquid to the inner wall since liquid simply rests on the bottom interior surface of the pipeline as it moves along the length of the pipeline.
To combat these problems, the pipeline pig of this invention provides a method of distributing liquid present in the lower portion of a pipeline to the interior upper quadrant of the pipeline interior as the pig passes by the flow of gas through the length of the pipeline.
For background information relating to pipeline pigs that have similar uses and applications reference may be had to the following previously issued United States patents and a U.S. patent application publication:
Patent
Number
Inventor(s)
Title
2,707,934
Curtis
Pipeline Treating Plug
3,111,431
Weaver
Interior Pipe Coating Device
3,643,280
Powers
Pipeline Pigs
4,411,039
Timmins, et al.
Removal of Condensed Gas from the
Walls of Gas Pipelines
4,774,905
Nobis
Apparatus for Internally Coating Pipes
5,795,402
Hargett, Sr. et al.
Apparatus and Method for Removal of
Paraffin Deposits in Pipeline Systems
6,138,697
Horger, et al.
Hydrodynamic Apparatus for Cleaning
Channels and for Monitoring Channels
6,263,534
McCann, et al.
Delivery Device
US2001/
Gazewood
Method for Jetting a Fluid
0017147
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention herein is a pipeline pig that is moved through the interior of a pipeline by the flow of pressurized gas and that provides for improved distribution of treating liquid, such as an inhibitor, subsisting in the lower portion of the pipeline. The pipeline pig has a longitudinal pig body having a forward end and a rearward end. Forward and rearward centralizers are affixed to the pig body by which it is supported centrally in the pipeline and by which it is moved by gas flow through the pipeline. These centralizers are preferably in the form of elastameric cups or disks, each having an external circumferential surface that closely conforms to the internal circumferential surface of the pipeline.
A bypass passageway is provided through the pig body that communicates with the pipeline interior rearward end. A separate siphon passageway, communicates with a lower portion of the pipeline interior, the siphon passageway being preferably positioned adjacent the front end of the pig body.
A venturi is supported by the pig body in communication with the siphon passage and with the bypass passageway. A flow of gas through the bypass passageway serves to draw liquid through the siphon passageway and, employing the Bernoulli effect, the liquid from the siphon passageway is discharged onto an upper portion or upper portions of the interior pipeline wall. In this way, as the pipeline pig is moved through the interior of a pipeline, liquid is moved by the application of Bernoulli's law to be sprayed onto the upper interior portion of the pipeline.
The method of distributing liquid present in the lower portion of a gas pipeline to the interior upper surface of the pipeline includes the steps of passing a pig having a venturi therein that is activated by gas pressure taken from a rearward end portion of the pig siphoning liquid from the lower interior portion of the pipeline by venturi action, and distributing the siphon liquid to the pipeline upper interior surface.
A better and more complete understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following description of the preferred embodiments, and the claims, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational cross-sectional view of a pipeline pig that encompasses the principles of this disclosure. The pipeline pig of FIG. 1 has a first fluid reservoir within the interior of the pig body and a second, forward reservoir in the nose cone portion of the pig for purposes that will be described in detail subsequently.
FIG. 2 is an elevational cross-sectional view of a pipeline pig as in FIG. 1 but in the embodiment wherein only a body reservoir is employed.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3 — 3 of FIG. 1 . This view is taken through a portion of the rearward cup of the pipeline pig and shows the passageway for bypass gas flow to enter the rearward end of the pig body.
FIG. 4 is an elevational cross-sectional view taken along the line 4 — 4 of FIG. 1 showing the midsection of the pipeline pig body.
FIG. 5 is an elevational cross-sectional view taken along the line 5 — 5 of FIG. 1 showing a cross-sectional view of a portion of the nose cone and of the area that forms the forward reservoir. FIG. 5 also shows a secondary channel that draws fluid from the forward reservoir for ejection by the spray nozzle.
FIG. 6 is an elevational front view of the pipeline pig as taken along the line 6 — 6 of FIG. 1 showing the nose cone and the spray nozzle in the nose cone through which liquid is ejected by bypass gas flow.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
It is understood that the invention herein is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in a variety of ways. The phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and not limitation.
The first embodiment to be described is the simpler of the two illustrated embodiments—that is, it employs only a single body fluid cavity and is illustrated in elevational cross-sectional view in FIG. 2 . The cross-sectional views of FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 are applicable to the embodiment of FIG. 2 . The pipeline pig of FIG. 2 includes a longitudinal cylindrical body 10 that is preferably made of a rigid material, such as of a metal pipe. Body 10 has a rearward end 12 and a forward end 14 . Radially extending from adjacent the rearward end 12 is a rearward flange 16 and a substantially identical forward flange 18 extends from the exterior cylindrical surface of body 10 adjacent to forward end 14 . Positioned at the pig body rearward end 12 is a rearward cup generally indicated by the numeral 20 and in like manner positioned adjacent the body forward end 14 is a forward cup generally indicated by the numeral 22 . Cups 20 and 22 are preferably made of elastameric material, such as a tough plastic or rubber. Urethane is a commonly used material for pipeline pig cups. Rearward cup 20 has a circumferential cup shaped recess 24 in the rearward surface that provides a flexible circumferential lip portion 26 . Cup 20 is configured such that the force of gas flow through a pipeline pushing on the rearward end of the cup will tend to expand the circumferential lip portion 26 into sealing engagement with the pipeline interior cylindrical surface (not shown) so that the pig is moved by fluid flow through the pipeline.
Positioned between rearward cup 20 and rearward flange 16 is a rearward radial disk 28 that is also preferably made of tough elastameric material. Disk 28 has an outer circumferential edge 30 that engages the interior wall of a pipeline and serves in a squeegee action to move any fluid in the pipeline with the pig as it is forced through the pipeline by gas flow.
Rearward cup 20 has a thick inner body portion 32 having formed therein a rearward inlet passageway 34 that communicates at one end with the interior of pig body 10 and at the inlet end 36 with the lower interior of a pipeline (not shown) in which the pig passes. The function of inlet passageway 34 is to permit gas to pass therethrough and to carry with it any fluid captured by the gas flow from the lower interior of a pipeline.
Forward cup 22 is configured similar to rearward cup 20 and has a cup-shaped recess 38 that provides a circumferential forward cup lip portion 40 that is expanded outwardly by the force of gas flow to engage the interior of a pipeline in which the pig passes so that the pig is moved through the pipeline. Further, forward of and adjacent to forward cup 22 is a forward radial disk 42 that has a circumferential peripheral edge 44 that engages the interior wall of a pipeline. Disk 42 serves to move fluid in advance of the pipeline pig as it moves through a pipeline.
Secured to the front of pig body 10 is a nose cone 46 that is preferably formed of elastameric material and has a central reduced diameter cylindrical portion 48 received in the forward end 14 of pig body 10 by which the nose cone is secured to the pig body. A radially extended portion of the nose cone serves to capture and hold in place forward radial disk 42 .
Formed in the nose cone is a siphon passage 50 having an inlet end 52 in communication with the lower interior of a pipeline (not shown) in which the pig moves. The opposite end 54 of siphon passageway 50 is an outlet end that communicates with a nozzle opening 56 formed in the nose cone.
Formed in nose cone 46 is a gas bypass passageway 58 having a forward portion 58 A that surrounds siphon passageway 50 . This arrangement provides an annular gas passageway exit 60 at the outer end 54 of siphon passageway 50 .
Since the pipeline pig described up to this point is essentially symmetrical around an axis of pig body 10 and since it is important that fluid that is distributed by the pipeline pig is oriented in an upward direction to impinge upon an upper interior quadrant of the pipeline interior circumferential wall, it is important that the nozzle opening 56 be oriented upwardly. For this reason there is affixed to pig body 10 a counterweight 62 that is preferably made of metal or is otherwise heavy so that the pig body will not rotate as it moves through a pipeline but will maintain an axial orientation relative to gravitational force to axially point the nozzle opening 56 in an upwardly inclined orientation.
The method of operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 2, 3 , 4 and 6 will now be described. When the pipeline pig is positioned in a pipeline that has treating fluid, such as a rust inhibitor or corrosion inhibitor liquid therein, the pig is moved by gas flow through the pipeline. As it moves through the pipeline the pig, and particularly radial disks 28 and 42 , are configured to move liquid forward in advance of the pig so that the liquid will be carried from one area to another within the pipeline. As the pig moves through a pipeline and pushes liquid along ahead of it, some of the pressurized gas from the rearward end of the pipeline pig flows through rearward inlet 34 , through interior 64 of pig body 10 and out through bypass passageway 58 and 58 A. This gas flow surrounds siphon passageway 50 and draws liquid within the lower interior portion of the pipeline into inlet end 52 of siphon passageway 50 . This is the application of what is commonly referred to as the Bernoulli principle. The Bernoulli principle states a relationship between internal fluid pressure and fluid velocity, essentially a statement of the conservation of energy that has, as a consequence, the application of a reduced pressure at the outer end 54 of siphon passageway 50 to thereby draw liquid from within this siphon passageway and carry it with the gas passing outwardly through annular gas passageway exit 60 so that a spray of liquid is formed that is ejected from nozzle opening 56 to cover an upper interior segment of the pipeline interior cylindrical wall (not shown).
The inlet 36 of rearward passageway 34 is preferably placed, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, close to the interior bottom of a pipeline through which the pig moves so that any liquid within the pipeline, rearwardly of rear cup 20 , tends to be drawn in by gas flow. This liquid collects within the interior 64 of body. 10 so that the interior body forms a reservoir 66 that carries liquid with it. Reservoir 66 functions as a source of liquid that is available in the event the pipeline pig passes an area that it is otherwise void of liquid. Thus the provision of an interior reservoir within the body of the pipeline pig helps insure more consistent and even distribution of treating liquid to the upper interior portion of a pipeline interior wall.
FIG. 1 taken in conjunction with the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 3 through 6, shows an alternate embodiment of the invention in which the same or equivalent elements have the same numbers as in FIG. 2 but in all respects the arrangement of FIG. 1 is the same as FIG. 2 except that FIG. 1 provides, in addition to the first reservoir 66 within the confines of body 10 , a second reservoir 68 that is formed within the interior of a nose cone 46 A. Nose cone 46 A is essentially identical to nose cone 46 of FIG. 2 except for the provision of the second reservoir area 68 . Further, the siphon passageway 50 includes a siphon tube 70 that has an open lower end 72 that communicates with second reservoir 68 formed in the nose cone.
An additional element in FIG. 1 compared to FIG. 2, is an inlet tube 74 positioned within second reservoir 68 . Inlet tube 74 has an inlet end 76 (see FIG. 5) that extends through the outer circumferential wall of the nose cone that forms second reservoir 68 , and an outlet end 78 that communicates with second reservoir 68 .
OPERATION OF THE EMBODIMENT OF FIGS. 1 THROUGH 6
The liquid distribution pig of FIG. 1 compared to that of FIG. 2 functions in substantially the same way except that the liquid to be distributed on the interior surface of a pipeline through which the pig passes is primarily drawn from second reservoir 68 by the Bernoulli action of gas flowing through the forward portion 58 A of bypass passageway 58 and out the annular gas passageway 60 , drawing fluid from within second reservoir 68 . Liquid is forced into second reservoir 68 by the build up of liquid in front of forward radial disk 42 . As liquid is drawn by the Bernoulli action from second reservoir 66 , reduced pressure in the reservoir is created that draws fluid upwardly through fluid inlet 74 (seen in FIG. 5 ).
The advantage of the embodiment FIG. 1 compared to that of FIG. 2 is that a second reservoir is added within the pig so that if areas of a pipeline are encountered wherein no residual liquid treating resides in a lower portion of the pipeline there is more likelihood that the interior of the pipeline will be covered by the spray of protective liquid taken from either first reservoir 66 or second reservoir 68 .
The invention is illustrated and described with a single siphon spray however it is easy to see that more than one such siphon spray may be arranged in the nose cone if desired.
The invention that has been described wherein the pig (whether the embodiment of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2) is operated by itself within a pipeline. Another method of operation of the pipeline pig described herein is to run the pig in tandem with a following second pipeline pig so that the second pipeline pig functions more or less as a piston to force liquid from within the pipeline into the fluid dispensing pig to better distribute the liquid onto the interior wall of the pipeline.
Important features of this invention include the provision of an injection method in the form of a pipeline pig that can be inserted into a pipeline and driven by gas pressure so that bypass flow creates siphon action drawing liquid located in the bottom portion of a pipeline and ejecting the liquid through a spray nozzle directed to the upper area of the inner pipeline wall. When the pipeline pig of this invention is used as a front element of a two pig batching process, improved action may be achieved. Further, the nozzle of the pipeline pig of this invention may be positioned in any location around the front of the pig and a plurality of nozzles may be used so that thereby a complete 360° coating application of a protective fluid onto the internal cylindrical wall of a pipeline may be attained.
While the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is manifest that many changes may be made in the details of construction and the arrangement of components without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. It is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein for purposes of exemplification, but is to be limited only by the scope of the attached claims, including the full range of equivalency to which each element thereof is entitled.
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A method of distributing liquid present in the lower portion of a gas pipeline to the interior upper surface of the pipeline including the steps of passing a pig having a venturi therein, through the pipeline, the venturi being actuated by gas pressure taken from within the pipeline, the pig being asymmetrically weighted providing a pig upper portion and a pig lower portion, siphoning liquid from a lower interior portion of the pipeline through the venturi, storing liquid drawn from a lower portion of the pipeline in a reservoir carried by the pig, distributing siphoned liquid from the reservoir onto the pipeline upper interior surface and wherein the gas pressure is taken from a rearward portion of the pig.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Flexible mud or splash guards, sometimes called flaps or pebble guards, are commonly employed on trucks and the like behind the rear wheels to protect following vehicles and particularly to protect the windshields of such vehicles. Such flaps or guards are customarily mounted on relatively rigid supports which are subject to breaking following repeated flexure due to wind currents or due to impact by external objects. A durable and lasting mounting for mud flaps, without unduly increasing the cost of the product, has been an objective in the prior art for some time.
As a result, a number of prior United States patents have been issued which disclose yielding supports or mountings for mud flaps. Several examples of the prior art patents along this line are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,660,453; 2,865,655 and 2,872,211.
While the teachings of the prior art patents are an improvement over the older non-yielding or non-self-adjusting mounts for mud flaps, nevertheless the prior art teachings fail to completely solve the problem from several practical standpoints. In some prior art devices, the rod or holder from which the flap is suspended is supported entirely by springs. While this renders the mount yielding, it does not assure the required structural integrity needed to prevent separation of the flap from the vehicle under some severe conditions of impact and this can lead to a safety hazard. In other prior art structures employing spring means, the mounting mechanisms are relatively complex and too costly for practical commercial application. None of the prior art structures approaches the problem by employing a positive and firm pivot for the mud flap support arm on an appropriate mounting bracket, with coacting adjustable tension spring means associated with the arm and mounting bracket to yieldingly resist turning or pivoting of the flap and support arm on the axis of the pivot fore or aft. This particular arrangement is essentially incorporated in the present invention, and by this means the invention is thought to completely alleviate the deficiencies of the prior art, as above noted, through a very simple, efficient and economical means. In essence, the present invention as contrasted with prior art proposals is entirely practical and suitable for commercial application to vehicles. Durability and resistance to fatigue and failure of the mud flap support is assured by the invention, as well as safety in that the flap support rod will not become separated from the mounting bracket, due to the use of a positive and secure pivot for the rod or arm, in contrast to a mere spring support or other unstable mount. The yieldability of the mount in two directions under controlled tension by means of the invention solves the problem of durability which is not obtainable through rigid mounts.
Other specific features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mud flap or guard and its mounting according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mounting in a neutral position following proper adjustment of spring tension, the flap support arm being shown in fore and aft yield positions in broken lines.
FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the invention as illustrated in FIG. 2.
FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are enlarged fragmentary plan views of the device after spring tension adjustment, prior to adjustment and during assembling, respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, the numeral 10 designates a flexible mud flap or pebble guard formed of rubberlike material, which is dependingly carried by a horizontal support arm or rod 11 having an integral right angular vertical pivot axle extension 12 at one end thereof. The axle extension 12 is received rotatably through a vertical sleeve bearing 13, welded centrally to one side of a flat mounting bracket or plate 14 having spaced openings 15 formed therethrough for the reception of mounting screws 16 shown in FIG. 1. A cotter pin 17 or equivalent means is employed to hold the axle extension 12 captive in the bearing sleeve 13 so that the parts will not separate during usage. It is apparent that the elements 12 and 13 form a positive and secure pivot for the support rod 11 allowing the latter to swing fore or aft horizontally without fatigue or breakage and without fear of separation from the mounting bracket 14.
The top edge portion of the flap 10, FIG. 3, is attached removably to the rod 11 through a depending flat blade 18 attached to the bottom of the rod by welding and having several spaced slots 19 formed therethrough for the reception of bolts 20 which serve to connect the flexible flap to the blade 18. Preferably, a clamping strip or plate 21 is applied to the outer face of the flap 10 beneath washers carried by the bolts 20 to clamp the flap to the blade 18 with even pressure over the full width of the flap. In some cases, a pair of the blades 18 in closely spaced relation may be provided on the rod 11, in which case the flap 10 may be held between these blades by the clamping bolts 20 and the exterior strip 21 will not be needed.
In order to maintain the support rod 11 normally in a neutral position as shown in full lines in FIG. 2, adjustable spring tension yielding means are employed between the support rod and the mounting plate or bracket 14. This yielding means also prevents breakage of the mount or damage thereto under impact as frequently occurs with rigid mud flap mounts.
The yielding means comprises a substantially right angular rod element 22 secured by welding to the bottom of horizontal rod 11 near and forwardly of axle extension 12 with the two equal length arms of the rod element 22 projecting rearwardly toward the axle extension at angles of 45° to the rod 11. Similarly angled screw-threaded studs 23 are welded to the forward face of plate 14 and are axially aligned with the arms of rod element 22 in forwardly converging relation at angles of 45° to the plate 14. Adjusting nuts 24 with washers are provided on the threaded studs 23. Compression coil springs 25 of equal size and strength have their opposite ends slipped over the terminals of rod element 22 and over the adjacent ends of studs 23, the mode of assembly being shown in FIG. 4C.
Following assembly, FIG. 4A, the nuts 24 are adjusted to provide the desired degree of tension in the springs 25. Following this adjustment of spring tension, there is still clearance provided between the spring coils to allow further spring compression when the rod 11 is swung in either direction on its pivot axis formed by the elements 12 and 13. FIG. 4B shows the components following assembly but prior to adjusting spring tension by use of the nuts 24. The degree of adjustment of spring tension can obviously be varied to meet the needs of particular situations of use.
Referring to FIG. 1, the plate or bracket 14 is secured by the screws 16 horizontally to the truck frame 26 aft of rear wheels 27. The support arm or rod 11 in its neutral position under influence of springs 25 projects from the side of frame 26 horizontally and at right angles thereto. However, the mounting allows the rod 11 and flap 10 to swing either fore or aft horizontally about the axis of the positive pivot afforded by the elements 12 and 13. During use, the parts will not break or become fatigued due to bending and they will not be separated by vibration or shock as can occur with many of the prior art devices. The structure is durable and economical to manufacture and quite dependable.
Its several advantages over the prior art should now be apparent without further description.
The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.
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A mud flap or guard for vehicle wheels is supported yieldingly by a relatively rigid rod having a positive and secure pivotal mounting at one end thereof. Angular displacement of the flap and its supporting rod about the axis of the pivotal mounting is yieldingly resisted by opposing compression springs having spring tension adjusting and mounting means connected with the rod and with a bracket structure which carries the positive pivotal mounting.
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FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to locks for preventing one member from moving relative to another member. One of the members may, for example, be a patio door, a window or a cupboard door, with the other member being an associated frame member.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Sliding bolt locks are known to be capable of providing a relatively inexpensive and reliable solution for securing a closure such as a window or door. An advantageous sliding bolt lock is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,655,720 (Rampen), incorporated herein by reference.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Forming one aspect of the invention is a safety lock. This lock comprises a body, a latch and a handle. The latch is mounted to the body for movement between an engaged position and a disengaged position. The handle is releasably engageable to the latch. The handle, body and latch are adapted such that, when the handle is engaged to the latch, the handle permits manual movement of the latch. The handle, body and latch are further adapted such that, when the handle is disengaged from the latch, the latch is inaccessible for said manual movement.
According to another aspect of the invention, the latch can be a bolt; the disengaged position can be a retracted position; the engaged position can be a projecting position whereat an end portion of the bolt protrudes beyond the body; when the handle is engaged to the bolt, the handle can permit manual reciprocation of the bolt; and, when the end portion of the bolt is inaccessible for manual manipulation, the bolt can be inaccessible for said manual reciprocation.
According to another aspect of the invention, the handle, when engaged to the bolt, can extend from the bolt to terminate in a pull, and the bolt can be manually reciprocable by the pull.
According to another aspect of the invention, the pull can be annular and have a plunger mounted therewithin for movement along an axis, and the plunger can be thumb-actuable to release the handle from the bolt and to engage the handle to the bolt.
According to another aspect of the invention, a bolt spring can act to resiliently bias the bolt for movement to the projecting position.
According to other aspects of the invention, the bolt can be rotatable within the body and the bolt and body can be shaped such that, when the bolt and body are in alignment, the bolt spring, in the absence of external force, moves the bolt to the projecting position. Further, when the bolt is rotated relative to the body out of said alignment, the body can restrain the bolt against movement to the projecting position.
According to another aspect of the invention, the pull can terminate in a rim which projects away from the axis.
According to another aspect of the invention, a plunger spring can surround the plunger within the pull and act to resiliently bias the plunger for movement beyond the rim.
According to another aspect of the invention, the plunger can be thumb-actuable in the manner by which the plunger of a syringe is thumb-drivable to eject the syringe contents.
According to other aspects of the invention, the handle can releasably engage the bolt in a plug and socket connection. In such connection, the plug can be defined by the handle and the socket can be defined by the bolt. The socket can have one or more recesses disposed on its periphery. The plug can have a tab for each of said one or more recesses and each tab can releasably engage the recess for which it is provided to provide for said releasable engagement of the handle and the bolt.
According to another aspect of the invention, each tab can be adapted to flex inwardly towards the axis for the release of the handle from the bolt.
According to another aspect of the invention, the plunger, upon thumb actuation, can move from a restraining position, wherein the plunger is disposed inwardly from each tab to restrain same against inward flexure, to a release position, wherein each tab is free for said inward movement.
Forming another aspect of the invention is another safety lock. This safety lock comprises a body, a bolt and a handle. The bolt is mounted to the body for reciprocation between a retracted position and a projecting position. In the projecting position of the bolt, an end portion of the bolt protrudes beyond the body. The handle is releasably engageable to the bolt.
The handle, body and bolt are adapted such that, when the handle is engaged to the bolt, the handle extends to and terminates in a pull by which the bolt is manually reciprocable. The handle, body and bolt are further adapted such that, when the handle is disengaged from the bolt and the end portion of the bolt is inaccessible for manual manipulation, the bolt is inaccessible for said manual reciprocation. The pull is annular and has a plunger mounted therewithin for movement along an axis. The plunger is thumb-actuable to release the handle from the bolt and to engage the handle to the bolt.
Forming yet another aspect of the invention is a further safety lock. This lock comprises a body, a bolt and a handle. The bolt is mounted to the body for reciprocation between a retracted position and a projecting position. In the projecting position of the bolt, an end portion of the bolt protrudes beyond the body. The handle is releasably engageable to the bolt. The handle, body and bolt are adapted such that, when the handle is engaged to the bolt, the handle permits manual reciprocation of the bolt. The handle, body and bolt are further adapted such that, when the handle is disengaged from the bolt and the end portion of the bolt is inaccessible for manual manipulation, the bolt is inaccessible for said manual reciprocation. The handle releasably engages the bolt in a plug and socket connection, wherein the plug is defined by the handle and the socket is defined by the bolt. The socket has one or more recesses disposed on its periphery. The plug has a tab for each of said one or more recesses and each tab releasably engages the recess for which it is provided to provide for said releasable engagement of the handle and the bolt.
According to yet other aspects of the invention, in this further safety lock, each tab can be adapted to flex inwardly towards the axis for the release of the handle from the bolt and the plunger, upon thumb actuation, moves from a restraining position, wherein the plunger is disposed inwardly from each tab to restrain same against inward flexure, to a release position, wherein each tab is free for said inward movement. In the restraining position, an end of the plunger is disposed inwardly from and abutting each tab, to restrain said each tab against said inward flexure. In the release position, a reduced girth portion of the plunger, set back from said end, is disposed inwardly from each tab, so that said each tab is free for said inward movement.
According to other aspects of the invention, the body can be an assembly of parts and can be disassembled and, when the lock is operatively mounted on an element to be secured by the lock to another element, and the element to be secured and the other element are positioned for said securement, the other element can interfere with said disassembly.
According to yet other aspects of the invention, the body can comprise a base portion and a cover portion, the base portion and the cover portion having longitudinally extending recesses and pairs of inter-engaging longitudinally-extending keyways, respectively on opposite sides, to enable the cover portion to be slidably attached to and detached from the base portion. As well, when the base portion is operatively mounted on an element to be secured by the lock to another element, and the element to be secured and the other element are positioned for said securement, the cover portion cannot be slidably detached from the base portion as a result of interference with the other element.
According to yet further aspects of the invention, one of the keyways in the cover portion can have enlarged end portions which each receive a peg at the corresponding end of the keyway in the base portion so that the cover portion, if mounted with the pegs disposed on the end of the body through which the end portion of the bolt protrudes, is more readily removed by sliding the cover portion in the direction in which bolt protrudes.
Other advantages, features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, the latter being briefly described hereinbelow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a lock according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention in use on a vertical sliding sash window, with the bolt in its projecting position and engaged in a keeper mounted on the right side jamb;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial top, left perspective view of the structure of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged bottom front, bottom perspective view of encircled structure 3 of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a view of the structure of FIG. 4 , with the bolt in its retracted position;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the structure of FIG. 3 ;
FIG. 6.1 is a sectional view of the structure of FIG. 4 , showing the plunger in its restraining position;
FIG. 6.2 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6.1 , with the plunger disposed in the release position and the tabs flexed inwardly;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the handle of the structure of FIG. 1 , in isolation, with the plunger in its restraining position;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the structure of FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the structure of FIG. 7 , with the plunger in its release position;
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the lock of FIG. 1 ; and
FIG. 11 is a view, similar to FIG. 1 , but showing a second keeper mounted on the right side jamb.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference to FIG. 10 , the lock 20 of the exemplary embodiment has a plunger unit 22 and a housing 24 . Both the plunger unit 22 and the housing 24 are shown in exploded view in FIG. 10 , but persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand, with reference to, for example, FIG. 2 , that in the lock 20 as assembled, the assembled plunger unit 22 is mounted in the assembled housing 24 .
The plunger unit 22 has a sleeve 26 , a latch in the form of a bolt 28 , a bolt spring 30 and a handle 32 .
The sleeve 26 is annular, has a radially extending flange 34 and, as best seen in FIG. 5 , has an inner annular shoulder 36 .
Returning to FIG. 10 , the bolt 28 has an annular shoulder 38 and is slidably and rotatably mounted in the sleeve for movement between a projecting position, shown in FIG. 5 , in which an end portion 40 of the bolt 28 projects from one end of the sleeve 26 and a retracted position, shown in FIG. 6.1 , in which said end portion 40 is disposed within the sleeve 26 .
The bolt 28 further defines a socket 42 , opposite to the free end portion 40 of the bolt 28 . The socket 42 has a pair of opposed recesses 44 disposed on its periphery (only one recess 44 being visible in FIG. 10 ).
The bolt 28 is formed of a shaft 46 , a fitting 48 and a pair of pins 50 . The shaft 46 , which defines the free end portion 40 and the annular shoulder 38 , is a machined steel element and terminates in a cylindrical end 52 with a peripheral groove 54 . The fitting 48 , which defines the socket 42 , is a molded plastic component and has a bore 56 in receipt of the cylindrical end 52 , as best seen in FIG. 5 .
A pair of clearance holes 58 , visible in FIG. 10 , flank the bore 56 and intersect opposite sides of the groove 54 . The pins 50 are press fit within the clearance holes 58 , to engage the groove 54 and lock the fitting 48 to the shaft 46 .
The socket-forming end fitting 48 of the bolt 28 and the sleeve 26 have shaped adjacent ends 60 , 62 , such that when the bolt 28 and sleeve 26 are in alignment, the bolt 28 is movable to the projecting position; and when the bolt 28 is rotated relative to the sleeve 26 out of said alignment, the sleeve 26 restrains the bolt 28 against movement to the projecting position.
The bolt spring 30 surrounds the bolt 28 within the sleeve 26 and acts between the annular shoulder 38 on the bolt 28 and the annular shoulder 36 on the sleeve 26 to bias the bolt 28 for movement to its projecting position.
The handle 32 includes a shell 64 , a plunger 66 and a plunger spring 68 . The shell 64 defines a plug 70 and extends from the plug 70 to terminate in a pull 72 . The plug 70 is sized for receipt in the socket 42 and has a tab 74 for each recess 44 . When the plug 70 is operatively fitted into the socket 42 , each tab 74 engages the recess 44 for which it is provided, as shown in FIG. 6.1 . Each tab 74 is also adapted to flex inwardly towards an axis X-X of the shell 70 , as shown in FIG. 6.2 , wherein the handle 32 is shown as it appears during release/engagement to/from the bolt 28 . With reference to FIG. 10 , the pull 72 is annular, centered about the axis X-X and terminates in a rim 76 which projects away from the axis X-X.
The plunger 66 is mounted for movement along the axis X-X between a restraining position, shown in FIG. 8 , wherein an end 78 of the plunger 66 is disposed inwardly from each tab 74 to restrain same against the inward flexure shown in FIG. 6.2 [i.e. to provide for rigid engagement of the handle 32 and bolt 28 when operatively positioned] and a release position, shown in FIG. 9 , wherein a reduced girth portion 80 of the plunger 66 , set back from said end 78 , is disposed inwardly from each tab 74 , so that said each tab 74 is free for said inward flexing movement.
The plunger spring 68 surrounds the plunger 66 within the pull 72 and acts to resiliently bias the plunger 66 for movement beyond the rim 76 .
The housing 24 has a base portion 82 and a cover portion 84 . The base portion 82 and the cover portion 84 have longitudinally extending recesses 86 , and pairs of inter-engaging longitudinally-extending keyways 88 , respectively on opposite sides, to enable the cover portion 84 to be attached to and detached from the base portion 82 .
One of the keyways in the cover portion 84 has enlarged end portions 90 which each receive a peg 91 (shown in phantom outline in FIG. 10 ) at the corresponding end of the keyway in the base portion 82 so that the cover portion 84 becomes correctly positioned relative to the base portion 82 in assembly.
The base portion 82 has a recess 92 for receiving the sleeve 26 , the fitting 48 and the shell 64 , and a series of slots 94 opening onto the recess 92 . Plunger unit 22 is mounted within the housing 24 by positioning its flange 34 into one of the slots 94 before the cover portion 84 is secured to the base portion 82 . So assembled, the base portion 82 , cover portion 84 , sleeve 26 and bolt spring 30 together define a body 96 . The slot 94 selected to receive the flange 34 determines the amount by which the free end portion 40 of the bolt 28 projects from the body 96 when the bolt 28 is disposed in the projecting position.
The base portion 82 further has a series of apertures 98 to enable lock 20 to be secured, by screws or the like, to a closure to be secured for use.
FIG. 1 shows the lock 20 secured to a lower sash 100 of a window which opens from up to down. The lock 20 is secured to the window by screws (not shown) passing through the apertures 98 into the upper rail 102 . As shown, the bolt (not visible) is in the projecting position and the free end portion (not visible) of the bolt extends into an aperture (not shown) in the keeper 104 secured to the right side jamb 106 . The projecting position can be viewed as an engaged position in that, when operatively installed on a properly positioned sash/frame assembly, the bolt engages with a corresponding structure on the frame.
Thus, the lower sash 100 cannot be opened by sliding upward movement. In order to lock the window in this closed position:
the pull 72 is gripped in the manner of a syringe, i.e. typically with a thumb on the plunger 66 and the forefinger and middle finger beneath the rim 76 ; the plunger 66 is depressed; and the pull 72 is withdrawn, to unseat the plug of the handle from the socket
The thus-removed handle 32 may then be safely stored, until such time as it is desired to render the window operable again.
Since the end portion 40 of the bolt is inaccessible, being shielded by the sleeve 26 and the keeper 104 , the bolt (not shown in FIG. 1 ) is inaccessible for manual manipulation. This renders the locked window safe for children and the like.
In order to return the immobilized window to operability;
the pull is again gripped in the manner of a syringe; the plunger is depressed the plug of the handle is fitted into the socket; and the plunger is released
To unlatch the window for movement from the position shown in FIG. 1 , one simply draws the handle 32 by the pull from right to left (not shown), to unseat the free end portion of the bolt from the aperture in the keeper 104 .
To maintain the bolt in the retracted position, so that the sash 100 may be moved in the frame without the need to maintain tension on the handle 32 , the handle 32 may be turned to rotate the bolt out of alignment, so that the bolt is maintained in the retracted position by the inter-engagement of surfaces 60 , 62 as previously discussed. The retracted position can also be viewed as a disengaged position, since the bolt, so positioned, cannot engage with the mating structures on the frame.
The illustrated cover portion 84 is advantageously mounted such that the pegs 91 are disposed on the end of the housing 24 through which the end portion 40 of the bolt protrudes. If so mounted, the cover portion 84 is most readily removed by sliding the cover portion in the direction in which the bolt protrudes [because the cover portion has pegs 91 only at that end]. This provides additional security in that, in situations wherein the lock is engaged, the cover is restrained against movement in that direction as a result of interference with the elements being secured, i.e. the window frame.
Numerous variations in application and structure are possible.
For example, a second keeper 104 is shown in FIG. 11 . By engaging the lock in the aperture of this second keeper, and removing the handle, the window can be locked in a partially-open position. This provides for ventilation. At the same time, the window opening is substantially occluded by the lower sash, so as to negate any real risk to children. As well, the absence of a handle renders the configuration relatively burglar proof.
Further, the base portion 82 could have a transverse flange with an aperture through which the handle protrudes. This would add to the difficulty of removing the cover portion 84 from the base portion 82 otherwise than by sliding the cover portion in the direction in which bolt protrudes, and provide even more security. Other forms of locating structures could also be utilized.
As well, the handle may be removed when the bolt is in its retracted position. It will be evident that, in this configuration, with the handle removed, the free end of the bolt will be disposed within the sleeve and inaccessible for manual manipulation, thereby rendering the bolt inaccessible for manual reciprocation. This makes it practically impossible for the window to be locked, which may be desirable in some situations.
Whereas the handle has been reference herein as being removable by thumb actuation, in the manner of a syringe, it should be emphasized that this functionality is only described by way of example. A person having no thumb, for example, could readily operate the device illustrated with the fingers of two hands. As well, other configurations of the invention could be provided with, for example, trigger actuators, in which case the handle release would be more preferably actuated by the forefinger.
Of course, it will be also understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that, even with removal of the handle, it may, in some applications, remain possible for the bolt to be moved, with special tools or the like. The present invention should be understood as encompassing all locks wherein, if operatively installed, an average person, using only his or her hands, is incapable of manipulating the bolt from the retracted position to the extended position otherwise than with the handle. The present invention should also be understood as encompassing all locks wherein, if operatively installed, with the bolt engaged into a keeper or other bolt receiver, an average person, using only his or her hands, is incapable of manipulating the bolt from the extended position to the retracted position, otherwise than with the handle.
Further, the various components of the lock should be understood as amenable to other shapes and configurations, and the lock may be deployed on other structures, such as patio doors, hinged doors and the like, with or without keepers. Certain of these variations are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,655,720, previously mentioned.
As well, greater or lesser numbers of tabs and recesses may be provided, and alternative methods of releasably locking the handle to the body may be employed.
Moreover, whereas it is indicated that a tab is provided for each recess, it will be understood that recesses could be provided in greater numbers than tabs; in this case, the excess tabs would simply be non-functional, and this would not impact whatsoever on the invention.
As well, the invention can be used with locks of other than the sliding bolt structure.
Accordingly, the invention should be understood as limited only by the appended claims, purposely construed.
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A safety lock is disclosed and comprises a body, a bolt and a handle. The body is securable to one member. The bolt is mounted to the body for reciprocation between projecting and retracted positions. In the projecting position, a bolt end portion protrudes beyond the body and is engageable in another member, to prevent relative movement of the members. In the retracted position, the end portion is incapable of engagement in the other member, to permit said relative movement. The handle is releasably engageable to the bolt. The handle, body and bolt are adapted such that when the handle is engaged to the bolt, the handle permits manual reciprocation of the bolt, and are further adapted such that when the handle is disengaged from the bolt and the bolt end portion is inaccessible for manual manipulation, the bolt is inaccessible for said manual reciprocation.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/848,631 filed on Oct. 3, 2006, and the disclosure of this priority document is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for the production of silica-based nanocrystallites characterized by a nanoporous (or “mesoporous”) 3-dimensional silica-based network of high water and oxygen permeability, having a granular, monolithic, or hybrid geometric structure. The invention further relates to these nanocrystallites, which, inter alia, are highly translucent with excellent optical clarity, and exceptionally high porosity, low density, and high permeability characteristics and which have superior thermal insulating, vibration (dynamic), and acoustic (static) barrier properties.
Silica-based hydrogels such as aerogels, xerogels, nanogels, ambigels, and the hydrogels of the present invention are chemically inert, highly porous ceramic materials useful in many applications. They are commonly produced by sol-gel processes based on hydrolysis/polycondensation (H/P) reactions well-known in the art. Typically, a sol is prepared from a source of silica such as a silicate or alkoxide by dispersing the silica source in a synthesis solvent comprising water or a water/alkanol solution and one or more gelation catalysts. Products of silica hydrolysis then condense, forming a sol system comprising a network of linked silica particles. Often, a silating agent is introduced to cap free hydroxyl groups on the polycondensation products, thereby rendering them hydrophobic.
After the sol system reaches its gel point, the sol-gel is set aside to age, allowing hydrolysis and condensation of reactants to continue while the sol-gel self-assembles, strengthening the gel structure and increasing its density; this step also influences the optical, mechanical, acoustic, thermal and other properties of the gel. During the aging step, the gel is usually contacted with pure alcohol or other low surface tension topping agent to displace water of condensation present in the nanoporous structure of the gel. The product wet hydrogel is then dried.
Drying the wet hydrogel, which at this stage is weakly structured, is a critical step in this process. Owing to the high capillary stress exerted on the wet gel network during drying, this intermediate product is at high risk of compression, extended cracking, shrinkage, and pore collapse, particularly in highly porous, low density gel structures having relatively high surface areas, e.g., of at least about 600 m 2 /g, such as aerogels in the range of about 700 m 2 /g and the hydrogels of this invention (also referred to herein as “CrystalGel hydrogel”), whose surface areas are in the range of about 1000 m 2 /g. If care is not taken in the drying process, the wet gels are prone to structural weakness and significant brittleness (friability) when dried.
To avoid this outcome, many gel drying processes have been proposed in this art. Alkane drying solvents have been used for ambigels and xerogels, which have surface areas in the ranges of about 600 m 2 /g and 400 m 2 /g, respectively. However, this is a costly and a tedious process which requires numerous washes, extensive pollution abatement steps, and expensive hazard prevention equipment, although gel porosity may often be well-preserved. Alternate methods for drying these gels include the use of high-purity acetone or a similar extraction solvent for water removal, followed by acetone replacement with a solvent of low surface tension such as high-purity hexane, heptane, or octane, which minimizes stresses caused by otherwise rapid evaporation of the extraction solvent. The low surface tension solvent is then removed, as by decanting, and any residual solvent is allowed to slowly evaporate or is removed under vacuum to preserve porosity. Aerogels, of higher porosity, higher surface area, and lower density than the ambigels and xerogels, are commonly now dried at supercritical temperatures and pressures in the range of about 95-104° F. and about 1200-1500 psi under CO 2 in autoclaves or comparable high pressure apparatus. Porosity retention values of the supercritically dried products can range up to about 95%; however, the drying equipment is expensive and the drying conditions are often very hazardous.
It is accordingly desirable to provide methods for the preparation of highly porous and highly permeable silica-based hydrogels which include a drying step that minimizes internal stresses on the wet gel structure during drying, obviating cracking, shrinkage, pore loss, and other detrimental effects on the product dried gel, and which does not require the use of toxic solvents or extreme process conditions. It is further desirable to provide a silica-based crystallite of high porosity, high-permeability, and low density with excellent translucency, clarity, thermal insulation, vibration and acoustic barrier, and bulk modulus properties as producible by this process.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
The inventions provide nanocrystallites and processes for the production of these nanocrystallites based on known silica-based sol-gel preparation principles according to the hydrolysis/condensation mechanisms described supra and in the known art. The processes include a novel synthesis step comprising the use of a substantially homogenous colloidal dispersion of silica source, catalyst, and surfactant to form the sol matrix. The processes further include a novel drying step for a wet hydrogel intermediate product, including a short-cycle drying period during which the liquids present in this hydrogel can be evaporated at ambient pressure and temperature ranges at or below about 212° F., in any convenient drying apparatus while, inter alia, preserving the gel structure, especially gel porosity. Porosity retention values for the dried product up to about 98-99% can be attained, with product He densities as low as about 0.03 g/cc.
Nanocrystallites produced by this process as further described infra have excellent clarity, density, R-values, thermal conductivity, sound velocity, refractive indexes and bulk modulus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate two exemplary laboratory processes for making the product nanocrystallites of the invention;
FIGS. 3-4 are photographs of granulated products of the invention as produced in the Examples; and
FIG. 5 is a photograph of a larger geometric structure produced by a process of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, a sol is prepared from (1) a precursor solution comprising a silica source and water and/or a lower alkanol synthesis solvent; other conventional synthesis solvents such as higher alcohols can be used or included in the precursor solution as appropriate; (2) at least one catalyst solution comprising a gelation catalyst for the silica source and a conventional solvent for the selected catalyst, preferably a water, water and alcohol, or alcohol-only solvent, and (3) a surfactant. In a currently preferred embodiment of the invention as exemplified herein, a basic catalyst is used for gelation of a prepolymerized silica alkoxide precursor solution in an amount sufficient to provide a sol having a pH of at least about 8.0, usually about 8.0-13.5, more preferably about 10.0-13.2, and most preferably about 12.0-13.5, especially about 13.0, to optimize thermal, optical, and mechanical properties, with an anionic surfactant, present in either one or both of the two solutions, preferably in the catalyst solution.
Conveniently, commercially prepolymerized silica alkoxides are used as the silica source in the precursor solution. These alkoxides are widely available (infra) and are typically produced by addition of a non-stoichiometric amount of water and acid catalyst to a solution of alcohol and a silica alkoxide such as an alkylorthosilicate. A minimal amount of alcohol is generally used in this step in order to keep the solution homogenous. After completion of the reaction (usually approximately 16 hours), the alcohol solvent as well as the alcohol produced during the reaction is removed from the system, as by distillation. The viscous product remaining after distillation is a partially hydrolyzed and partially condensed silicon oxide composition, which can be stored for later use. For use in the present inventions, this prepolymerized composition is first diluted with a non-alcoholic solvent, such as acetone, ether or acetonitrile, or as otherwise instructed, and used as a precursor solution (1). A catalyst solution as described above (2), surfactant (3) and this precursor solution are then admixed to form a sol which undergoes further hydrolysis and condensation, usually to the gel point, with added water if needed. The gelation time depends on the target density of the gel, but even in the case of the most diluted samples, it will generally not exceed 72 hours.
The precursor and catalyst solutions (1) and (2), supra, with surfactant (3) are slowly combined with sufficiently vigorous agitation to form a substantially uniformly homogenized sol comprising colloidal silica particles preferably ranging in size from about 2 nm to 200 nm (as larger particles tend to aggregate), finely dispersed in the aqueous medium. A high-speed homogenizer is recommended to obtain a high-shear, homogenized colloidal dispersion. Best results are usually obtained by first adding the surfactant to the catalyst solution and then adding the precursor solution to the catalyst/surfactant solution, as this produces an oil-in-water (O/W) suspension which is kinetically more stable than a water-in-oil suspension (W/O) and provides a final product having a lower density, higher optical clarity (glass-like), and a higher porosity than a W/O suspension.
The sol is then briefly rested, conveniently at ambient temperature, until it gels; this sol-gel is then preferably topped with catalyst solution (2) for maintaining a fluid environment for the gel and promoting reaction of unreacted species, or pure ethanol or other conventional topping agent(s), and set aside to age at ambient or higher temperature. If a hydrophobic crystallite is desired, a silating agent such as hexamethylenedisilazane (HMDZ) or other agent for capping free hydroxyl groups is introduced as known in the art, preferably at the sol-state immediately before its gel point is reached to ensure that hydrophobic characteristics are effectively imparted and to prevent the accumulation of excessive pore water, which extends the drying cycle. The sol should preferably have a pH of at least about 8.0 when the silating agent is added.
During aging, the gel (alcogel, if the primary liquid component of the gel is alcohol) self-assembles and strengthens, maturing into a nanoporous colloidal 3-dimensional interconnected and structured hydrogel comprising a network or matrix of linked silicon oxide particles in solution.
The wet hydrogel is then broken into pieces (e.g., granulated) if desired, and dried at an ambient pressure of about 14.5-14.9 psi, preferably an ambient pressure of about 14.7 psi, and at a temperature at or below about 212° F., preferably about 120-200° F. and, depending in part on the geometric structure, more preferably about 150-175° F., to evaporate substantially all water and other residual liquid present from the nanoporous hydrogel structure and obtain the dry nanocrystallite product of the invention. Higher temperatures in this range will usually be more suitable for geometric structures with less surface area than granules have.
The dried hydrogel obtained by the above-described process has properties in part attributable to the short-cycle drying time. The length of time required for drying the wet hydrogel varies according to, inter alia, pore size distribution, tortuosity of the primary pores, thickness and surface area of the gel, and the selected drying temperature. Drying times of less than about 12 hours, for example about 6-12 hours, are exemplary. Generally drying time is within the range of 2-24 hours, typically 4-16 hours for many applications. Drying can take place in any convenient apparatus such as a convection oven or fluid bed dryer. Ambient atmosphere is sufficient; however, any conventional drying gas can be substituted/added as desired.
The drying period can be followed by an annealing step as a good manufacturing practice (GMP), for example, to reduce dust during transportation and handling of dried granules. Annealing can be carried out at ambient pressure, for example, at about 150-350° F. for 2-4 hours, and for granules, preferably about 180-200° F. for about 1 hour, or until the granules acquire sufficiently high mechanical integrity to become substantially non-friable, with minimalized dustiness and fragility. Slabs or other large pieces are preferably annealed for about 1 hour at about 250-300° F., and most preferably for about 30 minutes at about 300° F. If, during aging, the sol-gel has not undergone sufficient residence time or conditions to achieve sufficient self-assembly and strengthening of the crystal lattice structure, annealing may be critical, particularly when handling large structures, for obtaining a superior product from this gel.
While the source of silica is exemplified herein as, for example, an alkoxy silane or a silica alkoxide (or mixtures thereof), which are relatively easy to work with, other sources of silica which are known to be useful in the described hydrolysis/condensation gel synthesis system are contemplated. Sources of silica potentially useful in the practice of the invention include sodium silicate, sodium metasilicate, alkyl silicates and isoalkyl silicates. Preferred silica sources include tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), precondensed tetraethylortho-silicate, tetramethoxysilane (TMOS), tetra-n-propoxysilane, and mixtures thereof. Commercial precondensed TEOS products such as Silbond H-5, H-25, H-30, H-40, and H-50, available from Silbond Corporation, Weston, Mich., USA are particularly convenient, as they provide a simple one-catalyst (base catalyzed) process according to the inventions ( FIG. 1 ). Non-condensed silica sources can be used, e.g., in an acid/base catalyzed process according to the inventions, wherein the catalyst solution (2) includes an acid catalyst in addition to the basic catalyst ( FIG. 2 ). Alternately, non-condensed silica sources can be precondensed in the practice of the invention according to conventional H/P processes as described herein or known in the art, for use as precursor in solution (1). Typically, this will require a first acid catalyst, such as ammonium fluoride, followed by a second basic catalyst such as ammonium hydroxide or otherwise described herein or in the art. The precondensed commercial products typically contain enough water to complete the hydrolysis/condensation reaction and no supplemental water should be required for this purpose in the reaction solutions of the invention. The addition of more water to the formula is a technical approach for e.g., reducing the final density of the nanocrystallite; for example, on a stoichiometric basis, about 6.5-7.5 moles of water per mole of silica alkoxide such as TEOS should generally yield the most desirable (low) end density properties for the hydrogel of the invention.
Any gelation catalyst recognized in the art for the hydrolysis/condensation reaction of the present invention can be used, provided it is compatible with the reagents in the amounts required to adjust the pH of the reaction solutions as needed for optimal results. In addition to the ammonium hydroxide exemplified herein, common useful basic catalysts include sodium hydroxide, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetramethylguanidine hydroxide, trimethylsulfonium hydroxide, trialkylselenium hydroxides, gamma-amino propyl triethoxysilane, N-2-(aminoethyl)-3-amino propyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPTMS), vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyl-tris(2-methoxyethoxy) silane, 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxy silane, 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexy)-ethyl trimethoxysilane, 3-glycidoxy-propyltriethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane and 3-cyanatopropyltriethoxysilane.
The temperature at which the sol-gel is aged is conveniently ambient temperature; however, temperature ranges from about 40-150° F. are also suitable; preferably, the aging temperature is about 60-120° F., more preferably, about 75-100° F., or, most preferably, about 100-120° F. Typically, aging (the stage of molecular self-assembly) will be satisfactorily accomplished in about 24 hours or less, for example, about 2-24 hours, usually about 4-24 hours, or more usually about 5-12 hours or 6-8 hours, depending upon the intended application of the product and other factors. The aging time is partially dependent on the aging temperature, with lower temperatures requiring longer aging periods. Properly-aged gels are easily identified by those of skill in the art: inter alia, they possess strong surface structures with low dusting and minimal friability potential of granules. In the best practice of the present inventions, they also possess high, glass-like optical clarity consistent with the time-dependent self-arrangement of the lattice (matrix) structure.
The surfactants present in the sol-state reaction dispersion serve to reduce surface tension and promote the desired fine dispersion of the colloidal silica particles. Within the scope of the invention however, the surfactants also function to reduce the systemic capillary forces commonly induced during conventional drying methods. As discussed supra, the mature hydrogel in solution is structurally weak and susceptible to compression and pore collapse due to thermal and/or mechanical stresses exerted during the drying step if care is not taken to preserve the hydrogel structure. The surfactants are critical to the processes of the present invention, as they permit the effective use of ambient pressures and moderate temperatures for drying by, for example, reducing systemic capillary forces that would otherwise be exerted on the secondary nanoparticles, thereby preserving porosity in the dried product.
Surfactants useful in the system comprise anionics, non-ionics and cationics, or mixtures thereof, preferably from the same family. Cationics are generally the least preferred and are seldom the most useful at the present stage of the art. Non-ionics are more preferred than cationics, and the most preferred are anionic surfactants. Particularly useful anionic surfactants include sodium lauryl (dodecyl) sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate. Other useful anionic surfactants include sodium cholate, sodium deoxycholate (DOC), N-lauroylsarcosine sodium salt, lauryldimethylamine-oxide (LDAO), cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB), bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium salt, ammonium laureth sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, TEA lauryl sulfate and TEA laureth sulfate. Additional useful anionic surfactants are the Henkel products StandapolT® (TEA lauryl sulfate); Standapol EA 3® (ammonium laureth sulfate), Standapol WA-LC® (sodium laureth sulfate), and Plantaren 2000® (decyl glucoside), Henkel Corporation, Rocky Hill, Conn., USA; Zonyl® surfactants (DuPont Performance Chemicals, Wilmington, Del. 19898, USA) such as Zonyl FSA or FSP; and fluorosurfactants such as MASURF FS-710, FS-2620, FS-120A, FS-115, FS-130, FS-230, FS-330, FS-1030, FS-1400, FS-1620, FS-1825, FS-1900, and FS-2240, all registered trademarks of Mason Chemical Company, Arlington Heights, Ill., USA. Cationic surfactants include lauryl trimethyl ammonium chloride, stearyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, alkylbenzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, and alkylbenzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride. Useful nonionic surfactants include ethoxylated and propoxylated nonionics, Zonyl FAO, Zonyl FSO-100, Zonyl FSN, Zonyl FSN-100, and Zonyl FS-300. As noted above, the surfactant(s) can be incorporated into either the precursor or catalyst solution; also they may be incorporated into both solutions. Total dry surfactant content of the selected solution or solutions will typically range between about 0.05% w/w to 5% w/w, based on the weight of a precursor silica alkoxide.
The nanocrystallites of the invention typically have a density in the range of about 0.03 g/cc to 0.25 g/cc. Typical crystallites have He densities (helium pycnometer) of about 0.03 g/cc to 0.20 g/cc, preferably about 0.04 g/cc to 0.09 g/cc, and most preferably about 0.05 g/cc to 0.07 g/cc. Porosity values are calculated from these density ranges by standard methods. Porosity values are herein calculated from densities according to the equation, porosity=1-density, as known in the art. The crystallites further typically have a clarity (C) in the range of about 0.0020-0.010 μm 4 /cm, more preferably about 0.07 to 0.0073, for many applications. Clarity values reported herein were measured by spectroradiometry, as known in the art. These crystallites further typically have a surface scattering coefficient (A) range from about 0.30 to 0.95, more preferably from about 0.6 to 0.95; an R value (thermal insulation) range from about 15-45, more preferably from about 24 to 33; and a GPa (bulk modulus) range from about 0.150-0.500, more preferably from about 0.150 to 0.350. Surface scattering coefficient A, bulk modulus GPa, and insulation R values were measured by Spectroradiometry (coefficient A), Instron Universal Testing Machine (GPa), and ASTM C177 (R value); all these methods are conventional in this art.
Table I reports ranges of nanocrystallite values for samples according to the invention manufactured in the laboratory in small scale and in large samples.
TABLE I
CRYSTALGEL HYDROGEL PROPERTIES
Measured
Range
(250-500 gm
Property
(20-50 gm Samples)
Samples)
Clarity (C), μm 4 /cm
0.0020-0.010
0.0033
Surface Scattering Coefficient (A)
0.30-0.95
0.8351
Light Transmittance T, %
By itself (Artificial Light)
20-35
33
By itself (Blue-Sky Day)
15-30
27
Thermal Insulation (R)
15-45
24-33
Acoustic Insulation,
75-750
90-125
Velocity of Sound, m/s
91.3
Moisture Uptake, %
Hydrophilic
120-350
247%
Hydrophobic
0.01-0.10
0.03
Bulk Modulus, GPa
0.150-0.500
0.223
He Density, g/cc
0.03-0.25
0.02-0.250
Porosity
92.50-98.82
98%-75%
(calculated)
Internal Surface Area, m2/g
600-1200
1073
Dielectric Constant
1.03-1.25
1.11
Refractive Index
1.00-1.10
1.02
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
2.0-4.0 × 10 −6
2.25 × 10 −6
Mean Pore Diameter, nm
10.0-25.0
13.0
Primary Particle Diameter, nm
2.0-5.0
2.7
Granular Particle Size, mm
1.0-10.0
2.50
The following Examples 1-4 illustrate the practice of the inventions.
MATERIALS
H-5: Silbond H-5®, a prepolymerized ethyl polysilicate from Silbond Corp., Weston, Mich., USA
Zonyl FSA®: Anionic surfactant from DuPont Performance Chemicals, Wilmington, Del., USA
HMDZ: Hexamethyldisilazane from Shin-Etsu MicroSi, Inc., Tempe, Ariz., USA
FIGS. 3-4 are photos of products produced by the following processes.
EXAMPLE 1
Hydrophobic Hydrogel
A. Preparation of the Precursor Solution
Weight of H-5=104 grams
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=106.0 grams
Agitate H-5 solution in alcohol; mark as solution (1) and set aside.
B. Preparation of the Colloidal Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol (solvent)=240 grams
Weight of 29% ammonium hydroxide (catalyst)=4.5 grams
Weight of ammonium lauryl sulfate (surfactant)=1.0 gram
Weight of hexamethyldisilazane (silating agent, HMDZ)=7.28 grams
While vigorously agitating to homogenize, add ammonium lauryl sulfate to ethyl alcohol. Continue agitation and add 2.0 grams of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution to the surfactant-containing ethyl alcohol. Stop mixing. Mark as solution (2), and set aside.
C. Preparation of the Auxiliary Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=50 grams
Weight of 29% ammonium hydroxide=2.25 grams
While mixing the alcohol solution, add 2.25 grams of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution, and continue mixing for about 60 seconds. Mark as solution (3) and set aside.
D. Preparation of the Sol-gel
Vigorously agitate solution (2), and start adding solution (1). Continue agitation and add the remaining ammonium hydroxide (2.5 grams) to the solution. Continue agitation for 15-30 seconds. As viscosity starts rising quickly, add HMDZ moments before gel point. Stop mixing, and mark as mix (4). Let mix stand until it gels. Top the gel mass with solution (3) and set aside to age and self-assemble for 4-8 hours.
E. Drying the Gel
Decant the solution in mix (4), break the aged gel into small chunks. Place the chunks in a wide-mouth glass tray and place in the oven at 120° F. for 4-8 hours or until fully dry. Mark the dry granules as Batch # 1. Place granules in an oven and anneal at 180-200° F. for 1 hour. Place the annealed granules in a spherical barrel and tumble the granules for 25-30 minutes. Place the tumbled granules on a classifier and screen into desired particle sizes.
F. Properties of the Nanocrystallite Product
pH (Sol)=10.7; pH catalyst solution=12.1; Final pH (at gel point)=11.9
Clarity (C)=0.00391 μm 4/ cm
Surface Scattering Coefficient (A)=0.8113
Density (RHO)=0.071 g/cc
Average Particle Size=1.45 mm
R-Value (Calculated)=31
Thermal Conductivity=0.0027 W/M-° K.
Velocity of Sound (measured)=97.3 m/s
Refractive Index η=1.009
EXAMPLE 2
Hydrophobic Hydrogel
A. Preparation of the Colloidal Precursor Solution
Weight of H-5=104 grams
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=106.0 grams
Weight of ammonium lauryl sulfate=1.0 gram
Agitate ammonium lauryl sulfate in 200-proof ethyl alcohol. Continue agitation, while adding/dispersing H-5 in the above surfactant-containing 200-proof ethyl alcohol solution. Stop mixing/agitation. Mark as solution (1) and set aside.
B. Preparation of the Main Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=240 grams
Weight of 29% ammonium hydroxide solution=4.5 grams
Weight of hexamethyl disilazane (HMDZ)=7.28 grams
While agitating, add 2.0 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide to the surfactant-containing ethyl alcohol. Stop mixing. Mark as solution (2), and set aside.
C. Preparation of the Auxiliary Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=50 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution=2.25 grams
While mixing the alcohol solution, add 2.25 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide, and continue mixing for about 60 seconds. Mark as solution (3) and set aside.
D. Preparation of the Sol-Gel
Vigorously agitate solution (1), and start adding solution (2). Continue agitation and add the remaining ammonium hydroxide (2.5 grams) to solution (1). Continue agitation for 5-10 seconds. As viscosity starts rising quickly, add HMDZ moments before gel point. Stop mixing, and mark as mix (4). Let mix stand until it gels. Top the gel mass with solution (3) and set aside to age and self-assemble for 4-8 hours.
E. Drying the Gel
Decant the solution in mix (4), break the aged gel into small chunks. Place the chunk granules (granules) in a wide-mouth glass tray and place in the oven at 120° F. for 4-8 hours or until fully dry. Mark the dry granules as Batch # 2. Place granules in a convection oven and anneal at 180-200° F. for 1 hour. Place the annealed granules in a spherical barrel and tumble the granules for 25-30 minutes. Place the tumbled granules on a classifier and screen into desired particle sizes.
F. Properties of Nanocrystallite Product
pH (Sol)=11.3; pH Catalyst=12.1; Final pH (at gel point)=11.9
Clarity (C)=0.00569 μm 4/ cm
Surface Scattering Coefficient (A)=0.7310
Density (RHO)=0.091 g/cc
Average Particle Size=1.90 mm
R-Value (Calculated)=26
Thermal Conductivity=0.0030 W/M-° K.
Velocity of Sound (measured)=99.9 m/s
Refractive Index η=1.01
EXAMPLE 3
Hydrophobic Hydrogel
A. Preparation of the Precursor Solution
Weight of H-5=104 grams
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=106.0 grams
Slowly add H-5 to ethyl alcohol while agitating. Mark as solution (1); set aside.
B. Preparation of the Colloidal Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=240 grams
Weight of 29% ammonium hydroxide solution=4.5 grams
Weight of Zonyl-FSA surfactant=2.0 gram
Weight of hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ)=7.28 grams
While agitating, add Zonyl-FSA to ethyl alcohol. Continue agitation and add 2.0 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide to the surfactant-containing ethyl alcohol. Stop mixing. Mark as solution (2), and set aside.
C. Preparation of the Auxiliary Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=50 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide=2.25 grams
While mixing the alcohol solution, add 2.25 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide, and continue mixing for about 60 seconds. Mark as solution (3) and set aside.
D. Preparation of the Sol-Gel
Vigorously agitate solution (2), and start adding solution (1). Continue agitation and add the remaining ammonium hydroxide (2.5 grams) to the solution. Continue agitation for 15-30 seconds. As viscosity starts rising quickly, add HMDZ moments before gel point. Stop mixing, and mark as mix (4). Let mix stand until it gels. Top the gel mass with solution (3) and set aside to age and self-assemble for 4-8 hours.
E. Drying the Gel
Decant the solution in mix (4), break the aged gel into small chunks. Place the chunks in a wide-mouth glass tray and place in the oven at 120° F. for 4-8 hours or until fully dry. Mark the dry granules as Batch # 3. Place granules in an oven and anneal at 180-200° F. for 1 hour. Place the annealed granules in a spherical barrel and tumble the granules for 25-30 minutes. Place the tumbled granules on a classifier and screen into desired particle sizes.
F. Properties of Product Nanocrystallites
pH (Sol)=10.7; pH Catalyst=11.5; Final pH (at Gel Point)=11.8
Clarity (C)=0.004212 μm 4/ cm
Surface Scattering Coefficient (A)=0.7963
Density (RHO)=0.079 g/cc
Average Particle Size=1.75 mm
R-Value (Calculated)=28.4
Thermal Conductivity=0.0029 W/M-° K.
Velocity of Sound (measured)=98.6 m/s
Refractive Index η=1.009
EXAMPLE 4
Hydrophobic Hydrogel
A. Preparation of Colloidal Precursor Solution
Weight of H-5=104 grams
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=106.0 grams
Weight of Zonyl-FSA surfactant=2.0 gram
Agitate Zonyl-FSA in 200-proof ethyl alcohol.
Continue agitation, while adding/dispersing H-5 in the above surfactant-containing 200-proof ethyl alcohol solution. Stop mixing/agitation. Mark as solution (1) and set aside.
B. Preparation of the Main Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=240 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution=4.5 grams
Weight of hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ)=7.28 grams
While agitating, add 2.0 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide to the surfactant-containing ethyl alcohol. Stop mixing. Mark as solution (2), and set aside.
C. Preparation of the Auxiliary Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=50 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution=2.25 grams
While mixing the alcohol solution, add 2.25 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide, and continue mixing for about 60 seconds. Mark as solution (3) and set aside.
D. Preparation of the Sol-Gel
Vigorously agitate solution (1), and start adding solution (2). Continue agitation and add the remaining ammonium hydroxide (2.5 grams) to solution (1). Continue agitation for 5-10 seconds. As viscosity starts rising quickly, add HMDZ moments before gel point. Stop mixing, and mark as mix (4). Let mix stand until it gels. Top the gel mass with solution (3) and set aside to age and self-assemble for 4-8 hours.
E. Drying the Gel
Decant the solution in mix (4), break the aged gel into small chunks. Place the chunks in a wide-mouth glass tray and place in the oven at 120° F. for 4-8 hours or until fully dry. Mark the dry granules as Batch # 4. Place granules in an oven and anneal at 180-200° F. for 1 hour. Place the annealed granules in a spherical barrel and tumble the granules for 25-30 minutes. Place the tumbled granules on a classifier and screen into desired particle sizes.
F. Properties of Product Nanocrystallite
pH (Sol)=10.9; pH Catalyst=12.2; Final pH (at gel point)=11.1
Clarity (C)=0.00611 μm 4/ cm
Surface Scattering Coefficient (A)=0.7770
Density (RHO)=0.096 g/cc
Average Particle Size=1.75 mm
R-Value (Calculated)=28
Thermal Conductivity=0.0029 W/M-° K.
Velocity of Sound (measured)=99.4 m/s
Refractive Index η=1.009
EXAMPLE 5
Hydrophobic Hydrogel
A. Preparation of Colloidal Precursor Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=50.0 grams
Weight of H-5=100 grams
Agitate H-5 in 200-proof ethyl alcohol. Mark as solution (1) and set aside.
B. Preparation of the Main Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=50 grams
Weight of de-ionized Water=25 grams
Weight of ammonium lauryl sulfate surfactant=1.75 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution=15 grams
Weight of hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ)=7.28 grams
While agitating (high-speed homogenization), add 1.75 grams of ammonium lauryl sulfate to water. Continue agitation for 30-seconds and add alcohol to the water-surfactant mix. Now add 15.0 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide to the surfactant-containing ethyl alcohol. Stop mixing. Mark as solution (2), and set aside.
C. Preparation of the Auxiliary Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=50 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution=10.25 grams
While mixing the alcohol solution, add 10.25 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide, and continue mixing for about 60 seconds. Mark as Solution (3) and set aside.
D. Preparation of the Sol-Gel
Vigorously agitate solution (2), and start adding solution (1). Continue agitation for 5-10 additional seconds. As viscosity starts rising quickly, add HMDZ moments before gel point. Stop mixing, and mark as mix (4). Let mix stand until it gels. Top the gel mass with solution (3) and set aside to age and self-assemble for 4-8 hours.
E. Drying the Gel
Decant the solution in mix (4), break the aged gel into small chunks. Place the chunks in a wide-mouth glass tray and place in the oven at 120° F. for 4-8 hours or until fully dry. Mark the dry granules as Batch # 5. Place granules in an oven and anneal at 180-200° F. for 1 hour. Place the annealed granules in a spherical barrel and tumble the granules for 25-30 minutes. Place the tumbled granules on a classifier and screen into desired particle sizes.
F. Properties of Product Nanocrystallite
pH (Sol)=12.7; pH Catalyst=13.1; Final pH (at gel point)=12.4
Clarity (C)=0.0065 μm 4/ cm
Surface Scattering Coefficient (A)=0.754
Density (RHO)=0.091 g/cc
Average Particle Size=2.55 mm
R-Value (Calculated)=29
Thermal Conductivity=0.0021 W/M-° K.
Velocity of Sound (measured)=94.4 m/s
Refractive Index η=1.012
EXAMPLE 6
Hydrophobic Hydrogel
A. Preparation of Colloidal Precursor Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=75.0 grams
Weight of H-5=100 grams
Agitate H-5 in 200-proof ethyl alcohol. Mark as solution (1) and set aside.
B. Preparation of the Main Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=50 grams
Weight of de-ionized water=50 grams
Weight of ammonium lauryl sulfate surfactant=1.75 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution=13 grams
Weight of hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ)=7.28 grams
While agitating (high-speed homogenization), add 1.75 grams of ammonium lauryl sulfate to water. Continue agitation for 30-seconds and add alcohol to the water-surfactant mix. Now add 13.0 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide to the surfactant-containing ethyl alcohol. Stop mixing. Mark as solution (2), and set aside.
C. Preparation of the Auxiliary Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=75 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution=10.25 grams
While mixing the alcohol solution, add 12.0 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide, and continue mixing for about 60 seconds. Mark as solution (3) and set aside.
D. Preparation of the Sol-gel
Vigorously agitate solution (2), and start adding solution (1). Continue agitation for 5-10 additional seconds. As viscosity starts rising quickly, add HMDZ moments before gel point. Stop mixing, and mark as mix (4). Let mix stand until it gels. Top the gel mass with solution (3) and set aside to age and self-assemble for 4-8 hours.
E. Drying the Gel
Decant the solution in mix (4), break the aged gel into small chunks. Place the chunks in a wide-mouth glass tray and place in the oven at 120° F. for 4-8 hours or until fully dry. Mark the dry granules as Batch # 6. Place granules in an oven and anneal at 180-200° F. for 1 hour. Place the annealed granules in a spherical barrel and tumble the granules for 25-30 minutes. Place the tumbled granules on a classifier and screen into desired particle sizes.
F. Properties of Product Nanocrystallite
pH (Sol)=12.9; pH Catalyst=13.4; Final pH (at gel point)=12.3
Clarity (C)=0.0060 μm 4/ cm
Surface Scattering Coefficient (A)=0.735
Density (RHO)=0.097 g/cc
Average Particle Size=2.0 mm
R-Value (Calculated)=27
Thermal Conductivity=0.0019 W/M-° K.
Velocity of Sound (measured)=94.1 m/s
Refractive Index η=1.011
EXAMPLE 7
Hydrophilic Hydrogel
A. Preparation of Colloidal Precursor Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=75.0 grams
Weight of pre-condensed H-5=100 grams
Agitate H-5 in 200-proof ethyl alcohol. Mark as solution (1) and set aside.
B. Preparation of the Main Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-proof ethyl alcohol=50 grams
Weight of de-ionized water=50 grams
Weight of ammonium lauryl sulfate surfactant=1.75 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution=13 grams
While agitating (high-speed homogenization), add 1.75 grams of ammonium lauryl sulfate to water. Continue agitation for 30 seconds and add alcohol to the water-surfactant mix. Now add 13.0 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide to the surfactant-containing ethyl alcohol. Stop mixing. Mark as solution (2), and set aside.
C. Preparation of the Auxiliary Catalyst Solution
Weight of 200-Proof ethyl alcohol=75 grams
Weight of 29% aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution=10.25 grams
While mixing the alcohol solution, add 12.0 grams of 29% ammonium hydroxide, and continue mixing for about 60 seconds. Mark as solution (3) and set aside.
D. Preparation of the sol-gel
Vigorously agitate solution (2), and start adding solution (1). Continue agitation for 5-10 additional seconds. As viscosity starts rising stop mixing and allow mix stand until it gels. Top the gel mass with solution (3) and set aside to age and self-assemble for 4-8 hours. Mark as mix (4).
E. Drying the Gel
Decant the solution in mix (4), break the aged gel into small chunks. Place the chunks in a wide-mouth glass tray and place in the oven at 120° F. for 4-8 hours or until fully dry. Mark the dry granules as Batch # 7. Place granules in an oven and anneal at 180-200° F. for 1 hour. Place the annealed granules in a spherical barrel and tumble the granules for 25-30 minutes. Place the tumbled granules on a classifier and screen into desired particle sizes.
F. Properties of Product Nanocrystallite
pH (Sol)=12.6; pH Catalyst=13.1; Final pH (at gel point)=12.7
Clarity (C)=0.0060 μm 4/ cm
Surface Scattering Coefficient (A)=0.710
Density (RHO)=0.103 g/cc
Average Particle Size=2.5 mm
R-Value (Calculated)=24
Thermal Conductivity=0.0031 W/M-° K.
Velocity of Sound (measured)=104.1 m/s
Refractive Index η=1.041
EXAMPLE 8
Porosity and Density Calculation
10.000-gram product sample was immersed in water and subjected to a 30 min deaeration under vacuum. Subsequently, the sample was left submerged in water at room temperature for 24 h, after which the immersed weight (W i ), the saturated weight (W s ) and the dry weight (W d ) were evaluated and used to determine the apparent density ρ a , and the apparent porosity ξ a , as follows:
W i =10.51 grams W s =13.076 grams W d =10.015 grams ξ a =100 [W s −W i )/(W s −W d ]=100 [(13.076−10.051)/(13.076−10.015)]=100 (3.025/3.061)=100×0.9882=98.82% ρ a =[(W i −W d )/(W d )]ρ L where ρ L (water density)=1.00 g/cc. ρ a =[(10.051−10.015)/(10.015)] ρ L =(0.036/10.015)×1.00=0.036 g/cc
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The inventions provide nanocrystallites and processes for the production of these nanocrystallites according to known silica-based sol-gel preparation principles based on hydrolysis/condensation mechanisms. The processes include a synthesis step comprising providing a homogenized colloidal dispersion of precursors, catalyst, and surfactant to form the sol matrix. The processes further include a novel drying step for a wet hydrogel intermediate product, including a short-cycle drying period during which the liquids present in this hydrogel can be evaporated at ambient pressure and low temperature ranges in any convenient drying apparatus while, inter alia, preserving the gel structure, especially gel porosity. Porosity values for the dried product up to about 98-99% can be attained, with product He densities as low as about 0.033 g/cc.
Nanocrystallites produced by this process have, inter alia, excellent clarity, thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, surface scattering, and bulk modulus properties.
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FIELD
[0001] Embodiments described herein encompass a method of improving plant growth responses, reducing nitrogen input, and improving plant development by application of a plant bio-stimulant composition in combination with urea and/or other agricultural compounds. A method for combining the composition with urea and/or other agricultural compounds is also encompassed. Embodiments described herein further encompass a bio-stimulant composition for obtaining improved plant growth, either combined or uncombined with urea and/or other agricultural compounds.
BACKGROUND
[0002] New Zealand has traditionally relied on clover and other legumes to biologically fix the nitrogen that is required to grow pasture. More recently, there has been increased use of nitrogen fertilisers such as urea to increase pasture production further and address seasonal deficits in feed supply.
[0003] There are a number of negative environmental consequences of excessive use of nitrogen fertilisers. The one that is most publicized is the potential to increase the level of nitrates that are leached into groundwater and can therefore pollute waterways. There are also implications relevant to the concern over greenhouse gases. The use of high amounts of nitrogen fertiliser can increase the level of denitrification that can occur leading to higher levels of nitrous oxide emissions (a potent greenhouse gas). Furthermore, the production of artificial nitrogen fertiliser is highly energy intensive; this energy requirement is derived from the burning of natural gas resulting in the production of the other greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. This also represents a significant use of a limited natural gas resource increasingly important for other uses including electricity generation.
[0004] Use of nitrogen fertiliser is steadily increasing. In New Zealand, a country with an economy that relies heavily on dairy, sheep and beef farming, total fertiliser use increased by 113 percent from 1986 to 2002 (Statistics New Zealand, Fertiliser use and the environment , August 2006). The application of urea increased by approximately 27 percent between 2002 and 2004 (ibid.).
[0005] A problem with the application of nitrogen fertilisers is that often excess nitrogen is applied to the pasture. In addition, if nitrogen is not applied at the correct time, for example, if it is applied when plants are not actively growing, the loss of nitrogen is exacerbated. There are several approaches that have been taken to minimise adverse effects of fertiliser use. One such approach is the use of nitrification inhibitors.
[0006] The most common nitrification inhibitors are 2-chloro-6(trichloromethyl)pyridine, dicyandiamide and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole-phosphate. Such inhibitors act to reduce nitrate leaching and nitrogen oxide emissions. Plant growth is increased. However, the effects can be variable and depend on timing of application, amount of nitrogen fertiliser applied and physical factors such as soil temperature, moisture, and pH.
[0007] Urease inhibitors have also been used to prevent loss of nitrogen to the atmosphere by volatilization as ammonia. Urease inhibitors act by slowing the rate of hydrolysis. Other ways of reducing nitrogen loss are through farm management practices, including timing of application of fertiliser, split fertiliser applications, grazing management, pasture species choices, cropping type and landscape modification.
[0008] However, there remains a need for new products and methods for improving plant growth responses and development, while reducing nitrogen input.
SUMMARY
[0009] Embodiments described herein encompass a microbial bio-stimulant composition that has been shown to increase pasture productivity alone and in conjunction with the use of solid nitrogen fertiliser. The mode of action includes stimulating nitrogen uptake and amino acid synthesis.
[0010] It is an object of embodiments described herein to provide a means for stimulating plant growth with up to 50% less urea, or at least provides a useful alternative to other means of stimulating plant growth.
[0011] In one aspect, a method of improving plant growth by application of a bio-stimulant composition either combined or uncombined with urea and/or other agricultural compounds is provided. The method may also be used to reduce nitrogen input and improve plant development. The agricultural compounds may be urea, fertilisers, foliar fertilisers, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, or mineral solutions.
[0012] In another aspect, a bio-stimulant composition for improving plant growth either combined or uncombined with urea and/or other agricultural compounds is provided. The composition may also be used to reduce nitrogen input and improve plant development. The agricultural compound may be urea, fertiliser, herbicide, insecticides, fungicides or foliar fertilisers or mineral solutions.
[0013] In a particular aspect, the bio-stimulant composition comprises a fermentation broth comprising one or more species or strains of microorganisms which have been grown in the fermentation broth and then killed or lysed to produce a mixture of cellular components in the fermentation broth (e.g., lysed fermentation broth).
[0014] In a further aspect; a method for combining the bio-stimulant composition described herein with urea and/or other agricultural compounds is provided. In one particular aspect, the method comprises dissolving urea in water and adding the bio-stimulant composition to the solution. This can be applied to the plants to achieve more even application (e.g., via spraying) than is possible with granular application of urea. This can also take advantage of the increases foliar uptake and decreased foliage nitrate levels of the bio-stimulant composition.
[0015] In a still further aspect, a formulation combining the bio-stimulant composition described herein with urea and/or other agricultural compounds is provided. The formulation can comprise dissolved urea added to the bio-stimulant composition. This formulation can be adapted, for example, for foliar applications (e.g., foliar sprays or drips). The formulation can be used to improve plant growth.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Embodiments are described with reference to specific embodiments thereof and with reference to the figures.
[0017] FIG. 1 : Field testing results for the bio-stimulant composition (Donaghys LessN® 40) compared to sprays containing the same amount of urea (U 40) and double the amount of urea (U 80) at Day 23.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The bio-stimulant is produced by fermentation of a single species or combination of microorganisms including but not limited to lactic acid bacteria and yeasts that are then killed or lysed. Any microorganism or combinations of microorganisms capable of fermentation can be used in accordance with the embodiments described herein. The fermentation can involve growing a liquid broth that includes carbohydrate and mineral sources for the microorganisms. Any fermentation media can be used, and many suitable media are well known in the art.
[0019] Bacteria useful for the embodiments described herein include but are not limited to Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus thermophilus (also called Streptococcus salivarius ) and Propionibacter freudenreichii . Embodiments encompass various species of Lactobaccillus, Streptococcus, and Propionibacter . As further examples, the invention encompasses Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus murinus, Lactobacillus paraplantarum, Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactococcus lactis, Leuconostoc oenos, Bifidobacter bifidus, Propionibacter shermani, Propionibacter pelophilus , and Propionivibrio limicola.
[0020] Yeasts useful for the embodiments described herein include but are not limited to Saccharomyces cerevisiae . The embodiments encompass various species of Saccharomyces . As further examples, the embodiments encompass Saccharomyces pastorianus, Saccharomyces boulardii, Saccharomyces bayanus, Saccharomyces exiguous, Saccharomyces pombe , as well as species of Candida, Pichia, Hanseniaspora, Metschnikowia, Issatchenkia, Kluyverornyces , and Kloeckera.
[0021] In accordance with embodiments described herein, the microorganisms produce a range of growth promoting compounds including cytokinins, betaines, gibberellins and antioxidants. There is also a range of amino acids, oligopeptides and cell fragments resulting from the lysis of the microorganisms. In particular aspects, the microorganisms can be grown in the media to concentrations of about 10 4 cfu/ml, about 10 5 cfu/ml, about 10 6 cfu/ml, about 10 7 cfu/ml, about 10 8 cfu/ml, about 10 9 cfu/ml, about 10 10 cfu/ml, about 10 11 cfu/ml, about 10 12 cfu/ml, about 10 13 cfu/ml, about 10 14 cfu/ml, or in a range of about 10 6 to about 10 10 cfu/ml, or about 10 7 cfu/ml to about 10 9 cfu/ml.
[0022] The microorganisms can be killed or lysed by various means, for example, by freezing, heating, bead beating, detergents including non-ionic and zwitterionic detergents, low pH treatment including by hydrochloric, hydrofluoric and sulphuric acids, and high pH treatment including by sodium hydroxide. Also included is enzymatic lysis including but not limited to one or more of types of cellulase, glycanase, lysozyme, lysostaphin, mannase, mutanolysin, protease and zymolase enzymes.
[0023] Included also is solvent treatment such as with sodium dodecyl sulfate treatment followed by acetone solvent use, or ultrasonic treatment. Further included are means which increase pressure followed by a rapid decrease in pressure such as is achievable with a pressure bomb, cell bomb, or with processors that provide high shear pressure such as valve type processors including but not limited to French pressure cell press or rotor-stator processors or fixed geometry fluid processors.
[0024] The compositions and formulations described herein can be applied to plants by various means, including sprays, sprinklers, drips, dips, drenches, dressings, oils, and any type of irrigation system. As non-limiting examples, embodiments encompass foliar sprays, turf sprays, in-furrow sprays, root dips, root drenches, stem drenches, seedling drenches, tuber drenches, fruit drenches, soil drenches, soil drips, and soil injections. As further examples, the compositions and formulations can be applied in dry form, e.g., granules, microgranules, powders, pellets, sticks, flakes, crystals, and crumbles.
[0025] For formulations, the bio-stimulant composition can be combined with urea, e.g., for concentrations of urea at about 0.1 kg/L, about 0.12 kg/L, about 0.15 kg/L, about 0.18 kg/L, about 0.2 kg/L, about 0.22 kg/L, about 0.25 kg/L, about 0.28 kg/L, about 0.3 kg/L, about 0.35 kg/L, about 0.38 kg/L, about 0.4 kg/L, about 0.42 kg/L, about 0.45 kg/L, about 0.48 kg/L, or about 0.50 kg/L, or in a range of about 0.15 kg/L to about 0.25 kg/L, or about 0.18 kg/L to about 0.22 kg/L, or about 0.35 kg/L to about 0.45 kg/L, or about 0.38 kg/L to about 0.42 kg/L.
[0026] The composition described herein can be used to stimulate plant growth and the plant immune system. It can be used to overcome periods of plant stress. In particular, the bio-stimulant composition described herein can be used to assist the plant to achieve more efficient nutrient utilisation. The composition described herein is understood to act as a biological growth promoter that assists pasture production through the stimulation of plant photosynthesis, proliferation of the fine feeder roots and subsequent increased nutrient uptake.
[0027] The bio-stimulant composition can be applied at a time when soil temperatures are conducive to pasture or crop growth response. The composition can be applied by diluting by a factor of at least one in ten and can be distributed by spraying or through irrigation. The bio-stimulant composition can be used for improving pasture growth and is also useful on a wide range of crops.
[0028] The composition described herein may comprise a range of naturally produced and balanced growth promotion factors. The principal precursors are forms of cytokinin (a microbial and plant hormone responsible for promoting cell division and growth), betaines (substances used by plant cells for protection against osmotic stress, drought, high salinity or high temperature) and oligopeptides (short chains of amino acids that improve nutrient uptake through cell membranes). Although plants produce their own cytokinin, production may be restricted when the plant is under stress.
[0029] The use of the composition described herein enhances nitrogen utilisation. It has also been shown to encourage white clover growth relative to perennial ryegrass. This has benefits because of the high feed value of white clover and the importance of root nodules of this plant in fixing atmospheric nitrogen so that more nitrogen is available for use by the plant itself and other pasture plants. In addition, the use of the composition described herein reduces the amount of urea that needs to be applied. This benefits the clover component of pasture because higher rates of nitrogen can potentially reduce nitrogen fixation rates of clover and also favours grass growth over clover growth.
EXAMPLES
[0030] The examples described herein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments described herein. Other embodiments, methods, and types of analyses are within the scope of persons of ordinary skill in the molecular diagnostic arts and need not be described in detail hereon. Other embodiments within the scope of the art are considered to be part of the embodiments described herein.
Example 1
Fermentation Broth
[0031] The bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus thermophilus and Propionibacter freudenreichii and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated and maintained using standard methods known in the art. A broth medium was prepared using Diffco™ Lactobacilli MRS Broth augmented with the following ingredients.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Fermentation broth composition
(all ingredients per litre of broth)
Diffco ™ Lactobacilli MRS Broth
55
g
Urea
2
g
Carrot Juice
1.25
mL
Molasses powder from sugar cane
2.5
g
[0032] The broth was prepared by constant stirring while bring to the boil and keeping there for one minute. This ensured full dissolving of the broth medium, urea and molasses.
[0033] The broth was then sterilised in autoclave (121° C. for 15 mins) and poured into a sterilised 20 L bioreactor. After the broth was cooled to about 35° C., pure cultures of the three bacterial species (minimum of 10 6 colony forming units or cfu's for each species) and one yeast species (minimum 10 4 cfu's) were then added to the broth using standard sterile technique known in the art to avoid contamination with other microbial species. The fermentation was run for 12 days at 35° C. by which stage there were at least 10 8 cfu per mL of the dominant species Lactobacillus plantarum.
[0034] The fermentation broth was then placed in a fixed geometry fluid processor for cell lysis of the microorganisms. Two passes were required with the broth being cooled in between passes to compensate for the temperature increase due to pressurisation and release. The process was optimised for pressure to a maximum of 200 MPa.
Example 2
Preparation of the Formulation with Dissolved Urea
[0035] Urea fertiliser prills were dissolved in water at a concentration of 40 kg urea per 197 L total volume. Dissolution was aided by agitation of the water without a requirement for heating the water.
[0036] The dissolving of urea is an endothermic process and the time taken to dissolve depends on the concentration of urea and total volume involved as well as the initial temperature of the water and the method of agitation. With constant stirring and an initial water temperature of 12° C., the complete dissolution of urea (sourced from Ballance Agri-nutrients Limited, Tauranga New Zealand) at the above concentration and volume took 7 minutes. Source and amount of hardener added to urea prills in their manufacture are likely to affect the speed of dissolution in water.
[0037] The dissolved urea solution had a pH of around 9.0. The majority of the nitrogen, however, was found to remain in the organic form. Titrametric determination as known in the art revealed only 0.004% ammonium nitrogen and 0.002% nitrate nitrogen expressed in terms of grams of these forms per 100 mL of solution.
[0038] Once the urea was fully dissolved, lysed fermentation broth as prepared in Example 1 was added at a rate of 3 L broth to 197 L volume of urea solution. As the broth had an acidic pH of 3.6 due largely to the presence of organic acid fermentation products, the pH of the total solution was brought closer to neutral to a pH of around 6.2. Both the dissolved urea and the comparatively small amount of broth had a low buffering effect on solution pH.
[0039] The prepared solution was then ready to be applied to pasture or suitable crops.
Example 3
Field Experiment Utilising the Formulation on Pasture in Conjunction with Dissolved Urea Fertiliser
[0040] Introduction: The field trial's objective was to identify if Donaghys LessN® (3 L/ha) applied in combination with 40 kg/ha urea (18 kg N), would increase the pasture dry matter (DM) response to a level equivalent to 80 kg/ha urea (37 kg N/ha). Pasture DM accumulation was measured by Grass Master (GM) probe on Day one (pre-treatment, start point) and 21 Days after treatment application. The GM Probe estimated DM accumulation using pre-programmed calibration equation provided by the manufacturer.
[0041] Methodology: A dairy farm property with irrigation was selected in mid-Canterbury region of New Zealand in December 2007. A recently grazed paddock with even pasture cover was selected to reduce variability between plots. The paddock was in re-growth phase having just been grazed by stock. Livestock were excluded from the trial area during the trial period.
[0042] A complete randomised block design (CRBD) consisting of 4 treatments ( FIG. 1 ) with 5 replicate plots used for each treatment. This provided a total of 20 plots, which was divided into 5 blocks. Within each block one replicate of all 5 treatments was randomly assigned.
[0043] Within each block, treatments were randomly allocated to plots, using a random number generator. Plots were 4 m wide by a 100 m long. The spray boom was 4 m wide. Plots were marked with 60 cm long flags, at 0, halfway and full length.
[0044] Pre-treatment pasture dry matter was estimated for each plot by using the Grass Master Probe. Measurements were taken on every other pace one way up the plot length, randomly dropping probe to near where foot falls but at least 15 cm away from body to avoid false reading. This resulted in around 50-65 readings for each plot. Individual readings were spoken into an audio recorder and later listened and entered into Excel sheet for analysis. Readings were taken in each plot without knowledge of what the plot treatment is to eliminate risk of bias. The probe was set to “slow” reading (i.e. takes around 3 seconds to read). The probe was left stable for each reading until it emitted a beep. Average pasture cover recorded on the first day was used as the baseline for each plot from which growth was based.
[0045] The spray tank was cleaned and the nozzles checked. The spray pump is set at 30 psi. The spray rig was calibrated, using containers to collect volume of spray over time information from each nozzle, to deliver 200 L per hectare equivalent using the amount of time to deliver given volume of water and maintaining an appropriate speed (10 km/hour).
[0046] Control: Fifty 50 litres of water was added to the spray tank. The pump was started 1-2 m prior to plot perimeter and the vehicle was driven steadily at the determined speed (around 10 km/hour) over each control plot. The tank was then emptied.
[0047] U40-(Dissolved Urea sprayed at 40 kg N/ha): Twenty litres of water was added to the spray tank and then 10 kg of urea prills was added. The water was stirred until all urea dissolved. The tank was then topped up with approximately 23 L of water to make a total volume of 50 L. The nozzles were checked again for correct operating and the pressure set at 30 psi. The pump was started 1-2 m prior to plot perimeter and the vehicle was driven steadily at the determined speed (around 10 km/hour) over each U40 plot. The tank was then emptied and rinsed out with water.
[0048] Donaghys LessN® 40-(Dissolved Urea sprayed at 40 kg N/ha with 3 L of the broth called Donaghys LessN®): Twenty litres of water was added to the spray tank and then 10 kg of urea prills was added. The water was stirred until all urea dissolved. Fermentation broth was at 0.75 L to the solution and then the tank was topped up with approximately 22.25 L of water to make a total volume of 50 L. The nozzles were checked again for correct operating and the pressure set at 30 psi. The pump was started 1-2 m prior to plot perimeter and the vehicle was driven steadily at the determined speed (around 10 km/hour) over each Donaghys LessN® 40 plot. Turn pump off 1-2 m outside the last plot boundary and return to base. The tank was then emptied and rinsed out with water.
[0049] U80-(Dissolved Urea sprayed at 80 kg N/ha): Thirty five litres of water was added to the spray tank and then 20 kg of urea prills was added. The water was stirred until all urea dissolved which took about 25 minutes. The tank was then topped up with approximately one litre of water to make a total volume of 50 L. The nozzles were checked again for correct operating and the pressure set at 30 psi. The pump was started 1-2 m prior to plot perimeter and the vehicle was driven steadily at the determined speed (around 10 km/hour) over each U80 plot. The tank was then emptied and rinsed out with water.
[0050] Post treatment-Pasture DM measurements: Post-treatment pasture dry matter was assessed 23 days after treatment by using a Grass Master Probe using the methods described for pre-treatment readings.
[0051] Statistical Analysis: Data analysis was performed in Genstat using analysis of variance (ANOVA) in CRBD. The level of significance of treatment differences was assessed.
[0052] Results: Pasture growth was calculated from subtracting the relevant baseline pasture dry matter measurement from the pasture dry matter measurement at the end of each of the three grazing rotations. Donaghys LessN® 40 performed similarly to Urea 80 and both these treatments caused statistically significantly greater pasture growth than Urea 40 (which was not statistically significantly better than Control).
[0000]
TABLE 2
Pasture dry matter production (kg/ha)
Treatment
DM Rotation 1*
Control
1322 a
Urea 40
1527 a
Urea 80
1979 b
Donaghys LessN ® 40
1809 b
a,b Numbers with a different letter beside them are statistically significantly different from each other (p < 0.05)
[0053] All publications and patents mentioned in the above specification are herein incorporated by reference. Any discussion of the publications and patents throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such constitute prior art, or widely known or common general knowledge in the field.
[0054] Where the foregoing description reference has been made to integers having known equivalents thereof, those equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. It is appreciated that further modifications may be made to the invention as described herein without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention illustratively described herein may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements, or limitation or limitations, which are not specifically disclosed herein as essential.
[0055] In addition, in each instance herein, in embodiments or examples of the present invention, the terms ‘comprising’, ‘including’, etc. are to be read expansively without limitation. Thus, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words ‘comprise’, ‘comprising’ and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say in the sense of “including but not limited to”.
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A bio-stimulant composition for obtaining improved plant growth, either combined or uncombined with urea and/or other agricultural compounds, as well of methods of producing and using said composition.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the packaging of smoking articles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of packaging smoking articles whereby the resultant packaged smoking articles comprise a volatile flavourant.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Smoking articles comprising volatile flavourant (s), for example menthol or peppermint, are well known within the tobacco industry. Thus, for example, the smoking articles may be mentholated cigarettes. Numerous methods are available for the incorporation of volatile flavourant in smoking articles. For example, during the manufacture of smoking articles, e.g. cigarettes, volatile flavourant may be added to the cut tobacco prior to transfer thereof to a continuous smoking material rod making machine, or volatile flavourant may be added to the smoking material rod, e.g. tobacco rod, during the manufacture thereof in the making machine. Alternatively, volatile flavourant can be added to filter rods of such smoking articles during filter manufacture on a filter making machine. However, application of volatile flavourant during the manufacture of smoking articles or parts thereof, is disadvantageous. For example, such application results in contamination of machinery used in the manufacture of smoking articles or parts thereof. The contamination effects moreover downstream machinery including so-called tipping machinery which tipping machinery is operable to interattach smoking material rods and filter rods. Furthermore, packaging machinery used in the packaging of such smoking articles is also likely to be contaminated with the volatile flavourant. Such contamination is extremely undesirable, as prior to such contaminated machinery being used in respect of smoking articles absent the volatile flavourant, the machinery must be decontaminated. Such decontamination is, of course, extremely laborious and time-consuming, and can result in extensive periods in which the machinery is unusable. In addition, if flavourant, for example menthol, is applied to the cigarette paper during manufacture of the smoking article, smoking articles comprising volatile flavourants applied in such a manner have a greater propensity to adhere each with the other during the transfer thereof from making machinery to packaging machinery. Such adherence tends to occur whilst smoking articles are held in reservoirs, which reservoirs are situated between the making machinery and the packaging machinery.
In order to attempt to overcome such long standing problems resulting from application of volatile flavourants during smoking article manufacture, application of the volatile flavourants to the packaging of smoking articles has been contemplated, the intention being that subsequent to the packaging operation volatile flavourant migrates to the smoking articles.
During the packaging of smoking articles, cigarettes for example, a pre-determined number of smoking articles are arranged in a manner, an“assemblage”, suitable for being packaged in a smoking article pack. Usually, the smoking article assemblage is then enwrapped in a so-called inner wrap, the inner wrap typically comprising paper having a metallic layer applied thereto, such paper being commonly known as foil or foil tissue in the tobacco industry. Immediately prior to the foil being enwrapped about the smoking articles, the foil is embossed for the purpose of rendering the foil more susceptible to being folded and to enhance the aesthetics of the foil. The assemblage is then transferred onto an unassembled smoking article pack. The foil is anchored to the rear panel of the pack by adhesive. If the pack is of the type commonly known as a hinged-lid pack, the pack at this stage typically takes the form of a flat blank and prior to assembly thereof an inner frame is positioned on the assemblage. Whereas if the pack is of the type commonly known as a soft-cup pack, the pack at this stage typically takes the form of a flat label. The pack is subsequently assembled about the assemblage; that is to say the pack blank/label is folded about the assemblage, such that the pack is maintained in its assembled form by relevant panels of the pack being inter adhered by means of adhesive. Subsequently, the pack may be hermetically sealed; for example a polypropylene outer wrap may be applied about the pack.
Heretofore, volatile flavourants have been applied to the inner wrap, see for example EP 0 531 221. However, application of volatile flavourants to the foil or other inner wrap has many disadvantages. The volatile flavourants are applied to the foil prior to the foil being presented to the smoking article packaging machine, i.e. off-line. Foil with volatile flavourants applied thereto must then be stored in a sealed environment at low temperature until such time as the treated foil is required for use on the smoking article packaging machine. Furthermore, the foil must then be allowed to return to ambient temperature over a period of 2-3 days prior to being suitable for use. As stated above, following upon presentation of the foil to a smoking article packaging machine, the foil is embossed. Embossing flavourant loaded foil results in a condition of the embossing rollers referred to as“blinding”. That is to say, the embossing surfaces of the embossing rollers become covered in flavourant residue and thus the quality of the embossing effected by the rollers decreases. In an attempt to overcome such blinding of the embossing rollers, resort has been had to the expedient of blowing hot air onto the embossing rollers in order that the residue thereon evaporates. However, such measures result in substantial losses of volatile flavourant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of packaging smoking articles with the incorporation of volatile flavourant. It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for packaging smoking articles with the incorporation of volatile flavourant.
The present invention provides a method of packaging smoking articles, wherein on a smoking article packaging machine, a pack is assembled about an assemblage of smoking articles, characterised in that prior to said pack having been fully assembled about said assemblage, volatile smoking article flavourant is applied at a surface, which surface is a surface within the fully assembled pack, whereby within the fully assembled pack volatilised the flavourant may migrate from the surface to the smoking articles.
The present invention further provides, in combination, a smoking article packaging machine and volatile flavourant application means, the smoking article packaging machine being operable to assemble a pack about an assemblage of smoking articles, and the volatile flavourant application means comprising nozzle means and being operable to supply volatile flavourant to and through the nozzle means at a surface prior to the pack having been fully assembled, which surface is a surface within the fully assembled pack.
Preferably, the surface to which the flavourant is applied is an inner surface of the fully assembled pack. Alternatively, the surface may, instead of being a surface of the pack, be a surface of a pack insert which is disposed within the fully assembled pack. Such pack inserts take the form of coupons, cards or similar sheet like items.
Preferably, the volatile smoking article flavourant is applied directly to the surface.
The assemblage of smoking articles suitably comprises a number of smoking articles arranged in a compact configuration. Preferably, the assemblage or a portion thereof is enwrapped in an inner wrap. The inner wrap layer is preferably, foil or paper.
Advantageously, when the assemblage is enwrapped in an inner wrap, the inner wrap is anchored to the pack by means of an adhesive.
Much by preference, if the surface to which the volatile flavourant is applied is a surface of the pack, the volatile smoking article flavourant is applied to the pack prior to the commencement of the assembly of the pack about the assemblage. In respect to packs of the hinged-lid type, these are normally formed from a single blank. However, as a person skilled in the art will be aware, the pack may be comprised of more than one blank. Suitably, the volatile flavourant may be applied to a pack blank prior to the assemblage of smoking articles being placed onto the blank. Alternatively, the volatile flavourant can be applied when the blank is partially assembled. Typically, and particularly in the case of hinged-lid packs, the assembled packs are rectilinear, having top, bottom, first and second side, front and rear walls. The volatile flavourant may be applied to the inside surface of one or more of these walls. Preferably, the volatile flavourant is applied to the portion of the pack that forms the inner surface of the rear wall of the assembled pack. Furthermore, by way of another alternative, the volatile flavourant may be applied in conjunction with, or may be incorporated into adhesive, which adhesive adheres, for example, the inner wrap to an inner surface of the pack. The assembled pack is secured by the application of seam adhesive along overlapping panels of the pack. By way of a further alternative, the volatile flavourant may be incorporated into the seam adhesive.
Typically, once the pack has been fully assembled, the pack is hermetically or substantially hermetically sealed, for example by way of a polypropylene overwrap being wrapped and sealed about the pack.
The volatile flavourant applied at the surface is in gaseous communication with the smoking articles packaged within the fully assembled pack. Thus during storage of the packaged smoking articles, the volatilised flavourant may migrate from the surface to which the flavourant has been applied to the smoking articles. When equilibrium is reached, the proportion of a volatile flavourant, for example menthol, will typically be about 10-15% by weight on the pack, or on the pack and the insert; and thus the proportion of the volatile flavourant in the smoking articles, e.g. cigarettes will typically be about 85-90% by weight.
The present invention has particular significance in respect to hinged-lid packs, soft-cup packs or shell-and-slide packs. However, the present invention may also be applicable to packs of the type known as either Laube or shoulder packs. In the case that the pack is a hinged-lid pack comprising an inner frame, the inner frame is considered, for the purposes of the present invention, as part of the pack and the volatile flavourant may thus be added to a surface of the inner frame during the assembly of the pack on the packaging machine.
Preferably, the volatile flavourant is menthol and/or peppermint. However, as a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the present invention is applicable with respect to any other suitable volatile flavourants.
As will also be appreciated, a flavourant used for the purposes of the present invention may be a multi-component composition, of which one or more components are substantially volatile and one or more of the components are of a lesser volatility or are non-volatile. For example, the multicomponent composition may comprise a flavourant and a carrier substance.
Suitably, the volatile flavourant is applied in a liquid or molten state. The concentration of such molten volatile flavourant, menthol for instance, may be 100%. Alternatively, the volatile flavourant may be applied in solution in a suitable solvent, for example an alcohol such as ethanol.
Suitably, the volatile flavourant application means forms part of the smoking article packaging machine or is located adjacent thereto.
As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the time elapsed between the application of the volatile flavourant on the surface and the completion of the pack assembly step should be short so as to avoid loss, or undue loss, of the flavourant by volatilisation before the assembly step has been completed.
During the application of the flavourant to the surface, the surface and the nozzle means of the application means are in relative movement or are relatively stationary.
The volatile flavourant may be applied at the surface in any suitable pattern. A suitable example is one or more lines.
Advantageously, either one or both of the smoking article packaging machine and the volatile flavourant application means comprises sensing means, which sensing means senses the relative disposition of the surface and of the nozzle means. The sensing means may be optical, mechanical or electrical sensing means. Alternatively, the sensing means may be separate from the packaging machine and the application means. The sensing means is advantageously in communication with the volatile flavourant application means, such that the supply of volatile flavourant to and/or through the nozzle means of the application means can be switched on or off by the sensing means.
Preferably, the application means further comprises supply means and/or reservoir means for the volatile flavourant. Supply means for flavourant suitably interconnects the nozzle means and reservoir means. Supply means and/or the nozzle means advantageously comprise valve means, needle valve means for example. The aforesaid sensing means suitably switches the supply of volatile flavourant to and/or through the nozzle means by controlling valve means in the supply means and/or the nozzle means.
The nozzle means may comprise one or more nozzles.
Preferably, one or more of the nozzle means, the supply means and the reservoir means is/are heatable.
Suitable application means is commercially available from, for example, C. B. Kaymich & Co. Limited of Sheffield, U. K. under model designation FDU3.
The mass loading per pack of the volatile flavourant, when the flavourant is formulated with a vehicle, can be regulated by changing the concentration of the volatile flavourant in relation to the vehicle. Regulation may also be effected whether or not a vehicle substance is present, by adjusting the flow rate per unit time of the flavourant through the nozzle means. If the flow rate is maintained constant, regulation may be effected by changing the duration of flavourant application.
By way of example, the loading of molten menthol, when menthol is the volatile flavourant, applied per smoking article pack for twenty smoking articles is suitably between about 30 to 120 mg. However, as a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate, lower or higher application levels may be applied depending upon the loading requirement of the smoking articles. Of course, a person skilled in the art would be capable of adjusting the applied loading of the volatile flavourant to provide smoking articles with the desired loads therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the present invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a blank, in a flat condition thereof, of a conventional hinge-lid cigarette pack having had menthol applied thereto in accordance with the present invention; and FIG. 2 depicts, very diagrammatically, parts of apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A conventional hinge-lid cigarette pack when assembled is rectilinear. The blank depicted generally in FIG. 1 by reference numeral 1 of a hinge-lid cigarette pack, comprises a cardboard cut-out with a plurality of panels 2 - 20 and a plurality of fold lines 21 - 32 . As is known to those skilled in the art, in respect of the body of the assembled pack, panel 2 forms the back wall, panel 3 forms the front wall, panels 4 , 5 and 6 form the bottom wall, panels 7 , 8 , 9 and 10 form the side walls; and panels 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 and 20 form the lid of the assembled pack. As will also be appreciated by those skilled in the cigarette packaging art, the solid lines in FIG. 1 ( 35 - 44 ) are lines of cut.
In a conventional cigarette packaging machine, an unfolded pack blank as per blank 1 is removed from a stack of blanks.
Adhesive is applied to the blank (typically on panel 2 thereof) and an assemblage (not shown) of cigarettes wrapped in a foil inner wrap is placed on and in alignment with panel 2 of the blank. The assemblage commonly comprises 20 cigarettes arranged in three lines, of seven, six and seven cigarettes respectively. The adhesive serves to adhere the foil inner wrap to the panel 2 . An inner frame (not shown) is then positioned relative the assemblage and adhesive is applied to a surface of the inner frame such that when the blank is folded along fold lines 21 - 32 about the assemblage and inner frame, the inner frame is adhered to at least front wall panel 3 of the blank.
In FIG. 2 reference numeral 50 designates generally volatile flavourant application means of an otherwise conventional cigarette packaging machine, a GDX 2 for example.
Reference numeral 51 designates a stack of cigarette pack blanks, each as per blank 1 of FIG. 1 . The packaging machine comprises conventional feed means (not shown) operable to remove one blank at a time from the base of the stack 51 and to feed a blank in the direction of arrow A.
The application means 50 comprises a heated reservoir 52 containing molten menthol (at 100% concentration as volatile flavourant), a heated supply line 53 interconnecting the reservoir 52 and two heated nozzles, one of which nozzles, designated by reference numeral 54 , is shown in FIG. 2. A valve 55 is present in the supply line 53 , which valve 55 is moveable between an open position and a closed position. When the valve 55 is in the open position, molten menthol flows from the reservoir 52 through the supply line 53 , and to and through the nozzles 54 .
The application means 50 further comprises optical sensing means 56 , which sensing means 56 is operable to sense the presence of a pack blank being fed past the application means 50 by the aforesaid feed means and to provide, via a line 57 , an electrical signal to valve activation means 58 of the application means 50 . As is indicated in FIG. 2, the valve activation means 58 comprises a valve drive spindle 59 in drive engagement with the valve 55 .
Associated with the sensing means 56 is electronic timing circuitry, which is not shown that is operable, when the sensing means 56 has sensed the presence of a blank 60 , to cause the transmission of a signal via line 57 , whereupon the activation means 58 causes the valve 55 to move from the closed position thereof to the open position thereof and subsequently to cause the transmission of a further signal in response to which the activation means 58 causes the valve 55 to return to the closed position thereof. The operation of the timing circuitry is such that the valve 55 is in the open position for a set time period, which set time period corresponds to the movement of the blank 60 , beneath the two nozzles 54 of application means 50 , in order that menthol is applied to the moving blank 60 as two elongate beads, as represented by reference numerals 33 , 34 in FIG. 1 in respect of blank 1 . A partially formed bead is shown in FIG. 2 by reference numeral 61 . The elongate beads 33 , 34 are located on the back panel 2 , as may be seen in FIG. 1 with respect to blank 1 , of the blank. Suitably, the beads 33 , 34 are parallel to each other, are about 3-4 cm apart and are each about 2 mm wide. As will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, the menthol can be applied to any one of the wall panels 1 - 20 and/or to the aforesaid inner frame.
Following application of the beads 32 and 34 to a blank, the blank is fed further forward, in the direction of arrow A as shown in FIG. 2, to stations of the packaging machine at which are performed the conventional cigarette packaging operations.
Thus downstream of the application means 50 , adhesive is applied to the blank at requisite locations and an assemblage of cigarettes enwrapped in an inner foil wrap is positioned on the rear wall panel of the blank. The inner frame is then positioned relative to the assemblage and the blank is assembled, by folding, about the inner frame and assemblage.
Alternatively, the application of the menthol to the blank may occur after the application of the adhesive, or as a further alternative, the application of the menthol and the application of the adhesive may occur simultaneously. Of course, if the menthol is to be applied to the inner frame, this occurs as the inner frame is being positioned relative to the assemblage or immediately prior thereto.
Adhesive serving the known function of adhering inner foil wrap enwrapping the cigarette assemblage may be applied with menthol, menthol thus may be applied to the rear wall panel of the blank, for example.
In conventional manner, assembled packs are hermetically sealed on the packaging machine by means, for example, of a polypropylene outer wrap applied about each pack. During storage of the packaged smoking articles in the thus hermetically sealed packs, volatilised menthol migrates from the surface of the pack to the smoking articles.
For example, about 80 mg of molten menthol applied per pack of 20 cigarettes, results at equilibrium in a concentration of about 3.5 mg of menthol per cigarette.
While a preferred embodiment of a method for packaging smoking articles in accordance with the present invention has been set forth fully and completely hereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that various changes could be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention which is accordingly to be limited only by the following claims.
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A method of packaging smoking articles, such as cigarettes, includes applying a volatile flavourant to the surface of a pack or an insert for the pack immediately prior to the pack being assembled about a smoking article bundle. The volatile flavourant can migrate within the fully assembled pack from the surface to which it was applied to the smoking articles.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1 Technical Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a gas sensor which may be employed in burning control of automotive engines, and more particularly to a such gas sensor equipped with an electric connector designed to ensure electric connections between a sensor element and lead wires leading to an external device.
[0003] 2 Background Art
[0004] Gas sensors equipped with a sensor element such as an oxygen sensor as taught in Japanese Utility Model Second Publication No. 8-1493 are known for use in burning control of fuel in internal combustion engines of modern automotive vehicles. Gas sensors of this type generally have disposed therein a connector establishing electrical connections between lead wires leading to an external controller and electrodes provided on the sensor element for use in picking up a sensor output and supplying the power to a heater provided on the sensor element. For instance, the connector is made up of terminal connecting conductors making electrical connections between the lead wires and terminals leading to the electrodes of the sensor element and a holder retaining therein the terminal connecting conductors.
[0005] Connectors which are easy to manufacture and designed to retain the terminal connecting conductors firmly to ensure the electrical connections between the lead wires and the terminals of the sensor element are sought.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved structure of a gas sensor constructed to secure electric connections between electrode terminals of a sensor element and lead wires leading to an external device such as a controller and to be manufactured easily.
[0007] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a gas sensor which comprises: (a) a sensor element having a length and electrical terminals formed on an end portion thereof; and (b) a connector working to establish electrical connections between the electrical terminals of the sensor element and conductors extending from inside to outside the gas sensor. The connector includes terminal connecting members and at least two holding members. The holding members work to retain therein the terminal connecting members and the end of the sensor element to make the electrical connections between the electrical terminals of the sensor element and the conductors. The terminal connecting members and the holding members are so configured geometrically as to establish mechanical engagement therebetween.
[0008] In the preferred mode of the invention, each of the terminal connecting members has a protrusion. Each of the holding members has formed therein recesses within which the protrusions of the terminal connecting members are fitted to establish the mechanical engagement between the terminal connecting members and the holding members.
[0009] The protrusions of the terminal connecting members may be implemented by bends formed on lengths of the terminal connecting members, respectively.
[0010] The bends project perpendicular to the lengths of the terminal connecting members, respectively.
[0011] Each of the terminal connecting members may alternatively have a plurality of protrusions. Each of the holding members may have formed therein recesses within which the protrusions of the terminal connecting members are fitted to establish the mechanical engagement between the terminal connecting members and the holding members.
[0012] Each of the terminal connecting members is made up of a supporting portion, a bent portion, and an elastic contact portion placed in electrical contact with one of the electrical terminals of the sensor element. Each of the elastic contact portions continues from an end of the support portion through the bent portion and is turned at the bent portion toward the support portion. The support portion has the protrusion. The protrusion is located farther from the bent portion than the elastic contact portion.
[0013] According to the second aspect of the invention, there is provided a gas sensor which comprises: (a) a sensor element having a length and electrical terminals formed on an end portion thereof; (b) at least two holding members joined together to define a chamber therein; (c) terminal connecting spring members leading to conductors extending from inside to outside the gas sensor, the terminal connecting spring members being retained within the chamber of the holding members in electrical contact with the electrical terminals of the sensor element so as to add elastic pressures to the sensor element in a direction perpendicular to the length of the sensor element, respectively, to hold the end portion of the sensor element within the chamber of the holding members; and (d) a clamping spring mechanism disposed on an outer periphery of the holing members. The clamping spring mechanism works to add an elastic pressure F 2 to the holding members to clamp the holding members together. The elastic pressure F 1 is lower than or equal to an elastic pressure F 2 that is a sum of the elastic pressures produced by the terminal connecting spring members. This ensures electrical contact of the terminal connecting spring members with the terminals of the sensor element.
[0014] In the preferred mode of the invention, the clamping spring mechanism is made up of at least two springs fitted on the holding members.
[0015] If a plane is defined which extends along the length of the sensor element, a vector of the elastic pressure F 1 and a vector of the elastic pressure F 2 have the same position on the plane.
[0016] According to the third aspect of the invention, there is provided a gas sensor which comprises: (a) a plate-shaped sensor element having a length and electrical terminals formed on an end portion thereof; (b) terminal connecting spring members leading to conductors extending from inside to outside the gas sensor, each of the terminal connecting members is made up of a supporting portion, an elastic contact portion, and a bent portion connecting between the supporting portion and the elastic contact portion, the bent portion having one of substantially a U-shape and substantially a V-shape and directing the elastic contact portion toward the supporting portion so as to produce elasticity which allows the elastic contact portion to be deformed toward the supporting portion; and (c) at least two clamping members working to clamp the end portion of the gas sensor through the terminal connecting spring members so as to establish elastic contact of each of the terminal connecting spring members with one of the electrical terminals of the sensor element.
[0017] In the preferred mode of the invention, each of the terminal connecting spring members is made of one of a plate and a round bar.
[0018] A surface of each of the terminal connecting spring members is plated with gold.
[0019] Each of the elastic contact portion has a protrusion facing a corresponding one of the electrical terminals of the sensor element.
[0020] The gas sensor also includes a spring mechanism which produces an elastic pressure oriented perpendicular to the length of the gas sensor to clamp the clamping members together.
[0021] The spring mechanism may be made up of two or more springs.
[0022] The clamping members have electrical insulation properties.
BRIEF DESPCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given hereinbelow and from the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments but are for the purpose of explanation and understanding only.
[0024] In the drawings:
[0025] [0025]FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a gas sensor according to the invention;
[0026] [0026]FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view which shows an internal structure of an electric connector;
[0027] [0027]FIG. 3( a ) is a plane view which shows one of a pair of clamping spring plates;
[0028] [0028]FIG. 3( b ) is a side view of FIG. 3( a );
[0029] [0029]FIG. 4( a ) is a plane view which shows a clamping spring plate of the type different from the one of FIGS. 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b );
[0030] [0030]FIG. 4( b ) is a side view of FIG. 4( a );
[0031] [0031]FIG. 5 is a partial plane view which shows terminal connecting strips establishing electrical contact with terminals of a sensor element;
[0032] [0032]FIG. 6( a ) is a partial side view which shows a terminal connecting strip;
[0033] [0033]FIG. 6( b ) is a partial side view which shows a terminal connecting strip of the type different from the one in FIG. 6( a );
[0034] [0034]FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view which shows elastic contact between the terminal connecting strip of FIG. 6( b ) and a gas sensor;
[0035] [0035]FIG. 8 is a plane view which shows an internal structure of a holding member;
[0036] [0036]FIG. 9( a ) is a vertical sectional view as taken along the line a-a in FIG. 8;
[0037] [0037]FIG. 9( b ) is a vertical sectional view as taken along the line b-b in FIG. 8;
[0038] [0038]FIG. 10 is a plane view which shows an outer structure of the holding member of FIG. 8;
[0039] [0039]FIG. 11( a ) is a partial side view which shows a modified form of the terminal connecting strip of FIG. 6( a );
[0040] [0040]FIG. 11( b ) is a plane view of FIG. 11( a );
[0041] [0041]FIG. 12 is a plane view which shows a modified form of the holding member of FIG. 8;
[0042] [0042]FIG. 13 is a partial side view which shows a modified form of the terminal connecting strip of FIG. 6( a );
[0043] [0043]FIG. 14( a ) is a partial side view which shows a modified form of the terminal connecting strip of FIG. 6( a );
[0044] [0044]FIG. 14( b ) is a plane view as viewed from a longitudinal direction of the terminal connecting strip of FIG. 14( a );
[0045] [0045]FIG. 15 is a graph which shows a calibration curve indicating a relation between a load applied to an elastic member and a resultant flexure;
[0046] [0046]FIG. 16 is an explanatory view which shows flexture of a clamping spring plate;
[0047] [0047]FIG. 17 is an explanatory view which shows flexture of a terminal connecting strip;
[0048] [0048]FIG. 18 is a plane view for explaining how to determine an elastic pressure produced in a case where holding members are clamped only by one clamping spring plate;
[0049] [0049]FIG. 19 is a plane view for explaining how to determine an elastic pressure produced in a case where holding members are clamped by two clamping spring plates;
[0050] [0050]FIG. 20 is an explanatory view for explaining how to determine an elastic pressure produced by terminal connecting strips; and
[0051] [0051]FIG. 21 is an explanatory view which shows location where elastic pressures produced by terminal connecting strips and clamping spring plates act.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0052] Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like parts in several views, particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a gas sensor 1 according to the invention which may be employed in a burning control system for automotive vehicles to measure concentrations of components such as NOx, CO, HC, O 2 contained in exhaust gasses of the engine.
[0053] The gas sensor 1 includes a sensor element 29 with two opposed major surfaces, as clearly shown in FIG. 5, each having four terminals 291 and 292 affixed thereto (i.e., a total of eight terminals). The gas sensor 1 also includes an electrical connector consisting of electrical terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 and holding members 61 and 62 working as a clamper, as will be described later in detail, to clamp the sensor element 29 through the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 . The terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 work to connect through electric connectors 41 the terminals 291 and 292 with lead wires 41 extending from outside to inside the gas sensor 1 through an elastic insulator 4 .
[0054] Each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 , as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 , has a locking protrusion 500 facing the holding members 61 and 62 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Each of the holding members 61 and 62 , as clearly shown in FIG. 8, has formed in a surface facing the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 recesses 600 in which the locking protrusions 500 are to be fitted or locked.
[0055] The gas sensor 1 is designed to be installed in an exhaust pipe of an automotive engine to measure the concentration of O 2 and NOx to determine the air-fuel ratio of a mixture within a combustion chamber of the engine.
[0056] The sensor element 29 is made of a typical laminated ceramic plate which has a monitor cell working to monitor the concentration of oxygen within a gas chamber defined in the laminated ceramic plate, an oxygen pump cell working to regulate the concentration of oxygen within the gas chamber, and a sensor cell working to measure the concentration of NOx within the gas chamber. The ceramic plate also includes a heater which heats the ceramic plate up to a temperature required to be sensitive to gases to be measured correctly. Gas sensors of this type are well known in the art, and structure and operation thereof in detail will be omitted here.
[0057] The heater and the cells are joined electrically to an external controller (not shown) through the terminals 291 and 292 mounted on end portions of the side surfaces of the sensor element 29 . Specifically, electric power and voltage are inputted to the heater and each cell through the terminals 291 and 292 . Additionally, outputs of each cell is picked up by the controller through the terminals 291 and 292 .
[0058] The gas sensor 1 has, as described above, the three cells and the one heater and thus needs the eight terminals 291 and 292 in total for supplying the power to the heater and transmitting outputs of the cells to the external controller. The terminals 291 and 292 are coupled electrically to the lead wires 41 through the connectors 42 and the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 , respectively.
[0059] The sensor element 29 , as clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, has the total of the four terminals 291 and 292 affixed to each of the opposed major surfaces. The total of the four electrical terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 are, thus, arrayed at each side of the sensor element 29 . FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gas sensor 1 and does not show all of the lead wires 41 for the brevity of illustration.
[0060] The gas sensor 1 , as shown in FIG. 1, also includes a hollow cylindrical metallic housing 10 , a double-walled protective cover assembly 109 made up of an outer and an inner cover, and an air cover assembly 11 . The protective cover assembly 109 is installed on a head of the housing 10 to define a gas chamber into which gases to be measured are admitted through gas holes formed in the outer and inner covers. The air cover assembly 11 is made up of a first cover 111 and a second cover 112 . The first cover 111 has an upper small-diameter portion, as viewed in the drawing, and an open end thereof stacked to the housing 10 . The second cover 112 is installed on the periphery of the small-diameter portion of the first cover 111 and crimped to retain a water-repellent filter 113 around the small-diameter portion of the first cover 111 .
[0061] A ceramic-made insulation porcelain 2 is retained within the housing 10 . The insulation porcelain 2 has a tapered shoulder 102 . The housing 10 has an inner shoulder 101 tapering off to the cover assembly 109 . The shoulder 102 of the insulation porcelain 2 is placed on the inner shoulder 101 of the housing 10 through a metallic packing ring 200 in an air-tight fashion.
[0062] A disc spring 21 is mounted on an upper end, as viewed in FIG. 1, of the insulation porcelain 2 . A press assembly 22 is fitted over the upper end of the insulation porcelain 2 through the disc spring 21 . The press assembly 22 is made up of a press plate 221 and an annular leg 222 extending vertically from the periphery of the press plate 221 . The leg 222 is, for example, press fit over the periphery of the insulation porcelain 2 and retains the press plate 221 tightly so as to press the disc spring 21 elastically to apply an elastic pressure to the insulation porcelain 2 , so that the insulation porcelain 2 is installed within the housing 10 in the air-tight fashion.
[0063] Each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 , as shown in FIGS. 6 ( a ) and 6 ( b ), includes a support 50 , an elastic contact 502 , and a bend 501 which is of substantially a U-shape to provide elasticity to the elastic contact 502 . The elastic contact 502 serves to make an electric contact with a corresponding one of the terminals 291 and 292 . The holding members 61 and 62 are, as will be described below in detail, clamped together to elastically deform the elastic contacts 502 of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 toward the supports 50 , as clearly shown in FIG. 7, to secure electric connections between the elastic contacts 502 and the terminals 291 and 292 .
[0064] Two clamping spring plates 31 and 32 , as shown in FIG. 2, are fitted over outer peripheries of the holding members 61 and 62 elastically to provide an elastic pressure thereto in a radius direction of the gas sensor 1 (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the length of the sensor element 29 ). The holding members 61 and 62 are each made up of an insulating ceramic material and form an air-side insulation porcelain 3 which works to establish electric insulation between the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 .
[0065] The clamping spring plate 31 is, as clearly shown in FIGS. 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), made up of a rectangular plate 310 and legs 319 . The plate 310 is curved slightly outward and has formed in a central portion thereof an opening 318 for saving weight and increasing flexibility thereof. The legs 319 extend substantially perpendicular to the plate 310 from four corners thereof in the form of a C-shape, as shown in FIG. 3( a ). An end of each of the legs 319 is bent outward.
[0066] A solid line in FIG. 3( a ) indicates the profile of the legs 319 before the clamping spring plate 31 is fitted on the holding members 61 and 62 . A broken line indicates the profile of the legs 319 after the clamping spring plate 31 is fitted on the holding members 61 and 62 to elastically couple them together, as shown in FIG. 2.
[0067] The clamping spring plate 32 is, as clearly shown in FIGS. 4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ), made up of a rectangular plate 320 and a pair of legs 329 . The legs 329 extend from sides of the plate 320 and serve to couple the holding members 61 and 62 together elastically. An end of each of the legs 329 is bent outward. The clamping spring plate 32 also includes a pair of anchoring legs 321 which extend, as clearly shown in FIGS. 4 ( b ) and 1 , from the legs 329 so as to establish elastic engagement with an inner wall of the first cover 111 of the air cover assembly 11 , thereby anchoring the holding members 61 and 62 within the first cover 111 .
[0068] A solid line in FIG. 4( a ) indicates the profile of the legs 329 before the clamping spring plate 32 is fitted on the holding members 61 and 62 . A broken line indicates the profile of the legs 329 after the clamping spring plate 32 is fitted on the holding members 61 and 62 to elastically couple them together, as shown in FIG. 2.
[0069] Each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 is, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 , made up of the support 50 , the locking protrusion 500 formed on the support 50 , the elastic contact 502 , and the bend 501 formed between the support 50 and the elastic contact 502 .
[0070] The support 50 of the terminal connecting strip 52 , as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6( b ), extends straight in parallel to a length of the sensor element 29 and ends at the bend 501 . The elastic contact 502 is bent in a direction opposite a direction in which the locking protrusion 500 bulges out at an angle θ to the support 50 and extends toward the base side, as shown in FIG. 1, of the gas sensor 1 .
[0071] The support 50 of the terminal connecting strip 51 , as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6( a ), includes a vertical portion A extending in parallel to the length of the sensor element 29 and an L-shaped portion B extending at right angles to the vertical portion A and then straight in parallel to the vertical portion A. The L-shaped portion B leads to the elastic contact 502 through the bend 501 . The bend angle θ between the support 50 and the elastic contact 502 is an acute angle.
[0072] Each of the elastic contacts 502 has, as clearly shown in FIGS. 6 ( a ) and 6 ( b ), a second bend 505 to define a first contact portion 503 between the first bend 501 and the second bend 505 and a second contact portion 504 between the second bend 505 and the end of the elastic contact 502 . The angle φ which the second contact portion 504 makes with the first contact portion 503 is an obtuse angle.
[0073] The terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 make, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, electrical connections with the terminals 291 and 292 of the sensor element 29 . Specifically, the terminal connecting strips 51 abut to the terminals 291 , while the terminal connecting strips 51 abut to the terminals 292 .
[0074] Each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 is, as described above, urged elastically by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 through the holding members 61 and 62 so that it is deformed, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 7, in the radius direction of the gas sensor 1 to establish constant engagement with one of the terminals 291 and 292 .
[0075] The terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 are different in distance to the terminals 291 and 292 , but the above described elastic deformation thereof absorbs such a variation to secure the electrical connections to the terminals 291 and 292 .
[0076] The holding members 61 and 62 are each made of an insulating ceramic material and joined to each other by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 to form the air-side insulation porcelain 3 with a vertical extending chamber which is octagonal in cross section, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, and works to establish electric insulation between the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 . FIG. 2 illustrates the air-side insulation porcelain 3 as viewed from the base side of the gas sensor 1 .
[0077] [0077]FIG. 8 shows an inside structure of the holding member 61 facing the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 . The holding member 61 has formed therein grooves 601 within which the terminal connecting strips 51 are to be disposed and grooves 602 within which the terminal connecting strips 52 are to be disposed. FIG. 9( a ) is a sectional view of the holding member 61 as taken along the line a-a in FIG. 8. FIG. 9( b ) is a sectional view of the holding member 62 as taken along the line b-b in FIG. 8.
[0078] The grooves 601 are similar in configuration to the supports 50 of the terminal connecting strips 51 . The grooves 602 are similar in configuration to the supports 50 of the terminal connecting strips 52 . Each of the grooves 601 and 602 has formed therein the recess 600 in which the locking protrusion 500 of a corresponding one of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 is to be fitted or locked.
[0079] The holding member 62 is identical in structure with the holding member 61 , and explanation thereof in detail will be omitted here.
[0080] Each of the locking protrusions 500 of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 is, as clearly shown in FIGS. 6 ( a ) and 6 ( b ), of a U-shape and located farther from the bend 501 than the end 506 of the elastic contact 502 .
[0081] [0081]FIG. 10 shows an outer structure of the holding member 61 which has formed therein recesses 605 and 606 serving to hold the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 from moving undesirably. The clamping spring plate 31 is fitted within the recesses 605 . The clamping spring plate 32 is fitted within the recess 606 . The holding member 62 is identical in outer structure with the holding member 61 , and explanation thereof in detail will be omitted here.
[0082] Each of the terminal connecting strips 51 , as shown in FIGS. 11 ( a ) and 11 ( b ), may also have a protrusion 505 which is formed on the first contact portion 503 of the elastic contact 501 by punching or pressing.
[0083] Each of the holding members 61 and 62 may alternatively have an inner structure, as illustrated in FIG. 12, which has a recess 607 configured to fit the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 therewithin.
[0084] Each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 may have, as shown in FIG. 13, two locking protrusions 500 .
[0085] Each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 may alternatively have, as shown in FIGS. 14 ( a ) and 14 ( b ), a C-shaped locking member 507 which has a pair of strips 508 extending perpendicular to the length of the support 50 to establish tight engagement with the recess 600 .
[0086] As apparent from the above discussion, the elastic contacts 502 of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 are configured to be deformable in the radius direction of the gas sensor 1 (i.e., the sensor element 29 ) and thus serve to secure electrical connections with the terminals 291 and 292 with aid of elastic pressure produced by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 . Additionally, an unwanted shift of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 in a lengthwise direction thereof is avoided by the engagement of the locking protrusions 500 with the recess 600 of the holding members 61 and 62 .
[0087] The pressure F 1 produced by the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 to hold or clamp the end portion of the sensor element 29 in a desired location and orientation within the air-side insulation porcelain 3 is lower than or equal to the pressure F 2 produced by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 to clamp the holding members 61 and 62 (i.e., F 1 ≦F 2 ) together.
[0088] The four terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 are, as described above, arrayed on each side of the sensor element 29 and urged by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 to press the four terminals 291 and 292 elastically to retain the sensor element 29 within the air-side insulation porcelain 3 . For instance, the pressure produced by each of the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 is more than or equal to one half of the pressure F 1 produced by all of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 . Specifically, the pressure F 2 produced by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 is set substantially equal to or higher than the pressure F 1 . This ensures electrical contact between each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 and a corresponding one of the terminals 291 and 292 of the sensor element 29 without any clearances.
[0089] The pressures F 1 and F 2 may be determined in the following manner.
[0090] Usually, an elastic force is determined by measuring the degree of deformation of an elastic member, magnetostriction, piezo-electricity, or characteristic frequency of an ossilator, and comparing it with a calibration curve.
[0091] [0091]FIG. 15 shows an example of a calibration curve defined by a load applied to a spring and a resultant deflection or flexture of the spring measured actually. In the shown example, the load is in direct proportion to the flexture, but they may bear another relation depending upon the type of a spring.
[0092] Each of the legs 319 of the clamping spring plate 31 takes a form, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 16, when subjected to no loads. Application of load K 1 causes the legs 319 to be deflected outward, as indicated by broken lines. The degree of fluxture of the clamping spring plate 31 may be expressed by distance a minus distance b (i.e., a−b). Therefore, the elastic pressure produced by the clamping spring plate 31 when clamping the holding members 61 and 62 , as illustrated in FIG. 2, may be determined by measuring a load applied to the legs 319 and a resultant interval between the legs 319 (i.e., the distance a) to define a calibration curve, like the one in FIG. 15, and finding a load corresponding to the width of the assembly of the holding members 61 and 62 (i.e., the distance a between the legs 319 after fitted on the holding members 61 and 62 ) minus the distance b by look-up using the calibration curve. The elastic pressure produced by the clamping spring plate 32 may be determined in the same manner.
[0093] The elastic contact 502 of each of the terminal connecting strips 51 takes a form, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 17, when subjected to no loads. Application of load K 2 causes the elastic contact 502 to be deflected to the support 50 , as indicated by a broken line. The degree of fluxture of the elastic contact 502 may be expressed by distance c minus distance d (i.e., c−d). Therefore, the elastic pressure produced by each of the terminal connecting strips 51 when urged by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 through the holding members 61 and 62 , as illustrated in FIG. 2, into constant engagement with one of the terminals 291 and 292 may be determined by measuring a load applied to the elastic contact 502 and a resultant displacement thereof (i.e., c−d) to define a calibration curve, and finding a load corresponding to the interval between the elastic contact 502 and the support 50 (i.e., the distance c) minus a clearance between the support 50 and a corresponding one of the terminals 291 and 292 after the terminal connecting strip 51 is installed within the holding members 61 and 62 (i.e., the distance d) by look-up using the calibration curve. The elastic pressure produced by the terminal connecting strips 52 may be determined in the same manner.
[0094] The manner in which the pressures F 1 and F 2 are determined will also be described below in more detail with reference to FIGS. 18 to 20 .
[0095] The holding members 61 and 62 may be clamped, as shown in FIG. 18, only by the clamping spring plate 31 . The distance between innermost portions of the legs 319 , that is, points 610 of contact with the outer surfaces of the holding members 61 and 62 after the clamping spring plate 31 is fitted on the holding members 61 and 62 is defined as f. The distance between the innermost portions 611 of the clamping spring plate 31 when the clamping spring plate 31 is not fitted on the holding members 61 and 62 is defined as e. The pressure produced by the clamping spring plate 31 may be determined as a function of the distance f minus the distance e by look-up using the calibration curve, as illustrated in FIG. 13. This pressure corresponds to the pressure F 2 in a case where the holding members 61 and 62 are clamped only by the clamping spring plate 31 . Each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 is so selected that the pressure F 1 produced by all of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 may be lower than the pressure F 2 produced by the clamping spring plate 31 .
[0096] [0096]FIG. 19 illustrates for a case where the holding members 61 and 61 are clamped using both the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 .
[0097] The pressure produced by the clamping spring plate 31 may be determined based on the distance f 1 minus the distance e 1 in the same manner as described above. Similarly, the pressure produced by the clamping spring plate 32 may be determined based on the distance f 2 minus the distance e 2 . The sum of these two pressures is equivalent to the pressure F 2 .
[0098] The sensor element 29 may be, as shown in FIG. 20, retained within the holding members 61 and 62 only by the terminal connecting strips 51 . The distance d between the support 50 and the elastic contact 502 after the connecting strips 51 are installed in the holding members 61 and 62 is given by dividing the distance h between the inner walls 613 of the holding members 61 and 62 minus the thickness g of the sensor element 29 by two (i.e., (h−d)/2). Thus, the elastic pressure produced by each of the terminal connecting strips 51 to hold the sensor element 29 in a desired position within the holding members 61 and 62 may be determined by look-up using the calibration curve, like the one of FIG. 15, based on the distance c between the support 50 and the elastic contact 502 before the connecting strips 51 are installed minus the distance d.
[0099] The center of a total holding pressure given by the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 (i.e., the pressure F 1 ) and the center of a total clamping pressure given by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 (i.e., the pressure F 2 ) will be described below.
[0100] The sensor element 29 is rectangular in cross section and, as can be seen in FIG. 5, has the four terminals 291 and 292 on each of the opposed major surfaces. Four of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 are placed in contact with the terminals 291 and 292 on each of the surfaces of the sensor element 29 .
[0101] A plane including one of the major surfaces of the sensor element 29 is, as shown in FIG. 21, defined as H. The origin O is defined on any point on the plane H. Points on the plane H to which contacts between the elastic contacts 502 of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 and the terminals 291 and 292 of the sensor element 29 are projected are expressed by x,y coordinates (x1, y1), (x2, y2), (x3, y3), and (x4, y4), respectively. The center of points on the plane H to which portions of the holding members 61 and 62 pressed by the legs 319 of the clamping spring plate 31 and the legs 329 of the clamping spring plate 32 are projected is expressed by x,y coordinates (xw, yw).
[0102] If pressures produced by the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 acting on the points (x1, y1), (x2, y2), (x3, y3), and (x4, y4) are defined as P 1 , P 2 , P 3 , and P 4 and a pressure produced by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 acting on the point (xw, yw) is defined as W (P 1 to P 4 are vectors, and W is a vector sum of the pressures produced by the legs 319 of the clamping spring plate 31 and the legs 329 of the clamping spring plate 32 ), x,y coordinates (Xp, Yp) of the center (i.e., a vector sum) of the pressures P 1 , P 2 , P 3 , and P 4 (i.e., coordinates of the pressure F 1 ) are given below.
Xp =( P 1 · x 1 + P 2 · x 2 + P 3 · x 3 + P 4 · x 4 )/( P 1 + P 2 + P 3 + P 4 )
Yp =( P 1 · y 1 + P 2 · y 2 + P 3 · y 3 + P 4 · y 4 )/( P 1 + P 2 + P 3 + P 4 )
[0103] X,Y coordinates of the pressure W (i.e., the pressure F 2 ) are, as apparent from the above, xw and yw.
[0104] In this embodiment, the pressures F 1 and F 2 are selected to be identical in position with each other. Thus, Xp=xw, and Yp=yw. The clamping spring plates 31 and 32 and the holding members 61 and 62 are so designed as to meet such relations.
[0105] The coordinates (xw, yw) of the pressure W may be determined using points on the plane H to which portions of the holding members 61 and 62 pressed by the clamping spring plates 31 and 32 are projected.
[0106] Each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 is made of a plate member, but may alternatively be formed by a round bar member.
[0107] The surface of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 may be plated with gold.
[0108] The bend 501 of each of the terminal connecting strips 51 and 52 is of substantially a U-shape, but may have a substantially a V-shape.
[0109] The air-side insulation porcelain 3 consists of the two holding members 61 and 62 , but may be made up of three or more parts.
[0110] The holding members 61 and 62 may also be clamped together by three or more springs.
[0111] While the present invention has been disclosed in terms of the preferred embodiments in order to facilitate better understanding thereof, it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in various ways without departing from the principle of the invention. Therefore, the invention should be understood to include all possible embodiments and modifications to the shown embodiments witch can be embodied without departing from the principle of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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An improved structure of a gas sensor is provided which is designed to establish firm electric connections between electrode terminals formed on opposed major surfaces of a sensor element and lead wires leading to an external device through a connector. The connector includes terminal connecting springs and holding members working to clamp the sensor element through the terminal connecting springs elastically to establish elastic contact of the terminal connecting springs with the electrode terminals of the sensor element. This structure is easy to manufacture and secures firm electrical connections between the terminal connecting springs and the electrode terminals.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/884,302 entitled Panel System and the specification thereof is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to a wall system comprising one or more posts and one or more panels which may be easily interconnected by unskilled labor providing a very cost effective wall system that can be quickly and inexpensively installed.
[0003] Wall systems are used for a variety of purposes, such as a fence in outdoor applications, or interior or exterior walls of a building for commercial, office or residential use. Wall systems typically include posts forming vertical structural members for corners where walls intersect typically at a right angle or intermediate the ends as structural members between adjoining panels that are coplanar. Both walls and fences may have various lengths and thus may be assembled from a plurality of intermediate posts and interconnected panels. Such wall systems may utilize pre-fabricated panels fabricated from a variety of materials or the panels may be assembled on site. A number of means for connecting the panels to a post have been utilized including fasteners such as rivets, screws, and nails, or in the case of metal, posts and panels, by welding, brazing or similar metal joining methods.
[0004] Fences are typically constructed from wooden materials, utilizing wooden fence posts and panels of wooden construction. The fabrication of the panel may be on site by using upper and lower stringers between a pair of spaced apart posts and then assembling wooden boards between the stringers to form the panel. Or the panel may be prefabricated as a single unit having upper and lower rails and vertical end portions fastened at their upper and lower ends to the rails with the center portion of the panel comprising a variety of materials such as wood slats, arranged in vertical or horizontal position, and forming a solid surface or spaced apart slats or boards. The panel may also be constructed of a variety of materials other than wood.
[0005] Despite the use of wall systems in various applications for many years, the present wall system has advantages over such prior art systems as will become clear from the following description.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] This invention comprises a wall system including one or more posts and panels, each panel having vertical end portions with a given thickness, each post comprising a first elongated substantially flat member, a second elongated substantially flat member attached at one proximal longitudinal edge to a first lateral location adjacent one longitudinal edge of the first member, a third elongated substantially flat member attached at one proximal longitudinal edge to the first member at a laterally spaced location from the first location, the distal edges of the second and third elongated members spaced a predetermined distance that is less than the thickness of the panel end portions, and at least one of said second or third elongated flat members being resilient, whereby the end portion of the panel may be inserted between the distal edges of the second and third elongated members and is clampingly retained therebetween.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The present invention will be further understood from the following description with reference to the drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates an elevation view of one embodiment of a wall system in accordance with the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2A is an elevation view of one embodiment of a building having walls constructed in accordance with the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 2B is a front elevation view of the building shown in FIG. 2A ;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of one embodiment of a post constructed in accordance with the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of a post;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the embodiment of the post showing the panel and post in fixed relationship;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of a post;
[0015] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a post;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the post shown in FIG. 6 with the vertical end portions of a wall panel retained by the post;
[0017] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a fifth embodiment of a post;
[0018] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a sixth embodiment of a post;
[0019] FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a pair of posts showing a hinged panel and portions of two adjacent panels;
[0020] FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a seventh embodiment of a post;
[0021] FIGS. 13A , 13 B, 13 C and 13 D show details of one embodiment of cross members and anchoring structure of a post;
[0022] FIG. 14 is a sectional view of an eighth embodiment of a post;
[0023] FIG. 15 illustrates the biasing member shown in FIG. 14 ;
[0024] FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a ninth embodiment of a post showing the use of the biasing member in FIG. 15 ;
[0025] FIG. 17 is a sectional view of a tenth embodiment of a post;
[0026] FIG. 18 illustrates the biasing member of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 ;
[0027] FIG. 19 is a sectional view of an eleventh embodiment of a post;
[0028] FIG. 20 is a sectional view of a twelfth embodiment of a post;
[0029] FIG. 21 illustrates the biasing member of the embodiment shown in FIG. 20 ;
[0030] FIG. 22 is a sectional view of a thirteenth embodiment of a post;
[0031] FIG. 23 is a right side elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 22 ;
[0032] FIG. 24 is a vertical sectional view of the thirteenth embodiment shown in FIG. 22 ;
[0033] FIG. 25 is a sectional view of a fourteenth embodiment of a post;
[0034] FIG. 26 is a sectional view of a fifteenth embodiment of a post; and
[0035] FIGS. 27A-27D are sectional views of the fifteenth embodiment in various combinations.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] The wall system of the present invention is useful in many applications, two of which are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . In FIG. 1 , the wall system comprises a portion of a fence 10 and as shown comprises three identical posts 20 and two identical wall panels indicated at 30 . The posts 20 are vertically oriented and are spaced apart so as to received the panels 30 . The panels 30 are of a general rectangular configuration having two vertical end portions that engage the posts 20 . The wall panels may be fabricated from a wide variety of materials including metal, plastic, fiberglass, composite materials, or other suitable materials which may be formed in a single monolithic panel, or comprised of numerous individual longitudinally extending horizontal or vertical slats formed from material such as wood. Preferably, the panels are pre-fabricated and available in various heights and lengths as well as different thicknesses depending upon the application and other structural requirements of the panel.
[0037] The posts 20 for the fence 10 are embedded in the soil either directly or through an anchoring structure 40 which may comprise a concrete footing 42 poured into an opening in the ground and retaining a post 20 which has its lower end embedded in the concrete 42 as will be explained in greater detail in reference to FIG. 14 . Depending upon the type of fence and the environmental conditions it may be desirable to strengthen the wall panels through the use of cross wires, bars, or straps such as shown at 45 . It will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that cross bracing may be unnecessary and it will also be appreciated that there are a variety of anchoring structures that may be used for the post of the fence 10 .
[0038] In FIGS. 2A and 2B there is shown another application of the wall system of the present invention embodied in a simple building 50 having four walls 52 one of which is illustrated in FIG. 2A and one of which is illustrated in FIG. 2B . The building may have a pitched roof although the roof construction may be flat, or various other architectural configurations. The floor of the building is raised off the ground. As shown in FIG. 2A , the wall 52 may include three panels, 54 , each of which has a generally rectangular configuration. The building floor is shown at 56 and is of conventional construction. The wall 52 includes four posts, two of which at 58 are intermediate and frame the center panel 54 . The corners of the building 50 have posts 60 . The corner posts 60 are embedded in the anchoring structure such as that shown at 40 in FIG. 1 . The floor 56 of the building 50 may be additionally supported by short pillars 62 attached to the floor 56 and embedded in an anchoring structure such as at 40 .
[0039] The front elevation view shown in FIG. 2B illustrates that the wall 53 may also comprise three panels one of which is similar to panel 54 , one of which is a door 64 , and one of which comprises a sliding panel 66 . The door 64 may be constructed of glass. Panel 66 is mounted on tracks and may be moved so as to cover the door 64 exposing an additional panel such as 54 not shown in FIG. 2B since it is behind sliding panel 66 . The wall 53 includes at the corners the two posts 60 as shown in FIG. 2A . Door panel 64 may be constructed so as to open on hinges as will be described in conjunction with FIG. 11 , or may be slidable. The door 64 is framed by posts which will also be described in FIG. 11 . The panel 54 has a post 58 spaced apart from the post 60 . The panel 66 has post members 58 that attach to a top rail and a bottom rail.
[0040] It will therefore be appreciated that the wall system of the present invention may be used in various applications including but not limited to fences and building sidewalls. The wall system may comprise one or more panels each of which are attached to a post that clamps and retains the vertical end portions of the panel. It will also be appreciated from these illustrations that the wall system may comprise a flat wall or two walls that form a corner. As will be described below, the walls may be oriented with respect to a post so as to radiate in four directions as may be desirable in certain applications and is described in greater detail in reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 .
[0041] The post of the wall system of the present invention may be rendered in various embodiments and these will now be described and those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the different configurations may be suitable for various wall configurations and thus will meet a large variety of applications for wall systems. FIG. 3 illustrates a first embodiment of a post 80 of the present invention, shown in section, and comprising two elongated substantially flat structural members that in this embodiment define plates, a first plate 82 , and a second plate 84 that are attached or joined along their longitudinal proximal edges at an angle of substantially 90° at a first lateral location. The post 80 has a third elongated substantially flat member 86 attached at its proximal longitudinal edge 88 to structural plate 82 along a vertical line that is laterally spaced from the intersection of plates 82 , 84 and forms an acute angle with plate 82 . In this embodiment, the third elongated flat member 86 is resilient and defines a biasing member. The word “bias” is used to denote the force that arises when a resilient member at rest is forcibly displaced; a “biasing member” is one that is made of resilient material, in whole or in part, that when deflected will apply a restoring force against the source of deflection. When a biasing member is spaced from a fixed member or another biasing member and an object is placed between such member that displaces or alters the position of the biasing member at rest, the biasing member or members will clamp the object with a force that resists removal of the object. The word plate means a substantially flat elongated member that, relative to a biasing member has more resistance to elastic deformation thus providing structural strength to the post; the resistance may be due to the thickness of the member(s), type of material or other factors that affect the modules of elasticity. The distal edge 90 of biasing member 86 is spaced from the elongated substantially flat structural plate 84 at a pre-determined dimension, distance or space shown at 92 . At least a portion of biasing member 86 is resilient and biases the distal edge 90 toward the structural plate 84 for the purpose to be described.
[0042] FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of a post 100 adapted to hold two panels in coplanar relationship comprised of two joined subassemblies 102 and 104 which may be used to vertically support two in-line panels. Post subassembly 102 comprises at least two elongated substantially flat structural plates 106 , 108 attached along their proximal longitudinal edges at an angle of substantially 90° as in the embodiment of FIG. 3 . Post subassembly 102 additionally includes at least one elongated V-shaped member 110 that includes a biasing member 112 that comprises one leg of the V-shaped member 110 attached to a second leg 114 that is fixedly attached to the substantially flat structural plate 108 . Holding member 112 has a distal end 116 and is similar to holding member 86 as shown in FIG. 3 except that the proximal vertical edge of the holding member 112 is attached to the second leg 114 of V-shaped member 110 which in turn is attached to structural member 108 . In this second embodiment, the proximal edge 118 of holding member 112 is also laterally spaced from structural member 106 a pre-determined lateral distance greater than the distal edge 116 of biasing member 112 with respect to structural plate 106 . It will be readily understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that subassembly 104 of the second embodiment 100 is identical to subassembly 102 but allochirally oriented with respect to subassembly 102 . It will also be understood that the subassembly 102 may be used alone at the end of a wall, like post 80 . Thus, it will be unnecessary to describe the elements that comprise subassembly 104 . Moreover, the two longitudinally extending flat plates 106 , 108 may be integral, such as a common “angle iron” or L-shaped extrusion.
[0043] In FIG. 5 , the second embodiment of FIG. 4 is shown in combination with two wall panels having vertical end portions 120 . With attention drawn to subassembly 102 , it will be seen that the end portion 120 is held between the elongated substantially flat structural plate 106 and biasing member 112 . The biasing member 112 is, all or a portion, resilient and biases the distal edge 116 toward structural plate 106 . Since a portion of biasing member 112 is resilient, distal edge 116 is positionally altered when the panel end portion is forced between the distal edge 116 and flat plate 106 because the distance 92 is less than the thickness of the wall panel end portion 120 whereby the end portion is clamped and retained between the holding member 112 and the flat structural plate 106 . It will therefore be appreciated that the biasing force of the clamping structure portion of member 112 will securely retain the end portion of the panel and thus the panel itself in engagement with the post 100 without requiring any fasteners, glue, welding, or other similar methods for retaining two elements in fixed relationship. There is no requirement for any specialized tools to engage the wall panel with a post obviating the need for expensive assembly tools such as drills, welding equipment, glue dispensers, or the like.
[0044] A third embodiment of a post 130 comprises two subassemblies, 102 , 104 that are identical to one another and also to the subassemblies, 102 , 104 in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 . However, in FIG. 6 , the subassembly 104 has been reoriented so that structural plate 106 of subassembly 104 is attached to structural plate 108 of subassembly 102 as compared to the orientation of the subassemblies 102 , 104 in FIG. 4 . By reorienting subassembly 104 the post 130 is suitable for a corner as shown in FIG. 8 .
[0045] FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of a post 140 comprising post subassemblies 142 and 144 . Subassembly 142 is identical in all respects to post member 80 shown in FIG. 3 . Thus, subassembly 142 includes a first elongated substantially flat structural plate 82 and a second structural plate 84 intersecting along their longitudinal edges at an angle of substantially 90°. An elongated substantially flat member 86 is attached at a proximal longitudinal edge 88 to structural plate 82 along a vertical line laterally spaced from the intersection of plates 82 and 84 and having a distal edge 90 spaced from the structural plate 84 so as to define a predetermined space 92 . Member 86 is formed of resilient material and defines a biasing member. The embodiment 140 has an additional subassembly 144 , identical to subassembly 142 , but oriented such that when wall panels are inserted and clamped into the biasing member and clamping structure of post members 142 , 144 the panels will be oriented in a 90° or orthogonal position. Comparing the fourth embodiment in FIG. 7 to the third embodiment in FIG. 6 it will be appreciated that the difference is that post 140 in FIG. 7 has subassemblies 142 and 144 that are identical to post 80 in FIG. 3 whereas the fourth embodiment 130 in FIG. 6 has subassemblies members 102 , 104 identical to those shown in FIG. 4 .
[0046] In FIG. 9 , there is a fifth embodiment, post 150 , comprising a four-way juncture for four wall panels the end portions of which are shown at 120 . With reference to FIG. 4 , it will be seen that post 150 comprises four subassemblies, identical to subassemblies 102 and 104 shown in FIG. 6 and an additional two subassemblies 152 , 154 which are identical in all respects, other than orientation, to subassemblies 102 , 104 .
[0047] In FIG. 10 , a sixth embodiment of a post is shown at 160 comprising the four subassemblies 102 , 104 , 152 and 154 shown in FIG. 9 oriented such that the structural member 108 of subassembly 154 and 106 of subassembly 104 are joined back-to-back and structural members 108 of subassemblies 104 and 154 are joined back-to-back while structural member 106 of subassembly 154 is joined to structural member 108 of subassembly 102 back-to-back. Thus the four-way post in FIG. 10 orients the four panels in a cross configuration as in FIG. 9 but the subassemblies 102 and 154 panel end portions are spaced from one another a lateral distance equal to the width of structural plate 108 .
[0048] In FIGS. 11A and 11B , it will be seen that a fence may be provided with a gate, or a building may be provided with a door, by using the posts as shown in any of the previous embodiments, first through fourth. Specifically, the door or gate 179 includes a panel 171 with a door handle assembly indicated generally at 172 . As seen in FIG. 11A , one end 173 of panel 170 is retained in a subassembly 102 and the adjacent fixed wall panel 174 has an end 175 retained by a second subassembly 102 which are of course identical in construction but oriented so as to receive a panel from the left rather than the right. A hinge 176 is positioned between structural plates 108 of the two post members 102 . At the opposite end of panel 171 , as seen in FIG. 11B the end portion 177 is retained in a post member 102 that is oriented in the same direction as post member 102 that engages panel 174 by retaining end portion 175 . The fixed wall section 178 adjacent to the end 177 of panel 171 has an end portion 179 received and retained by a second post member 102 oriented 180° to post member 102 that retains end portion 177 of door or gate panel 171 .
[0049] FIG. 12 shows a seventh embodiment of a post 250 suitable for a corner. This embodiment shows two subassemblies, each identical to member 80 shown in FIG. 3 . Each of the posts 80 includes substantially flat elongated structural plates 82 and 84 as well as a biasing member 86 . The vertical end portion 120 is clampingly engaged between the structural plate 84 and the biasing member 86 . In order to fix the two plate members 82 in a right angle configuration, there is provided a reinforcement tube 252 that attaches on one face to plate 82 of one of the subassemblies 80 and on another face to the plate 82 of the second subassembly 80 .
[0050] FIGS. 13A-13D show the details of the termination of the cross members (beams, straps or wires) at the bottom and top of a post 260 . Post 260 includes two subassemblies 262 and 264 having their structural plates 266 and 268 attached back-to-back so as to form a T-cross section post as shown in FIG. 5 . Mounting structure 40 includes an L-shaped post base 41 that may be embedded in concrete 42 (see FIG. 1 ). The L-shaped member, may comprise a round bar bent at a 90° angle at its lower end and at its top end is secured by welding or the like to an angle iron 270 having a leg 272 horizontally disposed and a vertically disposed leg 274 having a slot 276 as seen best in FIG. 13C which together with fasteners permit the post to be vertically adjusted relative to the anchoring structure. A pair of diagonally oriented cross beams 280 are attached to post members 262 and 264 and at their upper end to two identical post members 290 , 292 as seen in FIG. 13D . This particular anchoring structure is highly suitable for use of the wall system as a fence and the cross beams are structurally desirable where wind or other forces must be resisted by the wall system.
[0051] FIG. 14 shows an eighth embodiment of a post 300 for the wall system of this invention. The cross section of FIG. 14 shows a first elongated substantially flat member in the form of a structural plate 302 disposed in a vertical position when in use. A second elongated substantially flat member 304 is attached at its longitudinal proximal edge 306 to structural plate 302 . A third elongated substantially flat member 308 is attached at its proximal longitudinal edge to said structural plate 302 so that the distal longitudinal edges 312 , 314 of biasing members 304 , 308 define a predetermined space or distance 316 . In post 300 , the second and third flat members 304 , 308 are formed from resilient material and define biasing members. FIG. 14 also shows that the post 300 may be used as a post in an in-line wall by including a biasing member 320 attached to the structural plate 302 at 322 and having a distal end 324 . Similarly, opposite the biasing member 308 there may be a biasing member 326 attached to structural plate 302 at 328 and having a distal end 330 which, together with distal end 324 of biasing member 320 , defines a space 332 identical to space 316 .
[0052] As shown in FIG. 15 , the biasing members 304 , 320 (and similarly the biasing members 308 and 326 ) may be formed from a single resilient sheet of material which has a central region 340 that complements the shape of the vertical end portions 342 and 344 of structural plate 302 . Structural member 302 is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending notches on opposite sides of structural plate 302 spaced laterally inwardly from the edge of the end portions 342 and 344 of structural plate 302 . The biasing member comprising the sections 304 , 320 and 340 , at the point at which the biasing members 304 and 320 connect to the central portion 340 , define ridges at 350 that are spaced apart a distance less than the thickness of the end portions of structural plate 302 . To assemble the post 300 , the biasing member 304 , 320 and 340 is forcibly pushed over the longitudinal end 342 of structural plate 302 until the ridges 350 snap into the vertical notches in the opposite faces of structural plate 302 . It will therefore be appreciated that when assembled, the space 316 defined by the distal ends 312 , 314 of biasing members 304 and the space 332 defined by the distal ends 324 , 330 of biasing members 320 , 326 is less than the thickness of the end portion of a panel that may be inserted between the biasing members to thereby firmly clamp the end portion of the panel to the post 300 .
[0053] FIG. 16 shows a ninth embodiment of the invention, a post 350 , in which the biasing member 304 , 320 , 340 , as shown in FIG. 15 and described above is used in conjunction with two structural subassemblies 360 , 362 the former comprised of first and second flat members 364 , 366 attached at one longitudinal edge to form the L-shaped subassembly 360 comprised of first and second flat members 368 , 370 attached at one longitudinal edge to form the L-shaped subassembly 362 . The L-shaped subassemblies are attached back-to-back. The exposed surfaces of flat members 366 , 370 have a longitudinally extending notch as in the embodiment of FIG. 14 . The clip is then inserted over the free ends of legs 366 , 370 until the ridges 350 snap into the notches in the respective flat members or legs 366 , 370 . Accordingly, the ninth embodiment post 350 comprises elongated substantially flat structural members 366 and 370 of L-shaped subassemblies 360 , 362 , a substantially flat biasing member 304 attached at a proximal edge through the interconnection of ridges 350 with the notches in members 366 , 370 , and an additional elongated substantially flat structural member 368 attached at its proximal longitudinal edge to member 370 so as to define a predetermined space 316 for receiving and clamping the vertical end portion of a wall panel.
[0054] It will therefore be seen that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 the end portion of the panel is clamped between the distal edges 312 , 314 of biasing members 304 and 308 whereas in the ninth embodiment of FIG. 16 the end portion of the panel is inserted in the space 316 so that the distal end 312 of biasing member 304 will clamp the end portion of the panel against member 368 of L-shaped subassembly 362 that comprises post 350 . In one case the panel is clamped between two biasing members, and in the other, between one biasing member and one structural member as in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3-10 , 12 and 14 - 16 . Of course, the clamping force can be adjusted to be equal if desired. The clamping force can be altered by a change in material, material thickness, or the pre-selected dimension between the biasing member distal edge and the adjacent biasing or structural member.
[0055] FIGS. 17 , 18 and 19 are similar views to FIGS. 14 , 15 and 16 showing a tenth embodiment 375 again comprising the same components, i.e., biasing member 304 , 340 and 324 , formed as a single piece from a single sheet of resilient material and a structural member 302 . However, post 375 has a different ridge and notch engagement structure but to effect the same result. The post 375 in FIG. 17 may also be configured, similar to FIG. 16 , as an eleventh embodiment, post 385 ( FIG. 19 ), so as comprising two L-shaped subassemblies 390 , 392 .
[0056] In FIG. 20 a twelfth embodiment 400 of the invention is shown in cross section. The post 400 includes an elongated substantially flat structural plate 402 , that in use, is vertically disposed. Two biasing members 404 , 406 are configured, as seen best in FIG. 21 as a shallow V-shaped resilient member comprising two resilient flat members 412 , 414 that intersect at an obtuse angle. The biasing member 404 comprises resilient flat members 408 , 410 and is identical to the biasing member 406 . The center section of the biasing members 404 and 406 , are secured to the end portions 416 , 418 of plate 402 in a permanent manner such that the distal ends of the wings 408 , 412 are spaced a predetermined distance, equivalent to the distance between the distal ends of the biasing members 410 , 414 on the opposite side of the structural plate 402 . In the preferred embodiment, the obtuse angle between the wings 412 , 414 and 408 , 410 is 160°. Depending upon the material of the structural plate 402 , and the material of the biasing members 404 and 406 , if made of metal, they may be attached by welding, spot welding, brazing, or other metal joining technique. Alternatively, the entire post may be extruded as a single integral piece, cut off in selected lengths. If the V-shaped resilient member and structural plate are formed of non-metallic material, they may be attached by various methods including glue or may be pultruded as a one-piece integral component. Alternatively, regardless of the material the resilient members and structural plate may be jointed with fasteners.
[0057] Referring to FIGS. 22-25 , a thirteenth embodiment of the invention, post 440 , is shown in FIG. 22 comprising a generally U-shaped member including a pair of substantially flat biasing members 442 and 444 that are attached at their longitudinal edges to base member 446 or may be formed from a single sheet of resilient material bent to the configuration shown. The base member 446 is shown in a front elevation view in FIG. 23 and in a series of sectional views in FIG. 24 illustrating the joining of the components of the post 440 . The post 440 base member 446 has an interlocking structure comprising a cleat 450 that is stamped out of the base member leaving an opening 452 . In a preferred embodiment of the post 440 , fabricated from metal, the distance between the adjoining openings 452 , 456 and cleats 450 , 454 may be on the order of six inches. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that a post 440 may be combined with an identical post 480 , as shown in FIG. 25 as subassemblies to comprise the post 500 . The subassemblies may be connected back-to-back to form a structural member by inverting one of the subassemblies to the position shown at 448 in FIG. 24 permitting the base member 446 of subassembly 440 to interconnect or interlock with the base member 446 of subassembly 480 . Alternatively, the two base members 446 could be attached back-to-back with fasteners, glue, welding or the like. After assembly, the post 500 comprising interlocked pairs of subassemblies 440 and 480 has the same sectional configuration as the post 400 as shown in FIG. 20 . The two layers of base member 446 from subassemblies 440 and 480 , by doubling the thickness of the base members, provides a substantially flat structural plate as shown at 482 .
[0058] Post 440 may be varied so that the interlocking structure is formed in one or more than one of the three resilient members as shown on post 550 in FIG. 26 . With interlocking structure on two of the resilient members, the subassembly of FIG. 26 may be combined and arranged in various configurations such as those shown in FIGS. 27A-27D . The post 550 as shown in FIG. 26 has three resilient members 552 , 554 , and 556 . 556 comprises the base member comparable to the base member in FIG. 22 ; however, base member 556 is attached to resilient member 554 at a right angle whereas resilient member 552 is attached at an acute angle. Base 556 and biasing member 554 each have interlocking structure as described in reference to FIGS. 23 and 24 . The post 550 may be used alone as an end post for a wall. As seen in FIG. 27A , two posts identical to post 550 may be interlocked at bases 556 so as to form a post suitable for an inline connection of panels in a wall system. In FIG. 27B , two posts 550 are oriented so as to form a corner post. In FIG. 27C , three posts 550 are arranged so as to provide both a right angle or corner post as well as an inline post. And finally, as shown in FIG. 27D , there are four posts 550 arranged so as to form a four-way corner similar to that shown in FIG. 9 . Thus, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of posts can be configured from the single post 550 as may be desirable for various applications of a wall system. An advantage of the post shown in FIGS. 22-27 is that the U-shaped elongated structures are formed from a single thickness of material and thus may be suitable for fabrication by bending a flat sheet of metal without requiring any welding or similar means for attaching two of the resilient members to a third.
[0059] It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction, assembly, materials, or the many embodiments shown and described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art. As noted above, various types of material may be used. Furthermore, the wall system, including the post members and panel, are scalable such that panels of various thickness may be used in accordance with the invention for applications where the wall system is intended to provide a building wall that is sufficiently thick and of a type of material that provides insulation, noise suppression, and the like. As also indicated above, a panel may be formed from glass so as to provide for a window when the wall system is used for building construction. It will also be understood that a wide variety of anchoring structures may be used for vertically supporting the wall system depending upon the application of the wall system, that is, when used as a fence or a building wall. Accordingly, the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
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A wall system suitable for use in applications such as a fence or a wall of a building which comprises posts and panels which are interconnected or interengaged so that the wall may comprise a series of inline panels or corners formed by two panels and a single post, the interconnection or interengagement of the panels being effected without use of mechanical fasteners, glue, welding, or similar modes of attachment.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/850,691, filed May 21, 2004, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/499,265, filed on Aug. 29, 2003, entitled SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING DOWNHOLE LOGGING WHILE CORING, both of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
STATEMENT AS TO FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] The invention described herein was made at least in part with U.S. government support under Contract No. JSC 2-94, which was awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to Joint Ocean Institutions, Inc. and subcontracted to the assignee and under Contract No. JSC 2-06, which was awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy to Joint Ocean Institutions, Inc. and subcontracted to the assignee. Accordingly, the government may have certain rights in the subject invention.
BACKGROUND
[0003] 1. Technical Field
[0004] The invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for wellbore coring and logging. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for collecting data regarding geological properties of underground or undersea formations during coring operations.
[0005] 2. Discussion of Related Art
[0006] The desirability of a system which is able to measure downhole formation properties while simultaneously coring a geological sample has long been recognized. Until now it has not been possible to continuously collect large diameter core and in situ logging data simultaneously.
[0007] Geologists and geophysicists collect data regarding underground formations in order to predict the location of hydrocarbons (e.g., oil and gas). Traditionally, such information is gathered during an exploration phase. In recent years, however, the art has advanced to allow the collection of geophysical and geological data as a well is being drilled. These logging-while-drilling (LWD) measurements are typically made following coring in a separate borehole. Logging data are correlated to the core sample. Correlation accuracy depends on the yield recovery of the core and sample/data match-up. There is a pressing need in the industry for more accurate formation property data, such as provided by correlation of the core to a downhole data set.
[0008] Known systems (e.g., logging-while-drilling) use a series of tubes, referred to as drill pipe and collars, to drill a hole into the formation. The lower end of the drill string, called the bottomhole assembly, is provided with a cutting mechanism, referred to as drill bit, which has a concentric hole. A drill collar, disposed proximally to the drill bit, includes several formation properties sensors, referred to as an LWD tool. Formation property measurements are recorded in this LWD tool.
[0009] When a sample of the formation is required, a coring device is lowered inside the drill string and secured at the bottom end. By resuming drilling and/or pumping fluid down the drill string, the coring process is effected. The coring device is retrieved by a latching mechanism attached to a wireline.
[0010] Continuous wireline-retrievable coring, for example, is routine in nearly all Ocean Drilling program (ODP) drill holes, whereas industry coring programs are often limited in key intervals due to time and cost constraints. The ODP routinely drills holes up to 2000 m deep without a riser in water depths ranging from 300 m to 6000 m. Sea water is utilized at high pressure to clear the hole of cuttings. Conventional wireline logging tools are typically deployed if hole conditions are good. In cases where drilling is expected to be difficult, LWD technologies are employed in another hole in close proximity to the core hole. A dedicated LWD hole is often the only alternative to collect in situ log data in such difficult drilling environments.
[0011] In order to obtain logging-while-drilling data and a closely correlated core sample, the prior art requires two holes to be drilled. A first hole is drilled to collect a core sample. A coring bottomhole assembly is used to simultaneously drill a hole and core out a core column. A second hole, laterally spaced from the first hole, is drilled using a traditional logging-while-drilling bottomhole assembly. Logging-while-drilling tools measure formation properties of borehole that are, in theory, supposed to be closely correlated to the previously extracted core sample.
[0012] The prior art exhibits two significant disadvantages. The above described method is time consuming because it requires two separate drill holes: a first hole for obtaining core samples and a second hole for obtaining logging-while-drilling data. Specifically, a downhole coring assembly must be lowered to the ocean floor, in order to drill/core the first hole. Subsequently, the downhole coring assembly is raised to the surface so that a retooling can be executed. A logging-while-drilling downhole assembly is then lowered back down to the ocean floor in the area of the first hole. Following the positioning of the logging-while-drilling downhole assembly, the assembly drills the second hole while performing logging-while-drilling measurements. The time required in refitting the drillstring with the logging-while-drilling assembly and in drill the second hole adds to the total operating costs and time duration of this coring and logging operation.
[0013] The second disadvantage is the possible detrimental effect on the data correlation. Correlating a core sample with formation property data assumes that the data and sample are obtained from same location or even the same hole. When the logging data and core sample are obtained from different holes that are often located some distance from each other, one's ability to correlate the logging data with the core sample to obtain accurate result can be adversely affected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] A new logging-while-coring technology is proposed. A primary object of the present invention is the reduction of time required to log after drilling and coring has been completed in a hole. Another object of the present invention is to make in situ measurements using LWD over the same cored interval in a particular hole. Merging state-of-the-art wireline coring and logging while drilling technologies provides two vital data sets without sacrificing time or adding risk associated with longer open hole times.
[0015] The invention relates primarily to a downhole rotary coring device placeable in a drill string and having a head section, a drill collar, and a core barrel having LWD tools disposed within the drill collar. The coring device is used to obtain a sample of an earth formation. The invention provides a combined downhole coring device with a collar for performing LWD measurements.
[0016] The coring device has a core barrel with a coring bit at the lower end, which cuts an annular hole into the formation. The resulting pillar of rock enters the core barrel and held in place by a core catcher.
[0017] Formation property measurements are executed during the coring process. Formation property sensors are powered by an internal battery contained within the drill collar. Formation property data are stored in a memory storage device, such as, Random Access Memory (RAM), and/or communicated to a data transmission system.
[0018] The purpose of the present invention is to propose a solution to the problem set out above. One object of the invention is to procure a collar that allows both a core barrel pass through it and is able to perform logging-while-drilling measurements.
[0019] According to one aspect of the invention, a downhole assembly for performing logging operations while coring includes a core bit disposed at a distal end of the assembly and a core barrel having an inner surface and an outer surface. The core barrel is coupled to the core bit. The assembly further includes a collar having an inner surface and an outer surface and at least one logging sensor. The inner surface of the collar allows the outside surface of the core barrel to pass through it. At least one logging sensor is disposed on the outer surface of the collar.
[0020] According to another aspect of the invention, the downhole assembly further includes logging-while-drilling tools.
[0021] According to another aspect of the invention, the downhole assembly further includes a core catcher.
[0022] According to another aspect of the invention, the downhole assembly further includes one or more crossovers.
[0023] According to another aspect of the invention, the downhole assembly further includes one or more jarring devices.
[0024] According to another aspect of the invention, the downhole assembly further includes one or more stabilizers.
[0025] According to another aspect of the invention, the downhole assembly further includes a battery powering at least one of the logging sensors.
[0026] According to another aspect of the invention, the battery is disposed within the collar.
[0027] According to another aspect of the invention, the core barrel is powered by a motor, or another driving mechanism.
[0028] According to another aspect of the invention, the downhole assembly is disposed in a drillstring.
[0029] According to another aspect of the invention, the logging sensors measures formation properties of the surface of the wellbore.
[0030] According to another aspect of the invention, the logging sensors includes one or more sensors from a group consisting of: resistivity sensor; passive nuclear sensor; active nuclear sensor; gamma ray sensor; electromagnetic wave sensor; electric field telemetry sensor; acoustics sensor; and nuclear magnetic resonance sensor.
[0031] According to another aspect of the invention, the logging sensor communicates with a data transmission device.
[0032] According to another aspect of the invention, logging data is stored in a memory storage device.
[0033] According to another aspect of the invention, a method for executing logging measurement while performing coring operation is disclosed. The method includes providing a bottomhole assembly, coring a wellbore, and receiving measurements from one or more logging tools. At least one logging tool measures a formation property of a wellbore.
[0034] According to another aspect of the invention, the method for executing logging measurement while performing coring operation further includes the step of communicating the measurements to a data transmission device.
[0035] According to another aspect of the invention, the method for executing logging measurement while performing coring operation further includes the step of storing the measurements in a memory storage device.
[0036] According to another aspect of the invention, the method for executing logging measurement while performing coring operation further includes the step of receiving measurements from a least one measurements-while-drilling tools.
[0037] According to another aspect of the invention, the method for executing logging measurement while performing coring operation further includes the step of communicating the measurements from at least one measurements-while-drilling tools to a data transmission device.
[0038] According to another aspect of the invention, the method for executing logging measurement while performing coring operation further includes the step of storing the measurements from at least one measurements-while-drilling tools in a memory storage device.
[0039] According to another aspect of the invention, a method for performing logging operations while coring includes the steps of excavating a core sample, capturing the core sample through a core bit into a core barrel, and activating at least one logging sensor. Each of the logging sensors measures one or more formation properties. The method further includes the step of receiving sensor measurements from at least one logging sensor.
[0040] According to another aspect of the invention, the method for performing logging operations while coring further includes the step of communicating the sensor measurements to a data transmission device.
[0041] According to another aspect of the invention, the method for performing logging operations while coring further includes the step of storing the sensor measurements in a memory storage device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0042] In the drawing,
[0043] FIG. 1 is a schematic of the prior art representing a logging-while-drilling downhole assembly;
[0044] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a logging-while-coring downhole assembly;
[0045] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an additional embodiment of a logging-while-coring downhole assembly with a retrievable memory module;
[0046] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an additional embodiment of a logging-while-coring downhole assembly with a mud pulsing unit;
[0047] FIG. 5A is a representation of a location map of the Hydrate Ridge test site off the coast of Oregon;
[0048] FIG. 5B is a bathymetrical representation of the Hydrate Ridge test site off the coast of Oregon;
[0049] FIG. 6 is an illustration of core recovered using the logging-while-coring system;
[0050] FIG. 7 is a representation of data acquired from Site 1249 B including resistivity images, resistivity and gamma curves and data from core collected through the logging while coring system;
[0051] FIG. 8 is a representation of data acquired using the GVR-6 and VDN tools from Hole 1249 A, adjacent to Hole 1249 B; and
[0052] FIG. 9 is representation of a comparison of responses between the data acquired using the GVR-6 and VDN tools and logging-while-coring tools.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0053] The present invention combines a coring system with logging-while-drilling system, both of which are known in the art.
[0054] A schematic of the prior art is depicted in FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 illustrates a logging-while-drilling downhole assembly 100 . The logging-while-drilling downhole assembly 100 includes a bit 110 , a bit sub 120 , a measurement-while-drilling section 130 , a logging-while-drilling lower sub-assembly 140 , a mechanically-rotatable-turbine section 150 , and a logging-while-drilling upper sub-assembly 160 .
[0055] Bit 110 is comprised of three rotatable heads that break up rock when a force is applied to the logging-while-drilling downhole assembly 100 . Bit sub 120 is a pipe sub-assembly that couples the bit 110 to the rest of the logging-while-drilling downhole assembly 100 .
[0056] Measurement-while-drilling (MWD) section 130 performs measurements such as sensing ambient pressure and weight on bit 110 . Logging-while-drilling lower assembly 140 performs logging measurements, such as, sensing shallow resistivity, medium resistivity, deep resistivity, ring resistivity, and gamma rays. Mechanically-rotatable-turbine 150 includes a hydraulic turbine motor, read out port magnets, and antennas.
[0057] Logging-while-drilling upper assembly 160 performs logging measurements. Logging-while-drilling upper assembly 160 includes a far neutron sensor, a near neutron sensor, a neutron source. Logging-while-drilling upper assembly 160 further includes a long density sensor, a short density, a density source, and a ultrasonic sensor.
[0058] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention. Logging-while-coring downhole system 200 is disposed at the distal end of a drillstring (not shown) and is lowered into a wellbore to perform drilling, coring, and logging operations. Logging-while-coring downhole system 200 includes a core collar 210 , a retrievable core barrel 220 , a battery 230 , a ring resistivity electrode 270 , an azimuthal gamma ray detector 280 , a field replaceable stabilizer 290 , and bit resistivity electrode 295 . Logging-while-coring downhole system 200 further includes a shallow azimuthal resistivity electrode 240 , a medium azimuthal resistivity electrode 250 , and a deep azimuthal resistivity electrode 260 .
[0059] The current embodiment of the present invention was reduced to practice by selecting a core barrel to fit through the throat of a modified Schlumberger Resistivity-at-Bit ™ (RAB-8™) Tool. A core barrel (MDCB) 220 was selected to fit within the 3.45-inch annulus of the RAB-8. Minor modifications of the MDCB 220 were required to accommodate the tool length and latching mechanism.
[0060] A typical RAB-8 battery ordinarily occupies the annular space in the tool. The RAB-8 battery was redesigned to retain the annular space, allowing the MDCB 220 to pass through. A new resistivity button sleeve and slick stabilizer were fabricated to accommodate a 9⅞-inches bit size which is considerably smaller than conventional bits used with the RAB-8 collar. The tool standoff from the borehole wall for the core collar 210 is nominally 0.185-inches in the present configuration.
[0061] Referring to FIG. 2 , the logging tools are disposed within the core collar 210 . The battery 230 in the present embodiment powers the sensors ( 240 , 270 , 280 , 295 , etc.) and any memory storage devices (not shown), such as RAM, EEPROM, flash, etc. However, in alternate embodiments, power can be supplied from the surface through a wireline (not shown).
[0062] Retrievable MDCB 220 rotate circumferentially and is driven by a motor (not shown). Rock and sediment ingress into the hollow body of retrievable MDCB 220 . Upon extraction of core from the wellbore into the retrievable MDCB 220 , retrievable MDCB 220 is unlatched and brought to the surface via a tether (e.g., slickline). The retrievable MDCB 220 can be replaced in situ by running another core barrel down from the surface. Within the scope of the present invention, the core barrel is not limited to a retrievable motor driven core barrel 220 . Other embodiments can include piston-type core barrel, a static core barrel, or non-retrievable core barrel.
[0063] Referring to FIG. 2 , three azimuthal resistivity electrodes are illustrated. Shallow azimuthal resistivity electrode 240 senses the resistivity of the surrounding rock formation at a depth shallower relative to the other sensors. Medium azimuthal resistivity electrode 250 senses the resistivity of the surrounding rock formation at medium depth relative to the other sensors. Deep azimuthal resistivity electrode 240 senses the resistivity of the surrounding rock formation at a depth deeper relative to the other sensors. The resistivity sensors of the present embodiment functionally operate in similar manners. Resistivity of the surrounding formation is measured by applying a voltage to one or more electrodes and measuring the current passing through the electrode as a function of the voltage in accordance with Ohm's law. Ring resistivity electrode measures 270 performs a similar measurement using a ring-shaped electrode by measuring resistances of all azimuths around the borehole.
[0064] Azimuthal gamma ray detector 280 senses gamma rays propagating through the formation of the wellbore. Gamma rays are produced by the nuclear decay of clays in the surrounding formation. Field replaceable stabilizer 290 maintains the collar 210 centralized and stabilizes the collar 210 in the hole. Field replaceable stabilizer 290 is also able to be changed on the surface. Bit resistivity electrode 295 measures the resistivity of the formation at the bit.
[0065] Other embodiments may employ active nuclear sensors in the logging-while-coring system. For example, a neutron source for neutron bombardment and neutron detector may be used in the outer surface of the core collar. Another example includes a electron source for electron emission and electron detector may be used in the outer surface of the core collar.
[0066] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3 , the logging-while-coring tool 300 includes a core barrel 330 , a logging-while-drilling tool 320 , a drill bit 340 , a core barrel retrievable memory module 350 , and an inductive coupler 370 . The core barrel 330 and the retrievable memory module 350 are coupled to one another.
[0067] Logging-while-drilling tool 320 is similar in construction to the core collar 210 of the previous embodiment. Logging-while-drilling tool 320 includes drilling sensor sub assembly 310 and one or more logging tools (not shown) that are known in the art. Data from the logging tools (e.g., weight on bit, torque, and pressure) are communicated to the drilling sensor sub assembly 310 . The drilling sensor sub assembly 310 communicates the data through the inductive coupler 370 .
[0068] The inductive coupler comprises an inner inductor 370 and outer inductor 380 . The inner inductor 370 and the outer inductor 380 are disposed in the core barrel retrievable memory module and the drilling sensor sub assembly 310 , respectively. The outer inductor 380 transmits the logging data via an induced magnetic field which is produced by current passing through the outer inductor 380 in accordance with Ampere's law. The resultant magnetic field induces a current in the inner inductor 370 in accordance with Faraday's law. A retrievable memory module (not shown) of the core barrel retrievable memory module 350 recognizes and stores the signal received from the inner inductor 370 .
[0069] In one or more embodiments, the drilling sensor sub assembly 310 transmits the data via the inductive coupler 360 whether the core barrel retrievable memory module 350 is present or not. In some embodiments, the core barrel retrievable memory module 350 performs and stores its own measurements in addition to the logging data received from the drilling sensor sub assembly 310 . For example, the core barrel retrievable memory module 350 executes pressure and acceleration measurements which are stored with the data transmitted from the inductive coupler 360 .
[0070] In the present embodiment, the retrievable memory module 350 includes a 64 MB flash memory chip. In other embodiments, the retrievable memory module can include one or more of a variety of memory-storage devices. Examples of memory storage devices include random access memory (RAM), electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and flash RAM.
[0071] The memory storage device stores the data received from the LWD tools and is downloadable at the surface following a logging-while-coring operation. During retrieval of the core barrel 330 , the core barrel retrievable memory module 350 is also brought to the surface. The data corresponding to the sample contained in the core barrel is retrieved at the surface through a computer interface.
[0072] FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4 , the logging-while-coring tool 400 includes a core barrel 430 , a logging-while-drilling tool 420 , a drill bit 440 , a core barrel retrievable memory module 450 , a full gauge washer 470 , a mud pulsing telemetry unit 480 , and an inductive coupler 470 . The core barrel 430 and the retrievable memory module 450 are coupled to one another.
[0073] Logging-while-drilling tool 420 is similar in construction to the logging-while-drilling tool 320 of the previous embodiment. As such, logging-while-drilling tool 420 includes drilling sensor sub assembly 410 and one or more logging tools (not shown) that are known in the art. Data from the logging tools (e.g., weight on bit, torque, and pressure) are communicated to the drilling sensor sub assembly 410 . As in the previous embodiment, the drilling sensor sub assembly 410 communicates the data through the inductive coupler 470 . A retrievable memory module (not shown) of the core barrel retrievable memory module 350 recognizes and stores the signal received the inductive coupler 470 .
[0074] Data received from the inductive coupler is also communicated to the mud pulsing telemetry unit 480 . The mud pulsing telemetry unit 480 includes a circuit and transducer that receives the downhole data signal and produces a highly correlated pressure signal. The mud pulsing telemetry unit telemeters the data up the drill string to the surface. The transducer produces pressure waves 490 that propagate through the mud contained in the interior of the drill string. The transmission of downhole data to the surface occurs in real time.
[0075] The pressure waves 490 represent a binary signal that is decoded at the surface. In other embodiments of the present invention, the pressure waves 490 can represent an analog signal.
[0076] This embodiment can also include a core barrel retrievable memory module 450 which receives and stores downhole logging data. The core barrel retrievable memory module 450 can also be used as to buffer the data signal before transmission to the surface via the mud pulsing telemetry unit 480 . The retrievable memory module contained therein can include one or more of a variety of memory storage devices. Examples of memory storage devices include random access memory (RAM), electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and flash RAM.
[0077] As with the previous embodiment, the core barrel retrievable memory module 450 can be brought to the surface during the retrieval of the core barrel 430 . The data corresponding to the sample contained in the core barrel is retrieved at the surface through a computer interface.
[0078] Following the reduction to practice of the logging-while-coring system, the logging-while coring system was tested. A coring test through low-grade cement was successfully conducted prior to deployment of the system at sea.
[0079] Proof of concept ocean drilling test were performed during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 204 on Hydrate Ridge off the coast of Oregon. The logging-while-coring system was deployed on a vessel called D/V JOIDES Resolution for use on ODP Leg 204 , offshore Oregon, in July 2002. The test was conducted in 788.5 m water depth at the crest of southern Hydrate Ridge at ODP Site 1249 ( FIGS. 5A & 5B ). Drilling proceeded to 30 m below sea floor where coring operations began with sequential 4.5-m, then 9-m-long cores recovered through gas hydrate-bearing clay sediments to 74.9 m depth. A 9⅞-inch-diameter four-cone bit (not shown) was used and the rotation rate increased from 15 to 45 RPM with depth. Average penetration rate was approximately 8 m/hr.
[0080] Eight cores were recovered from Hole 1249 B with 32.9% recovery, on average, through a 45 m interval. Cores recovered using plastic liners have a slightly narrower diameter (2.35″) than more standard cores, yet recovery as high as 67.8% was reached. Two 9-m (2.56″ diameter) cores were taken without MDCB liners and achieved up to 42.3% recovery after being extruded from the barrel. Without liners, however, handling and further core processing and archiving is limited.
[0081] All eight cores were processed and archived normally on board the D/V JOIDES Resolution. FIG. 6 illustrates the first core recovered from Hole 1249 B prior to measurement and processing. Core measurements including density and magnetic susceptibility were made onboard the JOIDES Resolution using a multi-sensor track. Bulk density, porosity and grain density core measurements were made on discrete samples. The occurrence of gas hydrates in the core material and their rapid dissociation precluded the measurement of natural gamma activity in the cores. These measurements require an extended length of time to complete the measurement process.
[0082] High quality logs and image data were recorded in the downhole memory of the logging-while-coring tool over the entire 74.9 m drilled interval in Hole 1249 B. The RAB-8 system was also calibrated post-deployment in salt water calibration tanks at Sugar Land, Tex. The tool functioned properly during this test and the calibration showed the field data are reliable.
[0083] FIG. 7 shows a summary of the primary core and drilling data acquired in Hole 1249 B including resistivity images, and the resistivity and gamma ray logs from the logging-while-coring system. Core measurements of discrete samples from Hole 1249 B are presented at discrete depths from 29.9-75.0 m below seafloor (mbsf) as well as multi-sensor track core measurements. Core measurements have a depth accuracy of ±0.5 meters. Since core recovery averages only 32.9% in this hole, depth matching between core and log measurements may be somewhat imprecise at specific depths. Ties are made using density, magnetic susceptibility and gamma ray data, and for example, all three measurements increase near 60 mbsf, indicating a change in lithologic content.
[0084] Downhole drilling parameters recording during coring in Hole 1249 B are also indicated in FIG. 7 . Hole 1249 B was drilled to maintain a rate of penetration of 20 m/hr over each cored interval. Weight-on-bit ranged widely, however, as it was difficult to control precisely in these shallow and soft sediments. The time after bit (of the LWD system measurements) varies due to the time required to drill and recover each core, and substantially more time than standard drilling or LWD operations without coring is required. The difference between drilling ahead and coring time may introduce some uncertainly in the core to log depth correlation.
[0085] Core photographs of core 5 -A (43 mbsf) indicates a gas hydrate rich core that largely dissociated creating a “mousse”-like fabric. The reflective areas are an indication of where the gas hydrate existed. Core 6 -A (49 mbsf) indicates a change in the composition of the cored material. The mixed recovery in these materials is reasonable given that the MDCB core barrel 220 is designed primarily for use in harder rocks. The MDCB system cuts core by rotation, filling of the barrel slowly as the bit advances. A piston-type core barrel is more conducive to high recovery of low-strength materials. The MDCB core barrel 220 will be modified in the future to shorten the core length and reduce friction as the core enters the barrel. These are important changes aimed at improving core recovery with this system.
[0086] A comprehensive suite of LWD data was acquired in nearby Hole 1249 A using GeoVision Resistivity (GVR-6) TM and Vision Density Neutron (VDN) TM tools ( FIG. 8 ) which are known in the art. The lateral offset between Hole 1249 A and 1249 B is 40 m. A difference of approximately 0.5 meters in water depth exists between the two sites. The logs from Hole 1249 A show the rate of penetration and time after bit curves are lower than in Hole 1249 B and remain relatively constant for the drilled interval ( FIG. 8 ).
[0087] The logging-while-coring data collected in Hole 1249 B are compared with GVR-6 data from nearby Hole 1249 A in FIG. 9 , which shows important similarities and differences. The large increase in resistivity in the upper interval in both holes corresponds to the presence of gas and gas hydrate. Some variation in the image quality between the holes may be associated with the greater time after bit for the logging-While-coring system measurements (e.g. coring versus drilling operations). The gamma ray shows a linear trend with an offset that may be attributed to the difference in lateral standoff between logging-while-coring and GVR-6 tools. In general, the image data in Hole 1249 A and 1249 B correlate well, with differences due to environmental conditions and lateral variations in geologic heterogeneity between the two sites.
[0088] The deployment of a new logging-while-coring system on Hydrate Ridge successfully acquired resistivity and gamma ray logs, and resistivity image simultaneously with core in Hole 1249 B. This system offers the significant advantages of providing core and log data over the same drilled interval, and saving rig time. Time requirements for the logging while coring system are the same as for coring operations alone. Core recovery during this test reached 68.9% and averaged 32.8% over a 45 m drilled interval in shallow, soft marine sediments. Alternate deployments of the logging-while-coring system in harder rock environments offer the potential for improved core recovery using a motor driven core barrel. Core recovery in soft sediments may be increased by modifying other core barrels to fit within the 3.45 inch annulus of the core collar 210 . Measurements on recovered core may be correlated directly with log data over the same drilled interval. LWD data from both conventional and while-coring operations at a nearby site agree well, and indicate the presence of gas and gas hydrate in clay rich sediments at this location.
[0089] The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of the equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
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A method and apparatus for downhole coring while receiving logging-while-drilling tool data. The apparatus includes core collar and a retrievable core barrel. The retrievable core barrel receives core from a borehole which is sent to the surface for analysis via wireline and latching tool The core collar includes logging-while-drilling tools for the simultaneous measurement of formation properties during the core excavation process. Examples of logging-while-drilling tools include nuclear sensors, resistivity sensors, gamma ray sensors, and bit resistivity sensors. The disclosed method allows for precise core-log depth calibration and core orientation within a single borehole, and without at pipe trip, providing both time saving and unique scientific advantages.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processor-based computer systems, and more specifically, to a method and a system for automatically sensing processor operating voltage requirements and accordingly adjusting the power supply populated on a printed circuit board to which the processor is coupled.
2. Description of the Related Art
A processor-based computer system is generally known to comprise, at a minimum, an execution unit, memory and various input/output ports. The execution unit is often referred to as a processor, and the processor is typically linked to the memory via a system bus. The system bus, sometimes referred to as a local bus, links address and data information sent between the processor and memory. The system bus can also link the processor, or memory, to various other subsystems, some of which are arranged on a single printed circuit board. The single printed circuit board is often referred to as a motherboard.
Recent developments in processor technologies provide for an increasing number of different processor types available in the market. Generally, these processors can be used for similar and dissimilar fields of applications. With the increase in the number and complexity of available processors, it becomes increasingly difficult to know the voltage requirements of a specific processor. Voltage requirements include, for example, the level of voltage and the number of levels needed to operate the processor.
As finer geometries are becoming achievable through advances in digital integrated circuit manufacturing processes, lower supply voltages are used to insure optimal operation. The lower supply voltage provides advantages for power consumption and reduces cooling requirements of the processors. Furthermore, the lower power supply voltage may be required to prevent damage to internal circuitry of the processor. However, the I/O pins may be required to operate at a higher voltage for electrical compatibility with industry standard interfaces (e.g., socket 7 ). Therefore, a processor may have dual operating voltage requirements vs. a single voltage requirement for proper operation. For example, Advanced Micro Device's (AMD's) enhanced 0.35-μm manufacturing process requires a lower supply voltage for the core, separate from the voltage used to power the I/O pins (for compatibility reasons).
Further, a substantial percentage of motherboards manufactured today can support multiple configurations. Specifically, modem motherboards come equipped with numerous switches or jumpers, which can alter the operation of one or more subsystems arranged thereon. The voltage supplied to a processor can also be changed, for example, by connecting a jumper or actuating a switch. It is therefore necessary when inserting a processor into a motherboard that the operator know which jumper to connect or which switch to activate.
The availability of a wide selection of voltage supplies in motherboards specifically designed to accommodate many types of processors which may differ in voltage supply requirements presents a need for identifying the correct voltage supply requirements. This flexibility further presents a need to correctly adjust the voltage to be supplied to a processor coupled thereto upon appropriate selection of the processor's operating voltage requirements. For example, typical motherboards may have numerous switches and jumpers, wherein the particular switch and jumper of interest must be identified in order to be properly configured, e.g., the system bus frequency or the processor supply voltage.
Generally speaking, a motherboard is manufactured so that it can accommodate dissimilar processors, including processors that respond to differing power supply voltages. Coupled with today's dissimilar processor needs, it is easy to be confused while connecting a processor to a motherboard. Because of this confusion, many processors are often damaged due to electrical over stress when subjected to incorrect voltage settings during power-up.
One solution to the above problems is a system for detecting jumper and switch settings prior to coupling a processor to the motherboard. Such a system employs a probe and a display remotely linked to the probe. The probe contains a sensor, which responds to signals within the motherboard during times when the probe connects to printed conductors embodying those signals. The sensor is designed to detect the system bus frequency and power supply voltage “seen” by a processor to be connected thereto. Accordingly, the probe may couple to a localized area (or socket) of the motherboard on which a processor is designed for coupling. By knowing the voltage arising from the motherboard, a determination can be made if that voltage is compatible with the to-be-used processor. If the voltage is dissimilar from the processor specification, then the motherboard voltage can be changed by identifying the switch of interest and actuating that switch. However, employing such a system requires that the user is familiar with the processor voltage requirements. Further, the user must also be familiar with the motherboard jumpers and switches applicable to voltage supply. Additional disadvantages of such a system include the need to use an additional and external sensing system in order to identify the current settings of the voltage supply on a motherboard in order to be able to adjust the settings to the one appropriate for the processor to be coupled thereto.
A system for detecting the processor supply voltage requirements operable on the processor itself without the need for an external sensing system is therefore desired. Further, a system including a mechanism that is capable of automatically adjusting the power supply into a processor upon identification of the processor needs is also desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problems outlined above are in large part solved by a system that employs a mechanism for detecting the voltage requirements of a processor to be coupled into a motherboard and accordingly adjusts the power supply of the motherboard to the processor voltage requirements. The detection mechanism employed by the system includes the sensing of voltage supply indicators built-in to the processor. Processors with built-in voltage power indication capabilities provide voltage supply indications through pins designed to support voltage detection. The voltage supply adjustment mechanism employed by the system includes controlling voltage regulating circuitry to adjust the voltage supplied to the processor as to the appropriate power requirements during the powering up of the processor. Since the detection of the proper operating voltage requirements of the processor and the consequent adjustment of the voltage power to be supplied to the processor occur automatically during the powering up of the processor, electrical over stress and potential damage of the processor may be eliminated.
In one embodiment, the processor to be coupled into a motherboard can provide signals indicative of the number of levels of supply voltage and the value of each level of supply voltage needed to correctly operate the processor. The indicative signals may be detected from the processor by applying dissimilar sensing signals into at least one pin of the processor pins. System logic may be employed to detect the voltage requirements. A plurality of logic signals can be detected in this manner to indicate a plurality of voltage requirements appropriate for the processor.
In one embodiment, the system logic contains circuitry to sense a first pin within a plurality of pins of a processor coupled to an appropriate processor's socket in a motherboard. The first pin of the to-be-coupled processor may be designed to indicate a predetermined level of voltage upon sensing by the system logic circuitry. A logic signal of low and a logic signal of high may be obtained upon sensing the pin by the system logic. The specific level (e.g. low) indicates the processor's dual voltage requirement (versus a single voltage requirement if the signal is, e.g., high). A second sensing of a second pin within the plurality of the processor's pins may indicate the level of voltage that should be supplied to the processor core, which is different from the voltage supplied to the I/O buffers. The first and second sensing of the first and second pins may be achieved simultaneously. The system logic that senses the first and second pins of a processor coupled to an appropriate socket of a motherboard may be coupled to a power supply circuit to control voltages supplied to the processor upon the identification of the processor voltage supply requirements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system with an electrical over stress protection system;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting one embodiment of an over stress protection system (OSPS);
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the OSPS using a sensed logic signal from a processor;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the OSPS using a second sensed logic signal from a processor;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the OSPS using three sensed logic signals from a processor;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the OSPS using a combination of sensed logic signals from a processor and a signal from a board to which the processor is coupled;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a processor shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a portion of another embodiment of a computer system; and
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a portion of the OSPS shown in FIG. 8 .
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system with an electrical over stress protection system is shown. In one embodiment, FIG. 1 shows a computer system 200 including an over stress protection system (OSPS) 20 . A processor 10 coupled to a variety of system components in the computer system 200 through a bus bridge 202 is shown. Other embodiments are possible and contemplated. In the depicted system, a main memory 204 is coupled to bus bridge 202 through a memory bus 206 , and a graphics controller 208 is coupled to bus bridge 202 through an AGP bus 210 . A plurality of PCI devices 212 A- 212 B are coupled to bus bridge 202 through a PCI bus 214 . A secondary bus bridge 216 may further be provided to accommodate an electrical interface to one or more EISA or ISA devices 218 through an EISA/ISA bus 220 . Processor 10 is coupled to bus bridge 202 through bus interface 46 . The OSPS 20 is coupled to processor 10 and to a power supply 30 . Power supply 30 is configured to supply voltage to different components within computer system 200 including processor 10 . Generally, the OSPS may be coupled to one or more pins of processor 10 or the socket connector pins corresponding to those of the processor pins.
Bus bridge 202 provides an interface between processor 10 , main memory 204 , graphics controller 208 , and devices attached to PCI bus 214 . When an operation is received from one of the devices connected to bus bridge 202 , bus bridge 202 identifies the target of the operation (e.g. a particular device or, in the case of PCI bus 214 , that the target is on PCI bus 214 ). Bus bridge 202 routes the operation to the targeted device. Bus bridge 202 generally translates an operation from the protocol used by the source device or bus to the protocol used by the target device or bus.
In addition to providing an interface to an ISA/EISA bus for PCI bus 214 , secondary bus bridge 216 may further incorporate additional functionality, as desired. An input/output controller (not shown), either external from or integrated with secondary bus bridge 216 , may also be included within computer system 200 . An external cache unit (not shown) may further be coupled to bus interface 46 between processor 10 and bus bridge 202 in other embodiments. Alternatively, the external cache may be coupled to bus bridge 202 and cache control logic for the external cache may be integrated into bus bridge 202 . In yet another alternative, processor 10 may include a “backside cache” configuration in which a separate connection from bus interface 46 is used to connect to an L2 cache. Such a configuration may include the L2 cache and processor 10 incorporated onto a module (e.g. slot 1 or slot A).
Main memory 204 is a memory in which application programs are stored and from which processor 10 primarily executes. A suitable main memory 204 comprises DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). For example, one or more banks of SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) or RDRAM (RAMBUS DRAM) may be suitable.
PCI devices 212 A- 212 B are illustrative of a variety of peripheral devices such as, for example, network interface cards, video accelerators, audio cards, hard or floppy disk drives or drive controllers, SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) adapters and telephony cards. Similarly, ISA device 218 is illustrative of various types of peripheral devices, such as a modem, a sound card, and a variety of data acquisition cards such as GPIB or field bus interface cards.
Graphics controller 208 is provided to control the rendering of text and images on a display 226 . Graphics controller 208 may embody a typical graphics accelerator generally known in the art to render three-dimensional data structures which can be effectively shifted into and from main memory 204 . Graphics controller 208 may therefore be a master of AGP bus 210 in that it can request and receive access to a target interface within bus bridge 202 to thereby obtain access to main memory 204 . A dedicated graphics bus accommodates rapid retrieval of data from main memory 204 . For certain operations, graphics controller 208 may further be configured to generate PCI protocol transactions on AGP bus 210 . The AGP interface of bus bridge 202 may thus include functionality to support both AGP protocol transactions as well as PCI protocol target and initiator transactions. Display 226 is any electronic display upon which an image or text can be presented. A suitable display 226 includes a cathode ray tube (“CRT”), a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), etc. It is noted that, while the AGP, PCI, and ISA or EISA buses have been used as examples in the above description, any bus architectures may be substituted as desired. It is further noted that computer system 200 may be a multiprocessing computer system including additional processors.
Turning now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of the OSPS 20 is shown. The OSPS 20 includes a voltage detection unit 22 and a voltage control unit 24 . The voltage detection unit 22 is coupled to a processor 10 and the voltage control unit 24 . The voltage control unit 24 is coupled to a voltage regulating circuitry 40 of power supply 30 . In one embodiment, the voltage control unit 24 is configured to sense a pin of processor 10 wherein processor 10 is equipped with voltage detection capabilities through at least one pin. Such a pin may be the VCC2DET pin 32 shown in FIG. 2 . The VCC2DET pin 32 may be used to convey a logic signal indicative of a dual voltage requirement or single voltage requirement of the processor. The voltage detection unit 22 may be additionally configured to sense a second pin of processor 10 . The second pin can be used to indicate to the OSPS 20 a level of one of operating voltages of the dual voltages which must be supplied to processor 10 for proper operation upon detection of a dual voltage requirement using the first pin. The second pin may be, for example, the VCC2H/L# pin 34 shown in FIG. 2 .
The operation of the OSPS 20 is performed during the powering up phase of the processor to be connected into a printed circuit board prior to the actual supply of the power to the processor. The power may be supplied by a power supply unit built into the printed circuit board or by an external power supply unit. This step is implemented to insure detection of the voltage requirement prior to actually powering the core and the I/O buffers of the processor to be coupled thereto. Therefore, the OSPS 20 performs its functions prior to actual powering up of the processor. The voltage control unit 24 of the OSPS 20 (FIG. 2) is configured to control (i.e. enable/disable) the voltage supply to the processor core and I/O buffers. Voltage detection unit 22 is configured to control the level of voltages supplied to the processor. By such configuration, power supplied to the processor is supplied after the OSPS 20 determines the voltage requirements of the processor coupled thereto. The power supply 30 is therefore prevented from supplying power unless a control from the voltage control unit 24 is asserted to the voltage regulating circuitry 40 indicating that powering the processor is now safe.
In the present disclosure, OSPS 20 is described as sensing various pins. For example, processor 10 may be internally configured with either a connection of the sensed pins to ground or no connection. Accordingly, an external pullup resistor may be provided upon each sensed pin and detect either a logic low (pin connected to ground) or a logic high (floating pin pulled up by the pullup resistor). Other configurations are possible as well. For example, two pins could be optionally connected together or not connected together, and the connection/lack of connection could be sensed externally. A current could be supplied to one of the pins and current sensed at the other pin to detect the connection or lack of connection. As yet another example, the sensed pins could be connected/not connected to a particular pin powered by OSPS 20 during power up. In such an embodiment, pins would be either a logic high (pin connected) or floating (pin not connected) and pulldown resistors may be used. A variety of alternatives are contemplated.
Turning now to FIG. 3, an embodiment of the voltage control unit 24 is depicted. As shown, a comparator circuit 510 is used to detect two voltage signals from a power supply unit. A reference voltage (such as 3.3 volts) and the core supply voltage (VCC2) from the power supply are sampled by the voltage control unit 24 prior to the powering up of the processor. The comparator 510 compares the reference voltage signal with the core voltage signal (VCC2) of the power supply and generates a logic output indicative of the result of the comparison. In the present embodiment, the output signal of comparator 510 is a logical one if VCC2 is less than the reference voltage and a logical zero if the VCC2 is greater than the reference voltage. The logic output of the comparator 510 is exclusively ORed (circuit 520 ) with the logic level sensed on the VCC2DET pin 32 from processor 10 . The output of the logic circuit 520 is supplied to the power supply regulator circuitry 40 within power supply 30 . If the output is high, voltage regulating circuitry 40 is enabled and processor 10 may be powered up. On the other hand, if the output is low, voltage regulating circuitry 40 is disabled and processor 10 is not powered up.
Accordingly, processor 10 is powered up if: (i) the selected VCC2 (core) voltage is less than the reference voltage and VCC2DET pin 32 is a logical low, indicating dual power supply requirements for processor 10 ; or (ii) the selected VCC2 voltage is greater than the reference voltage and VCC2DET pin 32 is a logical high, indicating single power supply requirements for processor 10 . Situation (i) may be indicative of, for example, an AMD-K5™ processor while situation (ii) may be indicative of an AMD-K6® processor in one illustrative example. It is noted that the selected VCC2 voltage may be selected in accordance with the VCC2DET and VCC2H/L# pins as described in more detail below.
Turning now to FIG. 4, a block diagram of an embodiment of the voltage detection unit 22 is shown wherein a second logic signal sensed from a processor is used as to control the supply voltage level to the processor. In this embodiment, the VCC2H/L# pin 34 is used by voltage detection unit 22 to control voltage regulator 40 . The condition of the sensed VCC2H/L# signal is either directly or indirectly used to control the level of a power signal to be supplied to the processor. The logic signal on the VCC2H/L# pin is applied into a voltage-divider resistor circuit 26 . If the VCC2H/L# signal is low (e.g., the pin is internally connected to ground), resistor 630 is bypassed (shorted to ground) and the resulting voltage applied to the processor is reduced to the desired voltage. If the VCC2H/L# signal is not low (for example, the pin is not internally connected to ground), the voltage supplied is developed across the complete resistor circuit ( 610 , 620 , and 630 ) and a higher voltage supply is applied to the processor. The adjustment applied to the voltage supply signal to the processor allows the voltage regulator circuit 40 to apply the correct voltage to the core voltage pins (VCC2 pins) of the processor. Thus, the processor may be powering up with a different core voltage (e.g., dual-voltage) than the voltage applied to the I/O buffer pins of the processor (whose power may be applied separately from a VCC3 output of the power supply 30 as shown in FIG. 4 ). Voltage detection unit 22 may not need to provide a pullup resistor on VCC2H/L# pin 34 in this example.
Turning now to FIG. 5, an embodiment of the OSPS 20 is shown where more than two logic signals are detected from a processor to be coupled into a printed circuit board with a range of supply voltages by a power supply. In this embodiment, the voltage detection unit 22 is used to sense logic signals from more than two pins of the processor s to be coupled to the printed circuit board. In addition to the usage of the logic signals detected from a first pin and a second pin, the logic signals detected from a third or more pins are used to adjust the voltage supplied to the processor through a programmable logic device (PLD) 710 . Since more logic signals are detected by the voltage detection unit 22 , more options are available due to larger combinations of logic and thus more voltage levels may be adjusted or selected for supply into the processor, thus covering a range of operating voltage requirements for many processors and printed circuit boards. In the embodiment of FIG. 5 at least three logic signals may be detected. For example, the logic signals may be detected from the VCC2DET, VCC2H/L#, and BF1 pins of the processor 10 (reference numerals 32 , 34 , and 36 , respectively). The detected logic signals are supplied to the programmable detection unit 710 prior to the powering up of processor 10 . The output of the PLD is used to adjust or select the number and level of voltage supply signals to be supplied into the processor.
Turning now to FIG. 6, at least one signal (e.g. a jumper 38 ) is detected from a printed circuit board to which a processor 10 is to be coupled. These signals from the printed circuit board are sampled by the voltage detection unit 22 as additional signals to the logic signals sensed from the processor pins (VCC2DET, VCC2H/L#, and BF1 are shown as reference numerals 32 , 34 , and 36 , respectively). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, signals from jumpers in the printed circuit board can be added to the input of the voltage detection unit 22 as illustrated. The additional signals provide additional options that can be supplied into a voltage control unit or the PLD 710 , thus resulting in a wider range of selection as more voltage control options become available due to more selection options generated from the combination of a larger number of signals.
Turning next to FIG. 7, a block diagram of one embodiment of processor 10 is shown in more detail. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, processor 10 includes a core 64 and one or more I/O buffers 66 . Additionally, processor 10 includes VCC2DET pin 32 and VCC2H/L# pin 34 (as well as other pins used by I/O buffers 66 for communication, not shown). The core voltage (VCC2) is illustrated by a pin 62 . However, it is noted that multiple pins may be used to supply the core voltage. Similarly, the I/O voltage (VCC3) is shown as a pin 60 . However, it is noted that multiple pins may be used to supply the I/O voltage. Generally, core 64 includes the logic circuitry employed to perform the functions of processor 10 , while I/O buffers 66 include the circuitry for communicating with other devices (e.g. using bus interface 46 ). The core voltage provided on VCC2 pin(s) 62 powers the circuitry in core 64 , while the I/O voltage provided on VCC3 pin(s) 60 powers the I/O buffer circuitry in I/O buffers 66 .
Turning now to FIG. 8, a block diagram of a portion of another embodiment of a computer system (computer system 200 a ) is shown. Other embodiments are possible and contemplated. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, a processor 10 a is coupled to an OSPS 20 a , a power supply 30 a , a clock unit 74 , bus bridge 202 , and an optional cache 72 . More particularly, processor 10 a is coupled to OSPS 20 a via VCC2DET pin 32 , VCC2H/L# pin 34 , BF1 pin 36 , and a VCC18 pin 70 . Furthermore, processor 10 a receives a core voltage supply VCC2 and an I/O voltage supply VCC3 from power supply 30 a . Processor 10 a is configured to receive a clock signal from clock unit 74 and is coupled to communicate via bus interface 46 with bus bridge 202 and cache 72 .
Processor 10 a is configured to indicate its dual voltage requirements using VCC2DET pin 32 , as described above for processor 10 . Furthermore, processor 10 a is configured to indicate a high or low voltage level requirement for VCC2 via the VCC2H/L# pin 34 similar to the above description. However, processor 10 a may require an even lower VCC2 voltage than processor 10 (e.g. 1.8 volts). Furthermore, processor 10 a requires that VCC3 be lower than that required by processor 10 (e.g. 2.5 volts). Processor 10 a indicates these lower voltage requirements using VCC18 pin 70 .
In one embodiment, VCC18 pin 70 is either internally not connected or internally connected to ground. An external pullup resistor may be used to pull up VCC18 pin 70 similar to VCC2DET and VCC2H/L# pins 32 and 34 . Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 9 below, pullup resistors may be eliminated with an appropriate voltage detection unit. Alternative connections for VCC18 pin 70 are possible as well, similar to the above description of the VCC2DET and VCC2H/L# pins.
In response to the VCC2H/L# and VCC18 pins, OSPS 20 a controls power supply 30 a to provide power to processor 10 a and to other devices shown in FIG. 8 . The VCC2 voltage is generated in response to both the VCC2H/L# and VCC18 pins. For example, in one exemplary embodiment, if VCC2H/L# pin 32 is floating and VCC18 pin 70 is floating, then VCC2 may be supplied at 2.9 volts. If VCC2H/L# pin 32 is a logic low and VCC18 pin 70 is floating, then VCC2 may be supplied at 2.2 volts. Finally, if VCC18 is a logic low, then VCC2H/L# pin 32 is a don't care and VCC2 may be supplied at 1.8 volts. Other voltage levels may be selected in other embodiments, according to the requirements of the particular processor, and the VCC2H/L# pin and VCC18 pin may be used to select between a high, medium, and low voltage level from among the desired voltage levels. The generated VCC2 voltage is provided to the VCC2 pin(s) of processor 10 a.
Power supply 30 a further generates a VIO voltage responsive to VCC18 pin 70 . The VIO voltage is supplied to the VCC3 pin(s) of processor 10 a , and is the voltage supplied to the I/O buffers of other devices which communicate with processor 10 a (or at least those I/O buffers coupled to pins of processor 10 a ). In this manner, all devices coupled to processor 10 a may employ voltage levels compatible with processor 10 a . As shown in FIG. 8, for example, the processor I/O sections of clock unit 74 , bus bridge 202 , and cache 72 are powered by the VIO voltage. On the other hand, remaining portions of theses devices may be powered with a VSYS voltage (e.g. 3.3 volts) provided by power supply 30 a.
Turning next to FIG. 9, a block diagram illustrating processor 10 a , power supply 30 a , and portions of OSPS 20 a is shown. Other embodiments are possible and contemplated. In FIG. 9, voltage detection units 22 A and 22 B are shown. Voltage detection units 22 A and 22 B, in addition to a voltage control unit 24 described above, may comprise one embodiment of OSPS 20 a.
Voltage detection unit 22 A may operate in conjunction with voltage regulating circuitry 40 A to produce the VIO voltage from power supply 30 a . In the embodiment shown, voltage detection unit 22 A comprises a voltage divider circuit including resistors 810 , 820 , and 830 connected in series. VCC18 pin 70 is coupled to the node between resistors 810 and 820 . Accordingly, if VCC18 is connected to ground, then resistor 810 is bypassed (i.e. shorted). The VIO voltage is therefore lowered to the desired lower voltage level (e.g. 2.5 volts). On the other hand, if VCC18 is floating, the VIO voltage is developed across the entire set of resistors 810 - 830 , and a higher VIO voltage is generated (e.g. 3.3. volts).
Voltage detection unit 22 B controls voltage regulating circuitry 40 B to generate the VCC2 voltage as one of three possible voltage levels in response to the VCC18 pin 70 and the VCC2H/L# pin 34 . Voltage detection unit 22 B comprises a voltage divider circuit including resistors 840 , 850 , 860 , and 870 connected in series. VCC18 pin 70 is coupled to the node between resistors 860 and 850 , and VCC2H/L# pin 34 is coupled to the node between resistors 840 and 850 . Accordingly, if both VCC2H/L# pin 34 and VCC18 pin 70 are floating, the VCC2 voltage is developed across the entire set of resistors 840 - 870 and the highest voltage deliverable by voltage regulating circuitry 40 B and voltage detection unit 22 B is provided (e.g. 2.9 volts). On the other hand, if VCC2H/L# pin 34 is connected to ground and VCC18 pin 70 is floating, resistor 840 is shorted and the VCC2 voltage is lowered (e.g. to 2.2 volts). Finally, if VCC18 pin 70 is connected to ground, both resistors 840 and 850 are shorted and the VCC2 voltage is lowered even further (e.g. to 1.8 volts).
It is noted that voltage regulating circuitry 40 A- 40 B may comprise any suitable voltage regulator (e.g. linear regulators or DC/DC converters). Preferably, voltage regulating circuitry 40 A may comprise a linear regulator and voltage regulator circuitry 40 B may comprise a linear regulator or DC/DC converter. It is further noted that any suitable values may be selected for resistors 610 - 630 (shown in FIG. 4) and 810 - 870 (shown in FIG. 9 ). Generally, the resistance of each of resistors 610 - 630 is selected to supply the desired higher VCC2 voltage when resistor 630 is not shorted and the desired lower VCC2 voltage when resistor 630 is shorted. Similarly, the resistance of each of resistors 810 - 830 is selected to supply the desired higher VIO voltage when resistor 810 is not shorted and the desired lower VIO voltage when resistor 810 is shorted. Finally, the resistance of each of resistors 840 - 870 is selected to supply the desired highest VCC2 voltage when resistors 840 and 850 are not shorted, the desired medium VCC2 voltage when resistor 840 is shorted by 850 is not shorted, and the desired lower VCC2 voltage when resistors 840 and 850 are both shorted. The ability to indicate and adjust voltage levels in the manner shown may be extended to any desired number of voltage selections by employing additional pins in an encoded or non-encoded format.
It is noted that embodiments employing programmable logic devices and OSPS 20 a are contemplated as well (similar to the embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6 ). It is further noted that pins of processors 10 and 10 a are described herein as being coupled to other circuits (e.g. OSPS 20 , power supply 30 , etc.). The pins may be coupled, for example, either directly or indirectly through wiring on the printed circuit board or other electrical coupling to the receiving devices.
It is noted that, while certain pin names have been used corresponding to an illustrative embodiment corresponding to an AMD-K6® processor, the pin names are not meant to be restrictive. Any pins may be selected in any type of processor for providing automatic voltage detection in accordance with the present disclosure. Furthermore, multiple pins may be used to indicate more than two possible voltage levels for VCC2, or even VCC3, as desired.
Different combinations of signals sensed from the processors and signals obtained from the printed circuit board may be used for the purpose of this embodiment and as in the embodiments of this invention. Accordingly, various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. It should be noted that numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such modifications and changes. The specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
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Method and system for preventing electronic overstress during powering up a processor with voltage detection capabilities employing a mechanism for detecting the voltage requirements of the processor to be coupled into a motherboard and accordingly adjusts the power supply of the motherboard to the processor voltage requirements. The detection mechanism includes sensing of logic signals by sensing a voltage from one or more pins of the processor. Those pins are internally connected to ground or internally not connected thus facilitating sensing of logic signals prior to powering up the processor. The probed signals are used to control the power supplied to the processor by adjustment mechanisms applied to power regulator or programmable logic devices. Since the detection of the proper operating voltage requirements of the processor and the consequent adjustment of the voltage power to be supplied to the processor occur during the powering up of the processor, electrical over stress and potential damage of the processor are eliminated.
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This invention relates to a window tracking mechanism, and, more particularly, it relates to an arrangement for movably supporting a window structure which can be positioned between a downwardly closed position and an upper stored position, and it includes mechanism for releasably holding the window in both of those positions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, the prior art is aware of provisions for movably supporting windows and the like on various types and configurations of tracks, such that the window can be moved from a closed position to an open position. In specific prior art classifications, such as in connection with vehicle windows, and particularly including agricultural and tractor vehicle windows, the concern is to have a window which can be positioned in a closed and thereby weather-tight position and which can also be readily moved to an open and thus stored position. In considering these problems and this environment, it is of concern that the entire mechanism be sturdy and that the window be weather-proof and vibration-free in the closed position and also that it be secure and safe in its stored position. That is, it is recognized that a vehicle, such as a tractor cab, is subjected to considerable vibration, all types of weather conditions including dust and moisture conditions, and the tractor cab is also commonly an air-conditioned cab and thus it is important to have the window in an air-tight position when it is in use. Accordingly, it is a primary objective of this invention to accomplish the aforementioned desirable results and to do so with a sturdy and reliable but yet inexpensive mechanism.
Still further, it is an objective of this invention to provide a window structure mechanism which is securely retained in the closed and thus downward position, but it can be readily and easily opened and positioned in a stored position, and, with regard to both of these positions, the mechanism is provided with a locking arrangement to retain the window itself in either position, and the window cannot be moved out of position until the locking mechanism is maneuvered by the operator from the interior of the cab or the like.
Still further, it is an object of this invention to provide a window tracking mechanism which is self-operative with regard to attaining and retaining a secured position wherein the window structure is noise and vibration-free and is weather-tight and is suitable for an air-conditioned enclosure, such as a tractor cab. In accomplishing this objective, the tracking mechanism is arranged as such that the relationship between the window structure itself and the arrangement of tracks for guiding the window structure is such that the window structure will achieve the weather-tight and noise-dampening condition desired.
Still another objective of this invention is to provide an improved and simplified window tracking mechanism, compared to those heretofore known, and to include a securing mechanism which is useful in securing the window in both a closed position and a stored position.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of the window tracking mechanism of this invention, partly in section.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views taken respectively on the lines 2--2 and 3--3 of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The window tracking mechanism of this invention is particularly suitable for use in a tractor cab, such as that used in agricultural and construction vehicles. Accordingly, FIG. 1 generally shows a tractor cab 10 which has a roof 11 which spans cab sides, such as the shown side 12, and there is also a cab rearward portion 13 which is disposed at the rear of the cab 10 and extends thereacross. A pair of tracks 14, in the form of bent rods, as shown, are mounted in the cab 10, and they may be secured at their ends at locations designated 16 and 17, in any suitable manner. Thus there are two tracks or rods 14 which extend in the cab 10 and are spaced apart such that each rod 14 may extend adjacent a cab side 12, for instance.
Each rod 14 includes the generally uprightly disposed portion or length 18 and the generally horizontally disposed portion or length 19, and the portions 18 and 19 extend to and are connected by the portion 21 which is a bend of an arcuate shape, as shown in FIG. 1. Also, each rod 14 has the portion 22 which is an end portion to the horizontal portion 19, such that the end portion 22 is directed slightly upwardly relative to the remainder of the portion 19, as shown in FIG. 1 and for a purpose hereinafter described. Also, the two rods 14 have lower ends or portions 23 which are disposed at an angle relative to the upright portions 18, and there is a bend 24 contiguous with and extending between portions 18 and 23, as shown in FIG. 1. Finally, each rod 14 has a semicircular bend portion 26 contiguous with and at the end of the portion 19, as also shown in FIG. 1.
Thus it will be seen and understood that rods 14 form parallel tracks and are of a circular cross section, as more clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, throughout the length of the rods 14, and thus the rod horizontal portions 19 extend beneath the cab roof 11 and substantially parallel thereto, and the rod upright portions 18 extend at the rearward portion of the cab 10. Further, the cab 10 itself presents a window opening which is defined by the terminal end 27 of the cab portion 13 and the abutment or surface 28 of the cab roof 11. Also, an abutment member 29 is suitably affixed to the cab portion 13 and extends at the angle shown in FIG. 1, and also the portion 28 extends at its angle shown in FIG. 1 and along the sides of the opening, all for a purpose hereinafter described.
A window structure 31 is movably supported on the tracks 14 by means of pairs of rollers 32 and 33, and it will be understood that there are a total of four pairs of rollers 32 and 33 which respectively engage the tracks 14, and FIG. 1 shows only one of each of the two pairs. The window structure 31 has a glass piece 34, and an endless frame 35 extends around the glass 34 and is shaped as shown in FIG. 1 and extends endless along the endless abutment of the pieces 28 and 29. Also, the window structure has a bracket 36 which is suitably connected to and extends between the frame 35 and the lower two pair of rollers 32, and the window structure 31 also has a connector 37 which is suitably affixed to and extends from the frame 35 and supports the two upper pair of rollers 33. Thus the entire window structure 31 is movably supported on the rods 14 by means of the four pair of rollers 32 and 33, as shown and described.
With the arrangement as shown in the drawings, and considering the description to this point, it should be seen and understood that there is the window structure 31 which is movably supported on the rods 14 to be positioned between the secured or lowered position shown in the solid lines in FIG. 1, and that is the position where the structure 31 is presenting a closure for the cab opening defined by the pieces 28 and 29. It will also be seen and understood that the structure 31 may be moved to an open or stored position which is shown by the dot-dash lines in FIG. 1 where the structure 31 is then resting on and adjacent to the track lengths 19. With this arrangement, the structure 31 can therefore be positioned to close the window opening, as shown by the solid lines, and it can be readily and easily moved to the stored position, as shown by the dot-dash lines.
It will also be seen and understood that the window structure 31 has an elastomeric strip 38 secured endlessly around the edge of the frame 35, as shown. That is, the outer edge of the frame 35 is embedded in the strip portions 42 to be permanent therewith, and the strip 38 has resilient portions 39 which respectively engage the abutments 28 and 29 to be noise and dust and weather-proof with the respective abutments. Also, an elastic strip 40 has the edges of the glass 31 and frame 35 embedded therein. At this time it will also be now seen and understood that the endless frame 35 has its endless edge 41 disposed at an angle when the window structure 31 is in the closed position, and thus the strip 38 is in full abutting contact with the abutments 28 and 29 which are therefore disposed at angles related to the angulation of the rods 14 at their portions adjacent 21 and at 23. That is, since the window structure 31 moves according to the configuration of the rods 14, the rods 14 are formed with the portions 21 and 23 to thereby move the window structure 31 such that the weatherproof strip 38 will respectively move in the direction of the abutments 28 and 29, when the structure 31 moves to its lowered position shown in FIG. 1, and thus the strip 38 is weather-proof relative to the angulated abutment portions 28 and 29. The dot-dash showing of the weather strip 38 shows the free-body position of the strip 39 prior to being compressed by the securing of the window structure 31 as it is guided by the rods 14, as described above with relation to the rod portions 21 and 23, and thus the weather strips are compressed against the abutments 28 and 29, by the relationship of the frame edge 41 and the rods and the rollers, which relationship moves the structure 31 toward pieces 28 and 29.
All four pairs of rollers 32 and 33 are connected together by links 44 which keep the respective rollers in opposed positions relative to the rods 14. Thus, FIGS. 2 and 3 show the respective rollers 32 and 33 to have concaved circumferences 46 which conform to the circular cross section of the rods 14 to be snug therewith and with the respective pairs of rollers spaced apart a distance sufficient to snugly engage opposite sides of the rods 14. Particularly, FIG. 2 shows the rollers 32 with one of the rollers supported on a bolt 47 which is a roller axle and is connected to the bracket 36 by the nut 48, and a spacer 49 is used to position the one roller 32, as shown in FIG. 2. Then the link 44 is pivoted on the spacer 49 and extends therefrom to support a bolt 51 which is a roller axle and which rotatably supports the other roller 32 which is secured to the bolt 51 by means of the nut 52.
FIG. 3 shows an arrangement for the rollers 33, and here it will be seen that the bracket 37 receives a bolt 53 which rotatably supports the lower one of the rollers 33, and a spacer 54 extends between the bracket 37 and the roller 33 and pivotly supports the link 44. A shaft 56 also engages the bracket 37, by means of extending through a quarter arc slot 57 shown in FIG. 1, and the shaft 56 rotatably supports the upper roller 33, and a nut 55 holds the roller on the shaft 56. With this arrangement, the link 44 permits the upper roller 33 to be swung between the limit positions of the shaft 56 in the slot 57, and it will also be seen that the slot 57 is of a similar curvature to the curvature 21 of the rods 14, and FIG. 1 shows those two curvatures to actually be concentric, and that concentricity is substantially about the axis of the bolt 53. Thus, the shaft 56 has an extending end 58 which is a handle portion of the shaft 56 and is available for the operator to move the upper roller 33 to positions corresponding to opposite ends of the arcuate slot 57 in the bracket 37.
With the arrangement shown and described, it should therefore be understood that the window structure 31 can be positioned in its solid line lowered position shown in FIG. 1. In that position, the two pairs of rollers 33 are arranged so that the shaft 56 is in the lower end of the slot 57 and thus the rollers 33 lock and secure the window structure 31 in its lowered position, since the structure 31 cannot be raised and moved along the rods 14, by virtue of the lower one of the rollers 33 being in abutting contact with the rod portion 22 which thus prevents raising of the window structure 31. However, when it is desired to place the window structure 31 in the dot-dash line stored position shown in FIG. 1, then the operator can grasp the handle 58 and move it in the slot 57 and to the other end of the slot so that the upper roller 33 is then in a position above the rod portion 22, rather than in its position shown in FIG. 1, and then the entire window structure 31 can be moved to the dot-dash line position of FIG. 1. In the dot-dash line secured position of FIG. 1, the upper roller 33 is in a position corresponding to the position of the shaft 56 in one end of the slot 57, and thus the rollers 33 are on opposite sides of the rod bend or arcuate portion 26, and therefore the window structure 31 cannot move until the operator again moves the shaft 56 to a position which will swing the upper one of the rollers 33 to the top of the horizontal portion 19. That is, the dot-dash line position of FIG. 1 shows the rollers 33 in the secured or latched position by virtue of having the rollers flanking the rod arcuate portion 26, and thus the structure 31 cannot move in any direction. It will also be noticed that the spacing between the pairs of rollers 32 and 33 along the rods 14 is such that the upper rollers 33 are in the FIG. 1 position to abut the portion 21, and thereby preclude raising of the structure 31 in the solid line position while the rollers 32 are on the rod angulated portion 23; and the spacing between the pairs of rollers 32 and 33 is such that the rollers respectively engage the portions 22 and 26 of the rods 14 in the stored position, and thereby preclude movement of the window structure 31 until the operator maneuvers the handle 58.
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A window tracking mechanism including a window structure and a pair of tracks with rollers rotatable on the tracks and supporting the window structure thereon. The tracks have bends therein for securing the window structure in a lowered position and an upper stored position. One of the rollers is movable, for releasably holding the window structure in either of its two positions.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a character display apparatus for an image processing apparatus which is directed to transforming a character signal of a sequential scanning method to a character signal of an interlaced scanning method and displaying the same, and in particular to an improved character display apparatus for an image processing apparatus and a method therefor which are capable of effectively decreasing a flickering phenomenon which occurs due to an interlaced scanning method.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional image display apparatus. As shown therein, a modem 1 connected to a television receiver demodulates a communication protocol inputted through a network and outputs a character set data, and a video processing unit 3 generates a RGB signal of a sequential scanning method from the character set data using a character font data and a character data which are stored in a ROM 2. At this time, the video processing unit 3 processes the characters at a predetermined speed faster than when it is installed in an internet set top box.
In addition, an NTSC encoder 4 separates the RGB signal of a sequential scanning method from the video processing unit 3 into a chromaticity signal and a luminosity signal and outputs the thusly separated signal to the television monitor 5 for thus displaying a corresponding character on the screen.
The television receiver uses an interlaced scanning method which divides an image of one frame into two fields different from the sequential scanning method which is used for a computer monitor. At this time, each field is separated into an even number field and an odd number field, and the characters are alternately displayed on the even number lines and odd number lines.
Therefore, in the interlaced scanning method, the displayed characters are blinked, namely, a flicker phenomenon occurs. This flicker phenomenon is increased when the character is displayed on only one of either the even number line or the odd number line.
FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a conventional character processing apparatus which is capable of decreasing the above-described flicker phenomenon and includes a character image forming unit 10, a multiple value data transforming unit 11, an edge defocusing unit 12, a signal transforming unit 13 and a character display unit 14.
The operation of the conventional character processing apparatus will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawing.
First, the character image forming unit 10 forms a binary image within the frame buffer based on a file data or a ROM data using an outline font register. In addition, the multiple value transforming unit 11 transforms the binary font image formed by the image forming unit 10 to a multiple value image including a gray scale by an antialiasing process.
Namely, the pixel which is shown in FIG. 3A is processed to become the pixels of FIG. 3B, and the pixels placed in the upper, lower, left and right sides are given written: 1/2 weights, and the pixels which are diagonally placed are given 1/4 weight for thereby transforming the pixel image to a multiple value font image.
In addition, the edge defocusing unit 12 supplies the multiple value font images outputted from the multiple value data transforming unit 11 with a PSF (Point Spread Function) for thus defocusing the image within the frame buffer.
The multiple value font images which are font-registered as shown in FIG. 4A are filled with the outline vector font. At this time, as shown by "b" of FIG. 4B, angled corner edges are formed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4C, the images are sampled four times, and the character fonts are filled. Thereafter, the average values of the pixel density data are obtained, so that the portions which interface with the outline are formed to have an intermediate color tone.
The signal transforming unit 13 transforms the multiple value images placed within the frame buffer to the decoded and interlaced signal or the non-interlaced signal, and the character display unit 14 reproduces the output signal from the signal transforming unit 13 and displays on the monitor.
Therefore, in the conventional character processing apparatus, the images of the characters are defocused by the multiple data transforming unit 11 and the edge defocusing unit 12, so that the difference between the image of the even number field and the image of the odd number field is decreased for thereby decreasing a flicker phenomenon.
However, in the conventional character processing apparatus, it takes significant time for decreasing the flicker phenomenon due to the multiple value transforming process and edge defocusing process, so that a large data processing load is applied to the CPU compared to the OS processing capability of the internet set top box.
In addition, since it is impossible to use a predetermined number of memories in the internet set top box, high speed hardware is required, thus increasing the fabrication cost of the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the present invention are to overcome problems and disadvantages of the conventional device/method.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
One embodiment of the invention is a character processing apparatus for generating a character image representing a character having font data and attribute data, including an edge detector for detecting an edge of the character based on the font data; a shadow property determining unit for determining a property of a shadow based on the attribute data; and a character image generator for generating the shadow for the character based on the result of the edge detection, and for generating the character image based on the font data, the attribute data, the shadow and the property of the shadow.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one embodiment of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional image display apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional character processing apparatus which is capable of decreasing a flicker phenomenon;
FIGS. 3A and 3B are views illustrating a method for transforming a binary font image to a multiple value font image of FIG. 2;
FIGS. 4A through 4D are views illustrating an edge defocusing process of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a character display apparatus for an image processing apparatus according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a binary font data of a character according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an edge detected by an edge detector of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a character which is shadow-processed and displayed on a television screen of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a character display method for an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a character display apparatus for an image processing apparatus according to the present invention which includes a font data processing unit 20 for reading a font data of a character from a memory, an attribute data processing unit 21 for reading an attribute of each character such as a character color and a background color from the memory, an edge detector 22 for detecting an edge of a font data of each character outputted from the font data processing unit 20, a shadowed color determining unit 23 for computing the attribute data and determining the shadowed color, a character image generator 24 for combining the font data, attribute data, edge and shadowed color of each character and generating a character image, and a character display unit 25 for displaying the generated character image on a television receiver.
The operation of the character display apparatus according to the present invention will now be explained.
First, the font data processing unit 20 reads the font data of each character, in binary form, from the memory, and the attribute data processing unit 21 reads the attribute data of each character such as a character color and background color from the memory.
In addition, the edge detector 22 detects the font data of each character outputted from the font data processing unit 20, for example, the edge is detected by the following equation (1) from the binary font data of the character shown in FIG. 6. The edge detection result is shown in the lightly shaded pixels of FIG. 7. The character pixels which are not edges are shown in black.
Edge(x,y)=Pixel(x,y) AND ((Pixel(x+1,y) XOR Pixel(x,y)) OR (Pixel(x,y+1) XOR Pixel(x,y))) (1)
At this time, the Pixel(x,y) is used for checking whether the current pixel corresponds with a predetermined font. Namely, the Pixel(x,y) is a binary value with respect to each pixel and has a true value (1) when it corresponds to the font portion in which the character color is filled, and has a false value (0) when it corresponds to the font portion in which the background color is filled. In addition, the Pixel(x+1,y) is used to check whether the pixel which is increased by 1 in the positive direction on the X-axis corresponds to a predetermined font, and the AND, OR and XOR are logic operators, and 1 denotes a true value, and 0 denotes a false value.
In addition, the XOR(Pixel(x+1,y), Pixel(x,y) denote the logic operations for detecting any changes in the current pixel value [Pixel(x,y)] and the pixel value [Pixel(x+1,y) which is increased by one (1) pixel on the X-axis. If the current pixel value is true, and the increased pixel value is false, the portion in which the character color is changed to the background color is detected as an edge portion.
The XOR(Pixel(x,y+1),Pixel(x,y)) is a logic operation for detecting any changes in the current pixel value [Pixel(x,y)] and the pixel value [Pixel(x,y+1)] which is increased by one (1) pixel on the Y-axis, and if the current pixel value is true, and the increased pixel value is false, the portion in which the character color is changed to the background color is detected as an edge portion.
Therefore, if the value of Edge(x,y) is true (1), the edge detector 22 detects the edge, and if the value of the same is false (0), the edge detector 22 does not detect the edge, so that it is possible to more quickly and easily detect the edge compared to the conventional art.
In addition, the shadowed color determining unit 23 receives the character constant (C) selected by a user and the attribute data (character color and background color) of each character from the attribute data processing unit 21 and determines the shadowed color of each character based on Equation (2).
R.sub.s =CR.sub.f +(1-C)R.sub.b
G.sub.s =CG.sub.f +(1-C)G.sub.b
B.sub.s =CB.sub.f +(1-C)B.sub.b, where 0≦C≦1 (2)
The RGB denotes Red, Green and Blue, and subscript s denotes a shadowed color, f denotes a font color, and b denotes a background color.
Since the character constant (C) is a value inputted by a user, when the value C is increased, the color becomes similar to the color of the font, and if the value C is decreased the color becomes similar to the background color. Therefore, the value C is changed in accordance with the brightness of the current screen for thereby determining the shadowed color. In order to increase the operation speed, the value C is determined to have an intermediate color between the character color and the background color.
Therefore, in the present invention, the shadowed color is determined as an intermediate color between the character color and the background color, and the shadowed color is filled into the pixels adjacent to the edge for thus generating a character image, so that it is possible to prevent a flicker phenomenon by reducing the difference between the even number field and the odd number field. In addition, an after-image effect and optical illusion effect are obtained with respect to the character color, so that it is possible to prevent a flicker phenomenon.
The character image generator 24 combines the character font data, character attribute data, edge and shadowed color outputted from the font data processing unit 20, the attribute data processing unit 21, the edge detector 22 and the shadowed a color determining unit 23 and generates a character image by inserting the shadowed color into the pixel adjacent to the edge, and the thusly generated character image is displayed on the television receiver through the character display unit 24 as shown in FIG. 8.
FIG. 9 illustrates a character display method according to the present invention which includes the steps of a character data processing step S1 for reading a font data and an attribute data (character color and background color) with respect to each character data, an edge detection and shadowed color determining step S2 for computing detecting the edge of the font data, computing an attribute data and determining the shadowed color, and a character image combining step S3 for generating a character image from the font data, the attribute data, the edge and shadowed color.
As described above, in the character data processing step S1, the font data processing unit 20 and the attribute data processing unit 21 read the font data and attribute data (character color and background color) of each character from the memory.
In addition, in the edge detection and shadowed color determining step S2, the edge detector 22 detects any changes with respect to the current pixel value from the font data of each character in the pixel values increased by one (1) pixel in the direction of the X-axis or Y-axis, so that the portion in which the character color is changed to the background color is detected. In addition, the shadowed color determining unit 23 determines the shadowed color from the character constant (CP selected by a user and the attribute data (character color and background color) of each character.
Finally, in the character image combining step S3, the character image generator 24 combines the character font data, the character attribute data, the edged and shadowed color outputted from the font data processing unit 20, the attribute data processing unit 21, the edge detector 22 and the shadowed color determining unit 23 and generates a character image by inserting the shadowed color into the pixel which is adjacent to the edge, and the thusly generated character image is displayed on the television receiver through the character display unit 24.
As described above, in the present invention, it is possible to increase a character image processing speed and decrease a flickering phenomenon by adapting the apparatus of the present invention to the display apparatus which uses an interlaced scanning method in the television receiver and a terminal of a computer communication which outputs a character image.
In the present invention, the edge is detected from the font data of each character by a simple algorithm, and a character image is generated by inserting a shadowed color into the pixel adjacent to the detected edge for thus decreasing the flicker phenomenon.
In addition, in the present invention, the edge and shadowed color are determined by a simple algorithm, so that the memory is minimized, and the load of the CPU of the internet set top box is minimized, whereby it is possible to prevent a flicker phenomenon.
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
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A character generating apparatus for generating a character image representing a character and a method therefor, which are capable of preventing a flicker phenomenon, which occurs in the television receiver, using a simple algorithm. In the present invention, an edge of the character is detected based on font data of the character, and a shadow property is determined from an attribute data of the character. A character image is generated by forming a shadow, having the shadow property, adjacent to the detected edge.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a method and apparatus of inspecting welds and, more particularly, inspecting welds in an upper core shroud of a reactor vessel of nuclear power plant.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] In a nuclear power plant, the nuclear reaction occurs inside of a reactor containment vessel which further has a reactor vessel therein. Inside of the reactor vessel is located a core shroud in which a nuclear reaction occurs. The inside of the core shroud is subjected to wide variations in temperature and pressure. As a result of the wide variations in temperature and pressure, metal fatigue could occur in the core shroud. To ensure that does not occur, or monitor potential problems if they do occur, there are requirements by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the core shroud be periodically inspected, especially any welds in the core shroud.
[0005] In the past, various types of inspection devices for inspecting the core shroud have been developed such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,155 to Erbes et al. However, the invention has shown in the Erbes patent has some practical problems. The assembly mounts on the steam dam and is propelled around the steam dam by conical tractor drive wheels. Because of the slippage of the tractor drive wheels, the operator at the top of the reactor containment vessel cannot tell exactly where the sensors are located within the core shroud.
[0006] The inspection of the core shroud occurs when the particular reactor of a nuclear power plant is shut down. While that reactor is shut down, the top of the reactor containment vessel is opened, the top of the reactor vessel is opened and the top of the core shroud is opened. Due to the nuclear radiation, the person performing the inspection has to remain at the top of the opened reactor containment vessel. The inspection device must be operated entirely from the top of the reactor containment vessel. Typically at the time the inspection is being made of the core shroud and the welds therein, numerous other activities are occurring in the shut-down unit of the nuclear power plant. Therefore, numerous people performing other functions will be at the open top of the reactor containment vessel. Hence, space at the top of the reactor container vessel is limited.
[0007] One of the problems that existed for prior inspection methods of a core shroud is that they required a ring to be mounted all the way around the top of the core shroud, typically on the steam dam. This meant a lot of room had to be taken at the top of the reactor containment vessel during the period of shut down, which is when other people are needing space to perform their functions. Also, the shroud at the steam dam was not perfectly circular and many times the rings would not fit on the steam dam.
[0008] In addition to the Erbes patent described herein above, other patents have been published and/or issued on various tools that can be used to inspect core shrouds from the top of the containment vessel. Such patents or patent applications include Johnson (U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,011), Ortega (U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2008/0165911), Morris (U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2007/0125190) and Morris (U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2008/0205575). Each of these patents show various types of ways of inspecting core shrouds located within a reactor vessel of a reactor containment vessel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to inspect the upper welds on a core shroud of a nuclear power plant.
[0010] It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for inspecting the upper core shroud of a unit in a nuclear power plant, when the unit is shut down, the reactor containment vessel opened along with the reactor vessel to allow access to the top of the core shroud.
[0011] It is another object of the present invention to provide an arcuic section of a rail that connects to the steam dam at the top of a core shroud, which rail has mounted thereto transducers for inspecting weld joints in an upper core shroud.
[0012] When a unit of a nuclear power plant is shut down, the reactor containment vessel and the reactor vessel opened, access can be obtained to the core shroud. At that time, an arcuic rail making approximately a 30° arc is lowered into and clamped on the steam dam at the top of the core shroud. A Y-car is attached to the arcuic rail and is driven along the arcuic rail by gears with a gear rack on the arcuic rail. As the Y-car moves back and forth, transducers attached thereto inspect a series of welds on the core shroud. A vertical arm extends downward to inspect lower welds within the core shroud. Air cylinders are used to position the transducers adjacent to the welds being inspected and to move the vertical arm in and out of contact with the core shroud. The bottom transducer arm may be pivoted in and out of contact with a lower weld on the core shroud.
[0013] Because the arcuic rail is a fairly short arc, i.e., of approximately 30°, not that much space at the top of the reactor containment vessel is needed during inspection. After the arcuic section of the core shroud of approximately 30° is inspected, clamps on either end of the rail are loosened from the steam dam. Simultaneously a lug clamp clamps to one of the lugs on the outside of the core shroud. By turning the gear that meshes with the gear rack, the entire arcuic rail and the Y-car mounted thereon is moved around the steam dam to inspect the next 30° section of the core shroud.
[0014] During the inspection of a section of the core shroud, different transducers may be operated at different times, each of which would be inspecting a weld or an area around a weld.
[0015] After the next section of the core shroud is inspected, the lug clamp is again loosened from its prior core shroud lug and moved around the arcuic rail so that it now clamps to a new core shroud lug that is at the opposite end of the arcuic rail. Then, rail clamps are loosened and the gear motor that turns the gear meshing with gear rack is again turned which slides the arcuic rail around the steam dam to inspect another section of the core shroud. Clamps are again clamped so that the arcuic rail securely attaches itself to the steam dam and the inspection process repeated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a pictorial flow diagram of the operation of a nuclear power plant.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a partial section pictorial view of a reactor vessel with a core shroud being shown therein with an upper shroud scanner located thereon.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a partial top view of a reactor vessel and core shroud when the reactor containment vessel is opened with the upper shroud scanner being located therein and attached to the steam dam.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a side view of the upper shroud scanner.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of the upper shroud scanner being mounted on a section of the steam dam of the core shroud.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a side pictorial view illustrating inspection of the lower welds, but a transducer is mounted on the bottom transducer arm.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] An illustrative flow diagram for a nuclear power plant for generating electricity is shown in FIG. 1 and is represented generally by reference numeral 11 . The nuclear power plant 11 has a reactor containment vessel 13 that has a Taurus 15 with an auxiliary water feed 17 , which is a backup water supply for the nuclear power plant 11 .
[0023] Inside of the reactor containment vessel 13 is located a reactor pressure vessel 19 . A bundle of fuel rods 21 absorb a neutron to cause nuclear fission and releases of other neutrons. The nuclear fission heats the water contained within reactor pressure vessel 19 to convert the water to steam.
[0024] To ensure the bundle of fuel rods 21 remain immersed in water an internal reactor recirculation pump 23 continues to recirculate water over the bundle of fuel rods 21 . Also, an external reactor recirculation pump 25 circulates water within the reactor pressure vessel 19 to ensure the bundle of fuel rods 21 remain cool and immersed in the water.
[0025] Inside the reactor pressure vessel 19 different fluids have been used, including gas, liquid metal or molten salts to ensure that the nuclear reaction does not run away. Control rods 27 are located in the bottom of the reactor pressure vessel 19 . The control rods 27 absorb some of the released neutrons to prevent too large of a nuclear reaction with the bundle of fuel rods 21 .
[0026] Above the bundle of fuel rods 21 is located heat exchanger 29 , which is used to convert the water to steam. Steam generated in the reactor pressure vessel 19 enters steam line 33 through outlet nozzle 31 . The steam flows through the steam line 33 and the main steam isolation valve 35 to enter steam turbine 37 . As the steam turns the steam turbine 37 , steam turbine 37 turns generator 39 , which generates electricity.
[0027] After the steam flows through the steam turbine 37 , a major portion of the steam flows through the main steam exit conduit 41 to condenser 43 . Circulating through the condenser coil 45 is cooling water received from the cooling tower 47 via condenser cooling water pump 49 , cooling water control valve 51 and cooling water inlet conduit 53 . The cooling water returns to the cooling tower 47 via cooling water return conduit 55 and cooling water return valve 57 . The cooling water can be of any convenient source such as lake water or river water. The cooling water does not have to be refined or processed.
[0028] From condenser 43 through the feed water return conduit 59 , the water is being pumped by condenser pump 61 through water return valve 63 into a feed water heater/preheater 65 . The feed water flowing back to the reactor pressure vessel 19 is heated/preheated inside of feed water heater/preheater 65 which receives some of the steam flowing through steam turbine 37 through preheater steam conduit 67 and control valve 69 to feed through water heater/preheater 65 . The feed water heater/preheater 65 increases the temperature of the feed water significantly prior to returning to the reactor pressure vessel 19 via reactor feed pump 71 , main feed water isolation valve 73 and main feed water return conduit 75 . The main feed water is discharged into the reactor pressure vessel 19 through return nozzle 77 .
[0029] Any remaining portion of the preheater steam received in the feed water heater/preheater 65 flows to condenser 43 through preheater steam conduit 79 and preheater steam control valve 81 .
[0030] Inside of the reactor pressure vessel 19 is a core shroud 83 where a bundle of fuel rods 21 are located. The nuclear reaction occurs inside of the core shroud 83 . In FIG. 2 , a perspective view of the reactor pressure vessel 19 and the core shroud 83 are shown. Connecting between the reactor pressure vessel 19 and the upper portion of the core shroud 83 are a series of downward extending pipes called down corners 85 . The down corners 85 have a tendency to interfere with devices that may be used to inspect core shroud 83 for defects or flaws.
[0031] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 in combination, a steam dam 87 is located on the top of the core shroud 83 . The steam dam 87 is a flange that extends upward about two or three inches above the top of the core shroud 83 . Mounted on the top of core shroud 83 , attached to the steam dam 87 and extending downward outside of the core shroud 83 is an upper shroud scanner 89 . The upper shroud scanner 89 has an outside flange 91 and an inside flange 93 clamped to the steam dam 87 by clamps 95 and 97 . Each of the clamps 95 and 97 are operated by air cylinders 99 and 101 , respectively. Mounted on the outside flange 91 and inside flange 93 , which are both clamped to the steam dam 87 , is a Y-car 103 that is driven by Y-car motor 105 .
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 in combination, the upper shroud scanner 89 will be explained in more detail. A gear rack 107 is located on the outside flange 91 , which is clamped to the steam dam 87 (see FIG. 3 ). Y-car motor 105 drives gear 109 meshes with the gear teeth in gear rack 107 . For the turning of gear 109 , the entire upper shroud scanner 89 may be moved left or right on the outside flange 91 and inside flange 93 , which are clamped to the steam dam 87 .
[0033] The Y-car 103 has a pivot arm base 111 extending outwardly therefrom. Extending downward from the pivot arm base 111 on pivot pin 113 is vertical arm 115 . Vertical arm 115 may be pivoted about pivot pin 113 by air cylinder 117 . The vertical arm 115 has a mounting plate 119 extending downward from pivot pin 113 to which everything is attached. The upper shroud scanner 89 is used to inspect an upper weld 121 , middle weld 123 and lower weld 125 in the upper portion of the core shroud 83 . Transducers will be used to inspect above and below each of the welds 121 , 123 and 125 .
[0034] Mounted on the Y-car 103 below the Y-car motor 105 is upper transducer 127 . Mounted on an upper lead screw 129 is upper moveable transducer 131 . Mounted on a lower lead screw 133 is a lower moveable transducer 135 . A transducer motor 137 turns pulley 139 , which operates belt 141 . The turning of belt 141 turns upper lead screw 129 and/or lower lead screw 131 to adjust upper moveable transducer 131 or lower moveable transducer 135 either up or down. Upper moveable transducer 131 should be adjusted until its positioned at or just below upper weld 121 . The lower moveable transducer 135 should be adjusted until it is adjacent or just above middle weld 123 .
[0035] Mounted on lower bracket 143 , which is attached to mounting plate 119 , is roller 145 . The roller 145 sets the distance between the vertical mounting plate 119 and the core shroud 83 and allows for ease and movement of the entire upper shroud scanner 89 around the core shroud 83 .
[0036] Mounted on a bottom transducer arm 147 are upper bottom transducer 149 and lower bottom transducer 151 . The upper bottom transducer 149 is used to check below middle weld 123 and above lower weld 125 . Lower bottom transducer 151 is used to check below weld 125 . The entire bottom transducer arm is pivotally connected around pivot pin 153 . The bottom transducer arm 147 may be pivoted out of the way by actuation of air cylinder 155 connected between the outside of roller bracket 143 and bottom transducer arm 147 . The entire bottom transducer arm 157 and everything mounted thereon can be pivoted out of the way when the upper shroud scanner 89 is being lowered into position or removed.
[0037] During use of the upper shroud scanner 89 , the top of the reactor containment vessel 13 is removed and the top of the reactor pressure vessel 19 is also removed. From the top of the reactor containment vessel 13 , the upper shroud scanner 89 is lowered into position with the vertical arm 115 being between the reactor pressure vessel 19 and core shroud 83 . After the upper shroud scanner 89 is secured in position on the steam dam 87 by clamps 95 and 97 , the Y-car 103 may be positioned along the outside flange 91 by turning gear 109 which meshes with gear rack 107 . This permits the Y-car 103 along with vertical arm 115 to move around an approximately 30° arc formed by outside flange 91 and inside flange 93 .
[0038] As the Y-car 103 moves around by the turning of the gear 109 and gear rack 107 , upper transducer 127 monitors the top surface 157 of the core shroud 83 , which in turn monitors the area above upper weld 121 . At the same time, upper moveable transducer 131 monitors the area below upper weld 121 in the core shroud 83 . Simultaneously, lower moveable transducer 135 monitors the area just above middle weld 123 of the core shroud 83 .
[0039] Assuming the bottom transducer arm 147 is in the position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , upper bottom transducer 149 will monitor the area between middle weld 123 and lower weld 125 . Lower bottom transducer 151 will monitor the area below lower weld 125 .
[0040] By moving the upper shroud scanner 189 back and forth along the arc formed by outside flange 91 and gear rack 107 , if there are any flaws in that arcuic portion of the core shroud 83 , they can be discovered.
[0041] To move the upper shroud scanner 89 to a different arcuic section of the core shroud 83 , the clamps 95 and 97 are released by air cylinders 99 and 101 , respectively. Immediately prior to the release of the clamps 95 and 97 , the lug clamp 159 is secured between one of the lug pairs 161 shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 . By knowing which of the lug pairs 161 the lug clamp 159 is between, the operator will know exactly where the upper shroud scanner 89 is located.
[0042] With the lug clamp 159 securely in place between one of the lug pairs 161 , and the clamps 95 and 97 loosened from the steam dam 87 , now if the gear 109 is turned while meshed with gear rack 107 , the outside flange 91 and inside flange 93 will move arcuicly around steam dam 87 until the Y-car 103 reaches one end of the gear rack 107 . At that point, the clamps 95 and 97 are re-secured to the steam dam 87 . Thereafter, the lug clamp 159 is disconnected from one of the lug pairs 161 so that now when motor 105 turns gear 109 meshed with gear rack 107 , the Y-car 103 along with its vertical arm 115 all move along the gear rack 107 . Now another arcuic section of the core shroud 83 may be inspected.
[0043] By the above described process of clamping and unclamping clamps 95 and 97 and lug clamps 159 , different arcuic sections of the core shroud 83 may be inspected.
[0044] Because the area at the top of the reactor containment vessel 13 is at a premium when the reactor is shut down, the operator of the core shroud scanner 89 will only need to use a small area at a time. In that manner, there is less likelihood that the operation of the upper shroud scanner 89 will interfere with any other activities occurring while the unit of the nuclear power plant 11 is shut down.
[0045] Referring to FIG. 6 , more detail concerning the lower portion of the vertical arm 115 is shown. The middle weld 123 and lower weld 125 of the core shroud 83 is shown in further detail. As can be seen, the lower, moveable transducer 135 is inspecting near or above the middle weld 123 . The upper bottom transducer 149 is checking below middle weld 123 and above lower weld 125 . Lower bottom transducer 151 is checking below bottom weld 125 . The entire bottom transducer arm 147 may be pivoted on pivot pin 153 (see FIG. 4 ) to get around the bottom lip 163 of the core shroud 63 . This has to occur when the upper shroud scanner 89 is being inserted between the reactor pressure vessel 19 and the core shroud 83 , or removed therefrom.
[0046] Using the process just described, the upper welds of the core shroud 83 can be inspected by using very little of the area at the top of the reactor containment vessel 13 . The entire vertical arm 115 can be removed when the Y-car 103 moves behind some of the down corners 85 as shown in FIG. 2 . Also, FIG. 2 illustrated therein various inlet nozzles 165 or outlet nozzles 167 , which have to be worked around.
[0047] While the transducers 127 , 131 , 135 , 149 and 151 may be of any particular type, ultrasonic transducers have been found to be particularly good for this type of inspection.
[0048] The entire upper shroud, not just the welds 121 , 123 and 125 , can be inspected by appropriate movement of the upper moveable transducer 131 or lower moveable transducer 135 . The upper lead nut 169 causes removable transducer 131 to move up and down on upper lead screw 129 as it is turned by transducer motor 137 via pulley 139 and belt 141 (see FIG. 4 ). Likewise, lower moveable transducer 135 may be moved up and down by lower lead nut 171 on lower lead screw 133 as it is turned by transducer motor 137 . In that manner, by adjusting upper moveable transducer 131 or lower moveable transducer 135 up and/or down and by back and forth movement of the Y-car 103 , the complete surface of the upper portion of the core shroud 83 can be inspected and a picture painted of its physical condition. Any flaws or defects would be detected.
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A method and apparatus for inspecting the upper portion of a core shroud of a nuclear power plant is provided. The upper shroud scanner mounts on an arcuic section of a steam dam of the core shroud and moves back and forth there along. A vertical arm with transducers thereon extend down from a Y-car portion of the upper shroud scanner. Transducers adjacent the core shroud emit and receive an ultrasonic sound to inspect for flaws and defects in the core shroud.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Utilizing a very sophisticated system of specific upper spinal correction a small segment of chiropractors successfully achieve therapeutic spinal correction. Successfully practicing the specific upper spinal correction procedure entails delivering an extremely light, accurately placed force to the upper cervical spine to return the head, neck and spine to their normal orthogonal anatomical relationship. The location, direction and magnitude of the forces applied are generally determined by exacting X-ray analysis. Accordingly, precision X-ray alignment and accurate patient placement for X-rays are critical for successful specific upper spinal correction. After the required direction and amplitude of the force required is determined from X-ray analysis, the patient's head must be properly positioned and the force must be accurately applied with respect to both direction and amplitude. The complexity of specific upper spinal correction makes it difficult to learn and even more difficult to master.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Spinal correction comparable to that achieved through mastery of the specific upper spinal correction procedure may be produced through the simple application of harmonic vibrations and light long axis traction to the spine. Accordingly, complex spine correction may be achieved through a relatively simple procedure, apt for automation. During the procedure the patient may be placed in a supine position and the patient's head supported. The patient's head may be elevated and/or positioned forward with respect to the rest of the body. Light long axis traction is then induced along the spine. During the induction of traction, vibrations are applied to the spine.
[0003] Directing the patient to lie down or otherwise placing the patient in a supine position helps the muscles along the spine to relax, lessening forces exerted on the spine by muscle guarding. During normal movement, joints, ligaments and/or muscles along the spine transmit signals to the central nervous system in response to being stretched. In response to stretch signals, the central nervous system directs muscles to contract to resist stretching of the spine. During daily activities these autocorrect signals assist in maintaining balance, posture and/or coordinated movement. However, stretch triggered autocorrect signals can also contribute to misalignment of the spine and can act against efforts to return the spine to proper alignment. Accordingly, in some instances it may be advantageous to lessen muscle guarding by having the patient relax in a supine position.
[0004] It may also be advantageous to avoid the induction of muscle guarding during correction. Avoiding muscle guarding can be accomplished by inducing light long axis traction along the spine. Light long axis fraction applied to the spine in some instance may be below the threshold that would induce firing of neurological receptors in joints, ligaments and muscles in response to stretching. In some instances light long axis traction induced along the spine may be less than therapeutic traction. Accordingly, long axis fraction of 27 pounds applied to the neck may be sufficient in some embodiments. In other instances, long axis fraction of 12-13.5 pounds may be sufficient. Measuring the caudal force applied to the head may be done to monitor the amount of the traction.
[0005] Light long axis traction induced along the spine may, in some instances, provide a force urging the spine towards proper alignment. The ability of light long axis traction to urge the spine toward alignment may be enhanced by supporting the head equally on both lateral occipital regions of the skull. Additionally, during the induction of light long axis traction inferior movement of the skull may be inhibited.
[0006] Inducing light long axis traction may be accomplished by placing the patient in an inclined supine position so that traction is provided by the force of gravity. The use of gravity to supply light long axis traction may permit the spine to be consistently pulled in an exact direction. In some instances, the patient may find it more comfortable to have his head elevated above his feet.
[0007] Having the patient lay flat on his back on a tilted surface may be sufficient, in some instances, to induce light long axis traction along the spine. When so positioned, especially when inferior movement of the head is inhibited, the resulting light long axis traction may induce the spine to slide down the incline and into alignment, like a crooked rope being pulled straight. In some instances, movement of the spine down the incline may be assisted by the patient's tissue located between the spine and the inclined surface. The tissue may provide a surface of reduced friction along which the spine may move. Thus, in some instances, the spine may float upon underlying tissue and slide down the incline into alignment.
[0008] In addition to light long axis traction, vibrations applied to the spine may induce movement of the spine in the direction of induced light long axis traction. Accordingly, in some instances the combination of light long axis and vibrations applied to the spine may induce corrective force. If the patient is placed at an incline such that the force gravity supplies light long axis fraction, then the spine may be pulled into perfect alignment. Vibrations may be applied for any length of time. With some patients, a five to eight minute application of light long axis traction and vibrations to the spine may be sufficient. In some instances, vibrations may be applied to multiple regions of the spine simultaneously. Accordingly, simultaneous movement and alignment of multiple regions of the spine may be induced. In some instances, the vibrations may be applied to the spine through surface supporting the patient. In other instances, vibrations may be applied to specific regions and/or points along the spine. For example, vibrations may applied the transverse process of C-1, the posterior aspect of C-1, the skull, the cervical region , the thoracic region, and the lumbar region. Sequential application of vibrations to various regions and/or locations of the spine may induce sequential movement and alignment. In some instance it may be desirable to induce harmonic vibrations along the entire spine and/or in one or more specific regions of the spine.
[0009] The vibrations applied to the spine may be a progressed from a low frequency to a high to frequency. Progressing the vibration across a frequency range may, in some embodiments, permit the induction of harmonic vibrations within each region of the spine. In some instances the vibrations applied to the spine may be between approximately 5 and approximately 85 Hertz.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] A detailed description of the various embodiments of the invention is hereafter provided which makes specific reference to the following figures.
[0011] FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a spinal correction device.
[0012] FIG. 2 depicts an instance of applying light long action traction with the spinal correction device of FIG. 1 .
[0013] FIG. 3 depicts an embodiment of a spinal correction device comprising spine supports and leg supports.
[0014] FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of a clam clamp that may be associated a head support.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] While the invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are described in detail herein specific embodiments of the invention. This description is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated.
[0016] For the purposes of this disclosure, like reference numerals in the figures shall refer to like features, unless otherwise indicated.
[0017] An embodiment of a light long axis traction spinal correction device 100 which may be used to practice the above procedure is shown in FIG. 1 . Correction device 100 comprises base 101 supporting table top 102 . Pivot joint 103 connects table top 102 to the base 101 . Head support 104 on table top 102 supports a patient's head in an elevated position. Vibration element 105 in contact with table top 102 induces vibrations within table top 102 which are applied to the patient's spine.
[0018] As show in FIG. 1 , a patient lies supine on table top 102 . The patient's head is supported by head support 104 . In some embodiments, head support 104 may be configured to support the patient's head equally on both lateral occipital regions of the skull behind the mastoid bone. In some embodiments, a head support 104 may prevent inferior movement of the head. Inferior movement of the head may be prevented by strap 115 associated with head support which secures the patient's head to head to support 104 .
[0019] In combination or the alternative, head support 104 may include a clam clamp 400 . FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of clam clamp 400 having a bottom 401 matching the inward slop of the lower portions of the back of the head. The upper half 402 of the clam clamp 400 may be configured to extend over the patient's forehead and hook over the upper portion of the eye orbit, without pushing on the eye. Clam clamp 400 may be motorized or manually set. In some embodiments a force limited may be included to limit the force applied by clam clamp 400 .
[0020] In some embodiments, a patient may be provided with a release the patient could actuate to release the head restraint associated with head support 104 . In combination or the alternative, head support 104 may be configured to release the patient's head if traction applied to the neck exceeds a predetermined limit.
[0021] In some embodiments, head support 104 may comprise cephaled adjustment mechanism 106 permitting the patient's head to be positioned forward with respect to the body along arc 107 . In combination or the alternative, head support 104 may comprise vertical adjustment mechanism 108 permitting raising and lowering of the patient's head above table top 102 . A variety of adjustment mechanisms may be utilized in association with head support 102 to elevate and/or position the patient's head forward. The adjustment mechanisms associated with head support 104 of correction device 100 comprise vertical rail 109 and a horizontal rail 110 along which head support 104 may slide. Screws 111 and 112 secure head support 104 in position along rails 109 and 110 , respectively.
[0022] After the patient lays supine on table top 102 with his head supported by head support 104 , light long axis traction is induced along the spine by placing table top 102 at an incline, as shown in FIG. 2 . The amount of traction applied may be measured and/or calculated. Protractor 113 measuring the angle of incline of table top 102 may permit the amount of tract induced along the spine to be calculated from the patient's weight. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , protractor 113 may be associated with pivot joint 103 . In combination or the alternative, protractor 113 may be associated with table top 102 and/or otherwise positioned to measure the incline of table top 102 . In some embodiments, the incline of table top 102 may be limited to 12 degrees.
[0023] In combination or the alternative to calculating traction from the incline of table top 102 , a traction force meter associated with head support 104 may permit the amount traction applied along the spine to be measured.
[0024] While table top 102 is inclined, vibrations are generated within table top 102 by vibration element 105 . The vibrations generated within table top 102 are applied to the patient's spine. Accordingly, during the induction of light long axis fraction vibrations generated by vibration element 105 are transferred through table top 102 into the patient's spine. When transferring vibrations to the patient's spine, vibrating table top 102 moves up and down with respect to the patient's spine. As vibrating table top 102 moves upward it exerts an increasing force against the patient. Likewise, as vibrating table top 102 moves down the force exerted against the patient decreases. The maximum force exerted against the patient by the upward movement of table top 102 is referred to as the force amplitude of the vibrations. In some embodiments, the force amplitude of the vibrations applied to the spine may be between approximately 0.2 and approximately 2.0 pounds.
[0025] The combination of the induced light long axis traction and vibrations applied to the spine through table top 102 induces the spine to slide down the incline of table top 102 and into alignment, like a crooked rope being pulled straight. In some embodiments, movement of the spine into alignment may be facilitated by leg support 114 on table top 102 . Positioning leg support 114 beneath the patient's knees may remove resistance to movement from the patient's leg. Leg support 114 may be a cushion, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .
[0026] FIG. 3 depicts an alternative embodiment of a light long axis traction spinal correction device. Table top 102 of light long axis traction spinal correction device 300 depicted in FIG. 3 is balanced about pivot joint 103 . Balanced about pivot joint 103 , table top 102 may be inclined with reduced effort. The incline of table top 102 of device 300 may be measured by a protractor associated with table top 102 .
[0027] Device 300 comprises spine supports 301 on table top 102 . Adjusting the vertical placement of spine supports 301 allows support of the patient in a supine position with the spine curved as in the standing position. The vertical placement of spine supports 301 may be adjusted using vertical adjustment mechanisms associated with spines supports 301 . Movement of the spine during correction may be enhanced in some embodiments with rollers and/or slides incorporated into spine supports 301 .
[0028] In addition to spine supports 301 , device 300 supports the patient in a supine position with leg supports 114 . Adjusting the vertical placement of leg supports 114 may permit the patient to be supported in a supine position with their legs positioned with respect to the spine as if in a standing position. The vertical placement of leg supports 114 may be adjusted using vertical adjustment mechanism associated with leg supports 114 . Movement of the legs during correction may be enhanced in some embodiment with rollers and/or slides incorporated into leg supports 114 .
[0029] In addition to supporting the patient in a supine position, head support 104 and/or spine supports 301 may transfer vibrations to the spine. The vibrations applied to the spine by head support 104 and/or leg supports 301 may be generated by vibration element 105 in contact with table top 102 . Accordingly, in some embodiments vibrations generated by vibration element 105 may be transferred through table top 102 , up supports 104 and/or 201 and into the patient's spine.
[0030] In combination or the alternative, head support 104 and/or at least one spine supports 301 may be associated directly with individual vibration elements. Vibrations generated by vibrations elements could then be transferred directly from supports 104 and/or 301 to the patient's spine. In some embodiments, a vibration element may be positioned at the portion of head support 104 and/or at least one spine supports 301 contacting the patient. In such embodiments, vibrations generated would be applied directly to the patient's spine.
[0031] Device 300 depicted in FIG. 3 incorporates vibration elements 105 atop of head support 104 and spin supports 301 . In some embodiments force meters may be associated with head support 104 and spine supports 301 for measuring the force amplitude of the vibrations applied to the spine at head support 104 and spine supports 301 . In combination or the alternative, fore meters measuring the force amplitude of vibrations applied to the spine may associated with base 101 and/or table top 102 . In some embodiments, a force meter measuring the force amplitude of the vibrations may be a transducer.
[0032] In some embodiments a computer with software may interface with the spinal correction device. The software may accept as input patient data, reference previous treatment data and determine recommended treatment parameters. The software may then, in some embodiments, display the recommended treatment parameters to the clinician who sets the correction device accordingly. In combination or the alternative, the software may set the correction device to all or some of the recommended parameters by controlling the vibration element and/or incline of the table top.
[0033] The patient data inputted into the software may include age, weight, body type, gender and/or various physiological measurements. The accepted physiological measurements may include height, postural measurements such as standing weight difference, pelvic rotation, fixed point deviation, leg length inequality, uneven shoulders and/or head tilt, and/or x-ray measurements such as atlas lateral displacement, lower cervical angle, C2 rotation and/or atlas rotation.
[0034] The recommended treatment parameters may include the incline of the table top, force amplitude of the applied vibrations, frequency of the applied vibrations and/or duration of treatment.
[0035] Previous treatment data may include patient data, treatment parameters and/or outcome data such post treatment physiological measurements.
[0036] In determining recommended treatment parameters, the software may compare inputted patient data to previous treatment data. In some embodiments, the comparison entails searching and selective previous treatment data matching one or more elements of patient data, such as weight. The software may then output and/or set the correction device to all or some of the treatment parameters associated with the returned previous treatment data. In some situations it is possible the software may identify multiple previous treatment data matching the patient data. In such situations, the software may select the previous treatment data best matching the patient data. In combination or the alternative, the recommend treatment parameters may the mean, median and/or other mathematical representation of the previous treatment data associated with the returned previous treatment data.
[0037] The above disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive. This description will suggest many variations and alternatives to one of ordinary skill in this field of art. All these alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims where the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to.” Those familiar with the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein which equivalents are also intended to be encompassed by the claims.
[0038] Further, the particular features presented in the dependent claims can be combined with each other in other manners within the scope of the invention such that the invention should be recognized as also specifically directed to other embodiments having any other possible combination of the features of the dependent claims. For instance, for purposes of claim publication, any dependent claim which follows should be taken as alternatively written in a multiple dependent form from all prior claims which possess all antecedents referenced in such dependent claim if such multiple dependent format is an accepted format within the jurisdiction (e.g. each claim depending directly from claim 1 should be alternatively taken as depending from all previous claims). In jurisdictions where multiple dependent claim formats are restricted, the following dependent claims should each be also taken as alternatively written in each singly dependent claim format which creates a dependency from a prior antecedent-possessing claim other than the specific claim listed in such dependent claim below.
[0039] All US patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
[0040] A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is also provided for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.
[0041] This completes the description of the preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiment described herein which equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto.
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Spinal correction comparable to that achieved through mastery of the specific upper spinal correction procedure may be produced through the simple application of harmonic vibrations and light long axis traction to the spine. Accordingly, complex spine correction may be achieved through a relatively simple procedure, apt for automation. During the procedure the patient may be placed in a supine position and the patient's head supported. The patient's head may be elevated and/or positioned forward with respect to the rest of the body. Light long axis traction is then induced along the spine. During the induction of traction, vibrations are applied to the spine.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims benefit of and priority from provisional application 60/722,617 having a filing date of Sep. 30, 2005 the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates to a dryer seal and more particularly to a dryer seal of simplified construction incorporating an arrangement of fibrous material forming a multi-layer sealing element of folded and seamed construction incorporating an exterior layer of low friction wool-component felt and an interior layer of polymeric felt. The layers are secured substantially across their interfaces by needing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Automatic clothes dryers typically include a housing (also known as a bulkhead) and a rotating drum supported within the housing. It is known to use seal elements in the form of rings of felt which may be disposed between the housing and the drum so as to bear against the drum as it rotates. The use of a sealing element is desirable to prevent air leakage between the drum and the clothes dryer cabinet which could detrimentally affect the air flow system of the dryer. It is known to utilize seals in the form of ring structures incorporating a folded over exterior layer such as wool or wool blend nonwoven material with a spacer material such as polyester or polyester blend material held within the folded over exterior. The legs projecting outwardly from the folded edge form a sealing contacting relation with the rotating drum. Past structures have typically used substantially discrete exterior layers and spacer layers held together in the desired configuration by sewn seams.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] This invention provides advantages and alternatives over the prior art by providing a dryer seal of substantially simplified construction which utilizes a folded construction of cooperating fibrous layers that are held in adjoined needled relation across their contacting surfaces. The needled layers are folded over and seamed inboard of the folded edge to yield a first leg and a second leg projecting away from the folded edge. The first leg is of substantially greater length than the second leg. Each of the legs incorporates an upper or outer layer of wool or wool blend felt and a lower or inner layer of polymer or polymer blend felt such as polyester or the like. The layers forming the legs remain needled together across their interfacial surfaces.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The following drawings which are incorporated in and which constitute a part of this specification illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and, together with the general description above and the detailed description set forth below, serve to explain the principles of the invention wherein:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary clothes dryer with the rotating drum and seal illustrated in phantom;
[0007] FIG. 2 is an exploded cut-away view of a seal according to the present invention with the seal mounted around a bulkhead flange;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a cross section of the seal in folded, seamed configuration.
[0009] While the invention has been generally described above and will hereinafter be described in connection with certain potentially preferred embodiments and procedures, it is to be understood and appreciated that in no event is the invention to be limited to such illustrated and described embodiments and procedures. On the contrary, it is intended that the present invention shall extend to all alternatives and modifications as may embrace the broad principles of this invention within the true spirit and scope thereof.
DESCRIPTION
[0010] Reference will now be made to the various drawings wherein to the extent possible like reference numerals are utilized to designate corresponding components throughout the various views. In FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is illustrated a dryer 10 including a cabinet body 12 housing a heated rotating drum 14 . As illustrated, the cabinet body includes a door opening 16 for loading clothing articles into the mouth of the drum 14 . The door opening 16 may be closed by means of a door 18 .
[0011] As will be well known to those of skill in the art, the cabinet body 12 typically includes a bulkhead flange 20 ( FIG. 1A ) surrounding the door opening and projecting into the interior of the cabinet body. The bulkhead flange 20 is disposed generally around a reduced diameter drum opening 22 . An outer wall portion 24 of the drum is disposed in surrounding relation to the flange or ring 20 .
[0012] As shown, a seal 30 is disposed around the bulkhead flange 20 between the outer wall portion 24 and the bulkhead flange 20 . As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, dryers are typically vacuum systems. In operation the seal 30 prevents the draw of cool (non-heated) air from around the drum. With this flow path blocked, air is drawn more efficiently into the drum from a heated element area for use and eventual vent discharge.
[0013] The seal 30 includes a fibrous exterior layer 36 and an internal fibrous interior support layer 38 . The exterior layer and the interior support layer are secured together across their interfacial surfaces such as by needling or the like such that fibers from each layer are mechanically joined to one another across the interface. As the dryer is operated the drum 14 may experience a degree of oscillation up and down.
[0014] The joined exterior layer 36 and interior support layer 38 are folded over and seamed at a position inboard of the folded edge such as by a chain or lock stitch seam 39 . Such a folding and seaming operation forms a first leg 40 and a second leg 42 projecting generally away from the folded edge. The first leg 40 is of substantially greater length than the second leg 42 . Each of the legs includes the layered structure of the exterior layer 36 and the interior support layer 38 such that the exterior layer 36 and the interior support layer 38 each extend substantially continuously from the terminal end of the first leg to the terminal end of the second leg. The legs may flair out or compress as required to adjust for this up and down oscillation and thereby maintain contacting sealing relation with the moving drum.
[0015] As will be appreciated, the dryer seal 30 is preferably of substantially circular construction. According to one potentially preferred practice the dryer seal 30 is formed by adjoining the opposing ends of an elongate sealing structure having a general cross-section as shown in FIG. 3 by use of end to end stitching or other attachment means such as ultrasonic welding and the like as may be known to those of skill in the art.
[0016] According to an exemplary formation practice, the exterior layer 36 is a needle punched nonwoven textile material formed from entangled fibers of wool or wool blend material such as wool and polyester or other synthetic fiber. Recycled grey wool material may be particularly desirable. In such a construction, the wool provides a degree of natural lubricity which may aid in avoiding premature damage. The interior support layer 38 is preferably a needle punched nonwoven of polyester. In one exemplary construction this interior support layer is needle punched polyester. The exterior layer 36 and the interior support layer 38 are preferably mechanically joined across their interfacial surfaces such as by interlayer needling or the like such that fibers from each of the layers extend across the interface in entangling relating with fibers of the opposing layer.
[0017] While the present invention has been illustrated and described in relation to certain potentially preferred embodiments and practices, it is to be understood that such embodiments and practices are illustrative and exemplary only and that the present invention is in no event to be limited thereto. Rather, it is contemplated that modifications and variations to the present invention will no doubt occur to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description and/or through a practice of the invention. It is therefore contemplated and intended that the present invention shall extend to all such modifications and variations which incorporate the broad principles of the present invention within the full spirit and scope thereof.
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A dryer seal of substantially simplified construction which utilizes a folded construction of cooperating fibrous layers that are held in adjoined needled relation across their contacting surfaces. The needled layers are folded over and seamed inboard of the folded edge to yield a first leg and a second leg projecting away from the folded edge. The first leg is of substantially greater length than the second leg.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a non-provisional of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 61/641,455 (filed May 2, 2012) and 61/789,553 (filed Mar. 15, 2013) the entirety of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Electrical activity in the human heart originates in the right atrium (RA) in the sinoatrial (SA) node as a wave. This wave of activation spreads quickly across the atria to the atrioventricular (AV) node. The AV node serves to delay the wave of activation relative to activation of the ventricle. The delay results in contraction of the atrium before the ventricles contract. After the activation is delayed by the AV node, the activation wave enters and excites the bundle of His. Excitation of the bundle of His results in propagation through the Purkinje fibers of a plane wave structure across the ventricles through the ventricular conduction system. Excitation spreading through the conduction system activates each ventricular cell at a precise time relative to activation from the bundle of His (known as the “Phase”) to produce a phased ventricular contraction. For regular cardiac contraction, both atrial and ventricular, it is important that each contractile cell possess only one phase value during a contraction cycle. When these phases multiply within a contractile cycle, the result is arrhythmia.
[0003] In the case of ventricular arrhythmias, for various reasons both conductive and structural, the function of the AV node can be compromised (AV block). AV block inhibits or prevents utilization of the normal conduction systems of the ventricles. Ventricular pacing has been used for treating heart rhythm disorders when a normal conduction system (free of heterogeneities) cannot be utilized due to AV block. However, ventricular pacing does not reproduce the precise wave front structure characteristic of the AV node, which is responsible for the optimal spatial and temporal electrical actuation of the ventricular cells that is required for optimal hemodynamic function of the heart. Pacing induced inefficiency has been associated with an increased occurrence of congestive heart failure, desynchronized contractions, negative inotropic effects, histological and ultra-structural changes in ventricular tissue.
[0004] Alternative pacing sites, for example, the right ventricle (RV) generally, RV outflow tract (RVOT) and various septum sites have been investigated relative to improving cardiac hemodynamics during pacing. Direct His bundle pacing has also been used in an attempt to achieve synchronized ventricular contraction in patients with an intact ventricular conduction system. However there can be limitations associated with His bundle pacing in humans. For example, studies have reported difficulty in pacing the relatively small area of the His bundle and difficulty inserting a pacing lead into the membranous septum. Further, higher pacing and lower sensing thresholds can be required for His pacing than for RV pacing due to the high fibrous content of the His region. Also, because His bundle pacing site is located close to the aorta, there are potentially devastating consequences due to damage of the aorta.
[0005] Single source pacing modalities universally are incapable of reproducing the synchrony achieved by a healthy AV node. Accordingly, resynchronization therapy has been advanced by utilizing multiple ventricular pacing sites, such as biventricular pacing. While the multiple-lead approach provides greater versatility in achieving the required physiological degree of synchrony, control algorithms have not been devised to take advantage of this increased control dimensionality.
[0006] One form of regularization is cardioversion. Cardioversion attempts to reset all electric activity in the atria and requires the use of large (5V/cm) electric field gradients. These high energies cause pain and trauma for the patient, damage the myocardium, and reduce battery life in implanted devices. Another strategy, anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP), seeks to avoid the development of permanent atrial fibrillation (AF) by suppressing paroxysmal AF. ATP consists of a train of 8 to 10 low-energy stimuli delivered as a pacing ramp or burst at 50 Hz via a single pacing electrode. ATP is effective in treating spontaneous atrial tachyarrhythmia, especially slower tachycardia, but it is not very effective for converting AF.
[0007] Predicting propagation patterns of the in situ heart is an arduous task, especially when the anatomic and functional complexity of a diseased heart is considered. Technical challenges are involved in recording propagation patterns in an intact organ at temporal and spatial resolution sufficient to reveal the interactions of rotating waves and paced wave fronts.
[0008] The pacing aspect is especially complicated. After an electric field pulse is applied to the heart, “virtual electrodes” may arise at interfaces separating regions with different conductivities. These sites may be macroscopic, such as blood vessels or ischemic regions, or smaller-scale discontinuities, including areas of fibrosis or abrupt changes in fiber direction. Virtual electrodes arise when the activation wave energy is re-radiated in a manner analogous to optical reflection and diffraction from tissue conductive and structure discontinuities. In the application of pacing pulses, a virtual electrode is a secondary source of an activation wave. The character of this secondary activation wave is highly dependent on the extent of the conductivity discontinuity and the strength of the applied electric field.
[0009] Consider now how an activation site develops on application of an electric field in cardiac tissue containing a generic conductivity discontinuity between myocardium and an inexcitable inhomogeneity. When an electric field is applied, current flows out of the electrode and through the extracellular medium and enters the tissue at the tissue edge and subsequently exits at the boundary of the inexcitable region. Similarly, on the other side of the inexcitable region, current re-enters the tissue at the boundary. In quiescent tissue, this current produces depolarization (hyperpolarization), and in the conducting region along all interface boundaries where the excitable tissue is closer to the electrode. If the depolarized region reaches the threshold for excitation, it can initiate propagating waves, thereby serving as an activation site, also known as a secondary source, or virtual electrode.
[0010] Virtual electrode formation has been demonstrated to terminate fast atrial tachycardias and AF. In this method, electrodes located at a small distance from the heart deliver a train of low-voltage shocks at a rapid rate. During the low-energy shocks, small intrinsic conductivity discontinuities behave as internal “virtual” electrodes. The virtual electrodes serve as activation sites if the field strength depolarizes the tissue beyond the excitation threshold. At low field strengths, only a single virtual pacing site may be created, whereas at slightly higher field strengths, many more activation sites arise, and the time required to excite a given myocardial region decreases. The greater the number of virtual electrodes that are formed as a consequence of external excitation, the easier it is to regularize the temporal aspect of cardiac tissue contractility.
[0011] Virtual electrode formation as a therapy is ironically analogous to one of the primary causes of cardiac arrhythmia. Many arrhythmias are caused or maintained by what are clinically called reentry mechanisms. Reentry is a condition in which cardiac tissue continually excites itself, creating reentrant, e.g. circular or tornado-like patterns of excitation. Reentry circuits are described morphologically, for example a macro-reentrant circuit is characterized by rotation around a functional or anatomic line of block. Major anatomical structures are usually involved in defining one or several simultaneous reentry circuits, including the region between superior and inferior venae cavae in the right atrium, and the pulmonary vein region in the left atrium. If the cycle length (CL) of the reentry remains relatively long, one-to-one conduction can remain throughout the entire atrium or ventricle. However, if the CLs of reentry circuits are sufficiently short, waves of excitation produced by the reentrant circuit break up in the surrounding tissue and fibrillation can ensue.
[0012] There are distinctions between a regular high frequency rhythm state (tachycardia) and fibrillation. The high frequency state is defined as the presence of a single, constant, and stable reentrant circuit. The fibrillation state is characterized by random activation in which multiple reentrant wavelets of the primary activation wave continuously circulate in directions determined by local excitability, refractoriness, and anatomical structure. The consequence is a multiplicity of spatially localized frequencies created by wave front annihilations. Fibrillation can sometimes be converted to tachycardia, and vice versa, spontaneously or as a result of an intervention, such as drug administration, DC cardioversion/defibrillation, or pacing.
[0013] The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] This disclosure relates in general to monitoring, analyzing and modifying the electrical behavior of cardiac tissue, and in particular relates to devices that function to regularize and diminish the frequency of the electrical behavior of living cardiac tissue. More particularly, this disclosure relates to regularization of the frequency of contraction in atrial and ventricular tissue of the human heart.
[0015] Electrical stimulation to cardiac tissue stabilizes atrial and ventricular arrhythmia when timed to stabilize a limit cycle structure in a Poincare map. Disclosed are methods and apparatus, operational internally or externally, for removing the reentrant effects of heterogeneity present in a diseased heart and returning the heart to an improved metabolic status allowing removal of support. The methods and apparatus disclosed are also useful in the chronic surveillance and maintenance of regularized contractility in an aged or diseased heart.
[0016] This brief description of the invention is intended only to provide a brief overview of subject matter disclosed herein according to one or more illustrative embodiments, and does not serve as a guide to interpreting the claims or to define or limit the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the appended claims. This brief description is provided to introduce an illustrative selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This brief description is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] So that the manner in which the features of the invention can be understood, a detailed description of the invention may be had by reference to certain embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only certain embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the scope of the invention encompasses other equally effective embodiments. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis generally being placed upon illustrating the features of certain embodiments of the invention. In the drawings, like numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout the various views. Thus, for further understanding of the invention, reference can be made to the following detailed description, read in connection with the drawings in which:
[0018] FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B , FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D depict the unpinning of a reentrant wave.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The realization that many activities of an apparently random nature are actually examples of a deterministic phenomenon known as chaos offers a new approach to analysis and modification of the type of complexity exhibited by cardiac tissue.
[0020] The electrical impulses that normally cause sinus rhythm are thought to progress repeatedly around irregular conduction pathways within the heart. These conditions, if uncontrolled, can become life threatening if the aberrant electrical impulses enter the atrioventricular node (AV node) in a sporadic and/or at an accelerated rate and can cause an irregular ventricular rate that degenerates into an immediate life threatening ventricular arrhythmia.
[0021] To quantitatively characterize the response of a global arrhythmia to a single pulse stimulus, one can calculate Poincare maps which can be used to anticipate the system response when a therapeutic pulse is applied. For example, one generates a Poincare space plot comprised of global periodicity at time T on one axis and global periodicity at T+1 on the other axis. When this plot is constructed over several periods, one sees high and low density regions, the high density regions typically depict a ring-like structure, and these ring-like structures in the Poincare space plot are called limit cycles. They are important because when the system enters a limit cycle it is possible to predict with a high degree of confidence the subsequent beat period, and indeed a whole series of beat periods until the system leaves the limit cycle. It is therefore, stabilizing to apply therapeutic pulses that tend to keep the system on a desired limit cycle. In so doing, the perturbative interference patterns that result between reentrant circuits are disrupted in favor of maintaining the limit cycle period.
[0022] Limit cycles are not the same thing as heart rate or beat frequency. Limit cycles describe the range of periods which occur while on the limit cycle. Each point in a limit cycle represents a single beat frequency. It is therefore, possible to pick a limit cycle which is small in area, with fewer points, and consequently low in beat frequency variability. The distance between points is linearly related to a difference in beat frequency. On the other hand, variability can be tolerated as long as the range of beat frequencies is maintained below a certain pathological limit. Thus regularization in itself, is not necessarily the ideal outcome, but rather overall reduction in beat frequency, thus enhancing the amount of blood moved after each contraction.
[0023] Although limit cycles are not beat rates, they are temporally cyclic and possess a phase and period. Consequently, a large area limit cycle can be reduced in area by making use of the Poincare limit cycle structure. For example, two nearby limit cycles, one having a clinically desirable character the other comprising the current cardiac state, can be used to shift the cardiac dynamics from one limit cycle to a particular limit cycle.
[0024] In addition, by applying a properly timed pulse, the system can be caused to jump from one point on a limit cycle to another point on the same limit cycle, but several beats ahead of where it would have gone in the next beat cycle. We call this phenomenon limit cycle collapse, and in ideal applications of the therapy a generally circular limit cycle is collapsed to a near linear structure. This is an important step in achieving regular heart rate. Thus an additional map can be constructed comprising the phase of the limit cycle immediately before the pulse to the induced limit cycle phase after the pulse. The limit cycle phase change is computed from the difference between the perturbed and the unperturbed point positions on the limit cycle period and the change in phase is assumed to happen instantaneously with the pulse
[0025] Another beneficial aspect of the limit cycle approach is that the pulse width need not match the cardiac periodicity. In particular, fibrillation is characterized by extremely short periods, which in reality may just be the result of interference between a number of independent longer periods at localized sites on the cardiac tissue. Therefore, matching the fibrillation period may actually not be matching to any one of the independent local periods. In order to be successful in stabilizing a cardiac arrhythmia, it is important to stimulate a period that reflects an actual activation wave front cycle, otherwise such action on a combined signal may only serve to reinforce the chaotic behavior of the system.
[0026] In an aspect of the present disclosure, a method for destabilization and termination of atrial/ventricular tachyarrhythmia includes detecting a tachyarrhythmia initiated from sensing of electrical activity, estimating a minimum or dominant limit cycle, this limit cycle likely reflects the various rotor cycles that become manifest over a much longer period than the fibrillation period. Thus by picking a dominant limit cycle one is selecting a subset of the reentrant circuits to enhance. Reduction of the dimensionality of the limit cycle, reflected in its area, naturally tends to reinforce certain cycles and depress others, while avoiding reinforcing the interference behavior produced by the interaction of multiple reentrant cycles. However, the spatial and temporal parameters for introduction of a therapeutic signal are entirely detached from the fibrillation period, which can be quite short, and such signals wherever or whenever introduced are destabilizing by virtual of their non-physiological characteristics.
[0027] Therapies may include administration of stimulative pulses to both the atria and ventricles, sensing ventricular electrical activity to detect a ventricular R-wave, determining ventricular vulnerable period using R-wave detection to prevent or inhibit induction of ventricular fibrillation by atrial shock, determining the atrial excitation threshold by applying electrical shock through different implanted atrial defibrillation leads and subsequently sensing for atrial activation, determining pain threshold by a feedback circuit that uses information provided by the patient during both the implantation and calibration procedure, and during the execution of the device learning algorithms, determining the ventricular far-field excitation threshold by applying electrical shock through different implanted atrial defibrillation leads and subsequently sensing for ventricular activation, delivering far-field stimuli to the atria by sequentially delivering several pulses at energies above the atrial excitation threshold, wherein the electrical current at each of said implanted leads is delivered at a rate of approximately about 100% to about 1000% of the minimal cardiac beat frequency, and wherein if arrhythmia termination is not achieved by far-field shocks, the method further comprising delivering near (or far-field) atrial pacing with cycle lengths from about 100% to about 1000% of sensed atrial cycle lengths, determining whether arrhythmia termination is achieved, and wherein if arrhythmia termination is not achieved as determined by the aforementioned steps, then a sequence of therapies are repeated one or more times with a higher amplitude of electrical current and/or different lead configuration and stimulus parameters until defibrillation of the target tissue is achieved.
[0028] It is an observation original to the realization of the present disclosure in that cardiac chaotic systems display a unique characteristic. In untreated arrhythmia the state point being transient monotonically approaches an unstable fixed point from which it is repelled, consequently a perturbation forcing the system state point onto a stable manifold (limit cycle) is clinically beneficial.
[0029] Here we introduce the notion of proportional perturbation feedback. The concept is important since the difference between convergence to a stable limit cycle and pure chaotic motion is often dictated by this consideration. In many cases a system state point will naturally move toward the unstable fixed point rather than away from it, in sharp contrast to prior art methods wherein the stable manifold would instead be moved toward the current system state point. Pursuant to such prior art methods, as well as in the present disclosure, a limit cycle representation of the dynamics in the neighborhood of the desired unstable fixed point is utilized. According to prior art theory however, a system-wide parameter must be varied to move the stable manifold toward the system state point, whereas movement of the system state point toward the stable manifold by proportional perturbation feedback is effected pursuant to the present disclosure without parameter change. Such proportional perturbation feedback methodology is particularly useful where the cardiac tissue preparation possesses no system-wide parameter that can be changed with sufficient rapidity to implement corrective control.
[0030] There are various strategies for decoupling cause from effect which are primarily centered on identifying key parameters in the system. Practical approaches break into two types: 1) strategies which do not attempt to take the system out of the chaotic regime but use the chaos to control the system and 2) strategies which remove the effect of an irreversible condition such as a cardiac inhomogeneity. It is believed that both these approaches are flawed, the former requiring constant administration of a perturbative signal to maintain contractile regularity, whereas the latter is imprecise and only occasionally coincides with the receptive period of cardiac tissue. In the present disclosure, these approaches are combined by bringing the precision of the chaos approach to the approach of removing reentrant circuits originating from cardiac inhomogeities. The cardiac tissue is restored to a normal state, as if there were no cardiac inhomogeneities, wherein normal rhythm is restored sufficiently to afford a high performing metabolic state which after a lapse of time renders the cardiac tissue less sensitive to cardiac inhomogeneity and thus provides a therapy which is curative rather than supportive.
[0031] A beneficial feature of chaotic systems is their extreme sensitivity to perturbations, making it possible to achieve significant changes in system dynamics with relatively low amplitude perturbations. For example, in the case of cardioversion a signal is delivered of sufficient amplitude to reset the states of all the cardiac tissue, whereas in the case of ATP, a pulse is delivered, albeit randomly, during the receptive period of cardiac tissue sufficient to momentarily restore a more normal rhythm. Both of these approaches are best characterized as acute perturbations, which are effective due to repeated applications, each of which have a certain probability to stimulate the heart to beat at a more regular rate.
[0032] One aspect of chaotic systems which make them particularly susceptible to clinical intervention is the observation that chaotic motion includes an infinite number of unstable periodic motions. A chaotic system never remains long in any one of the universe of unstable motions but continually switches from one periodic motion to another, thereby giving the appearance of randomness. Consequently, chaotic cardiac tissue will spend some fraction of time in a clinically beneficial period, whereby external stimuli can be applied to reinforce the frequency and duration at which the cardiac tissue visits this contractile periodicity.
[0033] Control of chaos is based on the existence of chaotic attractors which create a multiplicity of unstable periodic orbits. In the continuous system state representation there are an infinite number of these unstable periodic orbits. However, a Poincare map can be constructed which is orthogonal to the flow in the continuous system state representation, such that a continuous path in the system state representation maps one point in the Poincare space discretely into another point in the Poincare map. The Poincare map is a lower dimensional representation of the system state representation. Accordingly, the multiplicity of stable and unstable orbits in the system state are condensed to stable and unstable manifolds in the Poincare state, wherein all the stable and unstable orbits of the system state representation are represented as stable and unstable lines (manifolds), usually just one of each, in the Poincare map.
[0034] The intersection of a stable manifold and an unstable manifold forms what is called in mathematics a saddle type dynamic structure, wherein the system state approached an unstable fixed point in the Poincare map along the stable manifold and moves away from the unstable fixed point along the unstable manifold, hence the fixed point is inherently stable. Chaos control essentially comprises perturbing the system such that it remains on the stable manifold, always approaching the unstable fixed point. The result is to render an otherwise chaotic behavior more stable and predictable, which is often an advantage. The perturbation must be tiny, to avoid significant modification of the system's natural dynamics.
[0035] Several techniques have been devised for chaos control, but most are developments of two basic approaches: the OGY (Ott, Grebogi and Yorke) method which involves discrete system perturbations, and Pyragas which involves continuous control. Both methods require a previous determination of the unstable periodic orbits of the chaotic system before the controlling algorithm can be designed. In the present disclosure, a novel implementation of an OGY-type technique is employed.
[0036] There is therefore a need for a method and apparatus for manipulating chaotic behavior based on assessment of chaotic regimes and by intervention at irregular times determined from real time calculations involving data obtained by monitoring a selected observable system behavior such that reentrant circuits are consistently annihilated.
[0037] This approach would clinically enhance the success rate of the ATP methodology. Existing mechanism-based strategies for increasing ATP success rates are in high demand, since this important task remains largely empirical. ATP success has been found to correlate with the electrical perturbation of a reentrant circuit at vulnerable moments called the vulnerability window (VW). The two approaches to enhancing ATP success are a VW-based methodology and a pacing-induced wave front drift methodology. Unfortunately, these two approaches are contradictory in that they are based on adjusting the pacing frequency in opposite directions.
[0038] In the VW-based methodology, a retrograde wave front is generated when a stimulus is placed within the partially recovered tail of a rotating wave. In this scenario, a multiplicity of pulses are needed to ensure random coincidence with the VW. For example, if Ps is the period of a spiral wave rotation and Pp is the period of the paced waves, then Ps−Pp should not exceed the width of the VW. If this condition is met, then arbitrary placement of the first pulse will ensure that the time of subsequent pulses will be systematically shifted with respect to the tail of the rotating wave, such that, with enough pulses, one pulse will eventually be placed within the VW. If the condition is not fulfilled then the probability of successfully placing a pulse within the VW is greatly reduced, and it is possible that the number of pulse trains required for successful ATP would increase to an impractical number. Therefore, pacing frequency should not significantly exceed the rotational rate of reentry. On the other hand, the velocity of pacing-induced drift can be accelerated by increasing pacing frequency. Consequently, the rotating wave is pushed away faster with increasing Ps−Pp (the sole limitation being tissue capture). Therefore, the drift-induced pacing mechanism leads to a strategy opposite to that derived from the VW methodology. This seemingly contradictory set of requirements is resolved in the present disclosure.
[0039] There is a need for a cardiac contraction regularization methodology that is not solely based on annihilating reentrant circuits by chance, especially when these methodologies are most successful when only one reentrant circuit occurs. In cases of multiple reentrant circuits, the result is chaos, which negates the effectiveness of the coherent approaches based on destructive wave front superposition. The concept of a vulnerability window is ill-defined in this instance, and finding a suitable maximal annihilation paradigm requires a higher concept than physical actuation wave rotation. It requires introduction of the concept of limit cycle structure in a chaotic system, which simply stated is the net effect of multiple reentrant loops on the dynamics of the system. Identification of the limit cycle structure and not individual reentrant loops is the object of the present disclosure and are among the key parameters with which to achieve contractile regularization.
[0040] Tachycardia is defined as any state of cardiac tissue contractility, ventricular or atrial) in which the activation rate exceeds nominal values of about 100 cycles per minute. Fibrillation is defined as any state of cardiac tissue contractility, ventricular or atrial, in which the beat frequency is high (>200 per minute) or the frequency is variable, often in a chaotic way. Limit cycle is defined as a parameter space in which the time sequence or beat period or analogous parameters are temporally represented such that a closed circuit is formed in the representation space. System state space is a two or more dimensional representation where the position is plotted on one to three axes and the activation state is plotted on another axis and time is plotted on yet another axis. The system state space at one moment in time is essentially a one-to-one map of the actual dynamics occurring in the cardiac tissue. Poincare space is a representation of lower dimension than the system state space. We can view the evolution of system states as a flow along the time axis. The Poincare space is a slice of the system state space that is orthogonal to the time axis. Formally, an n-dimensional deterministic dynamical system is traversed by a surface of section S with dimension (n−1) that is traverse to the flow, e.g., all trajectories starting from S flow through it and are not parallel to it. Then a Poincare map is a mapping from S to itself obtained by following trajectories from one intersection of the surface S to the next. Poincare maps are useful when studying swirling flows near periodic solutions in dynamical systems. Mother rotor is a primary actuation wave associated with an heterogeneity with a morphology similar to a spiral or radially emanating wave with center located at the heterogeneity. Rotors originate when a normal planar actuation wave is diverted by an heterogeneity in such a way that a portion of the diverted wave is rotated 180 degrees and interacts with the next incoming planar wave. This action leads to arrhythmia.
[0041] The methods and devices of embodiments of the present disclosure can utilize a low-voltage phased unpinning far-field therapy to destabilize or terminate the core of a mother rotor anchored to a myocardial heterogeneity such as the intercaval region or fibrotic areas. More importantly, the present disclosure terminates chaotic dynamics arising from the interference of multiple rotors, which is generally associated with eventual decay into a lethal fibrillation state. An approximate 100-fold reduction in stimulus energy can be obtained with this unpinning method compared with conventional high-energy defibrillation, and an approximate 5-fold reduction in stimulus energy used in conventional ATP therapy. These methods and devices achieve cardioversion in the case of the atria and defibrillation in the case of the ventricles without exceeding the pain threshold of a patient. The aforementioned also significantly reduce the energy storage requirements of implantable devices.
[0042] In considering a single reentrant circuit, the success of the unpinning mechanism depends on the position of the spiral activation wave at the time of administration of the therapeutic pulse, taking into consideration the delays involved between the source electrode and the reentrant center. The position of the reentrant center is typically referred to as the phase zero position, conventionally chosen as the source of far-field pulse wave nucleation. As illustrated in the successful unpinning of FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B , FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D , there is a finite unpinning window of phases in which unpinning is possible in the way depicted. In FIG. 1A , an externally applied far-field pulse nucleates (N) a wave. In FIG. 1B , a new wave (F) rotates counter to the reentrant circuit. In FIG. 1C , as the far-field induce wave evolves it impinges on the reentrant wave, causing decoupling (see FIG. 1D ) of the reentrant wave from the center of inhomogeneity.
[0043] The above reentry rectifying strategy is applicable only to single focal centers. When one considers several such centers, the evolving reentrant spirals impinge on adjacent spirals resulting in dynamics that propagate beyond any one local spiral geometry. One can consider the evolution of cardiac tissue contractility as a whole as a system of coupled oscillators, each with different characteristic frequencies connected through specific temporal delays.
[0044] To address the limitations inherent in ATP therapy, we disclose a new method of destabilizing and subsequently terminating multiple coupled anatomical reentrant tachyarrhythmic regions in which a low-voltage shock is applied to unpin limit cycles resulting from the superposition of multiple oscillatory states. This method uses the effect of virtual electrode polarization (VEP), which is representative of hyperpolarization and depolarization on opposite sides of a functional or anatomical heterogeneity in response to an applied external electrical field. However, we are not concerned with a single anatomical heterogeneity, but the combined effect of multiple heterogeneities as manifest in the limit cycle structure. Accordingly, we have generalized the VEP concept to this specific multi-oscillator limit cycle structure.
[0045] Generally, the approach entails coordinating multiple areas of depolarization which give rise to secondary sources of excitation with pulse application such that secondary sources arising from the pulse therapy address the global tissue hetereogeneity that also serves as the core of reentry of the global limit cycles. Because all possible reentry cores are simultaneously excited with a single low-voltage pulse, the Poincare or time of transmission become important. Consequently, this method most beneficially relies upon multiple sources, similar to resynchronization pacing, to provide extinction wave fronts to a multiplicity of reentrant centers with a multiplicity of phase zero locations and consequently a multiplicity of phase values when each pulse reaches a reentrant center. The superposition of the phases initiated at different locations which result in a further multiplicity of phases at each reentry location such that the sum of these wave fronts extinguishes multiple reentry circuits simultaneously or within a given pulse cycle at a multiplicity of locations and, in one embodiment, at all reentry locations.
[0046] Accordingly, the present invention falls into the classification of far-field pacing therapies, since the true therapeutic effect is only achieved when a multiplicity of distant field sources initiate activation wave fronts that superpose in the manner analogous to the onset of fibrillation to cancel the multi-cyclic interference induced by the heterogeneity of the diseased cardiac tissue. The effect is analogous to noise-cancelling headphones. The primary difference being the cardiac case and the sound wave case is that the noise to be cancelled is not time invariant, and thus cannot be statically cancelled based on bandwidth consideration. In the present instance, the frequencies to be cancelled are constantly evolving, and their evolution can only be described from a bandwidth perspective in terms of their combined limit cycle structure. Thus, corrective technique must be based in an abstract space rather than the actual state space of the cardiac tissue. The space utilized in the present invention is called a Poincare space, but other spaces where the dynamics within the space takes a point and maps it back onto itself are also amenable to the methods described herein.
[0047] In accordance with the present invention, a procedure for stabilization of living tissue contractions involves monitoring the timing of intervals between contractile beats and experimental determination of interbeat intervals measured at a multiplicity of locations in response to a single stimulus intervention pulse. This single stimulus source can be initiated at any one of the multiple electrodes positioned on the tissue. Furthermore, the response or wave propagation can also be measured at each electrode. Thus a multiplicity of parameter spaces can be constructed and examined for limit cycle behavior.
[0048] For example, the usual and primary map is one that relates a prior beat interval to a subsequent beat interval. But in addition to this primary map, which is useful in identifying stable limit cycles, other maps can be constructed. For example, such a map can be created for each of the electrodes, and each will be slightly different depending on the proximity of a given electrode to a stable region. Thus these maps in totality provide a 2-dimension representation of the limit cycle, and not a one-dimensional representation that is the consequence of a single point generated map. Furthermore, correlations or time intervals between electrodes can be studied. And also importantly, the magnitudes of these signals at the various electrode positions can be used to weight this data or provide distance measures regarding rotor centers.
[0049] Generically, this type of data collection will be called inter-beat monitoring and can be used to measure intervals, magnitudes, time delays, and correlations between electrodes. Clinically, this type of data collection is to be performed during a learning phase typically lasting approximately 5 to 60 seconds in order to determine by real time calculation the approximate locations of the unstable fixed point of a chaotic regime at the intersection of its stable and unstable directions (manifolds) plotted as a function of the observable inter-beat interval change.
[0050] After a map of the limit cycle structure of the cardiac tissue is obtained, a secondary learning Poincare comprises the introduction of stimulus pulses to observe the tissue response within the calculated limit cycle structure. This data provides vectorial information about the direction in which beat intervals drift when located adjacent to limit cycles. With this information, one can place established limit cycles in a region of gradient which will consistently cause one limit cycle to evolve into another. This information is useful in not only establishing a more regular beat frequency but also useful in walking a stabilized beat frequency toward lower frequency limit cycles. This is important, since merely stabilizing a cardiac rhythm is not sufficient if the stabilizing rhythm is abnormally high and results in a condition of oxygen debt.
[0051] After a stabilization pulse is emitted, an intervention waiting period is instituted based on the close approach of the inter-beat interval timing to the unstable fixed point, such intervention being based on switching of the chaotic regime to a periodic condition according to natural system behavior. Thus at the end of such waiting period, intervention by premature injection of a stimulus pulse causes a shift to an interbeat interval system state point as a variable, lying on the stable manifold path from which it monotonically approaches the unstable fixed point, by exclusive increase or decrease of such variable. An important aspect of the present approach therefore involves real time measurement and exploitation of the aforesaid natural behavior without any theoretical model.
[0052] The aforementioned intervention waiting period is terminated by said premature injection of the stimulus pulse causing advance of the inter-beat interval and movement of the system state point onto the stable manifold toward the unstable fixed point. If the next spontaneous pulse beat corresponds to an inter-beat interval point close to the unstable fixed point, the intervention phase is terminated and the behavior stabilization program is reinitiated. Otherwise, another intervention stimulus pulse is injected.
[0053] The foregoing behavior stabilization program of monitoring inter-beat intervals, performing real time calculations and delaying premature injection of stimulus pulses, if applied by way of example to the control system of a cardiac pacemaker should restore or resume periodic cardiac beat control activity. Thus, the present disclosure can be used in conjunction with a conventional pacemaker.
[0054] The present behavior stabilization program is based on the recognition that the chaotic regime of cardiac tissue is characterized by natural motion of inter-beat interval points along unstable paths toward or away from the unstable fixed point and such chaos is controllable by a properly delayed intervention of injected stimulus pulses tending to shorten the inter-beat interval.
[0055] The methods and devices of the present disclosure, in some embodiments, exploit virtual electrode polarization to extinguish reentrant circuits. Virtual electrode polarization can be established in heterogeneous regions of cardiac tissue, and these regions coincidentally also correspond to regions comprising the core of reentry circuits. Heterogenous regions will be more polarized in response to an applied electric field than a more homogeneous region. Thus, regions near cores of reentry can be preferentially excited with very small electric fields to destabilize or terminate anchored reentrant circuits.
[0056] In conditions of extreme contractile irregularity generally more than one reentrant core is in effect, and their mutual interactions serve to reinforce the overall chaotic behavior. Thus destabilizing even one of the reentrant circuits can significantly enhance contractile regularity. Once the reentrant cores are partially destabilized, subsequent pulses can more easily terminate the arrhythmia and restore normal sinus rhythm. Accordingly, it is important to regularly reassess the limit cycle structure of the Poincare map as the therapy is applied.
[0057] A particular advantage of at least some embodiments is the use of multiple electrodes for sensing and applying stimulus pulses. Consequently, virtual electrode polarization can be achieved from a multiplicity of source positions. Generally, far-field excitation of multiple areas of atrial tissue at once can be achieved by a single source. However, when multiple sources are available the efficacy of a virtual electrode polarization can be enhanced by preferred location.
[0058] The methods of the present disclosure are useful in regularizing a chaotic state of contractility in cardiac tissue, for example tachycardia or fibrillation. In both tachycardia and fibrillation, the present strategy comprises first regularizing the contractility at generally a high frequency and then, through a series of perturbations, walks the system through a series of lower frequency limit cycles. Consequently, this program differs from conventional defibrillation therapy, which typically uses only one high-energy (about one to about seven joules) monophasic or biphasic shocks or two sequential monophasic shocks from two different vectors of far-field electrical stimuli. Accordingly, it is another advantage of the present disclosure to provide a regularization therapy which is not painful to the patient. The therapy is painless since the perturbing pulses are low energy, and the desired final state is achieved through a series of small, perturbing steps.
[0059] To further optimize this low energy method of cardiac arrhythmia termination, multiple electric field configurations can be used to optimally excite the excitable gap near the core of reentry and disrupt the reentrant circuit. More generally, the methods of the present disclosure are intended to achieve disruptions at a multiplicity of reentry circuits by avoiding a discrete approach typical of methodologies that seek superposition annihilation of a single inhomogeneity source. By sensing and developing a strategy based on the limit cycle structure as deduced from a multiplicity of sensing electrodes the combined effect of multiple reentry circuits is captured, as well as coincident episodes of stability.
[0060] These sensing and stimulative configurations can be achieved by placing several defibrillation leads/electrodes into the coronary sinus (with the possibility of both distal and proximal electrodes), the right atrial appendage, and the superior venae cavae.
[0061] In another embodiment, an electrode can be placed in the atrial septum. Electric fields can be delivered between any two or more of these electrodes as well as between one of these electrodes and an implanted control device.
[0062] In another aspect, segmented electrodes with the ability to selectively energize one or more of the electrode segments can be used. Modulation of the electric field vector can then be used to achieve maximum coverage of the entire atria within one set of shock applications or on a trial-to-trial basis. The optimal electric fields used and the correct sequence of fields can also be explored on a trial-and-error basis for each patient.
[0063] The methods and devices of embodiments of the present disclosure can utilize a low-voltage phased unpinning far-field therapy to destabilize or terminate multiple cores of activation wave rotation, these cores are typically associated with regions of myocardial heterogeneity such as the intercaval region or fibrotic areas. A 100-fold reduction in defibrillation energy can be obtained with this unpinning method compared with conventional high-energy defibrillation, thus enabling successful cardioversion or ventricular defibrillation without exceeding the pain threshold of a patient.
[0064] As described above, virtual electrode excitation occurs both when a therapeutic pulse is delivered and also when a normal excitation wave impinges on the heterogeneity. The effect is both the cause of the contractile instability and one aspect of its remediation. Thus, it is important that the therapeutic pulse be timed properly to destabilize as many reentrant centers as possible. Most methodologies that are based on this technique are concerned with destabilizing a single reentrant center. Generally the period of a train of therapeutic pulses is selected to be less than the target core reentrant periodicity, such that at least one of the pulses arrives at the target core at the appropriate moment for initiating a counter circling reentry wave that subsequently annihilates the reentrant condition by destructive superposition. However, in the present methodology, the limit cycle structure of the contractile tissue globally is first assessed, and the timing of a therapeutic pulse is selected to force the cardiac tissue in a more regularized state rather than selecting a pulse frequency intended to annihilate a single reentrant circuit. Such a strategy may not annihilate any one reentrant circuit, but may have the effect of destabilizing all of them to various degrees such that the global system behavior is more stable.
[0065] Various shock protocols for a limit cycle phased unpinning far-field therapy to terminate atrial arrhythmias in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are contemplated. In one aspect, multiple reentry circuits are either terminated directly or destabilized and then terminated by additional stimuli. The low energy stimulation can be below the pain threshold and, thus, may cause no anxiety and uncomfortable side effects to the patient.
[0066] In another aspect, a limit cycle phased unpinning far-field therapy can be delivered in response to a detected ventricular arrhythmia. The difference between the two therapies is largely the choice of electrode positions. Additionally, post treatment pacing may be administered as a follow-up therapy to the phased unpinning far-field therapy.
[0067] Both ventricular and atrial arrhythmias are maintained by a reentry mechanism. Specifically, cardiac tissue continually excites itself, creating reentrant, e.g. circular or tornado-like patterns of excitation. One type of self-excitation can be characterized as a macro-reentrant circuit, which can rotate around a functional or anatomic line of block. Major anatomical structures are usually involved in defining one or several simultaneous reentry circuit(s), including the region between superior and inferior venae cavae in the right atrium, and the pulmonary vein region in the left atrium. Another type of self-excitation is characterized by long cycle lengths in which one-to-one conduction occurs throughout the entire cardiac tissue. However, if the cycle lengths of reentry circuits are sufficiently short, or the result of multiple reentrant circuits generates fractionation of the waves, then the waves of excitation produced by the reentrant circuits break up in the surrounding cardiac tissue and a condition of fibrillation can ensue.
[0068] Tachycardia is defined as the presence of a single, constant, and stable reentrant circuit. Fibrillation, on the other hand, can be due to random activation in which multiple reentrant wavelets of the leading circle type wave continuously circulate in directions determined by local excitability, refractoriness, and anatomical structure. The present strategy is to first stabilize a fibrillation condition to a tachycardia condition which then can be converted to a slower rate of contractility. Accordingly, the present disclosure is applicable to both conditions.
[0069] High frequency far-field electric stimulation has been shown to result in significantly higher defibrillation success compared to near-field ATP. Our approach vastly increases the efficacy of the far-field approach by targeting the global limit cycle structure of the cardiac tissue rather than any one reentrant condition.
[0070] Embodiments of methods and apparatus in accordance with the present disclosure provide for a staged treatment for arrhythmia within pain tolerance thresholds of a patient. An arrhythmia treatment in accordance with various embodiments includes an implantable therapy generator adapted to generate and selectively deliver a staged therapy and at least two leads operably connected to the implantable therapy generator, each lead having at least one electrode adapted to be positioned proximate the atrium or ventricle of a heart of a patient. The atrial arrhythmia treatment device is programmed with a set of data collection routines which when completed output therapy parameters for delivering a staged therapy to a patient via a far-field configuration intended to treat the arrhythmic condition globally. Optionally, the method may include a near-field configuration of electrodes which upon detection of an arrhythmia, are employed by the arrhythmia treatment device.
[0071] The staged arrhythmia therapy includes a first stage for assessing the global limit cycle structure of the target cardiac tissue. Limit cycle spectra are obtained, wherein the limit cycles themselves may be represented in a number of parameter spaces. For example, a two dimensional representation may be constructed such that one axis represents a beat period at a time T and the second axis represents a beat period at a later time T+1, and these two periods are depicted as a single point in the representation P(T, T+1), such that the next period pair P(T+1, T+2) is plotted as a second point where P(T, T+1)→P(T+1, T+2).
[0072] Other representations are also valid, and may be chosen based on their therapeutic value. In particular, part of the assessment stage may include cycling through a variety of limit cycle representations where the one with a clinically valued global structure is selected. For example, the criterion for selection of a limit cycle representation may include the representation with the highest number of stable limit cycles, the representation with the lowest frequency limit cycle, or any number of clinically relevant endpoints.
[0073] Other limit cycle representations include producing a representation as described above for each of the electrode positions and choosing among these, and combining these chosen representations to produce correlation or difference representations, choosing a different pair set, such as P(T, T+n), where n can be any number. The different ways for representing limit cycle structure in a chaotic system are well known in the art, and any of these may apply to the present disclosure.
[0074] The methodologies described herein are limit cycle based, and are not based on individual pinned activation wave rotors. However, the effect of this limit cycle based approach is to act on at least one pinned rotor. The first effect of the present approach is to begin the unpinning of one or more rotation centers associated with an arrhythmia. A second effect is the reinforcement of the resulting stable limit cycle structure which has the consequence of preventing re-pinning of the one or more rotation centers associated with the arrhythmia. A third effect is to restore the pumping efficiency of the associated cardiac tissue, and simultaneously provide enhanced blood flow to the cardiac tissue as well as a reduction of the amount of oxygen required to produce a unit volume of blood flow. This last effect is important in instances where chronic support is unwanted or unneeded. In many cases the associated cardiac tissue is capable of sustaining regular contractility and requires only restoration to a more normal pumping efficiency in order to reduce hypersensitivity to reentrant circuits.
[0075] In other embodiments specific to atrial fibrillation, a cardioversion routine may be employed. In this case, a first stage has at least two and less than ten biphasic atrial cardioversion pulses. The intensity of these pulses is typically more than 10 volts and less than 100 volts with a pulse duration of less than 10 milliseconds. The pulse coupling interval is typically in the range of between 20 to 50 milliseconds. The first stage has a total duration of less than two cycle lengths of the arrhythmia and is triggered in relation to an R-wave and delivered within a ventricular refractory period. The energy of each biphasic atrial cardioversion pulse is to be less than 0.1 joules. A similar approach can be applied to ventricular fibrillation.
[0076] In yet other embodiments, far-field pulses can be intermixed with near field pulses. The far-field pulses will typically be less than the ventricular far field excitation threshold of approximately 10 volts with individual pulse duration of more than 5 and less than 20 milliseconds. In many cases, there is a benefit in coupling consecutive pulses, these pulses being applied according to timing information derived from the limit cycle structure, applying consecutive pulses in an interval of between 70-90% of the cycle length of the arrhythmia. In the case of near field pulses, these pulses have an amplitude of less than 10 volts with a pulse duration of more than 0.2 and less than 5 milliseconds and a pulse coupling interval of between 70-90% of the cycle length of the arrhythmia.
[0077] In yet another embodiment, certain arrhythmias are not responsive to cardioversion or defibrillation therapy. In this case, stabilizing the arrhythmia and partially decreasing the oxygen debt of the cardiac tissue can significantly improve cardiac tissue responsiveness to cardioversion or defibrillation pulses.
[0078] The prior three embodiments may comprise a serial therapy, wherein each approach is applied in succession. In this case, the application of each therapy approach may be delayed with an inter-stage delay of between 100 to 400 milliseconds.
[0079] In various embodiments, an atrial/ventricular arrhythmia treatment apparatus includes at least one electrode adapted to be implanted proximate an atrium/ventricle of a heart of a patient to deliver far field pulses and at least one electrode adapted to implanted proximate the atrium/ventricle of the heart of the patient to deliver near field pulses and sense cardiac signals.
[0080] An implantable therapy generator is operably connected to the electrodes and includes a battery system operably coupled and providing power to sensing circuitry, detection circuitry, control circuitry and therapy circuitry of the implantable therapy generator. The sensing circuitry senses cardiac signals representative of atrial activity and ventricular activity. The detection circuitry evaluates the cardiac signals representative of atrial/ventricular activity to determine an atrial/ventricular cycle length and detect an atrial/ventricular arrhythmia based at least in part on the atrial/ventricular cycle length. The control circuitry, in response to the atrial/ventricular arrhythmia, controls generation and selective delivery of therapeutic pulses.
[0081] The therapy circuitry is operably connected to the electrodes and the control circuitry and includes at least one charge storage circuit selectively coupled to the at least one far field electrode that selectively stores energy. At least one second charge storage circuit selectively coupled to the at least one near field electrode that selectively stores energy.
[0082] The methods and devices of embodiments of the present disclosure can utilize a low-voltage limit cycle phased unpinning far-field therapy together with near-field to destabilize or terminate the global rotor interference structure. A significant reduction in the energy required to convert an arrhythmia can be obtained with this limit cycle based unpinning, anti-repinning and extinguishing technique compared with conventional high-energy defibrillation, thus enabling successful cardioversion/defibrillation without exceeding the pain threshold of a patient.
[0083] Applying far-field low energy electric field stimulation in a range of time- and frequency-domains consistent with the limit cycle structure of activation waves can interrupt and terminate reentrant circuits by selectively exciting the excitable gap near cores of reentry. Prior art approaches involve stimulating the excitable gap near the core of a single circuit, and thus disrupted and terminated the reentry. However, it often the product of multiple reentry waves that results in the disaggregation of wave fronts responsible for evolution in to fibrillation. Thus the target of the present approach is to disrupt the disaggregation mechanism, either by interfering with interference dynamics or by shifting the phase of individual reentrant circuits to disrupt the interference dynamics. Since reentrant circuits are often anchored at a functionally or anatomically heterogeneous region, which constitutes the core of reentry, it may be sufficient to perturb other reentrant cycles in such a way as to annihilate an adjacent reentrant cycle.
[0084] One mechanism for adjusting interference structure is to recognize that areas near the heterogeneous regions (including the region of the core of reentry) will experience greater polarization in response to an applied electric field compared with the surrounding, more homogeneous tissue. Thus, the region near the core of reentry can be preferentially excited with very small electric fields to destabilize or terminate anchored reentrant circuits. Once destabilized, subsequent shocks can more easily terminate the arrhythmia and restore normal sinus rhythm. The advantage of the present approach is that detailed knowledge about the spatial and temporal evolution of individual reentry circuits is not necessary, since the limit cycle structure represents the superposition of the individual effects. Thus, when a therapy is applied to act on the global limit cycle structure, and the effect of those therapeutic pulses on the limit cycle structure are recorded and analyzed to instruct future therapeutic pulses, which by a series of gradual adjustments shut down aspects of the global interference effects. Thus the present method enables the amelioration of all reentrant circuits simultaneously without knowing their individual spatial and temporal dynamics.
[0085] To further optimize this low energy method of termination, multiple electric field configurations corresponding to multiple electrode configurations can be used to optimally excite multiple gaps and disrupt unstable limit cycles and reinforce stable limit cycles. These field configurations can be achieved by placing several defibrillation leads/electrodes into the coronary sinus (with both distal and proximal electrodes), the right atrial appendage, and the superior venae cavae.
[0086] In another embodiment, an electrode can be placed in the atrial septum. Electric fields can be delivered between any two or more of these electrodes as well as between one of these electrodes and the device itself. In another aspect, segmented electrodes with the ability to selectively energize one or more of the electrode segments can be used. Modulation of the electric field vector can then be used to achieve maximum coverage of the entire tissue surface within one set of shock applications or on a trial-to-trial basis. The optimal electric fields used and the correct sequence of fields can also be explored on a trial-and-error basis for each patient.
[0087] In some instances a proportional perturbation feedback procedure is more effective in terminating arrhythmias. Such an algorithm begins by determining the location of a clinically useful limit cycle unstable fixed point, as well as its local stable and unstable manifolds. In some cases there may be multiple limit cycle fixed points, and in this case it is important to determine the boundary surfaces, e.g., the points in Poincare space where the attraction or repulsion between two or more fixed points is equalized. We call this structure the Poincare map.
[0088] A Poincare map can be obtained in the non-perturbed system wherein sensing electrodes collect the system state data. A Poincare map can be obtained from each of a multiplicity of sensing electrodes. If the stable, unstable and fixed points coincide in these representations, than a single sensing point can be used. However, due to localized interference, this coincidence may not be the case. Thus we can transform each Poincare map into the others by a collection of rotations and displacements, where P1P2(r,d) is the transformation of Poincare map P1 into Poincare map P2 through a rotation r and a displacement d.
[0089] Additional information about the dynamics of the system state can be obtained by employing the virtual electrode potential (VEP) approach. This methodology creates virtual voltage sources at the centers of reentrant loops, and thus contains information about the temporal relationships between activation waves emanating from these points. The intensity of the virtual electrode effect is dependent upon the distance from the far-field electrode, thus by employing far-field sources at a number of different locations, we can map out the temporal locations of these reentrant centers. By using the sensing electrodes we can then construct far-field Poincare maps. Ideally, the sensing electrode and the far-field electrodes are the same. In this case, the far-field Poincare maps can be transformed using the rotation and displacement information obtained above. The resulting transformed Poincare maps will each contain a stable and unstable manifold, these manifolds being primarily the result of individual reentrant centers. Thus one can obtain the limit cycle structure approximately for each reentrant center. Once one makes this transformation and obtain the various stable and unstable manifolds, we can now construct a composite Poincare map template comprised of these manifolds in superposition.
[0090] Now when unperturbed dynamics is mapped onto the Poincare map template we see that a current point in Poincare space is near a particular stable manifold corresponding to a particular far-field electrode. Thus the corrective pulse is to be applied to that electrode, since due to its proximity it will have a stronger effect in regularizing the beat rate. In the application of this approach, it is understood that corrective pulses will be applied at different far-field electrodes as a function of time, and consequently the system will be perturbed to follow different stable manifolds. However, all the stable manifolds will group in a subspace of the Poincare space and thus form a hyper-stable manifold. It is therefore stabilizing regardless of which particular stable manifold is targeted at a particular point in time. Furthermore, as the cardiac system is stabilized in this way the area of the hyper-stable manifold decreases. To take advantage of this effect, intermittently the far-field stimulation can be applied to recalculate the composite Poincare template. Alternatively, the position of the individual stable manifolds can be updated by observing the probabilistic structure of the beat rate resulting from perturbation therapy.
[0091] The present disclosure may be an implantable device which uses software to control arrhythmia in the atria and ventricles. Generally, the software comprises a learning routine and a control routine. Entry of measurement input data from three probes through converter to an implanted device initiates the learning routine for real time calculation of the Poincare maps. The learning routine detects and calculates inter-beat interval data from the converter is continuously monitored in the implanted device pursuant to the software until chaotic beating occurs. The interval data is then plotted to initiate the learning routine. The intervals between chaotic beats are plotted as a Poincare map wherein one axis is the current inter-beat interval I(n) and the other axis is the prior inter-beat interval I(n−1) which defines a point P(T) and time T in the Poincare map with coordinates (I(n−1), I(n)). After a series of points are plotted one or more unstable fixed points emerge. These fixed points are determined by constructing vectors from a point P(T) at T to a point P(T+1) at later time T+1.
[0092] What emerges is a series of vectors converging on a stable manifold, following the stable manifold, and terminating at the fixed point, where the vectors then diverge from the fixed point and travel along the unstable manifold. In this way, the entire Poincare map is filled with vectors indicating the flow of Poincare points in a given region, thus providing predictive power.
[0093] This predictive power can be used to construct a corrective therapy. For any given point in time, a Poincare point with respect to the stable manifold and fixed point can be examined. A decision to perturb the cardiac system and issue a therapeutic pulse may be gated by a maximum distance D from the stable manifold or fixed point. Furthermore, the local vector structure is examined to determine that the current Poincare point is in a region of vectors pointed to the stable manifold or fixed point. The intervals corresponding to the Poincare point is then examined during the next step to re-verify that the beats are not periodic. If any of the tests performed during the program steps fails, the learning routine is reinitialized. When all such tests are passed, the fixed point is recalculated.
[0094] In testing whether the dynamics is chaotic or stable, one constructs the Jacobian from the local vector field in the Poincare map. To construct the Jacobian, we call one axis of the Poincare map x and the other axis y, then we construct the time derivatives of x and y. From these equations one constructs the Jacobian matrix, and the eigenvalues are calculated. Negative real parts of the eigenvalues indicate a stable (attractive) fixed point and positive values indicate unstable (repulsive) fixed point.
[0095] The sign of the real parts of the eigenvalues is then tested to determine their signs. Consideration may also be given to the magnitude of the eigenvalues, especially when the two eigenvalues are of different sign. If the sign is not positive, beating is not chaotic and the learning phase is reinitialized. The final step of the learning routine involves system perturbation to observe the resulting change in fixed point location.
[0096] The control routine is initiated upon termination of the learning phase by determining approach to the fixed point on the Poincare map. If the approach is close (within distance D), the next calculation is triggered, whereby a stimulus pulse is inserted at the proper time and monitoring of inter-beat intervals is continued while waiting for another close approach to the fixed point.
[0097] The aperiodic behavior or arrhythmia present in the cardiac tissue involves transient high order periodicities, wherein the nth inter-beat interval I(n) has been plotted against the previous interval I(n−1) at various stages. A typical sequence of inter-beat intervals during aperiodic beating is depicted wherein a shift in the state of the system occurs toward an unstable fixed point lying on the line of identity. Thus a point lies close to stable manifold. Other points diverge from the unstable fixed point and hence reveal an unstable manifold. The local flow geometry around fixed point is that of a saddle. In this case the saddle is a flip saddle in that the distances between successive Poincare points from the fixed point monotonically increase in an exponential fashion along the unstable manifold and the Poincare points can alternate on opposite sides of the stable manifold. The flip saddle is characterized by a short inter-beat interval followed by a long interval.
[0098] In accordance with the present disclosure, perturbation of the system being monitored is effected when the Poincare point monotonically approaches the unstable fixed point, such perturbation forcing the system Poincare point onto the stable manifold. As a result, the system state point will naturally move toward the unstable fixed point rather than away from it.
[0099] The above convergence is dramatically enhanced by considering the far-field generated stable and unstable manifolds. This provides a system-wide map with alternative stable manifolds to be selected among, as described above, wherein the distance to a stable manifold is minimized. Movement of the Poincare state point toward the stable manifold by proportional perturbation feedback acting on multiple far-field generated Poincare maps is effected pursuant to the present disclosure without parameter change. Such proportional perturbation feedback method is particularly useful where the cardiac tissue preparation possesses no systemwide parameter that can be changed with sufficient rapidity to implement corrective control.
[0100] The proportional perturbation feedback procedure of the present disclosure begins by determining the location of the unstable fixed point, and the associated stable and unstable manifolds. If P(T) is the location of the current Poincare point on the Poincare map, and t is the predicted timing of the next natural beat, the required advance in timing on the perturbation pulse is dt, which is proportional to the projection of the distance from the current point P(T) to the point P(S) on the stable manifold corresponding to P(T) as determined by the local vector field. The timing of the cardiac perturbation pulse is generated by dt which represents the amount of time to shorten an anticipated natural beat to force the next Poincare point onto the stable manifold. The foregoing proportional feedback control procedure is performed during the aforementioned learning and intervention phases.
[0101] The learning routine typically requires from 5 to 60 seconds to generate the Poincare maps, after which the chaos controlling portion of the software waits for the system to make a close approach to the unstable fixed point at a Poincare point within radius D. The next point would normally fall further out along the unstable manifold (as well as on the opposite side of the stable manifold). However, at this point the implanted device intervenes pursuant to its software by injecting the electrical-stimulus early enough so that the next Poincare point actually occurs near the stable manifold. Since the system is now close to the stable manifold, ideally the subsequent spontaneous beat would tend to move closer to the fixed point along the stable manifold. Thus, Poincare points will tend to be confined to a region near the unstable fixed point, thereby regularizing the arrhythmia.
[0102] When only the unperturbed Poincare map is used, the next Poincare point typically does not fall precisely on the stable manifold. It may also not fall within the radius D to the fixed point but still falls fairly close to the stable manifold. The result is the application of corrective pulses only intermittently, which tends not to optimize cardiac output efficiency. Without improvement in output efficiency, the cardiac tissue continues to be starved of oxygen, and thus remains dependent upon the corrective pulses. In applying the far-field generated Poincare maps, the algorithm is able to better triangulate to the stable manifold, and remains responsive to induced changes in Poincare position as the point travels through different regions of cardiac tissue corresponding to each of the reentrant centers. This tighter adjustment to the stable manifold affords a markedly better output efficiency, as well as the potential for training the cardiac tissue to adjust the phases of the separate reentrant centers to an optimal or coordinate contraction.
[0103] It is interesting to note that in several cases chaos control in accordance with the present disclosure had the additional effect of eliminating the shortest inter-beat intervals, hence reducing the average rate of tachycardia. Without an understanding of the chaotic nature of the system, it would seem paradoxical that an intervention that could only shorten the inter-beat intervals would result in a lengthening of the average interval. The only plausible explanation is that by considering the topology of individual reentrant centers, and constructing Poincare maps of each, that the system tends to optimize certain periodicities while inhibiting others. By reducing the number of interacting oscillators, whatever superposition of the reduced number of activation waves will naturally have a narrower bandwidth and lower frequency. For example, it is well known that very long inter-beat intervals tend to be followed by very short inter-beat intervals (a consequence of the properties of the flip saddle), elimination of the very long intervals also tends to eliminate very short intervals. In cases in which very short intervals predominate during the arrhythmia, their elimination during chaos control will tend to lengthen the average inter-beat interval between spontaneous beats. Thus, where chaos was successfully controlled, the-chaotic pattern of the arrhythmia was converted to a low order periodic pattern.
[0104] In accordance with the present disclosure, a control method for maintenance of cardiac chaos in a system exhibiting periodicity, involves location specific application of time-dependent perturbations of parameters based on a local vector space, and location of fixed point and stable manifold information. Cardiac tissue is readily accessible to measurement and calculation as graphical points in Poincare space on a return map providing a dynamic representation of the system being monitored. The concentration of graphical measurement points within a plurality of regions are located and identified on the return map as following paths or routes toward a loss region from which periodicity follows. Transition to periodicity occurs when progression from chaos behavior along one multiple routes is initiated.
[0105] In traditional high-voltage defibrillation therapy, a truncated exponential biphasic waveform has a lower defibrillation energy as compared to monophasic shocks. However, in the case of phased unpinning far-field therapy, the use of multiple monophasic versus multiple biphasic waveforms was recently found to be more effective in terminating ventricular arrhythmias in a rabbit model. This difference is because optimal biphasic defibrillation waveforms do not produce VEPs because of an asymmetric effect of phase reversal on membrane polarization.
[0106] In the present disclosure, multiple electric field configurations are used to optimally excite the excitable gap near one or more cores of reentry and disrupt the associated reentrant circuits. These field configurations can be achieved by placing several defibrillation leads/electrodes into the coronary sinus (with both distal and proximal electrodes), the right atrial appendage, and the superior venae cavae.
[0107] In another embodiment, an electrode can be placed in the atrial septum. Electric fields can be delivered between any two or more of these electrodes as well as between one of these electrodes and the device itself. In another aspect, segmented electrodes with the ability to selectively energize one or more of the electrode segments can be used. Modulation of the electric field vector can then be used to achieve maximum coverage of the entire atria within one set of shock applications or on a trial to trial basis. The optimal electric fields used and the correct sequence of fields can also be explored on a trial and error basis for each patient.
[0108] The implanted device can be implanted just under the left clavicle. This location places the device in approximate alignment with the longitudinal anatomical axis of the heart (an axis through the center of the heart that intersects the apex and the inter-ventricular septum). When the electrodes are implanted in this manner, the arrangement of the device and electrodes is similar in configuration to the top of an umbrella: the device constituting the ferrule of an umbrella, and the electrodes constituting the tines of the umbrella. The electrodes of the device are energized in a sequential pattern as determined by the Poincare maps to achieve electrical fields of stimulation that is similar to “stimulating” particular regions of the cardiac tissue.
[0109] In another aspect, no ventricular lead is positioned, removing the need for a lead to cross a heart valve during lead implantation. Leads may be active or passive fixation.
[0110] In another aspect, the device can be fully automatic; automatically delivering a shock protocol when arrhythmias are detected. In another aspect, the device can have a manual shock delivery; the device prompting the patient to either have a doctor authorize the device to deliver a shock protocol, or the device can prompt the patient to self-direct the device to deliver a shock protocol in order to terminate a detected arrhythmia. In another aspect, the device can be semi-automatic; a “bed-side” monitoring station can be used to permit remote device authorization for the initiation of a shock protocol when atrial arrhythmias are detected.
[0111] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the system includes an implantable housing to which is releasably attached a first atrial catheter and a ventricular catheter. The first atrial catheter has a first atrial electrode and a first defibrillation electrode and is positioned within the heart with the atrial electrode and the first defibrillation electrode in a supraventricular region of the heart. The ventricular catheter has a first ventricular electrode, and is positioned within the heart with the first ventricular electrode in a right ventricular chamber of the heart.
[0112] In an additional embodiment, the first atrial catheter further includes at least a second atrial electrode and a second defibrillation electrode. The first atrial catheter is positioned within the supraventricular region of the heart with the first atrial electrode, the first defibrillation electrode and the second atrial electrode positioned within a coronary sinus vein of the heart, and the second defibrillation electrode within the right atrium chamber or major vein leading to the heart. In a further embodiment, the elongate body of the first atrial catheter has a series of lateral deflections that mechanically biases the first atrial electrode into physical contact with the coronary sinus vein of the heart.
[0113] The embodiments above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Additional embodiments are within the claims. In addition, although aspects of the present invention have been described with reference to particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the claims.
[0114] Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize that the invention may comprise fewer features than illustrated in any individual embodiment described above. The embodiments described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of the ways in which the various features of the invention may be combined. Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, the invention may comprise a combination of different individual features selected from different individual embodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art.
[0115] Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such that no subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicit disclosure herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is further limited such that no claims included in the documents are incorporated by reference herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is yet further limited such that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated by reference herein unless expressly included herein.
[0116] For purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention, it is expressly intended that the provisions of Section 112, sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “means for” or “step for” are recited in a claim.
[0117] This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
[0118] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method, or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “service,” “circuit,” “circuitry,” “module,” and/or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.
[0119] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
[0120] Program code and/or executable instructions embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
[0121] Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer (device), partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).
[0122] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0123] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0124] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
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Electrical stimulation to cardiac tissue stabilizes atrial and ventricular arrhythmia when timed to stabilize a limit cycle structure in a Poincare map. Disclosed are methods and apparatus, operational internally or externally, for removing the reentrant effects of heterogeneity present in a diseased heart and returning the heart to an improved metabolic status allowing removal of support. The methods and apparatus disclosed are also useful in the chronic surveillance and maintenance of regularized contractility in an aged or diseased heart.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is on the basis of Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-137361, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a graphic meter display for a vehicle for displaying driving data by graphically displaying a dial plate and a pointer using such as a dot matrix type LCD.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2003-262542 discloses one of a conventional graphic meter display. When the pointer on the graphic meter display is moved rapidly, many pointer images are shown as after-images. Therefore, an object of this graphic meter display is to solve the problem, and prevents a viewer from feeling a sense of incompatibility. For solving the problem, the graphic meter display displays a shadow opposed to a moving side of the pointer when a moving speed of the pointer is over a predetermined value.
[0006] Such a display technique is called a “motion blur” technique for displaying a rapidly moving object by canceling after-images, and disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2002-15335 and No. 2003-233828.
[0007] In the graphic meter display, when a normal pointer image is displayed, the normal pointer image as a fixed pattern is drawn after determining a rotational position of the pointer image. Therefore, an image processing load is small. The motion blur pointer image is suitable for displaying a rapidly moving pointer, however, the image processing load of the motion blur pointer image is generally larger than that of the normal pointer image. Therefore, it is necessary to devise the image processing to decrease the load.
[0008] For example, as shown in FIG. 6A , when the pointer image is rotated from a pointer image a at a last frame timing to a pointer image b at a present frame timing, because the pointers a, b are rotated about the same center axis, a sector-shaped motion blur image generated by sweeping from the pointer image a to the pointer image b can be used for a realistic expression as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B . Further, in this case, as shown in FIG. 6B , gradation can be made to be gradually thinner toward a tip of the pointer. Further, as shown in FIG. 6C , gradation can be made to be gradually thicker as a rotation speed is higher. Further, as shown in FIG. 6D , a plurality of pointer images can be overlapped with each other from the pointer image a to the pointer image b.
[0009] However, in a case of the sector-shaped motion blur pointer image as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B , there is a problem that the image processing load for calculating a sector figure increases. Further, when making gradation, the load increases. Further, as shown in FIG. 6D , when the many pointer images are drawn, the load increases.
[0010] On the contrary, an inventor of the present invention found that because the motion blur image is a momentary display corresponding to a rapid rotation of the pointer, a realistic motion blur image is not necessary.
[0011] According to the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a graphic meter display to decrease an image processing load of displaying a motion blur image.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In order to attain the object, according to the present invention, there is provided a graphic meter display for displaying a rotating pointer on a graphic display screen by updating a frame at a specific timing,
[0013] wherein when a rotation speed of the pointer to be displayed is more than a specific value, the display generates a motion blur pointer image composed of a trapezoid of which opposite sides are the pointer corresponding to a last frame and the pointer corresponding to a present frame, and displays the motion blur pointer image as an image in the present frame.
[0014] Preferably, the trapezoid of the motion blur pointer image is uniformly bright.
[0015] Preferably, brightness of the motion blur pointer image is changed depending on the rotation speed of the pointer.
[0016] Preferably, the brightness of the motion blur pointer image has an inverted relationship with an area of the motion blur pointer image.
[0017] Preferably, the brightness of the motion blur pointer image has a relationship with the rotation speed of the pointer.
[0018] Preferably, a drawing range of the motion blur pointer image in the present frame is not overlapped with the drawing range of the pointer image in the last frame.
[0019] These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description along with the accompanied drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a meter for a vehicle using an embodiment of a graphic meter display according to the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a flowchart explaining a display control process of the meter for a vehicle;
[0022] FIGS. 3A , 3 B, and 3 C are explanatory views for explaining a generation process of a motion blur pointer image in the meter for a vehicle;
[0023] FIGS. 4A , 4 B, and 4 C are examples of displayed images in the meter for a vehicle;
[0024] FIGS. 5A and 5B are another generation process of the motion blur pointer image in which an overlap avoiding process is simplified; and
[0025] FIGS. 6A to 6D are explanatory views for explaining problems with the motion blur.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] Next, an embodiment of a graphic meter display according to the present invention will be explained with reference to figures. In this embodiment, the graphic meter display is used in a meter for a vehicle.
[0027] In FIG. 1 , the meter of this embodiment is composed of a microcomputer 1 , a graphic interface 2 , an LCD driver 3 , and an LCD panel as a graphic display. The microcomputer 1 includes a CPU 1 a for executing various controls and processes according to a predetermined program, a ROM 1 b storing such as the program for the CPU 1 a , a RAM 1 c for providing a working area for CPU 1 a . The ROM 1 b previously stores a still image of a substantially circular dial plate and a plurality of pointer images (normal pointer images) having position coordinates corresponding to rotation angles of a rotating pointer on the dial plate. The ROM 1 b also stores a threshold value for comparing a rotation speed. Incidentally, the normal pointer image is displayed rotatably corresponding to a rotation angle.
[0028] The microcomputer 1 generates various images based on various detecting signal of the vehicle through a data bus 5 , and sends the images to the LCD panel 4 via the graphic interface 2 and the LCD driver 3 . Then, the microcomputer 1 displays images of a speedometer, a tachometer, a fuel mater, and the like. Incidentally, in the following explanations, a rotating meter for displaying engine revolutions will be explained.
[0029] A still image of a substantially circular dial plate is displayed on the LCD panel 4 , and a moving image of a pointer rotating corresponding to the engine revolutions is displayed on a graduations of the dial plate. The dial plate is, for example, displayed as an image having white graduations and numbers with a black background, and the pointer (normal pointer image) is, for example, displayed as a red image. The pointer image is switched at every unit time (a specific timing) T 0 (= 1/60 (sec)) with a rotation value (angle) sampled at every unit time T 0 . Further, each screen at the unit time T 0 is a frame. When the pointer image is displayed, a difference of the position coordinates (rotation speed of the pointer) is calculated based on an angular difference of the pointer between the latest and the last time rotation values, and the pointer image is selected or calculated based on the rotation speed of the pointer. Namely, when the rotation speed (amount of change) is less than a threshold value, a normal pointer image is selected, and when the rotation speed is equal to or more than the threshold value, the motion blur pointer image is obtained. Then, as shown in a flowchart of FIG. 2 , the frame is switched at every unit time. This display is called “drawing” in the process of the CPU 1 a.
[0030] A flowchart of FIG. 2 is a pointer drawing process subroutine repeated at every frame. The process is executed by inputting a rotation value corresponding to a rotation speed of an engine at every unit time T 0 using a main processing and a timer interrupt. First, the CPU 1 a erases the last time drawing pointer image (normal, intermediate, or motion blur pointer image) at step S 1 , then calculates a drawing position of the latest pointer image at step S 2 . Next, at step S 3 , a variation is calculated based on a difference between the last time and the latest rotation values, and judges whether an absolute value of the variation is equal to or more than the threshold value. If the absolute value is equal to or less than the threshold value, the normal pointer image is drawn at step S 4 , then, the RAM 1 c stores drawing position data of the normal pointer image (for example, coordinates of a tip end of the normal pointer image) at step S 5 , and then, the process returns to step S 1 .
[0031] When the absolute value is more than the threshold value at step S 3 , the CPU 1 a judges whether the last time pointer image is the motion blur pointer image or not at step S 6 . If the last time pointer image is the motion blur pointer image, the CPU 1 a calculates the drawing position (coordinates) of the motion blur pointer image at step S 7 . Then, at step S 8 , the motion blur pointer image is drawn. Then, at step S 9 , the drawing position data of the motion blur pointer image is stored in the RAM 1 c , and the process returns to step S 1 .
[0032] If the last image is not the motion blur pointer image at step S 6 , the drawing position of the motion blur pointer image is obtained at step S 10 . Then, at step S 11 , a later-described overlap avoiding process for the obtained motion blur pointer image and the last normal pointer image is executed. Then, at step S 12 , the motion blur pointer image is drawn. Then, at step S 13 , the drawing position of the motion blur pointer image is stored in the RAM 1 c , and the process returns to step S 1 .
[0033] FIGS. 3A , 3 B, and 3 C are explanatory views for explaining a generation process of the motion blur pointer image in the meter for a vehicle. First, as shown in FIG. 3A , supposing that the rotation speed from a pointer “a” in the last frame to a pointer “b” in the present frame is more than the threshold value, and the pointer “a” is the normal pointer image. In this case, in the present frame, the motion blur pointer image is drawn instead of the pointer “b”.
[0034] This motion blur pointer image is composed of a line AB defined by tips A, B of the pointer “a”, a line C′ B′ defined by tips C′, B′ of the pointer “b”, a line AC′ and a line BB′. This trapezoid area ABB′C′ is easily obtained with the coordinates of the tips A, B, B′, C′. Next, as shown in FIG. 3B , a motion blur pointer image 20 composed of a concave pentagon ACBB′C′ is obtained. This is the overlap avoiding process at step S 11 . Incidentally, the concave pentagon is calculated by subtracting a triangle area ABC as a drawing range of the pointer “a” from the trapezoid area ABB′C′. This subtraction is easily executed with a simple image processing.
[0035] When the motion blur pointer image is displayed in both the last frame and the present frame, as shown in FIG. 3C , a trapezoid area C′B′B″C″ as the motion blur pointer image 20 in the present frame is obtained from tips B′, C′ of the motion blur pointer image 20 in the last frame and tips C″, B″ of the motion blur pointer image 20 in the present frame. In this case, naturally, the overlap avoiding process is not needed. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B , the overlap avoiding process for the normal pointer image and the motion blur pointer image can be further simplified. Namely, as shown in FIG. 5A , a trapezoid CBB′C′ composed of a line CB defined by tips C, B of the pointer “a”, a line C′B′ defined by tips C′, B′ of the pointer “b”, a line CC′, and a line BB′ is obtained. The trapezoid CBB′C′ corresponds to a motion blur pointer image 20 ′ as shown in FIG. 5B .
[0036] According to the above process, for example, displays shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C are displayed. FIG. 4A shows a normal pointer image 10 . FIG. 4B shows the motion blur pointer image 20 in the present frame. In this case, when the motion blur pointer image 20 is drawn in the present frame, the image in the last frame is canceled and an afterimage 10 ′ is bright. Brightness of this afterimage 10 ′ is a little lower than that of the normal pointer image. The afterimage 10 ′ and the motion blur pointer image 20 are simultaneously seen. However, because the afterimage 10 ′ is not overlapped with the motion blur pointer image 20 , uneven brightness caused by the overlapping is not occurred. FIG. 4C shows a state that the new motion blur pointer image 20 is drawn in the present frame and the afterimage 20 ′ in the last frame remains.
[0037] Brightness L of the motion blur pointer image 20 is constant in one motion blur pointer image 20 in at least one frame. However, the brightness may be varied corresponding to the movement of the pointer in each frame.
[0038] For example, an area S of the motion blur pointer image 20 is substantially proportional to the rotation speed of the pointer. Therefore, the brightness L of the motion blur pointer image 20 is so determined that S * L is constant.
[0039] Namely, the area S has an inverted relationship with the brightness L (in this case, inverse proportion). Thus, when the rotation speed of the pointer is high, the brightness L is low. When the rotation speed is low, the brightness L is high. Thus, the movement of the pointer image looks like a movement of an analog pointer.
[0040] Further, inversely, when the rotation speed of the pointer is high, the brightness L may be high, and when the rotation speed is low, the brightness L may be low. According to such expressions, an acceleration of the pointer of the speedometer can be expressed by the amount of brightness.
[0041] In the above embodiment, whether switching the motion blur pointer image to the normal pointer image and whether switching the normal pointer image to the motion blur pointer image are judged by comparing the rotation speed with the threshold value. However, it is acceptable that two threshold values are used for the comparison and a hysteresis characteristic is added. In this case, a first threshold value is used for switching the motion blur pointer image to the normal pointer image, and the second threshold value is used for switching the normal pointer image to the motion blur pointer image.
[0042] In the above embodiment, the engine revolution indicator for a vehicle with the graphic meter display is explained. However, the speedometer also can use the graphic meter display.
[0043] In the above embodiment, an LCD is used as a graphic display device. However, an Organic EL display, a Plasma display, or the like can be used.
[0044] In the above embodiment, the graphic meter display is used for a vehicle meter. However, the graphic meter display may be used for other meters.
[0045] Although the present invention has been fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention hereinafter defined, they should be construed as being included therein.
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A trapezoid-shaped motion blur pointer image is composed of edges of normal pointer images. The normal pointer image and the motion blur pointer image are not overlapped with each other to prevent unevenness in brightness. The brightness of the motion blur pointer image is even in a whole area of the motion blur pointer image. The brightness of the motion blur pointer image has an inverted relationship with an area thereof, or is varied corresponding to a rotation speed of the pointer image.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] “Not Applicable”
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] “Not Applicable”
REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”
[0003] “Not Applicable”
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] (1) Field of the Invention
[0005] The present invention relates to windborne or propelled debris protection equipment such as hurricane shutters or storm shutters, which protects wall openings or window, for example, from violent storms.
[0006] (2) Description of the Related Art
[0007] Hurricanes, Cyclones, Tornados or other violent storms have caused enormous damage to homes, businesses, and structures due to the high winds and the subsequent windbome debris. In particular Hurricanes, have become more of a concern in recent years with the increased construction of homes in coastal areas of the United States of America. The coastal areas are the most susceptible to the hurricanes and to it's destructive forces. There are several types of protection on the market. The simplest form of hurricane protection for a building is metal hurricane shutters. They are basically corrugated metal that are attached over the window. The basic premise is to protect the building from over pressurization as well as keep the wind and rain from entering the building. Since the glazing, in the window, is the most fragile, it required to be protected from windborne debris associated with a violent storm such as a hurricane. If the windows are not protected, debris such as roofing tile, can penetrate the window and allow wind and rain to enter the building. The wind can be powerful enough to blow the roof off once the window has been broken. This causes enormous damage to the building and can cause deaths.
[0008] The problem with hurricane storm panels or shutters, is that they are heavy and difficult to install. They will take a homeowner a full day to install shutters on his/her home. Due to difficulty with the installation, the shutters are often left on the home during the entire hurricane season. The shutters, left on during the hurricane season, have caused deaths in the past. If a fire breaks out in the home, the residents can be trapped in the home, due to the shutters.
[0009] Storm Panels are either galvanized or aluminum steel corrugated steel panels that are installed over the window. The advantages of this system is that they are relatively inexpensive. The disadvantage of this system is that they are not easily installed due to heavy weight and size and are time consuming to install.
[0010] There are other types of protection on the market such as accordion shutters, rolldown, bahama shutters which are based on a metal material. They are inherently expensive to purchase as well as being difficult to install.
[0011] Accordian Shutters are generally made of Aluminum that form an accordion shape when opening and closing. The advantage of this system is the ease of operation and they are generally permanently attached for which requires no installation prior to the storm. The disadvantage of this system is that it often does not match the exterior design of the building and the cost is significantly more than Storm Panels.
[0012] An example of an accordion shutter is in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,185 by Robinson and Tillit, Sep. 28, 1999 with their deployable and stackable accordion shutter system. The merits of this invention are that it can be deployed quickly and easily and not take up much space within the window space. As stated above the cost of this type of shutter are expensive. In addition, the shutter is solid and does not allow light to enter the building. This is an depressing and irritating thing for the homeowners who live in a cave.
[0013] In recent years, there has been several hurricane products that utilize a fabric material and have been patented. U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,085, by Gower utilizes a fabric that is anchored above and below the window usually anchored to the ground and place at an incline to ground. The fabric is to the wall using straps or some other method. The fabric hurricane protection is installed when a hurricane is approaching and is removed after the hurricane has passed. The fabric system is not stretched nor is it tight in any way. The fabric forms the necessary barrier to protect the window opening from wind borne debris as intended.
[0014] Another invention, which is comparable to the present invention is U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,300, Hudoba, dated May 3, 2005 which utilized a frame and fabric which is stretched within a frame and is installed as storm panel would be installed. The panel is made of fabric and has several features such as being light weight and could be installed on tracks or directly to the wall. The fabric and frame would then be stored when not in use.
[0015] There are several differences between this patent and present invention in that the fabric is stretched using a rod and lever arm with a pin that will keep the fabric tight after being installed. The present invention will roll up and can be covered with covering if the home owner requests. The present invention will be rolled up and placed into a tube or box when not in use. The present invention involves installing the invention and then tightening the fabric while on the wall creating strong barrier. The prior art acts like a storm panel except it is a steel frame with fabric in the middle.
[0016] Another U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,455, by Gunn, introduces a new type of hurricane protection that rolls up and is stretched to form a strong barrier against wind borne debris. This device does meet some of the requirements. The invention has the ease of use since it rolls up into a nice covering over the window. The invention allows light into the home since the fabric is translucent.
[0017] There are no specific prior art that is similar to the present invention in the specific design and purpose. The closest prior art to is the invention done by Cameron Gunn, U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,085, which involves stretching a fabric over the window and rolling it up into the covering. The present invention has some similar features, however has been developed as lower cost alternative and more similar to the storm panels. The preferred embodiment is a simple approach to protecting the home and has many features that are considered desirable.
[0018] The present invention has been developed as a low cost alternative to all other hurricane protection devices out on the market and competes with the lowest cost alternative to the galvanized panels. The primary problem of mitigation of disasters is the cost of the protection. The home owner or building owner will look at the risk and the frequency of the risk and determine what an acceptable cost to prevent the disaster is. The less the cost, the more likely the building owner will purchase the mitigation device. The important feature of the preferred embodiment is the low cost and the known performance of the high strength fabric.
[0019] The present invention also allows the user to store the product in housing so that it will not have to be stored. If the present invention is stored, it can be rolled up into a tight roll and stored easily. The present invention could also utilize a flexible high strength material such as a high strength fabric that is transulant so that during a severe storm and present invention is being used, the user will not have to be in the dark during the severe storm. In the case of a hurricane, the present invention could be installed several days before the hurricane can arrive and the user will not be in the dark.
[0020] The preferred embodiment of the invention is comprised of high strength fabric that is light weight. The current problem with the existing products, in particular, the storm panels is that they are heavy and bothersome to install. In addition, due to their weight, they are dangerous when product slips out the hands of the user. The light weight feature of the present invention provides an advantage to existing products in the market.
[0021] In order to produce a product for the hurricane protection industry, there are standardized testing requirements for the protective devices to meet for strength and integrity. The tests are designed to simulate the hurricane wind force winds and to simulate flying debris in a hurricane. The primary purpose of the standardized testing requirements or codes is to ensure that the hurricane protection on the home is suitable for the service and will protect the home and the occupants.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0022] The invention relates to an original design for an exterior covering of wall openings for use in protecting all wall openings in buildings from severe wind and rain damage or from windbome debris objects during violent storms, such as hurricanes. The design involves using a flexible high strength material such as high strength fabric that is stretched over the wall opening utilizing various methods to stretch the fabric to provide a protective barrier. The invention also relates to similar design within the window frame to combine the protective barrier with window frame. This combined feature can also be used as an exterior window shade.
[0023] The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a protective cover assembly which has many of the advantages of the existing shutters mentioned, heretofore and many novel features that result in a new protective cover assembly which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or implied by any of the prior art.
[0024] There has been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
[0025] 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 details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0026] Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
[0027] A high strength flexible material, such as a high strength fabric is secured at the top of window using an anchoring system and at the bottom of the window there are brackets and a circular rigid member which is connected to the fabric and the rigid circular member is attached to the wall. The anchors and brackets connect the assembly to the wall in the preferred embodiment. In this application the entire assembly will be marginally larger than the window opening. Once all the components are installed, then the user will use a lever to turn the bottom tube a specified length thus tightening the fabric over the opening to form a strong barrier. The tube is then locked into the place with a pin in the preferred embodiment. There are alternative embodiments presented that will lock the tube in place after being turned. There are alternative embodiments that will also stretch the fabric.
[0028] Once the bottom tube is turned and locked into place, there is a strong barrier over the opening which will protect it from flying debris. The barrier will also resist wind in the case of a hurricane, tornado or severe storm.
[0029] There are alternative embodiments presented as it relates to the installation of the assembly, covering of the assembly, and integration into a window frame or opening. In addition, the preferred embodiment can be installed sideways and upside down according the to needs of the user and architectural preference.
[0030] There is one additional feature of the present invention is that it can be used as an awning when employing the awning option. There are users that may wish to utilize the hurricane protection as awning to add value to their structure. It is a relatively small investment to utilize both and the present invention offers this feature.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] FIG. 1 —is the three dimensional view of the installed preferred embodiment of the protective cover, over a window on a residential house in the protective mode or in the closed position.
[0032] FIG. 2 —is an exploded three dimensional view of the preferred embodiment of the protective cover showing how the components go together on the side of a house.
[0033] FIG. 3 —is a three dimension detail view of the preferred embodiment locking mechanism of the tube using a pin and eyebolt.
[0034] FIG. 4 —is a three dimensional detail view of an alternate embodiment locking mechanism of the tube using the lever and a separate bracket with a pin.
[0035] FIG. 5 —is an exploded three dimensional view of an alternate embodiment of the invention where there are brackets on the top and bottom to place out from the wall further.
[0036] FIG. 6 —is detailed three dimensional view of the alternative embodiment locking mechanism of the tube using a ratcheting system which does not allow the rotation of the tube.
[0037] FIG. 7 —is 2 dimension front and side view of the ratchet and pawl assembly.
[0038] FIG. 8 —is a three dimensional view of the preferred embodiment with the brackets located on the top and with additional supports to form an awning for the window while utilizing the protective features of the invention
[0039] FIG. 9 —is a three dimensional view of the preferred embodiment of the invention when utilizing the alternative feature of the awning.
[0040] FIG. 10 —is an exploded three dimensional view of the alternate embodiment locking mechanism using a ratcheting system.
[0041] FIG. 11 —is 3 dimensional view of an alternative method of stretching the fabric using a ratcheting tool that clamps on the bottom and pulls down allowing the bottom member to be attached to the wall at the correct location.
[0042] FIG. 12 —is a 2 dimensional view of the fabric showing how the preferred embodiment of the fabric is being sewn to have pouches for the components.
[0043] FIG. 13 —is a 3 dimensional view of the assembly with a cover used to contain the assembly when not in use.
[0044] FIG. 14 —is a 3 dimensional view of the assembly cover of the preferred embodiment showing a hinged section.
[0045] FIG. 15 —is a 3 dimensional view of the fabric tube of the preferred embodiment and attachedment of the fabric to tube using a slot in the fabric tube and using a fabric rod.
[0046] FIG. 16 —is a 3 dimensional view of the high strength fabric and the awning material showing how the awning would go over the high strength fabric when the option for the awning is utilized.
[0047] FIG. 17 —is a 3 dimensional view of the assembly on the house where there are grommets on the top of the fabric which is attached to the wall and there is not rigid member at the top.
[0048] FIG. 18 —is a 3 dimensional view of the assembly on the house where there is a heavy bar on the bottom to stretch the fabric into place as an alternative embodiment.
[0049] FIG. 19 —is a 3 dimensional view of the assembly that is integrated into a window frame utilizing the same components.
[0050] FIG. 20 —is a 3 dimensional view of a standard window.
[0051] FIG. 21 —is a 3 dimensional exploded view of the simplified protective cover assembly integrated into the window frame in the open position or not in use position.
[0052] FIG. 22 —is a 3 dimensional view of the simplified protective cover assembly integrated into the window frame in the closed position or operational position.
[0053] FIG. 23 —is a 3 dimensional exploded view of the simplified protective cover assembly integrated into the window frame with a motor drive to lower and raise the fabric.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0054] A simplified protective cover assembly for wall openings which embodies the concepts of the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. I representing a single protective covering over a window at a house. The protective cover can be various sizes to cover the various sizes such as sliding glass doors, doors or windows, and is shown on one type of window in the drawing for illustration purposes and one form of the present invention. The simplified protective cover assembly of the preferred embodiment of the invention includes a high strength fabric 8 , a fabric rod 3 , near wall brackets 1 , rectangular bar 4 , fabric tube 10 , wing nuts 6 , bar anchors 5 , anchors 11 , anchor screws 12 , eyebolt 13 , and pin 7 . The materials to be used for the simplified protective cover assembly are only limited by their strength, weather resistance, weight and costs. The new wall brackets 1 , fabric rod 3 , rectangular bar 4 , wing nuts 6 , lever 9 , eyebolt 13 , pin 7 , anchors 11 and bar anchors 5 can be plastic, composite, or metal. The preferred materials for these items is metal and for most parts aluminum is preferred due the corrosion resistance and light weight. The high strength fabric 8 can come a variety of materials such polypropylene, Kevlar, geomembranes, permalon, polyester, spectra and other high strength fabrics. The simplified protective assembly is typically placed on the exterior of the building but first installing the bar anchors 5 on the top of the opening in measure locations and installing the anchors 6 at the bottom of the wall opening. The anchors 5 are installed by drilling a hole into the wall 16 and insert anchor 5 into the hole. The bar anchors 5 are installed by drilling a hole in the wall 16 and then drilling the bar anchors 5 into the drilled hole. The high strength fabric 8 is slide into the slot with the fabric rod 3 that is located in fabric tube 10 which is illustrated in FIG. 15 . The high strength fabric 8 is connected to the fabric tube 10 once the high strength fabric 8 is slide through the entire fabric tube 10 . On the top of the high strength fabric 8 , there is a slot in the high strength fabric 8 and the rectangular bar 4 is slide into the high strength fabric 8 and aligned with the holes that are in the high strength fabric 8 and the holes in the rectangular bar 4 . The near wall brackets 1 are attached the wall 16 by placing the near wall bracket 1 on the wall 15 with the holes of the near wall bracket 1 aligning with anchors 11 and then using anchor screws to attach near wall bracket 1 to the wall 16 which is also illustrated in FIG. 2 . Once the near wall brackets I are attached to the wall 15 , then the fabric assembly with the rectangular bar 4 inserted, and the high strength fabric 8 attached to the fabric tube 10 is lifted so that the fabric tube 10 is inserted into the near the wall brackets I and lifted so that the holes the rectangular bar 4 holes are place on the bar anchors 5 which are protruding from the wall 15 . Once the rectangular bar 4 is in place which is also illustrated in FIG. 2 , the wing nuts 6 will be placed on the bar anchors 5 thus attaching it to the wall 16 . Once all the wings nuts 6 are placed as shown in FIG. 2 , the high strength fabric 8 is ready to be stretched using lever 9 . Lever 9 , as shown in FIG. 2 , will be placed into a hole in the fabric tube 10 . Once the lever 9 is placed into a hole in fabric tube 10 , the lever 9 is pushed upwards and thus rotating the fabric tube 10 and tightening the fabric. In FIG. 3 , the preferred embodiment of the locking mechanism of the tube is shown. Once the fabric tube 10 is rotated it is locked into place, therefore maintaining tightness, buy placing the pin 7 through the eyebolt 13 and fabric tube 10 thus locking the fabric tube 10 in place. The high strength fabric 8 is now taunt or drum like so that flying debris or wind will be repelled. In FIG. 17 , the assembly is exactly the same as FIG. 1 , however there is no rectangular bar 4 and there is grommets 36 place in the fabric which greats holes so that high strength fabric 8 is attached to wall using bar anchors 5 and wing nut 6 . There are several methods to lock the fabric tube 10 in place and the present invention has alternative embodiments however does not preclude from other forms of locking the fabric in place. In FIG. 4 , the alternative embodiment is presented for locking the fabric tube 10 into place. In this alternative embodiment a permanent lever 18 is utilized in the place of pin 7 as in FIG. 3 . In alternative embodiment a permanent lever 18 is turned upwards and locked into place using permanent lever pin 20 and permanent lever bracket 19 . The permanent lever bracket 19 would be installed onto the wall using anchors 11 and anchor screws 12 similar the way the near wall brackets I were installed in FIG. 2 . In this alternative embodiment the permanent lever 18 will always be attached.
[0055] In FIG. 6 , another alternative embodiment is presented, is a 3 dimensional view a ratchet system which comprises of ratchet wheel 14 A, pawl 14 B, shoulder screw 14 C and ratchet bracket 2 . As seen in FIG. 6 , the ratchet wheel 14 A would fit into the fabric tube 10 to make a connection of the fabric tube 10 to the ratchet wheel 14 A. The fabric tube 10 would rotate within the ratchet bracket 2 by turning the ratchet wheel 14 A with the ratchet handle 31 . By turning the ratchet wheel 14 A, the fabric tube 10 would rotate and tighten the high strength fabric 8 . Once the high strength fabric 8 is tightened the pawl 14 B would engage the ratchet wheel 14 A and not allow for reverse motion. This would essentially lock the fabric tube 10 in place and keep the high strength fabric 8 in tension and protecting the opening. The pawl 14 B is attached the ratchet bracket 2 through the use of a shoulder screw 14 C. The ratchet bracket 2 would be placed on the wall 16 the same wall that the near wall brackets 1 with anchors 11 and anchor screws 12 as shown in FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 is an exploded 3 dimension view of the simplified protective cover assembly with the ratchet wheel 14 A, ratchet bracket 2 and pawl 14 B. In FIG. 10 , the only difference between FIG. 1 and FIG. 10 is the alternative embodiment as shown in FIG. 6 is replacing the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3 .
[0056] In FIG. 5 , there a 3 dimensional alternative embodiment of the assembly which is further off the wall for different code requirements. The anchors 11 are placed into the wall 16 as described in FIG. 1 using a drill and placing the anchors 11 into the holes. This done in all locations indicated in FIG. 5 . The high strength fabric 8 is slide onto fabric tube 10 as shown in FIG. 15 using fabric rod 3 . The top of the high strength fabric 8 has a opening so that the tube extended 21 can be slide into to the high strength fabric 8 . The top extended brackets 22 are installed onto the wall 16 by aligning the anchors 11 with the holes in the extended brackets 22 and placing anchor screws 12 into the anchors 11 thus attaching the extended brackets 22 to the wall 16 . Then lifting the fabric assembly which included high strength fabric 8 , fabric rod 3 , tube extended 21 , the extend tube 21 is placed in the extended brackets 22 where the assembly will hang. Now the bottom extended brackets 22 will be attached to the wall 16 using anchor screws 12 with fabric tube 10 in the extended brackets 22 . Once all the anchor screws 12 are installed as shown in FIG. 5 , the fabric tube 10 is rotated with the lever 9 and locked into place with pin 7 as shown in FIG. 3 . The high strength fabric 8 is now taunt and drums like to resist all flying debris and wind.
[0057] In FIG. 8 , there is 3 dimensional view of conversion of the simplified protective cover assembly to an awning utilizing many of the same components. The fabric tube 10 is located on the top in the near wall brackets 1 where the high strength fabric 8 is rolled up a little longer than final location for awning and locked into place as done FIG. 3 with pin 7 and eyebolt 13 . After the high strength fabric 8 is rolled up on fabric tube 10 to specified height an awning fabric 27 that is sewn similar to pillow case is place over the high strength fabric 8 and then attached to another fabric tube 10 as the shown in FIG. 15 except the awning fabric 27 is place in the slot. Then the top fabric tube 10 is rotated using the lever 9 to the specified height while rotating the awning fabric 27 around the top fabric tube 10 . The awning brackets 23 are attached to the wall using anchors 11 and anchor screws. The awning bar 24 is placed into the awning brackets 23 and secured in place by the awning pin 25 and the other end of the awning bar 24 is connected to the bottom fabric tube 10 through pressure fit holes. A protective cover 28 as shown in FIG. 9 which is a 3 dimensional drawing of the awning option on the house. The added feature of an awning makes the hurricane protection device more attractive on the house as well has reduces the heat entering the house during the summer thus reducing the energy bills.
[0058] FIG. 14 is 3 dimensional drawing showing the preferred embodiment of the assembly cover 28 which consists of an aluminum extruded piece with screw bosses and end cover plates 33 which can be screwed into assembly cover 28 . In addition, the assembly cover is attached the wall using hinges 35 which are also attached the assembly cover 28 . The hinge 28 allows the assembly cover 28 to open up and be able to place the simplified protective cover assembly in for storage. The hole in the bottom of the assembly cover 28 is to fasten to wall using anchor 11 and anchor screws 12 when in storage as well has hold open the assembly cover 28 .
[0059] FIG. 13 is a 3 dimensional view of the protective cover assembly being stored in the assembly cover 28 over the window 15 . This is what would look like when stored and put away until the next severe weather event.
[0060] FIG. 11 is a 3 dimensional view of an alternate embodiment of an alternate method to tighten the high strength fabric over the window. In this figure, the simplified protective covering assembly is similar to FIG. 1 except rectangular bar 4 is place on the bottom and is attached to a ratcheting box which consists of fabric tube 10 placed in ratchet pull bracket 30 where the holes are located. The fabric tube 10 is connected to ratchet 14 A similar to FIG. 6 . The fabric tube 10 is connected to the ratchet pull cables 29 which as feed through the fabric tube 10 and tied at the end. As the fabric tube 10 is turning, the ratchet pull cables 29 are pulling down on bottom rectangular bar 4 . The ratchet pull cables 29 are attached to bottom rectangular bar 4 using cable connection screws 32 . The ratchet box is just temporary and is attached to the wall using anchors 11 and anchor screws 12 . Once the components are in place as shown in FIG. 11 , the ratchet wheel 14 A is turned using ratchet handle 31 which lowers the bottom rectangular bar 4 to the predetermined location. When first installing the simplified protective covers assembly in this alternative embodiment, you will install the top rectangular bar with fabric first and then according to instruction the bottom anchors 11 will be installed below where the bottom rectangular bar 4 is located. By rotating the ratchet wheel 14 A with ratchet handle, the bottom rectangular bar 4 is lowered and the user will match the holes in the rectangular bar with the bottom anchors 11 . When the holes line up, anchor screws 12 will be inserted into anchors 11 . The high strength fabric 8 is stretched over the window 15 . The ratchet wheel 14 A can be released by lifting the pawl 14 B and the ratchet pull cables 29 will be loosened. By removing the cable connection screws 32 and the anchor screws 12 that connect the ratchet box to the wall, the entire assembly can be removed and used on another opening. This will provide a less expensive method of stretching the fabric.
[0061] FIG. 18 is a three dimensional view of a simplier version of the simplified protective covering assembly which is similar in configuration with FIG. 11 except there is no ratchet box. The rectangular bar 4 is attached to the top of the opening and is attached to the high strength fabric 8 using a slot in the high strength fabric 8 . The rectangular bar 4 and the high strength fabric 8 is attached to the wall 16 over the window 15 using bar anchors 5 and is attached using wing nuts 6 . At the bottom slot in the high strength fabric 8 , the heavy steel bar 37 is inserted. There are holes in the heavy steel bar 37 similar to the rectangular bar 4 . The heavy steel bar 37 is heavy therefore is stretching the high strength fabric over the window. The heavy steel bar 37 is attached to the wall 16 similar to rectangular bar 4 using anchors 5 and wing nuts 6 . This the alternate embodiment to stretch the fabric using weights as opposed to a device. FIG. 19 is a 3 dimensional exploded view of an window frame with integrated components to house the simplified protective covering assembly. In standard construction of aluminum windows, there are extruded parts that are connected by screws and the window pane 44 is housed within the frame when screwed together. In FIG. 19 , the typical extrusions for the window structure are modified to accept the simplified protective cover assembly. The top extrusion is the Interior window assembly 39 which will house the high strength fabric 8 which is attached to the fabric tube 10 and the rectangular bar 4 is attached to the bottom of the high strength fabric and it is rolledup in side the interior window assembly 39 when not in use. On either side of the interior window assembly 39 , there are interior window tube brackets 38 which will support the fabric tube 10 when inside the interior window assembly 39 . On interior window tube brackets 38 , there are two holes which will attach directly into the interior of the wall opening for added support for wind loads and loading on the fabric tube 10 when deployed. On the left side there is left window frame 41 which attaches to both the interior window tube brackets 38 and interior window assembly 39 by using window assembly screws 40 by screwing into the screw bossed in the interior window assembly 39 . On the right side there is right window frame 42 which attaches to both the interior window tube brackets 38 and interior window assembly 39 by using window assembly screws 40 by screwing into the screw bossed in the interior window assembly 39 . In the right window frame 42 , there are slots and room to use the lever 9 and insert pin 7 . On the bottom there is the bottom window frame 45 which attaches to the left window frame 41 using window assembly screws 40 and the right window frame 42 is attached to the bottom window frame 45 using window assembly screws 40 . During the assembly of the window frames, the window pane 44 and middle window frame 43 are installed within the window frames as they would normally. Added window pane decorative attachements 46 also are placed over the window panes 44 for added support. Once the window is assembled it is ready to work. The high strength fabric 8 is pulled by rectangular bar 4 and brought down to line up the holes in the bottom window frame 45 and using window bolts 55 , the retangular bar 4 with the high strength fabric 8 is attached to the window bottom frame 45 . Then using the lever 9 , the high strength fabric 8 is tightened and lined up with hole on the right window frame 42 and the hole in the fabric tube 10 and then insert the pin 7 similar to FIG. 3 . The high strength fabric 8 is stretch and ready for the next storm. This same process could be used as a shade at night or during the day.
[0062] FIG. 20 is a 3 dimensional drawing of a typical window for comparision to a reengineered version with simplified protective covering assembly integrated into the window frame.
[0063] FIG. 21 is a 3 dimensional drawing of the window frame with simplified protective covering assembly integrated into the window frame in the open position or not in use position.
[0064] FIG. 22 is a 3 dimensional drawing of the window frame with simplified protective covering assembly integrated into the window frame in the closed position or in use position.
[0065] FIG. 23 is a 3 dimensional drawing of the window frame with simplified protective covering assembly integrated into the window frame but with a motor operator with a manual override. It is same as the FIG. 19 except the right window frame with motor compartment 54 is larger than right window frame 42 to allow room for the motor 5 which is connected to a bevel gear system 49 which is connected to the fabric tube 10 using specially made bevel gear system 49 that has the part that fits in the fabric tube 10 . The motor 50 is connected to the right window frame with motor compartment 54 by using motor strap 51 and motor strap anchors 52 . The bottom window frame with lip 48 is assembled the same as the bottom window frame 45 . The added lip on the bottom window frame lip 48 is to allow the user to lock in the place the rectangular bar 4 in the bottom by using interior set of pins 47 that are pushed in from inside the house on the main connected shaft and is attached to the interior of wall using anchors 11 and anchor screws 12 . The motor 50 will roll the high strength fabric 8 up and down and will lock into place when not in use. This will stretch the high strength fabric to the designed tension and protect the opening. As a back up incase of power failure, the original lever 9 and pin 7 will work as in FIG. 19 .
[0066] The reader can see that the simplified protective cover assembly of the preferred embodiment of the invention provides a easy to use and easy to install protective cover for wall openings that is of high strength to protect against high wind and wind borne debris.
[0067] The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described for the purposes of presentation. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the preferred embodiment disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.
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A simplified protective cover assembly used to cover and protect openings such as doors, windows, or other openings for homes, office building, commercial buildings, and other wall structures from the destructive forces of a severe storm such as a hurricane. The current form of the preferred embodiment consists of high strength fabric covering an opening and be supported by steel bar and circular tube and being attached to wall. Once installed, the high strength fabric is stretched over the opening using a lever and pin. The high strength fabric, once stretched, will provide protection form high winds and wind borne debris common in storms such as hurricanes. There are additional features presented in the patent that will hide the simplified protective cover as well as turn into an awning which can reduce the heat into the house during summer months and reduce electric bills.
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IDENTIFICATION OF RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
This application is related to four other concurrently filed patent applications, namely U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/192336, entitled “Snow Plow Quick Connect/Disconnect Hitch Mechanism and Method,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/192225, entitled “Snow Plow Having an In-Line Frame Design and Method of Making the Same,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/192577, entitled “Spring Bracket Design and Method for Snow Plow Blade Trip Mechanism,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/192230, entitled “Back Blade Wearstrip for Efficient Backward Operation of Snow Plows and Method for Facilitating the Same,” all assigned to the assignee of the present patent application, which four patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to snow plows for use with light and medium duty trucks, and more particularly to an improved snow plow having an impact-absorbing mechanism which absorbs the shocks of both the tripping of the snow plow blade upon striking an object and the spring-biased return of the snow plow blade to its original position.
Once the exclusive domain of municipality-operated heavy trucks, snow plows have been used with light and medium duty trucks for decades. As would be expected in any area of technology which has been developed for that period of time, snow plows for light and medium duty trucks have undergone tremendous improvement in a wide variety of ways over time, evolving to increase both the usefulness of the snow plows as well as to enhance the ease of using them. The business of manufacturing snow plows for light and medium duty trucks has been highly competitive, with manufacturers of competing snow plows differentiating themselves based on the features and enhanced technology that they design into their products.
When plowing snow, a not infrequent occurrence is striking an object which is concealed beneath the snow. This occurs particularly often when plowing roads which are not paved, such as, for example, gravel roads or dirt roads. Since roads being plowed are typically frozen, it is common for an object of significant size to become frozen into the road. For example, medium size rocks or sticks which would not present a significant obstacle were they loose on the surface of the road can present a problem when they are frozen into the surface of the road and concealed beneath a layer of snow. In addition, when significant snow depth covers the area being plowed, the operator may miscalculate and drive the snow plow into a fixed obstacle such as a curb.
For this reason, snow plow blades have for some time been manufactured with a blade trip mechanism which allows the bottom of the blade to yield upon substantial impact. This is typically accomplished through the mounting of the snow plow blade on its support structure using a pivoting mechanism. The snow plow blade is mounted onto the support structure at a position between eight and sixteen inches above the ground in a manner which permits the bottom of the snow plow blade to pivot back when an object is struck. Simultaneously as the bottom of the snow plow blade pivots back, the top of the snow plow blade will pivot forward.
This movement between the normal plowing position of the snow plow blade to the position in which the bottom of the snow plow blade pivots fully backward is referred to as blade tripping. The movement of the snow plow blade from the normal plowing position to the tripped position is resisted by two or more strong trip springs which are mounted behind the snow plow blade, typically running from positions near the top of the snow plow blade to the snow plow blade support structure. Even when the snow plow blade is in its normal plowing position, the trip springs are under tension. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that when the bottom of the snow plow blade is forced backward, the trip springs will provide a strong resistance to the movement, tending to absorb some of the force of the impact of the snow plow blade with the object which has been struck.
When the force which has caused the snow plow blade to trip is removed, the trip springs will cause the snow plow blade to return to the normal plowing position, also referred to as the “trip return” position. Since it will be appreciated that it is highly undesirable for the snow plow blade to move from the normal plowing position when plowing snow, the trip springs are quite strong. This strength will result in a significant impact between the snow plow blade and its support structure when it is returned to the trip return position. This impact it typically metal on metal, and can over time result in damage to the snow plow blade and/or the supporting structure. In addition, if the snow plow blade strikes a fixed obstacle with sufficient force, the movement of the snow plow blade from the normal plowing position to the tripped position can also result in a metal on metal impact which can, over time, result in damage to the snow plow blade and/or the support structure.
It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention that it provide a mechanism for absorbing a substantial part of the impact of the snow plow blade as it reaches its fully tripped position when the snow plow blade strikes an object with sufficient force to drive it to the fully tripped position. It is a closely related objective of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention that is also provide a mechanism for absorbing a substantial part of the impact of the snow plow blade as it is returned to its trip return position by the force of the trip springs. It is a further related objective of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention that it minimize or eliminate the metal-on-metal impact which would otherwise occur both at the fully tripped position of the snow plow blade and at the trip return position of the snow plow blade.
It is another objective of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention that it not interfere with the tripping movement, either as the snow plow blade is tripping, or as it is returning to its normal plowing position, except as the snow plow blade approaches its extreme positions. It is yet another objective of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention that the impact-absorbing members be made of a material which is highly resistant to damage even when absorbing large shocks caused by substantial impacts. It is a still further objective of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention that the impact-absorbing members be easily replaceable when their lifetime has been expended.
The snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention must also be of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and it should also require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. In order to enhance the market appeal of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention, it should also be of inexpensive construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disadvantages and limitations of the background art discussed above are overcome by the present invention. With this invention, an impact-absorbing member is mounted at each pivot point used to support the snow plow blade from its support structure. The impact-absorbing member is mounted on the support structure, and is shaped such that it will be contacted by a part of the snow plow blade as the snow plow blade moves toward either its fully tripped position or its trip return position. The impact-absorbing member is made of a high density polymeric material such as polyurethane, which will absorb the impact to prevent or minimize metal-to-metal impact which would otherwise cause significant wear on the snow plow blade and/or its support structure.
In a typical embodiment, the snow plow blade is supported at two pivot points on the right and left sides of the snow plow blade by a swing frame. Trip springs mounted between the snow plow blade and the swing frame provide the tripping resistance force. The snow plow blade has a plurality of vertically oriented curved ribs which are connected between top and bottom plow frame members, and two of these ribs have apertures located between approximately eight and sixteen inches from the bottom of the snow plow blade. The swing frame has a pair of parallel blade pivot mounts located at each end thereof, which blade pivot mounts extend forwardly from a swing frame tube on which they are mounted.
Located near the front of each of the blade pivot mounts are apertures which are aligned in each pair of blade pivot mounts. Each pair of blade pivot mounts will receive a portion of one of the ribs on the snow plow frame which have the apertures therein, with one of the blade pivot mounts in each pair being located on either side of the rib to which that side of the swing frame is being mounted. A pin extends through the aligned apertures on each side of the snow plow blade to pivotally mount it on the swing frame.
Located between each pair of blade pivot mounts behind the rib of the snow plow blade received therein and in front of the swing frame tube is a pocket into which a cushion block will be placed. In the preferred embodiment, these pockets are further defined by additional support members which will prevent the cushion blocks from moving upwardly, downwardly, or rearwardly. Each cushion block is retained in its pocket between the pair of blade pivot mounts by a bolt which extends through apertures in the blade pivot mounts and the cushion block.
As mentioned above, the cushion blocks are made of a high density polymeric material such as polyurethane. The cushion blocks are configured so as to contact the ribs mounted to the blade pivot mounts before the snow plow blade reaches either the tripped position or the trip return position. The cushion blocks resemble a brick mounted in a vertical orientation, with the lower front having a corner removed therefrom. The polymeric material of which they are made is capable of absorbing a considerable impact, and is resilient and wear-resistant as well.
It may therefore be seen that the present invention teaches a mechanism for absorbing a substantial part of the impact of the snow plow blade as it reaches its fully tripped position when the snow plow blade strikes an object with sufficient force to drive it to the fully tripped position. The snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention also provides a mechanism for absorbing a substantial part of the impact of the snow plow blade as it is returned to its trip return position by the force of the trip springs. In doing so, the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention minimizes or eliminates the metal-on-metal impact which would otherwise occur both at the fully tripped position of the snow plow blade and at the trip return position of the snow plow blade.
The snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention does not interfere with the tripping movement, either as the snow plow blade is tripping, or as it is returning to its normal plowing position, except as the snow plow blade approaches its extreme positions. The impact-absorbing members of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention are made of a material which is highly resistant to damage even when absorbing large shocks caused by substantial impacts. In addition, the impact-absorbing members of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention are easily replaceable when their lifetime has been expended.
The snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention is of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which will require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. The snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention is also of inexpensive construction to enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives are achieved by the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plow A-frame;
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the plow A-frame illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a plow swing frame which will be pivotally mounted on the front end of the plow A-frame illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and which will support a plow blade therefrom;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the plow swing frame illustrated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the plow swing frame illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pivoting lift bar which will be pivotally mounted at the rear end of the plow A-frame illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a hitch frame nose piece which will be mounted on a truck under the front bumper thereof;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a bellcrank which is used to operate the pivoting lift bar illustrated in FIG. 6;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a lift link which connects the bellcrank illustrated in FIG. 8 to the pivoting lift bar illustrated in FIG. 6;
FIG. 10 is a cutaway view of the various components of the snow plow frame assembled together, showing the hydraulic cylinder used to pivot the lift bar;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a plow blade from the rear side which will be mounted onto the plow swing frame illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 5;
FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the plow blade illustrated in FIG. 11, showing the assembly of a moldboard made of man-made material onto the plow blade frame;
FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the top of the plow blade illustrated in FIG. 11, showing how the top of the moldboard is retained by the plow blade frame;
FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view of the bottom of the plow blade illustrated in FIG. 11, showing how the bottom of the moldboard is retained by the plow blade frame and the plow cutting edge;
FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view of a side edge of the plow blade illustrated in FIG. 11, showing how the side of the moldboard is retained by the plow blade frame;
FIG. 16 is a partial perspective view of the rear of the plow blade illustrated in FIG. 11, showing the installation of a wear strip onto the rear of the plow blade;
FIG. 17 is an exploded, partial cross-sectional view showing the assembly of the plow swing frame illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 5 onto the plow A-frame illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the plow swing frame and the plow A-frame illustrated in FIG. 17 assembled together;
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a blade stop cushion;
FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view from the side showing the installation of the blade stop cushion illustrated in FIG. 19 onto the plow swing frame, with the plow blade in its normal position as stopped by the blade stop cushion;
FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the components illustrated in FIG. 20, from the top side thereof;
FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view from the side similar to the view of FIG. 20, but with the plow blade in a rotated position as stopped by the blade stop cushion;
FIG. 23 is a perspective view of portions of the plow blade and the plow swing frame, showing the spring mounts on one side of the plow blade and the plow swing frame, and also showing two springs in phantom lines;
FIG. 24 is a partial rear plan view of the plow blade, the plow swing frame, and the spring mounts illustrated in FIG. 23;
FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment similar to the view shown in FIG. 23, but with a single spring mount on one side of the plow blade and the plow swing frame, and also showing a spring in phantom lines;
FIG. 26 is a partial rear plan view of plow blade, the plow swing frame, and the spring mount illustrated in FIG. 25;
FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view from the side of the assembled plow blade and the plow swing frame, showing the plow blade in its normal position;
FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view from the side of the assembled plow blade and the plow swing frame, showing the plow blade in its rotated position;
FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the assembled snow plow of the present invention;
FIG. 30 is a top view of the assembled snow plow illustrated in FIG. 29;
FIG. 31 is a partial view from the top showing the hitch mounting mechanism on one side of the snow plow illustrated in FIGS. 29 and 30 prior to installation;
FIG. 32 is a partial view from the top showing the components illustrated in FIG. 31 in a mounted position;
FIG. 33 is a partial cross-sectional view from the front showing the components illustrated in FIGS. 28 and 29 in a mounted position with the retaining pin inserted;
FIG. 34 is a side view of the snow plow illustrated in FIGS. 29 and 30 as the hitch frame nose piece is brought into engagement with a mounting pin on the pivoting lift bar;
FIG. 35 is a schematic depiction of the engagement of the mounting pin with a slot in the hitch frame nose piece;
FIG. 36 is a side view similar to that of FIG. 34, with the pivoting lift bar beginning to pivot to bring the mounting pin into engagement with the slot in the hitch frame nose piece;
FIG. 37 is a side view similar to that of FIGS. 34 and 36, with the pivoting lift bar pivoted to bring the mounting holes in the pivoting lift bar into alignment with the mounting holes in the hitch frame nose piece; and
FIG. 38 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment snow plow having blade shoes mounted thereupon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in a series of figures, of which the FIGS. 1 through 9 and 11 are components of the snow plow which embodies the present invention. FIGS. 10, 12 through 24 , and 27 through 29 illustrate the assembly of the snow plow embodying the present invention, and FIGS. 30 through 37 illustrate the manner in which the snow plow is attached to the hitch. Finally, FIGS. 25, 26 , and 38 illustrate two alternate embodiments. The snow plow of the present invention includes five novel aspects: a novel frame design which has a lower profile and an enhanced linear strength which is attained by that design; a novel hitch quick connect, quick release design; a novel plow blade trip spring placement; a novel plow blade stop design which uses replaceable cushion stop blocks to absorb the impact of plow blade movement between extreme positions; and a novel back blade wearstrip which allows the plow blade to be used to plow backward as well as forward.
The first of these five novel aspects of the snow plow of the present invention resides in the innovative design of its two-piece frame. Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first of these two pieces, a plow A-frame 50 , is illustrated. The plow A-frame 50 as illustrated in FIG. 2 has its front end shown at the left of FIG. 2 and its rear end shown at the right of FIG. 2, and is symmetric around an axis running from the front to the rear thereof. The plow A-frame 50 tapers from a narrower width at the front thereof to a wider width at the rear thereof.
The basic shape of the plow A-frame 50 is formed by a top plate 52 and a bottom plate 54 , which are essentially parallel and are spaced apart from each other. The configurations of the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 as viewed from the top (or from the bottom) resemble a portion of the capital letter “A,” with the portions of the sides of the “A” above the crossbar of the “A” being absent. There is a large aperture extending through each of the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 above the crossbar of the “A,” which apertures resemble an isosceles trapezoid. The top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 are preferably made of steel plate.
Mounted between the sides of the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 at the location of the crossbar of the “A” and extending rearwardly so as to resemble abbreviated legs of the “A” below the crossbar are two lugs 56 and 58 made of flat bar stock. The lugs 56 and 58 are also preferably made of steel, and are welded onto the sides of the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 . The portion of the lug 56 which extends rearwardly from the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 has an aperture 60 extending therethrough, and the portion of the lug 58 which extends rearwardly from the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 has an aperture 62 extending therethrough.
Portions of three sides of the top plate 52 are bent downwardly at a ninety degree angle to extend to the top of the bottom plate 54 . Only one of these sides, a left side 64 , is visible in FIGS. 1 and 2. The left side 64 of the top plate 52 extends from just in front of the lug 58 , and extends approximately two-thirds of the way toward the front end of the plow A-frame 50 . A right side of the top plate 52 (which is the mirror image of the left side 64 of the top plate 52 ) and a rear side of the top plate 52 extending between the lugs 56 and 58 are also bent downwardly at ninety degree angles to extend to the top of the bottom plate 54 . These three sides are all welded to the bottom plate 54 to create a box-like structure. A rectangular plate 66 is located just in front of the isosceles trapezoid-shaped apertures in the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 , and extends between the sides of the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 . The rectangular plate 66 is also preferably made of steel, and all four sides of the rectangular plate 66 are welded onto the top plate 52 (including the left side 64 and right side thereof) and the bottom plate 54 to provide the fourth side of the box-like structure.
Extending from the sides of the lugs 56 and 58 are U-shaped swing cylinder mounts 76 and 78 , respectively. The swing cylinder mounts 76 and 78 are also preferably made of steel, and are welded onto the lugs 56 and 58 , respectively, with the legs of the U's of the swing cylinder mounts 76 and 78 being located on the top and the bottom of the plow A-frame 50 . An aperture 80 is located in each leg of the U in the swing cylinder mount 76 , and an aperture 82 is similarly located in each leg of the U in the swing cylinder mount 78 .
Located between the rear of the top plate 52 at the location of the crossbar of the “A” and the rear of the bottom plate 54 at the location of the crossbar of the “A” are two lift cylinder mounts 84 and 86 . The cylinder mounts 84 and 86 are parallel both to each other and to the plane which divides the plow A-frame 50 into left and right sides thereof. The cylinder mounts 84 and 86 each extend from slots 88 and 90 , respectively, located in the crossbar of the “A” of the top plate 52 and slots 92 and 94 , respectively, located in the crossbar of the “A” of the bottom plate 54 . The cylinder mounts 84 and 86 are also preferably made of steel, and their ends are welded into the slots 88 and 90 , respectively, in the top plate 52 and the slots 92 and 94 , respectively, in the bottom plate 54 . The cylinder mounts 84 and 86 each have an aperture 96 or 98 , respectively, located therein which apertures 96 and 98 are coaxial.
Located at the top of the aperture in the “A” in the plow A-frame 50 are two parallel, spaced-apart, pivot mount plates 100 and 102 . The pivot mount plates 100 and 102 are also preferably made of steel, and are welded onto the rectangular plate 66 , the portion of the top plate 52 adjacent thereto, and the portion of the bottom plate 54 adjacent thereto. The pivot mount plates 100 and 102 are mounted on opposite sides of the centerline of the plow A-frame 50 , and extend rearwardly and upwardly from the rectangular plate 66 , and are beneath a portion of the bottom plate 54 . Located near the rearmost and uppermost ends of the pivot mount plates 100 and 102 are apertures 104 and 106 , respectively, which are coaxial.
Mounted near the front of the plow A-frame 50 are two hollow cylindrical swing frame pivots 108 and 110 . The swing frame pivots 108 and 110 are centrally mounted near the front end of the plow A-frame 50 in apertures 112 and 114 , respectively, which are located in the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 , respectively. The swing frame pivots 108 and 110 are also preferably made of steel, and are welded into the apertures 112 and 114 , respectively. The swing frame pivots 108 and 110 are coaxial and are orthogonal to the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 .
Located on the inside of each of the legs of the “A” of the plow A-frame 50 near to the top of the “A” are two support sides 116 and 118 . The support sides 116 and 118 extend perhaps one-fourth of the way from the top of the opening of the “A” toward the crossbar of the “A.” The ends of the support sides 116 and 118 oriented closest to the crossbar of the “A” extend between the top side of the top plate 52 and the bottom side of the bottom plate 54 , and the support sides 116 and 118 increase in height above the top plate 52 and below the bottom plate 54 as the support sides 116 and 118 extend towards the front of the plow A-frame 50 . The support sides 116 and 118 are preferably made of steel, and are welded to the top plate 52 , the bottom plate 54 , and the rectangular plate 66 .
Four U-shaped ribs 120 , 122 , 124 , and 126 extend between the support sides 116 and 118 and the swing frame pivots 108 and 110 . The bases of the “U” of each of the U-shaped ribs 120 , 122 , 124 , and 126 are much wider than the legs of the “U” are tall. The U-shaped ribs 120 and 122 are mounted on top of the top plate 52 , and the bases of the “U's” of the U-shaped ribs 120 and 122 are located close adjacent the right and left sides, respectively, of the top plate 52 . The U-shaped rib 124 and 126 are mounted on the bottom of the bottom plate 54 , and the bases of the “U's” of the U-shaped ribs 124 and 126 are located close adjacent the right and left sides, respectively, of the bottom plate 54 . In the preferred embodiment, the U-shaped rib 120 , the support side 116 , and the U-shaped rib 124 are manufactured as a single component, and likewise the U-shaped rib 122 , the support side 118 , and the U-shaped rib 126 are also manufactured as a single component.
One leg of the U-shaped rib 120 extends between the base of the “U” and the support side 116 , and the other leg of the U-shaped rib 120 extends between the base of the “U” and the swing frame pivot 108 . One leg of the U-shaped rib 122 extends between the base of the “U” and the support side 118 , and the other leg of the U-shaped rib 122 extends between the base of the “U” and the swing frame pivot 108 . One leg of the U-shaped rib 124 extends between the base of the “U” and the support side 116 , and the other leg of the U-shaped rib 124 extends between the base of the “U” and the swing frame pivot 110 . One leg of the U-shaped rib 126 extends between the base of the “U” and the support side 118 , and the other leg of the U-shaped rib 126 extends between the base of the “U” and the swing frame pivot 110 .
The U-shaped ribs 120 , 122 , 124 , and 126 are preferably made of steel, and the U-shaped ribs 120 and 122 are welded onto the top plate 52 , while the U-shaped ribs 124 and 126 are welded onto the bottom of the bottom plate 54 . As mentioned above, the U-shaped ribs 120 and 124 may be made integrally with the support side 116 , while the U-shaped rib 122 and 126 may be made integrally with the support side 118 . The swing frame pivots 108 and 110 define an axis upon which a swing frame which will be described below in conjunction with FIGS. 3 through 5 will be mounted, and the area between the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 and in front of the rectangular plate 66 is the area in which the swing frame will be mounted.
Referring next to FIGS. 3 through 5, a swing frame 140 is illustrated which will be mounted as described above on the plow A-frame 50 (illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The swing frame 140 is based upon a rectangular swing frame tube 142 having a hollow cylindrical pivot 144 extending through the thinner cross section thereof at the midpoint of the length of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . The rectangular swing frame tube 142 has an aperture 146 located in the top side thereof and another aperture 148 located in the bottom side thereof. The apertures are closer to the rear side of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 than they are to the front side thereof. Both the rectangular swing frame tube 142 and the pivot 144 are preferably made of steel, and the pivot 144 is welded to the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . The pivot 144 extends slightly above and below the top and bottom, respectively, of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 .
A guide plate 150 extends from the rear of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . The guide plate 150 is shaped like an isosceles trapezoid with a low triangle mounted on the top thereof, with the base of the isosceles trapezoid mounted onto the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . The width of the guide plate 150 is perhaps half of the length of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 , and the guide plate 150 is centrally mounted both as to the length of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 and as to its height as well. The guide plate 150 is preferably also steel, and is welded onto the rectangular swing frame tube 142 .
Mounted on the rear edge of the guide plate 150 is a guide/stop bar 152 which is made of a segment of flat stock which is wider than the height of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . The guide/stop bar 152 is bent to conform to the guide plate 150 , and its ends contact the rear side of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . The guide plate 150 and the guide/stop bar 152 together form a T-shaped configuration in cross-section, as best shown in FIG. 4 . The guide/stop bar 152 thus extends both slightly above and slightly below the rectangular swing frame tube 142 , as is also best shown in FIG. 4 . The guide/stop bar 152 is preferably made of steel, and is welded onto the guide plate 150 , with the ends of the guide/stop bar 152 being welded onto the rear of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . When the swing frame 140 is mounted onto the plow A-frame 50 (illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 ), the guide/stop bar 152 will contact the rectangular plate 66 when the swing frame 140 is rotated between its extreme positions, with the guide/stop bar 152 thus acting to prevent rotation of the swing frame 140 in either direction beyond these positions.
Four triangular swing cylinder mounting plates 154 , 156 , 158 , and 160 are mounted onto the rectangular swing frame tube 142 at positions approximately halfway between the center and the ends of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 , and project rearwardly. The swing cylinder mounting plates 154 and 156 are mounted on the top of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 near the rear edge thereof and the right and left sides thereof, respectively. The swing cylinder mounting plates 158 and 160 are mounted on the bottom of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 near the rear edge thereof and the right and left sides thereof, respectively. The swing cylinder mounting plates 154 , 156 , 158 , and 160 are preferably made of steel, and are welded onto the rectangular swing frame tube 142 .
The swing cylinder mounting plates 154 , 156 , 158 , and 160 each have a slot 162 , 164 , 166 , or 168 , respectively, cut therein to receive an end of the guide/stop bar 152 . The ends of the guide/stop bar 152 fit into these slots 162 , 164 , 166 , or 168 and are welded therein. Located in each of the swing cylinder mounting plates 154 , 156 , 158 , and 160 near the rearmost corner thereof is an aperture 170 , 172 , 174 , or 176 , respectively. The apertures 170 and 174 are coaxial, and the apertures 172 and 176 are coaxial.
Four blade pivot mounts 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 are mounted on the rectangular swing frame tube 142 in spaced-apart pairs located at each end thereof. The blade pivot mounts 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 have rectangular apertures 186 , 188 , 190 , and 192 , respectively, extending therethrough to receive therein the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . The blade pivot mount 178 is mounted at the end of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 which will be on the right when the swing frame 140 is mounted on the plow A-frame 50 (illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 ), and the blade pivot mount 180 is spaced away from the blade pivot mount 178 on the rectangular swing frame tube 142 .
Similarly, the blade pivot mount 184 is mounted at the end of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 which will be on the left when the swing frame 140 is mounted on the plow A-frame 50 , and the blade pivot mount 182 is spaced away from the blade pivot mount 184 on the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . The spacing between the blade pivot mount 178 and the blade pivot mount 180 , and between the blade pivot mount 182 and the blade pivot mount 184 is sufficient to admit cushion stops which will be discussed below in conjunction with FIG. 19 . The blade pivot mounts 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 are preferably also made of steel, and are welded onto the rectangular swing frame tube 142 .
It should be noted that the blade pivot mounts 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 are identical in construction, with each extending forwardly in front of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 (as best shown in FIG. 4) and rearwardly and upwardly behind the rectangular swing frame tube 142 . Located near the front of the blade pivot mounts 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 are apertures 194 , 196 , 198 , and 200 , respectively, which will be used to pivotally mount the snow plow blade (illustrated below in FIG. 11 ). The apertures 194 , 196 , 198 , and 200 are coaxial. Located in the blade pivot mounts 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 intermediate the apertures 194 , 196 , 198 , and 200 , respectively, and the front of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 are apertures 202 , 204 , 206 , and 208 , respectively, which will be used to retain cushion stops which will be discussed below in conjunction with FIG. 19 . The pairs of apertures 202 and 204 , and 206 and 208 are coaxial.
As mentioned above, each of the blade pivot mounts 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 also extends rearwardly of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 , resembling the profile of a vertical tail fin of a plane as best shown in FIG. 4 . Mounted to each pair of each pair of the blade pivot mounts 178 and 180 , and 182 and 184 , are two trip spring brackets 210 and 212 . The trip spring brackets 210 and 212 are preferably also made of steel, are generally oval in configuration, and are mounted with the wider sides being oriented between the left and right sides of the swing frame 140 . The trip spring bracket 210 is welded onto the blade pivot mounts 178 and 180 , and the trip spring bracket 212 is welded onto the blade pivot mounts 182 and 184 . The trip spring bracket 210 has apertures 214 and 216 disposed near opposite ends thereof, and similarly the trip spring bracket 212 has apertures 218 and 220 disposed near opposite ends thereof.
Completing the swing frame 140 are two additional components which are used both to act as a stop for rotational movement of the plow blade (which will be discussed below in conjunction with FIG. 11) as well as to help define an enclosure for the cushion stops (which will be discussed below in conjunction with FIG. 18 ). A stop 222 is mounted at the top of, intermediate, and at the bottom of the blade pivot mounts 178 and 180 . The stop 222 extends rearwardly from a point above the apertures 202 and 204 , drops down in front of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 , and extends rearwardly below the rectangular swing frame tube 142 to a point halfway between the front edge of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 and the pivot 144 .
Similarly, a stop 224 is mounted at the top of, intermediate, and at the bottom of the blade pivot mounts 182 and 184 . The stop 224 extends rearwardly from a point above the apertures 206 and 208 , drops down in front of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 , and extends rearwardly below the rectangular swing frame tube 142 to a point halfway between the front edge of the rectangular swing frame tube 142 and the pivot 144 . The stops 222 and 224 are both preferably also made of steel, and are welded to the blade pivot mount pairs 178 and 180 , and 182 and 184 , respectively.
Referring next to FIG. 6, a lift bar 230 is illustrated which forms part of the hitch mechanism of the snow plow. The lift bar 230 has two lift bar support members 232 and 234 , which are located on the right and left sides, respectively, of the lift bar 230 . Each of the lift bar support members 232 and 234 has a configuration consisting of three segments: rear mounting supports 236 and 238 , respectively, which extend upward vertically; central support arms 240 and 242 , respectively, which extend forwardly and upwardly from the top of the rear mounting supports 236 and 238 , respectively; and front light bar supports 244 and 246 , respectively, which extend upwardly from the forwardmost and upwardmost ends of the central support arms 240 and 242 , respectively. The lift bar support members 232 and 234 are preferably made of steel plate.
Extending inwardly from the rear sides of rear mounting supports 236 and 238 are segments of angled stock 248 and 250 , respectively. It should be noted that the angle defined by each of the segments of angled stock 248 and 250 is less than ninety degrees, as, for example, approximately seventy degrees. The reason for this angle will become apparent below in conjunction with the discussion of FIGS. 31 and 32. The angled stock segments 248 and 250 are also preferably made of steel, and are welded onto rear mounting supports 236 and 238 , respectively, so that the rear mounting supports 236 and 238 and the angled stock segments 248 and 250 together form vertically-oriented channels which are essentially U-shaped. Referring for the moment to FIG. 1 in addition to FIG. 6, the space between the rear mounting support 236 and the angled stock segment 248 of the lift bar 230 is designed to admit the lug 56 of the plow A-frame 50 with space between the lug 56 and the inside of the angled stock segment 248 , and similarly the space between the angled stock segment 250 , and the rear mounting support 238 of the lift bar 230 is designed to admit the lug 58 of the plow A-frame 50 with space between the lug 58 and the inside of the angled stock segment 250 .
Referring again solely to FIG. 6, a rectangular reinforcing segment 252 (preferably also made of steel) is located at the bottom of the U-shaped channel formed by the rear mounting support 236 and the angled stock segment 248 , and is welded to the bottoms of the rear mounting support 236 and the angled stock segment 248 . Similarly, a rectangular reinforcing segment 254 (preferably also made of steel) is located at the bottom of the U-shaped channel formed by the rear mounting support 238 and the angled stock segment 250 , and is welded to the bottoms of the rear mounting support 238 and the angled stock segment 250 .
Not illustrated in the figures but used to reinforce the construction of the lift bar 230 are two additional rectangular reinforcing segments which are respectively located above the reinforcing segments 252 and 254 . On the right side of the lift bar 230 , the first of these additional reinforcing segments (preferably also made of steel) is located near the top of the U-shaped channel formed by the rear mounting support 236 and the angled stock segment 248 , and is welded to the tops of the rear mounting support 236 and the angled stock segment 248 . Similarly, the other of these reinforcing segments (preferably also made of steel) is located at near the top of the U-shaped channel formed by the rear mounting support 238 and the angled stock segment 250 , and is welded to the tops of the rear mounting support 238 and the angled stock segment 250 .
Extending between the lift bar support members 232 and 234 are a larger diameter hollow round upper pin support tube 256 and a smaller diameter round light bar brace 258 . The upper pin support tube 256 and the light bar brace 258 are both also preferably made of steel. One end of the upper pin support tube 256 extends through an aperture 260 located in an intermediate position in the central support arm 240 of the lift bar support member 232 , and the other end of the upper pin support tube 256 extends through an aperture 262 located in an intermediate position in the central support arm 242 of the lift bar support member 234 . The ends of the upper pin support tube 256 are welded onto the central support arms 240 and 242 . One end of the light bar brace 258 is welded onto the lift bar support member 232 at the intersection of the central support arm 240 and the light bar support 244 , and the other end of the light bar brace 258 is welded onto the lift bar support member 234 at the intersection of the central support arm 242 and the light bar support 246 .
Two upper pin hanger plates 264 and 266 are mounted on the upper pin support tube 256 in spaced-apart fashion near the middle of the upper pin support tube 256 . The upper pin hanger plates 264 and 266 have apertures 268 and 270 , respectively, extending therethrough near one end thereof, and the upper pin support tube 256 extends through these apertures 268 and 270 . The upper pin hanger plates 264 and 266 are both also preferably made of steel, and are welded onto the upper pin support tube 256 in a manner whereby they are projecting forwardly. A tubular upper pin 272 extends through apertures 274 and 276 in the upper pin hanger plates 264 and 266 , respectively, near the other end thereof. The upper pin 272 is also preferably made of steel, and is welded onto the upper pin hanger plates 264 and 266 .
Located in the rear mounting support 236 , the angled stock segment 248 , the angled stock segment 250 , and the rear mounting support 238 near the bottoms thereof are apertures 278 , 280 , 282 , and 284 , respectively, which are aligned with each other and which together define a pivot axis about which the lift bar 230 will pivot when it is mounted onto the plow A-frame 50 (Illustrated in FIG. 1 ). Located in the rear mounting support 236 , the angled stock segment 248 , the angled stock segment 250 , and the rear mounting support 238 nearer the tops thereof than the bottoms thereof are apertures 286 , 288 , 290 (not shown in FIG. 6 ), and 292 , which are aligned with each other.
The apertures 286 and 288 define a first location into which a retaining pin (not shown in FIG. 6) will be placed to mount the snow plow of the present invention onto a truck, and the apertures 290 and 292 define a second location into which another retaining pin (not shown in FIG. 6) will be placed to mount the snow plow of the present invention onto the truck. Located in the light bar support 244 are three apertures 294 , and located in the light bar support 246 are three apertures 296 . The apertures 294 and 296 will be used to mount a light bar (not illustrated in FIG. 6) onto the lift bar 230 .
Referring now to FIG. 7, a hitch frame nose piece 300 which will be mounted onto a truck under the front bumper (not illustrated in FIG. 7) thereof is illustrated. The hitch frame nose piece 300 has a square hitch frame tube 302 which is horizontally oriented. Four-hitch brackets 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 are mounted on the square hitch frame tube 302 in spaced-apart pairs located nearer the ends of the square hitch frame tube 302 than the center thereof. The hitch brackets 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 have square apertures 312 , 314 , 316 , and 318 , respectively, extending therethrough to receive therein the square hitch frame tube 302 . Both the square hitch frame tube 302 and the hitch brackets 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 are preferably made of steel, and the hitch brackets 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 are welded onto the square hitch frame tube 302 .
Referring for the moment to FIG. 6 in addition to FIG. 7, the space between the hitch bracket 304 and the hitch bracket 306 of the hitch frame nose piece 300 is designed to admit the rear mounting support 236 and the angled stock segment 248 of the lift bar 230 , and similarly the space between the hitch bracket 308 and the hitch bracket 310 of the hitch frame nose piece 300 is designed to admit the angled stock segment 250 and the rear mounting support 238 of the lift bar 230 . The hitch brackets 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 have rectangular notches 320 , 322 , 324 , and 326 , respectively, cut into the front sides thereof.
Located in the hitch brackets 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 in the bottoms of the rectangular notches 320 , 322 , 324 , and 326 , respectively, are slots 328 , 330 , 332 , and 334 , respectively. The slots 328 , 330 , 332 , and 334 have rounded bottoms, and are axially aligned. Also located in the hitch brackets 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 above the tops of the rectangular notches 320 , 322 , 324 , and 326 , respectively, are apertures 336 , 338 , 340 , and 342 , respectively. The apertures 336 , 338 , 340 , and 342 are also axially aligned.
Unlike the hitch brackets 306 and 308 which are flat, the hitch brackets 304 and 310 have their forward-most portions flanged outwardly to act as guides to direct the lift bar 230 (illustrated in FIG. 6) into engagement with the hitch frame nose piece 300 . Thus, the portions of the hitch brackets 304 and 310 at the front of the rectangular notches 320 and 326 , respectively, extend outwardly, both on the top of the rectangular notches 320 and 326 and on the bottom of the rectangular notches 320 and 326 . It should be noted that, if desired, the hitch brackets 304 and 310 may also be flat. The ramifications of having them flat instead of flanged will eliminate the utility of the right and left sides of the lift bar 230 .
The respective ends of the square hitch frame tube 302 are mounted onto mounting plates 344 and 346 . The mounting plates 344 and 346 are also preferably made of steel, and the ends of the square hitch frame tube 302 are welded onto the mounting plates 344 and 346 . Located in the mounting plates 344 and 346 are a plurality of apertures 348 and 350 , respectively, which will be used to mount the hitch frame nose piece 300 onto the frame of a truck (not shown in FIG. 7) using mounting brackets (not shown in FIG. 7) in a manner which is conventional.
Referring next to FIG. 8, a bellcrank 360 is illustrated. The bellcrank 360 has parallel, spaced apart triangular pivot plates 362 and 364 . One of the sides of the triangle is shorter than the other two in each of the pivot plates 362 and 364 . A gusset plate 366 is mounted between the pivot plates 362 and 364 with one side thereof near the shortest side of the triangle to support the pivot plates 362 and 364 in their spaced-apart configuration. In the preferred embodiment, both the pivot plates 362 and 364 and the gusset plate 366 are made of steel, and are welded together.
The pivot plates 362 and 364 have apertures 370 and 372 , respectively, located therein near a first corner of the triangle which will be used to mount the bellcrank 360 for pivotal movement from the apertures 104 and 106 of the pivot mount plates 100 and 102 , respectively (illustrated in FIG. 1 ). The pivot plates 362 and 364 have apertures 374 and 376 , respectively, located therein near a second corner of the triangle which will be connected via the element to be discussed in FIG. 9 below to drive the upper pin 272 of the lift bar 230 (illustrated in FIG. 6 ). The pivot plates 362 and 364 have apertures 378 and 380 , respectively, located therein near the third corner of the triangle will be connected to a hydraulic cylinder (not shown in FIG. 9 ). The short side of the triangle is between the first and third corners of the triangle. The side of the gusset plate 366 adjacent this short side will act as a lift stop to limit pivotal movement of the gusset plate 366 when this side of the gusset plate 366 contacts the pivot mount plates 100 and 102 (illustrated in FIG. 1 ).
Referring now to FIG. 9, a lift link 390 is illustrated. The lift link 390 has parallel, spaced apart arms 392 and 394 . A gusset plate 396 is mounted between the arms 392 and 394 in their spaced-apart configuration. The side of the gusset plate 396 which is oriented toward one end of the arms 392 and 394 has a notch 398 cut therein. In the preferred embodiment, both the arms 392 and 394 and the gusset plate 396 are made of steel, and are welded together. The one end of the arms 392 and 394 have apertures 400 and 402 , respectively, located therein, and the other ends of arms 392 and 394 have apertures 404 and 406 , respectively, located therein.
Referring next to FIG. 10, the linkage used to attach the snow plow of the present invention to the hitch frame nose piece 300 is illustrated. The components which are linked together are the plow A-frame 50 , the lift bar 230 , the bellcrank 360 , and the lift link 390 . Accordingly, reference may also be had to FIGS. 1, 6 , 8 , and 9 as well as to FIGS. 31 and 32 in the following description of the interconnection of these components. The lift bar 230 is pivotally mounted on the plow A-frame 50 using two pins 408 and 410 (the pin 410 is not shown in FIG. 10) which are each of a length longer than distance between the opposite-facing sides of the pairs of the hitch brackets 304 and 306 , or 308 and 310 (illustrated in FIG. 7 ). The pins 408 and 410 are preferably made of steel.
In the preferred embodiment, a hollow cylindrical collar 409 (shown in FIGS. 31 and 32) having a setscrew 411 (also shown in FIGS. 31 and 32) is used with the pin 410 as a spacer. A similar collar which a setscrew (not shown in the drawings) is used with the pin 408 as a spacer. The collar 409 will be located intermediate the lug 58 on the plow A-frame 50 and the angled stock segment 250 on the lift bar 230 . The setscrew 411 on the collar 409 may be used to lock the collar 409 in place on the pin 410 . The other collar will be located intermediate the lug 56 on the plow A-frame 50 and the angled stock segment 248 on the lift bar 230 , with a setscrew in that collar being used to lock that collar in place on the pin 408 .
The pin 408 will thus extend sequentially through the aperture 278 in the rear mounting support 236 of the lift bar 230 , the aperture 60 in the lug 56 of the plow A-frame 50 , the collar, and the aperture 280 in the rear mounting support 238 of the lift bar 230 . The pin 408 will be retained in place by the setscrew on the collar, which will contact the pin 408 when it is screwed into the collar. Approximately equal lengths of the pin 408 extend outwardly beyond the rear mounting support 236 and the angled stock segment 248 at each end of the pin 408 . Alternately, the pin 408 may be welded in place on the rear mounting support 236 and the angled stock segment 248 of the lift bar 230 , or C-clips (not shown herein) could be installed in annular groves (not shown herein) in the pin 408 at locations which correspond to the ends of the collar.
The pin 410 will thus extend sequentially through the aperture 282 in the angled stock segment 250 of the lift bar 230 , the collar 409 , the aperture 62 in the lug 58 of the plow A-frame 50 , and the aperture 284 in the rear mounting support 238 of the lift bar 230 . The pin 410 will be retained in place by the setscrew 411 on the collar 409 , which will contact the pin 410 when it is screwed into the collar 409 . Equal lengths of the pin 410 extend outwardly beyond the angled stock segment 250 and the rear mounting support 238 at each end of the pin 410 . Alternately, the pin 410 may be welded in place on the angled stock segment 250 and the rear mounting support 238 of the lift bar 230 , or C-clips (not shown herein) could be installed in annular groves (not shown herein) in the pin 410 at locations which correspond to the ends of the collar 409 .
It will thus be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the lift bar 230 is pivotally mounted onto the plow A-frame 50 using the pins 408 and 410 . When the snow plow of the present invention is mounted onto a vehicle using the hitch frame nose piece 300 , the ends of the pins 408 and 410 will be received in the pairs of slots 328 and 330 , and 332 and 334 in the hitch frame nose piece 300 (illustrated in FIG. 7 ). Thus, the pins 408 and 410 function both to pivotally mount the lift bar 230 onto the plow A-frame 50 , and to help to mount the snow plow onto the hitch frame nose piece 300 .
The bellcrank 360 is pivotally mounted on the plow A-frame 50 using two bolts 412 and two nuts 414 . The pivot plates 362 and 364 of the bellcrank 360 will fit outside of the pivot mount plates 100 and 102 , respectively. One of the bolts 412 will extend through the aperture 104 in the pivot mount plate 100 of the plow A-frame 50 and the aperture 370 in the pivot plate 362 of the bellcrank 360 , and one of the nuts 414 will be mounted on that bolt 412 to retain it in place. The other one of the bolts 412 will extend through the aperture 106 in the pivot mount plate 102 of the plow A-frame 50 and the aperture 372 in the pivot plate 364 of the bellcrank 360 , and the other one of the nuts 414 will be mounted on that bolt 412 to retain it in place.
The bolts 412 allow the bellcrank 360 to pivot on the plow A-frame 50 . In the preferred embodiment, a spacer and two washers (not shown) may be used with each of the bolts 412 , the spacer going through the apertures in the parts being pivotally joined and being longer than the combined thickness of the apertures in the parts, and a washer being located on either end of the spacer to facilitate free rotation of parts, here movement of the bellcrank 360 with reference to the plow A-frame 50 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that a spacer and two washers will preferably be used at other points of relative movement between two elements of linkage of the snow plow described herein, although the spacer and two washers will not be specifically mentioned in conjunction with each of these pivoting connections made between two elements using a bolt. In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a pin retained by a cotter pin (not shown herein) could be used instead of a bolt and nut in many of the applications for a fastener used in the linkage discussed herein.
A hydraulic cylinder 416 is mounted at one end to the cylinder mounts 84 and 86 of the plow A-frame 50 using a bolt 418 which extends through the aperture 96 in the cylinder mount 84 and the aperture 98 in the cylinder mount 86 , with a nut 420 being used to retain the bolt 418 in place. The other end of the hydraulic cylinder 416 drives the third corner of the triangular pivot plates 362 and 364 of the bellcrank 360 , with a bolt 422 extending between the aperture 378 in the pivot plate 362 of the bellcrank 360 and the aperture 380 in the pivot plate 364 of the bellcrank 360 . A nut 424 is used to retain the bolt 422 in place. The bolts 418 and 422 allow the hydraulic cylinder 416 to move as it drives the bellcrank 360 . Spacers (not shown herein) may be used on each side of the other end of the hydraulic cylinder 416 on the insides of the pivot plates 362 and 364 to center the hydraulic cylinder 416 .
The lift link 390 is used to connect the bellcrank 360 to pivot the lift bar 230 . A bolt 426 is used to connect the lift link 390 to the lift bar 230 , with the bolt 426 extending sequentially through the aperture 404 in the arm 392 of the lift link 390 , the upper pin 272 from the end extending through the upper pin hanger plate 264 to the end extending through the upper pin hanger plate 266 of the lift bar 230 , and the aperture 406 in the arm 394 of the lift link 390 . A nut 428 is used to retain the bolt 426 in place. The bolt 426 allows the lift link 390 to pivot on the lift bar 230 , and a spacer and two washers may also be used as mentioned hereinabove.
The second corner of the triangle formed by the pivot plates 362 and 364 of the bellcrank 360 drives the ends of the arms 392 and 394 of the lift link 390 which are not connected to the lift bar 230 . Two bolts 430 are used to connect the bellcrank 360 to the lift link 390 , with one of the bolts 430 also being used to mount a stand 432 . The stand 432 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,688, to Struck et al., which patent is assigned to the assignee of the inventions described herein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,688 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
One bolt 430 (not shown) extends through the aperture 400 in the arm 392 of the lift link 390 and the aperture 374 of the pivot plate 362 of the bellcrank 360 , with a nut 434 being used to retain the first bolt 430 in place, and a spacer and two washers may also be used as mentioned hereinabove. The other bolt 430 extends sequentially through an aperture (not shown) in the upper portion of the stand 432 , the aperture 376 of the pivot plate 364 of the bellcrank 360 , and the aperture 402 in the arm 394 of the lift link 390 , with a nut 434 being used to retain the second bolt 430 in place. The second bolt 430 allows the lift link 390 to pivot on the bellcrank 360 , and a spacer and two washers may again be used as mentioned hereinabove. A removable pin (not shown) extending through an aperture near the top of the stand 432 and apertures located in the lift link 390 is used to link the stand 432 with the lift link 390 .
The hydraulic cylinder 416 is shown in FIG. 10 nearly in its fully retracted position. When the hydraulic cylinder 416 is fully extended, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the lift bar 230 will rotate counterclockwise from the position in which it is shown in FIG. 10, and the stand 432 will be lowered to engage the ground (not shown) and thereby tend to lift the rear end of the plow A-frame 50 upwardly. It will also be appreciated that once the pins 408 and 410 are in engagement with the slots 328 , 330 , 332 , and 334 in the hitch brackets 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 , respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 300 , the hydraulic cylinder 416 may be used to align the apertures 286 , 288 , 290 , and 292 on the lift bar 230 with the apertures 336 , 338 , 340 , and 342 , respectively, in the hitch brackets 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 , respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 300 .
Turning next to FIGS. 11 through 16, a plow blade 440 and various aspects thereof are illustrated. The plow blade 440 has a frame which may be fundamentally thought of as a horizontal top plow frame member 442 , a bottom plow frame member 444 , and a plurality of vertical ribs 446 , 448 , 450 452 , 454 , 456 , and 458 extending between the top plow frame member 442 and the bottom plow frame member 444 . The top plow frame member 442 is made of a triangular tube as best shown in FIG. 13 . The bottom plow frame member 444 is made of a three sided channel resembling a wide, inverted “U” with the tops of the legs of the “U” angling outwardly as best shown in FIG. 14 .
The right side rib 446 is located on the right side of the plow blade 440 , and the left side rib 458 is located on the left side of the plow blade 440 . The ribs 448 , 450 , 452 , 454 , and 456 are located at evenly spaced intervals intermediate the right side rib 446 and the left side rib 458 . Note that all of the ribs 446 , 448 , 450 452 , 454 , 456 , and 458 have an arcuate shape when viewed from the side. The ribs 448 , 450 , 452 , 454 , and 456 all extend between the back side of the top plow frame member 442 and the top side of the bottom plow frame member 444 , while the right side rib 446 and the left side rib 458 are mounted on the ends of the top plow frame member 442 and the bottom plow frame member 444 , thereby overlying them as best shown in FIGS. 11 through 14. The top plow frame member 442 , the bottom plow frame member 444 , and the ribs 446 , 448 , 450 452 , 454 , 456 , and 458 are all preferably made of steel, and are welded together.
Located in front of the ribs 450 and 454 are curved reinforcing plates 460 and 462 which serve to strengthen the ribs 450 and 454 , which will be used to mount the plow blade 440 to the swing frame 140 (shown in FIGS. 3 through 5 ). The rib 450 has a mounting aperture 464 which extends therethrough and which is located near to the bottom end of the rib 450 . Similarly, the rib 454 has a mounting aperture 466 which extends therethrough and which is located near to the bottom end of the rib 454 . The curved reinforcing plates 460 and 462 are welded to the ribs 450 and 454 , respectively, and to the top plow frame member 442 and the bottom plow frame member 444 .
Four arcuate torsional stiffeners 468 , 470 , 472 , and 474 are used to provide stiffness to the configuration of the plow blade 440 . The torsional stiffener 468 extends from the bottom of the rib 448 to a position near the top of the right side rib 446 . The torsional stiffener 470 extends from the bottom of the rib 450 to a position near the top of the rib 448 . The torsional stiffener 472 extends from the bottom of the rib 454 to a position near the top of the rib 456 . The torsional stiffener 474 extends from the bottom of the rib 456 to a position near the top of the left side rib 458 . The torsional stiffeners 468 , 470 , 472 , and 474 are also preferably made of steel, and are welded to other components in the plow blade 440 .
Located on the left side of the right side rib 446 and on the right side of the left side rib 458 are curved support plates 476 and 478 , respectively. The curved support plates 476 and 478 are recessed back from the front edges of the right side rib 446 and the left side rib 458 , respectively, as best shown in FIG. 15 for the curved support plate 478 . The curved support plates 476 and 478 are preferably also made of steel, and are welded to other components in the plow blade 440 . The frontmost portions of the top plow frame member 442 , the curved support plate 476 , the rib 448 , the curved reinforcing plate 460 , the rib 452 , the curved reinforcing plate 462 , the rib 456 , and the curved support plate 478 together define a curved support surface which will support a moldboard 480 thereupon. The right side rib 446 and the left side rib 458 extend slightly forward of the top plow frame member 442 , the bottom plow frame member 444 , and the ribs 448 , 450 , 452 , 454 , and 456 , to thereby prevent the moldboard 480 from moving laterally. The moldboard 480 may be made of a man-made material such as polycarbonate, which may be clear, or other man-made materials such as ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene, or steel.
Extending across the front side of the top plow frame member 442 is a moldboard retainer strip 482 (best shown in FIG. 13 ), into which the top edge of the moldboard 480 fits and is retained. The moldboard retainer strip 482 is bent slightly toward the top plow frame member 442 , which ensures that the top edge of the moldboard 480 fits snugly therein. Thus, it will be appreciated that the top, right, and left sides of the moldboard 480 are retained in position on the plow blade 440 . The front of the bottom plow frame member 444 extends forwardly with respect to the curved moldboard support surface defined by the frontmost portions of the top plow frame member 442 , the curved support plate 476 , the rib 448 , the curved reinforcing plate 460 , the rib 452 , the curved reinforcing plate 462 , the rib 456 , and the curved support plate 478 . The bottom edge of the moldboard 480 comes just to the top of the bottom plow frame member 444 , as best shown in FIG. 14 .
The front of the bottom plow frame member 444 has a plurality of tapped apertures 484 located therein across the entire width thereof. A wearstrip 486 which is approximately the same width as the bottom plow frame member 444 has a matching plurality of apertures 488 located therein. The wearstrip 486 is preferably made of a high carbon steel such as AISI 1080 high carbon steel. The wearstrip 486 is bolted onto the bottom plow frame member 444 with a plurality of bolts 490 . Alternately, if the apertures 484 are not tapped, bolts and nuts could be used to mount the wearstrip 486 onto the bottom plow frame member 444 . optionally, the apertures 488 in the wearstrip 486 may be countersunk to recess the heads of the bolts 490 to the level of surface of the wearstrip 486 . The front of the bottom plow frame member 444 is arranged and configured such that the wearstrip 486 will be mounted with its bottom edge angled forwardly with respect to the ground at angle of between approximately zero and forty-five degrees, with between approximately fifteen and thirty degrees being preferred, and an angle of approximately twenty-five degrees being most preferred.
The wearstrip 486 retains the bottom of the moldboard 480 in place, and it will at once be appreciated that the moldboard 480 may be replaced by merely removing the wearstrip 486 , making the replacement substantially easier than in earlier snow plow blade designs. When the wearstrip 486 is bolted to the bottom plow frame member 444 , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it extends well below the bottom of the bottom plow frame member 444 , so that as it is worn down, the bottom plow frame member 444 will not be damaged by contact with the ground.
Mounted on the back of the ribs 450 and 454 , respectively, are two trip spring brackets 492 and 494 . The trip spring brackets 492 and 494 are mounted approximately three-quarters of the way up the ribs 450 and 454 , and are bent at a ninety degree angle, the bends being on an axis parallel to the lateral axis of the plow blade 440 . The portions of the trip spring brackets 492 and 494 facing forward have notches 496 and 498 , respectively, cut into them from the forwardmost edges thereof to the bends therein. The rear edges of the ribs 450 and 454 fit into the notches 496 and 498 , respectively, and the portions of the spring brackets 492 and 494 facing rearwardly fit against the ribs 450 and 454 , respectively. The spring brackets 492 and 494 are also preferably made of steel, and are welded onto the ribs 450 and 454 , respectively. The rear-facing portion of the trip spring bracket 492 has two apertures 500 and 502 located therein on which lie on opposite sides of the rib 450 , and the rear-facing portion of the trip spring bracket 494 has two apertures 504 and 506 located therein on which lie on opposite sides of the rib 454 .
Located on the right side of the plow blade 440 in the right side rib 446 near the top thereof are two apertures 512 . Similarly, located on the left side of the plow blade 440 in the left side rib 458 near the top thereof are two apertures 514 . The apertures 512 and 514 serve to allow a marker bar or the like (not shown in FIGS. 11 through 13) to be attached to the plow blade 440 .
Located at the rear of the plow blade 440 at the bottom thereof is a back blade wearstrip 516 , which is mounted onto the bottom plow frame member 444 and extends substantially across the width of the plow blade 440 . The back blade wearstrip 516 has a plurality of apertures 518 therein, and the bottom plow frame member 444 has matching tapped apertures 520 located in the rear-facing side thereof. Bolts 522 are used in the back blade wearstrip 516 to mount it onto the bottom plow frame member 444 . Alternately, if the apertures 520 are not tapped, bolts and nuts could be used to mount the back blade wearstrip 516 onto the bottom plow frame member 444 . Optionally, the apertures 518 in the back blade wearstrip 516 may be countersunk to recess the heads of the bolts 522 to the level of surface of the back blade wearstrip 516 .
The back blade wearstrip 516 is permanently mounted at an optimum angle with respect to the ground which is defined by the angle of the rear side of the bottom plow frame member 444 . The rear of the bottom plow frame member 444 is arranged and configured such that the back blade wearstrip 516 will be mounted with its bottom edge angled rearwardly with respect to the ground at angle of between approximately zero and forty-five degrees, with between approximately fifteen and thirty degrees being preferred, and an angle of approximately twenty-five degrees being most preferred. In the preferred embodiment, the wearstrip 486 and the back blade wearstrip 516 will be mounted at the same angles, but with the wearstrip 486 being angled forwardly and the back blade wearstrip 516 being angled rearwardly.
In the preferred embodiment, the back blade wearstrip 516 is made of an UHMW polyethylene material which is used instead of steel to decrease the weight of the plow blade 440 . Alternately, the back blade wearstrip 516 could be made of rubber, urethane, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material. Also, if desired, the back blade wearstrip 516 can be manufactured as multiple identical narrower segments if desired.
Turning next to FIGS. 17 and 18, and making reference also to FIGS. 1 and 3 through 5 , the installation of the swing frame 140 onto the plow A-frame 50 is illustrated. The rectangular swing frame tube 142 of the swing frame 140 is inserted between the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 54 of the plow A-frame 50 , with the pivot 144 of the swing frame 140 being brought into alignment intermediate the swing frame pivot 108 and the swing frame pivot 110 of the plow A-frame 50 . A pivot pin 524 having a threaded distal end 526 is inserted sequentially through the swing frame pivot 108 in the plow A-frame 50 , the pivot 144 in the swing frame 140 , and the swing frame pivot 110 in the plow A-frame 50 , and is retained in place by a locking nut 528 . Washers (not shown herein) may also be used if desired.
Thus, the swing frame 140 is pivotally mounted on the plow A-frame 50 , and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the movement of the swing frame 140 is limited by the guide/stop bar 152 on the swing frame 140 which interacts with the rectangular plate 66 on the plow A-frame 50 to limit movement to approximately thirty degrees either to the right or to the left. The swing frame 140 will be pivoted by two hydraulic cylinders, the installation of which will be described later in conjunction with FIG. 30 .
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the design of the plow A-frame 50 and the swing frame 140 represents a substantial improvement over past snow plow frame designs since their centerlines are in the same horizontal plane. Thus, rather than having the swing frame 140 being located on top of the plow A-frame 50 , the swing frame 140 is located in the same plane as is the plow A-frame 50 . In the preferred embodiment, the apertures 60 and 62 in the lugs 56 and 58 , respectively, as well as the pins 408 and 410 , are also in the same horizontal plane.
Moving now to FIG. 19, a cushion block 530 is illustrated which will be used to absorb the impact of the plow blade 440 (shown in FIG. 11) as it moves between its limits. Such movement of the plow blade 440 is caused by the plow blade 440 striking an object, and is designed to prevent damage to the snow plow by allowing the plow blade 440 to “trip,” that is, for the bottom of the plow blade 440 to move rearwardly and the top of the plow blade 440 to simultaneously move forward, resulting in a rotation of the plow blade 440 around a horizontal axis. Such a rotation is inhibited by springs, which act as a shock absorbing mechanism, and which return the plow blade 440 to a normal or “trip return” position. The springs are quite strong, since they must prevent the plow blade 440 from rotating when it is plowing snow, and the metal-to-metal impacts of both a blade trip is and a blade trip return can be substantial. The cushion block 530 is designed to cushion the impacts on both the blade trip and the blade trip return.
The cushion block 530 is brick-shaped with a corner cut off to create a beveled face 532 , and will be mounted with the beveled face 532 of the cushion block 530 facing both forwardly and downwardly. Above the beveled face 532 of the cushion block 530 and facing forwardly when the cushion block 530 is mounted is a front face 534 . Extending laterally through the cushion block 530 at a central location is an aperture 536 , which will be used to mount the cushion block 530 on the swing frame 140 (shown in FIGS. 3 through 5 ). A cushion block 530 will be mounted between each pair of the blade pivot mounts 178 and 180 , and 182 and 184 . The apertures 202 and 204 in the blade pivot mounts 178 and 180 , respectively, will align with the aperture 536 in one cushion block 530 , and the apertures 206 and 208 in the blade pivot mounts 182 and 184 , respectively, will align with the aperture 536 in the other cushion block 530 .
Turning next to FIGS. 20 through 22, and referring also to FIGS. 3, 11 , and 19 , the installation of both the cushion blocks 530 and the plow blade 440 onto the swing frame 140 is illustrated. One of the cushion blocks 530 is shown installed between the blade pivot mounts 182 and 184 , with a bolt 538 extending sequentially through the aperture 208 in the blade pivot mount 184 , the aperture 536 in the cushion block 530 , and the aperture 206 in the blade pivot mount 182 , and with a nut 540 being used to retain the bolt 538 in place. The top and the rearwardly facing side of the cushion block 530 are retained in position by the stop 222 in the swing frame 140 . The other cushion block 530 would be similarly mounted between the blade pivot mounts 178 and 180 . Alternately, silicone adhesive (or any other suitable type of adhesive) may be used instead of bolts to retain the cushion blocks 530 in place. Another alternate retaining mechanism would be to have the cushion blocks 530 fit in place with an interference fit.
The plow blade 440 will pivot around an axis defined by the mounting apertures 464 and 466 located in the ribs 450 and 454 , respectively, and is mounted onto the swing frame 140 using two pins 542 . One of the pins 542 extends sequentially through the aperture 200 in the blade pivot mount 184 , the mounting aperture 466 in the rib 454 , and the aperture 198 in the blade pivot mount 182 . The other one of the pins 542 extends sequentially through the aperture 196 in the blade pivot mount 180 , the mounting aperture 464 in the rib 450 , and the aperture 194 in the blade pivot mount 180 . Retaining pins 544 are installed into diametrically extending apertures located in the distal ends of each of the pins 542 , and retain the pins 542 in place, thereby pivotally mounting the plow blade 440 on the swing frame 140 .
The plow blade 440 thus may pivot between the trip return position shown in FIG. 20 and the tripped position shown in FIG. 22 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that when the plow blade 440 hits an object on the ground sufficiently hard, it will be driven to the tripped position shown in FIG. 22, at which time the portion of the rib 454 and also the portion of the rib 450 (which is not shown in FIG. 22) below the pins 542 will contact the beveled faces 532 of the cushion blocks 530 , which will absorb the impact. Similarly, when the plow blade 440 is driven back into the trip return position shown in FIG. 20, the portion of the rib 454 and also the portion of the rib 450 (which is not shown in FIG. 22) above the pins 542 will contact the front face 534 of the cushion blocks 530 , which will absorb the impact. In the preferred embodiment, the cushion blocks 530 are made of polyurethane, such as, for example, Quazi formulated methylenebisdiphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) polyester-based 93 durometer (Shore A scale) polyurethane, available commercially from Kryptonics, Inc. under the trademark Kaptane 93 black.
Referring now to FIGS. 23 and 24, portions of the left side of the swing frame 140 and the plow blade 440 are illustrated in the blade trip return position. In the principal design described herein and shown in the drawings, four trip springs 550 , 552 , 554 , and 556 (the first two of which are not shown in FIGS. 23 or 24 ) will be used to bias the plow blade 440 into the trip return position, and to resist movement of the plow blade 440 into the tripped position. Two trip springs 550 and 552 , or 554 and 556 will be located on each side of the swing frame 140 and the plow blade 440 . The trip springs 554 and 556 are shown in phantom lines in FIG. 23, with the trip spring 554 being connected between the aperture 218 of the trip spring bracket 212 and the aperture 504 of the trip spring bracket 494 , and the trip spring 556 being connected between the aperture 220 of the trip spring bracket 212 and the aperture 506 of the trip spring bracket 494 .
It will at once be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the trip springs 554 and 556 are located immediately on either side of the pivoting connection between the plow blade 440 and the swing frame 140 . The trip springs 554 and 556 exert a force in a plane which is parallel to the plane of rotation defined by the pivoting connection between the plow blade 440 and the swing frame 140 . Thus, the trip springs 554 and 556 do not pull in a direction which is even in part at an angle to the plane of rotation. This represents a major advantage over previously known snow plow trip spring mounting designs, which without exception are located at an angle to the plane of rotation defined by the pivoting connection between the plow blade and the swing frame of such previously known snow plows. The design of the snow plow described herein utilizes all of the trip spring force for the blade trip operation, and thus provides more consistent blade trip operation as well as eliminating lateral trip spring force being exerted on the frame of the plow blade 440 .
Turning next to FIGS. 25 and 26, an alternate embodiment is illustrated in which two trip springs are used to bias the plow blade 440 into the trip return position, and to resist movement of the plow blade 440 into the tripped position. One trip spring will be located on each side of the swing frame 140 and the plow blade 440 (the trip spring 560 on the left side of the swing frame 140 and the plow blade 440 is illustrated in the blade trip return position in FIG. 25 ). In the alternate embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 25 and 26, the design of the trip spring brackets which are mounted on the back of the ribs 450 and 454 differs from the design of the trip spring brackets 210 and 212 (shown in FIGS. 3 through 5 ). A trip spring bracket 562 having a single aperture 564 located therein is mounted on the blade pivot mounts 182 and 184 . The trip spring bracket 562 is also preferably made of steel, and is welded onto the blade pivot mounts 182 and 184 with the aperture 564 being located between the blade pivot mounts 182 and 184 . An identical spring trip bracket (not shown) would also be used on the right side of the swing frame 140 .
In the alternate embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 25 and 26, the design of the trip spring brackets which are mounted on the back of the ribs 450 and 454 also differs from the design of the trip spring brackets 492 and 494 (shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 ). A trip spring bracket 566 is mounted approximately three-quarters of the way up the rib 454 , and is bent at a ninety degree angle, the bend being on an axis parallel to the lateral axis of the plow blade 440 . The portion of the trip spring bracket 566 facing forward has a notch 568 cut into it from the forwardmost edge thereof to the bend therein. The rear edge of the rib 454 fits into the notch 568 , and the portion of the spring bracket 566 facing rearwardly fits against the rib 454 . The rear-facing portion of the trip spring bracket 566 has an aperture 570 located therein which lies in the same plane as the rib 454 . The spring bracket 566 is also preferably made of steel, and is welded onto the rib 454 . An identical spring trip bracket (not shown) would also be used on the right side of the plow blade 440 .
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the trip spring 560 is located, and exerts a force, in the plane of rotation defined by the pivoting connection between the plow blade 440 and the swing frame 140 . Thus, the trip spring 560 does not pull in a direction which is even in part at an angle to the plane of rotation (unlike previously known snow plow trip spring mounting designs). The alternate embodiment design of the snow plow of FIGS. 25 and 26 utilizes all of the trip spring force for the blade trip operation and provides more consistent blade trip operation as well as eliminating lateral trip spring force being exerted on the frame of the plow blade 440 .
Referring next to FIGS. 27 and 28, the movement of the plow blade 440 between the trip return position shown in FIG. 27 and the fully tripped position shown in FIG. 28 is illustrated. From these figures (and also by looking at the orientation of the trip springs 550 , 552 , 554 , and 556 in the top plan view of FIG. 30 ), it will be appreciated that the trip springs 550 , 552 , 554 , and 556 (which are already under tension even in the trip return position) are all further stretched as the plow blade 440 moves from the trip return position to the tripped position, and thus serve to return the plow blade 440 to the trip return position when the force which caused the plow blade 440 to be tripped is removed.
Turning next to FIGS. 29 and 30, the assembly of several additional components is illustrated. First, all four of the trip springs 550 , 552 , 554 , and 556 are illustrated as mounted onto the swing frame 140 and the plow blade 440 . In addition, right and left light support towers 572 and 574 , respectively, are mounted on the light bar supports 244 and 246 , respectively, of the lift bar 230 , and a light support bar 576 is mounted on the top ends of the right and left light support towers 572 and 574 . Lights (not shown herein) would be mounted on the light support bar 576 , in a manner well known to one skilled in the art.
In addition, right and left swing cylinders 578 and 580 , respectively, are mounted between the plow A-frame 50 and the swing frame 140 . The right swing cylinder 578 extends between the swing cylinder mount 76 on the plow A-frame 50 (where it is secured with a pin 582 ) and the swing cylinder mounting plates 154 and 158 on the swing frame 140 (where it is secured with a pin 584 ), and the left swing cylinder 580 extends between the swing cylinder mount 78 on the plow A-frame 50 (where it is secured with a pin 586 ) and the swing cylinder mounting plates 156 and 160 on the swing frame 140 (where it is secured with a pin 588 ). It will be understood that the pins 582 , 584 , 586 , and 588 are all retained in place with cotter pins (not shown) as is well known to those skilled in the art.
Also not shown or discussed herein is the hydraulic system to operate the snow plow, the construction and operation of which is also well known to those skilled in the art. The right and left swing cylinders 578 and 580 are used to pivot the swing frame 140 and the plow blade 440 on the plow A-frame 50 . The hydraulic cylinder 416 (shown in FIG. 10) is used to operate the stand 432 (also shown in FIG. 10) prior to the snow plow being mounted onto a truck, to facilitate the mounting of the snow plow onto the truck (as will become apparent below in conjunction with the discussion of FIGS. 31 through 37 ), and to raise and lower the plow A-frame 50 , the swing frame 140 , and the plow blade 440 after the snow plow has been mounted onto the truck. The hydraulic system for the snow plow may be mounted on the plow A-frame 50 at the front thereof, and if so mounted would have a hydraulic system cover 590 mounted thereupon to protect it, as shown in phantom lines.
Referring now to FIGS. 31 through 37, the operation of the mounting system used to mount the snow plow on the hitch frame nose piece 300 is shown. Referring first to FIGS. 31 through 33, in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 6 , 7 , and 10 , the mechanism used to connect the snow plow to the hitch frame nose piece 300 is shown. In the discussion herein, all references are to the left side of the snow plow and the hitch frame nose piece 300 , but those skilled in the art will understand that the principles thereof are equally applicable to the right side of the snow plow and the hitch frame nose piece 300 .
The snow plow is mounted onto the hitch frame nose piece 300 with the plow standing on the stand 432 (shown in FIG. 10 ). In this position, the pin 410 which extends laterally at the rear of the snow plow on the left side will be at a height such than when the truck having the hitch frame nose piece 300 mounted thereon moves forward, the pin 410 will fit into the rectangular notches 324 and 326 at the front of the hitch brackets 308 and 310 , respectively. The pin 410 is brought fully into the rectangular notches 324 and 326 by moving the truck forward. It will be noted that the flange at the front of the hitch bracket 310 as well as the approximately seventy degree bend in the angled stock segment 250 will assist in guiding the rear mounting support 238 and the angled stock segment 250 of the lift bar 230 into position intermediate the hitch bracket 308 and 310 .
A this point, the hydraulic cylinder 416 (shown in FIG. 10) is actuated to begin to retract it to raise the stand 432 (also shown in FIG. 10 ), causing the pin 410 to drop into the slots 332 and 334 in the hitch brackets 308 and 310 , respectively. By continuing to actuate the hydraulic cylinder 416 to retract it, the lift bar 230 is pivoted to bring the apertures 290 and 292 in the angled stock segment 250 and the rear mounting support 238 , respectively, of the lift bar 230 into alignment with the apertures 340 and 342 in the hitch brackets 308 and 310 , respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 300 . At this point, a retaining pin 592 having a handle 594 may be inserted sequentially through the aperture 342 in the hitch bracket 310 , the aperture 292 in the rear mounting support 238 , the aperture 290 in the angled stock segment 250 , and the aperture 340 in the hitch bracket 308 . The retaining pin 592 has an aperture 596 extending through near the distal end thereof, and a retaining spring pin 598 is used to retain the retaining pin 592 in place.
Referring next to FIGS. 34 through 37, the installation of the snow plow onto the hitch frame nose piece 300 mounted on a truck 600 (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 37) is illustrated. In FIG. 34, the snow plow is shown in its stored position, supported on the stand 432 . In this position, the hydraulic cylinder 416 is in its fully extended position, and the rear end of the snow plow is raised. In this position, the pin 408 (not shown in FIGS. 34 through 37) at the right rear of the snow plow will be received by the rectangular notches 320 and 322 (not shown in FIGS. 34 through 37) at the front of the hitch brackets 304 and 306 (not shown in FIGS. 34 through 37 ), respectively, at the right side of the hitch frame nose piece 300 . Similarly, the pin 410 at the left rear of the snow plow will be received by the rectangular notches 324 (not shown in FIGS. 34 through 37) and 326 at the front of the hitch brackets 308 (not shown in FIGS. 34 through 37) and 310 , respectively, at the left side of the hitch frame nose piece 300 . The truck 600 may be driven forward to fully engage the pins 408 and 410 with the hitch frame nose piece 300 as shown in FIG. 34 .
Next, as shown in FIG. 36, as the hydraulic cylinder 416 begins to retract, the plow A-frame 50 will lower at the rear end thereof as the stand 432 begins to move upwardly relative to the plow A-frame 50 . This causes the pin 408 (not shown in FIGS. 34 through 37) to drop into the slots 328 and 330 (not shown in FIG. 36) in the hitch brackets 304 and 306 (not shown in FIG. 36 ), respectively, at the right side of the hitch frame nose piece 300 . Similarly, the pin 410 drops into the slots 332 (not shown in FIG. 36) and 334 in the hitch brackets 308 (not shown in FIG. 36) and 310 , respectively, at the left side of the hitch frame nose piece 300 . This initial retraction of the hydraulic cylinder 416 also causes the lift bar 230 to begin to rotate clockwise as viewed from the left side of the snow plow, as is evident from the movement of the right light support towers 572 and 576 and the light support bar 576 .
As shown in FIG. 37, as the hydraulic cylinder 416 continues to retract, the lift bar 230 rotates clockwise until the light support towers 572 and 576 are oriented nearly vertically. As this further rotation occurs, the pin 408 (not shown in FIG. 37) remains in the slots 328 and 330 in the hitch brackets 304 and 306 , respectively (none of which are shown in FIG. 37 ). Similarly, the pin 410 remains in the slots 332 (not shown in FIG. 37) and 334 in the hitch brackets 308 (not shown in FIG. 37) and 310 , respectively. On the right side of the lift bar 230 and the hitch frame nose piece 300 (best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 ), the apertures 286 and 288 in the rear mounting support 236 and the angled stock segment 248 , respectively, of the lift bar 230 move into engagement with the apertures 336 and 338 in the hitch brackets 304 and 306 , respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 300 . Likewise, on the left side of the lift bar 230 and the hitch frame nose piece 300 (portions of which are also best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively), the apertures 290 and 292 in the angled stock segment 250 and the rear mounting support 238 , respectively, of the lift bar 230 move into alignment with the apertures 340 and 342 in the hitch brackets 308 and 310 , respectively, of the hitch frame nose piece 300 .
At this point, one of the retaining pins 592 is inserted sequentially through the aperture 336 in the hitch bracket 304 , the aperture 286 in the rear mounting support 236 , the aperture 288 in the angled stock segment 248 , and the aperture 338 in the hitch bracket 306 (all of which are best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 ). The other one of the retaining pins 592 is inserted sequentially through the aperture 342 in the hitch bracket 310 , the aperture 292 in the rear mounting support 238 , the aperture 290 in the angled stock segment 250 , and the aperture 340 in the hitch bracket 308 (many of which are also best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 ). The retaining spring pins 598 are then inserted into the apertures 596 near the distal ends of the retaining pins 592 to retain the retaining pins 592 in place. At this point, the stand 432 may also be moved to a stowed position by disconnecting it from the lift link 390 (by removal of the pin (not shown)) and rotating it to the stowed position as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,688, which was incorporated by reference above.
Also shown in FIG. 37 is a marker bar 602 , one of which may be mounted on each side of the plow blade 440 at the top thereof using the apertures 512 and 514 (not shown in FIG. 37) on the right and left sides of the plow blade 440 , respectively, using bolts 604 and nuts (not shown herein). The marker bars 602 are used to allow the driver of the truck 600 to see where the front of the plow blade 440 is at any given time (since the driver may not be able to see the plow blade 440 over the hood of the truck 600 from the cab of the truck 600 ).
Referring finally to FIG. 38, a snow plow having an alternate embodiment is illustrated in which shoes 610 and 612 are installed on the plow blade 440 . The shoes 610 and 612 are designed to ride in sliding contact with the surface to be plowed, and are particular useful on gravel or during the spring when the ground may not be fully frozen. The shoes 610 and 612 are mounted to the plow blade 440 using shoe mounts 614 and 616 , respectively. The shoe mount 614 is mounted on the bottom plow frame member 444 near the right side thereof, and the shoe mount 616 is mounted on the bottom plow frame member 444 near the left side thereof. The shoe mounts 614 and 616 are preferably made of steel and are welded onto the bottom plow frame member 444 .
The shoes 610 and 612 are mounted on posts 618 and 620 , respectively, which posts 618 and 620 are is received by the shoe mounts 614 and 616 , respectively. The shoes 610 and 612 are adjusted using a combination of washers and tubular spacers, which are placed on the posts 618 and 620 either below or above the shoe mounts 614 and 616 to adjust the height of the shoes 610 and 612 . The position of the shoes 610 and 612 relative to the plow blade 440 may be adjusted to adjust the height of the plow blade 440 relative to the surface to be plowed. This allows the degree to which the wearstrip 486 scrapes the surface to be plowed to be controlled. Retaining pins 622 and 624 are used on the posts 618 and 620 , respectively, to retain them in the shoe mounts 614 and 616 .
The shoes 610 and 612 are typically made out of cast iron. It should be noted that although the back blade wearstrip 516 is not shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 38, it can in fact be used with the shoes 610 and 612 , so long as the shoe mounts 614 and 616 extend sufficiently back to clear the back blade wearstrip 516 . The shoes 610 and 612 have feet which are adapted to ride in sliding contact with the surface to be plowed. The position of the feet relative to the plow blade may be adjusted to adjust the height of the plow blade relative to the surface to be plowed. In this way, the degree to which the blade edge scrapes the surface to be plowed may be controlled.
It may therefore be appreciated from the above detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention that it teaches a mechanism for absorbing a substantial part of the impact of the snow plow blade as it reaches its fully tripped position when the snow plow blade strikes an object with sufficient force to drive it to the fully tripped position. The snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention also provides a mechanism for absorbing a substantial part of the impact of the snow plow blade as it is returned to its trip return position by the force of the trip springs. In doing so, the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention minimizes or eliminates the metal-on-metal impact which would otherwise occur both at the fully tripped position of the snow plow blade and at the trip return position of the snow plow blade.
The snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention does not interfere with the tripping movement, either as the snow plow blade is tripping, or as it is returning to its normal plowing position, except as the snow plow blade approaches its extreme positions. The impact-absorbing members of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention are made of a material which is highly resistant to damage even when absorbing large shocks caused by substantial impacts. In addition, the impact-absorbing members of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention are easily replaceable when their lifetime has been expended.
The snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention is of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which will require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. The snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention is also of inexpensive construction to enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives are achieved by the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.
Although an exemplary embodiment of the snow plow blade trip impact absorber of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. All such changes, modifications, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention.
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An improved snow plow for use with light and medium duty trucks is disclosed which has an impact-absorbing mechanism which absorbs the shocks of both the tripping of the snow plow blade upon striking an object and the spring-biased return of the snow plow blade to its original position. Impact-absorbing members made of a polymeric material are mounted in pockets contained in the pivot support structure of the snow plow blade support structure, and portions of the snow plow blade frame impact the impact-absorbing members prior to the snow plow blade reaching either a tripped position or a trip return position. The impact-absorbing members are highly resistant to damage even when absorbing large shocks caused by substantial impacts, and are easily replaceable when their lifetime has been expended.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/828,158, filed Oct. 4, 2006.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates generally to cutting guides and blocks for bone preparation of a femur and, more particularly, distal cutting guides for preparation of the distal portion of the femur.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] In preparing the knee for implantation of a prosthesis in knee replacement surgery (either total knee replacement or partial knee replacement), the distal femur requires cuts on the bone in precise locations and precise planar angles. In many instances, the first cut may be a distal cut on the femur. Further cuts, including anterior, posterior, and any intermediate angled cuts, may be referenced from the distal cut. Thus, the distal cut may be used to orient all other cuts on the distal portion of the knee. Properly aligning the distal cutting block prior to making the distal cut may create a better fit and better performance of knee prosthesis.
[0006] Fixation of the cutting block to the femur has been accomplished by intramedullary (IM) rods or by pinning the guide to the femur. The IM rod may also be used as an alignment guide to orient a distal cutting guide. However, a surgeon does not align the cutting block perpendicular to the IM canal (the anatomical axis of the femur). Instead, the surgeon may align to a default angular offset that is built in to the cutting guide and is fixed within the cutting guide. Thus, if the surgeon desires to adjust the angle between the IM canal and the cutting guide (which affects the varus/valgus angle between the femur and tibia) then a different cutting block may be required having a different fixed cutting guide orientation. Additional cutting guide orientations require those blocks to be sterilized and present in the operating room at the time of surgery. This increases the possibility of error and may increase operating room time.
[0007] Other cutting blocks may include variability in the cutting guides relative to the pinned portions of the cutting block, but these cutting guides generally offset the plane of the cutting guides relative to the cutting blocks. Such changes may affect the amount of the resection and result in improper installation and performance.
[0008] Thus, there remains a need in the art for an easily adjustable distal cutting block for locating distal cutting guides for proper angle and depth of the distal resection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is in view of the above problems that the present invention was developed. A device and method for resecting a distal portion of a femur may comprise a distal cutting guide, a valgus guide, and a variable collet. The distal cutting guide is configured to overlie an anterior portion of the femur and comprises a slot for guiding a cutting tool across a distal portion of the femur. The valgus guide is configured to connect to the distal cutting guide. The valgus guide is configured to align the slot of the distal cutting guide at the proper varus/valgus angle. The variable collet is configured to attach to an intramedullary rod and the valgus guide. The variable collet comprises a port for receiving the intramedullary rod. The port is angularly adjustable with respect to the valgus guide such that adjusting the port adjusts the varus/valgus angle of the distal cutting guide.
[0010] Another embodiment comprises a locking portion configured to fix the variable collet to the intramedullary rod.
[0011] Yet another embodiment comprises a depth gage configured to adjust the depth of the distal cutting guide relative to the femur.
[0012] Alternatively, the depth gage may be further configured to fix the distal cutting guide to the valgus guide.
[0013] Another embodiment of the distal cutting guide includes a unicondylar distal cutting guide.
[0014] In yet another embodiment, the port has a first end and a second end, the first end configured to receive an end cap and the second end configured with a spherical surface, the spherical surface being a bearing surface configured to rotate the port within the collet.
[0015] Another embodiment further comprises a tensioner portion configured to tension the port such that the tension is generated from a force exerted oppositely on the spherical surface and the end cap.
[0016] Yet another embodiment further comprises a bias member configured to bias the tensioner portion.
[0017] Alternatively another embodiment of the valgus guide is fixed at an angle other than a perpendicular angle to the variable collet thereby aligning the slot of the distal cutting guide at a nonperpendicular angle to the anatomical axis of the femur.
[0018] Another embodiment further comprises indicia on the collet at the port to adjustably align the varus/valgus angle of the distal cutting guide.
[0019] A method of resecting a distal portion of a femur may comprise driving an intramedullary rod in the intramedullary canal of the femur. Another step may align a slot over an anterior portion of the femur. A step attaches a guide to the intramedullary rod. Another step attaches the slot to the guide. The slot is angularly adjustable with respect to the guide such that adjusting the guide adjusts the varus/valgus angle of the slot.
[0020] Another embodiment further comprises the step of locking the guide to the intramedullary rod.
[0021] Yet another embodiment further comprises the step of adjusting the depth of the slot relative to the femur.
[0022] An embodiment further comprises the step of fixing the slot to the guide.
[0023] Alternatively, the slot guides a unicondylar distal cutting tool.
[0024] In another embodiment, the method step of attaching the slot to the guide step further comprises rotating the guide relative to a bearing surface to adjust the varus/valgus angle of the slot with respect to the guide.
[0025] In yet another embodiment, the method step of locking further comprises the step of tensioning the guide such that the guide is fixed to the intramedullary rod.
[0026] In another embodiment, the method further comprises the step of biasing the guide in tension such that a force is required generally along the axis of the intramedullary rod to tension the guide.
[0027] Alternatively, the guide is fixed at an angle other than a perpendicular angle to the intramedullary rod thereby aligning the slot at a nonperpendicular angle to the anatomical axis of the femur.
[0028] Another embodiment further comprises the step of indicating the varus/valgus angle of the guide.
[0029] The invention has several advantages over prior devices and techniques which may be addressed by some of the embodiments. First, the number of necessary cutting blocks may be limited. Second, accurate placement, which may lead to better performance of the knee prosthesis is allowed from the ability to adjust the varus/valgus angle. Other advantages of the embodiments may also be apparent from the type of cutting block used.
[0030] Further features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
[0032] FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a variable collet;
[0033] FIG. 2 is a side view of the variable collet of FIG. 1 ;
[0034] FIG. 3 is another view of the variable collet of FIG. 1 ;
[0035] FIG. 4 is a cutaway of the variable collet of FIG. 1 ;
[0036] FIG. 5 is a cutaway of the variable collet of FIG. 1 showing a separate orientation of the collet;
[0037] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the variable collet of FIG. 1 ;
[0038] FIG. 7 is another exploded view of FIG. 6 ;
[0039] FIG. 8 is a cutaway of the exploded view of FIG. 6 ;
[0040] FIG. 9 is a variable collet attached to an IM rod and a femur;
[0041] FIG. 10 is a variable collet attached to a femur;
[0042] FIG. 11 is a variable collet attached to a unicondylar cutting guide; and
[0043] FIG. 12 is a distal view of a variable collet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0044] Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numbers indicate like elements, FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a variable collet 10 . The variable collet 10 includes an IM rod guide 12 , an upper tensioner portion 14 , a lower locking portion 16 and a distal cutting frame 18 . The IM rod guide 12 includes a tensioner cap 20 and a varus/valgus indicator 22 . The distal cutting guide frame 18 includes distal block assembly receiving slots 24 , intracondylar guides 26 and a set screw 28 . The collet 10 is configured to slide over an IM rod to position a distal cutting block in the proper orientation. The IM rod guide 12 orients the angle between the IM rod and the distal cutting block. The locking portion locks the angle in place. The distal cutting frame 18 sets the plane for the distal cutting guide.
[0045] The distal cutting block (examples of which are shown in FIGS. 9-12 ) is oriented in a plane defined by the receiving slots 24 . The receiving slots are fixed with respect to the locking portion 16 . The receiving slots 24 may be perpendicular to the locking portion 16 or may be placed at an angle to the locking portion 16 . The angular offset may be set to align the distal cutting block along the mechanical axis of the femur. The varus/valgus indicator 22 may indicate the angle either relative to the offset, or relative to the actual varus/valgus angle.
[0046] In FIG. 1 , the embodiment is offset 6 degrees from perpendicular.
[0047] Changing the angle of the IM rod guide 12 , then, rotates the varus/valgus angle from the 6 degree offset value built into the collet 10 . While the embodiment shown is at 6 degrees, any choice of offset may be given. Changing the offset may be beneficial based upon the population of likely surgical candidates. The minimum and maximum varus/valgus angle is determined from the amount of rotation the IM rod guide 12 can achieve in the collet 10 . The range of angles from the offset may be equally spaced from the offset, for example, by setting the offset at an expected average for a population, then variation from the average, assuming a normal distribution, would allow for most of the population to be easily adjustable from the average. If, however, the population has a skewed distribution, then the average may not be best accounted for by offsetting the angle so that the range encompasses as many possible members of the population as possible. Instead, the skew may dictate setting the angle closer to the longer tail of the distribution to allow for the variable collet 10 to be used on as many people as possible.
[0048] Once the angle is set, then the locking portion 16 is rotated to lock the IM rod guide 12 in place. The locking portion 16 rotates relative to the tensioner portion 14 . The tensioner portion 14 extends from the locking portion 16 . The tensioner portion 14 presses against the tensioner cap 20 and the varus/valgus indicator 22 to lock the IM rod guide 12 . The tensioner portion 14 may be any device that puts tension on the IM rod guide 12 to lock the IM rod guide 12 in place with respect to the receiving slots 24 .
[0049] The distal cutting guide frame 18 sets the depth and orientation of the cutting guide. The depth is set by the intracondylar guides 26 . The guides 26 position the receiving slots 24 above the intracondylar notch. The collet 10 slides down the IM rod until the intracondylar guides 26 rest in the notch. The receiving slots set the angle of the distal block relative to the IM rod. The set screw 28 may be used to fix the cutting block to the frame 18 .
[0050] Turning now to FIG. 2 , FIG. 2 is a side view of the variable collet 10 of FIG. 1 . The collet 10 shows the intracondylar guides 26 are displaced anteriorly and posteriorly from the center of the collet 10 . The indicators 22 also may be located on both anteriorly and posteriorly (A/P plane). The cutting block guides 24 are also oriented in the A/P plane so that the distal cutting block does not rotate in the A/P direction. The other portions of the collet 10 , including the locking portion 16 , the IM rod guide 20 and the upper tensioner 14 are generally cylindrical so that rotation may be achieved with the surgeon's fingers. However other shapes may be used for ease of use, such as hexagonal cross sections (like a bolt).
[0051] The upper face of the tensioner portion 14 may be rounded. The surface may be rounded to accommodate the rotation of the IM rod guide 12 . The arc of the surface may be an arc having a radius the length of the IM rod member. This allows for the IM rod member to rotate without having to change the tension in the tensioner portion 14 .
[0052] Turning now to FIG. 3 , FIG. 3 is another view of the variable collet 10 of
[0053] FIG. 1 . The IM rod guide 12 includes an IM rod port 30 and varus/valgus indicia 32 . The IM rod port 30 receives an IM rod. The port 30 extends fully through the collet 10 , passing through the locking portion 16 and the cutting guide frame 18 . The indicia 32 may display numerical values for varus/valgus angle or may set a plus/minus from the offset. The indicia 32 may include indices for any number of possible settings. The example shown has an index for the offset, one for a more varus orientation, and one for a more valgus orientation. While there are only three indices, the amount of variation is not limited to only those three positions. The collet 10 may be set to any value within the range from varus to valgus angles rotatable in the collet 10 .
[0054] The angular range of the collet 10 is controlled by a tensioner slot 34 . The tensioner slot 34 sets the range of motion of the IM rod guide 12 in the medial-lateral direction. The walls of the tensioner slot 34 limit the motion.
[0055] The set screw 28 is threaded into the distal cutting guide frame 18 . The set screw may be a hex head screw which may be tightened onto the cutting block assembly to hold the assembly rigid to the collet 10 . An indention on the tensioner 14 may allow for clearance of a tool to set the set screw 28 . Other tightening mechanisms (like a thumb wheel, a cam, etc.) may be used instead of the hex head set screw 28 .
[0056] Turning now to FIG. 4 , FIG. 4 is a cutaway of the variable collet of FIG. 1 . The IM rod guide 12 includes an IM rod tube 36 and a wave spring 42 . At one end, the IM rod tube 36 has a threaded tube portion 38 which threads into the tensioner cap 20 . At the other end, a spherical end portion 40 is the rotating surface between the tube 36 and the frame 18 . The frame 18 also includes a threaded frame portion 44 which threads into the locking portion 16 . The wave spring 42 is positioned between the locking portion 16 and the tensioner portion 14 . The wave spring 42 biases the tensioner portion 14 . Other connections may be used to exert force from the locking portion 16 to the tensioner portion 14 .
[0057] The tensioner cap 20 is pressed against the tensioner portion 14 by rotating the locking portion 16 . The locking portion 16 rotates on the threaded portion 44 upward to press against the wave spring 42 . The wave spring biases and pushes the tensioner portion 14 against the tensioner cap 20 . When the tensioner portion 14 presses against the tensioner cap 20 , the IM rod tube 36 is tensioned between the interface at the tensioner cap 20 and tensioner portion 14 and the interface between the spherical end portion 40 and the cutting guide frame 18 .
[0058] In FIG. 4 , the IM rod tube is fully rotated to the left (corresponding to the negative orientation from the indicia shown in FIG. 2 . In contrast, turning now to FIG. 5 , FIG. 5 is a cutaway of the variable collet 10 of FIG. 1 showing a separate orientation of the collet 10 . The IM tube rod 36 is fully rotated to the right (corresponding to the positive orientation from the indicia shown in FIG. 2 . The tensioner cap 20 abuts the tensioner slot 34 on the left side of the slot 34 . The spherical end portion 40 allows for the tube 36 to be rotated while maintaining contact with the frame 18 .
[0059] Turning now to FIG. 6 , FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the variable collet 10 of FIG. 1 . The tube 36 is inserted from below through the frame 18 . The locking portion 16 is threaded onto the frame 18 . The spring 42 and tensioner portion 14 are placed within the locking portion 16 . The tensioner portion 14 is free to rotate within the locking portion 16 . The tensioner cap 20 is threaded onto the threaded tube portion 38 to connect all portions of the collet 10 between the spherical end portion 40 and the tensioner cap 20 .
[0060] Turning now to FIG. 7 , FIG. 7 is another exploded view of FIG. 6 . The locking portion 16 includes a cavity 50 to receive the wave spring 42 and the tensioner portion 14 . Additionally, the rectangular cross section of the tensioner cap slot 34 is shown. The tensioner portion 14 is hollow to allow for the tube 36 to rotate. The tensioner slot 34 guides the IM tube 36 to only move in one direction. The rod tube 36 is received between the intracondylar guides 26 .
[0061] Turning now to FIG. 8 , FIG. 8 is a cutaway of the exploded view of FIG. 6 . The wave spring 42 rests between a locking portion abutting surface 60 and a tensioner portion abutting surface 64 . The tensioner portion 14 includes a threaded frame portion recess 66 configured to receive the threaded portion of the frame when the locking portion 16 is rotated and translates along the axis of the frame 18 .
[0062] A flat 70 on the set screw 28 retains the set screw within the frame 18 . The flat also creates the interference fit between the frame 18 and the distal cutting block assembly. The flat is oriented at the angle of the slots 24 so that the entire flat surface 70 contacts the block assembly.
[0063] A spherical recess 72 on the frame 18 receives the IM rod 36 . The spherical recess 72 is the surface which allows for rotation of the IM rod 36 . The center of rotation of the IM rod is the center of the spherical recess 72 , which is generally below the collet 10 .
[0064] Turning now to FIG. 9 , FIG. 9 is a variable collet attached to an IM rod 74 and a femur 78 . A distal cutting block assembly 76 is attached to the collet 10 . In this embodiment, the distal cutting block assembly 76 is a cutting block for a primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, other distal blocks, for example a revision or a unicompartmental cutting block, may alternatively be used depending on the type of surgical procedure being performed. The TKA cutting block 76 align along condyles 80 of the femur 78 .
[0065] The cutting block assembly 76 may include a valgus alignment guide 81 and a distal cutting guide 82 . The valgus alignment guide 81 includes floating spikes 84 and collet receiving slots 86 . A cam 88 connects the distal cutting guide 82 to the valgus alignment guide 81 . The cam 88 may be a thumb knob retaining member or any other connector to attach the distal cutting guide 82 to the valgus alignment guide 81 . The floating spikes 84 may couple the valgus alignment guide 81 to the condyles 80 of the femur 78 .
[0066] The collet 10 is placed over the IM rod 74 and lowered to the femur 80 . The valgus alignment guide 81 is slid into the collet 10 . The collet receiving slots 86 are slidably received along the receiving slots of the collet 10 . The distal cutting guide 82 is attached perpendicularly to the valgus alignment guide 81 . The cam 88 fixes the distal cutting guide 82 to the valgus alignment guide 81 .
[0067] Turning now to FIG. 10 , FIG. 10 is a variable collet 10 attached to a femur 78 . The femur 78 has already been prepared with an anterior resection 94 . The distal cutting guide 82 may further include a depth gage 90 and spike holes 92 . The depth gage 90 sets the depth of the distal cutting guide 82 . The cam 88 fixes the depth of the cutting guide 82 . When the depth is set, the surgeon may use spikes to fix the distal cutting guide 82 to the femur 78 . The IM rod 74 and the collet 10 may then be removed before the distal cut is made. If additional depth is needed, then the depth of the distal cutting guide 82 may be adjusted by using the same holes in the femur, but using the adjacent spike holes 92 . The distal cutting plane is then defined by the slot within the distal cutting guide 82 .
[0068] The center of rotation of the collet 10 is approximately aligned with the cutting slot of the distal cutting guide 82 .
[0069] Turning now to FIG. 11 , FIG. 11 is a variable collet 10 attached to a unicondylar distal cutting guide 98 . Spikes 100 fix the cutting guide 98 to the bone. The slot for making the distal cut for a unicondylar distal cutting guide 98 is positioned for cutting a single condyle 80 of the femur 78 .
[0070] Turning now to FIG. 12 , FIG. 12 is a distal view of a variable collet 10 . A valgus alignment guide 102 may not have floating spikes as in previous embodiments. The valgus alignment guide 102 still aligns within the slots of the collet 10 . Additionally, spikes 100 may have grooves which allow for extraction of the spikes from the guide 98 .
[0071] In surgery, the surgeon first places the IM rod in the intramedullary canal. The variable collet, valgus alignment guide and distal cutting block are assembled and attached to the IM Rod. Then the valgus angle is adjusted as necessary. In one embodiment, when an anterior cut is already made, the adjustment aligns the lateral side of the distal cutting block either equal to or slightly proximal to the transition point. The transition point is the most distal point of the anterior cut on the lateral side. The variable collet is adjusted by first loosening the locking portion and then by pushing down on the tensioner portion to adjust to a different angle.
[0072] Next, the depth of the distal cutting guide is set. In one embodiment, the depth may be determined by using shims Femoral shims (for example, −2, 0 or +2 mm), assess the amount of distal resection. The 0 mm shim represents 9 mm of distal resection, which is equal to the thickness of the femoral implant. If this is chosen, this will be a measured resection. If necessary, more or less distal bone may be resected to account for flexion/extension stability.
[0073] Once the angle and the depth are set, then pins or spikes may be used to fix the cutting block to the femur. The variable collet, valgus alignment guide and IM rod may be removed for better visibility. The distal portion of the condyle or condyles may then be resected. The pins may then be removed and the guide removed from the femur.
[0074] In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the several advantages of the invention are achieved and attained.
[0075] The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
[0076] As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
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A device and method for resecting a distal portion of a femur comprises a distal cutting guide [ 98], a valgus guide [ 102], and a variable collet [ 10]. The distal cutting guide [ 98] is configured to overlie an anterior portion of the femur and comprises a slot for guiding a cutting tool across a distal portion of the femur. The valgus guide [ 102] is configured to connect to the distal cutting guide [ 98] . The valgus guide [ 102] is configured to align the slot of the distal cutting guide[ 98] at the proper varus/valgus angle. The variable collet [ 10] is configured to attach to an intramedullary rod and the valgus guide [ 102]. The variable collet [ 10] comprises a port [ 30] for receiving the intramedullary rod. The port [ 30] is angularly adjustable with respect to the valgus guide [ 102] such that adjusting the port [ 30] adjusts the varus/valgus angle of the distal cutting guide [ 98].
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the structural proteins of the causative agent of Pancreatic Disease in fish, nucleotide sequences encoding said proteins, vaccines comprising said proteins or nucleotide sequences and diagnostic kits comprising said proteins or nucleotide sequences.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pancreatic Disease (PD) is a serious disease that affects fish, in particular salmonid fish such as wild Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout and the like. The disease causes lesions in the pancreas, including loss of pancreatic exocrine tissue, and fibrosis, cardiac and skeletal muscle myopathies. Outbreaks of PD were first described in 1984 by Munro et al, in Helgoland Meeresuntersuchungen 37:571-586 (1984). PD typically affects the fish post-molts during the first year after they are transferred to sea sites and is reported to spread rapidly among farm fish held in sea cages. Clinical signs include lethargy with a tendency to congregate in cage corners and to fail to maintain a horizontal position, cessation of feeding (anorexia) and significant mortalities (Ferguson et al, J. Fish Disease 9:95-98, 1986). Murphy et al (in J. Fish Disease 15:401-408, 1992) confirmed these observations in a later study, in which it was found that cardiac and skeletal myopathy is exacerbated in fish suffering from PD.
An outbreak of PD in a fish farm can cause growth to be reduced and up to 10 percent of surviving fish may prove to be runt. On Irish fish farms PD causes significant mortality rates of 10 to 60 percent among the young fish during the first year after they are transferred to sea sites (McLoughlin, M., Fish Farmer page 19, March/April 1995). The estimated cost to the Irish industry in terms of loss of production is currently thought to be around £25 million per year. Consequently, there is a great need for a vaccine for the prevention and/or treatment of PD in fish.
EP-A-712926 describes the isolation of the causative agent of PD from tissues of PD affected fish and the identification of the virus as a toga-like virus. To prevent PD infections in fish, the use of attenuated or inactivated PD for vaccination of the fish is accordingly suggested. A drawback in the production of inactivated vaccines from the PD virus described in EP-A-712926 is the slow growth of the virus, in particular on cell cultures, which makes the manufacturing of said vaccines a relatively inefficient process. A further drawback with the inactivated vaccines is the instability of the inactivated virus in the presence of other inactivated pathogens resulting in potency loss. Fish vaccines are generally produced as multivalent vaccines, and significant higher amounts of inactivated virus are required in the multivalent vaccine than would be necessary in a monovalent vaccine to compensate for the loss of potency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides the means to produce alternative vaccines to prevent infection of fish with PD, in which the above mentioned difficulties are overcome.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 shows the structural organisation of the various cloned nucleotide sequences coding for the PD structural proteins.
FIG. 2 shows the nucleotide sequence of C-terminus of E2 gene/“long” 6K gene/N-terminus of E1 gene. The putative cleavage sites between the E2/6K protein and 6K/E1 protein are represented by the vertical line (|)The nucleotide sequence encoding the “long” 6K protein is 204 nucleotides long and encodes a protein of 68 amino acids. The numbering between brackets on the right of the sequence refers to the nucleotide and amino acid residues of the 6K gene or protein, respectively. At nucleotide position 44 of the nucleotide sequence encoding the 6K gene, the G-residue can be replaced with an A residue, resulting in a 6K protein with an N residue at amino acid position 15 of the amino acid sequence depicted in the figure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides for the nucleotide sequence of the 3′ part of the genomic RNA of a salmon PD virus (SPDV). This sequence of 5179 nucleotides is depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 and contains several open reading frames (ORF's): On the coding strand nucleotide 2 to 1186 codes for a non-structural protein, and another overlapping ORF starting from nucleotide 997 to 5076 codes for the structural proteins. This ORF was designated as p130. Other non-determined ORF's were found on the coding strand (3447 to 3767 and 4289 to 4612) and the non coding strand (1207 to 890, and 1232-837).
The ORF from nucleotide 2 to 1186 codes for the C-terminal part of a non-structural protein designated as NSP4; its deduced amino acid is depicted in SEQ ID NO 2.
ORF p130 comprises the nucleotide sequences that encode the structural proteins of the PD virus. The structural proteins of the PD virus consist of a basic capsid protein, three envelope proteins designated as E1, E2 and E3, and a protein designated as the 6K protein. The amino acid sequence of the whole protein encoded by the p130 ORF is depicted in SEQ ID NO 3. After processing, the p130 protein is spliced into the capsid protein (aa 76-375 of p130), E3 (aa 358-428 of p130), E2 (aa429-866 of p130), 6K (aa 867-898 of p130), and E1 (aa 899-1359 of p130).
The nucleotide sequence encoding the capsid protein of the PD virus is located at nucleotide 1222 to 2067 of SEQ ID NO 1. The corresponding amino acid sequence (total 282 amino acids) is depicted in SEQ ID NO 4.
The nucleotide sequence encoding the envelope proteins E3, E2 and E1 are located at nucleotides 2068-2280, 2281-3594 and 3691-5076 respectively, of the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1. The corresponding amino acid sequences of the E3, E2 and E1 proteins are depicted in SEQ ID No's 5, 6 and 8 respectively.
The nucleotide sequence encoding the 6K protein is located at nucleotide 3595 to 3690 of the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1, and the corresponding amino acid sequence of the 6K protein is depicted in SEQ ID NO 7. Further sequence analysis of the viral RNA extracted from PD infected pancreas tissue revealed the existence of a longer variant of the 6K protein having 68 amino acids in length compared to the 6K protein of 32 amino acids depicted in SEQ ID NO 7. The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO 14) encoding the longer variant of 6K protein is 204 nucleotides in length compared to the 96 nucleotides of the nucleotide sequence encoding the truncated 6K protein. The nucleotide sequence encoding the long variant of 6K protein and the deduced amino acid sequence thereof are shown in FIG. 2 and SEQ ID NO 14 and SEQ ID NO 15 respectively.
The cloning and characterisation of the nucleotide sequences of the present invention provides for the production of the structural proteins of the PD virus using standard recombinant DNA technology (Sambrooke et al., Molecular Cloning: a Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, 1989). Cloning techniques and subsequent protein expression using in vitro expression systems are well known in the art. In this way, recombinant structural PDV proteins can be obtained, that are substantially free from other PDV proteins. These isolated structural proteins can be used to manufacture subunit vaccines to protect against infection of PD in fish. The subunit vaccines may be used as marker vaccines in fish to distinguish vaccination from field infections with PD. Alternatively the nucleotide sequences encoding the structural proteins of the PD virus can be used to manufacture DNA vaccines or vector vaccines to protect against infection of fish with PD. The nucleotide sequences and recombinant PD proteins can furthermore be used for diagnostic purposes, for instances to detect the presence of PD virus in the field or anti-PD antibodies in fish. Additionally, the recombinant PD proteins of the present invention can be used to produce PD specific antibodies. These antibodies can also be used for diagnostic purposes such as the detection of PD virus in fish or in the field.
Thus, in a first aspect the invention provides for a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 encoding the structural proteins and part of NSP4 of the PD virus, fragments of said nucleotide sequence and a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 14. Preferred fragments of the nucleotide sequences according to the invention are nucleotide fragments 1222-5076 (also referred to as p130 encoding the capsid, E3, E2, 6K and E1 proteins), 2068-5076 (also referred to as p98 encoding the E3, E2, 6K and E1 proteins), 2068-3594 (also referred to as pE2 encoding E3 and E2 proteins), 1222-2067 (capsid), 2068-2280 (E3), 2281-3594 (E2), 3595-3690 (6K), and 3691-5076 (E1). For the purpose of this invention the nucleotide sequences according to the present invention also encompass the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 and fragment sequences thereof (such as the p130 and p98 fragments) which at least comprise a nucleotide sequence encoding for a 6K protein, wherein the nucleotide sequence depicted by nucleotide 3595-3690 of SEQ ID NO 1 has been substituted with the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 14.
Also within the scope of this invention are nucleotide sequences comprising tandem arrays of the nucleic acid comprising the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14 or fragments thereof. Nucleotide sequences that are complementary to the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1, SEQ ID NO 14, or parts thereof are also within the scope of the invention, as well as nucleotide sequences that hybridise with the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14. The hybridisation conditions for this purpose are stringent, preferably highly stringent. According to the present invention the term “stringent” means washing conditions of 1×SSC, 0.1% SDS at a temperature of 65° C.; highly stringent conditions refer to a reduction in SSC towards 0.3×SSC.
Nucleotide sequences that hybridise with the sequence shown in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14 are understood to be nucleotide sequences that have a sequence homology of at least 70%, preferably 80%, more preferably 90% with the corresponding matching part of the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14. According to the present invention the sequence homology is determined by comparing the nucleotide sequence with the corresponding part of the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14. The sequence homology between a nucleotide and the sequence in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14 can be determined via common sequence analysis program such as BLASTN and the like. The optimal match area is automatically determined by these programs. Homologous sequences can easily be isolated from closely related PD virus strains with the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14 or fragments of these sequences using routine cloning and hybridisation techniques. Sleeping Disease (SD) virus is closely related to PD virus and the nucleic acid sequences encoding the structural capsid, E3, E2, E1 and 6K proteins of SD virus have the necssary sequence homology with the nucleic acid sequences depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 and 14. Thus these SD nucleic acid sequences are also within the present invention.
The nucleotide sequences of the invention can be used in the preparation of a DNA vaccine to vaccinate fish against PD infection. DNA vaccination refers to the induction of an immune response to one or more antigens that are expressed in vivo from a gene inserted in a DNA plasmid which has been inoculated directly into the vaccinated fish. Thus in a second aspect of the invention there is provided for a DNA vaccine comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and a DNA plasmid in which a nucleotide sequence encoding one or more PDV structural proteins is operably linked to a transcriptional regulatory sequence.
Preferably the nucleotide sequence to be used in the DNA plasmid is a nucleotide sequence comprising the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or a nucleotide sequence comprising the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 14 or fragments of said nucleotide sequences. Preferred fragments of the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or 14 are nucleotide fragments 1222-5076, 2068-5076, 2068-3594, 1222-2067, 2068-2280, 2281-3594, 3595-3690 3691-5076 of the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1, and combinations thereof such as for example, fragment 1222-2067 with fragment 2281-3594. Also suitable for use in the DNA plasmid are nucleotide sequences that are complementary to the sequence of SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14 or nucleotide sequences of which the sequence homology with the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14 is at least 70%, preferably 80%, and more preferably 90%. The sequence homology between the nucleotide sequences that are suitable for use in the DNA plasmid is determined as described earlier.
DNA plasmids that are suitable for use in a DNA vaccine according to the invention are conventional cloning or expression plasmids for bacterial, eukaryotic and yeast host cells, many of which are commercially available. Well known examples of such plasmids are pBR322 and pcDNA3 (Invitrogen). The DNA plasmids according to the invention should be able to induce protein expression of the nucleotide sequences. The DNA plasmid can comprise one or more nucleotide sequences according to the invention. In addition, the DNA plasmid can comprise other nucleotide sequences such as the immune-stimulating oligonucleotides having unmethylated CpG dinucleotides, or nucleotide sequences that code for other antigenic proteins or adjuvating cytokines.
Transcriptional regulatory sequences that are suitable for use in a DNA plasmid according to the invention comprise promoters such as the (human) cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter (Seed, B. et al., Nature 329, 840-842, 1987; Fynan, E. F. et al., PNAS 90, 11478-11482,1993; Ulmer, J. B. et al., Science 259, 1745-1748, 1993), Rous sarcoma virus LTR (RSV, Gorman, C. M. et al., PNAS 79, 6777-6781, 1982; Fynan et al., supra; Ulmer et al., supra), the MPSV LTR (Stacey et al., J. Virology 50, 725-732, 1984), SV40 immediate early promoter (Sprague J. et al., J. Virology 45, 773,1983), the metallothionein promoter (Brinster, R. L. et al., Nature 296, 39-42, 1982), the major late promoter of Ad2, the β-actin promoter (Tang et al., Nature 356, 152-154, 1992). The regulatory sequences may also include terminator and polyadenylation sequences. Amongst the sequences that can be used are the well known bovine growth hormone polyadenylation sequence, the SV40 polyadenylation sequence, the human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) terminator and polyadenylation sequences.
The DNA plasmid comprising a nucleotide sequence according to the present invention operably linked to a transcriptional regulatory sequence for use in the vaccine according to the invention can be naked or can be packaged in a delivery system. Suitable delivery systems are lipid vesicles, Iscoms, dendromers, niosomes, polysaccharide matrices, and the like. Also very suitable as delivery system are attenuated live bacteria such as Salmonella.
The nucleotide sequences according to the invention can additionally be used in the production of a vector vaccine to vaccinate fish against PD. A vector vaccine is understood to be a vaccine in which a live, attenuated bacteria or virus has been modified so that it contains one or more heterologous nucleotide sequences inserted into its genetic material. These so called vector bacteria or viruses are capable of coexpressing the heterologous proteins encoded by the inserted nucleotides. Thus in a third aspect the invention provides for a vector vaccine comprising a live attenuated bacteria or virus which have been modified to comprise in their genetic material one or more of the nucleotide sequences of the present invention. Very suitable for use as a vaccine vector are, for example, vaccinia virus or Semliki forest virus
The nucleotide sequences according to the invention can also be used for the recombinant production of structural PD proteins, substantially free from other PD proteins. Thus in a fourth aspect the invention provides for the structural proteins from PD virus. More specifically the invention provides for a PD capsid protein, the PD envelope proteins E1, E2, and E3, and the 6K protein. In particular, there is provided for a capsid protein having the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 4 or a derivative thereof, an E3 protein having the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 5 or a derivative thereof, an E2 protein having the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 6 or a derivative thereof, an E1 protein having the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 8 or a derivative thereof, and a 6K protein having the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 7, SEQ ID NO 15 or a derivative thereof.
Derivative proteins are understood to be proteins which have alterations in the amino acid sequencers) of the present invention which do not affect the antigenic and/or immunogenic characteristics of these proteins, that is, these derivative proteins are still capable of inducing the production of antibodies that recognise and (cross)react with the PD virus and/or inducing an immune response in fish that protects against PD infection. Antigenic characteristics are understood to be the ability to induce production of antibodies that recognise and (cross)-react with the PD virus. Immunogenic characteristics are understood to be the ability to induce an immune response in fish that protects against infection with PD. The alterations that can occur in a sequence according to the present invention could, for instance, result from conservative amino acid substitutions, deletions, insertions, inversions or additions of (an) amino acid(s) in the overall sequence. Amino acid substitutions that are expected not to alter the immunological properties have been described. Amino acid replacements between related amino acids or replacements which have occurred frequently in evolution are, inter alia Ser/Ala, Ser/Gly, Asp/Gly, Asp/Asn, Ile/Val (see Dayhof, M. D., Atlas of protein sequence and structure, Nat. Biomed. Res. Found., Washington D.C., 1978, vol. 5, suppl. 3). Based on this information, Lipman and Pearson developed a method for rapid and sensitive protein comparison (Science, 1985, vol. 227, 1435-1441) and determining the functional similarity between proteins and peptides having sequence homology. The derivative proteins according to the invention are still capable to induce the production of antibodies that recognise and (cross)-react with the PD virus and/or to induce an immune response in the fish that protects against PD infection. The capsid, E1, E2, E3, and 6K proteins derived from Sleeping Disease (SD) virus are such derivative proteins according to the invention. These proteins have an amino acid sequence that is identical or almost identical to those of the PD virus as depicted in SEQ ID NO 4 to 8 or 15. These proteins are capable to raise antibodies that recognize and cross-react with PD virus as well as SD virus. Other derivatives are protein fragments that are still capable to induce the production of antibodies that recognise and (cross)-react with the PD virus and/or to induce an immune response in the fish.
The proteins according to the invention can be prepared via standard recombinant protein expression techniques. For this purpose a nucleotide sequence encoding one or more of the proteins according to the invention or a multimere of said protein is inserted into an expression vector. Preferably the nucleotide sequence is a nucleotide sequence comprising the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14 or one or more fragments of these sequences. Preferred fragments of the nucleotide sequences according to the invention are nucleotide fragments 1222-5076, 2068-5076, 2068-3594, 1222-2067, 2068-2280, 2281-3594, 3595-3690 3691-5076 of the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1, and combinations thereof such, for example, fragment 1222-2067 with fragment 2281-3594. Further preferred fragments according to the invention are fragments of the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 15 such as for example the nucleotide sequence depicted by nucleotides 3595-3690 of SEQ ID NO 1. Also suitable are nucleotide sequences that are complementary to the sequence of SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14 or nucleotide sequences of which the sequence homology with the sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO 14 is at least 70%, preferably 80%, and more preferably 90%. The sequence homology between the nucleotide sequences that are suitable for use in the DNA plasmid is determined as described earlier.
Suitable expression vectors are, amongst others, plasmids, cosmids, viruses and YAC's (Yeast Artificial Chromosomes) which comprise the necessary control regions for replication and expression. The expression vector can be brought to expression in a host cell. Suitable host cells are, for instance, bacteria, yeast cells and mammalian cells. Such expression techniques are well known in the art (Sambrooke et al., Molecular Cloning: a Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, 1989). The expressed proteins can be isolated and purified from the medium. Expression of the whole p130 ORF (nucleotide fragment 997 to 5076 of SEQ ID NO 1) might lead to the forming of virus-like particles due to the spontaneous assemblance of the structural proteins.
The invention furthermore provides for a vaccine comprising one or more of the structural PD proteins and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. More specifically, a vaccine according to the invention comprises a capsid protein having an amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 4 or a derivative thereof, an E3 protein having an amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 5 or a derivative thereof, an E2 protein having an amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 6 or a derivative thereof, an E1 protein having an amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 8 or a derivative thereof, a 6K protein having an amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 7 or SEQ ID NO 15 or a derivative thereof, or a mixture comprising two or more of the proteins according to the invention. Preferably the vaccine according to the invention comprises the E2 protein, and optionally the capsid protein. Also preferred is a vaccine comprising all structural proteins of PD; these proteins can spontaneously form virus-like particles, thus providing a vaccine that closely resembles that of the whole pathogen. Vaccines according to the invention are suitable for use as a marker vaccine to distinguish between vaccination and infection by PD in the field. A preferred vaccine according to the invention is a marker vaccine comprising a 6K protein having the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO 7.
A vaccine according to the invention can be prepared according to techniques well known to the skilled practitioner. General techniques for the preparation of DNA vaccines have been widely described, for example in EP patent 0 773 295 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,859.
Vaccines according to the invention comprise an effective amount of the afore-mentioned DNA plasmids, vector bacteria or virus, or proteins and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The term “effective” as used herein is defined as the amount sufficient to induce an immune response in the target fish. The amount of plasmid, vector or protein will depend on the type of plasmid or vector, the route of administration, the time of administration, the species of the fish as well as age, general health and diet.
In general, a dosage of 0.01 to 1000 μg protein per kg body weight, preferably 0.5 to 500, and more preferably 0.1 to 100 μg protein can be used. With respect to the DNA vaccines, generally a minimum dosage of 10 pg. up to dosages of 1000 μg of plasmid have been described to be sufficient for a suitable expression of the antigens in vivo.
Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers that are suitable for use in a vaccine according to the invention are sterile water, saline, aqueous buffers such as PBS and the like. In addition, a vaccine according to the invention may comprise other additives such as adjuvants, stabilisers, anti-oxidants and others.
Suitable adjuvants include, amongst others, aluminium hydroxide, aluminium phosphate, amphigen, tocophenols, monophosphenyl lipid A, muramyl dipeptide, oil emulsions, glucans, carbomers, block-copolymers, cytokines and saponins such as Quil A. The amount of adjuvant added depends on the nature of the adjuvant itself.
Suitable stabilisers for use in a vaccine according to the invention are, for example, carbohydrates including sorbitol, mannitol, starch, sucrose, dextrin, and glucose, proteins such as albumin or casein, and buffers like alkaline phosphates.
The vaccines according to the invention are administered to the fish via injection, spray, immersion or peroral. The administration protocol can be optimised in accordance with standard vaccination practice.
The nucleotide sequences and the proteins according to the invention are also suitable for use in diagnostics. The nucleotide sequences or fragments thereof can be used to detect the presence of PD virus in the fish. A primer spanning the C-terninal part of E2/6K/N-terminal part of E1 (see FIG. 2) was used in RT-PCR to succesfully detect the presence of PD virus in a clinical specimen of a PD outbreak. The proteins can be used to detect the presence of antibodies in the fish.
The proteins according to the invention can additionally be used for the production of antibodies, using the general techniques available to the practitioner in the field. Preferably the proteins are used to produce specific monoclonal antibodies. The obtained antibodies may be utilised in diagnostics, to detect PD virus in the field, or in the fish.
Thus, in another aspect, the present invention provides for a diagnostic kit comprising one or more nucleotide sequences according to the invention, or one or more structural proteins according to the invention, or antibodies obtained with said proteins. Antibodies according to the invention can be prepared according to standard techniques. Procedures for immunising animals, e.g. mice with proteins and selection of hybridomas producing immunogen specific monoclonal antibodies are well known in the art (see for example Coligan et al. (eds), Current protocols in Immunology, 1992; Kohler and Milstein, Nature 256:495-497, 1975; Steenbakkers et al., Mol. Biol. Rep. 19:125-134, 1994).
The following examples are to illustrate the invention and should not be interpreted to limit the invention in any way.
FIG. 1 : structural organisation of the various cloned nucleotide sequences coding for the PD structural proteins.
FIG. 2 : Nucleotide sequence of C-terminus of E2 gene/“long” 6K gene/N-terminus of E1 gene. The putative cleavage sites between the E2/6K protein and 6K/E1 protein are presented by the vertical line (|)The nucleotide sequence encoding the “long” 6K protein is 204 nucleotides long and encodes a protein of 68 amino acids. The numbering between brackets on the right of the sequence refers to the nucleotide-and amino acid residues of the 6K gene or protein respectively. At nucleotide position 44 of the nucleotide sequence encoding the 6K gene the G-residue can be replaced with an A residue, resulting in a 6K protein with an N residue at amino acid position 15 of the amino acid sequence depicted in the figure.
EXAMPLES
Cells and Virus
Isolation and cultivation of a salmon PD virus (SPDV) strain was carried out in general as described in EP-A-712926. The F93125 isolate of SPDV was grown in Chinook salmon embryo (CHSE-214) cells as previously described (R. T. Nelson et al. (1995) Isolation of toga-like virus from farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar with pancreas disease. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 22, pp. 25-32). For virus purification purposes, monolayer cultures of CHSE-214 grown to ˜80% confluence in 75 cm 2 flasks were infected with 1 ml virus to give a multiplicity of infection of ˜1. After 1 hr adsorption an additional 14 ml supplemented Eagle's minimal essential medium (MEM) was introduced to each flask. The virus infected flasks were incubated at 15° C. for 7 or 8 days, when virus-induced cytopathic effect was evident, and the supernatant was collected.
Virus Purification
The supernatant (typically 500 ml from virus-infected cells was clarified at 3000 g for 20 min. Polyethyleneglycol (PEG) and NaCl were added to give final concentrations of 6% and 2.2% respectively. Following overnight incubation at 4° C. the PEG precipitate was collected by centrifugation for 2 h at 3000 g. The resultant pellet was resuspended in PBS (1-2 ml) and, after clarification at 1000 g for 5 minutes, the crude virus suspension was fractionated by equilibrium density centrifugation using 11 ml gradients (20-60% w/w in PBS) of sucrose. After centrifugation for 18 hr at 75000 g at 4° C., 1 ml fractions were collected from the bottom of the gradient. Fractions containing virus were identified by immunoblotting using an PD-specific mouse monoclonal antibody (Welsh et al., submitted 1999).
Production of PD Virus cDNA Clones
Viral RNA was extracted from gradient-purified PD virus and virus-infected cells using RNA isolator (Genosys) and stored as ethanol precipitates. A cDNA library was made by random priming with RNA extracted from gradient-purified virus. This library consisted of clones containing inserts (250-500 bp) in the vector pUC18 (Sureclone ligation Kit, Pharmacia). Clones were selected randomly from the library and following sequencing and analysis using the BLAST program (University of Wisconsin, Genetics Computer Group) were mapped to the alphavirus genome. The sequences of three clones, N11, N38 and N50, were used to design oligonucleotide primers that were used in reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to amplify 3 overlapping fragments encompassing the 5.2 kb region at the 3′terminus of the PD genome. The incorporation of Not I sites into the primers facilitated the restriction ligation of two of these fragments into the Not I site of vector pBluescript (Stratagene). PCR was carried out using Expand Long Template PCR System (Boehringer Mannheim) at 94° C. for 30s 60° C. for 30s, 68° C. for 2 min. Another clone was produced using 3′RACE (M. A. Frohmann et al., 1998; Rapid production of fill-length cDNA's from rare transcripts using a single gene-specific oligonucleotide primer. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USA . 85, pp. 8998-9002). The reaction was performed using a 5′/3′ RACE kit (Boehringer Mannheim) with some modifications. Thus, RNA from gradient-purified virus was independently subjected to first-strand synthesis and the resultant cDNA's were amplified by PCR at 94° C. for 30s, 60° C. for 30s, 68° C. for I min.
Sequencing of PD Virus cDNA Clones
Cycle sequencing was performed using the ABI PRISM dye terminator ready reaction kit on purified plasmid DNA following the manufacturers protocol (Perkin Elmer Cetus). Electropherograms were interpreted using the Sequence Navigator software (Perkin Elmer Cetus). The complete nucleotide sequence of the 3′terminal 5.2 kb region of the PD virus RNA is presented in SEQ ID NO1.
An RT-PCR and sequence analysis using primers flanking the C-termninus of E2 and the N-terminus of E1 for viral RNA extracted directly from PD infected pancreas tissue revealed a longer 6K-encoding nucleotide sequence than the one depicted by nucleotides 3595-3690 of SEQ ID NO 1. The nucleic acid encoding the full-length 6K protein as well as the deduced amino acid sequence are shown in FIG. 2 .
SPDV pFastBac1 and pcDNA3.1(+) Constructs
Using standard cloning techniques (Sambrooke et al., Molecular Cloning: a Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, 1989) four clones representing the SPDV structural region have been created in the vector pFastBac1 (Gibco BRL) for expression in the baculovirus system. These clones have also been created in the expression vector pcDNA3.1 (Invitrogen) for monoclonal antibody characterisation and use as a DNA vaccine. Details of how these clones have been produced are as follows:
Clone 1.
p130 encodes the complete structural gene region from the 1st ATG of the capsid protein to the poly(A) tract (3944nt). cDNA was produced from viral RNA by RT-PCR using the following primers:
5′ forward primer (5′130Not1): 5′-TGC ATG CGG CCG CAT GTT TCC CAT GCA ATT CAC CAA C-3′ (SEQ ID NO 9)
3′ inverse primer (3′130Not1) (sequence 5′ to 3′): 5′-TGC ATG CGG CCG CTT GTA TTG AAA ATT TTA AAA CCA A-3′ (SEQ ID NO 10)
These primers contain a 5 nucleotide stretch (ensures restriction enzyme recognition) followed by a Not1 site then the appropriate SPDV sequence (highlighted in the attached sequence, from 1222 to 1245 for 5′130Not1 and from 5143 to 5166 for 3′130Not1). The 3944nt cDNA product was cloned into the Not1 site in both pFastBac1 and pcDNA3.1.
Clone 2.
p98 encodes for E3, E2, 6K and E1 to the poly(A) tract (3098nt). cDNA was produced from viral RNA by RT-PCR using the following primers:
5′ forward primer (5′E3Not1): 5′-TGC ATG CGG CCG CAT GAC ACG CGC TCC. GGC CCT CCT G-3′ (SEQ ID NO 11)
3′ inverse primer (3′130Not1): 5′-TGC ATG CGG CCG CTT GTA TTG AAA ATT TTA AAA CCA A-3′ (SEQ ID NO 10)
The primer 5′E3Not1 contains a 5 nucleotide stretch (ensures restriction enzyme recognition) followed by a Not1 site, an ATG (artificial start codon) then the appropriate SPDV sequence (from 2067 to 2088) The primer 3′130Not1 is as described above in Clonel. The 3098nt cDNA product was cloned into the Not1 site in both pFastBac1 and pcDNA3.1.
Clone 3.
pE2 encoding the E3 and E2 glycoproteins (1527nt). cDNA was produced from viral RNA by RT-PCR using the following primers:
5′ forward primer (5′E3Not1): 5′-TGC ATG CGG CCG CAT GAC ACG CGC TCC GGC CCT CCT G-3′(SEQ ID NO 11)
3′ inverse primer (3′E2Not1): 5′-TGC ATG CGG CCG CTC ACG CGC GAG CCC CTG GTA TGC AAC A-3′ (SEQ ID NO 12)
The primer 5′E3Not1 is as described above in Clone2. The primer 3′E2Not1 contains a 5 nucleotide stretch (ensures restriction enzyme recognition) followed by a Not1 site, a TGA (artificial stop codon) then the appropriate SPDV sequence (highlighted in the attached sequence, from 3571 to 3594). The 1527nt cDNA product was cloned into the Not1 site in both pFastBac1 and pcDNA3.1.
Clone 4.
E2 encoding the E2 glycoprotein (1314nt). cDNA was produced from viral RNA by RT-PCR using the following primers:
5′ forward primer (5′E2Not1): 5′-TGC ATG CGG CCG CAT GGC TGT GTC TAC GTCGCCTGC C-3′ (SEQ ID NO 13)
3′ inverse primer (3′E2Not1): 5′-TGC ATG CGG CCG CTC ACG CGC GAG CCC CTG GTA TGC AAC A-3′ (SEQ ID NO 12).
The primer 5′E2Not1 contains a 5 nucleotide stretch (ensures restriction enzyme recognition) followed by a Not1 site, an ATG (artificial start codon) then the appropriate SPDV sequence (from 2281 to 2301). The primer 3′E2Not1 is as described above in Clone 3. The 1314nt cDNA product was cloned into the Not1 site in both pFastBac1 and pcDNA3.1.
Insect cells (SF-9)were infected with the four recombinant baculovirus constructs. Using monoclonals that were raised against whole-inactivated PD virus, an IFT staining was performed on these recombinant baculovirus infected SF-9 cells. All produced proteins reacted positively with the monoclonals, indicating that the recombinant proteins possess the wild-type epitopes.
Challenge Experiments
The proteins produced by all four constructs were collected using Triton extraction. The proteins were BPL inactivated to prevent possible spread of surviving recombinant baculoviruses in the environment. The proteins were formulated into water-in-oil based vaccine formulations and injected in a 0.2 ml vaccine volume.
ELISA analysis using anti-PD-E2 monoclonals (2D9 capture and 7A2) showed that the amount of reactive epitopes per dose recombinant vaccine was comparable or even higher than the amount of epitopes found in a dose of the conventional inactivated PD virus vaccine.
A standardised challenge experiment performed at 8 weeks post-vaccination in Atlantic salmon fish showed that protection against challenge with salmon PD virus could be obtained with these recombinant sub-unit vaccines. In the experiment, lesions in pancreas, skeletal muscle and heart muscle were scored in the ordinary way. Significant levels were calculated from Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance (non-parametric test). The vaccine formulation comprising the E2 or E2-E3 proteins gave similar levels of protection as obtained by the inactivated PD virus vaccine, while vaccines containing the recombinant proteins resulting from the p130 and p98 constructs, respectively, were less protective then the PD virus vaccine.
Production of Antibodies.
DNA vaccination with proteins obtained from expression of the p130 nucleotide construct was carried out in mice to test for the antigenic properties of the recombinant proteins. After two intramuscular inoculations with p130-pcDNA3.1 recombinant expression plasmids (see clone 1), the sera of mice showed an antibody reaction with in vitro produced PD virus.
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The present invention relates to the structural proteins of the causative agent of Pancreatic Disease in fish, nucleotide sequences encoding said proteins, vaccines comprising said proteins or nucleotide sequences and diagnostic kits comprising said proteins or nucleotide sequences.
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[0001] This application claims the benefit of the Patent Korean Application No. 10-2006-0008544, filed on Jan. 26, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to washing machines, and more particularly, to a steam generator for supplying steam to a washing machine, and a washing machine therewith.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] In general, in the washing machines, there are pulsator type washing machines in which washing is made by a water circulation generated by a rotating pulsator, drum type washing machines in which washing is made by head and friction of washing water and laundry formed inside of a drum as the drum laid substantially in a horizontal direction is rotated, and agitator type washing machines in which washing is made by using rotation force of an upright agitator.
[0006] In the meantime, recently, a washing machine, particularly, a drum type washing machine is suggested, in which washing and the like are made with steam. If the washing is made with the steam, water and electricity can be saved, the washing performance can be enhanced, and generation of static electricity can be prevented. Moreover, wrinkle and smell can be removed from the laundry.
[0007] A related art drum type washing machine with a steam generator will be described, with reference to FIG. 1 .
[0008] The related art drum type washing machine is provided with a cabinet 10 which forms an exterior of the washing machine, a cylindrical tub 20 supported in a horizontal direction in the cabinet 10 for holding washing water, a drum 30 rotatably mounted in the tub 20 , and a driving motor (not shown) for driving the drum 30 . The cabinet 10 has a laundry opening 13 in a front in communication with an inside of the drum for introduction/taking out laundry to/from the drum 30 , with a door 11 mounted thereon for opening/closing the laundry opening 13 . At one side of the drum type washing machine, there is a water supply valve 15 connected to an external water pipe (not shown) for supplying washing water to the tub 20 . In general, between a detergent box 27 and the water supply valve 15 , there are a hot water pipe 25 a and a cold water pipe 26 connected thereto.
[0009] In the meantime, in the related art drum type washing machine, there is a steam generator 50 for supplying the steam to the inside of the drum 30 , with a water supply hose 25 for supplying water and a steam hose 53 for supplying steam to the drum 30 connected thereto. In general, the water supply hose 25 is connected to a hot water side of the water supply valve 15 . It is preferable that the steam hose 53 has a nozzle shaped end for smooth spray of the steam into an inside space of the drum 30 , preferably with the nozzle shaped end through which the steam is sprayed exposed to the inside of the drum 30 .
[0010] The steam generator 50 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .
[0011] The steam generator 50 is provided with a lower housing 81 which forms an exterior of the steam generator 50 and a space for holding water, an upper housing 82 secured to an upper side of the lower housing 81 , and a heater 55 for heating the water in the steam generator 50 .
[0012] At one side of the upper housing 82 , there is a water supply opening 52 b connected to the water supply hose 25 for supply of the water to an inside of the steam generator 50 , and at the other side of the upper housing 82 , there is a steam discharge opening 52 a connected to the steam hose 53 for supplying the steam to the drum 20 .
[0013] The heater 55 , mounted on a bottom of the lower housing 81 , is operated in a state fully submerged in the water when the water is introduced into the steam generator 50 . For this, mounted to one side of the upper housing 82 , there is a water level sensor 60 for sensing a water level of the water held in the steam generator 50 . The water level sensor 60 measures the water level inside of the steam generator 50 for always maintaining an appropriate level of the water. That is, if the water level in the steam generator 50 is lower than a reference value (a low water level), the water supply valve 15 is opened, to supply the water, and, if the water level of the inside of the steam generator 50 reaches to a reference value (high water level), the water supply valve 15 is closed, to stop supply of the water, and the heater 55 is put into operation, to generate the steam.
[0014] In the meantime, there is a temperature sensor 57 mounted thereto for measuring temperatures of the water heated by the heater 55 and the steam. The temperature sensor 57 is used for turning off power to the heater 55 to prevent the heater 55 from overheating if the temperature of the steam generator 50 measured by the temperature sensor 57 is higher than a reference value.
[0015] The water level sensor 60 will be described.
[0016] The water level sensor 60 is provided with a receptacle housing 61 which forms an exterior of the water level sensor 60 and provided for securing the water level sensor 60 to the steam generator 50 , electrodes 62 , 63 , and 64 under the receptacle housing 61 for sensing water levels of the steam generator 50 . In order to sense water levels of the steam generator 50 , the electrodes 62 , 63 , and 64 are mounted to appropriate heights from the bottom of the lower housing 81 . The electrodes are a common electrode 62 which is a reference electrode for sensing a minimum water level, a low water level electrode 63 for sensing a low water level, and a high water level electrode 64 for sensing a high water level. It is preferable that the common electrode 62 has a length at least the same with or longer than the low water level electrode 63 .
[0017] In the meantime, if the water boils, many bubbles are formed suddenly, which are liable to stick to the electrodes 62 , 63 , and 64 , to cause malfunction of the steam generator 50 . Moreover, the water supplied through the water supply opening 122 is liable to splash to the electrodes, to cause malfunction of the steam generator. Moreover, it is difficult to avoid a certain level of vibration during operation of the washing machine, which is liable to cause washing of the water in the stream generator. Therefore, in order to prevent the water level sensor 70 from malfunctioning due to those, the water level sensor 70 is provided with a housing 70 . Basically, the housing 70 surrounds the electrodes 62 , 63 , and 64 and an opened bottom. It is preferable that the housing 70 has an opening 70 s.
[0018] However, the related art steam generator in a washing machine and a washing machine therewith has the following problems.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 5 , the related art steam generator is rectangular substantially, with a low height L 1 and a large width L 12 . Therefore, it is not easy to mount the steam generator to the washing machine. Because, though the steam generator in general mounted to an upper portion of the washing machine, i.e., between the cabinet and the tub, a space t between the tub and the steam generator is not large. Moreover, because valves, hanging springs, and the like are mounted in the space between the cabinet and the tub, there is not so large surplus space. Accordingly, in the related art, mounting of the steam generator is not easy, and the steam generator suffers from damage caused by interference during movement of the washing machine. Moreover, because there is comparatively small gap, the steam generator is liable to collide to suffer from damage due to vibration coming from operation of the washing machine. Moreover, replacement of components is not easy.
[0020] On the other hand, it is required to improve performances of the steam generator, such as water consumption, energy efficiency, a steam generating time period, safety, and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0021] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a steam generator and a washing machine therewith.
[0022] An object of the present invention is to provide a steam generator and a washing machine therewith which enables easy mounting of the steam generator.
[0023] Another object of the present invention devised to solve the problem lies on providing a steam generator which can improve performances of a steam generator and a washing machine, and a washing machine therewith.
[0024] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
[0025] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a steam generator includes a water chamber for holding water, the water chamber having a heater mounted thereto for heating the water, and a steam chamber for holding steam generated as the water is heated, wherein the steam chamber has a steam discharge opening for discharging the steam wherein the steam discharge opening is provided with a separator for isolating a steam discharge area from other areas. It is preferable that the water chamber has a vertical direction length (a vertical length) relatively greater than a horizontal direction length (a horizontal length), and more preferably, the steam chamber has a horizontal direction length (a horizontal length) relatively greater than the horizontal length of the water chamber.
[0026] Preferably, the separator is a wall of the steam discharge opening. Preferably, the wall has an opening, and more preferably, the opening is formed in a vertical direction, and the opening is spaced a predetermined distance from the steam discharge opening.
[0027] The steam generator further includes a supplementary wall on an outer side of the wall. Preferably, the supplementary wall is not in contact with an inside wall of the steam chamber, but adjacent to the opening in the wall. The wall includes a first wall opposite to the steam discharge opening, the first wall being positioned over a portion of a wall of the water chamber.
[0028] In another aspect of the present invention, a washing machine includes a cabinet which forms an exterior of the washing machine, a tub supported in the cabinet for holding washing water, a drum rotatably mounted in the tub, and a steam generator for supplying steam to the drum. One of the foregoing steam generators is applicable to the washing machine. Preferably, the steam generator is mounted in a space between an upper portion of an inside of the cabinet and an upper portion of an outside of the tub.
[0029] Thus, the steam generator of the present invention has the following advantages.
[0030] First, the horizontal length of the water chamber shorter than a vertical length thereof permits easy mounting of the steam generator.
[0031] Second, performances of the steam generator and the washing machine are enhanced owing to the smaller water consumption and faster generation of steam than the related art steam generator.
[0032] Third, a reverse flow of the water and the steam can be prevented, effectively. Safety of the steam generator is improved as the safety valve will be opened in a case the steam generator is over pressurized due to detect at the steam supply line.
[0033] Fourth, malfunction of the water level sensor can be prevented, effectively.
[0034] Fifth, splashing of the water from the steam generator to the drum can be prevented, permitting to prevent stains from forming on the laundry.
[0035] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0036] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
[0037] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a related art drum type washing machine.
[0038] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a steam generator in FIG. 1 .
[0039] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the steam generator in FIG. 2 with a partial cut-away view.
[0040] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the water level sensor in the steam generator in FIG. 2 .
[0041] FIG. 5 illustrates a conceptual drawing showing mounting of the steam generator in FIG. 1 .
[0042] FIGS. 6 to 9 illustrate conceptual drawings each for describing a principle of the steam generator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, equivalent to FIG. 5 .
[0043] FIG. 10 illustrates a detailed perspective view of the steam generator in FIG. 6 .
[0044] FIG. 11 illustrates an underside view of the upper housing in FIG. 10 .
[0045] FIG. 12 illustrates a section of FIG. 10 .
[0046] FIG. 13 illustrates a mounted state of a reverse flow preventive member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0047] FIG. 14 illustrates a mounted state of a safety valve in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0048] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
[0049] A principle of a steam generator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6 .
[0050] Basically, the steam generator 100 includes a water chamber W for holding water, and having a heater 200 mounted therein for heating the water, and a steam chamber S for holding the steam from the water heated by the heater 200 . That is, the steam is generated as the water in the water chamber W is heated by the heater 200 , and the steam is held in the steam chamber S temporarily, and discharged to an outside of the steam generator through a steam outlet in the steam chamber S.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 5 , the related art steam generator 50 which is rectangular has a water chamber W with a horizontal length L 2 relatively greater than a vertical length L 3 . That is, the related art steam generator 50 with the heater 55 mounted in horizontally has a vertical length of the water chamber W in a range of a thickness of the heater 55 . That is, a horizontal length is made greater, to meet a water capacity requirement. Opposite to this, the steam generator of the present invention has the vertical length L 4 of the water chamber W relatively greater than the horizontal length L 5 actually. Accordingly, the heater 200 is also mounted in a vertical position actually. As can be known from FIG. 6 , even though the vertical length of the water chamber W may be taken as a length L 4 a of a portion the heater 200 is mounted thereto actually, the vertical length of the water chamber W may be taken as a vertical length L 4 because it is preferable that the water is filled slightly above the heater 200 . Because a difference between L 4 and L 4 a is not so much great, most of water in the water chamber W is up to L 4 a . Moreover, under the same reason, a horizontal length of the water chamber W is L 5 which is a width of a portion that takes most portion of the water chamber W which holds the water, actually.
[0052] The steam generator of the present invention has the following advantages. Since the horizontal length L 5 can be reduced compared to the related art steam generator while holding the same amount of water, interference between the tub 20 and the steam generator 100 can be reduced. It is known from the inventor's experiment that the present invention can reduce water consumption and a steam generating period in a case an amount of steam the same with the related art is generated. Accordingly, on the whole, the present invention can reduce a size of the steam generator 100 .
[0053] In the meantime, it is preferable that the horizontal length L 6 of the steam chamber S is relatively greater than the horizontal length of the water chamber W. That is, though the horizontal length L 6 of the steam chamber S can also be reduced compared to the related art, it is preferable that the horizontal length L 6 of the steam chamber S is the same with or slightly smaller than the related art. Because in general the steam chamber S has a water supply opening and a steam discharging opening, and has the water level sensor and the temperature sensor mounted thereto.
[0054] In the meantime, the vertical length L 4 of the water chamber W can be made relatively smaller than the horizontal length L 5 in a variety of schemes. For an example, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 , the horizontal length of the water chamber W may be fixed in a vertical direction. In those cases, as shown in FIG. 8 , the water chamber W may be sloped with respect to the steam chamber S at a predetermined angle. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , in view of fabrication of the steam generator 100 , it is preferable that the water chamber W is not sloped with respect to the steam chamber S. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6 , it is preferable that the water chamber W is at a center of the steam chamber S, substantially.
[0055] Referring to FIG. 9 , the horizontal length of the water chamber W may become the smaller as it goes downward the more. It is known from an inventor's experiment that the steam generator in anyone of FIGS. 6 to 8 has a lower water consumption compared to the steam generator in FIG. 9 , and the steam generator in anyone of FIGS. 6 to 8 has a shorter steam generating period than the steam generator in FIG. 9 . This is because the steam generator in FIG. 9 holds more water in a case the same size of heaters are used.
[0056] In the meantime, it is preferable that the steam generator 100 includes a lower housing which serves as a water chamber W actually, and an upper housing which is secured to a top of the lower housing and serves as a steam chamber S, actually. Of course, depending on a position of fastening of the upper housing to the lower housing, the water chamber W and the steam chamber S may share functions of the water chamber W or the steam chamber S to a certain extent, the lower housing serves as the water chamber W mostly, and the upper housing serves as the steam chamber S mostly.
[0057] A steam generator 100 equivalent to one in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 .
[0058] The steam generator 100 includes an upper housing 110 and a lower housing 120 . The upper housing 120 has a horizontal length greater than a horizontal length of the lower housing. The lower housing 110 has a portion (for convenience sake called as a main portion) 111 having the heater 200 mounted thereto and a vertical length greater than a horizontal length for holding the water mostly, and a portion (for convenience sake called as a connection portion) 112 and 114 extended to opposite directions from the main portion 111 and fastened to the upper housing 120 (see FIG. 12 ). The water is mostly held in the main portion 111 of the water chamber W, it is preferable that a portion of the water is held in the connection portions 112 , and 114 , and it is preferable that the connection portions 112 and 114 are sloped toward the main portion 111 . By forming thus, deposit of scale on the water level sensor 300 can be prevented
[0059] Since the present invention has relatively higher steam pressure and temperature than the related art, it is preferable that the steam generator is formed of a material which can endure the pressure and temperature. Therefore, it is preferable that the lower housing 110 and the upper housing 120 are fastened together, not by thermal fusion, but by vibratory fusion.
[0060] The upper housing 120 which mostly serves as the steam chamber S will be described, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 .
[0061] The upper housing 120 has a water supply opening 122 and a steam discharge opening 124 . It is preferable that the upper housing 120 has a portion projected upward, in which the water supply opening 122 and the steam discharge opening 124 are formed therein.
[0062] The upper housing 120 has the water level sensor 300 and the temperature sensor 400 mounted thereto. It is preferable that the water level sensor 300 is positioned a predetermined distance away from the water supply opening 122 , for an example, away from a water supply direction of the water supply opening 122 . By doing thus, malfunction of the water level sensor 300 can be prevented because water splash from the water supply opening 122 to the water level sensor 300 can be prevented. Moreover, it is preferable that the water level sensor 300 is positioned adjacent to an inside wall of the upper housing 120 , i.e., over the connection portion 112 , or 114 , rather than over the main portion 111 of the lower housing 110 . In another point of view, it is preferable that the water sensor 300 is spaced a predetermined distance from the main portion 111 of the water chamber W. By doing thus, splash of water and bubbles to the water level sensor 300 , which causes malfunction of the water level sensor 300 , can be prevented effectively at the time the heater 200 at the main portion 111 of the water chamber W heats, particularly, at the time the heater 200 starts to heat.
[0063] In the meantime, there is a housing 320 for housing the water level sensor 300 , preferably constructed of a wall. Though the wall may be constructed separately on the whole like the related art, it is preferable that an inside wall of the steam generator 100 serves as a portion of the wall. That is, it is preferable that the wall includes a long wall 324 substantially parallel to the water level sensor 300 , and one pair of short walls 322 each having one side connected to the long wall 324 , and the other side connected to an inside wall of the upper housing 120 . It is preferable that the long wall 324 is positioned over the connection portions 112 and 114 of the lower housing 110 , and positioned at a boundary (a position of a wall of the main portion 111 of the lower housing 110 substantially) of the main portion 111 and the connection portion 112 and 114 of the water chamber W.
[0064] In the meantime, if the housing 320 has a great height, the housing 320 has an opening 326 for free flow of water from/to the water chamber W. It is preferable that the opening 326 is formed adjacent to the inside wall of the steam generator 100 , i.e., at a fore end of the short wall 324 .
[0065] In the meantime, for effective prevention of water and bubbles from splashing to the water level sensor 300 , it is preferable that a supplementary wall 330 is further provided on an outer side of the housing 320 . It is preferable that the supplementary wall 330 is arranged to surround a portion of the housing 320 , for an example, one of the short walls 322 . It is preferable that the supplementary wall also has an opening 332 for free flow of the water from/to the water chamber W, and more preferably adjacent to an inside wall of the steam generator 100 . In this instance, it is preferable that the opening 332 is extended to a bottom of the upper housing 120 .
[0066] In the meantime, the water level sensor 300 includes a common electrode 312 , a low water level electrode 314 , and a high water level electrode 316 , and it is preferable that the high water level electrode 316 is spaced a predetermined distance away from the low water level electrode 314 . In such a case, since a standard product having a common electrode, a high water level electrode, and a low water level electrode is in general used as the water level sensor 300 , it is preferable that a general water level sensor 300 assembly is used as it is, except that the high water level electrode 316 a of the water level sensor assembly is not used, but a separate high water level electrode 316 is used. It is preferable that a high water level electrode housing 318 , for an example, a cylindrical wall is further provided for housing the high water level electrode 316 positioned away from other electrodes. By doing thus, malfunction of the water level sensor 300 caused by dew between the high water level electrode 314 and the low water level electrode 316 can be prevented.
[0067] In the meantime, as described before, the upper housing 120 has a discharge opening 124 for discharging the steam. The discharge opening 124 is provided with a separator 420 for isolating a space the steam is discharged to an outside actually from other space. At the time the water is heated in the water chamber W, particularly at an initial stage of the heating, since the water and bubbles splash heavily, the separator 420 prevents the water from splashing into the drum through the discharge opening 124 . If the water splashes onto laundry, stains can appear on the laundry, which can be prevented by the separator 420 .
[0068] It is required that the separator 420 can be placed in the discharge opening 124 , and allows the steam to flow. It is preferable that the separator 420 is walls, preferably with openings 421 . Though there is no limitation in shapes of the walls, it is preferable that the openings are form in a vertical direction. It is more preferable that the opening 421 is positioned spaced a predetermined distance away from the steam discharge opening 124 .
[0069] The walls substantially include a first wall 424 opposite to the steam discharge opening 124 , and a second wall 422 extended from the first wall 424 toward the steam discharge opening 124 . Though the first wall 424 and the second wall 422 can be formed as one body, it is preferable that the first wall 424 and the second wall 422 may be one pair of walls separated from each other, with the opening 421 formed between the first wall 424 and the second wall 422 . It is preferable that the first wall 424 is formed, not over the main portion 111 , but over the connection portion 112 or 114 of the water chamber W.
[0070] In the meantime, it is preferable that the separator 420 further includes a supplementary separator 430 , for an example, a wall, on an outer side. It is preferable that the wall of the supplementary separator 430 is positioned adjacent to the opening 421 of the separator 420 . It is preferable that the wall of the supplementary separator 430 is not in contact with the inside wall of the steam generator 100 .
[0071] In the meantime, as described before, the water is supplied to the water chamber W through a water supply line, such as the water supply hose, the water supply opening 122 , and the steam is discharged from the steam chamber S through a steam discharge line, such as the discharge opening 124 , and the steam hose. It is preferable that a reverse flow preventive member is provided to at least one of the water supply line and the steam discharge line for preventing the water and the steam from flowing in a reverse direction. The reverse flow preventive member may be anyone that has a reverse flow preventing function, such as an one-way valve. However, because the reverse flow preventive member is mounted on the water supply hose, the water supply opening 122 , the discharge opening 124 , the steam discharge pipe, all of which have comparatively small diameters, it is preferable that the reverse flow preventive member is a f nozzle shaped flexible member 600 as shown in FIG. 13 . It is preferable that the reverse flow preventive member has a cut-opened portion 610 in a nozzle shaped portion.
[0072] In the meantime, referring to FIG. 14 , it is preferable that a safety valve 700 is provided to a predetermined position of the steam discharge line for making automatic opening in a case a steam pressure is higher than a predetermined value. It is preferable that the steam hose 53 is branched to form a branch pipe 53 a , and the safety valve 700 is mounted to the branch pipe 53 a . The steam supply line can be over pressurized if the steam is not supplied to the drum due to defect in the steam supply line. In this case, the safety valve 700 is opened automatically, to discharge the steam to an outside of the steam generator.
[0073] In the meantime, referring to FIG. 12 , the water chamber W has a drain portion 112 for discharging water from the water chamber W to an outside of the steam generator, with an opening/closing member 113 provided thereto for opening/closing the drain portion 112 . By opening the opening/closing member 113 , the water can be drained from the water chamber W to an outside of the steam generator. In general, if the steam generator 100 is used for a long time, scale deposits on the steam generator 100 . However, if the water is drained from the water chamber W to an outside of the steam generator by opening the drain portion 112 , the deposition of the scale can be prevented because the water carries away material of the scale.
[0074] Though the opening/closing member 113 can be a drain cap which can be opened/closed manually by a user or a service man, an automatic opening/closing member 113 can be used. For an example, the opening/closing member may be a solenoid valve. Moreover, the opening/closing member may be fabricated by using the siphon principle.
[0075] In the meantime, it is apparent that inside structures of the steam generator of the present invention described above, such as the wall for the water level sensor, the supplementary wall, the separator, the reverse flow preventive member, the opening/closing member, and the like are applicable to the related art steam generator.
[0076] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. For an example, the steam generator of the present invention is also applicable to a dryer which uses steam.
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The present invention relates to a steam generator and a washing machine therewith. The present invention provides a steam generator including a water chamber for holding water, the water chamber having a heater mounted thereto for heating the water, and a steam chamber for holding steam generated as the water is heated, wherein the steam chamber has a steam discharge opening for discharging the steam wherein the steam discharge opening is provided with a separator for isolating a steam discharge area from other areas; and a washing machine therewith.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of fluid sample handling and/or interfacial rheology measurement at temperature and pressure conditions existing at the source of the sample, or at least temperatures different than ambient, including, but not limited to, reservoir hydrocarbon and aqueous based fluids, drilling muds, frac fluids, and the like having multiple phases (solids and liquid).
2. Related Art
The desirability of taking downhole formation fluid samples for chemical and physical analysis has long been recognized by oil companies, and such sampling has been performed by the assignee of the present invention, Schlumberger, for many years. Samples of formation fluid, also known as reservoir fluid, are typically collected as early as possible in the life of a reservoir for analysis at the surface and, more particularly, in specialized laboratories. The information that such analysis provides is vital in the planning and development of hydrocarbon reservoirs, as well as in the assessment of a reservoir's capacity and performance.
The process of wellbore sampling involves the lowering of a sampling tool into the wellbore to collect a sample or multiple samples of formation fluid by engagement between a probe member of the sampling tool and the wall of the wellbore. Many known sampling tools create a pressure differential across such engagement to induce formation fluid flow into one or more sample chambers within the sampling tool. This and similar processes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,860,581; 4,936,139 (both assigned to Schlumberger); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,303,775; 5,377,755 (both assigned to Western Atlas); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,374 (assigned to Halliburton). Other examples of downhole sampling tools are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,223,822; 6,457,544; 6,668,924, and published U.S. patent applications 20050082059; 20050279499; and 20060175053, all assigned to the assignee of the present invention. These references are incorporated herein by reference for their disclosure of downhole sampling tools. The desirability of housing at least one, and often a plurality, of such sample chambers, with associated valving and flow line connections, within “sample modules” is also known. Each type of sampling tool provides certain advantages for certain conditions. The tools described in the art are typically probe sampling tools for new wells that have just been drilled, are full of over balanced mud and have a sealing mudcake between the higher pressured wellbore and the lower pressured reservoir. This invention is for a producing well with mud removed, no mudcake, and the pressure in the wellbore less than the reservoir pressure. It is annular fluid sampling that is augmented by the heat delivered with the insulated coil, not probe sampling. however, for oils having viscosity above 1000 cp, the existing sampling methods and tools may not be adequate.
As sources of light hydrocarbon oil are depleted with time, heavy oil has for several years now been gaining the attention of oil companies. Heavy oil reservoirs need thermal stimulation to reduce viscosity of the heavy oil so the oil may flow. The viability of developing a new heavy oil reservoir depends on the oil's viscosity change with temperature. This fluid property is different for different heavy crude oils, and is typically measured in a laboratory on a fluid sample. This measurement is necessary to make a financial model of the heavy oil development, as generating the amount of heat required for flow is the major portion of the cost of production. This in turn has generated a need in the art for obtaining heavy oil samples from the reservoir. Obtaining this sample itself requires heat, as without it the oil will not flow, and this means that heavy oil sampling requires in situ heating.
Although it is possible to heat a portion of a reservoir, using for example electric coils, and then take a sample from that region using a sampling device, it is not an easy proposition, since it is not possible to supply enough power with cables. More power, in the form of heat/hour, can be delivered by pumping a very hot fluid. Pumping heated oil from the surface down conventional tubing to supply heat is not a viable option, however, since fluids heated at the surface lose most of their heat due to heat transfer by the time they reach the sampling region, which may be thousands of meters into a wellbore. Therefore, a long but as yet unmet need exists in the art for a method of applying heat to a portion of a heavy oil reservoir in the region of the reservoir where it is desired to take a sample concurrent with the deployment of a sampling tool in that same region, and actually sampling the reservoir with a device or portion thereof that is used to supply heat to the region of the reservoir of interest. It would further be advantageous if this could be accomplished while reservoir fluids are being pumped to surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, methods and systems for sampling a heavy oil composition from a reservoir bearing a heavy oil composition are described employing a well completion, an insulated tubing, a heated fluid, and an annular downhole sampling tool. The methods and systems of the invention are for sampling a producing well with mud removed, no mudcake, and the pressure in the wellbore is less than the reservoir pressure. Rather than probe sampling tools used primary to sample newly drilled wells, the sampling tools useful in the methods and systems of the invention are annular fluid sampling tools, and it is these tools that are augmented by heat delivered with the insulated coil, not probe sampling tools. As used herein the phrase “heavy oil composition” means a composition at least a portion of which is heavy oil. The term “heavy oil” may have different meanings, and the present application is not intended to be limited to any particular definition. One published set of definitions are those provided by The United Nations Information Centre for Heavy Crude and Tar Sands, which defines bitumen as petroleum having a viscosity >10,000 centipoise (cP); petroleum with viscosity less than 10,000 cP and a density between 10° API and 20° API is defined as heavy oil; and extra heavy oil has a density <10° API. Wile the methods and systems of the present application are applicable to bitumen, heavy oil, and extra heavy oil under these definitions, the term “heavy oil” as used herein will be used, unless otherwise indicated, to include compositions comprising one or more of these. In general, methods and systems of the invention may be used to obtain samples having a viscosity of 1000 cp or greater
Heavy oil compositions may comprise components, including, but not limited to hydrocarbons (including sour hydrocarbons which may include hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, and other sulfur-containing compounds), water, organic and/or inorganic solids, and may include micelles, macromolecules, globules, resins, asphaltenes, hydrocarbon and aqueous based fluids, drilling muds, frac fluids, and the like having multiple phases (solids and liquid). Heavy oil compositions sampled using methods and systems of the invention may comprise one or more of each phase. Stated differently, a heavy oil composition may comprise one or more liquid phases, one or more solid phases, and one or more gaseous phases. Alternatively, depending on the sampling tool used, the sample tool may separate gases from the liquid portions.
One aspect of the invention are methods for sampling a heavy oil composition, one method comprising:
(a) circulating a heated fluid in a first region of a reservoir where a heavy oil composition is present or believed present using a surface pump and a well completion comprising a downhole pump for a time and flow rate sufficient to produce a flowable heavy oil composition, the well completion comprising a sampling tool; and (b) sampling the flowable heavy oil composition using the sampling tool.
Certain embodiments of methods of the invention may comprise:
(a) installing a well completion in a wellbore near a first section of a heavy oil reservoir, the well completion comprising:
(i) a non-insulated tubing; (ii) a downhole pump connected to an end of the non-insulated tubing; and (iii) a bypass tubing;
(b) inserting an insulated coiled tubing through the bypass tubing, a distal end of the insulated coiled tubing having a sampling tool affixed thereto; (c) pumping a heated non-volatile oil through the insulated coiled tubing and into the first section of the reservoir using a surface pump; (d) pumping at least a portion of the heated non-volatile oil to the surface using the downhole pump until heated heavy oil begins to flow from the first section of reservoir; (e) stopping the surface pump, thus stopping pumping of the heated non-volatile oil, while maintaining pumping using the downhole pump; and (f) sampling heavy oil using the sampling tool.
Methods within the invention include those comprising inserting a plug, such as a sand plug, in the wellbore near the first region, so that one or more other regions of the reservoir above the first region may be sampled. Other methods of the invention include analyzing viscosity of the sampled heavy oil composition; the steps of circulating, sampling, and analyzing may be repeated for one or more other regions of the reservoir. Yet other methods of the invention comprise making a financial model of producing the heavy oil composition from the reservoir using the at least the viscosity analysis results. The sampling of the heavy oil composition may be synchronized with the shutting down of the surface pump, or the sampling times or intervals may be set according to a timer.
Methods of the invention may include measuring temperature vs. time on the sampling tool, and optionally recording the sampling temperature vs. time. This may be a battery-powered memory measurement. Exemplary methods of the invention comprise sampling the same region of the wellbore at different temperatures, with the temperature controlled via the pumped heated fluid. A surface heater may be used to supply varying fluid temperatures to the heated fluid flowing through the insulated coil, and thus to the region being sampled. This allows measuring the reservoir oil recovered as a function of different temperatures, and this temperature variant sampling could be repeated at different depths or regions of the reservoir. Thus methods of the invention may be used to sample the production of heavy oil as a function of temperature as well as depth in the reservoir.
Another aspect of the invention are systems for carrying out a methods of the invention.
Methods and systems of the invention will become more apparent upon review of the detailed description of the invention and the claims that follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The manner in which the objectives of the invention and other desirable characteristics may be obtained is explained in the following description and attached drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one system and method of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation of a Y-tool useful in methods and systems of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a prior art logging plug useful in the methods and systems of the present invention deployed in a bypass tubing in a Y-tool such as depicted in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the internal sealing mechanism of the logging plug of FIG. 3 ;
FIGS. 5A , 5 B, 5 C, and 5 D illustrate cross-sectional views of a prior art sampling tool useful in methods and systems of the invention;
FIGS. 6A , 6 B, 6 C, and 6 D illustrate cross-sectional views of a prior art sampling transfer system useful in the methods and systems of the invention; and
FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of two prior art concentric coiled tubing embodiments useful in the methods and systems of the invention.
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings are not to scale and illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention, and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible. The term “reservoir” may include hydrocarbon deposits accessible by one or more wellbores. A “wellbore” includes cased, cased and cemented, or open-hole wellbores, and may be any type of well, including, but not limited to, a producing well, a non-producing well, an experimental well, an exploratory well, and the like. Wellbores may be vertical, horizontal, any angle between vertical and horizontal, diverted or non-diverted, and combinations thereof, for example a vertical well with a non-vertical component. The phrase “high temperature, high pressure” means any temperature and pressure conditions that are above atmospheric pressure and above 20° C.
Heavy oil reservoirs are typically low pressured, often sub-hydrostatic. This means the heavy oil, even when heated to reduce the viscosity, will not flow naturally to surface. Therefore heavy oil reservoirs need an artificial lift system. Consequently, methods and systems of the invention applying heat to the reservoir while sampling are compatible with an artificial lift system.
The technology for lifting a well and simultaneously providing access to the reservoir is known using a bypass tubing called a Y-tool, from a leg of which is deployed the downhole pump, either an electrical submersible pump (ESP) or progressive cavity pump (PCP). As used today this bypass tubing allows passage of non-insulated coiled tubing to the reservoir. This non-insulated coiled tubing may be used to pump fluids such as water, stimulating fluids such as acids, and water shutoff fluids such as gels and cement. However, it is not practical to pump heated fluids through non-insulated coiled tubing as the conductive metallic coil conducts most of the heat away from the fluid before it reaches the reservoir. Methods and systems of the invention address this shortcoming.
Systems of the invention comprise a well completion, and methods of the invention include installing a well completion in the wellbore prior to sampling the heavy oil composition in the reservoir. As used herein the terms “well completion” and “completion”are used as nouns except when referring to a completion operation. Well completions within the invention include, but are nor limited to, casing completions, commingled completions, coiled tubing completions, dual completions, high temperature completions, high pressure completions, high temperature/high pressure completions, multiple completions, natural completions, artificial lift completions, partial completions, primary completions, tubingless completions, and the like. Furthermore, one or more primary completion components may be comprised of one or more ferrous alloys described herein. As used herein the phrase “primary completion components” includes, but is not limited to, the main elements of an oil or gas well, including the production tubing string, that enable a particular type or design of completion to function as designed. The primary completion components depend largely on the completion type, such as the pump and motor assemblies in an electrical submersible pump completion.
Referring to FIG. 1 , which is highly schematic in nature, a simple downhole sampling tool ST as described herein is connected on the downhole or distal end of an insulated coiled tubing 14 just below a circulating port C. At each sampling depth, for example starting from the bottom of a vertical wellbore WB, a heated fluid, such as a heated light oil, is circulated down insulated coil 14 by means of surface pump 15 and pumped back to surface with a downhole pump (not illustrated) through non-insulated tubing, as illustrated by arrows. The rates of the surface pump 15 and the downhole pump are adjusted to maintain a drawdown from the reservoir into the wellbore. After several hours (or days) the reservoir adjacent to the insulated coil will become warm. A portion HHO of heated heavy oil composition adjacent to the distal end of insulated coiled tubing 14 will start to flow on its own. Heated heavy oil composition HHO mixes with the lighter heated fluid, and both are pumped to surface with the downhole pump. Eventually the surface pump 15 is shut down, stopping the circulation of heated fluid. The downhole pump will continue pumping, with only the heavy oil composition from the formation flowing. In certain embodiments of methods of the invention, once the surface pump 15 stops pumping heated fluid down the insulated coil, ideally there should be a short wait before sampling. Once a sample is taken, then the insulated coiled tubing 14 with sampling tool ST should be withdrawn from the well as quickly as possible, with the heated fluid injection restarted through circulation port C. This is to avoid the insulated tubing and/or sampling tool getting stuck in the wellbore which will be full of heated heavy oil which will become tar as it cools. It may also be desirable to implement training procedures for personal regarding the fact that subsequent sampling runs will have to be done quicker than the rate of wellbore cooling. Otherwise it may be impossible to reenter the well as it “sets” in a column of tar.
Exemplary downhole sampling tools for use in the methods and systems of the invention are those that are compatible with a Y-tool such as that illustrated in FIG. 2 , and may be battery-powered and comprise an operating clock. Such battery-powered, clock-operated production-sampling tools are useful, in certain embodiments of the invention, in synchronizing the stopping of circulation of the heated fluid and sampling of the flowable heavy oil. The production rate of heated heavy oil composition will decay rapidly as the volume of heated heavy oil composition is depleted. Therefore shortly after stopping the circulation of heated fluid from the surface, the downhole sampling tool ST will be activated (or self-activate, if on a timer) to operate. This may be achieved by synchronizing the shutdown of the surface pump with the clock operating the downhole sampler. This sampling operation may be repeated at intervals up the wellbore. Downhole sampling tools useful in methods and systems of the invention include those that are 2-in (5 cm) diameter (or smaller) sampling tools that take a sample of an annulus fluid around it. In exemplary embodiments there is no probe, pump etc. of more complicated downhole sampling tools. In certain embodiments, the tool simply comprises an empty chamber and a valve which opens with an instruction from the clock, and the entire tool is small enough to pass through the Y-tool, preferably no bigger than the 2-in (5 cm) insulated coil. One example is the tool known under the trade designation PST, from Schlumberger, a production logging tool usually used in cased holes.
As mentioned previously, methods and systems of the invention may include measuring temperature vs. time on, at, or inside the sampling tool, and optionally recording the sampling temperature vs. time. This may employ a battery-powered memory measurement sub-unit integral with the sampling tool. Exemplary methods of the invention comprise sampling the same region of the wellbore at different temperatures, with the temperature controlled via the pumped heated fluid. A surface heater may be used to supply varying fluid temperatures to the heated fluid flowing through the insulated coil, and thus to the region being sampled. This allows measuring the reservoir oil recovered as a function of different temperatures, and this temperature variant sampling could be repeated at different depths or regions of the reservoir. Thus methods of the invention may be used to sample the production of heavy oil as a function of temperature as well as depth in the reservoir.
Referring again to FIG. 1 , to ensure only heated heavy oil composition HHO flows from above and opposite the downhole sampler ST, a plug P may be installed in wellbore WB, for example a sand plug. The plug P will isolate the wellbore beneath the sampler ST, and will stop any residual flow of heavy oil composition from the previously heated deeper reservoir regions from flowing into the sampler. These plugs may be placed and removed by the insulated coiled tubing 14 .
Heated fluids useful in the invention function to deliver heat to regions of a formation from which heavy oil composition samples are to be obtained. The heated fluid may be selected from gases, vapors, liquids, and combinations thereof, and may be selected from water, organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals, and mixtures thereof. In certain embodiments the heated fluid comprises a non-volatile light oil or combination of non-volatile light oils. The composition is highly dependent on the particular pressures and temperatures required to produce a flowable heavy oil composition. The composition of the heated fluid also depends on the surface and downhole pumps' ability to pump heated fluids. As is known, reservoir fluids often contain suspended particles under high pressure and high temperature conditions. The particles may be in the form of a second liquid phase (hydrocarbon or aqueous based) or in the form of a solid (organic or inorganic). The presence of these particles is related to the phase behavior of the petroleum fluid and thus, the nature and/or composition of these particles may change with changes in pressure, temperature, or overall composition. In order to improve understanding of the particle phase behavior, it is desirable to obtain samples of the suspended particles at defined pressure and temperature conditions for subsequent analytical characterization. The heated fluid composition may be selected with these considerations in mind. Fluids useful in the invention for heating and circulating in the methods and systems of the invention include organic and inorganic liquids, and combinations thereof. Ideally they are non-volatile, non-flammable liquids, although this is not a strict requirement. A stricter criterion may be that the fluid chosen does not significantly harm the reservoir being sampled. Suitable organic liquids may be selected from aliphatic and aromatic compounds or mixtures thereof. Aliphatic compounds may be normal chain and/or branched chain, or cyclic having from 1to about 20 carbon atoms. Examples of suitable normal chain hydrocarbons may include n-hexane, n-heptane, and the like. Examples of suitable branched chain hydrocarbons may include iso-octane and the like, while suitable cyclic hydrocarbons include cyclohexane and the like. Suitable aromatic hydrocarbons may include benzene, toluene, xylene (ortho, meta, and para) and the like. Various types of mineral spirits may be used, for example odorless mineral spirits. A typical composition for mineral spirits is the following: aliphatic solvent hexane having a maximum aromatics content of 0.1% by volume, a kauri-butanol value of 29, an initial boiling point of 149° F. (65° C.), a dry point of approximately 156° F. (69° C.), and a specific mass of 0.7 g/cc. In the European Community, the composition of mineral spirits comes from Article 11(2) of Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE). Various aqueous glycol solutions may be used, such as mixtures of water and ethylene glycol used in automobiles and trucks, if the reservoir may tolerate such compositions.
One set of compositions that may be useful in methods and systems of the invention are those described in assignee's published U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/426,359, filed Jun. 26, 2006, (69.5706), incorporated herein by reference. Compositions disclosed therein comprise an asphaltene solvent and a viscosity reducing agent, the asphaltene solvent and viscosity reducing agent present in a ratio so as to substantially reduce viscosity of an asphaltene-containing material (for example heavy oils, bitumen, and the like) while substantially negating deposition of asphaltenes either in a reservoir, in production tubing, or both when mixed or otherwise contacting the asphaltene-containing material. In certain embodiments, the viscosity reducing agent may be a hydrocarbon vapor or gas (at room temperature and pressure) and the asphaltene solvent may comprise toluene or a toluene equivalent. These compositions may have large molar volume at reservoir conditions (around 5 MPa and 293 K) to maximize the gravity effect for the diluted heavy oil to flow, and may exist in single vapor phase or in supercritical state at reservoir conditions, and/or at injection pressure and temperature, and may have high vapor pressure at ambient temperature (at least as high as iso-octane) to enable recycling of the composition from the recovered oil simply by reducing the pressure, optionally with addition of heat. The asphaltene solvent and the viscosity reducing agent are at least partially miscible at temperatures above about 273 K. The asphaltene solvent and viscosity reducing agent may be present at a volume or molar ratio ranging from about 100:1 to about 1:100, or from about 10:1 to about 1:10. The viscosity reducing agent is selected from normal, branched, and cyclic alkanes having from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, mono-alkenes having from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, carbon dioxide, pyrrolidones such as n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), and combinations thereof. Certain useful viscosity reducing agents may be characterized as paraffinic. Certain embodiments may comprise n-alkanes having from about 3 to about 8 carbon atoms, such as propane. Drag-reducing agents, such as native and synthetic surfactants, may be utilized in certain embodiments, where “native” in this context means chemicals present in the crude heavy oil or bitumen. Surfactants may be selected from anionic, cation, nonionic, amphoteric surfactants, and combinations of two or more of these. Examples are provided herein. The asphaltene solvent may be selected from compositions comprising benzene and benzene derivative compounds within the general formula (I) and salts and mixtures thereof:
wherein R 1 -R 6 , inclusive, are radicals independently selected from hydrogen, hydroxyl, halogen, nitrate, amine, sulfate, carboxyl, amide, and the like, linear and branched alkyl substituents, aromatic, cyclic, alkaryl, aralkyl substituents or mixtures thereof; and where the R groups may each contain from 1-30 carbon atoms. Examples include toluene and toluene equivalents, such as benzene, xylene (ortho, meta, and para), styrene, methylbenzene, and mixtures thereof. As used herein the term benzene derivative means compounds having from one to six substituents attached to the central benzene core. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene may also be present. Native and/or synthetic resins, resinous aromatic compounds, and the like may also be useful asphaltene solvents.
Well completions useful in the methods and systems of the invention comprise a non-insulated, or “normal” tubing (jointed or non-jointed) extending from the surface to the region or regions in the reservoir desired to be sampled, a Y-tool from which is suspended a downhole pump from one leg and a bypass tubing from the other leg. Each of these features is discussed in more detailed herein, as well as suitable surface pumps and downhole samplers.
A Y-tool useful in the invention, and accompanying bypass tubing and downhole pump are illustrated in FIG. 2 . Illustrated is a production tubing 70 , a production tubing crossover 2 , a handling sub 8 , and a Y-tool 6 . Illustrated on the right-hand side of FIG. 2 are a pump sub 50 , pump discharge head 52 , a pump discharge pressure port 54 , a downhole pump 56 (in this illustration a model number ESPCP S20F170, from Schlumberger), a pump rotor adaptor 58 , pump intake 60 , pump protector 62 , motor 64 , sensor unit 66 , and bullnose 68 . Also illustrated are an operating device 72 known as a Teleswivel, bypass tubing 74 , and a re-entry guide 76 .
The bypass tubing 74 suspended from Y-tool 6 is sized so that its internal diameter or bore is of sufficient size to accommodate a smaller diameter insulated coiled tubing 14 of FIG. 1 , for example a 2-in (5 cm) outside diameter insulated coiled tubing. The insulated tubing external diameter is sized so that the insulated tubing may move longitudinally through the bypass tubing as required. Although a single non-insulated tubing may be employed, as well as a single insulated coiled tubing, this is not required. For example, depending on local tubing supply and the wellbore schematic profile, it may be that multiple lengths of non-insulated tubing and insulated coiled tubing may be used to sample different regions of a reservoir.
Previous coiled tubing logging plugs for Y-tools relied on a narrow gap in a brass bushing to provide a dynamic hydraulic seal. However the irregular geometry of coiled tubing due its ovality and wear, and the limited length of seal due to the plug length restrictions, creates a sizeable leak path for recirculation of the pumped fluid. In high flow rate wells, >1500 to 2000 m 3 /day, a leak of 600 to 800 m 3 can be tolerated still giving good results without overheating the ESP. Thus this brass bushing design has been sufficient for the high flow rate wells in completions where the majority of the worlds coiled tubing Y-tool logging is taking place. However in low flowrate wells all the fluid will re-circulate, invalidating the production log and overheating the ESP. A new plug design was designed to overcome this problem, and is described in assignee's U.S. published patent application 20050279494, entitled “Logging Plug with High Integrity Internal Seal”, incorporated herein by reference. It was an engineering challenge, as the plug wall thickness available for incorporating an improved seal is limited by the relatively large coil and the small bypass tubing. 2-in (5 cm) coils are required in certain reservoirs to reach TD of long horizontal wells. The concept was to consider the coiled tubing as a piston and have a flexible sealing mechanism. In complex yard tests, the plug sealed perfectly for 6000 ft (1830 m) of 2-in (5 cm) coil movement with varying speeds and pressures. The new plug enables multiple logging passes in a low flowrate wells.
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a prior art logging plug useful in the methods and systems of the present invention deployed in a bypass tubing 74 of a Y-tool such as illustrated in FIG. 2 , and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the internal sealing mechanism of the logging plug of FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 illustrates generally at 10 a logging plug in accordance with the '494 published patent application and useful in the present invention that is deployed in a bypass tubing 74 in a wellbore (not shown) and has an insulated coiled tubing 14 running therein for conducting reservoir sampling in the present invention. The logging plug 10 comprises a top sub 16 , an internal seal housing 18 , and an internal seal assembly 20 therebetween for sealing between the insulated coiled tubing 14 and the bore of the internal seal housing 18 . The logging plug 10 also includes an external seal assembly 22 for sealing between the exterior surface of the logging plug and the bore of the bypass tubing 74 . The external seal assembly 22 consists of a number of vee ring seals 24 , as is known in the art and is supported from the bottom by an external seal housing 26 . A coil spring 28 abuts the bottom of the external seal housing 26 and further abuts an inner sleeve 30 at its opposite end. The coil spring 28 is contained within a support ring 32 which is mounted between external seal housing 26 and inner sleeve 30 . The lower body 34 of logging plug 10 surrounds inner sleeve 30 and extends to a bottom sub 36 in which a shear pin 38 is mounted. Shear pin 38 fixes the bottom sub 36 to retaining sleeve 40 until removal of the insulated coiled tubing 14 from the bypass tubing 74 is commenced upon completion of the sampling operation. A crossover 42 is connected at 44 to the bottom of insulated coiled tubing 14 internal to logging plug 10 and supports a downhole sampling tool 42 at its downhole end (the tool is more fully explained in the description accompanying FIGS. 5A-5D ). Upon commencing a sampling operation, logging plug 10 carried on insulated coiled tubing 14 is inserted into bypass tubing 74 until logging plug 10 seats in a polished nipple in the bore of bypass tubing 74 . The external vee ring seals 24 then prevent wellbore fluids from passing around the exterior of logging plug 10 by engaging the bore of the bypass tubing 74 . Thereafter, the deployment of insulated coiled tubing 14 into the wellbore continues as it passes through the bore of logging plug 10 which is now stationary within bypass tubing 74 . Internal seal assembly 20 , described more fully in connection with FIG. 4 , ensures that there is at all times a high integrity seal between insulated coiled tubing 14 and the bore of logging plug 10 to prevent wellbore fluids from recirculating into the bypass tubing 74 through this path during coiled tubing operations.
Turning now to FIG. 4 , the internal seal assembly 20 of FIG. 3 is illustrated in cross-section without the insulated coiled tubing 14 therein. Internal seal assembly 20 comprises an upper ring seal 21 , an upper cap seal 23 , a central ring seal 25 , a lower cap seal 27 , and a lower ring seal 29 . In addition to its sealing function, each ring seal 21 , 25 , 29 aids in the retention of its adjacent cap seal(s), acts as a debris barrier, and serves as a bearing for the insulated coiled tubing 14 moving through it. The ring seals 21 , 25 , 29 are formed of a low friction material such as PEEK, for example. Cap seals 23 , 27 are self-actuating and extrusion resistant. Each cap seal 23 , 27 comprises an elastomer o-ring 23 A, 27 A surrounded in the seal bore by a cap ring 23 B, 27 B. The o-rings 23 A, 27 A are formed of a fluoroelastomer, for example, and cap rings 23 B, 27 B are formed of a premium grade PTFE, such as Avalon 89, for example. As the o-rings 23 A, 27 A are formed of an elastomer, they energize the cap seals 23 , 27 to effect good contact between the cap rings 23 B, 27 B and the insulated coiled tubing 14 at all times and regardless of any residual bending in the coiled tubing or distortion in its cross-section. It should be noted that cap seals 23 , 27 may each comprise more than a single o-ring 23 A, 27 A when still further enhanced seal flexibility is required.
At the surface a heat generator and surface pump may be used to pump heated fluid down the insulated coiled tubing once in position in the bypass tubing of the well completion. Any surface pump and heat generator may be used for these purposes. Surface pumps, such as a horizontal pumping systems (“HPS”), generally include a driver, which may be a motor, turbine, diesel or non-diesel internal combustion engine, generator, and the like, in some cases combined with a protector, seal chamber, and the like, and a pump mounted on a horizontal skid. Horizontal pumping systems may be used in the present invention to pump a heated fluid to the region of the reservoir for which one or more samples is desired. As explained in assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,735, the motor may be fixedly coupled to horizontal skid at a motor mount surface of the horizontal skid. The pump may be coupled to the horizontal skid by a mount assembly, which may include a support (e.g., a fixed support) and clamp assemblies. The pump may be drivingly coupled to the motor through support. Alternatively, the support may be an external conduit assembly configured for attachment to a pump conduit, such as one of two pump conduits extending from the pump.
The downhole pump may be selected from any downhole pump compatible with heated fluids and the Y-tool, where “heated” implies any temperature over 150° F. (65° C.). An example of such a pump is that known under the trade designation “Hotline ESP” from Schlumberger. The downhole pump may be a positive displacement pump or centrifugal pump. Suitable positive displacement pumps include progressive cavity pumps (PCP), such as the model ESPCP S20F170 discussed in relation to FIG. 2 . Other PCPs may be used, such as those available from Kudu Industries Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada under various trade designations such as “15 TP 600 SL”, “30 TP 650 SL”, “80 TP 400 SL”, and “1000 TP 200 SL”, for example. At 500 rpm rotor speed and zero head, these PCPs may pump 15, 27, 80, and 1000 m 3 /day, respectively. The downhole pump may be an electrical submersible pump (“ESP”), such as pumping systems known under the trade designation Axia™, available from Schlumberger Technology Corporation, or modifications thereof. Pumps of this type may feature a simplified two-component pump-motor configuration, with pump having one or more stages inside a housing, and a combined motor and protector. The pump may be built with integral intake and discharge heads. Fewer mechanical connections may contribute to faster installation and higher reliability of these ESPs. The combined motor and protector assembly, known under the trade designation ProMotor™ may be prefilled in a controlled environment, and may include integral instrumentation that measures downhole temperatures and pressures. Alternative electrical submersible pump configurations which may be employed in methods and systems of the invention include an ESP deployed on cable, and an ESP deployed on coiled tubing with power cable strapped to the outside of the coiled tubing (the tubing acts as the producing medium). For example, three “on top” motors may drive three pump stages, all pump stages enclosed in a housing. The pump stages may be identical in number of pump stages and performance characteristics, while some pump stages may have different performance characteristics. A separate protector may be provided, as well as an optional pressure/temperature gauge, sub-surface safety valve (SSSV) and a chemical injection mandrel. The technology of bottom intake ESPs (with motor on the top) has been established over a period of years. It is important to securely install pump stages, motors, and protector within coiled tubing, enabling quicker installation and retrieval times plus cable protection and the opportunity to strip in and out of a live well.
The collection and sampling of underground fluids contained in subterranean formations is well known. In the petroleum exploration and recovery industries, for example, samples of formation fluids are collected and analyzed for various purposes, such as to determine the existence, composition and producibility of subterranean hydrocarbon fluid reservoirs. This aspect of the exploration and recovery process may be crucial in developing exploitation strategies and impacts significant financial expenditures and savings. Examples of downhole sampling tools are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,860,581; 4,936,139; 6,223,822; 6,457,544; 6,668,924, and published U.S. patent applications 20050082059; 20050279499; and 20060175053, all assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Various other methods and devices have been proposed for obtaining subterranean fluid samples. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,557 to Ciglenec et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,822 to Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,152 to Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,799 to Davis and International Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 96/30628 have developed certain probes and related techniques to improve sampling. Other techniques have been developed to separate clean fluids during sampling. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,959 to Hrametz et al. discloses a sampling probe with two hydraulic lines to recover formation fluids from two zones in the borehole. Borehole fluids are drawn into a guard zone separate from fluids drawn into a probe zone. Despite such advances in sampling, there remains a need to develop techniques for fluid sampling of heavy oil compositions.
Illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5D are four stages of operation of an annular downhole sampling device 80 useful in the inventive methods and systems. This particular sampling device is known under the trade designation “Single-Phase Reservoir Sampler (SRS)”, from Schlumberger, but other equivalent samplers may also be useful. Sampling device 80 may be used in conjunction with a Field Transfer Unit (FTU), 102 , an optional heating jacket, and a Single-Phase Sample Bottle (SSB), 103 , as discussed herein in reference to FIGS. 6A-6D . The SRS sampling tool 80 is a bottomhole pressure compensating sampling tool and can be run in strings of up to 8 tools on slickline, electric line, coiled tubing, sucker pump rods, or bundle carrier (SCAR-A). Each tool has its own clock, 82 , allowing complete flexibility in deciding when and at what well depth individual tools in the string take a sample. The SRS sampling tool is rated to 15,000 psi (103 MPa) working pressure, 22,500 psi (155 MPa) test pressure and 400° F. (204° C.).
To collect a sample in accordance with the inventive methods and systems, the SRS unit 80 is attached to the distal end of an insulated coiled tubing and is conveyed downhole, through the bypass line 74 of a Y-tool. Each SRS is independently triggered to trap a sample by either high temperature clock 82 , which may be a mechanical clock having a delay of up to 12 hours, or an electronic clock for long duration operations of up to several weeks. Alternatively, a rupture disk may trigger when the SRS is run in a sample carrier (SCAR-A) as part of the DST string and activated by applied annulus pressure. The sampling tool includes a main body 81 , an air chamber 84 , a regulator valve 86 , a closure device 87 , a chamber for buffer fluid 88 , and sampling ports 90 . Sampling tool 80 also comprises a floating piston 91 , a chamber filled with pressure compensating fluid 92 , a disk separator 94 , and another chamber 96 filled with nitrogen or other inert gas. A fixed piston 93 and spool valve 95 complete this version of the downhole sampling tool.
When fired, sampling device 80 recovers a 600 cc sample by the controlled displacement of heated heavy oil (HHO) reservoir fluid, the reservoir fluid acting on floating piston 91 inside the sample chamber. The complete sampling process takes approximately five minutes, and is illustrated in four steps in FIGS. 5A (running position), 5 B (start of sampling), 5 C (completing sampling and closing sample chamber), and 5 D (pressure compensation). A nitrogen charge on the surface primes the pressure compensating fluid, with sample ports 90 closed. Mechanical or electrical clock 82 sets opening time of regulator valve 86 . At the start of sampling, regulator valve 86 is opened by clock 82 . Buffer fluid 88 passes to air chamber 94 , and floating piston 91 is moved by ingress of reservoir fluid, HHO. Upon completion of sampling, the sample chamber is full of reservoir fluid, HHO. Floating piston 91 acts on closure device 87 , while fixed piston 93 moves into the sample chamber isolating the HHO sample. The mechanical locking closure device 87 ensures the sampling tool ports 90 cannot reopen. As closure is completed, spool valve 95 opens releasing pressure compensating fluid 92 . As the tool is retrieved using normal (non-insulated) coiled tubing, normally the temperature would drop and the sample would shrink. However, by re-initiating flow of heated fluid through the insulated coiled tubing as taught herein, this may be minimized. A preset pressure is maintained on the sample by the pressure compensating fluid 92 . Preset pressure is determined by nitrogen charge pressure prior to running.
After the successful capture of the sample, the SRS sample chamber is locked both mechanically and hydraulically. The sample is then maintained at or above reservoir pressure during retrieval by the release of a pre-set nitrogen charge. The nitrogen in chamber 96 acts like a spring on the HHO sample through the floating piston 91 acting on buffer fluid 88 , which may be a synthetic oil, thus avoiding nitrogen contamination of the HHO sample. The recovery pressure is generally set at several thousand psi (or hundred MPa) above the bubble point pressure, or in the case of asphaltene studies, above the reservoir pressure.
The sampling tools rely on elastomer seals between the sample and the atmosphere and are therefore not ideal for long term sample storage or transportation. When the sampling tool is recovered to surface, the sample is therefore transferred at reservoir conditions from the sampling tool into a pressure-compensated sample cylinder 103 , as illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6D . FIG. 6A illustrates the initial rig up, FIG. 6B illustrates commencement of transfer of sample; FIG. 6C illustrates completion of transfer, and FIG. 6D illustrates creation of a nitrogen or other inert fluid gas cap. The sample cylinder may be that known under the trade designation Single-Phase Sample Bottle, or (SSB), from Schlumberger, although any similarly constructed sample bottle will suffice. Sampling tool preparation and well-site sample transfers into the sample cylinder 103 may be performed using an apparatus known under the trade designation Field Transfer Unit (FTU), 102 , a portable workstation available from Schlumberger, which has three dedicated high pressure pumps for nitrogen, synthetic oil and a water/glycol mixture. Transfers of samples at up to reservoir temperature may be possible by using a heating jacket (not illustrated). The system further includes a reservoir 104 for collecting water/glycol, a pressure gauge 109 , and a nitrogen (or other inert gas) supply N2. Sample cylinder 103 includes a piston 107 , and varying volume chambers 105 filled with a water/glycol solution (for example).
The minimum size or amount of sample collected is determined by the minimum sample requirement for the specific analytical method of choice, typically viscosity. Some of the currently available compositional analysis techniques only require nanograms of material for proper analysis, however, viscosity analyses may require significantly more volume of sample. Depending on the volume of sample required, multiple sample collections may be required to collect enough material for analysis. For these and other reasons, systems and methods of the invention may be automated. Sample collected may comprise gaseous, liquid, supercritical phases, and any combination thereof. The sample may comprise any sample at elevated temperatures and pressures, including, but not limited to compositions comprising hydrocarbons (including sour hydrocarbons which may include hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, and other sulfur-containing compounds), water, organic and/or inorganic solids, and may include micelles, macromolecules, globules, resins, asphaltenes, hydrocarbon and aqueous based fluids, drilling muds, frac fluids, and the like having multiple phases (solids and liquid).
Thermally insulating coiled tubing has only just become available. For, example a company named MAJUS in the United Kingdom is developing such a coil using subsea pipeline technology. The heat loss in 2000 m of their coil is expected to be only 5%. With this specialized coil it will be possible to pump heated fluids without much heat loss, making it possible to apply heat to the reservoir and pump fluids from the reservoir simultaneously.
As explained in U.S. Patent publication number 20060175053 A1, published Aug. 10, 2006, incorporated herein by reference, and assigned to MAJUS, United Kingdom, several possibilities exist to provide insulation between the two tubes of an insulated tubing. FIG. 7 shows a cross section of coiled tubing 4 particularly suited to methods and systems of the invention. Tubing 4 is produced using the technique known as “pipe in pipe”. A first inner pipe 202 ensures the transport of the fluid. This first pipe 202 is mechanically protected by a second external pipe 210 of a greater diameter concentric to the first pipe 202 . Between the two pipes there is insulator 220 . A vacuum is a very good insulator, however, given the great lengths of pipe in question, compression stresses in the annular space between the tubes and the thermal variations which may cause buckling stress in pipes, vacuum insulation is not able to ensure that these two pipes will not come into contact with one another. Such contact would firstly eliminate the insulating vacuum between the two pipes and would also lead by conduction to substantial thermal losses, more so because the pipes are made of metallic material. These contacts may be avoided by introducing spacers 250 between the two pipes. A rigid insulator 220 may be introduced into the space between tubes able to withstand crushing and which will act as a spacer to prevent the tubes from coming into contact. The material used to produce these spacers must have good insulating properties. Such a material may advantageously be a microporous material. This microporous material, which may be of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,547, incorporated herein by reference, is advantageously obtained by compressing a powder, for example a mixture containing a major portion of silica together with a minor portion of titanium dioxide. Such a compressed microporous material advantageously has a density of between 200 and 400 kg/m 3 . The thermal insulating capacities of such a material are considerably improved when it is placed at low pressure in the annular space between the two pipes. Such low pressure, advantageously between 1 mbar and atmospheric pressure, may be obtained here by using a vacuum pump 160 between concentric tubes 202 and 210 . The spacer function fulfilled by such a microporous material may be obtained if it is used to totally fill the space between the two tubes. From a mechanical point of view, it is also possible to position spacers made of this microporous material which are only a few centimeters in length evenly along the tubing 4 , at intervals ranging from about 0.1 to about 1 meter, thereby ensuring reinforcement against any crushing of the insulator.
An insulator 220 may also be made by producing a multilayer superinsulator constituted by reflective screen sheets 230 sandwiching layers of powder 240 such as that described in published U.S. patent application 20050100702, incorporated herein by reference, and illustrated schematically in FIG. 8 . The screens are constituted by a reflective sheet, for example aluminum, onto which the powder is deposited, wound in a spiral around itself. The powder 240 may have a granulometry substantially equal to 40millimicron pores whose size is of the order of magnitude of the mean free path of the gas molecules in which this powder is placed and a density of between 50 and 150 kg/m 3 . Advantageously, pressure of between 10 −2 and 1 mbar may be maintained between the two tubes of the insulated coiled tubing. It is also possible for an insulator 220 to be made by combining the use of multilayered reflective screen sheets 230 with a partial vacuum of around 10 −2 to 1 mbar. Such an insulator enables the production zone to be heated to a temperature close to 200° C. enabling the viscosity of the heavy oil composition to be considerably reduced and thus ensuring an acceptable sample.
Insulated coiled tubing is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,015, incorporated herein by reference. Insulated coiled tubing therein described comprises, in certain embodiments, a continuous coiled tubing composite including an inner coiled tubing positioned within an outer coiled tubing. The two tubing lengths define an annulus that may be insulated, or may contain insulation material. As noted in the '015 patent, and consistent with the '053 published patent application of MAJUS discussed above, it is understood that one means of “Providing insulation” is to provide a vacuum. A vacuum may comprise an insulating material. A plurality of centralizers are longitudinally spaced within the annulus separating the tubings. The composite itself retains sufficient flexibility for reeling on a truckable spool and sufficient stiffness for injecting in a bore. Size is generally a constraint in downhole operations. It will typically be desired that a coiled tubing composite perform its function while minimizing the composite's outside diameter. As mentioned in the '015patent, for that reason, “concentric” coiled tubing, as opposed to off centered tubing, may be a more cost effective and practical design when dual coils are to be utilized. Concentricity has further structural benefits when taking into consideration the operations of reeling a dual coiled tubing string on a spool. However, it should be understood that insulated dual coiled tubing could function if it were not concentric, or if a plurality of “centralizers” separated but did not maintain exact “concentricity.”
The inner tubing length and the outer tubing length that form a useful insulated coiled tubing each may comprise at least several hundred, or several thousand feet or meters. Useful insulated coiled tubing would exhibit sufficient structural integrity, including flexibility and stiffness, to be repeatedly reeled and unreeled into, and repeatedly injected and withdrawn from, a wellbore, as explained in the '015 patent. The annulus between the inner and outer coil may be sealed against fluid communication with the environment exterior to the tubing. The annulus may be sealed to generally exclude fluid communication from outside the environment while providing for at least limited internal fluid communication within the annulus itself. In certain embodiments of insulated concentric coiled tubing useful herein, at one end of the insulated coiled tubing the inner tubing length may be affixed to the outer tubing length while at the other end of the composite both lengths may be attached to an expansion joint. At each end of a section the inner length may seal against either the outer length or an expansion joint, thereby sealing the annulus between the two tubings.
The maximum external diameter of the inner tubing of the insulated tubing is limited only by the inner diameter of the outside tubing and the requirement of thermal insulation so that major heat loss is not exhibited by the heated fluid flowing through the inner tubing. The external diameter of the outer tubing is limited only by the need for the insulated tubing to be able to be positioned inside the bypass tubing of the well completion. It is envisioned that the outside diameter of the inner tubing of the insulated tubing may range from one inch (2.54 cm) to about five inches (12.7 cm) while the outside diameter of the outer tubing length could range from between two inches (5.1 cm) and six inches (15.2 cm). The annulus is preferably about ½ inch wide (about 1.25 cm). The annulus need not have the same width in all locations. The “insulation” of the insulated coiled tubing may be selected from vacuum, inert gas, loose fill particles, and in particular, finely ground loose fill particles, for example finely ground perlite of suitable mesh size (1.19 mm), and combinations of any of these.
Centralizers may be present in the annulus between inner and outer tubes of insulated coiled tubing useful in the methods and systems of the invention. Useful centralizers provide for fluid communication longitudinally through the centralizers. Such communication may be provided by outer peripheral grooves, which also serves to minimize radial thermal conduction. Preferably the centralizers comprise split steel rings spaced between the two tubes at intervals of between five and seven feet (1.5 m to 2.1 m), or at approximately six foot (1.8 m) intervals.
Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.
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Methods and systems and are described for isolating or manipulating a sample of a heavy oil composition from a hydrocarbon reservoir. One method embodiment of the invention comprises circulating a heated fluid in a first region of a reservoir where a heavy oil composition is present or believed present using a surface pump and a well completion comprising a downhole pump for a time and flow rate sufficient to produce flowable heavy oil composition, the well completion comprising a sampling tool; and sampling the flowable heavy oil composition using the sampling tool. This abstract complies with rules requiring an abstract. It should not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).
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[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention concerns a composition which can be used to apply, at low temperature, a coating on a support. The invention also concerns a method and a device that use the composition according to the invention to obtain said coating on a support. More particularly, the invention concerns the provision of a method for manufacturing electrodes or an electrolyte for lithium-ion type batteries, in which there is used a mixture of solvents which can disperse the components used for the prouction of the electrodes or electrolyte, said mixture being characterized in that it can be evaporated at slightly elevated temperature, for example by using infrared. The present invention also concerns the development of a composition constituting said mixture, as well as a spreading device insuring the application and the drying of a coating on a support film used for example in the production of electrodes or electrolyte in a lithium-ion type battery.
[0003] 2. Prior Art
[0004] During the preparation of electrodes or an electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries, it is known that the components constituting the electrodes or an electrolyte may be incorporated in a solvent, such as N-methyl pyrolidone, herein after referred to as NMP. For more details, reference will be made to the Japanese applications published under numbers 11-283612, 11-283626 and 11-273680 respectively on Oct. 8, 1999, Oct. 15, 1999 and Oct. 15, 1999. NMP is considered as a strong and heavy solvent, i.e. it has an elevated boiling point, more specifically 202° C. Because of the elevated boiling point of the solvent used in the preparation of the solution which will be deposited on a support, drying of the electrodes or the electrolyte will require elevated temperatures in order to evaporate the strong and heavy solvent and thus deposit the components of the electrodes or the electrolyte on a support, for example a metallic or plastic sheet. Drying may also be carried out by heating under vacuum in order to increase the vapour pressure of the solvent. In this latter case, there is an increase in the cost for the preparation of the electrodes. Drying time and temperature are two critical aspects to ensure the control of the spreading of the electrodes as well as their porosity and there is thus an urgent need to decrease the production cost of the electrodes and of the electrolyte by improving the time and drying temperature factors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a solvent composition ensuring a good dispersion of the components used during the application of a coating on a support, such as during the preparation of the electrodes or the electrolyte used in a lithium-ion type battery.
[0006] It is also an object of the invention to develop a dispersion of the components of the electrodes or the electrolyte for a lithium-ion type battery in which the evaporation temperature is only slightly elevated.
[0007] It is also an object of the invention to provide a method and a device for the provision of a coating on a support, by using the composition of solvents according the invention in the form of dispersion of the components of the coating.
[0008] It is also an object of the invention to provide a solvent or a mixture of solvents which may simultaneously solubilize the binder used in the composition of the electrodes and which has an evaporation temperature only slightly elevated.
[0009] Another object of the invention resides in the improvement of the interface thereby giving a good adhesiveness between the coating and the support because of the absence of bubbles at the interface.
[0010] Another object of the invention resides in the production of a coating on a support in which the adhesiveness on the support is such that the coating cannot practically be peeled away.
[0011] The invention concerns a composition permitting the application of a coating on a support at low temperature from a dispersion in the composition, of at least one component to be deposited on the support, the composition comprising at least one strong and heavy solvent in which the boiling temperature is higher than about 150° C., and a weak solvent in which the temperature is lower than about 100° C., the strong and heavy solvent and the weak solvent constituting a mixture which evaporates at a temperature lower than about 100° C.
[0012] The composition may also comprise a diluting agent in which the boiling temperature is lower than about 80° C., the latter having the property of increasing the capacity of solubilization of the mixture and of facilitating the evaporation of the strong solvent at low temperature.
[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mixture may evaporate under infrared to leave only the component constituting the coating on the support.
[0014] The strong and heavy solvent is preferably selected from N-methyl pyrolidone and cyclopentanone, the weak solvent is preferably selected from acetone or ethyl acetate, while the diluting agent is preferably selected from toluene or benzene.
[0015] According to another preferred embodiment, in volume ratio, the mixture comprises less than 20% strong solvent, between 40% and 60% weak solvent and between 15% and 25% diluting agent and the component is present in the dispersion at the rate of 0.015 g/cc to 0.04 g/cc of the mixture. The percent volume ratio of weak solvent:diluting agent is preferably between {fraction (80/20)} and {fraction (65/25)}.
[0016] According to another preferred embodiment, the composition according to the invention may also comprise a binder of the component, such as fluorinated polyvinylidene.
[0017] The invention also concerns a dispersion in the composition according to the invention, of the component to be deposited on a support, said component possibly comprising a graphite powder, and the weight ratio between the graphite powder and the composition according to the invention may vary between 60:10 and 90:10. The component may also comprise cobalt oxide.
[0018] The invention also concerns a method for applying a coating on a support characterized by the following steps:
[0019] (a) there is provided a composition comprising at least one strong and heavy solvent in which the boiling temperature is higher than about 150° C., and a weak solvent in which the boiling temperature is lower than about 100° C., the strong solvent and the weak solvent being present in ratios adapted to constitute a mixture which can be evaporated at a temperature lower 100° C.;
[0020] (b) a component to be applied in the form of a coating on said support is dispersed in said mixture;
[0021] (c) the dispersion obtained in (b) is spreaded on said support;
[0022] (d) the dispersion is dried to obtain said coating.
[0023] Preferably, a dispersion is dried at a temperature lower than 100° C., such as by means of a heating element, for example an infrared lamp, with or without the addition of another heating element. When the support consists of a cross-linkable polymer, ultraviolet heating may also be added to cross-link said polymer. In step (a), a binder of the component may also be added in said composition.
[0024] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the binder is first solubilized in the strong and heavy solvent, the weak solvent is thereafter mixed with a diluting agent, and the whole composition is then mixed.
[0025] According to another embodiment of the invention, the support is an electrode or an electrolyte in the form of a film for rechargeable electrochemical generator.
[0026] The invention also concerns a device permitting the application of the coating on a support in the form of film comprising:
[0027] a source of support film;
[0028] a feeding tank adapted to contain a dispersion according to the invention;
[0029] an unwinding means enabling to circulate the support film in the vicinity of the feeding tank;
[0030] means to continuously pour a predetermined quantity of dispersion on the support film while the latter is in the vicinity of the feeding tank;
[0031] receiving means, and unwinding means continuously sending the support film and its coating to the receiving means;
[0032] motor means adapted to operate the unwinding means, the receiving means and the winding means; and
[0033] a heating device enabling to evaporate the content of the dispersion at a temperature lower than 100° C. leaving a solid coating of the support film.
[0034] The heating device preferably comprises an infrared lamp.
[0035] In the case where the support film consists of a cross-linkable polymer, the heating device may also comprise at least one ultraviolet lamp capable of cross-linking the cross-linkable polymer if the latter contains a small percentage, for example less than 1% of photo-initiator. If the cross-linkable polymer contains a small percentage, for example less than 1% of a thermo-initiator, cross-linking may be carried out by means of the infrared lamp or a heating element.
[0036] According to another embodiment, the feeding tank includes means enabling to adjust the width as well as the thickness of a deposit of the dispersion on the support film according to the predetermined parameters.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0037] In the drawing which illustrate the invention, FIG. 1 is a spectrum of acetone obtained by mass analysis;
[0038] [0038]FIG. 2 is a similar spectrum for toluene;
[0039] [0039]FIG. 3 is also a similar spectrum for N-methyl pyrolidone;
[0040] [0040]FIG. 4 is a spectrum corresponding to a mixture 20-20-60 of toluene, N-methylpyolidone and acetone; and
[0041] [0041]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a device used to deposit a coating on a support using the composition according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0042] According to a preferred embodiment, a ternary mixture of solvent was obtained. A weak solvent as well as a diluting agent is added to the strong solvent. The weak solvent has an evaporation temperature of about 65° C., such as acetone. The latter has the property of carrying the strong solvent during evaporation at a temperatures lower than the one of the strong solvent. The diluting agent is a solvent which on the one hand increases the solubility of the binding agent and on the other hand the tendency to cause evaporation of the strong solvent. Drying of the electrode or the electrolyte is carried out by means of infrared lamps directly on the spreading line.
[0043] The binder is solubilized in the strong solvent normally at its maximum concentration (mixture A). A mixture (B) of weak solvent and diluting agent is prepared. The mixture (B) is added to mixture (A) to constitute the spreading solvent (C). The percentage of each solvent in the mixture depends on the performances of the new mixture on the one hand and the solubilization characteristics of the strong solvent on the other hand. In a triangle where the strong solvent does not exceed 20%, the weak solvent may vary between 40% and 50% and the diluting agent may vary between 15% and 25% in a ratio binding agent mixture (C) which may vary between 0.015 g/cc to 0.04 g/cc.
[0044] Analyses of individual solvents were carried out with a space sampler system HP7694 (Agilent Technologie) coupled to a gaseous phase chromatography device GC6890 (also of Agilent) for the injection and the separation of the species. Detection was carried out by means of a mass spectrometer HP5973 (also from Agilent) by using the “total ions” analysis method. Separation of the compounds was carried out on a polar column Stabilwax® 60 m×0.25 mmID having a film thickness of 0.25 μm (Restek)
[0045] A mixture in which the volume ratios are 20% NMP, 60% acetone and 20% toluene was prepared. The evaporation temperatures of these solvents are 202° C. (NMP), 56° C. (acetone) and 110° C. (toluene). This mixture was heated to 80° C. during 12 h. All the liquid was evaporated and a polymer type residue was obtained.
[0046] A mass analysis spectrum by GC has shown a new phase (FIG. 4) that is different from the spectra of solvents individually tested: acetone (FIG. 1), toluene (FIG. 2) and NMP (FIG. 3). By comparison, after 1 h at 80° C., there is a complete evaporation of acetone, 22% for toluene while no evaporation was noted for NMP.
[0047] Drying of the electrode was carried out by means of a new method which uses an infrared lamp. This method was completed in order to increase drying efficiency. This new method makes it possible to evaporate the solvent in a shorter time.
[0048] [0048]FIG. 5 illustrates a prototype of a machine prepared in a laboratory with which the examples of this patent have been carried out.
[0049] With reference to FIG. 5, it will be seen that the device according to the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a frame 1 , mounted on four feet 3 , adjustable at 11 , and designed to dispose therein the parts constituting the device. The device itself includes two longitudinal risers 19 , 21 arranged in a parallel fashion and mounted at 23 on feet 3 .
[0050] The device also comprises a source of support film in the form of a winding 31 of support film mounted on a roller 33 . As seen in the illustration of FIG. 5, roller 33 is mounted in known manner between the two risers 19 , 21 at a lower end of the latter and in free rotation to make it possible to freely unwind the support film 35 as it will be seen later. Located in a same vertical plane as the winding 31 , there is a roller support 37 also mounted in known fashion between the two risers 19 , 21 and in free rotation.
[0051] At the top of the device, there is a feeding tank 41 of conventional structure and provided with a non illustrated spreading system, permitting to continuously pour predetermined quantities of the dispersion as mentioned above and which will be used to produce a coating for electrodes or electrolytes on the support film 35 . Il will be noted that the feeding tank 41 includes two control stations, one 43 intended to produce a deposit of a dispersion of predetermined width, and the other 45 , making it possible to pour a quantity of dispersion with a predetermined coating thickness. The feeding tank 41 is mounted in known manner between the two risers 19 , 21 as it can be seen on the illustration of FIG. 5.
[0052] Under the feeding tank 41 , there is a roller support 47 of large diameter and on which the support film 35 will rest during its passage between the feeding tank and the roller support 47 . Upstream of the feeding tank and mounted in a known fashion, in the upper part of the risers 19 , 21 , there is provided a rest support 49 slightly curved, all in a manner to facilitate the sliding of the coated support film towards the winding coil 51 that will be described more in detail hereinafter.
[0053] At the opposite end of the device, two freely rotatable rollers 53 , 55 that are used as a rest for the film support during return of the latter towards the winding coil 51 , are mounted in known manner between the two risers 19 , 21 . The device also includes a rest support 67 , placed below support 49 and under which the coated support film will finally be lead towards the winding coil 51 .
[0054] With respect to the latter, it is mounted in known manner in the lower part of the device, between the two risers 19 , 21 in the vicinity of roller rest 47 . A motorized means, not illustrated, disposed in roller rest 47 , operates the winding coil 51 , when the latter is frictionally engaged with roller support 47 . In this manner, once the end of the support film 35 is fixed to the winding coil 51 , it will be sufficient to operate the device to achieve continuous unwinding of the film.
[0055] To complete the device, it is nearly sufficient to provide an ultraviolet lamp 59 and an infrared lamp 61 . Ultraviolet lamp 59 is placed above the film support 35 at the outlet of the feeding tank and above rest support 49 . With respect to the infrared lamp 51 , it is found at the end of the device opposite feeding tank 41 and it is oriented to project its beam towards the upstream end of the rest support 49 .
[0056] Operation of the device is carried out as follows. The end of a film support 35 mounted on the winding coil 31 is grabbed, the support film is unwinded by bypassing the rest roller 37 , it is then allowed to slid between feeding tank 41 and rest roller 37 . The support film then bypasses the rest support 49 , rollers 53 , 55 , rest support 57 to finally be fixed to winding coil 51 by making sure that the rest roller 47 is frictionally engaged at 63 with winding coil 51 to carry the latter. The motor is operated, the infrared lamp 61 is turned on and possibly also ultraviolet lamp 59 , and pouring of the dispersion on the support film 35 is initiated after having adjusted the width and the flow rate.
[0057] This machine can also be adapted for different types of spreading: anode, cathode and electrolyte of different sizes, shapes and distributions of particle. It makes it possible to use different mode of drying such as, for example, with infrared, heating element or a combination of the two modes. It is also provided with a system of ultraviolet lamp (UV)for cross-linking the electrolytes. In the case of thermal crosslinking, the heating element may also act as cross-linker. The combination of the source UV and of the heating element can easily be adapted to this type of operation.
[0058] An advantage of the device according to the invention is to being able to obtain coating film with minimum quantities of active material, about 1 g, which is an advantage when used at the laboratory scale.
[0059] The use of solvent mixtures to spread the film, on one hand decreases the drying temperature and increases the spreading speed. On the other hand, it also reduces the drying zone.
[0060] The invention will now be illustrated by mean of the following non limiting examples.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
[0061] The PVDF binder fluorinated polyvinylidene is solubilized in NMP N-methyl pyrolidone. A mixture of solvents acetone/toluene at 80/20 is added to the PVDF-NMP paste to constitute the spreading composition. Graphite powder is dispersed in the spreading composition in a weight ration of 90/10. This mixture is applied on a copper collector by the Doctor Blade™ method. The electrode is dried with an infrared lamp at 80° C.
[0062] The electrode is mounted on a disc battery of the type 2035. A Celgard™ 2300 separator soaked with an electrolyte 1M LiPF6+EC/DMC:50/50 (ethylene carbonate+dimethycarbonate) is used.
[0063] Electrochemical tests were carried out at room temperature. Discharge-charge curves were obtained between 0V and 2.5V at C/24. The coulomb efficiency of the first cycle is 88%. This result is comparable to the one obtained with electrodes prepared with the composite (graphite-PVDF-NMP) with drying at 140° C. under vacuum.
Example 2
[0064] In the same spreading composition as the one used in example 1, carbon black is first dispersed, following a dispersion of cobalt oxide in a weight ratio: oxide/carbon black/PVDF of 80/10/10. This mixture is applied on an aluminum collector by the Doctor Blade™ method. At the same time, the electrode is dried with an infrared lamp at 80° C. The electrode is mounted in a disc battery of type 2035. A Celgard™ separator 2300 soaked with the electrolyte 1M LiPF6+EC/DMC: 50/50 (ethylene carbonate+dimethylcarbonate) was used.
[0065] Electrochemical tests were carried out at room temperature. Discharge-charge curves were obtained between 2.5V and 4.2V at C/24.
[0066] It is understood that the invention covers any modification obvious to one skilled in the art provided that it is within the scope of the following claims.
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A composition for applying a coating on a support at low temperature from a dispersion of at least a component of the coating to be deposited in the composition. The composition includes at least a strong and heavy solvent with a boiling point higher than 150° C. approximately, and a weak solvent with a boiling point less than 100° C. approximately. The solvents forming the composition must constitute a mixture that evaporates at a temperature less than 100° C. The composition is particularly useful for forming electrodes or electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries. The method and the device used for forming the coating use a dispersion spreader and an infrared lamp.
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BACKGROUND
A large number of exercising devices have been preproposed heretofore. The devices of types shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,268,225 and 3,746,339 appear to be the closest to the present invention. The present invention increases the number of exercises which can be attained while decreasing the number of moving parts. In said patents, the central member is comprised of telescoping tubes and the cords are nonextensible. The device in U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,809 bears a superficial resemblance to the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The exerciser of the present invention comprises a rigid central rod of fixed length. A rigid transverse header is fixedly connected to a least one of the ends of the rod. The headers are substantially shorter than the length of said rod. At least two strands of extensible cord are attached at their end portions to the rod. A means is provided for releasably securing at least one end portion of each strand to the rod. A handle is provided for use with each releasable cord end portion.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is adapted to be attached to a frame having a seat portion and offset pedals so that the exercising device may be used while pedalling a simulated bycicle. Straps may be attached either to the pedals or to an extension of the pedals whereby arms and shoulders are simultaneously exercised by holding on to the straps while pedalling. The present invention is adapted to be used by occupants of wheelchairs or other handicapped persons. The exercising device of the present invention may be used for both isometric type exercises and isotonic type exercises.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel exercising device which has few moving parts while being capable of performing a larger number of exercises as compared with devices proposed heretofore.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an exercising device which is simple and reliable.
Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exercising device in accordance with the present invention with the cords arranged for use in connection with a particular type of exercise;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device of the present invention arranged for simultaneous use with pedalling of a simulated bicycle;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 in FIG. 2 but on an enlarged scale;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 2 but on an enlarged scale;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 in FIG. 2 but on an enlarged scale;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a tension adjusting clamp;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of interlocking links;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8--8 in FIG. 7;
FIGS. 9-23 show some of the many exercises which can be performed with the present invention.
FIGS. 24A and B are views similar to FIG. 2 but showing another embodiment;
FIG. 25 shows the chair and frame of FIG. 24A in a collapsed position for storage.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 an exercising device in accordance with the present invention designated generally as 10. The device 10 includes a rigid central rod of fixed length. Rod 12 has a transverse header 14 fixedly secured thereto at one end thereof by way of a bracket 16. A similar header 18 is connected to the other end of the rod 12 by bracket 20. Header 18 is longer than header 14. Headers 14 and 18 are substantially shorter than the length of the rod 12. The rod 12 may have a length of about 5 feet. If desired, the rod 12 may be made in two parts which are threaded or otherwise removably secured together at a telescoping joint 22 to thereby facilitate ease of storage and/or lengthening rod 12.
Two sets of cords are attached at their end portions to the brackets 16 and 20. The sets of cords 24 and 26 are identical. Hence, only said 24 will be described in detail. The set of cords 24 includes strands 28 and 30 of an extensible material such as an elastmeric material. In the preferred embodiment, the strands 28 and 30 are part of one elongated member folded back on itself at the loop 32. The loop 32 is releasably connected to the bracket 16 by a link 34 extending from the loop 32. See FIG. 7 and 8. Link 36 is connected through a hole in the bracket 16 and has a flat 38 adjacent to center thereof. The links 36 and 34 are generally of a shape corresponding to the numeral 8. When twisted at approximately at a 45° angle, the links may be releasably interconnected with one another but will have no tendancy to disengage during use of the device 10.
The other end of the strands 28 and 30 are provided with similar links 44 and 46 respectively. Each of the links 44 and 46 may be releasably connected to the link 50 on the bracket 20. Such would be the normal orientation of the components when the device 10 is not being used and the strands are under slight tension since they are slightly shorter than rod 12.
One manner in which the device 10 may be used is to disconnect one end portion of the set 24 from the bracket 20 and one end portion of the set 26 from the bracket 16. The free ends of the sets are then releasably interconnected by a rigid handle 48. With the rod 12 resting on the floor or other support surface, the device 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1 may be utilized to perform exercises as illustrated in FIG. 9. The central position of the strands 28 and 30 are respectively provided with flexible handles of plastic or similar material designated 40, 42.
The device 10 may be releasably coupled to a frame 52 as shown in FIG. 2 for use on a chair 55. Frame 52 has a seat portion 54 and a brace 56 pivotably connected thereto at one end of the brace. The other end of the brace 56 has a tongue 60 adapted to enter one of the holes 58 in the rod 12. See FIG. 2 and 3.
The frame 52 has a bearing 66 which supports a pair of offset pedals 64. The bearing 66 is attached to tube 65 which is adjustably clamped to the frame 52 by pin 67 to facilitate adjustment of the location of the pedals 64 with respect to the frame and seat portion 54. See FIG. 2. The arrangement in FIG. 2 permits simultaneous pedaling and isotonic exercises.
As shown in FIG. 5, a braking pressure may be applied to the bearing 66 to add a restraint to the ease with which the pedals 64 may be manipulated by the feet of a person using the present invention. A brake pad 68 embraces a portion of the bearing 66. The pressure between bearing 66 and pad 68 is adjustable by way of member 70 which is threadedly supported by the frame 52.
As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of clamps 72 and 74 are releasably and adjustably coupled to the rod 12. The clamps 72, 74 are identical. Hence, only clamp 72 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 6, clamp 72 as a pair of cylindrical portions embracing the rod 12 with ears on opposite sides thereof. A threaded retainer interconnects one of the sets of ears so as to facilitate loosening of the clamp 72 and sliding the same along the length of the rod 12 to a desired position.
The clamp 72 includes a U-shaped support 76 with an offset between the bight and each of the leg portions. One leg portion supports roller 78, the other leg portion supports roller 82 and the bight supports roller 80. The rollers 78, 80 and 82 are preferably provided with a concave periphery and may be made from a convenient inexpensive material such as a polymeric plastic. The strands 28 and/or 30 are selectively insertable through the clamp 72 in the manner as illustrated in FIG. 6 or with both of the strands engaging roller 80. Clamp 72 provides a means for restraining the extensibility of the cords as shown in FIGS. 10, 11. The closer the clamps 72 and 74 are to one another, the greater force is needed to extend the strands 28 and 30. The strands 28 and 30 may be manipulated as a set or individually. Use of clamps 72, 74 is optional.
The device 10 of the present invention may be utilized for isotonic exercises in a variety of different ways such as those illustrated in FIGS. 9-16, 18-20 and 23. The device of the present invention facilitates exercising by persons who are handicapped. The device 10 may be utilized for isometric exercises as shown in FIGS. 17 and 21. The various types of exercises illustrated in FIGS. 9-23 are for purposes of illustration and only represent a portion of the types of exercises and alternative variations in using the device of the present invention for exercising arms, legs, shoulders, waist, back, etc.
The device 10 of the present invention is capable of being utilized by a wide range of different sized persons. The clamps 72, 74 constitute a means for restraining the effective length of the cords 28, 30. A spring 84 is releasably connected by a link at one end to the bracket 16. A link at the other end of the spring may be releasably interconnected with the loop 32 and thereby extend the extensibility of the set 24. It will be noted that the sets of cords need not be disconnected from one end of the rod 12 in connection with some of the exercises while opposite ends are disconnected from the rod 12 when exercising as shown in FIG. 20 or the sets are disconnected from the same end of the rod 12 when exercising as shown in FIG. 16. The handles 40, 42 may be utilized when exercising as shown in FIGS. 2, 14 and 15. Thus, the present invention provides an extremely versatile and unique exercising device.
In FIG. 24A the device 10 is shown in combination with a frame and chair arrangement similar to that in FIG. 2 but capable of being collapsed for storage as shown in FIG. 25. Corresponding elements have primed numerals in FIG. 24A and will not be described in detail.
In FIG. 24A the frame 52' extends into and is releasably and adjustably secured to a channel 90 on the bottom of seat portion 55'. A seat frame 92 has upright legs 93 terminating in horizontal floor engaging portions 94. A U-shaped bracket 96 is secured to the frame legs 93 and its bight is pivotably connected to the bottom of seat portion 55' by hinge 98. In the operative position, the seat portion 55' in part rests on bracket 96.
As shown in FIG. 24B, pedalling may be combined with hand and body exercises. In this regard, each pedal has an integral perpendicular extension 69. Each extension 69 has at least one strap attachment means. As shown in FIG. 24A, each extension 69 has two strap attachment means in the form of buttons designated 71 and 71'. Each of the buttons is selectively coupled with a slit 77 adjacent one end of the flexible straps 73, 75. The other end of each strap is held in a separate hand of the person doing the pedalling. By having button 71' at the axis of pedals 64 and button 71 spaced from the axis the pedals 64, the "throw" or pull on each strap can be varied. The straps 73, 75 preferably have a slit 79 which forms a loop for holding the straps. The slits 77 can be formed into a loop which embraces the pedals 64 directly if desired.
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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The exercising device includes a rigid central rod having transverse rigid headers fixedly connected at the ends of the rod. At least two strands of extensible cord are attached at their end portions to the rod. At least one end portion of each strand is releasably secured to the rod whereby a large number of different exercising devices may be performed.
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PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This patent application is a U.S. National Phase of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2010/057457, filed 28 May 2010, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2009 024 656.8, filed 12 Jun. 2009, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELD
[0002] Disclosed embodiments relate to a method for controlling a graphical user interface. Disclosed embodiments also relate to a control apparatus for a graphical user interface having a display apparatus which has a display area, and having a control apparatus by means of which the display contents which are shown on the display area can be controlled, wherein display contents relating to a menu can be produced by means of the control apparatus. The control apparatus furthermore comprises an input apparatus, which comprises a touch-sensitive surface. The method and the control apparatus are used in particular in a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Originally, the various devices provided in a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, were operated via separate control elements. For example, there were rotary switches for adjusting the airflow and the temperature, switches for adjusting the various ventilation nozzles, switches for controlling the lighting devices for the interior of the vehicle, and control elements for a radio or CD player. Since then, in modern motor vehicles, so many devices are now provided for adjusting various vehicle functions, information systems, driver assistance systems and entertainment systems, that it is no longer expedient to provide separate control elements for all the vehicle devices. For this reason, the wide range of vehicle devices are controlled by means of a standard control concept with a small number of control elements which are operated in conjunction with a graphical user interface. In this case, the display apparatus displays switching areas which can be selected by the control element. For display purposes, the display apparatus may comprise a display, in which case, in a general form, a display means an apparatus for usual signaling of different information items. Normally, various forms of liquid crystal displays are used as the display. The display on the display apparatus can visually provide the driver with traffic-related or operation-related data for the vehicle. Furthermore, it can assist the driver in navigation, or in communication with the outside world. A so-called combination instrument is for this purpose arranged in the vicinity of the primary field of view of the driver. Normally, it is located in the dashboard behind the steering wheel, in which case it can be seen through an opening in the steering wheel. It is used in particular to display the speed, the fuel contents, the radiator temperature and other operation-related information items relating to the motor vehicle. Furthermore, radio and other audio functions can be displayed. Finally, menus can be displayed for telephone, navigation, telematics services and multimedia applications. The display furthermore assists the control of various further devices in the vehicle.
[0004] In addition to the combination instrument, a display apparatus is often arranged above the center console of the vehicle, via which further information items can be displayed. In particular, this display apparatus is used as a multifunction display and to display a geographic map from a navigation system. One such multifunction display is described, for example, in DE 199 41 956 A1.
[0005] The multifunction displays are operated in conjunction with a control system which may comprise various control elements. For example, a plurality of selection and function keys for controlling the vehicle devices are provided in DE 199 41 956 A1. On the other hand, DE 199 41 960 A1 describes a multifunction control element for selection of function groups and individual functions, which comprises a cylinder which can be rotated in both directions and can furthermore be moved at right angles to the rotation axis. EP 1 026 041 A2 describes a multifunction control unit for a motor vehicle. The control unit comprises a display and a function strip with function keys, which have fixed purposes, such as radio, on-board computer, telephone, navigation unit. When the function keys are operated, the display is assigned to the appropriate appliance, and the appliance causes its current operating status to be displayed on the display. Furthermore, freely programmable function keys are provided, possibly as well as function keys with a macro-command capability. These keys may be assigned by free programming to an appliance in the vehicle, which causes its respective operating status to be displayed on the display when the appropriate function key is operated.
[0006] Furthermore, DE 35 14 438 C1 discloses a central control input and information output for controlling a plurality of accessories which are installed in a vehicle. The input and output apparatus comprises a display unit and control keys which are unambiguously associated with the elements in the displayed menus. The elements in the menus indicate functions which can be initiated by the respective control keys. Menus for individual accessories can be selected via a basic menu, which can be displayed on the display. Furthermore, the system comprises additional control elements, by means of which specific basic functions of the central control input and information output, and accessories can be accessed at any time and independently of the instantaneously selected menu.
[0007] In addition to the stated control elements described above, it is also being proposed that the display itself be equipped with a touch-sensitive surface, thus providing a so-called touchscreen in this way. In the case of a touch screen such as this, the control action is carried out by the user using his fingertip, for example to touch the touchscreen. The position of the touch is detected, evaluated and associated with a control step. In order to assist the user in the control process, virtual switches can be displayed as graphical switching areas on the display. A display apparatus having a touch-sensitive surface which is used in conjunction with a navigation system is described, for example, in DE 10 2005 020 155 A1.
[0008] The display of information in a vehicle and the control of the wide range of devices in the vehicle are subject to very specific requirements. The information perception and control process are carried out in the vehicle inter alia by the driver. The information items should therefore be displayed in the vehicle such that the information perceived by the driver does not distract him while driving. The displayed information should therefore be detectable intuitively and quickly by the driver, in such a way that he has to divert his view away from the driving situation for only a very short time in order to perceive information. In the same way, it should be possible to control the vehicle devices as easily and intuitively as possible, thus allowing the driver to operate the devices even while driving. If the control process is assisted or guided by a display, the display should be produced such that the drive has to view the display only very briefly in order to carry out the control process.
[0009] In order to display the wide range of control and display operations clearly, hierarchical memory structures are frequently used. A menu shows various list entries or objects, and possibly graphics, graphical switching areas or icons associated with the list entries or objects. When a list entry or object is selected, a submenu is opened, with further list entries or objects. This structure can be continued through a plurality of hierarchy levels. Furthermore, a list entry or object can be associated with a specific display content rather than with a submenu, which display content represents the information associated with that list entry or object.
[0010] When using hierarchical menu structures in a vehicle, one problem that arises is that the navigation within these menu structures can lead to a driver being distracted. It is, therefore, desirable to develop control concepts for hierarchical menu structures, in which the navigation within the menu structure can be carried out quickly and intuitively by the driver.
SUMMARY
[0011] The disclosed embodiments provide a method and a control apparatus of the type mentioned initially by means of which the graphical user interface can be controlled quickly and easily, at least with respect to basic functions.
[0012] The disclosed embodiments provide a method having the features of claim 1 , by a method having the features of claim 9 , by a control apparatus having the features of claim 13 , and by a control apparatus having the features of claim 14 . Additional embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.
[0013] For the disclosed method, a menu is defined in which a function is associated with each of a plurality of objects in the menu. A global input gesture is in each case associated with at least some of the objects, wherein the input gesture can be carried out on a touch-sensitive surface of an input apparatus. Furthermore, various display contents can be displayed on a display area. In the disclosed method, a global input gesture which is carried out on the touch-sensitive surface is detected and a function which is associated with the object, which is in turn associated with the detected input gesture, is carried out independently of the display content being shown on the display area at that time.
[0014] For the purposes of the present disclosure, a global input gesture means that the input gesture is interpreted in the same way in all the menus. A global input gesture is always used for the same function, irrespective of what display content is being displayed at that time. For example, the function can stipulate that a specific object in a specific menu should always be called up. A global input gesture therefore differs from inputs which are associated with a specific function depending on the display content at that time. When a switching area is displayed, for example, in a menu, then a function is associated with the touching of the touch-sensitive surface in the area of this switching area, which depends on the information content shown in the switching area. A global input gesture is always interpreted in the same way, and is associated with a specific function, irrespective of such local switching areas. However, the function may also relate to the display content at that time. For example, the function can stipulate that—irrespective of the display content—the third object in a list or the object at the top on the right should always be selected.
[0015] By way of example, a global input gesture may comprise the simultaneous touching of the touch-sensitive surface in different areas. In particular, it is possible to detect the simultaneous touching of the surface with a plurality of fingertips. In particular, a global input gesture comprises the simultaneous touching of at least three different areas of the touch-sensitive surface. In this case, the touch-sensitive surface or the input apparatus which comprises this surface is designed such that the simultaneous touching of different areas can be detected and evaluated. Furthermore, a movement of an object or of a plurality of objects, such as a finger or a plurality of fingers, which is carried out on the touch-sensitive surface, can be detected and can be associated with a global input gesture. The global input gesture may, for example, correspond to a script which is written on the touch-sensitive surface and is associated with a number. By way of example, the user can write a number with his fingertip on the touch-sensitive surface.
[0016] In the disclosed method, the inputting of a global input gesture is identified independently of possible other input options which are associated with the menu displayed at that time. For example, even if an area of the touch-sensitive surface which is associated with a switching area of the menu displayed at that time is touched when inputting the global input gesture, this input is not associated with the operation of the switching area, but with the global input gesture. In this case, use is made in particular of the fact that the touch-sensitive surface is touched at the same time in a plurality of areas, thus making it possible to distinguish between inputs in which the touch-sensitive surface is touched in only one area at one time.
[0017] According to one disclosed embodiment of the method, a submenu is associated with at least some of the objects. The submenu associated with an object is displayed in the disclosed method when the global input gesture associated with this object has been detected. The function which is associated with the global input gesture is in this case the display of a specific submenu. In particular, the submenus are submenus of the objects in a main menu. This relates to one of the basic functions which can be controlled by the method.
[0018] In order to allow a global input gesture to be distinguished from other inputs more easily, it is possible in the disclosed method for a separate input to be carried out before carrying out the global input gesture, which separate input indicates that the next input will be a global input gesture. In this case, the global input gesture must be carried out within a time interval after the separate input. This refinement of the disclosed method makes it possible to reliably avoid confusion with other inputs.
[0019] According to another disclosed embodiment of the method, an area for carrying out the global input gesture is defined on the touch-sensitive surface. In this case, the position and/or size of the area may be defined as a function of the display content at that time. This also makes it possible to prevent confusion resulting between global input gestures and other inputs.
[0020] Furthermore, the disclosed embodiments relate to a method for controlling a graphical user interface, wherein a menu is defined in which a function is associated with each of a plurality of objects in the menu, and a different number is in each case associated with at least some of the objects, and a global input gesture is in each case associated with those of the objects, wherein the input gesture can be carried out on a touch-sensitive surface of an input apparatus. In the method, a global input gesture which is carried out on the touch-sensitive surface is detected and is associated with a number. Thereafter, a function is carried out which is associated with that object in the menu displayed at that time with which the number is associated.
[0021] In one disclosed embodiment of the method, the function which is associated with the global input gesture is independent of the display content being shown at that time. However, to this extent, the function relates to the menu displayed at that time since a number is in each case associated with the objects in this menu, which produces a relationship between that object and the global input gesture. For example, the third object in a menu, in which the objects are organized as a list, can always be selected, independently of the display content.
[0022] This disclosed embodiment of the method can be used in particular when only a manageable number of objects are in each case associated with various menus. If, in particular, only five objects or less than five objects are associated with global input gestures in conjunction with the menus, the input gesture may, for example, comprise the simultaneous touching of various areas on the touch-sensitive surface, with the number of delineated areas corresponding to the number which is associated with the input gesture. In this case, in particular, the user can touch the touch-sensitive surface with his fingertips, in which process he can use the number of fingertips which touch the touch-sensitive surface to define which object should be selected in each menu.
[0023] Furthermore, in this case, it is also possible for the global input gesture to correspond to a script which is written on the touch-sensitive surface and corresponds to a number associated with the input gesture.
[0024] According to another disclosed embodiment of the method, at least one further menu is defined, in which a function is associated with each of the plurality of objects in the further menu. A different number is in each case associated with at least some of the objects in the further menu, and a global input gesture is in each case associated with these objects in the further menu. In this refinement of the disclosed method, a function is carried out which is associated with the object in the menu being displayed at that time which is associated with the number. An input gesture is therefore associated with a number which can be interpreted for a multiplicity of menus such that the object associated with the number in the menu being displayed at that time is selected, and the corresponding function is carried out.
[0025] The control apparatus according to one disclosed embodiment for a graphical user interface comprises a display apparatus having a display area and a control device by means of which the display contents shown on the display area can be controlled. Display contents relating to a menu can be produced by means of the control device, in which menu a function is associated with each of a plurality of objects in the menu, wherein a global input gesture is in each case associated with at least some of the objects. The control apparatus furthermore comprises an input apparatus, which comprises a touch-sensitive surface by means of which the global input gesture which has been carried out on the touch-sensitive surface can be detected. In this case, a function can be carried out by means of the control apparatus, independently of the display content being shown on the display area at that time, which function is associated with the object which is in turn associated with a global input gesture which has been detected by means of the input apparatus.
[0026] According to another disclosed embodiment, a different number is in case associated with at least some of the objects in the control apparatus, and a global input gesture is in each case associated with these objects. In this case, a function can be carried out by means of the control apparatus, which function is associated with the object in the menu being shown at that time, which object is in turn associated with the number which is associated with a global input gesture which has been detected by means of the input device.
[0027] In particular, the input device of the disclosed control apparatus is designed such that the simultaneous touching of different areas of the touch-sensitive surface can be detected. In this case, the touch-sensitive surface can be provided independently of the display area, thus providing a so-called touchpad. Furthermore, the touch-sensitive surface can be formed on the display area, thus providing a so-called touch screen. The touchpad or the touch screen is a so-called multi-touchpad or a multi-touch screen, on which simultaneous touching by a plurality of fingertips can be detected and can be interpreted.
[0028] The disclosed embodiments of the method are used in particular for controlling a graphical user interface which assists the control processes for vehicle devices. The disclosed control apparatus is, in particular, accommodated in a vehicle. In this case, the display area is arranged such that it can be viewed by the vehicle occupants, in particular by the driver of the vehicle. Furthermore, the touch-sensitive surface of the input apparatus is arranged such that it can be touched by the fingertips of vehicle occupants, in particular of the driver of the vehicle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The disclosed embodiments will now be explained with reference to the drawings.
[0030] FIG. 1 shows the schematic design of one disclosed embodiment of the apparatus, and the coupling of this apparatus to other devices in the vehicle,
[0031] FIGS. 2 and 3 show the input of a global input gesture,
[0032] FIG. 4 shows the input of a global input gesture in a different manner,
[0033] FIG. 5 shows a refinement of the display area, which is used in disclosed embodiments, and
[0034] FIGS. 6A to 6C show markings on objects, which visualize an associated global input gesture.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] The disclosed embodiments of control apparatuses and methods for controlling a graphical user interface described in the following text are used in particular in a vehicle. However, they could also be used for graphical user interfaces which are used in conjunction with other devices, in particular mobile appliances. However, when used in a vehicle, this results in the particular advantage that the method and the control apparatus provide very rapid access to basic functions of the vehicle. This makes it possible to reduce to a minimum level possible distraction of the driver when controlling devices in the vehicle. Furthermore, the user can access the basic functions of the vehicle very quickly.
[0036] The control apparatus comprises a display apparatus 1 having a display area 2 which is arranged in the interior of the vehicle such that it can be seen well by at least one vehicle occupant, in particular the driver. The display area 2 provides the graphical user interface which can be controlled by means of the method or the control apparatus. The display area 2 can be provided by a display, in particular a liquid crystal display, of any desired type. The display apparatus is coupled to a control device 3 .
[0037] The control device 3 produces graphical data which can be displayed by means of the display apparatus 1 . For this purpose, the control apparatus is connected to a memory 4 for storage of data. In particular, the data may be structured by means of hierarchical menus. Each menu in this case comprises a plurality of objects, with which one function is in each case associated. In particular, the objects may be selectable switching areas.
[0038] For the purposes of the disclosed embodiments, a switching area means a control element of a graphical user interface. A switching area differs from elements and areas for pure information display, so-called display elements or display areas, in that they can be selected. When a switching area is selected, a function associated with it is carried out. The function may lead only to a change in the information display. Furthermore, the switching areas can also be used to control devices whose control is assisted by the information display. The switching areas can therefore replace conventional mechanical switches. The switching areas can be produced and displayed in any desired manner on a freely programmable display area. Furthermore, it is possible for the switching area to be marked. In this case, the associated function is not carried out at this stage. However, the marked switching area is displayed in an emphasized form in comparison to other switching areas. The marking and/or selection of a switching area can be carried out by means of cursor control or by direct operation of a touch-sensitive surface 5 in the display area.
[0039] By way of example, FIG. 1 shows a menu which comprises five objects 7 - 1 to 7 - 5 in the form of switching areas (the objects 7 - 1 to 7 - 5 are also referred to in a general form in the following text as an object 7 or objects 7 ). In particular, the menu shown in FIG. 1 is the basic main menu of the graphical user interface of the vehicle. The objects 7 relate to the basic functions of the vehicle which, for example, may comprise the climate-control settings, the navigation system, the communication devices and multimedia devices.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 1 , the individual objects 7 are annotated with the numbers 1 to 5. These numbers are displayed in conjunction with the objects 7 on the display area 2 . Furthermore, the objects 7 may contain graphical or alphanumeric elements, which visualize the function which is associated with the respective object 7 .
[0041] Furthermore, the control device comprises an input apparatus which, in the present exemplary embodiment, has a touch-sensitive surface 5 . In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the touch-sensitive surface 5 is formed on the display area 2 . The display apparatus 1 therefore comprises a touch screen. In particular, the simultaneous touching of different areas can be detected on the touch-sensitive surface 5 of the display area 2 . This is therefore a so-called multi-touch screen.
[0042] Alternatively, the touch-sensitive surface may also be provided separately from the display area 2 . In this case, the input apparatus therefore comprises a touchpad, in particular a multi-touchpad.
[0043] Furthermore, the control device 3 is coupled to a vehicle bus 6 via which data can be interchanged between the wide range of devices in the vehicle. The control of these devices may be assisted by the display on the display area 2 . Furthermore, these devices may be controlled by means of the input apparatus, in particular the touch-sensitive surface 5 .
[0044] A first disclosed embodiment of the method, and which can be carried out by means of the control apparatus described above, will be explained in the following text with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 .
[0045] The data stored in the memory 4 is stored as a hierarchical menu structure. The menus associated with this hierarchical menu structure can be displayed by means of the control device 3 on the display area 2 . In the highest hierarchy level, a main menu is displayed, which contains the objects 7 - 1 to 7 - 5 . A specific function is associated with each of the objects 7 , in the present case the calling of a submenu. For example, when the main menu is displayed as illustrated in FIG. 1 , if the user selects the object 7 - 1 by, for example, touching the touch-sensitive surface 5 in the area of the object 7 - 1 , a submenu is displayed which is associated with the object 7 - 1 . The submenus relating to the other objects 7 - 2 to 7 - 5 can be selected in a corresponding manner.
[0046] Furthermore, input gestures are associated with the objects 7 . When a global input gesture is input on the touch-sensitive surface 5 , a function associated with the corresponding object 7 can be carried out independently of the display content being shown at that time on the display are 2 , that is to say also independently of the menu displayed at that time.
[0047] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, one of the numbers 1 to 5 is associated with each of the objects 7 . In this case, the touching of the touch-sensitive surface 5 in a delineated area, for example with just one fingertip, is associated as a global input gesture with the object 7 - 1 , with which the number 1 is associated. The simultaneous touching of the touch-sensitive surface 5 in two delineated areas, for example with two fingertips, is associated as a global input gesture with the object 7 - 2 , which is associated with the number 2. Correspondingly, the simultaneous touching of the touch-sensitive surface 5 in three, four or five delineated areas, for example with three, four or five fingertips, is associated as global input gestures with the objects 7 - 3 , 7 - 4 and 7 - 5 , with which the numbers 3, 4 and 5 are associated.
[0048] On the basis of the display of the main menu with the objects 7 as shown in FIG. 1 , the user can first of all navigate in any desired manner by a selection of switching areas within the hierarchical menu structure in a manner known per se. Independently of the menu in which the user is located within the hierarchical menu structure, the user can select one of the objects 7 from the main menu at any time by inputting a global input gesture, as a result of which the corresponding submenu relating to the object 7 is called up directly by inputting the global input gesture. The global input gesture therefore represents a rapid-access function (shortcut).
[0049] By way of example, in FIG. 2 , the user is touching the touch-sensitive surface 5 at three positions with the fingertips 8 at the same time, with any desired display within the hierarchical menu structure. As is shown in FIG. 3 , the control device 3 detects the positions 9 at which the touch-sensitive surface 5 has been touched at the same time. Simultaneous touching in three delineated areas can be interpreted by the control device 3 directly as a global input gesture which is associated with the object 7 - 3 . Furthermore, the control device can first of all investigate the relative positions of the positions 9 and can determine whether the three positions 9 can be associated with a global input gesture for which the touch-sensitive surface 5 has been touched by three fingertips 8 at the same time. Once the global input gesture has been detected, the function which is associated with the object 7 - 3 is carried out independently of the display content shown at that time on the display area 2 , since this object is associated with the detected input gesture. Therefore, in the present case, the submenu which is associated with the object 7 - 3 is called up and displayed.
[0050] Furthermore, a further global input gesture can be associated with each of the objects 7 , offering the user a further option for calling up the function which is associated with the respective object 7 directly, that is to say independently of the display content being shown at that time on the display area 2 . In this case, the global input gesture is a script which is written on the touch-sensitive surface 5 and corresponds to a number which is associated with the object 7 . By way of example, FIG. 4 shows the user using his fingertip 8 to write the script 10 for the number three. This script 10 is interpreted as a global input gesture which is associated with the object 7 - 3 . Correspondingly, the user can also write one of the other numbers one to five as script 10 on the touch-sensitive surface 5 , in order to call up a function which is associated with one of the objects 7 .
[0051] In order to make it easier to distinguish between global input gestures and other inputs which are carried out in conjunction with menus, it is possible in the case of a global input gesture for the touch-sensitive surface 5 to always be touched at the same time in at least three delineated areas. Furthermore, a separate input can be carried out before carrying out the global input gesture, which indicates that the next input will be a global input gesture. The separate input may, for example, be carried out on a separate switching area, which is appropriately identified. The global input gesture must then be carried out within a time interval after the separate input.
[0052] Furthermore, as is shown in FIG. 5 , the display area 2 can be subdivided into two areas 2 - 1 and 2 - 2 : the area 2 - 1 is used for conventional display of information items and of menus. The display area 2 - 2 is reserved for inputting global input gestures. This display area 2 - 2 is provided with the touch-sensitive surface 5 . By way of example, the user can use this area 2 - 2 to carry out the global input gesture by means of his fingertips 8 . The position and/or the size of this area 2 - 2 need not always be defined in an identical manner. The position and/or the size may also be defined as a function of the display content at that time, which is being shown on the display area 2 .
[0053] A second disclosed embodiment of the method will be described in the following text, which can also be carried out by the control apparatus described above with reference to FIG. 1 .
[0054] As in the case of the first exemplary embodiment, a multiplicity of menus are stored in a hierarchical menu structure in the memory 4 . In this case, a multiplicity of menus comprises lists with a plurality of objects 7 (the list entries). The objects 7 in the various menus may, however, differ. In the case of multimedia applications, for example, a list may comprise different pieces of music, or radio station numbers. If the global input gesture is carried out by simultaneously touching the touch-sensitive surface 5 with the fingertips 8 on a user's hand, the number of objects in a list is limited to five or less.
[0055] As in the first exemplary embodiment, the objects 7 are each identified by numbers. In this case as well, the graphic symbols or further alphanumeric information items can furthermore visualize the function of the corresponding object 7 .
[0056] In the second exemplary embodiment, a number is in each case associated with a global input gesture and is in turn associated with a specific object 7 in a menu. However, when a global input gesture is carried out in this case, the function of a specific object 7 in the main menu is not called up as in the case of the exemplary embodiment described above, but the function is carried out which is associated with the object 7 in the menu displayed at that time which is associated with the number which is associated with the global input gesture. In this case, the simultaneous touching of the touch-sensitive surface 5 in three delineated areas is associated with the number 3 , the simultaneous touching in four delineated areas is associated with the number 4 , and the simultaneous touching in five delineated areas is correspondingly associated with the number 5 . In each menu which contains a list, the touching of the touch-sensitive surface 5 with three fingertips 8 can therefore lead to the third object 7 being called up. In the same way, the simultaneous touching with four fingertips 8 can lead to the fourth object being called up. Correspondingly, the respective number, as has been explained above with reference to FIG. 4 , can also be entered by means of a script 10 .
[0057] Furthermore, a separate area 2 - 2 can be provided for inputting a global input gesture, as has been explained with reference to FIG. 5 . Finally, a separate input can also be carried out before the actual input of the global input gesture, in order to identify the subsequent input within a time interval as a global input gesture.
[0058] Objects which can be selected by means of global input gestures may be appropriately marked. FIGS. 6A to 6C show objects 14 which are provided with a marking 11 , a marking 12 and a marking 13 , respectively. The marking 11 indicates that the number 1 or the touching of the touch-sensitive surface 5 with one finger is associated as a global input gesture with the object 14 . The marking 12 indicates that the number 2 or the simultaneous touching of the touch-sensitive surface 5 with two fingertips 8 , is associated with the object 14 . The marking 13 indicates that the number 3 or the simultaneous touching of the touch-sensitive surface 5 with three fingertips 8 is associated with the object 14 .
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
[0000]
1 Display apparatus
2 Display areas
3 Control device
4 Memory
5 Touch-sensitive surface
6 Vehicle bus
7 Objects
8 Fingertips
9 Positions on the touch-sensitive surface 5
10 Script
11 Marking
12 Marking
13 Marking
14 Object
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A method for controlling a graphical user interface, wherein a menu is defined, in which several objects of the menu are each associated with a function, and a global input gesture is associated with at least a part of the objects, wherein the input gesture can be executed on a touch-sensitive surface of an input device and different display contents can be displayed on a display surface. In the method, a global input gesture executed on the touch-sensitive surface is captured and, independently of the currently rendered display content on the display surface, a function is executed, which is associated with the object that is associated with the captured input gesture. Further disclosed is an operating device for executing the method.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
None
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The mining and mineral processing industries are constantly presented with the difficult question of how to more efficiently locate and process valuable minerals. A major factor adding to the difficulty in this task is that the desired minerals and ore are almost always buried beneath tons of non-valuable material that must first be removed and carried away from the dig site. This material, often called “overburden” in the industry commonly consists of wet mud, clay, and the like which is very heavy and tends to stick to mining equipment.
It is an object of this invention to provide a slip coating for use in the mining and mineral processing industries to help alleviate the problems associated with overburden. In particular, the slip coating described herein is applied to mining equipment to prevent materials from sticking or freezing to the equipment. The invention incorporates naturally occurring oils and a commercially available surfactant in a new mixture that has properties desirable for use in the mining and mineral processing industries.
Prior art products have ingredients that are undesirable, either for their effect on the mining material being processed, or for their effect on the environment. For example, many prior art products include water or yellow grease #2, both of which have serious drawbacks as described herein. The present invention represents an improvement over the prior in that it provides a more efficient, biodegradable slip coating for use in the mining and mineral processing industries, with none of the negative properties found in prior art products.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention discloses an industrial process liquid suitable for use in the mining and mineral processing industries. More particularly, the invention is a fluid mixture made up of a natural oil combined with a surfactant, which is then applied to mining equipment and mineral processing equipment for the purpose of preventing mining materials from sticking to the equipment during operation. As used in this description, “mining materials” refers to ore, ore concentrate, coal, clay, mud, and other materials of the kind that are commonly encountered during mining operations. “Mining equipment” refers to equipment used in mining and mineral processing operations, including mining haul truck trays, truck undercarriages, rail cars, earthmoving equipment (scoop trams, excavators, loaders, shovels, etc.), tracked vehicles, chutes, and conveyors. The examples used in the above definitions are intended to give a general idea of the terms and are not intended to limit the definitions to only those specific examples called out. Indeed, there may be other types of mining materials or mining equipment that are relevant to this invention that are nonetheless not included in the illustrative list provided here.
The nature of mining operations is such that extraction of valuable ore requires the movement of large amounts of clay, mud, and other mining materials along with the ore. Often, the mining material is wet or tacky. Those in the mining and mineral processing industries are familiar with the term “overburden” which describes the often viscous muck that must be removed from a location before the valuable minerals and ore can be extracted. The nature of the overburden is such that it has a tendency to stick to the diggers, trucks, and other excavation equipment as it is being removed. In some situations, such as in high altitude or arctic mining operations, the mining material (both overburden and the targeted minerals) may even freeze to the mining equipment. This scenario is particularly common in cold weather coal mining operations in which coal will freeze to train cars during transport.
Mining material is extracted using one piece of equipment (such as an excavator), transferred using another (such as a front-end loader) and transported using other equipment (such as heavy trucks, carts, or trains), and finally processed using yet another set of equipment. At each step of the process, the mining material—including the valuable ore being mined—can build up on the equipment. This build up is a problem in that it interferes with the normal operation of the equipment, and, in the case of ore or targeted minerals being accumulated on the equipment, results in a loss of profitable material. Buildup of mining material on mining equipment thus adds to the cost of mining and mineral processing because it adds cost and delay in the form of extra maintenance and cleaning costs, lost product, and additional man-hours.
It is an object of this invention to provide an industrial fluid made from non-hazardous, biodegradable materials that prevents or substantially lessens instances of mining material sticking or freezing to mining and mineral processing equipment. An additional benefit found in this invention is that it uses relatively low-cost materials that have desirable physical and chemical properties, as described below. These desirable properties stand in stark contrast to the deleterious effects that come from prior art products.
A number of prior art release agents, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,606, incorporate water. As described above, mining operations often take place in cold temperatures, which makes freezing a problem. And, even when the temperature is not freezing, the overburden often will have a high water content, which causes much of the sticking. Thus, the use of water in the prior art products would often serve to multiply the freezing and sticking problems that the release agent is intended to solve.
Similarly, many prior art products incorporate yellow grease or tallow as part of the release agent, which ingredients have their own problems. Products incorporating yellow grease often lack consistency due to the varied sources of yellow grease used. One source of yellow grease for these release agents is the restaurant industry. When this is the source, the yellow grease often contains variations in consistency and may also contain impurities which will serve to clog the application equipment. To complicate matters, yellow grease also brings with it an unpleasant smell. Accordingly, there is a need for a product that does not have problems with consistency, impurities, or odor.
The invention described herein is a mixture of two main ingredients: a natural oil and a surfactant. Although it is possible to use many different oils, natural oils are preferred. Examples of acceptable natural oils include soy bean oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, palm oil, coconut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and vegetable oil. By using natural oils, the end product is non-hazardous and almost 100% biodegradable. Moreover, there is no unpleasant odor as there can be with yellow grease products. The invention is a mixture of one or more of these natural oils with a surfactant, such as one of the commercially available LUTENSOL® surfactants from the BASF Corporation. Optionally, non-hazardous additives may be used in order to provide additional benefits in the product's color or smell.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description of the invention describes several exemplary embodiments of the invention, including preferred embodiments of the invention and how it may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized to practice the present invention and structural and functional changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is an industrial fluid comprised of a natural oil (such as crude degummed soy bean oil) and a surfactant. Exemplary natural oils that may be used include soy bean oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, palm oil, coconut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and vegetable oil. In a preferred embodiment, the invention employs soy bean oil, and in a most preferred embodiment uses crude degummed soy bean oil.
The invention also incorporates a surfactant in the form of a polyethylene glycol ether. A suitable surfactant is found in the commercially available LUTENSOL® surfactant products, which are sold by the BASF Corporation of Florham Park, N.J. More particularly, the products that have been found to be suitable for use with this invention include the surfactants sold as LUTENSOL® XP 30, LUTENSOL® XP 40, LUTENSOL® XP 50, LUTENSOL® XP 60, LUTENSOL® XP 70, LUTENSOL® XP 79, LUTENSOL® XP 80, LUTENSOL® XP 89, LUTENSOL® XP 90, LUTENSOL® XP 99, LUTENSOL® XP 100, LUTENSOL® XP 140, LUTENSOL® XL 30, LUTENSOL® XL 40, LUTENSOL® XL 50, LUTENSOL® XL 60, LUTENSOL® XL 69, LUTENSOL® XL 70, LUTENSOL® XL 79, LUTENSOL® XL 80, LUTENSOL® XL 89, LUTENSOL® XL 90, LUTENSOL® XL 99, each of which are commercially available from BASF Corporation. A surfactant sold as LUTENSOL® is preferred because of its exemplary wetting properties. By mixing a natural oil with a wetting agent such as a surfactant sold as LUTENSOL®, the release agent is able to spread throughout the equipment to more effectively aid the release of mining material from the mining equipment.
A person of skill in the art would understand that other surfactants having similar properties to those listed above may also be suitable for use in this invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that those alternatives may be within the scope of the invention disclosed herein.
In some embodiments, the product incorporates non-hazardous additives that do not materially alter the non-stick properties of the invention described above. Typically, the additives would be a colorant or an odorant to impart a pleasant smell or coloring to the product. For example, one embodiment might incorporate peppermint oil to give the fluid a pleasant scent. In another embodiment, the fluid might incorporate blue food coloring to make the fluid stand out visually from other materials used in the mining operation. The examples of additives given here are illustrative, and are not intended to limit the invention.
Most commonly, the industrial fluid of this invention consists of between 1-25% by weight surfactant and 75-99% by weight natural oil. In a most preferred embodiment, the blend ratio of the present invention is 5% Lutensol® XP 80 and 95% crude degummed soy bean oil by weight. It has been found that refined soy bean oil lacks sufficient free fatty acids to provide the proper amount of viscosity for the slip coating of this invention. Crude degummed soy bean oil has been found to be superior in this respect, provide sufficient viscosity to enable the desired slip coating product. Additionally, while there are many Lutensol® brand products that provide sufficient wetting properties for the release agent, it has been found that the specific formulation of Lutensol® XP 80 provides the greatest benefit.
The fluid of the invention may be mixed using pumps which provide sufficient agitation to combine the soy bean oil (or other natural oil) and LUTENSOL® surfactant together. Alternatively, the oil scan be mixed together using mixers in large tanks. The physical and chemical properties of the invention in a preferred embodiment are shown in Table 1, below.
TABLE 1
Physical and chemical properties of the invention
Boiling Point
>212°
F. (100° C.)
Freezing Point
−4°
F. (−20° C.)
Specific gravity
.925 @ 68°
F. (20° C.)
pH
6.4
The physical properties shown in Table 1 illustrate the benefits of the present invention. Because the invention does not incorporate water, but is instead oil-based, it is capable of being used in the harsh environments often associated with the mining and mineral processing industries. With a freezing point of −4° F. (20° C.), the fluid is able to withstand much colder weather without freezing than would a water-based product. This is particularly useful in mountain-top mining operations or those operations in the remote northern or southern latitudes where sub-freezing temperatures are common.
Conversely, the invention's high boiling point also lends itself to use in extreme high temperatures environments that are often associated with mining and mineral processing. This is particularly true in mineral processing operations where ore is heated at some point during processing. Where a water-based product would boil away and be useless, the present invention is able to withstand these increased temperatures and continue to function as desired.
Similarly, because the invention is based on natural oils, the pH is only slightly acidic, which has health advantages where the product might come into contact with workers. Likewise, the product in this preferred embodiment is 99.8% biodegradable, which is advantageous to the ecology of the mining operation and its workers.
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A release agent for use on mining and mineral processing equipment that eliminate or significantly reduces sticking and freezing of ore and mining materials during excavation, transportation, and processing. The release agent is comprised of a mixture of natural oils such as crude degummed soybean oil and a surfactant such as Lutensol®.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to skis and more particularly to skis that comprise two or more separable segments. Specifically, it is concerned with a method and means for assembling and disassembling segmented skis which are intended for use on snow.
2. Prior Art
Those closely associated with snow skiing have long recognized the many advantages inherent in skis made up of segments which can readily be assembled and disassembled. Such skis are far easier to store and transport than conventional one-piece skis. The ability to separate the dismantled segments, or to lock them in an automobile trunk or in a relatively small storage space substantially reduces their exposure to theft. For mountaineering, forestry, and military applications the construction greatly facilitates back packing, climbing, and parachuting.
Segmented skis can be modified with ease. By substituting apropriate component sections, such skis can be shortened or lengthened, stiffened or made more resilient, or otherwise "customized" precisely to suit changing conditions and the ability and needs of the skier. With a single pair of center sections and bindings and two sets of tip and tail sections, one can carry with him the equivalent of four pairs of conventional skies specifically adapted for racing, freestyle, or recreational skiing. Expensive skis need not be discarded when one is broken or damaged beyond repair. The unusable portion can be replaced.
Not unexpectedly, numerous constructions for segmented skis and means for releasably joining the component sections of such skis have been proposed. Viewed broadly, these prior art devices fall into several fairly well-defined categories.
As illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,026,546, one construction mates the segments by overlapping their adjacent ends and securing one to the other by conventional means. This method may be suitable for water skiing but is unsatisfactory for snow skiing, in which the snow-contacting surface must be smooth and flat.
A second approach employs some form of interlocking mortise and tenon as the attachment means. These complex structures, as typified by U.S. Pat. No. 2,545,209, pose difficult manufacturing problems, especially with the hybrid materials and sophisticated internal construction employed in modern skis.
Another variation utilizes a butt joint, such as the mounting blocks of U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,198, to mate the segments. Skis embodying these devices, and those incorporating the previously mentioned interlocking mortise and tenon structures suffer from a number of deficiences. Some lack the structural integrity necessary for satisfactory ski performance, or suffer a loss of such integrity with wear. Some are adversely affected by the accumulation of snow, ice, and dirt. Nearly all of them require that their mating parts be manufactured to very close tolerances which are difficult to maintain. In some of them reliance is placed on critical components, such as locking screws, locating pins and the like, which may fail with catastrophic results when subjected to the high loads encountered in downhill skiing.
Another type of construction employs hinged connectors to join the segments. One such connector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,315. Generally, skis employing such connectors cannot readily be disassembled.
The last category is typified by my U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,912, in which the adjacent segments are joined by means of an external plate or spline which is held in place by releasable clamping means. Splines, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,444,996 and 3,456,968, have long been used as fasteners and connectors for furniture, however they are unsuitable for use on segmented skis. While they provide means for preventing longitudinal and lateral movement between the fastener members, they are subject to torsion, translation, bending, and rotation. This shortcoming is of little or no consequence in a device used on furniture, but in one intended for coupling ski segments, it is critical. My coupler enjoys the advantages of such prior art devices, and at the same time avoids the deficiences heretofore associated with tem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of this invention is to provide a new and improved method and means for constructing a segmented ski having substantially the same skiing characteristics as a conventional ski.
A primary object of the invention is the provision of segmented-coupling means which can be utilized without modifying or weakening the basic internal construction of the ski and without the addition of special structures or components internal to the ski.
Another object is the provision of a construction and coupling device for segmented skis which permit the ready substitution of a variety of alternative tip and tail segments.
Still another object is the provision of a sturdy, lightweight coupling device which requires little maintenance and is not adversely affected by dirt and icing conditions. The device must be quick and easy to operate, without the need for special tools or equipment, and must provide positive locking means which are not subject to accidental release.
To achieve the aforementioned objects, I have conceived a novel coupling device for joining the segments making up a segmented ski. Essentially, the device comprises a pair of attachment members fixed to the upper surface of the abutting ends of the segments to be joined, a rigid slide bracket assembly overlapping and adapted to engage the attachment members, and tensioning means carried by the bracket assembly for securing the assembly rigidly to the attachment members. Preferably two such devices are employed on each ski, one immediately in front, and the other immediately to the rear of the central boot-supporting region of the ski, thereby allowing the skier to use a single set of bindings with a variety of tip and tail segments.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the attachment members take the form of elongated flat rigid plates, each having an internally threaded boss thereon and a pair of upstanding flanges extending along its sides and terminating in a pair of outwardly extending lips. The bracket assembly includes a rigid plate having downwardly and inwardly turned edges defining a pair of lips adapted for loose sliding engagement with the lips of the respective attachment members. A pair of captive lock screws rotatably mounted to the bracket in registry with the threaded bosses in the attachment members pass through corresponding holes in a shim member of resilient material, preferably having a low coefficient of friction, and secure the shim member to the bracket. The edges of the shim member extend laterally into the space between the inwardly directed lips and the lower surface of the bracket for sliding engagement with the lips of the attachment plates.
When the lock screws are tightened into their respective bosses, the lips of the bracket and those of the attachment members are drawn together, comprising the intervening edges of the shim member between them and clamping the bracket and attachment members immovably in a rigid joint.
In another preferred embodiment the lips on the attachment members are directed inwardly. In this construction the bracket takes the form of a bracket body with grooves in its lateral edges adapted to loosely receive the attachment members' lips. The edges of the shim member are wrapped around the lower edges of the bracket and extend into and around the inner walls of the grooves to engage the upper surface of the lips of the attachment members.
Other objects and features of the invention, and its operation will become apparent to the reader from the following detailed description of several of its preferred embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying set of drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical snow ski made up of three segments joined by means of coupling devices embodying the subject invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded top perspective view showing the components of one of the coupling devices seen in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a top perspective view showing the coupling device of FIG. 2 partially assembled;
FIG. 4 is a top perspective view showing the coupling device of FIG. 2 fully assembled;
FIG. 5 is a top perspective view showing an alternative embodiment of the coupling device of the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a top perspective view showing another alternative embodiment of the coupling device of the invention.
Whenever practicable the same numerals are used in the several figures to refer to the same or like components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates a ski constructed of three separable segments corresponding to the component parts of a conventional ski, namely, a tip segment 11, a center boot-supporting segment 12, to which bindings 13 are attached, and a tail segment 14. For convenience in describing the pairs of adjacent segments, in each pair the segment closer to the tip of the ski may be referred to as the "fore segment" and the segment closer to the tail as "rear segment". Similarly, the terms "fore" and "rear" may be used to designate the ends of respective segments. Segments 11 and 12 and 12 and 13 are joined, respectively, by identical coupling devices 15.
Referring to FIG. 2, coupling device 15 includes a pair of attachment members 17, 18 and a bracket assembly 19. The attachment members 17, 18 are of rigid construction and may be formed, stamped from sheets, extruded, or machined from solid stock of steel or other appropriate material. Each attachment member 17, 18 incorporates a bottom plate 21 having upstanding flanges 22 along its edges, and a conveniently located internally threaded boss 23. Bottom plates 21 are rigidly fixed to the upper surfaces of the abutting ends of adjacent segments of the ski, as for example segments 11 and 12, by conventional means such as countersunk flathead machine screws 24.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the side flanges 22 terminate in outwardly directed lips 25 which are thus in axial alignment when the segments (e.g. 11, 12) are in position to be joined.
Bracket assembly 19 includes rigid bracket 27 and resilient shim member 28. Bracket 27 is formed by conventional means, preferably from sheet steel or the like, with a body 29 having downwardly and inwardly turned lips 31 along its sides. Lips 31 are adapted for loose sliding engagement with lips 25 of attachment members 17, 18 and body 29 is of a length that will substantially overlap side flanges 22 of attachment members 17, 18 when the segments 11, 12 are in abuttment. Shim member 28 is of substantially the same length as bracket 27.
Shim member 28 is conveniently formed from a sheet of polyurethane, or fluorocarbon such as "Teflon". However, it may be of any suitable resilient material ranging from a rubbery elastomer to a high-impact plastic having a low coefficient of friction at its surface enabling it to slide freely in contact with the lips 25 of attachment members 17, 18. Preferably its edges 32 are turned downwardly to conform with the inner downwardly turned walls supporting lips 31 at the sides of body 29, and provide a space between the lower surface of shim member 28 and the upper surface of lips 31 to receive lips 25 of attachment members 17, 18.
To complete the bracket assembly 19, shim member 28 is mounted to bracket 27 by means of captive screws 33 which pass through holes 34 and 35 in bracket body 29 and shim member 28, respectively, and are held in place by retainers 36 (only one shown).
Though not critical to the invention, I have found it advantageous to provide overlapping ears 37 at the ends of bracket 27 and shim member 28. Together with captive screws 33 and the frictional forces which, as will be seen, are exerted between shim member 28 and bracket body 29, ears 37 insure against relative movement between bracket 27 and shim member 28.
To illustrate the operation of the coupling device reference is made to FIGS. 3 and 4. As seen in FIG. 3, to assemble adjacent segments such as tip segment 11 and center segment 12, to which attachment members 17, 18 have previously been attached, bracket assembly 19 is mounted to one of the attachment members (e.g. 18) by inserting the lips 25 of attachment 18 into the space between shim member 28 and the lips 31 of bracket 27, sliding the bracket assembly 19 into a position overlapping attachment member 18, and loosely threading the overlying captive screw 33 into its corresponding boss 23 (not seen).
Most conveniently, segments 11 and 12 are placed in alignment on a flat surface and the lips 25 of attachment member 17 inserted into the space between shim member 28 and lips 31 of bracket 27, and attachment member 17 slipped into mounting engagement with bracket assembly 19 by bringing the ends of the segments 11, 12 into abuttment. The remaining screw 33 is then inserted into associated boss 23, and the two screws 33 tightened to clamp bracket assembly 19 to both of the attached members 17, 18, thereby rigidly mating the two segments 11, 12, as illustrated in FIG. 4. For a ski comprising more than two segments, the method for joining the third segment to form the completed ski is the same as that used in joining the first two segments.
Although the segments may easily be disassembled by merely releasing one of the screws in each coupling device, the characteristics of the assembled ski are vitrually identical with those of a conventional one-piece ski.
As an example of an alternative embodiment of the subject invention, FIG. 5 illustrates a coupling device in which the lips 55 project inwardly of flanges 62 formed at the sides of bottom plates 61. In this instance, the bracket 67 is provided with longitudinal grooves 68 in its sides adapted for loose engagement of lips 55. The ceilings 72 of grooves 68 define a pair of outwardly extending lips on receiver 67. Shim member 69 is extruded or formed by other conventional means with upwardly directed flanges 71 along its sides conforming to the grooves 68 in bracket 67. As in the previously described embodiment, shim member 69 is substantially the same length as bracket 67 and is mounted to the bracket by means of captive screws 73. If desired, a pair of downwardly directly ears 74 may be formed at the ends of bracket 67 to insure against longitudinal movement of shim member 69 with respect to bracket 67.
In the alternative embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6, attachment members 47, 48 are substantially identical with those shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5. Here, however, the bracket 76 is formed by conventional means with flanges 81 extending downwardly and terminating in outwardly directed lips 82 adapted for loose sliding engagement with the lips 55 of attachment members 47, 48. Shim member 89 is substantially coextensive with bracket 76 and is formed with upstanding flanges 91 along its sides conforming closely with lips 82.
The operation of the embodiments of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is the same as that described for the embodiments of FIGS. 2-4, in which case the result of tightening screws 33 or 73 being the clamping the bracket 27 or 67 to the attachment members 17, 18 or 47, 48, respectively, to form a rigid joint connecting the ski segments.
While I have described the invention in terms of several preferred embodiments, it is not to be construed as limited to those embodiments, and they are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. It is my intention by this specification to cover any and all variations of the examples I have chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the following claims.
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A pair of plates each having an internally threaded boss in its base and upturned flanges along its sides are fixed to the upper surface of adjacent segments of a segmented ski. A pair of lips formed on a rigid slide bracket loosely engage axially aligned lips formed on the flanges. A resilient shim is interposed between the lips on the slide bracket and those on the flanges. A pair of screws carried by the slide bracket and registering with the threaded bosses secure the slide bracket to the plates, thereby rigidly joining the ski segments.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a challenge-response system and method, in particular a content-based challenge-response system and method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In recent times, there has been an increase in use of massive on-line storage and backup systems, which allow (generally many) users to store files in a service provided on the Internet. An example of such a system is the LifeCache Digital Vault product from NewBay Software Ltd. (www.newbay.com). Such storage system products can improve storage efficiency via so-called “de-duplication.” Where many users use such a service for backup purposes there will often be many copies of the same file stored, for example system files or popular music files. De-duplication means having the service only store a single (or few) copies of such files, thus consuming less raw storage. De-duplication is a well-known feature of such storage systems.
[0003] As an additional aspect of de-duplication, some storage systems can detect that a user is attempting to upload a file that is a duplicate, and indicate to the user's client software that that upload is unnecessary, since a copy of the file is already present in the overall store. This improves the bandwidth efficiency of the service and the service's responsiveness to the user, since only one full copy of the file needs to be uploaded to the service. For example, Deucour, J. et al, (“Reclaiming space from duplicate files in a serverless distributed file system,” 22nd International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems, pp 617-624, July 2002) describes a distributed file system called Farsite that automatically detects duplication, and only stores a single version of a file.
[0004] One mechanism that achieves this is to have the user's client software compute a hash of the file content using a cryptographic hash algorithm, such as SHA-256, and for the client software to send the hash value (which is a short, fixed-length value) to the service. The service can then check if any other file with the same hash value is already stored and if so, the upload can be avoided and the service can simply note that that user also has a copy of the file in question. The service will associate various pieces of user meta-data with the stored file, but doesn't require the user to upload the actual file content a second time, nor will the service have to store the file a second time.
[0005] However, this creates a security vulnerability—if an attacker can guess a hash value, or if an actual hash value becomes known to the attacker, then the above process would allow the attacker to pretend to upload the file, in which case the service would associate that file content with the attacker, and subsequently allow the attacker to download a copy of the file content. The net effect is that the attacker would have gained access to the file content, thanks to the de-duplication scheme, even though the attacker never actually had a copy of file. The attacker would have essentially stolen the file content.
[0006] With the selection of a proper hash algorithm, there is no realistic probability of simply guessing the relevant hash value. However, hash functions that were previously considered cryptographically strong (e.g. MD5) have been broken by cryptanalysis in various ways, so a system using such a weak hash function for de-duplication could be vulnerable to guessed or colliding hash values. Of course, as cryptographic techniques improve over time, what was once considered a secure hash function may become insecure.
[0007] Even with what is currently considered a good hash function, such as SHA-256, actual hash values could leak out of the system, either via users colluding with one another, via operator error or operator staff misbehaviour. In that case the attacker does have the correct hash value (but not the file content) and without an appropriate challenge-response scheme the attacker could again steal the file content.
[0008] Examples of known challenge-response schemes can be found in the following:
“Network Security—PRIVATE Communication in a PUBLIC World”, Second edition, Kaufman, Perlman, Speciner, Prentice Hall, 2002. ISBN-13: 9780130460196 Lee & Yeh, “A Self-Concealing Mechanism for Authentication of Portable Communication Systems” International Journal of Network Security, Vol. 6, No. 3, PP. 285-290, May 2008.
[0011] However, the above schemes involve the use of shared-secrets like passwords, or a so-called ‘warrant’ (which is like a Kerberos ticket-granting-ticket) that is used in order to authenticate the user.
[0012] In addition, there is a related problem with efficient file downloads in a more general context. For example, when downloading a file using the HTTP protocol, if the file-content is in any way sensitive, then clients typically have to authenticate and be authorized for access to the file. That process can be relatively resource-intensive in large-scale applications. In cases where the subsequent download operation is interrupted, the HTTP protocol supports the client requesting that the download be resumed at the relevant point (more generally the client can request that only certain byte-ranges be downloaded), but such requests generally have to incur all the authentication and authorization overhead of the initial request, which imposes a burden on large scale Internet services. For example, this can prevent making best use of load-balancing techniques or content delivery networks.
[0013] As a result, it is an object of the invention to provide a validation scheme which validates that a user actually has a copy of the file content during the upload process, while still gaining the benefits of the de-duplication scheme. It is a further object of the invention to provide a scheme for block-level resume operations with less overhead than applying full authentication and authorisation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Accordingly, there is provided a content-based authorisation method operable in a server for authorising an operation requested by a client across a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a request from the client to perform an operation in respect of a data item; generating a challenge based at least on the content of said data item, wherein said challenge comprises a request for an indication that the client has access to at least a first part of said content; sending said challenge to said client; responsive to receiving a response to said challenge from said client comprising said indication, authorising said operation.
[0019] As the client is able to demonstrate that they are in possession of the requested part of the data item, it can be assumed that the client is either in possession of at least a first portion of entire data item, or that the client has been authorised to possess the data item. This allows the server to safely authorise the action requested by the client.
[0020] Preferably, the method comprises the step of generating a nonce value, and wherein said step of generating a challenge comprises including in said challenge said nonce, and wherein said authorising step is responsive to said received indication being based on a combination of said nonce and said first part of said content to authorise said operation.
[0021] Preferably, at least a portion of said response received from said client and including said indication is cryptographically processed.
[0022] Preferably, said cryptographically processed portion is based at least in part on said nonce.
[0023] The response may comprise the hash value of the portion of the data item. For example, the hash function SHA-256 may be applied to some combination of a nonce and a byte range.
[0024] In addition or alternatively, the method comprises the step of performing a secure cryptographic key exchange operation.
[0025] Some challenge-response schemes might not require the generation of an explicit nonce, for example, schemes based on strong password protocols, like Encrypted Key Exchange (EKE). In these cases, the shared secret between the parties (i.e. between the client and the server) is the at least a first part of the content, and the private values can be randomly generated and hence provide the anti-replay function of the nonce, e.g. Diffie-Hellman EKE.
[0026] Preferably, the method comprises the step of obtaining a server public value based on said at least first part of said content and a server private value, and wherein said step of generating a challenge comprises providing with said challenge said server public value and an indication of said at least first part of said content, and wherein said authorising step is further responsive to said response being based at least in part on said server public value.
[0027] The use of a server private value, which may be randomly generated, introduces a random element to the validation process, and can bypass the need for a nonce value.
[0028] Preferably, said step of obtaining a server public value comprises generating a server public Diffie-Hellman value.
[0029] Preferably, said authorising step is further responsive to said response being based on a client public value, wherein said client public value is based on said at least first part of said content.
[0030] Preferably, said authorising step is responsive to said response being based at least in part on a client public Diffie-Hellman value.
[0031] Preferably, said step of authorising is responsive to said response being based on said client public Diffie-Hellman value and an authenticator based on said server public Diffie-Hellman value, said at least first part of said content, and a client private Diffie-Hellman value.
[0032] Preferably, the method further comprises the step of: generating an authenticator value using a secret key, wherein the step of generating a challenge comprises embedding said authenticator value in said challenge, and wherein said step of authorising is responsive to said received response comprising an indicator of said authenticator value to authorise said operation.
[0033] Preferably, the method further comprises the step of selecting said at least first part of said content.
[0034] It will be understood that the indication may refer to any characteristic portion of the data item in question, e.g. a specified byte range; a portion of text in a document; a value at a point on a graph; etc.
[0035] Preferably, one of said client or said server selects said indication of said at least first part of said content.
[0036] Further preferably, said response includes said selection in addition to said indication.
[0037] It will be understood that this allows for the situation wherein the client (not the server) selects said at least first part of said content to be used in the authorising step. It also allows for the situation when the server selects the content to be used in the authorising step, but the client re-informs the server of the indication or potentially adjusts the indication used, so allowing the overall system to be less stateful, as the server does not necessarily have to keep a record of the indication required of the client.
[0038] In instances where the client only has possession of the first portion of the data item, and perhaps wishes to get access to the remainder of the data item, the challenge-response is based on the content of that portion of the data item that the client already possesses. If the client has previously been authorised to possess the first portion, then the server can assume that they are authorised to possess the remainder of the data item.
[0039] In instances where a client has possession of the entire data item, and is requesting a server operation based on the data item, the server can issue the challenge-response based on any portion of the data item. This may occur in for example an on-line storage system, where the server wishes to check if the client is correctly in possession of the data item in question.
[0040] There is further provided a content-based authorisation method for a hand-off operation between a central content server and a hand-off server across a communications network, the method comprising the steps of at the central content server:
receiving a request from a client to download a data item from the central content server; performing an authorisation operation with said client; responsive to said authorisation operation, sending at least a first portion of said data item to said client; and altering the communications connection between said central content server and said client to cause said client to connect with the hand-off server once said at least first portion of said data item has been sent to said client, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of, at the hand-off server: receiving a request from said client to download at least a second portion said data item; and authorising said download operation by said client according to the first aspect of the invention.
[0047] This approach allows for a streamlined hand-off procedure between a central server and a separate hand-off server. In this case, the central server is tasked with the initial authorisation procedure (which may be relatively resource-intensive), and transmitting a first portion of the data item. The hand-off server does not have to provide an intensive authorisation mechanism, but simply checks if the client has received a first portion of the data item in question. If the client can prove this, then the hand-off server can assume that the client has already passed the intensive authorisation of the central server, and allows the further download of the data item from the hand-off server. This allows the authorisation procedure to be centralised in the central server, while the bulk of the download operations can be performed at distributed hand-off servers.
[0048] Preferably, said step of altering comprises breaking the communications connection between said central content server and said client once said at least first portion of said data item has been sent to said client.
[0049] Additionally or alternatively, said step of altering comprises redirecting said client to said hand-off server.
[0050] Preferably, said step of redirecting comprises sending to said client a partial content response. An example of such a partial content response would be an HTTP response with response code 206.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0051] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0052] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an on-line storage and backup system;
[0053] FIG. 2 is a sample illustration of the method of the invention for the system of FIG. 1 ;
[0054] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an on-line distributed content download system; and
[0055] FIG. 4 is a sample illustration of the method of the invention for the system of FIG. 3 .
[0056] For both the storage system use case and the HTTP use case described above, the service has full knowledge of the content, and the user has, or only wants to demonstrate, partial knowledge. In the storage system use case, the user knows the hash-value of the overall content, and the aim is for the user to prove that they (almost certainly) actually have the full content. In the HTTP use case, the user has the partially downloaded file and the goal is to authorise access to the remainder of the file by demonstrating that the user (almost certainly) actually has previously accessed the partial content (and hence has been authorised for access to the full content).
[0057] A challenge-response protocol is used to require the user to demonstrate that they possess the relevant partial or full content, and uses that result to then authorise the association in the storage system use case and the remaining or continued download in the HTTP use case. In contrast to known challenge-response schemes where the shared secret must be managed via some out-of-band process, in this case, the partial content that the user claims to possess is used as the shared secret in the challenge-response system of the invention.
[0058] Many challenge-response protocols could be used in order to achieve the required demonstration, for example the most basic approach would be for the service to require the user to actually upload the (partial or full) file content. However, that would clearly not achieve the efficiency required.
[0059] As a next step one could challenge the user to upload a randomly selected range of bytes of file content which does provide evidence that the user actually has the content in question. In the storage system use case that randomly selected byte-range can be from anywhere in the file; in the HTTP use case, the byte-range has to be from the portion of the file that the user has previously acquired.
[0060] However, that variant requires that the user upload variable sized parts of the claimed content, which is undesirable for both bandwidth consumption reasons and because it could unnecessarily expose file content in some cases. In addition, that variant is also vulnerable to replay attacks if the service selects the same or overlapping ranges, which is quite likely to occur with smaller files. (In such a case, an eavesdropper would see the relevant bytes of the file and could then answer challenges.)
[0061] In order to avoid these pitfalls, the service can include a random number (referred to as a “nonce”) in the challenge along with a specifier of the required byte-range, and require that the correct response be based on the nonce and the use of a hash function applied to the relevant byte range. One possible combination is to use a hash function “H( )” (like SHA-256) and for the response to the challenge to be H(nonce∥H(byte-range)) where the “∥” operator represents catenation. That response method provides “freshness” since the service can choose a different nonce each time, (or periodically), and the service can impose a time-window on the use of particular nonce-values, either on a per-user or other basis. In addition this response format doesn't allow an eavesdropper to produce its own responses unless the eavesdropper does know the file content for the byte-range in question, thanks to the one-way nature of the hash function. This particular challenge-response scheme also has the benefit that the service doesn't need to identify the requesting user at this point in the process—all that is required is that the user be able to answer the relevant challenges.
[0062] The size of the byte-range(s) requested and the number of iterations of the challenge/response cycle are configurable parameters of the scheme, where larger ranges and more iterations increase the service's confidence that the user actually is in possession of the claimed content.
[0063] Variations of the content-based challenge-response scheme can also work where the two parties negotiate the byte-ranges to use as the shared secret. For example, in some applications it may be sufficient if the prover (the user) selects the byte-ranges to use. In other variations the byte-ranges could be negotiated via one or more exchanges. For example, a scheme where the service supplies a nonce as a challenge and the user side responds with H(nonce∥H(byte-range))∥ byte-range could be used.
[0064] In all of the above, the term “byte-range” can refer to contiguous or non-contiguous ranges of bytes, specified via offsets or via some other method. An example of the latter where the content is structured as XML [XML] could be an XPath [XPATH] expression or other well-known methods of selecting partial content. If the prover and verifier were dealing with content stored in a relational database, then the byte-range could consist of the result upon execution of an SQL expression.
[0065] The byte-range specifier could also be obfuscated, so that simply examining the challenge (or response) without knowledge of the file content does not immediately expose the actual byte-range. So, a challenge could specify a byte-range in terms of another byte-range, for example, “use the value of bytes 1000-1001 as the start of the range, and the value of byte 900-901 as the end of the range.” Such obfuscated byte-range specifiers make it harder for an eavesdropper that has different partial information to produce the correct response (or to verify the response, if the prover selects the byte-range).
[0066] In the above description, the nonce and byte-range are shown as being present in the challenge but not in the response. A variation of the scheme that allows the server to be less stateful would also include these values in the response. In that way the server need not store the nonce and byte-range selected for each transaction but can still verify the challenge-response. However, if a protocol making use of this scheme does allow the nonce and byte-range to be part of the response value, then there is a requirement that the server be able to verify that those values were selected by it, and not simply chosen by the client. There are many ways to achieve this result, for example, the server could store a secret key known only to it and embed an authenticator generated with that key, within or alongside the nonce value that authenticates both the nonce and the byte-range. Alternatively the server could use that key to securely wrap the challenge, and the wrapped challenge could then be used by the client as the nonce. Such embedding can make use of message authentication codes or encryption schemes.
[0067] Many other cryptographic challenge-response schemes could be used based upon the idea of the content based challenges presented, for example, strong password protocols like Encrypted Key Exchange (EKE). In general, such key exchange systems allow two parties that have no prior knowledge of each other to jointly establish a shared secret key over an insecure communications channel. The two parties may both possess a cryptographically weak secret (e.g. a simple password), but the secret is never openly transmitted during the operation.
[0068] When combined with the present system, such schemes would allow the peers to validate that they both possess the full or partial file content. In this case, the full or partial file content (in most embodiments, specifically, the portion or byte-range chosen of the file content) takes the place of the shared secret in such a scheme. It is then possible to work backwards from the shared secret and the private value chosen (i.e. the random element) to generate appropriate public values for transmission as part of the validation process.
[0069] Combining the content-challenge scheme with strong password protocols would typically involve sending the byte-range specifier together with the validator's public value, with the response being the prover's public value, which is based on a combination of the validator's public value, the prover's private value, and the shared secret (i.e. the partial content matching the byte-range specifier). Due to the nature of schemes like EKE, there would be no need for a separate nonce value, as the public values already involve random inputs.
[0070] Some challenge-response schemes might not require the generation of an explicit nonce, as the private values can be randomly generated and hence provide the anti-replay function of the nonce, e.g. Diffie-Hellman EKE.
[0071] For the HTTP use-case the system presented supports a new way for a service to hand-off the bandwidth requirements for bulk downloads, while still preserving some security. For example, the service could do the appropriate (and resource intensive) authentication and authorization of the user's initial request, then transfer a (sufficiently large) portion of the file before deliberately breaking the connection. The user's client can then attempt to re-connect to download the remaining bytes of the file, but that second HTTP request can now safely be handed off to another server or service that can use this content-based challenge response scheme instead of traditional, and more expensive, authentication and authorisation.
[0072] In addition to the efficiency considerations, the system does not require that the service to which the user is offloaded even be able to authenticate or authorize the user, which means that that service need not manage user credentials or access control lists, which represents a significant security advantage and simplification.
[0073] Most challenge/response schemes also allow the user and service to derive a shared secret that can be used to secure further exchanges between them. For example, in the scheme where the challenge is a nonce and a byte-range and the response is H(nonce∥H(byte-range)) the user and service could also derive a secret from the nonce and the byte-range in various ways, for example using some key derivation function (KDF) (such as those specified in Chen, L., “Recommendations for Key Derivation Using Pseudorandom Functions”, NIST Special Publication 800-108, April 2008), using the nonce, the byte-range and some fixed value as input. While that secret is essentially only as strong as the unpredictability of the byte-range, it may nevertheless be useful as an application layer key, and could, for example, be used to encrypt the remaining content (at the application layer) in the HTTP and storage system use cases.
[0074] The overall security of the system presented will depend on the predictability of the content in question. If a dishonest user on the Internet can predict the value (or is attempting to confirm a prediction), then the system doesn't add real security value, since it would allow the user to produce the proper responses.
[0075] For the storage system use-case this is not a very serious threat, since all that the dishonest user gains is the knowledge that someone else has uploaded that file content at some point. The dishonest user can already do that via monitoring the handling of full uploads in any case.
[0076] For the HTTP use case the threat is more serious, since it would allow users with partial information, e.g. anyone who can predict the bytes at the start of the file, to gain access to the rest of the file. However, there are many applications where the native file content is sufficiently unpredictable, or where the service provider can modify the initial bytes of the file content to make it unpredictable (e.g. via recoding), so that the scheme is still worthwhile. The main benefit of the scheme in such cases is that the initial computationally intensive authentication and authorisation required for the initial request are not required for subsequent partial downloads. In cases where the initial HTTP request is authenticated and authorised, so long as the initial HTTP response contains a sufficiently large number of unpredictable bytes, then the scheme offers security benefits.
[0077] In the HTTP use case, users could collude so that once one has downloaded partial content, that user could share that content with other users, who could then use the service to gain access to the full content. However, this is not significantly different from the dishonest user sharing their password or other credentials, nor from cases where one user downloads the entire file and shares that content, for example, via some peer-to-peer network, which is presently a relatively common occurrence. The only difference is that, with this scheme, the colluding users require less bandwidth but they still all get access to the content, as before.
[0078] In the HTTP use case, if the handoff described above is used, and if the file content is not considered sufficiently unpredictable, or if there is a concern that the file content may become too widely known over time, then it is possible with many file formats, to embed random values near the start of the file. If the service were to occasionally change those random values, then simply distributing those values to the handoff-servers would suffice to increase the level of security, so long as the changed bytes are sufficiently likely to be selected to be part of the byte-range used in the challenge. Were the byte-range specified in more complex ways, e.g. via XPath as previously described, then the modification can be made to essentially arbitrary parts of the file.
[0079] In the storage system use case, without the content-challenge scheme, users could access other users' files if they knew the SHA-256 hash of file contents due to the optimisation when uploading files. A sample storage system is illustrated in FIG. 1 . the system comprises a plurality of clients 10 connected with a central server 12 via network 14 . The central server 12 is coupled with a centralised storage apparatus 16 , where single copies of files can be stored, and are accessible across the entire network 14 . Each client 10 may have a plurality of files 18 which it is desired to upload to the central server 12 and storage apparatus 16 for archiving and later access.
[0080] For the case where the files are already present in the overall store, without the content-challenge, the upload process would be:
1. Client 10 specifies a list of hashes of files 18 which user wants to upload. 2. Server 12 returns all the hashes that are not already contained in the storage vault 18 . 3. Client 10 sends the hashes that the server 12 already has, and asks for them to be linked into the user's part of the overall store.
[0084] This avoids duplicate uploads, assuming the user really has the file. However, as described above, this system is vulnerable to attacks, if the attacker has knowledge of the hash value for the files in question.
[0085] An embodiment of the content-based challenge response system is now described with reference to the storage system use case. With reference to FIG. 2 , using the content-challenge scheme of the present system, the above protocol is modified as follows:
1. Client 10 specifies a list of hashes of files 18 (or ‘sums’) which the user wants to upload. 2. Server 12 issues the content challenge for each file 18 the client 10 wants to upload. The challenge comprises the nonce generated by the server 12 and at least one randomly chosen byte-range specifier (the “<fragment>” element). If the client 10 wishes to upload a number of files, the challenge may also dictate which files are being challenged, by returning the sum value in respect of these files. 3. Client 10 responds with the required challenge-response, i.e. a hash based on the nonce and the relevant bytes from the file 18 . Again, if there are several files 18 queried, the responses may be distinguished by incorporating the sums of the original files 18 . 4. The server can then compare the received response(s) with the data contained in the storage apparatus 16 . Server 12 then returns all the hashes of files that are not already stored at the storage server 16 , including any hashes for files 18 where the challenge-response was invalid.
[0090] Client 10 may then proceed to upload those files 18 which are not already stored at the storage server 16 . The central server 12 is then operable to associate the client 10 with the newly-uploaded files 18 , as well as with any files already stored at the storage server 16 which the client 10 has proven that it already possesses.
[0091] The storage system use case uses the HTTP protocol as its underlying transport, but, in contrast to the HTTP use case, does not require any changes to HTTP. For the storage system use case, the content-challenge scheme occurs within the payload of the HTTP protocol.
[0092] In relation to the HTTP use case, there are many equivalent ways to use the scheme for HTTP, whether based on changes at the application layer, or on the use of different HTTP or other protocol headers.
[0093] With reference to FIG. 3 , in the HTTP use case, a plurality of clients 20 are connected to the network 24 . The clients 10 (or users, “U”) are coupled, via network 24 , with a central content server 22 . The central content server 22 is coupled with storage means 26 , and an authentication server 28 . On requesting content from the central content server 22 , the user U initially performs the (relatively expensive) authentication and authorisation with the content server 22 (“CS”) and the authentication server 28 .
[0094] Once the authentication and authorisation stage is complete, the user U can be sent the initial bytes of the file via the network 24 . (It will be understood that the initial user request for the file may be combined with the authentication and authorisation process in any appropriate manner.) After the initial bytes of the file have been sent to the user U, then the content server CS can break the connection. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , it is assumed that the user has received bytes 1-1,000 of a 10,000-byte file.
[0095] At this point the user's client software (a browser or other HTTP client application) can issue another request for the remainder of the file, or even for the entire file, using standard HTTP mechanisms. Various well-known load-balancing schemes, e.g. presenting different address (“A”) resource records in the domain name system (DNS), can be used to process this as a secondary request and can select a hand-off server 30 (“HS”) that also has a copy of the entire file stored locally in storage means 32 . The hand-off servers 30 and storage means 32 may be distributed about the network 24 , perhaps local to a particular group of clients 20 .
[0096] The hand-off server HS can be configured to require the use of the content-based challenge scheme described here before providing the file content in response to the user U′s request. This can easily be done by having the hand-off server HS respond to the user U′s request with an HTTP “Unauthorized” error code (normally using the HTTP status code “401”), and issuing the challenge to the user U using the existing HTTP header field called “WWW-Authenticate” with a new authentication scheme, here called “CC” for content-challenge. The parameters of the CC scheme can include the nonce and byte-range specifiers. It may be understood by the HS that the CS will break off the connection to the user U after a pre-determined number of bytes, in which case the HS will know within what limits of the byte range the HS can issue a challenge on. Alternatively, there may be an additional step wherein the HS may enquire of the user U what range of bytes it possesses, and issue the challenge based on some byte-range within this region, or the HS may communicate with the central server in order to determine the range of bytes that were already sent to the user U.
[0097] At that point, the user U′s client software can respond with a repeat of the HTTP request (for the file content) but can now include the response to the challenge in the existing HTTP header “Authorization” header field with the value being the challenge-response. Once the hand-off server HS has successfully validated the response to the challenge then the HTTP response can include the actual bytes of the file, as requested by the user U.
[0098] An example of a sample interchange in the HTTP use case for the above example is shown in FIG. 4 (other HTTP header fields present are not shown).
[0099] As described above, for this HTTP use-case the system presented provides an efficient mechanism for handing-off the bandwidth requirements for bulk downloads, while efficiently employing comprehensive authorisation and security protocols.
[0100] As examples of the item data that may be referenced, the term ‘byte range’ can refer to an exact range of bytes in the item byte stream, or can refer to any other characteristic of the file in question, e.g. the number of times the letter ‘e’ occurs in a text document.
[0101] While a storage system use case and a HTTP use case are described above, it will be understood that the system of the invention may be implemented for any suitable data transfer protocol, e.g. SIP.
[0102] The system of the present invention leverages the partial content of an item (via the challenge response scheme) in order to authorize access to the full content. Accordingly, the system requires much less overhead than other schemes to achieve the same effect, albeit that this scheme is dependent on the un-predictability of the content.
[0103] The storage system use case mitigates a vulnerability that could otherwise be costly were hash-values to leak out, and were a dishonest user to get access to someone else's files. That could have significant reputation cost to the service based on the storage system.
[0104] The HTTP use case provides a less onerous “middle-ground” way to secure access to file content in the face of either network failures or, alternatively, offloading schemes
[0105] The challenge-response scheme presented mitigates the problems outlined above, since for example the scheme would require that a hash function collision be generated in real time, and for a value that is unpredictable for the attacker, which is sufficient in many cases to make the attacker's job infeasible, even with a weakened hash function.
[0106] While the above description of a HTTP use case refers to file downloading, the HTTP protocol also supports file uploading (e.g. via the HTTP PUT or POST methods), and in some situations the same authentication and authorization overhead can be problematic. In the above embodiment, the details of the HTTP use case for the download situation are described, but the same problem, and the same solution, can also apply to the upload case. Similarly, the HTTP use case could involve many different servers each serving parts of the file content, while the above embodiment describes a case with an initial HTTP server and a secondary server that uses the challenge-response scheme.
[0107] It will be understood that the system may be employed in any suitable client-server type interaction, e.g. a peer-to-peer network.
[0108] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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A content-based authorisation method is described, wherein the method is operable to validate that a user has access to certain content. By having access to the content, the system is able to decide that the user is authorised to access the content, and may perform operations or set access rights accordingly.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §365(a) of PCT International Patent Application Ser. No. PCT/MX2011/000063 to the inventor, filed May 25, 2011, now pending, which in turn claims priority to co-pending Mexico patent application Ser. Nos. MX/a/2011/005499, filed May 25, 2011, and MX/a/2010/005899, filed May 28, 2010, each by the same invento. The entirety of the contents of each application is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
1. Field
The example embodiment in general relates to stave floors, in particular to modular composed stave floors.
2. Related Art
In patent application number MX/a/2010/005899, there are disclosed the drawbacks that exist in composed stave floors or engineering floors, which include at least a base substrate (after face) also known as a core and at least a sight substrate, of finished (face) or top part for the traffic surface. The sight substrate is selected from a group that consists of: noble hard woods, exotic woods, capricious woods which, for the formation of its seam, have great acceptance on the market.
In the known stave floors, the minimum material to be rushed for corrective maintenance is 1 mm, while it is known that the sight substrate, also referred to as micro plates or plates, has a thickness from 2 to 3 mm. The drawback of such a thin sight substrate thickness is that upon being sanded or rushed, the remaining material warms up and tends to be deformed and eventually becomes partially or completely detached, thereby completely spoiling the appearance of the floor, as related to its physical, aesthetic and functional properties.
Generally speaking, the micro plate or plate that constitutes the sight substrate, is “de-rolled” wood of the tree trunk from which it is obtained. This affects the aesthetic properties of the final product since the forces of the mechanical action on “de-rolling” generate a sheet that will tend to curl or recover its cylindrical original form. The base substrate nowadays is composed of slung wood or is plated against (triplay). Both sheets are joined by means of glue. A disadvantage of using only glue is that with the open period, both sheets can suffer deformations and/or changes of displacement between them, as well as changes of dimensions. Another disadvantage is that it is necessary to provide a uniform and level surface of assembly, in order to assemble both sheets, as well as to maintain a constant pressure in order to reach the desired adhesion when the glue is uniformly distributed between both substrates. Another disadvantage is the long cure or wait time that the pieces must remain static, without moving. So that the glue completely hardens, the cure or wait time may stretch several days.
The compose stave floors life, due to the thin thickness of the plate of the noble layer or sight substrate therein, is very short, and with no possibility of providing corrective maintenance. Though the materials are supplied pre-varnished from the supplier, the thin thickness of the sheet does not offer a solid base of attachment, the resistance of the glaze is poor, is susceptible to be easily scratched, or easily suffers the effect of peeling.
Currently, one problem of joining both sheets of plate is in preventing the displacement or change of dimensions. As previously noted, different factors, prevent that the sheets are fixed in a firm way, even though patent application number MX/a/2010/005899 tried to solve the problem, finding great benefits, it was not the optimal solution.
SUMMARY
An example embodiment is directed to a method for the manufacture of composed stave floors. The method includes providing a sight substrate having a thickness of at least 4 mm and providing a base substrate having a thickness of at least 12 mm. The base substrate and sight substrate are assembled together with glue and multidirectional holding means. The multidirectional holding means consist of dendrites, adhesion and horizontal reinforcement means, in the union plane; and adhesion and vertical reinforcement means, normal to the union plane.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Example embodiments will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are represented by like reference numerals, which are given by way of illustration only and thus do not limit the example embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional composed stave floor or conventional engineering floor.
FIG. 2 is a perspective cross-section view of a composed stave floor or engineering floor according to an example embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a composed stave floor or engineering floor according to an example embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective cross-section view of a composed stave floor or engineering floor which depicts the means of holding according to an example embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a representation that shows a perspective top view of a conventional composed stave floor or floor of conventional engineering floor showing detachment.
FIG. 6 shows a top view of a conventional composed stave floor or floor of conventional engineering floor, wavy deformed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Whereas the example embodiments will be described hereafter, it should be understood that the above mentioned embodiments will not limit the invention. The sizes in the figures are exaggerated with purpose of clarity.
One object of the example embodiments is to preserve the physical, aesthetic and functional properties in sight substrate of composed stave floors or engineering floors.
Another object is to provide a sight substrate for composite stave compounds or engineering floors, without any trend to be deformed.
An additional object is to bond both sheets without displacement or change of dimensions, using bonding means such as dendrite, glue, knitted wire, clamps, or cemented clamps or divergent legs.
Another object is to provide to the floors with a major time of useful life and to allow giving it corrective maintenance.
An additional object is to provide improved composed stave floors, with applied glaze from the supplier, eliminating the time and the inconveniences of the application of the glaze in a period of the installation. Site preferred glazes include aluminum oxide or another metal that provide higher hardness without changing its aesthetic appearance.
All the numbers, numerical parameters and/or ranges that are expressed here with, for example, sizes or thicknesses, used in the specification and claims, are to be understood as modified in all the instances by the term “approximately”. Accordingly, unless it is indicated on the contrary, the numerical parameters established in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that can change depending on the properties provided by the example embodiments. At a minimum, and not as an attempt for limiting the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope the claims, every numerical parameter should be considered at least in the light of the number of significant reported digits and for application of techniques of ordinary rounded.
Likewise, there is to be understood that any numerical range described herein is intended to embrace all the sub-ranges there included: for example, a range of “1 to 10” is intended to include all the intermediate sub-ranges (and including) the minimal described value of 1 and the maximum described value of 10, this is with a minimal value equal to, or major that 1 and one maximum value equal to, or minor that 10.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional composed stave floor or conventional engineering floor. In FIG. 1 , there is depicted a conventional composed stave floor or conventional engineering, floor which includes at least a base substrate (after face) ( 10 ) also known as a core and at least a sight substrate, of finished face or top part ( 20 ), having a thickness from 2 to 3 mm for the traffic surface;
FIG. 2 is a perspective cross-section view of a compose stave floor or engineering floor according to an example embodiment. In FIG. 2 , is shown the base substrate (after face) ( 10 ) having a practical minimal thickness from 12 to 19 mm; the sight substrate or finished (face) ( 20 ) having a practical minimal thickness of at least 4 mm and the dendrites ( 15 ), for the traffic surface of a composed stave floor in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective cross-section view of a compose stave floor or engineering floor which illustrates multidirectional holding means, including: dendrite ( 15 ), in conjunction with adhesion means and horizontal reinforcement means, or in the union plane: glue, and adhesion means and vertical or normal reinforcement means perpendicular with respect to the union plane: clamp, divergent clamp and/or cemented clamp ( 30 ).
Referring to FIG. 3 , the multidirectional holding means includes: dendrites ( 15 ), in conjunction with adhesion and horizontal reinforcement means; in the union plane: glue; and adhesion and vertical reinforcement means perpendicular or normal to the union plane: clamp, divergent clamp and/or cemented clamp ( 30 ); that join the base substrate (after face) ( 10 ) with thickness from 15 to 19 mm and the sight substrate or of finished (face) ( 20 ) having a practical minimal thickness of at least 4 mm, for the traffic surface of a composed stave floor in accordance with the present invention.
In an embodiment, the face substrate of the example embodiment is obtained from decorative or functional substrate, wood cut in tangential form, quarter form or another possible cutting, giving it a beautiful appearance and without limiting the manifestation of the natural seams, preserving its properties of uniform physical resistance that is maintained along the length of the entire substrate.
EXAMPLES
Example of Composed Stave Floor or Conventional Engineering Floor
A conventional composed stave floor or conventional engineering floor was manufactured including at least a base substrate (after face) also known as a core and at least a sight substrate, of finished (face) or top part for the traffic surface. After a short period of time, the conventional composed stave floor exhibited detachment as shows in FIG. 5 .
On the other hand a test of deformation was conducted by applying the glue in conventional form to the sight substrate, of finished (face) or top part for the traffic surface, resulting in a simple sight perceptible frizziness as shown in FIG. 6 .
Example of Composed Stave Floor or Engineering Floor of the Invention
A composed stave floor or engineering floor of the example embodiment, was manufactured comprising a base substrate (after face) having a thickness of 15 mm and a sight substrate, of finished (face) or top part for the traffic surface having thickness of 6 mm. The assembly of both substrates was carried out by gluing both substrates, using multidirectional holding means: dendrite ( 15 ), in conjunction with adhesion and horizontal reinforcement means in the union plane: glue; and adhesion and reinforcement vertical means normal to the union plane: clamp, divergent clamp and/or cemented clamp ( 30 ), the clamps being distributed in an uniform way. The composed stave floor of the present invention thus obtained did not present deformation or any detachment. After a period of use when it required corrective maintenance, it was possible to provide the mentioned maintenance, obtaining again the physical, aesthetic and functional properties of the original floor. Thus, the example compose stave floor herein provides the floors with increased durability.
The example embodiments being thus described, it Will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the example embodiments, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are considered to be included within the scope of the following claims.
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Example embodiments relate to improvements to composed stave flooring, methods for the production thereof and the corrective maintenance of same. The improvements allow corrective maintenance to be performed without negatively affecting the physical aesthetic and functional properties thereof. The flooring comprises a sight substrate and a base substrate, with the sight substrate having a minimum practical thickness of 4 mm and the base substrate having a minimum practical thickness of 12 mm, the two substrates being assembled using adhesive and securing means that distribute the adhesive uniformly between both substrates, thereby rendering the flooring more durable and stable.
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RIGHTS OF THE GOVERNMENT
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for all governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Chemiluminescence is defined as the reaction of two or more chemicals to create light. One class of chemiluminescence uses a mixture of hydrogen peroxide with an oxalate and a dye dissolved in a suitable solvent to generate light. Hydrogen peroxide reacts with the oxalate to produce an unstable strained ring, which releases energy that excites the dye. As the dye returns to its ground state, a photon of light is released. Hydrogen peroxide and oxalate are consumed in this reaction, whereas the dye is not. Commercially available glowsticks use this reaction and can produce light for over 6 hours in a wide variety of colors. The structure of the dye determines the wavelength of light emitted. Examples of dyes include 9,10-diphenylanthracene which creates blue light, or rhodamine B which emits red light. Recent advancements in glowstick chemistry involve extending the lifetime of the chemical reaction, increasing its brightness, or creating new colors. Literature describing modifications of chemistry include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,691,085 (1972), 4,678,308 (1987) and 6,126,871 (2000), all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
An early report of a packaged chemiluminescent device is mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,925 (1974) in which the reactive chemicals are kept separate by storing a solution of hydrogen peroxide in a glass vial, which itself is stored inside a plastic tube also filled with a solution of oxalate and dye. The chemiluminescent reaction is initiated when the glass vial is broken, combining the hydrogen peroxide with the other chemicals. Slight adaptations of this packaging scheme are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,064,428 (1977) and 4,379,320 (1983). Another variation is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,302 (1992), in which the two liquid parts are stored in a plastic bag, separated by a barrier. Removing the barrier causes the chemicals to mix, resulting in the chemiluminescent reaction. These systems lack the ability to control the extent of the chemical reaction. That is, once the reaction is initiated, it cannot be reversed or altered, leading to consumption of all contents of the glowstick. Control of the luminescent parameters is predetermined by the packaging volume of the chemicals. This is a disadvantage that limits applications requiring a user-defined reaction volume.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,466 (1976) describes a modification of both the chemistry and packaging of the chemiluminescent material. In this patent, the reactant tetrakisdimethylaminoethylene (TMAE) is microencapsulated. Microencapsulation is a technique in which micron-sized droplets of liquid are surrounded by an impermeable solid shell wall. When TMAE is exposed to the atmosphere, it oxidizes and produces green light. In this case, the shell wall isolates the core reactant from the air, until the capsules are crushed. An advantage of this one-part chemiluminescent system is the ability to widely disperse the capsules over a large area for perimeter control. However, there are few choices for color and the reaction lifetime is limited to fifteen minutes. Interestingly, the patent briefly describes applying this concept further to the oxalate/hydrogen peroxide chemistry typically used with the glowsticks. In this illustration, microcapsules containing the dye, oxalate and solvent are mixed with another batch of microcapsules containing liquid hydrogen peroxide. This blend of capsules is crushed together, releasing the dissimilar cores and starting the chemiluminescent reaction. This arrangement has disadvantages since the two types of microcapsules need to be in intimate contact with each other for the reaction to proceed, an unlikely event when dispersed over a large area.
It is desirable to develop a true one-part microencapsulated chemiluminescent system based on the oxalate/hydrogen peroxide chemistry. This system would take advantage of the wide range of dyes available, as well as the long luminescent lifetimes of these systems. Additionally, this system would allow the user to portion the desired amount of reactants, reducing waste. Finally, this approach would allow the freedom to widely disperse the capsules.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The current invention transforms the liquid chemicals of the traditional glowstick devices into a free flowing, dry powder. The process begins by microencapsulating the dye and solvent using known techniques. The capsules are then added to an oxalate solution in toluene, and the solvent is allowed to evaporate almost to completion. While the capsules are still damp, a finely milled source of solid hydrogen peroxide is added to the capsule slurry, further coating the capsules. The toluene is then evaporated to completion. The powder is composed of microcapsules which include all the required starting materials for a chemiluminescent reaction: the solvent and dye comprise the core of the capsule, while the oxalate and a source of hydrogen peroxide coat the shell. When the capsule is broken, the solvent dissolves the oxalate and source for hydrogen peroxide, beginning the chemiluminescent reaction.
This invention relieves the need of packaging a two-part system, allowing more versatile applications. The powder can be divided to amounts dictated by the user's needs, thereby reducing waste. The transformation of the starting chemicals to solid forms also improves the shelf life of the system. By taking advantage of the wide variety of dyes available to produce different colors, it is now possible to produce unique colors through the combination of capsules filled with different dyes. It is also conceivable to make nanocapsules and incorporate them into a gel pen, yielding a chemiluminescent writing utensil. It is also conceivable to incorporate these microcapsules into paper, creating a pressure sensitive, chemiluminescent writing method. Additionally, it is also conceivable to make macrocapsules for use in perimeter control.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of one of the microcapsules.
FIG. 2 is graph comparing the intensity of the chemiluminescent reaction over time of broken capsules to that of unbroken capsules.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Chemical Compositions:
The chemistry used for glowsticks is a mature technology and there is no attempt to optimize it. Those familiar with the art will realize that only the required materials are used in this patent and that additional materials can be further added to the capsule core or coated to its shell. The minimum starting materials include a solvent, oxalate, dye and a source of hydrogen peroxide.
Solvent systems for chemiluminescent reactions are well established, and are typically mixtures of dialkyl phthalates (such as dimethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate or dioctyl phthalate) and alkyl alcohols (such as t-butyl alcohol). A requirement is that the solvent at least partially dissolves the dye, oxalate and source of hydrogen peroxide. Additionally, it should be remembered that certain microencapsulation techniques require that the solvents are hydrophobic. Dioctyl phthalate is a preferred solvent.
The oxalates that can be used in this reaction include bis(2,4,5-trichloro-6-carbopentoxyphenyl)oxalate or bis(2-carbopentyloxy-3,5,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate, the later being the preferred oxalate.
There are many dyes that can be used, each yielding a different color of light. For example, 9,10-diphenylanthracene will yield a blue color, while 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene will yield a green color. Likewise, rhodamine 6G produces an orange light, and rhodamine B will create a red light. Finally, violanthrone-79 will yield an infrared light.
Useful catalysts, while not used nor required in this invention, include sodium salicylate.
A requirement of this invention is the use of a solid source of hydrogen peroxide. The solid form is thermally stable and safe to handle. Examples of this form of hydrogen peroxide include sodium perborate, sodium percarbonate, or urea peroxide. Sodium percarbonate is a preferred form. When dissolved, sodium percarbonate releases hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate. A further advantage of using sodium percarbonate is that it releases a weak base, which itself acts as a catalyst. The solid can be milled to a fine powder to achieve a high surface area.
Microencapsulation:
Generally, there are two classes of microencapsulation techniques: mechanical and chemical. Either class is suitable for this patent, though chemical encapsulation has been extensively studied in this work. It is not the focus of this patent to optimize the microencapsulation procedure. Examples of both types of microencapsulation techniques can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,800,457 (1957), 3,015,128 (1962) and 3,429,827 (1969), all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
There are many mature chemical microencapsulation techniques that can be used, such as complex coacervation, in-situ, or interfacial microencapsulation. Chemical microencapsulation takes advantage of the water and oil immiscibility. As such, the core (the oil phase) is vigorously blended in a water phase to create micron-sized droplets. Once the droplets are created, a hard polymer shell is permanently created around the oil drop. When the process is complete, the microcapsules are separated from the water phase and dried. Advantages of these chemical methods of encapsulation include low initial cost of equipment and low cost of starting materials.
Complex coacervation is perhaps the most industrially significant technique, and is the preferred technique for this invention. Complex coacervation relies on the interaction of two polymers, typically gelatin and gum arabic, to form a shell around an oil droplet through a change in pH. Typical capsules contain between 80-90% core material and have excellent barrier properties when stored dry. One disadvantage of using this technique is that the starting polymers are natural products and as a result, capsules can vary batch by batch.
In-situ microencapsulation relies on dissolving organic monomers in the water phase of the reaction. Typical starting materials include urea, resorcinol and formaldehyde. To begin the process, urea and resorcinol are dissolved in the water phase and blended with the oil core to form micron-sized drops. Once a steady state has been reached, formaldehyde is added to begin the polymerization process. The reaction is complete after four hours, leaving hard, spherical capsules. Since high purity monomers are used in this technique, batch-to-batch reproducibility is good.
Interfacial microencapsulation is a slight variation on in-situ, in that some of the monomers are dissolved in the water phase while the rest are dissolved in the oil core. When the two types of monomers combine at the oil/water interface, a polymer is formed, creating a hard shell. Any voids in the shell are quickly sealed by newly formed polymer, resulting in microcapsules that are relatively impermeable. Additionally, since the capsules are made with high purity monomers, the capsules are consistent between batches. One drawback, however, is that since some of the monomers are dissolved in the core, there is a chance that the monomer could also react with the dye that is used in the chemiluminescent reaction.
Desired sizes of capsules depends on the application. Nanocapsules in a range of 500-1000 nm are suitable for use in gel pen applications, whereas microcapsules in a range of 1-100 □m are useful in carbonless paper applications. Macrocapsules in the range of 1000-5000 □m are useful for perimeter control. It is therefore apparent that the optimum size depends heavily on its intended use.
Complete Formulation:
The creation of the product described in this invention is a two-step process: (1) the formation of the microcapsule, and (2) the coating of the capsules.
While the formation of microcapsules using complex coacervation is extensively used and the preferred technique, this patent is not limited to this technique alone. Complex coacervation begins by mechanically stirring a solution of gelatin dissolved in water at 50° C. and adjusting its pH to an alkaline range. The core, a solution comprising of a dialkyl-phthalate solvent and dye, is then added, and the mixture is stirred vigorously to create small droplets of the oily core. The mixture is then further diluted with additional water and a small amount of a defoamer is added. A polyanion solution, such as sodium hexa-metaphosphate dissolved in water, is added and the reaction is allowed to return to a steady state. The pH is then slowly lowered through the addition of acetic acid. After additional mixing, the solution is gradually cooled over two hours to room temperature, at which time a crosslinking solution is added.
After an additional two hours of stirring, the resulting microcapsules are filtered and a small amount of fumed silica is added to aid in drying and to prevent clumping. The capsules are then sieved to remove impurities.
The capsules are then coated by submerging them in an oxalate solution. The mixture is stirred to allow the solvent to evaporate until almost dry. Finely powdered hydrogen peroxide precursor is then added to the slurry and gently mixed until the capsules are dry. The completed product is sieved again to remove small impurities.
FIG. 1 illustrates a completed microcapsule. The capsule wall “1” is composed of cross-linked gelatin and hexa-metaphosphate, while the core “2” consists of the dye dissolved in a hydrophobic solvent. The microcapsules are coated twice, first with a crystalline oxalate “3”, followed by a solid source for hydrogen peroxide “4”.
Example 1
Microencapsulation by “Complex Coacervation”
Prepare five solutions one hour before the encapsulation process:
Solution A: Dissolve 2.73 g gelatin (type A from porcine skin, 300 bloom) in 30 mL distilled water.
Solution B: Dissolve 50 mg of violanthrone-79 in 20 mL of dioctyl phthalate at 50° C., under nitrogen.
Solution C, 27.5 mL distilled water, warmed to 50° C.
Solution D: Dissolve 263 mg sodium hexa-metaphosphate in 5 mL distilled water.
Solution E: Dilute 5 mL glutaraldehyde (25% in water) with 10 mL of distilled water.
Procedure: Stir the entire amount of gelatin solution “A” in a 150 mL beaker with a 2-inch, 4-blade mechanical stirrer at 250 rpm. Heat to 50° C. while stirring. Increase the pH of the solution to 8.0 by adding aqueous 10% NaOH solution. Slowly add core solution “B”. Allow to mix for 10 minutes. Ensure the solution returns to 50° C. Add dilution water “C” and 2 drops of 1-octanol to defoam. Add the polyanion solution “D”, and ensure the solution returns to 50° C. Slowly add 50% acetic acid dropwise (one drop every 20-30 seconds) until the pH reaches 4.5. Cover the beaker with a double layer of aluminum foil. Allow the solution to mix at 50° C. for 15 minutes, then remove the heat. Continue to mix for 2 hours. Add the crosslinking solution “E” and continue to mix for an additional 2 hours.
Turn off the mixer. Vacuum filter the capsules with a Wattman #4 filter in a Buchner funnel and rinse twice with distilled water. Spread the capsules over several layers of paper towel and gently mix 7 nm fumed silica with the capsules and let air dry. Separate the capsule sizes by sifting through sieves.
Coating the Microcapsules
Prepare three materials in advance:
Material F: 1 g of above prepared microcapsules, size fraction: 0.5-1.0 mm.
Solution G: Dissolve 500 mg bis(2-carbopentyloxy-3,5,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate in 1 mL of toluene.
Material H: 500 mg Sodium percarbonate (finely ground, screened <90 □m).
Procedure: Place the microcapsules “F” in an aluminum weigh dish, and coat with the oxalate solution “G” so that the liquid covers all of the capsules. Gently stir the capsules every 2 minutes for 10 minutes. Add sodium percarbonate “H” and gently stir the capsules. Allow the capsules to dry for an additional 10 minutes, and then sift the excess sodium percarbonate from the coated capsules over a 250□m mesh screen. Store the capsules in a cool, dry environment.
Optical Properties
The resulting capsules were examined in a Varian Cary Eclipse fluorescence spectrophotometer to study the lifetimes and brightness of the reaction. In this experiment, 0.2 g of the coated microcapsules were placed in the sample cell and emissions at 730 nm were recorded before and after crushing the capsules. FIG. 2 demonstrates that the capsule wall serves as an exemplary barrier between the solvent and oxalate, and that the reaction is only activated when the capsules are crushed. Additionally, it is clear that once the solvent is released, it dissolves both the oxalate and sodium percarbonate, beginning the chemiluminescent reaction.
Example 2
Microencapsulation by “In-Situ”
Prepare two solutions in advance:
Solution I: Dissolve 1.0 g poly(ethylene-alt-maleic anhydride) in 40 mL of distilled water for 16 hours at 50° C.
Solution J: Dissolve 50 mg of violanthrone-79 in 20 mL of dioctyl phthalate at 50° C., under nitrogen.
Procedure: In a 150 mL beaker, dissolve 1.250 g of urea, 0.125 g of ammonium chloride and 0.125 g of resorcinol in 50 g of distilled water by mechanically stirring with a 2-inch, 4-blade stirrer at 250 rpm. Once dissolved, add 12.5 mL of solution “I” and then adjust the pH of the mixture to 3.5 using 10% NaOH solution. While stirring, add 15 mL of solution “J” to the beaker and allow the droplets to equilibrate for 10 minutes. Finally, add 3.168 g of 37% formaldehyde in water. Cover the beaker with a double layer of aluminum foil. At a rate of 1° C./minute, slowly heat the beaker to 55° C., and once at that temperature, continue to heat for an additional 4 hours. Allow to cool, and filter the capsules with a Wattman #4 filter in a Buchner funnel. Rinse twice with distilled water. Dry the capsules at room temperature and sort by size by sifting through sieves.
Coating the Microcapsules
Procedure: Coat the capsules as described in Example 1.
Example 3
Using the completed, coated microcapsules as described in Example 1, combine 0.14 g of the capsules with 0.5 mL of poly(ethylene glycol) (M n =300) until homogenous. No infrared light is observed until the capsules are crushed.
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A one-part, pressure activated chemiluminescent material is disclosed. The free-flowing powder is made by coating microcapsules, filled with a solvent and dye, with a powdered oxalate and a solid source for hydrogen peroxide. The reaction begins when the capsules are crushed, releasing the solvent, which dissolves the oxalate and the source for hydrogen peroxide. The resulting reaction transfers energy to the dye, which produces light.
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This is a continuation of PCT/EP 97/03685, filed Jul. 11, 1997.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
The invention concerns a vehicle wheel and, in particular, a wheel having special sound absorbing properties.
When a vehicle travels over a road, its driver and passengers are placed in the passenger space in a very noisy environment. It is a constant concern of automobile manufacturers to limit the sound level of their vehicles as much as possible.
The sources of these noises in the passenger space are highly varied. They include noises due to the engine, or of aerodynamic origin, or linked to the various hydraulic pumps or running noises of the tires on the road.
The latter originate from shocks sustained on rolling by the tire treads and solidly transmitted to the vehicle passenger space. Such noises come within a very wide frequency range of between 80 and 800 Hz, with, notably, peaks toward 250 Hz. These noises are called "body hum."
In this frequency range, one encounters, in particular, a natural mode of vibration of the air toroid of the inner cavity of the tire as well as four natural modes of vibration of ordinary wheels.
A great deal of research has been undertaken to try to limit the noise heard in the passenger space of vehicles. For example, patent application JP 4-87803 proposes introducing a wall in the inner cavity of the tire in order to divide the inner air toroid in two, substantially altering its modes of vibration by shifting them beyond 500 Hz and thus lower the peaks of the body hum in the passenger space at around 250 Hz.
Another mode of action is described in application JP 6-106903. This application proposes inserting a sound absorbing element in the inner cavity of the tire, such as a foam, in order to attenuate the vibrations due to resonance of the air toroid.
These applications have not yet been put to any industrial use to date; consequently, the problem of effectively reducing the noise heard in the passenger space of a vehicle is still very much present.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
By defining below the "interior" and "exterior" axial orientations relative to the mid-plane of a wheel, the "curved nozzle" of a wheel disk is understood to be the axially outermost part of the disk (see FIG. 1).
The invention concerns a method of raising the frequencies of several of the natural modes of vibration of a vehicle wheel comprising a rim and a disk, in which the circumferential zone forming the curved nozzle of said wheel is mechanically reinforced.
According to a first embodiment, the thickness of the disk in its axially outermost part is 10 to 150% greater than the thickness of the other parts of the disk.
According to a second embodiment, a continuous ring is fastened to the curved nozzle of the disk. The ring is preferably arranged on the inner axial side of the wheel disk, but it can also be placed on the outer axial side.
A set of reinforcing elements, such as a discontinuous ring, can also be axially fastened internally or externally to the curved nozzle of the disk.
As will be explained below, a wheel according to the invention, the disk of which is mechanically reinforced at its curved nozzle relative to an ordinary mechanically optimized wheel profile, presents at least two of its natural modes of vibration shifted to the high frequencies.
But this wheel also has the advantage of making possible an appreciable attenuation of the body hum heard in the passenger space of a vehicle equipped with such wheels.
A wheel according to the invention can also contain a mechanical link between the disk and the rim reinforced beyond what is strictly necessary to withstand the rolling stresses in order to raise the frequencies of several of the natural modes of vibration of said wheel.
The advantage of this embodiment of the invention is to increase the efficiency of absorption of the body hum in the passenger space of a vehicle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Several embodiments of the invention are presented nonlimitatively, based on the following figures:
FIG. 1 represents a half-section of a conventional sheet steel passenger car wheel;
FIG. 2 presents the vibration response of a wheel to a shock excitation;
FIGS. 3 to 6 illustrate the four ordinary modes of vibration of the wheel of FIG. 1, with a nondeformed wheel at (a) and the same wheel with an amplified deformation at (b);
FIG. 7 shows a wheel with a curved nozzle reinforcement and a disk/rim link reinforcement;
FIG. 8 presents the results of octave third band analysis of a vehicle wheel test according to the invention;
FIG. 9 shows a wheel with an internally axially arranged curved nozzle;
FIG. 10 shows a wheel with a discontinuous curved nozzle reinforcement;
FIG. 11 presents several embodiments (a), (b), (c) of disk/rim link reinforcements; and
FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of a disk/rim link reinforcement in the case of a disk/rim assembly under the seat.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 represents a conventional passenger car steel sheet wheel 1 of reference "5 1/2Jx14CHA-4-36." This wheel comprises a rim 10 and a disk 20. Taking as reference the position of the disk 20 relative to the mid-plane of the wheel 1, in order to define the axially outer and inner sides, the rim 10 presents two flanges, inner 11 and outer 12; two seats, inner 13 and outer 14; two anti-unseating bosses or "humps," inner 15 and outer 16; and a rim cavity 17.
The disk comprises a hub bearing 21, a curved basin 22, a curved nozzle 23, a perforated zone 25 and a joinder zone 26 under the rim well 17. The curved nozzle 23 is the axially outermost part of the disk.
The wheel has a mechanically optimized profile and is made by steel sheet stamping. Consequently, the thicknesses of the different parts of the disk 20 and of the rim 10 are appreciably constant.
When such wheel is mechanically excited, it can go into resonance according to several natural modes of vibration. These natural modes are determined by fixing the wheel to a seismic block, for example, and then exciting it by a shock with a dynamometric hammer, registering the relative acceleration on said excitation by means of accelerometers and calculating the transfer function γ/F=ƒ(ν), where γ is the acceleration measured in m/s 2 , F the force of the shock imposed in newtons, and ν the vibration frequency in hertz.
FIG. 2 presents such a curve γ/F=ƒ(ν) for the wheel of FIG. 1. On said curve, the presence of four peaks in the 80-800 Hz range can be observed. These peaks correspond to the four ordinary natural modes of vibration of the wheel in that frequency range.
These natural modes of vibration arc now described by means of FIGS. 3 to 6 from a numerical simulation. The figures present in perspective: at (a), the nondeformed wheel and at (b), the wheel with a markedly amplified deformation corresponding to one of the natural modes.
There are two natural disk modes, so called because it is mainly disk 20 which is deformed.
The first natural disk mode, called swing mode of the disk, is presented in FIG. 4. That natural mode is situated toward 271 Hz and corresponds to the swing of the rim 10 on an axis lying within the hub bearing plane of the disk 20.
The second natural disk mode, called pumping mode (FIG. 5), is situated toward 513 Hz. This natural mode corresponds to a pumping movement of the disk 20, which is axially deformed on both sides of the rim 10.
In the other two natural modes, it is mainly the rim which is deformed. They are called rim modes.
FIG. 3 presents the first natural rim mode, in which an ovalization of the two rim flanges is observed in phase opposition. Said natural mode is situated toward 250 Hz and is called harmonic ovalization mode 2.
The second natural rim mode (FIG. 6) is situated toward 670 Hz. It again corresponds to an ovalization of the two rim flanges in phase opposition, but of higher order. It is called harmonic ovalization mode 3.
The body hum analysis test on the vehicle is carried out by placing a mannequin equipped with microphones in the passenger space of a vehicle. The output signals of the microphones are registered and analyzed in acoustic power, globally and in octave third bands. The results of a test are presented by variation of the acoustic powers of the solution tested relative to the acoustic powers of a reference.
FIG. 7 shows a wheel 1 equipped with two reinforcements according to the invention. The reinforcement 31 of curved nozzle 23 is an arched ring assembled by bonding and welding on the outer wall of said curved nozzle 23. This reinforcement 31 has a thickness identical to that of the other parts of the disk 20. Consequently, the total thickness of the curved nozzle 23 is doubled here relative to the normal thickness of the curved nozzle 23 of the wheel 1 of FIG. 1.
The disk/rim link reinforcement 32 is a straight ring two millimeters thick, welded under the outer seat 14 on one side and at the link 27 between the joinder zone 26 under the well 17 and the perforated zone 25.
Three wheels were tested with these reinforcements:
(a) wheel S1 with a curved nozzle 23 reinforcement 31;
(b) wheel S2 with a disk/rim link reinforcement 32; and
(c) wheel S3 with a curved nozzle 23 reinforcement 31 and a disk/rim link reinforcement 32.
These wheels were compared to the wheel 1 referred to as R, shown in FIG. 1 without reinforcement.
Analysis of the natural modes of vibration yielded the results presented in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Ovalization Ovalization Swing Mode Pumping Mode Mode H2 Mode H3Wheel (Hz) (Hz) (Hz) (Hz)______________________________________R 271 513 250 670S1 336 621 255 681S2 265 509 324 853S3 334 651 320 770______________________________________
This table shows that the curved nozzle 23 reinforcement 31 results in appreciably shifting to the high frequencies the two natural modes of vibration of the disk, the swing mode (+65 Hz) and the pumping mode (+108 Hz). On the other hand, its effect on the two natural modes of the rim is almost nil (+5 Hz, +11 Hz).
The results of wheel S2 show that, in contrast to wheel S1, the disk/rim link reinforcement 32 has practically no effect on the two natural modes of the disk (-6 Hz, -4 Hz), but appreciably shifts the two natural modes of the rim (+74 Hz, +72 Hz).
It is observed, finally, that wheel S3 logically has all of its natural modes of vibration shifted to the high frequencies (from 63 to 138 Hz).
A vehicle test was carried out to determine whether those different wheels modified or not the intensity of the running noises heard in the passenger space of the vehicle, the body hum. The vehicle was a Renault Megane equipped with four identical wheels corresponding to the solution tested with Michelin MXT E tires, test speed: 80 km/h.
Table 2 presents the results of the overall analysis of the tests performed.
TABLE 2______________________________________Wheel S1 S2 S3______________________________________P - P.sub.R dB(A) -0.55 0.00 -0.65______________________________________
with P mean acoustic power of the solution tested, and P R mean acoustic power of the reference wheel R.
Table 2 shows a remarkable result for wheel S1, which makes possible an overall attenuation of 0.55 dB(A). Such attenuation of the body hum is very appreciable. On the other hand, wheel S2 has no overall efficiency. Finally, the result of wheel S3 confirms the efficiency of the curved nozzle reinforcement 31, but also indicates a synergy between the two reinforcements 31, 32, since the overall attenuation of that wheel is 0.65 dB(A).
FIG. 8 presents the results of the octave third band analysis of the preceding vehicle test.
The most important result of this figure is, in addition to confirmation of the overall analysis, the fact that the attenuation observed exceeds 1.5 dB(A) for the two wheels S1 and S2 in the center band of 250 Hz, the band where body hum peaks are situated.
This result shows that the wheels according to the invention, equipped with at least one curved nozzle 23 reinforcement 31, make it possible effectively and very substantially to attenuate the body hum heard in the passenger space of a vehicle.
Without departing from the scope of the invention, numerous other embodiments of reinforcements can be used.
In particular, applicant observed that, starting from a 10% increase in thickness of the curved nozzle 23, a significant increase of vibration frequency of the two natural modes of the disk was obtained. On the other hand, it does not seem advisable to exceed an increase in thickness of around 150% because of the extra weight that would be created.
FIGS. 9 to 12 present other embodiments of the invention.
In FIG. 9, a wheel 1 is shown, the disk 20 of which contains an internally axially arranged continuous curved nozzle 23 reinforcement 41. Such a wheel disk can be obtained by welding said reinforcement 41 after or during stamping of the steel or aluminum sheet wheel disk. An equivalent disk can also be obtained by variation of thickness of the disk in the zone of the curved nozzle 23 by steel or aluminum sheet flow turning or planishing processes. Such wheel disks can also belong to wheels made by casting or forging followed, if necessary, by a machining until obtaining the desired profile.
The reinforcements can also be discontinuous, such as those shown in FIG. 10. This figure shows a side view of a passenger car wheel 1 containing, at the curved nozzle 23, four reinforcements 51 evenly distributed on the circumference.
FIG. 11 shows a wheel 1 equipped with disk/rim link reinforcements. In FIG. 11 (a), the disk/rim link reinforcement 61 is a straight ring 66 with two support elements 64 against the seat 14 of the rim 10 and 65 against the zone of connection 27 between the joinder zone 26 and the perforated zone 25 of the disk 20. The reinforcement 62 of FIG. 11 (b) contains, as previously, a ring 67 with two support elements 64 and 65. In this example, the ring 67 is arched with a concavity turned toward the outside of the disk 20. Finally, the reinforcement 63 of FIG. 11 (c) has an arched ring 68, the concavity of which is turned toward the inside of the disk 20. These three disk/rim link reinforcements very appreciably shift the two natural modes of vibration of the rim toward the high frequencies, but the most marked shifts are obtained with the reinforcement 63 of FIG. 11 (c), the concavity of which is turned toward the inside.
FIG. 12 presents a wheel 2 equipped with another example of a disk/rim link reinforcement 73. In this case, the disk 70 is assembled under the outer seat 14 of the rim 10 with a concavity of the joinder zone 72 turned toward the outside of the disk 70. The reinforcement 73 joins the radially outer end of the perforated zone 71 of the disk 70 and the rim well 17. This solution is particularly effective in terms of shifting the natural modes of vibration of the rim.
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A rim and disk type wheel which is mechanically reinforced to raise the fuencies of several of the vibration modes of the wheel to attenuate the running noises heard in the passenger space.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to user interfaces which permit the use of pronouns and, more particularly, to a method and system for disambiguation of pronouns used in a user interface.
In a voice user interface, such as a voice personal assistant with an address book, it is often convenient to allow the user to use pronouns. For example, after the user has listened to a message from John Jones, he should be able to say “call him back,” in order to return the call. However, the use of pronouns introduces the difficulty that the entries (e.g. people and organizations) in the user's address book may be male, female, or corporations, such that the pronouns him, her, it, and them are possible inputs by the user in a given interaction.
One method of processing input containing pronouns is to allow the user to use pronouns indiscriminately. In this method, all pronouns are allowed and equivalent in the grammar or user response and the system assumes that the user will use the pronoun that is appropriate. Even if the user does not use the right pronoun, the pronoun equivalency will probably result in the system performing the correct action (the action the user intended). This is the method most systems use today.
However, in these prior art systems, the system is receiving (and the user is speaking) information that is essentially being disregarded. With the problems that exist with speech recognition today, even this small amount of information could help to improve recognition. It should also be noted that in some cases (common first names, some company names), it is easy to select a pronoun for a given name, but in other cases (the proverbial boy named Sue, or more common names like Jan, Jordan, Randy, Sandy and Shelly) it is quite likely to be incorrect. This means that if the system assigns a gender to each possible entry based on the noun identifier or name provider, the gender may be inappropriate. In this case, it is not just a grammatical issue; the system is more difficult to use, as it requires the user to learn an assigned “gender” which may have little basis in reality.
Some programs allow the user to provide gender-indicating information, for example a title like Mr. or Mrs. However, not all programs allow (or require) users to specify a title and those that do typically also accept titles (e.g. Dr., Hon., or Gen.) that are gender-neutral. In addition, it is not uncommon for a user to be unaware of the gender of a person in their address book, particularly if all of their communication has been via email or other written correspondence.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved user interface.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and system for using pronouns in a user interface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and system for disambiguating the use of pronouns in a user interface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a method and system for disambiguating pronouns used by a user during an interaction with the system. The method and system according to the invention allow the user to input pronoun references to nouns or proper nouns used in the context of the interaction. The method and system associate pronoun references with nouns and proper nouns input by a user and learn or modify the associated pronoun references through experience based upon usage by a user.
The system can include a user reference database (such as a user address book) which lists entries by one or more identifiers or names. The user reference database can include one or more fields or records for including pronoun reference information to be associated with each entry. Alternatively, the system can include a separate pronoun database which provides pronoun references associated with entries in a user reference database. When a user inputs a new entry into the reference database, the user can be prompted or required to input pronoun reference information (either directly “him” or “her” or indirectly Mr. or Mrs.). Alternatively (or in addition), the system can include a search component for searching entries in one or more databases for entries having the same as or similar identifier information to a given entry in the user reference database and assigning a pronoun designation as a function of the results of the search. The search component can be adapted to search any or all of the available databases, including the user reference database, a default pronoun database of common identifiers, a unified user reference database and/or a plurality of user reference databases.
The system can also include a historical list of references to nouns and proper nouns used during the interaction between the user and the system. The historical list can be a list of all nouns to which the user and/or the system has referred within a given session. The list can be limited to nouns mentioned (or referred to via pronouns) within a given time period, number of utterances, number of nouns, or other constraint. Upon receiving input from a user containing a pronoun reference, the system can be adapted for using the pronoun information contained in one or more databases to determine the noun or proper noun that the pronoun could refer to. The system can be adapted to compare an input (or recognized) pronoun received by the system with a listing of pronouns corresponding to one or more of the nouns or proper nouns in the historical list, in order to properly interpret the user's input. The system can select the record in the user reference database corresponding to a noun or proper noun as a function of the order in the historical list (e.g. the most recent) and the pronoun preference associated therewith. The system can use the information contained in that record as needed to complete the task requested by the user. The pronouns corresponding to the nouns or proper nouns in the historical list can be initially selected by the system as a function of 1) a predefined system database that associates identifiers of nouns and proper nouns; 2) the user reference database; 3) a unified user reference database and/or a other databases or sources of pronoun reference information. After the initial selection, the pronoun preference information can be modified as a function of usage.
After the system has selected an entry corresponding to one of the most recently identified nouns or proper nouns in the history list that matches the pronoun recognized by the system, the system can prompt the user to verify the entry selected by the system. Based upon the user response, the system can update or modify the pronoun information in one of the system databases to permit the system to learn or adapt based upon pronoun usage. For example, where the user verifies the correct selection, a value for the pronoun associated with noun or proper noun selected can be incremented or modified in recognition of the accepted usage or where the user indicates an incorrect selection, a value for the pronoun associated with noun or proper noun selected can be decremented or modified in recognition of the unaccepted usage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects of this invention, the various features thereof, as well as the invention itself, may be more fully understood from the following description, when read together with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a system for providing a voice based personal assistant in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an application processing unit in accordance with the present invention;
FIGS. 3 and 4 show flow charts of processes for associating pronoun references with identifiers or names in a reference database in accordance with the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a flow chart for interpreting pronoun references and learning pronoun preferences in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is directed to a system for providing a user interface which can accept and interpret input containing pronouns. The system can learn or modify pronoun preferences by storing pronoun preference information and by modifying that pronoun preference information based upon usage. The present invention is also directed to a method for interpreting input which contains pronouns using pronoun preference information. The method can include storing pronoun preference information and modifying the pronoun preference information based upon usage. In order to facilitate a better understanding, the invention is described below with respect to one or more illustrative embodiments from which a person having ordinary skill in the field can make and use the invention.
FIG. 1 shows a system 10 for providing a voice based user interface in accordance with the present invention. The system 10 is, in part, a conventional information services system as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,029,199; 5,263,080; 5,193,110; 5,659,599; 5,524,139; and 5,402,472, all assigned to Comverse Network Systems, Inc. of Wakefield, Mass. and incorporated herein by reference. The System 10 is connected to a Central Office 12 into which users may call and include optional telephone network interface circuitry 14 including Channel Bank 16 . The system 10 further includes one or more Master Control Units (MCU) 30 that control digital switching system 32 to route calls from the central office 12 to one or more of the application processing units (APU) 20 . Each APU 20 can include a computer having a central processing unit (CPU) 22 and data storage (HD) 40 and telephone network termination, such as a T1 termination that can provide up to 24 voice ports or telephone interface ports 26 . The APU 20 performs the user call processing and allows the user access to user and system data stored in data storage 40 or other system storage (not shown).
FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic view of an application processing unit 20 in accordance with the present invention. The APU 20 can include a noun reference database 42 , a pronoun reference database 44 and a historical listing 46 . The APU 20 can further include a voice assistant 52 that can facilitate user interaction with one or more voice applications 54 . The voice assistant 52 can allow a user to interact with one or more voice applications 54 using spoken commands and numeric keypad input.
For purposes of illustration, the present invention is described herein with respect to a voice personal assistant which allows a user to access a voice application, such as a voice messaging system. The voice messaging system can provide a noun reference database, for example, an address book which provides telephone numbers and/or email addresses associated with nouns and proper nouns (such as individual people or organizations) by a unique noun identifier such as a name. The names can be entered into the address book by the user or the system can enter the names based upon external input, such as caller ID data or other caller data (including speech recognition of caller input data). The voice personal assistant 52 can track the nouns and proper nouns used or referenced by the user in the historical listing 46 which can include a chronological listing (or database) of names used by either the user or the voice personal assistant 52 or both within a session, time period or other constraint.
APU 20 can be an IBM Compatible computer based upon an Intel (Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif.) or compatible microprocessor and running a Microsoft Windows (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash.), Unix based or Linux based operating system. The APU 20 can include RAM and non-volatile storage, such as a hard disk, and a network interface (e.g. Ethernet or Fast Ethernet—not shown). The network interconnects each of the APUs 20 and the MCUs 30 to allow information to be sent between them. The system can further include a network storage device (not shown) which can allow one or more APUs 20 or MCUs 30 to store and access data from a common location.
In accordance with the invention, the system can further provide a means for associating one or more pronoun preferences with one or more the entries in the address book. This can be accomplished, for example, by providing additional fields in the address book for pronoun information or by providing a separate pronoun database 44 which is linked to one or more entries in the address book.
Table 1 provides an example of a pronoun database or log in accordance with the present invention.
TABLE 1 Noun Identifier Him Her Them It User John 4 Tim Smith Pat 3 1 User1234 American Airlines 1 10 2 Admin Weather 6 99-1234
The pronoun database can include a listing of noun identifiers or names and one or more pronoun fields which keep a count of the number of times that the user referred to the noun (e.g. the person or organization) by a specific pronoun (e.g. him, her, them or it). The pronoun fields can be part of the user's address book or provided as part of a separate pronoun database.
Where a separate pronoun database is provided, it is not necessary for the system to include a noun reference database, such as an address book. For example, where the system provides simple voice mailbox services, which does not provide a user address book, the system can create and maintain a pronoun database transparent to the user. The separate pronoun database can be specific to a given user or a global database common to all users. Where the separate pronoun database is common to all users, it can be linked, such as via a USER field to a specific user of the system.
The structure of the pronoun database can be adapted based upon the needs of the system and the language of the system users. For example, a system which only references people might only track the masculine and feminine pronouns (e.g. him and her) and similarly, a system which only references organizations or business entities might only track singular and plural pronouns (e.g. it and them). A system which uses a non-English language can track other pronouns as can be appropriate (such as “ellos,” the masculine third person plural pronoun in Spanish). In addition, a single field can be used to track mutually exclusive pronoun preferences, for example, a masculine/feminine pronoun field can track usage by its numeric value whereby, for example, a positive number is indicative of feminine preference and a negative number is indicative of a masculine preference and the value is adjusted by adding or subtracting adjustment units based upon usage. A zero value could invoke a default preference or can be designated not valid (i.e. adding 1 to −1 changes the value to +1 or using odd number and an adjustment unit value of 2). Alternatively, field could range from 1 to 10 where 1 indicates a strong preference toward, for example, a singular pronoun and 10 indicates a strong preference for a plural pronoun. In addition, the field values can be limited to prevent them getting too large and overflowing the field limit. For example, the values can be limited to +10 and −10 or in from 1 to 10 and the modification process can be adapted to increment the field up to the limit value whereby increments beyond the limit value are ignored.
For example, the data in Table 1 could appear as in Table 2, where in the masculine-feminine (M/F) field, the field range is −10 to +10 and a negative value indicates a masculine preference and a positive value indicates a feminine preference and in the singular-plural (S/P) field, the range is 1 to 10 and a value closer to 1 indicates a singular preference and a value closer to 10 indicates a plural preference.
TABLE 2
Noun Identifier
M/F
S/P
User
John
−4
Tim Smith
Pat
3
6
User1234
American Airlines
−1
8
Admin
Weather
1
99-1234
FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a process 100 for creating a pronoun database in accordance with the present invention. In the process described, the system includes a separate pronoun database that is linked to the user reference database (the address book in our illustrative example). The process 100 starts at step 110 where a record is added to the noun reference database. A user can add the record, a new entry in their address book, or the system can add the entry upon receipt of an incoming call (with caller ID services or call input information) or receipt of a voice message or other external communication from which the necessary information can be derived. When a record is added to the user's address book, a corresponding entry can be added in the user's pronoun database in step 112 . For example, if John Smith is added to the user's address book, an entry for John Smith is also added to the user's pronoun database. At step 114 , the system searches the noun reference database for pronoun information. This includes searching the newly created entry in the noun reference database for gender information. If the noun reference database includes one or more gender specific fields in step 116 , the information from those fields can be used to determine a pronoun preference and modify the entry in the pronoun database in step 118 . For example, in the user address book the system can search for titles such as Mr. and Mrs. or even a specific male or female designation in the newly added record. The system can also search other records in the noun reference database for matching or similar entries. Where the noun references match in step 116 , the information can be used to modify the entry in the pronoun database in step 118 . For example, the given name John may match other address book entries and the pronoun information (masculine) associated with the other entries in the pronoun database can be used to formulate the pronoun preference for the newly created entry in the pronoun database. Optionally, the system can be configured to search other system or external databases in addition to or instead of searching the noun reference database. For example, if no pronoun information is found in step 116 , the system can continue the search for more pronoun information in step 120 (and if no information is found, leave a predefined entry, such as a blank entry or a default value).
In step 120 , the process can continue to search other system databases for pronoun information. If pronoun information is found in step 122 , the information can be used to modify the entry in the pronoun database in step 124 . The other system databases can include other user reference databases and user pronoun databases, a default system pronoun database which includes predefined default values for many possible name entries. If no pronoun information is found at step 122 , the system can optionally proceed to step 126 in order to search external databases.
In step 126 , the process can continue to search external databases for pronoun information. If pronoun information is found in step 128 , the information can be used to modify the entry in the pronoun database in step 130 . External databases can include searching the Internet or establishing a connection, for example over a network, with a remote system that provides pronoun information. If no pronoun information is found at step 128 , the process ends. If no pronoun information is found at this (or any other) point, the process can include a step (not shown) whereby a default pronoun preference, such as her or it is used.
It should be appreciated that it is not necessary for the system to include a noun reference database, such as a user address book. Where the user receives a voice message from caller, the system implementing the process above in accordance with the invention can add an entry for the caller in a pronoun database of the user based upon the available information. The system can use, for example, caller ID to determine the caller's telephone number and use the telephone number to retrieve the caller's name or prompt the caller for any needed information.
FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of a process 200 for creating a pronoun database in accordance with the present invention. In the process described, the pronoun data is included as part of the user reference database (the address book in our illustrative example). The process 200 starts at step 210 where a record is added to the noun reference database. A user can add the record, a new entry in their address book or the system can add the entry upon receipt of an incoming call (with call ID services or call input information) or receipt of a voice message or other external communication from which the necessary information can be derived. When a record is added to the user's address book, default information can be added in the pronoun data fields of the address book in step 212 . For example, if John Smith is added to the user's address book, an entry for “him” is also added to the user's address book. This entry can be purely arbitrary, “it” for all entries or the information can be determined as a function of additional information obtained in the succeeding steps. At step 214 , the system searches the noun reference database for pronoun information. This includes searching the newly created entry in the noun reference database for gender information. If the noun reference database includes one or more gender specific fields in step 216 , the information from those fields can be used to determine a pronoun preference and modify the pronoun information in the noun reference database in step 218 . For example, in the user address book the system can search for titles such as Mr. and Mrs. or even a specific male or female designation in the newly added record. The system can also search other records in the noun reference database for matching or similar entries. Where the noun references match in step 216 , the information can be used to modify the pronoun information in the noun reference database in step 218 . For example, the given name John may match other address book entries and the pronoun information (masculine) associated with the other entries in the pronoun database can be used to formulate the pronoun preference for the newly created entry in the user address book. Optionally, the system can be configured to search other system and external databases in addition to or instead of searching the noun reference database. For example, if no pronoun information is found in step 216 , the system can continue the search for more pronoun information in step 220 (and if no information is found, leave a default value).
In step 220 , the process can continue to search other system databases for pronoun information. If pronoun information is found in step 222 , the information can be used to modify the pronoun information in the noun reference database in step 224 . The other system databases can include other user reference databases and user pronoun databases, a default system pronoun database which includes predefined default values for many possible name entries. If no pronoun information is found at step 222 , the process can optionally continue to step 226 in order to search external databases.
In step 226 , the process can continue to search external databases for pronoun information. If pronoun information is found in step 228 , the pronoun information can be used to modify the pronoun information in the noun reference database in step 230 . External databases can include searching the Internet or establishing a connection, for example over a network, with a remote system that provides pronoun information. If no pronoun information is found at step 228 , the process ends. If no pronoun information is found at this (or any other) point, the process can include a step (not shown) whereby a default pronoun preference, such as her or it is used.
In accordance with system and method of the present invention, the pronoun information obtained from the various sources searched can be weighted. Thus, for example, where a record for Pat indicates a gender specific title such as Mr., the information can be weighted higher than another record which does not include a gender specific title and only indicates that the first name “Pat” uses a feminine pronoun. Specific examples include: Gender specific fields in the user address book (Mr., Ms., Mrs., etc.) can be weighted at 10 points; Object specific fields in the user address book (e.g. a “Company name”) can be weighted at 10 points as “them”; Entries added to the user's address book using a specific pronoun (e.g. “add him to my address book”) can be weighted at 1 point (this low weight value is due to the possibility of the user or the recognition being incorrect); The most common gender for the same first name in the user's address book, all address books in the system, or an external database can be weighted at 5 points; The most common pronoun for the same first name in all address books in the system can be weighted at 10 points; The most common gender for the same first name from a country specific (to the person) database or shared system address book can be weighted at 10 points; A database of known companies (from, for example, a stock market or other company listing) can be weighted at 10 points.
FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of a process 300 for interpreting pronoun references and learning pronoun preferences in accordance with the present invention. The process 300 begins at step 310 wherein the user provides input that includes a pronoun and the pronoun is recognized by the system at step 312 . Upon recognition of the pronoun in step 312 , the system examines the history list in step 314 in order to interpret the pronoun. If there are no entries in the history list at step 316 , the system indicates to the user “I am not sure who him/her/them/it refers to, please enter a name” in step 318 and returns to step 310 for more input from the user. If there are many entries in the history list in step 320 , the pronoun preference for the most recently used entry in the history list can be determined in step 322 and compared with the pronoun recognized in step 324 . If the pronouns match in step 324 , the user can be prompted whether the correct entry was selected in step 328 . If the user approves the selection in step 330 , the pronoun information for that selection is modified as a result of the successful interpretation of the pronoun at step 332 . The process proceeds to step 336 where the selected entry is used to perform a task, such as for example, place a telephone call or send a voice mail or e-mail message.
If the pronoun preference for the most recently used entry in the history list does not match the pronoun recognized, the process enters a loop which determines and compares the pronoun preference for each entry in the history list, from most recent to least recent, until the pronoun determined matches the pronoun recognized or some process defined limit is reached (for example, after considering the 5 or 10 most recent entries in the history list). After a match is found, the process proceeds to step 328 to verify the selection and, if verified, modify the pronoun information and perform the requested task.
If there is only one entry in the history list at step 320 , the process continues to step 334 where the selected entry is used to perform a task, such as for example, place a telephone call, send a voice mail or e-mail message.
The sample dialog below provides further illustration and understanding of the present invention:
USER: Play my messages SYSTEM: You have a message from John Jones . . . “Please talk to Pat Smith today about the project; it's due on Friday.” USER: Call Pat Smith. SYSTEM: Calling Pat Smith. <ring> There is no answer from Pat Smith. Please record a voice message. <beep> USER: Hi, Pat, do you have time to talk at 3? I'll be in all morning. SYSTEM: Message sent to Pat Smith. USER: Call him back.
In this example, “Call him back” could either indicate that the user wants to call John, for example, to tell him that he has tried to schedule a meeting with Pat, or that the user wants to call Pat, for example, because he has just realized that he already has a three o'clock meeting and needs to send another message to Pat Smith to change the meeting time.
If this dialogue happens, and the pronoun data in database is as shown in Table 3, Pat is usually referred to with a female pronoun. Thus the system will assume that the user means John, and will say “Calling John Jones, if this is wrong, say cancel.” If the user says cancel, nothing is recorded in the pronoun log. If not, this is counted as a successful use of the male pronoun for John and the pronoun information in the Him field of John is increased to 5.
TABLE 3
Name
Him
Her
Them
It
John
4
Pat
3
1
If, on the other hand, the pronoun log is as described in Table 4, the hypothesis will be that “him” refers to Pat, as Pat is the most-recently-mentioned person for whom the preference could be male.
TABLE 4
Name
Him
Her
Them
It
John
4
Pat
2
1
1
In another embodiment, the pronoun database entries can consist of a name from the address book and an ordered linked list of symbols representing the pronouns in the historical order used in the system by the user as shown in Table 5. When a new entry is added to the address book, the system compiles all available pronoun information and adds the appropriate pronoun to the end of the linked list for each piece of pronoun information considered. Multiple copies of a pronoun can be added if the pronoun information has a high weighting, for example, if the pronoun information is rated as weighted at ten points in the previous example. If at any point the linked list has more than N members (for example, nine in this instantiation), the first element or the oldest element can be dropped.
TABLE 5
Name
Pronoun Usage
John
him, him, him, him,
Pat
him, her, him, him
Chris
him, him, him, him, her, him, her, her
When the user speaks a pronoun, the system will go through each of the possible entries in the history list and count the number of each pronoun in the linked list associated with each entry. If there is a clear majority, then that pronoun will be associated with the name. The pronouns in the linked list can be weighted based upon their age, such that the most recently entered pronoun on the list may be worth three times the oldest entry on the linked list (assuming that the user will eventually meet the person or otherwise determine the correct gender of the person in their address book). In addition, multiple pronouns can be associated with a particular name.
One advantage of this embodiment is that it allows the system to be responsive to the user's vocabulary choice. If, for instance, the user finds that she has been using the wrong pronoun for a contact, the system will quickly learn the new usage with no additional work on the part of the user.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of the equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
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A method and system for pronoun disambiguation adapts or learns from evaluating input by the user. The system stores pronoun information relating to pronoun usage for people, entities, and things that a user can use a pronoun to refer to in interacting with the system. The pronoun information is used by the system in a process that interprets the meaning of the pronoun in the context of the interaction with the user. The system and method include matching the pronoun reference input by the user to the likely person or thing based upon an evolving pronoun preference associated with the person, entity or thing. During each interaction, the system and method permit the user to verify that the system interpreted the pronoun as referring to the correct person, entity or thing and modifies the stored pronoun information to reflect the verified usage. The system and method can select pronoun preferences when a user adds an entry into their address book by searching for information that can indicate the proper pronoun preference for a given entry. The pronoun preference can be selected based upon information in the user's address book and/or other sources of pronoun information such as other users' address books and system databases.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. non-provisional application entitled “OFFSETTING DUAL FLUSH ADAPTER” having Ser. No. 14/951,590, filed Nov. 25, 2015, which is a divisional application of U.S. non-provisional application entitled “OFFSETTING DUAL FLUSH ADAPTER” having Ser. No. 13/096,162, filed Apr. 28, 2011, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application entitled “OFFSETTING DUAL FLUSH ADAPTER” having Ser. No. 61/328,874, filed Apr. 28, 2010, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Most toilets in the United States feature a single flush capability that typically uses more water than is needed to flush urine and tissue. This translates into a colossal waste of water each year. Also, typical flush valves that include a flapper preclude the use of other flush technologies without significant effort needed to remove a toilet tank, remove an existing flush valve, and install a new style flush valve, or result in limited fit or function.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
[0004] FIGS. 1A-1D are drawings that provide various views of a single flush toilet flush valve with a dual flush adaptor according to various embodiments.
[0005] FIGS. 2A-2C are drawings that provide various views of another single flush toilet flush valve with a dual flush adaptor according to various embodiments.
[0006] FIGS. 3A-3E, 4A-4B, 5A-5B, and 6A-6D are drawings that provide various views of a single flush toilet flush valve with other dual flush adaptors according to various embodiments.
[0007] FIGS. 7A and 7B are drawings that illustrate the coupling of a dual flush canister to the dual flush adaptor of FIGS. 3A-6D according to various embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] With reference to FIGS. 1A-1D , shown are various views of a toilet flush valve 100 that includes an overflow tube 103 . The flush valve 100 is generally employed in gravity toilets and includes an orifice 106 through which water drains into a toilet bowl during a flush of a toilet as can be appreciated. The orifice 106 is typically sealed using a flapper that hinges upon ears 109 that extend from the sides of the overflow tube 103 . Some flush valves do not use a flapper or have ears 109 as such as might be the case with a ball-type flush valve, but typically include an overflow tube 103 . In any event, the flush valves as described herein are those that are configured to seat a flapper, flush ball, gasket, or other sealing member to ensure that water does not leak into the toilet bowl until a flush is initiated.
[0009] A sealing washer such as a rubber washer or other sealing structure is sandwiched between the flush valve 100 and the bottom of the tank as can be appreciated. The flush valve 100 also includes a retaining nut 113 that is used to secure the flush valve 100 to the bottom of a toilet tank and serves to compress the rubber washer or other sealing structure. The flush valve 100 includes a threaded portion 116 upon which the retaining nut 113 is fastened. Also, another gasket may be employed to seal between the toilet tank and the toilet bowl.
[0010] Also depicted in FIGS. 1A-1D is an adapter 133 . The adapter includes a clamp 136 that can be affixed to the overflow tube 103 as shown. To this end, the adapter 133 can move up and down with the clamp 136 sliding up and down the overflow tube until the clamp 136 is tightened as shown. Attached to the adapter 133 is a gasket 139 . The gasket 139 is configured to be compatible with the flush orifice 106 such that it can mate with the junction forming a seal between the gasket 139 and the flush orifice 106 . Also, the gasket 139 is attached to the bottom of the adapter 133 in such a manner that a seal is formed at the junction between the adapter 133 and the gasket 139 . The adapter 133 may be viewed as a basket that includes a flush orifice 143 that is compatible with various flush mechanisms such as dual flush devices, siphonic flush valves, electronically operated dual flush valves, or other flush mechanisms. Although the following discussion mentions dual flush mechanisms, it is understood that the adapter 133 is not limited for use with such dual flush mechanisms, and that other flush mechanisms may be mated with the adaptor 133 as desired.
[0011] The adapter 133 is configured to mate with a flush mechanism such as a dual flush canister so that the dual flush canister can open or close the flush orifice 143 to implement a flush of a toilet. To this end, two different flushes may be implemented. One uses a minimum amount of water to flush urine and tissue down the drain. The second uses an additional amount of water to flush excrement and tissue, etc., down the drain.
[0012] To tighten the clamp 136 on the overflow tube 103 , a carriage bolt 153 extends through holes of ears 156 associated with the clamp 136 . The carriage bolt 153 may include a wing nut or other locking nut 159 that, when tightened, causes the leaves of the clamp 136 to compress the overflow tube 103 . The carriage bolt 153 may include a square portion 163 that mates with a square hole in a given one of the ears 156 to prevent the carriage bolt from rotating when the wing nut 159 is tightened. In other embodiments, the clamp 136 may be tightened on the overflow tube 103 using spring clamps, self-tapping screws, rubber ring, or other appropriate fasteners. For example, a zip tie 166 (or cable tie) may be used to tighten clamp 136 on the overflow tube 103 .
[0013] By virtue of the adapter 133 being mated with the flush orifice 106 by way of the gasket 139 , an existing single flush valve 100 that may already be installed in a toilet can be converted to a dual flush mechanism. To this end, the adapter 133 and the gasket 139 facilitate conversion of existing single flush valves 100 to dual flush mechanisms. Specifically, the adapter is slid down over the overflow tube 103 until the gasket 139 engages the flush orifice 106 . An individual may then press the adapter 133 downward such that the gasket 139 mates properly with the flush orifice 106 and seals the junction therebetween.
[0014] To this end, the gasket 139 may be deformed slightly to provide for a better seal. At this point, the adapter 133 may be held in place until the wing nut 159 is tightened, thereby tightening the clamp 136 onto the overflow tube. In this manner, the adapter 133 is held into place. In addition, when water fills up in a toilet tank, water pressure against the adaptor assembly aids in holding the adapter 133 in the proper position to maintain the seal formed between the flush orifice 106 and the gasket 139 . The flush valve 100 as shown in FIGS. 1A-1D is a horizontal style flush valve in that the flush orifice 106 is oriented in a horizontal direction relative to the bottom wall of a toilet tank in which the flush valve 100 is installed.
[0015] With specific reference to FIGS. 10 and 1D , shown are exploded views of the adapter 133 with the gasket 139 separated. As depicted in FIG. 1D , the adapter 133 includes an annular recess 173 which mates up with an inward annular projection 176 on the gasket 139 to provide for a seal between the adapter 133 and the gasket 139 as will be described in greater detail.
[0016] With reference next to FIGS. 2A-2C , shown is a flush valve 200 that includes an angled flush orifice 203 . To this end, the flush valve 200 is much the same as the flush valve 100 except for the fact that the flush orifice 203 is angled to accommodate the type of flapper or sealing member used to contain the water in the toilet tank and operate a flush cycle as can be appreciated. The adapter 133 and the clamp 136 are unchanged. The gasket 139 may be shaped to conform with the orifice 203 to the extent that the orifice 203 is elliptical in nature relative to the gasket 139 due to the angling of the flush orifice 203 .
[0017] With reference to FIGS. 3A-3E , shown is another arrangement for affixing a dual flush adapter 133 to the overflow tube 103 . The adapter 133 includes at least one arm 303 that extends from the adapter 133 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 3A-3E , two arms 303 extend from the upper rim 306 of the adapter 133 . In other embodiments, the arm(s) 303 may extend from another portion of the adapter 133 , e.g., down members 309 .
[0018] A mounting bracket 313 is affixed to the down tube 103 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 3A-3E , the mounting bracket 313 is clamped to the down tube 103 and secured in position by a bolt 316 using a nut or a threaded opening in the mounting bracket 313 . In other embodiments, securing means such as, but not limited to, screws, tabs, ties, etc. may be used to secure the mounting bracket 313 in position on down tube 103 .
[0019] The arms 303 are configured to engage with the mounting bracket 313 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 3A-3E , arm 303 includes a serrated edge 319 for positioning of gasket 139 within the flush orifice 203 . The mounting bracket 313 includes a corresponding ratchet mechanism 323 that engages with the serrated edge 319 of the arm 303 to secure the adapter 133 and gasket 139 in position. FIGS. 3D-3E illustrate the variation in positioning of the adapter 133 and gasket 139 to provide for alignment of the gasket 139 with an orifice 203 . Variations in the location of the orifice 203 with respect to the down tube 103 can be accounted for by movement of the arm(s) 303 within the ratchet mechanism(s) 323 . In some embodiments, the ratchet mechanism 323 may allow for movement of the arm 303 in both directions. Alternatively, the ratchet mechanism may only allow the arm 303 to be adjusted in a single direction unless the ratchet mechanism 323 is disengaged from the serrated edge 319 of the arm 303 .
[0020] In other embodiments, the mounting bracket 313 includes a securing mechanism in place of the ratchet mechanism 323 that engages with the arm 303 to secure the adapter 133 and gasket 139 in position. The securing mechanism may include an adjusting or set screw or other appropriate securing device that, when engaged with the arm 303 , holds gasket 139 in alignment with orifice 203 . Releasing the securing mechanism allows for adapter adjustment.
[0021] Referring next to FIGS. 4A-4B , shown is another arrangement for affixing a dual flush adapter 133 to the overflow tube 103 . The adapter 133 includes an adjustment arm 403 that extends from the adapter 133 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 4A-4B , the adjustment arm 403 extends from the upper rim 306 of the adapter 133 . In other embodiments, the adjustment arm 403 may extend from another portion of the adapter 133 , e.g., a down member 309 .
[0022] A mounting bracket 413 is affixed to the down tube 103 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 4A-4B , the mounting bracket 413 is clamped to the down tube 103 and secured in position by a bolt 416 using a nut or a threaded opening in the mounting bracket 413 . In other embodiments, securing means such as, but not limited to, screws, tabs, ties, etc. may be used to secure the mounting bracket 413 in position on down tube 103 .
[0023] The adjustment arm 403 is configured to be secured to the mounting bracket 413 using a bolt 419 and nut or other appropriate fastening means. Bolt 419 extends through an extension 423 of the mounting bracket 413 and a slot 426 of the adjustment arm 403 . By rotating the mounting bracket 413 and adjusting the position of bolt 419 within slot 426 , the position of the adapter 133 and gasket 139 may be adjusted to provide for alignment of the gasket 139 with an orifice 203 .
[0024] FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate the variation in positioning of the adapter 133 and gasket 139 to provide for alignment of the gasket 139 with an orifice 203 . In FIG. 4A , the mounting bracket 413 and adjustment arm 403 are secured in a first position to align gasket 139 with the orifice 203 . In FIG. 4B , the orifice 203 is located further away from down tube 103 . Accordingly, the mounting bracket 413 has been rotated on the down tube 103 and bolt 419 has been translated within the slot 426 to align gasket 139 with the orifice 203 . The mounting bracket 413 and adjustment arm 403 are secured in this second position to maintain alignment with orifice 203 .
[0025] Referring now to FIGS. 5A-5B , shown is another arrangement for affixing a dual flush adapter 133 to the overflow tube 103 . The adapter 133 includes two adjustment arms 403 that extend from the adapter 133 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 5A-5B , the adjustment arms 403 extend from the upper rim 306 of the adapter 133 .
[0026] A mounting bracket 513 is affixed to the down tube 103 . In the embodiment of FIGS. 5A-5B , the mounting bracket 513 is clamped to the down tube 103 and secured in position by a bolt 516 using a nut or a threaded opening in the mounting bracket 513 . In other embodiments, securing means such as, but not limited to, screws, tabs, ties, etc. may be used to secure the mounting bracket 513 in position on down tube 103 .
[0027] The adjustment arms 403 are configured to be secured to the mounting bracket 513 using a bolt 519 and nut or other appropriate fastening means. Bolts 519 extend through a slot 526 in extensions 523 of the mounting bracket 513 and a slot 426 of the adjustment arms 403 . Slots 426 in the adjustment arms 430 and slots 526 in the mounting bracket extensions 523 allow for repositioning of the adapter 133 and gasket 139 for alignment of the gasket 139 with an orifice 203 without rotating the mounting bracket 513 .
[0028] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the variation in positioning of the adapter 133 and gasket 139 to provide for alignment of the gasket 139 with an orifice 203 . In FIG. 5A , the adjustment arms 403 are secured in a first position to align gasket 139 with the orifice 203 . In FIG. 5B , the orifice 203 is located further away from down tube 103 . Accordingly, the bolts 519 have been translated within slots 426 and slots 526 to align gasket 139 with the orifice 203 . The adjustment arms 403 are secured in this second position to maintain alignment with orifice 203 .
[0029] Referring to FIGS. 6A-6D , shown is another arrangement for affixing a dual flush adapter 133 to the overflow tube 103 . In the embodiments of FIGS. 6A-6D , the adapter 133 includes a mounting flange 603 affixed to the upper rim 306 of the adapter 133 . In other embodiments, the mounting flange 603 may be affixed to another portion of the adapter 133 , e.g., a down member 309 . A mounting ring 606 extends around the down tube 103 and is fastened to the mounting flange 603 to secure the adapter 133 and gasket 139 in position. With openings 609 aligned, the mounting ring 606 may be secured to the mounting flange 603 by bolts and nuts, screws, zip ties, or other suitable fasteners.
[0030] The position of the adapter 133 and gasket 139 may be adjusted using shims 613 and/or rings 606 of various sizes as illustrated in FIG. 6B . The shims 613 include openings 609 that are aligned with the openings 609 of the mounting flange 603 and mounting ring 606 when secured in position on the down tube 103 . FIGS. 6C and 6D illustrate the variation in positioning of the adapter 133 and gasket 139 to provide for alignment of the gasket 139 with an orifice 203 . In FIG. 6C , a first shim 613 a is used to align gasket 139 with the orifice 203 . In FIG. 6D , the orifice 203 is located further away from down tube 103 . Accordingly, a thicker shim 613 b is utilized to align gasket 139 with the orifice 203 . With openings 609 aligned, the mounting ring 606 and shim 613 may be secured to the mounting flange 603 by bolts and nuts, screws, zip ties, or other suitable fasteners.
[0031] With reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B , shown is how the adapter 133 mates with a dual flush canister 703 according to various embodiments. The dual flush canister 703 includes mating ears 706 that slide into the grooves 719 and can be rotated within an annular groove. Attached to the dual flush canister 703 is a sealing member 709 that closes the flush orifice 716 of the adapter 133 when the dual flush canister 703 is idle. The sides of the adapter 133 feature water flow openings 713 that allow water to enter into the adapter 133 and flow through the flush orifice 143 when a flush is implemented. A flush is implemented when the mechanisms in the dual flush canister 703 lift the sealing member 709 to allow water to flow into the flush orifice 716 of the adapter and through the flush valve to a toilet bowl. In an alternative embodiment, the adapter 133 may actually be an integrally molded portion of the dual flush canister 703 . Furthermore, the dual flush canister may be similar to the dual flush canister manufactured by OEM toilet manufacturers and suppliers like CRN, LAB, VIB, R&T, WDI and Nison.
[0032] It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
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Various methods and systems are provided for offsetting of flush adapters. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes an adapter configured to attach to a flush mechanism configured to provide for a predefined flush capability in a toilet, a gasket attached to adapter, the gasket forming a seal between the flush mechanism and a flush orifice of a flush valve, where the flush valve is configured to seat a sealing member, and means for securing the gasket in position with respect to the flush orifice of the flush valve.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/552,213 filed Oct. 27, 2011 by Peter Ashwood-Smith and entitled “Forwarding Application-Specific Integrated Circuit General Egress Multicast Filter Method, System, and Apparatus,” which is incorporated herein by reference as if reproduced in their entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Modern communication and data networks comprise nodes, such as routers, switches, and/or bridges that transport data through the network. The routing functions within a node may be managed by specialized application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) and other customized hard-coded logic components. ASICs and other customized hard-coded logic components may increase routing performance using dedicated logic to perform routing functions. For instance, the dedicated logic may perform routing functions in a parallel fashion that may require serial processing when implemented using software. Unfortunately, ASICs and other customized hard-coded logic components have a limited repertoire of functionality, and thus lack component flexibility.
[0005] General-purpose network processors may provide a more flexible design than ASIC and other customized hard-coded logic components. General-purpose network processors improve flexibility be utilizing encoded software to implement routing functions. New features, services, and protocols may be added to the general-purpose network processor with software-only changes. Although general-purpose network processors improve flexibility, the general-purpose network processors are often less efficient, more expensive, and consume more power than ASICs and other hard-coded components. Thus, in many instances, nodes that deploy ASIC or other hard-coded components may be the design preference for nodes processing data packets.
[0006] When routing packets, a node may look up the destination address of an incoming data packet to retrieve the routing information. Nodes may employ an egress physical port bitmap that uses bits to represent the physical ports of a node. For example, a node may use a 64 element bitmap to represent 64 different physical ports. To improve routing capacity and efficiency, a node that comprises an ASIC or other customized hard-coded logic component may utilize an auxiliary lookup mechanism to manage a set of egress physical ports that receive the outgoing data packets. Implementation of the auxiliary lookup mechanism may provide more flexibility during the routing process. For example, the auxiliary lookup mechanism may completely overwrite an existing egress physical port bitmap with a new egress physical port bitmap to designate a new set of egress physical ports. An auxiliary lookup mechanism may also mask the set of egress physical ports or increase the number of egress physical ports in the set. However, impractical bitmap sizes and hardware inflexibility impede applying an auxiliary lookup mechanism at the logical port or per virtual local area network (VLAN) level. A design alternative may be to use network processors to apply the auxiliary lookup mechanism at the logical port or VLAN level using encoded software. Nonetheless, as discussed earlier, use of general-purpose network processors may not only decrease performance, but increase cost and power consumption. Thus, other innovative solutions are necessary to manage the routing process for nodes that comprise ASICs or other customized hard-coded logic components.
SUMMARY
[0007] In one example embodiment, the disclosure includes a method for adjusting the egress logical ports within a set of egress logical ports, the method comprising associating a plurality of operand values with a plurality of ingress logical ports and a plurality of egress logical ports, receiving a frame on one of the ingress logical ports, determining a proposed set of the egress logical ports to which to forward the frame, selecting an operator using content within the frame, performing a comparison operation comprising a first operand value, a second operand value, and the operator, modifying the proposed set of egress ports using the comparison operation, and transmitting the frame on the modified set of egress logical ports.
[0008] In yet another example embodiment, the disclosure includes a plurality of ingress physical ports each comprising at least one ingress logical port, wherein the ingress physical port is configured to receive a frame, a plurality of egress physical ports each comprising at least one egress logical port, wherein the egress physical port is configured to transmit a frame, an apparatus for filtering egress logical ports comprising an ASIC coupled to the ingress physical ports and the egress physical ports, wherein the ASIC is configured to perform a first lookup using a first set of data in the frame to determine an egress logical port associated with a first set of bits, match a second set of data in the frame to a plurality of operation values, wherein more than one of the operation values match the second set of data in the frame, select a first operation value from the plurality of operation values that match the second set of data in the frame, perform a Boolean operation using the first operation value to return a result value, and prevent forwarding of the frame to any egress logical port when the result value for the egress logical port indicates a frame discard instruction.
[0009] In yet another example embodiment, the disclosure includes a network node for filtering egress logical ports during a multicast transmission, wherein the network node comprises an ingress logical port configured to receive an incoming multicast packet, wherein the incoming multicast packet comprises a header, a payload and a specified data segment value located in either header or the payload, an ASIC comprising a hardware search engine component wherein the ASIC device is coupled to the ingress logical port, and a plurality of egress logical ports coupled to the ASIC, wherein the ASIC is configured to associate the ingress logical port and the plurality of egress logical ports with a plurality of operand values, perform a first lookup against the header to select the set of egress logical ports, wherein the set of egress logical ports is a subset of the plurality of egress logical ports, obtain the first specified data segment value from the multicast packet, divide a first specified data segment value from the multicast packet into a second specified data segment value and a third specified data segment value, wherein the second specified data segment value and the third specified data segment values are subsets of the first specified data segment value, perform a second lookup against the second specified data segment value in the multicast packet using the hardware search engine to obtain a first operation value, perform a third lookup against the third specified data segment value in the multicast packet using the hardware search engine to obtain a second operation value, obtain a designated operation value, and determine whether to discard the multicast packet for the set of egress multicast packet by performing a Boolean operation comprising the first operation value, the second operation value, and the designated operation value.
[0010] These and other features will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a network that comprises nodes with an auxiliary lookup mechanism for logical ports.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method that performs auxiliary lookup mechanism against egress logical ports.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a node coded with the auxiliary lookup mechanism for logical ports.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method that performs multiple auxiliary lookups using a specified data segment from an incoming data packet.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method that selects an “OPERATION” value when multiple “OPERATION” values match a specified data segment value.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] It should be understood at the outset that although an illustrative implementation of one or more embodiments are provided below, the disclosed systems and/or methods may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques described below, including the exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
[0018] Disclosed herein are a method, apparatus, and system to manage and adjust the set of egress logical ports selected for outgoing data packets. During the routing process, a node may forward an incoming packet from an ingress logical port to a proposed set of egress logical ports. The proposed set of egress logical ports may be initially selected using header information received by the incoming packet and the routing information obtained from routing tables. In conjunction with the initial routing process, an auxiliary lookup mechanism may be used to modify the proposed set of egress logical ports without redefining the egress physical port bitmaps. The auxiliary lookup mechanism may apply a rule using Boolean logic operations such as “A OPERATION B” that modifies or filters the proposed set of egress logical ports. The “A” value may represent an ingress logical port value, while the “B” value may represent a proposed egress logical port value. The “OPERATION” value may include, but are not limited to a number of different Boolean comparison operations. A node may obtain the “OPERATION” value using a lookup process based on a specified data segment within the incoming data packet. Accordingly, the auxiliary lookup mechanism may filter out the proposed egress logical port “B” based on the result of the comparison operation of “A” against “B,” and allow the packet to be transmitted on the remaining egress logical ports within the proposed set.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a network 100 that comprises nodes 102 that may use an auxiliary lookup mechanism for logical ports. Network 100 may be any network that provides multicast transmission, such as Internet Protocol (IP) networks, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks, Ethernet networks, etc. Network 100 may be a network comprising one or more local area networks (LANs), virtual networks, and/or wide area networks (WANs). Network 100 may be a network that operates in the electrical, optical, or a combination of both domains. Network 100 may offer data services that forward data from one node 102 to another node 102 without using pre-configured routes. Another example embodiment of network 100 may forward data from one node 102 to another node 102 across the network along pre-configured or pre-established paths.
[0020] Nodes 102 may include routers, switches, bridges, electrical-optical devices or various combinations thereof that are capable of transporting data packets through network 100 . Nodes 102 may comprise a plurality of ports that may be physical ports and/or logical ports. The ports between nodes 102 may be coupled directly with links 104 , such as fiber optic links, electrical links, and wireless links, or indirectly, using a logical connection or physical links with intervening nodes 102 . Links 104 may comprise a single link, a series of parallel links, a plurality of interconnected nodes 102 , or various combinations thereof used to transport data within network 100 .
[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 , Node A 102 and node B 102 may be coupled to a host 106 . The host 106 may include hosts, servers, storage devices or other types of end devices that may originate data into or receive data from network 100 . The host 106 may comprise a dual homed network interface controller with one port coupled to node A 102 and another port coupled to node B 102 . In one example embodiment, nodes A and B 102 may receive a multicast packet from a node 102 (e.g. node C 102 ) within network 100 . Nodes A and B 102 may be programmed to forward the multicast packet to all proper next-hop nodes 102 . Nodes A and B 102 may internally forward the incoming multicast packet from an ingress port to a set of egress ports based on routing information obtained from the incoming multicast packet and routing tables. Nodes A and B 102 may also be programmed to use an auxiliary lookup mechanism such that node A 102 may forward multicast packets with an even source address toward host 106 , and node B 102 may forward multicast packets with odd source address packets to host 106 . The auxiliary lookup mechanism may modify the proposed set of egress ports that have already been selected by the multicast forwarding logic. The auxiliary lookup mechanism will be discussed in further detail below. Other example embodiments of nodes A and B 102 may apply the auxiliary lookup mechanism to filter the multicast transmission to other nodes 102 , and may employ filtering mechanisms other than even and odd source addresses. Persons of ordinary skill in the art are aware that the auxiliary lookup mechanism may also be applied to any other types of data transmission, such as unicast or broadcast transmissions.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 200 that performs an auxiliary lookup mechanism against egress logical ports. Method 200 may start at block 202 , where “OPERAND” values are associated with logical ports of a node. “OPERAND” values may be a sequence of bits (e.g. “11001111”) for each ingress and egress logical port within a node. The “OPERAND” values may be unique values for each logical port, and may be obtained from a port address or assigned by an administrator. For example, one logical port may be assigned a bit value of “10000,” while another logical port may be assigned a bit value of “10001.” The “OPERAND” values from some of the logical ports may be used to perform comparison operations, which will be discussed in more detail at block 212 .
[0023] After assigning “OPERAND” values from the logical ports of a node, method 200 continues to block 204 . At block 204 , a node may receive an incoming data packet on an ingress logical port. The incoming packet may be a multicast, unicast, broadcast, or any other similar type of packet. Once the ingress logical port receives the incoming packet, method 200 may proceed to block 206 and performs a lookup and/or decodes information in the header to retrieve the necessary routing information for the data packet. The header information used to obtain the routing information may include the packet's destination address and label. The routing information may include the proposed set of egress logical ports to which the data packet may be forwarded. For example, block 206 may use the destination address in a multicast packet to lookup routing information in a routing information base (RIB) or a forwarding information base (FIB) table. Routing information within the RIB or FIB table may include the multicast packet's proposed set of egress logical ports.
[0024] From block 206 , the method 200 proceeds to block 208 and performs an auxiliary lookup against a specified data segment within the incoming data packet. The specified data segment may be any sequence of bits within the incoming data packet. The specified data segment may be located in the header, payload, and/or any other section of the incoming data packet. The specified data segment may be a different sequence of bits than is used in block 204 to determine the routing information. The auxiliary lookup uses the specified data segment to determine whether the sequence of bits references an “OPERATION” value stored within the node. For example, a node may associate a data value of “101111” with an “OPERATION” value of “=” (i.e. equal to). In such a case, whenever a specified data segment equals “101111,” the auxiliary lookup may determine the specified data segment is assigned with the “OPERATION” value of “=.” Examples of other “OPERATION” values may include: “>” (i.e. greater than), “<” (i.e. less than), “subset,” “superset,” “!=” (i.e. not equal to), “!<” (i.e. not less than), “!>” (i.e. not greater than), “&” (i.e. AND), “|” (i.e. OR), “̂” (i.e. XOR), !subset” (i.e. not subset), “!superset” (i.e. not superset), and any other Boolean operators that are well known in the art.
[0025] Once method 200 performs the auxiliary lookup, method 200 continues to block 210 . At block 210 , method 200 determines whether the specified data segment references a stored “OPERATION” value. For example, a specified data segment may have a data value of “000001,” which does not reference an “OPERATION” value. In other words, data value “000001” does not point or correspond to a stored “OPERATION” value within a node. In this instance, the auxiliary lookup will not return an “OPERATION” value for data value “000001.” When the result of the auxiliary lookup does not return a stored “OPERATION” value, then method 200 moves to block 212 . However, when the result of the auxiliary lookup returns an “OPERATION” value, method 210 progresses to block 218 .
[0026] When the auxiliary lookup returns a stored “OPERATION” value, the method 200 may use the “OPERATION” value obtained in block 208 to perform a comparison operation at block 212 . The comparison operation may compare a pair of “OPERANDS” value using the “OPERATION” value. One “OPERAND” value may indicate the ingress logical port that received the incoming packet and the other “OPERAND” value may indicate one of the proposed egress logical ports. The two “OPERAND” values may be compared using the selected “OPERATION” value to produce a result value (e.g. true or false).
[0027] The comparison operation may be a Boolean function or Boolean operation that compares the two “OPERAND” values. For example, if block 208 returned an “OPERATION” value of “=,” then the comparison operation may compare the “OPERAND” value of the ingress logical port and the “OPERAND” value for each egress logical port in the set of proposed egress logical ports. In such a case, when the “OPERAND” values for the ingress logical port and egress logical port are not equal, the comparison operation may return a result value of false or “0.” Conversely, when the “OPERAND” values are equal, the comparison operation may return a result value of true or “1.” Thus, the “OPERAND” values may be binary. Other embodiments may perform a binary operation, such performing an “AND” between two “OPERAND” values. Hence, the result value produced by the comparison operation may be a binary (e.g. “11001111”) or logic value (e.g. True/False). At block 212 , all proposed egress logical ports may be compared with the OPERAND value that indicates the ingress logical port using the “OPERATION” value, and the comparison process for each of the egress logical ports may be performed subsequently or in parallel.
[0028] After returning the result, the method 200 may advance to block 214 . The resulting values from block 212 may then be used to determine whether to filter out each of the proposed egress logic ports as an output port. When the result equals a discard instruction, the method continues to block 216 and discards the incoming packet for the proposed egress logic port, and thus filters out the egress logic port. When the result does not equal a discard instruction, method 200 may proceed to block 218 and forwards the incoming data packet to the proposed egress logical port.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a node 300 coded with the auxiliary lookup mechanism for logical ports. Node 300 may comprise ingress physical ports 302 , ingress logical ports 304 , a memory component 308 , a hardware search engine component 310 , computational logic component 320 , packet forwarding component 332 , egress logical ports 312 , and egress physical ports 314 . Node 300 may receive an incoming data packet 306 on an ingress physical port 302 , which may be associated with an ingress logical port 304 . There may be a plurality of ingress physical ports 302 , and each ingress physical port 302 may be assigned with one or a plurality of ingress logical ports 304 . The ingress logical port 304 may correspond to a particular service instance, such as a VLAN or Ethernet-Local Area Network (E-LAN) service. The incoming data packet 306 may be forwarded to one or more egress logical ports 312 , for example as part of a multicast transmission. Each egress logical port 312 may be associated with an egress physical port 314 . There may be a plurality of egress physical ports 314 and each egress physical port may be associated with a plurality of egress logical ports 312 . Node 300 may output data packets 316 to adjacent nodes using the egress physical port 314 . In FIG. 3 , each egress logical ports B and C 312 are associated with only one egress physical port 314 . However, another embodiment may have one or more ingress physical port 302 associated with about 4096 ingress logical ports 304 , and one or more egress physical port 314 associated with about 4096 egress logical ports 312 .
[0030] Recall that, the “OPERAND” value may be a sequence of bits, and that each logical port 304 , 312 for node 300 may be associated with different “OPERAND” values (e.g. as described in block 202 of FIG. 2 ). Using FIG. 3 as an example, the ingress logical port A 304 may be associated with an “OPERAND” value of “100000000000,” while egress logical port B 312 and egress logical port C 312 may have an “OPERAND” value of “100000000001” and “100000000010,” respectively. Although the above example illustrates an “OPERAND” value about 12 bits long, other embodiments may have “OPERAND” values more than about 12 bits long or less than about 12 bits long.
[0031] An incoming data packet 306 may be received at an ingress logical port 304 (e.g. as described in block 204 of FIG. 2 ), and may comprises header information 322 used to route the data packet 306 in the network generally and within node 300 specifically. In one example embodiment, the incoming data packet 306 may be any Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) layer 2 or layer 3 encoded data packet, such as an Ethernet frame or an IP packet. The header information 322 may comprise a sequence of bits, which are encoded using a variety of protocols, such as MPLS, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Ethernet, Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), etc. The header information 322 may include a destination address encoded in an Ethernet frame, MPLS frame, IP packet, or other similar types of data signals. The header information 322 may include a label used in various protocols, such as a label in multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) or data link connection identifier label (DLCI) in frame relay protocols.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 3 , header information 322 is sent to the memory component 308 . The memory component 308 may use the header information 322 (e.g. destination address) to obtain the routing information by performing a lookup function. The lookup process may retrieve a table with routing information that can be used to forward the data packet 306 to one or more egress logical ports 312 . The table may be a routing table, such as a RIB, or a forwarding table, such as a FIB stored within the memory component 308 . An alternative example embodiment may use a table in a management plane or a management system stored in another node. The table may comprise an entry 318 that matches the destination address and/or other header information used during the lookup process. The table may store the “OPERAND” values for the ingress and egress logical ports. Entry 318 may provide the ingress “OPERAND” value 326 that indicates the ingress logical port 304 , which receives data packet 306 and the egress “OPERAND” value 328 that indicates a proposed egress logical port 312 or a proposed set of egress logical ports 312 (e.g. in the case of a multicast transmission) provided by entry 318 . The “OPERAND” values for the ingress and egress logical ports may be sent to the computational logic component 320 .
[0033] The incoming data packet 306 may also comprise a specified data segment 324 , which may be a sequence of bits located in the header or payload of data packet 306 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the specified data segment 324 may be forwarded to the hardware search engine component 310 , which performs the auxiliary lookup described herein. The hardware search engine component 310 may include a content-addressable memory (CAM), ternary CAM, an access control list (ACL), and/or other hardware components capable of performing searching routines, distinguish bit patterns, and storing data information. As discussed, in conjunction with block 208 in FIG. 2 , the auxiliary lookup determines whether the specified data segment 324 points to or references a stored “OPERATION” value within the hardware search engine component 310 . The hardware search engine component 310 may comprise a table with a plurality of table entries. A table entry may comprise a sequence of bits that corresponds to an “OPERATION” value. The hardware search engine component 310 may attempt to match the specified data segment 324 with the sequence of bits in one of the table entries. When a table entry matches the specified data segment 324 , the “OPERATION” value 330 may be sent to the computational logic component 320 . The hardware search engine component 310 may perform the table lookup in parallel with the memory component 308 lookup up the routing information.
[0034] The computational logic component 320 may receive the ingress “OPERAND” value 326 and the proposed set of egress “OPERAND” values 328 from the memory component 308 as well as the “OPERATION” value 330 from the hardware search engine component 310 . The computational logic component 320 may then use the “OPERATION” value 330 to perform separate comparison operations between the ingress “OPERAND” value 326 and each of the egress “OPERAND” values 328 (e.g. as described in block 212 of FIG. 2 ). The computational logic component 320 may perform multiple comparison operations for different proposed egress logical port 312 in parallel. Using FIG. 3 as an example, the computational logic component 320 may perform the comparison operation for the egress logical ports B 312 and egress logical port C 312 at the same time. In such an example, if A's “OPERAND” value (e.g. 326 ) is “1000”, B's “OPERAND” value (e.g. 328 ) is “0001,” C's “OPERAND” value (e.g. 328 ) is “1010,” and the OPERATION value (e.g. 330 ) is “<,” then “A <B” may return a logic value of “true” or “1,” while “A<C” may return a logic value of false or “0.” These result values 334 may be sent to the packet forwarding component 332 . Other embodiments of the computational logic component 320 may combine “OPERATION” values for two given “OPERAND” values to produce the result values 334 . For example, the computational logic component 320 may employ a comparison operation of “((A<B) AND (A OR B))” for the ingress logical port A 304 and the egress logical port B 312 .
[0035] In one embodiment, the computational logic component 320 may be configured to implement a prioritization scheme for selecting “OPERATION” values. A specified data segment 324 in an incoming data packet 306 may match two or more “OPERATION” values 330 . In some instances, the “OPERATION” values 330 may return different results. For example, the hardware search engine component 310 may match the specified data segment 324 with two “OPERATION” values 330 , such as “<” and “>.” When the computational logic component 320 performs the operation “A<B,” the result may be to discard the frame. However, when computational logic component 320 performs the operation “A>B,” the result may be to forward the frame. To determine which “OPERATION” value to use, “OPERATION” values may be assigned different priorities using a priority field. The “OPERATION” value with the highest priority may be used to perform the comparison operation. Another embodiment may organize the entries within the hardware search engine component 310 as a sorted list. When multiple “OPERATION” values correspond to the specified data segment 324 , the “OPERATION” value that appears first in the list may be the “OPERATION” value 330 sent to the computational logic component 320 . Persons of ordinary skill the art are aware that other prioritization or selection algorithms may be used to select the “OPERATION” value used for performing an operation.
[0036] The packet 306 may be forward to the packet forwarding component 332 , which determines which egress logical ports 312 will send the outgoing packet 316 . Specifically, the packet forwarding component 332 may use the result values 334 to the determine whether the egress logical port B 312 and egress logical port C 312 will transmit an outgoing data packet 316 . Egress logical ports 312 that produced a result value 334 of false or “0” may be associated with a discard instruction. Thus, the packet forwarding component 332 may send the outgoing packet 316 to egress logical ports 312 marked as true or “1,” and may not send the outgoing packet 316 to the egress logical ports 312 marked as false or “0” (e.g. as described in blocks 214 , 216 , and 218 of FIG. 2 ). In the example provided above, outgoing packet 316 would be sent to egress logical port B 312 , but not to egress logical port C 312 .
[0037] Memory component 308 , hardware search engine component 310 , computational logic component 320 , packet forwarding component 332 , or various combinations thereof may be embedded into an ASIC component or other customized hard-coded logic component. In another example embodiment, the memory component 308 , the hardware search engine component 310 , the computational logic component 320 , packet forwarding component 332 , or various combinations thereof may be coupled to an ASIC component or other customized hard-coded logic component. One or more ASIC components or other customized hard-coded logic components may associate the ingress logical ports 304 and egress logical ports 312 to the “OPERAND” value. Persons of ordinary skill in the art are aware that other components, such as general-purpose processor chips and/or network processors may be used in replacement of ASIC or other customized hard-coded logic components.
[0038] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 400 that performs multiple auxiliary lookups using a specified data segment from an incoming data packet. Method 400 implements comparison operations and provides more options in filtering egress logical ports using one specified data segment. Although not shown in FIG. 4 , method 400 may associate the logical ports to “OPERAND” values, receive an incoming data packet on an incoming ingress logical port, and determine a proposed set of egress logical ports to forward the incoming data packet similar to method 200 . At block 402 , the specified data segment value may be obtained from the incoming data packet.
[0039] At block 404 , method 400 may then divide the specified data segment value into subsets. For example, a specified data segment value of “000100100011” may be divided into three subsets based on the bit locations (i.e. b 11 -b 0 ). The first subset may be “0001” (i.e. b 11 -b 8 ); the second subset may be “0010” (i.e. b 7 -b 4 ); and the last subset may be “0011” (i.e. b 3 -b 0 ). Persons of ordinary skill in the art are aware of a variety of methods or algorithms to divide the specified data segment value into subsets. After dividing the specified data segment into subsets, the method 400 may proceed to block 406 and perform an auxiliary lookup for each subset. Using the previous example, an auxiliary lookup may be performed for “0001,” “0010,” and “0011.” The auxiliary lookup may be as described in block 208 . Method 400 may then continue to block 408 and determine whether any of the auxiliary lookups for each of the subset references an “OPERATION” value. The auxiliary lookups for each subset may be performed in parallel. Method 400 continues to block 418 , similar to block 218 in FIG. 2 , when none of the subset references an “OPERATION” value. However, if at least one of the subsets references an “OPERATION” value, then method 400 moves to block 410 .
[0040] At block 410 , a comparison operation similar to block 212 in FIG. 2 may be performed using the “OPERATION” values obtained for each subset. For example, the “0001” subset may have returned an “OPERATION” value of “<,” the “0010” subset may have returned an “OPERATION” value of “!=” (i.e. not equal to), and the “0011” subset may have returned an “OPERATION” value of “subset.” Block 410 may perform the following three comparison operations “A<B,” “A!=B,” and “A subset B.” The “A” value may represent an ingress “OPERAND” value, while the “B” value may represent the proposed egress “OPERAND” value. Block 410 may return a result for each comparison operation. In one example embodiment, not all subsets may match an “OPERATION” value, and thus block 410 may perform less comparison operations than the number of subsets formed in block 404 . Similar to block 212 from FIG. 2 , Block 410 may perform comparison operations for all proposed egress logical ports and the ingress logical port, which received the incoming data packet, using the different “OPERATION” values.
[0041] After returning the results for each comparison operation, the method 400 may proceed to block 412 where each result may be combined to form a final comparison operation using a designated “OPERATION” value, such as an AND or OR operation. The “OPERATION” values may be pre-defined and/or obtained using the specified data segment value. Using the example above, the final operation may be “(A<B) AND (A!=B) AND (A subset B).” Block 412 will produce a result that may be a logic value or sequence of bits. Afterwards, method 400 continues to block 414 to determine whether the result equals a discard instruction, similar to block 214 of FIG. 2 . When the result equals a discard instruction, the method continues to block 416 and discards the incoming packet for the proposed egress logic port, similar to block 216 in FIG. 2 , and thus filters out the egress logic port. When the result does not equal a discard instruction, the method 400 may proceed to block 418 and forward the incoming packet to the proposed egress logical port.
[0042] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 500 that selects an “OPERATION” value when multiple “OPERATION” values match a specified data segment. Method 500 may be implemented when a node uses a wildcard address match to perform the auxiliary lookup. Although not shown in FIG. 5 , method 500 may associate the logical ports to “OPERAND” values, receive an incoming data packet on an incoming ingress logical port, and determine a proposed set of egress logical ports to forward the incoming data packet similar to method 200 . In addition, block 502 is similar to block 402 in FIG. 4 , and blocks 504 , 506 , 512 , 514 , 516 , and 518 are similar to blocks 208 , 210 , 212 , 214 , 216 , and 218 from FIG. 2 , respectively. At block 508 , the method 500 determines whether the auxiliary lookup matches multiple “OPERATION” values. If one “OPERATION” value matches the specified data segment value, then method 500 continues to block 512 . However, if more than one “OPERATION” value matches the specified data segment, the method 500 progresses to block 510 .
[0043] Block 510 selects an “OPERATION” value. As discussed earlier, a specified data segment may be associated with more than one “OPERATION” value. Selection of the “OPERATION” value may be based on priority or order of appearance. For example, “OPERATION” values may be sorted in a list from high priority to low priority as follows: {“=,” “<,” “>,” “subset,” “superset,” “!=,” “!<,” !>,” !subset,” and “!superset”}. The “=” and “!=” may be associated with a specified data segment value within the multicast frame. Block 510 may select the “=” “OPERATION” value because “=” appeared before “!=” on the list. Another example embodiment may associate different priorities to different “OPERATION” values. The priorities may be assigned using priority flags. Moreover, if the list was sorted by priority where the first to appear had the highest priority, then block 510 may also select the “=” “OPERATION” value.
[0044] At least one embodiment is disclosed and variations, combinations, and/or modifications of the embodiment(s) and/or features of the embodiment(s) made by a person having ordinary skill in the art are within the scope of the disclosure. Alternative embodiments that result from combining, integrating, and/or omitting features of the embodiment(s) are also within the scope of the disclosure. Where numerical ranges or limitations are expressly stated, such express ranges or limitations should be understood to include iterative ranges or limitations of like magnitude falling within the expressly stated ranges or limitations (e.g., from about 1 to about 10 includes, 2, 3, 4, etc.; greater than 0.10 includes 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, etc.). For example, whenever a numerical range with a lower limit, R 1 , and an upper limit, R u , is disclosed, any number falling within the range is specifically disclosed. In particular, the following numbers within the range are specifically disclosed: R=R 1 +k*(R u −R 1 ), wherein k is a variable ranging from 1 percent to 100 percent with a 1 percent increment, i.e., k is 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent, 7 percent, . . . , 70 percent, 71 percent, 72 percent, . . . , 97 percent, 96 percent, 97 percent, 98 percent, 99 percent, or 100 percent. Moreover, any numerical range defined by two R numbers as defined in the above is also specifically disclosed. The use of the term about means ±10% of the subsequent number, unless otherwise stated. Use of the term “optionally” with respect to any element of a claim means that the element is required, or alternatively, the element is not required, both alternatives being within the scope of the claim. Use of broader terms such as comprises, includes, and having should be understood to provide support for narrower terms such as consisting of, consisting essentially of, and comprised substantially of. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above but is defined by the claims that follow, that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification and the claims are embodiment(s) of the present disclosure. The discussion of a reference in the disclosure is not an admission that it is prior art, especially any reference that has a publication date after the priority date of this application. The disclosure of all patents, patent applications, and publications cited in the disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference, to the extent that they provide exemplary, procedural, or other details supplementary to the disclosure.
[0045] While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods might be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein. For example, the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted, or not implemented.
[0046] In addition, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through some interface, device, or intermediate component whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.
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A method for adjusting the egress logical ports within a set of egress logical ports, the method comprising associating a plurality of operand values with a plurality of ingress logical ports and a plurality of egress logical ports, receiving a frame on one of the ingress logical ports, determining a proposed set of the egress logical ports to which to forward the frame, selecting an operator using content within the frame, performing a comparison operation comprising a first operand value, a second operand value, and the operator, modifying the proposed set of egress ports using the comparison operation, and transmitting the frame on the modified set of egress logical ports.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is filed herewith for the U.S. National Stage under 35 U.S.C. §371 and claims priority to PCT application PCT/EP2014/065396, with an international filing date of Jul. 17, 2014. The contents of this application are incorporated in their entirety herein.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The invention relates to an assembly for reproducible application of small amounts of liquid onto a target surface, comprising
[0004] (a) a liquid reservoir with an opening positioned above the target surface,
[0005] (b) a plunger movable in the direction of the opening, and
[0006] (c) an actuator for moving the plunger.
[0007] With such an assembly the liquid can be positioned on a selected target surface by moving a plunger.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Dosing systems, such as injection devices, are known, where the liquid is pushed through an opening by a piston or plunger. The piston or plunger sits on one side of the liquid reservoir and the opening is typically positioned at the opposite end. If the piston or plunger is moved the entire liquid is moved. Thereby, the reproducibility is limited. The piston or plunger is sealingly guided in the liquid reservoir. If the liquid is used up the liquid reservoir is re-filled in such a way that it is filled through the exit opening or by removing the piston or plunger for filling.
[0009] Furthermore, dosing systems are known where the opening is closed, for example, with a shutter. There is a risk that remains of liquid remain in the range of the shutter or the opening and decrease the reproducibility of the dosing.
[0010] Finally, assemblies are known where individual balls of solder material are taken up with a tip. The balls are placed and a laser beam is incident on the solder material through an opening whereby it melts and forms the soldering. With such assemblies there is no liquid reservoir.
[0011] US 2009/095825 A1 discloses a dispenser for fluids with a fluid chamber and a nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly is releasably connected to the fluid chamber.
[0012] WO 2008/108097 A1 discloses a discharging device for filling material, such as, for example, solder paste. In the device it is regulated by means of a position deciding that the front end section of a plunger is stopped in the vicinity of the inner wall of the liquid chamber if the plunger is moved towards the liquid outlet.
[0013] DE 10 2011 108799 A1 discloses a dosing system for a liquid to viscous dosing material with an actor system comprising at least on operating element and a jet with an exit opening.
[0014] US 2011/315747 A1 discloses a mounting head for solder balls with a hopper, a mounting head and a pressing pin insertable into the hopper and mounting head. The mounting head has an inner diameter restricting the movement of the solder balls. For feeding soldering balls the pressing pin presses the solder balls. Thereby the solder balls are consecutively applied on a target substrate.
[0015] US 2006/021976 A1 discloses a method and a device for soldering, a connecting method, a connecting device and a jet unit. U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,581 B1 discloses a device for connecting soldering balls and a capillary tube for this purpose. WO 03006197 discloses a device for applying soldering material by positioning in a solid state and melding and finally passing on a substrate by pressurized gas. WO 03/024653 A1 discloses a method for the generation of a soldering connection. JP 2002057450 discloses a soldering device. EP 0752294 A2 discloses a device for ejecting liquid soldering material. FR 2040681 A5 discloses a device for grabbing, transporting and welding small elements.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] It is an object of the invention to provide an assembly of the above mentioned kind with high reproducibility. According to the present invention this object is achieved in that
[0017] (d) the opening is formed by a projecting, conical tip or jet, and
[0018] (e) the plunger extends through the entire liquid present in the liquid reservoir down into the tip or jet, whereby portions of the liquid are moved through the opening outwards by the plunger by a plunger movement in the direction of the opening.
[0019] The plunger must not necessarily close the opening. In such a way the liquid is dosed without a shutter and without having to fully close the opening. Such portions of the liquid are moved by the plunger which are present in the range of the opening. It has been shown that a higher reproducibility can be achieved thereby than with moving a piston pushing on the liquid from above. The movement of the liquid is not only effected by the front end surface of the plunger but essentially from the lateral surface.
[0020] An annular canal is formed in the range of the tip or jet between the inner wall of the tip or jet and the lateral surface of the plunger. The liquid flows through the annular opening outwards. According to the narrowed flow cross section the liquid is dragged by the lateral surface and pushed outwards through the opening.
[0021] The dose can be adjusted by adjusting the viscosity, the penetration depth of the plunger in the tip or jet, the frequency of the upward- and downward movement of the plunger and by the geometry and the opening cross section of the tip or jet and thereby adapted to the application.
[0022] It is a particular advantage of the invention that not only a high reproducibility is achieved but also that the liquid reservoir has a free cross section in its upper range. Thereby the liquid can be continuously filled and re-filled without having to interrupt the dosing process.
[0023] In a modification of the invention it is provided that
[0024] (a) the liquid is solder material or any other material which is solid at room temperature, and
[0025] (b) the liquid reservoir is heatable to a temperature above the melting point of the material.
[0026] With such an assembly, solid material, such as solder material, can be re-filled from above. The mass will melt in the heated reservoir. The material is liquid at the lower end and can be dosed in the way above described.
[0027] Preferably a laser is provided emitting radiation towards the range of the opening. The tip or jet in such an assembly can freely project outwards. There is a risk that this range is too cold and solid solder material cools down before the actual dosing. This is not desired. Cold soldering points can be formed and solder material can oxidize. The radiation of the laser can, therefore, be directed towards the opening range and provide additional heating.
[0028] In a particularly advantageous modification of the invention the plunger is hollow and the laser radiation is guided through the plunger to the range of the opening. In such a way not only a compact assembly is achieved where the laser radiation is applied exactly in the opening range. The laser does not interfere with the positioning above, for example, a wafer.
[0029] In a further modification of the invention a gas source is provided with gas adapted to be guided into the range of the opening. Such gas may be nitrogen or any other inert gas or gas mixture. With an inert gas it is avoided that liquid will oxidize early and cause undesired effects. The gas may also be heated as an alternative or additional heating. Thereby an additional heating of the outwardly projecting jet or tip is achieved.
[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the invention the gas is guided through an outer canal from the gas source to the range of the opening, whereby heat can be absorbed from the liquid reservoir. The liquid reservoir, for example, can be formed by a bore hole in a heated metal cylinder. A spiral-shaped groove can be provided at its outside which is closed to form a canal by a tube shaped cover which is shifted onto the metal cylinder and sealed. The gas can be inserted from the top into the canal and exit at its lower end in a way that it flows in the direction of the jet or tip. Thereby, it is achieved that the heat is transferred and the outer range is cooled whereby the handling is facilitated. Additionally it is achieved that the heat absorbed by the gas may be used for heating the jet or tip.
[0031] The gas may also be guided into the range above the liquid in the liquid reservoir. It can have an increased pressure in order to ensure that the liquid will always flow downwards. Furthermore an inert gas can prevent oxidizing of the liquid.
[0032] Preferably, the liquid reservoir is filled from another reservoir which is connected to the liquid reservoir by an inclined canal. In order to achieve a high reproducibility and dosing accuracy it is advisable to choose the liquid reservoir not too large. A uniform heating may then be realized better than with a large liquid reservoir. In particular, if the liquid has a melting point above room temperature, as it is the case with solder material, it is desirable to provide another reservoir where the material is present in solid form. The material may be present in the form of balls or other loose bulk material and a vibrator may be provided adapted to guide the balls or loose material through the canal into the liquid reservoir upon activation. There is no high accuracy necessary since the liquid reservoir is only filled or re-filled. Preferably, a filling-level sensor is provided in the upper range of the liquid reservoir the signal of which can be used for controlling the vibrator. If the sensor level is reached the vibrator is shut off. If the level falls below a lower threshold or after a selected time the vibrator is activated again.
[0033] Further modifications of the present invention are subject matter of the subclaims. An embodiment is described below in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly for applying solder material on a target surface;
[0035] FIG. 2 shows the assembly of FIG. 1 from a different perspective;
[0036] FIG. 3 is a vertical longitudinal cross section of the assembly of FIG. 1 ;
[0037] FIG. 4 is a top view of the assembly of FIG. 1 ;
[0038] FIG. 5 is a vertical longitudinal cross section of the assembly of FIG. 1 along a cross sectional plane which is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to FIG. 3 ;
[0039] FIG. 6 is a detail of FIG. 3 ;
[0040] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross sectional representation for illustration of the way of operating of the re-filling method for solder balls; and
[0041] FIG. 8 is a partly sectional, perspective view of the stainless steel cylinder for the assembly of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0042] The figures show an automatic solder assembly which is generally designated with numeral 10 . Contacts on a wafer can be automatically soldered with such a solder assembly. For this purpose either the wafer is moved under the assembly or the solder assembly is moveably mounted above the wafer similar to a scanner. The application of the solder material on the target surfaces is effected in continuous operation and rates in the range of above 1000 points/second can be achieved.
[0043] The solder assembly 10 comprises a plate-shaped holder designated with numeral 12 . A piezo actor 14 which is described below in greater detail is fixed to the upper range of the holder 12 by means of a holder plate 18 . A lower cooling body 16 with cooling ribs is fixed to the lower range of the holder 12 . An upper cooling body 20 is provided in the range between the piezo actor 14 and the lower cooling body 16 .
[0044] The lower cooling body 16 cools a jet head which is designated with numeral 22 in FIG. 1 . A projecting jet 24 is provided at the lower end of the jet head 22 . Various cylinder head screws which can be well recognized in the representation serve to fix the components to the holder.
[0045] The jet head 22 essentially consists of a massive stainless steel cylinder 26 . The stainless steel cylinder 26 is provided with a coaxial center bore hole 28 . The stainless steel cylinder is separately shown in FIG. 8 . The center bore hole forms a liquid reservoir. Four further bore holes 30 are provided in a circle around the center bore hole 28 . Heating elements are arranged in such bore holes 30 which heat the jet head 22 to a temperature of, for example, 500° C. to 600° C. The stainless steel cylinder 26 sits in a tube-shaped ring 32 and is sealed against it. A spiral-shaped groove 36 is cut into the outside wall of the stainless steel cylinder 26 . The upper end of the groove 36 is connected to a nitrogen source. The lower end of the groove 36 extends to a radial bore hole 34 which can be well seen in FIG. 6 . If the ring 32 is shifted on the stainless steel cylinder 26 the groove forms an annular cooling canal where cooling nitrogen is flowed through towards the bore hole 34 . In such a way the outside of the jet head 22 has a low temperature which can be well handled. The nitrogen heated in the canal is flowed from the bore hole in the direction of the jet 24 freely projecting downwards and provides additional heating thereof.
[0046] The center bore hole 28 is conically pointed towards its lower end 38 . A threaded pin 40 with an outer thread 42 is integrated at the lower end of the stainless steel cylinder ( FIG. 6 ). An adjustable head portion 44 is arranged therebelow. The head portion 44 is held in its position by a nut 46 screwed onto the threaded pin 40 . The head portion 44 is provided with a center bore which is conically pointed in a downward direction. A jet portion 48 forming the jet 24 sits in such center bore the jet having an opening which is directed downwards. Typically, the jet opening has diameters in the range of some 10 microns to some 100 microns. The jet portion 48 sits tightly in the head portion 44 and extends with a tube-shaped upper range to the conical pointed range 38 of the center bore hole 28 . This can be well recognized in FIG. 6 .
[0047] A plunger 52 which is downwardly conical at its lower end is loosely inserted into the jet portion 48 . A narrow annular space which also is conical is formed between the inner wall of the jet portion 48 and the plunger 52 . The plunger 52 is hollow inside. A capillary is screwed into the plunger 52 at its upper end which extends through the entire center bore hole, i.e. through the entire liquid reservoir. In the present embodiment the capillary 60 is made of tungsten carbide. A capillary made of stainless steel, however, may also be used. The upper end of the capillary 60 is connected to the piezo actor 14 . In such a way the plunger 52 can be moved upwards and downwards with a selected frequency between, for example, 200 to 1500 Hz. The capillary 60 is guided in the upper range inside the center bore hole 28 in a guiding 54 . The capillary 60 which is exposed to high temperatures in the range of the liquid reservoir is cooled in the upper transition range to the piezo actor 14 with the annular cooling 20 .
[0048] The threaded pin 40 , the nut 46 , the head portion 44 and the jet 48 freely project downwards beyond the stainless steel cylinder. The bore hole 34 ends in a downwardly inclined canal 56 ending in an annular space 58 in the range between the threaded pin and the head portion 44 . Hot nitrogen absorbing the heat from the outside from the stainless steel cylinder now heats the projecting range and provides that the temperature in the tip is very high, higher than in the jet head.
[0049] FIG. 7 is a simplified representation of the assembly 10 where it can be seen how the solder material is applied. A reservoir 62 provided outside the assembly 10 is filled with balls of solid solder material. The balls are transported through a pipe 64 into the assembly 10 . The pipe has diameters where without further measures the balls would remain sticking in there. Therefore, an ultrasound-vibrator 66 is provided. The vibrator 66 moves the reservoir 62 with high frequency back and forth. This will cause the balls to move and be transported downwards in the assembly 10 .
[0050] The lower end of the pipe 64 ends in the center bore hole 28 of the heated stainless steel cylinder 26 . The center bore hole 28 forms a liquid reservoir. The solder material fed here in the form of balls will melt and is available in the form of a liquid in the liquid reservoir 28 for further use. It is understood, that the solder material may also be inserted in any other form, for example in the form of a wire.
[0051] A filling-level sensor 68 is provided in the upper range of the center bore hole 28 . The filling-level sensor 68 detects if there is sufficient solder material present in the liquid reservoir. As long as the filling-level sensor 68 is not reached the vibrator 66 is operated and further solder material is filled in. If the filling-level sensor 68 is reached the vibrator 66 is switched off for a selected operation period.
[0052] The liquid solder material is designated with numeral 70 in FIG. 7 . It can be recognized that it extends down to the jet 24 . The viscosity is still high enough with the selected temperature that the material will not exit through the opening of the jet portion 48 . The plunger 52 is moved in a vertical direction upwards and downwards by means of the piezo actor 14 . The lowest tip of the plunger 52 is moved in the conical range of the jet portion 48 . The solder material present in the annular space between the inner wall of the jet portion 48 and the plunger 52 is forced through the jet opening 24 during the downward movement and ejected on the outside. The solder material acts simultaneously as a lubricant between the walls. The ejected material can be adjusted by adjusting the frequency of the plunger movement at the piezo actor 14 and the amplitude of the movement. It is, however, also possible to adjust the ejected material by adjusting the heating temperature in the stainless steel cylinder 26 . A higher temperature will cause a lower viscosity and thereby a larger ejected mass and vice versa.
[0053] The plunger 52 and the capillary 60 are hollow. A laser beam 71 is guided through the plunger 52 and the capillary 60 down to the jet 24 . With such a laser beam 71 , for example from a diode laser, the ejected solder material is heated to, for example, 300° C. to 900° C. whereby it only cools and cures after finishing the application procedure. In addition nitrogen gas is flowed from a nitrogen reservoir through a pipe 72 into the capillary 60 and the plunger 52 . Thereby, undesired oxidation and isolating solder points are avoided. Nitrogen is also flowed into the space above the liquid and pressurized to an increased pressure. Thereby, it is ensured that always the same amount of solder material is present in the annular space inside the jet portion 48 . The ejected amount of solder material can also be influenced by the pressure in the space. A high pressure will cause a larger amount.
[0054] The optical path of the laser beam 71 is also used by means of a beam splitter to detect reflected infrared radiation. The temperature of the applied solder material can be derived therefrom.
[0055] The described assembly is particularly suitable for methods such as wafer bumping, substrate bumping, soldering in various dimensions and fine pitch wafer bumping. The amount of the generated solder points can be increased from presently about 5 to 10 points per second to more than 1000 points per second. The reproducibility is essentially increased with the described assembly.
[0056] The assembly described above was described in great detail. It is understood, however, that this is not limiting the scope of the patent which is exclusively determined by the claims. Many alternatives and equivalent means are known to the person skilled in the art which can be used without deviating from the idea of the invention. In particular, the geometric arrangement, materials, diameters and amounts can be varied without deviating from the basic idea of the invention.
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An arrangement ( 10 ) for the reproducible application of small amounts of liquid onto a target surface, comprising a liquid reservoir ( 28, 38 ) with an opening ( 24 ) which can be positioned above the target surface, a plunger ( 52, 60 ) which is arranged so as to be movable in an opening direction, and a drive ( 14 ) for moving the plunger, is distinguished by the fact that the opening ( 50 ) is formed in a projecting, tapering tip or nozzle ( 48 ), and the plunger ( 52, 60 ) extends all the way through the liquid ( 70 ) situated in the liquid reservoir ( 28, 38 ) and into the tip or nozzle ( 48 ), such that during a plunger movement in an opening direction, liquid portions in the opening region are moved outward through the opening by the plunger.
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[0001] THIS APPLICATION IS BASED ON THE PROVISIONAL APPLICATION No. 60/487,614 FILED ON Jul. 17, 2003 and application Ser. No. 10/809,033 FILED ON Jul. 13, 2004
REFERENCES
[0000]
[1] Chih-Ming Hung and Kenneth K. O, “A Fully integrated 1.5V 5.5 GHz CMOS Phase-Locked Loop”, IEEE JSSC, Vol. 37, No. 4, April 2002.
[2] William Wilson, Un-Ku Moon, Kadaba R. Lakshmikumar and Liang Dai “A Self-Calibrating Frequency Synthesizer”, IEEE JSSC, Vol. 35, No. 10, October 2000.
BACKGROUND
[0004] 1. Technical Field of Invention
[0005] The present invention relates to a replica bias detector and circuit design used in a high efficiency symmetric CMOS charge pump architecture that can be used in phase-locked loop (PLL) frequency synthesizers. The PLL application examples include but are not limited to radio frequency receivers and transmitters for all wireless communication standards including cellular 2.5G/3G/4G wireless communications, optical fiber communications, network communications and storage systems.
[0006] 2. Background of the Invention and Discussion of Prior Art
[0007] The growing demand for wireless communications has motivated attempts to design radios that permit the integration of more components onto a single chip. The recent advances in CMOS semiconductor processing allow the integration of the radio receiver and transmitter into a single chip radio frequency (RF) transceiver to reduce cost, size and power consumption.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Phase-Locked Loop
[0008] Phase-locked loop (PLL) frequency synthesizer, one of the most important and challenging building blocks of the RF transceiver, is most suitable for low cost CMOS integration of wireless communication integrated circuits. PLL's are used but not limited in wireless receivers and transmitters in part for frequency synthesis where a synthesized local oscillator (LO) frequency is needed to mix down the Receive Signal Carrier such that the modulated signal is down-converted and the resulting base-band signal can be processed. Since the receive signal can operate in different bands or at discrete frequencies as part of the data transmission standard, an agile PLL frequency synthesizer is needed in order to track the receiver frequency by adjusting the LO frequency. A charge pump PLL is comprised of a reference oscillator (usually crystal based), a phase-frequency detector (PFD), charge pump (either voltage or current mode), a loop filter, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), and a programmable feedback frequency divider. Each of the PLL building elements represents architecture and circuit design challenges. The generation of sideband levels in a PLL is a major concern that usually drives a charge pump's design and loop filtering requirements. In the most stringent GSM receiver area, the channel spacing (200 kHz) is considerably narrower than other wireless communication standards. When using an integer M/N PLL in a frequency synthesizer, the input reference frequency must be of the same order of magnitude relative to the channel spacing frequency specification. The PLL is able to synthesize frequencies with frequency steps equal to an integer multiple of the input reference frequencies. The maximum loop filter bandwidth is limited by the update rate of the PFD, which is the sample rate of the loop. As a rule of thumb, loop filter bandwidth should be much less than one tenth ( 1/10) of the PFD update rate to avoid instability of the PLL. If the sample rate of the input reference frequency and the PLL loop bandwidth becomes relatively close, then discrete time techniques may be needed or added to stabilize and predict PLL transient and steady state performance to avoid signal degradation. With the stringent loop filter bandwidth and reference frequency feed through filtering requirements, the charge pump PLL is a most suitable solution with the charge pump itself drawing considerable interest and study. The charge pump design works in conjunction with the PFD to improve the PLL performance. FIG. 1 show the combination of a PFD, 1 , and a charge pump, 2 . The PFD is a common Type Four, tri-state approach that can be implemented with various digital design methods. This design detects the phase and/or frequency difference between the reference signal, f 1 and the divided VCO output signal f 2 as shown in the timing diagram in FIG. 2 . The resulting output signals, PU and PD, are used to control the relative current commutation times in the charge pump output current Iout. The charge pump output drives a passive loop-filter LF, which can include passive load elements of resistance, capacitance and inductance.
Charge Pump
[0009] Charge pumps as well as PLL frequency synthesizers are used in many computer, consumer and communication applications. Charge pumps can operate in either current or voltage mode and are implemented in different ways with fully differential or single-ended signal designs. Within these two classifications, there are multiple design options with their own inherent benefits and flaws.
[0010] The simplest charge pump design is the single-ended signal design where the charge pump is controlled by full swing digital signals to open a current source switch for a sourcing or sinking operation. In addition, the digital signal control will be used to quickly turn off the current source switch in the high impedance or tri-state mode. Rapid turn-on and turn-off times as well as the relative ease of matching the timing of the source and sink controlling signals are the benefits of this approach. However, relatively large transients can be induced across parasitic junction capacitance's that inject unwanted spurious noise. Furthermore, full swing designs always suffer from transient currents being induced through the power supply and ground return paths as well as introducing low efficiency in the charge pump because of asymmetrical current sourcing and current sinking behavior.
[0011] Differential signal charge pump designs using constant current mode operation have also been proposed for the charge pump to overcome the shortcomings of the single-ended design. The differential signal design approach has the benefits of high common-mode rejection to power supply noise and providing symmetrical pump currents. The differential approach while looking favorable in many areas has its own limitations such as constant power loss and charge injection from the charge pump into the loop filter load. In certain charge pump architectures, relatively small sized differential devices are used to steer the currents in order to reduce parasitic capacitance, charge injection and charge sharing effects. However, undesirably larger driving signals are still needed to completely steer current across the small sized differential pair devices. In this situation, larger driving signals again lead to the above mentioned effects of transients induced across parasitic junction capacitance's that inject unwanted spurious noise contributing to increased reference frequency feed-through in the PLL.
The Reference Frequency Feed-Through/Modulation Sideband Theory
[0012] Due to the fact that the VCO is typically controlled by a node voltage, any reference frequency feed-through effects from the phase detector/charge pump design can modulate this voltage thereby creating modulation sidebands at the VCO RF frequency. Shown below is a mathematical description of this modulation process where modulation tones are shown to be linear in power level for small modulation indexes.
[0013] ω c —Carrier frequency
[0014] m p —modulation index
[0015] g(t)—modulation function (sinusoid)
[0000] m ( t )= A cos(ω c t +Φ) 1.
[0000] Φ= m p *g ( t ) 2.
[0000] g ( t )=cos ω n t 3.
[0000] m ( t )= A cos(ω c t+m p *cos(ω m t ) 4.
[0000] cos(α+β=cos α cos β−sin α sin β 5.
[0000] m ( t )= A cos ω c t cos( m p *cos(ω m t ))− A sin ω c t sin( m p *cos(ω m t )) 6.
[0000] cos( z cos Θ)= J 0 ( z )+2Σ n=0 (−1) n J 2n ( z )cos(2 n Θ) 7.
[0000] sin( z cos Θ)=2Σ n=0 (−1) n J 2n+1 ( z )cos(2 n+ 1)Θ 8.
[0000] m ( t )= A {(cos(ω c t ) J 0 ( m p )+2Σ n=1 (−1) n J 2 ( m p )*cos ω c t cos(2 nω m t )−2Σ n=0 (−1) n J 2n+1 ( m p )·sin ω c t cos(2 n+ 1)ω m t} 9.
[0000] cos x cos y= ½[cos( x+y )+cos( x−y )] 10.
[0000] sin x sin y= ½[sin( x+y )+sin( x−y )] 11.
[0000] m ( t )= A {(cos(ω c t ) J 0 ( m p )+Σ n=1 (−1) n J 2n ( m p )[cos ω c t+ 2 nω c t )+cos(ω c t− 2 nω m t )]−Σ n=0 (−1) n J 2n+1 ( m p )*sin ω c t +(2 n+ 1)ω m t +sin(ω c t −(2 n+ 1)ω m t )]}
[0000] m ( t )= A{J 0 ( m p )cos ω c t+J 1 ( m p )[sin(ω c +ω m ) t +sin(ω c −ω m ) t]−J 2 ( m p )[cos(ω c t+ 2ω m ) t +cos(ω c t− 2ω m ) t]+J 3 ( m p )[sin(ω c t+ 3ω m ) t +sin(ω c t− 3ω m ) t]− . . . } 12.
[0000] The final expression shows that a carrier modulated by a single sinusoid produces sets of sidebands offset from the carrier by every possible multiple of the modulating frequency. The Bessel coefficients (J n ) are a function of the modulation index. If m p is small, the higher frequency sideband terms are not significant. Thus, for small modulation index only the first-order sidebands are significant. The resulting frequency spectrum will resemble a carrier undergoing amplitude modulation.
DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART
[0016] New charge pump designs [1] are being proposed to improve the PLL performance by adding cascoded devices for faster turn-on and turn-off and for reducing charge sharing problems of operating the high and low side switch together. However, this type of design suffers from larger internal dynamic voltage swings that increase the reference frequency feed through from the switching elements to the filter load.
[0017] FIG. 3 shows a charge pump design known as prior art [2] with the added cascode device M 1 between the charge pump current source, 1 and the output node, Iout; and the added cascode device M 2 between the charge pump current sink, 2 and output node, Iout. A bias voltage circuit is connected to the cascaded devices M 1 and M 2 . The design improves the symmetry of both the turn-on and turn-off times by isolating the feed-through of the controlling signals, PU and PD that drive the switches, 3 and 4 , from the charge pump output node, Iout. However, since the internal circuit nodes settle to their own internal turn-on and turn-off voltages, this leads to potentially long and asymmetric turn-off decays. In addition, switching transients are still not optimally reduced in these designs.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new charge pump design for high performance CMOS Frequency Synthesizers. The application is intended for the very stringent design specifications of high integration RF receivers and/or transmitters requiring low cost, small size and low power. In a common architecture where a charge pump drives a passive filter load, the resulting voltage used to control a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) translates directly to the AC performance of the VCO and the overall PLL control loop system. Static phase detector offset, reference frequency feed-through, and high sideband levels are direct results of non-idealities in the charge pump design. Asymmetry in the charge pump drive such as non-ideal current transitions driving a passive loop filter contribute to transient spurs on the VCO control voltage node resulting in unwanted frequency side band spectra. These errors and effects due to the charge pump current switching inefficiencies' are greatly magnified in a frequency synthesizer architecture that uses a Sigma-Delta modulator (SDM). Reference spurs and other frequency spectra must be controlled in SDM designs for PLL implementations. Accurate charge pumps are required for GSM receiver synthesizers to meet the most rigid phase noise and frequency sideband specifications in wireless communications.
[0019] The following lists the advantages of the invention compared to prior art charge pumps.
1. Reference frequency sidebands are minimized due to improved matching in the current source and current sink drivers compared to the prior art same type charge pump designs and compared to other types of charge pump designs. 2. Current sink and source driver symmetry and path matching properties remain the same over temperature and manufacturing process variations. 3. Double-cascoded design in both the source and sink driver eliminates or reduces the transient feed-through at turn-on and turn-off events. 4. The charge pump is scalable by adding multiple source and sink stages to achieve larger increase in charge pump current levels while the matching and symmetry properties of both the source and sink sections remain. 5. An active replica bias clamp circuit detects and controls the leakage current in the charge pump off-state.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The present invention achieves the above objects and advantages by providing a new method for implementing a charge pump with double cascoded drivers, a reference signal generator and a replica bias clamp detection circuit. The following lists the new design features of the charge pump for this invention.
1. Double cascoded source and sink drivers designed to have very symmetrical turn-on and turn-off effects and high output impedance in the off-state. 2. Single or multiple reference voltage generators to balance the symmetry of the turn-on and turn-off currents over operating temperature. 3. Signal path matching is optimized with matched differential CMOS full swing control signals. 4. Transmission gates implemented for both current sink and current source to achieve low leakage current in the off-state and fast turn-on time in the on-state. 5. A replica bias clamp detection circuit which limits the reverse off-state leakage current in the charge pump. 6. Overall architecture enables independent symmetry and matching optimization of the turn-on and turn-off current transients in both the current source and current sink drivers/switches.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematic of a prior art PFD and charge pump combination circuit.
[0033] FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of a prior art PFD circuit.
[0034] FIG. 3 is a schematic of a prior art charge pump.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a schematic of a PMOS current source of a charge pump constructed with the principles of the invention.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a schematic of the symmetric charge pump constructed with the principles of the invention.
[0037] FIG. 6 is a schematic of the symmetric charge pump with two independent reference bias voltage sources constructed with the principles of the invention.
[0038] FIG. 7 is a schematic of the charge pump reference bias voltage constructed with the principles of the invention.
[0039] FIG. 8 is a schematic of the charge pump with a replica bias clamp detection circuit constructed with the principles of the invention.
[0040] FIG. 9 is a schematic of the replica bias clamp detection circuit constructed with the principles of the invention.
[0041] FIG. 10 is a schematic of the charge pump circuit with the replica bias clamp detection circuit constructed with the principles of the invention.
[0042] FIG. 11 is a schematic of the differential charge pump circuit with the replica bias clamp detection circuits constructed with the principles of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0043] FIG. 4 is a schematic of the top-side PMOS current source of a charge pump constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The charge pump theory of operation is common between the top-side PMOS current source and bottom-side current sink circuits. Therefore the explanation on the PMOS top-side circuit is sufficient for the total charge pump section. This embodiment is for a new Charge Pump architecture and design for use in a PLL frequency synthesizer for radio frequency applications including but not limited GSM standard with a very symmetrical charge pump current drive. This novel architecture permits the symmetrical turn-on time, rise time and fall time to be independent in the design and optimization process. The generation of differential output phases for both pump-up, PU and pump-down, PD is synchronized by a PFD and charge pump driver and buffer. All current source and sink cells are identical and should track very well over manufacturing process and operating temperature variations. When the transmission switch, S 1 , consisted of M 7 and M 8 is open, M 3 and M 5 act as a cascode current mirror arrangement. M 2 is always turned on and will operate in the triode region. M 1 turns on when its gate is pulled low by the buffered pump up control signal, PU. M 1 then pulls up the source of M 3 towards the power supply, Vcca relative to M 3 's gate voltage. As M 3 starts to turn on, M 5 's source voltage also rises higher than its gate voltage. The turn-on speed capability of this current path is limited by the charging capacitance at the source nodes of M 3 and M 5 . The sizes of transistors M 1 , M 3 and M 5 can be scaled up as multiples of that of transistors M 2 , M 4 and M 6 , respectively to deliver a (known) desired current level. Note that the source of M 3 pulls up much faster than the source of M 5 due to the lower impedance provided by M 1 to the power supply than that of M 3 . The cascode arrangement allows a softer turn-on of currents and isolates transients from reaching the output. Both M 3 and M 5 's gate voltages are capacitively filtered to absorb the parasitic coupling by the large source voltage variations during turn-on and turn-off. Transmission switch S 1 is turned on to lower the source voltage of M 5 thus enabling M 5 's fast turn-off while M 1 is turned off via the CMOS differential buffer circuit. Vbias is a voltage that is connected to M 5 's source at turn-off through transmission switch, S 1 . For complete turn-off of M 5 , Vbias when connected in the off-state must be a voltage that leaves M 5 's gate-to-source voltage at less than one threshold. Those skilled in the present state of the art will recognize that the invention does not limit to the transmission switch circuit represented here. The transmission switch can be designed with many other methods for this invention.
[0044] FIG. 5 shows the schematic of the symmetric charge pump. Dummy load devices, 1 are used to balance out charge sharing and to equalize the load capacitance on the differential CMOS control lines, 2 . Dummy load transistors as shown with the drain and source shorted together are connected together across the transmission switch, S 1 and S 2 . The dummy loading capacitances from the M 5 /M 3 ′ source/drain connection and the control voltage, Vbias, balance out the charge injected across the parasitic capacitance of transmission switch, S 1 due to the switching of the CMOS differential control signal pair, PU. In addition, the dummy loading capacitances equalize the capacitive load of the CMOS driving control signals, PU and PD to maintain the symmetry of these signals' rise and fall times as more charge pump stages are added.
[0045] When higher circuit output voltages are needed, the optimum bias voltage for complete output current turn-off diverges from a common reference bias voltage, Vbias, as shown in FIG. 4 for both charge pump up and pump down operations.
[0046] FIG. 6 shows the schematic of the symmetric charge pump with two independent reference bias voltage sources, Vbiasp, 1 and Vbiasn, 2 for generating high output voltages. The unwanted leakage current mechanism is due to the fact that the charge pump output cascode transistors M 5 or M 9 of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 may become turned on in the reverse direction which provides an un-wanted leakage current path in the reverse direction. The reverse current mechanism is due to the fact that transistors M 5 and M 9 each have two terminals, gate and source, that are biased independent of the third common terminal, Iout. The source terminals of transistor M 5 and M 9 are biased together or independently at fixed values as shown in FIG. 5 or 6 respectively. The value of node voltage, Iout, at the drain terminal of M 5 can increase and exceed the turn-on threshold voltage between M 5 's gate and drain. In addition, The value of node voltage, Iout, at the drain terminal of M 9 can decrease and exceed the turn-on threshold voltage between M 9 's gate and drain. The leakage current is due to the fact of either M 5 or M 9 may become forward biased in the reverse direction. Thus, during the charge pump off-state time with the transmission switches S 1 , S 2 shorted to the appropriate reference voltage, Vbiasp/Vbiasn, a large un-wanted leakage current may flow in either direction relative to the loop filter node, Iout.
[0047] FIG. 7 shows the schematic of a Charge Pump source/sink reference bias voltage. A reference voltage with minimal variation over manufacture process is developed by sourcing a current through the proper monolithic resistance. The current varies inversely with resistance to keep the internal reference voltage, 1 at a constant potential. The operational amplifier (OPAMP), 2 and the additional output stage, 3 form a two-stage amplifier that keeps the output impedance at node Vbias low such that the circuit acts as a good voltage source. The network, 4 between the first and second stage performs frequency compensation to guarantee stability. Those skilled in the present state of the art will recognize that the invention does not limit to the bias circuit, OPAMP, additional output stage and the frequency compensation network as represented here. These blocks can be designed by many other methods for this invention.
[0048] FIG. 8 shows an extension of the original charge pump design as shown in FIGS. 4 , 5 and 6 by adding a replica bias clamp detection circuit which limits the reverse leakage current in the off-state. The function of the replica bias clamp circuit is to detect leakage current in a replica charge pump circuit and to open the switch, S 2 , to disable the transmission switch S 1 in the charge pump from connecting to the voltage reference node, Vbias. This circuit monitors leakage current on both the top side and bottom side current source and sink drivers, respectively.
[0049] FIG. 9 shows the full replica bias clamp detection circuit. The replica bias clamp detection circuit consists of a high-side charge pump current replica circuit, 1 , a low-side charge pump current replica circuit, 2 , a high-side leakage detection comparator circuit, 3 , a low-side leakage detection comparator circuit, 4 , and a unity-gain voltage follower buffer, 5 . The high and low-side charge pump current replica circuits together comprise an identical scaled-down version of the charge pump in the switched-off state. This is due to the fact that transmission switched S 1 and S 2 are always active or on. The replica bias clamp detection circuit monitors the reverse leakage current effect due to high or low loop filter voltages that are seen on the output of the charge pump, Iout. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is preferable to buffer the charge pump/loop filter voltage back to the replica section with a unity gain voltage follower, 5 . In addition, the unity gain buffer is preferred to have “wide swing” input and output stages, such that extreme high and low output voltage levels across the loop filter that the charge pump is driving can be accurately sensed. Those skilled in the present state of the art will recognize that there are many ways to construct “wide-swing OPAMPS and buffer circuits. In the detection circuit configuration, the unity gain voltage follower can deliver the a bi-directional replica leakage current to the charge pump replica bias detector without discharge of the loop filter node, Iout. The scaled-down replica circuit of FIG. 9 tracks the actual charge pump transistor output stage, Iout, of either FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 . In the event of a high or low voltage present at node Iout which would trigger an unknown value and direction of leakage current in the charge pump, a current would also flow through the replica charge pump source transistor M 1 or sink transistor M 2 in the reverse direction. This charging action will change the sensing voltage at the input of inverters 3 or 4 . When the sensing voltage at the inverter inputs changes state, the output signal will turn off the appropriate series switch S 3 as shown in FIG. 10 . For example, if the node voltage at Iout is one threshold voltage above M 5 's gate in FIG. 6 and M 1 's gate in FIG. 9 , M 5 and M 1 will turn on in the reverse direction and deliver charge through the transmission switch S 1 . However, in the replica bias clamp detection circuit of FIG. 9 , this charging action will increase the voltage at the input of inverter 3 . Additionally, if the node voltage at Iout is one threshold voltage below M 9 's gate in FIG. 6 and M 2 's gate in FIG. 9 , M 2 will turn on in the reverse direction and deliver charge through the replica transmission switch S 2 . This charging action will decrease the voltage at the input of inverter 4 . The inputs of both inverters 3 and 4 have current sources that sink and source small constant currents respectively to bias the inverters inputs when no reverse leakage current is present. Current source I 1 will discharge the input node of inverter 3 at a low level when no leakage current is present. Current source I 2 will charge the input node of inverter 4 at a high level when no reverse leakage current is present. Thus, when the un-wanted leakage current condition exists, a current will flow through either M 1 or M 2 with a charging polarity that is opposite to the charging polarity of either I 1 or I 2 in FIG. 9 . When this reverse charging action is greater than either I 1 or I 2 the voltage will change from a low to high state at the input of inverter 3 or from a high to low state at the input of inverter 4 .
[0050] FIG. 10 shows the schematic of the charge pump circuit with the replica bias clamp detection circuit as described in FIGS. 6 and 9 . The outputs of inverter 3 and inverter 4 in FIG. 9 are used to open or close the secondary switches, S 3 of FIG. 10 . Depending on the voltage present across the loop filter load, LF, the replica bias clamp detection circuit will limit the charge or discharge of the loop filter node due to over/under voltage situations at Iout that can cause large unwanted reverse leakage currents to flow through the cascode charge pump. Without the bias clamp in place, this condition has the possibility to occur during circuit power-up and PLL lockup transient conditions. Thus, for occasions where the loop filter voltage can exceed the output voltage compliance of the charge pump, this replica bias clamp detection circuit is very important.
[0051] FIG. 11 shows the schematic of a differential charge pump with their respective replica bias clamp detection circuits. The differential charge pump is an extension of the single-ended design as described in FIGS. 5 , 8 and 9 . The differential charge pump sections drive the same passive loop filter, LF which is in parallel with a common mode feedback circuit, CMFB, to maintain the “common mode” voltage across the LF load. The LF load has two nodes with opposite polarities at all times. Common mode feedback circuitry is widely used in electrical design and the block shown can represent many different design approaches. To charge the LF in the positive direction, a current is sourced from the left charge pump into the LF positive node and a current is sunk into the right charge pump from the negative node of the LF. Charging the LF voltage in the negative direction requires the currents to flow in the reverse directions.
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A charge pump replica bias detector is disclosed which provides a charge pump with a greater working output voltage range or larger output compliance. A larger working range will provide a charge pump with more symmetric source and sink currents than prior designs with a reduction of the multiple frequency sideband levels that occur in a voltage controlled oscillator of a phase-locked loop synthesizer. Further improvements are the prevention of disturbances of the loop filter voltage level due to unwanted leakage currents in a charge pump that are dependent on the value of loop filter voltage. Finally, by providing improved output voltage compliance and limiting loop filter voltage disturbances there are improvements in the reduction in reference frequency feed-through, charge sharing and noise transient coupling and phase noise in the phase-locked loop. Possible applications include but are not limited to charge pump phase-locked loop designs for single chip CMOS multi-band and multi-standard radio frequency transceiver integrated circuits.
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